FORT KNOX REDEVELOPMENT

Good news that the council has approved the proposed development of the Fort Knox building. From the plans it looks like a real asset to the East end of the city, with the many apartments attracting more people to that part of town. Hopefully that will entice others to open cafes and shops in that bland part of Fremantle.

Now hoping that Marylyn New will stop holding us at ransom and that we will see a speedy development of the ramshackle Woolstores as well.

Roel Loopers

THE ‘TRUTH’ ABOUT VALENTINE’S DAY

In only a few more sleeps it will be Valentine’s day again. To counteract all the hype surrounding it, I thought it is important to tell you the true history of the day:

Valentino Corsage was born in a small French village some hundred years ago. While delivering this handsome boy the midwife and others commented on the strong aroma of flowers in the room in which he was born. It turned out that this fragrance would be with the young man most of his life

Everyone loved Valentino, especially women, who were attracted to his sweet aroma. Soon he was receiving large quantities of flowers for his birthday from his lovers and would be lovers, male and female. And so it became a tradition over time that women gave flowers to men on Valentino’s birthday. The day became known in the U.S.A. as Valentine’s Day.

We in Australia followed suit, as it seems to be our compulsion to adopt anything American.

It was in the late sixties that the feminists around the world started to become more and more militant. Those feminazis, as they were called by shock-jocks, decided that they had enough of spending their hard earned money on buying flowers for macho men.

A group of those emancipationists, including Erica Jong, Germaine Greer and Alice Schwarzer,  decided to change the world forever. One month prior to his next birthday they kidnapped  Valentino. In ransom notes to the world media they demanded that flowers should be given to women instead of men on Valentine’s Day.

And so it is, my dear poor neglected and rejected male sufferers, that this week the prices of flowers have quadrupled, and the fools amongst us are queuing up to buy overpriced bunches of strong smelling leaves for our darlings, instead of receiving delightfully scented red roses and red wine infused dinners ourselves.

Life was never meant to be fair, I suppose. 8<)

Roel Loopers

JUST A LOVELY PIC

A picture is a thousand words. No need to explain then.

PHOTO COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS.   PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

ANTI-SOCIAL IDIOTS AND VANDALISM

I have no tolerance at all for vandalism. The mindless idiots who think it is o.k. to damage other people’s property deserve a hard kick in the bum. I walked past this telephone booth on the corner of Wray Avenue and Hampton Road this morning.

What is it with society that people show total disrespect for other people and their property? People are being attacked and bashed to death just because it seems fun to some drunken yobbos, who then use their drunkenness as an excuse in court. We need to tell them that we no longer will tolerate their anti-social and unacceptable behaviour!

Roel Loopers

click on photo to enlarge

PHOTO COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS.   PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

ROGER GARWOOD 65TH BIRTHDAY

Happy 65th birthday to Fremantle photographer and personality Roger Garwood!

Roger arrived here from England some 37 years ago and made a name for himself especially during the America’s Cup challenge off the W.A. coast. He also published several successful books on Fremantle, Broome and the gold diggers around Kalgoorlie.

Garwood has been a mentor and tutor to many young photographers and is always willing to share his knowledge and anecdotes about the photographic industry with anyone who wants to listen.

There are not many people in Fremantle Roger would not have had a coffee or drink with and who listened to his passion for the port city.

Roger will have an exhibition of his Blessing of the Fleet photos at this year’s FotoFreo.

If you want to say happy birthday to him, his email address is: garwood@iinet.net.au

Roel Loopers

Roger Garwood by Roel Loopers

THE NATIONAL, DAVILAK AND CLANCYS

The National Hotel is starting to show its face again after a fire badly damaged it some years ago. I haven’t heard when it will re-open but I am sure many will be looking forward to it, as it used to be the favorite watering hole for working class locals. Now hoping it won’t be yet another trendy yuppie bar.

Further south along South Terrace the new owners of the Davilak  changed its name to South Beach Hotel. The lounge bar is still popular with the older folks, partly because there is no obnoxious loud music, and the counter meals are some of the cheapest and best in town. $ 16.00 for a good Chicken Parmigiana is a steal in my books.

News from Clancys is that co-owner Joe Fisher’s wife decided it would be good for him to have an alcohol free February. I witnessed Joe drinking coffee at 17.30 on Monday, which is a very rare sight. I should have taken photos for the archives 9>) Your liver loves you, Joe!

Roel Loopers

The National Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia

PHOTO COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS.    PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

CRACKER NIGHT

A belated shot from Fremantle’s Cracker Night Australia Day fireworks.

PHOTO COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS.   PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN ACTION

We have all read the stories about how bad the public health system in W.A. is, with ambulance queues, shortage of beds, nurses, doctors and money. What a positive surprise it was then to be put on a waiting list for eye surgery and get a date within 80 days for it to be performed.

The experience I had at the Osborne Park hospital last week was one of total professionalism, with everything working like clockwork, from my first interview at the reception, through to the very friendly and highly efficient medical staff. They made a day I had started with trepidation into a quite relaxed one.

Fremantle ophthalmologist Dr Edward Mele performed splendid surgery on my left eye for only 15 minutes, to make the day a real success story for all involved. This at no costs to me. Thank you so much.

I can see. I can see! 9>)  Well, I haven’t fallen into a manhole yet.

Roel Loopers

AUSTRALIA DAY

An eye operation prevented me from posting some impressions of the Australia Day celebrations and citizenship ceremony on the Fremantle Esplanade. It was a great idea to do the ceremony on the Esplanade for the first time and made for a very good and relaxed afternoon. These are only a few of the photos I shot for the City of Fremantle.

grandkids

signing up for the electoral roll

apt T-shirt

proud new Aussie

PHOTOS COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS.     PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

RAILROADING LANGUAGE

It is quite unbelievable how PR people manage to use, misuse and abuse language. The spin doctors of the Public Transport Authority tell us they are “upgrading existing railway crossings” along South Beach and the Esplanade, while in fact they want to close 4 of them. What kind of upgrade is that?

I doubt if there are even ten trains a day using that track, and as long as I have been in Fremantle I have never heard of any accidents or near accidents involving pedestrians.

It seems to me that the only reason the PTA want to close the crossings is that upgrading them costs money.

Roel Loopers