POST Newspapers 26 July 2025 by POST Newspapers

Tornado chaos

By LLOYD GORMAN and JACK M ADDERN

City Beach residents cowered in their homes as roofs were torn off and trees toppled while a tornado wreaked havoc across the suburb.

A “water spout” that formed off the coastline moved inland through several western suburbs about 5.30pm on Wednesday.

Homes on Kalari Drive and Marapana Road were hardest hit with several losing their roofs and suffering water damage from heavy rain during the

unexpected mid-week storm, with 46mm reported at nearby Swanbourne.

One City Beach resident took shelter beneath their kitchen table and another posted to social media they felt lucky to have survived the ordeal.

No one was at home at 22 Lentara Avenue when the tornado struck without warning.

Dan Corbett said the ﬁrst thing the family knew about it was when their house appeared on the news and they shared it on a group chat.

“We got here about 8.30pm and

the place was like something from the movie Twister,” he said.

“There was stuff scattered everywhere, it was carnage, there were bits of fences, carports, trees and we had slates off the roof.

“The SES were already at our neighbours across the road so they were already on the scene.

“Me and my brother Mitch got up on the roof with them

to assess the damage and they put a tarp on the roof.

“It happened to be a training night for the SES guys so they were ready to swing into action.

“Two crews were here from about 9pm to 1am and they did a good job.”

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said there were 109 calls for help, 35 around the City Beach area.

Neighbours of the Corbett family were at home when the storm hit.

Iva Surveyor was watching the weather forecast on TV but had just turned it off because the pounding rain was so loud.

“Then there was a loud cannonade, like missiles were being ﬁred against the windows,” he said.

• Please turn to page 61

Neds ‘saviour’ was a sacked councillor

“[Nedlands] councillors

By STAFF REPORTERS

David Caddy should know all about a dysfunctional council sacked by the local government minister.

The new chair of commissioners appointed to run Nedlands for the next eight months was one of the councillors sacked in 1995 when then-minister Paul Omodei considered Nedlands “unworkable”.

Mr Caddy had unsuccessfully run for mayor of Nedlands, being defeated on an emotional election night by long-serving

West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson and his wife Nichole are selling their City Beach home as they prepare for a potential move back to Melbourne. Their Dampier Avenue house is for sale for $6.5million. The sleek modernist-style house was built by the Simpsons after they bought the block for $1.5million in 2016, two years before the Eagles won the AFL premiership. It is believed the former North Melbourne premiership player is off-loading his interests in the west as he considers a possible return to AFL coaching ranks in Melbourne. He was sacked as West Coast coach last year and has since been involved in the football media and running his Hungry Jack’s franchises.

■ See Changing Hands, page 55

need more resources to get the ﬂailing council back on track. He resigned as WA Planning Commission chairman last December after six years in the job, during which the City of Nedlands endured forced upzonings and the WAPC granting lu-

crative concessions to developers, changing the face of Nedlands’ famed garden suburb image. Ms Sandri is a current WAPC board member and co-founder of town planning ﬁrm Urbanista Town Planning, which was

Please

The great fall of City Beach … Lentara Crescent resident Iva Surveyor lost his backgarden wall to the tornado.

Photo: Lloyd Gorman TOP LEFT: A large tree uprooted across Brookdale Street, Floreat. Photo: Jack Maddern

are there for the benefit of the ratepayers, not to fight with each other over the council chamber” – ( minister Paul Omodei, reported in the POST March 14, 1996).

Adam Simpson is set to return to Melbourne.

David Caddy

Driven to distraction

As school holidays come to an end and our kids return to school, it’s a timely reminder for all Perth drivers to slow down, stay alert and exercise patience, particularly around busy school zones and shopping precincts.

Consider the notorious “western suburb tractor” – luxury SUVs piloted by parents who’d sooner collide with a reversing vehicle than be late for Pilates.

These same warriors, sporting personalised Rottnest Channel Swim licence plates, regularly blockade the Boatshed, collecting free cheese samples and artisanal sourdough before returning to their vehicles to block two lanes of trafﬁc.

Some, fuelled by their child’s medication, tear through suburban rat-runs as though they’re on a qualifying lap at Bathurst.

Then there’s the school drop-off madness, where points are seemingly awarded for blocking driveways, stopping mid-road, and destroying innocent sprinklers. It’s a daily freefor-all where double parking is standard, hazard lights mean “I can park anywhere,” and private driveways become convenient stopping zones.

Ironically, according to a recent RAC survey, 88% of Perth motorists believe they’re good drivers. Meanwhile, only 26% believe anyone

else is. Curious, isn’t it?

On the brighter side, cars are safer than ever. Personal injury claims in WA have dropped from 4490 in 2006 to 3675 last year, according to the Insurance Commission of Western Australia.

Although there’s been a recent uptick in fatalities, overall trends remain positive – even as ﬁnes issued have quadrupled over the same

period (ABS).

With WA facing one of its worst years for road trauma in a decade, perhaps it’s time we all eased off the accelerator, stopped driving as if ﬂeeing a crime scene, and ﬁnally mastered the art of merging.

And please avoid hitting my western suburb tractor.

Andrew

Smith Johnston Street, Peppermint Grove

Coup or service to community

Thank you, POST, for the comprehensive coverage of the actions that have led to Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley suspending Nedlands council and taking steps to appoint commissioners.

The four elected members who resigned from the council and brought matters to a head have done a great service to the Nedlands community.

They should be commended for their bold action. They have given the community the opportunity to assess the operations of the council over the past 20 months and elect a group of competent and knowledgeable individuals who can

work together with integrity for the common good of all residents.

The appointment of commissioners is also an opportunity for a small team of independent professionals to take a close look at the operations of the City (both Council and Administration) and identify and initiate steps to rectify any weakness.

For example, it has been reported staff turnover during this period has been up to 80 %. No organisation can efﬁciently carry out its tasks with this level of staff turnover.

Rajah Senathirajah Mountjoy Road, Nedlands

Bad ads drive bad health outcomes

Bret Christian’s piece (Grog, fast food ban, POST, July 19) about Cottesloe councillor Chilla Bulbeck’s push to ban alcohol, tobacco, fast food and gambling advertisements from council bus shelters and bins raises an issue that goes well beyond local politics.

The article also referenced the City of Fremantle’s decision to ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship, a timely move given the mounting health and environmental impacts of these industries.

The esteemed medical journal

The Lancet has warned that the products and practices of some major

corporations are driving skyrocketing rates of preventable disease, environmental harm, and widening health inequality. These impacts are now recognised as the “commercial determinants of health”.

Local governments should reﬂect on whether it’s acceptable to proﬁt from promoting products that cause so much harm. Councillor Bulbeck’s proposal isn’t about overreach – it’s about protecting public health and future generations.

Dr Richard Yin

Commercial Road, Shenton Park

■ See report page 3

• More letters pages 12, 28

Brewer’s donors remain an issue

Cottesloe MLA Sandra Brewer’s comment that her focus is on “addressing underlying systemic issues … rather than critical commentary of individual projects as they arise” (Brewer donations need ‘transparency’, POST, July 19) is intriguing.

Firstly, Ms Brewer helped to create the systemic planning problems she is referring to. Secondly, isn’t it the job of a local MP to represent the local community in relation to the issues that impact them, many of which will be individual projects? If our local MP is not going to critically assess local projects, then what exactly is her role?

The suggestion that her recent letter to the POST (Campaign funding was ‘community-driven’, July 12) dealt with the invitation to reveal donors’ names is also noteworthy. Money from “personal supporters … business lunches, sundowners and intimate events’ sounds a bit like cash for access.

To say donors are local misses the point. The question is not whether donors are local, but whether they might be able to inﬂuence political decisions for private gain. Donations from local businesses that may beneﬁt from local decisions increases that risk.

Our political system should be based on long-term thinking and good public policy, not campaign funds. Until we ﬁnd a way to solve that systemic problem, the best we can do is protect against bias and undue inﬂuence – real or perceived.

Establishing trust and “doing things the right way from the very beginning” means real donor transparency, and that means naming donors.

Eliza Clapin Sayer Street, Swanbourne

Coming off the bench for lake walk

David Alderson should have taken his flippers when he went for his daily walk around Lake Jualbup on Thursday. The lake burst its banks after being flooded by 40mm of rain on Wednesday night but that didn’t deter the Shenton Park man. “I take the dog around the lake every morning,” he said. “The dog doesn’t like the water but I don’t mind it.”

Road rage over Grantham

By JEN REWELL

“Grantham Street is a nightmare,” Cambridge councillors have been told.

Angry residents berated the council on Tuesday night about a trafﬁc review in Wembley that they said ignored concerns building over years of poor trafﬁc management.

Road resentment, speed hump spats, speeding and side-swiped vehicles were all disregarded in the review, they said.

Instead, it focuses on data and statistics which many locals said misrepresented the problems and ignored the “neighbourhood ambience”.

A record number of 42 people registered deputations to voice their opposition to the review’s conclusions at last week’s council forum.

Many were fuming again at council on Tuesday night.

CEO Lisa Clack pulled the item from the agenda, saying the council needed to provide more “clarity” in the report, which will be tabled again in August.

Local Martyn Cavanagh said the council must stop “tinkering” with the roads in the area and go back to the drawing board.

“All these little decisions are affecting residents,” he said.

“Put all the problems on the table, because that’s where you’ll save the money.”

One main issue is that residents wanting to drive east to access Mitchell Freeway and

Booze, gas, fast food and the punt all blanked

Bus shelter advertising containing harmful messages is to be banned from sites controlled by the Cottesloe council.

The council voted on Tuesday to recommend restricting ads for unhealthy food and drink, alcohol, fossil fuels, tobacco products and gambling.

This message will be taken by council bosses when they negotiate the next 20-year bus shelter advertising contracts next month.

Councillors watered down Chilla Bulbeck’s broader proposal to prohibit advertising of all addictive products and

gambling in the Town (Grog, fast food ban, POST, July 19).

Ms Bulbeck said other councils had taken similar approaches, including banning of all fossil fuel advertising.

Councillor Katy Mason said that Woodside sponsored the Nipper program run by the surf lifesaving clubs, and other gas companies displayed their banners supporting sporting teams in the area.

Deputy mayor Melissa Harkins said she only consented to opposing fossil fuel advertising on bus shelters because of the high risk of vandalism to such signs.

“This is one way that we can

improve the public health of our community and also make it easier for families to assist their children to make healthy food choices,” she said.

“This is going to actually align with a lot of parental views in the community.”

Several councillors pointed out that the council did not have the power to regulate advertising other than on its own property.

The unanimous vote also asked council staff to include consideration of unhealthy and addictive substances and activities advertising in its public health plan being developed over the next year.

the CBD have few safe places to turn right onto Grantham. The right turn from Jersey Street has been blocked, and has extensive trafﬁc calming measures.

These changes had been successful, having reduced speed and crashes “while maintaining network efﬁciency”, according to the review.

Two petitions with 578 signatures have been previously presented to the council asking for trafﬁc lights at the troublesome Grantham-Jersey intersection to allow for an easier right turn.

Lewis Wise, the council’s manager of engineering services, said lights were not a viable option – there was not

A three-car pile-up at Grantham and Jersey streets before the intersection was altered.

THE

listening

Rising above the clouds

The POST has been in rare air – 2970 metres up the Swiss Alps, in fact.

Cedric Gros, from Wembley, was on a family holiday to Switzerland and ascended through the clouds to the top of the famous mountain Schilthorn.

“It took the POST just 32 minutes by cable car to reach the summit,” Cedric reported. “I have never been so close to Paradise.” Schilthorn is best known for the James Bond movie

CARDS

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in which the mountaintop restaurant Piz Gloria served as the lair of villainous Bond nemesis Ernst Blofeld. A Bond museum next to the revolving restaurant is now a popular destination for alpine tourists. “It has stunning panoramic views in every direction,” Cedric said. ■ Send a picture and details of your POSTcard adventure to mailbox@postnewspapers. com.au.

Grove rates on the money

Peppermint Grove, home to the state’s highest earners, has no problem collecting its rates.

Most councils have laggards who stretch their credit to the point where they are whacked with 8% interest charges.

Not Peppermint Grove, where 99.6% of its 1638 residents have paid their

rates on time.

In fact the coffers have been swelled by $40,000 in rates paid in advance, CEO Don Burnett told this week’s budget meeting.

The country’s smallest shire ended the financial year with a surplus of $464,000, and its rate rise of 2% this year is close to

Pool floats home gracefully

A large swimming pool seemed a tricky proposition to install in Shenton Park last week.

The big dipper was delivered on the back of a long trailer last Thursday to the site of a new house being built directly across the road from the POST in Onslow Road.

Anxiously looking on were the homebuilders and their children, while POSTies had only to look out the window or walk out the door to get what amounted to a front-row seat.

The swimming pool is hoisted into position.

Photo: Paul McGovern

This well-written note was left under the windscreen of a car parked in Heytesbury Road, Subiaco.

Posh street puts Snobiaco residents on edge

But to the surprise of most bystanders the pool was hoisted up and floated through the air without scratching as much as a branch and dropped into a big hole in the ground, and all within a few minutes.

How would the work crew and crane manage to get it past two large trees without causing damage to them, some pondered.

You can’t choose your neighbours, but you can give them crisp advice when they need it.

Heytesbury Road is Subiaco’s poshest street, with some high-profile residents, but its narrow width means parking is a constant challenge.

And that means tensions sometimes run high when cars are left where neighbours don’t want them.

This masterpiece of passive-aggressive neighbourly discourse suggests that these residents have reached the end of their tether.

King charles needed head removed

King Charles I might have lost his head once but his spirit was alive this week when a dog named for him found its own head in an awkward place.

Holiday duties meant a Scotch College teacher had six kids and the family’s cavalier king charles in the car when the spaniel managed to get its head stuck under the front seat chasing a dropped biscuit.

The dog’s head was “well and truly stuck”, its owner said.

She considered calling the fire

brigade but thought it probably did not qualify for life-saving attention.

“I decided it wasn’t an actual emergency, I just had no idea how to get him unstuck,” she said. She then drove to the local car service centre, where staff removed the car seat and freed the dog.

“Luckily they were very kind, generous and willing to help,” she said.

And did not have to employ the original King Charles solution.

Cedric Gros takes in the stunning Alpine views from the summit of Swiss mountain Schilthorn.

Chompy the spaniel got stuck chasing a biscuit.

‘We were male, pale and stale’

By BRET CHRISTIAN

Cottesloe council was so male, pale and stale that it forgot to bring in childcare subsidies for councillors, according to its deputy mayor.

Melissa Harkins said other councils had long paid for councillors’ childcare while their parents were at meetings or training sessions, but Cottesloe had not until now seen the need.

Ms Harkins, whose own children are adults, said it was a legal requirement for the council to pay for childcare at $35 an hour.

“This has never actually been enacted in Cottesloe due to the past demographic of its councillors,” she said.

“Some of you may be familiar with the term male, pale and stale, but we have thankfully moved on.”

Cottesloe’s mayor and deputy mayor are women, as are four of the other seven councillors.

“Encouraging younger members of council deﬁnitely brings

Jazz promotes a Nobel cause

By JACK MADDERN

A new University of WA infectious disease research centre will beef up the nation’s health security and revolutionise medical breakthroughs, says Nobel Prize winner Barry Marshall.

“It is likely that things that you hadn’t even thought possible will be discovered,” Dr Marshall, of Subiaco, said.

He is one of Australia’s leading disease experts and, in 2005, became one of two West Australians to receive a Nobel Prize.

He has teamed up with jazz musician Adrian Galante, a Perth export, and Perth Rotary for an event at Octagon Theatre to help start raising the project’s required $50million.

The research institute could reduce strain on global health systems, including vaccine hesitancy, Dr Marshall said.

The facility will carry his name to recognise his breakthrough stomach ulcer research and other achievements.

Dr Marshall says vaccines bring immense health beneﬁ yet their declining rates are alarming.

“We do know that vaccines help, and there’s a lot of science that goes into them,” he said.

“Everybody’s a bit worried about the people running and controlling the health system

now in the United States, and things like putting unpasteurised raw milk in the supermarket, and red dye, for example.”

“Probably the most important advance in health is educating people on how to evaluate the information coming through.”

There has been an unusually high resurgence of whooping cough this year, according to the Australian Centre for Disease Control, while WA measles cases have tripled since 2024.

These ﬁgures add up to 49,000 WA cases of preventable infectious diseases already this year.

The centre reported in May record low levels of vaccine

Pylon jumpers warned off

By BRET CHRISTIAN

Swimmers have been warned not to climb on Cottesloe’s much-loved beach pylon after storm damage exposed rusted steel reinforcing rods and splintered concrete on top.

An inspection revealed that sections of the pylon need repair or replacement, a council spokesperson told the POST (Cott pylon needs ﬁxing, again, July 19).

The council says it is working out what steps to take next.

“The Town does ask that community members and visitors to Cottesloe beach do not attempt to climb the pylon, for safety reasons,” the spokesperson said.

The main base of the pylon was extensively stabilised and repaired

in 2018, using a steel collar ﬁ with concrete, at a cost of more than $145,000.

At the time the council said the top of the pylon still needed work.

The public at that time was asked to contribute, and local resident Andrew Forrest matched public donations dollar for dollar to restore the heritage-listed structure.

It was Mr Forrest who best articulated the reverence in which the pylon is held.

“So many Sandgropers, including myself, have fond memories of the time spent at Cottesloe beach, in the water around the iconic structure,” he told the POST (Neighbour cash props up pylon, November 1, 2018).

For generations of West Australians

• Please turn to page 60

Nobel Prize winner Barry Marshall, right, and jazz musician Adrian Galante team up to raise $50million for a new infectious disease research

Concrete has been flaking off the historic Cottesloe pylon.

Photo: Paul McGovern

The pylon jump has been a beach tradition for decades.

Valma made the best of her days … for decades

By JEN REWELL

Valma Davies was 15 and at boarding school in West Perth when she contracted polio.

Doctors assumed she would die and left her lying on her back with an oxygen tube in her nose.

She remained like that for a month in the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Shenton Park.

“I was very ill, and I wasn’t expected to live and they didn’t have any more iron lungs left,” she said in an interview some years ago.

Val had just started second term of her third year at St Mary’s in Colin Street, West Perth.

She was not allowed to see her family during her quarantine period but her father – a “very persistent man” – managed to get close enough to wave at her through a window.

Her legs, and one hand, were permanently paralysed.

The words of a young nurse who helped her through those terrible days stayed with her:

“She said it to me when she was trying to get me to eat: ‘You’ve got to make the best of the present.’

“And I’ve always gone by that, since.”

Val was a remarkable woman with gentle manners and a razorsharp mind who made the most of her days for many decades until dying in her sleep recently. She was 92.

She was one of a handful of

women who studied law, later leading the development of family law in the state.

“I was very shy, you may not believe that, but I was,” she said.

One of the ﬁrst hurdles of university was the flight of eight steps to get into the building, which she was unable to climb due to her calipers and crutches.

“Professor Beasley had two handsome young men standing at the bottom of the steps; I put my arms around their necks, they put their arms around my waist, and they walked up the steps and I got up there too,”

she said.

“Prof. Beasley said, ‘This law school is full of able young men and they will help you, it

I was very shy, you may not believe that, but I was ‘ ’

is character building’.”

She ﬁnished her law studies and worked until she married Ian Cearns, a solicitor, when she was 25.

Val and Ian bought a block on Tilton Terrace in the athlete’s village just after the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

They were the second family to move into the deserted estate, which only weeks before had been bustling with the excitement and adrenalin of athletes from around the world.

The properties were sold by tender – Ian had not taken his cheque-book, so he used a piece of paper to create a home-made cheque.

They needed a security pass to get through the gates for some time after the purchase.

The couple had three children, Howard, Michael and Rebecca, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

In later years, Val was a regular at George’s Cafe at Empire Village shopping centre.

She was born in Collie in 1933 and went to primary school there during World War II when children drilled for air raids,

at Crawley Baths – but did not enjoy being told to dive into the big jellyﬁsh in the river.

Her daughter Rebecca said that while the family were sad at the loss, it was comforting to think that Val was “still as amazing as ever” in her ﬁnal days. She will be remembered at a memorial service this week.

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PEOPLE Happy days … The last photo of Val, with her great-grandchildren Ezra, left, and Lennon.

Val Cearns, nee Davies, had to walk with calipers and crutches when she went back to school, so the uniform was changed to allow her to wear slacks.

Val served the legal community with distinction.

Cottesloe sees red over beach path

By BRET CHRISTIAN

Cottesloe’s popular promenade above the beach has become a red-hot potato, in more ways than one.

The local mayor and councillors have resisted widening its cliff-top promenade by too much, fearing it will encourage speeding cyclists and e-scooter riders.

It is also pushing back against colouring the upgraded path red, as apparently required by Department of Transport bike path rules.

This has horriﬁed local councillors who feel a red path would not ﬁt in with the laid-back beach vibe.

“Imposing state requirements in this beautiful, natural iconic location with a visually impactful red path is not the best outcome,” Mayor Lorraine Young told this week’s council meeting.

The council found itself stuck

Government to upgrade the 40-year-old route designated as a “shared path”.

Cyclists said in a survey that the path was too narrow, and that riding on Marine Parade alongside it was too dangerous.

Kevin Morgan, a former

decade ago the bike speed limit on shared paths was 10kmh.

“Now, sightseeing promenades such as this are the last place to put a shared path,” he said.

The upgrades would be a retrograde step, putting those risks on steroids, he said.

Subi dinners ‘not unreasonable’

By LLOYD GORMAN

Subiaco City CEO Colin Cameron has defended councillors and staff eating meals paid for by ratepayers.

The City racked up $1420.87 in June to pay for catering or culinary bills.

Subiaco was one of six metropolitan councils scrutinised by Auditor General Caroline Spencer for the use of their corporate credit cards amid claims of excessive spending.

Two strategic workshops held last month were provided with food from Nando’s ($139.35), Ultimo Catering ($405.95), Ribs Lane ($189.79) and Il Locale Pizza ($133.39), council accounts show.

The accounts – published as part of the July council agenda papers – also detail a bill of

$561.34 for a council dinner at Woodpeckers Restaurant on June 17.

It is understood staff and councillors dined out again this week at a restaurant in Shenton Park, following a briefing forum on Tuesday night.

Subiaco CEO Colin Cameron said the dining arrangements were not unreasonable.

“Elected members and senior staff are required to attend after-hours briefings, workshops and formal meetings, almost every Tuesday night of the year, often late into the night,” he said.

“Meals and catering take a variety of forms, sourced from local businesses on a rotating basis. More often than not, the cost of eating out is less than having pre-ordered catering brought in, and it generates

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less waste also.”

The Auditor General’s report stopped short of naming speciﬁc councils.

Ms Spencer found one council splashed out $1026 on a council dinner, including three bottles of $70 wine.

“It is the entity’s practice to go out to dinner after meetings once a month to support local businesses in the area,” she said.

Four of the six councils had on-site bars and the report found purchase of $990 for wine and spirits, $412 for four cases of wine and $280 for four bottles of champagne to celebrate a major achievement with elected members and staff.

Wine and oysters costing $259 were on the menu for an off-site meeting between a CEO and two community members.

and built for more speed than the current path, enticing riders to begin to exercise their lawful entitlement to now travel at 25kmh.

“Those that are not lawabiding will be able to go more than double that speed. Rumble strips will exacerbate the risks.”

opposed the upgrades.

“It’s a long way from broad community support,” he said.

An original idea to double the width of the path to 4m was shot down at this week’s meeting.

Eagle-eye catches $1m blunder

A million-dollar error connected to the two towers in Station Street, Cottesloe, has been uncovered by a local resident.

Stephen Mellor was tuned in to the WA Planning Commission meeting last month that controversially approved two towers of 15 and 17 storeys containing a hotel, shops and units.

As an art exhibitions coordinator, he paid special attention to the public art the developers must provide as a condition of approval.

This contribution was set at 1% of costs, as speciﬁed in the Town of Cottesloe’s public art policy.

The development is valued at $200 million, meaning the art contribution needs to be

$2million.

At its June 19 meeting, one WA Planning Commission member proposed that the public art contribution be limited to $1million. The WAPC voted against that amendment.

But when the WAPC published its determination, it showed the art contribution set at a maximum of $1million.

Mr Mellor sought an explanation from the Significant Development Assessment Unit. Its planning director, Paola Di Perna, thanked Mr Mellor and apologised, saying the mistake was “an administrative oversight”. “We have now emailed all stakeholders correcting the error,” she said.

Not a beach colour … A suggested design allowing zones at the top of steps leading to the beach to avoid conflict. The black lines across the red path

What caused a council CEO to vomit?

By JACK MADDERN

A new study reveals council CEOs are suffering greater mental health stress than surgeons or pharmacists.

High CEO turnover rates prompted a UWA study that found alarming trends.

Researchers collected ﬁ hand testimonies from local governments across WA.

“(One) particular CEO described how he would arrive at work, park his car, and the ﬁrst thing he would do is open the door and throw up because of the anxiety and stress of knowing that he’s going to have to go into the ofﬁce and deal with a barrage of issues,” said UWA Business School’s Joseph Carpini.

Contentious issues riling up communities to aggressively lobby local governments, particularly around infrastructure funding, have contributed to CEOs’ mental anguish.

The researchers found that stresses from internal interactions with elected ofﬁ ended with the CEO placating them to avoid disputes.

“CEOs working outside of their residential area were actually seen to be better off because they are less likely to run into the public,” Dr Carpini said.

“In some cases, their families would receive nasty comments construction workers. Dr Carpini and co-author Lies Notebaert urged systemic

“Individually, they can practise resilience, but it’s also on the environment to change,” Dr Notebaert said.

Views forever

By JACK MADDERN

Scenic views in Mosman Park could be about to get better protections from highrise developments.

The Mosman Park council policy discussed at Tuesday’s meeting would add statutory weight to State Administrative Tribunal planning application reviews and make the Town’s line clear to developers.

“The Town currently have several applications, particularly in the Saunders Street area, which are live, and one in particular is going through the SAT process,” said community planning director Ross Minett.

“[It] has several difﬁculties relating to the use of signiﬁ-

cance in their assessment.”

A recent legal review referencing signiﬁcant views in a planning application spurred the Town into clarifying the matter.

The policy, if implemented, could help influence SAT matters.

A signiﬁcant view is based on a case-by-case basis in the policy.

A Town report lists some examples as views of the ocean, Swan River, reserves, landmarks and panoramic views.

The community will be able to comment on views they deem significant during a consultation process, if the policy is endorsed by the council next week.

JONO’S STREET TALK

Swan River views could be protected under proposed Mosman Park policy.

No stress … Joseph Carpini and Lies Notebaert found that council leaders are doing it tough. Photo: Paul McGovern

• Please turn to page 60

Car offences drive mum of four to jail

By LLOYD GORMAN

A Shenton Park single mother of four young children has been sent to jail after losing an appeal over driving eight times while disqualiﬁed.

The woman, identiﬁed only as FM and a domestic violence victim, missed a recent court hearing because she was in hospital recovering from stab wounds.

She was ordered to return to jail to serve a six-month suspended sentence issued in Perth Magistrates Court last year.

Supreme Court judge Stephen Lemonis said the woman’s “wilful disobedience” made imprisonment necessary.

“It [was made] abundantly clear to the appellant that if she offended again in a similar way, she would be sentenced to a term of immediate imprisonment,” Justice Lemonis said.

“The appellant committed

the further offence only 16 days later.”

Duty lawyer Demi Thackrah told the magistrates court last year that the woman’s children – aged 15, 12, ﬁve and four –would lose their Shenton Park rental home if their mother went to jail.

Driving is a means to support her four children ‘ ’

Ms Thackrah told the court the woman’s offending was not affected by alcohol or drugs.

“She works seven days a week, casual employment,” she said.

“She’s upholding a rent in Shenton Park, not by her own choice, simply because that is the only property that is avail-

able to her at $850 per week.

“She has evidently accepted that she shouldn’t be driving, however, it is a means to an end for her to support her four children.

“She has limited other choices to ensure that she can ensure a roof is kept over their head.”

But Justice Lemonis said the woman’s decision to drive only 16 days after the suspended sentence was issued indicated that it had not worked.

She had been found guilty eight times for driving while disqualiﬁed.

“When the learned magistrate sentenced the appellant, personal deterrence was a significant sentencing consideration; that is, to impose a sentence that strongly discouraged her from offending again,” Justice Lemonis said.

“The imposition of the suspended term of imprisonment had not done so.”

• Please turn to page 60

Mosman Park divided over Glyde Street plans

By JACK MADDERN

Plans for Mosman Park’s Glyde Street gateway have riled the local community, concerned about the loss of parking and increased trafﬁc congestion.

The Glyde Street masterplan for the section between Stirling Highway and Monument Street will be considered by Mosman Park council next week.

The loss of 10 parking bays – down from the original 17 – has provided the biggest issue for locals.

“It’s just worrying me so much, parking is already struggling out in the street during the day, and the car park is always fully packed,” The Glyde Coffee Co. owner Kadek Parmimi said.

“If you’re going to take out 10 (parking spots), it would hurt my business.”

Ms Parmimi recalled previous work in the street affecting her business.

“For three days I didn’t have a customer and I lost a lot of money without consulting, without information,” she said.

“I just talked to businesses around here, and they didn’t know about Tuesday’s Town meeting either.

“We need to be able to speak up.”

The Glyde Street strip is considered a gateway into the Town but is vulnerable to changing business conditions.

“It’s a tough economy for small business owners, who rely on both foot trafﬁc and customers passing through Mosman Park by car,” local

Martin Connolly said.

“We encourage the council to take a longer-term view of parking in the area.

“Also consider accessible parking for elderly residents with mobility issues and people with disabilities, as they don’t seem to be catered for at the moment.”

Mr Connolly also questioned the need for a 20kmh speed reduction, and other road changes.

“We are appreciative of the sentiment behind the proposed reduction of the speed limit,” he said, “But it is likely to lead to further congestion.”

The Town report and the directors will investigate further parking solutions for the area.

OUR KIDS' FUTURE: IT STARTS WITH TAX REFORM

When I ask Curtin constituents to describe the Australia they want to live in, common responses include ‘kind’, ‘fair’, ‘safe’ and ‘sustainable’. The Australia of a ‘fair go’ remains important to us.

But for the first time in history, young Australians are facing worse economic outcomes than the generation before them. Millennials and Gen Z constituents feel burdened by uni debts, the increasingly present climate crisis and being shut out of the housing market.

Their anxiety is real, and it’s shared by older constituents who tell me, “I’m okay, but I worry for my kids and grandkids.”

Australia’s ageing population is shifting our intergenerational balance. When I was born, there were more than seven working-aged people for every person over 65; now there are fewer than four. This means fewer taxpayers are supporting more retirees, increasing pressure on public services like healthcare and aged care. And we rely on income tax more than most comparable countries.

We need a serious conversation about how our tax system disadvantages younger Australians. Reform should begin with a clear-eyed view of what it means to live well in Australia and how we ensure that goal is accessible for future generations.

In the last Parliament, I, along with a few other crossbenchers, were the only ones who spoke about the urgent need for broad tax reform. Now the Government has opened this discussion with its August economic reform roundtable. Time will tell whether it’s meaningful.

In any debate about tax reform, politicians are happy to talk about cuts, but they’re not willing to discuss where the money will come from. If we don’t balance the budget, we are passing yet another burden on to future generations.

To break out of the economic reform gridlock, we need to weigh up different tax options and consider what they say about our common values, without the hysteria.

Rather than an increasing reliance on income tax, we need to consider alternatives that give younger generations a chance, including indexing tax brackets to prevent bracket creep, reviewing negative gearing and CGT exemptions, broadening GST with a basics rebate to make it fair and progressive, expanding Petroleum Resource Rent Taxes, and ensuring multinationals pay fair tax on profits earned in Australia.

Rethinking our tax system is the first step towards giving younger generations a hopeful future.

Glyde ride … The busy town gateway already has a parking issue, locals say. Photo: Paul McGovern

Why is slow not the go?

It turns out the $4million in federal funding to replace the Cottesloe foreshore path only requires it be widened by half a metre, and would allow it to have a 10kmh speed limit that protects walkers from faster bikes and scooters.

This accords with survey results that want minimal widening, a slow speed limit and to separate faster riders by installing bike lanes on Marine Parade.

So why does the council insist on instead designating the path as entitling riders to go 25kmh, and why this week did council support a motion to widen it by up to two metres in high trafﬁc areas?

The motion was moved by a councillor who is also on the board of a bike lobby group that seeks more bike paths, and was seconded by another who has a registered business name that markets ideas for new local bike paths.

Commendable as those ambitions may be, this is the last place to put a bike path, given how many sightseers of all ages wander along it. All it needs is an extra half metre and a 10kmh speed limit, twice walking pace, and to add a design for bike lanes to be put on the road.

Hoons a danger in Shenton Park

More than three months ago I alerted the City of Subiaco to the noisy, hoon-driven, speeding vehicles on Herbert Road in Shenton Park that we the residents are still experiencing

Because of the number of vehicles parked on Herbert Road this has almost become a one-lane road between Onslow and Aberdare roads.

Assuming it would be impossible to exceed the 50kmh speed limit under these conditions totally deﬁes the speeding and dangerous driving that I regularly witness on this section of road.

The City of Subiaco claim to have found the answer to this life-threatening situation.

After a recent on-site visit the City’s coordinator of trafﬁc and development, and the senior

technical ofﬁcer for transport, have decided that reducing the speed limit from 50 to 40kmh is the solution. I don’t understand how reducing the speed limit will suddenly slow down the speedsters who ignore the current limit daily.

Interestingly, the coordinator of trafﬁc and development has stated that trafﬁc investigation is an operational matter and they do not generally inform the mayor or elected members of their decisions.

I disagree with the City’s current decision which I think is unacceptable and irresponsible. Something urgently needs to be implemented to prevent anyone from being hurt or even killed on Herbert Road.

Profits going through the roof

A single Cottesloe apartment advertised for sale last week caught my eye. Advertised for $16.5million, 501/120 Marine Parade is one of two on the same storey. If both achieve a similar price, that’s a whopping $33million It perfectly illustrates the enormous developer proﬁts that can be generated for each additional storey that a developer can get approved, let alone ﬁve or seven additional storeys as per the recent Station Street

The scale of these profits being made in the face of community opposition and burden (trafﬁc, amenity, shadowing) certainly reveals an incentive for big property developers to throw a bit of money behind the campaign of someone they perceive would make a “developer-friendly MP”. It also highlights why the community deserves full transparency of donations received by the newly elected MP for Cottesloe.

Pamela Macfarlane Eric Street, Cottesloe

Between the lines of the Nedlands debacle

rial decision to dissolve the council.

Based on Mayor Fiona Argyle’s public comments, it is interesting that all four received their salary allowance before handing in their resignations.

I am curious as to why all four waited to resign until barely three months before the next scheduled local government elections – when it has

been obvious that the council had failed its ratepayers a long, long time ago. Once again, we see procrastination and questionable decision-making. Should the same people decide to renominate, it would perhaps be to the electors’ interest to ﬁnd out how they voted in the initial Tawarri development and the subsequent application to the State Government to rezone that part of the foreshore from A-Class Reserve, the sale of a crucial piece of land adjacent to Melvista Lodge and the subsequent approval of the commercial development there, and the initial application for the hospice for terminally ill children in Swanbourne – all contentious issues. Electors may have more.

Hollywood is still waiting for underground power after more than two decades. Meanwhile,

costs keep rising. The shameful behaviour and lack of personal control evident in council meetings is telling. The public walkouts were unnecessary when there has always been an opportunity for a councillor to “Abstain” on any agenda item. Was it all just grandstanding?

We have time to separate empty election broo-ha from actual achievements (or lack thereof), and let history speak for itself.

Have your say in the • More letters page 28

Irene Tan Melvista Avenue, Nedlands Email letters to: letters@postnewspapers.com.au

David Beaton Onslow Road, Shenton Park

No room for bikes … The existing path along Marine Parade in summer.

Kevin Morgan Pearse Street, Cottesloe

WANNEROO, WA STRAWBERRIES

FIRST OF THE SEASON, SWEET, JUICY AND BURSTING WITH FLAVOUR

Locally grown Wanneroo strawberries are the real taste of winter. Available in a 500g family punnet, these strawberries are beautifully meaty and concentrated, with deep, delicious ﬂavour in every bite. Enjoy them simply with cream, topped on Boatshed chocolate mousse, or piled high on top of a berry galette. Grown locally and picked fresh, they’re as good as it gets.

Principals to get icy lesson

By JEN REWELL

Three cool heads will be icing it up for a big freeze at Claremont Oval.

Local headmasters Alec O’Connell (Scotch College), Dean Dell’Oro (Hale School) and Alan Jones (Christ Church Grammar School) are preparing for an icy reception next Saturday.

The chilled trio will be taking part in Jordan Early’s Big Freeze fundraiser for motor neurone disease.

Jordan received a shock diagnosis of MND at age 43, and friends have rallied to help.

His Big Freeze Challenge will start at 1.45pm before Claremont play Peel in a WAFL match.

Other sports ﬁgures who will join the icy fun are tennis star Alicia Molik, West Coast AFLW coach Daisy Pearce, and former Eagles Andrew Embley and John Worsfold.

Jordan’s diagnosis was a huge shock to his family, but they are surrounded by many friends who have rallied around them.

Michael Lloyd said Jordan had an incredible community

deprecating and funny and you’d struggle to ﬁnd anyone who’d say a bad word about him, except maybe his housemaster at school.

Matilda Bay situation becoming terminal

By LLOYD GORMAN

New details of government plans to expand the Swan River Ferry into Matilda Bay – including a terminal – will be revealed this weekend.

Ten Matilda Bay water-based groups with serious concerns about the project have been

invited to take part in an information session about the location of a “UWA Terminal” on Saturday morning, part of the $107million expansion to electric ferries.

“This session will provide an opportunity to share updates, present further details and address any questions that you may have,” a letter signed by

Department of Transport and Public Transport Authority bosses said.

Incoming Royal Perth Yacht Club Commodore Andrew McAullay said the event needed to be a meaningful encounter.

“We hope this information session will be the promised continued consultation and not

just a location reveal based on no thorough risk analysis,” he said.

“We hope the transport minister’s ofﬁce is coming to listen, answer questions and gather valuable learnings from us, not just present to us.

“We want to engage in transparent, genuine consultation.”

He said the expansion of the ferry network was “progressive and exciting” but a terminal in Matilda Bay posed “severe safety and operational issues for us and the network”. RPYC is a part of the Safety on Swan groups that use the Swan River.

2025 – 2026 BUDGET $313M

The Green Light to grow today’s City for a bright future

Among lowest rate rises for major Perth metropolitan Councils

$30M for safer streets and community services

$18M for events, promotion and grants

$4M in free parking initiatives

Jordan and Joanna Early with Keira, 2, Seb, 6, and Nina, 4.

Headmasters ready to ice it up … Dean Dell’Oro, Alec O’Connell and Alan Jones prepare for Jordan’s DIY Big Freeze Challenge. Photo: Paul McGovern

Social media users who boast about their illegal acts face up to three years in jail under new state laws.

The “post-and-boast” legislation will target “crimfluencers” boasting about their criminal conduct, as well as people who repost that content.

One of the most shocking social media posts in the past decade was from Churchlands Senior High School in 2023.

A video of the incident shows a Churchlands student being kicked, hit and spat on by a group of girls.

Other targeted content includes assaults, property damage, reckless driving, racial hatred and Nazi symbolism.

Another video that gained notoriety was the stunt pulled by “Pam the Bird” grafﬁti artist Jack GibsonBurrell, jumping from a moving train into the Swan River from the Fremantle rail bridge.

Sharing content depicting illegal acts will still be legal if it is done in a condemnatory way or for news reporting or satirical purposes.

Curtin University professor Ben Rich, who specialises in radicalisation and studying extremist communities, said social media could fuel extreme and sometimes illegal activities, but he doubted that legislation would change behaviour.

“They (offenders) will go to places that are less regulated, alternative channels that are set up speciﬁcally to facilitate these extreme communities,” he said.

Out of bounds … A wayword driver nearly ironed out this sign at Wembley Golf Course.

to Wembley Golf Course.

However, it was not the usual dreaded slice that caused the damage, but an unidentiﬁed vehicle that crashed (out of bounds) into the large illuminated welcome sign.

The impact caused signiﬁcant damage to the sign’s frame and columns.

Councillors were told this week the entire sign must be replaced entirely by November or it might fall over.

“Repair isn’t a viable option,” staff told coun-

tises the course, driving range and restaurant.

Deputy mayor Ben Mayes questioned why some parts of the sign could not be retained, but was told that was not cost-feasible.

The major part of the replacement cost would be covered by the Town’s insurance, but councillors made budget adjustments to facilitate the work.

Council staff are teeing up a contractor to do the work and hope to iron things out within weeks.

West Perth squatters get eviction notice

Police Beat

Squatters have been warned they face a year in jail and a $12,000 ﬁne if they are caught inside a derelict governmentowned building in West Perth.

A Banning Notice has been posted at 56 Thomas Street – owned by the WA Planning Commission –and given to police.

“It has come to the attention of the WAPC that you have been entering (the property),” the notice said.

“You have no tenancy, permission, consent, licence, entry right, usage right to enter on or occupy [it].

“You are hereby banned from entering 56 Thomas Street West Perth immediately. “

Police were requested to “arrest you immediately for the offence of trespass”.

“You should be aware

for a person without lawful excuse to trespass on a place.

“On conviction, an offender is liable to imprisonment for 12 months and a ﬁne of $12,000.

“Since your liberty is at risk if you ignore this Banning Notice, you are encouraged to seek legal advice if you are unclear as to the contents of this letter and the implications of breaching the ban by entering the properties.”

The house-turned-ofﬁce has fallen into disrepair after being left empty and boarded up for several

The WAPC owns several buildings and blocks along the same stretch of Thomas Street, land which has been earmarked for road widening. One of those was 70 Thomas Street, where notorious serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke raped and murdered 24-year-old Constance Lucy Madrill on February 15, 1963. Several other stateowned houses in the area became ruins and were bulldozed after they attracted squatters (Murder house on death row, POST, January 18, 2020).

Further adjournment in fatal Dalkeith car crash case

A court appearance by the Dalkeith doctor charged over the car crash that killed Elizabeth Pearce, 24, was adjourned this week. Rhys Bellinge, 45, was listed to appear via video link at a case management hearing in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.

Several prisoners from Hakea and Casuarina prisons – where the prominent obstetrician is held – appeared for short hearings, including one who was represented by lawyer Tony Hager.

Mr Hager left the court after a brief hearing.

Mr Hager also represents Dr Bellinge, whose matter came up shortly

after Mr Hager had left the courtroom. The matter was adjourned to August 20.

Dr Bellinge has not entered pleas to criminal charges of manslaughter, dangerous driving and drink driving from the high-speed smash in which an Uber driver was also badly injured.

Squatters have been banned from this derelict house in West Perth.

Calling sculptors by sea 2026

It’s back!

By SARAH McNEILL

A call has gone out for artists to submit ideas for Cottesloe’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in March next year.

This year’s annual sculpture exhibition was cancelled when David Handley, the director of Sculpture by the Sea, announced a shortfall in federal funding in December 2024.

“We are looking forward to Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe in March,” Mr Handley said. “As always with cultural events we are still ﬁnalising some aspects of our funding, but plans for 2026 are very much under way.”

The exhibition began on Cottesloe beach in 2005 with 35 sculptures. Over the next 20 years it attracted almost 600 artists from 50 countries showing 1329 sculptures, with several million people ﬂocking to appreciate them.

Mr Handley said the 2024 Cottesloe exhibition made “an unsustainable loss”, before pulling the pin for the 2025 exhibition.

Fremantle artist Olga Cironis and Subiaco Noongar artist Sharyn Egan are both on the national artistic advisory committee and regular exhibitors at Sculpture by the Sea.

“I wish I was a footballer,” Olga said when this year’s exhibition was cancelled. “How did the arts get so sidelined? Australia doesn’t take art seriously.”

“It is more than sharing stores of this land and our culture,” Sharyn said. “We are sharing the stories of artists all over the world.”

Artists’ sculpture submissions for next year close on August 18.

Sculpture by the Sea will be staged on Cottesloe beach from March 6 to 23.

Fears that Mos Park discount a dud

By JACK MADDERN

Developers in Mosman Park will receive a $295 discount on applications if they show some more regard for environmental sustainability.

But an environmental expert predicted that it may not work.

“This is quite a small incentive, and I’m not clear what the cost would be,” said David Pannell, of UWA’s Centre for Environmental Economics and Polic.y

sustainable practices from developers.

They are divided into two parts – one to halve the usual planning application time, and the other to offer a fee reduction up to $295 for eligible applications.

Councillor Andrew Maurice raised concerns over how to measure and ensure developers were being environmentally conscious.

The Town said this can be done in part by developers sub-

were reliable.

That could reduce the likelihood of redesigns later in the process.

Developers would be expected to efﬁciently use resources, minimise waste and consider the long-term impacts of the development.

Mosman Park aimed to promote local growth that respected the Town’s heritage and environment through this policy.

Prof. Pannell said developments often failed to be environmentally conscious.

“Financial incentives can work, but it depends on the size of the incentive and the cost involved in qualifying to receive it,” he said.

Prof. Pannell was sceptical that developers would use the incentives unless they were more worthwhile.

“If it can be shown that an environmental measure can increase their proﬁt, such as by increasing sale prices, that can be motivating,” he said. The policy is due to progress after 21 days of community consultation.

Hush by Mela Cooke, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2024.

Mosman Park developers could get a discount for greener plans.

Photo: Paul McGovern

Spend to have a Mos good time

By JACK MADDERN

Mosman Park is investing in fun, sinking half a million dollars into playground and cricket net upgrades.

Announced in the Town’s budget for the new ﬁnancial year, there will be a hefty focus on renewing and upgrading the playgrounds and nets at Mann Oval, Tom Perrott Reserve and Federation Park, It is welcome news for Rebecca Webb from the Mosman Park Playgroup, who has felt the loss of the playground at Mann Oval.

“The removal of the playground and no plans to replace it were devastating to families all across Mosman Park,” she said.

“Many used this space while walking their dogs or if older siblings were playing sport.”

It is about three years since the playground was removed, and a petition was launched in February this year to try to get it back.

Ms Webb said playgrounds were valuable not just for kids but also for helping parents to form a community.

At a time when children spent way too much time looking at screens, making sure they were developing correct motor skills and face-to-face social skills was of increasing importance.

Enclosed play space was particularly sought after to give parents peace of mind and conﬁdence that their children won’t run onto nearby roads.

“It’s a tough time raising kids.”

Ms Webb said. “Our children deserve a safe space to play.”

On top of a reinstated playground, Mann Oval will get an overhaul of its cricket nets and concrete pads.

A deteriorating playground at Federation Park will be revamped, and there will be an upgrade for the cricket nets at Tom Perrott Reserve.

The Town says planning for all the projects is under way, and the timeline will depend on several factors, including community consultation periods.

Health officials cold on hospital

By LLOYD GORMAN

Plans for a private hospital in Subiaco were held up for eight months because Department of Health ofﬁcials did not support

DevelopmentWA’s Subiaco land redevelopment committee met this month to consider the medical facility, which was advertised for public comment last October.

September lodged modiﬁed plans to incorporate a shortstay surgical centre.

It proposed that 33 apartments would be replaced by 24 hospital beds while seven commercial and retail tenancies on the ground ﬂoor would be used for ancillary hospital uses, such as pharmacy, radiology and physiotherapy.

The new development would have four operating theatres for up to 24 operations a day.

Development WA approved the hospital last week.

The committee report revealed that health officials had enough doubts about the proposal not to endorse it when it was referred to them.

“The Department initially did

not support the proposal,” the DevWA report said.

“However through the consultation process, further engagement with the applicant through the licensing and accreditation regulatory unit and the provision of further information, the Department has provided support.”

The POST asked DevWA why it had taken the modiﬁed plans eight months to be considered.

“The longer timeframe was because of extensive discussions with the applicant and the Department of Health and additional information being required to address matters raised through the public and stakeholder consultation process,” DevWA said.

Jump for joy … Playgrounds and other facilities will be upgraded in Mosman Park. Photo: Paul McGovern

A drawing of the proposed apartment block which could now also be home to a private hospital.

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ANTIQUE AND COLLECTORS AUCTION

A very Fine and Exceptional quality period collection from an estate of a local antique dealer along with private entries.

A good selection of antique period furniture includes Gillow÷sdining tables, Inlaid tables, credenzas, display cabinets, Regency wine cooler, Cylinder top desk, good selection of 19th Century silver, selection 18th and 19th Century porcelain and oriental. Good selection of clocks including Skeleton & Joseph Windmills, Lalique, Worcester, Georgian glass, bronzes, urns, sculptures art including 3 x John Russell artworks, 3 x Durack, Meinema, Benoit, Santry, Cartwright, Lionel Lindsay, Van Raalte and many others.

Jewellery includes quality private and estate entries, certiﬂed in wide range of precious gemstones and styles, estate lots, watches, gold, coins, silver and netsuke.

Students sweep surf by the kilo p

A morning of rubbish collection at North Cottesloe beach in the dead of winter was a serious mathematical exercise for teams of local college students.

They are spearheading a major youth-led environmental project that combines a hands-on beach cleanup with real-world data collection to tackle the scourge of plastic waste head-on.

“Tackling beach waste with science, not just gloves” is the motto.

Students from PLC, MLC and Scotch College, along with youth members from North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club, united for the seventh Plastic Free July audited beach clean.

Students completed a detailed audit of every piece of debris collected, categorising it and logging the data with the Australian Marine Debris Initiative database.

Since 2004, the AMDI has collected more than 24 million

track, trace and tackle plastic pollution at its source.

A 2021 UNSW-led study that analysed 10 years of AMDI data found that 84% of all debris found on Australian beaches is plastic, with almost half coming from land-based sources such as human litter and stormwater runoff.

The North Cottesloe findings did not stray far from the research.

In just under one hour, 45 student volunteers picked up and audited 66 kilograms of marine debris, with the top ﬁndings including cigarette butts and ﬁlters (159), hard plastic remnants (136), plastic film remnants (91) and plastic food packaging including wrappers and packets (83).

The audit, alongside the previous six years of data, is helping students connect this global problem to local realities, driving real change.

The event was attended by Plastic Free July founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz as well as

Deputy Mayor Melissa Harkins and representatives from Keep Australia Beautiful WA and Eco Surf Australia.

“This was about more than just picking up litter,” said Eliza Wood, PLC student and event co-organiser.

“It’s inspiring to see young people working together to create real change.

“I hope this sparks greater engagement with sustainability and plastic reduction, because plastic, especially, is one of the largest contributors to climate change.”

Plastic Free July, which began in WA in 2011, has grown into a global movement involving millions of people across more than 190 countries.

Bedsit idea for empty build

A two-storey building in Subiaco that has lain empty for more than 10 years would be turned into 12 individual bedsits under a new proposal to the council.

Co-Living Collective – a group of businesses that manages 100-plus properties across Perth – is behind the plan for 31 Hay Street, across the road from the former Princess Margaret Hospital site and backing onto Thomas Street.

The collective’s application said it was “for the conversion of a vacant ofﬁce building into a co-living residential building with associated shared amenities and parking”.

The proposal was for “adaptive reuse of the existing building for the purposes of a co-living development featuring 12 bedrooms, shared amenities and four (existing) car bays”, to be “privately managed by the HMO Property Co., as part of the Co-Living Collective, with rooms leased out on an individual basis.”

Only one person per unit would be allowed.

Cottesloe beach. Photos: MLC’s Ben Hardman

Eliza Dawson, a Year 9 MLC student, adds to the growing pile of rubbish local students collected from the beach.

Things to do about

cat containment

Since so many Cottesloe residents are demanding action on cat control, Mayor Lorraine Young’s decision, to wait-and-see what Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley decides to do, could turn into a major excuse to do nothing.

While continuing to wait for state government action, there is a lot that Cottesloe could do.

First, prepare the groundwork for change, go to wafcwg.org.au/media_post and read the report “Taking the pulse on responsible cat ownership across WA local governments”.

Second, sign up for this Tuesday’s WA Local Government Association open workshop on cat control, it’s free and you can register on the WALGA website walga.asn.au (go to “Media and Resources”, then “Upcoming Events”).

Third, reach out to other metro councils such as City of Baywater to ﬁnd out their recent experiences of forging ahead with containment laws and get some tips.

Fourth, ensure council is not caught sitting on its hands in the face of overwhelming support for cat containment and protection of Cottesloe wildlife.

Ruth Greble John Street, Cottesloe

Save kids from addictions

Thank you, POST, for highlighting councillor Chilla Bulbeck’s motion to ban ads for fast foods, alcohol and confectionery and gambling on bins and bus shelters in Cottesloe (Grog, fast food ban, July 19).

Young people today are being targeted by advertisers for junk food and gambling as well as having their free time stolen by mobile phone use and other devices.

This is a cynical tactic to

gain their attention using strategies that are clearly and deliberately addictive.

Parenting is a hard-enough job without this onslaught and there are many battles being fought over phone use and gambling.

Chilla’s proposed ban would give parents some support and hopefully help free our kids from unhealthy addictions Margaret Wilkes Kathleen Street, Cottesloe

Unfair rules hogtie hardworking elected council members

The purpose of public council meetings is for open debate and decision-making, and public questions.

Councillors do not enjoy complete privilege at Council meetings, as do MPs in parliament. Councillors are prohibited from publicly asking anything that might harm the reputation of any person.

Anyone can complain to the Standards Panel against councillors who ask reputation-harming questions. Poorly-performing council employees are thus protected from effective goodgoverning elected members who having read their agendas have uncomfortable questions. Complaints are made against councillors who dare to question.

Since 2023, Parliament has inexcusably made it an offence to reveal failed complaints against councillors. Further, in 2025, Parliament shockingly prohibited councillors from accessing local government legal support for conduct complaints.

Councillors cannot talk about the intended psychological harm and time wasted on rebutting vexatious bullying complaints.

These rules are why you are hearing only one side of the current Nedlands story.

Hardworking councillors Kerry Smyth, Rebecca Coghlan and Blane Brackenridge are still working for the ratepayers, but bound by prejudicially unfair conduct rules. The resigned councillors’ one-sided story has fuelled an unfair ill-informed

biased media frenzy.

Previously departed Nedlands CEOs have a lot to answer for, including a failed ﬁnancial audit years in the making. A council majority and highly qualiﬁed CEO were resolving this with help from an independent forensic auditor while facing increasing resistance from some with other agendas.

If the resigned councillors refuse to work with a female mayor and CEO, to continue righting the wayward Nedlands ship, then one has to ask why?

Former mayor Cilla de Lacy could not speak out about disrespectful misogyny in Nedlands until she resigned.

The minister could just suspend, rather than dismiss, the three dedicated hard working councillors while calling in commissioners, rather than succumbing to the trojan horse of the resigned councillors’ making.

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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/

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The great outdoors ... An elaborate cat enclosure. Photo: Google images

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What the world needs now

For an evening of uplifting songs from musicals, head to the WA Show Choir’s concert next Saturday.

“It’s a concert that will make you feel warm and welcome,” said the choir’s pianist, Jen Rewell.

Jen, who is a POST journalist, said “What the world needs now” concert will include songs about love, and about friendships that pass the test of time.

“Expect hits from early musicals such as Brigadoon and West Side Story, as well as modern gems from the likes of

Billy Joel and Dolly Parton,” she said.

“The choir’s motto is ‘Sing for Joy’ and its members delight in great humour, four-part harmonies and a big choral sound.”

The concert will be at Beasley Hall, Perth Modern School, at 7.30pm with a light supper to follow.

Tickets are $25 or $20 and are available by going to trybooking.com and searching “WA Show Choir”.

For more information about the WA Show Choir go to washowchoir.com.

Housing reform on agenda

Meet the man who makes wheelchairs for children

All are invited to An Evening with Brother Olly Pickett in the Newman College chapel this Friday, July 25, at 6.30pm. Wheelchairs for Kids Australia, the charity that Brother Olly co-founded 26 years ago, makes custom-ﬁtted wheelchairs and ships them to children in need around the world.

It has brought mobility and dignity to thousands of children, and Brother Olly’s work earned

He will speak about his work and share inspiring stories from his experience.

Doors open at 6.30pm for a light supper before the 7pm talk, to be followed by questions from the audience, and tea and coffee.

Newman College Chapel is at 216 Empire Avenue, Churchlands.

Tickets are $15, $10, or free for children under 10, and can be purchased by going to trybooking.com and searching “An Evening with Brother Olly

What bold reforms are needed to restore housing affordability and security, and revive the Great Australian Dream of home ownership?

The University of Western Australia’s Public Policy Institute is hosting a discussion on that very subject in a “Breakfast by the Bay” event on Wednesday, July 30.

From 7 to 9am at the University Club of Western Australia, housing industry representatives will discuss past reforms and how governments could ensure all in WA have fair access to housing. The panel will be moderated by Associate Professor Paul

Maginn, director of UWA’s Public Policy Institute.

“We want to unpack what’s really needed to make housing more affordable for as many West Australian as possible,” Prof. Maginn said.

“West Australians deserve a fair go and this event will ask what’s missing from our policy toolkits and challenge both state and federal governments to think bigger, be braver and act bolder when it comes to housing reform.”

For more information and tickets phone the University Club on 6488 8770 or visit universityclub.uwa.edu.au.

Join WA Show Choir pianist Jen Rewell and director Geoff Robinson on August 2 for lots of fun and music that warms the heart.

Associate Professor Paul Maginn

Make a child’s wish come true

Make-A-Wish Australia

Perth central branch will host a fundraising event, Wishes at Sunset, on Saturday September 21.

All funds raised will help grant wishes for WA children living with critical illnesses.

At Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, from 4 to 7pm, more than 200 guests will be treated to live music, sunset canapes and the chance to hear from families whose loved one was granted a wish.

The evening will also include

Sing cheers to Christmas in July

Warm up your vocal chords and ﬁsh out a festive hat for Christmas in July with the Perth Gospel Choir and The Christmas Choir.

The combined choirs will perform at 3.30pm this Sunday at the Church of the Resurrection in Swanbourne.

The choirs promise a toe-tapping selection of gospel and contemporary songs, plus fabulous Christmas favourites and a carols singalong.

Attendees are invited to bring donations for charity such as non-perishable food, socks, rugs and beanies.

All tickets $10. The Church of Resurrection is at 105 Shenton Road, Swanbourne.

For more information, and to purchase tickets visit curate.org.au.

LEFT: Wish recipient Heidi Patterson, seated, with Perth Symphony Orchestra musicians who played for her and her family at the Heath Ledger Theatre.

an online auction.

The organisation has so far secured more than $30,000 worth of donated prizes including platinum passes to South by South West Sydney, the World Surf League Championship Tour VIP experience, and VIP tickets to bands Rufus Du Sol and Spacey Jane.

Other prizes include a custom stand-up paddle-board, a charter ﬂight to Rottnest, a luxury escape to Artisan Yallingup, and experiences with WA Ballet and West Coast Eagles.

Tickets are $80 which includes a glass of bubbles upon arrival.

For more information and to secure your tickets go to humanitix.com and search “wishes at sunset”.

People who made history in Perth

The history of Perth has been created by a long list of colourful and controversial characters.

Historian and author Richard Offen will discuss the contributions of a number of them, including Eliza Shaw and Moondyne Joe, on Friday August 8.

Richard will be guest speaker at the next meeting of the WA Self Funded Retirees’ Association at Cambridge Bowling Club, Chandler Avenue, Floreat. His presentation will start at 11am after the main meeting

and morning tea. Entry is free, visitors are welcome, and free onsite parking is available.

For more information contact Ron de Gruchy on 9447 1313 or Margaret Harris on 0427 991 947.

Join Perth Gospel Choir and The Christmas Choir for festive fun this Sunday.

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Take the plunge for good health

Stampfl, Martin Morrissey, Roy Paxton, Mikey Partridge, Ella

and Alistair Borg from Rumble in Subiaco take the plunge last year.

Charlies Foundation for Research invites daredevil members of the public to sign up for the Central Park Plunge on October 26.

The annual fundraising event involves abseiling 130m down Central Park Tower, one of Perth’s tallest buildings. Charlies Foundation for Research raises money for

medical research at Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park hospitals.

For more information, and to register for the Central Park Plunge, visit centralparkplunge.com.au.

For more about the Charlies Foundation for Research go to charliesfoundation.org.au.

Wetlands key to dragonfly health

Very little is known about Australian species of dragonﬂies, which will be the topic of a talk on Friday in Nedlands.

Researcher Dr Belinda Robson will speak at the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club meeting at UWA at 7.30pm.

More than 40 species of dragonfly occur in southwestern Australia, of which almost half are endemic.

While dragonﬂies are among the most loved wetland insects, very little is known about the ecology or biology of Australian species.

Belinda’s presentation will describe dragonﬂy and damselﬂy life-cycles and report on recent research on Perth wetlands that links species diversity to wetland health.

Belinda is an associate professor at Murdoch University in the School of Environmental

August meeting on the money

The Australian Shareholders Association in WA will meet at the State Library in Perth on Tuesday, August 5 at 10.15am.

The ASA describes itself as a non-proﬁt, nationwide, independent organisation that aims to educate, serve and advocate for the needs of individual investors.

It offers guest speakers from ASX companies to talk

on investment topics.

Meetings also serve as a forum for members to discuss investments and hear about the experiences of others.

The ASA meets in Perth every first Tuesday of the month. There is also a group in Nedlands.

For more information email Kevin Bowman at kj.bowman@ bigpond.com or phone 9386 8342.

and Conservation Sciences and a member of the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems.

She has published more than 90 scientiﬁc papers, books and book chapters and is editor in chief of the international journal Freshwater Biology.

She has been working on the effects of climate change on biodiversity.

The Naturalists’ Club meeting next Friday begins at 7.30pm in the Hew Roberts Lecture Theatre, University of Western Australia.

Park at the Gordon Street or Clifton Street entrances to the campus. All welcome. The $3 or $5 entry includes a door prize ticket.

For more information go to wanaturalists.org.au and click on “Events”.

Very little is known about Australian dragonflies, such as the one above. Photo: Karen Player

Claudia

Morgan,

Churchlands choir starts new season

The Churchlands Choral Society is gearing up for its new musical season and calling for new members to join in the fun.

The choir does not hold auditions.

Rehearsals start for the second semester at 7pm on Monday August 11, and the choir will be working towards an end-of-year concert in December.

There are rehearsals each

A spokeswoman said the society would be rehearsing a varied and joyful selection of favourite musical numbers, directed by Rachel Martella and accompanied by Alex Wheeler.

“It is a well-known fact that choral singing is very beneﬁ for overall health and wellbeing,” she said.

For more information email churchlandschoralsociety@

See cricket balls that grow in the wild

Hear about cricket balls and toothbrushes that grow in the WA sandplains, on a

The WA sandplains are known as the kwongan and are populated by a host of parched and ancient soils of the kwongan when Kings Park volunteer guides run

Amazing Arctic airship rescue

The next meeting of the University of the Third Age (U3A) western suburbs branch will be on Monday, July 28, at the Grove Library.

At 1pm Terry Harvey will present a talk titled “Airship disaster in the Arctic”.

In 1926 Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile ﬂew over the North Pole in the airship Norge, accompanied by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.

Two years later, with another

airship, the Italia, Nobile attempted to land scientists at the Pole. On the return ﬂight the airship crashed in bad weather, to be followed by an incredible story of survival and rescue.

At 2.30pm Peter Strachen will present a talk titled “Stabilising the Australian population and maintaining it safely within ecological limits”.

Visitors are welcome and there is a $3 charge.

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were among off-road adventurers who recently took an eight-day drive through some of WA’s most rugged and beautiful terrain.

Steve and Tricia Corry-Thomas joined the convoy of 4WDs which went off-road to beneﬁt Variety the Children’s Charity – and not for the ﬁrst time.

This was Tricia’s eighth time, and Steve’s ninth, joining the trip which this year raised more than $250,000 for the WA charity to support kids in need.

The group of more than 50 had the opportunity to take off-road tracks through Kalbarri, Shark Bay and Dirk Hartog Island, not usually open to the general public.

They set out from Shelter Bay, camped on Dirk Hartog Island, went to Useless Loop, Murchison House Station, and Wagoe Beach before ﬁnishing in Northampton.

Steve said he ﬁrst learned of the Variety 4WD adventure when he read about it in the POST in 2012.

“We just saw it in the POST and thought we could give back and raise money for Variety,” he said.

“We thought it would be a good thing to do to help sick or disadvantaged kids. After the ﬁrst trip (The Muster) we were hooked.”

of $17,500 for Variety this year.

And what were his most memorable moments of this year’s adventure?

“The trip to and on Dirk Hartog Island, to see the history, and the trip into Useless Loop Primary School,” Steve said.

“And donating a $5000 cheque.”

Variety WA CEO Chris Chatterton paid tribute to this year’s fundraisers.

“This is an incredible effort and proceeds will go towards funding life-changing equipment and programs for WA children living with disability, chronic illness or experiencing disadvantage,” he said.

“I am hoping that everyone had an amazing, bucket-list trip; whether they chose to do the mini four-day off-road adventure of the full eight-day trip.

“Several participants have

ferent 4WD adventures, and we are thrilled people continue to come back.”

Chris said Variety’s motoring events were a huge part of how the charity raises money.

“Last year we helped more than 26,000 kids across the state thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and fundraisers,” he said.

Off-road drivers of all levels are invited to join the Variety 4WD adventure which is supported along the way by medics and mechanics, chefs and entertainers.

Entrants can also take advantage of 4WD training sessions.

For more information about the Variety Children’s Charity 2026 off-road fundraising adventure go to variety.org.au/wa and click on “Events”, or email 4wd@varietywa.org.au.

Rachel Martella directs the Churchlands Choral Society.

Discover the wildflower divas of sandplains, above and right. Photos: George Wilson

Steve and Tricia Corry-Thomas, below, and pictured with their convoy above on the Kalbarri Skywalk. Steve and Tricia hit the road for Variety

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Christmas fun for Cambridge Croquet Club

The croquet players of Cambridge have been enjoying themselves, with a Christmas in July party last Friday, July 18.

“We had a lovely night,” club member Stephen Barnes said.

“We met new people who all play the game we love.”

The event was attended

by the club’s committee members and new club champion David Gould, but the majority of partygoers were social players.

Stephen said the social aspect of playing croquet could not be emphasised enough.

“The club is always looking for new players and the game can be played at all levels and is suitable for both young and old,” he said. “Club sessions are available almost every day of the week.

“The club’s individual championship has now concluded for the year, with new champion David Gould winning a close match against defending champion Basil Ladyman. Both are ﬁne players.

“The B Grade was won by our president Ian Tarling from Mark Johnson, the game going down to the wire.”

Croquet Cambridge plays at 409 Chandler Avenue, Floreat. For more information phone 9287 2476, email croquetcambridge2@ gmail.com or look up “Cambridge Croquet Club” on Facebook.

Show visitors all the beauty of Kings Park

The Kings Park volunteer guides are calling for new members.

The guides regularly show small groups through Kings Park, but ﬁrst they must undergo a 14-week training course.

The next one will be March to June next year.

The role is ideally suited to people who have a pas-

sion for native plants, conservation, local history and meeting visitors from around Australia and the world.

For more information email training@kingsparkguides.com.au and to ﬁnd out more about the Kings Park Volunteer Guides go to kingsparkguides. com.au.

Renovating or repairing your home?

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.

Readers tell us they’ve carried out major extensions and renovations just by using the POST Trades & Services directory near the back pages of every edition. To advertise, email robyn@postnewspapers.com.au

So support POST advertisers - they make your free local paper possible.

Find your forebears at family history do

Rotarians team up for trees

Members of the Rotary Club of Cambridge are spreading goodwill far and wide.

In June, four of the club’s members visited Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia – for two good reasons.

Cate Barlow, Don Holywell, Graham McHarrie and Frank Nathan were in Surabaya to visit the Karya Mulia School for the Deaf, for children in East Java.

Rotary has supported the school with equipment and teacher training for the past 27 years.

While they were there they teamed up with Surabaya Rotarians in a mangrove rehabilitation project.

The Rotarians, and partners who travelled to join them, donated 1000 seedlings and planted them in a mangrove forest conservation area.

The 200ha site in East Surabaya is called

Cambridge

Wednesday July 16:

1st Steve Parsons, Ann Strack and Pam Islip; 2nd Derek Gadsden, Gavin Arrow, Cliff Racey and Marilyn Boss.

Saturday July 19: 1st Ted Delaney, Frank Honey and Colin Herring; 2nd Bruce Strange, Peter Kanganas and Steve Parsons; 3rd Derek Gadsden, Ross Williams and Jay Medhat.

The Christmas Meal in July was a great night. Thank you to the great chefs and to all club members who attended. Thanks to the two lads who were excellent waiters, the super bar staff and a fabulous group of guests. What a night! It ended in singing and fun.

Dalkeith Nedlands

Fine conditions on Thursday July 17 attracted 42 bowlers. Bestperformed were Todd Allen, Brian Burton and Fran Farrell with a margin of 14 shots. Alan Rowe, Peter Hopper, Tony Payne and Gwenda McIntosh followed with a 13-shot margin. Other winners were Rick Mapley, Helen Clohessy, Rob Wood and Debbie Wilson +10; Alan Pitman, Rod Tilt and Phil Stewart +4; Ross MacKenzie, Phil Golding, Wendy O’Meehan and David Mildenhall +2;

the Rotary Club of Cambridge said that, geographically and ecologically, the area serves a very important function for the City of Surabaya.

One of its functions is to prevent the threat of sea water intrusion, but the mangrove forests are also home to hundreds

Share the stories of your ancestors and hear the stories of other families at a Family History WA event next Family History WA, also known as the WA Genealogical Society, will present “They Came By Ship”, a series of displays and guest speakers, from 10.30am to 3pm as part of National Family

Speakers will represent the various interest groups for those researching the stories of their ancestors, including groups for convicts, enrolled pensioner guards, members of the military, and West Australians

The event will be at Family History WA, 48 May Street, Bayswater. Registration is not required but a gold coin donation would

Cambridge meets at Cambridge Bowling Club, 39 Chandler Avenue West, Howtree Place, Floreat, every Wednesday morning. For more information phone 0400 505 255, email rotarycambridge@icloud. com or visit rotarycambridge.org.au.

Bowling

Gordon Wilson, Ron Day, Chris Biris and David Wood +2.

Saturday was sunny and 46 players competed in sets play. Two teams tied, winning both sets with a 21-shot margin. They were Ron Stapleton, Gof Bowles, and Debbie Wilson; and Tom James John Pole, Margi Jordan and David Wood. Third were Ross MacKenzie, Richard Verco, Bruce Fiegert and Ron Day 2 sets +8. Other results: Ric Camins, Gordon Wilson, David Mildenhall and Jan Steinberg 1 set +11; Wendy Ireland, Brian Burton, Helen Clohessy and George Klug 1 set +6; Brian Page, Rod Tilt, Phil Golding and Alan Rowe 1 set +0; Alan Pitman, Neil Davis, Roger Gray and Gwenda McIntosh 1 set –4; Martin Saunders, Tony Payne and Les Pedder 1 set –8.

Hollywood Subiaco

On Tuesday July 15, our Ladies Winter Bowls teams faced Cambridge. Betsy Tapley, Anne Ormsby, Nada Bonny, and Margaret McHugh won 1611. Usha Nigam, Jeannine

Millsteed, Lesley Langley, and Dot Leeson lost 13-21 in a tough match.

In three-bowl triples on a coolish Thursday, Allan Evans, Craig Hirsch and Glen Morey beat Mark Wilde, Mike Basford and Kim Jefferis 14-8, while Wally Graham and Rob Campbell scored a three on the last end for the draw 14-14.

On Saturday Mick Canci, Peter Hiatt and Kim Jefferis outlasted Belinda Wade, Mark Wilde and Tony Byrne 12-10; and Billy Gerlach and Glen Morey picked up ﬁve on the last two ends for the draw 15-15. The ﬁnal of the Sunday Scroungers saw Kim Jefferis run out the winner over Mark Wilde 13-10.

Winners in the cold on Wednesday July 16 were Toby Roney, Michael Hulbert and Del Adams. The runners up were Mari Noffsinger, Sandra Ellis, Bruce Frederickson and Jeff Adams. A stoic band of bowlers braved the elements on Friday, when the winners were Ian Thomas,

For more information go to fhwa.org.au and click on the What’s On section, email wa.sig@ fhwa.au, or phone Liana 0414 412 035.

ALL THE NEWS. All the VIews.

Chris Hughes and Terry Cranswick; runners-up Mark Bright and John Pallett; plate Bob Kershaw and Dennis Mullenger. Saturday July 19 bowlers were lucky with the sunny afternoon. Winners John Pallett, Marie Hagan and Iris Newbold; runners-up Bruce Neaves and Toby Roney.

Dinner is available on Monday nights, with a varied menu each week. Bookings can be made at the ofﬁce. A warm welcome is given to new club manager Brett.

Mahjong is played Thursdays at 9am. Players only need a club social membership.

Subiaco Petanque Club held its AGM last Saturday, July 19 and Val Gridley was re-elected as club president. The meeting was also to present President’s Cup winners’ trophies to Gilbert Baatard and Emma Isliker. Formalities were followed by a barbecue lunch with social petanque for the rest of the afternoon. The ﬁrst round of the new President’s Cup will be held this Saturday, July 26. Visitors are welcome Saturdays and Wednesdays. Go to petanquesubiaco.com for details.

Mosman Park

Subiaco Pétanque

Rotarians from Cambridge in Perth and Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia, at the mangrove rehabilitation site.

From left is pictured David Gould, Ian Tarling, Mark Wilson, and Gavin Paterson.

Kathleen Venville and Colleen Pizzey all dressed up to welcome guests to Christmas in July at Cambridge Croquet Club.

The man who put purple into Fremantle

By Jack McGinn

Graphic designer Neil Turner, whose agency designed the Boxing Kangaroo ﬂag for Alan Bond and put the purple in the Fremantle Dockers, has died at 74.

Mr Turner led Turner Graphics in the 1980s, employing a number of talented young designers who delivered remarkable and memorable designs under his leadership.

The best known was the Boxing Kangaroo ﬂag, designed by Steve Castledine in 1983 for the successful America’s Cup campaign.

Mr Turner was close to Australia II project manager and crewman John Longley and a passionate sailor in his own right.

He did not consider the Boxing Kangaroo, which depicts a yellow kangaroo

By Nadia Budihardjo

The site of Subiaco restaurant Piccolo Trattoria, owned by Little Creatures co-founder Nic Trimboli, has been sold.

But the popular restaurant is set to remain, given that it has a lease until October 2027 and two sixyear options beyond that.

Pham Nguyen Property paid $2.3million for the 417sq.m property at 361 Rokeby Road.

RP Data shows the seller, Tony’s Garden, bought the property for $1.9million in mid-2021.

ASIC documents show Mr Trimboli is the sole

in ﬁghting position against a green background, to be his best design work. It ﬂew on Australia II

owner of Tony’s Garden.

Pham Nguyen Property is owned by Canning Valebased Cuc Hong Thi Pham, according to ASIC.

Sterling Property, which brokered the sale, said the site sold in ﬁve days after listing.

Piccolo’s tenancy returns $118,457.96 per year, Sterling said.

Sterling senior partner Jack Bradshaw said the location and the tenancy were key factors for the transaction.

“This is one of Perth’s most tightly held and highperforming hospitality precincts,” he said.

after the famous triumph.

“If they’d lost the cup, it would have gone in the bin with everything else,”

“It’s great that it has endured, but it’s really not the kind of thing that I do

The Boxing Kangaroo is now owned by the Australian Olympic Committee after it was purchased from Mr Bond for $100,000 in 1993, and is part of the Australian

Mr Turner’s firm was secretly engaged in the 1990s to design what has become an icon of Australian football – the original Fremantle guernsey worn in its inaugural 1995 season.

The four-colour guernsey was notable for use of colour, depicting a white anchor running down its centre with green and red panels either side – repre-

“Opportunities like this don’t last long, particularly when they combine strong tenant performance with future development ﬂexibility.”

Sterling managing director Brian Neo said the sale showed the resilience of Perth’s suburban investment market.

“We’re seeing heightened competition for cityfringe commercial assets with stable income and underlying land value,” he said.

“This result reinforces the demand for freehold properties in vibrant, walkable precincts like Rokeby Road.”

senting port and starboard.

The design’s fourth colour was originally blue, nominated by Mr Turner and his team to represent the working-class imagery of the navy blue workers singlet.

But the blue was replaced by purple at Mr Turner’s directive.

That decision changed the trajectory of the club’s branding but was not well received when ﬁrst intro-

duced to the AFL.

“The hardest part really was the secrecy of it, because only the people in my studio at the time knew about it,” Mr Turner said.

“They had to go to the AFL for approval. I think they thought we were a bit of a joke. But our advertising guy was very committed and did a strong presentation, and you could feel the room shift after that.”

Veris builds tunnels under Melbourne

By Nadia Budihardjo

Jolimont data consulting ﬁrm Veris has booked a $20million contract for engineering survey work in Victoria.

Veris will help build about 10 kilometres of twin tunnels in metropolitan Melbourne, between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

The contract was awarded by Terra Verde, a consortium comprising WeBuild S.p.A, GS Engineering and Construction Australia, and Bouygues Construction Australia.

Veris estimated the contract would generate between $16million and $20million in revenue over the next three years.

Work under the contract, including engineering survey services, data management and digital solutions, is expected to start immediately.

The engineering survey services under the contract

will be part of the Victorian government’s Suburban Rail Loop East, Tunnels North package.

Veris chief executive and managing director Michael Shirley said the award reinforced the company’s position as a trusted partner for complex infrastructure projects.

“Our team brings deep technical expertise, advanced spatial technologies, and a proven track record in supporting major tunnelling and transport initiatives,” he said.

“We look forward to contributing our capabilities to ensure the successful delivery of this critical stage of the Suburban Rail Loop East.”

Veris’s other involvement with the Victorian government included being part of the Digital Twin Victoria program after leading a 10-company consortium in early 2024.

Neil Turner with the football jumper his team designed in secret ahead of Fremantle’s first season in 1995.

Photo: Jack McGinn

Piccolo Trattoria in Subiaco. Photo: Sterling Property

happening what’s

church, 20 Monument Street, Mosman Park. Book through trybooking.com/DCTEW.

come together in Perth for a conversation on writing, memory and essays with a focus on Garner’s latest nonfiction work, The Season. Hosted by Forrest Research Foundation, the talk is this Sunday, July 27, from 2pm at the WA Museum Boola Bardip. Book through museum.wa.gov.au/boolabardip/ conversation.

Emerging soprano Emily Davis is staging Girolamo Abos’ 1750 Baroque work

Stabat Mater

The text famously reflects on the Virgin Mar y’s sorrow as she witnesses her son’s crucifixion. Emily is joined by countertenor Lachlan Ross, mezzo Bobbi Ralls and Alessio Loiacono on organ to perform the classic on Sunday August 3, at 6pm in St Luke’s Anglican

Life among the corporates

Some of Perth’s finest ar tists, makers and gourmet producers come together this weekend for the Boutique Christmas (in July) Market Claremont Showground’s Wilkinson Gallery will be transformed into a curated winter wonderland with more than 30 stalls, from gourmet treats to artisan accessories, handcrafted designs and local art, this Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday 10am to 2pm.

The internationally touring show The Simon and Garfunkel Story comes to Perth. The concert production tells the tale of how two young boys from Queens, New York, went on to become the world’s most successful music duo. Featuring American Israel Bloodgood as Paul Simon and UK’s Luke Hogan as Art Garfunkel, it performs at His Majesty’s Theatre on August 15 and 16.

Boom Town Snap

By Jay Martin Published by Fremantle Press

Wife in Poland.

When Fremantle writer

Jay Martin began her novel Boom Town Snap, she thought she would answer her own question: “How can we do mining better?”

But through the story of ambitious young Georgie, who is offered a lucrative short-term job in Canada through her WA mining company with the promise of promotion and the chance to clear mounting debts, Jay found herself answering a different question: “How can we listen better?”

Jay has been working with and for governments for almost 30 years, except for a stint in Poland as a diplomat’s wife which inspired her 2018 memoir, Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic

In WA she was a consultant working with government and community across the Pilbara and Kimberley region, followed by two years in Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.

“I thought working in Canada sounded like fun until I discovered it was WA – only colder!” she said.

Edmonton, with its lucrative oilﬁelds, was another version of Karratha’s mining, with similar challenges and opportunities and full of FIFO workers, hi-vis vests and intractable issues with inﬂuential, male-dominated corporates.

Through Georgie’s experiences, Jay explores themes of spending or mis-spending government money, the Royalties for Regions program, chasing ﬁnancial security, property booms and busts, and the

Russell Morris, still a hit at 77

“I was absolutely terriﬁed, and I thought no one would come,” singer Russell Morris admitted about his ﬁrst performance with an orchestra.

He need not have worried – he sold out the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. Now he’s embarking on a farewell tour around the country saying that, at

I befriended my boss when she was going through a tough divorce. We began dating, but soon recognised the chaos of her divorce and our working together. She walked away.

I told her I would quit my job so we could see if we had a future. She said she wanted to be alone to heal. But working for her is unbearable. It is impossible to keep emotions out of the way so we can be professional. She is the boss and

77, he didn’t want people saying “He’s not like he used to be.”

“I want to go out on a high,” he said.

He considers that his ﬁve-decade career has been 40% talent and 60% luck.

He was a 17-year-old surfer ﬁlling in for a local band’s lead singer when a young roadie, Ian “Molly” Meldrum, saw them and offered to manage them and produce a record.

It was Meldrum who found a gentle Johnny Young ballad, The Real Thing, and turned it into the psychedelic rock song that shot Russell into the charts.

“I had told Ian I wanted a song that no one else at that time could sing,” Russell said. “As soon as I heard The Real Thing, I loved it.”

Hits continued with Rachel, Mr America,

uncomfortable?

has the power, and she is overcompensating by being extra tough. I have asked her to treat me like the others, but she can’t. Workmates know she has been tough on me, but they do not know why. It is embarrassing. I think I need to move on and I am looking for another job. Am I running away, or is it common sense to get out of a situation that makes us both extremely

Evan Evan, in the novel “Vanity Fair” William Makepeace Thackeray made a telling observation. He wrote that when one person has obligations to another and they have a falling out, it “makes of the former a much severer enemy than a mere stranger would be”.

You are your boss’s Achilles’ heel. Romantic involvement gave you intimate knowledge about her, more leverage in the workplace, and weakened

ments that don’t stand up to the entitled corporates,” she said.

“What is success when the reward is not right and what’s right is not rewarded?”

Sweet Sweet Love (which was offered to John Farnham who said it wouldn’t sell) and Wings of an Eagle, along with Real Things Parts II and III. But eventually Russell and Meldrum parted ways: “Ian thought he was Cecil B de Mille and Phil Spector rolled into one,” Russell said. “I just wanted to play my guitar and sing solo.” They didn’t talk for ﬁ years.

I’ve got to say and you can’t interrupt me because it’s a whole book!” Boom Town Snap is about personal relationships bound by an insightful exploration into the

her authority. Now she seeks to put you in your place as her subordinate. There simply is no technique you can use to get her to relent. You make her feel emotionally vulnerable. It is not your intention, but you are powerless to alter her emotions.

Unless your company is large enough for you to transfer to another department, leaving for greener pastures seems like the best option.

Wayne & Tamara

• Need some advice? Write to writedirectanswers@gmail.com

tum and astrophysics. He describes life as a bucket of marbles rolling down a hill: “We’re meant to go where we’re meant to go.”

From pub rock to blues, from the UK to America and back to Australia, Russell has performed in sold-out halls and seedy half-ﬁlled pubs. At a time when he was struggling to get gigs, he came up with the blues album Sharkmouth, inspired by Melbourne’s back-street “Underbelly” history. It became his most successful album winning an ARIA award.

Reluctantly, Russell agreed to have Palmer pay to have his songs orchestrated for performance in the Sydney Opera House with a full orchestra.

Well aware of how Palmer is regarded in WA, Russell grinned and said: “Sometimes Clive spends his money on good things!” With a string orchestra and a band, Russell is singing a catalogue of hits, performing at Perth Convention Centre’s Riverside Theatre on Saturday August 9 at 7pm. Book through Ticketek.

But it was one of his his audience and was playing in the wrong venues.

SARAH McNEILL

■ Russell Morris wants to go out on a high.

■ “How can we listen better,” asks author Jay Martin.

Designing a home on a tricky 504sq.m block with a Water Corporation easement at the front stoked the creative ﬁres of owner Damian Garbowski and the architects he engaged.

Damian, who comes from a family with experience in property development, said the biggest challenge for PROEKT architects was creating a large, spacious home on an awkwardly-shaped block.

“That’s why they went for a cantilevered design,” he said.

“They did a great job of maximising the site, views and northern aspect.”

The Jenga-like house opposite Galup stands out in the street which has a mix of 1960s Italianate mansions and contemporary homes built on vertiginous blocks to make

the most of the knockout views.

original 854sq.m block in 2018 – almost by accident.

“I was walking past it and saw the auction sign so I decided to stop,” he said. “I wasn’t intending to buy a property.”

He was told that the block on the corner of Lake Monger Drive could not be subdivided, but he managed to do it with the help of Jay Sidhu from Vision Surveys Consulting.

The other block has since been sold off.

The house has an industrial feel thanks to feature bricks, concrete ﬂoors and black window frames.

Timber accents here and there, combined with

a warm colour palette, soften the look.

Among the clever design elements is an outdoor bath outside the guest room on the ground ﬂoor.

“This almost gives it a resort feel, and it would be great as an ice bath or a warm, relaxing soak, depending on what you’re after,” Damian said.

He added that the neighbourhood was one of the best he had ever lived in.

“The first thing I

noticed was how friendly and welcoming everyone is,” he said.

The ﬁrepit in the front garden is a great place to relax and gather with family friends in the cooler months.

Castleprime Construction completed the home in April 2023.

■ The landscape designers from Gwyth Construction ensured there was enough lawn for kids to play

Different neutral tones add to the appeal of the kitchen, which has a scullery and plenty of storage.

■ The design of the cantilevered home takes advantage of its location on the corner of Lake Monger Drive.

Forrest superblock may be complete

Has the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle fallen into place for mining billionaire Andrew Forrest?

Mr Forrest, through his company

Keith Grant and Scotty Black Pty Ltd, owns five of the six flats at 8 Salvado Street, Cottesloe. The missing piece – No.3 – recently sold for an undisclosed sum, according to RP Data. Did Mr Forrest or a company associated with him buy it?

The POST asked selling agent Justin Davies, of Space Real Estate, but he declined to comment. “I have signed a non-disclosure agreement,” Mr Davies said. Mr Forrest also owns the whole block of flats next door at 6 Salvado Street. For several years,

to create what is now an 8651sq.m superblock on the beachfront. It is estimated to be valued at more than $51million (Cott superblock gets supersized, again, POST, May 3). Mr Forrest was contacted for comment.

Simpsons doing a homer, back to Melbourne West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson and his wife Nichole are selling their City Beach home as they prepare for a potential move back to Melbourne. It is the worstkept secret in City Beach, according to locals who have seen agent Scott Swingler showing buyers through the home, which is being sold off-market. Mr Swingler was tight-

buyers through,” he said. His Shore Property website shows the house with ocean views is advertised as “coming soon” with a price tag of $6.5million. Property records show the couple paid a touch over $1.5million for the block in 2016 and built a new home on the prime, north-facing site opposite a reserve. The quiet listing of their family home follows the $1.76million sale in January of the couple’s holiday house in Quindalup. It is believed the former North Melbourne premiership player is off-loading his interests on the West Coast as he considers a possible return to AFL coaching ranks. The Simpsons declined to comment.

Watchdog alert for rent rorts

Undercover officers from Consumer Protection will be attending home opens in the western suburbs and other areas of Perth to ensure there is no rent bidding. Since May last year, landlords and agents have been banned from asking or inviting tenants to pay more money to secure

■ Whoever buys Adam

$6.5million home in City

left and above, will score a moderniststyle abode in a winning location opposite a reserve.

an available rental property. Failure to comply with these laws may attract penalties of up to $10,000 for individuals or $50,000 for a corporation. In 2024, the officers went incognito to 28 locations to observe whether any discussions were initiated regarding higher rent offers, which could only be accepted if they were offered freely. No rent bidding was observed. They will be out again this year according to a Consumer Protection spokesperson.

Tassie island ‘just right for Sandgropers’

A $4.5million island for sale off the northeast coast of Tasmania

and exploring nature, says agent Richard Vanhoff. “WA folk would love the cooler climate as opposed to their hot summers,” Mr Vanhoff said. Vansittart Island is a 547ha island in Bass Strait which has a mix of freehold and Crown land. To get there, catch a ferry from the town of Lady Barron on Flinders Island, or jetsetters can land their planes on the 750m airstrip. Stay in the rustic three-bedroom cottage and entertain surfing/fishing mates on a refurbished deck with the original homestead chimney. Bean counters will appreciate the tax benefits associated with primary production. “The sellers are grazing Wiltshire Horn sheep,” Mr Vanhoff said.

for

Simpson’s

Beach,

■ Calling all surfers and nature lovers … a $4.5million island is

sale in Bass Strait.

■ Andrew Forrest could be one step closer to owning all six flats at 8 Salvado Street, Cottesloe (inset, right). He already owns the whole block of flats next door at No. 6 (inset, left).

Queen Elizabeth dined here

When Queen Elizabeth

II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited WA in 1954 as part of their ﬁrst Commonwealth tour, they had lunch at Tipperary Farm near York.

A plaque commemorating the occasion that put the Wheatbelt town on the royal map is displayed on the tuck-pointed exterior, near the front door.

The couple ate a simple cold luncheon brought in a refrigerated van from the Gothic, their royal yacht, according to newspaper reports.

The farm’s owners, William and Mary Burges, had to dine separately because there was a polio epidemic at the time.

Tipperary Farm, established in the 1830s by the three Burges brothers, was chosen as a representative example of the region’s early settlement and agricultural development.

There is so much history to the house which has a Category B heritage listing.

The owners bought it by chance several years ago.

They had been looking for good land to grow their superﬁne merino ﬂock – not a house.

But when they spotted the 1912 homestead from the road, they jumped at the chance to buy it.

Like typical farmers, they rolled up their sleeves and worked hard to transform the property which now has new carports, an alfresco area, solar panels and a $100,000 desalination system.

They renovated an old weatherboard cottage and upgraded an original brick

■ The plaque near the front door commemorates the Queen’s 1954 visit.

barn with new lofts and carpentry.

“We loved the work, the beautiful sunsets, living in the spacious homestead and our proximity to both York and Northam,” the owners said.

“York has a plethora of social activities and very friendly people.

“It was to be our forever home but that dream will now belong to another family.”

The four-bedroom and three-bathroom homestead is packed with character features such as high ceilings, polished ﬂoorboards, stained-glass and arches.

There is room for guests in the two-bedroom and

Hideaway

two-bathroom weatherboard cottage, which was been modernised with a contemporary grey and white colour palette.

Agent Nikki Gogan said the 42.27ha estate on the banks of the Avon River would suit a variety of buyers.

Things you will love

Major upgrades Library, music room York lifestyle

CONTACT: Nikki Gogan 0437 225 725.

■ The wraparound veranda is the perfect spot to enjoy the sunsets, according to the owners who gave the 1912 homestead the royal treatment when they renovated it recently.

■ There is plenty of room to spread out on the 42.27ha proper ty with eight paddocks, mature trees and river frontage.

PLASTERING

Gas

Email: pts@liveablegroup.com.au professionaltreesurgeons.com.au

SASH IN A FLASH

What caused a council CEO to vomit?

• From page 9

They found disconnect between what the public thought a CEO did and what they actually did.

An example supported by many in local government was their inability to control planning matters.

“Local governments really are in a kind of sticky position in terms of they are squished between a lot of very strong players,” Dr Carpini said.

Glyde Street plans

• From page 11

Operations director Pierre Quesnel suggested parking time changes and expanding parking areas. Community planning director Ross Minett said the master plan was still subject to change and able to adapt to surrounding redevelopments, with $500,000 allotted in the budget this year for short term priorities.

Questions arose over the value of short-term road treatments.

“We heard pretty strongly that people didn’t want to have the permanent painting road murals, so why are we still doing it as a short-term priority?” councillor Sarah Corbyn said.

Mr Minett said they were optional but did slow trafﬁc. The masterplan has received 102 public submissions this year and will be subject to further community consultation.

Car offences drive mum to jail

• From page 11

He said the woman’s offending had reached the point where the impact on her children of her being sent to jail had “reduced weight” in determining if it was unjust to order her to serve the suspended term.

“An offender who continues to wilfully commit criminal offences should not expect they can avoid going to prison because of the impact on their children,” he said.

He said that effective communication when deﬁning boundaries would help.

Their study’s main ﬁnding was that incivility thrown at CEOs impacted their mental health and undermined their ability to do their job.

“You are impeding their ability to actually get the outcomes that you want; rather, it is much more constructive to voice disagreements in a respectful and considerate way,” Dr Carpini said.

Pylon jumpers warned off

• From page 5

and visitors, the pylon, the remnant of a failed 1936 shark net project, has for generations been a central feature of the beach landscape..

“It is impossible to imagine the view from the beach without this icon,” Mr Forrest said.

The ocean pylon off the foot of

John Street originally formed a corner of the shark net, with a lighting mast on top.

The rest of the structure was swept away in its first winter storm, but the pylon has remained embedded in the reef ever since. Its mast was snapped off in 2009, and replaced with one that has a pointed top to prevent young daredevils diving from its top.

Jazz promotes a Nobel cause

• From page 5

“We had a eureka moment that went on for several years, because every time we got a new idea, we’d ﬁnd out that we were right.

“The thing about a new discovery is that it allows you to go leap-frog like a full four jumps ahead.”

The new facility would enable others to do the same, hopefully creating more local breakthroughs.

1955, with graduates including Dr Warren, Fiona Stanley and Richard Pestell.

“That was a small step for 50 years ago now; the big step for 100 years is to take full advantage of the ﬁrst time a Nobel prize has ever gone to Western Australia,” said former Perth Rotary president John Garland.

“This is the start of the combination of these [fundraisers].”

Mr Galante offered his services as soon as he heard about the cause.

Justice Lemonis ordered her to return to custody to serve the rest of the six months and one day term imposed on August 1 last year.

“On my calculation, the appellant has served 35 days of the total effective sentence,” he said.

“The appellant will need to serve a further 58 days before she is eligible for parole.”

“We could potentially work out new treatments, or we might discover new plants or new chemicals which we could use to treat things,” he said.

“It will go on to beneﬁt everybody.”

Rotarians contributed to the fundraising that helped establish UWA’s school of medicine in

“Really, they save lives and I help make them more enjoyable,” he said.

Tickets for the fundraiser and Mr Galante’s performance on August 14 are $40 and available ticketsWA, search “An Evening of Jazz”.

‘Saviour’ was a sacked councillor

behind the controversial 20-storey apartment project planned for the former Chellingworth site in Nedlands.

Ms Hart was CEO of real estate industry body REIWA and executive director of the Housing Industry Association before setting up her own consultancy ﬁrm.

Mr Caddy played a key role in reforming the state planning process that has virtually eliminated the inﬂuence of local governments and communities in decision-making.

The trio will make all the decisions that elected councillors would normally vote on, until a special election is held on March 28 and a new council is formed.

They will continue to hold “council” meetings that can be attended by the public who can ask questions.

The cost of their services is comparable to council sitting fees, totaling around $255,000.

Until they stepped into the breach, Nedlands had been without a functioning council for almost three weeks.

Nedlands’ plight encompassed a failed 2023-23 external audit, a damning review by the Auditor General (with orders that have still not been addressed), IT problems, and a toxic atmosphere with a revolving-door of staff adding to the chaos.

The department instigated an investigation into the list of questions it raised with the council, including failure to make quorum and paperwork associated with the certiﬁcation of its CEO Keri Shannon.

Ms Beazley last week would not guarantee Ms Shannon’s position.

“When the commissioners come in, they’ll need to be working with the CEO and assess the administration and how that’s functioning,” she said.

She conﬁrmed that a “broad” internal investigation into the

City had been running “for months”.

Also under investigation is paperwork associated with the erection of a “Hands Off A-Class Reserves” billboard sign on Stirling Highway.

Ms Argyle said she had done the job she had been elected to do, including protecting A-Class reserves from property developers.

Four elected members resigned on July 8, a move Ms Argyle described as a “political coup” precipitating the council’s removal.

The resignations left Ms Argyle and the three remaining elected members unable to meet quorum, meaning no decisions could be made.

The mutiny followed months of meetings that were abandoned as quorum was lost when councillors were absent overseas, sick or walked out of meetings after complaints of bullying.

The council asked the Department of Local Government for permission to operate with a reduced quorum, but this was refused on July 14.

The next scheduled meeting was marked as “postponed” on the council website, leaving the 463-page agenda unheard, and important decisions – including the City’s budget, rates and multiple planning items – left in limbo.

Ms Beazley said she was conﬁdent the commissioners would deliver required good governance and stability.

“The ratepayers and residents of the City of Nedlands deserve a professional, effective and productive council,” she said.

Two remaining councillors said on Tuesday they had heard nothing from Ms Beazley’s ofﬁce about what was going on.

Kerry Smyth, who has been on the council for 16 years, and councillor Rebecca Coghlan, both attended a meeting of Cambridge council on Tuesday night.

Cott beach path

• From page 7

CEO Mark Newman said there were many places along the route where it would be impossible to widen it to 4m.

“It is primarily a pedestrian path, for other users as well,” Ms Young said.

“We can get what our community wants by limiting the width of the park and by ensuring that its materiality and code and colour and whatever is right for its location.”

Councillor Sonja Heath said the colour should remain grey.

The council voted unanimously to widen the 2m path to 3m “generally”, and to wider it at the tops of the many access paths leading down the cliff to the beach, to reduce conﬂict.

The narrower path would also save ripping up too much grass and minimise the loss of car parking spaces.

Planners will investigate other conflict zones such as at the Dutch Inn pirate ship playground and outside the Longview restaurant at North Cottesloe.

The central section of the path at Cotteloe main beach will not be designed until the council gets the funds to implement its expensive foreshore plan.

Path width, design and surface treatments will prioritise people

Road rage over Grantham

• From page 3

“This is the second time round that a consultant has said it’s not feasible,” Mr Wise said.

Despite that, deputy mayor Ben Mayes has asked the CEO to investigate signals with Main Roads.

Ruislip Street resident Lisa Taylor said blocking the Jersey Street turn had increased trafﬁ through the Safe Active Street section.

“Surely there should have been a different way,” Ms Taylor said.

“We want another solution that doesn’t pit street against street.”

Phillipa Everett’s deputation said the council report ignored resident’s concerns and showed a “blatant misuse of statistics”.

Simper Street residents said they had reported many incidents to the council in their long campaign to get some kind of trafﬁc restriction on their street, which has turned into a thoroughfare.

Elson Goh has been a regular at council meetings for more than

of all ages and abilities who will be walking and riding the path.

The council used a secret session to consider tenders for planning the path, with all the council criteria passed on to the selected planners.

More detailed planning will be followed by construction in the middle of next year.

Tornado chaos

Mr Surveyor did not realise until the next day that an entire section of wall and part of a fence had fallen. There was little other damage.

Another neighbour, Ken, could see the tornado approaching.

“At 5.30 I could see all this swirling and I thought it was birds that had been scared by storms,” he said.

“But when I looked at it there was all kinds of shapes and sizes in it and I realised it wasn’t birds, that there were trees and other things twirling in it.

“We saw it coming across West Coast Highway straight at our house and then it veered and took out our fence.

“It came at us at speed, I didn’t have time to grab a camera or anything like that.

“It happened so fast I didn’t have time to worry about it and it wasn’t until we came outside and saw the fence down that we realised how powerful it had been.”

He described the funnel as being “quite wide” and not tight like those typically seen in America.

Loud winds hit Camborne Street where Patrick Elliott and his wife were feeding their baby and bathing there three-year-old son Finn.

Patrick said they grabbed the

children and took them around the corner to his wife’s parents’ place.

A large bough had fallen in their driveway after being snapped off a large tree on the other side of the road.

Their outdoor patio was upended and the glass smashed while about 40 tiles were torn off their roof.

Patrick is a director of school cleaning company Intrepid Cleaning in Shenton Park and said their cleaners reported multiple leaks at seven western suburb schools.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s initial assessment said that a low intensity tornado occurred at approximately 5.25pm in City Beach.

Cambridge council deployed staff, including ground staff from Wembley Golf Course, and contractors following a request for assistance by DFES.

swiped, road rage incidents, and collisions due to drivers doing U-turns.

“The majority of residents say they don’t feel safe at these intersections,” Mr Goh said.

residents who experienced serious property damage, and in some cases, had to leave their homes last night,” mayor Gary Mack said.

“We understand this is distressing and while the full extent of the storm damage is still being assessed, we are committed to supporting our community through the recovery process.

“We will provide further updates via our website and social media channels as required.”

Principals to get icy lesson

• From page 14

Jordan said he was hoping for a cure.

“I hope that one day a young mum or dad will walk into a neurologist’s ofﬁce to receive a diagnosis of MND and will walk out of that room with the hope of a cure,” he said. Gates open 1pm, sliding starts at 1.45 and WAFL bouncedown at 2.30.

The POST targets 112,000 locals each week - every household and business in the western suburbs can see your ad.

The POST delivers Thousands of readers and active subscribers in Australia and internationally read the POST online.

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The POST is an independent, locally-owned newspaper, with award-winning journalists whose reports break news nationally. Secure your spot in Perth’s best-read western suburbs newspaper today.

Tickets to enter the ground can be purchased at the gate and donations can be made at support.fightmnd.org.au/ fundraisers/JordanEarly.

Elson Goh and other Simper Street residents say their street now bears the brunt of through-traffic.

• From page 1

The tornado arrives from the ocean at City Beach.

Coaches win on and off the field

Numerous long-term football supporters still claim it was the best match they had ever seen, with Andrew Krakouer producing an unforgettable masterclass of skill and brilliance to illuminate a gripping contest between two outstanding teams.

Two of the key ﬁgures in one of the most remarkable football matches played in WA are making their mark off the ﬁeld as they build on the legacy of that landmark game.

Brian Dawson was coach in 2010 when Swan Districts won a pulsating WAFL grand ﬁnal by one point over hot favourites Claremont.

Subiaco Oval had rarely hosted anything like it, and now that the historic ground has become a weed-infested dog park with only scant regard for its compelling heritage, it will not do so again.

A University of WA sport science academic who directed West Coast’s physical development in the decades when the Eagles won matches and inspired new generations, Dawson

has just written a history of that 2010 premiership and the seven others won by Swan Districts.

His method was simple – to sit down with the two other winning coaches and their captains to watch replays of their grand ﬁnals, and go through the events and characters that marked each ﬂag.

John Todd inspired the project, arguing that the survivors were ﬂagging and their recollections would soon be lost.

Todd, the winning coach in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1990 and the subject of a revealing Dawson biography in 2004, died midway through the project after providing a series of insights into his blueprint for premiership success.

at J-Bay, exploding a savage, spray-throwing backhand blast straight into the heart of Supertubes. Photo: WSL/Gysen

Samurai spirit rules

Australian-born Connor O’Leary may sport the Japanese ﬂag on his rashie but he will forever remain the battler from Cronulla.

After years of charging, grinding, and coming up just short, O’Leary went ballistic in detonating his stinging back hand attack on the Jeffreys Bay conveyor belt to claim his maiden championship tour victory in South Africa last week.

Flawless six-foot supertubes with feathering offshores and a hyped-up crowd lining the dunes allowed O’Leary to unleash the performance of his life, laying down a backhand power play.

It wasn’t just a win for the popular journeyman, it was an emotional exorcism.

For eight long years, O’Leary has been in the trenches of elite surfing, requalifying, tweaking, resetting.

But on a day with J-Bay pumping riﬂing walls down the point, the 31-year-old goofyfooter forged frustration into focus and the best surﬁng of his career.

“All the stars aligned for this one, so I’m stoked,” an overwhelmed O’Leary said.

“(Richard) ‘Dog’ Marsh (O’Leary’s coach) has been telling me that it’s coming this year, but it’s been hard to believe sometimes.”

O’Leary’s backhand was

pure venom in the semiﬁ against three-time J-Bay champ Brazilian Filipe Toledo.

He locked into a warp-speed runner and unloaded a barrage of vertical hooks for the event’s only perfect 10.

Then came the all-goofy-foot final against Brazil’s Yago Dora, one of the Tour’s most dangerous talents.

Haydn Bunton, like Todd a legend in the WA Football Hall of Fame, coached Swans’ inaugural premiership hat-trick in 1961-1963, but at 88 is frail and ailing.

He was too ill to be interviewed formally but was represented by champion rover Bill Walker and the singular Ken Bagley, whose memories have not dimmed despite the six decades since their glory days.

Andrew Pruyn was Dawson’s runner on grand ﬁnal day in 2010

of prizes in his other discipline as he mixes what are effectively two full-time jobs.

Away from football, Pruyn is a winemaker whose deep south winery Hamelin Bay has just won almost as many gold medals as Todd won premierships.

The most impressive win was at last month’s National Wine Show in Canberra, the most important competition in the country, only accepting entries from state winners, where his 2023 Rampant Red was named the best shiraz blend in the land.

Hamelin Bay is near Karridale in the state’s southwest corner, just north of Augusta, and nestled in the perfect location for speciﬁc grape growing.

“It’s where two oceans meet so we have unusual but excellent growing conditions,” Pruyn explained.

“We won at the national show and Queensland with the shiraz, have just had another win with our chardonnay and hope to go well with our young pinot noir when it is ready.

O’Leary didn’t ﬂinch and dug deep to despatch the current world number one.

Repping Japan since 2023, O’Leary made a strategic and deeply personal shift when he switched national allegiances.

The move opened the path to strong backing by Japan’s Olympic program and was driven by a desire to honour his Japanese heritage and his mother Akemi Karasawa who was a surﬁng champion.

No longer the under-theradar guy just scraping into quarters, O’Leary has now cracked the top tier.

With a blistering backhand attack honed at Cronulla he’s proven that gooﬁes can go toeto-toe with anyone, even at a mechanical right like J-Bay.

The kid from Cronulla is no longer knocking, he just kicked in the door.

“There are lots of parallels between nurturing footballers and nurturing vines, though I wouldn’t mind a few more wins on the footy ﬁeld.”

That’s two Swan District coaches with substantial and successful careers off the ﬁeld. It might not be the modern football way, but it has a lot to recommend it.

Another pivotal football book was written by Kevin Casey, an education academic at Claremont Teachers College and, brieﬂy, a league player at Kevin has just died at 85 after a long and rich life that ended in the cruel grip of Alzheimer’s but was notable for the breadth and depth of its achievements.

Historic duo not for changing

are two of the most inﬂuential people in football history.

told the story of Brown wearing No.100 on his debut for Claremont 50 years ago and his game-changing decision a year later to send the replaced Colreavy back onto the ﬁeld.

The decision cost Brown his job as Claremont coach, and earned him a year-long ban from the WAFL competition, but his foresight was recognised two years later when football became the ﬁrst sport to introduce the modern interchange

The pair were back at Claremont Oval on Saturday where they reminisced about old times and how seemingly innocuous events can have a far-reaching impact.

There was also a link to that famous 2010 grand ﬁnal because Colreavy’s son Ben played for Swan Districts in that match, kicking two points that were to prove almost as historic as his father’s contribu tion to

A ruckman nicknamed Bones for his lanky frame, he was part of the squad in Claremont’s 1964 premiership season but had a greater impact with his detailed club history The Tigers’ Tale. That history told the story of Claremont’s late 19th century origins in the-then soccer mad western suburbs, and traversed its journey to the end of the 20th century.

An updated version assessing the past 30 years will be released next year to coincide with Claremont’s centenary.

Kevin was also my father’s ﬁrst cousin, one of 28 from a tough yet considerate generation born between the world wars, and interweaved through the western suburbs for most of their lives.

His father Aidan was one of seven Casey children – my grandmother Mary (always known as Rose) was the oldest while their sisters Cecilia (Sis), Myrtle (Mick) and Eileen (Lal) seemed to be identical and interchangeable when I was a kid.

The family patriarch was William Thomas, WA’s leading Esperanto speaker for a while and an idealist who built the Peppermint Grove house that later became Devonleigh hospital, operated a farm at Koorda while working as a furniture buyer at Foy and Gibsons, and had a Depression-era home in West Leederville that housed up to 20 family members and assorted dogs.

Kevin grew up on Stirling Highway opposite the Star of the Sea church and the deli run by his parents before building a career that included writing WA’s education textbook on how to teach children with special needs.

Like a samurai with a vendetta, Connor O’Leary goes full berserker mode

surfing with cameron bedford-brown

John townsend

The cover of Brian Dawson’s new Swan Districts history features the club’s premiership coaches Haydn Bunton, John Todd and himself.

Mal Brown and John Colreavy reminisce about old times at Claremont Oval last Saturday.

Andrew Pruyn gets his hands dirty as an award-winning winemaker.

Kevin Casey in recent times and, below, in his playing days at Claremont.

Use this shape to make a drawing. The best two entries will win.

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

Phone number:

What have you drawn?:

Shop 4/531 Hay St Subiaco 9381 3100

Postcode

Vouchers will be mailed and valid for 4 weeks. These Doodlebug contestants have won.

Willow Harrison, Ajay Ramdas, Lennon Gillam, Elsie Delamotte, Daisy Hewer, Molly Brazier, Charlotte Conaty, Sophia Douglas, Harvey Rafferty, Ivy Ferguson.

I feel extra healthy this week with all the carrots that landed on my desk, ranging from a snowman’s nose, carrots nestled in a vegie patch, a carrot in a magician’s hat and even dancing carrots!

The winning carrot this week is by Mia Lock, 10, from Subiaco. She has drawn a rabbit sneaking a carrot out of a special garden bed. I love the discreet back view of the thief.

Our other main winner is Grace Prosser, 7, from Swanbourne, who has drawn two lovely platypuses swimming upriver. I love the stylish simplicity of the drawing – and the evidence that Grace is fascinated by monotremes (egg-laying mammals).

Other brilliant ideas included Sophia’s avocado, Willow’s space rocket, Molly’s stolen diamond, Harvey’s human eye and Ajay’s Picasso-styled eye.

Q. Why did the school bus driver never turn left?

A. She was always determined to do the right thing!

Q. What is an autobiography?

A. The life story of a car!

Q. Why do maths teachers make good detectives?

A. They’re good at putting two and two together!

Q. Why was the bee late for school?

A. It missed the buzz!

Tongue twister

No need to light a night light on a light night like tonight

I hope you are enjoying being back at school with all your mates.

Art patron praises schoolkids' art

“YOU would be hard-pressed to find any art show with this much diversity of subject and style and sheer energy,” said Shaun Tan, patron of the young artists award that bears his name.

This week City of Subiaco announced the winners of this year’s Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists. The collection of superb art ranges from cartoon to realism and in style from disco-dancing bees to graceful

birds, thoughtful portraits to spectacular land and cityscapes

Raadin Ebadi, in Year 10 at Perth Modern School, won first place in the Upper Secondary category with his charcoal portrait titled Future Serenity, which the judges described as “subtle, beautiful, and skilfully rendered.”

Jasper Lindon, in Year 9 at John Curtin College, won the Lower Secondary category with his artwork Father’s Portrait, “an honest and charming portrait with a refined colour palette”.

The winners from the Primary aged categories were Tanya Ziya Xu from St Columba’s, Eason Li from Arty Studio and Diarmuid Gannon from Bannister Creek Primary School in Lynwood.

Shaun Tan, via video from Melbourne, shared some of his own childhood pictures ranging

from flowers drawn on the back of his dad’s office stationery when he was four through to the work he was doing as a teen that began his career into creating dynamic worlds.

We’re all in it together ‘ ’

“Having a look at some of the art I was doing as a kid, I think you’ll probably be heartened by the fact that my talent levels are roughly the same as yours,” he told the budding artists at Subiaco Library.

He said there was so much that seasoned adult artists like him could learn from looking at the art of “younger peers”.

“And I do think of you all as my peers, we’re all in it together,” he said.

There is one more award to go – the People’s Choice Award, which anyone can vote for online or by visiting the exhibition at Subiaco Library, where it is on show until Sunday August 3.

Q. Why did the pig have to use a pencil?

A. There was no oink in his pen!

Dad: Did your teacher recognise the excellence of your essay?

Child: No, but she seemed to recognise your handwriting!

Mum: How much did you learn today?

Child: Not enough. They said I have to go back tomorrow!

Grace Prosser (7)

Mia Lock (10)

Raadin Ebadi (Year 10) won the Upper Secondary for Future Serenity: “Skilfully rendered, especially the way the light reflects in the dark hair.”

Diarmuid Gannon (Year 1) won the Lower Primary award for A Lion Who Wants a Friend.

The main winners in the Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists with Subiaco Mayor David McMullen.

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