Petition Boards locations, to keep Greenough killer locked up

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Shared by Ian Blayney:

"Petition Boards for William Patrick Mitchell will be available at these locations, below, for the next 2 weeks before they will be collected and presented to Parliament by Ian Blayney.  Please don't hesitate to contact this office if you have any queries:"

 

Ian Blayney's office - 2/5 Chapman Rd

Katie's Geraldton – 118 Marine Tce

Go Health – 122 Marine Tce

Rocks Newsagency – Marine Tce

Freemason’s Hotel – Marine Tce

Geraldton Health Food  – 8/9 Chapman Rd

Wintersun Hotel – 441 Chapman Rd

Bluff Point Newsagency – 429 Chapman Rd

Bluff Point Deli – 437 Chapman Rd

Sunset Supa IGA

Wonthella Supa IGA

Durlacher Street Supa IGA

More info click here. 

Abraham Street Bridge closes the gap

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The last bridge planks have been lifted into place for the Abraham Street Bridge.

The gap between Verita Road and Abraham Street has been filled with the last bridge planks lifted into place over the rail line last week. 

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the placement of precast concrete planks marked a milestone in Stage 2 of the Karloo Wandina Project. 

“Last week 20, 14.4m long precast concrete planks weighing 13 tonnes each, were lifted into place over the railway line completing an important phase in the construction of the 68m long and 14.2m wide Abraham Street Bridge,” he said. 

“This means the Karloo Wandina Project has reached an important milestone and is now one step closer to being completed.” 

In the coming weeks a concrete deck covering the bridge span beams will be poured and road safety barriers including anti-vandalism screens will be installed before the final layer of asphalt is laid connecting Abraham Street and Ackland Road. 

“At the moment Verita Road is averaging 1600 traffic moments per day and the Abraham Street Bridge will certainly provide a much needed link between the southern and northern suburbs,” said Mayor Van Styn. 

“The final stage in the Karloo Wandina project will be the construction of a roundabout at the Abraham Street / Utakarra Road intersection to accommodate traffic once the Abraham Street Bridge opens.” 

Construction of the Abraham Street Bridge is the City’s largest Capital Works Project in the 2015/16 financial year. The $9 million project, which is part of the $38.2 million Karloo Wandina Project, is funded by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions via the Mid West Investment Plan, the Australian Government’s Building Better Regional Cities program, Asia Iron and the City.

Comedian Xavier Toby puts a spin on FIFO life

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With a background that includes engineering, journalism, creative writing and comedy, Xavier Toby is bringing his stand-up show ‘Mining My Own Business’ to Geraldton. 

It’s a land where everything is either highly expensive, huge machinery, or hi vis: right down to the socks, jocks and skid marks; where expletives are punctuation, a $50 note is loose change, and the safety regulations are tighter than NASA, but there are still plenty of people who break the rules.

Over the last decade Xavier's been performing on the comedy circuit and at festivals throughout Australia and around the world, at the same time as frequently contributing to several highly regarded newspapers, magazines and websites.

During 2014 Xavier has continued to perform at comedy clubs and festivals, as well as staging his regularly sold-out comedy and history walking tour. His touring in 2014 & 2015 has taken him around the world, including a run of sold out shows in New York City, where he currently resides when not in Australia.

Xavier Toby will perform at the QEII Centre on Saturday, 5 March at 7:30pm. You can find more information and buy tickets on the Queens Park Theatre website by heading to http://ow.ly/YJbYo or you can purchase tickets from the Civic Centre, Geraldton Regional Library and Geraldton Visitor Centre.

 

Alert: Power pole damaged in Rundle Park at St Georges Beach

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The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise of a damaged power pole in Rundle Park located at St Georges Beach, Bluff Point. 

Western Power has attended the site. The electricity has been turned off to the park and reinstatement works have commenced. Works are expected to be completed by Tuesday 1 March 2016.

During this outage, the park toilets, BBQs and lighting will not be functioning.  Park users are advised to take caution after dark. 

The City apologises for the inconvenience caused.  The City would like to thank Western Power for their prompt action to make the area safe.

 

Good work Geraldton - Bushfire fundraising a success

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Thanks Lloyd for sending in the following:

South West WA Bush Fire Emergency Fundraiser

"Great effort Geraldton! As most of you are aware during the month of January, Officers from Geraldton Volunteer Fire & Rescue distributed donation tins throughout the Geraldton Region, raising funds for those affected by the Bush Fire Emergency in the South West Region of WA. We can now confirm a total of $2,701.95 was raised. On behalf of Geraldton Volunteer Fire & Rescue we'd like to sincerely thank our community for your efforts and generosity towards our South West WA Fundraiser."

Lieutenant Ben Collins & Apparatus Officer Tayla Renwick - Geraldton VFRS.

Update on stolen emergency vehicle from Life Saving Club

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Update on stolen Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club vehicle:

"Stolen Polaris was found this morning burnt out near the cemetery, not a good result for the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club as unsure if insurance will cover it and we don't have the funds to replace it. Thank you to all that shared, the police for their tireless hours looking for it and the public member who found our life saving equipment that was dumped near Meru tip and called it in, we really do appreciate the support of the community as we support you."

- Lisa.

Mullewa essential services open during planned power outage

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Regular power outages in Mullewa and surrounding localities resulting from power pole and powerline replacement scheduled to begin on Thursday 25 February won’t affect essential services delivery in Mullewa.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said successful lobbying by City Councillors and staff has resulted in Western Power providing power generation equipment to the community which will ensure Mullewa service providers and businesses can remain open during the scheduled Thursday power outages over the next 13 weeks.

“With full day power outages scheduled during the hottest time of the year the safety and wellbeing of the Mullewacommunity became a real concern of ours,” he said. 

“I’m pleased to announce that thanks to the lobbying of Western Power by Councillors and City staff they have agreed to supply power generators during this time. 

“As a result, the chemist, Family Day Care, both schools and Thurkle’s Post Office and Supermarket will be open for business tomorrow and every Thursday till 18 May using generators provided by Western Power. 

“The only essential service not open tomorrow is the Doctor’s Surgery as it was already scheduled to be closed, however from next week it too will be open on Thursday’s during the power outages. 

“The Mullewa pool will also be open for business as usual and residents in need of heat relief are encouraged to visit the library in the air conditioned Council office as it too will be open,” said Mayor Van Styn. 

A total of 266 power poles and 36.5km of overhead powerlines are being replaced in Deepdale, Woorree, Moonyoonooka, Kojarena, Mullewa, Pindar and Nunierra.  As this section of powerline is the sole provider of electricity to parts ofMullewa and surrounding localities residents in these areas will have power outages from 8am to 5pm on 13 consecutive Thursdays till 18 May 2016.

For more information you can contact Western Power on 13 10 87 or visit their website www.westernpower.com.au

Sex offender charged with abduction and rape of 13 year old from 20 years ago

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Bonnie Christian for the ABC:

Serial sex offender Patrick Alfred Merritt has been charged with the abduction and repeated rape of a 13-year-old girl in Geraldton more than 20 years ago.

Click here to read full article.



Attention Facebook users: 'Like' is no longer your only option

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Sometimes you see a news article in your Facebook news feed, and you want to express empathy. The story might be about a tragedy or crime. 

You don't quite feel like you have anything to add in the form of a comment, yet the traditional "Like" button just doesn't feel right. 

Facebook have been working on some options other than the "Like" button for some time, and they're finally rolling it out. 

You can now choose between 6 emotions to 'react' to a post; Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry. 

Notably absent is the much requested 'dislike' button. The reason behind this is that Facebook don't really want to give you a button to attack the poster, just different ways of empathising with the content posted. 

Here's an example. 

We posted a shared a story on a robbery that occurred recently in Geraldton. You may have seen the story, and wanted to express to Facebook that "I am glad this story is published and it's content makes me angry."

You could press "like" so Facebook knows to show this post to more people, and that you want to see more posts like this. Some of us do that already, and 63 people hit the 'Like' button on this one. But judging from the comments and the even larger number of 'shares' this post invoked an emotion a lot closer to 'anger' in most readers.

To choose a different 'reaction' just hover your mouse over the 'Like' button for a second, and the other choices will appear. On a touch screen device, hold down the like button and the other reactions will appear. The video below shows how it works. 

Facebook have said that as of now, everyone in the world will be able to access the 6 reactions. 

If it's not working for you yet, you may need to turn your phone off and back on. 

Someone at Seven has a sense of humour: Chicken truck rollover video

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A truck carrying chickens has had an accident on Lord Street Ellenbrook. Several chickens have died and many are across the road.STORY: http://yhoo.it/1UlUMeQ#7news

Posted by 7 News Perth on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

And this wins best comment

Medical Cannabis will finally be grown in Australia

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It's finally legal to grow medicinally with new licences, but you still can't actually use it. 

Health Minister Sussan Ley said the Department of Health and the Therapeutic Goods Administration are considering downgrading it to a "controlled substance", making it similar to morphine.

Huff Po on the breaking news from the Australian Senate:

Australia has passed a medical marijuana bill to allow the cultivation of the drug, but the Greens say medical cannabis remains an illegal substance.
Health Minister Sussan Ley announced on Wednesday afternoon that amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Act -- passed through the House of Representatives on Tuesday -- had also successfully passed through the Senate.
The bill would allow access to medicinal cannabis products for people suffering from serious illness, by legislating the growing of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. Products such as cannabis oil are used in the treatment of nausea during chemotherapy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other neurological conditions.

Click here to read more. 

Mullewa Youth Centre gets overhaul

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The Mullewa Youth Centre is currently undergoing renovations and will re-open in April.

Mullewa Youth will be eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Mullewa Youth Centre in mid-April after the building undergoes a complete overhaul. 

The refurbishment involves upgrades to internal and external walls, the roof and gutters and the existing toilets whilst new flooring, air conditioning, kitchen cabinets, doors, windows and security screens will also be installed. 

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the refurbishment of the popular Youth Centre was a top priority for the community and long overdue. 

“Last year youth from Mullewa and the surrounding communities visited the Centre more than 6200 times after school or on Saturdays taking part in structured activities such as sporting competitions, music workshops or healthy cooking classes,” he said. 

“During the four school holiday periods the Centre is open up to 60 hours per week to provide important diversionary recreational activities for youth. 

“Refurbishment of the Mullewa Youth Centre was identified as the number one priority for Mullewa by the 10 Year Capital Works Plan Community Panel in 2013.” 

The City has allocated $150,000 in the 2015/16 Budget to undertake the refurbishment with products and services for the project being provided by ten local businesses. 

“Keeping with Council’s ongoing commitment to improve disability access and inclusion throughout the City region the building will also be fitted with disabled access and a disabled toilet,” said Mayor Van Styn. 

The Centre is currently closed to the public for the refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen before the school holiday in April 2016.

Police asking for assistance in identifying these people

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Do you recognise any of these people? Geraldton Police would like to speak with them regarding stealing investigations. Call 99234555

Playgroup and Activity Lists for Kids Aged 0-5 in Geraldton

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A question that is often asked by parents new to Geraldton is what playgroups or activities are on in town. Thankfully, Kidz Retreat recently published the following lists of everything that is currently happening in and around Geraldton in 2016:

 

Playgroups are more than just a great excuse to get out of the house; it turns out that attending regular sessions provides a host of benefits for both parents and children alike. I asked the owner of Kidz Retreat and author of the lists, Daneale Buckley, what exactly those benefits are.

What skills do children develop during playgroup? 

“The play and activities are directed at improving/enhancing the children’s skills. Children of all ages develop a wide range of skills when attending playgroups or activities, such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive skills, social and emotional skills.” 

What benefits parents and carers can get from playgroups? 

“There are a range of benefits for not only children but their parents/guardians who attend playgroup. It supports parents/guardians with separation anxiety, giving the opportunity to expand their social network and become friends with other families who have children around the same age, parents/guardians feel supported when communicating with others in the same situation as their own family. Most of all attending a playgroup or activities gives parents/guardians adult socialisation while children are interacting with their friends. Once looking into Childcare it helps with the transition if you know other families from playgroup who will be attending the same Childcare centre.”

How could regular attendance at playgroup help children when it comes time to transition to Child Care, Kindy or Pre-primary?

“Children become more confident when they are apart from their parents/guardian, which helps reduce separation anxiety when children are then required to attend either childcare or school.”

If you have ever been unsure of whether or not playgroups are right for you and your child, now you know the perks of attending one. We are lucky to have such a great variety of playgroups and activities available for our little ones to participate in, so matter your location, availability or budget, you are sure to find the perfect group for your family.

Special thanks to Daneale at Kidz Retreat for giving us permission to publish these lists. Be sure to check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with any future changes or additions.

Police want to talk to these people about stealing offences

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Do you recognise the people in the below photograph? Geraldton Police would like to speak with them about some stealing offences. If you recognise them please call Geraldton Police on 99234555. 

Geraldton Police: "Know them ? - they maybe able to assist us regarding stealing offences in Gero Shopping precinct -call us"

Bridge construction on Geraldton Mount Magnet Road

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The City wishes to advise that the remaining Abraham Street concrete bridge spans above the railway line will be lifted into place on Wednesday 24 February and Thursday 25 February 2016. 

The Geraldton Mount Magnet Road will remain open during this time however motorists are advised to exercise caution when entering the area and to obey all warning signs and direction from authorised traffic management personnel.

Unsolicited Bid Guidelines – Lands

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Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney has welcomed the adoption of a new Unsolicited Bids Guideline for the sale or lease of state-owned land.

“As Western Australia’s population grows, so does the demand for land. The Barnett Government is committed to unlocking the potential of its Crown land holdings to accommodate this growth.

“The Department of Lands is leading the Government’s Land Asset Sales Program. This is an orderly and coordinated program of sales and of surplus and under-utelised land assets.

“The proceeds from these sales will be used to reduce State debt and return revenue to the State Government to benefit Western Australia now and into the future,” said Mr Blayney.

The Unsolicited Bid Guideline has been developed to provide a transparent and consistent framework to deal with unsolicited bids received through the government’s Land Asset Sales Program.

An unsolicited bid is a market led proposal put to government by the private sector, which has not been formally requested by the Government.

The Guideline has been developed after extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community, and is based on the approach adopted in other jurisdictions in Australia.

The Government is committed to promoting transparent and competitive processes in the sale or lease of state owned land, and ensuring unsolicited proposals put to it are appropriately assessed on public interest grounds.

We recognise that circumstances may occasionally arise where it may be beneficial to deal exclusively with one party outside of a competitive process – such as when the land is not required for core government business or will have a beneficial impact on the community or environment.

All unsolicited bids would be subject to thorough government approvals processes and require State Cabinet approval.

The new guideline provides a mechanism for government to access the private sector’s expertise and innovate ideas for the benefit of the community, and will open up development across the State.

A copy of the new Unsolicited Bid guideline can be downloaded from the Lands website.