as posted here
Family and friends of a newly married father of one who was bashed unconscious at a Gosnells party last month have rallied together to help his family financially while he learns to walk and talk again.
Mathew Double was at a party on Walter Street in Gosnells on August 2 when a group of juveniles were seen hanging around cars out the front of the home about 12.30am.
Police allege an argument began between the man and members of the group became physical, spilling out on to the street.
Mr Double was later found unconscious in a nearby park.
He was in a coma in Royal Perth Hospital for several weeks.
Mr Double's former colleagues and friends at Bossong Engineering in Welshpool, which he joined as an apprentice 17 years ago, have rallied to do whatever they can to help his wife Karlene and teenage daughter.
Financial controller Janice Bossong spoke of the horror she felt when hearing of what happened to "the six foot six giant" she treated like a son.
"I'm devastated," Ms Bossong said.
"Mat started with us as a 15-year-old apprentice, as a naughty little boy …we have seen him grow into a lovely man.
"We've always wished him the best and this situation…there is nothing good about it - it's awful.
"We feel helpless really."
The bank has frozen the Double's mortgage repayments for three months but Ms Bossong said that provided just a small window of financial reprieve.
Twelve of Mr Double's former colleagues have asked that a day of their holiday pay be donated to the family.
A quiz night and dinner and racing night at Gloucester Park have been organised for September 24 and 25.
Donations of prizes for the quiz night and money donated by strangers have been coming in thick and fast.
"One man who cleans ovens said he'd never done this before (donated money) but was sending a voucher our way…that really touched me," Ms Bossong said.
"I was impressed and delighted from the worst that could happen to the opposite - its put (my) faith back in human nature."
For details about the events call 9212 2345.
as posted here
Friday 11 September 2009
Parents get payout over baby death
as posted here
The State Government has made an ex-gratia payment of $14,440 to the parents of 11-month-old Grace Moorby, who was killed by a drink driver in 2007.
The payment was granted to Tania and Jamie Moorby on "compassionate grounds in recognition of personal circumstances". The sum was equivalent to the stamp duty payable on the purchase of their new home.
Benjamin Alan Butler was sentenced last November to three years, eight months jail for the death of Grace and injuries to Mrs Moorby.
Butler crashed into the Moorbys' Thornlie front yard on April 18, 2007, with a blood alcohol reading of 0.166.
as posted here
The State Government has made an ex-gratia payment of $14,440 to the parents of 11-month-old Grace Moorby, who was killed by a drink driver in 2007.
The payment was granted to Tania and Jamie Moorby on "compassionate grounds in recognition of personal circumstances". The sum was equivalent to the stamp duty payable on the purchase of their new home.
Benjamin Alan Butler was sentenced last November to three years, eight months jail for the death of Grace and injuries to Mrs Moorby.
Butler crashed into the Moorbys' Thornlie front yard on April 18, 2007, with a blood alcohol reading of 0.166.
as posted here
Thursday 10 September 2009
Perth man puts faith in lotto nines for Superdraw
as posted here
STAFF at a Perth lottery centre have been left stunned by a player who insisted they wait until 9.09am yesterday to print his ticket for the $20 million Superdraw.
The man walked into the Good Fortune Lottery Centre in Maddington at 9.01 yesterday - September 9, 2009 - to buy a ticket for Saturday's Superdraw, a Lotterywest spokeswoman said.
Staff member Gloria King put his ticket request through the lottery terminal but was quickly stopped by the man, who was adamant that they wait until exactly 9.09am to print out his ticket.
Ms King said the man told her the number nine was very lucky for him.
"He told me the number nine is a very lucky number, and I'll be really interested to see if he wins," she said.
"As soon as we printed his ticket out, I printed one out for myself and my staff!"
Yesterday's date of 9/09/09 was the last of the single-digit dates for 1001 years, Lotterywest says
What's more, the words "Wednesday" and "September" are each made up of nine letters.
Tickets for Saturday's $20 million Superdraw will be on sale at Lotterywest retail outlets around the state until 6pm on Saturday.
as posted here
STAFF at a Perth lottery centre have been left stunned by a player who insisted they wait until 9.09am yesterday to print his ticket for the $20 million Superdraw.
The man walked into the Good Fortune Lottery Centre in Maddington at 9.01 yesterday - September 9, 2009 - to buy a ticket for Saturday's Superdraw, a Lotterywest spokeswoman said.
Staff member Gloria King put his ticket request through the lottery terminal but was quickly stopped by the man, who was adamant that they wait until exactly 9.09am to print out his ticket.
Ms King said the man told her the number nine was very lucky for him.
"He told me the number nine is a very lucky number, and I'll be really interested to see if he wins," she said.
"As soon as we printed his ticket out, I printed one out for myself and my staff!"
Yesterday's date of 9/09/09 was the last of the single-digit dates for 1001 years, Lotterywest says
What's more, the words "Wednesday" and "September" are each made up of nine letters.
Tickets for Saturday's $20 million Superdraw will be on sale at Lotterywest retail outlets around the state until 6pm on Saturday.
as posted here
New laws extend smoke-free zones to cars, alfresco, Royal Show Article from: PerthN
as posted here
WA smokers have been put on notice as major reforms are set to accelerate the growth of smoke free communities throughout the State, says AMA(WA).
“Legislation passed by the Upper House last night to extend smoking restrictions to areas such as alfresco restaurants and in cars carrying children, is an historic step forward in the fight against the dangers of passive smoking,” said association President Prof Gary Geelhoed.
“And later this month the Royal Show will become the world’s largest smoke free community event when smoking is banned anywhere within the Showground.
“Last year more than 400,000 people attended the show -- half of them under 17 -- and it’s fantastic that this number of children will be able to spend a day at the show without inhaling second hand smoke.”
Prof Geelhoed said the community and the medical profession owed a debt of thanks to Alfred Cove MLA, Dr Janet Woollard, for her determination to push her private member’s Bill through Parliament, despite intense lobbying by the hotel and tobacco industry to derail the legislation.
“This legislation still has some formalities to go through in Parliament, but it will eventually save lives and reduce many smoking-related illnesses as well as lower the rate of respiratory diseases among children,” said Prof Geelhoed.
“It will also lower absenteeism in the workplace and reduce the cost of healthcare in WA which is already facing huge funding difficulties.”
Prof Geelhoed said Healthway and the Royal Agricultural Society deserved praise for taking the responsible healthy step of having a smoke-free Royal Show.
“Thousands of grateful parents and grand parents will know their kids can spend a day at the show without facing the risk of second-hand tobacco smoke,” he said.
“We should remember that only a few years ago our kids had to sit at Subiaco Oval with 40,000 football spectators and be drowned in smoke.”
as posted here
WA smokers have been put on notice as major reforms are set to accelerate the growth of smoke free communities throughout the State, says AMA(WA).
“Legislation passed by the Upper House last night to extend smoking restrictions to areas such as alfresco restaurants and in cars carrying children, is an historic step forward in the fight against the dangers of passive smoking,” said association President Prof Gary Geelhoed.
“And later this month the Royal Show will become the world’s largest smoke free community event when smoking is banned anywhere within the Showground.
“Last year more than 400,000 people attended the show -- half of them under 17 -- and it’s fantastic that this number of children will be able to spend a day at the show without inhaling second hand smoke.”
Prof Geelhoed said the community and the medical profession owed a debt of thanks to Alfred Cove MLA, Dr Janet Woollard, for her determination to push her private member’s Bill through Parliament, despite intense lobbying by the hotel and tobacco industry to derail the legislation.
“This legislation still has some formalities to go through in Parliament, but it will eventually save lives and reduce many smoking-related illnesses as well as lower the rate of respiratory diseases among children,” said Prof Geelhoed.
“It will also lower absenteeism in the workplace and reduce the cost of healthcare in WA which is already facing huge funding difficulties.”
Prof Geelhoed said Healthway and the Royal Agricultural Society deserved praise for taking the responsible healthy step of having a smoke-free Royal Show.
“Thousands of grateful parents and grand parents will know their kids can spend a day at the show without facing the risk of second-hand tobacco smoke,” he said.
“We should remember that only a few years ago our kids had to sit at Subiaco Oval with 40,000 football spectators and be drowned in smoke.”
as posted here
Second teen charged over Gosnells party bashing
as posted here
Police have charged a second teenager over the bashing of a 34-year-old man at a Gosnells party last month.
Mathew Double was at a party on Walter Street in Gosnells on August 2 when a group of juveniles were seen hanging around cars out the front of the home about 12.30am.
Police allege an argument began between the man and members of the group became physical, spilling out on to the street.
Mr Double was later found unconscious in a nearby park.
The newly married father of one was in a coma in Royal Perth Hospital for several weeks.
He recently regained consciousness but cannot talk or walk.
A 17-year-old Coolbellup youth has been charged with grievous bodily harm and will face the Perth Children's Court today.
Two weeks ago a 15-year-old boy was also charged with grievous bodily harm.
as posted here
Police have charged a second teenager over the bashing of a 34-year-old man at a Gosnells party last month.
Mathew Double was at a party on Walter Street in Gosnells on August 2 when a group of juveniles were seen hanging around cars out the front of the home about 12.30am.
Police allege an argument began between the man and members of the group became physical, spilling out on to the street.
Mr Double was later found unconscious in a nearby park.
The newly married father of one was in a coma in Royal Perth Hospital for several weeks.
He recently regained consciousness but cannot talk or walk.
A 17-year-old Coolbellup youth has been charged with grievous bodily harm and will face the Perth Children's Court today.
Two weeks ago a 15-year-old boy was also charged with grievous bodily harm.
as posted here
Tuesday 8 September 2009
School founder owed 'more than $1 million'
as posted here
JOSEPH SAPIENZA
September 8, 2009 - 3:44PM
A man accused of stealing $355,000 in government funding from a WA school and siphoning the money to Pakistan has argued the money was just part of more than $1 million owed to him by the school.
Anwar Sayed, 50, was a director of Muslim Link Australia Limited, which oversaw the running of the Muslim Ladies' College on Bickley Road in Kenwick.
The school was founded and operated by Mr Sayed on land he owned.
On April 16, 2007, he instructed his younger brother and fellow company director Zubair Sayed, 33, to transfer $US300,000 ($355,000) out of the Muslim Link account into a bank account in Pakistan, to which Anwar Sayed had access.
Both men are on trial for acting dishonestly and stealing about $355,000 in public funding from the company. The prosecution claims the money, which was supposed to be used for the ongoing operation of the school, was being used to set up a sister school in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Today, Anwar Sayed's lawyer Mark Trowell, QC, told a Perth District Court jury his client denied stealing the money and acting dishonestly. He said Anwar Sayed was "legally entitled" to the funds because it was money owed to him by the school.
At the time of the transaction, Mr Trowell said Anwar Sayed was "owed much more" than $355,000, considering he had invested a total of $1.2 million in the school by cash and in the way of deferred salary and rent.
"The school started with nothing, except good will and hope," Mr Trowell said.
At one point, Anwar Sayed deposited $340,000 into the account to keep the non-profit school operational.
"The school was obliged to rely on the generosity of Anwar Sayed to survive," Mr Trowell added.
He said the school was acting in accordance with the conditions of the funds received from the Commonwealth and State governments.
The court was told Federal funding was available for "general recurrent expenditure" such as rental and salary, while State funding did not impose such conditions. The two separate avenues of public funding were not "one of the same" as the prosecution claimed, Mr Trowell said.
He added the school had acted in accordance with the terms of the grants because it was paying money for rent and remuneration for services to his client.
It was also claimed Anwar Sayed had the legal right to take the money and that he had a genuine belief that he was legally entitled to it.
Documents showing proper agreements for deferred rental and salary payments to Anwar Sayed would also be shown to the court, including an agreement between the school and Anwar Sayed for the school to pay his mortgage payments of at least $1900 per month.
"If it was not for him, the school would not be there," Mr Trowell said.
Zubair Sayed's defence lawyer Andrew Skerritt said his client did take steps to transfer the money overseas to a bank in Karachi, Pakistan, as he believed it was his brother's money and that he was entitled to it.
"He wasn't stealing any money, he was just sending it to his brother because it belonged to him," Mr Skerritt said.
The two men have admitted the overseas money transfer took place and the company received public funding for a period of time. They also admitted being directors of Muslim Link Australia Limited at the time.
The trial continues.
as posted here
JOSEPH SAPIENZA
September 8, 2009 - 3:44PM
A man accused of stealing $355,000 in government funding from a WA school and siphoning the money to Pakistan has argued the money was just part of more than $1 million owed to him by the school.
Anwar Sayed, 50, was a director of Muslim Link Australia Limited, which oversaw the running of the Muslim Ladies' College on Bickley Road in Kenwick.
The school was founded and operated by Mr Sayed on land he owned.
On April 16, 2007, he instructed his younger brother and fellow company director Zubair Sayed, 33, to transfer $US300,000 ($355,000) out of the Muslim Link account into a bank account in Pakistan, to which Anwar Sayed had access.
Both men are on trial for acting dishonestly and stealing about $355,000 in public funding from the company. The prosecution claims the money, which was supposed to be used for the ongoing operation of the school, was being used to set up a sister school in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Today, Anwar Sayed's lawyer Mark Trowell, QC, told a Perth District Court jury his client denied stealing the money and acting dishonestly. He said Anwar Sayed was "legally entitled" to the funds because it was money owed to him by the school.
At the time of the transaction, Mr Trowell said Anwar Sayed was "owed much more" than $355,000, considering he had invested a total of $1.2 million in the school by cash and in the way of deferred salary and rent.
"The school started with nothing, except good will and hope," Mr Trowell said.
At one point, Anwar Sayed deposited $340,000 into the account to keep the non-profit school operational.
"The school was obliged to rely on the generosity of Anwar Sayed to survive," Mr Trowell added.
He said the school was acting in accordance with the conditions of the funds received from the Commonwealth and State governments.
The court was told Federal funding was available for "general recurrent expenditure" such as rental and salary, while State funding did not impose such conditions. The two separate avenues of public funding were not "one of the same" as the prosecution claimed, Mr Trowell said.
He added the school had acted in accordance with the terms of the grants because it was paying money for rent and remuneration for services to his client.
It was also claimed Anwar Sayed had the legal right to take the money and that he had a genuine belief that he was legally entitled to it.
Documents showing proper agreements for deferred rental and salary payments to Anwar Sayed would also be shown to the court, including an agreement between the school and Anwar Sayed for the school to pay his mortgage payments of at least $1900 per month.
"If it was not for him, the school would not be there," Mr Trowell said.
Zubair Sayed's defence lawyer Andrew Skerritt said his client did take steps to transfer the money overseas to a bank in Karachi, Pakistan, as he believed it was his brother's money and that he was entitled to it.
"He wasn't stealing any money, he was just sending it to his brother because it belonged to him," Mr Skerritt said.
The two men have admitted the overseas money transfer took place and the company received public funding for a period of time. They also admitted being directors of Muslim Link Australia Limited at the time.
The trial continues.
as posted here
Brothers 'stole' $355,000 in school funding, court told
as posted here
JOSEPH SAPIENZA
September 8, 2009 - 6:52AM
A school set up for Muslim girls in Kenwick had unqualified teachers, demountable classrooms, run-down equipment as well as heating and air-conditioning deficiencies just as more than $355,000 in grant money was siphoned off to a bank account in Pakistan, the Perth District Court was told yesterday.
Those funds were to help set up a sister school in Afghanistan, but State prosecutors claim the money was provided by Commonwealth and State Governments on the conditions that it was used to maintain the upkeep and quality of the school in WA.
The two men allegedly involved in the overseas funds transfer, Anwar Sayed, 50, and his younger brother, Zubair, 33, were directors of a company called Muslim Link Australia Limited - which established the Muslim Ladies College of Australia on Bickley Road in Kenwick in 2002.
Both men have been accused of stealing a total of $355,934.10 in April 2007 from the company's account and sending the funds to Pakistan.
In his opening address to the jury, prosecutor Alan Troy said Zubair Sayed went to the Commonwealth Bank branch in Cannington with a cheque to be converted into a bank draft, so the money could be sent to an account that Anwar Sayed - who was overseas at the time - had access to.
The school started receiving public funding in 2005 and continued for about two and a half years.
The court was told that as the money was coming in, it was not being spent on the school because it was in a "very poor condition".
The government agencies followed up on the grants to see how they were being spent, and the deteriorating conditions of the school were discovered.
After the third of seven government inspections of the school, the accused men then "acted in concert and depleted half the school's bank balance by withdrawing half the money", Mr Troy said.
He added the men had acted dishonestly and stole from the company when they knew the grants were intended for the Kenwick school only.
Months later, the cheque butt was located by a staff member at the school, with the butt showing the funds were intended for Anwar Sayed to set up a sister school in Kabul.
"Anwar Sayed counselled and procured his brother to get the funds," Mr Troy said.
"Each of the accused was aware of the central nature of the conditions to the grants and funds and each was aware of the transfer that took place on April 16, 2007," he said.
The State said it could not confirm where the $355,000 went, but even if it did go towards the establishment of an Afghan school, "it was utterly contrary to the conditions" attached to the distribution of public funds.
The court was told that by the date of the withdrawal, the balance in the account was $683,925.85 - a "rather more healthy" figure than the $13,000 that was in the school's coffers in January 2005.
From that date onwards, the balance "gradually increased over two and a half years" due to the public funding.
Mr Troy said while the bank account increased, the money was not being used to run the Kenwick school's operations.
He told the jury one witness would describe the "dilapidated" condition of the school later in the trial.
Teachers would also give evidence that unqualifed people would be employed to teach, while staff would need to photocopy textbooks to bring to school for students and were not paid what they were entitled to.
Staff even had to buy their own resources while the remote control for the air-conditioning was taken away from teachers to save energy in summer, Mr Troy said.
The prosecutor argued it would have been "palpably obvious to the two accused that the school required every cent at its disposal to flourish".
"It was obvious to the two accused that they were in no capacity to spend half the available funds on a school seemingly in Afghanistan, when they knew the school was not in great condition," he said.
Defence lawyers for the two men will make their opening submissions today.
The trial is set down for eight days.
as posted here
JOSEPH SAPIENZA
September 8, 2009 - 6:52AM
A school set up for Muslim girls in Kenwick had unqualified teachers, demountable classrooms, run-down equipment as well as heating and air-conditioning deficiencies just as more than $355,000 in grant money was siphoned off to a bank account in Pakistan, the Perth District Court was told yesterday.
Those funds were to help set up a sister school in Afghanistan, but State prosecutors claim the money was provided by Commonwealth and State Governments on the conditions that it was used to maintain the upkeep and quality of the school in WA.
The two men allegedly involved in the overseas funds transfer, Anwar Sayed, 50, and his younger brother, Zubair, 33, were directors of a company called Muslim Link Australia Limited - which established the Muslim Ladies College of Australia on Bickley Road in Kenwick in 2002.
Both men have been accused of stealing a total of $355,934.10 in April 2007 from the company's account and sending the funds to Pakistan.
In his opening address to the jury, prosecutor Alan Troy said Zubair Sayed went to the Commonwealth Bank branch in Cannington with a cheque to be converted into a bank draft, so the money could be sent to an account that Anwar Sayed - who was overseas at the time - had access to.
The school started receiving public funding in 2005 and continued for about two and a half years.
The court was told that as the money was coming in, it was not being spent on the school because it was in a "very poor condition".
The government agencies followed up on the grants to see how they were being spent, and the deteriorating conditions of the school were discovered.
After the third of seven government inspections of the school, the accused men then "acted in concert and depleted half the school's bank balance by withdrawing half the money", Mr Troy said.
He added the men had acted dishonestly and stole from the company when they knew the grants were intended for the Kenwick school only.
Months later, the cheque butt was located by a staff member at the school, with the butt showing the funds were intended for Anwar Sayed to set up a sister school in Kabul.
"Anwar Sayed counselled and procured his brother to get the funds," Mr Troy said.
"Each of the accused was aware of the central nature of the conditions to the grants and funds and each was aware of the transfer that took place on April 16, 2007," he said.
The State said it could not confirm where the $355,000 went, but even if it did go towards the establishment of an Afghan school, "it was utterly contrary to the conditions" attached to the distribution of public funds.
The court was told that by the date of the withdrawal, the balance in the account was $683,925.85 - a "rather more healthy" figure than the $13,000 that was in the school's coffers in January 2005.
From that date onwards, the balance "gradually increased over two and a half years" due to the public funding.
Mr Troy said while the bank account increased, the money was not being used to run the Kenwick school's operations.
He told the jury one witness would describe the "dilapidated" condition of the school later in the trial.
Teachers would also give evidence that unqualifed people would be employed to teach, while staff would need to photocopy textbooks to bring to school for students and were not paid what they were entitled to.
Staff even had to buy their own resources while the remote control for the air-conditioning was taken away from teachers to save energy in summer, Mr Troy said.
The prosecutor argued it would have been "palpably obvious to the two accused that the school required every cent at its disposal to flourish".
"It was obvious to the two accused that they were in no capacity to spend half the available funds on a school seemingly in Afghanistan, when they knew the school was not in great condition," he said.
Defence lawyers for the two men will make their opening submissions today.
The trial is set down for eight days.
as posted here
A day of Peace (park)
as posted here
THE revitalisation of the $400,000 Peace Park in Maddington was officially opened by City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle and Planning Minister John Day last week.
The project was part of the Maddington Kenwick Sustainable Communities Partnership. It extends from Kamber Court through to Avebury Court and features playground equipment seating, dual pathways, lighting, native planting and water-wise landscaping.
Mr Day said the partnership had established a framework for a whole series of projects designed to regenerate the Maddington and Kenwick areas.
“Peace Park is a great outcome for the partnership and is an example of how State and local governments can work together to deliver lasting benefits to people living in local communities,” he said.
He said the City had transformed a drainage reserve into a much safer and visually appealing asset for the community.
Cr Searle said community consultation played a key role in the overall area design and name for the park.
as posted here
THE revitalisation of the $400,000 Peace Park in Maddington was officially opened by City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle and Planning Minister John Day last week.
The project was part of the Maddington Kenwick Sustainable Communities Partnership. It extends from Kamber Court through to Avebury Court and features playground equipment seating, dual pathways, lighting, native planting and water-wise landscaping.
Mr Day said the partnership had established a framework for a whole series of projects designed to regenerate the Maddington and Kenwick areas.
“Peace Park is a great outcome for the partnership and is an example of how State and local governments can work together to deliver lasting benefits to people living in local communities,” he said.
He said the City had transformed a drainage reserve into a much safer and visually appealing asset for the community.
Cr Searle said community consultation played a key role in the overall area design and name for the park.
as posted here
Monday 7 September 2009
School funds transferred to Pakistan: Court told
as posted here
Two brothers are on trial in Perth accused of stealing more than $350,000 in Government grants that was meant to have been spent on a Muslim school.
Anwar and Zubair Sayed are accused of taking the money in 2007 while they were directors of a company that ran the Muslim Ladies College in the Perth suburb of Kenwick.
The District Court has been told the company was receiving grants from both the Federal and State Governments, but the school was in a dilapidated condition with leaking roofs and a shortage of teachers and text books.
The court heard the money was instead transferred to an account in Pakistan and a copy of a cheque butt seized by investigators suggested it was to be used to set up a school in Afghanistan in contravention of the conditions of the Government grants.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
The trial is set down for eight days.
as posted here
Two brothers are on trial in Perth accused of stealing more than $350,000 in Government grants that was meant to have been spent on a Muslim school.
Anwar and Zubair Sayed are accused of taking the money in 2007 while they were directors of a company that ran the Muslim Ladies College in the Perth suburb of Kenwick.
The District Court has been told the company was receiving grants from both the Federal and State Governments, but the school was in a dilapidated condition with leaking roofs and a shortage of teachers and text books.
The court heard the money was instead transferred to an account in Pakistan and a copy of a cheque butt seized by investigators suggested it was to be used to set up a school in Afghanistan in contravention of the conditions of the Government grants.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
The trial is set down for eight days.
as posted here
Man loses both legs in Maddington crash: report
as posted here
There are reports a man in his early 20s has lost both of his legs following a crash on Tonkin Highway in Maddington overnight.
Police said the man was driving his Holden Commodore south along the highway at 1.20am.
The car approached a sweeping bend when the driver - believed to be 21 - lost control of the Commodore and smashed into a tree on the driver's side near the intersection of Kelvin Road.
The man was trapped in the car and had to be cut free.
He is now in Royal Perth Hospital in a critical but stable condition. A spokesman said he could not confirm reports the man had lost both of his legs in the crash.
Police claim excessive speed was a possible factor and the confirmed the man did suffer critical leg and internal injuries in the crash.
as posted here
Man critical after Maddington smash
Saturday 5 September 2009
Gosnells fire 'hero' tells of torment over lost child
as posted here
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.''
as posted here
Emerald City the country's most affordable
as posted here
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.
as posted here
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.
as posted here
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