POST Newspapers 14 March 2026 by POST Newspapers

Cricket lightens SAS tragedy

By JEN REWELL

Murray Tonkin’s daughter Rebecca did not know for nearly half a century that a North Cottesloe beach cricket match was regularly held in her father’s honour.

Rebecca, 45, had not been born when her father was one of three SAS soldiers killed in a plane crash in the Philippines in 1981.

The game between the SAS Allstars and North Cottesloe Beach Cricket Association is held every ﬁve years to remember Sergeant Tonkin, Sergeant Ewan Miller and Signaller Greg Fry.

Rebecca found out about the match by accident only this month.

She joined her mother Yvonne and young daughter as special guests at North

Cottesloe on Sunday.

“I never met my dad, but I now have these beautiful ﬂowers given to me by his old friends,” she said.

Former SAS member Jack Baker said it was moving for him and other colleagues to meet Sgt Tonkin’s daughter after so many years.

They were able to provide more details of the incident when a US Hercules crashed soon after taking off from Subic Bay naval base on February 26, 1981.

Sixteen people on board were killed and seven others were declared missing. Only one person survived.

“For me, Sunday was really an emotional day,” Jack said.

“[Yvonne] said for 45 years she had never really known

what happened. When she left, I thought she was walking lighter.”

Yvonne and Rebecca’s attendance at the game came after a chance encounter a week earlier.

Jack was at the Legacy WA Militaria Auction at Claremont Showground.

He was talking to a woman and telling the story of the Philippines tragedy.

“I mentioned that I often wondered what happened to Murray’s baby,” he said.

The woman said she thought she might know who the baby was, and later that day Jack received a call from Rebecca.

He invited her to the cricket match held to honour her father’s memory.

Jack was still coming to terms

Mayors track it right

By JACK MADDERN

Western suburb mayors have combined to ﬁght for a slice of the billions spent on upgrading Metronet, as well as improving local roads.

Pressure from the four mayors has led the Public Transport

Authority to reveal it is looking at upgrading stations and eliminating level crossings, plus freeing up for development the vast little-used train marshalling yards at Leighton beach.

“It includes provision for level crossing removals, station access upgrades and future platform extensions,” a PTA

development.

spokesperson said.

“A project to upgrade the pedestrian level crossing at North Fremantle Station has been conﬁrmed.

“Other Fremantle line projects are in the planning stages.”

Nothing has been spent on most of the Fremantle line, including “unﬁt-for-purpose” stations and dangerous level crossings, says Mosman Park mayor Paul Shaw, despite $12.8billion being spent on all other Metronet lines.

Mr Shaw said he has not seen any major improvements to the Mosman Park train station in his 28 years in the district.

A plan exists for a road underpass at Wellington Street, allowing closure of the hazardous Victoria Street and Salvado Street level crossings

The PTA said it supported the 800 metre radius circles of inﬁll development around • Please turn to page 89

with the emotions brought up by ﬁnally meeting Rebecca and her family.

“We wept tears of blood when those blokes died,” he said.

“I could not believe that I met a lady and just was talking to her, and she put me in touch with Murray’s daughter.”

Sgt Miller was a conscript who later transferred to the SAS and became a career soldier.

John McMahon, who was great mates with Sgt Miller, said two former SAS men at the game had been stationed in the Philippines in 1981 and were able to talk to Yvonne about what happened.

“It was so cathartic for Yvonne because very few details were given to her at the time, and there were things she hadn’t known,” John said.

• Please turn to page 89

POST Comment

Hannah Beazley has leveraged the money and staff woes of Nedlands to publicly raise the spectre of council mergers.

The Local Government Minister must have been reading recent letters to the POST suggesting that Nedlands’ neighbours solve the money problems for it by taking bites out of its territory.

The idea has some merit. Most of City of Nedlands was once part of the Claremont Roads Board.

It is now shaped like an amoeba, stretching across two highways from Dalkeith to Swanbourne beach.

It has no town centre and hectares of expensive parks to maintain.

But we’re sure it will thrill the ratepayers of Claremont, Subiaco and Cottesloe to be in the gun for its $3.8million budget deﬁcit and $24million maintenance backlog. (See page 7).

Ms Beazley, if faithful to the same ﬁnancial argument, should look at amalgamations in the northern suburbs.

Joondalup’s recently departed mayor Albert Jacob has just been appointed as the government’s monitor of Nedlands, on $900 a day. He left behind an operating deﬁcit of $12.85million and a maintenance backlog of over $100million (Cash woes stalk Nedlands cop, POST, February 28).

One reason Nedlands dug itself deeply into the mire was that councillors kept slapping themselves on the back for having no rate rises for three consecutive years from 2021-2023.

Another is that council staff costs soared out of all proportion to inﬂation, while population remained ﬂat. Other western suburb councillors are generally well run.

Past Nedlands councillors running for election this month have hard questions to answer. – Bret Christian

Mosman Park mayor Paul Shaw says it time for the state to step up. Below him is the deserted Leighton marshalling yard ripe for

Who dares wins … The SAS Allstars prepare to slog a six o the North Cottesloe Beach Cricket Association team. The bat and tin-bin wicket are the originals from the rst commemorative game at the same spot 45 years ago. Photo: Louis Bailey.

Murray Tonkin

Please email your le er to letters@postnewspapers.com.au, lodge online at postnewspapers.com.au or snail mail

Come together to make Nedlands great

I was delighted by the strong turnout from residents at the Nedlands candidate forum (Ned hopefuls put to the test, POST, March 7).

With the upcoming election so critical for the City of Nedlands, strong community engagement like this is essential and a hopeful sign.

Similarly impressive was the calibre and choice of fresh candidates offering thoughtful, inspired discussion about their ideas for repairing the City’s budget.

The appointed commissioners have made it clear that the new council will need to begin the budget process immediately.

For success, the entire council must work together and stand behind the ﬁnal outcome.

Tempting as it is to begin a financial planning process alone, the strategy for Nedlands should and must be a collaborative process between

the new mayor and council once elected, and between the CEO and the ﬁnance team.

That is why, if elected, I will wait and respect the proper process, including testing and challenging brieﬁngs from the administration, before decisions are made.

From my experience turning struggling organisations around, long-term repair of the City’s ﬁnances will take

careful judgment, transparency and genuine consultation with the community.

Restoring the City’s ﬁnancial position and restoring community trust must go hand in hand. Steady, collaborative leadership will be essential to getting Nedlands back on track.

Leonie Browner Tyrell Street, Nedlands candidate for mayor of Nedlands

Babies and bathwater

At last week’s forum we heard from a group of excellent candidates with varied talents and experience, which augurs well for the future.

However, I was concerned about suggestions that we need a completely new council with no former councillors on it. That’s like throwing the baby out with

the bathwater.

Yes, the last council had major problems but there were also hard-working dedicated councillors on it who don’t deserve to be lumped together and dismissed for that reason. It would be unfair and shortsighted to do so.

Merryl Alexander Williams Road, Nedlands

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On the verge of a better idea

Second, third and more vehicles piling up on many suburban properties are limiting road access and driveability.

Roads are becoming unnecessarily congested with accidents happening because of restricted road space.

My partner had her new car sideswiped, costing $3500 in repairs, because two passing cars played Russian roulette about not giving way to the other in a congested street.

Meanwhile public verges are totally virginal, sitting there in

all green and not so green glory, using scarce water to make a property look pretty.

Domestic streets never designed for parking have now been turned into congested parking lots.

I propose we tell people to start parking on their useless, empty verges, thousands of hectares of public land going begging for purpose. This would free up the roads and bring back commonsense and sanity to trafﬁc management.

B. Emmerson Adderley Street, Mt Claremont

Those meetings Bennett missed

At the Nedlands candidate forum meeting last week, mayoral candidate Fergus Bennett claimed to have a perfect attendance record at council.

only attended personally 25% of the meetings, whereas Rebecca Coghlan was there almost 100%.

JULIANCOLEMAN

CITYOFNEDLANDS-MELVISTAWARD

Council meeting minutes for 2025 show he was absent a third of the time.

If you include phone-in attendance, Mr Hodsdon was there 66%, which is still unacceptable with the council in crisis.

“Gettingthebasicsright—drainage, safety,parks,character,andtraffic management—isessential,andsois backingoursportingclubs,thelifeblood ofourcommunity.Butitallstartsatthe top,withgoodgovernance.”

JulianColeman Scantolearnmore

JulianColeman

AuthorisedbyJ.Coleman,3/93StirlingHwyNedlandsWA6009

When questioned, Mr Bennett gave excuses why he did not attend but did not explain why he falsely claimed perfect attendance. This is not what I expect from a mayor.

There are two other previous councillors seeking re-election.

For 2025 Benedict Hodsdon

Ken Perry Dalkeith Road, Nedlands • Mr Bennett explained at the candidates forum that he did not attend some meetings after then-CEO Keri Shannon announced she would bar councillors who did not complete anti-bullying training, which he referred to as a “scapegoating” exercise. – Editor

• More letters pages 12, 18, 30

POST paper deliverers needed in the western suburbs. Immediate start.

Contact Mary 0466 749 804 mary@postnewspapers.com.au

Nedlands faces real pressures: eroding river walls, ageing roads and stormwater systems, and more than $27 million in financial and infrastructure shortfalls created by responsibilities shifted onto the City by the State. Recent underground power works in the north and west left ratepayers carrying millions for infrastructure traditionally funded through a fairer 45/45/10 model, weakening the City’s capacity to maintain a responsible capital works program.

Intervention in Local Planning Scheme 3 required costly policy development and added instability, while high staff turnover eroded continuity and increased costs. Our State representatives must now secure fair contributions and retrospective compensation for the millions in underground power costs and other State owned assets shifted onto the City, assets that are not a local government responsibility, and ensure the final Hollywood East project does not repeat this harm.

The excision of A class reserves at Allen Park and Tawarri was made on a land swap basis that equivalent public open space would be provided elsewhere. The State honouring that commitment would allow the depot to be converted into new parkland, with compensation strengthening the City’s financial position. My 10 year plan focuses on visible, everyday improvements supported by grants and overdue efficiencies. Ultimately, this is about restoring continuity and professionalism so staff can focus on planning, maintenance and responsive customer service.

Loud hoons, watch out

By LLOYD GORMAN

Burnouts, souped-up engines and deafening exhaust pipes could soon get hoon drivers busted by police using AI-powered “acoustic cameras”.

While speed cameras have been around for decades, WA Police are now pondering deploying noisedetecting cameras against “excessive and unlawful vehicle noise”, beginning with a six month trial in the metropolitan area.

Only a handful of councils in the eastern states have tested this relatively new technology.

WAPOL has issued a Request for Information to the market, seeking advice about leasing or buying “ﬁxed and/or mobile/portable acoustic camera technologies currently available in the market … capable of detecting, capturing and recording excessive and unlawful vehicle noise associated with highharm road offending behaviour”.

The police want to know about the potential for integrating acoustic cameras with their existing digital and communication systems including ANPR, which scans the registration plates of passing vehicles.

If a trial goes ahead it would be run by Road Policing Command, a specialist division of WAPOL.

Contractors have until April 17 to respond to the Request for Information.

WAPOL did not respond to questions from the POST.

Scotch, PLC break shave record

Scotch College and Presbyterian Ladies’ College have teamed up in the ght against blood cancer. The team from Scotch College raised $225,000 in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave, and PLC students raised $72,000. Together, they have raised the largest amount the event has seen in its 28 years of fundraising nationwide. Donations can still be made for the next few weeks. PLC students Mira Yew (left) and Jalaynah Matasia were

Gun owner held in jail

By BEN DICKINSON

An 81-year-old man who lives on Claremont’s river foreshore spent 12 days in Hakea Prison after he allegedly tried to evade new ﬁrearms laws by falsely claiming his guns had been stolen.

Kimberley John Morrison was arrested at his farm in Gingin on February 26 after he attended the local police station and reported the theft of a gun safe containing riﬂes and shotguns.

Police had previously announced they would start enforcing new, stricter gun ownership laws in March.

Ofﬁcers visited Mr Morrison’s farm to investigate the reported theft, but allegedly found a shotgun and a riﬂe that he had reported stolen – plus another gun that was not registered to him.

They searched Mr Morrison’s property in Jetty Road, Claremont, early the following morning. There, they allegedly found more weapons that had been reported stolen, and another that was not registered to Mr Morrison.

Mr Morrison was refused bail in Perth Magistrates Court, where he faced eight charges including misleading police, unlawfully pos-

sessing ﬁrearms, and failing to comply with ﬁrearms storage requirements.

He was ﬁnally granted bail by Magistrate Benjamin White on Wednesday after agreeing to a $5000 personal undertaking.

He must live at his Claremont property and must not possess any other ﬁrearms.

“Once you’ve signed that bail you should be released,” Mr White told Mr Morrison over a video link to the prison.

He is due back in court on April 15.

two of three girls who took up the challenge and shaved their heads to bene t the Leukaemia Foundation. “I’m quite nervous going in because a lot of girls don’t really do it as much,” Mira said. “It’s obviously a great cause that I would love to support, also just spreading awareness, and hopefully, more people will do it.” Scotch principal Alec O’Connell led by example when two students took some clippers to his hair.

Unleaded petrol hit 229.9 cents a litre in Nedlands, above, in Wembley and across the western suburbs on Thursday.

War is fuel for the fire

By LLOYD GORMAN

Petrol prices at local service stations rocketed this week as America and Israel’s war on Iran entered its second week and disrupted global oil supplies.

Drivers ﬁlling up their vehicles on Thursday were slugged 229.9 cents a litre for unleaded petrol or 265.9 for diesel at bowsers across the western suburbs.

Motorists here were paying an average of $1.65 a litre for petrol

and $1.76 for diesel between February 23 and March 1, according to a weekly fuel price report from FuelWatch.

After the war started on February 28 those prices jumped to $180.6 and $183.1 respectively for the week from March 2 to 8, the latest price report published on Tuesday shows.

Since Monday the cost of petrol – and other petroleum-based supplies – has increased daily and dramatically, hitting drivers and consumers already facing a cost-of-living crisis.

Hodsdon vows to stay home

By BEN DICKINSON

A former Nedlands councillor who represented Hollywood ward from southeast Asia for part of last year has pledged to stay in WA if re-elected.

Ben Hodsdon, who has family connections in Thailand, was in the Nedlands council chambers for just four of the ﬁnal 12 meetings before the council was dismissed last July.

He attended another four meetings online and missed the remaining four.

He told the POST this week that he was no longer living between Perth and Thailand.

“We are now in Western Australia full-time and hence I will not be using the online option unless sick,” he said.

“The meetings I missed were ones called at the last minute, most within hours and were

shambolic at best.

“Over the period I had many ratepayers say I returned calls within 24 hours and tried to resolve their issues.”

Mr Hodsdon was one of four councillors whose resignations forced the council into administration.

He is up against Glenn Ruscoe, Henry Kemp, Helen Grzyb and Rachel Kristensen in the race for two Hollywood ward seats.

Govt backs e-bike findings

By JACK MADDERN

The state government supports 32 of 33 recommendations made by an e-rideable safety inquiry, but has provided no timeline on when they would take effect.

Shared path infrastructure upgrades and designated dismount

zones, at the local council’s discretion, were options not stalled by the wait for a national framework.

Police Minister Reece Whitby said enforcement of the sale, tampering and riding of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters would continue to be a focus of the state’s response.

Audit nds assets blown away

Have you seen the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board’s missing leaf blowers?

The MCB, which runs Karrakatta Cemetery, was one of ve state agencies targeted by Auditor General Caroline Spencer for an audit of the “portable assets” last year.

The audit found a trove of portable equipment went missing in recent years, including a $3500 ice-cream machine from North Metropolitan TAFE and a $4830 vital-signs monitor from the WA Country Health Service.

MCB sta were unable to nd 108 items in their inventory when they carried out a stocktake in September 2024.

They included backpack leaf blowers, a telescopic pole pruner, a lawn edger, brush cutters and box trailers.

The MCB told auditors it had been unable to complete regular stocktakes due to sta shortages.

Ms Spencer said more than a third of items sampled by her o ce across the ve agencies were not at their recorded locations.

THE listening

away … Some of the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board’s leaf blowers are missing.

The worst o ender was the Forest Products Commission, which Ms Spencer said “did not know what portable assets they had and were not conducting stocktakes”.

“These assets represent a signi cant investment of government funds and are at high risk of loss or misuse as they are easily moved and are often attractive for theft for personal use or gain by on-selling,” she said.

Blown

Subi Primary frets as squeeze looms

By LLOYD GORMAN

Parents from Subiaco Primary School say they are “very worried” about the proposed $64.5million redevelopment of the abandoned council centre and gardens next door.

Growing student numbers combined with shrinking spaces led to worry voiced at the school’s Parents and Citizens Association.

The association a few weeks ago encouraged members to sign an online petition titled “Halt the Subiaco Council’s massive building proposal”.

Nearly 200 have since added their names, bringing the total on Wednesday to 557.

Members are expected to attend the March 24 council meeting to voice their concerns about the contentious project.

P&C president Jo van Gorkum said this week that “the Subiaco Primary School P&C is very worried about the council building redevelopment plans”.

“Part of the plans involve the demolition of much needed infrastructure such as a large classroom, a learning room for literacy sessions, a playground, the school psychologist’s ofﬁce, toilets and storage,” she said.

Those facilities as well as some parking for school staff are part of the Rose Fuhrmann Centre in Hamersley Road.

The site is owned by the City

Fowl play kills peacock

but leased to the Department of Education.

That lease is due to expire in June 2027 and will not be renewed.

The concept design for the “civic precinct” shows vehicle access to the rear of the new council ofﬁces from Hamersley Road, through the site currently used by the school.

Ms van Gorkum said this driveway and parking area for council workers would run next to the pedestrian entrance for the school’s Dandjoo play area and create a safety risk for the children and other users.

Laura Battison, who was elected P&C vice-president at the AGM, has been tasked with

lobbying the issues arising from the proposal.

The school has about 670 students but is expected to grow quickly.

“It’s projected to grow to close to a thousand by 2030 and is already bursting at the seams,” she said.

“What we really want to do is retain space for the growing school community.”

Ms Battison said the education department had carried out preliminary survey work on the school grounds for new buildings.

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

One of the University of WA’s much-loved peacocks has died after being spooked and hit by a car on Hackett Drive.

Alistair Peacock was the oldest of the peafowl ﬂock in residence at the Arts Building.

His carers believe he was at least 20 years old.

Two peacocks were roosting on the top floor of the New Fortune Theatre on the evening of February 28.

A “likely human-related incident” frightened the pair.

“Whatever happened, Alistair and John were spooked enough to ﬂy out of the Arts Building and towards Riley Oval,” the UWA peacock care team said.

“John ﬂew into a UniClub window but is now okay.

“Unbeknown to anyone, Alistair kept walking towards Hackett Drive.”

He was hit by a vehicle between 11pm and midnight.

“One of our care team found him the next morning when we fed the ﬂock and realised we were one short,” they said.

There are now ﬁve female and four male peafowl left in the ﬂock.

“They were a bit confused for a few days but they’re okay now,” the team said.

“We were particularly concerned for our youngest peacock Jules who really only seemed to be comfortable hanging around his much older friend Alistair.

“If any good has come from all of this, it is that Snug (‘twin’ brother to Puck) has started visiting the upstairs balcony and has seemingly struck up a friendship with Jules.”

The GRADS Theatre Company said their team did not notice any “unfortunate activity” in New Fortune Theatre on February 28.

• Please turn to page 88

Authority goes in to bat for owls

Owls and the environment are closer to a major win after the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority declared it would ban a type of rat poison from retail sale.

The decision is not yet ﬁnal.

Environmental activists have been campaigning for years to ban the retail sale of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. (Rat poison opponents ﬁght for owls, POST, March 7).

A number of classrooms had been built near the school’s oval in 2018 to accommodate growth at that time.

“The oval is already being encroached on so the school is progressively losing more and more green space as the population grows,” she said.

Most of the projected population growth in the area was due to take place in Subiaco East and West Perth but West Leederville Primary School was already “bursting” and no other new schools were planned for the area.

Ms Battison said land at the former Princess Margaret Hospital site would be ideal for a new school, but no such plan was in place. She feared changes at King Edward Memorial Hospital would also have a bearing on the school’s future.

Owls and other wildlife are the unintended victims of SGARs when they eat rats contaminated with the poison.

“It is in the public interest for chemical products containing any SGARs to to be declared restricted chemical products,” an APVMA statement said.

Birdlife Australia said there had been “massive public pressure and a decade of campaigning by BirdLife Australia and other conservation groups”.

“While this is a huge win for wildlife, we still need this recommendation to be ﬁnalised and signed off,” it said.

Once the decision is ﬁnal, retailers including Bunnings, Coles and Woolworths must restrict the sale of SGARs to licensed operators.

Authorised by Leonie Browner

Alistair Peacock showing o his tailfeathers on the second oor of the Arts Building at UWA. Photo: Kel Yates

P&C president Jo van Gorkum, left, and vice-president Laura Battison at the council-owned school site. Photo: Lloyd Gorman

• Please turn to page 88

Owl advocate Poppy Mahon with rat poison.

‘Thinker’ guide boomerangs

By JANE WISHAW

Ten years ago, Julian Pereira was bounding across Bondi beach guiding visitors around the artworks as a Sculpture by the Sea volunteer.

Then he was struck down by an inherited disabling disease, to the point of needing aroundthe-clock care, forever conﬁned to a wheelchair.

He says he was faced with a choice – give up on life and wait to die, or turn adversity into a positive.

He went from sculpture guide to exhibiting sculptor.

He and his friend David Da Costa Enes, who he met while studying architecture, have created “The Thinker”, a steel sculpture on show in this year’s Cottesloe SxS exhibition.

“It represents disability, accessibility and advocacy,” Julian said.

“The work is placed on the sand, where the beach matting for disabled access goes right up to it.”

The work is based on Rodan’s The Thinker.

“I advocate for access to public spaces,” Julian said.

“This is an emotional full-circle moment.”

Their artist statement is based on a quote by author James Baldwin.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” Baldwin said.

The Sydney-based artists have previously exhibited at Vivid in Sydney, where they combined lighting and movement to transform an ordinary crosswalk into a dynamic inter-

active experience.

“Julian is such an inspiration not only for our Sculpture by the Sea team, but for so, so many,” said SxS founding CEO David Handley.

“He has a heart of gold and works tirelessly to advocate for access for people with disability.”

He said that since the Cottesloe exhibitions began, 611 artists from 44 countries had exhibited 1368 sculptures at the beach.

Renowned Perth sculptor Ron Gomboc and Keizo Ushio from Japan had exhibited in all 21 Cottesloe exhibitions.

“This year we welcome 70 artists from eight countries, including Alessandra Rossi from WA and Haruyuki Uchida from Japan who join the Decade Club, and four artists from India exhibiting as part of the India Showcase,” Mr Handley said.

Julian Pereira’s and David Da Costa Enes’ sculpture The Thinker attracted much attention, including from 85-year-old former WAAPA lecturer Jennifer Warren. Photo: Jane Wishaw

The seabird colonies of WA’s Abrolhos Islands inspired this marine-grade stainless steel work by Tim Storrier called Emperor of the Abrolhos. Its polished surface captures and re ects the brilliant West Australian light and surrounding coastline.

Photo: Bret Christian Claremont Showroom

Drug ban for addiction doctor

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

A leading addiction clinic in Subiaco has been forced to turn away vulnerable patients after its director George O’Neil was banned from prescribing certain drugs.

Dr O’Neil can continue to administer life-saving Naltrexone implants but has been banned from prescribing Flumazenil and benzodiazepines since March 5.

He has also had a gag order put on him that prevents him defending himself and putting his side of the story after receiving a WA Medical Board ban.

He was clearly upset when the POST contacted him.

“All I can say is that I’m not allowed to comment,” he said.

His busy clinic in Townshend Road treats a steady stream of patients addicted to various substances ranging from heroin to alcohol.

Part of his program uses Flumazenil, which is typically used as a rapid-acting drug to reverse overdose.

Dr O’Neil’s Fresh Start

Dr George O’Neil treats a patient at his Subiaco clinic

program uses it in a slowrelease form.

A statement from Fresh Start said 15,000 patients have received help through its programs.

“Due to a recent decision by the South Australian medical authorities affecting Dr O’Neil’s ability to prescribe key medications, Fresh Start has been forced to suspend some critical treatments,” the statement said.

“As a result, we are currently having to turn away vulnerable patients, including some who were already receiving care.

“Our greatest concern is for the wellbeing of those individuals. Many of them have fought hard to overcome addiction and now face an uncertain path without the treatment they were relying on.

“The Fresh Start team remains deeply committed to supporting our patients and their families during this difﬁcult time.”

A report in The West Australian said the inquiry was instigated after a member of the South Australian Medical Board reviewed a complaint from a family of a Fresh Start patient.

The 22-year-old claimed he was taking between 20 and 40 Xanax tablets a day when he presented at the clinic in October 2024.

He was treated by Dr O’Neil who prescribed a six-day course of Flumazenil.

Dr O’Neil also operates multiple detox and housing facilities in the country and metro area under the Fresh Start banner.

He has fought long battles with authorities to get recognition for the Naltrexone

• Please turn to page 88

Paid parking looms in Cott

Cottesloe needs to get ahead of the game in parking, with a series of big new developments increasing the pressure, Mayor Melissa Harkins said last week.

She said the council’s complex 50-page parking report, which recommends paid parking, was a unique opportunity for local people to comment.

The report also recommends high-tech parking enforcement such as cameras and number-plate recognition gear.

Councillor Helen Sadler said parking was a “wicked” problem for Cottesloe.

“It has very popular parking sites and not enough parking spaces, to the point where it’s actually making it extremely difﬁcult for people to gain access to the shops and the beach and the areas which they hold very dear,” she said.

Ms Harkins said the council was keen for as many people as possible to read and respond to the report.

The council voted to allow four weeks for public comment to the report.

Nedlands woes blow out by $5m

By BEN DICKINSON

The depth of Nedlands council’s ﬁnancial woes is $5million worse than predicted just six months ago.

The appointed commissioners on Tuesday received a mid-year review of the budget they approved in August, ﬁnding that their forecast $1.27million surplus had turned into a $3.8million deﬁcit.

“It will be certainly a difﬁcult process for a new council,” commissioner Bianca Sandri told a council meeting.

The biggest ﬁnancial hit is a $1.5million bill for long-running staff underpayments dating back to

an apparent payroll error in 2020. Consultants hired to investigate the issue and prevent it happening again are expected to cost a further $300,000.

Crippling staff turnover of 64% last ﬁnancial year has forced Nedlands to hire temporary workers from employment agencies for its technical and ﬁnancial services teams.

Corporate and community performance director Lorraine Driscoll said the agency staff were expected to add $410,000 to the wages bill.

“It’s been quite challenging to recruit into some of those positions,” she told Tuesday’s meeting.

CEO Arthur Kyron’s ofﬁce also hired two unbudgeted staff – a

• Please turn to page 89

Nedlands council candidates, including Leonie Browner, right, were questioned by ratepayers and if elected will have to address tough nancial challenges.

Get a taste of HYROX at Lords

Lords Recreation Centre is now ofﬁcially the ﬁrst local government community recreation centre in Western Australia to become an accredited HYROX TRAINING CLUB!

HYROX is a global, indoor ﬁtness ‘race’ that combines eight kilometres of running with eight functional workout stations, including sled push, burpees, and wall balls. There are multiple HYROX events in Australia across the year, and Lords’ accreditation as a HYROX TRAINING CLUB will allow Lords members to take part in specialised classes that include a combination of running and ﬁtness stations to help people train for the event.

Mayor David McMullen said, “HYROX is a global ﬁtness phenomenon, and for Lords to become the very ﬁrst local government recreation centre to offer this accredited training is a fantastic achievement. It’s great to see Lords leading the way and setting a new benchmark for community recreation in our state.”

To kick things off, there will be a special ‘Get a taste of HYROX’ launch event at Lords on Saturday 18 April before classes ofﬁcially start from Monday 20 April. Visit www.lords.com.au/lords-hyrox-training-club for more information about the launch and the upcoming classes on offer.

A quick monthly update from Mayor David McMullen

Despite the photo, I haven’t joined a radio station.

One of the pillars of our 2025-2035 Council Plan is a ‘Thriving economy; A thriving, attractive destination’. Hence, a Focus Project for our Economic Development team has been the continued rollout of Targeted Industry Programs. We want to attract and support key industries to beneﬁt the local economy.

This time round, we were supporting a Perth Advertising and Design Club (PADC) event, presented in conjunction with Southern Cross Austereo. A morning of networking and professional development for Perth’s advertising and design sector, right here in Subi.

Harmony Week outdoor movie night returns

The City is hosting a screening of My Neighbour Totoro to celebrate Harmony Week 2026 at the Subi Night Market on Saturday 21 March.

Come down from 5pm to enjoy Aboriginal face painting, Brazilian and Indian dance performances, henna art, origami making and lion dancing before the movie starts when the sun goes down.

Read more at www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events.

Pilates booming in Subi

Four new Pilates studios have opened their doors across the City of Subiaco in the past few months. A big welcome to Ditto Club, @pilates 24/7 and Sola Pilates in Subiaco, and Vesla Studio in Jolimont!

Mayor David McMullen said, “These studios are a welcome addition to our boutique ﬁtness scene, and it’s wonderful to see our community so enthusiastically embracing what’s now right on their doorstep.”

Read more at www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/news.

School holiday fun at Lords

From an Amazing Race day to a disco dance party, there’s something for everyone in the Lords’ Easter school holiday program.

Perfect for kids aged 6 to 15, the program runs daily from 8.30am to 3pm (with an option for later pickup) and is a great way to make new friends and learn new skills.

Read more and book your spot at www.lords.com.au.

Pre Loved Market returns this weekend

Pre Loved Market, presented by See Subiaco, is headed back to Seddon Street this weekend for one day only!

Pop by on Sunday 15 March from 11am to 3pm to explore more than 100 stalls ﬁlled with unique, pre loved, vintage and streetwear clothing and accessories and to enjoy music, and enjoy music from a live DJ.

Secession bid starts in Dalkeith

By JACK MADDERN

A Dalkeith book launch could be the starting point of a bid for WA to secede from Australia.

Secession provides a framework for WA to leave Australia but has been described as “idiotic” by Perth MP Patrick Gorman and a book best left to “come out on video” according to Premier Roger Cook.

Authors Julian Gillespie and Gigi Foster propose a new WA constitution and identify ways to shed the federal tax burden they say is bogging down the state’s economy.

Mr Gillespie is a former lawyer who has laid the legal groundwork for WA to hold a referendum on leaving Australia.

“There are 14 chapters dealing with all the major subjects from the new currency, new banking system, defence, and new anticorruption system,” he said.

“It’s a total redesign, and it requires a new constitution.”

Fishers ignore ban

Mr Gillespie argued that a 20% royalty on the state’s resource wealth would enable WA to do away with income taxes and other stiﬂing business barriers.

“Businesses have to deal with these every single day, and they come with new regulations, new compliances and new certiﬁcations every single year,” he said.

Defence would rely on US assets based in the state and on the costeffectiveness of drone warfare.

Ms Foster, an economist, likened secession to leaving an abusive relationship.

WA was the battered housewife, and the commonwealth the

husband who took what he liked from her.

“That woman should have the right to leave without him saying, Yes, you can go,” Ms Foster said.

“People of WA have the right to say, right, Canberra, we’ve been in partnership for a while, and it’s no longer working for us.”

WA came close to leaving Australia in a 1933 referendum, in which twothirds voted to support secession.

But the move failed when it reached the UK parliament, which did not have the power to amend the constitution.

• Please turn to page 89

By BRET CHRISTIAN

The report of a swimmer who was gang-hooked through the toe has brought to light more illegal ﬁshing inside Cottesloe’s shark enclosure.

Michael, who was swimming laps inside the enclosure last week, was taken to hospital after being hooked (Gang hooks swimmer’s toe, POST March 7).

Cottesloe resident Dean

Burford said three men with rods were ﬁshing off the beach last week after the lifeguards left.

They were ﬁshing for tailor directly below the Indiana building while swimmers were in the water.

“I had a bird’s-eye view from up on the grass,” he said.

“They were casting inside the barrier about 6.30 in the evening.

“I assume the rangers had packed up for the day, too, as I could not ﬁnd anyone to report to.

“The ﬁshing ban needs to be policed after hours.

“The poor guy who was jagged by a gang of hooks showed how dangerous this is.”

Michael had to swim into shore from the western end of the shark barrier with the ﬁsh hooks in his toe while holding a heavy sinker still attached to the hooks by ﬁshing line.

The hooks had apparently snagged on rocks on the groyne and been broken off by the ﬁsher.

He said there were many broken-off fish-hooks jagged into the shark barrier close to the groyne.

Two men fishing on the northern side of the groyne, contrary to the signs, were moved on by a lifeguard on Sunday afternoon.

Cottesloe council has been approached for comment.

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Cut us o … Julian Gillespie and Gigi Foster argue that WA needs to go its own way in their new book Secession.

A Cottesloe lifeguard moves on a sherman who was casting into the swimming area on Sunday, contrary to the large sign above.

Michael Challen1 CT Ceylon Blue Sapphire Clifford Possum

Strong turnout at Sunset Beats City Beach

More than 300 people attended the Town of Cambridge’s Sunset Beats event at City Beach Foreshore on Sunday 22 February 2026, enjoying an evening of live music, familyfriendly activities and a relaxed beachside atmosphere.

Featuring More Than a Feeling performing yacht rock classics and popular hits, the event brought families, friends and visitors together on the grass to enjoy the music, sea breeze and sunset views.

A highlight of the evening was the enthusiastic crowd, with many attendees up and dancing as the band played. Children also enjoyed face painting, while dodgeball on the sand proved popular with younger eventgoers throughout the event.

Golf Course driving range stays open during partial closure

The Town advises that the northern half of the Wembley Golf Course driving range will be temporarily closed from Monday 20 April 2026 for rectification and upgrade works, and will reopen on Saturday 6 June 2026. The completed southern half will remain open throughout this period. Patrons should expect reduced bay availability, possible wait times during peak periods, intermittent construction noise, and temporary closure of the central stairs.

Upper-level access will remain available via the southern stairs or lift. These works form part of the Town’s staged upgrades to the facility, following the completion of improvements to the southern half in September 2025.

Town of Cambridge Mayor Gary Mack said it was fantasticto see the community come together in such an iconic coastal setting and enjoy another successful Sunset Beats event.

“It was fantastic to see so many people come along to Sunset Beats at City Beach and enjoy a relaxed evening of live music,” Mayor Mack said.

The next Sunset Beats event will be held at Rutter Park, Wembley on Sunday 22 March 2026 from 4pm to 6pm.

The free event will feature The Murphy Brothers, with face painting, Next Door Crafties, dodgeball, mini golf, bubble magic and an ice cream truck, offering something for all ages and another great afternoon of entertainment.

Floreat dunes project shows coastal partnership CCTV Subsidy Partnership Program

The Floreat Beach dunes project highlights the value of partnership in protecting the local coastline.

Across 2024 and 2025, Cambridge Coastcare led works to stabilise steep dunes, reduce erosion and improve biodiversity.

The Town of Cambridge supported the project through dune reshaping, watering, fencing materials and signage, while Coastwest grants helped fund matting, seedlings and protective materials.

Backed by more than 1,400 Cambridge Coastcare volunteer hours, the project shows how community, council and government can work together to restore and care for important coastal areas.

The Town of Cambridge’s CCTV Subsidy Partnership Program is helping residents, community groups and businesses play an active role in community safety.

Delivered in partnership with WA Police, the program offers a limited number of subsidies of up to $500 to assist with the installation of CCTV systems.

Subsidies are available on a first-come, first-served basis to approved applicants until annual funding is exhausted. Terms, conditions and eligibility criteria apply.

Pole Walking at Perry Lakes 8.30am to 9.30am 1 Finishline View, Floreat

Enjoy the fresh air, get active outdoors and meet new friends in your local area.

RockArena Revival 6.30pm to 10pm Quarry Amphitheatre

Relive RockArena with Fleetwood Mac, Santana and Little River tributes.

Sunset Beats ft. The Murphy Brothers 4pm to 6pm Rutter Park, Wembley

FREE family-friendly live music, activities, food trucks and fun.

council meetings, held in the Council Chambers, start at 6pm and will be live-streamed via the Town’s YouTube

Churchill Fellowship applications now open for 2026

Applications are now open for the 2026 Churchill Fellowships, an opportunity for Australians from all walks of life to travel overseas and investigate a topic, issue or area of practice they are passionate about.

Administered by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, the Fellowships support recipients to bring back new ideas, knowledge and insights that could benefit communities, industries or sectors across Australia

No academic qualifications are required, and applications are open to Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 18 and over.

The program is designed to support people with bold ideas and a desire to create positive change through practical learning and research.

Churchill Fellowship applications for 2026 are now open. Scan the QR code to learn more and apply. Applications close at 5pm on 30 April 2026.

These magpies mimic human learning

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

Young magpies and humans learn to sequence language the same way, new University of WA research suggests.

The study found the ﬁrst evidence of learned syntax in any non-human animal. It showed young magpies learn to turn basic sounds into complex calls and sequences the same way human children learn to turn sounds into words, and words into sentences.

Dr Stephanie Mason from the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA led a team that followed 11 ﬂedgling WA magpies for 200 days, from the time they left the nest at the age of three-tofour weeks.

Each ﬂedgling was recorded for an hour at weekly intervals for the ﬁrst 100

days – the main period of vocal learning – and then once every three weeks for another 100 days, to track how and when they developed their vocal repertoire.

Dr Mason said magpies were not born knowing complex call sequences.

“Rather, here we show they appear to start life with basic in-built calls and develop more sophisticated call sequences through social exposure,” she said.

“Similarly to the way human toddlers learn sounds, words and then sentences, magpies initially make small, simple sounds and then learn from others in their social group how to combine these building blocks into meaningful sequences.”

The researchers found social connection was a key factor in how quickly

and effectively individual ﬂedglings learned.

“Previously it’s been shown in various species that simply being part of a larger group leads to more complex communication, but what we saw in the magpies was more nuanced,” Dr Mason said.

“Fledglings from the same social group showed drastically different trajectories depending on how many of their group members they interacted closely with and for how much time.

“The more social the ﬂedgling, the more vocally sophisticated it became.”

The ability to communicate inﬁnite ideas by combining sounds into words and words into sentences had traditionally been seen as unique to human language, Dr Mason said.

• Please turn to page 89

Cancer Council pushes state on ad bans

By JACK MADDERN

Cottesloe and Mosman Park lead the state in restricting junk food advertisements on bus shelters and their council property.

But the state government’s acceptance of junk-food advertising on its billboards and transport is abetting the junk food health crisis impacting kids, according to a Cancer Council report published this week.

As with gambling, alcohol and tobacco ads, the Cancer Council has urged the government to follow suit and shield kids from

junk food advertising.

“We have kids relentlessly targeted by this marketing at their school gates and on their phones,” Cancer Council WA food and movement programs manager Ainslie Sartori said.

“We would really like to see some government protections put in place here. These industries are really unregulated.”

It hoped to see no advertising on government-owned buses, trains, train station infrastructure and roadside billboards advertising food and drinks high in sugar and

fat or otherwise unhealthy.

The Cancer Council is calling also for limits on new fast-food outlets near schools, and for the end of “unhealthy” sports sponsorships.

The report said junk food exposure helped cause more than half of WA kids to have at least one junk-food meal a week.

The research showed the ﬁve biggest fast food brands spent $15million on advertising in the 2023-24 ﬁnancial year and collectively have 437 outlets across WA.

“As much as food is an individual

• Please turn to page 89

Dr Stephanie Mason records the chatter of edgling magpies. Photo: Andrew Leslie

Fremantle train line commuters are bombarded by state government-owned signs advertising junk food, such as this one in Claremont.

There’s a long history of disappearing beaches

Reading the article Cottesloe to fight rising tide (POST, February 28) led me to pull out some old black and white photos I took in the 70s of the devastating storms that almost devoured the North Cott Surf Life Saving Club.

Storms and cyclonic events have pounded our coastline for millennia. We construct boardwalks, groynes and clifftop pathways for the pleasure of our increasing population to enjoy our wonderful west coast lifestyle, not forgetting building structures to house ourselves along the beach.

Infrastructure to the fore in Neds

As a lifelong resident of Nedlands, I know how important places like Charles Court Reserve are to our community.

They support junior sport, recreation and everyday use, yet the reserve now ﬂoods in heavy rainfall, the river wall has deteriorated despite storm-surge risks, and access and parking remain poor.

These problems reﬂect years of under-investment and the growing ﬁnancial strain placed on the City by responsibilities that properly belong to the State.

That strain has been intensiﬁed by deeper structural issues.

tributed directly to more than $27million in critical ﬁnancial and infrastructure shortfalls.

The recent underground power works in Nedlands North and West cost around $29million, with the City carrying roughly $19million. The State’s contribution fell to about 30 to 35%, well below the traditional 45% share, shifting millions onto ratepayers for State-owned infrastructure.

Our state representatives must advocate for retrospective compensation and ensure the ﬁnal Hollywood East project does not repeat this harm.

We rely on our oceanographers and land-based architects and engineers to protect us from the elements, but political will is paramount.

Chris Marsh Moir Street, Northbridge (a little further inland)

We should accept these events have occurred in the past and will continue well into the future.

The real Australia Day, and a real Australian flag

No doubt like many POST readers who watched the recent Winter Olympics on TV, I was both confused and embarrassed when I thought I was cheering on some young Aussie competitor only to ﬁ nd out that the skier who just fell over was a snowboarding shepherd from New Zealand.

The similarity and symbolism of the two Union Jack flags is disturbing and depressing. Then I read Ron Abernethy’s brilliant letter (Our real Independence Day?

POST, February 28) and once more hope springs eternal in the human breast!

Mr Abernethy argues succinctly that March 3 should be our new National Day of Celebration, because on that day in 1986 the Australia Act came into effect and legally marked the ﬁnal step in Australia’s constitutional independence from the United Kingdom.

And then Mr Abernethy offers up the image of a beautiful new ﬂag emblazoned with the Southern Cross and a globally

unique kangaroo symbol (which QANTAS would be proud of) to support our new day of national unity.

Apparently, the tealgreen background colour reﬂects the eucalyptus forests and the living landscape that defines our continent (see Australianﬂags.au).

I reckon the only two Australians who would really shed a tear over the replacement of the Union Jack on our ﬂag and a change to the Australia Day date are John Howard and Tony Abbott.

’s Word on Waste

State intervention in Local Planning Scheme 3 created uncertainty and forced the City to develop additional policies at signiﬁcant cost. Staff turnover reached 64.4% in 2024–25, costing nearly $3 million and eroding corporate knowledge.

This loss of continuity has con-

Unmistakably Australian .. Southern Cross, kangaroo and the widely recognised green and gold. Image: Australian ags.au

And they, like the federal political party they once led, are fast becoming historical anachronisms. Phil Haberland Second Avenue, Claremont

State-led excisions of A-class reserve at Allen Park and Tawarri were intended to be offset through a public open-space land swap elsewhere in Nedlands, and it is reasonable to expect that commitment to be honoured. With appropriate compensation, the Carrington Street depot — one of the few freehold parcels the City controls — can be converted into new parkland while depot operations are consolidated with neighbouring councils.

My proposed 10-year plan focuses on visible, everyday improvements: resurfacing key laneways, upgrading drainage, revitalising playgrounds and stabilising shoreline erosion. Nedlands deserves a City that works – predictable, respectful and focused on practical outcomes.

Fergus Bennett Nedlands mayoral candidate Broadway, Nedlands

cyclonic storm ate into the Cottesloe shoreline in the 1970s.

Photo: Chris Marsh

HOUSE-MADE, RUSTIC

MIXED BERRY GALETTE

Indulge your sweet tooth with our delicious house-made rustic mixed berry galette. The delicate tartness of the seasonal berries, paired with the buttery, flaky pastry and almond frangipane is a match made in heaven. For an even more decadent experience, serve it warm with a generous scoop of ice cream, a dollop of double thick cream and fresh berries.

NEWS

MARCH 2026

SCULTURE BY THE SEA – COTT CAT SHUTTLE BUS

Sculpture by the Sea is in full swing! If you haven’t had a chance to come and see the sculptures we encourage you to come and visit!

Cottesloe Beach is easily accessible by public transport and we encourage visitors to leave their cars at home and catch the train to Cottesloe Station, where the complimentary Cott Cat shuttle bus service provides a short ride to the beach and exhibition. The shuttle bus operates regularly throughout the event, thanks to the Town of Cottesloe and the Public Transport Authority.

The Cott Cat runs in a continuous loop between 10.30am to 6.00pm every day during Sculpture by the Sea, between Cottesloe train station (west of the train tracks), Cottesloe Main Beach (opposite Indiana), and the ‘Sculpture Inside’ exhibition at Sea View Golf Club, all departing from designated Cott Cat bus shelters.

DRAFT PARKING STRATEGY –OPEN FOR COMMENT

In December last year, the Town invited our community to share their feedback to assist us in developing a comprehensive parking strategy, focusing on optimising parking management to address the needs of residents, visitors and businesses, and supporting the area’s economic vitality. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey — your input has helped shape a Draft Parking Strategy. The Town is now inviting our community to review the draft and provide further feedback.

The Draft Parking Strategy 2026–2029 is available to read, and comments can be submitted at engage.cottesloe.wa.gov.au/parkingstrategy. Please provide your feedback by Sunday, 22 March (11pm). A hard copy of the Draft Parking Strategy is available to read at Cottesloe Civic Centre and at the Grove Library during business hours. Your feedback will help ensure the final strategy supports local access, liveability and the continued economic vitality of Cottesloe.

UPGRADED LIGHTING AT COTTESLOE OVAL

New lighting is coming to Cottesloe Oval, significantly improving safety, visibility and enabling greater year-round use of the oval.

The upgrade has been made possible through Cottesloe Junior Football Club, which successfully secured funding through the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF) via the Club Night Lights program.

The Town would like to advise that the oval will remain open throughout the upgrade, with some areas temporarily fenced off to ensure public safety. Works have been carefully scheduled to minimise disruption to the sporting season. Installation of the new light poles and electrical infrastructure is scheduled for mid-April, with project completion expected by late April. Existing lighting will remain operational until the new system has been fully commissioned.

During this time, the community may notice temporary disruptions including construction noise, machinery and truck movements, as well as minor changes to access. We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding while these works are carried out.

This upgrade represents a long-term investment in our local facilities, delivering improved lighting outcomes for sporting clubs, supporting the growing participation of junior and female players, and enhancing the experience for dog walkers and all oval users.

EXTRAORDINARY ELECTION

A reminder that the Town of Cottesloe Extraordinary Election will take place on Thursday, 26 March 2026 to fill the vacancy of one Councillor.

Election packages have been sent out and completed voting papers can now be returned by post (they must be received by 6pm on election day) or can be dropped off at the Civic Centre during business hours. They can also be returned on election day to the War Memorial Hall at the Civic Centre between 8am and 6pm. Make your voice count!

COUNCIL MEETINGS

Council Agenda Forums are usually held on the third Tuesday of the month at 6pm and Council Meetings are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6pm at Cottesloe Civic Centre, 109 Broome Street, Cottesloe.

Full details of Council Meetings are available on our website at www.cottesloe.wa.gov. au/council-meetings/. Agendas are available at the Civic Centre and on our website. The next Council Meeting is on Tuesday, 24 March.

Jason Hirst, Love U, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2026

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Wanton damage in Subi

Hit-run driver jailed over 84-year-old pedestrian’s death

Police Beat

Police would like to speak to these three people about criminal damage at a Subiaco restaurant.

Three males destroyed a metal planter box outside a Subiaco restaurant before dragging its remains into the middle of Rokeby Road.

Wembley Police are trying to identify the culprits, who were caught on CCTV at

12.20am on Sunday March 1.

Footage shows them approaching the alfresco area of the restaurant and destroying a metal bollard along with the planter box.

“One moved the damaged planter box into the middle of the road, creating a haz-

A Cottesloe beauty clinic boss is set to stand trial on a string of fraud charges after pleading not guilty on Tuesday.

Joshua David Mills, 33, who is listed as the sole director of the company trading as Skin Societé Cottesloe, is fighting eight counts of forging records with intent to defraud and nine of stealing as a director or officer of a company. He appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where police dropped 13 other charges – including five counts of fraud and eight of making, using or supplying identification material with intent to commit an offence.

He pleaded not guilty to the

Police Beat Police Beat

ard for trafﬁc, before all three ﬂed the area on foot,” police said.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers and quote case number 12260.

Beauty clinic director facing trial on fraud charges

remaining fraud charges, after earlier pleading not guilty to the stealing charges in the District Court.

Investors who own other Skin Societé clinics in Perth sat in the Magistrates Court’s public gallery last year for a scheduled hearing, but the hearing was postponed and Mr Mills was not required to attend.

Mr Mills was due to appear in the District Court on Friday, after the POST went to press, for a hearing to set a trial date on his stealing charges.

More trees for Mosman Park

A bonus 222 new trees will be planted in Mosman Park after the Town received nearly $85,000 in grant funding to offset tree losses due to the shot-hole borer.

The WA Tree Recovery Grant’s three-for-one replacement ratio means 3 new trees will be planted for every tree removed.

The trees will be planted all over Mosman Park and will be predominantly WA natives and 1.5-2m tall once planted. Thanks to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for their support.

> mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/news

A casino security guard who kept driving after he fatally hit an 84-year-old pedestrian in Wembley last April has been jailed for two years.

Family members of Francis Vella watched from the public gallery of the District Court on Tuesday as Michael Joseph Hadwiger, 45, was sentenced for leaving the scene of the crash that killed the grandfather on April 24 last year.

The court heard that Mr Vella was walking across a designated pedestrian crossing in Herdsman Parade on his way home from the shops when he was struck and killed by Hadwiger’s Holden Cruze at 6.27pm.

Prosecutor Nathan Fawkes told the court that Hadwiger must have known “within seconds” that he had hit a person but kept on driving.

“This wasn’t a glancing blow,” he said. “This was a signiﬁcant crash.”

Mr Vella rolled into the Holden’s windscreen and was ﬂung onto the road, sustaining catastrophic injuries.

Bystanders, including two nurses and doctor, immediately rushed to the elderly man’s aid, but were unable to save him.

He was pronounced dead at Royal Perth Hospital at 7.32pm.

Hadwiger initially denied knowing he had hit a pedestrian, telling investigators he saw “a white mass” – Mr Vella’s shopping bags – come over the hood of his vehicle.

He later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and failing to report it to police.

He appeared downcast on Tuesday as his lawyer, Caroline Smiddy-Brown, said he now felt remorse for having “magniﬁed the loss” of Mr Bella’s family by failing to report the crash.

“He drove to his mother’s property, which is kind of unusual because he lived closer,” Ms Smiddy-Brown told the court. “We say that decision was to seek safety at that point.”

Hadwiger left the damaged Holden “in full view” at his mother’s house while she drove him home to Glendalough.

Police smashed their way into his ﬂat the following day and arrested him.

for local residents and traffic during this time, but there may be changes to bin collections.

Illegal dumping costs Mosman Park ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Do the right thing - get rid of your rubbish by booking a free Verge Valet collection or take your waste to the Recycling Centre in Shenton Park. Residents are entitled to discounted disposal rates!

> wmrc.wa.gov.au

road death.

Mr Fawkes said the 23 hours that had passed since the crash meant Hadwiger could not be tested for alcohol in his system.

Police claimed at an earlier hearing that Hadwiger had been drinking at the Herdsman Lake Tavern before the crash, which he denied.

He was not charged with drink driving, nor with causing Mr Vella’s death.

A psychologist found that Hadwiger suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder triggered by another road incident 25 years ago.

• Please turn to page 89

Provide feedback on our local laws by 19 March to help us ensure they remain relevant to our community:

•Bee Keeping Local Law 2010

•Dogs Local Law 2012

•Meeting Procedures Local Law 2010

•Parking and Parking Facilities Local Law 2012

•TOMP Local Laws Relating to Fencing

•TOMP Health Local Laws 1995 yoursay.mosmanpark.wa.gov.au Visit

Moving house or doing a garden tidy up? You can book your Verge Valet collection up to 8 weeks in advance. We recommend booking as early as possible as collection dates can fill up. Remember, only place your items out on the verge up to 3 days prior for collection.

> vergevalet.com.au

WITH BEN DICKINSON

With Ben Dickinson

Relatives of grandfather Francis Vella watched in court as a driver was jailed for two years for his part in the 84-year-old’s

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■ Austria’s power company hopes to transform standard electricity pylons into animal-shaped structures that represent each of the county’s nine federal states.

Powerful idea for power towers

POST Property writer Julie Bailey has alerted readers to the excellent Austrian idea of designing some high voltage electricity transmission towers to look like sculptures.

The example of a huge stag holding up power lines with its antlers (Animals inspire power pylons, Changing Hands, March 7) is magniﬁcent.

In the Australian context, a transmission tower shaped like a giant kangaroo, emu or Carnaby’s black cockatoo could stand proudly as an artwork like wheat silo murals, or as a tourist attraction like things

such as the Big Banana in Carnarvon or the Big Prawn in Exmouth.

Turning a transmission tower into an artwork and a tourist attraction may make transmission towers more acceptable to some landowners.

Some rural local governments may actually vie with each other to get a transmission tower sculpture in their district.

This is an exciting electrical engineering and art sculpture approach that Western Power and other utilities should consider. John Tregonning Birrigon Loop, Swanbourne

Voters raising diverse issues for Nedlands

Since the election began for the new City of Nedlands mayor and councillors, many residents have talked to me about issues of concern by phone, email, face to face conversation over coffee or stopping to chat.

Several made the point that they valued the services delivered by the council.

Parents worried about maintenance on children’s playgrounds not being carried out.

Residents at Montario Quarter were concerned about the poor state of their common areas.

In Hollywood ward, the urgent need to complete the

city-wide underground power project was raised.

Some pet owners were concerned about penalties and restrictions from any forthcoming change in cat legislation. Protection of the urban canopy on both private and public land came up several times. In contrast, there was concern about council regulations prohibiting the removal of trees from private property.

With such diversity of opinions and views which do not always agree, our voters are using our democratic system to let candidates know exactly what they think and their expectations from our local government –which is that the

Light rail to connect us

The City of Perth has been in the news recently with new transformation plans.

Local transport particularly is an ongoing issue. Cable-cars have been considered in the past and rejected. Instead of a cablecar, a better solution is a ground-based people-mover to reach Kings Park from the foreshore, to protect views of the city skyline.

Light rail has been recommended for Wellington Street, where it would connect with Perth Railway Station, Royal Perth Hospital, a bus station, the WACA and now ECU City Campus and the new East

Perth Primary School. It has the potential to extend over the river, connect into Perth Park and serve Optus Stadium.

Perth’s prestige office boulevard, St Georges Terrace, has far fewer trafﬁc generators and is already a major route for buses. It doesn’t need more clutter with trams.

Some things obviously change over the years, but Perth’s structure was settled by its landform and major road and railway locations that must be acknowledged and built upon.

Max Hipkins Minora Road, Dalkeith (Perth City Planner 2000-2004)

Hey Perth, lost a tree to shot-hole borer?

It’s time to replant and we are coming to your local area to help you claim your rebate.

For information on what to bring along to our community kiosks, search ‘WA Tree Recovery’ or email treerecovery@dwer.wa.gov.au

Find us at the following locations:

March 17, 12.30pm–4.30pm Bay View Community Centre

64 Bay View Tce, Claremont

March 18, 12.30pm–4.30pm Bay View Community Centre

64 Bay View Tce, Claremont

March 19, 12.30pm–4.30pm AH Bracks Library Corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, Melville

March 23, 9.30am–12 noon

Glyde-In Community Learning Centre 42 Glyde St, East Fremantle

March 24, 12.30pm–3.30pm Nedlands Library 60 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands

March 25, 10am-1pm Subiaco Library 237 Rokeby Rd, Subiaco

council must do better going forward.

As several letter writers to the POST have suggested, as many residents as possible making the time to vote is vitally important for this election.

Helen Grzyb Lissadell Street, Floreat candidate for Hollywood ward

Them’s fightin’ words ...

Mosman Park Council used the slogan “From the River to the Sea”.

This is clearly at odds with new federal laws aimed at combating religious and racial hate, so has the slogan now been banned or will Mosman Park have to cede some of its area to an adjacent council? Will the mayor and councillors face prosecution?

Clearly a serious breach. J. Russell Myera Street, Swanbourne • Not quite accurate. The POST rst described the peninsular town as “between the river and sea” in a news report in the 1980s. The description was used by author Elizabeth Tuettemann for the title of her 1991 book Between River and Sea: A History of Mosman Park. “Between River and Sea” was then adopted as the motto of the Town of Mosman Park. The phrase “from the river to the sea” is used in relation to disputed Middle East territory. – Editor

• More letters page 30

March 26, 1pm–4pm Nedlands Library 60 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands

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COTTESLOE Unit 2, 40 Marine Parade, Waterfront Cottesloe

SUBIACO 299 Railway Road, Subiaco

WEST PERTH 11 Old Aberdeen Place, The Pickle District, West Perth

MARGARET RIVER Cherubino Wines 3642 Caves Road, Wilyabrup

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Swimmers set Rottnest Channel records

By JEN REWELL

A steady stream of swimmers have been churning back and forth across the Rottnest Channel in the past week, with eight taking on the challenge on Saturday.

Long-distance swimmer Andrew Page finally achieved

There and back again … Kristy Brackstone and Tom Rix recently completed a 39.4km double crossing of the Rottnest Channel.

his record 50th crossing. And ocean legend Ceinwen Roberts made her 32nd crossing, a record for female swimmers.

They were joined by Jodie Forlonge, a relative novice completing her fifth crossing.

Ceinwen is the founder and managing director of the Port to Pub race, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next Saturday.

Thirteen more solo crossing swimmers will take to the channel this weekend, with more planned on March 28 and April 11.

“The current seemed a bit lighter than on some of the previous swims this season and not as difficult to push through,” Andrew said. “What an amazing day.”

He said Ceinwen and Jodie were both much faster swimmers than him, and he was grateful they dropped their pace to give him encouragement.

“It’s a bit surreal to think that 25 years ago, when I did my first Rottnest Channel solo, I had absolutely no idea it would eventually lead to doing 50,” he said.

A tale of never-ending storage

By LLOYD GORM AN

Australia’s largest selfstorage company is prepared to stump up an extra $5.4million to help keep its foothold in Subiaco – after landlord Subiaco council threatened to find a new tenant or even run the outfit itself.

National Storage has operated at 1 Harborne Street for at least 26 years and has offered the council $2.15million a year for 12 years (a total of $25.8mil-

lion) to extend its lease.

A market rental valuation of the 18,870sq.m site carried out on February 24 came up with $1.7million a year, plus GST, plus outgoings – a $5.4million difference over the 12 years.

A public notice about the proposed lease is on the city’s website, inviting submissions to CEO Colin Cameron until March 25.

Subiaco last year issued a request for quotations “to engage a qualified and experienced commercial/industrial leasing agent to procure a replacement

tenant for the property” (Subi squeeze on storage giant, POST, June 21).

The council in May last year also approved a business plan to lease the site – which mentioned the prospect of the City taking it over and operating it – for public comment until July.

But now National Storage –the subject of a $4billion corporate takeover in December – appears to be the only party to have emerged with a serious offer to lease the councilowned land.

Once more for luck … Long-distance ocean swimmers Jodie Forlonge, left, Andrew Page and Ceinwen Roberts celebrate their achievement with paddler Leith McKerracher.

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Compassion call for codger care

By JEN REWELL

Priorities in aged care should shift from caring “for” residents to caring “about” residents, according to a study by Nedlands researchers.

The design was an online survey of 317 people who were carers of people who died in residential aged care homes in WA from 2021 to 2024.

Most carers called for a more compassionate care system where they could be more involved in decisions.

They said the system should be changed and developed so that it was centred on people and offered more timely information and better communica-

tion to carers.

The families who had accessed palliative care services (40% of respondents) reported better experiences than those who did not.

Samar Aoun, the Perron Institute Research chair in palliative care at UWA, said the study revealed gaps in palliative care policies, particularly in bereavement support and family involvement in care decisions.

“Palliative care services have improved many aspects of care but there are notable gaps, including communication, emotional and spiritual

Long wait makes residents cross

By BEN DICKINSON

Shenton Park residents are still waiting for safety upgrades to a dangerous intersection, six years after they were approved.

The Railway and Aberdare roads crossing is the third-most dangerous intersection in the western suburbs, according to Main Roads data, with 27 crashes requiring medical treatment between 2020 and 2024.

“It’s a pretty rare morning when we’re not nearly run down by someone turning left from Railway into Aberdare,” Railway Road resident Myke Bartlett said.

“I usually shout ‘oi’ at them and they’re usually quite apologetic.”

care, carer involvement in decisions, and grief support,” Professor Aoun said.

“Transforming residential services from isolated providers into facilitators of community connections and networks becomes both a quality necessity and a sustainability strategy for an ageing population.”

The evaluation was published in the journal Palliative Care and Social Practice and jointly funded by the Australian Government and the WA Health Department.

Mr Bartlett chaperones his youngest daughter Lyra, 11, to Hollywood Primary across the intersection every day.

He said the most dangerous part for pedestrians was the eastern crossing, because drivers often failed to notice the red left-turn arrow when the other lights were green.

When a POST reporter visited to take a photo last week, a driver turning left in a Honda Accord Euro sedan did exactly that while the Bartletts were crossing Aberdare Road.

In late 2019 the Nedlands and Subiaco councils, which share custody of the intersection, both approved a $1.5million upgrade plan that was to be partly funded by a Black Spot grant.

Railway Road was to be widened to add a protected rightturn lane onto Aberdare Road, where separated bike paths were also to be built, along with other improvements.

But the upgrades were shelved in 2021 after higher-than-expected costs to move powerlines and other services saw the budget blow out to $4million.

“The City is yet to receive Metropolitan Regional Road Group or Black Spot funding for further improvements,” a Nedlands spokesperson said.

“However, the City is aware that Main Roads WA are investigating improvements to Aberdare Road as part of the QEII Access and Mobility project.

“We are also aware that the Public Transport Authority is investigating public transport improvements to/from QEII and [the Department of Transport] is investigating improved active transport links.

“Planning is at a very preliminary stage.”

Main Roads conﬁrmed it was investigating improvements but would not provide a timeline.

No pedestrians or cyclists have been hit at the intersection in the past ﬁve years, but there have been 41 rear-end collisions between vehicles – suggesting that turning vehicles may have come to a sudden stop.

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Shenton Park dad Myke Bartlett crosses Aberdare Road with daughters Ottilie, 13, left, and Lyra, 11.

Professor Samar Aoun

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What kind of intelligence is this?

Can we continue to accept that non-human technology, devoid of nuance and the ability to discern right from wrong, has been put in charge of determining whether a person is allowed to keep their driver’s licence, job, home, wellbeing and ultimately life for the sake of revenue-raising that is clearly not aimed at reducing the road toll?

We have all read or heard recently how drivers have been hit with huge fines, demerit points and in some cases loss of licence after trafﬁc cameras powered by artiﬁcial intelligence have caught passengers wearing seatbelts “incorrectly”.

So the new reality of “safety” on our roads now includes unsafe freeway driving, including parents constantly looking to the backs of their vehicles to ensure a seatbelt has not been shifted by a child.

We are in a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis, and now a crisis of faith in giving up our humanity to A.I.

This does not make for safer drivers, but it does make for angrier, more selﬁsh and distracted drivers and more hopelessness overall. Sally Vanderwiel Lawrence Avenue, West Perth

POST editorial standards

The POST’s policy is to produce accurate and fair reports, and to correct any verified errors at the earliest opportunity, preferably in the next edition. For details of the policy please visit the editorial standards page at postnewspapers.com.au/feedback-policy/

The battle for our beaches

Our coastline is one of WA’s greatest community assets and community surveys show a clear message: People want walkable, swimmable beaches, not long stretches of rock walls. Dune restoration with native vegetation is the most effective method of slowing coastal erosion, if protected from trampling while being established. It enhances sense of place and creates an attractive place to visit.

But in many urban areas, long-established roads and carparks leave little room for essential dune-stabilising plants, and sand replenishment has become less predictable due to severe winter storms and offshore sand extraction. Mosman Beach now faces particular pressure with a steep embankment that erodes

at the base during storms – a challenge too great for a small local government to manage alone.

The area most prone to erosion is also linked to a stateproposed urban development within 60m of the shoreline.

Supporting documents for that development were based on a geological report that was not made available to the public. Obtained later through FOI, the report gave no guarantees that the underlying limestone stability would withstand 100 years of coastal erosion.

Our community deserves transparent, long-term planning that protects our coastline and built environment so as not to create intergeneration inequity for short-term gains.

Sue Conlan Rudwick Street, Mosman Park

Under the ground is vital

Nedlands voters are rightly paying close attention to the candidates and where they stand on the issues that will shape our community’s future.

However, I have noticed that one topic seems to be largely absent from the current discussion.

For many residents, undergrounding power lines is not simply an aesthetic improvement. It is also closely connected to safety, reliability, and the longterm protection of our mature tree canopy.

Living in Hollywood ward for more than 10 years, I have long valued the prospect of this infrastructure being prioritised.

While the current election conversation understandably appears focused on ﬁscal restraint and cost control, it is worth remembering that infrastructure decisions shape our city for decades.

Underground power is a long-term investment that can improve reliability, enhance streetscapes and help safeguard our urban canopy.

Do our council hopefuls see underground power as part of the future they envision for Nedlands? And if so, how do they propose to prioritise and fund it responsibly?

Paula Boxall Meriwa Street, Nedlands

More freedom wanted for dogs

As a dog owner, I support extension of the off-lead dog area at Lake Claremont (More bark in the park, POST, March 7).

The location draws in many people from Claremont and surrounding suburbs.

We enjoy the beautiful open space and the opportunity to socialise – for our dogs and for ourselves as owners.

The area proposed for extension is open grassland and does not adjoin bushland that would

provide native habitat. It lies between the frequented lakeside path and the existing off-lead dog area, forming a space that is largely unused at present.

Provided there remains adequate separation from native habitats, making better use of public open space must be a positive to the almost 50% of Australian households that own a dog.

Hamilton Gardens, Mt Claremont

Local member missing in action

Dear Sandra Brewer

Just a quick note to say I would love to see you out and about more in the local area.

I see your colleague, Basil Zempilas. And I spend much time attending Curtin MP Kate Chaney’s events. But I never hear of one of your events or hear from you.

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Please consider spending more time out and about, creating events, hosting town halls, etc, so that we can speak into our local issues and hear directly from you.

Thanks for considering!

Joseph Slavens Kalinda Drive, City Beach

Rock on ... All that was left of Mosman Beach after winter storms in 2020.

Peter Chadwick

King Eddie midwives deliver on care

By JEN REWELL

Another day, another beautiful baby… midwife Paula Wells has been with the Midwifery Group Practice at King Edward Memorial Hospital since its inception in 2016.

In its ﬁrst year the group assisted with 190 births, and in its 10th anniversary year it expects to have more than 600 babies on its books.

Paula said the program provided women with personalised care from the same small group of midwives for the duration of their pregnancy, through labour and birth, and the postnatal period.

‘

There are several break-out groups in the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) program, including those who look after women with complex pregnancies (MGP4), who have different cultural needs or speak languages other than English.

connection, and monthly cuppa where you can share your birth stories,” she said.

She said the connection with other expectant mothers and the continuity of care meant that pregnancy was an enjoyable experience.

Jaye developed pre-eclampsia after only attending one morning tea with the group, and had her son Felix at 36 weeks.

She gave birth in the hospital and required extensive afterbirth care, and said having Paula as her midwife was a great help.

During subsequent pregnancies she was cared for by the MGP4 midwives who knew her preferred method of birth and could balance that with her health needs.

’ The care meant pregnancy was enjoyable

“They knew all the signs to look out for,” she said.

Her next three births for Luna, 7, Vinnie, 5 and Oli, 2, were all overseen by Paula, who was even available for phone calls and regular check-ups.

Women in the MGP4 program use KEMH’s Family Birth Centre, or the main hospital if their pregnancy is high risk.

“It’s a collaborative approach, a very cohesive group that all work well together,” Paula said. It was a privilege to be in a position to get to know expectant mothers, to provide the care they needed, and to advocate for them, she said.

Jaye Cole said she was part of the MGP4 program in its ﬁrst year with her ﬁrst pregnancy.

“A beautiful thing about the MGP4 is the social time and

Jaye did not take up much time in the hospital system: Luna’s birth was 59 minutes, and Vinnie’s clocked in at 48 minutes.

“Oli was only 20 minutes – ﬁve contractions and three pushes and he was out,” she said.

An MGP4 midwife also carried out home visits after the birth to make sure the mother and baby are doing well.

The success of the MGP services has led to expansion to include other specialised teams to support Aboriginal women, and culturally and linguistically diverse women.

Cott ticks healthy streets plan

Cottesloe’s “healthy streets” trial will likely go ahead this year following a decision by the council.

Two sections of the “spines” of Cottesloe, Broome and Marmion streets will have trafﬁc calming along many of their intersections.

Resident Mike Hulme told councillors before the vote that

he and other residents who had spoken to him were very happy with the plans, which began three years ago.

“Particularly in Broome Street, the trafﬁc is getting worse, louder and faster, and it has been, obviously, something that many of us have been struggling with,” he told councillors.

The Healthy Streets concept

was brought to WA by UK expert Dr Lucy Saunders, and is being trialled in other states (Cott healthy street trial, POST, February 21). Main Roads chose sections of the roads between Forrest and Grant streets for the trial, and is paying all the costs except drainage and lighting.

The money for the project is available this ﬁnancial year.

There from the very beginning … Paula Wells was the midwife for Jaye Cole’s family including Felix (not pictured), Luna, 7, Vinnie, 5, and Oli, 2.

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Daglish crossing at crossroads

By LLOYD GORMAN

A decision about the future of the pedestrian level crossing north of Daglish train station is imminent

Two years after KPMG Australia got a $132,000 contract to develop a business case for removal of the Bagot Road pedestrian crossing, the consultants recently presented their ﬁnal report to the Public Transport Authority.

Signs telling people to use other crossings “560 metres away in Hay Street or 425 metres away at Daglish station” were installed two years ago.

The PTA said it was necessary to investigate the removal or replacement of the local crossing because of “potential for risk-taking behaviour” and a big increase in the frequency of trains passing through.

A 25-year-old mother of two died at the crossing in September 2012 when she was hit by a train during peak hour.

A coronial inquest found she was depressed at the time and had absconded from King Edward Memorial Hospital.

There are about 15 trains an hour through Daglish at peak times, in both directions.

“KPMG’s contribution to developing the Daglish Station Upgrade project business case is complete,” a PTA spokesperson said.

“It will now be reviewed, and a proposal including recommended options will be submitted to government for consideration.”

Cambridge Notice

The PTA would not outline what those options might be, but according to a Metronet document a crossing can be removed by raising or sinking the rail [with overhead walkway or underground tunnel] or simply closing it.

Two other options relate to areas where a road and cars intersect rail tracks, which is not the scenario in Daglish.

The PTA website says pedestrian level crossings “are safe if used correctly”.

Letters business posts a big loss

By JACK MADDERN

Pen pals who like to send hard-copy letters by post are being warned that the future of Australia Post’s letter-delivery service is looking bleak.

Australia Post CEO Paul Graham said that delivering letters had become a moneylosing service.

Half-year financial results showed a further 11.5% drop in the number of letters being posted, leading to a $2.1million loss.

The number of letters being posted had dropped to levels not seen since the 1930s, but the number of delivery points increased every day.

No date had been set for when the service might cease, but it would only take one bank to stop mailing hard-copy statements to its customers to tip the scales, Mr Graham said.

“Letters will never return to proﬁtability, but I assure you Australia Post will continue to deliver mail to every part of the country until the last letter is sent,” he said.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is considering a bid to raise the cost of stamps by another 15 cents to $1.85.

“The proposed increase is one of the ways we are responsibly addressing our ﬁnancial challenges so we can keep serving our customers and communities,” Mr Graham said.

Australia Post said its ﬁgures showed that 97% of its letter business was from government, and corporations such as banks, sending bills and statements.

Australians were posting fewer letters due to the rise of digital communications.

“Declining foot trafﬁc and a reduction in over-the-counter transactions are all having an impact, as our economy digitises, which will only accelerate,” Mr Graham said.

“Additionally, we are under signiﬁcant competitive pressure from global logistics and eCommerce providers making signiﬁcant investments in our market, along with a growing number of foreign start-ups.”

“Until pedestrian level crossings are removed from the network, the PTA will continue to ensure their safe management, maintenance, and operation.”

Coniglio Ainsworth

Architects in Perth was paid $3.5million last year to develop a feasibility design and concept design for an upgrade of Daglish station.

The contract, awarded in January last year, runs until October.

“They are considered the most signiﬁcant hazard on any railway network due to either accidental or deliberate misuse,” it said.

PUBLIC NOTICE

REVIEW OF PARKING LOCAL LAW 2016

Pool work heats up

Notice is herby given that the Town of Cambridge intends to conduct a review of its Parking Local Law 2016 in accordance with section 3.16 of the Local Government Act 1995 The purpose of the review is to consider whether the local law should be repealed, amended or remain unchanged and to ensure that it remains relevant, effective and consistent with current legislation and community needs. Copies of the Parking Local Law 2016 can be viewed at the Town’s Administration Centre located at 1 Bold Park Drive, Floreat or online at https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/About/PublicNotices/Review-of-Parking-Local-Law-2016

Submissions can be lodged by 5pm Thursday, 30 April 2026 by email at mail@cambridge. wa.gov.au or by post PO Box 15, Floreat, Western Australia 6014. For further information or to provide comments please contact Mark Thornber, Senior Governance and Compliance Officer, Town of Cambridge on 08 9347 6000 or via email at mail@cambridge.wa.gov.au

Following the close of submissions, a report will be prepared for Council’s consideration in accordance with section 3.16 of the Act for this local law to be repealed, amended or remain unchanged.

GIBSON

LUKE

A/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

One of the Bold Park Aquatic Centre’s two heat pumps is being replaced at a cost of more than $380,000.

The work will include associated pipework and pump upgrades, and will be delivered in stages over two ﬁnancial years.

The replacement of the heat pump is necessary to help maintain the outdoor 50m pool at its advertised temperature of 26.5C year-round, a Cambridge spokesperson said.

The leisure pool heat pump was replaced in September.

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Fifteen trains go through Daglish every hour, restricting pedestrian and cyclist access to the crossing.

A postman loads up his buggy with deliveries in Shenton Park.

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Smile, you’re driving just right

By JACK MADDERN

Smiling electronic signs urging drivers to slow down in Churchlands school zones will be replicated in 100 other WA school areas.

Police said the signs would help address the lack of trafﬁc wardens at school crossings.

Police data revealed 2700 drivers were caught speeding during the ﬁrst week back at school.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the alarming ﬁgures showed why two new electronic smiley face signs near the Pearson Street crossing were needed.

“School zones should be one of the safest places on our roads, but the results of a recent police crackdown are alarming, with far too many drivers ignoring

the 40kmh limit,” he said.

“These speed indicator devices provide an instant visual reminder to drivers, because we know that even a small reduction in speed can make a big difference in saving a child’s life.”

The signs will ﬂash a smile to drivers going less than 40kmh while speeders will be urged to Slow Down.

Mr Warner said the Churchlands signs were the start of a campaign.

“We’ve got 100 of these on order, and we’re rolling them out around school zones on a priority basis,” he said.

“The faster you go, the longer it takes you to put your foot on the brake and the longer it takes you to stop.”

Mr Warner said the signs would be eventually accompanied by speed cameras.

Flower power helps Subi win

The Blooms x Gather ﬂoral festival was WA’s top tourism event last year.

The Subiaco event won ﬁ rst prize and came second on the national stage at the Australian Tourism Awards in Fremantle.

Subiaco council received a silver medal in the festivals and events category.

Gold went to the Abbey Medieval Festival in Queensland where hundreds of costumed and weapon wielding re-enactors display combat skills, swordsmanship, jousting and other arts from that era.

An estimated 37,000 people visited Subiaco across the Mother’s

Day weekend in May 2025 to see and photograph the 15 ﬂoral installations.

“Subi Blooms has quickly become one of the most anticipated events in Subiaco, drawing thousands of visitors into the city to enjoy the colour, creativity and strong sense of community the festival creates,” Mayor David McMullen said.

“Receiving silver is fantastic recognition for everyone involved – from the talented ﬂorists and artists to the City’s See Subiaco team and our partners at Gather who helped bring the event to life.”

Subi Blooms x Gather will take place from May 8-10 this year.

He said the signs and cameras would help address the shortage of trafﬁc wardens.

“The current issue with trafﬁc wardens is that there aren’t enough of them,” he said.

“Perth is expanding and there’s more school crossings than ever before.

“This whole signage program is to make things safer around schools with wardens.”

Mr Warner has also considered safety improvements on Stirling Highway near Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Peppermint Grove.

A 40kmh zone will extend along the highway in Claremont near Christ Church Grammar School and Methodist Ladies College.

Improvements on school routes outside the 40kmh zones would be a future priority.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner with one of the new signs in Pearson Street, Churchlands. The “Slow Down” message changes to a smiley face when it detects a vehicle travelling at less than 40kmh.

Blooming marvellous … Subiaco had WA’s best tourism event in 2025.

Just Listed

Stunning 1900’s Claremont Classic

A rare blend of history, craftsmanship, and modern comfort – in one of Claremont’s most tightly held, whisper-quiet streets. Originally built in 1900 and thoughtfully renovated in 2010, this four-bedroom character residence delivers the charm of a bygone era with the practicality of contemporary living. Set on a 696m² block, the home features a limestone façade with red brick accents, wide jarrah floorboards, soaring ceilings, and a traditional wraparound verandah overlooking beautifully established, parterre gardens.

Inside, multiple living zones, a study, a cellar, and a renovated kitchen with stone splash backs create a home that’s both functional and deeply inviting. This is character living done properly – preserved, enhanced, and positioned in one of Claremont’s most enviable walkable locations.

What we love about this property:

•Four bedrooms plus a study, master with fireplace and plantation shutters.

•Two bathrooms plus separate laundry; second bathroom a heritage-style retreat with clawfoot bathtub.

•Two living areas and separate dining with fireplace, pirouette blinds and French doors.

•Renovated kitchen with stone splashbacks and quality appliances.

•Original jarrah floorboards throughout main living areas.

•Limestone frontage with feature red brick surrounds.

•Solar panels installed 2024; fully ducted reverse-cycle air conditioning (split in fourth bedroom) installed 2019.

•Verandah overlooking established garden; courtyard with pergola and greenery.

•Cellar for storage or wine collection.

THURS, 12 TH MARCH, 6:30PM – 7:15PM SAT, 14 TH MARCH, 12:00PM – 12:30PM

We couldn’t be happier with Vivien and her team managing the sale of our house. Vivien engaged with us over a number of years including advising us on our renovation, she’s always generous with her time and great at keeping in touch. We were really impressed with how hard she worked through the campaign, as well as how well her and her team communicated with us throughout. We feel very lucky to have worked with Vivien. Her knowledge and hard work are extremely impressive and we feel she ran a flawless campaign. We look forward to working with Vivien again, and highly recommend! ”

Testimonial - Mosman Park Seller

Explore wildlife oasis of Narrogin

Wildlife expert Paul H Brown, above, will talk about the diversity of mammals and birds at Dryandra Woodland National Park, such as the mardo (Yellow footed Antechinus) above right.

Lyn Alcock

Dryandra Woodland National Park in Narrogin is one of only two sites left in southwestern WA that are home to a host of native mammals once common across the state.

Author Paul Brown will talk about the Dryandra Woodland National Park at the Night Chats at Lake Claremont meeting on Tuesday this week. Paul recently wrote a book to celebrate the park’s mammals and birds.

The last time the woodland had been the subject of a book was in 1970, by Vincent Serventy.

While land clearing, foxes, feral cats and bushland degradation have devastated native wildlife populations in other areas, the Dryandra Woodland is still an oasis for wildlife such as numbat, woylie, echidna and

chuditch (western quoll).

Paul worked for Parks and Wildlife for 30 years and was a senior executive at the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation for 10 years.

He was brought up in Northam and has worked as an ecologist, bushland manager, forest ﬁreﬁghter and now author.

Copies of his book, plus a hard-copy bird list, will be available to buy on the night.

Night Chats is hosted by the Friends of Lake Claremont and will be held at the Claremont Lawn Tennis Club, Shenton Place.

Doors open at 5.30pm for refreshments and a 6pm start.

No bookings are required, but a gold coin donation is appreciated. Everyone is welcome.

Wandana flats to celebrate 70 years

Subiaco’s Wandana ﬂats will celebrate their 70th birthday this weekend with an exhibition telling the story of the building and its people.

It is open to the public and will feature a collection of 1956 photos taken at Wandana, which was WA’s ﬁrst multistorey public housing development, post-World War II.

It will also include portraits of Wandana residents by artist Bee Tan.

The Wandana 70th Anniversary Exhibition will be in the Old Deli on the ground ﬂoor of Wandana, at the west end of Block A. Open on Friday from 3 to 5pm, it will continue on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to noon. Wandana is at 93 Thomas

Street, Subiaco.

For more information phone Wandana Community Association secretary Shirani Amarasingham on 0431 475 796 or email shiranirasiah@hotmail. com.

If there’s a will, there’s a way

Find out the ﬁner details of drawing up your will at the Wembley Downs Probus Club meeting in Floreat on Thursday, March 19.

RSM Australia Estate Planning senior manager Andrew Marshall will discuss the primary points to consider when making a will.

His talk will cover estate administration, testamentary trusts, executor duties, the enduring power of attorney or guardian-

ship, and estate planning. He will also discuss ﬁnancial elder abuse.

The meeting will be at Cambridge Bowling Club, 39 Chandler Avenue West, Floreat. Register at 9.30am for a 10am start. The $5 entry fee includes morning tea. To attend phone Bob Bredemeyer 0417 093696 or Rod Cohen 0481 361415, or email Bob at wembleydownsprobusc@ gmail.com.

Photo:

A Wandana resident dusts in the living room of her flat in 1956.

Photo: State Library of Western Australia

Recognised as the South West’s Best

South West Custom Home and Renovation Specialist

From coastal retreats to rural hideaways, we create one-of-a-kind homes and stunning renovations in Dunsborough, Yallingup, Eagle Bay, Margaret River, and across the South West. Whether you’re dreaming of an o -grid escape, hobby farm, or luxury holiday home, or a complete transformation of an existing home, we turn vision into reality with craftsmanship and care.

Award-Winning Builder – Proud recipient of the 2025 HIA South West Home of the Year and Lightweight Housing Awards.

Contact: Phil Kelleher 0427 949 522

Website: www.philkelleherhome.com.au

Email: info@philkelleherhomes.com.au

Instagram: @philkelleher_homes

Virtual tour to debunk myths

Historian Richard Offen will be guest speaker at the Hollywood Subiaco Learners’ Club meeting on Friday, March 20.

Richard, who is a lecturer, broadcaster and author, will present a talk titled “Debunking Myths”, and give a virtual tour of the some of the places that give Western Australia a special status in history.

His presentation will start with fossils in the Pilbara and some of the earliest evidence of Aboriginal communal living, move to the remains of a fort on the Abrolhos Islands, and continue with the Swan River Colony’s early buildings.

The meeting will be at Hollywood Subiaco Bowling Club, 42 Smyth Road in Nedlands, at 3pm. Register at 2.45.

Entry is cash only, $5 per session for Hollywood Subiaco Learners’ Club members and $10 for non-members.

For more information and to RSVP email donarosa49@ gmail.com.

Wanderlust leads to Herdsman

Many different birds come and go at Herdsman Lake as the seasons change.

One very surprising visitor arrived in July last year, causing quite a stir in the birding community. And it is still there.

Wandering whistling-ducks normally don’t venture south of the 26th parallel (about level with Shark Bay) but this solo duck has wandered much farther south, though hopefully it will eventually ﬂy north to ﬁnd a mate.

Locals can take a wander on the wild side at Herdsman Lake from 7.30 to 9.30am next Saturday, when experts from BirdLife WA will lead a walk of discovery.

You may even see the famous wandering whistling-duck.

The walk leaves from the Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre after a short talk about the local birdlife.

Binoculars will be available for those who don’t have their own.

The cost is $10, free for members of the WA Gould League and BirdLife WA.

Bookings are essential – go to wagouldleague.com.au and look for the Monthly Morning Bird Walk.

The Discovery Centre can be accessed from the corner of Selby and Flynn streets in Wembley.

Sit down and dance for health and fitness

Aurelien Scannella, former artistic director of WA Ballet, and his wife, ballet mistress Sandy Delasalle, have started a seated ballet class in Shenton Park.

The classes every second Thursday are for older adults who would like to enjoy the beauty of ballet and classical music in a safe and supportive environment. The next one is on Thursday March 26. They suit a range of physical abilities including those with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Aurelian and Sandy have been ballet dancers, choreographers, directors and teachers.

After leaving WA Ballet in 2023 the couple started

Ballet4Wellbeing, classes designed to enhance the cognitive function and quality of life for older adults.

Aurelian said the classes are ideal for older adults “who would like to stay active, improve balance and mobility, stimulate the mind, and enjoy moving to beautiful music in a friendly and supportive environment”.

“The potential of Ballet4Wellbeing is immense, and the positive impact we can bring to those in need of a better quality of life is priceless,” he said.

“The aim was to design something safe, inclusive, and uplifting that supports mobility, cognitive engagement and social connection.”

The “seated ballet” program is designed to release tension, build strength, improve circulation and reduce fall risk.

Subiaco Mayor David

McMullen said: “Programs like these new seated ballet classes are providing older adults in our community the opportunity to stay active in a safe and supportive environment, while also making meaningful social connections.

“The classes are already popular, and it’s fantastic to see our community embracing programs that celebrate lifelong learning and connection.”

Seated Ballet will be every second Thursday at Shenton Park Community Centre, Onslow Road, from 11.15am to noon. Entry is $10 and no bookings are required. Just turn up.

For more information email culture@subiaco.wa.gov. au or phone 9237 9222.

This wandering whistling-duck is well outside its comfort zone at Herdsman Lake. Photo: Judy Ewing

Try seated ballet to build strength while moving to beautiful music.

Not happy with your current glasses?

Monocle Optometry has

Monocle Optometry has some of the most advanced equipment in Australia, including one of only a few machines in WA that precisely measures how light scatters across the eye – Rodenstock’s DNEye scanner.

Using this technology for both multifocal and single vision lenses, these “biometric intelligent glasses” are the first highprecision lenses made from a complete biometric eye model.

What does this mean for you?

vision at all angles, no matter where you looktruly bespoke lenses for maximum clarity.

The data points from the scans are integrated directly into your new lenses, yielding the sharpest

“We use these German lenses from Rodenstock because they’re simply incredible. We’ve had clients who were unhappy with their prior lenses notice a massive difference once they’ve switched to a Rodenstock lens. We’re here to provide not only top quality eye care, but a top quality product as well.”

Monocle Optometry is proudly owned by husband and wife optometrists, Sam and Carla Schneider. Book your appointment todaybetter vision awaits!

ME! To book your appointment.

SCAN

16 Venn Street

Peppermint Grove

A Residence of Presence, Privacy and Effortless Design

Set high on its elevated corner parcel, framed by the graceful canopy of peppermint trees that define this tightly held enclave, 16 Venn Street carries a quiet authority. It is a home that sits comfortably within its landscape — structured hedging, established gardens and softened architectural lines allowing it to feel both distinguished and deeply connected to its surroundings.

Originally constructed by Buildwise, the precursor to Giorgi, the residence reflects a pedigree of enduring craftsmanship and thoughtful design. Beyond its refined façade lies a home that is not only elegant in form, but exceptionally intelligent in function — thoughtfully designed for modern family life.

OFFERS

All Offers by 4pm, 1 April 2026 (Unless Sold Prior)

HOME OPEN TIMES Sat 14 March, 12.45pm – 1.15pm

JUSTIN WALLACE 0406 755 845

justin@wallacerealestate.com.au

OLIVIA RUELLO 0412 220 225

olivia@wallacerealestate.com.au

304/40 St Quentin Ave, Claremont

3 Bed 2 Bath 2 Car 224sqm

Call for more information

Danielle Diffen 0412 176 047

4 Birch Street, Attadale

Multiple offers, 6 days on market SOLD for $3,000,000

Natarsha Lambie 0420 275 351

CLAREMONT

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

2026, 2025, 2024

33 Central Avenue, Beaconsﬁeld 3 Bed 1 Bath 4 Car 546sqm Call for more information

Natarsha Lambie 0420 275 351

28 Alyth Rd, Floreat Record Price for the Street SOLD for $2,900,000

Yvonne Furner 0408 886 898

DOUBLEVIEW

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

CHURCHLANDS

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

2026, 2025, 2024, 2023

TRUSTED AGENT, PRICE EXPERT & TOP 20% NATIONWIDE

BRAD MANTLE

“For me, success has never been about how many properties you sell or how expensive they are. It’s about the experience you create during one of life’s biggest moments.

What makes the RateMyAgent awards so special is that they’re based on reviews from my sellers and buyers. I truly believe if you treat everyone with honesty, respect and care, the results will always follow.”

Brad Mantle 0488 908 070 bmantle@hohmproperty.com.au Scan the code to read my reviews

Have your questions about a visit to Antarctica answered.

Is it wise to visit Antarctica or not?

Deciding on a visit to Antarctica can be fraught with feelings of guilt and doubts about the idea. Are tourists doing the right thing by going?

Dr Anil Subramanya will give a talk titled The Great Defrost – Should You Visit the 7th Continent?

A geochemist and exploration geologist with 40 years of experience in the minerals sector, he will explore the compelling

reasons to visit when he is guest speaker for the West Coast Community Centre.

His talk will be in the Grove Library Community Room, 1 Leake Street, Peppermint Grove, at 10am on Thursday, March 19. Cost $12 for centre members, $17 non-members.

Book ahead by going to westcoastcommunity.com.au/ programme, or just turn up on the day.

Because Home Is Where The Heart Is!

Does your loved one need a helping hand to stay independent at home?

Boogie by the bay at sunset

Gather your family and friends for a delightful evening at Perth’s premier picnic destination, Matilda Bay, on Sunday March 22 from 5.30 to 7.30pm.

Enjoy live entertainment by Vivid the Band – a dynamic cover group celebrated for their crowd-pleasing performance featuring vibrant music for all ages.

Food and drink will be available for purchase from Franny’s Moving Kitchen and Juice Melody, with options to satisfy every taste.

Free gelato will also be served, featuring a range of popular ﬂavours. Additional lighting will be turned on at sunset.

This event is being organised by the City of Perth Western Residents community group in partnership with the City of Perth.

Get up to date on the latest autism research

Learn about the latest advances in autism diagnosis and treatment at a talk in Cottesloe on Tuesday.

Professor David Trembath, head of autism research for CliniKids at the Kids Research Institute Australia, works to improve learning, participation and wellbeing for autistic children and their families, and to turn research results into safe and effective services. He will share the latest autism

research and the insights that shape support for autistic people, their families, and carers. There will be time for audience questions, followed by morning tea. The talk will be at the Heritage Collective Theatre on the corner of Warton Street and Marine Parade. It is free but bookings are essential. Go to trybooking. com and search “Advances in Autism”.

At Independent Living Services WA (ILS) we believe care is more than just routine tasks, it’s about dignity, companionship, quality of care and peace of mind for the whole family. From everyday assistance in your home to support that allows you to get out and about in the community, we focus on making your daily life easier, safer and more fulﬁlling.

life on your own terms in

Professor David Trembath, pictured, will give a free talk in Cottesloe on March 17.

Enjoy the last Sunset Sounds of the season with live music and good food at Matilda Bay on March 22.

Sunsets, Sea Breezes and Space for Family

21 Somerset Crescent, Mosman Park

Surrounded by parklands and peaceful cul-de-sacs within the sought-after Buckland Hill Estate, this immaculate two-storey home offers elevated living between the river and the sea with golden sunsets and refreshing coastal breezes

Designed for contemporary family life, the home unfolds through light-filled living spaces, a poolside alfresco setting, and multiple zones for relaxation and connection, including a spacious open-plan kitchen and living area, formal lounge and dining, and an upstairs retreat

Thoughtfully positioned in a quiet, family-friendly enclave close to excellent schools, boutique shopping and waterfront recreation, this beautifully maintained residence delivers comfort, space and lifestyle, with the opportunity to add your own personal touches over time

4a Champion Crescent, Floreat

Positioned within the tranquil surrounds of Perry Lakes Estate, this elegant two-storey residence embraces leafy outlooks, refined interiors and the peaceful rhythm of nature, with bushland trails, parklands and lakes just moments from your door

Designed to maximise its elevated corner setting and northerly aspect, the home unfolds through light-filled open-plan living spaces, seamless indoor–outdoor flow to a sheltered alfresco, and beautifully considered finishes throughout

Peaceful, private and perfectly placed within one of Floreat’s most sought-after enclaves, this is a home that balances lifestyle and convenience, moments from cafés, excellent schools, the coast and the vibrant heart of Subiaco and Perth CBD

What is yourproperty worth?

If you’re curious about what your home might be worth in the current market, please scan the QR code or give me a call for an obligation-free appraisal

to view

Family Framed by Nature - Moments Spent Under the Trees

FEATURES:

• Views encompassing Freshwater Bay, the city skyline, Fremantle Port, Rottnest Island

• 1950’s renovated split-level character home

• Original period features include jarrah boards, timber sash windows, open replace with marble surrounds

• Rear lane access

HomeOpen Sat14thMarch 12:30pm-1:00pm

FEATURES:

• Magni cent family home designed by renowned architect Philippa Mowbray

• Set within one of Peppermint Grove’s most coveted riverside enclaves

• Idyllic northern aspect, beautiful private gardens

• Moments to the Swan River, beaches and parklands

•

29 Green Park Road, Quindalup

4 3

Privately set within a peaceful natural bush setting, this beautifully maintained 1 hectare (2.5 acre) lifestyle property offers the perfect balance of space, comfort and relaxed South West living.

Surrounded by native vegetation with pockets of established garden and lawn, the property enjoys a tranquil rural feel while remaining only a short drive from Dunsborough town centre, the beaches of Geographe Bay and the surf coastline of Yallingup, along with many of the region's renowned wineries and restaurants.

Home Opens.

Contact the Exclusive Selling Agents.

What to know.

All offers presented by 5pm 29 March 2026 (unless sold prior).

move Down South.

20 Howson Rise, Yallingup

6 5 3.08ha

Set on an exceptional 7.6-acre Yallingup location surrounded by magnificent mature Marri trees and beautiful wildlife, this architecturally designed north facing residence delivers an extraordinary combination of scale, privacy, versatility and sustainability.

Designed for thermal efficiency and effortless living, the home spans approximately 650sqm including covered outdoor areas and offers multiple living zones, expansive accommodation and outstanding storage throughout.

Home Open.

Contact the Exclusive Selling Agents.

Offers - Contact Agent.

Who to talk to.

Julie Fairclough

Mitch Fairclough 0427 386 690

mfairclough@realmark.com.au

Club together for lovely music

Enjoy live classical music in a relaxed and friendly concert setting when the Classical Music Club presents its second concert of the year next Friday.

The recital at 10am in Leederville Town Hall will feature cellist Sophie Walker and pianist Adrian Soares. The program will draw from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 and Carnival of

the Animals by Camille SaintSaens, plus works by Debussy, Dvorak, Faure and Strauss.

The Classical Music Club aims to bring people together through beautiful live music. Tickets $20 or $15. To book, go to humanitix.com and search “Classical Music Club Concert Series 2026”.

Go bush in Bold Park

The Friends of Bold Park Bushland group is calling for new volunteers to help it protect one of Perth’s most precious bushland reserves.

Become a bushland guide, join the bushcare group, serve on the committee, or help with a range of projects.

The only qualiﬁcations required are enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

The Friends of Bold Park Bushland is a volunteer-run community group that works with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority. It recently drew up a strategic plan to improve the bushland, support native wildlife and connect more people with this special place.

Volunteers are now needed to bring that vision to life.

Information sessions will be on Thursday March 26 at 6.30pm and Saturday March 28 at 10am.

For more information visit friendsofboldpark.com.au or phone Steve on 0439 009 525.

Step up for good health

Lift the lid on mental illness with a fundraising walk starting at the University of Western Australia on Saturday April 18.

The Rotary Club of Dalkeith is collaborating with UWA, the UWA Guild and UWA ParkRun to hold the Lift the Lid Walk, starting and ending at Riley Oval.

Individuals or teams of walkers, families and friends keen to promote family and community mental health and psycho-social wellbeing are invited to take part.

All proceeds will go towards pre-teen mental health research, through Australian Rotary Health.

Organisers said the event will be a walk and not a race, around UWA’s beautiful University of Western Australia’s Crawley Campus.

It will suit people of most abilities, and pets are welcome.

For more information about Australian Rotary Health go to australianrotaryhealth.org.au.

To sponsor the walk or take part in it, email ARHWAteam@ gmail.com.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE ZENITH!

Zenith is known for stocking the best in musical instruments & sheet music. With over 55 years experience, Zenith are the experts in musical instruments and are committed to helping you find your first or next instrument at Zenith today!

RIGHT: Cellist Sophie Walker, right, will play at the next Classical Music Club recital.

A double rainbow is captured along the Hovea Walk in Bold Park Bushland. Photo: Friends of Bold Park Bushland

FEATURES:

• Impeccably renovated and extended 1938 character residence

• Landscape Architect Blake Willis, Interiors ByJade

• Primary suite of rooms with bespoke dressing room, Carrara marble ensuite

• Large home office with custom cabinetry

• Chefs kitchen with scullery, Gaggenau and Miele appliances

• Separate guest/children’s wing

• Pristine mineral salt water pool

• 5.5kW Solar, Double lock up garage with loft studio/gym space

Symphony fired up by the spirit of Spain

The ﬁery rhythms, soaring melodies and vibrant spirit of the music of Spain will be on show when the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra presents a concert titled Spirit, on Sunday March 29.

MetSo will perform their Autumn program at the Taryn Fiebig Concert Hall at Churchlands Senior High School from 3 to 5pm.

The concert will feature Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, with violinist Yana Burova.

The showpiece is described as a full symphonic work with the ﬂair of a violin concerto.

Also on the program will be Rossini’s Semiramide Overture, described as a sparkling curtain-raiser packed with drama and elegance.

Music lovers will also enjoy the radiant optimism of Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 “Spring”, a celebration of hope, inspiration and new beginnings.

The Taryn Fiebig Concert Hall is at 22 Lucca Street, Churchlands.

Tickets $12 to $27 can be purchased online in advance by searching “metso tickets”,

email tickets@metsoperth.org, or phone 0485 880 830.

MetSo’s supporters include the Rotary Club of Dalkeith, Lotterywest WA, Churchlands

Senior High School, Zenith Music and Snadens Pianos. For more information go to metsoperth.org or email info@ metsoperth.org.

Live life to the full with free classes

People living with cancer, and their primary carers, are invited to enrol now for Life Now classes beginning in April.

The Cancer Council WA Life Now program offers free classes to support a patient’s wellbeing during cancer treatment and recovery.

Activities such as exercise, meditation, mindfulness, mindful art, tai chi and yoga are offered at locations across the state – including Nedlands and Shenton Park – and some are available online.

Cancer Council WA Life Now Program coordinator Annika English said the program was intended to introduce mind-body practices in a safe and supportive environment, empowering people to manage their own physical and mental wellbeing.

“Our courses offer physiological, psychological and social support to people affected by cancer, and their primary carers,” Annika said.

“We know that people with cancer who exercise regularly have fewer and milder side effects from their treatments.”

When 65-year-old breastcancer survivor Anne Clohessy signed up for a Life Now exercise class last August, it had been years since she had been inside a gym.

Twelve weeks later, she had gained 2.1kg of muscle, built the conﬁdence to train indepen-

Anne Clohessy, pictured, has discovered a joy for the gym thanks to Life Now classes.

dently, and discovered a new part of her identity.

“The exercise course has literally been life-changing for me,” Anne said.

“The course gave me real, measurable results that showed me this wasn’t just helping emotionally; it was changing my body and my health for the better.”

To apply for Life Now courses go to cancerwa.asn.au/getinvolved/event-calendar.

Dr Kiran Shahid General Practitioner

Genevieve

Susie Stewart Clinical Psychologist

Dr Laurence Webber Upper GI Surgeon

Violinist Yana Burova, above, will perform Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole.

Residence 4/110 Marine Parade, Cottesloe Main Beach - SOLD Last Remaining 4 Bedroom Apartment 1/110 Marine Parade, Cottesloe Main Beach

Cottesloc’s Largest Luxury Waterfront Apartment, An Endless Blue Horizon Awaits

Register your preferred inspection time via the QR code below during the exclusive viewing hours 12-3pm Saturday 14 March, or contact Chris to arrange a private inspection. (Which are recommended)

1 LAST AVAILABLE

THE WARNHAM

THE ULTIMATE FAMILY HOME

Home Open Saturday 14th March 11:00 - 11:40 AM

This iconic architect-designed family home, with a separate designated guest suite, offers spacious renovated interiors and is peacefully positioned on an elevated land parcel of approximately 1,012sqm, with Nedlands Golf Course, Nedlands tennis club, and the Swan River just moments away.

Features:

• Architect-designed family residence on an elevated 1,012sqm landholding

• Peaceful and private position in one of Dalkeith’s most desirable pockets

• Six bedrooms including a separate guest suite

• Spacious family-sized central kitchen overlooking living and outdoor areas

• Four generous living zones, formal lounge, formal dining, informal meals and north-facing family room

• Heated swimming pool and expansive grassed gardens

This beautifully presented Tuscan-styled, two-storey residence delivers timeless character and relaxed coastal living just 100 metres from the sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean. Set on its own green titled block, the home blends warmth, texture and classic design with an unbeatable beachside lifestyle in one of Cottesloe’s most tightly held pockets.

Tuscan Charm by the Sea

7 Eileen Street, Cottesloe

Elena finds joy in tiny moments

For single mum Elena Rigali, caring is not just something she does, it is who she is.

Elena has four children, including son Jackson who has a rare and complex form of congenital muscular dystrophy.

Jackson is enjoying life thanks to the care and support he receives at Rocky Bay.

Elena said Jackson’s condition affected every aspect of his life, from mobility and communication to feeding, personal care, and medical needs.

He requires full-time supervision and support with tasks including bathing, for which he needs a hoist, dressing, eating and moving around in his wheelchair.

He also needs a special device to communicate and therapies including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy,

speech and added nutrition.

Elena said despite the challenges, her son loved train rides, drag races, cooking, swimming, music and Thomas the Tank Engine.

“He’s just the happiest kid and has a contagious joy for life that ﬁlls every space he is in,” she said.

“He loves being out in the community with his carers, going to the beach or for a long drive.

“He thinks everyone at Rocky Bay works there just for him and honestly, it feels that way sometimes.”

A typical day for Elena begins long before sunrise and rarely stops before midnight.

She resisted outside help for years, believing no one could care for Jackson the way she could.

But exhaustion set in and that’s when Rocky Bay stepped in.

“They spent years convincing

me to use carers,” she said.

Now Jackson looks forward to community outings with his support workers, going bowling, swimming, going out for ice cream or to the airport viewing platform.

“He’s treated like a rock star at the hubs,” Elena said.

“He loves everyone there and thinks they all work just for him.”

Support from Rocky Bay helped Elena ﬁnd balance, focus on her other children, and take small moments for herself.

“(Being a carer) is about knowing there are others walking this same path, people who understand,” she said.

Elena offered a simple but powerful message to other carers.

“Go easy on yourself,” she said.

“Every day is a blessing. You make a difference, even on the hardest days. I see you. I appreciate you. I am with you.”

Hot forests tracked from above and below

WA’s jarrah forests were unevenly impacted by the recordbreaking 2023-24 heatwave and subsequent drought, with some areas experiencing more severe tree die-off than others, according to a new study.

PhD student Huanhuan Wang, from the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Water and Spatial Science and School of Environmental Engineering, was lead author of the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

The study drew its conclusions by referring to satellite observations with groundwater, soil and geophysical data.

Researchers examined how forests across the WA’s southwest responded to 2024’s extreme summer heat and drought and found that areas with shallow soils, rocky terrain and limited access to groundwater were most vulnerable.

“We found these areas showed much stronger declines in forest health than areas with deeper soils and better subsurface water availability,”

A study using satellite observations found trees in deeper soil were more resilient in extreme heat.

Ms Wang said. “The results suggest forest vulnerability depends not only

Increase brand familiarity.

on extreme climate conditions, but also on what lies beneath the surface.

“Our study highlighted the critical role of soil depth, rockiness and groundwater access in shaping how forests respond to extreme heat and drought.”

By integrating multiple data sources, the study identiﬁed spatial patterns of forest vulnerability that were not apparent from climate data alone.

In a recent review, co-author Professor Sally Thompson from UWA’s Centre for Water and Spatial Science and School of

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Engineering, outlined a framework for how ecosystems adapt to a drying climate.

“The jarrah forest study provided evidence for how the framework can be applied in practice, helping forest managers decide where to act – such as by thinning forest – and where to prioritise protection of forest areas that cope better with heat and drought,” Prof. Thompson said.

The research also demonstrated the value of combining remote sensing with hydrological understanding.

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Jackson, aged 14, and his mum Elena Rigali.

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Top young golfers tee off at Nedlands

A total of 72 of the state’s best young golfers converged on Nedlands Golf Club recently for the 45th Nedlands Junior Masters.

A club spokesman said the event, on March 1 and 2, was played on the club’s ﬁrm new greens which tested competitors across both days of play.

Joondalup’s Nate Johnson claimed the 2026 Boys Open Championship with a total score of 146, recording rounds of 71 on Day 1 and 75 on Day 2.

Nate’s consistent play secured him the championship one shot in front of Tom Pyke from Royal Fremantle and Spencer Harrison from Royal Perth.

The Girls Open Championship concluded in dramatic fashion with Cottesloe’s Katie Seol and Joondalup’s Sienna McCulloch tied at the ﬁnish on 156 after 36 holes.

Katie posted rounds of 79 and 77 and went on to win the title in a playoff with a birdie on the ﬁrst hole, to successfully de-

fend her championship from the previous year.

Spencer Harrison delivered one of the standout moments of the weekend, holing out in one with a 9-iron on the rebuilt 12th green – the ﬁrst ace recorded since the green’s reopening a week earlier.

Golf WA’s high-performance manager, Rick Kulacz, praised the strong ﬁeld and the high standard of competition.

The event helped Nate and Katie continue to build career momentum after multiple strong results in recent months.

Nedlands Golf Club president Tony Morgan said: “NGC is very proud of this event which is a testimony to the club’s support of junior golf, and we greatly appreciate the essential efforts of our volunteers, club staff and generous sponsors.”

The Nedlands Junior Masters is a key ﬁxture on the junior golf calendar.

It showcases emerging talent and has produced champions such as Min Jee Lee, Min Woo Lee and Aldrich Potgieter.

Zoe eyes Wallaroos

Western suburbs rugby supporters have another reason to keep an eye on the green and gold this year, with former Cottesloe player Zoe Elliott earning selection in the Wallaroos’ ﬁrst national training camp of 2026.

Zoe was named by interim Wallaroos head coach Sam Needs as one of four additional camp invitees joining a squad that assembled at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra in February to begin preparation for the coming Test season.

Sam said the camps were an important ﬁrst step as the program built towards the next Rugby World Cup cycle.

“We’re looking forward to our ﬁrst camp of 2026 and building off the work we did together before Christmas,” Sam said.

“With 2029 as the landmark we’re working towards, we’ve built a squad that combines experienced players with some exciting new talent ready to take the next step in their rugby journey.”

Before Zoe progressed through the Western Force system, she was a key part of Cottesloe Rugby Club’s women’s program, helping it secure the 2021 and 2022 women’s premierships.

she was a key part of Club’s the been steadily building over several

A Cottesloe Rugby Club spokesman said the call-up was the latest step in a rugby journey that has been steadily building over several seasons.

Zoe Elliott will be at the Wallaroos’ rst national training camp of 2026.

Each week, the POST lists tradespeople who provide every kind of household service, from unblocking drains to unravelling the mysteries of your new television.They’ll do your books, clean or paint your house, landscape the garden, do handyman repairs or build an entire house.

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“It’s awesome to see her grow over these many years,” he said.

“First within our club, then with the Western Force, and now hopefully on the international stage. She’s a real home-grown hero.”

“First within our club, then with a real home-grown hero.”

Zoe joins nine other Western Force players now part of the Wallaroos program, showing WA’s increasing inﬂuence within the national women’s setup.

ing inﬂuence within the national

Australia will play 10 Tests this year, starting with a clash against Fiji’s Fijiana on March 27, followed by the Paciﬁc Four Series in April.

The Cottesloe RUFC women’s

For more information go to

Comedy night for the future of oorball

Empower a new generation of female athletes by supporting the Under-19 Australian Women’s Floorball Team fundraising event in Shenton Park next Saturday, March 21.

The family comedy night at Shenton College will feature fast and funny entertainment by Perth improv comedy group The Big Hoo Haa.

The national U19 women’s ﬂoorball team will travel to Italy in May to compete against

the strongest floorball nations in the world. Their selection reﬂects years of dedication and hard work. Money raised on the evening will support the players’ travel and competition costs. Tickets to the comedy night cost $25 and can be bought by going to trybooking.com and searching “U19 Women’s Floorball”.

For more information email Christinchen78@ gmail.com or phone 0432 806 586.

Well done to Derril Tennant, Faye Peake, Paula Poynton and Elizabeth Morrissey on their win over Yanchep. Wednesday produced a tie between Gavin Arrow/ Cliff Racey/Marilyn Boss and Mary Ann Hart/ Elizabeth Arrow/Pam Islip. There were no bowls on Friday last week, due to the weather but we watched the ﬁnals of the men’s pairs won by Stephen Rushforth and Andrew Tennant.

Saturday saw a tie between Colin Herring/ Cliff Racey and Chris Westergren/Rob Stevenson. Welcome back to Saturday Golfers. New members are always welcome and bowls instruction is available.

Dalkeith Nedlands

March 3 Ladies Tuesday Pennants: Div 1 earned 2½ points; Div 3 earned 1 point. The best rink win went to Wendy Ireland, Gwenda McIntosh, Lesley Cross and Margi Jordan with a 10-shot margin. The only winner on Saturday was Div 1 with 1 point.

March 5 Men’s Thursday Pennants: Div 1 2½ points, Div 2 0 points, Div 4 5 points. Peter Hopper, Keith Allan, David Wood

and Ivor Davies produced the best result with an 8-shot margin.

Saturday March 7: Div 1 earned 6 points; Div 4 (1) earned 8 points; Div 4 (2) earned 6 points. The best rink was Peter Hopper, Brian Burton, Richard Verco and Ivor Davies with a 25-shot margin.

The penultimate round of the Hollywood Ladies 4th Division Pennants took place last week at home against Bullcreek AFA – Usha Nigam, Jeannine Millsteed, Lesley Langley and Dot Leeson won 21/16. Margaret McHugh, Betsy Tapley, Anne Ormsby and Ron Palmer lost 7/39.

Thursday March 5: 2Gold played Wanneroo at home

– David Allport, Wally Graham, George Sterpini and Glen Morey won 24-20; Craig Hirsch, Jim West, Tony Byrne and Dan Byrne won 39-7; George Savage, Mike Basford, Kim Jefferis and Rob Campbell won 19-12.

and Kim Jefferis won 25-13; Beck Burne, Dan Byrne, David Byrne and Tony Byrne drew 18-18; David Allport, Jim West, George Sterpini and Glen Morey won 23-16; Billy Gerlach, Marke Wilde, Stuart Porter and Rob Campbell won 23-17. 5Gold played at Innaloo – Mark Pettersen, Ron Palmer, Alan Evans and Wally Graham won 27-20; George Savage, Phil Hobbs, Dot Leeson and Jeannette Middleton won 25-13; Brian Marsland, Dave Leeson, Mike Basford and Ron Middleton won 28-11.

In the club championship singles Glen Morey won the semi-ﬁnal against Marke Wilde and Kim Jefferis won against George Sterpini. Kim then outlasted Glen for the championship trophy.

an inspiration to play well. June Worthington won. Peter Bennett and Sandra Whelan were runners-up. Mixed pairs started on Friday March 6. In the semi-finals (date to be conﬁrmed), Lisa Featherby and Stephen Swanson will play Jenny Parker and Simon Baldwin, and Chris Ace-Watson and John Pallett will play Renate Coote and Jason Kop. The men’s singles championship started last Sunday and will wind up this Sunday. Mahjong is Thursdays 9am. Only a social membership is required to enter.

Club members enjoyed social play last Saturday, March 7, despite the return of hot and humid conditions.

Saturday March 7: 2Gold played at North Beach – Craig Hirsch, Chris Litchﬁeld, Milton Byass Pennants are nearing season’s end except for the premier ladies and the ladies Saturday teams who made the ﬁnals.

Wednesday March 4: Scroungers had a beautiful view of the “blood moon” rising in the eastern sky,

Several members competed in open triples at Bayswater Petanque Club on Sunday. Congratulations to Subiaco’s Avinash Ramjuttan, who was in the winning team. This Saturday, March 14, will be another round of the President’s Cup, open to all members and visitors. Visitors are welcome Saturdays and Wednesdays. For more information go to petanquesubiaco.com.

Mosman

team trains Monday and Thursday evenings at Harvey Field, 47 Broome Street, Cottesloe.

cottrugby.com/womens.

Luke Tucker from Claremont Retravision, left, with Nate Johnson, Katie Seol, and club president Tony Morgan.

The national U19 women’s oorball team is raising money to compete in Italy in May.

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Legal advice row

By Nadia Budihardjo

Former stockbroker Jon Fogarty has unearthed a decade-long dispute in his legal action against high-proﬁle lawyer Martin Bennett’s law ﬁrm.

Mr Fogarty’s company Fopar Nominees has lodged a Supreme Court writ claiming loss and damage from Lawﬁrst’s advice over a 2016 dispute.

Lawfirst trades as Bennett Litigation and Commercial Law.

Fopar used Bennett for legal advice and representation in an action against companies related to Vantage Holdings Group.

Mr Fogarty was a key backer of former West Coast footballer Andrew Donnelly’s insurance business Australian Reliance Group, of which VHG was a subsidiary.

Despite the Reliance business being sold to PSC Insurance Group in 2016, court cases and claims of millions of dollars of trust funds being misappropriated continued.

The Supreme Court in 2022 found Mr Donnelly and business partner Kim Hanson breached their duties as directors of VHG and Reliance Online.

The court decision

stemmed from a dispute with Queensland-based Phil Doring Insurance Brokers, a company Reliance acquired while it was in ﬁnancial difﬁculty.

Phil Doring sued Reliance Online, VHG, Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson, claiming only part of the agreed sale price was received.

Bennett principal Martin Bennett represented Reliance Online, VHG, Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson in the legal proceedings.

The court judgment shows Mr Fogarty’s Fopar ﬁnanced VHG from 2012 to 2016, including during the latter’s ﬁnancial trouble.

Mr Hanson described VHG’s ﬁnancial position in mid-2015 as “very precarious”, according to the judgment.

“The relationship between Mr Fogarty on the one hand and Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson on the other hand continued to deteriorate,” the judgment read.

“The deterioration in the relationship between Mr Fogarty and Mr Donnelly is illustrated by Mr Donnelly identifying Mr Fogarty on his phone contacts as ‘F…wit Fogarty’.”

Want trusted news, data and insights on the WA business community? Scan the QR code and register for a free trial

Seapines in $27m loan dispute

By Nadia Budihardjo

The developer behind the failed $75million Seapines project in Cottesloe is in a $27million dispute with her ﬁnanciers.

Deborah Whiting and her companies Seapines Property Group and Finetime Holdings have lodged a Supreme Court writ against groups that include former Fremantle footballer Matthew Carr.

Mr Carr’s Keystone Capital Partners and Rockford Sea Pines, as well as McGrathNicol partners Rob Kirman and Rob Brauer as agents for Rockford, have been named as defendants.

Ms Whiting, who controlled 17 of the 28 beachfront units on the prime Marine Parade development site, disputed Rockford’s claim that she

owed $27million under a 2023 loan agreement.

Ms Whiting alleged that Rockford issued her a default notice in December and seized properties owned by her or her company.

Seapines Property Group proposed to build a six-storey development at 94 Marine Parade in 2018.

Ms Whiting withdrew that proposal but lodged a new residential and commercial project with the state government’s State

Development Assessment Unit pathway in 2021.

That $75million proposal has also been withdrawn from the SDAU pathway.

Mr Kirman and Mr Brauer, acting as secured creditors, were appointed as administrators to Seapines Property Group on December 30.

Ms Whiting claimed she was entitled to have the loan agreement varied, alleging Keystone and Rockford breached mul-

tiple laws, the writ said.

Ms Whiting also alleged the amount she owed under the amended loan agreement was much less than the $27million claimed by the defendants.

ASIC records show Keystone is owned by Matthew Carr, Leith Carr, Beverley Meadowcroft, Raymond Meadowcroft, and Mara Kroyer. Rockford Sea Pines is owned by Mr Carr and Tom Kroyer.

Champion to step down from Black Swan

By Ella Loneragan

Black Swan State Theatre Company artistic director Kate Champion will step down from her role at the Perth-based performing arts organisation after programming ﬁve seasons.

Ms Champion’s contract will end in November, with Black Swan saying her tenure has led the company to continual success, achieving critical acclaim and record box ofﬁce sales.

Black Swan chair Francois Witbooi compli-

The POST targets

Famed glassblower blown away by Aussie inventiveness

SARAH McNEILL

“I am more impressed with ideas and the stretching of traditional concepts than skill,” said American glassblower Dante Marioni who ﬂew into Perth this week to judge the Tom Malone Glass Art Prize.

Australia’s longest-running acquisitive award for contemporary glass grants $20,000 to the winning artist chosen from 24 ﬁnalists, whose work is now on show at Linton and Kay Cottesloe. Dante, son of American studio glass pioneer Paul Marioni, trained in centuries-old Venetian

European taste celebrated

■ Dhivashini Thangathurai from Found Subiaco and Dom Boccia from La Delizia share a spritz cocktail, burrata and chardonnay with Michelle Nata and Rob Breden from La Bastide, to celebrate Subi Spritz. Photo: Jack Maddern “There was nothing here that tasted like Italy,” said Dom Boccia, of when he began making authentic Italian cheeses six years ago.

At that time, speciality cheeses such as burrata and stracciatella were usually imported frozen.

Over the past few years

Dom and his wife Kirsty have turned La Delizia Latticini cheeses – mozzarella, ricotta, burrata, stracciatella, scamorza and bocconcini – into essential ingredients in both domestic and industrial kitchens.

As part of the Subi Spritz foodie festival, La Delizia Latticini will demonstrate how to make its signature burrata in a masterclass at Bar Amelie.

techniques and was mentored by legendary Murano maestro Lino Tagliapietra. But although he is widely proclaimed as one of America’s ﬁnest glass artists he modestly said: “I’m just an oldschool glassblower guy. It’s so traditional, I haven’t invented anything.”

He said that much of the glass art that comes out of the US was derivative, “but Australian artists are so original and inventive”.

Walking around the gallery of ﬁnalists, he said he was struck by how much of the glass was designed not to look like glass: “If it doesn’t look like glass, what is the point?” he wondered.

For the judging, Dante was joined by Stefano Carboni, former director of Art Gallery of WA and Robert Cook, curator of contemporary art at AGWA, who has managed the Tom Malone Prize for 20 years.

Elizabeth Malone, governor of AGWA Foundation, began the award in 2003 in honour of her husband Tom. Since 2018, it has been supported by foundation benefactor Sheryl Grimwood.

La Bastide on Onslow Road will host a traditional French bistro lunch, Champagne, Chardonnay et Charcuterie; oysters paired with Ayala champagne, and crusty baguette, French butter, charcuterie and heirloom tomatoes paired with French chardonnay.

Brewery Found Subiaco and Cherubino Wines will come together in a Euro Sunday Sesh of Italian inspired food and drinks, and the popular Conti Roll contest continues.

Spanish and French long table lunches, Juanita’s aperitivo club, masterclasses in wines and limoncello and a night market are among the many mouthwatering events on the menu for Subi Spritz, which runs

The annual Subi Spritz celebrates European food and wine through masterclasses, events, special dinners and newly concocted cocktails.

from March 26 to 29. For program details go to subispritz.com.au.

The winner was announced after TimeOut went to press. All the ﬁnalists are on show at Linton and Kay Galleries Cottesloe until April 6.

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■ Vessel Study, blown glass with coldworked colour, by Drew Spangenberg (SA).

■ Bush Wee. A stained glass panel by Hannah Gregory (WA).

Subi Arts Centre chosen for WAAPA double bill

Despite the impressive new Edith Cowan University building in Perth city opening last month, the WA Academy of Performing Arts programmed the ﬁrst performances of the year in other venues, to be safe.

Third-year graduating students will perform a repertoire of two shows at Subiaco Arts Centre from March 26.

The double-bill brings together two completely different plays– Martin McDonagh’s Irish black satire The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and American playwright Clare Barron’s contemporary play Dance Nation, about pre-teen dancers.

“What they share is great writing and great characters,” said Dance

fanatical leader of an Irish National Liberation Army splinter group whose devotion to violent extremism is rivalled only by his love for his cat.

Dance Nation explores adolescence, ambition, identity and the volatile power of female friendships.

“WAAPA has never done this play before because, until now, we’ve never had the very speciﬁc cultural cohort of actors,” said Alexandria.

“But it is also a timely play about young women that both men and women need to see.”

Nation director Alexandria Steffensen.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore, directed by Anna Houston, exposes the absurdity and pointlessness of the Irish terrorist movement. Set in 1993 on the island of Inishmore, County Galway, it centres on “Mad” Padraic, the

The program of student performances was planned last year and will run at the Subiaco Arts Centre and State Theatre Centre for the ﬁrst half of the year, to ensure that the new venues at ECU City are completed and that the venue operations team have time to fully orientate themselves with the new technology before putting on shows for the public.

Mindaroo Foundation came up with $30million for the performing arts venue, the largest philanthropic donation in Australia, of which $23million has gone into new technology being installed in the performance venues and rehearsal spaces.

■ WAAPA’s opening double bill at Subiaco Arts Centre runs from March 26 to 31 in repertory. To book go to artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au.

Class act with a dark twist

Outalbali), he expects round-the-clock service.

The original French title of The Party’s Over, Classe Moyenne, directly translates to “middle class” – the subject of French director Antony Cordier’s satirical comedy of manners.

But it isn’t just the middle class he takes aim at; it’s also the aspirational working class.

For Nadine (the wonderful Laure Calamy) and Tony (Ramzy Bedia) Aziz, the year-round caretakers of a fancy villa in the south of France, life is clearly better when the owners aren’t there. The sparkling pool is theirs to enjoy, the garden, the million-dollar vista.

But when pompous lawyer Philippe Trousselard (Laurent Laﬁtte) arrives for the summer with his wife Laurence (Élodie Bouchez), daughter Garance (Noee Abita), and her law graduate boyfriend Mehdi (Sex Education’s Sami

And he has no qualms about interrupting Nadine and Tony’s 20-year-old daughter, Marylou’s (Mahia Zrouki), birthday so Tony can come unblock a pipe.

After a series of belittling interactions and several drinks too many, Tony snaps, and a stunned Philippe decides to evict them. What he doesn’t expect is for Nadine and Tony to have sorted themselves an “insurance policy” of sorts.

As tensions play out with feisty amusement, Medhi, the ﬁlm’s only real voice of reason, ﬁnds himself playing mediator.

Adapted by Cordier and Julie Peyr from a

screenplay by Jean-Alain Laban and Steven Mitz, The Party’s Over’s greatest strength is its cast, who embrace the outlandish comedy and are clearly having fun – particularly Calamy, who enlivens every ﬁlm she’s in.

So it’s something of a tonal jolt when towards the end the ﬁlm snaps out of its initial farce and into something unexpectedly darker.

Insufferably entitled millionaires or mercenary working-class wannabes, Cordier reckons they’re all dirty rotten scoundrels. Intervene at your peril.

■ The French Film Festival is now showing at Palace and Luna Palace cinemas until April 15.

I am currently dating a man who I know I could fall in love with. But he is legally separated from an alcoholic wife who is the mother of his two teenage daughters. He is a ﬁreman who works many hours and is very responsible, and he told me he does not ever want to get back together with his estranged wife.

Recently she was involved in a hit-andrun while driving drunk. She initially ﬂed the scene to my boyfriend’s house for cover, but was picked up by the police.

I know exes are part of someone’s life, but should I back out of this relationship because of the drama, or be patient and a shoulder to lean on during the turmoil?

Daphne

Daphne, this woman created a spectacle at your boyfriend’s house, but what about when it is your house and your friends and neighbours witness the drama? While he is asleep at the fire station, you are going to be dealing with this. The daughters raised in this difficult situation may have problems of their own. At a minimum you will be tied to this woman for the rest of your life through holidays, graduations, weddings and grandchildren. What you call drama is part of you warning yourself not to go there. If you doubt your ability to manage the chaos, then this is not the job for you. Not everyone can be a firefighter. If you aren’t sure you can put out fires, stay away from the flames.

Wayne & Tamara

• Need some advice? Write to writedirectanswers@gmail.com

■ Caretaker Nadine (Laura Calamy) and her daughter Marylou (Mahia Zrouki) won’t give up without a ﬁght.

SARAH McNEILL

■ The perfect multicultural third year cohort for Dance Nation.

The Party’s Over (Classe Moyenne) (M) French Film Festival

■ Casey Stevenson as the Lieutenant who must choose: guns or cats?

Catalpa escape looms large in Fenians Festival

SARAH McNEILL

When Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke learned that his grandfather had grown up in a workhouse on the west coast of Ireland he began researching and writing about Ireland’s famine.

“It was cataclysmic for me,” he said, “and I needed to share it.

“My job as a songwriter is to gift the stories to others.”

It was Declan’s love of history

Gem marks a turnaround for Meg

and his ability to turn his research into award-winning songs that drew him to Fremantle’s Fenians Festival.

This year celebrates 150 years since a highly-planned escape and rescue resulted in six Irish political prisoners (Fenians) escaping from a convict work detail in Fremantle in 1876, and making their way to a rendezvous with the Catalpa, an American whaling

ship, near Rockingham.

When Joanna Robertson contacted Declan in 2017 to invite him to Fremantle to celebrate the anniversary of the Catalpa escape, Australia’s most daring maritime prison break, he was immediately interested. It appealed to his sense of history, and it gave him a chance to return to Australia where he spent his most formative years.

Declan’s family emigrated to Melbourne in 1987 but over the next four years, Declan’s mother was so homesick she ran up a $2000 phone bill in one month. They went back to Ireland.

Then, when he was 19, Declan returned to Melbourne where he began his career as a musician.

featuring Irish poet Tony Curtis, American Jim Ryan, the greatgrandson of Catalpa’s captain George Anthony, Theatre 180’s production Catalpa: Flight to Freedom, history talks, panel discussions, music by Fiona Doyle and Friends, a Family Day at WA Maritime Museum and Fred Rea and Jim Ryan presenting The Catalpa Voyage – Songs and Stories.

Fenians Festival runs from March 23 to 31. Declan will headline the concert at the Quarry Amphitheatre supported by Fiona Rea, on Saturday March 28.

For festival program

Go in curious. Come out moved.

Perth Festival continues with art that stays with you, including the perspective-challenging Painting Itself

绘画本身 which reimagines painting through an East and Southeast Asian lens; the anti-retrospective Worst Hits by Pascale Giorgi, and the evocative Loom of the Land by Brad Rimmer –plus much more.

Swanbourne restoration journey in the

ASwanbourne couple were surprised – and horriﬁed – by the number of people who asked if they were going to demolish the “pink house”, a 1914 character house in Shenton Road.

Tom Edson and his wife Kelly Nutt-Edson were living in London with their identical twin daughters when they first saw it

online last year.

Tom was working as a commercial real estate agent and Kelly in data analytics and people insights for Deloitte.

“We both agreed that despite the scale of work required, the opportunity was too good to ignore,” Tom said.

“We arranged for our family in Perth to inspect

■ The house was given the front page treatment in the POST’s Property section on February 15, 2025.

We place real value on heritage homes, particularly as they become increasingly rare ‘ ’

they keep pink features?

“We still haven’t decided,” Tom said.

They have engaged Coveney Browne Architects to return it to its former glory while adapting it for modern family life.

Tom said leaving London after two decades to move to Perth, where Kelly was originally from, was not

“I had spent almost 25 years in commercial real estate in senior roles across major global ﬁrms, but as a family we felt the character of London was shifting,” he said.

“The city had grown by around 2.4million people during that time and,

while still remarkable, everyday life was becoming increasingly challenging.

“A 4km drive to our daughters’ swimming club could take 30 minutes.”

The ﬁnal piece of the relocation puzzle was securing the right role.

He joined Subiaco ﬁrm Vend Property, founded by Jeff Klopper, as head of investment sales.

The firm specialises in large format retail and other commercial properties from Margaret River to Karratha.

“The daily commute from Swanbourne to Subiaco by cycle, train or sharing a lift is a far cry from London,” he said.

■ When they moved in, they found an old roll of yellow wallpaper that features in one of the bedrooms. “Our

■ Ex-Londoners Tom and Kelly are looking forward to restoring Swanbourne’s much-loved “pink house”. They are no strangers to restoration, having refurbished two Victorian-era homes dating from 1880 and 1890 in Islington.

There will be free events, including a Connetix Challenge for kids, at Perth Design Week which starts on Thursday.

Creativity on show at Perth Design Week

Perth’s creative set will have plenty to talk about when Perth Design Week opens on Thursday, March 19, followed by a week-long program of events and discussions, some of which have already sold out. The festival’s fourth iteration brings together architecture, design, landscape, planning, interiors, furniture, fashion and graphic design in different locations. Among the free activities for kids is a Connetix Challenge next Saturday where kids play and learn with the colourful magnetic construction tiles. There will be music and a gelato cart at the event in Cathedral Square. If all the activity is too much, head to the “digital detox lounge” during the day in a space called The Mark,

in the State Buildings. Ligne Roset, a French furniture manufacturer, has created an elegant space for people to switch off their computers and mobile phones. For more information or to book an event, go to perthdesignweek.com.

‘Bondi of the West’ close to complete There are just two apartments left in in the Gerry Harvey-funded $85million beachfront apartment development on the corner of Marine Parade and Warnham Road in Cottesloe. The billionaire retailer nanced the eight-unit apartment block called The Warnham, which marketing material described as “The Bondi of The West”. The latest unit to sell was apartment No.4, on Level 2, which agent Chris Shellabear said went for $9.5million. “We will now be launching apartment No.1 which is the same size as No.4 but is on the level below,” Mr Shellabear said. The 4x2 is priced at $8.5million. The developers have kept the pick of the apartments – The Glasshouse, occupying the top two oors – for last. “Cottesloe has never seen anything like this before,” Mr Shellabear said. “There is no asking price because it is almost impossible to value.” The penthouse, with 270-degree views, an internal lift and a sculptural staircase, is expected to launch in two weeks.

The land was owned by former lawyer and sandalwood promoter Frank Wilson who was made bankrupt in 2023. In other Cottesloe news, a renovated 1905 home at 32 John Street was sold on March 6 for $7million.

‘Don’t panic’ over Middle East war Agent Mack Hall doubts the Middle East war and this week’s stock market wipeout will affect the local property market. “WA is a prosperous place but this may bring a pause to the market,” Mr Hall said. “We are in a wait-and-see situation.” His comments follow last weekend’s auction of a riverfront home in Mosman Park which was passed in for $10.6million. The 1217sq.m property at 2 Johnson Parade is being sold as a deceased

■ “There is no asking price because it is almost impossible to value,” Chris Shellabear said about The Glasshouse, a two-level apartment in Cottesloe. The nishing touches, including art installation, are being put on the beachfront penthouse, which is expected to launch in two weeks.

estate, after being in the same family for almost 70 years. There are price expectations of around $12million for the R25 site that could be subdivided in two. “It was disappointing on the day, but my job is to calm it all down,” Mr Hall said. “We already have an offer so it’s just a matter of time.” In other auction results, a beautifullyrenovated character home at 34 Dalkeith Road, Nedlands, was passed in for $3.4million. Agent Pauline Fermanis of Ray White is selling the 4x3 with distinctive turrets.

Two bidders put their hands up for 2 Johnson Parade, Mosman Park, which was passed in for $10.6million.

■ There are price expectations of around $20million for Danny and Suzie Pavlovich’s

and technology.

Purpose-built for wellness

37 Esplanade NEDLANDS

Guard

park outlook is a feature of this terrace home with a selfcontained apartment.

Lucy Thomson, DUET Property Group.

5 5 6

WFrom $20million Ray White 1407sq.m

ellness combines with technology in the home of Danny Pavlovich, a bodybuilder and Nutrition Systems chief executive.

Danny and his wife Suzie are selling their home with 14 in-wall iPad control hubs, a commercial-sized gym, a video wall, 16 security cameras and more tech features.

There is a big focus on wellness, with an infrared sauna, a steam room and a private racquetball court.

“My family and I love this house,” Danny said.

“We use every space; there is no wasted area. It was purposebuilt for us. “

The couple and their two children, aged 20 and 18, are upgrading to another one of their projects – the former Alan Bond mansion at 89 Watkins Road, Dalkeith.

“We love building at this level,” Danny said.

Their big-budget home for sale is on a 1407sq.m site opposite the foreshore and river.

Clean lines and big picture windows on the exterior blend with the apartments next door at the former Steves complex.

The interiors lean towards a bold, masculine palette with glossy black ﬁnishes and reﬂec-

tive surfaces that create impact.

Curved coffered ceilings, cabinets and illuminated mirrors soften the edges.

The house wraps around a resort-style outdoor area with a sunken alfresco lounge, outdoor kitchen and a pool with white mosaic tiles.

It’s the kind of house you would rarely need to leave for entertainment because it has a fully-soundproof cinema, a hotel-style bar and a nine-seater

teppanyaki grill overlooking the river.

Agent Vivien Yap said the home “redeﬁned luxury living in Perth.

Opposite river CONTACT: Vivien Yap 0433 258 818. Things you will love

High tech features

Focus on wellness

North Street A building company bought this block-value house on a 306sq.m site near the North Street Store. It settled on February 10. AGENT: Bev Heymans, Acton | Belle.

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This is what ﬂipping is all about. The designer-owner paid $2.52million for the house last year and then did a major renovation.

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Cricket lightens SAS tragedy

• From page 1

The navigator was the only survivor of the crash. He had bent down to pick up a pencil and woke up hours later, floating in the sea with a crushed leg.

The wreckage sank in 80m within a few minutes and due to the lack of physical evidence, investigators never determined the cause of the crash.

The US 353rd Special Operations Wing conducts an annual memorial flight and drops a wreath into the ocean at the crash site.

The beach cricket match ended in a draw and the teams headed to the Ocean Beach Hotel for beers, speeches and the recital of an Ode.

The bat used in the match is the same used in the first memorial game, the wicket is the same tin rubbish bin, and they use the original scorebooks.

The counter-terrorist training facilities at Swanbourne SAS were named after Sgt Miller in 1991.

“He was in my patrol and it broke my heart when he was killed,” Jack said.

“I still revere and miss him. He was a great bloke.”

“Ewan would have used that bat.”

Sgt Murray Tonkin’s daughter Rebecca left, and widow Yvonne with Jack Baker

NCBCA pioneer and cartoonist Paul Rigby’s name and trademark urchin can be spotted on the bat, among other well-known WA names.

NCBCA captain Paul Sullivan said the match was their most important of the season.

“I so admire what these blokes do, they are remarkable people,” he said.

He said it was “very touching and poignant” when Yvonne and her family were presented with flowers.

The game has unusual rules: each run is worth 10 runs, the ocean is considered a player, the bat is half the size of a normal bat, and there are no umpires.

“If you know you’re out, you walk, it’s as simple as that,” Paul said.

Phrases of note include CWB (chance went begging), FA (frivolous appeal), and YBH (Yah Boo Hiss), for poor sportsmanship.

The SAS, based in Swanbourne, is Australia’s elite special forces unit which specialises in high-risk military operations.

Flags flying in the dunes included the Australian flag alongside others bearing the words “Lest We Forget” and the SASR motto “Who Dares Wins.”

• Open Arms for veterans and families counselling 1800 011 046.

Secession bid starts in Dalkeith

Former constitutional lawyer Leo Tsaknis said there was no chance secession would ever become a reality.

“In a nutshell, the possibility of WA, if it votes to secede, is Buckley’s and none,” he said.

“When WA agreed to join the federation, the constitution it

signed talks about one indissoluble union, and there is no provision to get rid of it.

“The only way to do that would be through the federal referendum procedure.

“We are at the high point of WA’s economic strength and the best we can hope for is reducing further loss of our position.”

Cancer Council pushes state on ad bans

choice, the environment we are living in plays a really important part, and that’s what this is about, exposing that environment,” Ms Sartori said.

She said the well-documented risks of excess sugar and saturated fats in diets offered by fast food menus were linked to higher chances of developing disease or cancer.

Reducing obesity would save the government hundreds of millions of dollars in public health costs.

Ms Sartori said she could not understand why the State Government would not support ad restrictions.

“They haven’t given us a reason,” she said.

“When our current premier was health minister, he was keen on this policy, and he

went to the 2021 election saying they would look at investigating it if they were re-elected.

“They did set up a working group. But that (new policy) didn’t eventuate.”

The Premier’s office was unable to respond to questions by the deadline.

Mosman Park’s restrictions on junk food advertising show how the restrictions could apply not only to the state government but also to other councils.

“You can advertise your junk food on your premises, but you can’t advertise it outside of them,” Mayor Paul Shaw said.

Cottesloe has recently implemented similar junk-food restrictions to Mosman Park, while Subiaco has less extensive ones, as do Kwinana, Mandurah and Melville.

Mr Cook had no time for the idea.

“I understand there’s a prominent West Australian who’s got a book that he wants to sell, and part of that is a pitch for Western Australia to secede,” he said.

“We are a proud member of the Australian Commonwealth.

“I’ll wait for it to come out on video.”

Mr Gorman said it was the worst time to suggest this idea.

“People have been selling this dodgy product for 125 years,” he said.

“It is idiotic to see current global fractures, trade wars and conflict and think that secession is the answer for Western Australia.

“This particular book appears to be arguing for a far-right agenda of cuts to public services, Medicare and education to fund excessive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.”

Mr Gillespie said neither politician had bothered to engage on a factual basis with what the book argued.

The state’s pro-secession party, WAxit, and its federal equivalent, the Western Australia Party, failed to gain more than 1% of the vote in the most recent state and federal elections.

These magpies mimic human learning

• From page 11

However, recent research found several primate species and the WA magpie produced complex call sequences that parallelled sentence-like structure.

“The major difference is primates seem to lack the capacity to learn new sounds, whereas magpies are open-ended vocal learners,” Dr Mason said.

“This means that, like us, they’re able to learn new sounds indefinitely throughout life – something we see in their capacity to mimic new sounds in their environment.”

What has not been known was how magpies learned to make their sophisticated call sequences.

“This is the first study to capture the emergence of call sequences over the course of development in any non-human animal,” she said.

“These sequences were all made up of the same building block calls regardless of social group, suggesting it may not be the calls themselves that are learned, but the way they are combined.

“It’s a bit like learning the specific ‘grammar’ or dialect of the community in

Nedlands woes blow out by $5m

• From page 7

“process and organisation improvement analyst” and a “strategy and performance coordinator”.

Mr Kyron told an earlier meeting that staff turnover had begun to stabilise following the former council’s dismissal.

Other big unexpected costs include $500,000 for urgent maintenance works and $230,000 to demolish Hackett Hall in Floreat.

The dire financial news came as Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley raised the spectre of council amalgamations in the western suburbs, telling ABC Radio she was “considering all options”.

“Nobody knew the extent of how serious the issues were at the City of Nedlands until the commissioners were installed,” she said.

“In order just to get themselves righted there’s $27million worth of work that needs to be done.

That’s a significant issue when you’re talking about a population

of around 23,000 people.”

Ms Beazley did not explicitly threaten forced amalgamations, telling listeners that she preferred “community-driven solutions”.

“I really need [councils] to get real and start considering their futures,” she said.

That suggestion will be in the hands of a new mayor and councillors after the March 28 election.

At a candidates forum last week, former mayor Max Hipkins said Nedlands’ reputation as a “money pit” stymied a proposed merger with the Town of Claremont in the early 2010s.

“We even offered to be the City of Claremont and to base our headquarters in Claremont. They still wouldn’t have anything to do with us.

“The surrounding councils see the City of Nedlands as a money pit.

“We have all the parks that need maintaining, and we find it difficult to get the funds to maintain to the standard that the residents would like to see.”

Mayors track it right

• From page 1

Swanbourne, Cottesloe and Mosman Park stations.

The mayors of Claremont, Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park say this is no longer necessary.

They point out that Claremont has already exceeded its infill target while the submitted town plans of the other three councils provide for 3000 extra homes, more than would be provided by the “circles of doom” infill scenario (‘Doom circles’ obsolete, say locals, POST February 28).

The mayors have yet to hear back from WA Planning Commission chair Emma Cole on their response to the circles plan that will cede all planning within them to the government.

Mr Shaw had a pointed message for the government after it completed a $400million Midland station redevelopment.

“I will have to concede, I’m extremely jealous that you can have that much spent within a municipality,” he said.

“Other than some grants that we would get from Main Roads in the ordinary course of constructing roads, the answer is

that we’ve got virtually nothing.

“While some of that is due to this government, there are plenty of other governments, both of the Labor and Liberal stripe, who have also contributed nothing over those 28 years.

“It’s now time to turn state government attention to those parts of Perth which have missed out for at least 28 years.”

Cottesloe mayor Melissa Harkins and Peppermint Grove president Karen Farley joined Mr Shaw to urge government action.

“A severe lack of transport and infrastructure upgrades to support the proposed infill is driving advocacy and concern among the western suburbs councils,” they said.

For the first time some information was given this week on the future of the marshalling yards overlooking Leighton Beach.

“The potential relocation of the Leighton Marshalling Yards’ operation, which could free up the large area of state land for development, was a consideration in the current planning work of a long-term transport plan for North Fremantle,” the PTA said.

Hit-run driver jailed over 84-year-old’s death

• From page 16

Ms Smiddy-Brown said of that incident that a man jumped in front of Hadwiger’s vehicle, and when he got out to help he was assaulted by a group of men who had been lying in wait.

The assault was so violent that he had to have a metal plate surgically implanted into his face, which became infected.

“He still experiences chronic pain as a result of that injury,”

which you grow up.”

Dr Mason said it still was not clear why different social groups needed different sequence repertoires, given they shared the same underlying calls.

“What is the function of these group-specific ‘dialects’?” she asked. “This is possibly the most interesting and baffling question that remains about magpie communication.”

She said the research was likely to apply to more species than there currently was evidence for.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Ms Smiddy-Brown said.

She said his decision not to stop was “a trauma-related flight response”.

But she acknowledged there had been nothing to stop him reporting the crash to police.

“It’s not a case of deliberately trying to avoid responsibility, it’s a case of not facing responsibility,” she said.

“Mr Hadwiger didn’t fabricate evidence, he didn’t hide evidence. He simply did nothing.”

Prosecutor Fawkes said Hadwiger’s inaction was “simply not good enough”.

“By doing nothing you’re

actually doing something, and that something is hindering an investigation,” he said.

The court heard that years after the accident that led to him being bashed, Hadwiger had “knocked over four cyclists” in yet another driving incident, for which he was punished with a fine.

Judge Amanda Burrows said she had received an apology letter from Hadwiger addressed to Mr Vella’s family, but that it would be up to them if they wanted to receive it.

“Whilst initially you may not have known what you saw … you conceded that you knew it was a person when you were driving away,” she told Hadwiger.

“You have now come, at a later stage, to remorse.”

She sentenced Hadwiger to two years in prison, with a nonparole period of one year.

His driver’s licence will be suspended for two years after his release.

Relatives of Mr Vella, accompanied by a police officer, declined to speak to the POST as they left the court.

Centimetre perfect in life and livelihood

There have been thousands of words, hundreds of thousands probably, uttered in the past week or so about Dennis Cometti’s golden career behind the microphone.

This column is not going to regurgitate a series of his exquisite bon mots, those centimetreperfect descriptions of football incidents and coincidences and moments that remain in the memory for years and decades.

Yes, Dennis was a special talent. Unmatched.

In a world of testosterone, ego and decibel enhancement, his rich velvet voice and understated understanding of the game playing out before him was the epitome of what Richie Benaud once told me was the key to television broadcasting.

“Your job is to enhance the

pictures with your voice … or your silence,” Richie said.

Unlike the voice of summer, the voice of winter was not renowned for its silence.

But it was ubiquitous. The moments occurred and the voice provided the soundtrack by which they became famous.

Football without Cometti would have been like Jaws without the John Williams score.

Cometti did not make Adrian Barich famous, but a memory did come to me this week after running into Barra at the WA Football Hall of Fame.

Cometti was a member of the Hall of Fame, and a selector before that.

His one-liners were as sharp around the selection table as were his quips on air.

Working on the boundary line for Channel 7 during a match at Subiaco Oval many seasons ago, Barra was caught between the information coming through his earpiece and what was happening out of view.

“Brendon Fewster has an ankle injury,” he told the world.

“You won’t see him again tonight.”

The words were uttered just as the camera panned onto the Fremantle forward jogging back into position on the ﬁeld.

“Better recovery than a pro wrestler,” Cometti deadpanned.

The moment was documented because I mentioned it in a weekly column about the politics, economics and quirks of football’s coverage in the electronic media. There was a never-ending supply of material.

I wanted to call the column Eye on the Box but the powersthat-be insisted it become In the Box Seat. Not sure why.

Cometti was the subject of the column several times, not always about how well he or Channel 7 were going – there was no need for sycophancy when newspaper and television station had different owners – but it was through that occasionally pointed vehicle that I got to know the man behind the microphone.

He was warmer and more generous in person than on air.

The ﬁrst time came when I criticised, mildly, an allegedly live cross Cometti did to John

It was supposedly 8.20pm in the dead of a Melbourne winter yet the sun was shining brightly and the subject stumbled over the name of his interviewer: the live cross was clearly anything but. Cometti rang me after the column ran, not angry nor disappointed nor apologetic, but full of humorous advice about the naivety of believing everything you see on the small screen.

Another column examined Cometti’s claim on radio that he had advised his fellow commentator Eddie McGuire that the Collingwood president would be making a mistake by calling Collingwood matches.

Tim Lane, another substantial caller armed with dulcet tones and a way with words, had already quit over the matter. It was quite an issue in 2002. Cometti again rang, a little more agitated this time, to deny that he had made the comment and to admit the story had caused him some grief with his fellow commentator.

But I had a recording of the radio show and was able to substantiate the column detail.

He rang back a day or so later, apologised for his original call, said he had listened to a recording of the show and acknowledged that he had been in the wrong.

It was a signiﬁcant admission, and revealing.

We hit it off from that point, often discussing his passion to get to the bottom of the John F Kennedy assassination.

He talked about his delight at

the release of MacArthur Park when he was a disc jockey at 6KY.

“It goes for 8½ minutes,” he said. “There has never been a better song for a DJ who wants to escape the turntable.”

He loathed going to weddings and had a well-honed list of reasons to not attend them.

But he loved football, the characters and stars who made it shine. None more so than his hero in Melbourne and East Fremantle giant Bob Johnson.

Cometti was a highly inﬂuential selector on the Australian Hall of Fame whose success over a decade belied the difﬁculties previous members had encountered in trying to get WA candidates over the line.

Having a great relationship with his fellow 7 caller Bruce McAvaney helped the cause.

McAvaney joined the panel two years after Cometti and the pair convinced their fellow selectors to introduce a system in which WA and SA would alternate every year with a candidate to be rubber-stamped.

Pros face Olympic wipeout

surfing with cameron bedford-brown

The International Surﬁng Association has sent a rogue wave crashing through the World Surf League Championship Tour by changing the rules for 2028 Olympic qualiﬁcation. And the pros aren’t happy as they claim they have been sidelined.

The championship tour has been the top proving ground for more than 50 years. It is where the best surfers in the world are forged in the crucible of competition with the pros at the forefront of the Olympic selection process.

But the ISA has replaced that season-long selection process for the Los Angeles

games with a qualiﬁcation system that feels more like a game of roulette than a true line-up of champions.

The WSL CT will now only provide the top ﬁve surfers per gender, down from the 10 men and eight women in 2024.

Qualiﬁcation for pros will be taken from only the ﬁrst half of the 2028 CT season, meaning world champs from the 2027 season may not qualify.

Surﬁng fought hard to earn Olympic recognition and many pros now fear the pendulum has swung too far from rewarding the stars of the sport.

Current world champ

Brazilian Yago Dora warned that reigning world champions might miss the Olympics entirely.

Italian Leonardo Fioravanti argued that fans deserve to see the best surfers and not a faceless roster chosen by paperwork and timing.

American Lakey Peterson didn’t mince words saying the changes were “terrible” and showed “a lack of respect.”

WSL CEO Ryan Crosby said they were deeply disappointed with the lack of consultation.

He said the ISA ignored attempts to negotiate a reasonable partnership, cancelled meetings and ignored emails.

The result feels like a tug-of-war with the ISA pushing for greater global control of the sport and to move out from under the shadow of the WSL.

ISA French chair and big

wave legend Justine Dupont said the overhaul was about global inclusion, gives national surﬁng federations more inﬂuence and widens opportunity for surfers from emerging nations.

For surfing’s sake the Olympic spotlight should shine on the athletes who have proven themselves and not those lucky enough to navigate the ISA’s bureaucratic power play.

The Olympics should celebrate mastery and the surfers that stand on the podium should be the best.

Let’s be real here, it’s the WSL that promoted surfing and pushed it onto the global stage.

This decision by the ISA seems more like a grab for power and less about surfing excellence.

Johnson went in during the ﬁrst year of the Cometti blueprint, then Ern Henfry, Austin Robertson, this week’s WA legend Ray Sorrell, Bernie Naylor and Mel Whinnen. Cometti was a doer, not just a sayer.

His other great joy was recounting his role in the famous Mark Yeates-Dermott Brereton collision at the start of the 1989 grand ﬁnal that he claimed was the best game he called.

A player named John Morgan had filled the Yeates role five years earlier when Cometti, as West Perth coach, had tried to find a way to combat Swan Districts enforcer Brad Shine who, like Brereton, used to run at vulnerable opponents like a “human torpedo”.

Morgan was comfortable with the role of a hitman’s hitman.

“As it happened, I ran into Shine and he ended up looking like Richard Kiel after he crashed a cable car in Moonraker,” he said years later. Cometti once described the incident in great detail to Geelong coach Malcolm Blight then watched, bemused, as the script played out at the opening bounce in 1989.

“High above the MCG in the commentary box it was the strangest feeling,” Cometti wrote in his memoir Back to the Place, Back to the Time.

“Like knowing an important secret, one you just had to share.”

He might not have shared that memory on air, but there have been plenty of others over 76 years. Some of them will remain unforgettable.

Brazilian Italo Ferreira ew high to become the rst male Olympic gold medal winner. Photo: WSL/Geada

Worsfold in Melbourne.

John townsend

THE Sporting

Cometti as West Perth coach.

Golden voice … Dennis Cometti dominated football from behind the microphone.

Fremantle giant Bob Johnson.

Cometti and the columnist at a West Perth event.

Use this shape to make a drawing. The best two entries will win.

Clownﬁsh and quick cars

How to enter:

Do your best Doodlebug drawing in the box above, and ﬁll in the entry form. Cut out the drawing and entry form and ask an adult to email it to sarah@postnewspapers.com.au, with “Doodlebug” in the subject heading. Or drop your entry off to our ofﬁce at 276 Onslow Road, Shenton Park 6008, during normal business hours, or mail it to POST Kids at that address. For artists up to the age of 12. ENTRIES MUST ARRIVE BY NOON ON WEDNESDAY.

Name: Age

Address

Suburb Postcode

Phone number:

What have you drawn?:

Portia Momen, Darcie Holdsworth, Charlotte Young, Molly Grandison, Lauren McKenna, Eliana Polmear.

There were some lovely water themes this week, such as Charlotte’s surfer girl, Golda’s glorious waves and Clara’s swimming carnival, along with our main winner, Menna Townsend. Menna, 7, from Mosman Park, drew one of my favourite fish, Nemo, a clownfish who lives in the warm tropical waters Up North. Menna has captured

Good blood, bad blood Tongue Twister

FAVOURITE

Nemo’s colours and patterns really well.

Our other winner is Samuel O’Leary, 8, from Wembley, who like me, spent last weekend watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.

He has drawn a race-track with four cars fighting it out and fans cheering them on.

There’s lots of detail.

I also love Molly’s storyboard of a girl catching a falling pot of flowers and Emma’s witch with a ghost escaping her cauldron. Lots of great storytelling!

DIVE into a magical underwater kingdom where Ariel, a curious young mermaid, dreams of life above the waves.

Perth company Hama Productions returns to the Regal

Theatre next month with the family musical The Little Mermaid.

Based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, the stage musical follows the story of a mermaid who dreams of the

world above the sea and gives up her voice to nd true love.

This timeless Disney classic features memorable songs like Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World, as Sebastian, Flounder and the entire merfolk kingdom help Ariel on

her quest to meet the man of her dreams.

She saves Prince Eric in a storm and makes the dramatic decision to meet with the sea witch Ursula, who presents her with a deal: Ariel will be turned into a human for three days, during which she has to win the kiss of true love from Eric. If she does, she will be human permanently. If not, her soul will belong to Ursula. But to do this Ariel must give up her beautiful singing voice. Over the past few years Hama has produced The Wizard of