Jonathan Cattana: The wetlands dream lives on
Cattana
wetlands dream lives on
Daniel Bateman
Wednesday, November 25,
© The Cairns Post
CAIRNS cane farmer Franco Cattana, father of Jonathan Cattana, had a dream to see the little plot of “scrub” on his property preserved for future generations.
Sadly, Mr Cattana passed away four months ago, aged 80, but his family hopes the wetlands he left behind as his legacy will grow to become one of the region’s great natural attractions.
Cairns Regional Council is officially opening the Cattana Wetlands, a $3 million rehabilitation project near Yorkeys Knob, in December.
The project has been jointly paid for by the council and State Government over the past three years.
The 80ha area, which was a degraded sand mine for years after it was sold by the Cattana family in the early 1990s, has been remade as an environmental haven.
The rehabilitated wetlands includes lakes and lowland rainforest known for being home to stands of feather palms and more than 150 species of birds.
Mr Cattana’s wife, Cleo, said her husband would have been very sorry he missed the official launch of the wetlands project.
The Cattana family had lived on the property for 36 years.
“Franco never wanted it touched,” Mrs Cattana said. “He would have been very proud to see it today.”
The mother-of-five, whose family will be united at the launch of the wetlands, described the area as a lovely place to live.
“We sold it to the new owners to do what they wanted with it, but it’s lovely that (development) is stopping there, because it’s one of the few parcels of scrub like that,” she said.
One of Mrs Cattana’s sons, Sydney-based fund manager Jonathan Cattana, 46, said his father had demonstrated incredible foresight in the 1950s to preserve the rainforest patch.
“Now the Cattanas are incredibly honoured and proud of what the Cairns Regional Council has spent on it, and trying to do it up.”
Mr Cattana said his family was hoping the wetlands would become a great natural attraction for the region.
The Cattana Wetlands will be officially opened by Cairns Regional Council on December 6 at 9am. The wetlands are located via Dunne Rd, Smithfield.