Perth Voice Interactive

A MOUNT LAWLEY pet shop is considering legal action against an animal rights group after being targeted in a pre-Christmas “puppy farm” protest.

About 30 people attended the December 21 protest outside Mount Lawley Pets and Puppies after the group Oscar’s Law claimed it had flown in litters of puppies, sourced from “factories”, to sell for Christmas.

Store co-owner Rose Wilson says the group is wrong, and has damaged her business.

“All our puppies are sourced from licensed, reputable dealers and are vet-checked up to three times before they are sold,” she told the Voice. “We don’t deal with backyard breeders and offer our customers lots of educational and support services on how to look after their puppy.

“I’d be first to join Oscar’s Law if they went about things the right way, because I and all my staff are animal lovers, but they are overly aggressive and some of the comments on their Facebook page are simply untrue.

“I feel our shop has been unfairly targeted and I have taken legal advice over some of their  inaccurate comments about our shop on social media.”

Oscar’s Law seeks to abolish factory farming of companion animals, and ban the sale of companion animals from pet shops and online ads.

Oscar’s Law member Trudi Hall says the protest had enjoyed “lots of support from pedestrians and passing cars”.

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“The pet shop owners were very displeased with our presence, as you would expect,” she told the Voice.

Puppy farms are big news in the eastern states, with new Victorian premier Dan Andrews campaigning heavily on a promise to outlaw them.

Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker says the crackdowns in Victoria and Queensland mean more pups will end up in WA, sold through pet shops, markets and online sites like the Quokka.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

THE virtual world is leaking into real life again, with the Internet Cat Video Festival making its way to the Northbridge Piazza.

Internet videos of cats doing awesome things like jumping into fishbowls and attacking their reflections had their genesis in a cat called Fatso playing a keyboard, whose video was uploaded to YouTube in 2007.

Since then, the world has gone batshit nuts for internet cats. The owners of Facebook sensation Grumpy Cat, for example, are multi-millionaires on the back of advertising and merchandising deals.

Now, the Shenton Park-based Cat Haven and Perth city council are holding a free film festival celebrating internet cats, featuring 85 of what they judge to be the best clips, ranging from six-second clips to short films.

The first Internet Cat Video Festival was held in Minneapolis in 2012, and since then it’s spread to more than two dozen cities.

Here in Perth there’ll also be a kitten-cuddling area and punters can hear about adopting cats from Cat Haven (currently full to bursting). The haven especially needs people to adopt cats with ringworm (it’s treatable and Cat Haven provides the medication but the kitties need to be kept from other cats during treatment).

It’s on January 17 at the Northbridge Piazza (corner James and Lake Street) with a kids’ movie at 5.30pm then the cat movies kicking off at 7pm. Kitty dress ups are encouraged but don’t bring booze or your own cat, it’ll freak out and that won’t make for a funny video if it makes a dash across a busy road.

by DAVID BELL

PERTH city council is helping Kurb Gallery find a new home.

The popular Northbridge gallery, located on William Street for more than 30 years, was decided to close at Christmas when the new landlord nearly tripled the rent to $60,000 (Voice, December 20, 2014). 

Lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the PCC’s policy of filling under-utilised and forgotten spaces may help Kurb.

“This discussion includes the City of Perth facilitating conversations between Kurb and owners of suitable vacant spaces both publicly and privately owned,” she says. “The city has also advised Kurb on grants they may be eligible for.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A SPATE of thefts from cars has dampened the Christmas spirit for visitors to Bayswater’s Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary

The weekend after Christmas, police reported five thefts from vehicles in the sanctuary car park and three more in the surrounding area.

“We did have a line of inquiry via iPhone tracking but that didn’t pan out,” says local acting senior sergeant Warren Greaney.

“We are continuing to proactively police these types of offences across the Bayswater sub-district.

“Any place where vehicles are parked for an extended period of time, can be targets for thefts.”

Councillor Chris Cornish says carpark users should be vigilant.

“It is disappointing to hear about the recent spate of car break-ins,” he says.

“I have informed the City of Bayswater ranger and security services so that they are aware of the issue, and have faith that they will be extra vigilant in the area.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

TIRED of talented bands playing to empty rooms, Bassendean music producer Peter Renzullo has started up the Perth Underground Live Music Appreciation Club, to revitalise the flagging live music scene.

The aim is simple: he doesn’t want people to just join his group. He wants rock-solid commitment to attending gigs.

Early indications are positive: he’d hoped to sign up 100 people by Christmas but it’s soared already to 700.

Turnouts over the past couple of years have certainly withered. Sometimes the only people watching are the bar staff. It means dedicated live music venues struggle to make a buck, and either close or scale back their gig nights.

“I’ve certainly noticed it a lot in the past few years,” Mr Renzullo says. “I used to play on and off in 2001 and 2002, and that seemed to be a lot more busy, the pubs were packed.

“The latest trend, quite noticeably across the board, is a drop in crowds.”

“The public is quite disengaged with the original scene,” he says, and that leads to a self-defeating cycle: bands get apathetic so they don’t publicise their gigs, so no-one turns up, and on it goes. Pub owners watching their bottom line fall back on recorded music or cover bands belting out Khe Sanh.

Mr Renzullo started Pulmac to build up a dedicated fan base.

He’s planning monthly meetings at live gigs so members can get exposure to new music and chat with like-minded fans. It’s also a reminder to venue owners that people are interested.

New bands also need to show pub owners they can bring along a fan base—a tough ask if you haven’t gigged before—so Pulmac members can step in on that front too, giving new bands an all-important leg-up.

Pulmac’s big launch gig is January 11 at the Bakery in James Street, Northbridge, and there’s already 200 pre-sales. It’ll be a mixed bag of acts to expose newcomers to variety, with vocal loop artist Sam Perry, acoustic folksters Lynda Smyth & the Borrowed Few, Shimmergloom, The Regular Hunters and the indy/grungy The Bitter Grins getting up on stage.

The group has a Facebook page (PULMAC) or head to http://www.nowbaking.com.au for a ticket to the launch, or it’s $15 on the door.

by DAVID BELL

’TWAS the night before Christmas when the Barnett government gazetted its legislation to merge Bayswater and Bassendean councils and rejig Stirling’s borders.

Former Vincent councillor and anti-forced amalgamation campaigner Ian Ker found the timing deeply suspect, given many people were either deeply distracted or on holiday (including the Voice).

Mr Ker commented: “What a cynical piece of skulduggery to have governor’s orders issued on Christmas Eve and hope that no-one will notice—especially when the supreme court judgement is under appeal.”

Mr Ker and a few other councils tried to fight the mergers in court but their attempt was rejected by chief justice Wayne Martin, partly because the changes planned didn’t affect the plaintiffs.

Subiaco city council is appealing that decision.

by DAVID BELL

ANOTHER artwork by Chinese sculptor Chen Wen Ling has been damaged by Perth’s philistine denizens.

On New Year’s Eve delinquents tore the $58,000 sculpture free from its pricey plinth at the corner of Bulwer and Vincent Streets.

They left the sculpture languishing on the grass, where Vincent council staff retrieved it. It’s now in storage at the council depot, awaiting reattachment.

On January 2 council staff discovered damage to another piece of public art, with the antique bed at the corner of Beaufort and Clarence Streets having the foot end turned away and other cast iron bits cracked.

“It’s just idiotic,” says mayor John Carey. “It happened on New Year’s Eve so clearly someone was intoxicated, but it is disappointing.

“It just shows a lack of respect to the local community.

“I am tired of drunken idiots vandalising our city. We are investing so much in renewing our town centres and streets and it’s a complete lack of respect for the people who live here.

“Unfortunately it’s also repeated behaviour, with trees often smashed or destroyed. I’ve had enough.”

Mr Carey says the council is reviewing Beaufort Street’s CCTV in order to identify the culprits.

In 2012 two men were convicted for stealing another of Chen’s red men statues from Sculpture by the Sea, sawing it off at the feet and carting it away.

by DAVID BELL

LOUD grunts and leering have been banned at Beatty Park.

New directives follow complaints last year, reported in the Voice, that women were being eyed up by sweaty muscle-men in the sauna.

A sign’s now been erected at the swim centre, reminding sauna-goers “inappropriate comments, language, topics of conversation within hearing of other members” are unacceptable.

A newsletter links the reminder to the centre’s changing demographic following its glamour revamp.

Loud gym exertions that would put Sharapova to shame have also been outlawed, with weightlifters reminded “excessive loud grunting” is not allowed while pumping iron.

Gyms around the world have been taking aim at loudly grunting bodybuilders thought to be scaring off casual gym-goers.

US-based gym chain Planet Fitness has installed “Lunk alarms” that sound a siren if someone grunts too loud, and it cancelled a bodybuilder’s membership for being too guttural during lifts.

A 1999 Texas sports science study found no increase in lifting ability from grunting, but more recent research from Drexel University shows a 10 per cent increase in force when vocalising.
Japanese martial arts also teach practitioners to let out a “kiai!” when striking in order to focus power, and similar shouts exist in Chinese and Korean arts. In kendo a swordsman is only awarded a point if the strike is accompanied by a strong shout.

by DAVID BELL