Newcomer in love with city
MICHELLE Bellingan was fresh off the plane from South Africa, sitting at the Strand, gazing at Magnetic Island when it hit her: She’d discovered paradise.
“The weather was magical and people were so friendly,” Michelle said.
It was September 2005 and Michelle had been flown in for an interview for a position with James Cook University.
“I got the job and arrived in my new home town on February 4, 2006 – Michelle and a solitary suitcase,” she said.
Michelle is an associate professor and head of pharmacy at the university.
She said when she arrived, everything seemed new.
“My first shopping encounter in Bi- Lo ( now Coles) was an experience in itself,” she said.
“It was chaos. People were roaring around congested aisles with trolley loads of bottled water and an alarming volume of baked beans.
“And so, I unwittingly discovered panic buying prior to Cyclone Larry.”
Michelle knew nothing about cyclones before that day.
“The front gate of my unit blew off and a lot of palm fronds fell down,” she said.
Larry did teach Michelle about the people of Townsville and their eagerness to help.
“That’s what I love about Townsville,” she said.
“The people – their community spirit and their resilience. Add to that, their authenticity. I love the realness of people in Townsville and northern Queensland.” > Editor Jenna Cairney is on a quest to meet Bulletin readers, hear their stories and learn about what they love about living in North Queensland. To take part in the series, email jenna. cairney@ news. com. au