In troubled times it’s comforting to think there may be a simple solution – and for one evening in Perth’s Forrest Place, there was. In a city where suffering had descended, a giant spider – Aranea “a kind and compassionate creature of the night” built a web capable of catching and collecting all the woes of the people, the “fear, grief, anxiety, doubt, stress, anger, loss, sadness … all the darkness we seek to let go”. Her web was then set ablaze after a ritual of fire-twirling dance, relieving burdens and lightening hearts. Cor Novis The Feast – a combination … Continue reading Aranea’s Blaze

Whose idea was it to have the brave and the foolhardy leap off Dyoondalup Point Walter jetty into the Swan River in the dark of night three weeks into winter? I’d like to give them a hug. It’s difficult for mums and teenage sons to find mutual interests so when I told my boys Rio and Hunter about the swim and Rio immediately wanted to join in I didn’t think twice about committing – at least until we were shivering on the jetty in our bathers, flanked by an encouraging crowd of Antarctic-style explorers dressed in heavy duty coats, parkas, … Continue reading One, Two, Three … GO!

Dreaming of escaping to balmy places while cold and dripping wet after being caught in a downpour the timing was perfect for a soul-warming experience. The antidote to my ennui was an exhibition in Fremantle’s Moores gallery of 147 watercolour paintings from 15 countries. A chance to adventure in the mountains, along riversides, into villages and cities, linger in the warm sunlight at a Spanish cafe or climb the rigging of a tall ship, then return to the domestic comfort of children at play, flowers and fluffy kittens. There were Zen moments – the eerie peace of a swamp house; … Continue reading Travelling with Brush Strokes

South Fremantle’s Dog Beach is an unassuming shoreline between two rocky groynes. To the casual observer it’s only sand and water but its devotees find it a healing space, a community hub for a daily ritual of social interaction, person to person, dog to dog.   Fremantle-based professional photographer Neil Wallace spent two years documenting life at the beach through the lens of his trusty Nikon. “There was something special about this beach and it was worth capturing with my camera,” Neil said. “As soon as I started photographing I saw other aspects that I hadn’t noticed before … how … Continue reading Life’s Your Beach – Then You Get a Dog!

On a small beach beneath the Swan River’s Stirling Bridge on a Sunday afternoon a couple are working with a vintage camera, a portable darkroom and a row of developing trays that bring to mind ‘everything including the kitchen sink’. Photographer Kristian Roosmalen and stained glass artist Hannah Maling are producing images for a project which integrates their artforms. “It was a natural progression to begin combining these passions,” Hannah said.  “As far as the photography aspect of this project goes, it is very much Kris’s domain.  “When we start getting into the combination of his [photo] plates with stained … Continue reading Snap!

Peter, or Pedro as he likes to be called, was sitting in Fremantle’s High Street Mall. We chatted for a few minutes and he explained he’d been homeless for 12 years. There are a number of homeless people scattered around the Mall these days. Pedro’s clothing was clean, a tad worn but obviously comfortable. I felt the scene summed up Fremantle’s social contradictions. In the background another guy is sleeping in a doorway. On the extreme right is a boarded-up shop and a couple of likely lads walking into the Mall. On the left is a sign for an AfterPay … Continue reading “ … I Was Bored”

After two years of observing Anzac Day Dawn Services from their front gates, restricted by Covid, an estimated 2000 people attended this year’s service at the Fremantle War Memorial on Monument Hill. Photograph by Roger Garwood. Military personnel, veterans, emergency services members and cadets joined families, pyjama-clad children, numerous dogs and teddy bears for the service, which included a reminder that Anzac Day is not about glorifying war. Like Albany, Fremantle was the last part of Australia servicemen saw when they sailed to World War I. Many of them didn’t return. Later in the morning, Fremantle’s Anzac Day March assembled at … Continue reading Fremantle’s Anzac Day