Perth Voice Interactive

Unelected DAP has final say

THE Maylands Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association has voted to oppose the $3.5 million expansion of the liquor store at the Peninsula Tavern.

The application for the Railway Parade pub and bottleshop includes a 743sqm Dan Murphy’s outlet, courtyards and family-style bistro, 123 car bays and two-storey offices above the liquor store.

The MRRA will present its opposition to the bottleshop element at the next meeting of the Bayswater Development Assessment Panel—an unelected body appointed by the Barnett government to decide major planning issues. The local elected council has no say in the decision.

MRRA president Roger Tomlins says he supports development of the site with ideally a family tavern, but without the Woolworths-owned liquor store.

“We have enough problems with anti-social behaviour fuelled by drinking in the area,” he says.

Last year unelected planning authorities overrode council objections and approved a Coles Liquorland on Guildford Road. That ultimately fell over when the WA liquor commission refused to grant a liquor licence on the grounds the 1250sqm outlet might harm “at-risk” people by providing access to plentiful cheap booze.

Maylands is home to community-based services that support people with alcohol-related issues, including 55 Central, Bulup Kulung Hostel, Derbal Didjar Hostel and Shopfront. Council staff fear Woolworths’ plans for the hotel pose a similar risk, despite being half the size.

Bayswater council staff have already recommended rejection of Woolworths’ makeover of the Peninsula Tavern in Maylands.

Council staff say the proposal affects amenity and doesn’t comply with the town planning scheme.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A CREW of mysterious ninja grannies has been yarn-bombing Mt Hawthorn.

For the past few months trees along The Boulevarde, between Scarborough Beach Road and Ashby Street, have been festooned with colourful wool.

Lisa, who describes herself as a “non-knitting resident”, says locals don’t know who’s responsible for the woolly crop circles.

“We don’t know who they are but there is a rumour that it is six ladies who get together to knit on Tuesday nights,” she confides.

“They turn into ‘midnight raiders’ and have been yarn-bombing the trees in our street over the past few months.”

“The colours are amazing and we’ve noticed that it is something people love to talk about when they walk by the street—we’ve heard many of the parents and kids at Mt Hawthron primary are also talking about it.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

PERTH choir Naya Chorale is back from performing at Carnegie Hall.

The newly formed a cappella group of 50 singers had been invited to the prestigious New York venue by the Distinguished Concerts International New York which scours the world for choirs worthy of performing there.

Naya Chorale hadn’t even staged its first performance when catching the notice of the DCINY. It was invited to New York on the strength of a rehearsal posted to Youtube.

Eighteen-year-old chorister Fletcher Cox from Coolbinia met musical hero Eric Whitacre, a composer with about a dozen awards under his belt including a Grammy.

“It was really quite nerve-wracking because not only did I perform in the concert but there were a couple of soloist places,” Mr Cox says.

“You had to audition in front of him and the choir, and I was lucky enough to be chosen by him for a solo passage in one of his large choir pieces, Hallelujah.

“To sing in front of him, it was really exhilarating and hard to wrap my head around. I was very nervous but I think he liked it.”

Director Adam Brockway says the troupe had been astounded to receive an invite so early in its existence.

He described walking out on stage at Carnegie as, “wonderment at the thought of the other musicians that have trodden those floors before you”.

Mr Cox, who studies trumpet at UWA, signed up to Naya Chorale after graduating from Perth Modern school and having missed being part of a singing group.

“It was as though I was leaving a gap, so I figured it would be a good idea to fill it with something.”

He says the group’s second season is, “looking really amazing, we’ve got a huge variety of pieces that we’re performing, and it’s just sounding fantastic”.

“Every audience member is going to get a kick out of it, I think.”

Naya Chorale performs June 7 and 8 at Perth Modern School. Book via the website nayachorale.com/concerts

by DAVID BELL

AFTER plans to move into a Murray Street premises fell through the WA Club is now eyeing up the Old Perth Boys School as a new HQ.

The 117-year-old club is moving from its St Georges Terrace home—despite having only moved there in 1995—so it can increase membership from 1300 to 1500 to remain financially viable.

The club had planned to move into 58 Murray Street (the former HQ of chief protector of Aborigines AO Neville, who’d run the government’s child-stealing program) but a fundraising drive amongst members raised only 60 per cent of fit out costs so it didn’t proceed.

Club president Patrick Canion says a move into the old school on St Georges Terrace is now on the cards.

The school is in the hands of the National Trust, which didn’t renew Reveleys cafe’s lease in October 2010. It’s been empty since and, after a refurbishment, the Trust is looking for new tenants.

“We have been in discussions with the National Trust about potentially moving permanently into the Old Perth Boys’ School but it depends on them getting funding to finish the building works required and then us agreeing to a lease,” Mr Canion says.

“There is plenty of goodwill on both sides for this to happen but still a bit of water to go under the bridge before an agreement is reached.

“It was very disappointing that Murray Street didn’t work out but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

by DAVID BELL

Too loud for my eyes
IT is well-known that in a noisy chattering world silence becomes a golden sound, a blessing, a relief, and very likely the same sort of contrast applies to our visual world.
Hence, on the matter of the Beaufort Street murals the question is; should the public have to cope with more visual pollution, given we are already snowed under with business graffiti appearing everywhere, even on our buses?
Let’s face it, the art lovers who fancy these highly imaginative, fantasist and very colourful murals are a small minority. Having had a look at them, many of these works certainly deserve a place in art exhibitions and galleries, but in our city streets they are a tad overpowering to confront everyday.
It would be far more relaxing to look at well-rendered, pastel-coloured walls, (note: most murals do not cover all the neglected brick walls). Alternatively, as most city and suburban dwellers are nowadays totally cut off from the soothing effects of natural landscapes, murals showing waterfalls, flowing rivers, green hills, etc, would be more appropriate, particularly for children.
We already have laws to protect the public from loud overpowering music, it is about time to enact some to protect us from excessive visual pollution.
Finally, what’s the point of having murals when most people today walk around with their eyes glued to their smartphone?
Frank Schenk
McDonald St, Osborne Park

Carey committed
I WAS surprised to read Naomi Clark’s rather personal attack on Cr John Carey in the Voice (April 27, 2013).
As a local resident who also has business interests in the area I see John Carey’s “self-promotion” as someone who has an opinion and someone who cares enough about that opinion to present it and encourage debate and discussion.
Hopefully, the dialogue it prompts helps facilitate action and change where required.
Cr Carey is indeed passionate about the area and is quite vocal about his views but is this necessarily a bad thing? I would think not. He works fairly tirelessly in the vicinity in many different areas—art, festival, security, traffic, place-making, and from where I sit there is definitely “movement in the station”.
Sure, not everything goes to plan with budget blowouts, etc, and sure, not everyone agrees with everything that is put in place but I also understand some of the art and street furniture projects are yet to be completely finalised. The process, whilst lengthy, might allay some of these criticisms when completed.
I’m pleased to see at least Cr Carey (and Vincent) is staying committed and open to that ongoing movement and the vicinity isn’t stagnant and remains an exciting place to be!
E MacLeod
Highgate

Applaud all
WHAT a morale booster for sorely-tried and put about Mt Lawley parents, teachers and many others involved in education (“School rises from the ashes,” Voice, May 4, 2013).
There are reported to be “no problems” with the state rebuilding plans for a $10.8 million “new” primary school.
Coming after the recent federal claptrap about plans to improve funding for primary schools at the expense of universities, this local news could hardly have been better timed.
Voiceland applause, please, for all involved in facing the challenges and getting on with life.
Otto Mustard
Second Ave, Mt Lawley

Going postal
I CANNOT believe Bayswater city council’s elected members could continue to argue about the merits of in-person voting over postal voting in local government elections, as they did at their council meeting of April 23.
It is a proven fact postal voting means a larger number of people vote, thus enhancing the democratic process. Bayswater went from a 3.3 per cent in-person turnout to over 30 per cent with postal voting. Non-compulsory voting will always have a smaller turnout for in-person than for postal because people are just too busy these days, particularly at the weekends when this voting occurs.
It is also a fact that in-person voting makes it much easier for serving councillors to retain their seats as fewer people vote. Serving councillors with a relatively small but sufficient “safe” vote can then become re-elected quite easily at less personal expense to themselves.
Their expressed preference for in-person voting was based on the shaky premise that postal voting is ripe for political party interference in the process. This was expressed with no facts to back it up at all, just the words of the speaker at the time.
In my 17 years of involvement with ratepayers I have never seen nor even heard of any political interference in local government elections. The only interference I have experienced has been either from council staff or from serving councillors, with resulting CCC involvement.
Bayswater also ignored the fact there have been numerous cases of stuff-ups with in-person voting.
Finally, their own survey of 400 voters that showed a 61 per cent preference for postal voting was dismissed as being “too small a sample to be meaningful”.  This was their own survey!
Tony Green
Belfast St, Morley

THE $10.8 million rebuild of the burnt-down Mt Lawley primary school won the tick of approval from the local development assessment panel on Monday afternoon.

The 100-year-old school was destroyed last July by two teenage arsonists later sentenced to eight months’ gaol.

The WA finance department’s plans will replace the fire-damaged buildings with a covered assembly block, two-storey library and teaching block, three outdoor learning areas, new courts, and reconstruction of most of the historic Second Avenue facade.

The DAP report notes Stirling city council was, “not supportive of the proposal and has provided a recommendation for a re-design”.

The majority of the five-member DAP panel is appointed, not elected. It has the power to approve developments regardless of opposition from elected councils.

DAP chair Paul Dreschler says all DAP members, including its two elected representatives, Crs Rod Willox and Giovanni Italiano from Stirling council, supported the application.

“The overall view was that it was a fairly elegant response, a good response for the redevelopment after the fire, so really there were no problems,” Mr Dreschler says.

by DAVID BELL