Last Saturday’s (8 January 2022) Working Bee at the Rainforest Walking Track has been hailed as a great success. Wilfred reports that nine volunteers attended on the day to carry out essential track upgrading works. The large mound of dirt near the Community Hall quickly disappeared as it was shovelled, barrowed and spread along various sections of the walking track needing repair and stabilisation. The new steps look great and Wilfred says they make the walk down the sloping terrain much easier and safer, especially for kids and short-legged people, as the steps are now of a more even height (we short people are glad to hear it!).
Wilfred says he was ‘blown away’ by the great response to the call-out for volunteers and he heartily thanks all those who attended and provided their free labour for a few hours. Another two working bees are planned to tackle the next stage of the walking track repair work. After that, the whole of the track should be in tip-top condition for both locals and visitors to enjoy. Les’s bar was raided for a well deserved drink after the Working Bee, courtesy of Wilfred’s shout.
Keep your eye out for notice of the next Working Bee, probably in about four weeks time. Everyone is welcome and the reward is all about COMMUNITY.
Text by Michele Bird & Wilfred Karnoll. Photos provided by Wilfred.
This is a reminder that there will be a Working Bee at the Rainforest Walking Track to be held this coming Saturday 8th January at 2 pm.
All volunteers, please meet at the Community Hall at 2 pm and please bring along your wheelbarrow, shovels, lots of energy and enthusiasm.
What better way to work off those extra Christmas calories than a bit of sweat and toil in the rainforest. Many hands make light work, so please come along for an hour or two to lend a hand in maintaining this precious patch of Paluma paradise.
On Saturday 15th January 2022 Colwyn Campbell will celebrate her 80 years young birthday. To mark this important occasion, Colwyn’s Paluma friends and family will host a birthday party to be held at the Rainforest Inn, commencing at 5.30 pm on the day.
Please come along and join your friends and neighbours in wishing Colwyn a Happy Birthday.
Article prepared & presented by Lynn Hyland for the Paluma Community Centre 20th Anniversary Morning Tea, Sunday 24th October 2021.
This is a short history of how the Paluma Community Centre came into being back in 2001.
Our earliest community association records date back to 1965 and it was in January of 1965 that electricity was connected to the then ‘Town Hall’ as it was fondly referred to. The exact date in 1946 of its construction is unknown, but it was a well patronised facility by the 1960’s. This hub of community life was constructed of bush timbers and corrugated iron. It had previously been the Recreational Building for the Medical Unit during the final years of World War 2. It had no windows or doors. On a misty day the cloud rolled into the open space via the rear ¾ wall. Seating was built in along the walls and the entrance was an open walkway. A hall user could access power by collecting the fuse from Ivy Cottage after signing for it. Social activities of the day took the form of dances, children’s fancy dress balls and bingo. The bar servery bench was also well used I believe.
Unfortunately Cyclone Althea was not kind to the Progress Hall and thanks to the efforts of the Rotary Club of Townsville West it was repaired in 1972. The operation of the reserve, that we now know as the Village Green was in the hands of of four local trustees who had control over activities on behalf of the Lands Department. They vetoed the community suggestion of installing a playground and establishing a small campground. It was mainly used as a golf course and that’s how they wanted it kept. Suddenly in the mid 90’s, the Paluma Progress Association (PPA) found that the trustees had relinquished their positions and it had reverted to the control of the Thuringowa Shire Council as their asset. Previously replacement trustees had been nominated by the PPA and readily accepted by the Lands Department. No such option had been offered.
To the dismay of the locals, we were informed that the Town Hall was to be demolished as it had been condemned. What a blow for this small community. In April 1983, the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade had been formed and stored its equipment on a share basis with the PPA in a small metal shed on the cement slab behind the present gazebo. Then in October 1989 a local Mt. Spec SES group was formed. For many years the SES operated out of the garage of the 1st Officer’s home, before moving for a short while to the closed Police Station office, until it was sold to James Cook University. A permanent base for SES was required.
The PDPA had been furiously fund raising through the annual Rainforest Festivals run by the community. They desperately wanted to have a new ‘Town Hall’. It looked for a while that the Village Green would be peppered with three new buildings. Some creative thinking came up with the concept of a shared facility, to be contained in one larger building fronting the main road and thus preserving the ambience of the Village Green. And so the project began under the guidance of a Building Management Committee.
Funding for the project was provided by the PDPA, Thuringowa City Council (SES), the Gleeson Family Trust, the Gaming Benefit Fund and the Casino Trust. The many volunteers who are named on our Honour Board, laboured over a number of years with many a Saturday working bee to allow the weekenders to contribute their time and effort too. The project was carried out under the umbrella of Tubman Homes with John, Mick Lewis acting as site supervisors as required. Work was often followed by a BBQ on the Green. The steering committee was charged with forming a Management Committee consisting of the three legal lessees – PDPA, Mt. Spec SES and Paluma Rural Fire Brigade and also forming a constitution.
The official opening was to be on Sunday 21 October 2001, but the hall and services side were utilised prior to this date for minor socials, training and emergency events. The rush was on to complete the painting and fitting out in readiness for our Gala Social – the Centenary Ball to be held the night preceding the official opening ceremony the next day. WOW – what a celebration and did we scrub up well for the occasion. The start of a new century and the restoration of a community hub for the residents of Paluma was well and truly rejoiced. Many of you present today will have attended the many community dinners, overseas slide shows, bush dances, games nights, art exhibitions, markets, Anzac ceremonies and birthday celebrations of locals here in the hall. Both service groups have utilised the centre for training, running courses and district exercises. The centre’s true value has been appreciated at the time of major events such as land searches and rescues.
The Management Committee charged the PDCA with the role of supervising hall usage. Over the years our many regular hirers have given us a small income to supplement PDCA membership fees in meeting the costs of running the Centre. All three lessees contribute annually to cover the cost of electricity and rates. The PDCA covers the cost of the $20 Million Public Liability Insurance required under our lease agreement. The Centre is listed as a TCC asset and leased back to us at nil cost on a 30 Year Lease basis. Visitors are always amazed that this facility was built by volunteer labour in such a small community. Even the Director General of Emergency Services, Michael Kinnane, who opened the Centre with Mayor Les Tyrell, was amazed by this revelation. Very few QFES units have access to such good facilities.
Our regular community spring cleans and maintenance have kept the centre in good condition. From 2020 onwards this role will be carried out by TCC’s Infrastructure Department – we await action on an internal paint, floor restoration and external cleaning. From time to time, PDCA grant applications have been successful. In July 2012, the Paluma History Project came to fruition through funding from Powerlink and we finally got some decent chairs through Queensland Community Country Bank. A number of history projects have evolved over the past nine years such as the Trees in Memory Grove; the Pioneer Honour Board; the Flight Sergeant Plant Memorial Service; the PDCA Past President’s Honour Board; the Opening of the Andree Griffin Walking Track; the Memorial Stone unveiling; and the Community Centre Construction Honour Board. The large historical photo collection is opened to the public from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm on Tuesdays between April and November. We have photographer Brian O’Leary to thank for the superb ‘Birds of Paluma’ DVD, of which he has donated the rights to our community.
As we all know, communication is a problem in our area. In 2017, the installation in the Centre of a free WiFi service by TCC was a godsend to locals and tourists alike. Then in 2018, the long awaited Mobile Black Spot problem was finally overcome. As the hall became a well used facility and group sizes had increased, a desire to extend the Centre was expressed. A small group of PDCA members worked at a number of Northern Beaches Festival events and secured a share of the profits to be put away into a PDCA ‘Building Fund’ Account. The PRFB through community support had received funding from the many Paluma Push Bike Races and now that the Government was meeting new vehicle costs had a healthy bank balance. The brigade agreed to join forces with the PDCA in funding the rear extension to incorporate a small meeting room and realign the verandah area. They had not been able to contribute financially back in 1997 but could do so now. And so began the recent Centre extension project.
Unfortunately John Tubman’s health did not allow him to continue and a further Gaming Benefit Grant was obtained to meet the increased cost of a new builder. On 22 September 2018, the John Tubman Meeting Room was officially opened by John himself and the Centre Construction Honour Board unveiled. This year (2021) sees the 25th Year of our annual Garden Competition and the new garden beds around the centre are looking good thanks to the many garden enthusiasts in Paluma. So 20 years on, the Centre is in regular use for major recreational events, community socials and celebrations and used by regular community groups and commercial hirers. The History Project continues to expand and the SES and PRFB are still functioning well despite their ups and downs in membership over the years. We live in a wonderful part of North Queensland’s Wet Tropics. The Paluma community welcomes visitors to our little bit of paradise and we are renowned for our helpfulness and friendliness. Long may it be so!
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.
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!
The start of the Rainforest Walking Track opposite the Community Hall.
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.
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.
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).
Wilfred’s paving and fencing work to protect our rain gauge.
Barry’s water tight container for the rainfall recording sheet.
