Ashfield History - see the stories.
Your Community BENCH Project completed!
What's on - Australia Day
Ashfield Underground Power
Ashfield Primary School update
Your local Ashfield Sports Club
Swan Districts Softball Club

Sponsor your own bench
The Swan Districts V Program
Dog's Breakfast at Sandy Beach
The Ashfield Precinct Plan - progress
Solar Cities shines on
Neighbourhood Watch
Did you know

Farewell to Roy Hookway

Contact us

AshfieldCAN Inc

What's on ...

Dogs Breakfast
- so fun!

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The AshfieldCAN held it’s third Dogs breakfast on Sunday,16th October.

It was another great day although the first hot day we have had for the summer season.

This just meant that a lot of the dogs and some of our young friends took to the river for a cooling dip.

The SES again did a sensational job cooking bacon and egg burgers and suasages for the hungry crowd as well as providing the drinks.

The Perth Training and Obedience Dog Club did a great display with their dogs. Thank you to JohnMcNab and his team for that.

Many people braved the heat and did the walk trail and entered the competitions.

The winners of the dog that 'looks most like it's owner' competition are below.

First prize ...........Ante and Sasha ..........Second prize....................Cory and Doc...........Third prize...... Christine and bonny

some just wanted to come down and enjoy the company

All in all a good day was had by all and we look forward to seeing you next year.

photographs by Connie Bromell.

Proud supporters of this event

Report for the AshfieldCAN Bench project

pictures Lucy Bromell 2011

Rest and reflect

'In harmony with nature' and 'where we live'

Community workshops report.

The Ashfield Community Bench Project which has been sponsored by the Community Arts Network of WA and the Town of Bassendean was advertised in a newsletter that was delivered to every resident in Ashfield as well as given to every child at Ashfield Primary School. The information for the workshops was also advertised in the Bassendean Briefings and on the AshfieldCAN website and in the Bassendean Library.
This project was really started with the Local History Afternoon tea which was held on 21ts August. Although the Afternoon Tea was not technically included in the bench project it was the first forum we had for discussing Ashfield and what it meant to the residents of Ashfield.
The History Afternoon Tea was well attended and it was good to see Ashfield residents catching up with each other or meeting new people who had recently moved into the suburb. Around 25 people attended this event.
The Afternoon tea was co hosted by Janet Megarrity from the Local studies Collection at the Town of Bassendean Library and she was very pleased with the outcome of the event. She collected some interesting information and a number of new leads of people she wished to interview.
Photographs belonging to residents were scanned in and documented for the Local studies collection. Photos of the event were also taken. Some information has been put on our website.
There was quite a lot of interest in the Bench Project at this event especially as a number of residents are very keen to see the Benches on Ashfield Parade replaced as the previous ones were well used.

Ashfield Primary School workshops

working hard

I have subsequently attended Ashfield Primary School on 29th and 30th August and on 5th and 6th September 2011, and have had two sessions with each class in the school.
During the first session the student’s workshopped the idea of what Ashfield meant to them.
They were encouraged to draw pictures of a natural element found in Ashfield and pictures of the things they liked to do best. They seemed to really enjoy telling the stories of what they did in Ashfield and what it meant to them.
In the second session the students were encouraged to talk about all the elements that made up community. -home, school, shops, playground, river, friends, trains, cars, roads  etc.

Using their drawings from the previous week each class made a collage on a large piece of paper that was a drawn up as a full scaled version of a bench back. Through each collage they created their interpretation of their community. Each child in the school was represented on these works and these were displayed at an open night at the school.
In the meantime I had taken their drawings and scanned them into my computer to use as the source material for the design for their bench.
I chose a selection of drawings from each class and incorporated them into the design for the laser cut panel.
This has proved to be a difficult task as I have had to modify the drawings to make them acceptable for laser cutting but have not wanted to lose the integrity of the artwork of each drawing.
I believe these workshops have been very successful and the children have enjoyed them and learned from them.

Community workshops - Sunday 4th,11th and 18th September at Ashfield Sports Club.

The turn out to the first workshop was poor. This was due to putting it on Father’s day.
This was a mistake on my part.
We have however had better turn outs to the subsequent workshops although not large.
The people who have attended the workshops have wanted to be part of the process but not necessarily wanted to explore their artistic talents. We have had a couple of people that have wanted to draw but others have just wanted offer suggestions and be part of the process.
The first workshop included a site visit to the river and the locations of where the benches will be placed. It also included a long discussion about people’s memories of Ashfield and their associations with the river.
Photographs were taken and ideas for different images were discussed. No drawings were made.
In the second workshop, more people attended and two participants plus myself had made drawings during the week.
These drawings were all discussed and a list of the things that people wanted to see on the benches was drawn up. Some people drew while others watched.  Again, long discussions about what was important in Ashfield were pursued as well as what the future vision for the suburb was likely to be.
By the end of this meeting two themes were identified as being the most popular.
These themes were:

• The importance of friendship, and
• The natural environment, particularly the birdlife on and around the river.

In the following week I drafted the ideas into something more concrete to present at the following workshop.
These designs were well received by the people who attended the workshop as well as by numerous people who have supported the project but not attended the workshops. I believe the project has a lot of support in the community.
There are a number of people who have enquired about sponsoring benches but I have decided to keep this as a separate issue to pursue once this project has been completed.

In the third workshop we considered the use of resident’s names in the piece and opted for words instead.
The response to putting resident’s names on the benches had not been good enough to get a meaningful number of responses from all the residents from Ashfield.
The participants also felt that names would detract from the design.
The participants worked hard on finding a series of words they were happy with that embodied the meanings of the benches.
The text has been acid etched onto stainless steel panels that have been fitted into recesses that have been ground out of the plinths that the benches are installed on. This was a more costly and time consuming process than first anticipated.

The school was also not in favour of children’s names on the benches and has opted to extend the project into getting the children to write a favourite word or sentence to describe where they live. We have chosen one piece of text and another series of images to create this stainless steel panel.

The benches

The benches are constructed from 3mm steel which has been hot dipped galvanised. The benches have been chemically anchored into the concrete plinths that they sit on.
 A stainless steel panel has been inserted into the concrete on each plinth and that has been attached using ‘seal and flex’ fast cure 247235 grey silicone.
The concrete was ground back 3mm to install the panels providing a flush finish for the panel.
The bench at the Southern end of Ashfield Parade has a stainless steel laser cut back panel inserted in a galvanised steel frame. The other two benches frames and back panels are all steel with a galvanised finish.
The benches have a jarrah slat seat which has been coated with a Cabots Aquadeck decking oil finish. There are six slats per bench attached using 8mm galvanised cup head bolts.
The design of the bench and bench backs remain the intellectual Property of Lucy Bromell and may not be replicated without permission. Contact : Lucy Bromell 27 Ashfield Parade. Ashfield. WA 6054

stainless steel panel in plinth of school bench

Project Aims
The project aims were:

1. To provide the resource of seating along the Ashfield Parade foreshore. This was to benefit local residents and visitors by providing an amenity.
2. To encourage local identity, pride and ownership in the area of Ashfield.
3. To encourage and support community/public artwork in the suburb of Ashfield and encourage local residents to be involved in creating a community asset.

I believe the project has achieved its aims of providing seating and encouraging local community pride and ownership in the area. The fact that we had a good number of people involved and happy with the outcome is very satisfying.
The benches will be an ongoing reminder of what we as a community have achieved.

Unforseen outcomes.

The project has been successful and has been extended to replicating one of the bench backs to be a piece of artwork that will hang in the Ashfield Primary School. There has been quite a bit of interest in people wanting to extend the project and create more benches for the community. This will be something that will be explored in the near future.

Who was involved in the project

The project included the community of the suburb of Ashfield.
Some people have chosen to join the workshops, others have just wanted to be kept informed or have wanted to discuss the benches and offer ideas and advice but have not wanted to be visually creative.
Some residents have wanted to be involved in helping to design the bench structures while others have wanted to be involved in deciding and designing the artwork that adorns the bench backs.
We had 25 people attend a history afternoon tea to discuss what Ashfield meant to them and what they would like to see on the benches.
We had 10 participants in the design workshops.
6 people assisted with different aspects of the design development of the bench structure.

The Ashfield primary School has had all of its 93 students participate in the design workshops.
Cyril Jackson Senior Campus Manual Arts department were also involved in fabricating the timber seating for the benches as a community project.
Lucy bromell coordinate the project and the workshops as well as developed the design for the bench back panels, designed the bench structure and oversaw the fabrication and installation of the final benches.

Evaluation of the project
The project has been evaluated by asking for feedback from the community and the school.
Feedback was requested from the general public at the Dogs Breakfast and also at the Christmas BBQ
The project has also been evaluated and seen as successful in providing seating which was its primary aim.

The aims of the project were as follows:

1. To provide the resource of seating along the foreshore to complete the Ashfield Parade precinct project where local opinion suggests it would benefit and be appreciated by local residents and visitors encouraging people to use the foreshore.
2. To encourage community input and pride in the area of Ashfield.
3. To encourage and support community/public artwork in Ashfield and encourage local residents to be involved in creating a community asset.

I believe we have achieved our short term goals of engaging community and producing a community asset.
Through the celebration to launch the benches I believe we have engaged community on a number of levels and this has made the community more positive and proud of their suburb and surroundings.
The project goes a long way to developing a better sense of community and pride within the suburb of Ashfield which is the AshfieldCAN’s ultimate, ongoing goal.

Lucy Bromell. 2011

 

Community Arts network (WA) manages the Catalyst community Arts fund on behalf of the State of Western Australia through the Department of Culture and the Arts

Sponsor your own bench!

As the response to the bench project so far has been very positive we seeing if we can extend
it to make six benches instead of three. We have identified sites within Ashfield for the other three benches and it would be great to be able to extend the project.

To do this we would be seeking sponsorship from local businesses or community members.
We already have some great local businesses supporting us but would need a few more to have
this happen. If you know of anyone who might like to be involved and support this community
please come and talk to us. Dave on 9279 7903 or Lucy on 0402 257 965 or email us at info@ashfieldcan.info.

Sharing our local history: A story from Quita Berry

As possibly the only resident to be born and bred in Ashfield – I was born in the garage at the home I still live in, I reflect on a lifetime of living in Ashfield. I look back on a childhood full of adventure where shoes were optional and pockets were for carrying ‘treasures’ home. My mother never knew what to expect to come out of my pockets but I had an affinity for frogs and tadpoles. The bushland that extended from Fisher Street to Moojebing Street and Dorothy Street to Hardy Road with a creek running through from about Mons Street to nearly French Street was a child’s wonderland. The bush had a number of different and distinct regions – from the paper bark trees in the lower swamp ground that provided materials for temporary cubby houses and boats to float in the creek, to trees for climbing and the occasional sighting of fairy spider orchids in the drier area at the top end, and finally to the hard packed sand ‘pit’ formed by the annual flooding of the area which was great for bike riding/racing around the tracks (at the corner of Pearson Street and Hardy Road). The bush also provided a number of animals to study, particularly goannas; it was not unusual to come across bob-tailed and blue-tongued goannas and on one memorable occasion, my sister was ‘chased’ home by a racehorse goanna.

Certainly, life was ‘simpler’ and children had far more freedom to roam than is possible today but at the same time children appeared to be less destructive and more responsible. There was no senseless destruction of the bush; no breaking of every branch that you passed and, indeed, the finding of a spider orchid only meant studying it but not picking it! A typical (non-school) day would consist of breakfast, then out to play, generally in the bush, until lunch time then back out again until 5 p.m. but ‘heaven help’ the child who said they were going one place and went somewhere else without calling in at home first to let mum know of the change!! And, of course, not to forget the Swan River, which was only an allowed playground once you were old enough and could swim well enough. A favourite walk along the river edge was from Sandy Beach to as far as we could go, hopefully to River Road but as there were no marked paths it was a case of picking the easiest route and frequently meant walking barefoot through ‘squishy’ mud. Once I was mobile – I got my first bike at age 9) my mother described my ‘play ground’ as Guildford Bridge to Garratt Road Bridge and Guildford Road to Great Eastern Highway. That is the strongest memory I have, that of freedom; I realise now how precious that was. Life was never boring and there was always something new to discover. The loss of most of the bushland in late 1963 with the new housing development and construction of Maley Street was a sad point in my childhood and something that future generations could no longer enjoy.

There was our favourite walk to the lolly factory on River Road, probably once a month, with a sixpence (equivalent to 5 cents today) or, at most a shilling (10 cents). A penny’s worth of aniseed balls was a bowl full and lasted a long time, and lollipops and all-day suckers. There have been a lot of changes in my lifetime; we only had one shop – the corner shop, literally the door faced the corner of Colstoun (previously Coulston) and Guildford Roads operated by Mr Fred and Mrs Amy Wright and the railway crossing was on the road. Cyril Jackson High School wasn’t built until 1963(?) and the Ashfield Reserve was a rubbish tip first! Once upon a time, I knew almost every person in Ashfield and a significant proportion of people in Bassendean, if not by name then by sight but sadly this is no longer true.

PHOTOGRAPH of the BERRY sisters and the PIACHNIASKI brothers:
(L to R) – Walter, Quita (me), Sheryl, Robert, Victor and Marcel in the front.

Below are more photos supplied by the Berry family who have lived in Ashfield since 1951
 Noel Berry working as a lead burner at Cresco in 1955
     TThe Berry House in Dorothy Street 1959     
The Berry car, a 'standard 8' from 1954

If you have photos or stories you would like to share on this website, please contact Lucy at info@ashfieldcan.info or on 0402257965

photos from the afternoon tea held in 2011

ASHFIELD UNDERGROUND POWER PROJECT

PUBLIC CONSULTATION DISPLAY
LOCATIONS FOR TRANSFORMER & SWITCHGEAR UNITS

There is a display at the Town of Bassendean Memorial Library,
46 Old Perth Rd, Bassendean
From Monday 29th August to Saturday 24th September 2011 inclusive.
For property owners and the public to review and comment on the positioning of the Transformers and Switchgear Units.

Bassendean Memorial Library Opening Hours:
Mon, Tue, Wed 9am - 8pm
Thu, Fri 9am - 6pm
Sat 9am - 12 noon
Sunday and Public Holidays – Closed.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION DISPLAY
LOCATIONS FOR TRANSFORMER & SWITCHGEAR UNITS

In December 2010, the State Government announced that the Town of Bassendean had been successful with its application to convert the existing overhead electricity system to a new underground system in the Ashfield Project in partnership with Western Power and the Office of Energy. The project is scheduled to commence in January 2012.
As part of the design process, Western Power is currently determining the locations of ground mounted Transformer and Switchgear Units essential for the management of power distribution in the new system. This equipment will be discreetly located where possible in parks, public open space, road reserves or in side verges where the system design allows.
Letters have been sent to the owners of all properties within sight of the proposed locations, and this Display is for property owners and the public to review and comment on the locations. The Display contains the Project Map showing all the proposed sites, photos showing the relevant equipment superimposed on each site, the dimensions of the units, and photos of transformer and switchgear units from completed projects.
After viewing the Display you can provide any comments you may wish to make on the forms provided. The closing date for comments is 24th September 2011 and Western Power and the Town of Bassendean will then liaise with property owners who provided comments. The final equipment locations will then be confirmed.
Should you require any further information, please contact

Western Power – Tony Moore or Stephen Phelan-Hollatz             9219 2004
underground.power.program@westernpower.com.au

Town of Bassendean – Nicole Baxter              9377 9025
nbaxter@bassendean.wa.gov.au

The State Underground Power Program in Ashfield is a partnership between the Government of Western Australia (through the Office of Energy), Western Power and the Town of Bassendean, to improve residential amenity and security of power supply.

Council motions:

March 22 2012 Underground Power ITEM 10.3(c):

1 Agrees in principle to:

a) Raise a loan in the 2011/2012 financial year for approximately $2.2 million
for the Ashfield underground power project;

b) Recoup the underground power expenditure using an “Ashfield” specified area rate;

c) Recoup the Ashfield underground power expenditure commencing in the 2012/13 Annual Rate Notice period for a period to be determined pending financial modelling;

2. Notes the following Western Power proposed “Ashfield” underground power program timeframes:

April 12 2012 Underground Power – ITEM 9.1(b)

In March 2011, Council was provided with a chronology of Council resolutions concerning the undergrounding of power. This item was deferred (OCM2 - 7/03/11 refers) pending the method
of funding the underground power program and the selection of the street lighting infrastructure
to be provided.

1.       Advises Western Power that the Ashfield street lighting be:

a)       Energy Efficient –Compact Florescent Lights
b)       “Suburban Eco” Illuminaires; and
c)        Light poles “Ebony” Colorbond Night SkyTM”;

2.       Writes to Ashfield ratepayers regarding Western Power underground power project.

Comments

"LED lighting should be used instead of Western Power's recommended fluro's,
because LEDS are more efficient and last longer, so long term cost less".

The Ashfield Primary school is also involved in the bench project and the students will be helping
to design one of the bench backs panels. It will be great to have them involved in the project
showing us what Ashfield means to them.

Kindergarten to Year 7
Ashfield Primary School offers high quality education
in a supportive and inclusive school environment

Winner 2010 Inclusive Practices Award

We offer your children:
•   dedicated and enthusiastic teaching staff
•   specialist English and Mathematics programs
•   positive approach to behaviour management
•   Noongar LOTE, Mathematics and English programs.
•   V-Swans Football Programme – Terms 2 and 3

In addition we provide:
•   an active P&C and School Council
•   School Chaplain
•   Breakfast Club
•   modern library and computer lab
•   specialised Arts Centre.

For further enquiries telephone;
Registrar, Jan Lepere or Principal, Michael Kovalevs
8.30am to 3.30pm  on 9377 0211

Want to know more about dog agility training?

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Keeping your dog entertained and controlled is an important part of having a happy, healthy pet. Agility training and obedience training are two things that could help with this.

I caught up with John Mc Nab from the Perth training and Obedience Dog club recently to find out more about what was involved with agility training.
John joined three years ago after coming home and finding his back yard looking like a war zone having been dug up by his new young dog.
Agility training is about motivating your dog through play and getting the dog to work with you while you teach it to attempt a series of obstacles. These obstacles include things such as jumps, in and outs, tunnels and see saws,
John believes it enhances your relationship with your dog and that your dog will be much more responsive to you having had such training.
The obstacles challenge the dog both mentally and physically and so the dog will feel well exercised after the training.

It does require dedication but the results of having a happy healthy pet and a back garden still intact are well worth it!

If you want to take the sport further then there are opportunities to compete at regular trials and the club has national and international competitors within its ranks. A number of the members can be seen competing at the Perth Royal Show.

The agility training happens at the Ashfield Sports Reserve on Colstoun Road on Friday evenings during the school terms from 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Each training session last an hour.

There are classes for beginners, intermediates and advanced.

Each session cost $2.00 to cover the cost of the lights. Club membership is $40 per year. 

Obedience training is on Wednesday nights in Victoria Park.

For more details see www.perthtraining.com

The Perth Solar City Program is one of seven solar city sites across Australia.  Solar Cities promoting efficiency measures for homes and businesses, the use of solar technologies, cost reflective pricing trials to reward people who use energy wisely, and community education about better energy usage in an increasingly energy-reliant world.

Western Power has been appointed as lead proponent of the PSC consortium, on behalf of the Federal Government.  Joining Western Power in the consortium is Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC), Mojarra, Prospero Productions, SolaHart, SunPower and Synergy. The EMRC's six member Councils, as third parties to the
program, are the only Local Governments participating in the program.

Bassendean submitted two projects that met the criteria for funding. Project 1 was 2kW of PV
and the replacement of 36W fluoro tubes and 50W halogen downlights with T5’s and LEDs at Bassendean Memorial Library. Project 2 was the installation of 8 x 6m solar offset powered
lighting towers on Ashfield Reserve. (Lights are halide and panels are on the HACC Centre).

Comment:

"The Halide lights on Ashfield Reserve were supposed to be solar LED lights.
While the lights are welcomed, maybe it would have been better if they were closer".

Neighbourhood
Watch
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Neighbourhood Watch was operating in Ashfield over 20 years ago, but ceased when interest dwindled and as a result, crime began to flourish. The current Neighbourhood Watch group commenced on 26th May 2010 and over 50 residents have since joined, with the result that crime
is decreasing, but we need to remain vigilant to keep it that way.

During a brief phone call to Senior Sergeant Jason Longhorn at Kiara Police Station, he passed on the in information that there had been no crimes in Ashfield for the week ending September 18th.  He attributed this to the increasing growth of community awareness, largely due to the resurgence of NHW. Congratulations to all residents who are doing their bit to help reduce crime in our suburb.

The following tips will make your home less attractive to burglars:

Ensure all doors and windows have adequate locks, including those of garage and sheds.
Keep gates locked when not in use.
Trim shrubs to eliminate hiding places.
Install external security sensor lights.
Have a peephole in the main door.
Don’t hide keys outside.
Have your street number clearly visible from the street.
Automatic timing switches for lights, TV etc are excellent, as is a safe for valuables.
A dog is a good deterrent.

and most importantly:
Get to know your neighbours so you can look out for each other.

Below are some commonsense reminders for keeping yourself safe when out and about.

Stay alert and aware of your surroundings at all times and walk with a friend or group wherever possible.

Body language is important. Walk confidently at a steady pace.

If you often walk alone, consider varying your route, so your routine is not easily identified.

If using an ear phone or iPod keep the volume down low, so you can hear what is happening around you.

Walk against the flow of traffic to prevent vehicles driving slowly alongside you.

Avoid walking close to overgrown bushes or places where and offender could hide.

If out at night, keep to busy well-lit areas where possible. If you feel at all unsafe, remove yourself from that area.

Always let your family, friends or colleagues know where you are going, and when you hope to return.    

Plan ahead for getting home.

Ashfield Neighbourhood Watch will have a stand at the Dogs’ Breakfast on Sunday October 16th. We are hoping many more of our residents will take the opportunity to come and join us.   
Verna Schreuders
Suburb Manager, Ashfield. Ph: 0432 563 800

`It was with sadness that we said farewell to one of our longest serving Ashfield Residents.
Roy Hookway passed away on 14th August aged, 85
Roy and wife Etta purchased a block in Ashfield Parade in 1953 for £250. They had to clear the land and create access to the block before they could build. This required Roy to lay sleepers in the sand to create a track to get the building materials to the block. Much of the house was built by himself.
It took six years before they could move into the house.  There were no roads at the time and Roy eventually transferred land frontage back to the council free so that a road could be built to allow for better access.
Roy originally trained as a scientific instrument maker but spent much of his working life working in the Midland rail yards as a turner.
Living in Ashfield, Roy was at one time very involved with the local Ashfield Primary School helping to improve the sporting grounds and facilities there.
As a member of the Bassendean Preservation Group he also worked on improving the foreshore by planting trees and carting water to help keep them alive.
In his later years Roy was a familiar face walking his dog down along the river where he would always have time for a chat. He had many great stories to tell of the times he had spent growing up and living in Ashfield.
He will be sadly missed.
.