Latest news with #Mandurah
ABC News
02-07-2025
- ABC News
Copper theft leaving Perth roads in darkness, streetlights without electricity
Stretches of highways in Perth remain in darkness every night as authorities struggle to tackle a huge amount of copper theft leaving thousands of streetlights without electricity. About 65 kilometres of street lights and 14 km of pathway lights in the metro area are not turning on at night because the cables that power them have been stolen. Copper theft has a lucrative resell value on the black market. Some of the worst spots include Tonkin Highway around Ellenbrook, and major roads in Mandurah. Transport Rita Saffioti said theft of the copper cables that power the lights has increased significantly since 2018. "This is across the network, to be honest ... there has been increased theft," she told parliament. Main Roads WA estimated it spends $2 to $3 million a year replacing stolen cabling, yet the problem persists. The agency's James Pinnington said more sparse sections of Perth's highways were vulnerable. "Thieves are accessing the pit and conduit system with a variety of different tools, and they're becoming more creative in how they're doing it," he told ABC Radio Perth. Mr Pinnington said the agency was investigating new measures to secure its access pits, including trialling different lockable lids and cable management systems. "We're pretty confident that it's going to slow people down and reduce the amount of theft across the network," he said. But with more than 10,000 cable access pits across the state, he conceded the cost of implementing the measures would be significant. "It is [a lot]. Unfortunately if we don't make these changes we're going to experience more and more theft," he said. "It's important we do this work otherwise we're just going to be replacing cable after cable without keeping the lights running." Ausgrid — the biggest power provider on Australia's east coast — said thieves are going as far as cutting down power poles with chainsaws to access the internal wires. "These criminals are not just putting their own lives at risk but are also endangering [others] by leaving powerlines exposed, often cut and lying on the ground," the agency's Sam Sofi said. The increase in copper cabling theft comes despite laws introduced several years ago requiring scrap metal traders or anyone wanting to sell copper to have a licence. Mr Pinnington said those laws have merely created a wider underground market for thieves to pursue. "Not all of the scrap metal is being scrapped locally. With some of it going into ship containers, offshore or maybe over east, to mask the behaviour of what's happening," he said. Ms Saffioti yesterday told parliament the government was looking at installing alarms and CCTV in some heavily targeted areas to deter would be thieves. Mr Pinnington said while those measure would be useful, the public remained the best weapon against cable theft. "I think the most effective measure really is people reporting suspicious behaviour to police," he said.
ABC News
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Father and son join forces to restore vintage 1928 Model A Ford for Red Dust Revival
The term R&R means something different to old soldiers like Ray "Chick" Dimmack. "In the army it was rest and relaxation," the Vietnam veteran said, pointing to the letters R&R painted on the side of a restored 1928 Model A Ford. A panel beater before joining the army, the 83-year-old has passed his love of cars onto his only son and namesake. Chick, who said the nickname had stuck with him since the 1950s, lives in Mandurah, and 660 kilometres away is his Kalgoorlie-based son, 46-year-old Ray Junior. They have spent the past three years painstakingly restoring the vintage car after spotting a rusted chassis advertised online. "This was rusted to buggery … it's been a labour of love I suppose you'd call it," the elder statesman said. "He's done most of the work. I've sourced parts and been up and down from Perth. "Every now and then I'd spend a week here. My back would be hurting by the time I got in the car to go home, but I was happy, a few beers with the son, you couldn't ask for anything more." A former sergeant in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), where he spent most of his 20 years' army service until breaking a leg in a parachute accident, Chick Dimmack is more at home on a motorbike than in a car. While determined to keep riding, Father Time is catching up with him, along with some health issues following a triple bypass heart operation. "He's a bit of a hard ass … a couple of years ago for his 80th birthday we went around Australia on two motorbikes and that was an experience," Ray Junior said. "But nothing deters him — if he wants to go do something, he'll go do it." Chick said the restoration had given him valuable time with his son. "I was away a lot with the army in his younger days, so this has been a great project for us to do together," he said. It wasn't without its challenges, including building a new engine from scratch. "It's been challenging because I've never done anything like this, but once you get stuck into it, it's really interesting and it's been a labour of love," Ray Junior said. The duo's hard work paid off this past week when they took the car to a nearby bush track for its first test drive. Despite a few teething issues, the car is on track to relive its glory days at the upcoming Red Dust Revival, which has been held in 2014, 2019 and 2022. About 130 vintage cars have registered for the event, which re-enacts races held a century ago at Lake Perkolilli near the WA gold mining city of Kalgooorlie-Boulder. Between 1914 and 1939, thousands of people attended annual race meets with the lake's hard, smooth surface allowing drivers to reach speeds of 200 kilometres an hour in a time before quality roads. "The first car to arrive on the Goldfields was in 1905 and that was imported from Europe," Kalgoorlie-Boulder historian Tim Moore said. "Soon after that, they had street racing in Boulder, but Lake Perkolilli was perfect because it was flat and they could let loose. But World War II put an end to the legendary races as fuel and men became scarce. The Dimmacks have been mainstays of the revival event, which this year will run from September 29 to October 5. "I've been following Dad out to Lake Perkolilli since 2014 and I noticed he was getting a bit ginger at the end of each day, so I put the suggestion forward about getting into a car," Ray Junior said. "I wanted to be a bit mindful of the safety for him, so he can enjoy the event and not be in pain at the end of the day … but he's told me he's still going to bring out one of his old bikes." Henry Ford famously said of his 1908 Model T, "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it's black". Instead, the Dimmacks have chosen a brighter colour scheme in honour of the Lake Perkolilli dust. "Everything about this car is 1928, except the paint colour," Chick said, adding the colour was used on commercial trucks by Ford in the 1930s. Ray Junior added "I said, 'Why don't we do something different and really loud?' According to Ford Motor Company, more than five million Model As came off the company's assembly line between 1927 and 1931. At its peak in 1929, Ford was producing 9,000 Model As a day. While it still used a four-cylinder engine, similar to its predecessor the Model T, the Model A was more powerful and capable of up to 65 miles an hour. The Dimmacks hope to give that mark a nudge at the Red Dust Revival. "We'll go fast, but I won't go crazy fast … I leave that for my motorbikes," Chick said. "These wrecks in the backyards are now being brought back to life, and that's what it's all about."
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
WA grandpa Gavin's crazy skills at Mandurah skate park goes viral
A grandpa showing off his crazy skills on a mobility scooter at a skate park has gone viral on social media Gavin, 52, was filmed pulling doughnuts and wheelies on his mobility scooter at the Mandurah skate park, about 70km south of Perth. The Western Australian grandpa can be seen wearing a grey beanie, jeans and a long grey beard riding through the park on his scooter with others who are there. @the_harrington_sisters Who's gramps is this? We love this guy!! 😅 #mandurah #grampa #gopher #everythingmandurah #skatepark ♬ sonido original - Melómano The footage taken by the @HarringtonSisters has been viewed more than 750,000 times on TikTok. 'Grandpa: Hold my beer,' the sisters shared. 'It's never a dull moment at Mandurah skate park and we're here for it. 'Who's gramps is this? We love this guy!' Gavin told Youth Jam Online he was touched by the reaction and was happy the footage brought happiness to so many people. 'The amount of people it's touched and just put smiles on their faces and got people talking about positive things again,' he said. 'Mate, I couldn't ask any more than that, that's why I did it.' The video showcasing the 'Mandurah legend' has received thousands of reactions on social media with people loving the 'skate park boss.' 'We need more of this kids interacting with elderly love it,' one person said. 'This is my neighbour, he's actually the best,' a person commented. 'Never ever have I seen anyone do that in my country. You guys seem to have all the awesome people doing crazy things. Brilliant,' another person said. 'That's my spirit animal,' a person commented.
West Australian
12-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Albany quartets take division two gold and division three silver at Badminton WA's annual country carnival
Albany's shuttlers were division two winners of Badminton WA's annual LiveLighter Country Carnival held at the Kingsway Indoor Stadium in Wanneroo on May 31 and June 1. Calling themselves the Albany Eejits, the quartet of Hermar Rosquillo, Hannah Henderson, Michelle Watson and Jerry Poiron were unbeaten, holding off Mandurah 3 and 4. In division three, the pecking order came down to the final round with Mandurah 5 just edging out Albany No Ideas to take the honours. The Albany side featured Rhett Eiffler, Dalton Henderson, Shannen Higginson and Veronica Panton. The competition featured 85 players from six regional associations with Mandurah taking the division one crown. Eiffler, founder and secretary of the Great Southern Badminton Association, took out the Badminton WA regional volunteer of the year award. GSBA chair Watson said the accolade was well deserved. 'He is someone who puts his heart and soul into badminton,' she said. 'He is dedicated to all aspects of the sport and is also aspiring to become a State umpire. 'Our association would be lost without him.' The next event on the calendar for the GSBA is the annual tournament on August 2-3 at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre. Organisers are hoping for a bumper turnout of 96 entrants for the event which is backed by Southern Ports and Rio Tinto. A tournament celebrating Albany's bicentenary is also planned for February 2026. It will be the first time the city has hosted a graded event, which is likely to attract the top players in WA.
ABC News
08-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Thornlie-Cockburn link opens as part of 'unprecedented' investment in Metronet project
More than 18 months of disruption is coming to an end for some commuters as Perth's first east-west rail connection opens this week to service communities from Mandurah to Armadale. The Thornlie-Cockburn link and adjacent rail elevation are part of WA Labor's flagship infrastructure project Metronet. The developments, in Perth's south east, feature a $1.3 billion rail extension with two new stations connecting Thornlie to Cockburn Central, and a $1.6 billion elevation of five stations and rail from Carlisle to Beckenham. The elevation is hoped to address road congestion — with the state government previously saying boom gates were down for up to six hours a day at some level crossings — and open up public spaces around and under the rail line. Transport minister Rita Saffioti said despite cost and time blowouts, the level of infrastructure delivered through the Metronet project was "unprecedented". "Generational infrastructure is hard," Ms Saffioti said. "These projects are really for the public. They're about the future and they're about making transport even more affordable and accessible." The projects were jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Construction of the latest Metronet development did not come without disruption. The Armadale line was shut down for 18 months for construction, and that disruption was set to continue for thousands of commuters due to a delay on the opening of the elevated Armadale and Byford stations. Commuters relying on the Armadale line have been taking longer journeys on replacement bus services, while road closures have left some businesses isolated from their communities. Butcher Matt Budny said at one point, roads on either side of his shop in Carlisle were closed to facilitate the Metronet construction and another roadworks project. "We were close to closing up ... after they closed both sides," Mr Budny said. Mr Budny said the lack of access caused him to lose more than half of his usual business. "Especially if you've got family, who wants to do a 15 minute detour?" he said. "It was devastating [but] I know that things need to be done, the train line is a good thing." A deli on the other side of the Carlisle station also told the ABC it lost about 50 per cent of its usual business when road closures cut off access to their shop.
