A NEW playground designed for preschoolers aged one to four is ready for its first adventurers at Braithwaite Park in Mt Hawthorn.
Vincent’s youngest residents will be treated to a fresh adventure as they navigate through the spacious and accessible play elements, with plenty of space for parents to move around with their prams.
Play equipment in the park includes a cubby house, cafe play area, swings, sliding pole, bird’s nest swing seat, monkey bars, two slides and a bike track on softfall.
The City of Vincent received feedback from local families through community consultation in 2023.
Construction works commenced in May. The build was completed this month.
• Little adventurers can try out the new playground at Braithwaite Park.
“Braithwaite Park is a prime destination for families with different-aged children,” Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said.
“The park was already home to a great nature play area for older children, and now there’s a brand-new space just for Vincent’s youngest residents to enjoy.
“We listened to feedback from families and delivered several features they asked for as part of the toddler playground, including a cafe front, bike track on softfall and a cubby house.
“It also has more space between the equipment, making it more accessible for young ones to explore with their parents or guardians.
“We’re proud to complete our upgrades at the park and encourage families to check it out.”
The council says next on the list of playground renewals is Birdwood Square in Perth, Beatty Park Reserve, Edinboro Street Reserve and the smaller playground in Hyde Park.
STOP AUKUS WA marked the 79th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima this week by calling for the scrapping of the controversial tripartite defence agreement.
The group says the push for uranium mines, nuclear power and nuclear powered submarines can’t be separated from growing tensions globally and believe it’s encouraging supporters of nuclear weaponry to speak up.
“Nuclear weapons are now illegal under international law – but Australia is yet to sign or ratify the treaty,” the group wrote on its Facebook page after the protest.
“The public unveiling of the nuclear age occurred in August 1945, with the bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Tens of thousands died instantly and many more in the days and decades that followed. The human, environmental and cultural scars, trauma and poison continue today.
• Former Senator Jo Valentine spoke at the protest.
“From the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the shadow of the Cold War and the impacts of over 2000-plus weapons tests , the devastating legacy of nuclear weapons continues.
“And the existential threat of nuclear weapons remains a cancer in the global body politic – weakening confidence, cooperation and hope.
“But there are persistent and powerful candles in the dark; the people that continually stand up and resist the nuclear industry at every stage and one of the brightest is the global Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
“The push for the TPNW started in Australia, but it rapidly spread around the world.
“Against a backdrop of nuclear-powered submarines in our ports and waters, ever increasing military expenditure and engagements and a growing contest over domestic nuclear power plans., signing the TPNW and literally demonstrating that the pen is mightier than the sword is more important than ever in 2024 Australia.”
The group urged supporters to write to foreign affairs minister Penny Wong calling on her to sign the agreement.
A LONG-FORGOTTEN story of Southern Ocean adventure which paved the way for the STS Leeuwin, will be appearing on Freo’s theatre screens this month after award-winning success in Europe.
The Great White Whale documents the story of the 1963 voyage of an “audacious” group of Australian adventurers to Heard Island – a volcanic island 2000 kilometres off the coast of Albany.
As part of the expedition, the team climbed the tallest mountain on the island, Big Ben, the summit of which is 500 metres taller than Mt Kosciuszko, making it Australia’s highest mountain.
• Now and then: the great adventurers who conquered Australia’s tallest mountain – and it might not be the one you’re thinking of.
The film contains original footage from the 1963 trip shot on a 16mm film camera, and is paired with interviews from the crew, including expedition leader Warwick Deacock and famed WA surgeon Malcolm Hay.
Filmmaker Michael Dillon was amongst those who helped prepare the ship for the voyage in 1963.
“I was there when they set off, so I knew the story very well, and what an amazing, forgotten story it was,” Mr Dillon said.
“I’m kind of at the end of my filmmaking career but I thought I just have to make that film, because it’s such a good story, and so little known.”
The original footage, shot on a 16mm camera, provides a brilliant authenticity to the film, the quality of which is “so good you feel like you’re there” in the Southern Ocean wilderness.
“They took two 16-millimetre cameras with them which were very hard to use,” Mr Dillon said.
“You had to wind them up for 12 seconds, and they only ran for 12 seconds, and it had to be loaded in a black bag and each film lasted for two minutes.
“Even under the best circumstances, those cameras were hard to use, but they were using them under the worst.
“They had waves flying over the boat and all sorts of disasters and difficult filming conditions on that journey to Heard Island, and then on the mountain itself.”
Ingenuity
Stories of the crew’s ingenuity and grit are woven throughout the film.
Setting off from Sydney, they sailed around Australia to Albany where they realised they needed to strengthen their anchor.
“They went to the very end of the Perth to Albany railway line and cut off a half metre section to bolster it,” Mr Dillon said.
“It was a mark of their brilliant enterprise that those guys would think of even doing that.
“They never told anybody… no-one ever knew.”
Interviews with the crew also feature in the Great White Whale, the experience still “so alive in their minds” despite being filmed decades after their adventure
“The characters are just so wonderful themselves… I think that’s important in the film, that the crew get to tell their story,” Mr Dillon said.
“One of them got up during the interview and started singing all these kinds of sea shanty-type songs about the expedition, which have wonderful melodies.
“We’ve used them very much in the film… it’s very much like a musical odyssey as well.”
The story is very little known amongst legendary tales of Australian adventure, and Mr Dillon says it “probably didn’t” get much publicity at the time.
“They just went off quietly in their little yellow boat and did it,” Mr Dillon said.
“It was an amazing feat, and it might have got a few little lines here and there in the paper at the time, but, but people have just forgotten these things.
“They shouldn’t be forgotten, because it was extraordinary.”
It was because of this voyage to Heard Island that crew member Malcolm Hay thought all people should have access to such adventure – he would go on to be the driving force behind the Leeuwin II, now an iconic feature of Fremantle Port.
The Great White Whale will be introduced to Australian audiences after it was “tested” at international mountain film festivals, winning the Grand Prize at the International Mountain and Adventure Film Festival in Bilbao last December.
Hillary
Award-winning filmmaker Dillon, who worked extensively with mountaineering stalwarts like Sir Edmund Hillary and Tim Macartney-Snape throughout his 50-year career, will be embarking on a tour around Western Australia to introduce his film and conduct Q&As this month.
Details of the Great White Whale tour, which include stops in Fremantle at the Lunar on Essex Theatre, are available through Mr Dillon’s website – https://michaeldillonfilms.com.au/.
I ALWAYS maintain the humble matinee cost me a first class degree in history.
At uni, my mate and I would bunk off lectures to see an afternoon movie at the cinema, then stumble out into the daylight and wonder why we knew nothing about the American Civil War (we did know lots about Eddie Murphy though).
So I felt slightly nostalgic when I bought tickets for the classic Sunday matinee – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – at The Windsor in Nedlands. On a glorious sunny day, the cinema’s Art Deco facade looked fantastic and the 1937 heritage-listed building was a pleasant antidote to the bland, corporate multiplex.
Beside the foyer there was a kitsch lounge that looked like my granny’s house in the 1970s with old chairs and retro wooden tables.
• Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
It added to the yesteryear vibe and I could almost picture my gran in her rollers watching Coronation Street with a cup of Nambarrie tea.
The cinema was licensed with a decent range of beer and wine, and there was some classic snacks like choc bombs.
I was there with two mates who had embraced the western theme – Jambo was wearing leather chaps and Alex was sporting a pink, fluffy stetson.
Being an old-school cinema, I was expecting the seats to be uncomfortable and have the same leg room as an AirAsia flight, but The Windsor had luxurious reclining seats with plenty of space.
Spoiled by the humungous screens at Hoyts and my big telly at home, I was slightly disappointed at the size of The Windsor’s screen.
The sound was a bit quiet too, and you could literally hear the seats creaking and pensioner’s false teeth clacking in the row in front.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time and most of the audience were over 65 and hard of hearing, so crank up the volume, Windsor!
Accustomed to a quick-fire world where everything is reduced to soundbites and short, catchy videos on TikTok, it took a while to adjust to the glacial pace of the 1966 film, especially the opening, where there is no dialogue for several minutes.
But once you let the movie wash over you, it felt normal to watch someone take five minutes to eat a bowl of Mexican stew or utter a sentence.
Clint Eastwood’s “Blondie” is the epitome of cool with a fantastic look and some great one-liners, but it’s the character of Tuco “The Ugly” that does all the heavy lifting.
I forgot how much screen time he had and it’s a fantastic, visceral performance by Eli Wallach, who transforms the vulgar clown into a loveable rogue with emotional depth and pathos (apparently Wallach nearly died three times during the chaotic shooting of the movie).
We watched the remastered version and it was pin sharp and crystal clear (it’s amazing how many movies from the 1960s have a soft print or terrible sound).
The film’s director, Sergio Leone, was ahead of his time with his innovative use of close-ups, sound effects, and pithy one-liners they went on to become a whole industry in 1980s action movies.
Many directors plundered his tool box; especially Quentin Tarantino, who blatantly stole things hook, line and sinker for Kill Bill.
At one minute shy of three hours, the extended cut of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an epic and I was getting saddle sores by the end.
I’ve always had problems with the scene near the end where they encounter the yankee and confederate armies fighting over a bridge.
While it explores the futility of war and expands the scope of the film, it sacrifices momentum and goes on for too long, yanking you out of the main storyline.
And what can we say about Ennio Morricone’s score – a rollicking masterpiece that can do no wrong.
I enjoyed my nostalgic, Sunday afternoon matinee and apart from the sound being a bit quiet, everything was spot on.
The Windsor’s classic matinees are on every Sunday until October 13 with the line-up including Giant, Cabaret, Apocalypse Now, Days of Heaven, and Lawrence of Arabia. For more details see lunapalace.com.au.
IF you are trying to banish the winter blues, the Astor Theatre has some great shows on this month.
Don’t miss Scottish indie legends The Jesus And Mary Chain on their special 40th anniversary tour.
From their origins on the outskirts of Glasgow, The Jesus and Mary Chain have gone on to influence many of music’s greatest bands, and are consistently referenced as a chief source of inspiration for the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana.
1985’s Psychocandy is widely considered to be one of the most influential post punk records ever released.
• (above) Belle and Sebastian, (middle) Last Podcast on the Left, and (below) The Beatle Boys are all appearing at the Astor Theatre in August.
With their new album Glasgow Eyes, the duo continue to fuse electronica and rock with as much innovation as they’ve always had. Embracing their punk roots, while maintaining their anarchic spirit.
The Jesus And Mary Chain (support Merryn Jeann) are at the Astor Theatre on August 8.
There’s more classic pop when The Beatle Boys hit the Astor and play a special two-hour tribute show.
Direct from sold out concerts in Canada, North America, South Africa and Asia, The Beatle Boys transport audiences back to those incredible days when the Beatles dominated the music charts with as many as seven songs in the Top 10.
Hear every classic Beatles song that made it to number one and relive the magic and unique sound that made the Beatles one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band the word has ever known.
They’ll play 35 chart toppers that made the ‘mop tops’ a household name in the 1960s, plustimeless hits by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
The Beatles 50 Years On starring The Beatle Boys is at the Astor on Saturday August 10.
If you like super-dark debates then Last Podcast on the Left will be right up your grim alley.
Hosts Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski cover macabre subjects including Jeffrey Dahmer, werewolves, Jonestown, iconic hauntings, the history of war crimes and more.
Whether it’s cults, killers or cryptid encounters, Last Podcast on the Left laughs into the abyss that is the dark side of humanity.
They’re appearing at the Astor on August 17.
There’s more Scottish pop royalty on the bill with Belle and Sebastian playing the Astor on August 27 and 28; their first concert in Australia in more than six years.
Originally the masters of twee, chamber-pop, over the years the band has evolved to embrace electronica, soul and dance.
The release of their twelfth studio album Late Developers, coming hot off the heels of their 2022 album A Bit Previous, showcased Belle and Sebastian’s continued sense of artistic growth and songwriting talent.
The band will be supported by Badly Drawn Boy.
If you like classic rock, don’t miss the Zep Boys on August 31.
Regarded as Australia’s premier Led Zeppelin tribute band, they have been fine-tuning their act since 1986.
“Our set used to be about 75 minutes, but now with the added acoustic set, the drum solo in Moby Dick, a guitar solo and an extended version of Whole Lotta Love to add to all the classics like Rock N Roll, Black Dog and Stairway To Heaven plus obscure Zeppelin like Ten Years Gone, Custard Pie and Misty Mountain Hop the entire performance can be two and a half hours long,” says Zep Boys vocalist Vince Contarino.
“The challenge of playing Zeppelin never decreases, no matter how many performances we have under our belts, we still get an enormous thrill and great satisfaction delivering the goods to the people that have been coming to see us for almost decades now”.
For the full list of shows at the Astor Theatre, situated on Beaufort Street in Mt Lawley, see http://www.astortheatreperth.com.
YOU get a lot of bedrooms for your buck in this quirky Highgate apartment.
Three to be precise and all for around $500,000.
One of the highlights of this spacious split-level abode is the renovated kitchen, which has a nice mosaic splashback and muted tones on the benchtops and tiles.
The glossy cupboards are sleek and modern, complementing the stainless steel appliances.
A nice touch is the swish wooden blind, which offsets the brighter tones.
Tucked around the corner from the kitchen is the living area, providing some welcome noise separation.
There’s plenty of light here, courtesy of the high ceilings and sliding glass doors, which conure up nice views of the verdure outside.
All three bedrooms are a good size and have built-in robes. The main bedroom even has glimpses of the city.
In a quirky touch, the upper level of this apartment is accessed via a set of stairs at the foot of the lounge.
The large bathroom is neat and functional with a nice vanity and bath, and space for a tumble dryer and washing machine.
An added bonus is not one, but two balconies – giving you a choice of locations for sundowner drinks and morning coffee.
This 86sqm home includes reverse cycle aircon, secure entry system, undercover parking bay (with small shed) and off-road visitor parking.
Part of the classy Peppertree Grove complex, residents can enjoy the manicured gardens, tennis court and pool.
Situated on Smith Street, it’s a short walk to all the cafes, bars and restaurants on Beaufort Street, and Northbridge and the CBD are not too far away.
There’s also a number of lovely parks closeby, the NIB stadium is a stone’s throw away, and it’s in the Highgate primary and Mount Lawley high school catchment areas.
Offers in the $500ks 28/34 Smith Street, Highgate Beaucott Property 9272 2488 Agent Drew Hancock 0411 870 780
WORK from one of Perth’s most prolific and talented female artists will be on display for the next week at Holmes à Court gallery in West Perth.
Elizabeth Blair Barber, also known socially by her married name, Betty Bunning, painted and sketched hundreds of works depicting Western Australian life.
• Artist Elizabeth Blair Barber
“Intuitive, bold, and insightful”, Barber was “constantly immersed” in Western Australian life which she transferred onto her easels and sketchbooks.
Ms Barber, who was born in Perth in 1909, had a knack for painting as a girl and became Henri van Raalte’s youngest student when she was just 11 years old.
The Voice spoke to Barber’s son, Bob Bunning, who has early memories of his mother constantly sketching and painting life around her.
“If you weren’t careful, you’d find that she might be sitting having breakfast, or even asleep, and she’d be sketching you,” Mr Bunning said with a laugh.
Balancing her prolific art career with motherhood and the “demands of a society wife”, Ms Barber used her maiden name to represent her artistic identity, and “set herself apart” from her husband, himself a well-established businessman.
“When she got married, she used her married name, Bunning,” Mr Bunning said.
“As time went by, she found that as a professional painter, she didn’t want to get be confused with being the wife of a businessman.”
Working with everything between oil, watercolours, and pencils “in lieu of a camera”, Barber painted all aspects of WA culture, including its people, landscapes and industries.
Her subjects ranged from the Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle to the forests and timber mills of the South West.
Ms Barber was “very well known” in the WA art industry and among famed contemporaries such as Robert Juniper, Audrey Greenhalgh, Guy Grey-Smith, and Arthur Russell, to name a few.
Celebrities of the day were not safe from Barber’s brush, including Elizabeth Durack and Sir Claude Hotchin – many of whom Barber called her friends.
An artist unknowingly acting as a historian, Ms Barber often went with her husband on business trips around WA documenting the timber mill industry and its people, and towns many of which “no longer exist”.
Often, she’d do it herself.
“She had a little Austin A40 and she’d trundle down to Manjimup, or Donnelly River, or wherever the location was,” Mr Bunning said.
“She loved painting the forests and mills, out on a log road somewhere, totally unconcerned about going into them alone.”
Exhibition curator Connie Petrillo says Barber “deserves to be widely recognised” for the “highly individualist” flair permeated through her art.
“Her legacy is a fascinating one, affording us an insight into the world of both art-making and life in 20th century WA,” Ms Petrillo said.
Spontaneous
“Her approach to painting was about the spontaneous recording of the moments around her.
“Her work is built from expressive brushstrokes that once laid down, remain as a trace of her experience.”
As an experienced professional, Barber would often take young artists “under her wing” and in 1966 opened the Cremorne Gallery on Hay Street to facilitate junior talent – such as Elizabeth Ford, George Haynes, Brian Yates, and Ron Gomboc.
As they reached old age, Barber would take her husband Charles down to North Mole to sketch and watch ships passing in and out of Fremantle Harbour.
“One occasion, there was a lot of industrial action going on in Fremantle, and the pickets were out to stop people going onto the Mole,” Mr Bunning said.
“They were so familiar with Betty and Charlie coming to look at the ships, they waved them through the picket line.”
Barber passed away in 2001, having painted hundreds of pieces cataloguing the world around her.
They will be on display at the Holmes à Court Gallery in West Perth as part of the Elizabeth Blair Barber: A Life Amongst Painters until Saturday, August 10.
VINCENT council has been given almost $1 million from the Albanese government to make sure its infrastructure is ready for the next wave of infill.
The funding will go towards a study into the city’s transport, traffic, water, sewer
age and power, with the aim of delivering its own capital works and guiding anything planned by state government agencies.
Vincent has a target of 11,500 new dwellings and 25,000 new residents by 2050.
It has recently been consulting on planning frameworks for its Mt Hawthorn, North Perth, William Street and Beaufort Street town centres, following the success of one developed for the Pickle District.
The frameworks aim to spark the rejuvenation of town centres, with new guidelines for building scale and designs.
• Vincent mayor Alison Xamon, federal MP Patrick Gorman and Vincent CEO David MacLennan.
“The City of Vincent is a prime location for inner-city living as it is close to the Perth CBD, has good public transport connections, leafy streets and parks, vibrant town centres and local schools,” Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said.
“We will see more new residents move into the area as more transit-oriented, mixed-use developments and diverse housing choices continue to pop up on our town centres.
“With increasing density and population, alongside our target from the state government, we need to have a closer look at how our ageing assets will cope with the influx of more houses and residents.
“We also need to ensure our roads are not only accessible but remain serviceable for years to come as we do not want to see more traffic congestion, rat-running and roadblocks for pedestrians and cyclists in our suburbs.”
The funding, the only one for a Perth metro council, came from the federal government’s Housing Support Program which aims to deliver 1.2 million homes across the country own five years.
Federal Perth MP Patrick Gorman said housing was a key priority for the Albanese government.
“This funding will enable the City to support future land use planning, transport planning and infrastructure projects, because our city is evolving every day, and Perth residents want to be consulted early on in the process of planning for that growth,” Mr Gorman said.
“We want to see our local councils make clear plans – and stick to them. With this study, mayor Alison Xamon is working to achieve practical solutions in the City of Vincent – growing our city in a way that makes sense and provides certainty.
“I will always work with local and state governments to deliver for our community,” Mr Gorman said.
PROTESTERS in cockatoo masks roosted outside planning minister John Carey’s Perth office this week calling for stronger laws to protect WA’s natural environment.
The protest was part of the 9 Days of Action campaign from a broad coalition of environmental campaigners who want the Environmental Protection Authority’s independence strengthened because of “relentless industry lobbying”.
• Conservation groups meet outside John Carey’s office.
One of the areas highlighted by the group is the Greater Brixton Street Wetlands in Kenwick, which is home to three threatened species of black cockatoo, but is next door to a planned 257-hectare industrial park.
The 9 Days of Action will reach it peak with an action outside WA Parliament at 12 noon on Tuesday August 6.
Save the Great Brixton Wetlands coordinator Paddy Cullen said WA needed strong nature laws to prevent the clearing of threatened species’ habitat.
“We showed up today to give voice to the black cockatoos that are at risk of losing their habitats from land clearing and development like the current threat to the Great Brixton Wetlands,” Mr Cullen said.
Urban Bushland Council WA chair Christine Richardson said WA nature was in crisis.
“In the midst of a worsening climate and ecosystem collapse we need better protections for our nature – not to weaken the few defences currently in place.
“At this critical moment, the WA government is poised to introduce nature law reforms to Parliament – with a real danger that these reforms could weaken the few defences currently in place, accelerating the destruction of our fragile environment.
“Our wetlands and bushlands won’t survive without strong nature laws!”
TURTLE costumes greeted WA premier Roger Cook as an alliance of conservation groups called for stronger nature laws.
The protest came after WA endured its hottest, driest summer on record, causing the biggest die-off of South West forests and Bibra Lake’s turtle population suffered a catastrophic collapse when foxes took advantage of the super-dry lake bed to hunt them in their dozens.
Conservation Council of WA fossil fuels program manager Anna Chapman took aim at resources giant Woodside’s plans to drill into the Browse basin by drilling underneath Scott Reef. “We showed up today to give voice to the turtles that are at risk of losing their habitats from offshore oil and gas projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub, and the reefs that are at risk of collapse due to climate change,” she said.
Perth Voice Interactive 