THE Fremantle Chamber Orchestra will be joined by a new choir formed by Ukrainian refugees for a benefit concert in Fremantle tomorrow (Sunday November 20). All proceeds from the Christmas Wish for Ukraine Benefit Concert will be donated to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, an Australian charity providing emergency and humanitarian aid to those affected by…

THE owners of a vast West Perth block have won approval to demolish the existing buildings and build a Bunnings warehouse. The decision stymies attempts by local creatives and Vincent council to rejuvenate the ‘Pickle District’ into an arts hub.  The state government’s Development Assessment Panel greenlit plans from the block’s owners Anita Percudani and…

1962 Empire Games AFTER recently delving into the unofficial first uses of Beatty Park Leisure Centre and its multiple clandestine first swimmers who dove in before opening day (“Did you take the plunge,” Voice, September 3, 2022), this week the Vincent Local History Centre brings us the story of the more official uses of the…

St Pat’s is holding its annual fundraiser, The Fremantle Long Table Dinner, next Saturday (November 26) with a target of raising $150,000 to continue supporting the most vulnerable people in Perth’s South Metro. Tix: fremantlelongtable.com.au THANK goodness St Patrick’s Community Support Centre is celebrating its 50th birthday with a Long Table Dinner fundraiser – because…

THE fate of Bayswater’s “ward” system up for public debate. Bayswater currently has councillors allotted to four wards, with citizens voting for three representatives in West Ward, Central Ward and North Ward, while South Ward has two. The ward system is intended to better represent an area’s minority views which might otherwise get lost if…

Reconciliation plan  the ‘most aspirational’ VINCENT council has launched a new reconciliation plan it’s calling its “most aspirational”. Launched during a workshop celebrating Noongar culture and the six seasons, the three-year plan includes a range of actions to improve employment and procurement opportunities for First Nations people and recognition of their significant sites. Significantly, it…

SEVEN out of 10 people would still buy a property if it had trees protected by a register, according to a survey by Stirling council. The council has moved a step closer to adopting a significant tree register and will send it off to the WA Planning Commission and planning minister Rita Saffioti for their…

THIS week’s tale from the Vincent Local History Centre archives takes us back through the history of Smith’s Lake and its many transformations from Noongar wetland to vehicle dumping ground to modern-day suburban oasis. CHARLES VERYARD RESERVE is located on a former wetland known to the local Noongar people as Danjanberup (or Janjanbering/Danjanbirup). European colonists…

THE first stage of a memorial to the HMAS Perth (I) was completed last month with the installation of a half-size replica of the ill-fated cruiser’s propeller at the Navy League headquarters. The memorial includes a Wall of Remembrance which has the names of those on the HMAS Perth (I) when she was overcome by…

A GROUP of determined Inglewood residents is set to test Stirling council’s policy of not closing right of ways until there is unanimous support from adjoining residents. ROWs are strips of common land at the rear of properties left over from the days when night soilmen would bring their carts to empty the pots of…