Saturday 27 February 2010

Severe fire danger advice

Fire Danger Severe

Severe fire danger advice for Lower West including Perth hills on Saturday

Friday 26 February 2010 – 5:35 PM

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a Severe Fire Danger Rating for Saturday 27 February 2010 for the Lower West, including the Perth hills.

This includes:

Keep up to date with fire information through local radio, websites and TV. Do not wait for an emergency warning before you act. Your safest option for survival is away from the fire. If you see flames call triple zero.

If a fire starts:

It will be unpredictable, difficult to control and move very fast.
Embers will be blown around your home causing other fires.
Spot fires may start six kilometres ahead of the main fire.
Only very well prepared, well constructed and actively defended homes may offer any degree of safety.

If you live within 100 metres of bushland:

It is safest to leave early if a fire starts, that is hours before a fire reaches you, put your survival first.
Put your bushfire survival plan into action.
Only stay and defend your home if it is well prepared, well constructed and you can actively defend it. If you are in doubt about defending your home, leave.

To find out how to prepare your property, how to develop a bushfire survival plan and what the Fire Danger Rating means to you visit www.fesa.wa.gov.au or call 9323 9300 during normal office hours.

Check the Fire Danger Rating for your area by visiting www.bom.gov.au or call 1900 955 366 (call charges apply).

Friday 26 February 2010

Celebration to mark end of revitalisation project

as posted here

Talented skateboarders and BMX riders will show off their skills at a celebration to mark the completion of the Thornlie Civic Precinct Revitalisation Project on Saturday March 20.
City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle will attend the event at Thornlie Skate Park with the official celebration beginning at 10am.
The skate and BMX demonstration will follow at 11am featuring representatives from Folklore Skate Boards and Beyond Skate.
City employees Tom Langridge and Andrew Fallara will also show off their skills with local youth welcome to join in for an hour long jam session after the event.

The Council was successful in obtaining funding for the project from the Australian Government Attorney General’s Department under the Safer Suburbs Plan.
The precinct includes Thornlie Skate Park, Thornlie Library, Leisure World and Thornlie Square Shopping Centre.
Improvements to the area include more lighting, new pathways, gardens, limestone walls and a shade structure over the skate park.

as posted here

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Limb falls on ute in Thornlie

A large limb of one of "those" trees was ripped by the a wind gust, from one of the trees still standing in McNamara Drive Thornlie, landing in the back of a ute, a fair size limb but no apparent damage.

Sunday 21 February 2010

Tributes for tireless Lyal

Tributes for tireless Lyal

16/Feb/2010

Comments: 2 readers have left a comment

ONE of Gosnells’ finest community leaders Lyal Richardson will be laid to rest today.

Mr Richardson passed away on Monday, February 8, after a three-year battle with cancer but his contribution to the City of Gosnells will not be forgotten.

Daughter Delva Russell said her father had a great zest for life, was fun-loving and very family oriented, raising his three children – Delva, Ralph and Lloyd – to be community-minded.

Mr Richardson was born and bred in Maddington, ran an accountancy business in the same suburb and watched his seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren grow up.

City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle mourned the loss of a confidante and friend this week.

“I will miss him very much and so will the City of Gosnells,” Cr Searle said. “Lyal’s record of service to the community was quite extraordinary.”

Lyal Gordon Richardson was born in Maddington on February 11, 1928, attending East Cannington Primary School, later known as Beckenham Primary School.

His local community and sporting involvement began at an early age and his hard work in revitalising the Maddington Football Club led to him being made an honorary life member in 1956, while still in his twenties.

In 1953, he married Britiannia (Betty) Holyoak, thus beginning a tandem community involvement that would continue for many decades and which contributed to the progress of the Maddington Infant Health Centre, the Gosnells Home Help Service and the establishment of the Maddington Primary School canteen.

In 1960, Mr Richardson became a member of the then Gosnells Roads Board, with his status changing to councillor when the board became a shire in 1961.

He took over from Ray Harris as mayor in 1983, became an Honorary Freeman in 1985 and retired from the council in May 1989, then was awarded an Order of Australia Medal the same year. In 2004 the City of Gosnells named the large function room in The Agonis the Lyal Richardson Room.

Mr Richardson’s funeral will take place at the Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park, Joondalup, at 10am.

Waste Local Law 2010 (Proposed)

as posted here

City of Gosnells Waste Local Law 2010 (Proposed)

Council at its meeting of 9 February 2010 resolved to commence the process of adoption of a new local law.

The purpose of the local law is to provide for the regulation, control, management and removal of domestic and commercial waste from premises in the district.

The effect is to establish obligations that owners and occupiers of premises must observe relating to the storage, cleanliness, maintenance and placement of waste receptacles and containers.

A copy of the proposed local law and a copy of a Competitive Neutrality Summary may be inspected at the City’s Administration Office, 2120 Albany Highway Gosnells between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday, and at the Gosnells, Thornlie, AmherstVillage and Kenwick libraries during normal opening hours, or click here.

Public comment is now being sought from members of the public and any interested parties and may be made to the Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 662, Gosnells WA6990 by the close of business Wednesday 7 April 2010.

Friday 19 February 2010

Setback for 'tree man'

Setback for 'tree man'

18/Feb/2010

By Jaime Shurmer, Comment News

Comments: 4 readers have left a comment

THE Heritage Council of WA will not register the gum tree at the centre of a suburban stand-off in Thornlie.

The decision, announced this morning, was made after Hume Road resident Richard Pennicuik's lawyer John Hammond lodged the application for heritage listing last week.

Mr Pennicuik (57) has been living in the tree outside his home since December 7 in a bid to have it saved from a City of Gosnells plan to rid the city of potentially dangerous trees.

Council executive director Graeme Gammie said the State Register of Heritage Places was reserved for places of significant cultural value to the State.

After a preliminary review of the application, both the Heritage Council's register committee and full board decided the tree was unlikely to enter the State Register so a full assessment was not warranted and the nomination would not progress further.

Only three trees are individually listed on the register, including the Proclamation Tree in Fremantle, which was planted in 1890 to commemorate the granting of responsible government to WA.

“The removal of trees in both the public and private domain is often an emotive issue, and is periodically of great community concern,” Mr Gammie said.

“However, these concerns most often relate to issues of local amenity and local cultural significance as is the case with the Thornlie tree.”

Mr Hammond said the Heritage Council's decision was disappointing and overly conservative.

"In Richard Pennicuik's view the tree does have cultural significance because of the protest," Mr Hammond said.

"The protest has had a State-wide audience and international audience and I would say more people have visited that tree than any other in WA."

His next strategy is to focus on getting the City of Gosnells to preserve the tree under it's Municipal Inventory.

Mr Hammond said a mulberry tree and orchards in the city were protected by the inventory.

"I would hope the council would look at it impartially without considering the issues they have with Richard," he said.

While he has not spoken to his client for a week, Mr Hammond said Mr Pennicuik intended to stay in the tree until it was protected.

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Police search for triple-0 caller

Police search for triple-0 caller

Updated 3 hours 39 minutes ago

16-year-old Michael Jones was stabbed in the chest.

16-year-old Michael Jones was stabbed in the chest at a friend's birthday party in January.

Police have released a recording of a triple-0 emergency call made on the night of a fatal stabbing in the Perth suburb of Huntingdale.

16-year-old Michael Jones was stabbed in the chest at a friend's birthday party in January.

In the 20 second phone call to triple-0, a distressed girl says a man is trying to attack her.

The call was made from a phone box near the Huntingdale home about 15 minutes before Mr Jones was stabbed.

Police want to speak to the woman and have called for anyone with information on the call to come forward.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with his murder and is due to appear in court in April.

Monday 15 February 2010

Woman found dead in Perth

Woman found dead in Perth

Updated Sat Feb 13, 2010 11:12am AEDT

Maddington death

Police are examining the house where the woman was found dead.

Police are investigating the death of a woman in the south-east Perth suburb of Maddington.

The 29-year-old was found dead by family members yesterday morning at a house in Maddington.

Her death is being treated as suspicious and officers from the Major Crime Squad are examining the scene.

Tags: crime, maddington-6109

First posted Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:29am AEDT

Boy faces 7 years jail over bottle throwing

Boy faces 7 years jail over bottle throwing

JAYNE RICKARD, The West AustralianFebruary 15, 2010, 2:05 am

A 15-year-old Thornlie boy faces up to seven years jail if found guilty of throwing beer bottles on to a busy highway yesterday morning.

He is believed to be the first person charged under WA's tough new legislation that makes it an offence to throw an object at or near a vehicle.

Police allege officers on patrol saw the boy throwing items from the Spencer Road overpass on Roe Highway in Thornlie about 1.55am. Broken glass was seen on the road below. No one was reported hurt in the incident.

Police apprehended the boy, who was allegedly found with a number of empty beer bottles.

He was taken to Cannington police station and charged with causing fear or alarm to people in vehicles. He will appear before Armadale Children's Court next Monday.

If convicted, the boy faces a maximum penalty of seven years jail and a $36,000 fine. The legislation, which has the toughest penalties for such offences in Australia, was introduced in November.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said at the time the legislation would provide the community with the strongest protection in Australia.

Under the new laws, prosecutors do not need to show that a person's life was put in danger or that the offender intended to hurt anyone.

Police are appealing for any vehicles that may have been in the area at the time to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Thursday 11 February 2010

Plan provokes walk-out

Plan provokes walk-out

30/Jan/2010

By Louise Bettison, Hills Gazette

Comments:

KALAMUNDA Council officers are sorting through more than a thousand submissions on a proposal to amend the local planning scheme to allow an aged care facility to be developed in Wattle Grove.

Kalamunda chief executive James Trail said assessing the responses would “take considerable time”, with no official deadline.

Shire officers will use the collated responses to develop a recommendation on whether the land should be rezoned, which Council will vote upon before making a recommendation to the Planning Minister.

“There is no right of reply and they (residents) can’t go to the State Administrative Tribunal as it is ultimately a council decision on zoning,” Mr Trail said.

He said it would be “inappropriate” to disclose whether most of the respondents supported or opposed the amendment, or the controversial development it would accommodate on Gavour Road.

But residents in the Wattle Grove Action Group said they were proceeding with plans to secede from the Shire.

Group spokesman Clive Garnham said he could see only risk in remaining with the Shire and little in joining the City of Gosnells – even if rates were to increase slightly as a result.

“We have a very strong case for secession and will easily get 10 times the minimum number of signatures required, so will present a virtually unanimous front to the Local Government Advisory Panel,” he said.

“We have more in common, topographically and demographically, with our neighbours in Orange Grove and other parts of Gosnells than with anyone in our own local government, which is one of the criteria.”

But some Wattle Grove residents remain apathetic, according to one who refused to be named for fear of reprisal.

“At neighbourhood barbecues people say they just do not care and some of us have elderly relatives who would like to move into such an aged care facility here,” he said.

Monday 8 February 2010

No Future for Acorn Theatre

No Future for Acorn Theatre

Kimberley Shaw reports on the demise of "The Smallest Theatre in the Southern Hemisphere."
At their Annual General Meeting on 3rd February it was decided that Perth’s Acorn Theatre, formerly the Smallest Theatre in the World, would close.
Former member Sharon Mobilia said, “It was voted at Wednesday night’s AGM to close Acorn Theatre. There are not enough willing motivated members left to run the theatre as a traveling concern. A sad day as another community theatre says goodbye.”
The Acorn Community Theatre was founded in 1987 by Rosemarie Butler, Mary-Lyn Lewenhoff and Dee Day. Nestled in the Perth foothills the theatre seated just 28 people and in 2001 was celebrated in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest amateur theatre in the world. They later were relegated to "The Smallest Theatre in the Southern Hemisphere" having been replaced by a British theatre situated in a toilet.
Patrons sat comfortably on seats formerly from His Majesty's Theatre in Perth and productions included an assortment of plays from those written by well-known playwrights to locally produced plays. They staged 4 to 5 productions a year including a July Pantomime, variety nights, comedies and dramas.
Last year the City of Gosnells Council, who owned Seaforth Hall, Acorn’s performance venue since the early 1990s, decided to close the venue, saying it was too expensive to maintain. The council plans to sell off the land.
The theatre was promised support and assistance to find a new home. The council eventually suggested shared use of Gosnells’ Addie Mills Centre.
In November Acorn Members voted against the council’s proposal of moving into the Addie Mills Centre. Some of the deciding factors were, the stage was too small with no backstage or wings, there was no daytime access for set preparation, and Acorn had a dwindling and ageing membership. At that stage there was hope that Acorn would continue as a traveling theatre.
Sharon Mobilia, an Acorn member since 1994 lamented “Hopefully other theatres will open their arms to the Acornians who wish to continue on their theatre journeys. There was a lot of talent hidden away in the foothills of Gosnells. I hope they have the courage to use that talent on the bigger stages in the community.”

Friday 5 February 2010

Thornlie Tree Man heads to Heritage Council

Thornlie tree protest heads to Heritage Council

BEATRICE THOMAS, The West AustralianFebruary 5, 2010, 2:00 pm

WA News / Sandra Jackson ©

UPDATE: The ongoing saga of Thornlie's tree man has taken another bizarre turn with confirmation Richard Pennicuik is applying to have the tree heritage listed.

The application, to be lodged with the Heritage Council of WA, will be based on the tree's 40-year age and the cultural significance obtained as a result of Mr Pennicuik's 60-day protest.

Mr Pennicuik said the tree was culturally significant because it stood for free choice and saving the environment.

“I, and the tree, stand for free choice and all the people who know what it’s like to have something taken away from them,” he said.

Mr Pennicuik's lawyer, John Hammond, said he expected the application to be taken seriously "given the sentiment and controversy that surrounds the tree".

It will also buy some time because any building or structure cannot be touched while it is being assessed for heritage listing, though it is understood the Heritage Council plans a quick turn around on the application.

His wife Rose Malumbres, 55, said the application made use of another avenue to try to save the tree and did not demean the heritage process.

“What about trees that are 100 years old that haven’t been heritage listed, that’s frivolous,” she said.

Any listing on the State Register of Heritage Places needs to be of State significance.

Hundreds of trees form part of the State Heritage database but in most cases they are part of a broader listing of a place.

The council will have to carry out an initial assessment on the tree before making a decision.

Mr Hammond said he had also put an "open offer" to the City of Gosnells outlining that Mr Pennicuik would come down from the eucalyptus melliodora tree if it agreed to preserve it, a nearby tree and also erect a barrier around it.

The scene at the Pennicuik house is never dull.

Almost every driver who whizzes by has a few honks and throwaway comment for the “tree man”. Their contributions range from “go tree man” to “get down you idiot” and “you dole bludger”.

Mrs Malumbres said Friday nights gets especially rowdy because carloads of detractors pester her husband.

“But he has never come down,” she said. “I would sit through a lie detector test to prove that.”

A big crowd gathered outside Mr Pennicuik's Hume Road house for a "tree party" organised by a commercial radio station to mark the 60th day of the campaign this morning.

A bush band and sausage sizzle were put on as part of the celebration.

Tom, a neighbour who did not want his surname used, said the tree man was wasting his time.

“It hasn’t got the significance to be heritage listed,” he said. “The shire will get its own way. He should just give up with some grace.”

Thornlie Tree Man Won’t Give In

The Tree Man Won’t Give In Or Come Down

Jump to Comments

Atta boy Richard

OK Loons, remember Richard Pennicuik the man up the tree in Thornlie? Come on sure you do, I even think some of you made fun of him. Well, he is still up the eucalyptus tree (60 days and counting) , despite being fined, abused and even egged. Now Richard has found another angle to stop the City of Gosnells from chopping down his beloved tree… the Heritage Council. Oh , yeah, heritage list the bugger and stop the friggin City of Gosnells once and for all. Nice move.

Psst Anyone who wants to show their support don’t forget to join his Facebook site…some of the comments are priceless.

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