Pallarenda

I have a few memories of Pallarenda in Townsville.  At the very end there were unoccupied government buildings.  I used to go there when I worked for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.  There were also Mango trees.  That was the amazing thing about up there.  Here each mango’s cost dollars but there the flying foxes get their fill as do the humans.   I remember collecting them and sending them to our office in Canberra (ones the Flying Foxes had not got to.  And mango’s that is – not flying foxes).
Rowes Bay Country Club was also there.  It was a golf club.  I do remember driving towards there and seeing a single slither of smoke.  I suggested someone was having trouble getting out of the bunker.
Dad worked there behind the bar for a while.  I wrapped one of his woods around a tree and wanted to fix it without his knowing.  But the professional talked to him about it.  Probably just as well he did, as golf clubs were a real science to the good players.  Weight distribution had to be just right.
There were places along the shoreline that had car parks.  I remember our dog going straight into the middle of a group sitting in a circle and starting to eat their cake.
I had a birthday celebration out there one time but the wind was blowing a gale and my cake was ruined as it was full of sand.
There was also an enclosure out there for swimming.  I did that, but what really stands out to me was on the beach cricket.  There were three of us playing and I was batting.  I hit the ball over the enclosure behind me.  Many runs were to be had.  But the bowler tricked me big time.  He pretended the ball had not come back so I set of for another run and he had the ball hidden in his hand and ran me out.  That would have been like 40 years ago but I’m over it – can’t you tell?
The water was a mill pond unless there was a cyclone going down the coast.  Then the waves were worth catching.
Something bad happened there I heard about.  A guy I went to school with lost control of his car and hit a tree.  It was the end of the story for him.
But I do remember it being seemingly unfair of the police to sit behind a tree on the way there.  There was an s curve.  I loved it on my motorcycle.  Leaning into curves and all.  I thought it was so rude of the policeman to step out from behind the tree and book me.  I had been enjoying myself so much.