Ramon cruises through his cane field magic place

Local Legends

Bryan Littlely

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Ramon Ribes "taking a stroll" out of Mossman. Picture: Bryan Littlely
Ramon Ribes turns 92 in February and is hoping for "more of the same" positivity in 2025. Picture: Bryan Littlely

Ramon Ribes reckons there’s no place like Mossman and surrounds and predicts good things ahead for the region.

“It is a magic spirit in Mossman,’’ Ramon, 91, said.

“Seeing we’ve lost the mill and the possibility that we will never get the mill back, there’s been that much business that’s sold and been bought, it’s incredible.

“The school has got more students now than ever and there’s 100 men that would work in the season and they didn’t this year but the town is more lively.’’

The colourful local character Ramon, who turns 92 in February, reckons he qualifies as a local, despite only living in the area from the age of 28.

“I had another life 200km south of here,’’ he laughed.

He lived on the Daintree Road and worked for the Supply Authority building power lines… “only for 45 years”.

“There’s just something about it… I’ve been to a lot of other places, not overseas, just here in Queensland, and Western Australia, but this is just the place,’’ he said of the magic of Mossman where he now lives in the aged care facility.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. They won’t have me.

“Most days I go for a bit of a stroll,’’ he said about his electric wheelchair treks a couple of kilometres out of town.

“It’s going up all the time. Not by much every year but there’s been more businesses and houses sold this past year than ever before.

“I’m hoping for more of the same in 2025.’’

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