BAYSWATER council has launched its new smartphone app for residents to report vandalism and other problems around the city.
Currently good samaritans reporting a tag or dangerous pothole can be punished with a lengthy wait listening to hold music, but now they can instantly upload their grievance on the council’s Localeye app.
The original idea came from councillor Chris Cornish, who found it a hassle navigating through the various links on the city’s website just to report a bit of graffiti.
He wanted a streamlined app that people could point at graffiti, potholes or other problems and automatically send to the city along with the location.
• Bayswater councillor Alan Radford says reporting graffiti with a smartphone app will let Paul Lazaridis and the rest of the maintenance crew get there quick to rub it out.
The end result’s quite different from his original one-click vision; the elaborate Localeye produced by the WA local government association also lets people find local facilities or search upcoming events.
“Localeye makes it quick and easy for our residents to report everything from graffiti to storm damage or potholes for the city to then follow up and action,” Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna said.
It uses the phone’s GPS to automatically identify the location where a picture was taken, then users tag the problem and send it through to city staff.
“It really is as simple as that and it provides our residents with a contemporary 21st century reporting tool for alerting council,” Mr McKenna says.
“The app is on my phone and I’m looking forward to getting out and about to test it out.”
The app’s free on Applestore for iPhoners and Google Play for Androiders.
SEA SHEPHERD eco-warriors will be highlighting their campaign to prevent BP drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight at an upcoming public event.
Promising stories, breathtaking imagery and eye opening footage from their Operation Jeedera campaign in the bight, as well as other issues, An Ocean Conversation is at the state theatre on August 31 and September 1.
Captain Peter Hammarstedt from the society’s Swedish arm, Australian managing director Jeff Hansen, and marine biologist Richard Fitzpatrick will be giving talks as well as photographer/filmmakers Eliza Muirhead and Tim Watters. Watters and Hanson are currently aboard the Sea Shepherd boat Steve Irwin off South Australia, along with former Greens leader Bob Brown.
“The ocean’s a big place, especially international waters and there’s a lot of illegal activity happening there. So that’s where we do a lot of work,” says Sea Shepherd volunteer Marina Hansen.
IT took just 24 hours for the first bride and groom to discover Fremantle’s grand new entry statement Rainbow.
Marcus Canning’s sculpture of nine sea containers painted and welded together in a colourful arch formed the perfect backdrop for their wedding portraits, while it literally bought traffic to a stop as locals and visitors alike stopped to admire the $145,000 artwork.
Canning says Rainbow is a universal symbol of hope and inspiration as well as welcoming people to Fremantle, where the sight of container convoys rolling into its port is an everyday part of life.
Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said he hoped Rainbow would spark debate and conversation.
“It’s big, it’s bold and colourful and very Freo,” Dr Pettitt said.
“As a city of artists we have commissioned a dynamic artwork that has been conceived, engineered and produced in Western Australia and represents the ingenuity of our arts industry.”
Canning said turning the concept into reality had its challenges from an engineering and construction point of view.
“It was always going to be a challenge to connect nine sea containers and make them hover in an arch which at its apex is nine metres above the ground. The result is 66 tonnes of wow,” he said.
THREE huge cranes struggled as they worked in unison, daylight fading, to slot the last section of the giant rainbow arch of sea containers into place on Beach Street Reserve, just up the road from Fremantle’s old traffic bridge on Canning Highway.
Nine metres high, 19 metres long and tipping the scales at 66 tonnes “Rainbow” presented challenges not usually faced in True Blue Containers day-to-day business, director Dion Clifford says.
“We had to modify containers in ways never done before.”
• Peter Camarri from CME Boilermaking Services, Dion Clifford from True Blue Containers, Mike Filmer from Cameleon Paints and True Blue’s Matty Burgess are thrilled to have been part of Rainbow.
The company was approached by artist Marcus Canning two years ago as he unfolded his massive art project.
“Our part was to supply, modify and paint them,” Mr Clifford says.
The job was so huge True Blue partnered with neighbour CME Boilermaking to weld the huge metal struts inside the containers that allowed them to be bolted together.
CME’s managing director Peter Camarri says they made a life-sized template of the sculpture on the company’s factory floor to ensure the angles were perfectly aligned.
Mr Clifford says one of the difficulties in painting the sea containers was that once done, they couldn’t be put down on the ground for fear of scratching the surface. He says their yard was filled with sea containers propped up on stands.
“We had customers coming in and their wives were saying ‘I want one of those pink ones’,” Mr Clifford laughs.
“It gives you ideas…”
The containers were then trucked from True Blue’s Midvale yard to Fremantle for the final phase, a delicate operation despite the massive size of the art work – with each container weighing three tonnes.
“We are over the moon…to contribute to such an exciting project,” Mr Clifford says.
“From my point-of-view it’s the best piece of public art in Perth.”
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RAINBOW is a work that is 110 per cent Freo, over-the-top fun and frivolous whilst remaining resonant and rich with deeper references, resplendent and radiant, brash and ballsy.
The work is a monumental welcome arch that speaks to the port environment over which it stands. These elements (sea container and rainbow) have strong associations with the history and character of Fremantle both in the historical and contemporary moment.
Containers are a ubiquitous element in the port environment and its surrounds and a direct symbol of the history of Fremantle as a commercial port from the deepening of the harbour by CY O’Connor in 1897.
The rainbow is a symbol of many things including alternative and counter cultural hippy styles and aesthetics, a distinctive and ongoing element of the Freo character.
The rainbow is associated with dreams, flights of fancy and the escapism of fantasy.
• Marcus Canning watches as his giant sculpture Rainbow is carefully put together.
It’s a universal symbol of hope as well as aspiration.
By slamming these seemingly incongruous elements together, the results speak volumes about the unique spirit of Freo as well as its character – big, bold and brutally beautiful. Colourful, creative and a little bit crazy. Super-sized playful on an industrial scale. Welcoming, whimsical and joyful. Undeniably and distinctively – Freo.
The work gives a nod to the ready-made as much as concrete art, pop art as much as minimalism, it also speaks to global economic as well as cultural concerns in the age of late capitalism.
It was the transportation entrepreneur Malcom McLean who revolutionised international trade in 1956 when he developed the intermodal shipping container, standardised the transportation of goods around the globe and ultimately lowered the cost of goods, everywhere – contributing more than any other single invention to the exponential explosion of globalised economy and world trade that was to roll out over the second half of the 20th century.
Rainbow is a new iconic entry statement for the portside City of Fremantle – visible from a range of major entry arteries – from the water, from the air, from rail as well as car. Its presence is as architectural as it is sculptural, awe inspiring for the pedestrian to engage with, a beacon of welcome that is instantly recognisable from afar. Marcus Canning
Wasted opportunities
WHAT is going on?
How can the WAPC, the statewide peak town planning decision-making authority, approve a subdivision of swampland (Dorazio and Carter land) abutting the Swan River parkland and the Eric Singleton bird sanctuary?
The fact the WAPC approved this subdivision against the recommendation of the City of Bayswater is unbelievable, but even more unbelievable is the failure of the existing Bayswater CEO [Francesca Lefante] to inform council of the Carter’s offer [at a reduced price] to sell their land to the city.
Ms Lefante’s reported excuse — council’s previous “unanimous” decision, would have some validity if; the unanimous decision had not included the caveat “at this point in time “; the offer was the same cost (it was not); council’s financial position was the same (it was not because when the reduced offer was made the council had over $20 million in a reserve fund); or it was presented to the same group of councillors (it was not).
The offer, if presented to council, would have been to a very different council and not mayor Kenyon, but mayor Albert.
To add insult to injury the city failed to have the land reserved as part of the Swan River parkland and as a consequence missed the opportunity to pass the cost to the state (WAPC). The chair of the WAPC, Eric Lumsden, during his Radio 720 interview, suggested this should have been done.
He was too polite to suggest that Lefante [also the former town planner] had failed a basic and obvious process.
The minister for planning Donna Farager has acted with integrity on this issue.
The current mayor of Bayswater, Barry McKenna, needs to do likewise and call a special meeting of council to get to the bottom of this matter. The fact that mayor McKenna voted for the subdivision should make him even more keen for this town planning fiasco to get clean air. Greg Smith Rose Avenue, Bayswater
The Koran teaches respect
I AM shocked to hear that Egyptian judoka competitor and Islamist El Shehaby refused to shake his Israeli competitor’s hand after their Rio Olympics match.
His reaction is against the teaching of Islam, and spirit of sportsmanship.
We should have a common sense of treating others with respect, dignity and good gesture.
Shehaby’s reaction may be due to his ignorance or pride, but some people are trying to link it with religion. It is clearly written in the Koran that “God forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable”. Usman Mahmood Sandalwood Dr, South Bowenfels
$50 and a uni is enough, surely
IT is good that Edith Cowan is honoured on our $50 note and that she is remembered each time Edith Cowan University is mentioned.
However I fail to see how, as asserted by vice chancellor, Steve Chapman, that “her home has immense historical, social and cultural value to WA and it should be retained” (“Edith Cowan’s home facing the wrecking ball,” Voice August 13, 2016).
Edith Cowan through her own efforts earned respect and recognition, historically and otherwise but her home did none of that work: her home was not responsible for her achievements nor did any singular event of historical importance take place there.
She no doubt would have worked anywhere if she had to. In any case I doubt that very many people had any idea that the building at 31 Malcolm St, West Perth was associated with a prominent West Australian. Saving the building wouldn’t change that.
Instead of retention, a handsomely designed plaque and permanent pictorial display featuring her image and her home, placed in front of the proposed hotel would enlighten guests and passers by to her legacy in numbers far greater than now.
Why not add an inspiring piece of sculpture celebrating her memory: much more engaging than an unremarkable building. Vincent Sammut Franklin Street, Leederville
Do your Homework
I REFER to your article regarding Marjorie Mann in your edition of August 5, 2016, “Cuts level playing field”, and to your article, in your edition of August 13, 2016, “Centre won’t be affected by childcare cuts”.
It is a worry that neither Mr Millman the ALP candidate for Mt Lawley nor the manager of the Marjorie Mann Child Day Care Centre were aware that the centre is owned by the City of Stirling! It has nothing to do with the state government.
But then, Mr Millman, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story. Michael Sutherland Member for Mount Lawley
MICHAEL SUTHERLAND is the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MLA for Mt Lawley. In today’s SPEAKER’S CORNER he reflects on the disendorsement of two candidates in the last federal elections and says they were harshly dealt with.
ONE of WA’s greatest premiers Sir Charles Court is reported to have said, “Parliament should be made up of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker”.
Elected members should broadly reflect the society in which they live. This includes them having the same talents, failings and shortcomings as their constituents.
During the last federal election campaign there were a number of candidates who after being endorsed by both the Liberal and Labor parties were dis-endorsed. There were also howls from both sides calling for candidates from the other side who had made various comments, deemed inappropriate, to be dumped.
The WA seat of Fremantle was unique as both the Labor and Liberal candidates were dis-endorsed.
The ALP initially endorsed Maritime Union of Australia official Chris Brown and the Liberals Shery Sufi the then chair of the Liberal party’s policy committee.
Brown, who was not the pick of the local ALP branches, never disclosed convictions, from the 1980s when he was 19, for assaulting a police officer and driving under the influence as they were “spent”. These were “mysteriously” brought to light after his endorsement and he was unceremoniously dumped by Labor’s national executive.
A “spent conviction” is and should be exactly what is it means, “spent!” The aim of the Spent Convictions Act 1988 is to allow a person who has been convicted but who has not reoffended during a specified period to be rehabilitated by limiting the effects of the conviction. A judge or the commissioner of police, for lesser offences, can declare a conviction to be spent. The person is entitled to put their criminal conviction behind them and do not have to declare it. It is unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees who have a spent conviction.
In Brown’s case the ALP national executive conveniently used the failure to disclose the spent convictions against him as an excuse to replace Brown with Wilson, their preferred candidate.
Shery Sufi was my electoral officer during 2012. One night he went out with a colleague and her husband. They had a few drinks in Sufi’s colleague’s backyard where he used foul language while mimicking my South African accent, he also used foul language while mimicking my wife. This lasted all of 45 seconds, the longest 45 seconds of his life! He then played a telephone prank on three local Liberal party members; it was exactly that a prank.
Sufi’s silly antics were filmed on a mobile phone by the colleague’s husband. I bet Sufi wishes mobile phones with cameras and recorders had never been invented! The colleague and Sufi had a fall out, the colleague’s husband sent the clip of the incident to the department of premier and cabinet. They alerted me to the incident. Sufi had to resign and lost a good job. He apologised profusely to both my wife and me. As far as I was concerned Sufi had received his punishment and the incident was over. But like Brown, the clip mysteriously landed with the press who made a meal of it and Sufi was gone, a victim of the blowtorch of bad publicity.
There was nobody willing or able in the Labor and Liberal parties to “go back for the ammo box” for Brown or Sufi, they were hung out to dry. Vale Messrs Brown and Sufi. They have now learned we live in the world of political correctness, one of “goody two shoes”, of micro sensitivities, micro insults and in a political milieu which is unforgiving. Irrespective, their political careers were finished before they started. They should be reminded of what Paul Keating said, “If you want a friend in politics go and buy a dog!”
Contrast the stories of Sufi and Brown with that of Thomas Walker whose portrait I see whenever I walk down the speakers corridor in Parliament. Thomas Walker was speaker of the WA Legislative Assembly from 1924 to 1930 and attorney general from 1911 to 1916.
Born in the UK in 1858 and after immigrating to Canada where he was involved in séances, he was found by a Canadian court to have been responsible for a fire that killed a man at a séance. He left Canada ahead of the police and subsequently landed in New South Wales in 1877 where he earned a living as a “controversial lecturer”. He was elected to the NSW Parliament in 1887. In 1892 while he was travelling in a train carriage he pulled out his pipe, tobacco and a revolver. The revolver discharged and he shot a clergyman in the back. Witnesses gave evidence he was hopelessly drunk. He was subsequently acquitted. Walker told the court he had the revolver to destroy a dog and when he pulled it out of his pocket it went off by mistake. The judge said in his judgement that, “It was a pity to see a man of Walker’s position and undoubted ability setting such a poor example” After this episode Walker gave up drink and became an avid worker for the Temperance Union.
He lost his seat in the NSW Parliament in 1894 and moved to WA where he lectured and worked as a journalist and editor. In 1905 he was elected as a Labor member of the WA Legislative Assembly and remained a Member of Parliament until 1932. He had in the days of much poorer communications managed to escape and leave his past behind. He became a powerful and well respected member of the WA Parliament who made a considerable contribution. The question was often asked why he did not put himself up for the position of premier. He was lauded for his intellect, faith in human nature and as a prison reformer. Walker died in his Inglewood home in 1932.
Walker would not know whether to laugh or cry if he was around today and witnessed what happened with the two Fremantle candidates. Parliament should be a place which is made up of ordinary people, not sinless people or people without blemish. Politics should be about who has the best ideas and not about past indiscretions or about who can best hide their past. If our political culture continues we will lose the “butchers, bakers and candlestick makers” from our parliaments. What happened in Fremantle is a worry.
MIST swirled from a bank of industrial mixing machines as our ice cream froze before our eyes.
Welcome to the wonderful world of creamy liquid nitrogen gelato at Ibiza N2 in Mt Lawley.
Warm, crisp and delicate churros, a melted chocolate dip ($8.90), and a mug of hot chocolate ($8.50) warmed us as we watched the busy passing parade on Beaufort Street.
But the avocado, coconut and lime vegan ice cream ($9.80) on the side really was the icing on the cake, a smooth, creamy blend that helped settle down the chocolate overload.
• Ahmed Tolba whipping up some ice cream magic. Photo supplied
Or it did, until owner Ahmed Tolba insisted we try his chocolate almond cake, a gluten-free decadence.
“No, really, I’ve eaten too much,” I protested.
In the end it was so moist, rich and down right fantastic, we polished off the lot.
“We use the best French butter and almond meal,” my host says.
The Spanish/Australian started selling Spain’s other famous import, paella as Paella Republic.
But once his mates tried his home-made churros they convinced him to change tack, and it was out with rice and hello light and fluffy fried dough.
“[They] said we should open a churros shop so people could see what a good one is like.”
Ice cream on the menu came next, but the commercially made products didn’t cut it, so it was a case of making it in-house, with an element of showmanship to the experience.
Ingredients are combined in a mixing bowl and liquid nitrogen poured in. Unlike gelato machines which take time to freeze, the result is almost instant.
“It freezes fast…which doesn’t allow water crystals to build up so you get a creamier ice cream,” Mr Tolba says.
Freeze-dried fruit that goes to mush when frozen conventionally can be used, including strawberries: “Because it doesn’t destroy cells.”
There are no artificial colours and there’s a coconut version of the ice cream for the lactose intolerant: “[With] a coconut milk that doesn’t have gums or additives. The texture is incomparable.”
While most of the ingredients are local the pistachios come from Europe: “[And] we don’t make it months ahead, we roast and blend and use that week.”
The result is a divinely rich-green and nutty paste that had me wanting to lick the plate.
by JENNY D’ANGER
Ibiza N2 627 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley open 7 days 3.30–11pm
HER parents had more love for US singer Whitney Houston than each other, says actor and playwright Whitney Richards, hence her moniker.
She was just eight when the inevitable divorce came; a time of confusion and foggy memories for the now 30 year old.
“I have conflicting memories. Do I remember, or is it because there were photos of that, or is there anything I have blocked?” she wonders.
• Whitney Richards ponders what are real memories, and whether she suppressed any when her parents’ marriage broke down in I Do I Don’t. Photo supplied
Her calling
Eventually Richards found her calling as a performer, thanks to the glittery world of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge.
And now she’s digging up the past with I Do, I Don’t, a one-woman show of interviews with family members and photographs lost and found.
“It’s a story about a woman’s search for answers, shining a light on our optimism in the wake of trauma,” Richards says.
Mum, dad and sisters were generous in their telling of that dark time.
“I stayed with my sister in Adelaide and she could really talk,” Richards says.
A road trip with her mother revealed a deep well of painful memories: “But I didn’t want to press too much because she was driving.”
The long-drawn out process of recording and transcribing the family story was a “roller coaster ride”, Richards says.
“There’s a lot of bad stuff and negative things between certain family members.”
However she sees I Do, I Don’t as a cathartic process, and her own journey to find out who she is.
“Finding out where you come from and sorting out where you are going,” she tells the Voice.
“It’s not about blame…I wanted to figure out why I turned out so optimistic and positive.”
While her family are aware of what’s gone into Richard’s debut play, she’s a tad worried about them seeing it live on stage.
“Everyone was on board and trusted me…[But] I’m still not sure about my mum and dad seeing it,” she says.
I Do I Don’t is on at the Blue Room Theatre until September 3.
Tickets $18–28 at blueroom.org.au or on 9227 7005.
FRESH of winning the WA category of the national 2016 Art Music Awards, Louise Devenish will be pairing up with sonic artist James Hullick at the State Theatre Centre on August 23.
The second instalment of Tura New Music’s Scale Variable chamber music series, Scattered Experiments is a double bill of experimental percussion, visual and electronic arts.
Devenish, who’s head of percussion at UWA, will be presenting new works by Hullick, Kate Moore and fellow Decibel New Music member Cat Hope.
It marks the third in a series of solo projects where Devenish has collaborated with Australian composers.
• Louise Devenish feels the beats at the last Scale Variable concert in June. Photo by Bohdan Warchomij
“Most traditional Western music is by established — and yes — usually dead, composers,” she says.
“I wanted to show that there’s really great work being made right now by composers here in WA.”
Devenish says collaborating with composers influences her own performance.
“[The] conversations are really fascinating and can really change how you read a piece. In percussion, the notation isn’t standardised like other music. When a piece is written for a violin, you know basically how it should sound. Whereas percussion could encompass all different kinds of instruments.”
Experimental percussion is right at the edges of percussive music, Devenish explains.
“It’s about seeing how far we can stretch it, going all the way to the edge to discover something new and exciting.”
Scattered Experiments is as much a visual performance as it is about music. Hullick’s piece Scatterman, described as a fusion of music theatre, electronics, voice and sonic art, is an exploration of a man in his 40s going through relationship break-up psychosis.
For his composition for Devenish, Hullick researched animation and video design.
“Research is a main part of the creative process in contemporary percussive music,” says Devenish.
“Without knowing the Australian roots of the art form, the journey, you won’t know what makes your piece different.”
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) Relationships are becoming more important. They are your ultimate mirror. What you are seeing in there is your reflection, no matter how hard you fight against seeing it. Saturn is banking on your Mars energy getting some wisdom. Learn the lesson this time. Sort out your side of the story.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) Let go of your grip. To hold on when it’s time to let go just causes heartache. Life is asking you to be like a tree letting go of her leaves in autumn. Though this might seem scary, it is in fact what’s required, to be able to expand into the next adventure life has hiding up its sleeve for you.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) There’s some pretty solid planetary energy opposing you from over in Sagittarius. Saturn and Mars are calling you to be very responsible for your actions. The tendency to blame is programmed in to us with our mother’s milk. Transformation requires deprogramming ourselves from this habit.
CANCER (June 22 – Jul 22) The Moon starts the week deep in the Pacific trenches of Pisces. Feelings are all over the place; deep and overwhelming. If they are driving you nuts, throw on some irresistible music and dance until you can dance no more. All your stress will have melted into the earth in the process.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) The Sun is at the tail-end of Leo. You are well set up for a creative shift. Changes are in the air. The Moon is inviting you to enjoy whatever mystery is present in your life. In fact, the world is becoming so demystified, if you can find a thread of mystery, know that you’ve found gold.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) The Sun arrives in Virgo towards the end of the week. This will make it four planets in Virgo. You have a whole bank of cosmic lights shining in your direction. Not only that, there is a collection of planets in Pisces, opposing you. Life really wants you to know what you stand for. Do you?
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) You are laying low. There’s lots happening around you. There’s plenty of action one step removed. You are certainly being forced to ponder. Venus is in Virgo. This means that it would be a good idea to step out of ideas and into action – if you want to be really in tune with the universe.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) There are plenty of shifts and changes happening in the social fabric, but you are at ease with these changes. Where others see catastrophe, you see a natural process that is somehow geared towards making us richer and wiser. Your innate sense of the transformative nature of things is gold.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) These are tricky times. There are multiple differing interests gathered around the one table. Each is going for what they see to be true, yet are faced with the inescapable presence of others with opposing agendas. We have to work it out folks. The only possible way is for us to grow up.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) Blessings are raining down on you. Where there are practical things to attend to, use your skills, knowing you have all the support in the world. When you want to entertain your capacity for celebration, dive in till you find your bliss. Take ‘work hard: play hard’ up to the next level.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) Put in the hours. Do what you have to do. Use the discipline that life is asking you to bow to, as a meditative regimen. It will change when the time is right. For now, if you go with it, you will learn things about yourself, your resilience and your strength, that you haven’t had a clue about.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) Relationship is intense. The beautiful mirror of the ‘other’ is showing you patterns from the past that you thought were done and dusted. If you spit the dummy, you’ll miss an opportunity. Take all feedback on board. You’ll momentarily squirm with wounded pride – and you’ll grow.
Perth Voice Interactive 