Cairns Historical Society

The Society's Volunteering Open Day was held in March with more than forty people coming in to see whether they might be interested in joining the staff.  Mel has been busy following up with prospective volunteers and will be monitoring the results and the retention to see whether it has been a useful strategy.  Thanks to everyone who made the first trivia night fundraiser a great success.  The event was sold out a week early with eleven tables of contestants on the night.  Ben Woodward did a sterling job as MC on the evening and the Society is thinking of having another trivia night later in the year.  The last set of local history lectures were well attended.  David Phoenix's presentation on the mystery of Kuranda's 2,225 year old Ptolemaic coin led to much interest and discussion.  Carol West spoke of the days when the Central Hotel was one of the major social meeting places in Cairns and Angela Meyer introduced the group to Anna Eglitis who was a promoter of the arts and culture in the Far North.  The next lectures will be held at the museum on 26 May at 1.30pm.  Subjects will include the early history of the Waugh Pocket area and the story of Bill Horsfall's memoirs of 1950's Cairns.  On a sadder note, three of the Society's long-term volunteers, Bill, Val and John have decided it is time to move on.  Their long years of effort have left the Society a huge legacy of which they should be justifiably proud and they will be missed.  The Society is now on the hunt for information about a benevolent society which once operated in the city.  The museum manager Suzanne Gibson is seeking to learn more about the Loyal Trinity Lodge of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF) after a donation of formal Lodge regalia from the Uyterwijk family.  This year's annual tour, which is held in conjunction with the local branch of the National Trust will be held on Sunday 20 May.  This will be to the Herberton and Watsonville areas and for further details, contact Dawn May on 40578100.