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  • LETTERS 27.2.21

    LETTERS 27.2.21

    Sounds a bit like garbage

    IN response to a motion passed at the recent annual general meeting of electors, mayor Emma Cole explained that Vincent could no longer collect commercial waste because it would cost a lot for the city to gear up to do it, and that private operators could do it more efficiently and cheaper (“Catania backs business over bins,” Voice, February 13, 2021).

    The fact that private enterprise can do it better and cheaper is readily understood.  

    That’s why the city uses a private contractor to pick up recycling – they were 30 per cent cheaper than the city when it went out to tender in 2008.

    The fact the city can’t do it cheaply is not the issue. The real issue is that the city didn’t really look at all options when they made the decision to cut businesses adrift.

    They looked at a limited range of options and completely ignored the most obvious option which is for the city to act on behalf of their business ratepayers and negotiate a deal with a single service provider, whether that be a private contractor or another local government.

    Such a move would save 2,100 businesses having to negotiate 2,100 individual deals, and would see the city negotiating a single deal which would have reduced costs because of economies of scale, and result in more efficient collections.

    An obvious inference would be that perhaps the staff felt they did not have the commercial acumen to manage such a deal, or that it may involve too much work. Or perhaps they wanted to protect their ‘zero waste 

    to landfill by 2028’ target by making it impossible to collect the necessary statistics.

    Unfortunately, it seems the council has accepted this hook, line and sinker, with no council member having the courage to ask for a proper analysis that looks at community-wide costs and benefits, rather than just administration-wide costs and benefits.

    It’s time the council takes a more community-based approach and recognises that the businesses are part of the community – a part that pays rates which I suspect subsidise residential ratepayers.

    It’s time for the council to stop just accepting what is dished up by the staff, and start representing the whole community.

    Dudley Maier
    Highgate

    Help who?

    ON TV it was reported from the World Health Organisation that not 250,000, not 25,000, not 2,500 but only 25 people have received a Covid-19 vaccine in some poor countries. 

    I call upon the prosperous people of the world to refuse the capitalist, the self-sighted and people of greed, to refuse Covid vaccine until the poor people of the world are vaccinated first. 

    It is the survival of the world that is at risk if Covid is not captured in poor countries.

    It will linger about the world indiscriminately killing people and economies regardless of race or belief. I call upon those that prosper to THINK (use your intelligence) why they must come first for Covid vaccine. 

    Intelligence has no language but is the very heart of being human.

    William West
    Harbour Rd,
    Sth Fremantle

  • The butcher, the baker…

    The butcher, the baker…

    A die-in is dramatic, but doesn’t exaggerate the impact of the climate crisia. Photo by Miles Tweedie.

    You might’ve seen some strange scenes on Angove Street last week, with figures in orange silently marching and then collapsing in North Perth Plaza. In this week’s Speaker’s Corner, FIONA MORAN, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion WA’s North of the River group, explains why they took action.

    WHAT do a school teacher, entomologist, community facilitator, medical doctor, chemistry professor, museum curator, Bowen therapist, small business owner, chemistry student, retiree, industrial chemist and software engineer have in common?

    We were all out on the streets of North Perth this Saturday to show our solidarity with bushfire affected communities and our determination to make the government act on the science to protect us from the rapidly worsening impacts of the climate crisis.

    After our quiet, respectful march down the Angove Street cafe strip and on to the North Perth Common, we donned hazmat suits and held a ‘Die In’ at the North Perth Plaza. 

    We’re members of a local group XRWA North of the River, part of Extinction Rebellion Western Australia, and we held this colourful, dramatic action at the Plaza to keep the focus on the crisis and let people know that our group exists and we want people to join.

    Whilst our government’s swift action around Covid-19 was commendable it is terrifying that they are not paying heed to the science around global warming or informing the public about the emergency.

    In the face of continued government inertia, citizens must move beyond concern about climate change to taking collective action that would persuade our government to act on expert advice and international agreements.

    Decades of reports, rallies, submissions and petitions have not worked and that is why non violent civil disobedience was called for, but that that would only work if enough people got involved. 

    It takes courage to do things out of the norm, but our lives and the lives of future generations are worth it.

    Our Die In may have been dramatic but it was not exaggerating the very real devastation that the climate crisis is causing.

    Already hundreds of thousands of people around the world die annually from the effects of the climate crisis and we know that that figure is going to rise exponentially if we keep on the course we’re on with our increasing use of fossil fuels, including gas.

    Change is scary but the fact that by 2100 the climate crisis is expected to kill more people every year than Covid-19 killed in 2020, if we don’t act right now, is far scarier (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020).

    The solutions are there, but to have them implemented we need people power to counter the vested interests that are keeping business and politics as usual in place.

    It’s not impossible for us to come together and win and it’s definitely worth trying.

    Our local group usually meets on Saturday afternoons at Woodville Reserve but today (Saturday February 27) you can find us at a broader gathering of interested people at Stirling Gardens in Perth at 3pm, all are welcome and encouraged to attend as this movement gears up for a big mass action.

  • Going Solo

    Going Solo

    I’M not a fan of restaurants with gimmicks.

    There used to be a Buck Rogers Bar in Glasgow, but it was shutdown after a patron had too much to drink and head-butted Twiki and destroyed a paper-mache spaceship.

    So I was a bit apprehensive about visiting Solo Pasta in Mt Lawley, where you order pasta by the metre.

    Thankfully it was a delightfully modern place with high-quality cuisine and friendly service to match.

    The concept is simple: you choose what variety of pasta you want (classic, spinach or beetroot), how many metres you want (standard is three) and the filling (tomato, olive oil or cream-based).

    This is where things get interesting as aside from all the classics, Solo serves up contemporary fusion pasta dishes like Massaman Curry, Goreng, Barramundi, and Lamb Tagine.

    Service was super brisk and within a few minutes of ordering the smiley waitress was back at our table with my Chicken Curry pasta ($23).

    The sauce was the star of the dish – thick and moreish with a delicious mix of lime, coconut cream and caramelised chilli.

    There was a subtle latent heat, but it didn’t overpower the tenders chunks of chicken, and the thick ribbons of pappardelle-style spinach pasta were light as a feather and piping hot.

    The crushed peanuts added a nice texture and a liberal sprinkle of coriander finished things off nicely.

    If I was being picky I would have liked another ingredient like mushroom to keep things interesting.

    Looking around, the place was bright and airy with high ceilings and large pendant lights.

    It felt modern and uncluttered, thanks to the white tables, wooden floors and minimalist decor.

    There was even a projector beaming huge abstract images onto a wall above the fireplace.

    I was going to ask if they could project one of Mark McGowan in ecclesiastical robes, as he is clearly the new Messiah, Nureyev and Gandhi rolled into one, according to opinion polls.

    Next he’ll be like Billy Graham – making people walk again.

    Across the table, my wife was enjoying her Lamb Tagine pasta ($23).

    “The lamb tastes divine and is super tender, with the spices adding an exotic twist to the dish,” she said.

    “It’s almost like two meals in one – a roast and a pasta dish – with the cubes of sweet potato making it super filling and homely.” 

    The kids option ($13) was fantastic value, including any two-metre pasta dish, a soft-drink and an ice cream.

    They were also given some colouring-in pencils and sheets of paper with puzzles on them (it sounds like a small gesture but these help to keep young kids entertained after they’ve wolfed down their meal).

    I had a taste of their classic bolognese; it was deliciously light with a sweet refrain, enhanced by the freshly grated parmesan.

    Their chocolate ice creams were top quality too, presented in elegant flower glasses, and not some rubbish exhumed from the freezer.

    The restaurant was clearly popular and was pumping on a Tuesday night with people queuing to get a table and food delivery drivers shuttling in and out. 

    The restaurant is licensed and also has a small ranges of share plates and desserts.

    I really enjoyed my meal at Solo Pasta – the service, food and setting were all on the money, and it was a refreshing take on an old favourite.

    Or as Twiki would say  – “Biddi-biddi-biddi…”

    Solo Pasta
    628 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Body of work

    Body of work

     

    THERE’S still time to catch the confronting WA Art Gallery exhibition BODIED before it closes on Monday. 

    Toying with our perception of the human body and what it represents, six artists from across the globe deliver an eye-opening mix of video, animation and digital prints.

    Artist Wong Ping’s Stop Peeping is a video animation based on his attempts to get to know a young woman he met in his Hong Kong apartment block.

    Featuring saturated colours and surreal cartoon-style graphics, it’s an entertaining and slightly wry take on contemporary life in urban Hong Kong, touching on disconnection, loneliness and eroticism.

    “His images come straight out of his experiences in Hong Kong, the hustle and bustle of the city, the strange tales (and fragments thereof) he is a witness to,” says exhibition co-curator Robert Cook.

    “Seeing that vision here, where he was a student, well I can only imagine…The body operates very differently in these very different cultures.

    “It was a thrill to show the work of Wong Ping, who was actually a student in Perth for a while, before going back to work in Hong Kong.”

    Perhaps the most outré work on show is the video Human Flesh by Finnish artist Jani Ruscica.

    Featuring eyes, mouths and hair on body parts shaped into letters, it’s a jarring and disorientating trip through the alphabet. 

    The exhibition also features artists Gordon Bennett, Alin Huma, Cheiko Kawaguchi, Kawita Vatanajyankur and Cheryl Donegan, whose 1993 work Head was one of the most famous and provocative pieces of video art ever made.

    The low-fi video features Donegan performing what looks like fellatio on a plastic container with milk spurting out of it, while grunge music blares away in the background.

    The work is perceived as a kick at pornographic images of domination and sexual slavery, and is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

    Cook says there is something for everyone in the exhibition.

    “We wanted to create a kind of light (yet politically engaged) awareness of ‘the body’…the viewer’s own, and those around them,” he says.

    “Of how our bodies signify at different times, for different people, and the desires and layers of power around this.  

    “Obviously that idea spoke to the various compounding crises of 2020, crises that continue and that had been long brewing.

    “We did not want to address them directly but to offer space to come at the body and the works in multiple ways, maybe even to work through some of the issues at play.”

    BODIED is on this weekend only at the WA Art Gallery in Perth.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Fresh fields

    Fresh fields

    AN ambitious $36 million residential development in Mt Lawley has been given the green light with construction scheduled for November.

    The 3000sqm site at 7 Field Street will be redeveloped with 24 apartments and six townhouses by Willing Property, who recently had success with another $16m development nearby on Central Avenue.

    The Field St residencies will be two, three and four bedrooms with finishes including Miele appliances, 2.7m high ceilings and large verandas. 

    “Number 7 Field St offers grand and refined apartment living that is yet to be seen in Mt Lawley,” says Willing Property founder Tim Willing. 

    “It will essentially emulate the feel of stately, grand residences in an established suburb – taking inspiration from the beautiful, vast homes that Mt Lawley residents (and those living in surrounding suburbs) are well- acquainted with.” 

    The development is situated in the Mount Lawley Heritage Protection Area, and Mr Willing says they worked closely with heritage specialists Griffiths Architects to make sure the building was sympathetic with the surroundings.

    “We took a very considered approach to ensure number 7 Field exudes a sense of homely comfort, community and belonging in every detail,” he says.

    “From the rich red brick facades to the classic balustrades, reimagined townhouse chimneys and elegant corner parkland designed by Tim Davies landscaping, we trust it will be a compelling offer for those looking for contemporary, yet familiar way of life in the area.”

    Mr Willing says every apartment will feature classic Mount Lawley high ceilings and heritage-inspired craftsmanship, from the timber and stone to ornate cornicing and skirting boards. 

    But the residencies will also be sustainable with features like high-performance glazing and thermal fabric.

    The complex includes a garden atrium, pool, yoga area, sauna, gym, secure double car parking, double-sized storage areas, dog wash, and a secure parcel and mail room. 

    “We look forward to the residences being enjoyed by locals who love a home where they can step in and out of luxury living,” Mr Willing says.

    Apartments are priced from $899,000 to penthouses at $2,550,000, with the three-level townhouses with lift starting at $1.5m.

    To look at the plans and register your interest go to willingproperty.com.au 

  • Fresh is first at Maylands IGA

    Fresh is first at Maylands IGA

    Suzanne serves up the daily roast.

    The team works hard to bring customers what they want

    By Jane Grljusich
    Herald Promotions

    Your Maylands IGA is all about you. 

    Management and staff work tirelessly to look after their customers and bring you what you want – the freshest and best quality produce at value for money prices and all with excellence in customer service. 

    Manager Sally Kelly has been running the business for more than a year now, and she and her team thrive on ensuring their customers are happy. 

    “Our focus is Fresh, Quality and Good Value,” Sally told the Voice.

    “Maylene in Fruit and Veg visits the markets periodically and works with a team of buyers to get our ‘eyes on the different market fl oors’, and some of our produce comes direct from local farmers,” she said. 

    “We love hearing comments from customers that ‘your fruit & veg is fresher’.

    Our new butcher Ben is bringing in fresh lamb and pork carcasses and has introduced a wide range of meats fresh cut in-store, and increased our range of Mt Barker chicken.  I’m excited about our improved offering – whether you are barbequing, roasting, slow cooking, grilling or making braun, you’ll fi nd what you are looking for in our meat fridge, along with some fantastic bargains.

    But don’t forget the deli – your eyes will certainly be bigger than your stomach with the freshest cooked and freshly prepared items on offer. 

    “Our crew in the deli start cooking at 5.30am for breakfast, and by mid-morning the roast meats, veggies, curries and other dishes are out of the oven,” Sally said.  

    “Zahra tells me tradies say they love it when they are working in our area – continental rolls, roast meat rolls, dinners, and our sausage rolls are favourites. 

    “There are daily varieties of curries, pasta, risotto, lasagne, meatballs, frittata and salads – all made in-store.”

    And there’s something for the sweet-tooths too. 

    “They keep us baking with our in-store desserts rushing out from the Grab & Go,” Sally said.

    “Bread and butter pudding, rice pudding, trifl e, apple crumble, chocolate mousse, cheesecake and more.”

    Sally says an increasing number of customers are vegetarian or vegan and/or extremely health conscious. 

    “June has them covered with a whole fridge in our dairy section dedicated to those lines,” Sally said. 

    “We have a wide variety of specialty lines which we are constantly reviewing and for the foodies we have introduced a gourmet section. 

    I’m lucky to have a wonderful team of staff who take pride in looking after our customers, and enjoy coming to work. Meeting the needs of our customers is what helps improve our business and wherever possible we are happy to source specifi c requirements.”

    Maylands IGA is the place to shop. 

    Promote your business. Contact Jane today on 0417 814 128 or at jane.grljusich@gmail.com

  • Goolugatup Dreaming

    Goolugatup Dreaming

    Shaun Nannup and Jocelyn De Marchi (10)

    Local stories of the Dreamtime are important for us all

    By Jane Grljusich
    Herald Promotions

    Would you like to know more about local Aboriginal culture and understand the powerful connection between people and their country?

    A group of us experienced WISDOM in Your Life’s amazing fi rst Aboriginal Storytelling session at Goolugatup Heathcote (Heathcote Cultural Precinct) last Sunday evening over a bowl of kangaroo stew and damper. 

    Sitting on the grass surrounded by majestic trees, chirping frogs and insects, it was an incredible sensory overload as we took in the river views under the sunset and rising moon, heard the dusk calls of native birds, including laughing Kookaburras, and the powerful rhythm and vibrations of traditional Message Sticks and Didgeridoo, enjoyed the calming scents of burning woods from across WA, and tasted the fl esh of a nearby Balga tree, common bush tucker for local Aboriginal people. 

    Led by Aboriginal leader Shaun Nannup, together we understood more about his peoples’ powerful connection to the land – their wisdom – and how it is relevant to us all. 

    WISDOM in Your Life is a social business run by Shaun, and Psychologist Roslyn Snyder, to help individuals, families and workplaces to empower themselves and others, with proceeds going towards helping Aboriginal people directly and fi ghting the shocking disadvantages they face. 

    Roslyn and Shaun are helping people of all cultures to gently connect with themselves and others, fi nd their truth, understand the importance of community and embrace their spirt. 

    Their Aboriginal storytelling sessions are open to all. If you’d like to be a part of the experience, book today.

    Goolugatup Heathcote, Applecross (Heathcote Cultural Precinct) Phone 9499 4053
    Email info@wisdominyourlife.com.au
    wisdominyourlife.com.au

    WISDOM in Your Life provides simple, visual, inclusive and integrated teachings to heal the mind, enhance culture, or smooth the interface between two or more cultures; workplace, family, community or specialised Courses Available (full dates available at wisdominyourlife.com.au)

    UNIFYING HUMANITY
    Aboriginal storytelling 21 March, or 18 April, or 16 May (two-and-a-half hours from 5.30pm to 8pm)
    Place, Nature, Purpose – 3, 17 and 31 March, or 26 May, 9 and 23 June (3-day course)

    HEALING YOUR MIND
    Stage 1 – The Map – 16 & 17 March, 20 & 21 April, 18 & 19 May (2-day course) Stage 2 – The Compass – 2 & 3 March, 6 & 7 April, 4 & 5 May (2-day course) Stage 3 – Energy Patterns – 9 & 10 March, 13 & 14 April, 11 & 12 May (2-day course) 

    EARTH SCHOOL Online – anytime

    WISDOM in Your Life’s profi ts are directed towards eliminating Aboriginal disadvantage. Every full-priced course delivered, allows us to deliver a course to an Aboriginal person free-of-charge. 

    Promote your business. Contact Jane on 0417 814 128, or email jane.grljusich@fremantleherald.com

  • Back on the street

    Back on the street

    A sign warns against camping at the Lord Street overpass. Photo by Kelly Warden.

    A PERTH hotel housing campers from Fremantle’s dismantled Tent City, was forced to kick out its 15 remaining homeless clients on Wednesday, with a $40,000 bill no one will pay. 

    Perth City Apartment Hotel is looking to the Department of Communities to cough up the cash, but Communities has denied any involvement in booking people in. 

    In a media statement released on the morning of the evictions, Communities was adamant the bookings were brokered by homeless advocate, Jesse Noakes. 

    Cracks

    The statement confirms Communities transported three people from Fremantle’s Pioneer Park, who were placed at the adjoining Inner-City Apartment Hotel – operated independently from the Perth City Apartment Hotel.  

    “Communities did not place any individuals in the Perth City Apartment Hotel,” it read.   

    Mr Noakes said he’s only responsible for two individuals, while the rest fell through the cracks whilst Tent City was being dismantled. 

    He said people had found an alternative means of getting to the hotel, and it’s likely they knew to go there because it was already accommodating people from East Perth’s Tent City. 

    One of the hotel’s lodgers, Steven Camilleri, said when Fremantle’s camp was being dismantled, he’d given his details to “someone with a clipboard,” and was told he’d get accommodation if he boarded a bus in the afternoon. 

    Steven was photographed by one of the major news outlets trying to board a bus, with his trolley in-tow, but was turned away by an official because he had too much luggage.  

    “They left me for dead,” he said, not wanting to part ways with his worldly possessions from being on the streets for 25 years. 

    Mr Camilleri said he’s offered to pay $200 a week to keep staying at the hotel, if it means he doesn’t have to go back out onto the streets. 

    “It kinda feels like home,” he said. 

    Natalie Garlett had been sleeping in her car for six months with her pregnant daughter and school-age son.

    She said she’d spent three weeks sleeping in her car at Freo Tent City but missed out on getting her name on “the list,” when the Department of Communities came around. 

    Ms Garlett knew there were others from Tent City being accommodated at Perth City Apartment Hotel, so that’s why she went there. 

    “We are really grateful for the owners of this hotel and what they have done for us … but now we’re basically about to get evicted again, just like we were from our home last year”. 

    However, the day the eviction came, a private donor from the eastern states offered to pay for Ms Garlett and her family to stay in the hotel an extra week. 

    And, for those being kicked out, Communities said they offered accommodation at an alternative provider, “should members of this group agree to engage with outreach workers”. 

    A Department spokesperson said four people were collected and taken to new accommodation on the morning of the evictions. 

    Some of those who were kicked out without accommodation options went to the Homeless Election Debate on Adelaide Terrace. 

    Rumours

    There were rumours others went back to the site of East Perth’s Tent City, but the Voice checked and found no one there. 

    Only a “No Camping” sign to take its place.

    Hotel owner Eddie Kamil, who has been accommodating clients from a range of homeless service providers – including Communities – for years, is still $37,000 out of pocket. 

    It’s been four weeks since Mr Kamil received the first five people on a privately chartered Transperth bus after the McGowan government ordered Fremantle’s ‘Tent City’ closed on January 23.

    He said he was under the impression the rooms would be government funded, because he was already accommodating people from East Perth’s Tent City, whose rooms were being paid for by government. 

    “We provided five rooms initially for about a dozen guests from December 24, and early in the New Year several more rooms were booked for the remaining people at that camp following the fires there,” he said. 

    “Initially Wungening and Uniting WA funded these rooms… and later we were told Communities took over payment”. 

    Promised

    Mr Kamil said the people who arrived after Pioneer Park’s camp was dismantled, all said they’d been staying there. 

    “And Googling their names revealed most had been in media coverage which confirmed that,” he said. 

    “We knew that the government had promised accommodation for everyone from the Tent City at Fremantle, and had already had bookings for other homeless people for the department from the other camp”. 

    Mr Kamil said he’s been receiving mixed messages from the Department since the latest group moved in. 

    “Several times the government have called to say they’ll pay for all the bookings, and then changed their minds hours later,” he said. 

    The hotel has begun a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/uvx4h-help-keep-homeless-families-safely-housed-tonight?mem ber=8733138&sharetype= teams&utm_campaign=p_ na+share-sheet&utm_ medium=contact&utm_ source=customer

    by KELLY WARDEN

  • If walls could talk

    If walls could talk

    Names are being sought for the faces that appear in a series of poignant photographs taken of Cowle Street residents 35 years ago, including these two youngsters. Photo by David Forrester-Walker.

    NAMES are being sought for the faces that appear in a series of poignant photographs taken of Cowle Street residents 35 years ago.

    David Forrester-Walker lived in the “humble to modest” West Perth street in 1986, and for a student photography project he photographed neighbours inside their homes, on their porches, and in their backyards. 

    He’s donated the photos to Vincent council’s Local History Centre, and Vincent mayor Emma Cole says “they’re beautiful portraits but unfortunately he didn’t have all the information for the people in them,” with some unknown and others only having first names. 

    “Thanks to our community members, we’ve been able to fill in some of the gaps.”

    Portrait of George & Mick, residents of Cowle Street West Perth, 1986. COV LHC. Photos by David Forrester-Walker.

    The centre’s historians have been trying to find others, which addresses they were at, and last week an unnamed couple were identified when relatives saw a Vincent Library’s social media post featuring an older couple in their luscious backyard. 

    “We learnt that the picture was of Carmelina and Luigi D’Amico of 47 Cowle Street,” Ms Cole says. “Both have since passed away but they have five children, 18 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren and 21 great-great grandchildren.”

    Pina D’Amico saw the photo and identified her “beautiful nonno Luigi and nonna Carmelina” and posted that she had “beautiful memories of Cowle Street”. She saw it one day before Carmelina’s birthday on February 14. 

    The photographs are viewable via cityofvincent.imagegallery.me (just put in the keyword “Cowle Street”) and let the Local History Centre know if you recognise any of the people or addresses.

    By DAVID BELL

  • Flush with pride

    Flush with pride

    PERTH’S most controversial toilet saga has come to an end with Maylands to get a loo in an empty garden bed near the train station.

    A public toilet’s long been needed in the area and Bayswater council tried for a while to put it on Public Transport Authority land, but the PTA steadfastly refused due “major security and safety issues”. 

    In 2019 Bayswater council approved a toilet next to the Seventh Avenue Bridge, but it required the relocation of an unusual sculpture made out of railway sleepers from the now-demolished 1913 wooden bridge. 

    That prompted on-site protests and many in the Maylands Residents and Ratepayer Association and Maylands Business Association condemned the plan. Former Bayswater councillor Terry Gaunt vowed to stand in the way of construction equipment and face gaol rather than see art make way for a commode.

    Later that year councillor Elli Petersen-Pik, one of two councillors to vote against the bridge site, requested requested for everything to go on pause while the council investigated other spots.

    While the PTA was still refusing a loo, resident Brian Selfe discovered a strip of road reserve on Whatley Crescent under council control. 

    Cr Petersen-Pik welcomed the end of the tale: “The famous toilets are now operational. The saga is finally over.”

    He thanked Maylands MP Lisa Baker for securing a $140,000 toilet grant, the MRRA and MBA “for their intensive advocacy” on it, Mr Selfe for identifying the golden sliver of land, fellow councillors for being open to a change of plans, and Bayswater staff for their work getting it over the line.

    by DAVID BELL