This is an urgent call for volunteers for the upcoming Paluma Push on Sunday 21 July 2019.
Len Cook from the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade is calling for volunteers from the local Paluma community to assist with the event. Volunteers are especially required for manning the various Check Points.
Len has had very little response to his previous calls for volunteers and the timing for arranging the event is becoming critical.
If you can volunteer, please contact Len Cook as soon as possible to register your interest on email:- anagama@activ8.net.au
It was a big weekend at Paluma on 29th and 30th June. The annual Bush Dance with the Wattle n Gum Band was held at the Community Hall on Saturday night with many locals and visitors dancing the night away.
On Sunday morning the weather was superb with clear blue skies and a cool breeze. A bumper crowd attended the Paluma Market and there were plenty of stalls to browse. The wares on sale included handmade gemstone jewellery, leadlight glass ornaments, original paintings, knitted and crocheted clothes, shawls, scarves, beanies and blankets, a variety of bric-a-brac, DVD’s, books, cards, plants and delicious homemade cakes, biscuits and condiments. There were bargains galore!!
Members of the Wattle n Gum Bush Band put on an impromptu performance at the playground, while members and volunteers of the PDCA sizzled sausages at the rotunda. A great morning was had by all with many people lingering to relax and enjoy the music, the sausage sizzle and the cool mountain air.
The winter weather at Paluma is beautiful and there is no better time to get out and go for a walk in the fresh mountain air with your best mate – that is, your canine companion.
Hence , this timely and friendly reminder to pet owners – Paluma residents and visitors – that dog owners are responsible for the behaviour and welfare of their animal/s at all times.
The PDCA would like to remind all dog owners that the village of Paluma is part of the Townsville City Council (TCC) Local Government Area and Local Laws regarding Animal Management (Local Law No. 2 [Animal Management] 2011 and Subordinate Local Law No. 2 [Animal Management] 2011) are applicable to dog owners at Paluma.
The TCC website provides some important tips for Responsible Pet Ownership as outlined below:-
Barking – All dogs bark, but some barking dogs become a real neighbourhood nuisance – greatly reducing the quality of life for their neighbours and increasing neighbourhood tensions. Barking dogs is the most common animal behaviour problem Council is asked to deal with. Make sure your dog is not barking incessantly and causing your neighbours distress.
Fences and Confinement – A straying dog causes distress to neighbours and the community. Dogs that are not kept safely behind a fence can risk being injured or cause injury to others. As a responsible pet owner, it is important that your fence or dog enclosure is:
– High enough so your dog can’t jump over it
– Low enough so your dog can’t dig under it
– Strong enough so your dog can’t push it over, and
– Hole proof so your dog can’t escape through it.
Pet litter – Leaving pet litter in a public place is not only unpleasant and unhealthy, it’s against the law. Council has provided dog litter bags in some public areas across Townsville. If walking in an area where bags are not provided, you are responsible to take your own bags with you and to pick up and dispose of your dog litter in an appropriate way.
Leashes and Exercise – Dogs must be leashed at all times in public places to help control them more easily and to increase the safety of other animals and people. Remember that many people are frightened or annoyed by dogs that are not leashed; you should always be considerate of other people.
Registration – All dogs, including puppies, must be registered within 14 days of acquisition or moving to the Townsville Local Government Area, and wear a registration tag. Annual dog registration costs differ depending on whether the dog is desexed or entire, and whether the owner is eligible for a pensioner concession. Annual registration and approvals need to be renewed by 31 August each year.
IMPORTANT: Remember that dogs are not permitted outside the residential area at Paluma and within any of the National Parks or World Heritage Areas. This includes the walking tracks. Most walking tracks are clearly signed to indicate that dogs are NOT permitted in these areas. Please – refrain from taking your dog to these prohibited areas in the interests of protecting our native wildlife and the environment.
For further information, the TCC Animal Management Laws can be reviewed on the TCC website. Just google ‘TCC Animal Management’.
Denim jeans, western checked shirts and cowboy hats were the fashion at the Country & Western & Casserole Night on Saturday 8th June at the Community Hall. Whilst only a small crowd of some 17 people attended this latest event on the Paluma Social Calendar, they made up for the small contingent by having a rowdy good time.
A sumptuous feast of hot and hearty home-cooked dishes meant that everyone had their fill of soups, casseroles, warm fruity desserts and carbs. The bar saw a brisk and lively trade as the guests warmed up on beer, wine and spirits of their choice.
The impromptu “Guess the Country & Western Song Competition” was blitzed by Michele who proved beyond any doubt that she is the biggest country bumpkin in the village!
Major thanks go to Jamie and Juanita for providing the music on the night and to Les and Lynn for their usual exceptional skills in organising the event.
Look at all those country & western checked shirts……..!
Photographer on the night, Sam Stedman, gets in on the action with a selfie!
The Rollingstone Community Association hosted its annual “Pioneer’s Luncheon” on Friday 7th June 2019 in their Community Hall. This was an extremely well organised function with a splendid lunch provided for those over 65 years of age. Some 70 people were present for the luncheon. Also in attendance was the Local Member Nick Dametto and Councillor Margie Ryder. The proceedings were ably chaired by the President of the Rollingstone Community Association, Sue Von Wald.
In previous years there was a gift for the oldest man and oldest lady, but this year the recognition was quite different. Each of the groups from the Townsville Northern Beaches (TNB) from Saunders Beach, Toolakea, Toomulla, Rollingstone and Paluma were asked to nominate someone from their community who had made a substantial contribution within their area. The nominees for each area were given an award in recognition of their community work. However, it was also intended that one person would be the overall winner to be provided with an engraved trophy.
Wonderful to relate the news that the overall winner and trophy was awarded, albeit posthumously, to the Paluma nominee – Roy Mackay.
This award for Roy Mackay was met with considerable acclamation from all those present and celebrated with great delight at Paluma by Roy’s friends and extended family. Colwyn Campbell was called on to accept the trophy on behalf of Roy. In her acceptance speech Colwyn said:-
“It gives me great pleasure and great pride to accept this award on behalf of Roy Mackay. Roy was a humble man, very modest, who would never have sought honours or awards for himself. He was a tremendously generous man. Generous with his time and in sharing his vast knowledge. It was sufficient reward for him to know that through his own passion for the world of nature he had enthused others to love and care for the environment. Roy was certainly a hero to the people of Paluma”.
Roy’s Local Hero Award will be placed in our Paluma Community Hall in the near future for all to admire and treasure.
Article & Photos by Les Hyland, Colwyn Campbell & Michele Bird
The Local Hero Award 2019 – Roy Mackay
Colwyn Campbell accepting the Local Hero Award on behalf of Roy.
Our Paluma attendees for the Local Awards Luncheon proudly displaying the award after the event – Lynn Hyland, Colwyn Campbell and Les Hyland.
The following is a copy of the nomination submitted for Roy Mackay for the Local Hero Award 2019.
Nomination for Local Hero Award – Paluma Section – Roy Mackay
Roy Mackay passed away in February 2019, just a few weeks short of his 91stbirthday. For a long time, he held the position in our little village community of being Paluma’s esteemed Elder, as well as the oldest permanent resident.
Roy Mackay made Paluma his home for over 30 years after moving to the village with his wife Margaret after they had lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for many years. Roy was a world renowned and respected naturalist, taxidermist and scientist. His list of work achievements and his contribution to science and the natural world is well documented, admired and respected by his colleagues.
But, it is Roy’s contribution to the village of Paluma which earns him this nomination.
While making Paluma his home he dedicated much of his time to observing, recording and documenting Paluma’s natural attributes. His life’s passion to the very end of his existence in this world was nature. At Paluma he immersed himself in the rainforest and he studied its birds, animals, plants and multitude of creatures. He encouraged others to do the same – to quietly observe, notice and foremost, to appreciate, protect and treasure nature.
Roy never tired of learning and recording, but also passing on his vast knowledge and appreciation for the natural world. He always gave freely of his time and knowledge. Roy always had time to talk about nature, to help both residents and visitors identify their specimens, or chat about their finds. He was ever ready with his field guides and his notebook to jot down for prosperity the latest scientific observations and discoveries at Paluma. His diligence for recording the natural world was most evident in his personal library, which included floor to ceiling shelves of his hand-written diaries and field notes. He was indeed a remarkable scientist, acknowledged as such by the very best, including Sir David Attenborough himself.
Roy’s work contributed to many of the greatest attributes that Paluma has to offer. Along with others he helped to establish and record some of the major walking tracks in the area, as well as lists of endemic birds, reptiles, mammals and plants. He made regular contributions over many years to local newsletters and publications with his ‘Nature Notes’ in Paluma’s Turkey Talk and the Rollingstone Rag.
Roy was ever-present as a volunteer and worker at every local community event. He was a volunteer Check Point Officer for the Paluma Push bike race from its very inception. He was there in July 2018 for the last time at Checkpoint 1, taking down those bicycle numbers with stern concentration and complete dedication.
We hosted two memorial events at Paluma after Roy’s passing to honour and remember his life, his work and his contributions to the village. His friends and admirers came in droves to pay homage and respect, and to lament his great loss.
Overwhelmingly, the one true trait that everyone who knew Roy Mackay recalls is that he was a ‘true gentlemen’. Quiet, observant, patient, attentive, kind and devoted to his life’s work, family and friends.
Roy Mackay is greatly missed each day, but especially at those times when a new specimen or natural discovery is made. Those words……”Let’s go ask Roy!”are now hollow and echo around the village of Paluma.
But, Roy’s legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of all those who knew him, loved and admired him. In this village he is considered not only a Local Hero, but we call him our own National Treasure.
In this year of his passing, we nominate Roy Mackay as a Local Hero, a true gentleman and an astounding human being.
The PDCA would like to remind Paluma residents, friends, family and visitors that the next Social will be held this coming Saturday night 8th June at the Community Hall, commencing at 6.30 PM. ALL WELCOME.
Come along to enjoy a night of good company, country & western music and hearty home-cooked tucker.
Wear your best (or worst) country & western gear and please bring along a casserole, soup or other dish to share. The Bar will be open with low-cost beverages as usual.
See Ya’all up the Misty Mountain – Be There or Be Square.
