Perth Voice Interactive

MORLEY GALLERIA traders want Bayswater to prioritise a fire safety audit of the shopping centre, saying it is an accident waiting to happen.

Last week the Voice reported Bayswater councillor Chris Cornish had met with CEO Andrew Brien and requested they check if any of the flammable aluminium cladding, which contributed to the Grenfell tower fire, was used in local high rise buildings.

Illegal

But at this week’s council meeting Nick Olympia, from the Watch and Gold Spot kiosk in the Galleria, said the city should be focusing on, “the 17 or so illegal kiosk structures and dozens of temporary obstructions I see every day” at the Galleria.

There’s a number of kiosks in the centre aisles of the galleria without planning approval, and some of them don’t leave enough space for a 2.5 metre thoroughfare, which is the width required for a safe evacuation.

Council refused the kiosks retrospective approval back in February, but two traders at this week’s meeting said it was still a problem.

“The Grenfell tower happened a hemisphere away,” Mr Olympia wrote in his question to council, and said the 2015 high voltage switch explosion at the Galleria that “claimed two lives happened on your doorstep.”

“People tripped trying to negotiate their way around the obstacles when there was no emergency. What will happen when there’s a real emergency?”.

Cr Cornish said “as was evidenced in the media tonight we do have properties in WA that have got this [flammable cladding], the state government have identified a property they’re involved with in Vincent so this is a real risk.

“I’m not saying the Galleria’s not,” he said, but he didn’t see how it related to the flammable cladding issue (the Galleria explosion was due to an electrical problem).

“It happened in Dubai, it happened in Docklands, and we’ve now become aware that a property in Vincent has this. I’m not going to turn my back on that and just focus on the Galleria.”

Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna said “our planning department will take note of what’s been raised” by the questions.

Meanwhile, a Leederville building has been identified as having similar cladding to the Grenfell Tower.

Foyer Oxford is a youth housing block that helps homeless or at-risk kids get back into study or work.

Completed in 2014, the 98-unit building’s owned by the Housing Authority and run by Foundation Housing (a private not-for-profit providing homeless services).

Housing minister Peter Tinley told parliament on June 27, “I was advised that the external cladding used on Foyer Oxford in Leederville contains combustible material and is not compliant with the Building Code of Australia.

“The construction of the building was contracted by Foundation Housing, and partially funded by the Housing Authority.

“I stated last week that the safety of tenants is my highest priority and, although the residents of Foyer Oxford are not public housing tenants, the Housing Authority is assisting Foundation Housing, which has the responsibility to address and remedy the situation.

“Until such time as it can be rectified, Foundation Housing has commissioned 24-hour security on site in order to mitigate any risk. As previously stated, all new construction and refurbishments undertaken on the Housing Authority’s own properties comply with the requirements of the Building Code of Australia.”

by DAVID BELL

VINCENT council has to spend around $400,000 on emergency building repairs at Beatty Park, just a year after the leisure centre’s $17 million upgrade.

In mid-December 2016 a huge chunk of render collapsed overnight, sending rubble crashing onto the eastern pool deck where spectators sit during the day.

Parts of the centre are new but some of the original 1962 material is “exhibiting signs of serious structural failure, which now urgently needed to be addressed,” says a Vincent staffer report.

“Maintenance of the Beatty Park grandstand and plant room has been both inadequate and uncoordinated over many decades, and has been characterised by reactive ad-hoc repairs or replacements at the point of failure,” leading to “signs of serious structural failure” in the grandstand and plant room, says the report.

The $400,000 will be spent on demolishing the disused northern plant room, structurally reinforcing the main plant room and replacing rusty light poles.

Some poles were so badly corroded they have already been replaced, “in the interests of public safety”.

Vincent mayor Emma Cole told this week’s council meeting, “this is not a good news story…it’s very concerning”.

She said the renovations had delivered a modern gym at the front of the building but, “the historic section of Beatty Park hasn’t received the attention it needed”.

Ms Cole said the days of ad-hoc repairs at Beatty Park were over and they were putting into place a “proper, coordinated, evidence-based, long term asset management plan” to properly maintain the place. Beatty Park was built in 1962.

by DAVID BELL

OPERA on a barge in Claisebrook Cove, arts markets in East Perth and creative pop-up shops are some of the ideas locals have come up with at the first-ever City Summits.

The community workshops, where locals discuss ways of revitalising the city, have proved popular, with 90 people attending in East Perth and 60 in West Perth, leading to the formation of a local precinct group.

So many Northbridge residents and traders signed up for the June 29 workshop, organisers have changed the venue to the State Theatre Centre.

“We were blown away by the attendance,” says Perth MP John Carey.

“It’s been incredibly positive with a lot of fantastic ideas, and we were just asking three key questions: what do you love about your precinct, what do you think are the issues and problems, and what are your solutions?”

Mr Carey says he came up with the City Summit idea when he was doorknocking during his election campaign and the same issues kept being raised by voters.

“Key issues are obviously high shop vacancy rates in the city, parking issues, homelessness, community safety,” he says.

At last Thursday’s meeting a lot of East Perth locals were keen on having their area become an arts hub.

Mr Carey notes “There’s lots of ripper ideas…they were saying, East Perth is a beautiful setting, but what if we could look at a creative way of getting pop-ups in vacant shops to encourage artists, or have an arts market around Claisebrook.”

“And West Perth is crying out for more nighttime and weekend vibrancy and life, so different precincts want different things.

“We’re not saying we all have to be like Leederville, but each precinct should have its own feel, its own identity.”

The three local forums will culminate in a mega City Summit workshop on August 19.

RSVP at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/perthcitysummit or call Mr Carey’s office on 9227 8040.

by DAVID BELL

ARTIST JD Penangke will teach Nyoongar culture through song at NAIDOC Week.

This year’s NAIDOC theme is “Our Languages matter,” focusing on the role language plays in cultural history and the way it links Aboriginal people to the land through story and song.

Since colonisation, more than 100 distinct Aboriginal languages have died off.

Today only 120 languages are still spoken and a lot of those are at risk of being lost as the last remaining speakers are ageing.

JD Penangke—her artist name comes from her initials “Jade Doleman”, plus her skin name Penankge, which she inherited from her father’s line—is Whadjuk/Ballardong Nyoongar on her mother’s side, and Eastern Arrernte on her father’s side.

JD Penangke teaches Aboriginal culture through painting, song and dance.

At the workshop she’ll use song to teach about language, native animals, traditional gender roles and the traditional way of life.

The song workshop is for adults and at Vincent library on Friday July 7, 10am.

It’s free but you need to book at libadmin@vincent.wa.gov.au or call 9273 6090.

DONALD TRUMP has blocked Perth Voice cartoonist Jason Chatfield on Twitter.

Mr Chatfield can no longer tweet the US president or read his tweets.

Unlike many celebrities, Mr Trump claims to manage his own Twitter account.

Chatfield says he was blocked after the president, “had been tweeting this slew of wacky, incomprehensible garbage ([some] of which he actually deleted himself) and capped it off with “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” in all caps.”

Chatfield tweeted back, “Don, are you drunk?”

The cartoonist joins a growing list of tweeters blocked by Trump, including novelist Stephen King, journalist Lauren Wolfe, and writer Bess Kalb (who’s not sure why she got banned, but it might be because she said, “Trump is the funniest example of why you should always be nice to the makeup lady”).

Chatfield explained that he had merely enquired whether Mr Trump was inebriated, “which led to me being blocked by the leader of the free world.”

The Perth Voice’s highest profile social media snub was when Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi blocked this reporter on Facebook.

by DAVID BELL

A NEW business incubator at Leederville’s YMCA HQ aims to remove one of the barriers for young people getting into performance and art.

HQ manager Andrew Rigg told the Voice a couple of staff came up with the idea about two years ago after noticing the large number of incubators popping up around Perth were still out of reach for the creative youngsters they were dealing with.

An innovation grant from head office allowed the centre to go ahead with the plan, with YCollaborate due to be launched on next Thursday (July 6).

Mr Rigg says they’ve already got a few prospective tenants keen to use the performance space, including one keen soul trying to turn a love of slam poetry into a business.

“YCollaborate offers young people the opportunity to plug into a supportive environment that is geared towards creative industries and to capitalise on the experience of established industry professionals,” Mr Rigg said.

“Talent isn’t all you need to get ahead in the arts and performance sector, young people also need to understand the business back-end of the craft—that’s where YCollaborate comes into it.”

As a teaser for this Thursday’s launch, HQ is stumping up a $1000 cash prize, plus a year’s free access to YCollaborate and its business support for one youngster.

Pitch Please is open to young people between 17 and 25 years old with a business idea, and it will be judged by a panel of creative professionals including former WA young person of the year Rhys Williams.

Competition finalists will be matched with an industry mentor to further develop a five-minute pitch on their business idea, which they’ll deliver at the finals in August.

by STEVE GRANT

ANIMAL photographer Alex Cearns is teaming up with artist Matt Mawson to hold an art exhibition raising money for the Dogs Refuge Home of WA.

Many of the pooches abandoned there need expensive surgery and the money will go towards their medical fees.

Cearns from North Perth’s Houndstooth Studio, whose animal photography takes her around the world, photographs the poochies and then Mawson draws adorably goofy sketches based off the pics.

The resulting images will be up for  sale on the night.

It’s on at Nedlands Yacht Club July 1 from 6pm until 8.30pm.

You can RSVP at the Double Take Dogs Exhibition Facebook page, or follow the link at https://www.facebook.com/events/444967489213918/.

by DAVID BELL