Paluma residents, visitors and holiday-makers please note that the Rainforest Inn at Paluma will be closed over the period 30 December 2020 to 30 January 2021.
This means that with the exception of the vending machine (for snacks) at the Paluma Education and Environmental Centre (PEEC) there are no places or facilities to buy food, drinks or other supplies whilst visiting the village. Please bring your supplies with you to avoid disappointment (and being hungry!).
With the weather warming up, this is a timely reminder that reptiles are on the move and may be encountered in and around the village of Paluma. Earlier today, Jennie Robinson spotted this large and well-fed python crossing Mt Spec Road near Nick and Glenda’s place. Note the large bulge in the mid-section of this snake from a recent meal. Jennie made sure the python was well off the road before any vehicles came along.
Please be alert for these amazing reptiles when driving through the village as they often like to bask on the warm bitumen along Mt Spec Road. No doubt this particular python was seeking a good place for a bit of R&R whilst digesting its dinner!
The PDCA would like to welcome to the Paluma community Bobby and Glen Parker who are the new residents at 1976 Mt Spec Road. This property was formerly owned by the Brennan’s and it is one of the 5-acre blocks to the west of the village. Bobby and Glen’s property is situated next-door to Graham and Julie’s place. Graham – who is recovering from a broken pelvis (now locally known as ‘Evel Knievel’) – brought the new neighbours along to the usual ‘C and G’ session (‘Coffee and Gossip’) at the Rainforest Inn last Saturday (26/09/20). Here, they met some of us locals for the first time – hopefully that will not scare them away…….!!.
We extend a warm welcome to Bobby and Glen to our village community and particularly to the 5-acre blocks area. We’re sure that by now they will have realised they have purchased a piece of Paluma paradise.
Photo by Les Hyland. Text by Les Hyland and Michele Bird
Addendum: (Jamie)
While we have focused on Bobbi and Glen since we go to meet them at morning tea last week, we also extend a warm welcome to other recent additions to the Village: Ian and Julia Anderson (14 Mt Spec Rd); Peter Carlin and Karen Knight (3 Lennox Cr); and Dean Stephenson and Judy Foote (54 Mt Spec Rd).
Leslie Hyland was the guest of honour last Saturday at a morning tea held at the Rainforest Inn at Paluma. Leslie was presented with a Certificate from Townsville City Council in acknowledgement of his short listing for the Senior of the Year Award 2020.
Councillor Margie Ryder and the State Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto attended the event to present Leslie with his Certificate. Margie Ryder provided an account of Les’ vast achievements and contributions to the village of Paluma over the past 30 years. Many of Les’ Paluma friends and neighbours joined Margie and Nick in paying recognition to Les. Margie Ryder provided a delicious cake, expertly decorated (by herself!) in honour of the occasion.
Congratulations Les, this recognition is well deserved and we look forward to your next 20 years of dedicated service to our community!!!
Please be advised that the full road closure of Mt Spec Road will now commence on Tuesday 15 September 2020 from 6pm, not Monday 14 September as previously advised.
Mt Spec Road will be open for all road users on Monday 14 September 2020.
For those that have registered, TMR SMS alerts regarding the Mt Spec Road closure will commence from next Tuesday 15 September 2020 at 4pm.
Please do not hesitate to contact TMR’s Customer and Stakeholder Engagement team on the details below for further information.
Customer and Stakeholder Management (Northern) | North Queensland Region Program Delivery And Operations | Infrastructure Management & Delivery Division |
Department of Transport and Main Roads
Floor 6 | Townsville Government Office Building | 445 Flinders Street | Townsville Qld 4810 PO Box 1089 | Townsville Qld 4810 P: 1800 625 648 | F: (07) 4421 8725 E: engagement.northern@tmr.qld.gov.au W: www.tmr.qld.gov.au
Notice to residents Mt Spec Road reconstruction works
Would you like to receive updates via SMS about Mt Spec Road closures?The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) will commence reconstruction works on Mt Spec Road, between Little Crystal Creek bridge and McLellands Lookout, from next week – Monday 14 September 2020.
To enable crews to safely and efficiently complete works at a number of locations, Mt Spec Road will be closed to all traffic each night from 6pm to 6am, Saturday to Thursday, and from 7pm to 6am on Fridays. Works are expected to continue until December 2020.
TMR will send SMSs to subscribed stakeholders for the first few weeks of works to ensure residents are reminded of the road closures and can plan their travel accordingly.
On Friday 21 August, TCC announced the winners of the 2020 Senior of the Year Award. Unfortunately Paluma’s own Leslie Hyland did not win the award this year, but he was included in a short list of nominees.
The deserving winners are: Dr. Ernie Hoolihan (male) and Mrs. Patricia Carr (female). We extend our sincere congratulations to the 2020 winners.
And of course, Leslie Hyland will always be considered as a winner in the village of Paluma!
The next Paluma Social will be held on Saturday 7 November 2020 at 6.30 PM at the Community Hall.
The theme for the Social is ‘Monsters & Mayhem on the Mountain’.
Come as you are, or come dressed in your most horrifying, monstrous, scary or bewitching costume. It’s time to unleash the inner devil lurking within!
On a serious note – with all the events of 2020 it has been a lean year for our PDCA in terms of fund-raising events and opportunities. We therefore encourage ALL residents to join us at the Community Hall. It’s a great chance to catch up with your friends and neighbours, buy a beverage and support our community organisation.
As always – Please bring a dish to share – savoury, sweet or anything you like. Barman Les will be on hand to serve low-cost beverages.
We look forward to seeing you there! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
[PS – This event will of course be subject to any changes in government directives and requirements associated with Covid 19].
When Townsville City Council (TCC) called for nominations for their annual Senior of the Year Award 2020 some us got to thinking about the many worthy potential nominees at Paluma who would aptly qualify for this award. In the end there was a collaborative effort (and a conspiracy of sorts) amongst three of us to nominate Leslie Hyland.
It was initially Colwyn’s suggestion that we nominate Les for his long-term volunteer work and his ongoing contribution to our village community. Michele then set about to do some research. Lynn was our main co-conspirator and she compiled a comprehensive dossier on Les’ various roles at Paluma over the past 30 years. Drawing on this information, Michele wrote a nomination and it was submitted to TCC last Friday. It was all rather ‘secret-squirrel’ (from Les that is) until Saturday morning when we told him of the nomination. He was quite surprised, but thankfully, well pleased.
TCC will announce the winners of the Senior of the Year Award (male and female) on 21 August 2020. We wish Les all the best and we hope he wins. Even if he doesn’t, he will always be a winner at Paluma.
Special thanks go to Lynn Hyland for her great assistance in preparing information for the nomination for Les. Of course, Lynn could very easily be nominated in her own right for this award and we acknowledge that she is an essential part of this dynamic duo of community volunteering. However, the main impetus for nominating Les at this time was motivated by the fact that he will be 90 years young in June 2021 and we felt that the time was nigh for this nomination and acknowledgement.
The nomination for Les Hyland is reproduced below, along with some photographs submitted with the nomination, showing Les Hyland in action in his various roles in the village.
Les Hyland is 89 years young and this year and indeed for more than 30 years he has been an active and enthusiastic community volunteer in the village of Paluma. Around here we view Les Hyland as our esteemed Elder. He works tirelessly for our community with the vigour of someone half his age. He is ever reliable, selfless and a stalwart of this community. His achievements are many. It is for his long-standing and dedicated service to our village community that we nominate Les Hyland for the Townsville City Council Senior of the Year Award for 2020.
Les was born in Dublin, Ireland and emigrated to Australian in 1974. He and wife Lynn became residents at Paluma in 1986 when they purchased their acreage block on the western outskirts of the village.
Soon after his arrival, Les joined the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade in 1986. His service with the RFB is current to this day. He also joined the Mt Spec SES as an inaugural member in 1989. Again, his service to the SES is current in 2020 and his resolve and determination to fulfil these roles has never wavered. Over some 33 years, Les has worked hard to protect and serve our village – be it fire, flood or other emergency. In a crisis he is the first to step up, providing logistical and other support when and wherever required.
Les has and continues to fulfil so many roles in this community and the list is endless. He is well known and much admired for his willingness to volunteer for just about anything!
Currently, he works with other community volunteers to run the Paluma History Display at the Community Hall. His wealth of knowledge about Paluma and the surrounding district has impressed many a tourist and traveller. He delights in sharing yarns about our village and he works hard to promote Paluma and the greater Townsville region. He has undertaken this role for over 7 years.
For some 18 years Les has undertaken the role of social coordinator and barman for just about every Paluma Social Event, including the annual Bush Dance. Perhaps his greatest work is in running the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Paluma. His Irish jokes and quiz night are renowned throughout the village. At every social and function, Les is the first to arrive, setting up the Community Hall and facilities so that others can relax and enjoy themselves. He’s always the last to leave whatever the time of night, washing the dishes or taking out the rubbish in the wee small hours – with that ever-present good humour and a twinkle in his eye. Just last week Les could be spotted at the Community Hall on Saturday afternoon ‘deep cleaning’ the Hall (down to the very door knobs) so that it could be utilised by the community.
Les Hyland is the king of the sausage sizzle. Not a Paluma Community Market or event goes by without Les coordinating his band of volunteer workers at the BBQ. He works with complete determination and resolve to raise much needed funds for our community association. Indeed, Les’ tireless volunteer work in his many roles contributes a substantial proportion of the annual income for the association.
Les’ voluntary service extends to many other roles, both formal and informal. He undertook the role of Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Paluma & District Community Association (PDCA) for 5 years. He also acted as Secretary for the Community Hall Building Committee for a number of years. He was the Editor of our local newsletter ‘Turkey Talk’ for a remarkable 16 years, producing an impressive 82 issues! As technology evolved, so did Les. When the newsletter moved to digital format in more recent years, Les adapted, bought a computer and taught himself how to use it!
His voluntary service also includes the annual Paluma Push Mountain Bike Event. For 16 years Les has manned Check Point 1 as Radio Operator. He is ready to serve again at the event this year, scheduled to October 2020. He served as a committee member and volunteer for the Rainforest Festival for 6 years and he has been a volunteer worker for the Northern Beaches Festival (Art Exhibition at Paluma) for 8 years. Les’ service also extends beyond Paluma and he is a Life Member of Lions International – Cleveland Bay Club, contributing 45 years of dedicated service.
On the 14 of June 2021 Les Hyland will be 90 years of age. We don’t think that will slow him down at all, but in his 90th year of life we would like nothing more than to acknowledge and thank him for his long-term service to the community of Paluma with the TCC Senior of the Year Award 2020. It would be our chance to give something back to this giant of our community and a true national treasure.