Friends of Cominos House Inc

12/12/2025

Check out this Cominos House photo from circa October 1988!

We can see the ex-Mayor of Cairns, Keith Goodwin on the current site of Cominos House, pointing at Cominos House after it had been moved to its current location, but before it was restored and transformed into its current condition!

Is anyone able to identify any of the others here, pointing the way. Does anyone know any of them? Are any of them and/or their families still here in Cairns?

The general story behind this photo is that in July 1988, at a council meeting, a motion to restore the building was moved by Mayor Keith Goodwin, seconded by Alderman Rose Blank, and passed by Council with objects including:

1. To conserve this one of the oldest surviving houses in Cairns, previously owned by pioneering and respected Cairns families.

2. For there to be a Friends of Cominos House group of people who share a common interest in this house's conservation and were to form an Arts and Environment Centre to be known as Cominos House at the corner of Little and Greenslopes Streets, Cairns.

3. [... more]

It seems most appropriate and good, next year, as part of next years Cairns 150 year program of celebrations, for the Friends of Comions House and Council to maybe commemorate key initiatives of this kind:

- telling the story of Cominos House's survival into the present, and
- telling the story of the Friends of Cominos House's very beginnings

Please let us know if you know anything about the people in this photo and/or some of the story behind this photo!!

10/12/2025

With many thanks to those who responded to the previous photo!

See here a second photo of that 13 August 1989 public meeting convened by ex-mayor Keith Goodwin on the current Cominos House site to form the Friends of Cominos House, 36 years ago

FOCH can see at least two of the people here who were to become long term executive members of the Friends of Cominos House, but would again greatly appreciate any assistance identifying the many others who were present on that day!

As we face into the new Cairns 150 year celebrations ahead, FOCH is keen to track down to recall and remember as many as possible of those people (or their families) who were there in the beginning to assist restore our old 1880's Queenslandler into its current thriving, valued arts, environmment and community hub

Please have a look at this second photo and see if you can identify anyone from this photo, or maybe you might refer us to someone who might be able to identify people from this photo

[PS Note you can see the current Cominos House neighbors ie the Cairns Choral Society's hall in the background]

09/12/2025

This is a call out to long-term Cairns community residents and/or local history buffs!

You will see in this photo the ex-Mayor of Cairns, Keith Goodwin, (who was tragically killed in an accident in 1990) here convening a public meeting on the current Cominos House site on the 13 August 1989 to form the Friends of Cominos House.

This is a part of the Cominos House story, and it is a part of the current Friends of Cominos House charity's origin story at the beginnings of a Council-community partnership that almost lasted 36 years!

This is a call out to see if anyone out there was at that meeting, or if you know of anyone else who was there?

This is also a call out to see if you can identify anyone, or if you know someone who can identify anyone from this photo who was present at this meeting?

The Friends of Cominos House would like to track these people or their family members down.

The Friends of Cominos House believes that this kind of history should not be forgotten, but should rather be celebrated as we all move into the new year's Cairns 150 Years celebrations.

08/12/2025

Attention all users of the Cominos House facilities

1. FUTURE BOOKINGS?: you will find you CAN NOT presently book the Cominos House facilities (Rose Blank Gallery) beyond March 2026 here:
https://cafnec.org.au/cominos-house-bookings/

2. NEW MANAGMENT??: you will also see from the attached notice from Council that Council has yet to undertake an expression of interest process to install proposed new management

[it is still uncertain as to what the new management will look like though it may be a bad sign that current user groups can NOT book into the full year/s ahead, beyond March 2026!]

3. RENOVATIONS?: Council's has yet to undertake the required renovations of the the Cominos House local heritage building

[it is still not certain as to what the Council's proposed required renovations will be]

We bring this to your attention as:

- the Friends of Cominos House Inc (FOCH) is the registered charity responsible for ensuring your continuing, ongoing low cost access, use and enjoyment of Cominos House facilities into the future

- the Friends of Cominos House Inc (FOCH) facing into the new year ahead will be actively advocating for the Cairns Regional Council and Councillors to update you, consult you, and seek your agreement for any proposed changes to the management of the Cominos House facilities and your future access, use, and enjoyment

Keep following this page for more information, updates and discussion about all of the above as we all move into the new year ahead

With, otherwise, the best of seasons greetings!

25/10/2025

26/08/2025

With apologies for the short notice.

The Friends of Cominos House are making a deputation to the full Cairns Regional Councillors meeting 9 am tomorrow, 27/08/2025 here:

https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/704055/Table-of-Contents-Ordinary-Meeting-27-August-2025.pdf

The Cairns Regional Council received and accepted that petition signed by more than 250 concerned residents and users, and now Mayor Amy Eden has shown Council is listening by approving our vice president and ex-Cairns Coucillor Di Forsyth, to make a deputation

i. to recall our charity's more then 30 year valued and valuable partnership with Council for Cominos House

ii, to invite Council to support and participate in a meeting of the Cairns community to see if everyone might wish to:

- refresh the Cominos House charity with new leaders
- repair the Council - Charity partnership into the future

Please feel free to attend or watch the deputation which will being live streamed here:

https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/council/meetings/live-stream

The image below if from the Mayor video post earlier this year (16 May). reassuring everyone that ...
. this "much loved" community building is "going to stay this way and be accessible to the community for years to come" and that Council "will be doing renovations to make sure this beautiful Queenslander continues to shine into the future."

22/05/2025

While some stories from Cominos House, from over the last 4 decades at Cominos House are being assembled to be posted, other things have been moving fast!!

See the latest below, this time from the Cairns Local News here:
https://www.cairnslocalnews.com.au/online-editions

22/05/2025

After 35 years of managing the historic Cominos House a Cairns not-for-profit is being evicted at the end of the current lease and the live-in caretaker turfed out. Latest: https://bit.ly/3YSTfo0

20/05/2025

Look here! The Cairns Post has published a story about the whole Cominos House dilemma here.

FOCH has written asking Mayor Amy Eden and other Councillors if they might be agreeable to meet:

a) to better smooth and plan their proposed transition over the next 6 months to new leasees and management given the high levels of uncertainty and impacts too abruptly ending FOCH's services is having for large numbers of arts, environmental and community users

b) to consider possibly moving or supporting a resolution at an upcoming Council meeting (before June 30) of the kind requested by the users and other signatories to the FOCH petition to permit FOCH to continue existing community services for coming months up until Council has invited written tenders and new leasees (and possible new management) has been decided and contracted.

For your shared information!

12/05/2025

SEE BELOW copy of a letter received from the Cairns Regional Council on April 11, 2025 requiring the Friends of Cominos House (FOCH) to vacate the building and effectively evict the caretaker, evict all current users, plus empty and remove all evidence of FOCH's and community users previous 35 years presence including signs and fixtures.

The FOCH presumes and believes an administrative mistake has been made by new Council officers who may not have been fully aware of the nature of the services the FOCH has been providing to the Council, to the Cairns community, and the large number of community organisations who value, enjoy, and everyday use the Cominos House facilities.

The FOCH are doing everything in our power to ensure there is no halt, pause, or closing down of current community services, and to ensure there is no disruption, displacement nor detrimental impact upon large numbers of community groups currently enjoying and using the facilities. We are directly approaching Mayor Amy Eden plus all the other Councillors to see if they can please pass a resolution to fix the mistake made by Council Officers when they did not already refer the whole need to renew the Cominos House community services to the Councillors in the first place.

Should you be concerned, and/or wish to support FOCH's efforts to prevent this abrupt closing down of 35 years of community services for, and from Cominos House, please review, please share, please download, and please arrange for supporters to sign the proposed petition to Council (and the Councillors), and photograph/scan and message us completed petitons here (even a single signature counts!):

FOCH PETITION to COUNCIL
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vx3i98FVdgdB2AbPLG_RS-srcPKgcbWO/view?usp=drive_link

Meantime, in the interests of remembering and celebrating the voluntary work of so so many volunteers and community groups over more than 35 years, we will be posting a series of posts recalling some of that history, also inviting contributions from FOCH followers, in the hope all this effort and work over all time are not accidently erased.

12/01/2024

Our new kitchen is now complete, thank you all for your patience and understanding.

11/01/2024

Are you looking to use your skills to make a difference?
We are seeking the services of a volunteer Secretary to assist the Management Committee. If you are interested please contact the president on the email below.