Perth Voice Interactive

AS October’s local government election draws nearer, a Bayswater councillor is calling on his colleagues to disclose interests in social media pages to “discourage” their politicisation.

For some social media consumers, suburban Facebook groups are a lifeline of information, a place to post about lost dogs, talk politics, document burglaries, or discuss strange cars parked in the street.

But the groups have been politically contentious at Bayswater council due to elected members’ involvement. In 2019 now-retired councillor Chris Cornish tried to establish a register for councillors to disclose their involvement in social media pages, but a majority downvoted his motion.

One of those who supported the 2019 motion, Cr Elli Petersen-Pik, wants to revive the idea.

His motion calls for a publicly available “’Social Media Interest Register’ on the City’s website, where elected members are required to disclose whether they, or their spouse/partner, manage, administrate, or moderate any community social media account… relevant to the City of Bayswater”.

Cr Petersen-Pik says the motion “would improve transparency and discourage any inappropriate usage of community social media platforms for political purposes”.

While a few councillors are involved with one or two pages, Cr Catherine Ehrhardt held the social media crown in 2019: She declared involvement in running 16 pages, including the hugely popular and influential “Maylands Community Notices and Chat Group 6051”.

That group is one of the largest local pages and has more than 6,600 members.

Outlawed

The page has since outlawed any discussion of politics and is now run by Cr Ehrhardt’s husband, Grant Rae. His firm hand in banning people who’ve posted about politics or mentioned elected members has irked a growing list of locals and led to spin-off groups of the exiled.

Six of the banned members have penned deputations in support of Cr Petersen-Pik’s motion, which goes to a vote at the July 25 meeting.

Aleysa Drozdova wrote: “The biggest online group for my community… is administered and moderated by one of the councillor’s spouse. This is not transparent in the group’s description.

“Moreover, the councillor’s spouse blocked people from the community group for mentioning another councillor in a positive light. Effectively, this excludes electors from the main online community page, any updates related to local businesses, safety, or other issues.”

We asked Cr Ehrhardt about the page, and whether she had any involvement still. “No, I haven’t been for years,” Cr Ehrhardt said, adding she had no control over her husband’s Facebooking.

“It’s his page, he’s entitled to run it how he wants. It’s one standard for all. It’s a blanket ban on all politics because my husband hates politics.”

Cr Ehrhardt said she had no problem declaring her social media involvement, but wasn’t convinced another registry was needed as they already had many transparency registers that staff were spending time on.

A report from council staff, who would have to maintain the register, lists some pros and cons. 

While stating they support transparency measures, they advised the current registers already take time and each new entry means an “officer must sacrifice or postpone other work” to keep them up to date. 

The report also states “the City would be unable to check the veracity of disclosures or non-disclosures” and if someone lodged a complaint about a secret social media maven, they had no way to check if it was true.

by DAVID BELL

AFTER all but running out of WWI soldiers to name roads after, Bayswater council is seeking out-of-the-box and abstract ideas for naming untitled laneways. 

With more blocks being subdivided in recent years, the old rights of way that were once just seldom-used service alleys are increasingly serving as main addresses.

The occasionally life-threatening problems linked to living where the streets have no names came to light earlier this year when Maylands resident Peta Illich contacted the council saying, “I have had to call an ambulance on several occasions; issues have arisen when our right-of-way was difficult to find”. 

Getting a name approved by Landgate is a lengthy process with many exacting requirements, so to save time Bayswater had been using a list of pre-approved names.

Many of those were WWI veterans, and as of this year there were only two left on the list: Ginger and Kuser, both soldiers.

During public consultation over what to call Ms Illich’s laneway, those names proved unpopular with a majority of submissions. One commenter said, “there are enough white European male road/street names” (“Street names too blokey,” Voice, June 3, 2023).

Public comment is now open to come up with a new list of pre-approved names to quickly label a street whenever a request arises, and along with the usual surnames they’ve got some more avant-garde categories of acceptable names this time.

Acceptable name categories include Noongar language that’s relevant to the area, prominent Bayswater identities (dead only), historic local businesses, native flora and fauna, or a culturally significant historic event, architectural style, artwork, or some other local cultural icon.

Submissions are via engage.bayswater.wa.gov.au/naming-register or hard copies in the Bayswater, Morley and Maylands libraries, and close September 4. The Illich’s laneway remains untitled for now.

by DAVID BELL

AN even bigger Bunnings has been proposed to fit into the Pickle District, adding in more retail space and removing “community” spaces that were originally included to mollify local opposition.

The current $25m designs for a Bunnings warehouse and assorted retail tenancies would stretch across a large block owned by Anita Percudani and Loretta Ricciardi that stretches from Newcastle Street to Old Aberdeen Place.

The older, smaller design was opposed by Vincent councillors and by many of the existing local businesses on the block.

Most opposition revolved around wanting to protect the area’s arty vibe, and concerns about having so much extra traffic in the quiet old warehouse district which has narrow streets and small cul-de-sacs.

However in November 2022 the plan won majority approval from the state government-appointed members of the Development Assessment Panel which assesses large developments.

This newer proposal increases floorspace of the auxiliary retail tenancies from 1,998sqm to 2,437sqm and adds a level of offices, bringing the proposal from four storeys to five storeys at its highest point running along Old Aberdeen Place.

Most of the added retail floorspace stems from making space for a larger tenancy like a fresh produce market or a gym, at the expense of now-deleted “community” use facilities.

The original plans had included space for a “studio/workshop” for “community purposes” and a “community event space”.

The original application had claimed that offering these spaces would help keep the area’s artistic vibe: “The ultimate goal of providing these spaces is to ensure the Pickle District Town Team can continue to operate on the site, continue to provide art events and ensure the district is not relinquished following the demolition of existing warehouses across the development area,” the application from Planning Solutions stated.

The new application suggests the Pickle District can still hold events, but across the street, on strip of grassy verge owned by Main Roads. The amendments are open for consultation via engage.vincent.wa.gov.au until August 7.

by DAVID BELL

FOR the first time since the Covid pandemic Kings Park is training a new cohort of volunteer guides to join the 140-strong group. Training committee members Paola Vallesi and Liz Hall (pictured) seeking people passionate about native plants to host walks through the park and guide guests at the Visitor Information Centre. There’s 14 weeks of training involved to cover everything volunteers need to know about the WA Botanic Garden and the history of Kings Park and the memorials. That doesn’t start til March 2024 but they’re starting to scout for new recruits now to make sure word gets out widely. Email training@kingsparkguides.com.au with your phone number if you’re keen and a guide will get in touch.

AS the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off this week, our peek into the past from the City of Vincent Local History Centre features part one of a two-part series delving into the history of women’s soccer.

WHILE football, the Australian Rules kind, remains the most popular spectator sport in Australia, the most played club sport in Australia with more than a million participants is soccer. 

The excitement and anticipation of watching women soccer players performing at the highest level on our shores is a far cry from the origins of women soccer in Australia. 

The earliest reports of women’s soccer being played in Australia date back to the 1920s. 

During this time, Western Australian newspapers carried reports of ‘ladies’ soccer/football’ demonstration matches being played to large crowds in Brisbane and Sydney. 

In 1921, The West Australian reported a record crowd of 10,000 people watched a ‘ladies’ soccer football match’ between North Brisbane and South Brisbane. 

While we have yet to discover any games of the same scale in Perth, there is a report of women’s soccer being played in Western Australia in the late 1920s in a most unexpected place. 

In 1927, local newspapers reported “a ladies’ soccer club was out in full play” in the Eastern Wheatbelt town of Lake Grace (The Wagin and Arthur, Dumbleyung, Lake Grace Express, Thursday, 12 May 1927).

The same paper also reported on a fundraising game to raise money for the local hospital put on by the Lake Grace Girls Soccer Club: 

“What will the boys say when the girls give them a gruelling? But that will be nothing to what our grandmothers would have said if they saw the ‘modern girl’ rushing the football fields in striped guernseys and shorts.” (Lake Grace Express, 21 April 1927).

During the 1930s and 1940s, women’s involvement in the development of soccer in Western Australia was less about playing and more about support with Ladies’ Committees helping to organise wind-ups, social events and fundraising for soccer clubs across the state. 

Women soccer players didn’t receive a mention in local newspapers again until after World War II. 

 In August 1946, women played a demonstration game at the Margaret River Soccer Carnival in which the Rosa Brook team defeated ‘the Margaret’. 

Reflecting the prevailing attitudes towards women playing what was then seen as a men’s game, the South-Western News reported: “The ladies battled royally in a style all their own for 60 minutes. Many were the cheers and laughs as the girls imitated the tricks of their men friends, and advice from the side-line was varied and not always helpful. It was particularly noticeable that the girls had an aversion to using their heads, and when one was brave enough to try it, her attitude made it appear that the whole sky had hit her.” (The South-Western News, 22 August 1946) 

Women’s soccer was still seen as a novelty when women’s soccer came to North Perth. 

Local team, ‘the Amazons’, played the North Perth men’s soccer team at Woodville Reserve on 17 September 1949. 

The game was not a regular fixture, but a fundraising match to help two injured players in the North Perth men’s team. 

The Western Mail reported:

“The legend of the weaker sex received another jolt last Saturday when a women’s team invaded the soccer ground at Woodville Reserve, North Perth, and took the field against a team of men.” 

No score was recorded but the newspaper photographers were out in force recording the players and spectators at the popular event.

It is unclear whether the Amazons played any regular or demonstration soccer matches again. 

Women’s soccer in WA temporarily disappeared off the radar until the late 1950s when women’s teams took to the pitch at Dorrien Gardens, the focus of next week’s story. 

If you have any information about the long-lost team of North Perth Amazons or have any other information about the early days of women’s soccer, get in touch with the City of Vincent Local History Centre.