Dear Members and Friends,

The Cassowary Coast Council is celebrating a hundred years since my hometown was given the name “Tully” (it was originally established in the 1880s as “Banyan”).

Soon after the area was settled, there was a Chinese population of about a thousand, almost all of them market gardeners. Many of the old Chinese families of Far North Queensland have connections to Tully, including my two families (the Sings and the Gee Kees) as well as other CADCAI families – the Yet Foys, the Lee Longs, and the Kum Yuens (branches of the Wah Days and Tong.

To celebrate Tully’s Centenary, the council will be holding several events throughout the year, including the street parade on Saturday, 8th June, at 9:30am. The purpose of the parade is to celebrate Tully’s rich diversity and its vibrant mix of people, cultures, and history that shaped the town into what it is today.

CADCAI will participating in the parade with our dragon and lion team to represent the Tully Chinese.

After the parade, CADCAI will hold a free barbecue at Alligators Nest. Bring your swimmers (the water will be cold!)

From Cairns we will be car pooling . It takes about 1¾ hours to get to Tully from downtown Cairns.

Because Tully is my hometown, I would like to put on a great show for the Tully folk as many of them are unaware of the history of the Chinese in the area. It would mean a lot to me and my family if we can get as many people participating as possible.

Please let me know if you and any of your family members can participate. PH 0488 288 943 or Email: info@cadcai.org.au. You don’t have to be a lion or dragon dancer to partipate; we have many other roles in the parade.

Thanks

James Sing
CADCAI Vice-President and Lion Team Leader