Perth Voice Interactive

BLACK swans at Lake Monger have accepted a refugee white swan into their midst.

Voice reader Ken Gibbons let us know the mute (white) swan’s been there about two weeks, likely up from the Avon River colony in Northam where conditions can get pretty dry. He says it appears quite at ease with the local natives, despite standing out.

There’s a small flock of about 80 whites near Northam said to be introduced by a Russian settler, Oscar Bernard, (who became the mayor) back in the early 1900s. It’s the only place where the birds survived to naturally breed in the wild.

If you go and have a gander at whitey don’t feed it: bread’s terrible for their guts.

by DAVID BELL

LOCAL street artists are in the midst of brightening up some of the town’s unloved laneways.

Perth Voice favourite Mel McVee raised $1000 through crowdfunding, with locals and businesses chipping in and Vincent council matching it dollar for dollar so 10 street artists could paint murals along the Psychology Australia wall.

Brenton See, Paul Deej, Fieldey and the hypnotising Robert Jenkins were among the arty sorts to turn out on Sunday January 3 and endure the blazing heat to make their mark, with Ms “Melski” McVee painting Urban Psychedelic Tiger as her first work of 2016.

Dubbed the Laneway Collective, the group’s first project last year saw 30 artists in a Mt Lawley laneway, and they’re making their way across town making things colourful.

They’re out again this Sunday January 10 to finish off this project, and they’ll be there from 9am behind the Flying Scotsman.

by DAVID BELL

BUSINESS is booming in Bayswater, recording a 25 per cent increase in sales over the year to August 2015.

Morley was up 24 per cent and Maylands 23 per cent, according to the local council’s economic modelling contractor Remplan.

Council spokeswoman Julia Kogan is confident street festivals, enhanced public spaces and the provision of business forums and training will boost local trade further in 2016.

“The city is examining the parking situation in the Maylands town centre to improve its access,” she says.

In Stirling, the net measure of wealth generated by the region was $11.3 million in June 2014 and $13.7 million in August last year.

The top five industries are construction (16.9 per cent), manufacturing (16.8 per cent), rental and real estate services (10 per cent), professional and scientific services (7 per cent) and wholesale trade (6 per cent).

Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi is expecting growth this year on the back of a “major” city transformation as private and public projects such as Elizabeth Quay continue. Vincent council failed to respond to the Voice’s questions.

RIVER-loving locals are needed to clean up the waterside area near them, with the River Guardians asking people to post before-and-after pics for Clean Our Rivers week January 18 to 24.

You can get bags and gloves from Vincent city council’s HQ (244 Vincent Street Leederville) or bring your own, then pick your favourite riverbank area and take photos of the mess before and it all looking spick and span after to show people the difference a bit of hard yakka can make.

Post them on the River Guardians Facebook page or email them to guardians@dpaw.wa.gov.au

THE man behind the Sydney Olympics iconic Tin Symphony opening, Nigel Jamieson, is about to set Langley Park buzzing with a theatrical extravaganza paying homage to WA.

Many of the performers are big names even on the world stage, but they still call Western Australia home, and they’ll be back to launch this year’s Perth International Arts Festival with a free one-off outdoor spectacular, Home.

Flying in from his US base, musician/comedian Tim Minchin will join a stellar line-up including academy award winning illustrator/writer Shaun Tan, acclaimed authors Tim Winton and Robert Drew and Aboriginal elder, musician and artist Dr Richard Walley, along with John Butler, the Drones, Triffids and Waifs, Broome’s Pigram Brothers, Kavisha Mazzella and Grace Barbe.

“I can’t wait to come home for Home. It is incredibly exciting and moving to be involved in a home-grown event on this awesome scale,” Minchin said in a press release.

Almost 60 metres of staging, giant projectors and TV screens, massive stages, 100 Aboriginal dancers and 5000 house shaped lanterns made by local school kids are set to have the park pulsating.

“Langley Park is the biggest space we could find to use,” theatre director Jamieson tells the Voice.

No idea is too wild for the man who had performers dancing across the Sydney Opera House roof, and brought together 2000 Aboriginal performers to mark the 200th anniversary of white settlement.

He also directed the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Manchester and a benefit at Ankor Wat with Jose Carreras, 400 Buddhist monks and the Royal National Cambodian Dance Troupe.

Home will evoke the landscape and the concept of what “home” means to the artists – from the suburbs to the bush and beach.

“It’s a story told…though music and the spoken word, using all the senses. Think Olympic or Commonwealth Games, Jamieson says.

The free 90-minute spectacular is on at Langley Park, Saturday, February 13, 7.30pm.

by JENNY D’ANGER

SANTA wasn’t the only person entering homes in the dead of night over the holidays.

Nasty little gremlins were also about, taking advantage of empty houses, says Bayswater acting officer in charge Will Withers.

There were 25 burglaries and seven car thefts in his district alone between Christmas and new year’s.

Snr Sgt Withers told the Voice about two crimes on Christmas Day.

Sometime between 11.30pm Christmas Eve and 7am — while residents were away — a thief broke in through a sliding door, left Santa’s milk and cookies untouched, and headed straight for a laptop and bank cards.

“No Ferrero Rocher chocolates were taken either,” he notes.

In Mount Lawley, a camera, iPad and jewellery (none were wrapped under the tree) were taken the same night.

Snr Sgt Withers says most crimes like this are drug-related and culprits are familiar with breaking the law.

He says there was also a significant spike in thefts from cars, especially near the river where drivers had left wallets visible.

Morley officer-in-charge Tony Vuleta didn’t provide any figures but says there “was not a marked difference” in reported crime this Christmas compared to last year.

“There was nothing outside the norm for Morley police,” Snr Sgt Vuleta says. “Nothing unusual stolen.”

The Voice tried contacting the Perth and Wembley stations, but failed to get responses.

by EMMIE DOWLING