July2012_Mt MEE NEWS
Winter is here – bitterly cold, wet and blowing as I write. We have had campers on the place for the long weekend – camped in their minimalist accommodation on their usual exposed ridge. Better them than me! Even the cattle think they’re mad!
After what seems like years of La Nina and lush sloppy pastures, some Mountain people are a little disappointed in the condition of their cattle. Pasture trace element content can drop under these circumstances and parts of the Mountain have been known in the past to be marginal for copper. There is reason to suspect that some of the ill thrift we are seeing now could be related to copper shortage. Unfortunately, blood testing is not a very reliable indicator of copper status and diagnosis rests either on liver samples – (difficult in the live animal) or on clinical signs – which can include rough coats, pot bellies and poor weight gain. This might be worth thinking about.
The AGM of the Mt Mee Hall was held in May, and produced few surprises. The executive continues unchanged for 2012/13 with one very welcome exception – committee-man Denton Webster put up his hand (to scratch his nose) and we now have two vice presidents.
The executive now looks like this:-
President: Ian Wells 5498 2104
Vice Presidents: Anne Pedwell 5498 2154
Denton Webster 3425 3049
Secretary: Neil Cook 5498 2148
Treasurer: Kay Wells 5498 2104
Other appointments include:
Markets Conveners: Anne Pedwell 5498 2154
Sabra Austin 5498 2282
Booking Officer: Joyce Knight 5498 2270
Hall maintenance: Leigh Knight 5498 2270
Events: Ian Wells 5498 2104
Newsletter: Neil Cook (editor) 5498 2148
Tanya White (production) 4598 2322
Councillor Adrian Raedel was called away from the meeting urgently and very sadly we later learned that his mother passed away that evening.
The Mt Mee Country Music Night takes place on Saturday July 7th. The Mountain favourites “Lights on the Hill” are back by popular demand – their mix of mainstream country numbers and pops selected from the golden 60s and 70s is always authentic in presentation, and swings even more than the stock market!
There will be full bar facilities with a carefully chosen wine list, a painstakingly prepared supper, and a floor well prepared for dancing.
There may still be time to get up a table and book. Ring Kay (5498 2104) or Joyce (5498 2270).
“Sunshine Brass”, an ensemble of players from the Sunshine Coast has hired our hall for a concert on Sunday July 29th.
This group of some 28 brass players comes highly recommended, and has just, once again, been awarded the Queensland brass band championship.
Their concert will feature music from the big band era, from the Sinatra songbook and some gypsy melodies, plus a byte or two of Bach. It sounds like fun. Read more elsewhere in this edition.
This concert is not one of our series – bandleader Kevin Brown can be contacted on 5457 0811 for more information.
Hall hosted the Mountain polling booth for the Council election on about as miserable a day as one could imagine. Division 12 was fortunate to have three outstanding candidates to choose from. It is wonderful to reflect that there are still able people willing to put their hands up for election to a thankless task, and to sacrifice substantial amounts of their own money, time and maybe their job, in putting up a campaign.
Dayboro Day also saw the Hall host the St Lucia Orchestra for their annual Mt Mee concert. The house was packed as usual – many looking to book seats had missed out. The orchestra under Warwick Potter was at its best, and the ‘in house’ soloists excelled. It would be unfair to express a preference, but if I did, it would be for Lisa Hocking’s euphonium performance of Pryor’s variations on the “Bluebelles of Scotland”. Highly demanding of the musician, this piece combines melodramatic phrases and a long series of overstated, soaring, almost dissonant arpeggios. While boggling at Lisa’s extraordinary oral and digital dexterity, I had to chuckle – as Pryor with his tongue stuck firmly in his cheek surely intended!
It was a great concert!
The previous Sunday morning saw an astonishing aggregation of senior ecclesiastics forming up over the road outside the Mt Mee Community Church. The occasion was the signing of a covenant between the Uniting, Anglican, Lutheran and Catholic faiths. The covenant provides opportunity for each faith to use our little church building for services. The early settlers who funded and built the church in 1922 would be delighted, for while this ecumenical model was their express intention, it operated but intermittently over the years.
Visitors and signatories were too numerous to list here, but the heavy gunnery included Rev. Kaye Reynolds – Moderator of the Queensland Uniting Church Synod, Rt. Rev Dr Jonathan Holland – Bishop of Northern Anglican Diocese of Brisbane and Pastor Paul Smith First Vice President of the Lutheran Church Queensland district. The Very Rev Fr. Michael McCarthy, Dean of the Brisbane Northern Rivers Deanery in the Brisbane Catholic Archdiocese was unavoidably a last minute drop-out, but Ms Margaret Naylor – Commissioner for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations represented the Brisbane Catholic Archdiocese office. The old building was filled to overflowing with congregation.
This remarkable muster was effected by retired cattleman Mac Patterson, who later alluded to some difficulties, but denied having resorted to horse, rope or bronco rail!
Numbers of the congregation also signed the covenant – fittingly including Andrew Jeays. Andrew and wife Anne put much effort into keeping the building “alive” through some very hard times. They now live at Redcliffe but retain strong links with the Mountain.
Finally, still on the subject of churches, Pastor John Lind has announced that the Mountain Top Church has recently received a very generous bequest – earmarked specifically for a Church hall. Plans for a 250 seat building have been drawn up and earthworks in the precinct have already begun.
