Perth Voice Interactive

Love and “marriage”

June 2, 2017

SONIA GURRIN was surprised when people wrote to the Voice, expressing their disgust that Bayswater council and others local governments had voted to support marriage equality in Australia. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER, she argues that councils should not just deal with rates and rubbish, but are elected to represent the majority of their constituents and should push for equal rights.

MARRIAGE equality—so what’s all the fuss about?

Why are people getting pies thrown in their face, why are more and more local councils supporting marriage equality?

Why is Margaret Court handing in her Qantas boarding pass?

Just why are lesbians and gays wanting to get married and why are straight people, big corporations and so many different religious leaders and organisations standing alongside them?

Why is equality becoming everyone’s business?

Simple.

Australia is a country of acceptance and compassion, of standing up for what’s right and fighting for a fair go for everyone, especially those who are without what most people already have readily available to them.

• Sonia Gurrin

The majority of Australians are good natured and kind and just want to get on with their lives and be happy.

The majority of straight people want gay people to be able to do the same, including being able to marry.

The majority of politicians in Canberra want the same.

Many Christians and people of different faiths believe in compassion, kindness and equality. More than 20 countries have marriage equality and the list is ever growing, just last week Taiwan became the first Asian nation to approve equal marriage.

As a decent and fair nation, our attitudes have evolved over time on a range of issues, including race, sexuality and gender.

Australia has a history of wanting to be, and becoming, a fairer and more equal country.

In 1902 we made voting rights available to every adult Australian, regardless of their gender, and in 1967 we made citizenship rights available to every adult Australian, regardless of their race.

Treating people unfairly and unequally is a thing of the past.

The vast majority of Australians believe it’s now time to make marriage available to every adult in Australia, regardless of their sexuality.

We are the only English-speaking developed country to not have marriage equality.

Even a 2017 senate inquiry recommended a parliamentary process is the best way forward.

It’s time our federal members of parliament did the job they are paid to do. Call them up, write to them, meet with them and tell them to do just that.

As a people and a nation and a society, we have decided that discrimination, unfairness and inequality is not okay, and that targeting minorities is wrong, and oppressing those different to us is wrong, illegal and against Australian values.

Not tolerating, supporting, condoning or enabling discrimination is the business of a good government, at all levels of government.

It is downright un-Australian to say that only some people are worthy of getting married, and that marriage should be elite and reserved for the majority.

A government that denies marriage, or a level of government that opposes supporting the concept of marriage equality, to those who pay rates, taxes, abide by laws, risk and lose their lives at the request of their country, and contribute to society in all the same ways as a straight community do, is gleefully taking advantage of the giving loving spirit that is Australian.

A government that denies equality is committing bullying of the highest form.

It is an out of control ego-centric elitism that supports the Orwellian premise that all Australians are equal, but some Australians are more equal than others.

Denying anyone the rights, benefits, entitlements and practices accessible to the majority is a misuse of power in a country that abhors unfairness and legislates against discrimination in every other aspect of life.

Over 1200 organisations publicly support equality, including 46 local governments in Australia, and proudly my own Bayswater council has also shown true progressive leadership by endorsing a motion to support the concept of all Australian citizens being allowed to marry.

The National General Assembly of local government passed a motion in June 2016 calling on the federal parliament to vote for marriage equality, and the state parliament passed a motion supporting marriage equality in 2015.

Equality cannot, by definition, be a concept availed to the majority.

Fear-mongering the bizarre notion that equal marriage is pandering to the 2 per cent of the population who identify as gay, misses the point completely.

Whether your household, street, suburb, local council area, state or federal electorate, your workplace, your gym, your pub, your footy club, or your church has a lot or a few gay people, is irrelevant.

What is relevant is what the majority of all Australians want—65 per cent of this country wants marriage for all people, and they want it via a parliamentary-free vote process, and they want it in 2017.

When the majority want equality for a minority you know that the cause is correct, right and true. In fact it makes all the vicious opposition to equal marriage seem like a case of Much Ado About Nothing.

So really the question in 2017 is no longer, “Do you support marriage equality?”

The real question to be asking now is, “ What are you doing about it?”
Waldorf, but no salad

June 2, 2017

AS the dad of Steiner kids, I’m not allowed to have “me time” by sticking them in front of an iPad, and being crafty is obligatory (seriously, I got embroidery homework from my kids’ school).

So Sweet Remedy on Oxford Street seemed like a dream come true — I could hang out sipping excellent coffee and munching on sweet treats while the munchkins designed and then ate their own cupcake ($6 if you go for the vanilla, a bit more if the kids are more adventurous).

It’s probably not something you want to try just before lunch or bedtime given the sugar rush, but if you’re planning to shunt the kids off to the grandparents for the afternoon, it’s a great way to spend a morning.

There’s even an enclosed yard out the back with its own cubby and resident bunny, which you can hire out for a birthday or gain access to with a polite smile to owners, Chris and Sarah.

Sarah’s the baking queen, and while I’ve heard things can be a little hit and miss, I can report that on the day I was at Sweet Remedy the cupcakes were soft, moist and incredibly delicious.

The non-cakey menu’s not expansive, tending towards quick-and-easies, but I settled on a salmon and cream cheese bagel ($9) and was happy with the choice. The ingredients were fresh and the bagel soft and slightly sweet.

With a cupcake about to thicken my already syrupy blood, I thought I’d better stop by the juice bar for a tonic.

I couldn’t go past the berrylicious smoothie ($7.50)—blueberry (hmmm…), raspberry (well…), banana (hang on), and honey (ok, so the sugar-free idea’s out the window) churned up with milk.

Let’s face it, you don’t come to a place called Sweet Remedy for an alfalfa sandwich, do you?

So bring on the cupcake, a delicious red velvet love ($4.80), with the cake soft and light, and a vanilla/strawberry cream that wasn’t too sickly.

by STEVE GRANT

Sweet Remedy
255a Oxford St, Leederville
Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm
Saturday, 8am-3pm
9443 3912
Smoke and mirrors

June 2, 2017

THE Irresistible may seem to have a cast of eight, but in reality there are only two actors on stage.

The play is part mystery, but there’s no mystery about actors Adriane Daff and Tim Watts, just a bit of smoke and mirrors to make it seem like there are more thespians involved.

“The toys we found and loved are radio mics and voice manipulation,” says director Zoe Pepper.

“It’s given us the opportunity to play with different characters.

“The ‘Adrianes’ talk to each other in the same scene.”

• Tim Watts and Adriane Daff in The Irresistible. Photo by David Collins

The play is a collaboration between Side Pony Productions and the Last Great Hunt.

Both production companies are based in Perth and have been for around for a decade, but The Irresistible is their first joint venture.

The play is an “unsettling” experience, exploring unconscious bias and the invisible assumptions we make about one another.

“This is the first time we have pushed ourselves to marry the visual aesthetic that Tim Watts’ work is known for, with the dark complex narratives that are hallmarks of Side Pony Productions,” Pepper says.

The Irresistible is at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts from June 14 to 24.

Tickets at http://www.pica.org.au/buy.

Meanwhile, you can catch The Advisors at the State Theatre.

“When it’s all too hard, when love’s getting your down, when you wish you knew how to dispose of a body…who can you turn to when the chips are down?” is the play’s teaser.

The Advisors, produced by The Last Great Hunt, is on May 31 to June 10. Tickets at http://www.ticketek.com.au.

by JENNY D’ANGER
Cultural winter treats

June 2, 2017

AS the mercury plummets, the Winter Arts Season serves up plenty of hot entertainment to ensure punters don’t culturally hibernate.

Tucked down laneways, in shopping arcades, vacant shop fronts and city malls there’s a smorgasbord of entertainment, much of it free.

Headline show Winter Shadows (June 2, 7.10pm) features seven ninjas dancing around buildings and spaces in Forrest Place, before “colliding energetically” in a perfect storm.

• STRUT Dance will be in Winter Shadows. Photo by Paul Selwyn Norton

Get there a bit earlier and check out the festival’s main attraction, Sky, an interactive artwork that dances when people approach it.

Created by Geoffrey Drake-Brockman, it features 32 blue and white pieces of fabric, with individual air jets, that launch into the air in mesmerising waves. Around the city there’s plenty of theatre, music and dance, and laughs, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow at His Majesty’s Theatre.

The City of Perth Winter Arts Season is on June 1 to August 31. Full program at http://www.visitperthcity.com
ASTROLOGY June 3 – June 10, 2017

June 2, 2017

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Venus is shining a lovely promising light on you. She is lighting up your relationships with friends in particular. It is there where you will experience delight – and it is there where you will experience pleasant surprises. Venus presently has the capacity to remove obstacles. Fingers crossed.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
You may be looking for insight in the wrong places. Step back. Become a little less narrowly focussed. As you relax into yourself, so the clarity that has been missing, slowly returns. There’s a lot of love around, coming from your friends. As you relax, so you will be able to let it in.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
The Sun is midway through Gemini. A little of the excitable frenzy that he has ignited, starts to fall away. As excitement falls away, so there is room for a gentle harmony to rise. There’s no need to push your adrenal glands where they don’t want to go. It will be more efficient to relax.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
The Moon rises through the airy openness of Libra, before it intensifies in Scorpio. The moment it enters Scorpio, in a few days, your sense of being back home in your own skin will intensify. There are a lot of ideas around presently, none of which touch your feelings. Wait a day or two.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
The mind is stubborn. The heart gives, it bends, it goes with the flow. Choose. If you get stuck on a particular idea, or set of ideas, you’ll end up butting heads with the universe. Venus is inviting you to be like a piece of grass and sway like a dancer with circumstance. Be a student of life.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22
Though this is an important time to be aware of the importance of communication, the planets aren’t exactly aligned to make it seamless or easy. You will have to wait. You will have to be prepared to bide your time. Be the listener. Slowly, circumstance will move to let you in.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
The Moon will spend the early part of the week in Libra, adding an interesting edge to your emotions. You might perceive yourself to be a little off balance. Others may see you as being more real. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Take in the viewpoints of others, to expand and grow.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
The focus for Scorpios this week is on removing whatever it is that seems to be preventing you from really getting on with expressing yourself as you are. The most obvious obstacles are misbegotten ideas of identity. You may not be quite who you think you are. Self-remember.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
If you flip around and prevaricate, you’ll undermine and potentially dissolve relationships. You don’t want that. If you are direct, dare to act and dare to be adventurous, you will grow closer and more engaged with the one/s you love. Don’t be pedantic and don’t be wishy-washy. Easy.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Stay practical and you ‘ll be fine. Get caught up in the drama of things and your normal sure-footedness could wind up getting a little unsure. It’s not enough to just be pragmatic. Fall deeply in love with the beauty of the practical matters at hand. Clarity alone won’t work. Love will.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Dismiss distractions from your mind. Life will help you with this. Be sure not to mistakenly resist this. Do the work that is in front of your nose. Drop your over-exercised future-sense for now, and embrace the present moment. Not only will you get stuff done but you’ll have more fun too.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
Keep your eye on the road ahead. This is a good time to have an overview. If you slip into near-sightedness, you’ll see people fighting and blocking each other. There is no fun in that game. See past all superficial nonsense and settle back into your most precious philosophical priorities.
Classic Mt Lawley

June 2, 2017

I THOUGHT I knew the way to this First Avenue home, so I didn’t bother consulting a map and somehow ended up on the wrong side of the railway line.

On the plus side, cruising the leafy back streets of Mt Lawley was rather pleasant, and as my mum used to say, “we’re not lost, just somewhere we haven’t been before”.

As you open the gate to this three-bedroom home, the tone is set by a white picket fence, limestone terraced gardens, and an elegant, iron water fountain on a swathe of grass.

Built in 1911 this abode is a character delight, with leadlight windows, beautiful stained glass, jarrah floors, and soaring 3.3 metre ceilings, many with decorative roses.

One of the two street-facing bedrooms has leadlight french doors, opening onto a wide verandah, while the other bedroom has leadlight bay windows.

The owners were babysitting their grandchildren when I arrived and they looked cosy watching television in the central lounge, thanks to a gas fire in the original fireplace.

The smell of sausages cooking for lunch wafted out of the generous kitchen, which had a sweep of lacquered tops and white soft-close drawers.

Half-timber dado walls and federation tiles give this domestic space a character feel, enhanced by the gleaming black, industrial Falcon stove.

Stairs off the nearby dining area lead to a bar that would also make a great study.

Standing on the timber-decked alfresco, the white lattice and bamboo create a private oasis, cooled by a brass and rattan fan in the soaring timber ceiling.

It’s all very Somerset Maugham and reminiscent of Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

The owners are downsizing, so items like the large outdoor dining set and massive barbeque could be included in the sale.

Having lived here for 17 years, there’s not a lot they don’t know about the area, including how great the neighbours are:

“We are walking distance from the primary school, Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley High School and Perth College.”

And to top it off, the Beaufort Street strip is at the bottom of their avenue.

by JENNY D’ANGER

94 First Avenue, Mt Lawley
$849,000
Natalie Hoye
0405 812 273
Acton Mt Lawley
9272 2488
Cancer treatment hope

June 2, 2017

IT’S estimated that more than 17,500 Australians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year.

That will make it leapfrog ahead of breast cancer to become the second-most common, and lethal, form of cancer in the country.

But while the disease continues its march up cancer’s grim ranks, there is some good news; in the last 30 years survival rates have improved by about 20 per cent, and people who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer now have a 68 per cent chance of still kicking around five years later.

One of the treatments that has helped contribute to this improvement is radiation therapy.

Dr Jerry Freund from Genesis Cancer Care WA says while radiation therapy is unlikely to cure the cancer by itself, it’s a useful adjunct therapy alongside surgery, chemotherapy or a mix of both.

• A patient receiving radiation therapy at Genesis Cancer Care. Photo supplied

“Radiation therapy can make the tumour smaller, which can help the surgeon to get it out, and it can kill cancer cells outside the immediate area of surgery, so if it has gone through the bowel wall or is in an area that’s hard for the surgeon to access, radiation therapy can be helpful,” Dr Freund said.

One of the therapy’s most important functions is helping prevent colorectal cancer from returning to the same area, he says.

“If it comes back it is painful and hard to get rid of.”

At Genesis, treatment is for five weeks, with patients receiving about 15 minutes of high-energy radiation each working day.

Dr Freund says there’s no needles and the treatment is painless, so most people can go about their daily routine.

There can be some mild side-effects, such as tiredness, diarrhoea or a little nausea.

But it’s not for all types of bowel cancers and Dr Freund says patients should always talk to their own doctors about their condition.

He says it’s also important that people, particularly males, take advantage of the free screening kits that are mailed out by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program once people turn 50, as older people are more likely to suffer from bowel cancer. Studies have shown that there is a 30 per cent improved survival rate for people who regularly screen.
Dads get with the project

May 26, 2017

WHEN Mt Hawthorn dad Dan Loden took over as primary carer for his son Aidan, there was little in the way of support for dads.

“I ended up joining my wife’s mothers group as a set of peers I could share experiences with,” he says.

“This was great, but also did not recognise the distinction between mums and dads.

“The group of women have been fantastic to me and they’re quite close friends,” he says, but the conversations could be hard to relate to.

“The obvious thing was conversations about breastfeeding.

“They got quite detailed about issues they were having, which I guess was an insight for me into the realities of being a breastfeeding mother,” he says, confiding he was a bit worried they’d be uncomfortable feeding in front of him.

• Dan Loden with his son, Aidan. Photo by Steve Grant

A Vincent councillor, Mr Loden was the only male in his office to be the primary carer, but the decision made sense: his wife Fi had the higher paypacket as a geologist and was keen to go back to full time.

Then someone at the mother’s group mentioned “The Fathering Project”. Run out of UWA, it uses research-based evidence to help men become better dads.

Mr Loden attended some of their workshops in Morley, and now Mt Hawthorn Primary School P&C member Steve McQuillan is bringing the program to local dads.

After seeing what they do, Mr Loden says all dads should go along.

“It’s a two-hour session where one of the reps from the Fathering Project comes along and gives a presentation,” he says.

“Dads get an opportunity to interact together and what we want to do is find some champion dads to help coordinate events over the course of the year.”

As well having other dads to chat to, they learn how to have meaningful interaction with their kids even if they don’t have much time.

“You can be a dad who works long hours and still have a really engaging relationship with your kids, as long as the time you spend with them is really quality time,” Loden says.

“It’s about making sure when you walk through the front door, if you’ve only got 20 minutes before the kids go to bed, rather than looking at your phone or watching TV, you actually engage with your kids and do something with them. Those are the lasting memories.”

The Fathering Project presentation, open to school dads and father figures from kindy to year 6, is on June 8 at 7pm at the Mt Hawthorn Primary School.

by DAVID BELL
Re sanctioned

May 26, 2017

STIRLING councillor Elizabeth Re has been accused of “bullying behaviours” towards city staff, “including yelling, aggressive language and gestures, swearing, inappropriate and excessive emails, [and] derogatory comments about staff,” according to a motion by mayor Giovanni Italiano.

His motion to severely curtail her councillor privileges and prevent her from attending the council premises (apart from to attend to vote) was unanimously supported by councillors David Boothman, Karen Caddy, Joe Ferrante, Andrew Guilfoyle, Mark Irwin, Samantha Jenkinson, David Lagan, Stephanie Proud, Keith Sargeant and Rod Willox.

The motion, passed in a closed meeting Tuesday night, came after Worksafe issued the city with an “improvement notice” on April 12, ordering them to take measures to reduce the risk of “harm to City employees resulting from the bullying behaviours…from a councillor”.

If the city doesn’t comply with the notice and fails to protect employees from the “hazards” identified in the notice, they can be given a maximum penalty of $500,000 and senior employees and council members can face max penalties of $250,000 and two years’ prison.

Cr Italiano’s motion in part supports that council:

• Identifies Cr Re as the councillor referred to in the notice;

• Expresses serious concern that Worksafe has found that Cr Re has exposed employees of the city to risks of injury or harm to health as a result of her bullying behaviours (including yelling, aggressive language and gestures, swearing, inappropriate and excessive emails, [and] derogatory comments about staff);

• Withdraws all council privileges (other than those prescribed by law) from Cr Re. This includes withdrawing Cr Re’s access to the council building (except to show up to vote) and excluding her from representing the city at any forum or conference;

• Offer all councillors training in dealing with bullying and conflict in the workplace.

In a press release issued the morning after the vote Cr Italiano said it was “a real shame that it has come to this”.

We haven’t heard back from Cr Re, but understand she resolutely contests the claims.

Cr Italiano says “this is no trivial matter, it is serious and as such council have acted accordingly on this improvement notice from Worksafe with considerable conditions imposed on Cr Re to reduce the risk of staff being further exposed to bullying behaviours.

“With the severity of penalties that could be imposed for non-compliance, council have had no option but to act on this notice.”

by DAVID BELL
Vincent Men’s Shed

May 26, 2017

The Vincent Men’s Shed held an open day to thank all the people who supported them and mark the milestone of getting their dust extractor system installed, a vital bit of gear for running the big sawdust-spewing machinery.

(L-R) John Pattison, Colin McKinley and Bill Barns. Photo by Steve Grant