Latest news with #AndrewRitchie
Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Surgeon loses £14m snowmobile crash claim because of ‘s--- happens' text
Judge Andrew Ritchie dismissed the claim at London's High Court as he said that Mr Cannestra, an American from Florida, who was dubbed an 'adrenaline junkie' by Ms Mealor, had 'wanted more speed' and had caused the crash himself when he 'accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes'. The judge also pointed out that the surgeon had sent a post-accident text to McLaren staff, saying: 'No worries … s--- happens … I asked... if I owe you guys a snowmobile, or any other costs. Please let me know. It was my error and my responsibility.' In another, he wrote: 'Thank you both so much for your help yesterday and thru my little self-destructive snowmobile behaviour. Please let me know anything I am responsible for.... transport.... a snowmobile..... etc. we had a great time and all is good!' Mr Cannestra insisted his post-accident messages did not amount to an admission of fault. Neil Block KC, for Mr Cannestra, had told London's High Court that both riders were 'absolute novices' and argued their guides should have done more to explain the detailed layout of their route through the forest. The surgeon crashed after a pause in the journey during which his guide had changed the drive mode so that the doctor's snowmobile could hit higher speeds. Lasting problems The impact resulted in a brain haemorrhage and severe leg injuries, causing lasting problems with 'word-finding, comprehension, memory and fatigue' and worsening his previous hand tremor. Mr Cannestra, who was earning around £1.8m per year, has had to give up brain surgery, although his lawyers say he 'continues to work to a limited extent.' Dismissing his claim, the judge said: 'He was following a guide round a snowy track through trees, but he lost control, drove off the track and hit a tree. He was injured. At first, he thought it was all his own fault, apologised and offered to pay for the smashed-up snow mobile. 'At the ambulance in the car park, he told [the guide] that he accidentally pressed the throttle in the middle of turn two and blamed his glove. 'At hospital, he told a medic he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. He considered that he himself was the cause of the accident. He did not blame [the guide] for rushing him or disappearing. He said the guide was not dealing with a '17-year-old new car driver ' who had just passed their driving test, adding: 'He was guiding a mature, supercar and jet-ski aficionado, who had ridden confidently and wanted more speed.'
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Whaleback driving range on course for much needed revamp
Works to bring the Whaleback golf facility in Parkwood above par are on course, with a contract awarded for the first stage of its long-awaited revamp. The City of Canning council voted unanimously at its special meeting on July 1 to award the contract for the work to Schlager Group. It includes refurbishing the driving range building, new entertainment bays, construction and fit-out of a kitchen, and new toilets. Other approved upgrades include netting to reduce the number of balls flying from the range and more Toptracer technology. The works are expected to increase the range's working life to 35 years and its value to $7.4 million. The Whaleback Golf Course was previously operated under private management for more than four decades. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / Community News Deputy mayor Mark Bain said there had been a couple of false starts with the revamp but they were because of 'due diligence'. 'This project is part of a much larger effort to make Whaleback not only a high-quality facility but also a future alternative source for revenue that can help offset rates,' he said. A council report said the works would enable the city to capitalise on the demand for golf entertainment. 'Upgrade of the driving range is critical for protecting Whaleback's long-term revenue growth, diversification of the user base, and alignment with the emerging trends in golf entertainment,' it said. Schlager Group was among six bids for the work. Past projects it has been involved in include upgrades at Litis Stadium. Whaleback — which is the only golf course in the City of Canning — has always been a public course but it was only in December 2023 that the city took over management responsibility. Its business case for the upgrade of Whaleback has been kept confidential.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Really sad': Local Perth shopping centre to be demolished
Duncraig resident Neal Meakins channelled Muriel's Wedding's character Bill Heslop when describing how he was disappointed his local shopping centre would be demolished. 'It's obviously a shame, but you can't stop progress,' he said of the proposed redevelopment of the Glengarry Shopping Centre, which is set to be demolished to make way for a Woolworths supermarket — forcing out the local IGA — as well as new shops, eateries and commercial space. Earlier this year, Woolworths — the country's biggest supermarket chain — lodged a development application with the City of Joondalup to redevelop the 20-store centre, which is currently home to an IGA, several family-owned businesses and a post office. 'I've been shopping here for a long time and it's a shame for me to go somewhere else because I know the shop so well,' Mr Meakins said. Duncraig resident Neal Meakins. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian The controversial Glengarry redevelopment comes as Woolworths postpones new builds on Charles Street in North Perth and Murray Street in West Perth, sparking questions about the supermarket's commercial strategies. It's understood some WA sites had higher construction costs based on their designs, which had affected development timelines. A Woolworths spokesman said it was excited about the opportunity to upgrade and modernise the Glengarry shopping centre. He added the community was currently under-serviced in terms of grocery retail with no full line supermarket. Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian Inside of Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'The redevelopment would include new services and convenient shopping options, and aims to create a vibrant place for small business and the community,' the company spokesman said. 'From time to time we acquire existing neighbourhood shopping centres that are in need of investment to improve the amenity and the offer for the community, leading to a local economy and jobs boost.' IGA supplier Metcash told The Sunday Times the independent grocer planned to exit Glengarry because though Woolworths had allowed for a 'very small second supermarket', it was not tenable for an IGA for several reasons, including size and location, with no direct access to a loading dock. Render of Woolworths' proposal. Credit: Supplied Metcash supplies to over 1600 independently-owned stores in Australia across the IGA and Foodland brands. Grant Ramage, the boss of Metcash's food arm, flagged concerns about the independents' ability to remain a viable competitor when one of the bigger supermarkets could just muscle in. Coles last year acquired the Milton Village shopping centre in Brisbane's inner west and as part of the redevelopment, did not renew the lease of the IGA that had been there for decades. In NSW, the Elermore Vale shopping centre was purchased by a developer as a proxy for Woolworths, paying $27 million in 2023. Woolworths is expected to replace the IGA once the lease expires in 2028. 'The trend known as creeping acquisitions is ongoing and contributes to the erosion of independent supermarket presence in local markets over time, and the overall scale of the independent network, needed to maintain a competitive offer,' Mr Ramage said. The Outer Metropolitan Development Assessment Panel will make a decision on Woolworths' application at a later date, with the City of Joondalup yet to provide a recommendation. I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby. For marketing and retail analyst Barry Urquhart, this was just part of the near-50-year-old Glengarry centre's life cycle. 'What you've got to say is that all things come to an end,' Mr Urquhart, managing director of Perth-based research company Marketing Focus, said. 'Any business that has been around operating, in any premises, beyond 15 years, a lot of consumers will say, 'Has it had its life cycle fulfilled' and therefore, it needs to be renewed, upgraded or replaced.' Asked if he agreed with Woolworths' claims the Glengarry redevelopment would improve shopping convenience and create a vibrant place for small business tenants and the community in Duncraig, Mr Ramage said there was no new residential redevelopment to justify another large supermarket. He added there were six existing Woolworths supermarkets within a 10-minute drive of Duncraig. But for some shoppers and local businesses that occupy the centre, the proposed redevelopment is long overdue, with the roof caving in. Rosemarie Persson, owner of Duncraig-Glengarry Flowers & Gifts, said the redevelopment was 'going to be fantastic for the area'. 'It will bring in more people, which it needs. It's a tired old little shopping centre and it just needs it,' she said. 'There's going to be more coffee shops and more places to eat, a Woolworths, more variety. But hopefully all the small businesses around here can come back and benefit from that.' Shopper Moira McFarlane welcomed the news of a bigger and modern centre with basement parking, but she was concerned about the traffic it would bring. '(The redevelopment is) well overdue, well overdue,' she said. 'My concern is the traffic, because it's bad enough now. The deliveries and trucks coming in near the hospitals next door is a bit concerning.' While Woolworths had offered Holmesys Bakehouse owner Steven Holmes a spot in the new centre, he said he wouldn't be able to afford the costs of temporary relocation. 'As a small business owner, I cannot afford it. I've only been here for three years, and I haven't even got the revenue yet,' he said. 'Which I have told them . . . so yeah, I'm just taking the money and I'm gone. 'There's positives and negatives for everything, but I don't understand why (Woolworths) is building here when they've got one literally five minutes up the road in Warwick.' Duncraig local Karen Kroeger said local shopping centres like Glengarry suited independent grocers. 'I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby,' she said. 'I feel for a lot of small businesses who may not be able to operate in a new centre place because of rent increases, or there's not enough space, and it's also hard and costly for them to start somewhere again in a different location,' she said. Duncraig local Karen Kroeger and son Patrick. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'It's really sad for them; they've built up their reputations here, and they know all the locals.' The owner of Glengarry IGA declined to comment. Mr Ramage said consumers could face less variety and reduced product range and availability, as well as poorer service — or none at all when they are forced to use self-checkouts — with the arrival of Woolworths. He added that despite the millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent, the string of public inquiries into Australia's supermarket sector inquiries had not adequately addressed the issue of anti-competitive acquisitions. 'We are hopeful that the new merger laws will assist when they come into effect but will only go so far and won't reverse the damage done to date,' Mr Ramage said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers last October introduced new rules requiring any mergers that exceed a broad set of financial thresholds to get approval from the competition regulator. Under the current regime, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission only has the power to stop or legally challenge mergers it deems as having a substantial impact in the market. From the start of next year, a merger will need the green light from the watchdog if the combined turnover of the merging businesses is more than $200m, and either the business or assets being bought has turnover higher than $50m, or the global transaction value is above $250m. Deals where an Australian business turning over $500m tries to buy out another smaller business, with turnover above $10m, will also be captured under the new rules. From this month, businesses may voluntarily notify acquisitions to the ACCC. The ACCC in March delivered its final report into the $120 billion supermarket sector, which confirmed Coles and Woolworths' dominance. Former ACCC chair Graeme Samuel, who led the watchdog between 2003 and 2011, criticised the report's recommendations as not having enough teeth. Among the ACCC's list of recommendations, supermarkets should be required to inform customers when product sizes have changed and this information should be in close proximity to shelf tickets and on relevant websites. In response to the ACCC report, Metcash said it was pleased the regulator recognised the competitive role independents played in local communities. But Metcash said it was concerned with the growing dominance of the major supermarkets and their ability to grow through creeping acquisitions of independents and land banking.
Perth Now
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Talent agency recruiting dozens of WA santas this Christmas
Christmas may still be five months away, but the North Pole is already recruiting dozens of special helpers to spread magic in the lead up to the big day. Talent agency Scene to Believe is on the hunt for dozens of West Australians to spread the spirit of Christmas and dress up as Santa, Mrs Claus and their elves this festive season. Santa character manager Viviana Diaz said the demand for Santa's had skyrocketed and said she was looking to hire around 40 Santas this Christmas. 'Every year we have more and more bookings (for people to meet Santa), more people are looking for joy and hope,' she said. 'Everyone that is Santa is here because they have it in their heart, it's just lovely to work around kind people. 'You don't have to look like Santa, you have to have the personality to be Santa, so you have to be caring and sharing.' Ms Diaz said successful applicants were sent to 'Santa School' to learn the secrets of Christmas. Peter Prestidge, Jeff Swayn and Norm Patison getting their Santa on Andrew Ritchie Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'At Santa School we learn about posture, we also learn how to approach different personalities and how to connect with people,' she said. 'You are going to (learn) how to walk and how to perform your 'ho ho ho's.'' Ray Sorensen has been donning the red suit for the past eight years and says it feels like being on holiday 'all year round.' 'I just love it,' he said. 'I keep coming back purely because of the children and the people that I meet. 'It's a joy to watch (the children) overcoming challenges like the frightened child ... sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. 'Generally children don't really understand (what's going on) until they (are told) three magic words: Christmas, Santa, presents.' Mr Sorensen said the secret to being the perfect Santa was to 'be yourself' and 'love the children.' 'Don't expect anything, just go with them and get the empathy that you have within yourself,' he said. 'You'll have times when it's going to be really sad ... the tears and the joy make it all wonderful.' His advice to young ones to stay on the nice list? 'Be kind, be helpful, tidy your room ... and pick up your clothes and toys,' Mr Sorensen said. 'It's just the little things that you do to make your parents and grandparents happy, it's those little things that make the difference.'
Perth Now
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Feel-good musical in Perth CBD celebrates NAIDOC Week
The musical Bran Nue Dae has been an inspirational influence on generations of Australians, so what better way to bring people together to celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week. Yagan Square's amphitheatre in the Perth CBD will transform on Thursday, July 10, for an open-air screening of the much-loved musical comedy. People can enjoy live performances of song, dance and story-telling from 5.30pm, before the film starts at 6.30pm. In conversation with Indigenous singer-songwriter Phil Walleystack, veteran actor Ernie Dingo will reflect on what the film has meant to him, to the community and to the legacy of Aboriginal story-telling. Two decades before the movie was made, Dingo also starred as Uncle Tadpole in the original stage production which took the nation by storm. Ernie Dingo ahead of NAIDOC Week Andrew Ritchie Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'There are a lot of songs that make you feel strong and good within yourself — the majority of songs in Bran Nue Dae are like that,' he said. 'It doesn't matter how you do NAIDOC Week provided it's an educational fun thing, and a fun way of learning can be through music and art.' Walleystack said the aim of the event was to celebrate Aboriginal Western Australia, and to provoke audience members to find out more of the real history behind the songs and stories in the production. 'It's bringing Indigenous people from all over WA together and showcasing that,' he said. 'Bran Nue Dae to me is the biggest film to come out of WA. 'We need to celebrate West Australian artists a lot more, and doing events like this is how we can do that.'
