History and art in the City

October seems to have come and gone in a flash. It was another exceptionally busy month at the City with the launch of the 2016 Emerging Artist Award, the national Garage Sale Trail event and the announcement that the City was successful in securing $2.5 million in Federal Government funding for Connect South, a major project which will invigorate Mends Street precinct in South Perth and the foreshore area.

The Connect South project has grown from the South Perth Foreshore Strategy and Management Plan which identified Mends Street as a key area/hub to redevelop. On behalf of the Council and City I extend my thanks to Steve Irons MP Federal Member for Swan who was instrumental in supporting and advocating for the City to receive this funding from the National Stronger Regions Fund.

For those of you who who are interested in local history you’ll be pleased to hear that the City together with Como Primary School have created a digital collection of images and stories detailing the rich 100 year history of the school. The celebrations on Saturday 22nd of this month at Como Primary School and the opening of their time capsule capped off a day full of fun-filled events and students reminiscing with a host of photos of year groups and how the school had changed over 100 years.

The collection of images can be viewed on the City's Picture South Perth website. This wonderful online collection of historic material from the City of South Perth's Local History Collection includes images dating back to the 1870s that showcases the people, places and events that have shaped the City. It’s a fabulous resource and if you haven’t visited the website I urge you to do so.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who registered and took part in this year’s Garage Sale Trail. Our local residents were among hundreds of thousands of people across the country who took part in the national event on Saturday 22nd October.
This was the second year the City took part, with 60 sales registered to households and community groups throughout the City including the Manning Men’s Shed and South Perth Aboriginal community group Moorditj Keila.

Earlier in the month I attended the opening of the 100th year of Gum-ut Babies by May Gibbs exhibition at Heritage House. Presented by the City of South Perth Historical Society Inc. entry to this fascinating exhibition is a gold coin donation.  For information about opening times visit www.southperthhistoricalsociety.org.

Looking forward to November, the City will present a host of arts, events and cultural activities for everyone to enjoy and take part in. Don’t miss out on the Miasma Series, a retrospective of artist Kathy Allam’s recent works. These grogeous floating sculptures will be suspended along Mends Street and the South Perth foreshore from Saturday 12 November to Sunday 4 December 2016.

If you fancy a night of poetry under the stars join me at Perth Zoo from 7 to 9pm, Saturday 19 November. The WA Poets Inc - Perth Poetry Festival event will feature some of Perth’s best spoken word artists and winners of the 2016 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Contest and the South Perth Libraries Poetry Contest. Bring your own picnic.

Finally, I invite you all to join the City of South Perth together with the Sub-Branch of the Returned and Services League for the annual Remembrance Day Service to mark the 98th anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in the Great War of 1914-1918. The ceremony will include the traditional wreath laying, flag raising, the last post bugle call, the Rouse and a special fly over by the RAAF. Held in the City’s Memorial Gardens proceedings will commence at 10.45am on Friday 11th November.

Back row: Julie Gibbs, Genevieve Gibbs, Susan (Gibbs) Pantall, Bronte Bentley Gibbs and daughter Sunny Bentley. (The four older women are great nieces of May Gibbs), Mayor Sue Doherty. Front row: Elysha, Jaxon and Caitlin Pantall.