PERTH should take a leaf out of Stirling’s book and make its citizenship ceremonies a little more “personal” and welcoming, says councillor Lily Chen. A guest at one of Stirling’s recent ceremonies, Cr Chen says she was was touched by how deputy mayor Keith Sargent built a rapport with the audience by sharing his family’s…

BAYSWATER councillor John Rifici has been called out by a ratepayer group for not putting enough effort into his ward, a claim the councillor rejects. Cr Rifici represents Maylands but the president of the local ratepayers’ association Elli Petersen-Pik has described him as a “close-to-absent” councillor because he’s on no council committees and has missed…

NINETY TIMES in one day – we don’t know if it’s a Perth record for Jacob’s Ladder summits but Rob Coyle’s effort definitely tops anything in the Chook’s record books. Incredibly, the Cockburn gym owner’s Sunday morning stepathlon isn’t even his main achievement; dubbed ‘Perth’s man of steel’, he’s preparing to climb the ladder 120…

THE Organ Donation and Transplant Foundation of WA has warned it may have to close its office in Bayswater because it’s running short of money. ODATWA owes Bayswater council about $1500 for three months’ rent at the Rise community centre and feared it would have to cancel its annual Star to Remember event, which brings…

THE WA art gallery’s latest exhibition treats visitors to a glimpse of Western Australia as seen by European settlers. It’s a vision of a pristine landscape around the Swan River; unadorned, but not uninhabited as the exhibition’s title Unknown Land suggests. Curator Melissa Harpley says that the title was drawn from a rough translation of…

ONE of the ugliest blights on Perth’s skyline and social fabric will be demolished with the state government asking for tenders to knock down Stirling Towers in Highgate. The Homeswest block on Smith Street, also known as “Suicide Towers” for the depressive pall it casts over the neighbourhood, will be replaced with a mixture of…

AN environmental report which authorities relied on to approve a controversial sub-division in Bayswater made no mention that part of a thriving wetland would be cleared. Documents provided to Bayswater councillor Chris Cornish under freedom of information laws show the WA Planning Commission approved the Skippers Row development after considering a report by consultants for…

GARDEN enthusiasts who mourned the collapse of Open Gardens Australia will be thrilled to learn there’s a new, WA-based replacement. Open Gardens West Coast is a not-for-profit group of keen gardeners. “It’s based on a similar model to Open Gardens Australia, but where they had a paid co-ordinator in each state Open Gardens West Coast…

VINCENT council looks set to bring in an independent expert to head up its audit committee. Like most committees in Perth, Vincent’s financial overseer is headed by its mayor and filled out by councillors, but Cr Ros Harley wants staff to investigate “best practice” and see if independent members (and even a chair) are a…

THE Mount Lawley Society is gearing up for the first Hip on Heritage Short Film Festival showcasing the historic suburb. The society is looking for films less than seven minutes long with the theme of either “Mount Lawley” or “Heritage”, and the festival is open to all genres, be it comedy, drama or documentary. The…