ISOLATING BEHIND BEAUTY

 

 

Life goes on, and must go on, so a photo of the very nice balcony shutters at the brand-new The Social apartments in Freo’s Henry Street, where the Workers Club used to be.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE A WORK IN PROGRESS

 

 

Fremantle’s CBD is a work in progress, with the crane of the residential development at the former Workers Club site in Henry Street coming down today.

At Kings Square the triangular slab of the new Civic Centre has been put down and is destined to become a cafe. A new crane will go up there pretty soon.

Roel Loopers

FREO COMMUNITY OPINION FLUSHED DOWN LIKE TOILET PAPER

 

There were a lot of Curtin University students at this evening’s Fremantle Council Planning Services Committee meeting. Their teacher told the Councillors and packed public gallery the students have to write 1,500 words about their observations, so let me help them out and suggest they start with the word farce.

Farce is probably a too nice word to describe the shambles Fremantle Council has become under Mayor Brad Pettitt’s it’s my way or the highway leadership.

And didn’t our Bradman, he who was sent from space to rescue Fremantle from boredom, make it very clear that he did not give a damn about community submissions and the people who had just addressed Councillors. Oh no, Bradman was sick and tired of that boring place called Arthur Head, a place where nothing happens, the White Gum Valley resident told the people who actually live a stone’s throw away. Braddy knows it so much better than those who have lived there for years, and than the Roundhouse heritage guides who welcome more than 110,000 people a year into the old goal.

Naw, we need activation the Mayor lectured us all, because basically that heritage stuff is boring like bat shit. Might I remind you that under his leadership Arthur Head was made into a ghost town when his Council signed off on the Bathers Beach Art Precinct that has attracted many undesirable people and anti-social behaviour to the heritage area.

Councillors tried to pacify the residents by proposing little motions and passing them, and it felt a bit like they were trying to smooth small ripples in a tsunami, because the community had already expressed they did not want a music venue and alcohol outlet at J Shed.

Forget the new alcohol policy and anti-social behaviour, drunks, etc. It’s insignificant in the big picture. His Worship told us it is just a two-year trial and might not turn out all that bad. That was very reassuring especially since advertising of alcohol would be restricted maybe somehow, or whatever, but not the consumption off it.

His eminent Worship told us there are no complaints when the Fremantle Arts Centre have concerts for 3,400 people in that heritage area, so why would that be different in a venue whose core business it is to sell alcohol. Yes sorry Brad, we are not as intelligent as you are and did not make that connection.

The Mayor was leading the way to get approval for the Sunset Events proposal one way or the other. Brad, like a spoiled single child, gets what he wants or he bang his fists on the table and tells officers off, as he did tonight but without the banging of the fists because that is not a good look in public. It appeared he intimidated and influenced the decisions of some Councillors anyway.

But the next item on the agenda  showed the real farce of it all when Bradman told us that the facade of the former Workers Club in Henry Street “tell an important story of how we evolved in Fremantle.” That apparently does not apply however to the extremely historic significance of Arthur Head, that just needs to be activated according to the Mayor, who even offered the locals to come and show them nothing is going on there, apart from some 110,000 people visiting the heritage site every year. Bradman is also happy to replace the successful family fun Bathers Beach Sunset Food Markets, that attracted up to 5.000 people each Saturday in summer, with herding 1,000 people into a small fenced off area for ticketed events.

There is little use boring you with all the things people said when they addressed the Council Committee this eve, because most of it was ignored by our Elected Members and barely mentioned in the debate. In the City of Fremantle community consultation is like toilet paper. One flushes it down ideally without looking at it.

Roel Loopers

ROEL FOR FREO! Beaconsfield Ward. Truly Independent. 

Written and authorised by Roel Loopers of 5 Maxwell Street, Beaconsfield 6162.

STATE GOVERNMENT SNUBS FREMANTLE CLUBS

It is very disappointing that the W.A. State Government has yet again let down the Fremantle community, with the Department of Sport and Recreation not supporting the grant application that would have seen a new club house built at Parry Street for the Fremantle Workers, Tennis and Bowling clubs. The proposal also included an essential car park on the site to cater for users of the tennis and bowling facilities, club bar and restaurant, and that would also have catered for visitors to the Basilica, Clancy’s, Christian Brothers School, St Patrick’s Community group, etc.

The idea was that the COF would invest $ 1.3 million, the three clubs a similar amount, and that the State would cover the other $ 1.3 needed to make the development viable.

The proposal is now some $ 1.3 million short and it has to be seen if the City of Fremantle believes that income from the proposed carpark would be able to cover the shortfall.

It looks like State Government spent most of the available grant money on country sporting clubs but did not see the benefit a clubhouse sharing of the three Freo clubs would bring.

Roel Loopers

TONIGHT’S MUSIC AT FREMANTLE HIDDEN TREASURES

What’s on tonight, July 17 at the Fremantle Hidden Treasures Winter Music Festival?

It’s the bargain of the century. Only $ 10.00 will give you entry to all four venues on the night, so it’s dirt cheap for great music.

At the Workers Club are Jam Nation from 6.45 and the Fancy Brothers from 8 pm.

The Buffalo Club has Here Comes The Sun at 7pm and Thee Gold Blooms from 8.30 pm.

Upstairs at the Navy Club it will be rock, blues, psychedelic with Moana will be performing from 9 pm, and from 10 pm on Midfield Legends will be on stage.

At PS Art Studios in Pakenham Street there is Analog On from 8.30 with Strunkdts, Duplex Rabbit and Basic Mind.

Enjoy and support our local Freo musos and live music venues!

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE HIDDEN TREASURES MUSIC BARGAIN

Only two more sleeps until the Fremantle HIDDEN TREASURES West End music extravaganza starts, so put it in your diaries and mobile phone appointment reminders. It’s is not only a great music community festival, but it is dirt cheap. Only $ 10.00 will give you entry on the night to all four venues. Now that’s a true bargain!

What’s on this Thursday, July 3rd?

WORKERS CLUB in Henry Street. 6.45 A Song is a City. Songs about Fremantle by David Hyams and Dave Johnston. 8.00 pm WAMI Award winner Sian Brown.

BUFFALO CLUB in High Street. 7.00 pm Jeremiah Salt, and 8.30 pm Edie Green.

NAVY CLUB in High Street. 9.00 pm Sarah Pellicano, and 10.00 pm Aborted Tortoise.

PS Art Studios in Pakenham Street. 8.30 Mei Sarawasati, and 9.30 pm Hugo Gerani, plus 10.30 pm Lower Spectrum.

Enjoy the evening and just take a sickie on Friday, so you can have a nice long weekend. ; >)

Roel Loopers

THIS WEEKEND AT THE FREO WORKERS CLUB

Enjoy the sound of the ROGUES this Saturday at the FREMANTLE WORKERS CLUB, and on Sunday the great enegising music of the ZYDECATS.

The Club needs a bit of support so get a group of friends together for some nights of good music, a dance, and a meal. Drinks at the bar are at Club prices, so cheaper than most pubs.

Roel Loopers

MUSIC WINTER FESTIVAL FOR FREO’S WEST END

I am delighted to hear that the Fremantle HIDDEN TREASURES WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL is returning to the West End of the city an I hope it will be as successful as the first one they held there, with local shops staying open and putting furniture out on the street and people having a drink around open fires. It was a very cool event and much appreciated by the very many people who attended the concerts.

Every Thursday in July from 7 pm there will be music at the Workers Club, The Navy Club, the Buffalo Club and PS Art Studios, and it will only cost $ 10.00 for a ticket that will allow entry to all the four venues on the night. That is dirt cheap, especially with the bar prices also below pub prices. So make Thursday night your traditional Friday pub night in July.

Expect some outstanding highlights during July when the super group Midfield Legends plays, or go and listen to Gutterville Splendour Six, or attend Jam Notion by Catch Music.

Roel Loopers

ZYDECATS AT FREO WORKERS CLUB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fremantle ZYDECATS will have their first concert at the Fremantle Workers Club in Henry Street this Sunday, June 1 and will perform every Sunday there from then on, instead of at Clancys. So go and check out the new location, have a dance and enjoy the great energy of the zydeco music.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE CLANCYS ON THE MOVE

EXCLUSIVE!

Fremantle’s most famous and loved watering hole Clancys are on the move and good new changes are happening. To renovate the building Clancys will be moving into Victoria Hall for a couple of months and will then go back home to the Princess May Park venue. “Exile on High Street” will open on Wednesday, 18th June at 5pm and stay for twelve weeks, but they would love to also continue indefinitely at the heritage hall if the City of Fremantle agrees.

There will be the same local craft beers and wine available at Exile, but a very different food offering, based around world street food, and of course the same great staff will be there. They are currently working on the entertainment program. Patrons can expect anything from rockabilly to burlesque, and from magicians to wrestling, with the quiz and bingo nights still on the menu.

Once renovated Clancys will have a new high spec stage. There will be a brand new high-end P.A to get the best sound quality available and new LED lighting rig. To allow to expand the music offering they are installing 4 new ” music hot spots”out the front and back. These will allow performers to easily plug-in to allow some more variety in the music programming.

The major, almost dramatic, change in Clancys music program will be that the Zydecats Sunday concerts will no longer be. After playing there for nearly twenty years the Zydecats will move their Sunday concerts to the Fremantle Workers Club in Henry Street, starting on June 27 at 7 pm.

Roel Loopers

STOP PRESS! ZYDECATS ALREADY START AT WORKERS CLUB ON JUNE 1!!!