FIFTEEN Perth College girls are visiting the Solomon Islands this week, distributing sustainable sanitary wear to women at a domestic violence refuge.
More than 20 upper high school students got together with their mums last week to sew 30 sanitary kits at a sewing workshop hosted by Day for Girls Perth, a charity specialising in sustainable menstrual health management and education.
Workshop organiser Karin Maltby says the products the students have made will make an enormous difference to the lives of the women.
• Perth College students Jessie McKay, Emma Lombardi and Carly Seymour with sanitary kits sewn for women at a domestic violence refuge on the Solomon Islands.
“We believe that every woman and girl deserves education, opportunity and safety and that she should not be made to feel ashamed for this very natural thing that is part of being a beautiful, healthy woman,” she says.
“We love the concept of girls helping girls and are delighted to have Perth College students on board to ensure that no girl or woman goes without.”
The girls will volunteer at the Christian Care Centre, which is the only refuge for women and children suffering from domestic violence on the Solomon Islands.
THE Mindarie Regional Council is making Vincent residents face up to how much waste they’re producing by rolling out see-through bins.
On average, Australians produce over 500 kg of waste per person each year, and the council’s CEO Gunther Hoppe said they were hoping the 20 clear bins will start residents talking about their consumption and hopefully ways to cut down waste.
“Normally we throw it away and we don’t see it again; out of sight, out of mind, but this is to show people it does need to go somewhere, something does need to be done.”
Mr Hoppe says the campaign has already had international interest.
“It’s a program we are hoping other local governments across Perth will take up,” he says.
He says most people have been supportive, but some are worried about privacy issues or being shamed for their bin’s contents.
“It’s not designed to shame people,” he says.
“If you’ve got a lot of waste, there’s a conversation to be had. If you don’t have a lot of waste, there’s a conversation to be had.”
The campaign is looking for people to become “clear bin ambassadors” and fill your clear plastic bins without bin bags, facing your waste and allowing the whole street to have a gander on rubbish collection days.
AS the 2018 World Cup in Russia heads towards the pointy end (without any Aussie involvement) the Herald thought it time to have a look at what they’re all after; the golden cup and it’s very colourful history.
French sculptor Joseph Abel Lafleur designed the first trophy, which was awarded to inaugural World Cup winners Uruguay in 1930.
Lafleur had been born in Aveyron in 1875 and was fascinated by sculpture and engraving as a child, studying at the School of Fine Arts and working in the workshops of the era’s great masters.
• The Queen presents the World Cup trophy to English captain Bobby Moore in 1966 – but was it already a fake?
Victory
A workaholic, he was already famous in the sporting world for his medals and trophies, when he was approached by FIFA’s first president Jules Rimet to design the trophy, which was originally known as Coupe du Monde but later renamed after the far-sighted president.
Lafleur took as his inspiration from the Hellenistic sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is at the Louvre and dates from somewhere between 200 and 190BC. It depicts Nike, the Greek goddess of victory celebrating an unknown naval battle and is also reputed to be the inspiration behind the iconic Rolls Royce hood ornament.
Lafleur was apparently told by Rimet to make the statue out of pure gold as a symbol of the World Cup’s prestige, but ultimately the 35cm statue was cast in gold-plated sterling silver with a lapis lazuli base.
Telling the world the statue was pure gold may have made the trophy all the more tantalising for each country’s national football team, but it also attracted the attention of plunderers.
The Nazis were reputedly the first to try a bit of cup plunder during WWII, searching FIFA vice-president Ottorino Barassi’s apartment when they couldn’t find it in the bank where it was supposed to be stored. The Nazi’s failed to look in the shoebox under Barassi’s bed, where the statue had been hidden, which was fortunate for the Italians who had earned the trophy in the ’38 World Cup after dictator Benito Mussolini’s rumoured encouragement: “Win or die”.
In 1966, the cup did disappear in the lead-up to the World Cup in England, and was found buried under a tree by a little dog called Pickles.
It had been placed in Westminster Central Hall for a stamp exhibition, with a condition it be under guard at all times. But there was a gap on Sundays, when the hall was used for Methodist services.
Guards patrolling the outside of the building at noon noticed the back doors had been forced open and the cup stolen.
Scotland Yard took over the case and allocated it to its Flying Squad which investigated robberies.
The next day, the chairman of the British Football Association, Joe Mears, received a ransom note demanding £15,000 for the trophy’s return – it had been insured for £30,000 but was valued at just £3000.
The police made up a fake ransom from ordinary paper with real banknotes on the top and bottom, and met one Edward Betchley, a petty thief and used car dealer. He fell for the ruse and agreed to take an undercover police officer to the trophy, but spotted that they were being tailed and tried to run away.
He was captured, convicted and sentenced to two years’ gaol.
Pickles became someting of a celebrity after sniffing out the trophy under a bush and appeared in some television shows and the odd movie, while his owner David Corbett – initially a suspect – received a grand reward.
FIFA created a replica trophy for exhibitions, but had an awkward moment when the next World Cup came around and it had to hide the replica under the creator’s bed. The replica was auctioned off in 1997 for £254,500, the price pushed up by rumours it had been inadvertently switched with the original. Turns out even FIFA fell for the rumours, as they were the ones to stump up the staggering price; you can imagine the long faces when testing revealed it was, indeed, the faux trophy.
In 1983 the trophy was stolen again in Rio de Janeiro, with the mastermind the banker and football club agent Sérgio Pereira Ayres. He co-opted two men to break into the Brazilian Football Confederation building and disarm the guards, stealing three trophies.
There was a theory that the trophy was melted down by the thieves and turned into gold bars, but as it was made of gold-plated sterling silver that doesn’t really stack up and the fate of the Cup remains a mystery to this day.
Mastermind
Photojournalist Joe Coyle is also in the process of writing a book in which he claims there was another switcheroo in Europe in the 1950s, after he noticed in photographs that the trophy appeared different, though it seems more likely that some clod simply broke the base and a new, larger one was stuck onto it.
The new cup was commissioned by FIFA for the 1974 World Cup, with Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga given the commission.
It’s now 36.5cm tall and made of 5 kilograms of 18 carat gold worth about $161,000, although some say its real value is now in the multi millions.
It depicts two people holding up the Earth and now has 11 winners engraved on a base plate – but FIFA keeps the original under safe lock and key, only giving the winner a bronze replica.
Vincent going nowhere slow REGARDING the proposed 40kmh speed limit across the whole City of Vincent, there has been a 40kmh speed limit in Carr and Cleaver streets for some time now.
It is not monitored and has done nothing to reduce speeds. Daily I see and hear traffic speeding along these narrow streets, which are obstructed by “street furniture”, so-called “calming devices”.
When buses stop in Cleaver Street, cars will overtake on the wrong side of the road.
I have been unable to find any factual evidence to show that a 40kmh restriction actually reduces road trauma.
Research shows that there were only nine pedestrian fatalities in the metro area in 2016-17. This area spread from Gingin to further south of Perth. In the same time 96 people were hospitalised through injury.
I have seen the list of locations where the most fatalities occurred … and Vincent is not one of them. I could not find any evidence that even one pedestrian lost their life on Vincent’s streets.
I have respectfully suggested that the mayor of Vincent and the WA State MP do their homework and read the evidence. To date I have not received any response.
In addition, today’s children do not play in the streets. They are driven to school and to other venues, and spend considerable time on electronic devices. My children and grandchildren never played in the streets. They played in their backyard or in parks, or swam in local pools. Hope Alexander Cleaver street, West Perth
Bus outlived its usefulness
THE Perth Voice story “Don’t Bank on Vincent” (June 30, 2018) may raise questions in our community about Council’s decision to sell the City of Vincent Community Bus.
In recent years, Vincent has driven reform in the way we conduct business and in transparent decision making. The bus sale is one example.
The North Perth Community Bank (Branch of Bendigo Bank) made a $132,000 donation to the City of Vincent in July 2008 and the City bought the bus. In return, the Bank was eligible for a tax concession on the cash donation and the bus was highly decorated in North Perth Community Bank branding for its 10 years in service.
The Community Bus had served our community well, but in recent years this was much less so. Its inability to carry residents with a disability or mobility issues meant it was no longer suitable as we must be inclusive and cater for all residents.
The City and community groups were increasingly hiring better quality, fully accessible buses from private hire companies and this had a big impact. In the past 24 months, the bus was used only four times. As the bus aged, annual operating costs escalated to as much as $22,000 p.a.
The City of Vincent has, since 2001, owned shares in the company which owns the Bank, North Perth Community Financial Services Ltd. Therefore, I do not believe it would be appropriate or reasonable for the City to gift the bus, or provide it at a discount, to the Bank. Whilst the Bank is generous in its support of local community groups, which I commend, it is not a charitable or not-for-profit organisation.
The decision to sell the bus by public auction was made in the context of good governance, financial responsibility and with the best interests of the Vincent community always at the heart. Emma Cole Mayor, City of Vincent
Bike fright
LAST Saturday while exiting a carpark on Bulwer Street, I nearly ran over a cyclist.
It was dark, he was wearing black and had no lights front or back.
He was in the wrong, but that would have been small comfort had I hit him.
Two hours later coming home from the cinema I narrowly missed another cyclist – again all in black and with no rear light or reflector.
Seldom a week goes by without a near miss in Vincent.
The council encourages the use of bicycles and there seems to have resulted in a sense of entitlement on the part of cyclists.
What is missing is common sense on the part of cyclists to be visible and good policing on the part of the council to make this happen.
The City of Vincent has become for me the most dangerous place to be on the road. Irene Rapsey Highgate
KANGAROO bolognese and pigs cheek carbonara are just some of the innovative dishes on offer at Francoforte Spaghetti Bar in Northbridge.
Mates who have eaten there say the roo dish ($24/$18) is “rich, delicious and not gamey”.
Tucked away in one of Northbridge’s atmospheric lanes, the eatery is so popular it can be hard to get a table.
Arriving early we had no such problem and opted to sit in the covered laneway, enjoying the hustle and bustle of foot traffic as people made their way home from work or headed into Northbridge for the night.
The uber-helpful waiter was quick to bring out water; promptly followed by complimentary Italian bread and a really good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Francoforte’s small menu is all about spaghetti in a variety of guises, but each incarnation is unique.
Unable to decide on mains, we settled on sharing a pasta broccoli ($16/$22) and a squid in vino ($19/$25).
Piccolo
Francoforte has piccolo and grande serves, and past experience had my dinner companion and I ordering the smaller, because the grande is big enough to floor Clive Palmer.
The broccoli pasta could have played soccer for Australia – it was bright green with double-cream sauce and golden, perfectly aldente pasta.
As rich as Twiggy Forrest, the dish certainly scored more goals than the Socceroos from the off.
Laced with capers, anchovies, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas, the squid had a sharp balsamic dressing which at first bite overpowered the creamy broccoli.
But as we dug deeper we were won over, although some of the squid pieces were a tad rubbery.
From past experience I can heartily recommend Francoforte’s tiramisu, and the coffee is great too.
The eatery isn’t licensed, but don’t worry there’s BYO.
Francoforte doesn’t accept bookings so get there early.
by JENNY D’ANGER
Francoforte Spaghetti Bar 189 William Street, Northbridge open 6 days 5pm–9.30pm, Sat until 10.30pm
REVELATION Perth International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday (July 5) with a cinefile’s paradise of 180 movies from Australia and around the world over two weeks.
WA’s leading international film festival, Revelation is dedicated to presenting independent movies and documentaries,”in a context that explores film’s great traditions, its contemporary movements and its future directions,” director Richard Sowada says.
“What we are trying to do… is to put contemporary works into the continuum.
“It’s not a matter of… saying this is a good movie, but what does it mean and how does it fit” [within our culture].
Controversial 2018 political-satire/eco-horror road movie Terror Nullius rubs shoulders with 70s classics such as Being There (starring Peter Sellers) and The Last Detail (Jack Nicholson and Randy Quaid).
Australian sisters Dominique and Dan Angeloro are the quirky Soda_Jerk art collective, who’ ve plundered a host of classic Aussie movies, including Mad Max and Walkabout, for Terror Nullius, a biting critique of Aussie culture.
“[It’s] cultural appropriation which the Soda_Jerk people are good at,” Mr Sowada says.
• Why was Terror Nullias written off as “un-Australian” at its premiere? It was such a huge hit. Make your own judgement as the Revelation Film Festival rolls into town with 180 local and international films.
Huge hit
Condemned as un-Australian at its world premier, Terror Nullius was a big hit with audiences and art critics alike.
Revelation, which is celebrating its 21st birthday this year, started as an underground event in the back room basement of the Greenwich Club, Perth’s smoothest jazz and music venue in 1997.
The movies were all on 16mm film, and the festival featured live music, poetry and feature, documentary, archival and animated works at the forefront of underground filmmaking.
Quickly outgrowing the small club it now spans venues across Perth and Fremantle and features some of the most acclaimed films from the international film festival scene.
In 2018 there are gallery and installation works, live performances, an academic conference and a unique seminar and masterclass series, along with Q&A sessions.
There’s also free movies for kids from Japanese animator Studio Ghibli, that Mr Sowada hopes will attract a new generation of movie-goers to quality films: “[It’s] building an audience over a number of years, if you can introduce them at a young age.”
The City of Vincent also has an outing at Revelation, with three mini-documentaries from a film project it ran exploring life in the inner-city suburb getting a premiere on July 11. Quality Time is about the dying art of neon bending, Ghosts of Vincent is all the gruesome ghost stories from the city and The Beeman is one man’s crusade to save honeybees.
For the full program and tickets go to revelationfilmfest.org/tickets
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) What looks like a speed bump will quickly turn into a breakthrough. Be prepared to see where you could have things completely wrong. This is wisdom, when it’s real. Mars is flying through Aquarius. It is time for you to break on through into whole new ways of seeing the world.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) Any difficulties you might be having are pretty obvious to spot. The way you are being blessed is a little harder to see. Look anyway. The fact that you have to stop in your tracks, is an invitation to patience and wisdom. Life has it’s own way of opening our hearts, if we can let it. Let it.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) You are in your element, connecting with as many people as possible in as short a time as you can. Try not to skim over the surface. You need these people you are meeting. Some are potentially dear friends. Have the courage to really connect, even though you are dealing with a lot of souls.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22) There’s a beautiful line-up of planets in water signs, giving you the boost you have been craving. Neptune in Pisces is offering the currents you need to get you moving in the direction of your wishes. Jupiter in Scorpio is helping to make sure your journey is a deep and expansive one.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) Saturn is sending you the signal to accept the presence of certain obstacles as stepping stones. They aren’t the formidable walls you think they are. It fear that makes them seem big. Watch your stress levels. Soothe your heart. Venus is in Leo, reminding you to turn around and love yourself.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) Lay low. Focus on the work you have to do behind the scenes. Even though Mercury is in Leo, tempting you into taking a public position, it would be better not to make a spectacle of yourself. Pull back your desire for attention and fame. It’s not what it’s cut out to be. Keep it simple.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) Communication is where all the energy is. Perhaps it’s your turn to take time in the limelight. Venus is in Leo, which suggests that it won’t do you any harm to get out there and shine. Of course you will have to get off the fence and you may offend someone unintentionally. Do it anyway.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) The past is doing it’s level best to hold you in its grip. It might even be trying to pull you back into it’s sway. Recognise habit for what it is; a phantom that once seen disappears and fades away. Come back to whatever it is that is nourishing for you. You don’t have to live in a desert.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) The truth and the adventure that you are seeking is taking an introspective turn. It is in your feelings. It is in your connections with the people that you are close to. It is threading through your heart as a river of feeling. Do you want to experience more of who you are? Self-reflection is in order.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) The Sun in Cancer is directly opposite Pluto, who is in Capricorn. The Sun is all about being aware of the fact that we are alive. Pluto is all about the awareness that our lives have an end. Together they provide a generator for gratitude and depth. Use this to wake up to the miracle of being.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) Mars is pushing you to act on your impulses; to live your energy, to express your life, love and light. If there are unexplored places in your relationships that need exploring, have the courage to put on your explorers hat and make your way through the undergrowth. Heal your sore spots.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) The planets are working for you. The Sun is sending all sorts or warm blessings your way. Jupiter is inviting you expand in directions that you didn’t imagine were possible. In the process, he is opening up the possibility for mending old snags in the matrix. Neptune is bringing renewal.
TUCKED away in a slew of Mt Lawley character homes, this charmingly modern, three-bedroom abode balances functionality and individuality in a neat 371sqm package.
Clean lines, soaring ceilings and a heap of almost floor-to-ceiling doors and windows – many accessing a plunge pool – give this home a holiday resort look and feel.
Soft, butter-yellow timber floors glow underfoot in the spacious open-plan, while high over head a timber and steel gantry walkway separates the upper-level bedrooms.
Both are queen-sized, and one has an ensuite.
Honey-brown
Downstairs the timber floors give way to tiles in the very generous kitchen, which has a sweep of granite benchtops, heaps of honey-brown timber cupboards and two double pantries.
The spacious breakfast bar is a great leaning post for dinner guests to chat while the chef puts the finishing touches to the meal.
The timber-decked alfresco area is perfect for entertaining, with easy access to the kitchen for more supplies.
And come summer take a plunge to cool off between courses.
The main bedroom is on the ground floor, a spacious boudoir with french doors to the pool, and a bank of built-in-robes.
A rich blue-glass brick window over the deep bath adds a dramatic touch in the all-white ensuite.
This Fifth Avenue abode is close to a heap of shops and cafes on nearby Beaufort Street
Mt Lawley Senior High School and Edith Cowan University are a pleasant 10-minute walk away through lovely Hamer Park. Mt Lawley Primary is an easy eight-minute walk, with no busy roads to cross.
You’ll feel like you’re on holiday every day living in this delightful home
A treatment trial for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) already operating in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne is expanding to six other cities including Perth and Rockingham.
The Rapid Exposure Supporting Trauma Recovery (RESTORE) trial is a collaboration between Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Department of Defence, and the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS).
The trial is assessing whether a new, intensive form of prolonged exposure therapy involving 10 sessions over two weeks is as effective as the standard 10-week treatment currently offered. Prolonged exposure therapy is a gold standard evidence-based treatment, which assists individuals to deal with traumatic memories in a gradual, safe and supportive manner. Researchers hope the condensed version will eventually make treatment more accessible to everyone with PTSD.
The trial is recruiting individuals between 18-75 years of age, who have experienced a traumatic incident during service in the Australian Defence Force. Participants are interviewed and, if suitable for the trial, randomly allocated to either the intensive or standard treatment program. Potential benefits include an improvement in PTSD symptoms and a better quality of life.
FORMER mayor Nick Catania has branded Vincent council immoral for voting to auction a community bus it received as a gift.
The bus was donated by the North Perth branch of the Bendigo Bank in 2009 and Mr Catania, who is chairman, says they might bid to get the bus back when it’s auctioned on July 6.
“There’s a moral aspect to this,” Mr Catania fumed.
“People will question what kind of councillors and mayor we have.”
Mr Catania said the community bus should never have been classed as an asset by the council.
“They should’ve returned it when they didn’t need it. It was for organisations and the people of Vincent to hire for a reasonable fee.
“That’s what community branches do – they give back to the community.”
After seeing the 22-seater bus “gathering dust” in the council depot, Mr Catania requested it be returned to the bank for free. The bank then offered $20,000 to purchase it.
The city declined both requests and councillors voted to auction the bus during a council meeting on May 1.
During the meeting an earlier motion to sell the bus back to the bank for $1 was defeated; only getting support from councillors Jimmy Murphy and Josh Topelberg.
• The Bendigo Bank community bus was donated to Vincent council in 2009.
Immoral
Mr Catania says council is thinking more about “the dollars they could get for [the bus]”, than the community service it could still provide to organisations like North Perth Bowls Club and Multicultural Services.
Richard Camp, president of the bowls club, said he first heard about the community bus being underused at a club meeting at the beginning of this year.
Although it needed some minor work, Mr Camp said club members were keen to store the bus and lend it to other sporting clubs and organisations for local and interstate trips.
“It sounded like it could be a go for us,” Mr Camp says.
But he says the bus became “bogged down by bureaucracy” and he knew it was unlikely to end up at the club.
Vincent mayor Emma Cole told the Voice the bus wasn’t suitable for people with disabilities.
“Its inability to carry residents with a disability or mobility issues means that it is no longer suitable to be used as a community bus,” she said.
“We do not restrict access to our services for residents with a disability.”
Given the funds needed to maintain, service and clean the bus, it was also a costly asset that was being underused. In 2015/2016 the city spent $21,894 on the bus and in 2016/2017 another $12,055, but it was hired only twice.
Ms Cole says the city advertised the community bus adequately and maintained a web page for enquiries and bookings for nearly a decade.
While the city was grateful the bank donated the bus, she said selling it at public auction was the best way to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
Perth Voice Interactive 