Perth Voice Interactive

SKINNY lattes are helping fight crime at Riverside Gardens.

Ever since the Cool Breeze Cafe van started flogging flat whites from the Milne Street car park in January, Bayswater city council rangers have reported a drop in car break-ins.

“The mobile kiosk is considered to be a deterrent to anti-social behaviour in the area,” a council staffer noted.

Cafe co-owner Georgia Johnson says riverside carparks are hotspots for bag-snatchers and car thieves.

“The carparks at the bird sanctuary and the one near the boat club are two of the worst for break-ins,” she says.

“I’ve seen two or three guys on one scooter screeching through the park with stolen goods.

“I’m glad that our presence here has helped in a small way to deter that sort of thing.”

WA police sergeant Gerry Cassidy says theft of property from cars is often sporadic and impulsive.

“Property is often left in open view in parked cars and is targeted by opportunist thieves.

“In previous months when figures indicated an increase in thefts police and Bayswater rangers increased patrols of the area—this saw a dramatic decrease in reported offences.

“Police urge the public to remove any valuables when visiting isolated parking areas.”

The council has now voted to allow the cafe to add outdoor furniture and an A-frame sign.

“People have been wanting a kiosk down there for ages,” Cr Sylvan Albert says.

“It’s a great addition and popular with dog walkers, and families who use the playground there.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A BANNER has gone up on iconic Oxford Street store Greens & Co stating, “We Love Naomi Clark”.

The banner is a reference to a recent letter published in the Voice by “Naomi Clark” criticising Vincent councillor John Carey.  Greens & Co owner Stuart Lofthouse is no fan of the council. Mayor Alannah MacTiernan had criticised the Voice for publishing the letter without checking the author’s bona fides (indeed, all attempts to contact the mysterious Ms Clark have failed).

“I think it is funny,” the mayor said when asked for her reaction to the banner. “I like this bit of biffo as it adds to the character of the street. I am also hoping it might trigger the Voice to acknowledge that having vent ‘her’ spleen, Naomi has sunk without a trace.”

A SPATE of copper pipe thefts over the past month has cost three Yokine businesses around $3000.

Cathy’s Kitchen, Rayners Supermarket, and Lottery Centre and Newsagency—all located within metres of each other on Flinders Street—have been targeted by thieves who sell the copper to scrap yards.

Cathy’s Kitchen owner Cathy Horbron says copper pipes outside her cafe were stolen twice within two weeks.

“I turned up at the cafe one morning to find water gushing onto the pavement,” she told the Voice. “It was at the weekend which is our busiest time—so it was a bit of a nightmare. After it happened the second time we decided to install a protective guard to stop them getting access.”

The supermarket and lottery newsagency had their pipes stolen last weekend.

The Voice came across more missing copper: We rang police for comment but no reply.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

BAYSWATER city council has abandoned its move to prohibit political advertising on street benches.

At a closed doors meeting and after hearing legal advice, the council voted not to pursue Streetside Advertising, which has contracts with local MPs.

In December the council voted to ban all political ads on street benches, bus shelters and other community infrastructure outside election periods (Voice, December 1, 2012).

Ultimately the ban was not enforced for the March 9 election. In January, the Liberals won an injunction against Armadale council which had demanded the removal of unauthorised political signs from private property in the lead-up to the state election.

That decision cast doubt over the legality of moves by several councils to ban political ads; even those on public infrastructure via third party advertisers.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

MOUNT LAWLEY’S Raah restaurant closes this Friday May 31.

Having opened in October 2011, the middle-eastern restaurant joins a slew of recent closures on Beaufort Street in the past year including Ottobrino Butchers, Vintage Tatt, and Antonio’s Continental Deli.

Raah’s owner John Stephenson says high rents were a contributing factor.

He’s planning to go back to working in the environmental sector, but hints his days as a restaurateur might not be over for good.

Most staff are ready to move on with some pursuing studies and the chef heading back to France to sort out a few things.

The restaurant was well-regarded by critics (including the Voice) with the Sunday Times’ Gail Williams rating it a 16/20.

The Beaufort Street Network is currently looking at the problem of handling gentrification and keeping independent stores on the street: Due to the street’s increasing popularity, only bars or large chains can afford the increasingly high rents, and that threatens the vibe that makes the place successful in the first place.

Mr Stephenson hopes the street doesn’t become one long row of bars.

“It’d be a shame if it falls completely to the alcohol industry,” he says.

He’s planning a big send off for the final night this Friday.

“We could have shut our doors and felt sorry for ourselves, but we were proud of what we achieved.

“[Friday is] a chance to clear our stock out and say goodbye and have a laugh.”

He says the street was very welcoming, with other restaurants like the Beaufort Street Merchant being “hugely supportive”.

by DAVID BELL

LISA SCAFFIDI is the first-ever female mayor in WA to sign-up for Vinnie’s CEO sleep-out.

The Perth lord mayor will spend a night sleeping rough at the WACA to raise funds for the homeless charity.

The annual sleep-out—first held in Sydney in 2006 —is on June 20. Previous female participants include Bayswater city council CEO Francesca Lefante. Of 105 CEOs signed up this year, 22 are women.

Other high-profile CEOs preparing to huddle in their sleeping bags and beanies include Dale Alcock, Andrew Forrest and Barry Felstead.

Ms Scaffidi, who hopes to raise $5000, says she’d been keen to sleep rough two years ago but had been out of the state.

“I think this will be an eye-opener for me and other first-time participants.”

To sponsor the lord mayor visit http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/ceos/wa-ceos/lisa-scaffidi. 

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

ALANNAH MacTIERNAN has challenged perennial Vincent council critics Debbie Saunders and Stuart Lofthouse, who owns Greens & Co on Oxford Street in Leederville, to run for council at October’s election.

The pair is often at council meetings, getting stuck into councillors and staff over delays in getting questions answered and what they describe as inadequate community consultation. This week they were asking whether the Leederville Hotel’s alfresco section is allowed under the council’s own rules. They say they’ve had no satisfactory response at three meetings.

“You may roll your eyes Ms Wilcox,” Ms Saunders said to Cr Julia Wilcox, “it’s rude”.

At that Ms MacTiernan threw down the gauntlet.

“You come here week after week and hurl insults at councillors who are volunteering their time to take this council forward,” she said.

“You and Stuart are welcome to stand at the next election.”

Ms Saunders told her, “we will be”.

Ms MacTiernan earlier turned off the public gallery’s microphone when Mr Lofthouse’s question about community consultation relating to the Leederville precinct upgrade exceeded three minutes.

He’d claimed about three-quarters of businesses on the street hadn’t been notified of a public meeting about the plan, and in some cases letters had been issued to landlords but not traders (the meeting was poorly attended, with only about 12 people showing up, including family members of a councillor).

“Why is the mayor handpicking working groups that have little knowledge of what the business owners request?” Mr Lofthouse asked.

“Frustration has occurred, as you’re all well aware when we come in here and rant and rave.

“I don’t believe this council is listening to its ratepayers at all.

“You are running this council as if it’s your own little outfit and it’s unsatisfactory!”

Mr Lofthouse wouldn’t sit down so Ms MacTiernan turned off the microphone. When the retailer continued acapella, CEO John Giorgi asked him to stop.

“Are you going to call the police and have me removed?” he asked.

“No more interruptions, and no more derogatory comments,” Mr Giorgi said. “You’ll not be warned again.”

Ms MacTiernan said the council would take the question about community consultation on notice.

by DAVID BELL

DOCUMENTS released by Mt Hawthorn primary school provide a quaint insight into the earliest years of Hazel Hawke’s life.

The former wife of Labor prime minister Bob Hawke died last Thursday at the age of 83, following a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s.

She was born Hazel Masterson in Perth in 1929 and was of the first students to attend the Mt Hawthorn Infants’ School in 1938.

“I attended the school before it was officially opened…the school was then just two rooms, that wonderful wide verandah, and a gravel square, all surrounded by a sea of heavy dark Mt Hawthorn sand,” she wrote in 1988 for its 50th anniversary. “Regarding Miss Heaney, the headmistress, with some curiosity and awe as she was quite different from anyone I had known in my short life (it was crucial to her that we had clean fingernails and a clean hanky each morning!).”

Ms Hawke also recalled dancing the polka in pairs round the verandah, and hopping on haunches with hands held for ears like rabbits, singing “Hey, who comes here, Punchinello little fellow.”

Despite not remembering “any of the lessons”, she received a glowing report card in 1938: getting an A for writing, spelling and arithmetic and nothing lower than a B.

“Over the years others of my family have attended here and there has been a continuing association,” Ms Hawke wrote.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

BAYSWATER city council is set to spend up to $448,000 on a toilet at Bayswater train station because the WA government is refusing to include one in its upgrade of the station.

The Bayswater development assessments panel had told the PTA to provide the loo and automatic ticket machines as part of its $7.25m upgrade of the station. But the PTA appealed to the state administrative tribunal, which has told the DAP to “reconsider” ahead of more mediation June 27.

Deputy mayor Barry McKenna says it’s another example of the WA government shifting its costs onto councils.

“The reality is the state government isn’t going to pay for this,” he says. “So we either have to pay for it or have no toilet there. We know that the train station has been problematic over the years, with people urinating and anti-social behaviour, so if he won’t don’t stump the cash up it will just continue.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

MAYLANDS is to get a new community market.

It will be held every Saturday morning, between 8am and 1pm, between the RISE and Maylands Hall on Eighth Avenue. Stall holders will sell fresh local food, and arts and crafts.

The market is a joint venture between Maylands Lions Club and Events and Beyond, a commercial company.

Bayswater city councillor Marlene Robinson raised concerns the council was providing services—including rubbish collection—free of charge for a commercial organisation: “I think Events and Beyond are riding on the back of the Lions to get a guernsey,” she said.

The council voted to approve the venue hire, rent-free for 12 months.

Catherine Ehrhardt says locals have been asking for a local market for some time.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK