May2015_Mt Mee Ramblings
By Ian Wells
We are enjoying a wonderful autumn on the Mountain, with glorious days and enough warmth and moisture to keep things really going. The cattle on our place have never looked better.
The prospects for the annual May Symphony on the Mountain concert have never been better either. It will be one to remember. Read about it elsewhere in this Grapevine!
Preparations are well in hand for the Dahmongah Look-Out service to mark the hundredth year of ANZAC. It promises to be the biggest turnout yet, and it will all be history by the time you read this.
People will have noticed that we now have a neat shelter protecting the “Roll of Honour” ironbark log. The kit was funded by the Queensland Government’s ANZAC Memorial Committee as part of the observance of Gallipoli’s centenary and it was erected by local volunteers under the leadership of Cody Duncan, Keith Lindeman and Ian Chapman. Very sincere thanks are due to everyone who was involved in this project. It is a good job well done and it will preserve our Memorial for posterity.
It is remarkable just how many park visitors stop to look at the Memorial. We can be very proud of what cooperation and determination has created from nothing. Our community is deeply indebted to a group of local volunteer ex-servicemen and other residents and the Woodford RSL – (the remarkable Neil Eiby OAM in particular), the local and state governments – (especially Cr Greg Chippendale and Cr Adrian Raedel), the committee of the Mt Mee Hall, and the many people who donated directly and helped the funding with cake stalls.
On Friday 17th April, in a real blast from the past, the Mt Mee Hall ran its first movie night for many years. The brainchild of Hall treasurer Vanessa Mead, it was programmed for children, and it met an encouraging response. There will be more!
On this occasion the equipment was kindly loaned by MBRC, but Hall has just received a grant to purchase its own gear. Look out for developments on this front. We even may get to see one of the famous Dallas movies – C’mon Vanessa!
A farewell dinner was held in April at ‘birches’ restaurant for some widely respected Mountain residents. Neil and Deb Cook have been active in our community almost since the day they arrived in 2001. Neil is a born innovator and problem solver. Despite his physical handicap he was the driving force behind the renewal process that has transformed the Mt Mee Rural Fire Brigade. He stepped into the huge shoes of the legendary Andrew Jeays as secretary of the Mt Mee Hall and was my very effective partner in effecting big changes to bring the Hall forward in line with the changing needs of a community in transition. He contributed much more to both organisations than his day to day secretarial duties. Neil has a gift for fundraising, and through his work many thousands of grant dollars have been channeled into Mt Mee for the Fire Brigade, the Hall and the ANZAC Memorial.
But sadly, his neurological condition is progressive, and he has found that the terrain of his Mt Mee home is not compatible with his new life in a wheelchair. He and Deb are moving to the wheelchair friendly flats of the Lockyer Valley.
We wish them well!
