Tales from the Ranges
Local Identity in Amazing Comeback
Some of the old hands amongst us may recall Cecil Price the former Queensland Railways employee who retired here in the mid 70’s. Cec is chiefly remembered for his days as a Lad Porter (yes – that’s the official title) at the Landsborough Railway Station in the 30’s and 40’s and most notably during the war years when Landsborough was a busy passenger and freight centre. Cec would greet the steam trains as they disembarked their passengers – civilians and troops - on their way to their hinterland homes or to the various guesthouses at Caloundra and Maleny. He cheerily loaded their “ports” and rugs onto his heavy wooden trolley with its steel wheels for transfer to their motor coaches (i.e. buses) or more often to their drays, as cars were rare and not suited to the steep and muddy mountain roads or the sand tracks of the coast. Many was the tale Cec could relate of his varied clientele and their comings and goings and other shenanigans.
Like many of us, Cec took a redundancy package from his employer and moved to Curramore, lodging with a large chappie of New Zealand extraction, where they indulged in various pursuits including the growing of vegetables but otherwise leading an inconspicuous and uneventful life.
You can imagine my astonishment when I met Cec a few weeks ago through a mutual acquaintance. I discovered that Cec, seeking a downshifting of responsibilities, had changed his name by deed poll to Sebastien Plumsforde and teamed up with two associates, Bruce Yardley, principal of “Forever Grooming” and the Reverend Hiram T. Bones of the former “Wireless Tabernacle” in a new venture promoting masculine personal development in the Mary River headwaters. Why they chose this geographical definition one can only guess, but it certainly fits well with their group name “The Mary Men”. I must report however that there are some unhappy gentlemen in the Bald Knob and Peachester area who have been deemed ineligible for membership as they are regarded somewhat derisively as “that Stanley River mob”.
Aside from the apparent riparian sectarianism, this seems to be an admirable objective. Cec (pardon, Sebastien) has told me with some excitement of their inaugural seminar. It is to be held over a three day weekend in the Reesville area where the group have purchased a one hectare cattle property/leisure resort from Hiram’s former wife. It is planned with a multi-stream format, where one can drop in or out should the need or opportunity arise. I have been given the full list, but have been sworn to secrecy “not to reveal all” so as to maintain some of the tension deemed essential for the unfolding of the development program. However I can tell you, officially, that it will include fireside yarns, spontaneous cluster formation, low-frequency yodelling, particle board stencilling, eucalypt tordonning, tea conoisseurship (Introductory Level 1) and bullbar welding. BUT not necessarily in that order! This should cater for just about everyone and I can sense the anticipation already developing in the burgeoning self-awareness movement on our plateau.
I would urge
all potential participants, as well as those who knew Sebastien Cecil Sebastien (one day I’ll get it right) or
who would just wish to meet a recycled old identity, to keep posted and watch
for their forthcoming announcement of this exciting event in our
community.
The Mountaineer