PALUMA COMMUNITY HALL 20TH ANNIVERSARY MORNING TEA, 24 OCTOBER
Category: Village news
IF WE DON’T DO ANYTHING – WE WILL LOSE IT!
The Rainforest Walk is a short approximately 600m track that starts opposite the Community Hall, runs down to a small creek with evidence of stone pitching from the tin mining days and ends back on the main road opposite Sarah Swan’s Glass Art Studio. For many years this track has been maintained by QPWS, together with the ‘H Track’, but as a cost cutting measure the QPWS has decided to stop all maintenance on the Rainforest Walk because this track is not in the National Park. This track is situated on Unallocated State Land (USL). The ‘H Track’ is only 10% in National Park and 90% on the same block of USL, but QPWS are happy to continue to maintain the ‘H Track’……..You Figure It Out??!!
The Rainforest Walk is a very popular track and it is an invaluable tool to introduce anybody who can walk to the delights and diversity of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and it is ideally located right in the middle of our community!
After discussions within the group and getting the support of the USL Department, the Walking Track Volunteers (we look after over 100 km of walking tracks around Paluma, the Dam and Mount Spec) have decided to take on the responsibility to keep this track open and maintained to the same or better condition than when QPWS looked after it. We have already replaced a rotten board on one of the walk platforms and have begun to install galvanized chicken wire on the wooden platforms, as they were very slippery during wet weather (most of the time in Paluma). The biggest job on the maintenance list is the re-surfacing of large sections of the track with Deco, that has been dumped at each end of the track and needs to be taken by wheel burrow to the washed-out sections of the track. Whilst doing this, we will also install some drains across the track to channel rain water away from the track, rather than have it wash the Deco away again on the sloping sections of the track.
We will make a start on this work at a Working Bee to be held on Saturday 16th October, from 2pm to 4pm. We would like to appeal to all residents and community members to come and join us with a wheel burrow, shovel and rake, and a bit of elbow-grease!. Remember the saying – Many hands make light work!! A refreshing drink will be made available at the Community Hall after the Working Bee. Feel free to contact Wilfred on 0447 822 626 if you have any questions.
Article by Wilfred Karnoll.
Sunday Mega-Market
The sun shone in Paluma last Sunday (3/10/21) and the final Paluma Community Market for 2021 was a resounding success. Crowds filled the hall to browse the stalls and the children’s playground, shade shelters and BBQ’s were filled with people enjoying the stunning Spring weather. All stallholders reported brisk trade and the sausage sizzle was a sell out. From plants to pineapples, gems and jewels, coffee and cake – the Paluma Market had something for everyone. Many visitors stayed on to browse the local art studios, enjoy lunch at the Rainforest Inn or take a walk in the cool mountain rainforest. Well done to the dedicated Paluma community volunteers who made it all happen.
All in all, a big day out in the little village of Paluma!
Len’s Anagama kiln fires up once again.
On Monday (September 27th) after months of preparatory work at the potter’s wheel, and a couple of days of hauling wood from out at Hussy Road, Len Cook’s famous wood-fired Anagama kiln has awoken after a year’s slumber and is erupting flames and smoke as it progressively consumes several cubic metres of wood. Len has stacked the kiln with an impressive array of original pots that will slowly be turned into stunning works of ash-glazed art by late Friday.
It will take several more days of cooling down before Len is able to open the kiln to discover how the pots have been transformed. Despite the years of experience that Len has with this process, it’s never certain how the pots will respond to the sometimes whimsical moods of the Anagama. I am sure that there will be some fantastic results, with most pots destined for art galleries, or the shelves of serious ceramic collectors.
Unofficial Notice of Paluma Dam Road Closure (Oct 5th-Nov 4th)
While the Townsville City Council does not have any official notification on their website I have received verbal advice from a council officer that major works to prepare the major potholes and ditches at specific spots on the dam road will commence and October 5th and be completed by November 4th – rain permitting.
Although it is disappointing that earlier advanced written notice of the closure directly from the Council to residents has not occurred, it is very good news that the chronic erosion of the road due to drain and culvert blockages will finally be fixed more permanently than just throwing some fill onto the road. Many thanks to Wilfred Karnoll whose persisentence during repeated phone calls and delayed meetings finally resulted in the recognition of the problem and a promise (soon to be fulfilled if it doesn’t rain) to fix it.
Reminder: The Last Paluma Market for 2021
The Queen’s Birthday weekend is the last Paluma Market for the year. It will be held on Sunday 3rd October from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.
There will be a selection of stalls and the usual sausage sizzle. So, come up the mountain for the day and enjoy the cool ambience of Paluma. The kids can enjoy the playground while the adults scan the stalls in the hall for a bargain, enjoy a cuppa or a sausage or two.
Stall holders are welcome and should contact Lynn on 4773 7675 or eMail lynnhyland@optusnet.com.au
See you at the Market.
Jack’s Awards
One of Paluma’s youngest residents has finished off the school year with some impressive awards.
Jack Appleton attends Ingham State High School and is finishing Year 12 in 2021. Recently Jack received two awards:- A Merit for Studies and the Subject Award for Certificate II in Automotive Studies.
Anyone who knows Jack, can attest to the fact that he has a remarkable ability to fix anything on wheels or with an engine! He is well known for gathering up all the unwanted bikes, scooters, motorbikes and even lawn mowers from around the village and Ingham township, to recycle the parts into contraptions that go – usually at full throttle and sometimes with a bit of noise!
His parents (Neil and Jennie) are most proud of his efforts at school this year. Mum Jennie might have to stop complaining now about all the ‘bits’ and ‘parts’ taking up space on the verandahs. I reckon it won’t be long before Paluma has its own mechanic on hand!
Congratulations Jack from all your friends and extended family at Paluma. Well done mate, we are proud of you!
Saturday Night Fever Hits Paluma
Last Saturday night (11/09) Paluma slipped back a few decades to celebrate the 1970’s. There were flowers everywhere and the dance music reverberated from the Community Hall as a group of about 18 villagers dined, sang, danced and laughed the night away until the wee hours.
The music might have been loud, but it wasn’t as loud as the outfits of some of the attendees. The colours of the rainbow were on show and the Community Hall was a sea of purple, pink, orange, yellow and some seriously psychedelic styles. Some of the really cool people wore their sunglasses all night and others donned flowers in their hair. Speaking of hair, it was everywhere. Danno rocked a ‘Fro’ and Neil and Jennie let their hair down….literally. Very groovy!
The new meeting room at the Hall was re-purposed and transformed into a disco, complete with dance floor, spinning mirror ball and music box. There certainly were some interesting dance moves from the patrons, but none were lacking in enthusiasm. Rumours abounded that Ross NEVER dances, but on the contrary…..just like Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, once you start him up, he never stops!
Barman Les worked a marathon five hours serving beverages from 6.30 pm to nearly midnight. The Bar did a roaring trade. The last of the dancers left the Hall in the wee hours to boogie their way home along Mount Spec Road.
Special thanks to Lynda, Jan and Peter for decorating the Hall in the Flower Power theme. Lynda went the extra mile for the community and deserves our utmost appreciation. Les and Lynn were steadfast as always in making sure everyone was welcome and had a great time. I reckon Barman Les might have needed a sleep-in on Sunday morning after working so hard!
The quality of the singing and dancing might have been questionable at times (yes Michele!), but the only prerequisite for the night was to have fun and enjoy the community spirit and the company of good friends and neighbours. That was achieved in spades!
Text by Michele Bird. Photos by Peter Cooke, Michele Bird & Jennie Robinson.
It’s Still Raining at Paluma
Just a point of clarification on my last post (of 1 September) referring to the Paluma rain gauge overflowing with a recording of 25.4 mm. Judging from some of the feedback I received, I think I may have created some confusion?!
The Paluma rain gauge consists of two main receptacles for collecting rainfall. The inner-most receptacle can collect just over 20 mm of rainfall. This container has a detailed ruler for measuring the amount of rain collected. The recent excitement amongst some of us was because this internal receptacle reached capacity for the first time since the new rain gauge became operational in early August 2021.
The inner container sits in a much larger water-tight steel container. This secondary container can collect several hundred millimetres of rainfall. The new rain gauge has the capacity to collect large amounts of rain and it will be able to capture every drop of those wet season deluges that Paluma is so famous for. Indeed, if the large outer steel receptacle ever looks like overflowing, then we will all need to head for the Ark!
I have previously mentioned the great work done by Wilfred to stabilise and protect the rain gauge on the Village Green. Just last week, Barry created a rather ingenious water tight plastic container (from large polypipe) to store the BOM rainfall data sheet. Great innovation and an ongoing collective community effort in recording Paluma’s rainfall record.
And the good news. A total of 1.2 mm of rain was recorded last Saturday and 4.2 mm recorded on Sunday (4 and 5 September 2021).
Article & Photos by Michele Bird
Attention Paluma Ratepayers
Notice to all Paluma Ratepayers
You are invited to attend a public meeting on Saturday the 18th September at 10 am at the Paluma Community Hall. The meeting is being held to discuss the proposal to ‘not raise the fire levy’ for the 2021-2022 Financial Year.
Regards
Ross Hyne, 1st Officer Paluma Rural Fire Brigade
If there are any queries in the lead up to the meeting, please contact:-
Sonya Bryce, Secretary/Treasurer Paluma Rural Fire Brigade
Mobile:- 0474 324 153