POST Newspapers 5 April 2025

Teens terrorise City Beach

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

A young family in City Beach is losing sleep after being racially abused and violently attacked by teenagers who regularly gather near their home.

The couple, who do not want to be identified, say two separate incidents in the past month have made them feel unsafe in their own house and worried for their more vulnerable neighbours.

Complaints have been made

to their new local MP Sandra Brewer, the Town of Cambridge and local police, who say they are investigating but it has so far been difficult to identify the offending boys.

“Police cars were patrolling one Friday night recently, and it was the first time I’ve slept well in weeks,” Anika (not her real name), who lives at the targeted home, said on Tuesday.

She said she and her husband

Ranjit (not his real name) arrived home from dinner about

11.30pm on Saturday March 8.

As they got out of their car a group of about 10 teenage boys in the oval opposite yelled racial slurs at them.

Ranjit walked over to them and asked them to “check their behaviour”.

The boys told him to “f*** off” and assaulted him.

Ranjit said he does not remember details of the assault, but he threw a punch back in self-defence and hit one of the boys, who then ran off.

He was treated for a cracked rib the following day, at St John’s Urgent Care.

Two weeks later, the boys returned about 9pm and came on to his property, yelling for him to come outside and banging on the garage door.

They again yelled racial slurs and threatened to kidnap him.

In private CCTV captured of the second incident, other boys can be seen surrounding the

‘Sneaky’ Libs accused of tricking voters

By BRET CHRISTIAN

The Liberal Party is using texts, emails and mail-outs to trick western suburb voters into providing deeply personal information, says Kate Chaney. And Shenton Park resident Catherine White said she had complained to the Australian Electoral Commission about “misleading” election tactics by the Liberals.

“I think it’s very sneaky and underhanded,” she said.

“I think a lot of people, particularly the elderly, would be misled into thinking that they were filling out a postal vote application, which they are, but they think that they were sending it to the AEC.

“Instead of which they’re sending it to what’s called Processing Centre at a reply paid box in Bassendean, and that’s actually the Liberal Party they’re sending it to.”

The party can then add the

Neds mayor paid for ‘Hands Off’ billboard

“I do hope the community is better informed since seeing the billboard,” she said.

Reece Harley, a former Perth councillor, responded to the council’s post: “It is deeply repulsive that Ms Argyle thinks it appropriate to use the image of a child to protest the use of Crown land for a palliative care children’s hospice playground.

“I’d also suggest that if Ms Argyle did truly arrange this billboard – with a City of Nedlands logo – herself, then that would be contrary to the Local Government Act in that she would be undertaking the administration of the local government.”

The department of local government said it was investigating

personal voter information to its database including dates of birth, phone numbers and security information such as the middle name of the voter’s eldest child.

“It’s just ridiculous that the Liberal Party has got access to this,” Ms White said.

The accusations by the Curtin MP and Ms White were confirmed by the Australian Electoral Commission, which said the scheme topped the list of all complaints it receives.

“(Voters) are providing it to a political party when they’re thinking they are providing it to the Australian Electoral Commission,” Ms Chaney said.

The AEC said: “If you receive an application form for a postal vote in the mail, or an SMS encouraging you to apply for a postal vote, it hasn’t come from the AEC.

“Voters ask us how their mobile number is known by a political party. It has not been provided by the AEC.

“We’ve seen a number of major data breaches over the last few years and Australians have a right to know who’s collecting their personal information.”

This includes full names including middle names, full addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, dates of birth and “security question” including town or city of birth, first employer, first car, last school and middle name of eldest child.

“Both major parties have a history of harvesting voter data through the postal vote application process via letters, emails and text messages,” Ms Chaney said.

“Because the major parties have exempted themselves from the Privacy Act, they can do that, and I think it’s very misleading.”

• Please turn to page 80

■ See letter page 40

■ Chaney meets Dutton, Albanese on hung parliament prospect – see page 3

Kate Chaney with this week’s mail-out version of the “misleading” postal vote application. Texts and emails are also used to lead voters to a site run by the Liberal Party.

Wildlife crossing

Ducks and swans regularly cross the road at the corner of Keane Street and The Esplanade in Peppermint Grove, often at risk from passing vehicles.

Given the frequency of this natural movement and the dangers posed to both wildlife and drivers, why not establish pedestrian-style crossing lights similar to those used for school zones?

Such a measure would ensure that motorists are more aware of the potential for ducks and swans crossing, and more likely to assure these much-loved local birds a safer passage.

Other areas have adopted wildlife-friendly practices and it would be a simple yet effective way to enhance the local environment and slow down drivers for a very short distance.

Rob Hugall Mosman Terrace, Mosman Park

• More letters pages 18, 24, 28, 34, 40 Please

‘Land grab’ claim is a conspiracy theory – foundation

Tracy McLaren (Letters, March 22) continues to misrepresent the facts about the Sandcastles Children’s Hospice.

Ms McLaren confidently asserts: “Expansion of the children’s hospice facility has been on the developer’s agenda since the outset in 2020. There can be no argument about this.”

It is correct that in 2020 plans were made to expand the facility from what was an initial concept design for a five-single-bedroom, two-family-suite facility, to future-proof it and avoid the need for further construction works and all the associated disruption that would cause.

That expansion was always within the approved children’s hospice building envelope and not outside it.

Playing football with place names

I’d like to show my support for grass-roots footy, but I haven’t a clue where WAFL games are being played this season.

I know where Leederville Oval is. I know where Lathlain Park is. I know where Bassendean Oval is and I’ve even heard of and know how to get to East Fremantle Oval, Fremantle Oval and even Joondalup … because there’s a clue in their names.

But where or what are Sullivan Logistics Stadium, Lane Group Stadium, Steel Blue Oval, Mineral Resources Park or (heaven help me) The Good Grocer Park?

Is it too much to ask that the community’s names for these places be used so we know how to get to them?

Philip Carman Weller Road, Hovea

The final approved design that gained the necessary regulatory approvals including a building permit is for a seven-singlebedroom, three-family-suite facility within the existing building envelope.

The Sandcastles Children’s Hospice is similar in size to children’s hospice facilities in Sydney and Melbourne that serve the needs of vastly bigger populations, and does not need to be expanded.

So any claim that the state government’s plan to excise the vacant lot adjacent to the hospice site is a “land grab” to expand this facility is factually incorrect and a fanciful conspiracy theory.

The only reason for the excision is to revegetate what has become a dustbowl due to neglect, incompetence and dithering by the City of Nedlands.

The park we plan to build will leave a lasting legacy to the benefit of all members of the community.

Ian Campbell chairman, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation

Email letters to: letters@postnewspapers.com.au

Tuart chopper launches retort

By JACK MADDERN

A City Beach block owner has mounted a public campaign to justify cutting down an ancient tuart tree on her property.

Lisa Zorzi has installed signs at the Branksome Gardens site defending the tree removal.

A confrontation between neighbours and workers last month ended when Cambridge council issued a stop work order after a neighbour prevented further lopping by sitting under the tree for several hours.

But Ms Zorzi said only one neighbour was opposed to the tree removal, and Cambridge had not expressly forbidden the

ment approval for a house on the site.

“All of my nearby neighbours, whose properties were directly affected, have supported the tree removal,” the sign said.

Ms Zorzi also questioned the tree’s age, claimed it was infested with pests and posed a safety risk from falling branches.

It was her right on private property to ensure her safety, she said.

Supporting documents and photos were included on the signs.

Jessica Seares, of Cambridge Tree Canopy Advocates, disagreed with many of Ms Zorzi’s six points.

Ms Seares said the community was deeply upset with the removal of the tree and suggested the notice appeared to be an attempt to distract from this.

defense of cutting down a tuart on her property.

“To our knowledge, only one neighbour has supported the removal and allowed contractors onto her property,” she said.

“As far as we are aware, the owner’s claims about the tree being ‘unsafe’ have not been backed by an arborist report and were only raised as a concern after the tree was unlawfully removed.”

Cambridge property owners seeking to cut down mature trees must get Town approval under the local planning policy.

Chaney meets Dutton, Albanese on deadlocked poll prospect

By BRET CHRISTIAN

A rare opportunity to improve Australia will be presented to Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton in the likely event that neither wins a majority of seats in the May 3 election, says Kate Chaney.

The Curtin MP said people were craving some relief from “short-termism” and wanted politicians to look well beyond the two major parties’ election bribes just announced.

She said she has already had discussions with prime minister Albanese and opposition leader Dutton about her approach if neither won an absolute majority and she was re-elected.

“As a crossbench MP, I’ve met with the prime minister and in February I met with Peter

Dutton to discuss the possibility of working together – where we can find common ground and where we disagree,” she said.

“It’s important to have constructive relationships across the House.”

As WA’s only independent in parliament, Ms Chaney said she had detected a nationwide shift in public sentiment.

“The little tax and fuel excise cuts are all well and good, but we need something that’s actually going to fix our future; an actual plan that goes beyond this election,” she said.

Pressure from independent members holding the balance of power provided the answers.

“The only way we’re going to

drag both parties kicking and screaming to better long-term thinking and more courage, is by putting pressure on them both, but also giving them permission to look beyond the election cycle and deal with some of the bigger challenges that we need to address,” she said.

‘ ’ I will listen to both sides

“These include managing the economy, climate, tax reform, housing and productivity. People are looking for longer term leadership.

“I’ve been banging on in parliament about this since 2022, but nobody was interested.”

The country could have a real opportunity to tackle the big issues from next month if neither

Drink of water rises from $8k to $65k

Thirsty skaters at Cottesloe’s new skate park will be hydrated with a $65,000 drinking fountain.

The fountain and dog bowl are slated for installation in John Black Dune Park, between Cottesloe Tennis Club and Marine Parade.

The popular skate park was opened last year at a cost of $744,000, paid for by Lotterywest.

In its mid-year budget review, council admin recommended that $65,000 be set aside for the water fountain.

Deputy mayor Melissa Harkins told last week’s council meeting a water fountain had been discussed since the skate park opened, and she did not want to see it delayed.

Water will come from a main in Napier Street.

A council spokesperson said:

“A large part of the cost is due to the need to tunnel under Napier Street in order to connect to the water main across the road.”

About $5000 could be saved by placing the fountain closer to Napier Street, but councillors were concerned about the safety aspect of young children leaving the area of the skate park to get a drink.

Last December Cottesloe council installed a donated water fountain at Harvey Field, with a spout for filling water bottles, plus a dog bowl, at a cost to the donor of $8000 (Cott dogs lap up luxury, POST, December 21).

of the major parties received a majority, as predicted by most polling.

“We want stable government, and if I’m re-elected and if my support is needed to form government, I will listen to both sides in terms of what they’re willing to do on the long-term issues facing the country, as aligned with the wishes of the people in my electorate,” Ms Chaney said.

She had gauged local views while running many public meetings, town halls, small gatherings and issue-specific forums, resulting in a booklet on ways to fix

the housing crisis, and papers on others issues of concern to her electorate, including tax climate and practical ways to cut household costs.

She said sensible people on the cross-benches could provide a stable and functioning outcome to whatever party took government.

People were looking for longer term leadership. So that would be applying pressure and also on transparency and accountability.

The cross-benchers could provide stability by guaranteeing the money supply and votes

Honey, watched by Connie Arrow Williams, 9, takes a drink from the Harvey Field water bowl, installed in Cottesloe last year at a cost of $8000. Photo: Bret Christian

Lisa Zorzi has begun a PR campaign in

Peter Dutton Kate Chaney

Anthony Albanese • Please turn to page 45

Don’t mention the wall

A pair of Dalkeith riverfront homeowners have turned to comedy in a spat over their neighbour’s renovation works.

Bodybuilder and Nutrition Systems chief executive Danny Pavlovich and his wife, Suzie, are undertaking major works on Alan Bond’s former home in Watkins Avenue, which they bought for $27.5million in 2020 (Bond house reno causes neighbourhood angst, POST, December 9, 2023).

Neighbours Gordon and Jennifer Roughan have lodged a torrent of complaints with Nedlands council and Building and Energy after the works damaged a boundary wall, causing bits of broken limestone to fall into the Roughans’ courtyard and onto the public foreshore.

Visitors to the foreshore this week could spot a sign on the problematic wall on the Roughans’ side.

The sign quoted a council building compliance officer’s response to a complaint the Roughans lodged in 2022.

“It appears no structural works have commenced along the limestone boundary fence,” it reads, superimposed on a photo of a mass of scaff behind the partially demolished wall.

“As such, no building approval is required.”

Going to the mattresses

A rash of mattress dumping in Churchlands has left a big clean-up for Stirling council.

Piles of mattresses were littered over the verge in several locations along busy Pearson Street.

A large sticker affixed to one pile of three unwanted

beds declared it to be an “illegal dump” which was under investigation.

Stirling council has an on-demand waste collection specifically for mattresses.

The maximum penalty for illegal dumping is $62,500.

Dutton butt of heartfelt messages

Some people are very passionate about electioneering.

An anonymous artistic voter was incensed enough to pin up two handmade posters in Hay Street last week. An eagle-eyed and keen campaigner took photos of the roughly-drawn but determined messages before they were quickly removed.

Possibly a response to

for Woodside’s North-West Shelf gas expansion, the recycled cardboard antiDutton posters were aimed at “The Butt-On Thought Bubble – Butt out of WA” with a penned drawing of Mr Dutton holding a “cabnit case: No costings”.

The second poster railed against keeping “punters in the dark”. “No costings of Projects. That’s a start,” it read. “WA

THE listening

Public relations

firm resorts to smoking out April fools

April Fool’s Day can be a dangerous time for news reporters.

A flood of fake news filled the POST’s inbox on Tuesday, including a story pitch from Sydney PR firm Invigorate.

“I am writing to seek your interest in a story about the launch of Jim’s Annuities, the latest division from Jim’s Group,” wrote spin doctor Jane Ypili.

“It’s a service that allows smokers to pay a lump sum

in return for a lifetime income.”

According to the release, Jim’s Group founder Jim Penman – a real Invigorate client – said smokers were “too little recognised” for easing the burden on the pension system by dying young.

“These noble and selfsacrificing people deserve our appreciation and respect,” he said.

Jim’s Annuities clients would have to commit to

smoking at least two packs of cigarettes a day, according to the press release.

“Penman explained he is also considering generous annuities for other selfsacrificing groups, such as people with multiple convictions for drunk driving,” it read.

All you can do is laugh … This sign poking fun at Nedlands council faces the Dalkeith foreshore.

Bad bedfellows … Mattresses illegally dumped in Churchlands.

A voter with artistic license pinned these two posters up in Hay Street but they were quickly removed.

Rachel delivers good footy news

By JOHN TOWNSEND

JOHNTOWNSEND

If Rachel O’Malley-Sudlow’s football career matches her swimming career, she is in for considerable success with the oval ball.

A member of the fastest all-female teams that won the Rottnest Channel Swim in February and backed up with the Port to Pub last month, 16-year-old Rachel will make her Rogers Cup (colts) debut for Claremont this weekend.

“I love footy and I love swimming,” she said. “I’m excited to head into my first season.”

Rachel was drawn to football as a primary-school student when she joined the boys for kick-tokick at Loreto in Nedlands.

Having got the bug, she would then drag her dad down to the local park to kick the football.

“He taught me how to kick properly and it has just gone from there,” she said.

Teens swim from Port to Pub

By JEN REWELL

Rachel was part of the fastest female team at last month’s Port to Pub.

“I love being part of a team but I also like the physical part of it. You can get right into it.”

Rachel is also a highly promising swimmer who recognised that the work she does in the pool and at the beach will aid her strength and stamina on the football field.

She will play at halfback when Claremont open their

season against West Perth, but is not looking beyond the first few matches.

“I just want to play a few games and see what happens,” she said.

Rachel is one of 90 local people who deliver the POST every week and will be sponsored by the newspaper this season as she starts her football journey.

Mum hits back at intrusive landlord

By JOHN TOWNSEND

A single mother living in a Shenton Park house where the landlord sued his past three tenants will seek a restraining order to prevent him entering the premises.

Renee, who recently signed a one-year lease for the house in Derby Road, said she had applied to Perth Magistrates Court this month to restrict her landlord’s access.

She said she had padlocked the front gate to prevent landlord Ramesh Bajaj coming onto the property.

“The house is ideal,” she said.

“It is a great area and perfect for my son to go to Shenton College.

“But we can’t have the landlord repeatedly coming onto the property and demanding to check things like the sprinklers, or do maintenance work on things that don’t need attention.

“We are entitled to quiet enjoyment of our rental premises, but we are not getting that.”

Mr Bajaj has taken repeated Supreme Court action to sue past tenants and two magistrates

who had heard the different matters.

He has lost each case and been the subject of a series of scathing judgments in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

Renee said she was unaware of the house’s recent history when she moved in during February.

“The landlord was waiting for us at the house and wanted to come in when we moved in,” she said.

“He said he would be in charge of all maintenance. It was his house, his job and his responsibility.

“The rental agent told me he started to bombard them with emails requesting access.

“He came to the house a week after we moved in and said we had two choices – we could let him come in when he wanted and we would have an enjoyable life, or we could refuse and …

“We had a huge argument which brought out the neighbours who told us about the house’s recent history.”

Appeal Court judge John Vaughan once described Mr Bajaj’s submissions as

and unintelligible”, “without substance”, “without foundation” and “without merit”.

“The appellant’s written submissions are difficult to understand,” Justice Vaughan said when Mr Bajaj lost an appeal last December.

• Please turn to page 45

Nedlands local mauled

Prominent Nedlands businessman Matthew McNeilly was due to undergo surgery on Thursday after he was mauled by a dog in Claremont.

Mr McNeilly, a Doonan Road resident and property developer, was walking his dog Bella on Victoria Avenue near the Bay Road intersection on Wednesday night when he was bitten by another dog.

“Matt not so good with surgery today [and] terrible wounds,”

Mr McNeilly’s wife, Tonia, said in an online post.

“Bella all stitched up and recovering.”

A witness to the aftermath of the attack said a woman in

scrubs driving a Jaguar stopped to help Mr McNeilly.

Ms McNeilly said she had been contacted by a man who was walking the other dog. He was not its owner.

“[We are] yet to he ar from the owner,” she said. “We just need to find the lady that told us she had it all on her dash cam.”

It is the second serious dog attack in Claremont in recent months.

A rottweiler owner was due to face court on Friday after her dog allegedly mauled a 62-yearold woman at Lake Claremont on January 24.

Claremont council, the prosecuting authority for dog attacks, did not respond to queries before the POST went to press.

POST deliverer Rachel O’Malley-Sudlow will be sponsored by the newspaper when she plays football for Claremont this season. Photo: Paul McGovern

Matthew McNeilly was attacked by a dog in Claremont

Friendly pharmacist will be missed

By JACK MADDERN

Mosman Park pharmacist Dianne Armstrong, who has been helping her community feel better for 36 years, retired last Friday.

Never having taken regular holidays, she has self-diagnosed with the travel bug and prescribed herself a trip to Lake Como in Italy. Her remaining staff are committed to continuing the care and value she enshrined into the Wizard Pharmacy Mosman Park.

Dianne recalled a time when she helped a woman who came to her with toe pain. She realised it was shingles and immediately

recommended the woman check with a doctor.

The woman was in the hospital the next day, and when she recovered, she returned to Dianne to express her gratitude for listening to her and recommending the care she needed.

Dianne said this was the most rewarding part of her job.

Gena Culley, a regular customer for almost 33 years, said that at a time when warmth in customer service is increasingly rare, Dianne’s friendly service was important to the community.

“We’re losing family and peopleorientated connections in business these days,” she said.

Posters attract spite

By LLOYD GORMAN

Independent candidate for Curtin Kate Chaney has strongly condemned all vandalising of campaign posters – hers and those of her political rivals.

Just over a week after prime minister Anthony Albanese called the federal election for May 3 there has been a spate of spiteful spoilage directed at the corflutes of some candidates, including incumbent Ms Chaney and Tom White, her main opponent for the traditionally Liberal seat.

Mr White’s campaign team have erected copious numbers of large signs in and around

“Every candidate should be able to put up their signs without fear of vandalism –no matter who they are or what party they represent.

“This kind of behaviour has no place in our community, and I condemn it outright. “Curtin deserves a campaign that reflects our community – respectful, fair and focused on the future.”

On Mr White’s social media this week, Cait Folan posted a message about the damage. “Have a look at the level of vandalism of your signs, too many to count on both sides of the roads) along West Coast Highway all the way to Floreat/Churchlands,” she said. “Such a disgrace.”

Several signs belonging to Ms Chaney in one Nedlands street were also trashed

Dianne Armstrong has retired after 36 years as Mosman Park pharmacist. Photo: Jack Maddern

Tom White’s Liberal posters have attracted a nuclear theme.

Vandals have also struck Kate Chaney’s campaign posters.

Marina plans put squeeze on kayakers, community

By BEN DICKINSON

Kayakers say a $10million expansion of North Fremantle’s Pier 21 Marina would force them into the path of ferries and other big vessels on the Swan River.

Michael Sier’s Pelagic Group has lodged plans that would involve rebuilding the marina about 30m farther into the river than existing jetties, putting it within touching distance of the navigation channel.

“The bottom line is that marina is 50 years old – it needs to be replaced,” Mr Sier said this week.

But members of the Swan Canoe Club say the expansion would force paddlers into the heavily trafficked channel, where they would tangle with the Rottnest Ferry and other large commercial craft.

Boat wash – already a hazard to paddlers – would be amplified by new concrete wave attenuators designed to keep waves out of the marina, the club wrote in a submission.

“We are losing 30 to 36m of river width at its already narrowest location from Perth to Fremantle,” wrote club vice-

president Marion Ewing.

“This means paddlers have no choice but to join the power boats in the navigation channel for the entire length of the Pier 21 facility.

“This situation is worsened by the high tidal flow velocities experienced in this narrow section of river, adding to the challenges for less experienced paddlers.

“We can’t continue treating the river as a huge boat parking area.”

Mr Sier said Pelagic’s plan would consolidate the spread-out jetties into a narrower footprint, restoring public access to about 40m of foreshore that is currently obstructed.

A universal access floating boardwalk open to the public would also be built, all the way from Gilbert Fraser Reserve to Portside Park.

The existing ones are open to the public but the new ones would be accessible only via a swipe card.

“We’re engaging with the community to come up with public functions, like canoe and swim access, that we can incorporate,” Mr Sier said.

But the local community association has also objected to the redevelopment and questioned why the department of biodiversity, conservation and attractions (DBCA) had agreed in 2022 to extend the

marina’s lease with no public consultation.

“We don’t think it should ever have been here, and we don’t think it should be here in the future,” said North Fremantle Community Association presi-

Screeching remains despite $3m upgrade

By LLOYD GORMAN

An upcoming $3million upgrade of the heavily used turnback at Daglish train station will do nothing to help residents forced to endure the loud screeching it generates. Infrastructure to support increased use of the turnback –including toilets for train drivers – is about to be installed.

But the Public Transport Authority said nothing would be done to replace the ageing tracks at the centre of widespread noise complaints.

“Replacing the rail is not part of planned works in the area,” the PTA said.

The PTA has been applying flange lubrication to train wheels to reduce the screeching but residents told the POST the noise was as bad as ever.

“The PTA is currently undertaking noise monitoring to assess the lubrication system’s performance and will continue to engage with residents about

their concerns,” the PTA said.

“Noise monitoring previously carried out has shown that noise around Daglish siding is within state noise policy limits.”

Residents in Stubbs Terrace and nearby streets were exposed to piercing metallic screeching from the wheels of trains turning back there from the Ellenbrook Morley line when it launched five months ago.

More than 20 parking bays will close at the Railway Road carpark this month with the space to be used by contractors as a site office and works depot over the next five months.

The siding at the centre of the noise complaints will remain in operation throughout the $2.8million improvement project.

The PTA categorically ruled out replacement of the ageing and heavily used tracks as part of the upgrade.

The project involves instal-

lation of a toilet for drivers, an illuminated walkway with handrails, upgrades to the perimeter fencing, more CCTV cameras and upgrades to the train stop bollard and signage.

The siding beside Daglish station was built in 2006 to accommodate trains carrying crowds to Subiaco Oval for football matches and other big events.

About 82 Ellenbrook trains a day now turn back at Daglish, creating 164 movements causing “screeching noises” as they come and go.

The turnback upgrade was originally meant to be built in time for the start of the Ellenbrook service but was delayed.

Residents lobbied candidates and the government during the recent state election campaign, suggesting a turnback should be built at another location that would not impact local homes.

Commemorate Anzac Day then come along to an evening Family Concert at the Stable Yards, entry by donation, BYO food and drink.

Explore York, visit the exhibits in our historic Town Hall, listen to the story of Simpson’s Donkey and of Midnight, The Light Horse.

Watch the parade of Penny Farthings, join the Morris Dancers, enjoy Saturday evening dancing to the Mucky Duck Bush Band (ticketed). So much to do, so much to see, pick up the full programme from the visitor centre plus a copy of the Heritage Quiz to keep everyone occupied while you learn about York. ENJOY

Start your Sunday with a barbecue, breakfast and Blues concert at the Stable Yard then visit the St. John Museum, the kid’s can make their own pizza for lunch, do some painting with Michelle and play old style games in Peace Park. Explore the Monger’s building and have a tour of our Iconic Town Hall!

dent Gerry MacGill. A submission co-written by Mr MacGill, former Fremantle councillor Ann Forma and local Tom Roberts said the marina’s original lease was granted in

Tom Roberts, left, and Gerry MacGill are opposing expansion of Pier 21 Marina. Photo: Paul McGovern

• Please turn to page 81

Free events for Youth Week

WA Youth Week is almost here, and to celebrate, the City of Subiaco is presenting three fun, free events for young people aged between 10 and 25.

Youth Week provides young people with opportunities to express ideas, raise important issues, and showcase their talents and contributions.

While the City provides a strong program of events and

A quick monthly update from Mayor David McMullen

Last month I wrote about things coming together - namely our public realm upgrades, destination marketing and economic development.

This month, our Harmony Week celebration leveraged off the already-successful Subi Night Markets. The result: Hundreds of people, over and above the usual market crowds, all out and about enjoying a Saturday evening in Subi. Vibrancy in action.

Council will continue to think big picture. A new Council Plan is coming soon.

Keep it social

The City is now on Instagram. Head to instagram.com/ cityofsubi to start following and stay up to date with the latest news and events.

initiatives for young people throughout the year, we also look to run additional events throughout Youth Week to celebrate the young people in our community and ensure their voice is heard.

This year’s free Youth Week events include laser tag sessions on Friday 11 April, a basketball competition on Sunday 13 April and a skate clinic on Tuesday 15 April. For more, head to www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events

City supports local economy

The City featured in two economic development events last week to continue to support a strong local economy.

The Western Suburbs Business Association ran ‘Breakfast with the Mayor’ where Mayor David McMullen led an engaging discussion on the local economy, how the City of Subiaco is redefining the role of local government and what high performing Councils can do to foster business success.

Mayor McMullen was also a speaker at a WA Property Council event co-hosted by the City: ‘Subi surge: the rebirth of Rokeby Road and surrounds’.

Read the full story at www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/news

Vote for your preferred Mueller Park playground

Time flies when you’re having fun, and the current playground at Mueller Park is at the end of its safe and useful play life. We are inviting the community to help us in the exciting process of renewing this playground.

We have three playground concepts for Mueller Park playground for you to review. The options were developed by playground designers in response to community feedback from the previously run Stage One consultation. All three concepts retain the surrounding fence and each includes a variety of play equipment and surfaces.

Please let us know your preferred option by 5pm Tuesday 22 April via www.haveyoursay.subiaco.wa.gov.au/ mp-playground.

Where possible, we encourage you to look at the options with the playground experts in your life (children, grandchild, nieces, nephews etc). We value input from all ages.

Museum gallery refurbishment

Subiaco Museum’s permanent exhibition space is getting its first major refurbishment since the ‘70s.

The refurbishment will create a more interactive, engaging and contemporary experience for visitors as well as a better environment for preserving and displaying the City’s heritage collections, and a more flexible space to deliver community programs.

Works will include upgraded lighting; new interactive displays; audio-visual elements; and replacing ageing cabinetry.

The works are expected to commence this winter and take about two weeks.

Sustainability workshops

The City has partnered with Earthwise to deliver a series of sustainability focussed workshops for the community this April and May.

Join a hands-on mending workshop for clothes; a session exploring compost, worms and bokashi buckets; or learn all about seed saving – and all for free.

The City is also running a separate free workshop – Planning Your Electrification Transition – at Subiaco Library on Monday 7 April to help you learn about the benefits of powering your home, appliances and vehicles with renewable electricity.

For more, visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events

Brightwater Series: Understanding home care

Friday 11 April, 9.30am to 10.30am Subiaco Library, 237 Rokeby Road Free, registration essential

ANZAC Day service, Shenton Park Friday 25 April, 7am Procession begins cnr King Street and Onslow Road Service at Shenton Park Community Centre Free

ANZAC Day service, Subiaco Friday 25 April, 8am Procession begins at Subiaco Post Office Service at Fallen Soldiers Memorial Free

30 APR 30 APR

AI Unlocked: Transforming small businesses with generative AI

Wednesday 30 April, 9.30am to 11.30am Subiaco Business Centre, 5/531 Hay Street Free, registration essential

Waterwise verge and garden workshop Wednesday 30 April, 3pm to 5pm

Tom Dadour Community Centre, 363 Bagot Road Free, registration essential

To view all upcoming events, visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events

LOCAL PLANNING SCHEME AMENDMENT AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION - STANDARD AMENDMENT

Local Planning Scheme No. 5 Scheme Amendment No. 4 – Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA)

Notice is hereby given that the City of Subiaco has prepared Scheme Amendment No. 4 for the purpose of introducing STRA land uses and permissibility in line with the State Government’s planning reforms.

Documents outlining the amendment are available online at www.haveyoursay.subiaco.wa.gov.au.

Hard copies can also be inspected at:

• City of Subiaco Administration, Level 2, 388 Hay Street, Subiaco, between 9am and 4.30pm.

• Subiaco Library, corner of Bagot and Rokeby roads, during business hours.

Submissions are encouraged and should be lodged no later than 5pm Sunday 25 May. They must be made in writing and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer. Submissions can be sent by email, delivered in person, or posted. Please ensure to include the amendment number, your name and address, and the details of your submission.

Woolies works disrupt neighbourhood

By BEN DICKINSON

The long-awaited start of construction on Woolworths’ Captain Stirling centre has come with a pair of headaches for Nedlands residents.

Workers on the Florence Road site accidentally damaged an underground conduit containing NBN cables late last month, leaving 11 properties without internet for about 24 hours.

Florence Road resident

Hamish Vinnicombe said a bigger problem was persistent illegal parking by construction workers, forcing delivery trucks to unload in the middle of the street.

“Today there are nine cars parked in No Standing zones and five in a loading zone,” Mr

Vinnicombe said last week.

“One is on the footpath right at the corner of Stirling Highway.”

He said he had asked Nedlands council to issue parking fines, but to no avail.

The council did not respond to a query from the POST.

“It’s funny how a CBD construction site can contain itself to its site boundaries, but here the trucks park on the street,”

Mr Vinnicombe said.

A Woolworths spokesman said the company’s builder was working with Nedlands council to find alternative parking options for construction vehicles.

Woolworths expects to open its new shopping centre, to be named Nedlands Square, late next year.

No-show by nuclear Tom

By BONNIE CHRISTIAN

Nuclear power was a hot topic at a recent Curtin candidates forum but Tom White, the candidate for the only party advocating it, was not there to argue its merits.

About 150 people packed the Shenton Park Community Centre last Friday to hear candidates talk about how climate and health issues impact their electorate.

Sitting independent Kate Chaney, Labor’s Victor Ko and Greens’ Kitty Hemsley all participated.

Mr White, the Liberal Party candidate, declined an invitation.

Event organiser Richard Yin said polling consistently showed Curtin voters cared

about cost-of-living pressures but also deeply about climate and health.

“The question that garnered the most applause came from a youth asking why we even continue to allow new oil and gas projects,” he said.

“Another popular question centred on nuclear power.

“No candidate present supported nuclear power in Australia, based on current available technology.

“Ms Chaney commented that it was disappointing that the Liberal candidate was not present to argue the case for nuclear power.”

Subiaco resident Maureen Phillips said it was “rare to witness such deeply considered community and candidate involvement in discussion about the consequences of

climate change on human health.”

Ms Chaney said it was clear the impending federal election mattered to the people of Curtin.

“The two-party system is proving incapable of dealing with any of the long-term issues we need to deal with, whether it is cost of living, a failing tax system, intergenerational inequity, housing or long-term structural budget deficits,” she said.

“We are seeing a long-term drift away from major parties because the major parties have lost the plot.

“They both specialise in politics, not good government.

“As respected independent economist Chris Richardson • Please turn to page 80

Curtin MP Kate Chaney, Labor candidate Victor Ko and Greens’ Kitty Hemsley discuss health and climate in Shenton Park.

A truck unloads in the middle of Florence Road while trades vehicles

Bishop caught in shake-up

Julie Bishop watched in shock as water from rooftop pools cascaded down the sides of luxury hotels in the centre of Bangkok as an earthquake shook Thailand.

The former foreign affairs minister, United Nations special envoy to Myanmar and Cottesloe resident was standing in a park watching the “bizarre” scene after fleeing from the 15th floor of a 30-storey building.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar last Friday, killing at least 2000 people, reverberating as far as Bangkok 1000km away.

Footage has emerged of a highrise building in Bangkok tumbling to the ground.

Ms Bishop was meeting with foreign ambassadors in the centre of Bangkok that day.

“Just before 1pm I could feel the building move, and then it started creaking, and the noise – it must have been cracking concrete – was so loud and scary,” she said.

“It was a really loud cracking, and then plaster started falling off the ceiling.

“It was a relatively new hotel, and my senior, the head of my Bangkok office, was there with me, and he said: ‘This is an earthquake.’

“I was about to rush to hide in a bathroom. I thought, ‘No, that’s for cyclones’.

“We made our way to the lifts but just as well we didn’t take them because I was informed later that all the lift cables had come off the wheels, so they were inoperable anyway.

“We ran down 15 flights of stairs and all the while the building was moving and making noises.

“There was no popping of glass, it was more a cracking, as if you were cracking open a huge piece of concrete.

“People were very scared. There were couples with babies, and some • Please turn to page 81

Julie Bishop told of her earth-shattering experience when she called in at the office of the POST in Shenton Park this this week.

Nedlands still can’t fill void

By BEN DICKINSON

Nedlands CEO Keri Shannon says she will ask the state government to intervene as key financial oversight positions have been left unfilled for months amid a longstanding spat between councillors.

Senior staff have been urging councillors since January to appoint two independent members to the council’s audit and risk committee, which is grappling with the fallout from last year’s failed financial audit.

A former vice-president of financial services giant Goldman Sachs is one of “two outstanding candidates” from 56 applicants, corporate services director Amanda Alderson told a meeting last month.

But the appointments were put on hold in January after a walkout by councillor Hengameh Amiry caused a special meeting to lose its quorum, and again in February when councillors were deadlocked 4-4.

Ms Amiry has said she is uncomfortable with staff selecting independent committee members, who would be expected to provide arms-length oversight of the people who recommended them.

“We’re given two names and we’re told we need to include these two people onto the committee,” Ms Amiry said in January.

“We have time to do this process properly.”

Incoming legislation will require council audit committees to be chaired by independent members, not councillors.

Ms Shannon said at an agenda forum on March 11 that she would ask local government minister Hannah Beazley to override regulations that require an absolute majority to appoint committee members.

“There is an opportunity for the minister, on a case-by-case basis, to consider amending the number of votes required,” Ms Shannon told the meeting.

“We have to provide the report to her and explain the circumstances.”

Ms Beazley could allow Nedlands to fill the vacancies with a simple majority vote, which could include mayor Fiona Argyle’s casting vote.

But the move was delayed for a third time at the March 25 meeting, when councillors voted 5-3 to put off the matter.

Nedlands then missed a statutory deadline to lodge its annual compliance audit return with the department of local government, sport and cultural industries after only four council members showed up to a meeting, one short of the quorum.

Ms Argyle, deputy mayor Kerry Smyth and councillors Rebecca Coghlan and Blane Brackenridge waited in silence until the meeting was abandoned after 30 minutes.

Subi street battle soldiers on

By LLOYD GORMAN

Subiaco council and developer Sanur’s long fight over a row of historic shop fronts in Hay Street has been delayed until at least June.

The State Administrative Tribunal, which held a five-day hearing into the dispute late last year, needs more time to consider its ruling.

“[SAT] has extended its timeframe to hand down a decision regarding a demoli-

tion permit for the buildings at 424-428 Hay Street,” the council website said.

“SAT was due to hand down their decision in March 2025, but this timeframe has now been extended until June 2025.

“The City initially refused the demolition permit in October 2022.”

Subiaco and Sanur have been at loggerheads for years about the shops built at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Sanur claims the buildings

are at risk of collapse and should be demolished for safety reasons while Subiaco has argued for their preservation.

The company – owned by Barrie Le Pley – has made multiple unsuccessful attempts to redevelop the block.

Mr Le Pley used a directions hearing last year to argue against the need for a threeday hearing into the matter.

Neither party offered a comment on the tribunal’s extension.

PROPOSED PUBLIC TOILET FACILITY –CONSULTATION

Our community is invited to provide feedback on a proposed public toilet facility in south Cottesloe.

Through a Community Survey undertaken in 2023 as part of the review of the Town’s Strategic Community Plan 2013 – 2023 and development of the new Council Plan 2023 – 2033, the desire for a public toilet facility in south Cottesloe was highlighted. Council is currently considering addressing this gap in infrastructure and the Town is seeking input from the community on two possible locations and a design.

We encourage you to find out more and have a say, your feedback is important. Please share your thoughts via a short online survey available on Engage Cottesloe at https://cottesloe.engagementhub.com.au/proposed-public-toilet-facility. The survey will be available to complete until Tuesday, 22 April (5pm) 2025.

COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM –APPLICATIONS OPEN

Applications for the Town’s Community Grants Program for the 2025/2026 financial year close on Sunday, 20 April 2025.

Funding is available to community groups for initiatives that foster connection, inclusion, sustainability and growth. Eligible groups include community-led organisations across areas such as arts, culture, sport, youth, seniors, Disability Access and Inclusion (DAIP) and multicultural activities.

To find out more about the Community Grants Program and how to apply, please contact the Town’s Community Development Officer on 9285 5000 or cdo3@cottesloe.wa.gov.au.

CHRMAP - CONSULTATION

At the December 2024 Ordinary Meeting, Council accepted a draft Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP) for the purpose of community consultation.

The strategic purpose of the CHRMAP is to determine the risk and required mitigation against inundation and erosion of the Cottesloe coastline from climate change. The findings will inform the Town’s various planning and asset strategies.

The draft summary is now available for our community to provide their feedback. The summary and feedback form are available on our website at www.cottesloe.wa.gov. au/ (under Develop & Build/Major Projects/Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP)). Please provide feedback by Friday, 16 May (5pm) 2025.

COUNCIL MEETINGS

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

Full details of Council Meetings are available on our website at www.cottesloe.wa.gov. au/council-meetings/. Agendas are available at the Civic Centre and on our website.

The next Council Meeting is on Tuesday, 22 April.

ANZAC DAY – LEST WE FORGET

The RSL WA Cottesloe Sub-Branch ANZAC Day Service to remember those who served and lost their lives will be held on Friday, 25 April at Cottesloe Civic Centre, with a parade to the Main Lawn.

The service includes the parade, raising of the flag, wreath laying, readings and the Last Post.

All members of the community are welcome and are invited to lay a wreath, flowers or sprig of rosemary at the service. Following the service a simple breakfast will be served.

Meet at 6.45am at the South Gate (opposite Loma Street), Cottesloe Civic Centre, 109 Broome Street, Cottesloe.

Lest we forget

ANZAC

IT’S TIME TO PLANT NATIVES!

The annual Native Plant Subsidy Scheme is back. During the month of May Cottesloe residents can purchase up to 40 plants per household at the subsidised price of $3.00 each from APACE Nursery (1 Johannah Street, North Fremantle). The scheme aims to encourage biodiversity and local habitats in the western suburbs. This is a fantastic opportunity to choose water wise native plants that are adapted to thrive in Perth’s environment. Visit apacewa.org.au for details and available species and stock. This is a Western Suburbs Alliance initiative. Please take proof of residency when you visit APACE. Retail hours during May are Wednesday to Saturday, 8:30am to 2pm.

If you’re planning to create a waterwise garden, Town of Cottesloe residents are welcome to free mulch from the West Metro Recycling Centre. There’s no need to call ahead – just visit the centre in Shenton Park (bring a shovel) and help yourself!

NATIVE WATERWISE VERGE REBATE

The Town’s Native Waterwise Verge Rebate program is on again! Native waterwise verges help save water and increase plant biodiversity. By making the change to a native waterwise verge, residents may be eligible for a rebate of $15 per m2 of converted verge, with a maximum claim value of $500.

Find out more and download the application form at www.cottesloe.wa.gov.au (under Services/ Environment and Sustainability).

Cottesloe Civic Centre

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO VACCHE ROSSE

THE FINEST ITALIAN PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

Our cheesemonger Cindy Colling will be cracking open a wheel of Vacche Rosse this Saturday morning. This Parmigiano is produced exclusively with the milk of the rare Reggiana red cow – a traditional breed of the Emilia Romagna region and is considered to be the ‘mother’ of Parmigiano cheese. It is fruity, nutty, creamy and incredibly even on the palate. Come and experience the exquisite smell and flavour from a freshly cracked wheel, available to purchase all week.

Nedlands News

Mayor’s Message

Dear Residents and Ratepayers,

If you have driven down Stirling Highway recently, you may have noticed our billboard.

This is to highlight the importance of Class ‘A’ Reserves in Western Australia. Class ‘A’ is a classification used to protect areas of high conservation or community value, representing the highest level of protection for Crown land. Any changes to their purpose or area requires approval from both Houses of Parliament. Most national parks and nature reserves are classified as Class A. The classification preserves areas of intrinsic community or conservation value for future generations. The billboard highlighted the city’s enduring commitment to keeping Class A reserves in the hands of the people.

I am delighted to officially announce the Carnaby’s Co ckatoo will be our City Mascot, these birds are critically endangered and we must make them feel welcome in our city. Meanwhile, the City of Nedlands nature strip/verge policy is to be updated to reflect 2025 greenery standards.

Anzac Day is fast approaching and in partnership with the Nedlands RSL, we are holding our annual Anzac Day ceremony at the City of Nedlands War Memorial, Dalkeith on Friday, 25th April at 9:00 am. All are welcome.

Finally, wishing you all a peaceful, happy, and safe Easter long weekend.

Yours faithfully,

Fiona E. M. Argyle

Mayor, City of Nedlands

The Loneliness Project with Ros Thomas

Wednesday 7 May, 10.30am at Nedlands Library

Join Perth bestselling author and television/print journalist, Ros Thomas, to delve into her global research into loneliness.

In 2024 Ros put fiction aside to propel an open discussion in the media about the emerging epidemic of loneliness in the Western world. Ros’ published report includes an exclusive and deeply moving series of interviews with some of the world’s most isolated people.

This is a free event with registration. Scan the QR code to register online nedlands.wa.gov.au/library/ros

before Monday 14 July 2025

21 Tyrell Street, Nedlands, WA Enter online: nedlands.wa.gov.au/emerge

Fyfe Gazebo Renewal The City is committed to renewing the Shirley Fyfe Gazebo on Waratah Avenue to retain its

value for future generations. nedlands.wa.gov.au/capitalprojects

I’m standing for:

Better access to services for mental health and family violence I

Real economic reform that creates jobs for the future

⌂ Tackling housing affordability so our kids can afford to buy a home Action on climate to ensure a sustainable future for our kids

Cleaning up politics so government serves the public, not the party

Australia is changing. People are turning away from the major parties and looking for leaders who will plan for our future – not just the next election.

We have everything we need to build a stronger, more forward-thinking Australia, but we need a government that’s willing to do the tough work.

A strong, independent crossbench means smarter decisions, better accountability and a future we can all be excited about.

Rangers hound me, says gardener

By BRET CHRISTIAN

A gardener alleges he is being targeted by Cottesloe rangers after a report in the POST led to the cancellation of his two parking tickets totalling $750.

Ori Weiser said rangers appeared from nowhere after his dog Buddy jumped out of the window of his

ute parked at Cove Beach recently, the first of two incidents.

“I opened the door and he jumped straight back inside,” Mr Weiser said.

“Then this ranger drives up like crazy and starts taking photos of Buddy inside my car.

“I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ I have a very recognisable ute, with a surf-

board on top, and the ranger looked like the guy who booked me before.”

Last September Mr Weiser was fined after he pulled into a disabled bay at the main beach carpark because Buddy had begun vomiting (Dog vomit stop costs $750 POST, September 7).

The council cancelled the fi after a sustained public outcry.

Mr Weiser said that at Cove the ranger was grinning at him after photographing his dog.

“I was triggered,” he said. “I’ve been under bomb attack in the Israeli army. I reacted by reversing my ute behind his car and blocking the road.”

He went straight to the council offices to complain, later receiving a $200 ticket for Buddy being loose, and another $200 for obstructing the road.

Last week Buddy was tied to a tree outside Il Lido cafe on the Cottesloe beachfront when he barked at a passing woman.

“The ranger came and tried to convince the lady to make a

Electric Island will have Cott jumping

By JANE WISHAW

Cottesloe beach is a magnet for some of the world’s best musicians who often bypass WA for east coast gigs, mayor Lorraine Young said this week.

The main beach will come alive this Saturday and Sunday nights with music and 8000 dancing fans.

Event director Damian Gelle said: “It’s like a jewel on the West Australian sand, one of the world’s greatest live music venues.”

He said that had helped him to attract some of the world’s biggest electronic acts to the third consecutive Electric Island event.

One star of the show is Duke Dumont, whose anthem Ocean Drive has clocked up 875million streams on YouTube.

The lineup also include Hayden James, Basement Jaxx, Armand Van Helden, Sonny Fodera, Roger Sanchez and Sasha.

“The beauty of the ocean, the towering norfolk island pines and the fresh open-air vista coupled with being able

to dance in the sand while watching the sun set over the ocean is absolutely stunning,”

Mr Gelle said.

“All the artists are so excited about the Perth show being in the open air.

“I’m confident this year will surpass 2024 with performance and production.”

About 500 fans were making the trip from interstate, with many flying in after seeing footage from previous events on social media.

Ms Young said acts of this calibre often skip the west coast when touring Australia.

“This event allows locals and visitors to enjoy great music in a truly amazing natural setting,” she said.

“The event is a good fit for Cottesloe and a welcome boost for local businesses.

The council has approved three concerts for next year, over one weekend starting on the Friday.

Big following … Ori Weiser says he and his dog, Buddy, are being dogged by Cottesloe rangers. Photo: Paul McGovern

Elated … Electric Island’s Damian Gelle shows Cottesloe’s mayor Lorraine Young the stage set up on Cottesloe beach for this weekend.

If Kate chaney won’t take a stand, How can she stand up for us?

Policy on live exports north west shelf project where does she stand?

Supported a ban

Opposed to a ban

Wouldn’t commit to reversing the ban

Now says she’d vote to repeal the ban

Will she change her position again? The ban will devastate WA farming families and their communities.

Rejected the project; called the extension “terrible news”

Said it was “fine” to proceed with vague conditions

Position now unclear

According to industry reports, a gas shortage could cause 45,000 job losses in WA, including in Curtin

Joined the Labor Party

Pretends to be Independent

Votes most often with The Greens

Won’t say who she will support in a hung parliament

Kate Chaney refuses to tell us whether she would support Anthony Albanese and Labor. What is she hiding?

Sculpture by the sea?

Cottesloe’s 100 year old limestone retaining wall, under restoration in 2025, an architecturally historic treasure of Cottesloe beach.

An art form in its own right. Worthwhile work, Town of Cottesloe.

Clive Addison Meagher Drive, Floreat

Tom White’s forum no-show

I attended last week’s public forum in Shenton Park organised by Doctors for the Environment, co-hosted by the Australian College of General Practitioners and the Public Health Association of Australia. Each candidate was given good opportunity to open and close, and to respond to the various questions posed by the audience.

All in all, it was a very civilised demonstration of people engaging in their democracy, and it was a shame that the Liberal candidate for Curtin, Tom White, was not there.

I wasn’t sure from his last letter to the POST (Engaging liberally with the community, March 29) whether he was suggesting that these concerned health professionals were “activists pushing extreme policies … treating … people as collateral damage”, or he had just gone back to the party line by that point.

Perhaps he was just too busy.

Eliza Clapin

Sayer Street, Swanbourne ■ See report page 9

Graffiti fall-out distressing

I read with distress the article Palestine sympathy sparked Nazi graffiti (POST, March 22).

The reporting presumably was accurate but the content was of grave concern to me. It was reported that Damian Joshua Arkeveld spraypainted antisemitic graffiti on a garden wall in Dalkeith and that magistrate Melita Medcalf was “utterly baffled as to how or why he would spread such vitriol”.

However, the article also explained that Arkeveld’s grandfather Cornelius, who provided a character reference, asserted outside the court that “if you call yourself a Jew, you are part of the genocide in Palestine”. What a great person to provide

a character reference!

He went on to state that he gets really upset about children being murdered and he was sorry for mentioning that to his grandson too many times. It does sound like Cornelius Arkeveld’s peddling of hatred towards Jews has seriously influenced his grandson. He should be held to account and should take the time to learn the truth of the situation in Gaza and Israel. Israel is fighting a war it did not want, and did not start. There is no genocide occurring in Gaza.

The sad reality is that Hamas, and its allies, have chosen not to release Israeli hostages,

Another election, but what chance of change?

Will the outcome of this federal election make a meaningful difference? Take Australia:

• A country with three tiers of government, at least one more than we need.

• An “albatross” federal constitution that does not clearly identify the responsibility of each tier of government, makes gaps and duplication inevitable and perpetuates “the blame game” between them. It won’t be changed by referendum because the terms of every referendum are solely in the hands of the political classes (themselves disinterested in change; distrusted by their constituents); and a standard for change that sets the bar too

dead and alive, and Israel has returned to fighting as a result of that.

Hamas uses civilians as human shields. They also favour setting up in civilian areas, to goad and challenge the Israel Defence Force. The IDF needs to be given credit for the considered way in which they undertake warfare.

I am Jewish and wish there was a genuine pathway to peace for all and that the world would realise Israel is defending the values that guide most of us in the democratic world.

high to achieve it.

• A political system where the “fix is in” to perpetuate the status quo. Only Labor or a Liberal coalition can form government, on their own, in coalition or in minority. There is no accountability for either of them. The taxpayer funds their election campaigns. No one else can get a start without a very wealthy benefactor.

• A politicised public service that seems unable to design, roll out and administer any scheme or program on specification, on time and on budget. Reform will not come from the political classes, this is the system they designed themselves.

Weld Street, Nedlands

Richard Barsden

Chester Street, Subiaco

Grandfather Cornelius Arkeveld upset about murdered children.

OPEN HOUSE

11 PANDORA DRIVE, CITY BEACH

FINAL WEEKEND 5/6 APRIL, 11AM – 3PM

Don’t miss your final chance to see inside this two-storey ‘treehouse’ and experience Humphrey Homes’ award-winning creativity and craftsmanship first-hand. The home is grounded in the landscape, anchored by rammed earth walls. The sloping site allows for a self-contained apartment on the ground floor while a glazed upper floor floats above, connecting the main living areas to expansive canopy views. Warm timbers and a serene colour palette are complemented by artworks from our art partner Linton & Kay Galleries

Please note, as this is a private home no children are permitted inside.

When looking for the perfect way to add elegance and sophistication to your home, look no further than Norman’s premium shutters, blinds and shades. With a focus on simple light control, improving your view, maintaining privacy and ensuring safety. Norman’s products truly enhance the overall liveability of your space.

Nedlands missed chance for Allen Park improvements

A few years ago Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation proposed they might fund and build a landscaped parkland adjacent to the Allen Park hospice site, funded by PCHF with no request for excision of the land.

The proposal addressed an accessible pathway, continuity of the Whadjuk Trail and commitment to public access.

The area in question lies between the hospice, now in the early stages of construction, and the WA Bridge Club, a vacant, neglected, weed-ridden sandpit for the best part of 15 years.

Nedlands council rejected the original PCHF proposal, maintenance costs being one reason, another that the 2017 Allen Park Master Plan had a proposal for the realignment of the Whadjuk Trail as part of the 40 or so wish-list items.

The council (and community opponents) have subsequently confected a story whereby realignment of the Whadjuk Trail is a high-priority task of critical importance to the execution of the master plan, that if not implemented the hospice will block access.

Now, miraculously, it seems council plans for the trail are well developed, with lovely concept drawings illustrating a stunning yellow-brick-road access trail bordered by curated, landscaped gardens, something that will have a capital cost in multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars. No mention of the annual maintenance cost, which

we were all told was prohibitive just on its own.

Such an elaborate pathway was never part of the plan/wish list. Page 62 notes the indicative costs and timing for realignment of the Whadjuck Trail is $9485 to be executed in 2018/19.

This level of funding suggests a couple of additional markers nailed to a post to show where the trail was located and at best possibly a load or two of gravel to delineate the weedy, sandy landscape, guiding walkers to a gap in the vegetation towards a broken and potholed concrete pathway leading to the beachside oval.

And it should have been completed by 2019, six years ago.

Peter Dyball James Road, Swanbourne

“Confected” ... An artist’s representation of the Whadjuk/Norn Bidi pathway, prepared for Nedlands council.

‘Bullying’ row underlines council dysfunction

Farcical behaviour at the City of Nedlands continues unabated.

Last week CEO Keri Shannon announced a requirement that councillors attend a “course” on bullying, failing which they are to be barred from council premises, including meetings except by online attendance.

The immediate question is whether the CEO has lawful authority to impose such a requirement.

It should be remembered that all councillors are now required to attend not inconsiderable training when elected and all those involved in last week’s fracas had done so.

The second question is as to

the presumption of the CEO in announcing such a requirement without the authority of a council resolution.

In my time as an elected representative at the City of Nedlands, through the terms of several CEOs, it would have been simply unthinkable for such a move to be undertaken by the CEO.

When councillor Noel Youngman tried to question the CEO as to her authority for her unilateral requirement, he was interrupted by the mayor.

He raised his voice slightly so he could be heard over the mayor’s interruption, and the mayor then closed down

the meeting.

These shenanigans are not funny. There are serious questions about governance when the mayor regards all questioning as some kind of alleged bullying and has a tendency to end debate by closing down meetings.

I have suggested previously that this council should be sacked and in due course fresh elections called.

Everywhere I go in Nedlands people talk to me about how bad the council is and how it should go.

It really is time for a fresh start.

Bill Hassell Loneragan Street, Nedlands

Where do you stand on the Voice, Mr

White?

It was encouraging to read that Tom White, the Liberal candidate for Curtin, believes he is “not dodging scrutiny or not open to free discussion” leading up to the May 3 election (Engaging liberally with the community, Letters, March 29).

As such, the voters of Curtin would really like to know where he stands on the issue and outcome of the 2023 Indigenous Voice referendum. Is he aware that the electorate he wishes to represent in federal parliament voted “Yes” to this proposal? Can he confirm that if he does win the seat of Curtin he will be proactively advocating for a second referendum that recognises indigenous Australians in the Constitution?

This is a non-negotiable, Mr White. The Voice is a fait accompli in Curtin. The voters have already spoken loudly in the affirmative and we expect our federal political representative to be our “voice” on this issue in Canberra.

With hand on heart, Tom, will you be able to champion acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of Curtin Country?

Phil Haberland Second Avenue, Claremont

Email letters to: letters@postnewspapers.com.au

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Scooter trial survives dumpers

By JACK MADDERN

Cambridge councillors have raised community concerns over e-scooters’ public safety, dumping, and provider credibility.

The Town’s 12-month City Beach trial of purple e-scooters was due to end this month.

But last Tuesday the Town opted to extend the trial by three months and negotiate a tripartite longer-term contract with the City of Stirling and Beam Mobility.

Councillor Xavier Carr told the meeting he had witnessed many accidents and near accidents involving the e-scooters.

“I believe it is unsafe, and the trial has not been success-

ful,” he said.

He said also that the community was frustrated over the “dumping” of scooters in parklands and walkways.

Councillor Michael Le Page said he had seen some dumped on private property.

He also voiced concerns about e-scooter provider Beam Mobility, who in another state had been accused of underreporting its scooter numbers to avoid paying fees.

The Town received no payments from Beam Mobility during the trial. However, fees could become a future income stream under a commercial arrangement.

Meanwhile, the City of Stirling has also participated

in a 12-month e-scooter trial and considered it a success.

A Stirling spokesperson said the scooters were a convenient way to travel short distances along the coast, making areas more accessible for a wider range of people.

The City had faith in Beam Mobility after an independent audit of its operations.

A Beam Mobility spokesperson said the focus for 2025 was on rebuilding trust, and they had made important changes to ensure transparency.

“Safety for both riders and pedestrians is our top priority, and the vast majority of riders are doing the right thing,” the spokesperson said.

• Please turn to page 81

Jutland court case nears end

By BEN DICKINSON

A big-budget defamation fight between a property developer and a former Dalkeith councillor will close in the Supreme Court next week.

Developer Paul McGarry has sued ex-councillor Andrew Mangano for accusing him of illegally dumping sand on the verge of his $12million riverfront block in Jutland Parade.

Both parties told the Supreme Court on Wednesday they were ready to make their closing arguments at a hearing next Tuesday.

Mr McGarry’s lawyer, Rob Anderson SC, told Justice Terence Palmer that nearly 300 documents would be tendered by both sides.

“I congratulate the parties on reducing the volume of the trial bundle by almost half,” Justice Palmer said.

Evidence from philanthropist Tonya McCusker, who lives next door to Mr McGarry’s block, could be critical to the outcome.

Mrs McCusker told the court that work on the McGarrys’ block had caused raw sewage to spill onto her property.

She also feared that a mountain of sand dumped by construction workers “could have killed someone” by destabilising a boundary wall.

The POST reported last month that Mrs McCusker had been subpoenaed by Mr Mangano.

Men’s Sheds support Men’s Health

Andrew Mangano leaves court on Wednesday.

Cambridge mayor Gary Mack and Beam’s Mia Onorato-Sartari at the e-scooter launch last year.

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Control and risk central to ‘hands off’ campaign

The “Hands Off Class A Reserves” campaign (Park land grab fight up in lights, POST, March 29) is not about a hospital, a park or a playground – it’s about control, and about risk.

With A-Class status removed, control of this part of Allen Park will be taken out of public hands. The health department (or its lessee) would then be free to develop the land in whatever way it chooses, no public consultation required.

The risk is that public access may be denied and building construction is possible.

The Friends of Allen Park (est. 1994) are receiving an unprecedented number of messages of support and offers of assistance daily from people objecting to the removal of more A-Class land from Allen Park and indeed around the state.

Don’t wait – join the “Hands Off Class A Reserves” campaign now, by emailing foapswanbourne1994@gmail. com.

Tracy McLaren Friends of Allen Park Reeve Street, Swanbourne ■ ■ ■

I commend Fiona Argyle and the City of Nedlands for standing up to protect our A-Class reserves, which are put in place solely to protect areas of high conservation or high community value.

We are seeing a disturbing trend in Perth where our government thinks it is okay to whittle away A-Class reserves,

wetlands and our unique and endangered banksia woodlands. It is not okay. Planning can be done better.

There was absolutely no justification for excising part of the Allen Park A-Class reserve for the children’s hospice in the first place – never mind taking more.

There was plenty of space for the hospice at either the former Princess Margaret Hospital site or the Royal Perth Hospital annex in Shenton Park. A large portion of these lands should have been retained for public projects – the hospice, social housing, parks.

Enough is enough. The land around the hospice should be available for everyone. Hands off our A-Class reserves!

Heidi Hardisty

deputy chair, Urban Bushland Council WA

China leads the way on climate changes

M.E. Ward (Pathways to a secure energy future, Letters, March 29) says he followed the science on climate change and we should do nothing because we won’t make a difference. This has been the conservative position on just about everything. It’s timid, shrinking and sad. We are transitioning and we do not have unreliable power. Live in the subcontinent if you want to experience that!

He also forgets how polluting fossil fuels are.

Unfortunately the science of climate change was clear in the 50s and solidly supported by Margaret Thatcher and Richard Nixon. The fossil fuel lobbyists then got to work to create doubt and delay the inevitable. They are trying to extend the use of their dirty products.

Having spent the best part of the last two years in China, I have seen what can be achieved when a country commits to its climate targets. There, when you drive your

electric car to the supermarket you can charge it in the carpark while you shop. They have already exceeded their 2030 targets for renewables.

More than 50% of power generation in China is renewable, they lead the world in electric car production and produce more than 80% of the world's solar panels. They are transitioning fast and we ought to ignore those who want to put out the anchor. Richard Charlesworth Stirling Highway, Nedlands

Does success justify the means?

At a recent meeting in Floreat hosted by Australian Independent Retirees (AIR), I heard Tom White – former Uber executive and now Liberal candidate for Curtin –speak proudly about his time at Uber.

When questioned about the company’s $271million class action settlement and reports of spyware used against competitors like GoCatch, Mr White dismissed concerns. He claimed no wrongdoing had been found, and implied that Uber’s success justified how it got there.

That “ends justify the means” attitude appears to have carried into his campaign.

Mr White has erected oversized signs across all local government areas in Curtin, yet many of them breach council regulations in at least three LGAs, due to their excessive size and, in many cases, unlawful placement on public parks and reserves.

If Mr White believes bending the rules is acceptable when it suits his objectives, it raises serious concerns about his approach to leadership. Rules exist for a reason. Curtin deserves representatives who follow them, not just when it’s convenient.

Alan Hewitt Matlock Place, Woodlands

Bushland activists and Swanbourne residents check out the new sign in Stirling Highway. Photo: Paul McGovern

DEAR DUET

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, navigating the real estate market can be overwhelming. Sometimes, all you need is a little good old-fashioned advice.

Q: Dear DUET, I want to sell my home but have no idea where to start. I’ve spoken to a few agents in the area and that’s confused me even more! Some have said I don’t need to get my home ready for sale and that it will just sell no matter what in this market. Another agent has told me that to get the best price, I need to prepare the home for sale, stage it with furniture and fix any minor issues so it presents the best it can. How do I know what the right option is?

A: Dear Confused Home Seller, you’re not alone—comparing agents’ advice can be one of the trickiest parts of the selling process, especially when everyone seems to be saying something different.

Having sat in thousands of living rooms with local families over the years, all DUET Property Consultants agree on one thing: we’ll always give you the advice that helps you achieve the best possible result and maximise your sale price—even if it’s not always the easiest path. Sometimes this is hard as an agent, as you know you’re giving the family the best advice, at the risk of losing their business. But at the end of the day, you only sell your home once. You, as the seller, deserve to be the one who benefits most from that sale.

Yes, in a strong market homes are selling quickly—but regardless of the market, it is always worth spending the money and making your home as presentable as possible. A home that’s thoughtfully presented—decluttered, repaired, staged, or styled—will always attract more attention, create more competition, and achieve a better price. Don’t forget that your home is for sale in competition with other home sellers, not in isolation. So, it makes sense to give yourself every advantage that you possibly can when you are competing with other sellers.

The number one thing to remember is that a better presented home results in more attention, more interest and ultimately a better sale price.

Disclaimer: This advice is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered tailored financial advice. Every individual’s circumstances are unique, so we strongly recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor before making any decisions.

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Uncertain future for historic church

The heritage-listed Ross Memorial Church is on the market as part of a mega-block on the corner of Hay and Colin streets in West Perth.

This imposing gracious building, dating from 1917, is one of the Uniting Church’s three main city churches and can be a drawcard for visitors wishing to attend a service or those interested in its architecture and history.

Its interior is traditional with a wooden cross, stained glass windows, pews, altar table and organ – all conducive to spiritual contemplation.

Why is the Uniting Church divesting itself of this beautiful, significant, house of God? Over the years its congregation has declined, with so many choosing to worship elsewhere on Sundays at sporting fields, beaches, or even major fund-raising events.

So are we better off with our secular society? Where nowadays do young people learn a moral compass if parents are too busy?

In the past, churches were a source of ethical and spiritual development as well as making friends – this was the case in my own teenage years.

Does this discarded church have a future? I know it is heritage-listed and the building cannot be demolished, but there is probably no restriction on its future use.

At present there are still some Sunday services, but after the sale?

My hope for its continuation as a functional Christian church is in the more flourishing independent churches. Hopefully if one of them is in need of a traditional home and would like to adopt it, Ross Memorial could welcome it with open doors.

G. Eivers Kings Road, Subiaco

nedlands.wa.gov.au

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Independent Community Member to sit on CEO Performance Review Committee

About the role

In accordance with Council’s decision of 23 July 2024 expressions of interest are being called on for an Independent Community Member to join the CEO Performance Review Committee.

The CEO Performance Review Committee will operate until October 2025.

Applications to be the Independent Community Member to participate in the CEO Performance Review Committee, would be welcomed.

About the successful candidate

The Independent Community Member being sought will be a ratepayer, a resident or an elector of the City of Nedlands but cannot be current elected members or staff members of the local government.

ability to participate in and constructively contribute your independent perspective to the process however the Independent Community Member will be encouraged to complete the CEO Performance Review Training Course run by WALGA.

What we offer

The role is an honorary role with reimbursement of costs for training, travel and meals as applicable.

Additional details

Further details are available on the City’s website at including Guidelines for Local Government CEO Recruitment and Selection, Performance Review and Termination and the CEO Performance Review Council Policy. How to apply

and substantiating details of no more than 3 pages with the subject heading Independent Community Member for the CEO Performance Review Committee can be submitted in writing to the Coordinator Governance Legal and Risk, Alyce Martin: 08 9273 3500 or amartin@nedlands.wa.gov.au before 5pm AWST, 23 April 2025.

Dutton’s record on ‘wasteful spending’

In his post-Budget speech, Peter Dutton talked about “reckless and wasteful spending” of the Labor government.

That’s a bit rich. The most wasteful spending I recall was by the Coalition government, in the department of home affairs (DHA) when Mr Dutton was the responsible minister.

Contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars were granted without any competitive process, and it seems no auditing for delivery of service.

The little-known Paladin Group was paid $423million for 22 months of services for refugees on Manus Island.

In 2018 Paladin made a profit of $1.3million a week from the untendered Manus Island contract.

The Auditor-General investigated DHA’s financial mismanagement and, with great understatement, noted that this was not “value for money”.

Brisbane-based Canstruct International provided welfare and “garrison services” for refugees in Australia’s offshore regime on Nauru. It was their only business.

DHA awarded the original contract for just

$8million in October 2017, without tender; and within a month it was “amended” to $385million, again without tender.

Why?  There had been no new asylum seeker arrivals on the island since 2014.

At one stage it was costing the Aussie taxpayer more than $10,000 every day for each one of the 115 people held on Nauru.

Over the five years of their Nauru contract, Canstruct was paid $1.82billion, and made a profit of $442million.

On Mr Dutton’s watch, not only were huge DHA con-

tracts let without competition, but there was constant overspending, the biggest blowout being $450million.

Questioned in Senate estimates in 2020 about this massive overspend, DHA head Michael Pezzullo demurred, saying he was “not a walking abacus”.

The current government is paying $420million over three years to US company MTC for offshore processing on Nauru, but at least the contract was open to competition.  That is much less reckless.

Betty McGeever George Street, Cottesloe

‘Unrelenting’ opposition to hospice project

As a Swanbourne resident of 27 years, I make the following observations about the children’s hospice currently under construction in Allen Park.

The site was a much-loved bowling club for almost 40 years and then a wasteland for 20-plus years. The adjacent WA Bridge Club was established around 12 years ago without a murmur or protest of any type.

From my discussions, the overwhelming majority of local  residents fully support the hospice and its management.

However, from inception the development has come under continual attack from a minority of individuals, groups and Nedlands councillors.

At every turn they have sought to stall the process and have been unrelenting in their efforts to stymie such a worthwhile and humane project.

I see little evidence of them trying to work collaboratively with the hospice, to achieve the best outcome for the site and the families who will use the facility. It is unsurprising that the state government is now seeking to annex more of the area to gain control – sometimes actions have consequences.

Gerald

Moss Reeve Street, Swanbourne

Excision proposal needs full scrutiny

Nedlands council is actively opposing a proposal by lands minister John Carey to excise a further area of land within Allen Park, Swanbourne, on behalf of the Child and Adolescent Health Service.

The land in question is part of a 124-year-old A-Class reserve which has been under the management of the Nedlands Roads Board/City of Nedlands for 104 years. That land provides, and has provided for decades, unconditional and uninterrupted

access for all people between Allen Park, Swanbourne reserve and Swanbourne beach. In June last year the council resolved that the area in question, because of its critical location, should not be subject to lease, licence or excision.

Mr Carey’s new excision proposal must not be considered in isolation from August 2020 when the health department, under then health minister Roger Cook, by-passed the council to excise about 6000sq.m of

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land from Allen Park.

The transparent review of proposals by WA members of parliament regarding Crown land and the excision of land from A-Class reserves requires them to ensure that WA citizens are provided with all information which goes to the probity of those proposals.

Such probity must be guaranteed whether or not the 2025 Allen Park excision proposal is laid before parliament.

Peter Taranto Lynton Street, Swanbourne

Liberal mistake in Curtin campaign

On May 3 Curtin voters will decide whether Kate Chaney MP is a passing fad or our longterm representative in federal parliament. The Liberal Party is desperate to take back a seat which traditionally has been one of their safest.

Curtin is the ninth wealthiest electorate in Australia, according to Roy Morgan research, so it’s not surprising it was for decades a Liberal stronghold.

But it is also one of the most highly educated electorates in the nation – 48% of adults in Curtin have a tertiary degree – so many or most of its constituents are socially progressive, unlike the outer suburban seats that the Liberals also aim to win.

Determined though the Liberals are to retake Curtin, choosing a male candidate, Tom White, seems unwise for a seat which has been held by women since Julie Bishop won it in 1998, and women are under-represented in Liberal ranks in both the Senate and the House of Representatives).

Edmund Doogue Crawley Avenue, Crawley

POST editorial standards

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

Up for grabs ... Historic Ross Memorial Church in West Perth.

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Wembley Oval saved by slit-digger

By JEN REWELL

The saviour of Wembley Oval says it took eight years and a lot of hard work to perfect the machinery that is resurrecting the turf.

Aaron Haigh is the brains behind a specialised piece of equipment that slices deep into the oval surface and lays a thick reticulation pipe.

After the machine passes over the oval, the only sign it has been there is a perfectly straight slit through the turf layer.

Once a vibrating road roller is run over the incisions to compact the turf, the grass is game-ready.

“This here, you could play on it tonight if you wanted to,” Aaron said.

The football oval’s drainage problems have led to soggy goal squares, dangerously slippery turf and an infection of nematodes (a microscopic worm).

Last December, Cambridge council voted to try the slitdrainage technique; the other option was to dig up the whole oval and excavate the soil at a cost of $1.5million.

That would have meant the oval was out of action for weeks while the new turf took hold.

Aaron knows everything there is to know about reticulation, because he has been

in the business since he left school.

“I could see that there were easier ways to do things,” he said.

His device is a purpose-built attachment for a US-made turfing tractor called a Ditch Witch.

“It took me eight years to get it right, working all day and going back to my yard of a night time and rebuilding it, rejigging it, some new geometry,” he said.

“A lot of welding and cutting, and a lot of headaches.

“I had a lot of failures but

now it’s pretty much perfect.”

Aaron said the idea of a “sand slit” drainage technique had been around for years, but there was no machinery designed to do it.

“Others have tried to build a similar one but failed,” he said.

He retired recently and is now training a new team on the equipment, methodology and strategy to keep things rolling.

Wembley Oval is part of a sporting complex that caters for athletics, cricket, football and netball clubs.

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Speed date at bowlo

Fremantle voters can speed date with politicians this Friday, April 4.

Labor MP Josh Wilson, his Teal challenger Kate Hulett, Greens candidate Amy Warne and the Socialist Alliance’s Josh Last will each have a table at the North Freo Bowlo from 5pm.

New club manager Tim Robinson said all known candidates had been invited, although the Liberal Party was yet to nominate a candidate.

“It’s a great chance to engage with local politicians in a relaxed setting,” he said.

The club will open its bar and run a sausage sizzle fundraiser.

The federal electorate of Fremantle extends north to McCabe Street.

Fresh start planned for Claremont foreshore

A much-anticipated revitalisation of the Claremont foreshore can begin next year.

Councillors voted on Tuesday night to start the first year of the 10-year project and seek grant funding of $120,000.

The overall project aims to update the foreshore between Mrs Herbert’s Park to the east and the western extent of the Claremont Yacht Club.

It will be reviewed regularly by the Claremont foreshore committee.

Work to be done in 2025/26

includes revegetation using trees, native shrubs and rushes that preserve views, erosion control measures, installing bins and putting in a pelican roosting post.

Longer-term projects include more shaded seating areas, accessibility improvements, public art, expansion of the Jetty Road boardwalk and Aboriginal cultural heritage interpretation signage.

It could also include dredging near the yacht club to allow the use of Category 1 pens.

Good to grow … Aaron Haigh and the trusty Ditch Witch, with his custom-built slit-digger on the back.

Testimonial - Seller

Mysteries of the Cottesloe beachfront

Cottesloe council loves keeping things under wraps so the community cannot usefully contribute ideas when we usually don’t know what’s going on behind closed office doors.

For example, take the current public consultation on installing a toilet at South Cottesloe beach. Surely an illustrating picture would help, rather than just text.

We are told it will be a steel structure with laminated roof panel and aluminium wall cladding, approximate dimensions 2.4m deep, 3.6m wide and 3.1m high.

I need to let off steam after hearing approval of a “temporary” sauna at Indiana where, we are told, 10 paying sauna places will be “beneficial to the whole community”.

I think the community has a higher priority – the longawaited upgrade to the Indiana toilets. And which shower facilities will the sauna users be using – surely not?

Stephen Mellor Graham Court, Cottesloe

Liberal misuse of postal voting

The vulnerable and elderly in our community are being scammed out of their savings at record rates.

Many of us are anxious, worried that our parents will click on a link and have their personal information harvested and then used against them or lose everything.

Melon Hill Bushland Group volunteers have worked for almost 30 years to restore, enhance and protect the natural areas of Allen Park, Swanbourne.

We don’t have a PR department.  We have no vested interest.  We spend our own time and money on things that belong to everyone.   Already, 6000sq.m has been excised. There can be no valid reason to excise more to make a park.

The current plan (delayed by construction of the Sandcastles children’s hospice) is for a beautiful all-access path surrounded by bird-filled native plantings.  It will form part of a critical linkage to the coast and give somewhere for the spectacular rainbow bee-eaters to nest.

There are plenty of examples of collaborative efforts on public land by councils,

The vehicle collisions caused by a 92-year-old person recently (Nonagenarian in double-banger, POST, March 29) were not a huge surprise for me.

Firstly, let me say I also am a senior citizen (though not as senior as the aforementioned driver) and I have serious concerns about how thorough the annual health assessment is for over-80-year-olds still wishing to keep their driver’s licence.

Keep Allen Park reserve for everyone

bush care groups and private donors – the Cottesloe Nature Discovery Space and the Synergy Playground in Kings Park for example.   We are happy to work collaboratively so long as the land remains protected A-Class reserve. There is no need to excise this land and it must stay open to all. Lesley Shaw Melon Hill Bushland Group, Swanbourne

Who keeps the information safe? Who is it sold on to? Which faceless Liberal Party members signed off on this underhand tactic to exploit innocent people like my mother and put her at risk?

This gives the impression of a party that is prioritising selfinterest and has lost its moral compass.

For the record, the AEC says the way to apply for a postal vote is direct to the AEC at aec.gov.au. C. Jackson Lisle Street, Mt Claremont

So imagine my shock when my mother received a text from the Liberal Party that appeared to be offering a simple way for her to sign up for a postal vote, but in reality is a data harvesting tool, to collect names, addresses and personal details from unsuspecting people and channel them directly to a database.

One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that senior Australians are susceptible to many medical conditions including vision problems, hearing issues, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease, to name a few.

In addition there is a strong possibility that certain medications impact adversely on one’s ability to drive.

One often reads about elderly drivers who have crashed into a shop wall or window after accelerating rather than braking, or forgetting to put the car in reverse gear.

Possession of a driver’s licence is a privilege and not a right. It is encumbent on GPs to undertake these medical assessments assiduously.

Not to do so could be seen as complicit in any subsequent fatal accident involving an elderly patient.

Bruce Strang  Tighe Street, Jolimont

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Christening complicates bail for alleged child-basher

trate Donna Webb to vary his bail so he could travel to Canberra to attend his children’s christening with their mother’s family.

Police Beat

With Ben Dickinson

A police officer accused of assaulting his son in Nedlands has applied to vary his bail so he can attend his children’s christening.

Constable Cameron Douglas Smith, now 30, was stood down from duty in 2023 after he was charged with assaulting his son in August that year.

Mr Smith has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated assault.

In Perth Magistrates Court this week, a lawyer for Mr Smith asked magis-

“Mr Smith won’t be staying with them,” she said.

A prosecutor told the court it was “unacceptable” for Mr Smith to be around his children without an adult supervisor approved by Child Protection.

“There are proceedings relating to the children’s care and protection [ongoing],” he said.

“There needs to be an approved supervisor.”

Ms Webb said she had no difficulty granting the bail variation, given that the children’s mother and grandparents would be present at the christening.

But she told Mr Smith’s legal team to first seek an urgent change to a child

Ferry expansion plans still in the pipeline

By LLOYD GORMAN

The exact location for a new ferry terminal and charging station in Matilda Bay, Crawley, is still being kept under wraps.

Transport minister Rita Saffioti this week reannounced the state government’s plans to build five new ferries as part of a $107million expansion of the Swan River service, including between Applecross and UWA and Perth City.

About $2million was set aside in the state budget last May towards the design of new terminals at Crawley and Applecross, including for geotechnical work and to gauge

the level of dredging that will be needed at these new sites.

The POST approached Ms Saffioti for comment, but got a response from a state government spokesperson.

“The final locations of proposed new ferry terminals servicing Applecross and UWA are still to be determined,” the government representative said.

“The government is currently engaging with existing river users as part of the process of determining final locations. Announcements … will be made in due course.”

Multiple water groups based at Matilda Bay said they would be forced out of the area by the new

terminal (Ferry sinks boat clubs, POST, November 30).

The first of the ferries – all expected to be made in WA – is to be delivered in early May 2027, with the others to follow in June, August, October and December.

The government spokesperson said the expanded ferry service “would be operational in late 2027”.

At a press conference last August Ms Saffioti was asked when she thought the first passengers would be able to take a ferry to UWA or Applecross.

Another news outlet reported at the time: “She confidently predicted ‘by the end of next year [2025]’.”

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An artist’s impression of the proposed ferry terminal at Matilda Bay. Credit: Department of Transport

The police officer’s lawyer, Tom Percy, leaves court on Thursday.

Photo: Ben Dickinson

Life returns to Subi shopfronts

By LLOYD GORMAN

The days of dreary vacant shopfronts being a drag on Subiaco high streets could be numbered under a new plan to magic them into “vibrant creative hubs”.

Subiaco council has teamed up with SPACEMRKT – an urban renewal organisation that revitalises underused or dead spaces – to activate neglected premises.

First to get the creative treatment will be the street level of 83 Rokeby Road – the building once owned by the Hiddlestone Electrics family which was bought by developer Adrian Fini as offices for his company HumanUrban and architects MJA.

Over the next 12 months new signs and some sort of installation at the front of the premises could be supported by a pop-up art gallery and artists and jewellers selling their wares.

An empty restaurant around

the corner in Hay Street in a building beside the Regal Theatre earmarked for redevelopment will be next in line, with others expected to follow.

The aim is to transform vacant properties into lively hubs that foster creativity and growth, sustainability and liveability of areas.

“Subiaco is seeing an influx of new businesses, and commercial vacancies are falling,” Subiaco mayor David McMullen said.

“I have no doubt that through this partnership with SPACEMRKT we are going to see some more vacant spaces transform before our eyes.

“This will showcase the work of some very talented creatives, bring additional vibrancy to Subi, and demonstrate the benefits of setting up shop in our bustling city.”

SPACEMRKT director Joel Benichou, born and bred in Subiaco, encourages people with innovative ideas for new businesses and artistic installations to get in touch.

“Subiaco has been undergoing a well-known revival, and we are aiming to build on that by bringing activation and vibrancy to any remaining empty shopfronts,” he said.

Closure of the Pavilion Markets around 2008 and the relocation of AFL games from Subiaco Oval to Burswood a decade later hastened the demise of Subi’s popularity as one of Perth’s top shopping spots (It’s a rocky road for Subi retailers, POST, January 12 2018).

Mum hits back at intrusive landlord

• From page 5

“It is not easy to discern with precision the points being articulated by the appellant throughout the course of his oral address to the primary judge.

“Nor do the written submissions provide a clear and coherent pathway explaining the appellant’s argument.”

Mr Bajaj represented himself during a series of appearances in the magistrates court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and considered taking a recent matter to the High Court after losing a bid to win $2600 in disputed rent from a former tenant.

He did not respond to questions from the POST.

Deadlocked poll prospect

• From page 3

of confidence, unless a major scandal or corruption was revealed.

“If re-elected I will retain my ability to vote independently on every piece of legislation, remaining pragmatic and practical,” she said.

She said she had opened two campaign offices, one in Subiaco and one in Scarborough, with 800 organised volunteers signed up, and more joining as the election approached.

She publishes on-line all her donors and amounts donated, which some media have seized upon to criticise her.

Ms Chaney said she would debate the donations issue once her opponents published their lists of donors, which her Liberal opponent Tom White has refused to do before the election.

She said Liberal Party attack lines against her were being repeated word for word by some media outlets who never declared their own vested in-

AUCTION CANCELLED

terests in seeing her defeated.

“It does not show high-quality journalism or a fair and balanced media,” she said.

“I think that people are perfectly aware that that’s how the media landscape works, which is one of the reasons people are shifting to different sources for information.”

Polls published this week, including one very comprehensive survey, showed that at this point of the campaign there is nothing to indicate that any WA seats would change hands.

Renee has put a padlock on her Shenton Park house to keep her landlord out. Photo: Paul McGovern

Plenty in store … Joel Benichou, left, with mayor David McMullen at 83 Rokeby Road. Photo: Paul McGovern

The Australian Institute of International Affairs of WA will host a discussion with Peter Greste next Friday, April 11.

Peter is an Australian journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 25 years.

He covered the civil war in Yugoslavia and elections in South Africa in the early 90s before joining the BBC as its Afghanistan correspondent in 1995. He went on to cover Latin America, the Middle East and Africa for the BBC.

Amid violent clashes in Egypt in 2014 between supporters of the ousted Muslim Brotherhood government and the military, he was arrested and charged with multiple terrorism offences.

After a sham trial he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison and spent 400 days behind bars, then deported under a presidential decree after an intense international campaign.

He will be in Perth for the launch of The Correspondent –the film adapted from his 2017 memoir, opening in cinemas nationally on April 17.

At the AIIA WA event he will share his reflections as a longterm observer of international relations seen through the lens of a foreign correspondent.

This will be a great opportunity to meet with the author before seeing the film.

His talk will be at the Alexander Lecture Theatre in the UWA Arts Faculty. Arrive at 11.30am for the 12 o’clock start. The event is being held by AIIA WA in partnership with the Centre for Muslim States and Societies (CMSS) at UWA. Tickets, which include a light lunch, can be purchased online. Go to internationalaffairs.org. au, click on the WA section and then on the events section.

The latest in glaucoma surgery will be the topic of a presentation offered by the Glaucoma Australia Support Group (WA).

Ophthalmologist Antony Clark will be guest speaker at the University of Western Australia’s School of Optometry on Saturday April 26.

Dr Clark completed his ophthalmology training in WA before undertaking two years of sub-specialty fellowship training in Toronto, Canada, and is now a staff specialist ophthalmologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital.

He has advanced training in

complex glaucoma and microincisional cataract surgery, a PhD in public health, and is trained in paediatric ophthalmology, and strabismus (when the eyes are not aligned).

His presentation will be from 2 to 4pm at 39 Fairway, Crawley, enter from Edward Street. There is free underground parking on site and on nearby streets.

Entry is $5 cash payable on the day and includes afternoon tea and a raffle ticket. Register in advance by texting volunteer coordinator Gaela on 0416 074 415 or email gaela12@ hotmail.com.

Imagine seeing the Northern Lights

Do you dream of visiting the Arctic Circle to see polar bears, or catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights?

West Coast Community Centre member Sue Moonen has been there and on Thursday, April 10, at 10am, will tell stories and share photos and highlights from her travels from Cambridge Bay in Canada, to Greenland, following in the footsteps of many European explorers who died trying to find a shorter route to Asia.

The talk is presented by the West Coast Community Centre at the Grove Library in Peppermint Grove. Cost is $12 for members and $17 non-members.

Register in advance by going to

westcoastcommunity.com.au and clicking on the “Programme” button.

For more information email westcoastcommunity@gmail. com.

former foreign correspondent Peter Greste, above, whose memoir pictured at right has been made into a film.

Seeing the northern lights, pictured, was a highlight of Sue Moonen’s Arctic Circle visit.

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Tonia McNeilly 0416 161 556

The impact of fire – for better or worse – on native orchids will be the topic of discussion at the April 8 meeting of the Wildflower Society of WA’s Perth branch.

All are welcome, to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between fire and the conservation of WA’s native orchids.

The guest speaker will be Dr Mark Brundrett, an adjunct associate professor at UWA and a research associate at the Western Australian Herbarium.

Fire can be pivotal for the survival and reproduction of native species such as spider orchids, sun orchids, and red-

Blame your brain for hearing loss

Are you a little hard of hearing? Your brain may be to blame.

Learn more about the brain’s role in how well we hear at a talk offered by the University of the Third Age (U3A) Cambridge branch on Thursday, April 10.

Is fire the orchid’s friend or foe?

beaked orchids.

Mark will discuss the effects of fire on orchid populations in Perth’s natural bushland, drawing on a recent study in a northern suburbs bushland reserve to discuss how it influences the population dynamics and pollination of different orchid species.

The presentation will be at the Palms Community Centre on the corner of Nicholson and Rokeby roads, Subiaco. Doors open at 7.45 for an 8pm start, with a $3 donation granting a chance to win the night’s door prize.

For more information contact perth.branch@wildflowersocietywa.org.au.

Guest speaker Robert Russell-Brown’s topic will be “Is it a Hearing Loss or Speech Perception Difficulty?”

He will discuss how the brain plays a much bigger role than ears in our ability to understand speech.

All seniors are encouraged to attend, because being able to hear speech can help prevent

social isolation and protect against dementia.

The second talk on the day will be from Ian Deany who will speak about cruising the canals of Europe.

Ian and his wife Sue have drifted about Western Europe for three months a year on their 14m live-aboard barge Wobbe, built in 1907.

The afternoon starts at 1.30pm at Ocean Gardens Village, Kalinda Drive, City Beach. The $3 admission includes afternoon tea.

For details phone Jim Barns on 9448 6432 email jnjbarns@ bigpond.com.

Listen to an Ugly story at Probus

Award-winning journalist

John Townsend will talk about Ugly, his recent biography of champion footballer Ray Sorrell, at the April meeting of the Probus Club of Subiaco.

Sport columnist at the POST after 23 years as chief cricket writer at The West Australian, John wrote Ugly last year to tell the story of Sorrell’s rollercoaster career in sport and business.

He will describe how the book came about, the significance of Sorrell’s career during a golden age of WA football, some of the

characters and incidents of the era, and why it is called Ugly. Highlights include Sorrell’s surprise at watching his uncle pull a human hand from a shark he had just caught at Leighton. Morning tea at 10am will precede his presentation at 11am in St Edmunds church hall, 54 Pangbourne Street, Wembley, on Monday April 14.  Entry fee is $5 which includes morning tea and a chance to win the door prize.

Register by emailing Kerry Eivers on kerryeivers@yahoo. com.au or phoning Gay Eivers on 9381 1306.

How does fire affect native orchids such as red beaks, left, and the sun orchid.

Photos: Mark Brundrett

Champion footballer Ray Sorrell, left, with John Townsend.

Picnic by the river to start off Easter

Nedlands Uniting Church is organising a pre-Easter family picnic beside the Swan River this Sunday, April 6.

The event will be from 9.30 to 11.30am at the Jo Wheatley All Abilities Play Space on the Esplanade, Dalkeith, following a family Easter service at 9am. Families are invited to bring a plate to share, and learn more about the Easter story.

At 9.30am next Sunday, April 13, the church will hold a festival of hymns to benefit the non-profit group Go Forth Asia, which works to transform lives and communities in Asia.

An Easter craft morning will be held on April 16 for primary school-aged children and young teens to make and parade Easter hats and hunt for easter eggs. Cost $10 per child, at the door. Morning tea will be provided. Carers must accompany children aged eight years and under.

For more information phone Vicki on 9386 1770 or 0472 609 316, or email office@nedlands. church.

Read the online at postnewspapers.com.au

The revered and reviled of Perth’s past

Learn more about the colourful characters who have helped shape the city of Perth.

Next Friday, April 11, lecturer, broadcaster and author Richard Offen will give a presentation called Heroes, Villains and Vagabonds, for Hollywood Subiaco Learners’ Club.

His presentation will take attendees through an intriguing journey through time, highlighting some of the people who, for better or worse, have made

Perth what it is today. They will include Swan River colony settler Elizabeth Shaw, bushranger Moondyne Joe, engineer C.Y. O’Connor and con artist William Hayes (aka Bully Hayes).

The presentation will be at Hollywood Subiaco Bowling Club, 42 Smyth Road, Nedlands. Register at 2.45 for the 3pm start. Entry is $5 for members and $10 for non-members, cash only. RSVP is essential to donarosa49@gmail.com.

Who cares about aged care?

Learn more about federal government support for the aged at the WA Self Funded Retirees Association’s May 9 meeting.

The guest speaker will be Kathryn Ewen from the government agency MyAgedCare, which provides information about and referrals to aged care services such as in-home, short-term, or residential care.

Kathryn’s talk will answer questions such as the extent of government funding available,

how the aged can gain access to their entitlements, and the assessment process.

The meeting will be held at 10am at Cambridge Bowling Club in the Floreat Sporting Precinct, Chandler Avenue. Kathryn’s presentation will start at 11am following the main meeting and morning tea. Visitors are welcome, entry is free and parking is available on-site.

For more information phone Ron de Gruchy on 9447 1313 or Margaret Harris on 0417 991 947.

Be an early bird for film talk

Accomplished WA film-maker

Paul Barron will discuss his love of history at the Royal WA Historical Society’s annual lecture on Wednesday July 2.

The lecture will be at a University of Western Australia venue from 6pm for a 6.30pm start.

Paul Barron’s long and accomplished career with Barron

Films includes the Logiewinning Tracks of Glory miniseries set in 1903, and the Such Was Life series on SBS about key people in WA’s history. Booking details will be published in the RWAHS April newsletter. Email your expression of interest in attending to Lesley at admin@histwest.org.au.

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Elizabeth Shaw, pictured, was one of the longest lived of the early Swan River settlers.

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Two spacious living areas feature soaring ceilings and timber floors, while the gourmet Miele kitchen seamlessly flows into the m eals and family room, with bifold doors connecting indoor and outdoor spaces.

The master suite offers a private retreat with an ensuite and walk-in robe, while a separate wing includes two bedrooms and a stylish bathroom with a freestanding tub. Secure double garage plus gated side parking for extra vehicles, a boat, or a caravan.

Located in a blue-chip area, within walking distance to Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Freshwaters Café, and St Hilda’s.

Put honey to the test

The antibacterial properties of honey can now be measured even more accurately thanks to a new test developed by the University of Western Australia and made commercially available by WA bee research centre Y-Trace.

The total activity (TA) test was developed by Associate Professor Katherine Hammer from UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences and Y-Trace CEO Dr Liz Barbour.

Their work was supported by an “innovation booster” grant from the WA department of jobs, tourism, science and innovation.

Prof. Hammer said: “Western Australia is renowned for producing many different bioactive honey types, with jarrah being its most famous”.

“For the first time, beekeep-

ers and honey producers across Australia will have access to a scientifically validated, robust and repeatable method for measuring the antibacterial activity of honey.”

The new TA test is a direct measure of the honey’s effect on two different types of bacteria.

The Honey Lab at Y-Trace now offers the test to beekeepers and honey packers across Australia.

“This breakthrough provides Australian honey producers with the most scientifically accurate antibacterial assessment,” Dr Barbour said.

“It enhances consumer confidence and strengthens Australia’s reputation for premium, high-quality honey in global markets.”

For more information go to ytrace.com.au or email hello@ ytrace.com.au.

How plants and animals help each other

Ten high-school students will be offered free tickets to the WA Naturalists Club April 16 lecture at UWA.

The lecture at 7.30pm will be about how plants and animals interact – and how those interactions are essential for a healthy environment.

Professor Emeritus Byron Lamont will give the talk, titled “Biotic interactions – the essence of nature conservation”, as this year’s Serventy Memorial Lecture.

The botanist will focus on the

old clothes

Learn how to bring unwanted items back to life and reduce waste with a series of free classes and activities in Cottesloe called the Festival of Re-Style, Re-Use and Re-Creation.

The festival, on now, is being offered by Curtin Heritage Living, with sessions in The Heritage Collective buildings at 40 Marine Parade until August 25.

The aim is for attendees to learn to reduce waste by reusing and re-purposing items that might otherwise be thrown away and end up in landfill.

The festival began on March 30 as part of UN International Zero Waste Day.

Events will include a “makers and menders club”, a clothing exchange, and a lesson in how to master a knitting machine.

Albany pitcher plant, orchid mimicry, the woylie and black cockatoos.

The evening is to raise money for prizes the club offers university students. Tickets are $20, or $15 for students.

High-school students are invited to email a copy of their student card to info@wanaturalists.org.au, to go into a draw for free tickets.

The lecture will be at the UWA Social Sciences Lecture Theatre.

To book, search “Serventy Memorial Lecture 2025” online.

In July, a repair lab and stash swap will teach attendees how to fix things others might have thrown out, and an upcycling workshop will teach how to turn old jeans into a stylish tote bag.

The events are free, but bookings are required.

The Heritage Collective operates from the three heritage buildings that used to be part of Wearne Hostel.

It is run by Curtin Heritage Living which provides aged care and independent living accommodation.

For more information, and to book, go to heritagecollective. com.au and click on the menu for Upcoming Events.

WA bees making WA honey … Bees gather pollen on the red flowering gum endemic to southwest Western Australia Photo: Katherine Hammer

Botanist Byron Lamont will give this year’s Serventy Memorial Lecture.

Boys and girls aged eight to 15 are invited to sign up for another exciting year of outdoor activities with Mosman Bay Sea Scouts. Activities planned for the year include the Canning Ascent overnight canoe trip plus hikes, camps and more sailing and boating adventures.

The Mosman Bay troop offers its young members the chance to take on new challenges, learn new skills, make new friends and have fun in the great outdoors.

In the Canning Ascent, they travel 10km up the Canning River before camping overnight and continuing another 10km the next morning. Participants say it’s an unforgettable experience that builds character and teamwork.

Mosman Bay Sea Scouts took part recently in the fun and challenging Swanabout 30-hour sailing regatta on the Swan River, aimed at covering as much distance as possible in 30 hours.

In competition with six other groups, they covered an impressive distance thanks to great teamwork, determination, and skill.

For more information visit mosmanbayscouts.com or email info@mosmanbayscouts. com.

Free fun for the young

Young people aged from 10 to 25 years are invited to celebrate WA Youth Week with three free events offered by the City of Subiaco.

Test your laser tag skills in a friendly, action-packed competition at Subiaco Library next Friday, April 11.

Teens aged 12 to 15 can play from 6 to 7.30pm and young people aged 15 to 25 from 8 to 9.30pm.

Polish basketball skills with tips, tricks, drills and a competition on Sunday, April 13 from 10.30am to 2pm.

Skaters of all abilities aged 10 to 18 are invited to a day of tricks and flips on Tuesday April 15 from 1.30 to 3.30pm at the Palms Centre Skate Park.

To register go to subiaco.wa.gov.au and search Youth Week 2025.

Set sail with Mosman Bay Sea Scouts

Winning pianists to inspire

Winners of this year’s West Australian Pianists Competition will perform in the Callaway Music Auditorium at UWA next Saturday, April 12.

More than 260 pianists of all levels of experience, from around Australia and internationally, entered the competition which has been discovering new piano talent for 20 years.

The concert is a collaboration between the Royal Schools Music Club and the West Australian Pianists Competition.

Pre-concert refreshments will be served from 6pm for the 6.30pm concert, which ends at 8pm. Cost is $30 for visitors; $5 for full-time students; free entry for all members of the Royal Schools Music Club.

For tickets go to trybooking. com and search “WA Pianists Winner Showcase”.

MLC marches forward with new sports program

“Dream big” was the resounding message from the Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) International Women’s Day event recently.

Five high-profile alumni were invited to discuss the UN Women Australia 2025 IWD theme, March Forward as part of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Moderator Lauren Pavlich, MLA Mia Davies, Dr Rachel Harris, Tanya Brown and Tian Beckett inspired the girls with their individual stories detailing the trials, tribulations and triumphs

they each have experienced in their personal and professional lives.

With her highly regarded political career which has included many shadow and ministerial portfolios, Ms Davies emphasised the importance of never putting yourself in a box and to push outside your comfort zone to achieve your best.

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable because change doesn’t happen when you’re sitting in your Tanya, who has been the director of Special Olympics Australia for the

past five years, echoed this statement by reminding the young people: “There will be challenges along the way, but it will make your successes that much more rewarding.

“Focusing on being good at what you do, driven by impact and performance, means your foundations are going to be really strong when you get there; and this is because you’ve actually earned it.

“The reality is that anything is possible, and this is certainly true for females, but it also takes a network around you. So nurture your relationships and hunt to find the people who can support you.”

2023/2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

College principal Rebecca Clarke announced a new opportunity for the school’s high-performing athletes beginning next year.

The Town of Cambridge is pleased to invite the community to attend its Annual General Meeting of Electors. The purpose of the meeting is to present the Town’s 2023/24 Annual Report and to provide the community an opportunity to have their say on local issues.

The Annual Report provides a snapshot of some of the key projects and initiatives undertaken by the Town during the 2023/24 financial year.

Meeting details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 9 April 2025

Time: 6pm

Location: Town of Cambridge Council

Chambers 1 Bold Park Drive FLOREAT WA 6014

Motions: Electors who wish to submit motions are to do so in writing by 12pm Monday 7 April 2025 to gov@cambridge.wa.gov.au

Questions: Electors who wish to ask questions are encouraged to submit them in advance to gov@cambridge.wa.gov.au. Questions will also be accepted during the meeting. For more information, please contact the Town on (08) 9347 6000.

KELTON HINCKS ACTING

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

“We are pleased to announce the MLC sporting excellence high performance fund, which will be awarded to students who are striving to achieve recognition at the very top of their sport,” she said.

“It recognises the valued contribution these aspiring elite-level athletes make to sporting excellence at MLC.

“We don’t just want girls to play sport, we want them to stay in sport.

“We don’t just want women in boardrooms, we want them to lead.

“We don’t just want gender parity on the playing field, we want equity everywhere.”

Lauren Pavlich, MLA Mia Davies, Dr Rachel Harris, Tanya Brown and Tian Beckett sitting together on stage after the MLC International Women’s Day panel discussion.

Smooth sailing … From left Rohan Harrison, Daniel Zhao, Oliver Lewandowski, Lucy Walker, Nathaniel Marshall, Ian Andrews, and James Stout.

55 LYONS STREET, COTTESLOE

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New squire for Quire choir

The Quire singing group is delighted to announce the appointment of Harry Oliff as new musical director.

Harry was musical director for the 2024 production of Hairspray at Crown Theatre, for which he won Broadway World’s award for Best Music Direction and Orchestral Performance.

His accomplished career also includes working as an accompanist, arranger, collaborator, lecturer and instrumentalist.

A highly skilled choral director who conveys his passion and love of music in a positive and lively manner, he brings with him a varied and enjoyable repertoire and a passion for choral music.

Quire is a four-part choral ensemble that rehearses once a week at All Saints Uniting Church Hall in Floreat. The adult singers of all ages specialise in works for large choruses.

The repertoire includes works from the Renaissance to the

modern day including musical theatre, pop, rock and jazz as well as works by contemporary Australian composers.

Members are selected by audition and rehearse on Wednesdays from 7 to 9.15pm.

New members are always welcome.

Floreat All Saints Uniting Church Hall is at 50 Berkeley Crescent, Floreat.

For more information go to quirevoices.com.au or email admin@quirevoices.com.au.

Increase brand familiarity.

Steve’s art shines at Alinea

The Alinea Art Gallery is staging its third solo exhibition, this time by artist Steve Emms.

Alinea, in Shenton Park, offers services such as aged care, supported employment, home care and retirement living for the elderly and those with disabilities.

The art gallery provides opportunities for artists living with disability to engage the broader community in their arts practice at a professional level.

It offers exhibitors with a supportive platform for personal growth and development and the opportunity to be recognised as a talented individual.

Steve Emms takes part in Alinea’s recreational arts program, receiving professional guidance from practising artists.

His paintings are greatly inspired by the compelling surfaces of the work by renowned WA artist Robert Juniper, his ceramic creations draw inspiration from the tactile structures of English ceramics artist Richard Batterham, and his glass pieces are inspirational in themselves.

Those who remember the Stoned Crow in North Fremantle (where Mojo’s Bar is now) are invited to join its founder John Showell and all who have memories to share about it next Saturday, April 12. The toast to John Showell will be from 4 to 7pm at Mojo’s, 237 Queen Victoria Street. Free entry. Be ready to tell your stories and bring any video footage, records, photos or other treasures from the Stoned Crow days. For more information email stonedcrowtales@gmail.com. are inspirational show at Alinea

Steve says his works increasingly are becoming a deeply emotional statement about his personal life experiences. His exhibition, between 10am and 2pm Monday to Saturday, will continue until Alinea Art Gallery is at 4 Orton Road, Shenton Park. It will showcase the work of artists with disabilities throughout the year.

For more information phone 9381 0173, email info@alinea.org. au, or visit alinea.org.au.

Raise a glass to the Stoned Crow

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Musical director Harry Oliff, second from the right at front, will lead Quire.

LILIANA TALEMAITOGA 0421 199 685 liliana@cyproperty.com.au

Locals making good at lacrosse

The Australian U20 men’s lacrosse team has just been announced, and local talents Jack Cooper and Charlie Clarke from Wembley Lacrosse Club have secured their place on the national stage.

The pair will don the green and gold later this year, travelling to Japan for a series of scrimmages in early August before heading to Jeju, Korea, to compete in the U20 world championships.

“It’s an incredible honour to represent Australia,” said Charlie. “And to be able to give back by coaching the next generation at Wembley makes it even more special.”

In a further boost for local lacrosse, Australian and Subiaco player Ashby Dennis has been appointed assistant coach for the national team. Ashby brings a wealth of experience and leadership, adding to the already impressive coaching lineup.

Lacrosse in Australia is entering an exciting era. With the sport set to make its return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028, Lacrosse Australia

Pioneering aviator Sir Norman Brearley.

is leaving no stone unturned.

High-performance athlete combines are currently under way as selectors build towards assembling the ultimate squad for the Olympic Games and future world championships.

“Lacrosse is growing fast, and there’s a place for everyone,” said Ashby.

“We’ve got kids starting at five years old, and we’ve got men and women chasing Olympic dreams.” up a stick for the fi on how to register, visit the Wembley or Subiaco lacrosse club websites or follow them on social

Take off with two terrific talks

The man who pioneered civil aviation in Western Australia will be the subject of a talk this Monday afternoon, April 7.

At 1pm former radio producer Bill Bunbury will be guest speaker for the U3A Western Suburbs

Hit up for fun and fitness

Peppermint Grove Tennis Club is keen for more seniors to join the club to play social tennis, a great way to exercise and socialise.

Next Saturday, April 12, the club will hold a free social event, Revv Up, to welcome newcomers over the age of 55.

Branch meeting at the Grove Library community precinct.

He will give an illustrated account of the life of distinguished aviator Sir Norman Brearley, who overcame barriers of distance and isolation to provide airmail and passenger services in the 1920s and 1930s, after service as a pilot in World War I.

There are no Wednesday results from last week because the club’s greens were used for the ladies pennant finals.

This Sunday, April 6, at 5pm will be the ladies’ and men’s pennant wind-up.

Men needed for weight-loss study

Researchers from the University of Western Australia are calling for more men to volunteer for a weight-loss study combining medication with a tailored exercise program.

The scientists are investigating how to maximise the benefits of new “blockbuster” anti-obesity medications.

The study is being led by UWA professors Bu Yeap and Danny Green, who are comparing if taking the anti-obesity medication tirzepatide (known as Mounjaro) with structured exercise results in a better outcome for cardiovascular health than taking the medication alone.

Professor Green said: “All participants in the study receive 40 weeks of free treatment with Mounjaro and have a 50% chance of getting a free state-of-the-art exercise program supervised by a specialised exercise physiologist at our UWA gym.

“The medication being studied has shown remarkable effectiveness in clinical trials, exceeding that of Ozempic, and producing weight reduction of 15 to 20% over a 40-week period.

“However, questions remain about how to opti-

mise their health benefi beyond weight-loss alone.”

The research team has so far recruited 60 women and 40 men for the study. A further 20 men are needed.

“Several male participants who have completed the 40-week treatment have described their experience as ‘life-changing’,” Prof. Yeap said.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for 20 men, who need to lose a bit of excess weight for health reasons, to receive highly effective treatment in a carefully supervised environment.”

The research is taking place as new weight-loss medications are becoming more widely prescribed around the world, and there is growing interest in understanding how lifestyle factors can complement pharmaceutical approaches to obesity management. Men who would like to take part, or would like more information, are invited to email the research team at trexstudy-shs@uwa. edu.au.

retained their positions, and nobody was demoted. The men’s championship fours concluded on Sunday.

“We are keen to attract more seniors back to the game. Our oldest player is 93.”

Arrive at 1.30 for a warm-up before games start at 2pm. Complementary afternoon tea will be served and the bar opens at 4.30pm.

To register interest and level (beginner, intermediate or advanced) phone Fiona on 0439 609 040, or email pgtcsecretary181@ gmail.com.

Club secretary Fiona Kibblewhite said: “We are having free afternoon tea and four sets of casual tennis at 25 minutes a session so people can join in as little or as much as they like and play as beginners, intermediate or advanced.

Bill worked as a radio producer at ABC Radio National from 1967 to 2007. He has written 15 books based on radio documentaries and won many awards.

At 2.30pm, John Fender will present a talk titled “Hooked on Books”, an entertaining review of his own life as a dedicated reader.

Visitors are welcome and there is a $3 charge.

For more information phone Sath Moodley 0413 212 513 or email sath. moodley@gmail.com.

The second round of ladies singles will be on Wednesday, April 9.

Saturday men: 1st Ted Delaney, Jay Medhat and Colin Herring; 2nd George Savage, Chris Westergren and Brian Dick.

Hamburger Day is on Wednesday April 16 after bowls, at noon.

The Ladies Saturday 1st Division team has made it through to the playoffs due to finishing in second place.

Men’s Saturday pennants produced a good result for 1st Division who earned 5.5 points, albeit by 1 shot, and secured 6th place on the pennant table. 3rd Div. could only manage 1 point against bottom side Stirling and will be relegated to 4th Div.

5 Purple ended the season on a high, taking 5 points in their away game against Hollywood. Due to ending on top of the table they will be promoted to 4th Div. Congratulations to Ric Mapley and his team

On Thursday March 27 2Gold travelled to Yanchep for the promotion playoff. Ron Middleton, Chris Litchfield, Mike Hatch and Rob Campbell lost 19-25; Peter Hiatt, Milton Byass, George Sterpini and Tony Byrne lost 15-21; and Peter Imms, Jim West, Kim Jefferis and Glen Morey came from behind for the win 21-20.

On Saturday 5Purple were at home to play Dalkeith. Mick Canci, Phil Hobbs, David Leeson and Jannette Middleton lost 11-17; Brian Marsland, Dot Leeson, Ron Middleton and Wally Graham won 18-12; and Billy Gerlach, Ron Palmer, Ray Fells and Beck Byrne had a very bad day.

Last week was an exciting one for Mos Park’s premier Tuesday ladies. They played the finals starting on Monday March 24 and took out the flag on Wednesday, defeating Safety Bay. They have been in the final for the past few years but this year was their year. Well done. The other ladies’ midweek teams all

All played wonderful bowls and it was a very close match, with an extra end required after 15-15. The winners were Mark Bright, John Pallett, John Townsend and Cameron Hoffman; the runners up Chris Hughes, Peter McGurk, Terry Cranswick and Mitch Cranswick. It was a great match played in good spirit, and a shame there wasn’t a bigger audience.

Wednesday Scroungers had a play-off between Barbara Townsend and Liz Walker which Liz won 8-4. The club’s 4th Div. men’s team will play off this Saturday, April 5, for promotion. All the best, guys. Mahjong is played on Thursdays starting at 9am. All that is required to play is a social membership of the bowling club.

Subiaco Petanque Club is fortunate to have wonderful shade trees around the borders of the playing areas. Members made use of the shade around the edges to beat the heat last Saturday, March 29, enjoying a very pleasant afternoon of social play. This Saturday, April 5, the club will hold another round of the President’s Cup.Visitors are welcome on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Consult the club website, petanquesubiaco.com, or Facebook pages for details.

of Gof Bowles, Tony Payne and Ron Day on their massive win of 47 shots to 2.

Prof Bu YeapProf Danny Green

Australian assistant coach Ashby Dennis, left, and U20 Australian player Charlie Clarke with junior players at Wembley Lacrosse Club.. Photo: Daniel Schluter

Senior lacrosse player Ben Healy in action on the field.

Saturday 5/4/2025 10am10:30am

5/4/2025 10am10:30am

Spinnaker Boulevard, Geographe

Breathtakingly beautiful brand new custom built home by Pro Living with outstanding rear views over Geographe Bay. Completed with the highest of finishes, this incredible beachfront home on fully landscaped 732m2 block ensures the stunning north facing ocean views are guaranteed from both the expansive living area with high raking ceiling & all weather alfresco complete with outdoor kitchen. The spacious 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home has plenty of space for the family & includes a separate home theatre, luxe resort style master suite, with beds 2 & 3 enjoying a semi-ensuite while the main bathroom invites you to enjoy a long soak in the deep freestanding bath. The well-appointed kitchen with scullery & walk-in-pantry provides a plethora of storage options & European appliances. Located a close 3-minute walk to The Deck Bar & Restaurant on the marina, 6.5km to bustling Busselton foreshore & jetty precinct & a 15-minute drive will have you boarding a flight to either Sydney or Melbourne from the Busselton-Margaret River Airport.

$2,250,000

Located in popular Old Dunsborough, this charming country style 4 bed 2 bath home just oozes with ‘down south’ character. Constructed from coffee rock also known locally as ironstone, the home offers many standout features including soaring timber lined ceilings supported by large bush poles, well-appointed kitchen with stone benchtops & plenty of storage, spacious main bathroom with deep claw foot bath, while a newly built mezzanine floor with views over the treetops is a clever addition to this one-of-a-kind home. A very private decked entertaining area off the kitchen doubles as extra living space & overlooks the leafy garden with large mature Peppi, artificial lawn & built-in bench seating. An easy 500m walk will have you dipping your toes in the pristine waters at Old Dunsborough beachfront, while a short 3 minute drive will have you in the heart of the Dunsborough town centre & shopping precinct where you are treated to a wide selection of cafes, restaurants & boutique shopping.

Offers Presented By 5pm 16/04/2025 (Unless Sold Prior)

6/83 Gifford Road, Dunsborough

Instantly immerse yourself in the laid-back coastal lifestyle at this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom holiday home, offered as a WIWO (walk in, walk out) property. Located within Geographe Cove Resort and just steps from the shimmering waters of Geographe Bay, spend your days enjoying leisurely walks along the beach, bike rides into town, or simply lounging with deck chairs by the shore. With direct beach access and exclusive resort facilities, including a lagoon-style swimming pool, this property offers the perfect family getaway in Dunsborough.

Offers Presented By 5pm 09/04/2025 (Unless Sold Prior)

Team Jennings Hopkins Zachary Parkhurst 0494 151 331 zac@jhyrealty.com.au 26

37A Gibney Street, Dunsborough

BUSINESS

McCusker donations jump four times

By Mark Pownall

Medical research and healthcare programs were the major beneficiaries of an almost quadrupling of donations last year by the McCusker Charitable Foundation.

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foundation to become the fourth most generous philanthropic organisation in WA, behind Channel 7 Telethon Trust, to which it also contributes.

The foundation, led by former governor Malcolm McCusker and his family, donated $20.4million in the 12 months ending June 30 last year, well up on the $5.9million contributed during the previous corresponding period.

The scale of the donations would most likely push the

The McCusker foundation benefitted from a bigger asset base, namely a 54% rise in the valuation of its 27.6% stake in the family’s private investment vehicle McCusker Holdings. That stake was worth $211.8million at June 30, according to its detailed statement of financial position released to

the Australian Charities and Notfor-profits Commission, up from a $115million valuation when it was donated to the foundation by the McCuskers the previous financial year.

That is the foundation’s biggest asset with equity stakes such as Mineral Resources, Woodside Energy, BHP, Telstra, Beach Energy and PYC Therapeutics representing the bulk of the philanthropic organisation’s net assets of $393.4 million, up 19% from the previous report.

Wellness studio opens

By Nadia Budihardjo

Linda O’Farrell knows her new career direction presents a stark contrast with the 20 years she spent in the resources industry.

It was her time as a corporate executive that prompted Ms O’Farrell to launch her own wellness studio, the Glow Circuit, in Floreat.

The Glow Circuit is a membership-based club offering movement classes such as yoga and fitness training, one-on-one mentoring, and breath, sound and mindfulness workshops.

Ms O’Farrell found space among the ground floor offerings at Floreat Forum, before the club opened last month.

She had spent nearly a decade at Andrew Forrest-led Fortescue, as people group manager from 2013 to 2020, and director of the people team from 2020 to late 2022.

Her other roles in the sector include BHP WA iron ore

member, including at Lifeline since 2019 and Australian Institute of Management WA since mid-2018.

Kids Research Institute sells home for $21.5m

By Nadia Budihardjo

The Kids Research Institute Australia has sold its former headquarters in Subiaco for $21.55 million, several years after its move to Perth Children’s Hospital in Nedlands.

Located on a 7075sq.m site, the property at 100 Roberts Road has been sold to a domestic investor.

The institute occupied the building as a research and business headquarters but leased it to a government tenant after relocating to PCH in 2018.

CliniKids, The Kids Research Institute’s centre for autism research, is one of the existing tenants of the Subiaco building.

CBRE metropolitan investments director Derek Barlow and capital markets WA director Aaron Desange sold the property through an offersinvited campaign, launched last year.

“The long-term prospects for life-sciences property investments are strong, with the trajectory of medical innovation and behavioural changes

at a societal level supporting the growth of the asset class, while the considerable costs for replacement of facilities is likely to see the current constraints on supply continue,” Mr Barlow said.

Mr Desange said Subiaco was home to the most tightly-held healthcare precinct in the state.

The area had traditionally been a highly sought-after location because of its prime position, close to Perth CBD.

“The opportunity to acquire such a substantial and strategic life-sciences asset resonated

Dr James Fitzpatrick, Michelle Scott, Judge Denis Reynolds, Malcolm McCusker, Tonya McCusker and UWA vice-chancellor Amit Chakma Photo: UWA

A song for the eyes

AROUND THE

galleries hanging

In 1989 Astrid Dahl exhibited her work at the newly opened Stafford Studios with gallerist Marlene Stafford. It was officially opened by the head of Perth TAFE, Digby De Bruin. And this week, 36 years later, the now-retired Digby once again opened Astrid’s exhibition, this time for Marlene’s daughter Kathryn in her Gallows Gallery in Mosman Park.

In her first solo showing since 2010, 82-year-old Astrid breathes new and vivid life into a collection of vibrantly coloured and textured landscapes titled Bird Song.

Kathryn said: “Astrid now lives in Bali, having previously lived in Singapore, and her art reflects a world of travel and influences, and it is still absolutely beautiful.”

Astrid says her work, full of movement and texture, is part experience and part imagination.

Her son recorded bird song from her Balinese home, hence the name of the exhibition

■ ■ ■ Discover art in the heart of the South-West by embarking on the Blackwood River Arts Trail (BRAT).

The Blackwood River region includes Nannup, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Donnybrook-Balingup and Boyup Brook. Now in its fifth year, BRAT features more than 100 artists opening their home studios for a glimpse into their processes and creative environments.

Along the way there are exhibitions in more than 30 venues including cafes, gardens, gift shops and small galleries. Work ranges from sculpture, painting, ceramics and photography to textile, wearable art, weaving and felting. BRAT begins this weekend and runs to April 20. It also includes Blackwood River Film Festival screening in Nannup, Bridgetown and Balingup with a season of short films and locally made feature Bassendream. Check out the trail and films screenings on blackwoodriverartstrail.com

Small acts of kindness

It may sound deeply unlikely nowadays and just a teeny bit cheesy, but Bob Trevino Likes It just might be the most winsome feelgood indie since last year’s Fremont.

It works because it’s based on Texan writerdirector Tracie Laymon’s own story, the filmmaker’s feature-length debut that’s grounded in beguiling sincerity and two warm, vulnerable central performances.

It speaks to a slightly less cynical recent past, when lonely 25-year-old Kentucky live-in carer Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira), who is estranged from her breathtakingly selfish father Robert (French Stewart) and desperate for family connection, decides to try to connect with him on Facebook.

On a whim, she friends a Bob Trevino with no

photo (a wonderful John Leguizamo) and is surprised when he responds, more so when he notices her unliked posts are, as he tells his wife Jeannie (Rachel Bay Jones), “screaming into the void” and begins to like them – lending the film its title.

It’s just the kind of validation Lily has been craving, especially since her mother left when she was little, and her own dad never misses an

opportunity to blame her for his shitty life.

This, however, is emotionally available to her, even if he is dealing with his own longsuppressed grief at losing his and Jeannie’s only child in infancy.

The two form the kind of wholesome, dependable friendship that allows each to flourish: Bob fixes her toilet, schools her in household tool basics, and cracks dad jokes that

at least make him laugh. Meanwhile, Lily starts to build some self-worth and ease up on her compulsive need to please even the people who treat her like crap.

Navigating chosen families, small acts of kindness, our innate need for human connection, it’s a nimbly written story, weaving humour, pathos, and bruising insight. Will you like it? I think you will. You’ll like it a lot.

Fresh Bread, Rolls, Cakes, Hot Pies, Doughnuts, Tarts, Coffee and more.

My boyfriend and I often argue about trust and these sometimes escalate into fiery confrontations. He reads my emails and snoops around my computer, asserting there should be total transparency in a relationship. In the interest of transparency, I’ve given him my passwords, but I would prefer to open my own email before he gets into it.

Five years ago, I had a

close male friend who confessed to being in love with me. I ended the friendship, but he’s since emailed me. I’ve deleted them thinking he would tire of pursuing me. When my boyfriend asked if I’d heard from him, I lied and said no. He has since found two emails from this old

friend. We had a flaming row, and he says he cannot trust me because I lied. I suggested he’s never trusted me, but he maintains “trust is earned, not given.” I don’t have anything to hide, but this is really starting to get to me. Shelby Shelby, in your boyfriend’s mind, you are guilty on a daily basis, unless you can prove otherwise. People

who want to control others often take some current idea from psychology, manners, or religion and twist it to their own advantage. That is what your boyfriend is doing. In his heart he wants you to be unworthy. His problem goes way beyond jealousy. You can never give in to such a person because that confirms to them that they are right.

Wayne & Tamara

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

■ Grandfather’s Grove by Tracey Nicole Saggers of Balingup.

■ Stafford Studios, Cottesloe, 1989: from left, Diana Johnston, Astrid Dahl, Digby DeBruin and Laura Cole. Right: Astrid’s colourful flower painting.

Bob Trevino Likes It (M) ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ REVIEW: PIER LEACH

■ Lonely Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) strikes up a lovely friendship with a replacement father figure, Bob Trevino.

Lived experience from Tehran to Subiaco

“My paintings are my lived experience,” said Iranian-born artist Nazila Jahangir, whose new collection of work narrates her journey of moving to Perth.

Nazila and her husband Mostafa decided to learn about their new home in Subiaco by cycling or taking public transport.

Mostafa takes photos and Nazila uses them as the basis for her deeply personal, exquisitely detailed oil paintings.

With backdrops of UWA’s gardens, Lake Monger, Herdsman Lake and other public parks, Nazila explores that dual journey of navigating a beautiful, unfamiliar place and expressing her personal sense of identity, of being a stranger, of missing her family but wanting to belong and of her transformation as an artist and a traveller.

Nazila studied fine art at Alzahra University, a female-only public

university in Tehran. But she knew that as an artist she needed to travel, to explore and to expand her ideas. She was awarded a scholarship to continue her art studies at UWA in 2019.

“My work has changed a lot since being here,” she said. “Migrating is

transformative, but it is also very hard. Iran is getting increasingly complicated, so we have decided to stay here, but immigrating is stressful.

“Perth seems so exotic because it is so new, but it is hard to make friends, and I miss my family and friends - and I have

discovered that WA doesn’t need artists.”

Sherri Staltari, director of Stala Gallery in West Leederville would disagree. She saw Nazila’s work at her graduating show and immediately offered her a solo exhibition.

One of Nazila’s paintings of two sets of

AstridDahl

hands clasped together is profoundly moving –capturing her embrace with her best friend when she went home to Tehran for a visit last year.

And like all her paintings, there is another story embedded there – a tiny lizard, as found in early “vanitas” still life paintings which represents the brevity and fragility of time.

Many of her works are imbued with objects, some personal like the copper vessel her father gave her, or insects like a painted

lady butterfly, which like her, travels vast distances.

“I would do this again,” she said of her immigration journey. “Sometimes you lose, but sometimes you become a new person.

“I paint what I see, but I also paint what is in my heart and mind.”

■ Nazila Jahangir –Immigration is on show at Stala Contemporary, from April 12 to May 10.

• Storytelling company, Lit Live will give a performance among her paintings, with stories and music from around the world on May 1.

Sunday classics

Beautiful and emotional classical music can be heard across Perth this Sunday, April 6.

The Dawson Society presents the third in its Wounded by Beauty series at 2pm in the Callaway auditorium at UWA.

It is a concert and talk that delves into the emotional impact of music.

Chimera Ensemble will perform Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No.

2, with Professor John Kinder guiding the audience through the masterpiece.

Music on the Terrace will perform Operatic Splendour at 4pm in Government House Ballroom, featuring tenor Paul O’Neill singing Puccini and Verdi arias, accompanied by OpusWA orchestra conducted by Mark Coughlin. Tickets are available at the door.

■ Subiaco artist Nazila Jahangir with her painting, Immigration: Self-portrait.

SARAH McNEILL

■ Getaway or stay forever in this Roleystone home which has the feel of a luxury

‘Another

their permanent home from which one of them could commute to Perth for work.

Soaking in a heated plunge pool surrounded by bush and mature trees is one of the many joys of this lifestyle property less than an hour from the Perth CBD.

“We use the plunge pool in the winter because it is heated to bath temperature,” the owners said.

“At night, it is amazing to look up at the stars, so bright up in the Perth Hills and away from the city lights.”

The couple bought the block about 10 years ago, after searching for the perfect place to build

“It is around a 45-minute commute, and when I drive back up the hill it feels like another world,” the husband said.

“The peace and tranquillity we felt here were amazing; it is such a lovely quiet spot where all you hear are the birds.

“Since living here, I don’t have the pull to go Down South any more as I get that feeling living here in Roleystone every day.”

The husband, a draftsman, drew up the plans for the pole house and his wife designed the interior and sourced everything from the benchtops to the lights.

The beautiful jarrah floors came from century-

old houses that were being demolished in the Wheatbelt.

“I had to store them for a few years before the build,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to miss that opportunity of keeping some history of WA in my new house.”

Almost every room in the house looks out to the bush – and this was integral to the design.

At night, the view takes on a more dramatic look when floodlights illuminate the trees.

The large bookcase in the living area was part of

the design from Day One.

“We wanted the focus in the living space to be the view, the open fire and a bookcase giving the space a lovely feel, especially in the winter when it’s raining outside,” he said.

The main bedroom wing has a retreat-like feel thanks to an 18sq.m ensuite with a freestanding bath that looks out to nature.

This 1978 home with an enclosed courtyard last changed hands about three years ago, for $1.17million.

AGENT: Andy Thorpe, T&J Real Estate.

$1.63million JOLIMONT

10 Cardigan Terrace

Handmade bricks were used to construct this 1905 home, which is one of Jolimont’s earliest.

AGENT: Leanne O’Leary, Area Specialist.

4 Gibney Vista

Sustainable designer Gerard Siero drew up the plans for this 1989 house on an 809sq.m site in the Hill of Tara precinct.

AGENT: Dean Bradley, Ray White Dalkeith Claremont.

$6.45million DALKEITH

28 Jutland Parade

RP Data shows the sale of this 799sq.m property, surrounded by houses under construction, was sold in February.

AGENT: Peter Robertson, William Porteous Properties.

retreat in the bush.

The large bookcase in the main living area was part of the design from Day One, according to the owner, a draftsman.

The

True connection to the sea

A home on the beachfront in south City Beach was handy for a man who was a merchant seaman. He was away for months at a time, and his family knew he was about to come home when they saw his ship on the horizon. The kids would run across the road to the sand dunes and watch it enter Gage Roads

As soon as they heard the foghorn or saw the billow of smoke, their mother would pile them in the car and drive to Fremantle so they would arrive at roughly the same time. The family bought the house at 54 Challenger Parade in 1963

after moving to WA from Scotland They knew nothing about City Beach but they liked the beachfront house which had been constructed by a builder. Some locals call it the “Hobbit House” because it has a low-slung roof and distinctive arches. Now agent Scott Swingler is seeking offers for the 1201sq.m property. It is next door to one of the most wellknown mansions in south City Beach: a resort-style abode with a tennis court that overlooks the beach and a reserve. Mr Swingler has just sold that trophy home, at 56 Challenger Parade, but it is yet to settle. The 1473sq.m property appears in the $12million to $15million search on realestate.com.

Self-build sold for $3.75million

There is a trend towards builders, architects and tradies turning away from “working for the man” to investing in their own property developments. And that’s one of the reasons why it is so hard to get a tradie, according to an insider. The POST is writing up more and more properties owned by people in the property industry who are making the most of their skills and contacts.

A recent example is the multimilliondollar sale of a Yallingup home built by a carpenter with decades of experience restoring buildings in the UK and France. After buying

■ Down South buyers are prepared to pay top dollar for quality builds, judging by the sale of this Yallingup property for $3.75million.

the block for $439,000 in 2016, he built three separate dwellings, including barn-style accommodation inspired by Georgian and New England styles. The eight-bedroom and five-bathroom property on a 2ha sold recently for $3.75million

Slower growth drives slower sales

More properties are coming on the market and taking longer to sell, which is good news for buyers and bad news for sellers. Early last year, Perth properties were selling in a median of nine days and there were fewer than 3600 listings on the market, REIWA data shows. This has jumped to 13 days and 5082 properties, according to figures at the time of going to print. REIWA president Suzanne Brown said population growth had

levels it was a year ago,” she said.

$4m island getaway

Kangaroo Island off South Australia has properties for sale ranging from $300,000 shacks to a $4million waterfront estate called Limestone Cove. Locals Frank and Helen Berden are selling Limestone Cove after living there permanently for more than 20 years. The sprawling 63ha property near the main township of Kingscote comes with a main house built from limestone, a guest house, 1km of beachfront and a private beach. Agent Richard Boyle said the property at 131B

the island. “It is highly revered for its safe boating harbour, plentiful fishing out the front and sandy beaches,” Mr Boyle said. Offers close on April 21 and for more details phone 0418 961 575.

■ This will be your view if you buy a $4million Kangaroo Island property.

■

“Hobbit House” at 54 Challenger Parade, City Beach, is on the market for the first time since 1963.

Claremont character brings $7.58m

■

AUCTION results

Three out of eight local properties offered at auction last weekend were sold under the hammer, and the top result was in Claremont where a renovated character home went for $7.58million.

The 1902 limestone home at 3 Goldsmith Road was originally built for an English captain.

More than a century later, an architect-builder who grew up in the house

transformed it into a six-bedroom and fourbathroom residence with a gym, pool, separate studio and parking for eight cars.

Agent Justin Wallace said the quality renovation and the location, about 100m from Mrs Herbert’s Park, brought out the buyers. Bidding kicked off at $6million, and four buyers put up their hands for the 1113sq.m property near the river.

Property records show it last sold in 2021, for $6million.

In other results:

■ CLAREMONT

• 5A Thomson Road was knocked down to a final bid of $2.4million. A Claremont resident opened the bidding with $2.2million and ended up buying the 3x2 with a north-facing backyard. “The location is exceptional,” agent Stefanie Dobro said. “It is in a cul-de-sac next to Claremont Park and across from Freshwater Bay Primary School.” The Mediterraneanstyle property is on a 514sq.m site.

■ COTTESLOE

■ This architect-designed house at 186 Little Marine Parade, Cottesloe, failed to meet its reserve.

History and convenience

1002sq.m block near the Showground train station.

“It’s the little things that make our neighbourhood feel so special,” according to the owners of this renovated 1917 home near Rowe Park.

They said residents in the surrounding streets have an annual Christmas party which everyone looks forward to.

And there is much to do near their home on a

They can walk to the shops, cafes and restaurants in Claremont plus the local Community Men’s Shed and the Mt Claremont Farmers’ Market.

Their home, Wendouree, is believed to be named after the town near Ballarat, Victoria.

The former Nurse Priest Private Hospital has a Category 2 heritage listing with Claremont council.

The municipal inventory describes it as a fine representative example

of a weatherboard clad Federation bungalow residence.

The wraparound front veranda with an arched timber valance and turned timber posts sets the tone for a charming home.

Among the many character features are leadlight windows, arches, high skirting-boards, fireplaces and jarrah floors.

The owners have made some improvements over the years, ranging from updating the kitchen to converting an old sauna into a third bathroom.

“But our biggest project was the garden, which was quite overgrown when we moved in,” they said.

“We redesigned it into four distinct areas, making it perfect for entertaining our friends and our daughters’ friends.”

Things you will love

Walk to train, shops, park

• 186 Little Marine Parade was passed in for $5.85million. Architect-owner Paul Jones designed the threestorey house with ocean views. Agent Jim Hall said two bidders competed for the 440sq.m property with a yoga/games room and a lift.

DALKEITH

• There were no bids for 2 Browne Avenue, a striking home designed by architect Paul Odden. “But we’re not worried about a property not selling on the day because we expect it will sell shortly afterwards,” agent Vivien Yap said. “The Perth auction market is different to Melbourne. In Melbourne, they want to

sell on the day, but in Perth we either sell beforehand, on the day, or afterwards.” The six-bedroom and fivebathroom Dalkeith house is on a 1072sq.m site opposite Nedlands golf course.

■ NEDLANDS

All four auction properties in Nedlands were listed with Ms Yap.

• 39 Archdeacon Street was passed in for just over $3million. The renovated character home with five bedrooms and two bedrooms is on an 809sq.m site. • 33 Bruce Street was passed in for $3.1million. The 2012 home, on an 814sq.m site, has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a pool. • 23B Bulimba Road, a 4x2 duplex on a 519sq.m site, went under the hammer for $1.925million.

• The auction of 83 Stanley Street was cancelled because the 4x2 sold beforehand for $3.2million. The 2012 home has a big back yard with mature trees.

■ SUBIACO

• Bidding for 15 Sadlier Street opened at $1.3million, and it was passed in for $1.95million. Agent Thomas Wedge said four bidders were in the running for the 2x2 character home, on a 460sq.m property near Daglish train station.

There was plenty of competition for 3 Goldsmith Road, Claremont, which had four bidders.

■ Wendouree, named after a Victorian town, has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s when it was a private hospital.

■ Original bricks combine with a modern fireplace in the living area.

■ “We love starting our mornings with breakfast on the front veranda or in the garden, enjoying a peaceful start to the day,” the owners said.

CARPET CLINIC

Gardening

GARDENING

GLASS

COMPLETE BORE SERVICES

No-show by nuclear Tom

• From page 9

observed: ‘We have both sides of politics now promising mediocrity, and I believe their promises’.

“With a bigger crossbench, we can have a parliament that is actually holding government to account, not a rubber stamp.

“We can drag the major parties kicking and screaming to longer-term thinking, because we are there to make the laws better, not to wait for our turn in government.”

Ms Hemsley said the Greens had a sciencebacked plan to transition energy away from coal and gas.

“To have a meaningful impact on health in this country we must act to stop climate change, stop burning fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions,” she said.

“The only sensible way forward is to stop any new coal and gas projects or expansions.

“The Greens have a plan based on science to deliver a just transition away from coal and gas, including investment in renewable energy and battery technology.”

Dr Ko said solving these issues required a team effort.

“Climate change, cost of living and housing are not unique to Curtin,” he said.

“These are big national issues that we need to move together as a nation to solve, rather than on our own in isolation.”

The event was co-sponsored by Doctors for the Environment Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and the Public Health Association of Australia.

Teens terrorise households

house, and it appears some of them are filming on their phones.

Anika called police both times, but they arrived too late to identify the teenagers.

The couple, who have a young child, have been left deeply shaken and on constant high alert, wondering if the boys will return and break into their home or attack them if they leave their house after dark.

They also worry for their neighbours, one a man in his 90s, who would be helpless to react if targeted.

Other neighbours told the POST they have experienced recent break-ins and water balloons being thrown at drivers by groups of teenage boys.

One area where they seem to gather is a vacant block on Templetonia Crescent, where there is an old trampoline, piles of tyres and empty spirits bottles.

Anika said the City Beach Primary School principal told her teachers often found bongs, other drug paraphernalia and empty liquor bottles in the playground on Mondays, left over from the weekend.

“They are becoming like a mob or a gang,” Ranjit said.

“We want parents to be aware that this is what their

kids are getting up to, and to hold them accountable.”

Ms Brewer said she had been in regular contact with the family and police and the incidents were very distressing.

“Kids should be encouraged to go out and have fun with their friends, but parents need to be careful they’re not getting into any trouble,” she said.

“It’s not only threatening to local residents; it’s potentially affecting their own futures as well.

“I’m sure they go to some of the fantastic local schools and have bright futures ahead of them and I’d hate for there to be a terrible escalation of an incident that ruins their own future.

“I just encourage parents to have a chat, particularly with their boys who are out on the weekends, and remind them of the importance of making sure their behaviour doesn’t affect their future.”

Wembley Police Senior Sergeant Craig Wanstall said local officers were aware of the latest incidents and were working with the Town of Cambridge to help get on top of the issues.

“We recommend people don’t approach them, and contact police immediately if they have any concerns,” he said.

CCTV cameras had been

installed in nearby Beecroft Park and police had increased patrols on Friday and Saturday evenings, he said.

Teenagers were banned two years ago from buying eggs at IGA at Empire Village after 6pm.

At the time, police also increased patrols in response to City Beach locals complaining of unruly juveniles gathering in parks and school grounds.

Residents detailed a rash of eggings, verbal abuse of residents and vandalism.

They said as many as 200 youths had been regularly gathering late at night in Beecroft Park.

A Cambridge spokesperson said the Town was aware of the recent concerns of antisocial behaviour and reminded residents of the CCTV subsidy they offered.

The program offers all residents a rebate when they install CCTV cameras on properties that face the streets.

“This initiative aims to deter anti-social behaviour within the community,” the spokesperson said.

“Additionally, the Town is currently in the process of organising the removal of disused materials in the vacant property to improve the appearance and discourage antisocial behaviour.”

Libs accused of tricking voters

• From page 1

The messages direct voters to a website that turns out to be the Liberal Party platform. Forms used on the website have exactly mimicked the AEC version except for a tiny Liberal Party authorisation at the bottom.

Voters fill out the form providing their full details and send it to a “processing centre” address controlled by the Liberal Party, which opens it, can copy the information to its database, then send it on to the AEC at a time of its choosing.

Because it is mailed twice, there is a danger of the application missing the deadline.

“The website and all rel-

evant messages clearly reference the Liberal Party,” said Tom White, the Liberal candidate who is challenging Ms Chaney at the May 3 election.

“It has been the longstanding practice of both major parties to facilitate postal votes applications over many elections to ensure voters are informed about the election.

“Both major parties have done this online for a number of elections now.”

Ms Chaney said the AEC had a “huge” nine-out-of-ten trust rating, but people were misled into thinking they were dealing with the trusted organisation.

“That is one of the strengths of our democracy, and anything

that undermines that trust, such as this process, I think, needs to be taken very seriously,” she said.

The AEC agreed. “There is often concern about the timeliness of applications getting to the AEC and the privacy of an applicant’s details,” it said.

“Party-issued postal vote application campaigns – through SMS or letter – have the potential to mislead voters into thinking that they are official documents sent by the AEC.

“Past elections have featured misleading colours and even directed voters to non-AEC websites.”

The AEC’s advice was to apply directly to its website.

• From page 1

Scooter trial survives dumpers

• From page 26

“We are always adding new safety and technology features to improve the micromobility experience for both riders and the community.”

Irresponsible e-scooter riders receive strikes for poor or dangerous riding behaviour, which can result in a ban.

Beam Mobility have also implemented AI parking technology prompting correct parking and $8 fines for non-compliance.

They have already issued 1819 penalties and say they have observed a 90% good parking rate across Perth.

The Cambridge trial showed that the e-scooters were used

about nine times a day.

Councillor Ben Mayes owns an e-scooter that he said he uses to get to work. He suggested that e-scooters offer a convenient alternative mode of transport that increases the connectivity of suburbs and will address future congestion issues.

“With density coming, we are going to have more houses, more apartments, more people, more cars, more everything,” he told the meeting.

Mayor Gary Mack added that scooters contribute to the recreation and fun of popular coastal tourist spots.

But he conceded it would be practical to reduce e-scooter numbers.

Screeching remains despite $3m upgrade

• From page 7

They suggested four locations, including west of West Leederville station and east of Subiaco tunnel, between Hamilton and Thomas/Loftus streets, between Sutherland Street and Mitchell Freeway or on the Yanchep line before

Rangers hound me, says gardener

• From page 16 complaint against me, because barking is considered an attack,” Mr Weiser said.

“I said ‘I’m sorry are you okay?and she said she was fine. The ranger kept trying to convince her to press charges against me, but she wouldn’t do it.”

Cottesloe council, after being provided with details of Mr Weiser’s complaints, said: “Rangers enforce local laws and legislation fairly and professionally.

“An independent appeals process is available for anyone wishing to contest infringements, with further recourse to the magistrates court if required. The Town also requests that all interactions with staff be courteous and considerate.”

Mr Weiser’s business The Hedge Whisperer operates mostly in Cottesloe.

“I’m a gardener in Cottesloe, the most calm kind of suburb in the world, I think,” he said.

“And then you’ve got these guys …”

Leederville station.

Jonathan Huston, the new member for Nedlands, said he got a response to his freedom of information request about noise studies just two days before the election.

It showed there had only ever been modelling of noise levels at Daglish carried out but no actual study.

“I was very pleased the PTA decided to do a noise study in late January, early February in response to the public demand but I was very disappointed the results of that study did not reflect the health and safety concerns of the local residents,”

Mr Huston said.

“I will vigorously raise this matter as a grievance motion with the objective of a new turnback facility at an appropriate non-residential location to enable the Daglish residents to enjoy the peace and amenity they deserve.”

Marina puts squeeze on kayakers

“dodgy” circumstances in the 1970s, “resulting in an incremental downward spiral in loss of river views, river access, quality of river facilities and experience”.

Pelagic acquired the marina last year, two years after the DBCA reached an agreement with its former operator that would extend its lease as far as 2069, including options.

Asked why the extension had not been advertised for public feedback, the DBCA said it contained “commercially sensitive information”.

“The agreement is consistent with DBCA’s administration of the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act, which requires consideration of the riverpark’s ecological and com-

munity benefits, and amenity,” a spokesperson said.

Under the terms of the lease, the marina must be redeveloped to the tune of at least $4million, and five of the six jetties must be replaced.

Pelagic also acquired Jetty A, closest to the Water Police headquarters, which it intends to demolish.

Berths in the existing marina are tied to apartments in the neighbouring complex, but that requirement would be scrapped under Pelagic’s proposal.

Mr Roberts said there were not enough car bays at Pier 21 to accommodate boaties if the berths were separated from the apartments.

“The pens had to be taken up [by apartment residents] to make this scheme theoretically

workable,” he said.

Mr Sier said the number of berths would shrink from 192 to 176, with the new berths accommodating vessels up to 24m long.

“The average size is somewhere between one or two metres larger,” he said.

His plans, lodged with the DBCA, called the redevelopment a “once in 50-year opportunity to develop a premium marine”.

The Swan River Trust will prepare a draft report on Pelagic’s application after it receives feedback from relevant agencies.

Environment minister Matthew Swinbourn will ultimately approve or reject the redevelopment after a further round of public feedback.

Bishop caught in shake-up

• From page 11

The POST delivers more newspapers to letterboxes in the western suburbs than any other free publication, says an independent audit. Separate surveys also show that the POST has far more readers in ALL age groups each week - see page 2.

tried to take all their luggage.

“I grabbed only my passport and my phone, and when I oor, everybody was being pushed out into

“Buildings all around were being evacuated, so thousands of people were in the street, and we were ushered to a park, which was right in the centre of this collection of high-rise buildings.

“We had to wait there for five

“One of the most bizarre scenes was the overflow from the

rooftop pools of luxury hotels.

“So, you saw these cascades of water, like a waterfall, and to sit there and watch it was incredible.”

Ms Bishop said they later learned the epicentre of the earthquake had been in Myanmar and the extent of the devastation there emerged in a country embroiled in internal conflict.

“The situation will be very, very challenging, and the military and others have obviously used a lot of heavy equipment in the fighting, and it’s not available for working on collapsed

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buildings,” she said.

Ms Bishop and many other Australians were eventually allowed to return to their hotels and board flights home.

“I met a number of Australians who came up to say hello, including some from Curtin,” she said.

“What would normally be a 45-minute trip to the airport took four hours, traffic was gridlocked,” she said.

“The Thai government called a state of emergency because a 30-storey building collapsed near one of the tourist markets and there was concern there would be more aftershocks.”

• From page 7

Paddlers would be forced into the already narrow river channel if jetties are extended. Photo: Paul McGovern

Water cascades down the side of a building in Bangkok during an earthquake.

Sacrifice and heartache pay

The long drought has broken.

Fifty long years of heartache were washed away by tears of joy and blessed relief as University Cricket Club won the A-grade WACA premiership on Sunday.

The players were ecstatic, particularly after plenty of hard graft in a tough grand final, but it was the people behind the scenes, who have sweated and waited and hoped for so many years, who most cherished the feat.

John Pearce was there, 64 years after he was out in the middle of the WACA Ground helping to bat Uni to the 1960-61 flag.

His fellow medico and premiership team-mate Richard Vaughan, who was promoted to opener in that grand final when captain Laurie Sawle came down with pneumonia, has been a constant presence during the current finals campaign.

The spirit of Sawle and his University contemporaries –WA’s first Test cricketer John Rutherford, the prolific allrounder Ray “Strawb” Strauss who was desperately unlucky not to have earned his own baggy green cap, Geoff “Goomfa” Forsaith the post-match social organiser of all social organisers, and Australian cricket’s most unsung grassroots campaigner Norm Ashton – was heavy in the changerooms after the match.

They were players of character

Swans stars book-ended triumphs

Keith Slater, the remarkable Simpson medallist in Swan Districts’ first premiership in 1961, was farewelled last Friday.

Andrew Krakouer, the remarkable Simpson medallist in Swan Districts’ last premiership in 2010, died suddenly last Sunday.

The two stars book-ended 50 Swans seasons by producing the two most famous performances in the club’s history.

They both made unforgettable contributions to the club and will be greatly missed.

whose lives were coloured by growing up or serving in World War II; and remained the tightest of mates in the decades that followed.

They played hard and celebrated harder, particularly after they won Uni’s first three flags in the 1950s.

They are all gone now, but they are not forgotten.

Ashton Agar, who made a spectacular Test debut as a teenager only a few months after joining Uni 13 years ago, was there on Sunday to celebrate the deeds of team-mates he joins only rarely but always with great passion.

His arrival at the official celebrations at James Oval with bottles of French champagne tucked under his arms was greeted as though he had taken the winning wicket.

That honour fell to Corey Rocchiccioli, a fringe secondgrader when he joined the club and now a fringe Test player after winning a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles.

John Meyer was there. A former Reid librarian, he has never scored a run or taken a wicket

for Uni, unless you count the countless matches in which he filled the scorebook or recorded rare individual feats or noted significant milestones for his expanding official club history. Will Bosisto was at the game, in the rooms and in the middle of the celebrations. The University captain could be excused for being bitter after being forced to miss the grand

final. Not a chance.

“This is fantastic,” he said. “What a moment.”

The author of the preliminaryfinal victory, whose gruelling century in sapping conditions was the most critical contribution to that stage of the season, Bosisto was ineligible for the decider after being suspended for producing a sharp retort to a crude sledge as he celebrated that achievement.

No penalty in recent WA sporting history has failed more spectacularly to fit the crime; no WACA decision in recent times has sparked more disbelief and ridicule in the wider cricket family.

Yet there was a silver lining to the darkest cloud.

“Great achievements sometimes require great sacrifices,” Bosisto’s advocate told him in the moments after the tribunal issued its verdict. “Your sacrifice might be an investment for the grand final.”

It took another Strawb to guarantee a dividend on the Bosisto investment.

This one was Chris Sabburg, a hardened veteran with two Brisbane club flags to his name as well as a BBL title with the Heat on the very same ground more than a decade ago.

Sabburg moved to Perth for a fresh start half a decade ago and has found a welcoming home at Uni.

The most versatile cricketer who started as a right-handed junior with a left-handed batting grip before becoming more orthodox as a regular leftie as he climbed the cricket ladder, he not surprisingly bowls equally well with either arm and often switches between wrist and finger-spin as well as lively medium pace.

There was nothing flamboyant or unorthodox about his innings on Saturday as he dug Uni out of a hole and then helped put a competitive total on the scoreboard.

Just as Bosisto had done a week earlier, Sabburg resisted temptation for hour after hour as he concentrated on removing risk and laboured to build a total sufficient for Uni’s potent attack to defend.

Jay Chislett was his unlikely ally. A legspinner armed with every tool of a craft that depends on deception and subtlety, Chislett’s patience is his abiding weapon.

It was on full display with the bat as he took 42 deliveries to get off the mark, had only just reached double figures by the time he raised his bat for facing 100 balls and took enough heat off Sabburg that the primary batsman could concentrate on manipulating the bowlers at a steady scoring rate.

Sabburg’s vigil was rewarded with a century that prompted a scoring spree in the last moments of the innings and an eventual total that would be beyond Joondalup’s capacity against an attack led by two recent Sheffield Shield title winners on a sluggish and difficult WACA surface.

The first person to reach Sabburg in the rooms was Kevan Penter, the last University player to score a century in a winning grand final, whose half-century wait to share that special status vanished in a flash.

History awaits, the Sporting POST predicted last week. So it proved at the weekend. Eleven players wrote that history but hundreds of others contributed to it. And the long wait made the victory even sweeter.

Reaching for Huey’s outstretched hand

Surfers chase a dream, that one ultimate wave that will carry them beyond the horizon into eternity.

Whether you’re a wide-eyed beginner or a seasoned pro, getting tubed represents everything that is magical about surfing.

When I left you last week, I was curled up snugly in the tube of my life at West Beach, Esperance.

The months I spent there were full of good waves, but none ever matched that first wild surprise surf I had upon my arrival.

I had just pulled under the lip and as the rail dug in, I was transfixed, gazing down the twisting vortex stretching out before me, heart afire, mesmerised by the moment, wondering if I could make it through.

The seconds beat by slowly as time warped and I felt more

surfing

with cameron bedford-brown

alive than ever before, reaching towards the outstretched hand of Huey, into the light at the end of time and the reckoning of the world.

I was at the centre of the universe, I was the singularity and everything radiated out from me.

As I weaved, the curtain of the lip coiled away like a serpent’s flickering tongue as new sections backdoored in front of me.

I could see the end approaching and I could have easily raced out and made the wave of my life.

The wave was stacking for the final crescendo and I just wanted to wring every last drop out of that tube.

As the wave slowed and the end section ballooned, I stomped on the tail, stalled hard and reset my rail for the last time.

The curtain shut down and I was entombed in the womb, about to be rebirthed.

Risk the cave collapse and mine for diamonds in the depths.

Busting loose through the veil I exited, Huey’s radiant light my final blessing. I wrenched a joyous cutback to let out all the energy and entered the Halls of Valhalla to reside with the slain wave warriors and feast at the table of Odin.

Keith SlaterAndrew Krakouer

The University team ended a 50-year drought when they won the grand final on Sunday.

John townsend

THE Sporting

Will Bosisto adds his name to a winning souvenir.

Use this shape to make a drawing. The best two entries will win.

�How to enter:

Do your best Doodlebug drawing in the box above, and fill in the entry form. Cut out the drawing and entry form and ask an adult to email it to sarah@postnewspapers.com.au, with “Doodlebug” in the subject heading. Or drop your entry off to our office at 276 Onslow Road, Shenton Park 6008, during normal business hours, or mail it to POST Kids at that address. For artists up to the age of 12. ENTRIES MUST ARRIVE BY NOON ON WEDNESDAY.

Name: Age

Address

Suburb

Phone number:

What have you drawn?:

Postcode

�I think we can all relate to Grace Strong’s winning doodle this week. Grace, 9, from Floreat, did a great picture of a poor kangaroo suffering in the heat with lots of people spraying it with water while it longs to be in Antarctica. I think we all wished for that in this extreme autumn heatwave! There were hundreds of Easter bunnies hopping across my desk this week, so I just had to pick a winner. My favourite is by Zoe

Desert fantasy for kids

When French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupery published his poetic children’s tale The Little Prince, in 1943, he told his best friend he wanted to dedicate it to adults, because, he said, “All grown-ups were first children, but few of them remember it.”

The pilot was determined to remember it. In 1935 his plane crashed in the Sahara Desert, leaving him stranded for four days. Dehydrated and hallucinating, he recalled encountering a desert sand fox.

Always believing that children are more enlightened that grown-ups, he wrote a fantastical and philosophical tale in which he imagined a pilot meeting a young boy, a little prince, in the desert. The young prince left his home on Asteroid B612, to see what the rest of the universe was like. After travelling through the galaxy meeting stupid adults, he arrived on earth where he met the stranded pilot, a mystical snake and a wild fox.

The Little Prince was adapted to the stage for Spare Parts Puppet Theatre 18 years ago by Simon Clarke. It has become one of Spare Parts’ best-loved productions and returns for the April school holidays.

It features some of Spare Parts’ most beautiful hand-carved puppets and a large-scale aeroplane, created by puppet-maker Jiri Zmitko and brought to life by puppeteers Shane Adamczak and Louis Spencer.

The Little Prince performs at the Ellie Eaton Theatre in Claremont Showground from April 12 to 26, 10am and 1pm daily.

Q. What kind of music was played at the Bunny Ball?

A. Hip-hop!

Hannah, 6, from Claremont, who did a picture of Queen Hoppy, a cheeky looking bunny surrounded by eggs and carrots. I love the use of crayons, felt pens and pencils to create this colourful work.

Other brilliant bunnies included Darcey’s one on the hunt for eggs, Audrey’s cute bunny in a basket, Nina’s lovely cartoon bunny and Maxine’s one holding a juicy carrot.

Liam’s mixed-up bat-bird-croc creature made me smile and Ema’s big bird footprint was clever.

Some of our older artists had brilliant ideas, like Annabelle’s Mr Squiggle, Holly’s chilled-out dinosaur and Erin’s corn in a cornfield.

Q. What happened to the kangaroo that was given a torch for Easter?

A. It hopped about with de-light!

A. A carrot!

Mum, can you see any change in me? No, why?

Q. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?

I just swallowed 20 cents!

Q. What’s the difference between a fireman and a soldier?

A. You can’t dip a fireman in your boiled egg!

A. So he could draw the curtains!

Q. Why did the artist take a pencil to bed?

Vouchers will be valid for the next four weeks. These Doodlebug contestants have won.

Shop 4/531 Hay St Subiaco 9381 3100

Annabelle Knox, Darcey McLeod, Audrey Hopkin, Nina Belotti, Liam Roberts, Holly Bamford, Ema Russell, Maxine Kennedy, Erin Ho, Milla Savietto.

Zoe Hannah (6)

Grace Strong (6)