POST Newspapers 7 March 2026 by POST Newspapers

It’s back!

By SARAH M c NEILL

It is one year later than expected, but Sculpture by the Sea’s 21st anniversary exhibition has opened on Cottesloe beach.

“It is so good to be back,” said David Handley, the Sydney-based director of Sculpture by the Sea.

“The stunning weather, the view over the Indian Ocean, the larger than usual smiles as people see the sculptures returning after two years.

“It’s been quite a journey, and despite being a glass-half-full person there were moments of doubt that we would push through.”

The cancellation of last year’s exhibition caused a small political storm after Sculpture by the Sea lost federal funding from Creative Australia.

This year’s exhibition is bigger than ever, with 70 artists from eight countries around the world, including five from India exhibiting as part of the 21st anniversary India Showcase.

Western suburb artists include Vaughn Bisschops from Nedlands, exhibiting for the first time since 2013, first-timer Andrew Farmer from Claremont, mother and daughter Evi and Tania Ferrier from Mosman Park, who have both exhibited before but have worked together for the first time this year, Nedlands artist Simon Harris and Anton Lord from Claremont.

Japanese sculptor Keizo Ushio has • Please turn to page 14

the

Go fishing on NDIS cash

By JACK MADDERN

Wayne Dewar has a complex stress disorder and has battled the National Disability Insurance Scheme for four years to get psychological help. He instead got a $288,000 plan to help him go fishing.

Mr Dewar is perplexed that he has received copious – though misdirected – NDIS funding while other struggling people, like the Clune family in Mosman Park, appear unable to get suitable support.

“It’s just heartbreaking seeing families missing out on funding,” he said.

“It’s gut-wrenching.

“I am an ex-15-year volunteer first responder with complex PTSD.

“I should have been a person who identified this in others as well as myself, but it crept up on me.”

Mr Dewar, a former sea rescue volunteer, realised his PTSD had escalated during COVID when he ceased human contact.

“I saw my GP and said I am paranoid and something is going on, and he referred me to a psychologist,” he said.

“She couldn’t deal with it and put me on to a senior [psychologist] who said I was going to need

“This photo of me and my best mate Hunter (the dog) was taken when I was starting to go downhill and isolate myself away from people,” Wayne Dewar said.

long-term counselling.”

He applied for NDIS funding that took two years to process and resulted in a plan worth $288,000.

“But $38,000 is all I need,” he said. “I could save the taxpayer around $250,000.”

“There’s $102,000 for recreational funding where I can go fishing or bushwalking.

“I never applied for that. It’s an absolutely obscene amount of money when you have families committing murder-

suicide in Perth.

“I wanted mental health help from a psychologist.

“That’s the only reason I applied, but unfortunately, these funds are designated for other things but not for the mental health component I actually need.”

NDIS ties funding to the specific support or activity outlined in a person’s plan.

Mr Dewar has been contacted by other people with excessive NDIS funding after he went public on social media.

They feared speaking out would cut funding for things they did need.

Mr Dewar said his situation was different because he had nothing to lose.

He lives in a rental near Kalgoorlie with his foster dog and has no face-to-face contact with people.

“My body is shutting down, and I don’t think I’m going to last until my next birthday,” he said.

“I am spent, I am done, that’s why I’m bringing this story out.

“They are doing it to so many people.”

The NDIS did not respond to specific questions on Mr Dewar’s assessment and funding plan.

“NDIS participants are assigned a budget based on the

• Please turn to page 77

I wanted mental health help from a psychologist but, unfortunately, these funds were designated for other things ‘ ’

Sculpture by the Sea has returned, and so has the Ghost of Van Eileen, Tim Haynes’ artistic tribute to the burger van that was once perched on

cliff above. Tim, pictured, directed the placing of his work on the sand on Thursday. The much-missed American-style late-night diner, demolished in 1998, still evokes strong, fond memories. See page 4. Photo: Jane Wishaw

The case for continuity

I have had many emails and calls asking about Nedlands council’s past dysfunction and “Why on Earth are you running again after how you were treated last time?”

The answer is rather simple. There is unﬁnished business that I would like to see through, such as the undergrounding of power, the ﬁnalisation of the children’s hospice, reopening of the four closed play areas and reduction of the City’s unfunded depreciation.

I am worried also about the effect of having no old hands on council. We are likely to see similar mistakes if all that knowledge and corporate history leaves the building.

This is what happened to administration when 65% of the staff resigned, leaving a massive black hole and leading to inefﬁciencies.

Yes, I am an old hand, but I bring respect and many years of experience.

I can help in unifying council and ensure respect of all ratepayers, residents, councillors and staff. We might not always agree, but we must work together.

Ben Hodsdon

Hollywood ward candidate, Meriwa Street, Nedlands

Nedlands staff bleeding

I spoke at this week’s City of Nedlands candidates forum as I am re-standing for Melvista ward. I didn’t resign.

Better accounting and internal controls are required at Nedlands, and it is clear that some continuity of knowledge is required.

Much has been said about staff movements. The days of loyally staying in a position are long gone.

These days, employees move around to seek roles that ﬁll their skillset, increase their intellectual capacity and achieve a salary rise. Some move closer to home and family-friendly work.

Rebecca Coghlan Melvista ward candidate, Bulimba Road, Nedlands

These spectacular toilets in Kawakawa, New Zealand, are a tourist attraction. Mosaic toilets for Cottesloe?

Following on from the article Cott dunny sparks high-priced stink (POST, February 21), I suggest a fun and functional toilet block be built in south Cottesloe.

Having worked on the mosaic Sundial Terrace and currently exhibiting a mosaic sundial in Sculpture by the Sea, I would be very happy to work with the architect chosen for the toilet block.

I am inspired in part by

Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s famous mosaic toilets in Kawakawa on the North Island of New Zealand.

An outstanding feature of the Kawakawa city centre, they have become a tourist attraction. My idea for the Cottesloe toilet would have it decorated with discards such as left over tiles and empty bottles.

Evi Ferrier Owston Street, Mosman Park

Light thrown on Cambridge’s LAMP

I read Cambridge council’s September Corporate Business Plan (CBP) update to see how approved and budgeted programs were progressing.

Naturally, I assumed the survey must have revealed widespread community concern about leisure asset management.

So I checked. Leisure Assets scored 92% satisfaction. Forgive me, but that doesn’t immediately suggest an urgent need for a $300,000 master plan.

LAMP appeared in the December CBP update, so one might reasonably expect to see a corresponding $300,000 allocation in the budget review. Not exactly.

Instead, there were repeated references to LAMP as justiﬁca-

tion for deferring approximately $1.5million in previously endorsed and funded leisure projects.

From a ﬁnancial optics perspective, it’s elegant: Defer $1.5million, spend $300,000, and present a healthy surplus. Although wasn’t there a $1million rates refund, due to a miscalculation?

Which does raise the possibility that this exercise is less about strategic planning and more about explaining how spending $300,000 on a plan nobody requested, wants or needs, helps justify not delivering $1.5million in projects everyone thought they had already paid for.

A master plan indeed.

Adrian Corp Ulster Road, Floreat

Thanks for bike crash kindness

My sincere thanks to the couple who helped my teenage son and his friend when they came off their bikes on Cambridge Street, West Leederville on Sunday evening, February 15.

The boys had been riding on the footpath and collided as they raced each other to get through a narrower spot. Luckily, both were

wearing their helmets!

The good Samaritan couple stopped their car and helped the boys with ﬁrst aid. An off-duty Perth Children’s Hospital nurse also came over and administered ﬁrst aid.

I am grateful to live in a community with such wonderful people.

Sarah Lilly, Wembley

Constantly burgeonimg bureaucracy costs more than it’s worth

Rubbish collection is outsourced. Roads and footpaths could be. Parks can be maintained without a bureaucracy, and so can many other services.

So, what exactly are we getting for the $45million the City of Nedlands spends each year, especially when even that doesn’t seem to be enough?

The numbers are telling. In its Workforce Plan 2022-32 report, Nedlands employed 172 fulltime staff (8.2 per 1000 residents), 60% above the WA council average. For a small local government, 60% is not a marginal difference, it is off the scale.

Consider the costs provided in that Plan for 2022:

• CEO’s ofﬁce $3.5million (10 staff)

• Technical services $19.5million (53 staff)

• Corporate services $7million (32 staff)

• Community partnerships $5million (36 staff)

• Planning $6.6million (41 staff).

This is a substantial bureaucracy, and it’s getting bigger.

From the 2023-24 Annual Report, you’d be excused for thinking our City is a top performer.

But the Service Performance Measures buried in the report tell a different story. The scores across their 41 service areas only sit in the 30 to 60% range. How can anyone consider this is acceptable?

In a previous letter to the POST I asked: “If Nedlands City did not exist, would we create it in its current form?” I, for one, wouldn’t. We have a council that provides too many services, by too many staff, at too high a cost, for too few people.

This systemic failure has been allowed to persist for more than a decade. If this isn’t enough for the minister to amalgamate Nedlands with another council, what will?

Alan Park Bedford Street, Nedlands

Gang hooks swimmer’s toe

A man’s foot was snagged by a gang of fish hooks while swimming at Cottesloe beach on Wednesday morning.

Michael was swimming laps inside the shark barrier when his foot touched the groyne.

It is common for swimmers to touch the groyne at the end of each lap.

The three inter-connected hooks, which had a heavy sinker attached, pierced Michael’s toe all the way through.

The area inside the shark barrier is a no-fishing zone.

Michael made his way to shore where Cottesloe surf lifesavers Phoebe Packard and Mike Ivey wrapped him in a space blanket and used pliers to cut the barbs and sinker from his foot.

They said Michael was in “considerable” pain and needed to be taken to hospital to have the rest of the hooks removed.

Council’s cat call vexes Haven staff

By JACK MADDERN

Haven in Shenton Park has become an unwilling solution for western suburb councils faced with cat problems.

A Claremont resident called the Haven’s Roz Robinson to report that a roaming cat was prowling their bird bath.

Roz responded “Have you called your council?” to which the resident said “Yes, and they said to call you because they won’t help”.

Cat Haven is a not-for-profit charity that takes in strays and provides medical treatment for animals.

But funding is tight and it cannot afford to compensate for absence of council policy or action.

Roz emailed Claremont to clarify its cat policy.

“What do you tell residents to do in the event of them finding a stray cat?” she asked.

Claremont’s reply surprised her.

“We have been referring them to the Cat Haven or to their local vet for a trap as we do not have traps,” Claremont council said.

“The Town does not manage

or trap stray cats in residential areas.”

Cat Haven will lobby shadow local government minister Kirrilee Warr with their grievances on March 20.

“Our plan is to show her how little work local government does in terms of cat control, and how little funding State Government gives us to pick up the mess from local governments,” Roz said.

Cat Haven is awaiting councils adopting cat containment local laws if Parliament passes an amendment to the Cat Act.

Stalker keeps Aust visa

By JACK MADDERN

A French national convicted of 20 family domestic violence-related charges against his former girlfriend in City Beach has avoided having his visa cancelled.

Douglas Gauvin, 29, received a suspended 15-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to regularly breaching a restraining order and planting a tracking device in his exgirlfriend’s car (AirPod stalker

avoids jail, POST February 28).

Gauvin’s Australian residency was not affected by his sentence despite the 1958 Migration Act requiring a visa holder to be of good character.

The Department of Home Affairs said it would not comment on individual cases.

Character requirements factor-in criminal records, with a mandatory cancellation if a visa holder has received a prison sentence of more than 12 months.

Perth Magistrates Court was

told Gauvin took late-night photographs of his former girlfriend through her bedroom and bathroom windows at her Kalinda Drive home.

He also stalked her by using a tracking device to monitor AirPods he concealed in her car.

He presented a character reference from his employer in support of his continued FIFO employment.

Domestic violence help and support is available through 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732.

Mosman Park and Cottesloe are the only councils to confirm they will introduce cat containment laws.

Claremont mayor Peter Telford said the town would review their local cat policy as soon as the amendment cleared parliament.

Subiaco, Nedlands and Cambridge were asked but said they were await-

ing the State Government’s review. Issues with cat microchipping, regulation and enforcement can be submitted to the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety via lgpolicy@ lgirs.wa.gov.au.

Submissions for the Cat Act 2011 review can be made until August.

Swimmer Michael limps up to the surf rescue buggy after his toe was snagged by a gang of hooks inside the Cottesloe shark barrier. Photo: Jane Wishaw

Cat

Caitlin Ambrose with a cat called Mouse.

Nostalgia for Cott beach from Japan

Tim Haynes’ Sculpture by the Sea entry The Ghost of Van Eileen (Van Eileen back but no kitchen sink, POST, February 28) sparked among POST readers many fond memories of good times by the beach.

John Wojdylo wrote from Japan this week that in 1985 he was running his rst roll of lm through his new SLR camera when the scene at the roadside EATS diner took his eye.

“Van Eileen was an island of life in the darkness of spring and summer nights,” he said.

John said he became and remained an avid POST reader during the long odyssey of his physics PhD at UWA, house-sitting in Peppermint Grove, Mosman Park and Cottesloe.

“I like the newspaper’s community atmosphere, which reminds me of the friends I’ve made there and still see when I return to Perth,” he said.

He has lived in Japan for the past 14 years, marrying Elka, a Bulgarian national, and raising two children.

His camera arsenal has been up-

John’s photo of hungry late-nighters awaiting their feast outside Van Eileen in 1985.

graded and he has recorded life in many countries.

“I’d go into the mountains once a month or so and stay in isolated villages where the people had never met a foreigner before,” he said.

“I’d document what I saw – nature, people, architecture.”

His favourite photo was taken the day Emperor Hirohito died, an evocative crowd scene on the path that led to the Imperial Palace.

John’s positive comments about the EATS icon were echoed by scores who commented on social media.

Among them were people who worked at the late-night diner on

Police break up wild party in Wembley Downs

A 15-year-old boy allegedly assaulted a police o cer during an out-of-control party in Wembley Downs last Saturday.

Officers descended on Hale Road about 8.15pm on February 28 after about 150 juveniles were reported drinking and ghting in the street.

Police said a house party had spiralled out of control, with partygoers “observed to be intoxicated and behaving in a disorderly manner”.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested

and charged with assaulting a public o cer.

He was due to appear in Perth Children’s Court on Friday.

Another 15-year-old boy was served a written caution for disorderly behaviour in public, and “released to a responsible adult”.

“Additional patrols were conducted throughout the surrounding streets to prevent further escalation, and the crowd was successfully dispersed with no serious injuries reported,” a police spokesperson said.

Marine Parade, between the two big beachfront hotels, serving their famous burgers, llet-steak sandwiches and the hot favourite “everything but the kitchen sink”.

“I worked there in the early 90s,” wrote Stratis. “I remember all the piss-heads rocking up slurring their words, ‘kisen sunk’.

“One night a customer got into an argument with the boss and then he (the boss) got a bottle of vinegar and squirted it in his face.

“We in the kitchen were in shock but also laughing at what just happened. Great times.”

■ See letter page 18

Forget AI taking over the media –there is nothing like an old-fashioned newspaper story to get things done.

Listening POST recently revealed local perplexity at Subiaco’s apparently cherished Rankin Gardens rose beds being overgrown by weeds (A rosebyanyothername…isaweed, February 14).

Gardeners have since sprung into action to remove every weed and ensure the rose beds are in pristine shape.

Secrecy descends on planning probe

By LLOYD GORMAN

A third of all submissions to a parliamentary inquiry into WA planning and land development have been kept secret.

About 150 of 452 submissions lodged with the select committee were listed as private.

Submissions listed on the parliament’s website include from Cambridge council, Coast Ward Ratepayers, Wembley West Leederville Residents, Perth Modern P&C and Friends of Mosman Park Bushland.

Royal Perth Yacht Club and Safety on Swan have also put in comments over the state government’s handling of a ferry terminal in Matilda Bay.

But a submission by the Shenton Park Planning Action Group was only made public after convenors Peter McDonald and Josephine MacFie complained.

Mr McDonald, who lives in Onslow Road, said they lodged their joint submission before the October 31 deadline but it was still not visible by late January.

The inquiry’s secretariat told him workload and backlog issues had caused delays.

A submission from another local group – the Save Subiaco Oval Action Group – who wanted it to be public, has been made confidential and is not published on the website.

When the group did not get confirmation it had been received, SSOAG member Ross Carson last week contacted the inquiry to “establish if any of our substantive allegations… have been discussed by the committee”.

He was told this week that the committee had resolved to give the submission a private status.

“This meant that the submission was to be kept private to the committee and may not be disseminated.”

The Minister has Approved the above-mentioned Scheme Amendment. Notice of the amendment was published in the 20 February 2026 Government Gazette.

Details regarding Scheme Amendment No. 13 are available at the City of Nedlands website nedlands.wa.gov.au and copies can also be viewed at the City’s Administration Building located at 71 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, WA 6009.

Yet a Subiaco Oval submission by former Subiaco councillor Julie Matheson was published on the inquiry site.

Subiaco woman Mary McFarland also contacted committee staff when her submission was not posted online.

“While my statements/ claims may not be pleasing to some people, that is absolutely not a reason to make them ‘private’,” she said.

“I did not think that a function of this parliamentary committee was to sanitise claims of misconduct and corruption by hiding them away from public scrutiny.”

Ms McFarland was told by the inquiry staff that the default status of all submissions received was private.

“The committee may elect to make submissions or other evidence public if it chooses, but it is not required to do so,” a committee staffer said.

“All submissions are considered by the committee, regardless of the status given to them.”

But an an ofﬁcial information guide for making submissions said they were normally made public and put on the committee’s webpage.

Submissions were to be treated as confidential until the committee decided to release them publicly. Submitters could ask for them to remain secret.

Submissions to parliamentary committees are covered by parliamentary privilege.

“Privilege is important as it allows you to be honest and direct in your submission to a committee without fear of being sued or fear of harassment, intimidation or improper inﬂuence by anyone,” the guide says.

Inquiry chair Neil Thomson MLC and the secretariat were contacted for comment.

Imagine how good your French would be after speaking it daily for 4 weeks!

For over 40 years, Year 9 -12 students have been improving their French on the beautiful tropical island of Reunion through participation in the WA/La Réunion Student Exchange. Cost: $3500 all-inclusive.

‘I am so happy I chose to go on this exchange. It has broadened my perspective of the world, improved my French dramatically, I have built up conﬁdence, independence, tried new things, gone to an island that I probably wouldn’t have gone to before, made lifelong friends and have had one of the best holidays of my life. I only wish that more people took part in the exchange. There are no words that could describe what I have learnt, seen and done. This exchange truly is priceless.’ – Kim Apply by 16 March 2026 at www.walrse.org

Enquiries: Maria 0449822701; mariawalrse@gmail.com

Down among the weeds, above, and the pristine garden today,

Press powers rose display

Swan cruelty caught in red tape

By JEN REWELL

The black swans of Herdsman Lake have become a political football, with no government authority taking responsibility for birds injured by ﬁshers using hooks, lines and lures.

The RSCPA said ﬁshers using lines and hooks to catch swans amounted to animal cruelty and it had opened an investigation into the crimes.

But in the meantime no infringements or ﬁnes were likely to be issued as each government body claimed the matter fell under the jurisdiction of another.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is responsible for most of Herdsman Lake Regional Park.

It has installed signs at entries to the park which say “No Fishing Allowed”, and more signs were planned, a DBCA spokesperson said.

However the DBCA indicated

the signs carried no legal weight.

“DBCA does not administer the legislation for ﬁshing regulations in Western Australia,” the DBCA spokesperson said.

DBCA staff continued to patrol for people trying to harm swans, but if they found people ﬁshing they asked them “to move on”.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is responsible for WA’s ﬁshing issues under the Fish Resources Management Act.

However the Act does not prohibit ﬁshing in metropolitan lakes.

A DPIRD spokesperson said it was the role of local governments to ban ﬁshing in lakes within their boundaries.

Herdsman Lake falls within the City of Stirling but the council is only responsible for part of the area.

DBCA is responsible for the rest of it, and the council is not responsible for the areas of Herdsman

Neds hopefuls feet to the fire

By BEN DICKINSON

Candidates vying for seats on Nedlands council faced an unusually tough grilling from an unusually big crowd of voters this week.

About 100 people packed into a room at the Hollywood Subiaco Bowling Club on Tuesday to hear mayor and councillor candidates make their pitches – and to hold their feet to the ﬁre.

“I have read as much as I can ﬁnd and I still don’t feel like I know who you are,” one woman told mayoral hopeful Anthony von Leonhardi.

“I want to know how you will

engage and listen to your community,” another woman asked the three mayoral contenders.

“Can each of the candidates summarise any afﬁliation with the building and planning industry,” a Dalkeith resident asked his ward candidates, who all said they had none.

Residents wanted to know how their council had found itself haemorrhaging staff and “broke” – as chief commissioner David Caddy described it on ABC radio last month – and who could best turn the situation around.

‘We’re really in a crisis situation,” Melvista ward candidate Julian Coleman said.

“This is the worst governance and ﬁnancial situation that the City has probably ever been in.”

All eight council seats and the mayoralty are up for grabs after Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley dismissed the council last year.

The sacking followed years of public inﬁghting which culminated in four councillors resigning, leaving the council without a quorum.

Candidates at the forum were keen to portray themselves as team players who would not repeat history.

“Climbing out of that hole requires strict discipline, genuine collaboration and a team will-

Red light for highway high-rise

By BEN DICKINSON

New commercial developments on the Nedlands stretch of Stirling Highway have been restricted to key precincts under rules approved by Planning Minister John Carey. The highway from Loch Street to Broadway had been zoned for

mixed use high-rise developments, permitting both apartments and businesses.

But that changed with a stroke of Mr Carey’s pen last month.

He approved the council’s Scheme Amendment 13, which makes many blocks on both sides of the highway exclusively residential.

The council wants to concen-

trate commercial developments in its planned town centre, which stretches from the Windsor Cinema to the Captain Stirling Hotel.

Mixed-use developments will still be permitted around Broadway and Loch Street.

Mr Carey also agreed to remove a clause from Nedlands’ scheme that allowed unlimited height for Stirling Highway developments.

Nedlands planners reported the lack of a height limit meant that approved developments varied “wildly” in height resulting in “ad hoc, inconsistent development”.

Highway developments will now be measured against a height “objective” of nine storeys, although such objectives have been routinely ignored by development assessment panels and the WA Planning Commission.

The amendment also requires developers to plant trees on their Stirling Highway frontages and to leave room at the back of their blocks for new lanes rather than building new driveways on the highway.

A shhook embedded in the leg of a swan captured by wildlife rescue volunteers at Herdsman Lake.

Lake where people ﬁsh.

While Stirling council rangers issued infringements to people caught fishing in other lakes in their suburbs, they have no jurisdiction to enter Herdsman Lake Regional Park.

Another black swan was captured by rescuers last week with a large ﬁshing hook in its leg –one of many birds injured and entangled by ﬁshing lines and hooks in recent months.

ing to work together rather than against each other,” Hollywood ward’s Glenn Ruscoe said.

Another Hollywood candidate, lawyer Rachel Kristensen, said she felt “socially and morally compelled” to run after witnessing the council’s slide into dysfunction.

“I want to draw on the skills of everyone on the council and pull that together for the beneﬁt of our community,” she said. Mr Ruscoe was the only candidate who said he supported the State Government’s ferry terminal plan for Matilda Bay,

Fishers at Herdsman Lake were told to leave by locals.

Volunteer Merran Hipkins informs a candidate their time is up.

Fire-eater’s trove of make believe

By SARAH M c NEILL

The bottom of a Mosman Park garden contains a treasure trove of fantasy and makebelieve.

Packed into a small studio are more than 6000 fancy dress and theatrical costumes and hundreds of wigs, shoes, accessories, and a mountain of rhinestones.

They belong to costumier seamstress and former dancer Gina Miller, 73, who has spent more than 30 years creating costumes for shows and running a fancy dress hire business.

Her first foray into fancy dress was in the 1990s with her store Pretty Woman and William on William Street in Northbridge where she catered mainly in flamboyant costumes and towering stilettos for strippers and drag artists.

She then moved the shop to Stirling Highway in Claremont and opened Claremont Fancy Dress catering to party lovers, Comic Con fans and theatre companies.

As a teenager, Gina left the seaside town of Coffs Harbour for the bright lights of Sydney. She started her entertainment career as a stripper in Kings Cross: “A fun and dangerous time”.

To combat the danger, she learned burlesque, dancing and some circus skills – fire-eating and whip-crackin – which propelled her to main stage artist and the cautious respect of a largely male audience.

Gina then went to Europe where her burlesque dancing and fire-eating became a popu-

lar attraction at Casino de Paris in London’s Soho, Chez Paul au Gaity in Brussels and Moulin Rouge in Vienna, where she was given the pseudonym Sasha Du Caine.

She was 38 when she decided that her body could no longer sustain the physical demands of dancing and returned to Australia, turning sewing skills she had learned from her mother to full-time costume design and dressmaking.

Gina’s sister Trish had already moved to Perth and she suggested that Gina come and live with her.

They bought a house together in Mosman Park but quickly realised that the big, flamboyant Gina and her petite and quiet sister were so different that that they couldn’t share it.

So they split it in two.

The front has Trish’s neat half but at the back is Gina’s – crowded and chaotic, filled with odd, wild and eclectic collections, and a mountain of paintings and photos.

Gina set up her costume-making business, crafting spectacular outfits for burlesque artists including the Figleaf Follies in Kings Cross, Perth’s Gay Pride festivals and Johnny Young’s Talent Time dancers.

orchestra member in an outrageous comic costume.

As her costume collection grew, Gina established her own costume shops and filled them by acquiring costumes, searching for pieces in car-boot sales and op shops and copying them.

A life-time’s collection up for grabs

She made costumes for stage shows including the musical Irene starring Debbie Reynolds, Les Miserables, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun and The Sound of Music and WA Symphony Orchestra’s Tribute to Comic Con, dressing every

Her storeroom is full of quirky pieces like an astronaut’s helmet, the backpack from Ghost Busters, a sensational dalmatian coat, feather boas and exotic headdresses or stylish period outfits from The Great Gatsby or La Dolce Vita. Now, facing some health issues, she has decided it is time to pull the curtain on three decades of partying fun. She wants to find theatre or school groups interested in taking over her huge collection of costumes, hoping to sell as many as possible as a bulk purchase, but is open to offers.

• Email Gina at prettywomanandwilliam@gmail.com.

Gina Miller on a playbill during her Moulin Rouge performing years. PEOPLE

After a career in burlesque, fire-eating and costume-making, Gina Miller wants to get rid of her treasure trove of costumes.

Fulton conviction snaps Birnie link

By JOHN TOWNSEND

Raymond Reddington’s conviction for murdering his wife, Sharon Fulton, has ended four decades of speculation that she was the ﬁfth victim of serial killers David and Catherine Birnie.

The Birnies kidnapped and killed four women in 1986 – three of whom they picked up on Stirling Highway – before being caught when a ﬁfth victim escaped their clutches.

Subiaco civil liberties campaigner Brian Tennant claimed for years that David Birnie confessed to killing Mrs Fulton and two other women several months before the couple’s four-week rampage late in 1986.

“When I last spoke to David, I asked him if he had killed other women,” Mr Tennant told me in 1995 for a story in The West Australian.

“He said ‘Yes’. Seven women went

missing at that time and he was responsible for all of them.

“He told me that Cath and him had killed them all.”

Mr Tennant, who died in 2019, would often visit notorious prisoners in a bid to seek better conditions for them, but sometimes in a bid to extract confessions.

Mr Tennant’s claims about Birnie prompted the reviled killer to break his long silence by writing a letter to me in which he denied any involvement in the deaths of Mrs Fulton,

Barbara Western and Cheryl Renwick.

“Mr Tennant is alleging a statement I was supposed to have made to him,” Birnie wrote.

“This is false and neither Catherine nor myself have ever made any statement to this effect to anyone at any time.

“Neither Catherine nor David Birnie have had any involvement

whatsoever in any unsolved death or disappearance currently listed or under investigation by the WA Police Force.”

Birnie’s emphatic denial was supported by a senior homicide detective, who rang me after the story was published to say that police had ruled out any link between the convicted killer and Mrs Fulton’s disappearance.

“We know who is responsible and it is not David Birnie,” the detective said. “We just have to ﬁnd the evidence to prove it.”

Thirty years later, the evidence pointed at Reddington, who in 1986 was known as Robert Fulton and was married to Mrs Fulton.

He now has terminal cancer and is waiting to sentenced for his crime.

Birnie committed suicide in prison in 2005. Catherine Birnie is still in jail.

Meet the common sense rectangle

By JACK MADDERN

The Town of Claremont has taken the State Government’s 800m infill circle around Swanbourne station and proposed a “common sense” rectangle in its place.

Councillors and staff identiﬁed that the inﬁll zone cut into about half of Claremont and would include schools, heritage-listed homes and undevelopable land.

“It would really be a bad look to demolish streets laced with historic houses that are currently heritage-listed,” councillor Kate Main said.

She said the council hoped to “prevent tragedies such as the demolition of the grand old homes of West Perth for ofﬁces in the 1960s.”

Claremont’s reduced boundary

Asbestos in City Beach park

A popular dog-walking area in City Beach has been roped off after asbestos was found in the soil.

Council staff found fragments of asbestos at the Boulevard Quarry Park during an audit of the area.

“The fragments were removed and appropriately disposed of, and in the interest of maintaining public safety, the site was barricaded from local access and signage installed to notify of the potential asbestos at the site,” a council spokesperson said.

“The risk to community members is low, so long as access to the site is restricted.”

The council will engage an environmental consultant specialising in contaminated land to undertake a survey of the capped layer on site and provide recommendations for any work required.

The park is on the corner of The Boulevard and Alkoomie Terrace.

proposal was in response to the WA Planning Commission’s request for feedback to inform its draft station precinct plans.

Claremont shares with Cottesloe the land around Swanbourne station but feels aggrieved because it has met density targets.

The area includes two developments near Shenton Road, a 20-storey tower on Stirling Highway and a residential hotel complex due to commence on Bay View Terrace.

“An 800m radius takes up approximately half the Town and does

not respect the limitations that we have in this area,” councillor Jill Goetze said.

“Claremont council has always tried to be proactive with regard to sensitive inﬁll and high density, and we’ve reached our allocated housing targets already.

“You can’t just put an 800m radius around and expect the whole lot to be available for inﬁll.

“A smaller radius is required to make the improvement plan realistic and workable.”

• Please turn to page 76

The Swanbourne train station area will undergo a makeover to meet density targets.

Sharon Fulton was murdered by her husband, Raymond Reddington, not the Birnies.

More bark in the off-lead dog park

By JACK MADDERN

Claremont council has responded to a 473-strong petition by agreeing to consider expanding the off-lead dog area at Lake Claremont.

Resident Graham Potter proposed using parkland adjacent to the off-leash dog area south of the Parkway Street parking lot.

“The Lake Claremont park has become very popular over the last few years, and it’s getting quite crowded at that southern end where the carpark is,” he said.

“There is a dog-on-lead area no one ever uses next to the dog exercise area.

“I go to the park every day, and maybe see one or two people in a week crossing it to go to the shops.

“If we can widen the dog exercise area into that sort of non-use area, it will double the space.”

Mr Potter’s petition attracted more signatures – 249 – from outside Claremont.

Mosman Park gets density tick

Mosman Park council has approved mediumdensity zoning for large parts of the Town.

By JACK MADDERN Paul Shaw

The areas around Wellington Village, Mosman Park train station and Buckland Hill are now under consideration for medium-density subdivision changes.

council to remove the area from the strategy before approving it.

Sheree Pudney was concerned that moving from low residential codes to medium density within a 200m radius was beyond the Wellington Village area’s capacity.

“The residents have not been individually notified or consulted by the Town,” she said.

“It should have adequate infrastructure [but] the area around MosLane does not.

“Remove Planning Area D [Wellington Village] before it is approved.

“We get people from all over,” he said.

“Half the people who signed don’t live in the Claremont area; they come from Nedlands and Cottesloe.

“It is a beautiful park, and they can let their dogs run around, and it’s a social thing, we know each other and meet there.”

Friends of Lake Claremont opposed the proposal, saying the off-lead dog park area was already big enough, and expanding it would affect wildlife preservation.

“Underutilised is a very questionable term because it is used as conservation land,” FoLC coordinator Nick Cook said.

“It has turtles on the move, quendas and bobtails and dugites.

“We are not opposed to dog owners and dogs in the park as such, but we believe the balance has been struck correctly and the previous dog exercise area has already been expanded once.”

A Lake Claremont committee report said the off-lead area was 4.5ha.

“It’s not overcrowded, there is tonnes of space,” Mr Cook said.

Councillors passed 4-3 a draft strategy to develop Mosman Park over the next 15 years.

But locals around Wellington Village were unimpressed with what they saw and urged the

“Of those who are aware of the proposed change and did respond during the public advertising period, many were opposed to the planning area.

“Higher density should be near major transport routes.

Chopper zooms in on stolen car

A police chase came to a dramatic end in Mosman Park last week after a police helicopter tracked the driver of a stolen vehicle to The Rope Walk.

A 37-year-old local woman was allegedly behind the wheel of a grey Isuzu MU-X that police say she stole from a Queens Park house about 3.30pm on Thursday, February 26.

Officers spotted the vehicle on Hampton Road in South Fremantle at 4.45pm, but the driver accelerated away when they activated their lights and sirens.

“It will be further alleged the woman drove recklessly through several suburbs, including Fremantle, Hamilton Hill and Mosman Park, travelling at excessive speeds, driving on the incorrect side of the road and breaching red traffic control lights,” a police spokesperson said.

A police helicopter tracked the vehicle to The Rope Walk, where it is alleged the woman got out and fled on foot. Officers found and arrested her nearby.

She will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court on March 16.

“The station precinct plan is being developed and prioritised by the State Government [but] we don’t need two town centres.”

“It is larger than most suburban parks and is one of the largest dog exercise areas in Perth.”

Mayor Paul Shaw argued that medium density was not inappropriate and factored in the 19m-tall MosLane development that would

• Please turn to page 76

The dog park last expanded in 2023.

Scotch College recently introduced an on-leash policy at its playing field to curb unruly dog behaviour.

Dogs might find more room in their off-lead playground at Lake Claremont.

Poison ‘juice’ costs restaurateur $60,000

By BEN DICKINSON

The former owner of a Nedlands Italian restaurant has been ﬁned $40,000 and ordered to pay almost $20,000 in costs after two children drank mosquito repellent they were served instead of cranberry juice in a “terrifying” mix-up.

Hannah Lemin, then 12, and sister Olivia, 11, each swallowed pinkcoloured citronella oil that was delivered to their table during a family dinner at Miky’s Italian Fusion on Broadway on June 28, 2024.

Parents Marcus and Michelle Lemin rushed the girls to Perth Children’s Hospital, where they were treated for poisoning.

Michelle Lemin was also treated at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, having swallowed some of the liquid to test it.

The girls told their parents their mouths and stomachs were burning, and Ms Lemin told the trial she suffered a severe headache and nausea.

All three made full recoveries.

Miky’s owner Michele Angiuli pleaded not guilty to ﬁve Food Act charges, arguing through defence counsel Daniel Johnson that there was nothing he could have done to prevent a “catastrophic brain fade” by bartender Alessio Celoria.

But in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday this week, magistrate Donna Webb found Mr Angiuli “vicariously liable” for the error, which he compounded by lying to investigating health ofﬁcers.

“I found his evidence unsatisfactory and self-serving as he attempted to cast the blame on his employees,” Ms Webb said in her judgment.

“I can’t imagine how terrifying it would have been for the parents.”

She said Mr Angiuli had been warned previously by Perth City Council health ofﬁcers that he needed to ensure at

least one employee had a food safety certiﬁcate, but failed to do so.

She found Mr Angiuli tried to cover up the incident by lying to health ofﬁcers about his food safety procedures.

“Not only did he lie, but he also disposed of the citronella and cranberry juice bottles,” she said.

“The bar area was not set up properly and safety procedures had not been followed.”

During the trial, Mr Johnson told the court the bartender, Mr Celoria, had gone to an alcove next to the restaurant’s bar after receiving the orders for cranberry juice.

He picked up a bottle of liquid that was similar in colour to cranberry juice, but was clearly labelled with poison warnings.

“It has a child safety opening lid on it,” Mr Johnson told the court.

“That should have at the very least tipped off Alessio.”

The court heard the bottle came to be in the alcove, because of an unfortunate series of events that began hours earlier.

Mr Angiuli had left the bottle in the restaurant’s alfresco area after using it to reﬁll citronella candles that afternoon.

A regular customer, who often worked out of the restaurant before its normal opening time, took the bottle to the alcove when he left.

“He leaves without telling my client that he has done that,” Mr Johnson told the trial.

The customer told the trial Mr Angiuli had left chemical bottles in the alfresco area several times, and that he had sometimes tidied them up for him.

• Please turn to page 77

Ex-PMH blocks on market

By LLOYD GORMAN

Two blocks of land on the former Princess Margaret Hospital site zoned for high rise development were put up for sale by the State Government this week.

At 4225.63sq.m, Lot 1 on Roberts Road is broken into two areas, with 11 storeys on one section and 17 storeys on the side closest to Perth Modern School.

Facing onto Hamilton Street, Lot 2 (1841sq.m) will be up to 11 storeys.

When developed, the blocks are expected to create about 300

INDEKO STUDIO

Designed to Inspire - Made to Perfection

dwellings, according to Planning Minister John Carey.

“Once complete, the precinct will provide about 1000 new homes across six apartment sites, including private, affordable and social housing,” Mr Carey said.

Work on public areas of the old children’s hospital site – which was demolished between 2019 and 2022 – is expected to be ﬁnished soon.

Developers have until April 30 to make offers on the land, with Perth CBD real estate agents Cushman & Wakeﬁeld handling the sale on behalf of DevelopmentWA.

Michele Angiuli outside court after being handed a $40,000 ne.

Miky’s Italian Fusion on Broadway has closed.

Fight for our sight, doctor urges

By JEN

The eyesight of 2500 people in WA, and the future of the Lions Eye Institute in Nedlands, will be at risk if the Federal Government goes ahead with a proposed Medicare change, according to a local doctor.

The Federal Government has proposed reclassifying vital eye injections on the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

The injections treat macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease and can cost $450 each.

Around Australia more than 12,200 patients regularly need the sight-saving eye injections – some every month.

The proposed changes would mean that after July this year the procedure would no longer be covered by private health insurance, placing the cost of treatment out of reach for many.

Dr Glen Power, from the Lions Eye Institute in Nedlands, said he is asking patients to write to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler to “fight for sight of Australians”.

“At the Lions Eye Institute alone we see and treat over 2500 patients per annum who require intravitreal injections for retinal diseases and provide over 9000 of these intravitreal injections procedures

to these patients, per annum,” he said.

“It will be a tragedy if sight-saving injections are not done, due to cost.

“With limited public hospital options available, higher outof-pocket costs could make ongoing treatment unaffordable for many.”

He said intravitreal injections counted for about 20% of the institute’s procedures and their loss would affect the financial viability of the medical research facility.

Dr Power said this was an aged cohort of patients, with 90% more than 65 years old.

“We are really concerned about the impact on elderly

patients who are losing their sight,” he said.

“Supporting elderly patients during these treatments is part of our established model of care at the Lions Eye Institute.

“When patients present to our Nedlands facility, they receive care in a hospital-level, HEPAfiltered, sterile procedure room.”

He said the Lions Eye Institute had a safe, highvolume model of care that meant doctors could see a large number of patients in a procedural setting.

“All of those patients would be ineligible,” he said. “These are people whose sight depends on being able to afford

• Please turn to page 77

Strip-off supports women

By SARAH M c NEILL

A group of 68 women who agreed to pose nude for photographer Lauren Crooke were also invited to tape a purple cross across their bodies if they had been victims of sexual assault. More than 60% of the women placed a tape across their chest.

The photo shoot on Monday was a collaboration between Subiaco Football Club and Perth nude photography artist Lauren Crooke, who creates an annual community-led artwork to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Lauren had originally intended only to use the football club’s Leederville Oval as a location for her nude shoot, but Subiaco CEO Kellie Properjohn realised an opportunity for the club to stand up for safety and community responsibility.

“We stand against all violence,” she said.

“At Subiaco, bruises sustained on the field are visible. They are part of the contest. They are worn openly.

“But many women carry bruises that cannot be seen, emotional, psychological and physical harm that exists beyond the rules of sport.

“By visibly standing alongside women, the club aims to ensure young girls not only enter the game but remain in it, confident that they are supported, respected and valued.”

The formal photo and a cinematic video will be released for IWD on Sunday, featuring the club’s men’s and women’s programs, leadership group and coaching staff along with the 68 nude women.

Photographer Lauren Crooke sets up a photo shoot with nude models and Subiaco Football Club at Leederville Oval.

REWELL

Dr Glen Power

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

Level crossings on the Perth-Fremantle rail line were closed to cars and trains during afternoon rush hour one day in July last year because of a technical fault, causing tra c chaos from Cottesloe to North Fremantle.

Spending billions, but not here

Rita and Roger continue to self-congratulate about the completion of Metronet at a cost of $12.3billion, everywhere else in Perth.

Meanwhile, here in the leafy western suburbs, barely a cent has been spent on the Fremantle line in decades.

Apart from Subiaco and North Fremantle, we have 11 ancient stations (or sidings in several cases) from Daglish to Wellington Street in Mosman Park and not one with a dunny!

Many have 19th Century stair access and all are bereft of lifts or disability access facilities.

Let’s not forget the three level crossings in Cottesloe/ Mosman Park, four subways with two of the worst trafﬁc cloggers in Claremont, three

rail bridges with two in desperate need of replacement at Eric Street and Swanbourne.

All of these issues could be easily dealt with by the subdivision and sale of the vast hectares of waste land that surround the rail line, especially through Swanbourne and Cottesloe.

Instead, the Government comes up with a loopy plan to ﬂog off land near the old Cottesloe police station – more ad hoc planning with no overall bigger-picture insight. Is this lack of consideration and foresight by the Labor government because the votes in these areas seem not to ﬁgure in the Premier’s and Treasurer’s priorities?

David Airey Graylands Road, Claremont

The Thinking Person’s Voting Guide

The Nedlands Council special election is under way. Most people will have received their voting slips containing brief bios of candidates for each ward and for mayor. There was even a public meeting on Tuesday night at which candidates who were available spoke to a crowd of about 100 people.

Who should you vote for?

The new council will have to come to grips with the ﬁnancial and administrative issues and develop a plan to address them.

Critically, it will need to recruit a new CEO suited to the challenge.

Former councillors deserve thanks

Congratulations to Eliza Clapin and Stephen Kobelke on their recent election to the City of Nedlands as the new Coastal ward councillors.

As a new team of councillors and mayor is elected in coming weeks, it is timely to take the opportunity to thank former councillors, in particular Kerry Smyth, who represented Coastal ward (the location of Allen Park in Swanbourne). Kerry worked very hard and dedicated countless hours over many years. She sought to represent the interests not only of Coastal ward, but the entire City of

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/

Nedlands. Her experience and corporate knowledge will be missed. Thank you, Kerry, and best wishes to all new councillors. Tracy McLaren Reeve Street, Swanbourne Friends of Allen Park

Nedlands’ CEO gets about $300,000 per annum, the mayor around $80,000 to $100,000 and each councillor about $30,000. Obviously, from the salaries, the mayor is three times more important than a councillor. And with only one mayor, you’d better get the choice right.

Let me give you my thoughts: Firstly, vote. If you have complained to friends about what is happening at the council, the rates or anything else, stop grumbling, get off your couch and vote. Those who don’t vote (about 70%) lose their right to complain.

Secondly, think carefully. For mayor you need someone with a proven track record, able to point to success in their career and in their personal life. They need managerial experience and should already have community involvement, along with commitment and boundless energy.

Councillors also are very important. You shouldn’t want a single-issue person, because councillors must consider and decide across the whole range of issues facing Nedlands. They need wisdom, judgment and community orientation, and be willing to bring their own view to decisions but able to accept the collected wisdom.

When it comes to those who were on the previous council, consider how long they have been there, how often they have been in the community, how often they have connected with you.

Ken Perry Dalkeith Road, Nedlands

• More letters page 18

Stephen Kobelke and Eliza Clapin were elected unopposed to Nedlands council.

Brighten your space with our stunning first of the season tulips, freshly delivered from Melbourne for only $29 per bunch! Fresh and vibrant, these tulips are handpicked, and open to offer a perfect pop of colour to any room. With their smooth petals and elegant stems, they’re ideal for creating an instant touch of beauty. Whether you’re buying for yourself or gifting someone special, these tulip bunches are a perfect treat.

• From page 1

exhibited in every Cottesloe exhibition and returns this year with another of his polished granite works.

“My sculpture is called Emmusibi, which means marriage in Japanese,” he said.

“The sculpture is made from one piece of granite, with the one line intertwined and interconnected like a marriage.”

First-time entrant Jonathan Rockefeller is an Australianborn producer, director and visual artist who shares his time between New York and London.

He has come to Cottesloe from New York where he married into the famed Rockefeller family.

A multidisciplinary artist whose work spans film, theatre painting and sculpture, he has created a colourful Reef Reverie for the beach.

Tourism WA’s invited international artist this year is Dr Subodh Kerkar of India, who will stage a live performance artwork at sunset this Friday and Saturday with the general public, and on Monday morning and evening, which will be filmed and seen around the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell secured significant annual funding of $750,000 through Austrade for the 2026 and 2027 exhibitions. For the first time, this funding includes a minimum grant of $4500 for each Australian artist, towards their significant costs. Lotterywest, Tourism WA, the Town of Cottesloe, corporate sponsors and private donors continue to support the exhibition which attracts about 220,000 people to Cottesloe.

Erica Zaino’s work ART (Artificial Real Time) glows during sunrise at Cottesloe beach.

New York City sculptor Jonathan Rockefeller’s piece Reef Reverie. Photos: Jane Wishaw

Evi and Tania Ferrier stand beside their newly installed work Sun Dial, which invites the viewer to stand on a mosaic circle and see where their shadow falls, indicating the time of day.

Positioned on the front row of the South Perth foreshore, Harper on Swan is your rare opportunity to experience the very best of riverfront living. With demolition complete and construction set to commence this month, we're getting to the heart of what matters most to our purchasers, thanks to strong demand driven by a superior front-row location.

Apartments are selling fast with $100 million in sales already secured. Contact us today to discuss your options — we're here to help you make a confident choice and secure an apartment that suits you.

All

Memories are made of this

Thrilled at the prospect of Van Eileen’s re creation at Sculpture by the Sea (POST, February 28), I dug out my past effort in oils, hoping it may be of interest to some.

For me, an avid patron from 1950s childhood to last-burgers call in 1997, the grilled beef pattie plus fried onion, gherkin and relish was heaven on toast!

I’m not sure, but “The Kitchen Sink” might have included bacon and egg.

It was a great location for memorable sunsets with a burger in hand. Late evening in the 1960s, after a surf club stomp, or drive in movie, we needed a last snack and possible catch up before home, or otherwise!

Hop to it – let’s have a new ﬂag

I agree with Ron Abernethy (Letters, February 28) that it is time we had a new, truly Australian, ﬂag.

I have no problem with our relationship with the UK but having the Union Jack in the canton of our current ﬂag bears little relevance to present-day Australia.

Canada made the move 60 years ago with no traumatic outcome. Why can’t we? The existing ﬂag really is well past its use-by date, holding us back on the world stage.

My only problem with the design offered by Ron Abernethy is the kangaroo. I would prefer a larger Southern Cross and in a more central position. The colours proposed are great – very subtle and not too garish. Unfortunately, in my view, the kangaroo image is a bit tired, being reminiscent of the “tails” side of pre-decimal pennies. And it might provide oxygen to claims of our apparent obsession with killing our national symbol. To those who disagree, these are merely my thoughts. Please refrain from calling for me to face a ﬁring squad at dawn.

Marshall Willan Pollard Street, Glendalough

Councillors must be accountable

Once again our letterboxes and local papers ﬁll with election promises from candidates seeking positions on local councils.

infrastructure.

Cottesloe

Chris Spaven Margaret Street,

chaos in the back streets of North Freo

I would like to thank the POST for highlighting the issue of increasing numbers of motorists using North Fremantle back streets to avoid congestion caused by the closure of the Fremantle Trafﬁc

…

Bridge (Google directs rat-runners, February 21)

The issue began with the installation of trafﬁc lights at North Fremantle station on Stirling Highway.

Every weekday afternoon during the school/ peak hour busy period, hundreds of cars are turning left and leaving Stirling Highway.

What drivers don’t realise is that after only one kilometre they have no option but to join what is often a very long queue to re-enter Stirling Highway.

The combination of the “new” trafﬁc lights, Google Maps and now the Fremantle Trafﬁc Bridge closure has created a major safety and amenity issue for residents in North Fremantle.

Siobhain Milbourne Thompson Road, North Fremantle

In Nedlands, past councillors who have personally promised, (among many other things), ﬁnancial prudence, are seeking re-election.

Can they first explain the $25million deﬁcit staring ratepayers in the face, and justify the inevitable rate hike we now face for their careless mismanagement of our ﬁnances?

Of course, the easy solution now is to “sell our landed assets”. But is there a future plan to replace the library and council chambers (even Tresillian) and other halls, if they are sold?

The sad fact is that no elected member is ever held accountable for poor decisions that have cost this City dearly – be it the loss of control over housing density OR ﬁnancial losses OR dwindling community services OR failing

All that happens is a smack on the wrist, a public apology and at worst, dismissal. Legal fees (arising from their “errors of judgment and conduct”) are mainly paid by ratepayers.

At the end of their term, during which they have been paid a monthly four-figure simply walk away. Hats off to the “new” candidates, but I wonder if they really know how heavy their responsibilities are.

Because if we as ratepayers elect yet another dysfunctional council, there is no reason for Nedlands to exist. And the City as we know it may well “disappear” into Perth, Subiaco and Claremont.

Given the past 20 years, perhaps this may not be so bad after all.

Irene Tan Melvista Avenue, Nedlands

It’s time to replant and we are coming to your local area to help you claim your rebate. For information on what to bring along to our community kiosks, search ‘WA Tree Recovery’ or email treerecovery@dwer.wa.gov.au

Find us at the following locations:

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

64 Bay View Tce, Claremont

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

64 Bay View Tce, Claremont

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

March 23, 9.30am–12 noon Glyde-In Community Learning Centre 42 Glyde St, East Fremantle

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

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

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

Scan to learn more

Sixties sunset ... Chris Spaven’s oil painting of Van Eileen’s “EATS” above Cottesloe beach.

Car-tastrophe

Google Maps has shifted tra c into these quiet North Fremantle and Mosman Park streets.

GRAND LAUNCH NEXT WEEK

139 Lake St, Perth

Something special is taking shape at 139 Lake Street, Perth. Join us next weekend for the official grand launch and be among the first to experience and secure one of these unique residences.

This marks the very first public release of these brandnew residences, each thoughtfully designed to capture breathtaking city and park views.

•2 Bedroom residences from $1.195m

•3 Bedroom residences from $2.095m

•Penthouses from $2.85m

Opportunities in this location are exceptionally rare. Secure your preferred floor plan at today’s prices before construction commences.

Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th March, 10am - 1pm

Sales Gallery: 678 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley

Adam Nguyen 0413 150 489

Historic moment for historical society

The Royal Western Australian Historical Society has celebrated its centenary this week with Governor Christopher Dawson officially opening the new History West Centre on Stirling Highway, Nedlands.

A plaque, a Scottish piper and a centenary cake also marked the occasion.

The society was founded in 1926 but did not have a permanent home until 1964 when it bought a 1920s house in Broadway, Nedlands for £8500.

By the 2000s the cramped conditions and crumbling ceilings made the need for a new building urgent.

It eventually moved in June last year to 109 Stirling Highway where Liz Davenport had run her fashion house for three decades.

A Lotterywest grant of $1.7million supported the relocation from Broadway.

The space includes a lecture hall and board room, a bookshop and a museum featuring a display of costume and textile embellishments.

Society president and chairman Richard Offen said the new building had transformed the way the society works.

Museum volunteers Lynette and Prartho put the final touches to the display of costume and textile embellishments exhibition at their new headquar ters in Nedlands.

“Being on Stirling Highway also gives the society a much greater public presence, enabling it to better promote its work of researching, preserving and presenting to the public Western Australia’s long history,” he said.

Cable car off the rails

By LLOYD GORM AN

Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds has shot down the prospect of a cable car to Kings Park despite the “novel option” being included in a council transport plan.

Councillors last week unanimously adopted long-term strategic vision document Towards 2036 and Beyond which includes a cable car from Perth to Kings Park.

But Mr Reynolds rejected any likelihood of a cable car being introduced.

“It’s not something on our agenda, not something we’ve costed, not something that’s part of the plan,” Mr Reynolds said on ABC radio.

“It’s in a render [but] there’s nothing in the report that says we are committing to cable cars.”

Towards 2036 and Beyond has two small cable car graphics on a map but makes several specific references to it.

A cable car service was identified as a long-term project, along with a new bridge and undergrounding Mitchell Freeway through the city.

It says Elizabeth Quay marked the first step towards creating a more vibrant and connected riverfront.

“It is now time to extend the riverfront offer by extending the destination experience in a westerly, easterly, and potentially southerly direction,” the report said.

“Further west lies the opportunity to redefine the relationship between Kaarta Gar-up/ Kings Park, the riverfront, and

the city centre.

“This demands a bold vision and partnerships, as the oversized freeway interchange currently acts as a major barrier between these destinations.

“Long-term solutions such as tunnelling or capping the freeway need to form part of strategic city centre planning ventures beyond 2036.

“This key move has the potential to realise development on residual land, while maintaining its green asset value.”

Another section said the city’s bus network – including CAT buses – were difficult to navigate and should be simplified.

“Explore novel transport options to overcome specific poor [bus] connections, specifically, a cable car from city centre to Kaarta Gar-up/Kings Park,” the

Exclusive to Mara Collective - In store now

report said.

Mr Reynolds said the decision was about adopting a strategic framework, not committing to a particular transport solution.

“Council is not being asked to approve or fund a cable car or any specific infrastructure project,” he said.

“Any proposal of that nature would require detailed feasibility work, funding analysis and full council consideration at a future date.”

A cable car from the city to Kings Park were envisaged in phase two of the Elizabeth Quay master plan in 2012.

The former Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority project – for a four station, 19 tower cable car – met fierce resistance and never got off the ground.

The luxury silk label you’ve been waiting for. Timeless elegance, impeccable craftsmanship and the ﬁnest Mulberry Silk

Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said this cable car image is not likely to become reality.

Presenting Forêt Nedlands, a boutique collection of 27 two, three and four-bedroom residences on Thomas Street, inspired by Nedlands’ white picket fences and lush greenery.

10am - 12pm, this Saturday 7th March Free coffee and refreshments provided 1A Thomas Street, Nedlands

2pm - 3pm Thursday and Friday 10:00am - 11:30am Saturday and Sunday 1A Thomas Street, Nedlands visit the DISPLAY SUITE

Light at the end of Cott’s laneways

By BRET CHRISTIAN

Three years after Cottesloe council started a series of fights with a heavy-handed approach to streets of ratepayers over their back-fence boundaries, a truce of sorts looks close.

Under a new CEO working with lawyers and Landgate, a path has been found around the prickly, pricey issue of backyards that encroach onto rear laneways in Cottesloe.

Threatening letters were sent to scores of homeowners in 2024 ordering them to remove brick fences, brick buildings and even part of a swimming pool that encroached on the laneway boundary.

One brick garage protrudes more than 600mm across the property boundary into the lane.

But some encroached only by the thickness of the render of the brickwork, sparking harsh words as homeowners turned up to council meetings to berate the council.

Some owners demolished their back fences and built new ones, some refused to do anything, while others made claims for adverse possession, under which owners whose buildings have crossed the boundary for 12 years or more can claim the cribbed land as their own.

Cottesloe owns the lane called ROW 20 (right of way) where 26 fence-lines are built on its land in the laneway between Hawkstone, Florence and Marmion streets.

It tried to beat the residents by working to transfer the lane to the ownership of the Crown,

which is protected from adverse possession claims.

But nine adverse possession claims were either under way or completed in ROW 20.

The council voted last December not to oppose a claim for adverse possession by some owners in Florence Street ($1m New Year gift, POST, January 3).

Cottesloe’s new CEO Mark Newman has now suggested a pathway to resolve the disputes with all owners.

This is to not oppose the adverse possession claims, and to take no further action on encroachments of less than 100mm.

Something called a Regulation 70 agreement would be made with other owners, meaning they could remove the structures or leave them in place, with large, obstructive buildings removed if the blocks were redeveloped.

The council would decide if it opposed future claims for adverse possession before the lane reverts to the Crown.

’Iron man’ assault hearing adjourned

By LLOYD GORM AN

A hearing into assault charges against City Beach iron ore magnate Yuzheng Xie have been adjourned for a second time. They are now due to be heard on March 19.

Mr Xie was charged with assault after allegedly shoving POST reporter Ben Dickinson outside Perth Magistrates Court last December.

He did not appear in the Perth Magistrates Court last month but was represented by his lawyer – who refused to give his name when asked by another POST reporter.

The lawyer asked the magistrate for a second adjournment until March 19, which was granted.

Mr Xie, a Dodonia Gardens resident, allegedly became angry when Mr Dickinson took his photograph after a

pre-sentencing hearing on December 16 last year.

He approached the reporter, before allegedly grabbing his arm and shoving him.

Mr Xie and his companies, Gold Valley Group and Odell Resources, received the largest Mining Act fine in WA history after pleading guilty to conducting mining activities without a licence.

Deputy chief magistrate Elizabeth Woods imposed

$2.34million in fines after Mr Xie admitted he built and operated two iron ore depots on Crown land that he had no authority to use.

“This does need to be, in my view, significant”, Ms Woods said at the sentencing hearing.

“It can’t just be the cost of doing business.”

The depots, outside Leonora and Sandstone, were used to stockpile ore mined at Mr Xie’s Wiluna West project.

Greg Prout measures the distance from the air conditioner on the brick out-building to the fence-line, all built on part of the Cottesloe council-owned laneway behind Florence Street.

Perfectly positioned between convenience and calm, The Gardens enjoys immediate access to new and growing local amenity, balanced by the rare tranquillity of the Peace Memorial Rose Gardens just beyond your front door.

0434 140 829 steve@duetproperty.com.au thegardensnedlands.com.au

STEVE KERR

It’s a decision shaped by timing, emotion and what comes next. In moments like these, you don’t just need a real estate agent, you need a human by your side. Whatever your next chapter holds, we’re here to guide you through it.

JUST LISTED

50 PASCOE STREET

KARRINYUP

CONTACT CRAIG AND DECLAN

THE FEATURES YOU WILL LOVE

Combining the warmth of 1960’s charm with unbridled potential, this residence makes for a savvy next step in your property journey! Commanding a generous 769m2 block in one of Karrinyup’s most convenient locations, this home offers the ultimate residence to live in whilst renovating and extending, or as an astute family home. With wide-open living spaces and an expansive backyard, this home is the perfect springboard to create a fantastic fusion of old and new. Enjoy all the coveted Karrinyup lifestyle has to offer, from this outstandingly appointed property, you will not want to miss this one!

HOME OPEN

Sunday 8th March 2:45pm - 3:15pm

READY BUILT RENO ALCOCK

CRAIG GASPAR

M 0413 929 999

T (08) 6244 7860

craig@duetproperty.com.au

153 Broadway, Nedlands WA duetproperty.com.au

20B

GRANTHAM STREET WEMBLEY

CONTACT CRAIG AND DECLAN

769m2 312 350m2 322

THE FEATURES YOU WILL LOVE

Step into the utmost in functional living, with this beautifully appointed 2020 Dale Alcock-built Wembley residence! Defined by open-plan living, a flood of natural light courtesy of a vaulted ceiling, and a brilliant separation of living and accommodation, this home has been thoughtfully planned to deliver versatile living. A brilliant culmination of meticulous finishes and a contemporary layout, this residence has been thoughtfully planned to the highest of standards to ensure the home is a great vessel for day-to-day family life.

HOME OPEN

Sunday 8th March 1:30pm - 2:00pm

DECLAN TURNER

M 0415 723 838

T (08) 6244 7860

declan@duetproperty.com.au

153 Broadway, Nedlands WA duetproperty.com.au

ICON WEMBLEY

35 PANGBOURNE

WEMBLEY

JUST LISTED 361m2 422

STREET

SNEAK PREVIEW - CONTACT AGENTS FOR DETAILS

THE FEATURES YOU WILL LOVE

Welcome to Grigg House. An icon of avant-garde design, bespoke family functionality, and a luxury character experience that is irreplaceable. Using the 1941-built Wembley Methodist Church as a vessel, 35 Pangbourne has been entirely reimagined, with only the façade and stained-glass windows paying homage to the building’s origin. Every now and then, a property comes to market that isn’t just a home. 35 Pangbourne is an inimitable icon that will continue its legacy as one of Perth’s most unique properties for decades to come.

CRAIG GASPAR

M 0413 929 999

T (08) 6244 7860

craig@duetproperty.com.au

153 Broadway, Nedlands WA duetproperty.com.au

DECLAN TURNER

M 0415 723 838

T (08) 6244 7860

declan@duetproperty.com.au

153 Broadway, Nedlands WA duetproperty.com.au

Youth to guide pain research

By JEN REWELL

The future of pain research is being shaped by young people who are being asked what they would like to see studied by researchers.

Falak Zaman, 20, has lived with pain for as long as she can remember due to muscle stiffness caused by cerebral palsy.

She has used painkillers, botox and other injections to help temper her discomfort and assist with other complications of her condition such as stuttering and loss of balance.

But these interventions do not eliminate the pain, and can affect her ability to concentrate and perform day-to-day activities.

Falak is in her second year of a health science degree and volunteers at Perth Children’s Hospital.

She plans to pursue a career in research but has joined the PCH research team on the ACORN

pain project.

“I would like to see research that leads to a more personalised approach to managing pain,” Falak said.

“We need to understand why two people with the same injury or illness can have completely different pain outcomes.

“This will enable us to develop tests that match individuals with the right treatment from the start.”

Child health researchers at PCH have launched a survey to gain insights into the experiences of those living with constant pain.

The survey is part of the ACORN project and is open to people aged 6 to 24 with chronic pain, parents and carers, and clinicians who support children with pain.

The ACORN team will use responses from the survey to shape an online forum, which will help to refine the direction of pain research.

Notice of road works and road closures

The Esplanade – reseal works will be undertaken on the Esplanade from Leake Street to Bindaring Parade between Monday 16th March to Friday 17th April 2026. From the 17th March to 2nd April 2026 the road will be closed between 9.00am – 2.30pm. From the 3rd to 17th of April 2026, during school holidays, the road will be closed 07:00am to 5:00pm with limited access to residents on the Esplanade. Detours will be in place.

Leake Street – reseal works for the portion of Leake Street at Cottesloe Central shopping centre will take place between Monday April 20th to Wednesday 6th May 2026. The majority of this work will be undertaken at night between 7.30pm and 6.00am. The road will be closed to traffic during this period and access to and from the centre will be via the Stirling Highway entrance. The Shire apologises for any inconvenience these works will cause; however maintenance of the Shire’s roads is essential to maintaining the Shire’s assets.

Don Burnett – Chief Executive Officer

Rat poison opponents fight for owls

By JACK MADDERN

Wildlife advocates have urged Bunnings and other large retailers to remove rat poison that is killing native animals.

And they claim the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has refused to rein in the use of secondgeneration anticoagulant rodenticides despite completing a review last December.

The poison kills rats but remains in their bodies for up to a year and has a deadly effect on owls and other wildlife that feeds on carrion.

Peppermint Grove teenager Poppy Mahon joined scientists, vets and environmentalists in submitting evidence to the APVMA, which regulates chemical products.

They were optimistic that the regulator would ban the poison and disappointed when no action was taken.

“They saw all the evidence and acknowledged it,” Poppy said.

“There were 54 research papers and 200-something professionals that the APVMA heard from and the science and everything, but in the end, they’re not going

Computer problems?

friendly mobile IT

• Slow computer cleanup • New computer setup & transfer • Email & printer issues • Virus removal &security • Wi-Fi & home network help • Patient, jargon-free

to do anything.

“How do you top that? I am just really disappointed by it.”

The APVMA acknowledged the expert input and recognised that second-generation poisons pose a high risk to non-target animals but refused to ban their use.

The poisons are available at Bunnings, Coles and Woolworths.

“They’ve decided that they’re going to put them in bait boxes, because they think that’ll solve the problem,” Poppy said. “It won’t.”

The APVMA has instead proposed draft regulations that would require clearer labelling and reduce the number of bait packets sold.

Public submissions on the changes will close on March 16.

Poppy, who has been campaigning to stop the use of SGARs since she was in Year 6, has joined with Owl Friendly Margaret River to convince 32 local governments to reduce their use of secondary poisons.

SGARs are extremely potent poisons easily accessible to millions of Australians to kill rats or mice.

WA Wildlife vet Dean Huxley said numerous poisoned owls come through his

hospital.

“The scientific evidence is compelling and consistent,” he said. “The WA Wildlife Hospital continues to see strong evidence of the impact of SGARs on native wildlife, particularly owl species.

“Treatment of suspected SGAR toxicity is intensive and expensive.

“It requires prolonged vitamin K therapy, repeated blood monitoring, fluid support and hospitalisation.

“SGAR residues have been detected in multiple native species across Australia, confirming that environmental contamination is widespread.”

Mr Huxley has backed calls by other environmentalist groups and scientists for retailers like Bunnings to stop selling SGAR products.

“Stronger regulatory controls, increased public awareness and greater uptake of safer alternatives would significantly improve outcomes for native species,” he said.

A Change.org petition demanding retailers take responsibility has accrued 12,000 signatures.

Bunnings did not respond to questions on its SGAR sales.

Cable to power through Daglish

By LLOYD GORM AN

A 3km high-voltage feeder cable will be laid from a Shenton Park substation to Subiaco as part of St John of God Hospital development works.

Hundreds of homes in Daglish and Subiaco may require dilapidation surveys over the six-month project.

The cable will run down Stubbs Terrace and Hay and Cambridge streets.

Holes up to 100m apart and trenches between 750mm and 1200mm will be dug to install the cable.

Drilling and other works started recently in Stubbs Terrace.

St John is paying for the project, which is required to power its extension.

Contractor Tracc Civil will offer dilapidation surveys to affected

A map of the route of the new feeder cable.

home-owners on both sides of the cable route.

The St John redevelopment includes a six-storey clinical building and operating theatres.

Falak Zaman is helping to find a solution for young people with chronic pain.

Owl advocate Poppy Mahon, 11, left, and 16, today, is still buying secondgeneration rat poisons from Subiaco Bunnings.

39 Tareena Street, Nedlands

3 Bed

2 Bath

3 Car 483 sqm

Home Opens Open Saturdays or by Private Appointment Comfort, Character & Convenience. You belong here. Contact Agent For Price Guide

Behind its white picket fence, this charming family home blends beautiful period detail with a seamless modern extension in an ultra-convenient location. A traditional hallway connects generous bedrooms, including a spacious principal suite, before opening to a light-filled open-plan kitchen, living and dining zone that flows to a private, tree-lined alfresco — a peaceful retreat just moments from Hampden Road, with front parking and rear double garage access, and exceptional everyday liveability throughout.

18 Hurstford Close, Peppermint Grove

This exceptional residence reflects the quality and lifestyle that characterise one of Perth’s most sought-after enclaves. The home has been meticulously maintained and thoughtfully enhanced, reflecting pride of ownership at every turn.

Built in 2011, the home occupies a generous 740 m² block with an impressive 20 metre frontage. An outstanding opportunity for families.

Architectural brilliance in river precinct. You belong here.

For Sale

53 Irvine Street, Peppermint Grove

Offers

5 Bed

4 Bath

4 Car 824 sqm Pool Wine Cellar

Home Opens Saturdays: 12:15 - 1pm

Commanding presence in one of Perth’s most prestigious enclaves, this extraordinary residence is a masterclass in scale, sophistication and seamless indoor–outdoor living. Designed for discerning families and avid entertainers, it offers expansive proportions, refined finishes and exceptional versatility across three thoughtfully designed levels. Situated within Peppermint Grove, it remains one of Western Australia’s most coveted and sought-after residential addresses.

With magniﬁcent north-facing views across Galup this is the jewel in the crown with a super sexy slice of 1960s Hollywood Hills energy. Elevated, light-ﬁlled and impossibly cool this is everything the experts tell you to buy. The home radiates an energy that is hard to convey in words and will appeal to a wide range of buyers from those wanting a family home to those realising its potential with a new build thanks to the R20 zoning and elevated position.

Tonia and Melissa are consummate professionals, whose advice and recommendations are always unvarnished and to-the-point. They are realistic in their appraisals and what your target market wants in a property. This is our third

and recommend.

“It took about 18 months from when we ﬁrst considered selling our house to actually putting it on the market. Throughout that time I always knew it would be Tonia that I would ask to handle the sale. Her knowledge of the market, the way she presents houses for sale, and her outstanding communication were the main reasons for choosing her. That personal touch –where you only ever deal directly with Tonia or Melissa, makes you feel valued as a partner in the process.”

– Subiaco Seller

76 HAWKSTONE STREET, COTTESLOE

Volume, light and luxury is ever-surrounding the moment you enter this chic family home. Comprising of four bedrooms, study, cellar, indoor/outdoor entertaining, pool, kids lounge, games/tv area, open plan kitchen living dining - resting on a corner block surrounded by weeping peppermints, palms and an abundance of space and light.

Julian’s travels inspire art show number four

Wartime sea battle that kept Port Moresby safe

The Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 was arguably the most important single battle that saved Australia from possible Japanese invasion.

It prevented the occupation of Port Moresby, which would have cut off the eastern sea approaches to Darwin and given the Imperial Japanese Navy with a secure operating base on Australia’s northern doorstep.

On March 16, for the WA chapter of the Naval Historical Society, Gerry Westenberg will give a talk about the Battle of the Coral Sea. He will trace the lead up to

the action, the details of the battle, the ramifications for the strategic Allied victory and the part played by the Royal Australian Navy.

From May 4 to 8, the American and Japanese ﬂeets fought an engagement that was unique in naval history. It was the ﬁrst major engagement in which surface vessels neither sighted each other nor exchanged a single shot. All offensive action was carried out by embarked aircraft.

Gerry ﬁrst served in the Royal Australian Navy Reserves as a Seaman Quartermaster Gunner and subsequently joined the

RAAF as an Education Ofﬁcer, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader.

His model-making talents eventually led him to become the volunteer model-maker in residence at the WA Maritime Museum, and he currently has an exhibition at the Fremantle Shipwreck Museum with 171 of his models on display.

His talk will be at Claremont Tennis Club off Davies Road on Monday March 16 at 6pm. The cost is $5.

To reserve a seat email Meg Nicolson at nhs.megnicolson@ gmail.com or call 0422 844 227.

Consider the lilies of WA

– they’re fascinating

WA’s extraordinary native plant diversity includes many small and easily overlooked species that quietly emerge with the seasonal rains.

Among them are the plants often known as early nancies or native lilies – members of the genus Wurmbea. These delicate geophytes, with their autumnto-winter ﬂowering cycles, are especially diverse in WA.

This Tuesday, the Perth branch of the Wildﬂower Society of WA will host a talk by noted WA botanist Andrew Brown, who will introduce this intriguing group of plants.

Andrew is best known for his decades-long work on WA’s orchids. After retiring in 2017 from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, where he worked as a conservation biologist and taxonomist, he continued as a research associate at the WA Herbarium, specialising in groups including the native lilies as well as orchids, and contributing to the discovery and description

Singapore-born Julian Poon is a proliﬁc young artist living in Crawley, whose exhibitions have featured in this newspaper since he was 13 and ﬁrst exhibited at Tresillian.

That same year he became the youngest artist invited to exhibit at London’s Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition.

Among the many showcases of his work, Julian was part of a group exhibition at UWA’s Lawrence Wilson Gallery for its annual Here&Now13, and granted a two-month residency at PICA, where he created a wall mural and worked on his signature black and white drawings. He was also part of a commission by the City of Fremantle to create public artworks for 10 arches of a heritage wall.

Now 29, Julian has continued his art practice and will be holding his fourth solo exhibition at Tresillian, opening next Friday.

Titled From Japan to Egypt and Everything in Between, it will feature works inspired by his recent travels to Japan and Egypt, his passion for all things

Star Wars and his terracottawarrior-inspired visits to the Boorla Bardip WA Museum.

Julian is autistic and began drawing before he was able to verbally communicate.

People with autism often learn better visually than verbally, because autism can make decision-making and problemsolving difﬁcult and they often struggle to make sense of what they read.

“Art gives me purpose and meaning in life,” he said. “I started doing art as a hobby when I was seven years old. It became more than that when I started art lessons when I was nine.

“My parents have taken me to art galleries overseas. I can draw and paint about my travels and my interests in Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese art and history, and my passion for Star Wars and the Bible.”

He began his artistic career predominantly with black and white pen drawings and acrylic pen on paper. His skill has expanded to acrylic painting on canvas, and ceramic sculptures.

His work will be on show at Tresillian in Nedlands from Friday March 13 until April 2.

of many new species.

In his presentation, Andrew will explore the remarkable diversity of Wurmbea, of which 52 species are found in WA, most of them endemic to the state. Twenty have been formally named but the rest are currently unnamed, many having only recently been discovered.

The wildﬂower society’s theme for talks this year focuses on native plant discoveries, and Andrew’s presentation promises to shed light on the ongoing process of discovery in WA that continues to reveal its richness. Doors open at 7.45 for an 8pm start on Tuesday. Everyone is welcome and a $3 door donation includes entry into the night’s door prize.

170 ships on show in Freo

Master modeller Gerry Westenberg is offering an exploration of 4000 years of maritime history in miniature.

The free exhibition Naval Sea Power in Miniature brings together more than 170 exceptionally crafted models that trace the evolution of seafaring from ancient Egypt to the present day, showing at the WA Shipwrecks Museum.

“Gerry’s models are remarkable for their precision and scope,” said WA Museum CEO Alec Coles. “Created over 50 years, the collection is the culmination of Gerry’s tireless research, craftsmanship and dedication.”

The exhibition brings together iconic vessels and pivotal moments in exploration, cruising, trade, conﬂict and discovery.

Anchored by RMS Queen Mary and the British airship R101, vessels range from the ancient Egyptian Cheops Royal Barge to the Tudor-era Mary Rose, and Christopher Columbus’s Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria to legendary Royal Navy vessels such as Dreadnought, Hood and Ark Royal.

Naval Sea Power in Miniature is at the WA Shipwrecks Museum, 47 Cliff Street, Fremantle, until July 26.

Autistic artist Julian Poon continues his success with a fourth solo exhibition.

Andrew Brown, above right, will talk about WA’s native lilies, pictured.

Above: Ship model-maker Gerry Westenberg. Below: His model of Queen Mary is the centrepiece of Naval Sea Power in Miniature.

Designer sale for cancer research

Fashion devotees are invited to a “pre-loved” clothing sale in Claremont on March 22 to beneﬁt the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

Organiser Debbie Snooke said about 500 pre-loved designer pieces would be for sale, and that the $5 cash entry fee would go direct to the charity.

“The entry proceeds will go to supporting vital research into the early detection of ovarian cancer, a disease often diagnosed too late,” Debbie said.

This is the third year the sale has been held, offering a carefully selected collection of pieces donated by fashion devotees.

Labels include Flannel, Zimmermann, Aje and Scanlan Theodore.

The event is to raise awareness of the disease and support research into an earlydetection test.

Debbie said such a test could raise ﬁve-year survival rates from 49% to as high as 90%.

“Ovarian cancer claims the life of one Australian woman every eight hours,” she said.

“Many women mistakenly believe a Pap smear or cervical screening test detects ovarian cancer; it does not. There is currently no routine screening test, making education and

awareness critical.

“This is a women’s disease that often goes under the radar. We need to raise awareness and help women recognise the signs.”

The pre-loved designer clothing sale will be on Sunday March 22 from 10am to 2pm at the Bay

View Community Centre, 66 Bay View Terrace, Claremont. For more information go to @frocktober_prelovedracksale on Instagram.

For more about the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation go to ocrf.com.au.

Women on women at panel discussion

Research by women, for the beneﬁt of women, will be the subject of a panel discussion on Monday at UWA to celebrate this Sunday’s International Women’s Day.

The event will be chaired by Professor Fiona McGaughey, UWA’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Advancement and Diversity, and sponsored by Graduate Women WA.

The panel includes Professor Patricia Dudgeon from the university’s School of Indigenous Studies, Professor Tanya Fitzgerald from the Graduate School of Education, Professor Caitlin Wyrwoll from the School of Human Sciences and Dr Dani Barrington from the School of Population and Global Health.

Prof. Fitzgerald’s current projects include an analysis of leadership in elite universities and a history of women academics.

“If history has taught me anything, it is that change is possible, however incremental. And there is a long history of women at the forefront of change,” Prof. Fitzgerald said.

“I believe we can change the world one step at a time, one action at a time.”

Panellist Prof. Tanya Fitzgerald says women are at the forefront of change.

Prof. Dudgeon is a Bardi woman from the Kimberley and a pioneering indigenous psychologist. Her extensive research has included work on the health, social and emotional wellbeing of indigenous Australian women and indigenous LGBTQI populations.

Dr Barrington is working to improve vulnerable people’s experiences with toilets, menstrual health and hygiene, the menopause transition and incontinence.

“This isn’t always about fancy technology or the cheapest solution; it is part of a complex interplay of socio-cultural factors, health needs, sustainability, cost and planning,” Dr Barrington said.

Prof. Wyrwoll’s research group focuses on the impact of environmental change on maternal and child health.

The free event is on Monday from 10 to 11.30am in UWA’s Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre auditorium on Fairway, Nedlands, followed by a light lunch. Registration is essential for venue and catering purposes. To register go to uwa.au/c1de21.

Pick up a sack-load of designer out ts for a good cause.

Features:

• Architecturally-designed corner complex in a premium western suburbs locale servicing the upper end of the market.

• Quality laundry with stone benchtops, tiled splashbacks, internal electric hot -water system and ample storage.

• Ducted reverse-cycle air-conditioning.

• Audio-intercom security system.

• Quality modern blinds and feature skirting boards throughout.

• Secure fob-swipe access to complex and lifts.

WA Wind Symphony ready to pounce on national prize

“There’s a real sense of pride in knowing we’re performing music that represents WA on a national stage,” said Melissa Mikucki, bassoonist with the WA Wind Symphony.

The concert band will premiere a piece called Pounce, by acclaimed Australian composer Holly Harrison, in Perth before competing in the Australian National Band competition in Brisbane next month.

Energetic, rhythmically driven and technically demanding, Pounce is the ofﬁcial test piece for this year’s Australian National Band Championships, which has to be performed by every competing band in the Premier Grade of the national competition.

The WA Wind Symphony, two-time reigning national champions, will present a recital named Catalyst on Saturday March 21 at 7pm at the Taryn Fiebig Concert Hall in Churchlands, giving local audiences the opportunity to hear the test piece live ahead of the competition.

The band’s program will reﬂect the structure of the championships, where ensembles are required to perform the selected test piece along with a march, a hymn, and another work of their own choosing that highlights musical strengths and versatility.

“Catalyst is about momentum,” said conductor Samuel Parry. “It is the point where preparation and pressure meet.”

For the musicians, the concert is a chance to share with its home audience the intensity

From life in Saudi to the life of George Orwell

of national-level preparation

The WA Wind Symphony, comprising volunteer emerging and experienced musicians, has ﬁrmly established itself as one of Australia’s leading wind ensembles, claiming ﬁrst place in the Concert Band – Premier Grade at the Australian National Band Championships in 2024 and 2025. It is the only WA band to achieve this. Book tickets through events. humanitix.com/catalyst.

There will be two presentations at the University of the Third Age (U3A) Cambridge branch on Thursday.

Sharon Dunn’s topic is Thirteen Years Living in Saudi Arabia.

When her husband accepted a job in Saudi Arabia, Sharon knew little about this very conservative desert kingdom.

The couple embraced every aspect of a life in a land of stark contrasts that blends ancient

Delivering Exceptional Results

traditions with modernisation, deeply rooted in Islamic culture.

Compound life was a unique experience and contributed to 13 wonderful years as an expat.

Also on Thursday, Peter Flanigan will talk about The Life and Times of George Orwell.

Orwell, aka Eric Blair, is well known as the author of the novels 1984 and Animal Farm.

He was born in India, went to school in England and then joined the Indian Service as a policeman in Burma. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, he went to Spain and became involved.

Peter will talk more about his life and inﬂuences on his seminal works.

The U3A meeting is at 1.30pm at Ocean Gardens Retirement Village, Kalinda Drive, City Beach. Entry is $3, which includes afternoon tea.

The WA Wind Symphony, pictured, will premiere Pounce by Australian composer Holly Harrison.

• Zoned R40/ Development site

• Stunning feature staircase

• Ground oor bedroom with bathroom

• Separate apartment with own bathroom and kitchen

• Resort style pool and garden

• Land size 1,262 sqm

FEATURES:

• Breathtaking tree-lined city views

• Architecturally designed by Phil Faigen

• Gated portico entrance

• Feature Singaporean chandelier above the staircase

• Separate exterior entrance for guest wing

• One of Cottesloe’s most prestigious and protected streets

• Architect designed by John Longley

• Offers superb separation and quality nishes

FEATURES:

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

• 1950’s renovated split-level character home

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

• Rear lane access

FEATURES:

• Renovated 1920’s character home

• Prime park front position directly opposite Raphael Park

• Four-bedroom family living

• Blend of original character and contemporary nishes

• One of Victoria Park’s most tightly held pockets

•

THOMAS WEDGE

Joining us now with expert knowldege and trusted service.

110 Marine Parade, Cottesloe Main Beach

5 / 22 JOHN STREET, COTTESLOE - 3 BED - 1 BATH - 1 CAR - 106sqm LIVING

Classic Cottesloe apartment in the iconic “Constantia” group, offering a rare half-floor three bedroom residence with ocean views across lawns and gardens between the Civic Centre and Cottesloe Beach. Generous rooms, balcony, and a garage and store on title, with easy access via Warnham Road or John Street. For further details or a private viewing, contact Chris Shellabear.

www.shellabears.com.au Your Best Property Decision

Chris Shellabear 0418 910 065 chris@shellabears.com.au

Fundraising to focus on stopping youth suicide

A live music fundraiser supporting youth suicide prevention will be held at Clancy’s Fish Pub Fremantle next Sunday, in memory of young musician Amberly Lynch.

Amberly died in March 2023, soon after her 18th birthday.

Her family created Amby’s Army to raise awareness of youth suicide prevention and support initiatives that encourage young people to seek help and speak openly about mental health.

The Forever 18 Mini-Fest started last year as one of Amby’s Army’s initiatives. The event comes at a time when youth suicide and mental health are at the forefront of public attention. The concert will highlight the importance of awareness, early support, and prevention.

Amberly was a musician who loved performing, so in her honour, rising country-pop artist Emily Joy, a graduate of WAAPA and Berklee College of Music, will headline the event.

Emily’s chart-topping single Barricade made her a grand ﬁnalist in the Toyota Star Maker competition, followed by a WA Country Music Award and a national tour with Adam Brand. She will be joined by folk-rock duo Shanks Pony, featuring Amberly’s father Todd, soul

and emerging electronica artist HDC. It is on Sunday March 15 at

Increase brand familiarity.

New directions for young minds

Up to 40% of young people with depression in Australia do not show meaningful improvement with initial antidepressant treatment, and mental health charity Meeting for Minds is hosting a conversation about why.

At its next Pub Yarns event, Meeting for Minds will host a conversation with researchers and people with lived experience of mental illness, to explore emerging research into treatment-resistant depression in young people.

The discussion will be held this Wednesday March 11 in the relaxed setting of Naber Bar in Leederville, from 6 to 8pm.

WA researcher Dr Jamie Beros will explain details of his current research project, and Brad Roberts of the Perron Institute and UWA will explain how genetics can influence antidepressant responses.

A courageous speaker, Donelle, will share her story and lived experience of Complex PTSD and treatmentresistant Major Depressive Disorder.

Pub Yarns is a community conversation about research and future possibilities in the treatment of mental illness. It is not a clinical service, and no treatment or medical advice is provided. The purpose of the evening is to share current research, discuss emerging

When you advertise with the POST, your ad is printed in a credible environment, connecting you with quality new customers with minimal effort.

With the rise of fake news and misinformation, more audiences are forced to think critically about information sources.

We publish accurate, relevant and quality award-winning local news, that affects readers where they live.

The POST is a trusted source of information in our community.

Also did you know? …

All ads printed in the POST are digitised, uploaded and SEO optimised with high-quality integrated backlinks

directions, and create dialogue between researchers, people with lived experience and the community.

Susie Hincks, who lives with a mental illness and co-founded Meeting for Minds in 2014, said:

“Pub Yarns is a great opportunity to hear about relevant current research in an informal and understandable way.

“For me, science really is ‘hope for the future’, and contributes to my belief that I am part of the solution, rather than ‘the problem’.”

The event is intentionally informal and conversational, encouraging questions and open discussion. Admission is free but registration is preferred, through meetingforminds.com/ pub-yarn-youth-mental-health.

and blues performer Sgt Hulka,

Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle, with doors opening at 5pm. Book through Oztix or buy tickets at the door.

held

Barricade made her a grand Young musician Amberly Lynch loved performing.

Meeting for Minds co-founder Susie Hincks.

Your best move Down South.

Positioned within the prestigious Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, Villa 405 presents an exceptional opportunity to secure a luxury holiday residence in one of Western Australia's most tightly held beachfront locations. Combining five-star amenity with strong year-round visitor demand, this is a lifestyle investment designed to deliver both personal enjoyment and income performance.

Set within the breathtaking surrounds of the South West coastline, this villa offers effortless access to turquoise waters, rugged coastal walking trails and the world-renowned Margaret River Wine Region. Home Opens.

Contact the Exclusive Selling Agent.

What to know.

All offers presented by 5pm 22 March 2026 (unless sold prior)

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

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

Home Open.

Contact the Exclusive Selling Agents.

Offers - Contact Agent 6 5 3.08ha Mitch Fairclough 0427 386 690

mfairclough@realmark.com.au

•Brand new showpiece residence just moments from the heart of Darlington Village

•Luxurious 4 bed, 4 bath home

•Palatial master bedroom with luxe ensuite including sauna

•Stunning kitchen with stone bench tops and scullery

•90,000 litre infinity pool

Extensive alfresco entertaining areas

•2800 sqm block

•4 car garage and twin electric gated driveway

Inspection Times

Please contact the agent to arrange an appointment. For Sale

“The Heritage” - Brand New Luxurious Living

We’re proud to be named REB’s No.1 Real Estate Office nationwide. The Agency WA

Australia’s real estate

Positioned

Inspections

PANORAMIC MARINE PARADE LUXURY

Perfectly positioned along Cottesloe’s iconic Marine Parade, this beautifully renovated four-bedroom residence delivers uninterrupted ocean panoramas, refined coastal elegance, and a lifestyle that is simply second to none. With breathtaking views stretching across the Indian Ocean, this is front-row living at its finest, where sunsets become your daily ritual and the sound of the waves sets the tone for relaxed coastal luxury.

Step across the road to the beach, cycle along the foreshore, walk to North Cott and Swanbourne cafés, or simply enjoy the ever-changing ocean from the comfort of your own home. A home of this calibre, in this position, is exceptionally rare.

Marcus Sproule 0409 990 559 marcussproule@theagency.com.au

Ryan Coulter 0419 932 144 ryancoulter@theagency.com.au

242 Marine Parade, Cottesloe

Inspections Saturday 7th March 11:45am to 12:30pm or by Private Appointment For Sale Offers

Scan the QR Code for more.

New takers for game of croquet

A recent advertisement in the POST looking for new members had a great result, with 24 people turning up at 49 Chandler Avenue West, Floreat, for a ﬁveweek introduction to croquet.

The club hopes many more will join them.

Croquet can be a highly competitive sport requiring concentration, ball skills and tactics. To help newcomers, a handicap system is employed to make the experience less daunting.

Practice and competition are important to move forward.

Organised play is available on most days, and evenings under floodlights. These are very sociable events.

Some members look for a challenge and play competitive events either at the home club or visiting other metropolitan or country clubs.

A

group of keen new players have signed up for the introduction course to the art of croquet.

Bone up on arthritis

Arlene Quinn, a volunteer with Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA, will speak about arthritis at Peppermint Grove on Tuesday March 10.

Hear the latest information she has to offer about symptoms and the latest treatments.

There are about 100 musculoskeletal conditions that fall under the umbrella of arthritis, and Arlene will discuss its three most common forms.

Her presentation will aim to dispel common misconceptions of the condition and discuss its early warning signs.

Arlene will also explore strategies for managing symptoms, maintaining mobility, and the best ways to support bone and joint health long term.

Cambridge had five players engaged in the C grade Championship being held at Belmont which was won by Cambridge’s Cate Johnson.

Practical help and advice for independent retirees

For more about the club, go to cambridgecroquet.com.au/

WA donors make an impact for 15 years

Local charity

Impact100 WA will kick off its 15th year of supporting West Australians, with a sundowner in Claremont on Wednesday, March 11.

The Kickstart Sundowner will be at Form Gallery and Cafe from 6.30 to 8.30pm.

Impact100 WA co-chair and founding committee member Simone Eley, of Nedlands, said that in the past 15 years the group had been enabling everyday Australians to make a difference in the community.

“Together we’ve made grants totalling nearly $3.4million and it has been a real privilege to hear the impact stories and see the generosity of our donors creating such meaningful change,” she said.

Impact100 WA is described as a collaborativegiving group with more than 250 donors who each donate at least $1100 a year.

Donors pool their contributions to award grants of $100,000 to small WA charities.

At the sundowner attendees will hear two grant recipients, Constable Care and Cycling Without Age, share how their $100,000 grants have supported their work.

The event is free, but bookings are essential by going to trybooking.com and searching “Impact100 WA Kickstart Sundowner 2026”.

For more information go to impact100wa.org.au.

Fix it quickly.

Renovating or repairing your home?

Each week, the POST lists tradespeople who provide every kind of household service.

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

So support POST advertisersthey make your free local paper possible.

Australian Independent Retirees (AIR) has an investors discussion group for self-funded retirees to share thoughts and experiences of investments in ASX-listed companies.

The group comprises fellow investors and is not intended to provide professional advice but shared knowledge.

Focus is on interactive sharing of investment experiences and knowledge, including investment strategies, review of ﬁnancial statements, analysis of company and industry information and

Cambridge

Well done to Tuesday Pennants, which scored 5½ points against Wanneroo last week.

On Wednesday the winners were Andrew Flack and Paula Poynter. Di Gilbert, Jay Medhat and Marilyn Boss came second. On Friday, in ﬁrst place were Dina Shah, Elizabeth Arrow and Dae Millar. In second place were Gavin Arrow, Paula Poynter and Carole Nolan.

On Saturday, Derek Gadsden, Jay Medhat and Brian Dick came first followed by Rob Stevenson, Yogi Shah and Ted Delaney.

Dalkeith Nedlands

Ladies Tuesday Pennants on February 24 were very disappointing with 1st Division managing only 1 point and 3rd Division not troubling the scorer.

Men’s Thursday Pennants proved much better with all three sides winning ﬁve of the six points available. In

where such information can be accessed.

The group meets at Cambridge Bowling Club, Chandler Avenue West, Floreat, on the second Wednesday of each month, with the next meeting scheduled for this Wednesday, March 11, from 2 to 4pm.

The Perth branch of AIR meets at Cambridge Bowling Club on the third Friday of each month from 10am to midday.

Guest speakers cover topics related to ﬁnance, travel, health, community and special interests of members.

On Friday March 20, Cara Walker will lead an open and practical conversation about what is possible when planning a funeral.

She will share clear guidance about how to approach funeral directors with conﬁdence and ask the right questions.

This session empowers people to make informed choices and talk about personal wishes with the people who matter most.

For further information contact Margaret Walsh on marghw@outlook.com.

Bowling

1st Division the best performance was from Doug Ellis, Rob Moran, Todd Allen and Rob Kelly with a 13 shot margin. Best performers in 2nd Division were Ian Day, David Broadfoot, Peter Jeanes and Ross MacKenzie, with a margin of 17 shots. In 4th Division Ron Stapleton, Brian Burton, David Mildenhall and Les Pedder were victorious by 13 shots.

There were no bowls on Saturday due to the Labour Day long weekend.

Hollywood Subiaco

On Tuesday last week, Hollywood Ladies hosted Manning. Usha Nigam, Dave Leeson, Lesley Langley and Dot Leeson finished with a drawn game 21-21. Margaret McHugh, Jeannine Millsteed, Anne Ormsby and Ron Palmer put in a determined effort but

lost 15-29.

On Thursday 2Gold hosted Yanchep. Mike Basford, Ron Middleton, Milton Byass and Rob Campbell lost their last four ends to go down 20-28. Craig Hirsch, Jim West, Kim Jefferis and Tony Byrne lost 16-18, and the champion team of David Allport, Wally Graham, George Sterpini and Glen Morey brought home the aggregate with a 26-12 win. There were no pennants on Saturday due to the long weekend.

Wednesday February 25 saw the ﬁnals of the Ladies Triples. The winning team were Jeannie Gullotti, Maria McCormack and Marley Spilsbury, with a super sub Kerry Anderson. The runners-up were Jenny Parker, Melissa Kouzinas and Nancy Teague.

Her talk will be at 10am at the community room of the Grove Library precinct at 1 Leake Street, Peppermint Grove.

Entry is $12 for members of the West Coast Community Centre and $17 non-members.

Book online in advance by going to westcoastcommunity.com.au and click on the “Programme” section, or just turn up on the day and pay at the door.

saw some lovely visitors come along and join in. We had one visitor from UK who played very good bowls, and two recently arrived residents. The ﬁnalists were Jack Pinker and Paul Hall, with Paul taking away the ﬁnal. There was no bowls on Saturday because of the long weekend, but the club hosted some of the Country Week Men’s competitions over the weekend.

A delightfully balmy afternoon greeted competitors last Saturday, when 25 players vied for points in the President’s Cup. Emma Isliker won ﬁrst prize. Guy Soubeyran, Suren Appadoo, Rob Dunlop, Ravin Parianen, and Gilbert Baatard were also prize winners. This Saturday, March 7, members and visitors are invited for social play. Visitors are welcome on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Check our website petanque-subiaco.com for details.

Mosman Park

Subiaco Pétanque

Wednesday Scroungers

16 Gypsy Street, Eagle Bay

ELEVATED COASTAL ASSET | EAGLE BAY

A rare opportunity to secure a comprehensively refurbished coastal residence in tightly held Eagle Bay

Following a substantial 2025 renovation with over $1 million invested, this three-level home is presented in genuine move-in ready condition — removing construction risk, project management delays and escalating land and build costs in today’s market.

Designed for multi-generational living and large-scale entertaining, the layout provides defined functional separation while maintaining cohesive internal flow. The upper level forms the ultimate hosting retreat, anchored by a marble-appointed designer kitchen oriented to uninterrupted Geographe Bay views, complemented by two master suites, lift access, bar and a striking infinity pool. The central level continues the entertaining focus with generous living zones, a secondary kitchen and seamless indoor–outdoor integration. Below, a dedicated leisure level incorporates a private cinema, games zone and bunk accommodation — ideal for guests and extended family.

Privately elevated to maximise panoramic bay outlooks, the residence delivers long-term appeal and enduring capital strength within one of the South West’s most exclusive coastal enclaves.

Previously operated as premium short-term accommodation (buyers advised to make their own enquiries regarding relevant approvals).

All reasonable offers considered. For further details or private inspection, contact Lee York – 0439 967 737.

$9,750,000

Let

Luxury Claremont living

20 Corymbia Close, Yallingup

51 Ballyneal Loop, Dunsborough

2/17

Want trusted news, data and insights on the WA business community? Scan the QR code and register for a free trial

WAAPA plays lead role in CBD

By Ella Loneragan

Edith Cowan University’s new $853million city campus passed a major milestone when it welcomed its law and business schools.

The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts has now joined them after making the move from Mt Lawley to the CBD campus.

More than 10,000 staff and students have relocated to Wellington Street where the campus is expected to deliver billions in economic impact over the long term.

The new facilities present an opportunity for the state’s performing arts industry.

WAAPA has more than

Cheeky Monkey swings into CBD

By Tom Zaunmayr

Cheeky Monkey Brewery will open a new CBD venue on St Georges Terrace in July.

The Brookﬁeld Place brewpub will be the Margaret River brewery’s fourth venue and its second metropolitan Perth location.

It will take up the premises previously occupied by Grill’d and Bar Lafayette, which closed last December after 13 years.

Cheeky Monkey managing director Brent Burton said the location was a world-class precinct.

“Creating a signature venue in the CBD is a major milestone for Cheeky Monkey, and one we’re extremely excited to unveil in July,” he said.

Cheeky Monkey’s ﬂagship brewery opened on Caves Road in 2012 amid that era’s craft beer boom.

The company moved the bulk of its production to Vasse in 2019 and opened a taphouse there. It took over Sound Brewing Co’s venue in Rockingham in 2024.

Cheeky Monkey director of operations Brendan Day said the Ccity venue would stick to its regional values.

“We’re reimagining the space to be entirely focused on high-quality hospitality without the ego or pretence,” he said.

Cheeky Monkey will become the fourth regional WA brewery to tap into the Perth market.

1000 enrolments a year.

The new facility has six performance venues and two rehearsal spaces.

WAAPA executive director David Shirley said they were welcome additions for a sector in the doldrums around the world.

“All over the world, including Australia, the arts are suffering,” Professor Shirley said.

“Theatres are being closed, funding is being cut … and there’s less attention being paid to the ecology and the importance of the arts for the nation’s health.”

“ECU is making a very bold statement about its belief in creative thinkers and the power of the arts to change society and create opportunity for young people.

“I’m able to reach out to world-leading artists to say ‘Might you be able to come to WAAPA in 2030?’

“That gives us the conﬁdence to be able to really plan forward.”

Two 2025 productions – WAAPA graduate Eddie Perfect’s Tivoli Lovely and international theatre company Cheek by Jowl’s Antigone – became the blueprint for the initiative.

Each artist had a threeyear residency at WAAPA.

“They formed a relationship with students, so that really enables them to develop their practice,”

Prof. Shirley said.

First to feature on the list of artists this year is Ukraine-born Australian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk.

Another recent venue addition to this year’s program was the Paula Huston Auditorium, the backstory for which speaks to the difﬁculties of choosing the performing arts as a career path. The performance space recognises the late Ms Huston, a Perth woman who had been supporting WAAPA scholarships through a $100,000 yearly commitment. Her entire multimilliondollar estate was bequeathed to the academy.

CoreData, UWA push research shift

By Nadia Budihardjo

Global market consultancy CoreData has joined the University of WA to deliver an alternative to traditional research models.

The collaboration will offer remotely-moderated focus group methodology in which focus group participants discuss a topic in a lab without a moderator or trained researcher present.

Researchers will monitor the discussion remotely and will be using a screen to prompt focus group participants.

CoreData founding director Kristen Turnbull

The POST targets

Triple bill heralds evolution

■ Contemporary dance company Co3 remounts Gloria with New Zealand Dance company.

Raewyn Hill says that although contemporary dance companies are all about inventing the new, “we cannot move forward without understanding our past”.

The choreographer and artistic director of Co3 Contemporary Dance is now in New Zealand with

the New Zealand Dance Company to remount Gloria, the masterpiece created by that country’s most revered choreographer, Douglas Wright. Wright’s 1990s work was ground-breaking at the time and renowned for its extremely exacting and complex choreography, which has now become the foundation of contempo-

rary dance.

Raewyn danced in Gloria in 1996, and says it was a dream come true.

In 2022, she staged it for Co3 in its ﬁrst production since Wright died in 2018. Now she is remounting it with a combination of Co3 and NZ dancers.

Set to Vivaldi’s masterful hymn, it will be part of a triple bill beginning with a reworked except from Raewyn’s own work, In The Shadow of Time.

She said that short piece, titled A Moving Portrait, was the prefect prelude to Gloria’s exhilarating dance, with a quiet meditation on ageing and grace performed by ﬁve Co3 dancers.

The triple bill is completed by Lament, created by NZ choreographer Moss

Te Ururangi Patterson. For his ﬁve dancers, he has devised a moving tribute to memory, resilience and honouring the endurance of whakapapa, the Maori concept of lineage, connecting people to their ancestors, land, and the wider universe.

Following its debut in New Zealand, Gloria: A Triple Bill is coming to Perth.

In what Raewyn described as “a wonderful achievement”, Co3 will perform for the ﬁrst time with WA Symphony Orchestra and St George’s Cathedral Consort, at His Majesty’s Theatre on Tuesday March 31 and Wednesday April 1 at 7.30pm, with a matinee on the Wednesday.

X-Press rewinds over 40 years

SARAH McNEILL

It was a sad and sombre day when the popular music magazine X-Press announced it was closing its print edition in 2016 and going online.

“It closed the day I turned 50,” said music journalist and former editor Bob Gordon. “Neither event was something I aspired to.”

Although the planned X-Press App failed, the magazine has successfully transitioned to an online publication celebrating 40 years.

Bob recalled the ﬁrst time he saw the small exercise book-sized booklet that was X-Press magazine.

He was in a band playing at the Red Parrot nightclub in July 1985 when someone handed him a copy of the new music magazine.

“I remember just wanting the next one to come out, a fortnight later,” he said.

Nine years after POST Newspapers had established itself as a weekly community newspaper hand-delivered into letterboxes, X-Press became the ﬁrst free street press magazine, supported by advertising and handed out on street corners and music venues every fortnight.

It was started by music enthusiasts at a time when Perth’s live music scene was ﬂourishing, and aspired to be like the Californian monthly music magazine Rolling Stone.

Bob was a media student when he submitted his ﬁrst music review and was taken on board as a contributor. He quickly became full-time and until the print edition closed in May 2016, he had been managing editor three times, in 1998, 2006 and 2012.

“We had a front seat to everything,” he said. “We embodied ‘work hard, play hard’, and we had the keys to the city. It

■ ABOVE: X-Press magazine’s ﬁrst green cover: “Appropriate because every-one was so ‘green’,” said former editor Bob Gordon.

■ BELOW: Music journalist Bob Gordon was editor three times for X-Press magazine.

Photo: Selena Geyer

was a world of enjoyable exhaustion.”

In celebration of four decades of X-Press, Bob has written a limited-edition 200-page coffee table book, Rewind: 40 Years of X-Press, with photos, stories and memories of the gigs, artists and stories that deﬁned WA’s vibrant music scene from 1985 to 2025.

“It was a deep dive into the archives and so many rabbit holes as I recalled some of the interviews I’d done,” Bob said. He reeled off a list of bands he was proud to meet, interview and call friends, but admitted one of his highlights was interviewing the members of KISS, which had been the ﬁrst concert he ever attended, as a 14-year-old. The book (soft cover $50/hard cover $75) will be launched at a concert event at the Astor Theatre on March 18, with legendary local artists whose careers X-Press has championed including Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), Gyroscope, Donna Simpson (The Waifs), Cal Kramer (Southern River Band), Dave Hole and Dom Mariani (The Stems/ DM3).

■ Book through Ticketek.

SARAH McNEILL

Diva has Moment to forget

Moment (M)

REVIEW: PIER LEACH

The public and private lives of British pop diva Charli XCX in the wake of her hit 2024 album Brat get only ﬂeetingly funny parody treatment in the mockumentary, The Moment.

The problem is that

Felicity rings in bronze age

Wembley Downs jeweller

Felicity Peters is busy polishing bronze rings until they shine like gold.

With the ever-rising price of gold, Felicity said she had been using a bronze alloy in crafting some new ring designs.

“The bronze mirrors old gold and has a lovely soft look to it,” said Felicity whose rings include some set with precious sapphires.

“Bronze rings are very popular overseas because they are less expensive than gold and there is a soft warmth to the metal.”

the ﬁlm appears to be doing the exact thing it’s lampooning: trying to milk the cash cow of Brat well after Charli’s famous “Brat summer” is over.

And it is neither funny nor subversive enough to amount to anything more.

Why try to hide the money-spinning in mockumentary smoke-andmirrors and not just make a straight concert doco for fans?

She will be showing her latest collection of bronze and silver jewellery as part of the Stirling Open Art Studios over the next two Sundays. Felicity will open her home at 20 Newbery Road, Wembley Downs, with a mini exhibition of jewellery, paintings, working tools, catalogues and some of the books in which the award-winning jeweller has been featured.

She said the house was itself a work of art, winning an HIA award for home of the year in 2005, and the front garden winning a landscape award for recycled materials.

There are 19 other artist’s studios or galleries to visit and the group of artists have collaborated on donating a prize on both Sundays for the person who visits the most studios.

The Stirling Open Studios run on Sundays, March 8 and 15 from 10am to 4pm.

Lotterywest Films

Charli’s “Brat summer” has passed; The Moment never had one. The

nerable, post-aura-healing Charli bumps into Kylie Jenner (played by herself), an interaction which causes a cavalcade of poor decisions.

That’s the task the record label boss (Roseanna Arquette) sets for her team of gormless young marketing bros, who sign Charli to ﬂog a lime green “Brat” credit card and do a deal with Amazon for a concert documentary of her upcoming stadium show – all while she’s racing between Vogue “What’s in my bag?” segments and late-night TV with Colbert. Music video director Aidan Zamiri isn’t quite savvy enough to weave The Moment into satire, even if he has a couple of fun moments – like when a vul-

Jenner acts all excited about Johannes (a wonderful Alexander Skarsgard), the obnoxious documentary-making Svengali hired by Amazon, but Jenner is actively trying to dilute Charli’s signature sexy, bad-girl vim into something more “family friendly”. Skarsgard knows how to pull off slippery parody, and it’s his appalling Johannes who elicits most of the ﬁlm’s brief laughs. But really the confusion lies in Zamiri’s portrait of Charli.

She is a performer you couldn’t possibly imagine would be put off her game by Jenner, let alone allow a middle-aged white guy to weasel his way into her headspace or performance vision.

■ Charli XCX plays a version of herself in a hit-and-miss mockumentary.

■ Felicity has switched from gold to bronze for her latest collection of rings.

Love letters at Ellington’s

Following Ali Bodycoat’s sensational opening and closing performances at Perth Festival’s Embassy club, she returns to Ellington Jazz Club to perform with Lit Live in Love Notes.

Literature-in-performance company Lit Live brings together an intimate performance of carefully selected love letters read by actors Katie Keady, Isaac Diamond and Sarah McNeill, with their sentiments echoed by timeless melodies sung by Ali accompanied by pianist Joshua Haines.

“Writing love letters is a lost art,” said Lit Live producer Sarah McNeill. “Forget abbreviations, emojis and text messages. These are beautifully crafted letters of affection, connection, longing, passion and loss, matched by exquisite love songs.”

The result is an intimate journey of heartfelt moments that are both personal and universal.

Love Notes with Lit Live and Ali Bodycoat perform at the Ellington Jazz Club in a matinee show at 1pm on Saturday March 21.

■ Book through www.ellingtonjazz.com.au.

My boyfriend’s mother treated me unfairly from day one, and he has often seen her behaviour.

When he told me that his mother’s issues would become my problem after we marry, I broke it off.

Three months later he came back and admitted he went overboard protecting his mother and neglecting my feelings.

However, when he told his mother he wanted to marry me, she refused to talk about it.

When he persisted, she cried and told him he has changed.

I think that after her husband left her for another woman she depended on her son for attention.

She’s jealous and insecure and I don’t see her ever accepting that he will have his own family and she won’t be his centre point.

My boyfriend ﬁrmly believes he cannot and

wayneandtamara.com

should not hurt his mother. I love him, but I am worried.

Alessandra

Alessandra, you have a level of maturity we don’t expect to see in young women. You don’t believe you could live with this, and you are right.

Your boyfriend’s attitude toward his mother needs to be ‘I will care for you within reason, but you will not prevent me from being a man and having a family’. If he is unwilling to do that, he doesn’t love you, because he will sacriﬁce your life and the lives of your children for a woman who stopped living.

Do not ally yourself with a man you will come not to love.

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

Fresh Bread, Rolls, Cakes, Hot Food, Doughnuts, Tarts, Coffee and more.

Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm Saturday from 9am to 1pm Tel. 0468 858 157

HOT CROSS BUNS - gluten free and vegan. Available in traditional and chocolate.

Rev up for community short-film competition

“I’m excited about Life in Pictures because it is a community-driven film competition that encourages everyone from all walks of life to have a go and submit a film,” said Damien Spiccia, coordinator of the Revelation Film Festival’s short film competition.

Damien lectures in screenwriting and screen performance at WAAPA and says Life in Pictures is a true grass-roots initiative and a unique approach to opening discussions around positive ageing in the community.

“We invite all members of the community to make a three-minute short that explores positive ageing in the community, or the topic of ageism,” he said.

Festival director Richard Sowada said: “This is one of my favourite things we’ve ever initiated with the Revelation event.

“It provides an opportunity for the entire community to participate in such an important discussion in a creative way.”

The competition ambassadors are local screen and theatre actors Julia Moody and Michael Loney.

“We’re honoured to have been invited to be ambassadors for Life in Pictures,” said West Leederville resident Michael, who has appeared in The Shark Net, The Great Mint Swindle and The Circuit as well as many stage plays.

Entries are open until Friday June 19 for community ﬁlmmakers in three categories: 17 years and under, 18 to 59 and 60+.

Five ﬁlms from each category will be shortlisted and screened on the

closing night of the Revelation Film Festival on July 19. The winner in each category will win $1000 cash. Revelation will hold free workshops this month to provide ﬁlmmaking tips and tricks for success in the competition. They are this Wednesday March 11 in Victoria Park; Wednesday March 18 in Fremantle and Saturday April 4 in Leederville.

For details, go to revelationﬁlmfest.org/life-in-pictures.

■ Ali Bodycoat will sing up a storm of love songs at Ellington’s.

Photo Natasja Kremers

■ Explore the theme of positive aging through a community lens for Life in Pictures.

SARAH McNEILL

Hire the Makerspace at The Heritage Collective for workshops, exhibitions, and creative events. Currently home to Artist in Residence Elle Campbell, the Makerspace is an ocean-facing space that sparks creativity and connection.

■

“It has served our family well, and we will truly miss it – it is a deeply sentimental home for us,” the owners said about their renovated character home opposite the John Street Cafe.

Norfolks anchor Cott landmark

When printer George McKenzie and his wife Agnes lived in this character house on a hill in 1905, the norfolk island pine trees were yet to be planted out the front.

More than a century later, the towering trees anchor the home to its setting and create a sense of privacy in the elevated location opposite the John Street Cafe.

The early 1900s Edwardian-style bungalow is called Tulloch, believed to be after Tulach Ard, a luxurious 18th Century manse in the Scottish Highlands.

This Cottesloe home with a wide, three-sided

veranda, sash windows, stained-glass panels, high ceilings and jarrah ﬂoors has been renovated by different owners to bring it up to modern standards.

The ﬁve-bedroom and three-bathroom house is on two separate lots – the sort of detail that makes developers reach for a calculator – but it would be hard to justify sending the bulldozers in.

“The existing home is substantial, cohesive and highly desirable, standing comfortably as a long-term family residence in its own right,” agent Chris Shellabear says on his website.

The house had already been upgraded when the current owners bought it in 2003.

“From the beginning, it felt welcoming and full of possibility,” the own-

ers said.

“It felt connected to the neighbourhood while still offering privacy and calm.”

An architect-designed extension in 1984 had opened up the house, making it lighter and more practical.

“Over time, we have completely renovated the home to reﬂect the demands of modern family

life, carefully balancing heritage with functionality while respecting its original charm,” they said.

“From the kitchen, you can keep an eye on the children as they play in the 17m pool at the side of the house.

“Gatherings ﬂow easily from indoors to out; Christmases have been especially memorable, with cricket on the front

$998,000 SUBIACO

609/74 Price Street

Property records show the seller paid $780,000 off-theplan for this apartment in the Botanical complex in 2018.

AGENT: Paige Garvey, Blackburne.

$2.55million WOODLANDS

39 Willow Road

Its location around the corner from Jackadder Lake was among the attractions of this 5x2 on a 794sq.m site.

AGENT: Clare Nation, Haiven Property.

lawn and celebrations extending around the pool and verandas.”

Character features including ﬁreplaces, art nouveau-style tiles and arches in the original section combine with modern elements such as a gas ﬁreplace and builtin robes in the extension that spreads over different levels.

At almost 25sq.m, one of the minor bedrooms at the rear has enough space for a desk and lounge suite.

There is plenty of storage – plus an extra bedroom – on the basement level that leads out to a garage off a lane.

$5.3million DALKEITH

24 Viking Road

This ﬁve-bedroom and four-bathroom house was advertised from $5.5million to $6million.

AGENT: Gordon Davies, Gordon Davies Real Estate.

35 John Street

A City Beach investor bought this 321sq.m property which is one door from the John Street Cafe. The 4x2 duplex settled on January 29.

AGENT: Marcus Sproule, The Agency.

■ Jarrah oors from the early 1900s section ow through to the rear extension.

■ The 789sq.m property, on two separate lots, is within easy walking distance of the beach.

Look out from the 17m lap pool to the norfolk island pine trees.

Animals inspire power pylons

Austria’s “power giants” have sparked plenty of curiosity in the design world. The country’s power company has commissioned Meissl Architects to come up with prototypes for nature-inspired power lines. The idea behind the project was to help highvoltage power lines “harmonise” with the landscape, promote tourism and increase public support for muchneeded energy infrastructure upgrades. Each of the country’s nine federal states would have its own style of pylon in the form of an animal sym-

bolic of the region’s identity. Two of the nine prototypes have been built and tested to check for feasibility. The project recently won a design award, and miniature models of the beasts are on display at Singapore’s Red Dot Museum until October.

Neds homes go for townhouses Ten townhouses could be coming to a leafy Nedlands street after two character houses owned by the same person were sold to a developer for a combined $4.56million. The properties at 32 and 34 Cooper Street

were sold on behalf a deceased estate. Jake Polce of DUET Property Group brokered the off-market deal for the 1652sq.m property. “The developer has a few projects on the go in Nedlands,” Mr Polce said. Townhouses appeal to a range of buyers from young professionals to downsizers looking for an alternative to apartments. “Given what is happening in the building sector, there is a demand for the nished product,” Mr Polce said. A company called 32 Cooper Street Pty Ltd is listed as the owner, and the director is Lucas Graham Berry of Bicton.

Surf champ selling clifftop house

“It has soul, not just square metreage,” says world champion and Olympic gold medallist surfer Jack Robinson, who is selling his clifftop house in Gnarabup, near Margaret River. A recently-added yoga and wellness studio is one of the many features of the 2097sq.m property with views of Main Break, The Box and The Bombie. “We purchased the property several years ago as a base that felt aligned with the lifestyle I live and love, close to nature, with a view to the waves I surf everyday and with enough privacy

and space to truly switch off between competitions,” Jack said. The four-bedroom, twobathroom home at 53 Baudin Drive is being marketed in the mid-$3million range. For more details, phone Sarah Twine of Ray White on 0439 926 836.

Surprise spirit at midweek auction

Six bidders competed for a Cottesloe house which was auctioned on February 28 but in the end it was a battle between two determined buyers who went back and forth 21 times before it was knocked down to a nal bid of $2.96million. The Tuscanstyle home at 7 Eileen Street went to an owner-occupier. Agent Tim Caporn of Ray White said the under-bidder, an investor, missed out by $2000. “It was an amazing auction, for a Wednesday night,” Mr Caporn said. An opening bid of $1.8million kicked off the auction of the 3x3 on a 170sq.m site. It is about 150m from the beach, between Cottesloe Tennis Club and Ocean Beach Hotel. Property records show the

sellers are Roland Tyson and Penny Sanderson, a Perth couple who sold their successful adventure gear brand Sea to Summit a few years ago. POST

World champion surfer Jack Robinson has price expectations of mid-$3millions for his Gnarabup house with ocean views.

Auctioneer Mark Whiteman in front of 100 interested onlookers at the auction of a Cottesloe house that was knocked down to $2.96million.

Former church gains new glory

The wait is over –Wembley’s former Uniting Church has ﬁnally hit the market after a bigbudget renovation that has transformed the 1941 building into a contemporary home with a rooftop terrace.

There has been plenty of interest in the renovation, especially from locals who have watched the tradies come and go for more than a year.

The church had been on the market for 151 days before a developer bought it for $1.85million in 2023 (Deal struck on heritage church, Changing Hands, November 11, 2023).

The original 941sq.m site was subdivided into two survey strata sites.

The developer commissioned design and drafting company Studio W to draw up the plans for the renovation, which involved completely gutting the

interior but keeping the facade and stained-glass windows.

Craig Gaspar of DUET Property said there would be no home opens for the property, which he called a Wembley icon.

“Home opens in this market can get quite claustrophobic so we are

giving genuine buyers an appointment time,” Mr Gaspar said. “We ﬁnd this a much better way of spending time with each buyer.”

The price guide for the four-bedroom and twobathroom home is $2.6million to $2.8million.

Mr Gaspar is marketing it as Grigg House, in a nod

to the foundation stone out the front which states:

“This stone was laid to The Glory of God by Miss Mildred Grigg, March 15 1941. Rev. WG Hyde”.

Miss Grigg was a prominent member of the Methodist congregation, after starting the Wembley Sunday School from a pri-

For Lease

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the exclusive leasing agents at CBRE. Secure Your Position Within One of Perth’s Most Tightly Held and Affluent Retail Precincts WA 6011, Cottesloe: Shop 3, 12-18 Nepoleon Close

Fred Clohessy 0408 094 978 fred.clohessy@cbre.com

vate home in 1917.

Cambridge council’s heritage register says she was pivotal in fundraising efforts to build the church in Pangbourne Street.

It became the Uniting Church in 1977 when three churches combined.

The “before” photo of the interior shows what it was like when development company Top Tier Builds took on the big project.

The renovation, with earthy tones, curves and neutral finishes, has managed to walk the line between past and present in a stylish way.

Behind double front doors is a light-ﬁlled home with parquet ﬂoors, plenty of storage, dormer windows

and a mezzanine level with three bedrooms.

The surprise package is the main bedroom on the ground ﬂoor.

What looks like a white scallop wall panel is a concealed door that opens to the spacious room with stained-glass windows, an ensuite and walk-in robe.

The main living area opens to a north-facing alfresco area with a staircase that leads up to the rooftop terrace.

Things you will love

Character and modern

Rooftop terrace

Neutual ﬁnishes

CONTACT: Craig Gaspar 0413 929 999.

■ The former 1941 Uniting Church has been resurrected into a contemporary family home with all the bells and whistles.

■ There are many curves in the home, including in the balustrades above the kitchen.

■ Indoors merge with outdoors in the north-facing living area.

■ This is what the interior of the church looked like when a developer bought it in 2023.

REFRIGERATION

PLASTERING

Reg: 101766

•Immediate start

•Residential and commercial work

• Inside and outside

• Old and new house

•Roof repair and painting

•All types of painting, ceilings, walls, doors, skirting etc

•All work to your satisfaction

REMOVALS

Local Plumber & Gas Fitter

Go fishing on NDIS cash

evidence provided, and in line with their assessed support needs and the NDIS Act,” a spokesperson said.

Mr Dewar’s Wembley-based occupational therapist, who assessed him for an NDIS plan in 2022, said he needed psychological help and recommended that it be included in his plan.

“He really, really struggles, even hearing noises of people,” the therapist said.

“His only consideration at the moment is his dog.”

The therapist said $102,000 in funding for fishing or any social events was a waste.

“He can’t begin to integrate into the community or anything like that, because he needs psychological counselling first,” she said. “Until he’s got that, the rest of it’s just useless.”

The therapist helped Mr Dewar appeal his plan, but the matter stalled when the Administrative Review Tribunal said he had to appear via video, which he would not do.

The NDIS has made a counteroffer with increased mental health support but the therapist

said it took too long and was not sufficient to help him properly.

She said there was a systemic issue with NDIS assessments, often leading to overfunding or underfunding.

“It’s like they’re just still treating it as a negotiation, rather than seeing what this person actually needs,” she said.

“A lot of the initial reports in the process are written by their clinicians, who I’m sure are very good at treatment, but they’re not very good at writing medical reports.

“They don’t define it enough.”

Swan cruelty caught in red tape

• From page 5

Locals said they tell fishers to leave when they see people with fishing rods and bags of bread at the lake.

Churchlands resident Sam Curry said it was common to see several groups with fishing gear at the lake every weekend.

“The situation with not having any area of government taking responsibility for the lake is a huge problem,” he said.

Mr Curry said he had seen

several groups with fishing gear at the lake during the long weekend.

“No protection means rapid destruction,” he said.

The red tape that kept Stirling out of the park meant that a vast bureaucratic effort was required to install a much-needed dog poo bin a few years ago.

Herdsman Lake is described on the DBCA website as a “wetland oasis in the heart of Perth’s metropolitan area”.

Poison ‘juice’ costs restaurateur $60,000

• From page 10

Health officers noted the bar was in a “disorganised state” after the incident.

“The issue is the conduct of your client (Mr Angiuli) in leaving items outside in the al fresco area, and that not being the first time that occurred,” Ms Webb told Mr Johnson.

“I am satisfied that the accused failed to act with due diligence.”

Arguing for a reduced penalty, Mr Johnson said Mr Angiuli had been forced to sell the restaurant for a low price after the incident.

“Whilst he was very passionate about being a chef and the owner of the restaurant, given

the adverse publicity, that couldn’t continue,” he said.

Ms Webb fined Mr Angiuli and his company a combined $40,000 and ordered him to pay $19,944 in prosecution costs.

Outside court, the Lemin parents said they were satisfied by the sentence.

“It was horrific,” Ms Lemin said.

“As parents, seeing your children like that, knowing that this was an emergency and we didn’t know what the outcome would be, was just awful.

“We hope that everyone in the hospitality industry learns from this so it doesn’t happen again.”

Mr Angiuli said nothing as he left court.

Fight for our sight, doctor urges

• From page 11

the injection and being able to get a regular appointment.”

The change would mean that patients unable to find or afford to see a private medical specialist would turn to public hospitals.

“It will completely overwhelm the hospital system,” he said.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said he had put a pause on the reclassification of eye injections “as a result of the concern and the feedback” he had received.

“I want better clinical advice,” he said.

“I’m not going to have a situation where people are going to be paying out-of-pocket costs, big, or increased out-of-pocket costs, for what is an absolutely vital service for them.”

Neds hopefuls feet to the fire

• From page 5

telling the crowd the community needed to “suck it up for the greater good”.

“I could have gone very quiet on this and followed the line that many of you want to hear,” he said.

Other Hollywood ward candidates Helen Grzyb, Henry Kemp and Ben Hodsdon – one of the councillors who resigned – were absent.

Moderator Max Hipkins said Dr Grzyb and Mr Hodsdon had sent apologies and were out of the state, while Mr Kemp –who did not provide a phone number or email in his nomination statement – could not be contacted.

Mr Hodsdon, a council veteran who has served since 2003, copped a not-so-subtle dig from local Ken Perry.

“Would you run again if you had been on council for 23 years?” he asked Ms Kristensen and Mr Ruscoe.

“If I had been part of the situation that has arisen now, I would probably step aside,” Ms Kristensen said.

Fergus Bennett, another of the resigned councillors, is running for mayor and his old Dalkeith ward seat.

He passionately defended his part in the events that led to the council being sacked.

“It was clear the council needed to be reset, and I did the right thing,” he said.

“It actually took a lot of courage and integrity.”

He said voters should pick candidates willing to “stick [their] neck out”, not just get along.

“We don’t want a council of all like-minded people … that rubber stamp administration’s recommendations and just agree with the state government,” he said.

Rebecca Coghlan, a Melvista ward councillor who lost her seat when the council was dismissed, said Nedlands’ former executive team should shoulder some of the blame for the dysfunction.

“You have to understand that it’s not always the fault of the council,” she told the crowd.

“We can only act on the information that comes up to us, and we were kept in the dark.”

She said auditors RSM Australia had raised serious concerns about the state of the City’s finances with senior staff long before it was reported to councillors.

“Being a councillor is not for the faint-hearted,” she said.

If Mr Bennett is not elected mayor, he will face fellow Dalkeith residents Charles Pan, Ian Robinson, Dada Su and Jenny Matthews in the race for two ward seats.

All but Ms Su attended the forum.

Ms Matthews, a former director general of the Department of Local Government, spruiked her experience in the sector.

“I’ve seen what works well and what doesn’t, and I’ve also seen the impact on communities when governance breaks down,” she said.

Mr Pan, an engineer who owns an oyster farm in Shark Bay, highlighted his business credentials.

needed to be “pragmatic” in the face of its “catastrophic financial position”.

“Trying to run a City based on emotions is a luxury which at the moment we can’t afford,” he said.

Mr Leonhardi, who is running for mayor and Melvista ward, firmly ruled out asset sales.

“Once an asset is gone, it’s gone forever,” he said.

“Our responsibility is to maintain what we have, fix what’s broken, and ensure our assets serve our community, not disappear from it,” he said.

We don’t want a council of all like-minded people ‘ ’

“I understand how to manage every dollar – to make smart, responsible financial decisions,” he said.

Mr Robinson, a former executive at technology giant IBM, said Nedlands should consider sharing facilities with neighbouring councils to cut its ballooning budget deficit.

He pointed to the Grove Library, a joint venture between Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park councils.

“By pooling their resources, they get an excellent library,” he said.

“I do think all of the assets need to be reviewed and not left to crumble.”

Asset selloffs were one of the few points of difference between candidates, with some ruling them out and others leaving the door open.

Nedlands’ most valuable assets are the library and council chamber sites on Stirling Highway, and the Dalkeith Hall site.

Melvista ward candidate Rajah Senathirajah, a former council finance manager and an ex-councillor who lost his seat in 2023, said Nedlands

Mr Coleman, a public policy research scholar for the Institute of Public Affairs, artfully pointed out that he was the only Melvista ward candidate who was not a retiree.

“I have maybe a unique insight that I can bring … because I am relatively early in my career,” he said.

The mayoral candidates largely refrained from attacking each other, but Ms Browner made it clear she would not support Mr Bennett or Ms Coghlan in their ward races.

“I believe that we need all fresh, new councillors,” she said.

Ms Browner said her priority would be to hire a new CEO who could fix the finances and improve staff morale.

“We need a psychologically strong workplace if the City of Nedlands is to confront the challenges that it faces,” she said.

Nineteen candidates are vying for positions at the March 28 election, up from just nine last time.

“It’s great to see so many people standing up, willing to represent us, especially when at the moment it feels like a bit of a sinking ship,” a woman in the front row told the candidates.

Council acts on beachside speed limit

By JACK MADDERN

A WA Health spokesperson said it was “difficult to assess” the extent to which the proposed reclassification would impact the public health system.

“The Australian Government has delayed its decision and has not confirmed any changes to the hospital insurance classification for eye injections, pending further stakeholder consultation,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Butler would be looking “very closely” at the issue before making a decision later this year.

Intravitreal injections go directly into the vitreous cavity (the gel-like substance that comprises the interior of the eye).

The Lions Eye Institute was established in 1983 and is considered to be a global centre for first-class scientific research into the prevention of blindness.

A petition to drop the speed limit to 30kmh on a stretch of road along Leighton Beach in North Fremantle won unanimous support from Fremantle councillors.

About 80 residents and Leighton Beach visitors signed a petition calling for the speed limits on Leighton Beach Boulevard and the Fremantle Loop roads to be reduced by 10kmh.

Petition leader Daren Bracewell said the beach had become a victim of its own success, drawing in crowds and foot traffic beyond what the local roads could tolerate.

A council officer’s report also noted residents were concerned that the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closure would redirect traffic onto these local roads.

To make roads safe for everyone, Mr Bracewell’s petition persuaded

A new 30kmh speed for Leighton Beach Boulevard hopefully will keep residents and visitors safe from local traffic.

Main Roads and Fremantle to lower the speed limit, which will take effect on April 6.

North Fremantle ward councillor Melanie Clarke backed Mr Bracewell’s petition at both council meetings in February.

“It’s really good when a member of our community notices a problem and proposes a solution.”

Councillor Andrew Sullivan not only agreed but also credited

Main Roads for their response to the local community safety concerns.

“I wanted to, on a very rare occasion, thank Main Roads for actually being so willing to support the community in the response they want to see,” he said.

“Hopefully, it heralds a new beginning for Main Roads.”

Main Roads said it would also front the costs of the new signage.

Wayne lived an active life before his complex PTSD caught up to him.

Anthony Von Leonhardi Fergus Bennett Leonie Browner

Kat call for coach hunt

THE Sporting

Simon Katich is set to coach a senior West Australian cricket team this year.

And no matter how well he goes as a locum in the West Indies in July, WA Cricket could do a lot worse than attempt to convince Katich, who was born, bred and played his first Test

from Perth, to nominate for the State coaching vacancy that will appear when Adam Voges retires this month.

Current assistants Beau Casson and Tim MacDonald are the top seeds for a job that will entail rebuilding WA’s stocks in the aftermath of their slide to the bottom of the Sheffield Shield ladder after a hat-trick of wins earlier this decade.

There are plenty of credible cricket figures around the country, and the world, who will not pursue the position because it does not include the Perth Scorchers, the Big Bash League juggernaut that dominates so

Hardy soul has Phillip Island knees-up

A season marred by a knee injury has not stopped WA’s Willow Hardy, who bounced back into the winner’s circle at the 2026 Phillip Island Pro junior qualifying series comp this week.

Hardy was on fire in the small 60cm peaks at the Victorian event and was the surfer to beat after claiming the highest heat total in the quarter-finals of the women’s division.

Her reliable backhand attack down the line of a long right-hander earned a 7.25 out of a possible 10, the best number of the final.

Hardy, 19, had a close call in the semi-final to narrowly avoid elimination after drawing a non-priority interference at the beginning of the heat.

“The second I dropped in I knew I’d interfered,” she said.

“I don’t even know what happened.

“It was my first ever interference, but I think it was non-priority, so I kind of knew I could still have a chance to get through.

“I just tried not to get too rattled.

“I felt bad, I was like, should I say sorry to this girl?

“It was all a bit weird, I just burned her, so happy I managed to scrape through.”

Hardy said she was super stoked to win the stacked final.

“I love this place, I’ve have had the best week and taking the win was icing on the cake,” she said.

The win marks just the second WSL win of Hardy’s career following a 2024 Pro Junior victory at home in WA.

Hardy qualified for her first year on the Challenger Series and this win will help maintain her momentum on the second-tier qualifica-

much of WA’s attention and resources.

Voges will remain at the helm of the Scorchers and seek to add to the 10 trophies he has won at Shield, one-day and BBL levels.

But Katich, who has had a profound impact in his various roles in WA ranks since he started as a tough and influential batsman 30 years ago, is the sort of change agent who could right WA’s listing ship in the longer forms.

His assignment will not be announced officially until next week, but Katich is set to coach the Scorchers at the Global Super League in Guyana in July.

Voges is not available, due to The Hundred coaching commitments in England, while several prominent Perth players like Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly may be required for Test duties against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay.

And Mitch Marsh, Finn Allen, Laurie Evans, Ashton Turner, Aaron Hardie and Ashton Agar all have either signed or nominated for The Hundred.

A mirror of the Champion’s League tournaments once held in India and South Africa, where Katich’s frustration at the Scorchers’ lack of professionalism led to the upheaval that brought in Justin Langer as coach and prompted a decade of remarkable success, the GSL will pit five domestic T20 premiership teams against each other in a 10-day carnival.

The tournament is the brainchild of Guyanese president Irfaan Ali, who wants his country to regain the cricket standing that once made it a mandatory stop for visiting Australian teams.

Guyana’s famous Bourda Recreation Ground was once the home of stars like Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd and Lance Gibbs, all record-breaking players from an era when West Indies cricket was noted for its flamboyance and substance.

tion process for the world championship tour. In local news, City Beach Surf Rider Jaxon Crocker said a club comp would be held at either City Beach or Floreat groyne this Saturday, March 7. An under-15 division is also planned with heaps of prizes on offer.

It also hosted Australia in several memorable Tests, including the 1978 match when WA’s Graham Wood and Craig Serjeant scored maiden centuries in a pulsating win, as well as a World Series Cricket Supertest notable for a violent crowd invasion that forced players to hide inside gear lockers in the changerooms.

Bourda, which first hosted first-class cricket in 1885, has been out of action for years, but Guyana has three other cricket stadiums under construction.

Former WA spinner Jamie Stewart, a pioneering cricket figure instrumental in the establishment of the Caribbean Premier League – alongside the Indian Premier League the only global T20 tournament to actually make money – is a director of the CSL.

Now based in Delhi, he has just returned from Guyana and is bullish about the country’s prospects as it builds on its status as the world’s fastestgrowing economy.

“The [Guyanese] population is hugely passionate about cricket but, as part of the wider West Indies structure spread across several countries, it becomes hard to schedule high-level cricket in any coherent way,” he told Sporting POST.

“Dr Ali’s solution was for Guyana to create an event of its own.

“The event fits into the broader strategy of economic diversification [using oil revenue to develop other sustainable industries] which has tourism as a key pillar.

“Over 85% of Guyana’s green cover is virgin and intact [essentially Amazon rainforest] and it is looking to develop a vibrant sports tourism and ecotourism sector.

“It’s fair to say this tournament is a calling-card to the world from a vibrant and forwardthinking nation that had hitherto been little known.”

Stewart, who was a team-mate of Katich in their early years at WA before both players shifted to NSW, said the vision for a global tournament was unimaginable when they were playing.

“When you can think back to the 1990s, who would have imagined a WA team playing a tournament in South America against a bunch of teams from all over the world with $US1million on the line?” he said.

“Guyana has the world’s fastest-growing economy in 2026.

“It has the passion and the economic resources to ensure this event continues and thrives.

“It has a long-term title sponsor agreement with ExxonMobil and the full support of the Guyana government.

“The event also has the support of various boards and seeks synergies with the wider cricket ecosystem.

“And it allows for various teams and players to get international exposure that previously wasn’t possible.”

Now in its third year, the tournament is likely to include local team Guyana Amazon Warriors, who lost the CPL grand final last September, and Desert Vipers who won the UAE competition International League T20 in January.

Two more teams will be added in due course.

The concept is the same as the Champions League, which included the Scorchers in three consecutive events and provided this columnist with some of his most eventful times in a quarter of a century covering international cricket.

Numerous Scorchers players were pilloried for their colourful behaviour in South Africa in 2012, though Sydney Sixers captain Brad Haddin, whose star-studded team containing Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc cruised to victory, was always adamant that the Perth culprits had been maligned.

“We weren’t that much different off the field,” he said. “The only difference was that we won the tournament and the Scorchers lost.”

Katich used that behaviour to demand changes at the WACA and instigate the Langer era that pre-empted Voges’ golden run. Any chance that history could repeat?

John townsend

Nathan Coulter-Nile warming up at Newlands during the shambolic 2012 Champions League which led to the appointment of Justin Langer as WA coach.

Steel and silk … Simon Katich in his Scorchers days.

Western Australia’s Willow Hardy won the second World Surf League Pro Junior qualifying series comp of her career at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island in Victoria this week. Photo: WSL/Hughes

surfing with cameron bedford-brown

Jamie Stewart is a Global Super League director.

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 Postcode

Phone number:

What have you drawn?:

Vouchers will be mailed and valid for 4 weeks.

Gabrielle Stevenson, Dhriti Tripathi, Molly Grandison, Sophia Bhar, Lyla Dallimore, Gabrielle Heredia, Emilia Lee, Stella Melders, Elsie Delamotte.

Fun, fur and ﬂippers

I have no idea how ﬁve white rabbits would ﬁnd their way to the ocean to make friends with a dolphin, but I’m prepared to suspend disbelief for Signe Hallbeck’s lovely winning drawing this week. Signe, 8, from Floreat, has drawn such a joyous and colourful picture of rabbits jumping off a smiling dolphin, it just made me smile.

Our other main winner is Patrick Momen, 8, from Dalkeith,

who drew another fun and playful picture of children playing on a fantastical slide. It’s full of colour and movement. There were lots of heartwarming pictures this week, with plenty of dolphins, whales and birds, like Stella’s serene pelican, Lyla’s orca, Dhriti’s jumping whale and ﬁve-year-old Gabrielle’s sea of butterﬂies and a net. And happy fourth birthday to another Gabrielle, who drew a lovely rainbow.

Q. Why did the dolphin blush?

A. Because it saw the ocean’s bottom!

Q. What did the grape say when the elephant stepped on it?

A. Nothing. It just let out a little wine!

Q. What did the chicken say to the duck when the duck was about to cross the road?

A. “Don’t do it! They will never let you forget it!”

Q. Why did the scientist put a knocker on his front door?

A. the no-bell prize!

Tongue twister

Lucky little lambs licking lollipops.

Sweet Potato and Apple Fritters

This might seem like a weird combination, but these two ingredients make delicious fritters that are healthy and perfect for lunchboxes. Give it a go!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 500 grams sweet potato

• 2 large sweet (Galla or Pink Lady) apples, grated

• 1 egg

• 1 cup self-raising our

• ½ teaspoon ground sage (or cinnamon to make them even sweeter)

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil for frying

Have a go and colour the dog.

WHAT TO DO

• Peel and dice the sweet potato and cook until soft enough to mash.

• Grate the apple into the mashed sweet potato.

• Add the sage, seasoning, our and egg.

• Mix to combine well.

• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

• Fry tablespoonfuls of the mixture over medium-high heat until golden. Flip when browned on one side to cook on the other side.

• Drain on paper towels. Serve hot or cold.

• These patties will keep in the fridge and can also be frozen.

Q. What’s old, grey and still hiding in the cupboard?

A. A hide-and-seek champion!

Q. Where are whales weighed?

A. At a whale weigh station!

Head to postnewspapers.com.au and lodge your classiﬁed online or drop by our o ce at 276 Onslow Rd, Shenton Park.

Patrick Momen (8)

Signe Hallbeck (8)

Stella Boni,

At Humphrey Homes, every home we design and build begins with listening. We take the time to understand your vision, your lifestyle and your budget - then shape that insight into thoughtful spaces that are beautifully crafted. By seamlessly integrating architecture, interior design and construction, we make creating your forever home harmonious, effortless and deeply personal. To start the conversation, call Dean Humphrey on 9284 5444.

Finalist