Perth Voice Interactive

SCHOOL canteens are crying out for volunteers.

State Perth MP John Carey says P&Cs are telling him “there is a clear need for volunteers, however with both parents working it’s hard to get them”.

He’s currently working his way through a volunteer shift at every Perth electorate primary school and is seeing the shortage first hand.

“Canteens provide an incredible service to our schools, they’re a centrepoint, but we need to rally behind them.”

It’s a year-round problem, but especially in winter when volunteers (quite responsibly) have to drop out when they get the cold or flu.

Naomi Putland runs the Highgate primary school canteen.

A professional chef, she initially said she’d do the gig for one term, but loved it so much she stayed for five years.

“I could not do it without my helpers. It’s just not possible”.

But it’s hard to fill a roster. Ms Putland says this week “for example I had three people lined up, and there’s a big flu epidemic, and one by one they rang me. I think it’s tricky. Life is busy. When I was growing up, mums were generally at home, and now generally both parents work. So as soon as your child can be zipped off to kindy or daycare, they’re back to work.”

Mr Carey says with so much pressure on parents, he’s encouraging other family or community members to consider putting in a shift.

Ms Putland says one of her most reliable volunteers is a retired lady with no children of her own.

Ms Putland says when people do find time to volunteer, they find “it’s a really satisfying thing, it’s great to be part of a community”.

Toasties

She said she’d gladly have her MP volunteer back. “John Carey was a champion! He was actually very helpful…he did all the toasted sandwiches, which is a primary school staple, and then he served at recess. I’d happily have him back.”

Canteens have changed a bit these days.

Ms Putland recalls when she was at school the options were pretty limited: “I had a blue disk for a toasted sandwich.”

Toasties are still a mainstay available every day, but with 67 nationalities at Highgate primary, Ms Putland introduced a more varied fare and added more vegetarian options.

When we called her on Tuesday it was sushi day. Wednesdays are pasta, and Thursdays they do teriyaki chicken and fried rice.

by DAVID BELL

THE majority of Stirling councillors have voted against creating a public register to declare their political affiliations.

Councillor Stephanie Proud wanted to update the councillors’ code of conduct so they had to declare a range of loyalties including party membership, employment by a political party or MP, and whether any immediate family member “is, or has been, an elected representative of a political party”.

It was based on a similar motion approved by Bayswater council in April, but Cr Proud also wanted Stirling councillors to declare if they were a union member.

But her motion only won support from Crs Giovanni Italiano and Keith Sargent.

Joe Ferrante was keen on the union declarations, but didn’t support the other measures.

Ahead of the vote six councillors declared an impartiality interest that still allowed them to vote – Cr Ferrante (Liberal party member and former federal candidate for Perth), Mark Irwin (wife Elise is a Liberal state MP), David Lagan (Liberal party member and former state candidate), Karlo Perkov (Liberal party member) and Elizabeth Re (member and candidate for WA Party).

Cr Proud proposed a watered-down version of the motion at Tuesday’s council meeting (June 11), suggesting a “voluntary register”, but that was voted down too.

by DAVID BELL

BIG crowds came out for the launch of Leederville’s new “Village Square” on May 31.

The $275,000 collaboration between the City of Vincent and town team Leederville Connect has created a more people-friendly space on the Oxford Street strip.

The square includes red brick raised paving and bollards that can block off cars for events.

Vincent mayor Emma Cole says “I think the final result and look of Leederville Village Square is fantastic. The red brick paving responds so well to the beautiful old buildings in this space, the trees provide a really nice canopy and the level surface creates a seamless transition between the surrounding businesses.”

She says it’ll make for even better Leedypaloozas and Leedy Streets Open days.

Council will open their other new public space North Perth Common, at the corner of Fitzgerald and View Streets, on June 15.

There’ll be a smoking ceremony to break in the new space at 3pm, with kids activities, local tunes, food and live art.

The circular light sculpture will be turned on at sundown.

A STIRLING council staffer has won an unfair dismissal case over MacGyver-style fixes he made to air cons in beach vehicles.

Back in the summer of 2016/17, the city’s beach inspectors were sweltering in their Mazda utes because some air cons were only pumping out hot air.

A few inspectors were concerned it was a health and safety issue.

Inspector Kevin Emery, who had been at the city for six years,  was regarded as a good employee by his bosses and was also a bit of a MacGyver with a background in auto-electrics.

After doing some research online he installed a bridging wire in the faulty air cons, making them blow out cold air whenever they were turned on.

But shortly afterwards one of the compressors burned out, costing the city about $1900 to repair. The city sacked Mr Emery for carrying out the unauthorised modifications.

He appealed to the Fair Work Commission, saying the mod wouldn’t have caused any damage and that his manager had authorised it (which he denied).

The commission found a major failing of the city’s investigation was that the manager who said he didn’t approve the mod was the one doing the investigation.

The FWC said that gave the manager a “clear motivation” to deny authorising it, now that something had gone wrong.

On April 26 this year, more than two years after the wires were installed, the FWC found “reinstatement is impractical” and ordered the city to pay Mr Emery about $15,500–80 per cent of the three month’s wages he’d lost.

He would’ve got nearly $19,300, but the FWC said even if the city’s investigation was unfair, he still shouldn’t have modified the air cons.

by DAVID BELL

WOOLWORTHS is set to open a store in Highgate late next year.

In September 2018 the Voice heard Woolies had bought the block at the corner of Bulwer and Stirling Streets for about $7.2 million, and the land at the rear for $3.97m (technically the suburb of Perth).

Woolies has now distributed fliers to locals saying it has lodged an application with Vincent council for a “new market style supermarket, together with a cafe, boutique liquor store and early learning centre, with two levels of above-ground car parking”.

Woolworths “considered the adjoining residential properties” and is sticking to the three-storey limit for the site.

The plans show a rooftop “nature playspace” facing Stirling Street, with hardy native plants and some mature flowering trees.

Woolies says it would build a 192-bay car park over two levels, with a ramp at Stirling St, and there are 21 nearby on-street bays.

The grocery giant’s traffic impact assessment said there would be “minimal” impact on local traffic and parking that was “within acceptable limits”.

Woolworths is holding two open days for locals to meet its project team.

The first is on June 20, 3.30-7.30pm at Lincolns 102 Cafe, and the second is at Premier House (at the proposed site) on June 22, 10am-2pm.

The plans are online and consultation is open until June 26 at imagine.vincent.wa.gov.au (click on Planning and Building Consultations, and it’s under 291-293 Stirling Street).

The 1980s-built Premier House 80 on the site will be demolished.

by DAVID BELL

TAKING photos and videos in the changing rooms at Beatty Park Leisure Centre in Vincent are set to be banned under new city laws.

Offenders would be smacked with a $500 fine under the proposed changes to the Local Government Property Local Law, which covers all council changing facilities across the city.

The city’s briefing notes to councillors didn’t suggest a spate of peeping toms, but a review of the law found it “did not expressly prohibit the use of recording devices”.

There was an existing workaround for changing rooms: they had “no filming” signs which carried a $100 penalty under a blanket law, the same fine if you got caught eating in the library.

BAYSWATER mayor Dan Bull is urging planning minister Rita Saffioti to not disregard what the community wants for its town centre.

Last week the state government announced it would take over planning control of the area around the Bayswater train station to maximise development opportunities when it’s upgraded for Metronet.

Some locals are concerned their historic town centre could be dwarfed by high rise towers.

The council recently consulted with the community and created a draft structure plan that limited the King William Street strip to five storeys, but the plan is still to be approved by the state government.

Cr Bull’s letter to the minister notes the plan was submitted to the WA Planning Commission “over a year ago. I understand that to date no determination has been made in relation to it”.

He said in coming to that limit the council had “undertaken careful, methodical and very deep engagement with the local community” which he suggested would be “invaluable”.

Planning controls in the area around the station will be set by the state government’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, and community group Bayswater Deserves Better is concerned the town centre could have the same height cap as the Midland Redevelopment Area, which permits 12 storeys.

The state government says  it will work with council and locals to set a limit.

by DAVID BELL