Perth Voice Interactive

DRESSED in nothing but a camera to cover his baby-maker, photographer Jarrad Seng jumped and ran through Perth’s CBD.

The Hay Street nudie run last weekend—on a crisp morning, mind you—was part of the Mt Lawley man’s 24-hour photography challenge to raise $10,000 for Red Cross’ Nepal earthquake appeal.

Starting at lunchtime Friday, Seng made $416 per hour, working around-the-clock on 24 jobs across the city, spending about an hour on each job.

He started with a quick flight to Rottnest Island where he frantically tried, and eventually succeeded, to take a selfie with a quokka. “It’s harder than you think,” says the man who’s toured with UK folk singer Passenger and worked with performer Ed Sheeran.

Seng then took profile shots for Fremantle businesses at about 500 smackers a session, and teamed up with Gage Roads Brewing in O’Connor to offer a special tour of the brewery.

He even posed as a barista in a busy Osborne Park cafe and roastery, and captured dark silhouettes of a pregnant customer and her partner in a park at midnight. At 7am Saturday Seng worked up the courage to run through one of Perth’s principal streets, wearing nothing but his camera, to publicise Lucky Camera Straps.

“There weren’t many people around at that time in the morning,” he says. “Mostly just tradies and taxi drivers.”

When asked whether he’d scored a wolf-whistle he laughed, “no, but someone with a megaphone did yell something at me from some scaffolding”.

Seng’s passion for raising funds for earthquake-ravaged Nepal was sparked by a trip to the country seven years ago. He says it was there, in a remote village near Pokhara in Nepal’s centre, where he discovered a deep appreciation for the world.

by EMMIE DOWLING

THE gala opening of the $9.3 million Seventh Avenue bridge has been labelled a “Liberal love-fest”, with claims locals were shut out of the celebrations.

Local traders and members of the Maylands residents and ratepayers’ association are feeling so disgruntled they’re considering running a belated bridge party for the public.

“It was basically a Liberal love-fest,” says Catherine Ehrhardt, owner of Railway Parade’s Blackcurrant clothing. “I mean why was Michael Sutherland there, he’s the MP for Mt Lawley.

“After 11 months of disruption while the bridge was being built, it would have been nice to reward locals with an invite and a little show of appreciation.

“Apart from a few representatives from a local committee that chose a public artwork for the bridge, hardly anyone from the community was invited.”

Ms Ehrhardt wryly adds locals have nicknamed the $85,000 public artwork, constructed from reclaimed jarrah from the old  bridge, “The Gallows”.

Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker was invited to the opening but declined. She later posted a cheeky dig about the event on the MRRA Facebook page.

“I had parliamentary committee responsibilities so my research office attended on my behalf. Glad I didn’t attend when I see how many liberals turned up for a picture! How embarrassing:! Most of the polis who were there have nothing to do with our community.”

Main Roads media adviser Stephanie Dahl wouldn’t tell the Voice how many locals were invited.

Ratepayers and residents association president Roger Tomlins was invited but says more locals should have been on the guest list.

“It seemed to be lots of politicians and councillors walking about in suits, and it was all a bit comical to be honest,” he says.

“I don’t think locals knew it was going to be opened on that day: there needed to be better communication with the community.

“There was some catering as well and a few folk in high-vis jackets.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

BAYSWATER mayor Sylvan Albert has described his fellow councillors as “petty” after they voted any mayoral publications costing more than $1000 must be put to a council vote.

The council recently spent $8000 for full-page ads in three local newspapers—including the Voice—informing ratepayers that council mergers had been cancelled (Merger ads a ‘waste’, Voice, April 10, 2015).

Cr Terry Kenyon, the former mayor, says the same information had been in the council’s letterboxed newsletter, and had already been reported widely in the media.

“The news was absolutely everywhere in every media outlet and it was a complete waste of money to replicate the information again,” he says.

But Cr Albert says the government mergers had gone on for seven years and their cancellation was important information that had to be relayed to ratepayers.

“I think councillors are being a bit on the petty side here,” he says.

“Not everyone knew, and I had to make the call.”

Cr Mike Sabatino says the new rule will leave the mayor “hamstrung”. Cr Stephanie Coates is concerned about the extra pressure on staff from late changes.

“If we approve a publication at council and then the situation changes and the mayor has to change the text or artwork, will we have to vote again and delay the publication?” she asked.

There was also debate amongst councillors about what constituted a mayoral publication, and if it included annual reports, budget bulletins and the official newsletter.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A RULE to force Vincent councillors to register all contact with commercial property developers looks set to take effect by July.

Vincent mayor John Carey says “anyone who’s acting with honesty and integrity” has nothing to fear from the plan, which will mean all meetings with developers where applications or planning policies are discussed must be logged on a publicly available online register, including a rundown of what was spoken about.

With high-density developments ripping through the area lately causing community consternation, it’s not unusual to hear residents spread rumours of shadowy meetings and secret handshakes.

Mr Carey says his meetings are above board, and inform applicants of the rules and what the council wants, but says they should all be noted.

“Councillors and mayors shouldn’t be having coffees down at the shops with a local developer about a particular application,” he says. “Even if there’s nothing dubious happening, what if the developer walks away from that and says the councillor made a claim or commitment. Who else is there to indicate that this is not the case?”

He says “it is not a problem in the current Vincent council, because my approach is that if I do meet with a developer it’s here at the city, and the director of planning will always attend and it’s registered in my diary.

“So I’m always doing that… but this takes it online and makes it a step more accessible.”

Under the new rule, if councillors fail to declare a meeting they face referral to the local government standards panel which has the power to censure councillors, order apologies or force training.

by DAVID BELL

VANDALS have wrought destruction on a new children’s playground in Maylands six times since its opening less than two months ago.

Repairs to the Bardon Park play area have cost Bayswater council $5000 so far.

“Damage has occurred on six separate occasions during the nights,” says mayor Sylvan Albert.

“A safety rail from the flying fox has been impaired, the water fountain has been broken and the snails have been viciously smashed.

“Luckily we were able to repair some of the playing equipment straightaway, but the last attack left the snails beyond repair.

“The cost of repairing and replacing items has gone well over $5000 already.”

Cr Chris Cornish visited the $175,000 play area with his sons just days after it opened.

“I have greatly enjoyed taking my family to the Bardon Park playground on a number of times and the flying fox is a favourite for kids of all ages; including those over 40,” he says.

“Mindless behaviour by a few inconsiderate people ruin it for the vast majority.”

Police have been notified and security improved.

“If you have seen or do see anything suspicious around the Bardon Park playground, please contact our ranger and security service on 1300 360 333 or notify the police,” says mayor Albert.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A BRAZEN thief stole umpteen wallets and phones from changing rooms as Mt Lawley Amateur Football Club players trained outside.

Hawks president Gary Formica says senior players returned to the Hamer Park dressing room to discover the thefts.

“One of the phones stolen was an iPhone 6 and one of the boys was able to trace it to a house in Forrestfield,” he told the Voice. “We contacted the local police, but they said they were unable to go into the house without a search warrant.

“It’s really disappointing that this has happened: we generally leave the changing rooms unlocked as we are so close by and there are always people going in and out during training.”

Local police officer Dave Whitnell says iPhone “pinging” is helpful but not always exact.

“A similar type of incident over the weekend led up to apprehending an offender for a $140,000 burglary in Claremont,” he told the Voice.

Intelligence

“Usually we will look into this type of information and use it to add value to intelligence that we already have associated with a specific address. This may assist us with finding grounds to obtain a search warrant.”

He warns there’s a lot of theft occurring in the Mt Lawley area.

“We have conducted two pro-active operations in the last month in an attempt to combat this type of crime,” he says. “During the last operation we made three arrests, issued two summons and three juvenile cautions.

“We regularly patrol the area that you have mentioned above and are always on the lookout for suspicious activities.”

Mr Formica says the Hamer Park carpark needs better lighting and CCTV.

Stirling acting manager Craig Castle says there have been four requests since January for extra patrols at Hamer Park.

“CCTV is generally not provided for leased club rooms and no official application has been received as far as I am aware,” he says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

HISTORIC sewer vents around Perth will be preserved with heritage protection, but a grand Tudor-style mansion in King’s Park wasn’t as fortunate, with bulldozers due to close on the century-old house in the next few days.

The vents scattered around the CBD were installed between 1911 and 1928 and stand between 11 and 16 metres tall with decorative cast-iron bases. They were built “to assist in reducing odours associated with the completion of Perth’s new deep sewerage system” but apparently were pretty crappy at their job.

They’re considered significant as they provide “rare evidence of the earliest establishment of a deep sewerage system,” and they’re a small surviving example of a once-common piece of infrastructure. They also hark back to a time when “decorative but functional cast-iron work was used for these items of public infrastructure”.

In a more substantial heritage listing by the Perth city council this week, the old “Phineas Seeligson’s City Loan Office” building at 143 Barrack Street will soon be permanently listed on the state register.

Considered a “fine example of federation Romanesque architecture [with] a high degree of aesthetic value with its ornamental facade and high pitched gable… the place is the only purpose-built pawn broker known to exist in Western Australia”. Designed by WA’s first born-and-trained architect Henry (Harry) Stirling Trigg, the 1894 building “was constructed for pawnbroker Phineas Seeligson, a philanthropist and prominent leader in the Jewish community in WA”.

The PCC unanimously endorsed the listing and sent it back to the WA heritage council for the final fiddly bits.

by DAVID BELL