Unleashed = uneasy
WE have been regular walkers along the South Beach headlands (from South Beach to the old power station) for many years, enjoying the wonderful coastline and the bushlands.
However lately, we are feeling more unsafe due to unleashed dogs and speeding cyclists who do not use their bells as they pass.
Last Sunday we passed at least six dogs—a doberman, a dalmation and several smaller dogs, with no effort by owners to contain them.
We are not only concerned for all who walk this lovely path (eg, families with small children and seniors), but also for the wildlife living in the bushland (eg, lizards, birds, snakes). We have often coached slow bobtails off the path, but we note the dogs we see are often foraging in the bush.
Jill & Riccardo Aldrovandi
White Gum Valley

One little girl
MY 11-year-old daughter and I were out to lunch at the Swan Yacht Club in East Fremantle today when we decided to go for a walk along the river foreshore.
As we were walking, my daughter Ciara spotted a cormorant standing on the beach with some fishing line in its mouth and wrapped around its feet with a burley cage and swivel attached. A hook was also caught on a feather on its wing. The bird was obviously in some level of distress and needed an intervention to rid it of this hinderance.
Ciara was adamant we were going to help it—she was determined it would be done before we left.
After a couple of attempts to throw my shirt over it to try to catch it, we soon realised it couldn’t fly and, after heading out onto the water with each attempt, we noticed it kept paddling back into the bank to rest. We also noticed it was constantly searching for food as it swam but would have no luck swallowing or diving due to the entanglement of the fishing line.We ended up following the cormorant about 400m along the left bank right down to the marine education boatshed at the corner of Riverside Road and Pier Street where Ciara found it back on the bank just nearby. I went into the boatshed and asked one of the gentlemen if they had a net I could use to try to capture the bird to remove the line.Three men from the boatshed came out to lend their assistance—one carrying a net.
I was able to catch the bird with the net, much to the relief and excitement of Ciara. We took the bird
into the boatshed where we carefully and successfully removed the line and hook from the bird’s feet, mouth and wing. Two of the men from the boatshed carried the bird out onto the boat ramp and released it. The cormorant immediately made its way out onto the water where it soon got used to the fact it was no longer restricted by what had been caught on it for some time.
It appeared visibly weakened by its ordeal and struggled to get itself up onto a pontoon nearby after two attempts. It then paddled out of the boatshed area and we lost sight of it. I have no doubt it was eventually able to hunt for food successfully and gain its strength back to go on living a normal existence.
Today’s experience showed me in the space of an hour, the heartbreak of the way our irresponsible human activities and behaviours affect our natural world so detrimentally and also, how the will, determination and heart of a young girl can get four grown men mobilised to undo the consequences of a reckless and careless act indirectly perpetrated against an innocent member of our wild kingdom.
I am extremely proud of my daughter tonight and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for the person she has become.
Glenn Stephenson
Connelly Way, Booragoon

Bravo!
THE Fremantle Chamber Orchestra gave a free performance on Saturday 11 April as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.
Because of the weather, it had to be moved to Notre Dame University’s Drill Hall. Listeners were thrilled: “enjoyed it immensely”, “extremely successful”, “really good, great fun and a great community event” were some comments from members of the audience.
As for the musicians? “It was delight to experience the positive atmosphere in the orchestra and the high quality of the performance”, “how marvellous to play for such a great audience”, “another mountain-top experience with FCO. What a great night!”
I really would like to say thank you to all who helped make this possible: Fremantle Arts Centre and City of Fremantle, Fremantle Ports, Zenith Music, Notre Dame University, Melissa Parke, St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, donors, helpers, musicians (including soloists Penny Shaw, Fiona Cooper-Smyth and Mark Coughlan) and enthusiastic audience.
Above all, for the ongoing support of FCO in the lead up to every concert since FCO was born in 2005—the Fremantle Herald and the Perth Voice newspapers. Thank you!
Hans Hug
Director, FCO
Fremantle

I dig that
“IT’S BACK!” (Herald front page, April 11, 2015). A tunnel under Freo? Ten days too late for an April Fool’s prank. Nice try though!
David Young