Perth Voice Interactive

AS summer heats up and schools let out, the WA Museum system is offering free admission to its seven institutions, including the WA Museum Boola Bardip.

The initiative, which runs until March 31, invites locals and tourists alike to explore Western Australia’s cultural and natural heritage without the usual entry fees.

For visitors unsure where to begin, one standout is the acclaimed Origins gallery at WA Museum Boola Bardip. 

Touted as a “rock-solid journey to the origins of the universe,” the immersive exhibit explores the ancient landscapes of Western Australia and the vast mysteries of the cosmos, weaving together Aboriginal knowledge systems with Western scientific perspectives.

The gallery opens with an awe-inspiring kaleidoscope arch, where vibrant, illuminated images of minerals taken through petrographic microscopes showcase the Earth’s geological diversity. Nearby, a glittering wall of suspended minerals reveals Western Australia’s abundant resources, acting as a visual timeline of the planet’s history.

Among the most interactive displays is a meteorite from the museum’s internationally renowned collection, offering visitors the rare chance to touch a fragment from outer space. 

Additionally, the Origins exhibit highlights the Desert Fireball Network, an advanced technology used to track meteorite landings across Australia’s vast desert landscapes.

Ancient landforms, such as the Bungle Bungle Range — known as Gawarre to the Gija people — feature prominently. 

A sculpture in the gallery unpacks the secrets of the beehive-shaped formations, while a touchscreen panel immerses visitors in Indigenous creation stories tied to these natural wonders.

The Origins exhibit underscores the gallery’s blending of cultural storytelling and scientific discovery, giving visitors multiple lenses through which to understand Western Australia’s rich history and natural beauty. 

From the stars above to the minerals below, the displays highlight how the region’s wonders continue to captivate scientists, artists, and storytellers.

With its free entry this summer, the WA Museum network hopes to inspire new stories for visitors of all ages. As the Museum puts it: “Every summer has a story” — and this year, those stories begin at the doorsteps of Western Australia’s cultural institutions.

WITH an election looming, Carers WA has called for a new state strategy, saying WA is falling behind the rest of the country.

Carers WA recently put out its election wish list, which also includes the introduction of a carer card, recurring funding for carers, better support and recognition, and an easier way to navigate the maze of services they deal with.

Carers WA CEO Richard Newman said the organisation was asking all political candidates about their commitments to the sector, while its website has a handy button allowing carers to email their local MP.

“Everyone likely knows at least one of, or is one of, the 320,000 people who are in an unpaid carer role in WA,” Mr Newman said.

“WA Carers urges, not only carers, but the wider community across WA, to share their endorsement of what matters to them, with their local member of Parliament, to ensure the needs of carers are prioritised at the 2025 WA state election.”

In its pitch for a new strategy, Carers says WA’s current framework was created in 2016 before the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Carer Gateway and is not achieving outcomes in its four priority areas.

“The demographics of carers, those they care for, and the health conditions involved in this care, have shifted,” it said in a discussion paper.

“This has resulted in an increased demand for carer support, as well as a shift in the type of supports needed.”

It says there was extensive consultation at a federal level which led to the social services department’s National Carer Strategy but WA was lagging behind in using it to create a modern platform.

“Carer strategies and action plans in nearly every state and territory in Australia are either more recent and contemporary that WA’s 2016 Carer’s Strategy, or are presently under development and review.”

Carers WA also wants $400,000 set aside each year to help its members cope with the financial impact that taking up the role entails, including lost income and additional bills.

“Some carers face unmet basic needs, including food shortages, unsafe housing, lack of affordable healthcare, unreliable internet and transport access,” it said.

The organisation says a Carers Card would help holders be identified, as they can be excluded from processes that have an impact on them and those they care for.

“Recognition has a significant direct impact on a carer’s wellbeing.

“The more recognised and valued a carer feels, the higher their level of wellbeing becomes.

THE bustling streets of Fremantle in the late 19th century were a crossroads of ambition, opportunity, and adversity. 

Among the mix of merchants, sailors, and settlers who shaped the port town was Hee Kee, a draper whose life and business became emblematic of the challenges and resilience of early Chinese immigrants in Western Australia.

Born in China in the early 1870s, Hee Kee’s arrival in Fremantle is shrouded in mystery. 

By the 1890s, however, he had established himself as the manager of Hee Kee & Co, a drapery and grocery shop at 10 South Terrace, his shop no doubt standing out in a town dominated by European businesses. 

But it was not just Hee Kee’s trade that drew attention—it was his persistence in navigating the intricate web of Australian immigration laws and societal biases of the time that found him at odds with authorities and making headlines in newspapers.

In December 1897, Hee Kee arranged for three young men from Hong Kong—Ah Ton, Ah Gay, and Wah Ton—to join his business in Fremantle. 

They departed unaware of changes to the Immigration Restriction Act, a new law designed to curtail Chinese migration. 

By the time their ship docked in Albany on January 20, 1898, the law required Chinese immigrants to carry Certificates of Exemption from the Dictation Test . Lacking these documents, the men were promptly detained.

Hee Kee, undeterred, enlisted solicitors Stone and Burt to appeal to the colonial secretary. 

In their letter, they argued that the men’s journey had begun before the law’s enactment, making their detention unfair.

Despite these efforts, the government refused leniency, and the three were deported. 

Hee Kee & Co initially thrived, formally registered as a drapery and grocery business by 1898 and employing several Chinese men. 

It’s also possible that he’d branched out and had a premises in Wellington Street, Perth, as the name Hee Kee & Co appeared in the Daily News in April 1898 when an employee was accused and later acquitted of stealing a case of opium valued at £30. Often Chinese migrants used the same or similar names, so the connection can’t be proven at this stage.

The outbreak of World War I brought rising prices and economic strain to the company. In addition, the pervasive discrimination against Chinese Australians created constant hurdles, from navigating complex immigration laws to combating prejudice in the marketplace.

Then in 1915 tragedy struck. Ah You, one of his employees, was found dead in the shop. 

Authorities labelled the death a suicide, but Ah You’s colleagues disagreed, pointing to £1,000 in gold untouched in the safe. 

They believed he was murdered. 

His death captured public attention, with newspapers dubbing it “A Fremantle mystery”. Hee Kee & Co offered a reward of £400 for information leading to a conviction, but the case remained unsolved.

By 1916, the strain of war and economic hardship began to take its toll. 

Hee Kee & Co announced a sale to clear out its stock, citing “high prices caused by the war”. The shop’s shelves, once brimming with fine drapery and millinery, were gradually emptied. By June, the remainder was sold at public auction.

The business may have lingered on under a slightly altered name, S and Y Hee Kee & Co, but trouble persisted. In 1918, manager Dar Turn faced 21 charges of customs fraud for presenting falsified invoices. 

The court fined him £210 and sentenced him to imprisonment until the fine was paid, a scandal to tarnish the company’s name.

Despite these challenges, Hee Kee’s story didn’t end with the closure of his shop. By the late 1930s, the name Hee Kee resurfaced in a new context. At 4 South Terrace, Hee Kee & Co became a collection point for clothing donations for the Perth Chinese Relief Committee, supporting those affected by turmoil in China.
Hee Kee’s journey is a microcosm of the broader Chinese immigrant experience in Australia—a tale of perseverance in the face of systemic obstacles. From his fight against unjust immigration laws to the creation of a thriving business, and finally to his contributions to relief efforts, Hee Kee exemplified the resilience and resourcefulness that shaped the multicultural fabric of Fremantle’s history.

A PIECE of Rottnest history was returned after 60 years this week in a touching intersection between a young West Aussie’s boyhood adventure and the role Rottnest Island played during World War II.

Back in the 1960s, Warrick Johnson ventured up to the island’s Oliver Hill battery guns with a friend and, using a two-bob coin, attempted to unscrew a bolt as a keepsake. 

After the coin produced no joy, the young Mr Johnson ventured to his family’s boat and brought a wrench back to the guns, successfully carrying off the “souvenir” of his adventures. 

Souvenir

The bolt is clearly stamped with markings consistent with those used by the army on its battery guns. 

This week, Warwick’s daughter Terri Johnson returned the bolt to the historic battery guns on Rottnest, which will likely be tagged and put into the Wadjemup Museum. 

According to Ms Johnson, her father, who is a history enthusiast, treated the bolt as his pride and joy and always kept it behind glass in his home bar. 

“He’s very much a collector of machinery and coins and all of that kind of stuff,” Ms Johnson said. 

“As a young boy he took such good care of it, so it was very well looked after.” 

Ms Johnson, who works in the tourism industry herself, used her contacts to get in touch with the Rottnest Island Authority and organise to hand-deliver the bolt back to its original home, 18 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle. 

Although the details are a bit hazy, Ms Johnson and her father reckon he was about 10 years old when the bolt was removed, judging by the fact he used a two-bob coin from the imperial currency of the day. 

“He was probably so proud, probably boasting to everyone when he got it,” Ms Johnson said with a laugh. 

“He’s absolutely chuffed it went back to the right place after all these years.”

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER

ST PAT’S appears to have broken its own fundraising records in its Christmas appeal last month, raising “more than double” for the Fremantle-based homelessness support service over the festive season. 

According to St Pat’s fundraising manager Annalisa Oxenburgh, the increase in donations allowed for St Pat’s to provide meals, accommodation, and emergency relief over the Christmas period for several hundred people. 

“Thanks to the generosity of our community we’ve been able to provide more than 400 Christmas and Boxing Day meals and more than 600 Christmas hampers to people doing it tough during the festive season,” Ms Oxenburgh said. 

St Pats says the upsurge in fundraising is due to an increase in homelessness awareness, and the fact that the support service now extends to the southern corridor of Kwinana, Rockingham, and Mandurah. 

The donations will also help to provide homelessness support services over the coming summer months, the demand for which increases over summer, according to Ms Oxenburgh.  

The St Pat’s Christmas Appeal will be running until the end of January. 

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER

THE quarantine period to combat the Queensland fruit fly or ‘Qfly’ in Melville will extend until at least April, according to the Department of Primary Industries. 

At the end of last year, DPIRD announced a quarantine ‘red zone’ would be implemented across Melville after discovery of the Qfly, which is a “significant pest” to industries and homegrown fruit and vegetables. 

Under the red zone restrictions, residents and businesses must remove all fruit and vegetables from plants and either treated by cooking, solarising, or disposing in a black plastic bag in their general red bins. 

According to DPIRD, the restrictions will be in place until at least April 6, and “may be extended” if the Qfly is still detected in the quarantine zone. 

DPIRD chief plant biosecurity officer Dr Vincent Lanoiselet says the Department’s response is “coordinated” but still requires residents and businesses to “take action”. 

“There are currently more than 150 people working on the response, which includes host plant inspections across private, commercial, and public properties, Qfly trapping, and baiting of street trees in the Willagee and Palmyra areas and surrounds,” Dr Lanoiselet said. 

“We appreciate the support from the community, local governments, and industry, who play critical roles in eradicating this pest as quickly as possible.” 

More information about the signs of Qfly and methods to report suspected sightings are available on the DPIRD website.

THERE’S a couple of solid locally-made films lighting up The Backlot’s screens this month.

Stubbornly Here follows three high school students who run away from home when teenagers start mysteriously vanishing without a trace. Their escape takes them to a secluded motel, where they grapple with the uncertainties of their predicament and the challenges of growing up.

Director Taylor Broadley shot the film in black and white and a 4:3 aspect ratio that harks back to the early days of cinema, lending it a timeless, nostalgic quality. It picked up best low-budget feature at the 2024 WA Screen Culture Awards.

Broadley is a versatile artist whose work spans film, theatre and music, and focuses on deeply personal and emotionally resonant stories, harking back to his early days in musical theatre composition. 

Ghost

Over his career, Broadley has contributed to more than 30 film and theatre productions as director, producer or production designer, including the short films I Am Ghost (2021) and The Coal County Annual Sword Fight (2024). He composed and directed the original musicals The Killdeer and A Boy Wanted To, both staged at The State Theatre Centre.

Stubbornly Here is screening on Sunday, January 12, from 2 – 4pm at The Backlot.

The Canary is a 2024 Western Australian feature film written, directed and starring Emilie Lowe from Salt and Honey Productions, which picked up a swag of monthly medals at the New York International Film Festival last November, including best actor and first-time director, best original story, best costumes and best historical drama. 

Set in the 19th century, the narrative follows Florence, who survives a shipwreck but finds herself adrift with only a lifeboat and a caged canary – a far more companionable passenger than a tiger!

The film delves into her journey of resilience as she navigates the vast ocean and the challenging Australian wilderness, confronting societal norms and personal trials along the way.

Lowe said they wanted to use unique WA locations, so filmed on the STS Leeuwin prior to it being damaged by a cargo ship during blustery weather last August, the Brig Amity in Albany and the South West’s forests.

“The period nature of the film was vital for the story, showing that themes of the 1800s are still highly relevant to many members of society today,” she said.

She said The Canary was a tale of perseverance, determination and defying the odds, which was mirrored by the tiny crew of just four, who put together the feature on a micro-budget of just $10,000 while facing WA’s scorching weather and Covid lockdowns. At one point during filming, Lowe came close to being blown out to sea as strong winds pushed the lifeboat offshore and far from her colleagues.

“Creating this film brought with it a set of challenges, but I learnt so much through the process.

“I live and breathe film, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience of working with our tiny team to achieve our vision.

“It can be easy to become discouraged when you have very limited resources at your disposal. 

“But if you can get creative with what you have available, to think outside the box, and create something of your own through hard-work and determination, is such a rewarding experience. 

“I would love to encourage other emerging filmmakers to get out there and take risks. 

“If you have a unique vision, give it everything you have and go for it! 

“WA has so much to offer, and we are lucky enough to be able to capture it.”

Cinematography was led by legally blind filmmaker Peter Renzullo, who, despite having only 3 per cent vision, has been active in cinematography and sound design for over seven years. Lowe says his participation also reinforced the film’s themes of self-acceptance and perseverance.

The film has been praised for embodying the true spirit of independent filmmaking, with Cinema Australia founder and Voice production manager Matt Eeles describing the effort to put it together with such a small cast and budget as “impressive”.

The Canary is screening on Saturday January 18 from 7.30pm.

THE State Theatre Centre of WA will transform into the award-winning Fringe Hub again from January 17 – February 8, giving a host of home-grown talent the chance to shine alongside the big stars.

State of Play will feature 40 shows from local, national and international artists; a mix of comedy, theatre, music, dance and family-friendly interactive experiences.

Highlights on the program include comedian Luke McGregor’s new show OK, Wow, Garry Starr’s cheeky nod to highbrow literature in Classic Penguins and Logie-winner Rob Carlton’s Willing Participant.

Rising choreographer and former South Australian shearer Lewis Major wowed audiences at the Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringes, and is bringing his award-winning homage to mentor Russell Maliphant to State of Play from January 29 – February 2.

Barking Gecko Arts explores the wisdom of children in the charming The Quadrangle, while WA theatre icons The Last Great Hunt negotiate the perils of modern masculinity in Fag/Stag.

The Hub’s courtyard will feature music from local jazzers Adam Hall and the Velvet Playboys, TAB Family mixing afro-pop, soulful RnB and hiphop, and romantic songstress Etta D’Elia with her new show, From Naples…With Love.

For tickets and full program details head to artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/STATEOFPLAY.