THE FLYING ANGEL OF FREMANTLE

One Fremantle feel-good social service organisation that often flies under the radar is the Flying Angel Club on Queen Victoria Street.

The Flying Angel is part of the worldwide Mission to Seafarers charity network that provides support, care, transport and accommodation to merchant sailors.

Each year, the Flying Angel Club in Freo deals with around 10,000 seafarers who visit our port.

It runs a fleet of mini buses to pick them up from their ships, bring them into the city centre and drop them back to the berth. It also provides accommodation at the club for seafarers leaving or joining a ship, or those who are sick. They have 25 rooms to accommodate people.

Flying Angel helps sailors get medical appointments, obtain necessary documentation while in port, and it frequently delivers personal items to sailors at gangways and provides a ‘listening ear’.

Fremantle Ports’ Neil Stanbury said Flying Angel was an unsung hero in the community. “It represents community pastoral care at its best. The world was reminded during COVID-19 what a vulnerable community ship crews were, when around the globe seafarers were denied shore-leave. It was a distressing and difficult time for them, with most confined aboard long after their contracts ended. Some spent 18 months on one ship.”

On Sunday July 9, at 11am Flying Angel CEO and Anglican Chaplain Dennis Claughton will conduct a service in the chapel to mark Sea Sunday – a day that is set aside to remember and pray for seafarers and their families, and thank them for their work.

Flying Angel lost some volunteers during COVID, so it’s planning a big push this year to increase support in that area. Contact them if you want to volunteer in Fremantle and meet people from all over the world.

Roel Loopers

HARBOURING SECRETS SUPPORT FLYING ANGELS

Fremantle Ports’ Harbouring Secrets fringe theatre on Victoria Quay last week raised nearly $5000 for the Flying Angels Mission to Seafarers.

Harbouring Secrets had a run of six shows over three consecutive nights ending on Saturday, with each performance attracting 100 people.

The show, which featured local performers Paul Rowe, Ross Vegas, mezzo-soprano opera singer Caitlin Cassidy plus former and current drama students from John Curtin College of the Arts, saw the audience follow the show on foot around Victoria Quay.

The cast made the west end of Victoria Quay their set, with performances that had music, comedy and pathos.

Harbouring Secrets cherry-picked great historical stories associate with the port, including the tragic tale of the wartime submarine USS Bullhead, the lumpers’ riot, the tale of port creator CY O’Connor, the America’s Cup defence in 1987 and also Derbal Yerrigan’s links to Noongar Whadjuk people.

Flying Angels supports merchant seafarers visiting Fremantle, who have not been allowed get shore leave during COVID-19.

Roel Loopers

1.5 MILLION WA VOLUNTEERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Western Australian State of Volunteering report shows how dedicated people in WA are. More than 1.5 million people, 15 years and over, volunteered last year, donating 398 million hours of their time to the community. That is amazing! And all that free work created a massive $ 63.9 billion for WA. Wow!

I volunteered for about nine years as tourist guide at the Fremantle Roundhouse and loved the interaction with people from all over the world. It is great to be an ambassador for Fremantle and tell people about our city’s history and give them tips of places to go. The Shipwrecks and Maritime museums also have volunteers, and of course the City of Fremantle volunteer tourists guides are always out and about, walking the streets, and in the Visitor Centre and the Port Passenger Terminal, to assist tourists. The Victoria Quay tours at Fremantle Ports are also conducted by volunteers.

St Patricks and the Flying Angel also rely on their generous volunteers, who can also be found at hospitals, Vinnies, Salvation Army, etc. shops. There are generous Freo people everywhere trying to make a difference, and that is heart-warming to know.

Volunteering is very rewarding and uplifting. It is good for the heart and soul to assist other people. For those who are retired or unemployed, it gives you a purpose in life and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I highly recommend it!

Volunteering WA– http://www.volunteeringwa.org.au can help you to find the right organisation to volunteer at. There are many of them and they need our support.

Roel Loopers

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Next week the annual Fremantle Citizen of the Year awards will be announced at a citizenship ceremony in the Walyalup Civic Centre. All local councils in Australia have these awards around Australia Day, to honour those who have made a significant contribution to their community. It made me think how important it is that so many people give up a lot of their time, to try to make a positive difference.

Community participation often starts at schools and sport clubs, for those who have children, and often grows from there. People nominate for committees, or ultimately step up and stand for council.

Fremantle people volunteer as tourist guides at the Roundhouse, Shipwrecks Museum, Maritime Museum, Visitor Centre and Fremantle Port, or become lifesavers at Leighton Beach, organise the North Freo Bowlo and community garden, the Sea Rescue, Politics in the Pub, Valley Verges, Save Leighton, or are working at the Men’s Shed, etc.

We have the Friends of Cantonment Hill and Friends of Samson Park, looking after these public spaces, and those who spend some Saturday mornings, planting trees along Marine Terrace.

Generous members of our community volunteer at hospitals, St Pat’s, the Flying Angel Club, and at the great Freo Long Table event, that raises funds for the homeless.

People seriously engage with local councils and attend community sessions about the Heart of Beaconsfield, East Fremantle Oval, Future of Fremantle, Hilton bowling precinct, Fremantle Traffic Bridge, and many others. Some even step up to take part in policy working groups that assist their local councils, on issues such as age friendly cities, Aboriginal reconciliation, youth issues, etc.

Passionate community members speak up at council meetings about planning and other issues, or organise precinct events to inform and debate how we can make Fremantle an even better place to live, work and visit.

It is quite remarkable how many of us take ownership of our community and regularly sacrifice some of their private time to help improve our cities, for no personal gain. As a former long-time Roundhouse volunteer I know that it can feel like a bit of a slog to stand on your feet for five hours, talking to a lot of people from all over the world, sometimes in the cold and rain, or in the heat. But volunteering is fun and rewarding. One meets a lot of people and makes new friends, and it feels as if you are making a positive difference, no matter how small that might be. And all those who step up to contribute to their community deserve our gratitude.

Anyone can have a whinge and many, including I, do, about what is not perfect about the city they live in, but it requires dedication to take that next step and actually take part in the process and help shape the future of our city. Working towards positive change is good for the soul.

It can be frustrating to go to endless talk fests, if one feels that one’s input has been ignored. When I was a long-time committee member of the Fremantle Society, I often walked away from council meetings I had spoken at, feeling taken for granted, thinking that I had run head on into a brick wall, but we should never give up.

Constantly complaining about what is wrong is easy. When we change our attitude from thinking what THEY(councils) should do, and turn it into what WE could do, things change for the better. It demands dedication, a positive and tolerant attitude, and the passion and commitment to make a difference. When one finally sees the fruits of one’s labour for the love for our city, that is a really fuzzy warm feeling, that makes all the frustration and hard work so worthwhile.

And some of us might even like to silently and mischievously flip the bird at those who have relentlessly criticised our efforts. Standing up for what we believe in benefits our communities.

Roel Loopers

ROVING ACTION THEATRE ON VICTORIA QUAY

Fremantle Ports will, for the first time, present live, roving theatre on Victoria Quay, dramatising the historical icons of the port in three powerful nights of theatre on Fremantle’s own West End stage.

Harbouring Secrets: Rogues, Rats and Wraiths stars Paul Rowe – place activator and atmosphere coordinator at Perth Theatre Trust and director, writer, and performer Ross Vegas, with drama students from John Curtin College of the Arts.

The audience will travel on foot and in time, following the stories of a World War II US submarine commander, enigmatic bohemian artist Kathleen O’Connor, a fire on the freighter Panamanian, the lumpers’ riot and more.

This mobile performance will bring historical characters to life as the audience moves with the performers along Victoria Quay.

Harbouring Secrets: Rogues, Rats and Wraiths tickets are available via Fremantle Ports’ website with all proceeds going to the Flying Angel Club.

The show runs over three nights, with tickets strictly limited. Tickets are available at

http://www.fremantleports.com.au/events

COVID VESSEL KEN HOU DEPARTS FREMANTLE

FREMANTLE PORTS posted this on Facebook and it is important for Fremantle people to know this good news:

The bulk carrier Ken Hou departed the Port of Fremantle this afternoon after the Deputy Chief Health Officer declared the end of the COVID-19 outbreak on board.

Fremantle Ports is proud to support the seafarers who have recovered aboard, many miles from their homes and loved ones.

Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 2500 vessels have visited Fremantle and, in that time, there has been zero transmission of COVID-19 through the port.

Special thanks to Stella Maris Seafarers’ Centre Fremantle and Flying Angel Club for the valuable role they play providing shore-side assistance and support for seafarers in Fremantle.

VOTE FOR DAD WITH A VISION FOR FREO!

 

I am never ever late for anything, so it is rather embarrassing that I assumed the speeches at the BRAD FOR FREO campaign launch on Saturday would be held around 6 pm, as the event was from 4-8 pm. However when I arrived at 5.20 the official part was all but over and the place so packed that I had to take photos first.

It means I can’t tell you a thing about the welcome to country by Ingrid Cummins, the introduction speech by Griffith Longley, or what Brad the dad Pettitt said. But I was told that Griff Longley said that the Fremantle Mayor was not about ego, but about a man with a vision for what Fremantle should be and that he was proud to have Brad Pettitt as his Mayor.

The vibes in the packed to the rafters room at The Local hotel in South Fremantle were so great and full of positive energy, and felt very Freo, so that everyone had a smile on their face.

I bumped into heaps of people I know, and I actually remembered some names, which I wrote down to share with my Freo’s View readers.

If you are not mentioned it means I did not notice you, or forgot to take note of it, so my apologies!

Sighted by the first time late in his life Loopy were: former Labor MP Melissa Parke, former deputy Freo Mayor Dave Coggin, Freo Councillor Hannah Fitzhardinge with daughter and mum Jenny, Councillor Jon Strachan and partner Cathy Hall, Councillor Rachel Pemberton, former Councillor Tim Grey-Smith, South Freo Candidate Liam Carter, Kim Dravnieks and Kate Kelly of Roe 8 fame , Paul Gamblin with wife Tracy and daughter Charlotte, the America’s Cup hero John Longley, designer John Douglas and his wife, Ellen Health GP Kathrine, developer Bruce Moriarty, former Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, architect Kieran Wong, marketing angel Sarah Langley, photographer Alma Sahran with her Flying Fallafels husband Ali, Brad Pettitt’s friend Brian Mitchell, former Fremantle Society president and former Freo Councillor Henty Farrar with his Notre Dame uni librarian daughter Sophie, artist Tim Burns, Jason Townsend, Paul and Pat Winnacott, Paper Bird children’s bookshop owner Jennifer Jackson, Deputy Mayor of East Fremantle Michael McPhail, Curtin Uni professor Peter Newman, and many, many more.

And of course the Mayor’s partner Emma was there with their beautiful daughter Aoife, who wore a DAD FOR FREO shirt.

I promise that if I am still alive at the next election campaign I’ll be on time. ; >(

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE LANEWAY FESTIVAL ON THIS SUNDAY!

The Fremantle ST JEROME LANEWAY FESTIVAL is on this Sunday, February 8, with a huge line up of great acts from around the world performing on the Esplanade. From the USA we will hear Angel Olsen, Banks, Benjamin Broker, Flying Lotus, Future Islands, St Vincent, and Vic Mensa.

From the United Kingdom Eagulls, FKA Twigs, Jon Hopkins, Jungle, Royal Blood, Rustie, and Sohn.

Then there are Caribou from Canada, Connan Mockasin from New Zealand, Highasakite from Noway, Little Dragon from Sweden, Mac Demarco from Canada, and Australian acts Andy Bull, Dianas, Dune Rats, Tkay Maidza, Seekae, Love Spectrum, Mansionair, and more.

It should be a fantastic spectacle and I acknowledge it is a severe inconvenience for people living near the Esplanade, but that is the reality of living in W.A.s festival city. I hope traffic management will have learned from last year’s debacle and will be a lot better. Have fun!

Roel Loopers

FREO’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL BANDS

The Fremantle ST JEROME LANEWAY FESTIVAL is on Sunday February 8 and tickets will go on sale in ten days, so be alert you groovers and order them soon.

It appears the festival will only be for one day next years while it was all weekend this year, so not sure why that has been changed as it appeared to be a huge success.

Here in alphabetical order the groups and individuals that will perform on the Esplanade:

Agnes Demarcon-Andy Bull-Angel Olsen-Banks-Benjamin Bocker-Caribou-Cannon Mockasin-Courtney Barnett-Dune Rats-Eagulls-Eyes-FKATwigs-Flight Facilities-Flying Lotus(Layer 3)-Future Islands-Highasakite-Jesse Davidson-Jon Hopkins-Jungle-Little Dragon-Lykke Li- Mac Demarco-Mansionair-Perfect Pussy-Peter Bibby-Pond-Ratkin-Raury-Royal Blood-Rustie-Seekae-Sohn-St Vincent-Vic Mensa.

Roel Loopers