News

Jadei has long been a familiar and beloved face in Pearl Beach. As our resident ‘Posty,’ she’s more than just the person who delivers our mail; she’s become a vital part of the fabric of the Pearl Beach community. Going above and beyond the call of her job, she provides much-needed social connections to many residents, treating the community with a level of compassion and empathy.

Unfortunately, on March 8th, Jadei fell from a ladder while tending to a tall palm in her garden. She landed heavily on her left foot, suffering a Tibial Plateau Fracture. After two surgeries were delayed, Jadei was finally able to undergo a procedure on March 20th, where a plate and screws were fitted to aid in her recovery.

She is now recovering at home with her daughter, but her journey back to full health will be long and difficult. Jadei’s injury requires six weeks of complete rest, with no weight allowed on her affected leg, followed by months of rehabilitation. As a contractor for Auspost, Jadei doesn’t have access to paid leave, meaning she will be without income for at least the next 3, maybe up to 6 months.

To support Jadei during this time, Pearl Beach resident Cathy Lancaster has organised a collection to help ease her financial burden while she’s unable to work.

Jadei has expressed her deep gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community. She said, “I’m so grateful for everybody’s love, support, and messages, which have helped me get through these tough days. I miss everyone.”

If you would like to contribute, please contact Cathy at 0403 704 985 or make a direct transfer to:

Let’s come together to support Jadei during this challenging time

At the General Meeting of the 1st February 2025 Paul Wickham and Greti Rieger received Perl Beach Progress Life Membership awards, in recognition of your outstanding contribution over many years.

They both received awards together as we never think about Paul Wickham without thinking of Greti Rieger as well.  Paul and Greti are a great team.

Paul was born and raised in Newcastle and as a teenager started work in The Woolstore while playing bass guitar in a garage band. He soon left for the bright lights of Sydney and worked as a roadie for a few moderately successful Aussie rock bands in the 70’s, which is where he learned how to dazzle the crowd with sound and lights and the occasional pyrotechnics, almost setting alight the stage on Countdown once. After a few years the slog of the road and the glamour of show biz wore off and Paul decided to further his education. But then he met Greti who first hijacked him on a tour around the globe. Upon returning to Australia in 1988, he got serious and went into the Public Service, first to the Navy, then to SBS and finally the Department of Health where he remained till his retirement in 2010. During this time he was always pursuing music, learning the saxophone and doing Arts and Science studies.  

Greti studied as a radiographer.  She always had an adventurous spirit and loved travel so it was inevitable that when she met Paul they would travel the world together.  And they continue in their travels in Australia and Canada in recent years.

Photo: Paul and Greti receiving the Membership Awards from Russell Grove

Paul and Greti discovered Pearl Beach in 2008 and instantly fell in love with the village, its environment, and the warmth of the locals. At an early Progress meeting, Frank Long, who was then running the entertainment system, held up a small black unit and asked if anyone in the hall knew what it was. Paul piped up ‘a graphic equalizer’. Frank replied ‘Come and see me at the end of the meeting’. With that Paul and Greti became volunteers for the sound and light system, and took over Frank’s role when he and Carole departed the village. They have been supported over the years by the generous help of many others, Paul Toohey, Gary Phillips, Phil Rich, Peter Romey, Ron Saunders, , and now Nigel Tisdale.

Paul always strived to get the best possible setup for the various events and a memorable presentation for the audience. He wanted to create a more professional sound and lighting system for the hall and with the help of Russell Grove was successful with a grant application to the Community Building Partnership in 2019. This resulted in a safety and energy efficient upgrade to the old electrical wiring, switchboard and LED stage lighting.  The installation and continued management has seen both Greti and Paul up ladders frequently.

So now that Paul’s ladder climbing days are numbered, he decided that it was time to concentrate on his first love again, that of music, and he has come full circle and is now learning to play the bass again.  Greti can now pursue her other creative interests, including photography.

Please be informed that the Progress Association in conjunction with Liesl Tesch has organised a public meeting at the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall from 2:30 – 3:30pm on Thursday 19th December 2024 to discuss the burnouts at the top of Pearl Beach Drive.

Liesl has arranged for representative from the Police and Council to join her at the meeting with an invitation for any other interested parties to join.

So if you would like to be involved in the discussion please join us there.

The notes from the meeting can be downloaded here

Pearl Beach Artisans look forward to welcoming visitors to the Pearl Beach Art Trail on Saturday 7 December from 10am-4pm.

More than 15 local artists will be exhibiting work from their studios and gardens.  There will be an eclectic and colourful selection of cards, painting, sculpture, jewellery, woodcraft, pottery, ceramics and fashion.

Come along and enjoy the unique environment at Pearl Beach.

Follow the signs and the red flags.

More information:

Cecile Ferguson 0412141721

Margaret Westcott 0401968947

#pearlbeachartists (Instagram)