NEWS
Friday July 16, 2021
Cairns Local News
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Arts are fine in Douglas Gazza’s
Gossip
DAB Members Get Creative At The Monday Morning Pottery Class
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I HAVE to confess, I wasn’t a big follower of the ‘Arts’ until I lived in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was particularly after the earthquakes, that I discovered how pivotal they were to a recovering community. Fortunately, there have been no major disasters in our area for some time, but connecting with the Arts in the Douglas Shire is still very important for many people. One great facility, based in Mossman, is the Douglas Arts Studio Gallery, better known as DAB. Located in an amazing Heritage listed building, now owned by Douglas Shire Council, it was originally a branch of the Port Douglas National Bank of Australasia. Architect Lange L. Powell designed the elaborate ‘Greek Temple’ façade of this timber building to give people confidence in the bank.
It seems fitting that such a beautiful building is now home for an Arts Studio Gallery. The Douglas Arts Base was the brainchild of Marjorie Norris in 2002 who, with other local artists, saw a need for basic arts education courses for everyone. As a result, Douglas Arts Studio Gallery Incorporated became the first group of its kind in the region to open its hearts and minds to the local community. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a place to turn up and view a few paintings. This place is all about involving the community and is in fact 100 percent run by volunteers with approximately 140 members each year. Its facilities include a studio gallery where art classes are held and members can exhibit and sell their artwork and there are two sheds out the
back for pottery, mosaics and glass work. A wide variety of art classes are offered where participants can learn to draw, paint, do pottery, mosaics, or work with glass. DAB caters for absolute beginners and also the more experienced artists, so there is something for everyone. Some classes are tutored, while others are ‘peer groups’, where you bring along your project and work, to talk and share ideas with other like-minded people in a very relaxed atmosphere. There are weekly classes, with courses that run for a number of weeks and workshops that for a half day or full day. DAB also holds approximately four exhibitions a year, where members are invited to exhibit their artwork…. so why not join and get involved. I’m off to get artistic, so for now it’s Gazza signing out. Send your stories to gazza@ cairnslocalnews.com.au You can catch up with Gazza each weekday afternoon between 4 – 7 pm on 90.9 FAB FM in Port Douglas
Tree-planting for ‘Warrami’ the mahogany glider
HUNDREDS of trees are being planted on a property where a mahogany glider was rescued from a barbed-wire fence - to become the face of an endangered species that is struggling for survival. ‘Warrami’ the glider was found entangled in barbedwire 11 years ago and spent months recovering with wildlife carers. A tropical cyclone then ruined his chances of a quick release into the wild when it destroyed glider habitat in the Tully-Townsville region – but this led to an unusual and heart-warming turn-of-events. Wildlife carers Daryl Dickson and Geoff Moffatt were given special permission to introduce Warrami to a female glider, also recovering from barbed-wire injuries, and the pair bonded and produced two young before being released into recovering glider habitat Warrami the mahogany glider two years after Warrami was est formed a barrier to gliders first brought into care. between national park and At the tree-planting event recently, Ms Dickson said it farming land. “In the past, the woodlands was wonderful to see the place would have continued through where Warrami grew up and to help increase glider habitat on areas like this around the national park where the habitat the property. Mahogany gliders are listed changes to rainforest, but they as ‘endangered’ and are only were cleared for farming,’’ she found in a fragmented strip of said. “This property is an idewoodland between Tully and al connection point. We’ve Ollera Creek, south of Towns- planted 600 trees, and another 2000 will go into the ground ville. Terrain’s Jacqui Diggins to connect glider habitat to the said the property, located north and south.” Mahogany gliders can glide south of Tully in an area known as Warrami, was at an ecolog- up to 30 metres on average. ical pinch-point where rainfor- It’s often not far enough in
cleared land, with barbed top wires the most common reason gliders come into care. “Replacing top wires and connecting relatively small sections of land can make a huge difference,” Ms Diggins said. “It helps gliders to move between habitat areas for feeding and it also helps in the flow of genes for this species.” For more information about the ‘Biodiversity Bright Spots -Tackling Woodland Threats’ project visit www.terrain.org. au/woodlands-tackling-threats
