Drug Arrest

At about 12:30am on Saturday 13 June 2015, a male person was seen walking along North West Coastal Highway, Webberton.

Officers attached to the Geraldton Liquor Enforcement Unit engaged with the male person. Police allege that following a search of the male, 13 clip seal bags containing cannabis was located. It will be alleged that the total weight of the cannabis was approximately 19 grams.

The 32 year old male from Wonthella will appear at the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date charged with possess prohibited drug. Geraldton.police.station@police.wa.gov.au Ph: 08 – 9923 4555 

Arrest Following Social Media Call for Assistance

As a result of an ongoing operation targeting addresses associated with known offenders who have been actively avoiding police, officers attached to the Geraldton Local Policing Team made a number of arrests on Friday 12 June 2015.

At about 3:30pm Geraldton Police requested the public’s assistance in locating a male person of interest, wanted over several outstanding inquiries, through the use of the WA Police Facebook page.

Shortly after, police received information regarding the male person’s whereabouts and subsequently attended a residential address in Rangeway.

A 25 year old male from Bluff Point was arrested and conveyed to the Geraldton Police Station. Following further inquiries, the male was charged with the following offences;

• 2 x Fraud
• 3 x Steal Motor Vehicle
• 4 x Stealing
• 3 x Burglary and Commit
• 1 x Burglary with Intent
• 1 x Criminal Damage Geraldton.police.station@police.wa.gov.au Ph: 08 – 9923 4555 

And further;

A 15 year old male was located and subsequently arrested on an outstanding warrant. He appeared at the Geraldton Children’s Court charged with breach of bail.

A 27 year old female from Spalding appeared at the Geraldton Magistrates Court after being arrested over several outstanding matters. She faces the following charges;

• 1 x Breach of Bail
• 1 x Fail to Obey Summons
• 1 x Unlawful Possession
• 1 x Steal Motor Vehicle
• 1 x Provide False Details 

Methylamphetamine Seizure

At about 4:30pm on Friday 12 June 2015 officers attached to the Geraldton Detectives office attended a towing yard in Geraldton.

Police allege that following the execution of a Misuse of Drugs Act search warrant on a vehicle within the premises, a quantity of white crystal substance was located. It will be alleged that the total weight of the crystal substance, believed to be methylamphetamine, was established to be 9.6 grams.

A 46 year old male from Tarcoola Beach was arrested over the matter. He will appear at the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date charged with possess prohibited drug with intent to sell/supply. 

Renewal of Armstrong Street footpaths

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that footpath renewal works has commenced on the Armstrong Street footpath and will continue for approximately three days.

Anticipated hours of works will be between 6am to 6pm with the footpath being fully closed to pedestrian traffic during the renewal.

The City regrets any inconvenience and will endeavour to keep disruptions to a minimum.

Motorists and pedestrians are advised to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and direction from authorised City personnel or contractors.

For more information contact the City on 9956 6600 or email to council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Australians get mobile

Mobile phones and mobile internet devices are an increasingly important feature of Australia’s communications landscape. But to what extent have they become substitutes for fixed-line telephone and internet?

The latest researchacma snapshot investigates the increasing number of consumers who no longer rely on fixed communications, instead using mobile devices for voice, messaging and internet access.

Key findings from Australians get mobile—using mobile devices for voice, messaging and internet access show that at December 2014:

•  12 per cent of adult Australians were exclusively mobile—without a fixed-line telephone or fixed internet connection at home, and using mobile devices for voice, messaging and internet access. This grew from 10 per cent at December 2013.
• 29 per cent of adult Australians were mobile-only phone users—with a mobile phone but no fixed-line telephone at home. This grew from 13 per cent at December 2010.
• 21 per cent of adult Australians were mobile-only internet users—relying on a mobile device (mobile phone, tablet or mobile broadband connection) to access the internet. This grew from 19 per cent at December 2013.

researchacma alerts present the latest media and communications figures, trends and analysis from the ACMA research team delivered straight to your inbox.

Attempted Aggravated Robbery

At about 11:30am on Wednesday 10 June 2015 the victim, an elderly female, was walking her dog along Green Street, Spalding.

It will be alleged that the accused man approached the victim and engaged her in conversation. The accused man then suddenly forced the victim to the ground before assaulting her. It will further be alleged that during the assault the accused man demanded money while physically searching the victim’s clothing. The victim was not carrying money and the accused departed the scene empty handed.

Local police and Geraldton Detectives immediately responded, arresting a 39 year old male from Spalding shortly after.

The accused man will appear at Geraldton Magistrates Court this morning charged with attempted aggravated robbery. 

Crime prevention forums to improve community safety

In response to calls from the community to improve community safety the WA Police and the City of Greater Geraldton will be holding a series of crime prevention forums next week.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter, said the City was keen to host the forums which will provide the latest information on crime prevention techniques to residents and the business community that will enhance community safety.

“Preventing crime, results in greater community safety and during the forums the WA Police will be presenting the most up to date information on various crime prevention techniques such as designing out crime and the latest from Eyes on the Street,” he said.

“Presentations at the business forum will also cover issues around retail theft and armed robbery.”

Residents and business owners are encouraged to attend the forums being held on Wednesday June 17 and learn what they can do to help prevent crime.

“Preventing crime is everyone’s business and by learning how to do somethings differently or better at these forums we can all work together to make the City region safer,” Mayor Carpenter said.

The Community Forum open to all residents will be held from 2.00pm-3.30pm at the Geraldton Yacht Club and the Business Owner Forum will be held from 5.30pm-7.30pm at the Geraldton Yacht Club.

Light refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP your attendance by Tuesday 16 June to Neryl Beer on 9956 6720 or via email nerylb@cgg.wa.gov

Price welcomes call to have advisory council in Mid West

Member for Durack Melissa Price has welcomed the call from WA Child Protection Minister Helen Morton that the Mid West will have a Strategic Regional Advisory Council (SRAC).

The State Government announced last week the establishment of the SRAC in the Kimberley and Pilbara to improve health and wellbeing, education, and employment outcomes for Aboriginal people in regional areas.

Each council will consist of four local leaders working with Government departmental heads.

Ms Price, who said in her maiden speech that she hopes this Parliament improves the lives of Aboriginal people, said a local council in the Mid West was the best way to address issues facing Aboriginal people in the Mid West.

“Each Aboriginal community in WA is vastly different, and the Mid West needs Mid West leaders steering the way forward for the region,” Ms Price said.

“Only a local advisory council can get the best outcomes for Aboriginal people in the Mid West.

“We have many great local leaders in Aboriginal communities in the Mid West, and they are one of the key ingredients to improved outcomes of the future.”

Earlier this year the Federal Government announced they were investing more than $860million under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy’s (IAS) grant funding to deliver on key priorities of getting children to school, adults into work and ensuring communities are safe.

Ms Price said the Abbott Government is committing to closing the gap and improving the outcomes of Aboriginal people.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got,” Ms Price said.

“That’s why the Abbott Government set up the Indigenous Advisory Council when we were elected to Government more than 18 months ago.

“Durack has the third-highest proportion of Aboriginal residents in Australia, and I want to ensure that future generations are educated and have equal opportunities to non-Indigenous.”

Be a part of the green transformation

Be a part of the green transformation by joining in upcoming community tree planting events.

Get out those gardening gloves and help the City of Greater Geraldton come closer to reaching the community’s Million Trees target.

The City is urging the community to be a part of the green transformation by joining in community tree planting events which will be held throughout the month of June.

Three tree planting days will be held on Saturday June 13 at the Greenough River Estuary; and Saturday June 20 and Saturday June 27 in the Chapman River Regional Park.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter, said the City was dedicated to planting more trees and shrubs around Greater Geraldton.

“We asked the public what would make Greater Geraldton a better place to live and greening our City was the top priority,” he said.

“Community Tree planting days are about restoring the City’s priority natural areas which include both areas surrounding the Chapman and Greenough rivers.

“The outcome of this was the Million Trees project which has seen over 135,000 trees planted in our region to date.

“We would love the community to continue to help this number grow.”

If you have planted trees or shrubs on your property you can add them to the Million Trees growing tally by heading to the City’s website to make your tree count.

The three planting days will be held from 3-5pm, no gardening experience is necessary. Wear suitable clothes and bring your own gloves, water bottle and hand spade if you have one.

Community tree planting days are supported by the State NRM Office and the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council.

For more information contact visit the City’s website at www.cgg.wa.gov.au or phone the City on 9956 6600. You can also follow the Million Trees project on Facebook.

Telephone Scams on the Rise: First Home Phone in Australia that Enables Customers to Hang Up on Nuisance Calls

Attempts by telephone scammers to illegally obtain personal information are on the rise, with Telstra already receiving more than 4,000 reports of scams from its customers this year.

Customers in New South Wales have made the most reports to Telstra about telephone scams this year (1734) followed by Victoria (758), Queensland (737); Western Australia (371); South Australia (217); Tasmania (48); the Northern Territory (27) and ACT (21). 

Some of the most common telephone scams reported to Telstra include scammers who falsely claim to represent Telstra, and ask for remote access to a consumers’ home computer, to fix a problem that doesn’t exist; and scammers who tell consumers their home phone will be disconnected if they don’t pay a fee. In both cases, the scammer is trying to gain unlawful access to a person’s identity and in particular their personal banking details.

The Telstra Call Guardian 301 is Australia’s first home phone with a virtual assistant that asks unknown callers to announce their name prior to being connected. When the phone rings, you answer and hear the caller’s name announced. You can then choose to block, accept or send the caller to the answering machine.

The phone can store up to 1,000 numbers and friends and family can be added to the contact list so their calls will get straight through (Calling Number Display is needed for calls to get straight through, additional charges may apply).

Telstra Director of Fixed Voice and Platinum services Jennifer Douglas said the Telstra Call Guardian would help give customers the peace of mind that they’re talking to someone they know when they answer their home phone.

“We know unwanted calls can be very frustrating for our customers. From scammers offering to ‘repair’ the family PC to salespeople calling just when you’ve settled down in front of the TV, they can be an unwelcome intrusion.

“We already do a lot of work in arming our customers with the information that can help them distinguish scammers from genuine callers. Now customers can have their very own tool to block unwanted calls.”

Ms Douglas said the Telstra Call Guardian is easy to use, features an integrated answering machine and importantly helps customers to avoid scam calls coming from overseas that authorities find challenging to track and disrupt.

Customers can report telephone scammers or rogue telemarketers by calling Telstra on 1800 260 270.

An information flyer titled ‘Is it really Telstra calling’ can be accessed by visiting www.telstra.com/verify. The flyer contains advice for customers to help them identify a telephone call made by an authorized Telstra representative. 

Telstra tips on how to avoid telephone scams:

If you're not sure that the person on the other end of the phone is legitimate, hang up and call the organisation by using their official contact details.

• Be wary of sharing personal, credit card or banking details over the phone, unless you’ve made the call or the phone number came from a trusted source.
• Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
• Make sure your computer is protected with regularly updated anti-virus software.
• If your alarm bells are ringing or you think something's not quite right, just hang up.

About Telstra Call Guardian 301:
The Telstra Call Guardian 301 home phone, available exclusively to Telstra, incorporates built in multi award winning Qaltel call blocking technology which allows customers to filter incoming calls and decide whether to accept or reject them. The virtual assistant asks callers to announce their name prior to being connected, so when the phone rings the user can hear the caller’s name announced.

Customers then have the option to accept or reject the call or send to the answering machine. The phone can block up to 1,000 numbers, while saved numbers get straight through. However, Calling Number Display (CND) is required for saved contacts with a listed number to get straight through - additional charges for CND may apply depending on your plan.

The new Telstra Call Guardian 301 home phone is available for purchase on a 24 month Hardware Repayment Option with an eligible Telstra home phone plan or bundle for just $3 per month, or for $72 outright.

Hardware Repayment Option
If you cancel your plan or your Hardware Repayment Option early, you’ll need to pay any remaining hardware payments. More information about Telstra Call Guardian 301 is available at https://www.telstra.com.au/homephone/handsets

Memorial for Aboriginal Soldiers

Visiting the Geraldton Sub Branch of the RSL last year, local man David Burns was amazed to see the number of Aboriginal men who had served their country and decided he’d like to do something to commemorate their war service.

RSL President Ross Davies put him in touch with Bundiyarra and David recreated by hand, each medal and award won by the servicemen, and inscribed more than 150 names in a glass-framed memorial plaque to be displayed with pride at Bundiyarra.

It was unveiled at Camp Gallipoli by David (pictured at left above), Ross Davies, and Vietnam veteran, Graham Taylor.

Bundiyarra is thrilled with this masterpiece and encourages family members to come along and see it.

Burglary Offences

Officers from the Geraldton Local Policing Team with assistance from the Mid West – Gascoyne District Dog Handler, conducted a series of early morning searches of addresses associated with known offenders who have been actively avoiding police.

In total, seven addresses were searched with three persons of interest located with outstanding alleged offences.

Whilst these searches were being conducted, it will be alleged that a further two offenders were disturbed by home owners from two separate addresses in the Bluff Point area. Officers involved in the searches attended the area, contained the area and conducted patrols which resulted in the arrest of two persons of interest.

As a result of the Bluff Point incidents, a 21 year old female and a 20 year old male, both from Utakarra, were charged with aggravated burglary, stealing and trespass offences and will appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date.

Three further adult males were charged with a range of offences including aggravated burglary, stealing and fraud offences and one male will appear at the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date. 

Furthermore, two of the males had outstanding arrest warrants and they were
further charged with breach of bail offences. Those males will appear in the
Geraldton Magistrates Court today.

Operation Dodo

Geraldton Police will today be having an increased focus on antisocial behaviour within retail sectors and the central business district.

Officers attached the Geraldton Police Station and the Geraldton Local Policing Team will be present within the Northgate and Stirling’s Shopping Centres as well as the central business district.

We will be engaging with local business vendors and targeting antisocial behaviour and stealing offences.

Feel free to stop and engage with the officers who will be able to answer any questions you may have or even just to say hello.

Boost your club sponsorship

The City of Greater Geraldton is helping local clubs and organisations to reach their full potential through the latest “snippets session” workshop on sponsorship.

As attracting sponsorship is one of the most significant challenges for many organisations, local clubs are invited to take part in a free workshop that will provide information on how to best attract sponsorship dollars.

The Club Sponsorship workshop will be held as part of the City’s Our Club Rules! – Club Makeover Program that was introduced in 2013 in partnership with the Department of Sport and Recreation.

City of Greater Geraldton Deputy Mayor, Neil McIlwaine, said this was a great opportunity for many local clubs and organisations to get assistance in an area which they have identified as challenging. 

“Attracting sponsorship can be highly competitive and this workshop will focus on the importance of ensuring local clubs and organisations understand what they have to offer and that the needs of the club are in line with the needs of the sponsors,” he said.

“The workshop will ultimately help clubs to attract funding and ensure their ongoing viability by giving them a better understating of how to prepare a sponsorship prospectus to best attract the interest of potential sponsors.”

The workshop will be delivered by Market Creations in the City of Greater Geraldton Function Room on Wednesday, June 17 from 5:15pm to 6:30pm.

RSVPs close on Friday, June 12. For more information contact the City’s Sport and Recreation Club Development Officer, Ryan Thompson on ryant@cgg.wa.gov.au or call 9956 6968.

Durack to Have their Say on Country of Origin Food Labelling

Durack can have their say on what they want in clearer country of origin food labelling in an online survey that will help design the Australian Government’s new labelling system.

The Government has been consulting with industry – including growers, processors and retailers to implement a clearer, more direct system for food labelling that will give consumers the information they want in a way that is easy to read and understand.

“The community throughout Durack have been telling me loud and clear that they want more useful food labelling, and we want to hear from them about which options they prefer,” Member for Durack Melissa Price said.

“I encourage all those in Durack interested in the issue to jump online and fill out a country of origin food labelling community survey at www.industry.gov.au/cool or request a hardcopy by calling 13 28 46.

“Durack have asked for simpler food labelling and now is the chance for them to have their say on simpler and more logical ways to present the information.

“It’s important that people can make informed choices about the food they buy at their local supermarket. We want Australians to have confidence in knowing where their food is coming from.”

Can you help host a visiting student?

My name is Julie Gibbens and a am a volunteer with an international exchange program called AFS.

We are requiring a host family for two students arriving in July on a brief exchange of 8 weeks to give students a taste of regional west Australian life.

Contact information is written on the flyers , AFS WA are the people to contact in regards to hosting.  A working with children check is required.

Smartline $25,000 Community Grant Initiative - Apply Now

We believe community is the soul of any society. When we come together, we achieve great things. We make the world a better place.

That's why Smartline donates $10 from every loan to charity. And why we run competitions like this...

We want to reward Australia's best community groups with a $500 grant each. To say thank-you for their hard work, selflessness and to help them continue their fantastic contribution to the community. All up, we're giving away 50 grants of $500, for a total donation of $25,000! The question is, who do we give them to?

So we want you to tell us who should get a grant. Who's making the best contribution in your local community?

To nominate a community group for a $500 grant simply tell us in 100 words or less why you think they are deserving. They'll go into the draw to win one of 50 $500 cash grants.

Telstra’s new breed of speed comes to Tarcoola Beach

Life in Tarcoola Beach just got a whole lot faster with Telstra launching 4GX services in the area providing the local community with access to one of the world’s fastest mobile networks. 

The introduction of 4GX services will deliver increased capacity for the local mobile network and will provide residents with improved and more consistent data speeds. This means more social media and video can be accessed in more places around Tarcoola Beach with less delay and less buffering.  

Telstra Area General Manager Alan Shepherdson said the introduction of 4GX was designed to ensure local residents continue to enjoy the best coverage, network reliability and consistently fast speeds as more activity, more people and more devices come onto Telstra’s network. 

“The local community in Tarcoola Beach is relying on mobile connectivity more than ever. The explosion in applications, shift towards mobile video consumption and use of mobile in commerce means demand for connectivity continues to grow strongly,” he said. 

“We’re staying ahead of this demand by introducing 4GX to increase network capacity. This will allow us to continue to offer our local customers Australia’s fastest most reliable mobile service. 

“As the first carrier to bring 4G mobile services to regional Western Australia we know how important high-speed mobile can be to supporting local businesses, tourism and making regional centres great places to live.” 

4GX sets a new benchmark in mobile internet speeds in Australia allowing people to download, share, stream and connect faster than ever. 4GX is based on Telstra’s new 700MHz spectrum and delivers higher typical mobile speeds on compatible devices, allowing more Western Australians to experience ultra-fast mobile internet. It also uses sophisticated LTE Advanced technology to bring together Telstra’s 1800MHz and 700MHz 4G spectrum bands to supercharge mobile web speeds even further on compatible devices. 

People using devices such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced II in 4GX areas are set to enjoy typical download speeds of 2 to 100Mbps – which means top speeds twice as fast as those typically available on Telstra’s existing 4G service. 

The mark of high performance and reliable coverage
In 4GX areas, people with compatible devices can look forward to:

• The fastest 4G speeds in Australia – People with 4GX category 6 devices can enjoy download speeds of between 2Mbps and 100Mbps. Customers with 4GX category 4 devices can enjoy typical download speeds of between 2Mbps to 75Mbps.
• Extra 4G coverage – 4GX will boost in-building coverage for 4G services bringing speedy mobile web access to more offices, bedrooms and lifts. And in regional areas, 4GX can go further than Telstra’s existing 4G frequencies creating better 4G coverage.
• More 4G to share – 4GX will double Telstra’s 4G bandwidth allowing people to enjoy their favourite content with fewer slowdowns even in peak hour or in crowded places like shops or on the bus. 

People can ensure they are equipped with a 4GX device by looking for the 4GX tag online and in store. 

Railway Station on Chapman Road turns 100

The Railway Station on Chapman Rd turns 100 years old this Saturday, 13 June 2015. 

A big thanks to Colin Dymond for sharing these great pics of the iconic building, which was never officially opened.

Seeking portraits of our living heroes - all 14,000 of them

There are over 14,000 World War II Veterans estimated to be living  in Australia and they are invited to be photographed as part of one of the most ambitious photographic projects ever undertaken in Australia – to commemorate our unsung heroes of World War II in print.

On completion, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) project entitled Reflections: Honouring our World War II Veterans will provide a compelling pictorial record of returned servicemen and women living in Australia for the Australian War Memorial archives.

Reinforcing the ANZAC tradition, “We will remember them”, professional photographers across the country, accredited by the AIPP, are donating their time and talent in a unique community project. Any profit from the resale of photographs will be donated to Legacy and the RSL Foundation.

AIPP Accredited Photographer Karl Monaghan said, “The AIPP wanted to honour veterans, whether from Australia or elsewhere, as living tributes to a time of heroism and nationalistic pride, by capturing and publishing their portraits in print.

“What better time to capture our living heroes than now as we commemorate 100 years of the ANZAC tradition and the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII,” he said.

“Letters and printed photographs meant absolutely everything to them back then, telling the story of their lives in their youth. It’s only fitting to contrast this with their senior years in the same way, in a timeless gift to them, their families and the nation.”

“In this digital age when images can be lost in an instant, photographers know it’s the power of quality photographic prints that will live on, capturing a person, a moment in time and preserving it forever,” Karl Monaghan said.

AIPP have partnered with the Australian War Memorial and the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) and all portraits will be gifted to the Australian War Memorial’s collection. 

Each veteran will receive a complimentary Kodak printed portrait in a presentation folder to commemorate their service given some 75 years ago. Anyone who served in World War II is encouraged to register for their free portrait at www.aippveterans.com or call AIPP on (03) 9888 4111. 

For more information on the AIPP Reflections project visit www.aipp.com.au/about/the-aipp-reflections-project or call AIPP on (03) 9888 4111.