A flat glassy Swan, few boats, birds and not a dolphin in sight. Within a rod’s throw from shore, trust officers and marine and aviation authorities meet on the water to witness the temporary disturbance of Perth’s iconic river. On cue, the single-engine Cessna prepares to land flying up the river from Crawley where seaplanes…

A single photograph from 1906 of a policeman on a horse is about to change Maylands author Norman Jorgensen’s life. Mr Jorgensen was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the WA arts department to write a book about the life of Jack Kelly, a WA policeman, international circus star and younger brother to the infamous…

Sammut clears shelves of a quarter-century in books With the bulldozer looming in the background, Vincent Sammut’s having to pack up his North Perth bookshop—and around 50,000 books. Formerly a graphic designer he got out of that game when told he was overqualified: “That’s code for ‘you’ve passed a certain age’,” he says. For 15…

Council polls close 6pm Saturday October 19 but voters in Voiceland are hardly rushing to have their say in a year that’s also seen both a state and federal election. As the Voice went to press, Perth city council’s turnout was 28 per cent, Bayswater’s was a dismal 21-odd, Stirling’s around 24 and Vincent just…

So it’s God versus Woolworths—and Woolies is winning. A Maylands reverend has joined forces with Labor MP Lisa Baker and other concerned locals to try to stop the grog and grocery giant getting a liquor licence for its Dan Murphy’s booze barn on Railway Parade. Bayswater city council and a planning assessment panel both knocked…

A new community group has formed to oppose Barnett government plans to destroy the community’s right to oppose mergers. The Dadour Group supports retaining the Dadour Amendment, which allows residents to veto forced mergers via a referendum. Stirling council candidate Leisha Jack says the government’s push to delete the amendment is “another move to force…

Leederville Hotel’s permit for an outdoor eating area was granted without complaint—but only because vocal critic Debbie Saunders was locked out of Vincent council HQ. The Oxford Street cafe owner has long campaigned against the hotel, complaining its drunk customers leave the street in a mess. But when she showed up to the council meeting…

VOICE photographer Jeremy Dixon dropped by Hyde Park Tuesday to snap a few pics of the baby swans. The fluffy cygnets are nearly full size, but they’re going through awkward teenage years and have yet to shed their baby down. While the lake has plenty nutrients in it, causing the green algae, a couple of…

Daughter tackles stigma with jumble sale When Ciara Thiedeman’s mum took her own life in 2009, her dad told her “don’t mince your words”. He told his daughter to be direct about how Noreen Lowe had died and to be open about her mental illness. Four years on Ms Thiedeman still lives by the advice.…

This week marks Eid, the Muslim religious festival of sacrifice. For the first time Vincent city council is teaming up with the Muslim community to celebrate the holiday, and is hoping to include non-Muslims in the festival too. Former mayor Alannah MacTiernan says she wanted to help support a mainstream Muslim festival that everyone can…