Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH comedy legend Max Kay, one of the funniest and most personable gentleman on the entertainment scene, died on Tuesday night (June 4).

His family released a statement saying he’d passed away after a recent battle with illness, with his beloved wife Norma by his side. He had been a long term resident of Menora.

A former Perth councillor and a seasoned entertainer, Mr Kay moved to Perth from Scotland with Norma in 1967 after some earlier visits.

He opened the Civic Theatre Restaurant in Inglewood and it ran from 1976-2001. He had a hand in creating every part of his music and comedy shows, writing the theme tune and singing it.

Over the decades he never lost his lilting Scottish brogue, and while he was happy to help out a young reporter with a snappy quote, trying to transcribe his “patter” was an intense undertaking.

Entertainer

But he told the Voice that whenever he went back to Scotland locals would tell him he had an Australian accent.

Courting a broad spectrum of political friends, he was close to premier Charles Court, but also a fan of Scottish philosopher Rabbie Burns, who he described as “a poet, a humanitarian, a womaniser, a great socialist”.

He used to don his kilt to celebrate Robert Burns Day with Perth’s Scottish community, leading the ritual recitation of the “Address to a Haggis”.

Mr Kay was an entertainer until the end: Just a year ago he was still performing his new show “One More Time,” and he was still presenting a regular radio show on Curtin FM, where his favourite segment was reading out jokes submitted by listeners.

He sat on umpteen boards and was patron of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society WA.

Seemingly eternal, he kept his age a secret.

He told seniors magazine Have a Go News last year that he preferred not to say the number due to ageism; a form of discrimination he fought through his comedy.

by DAVID BELL

HIGH rise towers could ruin Bayswater’s historic town centre when the state government takes over planning control of the area around the train station, says Bayswater Deserves Better.

This week the McGowan government announced it was taking over planning control around the Bayswater train station from council to “maximise development opportunities” when the station is upgraded for Metronet.

12 storeys

BDB spokesperson Angie Maher says they supported council’s plan for a modest cap of four to five storeys in the town centre along King William Street.

“The council have been great, and have been listening to both sides of the argument…we’re concerned that bypassing council and the Development Assessment Panel process, we might end up with 10 or 12 storeys in the town centre which is a bit incongruous,” she says.

“97 per cent of respondents said they value the heritage and character of the town centre. We’re concerned that is going to be all for naught.

“That bulk and scale next to heritage buildings isn’t what people moved to Bayswater for.”

Bayswater mayor Dan Bull says the news has divided opinion: “for some, this will be really bad news. Others will be high five-ing each other. Some people won’t care either way, and I am sure many will have questions.”

“At the end of the day, it’s so important that the redevelopment of the Bayswater town site is done in a way that listens to our community, and works collaboratively with the community and council so that future development takes into account the character and heritage of the neighbourhood, we ensure our tree canopy is protected and enhanced, as well as public open space, and that it continues to be a place people love to live in and visit.”

Future Bayswater, a group of residents and business owners keen to see the area redeveloped, has welcomed the announcement.

The group was underwhelmed by Bayswater council’s draft “structure plan” for the area.

FB spokesperson Paul Shanahan, who won the Planning Institute of Australia’s “planning champion” award last year, had previously said the council’s structure plan was too low-density to create a “vibrant and economically sustainable town centre”.

The state government’s takeover plan involves expanding the “Midland Redevelopment Area” into a “non-contiguous area” that resembles a dismembered salamander, encompassing Bayswater and Forrestfield train stations.

The area extends along King William Street to Almondbury Street, and up Beechboro Road to Foyle Road.

It’s nearly the exact area Bayswater council had hoped its structure plan would apply to.

The area will now be handled by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, who will be writing a planning framework in the coming months.

by DAVID BELL

A BAYSWATER local has saved an 80-year-old kurrajong tree that was to be felled as part of the Bayswater train station upgrade.

Lazar Radanovich moved a motion to save the tree at last year’s council elector’s meeting, saying “this tree is earmarked for destruction as part of the upcoming Metronet Bayswater train station upgrade”.

He said “this tree held pride of place as an entry statement to the Bayswater townsite for several decades”.

Relocated

He won support of almost everyone at the meeting to save the tree, and Bayswater councillors later endorsed the motion.

The city got on to Metronet to hash out an agreement, and now Bayswater mayor Dan Bull says “the tree will be carefully relocated 200m down the road to Bert Wright Park, where it will continue to be enjoyed by the community for many years to come.

“This is a great outcome and a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together.”

Relocating the tree’s a complex process: First the roots will be pruned, then its health will be monitored for six months.

It will be will be removed by a mobile crane and transported upright along King William Street, then lowered by a fixed crane into its new spot at Bert Wright Park.

The council will look after the tree during its five-year settling-in period, with the first 18 months critical to its survival.

It’s not yet known how many trees will be lost. The PTA says “many trees are unable to be relocated because the species is unlikely to survive, the tree is of ill health, or cost implications”.

Councillor Lorna Clarke moved a motion at the May 28 Bayswater council meeting, calling on the CEO and mayor to lobby the state government to ensure that for every tree removed during the station redevelopment, “five trees are replaced in or near the Bayswater Town Centre, with costs to be borne by the state government”.

Deputy mayor Chris Cornish backed the motion, emphasising it was important the replacement trees were in the same vicinity.

“The treescape, the landscape, will be tragically changed in the Bayswater town centre when this destruction does commence,” he said. Previous schemes have seen trees removed from urban areas and their replacements planted in the bush.

by DAVID BELL

COUNCILS, state government and business owners have been brainstorming how to save traders on Beaufort Street, but the Beaufort Street Network says there’s a simple solution for now—just go there.

The BSN is urging people to attend tonight’s “Rediscover Beaufort Street Rally” (Saturday June 8) from 6pm.

Retail venues will stay open late, hoping to kickstart a bit of trade between meals and drinks. Vincent and Stirling councils are set to invest in the street, but BSN chair Joshua O’Keefe says in the meantime “now is the time to act local”.

“We want everyone to find three venues and move between them during the night. Get bar snacks and cocktails from Must, then dinner at Dainty Dowager and a cookie from Get Chunkie,” he suggests.

Joel Creasey, who cut his comedy teeth in the Perth scene before heading east, is back in town for a show at the Astor on the same night.

by DAVID BELL

A PERTH forum on euthanasia laws will be hosted by John Carey, who lost his mum to brain cancer in 2007.

The Perth MP nursed his mother through her final days and says he decided to host the forum “because I know there are a lot of people who have strong views on it both ways. I do want to have a respectful, open conversation with the community”.

A bill to allow voluntary assisted dying will likely be put to state MPs for a conscience vote in the next year.

Starvation

Mr Carey says he will keep an open mind and won’t finalise his decision until he’s seen the laws and heard from constituents, but his personal experience has seen him leaning towards supporting voluntary assisted dying laws.

“I cared for my mother after she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I was with her every night. I used to massage her hands and feet every night, it provided her some relief.

“I watched my mother die in a terrible way—effectively starvation. She’d gone into palliative care, and was released because she hadn’t died.

“My mum was my best friend, I loved her dearly, and watching her go through such a terrible way to die… it has shaped my views.”

The bill will be based on 24 recommendations made by the “End of Life Choices” parliamentary committee, which recommended that to be eligible for voluntary assisted dying a person must be experiencing “grievous and irremediable suffering” from a terminal or chronic condition that can’t be acceptably alleviated, and where death is a reasonably foreseeable outcome.

Mr Carey says his experience also shows that “palliative care is very important, and the state government has announced a big boost in palliative care funding”.

Several of the committee’s recommendations focused on improving palliative care, calling for a specialist hospice in the northern suburbs and a review for how much unmet demand there was.

Dying With Dignity WA’s FAQ explains that under current law, people experiencing unbearable suffering have three legal options:

• They can commit suicide, “but this is a lonely, desperate and often violent option”

• They can end their own life by refusing all medical treatment, including food and water, and starve and dehydrate to death, “but this is a long and psychologically painful process for the patient and their family”

• If a dying patient has been suffering a long time, a doctor sometimes puts them into a coma in what is called “’terminal or palliative sedation’, but there is a lot of suffering that has to be experienced before this last resort option is taken and it can be distressing for all involved”.

The forum is open to Perth electorate residents on June 21 at East Perth’s Central Tafe from 6pm, RSVP via john.carey@mp.wa.gov.au or 9227 8040.

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER council is reviewing its use of glyphosate after a number of US employees claiming they got cancer from the weedkiller won court cases.

Councillor Lorna Clarke successfully moved a notice of motion to get clarity on how glyphosate/Roundup is used by city workers, and has asked staff to develop options to “eliminate or significantly reduce” its use.

Staff will prepare a report by November 30.

She said at the May 28 council meeting; “I’ve had a number of local residents raise it with me,” including someone who noticed a council sign stating glyphosate had been sprayed near a community garden where kids were playing.

Cr Clarke said the science is not definitive and the cases in the US are under appeal, but she notes “often the litigation strategy has been to appeal permanently. We’ve seen that in historic cases with asbestos and tobacco products”.

Carcinogenic

She said there are some organisations that believe it’s safe, while the International Agency for Research on Cancer has said there’s a probability of it being carcinogenic.

Risk factors include how often its used, how long its used, dilution levels and whether safe practices are observed and safety equipment used.

Cr Catherine Ehrhardt noted the “probable carcinogen” classification referred to also included red meat, and alcohol was listed as more of a cancer risk, but she supported looking at how glyphosate was used.

Other possible weeding methods include brush cutting, hand weeding and steam, but they cost more.

South Perth council stopped using glyphosate in August last year following community concerns about its safety.

They now use steam weeding and pelargonic acid, a herbicide naturally present in plants that is considered low risk but can be an irritant in high concentrations. Vincent council still uses “limited” amounts of glyphosate, and pelargonic acid where possible.

by DAVID BELL

STIRLING staff getting into prangs in their council-funded cars are costing ratepayers about $240,000 every year.

Woodlands resident R Hadley recently asked how much was being spent on panel beating during council’s public question time, after he noticed that the $185,000 budgeted annually for smash repairs
was ballooning out every year for the
past five years.

Mayor Mark Irwin took the questions on notice and a written response was provided saying they’re trying to crash less.

“The city continues to focus on reducing vehicle related incidents and is on track to meet or underspend the budget figure in the current financial year,” it said.

Mr Hadley also asked how they decided to award the tender to S&A Smash Repairs of Osborne Park.

The city’s response said the council chose S&A in 2016 as they were the best of three tenderers based on experience, price, qualifications and workmanship.

The council spends about $10 million every year on buying new cars and utility vehicles, and repairing its existing fleet.

The use of the $80,000 city vehicles by the mayor and CEO have drawn criticism in the past, but when he became mayor in October 2017, Cr Irwin said he didn’t need a council car and it was auctioned off. The CEO still uses his city-supplied luxury car.

by DAVID BELL

THERE’S one last square of hope for opponents of the public toilet to be installed at the Seventh Avenue Bridge in Maylands.

Locals have been crying out for a toilet near the Maylands train station for years as people have been defecating and urinating in nearby streets.

Council voted in February to install a $148,000 exeloo at the eastern side of the bridge, but it didn’t go down well with locals as it means relocating an existing bridge sculpture and the loo is quite far from the station.

In a last roll of the toilet paper, Cr Elli Petersen-Pik successfully moved a motion at the May 28 council meeting to find a new spot for the loo.

He said they they’d recently found a patch of city-owned land near the train station that might be wide enough.

“This motion does not rescind council’s previous decision,” he said.

“I want to make it clear. We are not committing ourselves to any new location, and we are not delaying the installation as we’re still waiting for the new toilet to arrive. If the report comes back with options that are too unrealistic or too costly, then we can at least tell the community that we left no stone unturned.”

City staff reported they can look at other sites while the loo’s in the mail–$7000 in “postage”–but in the meantime they’re bound by the original decision of council.

The city originally wanted to locate the toilet at the Maylands train station on Public Transport Authority land, but they said it would be a logistical nightmare.

by DAVID BELL

THIS year’s Local History Awards in Vincent has a new category for photos taken after 2000.

Over the years the Local History Awards has helped build up a thriving stock of valuable photos and stories.

Mayor Emma Cole says the aim is to encourage people to “rethink what they would normally consider to be history”.

One of the finalists from last year’s awards was a photograph Georgia Kennedy took of two punks in Leederville in 1982.

Freedom

She was 17 at the time, and took a photo of her housemates Dean Lucas (then 16) and Ivan Nemorin, 18, standing in front of the outside toilet in their share house which is now the site of Luna Outdoor Cinema.

“I took a lot of photos of the punk scene around that time,” Kennedy says.

“I was managing a photo shop on Oxford Street which allowed me the freedom to take photos. Film was expensive back then for people our age.”

The awards have contributed to an online library of more than 4000 local images, viewable at photosau.com.au/vincent or in person at the history centre inside the Loftus Street Vincent library, Monday to Friday 9am-1pm.

Along with prizes for pre-2000 and post-2000 photos, there’s a “Life in Vincent” written category for memoirs, history stories or biographies under 2000 words. Info on entering is at http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/library or 9273 6534, and entries close July 31 at 5pm.

by DAVID BELL