POST Newspapers 11 April 2026

Chaos chic too shabby for Claremont

“Reasonably-priced

By JACK MADDERN

A century-old Claremont business’s attempt to return to its suburb of origin has been snubbed because its “op-shop vibe” was not chic enough for the St Quentin Avenue strip.

Claremont Drapers will turn 112 this year but will not make it to 113 unless they find a new home next month when their Cottesloe lease expires.

Owner Mary Gatica-Evans inquired about moving into a vacant shop on St Quentin Avenue but was rebuffed by the leasing agent.

“They said they want the next tenant to be like the people across the road, those great big high-end expensive stores,” she said.

“I said I could do that, I could put one dress in the window, put the price up 10 times and fancy rocks around the base. They didn’t go for it.”

Axia Corporate Property agent Ric Olivieri confirmed Ms Gatica-Evans’ claim and said the landlord wanted the new tenant to complement the neighbouring high-end fashion shops.

“They are looking for high street fashion, a brand, a label,” he said.

“We want to be complementary to our streetscape as opposed to just putting anyone in for the sake of the dollars.”

Ms Gatica-Evans agreed that her shop has the energy and facade of an op-shop, and often had to correct young thrifters who stumbled upon it.

“One person from America said it’s the most organised chaos she’d ever seen,” she said.

“I’d describe the store as being comfortable.

“We do reasonably priced things for normal people.”

Claremont Drapers was a Bay View Terrace landmark for decades after opening in 1914.

Former owner Norm Palmer sold the shop to Ms Gatica-Evans 26 years ago.

Chesty Bond as she faces the nal hurdle to keep her institution, Claremont Drapers, alive.

She is now looking for a successor to keep the business alive, but said it might be challenging to

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Neighbours sue over Nedlands land

By BEN DICKINSON

Two Dalkeith residents have taken Nedlands council to the Supreme Court over allegations it mishandled a councillor’s townhouse development.

Former CEO Keri Shannon approved a building permit for the development over the objections of planning staff, according to documents filed with the court by Alexander Road resident Rex Hubbard.

Architect Blane Brackenridge was a Melvista ward councillor when he designed a complex of four townhouses for Alexander Road landowners Josephine and Carmen La Cava in 2022.

In a writ filed with the Supreme Court last week, Mr Hubbard and his wife Kylie Hubbard allege that Ms Shannon unlawfully allowed construction works to continue on the La Cavas’ site for months after its planning approval expired in June last year.

“Throughout late June and early July 2025, my wife and

my neighbours made numerous complaints to the Minister for Local Government and regulatory bodies regarding governance and decision-making within the city,” Mr Hubbard wrote in an affidavit.

Planning officers finally issued a stop-work order in October, barely a week after Ms Shannon went on indefinite leave in the wake of a confidential performance review.

Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Hubbards

and lodged in court show that planning officers strongly counselled against allowing works at the Alexander Road site to continue but were overruled by a superior, whose name was redacted.

One officer made a detailed file note of a June 2025 meeting with the superior, who they said “demanded that we issue the building permit”.

According to the file note, officers advised against issuing the building permit because it was highly unlikely the La Cavas could achieve “substantial commencement” of the build before the planning approval was due to expire days later.

“[Redacted] was advised that the City should hold off issuing a building permit until the applicant [obtains] approval for an ‘extension of time’ application,” the unnamed officer wrote.

“[Redacted] insisted that the building permit be issued despite the advice.”

One of the officers ordered to

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Bunnings new build full to overflowing

It isn’t just the budget for the new Subi Bunnings that has expanded (New Subi Bunnings to cost $99m, POST, March 21).

Now that work has begun, the site has taken over the footpath, verge and a third of the Hay Street roadway.

I will be surprised if the delivery of materials and concrete pours don’t encroach further into Hay Street and surrounding roads.

In the interests of transparency, can we know how much the builders are paying to rent this considerable area of public real estate and to compensate for the inconvenience they are causing during the building works?

Why are they unable to complete the work within the envelope of the land they bought?

Geo Dobb Mere View Way, Subiaco

Choke point ... The fence around the Bunnings construction site envelops the footpath and verge. A line of witches hats extends across part of the Hay Street roadway. Photo: Lloyd Gorman

Preferences not so bad

Don’t like the result, change the system! That’s the message from Daniel Johnston in his letter (Bigger issues than beach plastics, POST, April 4) suggesting Kate Chaney isn’t representing her constituents.

She won on preferences, he says, so let’s change to first past the post (FPTP) voting.

Ironically, it was a conservative government that changed Australia’s system from FPTP to preferential voting in 1918 when Labor won Swan after the Nationalist and the Country Party split the conservative vote.

That’s something for the Liberals to think about with the surge of support for other conservative candidates in the recent South Australia election. FPTP entrenches a two-party system, which isn’t working for us these days, and of more concern returns candidates winning only a minority of the vote.

At the last federal election only 11 seats were won on first preferences, meaning a FPTP system would have seen 139 candidates elected with fewer than half of the votes cast – a blow to participatory democracy.

Empty homes skew housing market

Letters from Richard Yin (YIMBYism is not a political problem) and Craig Roger (Prioritise the ‘interests of the unlanded’ in housing debate) in last week’s POST identify the genuine anguish of young people locked out of housing equity.

They should not have to settle for a hot black-roofed box on the edge of Perth, far from amenities, employment and greenery.

Political parties blame immigrants (One Nation, the Coalition) or local councils and NIMBYs (WA Labor) for the housing crisis.

One little-examined issue is the high vacancy rates accompanying Australia’s massively inequitable distribution of properties and market-distorting

taxation system. Data from census night in August 2021 showed about one in 10 dwellings across the state were unoccupied.

One in every seven homes in Cottesloe, Claremont and Crawley were empty.

A study that found at least 2500 Australian investors have a stake in 10 or more rentals found also that landlords with 20 or more properties were the only cohort to return a loss in the 2021-22 financial year.

Instead of the distracting attacks on western suburb residents as NIMBYs, the State Government should introduce a vacancy tax, as has been done in Victoria, and which, with other measures, has held property prices steady

Chilla Bulbeck Broome Street, Cottesloe

Full marks for pharmacy

Next, Mr Johnston will be wanting to get rid of the other great feature of Australian elections and another conservative government adoption, compulsory voting, by making voting voluntary. Oh, and as to his complaint (based on a single newspaper article) that Kate Chaney is focused on “green” issues to the exclusion of others, it doesn’t take much searching to see that at any given time she is advocating on a wide range of issues for her constituents.

Because I am a “silent elector” on the electoral roll I ask that my street name is not-for-publication.

Cyclists need road facility

Nick Yiannopoulos (Cycle sport endangers life on public roads,Letters, April 4) is correct in saying that cycling is currently a sport played on public roads, creating conflict with other road users and significant safety concerns. What he does not address is why this is happening. The simple reason is that there is currently in Perth no accessible closed road facilities for the sport of road cycling.

In 2021 a local cycling club proposed a closed road circuit at Perry Lakes. The then Mayor of Cambridge refused to meet the club to discuss the proposal and opposition from 17 local residents was sufficient to stop what would have provided a safe accessible place for the sport of road cycling. It has taken the State Government to include a closed road facility as part of the Perth Park project. Until that happens, other road users will need to share the road with those engaged in the sport of cycling.

I’d like to give a shout-out for Terry White Pharmacy in Broadway Fair, Nedlands.

On Saturday March 28 I went to the pharmacy to buy cough mixture and pain killers because I was feeling ill.

The caring pharmacist picked up that I ought to see a doctor, easier said than done on a Saturday afternoon.

She rang around local surgeries herself and managed to get me an appointment.

It turns out I had pneumonia, but thanks to her efforts I was able to get on to the right drugs quickly. Thank you!

(Please withhold my street name, as there are people I am hoping to avoid.)

Lind Sarson Nedlands

Strange saga of Matilda ‘bomb’ Bay

By LLOYD GORMAN

A curious tale has emerged about a wartime item – believed to be a naval mine – taken by authorities from Matilda Bay in the 1980s.

It followed a report in the POST about American weapons being dumped in Matilda Bay by the crews of Catalina flying boats based at Royal Perth Yacht Club for much of World War II.

Kevin Smyth, a retired Royal Australian Air Force squadron leader and expert on the Catalina base, said it was common practice for crews to simply dump unused munitions overboard.

The base had no rubbish dump.

The Catalinas were longrange patrol aircraft equipped with heavy machine guns, sea mines, depth charges, bombs or torpedoes.

The latest revelation came about as the result of a conversation between Shenton Park woman Roslyn Barker and her ex-husband Charlie Salamon after Ferry time bomb was published on February 14.

“My husband at the time, Charlie was working as a CALM ranger at Matilda Bay in the 1980s, which was where they had their main offices,” Roslyn

told the POST.

“He came home one day around 1987 and I distinctly remember he found a big unused bullet on the shore at Matilda Bay.

“It must have been from one of the Catalinas.

“He did tell me he was working out on Matilda Bay and saw something floating in the water that he thought from a distance was a buoy.

“When he got closer, he realised it was metal, and it looked like it had spikes on it so he reported it. He doesn’t know if it was defence or police that came to take it away.”

Mr Salamon verified what his former partner had said.

“I can’t add to what she has already told you,” he said.

Matilda Bay will be the location of a new ferry terminal with a 140m jetty that will need multiple piles driven into the riverbed.

The Public Transport Authority confirmed a magnetometer survey of the proposed construction area was carried out this year.

Magnetometer technology can be used to detect disruptions in the earth’s magnetic field caused by buried or submerged metallic structures and unexploded bombs.

The results of the survey have not been released.

Warship salvage diver and explosives expert David Barnett said it was unlikely that munitions dumped in Matilda Bay could be recovered.

The Cottesloe man has had long experience installing and maintaining moorings in Matilda Bay.

The bay has a solid sandy

Petrol thieves strike Bold Park

By JEN REWELL

The fuel emergency appears to have sparked criminal behaviour with an early morning visitor to Bold Park reporting that petrol was siphoned from his parked car.

The local man said the petrol was stolen while he was walking in bushland between 5.30 and 6.30am on Tuesday.

A police spokesperson encouraged people to report incidents or any suspicious behaviour.

“Early reporting helps police allocate resources effectively,” the spokesperson said.

People should avoid confrontation and put personal safety first, and then share information with police when it was safe and appropriate to do so, they said.

If an incident had already occurred, reports could be made on 131 444 or to local police stations.

Unleaded petrol was $2.27 in Mosman Park on Wednesday and advertised as dropping to $2.19 on Thursday – a $4 saving on a 50L buy.

Diesel was advertised at $3.29 in Swanbourne and $3.26 in Jolimont.

The Government’s fourstage fuel security plan is at “step two”, meaning there was localised supply disruption.

bottom close to shore, then a uniform depth of about five metres in the mooring area where the terminal’s 140m jetty would protrude, he said.

But the river bottom in the mooring area had thick, cloying mud to a depth of 4-5 metres, the deepest mud in the Swan River.

Unexploded ordnance there would be impossible to retrieve, he said.

It was likely that Catalina crews had dumped unwanted munitions in the bay.

“In wartime, ordnance was

dumped in waterways all over the world,” he said.

“The thinking was that the enemy could arrive at any moment and there was not a second to lose.”

Tonnes of ordnance was left under a wartime Catalina base at Madang Harbour in New Guinea.

It was on solid sea floor directly in front of a hotel but later was removed by clearance divers.

Mr Barnett said normal practice when dumping live ordnance

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■ Ferry talks, page 18

Nine stations across WA were reportedly out of diesel fuel on Wednesday, and five out of unleaded.

Level three of the state’s plan would occur if there were supply disruptions.

It would require people to “adopt voluntary practical measures to limit fuel use”.

Level four would “require government action to ensure critical users are protected”.

Coming down to earth

THE listening Graffiti unleashed at Scotch fields

A vandal has used graffiti to label as “Zionist” Scotch College’s new on-leash dog policy at its playing fields adjacent to Lake Claremont.

“To the Zionists of Claremont, always was and always will be public land,” the graffiti said.

Scotch principal Alec O’Connell introduced the weekday on-leash policy last year in response to dogs disrupting school operations.

The vandal said the space was mostly empty.

Death of a POST founder

Bettye Christian in the POST’s early days.

Bettye Christian, a co-founder of the POST newspaper in 1977, died this week.

She died in care in North Fremantle after a long illness.

Ms Christian trained as a graphic artist in Brisbane before moving to Sydney then to Subiaco with her partner, Bret.

They established an art studio in Churchill Avenue and from there launched the first of four editions of the POST.

They separated in the late 1980s after which Bettye went on to become successful in other businesses.

She leaves a son, Kim, and three grandchildren.

At last, overhead wires through Mt Claremont are coming down, replaced by underground power lines that have been installed over the past months. The long-awaited project that is taking away the ThirdWorld look from a big slice of the City of Nedlands will also see the wires disappear from Hollywood, at a total cost of $23.9million. The cost is being met by the council, $7million, residents $7million and Western Power $9.8million. Local Lee Tate photographed the historic operation near his home in Lisle Street, Mt Claremont on Wednesday.

This quenda didn’t let passing dogs upset its dinner plans.

No qualms for quenda quest

A courageous quenda foraged for grubs within metres of dogs at Lake Claremont recently.

Local Dom Blanke said she was walking her pomeranian puppy, Pumpkin, at the lake when she spotted the marsupial in the grass just outside the off-leash dog area.

“Pumpkin and other passing pups were very interested, but after having a snack on some grass, the quenda safely scuttled off back into the bushland,” Ms Blanke said. Quenda, also known as southern brown bandicoots, were reintroduced to Lake Claremont in 2022.

Claremont council recently received a 473-signature petition urging it to expand the off-leash dog area into the existing on-lead area, where the quenda was spotted.

Petition leader Graham Potter said the area was underutilised, but Friends of Lake Claremont coordinator Nick Cook said it was used for conservation.

PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

DOMINIQUE COIFFAIT

“We have used this space respectfully for decades,” the graffiti said. “Remove this insult.”

Scotch will clean the signs if graffiti is reported.

Scotch College signs have been targeted as part of a public campaign against on-leash dog areas.

Fuel hits rubbish collection

By LLOYD GORM AN

The increased cost of diesel fuel used in rubbish collection will be passed on to most western suburb councils by the Western Metropolitan Regional Council from this weekend.

The Subiaco-based WMRC handles the bulk of the dumping and disposal needs of member councils, including Subiaco, Claremont, Cottesloe and Mosman Park.

Several contractors who provide tip, recycling and related services for the body have already asked for their rates to go up “immediately” as the fuel crisis drags on.

The WMRC voted at a meeting in Peppermint Grove last week to bring in a new method of charging its members to meet increased fuel costs.

The report said the cost of diesel had risen by about $1 a litre since the start of the year, which had significantly increased

operating costs.

A complicated formula using the current and base Terminal Gate Price of diesel and other factors will now apply to member councils.

“WMRC contracts include provisions for cost indexation,” CEO Stuart Devenish said.

“Given the magnitude of recent increases in fuel prices and their significant impact on the transport industry, WMRC considers it appropriate to pass on a portion of these costs to members and customers.

“The use of the Terminal Gate Price provides a transparent and widely recognised index to reflect fuel cost movements.

“Applying this formula allows WMRC’s pricing to rise and fall in line with changes in fuel costs, ensuring charges remain fair, responsive and aligned with actual operating conditions.”

Member councils will decide individually if they will absorb the cost increases or pass them on to ratepayers.

By BEN DICKINSON

A Cottesloe documentary filmmaker is fighting to have her dog released from a pound after it was involved in three alleged attacks.

Bree Davies appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face 12 charges brought by the council, including two counts of dog attack or chase causing physical injury in Perth Street on September 1, 2024 and June 9, 2025.

Ms Davies has already pleaded not guilty to all charges, and told Chief Magistrate Steven Heath that she would represent herself at a full-day trial in August.

Two of the charges relate to attacks against another dog, and one to an attack on a person.

The council also alleges Ms Davies failed to comply with the terms of a dangerous dog declaration such as displaying signage on her property, confining the dog to an appropriate enclosure, and muzzling it when outside.

Lawyer for the Town of Cottesloe Peter Gillett told the court the council would call five witnesses.

“There’s a common witness to a number of different charges,” he said.

Ms Davies has challenged the dangerous dog declaration at the State Administrative Tribunal.

“While inspections and compliance steps are ongoing, he remains detained in a kennel environment he has historically not coped with,” she wrote in an online post.

“He has documented kennel anxiety, is elderly and has existing medical issues.

“My concern at this point is proportionality and welfare while due process continues.”

A two-day hearing at the tribunal is scheduled for late May.

Low-cost renters face long walks ‘Dangerous’ Cott dog on trial

By LLOYD GORMAN

A block of flats proposed for lower-income renters has no car bays but is much further from train stations than its government owners say.

They claim the tenants will not need cars because Daglish and Subiaco train stations are only 650 metres away.

But locals have measured the distances at 200 metres more.

“The [DA] is factually incorrect, the distances are wrong. It is flawed and inaccurate,” said a Wunderlich Road resident who made a detailed submission about the development.

The Subiaco Land Redevelopment Committee will meet on Monday to consider a Development WA project for 55 social and affordable units in a six-storey building at 566 Hay Street, near Lords Recreation Centre, with only bicycle bays for residents and four visitor parking spots.

State planners claim the $23.5million block of flats in Subiaco would be so close to two train stations it did not need residential carparking.

The development application claimed the building would be “well serviced” by local public transport links, including Daglish and Subiaco train stations, which it claimed were both 650m away.

“A 400m-800m walking catchment … is consistent with the WA Government’s Transit Oriented Development policies (that) high density developments should be within 800m of a high volume transport hub (such as a train station),” the resident said.

“The proposed DA does not comply with the Government’s own policies.”

The POST independently checked the distances and found similar results, with

a 900m (12 minutes) walk to Daglish and 800m (11 minutes) to Subiaco train stations.

The vast majority of the 62 submissions made by community members when the plans were advertised for public comment objected to the development on several grounds, including the lack of parking (Tenants to be told: Get on your bike, POST, January 31).

These proposed Subiaco ats on Hay Street are 800m away from Subiaco train station and 900m from Daglish. Development WA said they were 650m from the stations.

• Please turn to page 52

Tyre vandals strike 10 cars

Vandals punctured the tyres of several cars in Evans Street, Shenton Park during a late-night spree last month.

Police say 10 vehicles in Evans Street were damaged between 11pm on Friday, March 20 and 12.30am the following day “leaving the owners with significant repair costs”.

Anyone with CCTV, dash-cam footage or information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

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York Heritage Weekend

24th to 27th April 2026

ENJOY A WEEKEND OF COUNTRY HOSPITALITY, HERITAGE & MUSIC IN YORK

FRIDAY 24th:

Start your weekend at the free Family Concert, music and bush poetry in Avon park 6pm.

SATURDAY 25th:

Commemorate Anzac Day then explore York and have afternoon tea with Richard O en at the Town Hall talking on “The History of Photography”. Full programmes at the Visitor Centre and the Heritage Quiz, lots to do and see.

SUNDAY 26th:

Early morning blues concert with Kerry Riley at the Sandalwood Yards Avon Terrace $15 @Humani x or cash on the day.

A day of tours, fascina ng talks, Morris Dancers, parade of Penny Farthings, kid’s games, pain ng and pizza making and much more. Finish the evening at the Imperial Homestead to listen to Maggie’s Delight Bush Band.

MONDAY 27th:

Bus trip to Greenhills for a tour and to meet the new owners. $20 includes morning tea. Book at Humani x. Visit the Amana memorial at Se lers. Last chance to see the Penny Farthings and the Town Hall displays before making your way home.

A great family weekend with something for everyone. Enquiries to 0418 936 214 info@yorkheritageweekend. com.au

Merv and Betty fire their final

By LLOYD GORM AN

Merv and Betty Concanen have spent a combined 120 years happily shooting together but have recently hung up their rifles and retired as active members of the City of Subiaco Rifle Club.

Merv, 93, married Subiaco woman Betty, 89, in 1956 and joined the club two years later after asking a friend about it.

Betty joined him in 1974.

They were both club captain twice, and president, with Betty holding the role from 2024 until now.

“The City of Subiaco Rifle Club is a very social club and it’s a very friendly and welcoming sport on top of the challenge of shooting,” she said.

“All our friends are in the club.

“Every country range from Albany to Kalgoorlie has a prize meeting each year and you go away with your family in the caravan or camper, or meet up for lunches and that kind of thing.”

The rifle club was founded

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in 1915 and had its own club house at the Swanbourne range until 2014 when it was evicted by the army.

Merv was instrumental in helping it find a new home and range in Pinjar.

Betty said it was quite a change to go from the coastal location to the inland area but it had helped the club to survive and thrive.

There have been many changes to the sport since the

shots

Wembley couple got into target shooting.

“Back in the day you kept your rifle under the bed, slung it over your shoulder and cycled down to the range to fire a few shots,” Merv said.

“When I started target shooting an ex-army rifle cost two pound ten but the costs have escalated and it’s a question now of how much you can afford for your equipment.

“And rifles now have to be very carefully stored, transported and handled.

“It’s become a bit more difficult but it’s better, it keeps rifles out of the wrong hands.”

Betty agreed safety and security were paramount but said the nature of the sport was not the same as before.

“It’s different now, it’s not just that family thing anymore,” she said.

“Because of the firearm restrictions a club is a place to have a rifle licence.

“And to make sure they are shooters, they have to shoot six times a year.

•

Top chef fined for bottle assault

By BEN DICKINSON

One of Perth’s top chefs has admitted throwing an empty rum bottle that struck his de facto partner during a domestic violence incident in Shenton Park last year.

Liam Michael Atkinson was fined $1000 in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to the May 29 assault.

Atkinson, 44, is the co-founder and former head chef of highlyrated Mount Lawley bistro Le

Rebelle. A police prosecutor told Chief Magistrate Steven Heath that Atkinson and his 57-year-old partner were at home in Shenton Park when he “confronted” the woman about a breakdown in their relationship.

“The accused threw an empty Bundaberg bottle which struck the victim, causing her pain,” the prosecutor told the court.

Atkinson pushed the woman in the back as she ran out the door, the prosecutor said, before she escaped and sought treatment at

Stand’ In Room falls short in Claremont

By JACK MADDERN

Stand’ In Room’s second cafe in Claremont has failed because of broken promises by the council, its owner Paul Loiterton says.

He moved into the Bay View Community Centre in April 2024 with promises that it would be a thriving hub, and he would be able to upgrade the kitchen.

Neither of these had transpired, he said.

He signed a two-year lease with an option to renew but has chosen to close the doors four months before it expired.

“I feel that [Claremont] have been really terrible with this whole project,” Mr

Loiterton said.

“The council had a plan, they were going to build a garden, there was going to be this, there was going to be that.

“It was all going to take a couple of years, but that all disappeared.

“They said all this stuff, and then they turn around and say, ‘Well, we didn’t put anything in writing’.

“There were many decisions from day dot that I didn’t agree with.

“How they designed the building, I think was wrong.

“I believe there was no real consultation of the community in building a community centre.

“We signed up there before we even knew the library was going there.

“They said no to building some tennis or padel courts down there, which would have been a great asset to the community.”

Mr Loiterton said the cafe was stymied when a commercial kitchen was not included in the final design.

He had hoped to expand the cafe when his main outlet closed this year.

But the cafe has not operated since Christmas and is about to be vacated.

His original cafe in the main part of Bay View Terrace will close soon when work starts on the JJ Leach group’s hotel redevelopment this year.

The $618,000 renovation of the old bowling club building has been contentious since the club’s lease was not renewed (Vacant bowlo to get $600k facelift, POST, March 4, 2023).

This was followed by more community anger over a council decision made in secret to move the Claremont library to much smaller premises at the new centre from the church on Stirling Highway, near Hungry Jacks. (Anger as library shifts and shrinks, POST August 21, 2024).

Claremont recommended at last month’s meeting that councillors accept rent up to March, but councillor Graham Cameron moved that it be paid until this month or when the cafe moved out.

“We’re dealing with commercial leases on a council asset,” he said.

“We’ve got an obligation to maximise returns on behalf of the ratepayers.”

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

Atkinson’s lawyer, Corey White, told the court that his client had not intended to hit the woman with the bottle.

“He’s thrown the glass in the opposite direction and a shard of glass has bounced and hit her in the mouth,” Mr White said.

“He didn’t foresee it and didn’t intend it.”

Mr White said Atkinson was “deeply ashamed of his conduct” during the incident which had been “a significant wake-up call”.

“I’m seeking counselling, your honour,” Atkinson told Mr Heath. Police had charged Atkinson with aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm but dropped the bodily harm component in a plea deal. Mr Heath fined Atkinson $1000 and ordered him to pay $160 in prosecution costs.

“I accept what I’ve been told that it wasn’t a deliberate throw,” he said, but added that the consequences were “foreseeable”.

“It’s important not to let those emotions get the better of you.”

Subi Blooms x Gather 2026 to feature global floral powerhouses

Bryce Heyworth, founder and creative director of September Studio, is heading to Subiaco as part of the vibrant lineup of the 2026 Subi Blooms x Gather festival, taking place this Mother’s Day weekend from Friday 8 May to Sunday 10 May.

The Sydney-based florist, with an audience of more than 1.6 million Instagram followers, will team up with Perth florists Fox & Rabbit to create a showstopping installation or this year’s event.

Heyworth joins an exceptional program of local, national, and internationally acclaimed floral talent at this year’s festival, which is set to feature more than 15 floral installations bursting to life through Subiaco’s town centre.

This year’s festival has a ‘Floral Aurora’ theme, which will see Subiaco transformed into a luminous floral wonderland.

A never-before-seen blooms-by-night experience, thanks to Lotterywest and Festoon, will debut at the festival after dark, so all of the installations can be enjoyed into the evening.

City of Subiaco Mayor David McMullen said the festival’s continued growth reflects its rising profile as one of the state’s most loved cultural events.

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

Subi Blooms is presented by See Subiaco, a City of Subiaco initiative. For more, visit www.seesubiaco.com.au/subiblooms.

A quick monthly update from

We were pleased to welcome the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA to Subi recently, for a CCIWA member event.

More than just a chance for us to showcase our City as a backdrop for business networking, the event continues our ongoing efforts to attract and retain key industries as part of a thriving economy.

As this goes to print, I hope by now everyone in the community has had a great Easter; and families are enjoying the school holidays.

New partnership to improve mental health

The Subiaco Community Mental Health Service and Lords Recreation Centre have started a new partnership to encourage carers and participants in mental health groups to build healthy routines and reduce social isolation.

The partnership aims to highlight the benefits of community-based, preventative mental health care, and to work together to remove barriers to exercise.

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

Former Police Commissioner to visit library

A community safety talk with Dr Karl O’Callaghan, former Commissioner of Police for Western Australia, will be held at Subiaco Library on Friday 24 April from 6pm to 7.30pm.

During the session, Karl will share insights from his extensive career in law enforcement, including practical perspectives on community safety and the role individuals and communities can play in creating safer, more connected neighbourhoods.

Reserve your spot at this free session via www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events.

ANZAC Day in Subiaco

On 25 April each year, the Subiaco-Shenton Park sub-branch of the RSL hosts an ANZAC Day Procession and Service, supported by the City of Subiaco, to remember all Australian service men and women.

The procession sets off from the Shenton Park Community Centre at 7am, and concludes at the Fallen Soldiers Memorial at 8am where a special service will be held. For more information about both events, visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/events

Supercars are back in Subi Classic Cars & Coffee is bringing Supercar Sunday back to Subiaco on Saturday 19 April, with more than 120 supercars and hypercars set to take over Market Square Park for one of the City’s most popular motoring events.

From 9am, visitors can view the impressive line-up of cars up close, before the cars depart in a slow-moving convoy along Rokeby Road from 10.30am.

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

Draft Shenton Park Precinct Local Heritage Survey

The City is inviting public comment on the draft reviewed Shenton Park Precinct Local Heritage Survey, which covers the section of land bound by Railway Road, Nicholson Road, Thomas Street and Aberdare Road, Shenton Park.

The draft survey can be viewed on the City’s website via www.haveyoursay.subiaco.wa.gov.au

Any comments should be received by 5pm Monday 13 April.

Online services 24/7

Did you know you can access a wide range of City services online? These include requesting a new bin size, making a rates payment, tree pruning services and pet registration and renewal. Visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/online-services

Keep it social

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @cityofsubi to stay up to date.

$5m lifeline for Claremont lanes

By JACK MADDERN

Rundown Claremont lanes have been thrown a $5million lifeline to fix ownership and maintenance issues vexing local residents.

Claremont has 57 privatelyowned lanes, including several owned by people who died a century ago and whose identities are not known.

The lanes have deteriorated but attempts to repair them have been trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare.

Claremont council has proposed a 10-year solution to address the prohibition on spending money on private assets.

It suggested that the council could act if 70% of residents along a lane requested it be converted into a public road.

A trial is proposed in Cactus Lane where residents, including Elizabeth Cox, have been lobbying the council for the past 16 years.

Residents submitted a 32-signature petition to the council while Ms Cox lobbied State Government ministers for support.

“You don’t realise how much this means because I wrote letter after letter, [my husband] Richard wrote letters, and we never got a reply,” she said.

“It’s just an incredible difference.

“I’ve already said to the mayor that I’m very happy to help him where possible because we must get this over and get it done.”

Cactus Lane was torn up when it provided access for subdivided blocks to be developed, and it is pitted with potholes.

The lane is owned by a man who died in the 1890s.

Mayor Peter Telford ran for office last year on a platform of fixing the lanes.

“As a local government, we’ve actually got a duty to respond,” he said.

“It’s a credit to not only the community, but also the new council and the CEO, that we’ve been able to react within five months to get what has been a long-standing community designed to take action on laneways.

• Please turn to page 53

Supreme Court ends WALGA secrecy

By BEN DICKINSON

A powerful council lobby group that has operated out of public view for decades will be forced to hand over its records after a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The WA Local Government Association, which represents every council in the state and is funded by ratepayers, has long exerted a behind-the-scenes influence on the sector.

It has claimed to be a private organisation exempt from public disclosure laws, but

that argument was rejected by Supreme Court judge Marcus Solomon last week.

“WALGA … has a clear and substantial involvement with the process of government,” Justice Solomon ruled.

My Future Care

The Supreme Court challenge was brought by the Local Government Elected Members Association, headed by former Cottesloe councillor Sandra Boulter, after WALGA refused to release records relating to how it selects its many nominees to government boards.

Freedom of Information

Commissioner Catherine Fletcher ruled that WALGA was exempt from FOI laws because it was not a “public body”, but Justice Solomon overturned her ruling in his April 1 decision.

“Public bodies … are not

Introduction to Advance Care Planning Workshop

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

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

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

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

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

Register: Call 083863064, email Jonathan.Huston@ mp.wa.gov.au or use the QR Code below.

Spaces are limited, so registration is essential.

limited to arms of government,” Justice Solomon found.

Ms Boulter called the ruling “a significant victory for government transparency and accountability”.

“LGEMA hopes that this decision will persuade the Office of the WA Auditor-General to now undertake financial and performance audits of WALGA.” WALGA is derogatively referred to as “the club” by some councillors and councilwatchers, who claim it exists to

• Please turn to page 53

Scan the QR Code to book your spot

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

Please join me for a coffee: Saturday 18 April 9:30 am - 11:00 am 47 Kirwan Street Cafe, Floreat

APRIL 2026

BE PART OF SHAPING A HEALTHIER COTTESLOE!

Our Public Health Plan will guide how we support the health, lifestyle, and overall wellbeing of everyone who lives, works, and spends time here.

Join us on 24 April, 6pm-7pm at the War Memorial Hall for an engaging, interactive community workshop where we will:

-Discover the key insights from our recent Public Health Plan survey

-Help set the priorities that will shape our community’s future

-Share your ideas and feedback directly with Councillors

This is your chance to shape how we support the health, lifestyle, and wellbeing of everyone who lives, works, and spends time in Cottesloe. Don’t miss it - come along, get involved, and help create a healthier, more vibrant future for our community!

NATIVE SUBSIDY SCHEME 2026

The Native Plant Subsidy Scheme will be back for another year during May! To celebrate 20 years of partnering with local councils to offer the Subsidy Scheme, APACE WA are rolling out a full month of Saturday workshops with special guest speakers each week in May.

Autumn is also prime planting season, so support local and visit APACE Nursery to discover their wide range of WA native plants. APACE are open Tues - Sat | 8.30am–2.30pm at 1 Johannah St, North Fremantle. Visit them online at apacewa.org.au

NEVER BIN A BATTERY

Remember, batteries are a fire risk in bins, waste trucks and waste-sorting facilities. To keep our staff, yourself, and your neighbours safe, take your waste to the right place. Find your nearest drop-off point at wastesorted.wa.gov.au

BINDARING CLOTHING SALE IS BACK

The Australian Red Cross - Bindaring Clothing Sale is on Saturday 16 May. Entry is free and all profits go to fund WA Red Cross programs. Head to Claremont Showground (Robinson Pavilion) from 9am to 3pm to pick up a bargain or two! Find out more at bindaringsale.com.au

New Councillor sworn in

Congratulations to newly elected Councillor Kirsty Barrett, who officially joined the Town of Cottesloe Council following the 26 March 2026 Local Government Election.

Cr Barrett was formally sworn in at a ceremony held on 30 March at the Town of Cottesloe Council Chambers, marking the beginning of her term in office. She will serve the community through to October 2027.

The Town looks forward to Cr Barrett’s contribution and commitment to supporting the Cottesloe community.

ANZAC Day 2026 Service

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

The service includes the parade, raising of the flag, wreath laying, prayers, readings and the Last Post. Parade assembles at 6.45am at the South Gate (opposite Loma Street), Cottesloe Civic Centre.

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

COUNCIL MEETINGS

21 April – Agenda Forum

28 April – Ordinary Council Meeting

Council meetings at the Town provide a transparent and open forum where Councillors discuss local priorities, approve projects, and consider feedback from residents. You can get involved by asking a public question during question time or by making a deputation to contribute to a specific agenda item.

Council meetings are held at 6pm in the Council Chambers at Cottesloe Civic Centre. All are welcome to attend. The Agenda is available to view at cottesloe.wa.gov.au/ council-meetings

Downward dog dogs dog beach

By JACK MADDERN

An early-morning Mosman Park beach yoga class might be calming the minds of its hundreds of participants, but it is agitating residents and dog walkers.

Amy Flow uses loudspeakers and LED lights to run the $25-ahead dawn classes that have grown from a handful of people to more than 200 a session.

Resident Heather Low Choy said the yoga patrons had swamped the dog beach’s limited parking, left rubbish and caused loud noise from 5.30am.

“It was small and peaceful at first with six people doing pilates,” she said.

“Then it was a dozen, then 20 and then the sound systems started to come, so you saw it building and now it’s at 200.

“The [local cafe] Beach Bus and Amy Flow have thousands of followers on social media from outside the area who are all coming down.

Mosman Park residents are concerned that Amy Flow is running yoga classes that attract dozens of people to the local dog beach.

“Will we end up having a thousand-people events here?”

Ms Choy said she was told the noise was a police matter and that Mosman Park council told her dogs should be put on leashes if they were disturbed by the sound.

The council said beachgoers disturbed by the yoga business should move to another beach such as the off-lead dog beach at South Cottesloe.

“Music from the large doublespeaker sound system can be heard several hundred metres down the beach in both directions, starting from 5.30am,” Ms Choy said.

Her main gripes were the rubbish left behind and that Ms Flow could run such a big business in a public space.

“When they are there, it doesn’t feel like an evenly shared beach,” she said.

Mosman Park said no payment or booking was required to use the beach for events. There was no agreement with

Lane sale hangs on towers’ go-ahead

By LLOYD GORM AN

The sale of a hotly disputed council laneway owned by Subiaco council will only go through if and when the developer gets approval for a new project – likely to be some of the tallest towers in the area.

Perth group Sirona Urban has offered the City of Subiaco $840,000 for a 300sq.m section of Burley Lane, east of Sagar Lane, in the town centre.

After years of battling to keep its lane out of the hands of developer Sanur’s Barry Le Pley, the council voted in secret to advertise the deal for public comment until April 9 (Height bonus looms after secret sale, POST, March 28).

The advertised council notice said that “The Buyer must retain, preserve, restore, conserve and adapt the heritage buildings at 424-428 and 440 Hay Street, Subiaco in a way which

maintains their cultural significance in accordance with the Burra Charter 2013.

Mr Le Pley owns the row of intact shopfronts from the turn of the 20th century, but pushed for their demolition as part of a series of redevelopment proposals for the site, including Burley Lane.

Subiaco mayor David McMullen said the heritage buildings have a long history.

“The City has spent years working to prevent their

demolition and to ensure that they have not been allowed to fall into complete disrepair,” he said.

“The advertised proposal to sell a portion of Burley Lane is not automatic approval of any development.

“The notice approved by Council includes a reminder that the City is not restricting or fettering its discretion, or the exercise of its functions as a local government.

Make lights work better to move traffic easier

The article Red light runners rouse road review (POST, March 21) perhaps says more about poor traffic management than about misbehaving motorists.

Peak hour along Curtin Avenue in Cottesloe is a good case-in-point as the section of road between the Eric Street/ Curtin Avenue intersection and Claremont Crescent resembles a peak-hour parking lot with extremely congested traffic and frustrated drivers.

A major contributor to this congestion is the Grant Street pedestrian lights where every two or three minutes often just

one pedestrian activates the lights to allow them to cross safely. This crossing takes six seconds. For the next 25 seconds the traffic sits still with drivers looking at the empty space ahead. This doesn’t sound like a lot of time to waste, but with lights being activated say every three or four minutes to allow one or two pedestrians to proceed, that represents significant delays, frustration and congestion.

This issue can be easily addressed by Main Roads, in conjunction with the council, simply reconfiguring the lights

Flag petition bound for Parliament

The POST published my letter (Our real Independence Day? February 28) pointing out that March marks Australia’s legal Independence Day, the moment in 1986 when the Australia Act ended all remaining constitutional ties with the United Kingdom.

Many readers told me they had never heard of this date. That silence reveals something deeper: Australians are rarely invited to think about the symbols that represent us.

Since that letter, my petition to the House of Representatives calling for recognition of an Australian National Colours Flag has been formally approved and will be presented in Parliament soon.

But the number of signatures matters. The more Australians who support this conversation, the harder it becomes for the Government to ignore the clear

inconsistencies in our national symbolism.

Those inconsistencies are simple and factual:

Our official national colours, proclaimed in 1984, are green and gold, yet our flag uses colours that were never proclaimed as ours.

Our primary national emblem is the kangaroo, yet our flag displays the symbol of another nation.

Australia has been fully legally independent since March 3 1986, yet our flag still reflects a pre-1986 constitutional relationship.

This petition does not seek to replace the existing flag; it asks only that Australia have one official flag that reflects our official colours, our own symbols, and our modern independence.

The proposed National

By the Bay.

Care for the place we share

In 2025, a total of 18 tonnes of rubbish was illegally dumped in

There's a better way to dump your rubbish, book in a Verge Valet™ collection - you can book your collection up to 8 weeks in advance.

We recommend booking as early as possible as collection dates can fill up. Remember, only place your items out on the verge up to 3 days prior for collection.

Don’t make illegal dumping our entire personality, Mossie Park. Let’s care for the place we share.

> vergevalet.com.au

1 Memorial Drive, Mosman Park | 08 9383 6600 admin@mosmanpark.wa.gov.au mosmanpark.wa.gov.au

to have a flashing amber light to start say six or seven seconds after the red light. After another 18 seconds, the flashing amber light moves to green. Drivers could move slowly through the flashing amber light when there are no further pedestrians crossing.

Such a simple adjustment would increase traffic flow enormously without affecting pedestrians, and eliminate the temptation for frustrated drivers to drive through the red light with no pedestrians anywhere to be seen.

Ross Taylor Mount Street, Claremont

of Australia ... The Southern Cross and Kangaroo ag proposed to y alongside the existing national ag.

Colours Flag keeping the Southern Cross and featuring the kangaroo can be viewed at AustralianFlags.au.

Readers who support this conversation can sign the petition by going to aph.gov. au/e-petitions/petition/EN9551. The petition closes on April 22, and every signature before that date strengthens the case.

Ron Abernethy  Waverley Way, Parkwood founder, AustralianFlags.au

Apologise to Peter Weygers

Further to the letter from Peter Weygers (Murder slurs still sting, POST, March 28) I wish to show my support for Peter over this issue.

I am a long-time friend of Peter and witnessed a lot of what he was subjected to by the authorities in connection with the Claremont serial killings investigation, when he was named as a suspect.

I wouldn’t say the police were not complicit in this treatment, but I believe instructions would have come from higher up.

In my view, it certainly is not acceptable that the former police commissioner, now Governor, Chris Dawson can just write it off by saying there were legitimate reasons for targeting

Glyde Street Revitatlisation

Upgrades to Glyde Street will begin following strong community input into last year’s Council-endorsed Streetscape Masterplan.

The project will deliver a greener, more pedestrianfriendly centre with new landscaping, seating, cycle racks and traffic-calming measures, plus flexible gathering spaces.

Works are expected to roll out in stages across 2026–2027.

> yoursay.mosmanpark.wa.gov.au

Memorial Gates Restored

The restored Memorial Gates in Memorial Park have been reinstalled, completing a major project. Originally dedicated in 1935 as a World War I tribute, they have stood for 90 years. The Town thanks the Mosman Park RSL Sub-Branch for its continued support in preserving this landmark.

More trees, please!

Each winter, the Town rolls out its street tree planting program and is on the lookout for new locations. If your verge is tree-free or you’d like extra trees, get in touch to request one.

> mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/streettrees

Peter and two other men without providing those reasons to the affected persons. I believe that they were after Peter and chose this incident to get at him (perhaps because of his involvement in civil liberties).

I believe Mr Dawson owes it to Peter to explain these reasons (if any existed?) and to apologise to him. That’s the least he could do. Colin Fraser Discovery Drive,

Council Plan survey launch

We're developing a Council Plan - a 10 year roadmap for Mosman Park’s future.

This legislated document replaces our Strategic Community Plan, but will still be steered by our community's voices and values. Local voices = better decisions.

Have your say by completing our Community Survey from 28 April on our Your Say page.

Visit

yoursay.mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/cp

Native Plant Subsidy Scheme

From 1–31 May, residents can buy up to 40 native plant seedlings for $3 each at APACE Nursery in North Fremantle (while stocks last). This offer is limited to one purchase per household, and proof of address and photo ID are required.

These water-wise native plants are well-suited to Perth's environment, enhance local biodiversity, and help cool and shade homes and gardens.

> mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/events

Upcoming Council Meetings

• 21 April - Agenda Forum

• 28 April - Ordinary Council Meeting

Meetings start 6pm sharp in our Council Chambers. See all 2026 Council Meeting dates at

> mosmanpark.wa.gov.au/council

What’s on in Mosman Park

Meg Washington Saturday 18 April | 7pm Camelot Arts Club, Memorial Hall

ANZAC Day Commemoration Service Saturday 25 April | 10am Memorial Park, Mosman Park

Scan the QR code to check out more events!

HOUSE-MADE FAMILY PIES

BOATSHED MARKET FAMILY PIES - PERFECT FOR AN EASY & DELICIOUS MEAL!

Our range of delicious, house-made pies is made daily by our chefs. The range includes our slow-cooked, grass-fed Beef Bourgogne Pie, Porcini Mushroom & Free Range Chicken Pie, Thai Green Curry Seasonal Vegetable Pie and Traditional Butter Chicken Pie. Made using time-tested recipes and quality ingredients, each pie has a shortcrust pastry base topped with a golden, crisp puff pastry lid. Simply warm through in the oven and serve as a main meal for lunch or dinner, alongside a green salad or roasted vegetables.

Claremont’s $16k tennis balls

By JACK MADDERN

Former Claremont councillor Shelley Hatton’s golden retriever needed life-saving surgery after eating broken tennis balls left in parks by other dog owners.

Gracie, who turned three last month, spent Tuesday afternoon on the operating table undergoing surgery costing $16,000 to clear her digestive system of swallowed tennis ball fragments.

Shelley saw that Gracie was not acting her usual self after a play at Claremont’s Mofflin Park last Saturday,

By Sunday, Gracie was vomiting nonstop, and by Tuesday, Shelley had rushed her to The Animal Hospital at Murdoch University.

“She was dying right in front of our very eyes; luckily I noticed and got an appointment with my vet straight away,” she said.

“Gracie was deteriorating, her heart was shutting down,

so they had to stabilise her first by putting her on a drip, before they could do a scan.

“Thousands of bits of the outside of the tennis ball, the fluff, comes out the other end, but the rubber doesn’t.”

Shelley had to choose between paying $16,000 to save her dog or euthanising it.

“What can you do?” she said.

The brush with disaster has prompted a reminder to dog park users to be more responsible and pick up after themselves.

Gracie wears a muzzle on her walks, but is still able to snuffle down tennis ball remnants through the gaps if they’re small enough.

Despite her best efforts,

Shelley cannot stop every little piece of an abandoned ball balls from entering her mouth because of the number left behind at the park.

“Broken tennis balls are there all the time, and dogs all chew tennis balls, and they crack and break into pieces,” she said.

Bob each way on gambling report

By JACK MADDERN

The Federal government’s restrictions on gambling advertising are not enough to help a father pull his son out of a debt spiral.

Mark, who contributed to the federal inquiry into gambling advertising that produced the Murphy report, said his son was failed by the system.

Few of the reforms outlined in the report have been adopted by the Government, which has opted for a selective ban on gambling ads on television, radio and sporting venues.

“It’s a very watered-down response,” Mark said. “It’s not ideal that they didn’t accept all the recommendations.”

His 19-year-old son racked up $30,000 in gambling debt over a year and a half.

“There are thousands of young people like my son who have lost their housing deposits to gambling companies,” Mark said.

implement every single recommendation,” he said.

“People can gamble, but they don’t need it rammed down their smartphone and kids groomed,” he said.

“Any new restrictions on gambling ads are great news, and Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.”

Curtin MP Kate Chaney said it was a bare minimum start after 1000 days of silence.

“The changes proposed continue to put the onus on the individual, rather than treating this as a public health issue, as recommended by the report,” she said.

“That is exactly what the gambling companies want – if you fail to work out how to opt out of gambling ads online, it’s on you.

‘ ’

Thousands of young people have lost their housing deposits to gambling companies

“I made a submission to the inquiry hoping to change this.”

Mark saw his son and other young people exposed to advertisements that normalised gambling on sports.

He told the inquiry that the ads were pervasive and groomed children.

“It is simple, they need to

“It’s not an equal playing field for vulnerable Australians being preyed upon by sophisticated multinationals that profit from the harm they do.”

Ms Chaney introduced a private members bill Stop the Gambling Ads to Parliament last week.

She was also a member of the committee that produced the Murphy report You Win Some, You Lose More.

“After more than 1000 days of silence, this is a start,” she said.

“But it appears to have been designed to give certainty to powerful vested interests

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rather than to reduce harm to the many Australians suffering from the impacts of gambling addiction.”

Ms Chaney said the evidence showed that partial ad bans did not work.

“The media reforms in 2017 actually resulted in an increase in gambling ads on TV,” she said.

“This is not an ad ban, like we have for tobacco, and the Government has said nothing about a national regulator or predatory inducements.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described his government’s reforms as decisive action to address public health concerns related to gambling.

“What we don’t want is kids growing up thinking that footy and gambling are the same thing,” he said.

For the first time, The Gardens opens its doors. Be among the first to experience a building defined by iconic design and bespoke architecture, where light and liveability come together.

10AM - 1PM SATURDAY 18TH APRIL & SUNDAY 19TH APRIL

19 LOUISE STREET, NEDLANDS

Jerking the wrong levers

“affordable housing”.

Perth is suffering from both Australia’s immigration policy and WA’s economic success, thanks to our wonderful living environment and the resources industries.

Stopping or pausing immigration may help the problems over east but we will still get internal movers seeking better opportunities and a better life in WA.

Pausing immigration is important, but won’t help WA much.

I give up on Canberra, but surely we can do something in WA. There are many levers to pull because it is all connected. But we seem to be jerking the wrong ones.

Firstly, WA is far too Perthcentric. Why is Perth too big? Because governments think of votes and they come from where the voters are living now.

Incremental planning is mental and not planning at all. Statewide planning is absent.

The Western Australian Planning Commission is now a housing project approval body.

This is a big state and we need big thoughts. Remember Colin Barnett’s “Pilbara Cities”? Let’s do something for the whole of WA, for us. That we now need a licence to catch herring in Perth says it all to me.

We need housing in the below $750,000 price range, and what is now called

People spending more than $2 million will always be okay. What we should stop doing is ruining the integrity of the planning system that underpins our property rights basically to help developers in the $2million-plus range.

The most recent bad example is the 2025-approved 23-storey apartment tower in the middle of suburban City Beach.

The developer is rightly proud of getting it under way and is trumpeting the availability of apartments between $2million and $10million.

It’s not near a train station, now or any time in the future, and anyway Claremont experience shows this is irrelevant. Why was this approved?

Claremont Quarter is seven storeys high and the council plans for the area had been lodged with the planning system for two years or so suggesting nine storeys would be acceptable.

Out of the blue a developer submitted a 17-storey proposal, but with limited parking because it is close to the train station.

It was approved. Why?

Fewer cars with less pollution was mentioned. Within two years the developer was back saying in effect: “We cannot pre-sell $2million-plus apartments with one car bay. Dad won’t travel by train and Mum needs to go to mahjong.”

The planners then approved 19 storeys so they could add extra

car bays. Crazy logic here, if any?

The Claremont council plans have now been approved.

Perth’s housing costs continue to rise because we don’t have enough builders and building material. It is a supply issue, not a demand issue.

So why is the State Government spending so much on its own building projects now?

Firstly, it’s easy money for builders because the projects always overrun and the government never goes broke; after all it has our money to spend.

Counter-cyclical government spending makes sense. True, a few hospitals seem needed now.

Then why is the Government promoting the unnecessary $2million buyers’ markets?

One of the reasons for this situation is that the Government has no effective Opposition pointing all of this out.

Another is that the “Sir Humphreys” have either been planted by the Government into position or are “Yes Minister” types because they fear uprooting.

Commonsense and good order has been wrecked by removing the influence of local government on planning decisions. It is easy to point to isolated failures of local government, after all I live in Nedlands, but this does not provide any excuse to install a dictatorship.

Some dictators have had a bad reputation, and they are difficult to change or influence.

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

You’re someone trusting us with your biggest asset. That’s why everything we do is considered, personal and built around you: your home, your timing, and your next move. Because it’s not about us, it’s about you.

Magpie paralysis remains a mystery

By JEN REWELL

The cause of a paralytic disease affecting magpies and other native black-and-white birds is still unknown, despite months of investigative work.

Bethany Jackson, from Murdoch University’s Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, said the disease was a neurological problem that could have many possible causes.

“Our birds are sentinels of broader systems change, and this may be an important signal that environmental change, such as urbanisation and climate variability, is shifting health dynamics in other species,” she said.

para-

The Murdoch team would continue to collect samples from specific cases and healthy animals to follow up leads and

refine likely causes.

“We are expanding our research team to address focus areas in greater depth and detail, including neurologists and post-graduate research students,” she said.

Concerned locals have contacted researchers and the POST to suggest possible causes that may require investigation.

Suspects include portuguese millipedes and a new “super” herbicide being used by councils, but none of these has been proven to be the cause – yet.

“We have not conclusively ruled out all possible pollutants, and synergistic effects of multiple pollutants at low doses are poorly understood in most species,” Dr Jackson said.

Known viruses, bacteria and parasites have all been ruled out.

Liver samples were tested for 250 environmental contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides.

Glyphosate was absent from all samples, and low levels of legacy pesticides (such as dieldrin and DDT byproducts) were similar in both affected and unaffected birds.

“As with other contaminants that persist, we are not surprised that second-generation rodenticides are present,” Dr Jackson said.

“This reinforces the importance of using all pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides sparingly and with thought for secondary toxicity and environmental impacts.”

Botulism was not detected, “although this remains difficult to exclude completely”, Dr Jackson said.

Ferry proposal reignites high-level talks

By LLOYD GORMAN

Fierce community and council opposition to a planned ferry terminal in Matilda Bay will be raised at a secret high-level meeting of Perth City Council and the State Government this week.

The issue has been pushed onto the agenda for the City of Perth Committee when it meets for the first time in three years, on Tuesday.

Secrecy has shrouded the CPC under Premier Roger Cook’s watch, but a rare glimpse of light emerged at Perth City Council last week.

David Lim from the City of Perth Western Residents Association asked Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds what assurances he would make about “recognising the significance of preserving Matilda Bay”.

Mr Lim said that in September last year the council had voted against Matilda Bay as the location for the ferry terminal, and Mr Reynolds had also spoken at the residents association’s recent AGM.

“Can the Lord Mayor confirm this advocacy will be highlighted … with the State Government in the second week of April?” he said.

He also called for the public

release of a “commercial and cabinet sensitive” business case and feasibility study for the terminal, “as promised by the State Government” last August.

Mr Reynolds said he recognised there was “strong interest from the community about disturbing the amenity and character” of Matilda Bay, and he had spoken about that.

“My role as Lord Mayor is to ensure the City’s adopted positions are clearly communicated and advocated for while maintaining a respectful and working relationship with the State Government,” he said.

“Any formal public statements

Noticing small changes in yourself or a loved one?

or advocacy would be guided by council’s resolutions and undertaken in a manner that reflects both the City’s position and the importance of ongoing collaboration “In relation to upcoming meetings with the State Government

I can confirm this is a matter of significance to the City and its residents.

“This matter is also proposed to be included in the agenda for discussion at the April meeting and the City will continue to advocate for council.”

Robot gets kids on their feet

By JEN REWELL

A new robotic rehabilitation system at Perth Children’s Hospital is giving mobility-challenged children confidence as they rebuild strength and coordination.

The ZeroG 3D is the first of its kind in an Australian children’s hospital and forms part of the hospital’s expanding robotics program within Kids Rehab WA.

It is a dynamic body-weight support system that allows children to walk, balance and practise everyday movements while suspended in a harness attached to a ceiling-mounted robotic track.

Sometimes these simple moments are too difficult or unsafe during the early stages of recovery.

Walking, squatting and lung-

ing can be practised safely with the system, because the child’s weight is partially supported from a ceiling track mounted in the hospital’s rehabilitation gym. Coordinator Physiotherapist of Rehabilitation Technology at PCH Dan Prigmore said the technology allowed children to practise movements earlier and more safely during recovery.

“The ZeroG 3D allows children to practise walking, balancing and standing without the fear of falling,” he said.

“The system lets them practise these movements safely while challenging them both physically and cognitively through interactive balance programs and games.

“Integrating this technology into our rehabilitation program is a major step forward for our therapy teams and will help

us deliver intensive mobility rehabilitation in new ways for children at PCH.”

The system can be used with children from toddlers through to adolescence.

It supports rehabilitation for a wide range of conditions including cerebral palsy, cancer, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, spinal cord injuries and other neurological or orthopaedic disorders.

Seven clinicians at PCH have been trained to use the technology and are working with the first cohort of young patients. Robotic rehabilitation systems are increasingly used around the world to improve recovery outcomes by allowing patients to practise movements repeatedly and safely, while clinicians track progress using built-in data and outcome monitoring.

New carpark for crowded QEII

By LLOYD GORM AN

A new multi-storey carpark to tackle QEII’s parking crisis is being considered by state planners.

The North Metropolitan Health Service confirmed last week that a business case for a new carpark was being developed.

The structure would help tackle chronic parking pressure at the congested 28ha Nedlands medical complex but would require the WA Planning Commission to remove the cap of 5350 bays.

Existing plans for an eight-

storey carpark with 1900 bays and ground floor shops in the south-western corner of the QEII site have stalled at state planning level for the past four years.

Consultants Hames Sharley, on behalf of the QEII Medical Centre Trust, last month lodged plans with the Department of Planning to reconfigure existing onsite access and parking.

The $7.2million project will improve access and efficiency works.

A queue of 90 cars waiting to enter the main carpark was banked up on Winthrop Avenue

at 7am on a recent weekday.

“These works will include a new boom-gated visitor carpark entry off Hospital Avenue with modifications to the at-grade parking area, including bollard removal and new pedestrian walkways, and modifications to the existing multideck carpark ground-level parking layout,” an NMHS spokesperson said. Control over parking at the precinct was given to the private sector when the multistorey carpark was built. It will be returned to the state in 2037 when the $140million build-and-operate contract expires.

Property 1

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 4 Car | Pool | 809sqm Guide $3M+

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Property 2

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 2 Car | 423sqm Guide $2.5M

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Property 3

4 Bed | 2 Bath | 2 Car | 846sqm Guide $2.6M

Single level, spacious, family living. Cul-de-sac in Buckland Hill Estate. Entertain in seamless indooroutdoor logia, above terraced gardens.

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4 Bed | 2 Bath | 4 Car | Pool | 709sqm Guide $2.7M

Single level, family living, around central pool oasis. Cul-de-sac, opposite parkland, two street frontages.

Property 5

4 Bed | 2 Bath | 2 Car | 406sqm Guide $3.3M

Impeccably presented, vaulted ceilings, capturing Northern light. Impressive family haven, Minim Cove cul-de-sac. October/November settlement.

Property 6

4 Bed | 2 Bath | 2 Car | 480sqm Guide $3.5M

Classical style, elevated and secure, 3 living zones, alfresco delight, river vistas, in prestigious Mosman Waters.

Parents in ‘starvation’ case freed from jail

A Floreat couple jailed for starving their teenage daughter have been released after winning an appeal.

The parents, who cannot be named to protect the identity of their now-adult daughter, could face a retrial after the Court of Appeal set aside their convictions and granted them bail on Tuesday.

A District Court jury found both of them guilty in 2024 of two counts of conduct that caused their child to suffer.

Their daughter, a competitive ballerina, weighed just 28 kilograms at age 17 when she was admitted to Perth Children’s Hospital in April 2021.

Teachers at two ballet schools had independently raised concerns about her welfare with child protection authorities.

Judge Linda Black sentenced the father to 6½ years’ jail and the mother to five years.

“You have created a child who is not able to function as an independent adult at the age of more than 20 years old,” she told the parents.

The father had earlier pleaded guilty to forging his daughter’s birth certificate to make her appear two years younger.

Bail granted after ’frustrated’ suspect threatens self-harm

A man who was denied bail after threatening to selfharm has been released on his second attempt.

pretty unequivocally that there was a failure to properly present the [bail] case,” Mr White said.

Benjamin Reece Brown was arrested on February 4 for failing to report for bail, then told a magistrate he would harm himself if not released.

He was already facing five charges, including possessing stolen property and drugs in Claremont, burgling a property in Mt Lawley, being armed or pretending to be armed in a way that may cause fear in Armadale, and failing to report for bail last year.

The 39-year-old appeared in Perth Magistrates Court last month via video link from Hakea Prison.

Duty lawyer Emily Taylor

on Tuesday.

Fake licences seized

Officers on Rottnest Island say they seized 26 fake driver’s licences from underage visitors over the summer.

Police have shared a picture of their pile of fake IDs, warning parents to be mindful of what their children ordered online.

“[There is] zero tolerance towards this kind of behaviour,” they said.

Police Beat Police Beat Police

With Ben Dickinson

told magistrate Benjamin White that her client was “simply frustrated” when he made the self-harm threat.

“He said he’d been waiting in the van for a number of hours and out of frustration told the magistrate that he was going to hurt himself,” she said.

Police agreed to bail after a family member in Bunbury agreed to allow Mr Brown to live with him while awaiting trial.

“The transcript establishes

Victoria Cross winner behind bars

Police prosecutor Benjaman Giff moved to drop the stolen property charge, leaving Mr Brown with only four charges to defend.

“Do you have any difficulty with that, Ms Taylor?” he asked.

“Hah, no your honour,” Ms Taylor said.

“Does that mean that I can pick up my seized items as well, from that charge?” Mr Brown asked.

“I really don’t know,” Mr White told him.

Mr Brown is due to stand trial on his remaining charges on April 21.

Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 if you have thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

The court has not yet published the reasons for its decision.

Both parents are due to face the District Court on April 24, when prosecutors may push for a retrial.

The Court of Appeal set aside the jury verdict this week and granted the parents bail, each with a $50,000 personal undertaking and a $50,000 surety.

Teenagers caught with fake IDs were fined. Police seized these fake IDs from Rottnest Island visitors.

Former Churchlands resident Ben Roberts-Smith was remanded in custody after he was charged with murdering unarmed civilians while serving in Afghanistan.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient and Australia’s most-decorated living soldier, has been dogged by war crimes allegations since they were first aired by Fairfax newspapers in 2017.

He grew up in Churchlands and attended Hale School before joining the Army at 17, and later the Swanbourne-based Special Air Service Regiment.

Federal police charged him with five counts of war-crimes murder after arresting him at Sydney airport on Tuesday.

Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the alleged murders took place in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.

“It will be alleged the victims were shot by the accused or shot by subordinate members of the ADF in the presence of, and acting on the orders of, the accused,” she said.

Mr Roberts-Smith lost a highprofile defamation case against Fairfax, which was later bought out by Nine, after The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald first published allegations that he shot an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a villager off a cliff to his death, among other alleged crimes.

Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko ruled in 2023 that the newspapers had proven the allegations to the civil standard, known as the balance of probabilities.

Deputy opposition leader and former SAS captain Andrew Hastie was one of several former soldiers who testified against Mr RobertsSmith at the trial.

Prosecutors will have to prove the charges to the higher standard of “beyond reasonable doubt” in order to convict Mr Roberts-Smith, who has consistently maintained his innocence.

A NIGHT AT LA SCALA

4 Bed | 1 Bath | 2 Car | 465m2

Packed with Potential in Lifestyle Locale

First time offered in over 30 years, this well-maintained circa 1988 brick and tile home presents remarkable potential in a highly desirable location, with 4 bedrooms, spacious living rooms, established leafy surroundings and off-street parking for 2 vehicles.

Situated on a level 465sqm of prime land in a sought-after treelined street a short stroll to Mabel Talbot Park, with rear ROW via Perry Lane and close to all amenities.

First Home Open: Saturday 11 April 11 to 11.40am

FEATURES:

• 13th Floor, panoramic ocean and city

• North facing with wraparound balcony

• Resort facilities: 30m pool, bathhouse, gym and rooftop entertaining spaces

Just Listed

Upstairs, the accommodation continues with two additional oversized bedrooms, including a luxurious master suite with soaring ceilings, walk-in robe and elegant ensuite. Complete with lift access, a three-car garage and beautifully landscaped surrounds, this is a rare offering in one of Mosman Park’s most soughtafter riverside locations. FOR SALE BY OPENN OFFERS - ALL OFFERS BY 5PM, 28 APR 2026 (The seller reserves the right to sell prior)

Executive Living With Stunning Views

Positioned within the tightly held Minim Cove precinct, this exceptional Webb & BrownNeaves residence offers a refined blend of architectural sophistication, European charm and sweeping Swan River views. From the main living zone, uninterrupted river panoramas create a stunning daily backdrop, whether entertaining, cooking or simply unwinding.

Designed to maximise light and outlook, the upper level features a seamless open plan living and dining area flowing onto an indoor-outdoor balcony. The designer kitchen is finished to a high standard with Miele appliances, stone benchtops, extensive cabinetry and a fully equipped scullery.

The lower level provides flexibility for family living or entertaining, with two oversized bedrooms, built-in robes and leafy outlooks, serviced by a stylish semi-ensuite. A spacious secondary living zone opens to a private garden retreat, complemented by a well-appointed, generously sized laundry.

WE ARE YOUR WESTERN SUBURB EXPERTS.

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Just Listed

41 HOPE STREET, MOSMAN PARK

Open

12:00 – 12:45PM

Designed for family living and entertaining, the expansive floor plan features an openplan kitchen, meals and living area flowing seamlessly to a first-floor terrace balcony. FOR SALE BY OPENN OFFERS - ALL OFFERS BY 5PM, 28 APR 2026 (The seller reserves the right to sell prior)

Sunset Through The Pine Trees

Elevated Luxury, a rare opportunity in one of the most sought-after streets in central Mosman Park. Commanding an elevated position overlooking expansive parklands, the home enjoys ocean glimpses and stunning sunset views.

Built in 2006 by Perceptions Home Builders, this substantial residence sits on a generous 819sqm block, offering flexibility to subdivide or retain as a single impressive landholding.

Here, tranquil parkland vistas and coastal breezes create the perfect setting for relaxed gatherings.

All bedrooms are generously sized, with ensuite bathrooms across both levels. Built-in robes are included in most rooms, while an oversized additional space offers flexibility as a home office, media room or extra living area.

Outdoors, the expansive backyard provides a blank canvas for future enhancements, from a pool to landscaped gardens. Ideally located opposite Davis Oval and close to Camelot Cinema, cafés, schools, the river and transport, this is a rare offering in a tightly held pocket.

WE ARE YOUR WESTERN SUBURB EXPERTS.

LIVING AND SELLING MOSMAN PARK! SEE MORE

Trent Vivian

0432 392 387

trent@viviansrealestate.com.au

Gill Vivian

0415 853 926

gill@viviansrealestate.com.au

How Canada kept wartime sea lanes open

A presentation about how the Royal Canadian Navy kept vital shipping lanes open during World War II will be given in Claremont on April 20.

Military historian Robert Mitchell will be the Naval Historical Society’s guest speaker, and discuss the RCN’s crucial role, working with the United Kingdom to keep sea convoys moving through the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

A society spokesman said the RCN shipyards, free from direct attack, built 145 Flower Class corvettes, which were used to escort the critical Atlantic and Arctic convoys.

By the end of the war Canada had one of the biggest navies in the world.

“To put the Battle of the Atlantic in context, 72,200 allied sailors and merchant seamen lost their lives during that period protecting the trade routes,” he said.

Robert, a retired Canadian Army colonel, was named Anzac of the Year in 2024 for his services to the Australian Army Museum, the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society, the National Trust, the Royal United Services Institute and the Rottnest Island Cultural Advisory Committee.

He is a past curator of the

Australian Army Museum of WA and remains part of the curatorial team.

“His knowledge of military history and Australia’s strategic importance in two world wars will be evident in his talk,” the spokesman said.

His presentation will be at Claremont Tennis Club on Monday April 20 at 6pm. Entry is $5, and a cash bar will be open.

Park at Claremont Station, the public carpark opposite Foodies on Davies Road, or there are limited spots on the tennis club grounds.

Register by April 16 by emailing Meg Nicolson nhs.megnicolson@gmail.com or phoning 0422 844 227.

Chat about investing

Self-funded retirees with share investments are invited to a discussion group offered by the Australian Independent Retirees group.

Group members meet to discuss their thoughts and experiences with investing in the Australian Stock Exchangelisted companies.

They discuss investment strategies, review financial state-

ments, and analyse company and industry information.

The meetings, from 2 to 4pm. on the second Wednesday of each month, are not designed to offer advice.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday May 13 at Cambridge Bowling Club.

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

RFT 01-2026 ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE REPAIRS AND SERVICES

The Town of Claremont invites submissions for RFT 01-2026 Electrical Maintenance Repairs and Services.

The Town of Claremont invites tenders from suitably qualified and licensed electrical contractors for the provision of electrical services, including preventative maintenance, breakdown/reactive maintenance, after-hours maintenance, repair services, and new capital and non-capital electrical works.

The services include works associated with Town buildings, car parks, reserve lighting, BBQ facilities, park lighting, and street lighting.

Tender documents are available from, and tenders must be submitted via, the Town of Claremont TenderLink online portal at https://portal.tenderlink. com/claremont/alltenders/ Tenders close at 5:00PM on Friday, 1 May 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.

Enquiries may be directed to: Ivan Perreira, Manager Assets and Design at toc@claremont.wa.gov.au.

Tim Clynch Interim Chief Executive Officer

Make

a beeline for wildflower talk

ABOVE: An anthoglossa bee on a tinsel lily. BELOW: A trichocolletes bee on a pea ower.

RFT 02-2026 CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

The Town of Claremont invites submissions for RFT 02-2026 Civil Infrastructure Cleaning and Maintenance.

The Town of Claremont invites tenders from suitably qualified contractors to undertake civil cleaning and maintenance works, including high-pressure paving cleaning, litter removal, sanitising, BBQ cleaning, bin cleaning and other general maintenance works.

The works include services across the Claremont Town Centre, local shopping areas, parks and streets, and may be required on any day from Monday to Sunday inclusive.

Tender documents are available from, and tenders must be lodged electronically via, the Town of Claremont TenderLink online portal at https://portal.tenderlink.com/claremont/alltenders/ Tenders close at 5:00PM on Friday, 1 May 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.

Enquiries may be directed to: Ivan Perreira, Manager Assets and Design at toc@claremont.wa.gov.au.

Tim Clynch

Interim Chief Executive Officer

One of Australia’s foremost native bee researchers will speak at the April 14 meeting of the Wildflower Society of WA Perth branch in Subiaco.

Terry Houston will outline how the extraordinary diversity of WA’s flora is tied to the equally remarkable diversity of its pollinators.

Among these, native bees play a central role.

Terry will talk about how bees have evolved in varied and surprising ways since their origins when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

This has created a wide array of specialised relationships bees have with flowers today.

He will draw on WA examples to show how many flowers offer bees pollen and nectar as rewards, others offer floral oils, while some have learned to attract bees without a reward at all.

The talk will highlight how much there is still to learn

Trumpeter to herald good music

Music lovers are invited to experience a rich and varied musical journey at the Classical Music Club recital in West Leederville next Friday morning.

The program will feature Perth trumpeter Zoe McGivern and pianist Joe Ryan, performing pieces from the classically elegant to lyrical and jazz-inspired favourites.

Zoe graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and has performed with West Australian Opera, West Australian Ballet, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

The program will showcase the trumpet’s expressive range with music by Joseph Haydn, Leonard Bernstein, Joaquin Rodrigo and Hoagy Carmichael, and include a solo piano interlude.

Classical Music Club offers tickets for $20 and $15 and aims to connect people with a shared love of music, in an accessible and informal concert environment.

about native plants and the ecological relationships that sustain them.

Terry is a former curator at the WA Museum and remains involved in research. He has spent decades studying the taxonomy, biology and ecology of Australia’s native bees, particularly those of Western Australia.

The talk will be at The Palms Community Centre on the corner of Nicholson and Rokeby roads. Doors open 7.45pm for an 8pm start. The $3 donation includes a ticket for the night’s door prize. All welcome.

For more information, and to secure tickets, go to humanitix.com and search “Classical Music Club”. Zoe McGivern

The recital will be at 10am on Friday at Leederville Town Hall, 84 Cambridge Street, West Leederville.

The Classical Music Club will present a concert each month for the rest of the year.

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Ensemble to enchant with sacred choral music

Vocal Ensemble A’Cappella Orthodox will perform on April 17 in the beautiful St Mary Star of the Sea Church in Peppermint Grove.

A’Cappella Orthodox describes itself as a multicultural vocal ensemble.

Its members hail from around the world and share a love for orthodox choral chants.

A choir spokeswoman said on April 17 choir members would perform a program called “Christ is Risen”.

They would share their love for sacred choral music by performing in various languages.

Ticket revenue will support the A’Cappella Orthodox concert trip to Adelaide and Coober Pedy in July and August.

The Star of the Sea church is at 2 McNeil Street in Peppermint Grove.

Cambridge Notice

Desert data collectors needed in the Outback

Hear how volunteer citizen scientists are needed to collect vital information about the Australian Outback, at a talk to be given in Claremont on April 21.

Friends of Lake Claremont will host guest speaker Mark Conlan at its next Night Chats evening.

with traditional owners, the sponsoring of early career scientists at survey projects, how the iNaturalist online platform is used in the field, and the logistics of establishing a temporary remote camping facility.

INVITIATION TO COMMENT

3 OBAN ROAD, CITY BEACH – CHILD CARE PREMISES

The Town of Cambridge is currently assessing a Form 1 Development Assessment Panel (DAP) application for proposed childcare premises at 3 Oban Road, City Beach.

Key details of the proposal

• Two-storey with undercroft/basement parking

• Total proposed number of children is 72 (0-12 months to 3+ years)

• Total number of staff for the child care is 14

• 15 car bays are proposed in undercroft garage (including an ACROD bay)

• Ground and first floor (accessible to children from 7:00am)

• Hours of operation is 6:30am to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday

The plans for the application can be viewed on the Town’s website under ‘Develop & Build’ > ‘Planning’ > ‘Advertising Planning Applications’ or via the following direct link: https://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/DevelopBuild/Planning/Advertised-Planning-Applications

A hardcopy of this information can be viewed at the Town’s Administration Centre, 1 Bold Park Drive, Floreat during normal operating hours. Please note that there is no obligation to make a submission. However, if you do make a submission, please be advised that in accordance with Clauses 17 and 18 of Local Planning Policy 1.2

- Public Notification of Planning Proposals, a summary of all neighbour submissions received will be provided to the applicant and your submission in its entirety may be included in a publicly available report. In both instances, identifying details (name, address, etc.) will be redacted prior to distribution.

Submissions can be provided:

• By email at mail@cambridge.wa.gov.au; or

• By mail at Town of Cambridge, 1 Bold Park Drive, Floreat WA 6014. Submissions are to be provided by 5:00pm on 4 May 2026.

If you have any queries in relation this matter, please contact the Town on (08) 9347 6000.

Daniel’s internship takes o with RFDS

UWA Bachelor of Biomedicine student

Daniel Chiang applied his passion for community impact and his interest in health research during his McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with the Royal Flying Doctor Service WA.

He said he was drawn to the internship program because he wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the community while exploring a possible future career in research.

He redesigned and reorganised the RFDS WA internal research intranet page to make it easier for staff to use, and completed a literature summary exploring hospital triage inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

His work was a preliminary step toward RFDS WA reviewing its triage processes, to ensure the quality and cultural safety of care provided to patients across WA.

Daniel said the most rewarding part of his internship was contributing to meaningful organisational change while seeing the work of the RFDS WA and its aircraft up close.

He said the challenge of sorting through large volumes of literature became a positive.

“I’ve become more aware of the need for quality healthcare for rural and remote populations,” he said.

The internship had also helped build his confidence and professional readiness.

“It’s helped me develop workplace skills and behaviours, given me insight into topics currently of interest, and helped me learn how research is conducted at an organisational level,” he said.

“I really enjoyed my time at RFDS under my supervisor, Dr Rochelle Menzies, who has been very supportive and encouraging,” he said.

“She’s had six other McCusker interns before me, and I can see that she really cares about giving us a helpful and informative experience.”

Daniel recommended the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship program to other UWA students.

Mark is president and treasurer of Desert Discovery, described as a non-profit organisation run by volunteers.

Desert Discovery has conducted biennial ecological surveys in remote areas of Australia since 1996.

Ecological data is a key component to inform land management plans, yet its collection is almost non-existent in remote areas.

On April 21 Mark will discuss the contribution that volunteer citizen scientists are making to inform land managers and how it helps to achieve better outcomes for nature conservation in Australia’s stunning outback.

A Friends of Lake Claremont spokeswoman said his talk will cover the types of scientific data volunteers collect, two-way learning activities

“Mark and his wife, Sue Conlan, live in Mosman Park and are long-term members of Desert Discovery and its botany team,” she said.

“They both have a love for the natural world and enjoy camping in remote parts of Australia.”

Desert Discovery has longstanding partnerships with the WA Herbarium, WA Museum, and Birdlife Australia.

Recently the surveys have been conducted with the help of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Night Chats at Lake Claremont will be Tuesday April 21 at Claremont Lawn Tennis Club on Shenton Place. Doors open at 5.30pm for refreshments, with a 6pm start. No booking is required. A gold coin donation is appreciated. Everyone is welcome.

Deaf teacher Patti thanked for her leadership and care

A Shenton College teacher has been recognised for her dedication to deaf and hearing students.

Patti (pictured at right) has been named winner of the 2026 Women of Achievement awards, for her support of students at Shenton College and the Shenton College Deaf Education Centre.

Patti’s award was announced at the WA Education Department Director General’s International Women’s Day breakfast. She was commended for creating an environment in which Auslan, deaf culture and student wellbeing were valued and celebrated.

A Shenton College spokeswoman said Patti had played a key role in the school’s Auslan program by working closely with staff and colleagues.

the spokeswoman said. “Her passion, care and leadership continues to elevate the profile of Auslan within the school and broader community, ensuring that language, culture and inclusion remain central to learning at Shenton.”

Patti said the recognition made her feel that her work and contribution was valued.

“I am part of an exceptional school and team, where collaboration is fundamental to student success and to creating inclusive cultures of learning,” she said.

“We are all leaders in different ways, and I feel grateful to be recognised for my work and contributions.

“It is an honour to be considered a role model for future female leaders, both deaf and hearing.”

“There’s definitely a lot of work needed to improve health outcomes, but the RFDS plays a vital role by providing excellent aeromedical care.”

“It’s a really good opportunity to apply your skills in a context that’s not school or university,” he said.

“Her achievements are informed by her lived experience as a deaf person, as a leader in the deaf community and her extensive international work as a deaf interpreter,”

Patti acknowledged her school’s supportive leadership and colleagues, and said education was vital to enable deaf children to advocate for their rights and to see themselves as future leaders.

Exclusively positioned in the sought-after Yallingup Hills, this striking modern farmhouse commands sweeping views across the picturesque Gunyulgup Valley. Thoughtfully designed and crafted by skilled local builders, the award winning home perfectly captures the essence of contemporary South West living, set across 1.1Ha/2.5Ac of tranquil countryside.

• 40 acres (16.25 ha) with Donnelly River frontage

• Located roughly halfway between Pemberton & Nannup

• 1 homestead, 6 cottages, 3 glamping tents & 7 campsites

• Main homestead comprises 5-bed, 2-bath, heated pool

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Take a bold and beautiful walk

April is a spectacular time to experience the banksias of Bold Park.

Lisa Robson from Friends of Bold Park Bushland said that in April the acorn banksias are at their most vibrant, glowing orange as hundreds of tiny flowers open along each spike.

“Around Camel Lake, swamp banksias are also in bloom, their large golden flower spikes lighting up the landscape,” she said.

“As we move into the Noongar season of Djeran, the striking red and yellow blooms of the firewood banksia begin to appear, adding even more colour to the bushland.”

Friends of Bold Park Bushland will lead free guided walks in April to show off the park’s “bold and beautiful” banksias.

Walks depart from the Camel Lake carpark at 9am on April 11, 19 and 27.

The April 19 walk will be a little longer than the others, covering about 5km.

Families are also invited to an evening walk during the school holidays.

Lisa said the nocturnal tour this Wednesday, April 15, will offer a unique opportunity for walkers of all ages to experience the park after dark.

For more information, and to book, go to friendsofboldpark. com.au/events.

Need a little energy?

The Perth branch of Australian Independent Retirees will discuss the future of renewable energy in WA at its April 17 meeting.

Guest speaker will be Synergy’s head of customer marketing, Katalin Polus, who will discuss WA’s changing energy system.

She will reveal how Synergy is investing in renewable energy projects, including wind farms and big batteries, to help build

a more sustainable and reliable future.

AIR aims to protect and advance the interests of retirees who wholly or partly fund their own retirement.

The Perth branch meets on the third Friday of each month from 10am to noon at Cambridge Bowling Club in Chandler Avenue West, Floreat.

For more information email Margaret Walsh at marghw@ outlook.com.

Lunch with a view

What could be better than a meal with volunteers from a community group? Enjoying a meal with members of two community groups at the same time.

About 50 members and guests from the Western Suburbs View Club on March 11 enjoyed lunch hosted by the Showgrounds Community Men’s Shed in Claremont.

Both groups raised money for charity on the day.

A spokeswoman for the Western Suburbs View Club said those who attended were delighted with the delicious two-course lunch prepared

and served by the Men’s Shed kitchen group.

“In addition, they were treated to a tour of the Men’s Shed to hear more about the special interest groups they have,” she said.

The Western Suburbs View Club raises money to support the Smith Family charity.

Visitors are welcome to the 10am meetings the fourth Wednesday of each month at Mt Claremont Community Centre, 105 Montgomery Avenue, Claremont.

For more information about the Western Suburbs View Club phone Frith on 0403 028 827.

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Croquet’s best compete in the West

Some of the best croquet players in Australia are heading to western suburb croquet clubs to compete in the sport’s most prestigious national championships.

Croquetwest has organised the 76th Australian Association Croquet Championships, which began this week and will continue until next Sunday, April 19.

Key matches will take place at Cambridge and Nedlands croquet clubs and other venues throughout the Perth metropolitan area.

The championships comprise three main events – the Gold and Silver Medals April 8 to 10; Australian Men’s and Women’s Singles Championships April 11 to 14; and the Interstate Cup, also known as the Eire Cup, from April 15 to 19.

Players will compete at the Cambridge and Nedlands clubs in the Singles Championships and the Interstate (Eire) Cup.

WA Eire Cup team state coach and captain Alan Sands said hosting the championships in Perth was a significant moment for the local croquet community.

“It’s been six years since we’ve hosted a championship of this scale in WA, so there’s a real sense of anticipation,” he said.

“We’re bringing together the

best players in the country, and to be able to showcase that level of competition here in Perth – on our home lawns –is something we’re incredibly proud of.”

The event will showcase experienced competitors and rising young talent, as the sport continues to evolve and attract new players.

Spectators are encouraged to attend, with free entry at all venues.

Croquetwest is the governing body for croquet in WA, responsible for the development, promotion, and administration of the sport.

It supports a network of 25 metropolitan and regional clubs.

Bowling

Cambridge Mosman Park

Tuesday pairs winners on March 31 were Derril Tennant and Jo Moore.

Wednesday winners: 1st Steve Parsons, Rosemary Goddard, Cliff Racey and Chuck Belotte; 2nd Don Quin, Paula Poynter and Pam Islip; 3rd Geoff Parker, Ann Strack and Dae Miller. There are no results for last Friday or Saturday because the club was closed for Easter. The pairs final was due to be played on Wednesday, April 8.

Wednesday April 1 saw a good roll-up for Scroungers with some new visitors.

The winner was Harvey Hilton and the runners-up were Adrian De Gagiero, Sandra Whelan and Liz Walker.

This Thursday, April 16, is the club’s trophy evening. Book in at the office with meal preferences. Mahjong is held on Thursdays at 9am. All that is required to play is social membership of the club.

The Cambridge Knights have been named Premier League champions after hammering their way to victory in the 2025/2026 bowls season.

They defeated Manning in the Premier League Grand Final at Osborne Park Bowling Club on Sunday March 22.

The Knights, based at Cambridge Bowling and Recreation Club, were not considered contenders for the win at the season’s start.

Pundits had their money on Manning, Mt Lawley or Osborne Park.

But a club spokesman said Cambridge came under consideration as the season progressed.

“The general feeling was that the Knights would battle around the middle of the ladder and do well to avoid the relegation playoffs,” he said.

“Fast-forward six months and entering the finals it was the Knights at the top of the table.

“Forced to bounce back after a loss to Manning in the double-chance semi-final, it was Cambridge who defeated that same team in the Grand Final.

“A remarkable end to a remarkable season.”

The victory concluded one of the hardest-fought seasons seen in many years, with the Knights losing only two matches after November 15.

Cambridge Bowling and Recreation Club president Steven Rushforth said the Premier League win was a powerful reminder that the club was not only viable, but thriving.

“At a time when our relevance has been questioned, this result shows we remain a leading sporting and community asset within the Town of Cambridge,” he said.

“As we approach the 2031 lease renewal, this achievement demonstrates that our club has a strong future.

“We are delivering success at the highest level in WA while continuing to provide real value to our local community.

“There has been some uncertainty around our longterm viability, but winning the Premier League – the top bowls competition in Western Australia – clearly shows that this club is alive, competitive, and worth backing.”

Footy players of all levels, ages and ability are invited to sign up for the new season at Wembley Amateur Football Club.

Club president Dan Volaric said the club takes part in the Perth Football League and has won more than 57 premierships since it began in 1927.

It has seven teams competing and caters for all levels of ability, experience and backgrounds including colts for male players under 20, senior men’s football, and senior women’s football.

Players with an intellectual disability take part in the WA All Abilities Football Association.

This year the colts and senior men’s teams will be participating in the C1 Division and the senior women’s teams in A Division.

Dan said: “The club is inviting anyone looking to play

Aussie Rules football this season to come down to training – in particular anyone who may want to give women’s football a try.”

He said the club was always on the lookout for volunteers and would welcome anyone with the capacity to spare a few hours each Saturday.

“Opportunities include both on field and off field such as committee member, team manager, game day coordinator, setting up, and helping behind the bar,” he said.

“If you are looking to get involved in a local sporting club, meet new people and contribute to the local community this might be just what you are looking for.”

Wembley Amateur Football Club is at Wembley Sports Park, 200 Selby Street, Jolimont.

For more information phone Dan on 0423 881 334 or visit wembleymagpies.com.au.

Dart in for a bird walk at Herdsman

Bird lovers were lucky enough to see a female darter feeding her young on the nest during the most recently monthly bird walk at Herdsman Lake.

A BirdLife WA spokeswoman said darters will nest at any time of the year when conditions are right.

“These big, slender birds are often confused with their close relatives the cormorants, but darters have sword-like beaks for stabbing fish whereas cormorants use their hooked beaks to catch their prey,” she said.

“Both can often be seen sitting in exposed spots drying their wings.”

Experts from BirdLife WA will lead another bird walk at

Herdsman Lake at 8am next Saturday, April 18.

Attendees are likely to see both darters and cormorants on the day, the spokeswoman said.

The morning will start with an introductory talk at Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre.

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

The walk costs $10, free for members of BirdLife or the Gould League of WA.

The Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre can be reached from the corner of Flynn and Selby streets, Wembley.

For tickets and more information go to wagouldleague.com. au and look for the Monthly Bird Walk.

Kids jump into before and after school care

The kids at West Leederville Primary School, and their families, are in luck.

Y WA recently opened a program for before and after school care at the school – the non-profit organisation’s 13th such service in WA.

Students, families and staff gathered for a fun afternoon recently to celebrate the program’s opening at the school.

Children helped serve an afternoon tea of hot dogs

and freshly cut fruit and vegetables and enjoyed the chance to feed and pat visiting farm animals.

Y WA chief executive officer Dr Tim McDonald said Outside School Hours Care services played a vital role in supporting families and communities.

“OSHC is incredibly important for families, providing peace of mind that their children are in a safe, nurturing and engaging environment outside regular school hours,” Dr

McDonald said.

The OSHC program offered children a safe and welcoming space where they could play, relax and even finish their homework before and after school, he said.

For more information about the West Leederville PS Out of School Hours Care service phone 9473 8402 or email oshc@ymcawa.org.au.

For more information about Y WA go to ymcawa. org.au.

Have a bunch of fun for $2

Families are invited to buy a toy or a game for $2 at the All Saints Floreat Uniting Church next Saturday, from 9am to 1pm.

The toys and games, pictured above, plus clothing and sports gear, will be for sale in the church undercroft at 50 Berkeley Crescent.

A church spokeswoman said all proceeds will go to the Black Pearl Network charity, to assist with English language education and clean water programs in Papua.

Choral music to remember

A traditional choral evensong will be held at St Edmund’s Anglican Church, 54 Pangbourne Street, Wembley, on Anzac Day, Saturday April 25 at 5pm.  Light refreshments will be served after the service.

For more information phone St Edmund’s Church office on 9387 2287.

0438 867 737

REIWA’s #1 Agent in the South West

70 properties sold across residential, land and commercial in the past 12 months — a result driven by experience, local knowledge and a considered approach to every campaign.

Boutique by design, you deal with the same experienced team from appraisal through to settlement — ensuring clear communication, strong accountability and a seamless selling experience.

For a confidential conversation, contact Lee York — 0438 867 737

York Property South West

** Based as of 1/04/26, REIWA compare the agent, within the past 12 months

Boutique Real Estate | Dunsborough & the South West

Same team. Start to finish. Personal service. Proven results.

18 Quedjinup Drive, Quedjinup

Perfectly positioned to embrace its north-east outlook, this peaceful Quedjinup residence captures views across Geographe Bay, where the changing light becomes part of everyday living. Set on 4.12 acres, the home offers a rare balance of outlook, privacy and architectural presence.

Thoughtfully placed within the landscape, the home maximises its outlook while allowing natural airflow and light to move effortlessly through the interiors. Expansive decks, open-plan living and seamless indoor–outdoor flow create spaces designed to connect with the surrounding environment.

Just minutes from the Geographe Bay coastline, local wineries and Dunsborough town centre, this is a considered rural holding offering calm, space and connection in one of the region’s most desirable lifestyle settings.

Call Lee York and Donna Hoole on 0438 867 737, for further information or to arrange a private inspection.

Offers presented by 5pm 15/04/2026

(Unless sold prior)

8 Geographe Close, Quindalup

There are homes designed for living — and others held for what they become over time. Positioned within a quiet coastal pocket of Geographe Bay, this rare dual-title offering brings both together — a completed, designled residence alongside a second titled allotment, introducing flexibility, control and long-term vision.

Grounded, calm and intentionally restrained, the home has been designed to restore a sense of ease, with light, materiality and proportion shaping everyday living. In an established coastal setting where subdivision is opportunities are becoming more limited, the opportunity to secure both a completed residence and additional titled land is becoming rare.

Beyond it, the additional land extends the opportunity — to build, retain or preserve space, offering a level of control seldom found. A coastal holding, defined by both presence and possibility.

Call Lee York and Donna Hoole on 0438 867 737, for further information or to arrange a private inspection.

Offers presented by 5pm 15/04/2026

(Unless sold prior)

Sarah McNeill sarah@postnewspapers.com.au

Humanity and injustice across 75 years

That’s Left Of You

REVIEW: PIER LEACH

It is a marathon, but the epic nature of an eightdecades-spanning story is intrinsic to its meaning.

Palestinian American filmmaker and actor Cherien Dabis’ story is told in three acts across three generations between 1948 and 2023. Its tale of identity, loss, and family can only be fully comprehended across generations. The trauma is cumulative.

It starts with a prelude in the West Bank in 1988, with a teenage boy named Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) running through the streets and impulsively joining the “intifada” (resistance)

protesting Israeli forces. When they open fire, Noor drops worryingly out of the shot.

“I’m here to tell you who is my son,” Noor’s mother Hanan (Dabis), says to camera. “But for you to understand, I must first tell

you what happened to his grandfather.” The film then reverts to the Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe) of 1948, when some 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes to make way for Israel.

In coastal Jaffa, Noor’s grandfather Sharif (Adam Bakri) is determined to protect his idyllic generational home and orange orchard, and sends his family to safety in the West Bank. But he’s no match for the Israeli forces,

and is soon exiled.

In 1978, they’re still in the West Bank, and Sharif’s son Salim is now a father (Saleh Bakri) living with his wife (Dabis) and children. Sharif is now an old man (Mohammad Bakri), who tells young Noor (Sanad Alkabareti) stories of Jaffa.

Share your Titanic connections

Since the “unsinkable” Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14 1912 it has inspired books, films, exhibitions and a myriad extraordinary and apocryphal stories.

Perth’s latest exhibition Titanic: The Human Story, featuring more than 200 original artefacts, personal belongings and moving letters, is extending its stay until June.

Created by exhibitions company Musealia in collaboration with historian Claes-Goran Wetterholm, the exhibition has prompted a search for local connections to the Titanic. They are looking for family histories, heirlooms, letters, photographs

■

When Israeli soldiers threaten Salim and Noor, Salim complies with their humiliating demands, receiving his son’s disrespect – and it’s in this moment the generational effect of exile is brought into sharp focus.

There’s an obvious comparison between Dabis’ classical drama and Kaouther Ben Hania’s recent docudrama, The Voice of Hind Rajab, which unfolds over the course of a single emergency call in contemporary Gaza.

Two starkly different films, but both are directed by women who thread their stories with humanity, love, and resilience in the face of sickening, ever-more outrageous injustice.

Change ahead for Co3

or memorabilia from descendants of passengers and crew, or collectors and dedicated enthusiasts.

“The response in Perth has been incredibly

My girlfriend and I have been dating four months, but several things recently are making me rethink the relationship. She continually communicates with past lovers, saying she can compartmentalise her feelings between intimacy and friendship. Her last boyfriend was wealthy and she told me he had wanted to give her $5000 as a Christmas gift, and then pay for her son to go on a school trip for $3000. She turned him down, but said she could have taken the

moving, not only in the number of visitors, but in the connections people are beginning to share with us,” said Musealia CEO and director Luis

money and I never would have known. We have major disagreements over money. Her attitude is things will take care of themselves. She has no idea how to budget and wants us to open a joint bank account. I am not comfortable with this. Right now the sex is incredible, but she told me sex and intimacy with her last two husbands were over after they

Ferreiro.

People with connections to the Titanic are encouraged to share stories by emailing stories@ titanicexhibition.com.au.

married, which I find disturbing.

Should I follow my instincts, take the heartache now and run for the hills, or am I being gun-shy?

Edgar

Edgar, there are two kinds of gun-shy. The first involves fear of a weapon’s noise; the second involves the fear of being shot! You are suffering from the second kind.

When she said another man offered her $8000 over Christmas, she was telling you where the bidding now stands. If you

On the opening night of Co3’s seminal dance work Gloria, Raewyn Hill announced that she will step down as the company’s artistic director at the end of the year. Over 12 years she has successfully established Co3 as a leading contemporary dance company in WA.

“As Co3’s first artistic director, Raewyn has had a profound impact on the contemporary dance sector in WA and helmed a company now recognised nationally and internationally,” said Co3 chair Margrete Helgeby Chaney.

want to join in the action, be prepared to go higher. The other men in her life are all small insurance policies.

When a person with an ordered life joins a person with a disordered one, chaos rules. You seem like a smart man, so why do you want to believe her? It points to a vulnerability men have – the confusion between a woman who loves them and a woman who knows how to use a man’s sexuality to get what she wants.

Wayne & Tamara

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

Cadel: Lungs on Legs rides into Perth this weekend for three shows. Connor Delves returns to Perth with his sellout show about Australian cyclist Cadel Evans, before taking the show to Europe.

Dolphin Theatre, UWA, Friday April 10 at 7.30pm and Saturday at 3 and 7.30pm. Book through TicketsWA.

This year’s Callaway Lecture at UWA Music features Paul Kelly in Conversation. One of Australia’s most celebrated songwriters and storytellers, Kelly’s career spans more than four decades, with a catalogue of songs that have become part of the nation’s musical landscape. He will reflect on his life in music, songwriting, and the stories behind the songs.

Octagon Theatre, UWA, on Friday May at 6.30pm. Book through TicketsWA. ■

As part of Italian Music Week, Orangery Gallery in Shenton Park in conjunction with Government House

Foundation and the Italian Consulate present An Intimate Soiree featuring special Italian guests tenor Giuseppe Infantino and pianist Giuseppe Fausto Modugno. The two Giuseppes will be joined by soprano Rachelle Durkin and pianist Mark Coughlan in an intimate musical recital in the gallery, followed by a reception to meet the artists.

Orangery Gallery, 320 Onslow Road, Shenton Park, Wednesday April 15, 6pm. Book through trybooking.com.

Illuminate Yagan Square is back for its third annual event on Friday April 17 and Saturday 18. Presented by Form in partnership with ECU City, this year’s event is themed Shaped by Light, with installations, live performances and music from 6.30 to 10.30pm each evening.

■

Perth Makers Market returns to Applecross this Sunday, April 12, bringing together more than 150 emerging and established makers. Along with handcrafted goods, art and crafts, there will be gourmet food and live music.

Goolugatup Heathcote, Applecross, from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Free entry.

The Perth Comedy Festival Gala is the biggest night of comedy in Perth. It brings together a line-up of the festival’s best international stars with Australian legends and next-big-things for a great night of comedy each week of the festival; Wednesdays April 29, May 6 and 13, at Regal Theatre, Subiaco. Book through Ticketek.

The Perth Comedy Festival runs from April 20 to May 17. Check out the program at perthcomedyfestival.com.

On the road to understanding

SARAH McNEILL

When Shaquita Nannup was young, she and her dad Derek took a lot of bus trips together. Sometimes the journeys were practical, and sometimes they were just for the fun of travelling together.

It was the memory of those special father and daughter moments that prompted Shaquita to ask Derek to return to the stage as her dad in Katie Beckett’s play Which Way Home.

The play, making its WA premiere at Yirra Yaakin, is an insight into a father–daughter relationship as it follows Tash (Shaquita) who takes her dad (Derek) on a road trip back to Country – a long way from the very white suburb in which Tash has grown up.

“Too often fathers and daughters don’t really talk about things properly,” Shaquita said.

“What we call ‘dad jokes’ risk turning everything into a light-hearted moment. But the car is always a safe space to really share.”

Derek knows as well as anyone that “like every parent in the world, we wing it. We all ask ourselves, did we do it right?”

He said: “A lot of this play is about revisiting memories and understanding that parents and children recall them differently.

Special

“It’s about learning to see a parent as a person.”

Playwright Katie drew on her own experience of growing up with her single Aboriginal father after the loss of her mother at a young age. She said: “He deserved to know how

He performed with Yirra Yaakin in the 1990s but since 2008 has been running cultural workshops and is the eco-education officer at Yanchep National Park. He last performed in Dating Black for Yirra Yaakin in 2021.

“I’m in tourism now,” he said, “but when this opportunity came up, we both jumped at it.”

Shaquita, a graduate of WAAPA’s Aboriginal Performance course, agreed that working with her dad was deeply special, but also it is a play that is profoundly relevant to their own relationship.

“This play has happened at exactly the right time for us,” she said.

much I appreciate everything that he’s done.”

Shaquita grew up watching her dad performing.

Derek began his career as a street performer, trained in circus with Reg Bolton and started the company Clowning Around.

“We’ve had those conversations; we’ve healed and I’m so grateful for those moments we’ve had together.”

■ Yirra Yaakin presents Which Way Home at Subiaco Arts Centre from April 28 to May 9.

award with Georgia on our mind

A new award will be presented at this year’s Performing Arts Awards WA, in honour of the late Georgia Malone.

The Ripple Effect Award will celebrate an individual whose passion and love for arts leads them to contribute above and beyond.

The idea for the award came from Georgia’s husband John Carter.

Georgia had a 30-year career across all art forms, working with organisations that included Black Swan, Perth Festival, Sydney Dance and PICA.

After her death last year from cancer, John found a note in her diary about her legacy and wanting to have a “ripple effect” on the world.

The winner of the Ripple Effect Award will be encouraged to use their prize to continue the ripple

The musical Urinetown, by Western Sky Projects, received the most nominations, with 14. Other big nominees include Freeze Frame Opera’s Dead Man Walking, with nine nominations, and Co3 Dance’s production In the Shadow of Time, with eight. WA Ballet scored 18 nominations across five shows, Drew Anthony Collective garnered 10 from three shows, and Black Swan Theatre has 11 across four shows.

effect and reinvest in the sector in a meaningful way.

The inaugural winner will be announced during the Performing Arts WA Awards Gala at the State Theatre Centre on April 20. The awards celebrate achievements in live performance in 2025, covering mainstage and independent performances in theatre, musical theatre, opera, cabaret and dance.

A total of 47 productions will vie for awards this year, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award and the new Ripple Effect Award. To book tickets to the awards night, go to artsculturetrust.wa.gov. au and search “performing arts wa awards”.

Spritz emerges with flavour explosion

SARAH McNEILL

A sense of fun and experimenting with unexpected flavours have led to Cabanato.

Winemaker, restaurateur and now flavour inventor, David Irvin, is behind the range of wine spritz infused with hibiscus, kakadu plum grapefruit, lime, pomegranate and even dark chocolate.

David, who grew up in Shenton Park and Floreat and attended “Hollywood High and the School of Hard Knocks”, began his career as a local photographer before joining a wine company and moving to Margaret River to co-own Rivendell winery’s cellar door and run the restaurant.

The restaurant won a Gold Plate award in 2017 before it changed hands and then COVID hit.

David then came back to Perth and began experimenting with the semisweet Italian rosato style wine served over ice that had been so popular at Rivendell.

“I just started playing with it, carbonated it, and then added flavours,” he said. “It is a beautiful base to add different flavours.”

Leasing a vineyard of grenache and shiraz grapes in the Swan Valley, and using cabernet grapes from Margaret River, the Cabanato spritz range now includes a sparkling rosato; wild rozella with floral hibiscus, finger lime and kakadu plum; ginja with Japanese botanical

ON THE

gin and Tahitian lime, and a rum-infused rumba.

David’s latest flavour explosion is cabernet with dark chocolate and he’s working on a new one with pomegranate and elderflower.

“It is so much fun,” Daivd said. “It’s often a bit of trial and error, but we are selling out at markets.”

He has a stall at Perth Makers Market at Heathcote in Applecross this Sunday.

Gibney stays on top

Gibney in Cottesloe has made dining history by winning the WA Good Food Guide Awards restaurant of the year for the second consecutive time. The judges acknowledged that head chef James Cole Bowen played a huge part in its historic win, but also noted that “white-coated service gets sharper by the year; the

seaside views are impeccable, and the opulent design captures the essence of the location”.

Restaurateur George Kailis had a long-held vision to create a premium fine dining experience in a beach front location.

“To win Restaurant of the Year once is an honour,” he said. “To win it back-to-back, for the first

time ever, is incredibly special.”

Cottesloe’s spectacular location came into play again with Best New Restaurant award given to Tigerfish in the Cottesloe Hotel, managed by Mark Rutter (Il Lido and Canteen Pizza).

Cherubino City Cellar in Subiaco was voted best bar.

SUPPORTING WESTERN

AUSTRALIAN

WINE

FOR OVER 35 YEARS

Viva Volta in the Valley

Some of WA’s best value wines are grown on the fringe of the city, just a 45-minute drive away.

It is often overlooked, but Australia’s second oldest wine region, the Swan Valley, has been undergoing a quiet evolution where the leading changemakers include Garth Cliff and Kristen McGann at Vino Volta Wines.

You won’t nd chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon in their barrels but their hero varieties are chenin blanc and grenache.

Both are grape varieties that were carefully, and wisely, chosen by the Valley’s forefathers, to suit the climate and soils.

Both are varieties that according to Garth “have a particular capacity to thrive in a warm climate” and, when handled carefully, have the potential for exceptional wine.

Garth pointed out that traditional, but sometimes inaccurate, perceptions of the wine styles made from these varieties can be a challenge when taking these wines to market.

Vino Volta only produce dry chenin blancs in two distinct styles.

They are creatively named Nothing Wrong with Old Skool ($30) and Funky and Fearless ($35).

The former is a taut, fresh, appley, herb-in ected avourful white that would sit in the wheelhouse of SSB drinkers.

The latter is an exceptionally complex, rounded, oak-aged, yeast-in uenced, dry white, that retains its fresh citrus zing.

It’s a wine that could easily give some of the state’s top end chardonnays a run

for their money.

A former senior winemaker for Houghtons, Garth established the brand with a strong understanding of the local terroir.

He notes that while all vines are, to a degree, wind and drought tolerant, on a hot day in the valley, when other varieties were drooping on the vine, “chenin blanc looked vibrant and green, …grenache was the same”.

Grenache has gone through a style revolution and Garth is among a small bunch of local producers who, like many winemakers in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, are now picking their grapes earlier to make a less ripe style.

Coaxing aromatics, retaining elegance and preserving natural skin tannin are the tenets of contemporary grenache making.

What does that mean to the everyday drinker?

Contemporary grenache is certainly lighter and, while still intrinsically generous and fruity, is far from the older ‘jammy’ style.

Some describe them as more like pinot-noir, but Garth frames his Vino Volta 2023 Pezzonovante (meaning “the big shot”) Grenache ($48) as more akin to Italian nebbiolonever heavy, but structured and aromatic.

The 2023 is exceptionally good and easily of gold medal standard.

It is concentrated with long avours, as you would expect from such low-yielding old vines, yet it is lightly framed and seductive and most importantly, just plain yummy!

It is exciting to know that choosing local is also choosing quality.

Heritage appeal in prime location

2 1 7 White Street NORTH FREMANTLE

Mid $1million

Ray White

183sq.m

With the impending closure of Fremantle Port in the next decade and the building of a new city in its place, big things are happening in North Fremantle, and this house is the perfect opportunity to get in early.

This quaint cottage is a far cry from some of the mansions we have featured in the POST, but therein lies its charm.

This easy-care 2x1 home is close to cafes, bakeries, restaurants and a pharmacy and within easy walking distance of live music venues Mojos and Port Beach Brewery.

Leighton, Port and Mosman beaches are a short walk away, as well as North Fremantle train station, from which it is a quick

commute to Fremantle or the Perth CBD.

North Fremantle is a colourful and diverse suburb with a fantastic community.

Agent Sarah Bourke said there was a great sense of community in White Street, where most neighbours know each other.

“They often pop into each other’s homes for coffee,” Ms Bourke said.

“I’ve had interest from first-home buyers, downsizers and people from Mandurah who want to move back to Perth.”

The house has a lowmaintenance outdoor area with space for entertaining, a shed and a vegie patch.

According to Fremantle council’s heritage register, the weatherboard and iron cottage was built for the Munro family who lived there until 1907.

Listed as Category 3 heritage, it is a typical workers’ cottage which has aesthetic

■ The location near restaurants, cafes and the train is appealing.

■

value for its contribution to the streetscape and the surrounding area.

Most of the houses in the short street were built between 1900 and 1920 when it was called George Street. The name was officially changed to White Street in 1923.

The house was included in the 1994 North Fremantle Heritage Study as a place contributing to the development and heritage of North Fremantle.

CONTACT: Sarah Bourke 0474 310 500.

– NOAH MORCOMBE and JULIE BAILEY

FLOREAT

81 Glengariff Drive

Mid to high $3millions

Anyone looking for plenty of space should check out this seven-bedroom and fivebathroom grand Mediterraneanstyle home on an 802sq.m block. Its sought-after position between Roscommon Nature Reserve and Bold Park provides buyers a rare opportunity to experience natural bushland practically in their own backyard while living close to Floreat Forum and City Beach.

The 28sq.m main bedroom on the top floor features a walk-in robe, an ensuite with a large bath and access to two balconies.

The house also boasts a large French provincial-style kitchen, a gym and a walled garden with a pool.

■ Behind the white picket fence is a cute weatherboard cottage with a mix of modern and character features.

■ ABOVE: Downsizers looking for a low-maintenance block have shown interest in the 183sq.m property in a great street.

36A Jameson Street

Mid $2millions

This airy modern home is ideal for families looking for the best of both river and ocean, with shops and schools as well as the Mosman Park golf course and parks in the near vicinity. With five bedrooms and three bathrooms, this home gives buyers security of space at a reasonable price. The open-plan kitchen has modern appliances and a large marble bench, perfect for cooking with family or entertaining guests. The house features a study ideal for working from home or as a specially allocated space for kids to focus on homework without distractions.

POST Property writer Julie Bailey would like to hear your real estate news. Email julie@postnewspapers.com.au or follow Instagram@juliebailey_property

Ringing the changes over two decades

After 15 years of writing Changing Hands, it’s time to do just that –change hands. This is my nal column before I hand over the baton. When I started as property editor at the POST in 2004, there was no such thing as “styling” a house. I would knock on the door to nd dishes in the sink, washing on the line and people still asleep.

I remember going to a Nedlands house where the owner’s son was smoking non-medicinal cannabis in his bedroom. “Don’t worry about him,” the dad said. I took my own photos with a film camera, carefully rationing each shot before racing off to have them developed ahead of deadline. I have covered auctions with bidding wars and awkward silences. I have walked through riverfront mansions owned by billionaires, architect-designed

masterpieces, humble weatherboard cottages, half-built houses and the burnt-out ruins of Albert Hall in North Fremantle. Thank you to the agents who trusted me with their information, both on and off the record, to the owners who allowed me to walk through their homes and to the readers who turned to this column each week. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues and POST founder and managing editor Bret Christian for making the POST such a great and quirky place to work. Why else would anyone stay for 22 years?

Trades Hall goes for $7.35million

City Beach developer Peter Medich has sold the Trades Hall building in Fremantle for $7.35million. The prominent 1904 building opposite the Esplanade Hotel was on the market in the high $7millions to $8millions. The 496sq.m property is in the name of 888 Holdings Pty Ltd. An ASIC search shows the director is Andrew Christian Mellett Bennett of Bayswater. The 888 emblazoned on the outside of the building is a nod to eight hours work, eight hours leisure, eight hours rest which was championed by unions. If you were around in the 1980s, you may remember when the Rajneeshees – popularly known as the “Orange People” – operated a restaurant called Zorba the Buddha from the building at 6 Collie Street. Soon after that it became Club Le Maschere, an Italian bar and restaurant that was popular during the heady days of the America’s Cup. The beautifully-renovated

South-West award-winner

T

he owner of this rural gem had not intended to buy a house when she was visiting friends Down South – at least until she came across this striking hideaway and decided it was time for a change. Indoors and outdoors

are seamlessly integrated by large fixed-pane windows and wide doors that open onto spacious outdoor entertaining areas, as well as a plunge pool and firepit area.

The hideaway overlooks the peaceful Gunyulgup Valley, which aptly translates to “a resting place near water”.

Unsurprisingly, the owner says this view has never failed to bring her a sense of “calmness

and awe”.

The contrast between dark corrugated steel and teak gives this farm-style home a modern character, with high ceilings and a spacious dining/living area.

This open space features an elegant Cheminees Philippe cast-iron fireplace.

Margaret River designers Michael and Susan Lurie titled it a “Stealth Farmhouse”, with the project completed in 2018 and quickly swiped off the market.

The home won the Best New Design $500,000 to $1million category at the 2018 BDAWA Design Awards and was a finalist for the Design Excellence Award.

The homestead puts you far enough from the bustle of Dunsborough that you can unwind in seclusion, but close enough that a

for

property with four bedrooms and four bathrooms settled on March 26.

Agent Michael Harries of Ray White said it would be used primarily as an of ce.

Hill of Tara block

finally for sale

“It was a clever move,” agent Giovanni Notte said about a couple who bought a West Leederville block from the Catholic Church about 40 years ago. They paid $111,000 for the 1001sq.m site in the “Hill of Tara” precinct. The couple never got around to building

on the elevated block at 19 Gibney Vista, so they have decided to sell it. Mr Notte said two or three dwellings could be built on the R30 site, subject to planning approval. “But most of the interest has been from buyers looking to build a beautiful home on the site,” he said. “Whoever buys it will be blessed because it’s next door to the Chapel of St Michael the Archangel and Catholic Education WA.” There are only 17 properties in the cul-de-sac near Galup. “There is a potential for views of the lake and Perth Hills,” he said. Offers close on April 20. For more details, phone 0401 300 648.

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Low-cost renters face long walks

TRADES & SERVICES

In response to feedback DWA is proposing to add more bicycle bays and room for two motorbikes.

Another resident in Kirwan Street, Floreat said they felt compelled to make a submission after they read the POST article in January.

“Are you serious? If 55 car bays are required, how can you possibly think that NIL is acceptable? What a preposterous idea,” they said.

Ms Flow but the council was aware that she was drawing 200 customers to the beach.

Mosman Park had a policy prohibiting organised events on the beach.

“If they applied, they would be refused per the policy,” he said.

“If we are to believe the assertion that car parking bays are not required, we should be able to easily look at all these other apartments that do have parking bays, and note that their car bays are all empty as the residents have decided that 100% public transport is the way to go.

“Your proposal is frankly totally unrealistic.”

Another resident from Jersey Street, Jolimont, said it was “unreasonable to believe most residents will not have a car, despite public transport access. They will need to park their car somewhere.

“With ongoing construction in the surrounding area, demand for parking has increased significantly.

“At the same time the City is actively monitoring the area, with parking inspectors regularly patrolling.

“As a reminder, parking is subject to a 3 hour limit, which helps ensure fair access for all members and visitors.

“Please note the Lords carparking is a public carpark and available to all members of the community.

Another similar 13 “buildto-rent” projects are being developed in the metropolitan area by the state developer. With the exception of two, including Subiaco, they all have residential parking and are closer to a train station.

“We did ask ourselves if we were being the fun police, but when the local environment gets impacted, and an egregious amount of rubbish ends up on the beach, that’s no fun,” she said.

Mosman Park has doubled the number of public bins available in public spaces after complaints from residents.

“We are not the biggest enforcement zealots around, but if we get complaints from members of the public, we are obliged to act, but if you have got technical breaches and no one is complaining, we are not going to rush down there.

“I’m a member of Lords Recreation and that parking is already at capacity, and the surrounding area is already very densely populated with limited parking.

“This development is going to place significant and extra parking pressure on Lords and adjacent street parking.”

Subiaco council – which owns and operates Lords – recently recognised its carpark was coming under increasing pressure.

In response to questions Development WA said the distance of 650m was “an initial estimate”.

“The two train stations are in an 800m straight-line radius from the site, which is an acceptable walkable catchment consistent with the R-Codes Volume 2,” DWA said.

“If the Town is aware of the event, we do our best to ensure there are adequate bins available during the event,” a spokesperson said.

“The guys at the Beach Bus have increased the number of bins they are managing as well.”

“We’re aware that parking around Lords can be very limited at certain times, and we understand how frustrating this can be,” it said in a notice to members last month.

“It should also be noted that a bus stop is located opposite the development, ensuring prompt access to public transport to Subiaco train station and other connections.”

Ms Choy questioned whether that was a fair arrangement, given that Ms Flow was not paying for the strain her events placed on bin services.

“Yes, have your fun, but it can’t come at the current expense to the beach and needs to be managed appropriately,” she said.

Ms Flow did not respond to a request for comment.

Mayor Paul Shaw said

Lane sale hangs on towers’ go-ahead

•

“Any redevelopment proposal will need to go through a planning approvals process.”

The City said Burley Lane will continue to be used as it is now.

The firm is also behind a number of high-rise tower blocks in the Perth CBD and other major projects.

The Hay Street/Burley

Sirona Urban – owned by Matthew McNeilly and Leonie Baldock – has approval for a 17- and 15-storey $360million redevelopment of 7 and 11 Station Street, Cottesloe, which has yet to be built.

Lane site is close to the One Subiaco development, which is up to 24 storeys.

A new development application could seek bonus height in exchange for the retention of the historic shopfronts in Hay Street.

A POST reporter spotted a surveyor working in the lane last week.

Neighbours sue over Nedlands land ‘error’

• From page 1

grant the permit “requested this instruction in writing”, according to the file note.

Ms Shannon told a public council meeting in October that she authorised the building permit.

She also controversially waived a requirement that the developer prepare dilapidation reports on the Hubbards’ house.

Builder A.T. Brine & Sons gave the Hubbards just 24 hours notice to provide access for a building inspector in June last year as the clock ticked on their development approval.

When the Hubbards said they could not arrange time off work at such short notice, the builder appealed to Ms Shannon, who waived the dilapidation report requirement on the basis they had taken all “reasonable steps to obtain access”.

The Hubbards had agreed previously to provide access one day before the planning approval was due to expire.

In a file note, the planning officer said that Ms Shannon’s interpretation that the builder had taken all reasonable steps “could be challenged due to the short period of time the applicant has engaged with the landowners”.

A dilapidation report was completed later, after the permit was issued.

Planning staff allowed site works to resume on the La Cavas’ site in January after their lawyers, Claremont firm McLeods, identified “drafting deficiencies” in the stop-work order.

“The City’s view was that the approved development had not been substantially commenced by 27 June 2025,”

lawyer Craig Slarke wrote in a letter to the Hubbards.

But Mr Slarke also wrote that works carried out on site were more substantial than first assessed by an inspector on that date, and that “enforcement action reliant on a stop-work direction would not succeed”.

“Having regard to all of the circumstances, the City does not intend to request the owners to make an application … to extend the time for substantial commencement,” he said.

The Hubbards have asked the court to halt construction, arguing in their writ that the council had “failed to exercise its statutory enforcement powers according to law”.

Nedlands council declined to answer questions while the matter is before the court.

A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.

Merv and Betty fire their final shots

• From page 6

“It’s very well regulated now because of the things that have happened.”

The couple have an impressive range of trophies and badges from all the shoots they attended over the years, though Merv was unable to secure the coveted Queen’s Prize.

“It’s a very prestigious and difficult prize to win,” he said. “There’s 600 competitors from all over, so there’s a lot of competition.

“I shot off with my good friend Tom Gilmour, who won it, and I tied for first place but ended up third, so I almost won the Queens but didn’t.”

Merv has left a lasting impression on scores of shooters in Australia.

He and his late friend Noel Herbert developed the division system of competitor grading, which 30 years later was adopted across the country.

Merv and Betty plan to still attend big events like the Queen’s Prize but will not take part in the weekly meets.

Club vice-patron and former Subiaco mayor Heather Henderson congratulated the couple on their retirement.

“They have played a significant role in the life and history of their chosen sport of full-bore rifle target shooting not only here in WA but nationally,” she said.

“We look forward to their continued presence throughout the club’s busy social calendar.”

Supreme Court ends WALGA secrecy

• From page 9

protect the vested interests of local government executives and entrenched councillors.

Former MP Larry Graham has described it as a “cash-eating monster” and a “legislated monopoly”.

“Since its inception it has pursued initiatives that reduce the public input into local government,” he wrote in a submission to Parliament.

Former Cambridge mayor Keri Shannon was a vocal critic of WALGA during her eight-year tenure, publicly accusing it of

driving up rates through an incestuous relationship with the Local Government Insurance Scheme.

The Supreme Court decision will also allow public scrutiny of WALGA’s preferred supplier program, which allows council contractors to bypass competitive tender requirements in exchange for a 2% commission.

WALGA says the scheme allows councils to “save time and money by engaging prequalified preferred suppliers directly from the panels rather than undertaking a full tender process”.

Chaos chic too shabby

• From page 1

find someone “mad enough”.

“I can’t close Claremont Drapers,” she said. “I feel it belongs in the community.

“Ideally, I’d take a three-year lease and sell it to someone like-minded.

“Who on earth would want it? I’m not sure if there would be anybody mad enough.”

She will be forced to put her stock in storage and find her mannequin mascot, Chesty Bond, a new home unless she finds somewhere soon.

“Some people have offered a

$5million lifeline for Claremont

laneways

“At this point, it’s a framework, and we’re asking for public consultation, but there’s a clear indication to the community that we’re serious, and we’re going to make it happen, a clear pathway forward, with budget funds committed and ready to go.”

Ratepayers will be expected to help fund the proposal.

Public feedback will help rank each lane with 17 currently deemed priority one, requiring critical upgrades, while 13 are considered priority four and recommended to be left under private ownership.

About $3.8million of the $4.8million project has been allocated to priority one lanes.

That will be an extra $500,000 in the annual budget for the next decade.

Chaney blasts reliance on automation

Increasing reliance on automated decision-making in government risks exposing Australians to another Robodebt incident unless proper guardrails are put in place, Curtin MP Kate Chaney has warned.

She has proposed a new framework for the federal government to use to put the brakes on automating decisions and address the concerns of Curtin residents.

“The 2023 Royal Commission into Robodebt recommended a legislative framework for automated decision-making, with greater transparency and oversight,” she said.

“Yet the Albanese government has done almost nothing to resolve this issue.

“Right now, vulnerable Australians are staring down

a Robodebt revival.

“There are growing concerns about the current use of ADM in aged-care assessments, and about future automation in the NDIS.”

An occupational therapist the POST spoke to, one of the people NDIS asks to advise it on clients’ plans, expressed concern about what AI in this process could mean for cases that involve complex needs.

“I know it’s coming in, and I can see that it would be useful for assessment of some people, or some diagnoses,” they said.

“But I have major reservations about its use to replace expert reports for anyone with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, psychological impairments or cognitive impairment.”

Ms Chaney has proposed mandatory requirements for transparency, decision-level controls, and review and oversight provisions.

AI-driven mandatory fines for seatbelt infringements have been mentioned as another example of automation overkill.

“The WALGA preferred supplier program was used for the purchase of more than half a billion dollars’ worth of goods, services and works by members across the financial year,” CEO Nick Sloane wrote in the organisation’s most recent annual report.

Published accounts show WALGA raked in $6.7million from the preferred supplier program last financial year, $2.5million in council membership fees, and $3.6million in fees through the LGIS.

Its West Leederville headquarters cost $30.8million to build in 2014.

for Claremont

bit of space for storage,” she said.

“A man comes in every few months to see if I want to sell Chesty Bond to him. When he turns up again, I suppose he can go to that man’s collection.”

Ms Gatica-Evans will hold a final party in the Station Street carpark next Saturday.

“Get everyone to bring a plate and dress in what they bought from the Drapers,” she said.

Her shop will be one of the last in the Station Street complex to make way for Sirona Urban’s residential tower development.

The organisation also offers training courses and provides advice to councillors and staff, lobbies the State Government ahead of annual budgets, and coordinates submissions from councils on law reform.

Justice Solomon wrote that FoI laws should be “construed broadly, not narrowly” to “enhance the accountability to the public of bodies responsible for local government”.

“That is achieved by requiring certain documents concerning local government operations being made available to the public.”

WALGA has 21 days from the ruling to lodge an appeal.

Strange saga of Matilda ‘bomb’ Bay

was to first remove or disconnect the fuses.

He said it was unlikely that explosive inside any weapons was still active, as water would probably have seeped through corroded casings.

“Anything tossed out of a Catalina would still be way, way under the mud,” he said.

The bay had been a boat mooring favourite for more than 100 years.

Mooring anchors were usually old steel train wheels or, less often, discarded car engines.

“The chains and shackles rusted through and the buoys broke loose,” Mr Barnett said.

“Ninety per cent of the moorings ever placed in Matilda Bay would still be under that mud with no boat attached today.”

He doubted that a magnetom-

eter would be able to distinguish between old moorings and discarded munitions.

Piles for the jetty would be driven into the river until they hit something solid, he said.

Wanneroo council was this week granted a clearing permit for unexploded ordnance at a building project at a 1.56ha site in the Two Rocks area.

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation permit allows the council to carry out “[UXO] remediation and geotechnical survey to enable final design completion and construction of a beach access, car park, concrete pathway and associated infrastructure”.

The affected site is within the Yanchep Two Rocks Artillery Range area which was used during World War II by the army, air force and navy for artillery and bombing practice.

Athletes deserve their golden moment

THE Sporting

John townsend

George Blurton and Raelene Boyle have little in common other than being the subject of moves to grant them retrospective medals for their sporting achievements.

Their cases have vastly different merits and prospects of success.

Blurton, a scintillating footballer who was the second Aboriginal player in the WAFL after Jimmy Melbourne, won the Cookson Medal in 1915 as the league’s “fairest and most brilliant player”.

The Cookson was the precursor to the Sandover Medal, which has been awarded every season since 1921.

Trenton Harris, a school principal when not masquerading as provocative radio polymath Ry Driver (think HG Nelson without the modesty), is making a film about Blurton.

He buttonholed me at Swan Districts last weekend to say he was starting a campaign to have Blurton awarded a retrospective Sandover in recognition of his pioneering feats.

The son of famous New Norcia cricketer Johnny Blurton, George was one of the best footballers in the state at the start of World War I. He was described variously as “exhilarating”, “capable of rare speed and remarkable agility”, “a high flyer”, “wonderfully consistent” and a player who “often ran past all opposition with ease” in the newspaper reporting of the era.

No wonder he won the only Cookson Medal awarded.

It was the brainchild of North Fremantle club delegate Sam Cookson, a Mosman Park businessman elected chairman of the local road board where it was his responsibility to shoot the feral goats plaguing Buckland Hill. But North Fremantle went into

recess after 1915 because most of its players, and a majority of the district’s young men, enlisted in the war effort.

North were unsuccessful in their bid to return to the WAFL after the war, but have played amateurs at the historic Gil Fraser Oval ever since.

Cookson’s football status waned after 1915, his £5 sponsorship evaporated and the concept of a best player award vanished before it was resurrected six years later at the urging of Subiaco player

Tom Outridge, a regular opponent of Blurton, who convinced his employer Alf Sandover to underwrite a new medal.

Boyle was Australia’s best female sprinter of her era but was the victim of two of the most egregious iniquities in athletics history.

One was at the 1976 Montreal Olympics when she was disqualified from the 200m final after two false starts.

Footage of the first start showed that it was another runner who broke, only for the Australian to be blamed.

It might have been pure coincidence that Outridge won the inaugural Sandover in 1921.

Driver’s quest might be in vain – Blurton suffered no injustice in winning an award that was soon discontinued – but that is not the case with Raelene Boyle and a host of other athletes of the 1970s and 80s.

ABOVE: Raelene Boyle, left, received a silver medal at Munich after steroid-using Renate Stecher claimed the 100m gold in world record time. LEFT: Stecher won by 0.16 secs.

in the period before the Berlin Wall came down.

But Boyle’s history went from unfortunate to injustice two decades ago when Stecher admitted that she had attempted to get off the state-sponsored steroid program after 1972 because she wanted to have children and was concerned about the potential side-effects for them.

Stecher knew of numerous compatriots whose children had been born with defects and wanted to avoid the same fate.

“I personally went and had a look at the files,” Boyle said in 2009 after reunification of the two Germanys unveiled secret police material about the doping program.

Boyle had even more reason to be devastated over her plight in the 100m and 200m finals at the 1972 Munich games where she was pipped on the line by East German powerhouse Renate Stecher.

Suspicions over East Germany’s doping program were rife at the time – their athletes were substantially bigger, faster and stronger than those of other countries throughout the 1970s – with the country winning 384 Olympic medals and finishing second on the medal table at three of the four summer games

“Stecher talks about not wanting to take any more pills, meaning drugs, between the 1972 Olympics and when she started her preparation for the 1976 Olympics because she wanted to have children.

“She was part of it, she was involved.”

Boyle’s case was clear. She had been cheated out of two gold medals and deserved to have them awarded retrospectively.

That would have happened had Stecher failed a drug test after the races and, in Boyle’s mind, there was no fundamental difference simply because of the passage of time.

But there was a legal problem. The International Olympic Committee had instituted an eight-year statute of limitations on drug offences, and with the

expiry long passed when the secret files were released, they were able to wash their hands of any responsibility, as confirmed by president Thomas Bach when he channelled Pontius Pilate in 2019.

“The decision was taken that there is a statute of limitations which I must say unfortunately prevents the IOC from making any corrections in this respect,” he said.

Boyle was having none of it.

“It would be really nice if the IOC one day did turn around and say, ‘You guys deserve these medals’,” she said.

“I’m one in athletics, Lisa Curry is one in swimming. There are many, many around the world that deserve a medal and didn’t get anything.

“The powers that be have shut it off. They want to move forward and not play out that dirty part of their history.”

Boyle has a hope, though. Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry recently became IOC president and her willingness to provide a clear response to the vexed issue of defining eligibility for female sports suggests she might be willing to address other historic anomalies.

There is nothing more unfair than clean athletes being cheated out of legitimate medals.

Boyle and her cohort deserve their gold moment.

Coventry should provide it with retrospective medals presented at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Festival shapes history of board design

More than 1000 surfboards from 50 private South-West collections will be on display at the first Yallingup Vintage Surf Festival at Caves House over the Anzac Day long weekend.

Former Cottesloe surfer Chris Burke is behind the gathering and said he was the instigator of the first vintage swap meet held in a Hay Street warehouse in 2011.

Chris grew up carving lines at Cottesloe Beach and was a former top-200 ranked surfer on the ASP tour in 1993.

“The festival is a rare chance to see the evolution of board design up close and for collectors and surfers alike to share the stories behind them,” he said.

“This is just the beginning of a multi-era gathering set to grow into a permanent event on the Australian surf calendar.

“The collections include

surfing with

cameron bedford-brown

a wide variety of WA board brands, Murray Smith, Cordingley, Greg Laurenson, Precision Equip, Santosha and east coast surfboards from Gordon and Smith and McCoy.

“This is a great opportunity for the close-knit South-West community to get together and talk all things surf history, board design and check everyone’s collections.”

The festival builds on years of grassroots gatherings driven by passionate collectors like the vintage swap meets that have become very popular at Perry Lakes in recent years.

“I feel it’s important to maintain the historical significance of board design over the years and the heritage that carries through the eras of WA surf-

ing,” Chris said.

“There are a large number of private investors and collectors with very impressive collections here in the south west, safely stashed away that have yet to be seen by the public.

“The festival gives them the opportunity to share with likeminded admirers and it’s also a good excuse to meet up with fellow collectors.”

The festival is a part-time machine with proceedings kicking off at noon on Saturday with bands rolling through the afternoon and into the night, surf films flickering under the stars and photo exhibitions capturing the raw, untamed spirit of surfing’s past.

Sunday shifts into full celebration mode featuring surfboard shapers, industry pioneers and pro surfers who will share their stories and answer questions.

Use this shape to make a drawing. The best two entries will win.

Yodas galore

Q. What did one tonsil say to the other tonsil?

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?:

Kennedy, Holly Hughes, Hannah Cordery, Leah Russell, Lila Christou, Sophie Wong.

A. Hurry up and get dressed, the doctor is taking us out today!

Dozens of versions of the small, wise Jedi master Yoda arrived on my desk this week full of colour, imagination and sage advice!

Holly’s picture of Yoda made me laugh because he was hanging off the back of Artemis II as it circles the Moon. There were Yodas with lightsabres, Yodas in space and in spaceships.

Because there were so many Yodas, it was too hard to decide a winning one, so I’ve chosen two winners who made me rethink the shape and see it in a different way.

Tongue Twister FLIES FLY BUT A FLY FLIES.

Chloe Trinder, 8, from Subiaco, did a beautiful drawing of a huge whale’s tail splashing in the ocean with two people watching from a fishing boat. It is a striking image.

Our other winner is Frank Anderson, 8, from Cottesloe, who used the doodle to create a beautiful bird sitting in a tree. It made me see the doodle quite differently.

There were some other great ideas such as Lila’s cute puppy with a bee about to land on its nose, Ella’s stringray drifting through tropical waters, Sophie’s fruit-filled Mexican hat and Iona’s bouncing Easter bunny.

There can be space for an elephant

Q. What caused Bluey the bird catcher to faint?

A. He took a little tern!

Did you hear about the crazy golfer?

is an elephant with a dream: She wants to become an astronaut.

When Space Command repeatedly tells her elephants can’t go to space, she refuses to give up. With courage, creativity and the help of some unexpected friends, she sets out to build her own spaceship and prove that anyone can reach for the stars.

James Foley’s award-winning picture book Stellarphant has been adapted to the stage by playwright Clare Testoni for Barking Gecko Arts.

James, a writer and illustrator, has always said that pictures “can really pack an emotional punch”. There was a good reason, he said,

why his illustrations in Stellarphant all showed a panel of middle-aged white men saying “no” to Stella.

“The moment I read Stellarphant, I knew I wanted to see it on stage,” said Barking Gecko director Sam Longley.

“Stella is determined, intelligent, and creative, but the people at Space Command choose not to see her potential. Instead, they see difculties, differences and the elephant in the room. Stellarphant is about being larger than the box that people put you in,”

Barking Gecko Arts’ new theatre production, Stellarphant, is at Subiaco Arts Centre from April 15 to 18, and then continues with its school season.

He was a complete crack-putt!

Q. What do you call a fish with no eye?

A. Fsh!

Gordon, the one-legged goose,

Had flu, plus his one leg was loose. He started to cough, His one leg fell off, And now he’s a legless recluse!

Head to postnewspapers.com.au and lodge your classified online or drop by our o ce at 276 Onslow Rd, Shenton Park.