Category: Village news

Congratulations Jack

Jack Appleton has had a big week!

Jack is one of Paluma’s youngest residents, but he is soon to spread his wings and move to the ‘big smoke’ at Ingham.

We recently posted that Jack was finishing his Year 12 studies at Ingham State High School and he had taken out two awards in his final year. Last Thursday night Jack celebrated his Valedictory Dinner with his colleagues and family at the Ingham Shire Hall. The red carpet was laid out for the students with the teachers welcoming each arrival by opening their car doors and posing for photographs. Some students arrived in flashy hot rods and one arrived on a tractor (of course, it’s Ingham!). There were speeches, a special dinner, dancing and lots of photo opportunities.

The morning after the Valedictory Dinner (last Friday) the school hosted a breakfast for the students and their family. There were more inspirational speeches and fun awards for students and teachers. The breakfast ended with an outdoor assembly where the rest of the school made a guard of honour as the Year 12 students left school for the final time.

Jack hasn’t wasted any time in gaining employment. He had several interviews even before he finished school and he was snapped up by Wilmar. He begins his Boilermaker Apprenticeship on 31 January 2022 and he will be based at Ingham for the four years of his training.

Jack has been celebrating ‘schoolies’ in Cairns with his friends over the past week. We wish Jack all good luck for his new career at Wilmar and we hope he comes home at every opportunity to Paluma. If you see Mum Jennie give her a hug, because she is trying to come to the realisation that her ‘Little Jack’ is all grown up. She misses him already…..!

Text by Michele Bird With Photos and Information Courtesy of Jennie Robinson

Reminder: Paluma Rural Fire Brigade Meeting this Saturday

A reminder to all members of the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade (PRFB) that a meeting will be held at the Community Hall this Saturday 13th November, commencing at 9 am.

If you are not a member of the PRFB but you are interested in joining, please come along to learn more about this volunteer service and what is involved. New members are always welcome and it’s a great way to get involved in the community and support this important service in our village.

For more information on this week’s meeting or the PRFB in general, please contact Ross and Sonya on email: sonyab360@gmail.com

Monsters in the Mist

The ‘Mayhem and Monsters on the Mountain’ Social was held at the Community Hall on Saturday (6/11). This year it was great to see so many kids attend the function and all embraced the theme of the night. The kids costumes were impressive. We had a little green dragon, a karate kid, a rather woolly version of ‘Cousin It’ and an alien.

The ‘big kids’ also embraced the theme with gusto. There were witches, zombies, the ‘purple people eater’, Hannibal Lectors and just plain scary people. There really are a lot of creepy people at Paluma.

With five desserts to choose from on the night, all the kids had plenty of sugar and they were hyped up until late in the evening. A good time was had by all and we look forward to doing it all again this time next year!

Photos by Michele Bird & Jennie Robinson

Happy Birthday Wilfred!

This weekend (7 November) one of Paluma’s long-time residents – Wilfred Karnoll – will celebrate his 70th birthday.

2021 has been a somewhat challenging year for Wilfred, but like everything else he has taken the ‘bull by the horns’ and just got on with things. Wilfred is a long-serving member of the PDCA and he is a consistent volunteer for just about everything in and around the village. He undertakes an array of regular maintenance work at the Community Hall and Village Green and he has been instrumental over many years in keeping our rainforest walking tracks in good condition. In more recent times, he has led a team of dedicated volunteers to re-open and make safe the Paluma Village to Hussey Road walking track and he currently has his sights set on upgrading the Rainforest Walking Track (between the Community Hall and the western end of the Village). There is not much that Wilfred doesn’t know about the walking tracks and trails around Paluma and across the Southern Wet Tropics region!

Wilfred is always ready to lend a hand and he is pretty good with the chain-saw, whipper snipper and a spot of heavy lifting. He will be the first to offer assistance when needed and he is particularly handy during Working Bees at the Community Hall for everything at height and well above the reach of the rest of us. Who needs a ladder when Wilfred is around.

Wilfred is a great friend and neighbour to have – even if he doesn’t always appreciate the therapeutic benefits of listening to AC/DC on the stereo at volume 50 on a Saturday night (ooops)!!

Cheers Wilfred and Happy Birthday To You from your friends at Paluma.

Wilfred (not) acting his age!

Text & Photo by Michele Bird

Reminder: Monsters on the Mountain Social this Saturday

Halloween might be over, but there are still plenty of gremlins, ghouls and monsters hiding out at Paluma. All are set to come out of the mist this Saturday night 6th November as the village celebrates the Monsters on the Mountain Social.

This Social will be the second last community social for 2021, so make the most of the opportunity to join your friends and neighbours for a yarn, a good meal and a beverage (or two).

Please come along to the Community Hall around 6.30 pm and bring a dish/plate/meal to share. You don’t have to dress up to attend the Social, you just have to bring along your good humour and community spirit. Anyway, some of us don’t even have to dress up to look scary!

See you Saturday night. Be afraid (at least a little bit!).

Outer Limits Paluma Trail Races

Outer Limits ran their annual Trail Races on Sunday 31st October 2021. It was preceded by a ‘Pizza Dinner Under The Stars’ on Saturday night. This was not as well patronised as previous years and there were very few locals present which was a pity as the pizzas provided by the pizza van were excellent. 

It would happen…..Ergon decided to have extended power outages on both Saturday and Sunday.  SES to the rescue, thanks to Charlie Allen who fired up their generator on Sunday so we had hall lights and power for Public Address all morning.

On Sunday morning the village green was humming with people from an early hour. It was a clear sunny day tending to being quite hot as the day wore on although mitigated by a pleasant breeze mid morning. 

There were three courses as usual 6 km 10 km & 20 km and the shorter courses were run in what appeared to be extremely fast times. There were perhaps rather fewer competitors than expected, but there was a great enthusiasm among all and it really was a superb event. Congratulations to Sam and his team for excellent organisation.

The PDCA ran the sausage sizzle with a skeleton staff. Bruno excelled as chief cook and he was kept busy producing sausages and onions for the competitors who returned after their races in batches. This is only the second time Bruno has done this job and he excelled in keeping sausages available at all times.  He is an offical BBQ cook from now on. Lynn dispensed the fare while Les did the soft drink and cash. Despite being rushed at times we managed to cope and our efforts were appreciated by the customers.

Among the announcements was that the 2022 Paluma Push will adopt the same format as this year with the race on Saturday 16th July 2022, the party at Hidden Valley that night and a recovery ride on Sunday 17th.  Put the date in your diary.

Article by Les Hyland

OUR COMMUNITY HUB

On Sunday 24th October 2021 the village of Paluma celebrated the 20th Anniversary of our Community Hall. A morning tea was held to mark this important occasion and was attended by some 50 people, including past and present residents. We were delighted to see the return of many past, long-time residents of Paluma whose families established and built the Community Hall. It was a great opportunity to acknowledge and thank these people and their extended families for their hard work in making the village what it is today.

The gathering was joined by Councillor Margie Ryder, Nick Dametto (Member for Hinchinbrook), Helaine Gordon (Area Director, Townsville Rural Fire Service) and Lewis O’Rourke (SES, Deputy Local Controller). Our many dedicated local and resident service volunteers from the Rural Fire Brigade and SES were also in attendance, since the Community Hall is the headquarters for both the Paluma RFB and the SES. Lynn Hyland provided a comprehensive history of the Hall and how it came to be in its present form.

All of the speakers on the day spoke warmly about Paluma and what our little village means to them. The common theme was COMMUNITY. Our sense of community at Paluma is no better represented than in the walls of our Community Hall. Yesterday was a glowing example that the community spirit is alive and well in Paluma. We work together to get things done and when it matters, we are there for one another. With enough community spirit you can even build a Hall!

The morning tea provided enough food to feed an army and the Hall was filled with lively chatter of days gone by and good things to come. Special thanks to the many volunteers who organised the event – you know who you are.

Here’s to the next 20 years of celebrating community in our village hub.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Reminder: Outer Limits Events – Dinner Under the Stars & Paluma Trail Run, 30 & 31 October

This coming weekend, 30 and 31 October, Outer Limits will host their annual Dinner Under the Stars on Saturday evening 30 October, to be followed by the Paluma Village Trail Run on Sunday 31 October.

Dinner under the Stars

Join us for an end of year celebration, the night before our last trail run for 2021. The Dinner Under the Stars is held on Saturday night, 30th October from 5.30pm onwards. The Feel Good Foodie will be set up at the Outer Limits Adventure Centre for a casual night out under the stars or as it is Paluma, it will most likely be in the clouds.

Paluma Village Trail Run

The final run in the Outer Limits Trail Run Series 2021. The Paluma Village Trail Run is our favourite event in the series, we have kept the best for last. It features amazing trails, taking you through the World Heritage listed rainforest in the most southern part of the Wet Tropics. This time of the year, Paluma Village is a great escape from the heat in Townsville.

For more details on both events and how to register, please go to the Outer Limits website.

Reminder: Paluma Community Hall 20th Anniversary Morning Tea

A reminder to all Paluma residents past and present that there will be a Morning Tea this Sunday 24 October at 10.30 am to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Paluma Community Hall.

We encourage everyone to attend to mark this important occasion and to learn some more about the history of our beloved Community Hall and also to acknowledge those members of our village community who were instrumental in establishing the Hall (in its past and present forms). Please come along and enjoy a cuppa and some cake. Everyone has a story or an experience about our beloved Community Hall and we encourage you to come along and share your memories and reminiscences.

Prior to the Sunday Morning Tea, we are calling for some keen volunteers from the community to help us give the Hall a clean so it looks its very best on Sunday morning. Please come along to the Hall at 9 am on Saturday morning 23 October. The more the merrier and the sooner we get the job done!

Reminder: Rainforest Track Working Bee this Saturday

A timely reminder that a Working Bee is to be held on Saturday 16th October, from 2pm to 4pm at the Rainforest Walking Track opposite the Community Hall.

Please come and join us with a wheel burrow, shovel, rake, and your enthusiasm to undertake some repair works on the track including the spreading of deco.

A refreshing drink will be made available at the Community Hall after the Working Bee. Please contact Wilfred  on 0447 822 626 for further information.