Give a fig

WE are told that the Moreton Bay fig tree in High Street is to be removed because it is “in the wrong place”. 

The most important point about the location of this tree is that it is right next to Philip Webster’s house, Cranworth Villa.

I don’t think there can be any doubt that it was planted by Webster himself: the Heritage Council says so!

It is the source of other important Fremantle trees: the Heritage Council says that too!

The most important of those is undoubtedly the Proclamation Tree.

Webster actually planted that too – he was at the ceremony, and handed the spade to the governor, William Robinson, who did the ceremonial bit, after which Webster would have completed the job.

All of the trees that used to be in what is now Walyalup Koort were also planted by Webster, as were many of the trees that used to surround Fremantle Park.

There is no tree in Fremantle more important than the tree in High Street.

It would be a shame and a disgrace if it were removed.

Garry Gillard
Fremantle

It’s getting choppy

I HAVE lived on Prinsep Road for over 20 years, the reason for building being it was a relatively quiet road and we backed onto a brand new championship golf course, surrounded by lots of young trees. 

Over that time period the trees matured and encounters with the local wildlife gradually increased (quenda, bobtails, black cockatoos etc); as a keen wildlife photographer I often have the immense privilege of being able to photograph this wonderful wildlife in my back yard.

Last year Rita Saffioti made the abhorrent decision to disregard the strong feelings of the whole community and side with the developers and approving the closure of the golf course and allow a housing development which involves the removal over 750 mature trees.

With the local residents still reeling from the loss of the very amenity that they invested everything into… we now have the news of further ecological vandalism about to occur at the proposed wave park on Prinsep Road, and once again we get to see the developers glossy brochures of how wonderful it’ll be once built!

Here are a few facts that they don’t publish in their brochure: It will mean the destruction of over three hectares of an endangered banksia woodland, critical foraging habitat for black cockatoos, plus countless other animals such as quendas. 

It will also destroy nearly 1.5 hectares of a conservation category wetland.

It will depend heavily on drawing millions of litres of water from the increasing fragile Jandakot water mound each month, which has the potential to affect the surrounding hydrology.

Surfing is synonymous in being in tune with nature, it appears that the WA government and local Cockburn council are overly keen to assist developers and too reluctant to help local natural wildlife to exist.

Move the surf park to somewhere more appropriate. 

John Blakey
Jandakot

Wee problem

I AM a 70 year old who regularly visits Freo with his wife for coffee and shopping. 

Many older people, myself included, often have the need for a toilet and it’s often more urgent than for younger people.

The only public toilet in the central shopping district is in the council building.

That is okay if it was functional but the signage as to its location seems to be optional or non-existent, or hidden. 

The toilets themselves are down a dark corridor.

Hooray, I found them despite poor signage and hiding them down a dark hallway. 

But that was just to test my perseverance coz now I had to determine whether any were free. 

Not so difficult if the hallway wasn’t darker than the growing tightness in my sphincter which I determinedly held closed. 

But the green and red dots that signify free or occupied are the size of the hole that a hole punch for paper is. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this size metric, look at your fingernail on your little finger, cut this [in your mind] into four and that is close to the size we are talking about. 

Coz I have to bend down to look at this tiny dot thingy the people behind me are looking like they are about to either yell expletives at me or call the police. 

Luckily, I find a green dot. 

Double Hooray. 

But no! It’s Sunday and the above is a dream coz the council building closes at 3pm and its now 3.10pm. Oh shit! I mean, Oh damn.

Tony
Mosman Park

p.s. I have spoken to council staff at least twice about this but like the signage for the toilets any action in doing something about this seems optional. I guess they never have to use these toilets so old fogeys like me are to be nodded to and then forgotten. I am old, not stupid.

Freo needs Bridge input

AT its meeting of February 14, 2024, Fremantle council resolved to “support the proposed replacement Fremantle Traffic Bridge and associated infrastructure”, subject to further specification of and agreement on a wide range of matters.

It has been a long and difficult road to reach the stage where we have a proposal for replacing the existing Fremantle Traffic Bridge that is largely acceptable to the community, albeit with the total loss of the existing heritage structure.

I appreciate the attention to detail in the officer report, which highlights the fact that there remain a large number of matters that still require specification and confirmation, many of which are engineering in nature. 

Others, however, are ones to which the community might reasonably expect to have some input. In particular:

• Connectivity of cycling and pedestrian facilities. These should be progressed with the engagement of user groups, including people with disabilities;

• Landscaping, especially integration with the river foreshores;

• Traffic management during construction and longer-term traffic impacts;

• Noise mitigation, where necessary, to be through means other than noise walls or similar structures. None of us wants a repeat of the High Street roundabout debacle; and,

• Reuse of materials from the existing bridge and preservation of the remnants of earlier bridges, heritage interpretation, and creation of an archival record.

In respect of those relating to history and heritage, I strongly suggest that the City of Fremantle and Main Roads commission (perhaps through a competition) a model of the existing bridge, similar to the model of the 1866 Bridge of Sticks that is currently in the WA Maritime Museum, to form, in conjunction with history and heritage material already produced by Main Roads as an initial part of the consultation process, a comprehensive history of the Indigenous and European significance of the river crossing site.

This should be installed in a publicly-accessible place as a contribution to the Bicentenary of European settlement in 2029. 

Who knows, there might even be government grants available!

I am encouraged that “the City will require regular meetings [with the Main Roads Bridge Alliance] on traffic management, construction management and engagement throughout this project”, but surely it is not too much to ask that the City inform and, where possible, engage the community in progressing the project.

Given the critical role played by the community in the process to-date, we deserve a continuing role from here. Although the project is a WA government/Main Roads one, the extent of ‘approved by’, ‘to the satisfaction of’, and similar wording in the resolution passed last night, suggests there is no reason why the City of Fremantle should not engage with the community on such matters.

I appreciate that there might be limited time to engage on a large number of separate items, but perhaps the engagement could be by means of an ongoing reference group.

Ian Ker
Bridge Integrity Group
South Fremantle

Another Freo balls-up

PHILLIP WEBSTER was the phantom planter. And what an extraordinary job he did spreading the giant Moreton Bay Figs.

Bryn Davis (not Jones) came 100 years later with smaller trees.

Webster lived there and it is all one big lot with the tree in the middle of a lot boundary.

Bunnings Bros lived there before him.

The house is decrepit and is leased for cheap offices. Chris Williams has an office there, again.

Pam Cattalini says she can’t sell the lot with the tree. If the tree goes it adds to the problems because the owners can subdivide.

Having done nothing to help Pam keep the tree, council are now apparently allowing its destruction?

I have read the extensive council item on this but what was the vote?

Shocking regardless, as Pam needs help keeping the tree and financial help to do so as the ideal outcome. If council can sponsor women’s soccer they can support a 100 year old tree of “exceptional” stature.

John Dowson
Fremantle

Taxed

ALBO’S taking from the wealthy and giving to the peasants; excellent.

Even though it’s not going to make much if any difference to the wealthy.

The evil rich pigs typically are not going to like it.

Money makes the real world go the wrong way around.

Someone spent more than $1 million on a set of rego plates. That’s what’s wrong with the world.

There is no money in saving the planet! Destroying it, on the other hand…

Brad Capes
Coolbellup