Sid played his part in making Strand grand
There shouldn’t have been rocks, There shouldn’t have been bats, There shouldn’t have been hundreds Of feral cats… And then came Sid, And then what he did, was he showed the whole world What shouldn’t have been hid…
It’s true, and I love the place, but it had bats on the power wires and thousands of cats living in rocks that blocked one of the best views on the east coast — our incredible Strand.
I was living at Tobruk Apartments when Cyclone Sid came through. He relocated palm trees and created a hole in front of the Seaview that would have rivalled the Ross Puddle as a dam. He removed the bats from the wires, and as for the cats, not sure, maybe they went to Purrlarenda.
It was then mayor Tony Mooney with his team, including brilliant Ken Tippet, blessed Townsville with our unique foreshore.
Since then, it has hosted spectacles unrivalled by other coastal cities — Skyshows, Army Parades ( General Roger Noble says it’s the best parade route in the world) Ephemeras, Festival 2018 and the Shipping Containers ( hopefully not containing bats and cats) and now, depending on the weather, the best car parade ever. The Cruise for Keely is on this Friday night. Keely Johnson, our wonderful brave little girl from the Burdekin who has been in hospital with brain tumours, needs a hand. After all, she’s raised thousands for others, so it’s certainly our turn. But what a show it will be, cars and bikes from all the clubs cruising our magnificent Strand from 7pm on Friday. For a donation you can ride in everything from a Lamborghini to a hot rod. Our tent will be at the end of Mitchel St in Jezzine, for all rides and shammys.
Also on Friday, a trivia night at the Crown on Palmer, for our hospital foundation and the Cure Starts Now. I have to bolt from the Cruise For Keely to the Crown to ask some local trivia questions. I haven’t worked out any yet. How about, off the top of my head, and there’s very little there … The cow hanging over the bar at the Bohle Barn, where did it come from? Or as it will be the 23rd of March, What significant event happened on this day, in 1911, at midnight? What was the Mingela Express? What are the names of our two gnomes in our should- be mall?
Friday is looking wonderful for giving, come and join us at the Strand or Trivia at the Crown for the kids.
Last weekend, we celebrated life in the tropics, friendly North Queenslanders, and our love for sport and mateship, with the Baton Relay. Well done Mick Stapleton, Felicity and our local lady Sherrin for the incredible work behind the scenes. Simply wonderful people carried the baton, and at the end, greeted with the amazing singing of a traditional Torres Strait song from the girls at St Pats, what an absolute magnificent finish! Happy Days to all. Ooroo.