Perth Voice Interactive

Baysy station upgrade shunted along

April 17, 2019

IT’S actually happening.

This week the state government called for a builder partner to upgrade Bayswater train station as part of Metronet.

“We’re getting on with the Bayswater station upgrade, a key part of this government’s Metronet plan for connected suburbs,” transport minister Rita Saffioti announced.

“Bayswater is a strategic location on our rail network, with the Forrestfield-Airport Link set to spur off the Midland Line in this location, along with the future Morley-Ellenbrook Line.

“Bayswater is a thriving inner-suburbs community that will be bolstered further by the addition of this new activity centre around the train station.

“This significant upgrade to the station, along with raising the notorious bridge over the King William Street/Coode Street underpass, will further improve the amenity of the area.

“The upgraded station will increase the attractiveness of public transport and help facilitate sensible new development in an already desirable suburb.”

• The state government’s vision for the new Bayswater train station.

Maylands MP Lisa Baker said the project “is set to have huge flow-on benefits for Bayswater.

”I hope the successful contractor will work closely with stakeholder groups and work hard to minimise the short-term impact on the community,” she said.

It was also announced this week that the nearby One Foyle Road apartment project, by JCM Construction, has partnered with the state government to make two of the 17 apartments into public housing; in line with the Metronet plan to have more affordable housing around public transport hubs.

The other 15 will be for sale at market value, but are still intended to be on the affordable end.

State housing minister Peter Tinley said in his announcement: “The Foyle Road development will provide a much-needed boost to housing diversity in Bayswater.”

The station upgrade tender is up now at tenders.wa.gov.au and the deadline is May 23.

by DAVID BELL
Correction

April 17, 2019

IN last week’s story on the opposition to the Maylands public toilet, “Gaunt vows to derail dunny”, we got confused by a Facebook poll run on the Maylands Residents and Ratepayer’s page.

We reported that only 55 of 134 respondents wanted a toilet at Bayswater council’s chosen location at the Seventh Avenue bridge.

But the poll allowed people to vote multiple times and there were a couple of non-exclusive options.

For example, some people who voted against the location also voted to spend the money on CCTV and improved lighting for the town centre.

So there were actually only 110 people voting, narrowing the proportion of yeas and nays.

A total of 33 people voted against relocating the sculpture for a toilet, 23 said they wanted the grant money used for CCTV, and 37 said “continue to lobby for toilets at or near Maylands train station” (the Public Transport Authority has consistently said “no” to that).

Also, to clarify, while Cr Elli Petersen-Pik said he didn’t think councillors should be “involved” in community Facebook pages, he got in touch to say he just doesn’t think they should be involved in running them.

He says it’s no problem for them to be a member and actually helps them to be aware of local issues and respond to residents.
Celebrating diversity

April 17, 2019

Perth children’s author Yohann Devezy is calling on teachers to celebrate diversity in his debut book about the LGBTIQ+ community, Hugo: The Boy With the Curious Mark.

The book follows a young boy with a rainbow birthmark on his forehead. He feels isolated and ashamed because no one else has the mark, so he embarks on an adventure to find a companion with the same condition.

“As a member of the LGBTIQ community, we spend many years ashamed of our difference” said Mr Devezy. “I wanted to tell a different story; that difference is wonderful and should be embraced.”

Mr Devezy is now openly gay and happily married, but says writing the book brought back some painful memories.

“I remember being called fag and all sorts of names since I was five years old to about seventeen. I hope a book like this will prevent a lot of children having the same upbringing as I did. If my book helps just one young person, I’ll call it a success.”

• Perth children’s author Yohann Devezy with his new book Hugo: The Boy With The Curious Mark. Photo by Charlie Bray

Mr Devezy also hopes parents can use the book to start a conversation with their children about sexuality.

“When I came out to my mum, she was very upset. It wasn’t because I was gay, but because I’d held it from them for so long. She really felt as though she’d failed. If she had this kind of book it probably would’ve helped her and my dad discuss these issues with me.”

Mr Devezy provides notes with the book, explaining how teachers can engage students in discussions about gender.

He says LGBTIQ+ teaching resources are limited, and some parents don’t want their kids to learn about it: Earlier this year parents in the UK complained about the increased focus on LGBTIQ+ rights in the sex education curriculum.

Mr Devezy says his book celebrates all differences and is not solely about gender.

“It’s a very happy book. Often with books about the LGBTIQ+ community it’s very heavy to take in. I think that we need to show that there are beautiful stories and there are happy endings.”

On Saturday April 27, Rabble Books & Games in Maylands will host their monthly Drag Queen Story Hour, where Hugo: The Boy With the Curious Mark will be read by drag queen Veronica Jean Jones.

by CHARLIE BRAY
LETTERS 20.4.19

April 17, 2019

One vote, one value
HERE we go again – another election.
Why, oh why do we continue in the ridiculous preferential voting system where we have to vote for candidates we would never do.
They get the preferential votes which brings them into power and works towards an upper house fiasco.
Brexit has demonstrated the need for mandatory voting – you might not like who gets in but you have to register your vote.
But look at what is happening there: massive marches for those who do not subscribe to Brexit.
But how many of those chose not to vote; whereas here we have to vote but have this ridiculous system where our vote is diluted and those we would never have voted for are installed simply because they get preferential voting.
Just look at the mess this brings: it promotes hung parliamentary voting and gives power to so many we would never have chosen to vote into parliament.
Please, learn from the past and bring in one person/one vote.
Iris Bennett
Fenellia Crescent, Craigie

Kicking a cultural goal
KUDOS to the City of Perth, the Northbridge Piazza Screen curators and the team behind bringing the trautonium experience to Perth on Saturday.
Seeing Berlin’s master musician Peter Pichler perform a custom score to the film Metropolis on the early synthesiser was a cultural highlight of the year so far – and it was free.
I only wish more people had seen it. The turnout was decent given it was derby night, but this was the first time Pichler had toured outside of Europe and Northbridge Piazza should’ve been packed for such a rare event.
One upside of it being a smaller crowd was that Perth’s synthnerds got some one-on-one time with Pichler after the event for a bit of traut-talk.
Please, Perth, take a chance on these weird events – the football’s on every week but this machine may never be back here.
David Bell
West Perth

An urban catastrophe
THOSE of you from my generation will remember the packs of dogs roaming around chasing cats, cars, kids on bikes, and making a general nuisance of themselves.
Society moved on and now it is unsociable and illegal to let your dog roam around.
Most of us quickly adopted the idea that their dogs should be restrained but at the same time resisted any suggestion that cats should lose their freedom.
Freedom to kill being a major part of an inconvenient truth.
We have a number of quenda living in our back yard and it is such a thrill to see them pottering around doing their quenda thing.
We have a female who had a full pouch and we were looking forward to seeing the young become independent.
That was not to be.
Every night we have cats from all over the neighbourhood coming in stalking the quenda, and anyone who knows quenda know they are oblivious to the danger cats present.
The older bandicoots can often get away, the young ones can’t.
We have no surviving young joeys.
The cat featured in this photo is in our yard almost every night and it is just a matter of time before he kills a bandicoot.
Maybe he has already taken one of the joeys.
At this stage it is not illegal for cats to roam at night killing whatever they can.
The policy is to rely on “responsible ownership” and keeping cats in at night, which judging by my Bandicam is just not happening.
It seems cats have the right to kill, wildlife does not have the right to live.
My question to cat owners is this.
Why should our wildlife pay the ultimate price for your love of your cat?
These days with diminishing native wildlife numbers perhaps it’s time we brought in new laws preventing domestic cats from roaming.
And no I am not a cat hater.
I own an adored Burmese cat who even comes caravanning with us.
He is an inside cat with a catio and cat run and is walked on a leash.
I don’t like confining him but I like even less the indiscriminate killing carried out by cats.
For the sake of what wildlife we have left in the suburbs, let’s do our bit and confine our cats.
Jean Cleaver
Address supplied

We’ll ask before we dump
IN response to the Voice article “Vincent dumps verge pickups” (April 6, 2019), I wanted to let our community know that Vincent Council has not decided to end the verge junk collection.
We have a new Waste Strategy with an ambitious target of zero waste to landfill by 2028 so we are reviewing all elements of our waste practices, including bulk verge collection.
Whether we stick with the current verge collection or consider another method, the key issue will be maximising reuse and recycling and minimising waste going to landfill.
Vincent Council will be presented with some options before June.
However, we won’t be making a decision without then consulting with our community.
We know a change to verge junk collection impacts everyone, and there are those who love it and those who are not so keen.
Please be assured we are not making big decisions like this without informing you and asking for your views first.
Emma Cole
Vincent mayor
Shout about it

April 17, 2019

THAI hospitality is renowned for being uber polite and demure, so when I heard of a Thai restaurant called Louder Louder in Northbridge I had to check it out.

Formerly the Wok Street Chow House, the new owners have done extensive renovations, and the dark woods and detailed interior were inviting on a hot day.

Coconut milk

But it was not very Louder inside, so we decided to have lunch in the al fresco, enjoying the breeze and bustling activity on Lake Street.

Ensconced in a bubble of attentive service, I sat with a cool drink and perused the dishes on the menu, which are graded 1-4 loudspeakers; the “loudness” indicating the spiciness.

I ordered the recommended special–the Massaman curry ($29).

It may seem extravagant spending nearly $30 on a lunchtime curry, but it was phenomenal and well worth the money.

The presentation was like a work of art: a large incredibly-tender beef rib was flanked by a decorative trail of coconut milk, with a sprig of coriander and a row of manicured pineapple chunks bringing up the rear.

Fried onion and peanuts were placed with actual care on top, and the dish also came with a large cinnamon stick.

We couldn’t leave without trying that old stalwart–the Thai Green Curry ($24).

Featuring large, tender pieces of Maryland chicken and heirloom green tomatoes, it was a delight, with one loudspeaker being spicy enough.

Despite its name, Louder Louder is a quiet achiever–a humble yet screamingly-good combination of top notch ingredients, artistic presentation and thoughtful staff.

Its fresh take on Thai is well worth checking out.

by JUSTIN STAHL

Louder Louder
47 Lake Street Northbridge
9228 9358
http://www.louderlouder.com.au
Macri a boost to male-heavy lineup

April 17, 2019

I WAS stunned to discover that local standup Nicola Macri will be one of only six females performing at this year’s Perth Comedy Festival, while at least 35 blokes will take to the stage.

“God, is that true? That’s shocking to me,” Macri told the Voice.

“Regardless of this, the fact that women are underrepresented in comedy gives me a massive motivation boost.

“Just the fact that I’m doing it as a woman is what I’m proud of the most.”

Macri grew up with two sisters who also went into show business.

Her older sister, who goes by the stage name Veruca Sour, was recently crowned Miss Burlesque WA in 2017.

• Nicola Macri

“We all danced growing up and we all enjoyed comedy,” says Macri.

“My dad and I enjoyed a lot of classic comedy films together like the Three Amigos with Steve Martin, which we would watch over and over.”

Macri was introduced to the world of stand-up comedy via the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and admired comics like Danny Bhoy, Dave Callan and Daniel Kitson.

“I was 12 when I first watched the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala on VHS in 2003,” says Macri.

As I grew older I was more academically inclined and I went down the path of becoming a lawyer.”

Macri eventually dropped out of law school in 2012 and spent a year doing open mics, but she became disenchanted after some unsettling experiences.

“The local scene was very male dominated and I had some dodgy things happen to me,” Macri tells the Voice.

“In 2017 I had some encouragement from other comedians on the scene, so I wrote my first show called The Nicest Person in the Room, which lead to my first Fringe Show in 2018, Your Welcome, which I’m performing at this year’s Perth Comedy Festival.”

Macri describes her award-winning show as warm-hearted and cerebral. Her material is packed with pearls of wisdom and handy techniques for
daily life.

“If I could offer my audience members any advice, it’s bran cereal,” says Macri.

“Bran cereal will change your life. Being regular can really change your whole perspective on your entire day.”

Nicola Macri will perform at the Perth Comedy Festival on May17-18 at the Regal Theatre. Tickets and details at http://www.perthcomedyfestival.com

by MATTHEW EELES
Art deco delight

April 17, 2019

ON a tree-lined Mt Lawley avenue full of character houses, one 1935 home stands out.

Perhaps it’s the fetching baby-blue highlights that attract your gaze, or the original convex glazing on the windows?

Salvagers would kill to get their hands on the art deco front door and matching internal doors, and the light fittings and ceiling roses are in perfect condition.

The 1930’s illusion holds tight until the kitchen’s modern appliances remind you it’s the 21st century.

Ornate

Once in the kitchen, the focal point of the home, the amazing 1980s extension is seamless and you would be hard pushed to find the joins.

This is achieved by the painstaking use of recycled floorboards, tiles and matching bricks; and even the ornate wooden doorframes are indistinguishable from the originals.

The extension includes three bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry. There’s also a formal dinning area that cleverly divides the house into kids’ and adult zones. Out the back is a beautiful garden with an undercover alfresco, saltwater pool and an outdoor toilet.

There’s also a fully functional bar at the rear of the property, complete with sink, fridge and dishwasher.

This four-bedroom, two-bathroom character home on Third Avenue is close to Hamer Park, ECU Mt Lawley and Beaufort Street.

by JUSTIN STAHL

116 Third Avenue, Mt Lawley
Offers in the mid-$1 millions
Natalie Hoye
0405 812 273
Bellcourt Mount Lawley
6141 7848
A century of caring

April 17, 2019

THE Osborne Park RSL sub-branch has celebrated a huge milestone in the lead up to Anzac Day – marking a century since its founding.

The sub-branch was founded by returning World War I veterans, only a couple of years after the main RSL itself was established in 1916 (known at the time as the “Returned Sailor’s, Soldier’s, Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia).

Club president Norm Wells says on April 14, 1919, five months after the end of WWI, a group of veterans got together outside John Tyler’s produce store and opened an appeal to raise money to establish a sub-branch in Osborne Park.

The town soon donated two blocks of land near Cape and Main Street for a memorial hall, and the community raised funds and the members baked the bricks themselves to raise the building over the next few years.

On November 22, 1930 the memorial hall was officially opened by general and famed architect Sir Talbot Hobbs.

• Veterans gather outside J Tyler’s Produce Merchants to open an appeal for funds to start up the Osborne Park RSL.

“The memory of the past welds us together more firmly. Our dead sleep side by side even as they fought shoulder to shoulder. For our part we can never respect the memory of our dead comrades too much,” Sir Talbot said at the opening.

Across a century the club’s remit has remained steady: “The function is fellowship for recent veterans, welfare for people that need it, and to make sure people settle back and get good advice,” Mr Wells says.

“We look after the diggers, because sometimes the community doesn’t say nice things about them – they get the wrong viewpoint.”

A military historian with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sub-branch’s history, he recalls stories from across the generations of people helped.

“We have a photo of a chap, Jim O’Malley, who in 1929 was given a national award … for his dedication to caring for families who had lost their breadwinner.”

• The Osborne Park memorial hall in 1930.

More recently, he recounts a case of a man who served 12 years in the army and was stricken with PTSD. After retiring from the service his wife died and he was left raising two kids alone, while being given the runaround by government departments. In just a couple of weeks they were able to help him secure a disability pension.

In the years between, Mr Wells was one of those helped by the RSL. He served in Malaya and Vietnam, and in the first years after leaving the army he thought he was fine.

PTSD wasn’t a term when he finished his service in 1968, but over the years awareness slowly grew.

“I suffered from it,” he says. “They used to tell you ‘if you don’t get it inside two years, it won’t come’. Bullshit. I finished my active service when I was 25 … I was 55 when I realised I’d had a mental change.”

He was helped, and he helped many in turn. Last year Mr Wells, a North Perth resident, was awarded an OAM for service to veterans, their families, and military history”.

He says the RSL is a place where people understood. He says if a veteran goes to sit in an ordinary bar for a quiet drink, civvies will invariably end up asking questions seeking gory details, pestering them with questions over whether they’d killed anyone.

“War is hell, and people who haven’t been there have no understanding of it, so then they start asking the stupid questions,” Mr Wells says.

He says former defence force members just “want a friendly atmosphere,” and they find it at the RSL.

Having marked 100 years serving veterans, the sub-branch will be holding their Anzac day dawn service on site at 129 Main Street from 6.30am, with a gunfire breakfast at 7.20am. All are welcome.

by DAVID BELL
Gaunt vows to derail dunny

April 11, 2019

A FORMER Bayswater councillor says he’s prepared to face gaol to stop a sculpture at the Seventh Avenue bridge being replaced with a public toilet.

“This is very important to Maylands residents,” says veteran councillor Terry Gaunt, who retired from council in 2007.

“We’ll be prepared to stand in front of machines — and I told the mayor this as well — that I’d go to gaol if they started pulling this down.”

A local businesswoman has also vowed to cancel a redevelopment of the old post office building into a wine bar if the move goes ahead.

Marie Havila says customers wouldn’t be interested in sitting in the bar’s alfresco area if the view was a public dunny.

In February Bayswater councillors voted 8-2 to install an automated public toilet at the bridge, using $140,000 of state government funding.

• Former Bayswater councillors Terry Gaunt and Sonia Turkington with protesters against the location of a new public toilet in Maylands. Photo by David Bell

Location

Despite the council spending years searching for an appropriate location, Mr Gaunt says there wasn’t enough consultation once the bridge site was chosen, with some residents only finding out on the morning of the council decision.

Bayswater staff said they’d got the thumbs up from the Maylands Historical and Peninsula Association and the Maylands Residents and Ratepayers Association, but they only spoke to the president of each organisation, who happens to be the same person – Roger Tomlins.

The council also got support for the move from the Maylands Business Association.

While Mr Tomlins was fine with the location, it turns out many of his members are not. When MRRA member Stella Grey ran a poll on the group’s Facebook page, only 55 of the 134 respondents wanted a toilet at the bridge.

Mr Gaunt says the sculpture has historic significance; it was made using sleepers from the old 1913 wooden bridge, which was demolished in 2014 to make way for the new one.

Heritage experts were brought in to consult on the sculpture’s construction and position, and he says it’ll be pretty much hidden away if it’s relocated to the other side of the tracks.

Mr Gaunt has written to the council asking it to place the resolution on hold to give more time for consultation.

Bayswater mayor Dan Bull says “council has made the decision and it’s unable to be rescinded.

“There is a need for a public toilet in this part of the Maylands town centre, so I think on balance it’s the best decision under the circumstances,” he said.

by DAVID BELL
Canopy target watered down

April 11, 2019

STIRLING council is poised to water down its target for tree canopy coverage after admitting it can’t keep pace with the clearing of backyards.

Five years ago the council set a target of 18 per cent canopy coverage by 2030, but at last Tuesday’s community and resource committee, councillors decided that was too ambitious because of the scale of private development in the city.

When the target was initially set the city had just 10.59 per cent coverage, and despite Stirling’s “million trees policy” that only improved to 12.6 per cent last year.

Councillors now hope to get to 18 per cent by 2040.

But it’s an uphill battle, with staff predicting that if developers don’t stop felling trees, up to 85 per cent of tree coverage on residential land in some suburbs could be lost by 2029.

In the last six years the city lost 1.2 million square metres of canopy cover.

Instead of penalising tree-lopping developers, officers recommended an incentive-based approach of support and assistance to make retaining and planting trees easier.

Co-ordinated

They also say it will need a co-ordinated effort between the council, state government and residents.

Stirling is drafting a new Urban Forest Plan to tackle the canopy shortfall, which will be considered along with the revised target at the full council meeting later this month.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK