Snake bite peril for family pet

Craig and Maree Power are all too familiar with the danger of snake bites.

The couple were forced to make a mercy dash to the vet after their five-year-old dog Koada had a particularly close call with a brown snake at their Gosnells property last month.

The golden retriever was playing alongside a creek on the family property when he discovered the snake and brought it to the house.

Less than 20 minutes later, Koada had collapsed.

“His front legs just gave way and he went all glassy-eyed and couldn’t get up,” Mrs Power said. “I never even thought Koada might have been bitten — I was more worried about the kids.

“It was lucky they had seen the snake because 25 minutes later when we were on our way to the vet he just stood up and we thought he was all right – if we hadn’t known (he had been bitten) we would have turned around and gone home.”

Luckily, the family continued on to the vet, where Koada was given a dose of anti-venom.

Murdoch University senior lecturer in veterinary emergency and critical care Katrin Swindells said staff had seen a spike in the number of snake bites around Perth since October as the weather warmed up.

RACHEL DONKIN

as posted on TheWest

Safe City Bright City Christmas Lights Competition

Proudly sponsored by the Examiner Newspapers (WA) since
1999 and supported by Centro Maddington

Get into the Christmas spirit this year and enter the Safe City Christmas Lights competition. Decorate your house with Christmas lights and you could win a prize. Or you and your neighbours may wish to enter the Best Decorated Street category. Prizes are being offered in two categories.

‘Best Private Residence’ - winner will receive $500 and a plaque. Four runners-up will receive a $100 Centro Maddington voucher.
‘Best Decorated Street’ (5 Houses or more) – winners will receive $1,000 and a commemorative street sign.
All unsuccessful entrants in the ‘Best Private Residence’ category will go into a draw to win one of two $50 Centro Maddington vouchers.

The aim is to generate community spirit across the suburbs by encouraging the residents of the City of Gosnells to share in the Christmas festivities by visiting the locations of the houses that have entered the competition. See the sights in a friendly atmosphere and appreciate the effort that has been put into these amazing displays around homes all over the City.

Entries close at 5pm on Tuesday 11 December 2007 and late entries will not be accepted. Judging will take place between Tuesday 11 December 2007 and Thursday 13 December 2007. All entrants are requested to leave their lights on until at least 11.00pm between these nights

For any further information please call Safe City on 9391 6022 or email safecity@gosnells.wa.gov.au


as posted on COGSite visit the site to enter your house or street

as a tradition we (my family home) put our lights up on or around October 31 (Halloween) and leave them up till after Australia Day, they may not be full on but we do our bit for the festive season - Peter Evans

WA is important to the Liberals: Downer

Western Australia is enormously important in the federal election and the Liberal Party is placing a great deal of emphasis on the state, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says.

Mr Downer said despite the fact WA had only 15 out of 150 of the country’s lower house seats, it did not make it less important to the campaign and he denied the prime minister was neglecting the state.

“Mr Howard has been here,” Mr Downer told reporters in Perth, where he was campaigning in the Labor-held marginal seat of Cowan.

“Australia is a big country and he can’t be here everyday. Western Australia is enormously important in terms of the election and certainly the Liberal party is placing a great deal of emphasis on Western Australia.”

WA has four marginal seats all in the Perth metropolitan area.

Cowan and Swan are held by the ALP, while the liberals hold Hasluck and Stirling.

“You say only 15 seats, that’s not unimportant ... so I think Western Australia is very important,” Mr Downer added.

“And quite a lot of seats here are marginal Liberal and marginal Labor, so that tends to focus the mind.”

The foreign minister today announced a re-elected coalition government would provide $3 million to upgrade the Kingsway Sporting Complex in the Cowan seat’s suburb of Madeley.

Mr Downer took time out at the Madeley complex to shoot for goal at a netball court, bagging one on his second attempt.

He said he had no real prior experience at the game, except that his three daughters played.

Mr Downer then travelled to the seat of Hasluck - where he was due to announce $95,000 in funding to rebuild the fire-damaged pavilion at Jackmann Oval and a $100,000 grant so the Gosnells bowling club could buy a new synthetic bowling green.

as posted on TheWest

Mix it up with Moonbaki

Moonbaki Multicultural Choral Group raises the roof with a free performance of songs and movements from around the world at Thornlie Library on Saturday 22 December.

The group is a mixture of spirited local people who celebrate our community’s cultural diversity and enjoy fellowship through music.

This event is from 10am to 11am. For more details, please call T: 9459 2499.

as posted on COGSite

Bingo on Permanent Suspension

At present we have placed Saturday Night Bingo on permanent suspension.

We do not know if it will return early next year, but at present we have no plans to bring it back.

as posted on Gosnells PCYC