Perth Voice Interactive

THE old police station in Maylands is set to get a $146,000 facelift to attract more visitors.

The Maylands Historical and Peninsula Association moved into the 1908 federation building last year, but has struggled to attract visitors to exhibitions.

The planned facelift includes a new timber verandah, wheelchair ramp, drinking fountain and a new roof and paint job.

President Terry Gaunt says the works will integrate the station into surrounding parkland shared by the Maylands Hall, War Memorial and the Rise.

“We don’t get much passing foot traffic so hopefully this will give the site a fillip and attract more people” he says.

“Every Wednesday we open our doors to the public.

“We have loads of interesting historical documents and photos on show.”

The little-known association provide a wealth of free historical information to several organisations, including consultants hired by Bayswater city council.

It recently provided historical background to Cathy May, who is writing the council-funded history of Bayswater “Changes They’ve Seen”.

The station houses thousands of historical artefacts about the suburb, including significant engineering documents from Maylands Aerodrome and West Australian Airways.

The aerodrome, opened at Maylands Peninsula in 1924, was Perth’s first official airport and the landing site of the first non-stop flight across Australia, performed by Charles Kingsford-Smith in 1928. It closed in 1963 when Jandakot opened.

The station’s planned facelift will also beef up security with the installation of CCTV cameras, security lighting and fencing.

Mr Gaunt says the surrounding parklands play host to anti-social behaviour: “We’ve seen various groups camping out at night and causing a bit of trouble,” he says. “Hopefully the new security measures will clean the place up a a bit and make it safer.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

NEW Bayswater councillor Stephanie Coates wants plastic playgrounds replaced with nature-style play areas.

The 39-year-old mother of three says organic play areas—using mulch, timber and sensory areas—are more stimulating and interactive for kids.

“When plastic playgrounds come to the end of their life I’d like to see council replace them with nature areas,” she says.

“They have done this very successfully at Yokine in Stirling; I’d like to see it done in Baysy on a smaller scale. It is expensive, but we are the garden city and I think we should honour that title.”

Stirling’s $3.2 million playspace in Yokine caters for children of all ages and abilities in a natural setting.

Cr Coates says she wants Bayswater to be a great place to raise kids.

Juggles

She juggles three under-10 kids, council duties and a weekend job as an occupational therapist treating over-65s at Royal Perth Hospital.

“I have experience working with the elderly at the hospital, so I’d like to be involved in the council’s redesign of the Mertome retirement village,” she says.

“I’m also keen in activating laneways with cafes, similar to Melbourne, and getting a regular street festival going in Bayswater—we haven’t had one in ages.

“It can be difficult juggling all my commitments, but so far my husband has been very understanding.”

A former secretary of St Columbus primary school P&C and committee member of Bayswater playgroup, Cr Coates says she ran for council to broaden her contribution to the community.

“I’m going to vote independently and not be part of any faction,” says the youngest member of council.

“I don’t owe anyone anything. I think it’s great that council now has a young, working mother in its ranks.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

AMBITIOUS plans for a market outside The Rise in Maylands have been scaled back after the venture failed to attract a single sponsor.

The planned market was a joint venture between the Maylands Lions and Events and Beyond company, which had hoped to raise $30,000 for start-up marketing, advertising and logistics costs.

Events and Beyond director Sally Lewis says around 20 local firms, including Bendigo Bank, Dome, LJ Hooker and Harcourts, had been approached but turned down the offer.

“It was very surprising because similar markets in the inner city were easy to attract sponsors for,” she says.

“We slashed the start-up figure to $12,000, but still couldn’t get anyone on board.

“I think it was a mix of the economic climate and bad timing, but one company did mention they had sponsored the Maylands Street Festival and not got much benefit from it.”

Lions’ vice-president Cathy Ehrhardt says the start-up costs demanded by Events and Beyond had stymied the market launch. The club has since decided to go it alone and submitted a new application to Bayswater city council.

“We’re now planning a weekly hawkers market in the space between The Rise and the Maylands hall,” she says.

“It will have gourmet food stalls and be open between 4.30–8pm every Saturday.

“We have a number of local cafes interested in coming on board, including Smoult’s on Whatley Crescent.”

Ms Ehrhardt says no money will be spent advertising the markets, with the club hoping social media, word of mouth and stories like this get the word out.

But Ms Lewis—who established the successful Subiaco Farmers’ Market and assists with the running of the popular Twilight Hawkers Market in Perth—says professional marketing is essential for new ventures.

“I wasn’t going to just chuck down a handful of stalls and hope for the best,” she says.

“This is stall-holders’ livelihoods we are talking about, it needs to be marketed properly and be done professionally.

“When I set up the Subi markets we had around $30,000 to get it up and running.”

The Lions’ application goes before council next month.

Ms Ehrhardt hopes the market will help “clean-up” the area around The Rise, which has been prone to anti-social behaviour including muggings.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

THOUSANDS of Western Australians have signed a petition opposing radical changes to the WA mental health act which, if approved, will give psychiatrists the authority to treat children with or without parental consent.

The 6975-signature petition, presented to the WA parliament by Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker:

• opposes psychiatric treatment—including electroshock and psychosurgery—of children without parental consent;

• opposes the involuntary detention of children in a mental health facility without parental consent;

• opposes the forced administration of mind-altering drugs to children without parental consent;

• opposes the restraint and seclusion of children without parental consent.

Lead petitioner Shelley Wilkins says the revised bill lodged in the WA parliament violates basic human rights.

“Under the new bill 14-year-olds can agree to electroshock and 16-year-olds to psychosurgery without parental consent,” she says.

“Correctly banned in NSW and the NT for all ages, psychosurgery irreversibly damages the brain by incision, burning or inserting electrodes through which an electrical current is sent as in deep brain stimulation.

“Electroshock is the application of hundreds of volts of electricity to the head which can cause memory loss, brain damage and sometimes death

“We ask that the legislative assembly take steps to ensure that no child is ever involuntarily committed or treated and that fully informed parental consent is always required for psychiatric treatment.”

Ms Wilkins says under the proposed amendments:

• any child regardless of age can be restrained in a psychiatric institution with the use of mechanical restraint (manacles, belts, straps, etc.) and bodily restraint

• a medical practitioner can legally order any child they “suspect” has a mental illness for examination at a psychiatric hospital.

Ms Baker broadly supports the petition: “Personally I don’t think that these treatments should be allowed to be approved by people under the age of 18,” she says.

“I agree with children’s commissioner on this point.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

An arsonist has set fire to an historic tree in Halliday Park in Bayswater.

Neighbour Greg Smith says Bayswater city council is partly to blame because of poor maintenance: It hadn’t cleaned the peppermint tree of leaf litter, providing ready fuel as the weather warmed.

Mr Smith says after only a cursory inspection, two council workers declared the damaged tree had to be cut down.

“This negligence should not facilitate tree removal and destruction,” the former council planner says.

Two other trees in the park had already been removed by council, prompting Mr Smith to question Bayswater’s “garden city” motto.

The council says it will seek an arborist’s report before making a final decision.

by DAVID BELL

THE Leederville Hotel has been granted approval for a big overhaul, but not without dissent from some local traders.

Vincent city council staff were all for the project, saying the current looming frontage is “dark and uninviting” and offers little interaction to the street.

“I think we all know the elephant in the room is the Leederville Hotel does on occasion have some anti-social incidents,” Cr Matt Buckels says.

General manager Jason Antczak promises change is on the horizon, with the hotel keen to attract more sophisticated clientele.

“Hand on heart, this development will ensure that the demographic of the hotel will change,” Mr Antczak says.

“We no longer want to deal with the 18 to 20-year-olds. We want to be able to provide a vibrant amenity to the local community, to local businesses, local residents and patrons from afar.

‘We no longer want to deal with the 18 to 20-year-olds’ Leederville manager

“The intent is to provide a fantastic amenity including a kitchen, tapas-style offerings, and reconstruct the hotel and bring that old lady back to her former glory as a pinnacle of the Leederville area.”

Along with a foodie-focus the hotel’s hoping that opening its pub to the streetscape with new transparent awnings will help enliven the “dark and uninviting” deadspot on the pavement.

The council unanimously approved the plan: “I think this is a step in the right direction to attracting a more rounded clientele,” Cr Buckels said.

“Anything that can improve that interaction with the street and offer the venue the chance to be able to improve their offering to the community and patrons is a positive step,’ Cr Josh Topelberg concurred.

Nearby traders Stuart Lofthouse (of Greens & Co) and Debbie Saunders (of 50ml) were skeptical, with Mr Lofthouse saying he was tired of the council ignoring his simple questions about the hotel’s agenda, which he says has always gotten its way via the state administrative tribunal whenever the council knocked its proposals back.

Ms Saunders, whose nearby cafe has suffered drunks peeing and vomiting in its back alley, pointed out the awning wasn’t compliant with council rules and the changes would undermine the historic value of the hotel, which is listed on the council’s heritage inventory.

by DAVID BELL

PEOPLE living in the outer suburbs are fuelling Perth’s traffic gridlock, according to a report by Committee for Perth.

The Perth think-tank’s research shows people living in the hinterlands have a higher rate of car ownership because the public transport system is inadequate and they have no alternative means of getting around.

Committee CEO Marion Fulker says buying a cheap house in outer Perth is actually false economy.

“So while people may choose to live in outer suburbs because property might be cheaper, they’re paying a lot more in ongoing transport costs,” she says.

“Households in the outer local government areas of Wanneroo, Swan, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Kalamunda, Mundaring and Armadale have two to 2.5 vehicles for every household.

“Running a medium-sized car costs anywhere between $456 and $570 a week.

“The average mortgage repayment is $500 a week.”

By comparison, the report reveals households Perth, Subiaco, Vincent, Stirling and Fremantle have 1.3 to 1.7 cars per household which cost them an average of $296 to $387 to run each week.

Federal Perth Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan—who as a WA planning minister rammed the Perth-Mandurah line past vehement Liberal opposition—took aim at Perth’s creaking public transport in her first speech to federal parliament last week.

“It is also an increasingly important social issue, with family and community life being compromised by long commute times and residents of outer suburbs spending as much as 20 per cent of their income on private transport,” she says.

“And it is an economic issue: 78 per cent of Western Australians live in greater metropolitan Perth.

“We [WA Labor] showed that, if you provide first-class public transport alternatives, commuters will convert in droves—we saw public transport use in the area increase immediately by more than 350 per cent and substantial increases in patronage across the network.”

The Committee for Perth report reveals that despite a 67 per cent increase in fuel costs over the past decade, Perth households own more cars than ever before.

There are up to 1.5 million registered vehicles on Perth’s roads, and Perth’s population is set to double over the next 30 years.

Ms Fulker says the committee will investigate the feasibility of a “congestion charge”, implemented in London, in one of its next reports.

Ms MacTiernan says until Perth has a comprehensive and integrated public transport system, a congestion charge would be unjust.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK