CELEBRATING THE CITY OF FREMANTLE SPRING 2021 // ISSUE 08 9 ALL GROWN UP Puppet theatre celebrates 40 years GET OUT THE 12 POPCORN Front row seat for film friendly Freo 16 READ ALL ABOUT IT Escape into the city’s best bookshops It’s sunny withHolly fremantle.wa.gov.au FRE-OH! SPRING 2021 // WHAT’S INSIDE 5 8 19 25 Highlights WHAT’S INSIDE 5 HOLLY SPREADS SUNSHINE 3 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Sunflower artworks decorate local walls. 4 NEWSDESK 8 …AND THE PORCH WILL ROCK 6–7 FRESH ON THE SCENE City grants help strengthen community bonds. 9 SPARE PARTS PUPPET THEATRE TURNS 40 19 HUGHIE DROPS IN Iconic statue returns to city’s heart. 10–11 BIENNALE RETURNS WITH CROSSING 21 25 SPRINKLE OF COLOUR 12–13 LIGHTS, CAMERA, FREO! Hundreds and thousands exhibition on show at arts centre. 14 10 EASY WAYS TO LIVE A LOW WASTE LIFE 15 MAKING CENTS MAKES CENTS Celebrating a year of Containers for Change 16 FREO’S BEST BOOKSHOPS UNCOVERED 17 TOWN HALL GETS A BOOST Breathing life into one of Freo’s old treasures 20 CHANGING THE WAY WE DO NAPPIES 21 VERGE GARDENS DONE RIGHT 22–23 RENEWAL FOCUS OF CITY BUDGET 24 A DAY IN THE LIFE We speak with Fremantle Library manager Jayne Cleave 26–34 WHAT’S ON A quick word... Your essential ‘to do’ list for Spring Welcome to the Spring edition of FRE-OH! Spring has sprung 35 STEP BACK IN TIME and the warmer weather makes it a perfect time to get out and explore our great city. This edition looks at key upcoming Fremantle Toy Library is celebrating 45 years events and attractions, including the return of Fremantle Biennale, as well as detailing some of the many ways people are working to strengthen the great sense of community that exists in Freo. We also look at some the newest and iconic local shops and places to eat and drink. I hope you enjoy the read. Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan 2 // IN THE SPOTLIGHT CELEBRATING THE CITY OF FREMANTLE PODCAST SHARES LIFE IN FREO DURING COVID-19 Pen-demic is a podcast series presented by opera singer Penny Shaw who interviews South Fremantle residents on their COVID-19 experience, and specifically how being part of a community has helped them survive and thrive over the past 18 months. Residents may remember Penny from last year’s lockdown, when she sang songs each night from her balcony overlooking Scott Street in South Fremantle. The neighbours would gather at 6pm to listen to the music, often to raise a glass and to connect with each other from a safe distance. On the podcast, Penny chats to a diverse group of people across varying ages, professions and cultural heritage, which she recorded just before the June 2021 Perth and Peel lockdown. From the local musician who had all his upcoming gigs cancelled within a few hours to the retiree who finds herself all alone in WA while her family is overseas, you’ll hear how these ordinary people are facing extraordinary times. Listen to Pen-demic on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and PodBean. Pen-demic is a Neighbour to Neighbour initiative and supported by the City of Fremantle. Visit fremantle.wa.gov.au/pendemic DOGS DAY OUT IN FREO The campaign has been well received by Enjoy a dog’s day out in Fremantle with businesses and the community, with everything more than 115 businesses and counting now from pet-friendly retailers, bars, restaurants officially dog-friendly! and even accommodation on the list. It’s all a part of a new campaign launched So, the next time you’re sipping a coffee by Fremantle Animal Hospital to provide along the Cappuccino Strip or exploring Freo’s businesses with free ‘dog-friendly indoors’ boutique retail offerings, bring your pooch and ‘dog-friendly outdoors’ stickers to display along for the fun. on their shopfronts. “Most dogs love social interaction, especially if Fremantle Animal Hospital owner and vet it is part of their normal routine,” Garnett said. Garnett Hall said he wanted to make it easier when people bring their dogs out and about. “The more time we spend with our pets, the better it is for us—and for them.” “Developing the #petfriendlyfreo campaign was an idea I had to reduce people’s anxiety To get a free sticker for your shopfront simply about whether they can take their pets into email [email protected] or to see the full list of stores by providing a go-to list of pet friendly dog-friendly businesses to plan your day next businesses,” he said. day out visit freo.vet 3 FRE-OH! SPRING 2021 // NEWSDESK CITY DELIVERS SERVICES AND SUPPORT KOORT FIT FOR KINGS NEIGHBOUR GONG SLOW DOWN, FREO! The renaming of Fremantle’s Kings Square The success of the City of Fremantle’s Neighbour South Fremantle locals have hailed the to Walyalup Koort is now official following to Neighbour program has been recognised with introduction of a new 40km/h speed zone approval of the new name by the Minister a 2021 Resilient Australia WA Award. across a wide area of Fremantle as a win for for Lands. people power. The Resilient Australia Awards celebrate Walyalup, pronounced ‘Wal-yal-up’, is the and promote initiatives that build whole The 40km/h speed zone in Fremantle and Nyoongar name for Fremantle and the word of community resilience to disasters and South Fremantle covers all local roads west Koort, with the ‘oo’ pronounced as in ‘book’, emergencies around Australia. of Hampton Road, Ord Street and James means ‘heart’ or ‘the meeting of hearts’. Street, including the existing city centre speed The Neighbour to Neighbour program, which reduction zone. The new name was selected by Fremantle was created in March 2020 as a rapid response Council following an extensive community to keep the community connected during the It follows a decade-long campaign by South Freo engagement process. COVID-19 lockdown, was announced as the residents to improve safety and amenity in their winner of the Local Government Award at a area by reducing the speed limit. An invitation to the public to put forward their ceremony yesterday afternoon. thoughts attracted 128 suggestions for a Some distributor roads within the new speed new name, which was narrowed down to a Fremantle Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan said zone have had their speed limits reduced to shortlist of five options by the Kings Square the primary aim of Neighbour to Neighbour was 50km/h, like South Street and Queen Victoria stakeholder group. to ensure that no-one was left isolated during Street, while others, including Ord Street and the lockdown. Following a second stage of community Hampton Road, have retained their engagement the stakeholder group, which “There were a lot of elderly or vulnerable people 60km/h limit. consisted of representatives from St John’s who were cut off from their usual social contacts The existing 30km/h limit along Church, Traditional Owners, Fremantle Chamber because of the lockdown, so we called on the Fremantle’s famous Cappuccino Strip of Commerce, Sirona Capital, Department Fremantle community to look out for each other has also been retained. For more information of Communities and the City, unanimously and make sure no individual was left to fend for on the changes visit supported the name Walyalup Koort. themselves,” Cr Sullivan said. fremantle.wa.gov.au/newspeedzone VISIT US NRS-FRIENDLY CONNECT WITH YOUR CITY Customer service opening hours Hearing or speech impaired? Call via the facebook.com/cityoffremantle 8am–5pm (Monday to Friday) National Relay Service on 133 677 instagram.com/cityoffremantle PHOTO CREDITS ADDRESS twitter.com/cityoffremantle Fremantle Oval, 70 Parry Street, Fremantle COVER Artist Holly Ogden’s sunflowers are bringing joy to walls and shopfronts youtube.com/cityoffremantle POSTAL across the City of Fremantle. Img cr. Cassie linkedin.com/company/city-of-fremantle PO Box 807, Fremantle, WA 6959 Gunthorpe PHONE WHAT’S ON HEADER Fremantle’s iconic Subscribe to our Freo Weekly enewsletter at fremantle.wa.gov.au/subscribe 1300 MY FREO (1300 693 736) ‘Containbow’ sculpture, Rainbow by Perth artist Marcus Canning. Img cr. 1300 360 666 (Community Safety/Rangers) You can also read FRE-OH! online at Cassie Gunthorpe fremantle.wa.gov.au/freoh EMAIL [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF Alternate formats available upon request WEBSITE fremantle.wa.gov.au PEOPLE AND COUNTRY The City of Fremantle acknowledges the FRE-OH! has been printed to the highest environmental standard, Whadjuk people as the Traditional Owners utilising solar energy and paper of the greater Fremantle/Walyalup area from plantation based timber. Both and we recognise that their cultural and the printer and paper manufacturer are ISO14001 accredited. 4 heritage beliefs are still important today. // COVER STORY CELEBRATING THE CITY OF FREMANTLE HERE COMES THE SUN Sunflower murals are popping up across “This is where I started to express myself Fremantle thanks to talented artist Holly Ogden. more in my art,” Holly said. Splashed across shopfronts along the “I painted murals at dive shops and around Cappuccino Strip, through the Piazza, the place in my spare time to keep me down side-streets and all the way to South occupied when I was out of the water. Fremantle, you’ll spot these sunflowers. “I just love painting in public, having my The project started at the outbreak of headphones in and listening to an audiobook COVID-19 in 2020 to help lift people’s spirits or podcast. I find it therapeutic.” by spreading happiness through art. Fast forward to today and Holly’s sunflower “I created this project to brush up on movement has spread far and wide, with over my mural skills and it has organically 200 murals popping up across Fremantle, transformed into a movement of happiness,” Dunsborough and Margaret River.