THERE might’ve been the odd pro-car grumble, but closing Leederville’s main drag to vehicles on Sundays has taken out a top prize at the Parks & Leisure WA awards. Joanne Fotakis, now a Vincent councillor, was chair of activation at Leederville Connect when the town team first trialled closing Oxford Street to try and get…

World Cup Russia 2018 LAST week we looked at the agony of England, perennially picking the ball from the net after a disastrous penalty shootout ended another Cup run. Not quite this time, but what about that one glorious day when the Three Lions roared; when the whole nation roared as captain Bobby Moore held…

World Cup Russia 2018 FRANCE’S reputation as “surrender monkeys” has to be one of the most unfair stereotypes in existence for a nation that dominated the world stage for so much of written history, and they sure haven’t backed down this World Cup. The stereotype really caught fire after a throw-away line in a 1995…

World Cup Russia 2018 CROATIA’S journey towards the World Cup semi-finals in some ways mirrors the broader picture of a country that only gained its independence 27 years ago and has since been recovering from a brutal war of independence. Although Croatian declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the next five years were a brutal…

World Cup Russia 2018 Now there’s just two teams in the running to hold the 2018 FIFA World Cup; France and Croatia. But it’s not all over yet for the plucky Belgians and perennially unlucky Brits, who were both beaten in the semi-finals, as they’ve still got to play off for third and fourth places.…

YOUNG Vincent residents interested in addressing social, economic and environmental issues could qualify for a $1000 grant under the city’s revised community funding policy. The old policy didn’t have anything for youngsters, so the council had a look at what other municipalities were offering before adding in four new categories for 12- to 25-year-olds; community…

YEAR 3 students at Bayswater Primary School have set up a community grow cart to help cut down on food waste. The students’ garden outside their classroom and a community garden at the school are just starting to pump out a diverse range of fruit, veggies and herbs as the winter rains set in, with…

VINCENT Mayor Emma Cole says despite gloomy talk about Leederville’s economy, there are green shoots emerging, such as a proposed boutique hotel. “It’s a very sad thing to see some long-established businesses close, but at the same time there are some businesses who are working hard to keep ahead of the trends, collaborate with each…

A NORWEGIAN cycling initiative that reconnects the elderly with young people and the great outdoors has been launched in Perth. “Cycling Without Age” encourages younger generations to take old timers out for a scenic ride in special trishaw bikes. Dorthe Pedersen founded the program after seeing a man in Copenhagen offer his nursing home neighbours…

A FORMER Vincent bus driver says the council mismanaged a community bus which it now intends to auction off, a move he labelled “opportunistic”. Robert Stall worked as a casual driver for the council from 2011-2014 and says there was plenty of demand for the service. He can’t understand how the council let that drop…