Darlington Review June 2020

Vol. 60 No. 5 June 2020 online @

www.darlingtonreview.com.au

How much do you love your big Hills block these days?

Yep. Us too.

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MEMBERS OF THE DARLINGTON REVIEW Anglican Church (Church Office 9299 7274) Jan Carroll 9299 7240 Baha’i Faith Susheel Croft 0402 023 704 Darlington Christian Fellowship Pastor Rob Merrells 6153 0364 Bushfire Ready Group Colin James 0419 969 223 Darlington Arts Festival Inc. Chris Pemberton 9252 0154 Darlington Bushwalk Series Cliff Burns 9299 6696 Darlington Chamber Music Malcolm Firth 0400 204845 Darlington Community Recreation Advisory Group Colin James 0419 969 223 Darlington Dipsticks Bindi Datson 9252 1050 Darlington Family Playgroup Janelle Dowler 0400 556 191 Darlington History Group Val Shiell 9299 6868 Darlington Junior Football Club Tim Hunter timothy.hunter@motivationfoundation.com.au Darlington Pavillion Project (DaSRA) Geoff Barker geoff@pmdwa.com Darlington Primary School 9299 6888 Darlington Primary School P & C Association Rowena MacKinnon pnc@gmail.com Darlington Ratepayers & Residents Association Chris Pemberton 9252 0154 Darlington Retirement Accommodation Assn Inc Carolyn Earnshaw 0427 271 765 Darlington Running Group Pippa Windsor 0488 069 764 Darlington Social Cricket Club Inc Stephen Jones 0437 242 299 Darlington Tennis Club Alex Hoschke 9299 6456 Darlington Theatre Players at Marloo Theatre (9255 1212) Brendan Tobin 0419 949 564 Darlington Volunteer Bushfire Brigade Inc Ricky Harvey 0409 685 445 Member for East Metropolitan Region Donna Faragher JP MLC 9379 0840 1st Darlington Scouts Glen Stenton 0403 809 226 Federal Member for Hasluck Hon. Ken Wyatt MP 9359 0322 Friends of Darlington Station Reserve (FODS) Jane Arnold (arnoldmj55@gmail.com) 0477 987 048 Friends of Glen Park Glenys Letchford 0467 586050 Friends of Waylen’s Landing (FOWL) Shannon Ward 9252 1879 Garrick Theatre Douglas Sutherland-Bruce 0418 934 850 Guides Western Australia (Forrest Hills District) Maggie Hegney 0427 794 115 Guildford Grammar School Gillian MacDonald 9377 9222 Helena College Sherene Strahan 9298 9100 The Hub of the Hills Rachel Bacon 9290 6683 KSP Writers’ Centre Shannon Coyle 9294 1872 Let’s Talk Rubbish !

Chris Pemberton 9252 0154 Kalamunda Bridge Club Jenny Tedeschi jennifer_tedeschi1@hotmail.com Member for Kalamunda Matthew Hughes 9293 4747 Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Inc Trish Beaman

9295 0540 Mundaring Arts Centre Inc Jenny Haynes 9295 3991 Mundaring Arts Scholarships Chris Durrant 9299 6093 Mundaring Chamber of Commerce Patrick Bertola, President 0428 316 271 Mundaring Christian College Amanda McCleary 9295 2688 Mundaring Sharing Terrie Plaistowe 9295 1688 Mustard Seed - Discovering Computers Brian Hassell 0491 044 805 Shire of Mundaring Library Service Kerryn Martin, Branch Librarian, Greenmount Public Library 9290 6758 Silver Tree Steiner School Karolina Pawlowski and Hayley Spracklen 9295 4787 Soroptimist International of Helena Fay Kappler 9274 4543 Rosalie Gordon 9299 6230 The Darlington Club Sue Lavell 0439 273 213 Treetops Montessori School 9299 6725 Mundaring Shire South Ward Councillors: Cr David Lavell 14 Sandover Road, Darlington 0419 913 014 Cr Darrell Jones Helena Valley 0409 688 568 Cr James Martin Boya 0402 847 780 Justice of the Peace: Warren Southwell 9252 0361 Darlington Hall for future bookings ring Shire of Mundaring Booking Officer on 9290 6666 or email bookings@mundaring.wa.gov.au

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EDITORIAL: Editor: Trea Wiltshire Email: editorial@darlingtonreview.com.au Business Manager: Betty Pitcher, PO Box 196, Darlington. Email: business@darlingtonreview.com.au Auditor: Peter Edwards B.Comm CPA - Peter Edwards & Assoc Pty

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Editorial

Save Perth Hills campaigners at the Special Council Meeting at Mundaring Arena in August (Photo: Echo News)

Time for change Lockdowns across the world have seen people reimagining a post-corona world in which we do things better. At the May meeting of Mundaring Shire Council, that reimagining took the form of a bold initiative that Shire staff predicts has only “a remote likelihood of success”. But the call to reverse the urban zoning of the controversial North Stoneville development won strong support – from councillors, our local MP and ratepayers’ associations. Many see this as an opportunity for historic – and long overdue – change in the way planning happens in the Perth Hills.

When Councillor Doug Jeans moved a motion to reverse the zoning of 4685 Stoneville Road – on which the developer Satterley proposes a high-density development – the former surveyor saw it as the first step in an ambitious plan to change the way planning happens in the Perth Hills.

He’s appalled that 183 hectares of pristine bushland could be cleared to make way for a development proposal – known as Structure Plan 34 (SP34) – that residents don’t want and that became the subject of the largest ever Special Council Meeting (at Mundaring Arena) last August.

No, he didn’t hatch the plan during lockdown. The momentum for a change in planning strategies – acknowledging that our landscape of forests, water catchment, national parks, orchards and hobby farms sets us apart from the Perth metro area – has been growing for decades.

As a result of the meeting, the Shire urged the WA Planning Commission (WAPC) not to support SP 34 on multiple grounds: Main Roads opposed it, the bushfire management plan failed to address the extreme fire risk, the environmental assessment report was deficient, and there were concerns about the impact on Susannah and Jane Brooks and the waste management treatment plan.

Had the May Council meeting not been held via video conferencing, the public gallery would have been full, and response jubilant. While those supporting this bold move don’t underestimate the challenges ahead, the unity of purpose spoke of that momentum for change.

During his time on council, Doug Jeans has also observed the sheer frustration of ordinary people making public submissions to his council, knowing that local government power has been slowly eroded on bodies such as the WAPC. And this frustration is justified: while there’s no third-party appeal for residents, developers inevitably take rejected proposals to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Doug Jeans has watched unchecked urban sprawl; the planning folly of dense developments located far from public transport (more cars on the road, more carbon emissions); and the mounting alarm of Hills residents as climate change ratchets up bushfire risk.

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Darlington Review - June 2020 Doug Jeans’ motion received immediate support from Save Perth Hills that has long viewed the urban zoning of the Anglican church-owned land as an irresponsible planning decision, and from MLA Matthew Hughes who has been consistently critical of “dropping a townsite of between four and six thousand people into this landscape”.

“What might have seemed appropriate decades ago to planners and councillors is simply no longer sustainable,” he tells the Review. “We’ve lived through two catastrophic fires in Stoneville and Parkerville. We live at a time of heightened community awareness of climate change, the importance of preserving the unique Hills environment, and of the risks of high-density urban populations in a bushfire prone area.”

ABOVE: Shire President John Daw, who has raised the profile of the environment on Mundaring Council, with Mary Woodward of Black Cockatoo Reserves However, against the advice of Shire officers, Doug Jeans was optimistic when he put his motion to fellow councillors on May 12. He’d witnessed changing voting patterns on council, particularly since John Daw became Shire President in 2017 and more environmentally-aware councillors had taken seats on council. And he’d heard the passionate words of MLA Matthew Hughes, speaking in the WA Parliament on behalf of those who submitted 1,000 public submissions opposed to SP34.

The time was right, he felt. The moment was asking to be seized!

“I see the North Stoneville development as a catalyst for radically rethinking the way planning happens in the Perth Hills,” says Doug Jeans. “What we’re saying is decisions made decades ago were based on old planning strategies that envisaged urban development moving into the Hills where there was – and still is – insufficient infrastructure in terms of public transport, sewerage, water etc.

“Add to this the fact that our council has recently declared a Climate Change Emergency and it’s simply not prudent to drop large populations into areas categorised as being prone to catastrophic bushfire. The planning strategies that make sense for the Perth metro area and are covered by the Metropolitan Region Scheme simply don’t relate to the Perth Hills.”

Doug Jeans says that in moving this motion, Mundaring Councillors would like to send a strong message to the Minister for Planning Rita Saffioti and to the WAPC that has yet to approve this controversial project. “We feel the time is right because the State Labor Government is reluctant to keep pushing out the limits of the metro area (with all the attendant expenditure) and is focussing growth on urban infill and Metronet’s integrated transport and land-use framework.”

July will be a crucial month for the long battle over SP34, because the WAPC is due to consider the matter on July 31, unless the decision is again delayed.

Matthew Hughes is highly critical of the sheer scale of the development and of Satterley’s consistent failure to engage with the community. He has also taken his concerns to the Anglican Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy.

“I’ve urged the Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese to use her authority to show pastoral leadership and to engage with the community so a solution can be found. Whatever the pressure of trustees, the Archbishop must be there for the community – that’s what the church is all about.”

Mr Hughes sees Doug Jeans’ call to rethink planning in the Hills as a challenging opportunity. “We have only one Perth Hills environment and there’s an economic benefit in preserving what we have: a landscape with huge recreational and tourism potential for the city and for overseas travellers,” he says.

“Creating a planning precinct for the Perth Hills will take longer to achieve than rezoning the North Stoneville land, but it’s worth pursuing. When John Septimus Roe set aside Kings Park, we say how visionary he was. Our challenge is to take our own visionary steps.”

Doug Jeans is fulsome in his praise of the Member for Kalamunda.

“If it wasn’t for Matthew Hughes representing this community, it’s possible we wouldn’t be going down this path,” he says. “I’m optimistic and I firmly believe we need to start the process now that there’s momentum within the council.

So where to from here?

Mundaring Council’s Deputy President Jason Russell says returning the North Stoneville land to its rural roots requires both the Shire and the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) to amend their current planning strategy in relation to the land.

“The Shire’s planning scheme and the MRS need to be congruent,” explains Jason. “To achieve this, the Shire has agreed to fund a planning consultant to draw up a proposal that will be presented to the State Government. Yes, I agree we’re in a bit of a moment but the challenge will be getting the State Government on board. In the end the political power within the planning system ultimately rests with the Minister for Planning.”

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Covid times in Darlington

Shire President John Daw has written to Premier Mark McGowan requesting that the WAPC impose an indefinite deferment on SP34 pending the final report from the Royal Commission into the Black Summer Bushfires, due August 31.

How will we remember the autumn of 2020? We’ll certainly recall a time of untold hardship worldwide as we absorbed daily news of lives lost or turned upside down. But we’ll also carry away memories of a time when the world slowed and communities were knitted together in many ways – as they would have been in a much smaller Darlington facing testing times a century ago.

“The Royal Commission’s work includes planning issues and the final report is likely to make recommendations about land use planning in bush fire prone areas. Any decision regarding approval of SP34 made prior to the Royal Commission’s report could be viewed as an attempt to ‘jump the gun’ on what is likely to emerge as new state government policy on building in bushfire-prone areas.”

During the 1919 flu epidemic that returning soldiers carried across the world, locals would have gathered on our station platform, waiting for the train – and trading news of the tragedy unfolding following the World War I victory celebrations.

Mr Daw says he has received a reply from the Planning Minister encouraging the Shire to make a deputation to attend the WAPC hearing and to pursue a review of our local planning framework.

Fast forward a century, in the autumn of 2020, as another pandemic moves across the world – and local residents were repurposing the old station platform in the heart of our village as a place where walkers (both local and passing through) could rest, and where coffee drinkers could savour the benign sunshine and the benison of company, at a safe distance.

The Minister’s letter, circulated to councillors, reads:

ABOVE: Planning Minister Rita Saffioti

In this time, as Jayne Simpson, Deputy Principal of Treetops, observes in Letters: “New veggie gardens sprang up, families walked together, several rescued pups joined Doglington, bikes were dusted off and ridden, board games and jigsaws came out of cupboards, bread was baked and home cooked meals became the usual practice.”

“I encourage the Shire to take the opportunity to address the WAPC’s Statutory Planning Committee to assist in its consideration of the Structure Plan when this proposal is listed for consideration. There is also the opportunity for the Shire to review their own planning framework and engage with the community associated with that.”

Veggie gardens certainly sprang up around our village, and in this issue we visit a few, including one in Darlington Road that is a source of pride for Nikky and Rob Brock and their family.

Rob grew up on a Swan View farm, and his family currently run a biodynamic farm at Muchea. He proved to be such a fund of information on how to feed your soil (to feed your plants) that we asked him to write a MY PLACE (that follows the editorial).

It’s a very informative read, and one that is sending us off to acquire garlic cloves in readiness for the arrival of June rains.

John Daw says he is hopeful that the planning consultant’s report will clarify the next steps to be taken to consider what a “Perth Hills” policy for land use might include, and that the Council would take expert advice “on how to achieve the best outcome for our community and the environment”.

When Doug Jeans’ motion was debated in council, Mundaring Shire officers said attempting to obtain State Government support to amend the zoning was unlikely to succeed and pursuing it was an inefficient use of Shire resources. Seven Councillors disagreed, with only South Ward councillors David Lavell and Darryl Jones voting against Jeans’ motion. Our third South Ward councillor, James Martin, was absent. The Darlington Ratepayers and Residents Association urged all three South Ward councillors to support the motion (see their notes in this issue). Councillor Lavell addresses this issue in his Councillor’s Column.

After the meeting (that received 69 deputations in support of the motion and one against) Councillor Amy Collins said, via Facebook, that reverse zoning, or down-coding, would not be easy and the decision lay with the state, “but we need to start somewhere with the goal to protect the beautiful Perth Hills from urban sprawl.”

Perhaps – at this moment, in this place – we need to borrow some of the visionary zeal that John Septimus Roe showed way back.

Rob says if you want advice on growing veggies, he’s happy to provide it. Contact us at editorial@darlingtonreview.com.au and we’ll forward your emails/phone numbers to him. And the girl on our June cover? That’s Nikky and Rob’s daughter Faith holding some of the garlic Rob specialises in growing.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

How does your garden grow?

Kasia Thomson plants straight into the ground of the family block on Mofflin Avenue, while Alice Madden uses raised beds in View Terrace, but both must be the envy of neighbours who see bountiful harvests heading for the kitchen!

One of Kasia Thomson’s early memories is of spending summer days picking Alpine strawberries in her grandfather’s large kitchen garden in the countryside in Poland where she was born. Her family moved to Perth when she was 11 and while her mum tried to grow a few veggies on their quarter-acre block, it was the arrival of her grandparents that revived Kasia’s interest in growing things.

mandarins, plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots, grapes and figs. So now we can eat our own food and it’s good that our children see how food is grown, and learn that you need to watch and wait for things to be ready to eat.

“Sweet potatoes (grown from three cuttings) have become our staple – in fact they’ve taken over one of the four 25 square metre quadrants and would take over the entire garden if they could. In the other quadrants we have kale, peas, string and broad beans, bok and pak choy, radishes, zucchinis, eggplant, garlic, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers and various herbs. So, when the kids want something to eat I just send them out into the garden!”

“My grandfather immediately got started planting,” she remembers. “We watched Gardening Australia and started our first big compost heap. I still remember the wonder of plunging my hands into compost and feeling how nice and warm it was!

“My grandfather introduced me to gardening and when he moved into a rental property he grew everything in pots – tomatoes, cucumbers, Alpine strawberries – and if he ran out of pots he’d make them out of milk cartons. He’s 94 now, and in a nursing home, but he still loves to hear details of what I’m growing, my successes and failure.

“With a garden you’re always learning things. Right now, while my pomegranate, citrus and fig trees are doing well in the chicken run, I’m disappointed in the apples and plums, (perhaps the soil has become too acidic) so maybe I have to dig them up and try another spot.

“I like trying new things – a friend gave me a cutting of goji berries and I now have three nice plants – but, as yet, no berries. We have a berry patch that we net over summer, with boysenberries and thornless blackberries – enough to make jam! My nine-year-old Lucy helped my seven-year-old Wesley to propagate suckers and put them in pots to sell at their school market, and soon on the Darlington Hub Facebook group – they’re quite entrepreneurial!”

Kasia and her husband Nathan moved to the one-acre block nine years ago, and, when earthworks for their house were completed, Nathan hired a rotary hoe to establish the 100-square-metre veggie garden divided into four quadrants, plus an orchard on a level area of the gently sloping land.

“We didn’t want raised beds for the veggies because of the expense, so we mixed river sand, compost, manure and the rock dust (that has minerals and trace elements) with the clay. At the time there were a few old apple and pear trees on the property, but we added more apples, pomegranates, grapes, oranges,

Gardening on the move As the youngest of five children in a single parent home, a kitchen garden was not part of Alice Madden’s childhood, but, as a mother of four, growing her own veggies became a catalyst for ensuring her children discovered a range of tastes.

“I found my kids were much more likely to try something new if they had helped in the planting, growing and harvesting. Often the cherry tomatoes and beans were eaten before they made it into the house. Today they eat everything!” she says.

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Darlington Review - June 2020 Creating a string of kitchen gardens was a challenge given that Craig Madden’s career in the defence force saw the Maddens moving from one ‘rather tired’ defence department garden to the next.

“At one stage I had four children in four-and-half years and we moved seven times,” she recalls. When her firstborn was about two years old and was being introduced to yet another new house, he scanned his new play area and observed: “Mum, there are no flowers!”, so in went some quick-growing sweet peas and the veggies followed. Her eldest is now in Canberra pursuing an army career like his dad.

The Maddens bought their Darlington home, when Craig (who grew up here) was posted to Perth, expecting to spend two years here – but within six months the family was on the move again. With constant moves, and unknown earth, Alice opted for raised beds, that could be dismantled and re-erected, and chose veggies that grew quickly, like tomatoes, snow peas and egg plant, hoping the family could enjoy the harvest before their next move.

Morgan and Liam Furber having fun at Alastair Taylor’s mural

A sign of the times

At last settled for six years, and now with Craig retired from fulltime army (though he still serves in the Army Reserve), Alice has been able to establish a more ambitious garden. Right now, her veggie garden provides cauliflower, broccoli, beets, spring onions and different varieties of peas, beans and lettuce, with pumpkin and rocket roaming beyond the beds, to name a few.

If you trawl through the notes you’ll find some quite predictable announcements.

DAF President Jemma Durham tells us the Darlington Arts Festival (as we know it) won’t happen this year but there could be a scaled-down event; Marloo Theatre suggests that the curtain will be down until restrictions are lifted, but members are busy installing new curtains, spring cleaning and doing necessary maintenance (and in their notes they keep us entertained with archival photos of past productions); Darlington Concerts have stopped the music – but only until restrictions are fully lifted and they can again gather the musicians to (hopefully) perform Concerts 3 and 4 in the 2020 brochure. Check out their website for updates.

Alice counts tomatoes as her only notable failure in her Darlington garden, and after participating in the Tomato potato psyllid (TPP) adopt-a-trap program, through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, she now knows why. The tomato potato psyllid (TPP) is a tiny sapsucking insect that feeds on tomato, potato, capsicum, chilli, goji berry, tamarillo, eggplant and sweet potato. You can find more information about this at pest at www.agric.wa.gov.au/ tpp/home-gardener-information.

On the upside, our cafes are ramping up operations, with Perrellas introducing Friday and Saturday night pizzas; the library was about to reopen as we went to press; those enthusiastic tennis coaches are back in action on the courts and the junior footballers are training on the oval. The latter will be music to the ears of a very young resident who said of lockdown: “Nothing is fun about it. I miss my teacher and my friends. I want to do footy again.”

Resisting the use of pesticides and non-organic fertilisers, Alice prefers to create high quality soil, enriched with cow, sheep and chicken manure. The free-range hens provide all the chicken manure and eggshells are dried, crushed then sprinkled around the base of seedlings to deter slugs and snails. They also add calcium to the soil. “I spend most of my gardening budget on soil,” she says.

And of course, sports enthusiasts of all ages will soon be making good use of the completed Darlington Community Pavilion.

We had a peek at the interiors in the May issue centerspread and these, and the entire complex, are looking great – with Alastair Taylor’s mural adding a fun, eye-catching element to the building.

Advice for fledgling kitchen gardeners? “If you’re using raised beds, put weed mat down with blue metal on top to create a barrier between your beds and the rest of the garden – because nearby tree roots will try to reach your beautiful rich soil. And if you have some initial failures just enjoy being out there in the fresh air, listening to the birds and getting a good dose of Vitamin D.”

It’s lovely to see people picking up the threads of life, but we suspect there will be elements of life in the slow lane that could be missed. We invite readers whose working lives have been radically changed for the better to share their stories, given that some employers have been surprised by productivity increases from employees working remotely. Are you going to jettison the commute? Let us know.

Catherine the Great

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Darlington Review - June 2020

The half-pipe happens!

Much volunteering is embedded in this project, with David Lavell providing pro bono advice and site visits, and landscape architect Gerald Healy monitoring the project while also coordinating the landscape design of the overall master plan.

Trish Cook, Chair of the Darlington Community Recreation Advisory Group (DCRAG) pictured right says the skate park project owes much to David Grant’s technical understanding, problem solving and communications skills as he has been coordinating drawings, quotes, liaising with Shire and State officials, and keeping the skaters, bikers/scooter riders engaged.

David Grant is another of those people who make Darlington what it is. As Trish Cook has observed, his involvement “makes it feel as if he’s been part of this community for decades”. And if you chat to him about all he does, you get the feeling that he loves it that way.

Of course, all this transformation was made possible with funding support from both the State and Federal Government organised by Matthew Hughes and Ken Wyatt.

ABOVE: David Grant and Allan Woodward, who is an earth-moving contractor with a huge range of skills who is on the Darlington Recreation Lower Area Masterplan sub-committee Over the past few months, while extensions to their skate park were happening, dedicated skaters were ranging around Darlington, finding new spaces and some makeshift jumps to keep polishing their skills – and having a place to hang out.

As those mountains of earth, piles of limestone blocks and cool concrete surfaces have been shaped, the excitement is mounting and when you read this, the skaters could be well be trying out new tricks at a reconfigured skatepark – one that hints of the major changes that, one by one, will reshape this recreational space.

Photo competition Mundaring and Hills Historical Society are on the hunt for photos that show how much (or little) local places have changed over the last 30 or 40 years?

“Did you take photographs years ago of a local arts or sports event? If so, please enter ‘SNAPPED: the Shire of Mundaring’s Historic Photo Competition’, and possibly win $100.” This competition is jointly sponsored by the Historical Society and the Shire of Mundaring Libraries.

BELOW: Glen Hardey Vineyard in Glen Forrest that was destroyed in a bushfire (Photo: Mundaring and Hills Historical Society)

The Darlington Sport and Recreation Association (DaSRA) is again project managing/building (as it did with the Darlington Community Pavilion) with the amazing Geoff Barker at the helm.

No doubt the sporting clubs will be putting the new facilities to good use as life gets back to normal.

DaSRA’s David Grant has been steering the half-pipe addition to the skate park that is being built by Three Chillies Design.

He’s delighted at the way the project has unfolded and is already looking ahead to the next stage in the transformation of this area. As project manager of the Lower Recreational Area Master Plan his considerable (and voluntary) management skills will now focus on the roll out of the Community Garden, Pump Track and Arbour.

“The working group discovered the need to make drainage a priority for the entire project,” David tells the Review. “This includes the urgent installation of sump and piping connected to the half-pipe, and the imminent connection of half-pipe/ skatepark drainage to the Shire of Mundaring main. The shire has agreed to contribute by paying for the removal of existing rock bunding and construction of the limestone blockwork walls (which was their preference).”

The Society’s Helen Brash adds: “We want to see your unpublished photographs, from before the year 2000, depicting people, places, or events connected to the Shire.” Read more about this in their notes. The Society clearly wants to add to its amazing collection of photos, including the one above.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Using lockdown to change direction Artist Jo Meredith, who grew up in Darlington, admits that lockdown initially made her anxious rather than creative, so she reorganised her studio, focussed on brushing up her technical skills and completing commissioned portraits – and gradually she felt a new creative direction emerging.

“Now I’m in the midst of planning new works and up-skilling to move in a new direction. The way I feel about the world has changed over the last few months as I’m sure it has for everyone,” says the artist whose works will be on display in Juniper Galleries during June (see advert in this issue). Most of the works were painted in lockdown and include landscapes, nudes and movement paintings. The exhibition is open by appointment.

“I can fully appreciate that when people are struggling to pay bills, buying a painting isn’t a priority. This is why I’ve reduced prices so dramatically. It’s not something I ever anticipated doing but it feels right in our current strange circumstances and I’m very grateful Trish has invited me to exhibit these studio works at Juniper Galleries.”

Jo held her first solo show at Juniper Galleries in 2017, three years after winning an art award sponsored by Bob and Trish Juniper through the Mundaring Scholarship Trust. She used the award to further her studies in Florence and, during last year’s Mundaring Hills Open Studios, Trish invited her to do a residency in the A-frame studio. “I feel very privileged to be exhibiting at Juniper, with the constant feel of Robert and his incredible works still infused in the place,” she says.

Help!

A plea for help from the folk who have given us the Community Pavilion: “We are looking for someone in the community to help us lace the internal chain wire fencing in the new pavilion storerooms.

The poles are in place but we need someone with the smarts on how to connect the chain wire correctly.” If you can help, contact Stuart Aldred on 0418 928 690. Also read DaSRA’s notes that reveal the identity of the local hero whose generosity needs to be repaid.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Brownes come to town

Jane Arnold reports, “Youths have been building and riding their bikes over ramps at the base of the wandoo that is the oldest tree on the reserve.

The interference with the root system is compounded by compaction and vibration and could result in the loss of this wonderful specimen.

The last issue of the Review illustrated how local business had pivoted to serve community needs, and, thanks to a local, the not-so-local Brownes Dairy (located in Balcatta) joined the party (see their advert).

“We ask these young residents to please stop doing so we can preserve the tree for current and future generations. Its conservation value is enhanced because of the habitat it provides for birds, insects and reptiles as well as its scarcity.

When Nicole Ohm heard that, during lockdown, the company was deploying staff to do home deliveries of milk, the local resident made her move.

“We volunteers are working hard to try to rehabilitate this reserve and it’s demoralizing to be confronted by dead plants which we have established and nurtured over many years.”

“When isolation happened, Brownes decided to bring back home deliveries that hadn’t happened for decades, with all staff involved, from the chief financial officer down,” says Nicole Ohm, who handles marketing at the company. “When this was publicised on Facebook, the response was phenomenal and of course I was asking for Darlington to be included – and we’ll continue to deliver.”

If you’d like more information on the passing of the baton, there’s more in Trish Cook’s DCRAG notes.

We’ve got mail!

As always, Letters on a range of subjects are worth reading in this issue, including one about the perennial complaint that some cyclists think they own the heritage trail and ride at dangerous speeds. While the solution suggested may not appeal to everyone, the letter writer is correct in saying this is something that needs attention, particularly given the increased numbers (including horse riders) recently.

Decades ago, Darlington had its own milkman and we’re happy to say he’s still around but today is more interested in running in and organising marathons. Mark Faithful would be well-known to anyone who runs the Darlington Half Marathon, and he built up some of his stamina when pounding up and down our hilly streets with his deliveries. We’re planning a feature on runners and will tell you more about Mark and other runners then.

We’re hearing, increasingly, that small birds appear to be more bold and more prevalent as they go about their busy lives in our gardens. Are we just noticing them more given our lives have slowed? Whatever the reason, they’re most welcome. In some gardens, a special ‘gift’ has been visits from blue wrens, so we asked local jeweller-turned-photographer Willem Heynecker (who photographed blue wrens for a 2020 calendar he sells locally) to provide us with three of the many hundreds of images that he’s gathered of these fetching little visitors.

Plea for a tree We all have our favourite trees and we’re probably one of few places in Mundaring that has a dedicated custodian of trees (the baton for this task has just passed from Sheena Wheeler to Stacey August of Friends of the Darlington Station (FODS). And it was FODS that alerted us to their fears for the most venerable tree on the reserve.

Enjoy the sunshine and the rain – and, if you’re lucky, the wrens.

Trea Wiltshire Editor

Photos by: Willem@iinet.net.au 040 9780 000

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Darlington Review - June 2020

MY PLACE by local garlic grower Rob Brock Disillusioned with putting poisons on fruit and vegetables, Rob Brock’s parents opted for the more natural techniques of biodynamic agriculture on their Muchea farm and Rob has applied these techniques in a flourishing Darlington garden.

Biodynamic agriculture originated in the 1920s and since then has been developed and refined to produce the techniques used by farmers and gardeners today. Its focus is developing well-structured humus-rich soil, teaming with life, through preparations rich in micro-organisms that are either sprayed onto the soil or used in making compost.

Gardening is all about biology. The majority of life in your garden lies in the billions of microorganisms that live in the soil, so treat your soil like it’s a living thing! Poisons are indiscriminate and kill beneficial insects as well as pests. Rather than use artificial products and chemicals, find a natural alternative.

Every gardener is known for at least one thing they grow well, mine is garlic. There are two types of true garlic – hard and soft necked, with numerous varieties. I grow Russian Garlic, also known as Elephant Garlic. Although not a ’true garlic’ it looks like garlic, tastes like garlic and is good for you. And I can store it in the cupboard for 12 months and it’s still as good as the day I dug it up. Small varieties of garlic can be difficult to store and some shrivel up within 6 months.

Why garlic? It’s expensive to buy, easy to grow (if you do some preparation first) and much of the garlic in supermarkets comes from overseas and has to be treated to prevent pests and diseases arriving in Australia. WA’s agricultural quarantine rules for garlic don’t just apply to overseas garlic but also to some from the eastern states.

Where to get garlic? I recommend a local nursery/garden centre/farmers market but check that it’s local. Some garden centres will sell ’seed garlic’ but all it is is garlic cloves. Each clove will grow into a bulb, each bulb being made up of half a dozen or more cloves.

When to plant? There’s an old saying that you plant garlic on the shortest day of the year and dig it up on the longest day of the year, but I wait for the winter rains to arrive when there is sufficient moisture in the soil.

Preparation and planting? Garlic likes rich, friable well-drained soil in a sunny position. I dig compost into my soil a week or two before planting, using a garden fork to mix the compost into the soil, breaking up any clay lumps and remove any stones. This adds air to the soil, helps with drainage and allows roots to obtain nutrients and moisture from deep within the soil. If possible, I’ll grow a 'green manure' crop first and then dig this in before planting, again waiting a week or two before planting.

It can be difficult to have all the resources to make your own compost so you may have to buy some in. When buying compost, it should not be hot, should not smell bad and should not contain recognisable materials i.e. manure.

Green manure is a mix of plants that grow to be cut/mown down and dug into the soil, providing food for the microbes that feed your plants. The more diverse the green manure mix is the better. You can buy ready-made mixes of green manure seed but you can always add extras. I add extra peas and beans, wheat (from my chook feed) and some mustard. Mustard as a green manure crop is a proven method of reducing nematodes in the soil.

A friend of mine in the south-west recently grew his first ever vegetable garden. He bought corrugated iron raised beds and filled them with rich ‘compost’ from a garden centre. He planted his seedings and watered them in. A week later he called to ask why they were all shrivelled up? The reason was his ‘compost’ hadn’t finished composting and was still hot, so his seedlings all cooked to death. This could have been avoided if it had been allowed to finish composting, been incorporated into the soil and had a green manure crop grown.

Plant the garlic with the pointy end of the clove sticking up. Ideally the base of the clove should be at a depth twice the height of the clove. Remember to space the garlic out, giving each plant a few inches in which to grow.

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Darlington Review - June 2020 Care? Other than watering and removing weeds there isn’t much. I’ve never had issues with pests and diseases in my garlic patch other than visits from kangaroos trampling the crop and quenda/bandicoots digging up my garden to eat earthworms! Some varieties of garlic do flower and I remove buds when they appear (some people use them in cooking) so the plant focuses all of its energy on producing a good bulb.

Harvest, cleaning and storage? My crops start to die off in December. I keep watering until the vast majority of the crop had died off, usually the week after Christmas. Using a garden fork, I carefully loosen the soil around each bulb, taking care not to damage to bulbs, before pulling them. Leaving the stems attached to the bulbs I store them in an airy place out of direct sunlight. Tying the stems with string and hanging them under a verandah is a great way to get air circulation to assist with drying.

Once the bulbs are fully dry and the outer skin is like paper the bulbs are removed from the stems and broken apart into individual cloves which are ready to use. I store my cloves in a breathable container, such as a cardboard box, out of the sunlight. I always save my best cloves for planting the next crop.

Unfortunately, on the Internet you’ll encounter dubious interpretations and practices of biodynamics that are more akin to new-age witchcraft, but if you’re interested in biodynamic gardening I recommend you borrow books from the library by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer or Alex Podolinsky.

The family farm (M & M Trovato) where Rob grew up is still producing fresh fruit and vegetables and has a number of customers in Darlington.

Thanks to the local gardeners featured for the photos above: 14

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Letters to the Review Jane Arnold writes: To all Darlington residents This is one of the oldest Wandoo trees left on the Darlington Station reserve, and we would like to preserve it for current and future generations of the Darlington community. It’s conservation value is enhanced because of the habitat it provides for birds, insects and reptiles as well as its scarcity.

To those youths who have been building and riding their bikes over ramps at it’s base, please stop. The interference with its root system is compounded by compaction and vibration and could result in the loss of this wonderful specimen.

We volunteers are working hard to try to rehabilitate this reserve and it’s demoralizing to be confronted by dead plants which we have established and nurtured over many years.

Jayne Simpson writes: As a medium-term resident of Darlington (I think my 25 years does not yet count as long-term?!) and as Deputy of Treetops Montessori School, I have found myself in many conversations with residents and parents over recent weeks about their time in ‘lock-down’. While I must acknowledge that for some this has been a very negative situation with financial disaster, deep concerns for family members in the World community and an increase in work and family stresses, for many others, it has been a surprising period of ‘freedom’ as the common restraints of our busy life style fell away for a while.

At Treetops, we were able to adjust relatively quickly to the needs of on-line learning. We already had some Google and Seesaw platforms set up and soon the whole school had classrooms on these applications. We made the decisions: to give only two to three hours of activities a day, not to tie students to ‘timetables’ in respect of the fact that they may be sharing family computers and that they should not sit on a device for hours every day, and to include plenty of fun outdoor activities in what we were asking students to do. The latter resulted at times in the whole community – students, teachers, parents and office staff joining in ‘together’ in, for example, some fun bush art, drawing the community ‘together while apart’!

Walks in Darlington and messages from our parents revealed so much of the community enjoying activities that made us all very grateful for the place in which we live. New veggie gardens sprang up, families walked together, several rescued pups joined Doglington, bikes were dusted off and ridden, board games and jigsaws came out of cupboards, bread was baked and home cooked meals became the usual practice.

Many parents expressed some shock at the speed with which the lockdown was over again, in terms of school at least, but judging by how quickly our numbers were back to normal (by the end of week one of this term!) and from the comments

made by our students, they do actually like being at school and in particular missed their friends! Parents described finding it difficult initially to let their children go again after having felt so protective at the start, but it is clear that the students are resilient in the face of change and are continuing to learn in and from the situation. We have continued to enrol new students, we have made the most of the lovely Autumn weather and enjoyed many outdoor and active lessons, and it appears that the new-found ‘back to the simple things’ lifestyle is still being enjoyed at home and at school. A sense of optimism currently prevails – long may it continue!

Cyclist Behaviour Mike and Pam Tooby write: This morning at about 7am I was walking on the railway heritage trail between Darlington Oval and Sandover Road with my dog on a lead.

Three cyclists passed me from behind at very fast speed without slowing down – no bells- one shout after the first had passed.

Later about 9,30 am I was walking with my friend between Darlington and Glen Forrest and two cyclists came hurtling down with no warning scattering pedestrians without slowing down. This has happened many times before.

Sooner or later there is going to be a horrific accident – someone will be killed – maybe a small child.

If cyclists come from behind pedestrians it is very difficult to hear them, and they rarely use a bell even if they have one. If it is windy it is difficult to know they are there until the last minute.

We understand the rules are; 1. Cyclists should give way to pedestrians on the trail.

2. Cyclists should go at a “reasonable” speed.

3. Cyclists should respect other users of the trail.

We suggest that signs are erected for cyclists: 1. That they should give way to pedestrians.

2. Keep to reasonable speeds 3. Are fined $1000 if they continue to behave in a dangerous way.

The trail is managed by the Shire and may well be liable if someone is injured or killed.

A simple way to slow down cyclists maybe possible by erecting half barriers across the trail at 100 metre intervals. (Sketch attached - see above.)Copies to the Councillors and Darlington Review.

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Darlington Review - June 2020 Anna Wright has a good news story too!

Once upon a Corona time, a small group of the dog park evening regulars were chatting about how we were affected by the various changes. This was about two weeks after the early closure of Bilgoman Pool. I had been swimming twice a week for some months at that time so I said “I am really missing my swimming” Whereupon the kind, generous, friendly, talented, handsome Bill Furber (from here on known as Lord Bill) said “You are welcome to come up and use my pool.”

“I might take you up on that” said I, before he could reconsider, and so it happened.

I rigged up a system of elastic ankle straps connected by another strap joined to a long luggage rack strap, by which I tied myself to Lord Bill’s pool fence. This left me able to get in the pool and just swim, swim, swim. No need for turns at each end.

Lord Bill and his lovely wife, Lady Ruth, have been very generous which means I have been able to pick my day to swim. I keenly watch the forecasts each night and pick the warmest of the upcoming days. Oddly, Wednesday 13th May was 27degrees and so far that has felt the coldest to get in, but after some dozen strokes the body warms and it feels better and better. I am aiming at swimming somewhere around 1 Km each time, and I feel SOOO good afterwards, there is no reason for me ever to even think about trying Meth! I have decided I will swim until the day before I die (could be busy that day) unless it is absolutely impossible.

A huge “THANK YOU TO BOTH” Lord Bill and Lady Ruth

Councillor’s Column Update on Structure Plan 34 – North Stoneville development.

At the May Ordinary Meeting of Council, Cr Doug Jeans successfully moved a motion to request the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) to amend the ‘Development’ zone of the area of land concerned under the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) zoning from ‘Rural and Urban’ to ‘Rural’ only. Cr Jean’s reason for the motion was that at the Special Council Meeting on the 27th August 2019, Council unanimously decided to reject Structure Plan 34 as it does not adequately cover the bushfire, environmental and public transport requirements under the State Planning Policy 3.7 and the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 and this is considered to be strong grounds for refusal by WAPC. To enable the ‘Urban’ zoning status under the MRS to be extinguished, the Shire must request the WAPC to activate this proceeding through the Minister for Planning.

Effectively the motion sought to start a process to extinguish development rights embedded within the State and Shire’s endorsed planning framework, drawing upon reasons expressed in Council’s refusal of the North Stoneville Structure Plan (SP34).

In its deliberations, Council had to consider whether it is likely to achieve any material outcome to the determination of SP34, particularly as Council does not preside over structure plans or rezoning proposals.

After all the North Stoneville townsite was historically a Council endorsed growth strategy. For some community members the motion may raise unrealistic expectations should the intent of the motion not be fulfilled, which may result in community discontent and frustration.

The report that accompanied the motion and prepared by the Manager of Planning, Mr Angus Money highlighted the factors Council had to consider in assessing the chances of success to overturn the current planning process. The MRS is the region planning scheme for the Perth metropolitan area and is the principal statutory mechanism for the implementation of strategic land use and infrastructure proposals. The intent of the motion in effect was to retract the ‘Urban’ zone under the MRS, thereby preventing the consideration of the North Stoneville Structure Plan 34 (SP34) and any future residential estate. However, the WAPC cannot initiate an amendment to the current zoning under the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme No.4 (LPS4) as it is inconsistent with the Metropolitan Region Scheme’s ‘Urban’ zone. Therefore, any proposal must first be a request that an MRS amendment be initiated, from Urban to Rural.

The successful motion was as follows: A, That Council requests the WAPC to amend the Metropolitan Region Scheme zoning of 4685 (Lot 48) Stoneville Road, Stoneville, from ‘Rural and Urban’ to ‘Rural’ only. B, That Council, by absolute majority, amends the town planning consultancy expenditure account within the 2019/20 Annual Budget and allocates $20,000 to fund the initial preparation of a draft Metropolitan Region Scheme Amendment Report; and C. That these funds be used to enable the CEO to engage a suitably qualified planning consultant, who would prepare a Scheme Amendment Report that draws upon Council’s reasons for refusal of SP34, in addition to any other planning grounds that support Council’s request to rezone 4685 (Lot 48) Stoneville Road North Stoneville Townsite to ‘Rural’; noting the

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draft Amendment Report will be presented to Council’s July meeting for consideration, prior to formally lodging the rezoning request with the Western Australian Planning Commission.

Councillor David Lavell

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Friends of Glen Park Bamboo, Watsonia, Dock, Oxalis and garlic weed are now mostly eradicated from along Nyaania Creek in Glen Park Reserve. After years of weed eradication we are now excited to begin revegetation a small area.

The creek has been identified as the ideal place to commence revegetation, as it will help slow the water flow, and in turn provide a home for invertebrates to flourish. Some planting upland from the creek, will so occur this year, to provide additional cover for the fauna in Glen Park. Further planting is planned for 2021, dependent on our success of a recent funding application.

The Shire is supplying the seedlings which were identified by an environmentalist as indigenous to Glen Park. Planting days are scheduled for 13 and 14 June 2020. Priority will be given to children and their families from both Hills Outside School Care Association (HOSCA) and Darlington Scouts and Cubs to assist with planting.

Friends of Glen Park Reserve have forged a collaborative relationship with both these organisations, whose premises sit within the Glen Park. If you would like to assist with planting, contact the numbers below to register. All day morning tea will be provided, but please bring your own drink, wet weather gear etc.

Contact Glenys on 9299 8347 or Leonie on 0400 217 293. Please RSVP by Wednesday 10 June.

Next month, an article on Ursinia Anthemoides, a new fast spreading weed in Glen Park.

See photo left. ABOVE: An area we will be replanting

Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre Autumn Season at the KSP Writers’ Centre COVID-19 Update: The KSP Writers’ Centre is currently working on a Safety Plan with the aim of re-opening to the public in June. No date is set just yet, but please keep an eye on our website or newsletter for details. This re-opening will mean that KSP’s writing groups can return and workshops can continue in 2020, although there will be a cap on numbers. The following KSP activities are currently open to the public; we invite you to participate.

KSP Writer-in-Residence Applications, application deadlines in June, July and September The KSP Writers’ Centre is proud to support the development of literary work by hosting a number of annual residencies and fellowships. Some positions offer a salary and opportunity to present workshops. Please visit our website for criteria and application details for the 2021 program.

KSP Spring Story Retreat, deadline to apply 30 August This unique retreat for fiction writers offers an intensive long weekend to develop a draft manuscript in the beautiful Perth

hills with esteemed West Australian author, Dr Laurie Steed. The retreat offers private mentoring, workshops, group critiquing sessions, interaction with fellow authors, KSP membership (or one year extension if already a member), bottle of wine to share plus breakfast and lunch supplies. The retreat will be held 17-20 September 2020 and a fee applies.

‘I’m looking to work with short story writers and novelists who are on their way to completing either a collection of stories or a contemporary novel. The work presented does not need to be perfect. Indeed, it’s better if it’s not. What’s more important is a willingness to develop one’s craft, and to be open to the many possibilities of fiction.’ Laurie Steed.

KSP Writing Competitions, entry deadlines in September and October In 2020, KSP is offering two writing competitions in the categories of Short Fiction and Poetry. Entry costs for adults start at $10; youth can enter for free thanks to sponsorship from the Shire of Mundaring. Cash prizes and certificates on offer.

For more details on any of these activities please visit the KSP website www.kspwriterscentre.com or email us on office@kspwriterscentre.com

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington Community Recreation Advisory Group (DCRAG) This quarter’s meeting for the 25th May 2020 was conducted by email. The next meeting will hopefully be in person on Monday 31st August at 7pm in the Pavilion subject to shire advice on venue availability.

This month we would like to thank some amazing Darlington people and share how they have been quietly and persistently helping maintain Darlington’s leafy environment.

Stacey August has completed a mammoth task over the last 12 months compiling the Darlington Recreation Area Large Tree Inventory & Recommendations document. Thank you Stacey, Sheena and others who have assisted in the DCRAG Large Tree Group (LTG) to consider and map all the trees in the Recreational areas. The document contains recommendations to improve the village tree canopy and details the need for a long-term large tree management plan. The document will presented to the Shire of Mundaring officers in the near future and will also be available at the Darlingtonvillage.org website.

Sheena Wheeler has now handed over the role of Darlington Tree Custodian to Stacey, who will now continue to monitor the trees, update the inventory, and liaise with the shire officers and interested community members. Sheena initially became a spokesperson for the community with the Shire at least 12 years ago at a time when all the large pine trees were earmarked for removed due to pine borer! Thankfully that was avoided and Sheena has been working with the Shire officers since then to monitor and plant some 30 trees around the lower oval. Sheena has ensured that Darlington’s leafy attribute is maintained and we are very grateful for that devotion. Sheena has been a joy work with and has admirably represented Darlington. Thanks again to our two loraxes Sheena and Stacey.

The Shire’s project for new paths, new turf and retic in front of the Darlington Hall is well underway. The shire works will be finished off with a low, water wise, pretty, native garden in the front of the beautiful Hall stonewall thanks to Nathania Dolman and the Darlington Community Garden folk. Thanks Nathania for leading this project which will also be a herbicide free zone trial for the Shire, whereby the community will be asked to help with “hand weeding – PULL UP THREE” when visiting the area.

Sonja Parker – Darlington Community Garden The DaSRA Darlington Community Garden lease with the Shire/ State government has now been signed. Thanks Sonja Parker for working with the Shire on the details of the lease. Planning for the restoration of the “Native Triangle” area, the main Grand Arbour, are all progressing behind the scenes as part of the DaSRA LAMP project. See DaSRA notes. Join the Facebook group Darlington Community Garden to be a part of these projects.

Left to Right: Stacey August ,Sheena Wheeler, Patricia Cook DCRAG Chair , Colin James DCRAG Secretary

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Darlington Review - June 2020

1st Darlington Scout Group April and May have been challenging for everyone, but particularly for Scouts, who enjoy adventure, exploring nature, and the friendships of their groups.

However, they’re a resilient lot, and along with their leaders, many of the groups have managed to stay active and involved.

A very popular activity over this time has been the isocaches; these are designed to not only get scouts and their families outside and into parts of our beautiful hills district they may not normally visit, but also to exercise basic map orientation and simple compass skills. They also incorporated some aspect of the history of the location into each challenge, including the Bilgoman Well, Blackboy Hill Commemorative Site, Skipsey Hall, and the Lower Helena Pipehead Dam. We now have sites each week being set up by the scouts themselves, with some quite tricky twists and traps being included, just to make it more interesting!

For the regular Scouts Thursday meetings they have had a variety of topics including: •

virtual tours around the world

•

playing creative online games, holding a scavenger hunt to test the senses, part of the alphabet and novelty challenges

•

learning about origami and making ninja stars

•

a mini pioneering night where scouts built models of camp gadgets from sticks and string, including tripods, chariots and a ballista

Members of Darlington Scouts attended two major events, with members and their families lining up for the Dawn Driveway Service for ANZAC Day. Although we missed the usual overnight vigil and camp at the memorial, this year it was a special moment to share with our neighbours and community.

We also participated in a worldwide record breaking camp@home run by the UK scouts, with over 90,000 scouts, families and friends registering for this event on the night of the 30th April to have the most people camping simultaneously.

Our Cubs have started the term with lots of fun and mess with a Zoom cooking challenge, microwave chocolate cake. And yes, their challenge also includes cleaning up in their own kitchens!

Venturers, the older members, at 15-17, have connected with other Venturers in the Bilgoman region, and have been meeting via Zoom each week. Forward planning for hikes and a camp next term are very enthusiastically underway as we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We await official advice from Scouts WA for when all our troops can meet again in person, and begin planning their next outdoor adventures.

During the break, there were some milestones achieved in the group, including Joey Leader Vandra Stenton receiving her 5 year service recognition. Vandra leads the younger ones in the group, with Joeys able to join from when they are at fulltime school.

We would like to thank all our Scouting families for their patience, understanding and ongoing support throughout COVID-19’s interruption of face-to-face Scouting. We are especially grateful to our leaders for their flexibility in implementing a modified program to suit Scouting@Home. At this stage we are hoping to resume face to face meetings within the Covid19 stage 2 regulations within June, subject to Scouts WA and Shire approvals. It will be a great time to join Scouting to get out into Nature, away from screens, make some new friends and learn some new skills - and of course have fun.

New members are always welcome to join our group - we welcome youth, families as well as adults that would like to be trained as leaders. An excellent training program is provided for leaders with the opportunity to learn lots of new skills, make friends as well as contributing to the development of youth in the local community. Scouting provides programs and opportunities for boys and girls across all age ranges. Joey Scouts for age 5 to 8; Cub Scouts for ages 8 to 11, Scouts for ages 11 to 14/15 and Venturers for ages 14/15 to 18.

To enquire about joining, or having a trial, please contact Taryn via email: membership@ darlingtonscouts.com.

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25

Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington Volunteer Bushfire Brigade •

Remember, 000 is the ONLY number to ring for all fire & smoke sightings. The ComCen will page our members who are on duty.

•

For general Brigade enquiries please ring 9299 7217. Station hours: Saturday 9am-10:30am. Facebook Page: Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade

Along with many areas of business and the community, DFES and the Shire of Mundaring have started to ease operational restrictions for the volunteer fire services. Whilst there are still a number of restrictions in place, changes have been made that have enabled us to start hazard reduction burning, face-to-face training, and increase the number of fire fighters able to work at the station. Hopefully, over the coming weeks you will start to see more activity and more members around the station. Unfortunately there are still restrictions on meetings and social activities, meaning the station is still closed to the public and no community engagements are planned. This has also resulted in our AGM, normally held in May, being delayed until meetings are allowed, and in the meantime the current Committee remains in place.

understanding fuel types and fuel loads, fire behaviour, suppression techniques, equipment operation and the physical requirements of bush firefighting that you don’t get in theoretical training. These burns also provide income for the brigade.

Even with limited access to personnel and the station, much of our

Above all else though, rest assured that the Darlington Brigade has been, and will continue to be standing by to respond to emergency calls. Over the last couple of months, your local volunteers have responded to more than 10 incidents.

With the onset of winter and the cooler, damper weather conditions, the end of May should see the Restricted Burning period within the Shire of Mundaring ending on Sunday May 31st, and the “open” burning season commencing, with no permits to burn required. Many of you may be considering undertaking fuel reduction burns on your property, and it is your responsibility to check the current restrictions and conditions prior to burning. Please contact the Shire of Mundaring, check their website, or contact your local volunteer Bush Fire Brigade for the latest information. Please take great care when burning, and follow the guidelines set out in the Shire’s ‘Fire & Burning Information’ booklet (available on line). These include; keeping a clearance zone or fire break around any fire, always have a reliable means of extinguishing a fire nearby, never leave a fire unattended and consider the impact of fire and smoke on your neighbours. It is also advisable to register your burn with DFES on 9395 9209.

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, and delays to permit issuing, the Darlington brigade has started its hazard reduction burns program in the area. When we are conducting burns please be mindful of fire trucks and fire fighters around the area, and drive with caution if smoke is present. Whilst we can’t promise to conduct all the burns we currently have listed; we will be endeavouring to do as many buns as we can before the weather conditions become counterproductive.

These hazard reduction burns provide an important part of the training required for new members. As part of the training process, probationary firefighters are required to participate in several HRBs prior to being allowed to attend emergency call-outs and wildfires.

These burns provide invaluable experience for new members in

building extension has been completed and we are heading in to the final stages of the project. After nearly 2-years of predominantly volunteer work we are at lock up stage, with some minor work to be completed on the roof, walls and electricals. The last stages will see painting, internal fit-out and landscaping completed, and depending on the weather and COVID-19 restrictions we are anticipating an opening ceremony later in the year.

We would again like to take this opportunity to thank the Darlington and surrounding communities for your continued support during this past fire season. Whilst the Darlington brigade again had a lower number of turn outs in our own district compared to previous seasons, it is heartening to know that the Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade continues to enjoy the ongoing support of, and a strong relationship with, the community we strive to protect.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Mustard Seed - Teaching Technology Covid19 and being Computer Literate Being of an advanced age we are constantly reminded by the younger members of our family of the need to remain isolated and remote from other people during Covid19. Many folk in our situation are grateful for the time spent learning to use technology, be it smart phones, ipads or computers. Why are they grateful? Let us look at some of the advantages that are there for those who use the internet with their devices of choice.

Loneliness is Broken Applications such as What’s App, Google Duo, FaceTime and Skype enable you to speak, video phone, message and contact anyone, anywhere in the world. And these apps are free!!

There is a Mustard Seeder who lives here in the hills but has close family in England. Every week a Skype call to a brother in England means they can see and speak to each other regularly – Covid 19 or no Covid19. That kind of communication is a joy and is available to anyone.

Entertainment The range of options is huge. The Shire makes available Kanopy which gives access to a wide range of movies, many of them classics. There is YouTube with its gigantic range of videos on every subject imaginable. 300 hours of video are uploaded to

YouTube every minute of every day. Sites such as ABC iView and SBS on Demand mean you never have to record a TV program or miss your favourite show. And these sites are all free. If that is not enough you can subscribe to Netflix or Stan or Foxtel and play their offerings on your computer device or your Smart TV. Add to this the vast array of music and book material of every genre you can add to your device you are never short of listening or reading at any time.

Banks and Bills Online banking enables one to check account activity 24/7, pay bills, order and pay for items online and have them delivered to your door, carry out stock exchange transactions and monitor stock movements and all of this while being isolated at home.

The use of cash is becoming discouraged and online banking is infinitely safer. Direct debit arrangements ensure that you never miss an electricity or water bill and your online calendar advises you when an insurance payment or car registration is due. That same calendar can also give your prior notice of a family birthday.

Learning GCF Learn Free offers a huge range of topic lessons on a wide range of subjects. The Commonwealth Government has set up a website – beconnected.esafety.gov.au which is slanted towards seniors who are seeking to improve their knowledge of technology. There are online tools for you to learn another language, improve your gardening skills, carry out home projects or hone your craft abilities.

The above is the tip of the iceberg. More will follow in July.

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Darlington Arts Festival Well it certainly has been an interesting couple of months. Life going ahead as per normal, the Darlington Arts Festival AGM is held and the committee for 2020 confirmed......... then, only weeks later, virus, pandemic and isolation! The usually quite bushwalks of Darlington bustling with people staying home, record sales at Bunnings as all of those shelved projects come to life and lest we forget the great toilet paper shortage! It has been a mix of emotions for all of us I am sure, personally it has made me reflect on my priorities in life and every day I am truly grateful we live where we do.

Right now the committee will meet to discuss ideas for alternative scaled down events that may be able to go ahead and alternative opportunities for engaging with the community and supporting our local artists. This time also gives us an opportunity to catch up on all those administration jobs we never have time for!

My apologies for not updating everyone sooner, however there has not been much to go on until now and much of that information is simple guess work. The only thing that I can confirm at the moment is that the regular DAF will not be going ahead for 2020. In the coming months local councils will have a better idea as to what events we will see approved for the end of the year, if any.

2020 DAF Committee President

Fingers crossed the Darlington Arts Festival will be back in full swing for 2021 and that there will be some sort of small local event or events towards the end of the year. Until then I hope you enjoy the last of the beautiful crisp May days and stay safe and well.

All the best, Jemma Durham

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Bahá’í Communityof Mundaring This month we look back in gratitude to the founders of the Baha’i Faith in Australia who arrived here one hundred years ago.

Englishman Hyde Dunn and his wife Clara sailed to Sydney in 1920.

At the time of their arrival they had little money, knew no-one in Australia and Hyde was in his mid 60’s.

Establishing a livelihood in a new country and at such an advanced age was not easy. Hyde found employment as a travelling salesman for Nestle and travelled the country mainly by train, eventually visiting every state, major city and town in Australia.

Clara, a nurse, often accompanied her husband in his travels, hosting guests and giving public talks.

Father and Mother Dunn, as they affectionately become known, spread the teachings of Baha’u’llah, who proclaimed the Baha’i Faith, the world’s newest independent global belief system, Mundaring Baha’i Community Western Australia

and who taught world peace, the oneness of all humanity and the essential unity of all religions. His teachings promote the agreement of science and religion, the equality of the sexes and the elimination of all prejudice and racism. This message found a ready audience among those searching for spiritual alternatives in the wake of the horrors of the Great War. The Faith has now grown with some 20,000 Bahai’s throughout Australia.

In 1958, just two years before she passed away at the age of 91, Clara Dunn played a key role in the laying of the foundation of the Baha’i House of Worship in Sydney, where she and her husband had once lived as the only two Baha’is on the continent. It was a dramatic and moving moment, a fitting and symbolic finale to four decades of raising up the Australian Baha’i community.

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Darlington Family Playgroup With school returning and in time our family playgroup we reflect on our efforts to stay at home and flatten the curve. Many of us were caught up in a flurry of baking and crafting with our children. We have experienced the banana bread craze, the sourdough experiments, fluffy cinnamon scrolls and muffins galore. We have also seen the local shops sell out of chalk and craft materials as we decorated our driveways and windows with our artistic efforts!

The children’s favourite treats were the apple and cinnamon muffins and the scrolls, it may have been the cinnamon sugar generously sprinkled on top but never the less it has been lovely to enjoy our home baked goodies.

We have also become quite resourceful when it comes to entertaining and educating our children, enjoying our backyards and the opportunities for nature play.

We are grateful to have had this extra time at home with our children but look forward to returning to Darlington Family Playgroup. Our new timetable will be available as per the government advice, please see our Facebook page, Darlington Family Playgroup or email us at darlingtonfamilyplaygroup@hotmail.com 30

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Darlington Review - June 2020

DARLINGTON COMMUNITY PAVILION PROJECT THE DARLINGTON COMMUNITY PAVILION IS COMPLETE Delivering an ≈$1.2 million community project required the support of many people and we look forward to acknowledging all supporters and donors at our Official Opening as soon as possible.

There is one person however who deserves to be acknowledged now that the project is complete because without this humble and generous man the project Colin James would not have progressed The Pavilion Project’s Anonymous Benefactor at a critical time.

Colin James is the ‘anonymous’ community member who made a bridging loan of $80,000 available to the Pavilion project, the value of which cannot be overstated in securing funding grants, gaining wide support and providing the committee with the security and confidence to continue, at times against all odds.

Colin was among a core group of locals who raised concerns about the poor state of the 1970’s built Pavilion building back in 2005 and when asked for an overview of the project a few years ago said it was “Conceived by many, a community Pavilion we can all be very proud of .... and one everlasting". And so we are; immensely proud of the achievement and grateful for Colin’s long term dedication and commitment which helped make it possible. His long term community involvement and representation is immeasurable and on behalf of the Darlington community, the DaSRA Committee wishes to publicly thank him for his role in the new Darlington Community Pavilion.

tax deductible donations via the Australian Sports Foundation.

Every little bit helps and all proceeds go to the Pavilion.

POWER Although the Pavilion solar banks have sufficient capacity to deal with daytime usage, we have been advised to consider battery installation to cover predominant night-time use which costs more. DaSRA is also exploring the possibility of sharing its solar generated power with the nearby Darlington Volunteer Bushfire Brigade as a way of reducing power costs and are working with the Shire who support the concept in principle. To this end we are looking for an electrician who can facilitate this work so please contact Chairman Geoff Barker on 0418953176 if you can help.

LOWER RECREATION AREA MASTER PLAN The Skate Park extension and Half-Pipe work is nearing completion despite delays due to Covid restrictions and Autumn rains. Drainage is a priority including the urgent installation of sump and piping connected to the half-pipe and connection of same to the Shire of Mundaring main. The Shire has also agreed to partially cover the costs of removal of existing rock bunding and construction of limestone blockwork walls in the Skatepark.

Thanks to David Lavell for his pro bono advice and site visits and also to Landscape Architect, Gerry Healy for monitoring the project.

FUNDING : Like many other community, not-for-profit organisations, DaSRA was relying on a range of annual fundraising activities in order to repay the $80,000 bridging loan. The impact of Covid 19 restrictions has resulted in cancellation of the Quiz Night and a scaled-down Wine Tent event at this year’s Darlington Arts Festival both of which normally raise around $35,000. As a result, the Committee are desperately seeking new ways to attract funding. In the meantime please visit the website at darlingtonpavilion.com.au if you are interested in Artist Alistair Taylor’s ‘Darlington’ Tee Shirts or Limited Edition prints, Wise Wine promotion, Darlington Number Plates, Buy-A-Brick or

Skate Park extension & Half Pipe Almost Complete.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Treetops

A Montessori and International Baccalaureate School DAMS ARE BACK! In fact, for the last 50 years, they have never really left! In 2019, Treetops put together a Museum on the Arts Festival weekend. Students from the 1970s returned, some having never been back to the school grounds since that time.

One of the stories that came up over and over again, was how much everyone had enjoyed making dams from the water that coursed through the school from the top of the hill down towards Beenong Road. Apparently, students acquired a position on the creek based on a commonly agreed social ‘status’ – the more ‘important’ you were, possibly through just having been there the longest, the higher up the hill you could make your dam. Why? Because if you were at the top, you could choose when to let your water ‘go’ and see whether it would destroy the dam walls of all those below you! The ultimate status position was that of Minister of Dams, as agreed by the student ‘Parliament’. The Parliament met every morning at the start of school and worked through any incidents that needed resolving or good ideas that people wanted to share about things that could happen at school.

Today at Treetops we don’t have the same volume of water coming over-ground through the school, but there is enough to maintain our ethos around the love of outdoors and co-operative play. Our ethos still includes students having a clear voice in the school through discussions, activities like Community Circle and debates – but the students do not mete out ‘punishments’ like they did in the somewhat ‘Lord of the Flies’ 70s style! And the dams continue, whether it be at break times or in our recently introduced specialist STEM lessons.

Jayne Simpson Deputy Principal/Director of Enrichment

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington Christian Fellowship Cnr Darlington Rd and Allestree Rd, Darlington

This is the first requirement for salvation – we have to apologise and admit that we have done wrong. There is no room for pride, when we relate to God. This was of course why Israel Folau’s private posting received such malicious reactions. I believe the fact that people who do not even believe in God or hell, actually hate God is proof that God exists. If we accept that God does bring judgement on people then there is a possibility that some of the calamities that have hit our nation are a direct result of our disdain for what God really wants of us.

Now in a believer’s prayers for other people, the Scriptures define blessedness as anything that deepens our relationship with God. So that in the beatitudes Jesus teaches that even believers who are poor, or in mourning or being persecuted are in fact blessed. The other side of the picture is just as enlightening. Prosperity, good health, laughter, entertainment are all examples of things which could lead a person further away from God – if so, these are a curse.

Judgement.

What path do I take? How do the people in charge make decisions for the safety of our state and country in this covid-19 crisis?

Discernment, prudence, judging, making decisions, weighing up the good and the bad, deciding on repercussions, are things we all do continually. Judges make decisions about how bad a crime is and what punishment is appropriate. Parents and teachers make decisions about a child’s behaviour and whether it warrants a reward or punishment. Umpires make decisions on whether people playing a sport broke a rule and what the penalty needs to be. The police make decisions about all sorts of crime to protect society. So, it should come as no surprise that one strand of God’s character is to judge.

God says through Jeremiah the prophet in 9:23 “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man boast in his might, Nor let the rich man boast in his riches; 24 But let him who boasts boast in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the LORD. People who are not Christians and even some church goers, cannot cope with the judgement of God. People are fine with lovingkindness and righteousness, but to accept the judgement of God requires us to admit that we are wrong. I discovered way back in 1972 that even the nicest of people can refuse to admit they are sinners. The Economics teacher at Christ Church, who was a really good friend, became furious when I mentioned that we are all sinners.

So, how does one survive the judgement of God and pray for ourselves and for others? Firstly, Jesus teaches us to look at our own lives as a priority. What are the things that are leading us away from God, as opposed to the experiences that are deepening our relationship with God? If our hearts desire is to know God, there are things we need to cut out of our lives, and things we need to build up.

Similarly, in our prayers for others, we pray that a real relationship will begin and deepen with the one True God and Father of Jesus Christ.

The second step in becoming a Christian is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We are told that when He returns, He will judge the nations. As a Christian, we stand under the absolute authority of Jesus over all creation. So, we pray for God’s will, not our will, to be done, and His kingdom to be established on earth. But judgement is inevitable, whether we like it or not.

The third and final step to becoming a Christian is to commit our lives to God, so that we strive to know His mind and heart, and follow His leading in all that we do. That is the ABC of salvation. Apologise, Believe and Commit. Only then are we safe because the blood of Jesus actually washes us clean from all our sins. Going back 800 years ago the English words ‘safe’ and ‘save’ are the same. Salvation is our ultimate safety. The love of God is so strong that judgement has to fall, for people to repent and return to Him. My rule in the classroom and in parenting is that ‘when more mercy produces more evil, judgement has to fall’.

We all make decisions and weigh up the good and the bad. The most important question is: where will you spend eternity?

If you want to talk more, email me on robmerrells@optusnet.com.au.

Our services and sermons are on the Darlington Christian Fellowship website.

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                       

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RP 27

Darlington Review - June 2020

Friends of Darlington Station Reserve (FODS) Never Seen So Many People It’s true! The lockdown has seen a full car park and so many walkers and cyclists using the Station Reserve as they walk, jog or cycle the Heritage Trail, to say nothing of all the displaced coffee drinkers from Little Nook café. Those of us who have been clearing the summer’s branches and tree limbs have enjoyed talking to new visitors and telling them about the reserve and our work. We still struggle with those cyclists who do not Social Distance and who speed downhill from Glen Forrest with little regard for other trail/ reserve users. More often than not you would not know that pedestrians have right of way on the trail -sadly.

We have decided to celebrate our 10 years as the current FODS group by planting a series of the more showy hybrid grevilleas and we have asked five of our longer standing members to plant them with us. We understand that a gold shovel will be provided for the ladies who will be standing in for Her Majesty the Queen who can’t make it! So do look out for these newly planted beauties as you wander through the reserve in June.

A Photo of our history from the Archives: This great old photo, circa 1999, shows work starting on planting near the Post Office. This followed a chance conversation between then Post Master Kim Wesley, Sue Birney of the Wildflower Society and Joan Crawford who started the original Friends Group; and recommendations of the Darlington Precinct Plan which recommended an upgrade for the reserve. What a different view we get from today.

And making history Our two very hard working ‘less young’ volunteers. And no, we don’t let them retire when they get to 90!

We meet every second Sunday during winter and Spring for 2 hours on Sunday morning followed by a yummy morning tea.

If you would like to know more about our group please contact: Jane on 0477 987 048 or arnoldmj55@gmail.com Stacey on 9299 8986 or Stacey.august64@gmail.com and Pauline who cares for the Mandoon Reserve on 9299 7039 or paulines191@gmail.com Diane

Darlington Dibbler & Nyaania Guides Darlington Dibbler Girl Guides is preparing to resume face-to-face meetings in Term 3. We can’t wait to hear everyones stories about guiding during home isolation!!

We welcome new girls aged from 7 years and are in need of volunteers to help with running the session. We meet at Kathleen Skipsey Hall – Darlington Scout/Guide Hall on Glen Road, Tuesdays from 6pm to 7.30pm. If you have any queries regarding Darlington Dibbler Girl Guides please contact Jasmine on 0404 740 322 or enquire at Girl Guides WA.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington Social Cricket Club Club members Darren & Kerren Murphy are proud grandparents!!

On February 9th 2020, Jasmine and Matt Neves have blessed them with a bouncing a baby boy - Cooper 9 pounds 1 oz

First ball Alan pushed the ball into the covers and scampered off for a quick single. Meanwhile ROK was leaning on his bat busily talking to the umpire. Alan realizing ROK was not interested in any sort of run, turned and tried to scamper back to the striker’s end, and was run out by a country mile. 30 seconds of fame for a “blob” for newcomer Alan.

The upshot of this terrible run out was the start of the famous legend of the “Phantom” On retiring to bed for the night Terry found a rather large and decidedly smelly fish head tucked up in his bed.

No one owned up to this deed, but to this day Terry swears it was Alan and the folklore of the “Phantom” was born.

Nor has anyone ever owned up to the numerous nefarious incidents that have occurred at every DSCC weekend away at which Alan was present.

Another upshot from this tale is of Alan, Al Barker and other DSCC campers kicking up such a racket swapping yarns, singing, shouting, and imbibing to all hours, that there was a complaint to the management of the Park in morning about the noise from the DSCC camp.

Proud grandad with Cooper

The complaint came from a large bunch of bikies camped in the next row!

the beam on Kerren’s face says it all

Overseas Touring in the Wind

Diamond Ducks (Well not Quite)

Tour promoter Shay-D Meredith is moving things along quite nicely getting itineraries, hotels, day tours and cricket matches, together estimated costings provisionally organized. With the possibility of an IPL match thrown in to boot.

Back in the 1980s the club travelled to Denmark to play a social cricket match and camp at the local caravan park on the Denmark River.

Terry “ROK” Giles was back then a dashing, hard hitting, higher order batsman (not the “dib dab” batsman of his later years) and was at the non-strikers end when relative newcomer to the club, Alan Axon, strode to the crease, swinging his bat around and around.

All dreams, of course, are dependent on the virus and its effect on overseas travel and social intermingling.

One would hope a touring committee will be organised in the near future to fund raise for this tour, when the local social restrictions are eased.

Soroptimist International of Helena It has been a challenging time for Soroptimist International of Helena with group meetings being suspended due the Western Australian State Emergency COVID-19.

One member is teaching a SI member from Ulang Batah [Mongolia] English twice a week via Face book messenger.

•

Knitting beanies for the Homeless which are being distributed

by Soroptimist International of South Perth.

With more time at home members have been perusing the Ted Talks online. One particular Ted Women talk that was discussed at our online meeting was ‘How women are revolutionising Rwanda’ given by Agnes Binagwaho in 2019.

We first started using Zoom online technology but members had concerns with its privacy issues so we are now using Hangouts.

Agnes came back to her home of Rwanda two years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The country was devastated. The children that she was caring for in the hospitals were dying from treatable conditions, because they didn't have the equipment or medicine to save them. She was tempted to pack her bags and run away. Agnes was really dedicated to social justice and equity, and there were only five paediatricians in total for millions of children in Rwanda, so she decided to stay.

I am sure most not for profit clubs are having the same problems, with some members not being able to connect to the meeting, learning where the volume switch is, members dropping out of the conversation. The technology has been challenging at times but it does keep our members in touch with one another and we have had many laughs along the way.

What have our members being doing during the COVID 19 lockdown?

•

•

Stay Safe,

Some of our members have joined Soroptimist International face book pages chatting with members from all around the world.

Joanne Pritchard 0457 288 264

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Silver Tree Steiner School With playgrounds still closed to the general public, it has been wonderful to observe the way in which Silver Tree children have embraced our bush playground known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; during the coronavirus pandemic. We always knew that having an enormous bush playground was an asset to the school but our level of gratitude and appreciation for this piece of natural bushland has only increased.

These past weeks have seen the bush playground busier than usual and a hive of activity, with children inspired to play imaginative games and build cubbies. The skills and attributes that children develop in this kind of play are very broad and complex, ranging from technical skills (How will our structure support a roof?) to communication and collaboration skills (Could we trade six small sticks for two large branches?).

When many children around the world are still inside their houses and unable to venture out, Silver Tree children are blessed to spend their days surrounded by natural beauty, with cockatoos and eagles soaring in blue skies above and kangaroos and bandicoots a part of their everyday school environment. After speaking to many graduate students of Silver Tree over the years, all have such vivid and heartwarming memories of their times playing in the bush playground.

The school continues to look more lovely than ever, with large deciduous trees turning autumn colours and new plantings of natives along many of the paths. The children are so happy to be at school each day, learning from the richly creative Steiner curriculum, surrounded by their much-loved teachers and friends. With over 90% student attendance, the school is once again bustling and vibrant, a beacon of stability, rhythm and strength, so necessary for children during a time of such rapid change.

We are conducting individual tours at this time. Please contact us through our website â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we look forward to welcoming you to Silver Tree.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Shire of Mundaring Library Service Libraries are looking to expand this much loved service. Accessing online services has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are currently seeking volunteers to support members of our community who are not confident with technology. Are you a proficient user of technology? Keen to help others access digital technology? Please contact Boya Library for more information on becoming involved.

Quenda Search Project – Nipper and Friends: The response from the community to this project has been enthusiastic.

It is heartening to see such interest in quenda in the hills. If you like to know more, go to https://bit.ly/MunQuenda.

The Quenda Search Team received this lovely letter from Nipper the Quenda. And yes, Nipper, we love the story!

“Good evening Dr Kristancic My name is Nipper and I live at Darlington Rd. The humans who live in the house above me call me Nipper because I sometimes have a go at their toes in case it might be a juicy worm. I used to be quite timid but in summer I discovered that if I nose the lady human in the leg, she will put water out for me. I also love the kids who live here and the fact they don’t have any pets to scare me away.

Welcome Back!

We’ve missed you and can’t wait to welcome you back into Shire of Mundaring Libraries when we open our doors on Monday 25 May. While the State government announced that libraries could be opened to patrons from Monday 18 May 2020, Shire of Mundaring has been working behind the scenes to ensure our facilities are COVID safe for community members and staff.

The young humans are 9 and have helped me write this email as I hear you are interested in us. I visit the humans quite frequently and they know me by name. Sometimes they wonder why I have patches of fur missing. At the moment I have a pouch full of babies.

Please bear in mind that when we do open there will be some new rules in place, including: •

Albert Facey Memorial Library, Mundaring - Will be open to a maximum of 12 patrons at any one time

•

Katharine Susannah Prichard Library, Boya - Will be open to a maximum of 20 patrons at any one time

I have many good friends that hang around this house with me.

Wombat is the old matriarch; she has a stubby tail and droopy lip.

Clothes Peg got her name because she lives under the shrubs near the clothesline. Recently, some new quenda have come into the neighbourhood. Grumpy, Cashew and Rocket. Rocket is a young one who is very fast and scared of the humans.

I’ve added some photos of us all, plus some of our handy nose work in the garden. The male human gets a bit cross about the holes everywhere, but I’m pretty sure he loves us because we are so adorable.

Given the limit on patrons, each visitor at either library will be allowed a maximum stay in the library of 30 minutes. Computers may only be booked for a maximum of 15 minutes as well.

Virtual Story Time and Baby Rhyme Time New Story and Baby Rhyme Time sessions will continue to be posted each week on the Shire of Mundaring Libraries’ Facebook page. The stories read are new each week. If you have been missing Morgan and the library sessions, it’s the next best thing!

You can catch up on any that you have missed by looking at the video playlists on our Facebook page.

Phone Tech Help If you are having trouble accessing the libraries’ eBooks or eAudiobooks, or simply need a little help using your computer or mobile device, please call the libraries to book a free phone tech help session with Greg, our friendly and patient Digital Mentor. Sessions of up to one hour are available on Thursdays. Call Boya Library on 9290 6755 for more information and to book.

Best wishes (hope you like the story) Nipper.”

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Matthew Hughes MLA JP - Member for Kalamunda Last month, I made a post to my Facebook page regarding the deadlock that occurred in the State Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and Crime Commission (JSCCCC) on the reappointment of Hon John McKechnie QC to the position of the Commissioner of the CCC for a further and final period of 5 years. He is the first person to serve a full five-year term as Commissioner and the only person to seek reappointment.

Mr McKechnie was appointed in 2015 under the previous Liberal National Government with the support of the then Labor Opposition. My Facebook comments led to me being the subject of a referral by the Opposition to the Legislative Assembly Procedures and privileges Committee. Happily, the motion was defeated.

Under the 2003 Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Act the process of recommending an appointment of a Commissioner to the Premier of the day is undertaken by an independent nominating committee of three headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. The nomination committee and the leaders of both major political parties (Labor and Liberal) have declared support for Mr McKechnie’s reappointment.

Before making the recommendation to the Governor for the reappointment of Mr McKechnie, under the Act, the Premier is required to consult with the JSCCCC for bipartisan and majority concurrence with the recommendation. The current fourmember committee, made up of two MPs from the Legislative Assembly and two MPs form the Legislative Council, comprises 2 Labor, 1 Liberal and 1 Greens member. In the appointment process, only the Labor and Liberal members count for the purpose of bipartisan and majority concurrence. What is staggering is that the reappointment of Mr McKecnie did not achieve the bipartisan or majority support from the JSCCCC required, despite the fact that the Premier, and the Leader of the Opposition support his re-appointment.

The JSCCCC has controversially on two separate occasions (the first on 25 March and the second on 22 April) not provided any reasons why the dissenting voice on the Committee refused to give concurrence to the recommendation of the nominating committee forwarded to it by the Premier. This is despite Leader of the Opposition giving unequivocal support to Mr McMcKechnie’s reappointment ahead of the second meeting of the committee, which was asked by the Premier at the suggestion of the Leader of the Opposition to reconsider the matter of Mr McKechnie’s reappointment.

As a consequence of the continued deadlock, the Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Amendment Bill 2020 has been introduced into State Parliament by the Government to provide for Mr McKechnies’ reappointment. The McGowan Government

has had to take this unprecedented step of introducing legislation that would enable the reappointment Mr McKechnie QC to Western Australia’s premier integrity agency because the Act is silent on the steps to be taken in the event of a deadlock.

Given that Mr McKechnie is the outstanding candidate of the three eligible nominees identified by the nominating committee, what bothers me is that there was no requirement for the dissenting voice on the JSCCCC to provide documented justification for that dissent. In my opinion the unwillingness to concur with the recommendation of an independent nominating committee, which has been forwarded by the Premier-of-the-day as required by the Act, requires clear and rigorous justification, as much as it would have been expected of the Premier-of-the-day had he or she decided to make a recommendation to the JSCCCC for the appointment of a candidate other than the candidate recommended by the independent nominating committee.

This unjustified dissent, and the resulting failure to achieve majority and bipartisan support, has left the re-appointment in limbo, leaving Parliament and the community to speculate why this position was arrived at. I maintain that this outcome should not and cannot rest simply on the whim of the dissenting member. The appointment of a Commissioner of the CCC is an important affair of State. The Government will proceed to seek the support of the Parliament to deal with the Bill expeditiously.

There is a very real chance that the legislation will be blocked MPs in the Legislative Council where the Government does not have a majority. The minor parties have a responsibility to the people of Western Australia support the Bill to reappointment the State’s most successful corruption and crime fighter, if the Liberal and National parties continue to oppose the move.

If the Bill is passed, it will ensure bipartisan and majority support of the whole of Parliament, not just the JSCCCC, for Mr McKechnie’s reappointment to this important role.

Support of the Bill is, I believe, a straight forward test of the leadership of Liza Harvey, the Leader of the Opposition and the credibility of the Liberal Opposition. There continues to be an incredible lack of coherent leadership on this matter by the Leader of Opposition. If the Liberal Opposition is not able to give bipartisan support to the reappointment of Mr McKechnie, by supporting the enabling Bill, then the Leader of the Opposition will answer to Western Australians public. The public of Western Australia will pass judgement at the ballot box as to who is to blame for scuppering Mr McKechnie’s reappointment as head of the CCC whose initial appointment was made on the recommendation of the previous Liberal government with the support of the then Labor opposition.

Beyond the current remedy, it is clear the Act needs to be amended to ensure this situation is never repeated. But that is another story.

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Ph Geoff 0409 088 936 42

Darlington Review - June 2020

Helena College Helena College

International Baccalaureate Baccalaureate School International School In the second term of what has turned out to be a very unusual year, I have been reflecting on the sense of connectedness that is at the heart of Helena College.

During May, we saw an enthusiastic return to both campuses by students who eager to get back to their friends, to their classrooms and teachers, and to a more familiar way of learning.

Having said that, we were pleased with the success of our off-campus learning model, employed during the end of Term One and beginning of Term Two. Naturally off-campus learning presented some challenges, but I was impressed by the way that everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from students and staff to our families â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rose to meet those challenges with the usual Helena thoughtfulness, compassion and sense of personal responsibility.

These qualities contribute to our cohesiveness as a community and make the educational experience more rewarding for all involved.

Emily Kelly Bachelor of Environmental Science - UWA

Tom Sargent Bachelor of Commerce (Management) - UWA

Caitlin Smith Bachelor of Arts (Criminology) - UWA

Year 12 is challenging at any time but the impact of COVID-19 has added an extra dimension to the stresses experienced by our final year students.

We recognise this and are working hard to ensure that eagerly anticipated final year events are modified rather than cancelled. Fortunately, our Year 12 camp took place in February which meant that the cohort will remember their final Helena camp untainted by the shadow of COVID-19.

Cate Snelling Direct Pathway Master of Professional Engineering - UWA

The universities are also recognising that they need to adapt to a changing situation and have begun to extend early offers for courses next year.

Jacinta Villani Bachelor of Biomedicine - UWA

The College sends best wishes to all Year 12 students for their final months of study.

Congratulations to the following Helena students who have received offers for their preferred course in 2021. Offers are still being received by other Helena students as we go to print.

Justin Pitt, Acting Principal

Darlington (K-5) 9299 6626

Glen Forrest (6-12) 9298 9100

helenacollege.wa.edu.au 43

Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington History Group Darlington History Group’s Birthday - 2010 -2020

10th

Ten Years ago, it was suggested at a "Darlington Towards 2060 Committee" that a History Group be formed. The Chairman, Peter Horobin, asked Reg Kelly to start the process. Liz Dumont, as Acting Editor of the Review, was involved in the first meeting at Arlene Collings “Lace Cottage” home with Reg Kelly, Jenni Bache and Christina Lyall. They concluded that a Morning Tea would be held on 15th July 2010 to gauge interest.

The success of this meeting was demonstrated by the number of residents who put their hands up, interested in capturing the stories of the Village, the houses, the people, and events – the “Memory Catchers of Darlington.” Jenni Bache and Reg Kelly took on the roles of Facilitator and Vice Facilitator respectively. By November 2010, the Darlington Historical Group, as it was first known, made its appearance at the Darlington Arts Festival 2010 in the BBQ Shelter. This Book and Bric a Brac Stall has continued with the support of the Darlington Arts Festival and the Darlington Review.

By February 2011 our Guest Speaker program had begun, with Chris McConigley taking on Publicity. We heard Judi Brack’s talk about the development and design of the Kindergarten and its many iterations.

Lyn Myles provided her research on the Tower House and Chris McConigley and Lyn presented Shirley Pepper’s Oral History. By May we were expressing an interest in writing a book about the Structures and Historic Houses in Darlington. We were dreaming of having a website and now our Webmaster, Rob Borsje has it fully operational

http://dhg.org.au Like many groups in Darlington we felt so embraced by community organisations and residents, as we operated under the umbrella of DRRA until we could become an incorporated body. Our first Special General Meeting in September 2012 saw Christine McConigley formally elected as Chairperson and Phil Vile as Treasurer.

We were so fortunate to have Arlene Collings who, in her employment at “The Pines” had been writing down her chats about old houses on lolly bags, and Cliff Burns who also had been researching structures and houses. Their collaboration and a Lotterywest grant allowed us to print our first book. “Historic Structures and Buildings of Darlington.”

Lyn Myles became our Archivist as our needs grew for research were aptly matched by Lyn’s skills to unravel the past. Cliff has added to the list of publications of “The Darlington Pines General Store,” the “Original Vineyard” with another on its way to tell the story of Darlington’s Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Dr Noel Nannup captivated us with the dreamtime story of the Six Seasons in July 2013, and we became incorporated as the Darlington History Group Inc with the resultant responsibilities and overarching theme “Sharing our History.” Reg Kelly has been integral to our development over the 10 years and took on the role “Rag and Bone Man” to collect goods for our DAF stall, the funds of which maintain our operational costs. Darlington has a unique quality that is underpinned by both an ability to look back, support the present and grow services for the future.

We thank all involved in helping us along the way and look forward to seeing what the next decade brings us.

Val Shiell, Chair, Darlington History Group

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Darlington Theatre Players Marloo Theatre Here at Marloo Theatre we are moving along with our maintenance plan in giving the theatre a spring clean while we are in slow down mode. We have also installed a new main curtain which was certainly needed, but we have added an electric motor for a better smooooth operation.

patrons. In the meantime, the Youth Theatre branch MYTH has been working through the shutdown very successfully with what they call “The Show Must Go On-line” which is a short musical where each person records their section at home and then uploads it for editing.

They are planning characterization workshops on Zoom to help the kids with this also. We are all keen to see what they have come up with, hopefully later in the year.

The Committee has been conducting “zoom” meetings to help navigate our way through the shutdown. The return to normal operations of the theatre will largely depend on the lifting of restrictions and evolving productions will be staged as soon as it is safe for cast, crews and

To keep you amused here are some more pictures from the archives.

Row 1: Roger Cam skit in Champagne Follies 1990. The Bride and the Bachelor about 1960. This shows rehearsals at the Schellinger’s lounge room with L to R. Ena Harris, Ken Steele, Unknown..is it you? and Reg Caulfield.

Row 2: Were you watching? Punch and Judy Darlington Arts Festival 1983? Dusa Fish Stas and Vi 1989. Brie, Gail Palmer, Jane Wesson and Marjan Martin.

Row 3: Colin Hughes as Scarecrow. Wizard of Oz 1996. Punch And Judy. Phil Strutt as Punch, George Grayston as Mr. Undertaker and the head of John Bath as Mr. Policeman. 1983?

Row 4: Andrew Warwick. Richard’s Cork Leg 1980. Gail Gregson and Ken Steele, Present Laughter 1965.

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Darlington Review - June 2020

Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Inc SNAPPED: Shire of Mundaring’s Historic Photo Competition. 8 June to 3 July 2020 Have you spent the last couple of months looking through old family photos? Do you have snapshots that show how much, or how little, local places have changed over the last 30 or 40 years? Did you take photographs years ago of a local arts or sports event?

If so, please enter ‘SNAPPED: the Shire of Mundaring’s Historic Photo Competition’, and possibly win $100. This competition is jointly sponsored by the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society and the Shire of Mundaring Libraries.

We want to see your unpublished photographs, from before the year 2000, that depict people, places, or events connected to the Shire of Mundaring. All photographs will be eligible for the Open Award, judged by one representative from the MHHS and one representative from the Shire of Mundaring, and the People’s Choice Award, to be judged by a public poll on the Shire of Mundaring Libraries’ Facebook page.

What are we looking for? Don’t worry if your photograph is not artistic in form, what is important is the historical reality shown in the image. Each photograph submitted must be accompanied by a short description (maximum of 200 words) of the people/places/events depicted and their relationship to the Shire of Mundaring. The year or decade the photo was taken is also required. This information provides a context for the image.

We hope this competition gives people the chance to share their photographs and in doing so enrich the collected history of the region. All entries will be added to the MHHS’s Local History Collection and to the Shire of Mundaring’s Digitised Images Collection. Don’t worry though, copyright ownership will be retained by the original photographer.

To find out more about ‘SNAPPED’, visit the Shire of Mundaring Libraries’ website, https://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/ YourCommunity/ShireLibraries . The online submission form, including Terms and Conditions, will be available from 8 June.

Also check the MHHS’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook. com/MundaringAndHillsHistoricalSocietyInc/ , for details.

Please direct any questions to the MHHS on 9295 0540.

SAW DR

Friends of Waylen’s Landing (FOWL) COULSTON RD

path

Heritage Trail

path PINE TCE

F.O.W.L. AREA

Good Timing The rains have arrived and its time to get moving. By courtesy of the Shire of Mundaring some work has already been done. Now we need to start clearing areas ready for revegetating with native flora species.

The FOWL Area If you check out the area shown on the mud map above you will know that it is drastically in need of some TLC (Total Location Cleanup). The area is inundated with weeds, kikuyu and introduced tree species. Currently it is an eyesore to anyone travelling along Coulston Rd entering the Darlington Village.

Historical Significance Residents will be keen to learn that this location was the real beginning of Darlington. In 1883 Dr Waylen, the founder of the original Darlington Vineyard and Winery, establish a cottage in this location close by the railway track. From here he and his workers began clearing the area purchased by Waylen to grow his famous local vineyard. It was also in this location where Waylen constructed a small Landing where the trains would slow down enough to allow his workers to alight with their supplies and work tools.

Waylen’s Landing Close by the original railway culvert, crude remnants of the Landing still remain. It is the Darlington History Group’s wish to re-establish this important heritage landmark. It will eventually serve as one of the Stations in the proposed Darlington Heritage Walks Project. With this in mind it is the aim of the FOWL Group to turn the area into something special featuring the Landing, the stone-lined creek, the culvert and a revegetated surrounding area.

Volunteers We have a small but keen group of volunteers but are in real need for more residents to lend a hand (especially those that live close by). We would love to hear from you to help get this Project humming.

Contact: Group Co-ordinator Shannon Ward, 9252 1879 or hourglassdesign@ icloud.com

LEFT: Existing railway track culvert

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Darlington Review - June 2020

The Darlington Club In these days of COVID isolation and the Club being closed, members have reported being busy in many pursuits at home. Firstly, the bar has received a new coat of paint (picture below), reports of some members growing veggies and cultivating incredible gardens. Macrame has made a resurgence, along with many other crafty pursuits and we all had the time to savour the incredible Autumn leaves this year. Take care and hoping to see you all again soon. Best wishes Susan Coming events Latest news to hand is that the Shire are looking into ways to open up facilities. We are all looking forward to the day when we can return to the Hall on Friday nights, the great comraderie and as they say in Ireland, good crack. Stay tunedâ&#x20AC;Ś

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT TWO BRIDGES DARLINGTONTwo Bridges offers boutique self-contained, short stay accommodation beside Nyaania Brook. Please visit our website at www.twobridges.net.au or email enquiries@twobridges.net.au

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Support Western Australian artists and makers including Darlington locals Katrina Virgona, Alastair Taylor and Kath Stanwix by purchasing locally designed and crafted wares from the comfort of your own home with Mundaring Arts Centre’s new online store.

The premier outlet for high quality arts and crafts in the eastern region, the Mundaring Arts Centre shop has become highly regarded as a place to purchase unique gifts for special occasions.

Peruse the wide range of art and wares on offer including contemporary jewellery, ceramics, textiles, glass, wood, art and illustrated children’s books, cards, paintings, printmaking and sculpture from the comfort of your home.

Purchases can be posted direct to your door or select our contactless collection option. Plus complimentary gift wrapping if you’re shopping for someone special.

Support Mundaring and Midland Junction Arts Centres during this time of uncertainty by becoming a member for only $48 a year and receive a great range of benefits across both venues. As a member you’ll receive a 10% discount on workshops and the shop both online and in person plus a 15% discount at Jacksons Drawing Supplies.

Visit mundaringartscentre.com.au or midlandjunctionartscentre.com.au to explore the shop, see past exhibitions, become a member, and much more.

Mundaring Arts Centre | 7190 Great Eastern Hwy (corner Nichol St) | 9295 3991 mundaringartscentre.com.au Midland Junction Arts Centre | 276 Great Eastern Hwy (corner Cale St) | 9250 8062 midlandjunctionartscentre.com.au

Helena Valley Chiropractic

Chiropractic, Homeopathy and Remedial Massage 3b 160 Scott St. Helena Valley admin@helenavalleychiro.com

9255 1052 Open Monday to Saturday

Homeopathic TeleHealth www.helenavalleychiro.com

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