Thank goodness for these wonderful characters that fill our society and spark our interest, causing us to smile and converse with strangers. They make us think outside the box and without them we would be living in an extremely bland black and white world. The Tracker This immaculately dressed penny pincher is obviously fed up with prices of drinks in Perth these days, so he frequently resorts to other means. He is known to Metropolis Fremantle staff for snooping around the bottom of bars, collecting coins and entertaining those around him with his unique dance moves. On rare occasions he will buy an Emu Export with a mountain of 5 and 10c coins. His resourceful behaviour should be applauded… if he wasn’t so busy stealing other people’s drinks when their backs were turned, and laughing from the other side of the club at their confusion. Betty One of the more popular faces of Perth is the charming Betty (AKA The Crazy Flag Lady). She is well-known for riding her scooter in the city like a maniac, swerving in front of cars, and yelling abuse at pedestrians and construction workers on site. Her love for Australia shows, with flags covering whatever she is riding at the time. When the police took her beloved scooter away, Betty made do with an old push bike. Times were tough, but good news! She finally got her scooter back. The bad news, she got it confiscated again for riding around in circles in the middle of the Hay Street and Collins Steet intersection, yelling at cars “you’re late, you’re late, for a very important date”. Oh Betty, we love you! Piney This individual bloke is known to get around in style, driving the flashest car on the block. The problem is that no one believes him. Piney is famous for thinking he was driving around the city, making realistic car noises and gear changes. He would stop at imaginary traffic lights with a screech of the brakes, and reverse with loud beeping if he saw anything interesting. He would also ask for your name, and write it in his invisible notepad. Hmm, seems legit. Kookaburra Man This fellah from Vic Park sidles up to people on the street, or in a supermarket, and says “hello, hello” in a quiet, submissive voice. Once he has their attention, he unleashes an incredibly loud Kookaburra laugh in their face, making people drop their groceries in shock. Not unusual behaviour for someone from Perth, I guess. Kenny Kenny of Kelmscott has a particularly strange interest in photography and other people’s clothing. In a high-pitched voice, he would approach people and ask to take a picture of them. If that wasn’t bad enough, he would then ask to buy their pants, belt, hat or shoes. Some kids actually made a profit, buying cheap Target shorts, and selling them to Kenny for ridiculous amounts of money. Shame you you, exploitative yoof!
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Pigeon Lady It sounds all too cliché, but this dear lady lives on the streets of Perth, carrying around cages of pigeons wherever she goes. Apparently, she catches the pigeons in the morning and releases them the same day. At least the pesky birds don’t suffer too horribly. However, her reasoning for catching pigeons will tear at your heart strings: she keeps them for company throughout the day. Aww!
The Claremont Walker There is an elderly gentleman with a massive hunch, seen walking up and down Stirling Highway every day, for over 20 years. This man is the infamous Claremont Walker. He has been seen from as far as Fremantle to Scarborough, but prefers the scenery of Stirling Highway. People say he walks to help the blood clots in his legs, and occasionally pushes a wheelbarrow. Regardless of his reason, he is quite the inspiration to be active for all those fond of driving everywhere. He also loves cardboard. Lenny The ‘Trolley lady of Scarborough’ (Lenny) is often seen with a trolley and a white pet rabbit. Sporting dreadlocks and various bandanas, she sometimes is seen with kittens in her trolley. As a local celebrity of Scarborough, she has a Facebook fan page (‘Scarborough Trolley Lady Of Scarborough’), with over 4000 likes! She sometimes frequents Innaloo shops with her trolley and rabbit. Mr Murray This man rides his bike down Wanneroo Road daily, he rides with no shirt on to display the large ‘carpet’ of hair on his back. He has a Facebook fan page (‘for everyone who knows the hairy guy that rides the bike on Wanneroo Rd’) with close to 5000 likes. He is a local legend causing no harm to anyone, but I never understand how someone who rides his bike so much still has such a beer belly. Alex The ‘Bird Man’ is the guy with the well-trained parrot on his bike who hangs around ‘Old Shanghai’ in Northbridge. His real name is Alex Miliojevic. At 74 Mr Miliojevic has even been included in a short film focusing on his 44 year relationship with his corella, before the bird disappeared. His bike is often seen propped up outside cafes with his parrot waiting patiently on the foliage-covered handlebars. Nipples & Wanneroo Kilt Man ‘Nipples’ is often seen around the Joondalup area sporting a black gym singlet that proudly displays his nipples. Power walking through Lakeside shops with his gym duffle bag; I’m not completely sure if he has actually been to the gym or just wants an excuse to show off his nips. ‘Wanneroo kilt man’- This middle aged man walks around Wanneroo in his kilt in any weather holding a man bag, which I like to think contains a miniature set of bagpipes. Credit for showing his national pride, but I dread to imagine this attire on a windy day. Mad Dog And last but not least, one of the most renowned characters of Perth: Mad Dog! He usually lurks around the streets of Vic Park, riding a crappy bike, and preying on innocent cars. In ginger ninja stealth mode, he would ride up alongside a stationary car at traffic lights, and yell “ARRGHH” at their window. It would scare the absolute shit out of people. His appearance is typically ‘Perthish’, with short Stubbies, a blue singlet, and a particularly horrid attitude (perhaps due to his orange curly hair).
Words by Rachel Knight & Shannon Woods Images by Grace Mckie