Positive place

WITH regard to “A joke? “ (Herald Letters, July 23, 2022).

As a new arrival in the West End of Fremantle, I may have a slightly different perspective than some of the longer term residents.  

Fremantle, no doubt, has some serious developmental and social challenges, however, my experiences so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

The shop owners, food vendors, post office staff, parking attendants and a myriad of other people out and about, have all been incredibly helpful, warm and welcoming.

Fremantle is a wonderful, vibrant community.

Josephine Bedetti
Fremantle

Inspiring

I HAVE just read the gorgeous and inspiring article by Nella Fitzgerald on the life of Adele Forlini.

How interesting it would be to read more stories on the lives of the women of WA.

Ann Leah

Twigging on?

IT seems that Twiggy Forrest’s first foray into Fremantle development will be his demolition of a significant piece of Fremantle’s heritage.

The 23 metre long, 3 metre high heritage limestone wall on the Spicer site on Henderson Street in the heart of our heritage town is about to go, along with the much loved Numbat painting ratepayers paid $20,000 for in 2011.

There is a council requirement to turn the heritage wall into an art piece onsite within 18 months – a rather second rate option.

Council’s own documents state: “Limestone wall should be substantially retained and conserved and integrated into a future development.” Instead of making the developer integrate the heritage wall into a future development, council staff decided to support: “on-balance decision to demolish the wall for the greater benefit that the new development and artwork would provide for the surrounding heritage buildings and cityscape once they come forward”.

But will the six-storey hotel plans for the site, widely panned by numerous experts, benefit the surrounding heritage buildings and cityscape?

Mayor Fitzhardinge and the planning committee voted to allow the demolition, and have not required the archaeological investigation and interpretation for the Pine Warehouse site before it will be turned into a temporary carpark. Yet the site is in the heart of the historic town, and the wall is at least 100 years old.

Twiggy Forrest’s namesake Sir John Forrest did such good works in Fremantle, Fremantle council voted in 1901 to erect a memorial gate and fountain outside Fremantle Oval just 100 metres away from the Spicer site in his honour. Mind you, council still haven’t built it.

What will Twiggy Forrest’s legacy be in Fremantle with all the properties he has bought here – hopefully worth at least a fountain.

John Dowson
President, The Fremantle Society

Pining…

THE excellent piece by Carl Payne in the last paper about the scale of new build in Fremantle (“Change is inevitable…But it’s controllable,” Thinking Allowed, July 23 and 30) stirred in me the thought that, from up on the Beaconsfield hill where 

I live, the reason why South Fremantle spread below looks quite beautifully like a sleepy fishing village, is that the tallest structures in sight are a few Norfolk pines.

Paul Fletcher
Beaconsfield