Category: Society News

A new Cairns Walking Tour steps out tomorrow and back into the past, tracing the evolution of this beautiful tourism city from its beginnings as a humble port built on a mosquito-infested swamp to the international drawcard it is today.

The 90-minute walk begins at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, passes the port, which saw Cairns usurp Port Douglas as the sea link for the hinterland, and takes in historic buildings, natural sights, old Chinatown and special places that are part of the tropical lifestyle and which make Cairns ‘home’.

The two-hour experience culminates at the Cairns Museum, in the refurbished School of Arts building on the corner of Lake and Shields Streets.

Here walkers can relax on the best tropical verandah in town and learn more about the unique and colourful history of the most northerly city on Australia’s East coast.

Clive Skarott, president of Cairns Historical Society, said it hoped the new tour would become a “must do” for locals and their visitors.

“The Cairns Walking Tour is an interesting look into the story that began with land occupied by Traditional Aboriginal Owners, then a frontier town populated by entrepreneurs, adventurers and misfits and now, 142 years later, is a leading tourism destination,” Mr Skarott said.

“We are excited to offer something for our local residents, to give them an insight into how the people who came before us lived, the pride they felt in our place and what they achieved.

“It’s the festive season, a time to be generous. We encourage locals to take up our very generous 50 percent discount offer during December and enjoy two hours or more of quality entertainment and insight, plus a little gentle exercise, and walk in the steps of our city founders – all for $16.50.”

The walk is suitable for people fit enough to walk two kilometres at a moderate pace in hot and humid conditions.

Walkers are advised to take the usual precautions of wearing comfortable shoes, carry some water, wear a hat and sunglasses and cover up or use sunscreen.

Cairns Walking Tours will take place every Saturday at 8am. The usual ticket price is $33 (half-price through December).

For more information or to book your place contact the Cairns Museum on 4051 5582 or visit www.cairnsmuseum.org.au

WE’RE GETTING STRATEGIC!

The Cairns Historical Society is excited to welcome aboard Tanya Snelling and Strategic PR as our Marketing and Sales specialists.

Strategic PR is an established consultancy operated by Tanya, specialising in content creation for advertising and editorial, copy writing, publicity and public relations. Tanya is an experienced communicator with over 20 years working history in the media industry encompassing newspapers, magazines and public relations, which has taken her to the other side of the world and back.

Born in Cairns, Tanya gained a Bachelor of Journalism from James Cook University and major in political science before commencing her career at the Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette. After many years of journalism, including a stint in London, she returned to Cairns to establish her own public relations business, Strategic PR.

Strategic PR specialises in public relations for the business, agriculture and tourism industries. She became the owner/publisher of the Downunder Travel Bulletin in 2013, an international business to business travel trade publication dedicated to Australia’s inbound tourism industry, which has been an institution for three decades. Her network extends far beyond Australian shores, encompassing key tourism markets for Australia including the US, Canada, UK and Europe.

Tanya will maintain and grow our relationships amongst our important tourism industry partners, as well as develop our communications across both traditional and new media channels. We have a great story to share and we’re looking forward to working with Tanya and Strategic PR to make sure it’s heard far and wide.

COULD YOU TAKE US TO THE WORLD?

The Cairns Museum and Historical Society are seeking a Marketing professional with the experience, contacts and drive to grow and develop the the Cairns Museum as a local experience in the Cairns tourism market.

The role requires strong tourism marketing and sales background, a current knowledge of the Cairns market and expertise in traditional and new media platforms. There is a strong communications element to the role so experience in PR and writing is essential.

You will need to be able to activate your existing networks, identify and connect with new markets and be media savvy.

It is a part-time role but, with your help, we want to increase resourcing next financial year.

Interested?

Read the PD

Still interested?

Email us for the selection criteria 

COULD YOU BE A GREAT TOUR GUIDE?

Have you got the personality and the passion for Cairns to help visitors discover the amazing history of this town? Are you fit enough to lead a group on a 90-minute outdoor walk?

The Cairns Museum is recruiting guides for a regular ‘Step Back in Time’ walking tour.

These are paid positions. We are offering a regular fortnightly shift with opportunities for extra work on a seasonal basis.

DR DAWN MAY – FNQ VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

The Cairns Historical Society is celebrating Dr Dawn May – Far North Queensland’s long term Volunteer of the Year. The award recognises the enormous contribution Dawn has made to Far North Queensland.

Dawn has been a contributing volunteer – above and beyond the call of duty – for the Cairns Historical Society and the Cairns Museum for the best part of 30 years. Her commitment extends to a number of other heritage bodies who have gained enormously from her generosity and expertise. We at the Society, including the Cairns Museum, have been particular beneficiaries of her knowledge, generosity, organisational skill, eye for detail and willingness to lend a ‘hands-on’ hand – not just tell people how to do things.

Dawn is generous and welcoming to newcomers and willing to share her incredible breadth of knowledge as a former lecturer in history at James Cook University.  In addition to the work she does for the Cairns Historical Society, Dawn has also made an enormous and entirely voluntary contribution to the heritage sector in Far North Queensland: 

• Secretary of the Far Northern Branch of the National since 1992 & Treasurer to the Townsville Branch of the National Trust Qld, before she came to Cairns in 1987.
• 2005 to 2008: Member, National Trust of Queensland Regional Heritage Committee (Northern Region). This committee assessed nominations from North Queensland to the Register of the National Trust.
• 2011-12 Member, Cairns Regional Council/Department of Environment and Heritage Protection –  Heritage Advisory Group
• Member State-wide Heritage Survey Moderation Committee, Far North Queensland region, 2008-2010
• She is/was newsletter editor for Cairns and District Historical Car Club
• Coordinating with Dr Jan Wegner from 2009 onwards annual heritage tours and trips to mark National Heritage Week
• Attending working bees at the Atherton Chinese Temple
• Organising and/or working with National Trust heritage surveys at Ingham, Mossman and parts of Cairns eg Shields St
• Organising and working in photographic surveys of the Cairns CBD every 10 years (we have the photos in the CHS collection – 3 surveys to date);
• Writing numerous nominations of places to the National Trust register or the Qld Heritage Register

It’s exhausting isn’t it!?

There’s more! 

Dawn has been a volunteer with the Cairns Historical Society since the late 1980s and remains an active volunteer in our photographic department.  She was Vice-President of the Cairns Historical Society from 1989-2001, she then took over as Secretary from 2002 and 2014, then has now also taken on the coordination of the Society’s public lecture series, the distribution of bulletins and newsletters, including the stuffing of envelopes.

She was an active contributor to the redevelopment of the Cairns Museum, including fact checking, proof reading and the research and writing of content.

Congratulations Dawn for your genuine, lived commitment to community service and to Far North Queensland. 

BUY A TICKET IN OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE!

SORRY OUR RAFFLE IS NOW CLOSED – THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PURCHASED A TICKET AND GOOD LUCK !

Coral Expeditions Cruises has generously donated to the Cairns Historical Society and Cairns Museum a wonderful first anniversary prize.

We’ve been gifted a 3 or 4 night Coral Expeditions Great Barrier Reef Cruise for two people valued at $5,160. This amazing prize includes:

• Accommodation in a Twin Share Stateroom 
• All meals, use of snorkelling equipment masks and fins
• Guided glass bottom boat coral viewing and snorkelling excursions
• Presentations by Marine Biologist
• Access to islands, marine and national parks
• Use of comprehensive range of library and video resources
• An introductory SCUBA skills session for first time divers

Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.

The raffle will be drawn at our First Anniversary function – 14th July 2018 – watch this space.

Funds raised will help Cairns Historical Society conserve its unique collection of objects, photographs, books, archives and maps – donated by the people of Cairns for the people of Cairns. Funds raised will also help the Society support the volunteers who help us share this collection with locals and visitors alike.

A huge thanks to Coral Expeditions for their generous support.

CAIRNS MUSEUM REDEVELOPMENT BEST IN STATE

2017 GAMAA Awards Ceremony. L-R Museum Manager Suzanne Gibson, Curator and Queensland Museum MDO Dr Joanna Wills, CHS and Museum Historian Dr Dawn May, Museums and Galleries Qld Executive Director Rebekah Butler

The Cairns Historical Society has been awarded “Best Museum and Gallery Project” in Queensland for its redevelopment of the Cairns Museum.

The Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards (GAMAAs) are an annual award that recognises excellence in the Museum and Gallery sector across Queensland.

The Historical Society entered the Cairns Museum in the 2017 GAMAAs as the end result of a 7-year process of rethinking and reimagining a Museum for Cairns. The GAMAA judges noted that the reimagining of the Cairns Museum represented an enormous undertaking for a volunteer-run Society, supported by funding from Cairns Regional Council.

Society President Clive Skarott said the Society was honoured to receive the Best Project GAMAA.

‘This award is recognition for everyone who gave their heart and soul to realise the Cairns Museum – our volunteer curatorial, research and photographic teams, the community groups and families who assisted, the Traditional Owners who came on board, our members, our supporters in Cairns Regional Council, our internal management team and our professional consultant team’, he said.

‘The Museum is the end result of a huge creative and community effort, all in the name of Cairns.’

Museums and Galleries Queensland (M&G QLD) Executive Director Rebekah Butler praised the planning undertaken by the Society

‘The Society’s process for the ‘reimagining’ included investigating the role of a Museum in a regional city, Cairns’ existing cultural infrastructure and the significance of the existing CHS collection. It created a contemporary thematic framework ‘Living in the Tropics’ that became the foundation for delivering a Museum about the past and the present of Cairns as a tropical city, rather than a more generic Museum about the olden days.’

Museum Manager Suzanne Gibson said the Museum was worth the effort

‘Museums matter. If we don’t tell our stories here in Cairns, no-one else is going to’, she said.

‘We have to thank the Council for recognising this and for backing the Society to create something special’.

GET INVOLVED IN THE NEW CAIRNS MUSEUM

If you have ever imagined sharing your love of Far North Queensland with vistors from around the world, now is the time to act!

The Cairns Historical Society is calling for expressions of interest from locals interested in volunteering at the Cairns Museum. A range of opportunities are on offer, from front of house reception and hosting positions, to back of house work cataloguing, researching and caring for the Historical Society’s collection.

The Museum will opening in early July, so recruitment and training will be happening from April.

Interested?

Get in contact with Volunteer Coordinator, Mel McQuillan

We look forward to meeting you!