Friday 13 June 2008

Celebrating their Knob

Around 4,000 made their way out to Yorkeys last weekend, home of the World Famous Knob. Well, world famous in Cairns.

Just pop in to see Noel at the local Post Office, and you can purchase your own beer cooler or t-shirt saying that Yorkeys Knob is "Bigger than Mody's Dick!"

This was the fourth annual Festival of the Knob. It just keeps just getting bigger and bigger. Knobs do that when friends (and strangers) come over to your place. Uninvited at that.

Despite some happy and chance sign souvenirs stealing the street side "Festival of the Knob" placards in the days before Yorkeys annual community celebration, the organiser have deemed this years Festival another great success.

"It was a great family day," Maurice Milliner from the festival committee told CairnsBlog. "There was live entertainment, dance groups, 82 market stalls, displays, budget-priced kid's rides. What a fab day!"

The expected arrival of 'Yorkey' was also a highlight, to celebrate the invasion with our white colonial history. The Knob got it's name after a local fisherman called 'Yorkey' who lived on the rocky hill ('knob') next to Half Moon beach in the 1880's. Next year they need to get some blackfellas on board.

There was plenty of gourmet food at the Festival from Yorkeys' restaurants Buzzaroma Café and Krokodillos. It was one of community spirit, fun and, of course, the annual crowning of King and Queen of the Knob. This year, the honours were bestowed on local beat Police Constable Antony Kirkman, and Yorkey's celeb, Pat Morrish of ABC.

Even Mayor Val Schier turned up in her Sunday best. Photos by Sue Wellwood.









2 comments:

Janine Aitken said...

Both King & Queen of the Knob are most deserving, Another fabulous festival well done Yorkeys Knob Residence Association and all those involved.

lillianatyorkeys said...

I'm not quite sure where Athetist God is going with his rant... but I'll leave it at that. Yes, I thank all of us at Yorkeys who participated (volunteers) & all those attendees who came to enjoy yet another Festival, which was great fun.
Just to keep you up to date with your history Michael - 'Yorkey' was a Yorkshireman, named 'George Lawson', who owned (the land taken from indigenous locals) the Knob itself & a lot of canefields about, which he farmed. He was also a major beche-de-mer fisherman. He was apparently good mates with a lot of the indigenous locals back in those days, & took & won a fight with Inpector Greer over Green Island & won. He had one of the first huge funerals in Cairns white history time.
One of our local Yorkeys residents was writing a new history of the Knob some years back, but didn't complete it, & I it would be lovely if he could.
A few years back we had a visitor from Staithes, a small coastal town in Yorkshire, where Yorkey hailed from. She explained that in Yorkeshire a hill is a 'knab' , & produced photos of Staithes with a hill, that looked almost exatly like the Knob, without the trees, Very interesting. So, maybe Yorkey (George) would have said somethng like "that's me knab" - which has turned into the infamous 'Knob' - winner of the 2007 infamous Phillip Adams Weird Place Names Award.
"Yorkeys Beach"? Naah, too boring. Cheers.