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  • Big day honours Baysy’s women

    THE City of Bayswater is honouring International Women’s Day with a packed schedule of events designed to empower women, promote wellbeing, and foster community connections. 

    From March 5-7, residents are invited to participate in free activities celebrating women’s health, leadership, and resilience.

    Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said the City was proud to host events that supported women across all stages of life.

    “All community members are welcome to join us for our International Women’s Day celebrations. It’s an opportunity to boost physical and mental health, build new skills, and connect with others,” Ms Piffaretti said.

    A standout event is Women’s Impact at the City’s Civic Centre on Friday March 7 from 2– 3.30pm. 

    Representatives from crisis accommodation provider Orana House will share insights into their vital work supporting individuals facing family and domestic violence. 

    • Bayswater mayor Filomena Piffaretti (centre) with Orana House’s Jasmyn Hutin and Mel Rowe with items for the self-care packs.

    Support

    Attendees can assemble self-care packs, write messages of support for survivors, and are encouraged to donate $25 or $50 Visa or Eftpos gift cards to be included in the packs.

    “This is a chance to come together, hear inspiring stories, and make a tangible difference for women in our community,” Ms Piffaretti said.

    Other activities include a calming yoga session on March 5, a string quartet performance for seniors on March 6, a menopause workshop offering guidance and support, and a business workshop with career coach Aly Bannister aimed at helping entrepreneurs achieve success.

    • Yoga Session: Wed March 5, 6–7pm, Bayswater Drill Hall

    • Seniors Morning Tea with Flamingo Strings: Thu March 6, 9.30–10.30am, Bayswater Community Centre

    • She Means Business Workshop: Thu March 6, 10am–12noon, Bayswater Civic Centre

    • Menopause Workshop: Thu March 6, 6–7pm, Bayswater Civic Centre

    • Women’s Impact: Fri March 7, 2–3.30pm, Bayswater Civic Centre

  • Vessel to fill the creative gap

    FREMANTLE’S Naval Store is set to be transformed into a contemporary arts space dedicated to “pushing boundaries” and “creating meaningful public exchange”. 

    Vessel is described by its founders as a “critical missing piece” in Perth and wider Western Australian contemporary arts ecosystem as an independent, non-profit art space in the old building overlooking the port. 

    Vessel co-director Will Ek-Uvelius says the Naval Store’s history will allow the organisation to be “something different” and “not just a white cube gallery space” as contemporary art facilitation often is. 

    • Will Ek-Uvelius and Nina Juniper at the Naval Store, soon to be contemporary art space Vessel. Photo by Ebony Vukelic – Cabin Creative

    Heritage

    “Vessel is a new industrial space which we can say precedents both nationally and globally, to act as a contemporary art space,” Mr Ek-Uvelius said. 

    “It’s something we really see as an edge to the organisation, to still reference the heritage of the site and its narratives, and where we are in Fremantle… this site has such a strong Indigenous significance as the signal hill being one of the last of the seven hills in the Dreamtime stories left. 

    “It also speaks to the colonial narrative, being a building that was built for the port… the next step is the future, and what the new residents and custodians of this place are talking to.” 

    Vessel’s independence and non-profit nature are important, according to Mr Ek-Uvelius, especially given its role as a space-holder for contemporary art. 

    “It’s a kind of role that independent arts organisations can play, to critique and challenge both government and others,” he said. 

    “It doesn’t stand under certain bureaucracy.” 

    According to Vessel representatives, work will begin to “transform” the Naval Store’s foyer to be able to accommodate exhibitions and artists-in-residence spaces in April, and its first major exhibition will open in June.

    “It’s the first step in making the building Vessel’s home,” Mr Ek-Uvelius said. 

    “It will still be able to be used by people who want to rent it for private hire, but [the transformation] is also the first shift in making the building a bit more public and civic.” 

    The unique funding for Vessel came directly from one of its co-founders, Adam Jorlen, who will donate $100,000 in cryptocurrency annually for five years. 

    “Part of the discussion around Vessel has always been that we want to be able to grow into the future, and when [the donation] came up as an opportunity, we went for it straight away,” Mr Ek-Uvelius said. 

    “Being an independent arts organisation in its infancy, start-up phase, we need to prove ourselves to the world before we start receiving any other philanthropic donations or even government funding. 

    “It’s also an interesting story in terms of I think a lot of people, including myself, [don’t understand] how cryptocurrency works, or if it’s all just fake…this is a perfect example of how cryptocurrency becomes tangible.” 

    Vessel will also feature artist residencies, “peer-to-peer” learning opportunities, and professional development programs, in an effort to support early and mid-career artists. 

    Literal

    The name is significant too; board member and internationally renowned curator Annika Kristensen describes Vessel as a “literal, critical, and metaphorical” space for emerging artists. 

    “In today’s rapidly evolving cultural landscape, arts organisations function as vessels in multiple ways…they create spaces that hold and protect diverse voices, nuture emerging talents, and facilitate the transition of ideas between communities,” Ms Kristensen said. 

    “Vessel will offer contemporary artists the invaluable, and often rare, opportunity to play at scale, with a specific context, and for a broad public audience.” 

    More information about Vessel is available on their website, vesselcontemporary.org.

    by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER

  • Back on the track

    SOUTH STREET would feature a light rail track connecting Fremantle and Murdoch Stations if the Greens get their way following the upcoming state election. 

    According to the Greens, the light rail track “could be completed for $600 million”, the funding from which would be redirected partially from the state government’s $9 billion major road project budget. 

    Greens MLC Brad Pettitt says he would like to see Perth “get on board” the rest of the country’s move towards light rail systems, considering the city’s issue with urban sprawl. 

    • The Greens want to see light rail back in the mix from Fremantle to Murdoch.

    “All of the mainland states in Australia have light rail and we have seen how positive the impact it has had on their cities. 

    “With most Metronet projects wrapping up in 2025, it is time to urgently switch our focus from outer-suburb train stations that encourage more urban sprawl to inner-suburban light rail that can transform Perth into a better-connected, more liveable, and sustainable city.”

    The plan was announced alongside the Greens’ proposal for state-wide free public transport, which comes after the Queensland government announced it would be extending its 50 cent fares trial for another four years.

    According to the Qld Department of Transport, usage of public transport has increased by an average of almost 20 per cent, though it’s only 5 per cent up from pre-Covid levels. 

    Similarly, the WA government’s recent Summer of Free Public Transport scheme saw a 42 per cent increase in public transport usage, and the Greens say they hope to capitalise on this popularity by making all fares free. 

    According to the Greens’ estimates, the proposal would save Perth commuters up to $45 a week. 

    “Nationally, there is a shift to reduce the cost of public transport for all which we acknowledge and support,” Dr Pettitt said. 

    “Queensland’s recent shift to 50c fares has proven to be a huge success reducing traffic and emissions, massively increasing ridership on public transport, and saving Queenslanders millions.

    “Investing in free and frequent public transport is a transformative way to make Perth much less car-dependent and much more sustainable as our population grows into the future.”

    by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER

  • How now, our Round House?

    “WITH a looming Bicentenary and a Fremantle council disinterested in Fremantle’s history, what is the future for the state’s oldest public building – the Round House?” asks Fremantle Society president and Friend of the Round House, John Dowson.

    Let us develop this conversation with a review of a new history of the Round House as Fremantle’s first gaol in two books by Steve Errington: The Round House 1831-1856, the early years of Western Australia’s oldest building – and how it survived, and its companion volume: Locked up in Fremantle 1829-1856, Prisoners and Patients on the Marquis of Anglesea and in the Round House, published in 2023 by Hesperian Press.

    The subject of the books is the ancient landmark on Arthur Head at the end of High Street, Fremantle, in its role as the first Fremantle gaol from 1831 until 1856, and the people who spent time there. 

    The material is a rare social history for an historic place. 

    It explains how it was used – as gaol, lock-up, hospital, asylum, and quarters, and now as museum and tourist attraction. 

    The author, Steve Errington, has experience in researching and publishing WA history as a sports history writer, and editor of the Royal Western Australian History Society Journal Early Days. 

    He has long-term connections with the RWAHS and the National Trust (WA). For him, the subject place is personal: he has been a volunteer guide at the Round House starting in 2014.

    Largely from a thousand handwritten official documents in the State Records Office, Errington has found accounts of some 2400 named individuals housed there between 1831 and 1856.

    They were men, women and children, sailors, colonial settlers and indigenous people, convict ticket-of-leavers and pensioner guards and their wives.

    He has followed up the stories of those who kept them locked up and the gaolers’ families who lived there with them. 

    Some of the stories are surprising: people who escaped if only for a while, people who returned many times, and people who found romance (spoiler alert p 52). 

    The detective work of following up individuals like these must have been exhausting, but in these cases so rewarding. 

    Locked up

    The documented details of all these individuals have been collected in the companion volume: Locked up in Fremantle. 

    This companion volume is organised in alphabetical name order. 

    As the author notes – many of the names are not recorded elsewhere, and so this volume becomes an important companion to the Dictionaries of Western Australians by previous authors.

    The coverage is guided by the records and even-handed.

    The punishments, the deprivations, and the suffering of the various inmates is a palpable part of the human story. 

    The role of the place in locking up and holding ‘Aboriginal’ people (some 400 individuals out of the 2400 between 1831 and 1856, and later more of them on their way to Rottnest Island) is acknowledged, as is the undoubted discrimination and reports of truly awful conditions. 

    It is important to record all of these facts, to tell these stories so that we can learn from them and produce a better future together, for all of us. 

    The Round House book concludes with an account of the demise of the place with the loss of its original use, the threats of demolition for the sake of safety, for views, or by neglect. 

    And each time champions for conservation emerged, with historians to the fore. 

    In 2022, Errington’s concluding paragraph was: “One hundred years after the first call for tenders to demolish it, Western Australia’s oldest building is in safe hands and volunteer guides stand ready to welcome daily visitors.” 

    In 2025 the guides are still ready, but is the place in safe hands? 

    There is serious neglect of maintenance to the seaward limestone walls, neglect of interpretation upgrades, and a Fremantle council considering giving it all up to the state government.

    For conservation architects and planners, the Round House building is valued for its design in a strong geometrical form, construction with local limestone, and position on the high ground at the focal point of the main town street. 

    • Continued next week

    by INGRID VAN BREMEN

  • Some real home truths

    Some real home truths

    KATE DAVIS is a lecturer at the Murdoch University School of Law and Criminology and was previously Principal Solicitor at Tenancy WA (community legal centre for tenants). She is completing a PhD, “Is it lawful to evict children to homelessness from public housing in WA?”. Kate is a member of the Greens WA. 

    THE minister’s recent Letter to the Editor about evictions from public housing is riddled with disinformation.  

    The minister likes to count “bailiff evictions” and hide the rest. 

    The Housing Authority can terminate tenancies three ways –  tenants might leave after a Termination Notice, or after the Magistrates Court orders them to leave, or when the bailiff changes the locks. 

    These are all evictions – and to claim that tenants “voluntarily vacate” after an order from the Magistrates Court or a termination notice from the government is nonsense.  

    As independent candidate Kate Hulett correctly called out – rather than ‘bailiff evictions’ numbering in the 40s, in fact the Housing Authority evicts hundreds of households every year (256, 217 and 240 households evicted in the last three financial years). 

    That’s over 1000 people evicted from public housing in the last two years. 

    These are the Housing Authority’s own figures, on the public record thanks to persistent questions in Parliament from Greens MP Brad Pettitt. 

    The most alarming figure, again the Housing Authority’s own numbers, is that over 3000 children have been evicted from public housing during this government. 

    A total of 3451 children have been evicted from public housing since July 2016. 

    It is true that during minister Carey’s time the Housing Authority has evicted less children each year – 193 in the last year – down from the shocking peaks of 809 children evicted in 2016-17, 627 in 2017-18 and 787 in 2018-19.  

    Evictions

    Public housing is housing of last resort, and these are overwhelmingly evictions to homelessness. 

    This is not a ‘wicked problem’ without any solution. 

    The community service sector has been writing to the minister and department for years and years, proposing support services to prevent evictions by helping people to sustain their tenancies well. In my experience – and I’ve been representing public housing tenants for 10 years – families evicted from public housing are dealing with a lot of challenges – intergenerational trauma, poor mental health, overcrowding (due to the government’s failure to provide enough public housing), family violence and poverty. 

    Often these tenants are supporting family members in crisis. 

    Eviction to homelessness makes things worse – not better.  

    Returning to the minister’s disinformation – the minister claims that the Magistrates Court will only grant an eviction order if the court is satisfied there’s a breach of the agreement, that the tenant hasn’t rectified. 

    But this isn’t true. 

    The Housing Authority increasingly uses “fixed term tenancies”, so much so that “end of fixed term” terminations may be as high as 37 per cent of evictions from public housing.

    I say ‘may be’, because the department counts these in an “other” category, and refuses to separate the data.  

    These are “without grounds” terminations. 

    In an “end of fixed term” case, the magistrate only needs to be satisfied that proper notice (30 days) was given, and the court cannot consider any issues of breaches or whether termination is justified.  

    There is a current Supreme Court challenge to the Housing Authority’s use of fixed term tenancies.  

    The decision is yet to be handed down. 

    So, the Minister is well aware of the problem. 

    Last resort

    It is absolutely false to say that these tenants have the protection of a hearing before the Magistrates Court, where the allegations against them could be tested, and the court can hear their side, because they don’t. 

    Indeed, the right to have a fair hearing before a tenancy is terminated is the very reason for the campaign to end without grounds terminations. 

    It’s high time we reformed the Residential Tenancies Act to give all tenants this basic protection (WA is the only state refusing to reform renters rights). 

    It’s time the Housing Minister ditched the disinformation, and came to the table to build solutions. 

  • LETTERS: 15.2.25

    Legend(s) and myths

    I HAVE just now found time to correct one or two ‘creative ideas’ that the dear Journo who did his best to remember what he gleaned from chatting to me on phone and writing about me in the Arts page re my wee cartoon exhibition at Amante Coffee Shop.

    1:  No one has ever seen me wafting romantically around Freo with a yoga mat. I have done chi kung for about 40 years on n off and love Christiane McDougall’s Mat Pilates but use the mats provided. 

    2: ‘Autumn years’ is a rather awful term. When are ‘winter years’. I would prefer ‘getting on a bit’.

    3: I have trained in several complimentary therapies because I had CFS n got no help in other methods in those days. I only teach one of them (n serious astrology is my lifelong religion). I am not doing much at present due to at last recovering from coeliac relapse.

    4 I have never used pencils to draw cartoons. Artlines n Apple pencils. 

    5 I have sent in cartoons from several Australian cities and my hometown London over the years. No ‘getting into the swing of it’ on my returns. Drew and sent in work from  anywhere. I don’t know what is ‘spiky’ about me. Am I spiky for saying so? (Thinks…). Dogs n cats n kids like me. I like me too. Anyone else is a plus.

    6: I worked as a receptionist/secretary in London, mainly in Camden Social Services and then moved to playleading in Abbey Road for Camden. No room here for my CV in Australia.

     7:  I am average ex-art student who gave up naive teenage ideals of free love many years before coming to Australia and never needed drugs or alcohol though I am frugal – so not  a ‘Bohemian’. Apart from that it was nice…

    Ange

    No more evictions!

    I HAVE been a housing advocate for over 40 years, always with First Nations families. 

    Because their land, children and wages were stolen, they have to rely on public housing and eviction policies affect them much more than other groups. 

    In the Fremantle district, a young man who had been stolen and mistreated recently took his own life when he was evicted. 

    Closing the Gap figures released yesterday show that WA has the highest rate of suicide of First Nations people in the whole of our nation.

    Over the last few weeks, we have lost two beautiful mothers to suicide, leaving 13 children without the protection of their beloved mothers.

    Housing instability including a prior eviction was the major factor in the terrible pathway toward despair. 

    However an eviction is carried out, I believe Closing the Gap establishes that no First Nations family should be evicted and that alternatives can be found.

    Dr Betsy Buchanan OAM
    Stop Evicting Families

    Integrity!

    ONE of the many reasons I decided to run as a community independent was my absolute dismay at the lack of integrity and honesty in our political system. 

    Last year, I reached the point where I simply could not accept that we can’t do things any better – that our politics couldn’t be any more positive, ambitious or transparent.

    I believe that we are decent people, and we deserve to be treated with decency and respect by our elected representatives. 

    However, this is not the experience so many of us are having – in fact it often feels that the Labor government treats us with disdain. 

    They don’t listen to us, and we have to plead for better outcomes. 

    This has left so many of us feeling completely excluded from, and exhausted by, politics. 

    Perhaps this is the point?

    Case in point is the tête-à-tête in which housing minister John Carey and I are currently engaged regarding no-grounds evictions in public housing.

    Mr Carey took the time to send a letter to this paper in response to my housing policy announcement, refuting my figures about the number of families that his government has evicted from public housing. 

    I welcome Mr Carey’s engagement on this, but his assertion that I am ‘uninformed’ is a perfect example of Labor’s disregard of us.

    He writes as if I haven’t been consulting experts, industry workers, and those with lived experience – or the stats available online, for that matter, which you can check yourself.

    I can’t tell if this is delusion, ineptitude, disregard, or a systemic underestimation of you and me – perhaps an assumption that you won’t believe your own eyes, but if ‘The Minister’ says it, you’ll take it as true.

    If you’re the person in charge, representing the government in power, you are of course motivated to provide the people you govern with good news, and good results. 

    But the truth is more important than good news. 

    The truth is vital to help us make better decisions and deliver better outcomes. 

    It should underpin everything a government does – from making policy on housing to gas, from education to health.

    One of the key issues raised by the people of Fremantle is the lack of integrity in politics. 

    I will put integrity at the heart of how I engage with the community – focussing on honesty, openness and transparency.

    I expect there to be many more digs at my credibility and intelligence over the next four weeks – but just because you have the loudest voice, doesn’t mean what you’re saying is credible or intelligent.

    Kate Hulett
    Independent Community
    Candidate
    Fremantle

    Unkempt

    ROEL LOOPERS recently described my part of town as run down. 

    I would prefer the term unkept. 

    Council staff rarely venture this side of Parry Street despite requests. 

    We even have a tree growing out of a footpath on the walking route to the Arts Centre. 

    If it’s not drug paraphernalia, be assured dog poo bags, illegally dumped hard rubbish, or cigarette butts from Centrelink staff or clients could stray your way. 

    Roel, and others, suggest more high rise, but honestly 2x2x1s don’t tend to attract the tenancies that invest in their future environment. 

    They attract the “here for a good time, not a long time” type. 

    Roel, happy to shout you a beverage and show you around my end of town. 

    Name withheld by request. 

  • Power play

    THERE’S a new player on the food scene in Palmyra – Power Pizzeria.

    When I first heard the name, I thought the business might be backed the WA Greens – “Please donate your leftover pizza crusts to Western Power. They can be used to generate clean energy for millions of households across Western Australia.”

    Or maybe it’s a new type of Italian crypto?

    But no, it’s just another pizza joint, but they could be powerful, so watch out.

    Power’s menu was split into meat, vegetarian and dessert pizzas.

    All the old favourites were there including meat lovers, supreme, chicken and bacon, and pepperoni.

    There was four veggie pizzas – cheese, margherita, veggie lovers and spicy veggie.

    I don’t have a sweet tooth, but the dessert pizzas looked interesting with Strawberries and Chocolate, and Chocolate and Pineapple.

    They also sold garlic bread and a range of puff rolls including ham and cheese, chocolate, pepperoni, and beef and onion.

    At first I thought the pizzas were cheap, but when you clicked to order it was the price for a small and a medium was an extra x dollars (always a bit annoying).

    We kicked off with a medium Peri Peri Chicken.

    It had a nice assortment of toppings with spinach, onion, tomato, chicken and mozzarella.

    Drizzled over the top was a generous and messy zigzag of peri peri sauce.

    The heat was just right – not too spicy – and the toppings were super fresh.

    The standout for me was the quality of the base – it tasted very authentic and like it had been freshly made.

    The tomato sauce was also good  – rich, thick and teeming with flavour.

    My only gripe was the size of the pizza – it seemed petty small for a ‘medium’.

    Across the table my wife “Special K” was tucking into her veggie lovers pizza. 

    “There’s a nice assortment of fresh veg with spinach, onion, peppers and mushrooms,” she said.

    “They are very ‘clean’ tasting pizzas and aren’t overloaded with too many flavours or toppings.

    “So you don’t feel greasy or bloated after a few slices.”

    Bringing up the rear were the kids with the humble ham and cheese.

    I had a sneaky taste and it was a solid pizza with a nice balance of salty meat and cheese.

    Again it tasted light and fresh with a nice chewy crust.

    We rounded things off with a garlic bread ($5) which was very enjoyable.

    Nice thick rustic slices with plenty of garlic.

    Some garlic bread can be atrocious from pizza joints, so this was a nice surprise.

    Power’s pizzas were clean, simple and well-executed, but they were on the small side (however they do offer 20 per cent off before 4pm, 10 per cent off Monday-Thursday, and have a combo deal with soft drink and garlic bread).

    The local market is already quite saturated with takeaway pizza – Jo-Joe’s (full-on Aussie style), Blend (thin crust Italian), POSH (upmarket) and Dominos (budget) to name a few – so maybe the dessert pizza will be Power’s point of difference.

    Situated on the busy Canning Highway, Power Pizzeria is off to a solid start.

    Power Pizzeria
    341a Canning Hwy, Palmyra
    powerpizzeria.com.au

  • Naked ambition

    A NEW Perth exhibition pokes fun at the use of the male nude as a symbol of machismo and power in the art world.

    Featuring a mix of provocative drawings, photos and sculptures, The Bachelor is a wry and at times hilarious send-up of the archetypical male nudes you would find in ancient Greece and Rome.

    One of the most entertaining pieces is Eric by Rebecca Dagnall. Her photo features a semi-naked man wearing a fabric six-pack and a cucumber penis.

    Dagnall says she was playing on the title of the exhibition The Bachelor, with a cute nod to the reality TV show.

    • (above) Bridegroom by Theo Costantino and (below) Eric by Rebecca Dagnall.

    “Eric is my alter ego and my perfect bachelor,” Dagnall says.

    “Eric is both a simplistic view of the binary male gender and an expression of the layers of identity we hold within ourselves.

    “The identifying characteristics of maleness in this image are his cucumber penis (green with envy), perfect abs and the clichéd pose.”

    Dagnall’s photo also acknowledges the 21st century post-gender  landscape, where notions of male and female are more fluid.

    “In all of Eric’s identifying characteristics, Eric is not exactly male in a biological sense,” she says.

    “He is a construct of male. It is through Eric that I seek to examine how gender moulds and constraints, but also how gender can offer opportunities for self-expression and liberation.”

    Perhaps the most arresting and slightly disturbing piece in the exhibition is Theo Costantino’s Bridegroom. Made from acrylic paint, leather, cardboard and cotton, the life-size nude man, slumped on a chair, is a crumpled saggy heap.

    It’s the very antithesis of the muscle-bound Adonis and will strike fear into the heart of men across the nation who look into the full-length mirror every morning and vow to get in shape.

    Other highlights include Birdman – Spinebill 2, a graphite and coloured pencil drawing of a nude man with a bird’s head, and the terrifying Well Hung by Anna Nazzari, which features a barely human face with a penis nose.

    The Bachelor was curated by Andrew Nicholls, who is busy creating a new divinatory system based around Western Planetary Magick.

    It will take him years to complete the 70-card cartomancy deck, but he’s showcasing the initial ink and watercolour drawings at his new exhibition The Majestical Firmament.

    Best known for his baroque ‘high camp’ drawings, Nicholls also practises ceramics, photography, installation, performance and filmmaking, and has exhibited across Australia, Southeast Asia, Italy and the United Kingdom.

    “A fun little group exhibition, The Bachelor features work by 11 of my favourite female and non-male artists who have each been commissioned to create a male nude,” he says.

    Participating artists include Elizabeth Edmonds, Eva Fernandez, Susan Flavell, Elisa Markes-Young and the aforementioned Rebecca Dagnall. 

    An experienced photographer who likes to explore Australian gothic and notions of suburbia, Dagnall has exhibited widely in Australia and has been a repeat finalist in some prestigious competitions such as the William Bowness Photographic Award.

    Her photo for The Bachelor was initially a witty diversion while she was in-between projects, but she quickly realised the exhibition had deeper meaning.

    “The fun and performative nature of the work has in the current world political climate become weightier,” she says.

    “It feels timely to be again discussing the possibilities of living authentically and freely in the world.

    “Through my work I hope to challenge the rigidity of labels and invite a broader more inclusive understanding of what it means to be human in all its complexities.”

    The Bachelor is on until March 1 at the Art Collective WA, (Cathedral Square) 2/565 Hay Street in Perth. To find out more see artcollectivewa.com.au and rebeccadagnall.com.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Mojo working

    SOME of Freo’s best musical talent will pay tribute to the late Richard Lane at Mojos next Sunday.

    A talented guitarist, keyboardist and singer, Lane was the founding member of the legendary garage band The Stems and also played in The Chevelles, The Rosebuds and The Rosebud Generation.

    But younger folk will probably know him from his Penny Lane’s Music Workshop in Fremantle, where he taught the next generation of budding musos.

    In May 2020, Lane died suddenly after a rehearsal session with his Freo-based band Big Boss Man. He was in his mid-50s.

    • (Above) Legendary Freo muso Richard Lane and (below) his partner Cathy Gavranich with their daughter Penny Lane in 2021.

    Sadly, covid prevented any kind of public tribute and it wasn’t until April 2024 that a private wake was held for him at the Hilton Bowling Club.

    After the wake, local poet and spoken word performer Damon Hurst decided to keep the flame burning by forming The Friends of Richard Lane, a post-punk rock poetry band.

    He says the tribute gig at Mojos will give the public a chance to say goodbye to Lane and acknowledge his contribution to Australian music. 

    “We are all still figuring out how to deal with Richard’s life and death,” Hurst says.

    “One of the best ways for the musically orientated to deal with that confusion, is to get together and play.

    “So that’s what this gig is about; friends getting together to play their own, original materials, with Richard’s influence the elephant in the room.

    “We aren’t playing any of his songs that night – it’s more about welcoming his spirit back to Mojos; one of Freo’s spiritual homes of music, where Richard performed often.”

    Hurst played about 50 gigs with Lane over a 10 year period.

    Most gigs were benevolent fundraisers for people or local organisations that needed help, including the North Fremantle Bowling Club, where more than 1000 people attended their final gig.

    “We were an odd-couple in many ways; no real connections with our daily modes operandi but deeply connected to the desire of making a difference for the down-trodden,” Hurst says.

    “And we cracked each other up, me over his complete absence of memory – every gig meeting started like an archeological dig ‘coz Richard never took notes – and then me over-earnestly analysing everything with my WIP lists, which always cracked him up.” 

    Outwith playing and teaching music, Lane was an influential figure in the WA music scene and in the 1990s he founded Perth-based record label Idaho Records, ran a venue booking agency, and worked for X-Press Magazine.

    In 2021, the laneway behind Fremantle’s historic Artillery Drill Hall – once the site of Penny Lane’s Music Workshop –  was officially named ‘Richard Lane’ in his honour.

    But Lane’s biggest legacy is undoubtedly his daughter Penny Lane, a talented young muso and songwriter who is playing at Gerry’s Gold music festival next month.

    “It’s unimaginable being Penny; contextualising her loss, yet she has, and grown as a person too,” Hurst says. “Apart from being an engaged young adult, embracing the world; as you would imagine she has inherited her dad’s skill set – she’s a multi-instrumentalist and already an accomplished song-writer.

    “In terms of Richard’s legacy to the world at large; well I can only speak from personal experience and that is to say he taught me that the true opportunity in life is to give and give again, without expectation.

    “I try and remember that sentiment every day; and I’m cognizant of the great personal cost it comes with too.

    “He once said to me: ‘I’m not teaching people how to be rock stars; I’m teaching them that music can be a companion for life’.

    “In despondent moments I often put on my favourite reggae music and get snuggled into the comfort of my ugg boots and think about the beauty and simplicity of that statement by Richard…and there were many more. I truly loved him.”  

    The Friends of Richard Lane tribute gig will feature The Beautiful Losers, Rosy Shute, Phantom Island, and The Friends of Richard Lane band. All the musicians played regularly with Lane back in the day.

    Its on 5pm-8pm on Sunday February 23 at Mojos in North Fremantle, with the gig broadcast live on Freocast, an independent not-for-profit community radio station.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • High flyer

    MAYLANDS has a rich avionics history, so it’s no surprise this home is situated on Kittyhawk View.

    The first non-stop flight across Australia landed in the suburb in 1928, and it’s home to countless other aviation firsts and records.

    While not touching those dizzy heights, you’ve got some pretty impressive views from the first floor balcony of this four bedroom two bathroom home.

    Located in Peninsula Estate, it overlooks the leafy green environs of Lake Bungana.

    It’s a great spot and feels very relaxed.

    The home lives up to the views, especially the open plan lounge/dining/kitchen area, which has stylish floor tiles, vaulted high ceilings and chic downlights.

    Situated on the first floor, it’s a cool and relaxing place to hang out during the summer with plenty of room for a large dining table, lounge setting and gleaming white kitchen.

    The renovated kitchen has a nice breakfast bar and the Voice likes the contrast between the dark cupboards and the lighter benchtops, giving the area depth and texture.

    Adding to the sense of style is a cute motif on the tiled floor.

    The owner must like his music as beside the kitchen there is an impressive sound system with a turntable and two giant speakers.

    Whipping up meals would be a breeze as you headbang along to some classic rock.

    There’s a nice indoor-outdoor flow and from the open plan you can walk onto the balcony.

    It’s big and wide and has a built-in BBQ with sink and plenty of room for a dining and lounge setting.

    The curved archway frames the view perfectly and it’s a relaxing spot for family meals or to enjoy a glass of vino with your partner and watch the world go by.

    There’s a good layout to the home with an extra living space on the ground floor (perfect for teenage kids or a multi-generational family) and several queen-size bedrooms.

    The back yard is shaded by mature leafy trees, plants and shrubs.

    It’s a veritable green oasis and offers plenty of shade from the punishing Australian sun.

    There’s a little wooden deck and a nice paved courtyard with an overhanging awning.

    The area is directly accessible, via sliding glass doors, from some of the downstairs rooms.

    It’s a very chilled area and might be a favourite with mum and dad when they need a break from the kids.

    Situated on a 400sqm block on Peninsula Estate, all the delights of the Swan River and the foreshore are at your fingertips.

    This is a spacious family home in a tranquil spot.

    Offers from mid-$1million
    19 Kittyhawk View, Maylands
    Beaucott Property 9272 2488
    Paul Owen 0411 601 420