Latest news with #JurienBay
ABC News
03-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Jurien Bay residents afraid of what could happen next with frequent Telstra outages
Michael Cockburn found himself unable to call emergency services when a neighbour's shed burst into flames in May. He said the blaze had first been extinguished by firefighters earlier in the evening, but after midnight his wife saw it had reignited. "She screamed out to me that the shed was on fire again. As I've gone out the backyard, there was just a red glow," Mr Cockburn said. Mr Cockburn said he tried to call triple-0 four times in vain. "[The call] would go through to the call centre and after about five or six seconds it would just drop out." He said he had the same issues when trying to make a call to a friend who "made the assumption" the structure had reignited. Firefighters arrived about an hour later. Mr Cockburn said he and the elderly property owner used hoses to try to keep the flames from spreading to a nearby shed which held batteries and fuel. "There was a good chance that would have exploded," he said. Firefighters eventually stopped the blaze but the shed was destroyed and there was significant damage to his neighbour's house. Mr Cockburn said the poor mobile coverage caused a dangerous delay and the service was still unacceptable weeks later. He is one of many residents of Jurien Bay, about 200 kilometres north of Perth, who say phone services are so unreliable they could be life threatening. Telstra initially told the ABC there was only one recent fault, in June, but after more questions they said further investigations found an "intermittent fault" which "reduced mobile performance for some customers". "We're sorry for the stress this has caused. It's a complex fault and we're working with our software vendor and technicians to identify the root cause of the issue as a matter of urgency," a spokesperson said. Dandaragan shire president Tony O'Gorman said coverage issues had been happening for about three months. "It's almost impossible to make a phone call in and around Jurien Bay without the phone dropping out," he said. The council had been lobbying Telstra on behalf of residents, he added. "But they're paying as much attention to us [the council] as they do any other citizen, which is just about zero." Mr O'Gorman encouraged locals to lodge a complaint with Telstra and escalate it with the telecommunications ombudsman. Shire of Dandaragan emergency services coordinator Will Miller said every minute in an emergency mattered, and there had been multiple incidents in which telco issues had occurred. "As soon as you've got life and property involved, it's amazing how much we do rely on our telephone networks these days," Mr Miller said. He said response teams and volunteers were encouraged to sign up with multiple telco providers in the hopes at least one would provide a signal in an emergency. Mr Miller said the backup plan added extra costs but was a good placeholder until there was a long-term fix. "We could be waiting for solutions for quite some time," he said. Jurien Bay's Community Resource Centre recorded at least 25 people who had been affected by unreliable mobile coverage. "But we know through social media there's lots more people affected by it," manager Sue Campbell said. The lack of coverage affected daily life, she said, with many government and banking services using two-factor authentication which required a phone call or text to work. Ms Campbell said in one situation a client had applied for an income support payment but could not do the necessary phone interview. "The day of the interview he was sitting waiting for the call and it never arrived," she said. The same issue happened again twice, leaving the client without an income for about six weeks, Ms Campbell said. "It's very distressing for them. It badly affects their mental health," she said. Ms Campbell said the centre's staff were planning on lobbying local MP Shane Love over the issue and also encouraged people to lodge a complaint with the telecommunications ombudsman.
West Australian
10-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Mid West-Gascoyne footy wrap: Lancelin Ledge Point headline round with after-the-siren win
Lancelin Ledge Point had a fourth quarter for the ages with a 15-point comeback in the final term against Jurien Bay in the Central Midlands Coastal Football League, with Harley Bywaters kicking the sealer after the siren to win. The icing on the cake was that this all happened in Bevan Hendon's 150th game for Lancelin Ledge Point as the Pirates trailed for the entire contest until the final siren. Brayden Meyers, Jackson Martino, Jackson Lake, Jake Kennedy and Liam Harrington were judged best on ground for the Pirates, with Meyers booting three goals, while teammates Bywaters and Harrington kicking two goals apiece. For Jurien Bay it was Lucas Griffiths, Ryan Steers, Mitchell Price, Joel Latham and Jaygar Martin who were the best performers for the visitors, with Curtis Altinier kicking three majors. Jurien Bay led from the start and restricted scoring for the Pirates as the Bulldogs were in charge for most of the game. The Bulldogs won every quarter apart from the final term when the Pirates clawed their way back into the game, setting up a thrilling finish. Jurien Bay failed to kick a major in the final term while the Pirates, who were down 15 points entering the final quarter, managed to get back into the contest with a four-goal term. One of those came after the siren to win the game ,with Bywater stepping up to the task and securing the win for fellow Pirate Hendon in his 150th game. The Pirates celebrated, with the final score reading Lancelin Ledge Point 8.10 (58) to Jurien Bay 6.16 (52). OTHER CMCFL GAMES Dandaragan def. Moora, 29.13 (187) to 5.3 (33). BYE: Cervantes NORTH MIDLANDS FOOTBALL LEAGUE Clayton Dongara had a day to remember in the NMFL for his Morawa Tigers in his 100th game, which saw him walk away with a five-goal bag in the win over Mingenew. The milestone man was among the best on ground, with teammates Geoff Milloy, Flynn Coaker, Blayke Carter and Robbie English all impressing in the 64-point win for the Tigers. For Mingenew, Grady Tomelty, Stuart Egan, Hamish Pulbrook, Rohan McRae and Nicholas Sgambelluri were judged best on ground. The Tigers were in control for the whole game, with the Bulldogs never really able to get a sniff. The Tigers finished with a seven-goal final term to put any doubt to bed as the home side ran away with the win. The final score was Morawa 16.7 (103) to Mingenew 5.9 (39). OTHER NMFL GAMES Three Springs def. Carnamah Perenjori, 12.14 (86) to 8.10 (58). Magpies def. Dongara (FORFEIT) Gascoyne Football League results were unavailable at time of print.
West Australian
03-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
Cervantes secure victory on the road in round six of the Central Midlands Coastal Football League
Cervantes prevailed over Moora away from home in a 34-point win for the Tiger Sharks during round six of the Central Midlands Coastal Football League. Scoring was spread amongst the squad for Cervantes with James Corner and Leo Lambert booting three goals apiece while Jack Beer, Harry Sankey and James Venturini kicked two each. It was a similar story for Moora who had six goal kickers with Kyle Murray leading the way with three goals while teammates, Blair Humphry and Kyle Mirco kicked two each. Singles went to Stephen Kane, Nelson Kent and Josh Paull. Best on for Cervantes was Joel Peters while Mathew Thompson, Gus Devitt, Harry Sankey and Joshua Harris also impressed. As for Moora it was Zak Meloncelli with Nelson Kent, Bailey McCauley, Curtis Purser and Lachlan Taylor playing their part in the contest. Cervantes jumped out to a four-goal start in the first term while Moora were left in the dust trailing by 23 points going into the first break. Moora attempted to sneak their way back into the contest before half-time but the Tiger Sharks charged ahead and continued to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal. Cervantes exploded in the third quarter with a five goal term as the visitors put Moora to the sword. Moora impressed in the final term with a six goal quarter but it was too late for the home side as the Tiger Sharks secured the victory, 15.13 (103) Final score to 10.9 (69). The other game played in the Central Midlands Coastal Football League was between Jurien Bay and Dandaragan, with Dandaragan managing to get a 44-point win away from home. Archie Wedge was judged best on for Dandaragan alongside teammates Angus Laurisson, Todd Kenny, Mathew Helms and Jesse Reinke. For Jurien Bay it was Jaygar Martin while Beau Riley, Jaye Colegate, Mitchell Price and Austin Britza also impressed. Dandaragan jumped out to a 29-point lead going in to the half-time break. A four-goal third term saw Jurien Bay claw their way back into the contest before Dandaragan put the foot down in the final quarter with a six-goal onslaught. Final score, Jurien Bay 6.5 (41) to Dandaragan 12.13 (85). North Midlands and Gascoyne Football leagues had byes over the long weekend.
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Mid West football round wrap: Coorow and Cervantes pick-up wins in games of the round
Cervantes claimed an 82-point win away from home on Saturday in game of the round in the Central Midlands Coastal Football League against Jurien Bay. Cervantes' defensive unit was strong and only conceded two goals for the match. Cervantes' James Corner collected six goals in the thumping win while teammate Leo Lambert walked away with a four-goal bag. Jurien Bay failed to draw blood on the scoreboard until the third quarter, with only Matthew Bogensperger and Liam Howarth kicking majors for the home side. Best on ground for Jurien Bay were the two goal kickers — Bogensperger and Howarth, along with Bailey Marriott, Jarrad Kennedy and Rhys Murray. For Cervantes it was Joshua Harris who was named best for his side in the win along with teammates Jake Stergiou, Matthew Murray, Lochie Huntley and Connor Watts. It was a fairly low-scoring first half from both sides in a tight contest to begin with before Cervantes jumped out of the block early in the third term to run away with the game from then on. A five-goal third term saw Cervantes in the drivers seat as Jurien Bay were inaccurate in front of goal with just one major in the third and one in the fourth. Cervantes sealed the deal in the last term with a seven goal quarter. FInal score, Cervantes 15.14 (104) to Jurien Bay 2.10 (22). OTHER GAMES: Dandaragan def. Lancelin Ledge Point, 20.19 (139) to 5.8 (38) BYE: Moora NORTH MIDLANDS FOOTBALL LEAGUE Coorow Latham Magpies continue to march on in season 2025 with a perfect record of five wins after they defeated Three Springs on Saturday in what was game of the round in the NMFL. Isaiah Mogridge booted five goals for the Magpies with teammate Kasey Cox collecting three in the win for Coorow. Three Springs were clinical in front of goal, only kicking two behinds in the contest. Ethan Councillor kicked five for Three Springs while Keenan Mawson impressed with three. Three Springs' Bradley Roworth was best for his side with Kade Gillingham, Reece Hutton, Antoine Garlett and Cayle Higginson shining bright. For Coorow it was Rhys Johns who was awarded the honours of best on ground for the visiting side with Riley Cunningham, Lachy Zanker, Isaiah Mogridge and Nathan Pearce also named among their best on Saturday. Three Springs trailed going into half-time by 16 points before a big quarter from Coorow saw the lead get drawn out to 25 points at the end of the third quarter. Three Springs fought back in the fourth, only conceding one goal from Coorow while the home side kicked three. It was too late however for Three Springs as Coorow walked away with the win. The final score was Coorow Latham 14.13 (97) to Three Springs 13.2 (80). OTHER GAMES: Carnamah Perenjori def. Mingenew, 13.14 (92) to 8.7 (55) Dongara def. Morawa, 10.10 (70) to 8.4 (52) At the time of print, no results had been published in the game between Warriors and Ramblers in the Gascoyne Football Association.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Mid West trio presented with respective medals following Australia Day honours
Australia Day honours for a Mid West trio were officially presented at a ceremony earlier this month, recognising their significant contributions to the community. On Australia Day this year, Geraldton resident Peter Stratford OAM and Jurien Bay's Robin Randall OAM were awarded their respective Medals of the Order of Australia, with the medals officially handed over at Government House by WA Governor Chris Dawson. Mr Stratford, who has lived in Geraldton for the past 20 years, has held a number of roles within the community. In particular, his contribution to the Drummond Cove Progress Association and Fishability contributed heavily to his nomination. His volunteering record is extensive, having previously been a career firefighter in NSW. Mr Stratford previously told the Geraldton Guardian the honour was a nod to all volunteers who gave their time for noble causes. 'I think there are a lot of people around Geraldton, volunteers, different services, different organisations,' he said. 'So I'm accepting this on behalf of all the volunteers and services — police, fire brigade, ambulance, doctors, everything. 'There are a lot of worthy recipients around Geraldton who dedicate enormous amounts of time for no pay or anything. They just do it because they really, really like to help people.' Jurien Bay's Robin Randall was honoured posthumously, following his significant contribution in the Shire of Dandaragan. He was recognised most notably through his service to Marine Rescue Jurien Bay, where he volunteered for more than 30 years. His daughter Sandra said it was the epitome of her father's character. 'He saw there was a need for radio operators and when he threw himself into anything, he did so wholeheartedly,' she said. 'He took on pretty much every single role there was. He did his cert four so that he could do the official training. 'He loved it and lived it, he was down at the base almost every day during the summer.' Meanwhile, another Australia Day honour went to Geraldton-based paramedic Nic Chadbourne ASM. The 44-year-old was one of the first community paramedics, and was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal on Australia Day. Over 17 years, Mr Chadbourne has been invaluable when responding to emergencies and disasters over his paramedic career, including assisting in 2021 through cyclone Seroja.
