It is difficult to work out the whereabouts of the Grainer family between April 1930 and April 1932. There is newspaper published evidence the family was living in the small rail stop town of Danbulla outside of Tully in September 1931. A forthcoming motor trip to Cairns for Mr Tom Clarke and Mr Grainer was mentioned in the Cairns Post “Danbulla Notes” column 8.9.1931 [in the early 1930s an event such as a car trip was newsworthy].
Two weeks later the same column printed an appreciation for a fund raising dance evening performed by Ron's mother and Mr and Mrs Clarke on September 12 at Danbulla [cp 15.9.1931 p2]
The stay in Danbulla may have been centered around rehearsals for the dance evening.
According to the Cairns Post on the 18 Oct and the 15th November 1931 Ron's father was in competition at the Atherton Rifle Club so presumably the family was living at Atherton during those two months.
Walsh's Pyramid Cairns side [photo Darren Hughes]
Walsh's Pyramid Aloomba side [photo Tony Baldwin]1932 About 100 residents lived in the small North Queensland sugar growing Coastal town of Aloomba in 1932 and, in the early part of that year, it appears the Grainer family had settled there.
From
11th April 1932 Margaret and Ron Albert were being regularly mentioned
in the “Alomba Tennis Club Euchre Notes” published in the Cairns Post.
Ron's father apparently having exchanged his Mt Mulligan interest in
rifles and rifle clubs for the more sociable tennis racket.
Perhaps inspired by the magnificent daily sight of the soaring 588 meter rock formation Walsh’s Pyramid that dominates the western horizon during the day and overshadows Aloomba in the late afternoon Ron’s music talents appear to have intensified during his Aloomba residency.
Ron may even have composed for his memory banks a catchy melodic rift around the town’s unusual name.
Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Ba
Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Ba
Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Aloom-Aloom / Ba
Whatever the influence of his surroundings Ron’s public music career definitely started after he moved to Aloomba. In June 1932 the Aloomba State School send a dozen pupils to the inaugural Cairns and District School Eisteddfod held in the Hibernian and Odd fellows Halls Cairns. The Cairns Post reported over a thousand people attended the first days performances at the Hibernian Hall.
The opening session was “Violin Solo” which appears to be a mixed competition and open to all ages. The competition piece was “Recreation in C” by Wilson Mantire and 9 year old Ron Grainer scored an impressive 78 points to secure second place three points behind the winner. Ron was the only pupil from Aloomba to secure a competition placement at the 1932 Eisteddfod.
1933 On Sunday March 26 1933 a large number of people attended a farewell function at the Aloomba tennis club for Mr and Mrs Grainer on the eve of their move to Cairns to live. The Grainer’s active participation in club affairs and local promotion of tennis was publicly acknowledged and gifts were given to the couple as a token of the clubs esteem.
