MATT BUCKELS has backed out of the race to run for Vincent mayor.
His decision leaves Emma Cole, who has the backing of outgoing mayor John Carey, as the only candidate to have put their hand up so far.
Cr Buckels announced his run in the Voice in December, positioning himself as an independent.
• Matt Buckels
On his mayoral campaign page Cr Buckels announced; “It is with some sadness that I’ve decided not to run for the mayoral position after all.”
The Leederville local said “a few things have surfaced at a personal level and I think it is better that I focus on those,” along with his two youngsters and his coffee drinking.
“I’ll still be on council working with a pretty terrific group of fellow councillors.”
Town planner Ben Doyle joked “Fishgate” may have sunk the campaign, referring to Cr Buckels’ confession a few days before that he’d accidentally killed all his pet fish while changing the water.
PUBLIC health and social policy lecturer Jonathan Hallett has popped up as a second candidate for the vacancy in Vincent’s south ward.
Dr Hallett says Vincent’s doing some pretty good work and he simply wants to continue and expand the agenda of greening the town and creating more liveable suburbs.
• Jonathan Hallett, at Hyde Park, is having a tilt at getting onto Vincent council. Photo by Trilokesh Chanmugam
Greening
“I think a lot of the work that council is doing is really great and part of the motivation to run is I see what the council’s done, particularly under John Carey, and I’ve been really inspired by that work,” he says.
Mr Carey has already endorsed Mai Nguyen for the vacancy.
“There’s things I’d like to expand around the greening strategy, and accountability is important: Those are good stories that we should continue and be a good model for other councils.”
He’d like to see more consideration for aged people around town, including more appropriate seating (older folk can struggle to clamber out of a park bench which doesn’t have arms) and special parking permits to make urban hubs more accessible.
Mr Hallett’s previously run for the Greens at the state and federal level, and while not party-backed has says Greens values underpin much of his platform.
In line with that he’d like to look into the council using its bulk-buy power to purchase solar panels for Vincent businesses and buildings, to drive down the cost of energy for the council.
One of the biggest causes of complaint for Vincent residents over the past few years has been the rollout of density, with those suburbs being some of the most affected by the increase in apartment blocks going up.
Dr Hallett sees benefits in moderate density increases, from housing affordability to improved public transport, but doesn’t support massive blocks overshadowing existing streetscapes.
Medium density
“I do as a general principle support a medium density increase — two to four storeys along major corridors. I think that’s a good compromise; it lessens the impact on heritage and the streetscape.
“We have an increasing population; we can either push those folks out to suburban sprawl, further away from their jobs, which is terrible for the environment, mental health, and the cost of living, or we can look at how we can sensitively implement density.”
The by-election to replace Laine McDonald (who’s gone up to the upper house representing Labor) is on February 24.
A WORLD away from muscle-bound Captain America battling communists with his star-and-stripes shield, Australian comic creators quietly toil away on very local tales.
From January 21 to February 15 The Good Shepherd Bar in Leederville is hosting Gutters, an exhibition showing off the best local comic talent.
The show’s named for the ‘gutters’ in comics; spaces between panels that indicate time has passed or the location’s changed. By changing the size or shape, the spaces have their own hidden story, an analogy for the tales local creators write in the margins of an industry focussed on endless superhero sagas.
Bayswater artist Campbell Whyte has spent years working on his comic Home Time, a tale of six WA school children and their dog.
• A panel from Campbell Whyte’s Home Time.
“There’s definitely a peculiarity to Australian comics, perhaps because they are so marginalised here,” he says. “Not just in terms of their cultural footprint, but also the relatively small number of active makers.
“The works that interest me the most are those that are situated firmly in Australia and there are plenty of creators who do that. If we don’t tell stories about this place and our relationship to it, then no one else will.”
WA’s comic scene also differs from the big end of town by having a strong female contingent. Half of the creators in Gutters are women, including Sarah Winifred Searle who’s just won a publishing contract for her graphic novel Thimble.
Originally from New England, USA, she says local comics have helped her understand her new home.
Gutters runs January 21 to February 15, noon to 8pm.
DANIELLE O’MALLEY admits her reaction to UK superstar Cilla Black’s death in 2015 was; “who?”.
This was despite the Melbourne performer having a swag of Black’s songs in her repertoire and even teaching them to her music students.
“I knew the songs, but a lot were sung by other people,” the 30 year old says by way of excuse.
Nonplussed by her lack of knowledge about the red-haired Liverpudlian who rose to fame alongside the Beatles, O’Malley looked Black up.
Hooked by the singer’s energy and style it wasn’t long before O’Malley began writing You’re my World, a biographical cabaret full of powerhouse vocals and the self-deprecating humour that endeared Black to fans across the world.
• Danielle O’Malley as Cilla Black.
But while Black was rock n roll from the boots up, O’Malley’s early music career followed a classic route.
A former Perth girl, she won a scholarship to Singapore’s Lasalle College of the Arts and aged 18 headed to Singapore.
“Straight out of school it was an adventure. I had the best time,” she says.
Post-degree she performed with the Singapore opera company, but with her heart set on musical theatre O’Malley headed to Melbourne where she discovered a penchant for cabaret.
“[Even though] it’s more scary…[you] have a script but you have to be prepared to go off script…And when you’ve written it yourself it’s a whole new fear level.”
Her show will introduce Black to new, and old, fans with hits such as Step Inside Love, Anyone Who Had a Heart and Alfie.
As “Cilla” she’ll reminisce about growing up in Liverpool and her meteoric rise to fame.
And she’ll share some cheeky showbiz goss about meeting the queen and her friendship with John, Paul, George and Ringo, who lived around the corner from Black’s childhood home.
You’re My World is on February 7–11, Downstairs at the Maj.
For the full program go to fringeworld.com.au and type Ace’s Cabaret in the search bar.
PERTH city council has decided to offer 12 permits for food trucks following a successful trial which ended in October.
The annual permit seems a steal at $1200 given truck owners can pay $100 for a single day or $500 for special events, but a participant in last year’s trial reckons trading restrictions make it a marginal business and he’s not going to reply.
The council was initially reluctant to embrace street food because the vans compete with rate-paying brick and mortar restaurants, but consultation showed high levels of support.
So permits were capped and a strict 100-metre exclusion zone from other businesses was enforced.
• The owner of Big El’s Nino food truck has decided not to apply for the City of Perth’s mobile food trading program, saying trading restrictions make it too hard.
“A 100-metre exclusion zone from permanent businesses and events will allow fair trading to all providers, while offering the community an appetising variety of food in previously untapped areas,” lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi said.
Permit holders will be limited to eight locations; John Oldham Park, Wellington Square, and two in Langley Park have been nominated and the council is yet to announce the remainder.
Logan Punyanitya took part in last year’s trial with Big El’s Nino mobile cantina, but he reckons the designated spots are too quiet.
“A lot of these areas you think ‘oh yeah that could work’, but if you sit there for a week and see who comes, it’s very rare to find a place where you’ll make back enough for your staff and food,” Mr Punyanitya said.
“There’s no manual for how to be a food truck at the moment … at the end of the day, everything becomes about money.”
Although the food truck industry is booming (80 applied for last year’s ‘food truck rumble’), Mr Punyanitya says owners can be hamstrung by regulations against setting up chairs or parking between lunch and dinner services, and excessive and inconsistent safety inspections from different councils.
He has also run a brick-and-mortar business in the past and understands why the regulations are necessary, but has decided private events are a better way to do business than paying for all the permits.
Applications for the mobile food trading program close January 27.
Garish maniacs that obliterate parents first thing in the morning.
I’ve lost track of the times I’ve trudged into the living room at 6am — like Napoleon marching on Moscow — only to be forced back by a blizzard of skivvies.
Somehow I got roped into going to the Wiggles live show at Perth Arena, so to soften the blow I suggested we go for lunch at The Aviary beforehand.
The trendy CBD bar isn’t an obvious choice for a kids meal on a Saturday, but it was within walking distance of the arena for my three-year-old twins.
Compact menu
The Aviary staff were outstanding, and rearranged plush leather couches and tables in the lounge for my brood and a Scottish couple with a toddler and infant who’d decided to romp bomp a stomp along to the concert with us.
The lunch menu was compact and included finger food (starters, dumplings and bao), mains (roasted red duck, miso and cashew crusted lamb) and some desserts (baked spice chocolate pave, caramelised banana and white chocolate parfait).
There was also a limited “kids” menu: a $10 bamboo basket (panda biscuits and juice) with a choice of spring rolls, dumplings, egg fried rice or honey chicken.
My wife and I ordered some dumplings to share, while the Doubtfires went for the sizzling chicken ($26).
As we waited for our tucker the kids began to assail the leather couches, scurry under the tables, and generally disrupt the space-time continuum, but the staff kept smiling and plied us with crayons and sheets of manila.
It wasn’t long before we were tucking into our dumplings, huddled in bowls of deliciously warm broth.
“The prawn and green pepper dumplings ($15) are outstanding,” enthused my wife.
“The curry broth is crammed with flavour and the prawns juicy and plump.”
The dumpling casings were gossamer light and fell away with the ease of a harlot’s panties — absolutely outstanding.
A close second was the pork and ginger gyoza ($15) — the hot and sour broth whipping my taste buds into an orgasmic flush.
Coming in last was the beef and black bean dumplings ($16); I enjoyed the complex mushroom broth, but I found the beans saltier than Popeye’s thighs.
By this point the kids were beginning to convulse at the prospect of Henry the Octopus and the Doubtfires were tucking into their sizzling chicken.
“The portion sizes are great,” enthused Big Al. “The chicken is so tender and the baby vegetables add a nice, crunchy texture.
“The green mango and chilli is also great and gives the chicken a real kick.”
The kids enjoyed their bamboo baskets, devouring the beef and shitake dumplings with the finesse of a closing-time drunk, and wolfed down the complimentary rice (thank you staff).
Before we knew it, it was 1pm and time to hit the skivvy-clad obscenity that is The Wiggles.
The Aviary was palliative care; but my God it was exceptional.
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) The presence of a variety of planets in Capricorn provides tricky cosmic weather for Rams. Capricorn is essentially interested in going out into the world and building something solid. You are restless and irked by the idea of settling down. The truth lies somewhere in between.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) Venus is in Pisces, filling you with longing and dreams. We all need patches like this. Lie back, sit under a shady tree, chew on a piece of grass, look out at the distant horizon and dream of distant things. If we don’t dream, our doing becomes directionless, no matter how frenetic we are.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) Mercury has just entered Capricorn. You are entering into a phase where self-expression is paramount. You are going to find your creative mojo if it is the last thing you do. The Capricorn influence may just be perfect. It will give you serious grunt. The future is calling out loudly.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22) The Cancerian habit is to go out and respond to other people’s needs. With the Sun, Mercury and Pluto in Capricorn, life may just turn you around in the other direction. It’s your needs that are supreme now. Honour them. The moment you do, you’ll have a whole lot more to give.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) The Moon begins the week in Leo. She feeds you a current of lunar passion that is perfectly suited to romantic adventure. In essence you are a romantic adventurer. Stories of knights pursuing adventure and having their hearts opened in the process, are indicative of the Leo disposition.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22 The Capricorn Sun is giving you courage to take on tasks that you have been putting off. It’s all too easy to get comfortable. Routines are great but there’s a point when routines serve only to mask other challenges that are worthy of our attention. Follow what’s true for you. Keep moving.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) To look at the way things are on the surface, you would be forgiven for thinking that the challenges you face are intense. Go a little deeper however and it all looks very different. Any difficulties you may be having, are stirring up the very feelings you need stirred up to encourage movement.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) Life is showing you how to persist and build. It is also showing you how to celebrate when you have poured your whole energy into a project. Success is for celebrating. Stuffing things up totally, if done with sincerity and totality, is also worth celebrating. Your stocks are steadily rising.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) Saturn continues to keep you honest. He is not at all comfortable with the three planets and an asteroid over in Pisces. Is life something you can control? Or is it a vast current you have to surrender to? Dilemmas are in the mind. Life is one step at a time, in the present moment.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) There’s plenty of action in Capricorn. You have three planets blessing you with their presence – Mercury, Pluto and the Sun. Mercury is here to help you make sense of that fact that you are host to heaps of energy and a matching set of challenges. Don’t forget to give yourself some fun.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) The Sun is two-thirds of the way through Capricorn, which means that you are the next actor on the stage. As the Sun begins to rise on the eastern horizon later in the week, so changes that you have been preparing for, will start to make their presence felt. Take care of all your details.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) There are three planets, an asteroid and a moon’s node, in Pisces. No matter what is going on anywhere else, you are unlikely to be distracted from your own celestial smorgasbord. Venus and Mars are probably providing the stage for changes to manifest. That stage is relationship.
HOLOGRAPHIC flames, crystals and white rocks made for an interesting wall feature, but what exactly was generating the warmth from this mysterious, new-fangled “heater”.
“It’s too technical for me, it’s just pretty,” the vendor of this Stuart Street home says of the remote-controlled appliance.
One of a small group of townhouses opposite Robertson Park in North Perth this three-bedroom abode covers three levels.
Bamboo floors cast golden light on the white walls of the spacious open plan, where a long, lean kitchen has a mix of white and glossy black cupboards, a tall pantry, and an expanse of white Caesarstone tops.
Floor-to-ceiling glass opens onto a fenced, front courtyard, which is a great spot for a bit of alfresco dining, or simply relaxing.
But when you feel the need for extra privacy indoors simply roll the plantation shutter doors down, close the white timber louvres and you’re a snug as a bug in a rug.
Follow the “yellow-brick-road” of bamboo stairs to the central level and you’ll find two bedrooms, one with a balcony overlooking the park.
The bathroom on this level has a deep bath to luxuriate in, and a separate shower when you’re in a hurry.
With a second protected balcony to chill on this area is just the shot for teenagers.
With its sweep of bamboo floors, white walls and dramatic touches of black, including a four-poster bed (but that’s going), the main bedroom is a French boudoir crowning the third level.
There’s a walk-in-robe and a very stylish ensuite with double vanities.
This parents retreat also has a balcony overlooking the park.
Stuart St is oneway so traffic noise is minimal and the vendor reckons the noisiest thing is the many birds attracted to the treed parkland across the road.
There’s a two-car garage, but when they moved in the vendors pretty much left their vehicles behind: “We would just walk into work.”
The many great eateries nearby is an added bonus, the vendor adds: “I didn’t use the cooker for the fist six months. It’s just so central.
“I will miss that when we move.”
by JENNY D’ANGER
6/45 Stuart Street, North Perth mid–high $800,000s Wayne Heldt 0433 118 353 Acton Mt Lawley 9272 2488
With a piercing scream of its whistle, and a hiss of escaping steam, the little locomotive slowly chugs away from the station, much to the delight of the school children who have gathered around with beaming smiles, their hands over their ears.
On board the two wooden carriages are 40 intrepid Aussie travellers about to enjoy an unforgettable 90-minute steam train ride behind a 115-year-old steam locomotive so special it’s built with rack and pinion gearing to negotiate the steepest sections of the dramatic mountain climb.
The scene is Central Java, Indonesia. The Indonesian Government Railways have thoughtfully preserved this iconic little railway which runs about 15 kilometres up a mountainside to the town of Bedono. The line is the last remaining section of a railway that ran from Yogyakarta to the north coast.
Tour leader Kevin Pearce and Murray Johnson of Cottesloe inspect the workings of the 114-year old rack locomotive.
This nostalgic excursion is one of many highlights of the Great Java Rail Tour, conducted each year since the 1980s by train buff and Indonesian enthusiast Kevin Pearce. It covers more than 1800 kilometres by rail through some of the most spectacular scenery you will find anywhere in Asia.
With a population of more than 140 million the fertile island of Java is the most densely populated island on earth and its extensive railway system is used primarily to move people rather than freight.
The inter-city trains provide a much more comfortable journey than the congested roads and take less than half the time. Train travel is thus the perfect way to soak up the scenery and savour an exotic land.
Passengers on the Great Java Rail Tour are accommodated in two chartered air-conditioned carriages commissioned exclusively for the group. A 52-seat carriage furnished with comfortable reclining seats and boasting wide panoramic windows is attached to a special private lounge car where drinks and refreshments are provided and passengers can relax and soak up the everchanging panorama.
Passengers relax in the lounge car
All journeys are undertaken in daylight with two- or three-night stopovers in exotic towns and cities along the route. Sightseeing tours to major attractions are conducted by road coach at each stop over.
The tour commences in the capital, Jakarta, after the short direct flight from Perth. Local sightseeing tours include China Town, the Jalan Surabaya flea market and the Sunda Kelapa harbour, where the largest fleet of commercial sailing ships in the world, load cargo destined for distant islands in the Indonesian archipelago.
Kevin calls Jakarta Asia’s best kept secret. He says its grand shopping malls rival those of Singapore but offer prices that will surprise and delight even the most demanding shoppers.
From the bustle of Jakarta, the group embarks on the first train journey, to Bandung.
For three hours the train winds around mountainsides, traversing bridges and snaking through tunnels built by the Dutch in the 19thcentury. The scenery is spectacular.
Two nights are spent in the historic Savoy Homann Hotel with tours to the mountain tea plantations, hot springs and the Tangkuban Volcano where one can step down from the bus on to the very rim of the volcano.
After leaving Jakarta, the Argo Parahyangan train commences its climb to Banding.
From Bandung the tour continues by train through more spectacular mountain scenery before reaching Yogyakarta, the foremost cultural centre and former capital of the ancient Javanese Kingdom. Local tours include a visit to the eighth century Borobudur Buddhist Temple, one of the great wonders of the world.
Continuing on by train the group arrives in the delightful hill town of Malang. The boutique Tugu Park Hotel is listed as one of the 100 most beautiful hotels in the world. The public rooms are adorned with priceless works of art and antiques. Guests are treated to a traditional High Tea on the balcony after checking in.
After two nights in Malang the group journeys by train to the port of Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, for two nights at another spectacular colonial-era hotel, The Majapahit. The 106-year-old establishment was built by Lucas Martin Sarkies of the famous Armenian family whose collection of grand hotels included the the Raffles in Singapore. The delightful gardens and magnificently furnished rooms will amaze and delight even the most ardent traveller!
After sightseeing in Indonesia’s second biggest city, including a brief hop across the new causeway to the island of Madura, tour guests prepare to board their private carriage for the last and longest train journey back to Jakarta along the north coast. By now the train has become their second home. Before reaching Jakarta, entertainment and farewell drinks are provided in the lounge car to celebrate perhaps the most scenic train journey in Asia.
The next departure of the 15-day escorted Great Java Rail Tour is on 06 August. The tour costs $5298, and includes most meals, four and five-star hotels, all tipping, full porterage throughout, and return air tickets. Special guest on this departure will be former television news anchor and current Curtin FM radio presenter, Greg Pearce. Phone West Coast Cruise & Travel for brochures and information on 9335 4322.
Travel the world in style with West Coast Cruise & Travel Centre. This locally owned and operated office in the heart of Fremantle provides a personalised service whatever your travel requirements and wherever you want to go. Specialising in small escorted group tours, the experienced staff create exclusive tours to suit discerning travellers to many parts of the world, including Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia and also within Australia.
Tour groups generally average between 10 to 20 guests and are accompanied by an experienced tour manager from Perth, as well as local guides from professional operators at your destination. For larger groups, two tour managers are provided ensuring you are always well cared for. Tour managers are with you 24/7 to provide assistance, guidance and companionship.
“You can relax knowing if any problem arises, our staff are with you to take charge of the situation,” said Director Leanda Blank.
“Packaging our own tours rather than buying from large wholesaler groups, enables us to choose the best accommodation in the best locations. This ensures you experience all the luxury and comfort you deserve on your holiday,” Leanda added.
West Coast Cruise & Travel Centre also offers a wide range of cruises, so no matter what your holiday dreams are, talk to the team and start making your plans today.
Perth Voice Interactive 