Kenwick woman in critical condition

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A woman is in a critical condition in hospital after being assaulted at her home in Kenwick last night.

She suffered serious head injuries in the attack, which happened at 10.30pm at a property in McCowan Street.

Police have charged a 22-year-old Thornlie man with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.


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Five-star tree for Treeman

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RICHARD Pennicuik is spending his 24th day in a gum tree in Thornlie and says he is “living in the Ritz” thanks to a passer-by who installed a sleeping platform yesterday.

The 57-year-old man said this morning he felt “great” after a five-hour sleep and remained determined to keep up his vigil in the New Year.

He has refused to come down until the City of Gosnells promised in writing the tree would be exempt from a tree removal scheme that began earlier this month.

The council removed 20 gum trees along Hume Road in early December to improve public safety.

Mr Pennicuik said an offer by the council to retain the tree for three months before another review in March was not good enough.

“I will not do anything until I get it in writing the tree will be here permanently,’’ he said.

Christmas Day was spent talking to the media and taking calls from his family.

“I missed most of my family, they live on the east coast and I am the eldest of 10,” he said.

Mr Pennicuik has not opened Christmas presents from his family, saying they must still be under the Christmas tree in his house.

He opened small gifts from his support crew who are based at the bottom of the tree and help with his daily needs, including emptying his toilet bucket.

He was amused with the bell that one of the crew gave him so he could summons them.

His protest had attracted more attention than ever from the public, especially when the tree was illuminated to celebrate Christmas Day, he added.

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Call for whole beef industry to unite

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Kevin Armstrong outside his Maddington butcher shop, The Beef Shop.

BETH JOHNSTON

26 Dec, 2009 04:00 AM

BEEF producer and meat retailer Kevin Armstrong has called for an industry-wide conference to encourage communication along the beef supply chain.
Mr Armstrong, a beef farmer for 35 years at Boyup Brook, Benger and Kalgan, was inspired to open The Beef Shop after the 2007 beef crisis meeting.

"I came home from that meeting more confused than when I arrived," Mr Armstrong said.

"I said to my wife that if we want to keep going in this industry, we need to have a butcher shop."

So the Armstrongs purchased a wholesale butcher store in Maddington, hired a farm manager, and moved to Perth.

After spending $1.2 million and developing their own beef brand, Willowbank, the duo now process between 15-20 beef carcases per week.

Mr Armstrong said they had come a long way but it was a very hard business to be in.

Like many producers, he said prior to starting the business he thought butchers were making a fortune while beef producers did it tough.

"It's been a lot harder than we ever thought," Mr Armstrong said.

"I used to sit back on the farm and think that butchers have got it easy and were killing the pig, but that's not the case.

"My eyes have been opened.

"Now I invite farmers to come and have a look to help them understand the costs invovled with this side of the industry."

Mr Armstrong said the best thing that could happen for the beef industry would be a seminar-type function whereby everyone involved in the industry, right along the supply chain, attended.

"Farmers, butchers, chefs - everyone could attend and showcase what they're about so that the whole industry can come together and have a better understanding of where each other are coming from, from start to finish," Mr Armstrong said.

"At the moment the beef industry in WA is full of meat from the east because of the high Australian dollar.
"Some butchers buy it because they are trying to cut a profit but that's not why we got into this in the first place.

"We're new kids on the block and it takes a long time to get a good name.

"But we know we've got a quality product, it's just a matter of getting it out there."

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