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  • Travel ban

    VINCENT councillors have voted to ban themselves from attending interstate conferences for this term.

    Mayor John Carey proposed the ban, which won unanimous support, because of the amount of work to be done before amalgamations next year.

    “To demonstrate that there’s a serious commitment to the community, we’re saying there’ll be no external council trips.”

    “In this type of climate it’s my personal view that it’s not appropriate that councillors and mayors should be doing interstate or overseas travel.

    “We’re focussed on two key priorities: Spending all our time on the infrastructure programs to leave a legacy for Vincent…and we are looking at the amalgamation process.

    “To demonstrate that there’s a serious commitment to the community, we’re saying there’ll be no external council trips.”

    Directors will still be able to travel to conferences (it’s in their contracts they get one a year).

  • Boat People Park for Wade Street

    THE reserve at Wade Street could soon be known as Boat People Park or Tu Do Pak (a shortened version of Liberty Park).

    After long debate the park was last year chosen for the Vietnamese Community WA’s monument to thank Australians for welcoming refugees at the end of the Vietnam War.

  • Women booted from Beales

    PLANS to make Beales Park a permanent home for Noranda Women’s Football Club have been scrapped, following concerns from local residents.

    The Morley club wanted to build a changing room and pavilion at the park, after club president Chris Blake complained “women had to change into their playing strip behind towels in the middle of the park”.

    “Due to the disgusting condition of the toilets most refuse to use them, opting to travel the half-kilometre to use Noranda sporting complex facilities instead,” he’d told Bayswater councillors.

    The council received just one response in support of the application and 12 against.

    Concerns include parking congestion, noise and the potential for anti-social behaviour.

    Councillors voted instead that the club use Emberson Reserve for the next three seasons.

    Cr Mike Anderton says it’s better suited to the needs of the state league division one side.

    “It is an established facility with ample parking and safer clearance from the road,” he says.

    “Infant Jesus [primary school] already use it on a Sunday morning.

    “Noranda would have the Sunday afternoon slot and two nights a week for training.”

    Cr Michelle Sutherland—who coaches women’s soccer in her spare time and who originally proposed Beales as a new home for the club—concedes locals don’t want the soccer troupe there.

    “Given the level of local opposition I feel Emberson is a much better fit and had been assessed favourably by the city’s officers.”

    NWFC is currently based at Noranda sporting complex, sharing facilities with two other clubs. It’s pretty crowded and means the club often uses Beales Park as an overspill.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • New poll a ‘cruel blow’ for Libs

    THE WA senate re-election is a cruel blow for the Liberal party which has every right to be “particularly aggrieved” says Notre Dame University political lecturer Martin Drum.

    Western Australians are expected to return to the polls in April or May to elect six senators after the Australian Electoral Commission admitted it had lost 1370 votes during a recount of votes in WA following the September 2013 election.

    Mr Drum says the Liberals—who surged in September but who now face an electorate smarting from tough decisions—could lose out: “It is cruel for the Liberal party,” he says.

    “Certainly the unpopularity of the state government won’t help the Liberals, but it will largely be a federal affair.”

    “Having had three senators elected last time around—none of which were in dispute—they have everything to lose and little to gain from this by-election.

    “At the best they can retain the three seats they already won, but there is a reasonable chance they will lose one.”

    Mr Drum believes the Greens’ Scott Ludlam—who retained his seat on a knife-edge only after an AEC recount—will fare better second time round.

    “Scott Ludlam will do pretty well this time,” he predicts.

    “The Greens are less likely to be lumped together with an unpopular Labor government in 2014.

    “There’s a range of poignant anti-government campaigns he can run in order to maximise his vote, such as Medicare.”

    Swingeing budget cuts and an unpopular shark cull policy by the state Liberal government will not influence the federal re-election, Mr Drum believes.

    “I don’t think that the state government shark cull policy will have much of an impact on the vote, nor even many of their other policies,” he says.

    “Certainly the unpopularity of the state government won’t help the Liberals, but it will largely be a federal affair.

    “Electors will be a little wary of voting for the micro-parties, given the controversy over preferences.

    “There is already a greater spotlight on the preferential arrangements than previously, and I expect the preference deals this time around to be highlighted much more during the campaign.”

    The re-run cost two senior electoral commission executives their jobs and will cost taxpayers more than $20 million.

  • New club for mini hounds

    PERTH dog lovers have established a WA Italian greyhound club, the first of its kind in Australia.

    Founding member Francesca Perino—who owns 33cm tall Nica—says they formed the club after people flocked to their page on Facebook.

    The tiny hound—just taller than a ruler and as light as 3.6kg—is often mistaken for a baby whippet.

    Ms Perino, who lives in Mt Lawley, says the breed is relatively unknown in Australia.

    “It hasn’t taken off for a number of reasons: Aussies tend to like big dogs and they are also quite fragile, so not so good for owners with young children who may be a bit rough or accidentally injure them.

    “Plus there are only two breeders in WA, so they are hard to source. But they are beautiful pets and great for a couple or person who lives on their own.”

    The name of the breed was coined in renaissance Italy, with the short-haired pooches popular with ladies of the court.

    Now mainly a companion dog, it is believed the diminutive breed was used in Greece to hunt rodents. It has a top running speed of 40kph and lives an average 13.5 years.

    Ms Perino says they’re popular with people living in small inner-city apartments.

    “A lot of Italian greyhound owners live in Mt Lawley and Highgate,” she says.

    “But these aren’t handbag dogs, and require lots of exercise, so don’t buy one and expect it to sleep all day.

    The club is hosting an Italian greyhound show in Hamer Park, Mt Lawley on April 6 at 10am.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • LETTERS 1.3.14

    14. 819LETTERSUmbrage for Armadale
    AT the Vincent council meeting of February 25 there were a number of speakers, of whom some were challenged by the mayor about being “appropriate” and/or “disrespectful”.
    Can someone please explain why the mayor’s favoured candidate for the by-election, James Peart, was not pulled up for the extraordinarily elitist and disrespectful comment that a plan was so bad it wouldn’t even be approved by the City of Armadale?
    Making or allowing such comments is not representative of the wider Vincent community.
    An apology is required.
    Katrina Montaut
    Harold St, Mt Lawley
    The Ed says: The former state member for Armadale—the former Vincent mayor now federal Perth MP—may have raised an eyebrow if she’d been in the chair, Katrina.

    Voters MIA
    AS of Friday only 21 per cent of eligible electors have voted in Vincent south ward’s by-election.
    People claim to be passionate about Vincent and expect their councillors to fight for our future, but 79 per cent have failed to vote.
    If you want a councillor with a proven history of fighting for Vincent’s future then find your voting papers, read the flyers, and vote accordingly.
    If you don’t care who gets your $25,000 of ratepayers’ money then just sit back, but don’t complain if they do little to protect you from the circling birds of prey from St Georges Terrace.
    James Peart
    Leederville

    Bigger not better
    THE discussions on the proposed merger of Vincent with Perth (or any other entity) have gone into detail about the cost benefits, the accounting methods, the political spills and even disputes on roads and rubbish.
    However, I see the issue differently.
    At a time when governments of all sizes and persuasions, political parties, community groups and generally any group that is organised at all, are calling for people to be more interactive and engaging with them, we see a proposal at an amalgamation that flies in the face of all that rhetoric.
    If any government, group or any beauracracy at all wants people to get off their bums and join in and contribute, then ease of accessibility is a huge factor.
    If I want to contribute with the City of Vincent it is easy.
    I can basically ride my bike down to council chambers. I can (mainly) get through to who I want to talk to on the phone. If I need someone to come around to see what’s happening in the local park…no problem…it is done, pronto.
    Yes, I interact with my local government.
    I can easily be part of one of the advisory groups. I can easily get involved with a local councillor campaign effort. I have the right to protest and can easily do that.
    I am doing exactly what the beaurucrats want me to do…get involved. They know that they cannot govern or run their ship in a sterile environment. They need people to take a grass roots approach.
    Now, turn that over to the City of Perth and we have completely new ball game.
    I cannot see myself trundling down to St Georges Terrace, parking, getting security checked, lining up and then not even getting a chance to speak.
    I cannot see myself joining a community advisory group that meets at St Georges Terrace at 4.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon.
    I cannot see myself participating at all in that new council format. It’s just too bloody hard to get there. I just will not do it. Full stop.
    So you see where we are going. People will find it very hard to get involved. The beaurucrats will rule in heavenly anonymous splendour. It’s got fascist overtones.
    We, as a community would be going backwards with the increasingly difficult job of encouraging citizens at all levels, to participate.
    I cannot support the interference into the successful running of the City of Vincent.
    I have written to the Local Government Advisory Board Chairman, telling him exactly that.
    Colin Scott
    North Perth

    WE shall probably never know the real reason why Vincent councillors voted, on February 11 to dump CEO John Giorgi (Voice, February 22, 2014).
    We shall never know why seven elected members with an average of just two years’ experience on council (only two of whom have more than two years) chose to make the administration leaderless at this critical time.
    Only Cr John Pintabona saw the strategic issues.
    What was the straw that broke the camel’s back? The residents and ratepayers of Vincent deserve to be told why the CEO, who has been responsible for successfully implementing the often confusing directions and decisions of council for nearly 20 years, has suddenly become unsatisfactory.
    Whatever the reason, it would need to be a very strong one to justify dumping the CEO at this time.
    The next 18 months were going to be difficult enough, for elected members and staff alike, without having a CEO who knows he doesn’t have the support of his council.
    Alternatively, if John Giorgi goes early, the city administration will initially have a temporary leader and then a new one who will need to come up to speed on all the issues facing the city.
    But fear not! The cavalry, in the form of Tony “Homer” Simpson, will “come to the rescue”. Our esteemed elected members have given the WA local government minister a golden opportunity to install commissioners to run Vincent until October 2015—effectively disenfranchising the people who elected them during the crucial period of amalgamations.
    With friends like that, who needs enemies?
    Ian Ker
    Mt Lawley

    Rossi wrong on forced heritage
    IT is a pity Mark Rossi is not telling the full story in his attempts to get elected to Vincent council in the by-election for south ward.
    As has already been made clear by council, the city will consult first with property owners regarding heritage areas and heritage issues before taking any conclusive action.
    In his flyer Mr Rossi includes the statement: “I am against heritage restrictions being placed on your property without consent”, creating an atmosphere of fear. How is it he is not aware of council’s stance on this matter? It should be pointed out he made no such statement on the How to Vote ballot information sheet that went out with the postal vote forms.
    Does Mark have double standards on this issue? He has indicated he supports development and is one of “them”. And why, if he lives in Mount Hawthorn, is he wanting to run for south ward?
    Marie Slyth
    Carr St, West Perth

    Mulching mutts?
    OUR big yellow bin for recycling glass, tins and paper is welcome.
    On first encounter I read the notice on the lid as “DOG recycling bin”. What a great idea, I thought. Why not cats, too? Closer scrutiny and re-reading, however, revealed “DCG”.
    Aloysius Pepper (Sgt.ret.)
    Queens Cres, Mt Lawley

  • Utterly Endorable

    MY mum is a huge fan of those feisty females you see in sit-coms, such as Bea in Golden Girls, but her favourite is Endora, Darrin’s mother-in-law from hell in Bewitched.

    My husband was, many many years ago, quick to peg the name to his then-new mother-in-law—but he’s the only one game or stupid enough to use it.

    It’s a roundabout way of saying mum would fit right in at The Dizzy Witch Cafe, in Northbridge, which is full of witch kitsch and breakfast items such as eggs Griselda, mushrooms Esmeralda and Warlock’s last meal.

    The lunch menu isn’t quite so fanciful, though there is a hocus pocus chicken burger ($16.50), and a club sand”witch”. Boom tish.

    A cabinet full of homemade pies was spell-binding…

    The Dizzy Witch is a homely sort of place and my lunch companion—a chef—was impressed with the busy kitchen’s relative silence, free of the shouting she associates with establishments she’s worked in.

    Such a pleasant working environment augured well for kitchen staff working their magic on the food.

    A beetroot, apple and ginger juice ($6) was a picture to look and refreshing to quaff on a hot day. The deep red potion had the earthiness of beet, tempered with the sharpness of freshly squeezed apple and a hint of gingery heat.

    A cabinet full of homemade pies was spell-binding, with everything from beef and lamb to chicken, and a couple of vegetarian versions.

    My lunch mate opted for the chickpea and spinach madras pie ($13 with salad).

    Standing tall and golden, the pastry was thin, crisp and flavoursome, and the chickpea curry filling delicious.

    My pumpkin, potato and oregano frittata was pleasant but lacked gusto. Needed some fairy dust perhaps.

    The accompanying salad made up for it with a mix of lettuce, rocket, thinly sliced red cabbage, tomatoes and capsicum so fresh you’d swear they’d just been picked. And the vinaigrette dressing had the perfect mix of oil and vinegar. I did think the use of canned beetroot for the second salad was disappointing, given I’ve had so many great fresh versions and beetroot is pretty easy to come by these days.

    The Dizzy Witch prides itself on its fair trade 5 Senses coffee and with good reason my mate sighed, enjoying hers.

    My very pleasant earl grey tea was just right with a slice of banana chai bread, served toasted ($4).

    The Dizzy Witch is a pleasant home-away-from-home sort of place for lunch—and no doubt breakfast. Eggs Griselda? Mmmm?

    by JENNY D’ANGER

    The Dizzy Witch
    197 Brisbane St, Northbridge
    9228 1501
    open Tues–Sun 7am–4pm

  • PICAnauts swim with the pisces

    16. 819ARTS
    • PICA staffers Renae Coles, Tim Carter, Leigh Robb and Nadia Johnson (and some random surfie dude).

    WHO said Perth’s art scene was full of namby-pamby hipster fops?

    The back-room staff at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts have muscled-up and romped home in this year’s Rottnest Channel Swim.

    “We did the Rotto swim to advocate the importance of art in a healthy community”

    The “PICAnauts”, including curator Leigh Robb and communication manager Renae Coles, raised $4500 and completed their inaugural Rotto swim in a very respectable seven hours and 18 minutes.

    “Our training started back in November when our ex-military production manager took us on a bootcamp at Heirisson Island,” Ms Coles says. “It was intense and he had us jumping over logs, climbing fences and doing all kinds of madcap stuff.

    “We then started the swimming in earnest in January, because none of us had swum long distances since our school days.

    “We did the Rotto swim to advocate the importance of art in a healthy community, and also to raise funds for the artists we support through our PICA studios program.”

    Ms Coles says they are planning more physical challenges to raise funds for artists and connect with the wider community.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Timely art

    EINSTEIN’S theory of relativity and South African apartheid come together in a joint PICA and WA art gallery exhibition, The Refusal of Time.

    Johannesburg artist William Kentridge’s father was an ardent opponent of the country’s officially racist divide and was one of a few white South Africans who offered legal representation to those suffering under it.

    “Kentridge’s art is an astounding inquiry into humanity and universal and primordial issues in the modern age, some of which stem from his first-hand experience of the political and social struggles of his homeland,” PICA curator Lee Robb says. Trained in drama and theatre before switching to art, Kentridge’s latest exhibition is a vast installation of five videos, combining the magic of theatre, drawing and music with film and animation: it entirely covers the walls of the extensive PICA Gallery.

    a cacophony of sound, movement and action demonstrating how time is forced onto people…

    His interest in the nature of time was sparked while studying at Harvard, where he met eminent quantum physics professor Peter Galison, who was working on a paper by Einstein.

    Until trains came along no-one in London or Edinburgh cared what the time was in Paris or Brussels.

    But trains needed to run on time and times needed to match between points of departure and arrival—it had to be understood. Time fascinated Einstein, who theorised it is not absolute but relative and resistant to control: the concept revolutionised science and heralded a new dawn of discoveries.

    The Refusal of Time is a cacophony of sound, movement and action demonstrating how time is forced onto people, including PICA staff.

    “We have to set the exhibits each Monday to make sure they keep time,” Robb says.

    But there’s scope for rebellion, with exploding clocks part of the fun.

    Kentridge is considered at the top of his field and the The Refusal of Time is regarded a coup for WA: a number of Australian capital cities had been keen to premier it.

    Audience numbers have been gratifying: as the 30-minute loop plays out, “chairs fill up and people stop and stare”.

    The exhibition is free and on until April 27, at PICA in Perth’s cultural centre. And there’s a free talk by UWA adjunct associate professor Gary Dufour on the works of Kentridge Tuesday March 4, 6pm.

    by JENNY D’ANGER

  • Rookwood weaves a spell

    AUGUSTUS ROOKWOOD is one of the bad wizards in Harry Potter and rooks generally get a bad rap in literature.

    But this terrific home on Rookwood Street, Mt Lawley is more like a book you love to cuddle up with in bed.

    The gorgeous 1920s manse has been brought back to its former glory and with a sensitive addition is a stunning family domain for a 21st century lifestyle.

    The verandah wraps protectively around this art deco home, providing shade and grace.

    tucked amongst a forest of palms and other exotic greenery is a glass-walled studio…

    Open the attractive stained-glass front door and you step inside to rich jarrah floors that glow like an aged red, and high, decorative ceilings.

    The main bedroom is off the expansive entry hall and is a commodious space with lovely French doors to the verandah.

    A walk-in robe leads to a particularly attractive ensuite, with separate shower and spa bath, and there’s a huge study right next door.

    The central formal lounge is a gracious room, with an attractive ceiling rose and fireplace (gas-powered—no wood to cut and cart).

    The open-plan extension is massive, with a sparkling white kitchen at one end and huge bifold doors onto the patio and lush garden the other.

    I can picture family gatherings on the timber-ceilinged patio.

    You could get a production line going on the kitchen’s long, long breakfast bar/island bench, and there’s a massive pull-out pantry to hold supplies.

    I really loved the mosaic, stone splash-back behind the stove.

    The spacious patio has room for a six-seater dining suite, and three two-seater couches. And a built-in-BBQ kitchen with a wok burner and its own dishwasher.

    You can work off lunch excesses in the nearby swim spa, where powerful jets allow a good workout while staying in the same spot.

    The vendor is an artist and tucked amongst a forest of palms and other exotic greenery is a glass-walled studio. It’s a delightful, secluded spot for an artist, writer or student, especially with doors on two sides pulled back for soft breezes to waft in.

    This fantastic home is minutes from Perth College, Mt Lawley High and Edith Cowan University.

    And there’s no shortage of great cafes, restaurants and specialty shops nearby.

    by JENNY D’ANGER

    59A Rookwood Street, Mt Lawley
    from $1.795 million
    Toby Baldwin
    0418 914 926
    Acton Mt Lawley
    9272 2488