THE National Trust WA received funding last year to run its first writer in residence program. The funding came from the Department of Culture and the Arts, which in 2019 produced a Writing Sector Review aimed at encouraging excellence in writing and foster professional development. The trust chose four writers to kick off the program;…

A PERTH hotel housing campers from Fremantle’s dismantled Tent City, was forced to kick out its 15 remaining homeless clients on Wednesday, with a $40,000 bill no one will pay.  Perth City Apartment Hotel is looking to the Department of Communities to cough up the cash, but Communities has denied any involvement in booking people in. …

NAMES are being sought for the faces that appear in a series of poignant photographs taken of Cowle Street residents 35 years ago. David Forrester-Walker lived in the “humble to modest” West Perth street in 1986, and for a student photography project he photographed neighbours inside their homes, on their porches, and in their backyards. …

PERTH’S most controversial toilet saga has come to an end with Maylands to get a loo in an empty garden bed near the train station. A public toilet’s long been needed in the area and Bayswater council tried for a while to put it on Public Transport Authority land, but the PTA steadfastly refused due “major security…

FOOD trucks will remain in Hyde Park after a motion to turf out regulars was voted down at this week’s Vincent council meeting. Councillor Josh Topelberg says the council originally set out to provide “irregular trading for special events”, but some food trucks have turned out to be stickier than a jam doughnut. Eight brick…

PERTH’S five-day Covid lockdown is being sharply felt by local artists, with Fringe World shows cancelled or running at reduced capacity.  This week the annual arts festival cancelled its awards, using the cash prizes to help affected artists through the Fringe Fund.  Perth based artist Chelsea Gibson performed in Prismatic and said Fringe’s decision to…

A HISTORIC painting showing a rare early view of Hyde Park has been bought by Perth city council after spending years in private collections.  Walter Paterson Meston’s 1904 Hyde Park has been out of the public eye for years. Hyde Park history enthusiasts John Viska and Rodney O’Brien had been tracing the painting but have…

WITH tourism off the cards for the near future, a taste of international art, craft, culture, and cuisine returns to Perth for the Summer Time Multicultural Festival and Food Bazaar. Organiser Astit Olszowy from the Perth Indonesian Community tells us “the performers are about 145 people from different cultures and backgrounds,” from traditional Tari Persembahan…

A PERTH hotel has been left with an outstanding $30,000 bill after no one was willing to take responsibility for 11 homeless people who ended up in its rooms. Perth City Apartment Hotel had been accommodating some former residents of East Perth’s Tent City, but manager Anthony Coll said after Fremantle’s version was dismantled on…

PERTH lord mayor Basil Zempilas says his council was left out of the loop over a McGowan government plan to lease a hostel for rough sleepers – which has left the premier with egg on his face. On Sunday Mark McGowan announced the government would house 100 people in a “Wellington Street facility”, but it turned…