Palm Island Voice

Palm Island Voice Your Community Issue 73 Your Newsletter $1.00 Thursday 24 February 2011 Your Voice INSIDE: 2011 Palm Foreshore erosion Island Footy prompts warning Preview Mayor says repairs waiting on full report Residents and visitors to Palm are urged to be extremely careful around erosion along the foreshore in the town area and further along past Coolgaree Sports Bar & Bistro in the wake of Cyclone Yasi. As can be seen in the pictures cause problems for us. on pages 1 and 2, large chunks “Last week we had coastal of grass and sand under and engineer, Gildas Colleter, from behind the retaining walls the Queensland Government on have been taken out by wind the Island and he is an expert and waves, making the area a in mending breakwaters and hazard for pedestrians. walls and dealing with erosion Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey of this type.” said the focus of clean-up Continued next page... operations – now almost half way complete – was shifting to public infrastructure, but it was not exactly known when the areas affected would be fully-repaired. “The foreshore area is going to be one of our biggest tasks,” he said. “We need to get onto that so erosion doesn’t continue to Gildas Colleter & Mayor Alf Lacey ...From previous page “Coastal engineer Gildas Colleter walked the length of the foreshore with myself and the CEO, he’s taken the photographs we have on these pages so he will now do an assessment and write up a report,” Mr Lacey said. “A preliminary report will come to Council in the first instance which will allow us to put up a submission “As soon as the report is done we’ll send that under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery submission on to them. Arrangement (NDRRA), which is funding from “But it’s going to take a bit of time and a the Commonwealth and the State. lot of work, so at the moment we ask the “A lot of Councils are going to be bidding community to be very careful when they are for this money because they have a lot of walking or swimming in the foreshore area damage in their Shires but we’re probably there. There are barriers up there to warn one of the Shires most on the ball at the people and they need to be vigilant about using the foreshore with caution.” Mr Lacey said Mr Colleter’s visit was a direct result of his attending a meeting with the Premier and other Shire Council Mayors in Brisbane earlier this month (more reports pages 6 & 7). “Insurance assessors have also been here to give their assessment and okay for different repairs on our Council and public buildings and infrastructure here in the community,” he said. “I think the important thing for us here at Palm is that we’ve been on the ball and will moment, given we’re almost half way continue to be on the ball with keeping on through our clean up now. top of the damages in the community. “That gives us a bit of room to move and “The community is responding very well, we’ve been given the assurance from the quite a few people are very happy that the Premier that the Reconstruction Authority will debris caused by Cyclone Yasi is well on track fast track these sorts of submissions. and going so well.” Council staff and Mayor Alf Lacey with insurance assessors 2 Vandalism to toilets sparks ferry anger VANDALS causing damage to Sunferries’ catamarans to and from Palm Island will face considerable community anger when they are identified and caught, say passengers. Last Friday’s ferry was delayed after deliberate damage was done to onboard toilets. The catamaran left from Sunferries Ross Creek terminal in Townsville at 10am, when it is suspected the damage was done. “We were told that plastic bags had been shoved WELL-known Palm Islander into the toilets forcing them to be closed and not Victor Daisy and his relations available to the public,” a passenger, who asked were all smiles in the Townsville not to be named, told the Palm Island Voice. suburb of Cranbrook last week. “The crew worked hard to try and fix them whilst With Mr Daisy was Shane at Palm but had difficulty.” Robertson and youngsters Passengers wanting to go to Townsville who were Jahmarley Kerr, aged 2, and not under the covered sections at the end of the Zshkeen Robertson, 10. Reel Women jetty had to stand for an hour and a half in 30 degree plus temperatures waiting for their for emergency calls of nature. departure, fuelling their anger about the situation. Several passengers said the person or “It was very unpleasant and no fault of anybody persons found to be responsible for the from the ferry company,” another said. vandalism would be extremely unpopular Ferry crew were praised for their efforts after and could find themselves in a good deal reportedly apologising a number of times to of strife from irate passengers. passengers for a situation not of their doing and As of last weekend the ferry was reportedly out of their control. running ...comfortably... with all repairs They said one toilet was partially able to be used successfully undertaken. Answering a call for volunteers to re-stack shelves so the Palm Island Retail Store could re-open as quickly as possible after Cyclone Yasi, was Councillor Zina Prior and Council Executive Assistant Lyn Freckleton. 3 Pre-selection bid unsuccessful Pooch offered home on Palm for former PI ANIMAL lover Darren Wood has helped find a Mayor home on Palm Island for a small dog facing an uncertain future in Townsville. FORMER Palm Island Mayor Mr Wood, a Palm Island resident, was visiting his Mum Delena Oui-Foster was in Townsville in early February and went to see a mate unsuccessful in her bid to be who lived nearby. the LNP candidate for the When he got there he saw a brindle-cross female dog, State seat of Thuringowa at ‘Sally’ with his friend’s daughter. the party pre-selection vote Her owner, who inherited Sally from a relationship last weekend. breakup, lived in a government unit and had no place Ms Oui-Foster stood against for the pet to stay. former Townsville Metropole Hotel Initially the plan was to have the dog de-sexed in publican Wayne MacDonald and Townsville and advertise for a loving home. business owner Sam Cox who But after realising Sally may end up getting “put down” won the vote by a narrow margin. if things didn’t work out, Mr Wood offered to take the An LNP spokesman said, “it was a friendly mutt back on the barge from Lucinda to Palm very close vote”. with him. It was the second pre-selection Back on Palm, where his wife is a teacher, he then went for the seat after Max Tomlinson about finding a new home for the dog. won the first last December “Sally is in good spirits she has settled in with next door and withdrew soon after due to neighbours and is enjoying Palm,” Mr Wood said. medical reasons. “We already have two Ms Oui-Foster has served Palm dogs, this worked out Island with distinction as Mayor well. and was defeated at the March “Sally is close to me and 2008 elections by current Mayor our dogs, ‘Topsy’ and Alf Lacey. ‘Chillie’, who are teaching A strong advocate for women’s her how to be ‘a dog on rights and a staunch Indigenous Palm’. activist, Ms Oui-Foster ran for the Sally’s original owner in seat of Townsville at the 2004 Townsville said she was and 2009 State elections as an very grateful. independent candidate. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Desley Boyle has called on Queenslanders to nominate unsung Indigenous women for a special online gallery celebrating the centenary of International Women’s Day this year. “Right across Queensland Indigenous women are making big contributions as mothers, daughters, role models, volunteers, employers and employees,” Ms Boyle said. “In many communities they serve on Councils, community groups, Elders groups , NGOs and other organisations and are the backbone of many communities. “If you know an everyday Indigenous woman living an extraordinary life then I encourage you to provide their story and a photo for the tribute gallery.” For more information about International Women’s Day and to nominate someone on the tribute gallery visit www.women.qld.gov..au 4 Tree clean-up may take several weeks Council groundsman Joe Reuben estimates there will be several more weeks of work on Palm Island to clear fallen trees and branches from houses around the community. Mr Reuben (pictured right) and the farm had been the said Council gangs and CDEP worst affected. workers had been toiling hard “There is still a lot more to pick up debris from trees. to clean but everybody is “Residents have to pick up the working hard,” he said. branches and place them on He said his own house in the footpath so they can be Halifax Street has suffered picked up by workers using a damage to the gutter which backhoe,” he said. he has already repaired. are amongst those who had “A lot of trees fell down, MEANWHILE in Townsville, fallen trees in their yards. around the clock tower there Palm Islanders living in More than 63,000 trees are is just one tree standing.” Railway Estate, Kelso, estimated to have fallen He said around the esplanade Garbutt, Pimlico and Vincent across the city and suburbs.

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