POST Newspapers 2 May 2026

‘Berlin Wall’ is a smoke barrier

By JACK MADDERN

Swanbourne’s version of the Berlin Wall has been installed to keep John Burridge’s cigarette smoke from wafting into a neighbouring café.

Mr Burridge runs a military antique shop on Shenton Road.

He has been in dispute with Side Piece Deli since it opened last year.

The latest flashpoint is a plastic screen at least 1m high installed on top of the dividing fence between the properties.

“I loosely referred to it, and it’s now taken off in the area, as the Berlin Wall,” Mr Burridge said.

“If that thing goes in, it absolutely blocks me in.

“I will get no air through that area whatsoever.”

Side Piece convinced Claremont council this week that the plastic addition was not part of the fence and was not affected by local laws.

The council approved Side Piece extending the screen to the rest of the boundary fence to stop Mr Burridge’s smoke drifting into the cafe.

Councillors considered the higher barrier would help alleviate noise issues.

Mr Burridge argued his approval was needed because it was partially on his land.

“Anyone in the Claremont district would be able to increase their fence height by simply calling it a screen.”

Claremont’s acting CEO Tim Clynch said any debate over the fence’s location was a civil matter and not the council’s issue.

By JACK MADDERN

The process of replacing human crossing guards with flashing lights risks childrens’ safety, warns Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas.

His concerns echo those of a former Churchlands traffic warden who was forced to resign when he wanted to take holidays.

Norbert Funke was a warden at the Churchlands Primary School crossing on Pearson Street but had to step down

Warden rules endanger kids

because the role was too inflexible.

He urged the government to allow part-time warden shifts or job sharing to cure the warden shortage.

“The system is the problem,” he said. “It is either full-time or off.

“When I asked for leave, I was told to resign.”

Mr Funke said wardens were not replaced if they were unable to remain at their post which meant children often had to cross busy roads without supervision.

“If there is nobody there, the kids have to take the chance themselves and have to cross the traffic themselves,” he said.

The primary school crossing will be left unmanned from this month when the only remaining warden takes a trip to Europe.

The high school crossing on Pearson Street has no wardens.

A signalised crossing is proposed but work has not started.

Mr Funke said wardens provided the safest crossings.

“Wardens are definitely the

safest way to do it, they are trained, can judge the traffic better, and it is a visible and much better form of control,” he said. Mr Funke lives in the area and started in the role because his grandchildren went to the primary school.

He believed other grandparents would take up the role if it were made part-time, and people did not have to resign, reapply, and redo all the training every time they want to take leave.

Cambridge outs planning secrecy

By JEN

Cambridge council has exposed the secrecy, inconsistency and lack of transparency of government planners after attempting to scrutinise decisions made within its boundaries.

Mayor Gary Mack said a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Planning was “challenging that secrecy” and that legislation appeared not to give the department the power to hide its deliberations.

Much of the FOI request made last October referred to the impact of Local Planning Scheme 2 on the Wembley activity centre, Newman College precinct, Cambridge Street corridor and Empire Village.

But the main document returned was heavily redacted, no recordings of discussions were provided and access to other materials was refused.

Deputy mayor Ben Mayes urged the council to push for the department to undertake an

internal review of the rejected FOI request.

The 30-day time limit to apply for a review meant Mr Maye’s request had to be considered as a matter of urgency at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

“In good faith we submitted a FOI request for information related to Local Planning Scheme 2,” he said.

“The information we got back was lacking.

“I’m quite concerned that there is a lack of transparency in relation to local planning schemes more broadly across Western Australia.”

The council had used FOI laws to ask for the agenda and minutes of a State Planning Committee meeting in June at

which LPS2 was discussed.

All names and large swathes of text were redacted from the document given to the council.

One entire page was blocked out.

A request for the agenda report was refused because it “would reveal detailed deliberations, opinions and recommendations of the SPC” in relation to LPS2.

Mr Mayes was concerned that the department claimed it did not record its deliberations on confidential matters.

“The lack of audio or visual recording of confidential items is at odds with the principle of open and accountable government, and the ability to scrutinise the operation of government agencies, including how government decisions are made,” he said.

All local governments were required to make recordings of council meetings, including confidential matters discussed behind closed doors.

“The same transparency and

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REWELL

Gary MackBen Mayes

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas says schoolkids’ safety is being compromised by

Stop passing the buck on bird baiting

For almost a year, the local community has watched the cruelty to birdlife unfolding at Herdsman Lake, and still no authority has taken responsibility for ending it. This is a clear dereliction of duty.

Seven black swans are dead this summer season alone, hooked by baited lines of bread. This is foreseeable, preventable cruelty.

To see a fishing hook lodged in the beak of a black swan, an iconic species, is deeply distressing.

The images in the POST (Hooked swan’s brutal death, April 25) speak for themselves.

A protected wetland, repeated incidents, and still no meaningful enforcement.

If “No Fishing” rules exist, they are being ignored. If agencies are responsible, they are failing. Why are they failing to fulfil their statutory responsibility?

Equally concerning, each report highlights the problem but offers no clear guidance to the public.

If witnesses see this happening, who do they call? What action should they take? At a

minimum, every article should make this explicit, otherwise the community is left informed but powerless. This is not a grey area; it is a failure of accountability.

With restrictions now being considered across multiple lakes, the public is entitled to ask why has it taken repeated bird deaths to prompt action? Enforce the rules, maintain a visible presence, and apply real consequences or expect this to continue.

Niall Lawlor Weaponess Road, Wembley Downs

Wearing out Welcome to Country

The recent heckling at Anzac services cannot be condoned, but it is a symptom of frustration with the inappropriate and overuse of Welcome to Country.

As with the Voice referendum, a majority of Australians want indigenous leaders and governments to return to the original intent of such ceremonies.

It is my understanding that it was to welcome visitors into one’s area. It is now used at almost every sporting event,

company meeting and concert. It has become gratuitous and intrusive.

Even with overwhelming coercion by government to companies and sporting clubs during the Voice referendum the majority voted NO. We are all Australians. Certainly this new trend is not appropriate at Anzac Day commemorations.

Tony Bovell Central Avenue, Swanbourne

Total shame at Anzac ceremonies

The “Fight for Australia” movement’s lack of respect on Anzac Day has shamed us all.

So unAustralian! Thank goodness for the 90,000-plus people standing with so much respect at the MCG.

Those disrupting ceremonies around the country will not even know that many First Nations people fought and died in wars, for a country where they did not get the right to vote until 1967.

It is so ironic that a group calling themselves “Fight for Australia” disrespected those who did fight. The only message from the booing is of ignorance and undeserved entitlement.

• More letters pages 12, 18, 28

Shame!

Welcome to Country at major events, school assemblies, before meetings of diverse groups is a STOP moment.

Stop what you are doing and be present; be grateful for being in this place, at this time, sharing with others while respecting those who have come before, the elders and community. Our neighbours in New Zealand and many Pacific Island nations have their own rituals and they are revered.

How can we even be discussing not continuing such a powerful ceremony/ritual?

Jennifer Townsend Alexander Street, Wembley

Meaningful scent of bush smoke

Recent letters and reporting in the POST regarding smoke from prescribed burns overlook the deep-rooted relationship our culture has with the scent of the bush.

This smoke is not merely an irritant; it is a profound symbol of home and healing.

Furthermore, we should look to the traditions of indigenous people who for millennia have used smoke ceremonies for cleansing and connection.

To them, regular burning is a

Peter Weygers doorknocked 4500 homes in Claremont, taking six months leave, to deliver the four pages of material with police advice on staying safe while the Claremont serial killer was at large.

No Claremont person in that 4500 home range became a victim, and he saved the police budget and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He also precisely called out the night entertainment spots in Claremont to increase security after Sarah Spiers disappeared.

tool for renewal. By viewing prescribed burning solely through a clinical lens, we risk losing sight of the fact that managed fire is a healthy and necessary aspect of forest management.

Smoke from prescribed burning is a small price to pay for preventing the uncontrollable and destructive infernos of bushfires.

It is a sight and smell that signifies protected communities and respected landscapes.

John Clarke Crosby Street, Floreat

He deserves a medal, not slurs. Governor (formerly police commissioner) Chris Dawson appears shameless in refusing to apologise for outing Mr Weygers as a prime suspect, and for trying to justify it on ABC Mornings, furthering the defaming.

Mr Weygers is a professional, intelligent, kind, generous, registered psychologist and teacher who deserves respect.

And a formal apology. Name and address supplied (working in a sensitive area and concerned about being targeted)

Noongar elder and 20-year army veteran Di Ryder, OAM, was heckled during her Acknowledgment of Country at the State War Memorial Anzac Day Dawn Service. Photo: ABC. ■ See report page 16

LAMP’s glare dims sport

By JEN REWELL

A controversial plan to future-proof Cambridge’s parks and playing fields will cost more and may take longer than initially planned.

Councillors approved two parts of the Leisure Assets Master Plan on Tuesday night.

The 10-month review will cost $259,000 but will not address the main questions that the council wants answered.

The third part, which mayor Gary Mack said was “the

whole point of the exercise”, will not be addressed.

The council will not change its decision to refuse any “unplanned improvements” to parks or community assets.

Part three requires preparation of “high-level concept frameworks for selected precincts to illustrate potential future directions for each precinct”.

It should be considered as part of future budget processes and would probably blow the initial $300,000 LAMP budget, staff said.

An estimate was given to

councillors but kept secret from the public.

The preferred tenderer will complete the first two parts of the project, which include “strategic framework, technical analysis and stakeholder engagement”.

The tender will be paid a lump sum of $259,000 for the first two parts of the LAMP. They will count Cambridge’s parks, playgrounds and playing fields, and assess who uses them.

“We’re not a big town and most of us can identify off the

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Judge warns on sovereign citizens

By JOHN TOWNSEND

A Supreme Court judge has warned that the rise of “sovereign citizens” was draining official resources and eroding public confidence in WA’s court processes.

Justice Michael Lundberg used his recent decision to reject a convoluted appeal over a low-level traffic conviction to decry the increase of pseudo-law defences in court.

“[They are] wasteful of

already scarce court and public resources, add to the costs of litigation, drain police resources, and contribute to the erosion of confidence in courts and the administration of justice generally,” he said.

Justice Lundberg was scathing of William Jones’ appeal against his Perth Magistrates Court conviction for riding a motorcycle without a licence, which drew a fine of $300.

Jones was also fined $1300 for refusing to undergo a breath test after being pulled

over by police in Osborne Park in March 2025.

He appealed against the convictions on numerous grounds, including that police acted oppressively, breached the peace, and engaged in “trespass, battery, bondage and slavery”.

He was acquitted of a charge of refusing to provide his details to police, but bemused Justice Lundberg by appearing to seek to have that matter reinstated.

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Cottesloe towers land expands

By JACK MADDERN

Cottesloe’s Station Street tower plans were a step closer to reality this week with the appointment of Multiplex as builder.

Sirona Urban, the developers of the 17- and 15-storey hotel and residential towers, said they expected work to start this year.

Sirona also confirmed that properties the company recently acquired at 1 Station Street and Napoleon Street would be incorporated into the development.

The new properties will add 800sq.m to the original 3200sq.m project site.

Managing director Matthew McNeilly said the half-billiondollar project was a bold vote of

confidence in Cottesloe’s future.

“We recognise that change, and this kind of ambition, can be confronting,” he said.

“Being the first often is. But we’ve done this before.

“The additional investment into this precinct will ensure the public realm and retail are expanded and easily navigated, including how the development works with the train station across the road.

“We’ll also be scaling up the hotel amenity including events, conferencing, and corporate function spaces.”

Multiplex regional managing director Chris Palandri said he was pleased to be working with Sirona Urban on such a significant project in the Cottesloe town centre.

YMCC Hockey players Matilde, left, Zara, Isabelle, Layla, Georgia, Margo, Sheridan, Daisy and Pippa at training in Floreat. Photo: Jen Rewell

Sirona Urban director Jeff Holloway, left, managing director Matthew McNeilly, and Multiplex regional managing director Chris Palandri discuss the next steps for the Station Street towers.

Memories came ooding back for an old POSTie when he read the recent front-page story Homeless campintramstop, April 18, about the historic shelter in West Perth.

POSTie Pat was a Year 12 student at St Pat’s in Geraldton when he was forced to use the tram stop as a home away from home for a couple of nights.

He was in the St Pat’s football team coached by Brother Olly Pickett, last year’s Senior Australian of the Year, when they came to Perth to watch the 1968 WAFL grand nal.

“We were all billeted out but there was a mix-up with me and another boy

and we had to nd our own accommodation,” he said.

“We saw the shelter at the tram stop and given it was just around the corner from Subiaco Oval, so we thought it would the perfect spot to camp.

“It was so good the rst night that we went back the next night after the match.

“It is good, in some ways perhaps, to see that it is still being used more than half a century after we were there.” Camping

Military bu gets bronze prize David Murray now has a 50kg bronze plaque to add to his military collection.

Jolimont military history enthusiast David Murray got more than he bargained for on Anzac Day – a heavy historic bronze plaque.

Mr Murray’s research helped several councils identify the names of dozens of Diggers killed in action but missing from war memorials in Subiaco and West Leederville.

A plaque with the names of 19 World War I servicemen was last year added to the war memorial in Rankin Gardens.

Mr Murray also shared his research with Cambridge and Vincent councils, which he found each had almost 40 names not recorded on their memorials.

But Vincent council has given him a surprise gift – the original plaque – after replacing it with an updated version including the names of 36 missing soldiers, sailors and airmen he found who had died in the war.

“A couple of council guys delivered the old plaque to my house,” Mr Murray said.

“Apparently it was in appreciation of what I’d done.

“I appreciate the sentiment and it’s probably worth a fortune but I didn’t do the work to get my hands on it or anything like that.

“I got what I wanted when the names were added.”

Mr Murray did not want to scrap the plaque, which he estimated to weigh 50kg, but was not sure what to do with it.

“I’d like it go to the family of someone listed on the plaque, or something like that,” he said.

“I’m open to ideas.

“It’s a signi cant and symbolic thing and deserves to go to a good home.”

Mr Murray, who has written a detailed book about the history of Jolimont, found an intriguing

Photo: Lloyd Gorman

connection between Subiaco and Vincent.

“John Porter was already on the plaque in Vincent, but his military records show that he was living at 51 Peel Street, Jolimont, when he enlisted with the 11th Battaiion in September 1914,” he said.

“Private Porter, who was a carpenter before he joined up, was shot and injured on the rst day of the landings at Gallipoli [April 25] and he returned to Australia on July 5, 1915.

“He and his wife Annie were the rst residents of Anzac Cottage in Mt Hawthorn.

“The cottage was built in a single day

– February 12, 1916 – when the entire community came together to build a home for returned servicemen.”

He said Jolimont had its own Anzac Cottage at 53 Roseberry Street.

A group of ex-Diggers from West Leederville, Wembley and Floreat Park RSL branches worked together in July 1949 to build the home for an incapacitated veteran of World War I.

A newspaper report from the time described the building being made of “wood and asbestos with brick foundations”.

Mr Murray said the house took 2½ days to build but was demolished 10 years ago.

The West Perth tram stop has been used for camping for more than half a century.

Sauna may skip beach policy

By BRET CHRISTIAN

Cottesloe resident Yvonne Hart wants to know how her council can allow a sauna above North Cottesloe beach when its policy does not allow for new structures on the beach side of Marine Parade.

“This is a new development and a commercial operation on our very precious foreshore,” she told councillors at their meeting on Tuesday.

But mayor Melissa Harkins said council officers had concluded that the sauna proposal did not necessarily stray from the Town’s beach policy.

And the council was not bound to follow the policy, anyway.

“The policy guides council, it does not bind it,” Ms Harkins said.

“The community will definitely have the opportunity to have its say on whether it wants this improvement to the site.

“These sorts of facilities are very popular in other locations up and down the coast.”

The North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club wants to rent some of the concrete roof of its surf ski shed to Alchemy Saunas, which operates a string of waterfront saunas in metropolitan Perth.

The surf club overlooks the beach between the Magic Apple and Longview restaurants.

A previous meeting was told

Steamy experiences ahead for the roof of the North Cottesloe surf ski shed? The saunas would run along the boundary to the right of the photo. The area was nicknamed The Dead Zone after the owners of the Barchetta cafe, now Magic Apple, were fined by the local council for placing tables and chairs on the roof.

that this sauna was proposed to be a $1million a year business (Steamy future for North Cott, POST, April 25).

The meeting was told that council would receive 15% of the base rent for the first five years, rising to 30% in 10 years, plus part of the revenue share that passed to the surf club.

It would also receive rates.

A similar-sized commercial operation on the beachfront paid $22,876 in rates a year.

Ms Harkins said the sauna structures would take up 33% of the ski shed roof, with an east-west orientation to preserve the ocean view corridor.

Full details would be given to the public before the public consultation.

Councillor Lorraine Young said the current space was “pretty underwhelming”.

The council voted unanimously to endorse the commercial terms proposed by the surf club.

Fun kept within limits

By JEN REWELL

A designated “free play” area for kids in City Beach has been expanding as kids branch out into the surrounding bushland.

Concerned locals have asked Cambridge council to define the boundaries of the free play area off Empire Avenue, which was approved by the council in 2021.

The original zone was 45m by 95m, with sandy paths, and piles of supplied dirt for kids to make bike jumps.

Those areas are still in use but new paths through the bushland have been made by pushing over grass trees and digging holes to make new jumps.

Local Wayne Dufty said the play zone had expanded to

more than double its permitted area.

“We support the bike zone but the ecosystem is being destroyed and they just need to stay to their zone,” he said.

There had been active destruction and vigilante

“gardening” by a woman who cut down plants and poisoned the stems of large succulents, he said.

“Her boys were also using portions of grass tree trunks as bike ramp props,” he said.

Hoons were also taking advantage of easy access to do burnouts on a grassed area in the park.

“It’s really got a bit out of control,” he said.

A Town of Cambridge spokesperson said the Town recognised the importance of balancing informal recreation with protection of surrounding bushland.

“To assist in guiding the use of the free play area, the Town is planning to install logs where practicable to help define the intended play space,” they said.

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Burns ‘to

quit’ if new lease doesn’t fly

By LLOYD GORM AN

Subiaco councillor Mark Burns has threatened to resign if a better deal for National Storage to stay on at its Harborne Street site cannot be brokered.

City of Subiaco staff at last month’s meeting recommended the council offer the company a 10-year lease, with a two-year extension, at a rent of $2.15million per annum.

The storage company has used the 18,870sq.m council-owned site for at least 25 years.

The current lease is set to end on February 28, 2027.

Mr Burns said National Storage operated at more than 190 locations and owned most of them.

The company was bought by Brookfield – and a Singaporean Sovereign Wealth Fund – last year for about $5.7billion.

“Unless I’m 100% wrong Brookfield are not going to take their bat and ball and go home and say ‘We are not going to play

with you anymore’,” Mr Burns said.

Last week he floated changes to the lease, including an increased rent rate of 5% (instead of 3%), and a rent review every three years.

He also suggested it include a clause that would allow the City to break the lease if it wanted to sell the land, with a first right of refusal for the tenant to buy it.

Several councillors said they were worried the council was meddling in the administration’s operational business, breaking trust, and dictating new terms in negotiations that were well advanced.

“If you guys give me this and the lease doesn’t improve, I will do a Howard Hughes and I’ll quit… you’ll never see me again,” Mr Burns said.

“The POST (reporter) is writing this down and I don’t break my promises.”

Howard Hughes was an American business magnate, film

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A bush cubby in Empire Park.

Last Post for postmaster

By LLOYD GORMAN

Post office owner and diehard Subiaco supporter Nigel White reluctantly retired this week after 28 years as a standard bearer for the district.

“It’s time to give it away,” he said before closing his Hay Street shop – which sits across the road from the shuttered Victoria Hotel – for the last time on Thursday.

“For nearly three decades now I’ve been getting up at 4am and getting home at six o’clock at night, so it’s been a long time.

“I’d like to thank all the good clients and suppliers who have looked after me over the years and I’ve made some good friends along the way too.

“I’ve had some really fabulous customers, like Hilda, who lived in York Street and turns 104 this year.

“The customers make the job worth doing.

“It’s interesting work too. You always get to hear the local gossip and goings on, it’s always a place of information.”

Nigel has noticed major changes to Subiaco and the business of running a local post office, especially in the past decade.

“The closure of the Pavilion Markets at the bottom of Rokeby Road was a disaster,” he said.

“There were always a lot of people milling around Subiaco on the weekends when that was open.”

The loss of Subiaco Oval as a football stadium nearly 10 years ago was also a blow.

The committed West Coast supporter once appeared in the POST as a backer for a local campaign to keep Subiaco as the home of WA football (New push to keep stadium, POST, November 26, 2011).

His newsagency was one of 20 locations where fans could sign a petition to keep football in Subiaco.

He said it has become increasingly complicated and expensive for customers and post offices.

“It’s gotten harder to run a post office because of the way Australia Post want things done now with things like money laundering,” he said.

“And the price of postage has gone through the roof – it’s ridiculous.

“On top of that how hard is it to send a present to someone England or in Europe?

“They want to tax you and they make it so difficult for a mum and dad to send a parcel to Europe.”

Born in Eaton in England, Nigel came to Australia in 1970 with his parents who were Ten Pound Poms.

He will be free to see more of the world in retirement.

“My wife is a travel agent, so I’ll be able to give her a bit of business,” he said.

“And we are expecting our first grandchild, so good things are happening.”

Former Cambridge councillor dies

By JEN REWELL

Former Cambridge councillor Sonia Grinceri has died after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. She was a councillor for 10 years from October 2007. Her sister Linda Tinning said Ms Grinceri had a genuine commitment to public service and her community.

“Sonia took a strong stance on issues when needed and was regularly quoted or referenced in the POST during her time on council,” she said.

“She was very proud of the work the council achieved over those years, especially the development along the City Beach foreshore.”

Ms Grinceri had a distin-

guished public service career after starting her career as a high school teacher.

She had senior state government roles including advisory roles for the Education Department and director of the WA Trade Office in Mumbai, India.

Mayor Gary Mack used the April council meeting to recognise Ms Grinceri’s service.

Sonia Grinceri was a Cambridge councillor for 10 years.

Nigel White has retired as a Subiaco post o ce owner after 28 years.

Protect Subi war memorial –

By LLOYD GORMAN

Subiaco’s clock-tower war memorial acted as “a surrogate grave” for Diggers buried overseas or with no known grave, hundreds of people attending the Anzac Day service heard.

The names of Subiaco men and women killed in action in World War II and later conflicts were engraved on the memorial, Subiaco-Shenton Park RSL president Peter Hopper said.

But the solemn 1923 structure served another purpose.

“Because so many were buried overseas in Europe, or where they fell, our war memorials, such as the Fallen Soldier’s Memorial behind me, became surrogate graves,” Mr Hopper said.

“So many families also faced the fact that their loved ones

had no known grave.

“Some were also just listed as missing in action, a terrible consequence of warfare.”

It was the second time that week Mr Hopper made the comparison in two very different contexts.

He spoke at the council meeting to warn against the proposed civic centre redevelopment diminishing the war memorial’s heritage and social value.

“Clearly there are no physical bodies under the memorial,” he told the council.

“But it commemorates the several hundred bodies whose names are on the memorial.

“The Rankin Gardens nearby is also a place where residents of Subiaco have close links to the past.

“It has been used by residents as a place of remembrance of their loved ones.

“It also enhances the tranquillity and reverence of the presence of the war memorial.

“The two places are thus linked in purpose and this heritage needs protecting under the new civic precinct project.”

Staff said community feedback about the proposed $64million redevelopment of the old council offices and precinct showed there was support for the gardens as a “quiet and calm environment” but also as activated outdoor space.

“It is noted that war memorials, such as the State War Memorial in Kings Park, can sometimes be very active places,” they said.

“Activity in itself is not necessarily a sign of disrespect; appropriate activation can support recognition of the past as well as celebration of peace and community in the present.”

Childcare centre has ‘too many kids’

City Beach residents are gearing up to fight a planned 72-place childcare centre on Oban Road which they say is too big and bulky and will cause traffic congestion.

Cambridge council has advertised plans for the $4million centre and asked locals to provide feedback to state government planners at the Inner West Development Assessment Panel, who will make the final decision.

Council documents identify that the site is in a low-density R12.5 residential area where a childcare centre needs “discretionary approval”.

Over-55 limit rule traps homeowner

The elderly owner of a City Beach house that can only be occupied by people older than 55 is stuck with a restrictive age covenant that Cambridge council refused to remove.

Sandra Ferguson, the owner’s daughter, said her mother had lived in the Norbury Crescent house for 25 years, and was finding it difficult to sell now because the covenant limited who could buy it.

The covenant was imposed as a condition of ministerial approval in 2001 when the 1200sq.m block was subdivided into two lots of 600sq.m.

Councillor Michael Le Page said removing the covenant would allow a higher density

on the site without the statutory safeguards that originally justified the subdivision.

“Retaining the covenant ensures the original planning intention is preserved, linking the density concession to a specialist housing outcome,” he said.

Councillors voted unanimously to maintain the covenant.

Ms Ferguson said the house had been on the market since November but had not attracted any offers.

“The house meets its residential and street amenity obligations and it is not specialist housing,” she said.

She said the change had been supported by the WA Planning Commission.

Other elements which do not adhere to the local planning rules include the proposed number of children (72) which exceeds the maximum permitted 40, and the hours of operation being longer than allowed.

The proposed double storey building has a 1.5m setback, when the requirement is 7-8m while it exceeds the permitted height by 1.1m.

RP Data shows that the land is owned by Shobha Ramanna and architects Hodge Collard Preston drew up plans for the site.

The plans show no landscaping strip on street boundaries, while the site is accessed by a one-way service road, rather than the required local distributor road.

Residents have rallied to oppose the childcare centre, saying there were many reasons

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to refuse it.

Brad Booth, who has lived in the area for 14 years, said it was a “large scale commercial development” which was inappropriate in a residential area.

He was finalising his submission to the DAP with the consultation period closing on Monday. “The process is stacked against residents,” he said.

He said that the proposal removed all trees from the site, including a large, registered paperbark tree which was only a few metres from the rear fence.

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The RSL wants Subiaco’s War Memorial to be protected from the proposed civic centre redevelopment.

The proposed childcare centre in City Beach.

Subi Blooms to arrive in Subiaco next weekend

Subiaco’s streets will burst into bloom this Mother’s Day weekend as the Subi Blooms x Gather festival returns for its biggest year yet!

The event, which is set to take over Subiaco from Friday 8 May to Sunday 10 May, will feature international floristry talent, large-scale installations, and a glowing night-time experience.

Now in its eighth year, the 2026 festival theme is ‘Floral Aurora’, and this year, a ‘blooms-by-night’ experience will see multiple installations lit up as the sun goes down.

Bryce Heyworth, the founder and creative director of Sydney’s September Studio (whose videos have captivated more than 1.6 million Instagram followers worldwide), is headlining this year’s festival in collaboration with Perth floral studio Fox & Rabbit.

A quick monthly update from Mayor David McMullen

It was a privilege to deliver an address at the Anzac Day service hosted by City of Subiaco, and the SubiacoShenton Park RSL Sub-Branch.

I contrasted our peaceful existence with the volatility occurring elsewhere in the world. And I noted that we would not have what we have here, were it not for the veterans of past conflicts, and those who have served since in the Australian Defence Force.

A pleasure to see so many people come out for the ceremony.

The two floral powerhouses will join forces for an installation called ‘Solar Flare’ at the Subiaco Oval Heritage Gates.

Other installations along the trail include a cottage garden inspired by Australian natives, a laneway dressed in rainbow florals and a forest canopy at Kannis Laneway.

Mayor David McMullen said the festival is one of the state’s most loved cultural events.

“The Subi Blooms x Gather festival has become a highlight on the City’s events calendar, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Subiaco to celebrate the creativity and colour of floral artistry throughout our iconic town centre,” he said.

Subi Blooms is presented by See Subiaco, a City of Subiaco initiative.

For more, visit www.seesubiaco.com.au/subiblooms.

Gold endorsement for City

The City of Subiaco has again been recognised as a Gold Waterwise Council as part of the Water Corporation’s Waterwise Council program.

The City has been a waterwise Council since 2011, and was commended this year for its efforts in water sensitive urban design; including the installation of soak wells, raingardens, and new greening concepts.

Read more about this recognition at www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/news.

Happy snapping

The 2026 Photographic Awards are back for 2026, with entries opening at 11am on Monday 4 May!

This year, the awards’ judging panel is welcoming a new member: award-winning Subiaco-based photographer Garry Sarre, who has more than 40 years of experience across advertising, fashion, commercial and portrait photography.

Garry’s advice for budding photographers is simple; “If you choose something that you love to take photos of, there’s going to be a lot of people that see that love through your images.”

Garry will join Subiaco photographers Robert Frith and Stef Kind for the 2026 award, which last year received a record number of 1250 photographs entered.

There is more than $5000 in prize money up for grabs across a range of categories, including Nature, AI, and People and Portraits.

To learn more, visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/awards.

$3 native plants this May

The annual Native Plant Subsidy Scheme is returning in May 2026, offering City residents the opportunity to purchase up to 40 native seedlings for $3 each from Apace Nursery in North Fremantle.

Residents can pick up new natives from Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30am to 2.30pm until stocks run out.

Not only do native plants look beautiful in your garden, they also require little water and fertiliser once established and contribute to local biodiversity.

For more details, please visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/news. Online

The thousands of people who attended the Kings Park dawn service were told that Acknowledgements of Country would be maintained.

‘ We will not be bullied’

By JOHN TOWNSEND

The RSL’s plan to make the Kings Park dawn service more active and engaging was taken to an unexpected level when hecklers interrupted the Acknowledgement of Country.

Aboriginal elder and 20-year army veteran Di Ryder provided a measured and simple start to the service in front of almost 30,000 people at the State War Memorial.

Several people, in what appeared

to be an orchestrated campaign at services across the country, shouted and booed as Ms Ryder spoke.

Police issued five move-on notices after the interruption and RSL chief executive Stephen Barton, who was the event MC, was applauded for his immediate response.

“That is one of the most disgraceful things I have ever seen,” he said.

Mr Barton ended the dawn service with a commitment to maintaining the ceremony at future events.

“To the Aboriginals and Torres

Strait Islanders in WA, we will continue to acknowledge country,” he said. “We will not be bullied.”

The crowd responded with more applause after Mr Barton’s comments.

He explained last week that the service had changed to make it more engaging for a modern audience.

The changes included abandoning the previous focus on solemn and quiet contemplation and replacing it with diary and letter readings, and a hymn.

My Future Care Introduction to Advance Care Planning Workshop

Jonathan Huston MLA Member for Nedlands, is pleased to host a FREE Advance Care Planning Workshop in partnership with Palliative Care Western Australia.

This informative session will help you understand what advance care planning is, why it matters, and how to make your and your loved ones wishes known for future healthcare decisions.

The workshop will provide practical guidance and an opportunity to ask questions in a supportive environment. Free morning tea provided.

Date: Monday 11 May 2026, 10:00am - 12:30pm

Location: HistoryWest Centre, 109 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands WA 6009

Register: Call 08 9386 3064, email Jonathan. Huston@mp.wa.gov.au or use the QR Code below.

Spaces are limited, so registration is essential.

Wheelchair push for beach dunny

By BRET CHRISTIAN

The saga of the beach toilets at South Cottesloe took a new twist this week when the council voted to include beach-access wheelchair storage in the design of the toilet block.

It would include a PIN to use the council-owned beach wheelchair, plus matting to to enable wheelchairs to cross the sand into the surf.

The council plumped for the Dutch Inn groyne dunes as the preferred site – when funds become available (Cott rejects sites for sore eyes, POST April 25).

Councillor Kirsty Barrett, who initiated the change, also successfully moved for a responsive design using natural building materials with “a coastal palette”.

The council voted also to consult its expert foreshore committee on the design.

Ms Barrett said that rolling more inclusive features into the one project would make it more attractive for external funding, such as state government and sponsors such as Lotterywest and the Waterfront Cottesloe residences across the road.

Councillor Lorraine Young said the chosen site was logical – historically there had been a toilet there and nearby Marine Parade residents had put it forward as a preferred alternative.

The cheaper off-the-shelf prefabricated toilet was not favoured during public consultation, she said.

She said the council does not yet have the money to build the facility – it has been waiting since 2019 for the main beach foreshore masterplan to be funded.

Councillor Michael Thomas said the project would stretch the finite resources of the Town already committed to other projects.

He said the beach-matting idea was attractive, but that section of beach was not patrolled by lifeguards.

“Building a path to the actual beach itself would also have significant challenges regarding coastal erosion,” he said.

Mayor Melissa Harkins said the council was merely asking its administration to bring back a report on the feasibility of the project guided by the council resolution.

The council voted 5-3 to proceed with the feasibility report.

JONO’S STREET TALK

Do you have a local issue, idea or concern to discuss? Or just simply want to say hi and drop by for a friendly chat?

Please join me for a coffee:

Saturday 2 May 9 am - 10:30 am

Cafe Melograno 67 Heytesbury Road, Subiaco

Saturday 9 May 9 am - 10:30 am

Bay Road Pantry 29 Bay Road, Claremont

Warrior politician dies at 105

Bill Grayden, who died this week aged 105, rarely missed any Kings Park memorial service, even in pouring rain and at advanced age. It was for his mates, and rain seemed nothing compared with the travails he and his fellow soldiers endured while fighting on five or six different gruelling battlefronts scattered across the world over five years.

Bill wrote a book about the most celebrated campaign, a rare insider’s look at the battle along the Kokoda Track in New Guinea.

Called Kokoda Lieutenant – The Triumph of the 21st Brigade, it gave the clearest picture of the complicated fighting retreat, in impenetrable jungle, that finally turned to victory. It came at huge cost, the Australians heavily outnumbered and out-gunned by the invading Japanese.

After the war Bill turned to politics, representing various south of Perth seats mostly as a Liberal in both state and federal parliaments over 43 years. His cheeky election tactics helped – he once circulated a booklet with the title “What (his opponent) has done for South Perth”. All the pages were blank.

He was sharp-minded and active well into old age. In 2015, aged 94, he visited Anzac Cove in Gallipoli where his father had landed and was wounded on the first day of what has become immortalised as Anzac Day.

Bill’s dad served in the 16th Battalion, and Bill joined the 2/16th at the age of 19 in World War II. He married Betsy Chadwick in 1948. They had five sons and five daughters.

Mosman Park is dumping ground

By BRET CHRISTIAN By JACK MADDERN

Mosman Park residents are fed up with furniture and household goods being dumped in their suburb.

Louis Flores identified the corner of Stirling Highway and St Leonards Street as a rubbish hotspot as the council revealed that 18 tonnes of junk were dumped last year.

“It’s been occurring on average every two weeks,” Mr Flores told the council in February.

“It’s embarrassing, it’s unacceptable, and it takes the council, on average, 14 days at best to pick up all the mess and the waste that is left at this corner.”

There were 184 reports of illegal dumping last year but just two infringement notices and a third matter under investigation.

Operations director Pierre Quesnel said it was a hard issue to enforce.

“It is very challenging to obtain sufficient evidence to infringe people,” Mr Quesnel said at the February meeting.

“Illegal dumping is typically picked up within a week.

“We do not believe that it would be appropriate or effective to publish the hot spots. The Town will deliver an education campaign this year focused on Verge Valet.”

Mosman Park’s communication campaign has begun to roll out to raise awareness of the consequences of illegal dumping.

“The Town is strengthening its approach through a combination of enforcement and education,” a spokesperson said.

“Community members play a vital role – the Town strongly encourages

residents to report any instances of illegal dumping. Offenders risk significant fines.”

Mosman Park said the 18 tonnes of waste were indicative of improved record-keeping rather than more dumping.

Resident Trent Vivian asked if the Verge Valet system was failing and whether that explained why illegal dumping had become an issue.

“It just seems to me that the mentality of a lot of people is that they can just put their stuff out whenever they want, and the Town’s going to deal with it,” he said at a meeting in February.

“I’ve just noticed a considerable amount of increased dumping. I get that we chose theVerge Valet to save money but is it working?”

Mayor Paul Shaw assured Mr Vivian that the collection service was still the most effective method for waste management.

“It is a cost-effective system,” he said. “The reason we moved to Verge Valet was that there was a two-week window where people could put their rubbish out for bulk waste collections twice a year.

“So that’s four weeks a year where you guarantee that the Town’s going to look like a tip.”

Bill Grayden was a Kokoda veteran, politician and author.

Photo: Bret Christian

Mosman Park residents are frustrated at rubbish dumped in their suburb.

It’s happening at Galup, too … A POST reader who asked to be identi ed only as Bronwyn snapped this image of two boys with shing rods and other gear at Galup/Lake Monger on April 17, possibly “about to sh for turtles”. She wrote: “They went back over the Freeway towards Mt Hawthorn after I told them I was going to report them. It seems from recent reports of boys catching swans at Herdsman Lake that this is becoming a common and more widespread occurrence of cruel behaviour.”

The term “leafy-green western suburbs” is a misnomer.

Sadly, in our choice of large houses with little outdoor space we are sacrificing nature and many of its endemic species for homo sapiens and non-native domestic pets and some pests.

Gardens are often tree free and seen my many as a nuisance; too expensive, labour intensive and messy.

The Perth metro tree canopy is 22%.

Cottesloe has the lowest in the western suburbs, with 14%.

Yet Cottesloe council at its recent meeting stated it had no plans to adopt a Tree Protection Local Planning Policy, which many other western suburbs are adopting under the WALGA model.

How school funding is unequal

The POST reports (April 25), Cook is starving local schools

This has been happening for many years.

It was reported in 2024 that almost 90 private schools in WA received more combined funding from state and federal governments than comparable public schools, and that number had doubled in the previous decade.

Because the state schools attended by the majority of Australian children are underfunded and have to cope

with crumbling buildings and overcrowding, more and more parents are of course choosing better funded and equipped private schools.

The result is that Australia has one of the most divided and inequitable education systems in the OECD and the majority of children are receiving a lessthan-optimal education.

A relevant quote is: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

Margaret and Paul Wilkes Kathleen Street, Cottesloe

Uphill battle for independents

While I don’t agree with everything Kate Chaney stands for, I am extremely impressed with her energy and her dedication in keeping her electorate and voters fully informed.

There is no doubt that her hands are full, with many items to be addressed on her agenda.

Unfortunately what her newsletters confirm to me is that independent politicians and minor parties essentially have little or no clout (unless under a minority government), and as a result are pushing uphill when it comes to introducing changes or seeking action on any issue.

Fine time for ‘fishers’

No wonder, then, that Ms Chaney’s most recent newsletter included words such as “government inaction” and “delays” to mention a few, and where she is “pushing” for action.

The closer we live to nature, in particular trees, the more we benefit our brains, our lungs, our hearts, especially those of our children. Roads are busier and our best protection is trees. On our verges is good but the best is having trees in our gardens.

Joan Sharpe Kathleen Street, Cottesloe Cottesloe Tree Canopy Advocates Whatever happened to leafy green?

SATURDAY 9 & SUNDAY 10 MAY 2026

It’s obviously time severe fines were imposed on anyone who kills a swan, either deliberately or by accident.

If the swan is killed by a minor, then their parents should be required to pay the fine.

At this point no one seems to be attempting to protect these most iconic of West Australian icons.

Paul McNamara McEwan Crescent, Mosman Park

Makes one wonder whether one’s vote is wasted if it is not going to the two major parties, as undesirable as that might be at times.”

Bruce Strang  Tighe Street, Jolimont

• More letters pages 18, 28

Email le ers to: le ers@postnewspapers.com.au

JOIN US FOR PERTH’S FINEST MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS

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We’ve curated an exquisite selection of premium floral bouquets and arrangements, alongside handcrafted, limited-edition Mother’s Day cakes and exceptional artisan cheeses. Discover our Mother’s Day gifting collection online, with weekend delivery available to select local postcodes.

As always, our annual Mother’s Day Flower Market held in our courtyard is on Saturday 9 May from 6:30am - 8pm & Sunday 10 May from 6:30am until 1pm.

SCAN TO BROWSE OUR MOTHER’S DAY COLLECTION

AUCTIONS &

Autumn Fine Art Auction

Artists include

Mac Betts

William Boissevain

David Boyd

Michael Challen

Ray Crooke

Guy Grey-Smith

George Haynes

Robert Juniper

Sidney Nolan

Hugh Sawrey

Howard Taylor + many others.

Auction

Tuesday 19th May at 6.00pm

Venue

Wilkinson Gallery

Enter via GATE 1

Claremont Showgrounds 1 Graylands Rd, Claremont

Viewing

Saturday 16th May 11am - 5pm

Sunday 17th May 11am - 5pm

Monday 18th May 10am - 6pm

Sidney Nolan

Robert Dickerson

Robert Juniper

Guy Grey-Smith

William Boissevain

Nigel Thomson

Michael Challen

Hugh Sawrey

Crowds turn out in force

Thousands of people gathered at Anzac Day services around the western suburbs last Saturday.

About 400 attended the West Leederville Memorial Gardens and Cenotaph for the Cambridge Anzac Day remembrance ceremony.

It began with a solemn parade led by cadets and veterans, joined by bagpipers, Scouts and other service groups.

The morning concluded with the RAAF flyover and morning tea.

Cambridge RSL Sub-Branch secretary Alan Wilson delivered the commemorative address and the Ode was read by president John Murphy, aged 97.

Dignitaries, community groups and service clubs laid 21 wreaths at the memorial.

Cambridge mayor Gary Mack

later said Anzac Day remained one of the most important occasions on the national calendar.

In Subiaco, the Perth Brass Band led a parade of ex-service men and women, Scouts and other groups who marched from the post office in Rokeby Road to the Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial in Rankin Gardens.

Subiaco Scouts had stood to attention at the clock tower war memorial all night until the daytime ceremony.

Hundreds of locals turned out to pay their respects for the solemn occasion, which was punctuated by the roar of a military jet fighter flying overhead.

In Claremont, local resident Luca Muir Anderson paid homage to the 44th Battalion in his address to the early morning crowd at Claremont Park.

Mayor Peter Telford later said he was keen to build on residents’ support to build a memorial for the 44th battalion in Claremont.

“It was just great on Anzac Day to see all the members of our community as we stay together and move forward together,” he said.

Mosman Park saw a record crowd turn out for its morning Anzac Day service.

More than 400 people attended the ceremony to hear three speakers recount their experiences of military service, or those of a relative.

Mayor Paul Shaw later paid tribute to attendees for the event’s success.

“The awesome Mosman Park Sub-Branch of the RSL was running the show and they put a fantastic program,” he said.

In Nedlands, Noongar elder Neville Collard delivered the Welcome to Country to 250 people at the War Memorial.

The 502 Army Cadets led the catafalque party while Curtin

Green light for Quad Centre redevelopment

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

The $40million first stage of an over-55s complex at the site of the Quadriplegic Centre in Shenton Park has been given the green light.

A Development Assessment Panel on Tuesday approved Alinea’s application for the 1.91ha site.

Alinea, the former Spine and Limb Foundation, operates the Quadriplegic Centre and facilities, which currently house 12 patients.

Building will not start until a nearby high-support accommo-

55s independent living complex in

dation facility that the patients can move into is finished being built later this year.

The first stage of four will include a three-storey apartment building with 20 homes,

a five-storey building with 26 homes, plus a club house and car parking bays.

Panel members amended a condition on contributions to public art that Alinea represent-

ative Luke Parker questioned.

“[Is] forcing a charity housing developer to pay exorbitant amounts towards public art during a housing crisis really aligned with public expectations?” he wrote in his deputation.

The DAP modified the condition, so the financial contribution was spread over the four phases of the development.

“I think it’s important we recognise charitable organisations who are tough in trying to put together these sorts of projects,” DAP member Clayton Higham said.

A Precinct Structure Plan

finalised last year allows for up to 200 units across multiple stages.

Patients of the Quad Centre have long fought health authorities who told them the outdated 1969 centre would close by December 2020 and they would be split up into the community (Quad Centre’s hopes crushed, POST, June 30, 2018). They won the fight to stay together but they are still waiting for the nearby 20-bed high support accommodation facility, run by MSWA, which is due to be finished by the middle of this year.

The rst stage has been approved to build this over

Shenton Park.

MP Kate Chaney, Nedlands MP Jonathan Huston, Nedlands RSL president Max Hipkins, mayor Leonie Browner and community members laid wreaths.

ANZAC DAY ROUND-UP

About 400 people attended the Anzac Day service at the Cenotaph in West Leederville.

Sticking it to Woodside

People concerned about oil and gas giant Woodside’s impact on the environment listened to speeches and sang songs in front of a massive inflated whale ahead of the company’s annual general meeting in Perth on Thursday last week.

One of them was Dockers fan and Cottesloe resident Clare Lagan, who founded the protest group Get Off My Chest out of concern that Woodside sponsors her beloved football club.

“Our players and supporters deserve a sponsor who doesn’t deceive the public, dodge taxes, drive up energy prices, destroy sacred indigenous sites, drill coral reefs and continue digging up fossil fuels in a climate crisis where heatwaves increasingly threaten to cancel AFL games,” she says on the group’s website getoffmychest.com.au.

Group supporters receive a red Get Off My Chest patch to iron over the company’s logo on their footy jumpers.  Woodside’s greenwashing campaign also features on the backs of surf club juniors Little Nippers, an ironic juxtaposition given the damage fossil-fuel emissions are doing to our oceans, beaches and kids’ futures.

System fails kids with disabilities

Last week’s POST report on the lack of funding to improve schooling in the western suburbs (Cook is starving local schools) exposed the rapid population growth and lack of planning in schooling in WA and throughout Australia.

The right to an appropriate local state-funded education isn’t a level playing field.

There are no dedicated Education Support Schools for students with disabilities in Perth’s western suburbs. They must be bussed out to appropriate schooling, or driven by family.

The school bus program for such children assumes that travel time of 90 minutes or longer each way is acceptable.

Our granddaughter, after a lengthy battle, had pickup time for her morning bus to Sir David Brand School in Coolbinia altered to 7.17am this year.

The family were notified one week before school started, and the morning route had 17

DBCA is endangering lives, not saving them

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions says its top priority is protection of human lives.

Yet smoke from its burns makes a lot of people very unwell and even kills people – 21 between 2002 and 2017.

DBCA is charged with protecting WA’s native plants and animals.

But in prescribed burns in the southwest of WA, it is allowed to kill any number of listed threatened animals such as cockatoos, woylies, numbats and quokkas – and it doesn’t even know how

many it kills because it rarely does fauna surveys before and after its burns.

The irony of it all is that this burning does not achieve its primary purpose of mitigating bushfires.

It may help for a couple of years but after that, for the next 30 years, there is more flammable vegetation than before the burn.

The Government’s ever increasing handout to DBCA for prescribed burning – $66million last year – encourages it to keep burning.

In 2023, the Environment Protection Authority recommended an independent scientific review of prescribed burning.

The responsible minister, no doubt on advice from DBCA, rejected the recommendation and DBCA continues to breach the trust invested in it by an ill-advised Government and the betrayed community.

This review must and will happen.

Dr Beth Schultz AO Webster Street, Nedlands on behalf of the South-West Forests Defence Foundation Inc.

minutes shaved off – how convenient. She is still being driven to school, because the long bus ride unsettles and exhausts her in the morning.

There are three state government ministers involved in education, transport and disability, each dodging and weaving around our children’s schooling. Why not reopen schools such as East Claremont – which looks tired and is only partially used by UWA?

Smart move, Matt

Former West Coast Eagle Matt Priddis has correctly and wisely invested in farming properties (Brownlow medallist buys Albany farm, POST Business, April 25).

By putting his hard-earned funds into the agricultural sector he appears to have his head firmly screwed on. It’s good to see. Too often we hear former (and current) footballers making poor “investment” decisions by purchasing a pub or, in my opinion the height of irrational thought bubbles, race horses. Marshall Willan  Pollard Street, Glendalough

Chilla Bulbeck Broome Street, Cottesloe

Dockers fan Clare Lagan sports her Get O My Chest slogan outside Woodside headquarters in Perth. Photo: Chilla Bulbeck

Rebecca Coghlan Bulimba Road, Nedlands

Stage lights up for Harbour Theatre

By JACK MADDERN

The show will go on for Mosman Park’s Harbour Theatre group, after fears it was in danger of closing.

President Jarrod Buttery sounded the alarm late last year, saying if the group did not have enough members by the annual general meeting, it would be forced to close.

However the group filled its vacancies at last month’s AGM, which ensured its immediate future.

“There were a lot of people here from Harbour and other theatre groups,” Mr Buttery said.

“People from Melville and from Playlovers came along to see what they could do and how they could help.

“[Now] we need a good four

months or so to prepare and get rolling, rehearse, and get everything that’s required.”

Tasha Jane was one of the newest additions who heeded the theatre group’s call to action.

“I have always been into theatre,” she said.

“I’ve known of the group for over 25 years, and when I heard that they were about to maybe go under, I just felt that was a real shame and if I could help in any way.

“It would be a real loss to certain parts of the community who are interested in arts and culture.”

The Harbour Theatre group has been staging plays for 63 years.

Mr Buttery said it was still going strong in 2023 when the ceiling inside Memorial Hall collapsed.

“We had done three shows in a row and they proved quite popular,

and then the ceiling fell in, and the building was out of action for a year and a half. People just sort of drift away,” he said.

“Theatre groups are like rock bands and movie franchises. They need that sort of momentum otherwise people forget about them.

“It was hard getting that back, and it may still be difficult to drag some of it back, but the whole point of bands and theatre groups is you’ve got to bring in new people all the time.”

Mr Buttery said he was pleased with the effect of his call to arms for supporters of local theatre to make themselves known in support of the Harbour Theatre.

He teased an English classic for the group’s first dip back into the theatre, which he anticipated putting on around October.

Sport scientist urges end of health tax

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

A Subiaco man who is the chair of WA’s peak sports science body wants the federal government to scrap the 10% tax on exercise physiology.

David Beard, pictured, and Exercise and Sports Science Australia have been campaigning for a decade to exempt the service from the goods and services tax.

They want to get at least 50,000 signatures on a petition to Health Minister Mark Butler to table an amendment that would add it to the list of GST-free health services, ultimately making it cheaper for their patients.

Mr Beard said they want to present the petition by the end of the year.

Exercise physiologists help people manage conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and mental illness, reducing long-term pressure on the healthcare system, Mr Beard said.

It is recognised across Australia’s health system, including Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the NDIS and private health insurers.

Mr Beard said that should have been sufficient to remove it from GST.

“We expected it to be done automatically when we became part of the Medicare system in 2005, but it didn’t because of the way the legislation is written,” he said.

Removing the 10% GST would make it more affordable and remove the administrative burden for practitioners.

The GST was introduced in 2000 when exercise physiology was not a mainstream healthcare service.

But it has since grown to become an essential service, Mr Beard said.

There are around 11,000 exercise physiologists Australia-wide and it has been one of the fastest growing professions in the nation in recent years.

It is the only allied health service not exempt from GST.

Since GST legislation was passed in 1999, there have been no changes to the list of 21 “other health services” that were exempt under the New Tax System Act.

The last time it was amended was in 2018 when menstrual products were removed.

Sign the petition here: gst.good. do/axethetax/axe-the-tax-onessential-healthcare.

Harbour Theatre president Jarrod Buttery and new addition Tasha Jane will gear up for more plays at Camelot.

Artist’s Impression

OASIS

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Effortless living meets timeless charm in this beautifully presented home, designed for those who value style without the upkeep. From its classic brick façade to the light-filled interiors, every space has been thoughtfully curated for comfort and low-maintenance living. Inside, you’ll find a warm and inviting layout featuring elegant finishes, a modern kitchen with quality appliances, and seamless flow to the dining and living areas, perfect for everyday living or entertaining. The private outdoor courtyard offers a relaxed setting to unwind or host guests, without the burden of extensive garden care.

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Another over-height noncompliant development in Jolimont has brought distress to local residents. Longtime planning critic KEN PERRY calls time on the latest example of upscaling.

A Development Assessment Panel approved in 2023 a sevenstorey 21-unit apartment tower for 139-141 Lake Street in Perth. The height approved was 60% in excess of the zoning set in 2016, and the plot ratio was 100% in excess of the zoning.

The City of Vincent opposed the design, but its two representatives on the panel were outvoted 3-2 by the governmentappointed members.

Another design for the same site was approved last month.

This time, under new rules, the council cannot be involved.

The height is now 74% above the zoning and the plot ratio 310% above. The two Vincent councillors on the new panel supported the project. I hope that the rest of the council agrees with them.

A zoning scheme begins to go out of date as soon as it is implemented.

It can take three to five years to develop a new scheme and judgments often must be made in a halfway house situation. Only the council should judge whether it is okay. The councillors represent the people and know the area and the culture.

Development bonuses are really valuable to developers (“the easiest money I make”,

according to one developer friend of mine). But bonuses can only be valued against the “right” zoning.

So in the Lake Street example the two councillors on the panel guessed the proposal would be okay against the “right” zoning. But there were a few things that illustrate the ongoing biases in the system.

Firstly, the proposal was assessed as a “marginal change” to the 2023 proposal. Asked to explain how a 27% increase in bedrooms is a “marginal change”, the City responded in writing. Their one-page explanation was no more than something like “It is marginal because we judge it is”.

At the meeting the government-appointed members of the DAP remarked that there was good precedent that indeed

makes these changes “marginal”. Two of them had approved the “marginal change” status for the final Nedlands Chellingworth proposal, which increased the number of bedrooms by 43%!

Two wrongs don’t make a right? Consistency is to be admired? You decide. Should a wrong decision be a precedent?

As a “marginal change” proposal you don’t go back to the start. It is the same proposal, only different. But in this case, the DAP awarded the project a totally new start date. How can it be the same project? “Why” was never explained. Never justified. Never discussed. The two council representatives were satisfied.

What was also not discussed was bias. There is an implicit bias in the planning decisionmaking system because the

LEFT: The newly approved design for 139-141 Lake Street, Perth. ABOVE: The final approval for the Chellingworth towers in Nedlands “marginally” increased the number of bedrooms by 43%.

government-appointed experts are mainly from the development industry – some even are still working for developers.

If you want experts with current knowledge, there is no way around this. But it needs to be recognised.

My submission sought to point out to the government-appointed members that they need to be aware of these implicit biases. I was banned. Bias, implicit or not, was not about Lake Street. I was forced to edit out and remove all references to the implicit biases, why they are important to consider, and what should be done about it.

The government-appointed and council DAP members have tremendous discretionary powers, stretched because of COVID and maintained since then. The power of councils

has now been eliminated from these decisions, making the DAP powers greater still.

A Legislative Council select committee now looking at the mess that is the WA planning system received more than 450 submissions, of which 250 have been made public. They make interesting reading. Many councils made submissions. Here is a quote from one:

“The current system lacks transparency, accountability, and alignment with statutory and strategic planning frameworks. While there remains some consistency in decision-making, that consistency too often reflects a pattern of established planning principles and policies being disregarded or applied inconsistently, without clear justification or explanation.” There are many more.

Every move has a reason. And every reason deserves the right guidance. It takes the right people and the right process to deliver the right result. Because buying or selling a home can feel complex, but with the right people by your side, it doesn’t have to.

Claremont balcony mired in heritage debate

By JACK MADDERN

A 130-year-old heritage balcony in Claremont is at the heart of a dispute between the homeowner and neighbours now playing out in the State Administrative Tribunal.

The matter has been referred back to Claremont council, where a decision was preceded by a neighbour’s lawyer warning councillors about legal pitfalls.

David Cookson, who owns the 14 Chester Road property, had hoped councillors would approve the work to restore the heritage-listed house.

His first application in late 2024 was rejected by the council.

The matter went to the SAT, and the plans were subjected to two years of mediation and scrutiny before reappearing before the council for approval last month.

The SAT gave Claremont council until April 10 to make their decision.

Instead, councillors opted to defer their decision on Mr Cookson’s amended plans despite Claremont staff recommending they be approved.

“I am a little bit frustrated,” Mr Cookson said.

“The plans were submitted in early January, and the new town planning officer was supportive and couldn’t see why the amendments wouldn’t be satisfactory.

“He recommended giving the green light.

“One of the councillors stated he felt he was being rushed into a decision to make approval, with which I’m in disbelief because the plans have been

kicking around for years.”

“I am hoping we don’t have to go to the SAT, but we are locked into that process should things not materialise.”

The SAT has agreed to extend the deadline to June 5, but in the meantime Mr Cookson is left with his home in a state of disrepair.

Alex McGlue, a partner at Lavans law firm, told councillors that premature approval could leave the Town legally vulnerable.

Speaking against the plans on

Introducing

PI from

behalf of Fanny Beuzeboc and Daniel O’Connor of 12 Chester Road, he questioned the veracity of heritage assessments from the National Trust and Claremont’s own heritage officer.

“I’m not sure why this has gone to the National Trust, because the the trust is not actually a regulator,” he said.

“In relation to the Town’s heritage officer. I could not find their details online, so I’m not sure what their qualifications are, whether they’re a qualified heritage architect.”

A major concern for the neighbours was their belief that extending the balcony as planned would cause overlooking issues.

“My clients have also had the opportunity to review the revised plans, and they remain greatly concerned as to the potential impact of this development on their property,” he said at the March meeting.

“The suggested solution to this overlooking issue is to plant some trees and hope they’ll grow. This is an utterly unreliable solution in the circumstances.

Polished imperfection in solid wood, blending organic curves with refined, timeless craftmanship.

That’s obviously not going to work in the short term.”

But Claremont officers deemed the proposed extension would have limited additional impact on neighbours.

“The proposed works as now modified will (if approved) restore a significant heritage dwelling, resulting in an upgraded, sympathetic and therefore positive investment into the heritage of the site and overall condition and amenity of the immediate streetscape,” they wrote in their report.

Repairs for a deteriorating and boarded-up Claremont balcony are bogged in local bureaucracy.

ROAD

10 THOMSON ROAD CLAREMONT

What to love.

Built in the 1920s and cherished by the same family across five generations. This elevated family home is nestled in Grade A Nedlands, with the prestigious Nedlands Golf Course just over 250m away.

in natural light, it offers ever-changing, sweeping vistas of treetops and parkland from nearly every room.

Built in the 1920s and cherished by the same family across five generations. This elevated family home is nestled in Grade A Nedlands, with the prestigious Nedlands Golf Course just over 250m away.

Ranshaw

dranshaw@realmark.com.au

Suburbs to.

dranshaw@realmark.com.au

Western Suburbs

.com.au talk to.

Bindaring gets Typika lifeline

By JACK MADDERN

Claremont council has thrown a lifeline to the Bindaring charity to use the vacant Typika building as a warehouse for its Showground clothing sale.

Clothing donations have inundated Bindaring members’ houses while they prepare for this month’s annual sale.

President Althea Mahon said they pay $35,000 to rent the 4000sq.m Robinson Pavilion but the Showground could not guarantee them space to store the second-hand clothing before the jumble sale.

“We don’t know where we’re going, so that’s why I thought, right, I’m just going to ask Peter Telford,” she said.

The Claremont mayor immediately thought of the vacant Typika warehouse on Stirling Highway.

“The community don’t like council assets not being utilised, so I thought Bindaring could come here on an as-is basis, which also supports the important work they do in the community,” he said.

The group raised nearly $300,000 for charitable causes at the sale last year.

“We donated to a charity called Eat Up which makes

sandwiches and take them out to kids who don’t have a school lunch,” Ms Mahon said.

“We did a justice program to Save-a-Mate. It just depends on what comes up this year.”

The sale will begin on May 16 and will feature op-shop prices not seen for a decade.

“You really want people who are struggling to have an opportunity to buy something,” Ms Mahon said.

“Some will buy a whole set of clothes for the year.”

Bindaring will pay a peppercorn lease for Typika.

Ms Mahon and Mr Telford are

keen to keep their cooperation going and may work together to establish a memorial for Claremont’s 44th Battalion.

“It’s time to make Bindaring more relevant within Claremont and convince the community that we’re not just a jumble sale,” she said.

“We’re actually a group of people who want to do more, particularly with young people.”

A new youth fashion mentorship for people living or studying in the western suburbs will teach them to create their own fashion.

Twin towers not ‘over-packed’

By JEN REWELL

A developer says his plans for a West Leederville apartment block would not “over-pack” the site.

Finbar’s $200million twin tower preposal for 236 Railway Parade will be released for public comment once Cambridge staff give it the green light.

The final decision on the project will be made by the Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel, part of the state government’s planning process.

Finbar CEO Ronald Chan said the project would have two 18-storey towers, provide 240 apartments and two commercial sites and a laneway to Cambridge Street.

“We focus more on mid-market products, we’re not pitching at multimillion-dollar projects,” he said.

Mr Chan said the plot ratio allowed for higher density but Finbar would not “over-pack the site with apartments”.

It was a “transit-oriented location” opposite the West Leederville train station, in an area that had potential for more cafes and bars.

Finbar previously developed the Motive apartment tower complex about 400m away.

A new two-bedroom Motive apartment sold for $510,000 in December 2017 and re-sold in March for $950,000, according to RP Data.

Mr Chan said construction costs had risen 40% since 2017 and therefore a “mid-market” apartment would now cost about $1million.

Four freehold properties adjacent to the Finbar development were on the market “individually or together” for five weeks, before offers closed last week.

Agent Simon Brady said he was negotiating with several parties after strong interest in the site.

The project is within the West Leederville activity centre precinct structure plan area which was approved by the WA Planning Commission in February. It allows for heights of 18 storeys, stepping down to 12 and nine storeys.

The WAPC said the plan was “reliant on landowners redeveloping to take advantage of the additional development potential” and would take time.

Mr Chan said the 236 Railway Parade building had no heritage value.

It was previously owned by the Catholic community group Bethel Covenant but was sold to settle sexual abuse claims made against its director.

The plan for the new project was to use brickwork to echo a “village style” street frontage.

Perth’s

The 5000sq.m site faces Railway Parade and has a lane to Cambridge Street.

Claremont mayor Peter Telford, councillor Jill Goetze, left, and Bindaring president Althea Mahon are gearing up for the Bindaring Clothing Sale event on May 16.

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Set along iconic High Street, this character-filled residence delivers the ultimate Fremantle lifestyle - where space, versatility and atmosphere combine in a compelling opportunity for both homeowners and investors alike. The result is a warm, inviting space that perfectly reflects the eclectic charm of its surroundings.

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RICHARD YOUNG 0412 385 056 richard@cyproperty.com.au

TEGAN HEGEDUS 0423 342 017 teganh@cyproperty.com.au

Cannot Thank You Enough.

– Seller Testimonial

“Selling our family home was a big step for us, and we couldn’t have asked for a better agent than Tonia. From start to finish she was amazing. This wasn’t just a quick campaign. Tonia was there for months preparing the home for us with her team. Her attention to detail, dedication, and knowledge of the market made the whole process smooth and far less stressful than we ever expected. Thanks to Tonia’s hard work, we achieved a result well above the price we ever imagined.”

This luxurious residence spans two expansive levels, delivering the scale of a home with the ease of apartment living in the exclusive Eden complex. What truly sets Residence 8 apart is the private three-car garage with direct internal access – no lifts, no common areas. Simply park, step inside, and you’re home via your own private entry into the kitchen. A stunning open-plan living and dining zone is defined by soaring 3.6m ceilings and full-height double-glazed doors, flooding the space with natural light.

Tonia and Melissa are consummate professionals, whose advice and recommendations are always unvarnished and to-the-point. They are realistic in their appraisals and what your target market wants in a property. This is our third home sale through Tonia, who we unreservedly trust and recommend. —Mosman Park Seller

Enjoy two distinct outdoor zones. Upstairs, a north-facing terrace extends from the living area, elevated and private with a leafy outlook. Downstairs, a secluded courtyard off the lounge provides an additional retreat. Residents enjoy exclusive access to Eden’s resort-style amenities, including a 25m pool, spa, sauna, gym, yoga studio, theatre, wine cellar, and rooftop terrace. Ideally positioned beside Perry Lakes Reserve, moments from Cup & Co cafe and within easy reach of Floreat Forum, Claremont Quarter, and City Beach.

• Well-appointed kitchen with stone benchtops and stainless steel appliances

• Open-plan living and dining with solid timber ooring and

• Large entertainer’s courtyard with seamless indoor-outdoor ow

• Secondary courtyard with service area

• Master suite with ensuite and built-in robes

• Uninterrupted 180-degree coastal views from master bedroom balcony

• Four-bedroom, two-bathroom layout with multiple living zones across two levels

• Elevated position at the highest point of Muller Street with sweeping ocean panorama

• Steps to Mettam’s Pool for swimming and snorkelling

10A Corkhill Street, North Fremantle

105/5 Cattalini Lane, North Fremantle

307/29 Leighton Beach Blvd, North Fremantle

3/1 Fairlight Street, Mosman Park

5A Pamment Street, North Fremantle

Refined family living in a prime Peppermint Grove street, this substantial residence offers impressive scale, multiple living zones and a beautifully renovated kitchen designed for effortless entertaining. Meticulously maintained and thoughtfully enhanced, the home showcases quality finishes, solar efficiency and excellent year-round comfort. Positioned in one of the suburb’s most sought-after pockets, close to Napoleon Street, Cottesloe Village, the river and leading schools, it delivers a lifestyle of convenience and enduring appeal.

Stage call for men who love to sing

Opera stars Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Paul O’Neill will sing with the Perth Male Voice Choir when it performs on August 14 in Fremantle Town Hall.

The Perth Male Voice Choir turns 100 years old this year, and men who like to sing are invited to join now in time for the August performance and other birthday concerts.

No auditions are held.

Choir president Ellis Griffiths said August 14 would mark 100 years to the day since the choir’s first major public performance.

The evening would also see the premiere of a new composition, A Century of Singing, written by the choir’s accompanist Andrew Angel.

By November 1 the choir hoped to have 100 members when it sings with WA Brass at Churchlands Concert Hall.

Ellis said it would also sing across Perth and in regional centres such as Bunbury and Kalgoorlie this year.

He said the choir was grounded in the Welsh tradition of four-part harmony, and sang with warmth and power.

Choir members, under the musical direction of Simone Bishop, were bound by a strong camaraderie which extended beyond the stage.

Rehearsals are held 7.30 to 9.30pm on Wednesdays at Royal Park Hall, 180 Charles Street, West Perth.

Prospective members are invited to first email the choir secretary at perthmalevoicechoir@gmail.com.

For more information, including videos of the choir performing live, go to perthmalevoicechoir.org.

Start the day with a soft sunrise

Begin Saturday May 9 with a mindful walk and meditation in Bold Park bushland, watching the sun rise.

The Friends of Bold Park Bushland will lead the free walk starting at 6.30am at the Tuart carpark.

Walk in silence to focus on the sounds, scents and stirrings of the bushland as the animals and birds start their day.

Pause at the top of Bold Park hill to watch the sun rise, before moving to a quieter lookout for a 15-minute guided meditation led by a qualified

Because Home Is Where The Heart Is!

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

instructor. The experience ends with an easy walk back to the starting point. Bring a cushion or yoga mat, and wear warm clothing.

For more information go to friendsofboldpark.com.au/ events.

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

The Perth Male Voice Choir pictured while on tour in the United Kingdom.

Chimera to present a program of contrasts

Explore the dramatic contrast between playfulness and melancholy when the Chimera Ensemble plays in Swanbourne on Sunday June 21.

From 2.30pm the group will play a program of pieces from the piano quartet genre, written for violin, viola, cello and piano.

Violinist Rebecca Glorie, violist Daniel Schmitt, cellist Melinda Forsythe and pianist Tommaso Pollio will perform works by Mozart, Danny Elfman and Robert Schumann.

Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major is noted for its elegance, warmth and sparkle in the finale.

Present-day composer Danny Elfman is known for his film scores. The ensemble will perform his Piano Quartet.

Schumann’s Piano Quartet in

E-flat Major is a masterpiece of the Romantic era.

The Chimera Ensemble will also play Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile.

The performance will be at the Church of the Resurrection in Swanbourne on Sunday June 21 from 2.30 to 4.30pm.

Tickets start at $25. They are available at the door or online in advance by going to trybooking.com and searching “Chimera Ensemble 2026 Season”. There is no charge for children aged nine years and under.

The Church of the Resurrection is at 105 Shenton Road, Swanbourne.

For more information email chimeraensemble@gmail.com, phone Peta 0438 898 822, or go to chimeraensemble.org.au.

Dancer’s career en pointe

The career of ballerina Leanne Stojmenov will be the topic of a presentation in Peppermint Grove on Tuesday.

Leanne joined West Australian Ballet’s artistic management team as rehearsal director in 2024 and was appointed artistic director this year.

She grew up in Perth and began her professional dance career at 17, joined the Australian Ballet in 2001 and spent 18 years there, eight of them as principal

artist.

Her talk, presented by the West Coast Community Centre, will be from 10am at the Grove Library community precinct, 1 Leake Street, Peppermint Grove.

Leanne will discuss her stellar career both on and off the stage.

The cost is $12 for WCCC members and $17 for non-members.

For more information and to enrol online in advance go to westcoastcommunity.com.au/ programme, or just turn up and pay at the door.

Chat about your investing

Self-funded retirees who are supported by share investments are invited to the Australian Independent Retirees’ discussion group on Wednesday May 13. The group is for attendees to share their thoughts and experiences of investing in ASXlisted companies, and about those companies’ announcements and presentations. Attendees discuss investment strategies, review financial statements, analyse

company and industry information, and share where this information can be found.

The group is not designed to offer advice.

The AIR investors’ discussion group meets on the second Wednesday of each month between 2 and 4pm.

The next two meetings will be on May 13 and June 10 at Cambridge Bowling Club.

For more information phone David Brooke 9368 6275 or email dfbrooke@bigpond.com.

The Chimera Ensemble Piano Quartet is Melinda Forsythe on cello, Daniel Schmitt on viola, Rebecca Glorie on violin, and Tommaso Pollio on piano.

Leanne Stojmenov

Music lovers to converge on Sunday’s Allegri recital

The Allegri Chamber Orchestra will present a recital at 3pm this Sunday at the Church of the Resurrection in Swanbourne.

The one-hour program, called Convergence, will feature french horn soloist Rob Gladstones playing Knechtel’s Horn Concerto in D on a valveless Baroque horn.

It will also include the Durante Baroque Concerto Grosso for Strings featuring violinists Olga Kharitonova and Irina Lgotkina. Olga and Irina will also play a version of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, orchestrated for two violins and string orchestra.

The recital will include Sibelius’ Valse Triste and the Tallis Fantasia, a one-movement work for string orchestra

by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Allegri Chamber Orchestra is directed by Grace Ah-quee, and this season will feature works by Perth composer and flautist Raudi Rayner. Sunday’s concert will also include two pieces played by guest ensemble Tutti Flute, directed by Rebecca Guy. Tickets at the door or online are $5 for children, $25 for adults, and $40 for a family of four. Go to trybooking.com and search “Allegri Convergence”. For more information go to allegrichamberorchestra. com or phone Ronniet on 0402 084 765.

RIGHT: Violinists Olga Kharitonova, pictured at left, and Irina Lgotkina will feature with the Allegri Chamber Orchestra.

Talbot for whom the park, above, is named.

Walk Subi to explore

Mabel Talbot’s legacy

Find out about the work of Mabel Talbot, after whom Mabel Talbot Park in Subiaco is named, on a free guided walk on Sunday May 10.

The walk, called Mabel’s Table, will set off at 1.30pm from the corner of Jolimont Terrace and Jersey Street (at Henderson Park Oval).

The informal talk will take about 90 minutes and is suitable for all ages.

It will explore the former semi-permanent wetland area in which Mabel, who was the

Tree Society’s first president, encouraged the planting of many trees. Walkers will also learn about the history and development of what was once “Jolimont Estate”.

A Subi on Sunday spokeswoman said that because the walk would be on Mother’s Day it would include the opportunity to reflect on the important role mothers have in our lives, as well as in civic development. There is no need to book. Just turn up.

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Make your way to the market

Work by two young western suburb artists will be available at the last Perth Makers’ Market for the season, on Sunday May 24.

Sinead Crofts-Borthwick, of Nedlands, is from Sinead Louise Art and will be there to offer prints and gift cards handpainted with Australian birds.

Her designs are described as detailed and thoughtful celebrations of native wildlife.

Jasmine Holly, of Floreat, is from Mitso Magic and will be there to offer her handpainted gift cards, bookmarks, hair-clips and paintings.

A market organiser said Jasmine was a talented 21-yearold autistic artist whose colourful creations were full of personality and heart, and priced affordably.

Jasmine is in the process of developing a colouring book and a series of Australian animal cards.

The market will be at Goolugatup Heathcote in Applecross from 9.30am to 3.30pm and will include more than 150 stalls stocked with handmade items by WA artists.

There will also be live music, food trucks, craft activities and fun for all ages.

For more information got to perthmakersmarket.com.au.

TOP AND BELOW LEFT: The Australian birds drawn by Sinead Crofts-Borthwick of Sinead Louise Art. BELOW RIGHT: Floreat artist Jasmine Holly from Mitso Magic.

No shortage of short talks

A series of five-minute talks will be given at the next U3A Western Suburbs branch meeting, from 1pm this Monday.

A group member said topics would include Shakespeare’s sayings in today’s English, Gaudi’s unfinished architecture in Barcelona, dedications on headstones, the Thai-Burma railway in World War II, and Ancient Roman sayings in English.

At 2.30pm, Danielle Sartorelli will present “Life in Instalments – The Difficult Chapters”, which is the title of her book. She will reflect on navigating

life’s unexpected challenges, rebuilding after adversity, and finding strength one step at a time. Her talk is described as a moving exploration of courage, perseverance and hope.

The U3A Western Suburbs branch meets every second Monday at the Grove Library, 1 Leake Street, Peppermint Grove.

Visitors are welcome and there is a $3 entry charge.

For more information email nickbeeching@gmail.com or phone 0449 667 558.

Hear about Mabel

Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

(UNLESS

FEATURES:

• Positioned in one of Swanbourne’s most desirable beachside pockets

• Three levels of expansive family living

• Sweeping north facing outlooks over Allen Park

• Oversized 2 car basement garage

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| Sought-after Claremont location: central, close to shops and walkable to the Loch Street train station

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| Modern three separate living zones with open-plan kitchen, living/dining plus formal living and upstairs retreat

| Tesla EV charger and 3kW solar panel system

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This beautifully upgraded lifestyle property delivers the perfect balance of space, privacy and modern comfort - ideal as a permanent home or peaceful coastal escape. The north-facing design captures natural light, with wide bi-fold doors opening to expansive outdoor entertaining overlooking landscaped gardens and a tranquil winter creek.

Located just minutes to Yallingup Beach and a short drive to Dunsborough, this is a rare opportunity to secure a quality acreage in one of the South West's most tightly held pockets. Home Opens.

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From $3M.

Who to talk to.

Julie

Mitch Fairclough 0427 386 690 mfairclough@realmark.com.au

Positioned in a quiet, family- pocket just moments from the Dunsborough town centre, this charming coastal cottage delivers the perfect blend of comfort, character and lifestyle. Set on a generous 717sqm block, the home has been thoughtfully updated and offers a warm, welcoming feel throughout. North-facing living and verandah spaces capture natural light year-round, while tranquil garden surrounds create a private and relaxed setting.

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Built by Qincon Constructions in 2005 with a durable steel frame and cedar cladding, the home embraces a true coastal aesthetic. Who to talk to.

Julie Fairclough 0407 174 258 jfairclough@realmark.com.au

Mitch Fairclough 0427 386 690

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Study points to a ‘low plastic diet’

Research into levels of plastic chemicals in the human body has found that a “lowplastic diet” could be effective in reducing exposure.

UWA researchers on the Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health trial spent three years measuring exposure to plastic chemicals in 211 healthy Perth adults.

In results published by the Nature Medicine journal, they said they found that plastic chemicals in the human body could be reduced in seven days by avoiding plastic items such as food-processing

materials, food packaging and kitchenware, and by using personal-care items low in plastic chemicals.

Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas from UWA’s Medical School, the principal investigator and senior author, said other research had looked at the potential harms of micro and nanoplastics.

But research on the health effects of plastic-associated chemicals was equally critical.

“We investigated two major types of plastic chemicals, bisphenols and phthalates, both of which can interfere with

Research found that not using plastic kitchenware can lower plastic chemicals in the body.

endocrine or hormonal functions in our body and have been linked to infertility and cardiometabolic disease,” Prof. Lucas said.

“Our results showed that strictly adhering to a diet of food which has not touched plastic, whether that is during production or packaging, can reduce plastic chemicals in our body in as little as a week.”

It was not yet known what a “safe” level of plastic in the body might be.

The highs and lows of being a doctor

Doctor Christopher LawsonSmith will be guest speaker at the Shenton Christian YouthCARE Council’s annual general meeting in Mosman Park on Thursday May 14.

His presentation at 4.30pm, after the meeting, is titled “A Slice of Life: Experiences of a 20th Century General Surgeon”.

The meeting will be at the Harmony Baptist Church Hall, 34 Fairlight Street.

Dr Lawson-Smith will reflect on his 40-year career as a surgeon.

He will discuss the highs

Spend a musical day out for Mum

Five recipients of Royal Schools Music Club Centenary Scholarships will perform on Mother’s Day, May 10.

The scholarship winners to play are cellist Emma Luckley, pianist Emily Saito-Noble, clarinettist Ted Godderidge, pianist Jeffrey Shields and guitarist Nicholas Sia.

The winners were chosen on April 11 by violinist Paul Wright and french horn player Professor Darryl Poulsen.

The musicians will play pieces by Bach, Miriam Hyde, Chopin, Chausson and Jose Luis Merlin.

A Royal Schools Music Club member said that for this year’s centenary celebrations the club would offer scholarships of $5000, $3000 and the new

Seah Family Scholarship for $2000.

All are welcome at the Mother’s Day concert.

“Bring friends and family to enjoy a wonderful and memorable concert by our musicians of the future,” she said.

Tickets free for club members, $25 for non-members, or $5 for full-time students.

The concert will be at 2.30pm in the Callaway Music Auditorium at the University of Western Australia’s music department, followed by refreshments.

To purchase tickets go to trybooking. com and search “centenary scholarships”.

For more about the RSMC go to rsmc.info.

and lows of his time working in Kalgoorlie, Kenya, Nepal and Niger, and some of the patients he met.

Shenton Christian YouthCARE is a collaboration of 12 churches in the Shenton College student catchment area.

It raises money for YouthCARE chaplains and volunteers to practise in western suburbs state primary and secondary schools.

The chaplains will be at the AGM, and attendees are invited to meet them and Dr Lawson-Smith over refreshments after the event.

Paul Wright, above, and Darryl Poulsen.

17 Ollis Street, Quindalup

Offers By 5pm 13/05/2026 (Unless Sold Prior)

Andrew Hopkins | 0499 332 490

Set on a generous landscaped block, this classic beachside home features a light-filled, well-considered layout with multiple sprawling indoor and outdoor spaces, enjoying leafy garden outlooks and ocean glimpses.

26 Chapman Street, Dunsborough

Offers By 5pm 13/05/2026 (Unless Sold Prior)

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This sculptural residence draws you inward, unfolding with volume, light and intention. Open-plan living, luxurious finishes and a lap pool with treetop views create a home that feels private, yet entirely convenient.

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Mark’s win heralds major croquet form

One player was in the lead all day when Cambridge Croquet Club members battled it out for the Cambridge Cup last Sunday.

A total of 12 players competed in the members-only tournament.

Spokesman Robert Dunlop said the Cambridge Cup was an important handicap tournament in the club’s calendar.

“Handicaps contributed to some close results,” he said about Sunday’s play.

“Mark Wilson was always in a leading position and went on to win the event, beating Frank Coleman in a final play-off.

“It is Mark’s first major win, and I am sure there will be more to come.”

Robert also said the club was returning to normal after the excitement of playing a major part in hosting the Australian Association Croquet Championships.

“We received many bouquets from both competitors and visitors,” he said. “Thanks are due to the many club members who contributed to the success of the event.”

Play was suspended for 10 days after the championships, but the club will again offer social and competitive games six days a week (the day off being Friday, when the lawns are mowed).

For more information about the club go to cambridgecroquet.com.au or leave a message at the clubhouse on 9287 2476.

Development Assessment Panel (DAP) application

The City is inviting public comment on an application for physical works and change of use to showroom, office and digital third-party sign at 315 Hay Street SUBIACO.

Feedback received during the consultation period will inform the City’s Responsible Authority Report that will be submitted to the Metro Inner DAP for determination. For more information on the DAPs visit https://www.planning.wa.gov.au/ Development-Assessment-Panels.

Plans can be viewed on the city’s website: www.haveyoursay.subiaco.wa.gov.au/315-haystreet-subiaco, or at the Administration Centre, 388 Hay Street Subiaco during normal operating times. Any comments with respect to the application should be submitted in writing through the online submission form on the city’s website, via email to planning@subiaco.wa.gov.au or by mail addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, City of Subiaco, PO Box 270, Subiaco WA 6904. Comments should clearly indicate the name and address of the person making the submission and the proposed development to which the submission relates.

Comments are to be received by 5pm on 22 May 2026.

www.subiaco.wa.gov.au

Unused sports gear fair game for charity

Discarded and unwanted sports gear has been given a new life thanks to the kids at Mt Claremont Primary School.

The students recently donated three big wheelie bins of sports equipment and $700 to the Fair Game charity.

The school’s faction leaders had been discussing ideas for projects the school could run that would make a positive impact.

Faction leader Gabi Wolf came up with the idea that sports equipment students no longer used could be donated to those who needed it.

Phys Ed teacher Bradley Staples said he had heard of Fair Game, a charity that takes second hand equipment and donates it to schools across WA to increase students’ access to sport.

So the school held a “Be a Sporting Hero” day when students came dressed as their favourite sports star and brought unwanted sporting equipment from home to donate.

“Everyone really enjoyed the day,” Bradley said.

“We collected three big wheelie bins full of equip-

ment and raised more than $700 for Fair Game through gold coin donations and from selling icy poles.”

Fair Game said in a statement that it distributed

Truckloads of apples for all the teachers

A work of art by Mosman Park artist Genevieve Montgomery has become a symbol of thanks offered to presenters at the West Coast Community Centre in Peppermint Grove.

Genevieve painted a still life of an apple and donated it to the centre, which offers fresh fruit as a token of thanks to each volunteer speaker and presenter who runs a class or session there.

At the centre’s recent AGM, patron Carole Crommelin presented Genevieve with a print of her original still life.

The Boatshed in Cottesloe donated the fresh apples, which “must amount to a truckload over the years”, Carole said.

Genevieve is a seascape artist and teacher, known for her studies of Rottnest, Dunsborough and Perth beaches.

The WCCC has made a number of prints of her still life to give outgoing chairmen in recognition of their voluntary service.

The WCCC has been running for 40 years and was first based in the Wearne Retirement

SUPPORT LOCAL

more than 15,000 pieces of sports equipment last year throughout WA.

The items included footy boots for Kununurra Junior Football Club players, hock-

Carole Crommelin, right, presents Genevieve Montgomery with a print of Genevieve’s apple still life painting.

Village on Marine Parade, Cottesloe. It now offers classes and activities in the Cottesloe/ Peppermint Grove Library. For more information go to westcoastcommunity.com.au, phone 9286 8676 or email westcoastcommunity@gmail.com.

Renovating or repairing your home?

Ladies’ championship winners were Derril Tennant and Jo Moore.

Monday April 20: 1st B. Ride, Geoff Parker; 2nd Faye Peake, Adrian Cocks; Plate Paula Poynter, B. Wood.

Wednesday April 22: 1st Phil Werrett, Jeff Richardson, Elizabeth Arrow; 2nd draw between Dianne Gilbert, Gavin Arrow, Dae Miller and Derek Gadsden, Paula Poynter, Jay Medhat, Prue Honey.

Friday April 24: 1st Yogesh Shah, Faye Peake, Sandra Hogden; 2 Mary Ann Hart, Elizabeth Arrow, Paula Poynter.

Saturday April 25: 1 Adrian Cocks, Yogesh Shah, Pat Lee; 2 Geoff Parker, Jay Medhat.

Dalkeith Nedlands

Thursday April 23: 24 players did battle in three games of fours. 1st John McCormack, Alan Rowe, Kent Warburton, Gwenda McIntosh with a 16-shot margin; 2nd Tony Payne, Ivor Davies, John O’Meehan, Andy McGlew +9; 3rd Roger Gray, Geoff Cahif, Bev Copley, Ken Brooke + 2.

Saturday April 25: 38 players took part in sets play. 1st Andrew Foster, Sally Day, Les Pedder, Ken Brooke won 2 sets with an 11-shot margin; 2nd John McCormack, Brian Burton, Richard Verco, Ivor Davies 2 sets +10; 3rd Mike Hatch, John O’Meehan, David

ey sticks for the Lancelin Pirates, and cones and javelins for Little Athletics in Donnybrook. For more information visit fairgame.org.au.

Mildenhall, Julia Wallis 2 sets +3. Other winners: Tony Payne, Gordon Wilson, Wendy O’Meehan 1½ sets +12; Ric Camins, Gwenda McIntosh, Rick Mapley, Bev Copley 1 set +11.

Twenty-eight members competed for points in the President’s Cup last Saturday, April 25. Guy Soubeyran was an outstanding best on the day. Arnaud Virassamy, Gilbert Baatard, Sue McAskill, John Exeter and Al McDonell were also prize winners.

This Sunday, May 3, Subiaco Petanque Club will host the state veterans’ Triples competition. Visitors are welcome Saturdays and Wednesdays. For more information go to petanquesubiaco.com.

Twenty-eight members competed for points in the President’s Cup last Saturday, April 25. Guy Soubeyran was an outstanding best on the day. Arnaud Virassamy, Gilbert Baatard, Sue McAskill, John Exeter and Al McDonell were also prize winners.

This Sunday, May 3, Subiaco Petanque Club will host the state veterans’ Triples competition. Visitors are welcome Saturdays and Wednesdays. For more information go to petanquesubiaco.com.

Subiaco Pétanque

Cambridge Cup winner Mark Wilson, left, and runner-up Frank Coleman.

Mt Claremont Primary School physical education teacher Bradley Staples and Year 6 faction leaders dressed as their sporting heroes to support Fair Game.

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Satterley rebu ed over Perth Hills project

By Nadia Budihardjo

Satterley Property Group has failed to reopen a case against the WA Planning Commission over its rejection of a multimillion-dollar Hills development.

The State Administrative Tribunal recently refused the Satterley bid to reopen the case.

Satterley, run by Peppermint Grove’s Nigel Satterley, tried to overturn WAPC’s refusal of its North Stoneville structure plan.

The proposed structure plan covered de-

velopment of 534ha of land in the Perth Hills, to accommodate 1001 housing lots for about 2800 residents.

The WAPC refused the structure plan for the first time in 2020, and again in 2023, over outstanding bushfire management issues.

A 17-day hearing over the dispute was held in the SAT in September 2025.

Satterley lawyer Paul McQueen last month sought leave from the SAT to reopen the case and deal with ‘survey-strata subdivision’.

Artrage boss out then in

By Ella Loneragan

Artrage boss Jo Thomas will quit as the Fringe World operator’s CEO but will continue as creative director.

The move signals a new leadership structure for the arts organisation that has just secured a $4.3million state government commitment for the next three years.

After holding the dual titles since October 2023, Ms Thomas will become a part-time creative director from July.

Family circumstances were behind the decision, according to Artrage.

Artage’s Fringe World festival and Rooftop Movies have been guided by Ms Thomas’ operational and artistic vision for the past three seasons.

“After an incredible

three years as Artrage chief executive and creative director, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and have genuinely loved my time in the role,” she said. “I’m excited to now transition into the role of creative director, which will allow me to focus on artistic strategy and program development, deliver meaningful cultural outcomes, and continue creating exceptional audience experiences.”

Ms Thomas oversaw the creation of a third Artrage project – a winter festival called Re//Perth in 2024.

The new festival was meant to be an annual addition to WA’s events calendar but did not return last year.

Ms Thomas previously said she was prepared for three years’ worth of programming and was hopeful

The application was opposed by community group Save Perth Hills, an intervenor in the tribunal proceedings.

Save Perth Hills said its large member bases wanted a prompt resolution of the matter, and granting Satterley leave to amend its case would delay the proceeding by months.

The housing project in North Stoneville was first flagged in 1991.

The SAT tribunal found reopening the case could raise other difficulties.

“Satterley’s proposed

to restart the festival this year.

She also established a new philanthropic fund called the Next Act Fund and the WA Stars Initiative as part of Artrage’s efforts to support local artists.

Artrage chair Noel Whitehead said separating the CEO and director roles would strengthen the producer’s operational and creative direction.

Artrage started looking for a new CEO this week.

approach, if leave is granted, does not acknowledge, let alone address, that possibility,” it said.

The SAT said it had the responsibility to consider whether the Perth Hills site was capable of being developed under the pro-

posed structure plan, but it was not necessary to be satisfied on each and every detail. It took into consideration the public’s interest in the dispute, and accepted the Save Perth Hills group’s submission.

Ex-Eagle could lose Cott home

By Nadia Budihardjo andOlivia Colvin

Former West Coast footballer Andrew Donnelly is at risk of losing his Cottesloe home after being accused of failing to pay back an outstanding loan of almost $4million.

Capital Securities Mortgages named Mr Donnelly as the defendant in a Supreme Court writ which claims it agreed to loan $3million to Loma Street Investments in 2024.

ASIC data shows Mr Donnelly is the sole owner of Loma Street Investments which has a mortgage on a Loma Street house.

Mr Donnelly agreed that Capital Securities would be entitled to take possession of the property if there was a default under the mortgage, according to the writ.

Capital Securities alleged that Mr Donnelly failed to pay fees due last year under the loan.

Capital Securities demanded payment of about $3.8million from Mr Donnelly in January, alleging he failed repay the amounts owed under the mortgage.

It alleged Mr Donnelly failed to pay interest and fees totalling $3,796,692.80.

Capital Securities sought orders to repossess the Loma Street property. The writ comes amid Mr Donnelly’s other businesses facing their own issues.

The liquidators of Profounder Turfmaster were recently cleared to enter a funding agreement to navigate the company’s estimated $3.7million debt. ASIC documents the company show is owned by Profounder Facilities, in which Mr Donnelly and wife Natasha Marshall Donnelly are listed as directors.

The former Eagle and his wife, the daughter of WA Football Hall of Fame legend Denis Marshall, are linked to about 10 entities under the Profounder group of companies.

Business News was unable to contact Mr Donnelly.

Advertising in the POST works.

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If you need to advertise, the POST delivers. Every week, ads in the POST target over 112,000 keen, engaged locals. See for yourself why more people & businesses advertise with us.

ABOVE: Nigel Satterley

The Satterley residential development in the Perth Hills has attracted community opposition.

Photo: Nadia Budihardjo

Jo Thomas will remain Artrage’s creative director.

Photo: Michael O’Brien

Andrew Donnelly in his playing days at West Coast.

Sarah McNeill sarah@postnewspapers.com.au

Deep dive into Buckley’s chance

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (M)

REVIEW: PIER LEACH

The closing song in Amy Berg’s Oscar-nominated 2006 debut documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, was a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

She couldn’t get Jeff Buckley’s exquisite rendition to close out her searing film about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. But she was already intent on making a documentary about the prodigiously talented, devastatingly handsome 90s singer-songwriter who drowned in a tragic accident at just 30 in 1997, three years after releasing his revered debut album, Grace.

His mother, Mary Guibert, wasn’t ready at the time, but some 20 years on she’s opened the vault – the contents of which were archived at the time of Buckley’s death thanks to one of his biggest fans, Brad Pitt. Both are executive producers on Berg’s moving deep-dive into Buckley’s life, loves and the forces that drove him.

Berg digs through the treasure trove of photographs, videos, notebook drawings and voicemails, including the eerily prescient last message he left his mum.

Speaking with his friends, contemporaries, and two great loves, Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser, Berg pieces together a story that’s both celebratory and underpinned by the still-raw tragedy of what might have been.

The weight of Buckley’s early life is not lost on any of them. His father, 60s musician Tim Buckley, left 19-year-old Mary before Jeff was born. But his remote presence loomed large; not only was Jeff his spitting image, talent clearly ran through the bloodline, and with Tim’s death in 1975 of a heroin overdose at age 27, a dark cloud seemed to hover over Jeff’s psyche.

Those close to him wonder in hindsight if he didn’t suffer from bipolar or experience some kind of psychosis. There is an interview of him being asked where he saw himself in 10 years, to which he replied he couldn’t.

Berg uncovers a man who deeply respected women, who leaned into his feminine side, and

who forged his own path through the grunge era inspired by everyone from Nina Simone and Edith Piaf to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.  Hallelujah.

‘Essentially a hug’ wins Lester Prize award

When Natali Jaros and her family came to Perth from the Czech Republic three years ago, Natali feared she had become disconnected from her older sister, Emily.

Emily went to university while Natali is still at school, now in Year 12 at Presbyterian Ladies’ College.

“Our lives don’t overlap anymore,” Natali said, “I felt really emotional disconnected.”

This sense of disconnect and loss has resulted in a winning portrait called Embrace.

Natali’s portrait of her

and her sister has won the Lester Youth Prize Award in the Years 11-12 category.

Inspired by Italian artist Umberto Boccioni’s fractured futurist style, the portrait expresses Natali and Emily’s love for each

other despite their fragmented relationship.

“It is essentially a hug,” Natalie said of the finely detailed portrait, done in coloured pencils and based on four different photographs that she cut and reconnected.

“Although our relationship became fractured, this drawing is a letter to her, reminding us both that we are still connected through love,” Natali said.

The Lester Prize judges commented that her winning portrait explored “textural movement, fragmentation, and emotional tension with confidence and control … It is a very brave and bold creative execution that pushes the boundaries of traditional portraiture.”

The Lester Prize Youth Awards’ finalists and winners from Years 7 to 12 are on show at WA Museum Boola Bardip until July 19.

I was involved with a married military officer seven years ago. The affair lasted six months, then he and his family were posted to another base.

Two weeks ago, out of the blue, he called.

He is now a colonel, and he said he was getting a divorce because his wife thought he was cheating.

Now I am going through all the guilt about having an affair with a married man.

I thought about contacting her.

Part of me says suffer in silence and let it go.

Part of me says his wife should know and the knowledge may help as much as it hurts.

Bree

Bree, this man didn’t

reappear to help you. He came back for his own purposes. What are your reasons for telling?

To begin with, he lied to begin an affair with you, and you feel guilty because of it. Telling the wife would say to him: “You cannot use me again without repercussions.” His wife, as far as you know, is blameless. She may be struggling with her decision to divorce. Coming forward would confirm the justness of her decision.

If he won’t man-up and admit his actions, perhaps you should man-up for him.

Wayne & Tamara

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

■ Jeff Buckley didn’t see a future for himself.

■ PLC Year 11 student Natali Jaros with her winning portrait, Embrace, (pencil on paper).

Gauging the pulse of young artists

SARAH McNEILL

For her artwork simply titled A Girl, Bridget Fisher wanted to explore the idea of objectification, an issue women have faced through centuries.

“I feel a connection to the women who have come before me and I wanted to honour that,” said the St Hilda’s graduate, whose artwork is a finalist in the annual Pulse exhibition that brings together a selection of works by last year’s Year 12 Visual Arts graduates.

Each year the exhibition provides a compelling insight into the ideas and experiences that shape young creative voices.

Bridget’s neo-classical

figure draws on mythology and historical images of women across the ages.

“Throughout my life I have felt very insecure in my appearance,” she said.

“I would try to appeal to the more accepted image of a girl; tan, crop-top, short skirts, toned, and if I did not fit this ideal I would spiral.

“It eventually landed me in an unhealthy place and I was severely underweight and decided that something had to change. So I have had to learn to embrace my appearance and learn to be happy with how I am.”

The figure is a selfportrait made only a few months after she had made that important decision.

“I want to be seen as good, not perfect, but

Dracula rises

The blood-sucking vampire Dracula has inspired more than 200 film adaptations and over 150 works of fiction, but WA Ballet’s popular dance version is a reminder of just how complex was Bram Stoker’s original 1897 gothic horror story.

Choreographed by Polish dance maker Krzysztof Pastor, with sets and costumes by English designers Phil Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith lit by Jon Buswell, the gothic ballet has won awards for best new work, best costume design and best musical arrangement (Michael Brett) and a Helpmann Award nomination for best ballet. For the first time in more than a decade the company has toured interstate, taking Dracula to Adelaide last month.

trying,” she said. “This is part of the reason I am holding a lit torch in this piece. I want to be a supporter of others who are struggling and bring some hope or light to them.”

Shenton College graduate Josephine Purcell’s sculptural work, titled Whatever You Say, Doc, is based on her own experience of endlessly sitting in waiting rooms and constantly “being failed by the medical system and resisting dismissive GPs for years”.

The discarded medical paperwork surrounding the chair “reflects how people are reduced to data rather than treated as complex individuals”.

Axel

Wood from Hale

School chose the provocative title Pray for Peace, Prepare for War in his triptych in oil exploring rugby “not just as a sport, but as a metaphor for conflict, resilience, and unity”.

Other local graduates chosen for the Pulse exhibition include Ken Asoaka from Bob Hawke College, Nicholas Daly from Hale, and Catherine Mundy from John XXIII College.

■ Pulse 2026 opens at Art Gallery of WA on May 16 and is on show until September 13.

Despite some criticism about using recorded music (by WASO) instead of the local orchestra, it was well received and enthusiastically reviewed.

Jesse Holmes dances the role of Renfield, a young man maddened by his failure to protect women against Count Vlad Dracula’s blood lust.

“I grew up and trained in Adelaide, so returning home and being able to perform for my family and

my teacher was special,” he said.

“It is a huge and technically complex set so rehearsing it in just two days was tricky, but it was great to perform it for a new audience.”

It is the fourth time he has danced the role that was originally created for him.

“It is so unique to work with a choreographer to create a role and then to be able to keep growing and

developing it,” Jesse said. He will dance the role for the fifth time when the ballet returns to Perth this month. He will also alternate in the role of the tormented Old Dracula, originally danced by former artistic director Aurelien Scannella.

The superb narrative ballet Dracula will once again perform with WA Symphony Orchestra, at His Majesty’s Theatre from May 15 to 30.

Camelot celebrates the natural world

Mother Earth is the theme that brings together Camelot’s resident artists.

The Autumn Camelot Art Exhibition in Camelot’s theatre space on Lochee Street, Mosman Park, is a week-long celebration of original art by nine local artists.

Philippa Clarke, Tresna Cusack, AnneMarie D’Arcy, Annabelle Brockman, Lecia Hill, Peter Wales, Melanie Gray, Katie Leishman and Tania Rodwell have each created work that speaks to the natural

world, its beauty, fragility and resilience.

The free public exhibition brings together abstract landscapes, expressive figurative works and textural contemporary pieces.

The exhibition opens on Friday May 8, from 6 to 9pm, with live music, a bar and pizzas to purchase.

It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, with a special Mother’s Day morning on Sunday with bubbles on arrival until 1pm.

■ Pray for Peace, Prepare for War by Axel Wood, Hale School.

■ Holding a torch for women … Bridget Fisher: A Girl (pen, ink, synthetic polymer paint and copper leaf on paper).

■ Whatever You Say, Doc, by Josephine Purcell, Shenton College.

■ Five members of the Camelot Art Club...Anne-Marie D’Arcy, Annabelle Brockman, Tania Rodwell, Melanie Gray and Lecia Hill.

again

SARAH McNEILL

■ Blood lust: Jesse Holmes as mad Renfield in his padded cell.

Subi’s breaking into bloom for Mothers Day

Subiaco’s streets will burst into bloom this Mothers Day weekend as Subi Blooms returns for its eighth and biggest year yet.

Headlining the floral displays on show across the weekend is Bryce Heyworth, founder and director of Sydney’s September Studio, whose bold, sculptural floral designs have garnered a large Instagram following.

Bryce will collaborate with Perth floral studio Fox and Rabbit to create the festival’s opening installation at the Subiaco Oval Heritage Gates, when Subi Blooms and Gather Festival take over Subiaco

from Friday May 8 to Sunday May 10.

“I’m incredibly excited to be bringing my work to Perth for the first time,”

Bryce said.

“We’re looking forward to creating something bold, playful and full of energy.”

The award-winning festival will transform Subiaco’s town centre into

An afternoon of fabulous song

Four of Australia’s bestloved musical theatre and opera stars unite for the first time in Ovation.

Marina Prior, David Hobson, Silvie Paladino and Michael Cormick may well be anticipating the ovation they will receive for a concert that features popular music from muchloved shows including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Cats, Mamma Mia! and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as operatic arias from La Boheme and others.

an open-air gallery of floral artistry, featuring 18 floral installations.

Presented by the City of Subiaco and See Subiaco in partnership with Gather – A Floral Community, the floral trail will include a cottage garden of Australian natives, a laneway dressed in rainbow florals, and a forest canopy

of light and dark florals inspired by the Sun and Moon.

There is also a public art installation of floral lanterns, The Light Within by artist Matthew Aberline,

currently showing on Subiaco Market Square.

Continuing a longstanding tradition, leftover flowers from Subi Blooms will be repurposed into bouquets and delivered to

new and expectant mothers at King Edward Memorial Hospital and St John of God Subiaco Hospital. ■ Subi Blooms opens on Friday at 12.30pm and runs all weekend.

David Hobson is one of Australia’s most distinguished tenors, who starred in Baz Luhrmann’s landmark staging of La Boheme. His awardwinning performances cross from opera to musical theatre

Mezzo soprano Silvie Paladino’s standout roles include Les Miserables –both Australian and West End productions – Miss Saigon, Chess and Sunset Boulevard.

Marina Prior, known as Australia’s leading lady of musical theatre, has starred in more than 40 musicals, but is best known for her portrayal of Christine Daae in the original Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Michael Cormick’s

Australian credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Mamma Mia!, Pirates of Penzance and The Phantom of the

Opera. His international experience includes lead roles in Chess, Evita, Sunset Boulevard and Royal Command

Performances. In a matinee performance best suited for mums who don’t want to go out at night, these four stars come

together for the first time, accompanied by piano and a string quartet, at Regal Theatre on Sunday May 24 at 1pm.

■ Take Mum on a floral trail that includes life-size lanterns , The Light Within, above.

■ David Hobson, Marina Prior, Michael Cormick and Sylvie Paladino share the stage for the first time in Ovation.

197 Onslow Rd, Shenton Park

Flexibility in blue

Auction May 16, 1pm

Everyone in the neighbourhood knows it as “the blue house”. Some know it as the home of former Woodside boss Meg O’Neill.

Ms O’Neill has moved to London as CEO of BP, and has put her family home on the market.

Before the London job came up, Ms O’Neill and her partner repainted the

exterior, deciding to keep the familiar and iconic blue of the elevated threestorey house that overlooks the suburb and the ocean.

Pops of colour feature inside the home, with a bedroom painted in a rich deep blue and a pretty firstfloor living room in pale buttercup yellow.

Although it was built in 1997, the freshly painted and renovated home shows none of its age.

There is enormous flexibility for a family across its three levels.

The pool area at the

front of the home includes a wood-fired pizza oven and barbecue with access to a possible games room. The ground floor includes another room that would make a perfect guest room.

An elegant sunken lounge room with a doubleheight ceiling opens up to a large courtyard and a pretty garden.

A garden gate at the back leads straight into the park next door, and the curved courtyard leads round to access the large open-plan kitchen and dining room.

The first floor has three

Executive-level family home

his three-storey luxury home was built two years ago by Jason and Jo Springate of Springate Homes.

Because they were building it for themselves, Jason and Jo used all their knowledge and experience to ensure it was a home of the highest calibre.

As they embark on the next chapter of their lives, their home now offers an opportunity for executive

Things you will love

bedrooms and the yellow living room with its own kitchenette and a wraparound balcony.

The top floor is the parents retreat with a large bedroom, sitting-room and study nook, and impressive views across the City Beach dunes to the ocean.

There is a large walk-in wardrobe and a carpeted loft area that could be an additional wardrobe, storage space or a small yoga or exercise room. Across the hall is a room that would be ideal for a nursery or an office.

It is a great family home

with much flexibility, spectacular views from every window and balcony and easy access to parks and the beach.

Spectacular views

Access to beach

CONTACT: Emma Milner 0421 213 000

■ The low-maintenance backyard is a perfect place to relax.

families looking to live in luxury.

With six bedrooms and five bathrooms, including an entirely self-sufficient loft-style apartment on the top floor, it is ideal for growing families.

The house also features two living and dining spaces, a separate lounge room, two studies, a large scullery kitchen, a wine cellar and a home gym.

Designer features include custom-designed wrought-iron balustrading,

a Julie Neill chandelier and a French-style marble gas fireplace. American lighting designer Kelly Wearstler’s lighting exudes opulence throughout the French Provincial-style home.

– NOAH MORCOMBE

– SARAH McNEILL

■ There is plenty of space for outdoor entertaining.

■ A formal sunken lounge leads out to the courtyard.

The grandeur of this Dalkeith residence is evident from the street.

■ The spacious loft is full of light and is entirely selfsustained.

■ French oak parquetry oors are the rst thing you see when you enter the home.

■ The balconies face out across a pretty back garden to the park beyond.

Marathon monopoly

In the wake of the London Marathon last weekend, Enness Global has declared London to be the most expensive property market of any city hosting a World Marathon Major. Mayfair also ranks as the world’s most expensive marathon neighbourhood for those wanting a front-row seat to the action.

The latest analysis shows that London property currently costs an average of $13,080 a square metre. New York ranks second at $10,260 a square metre, followed by Boston at $9512, Berlin and Tokyo both about $7460 and Sydney $5973.

Auction extravaganza

Ray White is hosting an “Auction Spectacular” at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Adelaide Terrace this month. Advertised as an opportunity for sellers to reach more prospective buyers and extract higher prices from their properties, the event is scheduled to take place on Saturday May 16 from 10am. The agency encourages sellers to contact it as soon as possible to have their property featured at the event.

Sustainable homes

The Stallion Box at the back of

Rezen Studio interior design firm in Fremantle has transformed a Federation building , with 1950s Italian migrant cultural history, into a contemporary guest-house.

Located on High Street in Fremantle’s West End, Owston Hotel is the last in a series of renovations that began with an Italian restaurant, adding a wine bar and a bakery, and finally completing the picture with the guest-house.

Rezen director Rhys Bowring said the building’s multi-heritage aspects include Italian mid-century elements along with artworks reflecting its post-World War II immigrant history.

Fairview in Subiaco is one of several local homes that will be open on Sustainable House Day on Sunday May 17.

The outhouse conversion, so-called because it was once a temporary stable for “Black” Jack Durack’s magnificent black stallion before he had the courage to tell his wife about the purchase, uses recycled bricks, old tiles, recycled jarrah barn doors and antique leadlights. There are several sustainable houses in Scarborough and Trigg and a $15 all-day ticket gives access to in-person tours and online homes.

Inspired by history

■ The Sydney Marathon quali es nearby properties as sixth on the world marathon scale.

■ Owston Hotel is lled with old photos and original 1950s artwork.

■ Original tiles from Fairview’s kitchen, saved and stored for more than 50 years, are now part of the splashback in the renovated outhouse.

CITY BEACH

111 Melvista Avenue Offers

There is little missing from this impressive house that has just hit the Nedlands market. Set on 1062sq.m, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, it is ideal for a growing family or for a multi-generational home. Other rooms include a formal dining room, a theatre and an office. A sophisticated kitchen opens onto a family dining room and living space which looks out into the backyard. A pool is surrounded by a terraced sandstone garden and immaculate hard wood decking. There is plenty of alfresco and lawn space outdoors for entertaining guests.

45 Branksome Gardens Offers

This tastefully renovated City Beach home offers beach living in one of Perth’s most sought-after streets. The three bedrooms and three bathrooms make it ideal for small families or those looking for a beach house with space for guests. Through impressive renovations, textures from different eras of this home shine through. The interplay between dark wood and exposed brick creates an interesting aesthetic. The backyard features a pool and gardens beneath bulb lighting, as well as a lawn space, a cacti garden and a shaded alfresco space. City Beach is only a minute’s walk from the front door.

5F/10

Mounts Bay Road

Offers from high $1million

Located on the Swan River, just a five-minute walk from UWA and essentially backing on Kings Park, this townhouse is curiously called the Quarterdeck in a series of boat references across the building. Overlooking the widest expanse of the Swan River, with the blue boat house in Matilda Bay just to the front of the property, the view from this townhouse is spectacular. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms make it ideal for small families, downsizers or for anyone looking to live close to the city. A rear courtyard and the front balcony provide space for outdoor entertaining.

Two centuries of history on the Avon

Aslice of WA history has hit the market in the Avon Valley.

Egoline Homestead, just five kilometres from Northam and 80km from Perth, has a history stretching back nearly two centuries to the 1830s.

The property offers excellent views of the Avon Valle y, nestled among the gentle hills of a picturesque, quintessential Australian vista.

It first emerged as part of an allocation to pioneer Richard Hinds in 1837, occupying 1335hectares.

The original brick and mud mortar home was completed in 1850, and, in 1870, a second two-story residence was constructed in the style of the original house.

The main homestead, an impressive Federation style house, was completed in 1917.

It was constructed from local stone, with brick

quoining, a corrugated iron half gable roof, brick chimneys and timber finials.

The interior of the homestead features pressed tin ceilings, polished wooden flo ors, open fireplaces and French doors which

open onto an expansive verandah.

An additional self-sustained cottage in the style of the main homestead was built in 1933.

Apart from its towering palm trees which date back

to the 1850s, the property is not heritage-listed.

Agent John Garland said this provided freedom for buyers to “go for their life” on any renovations or extensions to the property.

The two previous owners

spent $1million on renovations, including modernising the houses and adding paved pathways.

A swimming pool was also added.

The grounds are well kept and low maintenance,

while intricate brick pathways and courtyards adjoin comprehensive irrigation for the gardens and lawns.

The property has several bores which provide water for the irrigation system, while the homestead runs on an integrated system of rainwater and Northam town water.

Past owners ran the homestead as a bed and breakfast under the name Egoline Reflections, evoking its closeness to the Avon River

Mr. Garland researched the origins of the name Egoline and was able to track down a topological survey of the original property which showed the highest point of the property was marked as Yeegolyne Katta, believed to be the anglicised version of an Aboriginal name.

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Burns ‘to quit’ if new lease doesn’t fly

• From page 5

maker and aviator who built the world’s largest plane out of wood.

During World War II critics nicknamed the wooden plane as the Spruce Goose or a “flying lumberyard”.

In 1947 Hughes famously told a US Senate war investigation committee hearing that if the prototype Hercules plane did not fly, he would leave the United States and never return.

Later that year Hughes piloted the giant airplane on its only flight.

The plane became airborne for 26 seconds and flew one mile.

Subiaco mayor David McMullen said he thought Mr Burns’ ideas could lead to more “favourable conditions” for the city.

“[But] I think it sensible enough that we test the waters … and if not, are we going to call a by-election? It’s absolutely worth a shot,” he said.

LAMP’s glare dims sport

top of our heads what those areas are,” Mr Mack said. “We’ve had many forums on this.”

He said he was “somewhat reluctant” to go along with the motion and the third part was “where we really want to be”.

“Part three is the whole point of it all,” he said.

Local sports clubs say the twoyear pause means they are unable to plan for the future.

Some council-owned assets were improved before the LAMP shut down spending - the Lake Monger Recreation Club had courts installed by a padel company, and the Sydney Cheek

Fun kept within limits

• From page 5

The logs will be installed over the coming months as suitable material becomes available through the Town’s tree management programs.

“Any measures to better define the area will be carefully considered to ensure they are appropriate for the site and consistent with the park’s natural character,” the spokesman said.

“Targeted rehabilitation” of the surrounding bushland may also be considered.

A sign at the site announces it is a “Free play zone trial” with a map showing the area.

The sign has a wordy description of the definition of free play.

“To avoid any ambiguity and for the purpose of this determination, ‘free play’ primarily

Locals have knocked over Empire Park grass trees to make way for bike jumps.

includes the riding of bicycles”, the sign declares.

A numbered list of “activities not permitted” include digging, building structures and damaging vegetation.

Warning over sovereign citizens

• From page 3

Justice Lundberg described the appeal as “mostly nonsensical”, “more than unhelpful”, and “irrational, fanciful and absurd”.

“It should not need to be said that ‘pseudo-law’ is not law,” he said.

“The appellant has regurgitated … copious references to matters he has presumably obtained from a source or sources on the internet.

The material … is, objectively, nonsense.

“The enthusiastic approach adopted by ‘pseudo-law’ adherents and ‘sovereign citizens’, in the face

of repeated judicial exhortations to abandon this conduct, is a matter of considerable seriousness.”

Justice Lundberg said Jones was an adherent of the “strawman theory” used by sovereign citizens to deny responsibility for their actions.

“The theory posits a supposed duality between a person’s physical and non-physical legal identity and asserts that governmental authority over the physical person exists only where a ‘contract’ is said to link the two,” he said.

“Such theories have been repeatedly rejected by Australian courts.”

Childcare centre has ‘too many kids’

• From page 7

“The proposal is an over development of the site and should be refused,” he said.

Mayor Gary Mack used the council meeting on Tuesday to urge residents to make submissions to the DAP, which will make the final decision.

Neighbour Roberta Milana, who lives next to the proposed site, said her medical condition meant that there was a critical need for acoustic protection, including that windows facing her property be non-openable and high-performance double-glazed.

“This is the only way to mitigate the ‘impact noise’ of 72 children and 14 staff arriving during my critical rest period,” Ms Milani said.

“My nights are spent managing physical pain, which makes the ability to rest during the early morning hours from 6.30am to 8.30am medically essential for my recovery and daily function.” She was also concerned about the placement of mechanical plant such as industrial-scale air-conditioning units, and traffic safety.

“While I maintain that this proposal represents a clear case of overdevelopment fundamentally incompatible with its residential context, should the council or the DAP move toward an approval, I would expect the decision-makers to fulfill their duty of care by protecting my basic residential amenity,” she said.

Cambridge planning secrecy

record-keeping standards expected of local government should apply to state government agencies,” he said.

Land Use Planning official Tia Byrd told the council that public disclosure of SPC discussions would be detrimental to the public interest.

He said Regulation 27 that the SPC used to close meetings to the public required the reason for going in camera had to recorded in the minutes.

No such reasons had been provided in the minutes of the June 4 2025 SPC meeting, nor in any SPC meetings that had been closed to the public.

Pavilion upgrade at Floreat Oval benefited cricket and lacrosse players.

But others missed the boat.

A floorball company that offered to spend $2.2million to bring the popular sport to the Cambridge Bowling Club was rejected

The YMCC Hockey Club has been asking for years for an artificial turf field, but even the idea of community consultation was rejected by the council because of the looming LAMP.

“I’d want to get on to part three asap because that’s the part where the rubber hits the road and the community will have the greatest interest,” Mr Mack said. • From page 3

“The department has the onus of establishing that disclosure of information regarding the deliberative processes of the government would, on balance, be of detriment to the public interest,” Ms Byrd said.

Mr Mayes said a 1995 legal case cited by the department to give weight to its redactions was not relevant because it referred to refusal of access to letters of complaint and committee minutes in a hospital investigation.

“Planning scheme matters involve a strong public interest in transparency,” Mr Mayes said.

“They affect land-use rights, zoning, development potential and the impact this has on the broader community at large.”

Cambridge planning director Luke Gibson said a decision on an internal review would be made by someone within the department.

“If that decision went against the Town, there would be an opportunity for the Town to ask for an external review through the information commissioner,” he said.

Mr Mack said the department’s deliberations should be open to the public.

“There is no reason why this part of the process of dealing with development applications should not be open to the public,” he said.

“There is nothing in the legislation that I could find.

“It seems to be a matter of practice.”

Warden rules endanger kids

Mr Zempilas, the Member for Churchlands, said the state government needed to do more than just replace wardens with signal traffic crossings.

“The government needs to take this seriously and look at every option, including more flexible shifts, part-time roles, job-sharing and targeted recruitment,” he said.

“A signalised crossing promised outside Churchlands Primary School more than a year ago could still be 12 months or more away.

“Every month a school crossing goes without a warden, or proper electronic safety support, is another month of unnecessary risk.”

Mr Zempilas met Floreat Primary School principal Mark Walters last week at the crossing on Howtree Place, which recently lost its permanent warden.

Mr Zempilas launched a new campaign at the crossing, Every Crossing Counts, which aimed to encourage drivers to slow down and stop for kids when wardens were absent.

“Over the coming weeks, I’ll be out at crossings across the electorate, meeting wardens and thanking drivers doing the right thing,” he said.

“School crossing wardens play an important role in keeping children, pedestrians and drivers safe, and giving parents confidence their children can get to and from school safely.

“Since the start of the school year, two more local schools have lost their wardens and communities are rightfully concerned.

“Until the department listens

and acts on that, their numbers will keep falling.”

and acts on that, their numbers will keep falling.”

Police Minister Reece Whitby, whose office decides warden matters, has focused on installing signalised traffic crossings to replace wardens.

“The Cook government committed $17.7million at the 2025 state election to deliver 23 new signalised pedestrian crossings around the state to improve safety, including 19 that will replace warden crossings,” a spokesperson said.

“This included $700,000 for a signalised pedestrian crossing on Pearson Street for Churchlands Primary School.

“The installation of signalised crossings at key locations around WA will enhance safety for students and pedestrians when crossing busy roads and will also free up more school traffic wardens to be redeployed to other schools.”

Couples wanted in singles apartments

By LLOYD GORMAN

A plan to convert a vacant Subiaco building into 12 single flats should be allowed to accommodate couples, argue the project backers.

City planners last December approved an application to repurpose 31 Hay Street – which has been empty for 12 years – as a 12-bedroom, professionallymanaged co-living building with a shared kitchen, dining area and outdoor deck, as well as four car bays.

Co-Living Collective asked Subiaco in February to drop a condition of approval that only one person could permanently live in each unit.

The company, which said it had 573 rooms across WA, said the clause could mean some occupants had no choice but to move out.

“If a tenant were to enter into a relationship, their partner would not be permitted to reside with them, effectively forcing the original tenant to vacate,” CLC said in their request.

Increase brand familiarity.

“This outcome is unreasonable in the current housing market and would undermine the intent of providing diverse and flexible accommodation options.”

The company said it was “highly unlikely” that all 12 rooms would be rented by couples but the change would “facilitate 24 occupants without creating adverse amenity impacts.”

CLC argued all the rooms were 90% bigger than what the R Codes required.

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The communal kitchen and dining space was 32sq.m while the outdoor deck was 50sq.m.

“These shared spaces are complemented by the generous size of each bedroom, which allow each room to comfortably accommodate a kitchenette, lounge area and dining table, thereby reducing reliance on shared spaces,” CLC said.

Details of the changes can be found on the community consultation section of the council’s website.

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WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas and Floreat Primary School principal Mark Walters thank drivers for stopping for kids.

It took 2½ years rather than the couple of months predicted by former world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, but the two-hour marathon barrier has just been broken.

And like Roger Bannister’s 1954 feat in finally cracking the four-minute mile, the onceunimaginable climb to the top of running’s Mt Everest is likely to foreshadow a host of new records and a cohort of sub-twohour marathoners.

Kenyan Sabastian Sawe was the trailblazer with his 1.59:30 finish at the London Marathon on Sunday proving that human endeavour could not be constrained by a stopwatch.

No one – not even Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge whose unofficial exhibition dash of 1.59:40 in 2019 came with laser-guided timing assistance, nutrition supplied by bike riders and a peleton of pacemakers to reduce drag and act as wind shields – has ever covered the distance quicker.

Athenian courier Pheidippides allegedly did it in a couple of hours in 490BC when he inspired the modern race by carrying the news to Athens of a famous victory over Persia at Marathon. But the Greek streak dropped dead on arrival after exclaiming Nike! (Victory), and could not be drug tested nor his sandals checked for artificial implants.

Sabastian came. He Sawe. And he conquered.

Kipchoge’s time is so passe now that even the second-place getter at London, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, came within one second of matching that somewhat artificial feat in Vienna.

The first two London runners cracked the two-hour barrier, Jacob Kiplimo was less than half a minute short, and the finish line is set to be hammered for the foreseeable future.

The same thing happened in 1954 when Bannister set a precedent that stirred a new generation into believing that if it COULD be broken, it WOULD be broken.

WA marathon runner Cecil Walkley, who studied at Cambridge University and was part of Bannister’s university crew seeking to crack four minutes, told the Sporting POST not long before he died last year that the mark was as much a psychological barrier as a physical one.

He said his university colleagues believed that once the four-minute wall was breached, the record would tumble again and again. He was spot-on.

Bannister held the record for only six weeks before his archrival, Australian John Landy, lowered it further and then Herb Elliott slashed the mark by three seconds as the once impregnable four-minute barrier sudden proved as solid as smoke.

A pair of Kiwis stayed at the front of the chasing pack for years with John Walker, like Walkley a product of ironic nominative determinism, breaking four minutes more than 100 times before the British invasion, led by Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe, waxed

throughout August 1981 in one of the most glamorous individual rivalries sport has ever seen.

Then came the indefatigable Algerian Hicham El Guerrouj, whose record of 3.44:13 has stood since 1999 and has rarely been approached again as the mile race has waned as a blue ribbon event.

The greatest interest in the mile now, which has been mostly supplanted by the slightly shorter 1500m Olympic event, is whether a woman can break four minutes.

The closest any female runner has come was last June when Kenya’s triple Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon ran 4.06:42 at a Nike-organised event.

Just as Sawe benefited from the most advanced technology as Nike and his backer Adidas engaged in a multimillion-dollar arms race to get their athletes over the line in record time, Kipyegon was equipped with remarkable assistance to complement her natural assets.

The motivation was clear – a record run would foreshadow record sales that might reach hundreds of millions of dollars in the ever-expanding leisure industry.

Sawe ran in 97g Adidas shoes comprising one solid piece of foam, rigid carbon fibre plates and 40mm soles that, like Formula 1 tyres, were designed to be used just once in competition.

Harvard paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman, who has been researching ways to enable the human body to transcend its mortal bounds, said the shoes effectively added a spring to the runner’s feet that stored energy on

landing and released it at take-off.

At an expected retail price of about $1000 when they are released to the market, Sawe’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3s could become Adidas’s most lucrative item.

And the equipment giant did more than arrange for handy wheels.

Adidas funded 25 out-ofcompetition drug tests – at about $5000 a pop – in the months before the London Marathon as part of Sawe’s strategy to confirm his status as a clean runner.

“Doping has become a cancer in my country,” Sawe explained after his run on Sunday.

“It’s important to run clean and to show the world that talent, with hard work, discipline and patience [is worthwhile]”.

Kiptum appeared to be the chosen one after he set the previous official record of 2:00.35.

Using his own supershoes and a training regime of a marathon a day, his ambition was to break two hours at the Paris Olympics. It was not to be. Kiptum and his coach were killed in a car crash in Kenya’s high-altitude training region and the feat that appeared so imminent took several years to arrive.

There are numerous marks in sport that appear unassailable but could be achieved if a remarkable sequence of events occurred at once.

No cricketer has taken all 20 wickets in a Test, though England spinner Jim Laker once took 19, while the prospect of a batsman scoring 500 is surely not fanciful given that Brian Lara once reached 400 and had plenty left in the tank when he declared the West Indies innings closed.

Kicking 20 goals in an AFL match has never been achieved, though Bernie Naylor landed 23 in the WAFL and, only last week, I ran into former BullcreekLeeming forward Peter Matier who kicked 26 against my amateur team John XXIII Old Boys one horrible August afternoon at Allen Park in Swanbourne. A score of goals or wickets seems unimaginable, even at the most elite level, but who is to say that a perfect storm might not arrive one day?

It did for Sawe last Sunday and it is likely to happen on the marathon track again and again.

David and Goliath? No, George and Gabriel

Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned redemption arc with a David and Goliath climax?

Young Australian pro-surfer George Pittar wins his first championship tour event and beats competition colossus Gabriel Medina in the final of the Margaret River Pro one year after being bundled off tour at the same event.

Banished back to the challenger series by the hated mid-season cut in his rookie year, he then demolishes the world’s toughest competitor in convincing fashion. Epic. Medina paddled for a wave in the final and missed it to hand priority to Pittar who pounced and punished the Brazilian by taking the very next wave and slam-dunking a nine-point ride to take an insurmountable lead.

The 23-year-old stunned four storming Brazilian world champions including Filipe Toledo, Italo Ferreira, Yago

Dora and Medina on his way to victory.

“I can’t even believe it,” he said.

“Those matchups I had, this comp, every one of them just felt like there was no way and then they gifted me waves every time I was having a heat.

“It’s just crazy. Last year, I got cut here.

“Just before that final, I went and sat where I sat last year when I fell off tour and I was like, wow, it’s kind of crazy how different the feelings are right now.

“And then to go out in the final against Medina, who’s someone I’ve looked up to since I was a kid and such a crazy competitor, he’s just a giant in my book.

“To have him in the final and

then to win it, I don’t have too many words.”

Pittar said he felt like it was the end of the world when he fell off tour at Margaret’s last year and had to overcome his fear of losing.

“I feel like everyone in W.A. has been so great to me ever since I started coming here,” he said. “It’s such a special place.”

“To hold this flag on a special weekend for everyone, like the Anzacs.

“Coming down here, listening to the trumpets yesterday morning, it was shivers.

“I was looking at those semis yesterday and it was just all Brazilians and me and I was like, ‘Gotta do it’.

“It’s so hard to win one of these comps. I can’t believe I just did it.”

Pittar won the battle but Medina is winning the war. He sits in No.1 spot on the CT tour and is in prime position to win his fourth world title.

George Pittar’s redemption arc. Photo: WSL/Anderson

Sabastian Sawe with the 97g supershoes that helped power him to the first official sub-two hour marathon feat.

John townsend

THE Sporting

“Doctors and scientists said breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead”. – Roger Bannister

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

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Vouchers will be mailed and valid for 4 weeks.

Ruby Dunstan, Sophia Pullinger, Emilia Lee, Amelia O’Leary, Remi Payne, Angus Wray, Edie Turner, Samson Reid, Olivia Toffoli, Leonardo Valeri.

Q. How do you stop a dog digging in the garden?

A. Take away his spade!

Straight to the point

A straight line can be a daunting start to a doodle, but as always you all turned something simple into wonderful works of art.

Ethan Hsu, 10, from Nedlands, is one of our main winners this week for his colourful drawing titled Hustle to the Highest Peak. Already above the clouds and reaching towards to the stars, climbers are scaling a mountain peak.

And back down to earth, Zari Spiccia, 10, from Wembley, is our other main winner with a gloriously colourful picture of digging into a vegie patch, with an orchard in the background.

Both drawings have lots of colour and detail.

Q. How do you make an apple puff?

A. Chase it around the garden!

Q. How does an elephant climb an oak tree?

A. He sits on an acorn and waits until spring!

Q. What is wrapped in clingfilm and lives in a bell tower?

A. The lunch pack of Notre Dame!

Tongue twister

Poppy’s puppy proved pretty popular.

There were some other great ideas, like Sophia’s parked cars, Ruby’s fork, Amelia’s art gallery, Remi’s ice-cream van, Edie’s mountainous vista of The Lion King and Olivia’s lovely tribute to the Anzacs. I was also really impressed by our very young four and five-year-old artists. Keep up the great work!

★★

New twist in the old tale

LITTLE RED is the daughter of Red Riding Hood, and she is not impressed! Her mum has a new boyfriend, a handsome woodcutter called Don Giovanni, and they are keeping secrets from her.

Q. Why do bees have sticky hair?

A. Because of their

A. Because of their honeycombs!

A. The lunch pack of I know, I just stepped

It’s raining cats and dogs. I know, I just stepped in a poodle!

Mum doesn’t like Don’s dog Wolfie because he reminds her of the Big Bad Wolf, but really Wolfie is charming, mischievous and has a secret talent – he can sing!

Wolfie and Little Red make friends and embark on an adventure – instead of visiting Grandma.

Penny Shaw has written and directed the new children’s show for Freeze Frame Opera. It is the fourth one the company has done for primary school tours. Composer and musician Tommaso Pollio has adapted the music from Mozart’s very dramatic opera Don Giovanni.

are two Saturday

With Charis Postmus as Little Red, Sholto Foss as Wolfie, Sam Claxton as Don and Michelle Pryor as mother Riding Hood, see how the funny, surprising drama unfolds at two public performances on Saturday May 16 at 2.30 and 4pm in Alexandra Hall, next to St Luke’s Church, Monument Street, Mosman Park Book through trybooking. com/DLDL.

Head to postnewspapers.com.au and lodge your classified online or drop by our o ce at 276 Onslow Rd, Shenton Park.

Zari Spiccia (10)

Ethan Hsu (10)

LITTLE RED daughter Riding

Left: Award winning soprano Charis Postmus stars as Little Red in Freeze Frame Opera’s new children’s show. Above: Red Riding Hood and her family sing to the music of Don Giovanni. Photos: Artshoot media

THE EXPERIENCE IS BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE.

At Humphrey Homes, every home we design and build begins with listening. We take the time to understand your vision, your lifestyle and your budget - then shape that insight into thoughtful spaces that are beautifully crafted. By seamlessly integrating architecture, interior design and construction, we make creating your forever home harmonious, effortless and deeply personal.

To start the conversation, call Dean Humphrey on 9284 5444.

“Humphrey Homes delivered not just a house but a sanctuary that perfectly suits our family’s needs and lifestyle. We would not hesitate to work with them again and wholeheartedly recommend their services to others who value excellence, transparency, reliability, and a truly client-centric approach.”

- Angela and Amit, City Beach