Garden Club meeting Wed 23rd Sep 2020

 

The next meeting of the Garden Club is on Wednesday 23^rd September at 9:00 am in the Old Clubhouse. This follows our very successful garden visits meeting for the August meeting.

Resort protocols involving corona virus will be in place including sign-in, hand sanitising and social distancing.

The agenda will include traditional items such as problem garden plant samples as well as a follow-up to our August meeting and foreshadowing possible visits to gardens in the resort in October. A financial statement will be presented and the possibility of holding a resort garden competition during Spring 2021 will also be discussed.

All residents of the resort are welcome.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR MORNING TEA/COFFEE. A gold coin donation will be appreciated.

Robert Barlow

Villa 219

Fishing Report: August 2020

 

Except for some continuing success with the blackfish August has been a very quiet month. No reports of anyone going out in the boats, and the beaches have given us little opportunities.

It has been a very quiet year for the tailor and the weather on the beaches has been against us most of the time. Even the dynamic Patches Duo has had little to report this month.

Report on the Sinkers

The Sinkers and I went down to Flat Rock one afternoon to fish the beach and gather some cabbage for bait for the blackfish. We managed to get the cabbage okay but the wind would blow a dog off a chain on the beach and the fishing was both uncomfortable and unproductive.

We returned to Nugget GT as it was getting dark and we were both cold and thirsty. You wouldn’t want to know but the new you beaut Nugget GT Fishing Wagon wouldn’t start for us. As the darkness fell on the Flat Rock Car Park we tried everything we could think of but the dam thing just wasn’t going to start. Eventually we gave up and rang Patches (our resident mechanic) to come down and get us out of trouble.

Unfortunately Patches was in the middle of a session with the Runway Crew which had put him over the limit so he was unable to drive down to save us. Thankfully Hammerhead rang his wonderful wife Joy who went around and picked up Patches and took him away from his boozie mates to Flat Rock to save us from a very cold night in the Car Park. The only thing they didn’t think of was to bring us down some coldies to quench our thirst (it was Friday night after all).

Anyway Patches being the master mechanic that he is was quick to diagnose the problem and pretty soon we were on our way back to Douggies Den for a well-earned coldie.

Nugget GT on Patch's Beach before the closure

Four Wheel Drive Access to Patches Beach.

Further to my report last month that the Ballina Council planned to close the four wheel drive access to Patches Beach in September I was invited to attend a meeting of the local Fishing Clubs concerned at this decision. A letter was drafted during the meeting requesting the Council to make arrangements for authorised Fishing Club members (including Palm Lake) to gain continuing access. The letter was signed by the representatives of all six Clubs in attendance and the following is an extract from the Council’s reply.

 “Council staff have implemented the resolution and closed the Patchs Beach access. We have also written to the State Government providing details of the Council resolution. The Council resolution asking that 4WD access be closed did also ask for exemptions for approved users, albeit that the resolution did not define who should be included in that definition.

As the beaches at South Ballina are not under the control of Council, any decision to further restrict 4WD access must be made by the State Government through the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment (DPIE) – Crown Lands.

Based on the concerns expressed in your correspondence, for South Ballina, I would make sure you are conveying your views to the State Government through Tamara Smith MP as the State Member for Ballina and Mr Silas Sutherland from DPIE.”

It seems we are into the hurdy- gurdy of getting various agencies to agree at the same time. Patches will be meeting with Tamara Smith shortly as a start so we’ll see how that goes.

 Carp Report

You may recall that I mentioned the problem of Carp in Emigrant Creek and local waterways. We planned to take a team along opposite the Church Restaurant at Tintenbar and catch some of the blighters. It promised to be an enjoyable outing for the sports fishos amongst us. Well Patches took along a few of his team to give it a go but they never got a bite so we need to do a bit more research before we try it again.

 That’s all I have to report on for August so hopefully I can provide a more encouraging report on September as the weather warms up.                  

 Cheers till next Month

Tight Lines Douggie

Dose of cuteness for today

For the last few weeks I have been lucky enough to have a family of Red-browed Finches visit my garden each day.

They particularly like the birdbaths - they prefer them quite shallow so that can hop in and have a good splash. 

They are cute little creatures that have a range of different facial expressions, as they hop around the various ponds, rocks, logs and sticks I have put around the garden for them to play on. 

 For more photos of these little cuties you can go to my website by clicking on the link below: 

Link to more of my photos of the Red-browed Finches

Julie Pallant 

Villa 283

 Sadly we have lost a special member of our Palm Lake community:  

Harry Weller 

Villa 235

Due to the COVID restrictions, the service for Harry to be held at the Parkview Funeral Home on Thursday 10 September will be limited to family and invited guests.  

The service will, however, be live streamed at  2pm on Thursday 10th September, making it available for anyone who wishes to view it via the internet. 

If you wish to view the service on the day click on the link below - this will take you to the Parkview website. 

Link to Harry's service  

A big thank you from Helen White

Helen White (Villa 170) would like to send a big thank you to those who have phoned or send cards or flowers following the recent loss of Bryan White, a much loved husband, father and friend. 

Helen greatly appreciates all the love and support that she has received from the Palm Lake 'family' at this very sad time. Please accept this as her personal thanks.

Thank you from Trish Wilson

 

A big THANK YOU to those who visited my home, Villa 105, on the last weekend of winter to help Diana and myself celebrate Barry Mason's lifetime of work as an artist. 

To those who purchased paintings and photographs or simply gave a generous donation to support the Rural Fire Service, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

Thank you also to the wonderful people who helped in the setting up and during the weekend. I could not have done it without you. 

We were able to give $2,000 to the Lennox Rural Fire Service who will now be able to buy more equipment before the fire season begins. 

Thank you again, 

Patricia Wilson Villa 105

Cute visitors to my garden

 

Silvereye

Spring has definitely arrived in Palm Lake - there are lots of cute little birds around at the moment taking full advantage of all the flowering grevilleas. 

I was lucky enough to have a small group of Silvereyes visit my garden this week. They love the bird baths! 

These birds are only around for certain parts of the year so keep an eye out for them around Palm Lake. They are tiny, but easily distinguished by the white circle around the eye. They feed on fruit, nectar and insects. 

Breeding season is from August to February - hopefully a few of them will set up home in the area. They construct nests made from grass and hair and typically lay 2 to 4 eggs. 

If you are interested in attracting birds to your garden consider installing a shallow bird bath, preferably near a bush or tree so that they have somewhere to hide while they dry off from their bath. 

Planting a few small grevilleas or bottlebrushes will also encourage the smaller nectar feeding birds such as honeyeaters to visit. 

If you would like to see my other bird photos taken around Ballina click on the link below:

Link to Birds of Ballina

Julie Pallant Villa 283

For Sale

 Pauline Suffolk in Villa 150 has a number of items for sale:

Stereo system Panasonic CD player with SONY speakers.

No longer used. Excellent condition PRICE: $70

Manbag: Black Leather

Made in Australia by professional saddler. Original purchase price $250, but selling as new for $100 

If you are interested in either of these please contact Pauline on 2150. 

Computer Scam Warning!!!!!

 A warning note from Andrew the Happy Helper for those of you with computers:

I am being called out to more residents being caught up in a common computer scam technique. It can be very distressing as people go through a process they are not familiar with, mostly not even required, and normally at a considerable cost.

Typically something will suddenly not work properly or your system will become very slow or may not even start properly. You may be shown an Australian phone number to call, or you may find one in a Google search. 

This phone number is simply redirected to an overseas call centre. It will be answered by a highly trained and coercive operator who will convince you they need to have remote access to your computer to fix it. 

They will also charge you exorbitant amounts, a typical figure is US$400 or AU$600. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THEM.

The frustrating part of all of this is that most of the time they caused the actual problem in the first place! They place programs called malware or spyware onto your computer which can cause various problems to your computer or peripherals.

It is important to know that most, if not all, of these malware and spyware programs can be removed using off the shelf antivirus and anti malware software.

Please ensure you:

Use a verified antivirus and antimalware program. Windows 10 includes the Defender antivirus suite and is often enough for basic security. Other software (eg. McAfee, Norton, TotalAV, AVast, AVG) offer further safety and maintenance options.   

Do not click on links in emails sent by unknown people or companies in unsolicited emails. These are often how the viruses are downloaded onto your computer. 

Do not give remote access to them or anyone else you do not personally know.

If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call. 

 Andrew the Happy Helper Ph: 0490 327 610

Movies September 2020

 

Caravan and Motor Repair Service

If your caravan or motorhome is in need of servicing, repairs or modifications you might want to consider giving Guy Stewart from The Travelling Hand Mobile Caravan and RV Repair Service a call. 

He is available for small or large jobs and he comes to you. This is certainly a convenient service as it can be done on site. 

A number of Palm Lake  residents have used his service and highly recommend him. 

Guy can be contacted on 0403 189 672

Golfing News Aug 2020

Palm Lake Golfing trip to Chinderah

There was another good turn up at Chinderah Golf Course on Friday 28th August with 16 Palm Lakers enjoying the sunny day and great company. 

Bob MacDonald led the field with 44 points, followed closely by Ron Rawson on 43. 

Nearest the pins went to Bob MacDonald and Paul Denmeade. 

Notable scores were Peter van Iersal on 42 points and Steve Horne on 40. The handicapper is going to have lots of fun before the next game!

Doug Stinson demonstrates to Hilary, Julie and Ian how not to keep your eye on the ball

If you are interested in coming along to next month's trip to Chinderah contact: Bill Oliver Villa 185.

Birthday bash to Tenterfield

A group of 8 Palm Lake golfers ventured to Tenterfield for Gerry Wilde’s 70^th birthday. 

The boys dressed up for the occasion with T-shirts with Gerry's face printed on them. 

Gerry stood out as the birthday boy, with a colour co-ordinated wig and tutu. He certainly rose to the challenge: as they say, “if anyone can, Gerry can”.

Garden Club News Aug 2020

Garden Visits 26th Aug 2020

A new way to make it rain is to organise garden visits. It will inevitably rain when you do this and on 26^th August, 8 mm fell between 4:30 am and 8:00 am. Nevertheless, 16 people turned out to look at the gardens at Villa 219 – Robert and Beverly Barlow, and Villa 246 – Robbie Stuart.

The idea was to look at two backyards with the same layout and similar aspects. Robert and Beverly’s garden is basically a standard Palm Lake backyard with some extra plants added.

Robert and Bev's Garden

A Grevillia Firesprite has been added to attract birds

The highlight of the meeting was the visit to Robbie Stuart's garden. It showed how a small space could be landscaped into a beautiful garden to bring peace and tranquility. 

An imposing water feature with potted bamboo brings peace to a corner of the garden. 

Ground cover plantings, paving stones and mulch make the garden edge interesting. 

Curved paths add interest to any garden. 

The Garden Club wishes to thank Robbie for allowing us to visit her garden.

 

The next meeting will be at 9am on Wednesday 23rd September at the Old Clubhouse. 

Robert Barlow Villa 219 

Wanted: Vinyl records

If anyone has any pre-loved vinyl records they would like to sell please give 

Graham Clarke in Villa 236 (Phone 2236) a call. 

Alternatively you can drop into his shop Just Funkin Music 124 River Street Ballina. The shop is definitely worth a visit - it has an amazing range of music! 

Farewell to Bryan White, Villa 170

Sadly I have to announce the sudden passing of one of our well known and respected residents:

 

Bryan White, Villa 170

Bryan was a member of the Palm Lake Social Committee and served as a Treasurer on the Committee. 

He could often be seen of a morning walking the streets of Palm Lake with his wife Helen and stopping to chat with all he met on his rounds.

 

Our thoughts go out to Helen and the family at this very sad time. 

Fishing Report July 2020

July 2020 – Another Month Battling with the Weather

 We have had some success this month mainly with the blackfish (or luderick if you wish to be politically correct). The Sinkers have been getting the odd one or two from the RSL Wharf or the end of Kerr Street and it’s been enough to keep our interest up. Hammerhead keeps getting the good oil from his many contacts and we have been rigging up differently every time to improve our chances. 

Included in Hammerhead’s proposals have been to paint all your tackle black and dip your bait in kerosene before you cast your line. We haven’t tried that one but I know poor old Hammerhead got into trouble with Joy when he spray painted his floats and tackle black on the garage floor.

 The One That Got Away

 I caught three nice luderick one day including a real stonker but as usual there was a sad tale. Anchors Away Johnnie reckoned it was the biggest blackfish he has ever seen but that doesn’t count for much because I’m sure he hasn’t seen too many. We use a keeper net (a bit like an onion bag) and leave it in the water to keep them alive after we catch them. Anyhow we put the stonker into the bag with the two others and Bam (The Clam)  tossed it into the water and tied it up to the wharf. When we had finished fishing we retrieved the bag and took it along to the cleaning table by the Water Slide. 

You can imagine our dismay to find there were only two fish in the bag and the big one was missing. It seems when Bam threw it into the water for safe keeping the bag must have opened at the top and the stonker escaped. You wouldn’t believe it would you?

 Off the Beach

 The weather and the big seas has made beach fishing out of the question most days and the recent proposed closure of the South Ballina Beach by the Council will put a hold on the success of the mighty Patch’s Duo. In desperation Patch’s Col sent a letter to the Council expelling our virtues as a Fishing Club and asking for approval for us to take Nugget GT back on the beach.

As a result Col and I visited Councillor Keith Williams and had a pleasant chat and coffee with him at his Restaurant in the old church at Tintenbar. We explained that fishing is a major relaxation for us old codgers at Palm Lake and as such it is essential for our mental health and wellbeing. Keith was very supportive to our wishes and will take our views back to the Council. It may be possible to install a locked gate and give access only to authorised groups such as ours.

 Anyone For Carp?

 Being the Chair of Rous County Council, Keith is an avid greenie and we were discussing the poor condition of the local waterways. He mentioned that a major concern is the carp invading Emigrant Creek and creating major devastation to the local habitat. He got quite excited when I suggested we might get our Club members to come down and catch some. 

You aren’t allowed to put them back in the Creek but he said Grow Go use them for fertiliser and may be prepared to take any we catch off our hands. From all reports they aren’t much good to eat but they do provide a lot of fun for the sporting fishos. Anyway Patch’s and I want to give it a go so if anyone is interested in having a crack at them you might like to let us know.

 Our Fishing Club Meeting

 We held a meeting at the Oasis in July and welcomed some new members to the Club. They included Graeme and Pam Smith and Graham Suffolk. Welcome along Guys and we will undoubtedly work out some nicknames for you as we go along.

We discussed plans for when the weather warms up and these included further whopper weeks, trips to spend a few days up or down the coast or possibly to the freshwater lakes to the west.

That’s about it for July let’s hope for warmer weather and less wind in August.

Cheers till next Month

Tight Lines Douggie

Garden Club meeting Aug 26th

The Garden Club is back after its virus-induced hibernation. 

After discussions with Resort Manager Rick Stewart, we have the go-ahead to resume. 

It is important that we comply with PLR Ballina’s COVID-19 policies which include:

• ·         Hand sanitizing when entering or leaving a venue
• ·         Providing information for contact tracing by signing in and out of a venue
• ·         Appropriate social distancing

Our next meeting will be Wednesday August 26^th. 

This meeting will consist of two garden visits within the resort.

Visit 1: Villa 219 – Robert and Beverly Barlow. 

Meet there at 9:15 am. There is nothing special about this garden. It is a standard Palm Lake back garden with only minor improvements. It has the same layout as the next garden we will visit at Villa 246

Visit 2: Villa 246 – Robbie Stuart. 

We will arrive there between 9:45 and 10:00 am. While Robbie’s back garden has the same layout as Villa 219, Robbie has landscaped her garden with many interesting features. It gives you the idea of how you can transform your garden to be different. Thus, you will have a “before and after” perspective.

After the garden visits we will have morning tea back at the central Oasis Clubhouse. Furniture there has been arranged to allow for appropriate social distancing. 

Remember to sign in at the main foyer or near the pool and gym. A gold coin donation will be appreciated. 

I look forward to seeing you there.

Robert Barlow Villa 219

Farewell to Bill Garner Villa 161

It is my sad task to announce the passing of a much loved member of our 

Palm Lake Ballina community: 

Bill Garner 

Villa 161

Bill and his wife Raelee are well known and loved around the Resort.

Due to COVID restrictions he will be farewelled tomorrow in a private ceremony in Bangalow.

Although I know many of us would love to be there in person, the COVID guidelines limit the number of people who can attend the service. I am sure that those of us who knew and loved Bill will be there tomorrow in spirit, and thinking of Raelee and the family.

A Remembrance book will be available in the Oasis Clubhouse on Thursday if you would like to leave a memory of Bill, or a message for Raelee.

Alternatively you can email me (Julie Pallant) at jfpallant@gmail.com any message you would like added to the book.

Sale of Barry Mason's artwork - Open House

OPEN HOUSE AT VILLA 105

A SELECTION OF PAINTINGS BY BARRY MASON

ALL PAINTINGS WILL BE FOR SALE - CASH OR CHEQUE

JOIN IN A CELEBRATION OF BARRY MASON’S 

BEAUTIFUL PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

AUGUST 29TH AND 30TH 

10:00am TO 3:00pm EACH DAY

Prices will be reasonable and 25% of proceeds will go to the RURAL FIRE SERVICE

Mask wearing is preferred and ten to fifteen people can be 

accommodated at any one time.

A number of mounted photographs will be available for $5 each 

with all proceeds to the RFS.

TO ADD TO YOUR PLEASURE, AN IKEBANA DISPLAY WILL BE CREATED BY MEMBERS OF THE LISMORE CHAPTER #32 OF IKEBANA INTERNATIONAL.

For more information contact Patricia Wilson Villa 105, Ph: 2105

Chinderah Golf Report 31st July 2020

There was a good turn up for the monthly golf day with 18 players taking on the Chinderah golf course in windy conditions. 

Steve Horne took out the men’s competition with 41 points from Bam Bang on 40 points. 

The lady’s competition was won by Loris Daniels with a runaway score of 40 points from Julie Maynard with 36. 

Glen Grady won another nearest the pin on the 4^th with Paul Denmeade getting closest on the 13^th. 

If Doug Stinson was a horse he would be swabbed after winning last month, to collecting the Mars Bar this month.

Thanks Bill Oliver for organising the day and getting all the cards ready. 

If you are interested in coming along to a great social day, and a round of golf, call Bill at Villa 185.

Movies August 2020

Social Calendar August 2020

The new social calendar is now available - you should receive a paper copy in your mailbox.

I have pasted it here, and it is also available under the "Social Calendar" tab at the top of the page if you are viewing the blog on a computer.

WANTED - Forearm walker

Lyn Blain from Villa 292 is in need of a 'Forearm Walker' for her father who has mobility issues. It needs to have brakes, with two fixed wheels.

If anyone has one that they no longer require please contact Lyn on 2292. 

Printer cartridges to give away

Mal and Dawn Campbell from Villa 8 have some printer cartridges to give away for free. 

They are unused, due to a change of printer.

  

Give them a ring on 0400 045 691 if you are interested. 

Movies August 2020

Movies               

August 2020

Saturday 1st          Witness
                  Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis

Wednesday 5th        Saving Mr Banks
                  Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson

Saturday 8th          The Professor and the Madman
                  Mel Gibson, Sean Penn

Wednesday 12th      Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
                  Matthew Rhys, Tom Hanks

Saturday 15th        Bridge of Spies

                  Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance

Wednesday 19th      Jumanji: The Next Level

                  Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart

Saturday 22nd        The Gentlemen

                  Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant

Wednesday 26th      Resistance

                  Jesse Eisenberg, Clenence Poesy

Saturday 29th        Guys and Dolls – Classic Screening

                  Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons

Note:  Social distancing and hand sanitising will be maintained in the cinema. This will decrease the numbers allowed in for each screening.                                          

Palm Lake Ballina Massage 2nd Birthday Celebration

Palm Lake Ballina Massage turns 2 on 9th August 2020. To celebrate this momentous occasion Mel is giving away a Free 1 hour massage. 

All past and present Palm Lake residents will automatically be entered into the draw. 

Other residents are welcome to enter into the draw by sending their name and contact details by email  to mel@palmlakemassage.com with the subject 'Birthday Draw' or text to 0449 524 282. 

Happy Birthday and good luck! 

If you would like to book a massage with Mel phone or text her on 0449 524 282. 

Clinic hours: Monday and Thursday 10am to 6pm. 

Line dancing classes

Just an update on our Line Dancing classes which are being held 4 times per week in the Oasis Clubhouse.

For those who haven't line danced before or haven't line danced for a while we have a Beginners' Class on Wednesday at 1.30pm where dances are taught at a slower place and we will usually practice the one dance until everyone has grasped it.

Our Classes on Monday 10.30am and Thursday 9am are general line dancing classes where we will have a walk through of each dance and then dance with the music.
  
If you haven't seen line dancing for sometime it has certainly changed over the years and now includes Waltzes, Latin American dances, Rock and Roll to name just a few.  
Come along and join us for a fun hour of dance, laughs and exercise and best of all .... it's free!!

Any queries call Sharyn Hogben at Villa 203.

Key points from an email from the Resort manager

You should have received an email from Rick this week concerning use of the Resort facilities. 
I have summarized the key points below:

A reminder that guests and visitors are only allowed to enter any Resort building/facility, when you, as a resident, are with them.

Non-residents will be asked to leave any facility, where a resident is not with them, by either the Resort staff or other residents.

Due to the ongoing COVID situation please avoid taking guests and visitors to resort facilities as much as possible.

It is ESSENTIAL that  EVERYONE, must sign into and out of a building. This could potentially be a lifesaving thing to do, allowing tracing of people, if a known infected or unknown person uses a building. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Please ensure you use the sanitiser provided when you enter any Resort building.

Residents are to use the main entrances to buildings and to sign in and out of the building.

If you have guests coming to your villa, please ask them if they are from, or have been to, any of the designated hot spots in NSW or Victoria, or are experiencing any symptoms.  If they answer yes, then they should not visit, or they should obtain a medical clearance before coming. Those simple questions could save yours and many other lives potentially.

Please also inform the office if you have guests staying, so we have that information at hand.

Thank you all for social distancing, and enduring the whole process over the past few months. We still need to stay on course , for all of our sakes.

If you are unsure of anything mentioned today, please feel free to call the office and we will be happy to assist you.
Rick Stewart

Community Garden

Did you know that Palm Lake Ballina has a Community Garden?

Thanks to the hard work of some of our green-thumb residents we have a community citrus and herb garden which is situated near the carpark of the Old Clubhouse which is between Villas 13 and 14. Your front door key will open the gate if that is shut.  

The herbs and citrus are to the right of the clubhouse and any resident may use herbs or citrus from the garden. At present there is a good crop of  kumquats on a bush in the far right corner and many of the herbs are growing well, including tarragon, oregano, mint,  five spice, parsley and some chives, etc. Please come and help yourselves.

Donations of fertilizer, bug sprays and soil improvers would be gratefully accepted. If you can spare some time to help with the maintenance of the garden please let Terri Clark Villa 7 know. Your help would be greatly appreciated as this is residents garden, and is not maintained by Palm Lake. 

For more information, or for donations or offers of help please contact Terri Clark, Villa 7

Oasis Library News

Our library in the Oasis Clubhouse is now fully open again and being well used.

As we cannot at present expect any funds from the Social Committee because of the current restrictions we would be very grateful for any donations of new or fairly new novels or biographies/autobiographies. 

Many residents may have bought books during the lockdown period which they have read, but do not want to keep. If you have a donation, please put the book(s) in the Returns Box, with a band round them with your Name and Villa Number if you wish and we will put a donation sticker within the book. 

Many thanks, Terri Clark Villa 7 and Sue Christie Villa 68.