Palm Cove News

NOVEMBER, 2001

Plenty of water

Cove Capers

YOU MAY water your garden at any time using whatever method you like, that is, until water restrictions come in again, the Council said on October 25th.

The downpour of rain on Oct 22, which

gave Palm Cove 150mm (6") has given us good reserves, the CCC Customer Service callcentre said.

Restrictions might still be imposed in a month or so. When they are, you may still be able to water at any time but with a hand-held hose.

by Sandscratcher

"Let's face it, it's one of the world's most expensive fishing platforms."

- Mayor Kevin Byrne, talking about Palm Cove Jetty. (Cairns Post 4/5/00)

I met Dave as he was walking off the jetty. He had the loudest tropical shirt I'd ever seen, with nicely creased shorts and the latest thing in sandals.

"G'day, Dave," I said.

"G'day, mate."

He had a fishing rod in one hand and an esky in the other.

"Catch any fish?"

"No way."

"Why not?"

"Mate, this jetty's one of the world's most expensive fishing platforms. It's a drawcard for all the rich and famous. You don't come here to fish, you come here to be seen."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Has anyone seen you yet?"

"Peter Beattie saw me a few weeks back. He and his cronies were up here for a cabinet meeting and they came out to see the jetty."

"Anybody else?"

"Shirley MacLaine. She was staying at Reef House with a bloke who looked like Andrew Peacock. But it wasn't him when I got a closer look."

"It wasn't?"

"No, he had wrap-around sunglasses, and Andrew doesn't wear wrap-arounds. He had a few grey hairs, too. Politicians don't show their grey hairs, they dye them black or whatever. No, it wasn't Andrew."

"Oh."

"Then there was Osama bin Laden."

"Now, come on! That's impossible!"

"No, mate, really, it was him. He was disguised as a Texas oilman, you know, with high-heeled boots and all. But his beard gave him away, it was nearly down to his belly button."

"Well, Dave. I have really enjoyed our little chat."

"Nice talking to you, mate."

El Nino - to be or not to be

TWO senior meteorologists have differed on the possibility of an El Nino effect this summer, i.e. hot and dry.

Researcher Steward Franks of the University of Newcastle said there was a

90-95 percent chance of an El Nino on the eastern coast before year end.

Grant Beard of the Meteorological Bureau at Canberra said the chance was more like 10 percent.

(Ref : Cairns Post, 12/9/01)

Casmar opening

NINETY PEOPLE were treated to drinks and finger food at Jan and Kelvin Evans' new Casmar Cafe Bar when it opened on Oct 25.

Situated at the corner of the esplanade and Harpa St (above Pete's Place), the restaurant displays a menu comparable with any of the top restaurants in Palm Cove.

Having been extensively remodelled,

the establishment boasts the choice of indoor or balcony dining with delightful sea breezes - courtesy of its elevated position.

"We are open for lunch Friday to Sunday, dinner Tuesday to Sunday, and closed Mondays; and we like to say we are a taste of paradise," Jan said. Bookings 4059 0013.

FOUND : Keys on roadside, Veivers Rd, circa Oct 23. Call Gerhard 4059 0903.

History of Palm Cove

Conclusion. (Original text by Clive Veivers in italics)

lying around. Haycock Island, (or Scout Hat as it is fondly named) bore the brunt of considerable dive bombing and strafing practice, mostly by P40 Kittyhawk fighters which were apparently particularly adaptable for this type of warfare.....

Following his death in 1946, Albert Veivers' estate , including the remainder of lot 202, was divided mainly between his surviving family, with the exception of the block upon which he resided with his de facto. This property was bequeathed to Lorna with the proviso that she remain in residence there.

The area around Sweet Creek and immediately to the south was at one stage a Chinese garden but was converted to a cane farm by a son, Syd, who cultivated it successfully before disposing of it and moving to the Townsville area. The remainder of the property was rapidly subdivided as part of the present town of Palm Cove. I also severed my connection with early Palm Cove by selling my beachfront allotment (somewhere around where Reef House is now) to my mother for 60 pounds.

At the end of WW2, the new beachfront owners started to build mostly weekenders, following the trend at all the northern beaches, and a progress association was formed. A major project was a permanent water supply using water from Sweet Creek with iron pipes left over from nearby army camps.

My earliest recollections of Palm Cove were of holidaying from Myola in the old hut or camping there on the way to and from Hartley's Creek on horse hunting expeditions. Holidays were always exciting, with netting along the beach for a plentiful supply of fish, shooting scrub turkey and scrub hen in the scrubs along the creeks, and rowing a red cedar flattie to and from Double Island in good weather. In the later years, 1943/44, during the periods of Army and Air force training, the two islands, Double and Haycock, were used for target practice for bombardment, and to us observers, the action was spectacular. As a regular visitor to the islands in post war years, evidence of this practice was still visible with plenty of shrapnel and an occasional unexploded round still

Published by Jerry Dukes, 52Terebra St Palm

Cove 4879. Ph 40591610; Fax 40590058

Email : jdukes@ozemail.com.au

On websites : www.aboutpalmcove.com

and www.palmcoveonline.com