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President's Report 2019
John Dowson
10 December 2019 AGM Kidogo
People:
2019 has seen a united committee, with Secretary Chris Williams, a lawyer in High Street, Treasurer Adele Carles, the former MP for Fremantle who is invaluable with her background, Jack Turnbull, not officially on the committee but who helps with the finances, Mike Finn, a businessman in Market Street with the famous Kakulas shops, Robert Bodkin, another businessman, at Bodkin’s Bootery in High Street, Peter Scott, who is also precinct convenor for Arts Precinct, Ian Molyneux , the inaugural chairman of the Heritage Council, but who has been very ill this year, and Agnieshka Kiera, who, as Fremantle Council’s heritage architect for 25 years, was and is a superb advocate for heritage – though unfortunately now relocating to Sydney. Jeremy Bean was elected but withdrew during the year. I thank all these wonderful people for the time and effort they have given to improve Fremantle. As we approach our 50thanniversary in 2022, we need even more helpers!
Events:
A chronology for the past year shows:
December 2018: At a meeting with the Fremantle Society, former Premier Colin Barnett tells the Fremantle Society: “If I was still Premier, I would put Fremantle Council into administration.” The Fremantle Society is not alone in its concerns about the local council.
Royal George Hotel and George Street Precinct: The Fremantle Society worked closely with the pro-heritage East Fremantle council to ensure sensitive development of the Royal George Hotel and the reinstatement of the missing George Street Heritage Precinct.
Felice Varini Yellow Lines Fiasco: Ratepayers have had to foot the bill for over $200,000 worth of repairs to buildings in High Street because Fremantle Council left the paint on the buildings. The Fremantle Society lobbied for better outcomes for the repaired buildings.
January 2019: Campaign to save King’s Square. Despite the backing of experts and two former Premiers, the Fremantle Society was unable to convince council to save $45 million and keep King’s Square as the only true town square in Western Australia.
February 2019: The sale of the Spicer Site in Henderson Street by Sirona is investigated and it is discovered Sirona made $1 million profit from onselling this ratepayer asset.
Rubbish Fraud: Fremantle Society drew attention to the 2% rates levy for an extra rubbish bin, when many people will not get the bin, much waste is going to landfill, and the 2% rate increase means that that amount is paid every single year, instead of as a once off.
May 2019: Aboriginal Centre: The Fremantle Society continued to lobby for the maintenance of Arthur Head, and wrote to the mayor and councillors concerning the wasteful $50,000 being spent on a report about a $50 million Aboriginal centre at Arthur Head they will never get funding for, and didn’t receive a single reply.
June 2019: The Fremantle Society campaigned on the issue of the alleged mistreatment of stallholders at the Fremantle Markets, the missing millions of $$ that should be going to ratepayers, and the lack of restoration of the Markets. Council dismissed all concerns.
July 2019: The Fremantle Society worked with the Guildford Society who helped achieve the heritage listing for the whole of Guildford, vindicating the Fremantle Society position that more of Fremantle’s historic town should have been heritage listed.
Fishing Boat Harbour: The Fremantle Society attended a workshop on a proposal to develop the boat lifters’ site, which months later has morphed into a high rise apartment proposal.
September 2019: The Fremantle Society campaigned against the development by Yolk Property, who bought the Josephson Street ratepayer asset car park for $1.15m against a valuation of $1.42 and are given permission to build an apartment block on the corner of Josephson and High Street 5.4 m higher than the allowable maximum height.
October 2019: President John Dowson ran for City Ward in the local elections and narrowly missed out beating the Green’s incumbent Rachel Pemberton. Top election issues included the state of council finances, poor quality development, failure to curb anti-social behaviour, parking woes, and the proposed sale of the Leisure Centre Car park. Following the election the council implemented John Dowson’s idea for two hour free parking.
Former president Ralph Hoare wrote, in agreement with Fremantle Society concerns about the nearby town centre now, that this has been: “A very clear but sad period of development that in ten years has destroyed the essence of Fremantle that was renowned for its clear expression of its heritage past; and now this has now been tipped upside down under the current Mayor’s reign.”
November 2019: Arthur Head is in such a poor state due to council’s neglect and damage that they have asked the Fremantle Society for help in raising the millions of $$ needed. The Fremantle Society put forward the outline for a positive vision, but weeks later we have heard nothing and have not been provided with the documents we were promised.
More Submissions: Another made on the latest bizarre iteration of Coles Woolstores.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 11 July, 2023 and hosted at freotopia.org/society/report.html (it was last updated on 3 May, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.