STIRLING council is set to open the largest outdoor lap in the southern hemisphere on Monday.
Stirling Leisure – Inglewood will have a 2.5 million litre lap pool heated to 27.5 degrees and featuring 10 50-metre lanes and four 25-metre lanes.
It will also have WA’s first AI-powered anti-drowning CCT, which analyses patterns of distress in the water and alerts lifeguards.
It will have new shade sails and new water access ramps in the outdoor pool and the learners pool with a couple of water wheelchairs on hand.
• The southern hemisphere’s biggest lap pool opens in Inglewood on Monday.
The facility also features public artwork by Chris Nixon and Andrew Frazer, incorporating colourful designs on the 1000-seat grandstand that draw on their nostalgia for summertime swims and long days around the public pool.
Acting mayor Suzanne Migdale said completing the pool was a significant milestone.
“Since its inception in 1967, Stirling Leisure – Inglewood has transformed into a one-of-a-kind aquatic facility,” Cr Migdale said.
“The upgrades mark an exciting new era, with this much-needed rejuvenation of a pool that had reached the end of its 50-year life.
“It will be a high-quality facility we hope the community will enjoy for years to come, incorporating extensive upgrades to ensure an unparalleled aquatic experience for the next generation.”
BAYSWATER council won’t bring forward funding for an arts studio at Ellis House despite entreaties from the organisation’s chair that they’ve had to cancel exhibitions in order to meet demand for art classes.
Councillor Dan Bull had moved a motion at this week’s council meeting to add $300,000 into next year’s capital works program, a year earlier than anticipated.
At the council’s previous briefing session, the art centre’s chair Caroline Friend said they’d tripled memberships over the last six years and increased their volunteer team eightfold.
“It’s an inspiring and safe venue that welcomes everyone in the local community to show art, create art and to build connections through art,” Ms Friend said.
A survey of members had shown that learning and coming together socially through art were an important part of Ellis House life, and a studio would help achieve it, she said.
“Learning and creating drives a high demand for classes and workshops,” she said. “We host six-weekly art classes and we have cut down one of our exhibitions some can run three separate week-long classes though the year.
“But we’ve gone about as far as we can go because of limitations with space and facilities.
“We can only host about eight students per class, which is not viable for those who want to teach.
“Bayswater needs a centre that is dedicated to sharing the love of the arts with the community.
“With a purpose-designed studio we can become the full-service art centre.”
Cr Bull argued Ellis House had supported local artists for decades.
Evolving
“With the strong leadership of the committee it has been evolving in size and importance, resulting tin the place needing more space to support the local art community,” Cr Bull said.
“Helping Ellis House expand its footprint to provide art service to the community while continuing to be a place for regular art exhibitions, including the important and unique opportunities it gives to emerging artists to get experience in showing their works, makes this project all the more important.
“Former councillor and mayor Barry McKenna always brought council back to its mantra of ‘garden city, quality lifestyle’, and I can imagine him saying that in order to deliver a quality lifestyle for our locals, this project needs to be part of the mix.”
But Cr Michelle Sutherland led the charge from the councillors who ultimately shot the motion down, saying the council had previously supported the studio on the belief other funding would also be part of the mix, but ultimately didn’t eventuate.
“This $300,000 equates to just about 1 per cent of our rates and we don’t have that type of money,” Cr Sutherland said.
She said there wasn’t a business case to show how the studio would make the centre financially sustainable, and felt there were better opportunities on the horizon.
“We have two elections next year… so I would probably wait until then because both parties, and I could probably also say the Greens, have a kitty of money they can open up when they need to.”
Councillor Assunta Meleca was also not in support, saying bringing the project forward meant its impact on other priority projects hadn’t been fully assessed.
“I am also concerned that it will jeopardise Lotterywest grant funding for projects that have already been prioritised,” she said.
“Whilst the proposed studio becomes another asset to the City, it also becomes a building with ongoing maintenance costs that we haven’t factored in.”
VINCENT council has knocked back proposed alterations aimed at re-sparking a derelict service station on Angove Street (“A fuel station with priors?” Voice, August 17, 2024)
The proposal included a new shopfront, replacement of windows, repainting of the walls and roof, replacement of fuel bowsers and underground fuel tanks, installation of a 2.1m high refuse enclosure and landscaped areas.
A service station previously operated from the site from the 1960s before closing in December 2021.
Service stations became a prohibited use as part of changes to Vincent’s Local Planning Schemein February 2024, and the council didn’t buy the developer’s argument it was merely updating an existing use, which would have got around the prohibition.
In its decision, Vincent said the proposed landscaping was not consistent with its Built Form Policy as it wouldn’t offset the visual impacts of the hardstand areas on other street frontages.
• Stop the Station have campaigned hard against having a petrol station near their homes, cafes and school. Photo Stop the State Facebook.
It also did not address concerns about noise and health impacts, an increase in traffic on surrounding roads and proximity to sensitive uses including residential properties, the Angove Street cafe strip, North Perth Primary School and Casson House.
“This has been a controversial issue for a number of years now and we have made it clear that we do not want a service station operating on the vacant site,” said mayor Alison Xamon.
“The majority of the local community were not supportive of the proposal as it would have significant noise, health and traffic impacts on the residents, visitors and businesses. It is also very close to a primary school.
“There are several 24-hour service stations around the area so there is no need for another one in the heart of the Angove Street cafe strip.”
There was significant community feedback received with 263 submissions, including 255 objections.
This proposal is separate from the May 2023 development application that was refused by the Metro Inner-North Joint Development Assessment Panel and appealed by the applicant.
That matter is still currently before the State Administrative Tribunal.
Ms Xamon said the site was a prime location for high quality apartments and businesses.
“With a fantastic mix of thriving local restaurants, bars and boutiques and close proximity from the CBD, Angove Street is a highly sought-after area for people to live in,” she said.
“We would love to see a mixed-use development being built here as it would attract lots of new residents wanting to move to the inner-city area and local families that are looking to downsize.”
NESTLING a pint of lager while contemplating the ills of the world might sound a little like drowning your sorrows at the bar, but the Perth Philosophy Circle has a different take on things.
They’ve been running wildly successful Pub Philosophy lectures at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle.
PhD candidate and event organiser Kyle Gleadell said he and his fellow philosophy students started the circle in 2018 to address, understand and question the contemporary crises of self and society in an accessible environment.
“The mark of a healthy society is one that can question itself,” he said.
“It is crucial that we leave time to critically question the world we live in.”
Question
“It is this penchant to critically question that makes us human. And it is this questioning that we hope to nurture in our evenings of philosophical engagement.”
Mr Gleadell said he has been overwhelmed by the lectures’ popularity.
“The first lecture saw a line of 150 people trailing out of the front door. The venue was capped at 90 people and so we had to turn people away,” he said.
Mr Gleadell said numbers haven’t reached those initial heights since, but he is still surprised by the consistent turnout at each event.
The upcoming lecture Left-Wing Melancholia is part of a broader series on “Daring to think for oneself”.
The Circle’s website says it tackles the dangers that “rabbit holes”, “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles” pose to critical thinking, especially in the digital sphere.
Mr Gleadell said this year’s theme was inspired by the contemporary drought in critical thinking.
“Today, more than ever, we are bombarded with an onslaught of information,” he said.
“While, at the same time, trust in public institutions and media has eroded. The need to critically analyse what we are confronted with is crucial.”
Murdoch University philosophy professor Lubica Ucnik’s gave this year’s first lecture on The Enlightenment and said its emphasis on educating people about the inner workings of their civic state so they could more effectively participate was still valid.
Prof Ucnik said education is new viewed like a business enterprise.
“This needs to be questioned,” she said.
“It is the problem of consumer culture replacing all other ‘values’ that we have inherited from the tradition, while reducing everything into business transactions.”
Prof Ucnik said it tied into today’s flood of information.
“Information is not knowledge, it is context-less, or context-free, and it is not giving us the ‘general’ and historic understanding of the present.
Onslaught
“You can have an onslaught of information, without understand anything at all.”
Previous lecture have covered the religiosity towards alien lore and technological prospects in a secular era, the “iron cage” that is Australia’s education system and the futility of how many view the “human self”.
Mr Gleadell said the lectures are given by a range of voices. He said there are great benefits that can be had to understanding complex issues when opposing views bounce off one another.
He said this is also why audience participation is encouraged during question time.
“It is one to thing to have someone who is well versed in their field up on stage providing a lecture, but it is the questions from the public, questions that academics sometimes overlook, that really offer some clarity to the issue.”
IF you have ever read US romance and young teen author Colleen Hoover, you would know that she writes beautiful but hard-hitting stories.
It Ends with Us is the unfolding of Lily Bloom’s life from her teenage years, through her first love with Atlas, a homeless boy, to the birth of her child and taking back her life.
Blake Lively is perfect as Lily; her sense of style and individuality reminds me of her Gossip Girl character.
Trying to move on from the trauma of her parents’ abusive relationship and follow her dreams, Lily begins a new life in Boston and opens her own floristry.
Enter Allysa (Jenny Slate) who walks through the door looking for a job and a sisterhood friendship develops.
After returning from her fathers’ funeral, Lily is sitting reflectively on the edge of a rooftop when she spots Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) storming out of the house, angry and knocking over a chair.
Once he sees Lily, he apologises and blames a difficult day, then dials up the charm.
Sensing a darker and stormier personality lurking behind the facade, Lily initially tries to resist falling under his spell.
His non-committal attitude to relationships doesn’t help either, but being Allysa’s brother means he’s in her orbit more often and eventually his charms overcome her resistance.
Intertwined through her love story with Ryle, is the teenage Lily meeting Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) squatting across the road from her house.
Their unfolding love cannot escape the damage of her abusive father, which sees the end of this innocent love.
That is, until she walks into his restaurant years later, accompanied by Ryle and sporting a bruise on her face.
Atlas has never gotten over Lily, his first love and rescuer, and aware of what she has experience in her childhood, goes into protective mode.
Given that domestic violence is finally a much-exposed concern and without telling the whole storyline, it is a worthy movie to see as Lily breaks the abuse cycle, moves away from Ryle and starts a new life with his daughter.
GET you feather boa and fishnet tights at the ready, the International Burlesque Festival is coming to Perth.
Now in its 11th year, the festival is a showcase for some of the best burlesque, cabaret and variety performers in the world.
• Performers at the 2022 Perth International Burlesque Festival. photos by John Leonard Photography
Hosted by hilarious drag queen BeBe Gunn, the festival will feature worldwide debuts, the best local talent from Perth, and iconic international performers like ‘Queen of Burlesque’ Samson Night from the US and ‘Princess of Burlesque’ Margo Mayhem.
The festival kicks off with The Tease Factory at the Court Hotel from 7.30pm-9:30pm on October 11, followed by the Club Burlesque Gala on October 12 at the Heath Ledger Theatre in Northbridge (later that night there’s a Glitter Crash afterparty at Connections Nightclub).
In the lead up to the festival, a Charity Student Showcase for burlesque performers will be held at The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort Street on September 27. There will also be burlesque workshops (dates to be announced).
IT’S one of WA’s longest running artist-run initiatives, but many folk will have never heard of Gotham Studios.
Situated on James Street in the heart of Perth, it’s essentially a working space for artists in the inner-city.
It sounds like something that should be common place and a no-brainer, but with more and more CBD buildings converted into trendy flats, cafes and small bars, affordable studio space in the city is dwindling at an alarming rate.
• Artworks by Pip Lewi (above) and Rikard Fåhraeus (below) have featured at Gotham Studios in Perth.
Located on the first and second floors of the old NSW Bank Chambers, the studios were opened in 1987 during a period of gentrification and “urban renewal” of the CBD, which left many art collectives homeless.
Since then it has gone from strength-to-strength and has been an incubator for hundreds of visual artists including Jo Darbyshire, Richard Gunning, Theo Costantino, Nathan Beard and Andrew Nicholls.
A recent artist in residence was Pip Lewi, “a casual voyeur who seeks playful disruptions in the mundane landscape, using portable materials and processes to document everyday ephemera.”
A modern-day flâneur, one of their best collections is an Ode to Transperth, where they document everyday life on public transport.
Featuring bright colours and impressionistic brush strokes, the drab commute to work is transformed into a wispy, dreamlike world where the mundane becomes something rather special.
Blending nostalgia, whimsy and compassion, it’s a tribute to the stoic warriors of public transport.
Lewi says their passions are public transport, wheelie bin etiquette, Coles little shop, redback spiders, astroturf vs lawn debates, bath spiritualism and ASMR.
One of the most quirky and endearing features of Gotham Studios is its Peek-a-Boo gallery, which was billed as the “smallest gallery in the Southern Hemisphere” when it opened in the late 1980s.
The 3x3sqm gallery is viewable from the pavement outside the Studio, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Originally intended as a playful dig at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, it’s now become a tiny but iconic ode to experimental art.
Occasionally artists at Gotham Studios band together to do group exhibitions and over the years they’ve held Gotham Goes Shopping at PICA in 1990, G-O-T-H-A-M window installation for the Artrage and Northbridge festivals in 2006, and the 25th anniversary Gotham Gets Pickled at Holmes a Court Gallery in the Pickle District in 2021.
Location is a big plus for Gotham Studios – it’s on the fringe of the Perth Cultural Centre and within walking distance of the WA Art Gallery, PICA, State Library, TAFE and the WA Museum, as well as a host of art supply shops and bars (yes, artists like a drinky poo).
If you are interested in an artist space at Gotham Studios or want to exhibit in their Peek-a-Boo gallery, email gotham@gothamstudios.com.au.
The Voice loves the historic precinct tucked behind the Perth Mosque in the heart of the city.
One minute you’re in the hustle and bustle of William Street, then suddenly your walking down quiet, narrow streets and admiring quaint federation cottages with gorgeous tuckpointing, bullnose verandahs and chocolate-box gardens.
It’s like you’ve stumbled through a wormhole and emerged in a gorgeous parallel universe, before returning to the chaos of 2024 and the sight of a grubby car yard in the distance.
This two bedroom one bathroom abode is on the edge of that historic precinct on Church Street.
The rear garden literally backs onto Stuart Street Reserve, a lovely leafy park with mature trees and manicured grass.
It’s a super relaxing backdrop and the owners have no doubt spent ages in their alfresco, staring out at the treetops with a glass of vino, contemplating life.
The refurbished kitchen is spacious and modern with polished concrete floors, a stylish cooker and plenty of storage.
There’s heaps of space for a large dining table and lots of natural light streaming through the frosted glass on the back door. A swish light on the ceiling completes the pretty picture.
There’s a neat lounge with a period fireplace that could be restored to its former glory and become a focal point for the room.
The bathroom is a cute bijou which has been renovated to a high standard with frosted glass and a chic vanity.
This green-titled home is situated on a narrow 180sqm block, classic for its time, but it’s zoned mixed-use R80, so there’s potential to have four storeys with killers views of the park and city.
North-facing, it includes a large courtyard with external store and WC, and a single garage and three street parking permits.
The much-loved Parkside Coffee is just metres away (gold in the mornings on the way to work) and the home is in the catchment for Highgate Primary and Mt Lawley High schools. It’s also close to Robertson Park Tennis Centre and Hyde Park.
It’s currently leased at $550 a week until January 7 next year.
This is a glorious opportunity for an investor or for someone who wants to escape the chaos of the 21st century and pretend they are living in simpler times.
From high $700,000s 12 Church Street, Perth Beaucott Property 9272 2488 Agent Carlos Lehn 0478 927 017
ONE of Perth’s biggest water polo clubs says its 60-year association with Beatty Park is under threat because a Vincent council revamp of its playing pool has left it too shallow to host official games.
Triton Water Polo Club president Glenn Townsend says the “debacle” also affects a second water polo team and the West Coast Splash synchronised swimming club, which co-signed a letter from Water Polo WA to sports minister David Templeman seeking help.
Mr Townsend says the council retiled the pool 10 years ago, but while the originals had lasted since Beatty Park opened for the Empire Games 50 years earlier, the new tiles started to “pop” off within a decade and the pool developed a leak between the original concrete slab and the 10-year-old one.
When a swimmer was left bleeding from a broken tile the council decided to close the pool and replace them.
To repair the leak between the slabs, Vincent proposed a third pour which would result in the depth being reduced to 1.72 metres at the two goal ends.
Despite increasingly frustrated correspondence from the Tritons that it didn’t meet the depth requirements set by World Aquatics, the council forged ahead saying it believed there’d be “sufficient” depth to play water polo.
Mr Townsend says Water Polo WA disagreed.
• At 6’3” under the old system, Glenn Townsend won’t have to worry about getting his hair wet when he suits up for the Tritons. Photo by Steve Grant
“We’ve had Water Polo WA involved once we ran into troubles, and they have said they still didn’t believe it,” he said.
“And now Water Polo WA have not put this pool down for games.”
Mr Townsend said there were complaints at the Paris Olympics that the main pool used for the water polo finals was only 2.1 metres deep, giving some of the taller athletes an advantage by being able to push off the floor.
He says that will pale next to Beatty Park, where they’ll literally be standing with their head and shoulders out of the water.
Mr Townsend says the shallowness is compounded by the fact the council extended it further out from the goals where the main action occurs in a game.
He’s concerned a player treading water while lining up for a goal will injure themselves by kicking the step it has created.
The next is straight out ofJohn Clarke comedy The Games.
Existing anchor points for the water polo goals were removed and overlooked during the retiling. But that wouldn’t really matter because the ropes that connect them were inadvertently thrown out.
“I guess they didn’t know what they were,” Mr Townsend said.
Vincent then offered to install coloured tiles along the side of the pool which are used to delineate off-side areas in the game, but that got stuffed up, too.
“They measured it from the back of the wall, not from the goal,” Mr Townsend said.
“All measurements are from the field, not outside the field. How hard is it?”
• Former Triton Genevieve Longman was the toast of the Stingers after saving two penalties to keep Australia at the top of the ladder and in medal contentious at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Facebook
The latest drama the club faced was turning up a month ago to discover the council had cordoned off part of the heritage-listed stand that overlooks the pool, blocking access to the clubrooms Mr Townsend said took five years of negotiation to win.
The club had also paid for and built a viewing platform with a barbecue on the stand which was an important place for parents to watch their “flippers” play and train while enjoying a drink and a chat.
Mr Townsend says after enduring the closure during the retiling, they’d lost a number of junior players, and he’s deeply worried whether parents will stick around for a shallow pool without a viewing platform.
He says they’ve had a good relationship with Trinity College which also has a suitable pool, but it’s only available for juniors after 6.30pm on weeknights, which he says is too late and likely to lead to more kids leaving.
It would be a bitter blow for the Tritons, who’ve been a breeding ground for Olympians, including Genevieve Longman who’s late cameo to save two penalties as a substitute goalkeeper were a key in helping the Australian Stingers to a silver in Paris earlier this month.
The Tritons have suggested the council reinstall the pool’s side walls, which were removed during the revamp 10 years ago, so the water level can be raised, but Mr Townsend says the response is always that the council doesn’t have anything left in the budget.
Vincent CEO David MacLennan said the council was aware some players had been impacted by the reduced depth of the pool, and while no injuries had been reported he urged players to take “extra caution”.
He said over the past 12 years, the tiles started to delaminate and became unsafe.
Delaminate
“The initial project scope was to maintain the 1.8m depth of the pool,” Mr MacLennan said.
“After the removal of the old tiles and surface screed in late October 2023, we consulted an engineer who informed us that a 100mm concrete cover was required to ensure ongoing integrity of the pool.
“It was then determined that a pool depth of 1.8m would require an entire new build due to pipework limitations and would cause a significant delay in works.
“The City of Vincent agreed to continue with the retiling works following engineering advice and design changes to allow for an overall coverage reduction of up to 50mm, with 1.72m pool depth, resulting around the perimeter of the pool.
“Pool depth exceeding 1.8m is achieved across a substantial section of the pool.
“The 30m pool is not a ‘dedicated’ pool for water polo, as it also accommodates swimming lessons by both Beatty Park Swim School and the Education Department, synchronised swimming, swim clubs, school and casual swimming.”
While noting there was a shortage of deep water in Perth that met governing body FINA’s requirements, he said the Tritons had been able to continue using the pool for training and lower level matches.
Mr MacLennan said the City was working with the club to update the anchor points and would review the coloured tiles to see if any changes were required.
The City would also look into possible short and long-term options that benefitted Beatty Park users, were cost-effective and minimised pool closures.
“If a cost-effective solution can be found that minimises downtime for other user groups and the public, we will consider it.”
Mr MacLennan said an inspection by its inspectors found that window putty in the grandstand containing asbestos had deteriorated, and access had to be restricted immediately.
He says the asbestos risk was found to be low and the council was looking into remediation solutions, but didn’t know yet how long the grandstand would be closed.
“If the asbestos cannot be removed, there are options that may be suitable such as encapsulate or manage access through PPE or decontamination stations,” he said.
“Much of the Beatty Park facility infrastructure was built for the 1962 Empire Games and is heritage listed.
“The grandstand no longer meets contemporary building, safety and access requirements.
“While this makes the facility challenging to manage to contemporary standards, measures have been taken to ensure the continued operational viability of the facility to meet community needs.
“The City continues to explore opportunities to modify the facility while maintaining its key heritage characteristics.
“We understand the Triton Water Polo Club’s concerns and the impact of the pool tiling works.
“We will continue to work closely with the club to find solutions that address these issues while ensuring safety and compliance with regulations.”
FEW people can understand the value of a good working dog more than Ryan Wilson.
The former SAS dog handler was on patrol in Afghanistan in 2013 when his combat assault dog Fax sensed a nearby presence and leapt into action. Tragically Fax was killed in the encounter, but Mr Wilson has no doubts that if it hadn’t been for his canine hero, he would have worn the Taliban bullet instead.
He says military and police dogs like Fax are incredibly important and have saved many lives, but for many post-retirement can come with physical and mental challenges.
• Ryan Wilson with his working dog Keni and Fax (below), who he credits with saving his life
Retirement
“It’s very hard on their bodies and their mind,” Mr Wilson said.
“We try to retire them early so that can have a good retirement life, but often they will have problems with their spines or their hips, or with skin issues, which are directly from their service.”
But with no support from the federal government, the economic burden falls to their handlers and Mr Wilson says operations can be extremely expensive. If a veteran is struggling and can’t afford treatment for a mate who once saved their life, it can leave them feeling extremely anguished.
The problem prompted Mr Wiilson to start Working Paws Australia with former RAAF dog handler Jason Kelly.
The East Perth-based charity is now devoted to ensuring all working police and military dogs can live the happy and comfortable life they deserve.
To help publicise their work Working Paws is holding a kids art competition, calling on all budding Rembrandts to draw, sketch or do a cartoon showing why their pooch is their hero.
Entries need to be mailed to: PCYC, 450 Rokeby Road, Subiaco, 6008 by September 16 and all entries will be showcased at a special event at the PCYC on September 21.
For more information head to workingpawsaustralia.com
Perth Voice Interactive 