Gosnells fire 'hero' tells of torment over lost child

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A YOUNG man has spoken of his bittersweet heroic act at rescuing a grandmother from a house inferno but the torment of not being able to save her grandson.

More than a week after fire ripped through the Corfield St ,Gosnells house, killing six-year-old Zacery Ryan and seriously injuring his grandmother, 20-year-old Michael has described how he and his father acted on instinct when they ran into a burning house believing someone may be trapped.

Police and firefighters have praised the efforts of the men, but Michael yesterday revealed tht he had endured sleepless nights since the incident and had found it difficult to reconcile that he had been unable to save little Zac.

It was 8.45am on Thursday, August 27 when Michael and his father Rob, 47, who did not want their surnames published, had been driving past and noticed smoke billowing from the roof tiles.

Immediately, the pair pulled over and rushed to the front door, kicking it in to find an unconscious woman slumped in the foyer.

``She wasn't moving at first or responding at all so we didn't know what to think,'' Michael told
The Sunday Times.

``There was that much smoke in the room that you couldn't see a couple of feet in the house.

``So we've checked on her again and she's looked up at us. The look she gave us was unbelieveable..and me and my Dad have just gripped her and dragged her out.''

But as soon as they had plucked her to safety, Michael and Rob realised Zac was still inside.

As Rob grabbed a garden hose to douse flames licking out of the bedroom window, Michael prised open the locked back security screen and crawled inside the smoke-filled house.

``I couldn't go in very far. I couldn't see bugger all. It was really hot in there,'' Michael said.

``I was just thinking of getting the young fella out, you know.''

Michael said the heat from the fire, which was concentrated to the bedroom, was so intense that the flames licked through the melting, contorted glass panel.

``There was flames roaring out a bedroom window and he (Dad) ran and grabbed the garden hose...and put the fire out,'' he said.

``As soon as he's started hosing, trying to put the fire out, the window has just shattered.''

By the time firefighters arrived, Rob had subdued the bedroom fire with a garden hose.

Michael said he had spoken to relatives of the family, since the tragedy who had thanked the pair for their courage.

``They're just happy that we saved at least one person,'' he said. ``I wanted to speak with them. I know what they would be going through because of what I felt after it happened.

``I feel sorrow for what happened to the young fella, but we couldn't change that. But at least the older lady is alright now.

``Seriously, I think she deserves a medal more than anyone, cos when we got her, her hands and her face were like black like charcoal. She'd been burnt trying to get to the kid and she's only just made it to the front door.

``I'm just happy that she's alive. At least there is one person that was saved instead of both of them perishing in such a bad way.

``Both me and my Dad just acted on instinct. We just did what we thought any person would do.

``It's very hard to experience something like that...I just did what I thought was right.''

The woman remains in Royal Perth Hospital with serious burns and smoke inhalation.

Detective First Class Constable Connor Magee praised the efforts of the two men.

``It's an absolute tragedy and it could have been worse if it wasn't for them,'' Det Magee said.

``It's an heroic effort. At the end of the day, it could have been two people (dead) instead of one.''


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Emerald City the country's most affordable

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IT has been dubbed the country's most expensive place to live but Sydney is in fact Australia's most affordable city.

A report on property in the country's capital cities names Sydney as the place with the most suburbs where the average property price falls under half a million dollars.

Of 1225 suburbs across Australia where the median house price is below $500,000, Sydney has 298, almost half of the city's total suburbs, according to the report commissioned by the National Australia Bank.

"This result is a little surprising, given that Sydney is the nation's most expensive housing market," said the report's author, Cameron Kusher of research firm RP Data.

"It does show that many suburbs still exist where affordable property is available."

General sales manager at McGrath Real Estate Matt Lahood said many of Sydney's first-home buyers trying to get their foot on the property ladder had unrealistic expectations.

"A lot of the buyers coming into the market want to kick off into the parkside and beachside areas," Mr Lahood said. "The perception of their dream area ends up not being the end reality."

Raine & Horne chief executive Angus Raine said the city was made up of a "series of tribes", some of which carried greater "snob value" than others.

"The second thing people ask you in Sydney is, 'Where do you live?'," Mr Raine said.

The Sydney suburbs picked out as the best places to buy houses were the western suburbs of Granville, Guildford, Toongabbie and Lidcombe, and Sutherland in the city's south.

Inner-city Ultimo, Rushcutters Bay and Chippendale along with Crows Nest on the lower north shore were the best places to buy units.

Elsewhere in the country, the NAB RP Data report, "Where to Buy under $500,000", names top suburbs as Banyo, Zillmere, Keperra, Coopers Plains and Salisbury in Brisbane; Werribee, Fawkner, Reservoir, Preston and Seddon in Melbourne; and Armadale, Kenwick and Cannington in Perth.

Sydney mother Kellie Denning, 34, and her husband, Shannon, 35, recently bought a $450,000 three-bedroom home on a 1000sqm block with a swimming pool in Greystanes in Sydney's west.

The couple had moved from the Blacktown area and believed trendy city areas such as Bondi were overpriced.

"We know the area well," Mrs Denning said. "My husband lived here until he was 28."

Mrs Denning said it took her husband 45 minutes to get to work in the city. "It's nothing ... (people) think because it's out west it's too far or not a nice area, but this is one of the nicest areas you could come across."

Housing Industry Association chief economist Harley Dale said he believed the results were attributed to Sydney spending so many years as the weakest housing market in the country. "You still have a lot of places in Sydney where the home value now is still lower than in 2003 and 2004 at the end of the boom," he said.

"I think it is conceivable it will stay that way for some time. We are not on the cusp of a house price boom ... you could be coming up with a situation with lots of affordable suburbs for some while to come."

Ray White chairman Brian White said Sydney was the place with the greatest mix of cheaper units amid highly priced properties, and there had been a clear move in the past 10 years towards families who were prepared to raise their children in a unit so that they could live in their desired area.

"You get stories of people prepared to pack their families into apartments in Bondi," Mr White said yesterday.


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WA Councils Share $226 Million in Financial Assistance Grants

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The Rudd Labor Government has today announced the funding that each and every council and shire in Western Australia will receive this year through the Financial Assistance Grants program.

All up, Western Australian councils will receive record funding of nearly $226 million in Financial Assistance Grants in 2009-10, with around 76 per cent of the grants going to regional, rural and remote councils.

This funding is the equivalent of about $104 for every Western Australian resident.

Without the Financial Assistance Grants, local residents could be paying higher council rates for the same level of service.

The Government brought forward more than $56 million of this funding to June to help Western Australian councils deal with the effects of the global recession.

The grant is untied so that Western Australian councils can spend these funds on a range of priorities such as local roads, parks and pools, libraries, community centres, and waste, environmental and other services.

The Rudd Government understands how important the grants are for local communities where they can comprise more than half the revenue of some councils.

The Financial Assistance Grants for Western Australian councils are in addition to:

* $98.3 million through the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program since November 2008; and
* $51.2 million under the Roads to Recovery program in 2009-10.

Western Australia's 139 councils will receive their first quarterly payment this week.

The Financial Assistance Grant allocation is determined independently in accordance with the recommendations of the Western Australian Local Government Grants Commission.

Local councils' allocations are available at www.infrastructure.gov.au/local/assistance


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Stolen baby's ashes add to heartache for parents

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Lucien Wilkinson

September 04, 2009 07:59am

A COUPLE still coming to terms with the death of their baby daughter earlier this year received a further cruel blow during a visit to Perth last week.
Katanning horse trainer Dean Bielby, 34, and wife Sharon ,37, had stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s restaurant in Maddington when their car was broken into and the cremated ashes of their child stolen.

The couple had stayed overnight in Cannington after returning a horse to its owner in Bullsbrook. They stopped at the restaurant at the corner of Albany Highway and Olga Rd about 10am on Sunday, August 30.

Mr Bielby said he and his wife were distressed at the loss of their daughter’s ashes, which they usually kept at their home but had decided to travel with on this occasion.


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Stolen baby's ashes add to heartache for parents

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A KATANNING couple still coming to terms with the death of their baby daughter earlier this year received a further cruel blow during a visit to Perth last week.

Horse trainer Dean Bielby (34) and wife Sharon (37) had stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s restaurant in Maddington when their car was broken into and the cremated ashes of their child stolen.

The couple had stayed overnight in Cannington after returning a horse to its owner in Bullsbrook. They stopped at the restaurant at the corner of Albany Highway and Olga Road about 10am on Sunday, August 30.

Mr Bielby said he and his wife were distressed at the loss of their daughter’s ashes, which they usually kept at their home but had decided to travel with on this occasion.

The baby had died during pregnancy at 19 weeks and the couple had decided to keep her ashes. They were kept in a blue-tinged box slightly bigger than a cigarette packet and with a butterfly on top.

The box was in a brown Hessian bag with Broome written on it at the time of its theft. Other items were also stolen from the car, including a mobile phone.

Thieves smashed the passenger side front window to get into the locked car, which was in the restaurant’s car park.

Last week horse-mounted police combed the area in an effort to recover the stolen items and Armadale Detectives have appealed to anyone with any information about the offence to contact them on 9399 0234.


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Drug risk for dogs

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CONCERNED dog owner Pat Styles has called for the banning of photosensitive drugs for animals being dispensed by vets in transparent containers.

Ms Styles has organised a petition with 100 signatures that was presented to State Parliament last week by Gosnells MLA Chris Tallentire.

She said some tablets deteriorated or changed when exposed to light.

“A veterinarian prescribed some tablets for my dog with directions to give half to one tablet once daily only as required,” Ms Styles said.

She expected the tablets would be available for use over a period of several weeks should they be needed.

“Because of this I asked about the expiry date of those tablets I had been sold and was very surprised to be told that vets are not required by law to provide this information,” she said.

Ms Styles contacted the drug’s manufacturer and was told that photosensitive tablets would have been adversely affected just from exposure to light while driving home from her appointment with the vet.

“He specifically inquired as to whether they were individually foil wrapped,” she said.

“When I told him they were loose in a transparent plastic container, the same as vets use to dispense all tablets, he sounded alarmed and told me to get rid of them.”

Ms Styles said the tablets cost $4.50 each.

“I cannot safely give them to my dog and I cannot get a refund because no law was broken by the veterinarian’s method of dispensing.”

Mr Tallentire said photosensitive drugs for humans were dispensed in opaque containers.

“Why should pets or companion animals be exposed to such a danger,” he said.


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Underground power fired up

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AN underground power project that will connect about 1200 properties in Maddington at a cost of $10.8 million and due to be completed by late 2010 was launched last Friday.

The project will be funded by the State Government, Western Power, the City of Gosnells and property owners.

Energy Minister Peter Collier and Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle took part in a signing ceremony to officially start the Maddington Underground Power Project.

The project will cover the area between Gosnells Road West, Westfield Street, Weston Street, The Crescent and Albany Highway.

Residents will be required to contribute up to $2790 for installation costs on standard residential lots.

Mr Collier said they would receive a more reliable electrical supply while ensuring improved safety and attractive streetscapes for the community.

“The City of Gosnells and Western Power Underground Power Group have done an excellent job in preparing the detailed design for the Maddington project.”

Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle said there had proven benefits from similar projects elsewhere in the City.

“I am delighted it is Maddington’s turn,” she said.

“This is another example of different levels of government working together to deliver great results for local people.”

All cabling will be put underground, including in the street and up to each dwelling’s switchboard.

New transformers and switchgear will be installed along with new streetlights to Australian Standards.


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Gosnells robbers threatened victims with machete

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Three teenagers armed with a machete went on a crime spree in Perth's southern suburbs yesterday, attacking two people and attempting to rob two young girls.

Police allege the juveniles stopped a man riding a bike about 8am in Gosnells and demanded he hand over his mobile phone. The man was threatened with a machete.

A short while later police allege the trio struck again, this time in Maddington where they held up a man for his ipod. He was also threatened with the machete.

A few hours later the teenagers allegedly stopped two young girls in Cannington and demanded they hand over their mobile phones and money.

Police say the girls refused their demands, yelling at the boys. A scuffle broke out and one of the girls sustained a laceration to her hip and stomach. The other girl called police and the teenagers fled.

Police tracked the youths to Queens Park and they were arrested and charged. They are expected to face court later this month.


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Family appeals for help over Gosnells bashing

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THE family of a man bashed by a group of youths in Gosnells say their hearts have been "smashed to smithereens'' as he lays hopelessly in a coma.

The man's parents and his wife of one year say they don't know if 34-year-old Matthew, who has a 15-year-old daughter, will survive or suffer permanent injuries.

"Our hearts have been smashed to smithereenes,'' father Barry told the media today in the hope the public can help police catch those responsible.

"We are crushed, shattered. This is happening to our son, to a husband and father.

"No one expects any human being to do this to another human being."

Matthew's wife, Karlene, his childhood sweetheart, said: "He’s been my life and it’s been taken away.''

The family's lives changed forever four weeks ago when, at a friend's party, Matthew confronted a group seen hanging around cars outside the home about 12.30pm.

A fight spilled into a nearby park and Matthew was bashed with a starpicket and left to die.

His family desperately want the culprits found.

"The victim was at a private party on Walter Street in Gosnells on August 2 when a group of juveniles were seen loitering around the vehicles parked out the front at around 12:30am,'' a police spokesman said.

"A verbal altercation started between the victim and members of the group, which became physical and resulted in the victim sustaining a life-threatening head injury at the nearby Chale Street Reserve. He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital where he remains in an unconscious state. ''

Police today arrested a 15-year-old boy in relation to the assault, but police still need
public assistance to identify others involved.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


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Boy charged over Gosnells attack

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Police have charged a 15-year-old boy over a bashing which has left a 33-year-old man in hospital for the last month.

The man confronted a group of youths for causing a disturbance outside a house party in Gosnells on August the 2nd.

It's alleged the youths kicked and punched the man who was taken to Royal Perth Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

He remains in a stable condition but it's believed he suffered a significant brain injury.

The teenager has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm and police are still looking for the other youths involved in the attack.


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