Perth Voice Interactive

BRANT GARVEY has qualified for the triathlon elite world championship in Canada.

The Stirling paratriathlete secured his berth by finishing second in ITU world triathlon in Chicago.

Broiled in mid-thirties humidity, Garvey finished with a time of 01:16:03, about three minutes behind US winner Mark Barr.

Taking silver catapulted him to first place in the PT2 world disability class world rankings.

This year Garvey became the world record holder for the fastest above-the-knee amputee to complete an ironman triathlon.

Garvey has been selected for the elite Australian paratriathlon team in preparation for the 2016 paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“In many ways, my disability has made me the man I am today,” he says.

“Overcoming obstacles have been a big part of my life and it has always motivated me to do better, push harder and persevere.

“I’ve learned that success means working very hard, falling down sometimes, getting back up and giving it another go.”

Garvey started triathlon training a little over a year ago, when he decided to give running a try while walking his dogs.

“I fell flat on my face the first time, but I persisted and trained very hard,” he laughs.

“That I actually got this far and was even selected for the Australian paratriathlon team in preparation for the 2016 paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, is just indescribable.”

Garvey has also qualified for the ironman world championship in Hawaii, where he will compete against disabled and able-bodied athletes.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

MOUNT LAWLEY SHS will lose $1 million from its budget over the next five years as the Barnett government attempts to restore parity to primary and secondary school funding.

Under a new education model, around $45 million is to be redirected from secondary to primary schools over the five-year transition period.

WA education minister Peter Collier says the model replaces a complex and inequitable system.

Around 200 schools will lose funding, including Mt Lawley, Perth Modern and those in less affluent Perth suburbs and regional WA.

State school teachers’ union president Pat Byrne  supports more funds for primary schools but not at the expense of high schools.

“Mt Lawley senior high school will lose $250,000 from its budget next year, and around $1m over the five-year transition period to student-centred funding,” she says.

“No school can sustain a loss like this from its budget without it having a significant impact on the school’s ability to provide programs to students.

“Schools will have to decide which programs they will be able to continue and which will have to be cut.

“Mt Lawley will have to make some very difficult decisions and these decisions are made even more difficult because they come on the back of $200 million worth of cuts to school budgets last year.”

Labor leader Mark McGowan says nearly one in three WA schools will suffer cuts as a result of the new model.

“Parents in Mount Lawley have a right to be angry that their children are being picked on to pay for Mr Barnett’s waste and mismanagement,” he says.

“Eighty WA schools have been targeted for the largest cut of $250,000 each. Many are in low socio-economic areas. “I support a simpler funding model but I don’t believe in ripping money out of schools where students need help.”

Mt Lawley Liberal MP Michael Sutherland notes the changes mean substantial funding increases for local primary schools, include Mt Lawley, Sir David Brand and Coolbinia: “Obviously the [high] school will not be pleased but the outcome for Mt Lawley is not surprising as they were likely to be amongst the high schools to face minor cuts to their expected budgets,” he says.

“The new funding model treats all schools equally with base funding per student and then extra funding dependent on student and local area demographics.”

Mr Collier says the transition period gives schools time to adjust: “It will be up to the principal and the school board or community to decide what is best for their school.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

DARREN HAWKINS is 41, suffers bipolar disorder and is homeless.

He has battled his disability for 21 years, flitting between stints in hospital and the workplace, but when the economic downturn hit, work became hard to find and the stress of finding a job aggravated his illness, and he ended up in Rockingham hospital.

On leaving hospital with nowhere to stay and no money, he found himself on the streets for the first time—aged 41.

Thankfully, St Bart’s intervened and offered Hawkins shelter until he got back on his feet: “I’m one of the lucky ones: I’ve got a roof over my head and a toilet and shower,” he says.

“The guys doing it tough are the ones out there with nothing.

“I’m so grateful to St Bart’s for letting me stay here until I recuperate and get myself sorted out.”

Hawkins, who grew up in Armadale, says he hopes to find a place to stay in Mandurah, near his sister and friends.

He says they didn’t have room for him to stay on a long-term basis after he left hospital.

Prior to seeking refuge at St Bart’s in East Perth, Hawkins held down a job in the mines for six years.

Following doctor’s advice he is now on a disability pension until he is well enough to work again.

According to an ACOSS study, one in four Australians with a disability live below the poverty line.

An AIHW report revealed that people with disabilities make up about 18 per cent of the general population, but are one-quarter of specialist homeless services clientele.

Homeless Persons Week finishes Sunday. For info visit http://www.communityhousing.com.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

PERTH city council has written off more than $1.6 million in paving and roadworks due to shoddy workmanship.

The council says a granite pedestrian crossover between Forrest Place and the railway forecourt was “defective and not suitable for service”.

That resulted in a lengthy dispute with contractor Downer EDI Works, which had charged $598,095 for the work. It was eventually released from having to rectify the work and the PCC got a new mob in to fix it up, costing another $598,088.

Acting CEO Doug Forster says “the terms of the settlement are confidential” but it was “an acceptable commercial outcome” that addressed the pavement failure issue.

The council also wrote off more than $1m of cruddy cobblestone work at the Northbridge Piazza.

Stones started to break up shortly after installation, and the council blames “substandard” workmanship and the strength not being as good as manufacturer Monoflex had claimed.

It was replaced with sturdier asphalt earlier this year, costing $443,865 to fix up.

Lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi said “nobody’s perfect, we learn from mistakes and carry forward and do better in the future”.

by DAVID BELL

A PROSAIC car park in Mt Lawley could soon be transformed into the Left Bank in Paris—well, kind of.

The Beaufort Street Network has lodged a submission with Vincent city council to hold a monthly art market in the carpark at the corner of Barlee and Beaufort Streets.

“Arts on Beaufort” would have around 18 stalls and be held on the first Sunday of every month from 8am to 1pm.

Local artists will be able to hire stalls for $50 to sell “high-end” WA art pieces, including paintings and sculptures.

Artists who don’t want a stall can hang works for $10 per item, rising to $20 after the markets is established.

Special introductory offers for artists will be available for the first few months.

BSN chair Pam Herron says the council has granted a trial permit for September.

“We just got the temporary permit yesterday and have already got local artist Bonnie Boogaard signed up, she’s a contemporary artist who specialises in textiles and watercolours,” she says.

“We chose Sunday because there are already a lot of food markets on a Saturday and people tend to have other things on—Sunday felt right for a relaxed art market.

“None of us are artists in the network—we couldn’t draw a circle—but we all appreciate art and have wanted to launch an art market for a long time.”

Ms Herron added that every month a free stall would be allocated to a local community group for fundraising.

The project has been spearheaded by BSN member Lesley Thomas, who previously ran the Hyde Park Festival and a free concert in Forrest Place headlined by Human Nature.

Three volunteers will run the market and the BSN estimates between 50 and 100 people will visit at any one time.

Public consultation on the market closes August 15.

Arts on Beaufort goes before council for approval next month.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

TWO years after the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority moved 83-year-old Bob Mainstone out of his Beaufort Street shop, the place remains empty.

Fed up with waiting to move back in, he’s now planning to shift into a Cleaver Street shop in West Perth, a quiet locale speckled with old light industrial shops.

Mr Mainstone ran a leadlight glass business out of the corner shop near Weld Square for 30 years and employed three retirement-age workers part-time when forced to close.

The MRA owned the building and ended his lease “to allow us to fully investigate the building, determine its condition and scope any improvement works” says CEO Kieran Kinsella.

The MRA’s ambit includes “urban renewal,” “placemaking” and “urban development”. It boasts the Twitter tag “@VitalPerth”.

In other parts of town the MRA has sought to fill empty buildings like this with new businesses and pop-up shops, even offering subsidised rent to get a tenant in place, because empty buildings attract vandalism and dereliction.

For some reason that rule of thumb hasn’t been applied here. After two years of emptiness and neglect the only progress is an attempt to soften the abandoned frontage with colourful shapes pasted in the window.

Mr Kinsella says “the MRA is currently investigating options for the building including refurbishment for potential leasing purposes, or sale”.

But “they’ve done nothing,” Mr Mainstone complains.

He says he used to have a working shop that helped activate the street, employed three old-timers and paid rent.

Without his shop he mainly works from home now, and a secondary set-up in Osborne Park.

“It’s been very hard for me. I still do a little bit here… I couldn’t take on work much because I never had anywhere to go.”

The MRA wants something that will complement the nearby cultural centre, Tafe, and the “food, beverage, retail and creative precincts of Newcastle and William Streets”.

by DAVID BELL