The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the following roads have reopened to traffic.
Members of the community are requested to exercise caution whilst driving on recently reopened roads.
If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
Research by the Western Australian Museum into a recently discovered shipwreck at 7 Mile Beach in Dongara points to it being the Margaret Ann.
WA Museum Maritime Archaeology Curator Dr Ross Anderson said his work was greatly assisted by leads provided by the local community, after a call out for its help to identify the remains of the motorised wooden cray boat.
Chris Akerstrom contacted the Museum with information that the Margaret Ann LFB16, operated by her late husband Mick Akerstrom, sank at its moorings in the early 1960s and was never salvaged.
“A number of other leads were followed up, but from the available evidence the wreck is most likely the Margaret Ann,” Dr Anderson said.
“It was a 6.6-metre motorised, single-mast, carvel-planked wooden vessel, which matches the archaeological information the Museum had recorded.”
The area where the wreck was found is a haven for fishing boats as it is sheltered from prevailing southerly winds.
Dongara teacher Aletta Bussenschutt, who discovered the vessel at a depth of about three metres while snorkelling and reported the find to the WA Museum, said she is glad a name can be put to the wreck.
“It’s been a great response from the community – hearing old stories from past fishermen and their family members, current fishermen interested in local history have been raising questions, and Dongara District High School students are excited they personally know the finder and can’t wait to go snorkelling on a shipwreck!” Ms Bussenschutt said.
The WA Museum would like to thank everyone who provided information during this investigation.
“Throughout this process we also found out about three other vessels that were wrecked in the area – two of which there were no records of previously,” Dr Anderson said.
“It just goes to show how much valuable information is held by the community!”
Verified information is being added to the Museum’s shipwreck database and is helping document the evolution of the Mid West crayfishing trade.
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Central Regional TAFE (CRTAFE) are finalists in this year’s WA Training Awards in two categories.
The Hon Sue Ellery BA MLC, Minister for Education and Training announced the organisational finalists yesterday and said that this year's finalists demonstrate how the training sector delivers vital education and training opportunities while providing important services to the community.
“The WA Training Awards encourage continuous improvement, innovation and excellence in a sector that is critical to building the State's capacity” she said.
CRTAFE is the only regional TAFE amongst the three overall finalists in the WA Large Training Provider of the Year category.
The college is being recognised as a leader in industries such as maritime, agriculture, land management, community services, local government, mining and nursing. Also for continuing to place students, industry partners and strong links with community and Aboriginal people, at the forefront of activities.
There are also three overall finalists in the Industry Collaboration category. CRTAFE are finalists for being the training partners of the Biodiversity Conservation Collaboration Project (in Geraldton) to manage invasive aquatic species and restore key ecosystems on Australia's Coral Coast.
The project gives students real world experience while helping to protect WA's Abrolhos Islands. CRTAFE won the ‘On-ground Coastal Management Award’ for the project earlier this year at the WA Coastal Awards for Excellence.
CRTAFE Acting Managing Director Joanne Payne said it was fantastic to be recognised amongst such an outstanding group of training organisations.
“We are so proud to be finalists and to be recognised for the many achievements we have had over the last year” she said.
“Our staff work tirelessly to support and guide students through their vocational education journey and strive to establish innovative training programs that are beneficial for local industry” she said.
Ms Payne said the college was particularly excited to see the conversation project at the Abrolhos Islands recognised as it has been a significant collaborative effort for the TAFE and project partners, spanning across 4 years and involving over 600 community volunteers, students and stakeholders.
“Staff at our Batavia Coast Maritime Institute still oversee ongoing activities which have resulted from the project to ensure successful outcomes continue into the future” she said.
“We would like to congratulate all of the other finalists of this year’s awards for the great work they do in ensuring the continual improvement of the WA training sector” she said.
Award winners will be announced in September. Winners may also be eligible to compete against the nation's best at the Australian Training Awards later in the year.
The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the following roads remain closed to the general public.
The City urges members of the community to adhere to road closures as unauthorised use results in extensive road damage.
If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
Member for Durack Melissa Price said survivors of child sexual abuse living in Durack should apply to the National Redress Scheme that launched on 1 July.
The National Redress Scheme was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Ms Price said the Scheme was established to provide counselling, an acknowledgement from the institution involved and a redress payment to people who were sexually abused in an institutional setting as children.
“To apply for redress, people will complete a form explaining what happened to them and how it has impacted them. You can do that on paper or online through myGov,” Ms Price said.
“Redress Support Services are available to help people understand the Scheme and complete their application, while free legal and financial support is also available.
“I encourage anyone in Durack who is a survivor of child sex abuse to apply for the Scheme.
“This is an important part of the healing process. Redress will acknowledge the hurt and the harm suffered by survivors, and ensure that institutions take responsibility for the abuse that occurred on their watch, by their people.”
For more information about the National Redress Scheme:
People who need immediate assistance can contact:
The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise damaged manhole and drain covers located on the corner of George Road and Durlacher Street will be replaced tonight, Tuesday 26 June 2018, with works starting from 7pm.
Traffic control will be in place but members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.
The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.
If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be pruning the Hibiscus tree, also known as the ‘heart tree’, located on Durlacher Street on Wednesday 27 June 2018 in the hours between 6.30am and 9am.
To ensure community safety the road between Marine Terrace and Foreshore drive will be closed and a detour in place.
Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.
The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.
If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
The decision to refuse the approval of Amendment No. 4 of the City of Greater Geraldton Town Planning Scheme NO. 1A is welcomed by Local Member for Geraldton, Ian Blayney MLA.
“The amendment initiated the planning scheme to rezone the land at Southgate for development purposes”, said Mr Blayney.
“Given the significance of the Southgate Dunes in the region, I am pleased development and subdivision will not be implemented.
Mr Blayney said there was widespread consternation throughout the community when changes enabling the subdivision of 780 hectares on Southgate Dunes were reported in the paper in 2016.
“I wrote to the Minister for Planning several times advising against the proposed changes.
“Southgate is an environmentally sensitive area and any disruption to the dunes may impact on local beaches.
Mr Blayney said that he opposed the changes not only because the dunes are a significant natural asset but also because Geraldton already has problems with beach erosion.
“Any disruption to the sand recharge could further exacerbate coastal erosion in the area.
“This will not only detract from the attractiveness of Geraldton’s beaches but will also add to local government costs as they would have to address such effects.
“I am delighted the Southgate Dunes have been saved.”
Jim Jefferies, an Australian comedian famous for sounding like an Australian version of a redneck, using the word "c###" a lot, and yet somehow making the American left love him because he attacked US gun culture in a Netflix special once.
I found it odd to see Jim Jefferies (JJ) had chosen to interview Jordan Peterson (JP). On the cover it seemed like the highschool pot head deciding to go toe-to-toe with Einstein.
But I watched the interview anyway.
As one expected, 90% of the video is JJ speaking over snippets of carefully cropped footage chosen to support the narrative being painted. Much of it was patently misrepresenting JP, which was hardly a surprise given the audience JJ is clearly pandering to.
But there were two notable surprises in the video.
The first I want to mention is how the video ends, which is with JJ essentially agreeing with JP that people should be allowed free speech. This appears obvious, and it then seems absurd most of the video was spent trying to discredit JP.
The other interesting point is where JJ points out a double standard JP would be holding by saying it's good to force businesses to serve black people but bad to force businesses to serve gay people.
What's admirable on JP's part is he doesn't hide from JJ's (or JJ's producer's) observation. He acknowledges it and says "maybe I was wrong about that." The issue deserves more than 15 seconds of a YouTube clip to parse, but what we do get to see of JP there was him honestly addressing the point being made and having the integrity to admit he may need to change his opinion.
This is a practice both the left and the right are in desperate need of adopting. When we're in an argument, it should be our goal to discover the truth, not win the argument. If truth appears from the person I'm arguing with, I need the courage and insight to stop arguing and agree with their position.
Two Central Regional TAFE (CRTAFE) students had their skills put to the test at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship held in Sydney earlier this month.
Isabelle Crosswell from the Geraldton Campus placed fifth in the Hairdressing competition and Travis Watts from the Kalgoorlie Campus placed sixth in the Automotive Open competition.
This is the second time a competitor from Geraldton represented Western Australia at the national competition and a first for the Goldfields region.
Both Isabelle and Travis competed in the regional competition for their respective trades and progressed to represent Team WA at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship (the nation’s largest trades and skills showcase) held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on 1-3 June.
Participants from around Australia showcased their skills against others in their field by completing a series of projects and tasks throughout the three day event, whilst being scored and judged by experienced industry professionals.
Isabelle, who recently completed her hairdressing qualification and was announced this year’s CRTAFE Apprentice of the Year, said the once in a lifetime experience was exciting and rewarding.
“It’s a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute you’re confident then you’re a ball of nerves; it’s both physically and mentally challenging, especially because we don’t find out what the challenge is until five minutes before starting” Ms Crosswell said.
“I would 100 percent encourage others to give it a go. It gave me so many opportunities to network and meet new people from around Australia” she said.
“I also worked alongside world renowned hairdressers and stylists who were team mentors or competition judges, it’s really been a great learning experience” she said.
Travis, a third year Automotive Apprentice at Kalgoorlie’s Performance Gas Mechanical said the atmosphere at the national championship was fantastic and that the competition opened up new opportunities for learning and growth.
“The stress levels whilst competing go through the roof because you are under time constraints for each phase of the competition, whilst still having to worry about accuracy, solving problems and safety aspects” he said.
“There’s a lot of hard work leading up to each completion but it’s all definitely worth it when you get there” he said.
CRTAFE Managing Director Bill Swetman said both students did the college and WA proud.
“Isabelle and Travis have done exceptionally well and should be congratulated for the efforts they have made in preparing for each stage of the WorldSkills program and the professionalism they have demonstrated throughout the competition” he said.
“Their success is a great testament to the dedication they have towards their training and a credit to both their lecturers and employers” he said.
Mr Swetman added “WorldSkills competitions boost young people’s confidence and career prospects, challenges their skills on the national stage and allows them to gain valuable feedback from well-regarded industry professionals.”
This year’s championships was also particularly special for CRTAFE with Kalgoorlie Campus Automotive Lecturer Adrian Gooneratne invited to be one of the judges at the national event.
WorldSkills regional competitions will once again be held in 2019.
For more information please contact Central Regional TAFE on 1800 672 700 or email info@crtafe.wa.edu.au More information about WorldSkills Australia can be found at https://www.worldskills.org.au/
The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be undertaking drainage maintenance works at the corner of Francis Street and Marine Terrace with works commencing on Wednesday 27 June 2018 and are expected to be completed by Thursday 28 June 2018.
During the works, the intersection will be closed to ensure community safety and detours will be in place. Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.
The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.
If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
Wandina Primary School students celebrate the officially opening of the Derna Park Nature Playground, which was constructed in partnership by the school and the City of Greater Geraldton.
Getting back to nature just got a whole lot easier with the official opening of a nature playground today in Derna Park in the heart of the Wandina suburb.
The unique project saw the construction of a playground on land owned by both the Wandina Primary School and the City.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the school’s proposal to build the playground aligned with the City’s plans for Derna Park.
“When the playground proposal came through in 2016, the City was already planning upgrades to the Park which included the construction of a toilet block,” he said.
“It goes without saying the nature playground has added real value to the park and with the addition of the toilet block, which opened in August 2017, Derna Park has become a top location for local children and families from across Geraldton to visit and enjoy.”
Wandina Primary School Principal Di Miller said she was thankful to the City and project funders for supporting a playground that will challenge children of all ages.
“By pooling Wandina Primary School, Wandina Primary School P&C, Seacrest Corporation and City funds we were able to successfully leverage grant funding and build a play space that will be enjoyed by students during recess and lunch times and by the community throughout the day,” she said.
“The new nature playground will provide our school and community with a fantastic play space where children will be able to be creative and imaginative as well as develop their gross motor skills through play in a more natural environment, for many years to come.”
Construction of the $200,746 nature playground was jointly funded by Wandina Primary School, Wandina Primary School P&C, the City of Greater Geraldton, and Seacrest Corporation with the State Government Regional Grants Scheme, managed by the Mid West Development Commission contributing $149,167 towards the project.
The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise of the permanent closure of the Allen Road bridge in Moonyoonooka on Friday 22 June 2018.
To ensure community safety, barriers will be put in place to prevent vehicle access to the 88 year-old bridge which has reached its end of life and may be demolished in future.
Members of the community will be able to use the adjacent bridge located on the Narra Tarra-Moonyoonooka Road.
Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs.
The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause. If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.
Come down to our Geraldton campus Semester Two Enrolment Days!
June 28-29, 9AM to 5PM
Choose from over 300 courses, speak to lecturers and check out the campus. Don’t wait until next year! Your local TAFE can help you get the skills you need now.
Save time and register on our website or give us a call today!
www.centralregionaltafe.wa.edu.au
1800 672 700
Do you ever feel like your anger might be getting out of control? Do you have trouble calming down when you get angry? How do you express these feelings?
Being a Better Man is a 6 week programme of psychoeducational workshops which has been developed by Centacare Family Services in Geraldton, WA to assist men who use destructive and offending behaviour to others and themselves.
This unique, innovative and intensive programme combines recent advances in neuroscience and their applications in understanding and re-designing an angry brain.
The Being a Better Man program will require 1.5 – 2 hours per week in a group of up to 12 participants, with a facilitator guiding the course. The primary objective of this programme is to:
Community information sessions on potential options to change the current ward system and council representation will be held by the City at the end of the month.
The sessions are part of a review of ward boundaries and the number of Councillors is being undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Act 1995. All local governments with wards must carry out reviews of their ward boundaries and the number of Councillors for each ward at least once every eight years. The last time wards and representation were reviewed was in 2011, when the then City of Geraldton-Greenough merged with the Shire of Mullewa.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the purpose of the information sessions are to inform the community on the review process and present the various options for future representation.
“Currently, we have seven wards with 14 elected members and a popularly elected mayor,” he said.
“However, there are a number of options up for consideration which include changing or reducing the number of wards or the number of elected members representing a ward or even abolishing wards altogether.
“The pros and cons of these options will be presented at the information sessions along with the opportunity for attendees to provide their feedback on what they have heard.”
The Geraldton Community Information Session will be on Wednesday 27 June 2018 at 5pm, in the Function Room at the City Civic Centre and the Mullewa Community Information Session will be on Thursday 28 June 2018 at 5pm, in the Dining Room at the Recreation Centre.
Mayor Van Styn encourages everyone to have their say on how they will be represented by local government in the future.
“The feedback we received from the community will help Council identify the system of representation that best reflects the characteristics of our community which include communities of interest, physical and topographical features, demographic trends and economic factors,” he said.
When the Review is complete, a report on the process and Council’s resolution regarding wards and representation will be submitted to the Local Government Advisory Board for assessment against the requirements of the Local Government Act and consideration of any recommended changes. The Board’s recommendations regarding the review are then submitted to the Minister who has the final decision on wards and Councillor representation in the City.
For more information on the review or to make a submission visit the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au
New hessian tree guards, developed by the City in response to community concern regarding using plastic, protect seedlings recently planted by the Sunset Beach Community Group at Triton Place in Sunset Beach.
A recent tally of tree and shrub plantings registered with the Million Trees Project shows the community is on track to reach the halfway mark of 500,000 this winter.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said greening the City region has been the community’s aspiration for many years.
“In 2010, when the 2029 and Beyond Project was launched, we asked the community what would make Greater Geraldton a better place to live and greening our City by planting more trees and shrubs was their top priority,” he said.
“Now eight years in and more than 327,500 tree and shrub plantings later, we are continually asked by the community to keep beautifying streets and public open spaces with more trees.
“That’s why more than 127,000 trees and shrubs are scheduled for planting by community groups, businesses and the City along our foreshore and river reserves over the coming weeks.
“With only 11 years to go till 2029, I am confident together, as a community, can reach the million trees target,” he added.
If you have planted one or more trees or shrubs on your property you can make your trees count by registering them towards the Million Trees Project on the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au
All varieties of trees, including fruit trees and shrubs such as Grevilleas, can be added to the register.
22-year-old Eurydice Dixon was raped and killed sometime between 10:30pm on Tuesday and 3:00am on Wednesday in Melbourne, according to Victorian Police.
Victorian Police tried to be helpful in warning the general public (cough, women) to take responsibility to avoid being raped. Detective Inspector Stamper told the media: “My message is that people need to be aware of their own personal security. If people should have any concerns at any time about their personal security, call triple-0.”
The internet lost its $#!✝️
Women were sick of being told it was their job to avoid being raped and murdered, and somehow the onus rested on them to stay safe. The helpful "advice" from the police was tantamount to victim blaming in the minds of many people, men and women alike.
Stories from around the world flooded our news feeds as women shared exactly what it's like to be ever mindful that one wrong move could result in the worst imaginable thing ever happening to you.
I spent some time pondering this. I'm a 6 foot 4 male. I never worry about whether someone is going to rape me, and I rarely worry if someone will murder me. Usually when I'm walking along a dark street at night, depending whether I'm wearing a hoodie or a blazer, people are nervous about my presence. I imagined how tiring it must be to constantly make sure you take the long way home, sit in groups, text your friends constantly regarding your safety, etc etc. I felt a genuine empathy towards women and the joke that is society warning them to be the ones to "take precautions" all the time, rather than actually deal with the perpetrators effectively.
Do you know who else felt empathy towards women following this story?
Darren West, MLC, Labor WA politician, Member for the Agricultural Region.
So Mr West tweeted an old list that the women's rights movements circulated back in 2015. It's a great list, sarcastic in nature, that makes a very clear point: It's not the woman's job to avoid being raped, it's the rapist's job to NOT RAPE! It was endorsed by famous feminists like Sarah Silverman and many more.
Here it is for posterity:
These are great- send to all the men in ur life RT @texpatriate 10 Rape Prevention Tips. @lizzwinstead pic.twitter.com/IPfWsaz9zz
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) March 21, 2015
A similar list also circulated around the same time carried a footnote: “Rape culture directs women to police their clothing, beverage, behaviour and sexuality at all times to avoid men. It portrays men as powerless against their violent sexual urges. Rape culture demeans everyone and everyone should speak out against rape culture."
Now, anyone with an IQ above 65 could tell you that Sarah Silverman, widely hailed as a remarkable feminist (link) is not mocking rape victims by sharing this list. Anyone with an iota of understanding of the context in which the western world is operating right now, namely, rape victims being told it is THEIR job to avoid rape, would be able to put 2 and 2 together and get the point of this list.
Sarah Silverman has around 12 million followers on Twitter and no woman on the planet called for her to apologise for sharing this list.
Why? Because of brains.
We used our brains, understood what the list meant, and agreed her point was very valid.
Would you like to know what everyone's reactions to Ms Silverman's tweet were? Type "sarah silverman 10 Rape Prevention Tips" into Google. (or click here)
She was roundly praised, and the men who complained about her tweet were widely condemned.
We know something needs to change.
We are SICK of having to train our daughters on how to avoid being sexually assaulted or worse.
And so when Darren West, in solidarity with Sarah Silverman and the millions of others who feel the same way tweeted this list recently, was he praised just like Ms Silverman?
No.
Because there's a by-election happening in Darling Range, and the Liberal Party are trying desperately to spin this into a "rape joke" incident.
Today I received a press release from the Liberal candidate for Darling Range, Alyssa Hayden, demanding Mr West be sacked because he published this old viral list.
“There is no defending his tweet about rape and no excuse he attempts for posting his tweet is acceptable," Mrs Hayden said.
“You don’t joke about such a serious subject and if he believes it was a serious post it shows a lack of judgement – and not for the first time – which warrants his removal from his senior post in the Government.”
The questions I have for Alyssa Hayden and the Liberal Party are these:
1. Does Alyssa Hayden understand the point of the list?
2. Does Alyssa Hayden agree with the point the list makes?
3. If Alyssa Hayden honestly believes this list is insulting to rape victims and condemns anyone who tweets it, is she also condemning Sarah Silverman and all the feminists who made this list viral in 2015?
And the media have been in fine form as well. Caitlin Barr from Channel 9 seems to also have completely miss the point of the list, expecting Mr West to apologise for standing with women. (link) I wonder if Ms Barr expects Sarah Silverman to also issue an apology.
The response to Darren West's tweet from the Liberal Party is beyond "political correctness gone mad", because Darren's tweet is perfectly politically correct.
What Mrs Hayden and the Liberal Party have done is basically said anyone who tries to make a salient point that rape victims are not to blame will have their words twisted and spun such that THEY will appear to be the ones who are insensitive to rape.
I have had multiple family members who have been raped, sexually abused, and domestically abused. None of them are offended by this list. They ARE offended when Police tell them it is their job to avoid being abused.
Not only did Darren West do nothing wrong by posting this list, but he is to be commended for having the courage to stand alongside victims of rape, and encouraging a conversation where we start thinking maybe it's not the woman's job to constantly avoid being raped. Maybe we should be focusing our message on the would-be attackers.
Alyssa Hayden did not respond to attempts to contact her prior to publication of this article.
Specs 2-4-1 is a locally owned optical business that had a “Vision”. The first WA optical company to offer the famous “buy 1 get 1 free*” deal.
Specs 2-4-1 Geraldton is also having its 20-70% off all frames and sunglasses sale, so from now until the end of June not only will you receive 20 - 70% off your frame or sunglass but if we put optical lenses into them you will also receive a second pair of single vision glasses free*.
Need an eye test? No problems, simply give us a call to book a convenient time and our Optometrist can give you a full comprehensive consultation bulk billed direct to Medicare.
So if you’re in the market for a new prescription or simply a new look, come in and see one of our frame consultants to make the right choice of both frames and lenses for a complete new look!
Call us now on 9964 8922.
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