Perth Voice Interactive

THE folks from the Vincent Men’s Shed are hard at work crafting 200 crosses for Anzac Cottage’s Remembrance Day.

The Mt Hawthorn cottage was built in one day during the Great War as a memorial that also served as a home for a returned serviceman: it was bestowed on Cuthbert John Porter when he returned from the landing at Gaba Tepe.

Private Porter’s granddaughter Anne Chapple still tends to the house, now a museum, and with Remembrance Day on the horizon she wants the crosses to serve as an anchor for lots of individual narratives. “At Anzac Cottage when people come for open days, they’ve always got stories of individual soldiers in their own family,” she says.

“I wanted something for people to commemorate individually.” And she’s hoping people will cover the crosses in photos, poppies or tributes.

Anyone with a family member who went to an Australian war can get the crosses free from Ms Chapple through http://www.trybooking.com/GAFQ

by DAVID BELL

JUST 10 escaped birds started it all, and now Hyde Park is plagued by rainbow lorikeets.

Back in the 1960s fewer than 10 of the pretty but nasty eastern states birds were “either deliberately released or had escaped” according to the WA agriculture and food department.

Fifty years later the population’s booming, with complaints about bird poo everywhere, chewing of fruit and damage to vehicles. A gang of the birds even threatens the airport, posing a bird-strike risk to aircraft.

The pretty pollies are so pesky that in the south-west land division they can be legally shot on private land without the need for a licence.

The creatures are known for aggressively defending nests and crowding out native birds. Voice reader Tony Simpkins reports that down at Hyde Park they’ve driven out all 28 native parrots.

He says they “make a visit to the park almost unbearable, with their excessive noise and excreta”. While Mr Simpkins wonders what Vincent council is doing about the plague, CEO Len Kosova says it’s largely a WA government issue.

“The city does not budget to contribute to any rainbow lorikeet control measures,” he says, noting it’s the responsibility of the Rainbow Lorikeet Working Group, a cabal of a half-dozen government agencies.

He says all sightings and problems should be reported to the agriculture and food department.

by DAVID BELL

STIRLING residents living in congested streets will be able to apply for free parking permits under a new city-wide scheme.

A council committee wanted to charge residents $25 a year for a permit, but the council eventually voted to issue them for free, and to review the scheme after 12 months. A free transitional permit will also be available for a maximum of 12 months, with a replacement costing $30.

Cr Rod Willox argued the permits should be free: “Why should residents have to pay for the privilege of parking in front of their own house?”  he said.

“There is a perception amongst the public that this would be a revenue-raising device. I agree with the replacement charge to cover admin, but not an annual fee.”

But Cr David Boothman said not charging would discourage residents from using public transport: “We are trying to encourage people to use public transport, but this gives them an excuse to buy another car and park it outside their house,” he says.

Cr Bill Stewart said public transport was not up to the job: “In Stirling, public transport is useless,” he says.

Council officers say the passes will not be handed out willy-nilly: “The…policy will provide an avenue to enable residents living in high-demand parking locations, who do not have sufficient parking on private property, to park on the thoroughfare near their residence.”

The scheme was originally designed to help residents living in and around the busy Glendalough Rail Station after paid parking was introduced. Neighbouring councils do not charge for residential parking permits.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

ST JOHN OF GOD hospital in Mt Lawley wants more Tom Clancy and less Mills and Boon.

The hospital is starting up a patient library and is looking for volunteers to run the library and people to donate books.

So far staff have donated around 150 books, but hospital coordinator Kerrie James says they would like more books men can sink their teeth into.

“We’ve had a great response from our caregivers in the hospital, and we would really appreciate the support of the local community in donating more books,” she says.

The hospital has around 202 beds and includes a mental health ward and a recuperation ward, including stroke sufferers.

Ms James says those patients tend to stay the longest and would benefit most from the library.

“A lot of people staying at the hospital are from the country and so they don’t have family close by and tend not to get a lot of visits,” she says.

“So they love to chat with our volunteers and it gives them a big lift.

“Volunteers will not only get to help with the library but also get to socialise with patients—it’s a very rewarding experience.”

Ms James adds the hospital has around 44 volunteers, ranging from medical students to retirees.

Mt Lawley MP Michael Sutherland thinks the library is a great idea: “Patients will welcome a wide range of reading material to while away time while they are in hospital,” he says.

“I am sure that there will be no shortage of donations of good quality books and magazines to this worthy cause from the local community.”

To donate a book or volunteer contact Kerrie on 9370 9640 or kerrie.james@sjog.org.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

DOWN amongst the turnips and spuds you might glimpse a flying trapeze artist or a teenager walking the high-wire.

Since CirQuest moved into City Farm last year, the circus club has gone from strength to strength and now has around 100 members and teaches everything from juggling to silk trapeze.

CirQuest founder Isobel Lyall says in a world where kids are wrapped in cotton wool, circus training injects necessary risk into their lives.

“Risk is something frequently unavailable to children nowadays—they are not even allowed to do handstands or cartwheels in the playground,” she says.

“If you are never exposed to any kind of risk, then you can’t learn to manage it in a safe way.

“A lot of families appreciate that we let kids take a chance and make them aware of the consequences of their actions.”

The school runs classes for adults and kids as young as two, who develop fine motor skills and sensory awareness.

Training to be an occupational therapist, Ms Lyall says circus training is beneficial for children with learning difficulties or attention-deficit disorders.

“I was contacted by an occupational therapist who noticed that kids who attended our classes were making greats strides in other aspects of their learning,” says the 39-year-old. “It’s definitely part of that whole act-belong-commit philosophy.”

A performer of 20 years she puts the circus resurgence down to Cirque du Soleil, which since making its Las Vegas debut in 1993 has taken the world by storm. Burlesque and “Circus Noir” have also brought in people interested in the big-top’s darker, edgier side.

“We have a number of members who also moonlight doing burlesque,” Ms Lyall says.

The school performs at festivals, community events and corporate functions, with profits used to buy new equipment. The club gets free use of the farm’s old market’s building in return for managing the space as a community arts venue.

“Now we have a permanent home, we are able to use bigger and more elaborate equipment,” Ms Lyall says. CirQuest runs classes six nights a week.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK