Geraldton event for potential Churchill Fellowship applicants

A national program that offers Australians inspiring opportunities to travel overseas and investigate a topic or issue they are passionate about is running an information session in Geraldton early next month.

Churchill Fellowships are open to anyone who would like to see what other countries are doing successfully in a similar field, to inspire new ideas and innovation that will benefit Australia. About 100 Churchill Fellowships are awarded annually, including some relating specifically to agriculture, health, education, the environment and the arts.

"While anyone can apply, this year we are making a concerted effort to encourage more applications from rural and regional Australians keen to explore issues relevant to their local community, industry or profession," says Churchill Trust CEO Adam Davey.

"To support this effort, we are running an expanded program of Information Sessions in sixteen regional centres, including Geraldton on Wednesday, March 7. We hope people who live and work in the area will take advantage of this opportunity to learn more first-hand about Churchill Fellowships and how to put together a successful application."

No prescribed qualifications are required in order to apply and the subject of the proposed project is limitless. However, it is important that applicants demonstrate they have exhausted available options in Australia for learning more, that there are a clear potential benefits to their sector or community, and they are willing to share the knowledge gained.

“What is great about a Churchill Fellowship is that it allows the applicant to create their own project, so they can address what is most important and beneficial for their area of interest, and that often aligns with issues of local, regional or national importance,” said Mr Davey.

“While you could research what is happening overseas online, returning Fellows consistently report that it is invaluable to fully immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and experiences, and that the relationships formed through this journey are often long lasting. Because the Fellowships are held in such high regard around the world, travelling as a Churchill Fellow also opens doors to access expertise that is typically not available."

Churchill Fellows come from all walks of life, with some being experienced veterans in their field and others ambitious people forging new directions. "The common denominators are that they have a genuine passion for their area of interest, and drive to make a difference," Mr Davey said.

The Geraldton information session will be held at the Geraldton Police Complex, from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Entry is free but registration is essential, via www.churchilltrust.com.au/events

People can also follow the Churchill Trust on Facebook for advice about a live Q&A to be held in late March. More information is also available by visiting www.churchillfellowships.com.au

Applications close April 27, for travel between February 2019 and January 2020.

Mike Bell - Mike received a fellowship in 2014 to examine intervention programs that divert people from becoming involved in violent extremism, visiting the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, and the USA. Over his career, Mike has been involved in metropolitan, regional and remote community policing, criminal investigations, security operations, overseas peace-keeping, corporate project management and professional standards.

Belinda Wainwright - was awarded the Department for Child Protection and Family Support Churchill Fellowship in 2014 to explore opportunities for improving education attainment for children with an out of home care experience, especially Aboriginal children. She visited Canada and the USA. Belinda is currently District Director at Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support, in Geraldton.

Lis Turner - received the Vincent Fairfax Ethics in Leadership Foundation Churchill Fellowship in 2012 to explore the use of information and communication technologies to enhance and innovate student learning in Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. Lis is principal at Waggrakine Primary School in Geraldton.

Let's celebrate State's environmental diversity

Anyone who lives in WA knows that we have the greatest natural resource in the world, and it’s not iron ore, or gold deposits.

That resource is the Western Australian environment. We have eight of the 15 National Biodiversity hotspots in this country, and my electorate of Durack takes in most of them.

As Assistant Minister for the Environment, I am uniquely placed to see these assets protected for all West Australians. That’s why I am loving my new role and sharing what our State has to offer the world, and the incredible work being done by our scientists, environmental researchers, field officers, and rangers to protect these assets on the ground.

Rarely do we celebrate, or hear about, approvals which are given for significant job-creating projects, which also balance the needs of the environment. We have some brilliant examples of such balance in WA, where there can be harmonious, sustainable development, mixed with real job-creating opportunities.

We are developing new ways of managing threatened species, with a real focus on relocation. At Mt Gibson, the Australian Government is working with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the National Environmental Research Program to establish a sanctuary for threatened species in the Northern Agricultural Region.

Conditional approval has been granted for the first stage of Project Sea Dragon, one of the most ambitious aquaculture projects ever undertaken in Australia. The project involves growing Australian tiger prawns on land-based tanks in the Northern Territory, processing them in Kununurra and exporting them through Wyndham. This provides an opportunity for aquaculture jobs and economic growth in the State’s north.

Out in the Western Desert the Government has partnered with the traditional owners to conserve threatened species like the desert parrot, the bilby, and the desert skink. We’re also reducing the bushfire risk by adopting traditional Aboriginal burning techniques, referred to as “mosaic” burning.

Then there’s the big ticket items like Bremer Canyon. Bremer is quickly becoming a mecca for wildlife watchers and divers, and growing our tourism industry at the same time.

For those who don’t know, this is a group of canyons located some 70km south-east of Bremer Bay off southern WA.

Above the canyons, wildlife gather in huge numbers, including whales, giant squid, and seabirds. Seasonal orca (killer whale) concentrations here are unprecedented in Australia, with more than 100 individuals in the local population, many of which are regularly sighted.

These are all examples of how the Department of Environment and Energy can work to establish industries like tourism, and work with those industries to develop them. Given our beautiful State is also rich in mineral resources there is an obvious intersection between the Department of Environment and Energy and the mining sector.

Often, the Department of Environment is accused of “standing on the hose”; preventing industry from project development. As a resources lawyer in my previous life, I have some sympathy with that view.

Environmental approvals take time, and time is money for mining projects, but to get the balance right due process is necessary.

An excellent example is BHP’s Iron Ore Strategic Assessment Program, an agreement between the Department of Environment and Energy and BHP which allows BHP to essentially bundle their Federal environmental approvals for the next 100 years.

By doing so, we can guarantee BHP and its workers certainty and job security moving forward, and in exchange, BHP will now be held to the strongest environmental standards for all their new iron ore mining operations in the Pilbara.

The agreement requires BHP to report on their environmental performance, invest in threatened species management, while still being subject to regulatory oversight from the Department of Environment and Energy.

Protection of our environment is critically important, however I believe in a resources-rich State like WA, it is imperative that we maintain the project and job pipeline in an environmentally consistent and sustainable way.

I look forward to playing my part.

Cautious Optimism about Geraldton's future

I'm quite positive with respect to the economic stability of Geraldton long term, and can personally attest to Geraldton being one of the best places in the country to live if you're looking for a great balance of lifestyle, affordability, and beauty. 

I'm not bullish because I am sure there are going to me thousands of high paying jobs in 5 years though. I'm positive because Geraldton has a fundamental handful of things that make it great. There's enough jobs if you have the right skill set or are willing to undertake training or education. There's few better places in terms of beaches and a wonderful outdoor lifestyle. And you don't need to be a multi millionaire to live near the beach, like you would in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. 

Yet as a media publication, it's very challenging to publish anything that questions a bullish narrative around Geraldton's economic prospects. 

The bulk of our advertisers are both business and property owners, and they, as you expect, have a natural desire to see a positive story about Geraldton's economic future be the constant narrative. 

But the last decade plus of unquestioned positivity has lead to lots of members of the public being left holding investments that are now worth far less than they paid. I personally know people who owe far more on their homes than what they could reasonable be expected to sell them for today. 

Sure, it's not the first time real estate prices have fallen in Gero, but the fact that many of these purchases were made under an irresponsible narrative painted by those in various levels of Government, and indeed, us in the media, is a problem. Why are there more and more empty shops around Geraldton each month? Why has the population dropped so much in the last 3 years? Why are we still building new shopping centres in the midst of this? Why did the federal government incentivise massive amounts of development and new homes built when landlords struggled to even find tenants for existing properties?

Rewind to 2006. Property prices around WA were booming, in large part due to the insatiable demand for WA's iron ore from China. And of course there was the O word.

Oakajee. Word on the street was that the Oakajee Port, north of Geraldton, was going to go ahead, and when it did, you could expect basically a repeat of what happened in Karratha and Port Hedland, where people were paying over $2000 per week to rent a shack, and they had to hand over the marriage rights to the eldest daughter. 

I earnestly jumped into the property market during this heady time, paying ABOVE asking price for a fibro home in Rangeway. It felt great when I discovered my home had increased in value by at least 50 grand within a few months too. I knew it was in part because of economic fundamentals I had no control over, but I couldn't help patting myself on the back for being so smart and buying when I did. 

During this same period in 2006, way before I ever decided to launch Everything Geraldton, I realised it was super hard to get any local news online. So I built a small website where I posted any news content about Geraldton I could find. Literally no-one but I used it, but it led me to become quite engrossed in what was happening with respect to Oakajee.

Essentially, a Chinese backed mob thought they had the rights to build the port. They planned on actually doing it too. They had money lined up, but right when they were about to press the big green button, McTiernan and Labor in their infinite wisdom, decided the agreement that the original mob had was too old, and now we should open the process up to tender. 

That decision added at least a year of dicking around to the Oakajee process, and in the end, the Japanese backed competitors won the tender. 

Except they never built it. During the time of all the fluffing around, the costs of labour (people working, not the political party) went through the roof, and the effects of the US economic disaster was starting to be felt around the world. I remember there was a week there where you literally couldn't get a bank loan, everyone's super was frozen, and all of a sudden it became super unlikely Oakajee was still viable. 

But the hype around Oakajee didn't die just yet. In fact, there was an "Iron Ore Alliance" that had formed in the Mid West that had produced a publication that prophesied Geraldton's population was going to hit between 75,000 and 100,000. I scratched my head at how a bunch of pencil pushers came up with these numbers. 

I read through everything I could about Oakajee. The entire port was going to ship about 45 million tonnes a year, maaaaybe 60 million in a stretch. 

"60 million?" I exclaimed one day. "That's nothing."

Up north, BHP and Rio would ADD a 300 million tonne port before breakfast. And here we are thinking a 60 million tonne port is going to make us all property millionaires?

Not going to happen.

Meanwhile, the City of Geraldton was hiking rates like they were in the rate raising olympics. Property, all of a sudden, didn't seem like such a great investment. 

Nationally syndicated writers, economists and property "gurus" boldly kept predicting Geraldton was the next "boom town", and that it was a "gateway" to the North West and to the Mid West. 

Oakajee Port was not built. 

---

Fast forward a few years. 

I remember attending a rates meeting briefing with the CGG a few years ago, where they presented rates predictions over the next decade. I raised my hand with a question. 

"You're predicting in those charts that the Geraldton population is going to hit 75,000. Where are you getting those numbers?"

It seemed to me an important question. Here we are budgeting for the future based on an assumption that Geraldton is going to spike in population within a foreseeable timeline. Based on what I knew about Geraldton's economy, what was coming to town, and the downturn globally in commodities, I couldn't see why 40,000 people were going to decide to move to Gero all of a sudden. 

I was told the numbers were from different "official sources". 

There was no explanation about how those official sources made their predictions, but if reading Nassim Taleb has taught me anything, I was right to be skeptical. 

As you know, the exact opposite happened. Geraldton's population declined in the following few years. 

---

Now, to Alannah McTiernan's credit, she DID try and calm the mindless hype about Geraldton down a little. "Cautious optimism" was what she publicly called for at an economic forum in Geraldton. She was a little drowned out by others predicting untold riches who thought China had a special money printing machine that never turned off. 

But perhaps her message was the narrative we should have adopted all along. 

"Cautious optimism." 

Invest only after doing your own due diligence.

Don't borrow more than you can afford to repay because you don't know if you'll be able to sell this asset later. 

Maybe Oakajee Port will get built, maybe it won't. But even if it IS built, it will only employ a couple of hundred people when it's finished. 

Maybe the investors who are saying China's economy is grossly overheated are correct, and we're going to see a very, very painful economic collapse from our largest customer. 

Cautious optimism. 

---

Now I don't write this brief overview to say "I told you so"... because I didn't tell anyone so. If the banks would have given me more money, I'd own 7 units in Rangeway right now wondering why God hated me so much by allowing me to make such a decision. 

At best I was a bit skeptical.

And hey, maybe history could have gone differently. Maybe the US never allows stupid loans to be written to people who couldn't afford them and we don't have the GFC. Maybe Oakajee Port gets built AND the surrounding land gets developed into a thriving industrial precinct.

Maybe that pile of land near the airport sitting dormant the City of Geraldton tried to turn into a technology park gets bought by Amazon and we have a thriving little tech community employing developers and software engineers.

But those things didn't happen. And instead, those "gurus" who made the heady predictions about Geraldton's growth lost no money. They're off doing other things, making money predicting the future somewhere else. They had no skin in the game, but we listened to them because they told us what we wanted to hear. 

The people who paid the price are those who didn't possess the ability to dig below the surface, and made investment decisions that they now regret. 

I realise that all of us in business want to see positive economic sentiment that will help raise the tide of all our boats. 

But lets make sure we don't repeat the mistakes of the last decade. Let's ignore the instinct to only listen to economic predictions that we WANT to be true. 

And let's dispense with the hype. 

I don't need hype. I need facts. 

---

Update: Correction around who had rights to originally build port. 

Damage and Stealing Arrest

At 6:15 pm on Wednesday 15 February 2018, a male was renovating in his rear yard located in Abraham Street Rangeway having recently moved into the address.

For reasons unknown a 25 year old male offender from Rangeway has kicked in a rear fence panel and entered the yard confronting the occupant.

The offender has armed himself with a shovel laying nearby threatening the occupant to a fight. The occupant has backed away to his house and the offender ran from the rear yard.

Police attended shortly after locating and arresting the person nearby in Clematis Crescent Utakarra still in possession of the shovel.

The male was later released to appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court on charges of:

• Being armed in way that may cause fear
• Damage
• Stealing
• Trespassing.

Possess Weapon and Possess Drugs Charge

At about 1:30 am Thursday 15 February 2018, Officers from the Geraldton Police Station conducted a traffic stop on a Holden Cruze travelling along North West Coastal Highway Waggrakine.

After speaking with the occupants police have searched the vehicle during which officers located a small amount of Cannabis and a silver metal knuckle duster inside the vehicle.

As a result a 30 year old male from Tarcoola Beach was charged with being in possession of the weapon and a 28 year old male charged with being in possession of a prohibited drug. Both have been summons to appear before the Geraldton Magistrate.

Disorderly Behaviour Arrest

At about 10:20 am on Tuesday 13 February 2018, Police received calls from the public regarding a fight that was happening on Chapman Road Geraldton near Stirling’s Shopping Centre.

Two females were located at the location in an agitated state and spoken to by police.

A 45 year old female and 22 year old female both from Waggrakine were ordered away from the Central Business District and both summonsed to appear before the Geraldton Magistrates Court on charges of disorderly behaviour in a public place.

Firearm Incident Arrest

At about 9:45 pm on the Tuesday 13 February 2018 Police received calls regarding a possible gun having been discharged in the vicinity of Sullivan Court Rangeway. Police provided an immediate response and conducted investigations into the allegation.

At 3.50 on the 14 February the person of interest was sighted by police jumping a fence from an address in Kul town Drive Waggrakine.

After a short foot chase the person of interested was arrested by Officers from the Geraldton Police Complex.

After further inquiries a 34 year old male from Rangeway was charged by Geraldton Detectives and held in custody to appear before the Geraldton Magistrate on the following charges:

• Unlicensed person possess Firearm/Ammunition x 2
• Threats to Injure, Endanger or Harm any Person
• Endanger Life, Health or Safety of a Person.

If you have any further information please contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.

Temporary closure of Wonthella Skatepark

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the Wonthella Skatepark, located on Pass Street, will be temporarily closed from Monday 19 February to Sunday 25 February 2018 to undertake maintenance works.

Works will include the repair of general wear and tear followed by the resealing of all concrete surfaces. The anticipated hours of work will be between from 7.30am to 4.30pm.

During this period, the Skatepark will be fenced off and members of the community are requested to not to use the Skatepark. Alternative skateparks are located in Maitland Park, Glendinning Park, Strathalbyn, Forrester Park and Drummond Cove.

Members of the community are also requested to 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.

City welcomes translating and interpreting services

People who speak languages other than English can now access services from the City of Greater Geraldton with greater convenience, thanks to the introduction of translating and interpreting facilities.

The service, which is provided by Department of Home Affairs, is free for residents and ratepayers who are not proficient in English and has over 80 languages available.

City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ross McKim welcomed the addition. 

“We are taking customer service to the next level and are delighted to launch our new translating and interpreting facilities,” he said.

“Greater Geraldton is home to a rich multicultural community and we want to remove all language barriers.

“Customers and staff are now able to speak with an interpreter via telephone. We are also very fortunate to have staff who speak different languages and where possible, we will try to use their skillsets.”

Phone interpreting services are available at the Civic Centre as well as the Geraldton Regional Library, Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, Aquarena, Mullewa District Office, Queens Park Theatre and the Queen Elizabeth II Seniors & Community Centre.

Members of the public are also able to access the service, however, telephone charges may apply.

If members of the community do require TIS services with the City, it is recommended a booking is made with the Customer Service department to ensure an interpreter is available at a time that is convenient to you.

For more information about the City of Greater Geraldton’s translating and interpreting facilities, please visit https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/your-council/news-and-information/customer-service/translating-and-interpreting-assistance.aspx or https://www.tisnational.gov.au/

Armed Robbery Arrest

At about 2:00 pm on the 13 February 2018 a male has attended the BWS Bottle Shop at the Wintersun Hotel BLUFF POINT.

Staff from BWS have provided assistance to obtain his purchase. The male has distracted the staff during which he ran from the store with alcohol that he had not paid for.

2 Staff members have attempted to retrieve the products from the male when he produced a knife which he was carrying and threatened to harm the employees.

Police have been called and 30 minutes later located a male walking in Spalding who matched the description and CCTV images that had been obtained.

A 41 year old Male from South Perth was arrested on suspicion and conveyed to the Geraldton Police Station where he was later charged with Armed Robbery.

He was refused Bail and is due to appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court today.

Burglary and Drug Arrest

On the 11 February 2018, on Hardman Road Rangeway Officers from the Geraldton Police Station spoke with a 19 year old male from Rangeway.

After speaking with the man he was identified as being a person of interest for a burglary that had occurred in Bunbury in November 2017. Whilst being spoken to he was searched by police and found to be in possession of an amount of cannabis.

The male was arrested and charged by officers for the offences of Burglary, Stealing, and Stealing from Motor Vehicle and Possess Cannabis.

He was bailed to appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court.

Trespass Arrest

At 3:00am on Sunday 11 February 2018, an intoxicated 28 Year old male from Northam has attended a business address in Bayly Street Geraldton.

At the address he has smashed a glass bedroom window, climbed through the window falling asleep on a bed within the premises.

Officers have attend shortly after locating the male still asleep. He was arrested and charged for the offences of Damage and Trespass. He is due to appear before the Geraldton Magistrates Court.

Possess Weapon

At about 4:30 pm on the 11 February 2018, Officers from the Geraldton Police Station were at the Home Maker Centre, North West Coastal Highway Webberton.

Whilst in attendance officers sighted two males whom were behaving in a suspicious manner. Whilst being spoken to officers had cause to search the men’s belongings during which officers located a 20 cm Kitchen Knife which one of the men was carrying to protect himself with.

The knife was seized and a 31 year old male from Spalding has been summons to appear in the Geraldton magistrates Court.

Unlawful Wounding Arrest

On the 11 February 2018 a 21st Birthday was being celebrated at an address in Abraham Street Utakarra.

At about 3 am the celebration was coming to a close and people were leaving the address. Whilst people were milling in the street a fight has broken out during which a 26 year old female from Beachlands and 28 year old female from Perth were both stabbed in the arm and shoulder sustaining non-life threatening injuries. Both were conveyed to the Geraldton Regional Hospital for treatment to injuries they had received.

A 22 year old female Rangeway was arrested by police at the scene where she was later charged with 2 counts of Unlawful Wounding and remanded in custody to appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court.

WALGA seeks suppliers for parks and gardens services

The WA Local Government Association (WALGA) are currently seeking tenders for the newly created Panel of Suppliers (PSA) for parks, gardens and related services.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said he urged local businesses to apply.

“It is a great opportunity for local providers to be placed on WALGA’s panel and become a preferred supplier,” he said.

“The benefits of becoming a WALGA preferred supplier have been demonstrated repeatedly in recent years with a range of local businesses successfully applying and subsequently being engaged by the City for a broad range of projects.”

The new PSA will consist of the following areas of supply:

• Mowing services
• Weed management and fertiliser application services
• Supply of general parks and gardens goods
• Water management goods and services 
• Tree maintenance services
• Landscaping works, maintenance and infrastructure
• Provision of general parks and gardens services
• Turf supply, installation and maintenance
• Provision of parks and gardens consultancy services
• Trees and nursery plants goods and services
• Playgrounds goods and services

Request for Tender documents are currently available from WALGA’s Tenderlink portal https://www.tenderlink.com/walga/.

Further information in regards to this request for tender can be obtained from Craig Grant on (08) 9213 2037.

High Court ruling on unionists’ fines a win for common sense

Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Peter Katsambanis has welcomed yesterday’s High Court decision which will mean unions can no longer pay fines on behalf of militant union officials who break the law.

Mr Katsambanis said the ruling would be welcomed by the construction industry which would now hopefully see a marked reduction in the use of militant tactics by the CFMEU.

“Time and time again we have seen repeat behaviour from certain union officials who blatantly disregard the law by entering worksites under dubious claims, disrupting lawful business operations and even sometimes stopping all work, in attempts to blackmail their way to a decision.” Mr Katsambanis said.

“This has gone on for too long because the fines resulting from the illegal behaviour of these individuals were covered by the union, which simply considered them as a cost of doing business.

“Once the fines were paid from union member funds the militant tactics continued.

“Not anymore. This is a fair and just decision by the High Court of Australia which upholds the premise that all individuals should be held accountable for their own actions.”

Mr Katsambanis said early signs of a fragile recovery in the West Australian economy meant it was more important than ever to ensure that construction projects were not put at risk from illegal delays due to illegal union tactics.

“The importance of the building and construction industry in Western Australia cannot be understated,” Mr Katsambanis said.

“It currently employs approximately 130,000 people while contributing $22 billion to our State’s economy.

Community statement: Incident at Australia Post toilet block

The City of Greater Geraldton is currently investigating last night’s incident at the toilet block located in the Australia Post car park.

Please be aware that the contractor responsible for security at this location is not in any way associated with City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn, or any of his businesses.

We will update the community as soon as we have further information to ensure that this situation does not reoccur.

Greenough River Nature Walk Trail works

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be undertaking works along the Greenough River Nature Walk Trail from Cape Burney to Devlin Pool Road with works commencing on Wednesday 14 February 2018 for a period of approximately three weeks.

Works include the installation of new steps to the gazebos to improve accessibility and general gazebo maintenance. New bench seating will also be installed at scenic sites along the trail. The City requests members of the public to refrain from using the trail between 9am and 3pm to ensure community safety.

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.

Temporary closure Convict Bridge in Greenough

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be temporarily closing Convict Bridge located on McCartney Road in Greenough on Thursday 15 February 2018 to undertake bridge maintenance works.

The anticipated hours of work will be from 7am to 5pm. Traffic management will be in place with a detour through the river bed side track.

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.

A boy and a girl "freed" a guinea pig

On Tuesday 6 February 2018 a Burglary was committed at an address in Nerrel Street  Waggrakine. During the course of the Burglary the young offenders have removed the family’s pet guinea pig from its cage in the rear yard.

Police officers had been notified by a member of the public whom had witnessed persons jumping the fence.

Police officers attended shortly after sighting a group of youths running through rear bushland.

During a search of the bushland officers located the Pet Guinea Pig which had been discarded by the offenders. The Guinea Pig was returned to the owners.

As a result of inquiries an 11 year old boy and a 13 year old girl, both from Waggrakine were identified and interviewed over the incident.

Both have been charged with further inquiries continuing.