Major suicide prevention trial extended to the Mid West

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WA Primary Health Network is one of four regions across Australia with higher than average suicide rates and will take part in a $46 million trial aimed at delivering better mental health services.

The Federal Government will establish four Suicide Prevention Trial Sites, including the Mid West, with each site receiving approximately $3 million over three years.

Member for Durack Melissa Price said the local community will benefit from better resources and services for mental health.

“Suicide is tragic and heart wrenching experience for anyone involved, affecting family members, friends and the community,” Ms Price said.

“We must do all we can to turn the tide and reduce our suicide rate.

“We are bringing together and coordinating federal, state and local governments, GPs and mental health service providers to identify issues and deliver a tailored response to a community or individual need.”

WA Primary Health Network will administer the funding and, in consultation with the local community and government, decide what services can be brought together and assess which are most effective.

The four new Suicide Prevention Trial Sites will be established in Darwin, Central Queensland, Western New South Wales and Mid-West Western Australia.

This are in addition to the eight trial sites already announced for Brisbane North, North Coast NSW, North Western Melbourne, Perth South, Townsville, The Kimberley, Tasmania and country South Australia.

Two of the trial sites will be in Indigenous communities.

City urges State Government to fund repairs to heavily damaged rural roads

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Significant rainfall in the last week has resulted in more than $2.5 million in estimated damages occurred to rural roads and left the City with no alternative but to urge the State Government to pay for the repairs.

City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ken Diehm said road repairs to this scale were unexpected and will have a serious impact on the City’s operational budget.

“The heavy rainfall in the last seven days has caused extensive damage to our rural roads and river crossings,” he said.

“It was by no means foreseeable and by far exceeds the City’s allocated budget for rural roads this financial year.

“While some of the damage has occurred on roads that lie outside of our Local Government boundary this still impacts members of the community who regularly use these roads.

“The City needs assistance from the State Government to repair these roads otherwise money will need to be diverted from other projects and programs to cover the costs,” Mr Diehm added.

“With more rainfall forecast over the next couple of days we can expect rural roads to be even further damaged and without assistance to repair them our entire community will ultimately be disadvantaged.”

Expression of Interest: Mullewa Mural Project

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The City of Greater Geraldton are seeking an Expression of Interest from experienced artists to create two unique murals as part of a Mullewa youth engagement project. 

The City of Greater Geraldton has chosen two sites that have potential high-end public art exposure that will highlight the distinctive local culture Mullewa has to offer. Please see chosen sites below.

Mullewa Swimming Pool exterior wall. Dimensions approximately 3.54x2m.

Jose St public amenities. Dimensions approximately 7.3x1.2m.

The artist will work closely with both local schools and engage students aged 10 and upwards. The students will work alongside the artist to design a mural that reflects Mullewa’s strong sense of community but must also compliment the immediate surrounds. The artwork must be appealing to youth and the general public, be thought provoking, engaging and reflect Mullewa’s strong sense of community. 

The selected artist will be expected to work in Mullewa for approximately two 5 day blocks (Monday – Friday). One block designated to each site. The students must have a large influence on the final concept and production of the artwork once approval on the design has been granted by Council. 

The project cannot exceed the value of $6000 inclusive of GST. The amount should be inclusive of all artist’s fees and artist insurance including materials and consumables. An agreement between the selected artist and the City of Greater Geraldton will be put in place prior to commencement of project. 

What the City of Greater Geraldton can provide; 

  • Self-contained artist’s accommodation. 
  • Large air-conditioned venue to design and create murals on marine ply. 
  • All paints and paint brushes, marine ply and anti-graffiti coating. 
  • Installation of artwork. 

What the City of Greater Geraldton requires from you; 

  • A full CV detailing demonstrated experience in public art, including a minimum of one professional reference. 
  • Images of previous public art works (max 10 images). 
  • Proven ability to work with young people. 
  • A current WA Working with Children Card. 

Expressions of Interest will be assessed against the following criteria; 

  • Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering public art works. 
  • Experience working with young people. 
  • Capacity to produce and complete a suitable artwork within a restricted timeframe. 

The panel which assesses the EoIs will be comprised of a City of Greater Geraldton representative and a member of the City of Greater Geraldton’s Public Art Committee.

The chosen artist needs to be available for a total of 10 days over the period of 13th March to 7th April 2017. The City of Greater Geraldton will work in conjunction with the schools to secure suitable dates for all involved within that time. 

For more information contact Faye Fulker, Assistant Community & Cultural Development Officer fayef@cgg.wa.gov.au or phone 9956 6643. 

Expressions of Interests close 5pm 28th February 2017 and should be addressed to Samantha Messina, Manager Mullewa Community Development and can be submitted either by email to samantham@cgg.wa.gov.au or posted to: 
City of Greater Geraldton
Attention: Samantha Messina
Re: Mullewa Mural Project
PO Box 101
GERALDTON WA 6531

 

Free Mammograms for Geraldton Women

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If you are a woman aged 40 or over you can access the FREE screening mammography service in Geraldton. BreastScreen WA’s mobile service will be located at Geraldton Regional Hospital, carpark off Milford Street from 16/02/2017 to 22/03/2017.

Breast cancer is the most common life threatening cancer for women and one in eight women in Australia will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

Having a screening mammogram (breast x-ray) every two years significantly increases the chance of a woman surviving breast cancer and reduces the amount of treatment required. More than 75% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. Research shows that screening is most effective for this age group.
BreastScreen WA’s Medical Director Dr Elizabeth Wylie, said screening mammography was the most effective method for early detection of breast cancer.

“Screening every two years is vitally important to increase the chance of a breast cancer being detected when it is too small to feel or be noticed. Finding a cancer at this early stage often means that the breast cancer is small and more treatable”.

“A free screening mammogram is one of the best things that women can do to look after their health. Breast screening saves lives and only takes 20 minutes,” said Dr Wylie.

Screening mammograms may detect up to 90% of breast cancers.

Any woman with a persistent change in a breast should see her doctor immediately.

BreastScreen WA encourages women to make an informed decision about having a mammogram. For more information please visit the BreastScreen WA website
www.breastscreen.health.wa.gov.au

To make your free screening mammogram appointment – book online
www.breastscreen.health.wa.gov.au or call 13 20 50.
Early detection is your best protection.

 

Norris & Hyde IT are doing The World’s Greatest Shave

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The crew at Norris & Hyde IT are participating in The World’s Great Shave this year, to help raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. They have been growing their beards and hair since July 2016 in preparation for the shave! 

They will be hosting the World’s Greatest Shave Event at Bite’Z Burgers Bar Grill on Saturday, 18th of March at 12pm. They invite you, your family and friends to come down to show your support, the event will be open to the public to join in shaving and colouring! Local hairdresser’s from Candy’s Hair Salon will be shaving & colour spraying at the event. 

Colour Spray - $10
Head Shave - $20
Beard Shave - $20

To keep events interesting, there will be a couple of shave’s & top knot cuts up for auction! You can also keep an eye out for donation tins at the Queens Supermarkets.

Rohan will be shaving his hair and beard!

Stacey will be shaving her hair – massive effort!

Norris & Hyde IT would like to give a special thanks to Queens Supermarkets, Bite’Z Burgers Bar Grill and Candy’s Hair Salon for lending a hand and joining the cause!

This is a massive effort from all the crew at Norris & Hyde IT to raise funds for a very worthwhile cause. If you would like to know more, follow their story or donate to ‘The IT CrewCutz’ you can go to www.nh-it.com.au/shave or follow their Facebook page

 

Turtle Cove Open Day

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Turtle Cove Open Day

Saturday 11th February
20 Cedar Crescent, Strathalbyn
Between 10am – 1pm

Bouncy Castle – Face Painting – Sausage Sizzle

All new enrolments in the 3 year old program received on the day or before Friday 17th February go into the draw to
WIN
One weeks’ accommodation for the family at Kalbarri Beach Resort!

Our existing families who refer new enrolments will also go into the draw to WIN a week’s accommodation at Kalbarri Beach Resort

 

Support Pledged for Create Ranger Parks Initiative

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Speakers at the Create Ranger Parks stories of the outback talk in Geraldton on Wednesday, Pew Charitable Trusts outback manager David Mackenzie, Aboriginal Elder Richard Nelly and environmental consultant David Blood.

Politicians, individuals and organisations came together in Geraldton on Wednesday to throw their weight behind ambitious plans to transform purchased former pastoral stations into havens for people and wildlife.

The Create Ranger Parks initiativewould involve the Government transforming unused former pastoral properties – purchased by the WA Government 20 years ago – across the Mid West, Murchison and Gascoyne into parks managed by Indigenous rangers.

Geraldton’sLabor candidate Lara Dalton pledged Labor’s support for the proposal. Ms Dalton pledged five years of funding specifically for the initiative if Labor were elected at the March State election.

The City’s other state government candidates, Paul Brown (Nationals) and Ian Blayney (Liberal) expressed general support but did not make a specific commitment to protecting the parks or funding the ranger programs.

“[Create Ranger Parks] just makes sense,” Ms Dalton said. “It ticks so many boxes – socially, environmentally, and culturally.”

Pew Charitable Trusts Outback Manager David Mackenzie said the initiative would build on the work of a past government initiative that resulted in the purchase of 5 million hectares of pastoral lease for addition to the conservation estate.

However, with such a massive and remote area, and limited budgets, the properties became largely unmanaged, leaving feral animals, fires and weeds to damage the environment and negatively affect surrounding pastoral properties.

“These properties present an incredible opportunity for regional development that will mean a win for everyone,” Mr Mackenzie said.

“We want the Government to finish what it started 20 years ago and create an extensive network of protected parks, managed by Indigenous rangers, with a particular focus on new jobs and business opportunities.

“Labor’s commitment to funding for Indigenous rangers is really welcome but we call on all parties to commit to creating the parks which would leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Speaking at the meeting in Geraldton, Aboriginal Elder Richard Nelly said Indigenous rangers working on their traditional country created a whole raft of benefits.

“Having Indigenous rangers working on country makes for healthier lifestyles, improved economic circumstances and better connection to culture and country,” Mr Nelly said.

He envisaged the Mid West becoming a world leader in Indigenous ranger programs.

“It’s up to us to plant the seed for this vision now, and we need lots of support to help water it,” he said.

An independent economic assessment of the proposal by Social Ventures Australia found that every $1 spent on the initiative would bring $3.70 worth of value to Western Australia, of which $2.30 would be a direct benefit for government, covering everything from improved health and increased employment to reduced crime and environmental benefits.

Mr Mackenzie said the program would need to be introduced in a staged manner, with existing land managers training new Indigenous rangers in a process spanning 10 years. He stressed the need for the program to work in harmony with other landholders and people living in the areas.

Also speaking at the meeting, former Department of Parks and Wildlife operations officer and current rangelands ecologist David Blood highlighted the unique and rare nature of many of the landscapes, plants and animals contained in the purchased former pastoral properties.

He presented a slide show outlining stunning vistas of lakes, flat-topped hills, ancient granite outcrops and rare wildflowers – each currently locked away from the public and without conservation management protection.

Create Ranger Parks is aninitiative backed by non-government groups and businesses such as Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation, Western Mulga, and Partnership for the Outback.

The groups are advocating for the program to government in the lead up to the State election. Anyone interested in finding out more, or signing a petition to pledge their support, to visit the website www.createrangerparks.org.au

Coastal erosion study shows potential impact on City coastline

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The Cape Burney to Greys Beach Inundation and Coastal Processes Study will be presented to the community at an information session.

A study on the potential effects of coastal erosion and inundation from Cape Burney to Greys Beach will be presented at a community information session on 8 February 2017.

City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ken Diehm said the Cape Burney to Greys Beach Inundation and Coastal Processes Study was undertaken in preparation for Geraldton wide Coastal Adaptation Planning that will begin this year.

“Before we can begin engaging with the community to develop a Coastal Adaptation Plan we need to understand how sea level rise, coastal erosion and inundation may impact the Geraldton community,” he said.

“MP Rogers, a highly qualified and experienced coastal consultancy who undertook the Study, utilised historical data, water level records, studies on coastal processes, cyclone storm surge modelling and current rates of erosion to make predictions about what may happen to our coastline.

“Maps in the reports show the extent of possible coastal erosion over four different time periods and the areas that could be inundated by different intensities of storm events over these timeframes.”

As the Inundation Study is highly technical, a community information session will be held from 5.30 to 7pm on Wednesday 8 February at the City Civic Centre to present the report findings in laymen terms and dispel rumours.

“Given the technical nature of the Study the City has decided to meet with the community as soon as the report is made public to provide clarity around the findings and prevent the spread of misinformation,” said Mr Diehm.

“During the session, consultants MP Rogers will be presenting the study findings and answering questions.

“The Information Session is open to anyone interested in our coastline and I encourage members of our community to come along.”

The Cape Burney to Greys Beach Inundation & Coastal Processes Study follows two previously completed studies on Point Moore and the area from Town Beach to Drummond Cove.  Both studies are available on the City website.

The Inundation Study will be available on the City’s website www.cgg.wa.gov.au on Tuesday 7 February 2017 after 5.00pm.

Video time lapse of Greenough River breaking over Phillips Road

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This time lapse video below was shared with Everything Geraldton today. It shows Greenough River breaking over Phillips Road. Shared by Andrew Hopkins. 

Click here if you cannot see the content. 

Here you can see the location of where this occurred. 

 

Some epic drone footage sent in a couple of days ago from Eradu. 

This was at depot hill on Jan 30. 

Water enters the Westbank road bridge - Sent in today by Mark Kennedy. 

Here's a few photos that were sent in earlier 

‎Paul andJo Luxton

Old convict bridge Greenough river

Convict bridge - Lynlee Turner 

Kris Nestoridis

Oh, and completely unrelated but just as interesting... This little guy was reportedly spotted at Sunset Beach recently. Not sure exactly what he is. 

Geraldton’s Favourite Outdoor Lifestyle Event is on this April!

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The Club Marine Geraldton Boat, Caravan and Camping Show is THE biggest event of its kind in the region and 2017 is set to be even BIGGER!

The Club Marine Geraldton Boat, Caravan and Camping Show attracts almost 6,000 people each year; with loyal exhibitors from the local area as well as from Perth and the south-west. It brings together displays of new products and services in boating, fishing, 4wds, camping, accessories, electronics and lifestyle products with a huge line-up of entertainment and attractions for the whole family! 

This year the show is on Saturday 29th April and Sunday 30th April.

The show is again being held at the GBSC Sports Park (formally Eadon Clark Oval) on the corner of North West Coastal Highway and Green Street. The venue boasts ample space for exhibits and entertainment with great exposure due to the shows awesome location.

In 2017, the Show’s entertainment includes:

  • EXTREME 4WD Show
  • Cooking demonstrations
  • The Engel Aquatank fishing show
  • Getaway Outdoors Kid’s Casting Competition
  • Special guests and prizes to be won

SITES ARE STILL AVAILABLE! Download 2017 Club Marine Geraldton Boat, Caravan and Camping Show prospectus from our website www.geraldtonboatshow.com.au or call 0403 226 303

 

We want to pay young Geraldton writers and video producers - here's how it works

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Everything Geraldton has launched a new youth initiative in Geraldton called Young Voices, to assist young people in Geraldton and the Mid West get published, and get paid. We want to encourage the next generation of engaged content creators.

The program is open to all primary and high school students in the Mid West. We are accepting written content and video content submissions, and if it's chosen to be published on Everything Geraldton, the student will receive $50. 

There's no limit to the number of times you can submit content. 

Teachers are invited to encourage their class to produce something to be published, and parents are welcome to help their kids upload content too. 

Submissions can be made via the Everything Geraldton website.

Click here to learn more about this new innovative program. We have a comprehensive Q and A section that may answer any questions you have. 

If you're excited already and can't wait to get started, here's the kind of things we're looking for, although we'll look at anything if it's interesting:

  • Articles about places in Geraldton or the Mid West that you have visited. Shops, cafés, skate parks, secret places you love to visit... that kind of thing. If it has some photos, it would be even better. Think about what you'd love to know about a place, and share that kind of information.
  • Stories about living in Geraldton or the Mid West. We'd love to know about experiences you've had or things that you have done while living here.
  • Your opinion on local issues. Things happen in Geraldton. You have an opinion. We'd like to share your thoughts and opinions with the world. 
  • Your ideas and suggestions for Geraldton and the Mid West. Maybe you think we need more schools. Maybe you think we need no schools at all. Maybe you think we need to give all teenagers in Geraldton a holiday to Bali. We want to hear about your ideas for improving life in our region. 
  • Videos showcasing local places. You probably have a smartphone. Or maybe your parents do. If you enjoy filming we'd love to see some short videos on places and things in Geraldton. Maybe you'd like to showcase your favourite shop. Or a short video on your favourite skate park or surf spot. We'd love to see what you can create, and we'd love to share it with the world. 
  • A story about an interesting person in Geraldton or the Mid West. Maybe you know an amazing man, woman or child who would be a very interesting subject to write about. We'd love to hear you tell their story. This could be done in a written or video format. 
  • A listicle! This is one of those "7 reasons I love Geraldton" type of article. They're short and sweet, and usually have lots of photos. There's a lot of possibilities here. Such as "My 5 favourite clothes shops in Geraldton" or "4 Reasons I love living in Dongara" or whatever you can imagine. You'll need a photo for each list item.
  • Teach us something. You might be an expert at kicking a football, baking a cake, or riding a surfboard. We'd love for you to give us some simple steps with photos on how to do what you're a pro at. Or maybe make a video. 

Maybe you've got a great idea to write or produce something that doesn't fall within the boundaries of what's listed above. That's ok. We'd still love to read it or see it. If we think it's something that could work on Everything Geraldton or would be of value to Everything Geraldton readers, we might just consider publishing it anyway. 

Some more tips:

  • Photographs help. Or drawings. But they need to be your originals. Don't download pics off the internet.
  • Don't overthink it. If you think something is interesting, chances are someone else will too.  
  • Don't get disheartened if your submission doesn't get published. We've all been rejected before. Just roll up your sleeves and have another go.
  • There's no limit to how long or short your submission should be. Our rule of thumb is: As long as it needs to be and as short as it can be. If it's interesting, that's what's important.
  • You get better by doing. Maybe your first submission won't be perfect. But you'll improve the more you create. Just start!

Some questions from Teachers:

I'm a teacher. Can my entire class submit something at once?

Absolutely. We may not publish everything, and the items we do publish may be staggered over time. But if you want to make it a class project for each student to submit something, we'd be most accommodating. 

I'm a teacher. Can I talk with someone from Everything Geraldton about the Young Voices program over the phone?

No problem at all. Give Jason Smith from Everything Geraldton a call on 0404 443 442.

I'm a teacher. I have some students with some great writing but for personal reasons we can't provide a bank account for them. How can those students get paid their $50?

Give us a call to discuss any outliers. We're flexible here. We can arrange for the payment to be made via the school if needed, or you might wish to make other arrangements. We want every student in the Mid West to have a chance to contribute. 

I'm a teacher. I have some younger students who have produced something that is in written form and can't be digitally uploaded. Can they still submit it?

Sure thing. You can post physical items to Everything Geraldton, PO Box 772, Geraldton WA 6531. We will scan or photograph it, and transcribe the text if possible or relevant. 

Some more questions:

Why is Everything Geraldton running this program?

We know first hand the power and value of sharing ideas and stories. It's one of the things that connects us as humans. When we publish something that resonates with others, we feel something special. We'd love for a younger generation to know that feeling too. And we'd love for our audience to have the opportunity to understand what the youth of Geraldton and the Mid West think.  

Why are you paying the students? Wouldn't they do it for free?

There's something special about getting paid for creative work you do. We'd like as many students as possible to know that rewarding feeling.

What format should the content be in?

Written content can be in a Pages document, or Word document, or similar, or may be a PDF. Images may be included in the document for layout purposes, but should also be uploaded separately so we can easily publish them. Video content should be in .mov or .mp4 format, but if you're having trouble with that, let us know. We are very flexible on the format of both the written content and video content. 

Who owns the copyright to the content that is submitted?

Whoever creates the content owns the copyright, and it stays with them. You grant us, Just Everything Pty Ltd, a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content you submit to us. 

Will you make changes to my content?

We may fix minor grammatical errors, but won't change your work substantively. We may add things to help tell the story, such as extra images, maps, links, and things along those lines.

Where will the content be published?

Depending on the content and our editorial decisions, the content may appear in any product Just Everything Pty Ltd manages, or any platform of our partners. This will likely include the Everything Geraldton website, app, social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and any other Everything Geraldton products. 

How many Young Voices items will you be publishing?

As this is a brand new concept for Geraldton, we honestly don't know what the uptake will be like. We may receive 6000 submissions. We may receive 6. Our hope is to publish the content on an ongoing basis, with a certain number published each week. But we will be observing the amount and quality of content we get, and we'll have a clearer picture as we move forward. 

What if I'm no longer a student but want to write or produce something for Everything Geraldton?

You're welcome to contact us directly. We use free-lance writers from time to time, and would love to hear from you. We don't want to use the budget for this program for other publishing however. Email geraldton@justeverything.com.au and introduce yourself. 

How long will this program be running for? How long have I got to submit something. 

We will be receiving submissions at LEAST up until the end of April 2017. So you definitely have until the end of April 2017 to submit your items. We hope to carry on accepting submissions after this date, however if we're overwhelmed with submissions at that time, we will temporarily halt submissions so we can deal with the backlog. 

How long does the published item stay online for?

Indefinitely. We don't usually remove the items. We expect they will stay on our website as long as we stay in business. We may even republish some of them in the future to re-surface them.  

Can my friends and I submit a collaboration?

Yes. You can submit something that more than one person worked on. We will still only pay $50 for the item, and it's up to you to decide which bank account will receive the payment and how you'll split it. But if you want to produce a video or written item with your friends, that's fine by us. (Remember, there's no limit on how many items you can submit.)

Will you really publish things written by little children?

We will be including the age on each Young Voices article we publish. We think our audience will be accomodating to the varying levels of skill if they understand who is writing the items. We think it will be great for children and teenagers alike to have their writing and videos shared. 

What about just a photograph?

We probably won't pay for just a photograph. BUT>>> If your passion is photography, there is a way you can get published on Everything Geraldton. Submit a listicle that includes multiple photographs of yours around a particular theme. Such as "10 amazing Geraldton sunsets" or "6 beautiful wildlife photographs from the Mid West".

How will you know if a submission is coming from a real student in the Mid West?

As part of the submission process, you must provide the contact details for a guardian/parent or a school teacher. We may contact that adult to confirm the authenticity of the submission, and if necessary, we may require more proof, such as a student ID card. We are also able to detect the IP address of computers making submissions. 

What about privacy? What information about each child will be made public?

The first name, surname, and age of each student will be published along with their submissions. Photos that are supplied in the submission will also be included. Parents/guardians should decide if they're comfortable with the name and age of their child being displayed publicly. We abide by our privacy policy which is linked to at the bottom of this page. If you wish to discuss any privacy concerns 

I have other questions that aren't listed here. How can I get in touch about Young Voices?

If you have a question that isn't answered here, we'd love to hear from you. Email your question to youngvoices@justeverything.com.au

IGA Sports Night

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On the evening of Wednesday 1st February more than 70 staff from Rigters Supermarkets enjoyed competing for their Argie Cup at Geraldton Croquet Club. The night pitted staff from Queens Supa IGA, Rigters Supa IGA and Wonthella Supa IGA against each other to see who would claim the glory.

The Argie Cup

The competition was a round robin event played on 6 half courts. Each game was guided by members of the croquet club who explained rules and technique to the players and helped to keep the scores as the games proceeded. The players enjoyed a pizza, drinks and snacks between games and had a great time.

The cup was won by Wonthella Supa IGA with 132 points who held out Rigters in second on 114 points and Queens in third on 86 points.

Wonthella Supa IGA celebrating the win on the night and retaining bragging rights as the winners of The Argie Cup for the second time in a row.

Pictured below, General Manager, Kyme Rigter and Operations Manager, Stuart Bain revealing the results prior to presenting the Argie Cup to Wonthella Supa IGA.

Permanent home for the Men’s Shed Geraldton

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Nationals WA Member of Parliament and candidate for the seat of Geraldton Paul Brown MP is thrilled to announce that the Men’s Shed Geraldton have a permanent home.

Speaking in Geraldton today, Mr Brown, accompanied by Land Minister Terry Redman, joined in with the Men’s Shed Geraldton committee and supporters at the handing over of the old Geraldton Fire Station in Durlacher Street as the new home for the group.

Mr Brown said, “I proposed the idea of the old Geraldton Fire Station as a permanent home for the Men’s Shed earlier this year. They were very keen to stay in the CBD and this proposal was very welcomed by the committee and their members.”

The Men’s Shed have been in need of a permanent home for many years, with many plans and possibilities not coming to fruition over this time. Thanks to the generosity of local businessman Bob Ramage the Men’s Shed has been located in the West End of the CBD for the past five years. This has added to the vibrancy of the area, whilst raising the public profile of the Men’s Shed, and supporting their social enterprise part of the business with the passing trade. With the building up for sale, the Men’s Shed have been lobbying very hard for a permanent home.

“As the Fire Station is a state owned asset, due diligence needed to be done on the dollar return to the state. I argued very strongly that the long term social return to the community would far outweigh any short term financial gains. Thankfully, this was agreed, and I would like to thank Minister Redman for his support of this proposal.” Mr Brown said.

Men’s Sheds have become a haven and place of respite for men suffering from mental health issues, depression and isolation and have become one of the most well regarded organisations across Australia. The sheds are run by a group of dedicated volunteers.

“I would like to congratulate the Men’s Shed Geraldton committee, particularly Ross Barden and Garry Hargreaves who have been relentless in their advocacy and determination to find a permanent home,” Mr Brown said.

“This is a great day, and I am glad that I have be a part of such an important project to the Geraldton community.” The Durlacher Street Fire Station will be vested with the City of Greater Geraldton by the Minister for Lands Terry Redman, for the purposes of the Men’s Shed Geraldton.

Turtle Cove Early Learning Centre is taking NEW enrolments

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Turtle Cove Early Learning Centres are TAKING NEW ENROLMENTS.
-LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE-

In all 7 Quality areas this service is rated overall at: EXCEEDING NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD

  • Highly Qualified Educators
  • Beautiful environment and facilities
  • Nutritious hot meals and snacks provided
  • Opening hours from 6 am to 6 pm

The 3-year-old program lays a strong foundation for early literacy and numeracy through play-based learning, drawing from the children's interests and needs following the Early Years Learning Framework.

The programs work with the natural curiosity of each child to encourage their language, cognitive, physical, social and emotional skill development through active learning and a loving, supportive, safe and sustainable environment.

Turtle Cove is located in Strathalbyn and Wandina. For more information please have a look at their website - http://turtlecoveelc.com.au/

 

Amazing images and video from yesterday in the Mid West

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There was some weird weather combined with a fire inland Saturday. The end result was some interesting images sent in to Everything Geraldton. Here are some of the pics and vids you shared with us. 

Anyone travelling to Mingenew please travel safe massive fire around 50km mark 👍🏽
- Bianca.


‎Darrien Jade Nightingale: Amazing cloud formation in Dongara tonight! 

View from Dongara Drive-in - Ruth Gilchrist

- Sharon Williamson

Deborah Shaw: Storm Brewing

Time lapse of "monster cloud of smoke" from Dongara Drive Ins by Hannah Griffin. 

Leonie Patman - Sunset.

Luke Thompson

Jasmin Chaye

Tayla Fairclough

Damage at the Chapman Valley sports complex from wild weather Saturday.

The Political Facebook Trolls in Geraldton

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Every time a story appears on Everything Geraldton's Facebook page that talks about certain political parties, a number of suspicious “community members” chime in in the comments attacking Labor and whatever candidate is being mentioned. We've also noticed it happening with our friends over at the Geraldton Guardian. 

It’s like clockwork. 

We did a little research recently on some of the more active trolls. And the results were... interesting.

First, each account seems to only post content that supports the National party. We haven't noticed this behaviour in support of Liberal, Labor, Greens, or One Nation. That's certainly not to say it doesn't exist. We just haven't yet found it on Everything Geraldton. 

Each account has a lot of political connections, mostly to prominent National Party members. 

Many of the accounts are clearly not real people. 

The following article is our research of two such accounts. 

Here's the first. 

Clive Jenkins. 

A quick glance at Clive’s Facebook account shows he’s very much a fan of the National Party. He reckons he lives in Margaret River, even though he has a very keen interest in Geraldton politics.

And here’s an example of some of the comments he has left. All very much attacking anyone who’s a Labor member, and very pro National party. This one was on a story about Renee Ellis, Geraldton Councillor and Labor candidate. 

And here's Clive lending his support following the National Party's announcement in Geraldton about their hospital plans. 

You get the idea. 

Here's some of Clive's "friends" on Facebook. It's essentially a collection of fake accounts and National Party supporters or members. 

Hey, it’s not against the law to support a particular political party. So what’s the problem here?

Let’s keep digging and find out who Clive actually is. 

This is Clive Jenkins' profile photo. 

Now there's a clever feature in Google where you can upload an image and do a search on it. So let's try it with Clive and see what we can find out. 

And here's the results... wait what?!

So Clive's photo is actually that of convicted paedophile David Jenkins. It's one thing to set up a troll account... but another to use a convicted paedophile's photo.

Here's another troll account that has been super active lately. Albert Knowles. His photo is not a paedophile's as far as we can tell. So that's something. And he ironically shares his name with a British trade union leader from the 1800's.

But he's very much into friending real people, even those who he clearly despises. 

Oh look. Albert is friends with our good buddy Clive. Let's try and find out what kind of comments he leaves around the place. 

Well, he's clearly not a fan of Labor candidate Renee Ellis. But he seems very well informed on local political situations that trigger by-elections. Certainly more informed than your average Joe. 

But check out his comment on this Geraldton Guardian post, and the response from Renee Ellis... Albert has actually added Renee Ellis as a friend. 

It's hard to understand why he'd "friend" someone he so clearly wants to see out of office, unless he was just trying to access her personal posts that can't be seen by the public. 

A little more searching shows that Albert is often liking Clive's comments, and vice versa. 

Here they both are again commenting 16 minutes apart from each other, having a go at Liberal member Ian Blayney.

Last night we ran a fairly boring announcement about Labor.  

Sure enough, like moths to a flame, out came the National Party supporters fake accounts. 

Albert has a slight dig at the shark net. So he's evidently not a Liberal party supporter. And look who "liked" Albert's comment. Old mate Clive. 

Let’s be clear. We’re not asserting that specific politicians are running these accounts. There’s literally no way of knowing who's managing these fake profiles.

We're not suggesting reading Facebook comments is a fruitful pastime either, but the next time you see a “community member” chime in with their clever argument in an attempt to sway public opinion, maybe just click on their name and see if they’re even a real person.

Everything Geraldton spoke with Paul Brown, Nationals candidate for Geraldton, regarding the issue of these trolls. "I've been publicly accused... there's an allegation. I can thoroughly refute that allegation. I'm sure that there's people out there possibly hiding behind it. I'm quite happy to make comments under my own name. You can find comments about a whole range of things where I've commented under my real name. I don't need to hide behind fake accounts. There are a couple of accounts that I consider troll accounts that make regular criticisms of me on Facebook posts. I accept that that's part of my job. When appropriate I respond. But more often than not, I don't. If someone thinks they're a troll account, probably the best thing to do is ignore the comments."

Footnote: Everything Geraldton receives hundreds of comments across our various platforms (website, app, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) every day, and with a small staff we're unable to monitor every comment made. We'd like to thank the members of the public that point out fake and troll accounts by messaging or emailing us directly. As the above two accounts were the subject of this story, they have not been removed by us at this time.

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