Community
25 July, 2022
First Festival In The Sun
THE CORAL Sea Festival at Ellis Beach was the first organized event to celebrate “fun in the sun” for the whole family.
IT was concocted by three men: Fred Mellick from the Ellis Beach Lifesaving Club; new Kiosk operator, Dave Fisher; and the man behind Hanush Cordials, Harry Fitzgerald.
They saw the event as a mutually beneficial exercise to raise funds for the club, increase trade at the kiosk while also promoting the cordial brand.
The first festival included land and sea races from Cairns to Ellis Beach. There was a cycle race, a boat race, lifesaving demonstrations, sandcastle competitions and a free concert on a trailer at the beach. A highlight, however, was the Miss Coral Sea Queen pageant. It attracted entrants from Cairns, Mossman, Mareeba, Townsville, Brisbane and even Melbourne.
Cairns local, Gay Laycock, won the title of Miss Coral Sea Queen in 1968. Laycock, who worked as a hairdresser, instructed the other girls how to comb and tease their hair in the “beehive” style. She recalled in “Our Club” the contestants had to parade along the groyne that year and they had to use a lot of hairspray to keep their beehives intact.
The “mock” beauty contest was also popular with male members of the club donning bikinis and wigs to amuse the crowd. In the 1970s additional fundraising efforts included a Kissing Booth and “greasy pig” chase.
By 1975 the Coral Sea Festival had become too big for the Ellis Beach location and Paula Winters became the 15th and final Miss Coral Sea Queen.
The Ellis Beach lifesavers and local beachgoers had no option but to join the party at Cairns.
The Cairns Tourist Festival was founded in 1962 by the Cairns Regional Council and was named “Fun in the Sun” in 1963. It had become a major tourist attraction and in 1972 a special promotional officer, Sean O’Hagan, was appointed to attract media attention for the 10 day event.
After several name changes it is now known as the Cairns Festival. This year it will run from Friday, August 26 to Sunday, September 4.
Sources: TROVE, “Our Club: The History of the Ellis Beach Surf Life Savings Club” by Carol Libke, https://bit.ly/3ogQzhe
