Fremantle Herald Official

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Western Australia, and Fremantle in particular, have been given the rare honour of having the story of their Italian com...
08/01/2026

Western Australia, and Fremantle in particular, have been given the rare honour of having the story of their Italian communities permanently enshrined in Italy’s official record.

The documentary 'Italian Way: Stories – Future of Italians in Western Australia' was screened in the Italian Parliament in Rome, and recently locals got to have a look when it had an airing at Luna on SX. The function was attended by Italian consul Sergio Nicolaci, Italian MP Nicola Caré and Italian defence attache Colonel Marco Bertoli.

Mr Nicolaci said the film was produced by the Italian government to formally recognise the contribution Italian migrants have made to WA.

“We envisaged and produced the film as Italian governments, in order to celebrate the Italian roots of Western Australia and celebrate the beautiful community that has so much contributed to the growth and prosperity of Western Australia,” Mr Nicolaci told the Herald at pre-screening drinks at the Fremantle Italian Club.

“Therefore, this is a cinematic monument to the community.”

Eskimo Joe is gearing up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of breakthrough album Black Fingernails, Red Wine with a nati...
07/01/2026

Eskimo Joe is gearing up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of breakthrough album Black Fingernails, Red Wine with a national capital city tour that reaches back through time to venues the band played in their younger days.

And in a move that feels both symbolic and deeply personal, the very first stop will be in Fremantle, at Freo.Social May 1-2, the reborn Fly By Night Club where they frequently played.

The tour will see the band perform their 2006 album, as well as a list of curated classics.

The album, which debuted at number one on the Aria albums chart and went four-times platinum, features the lead single of the same name, which won Single of the Year at the 2006 ARIAs, number two on Triple J’s 2006 Hottest 100, and 78th on Triple J’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.

“For us, albums have always been intentional,” guitarist Stu McLeod says.

“We want a storyline, light and shade, dynamics from start to finish.

“These days it’s such a single-song society, it’s rare to experience a record front to back, even just as a listener.

“Revisiting that in a live setting feels important.”

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/2mxb4hjk.

Samson residents could soon be lining up for a long-awaited local coffee, with the City of Fremantle calling for express...
06/01/2026

Samson residents could soon be lining up for a long-awaited local coffee, with the City of Fremantle calling for expressions of interest for a coffee vendor at Samson Park.

The opportunity is part of the City’s Unique Food Vehicle Program and follows recent upgrades to the Sir Frederick Samson Memorial Reserve, including a dedicated vendor space with access to power, new parking and improved surrounding amenities.

The push for a permanent coffee presence has been building for years, particularly since the closure of the local shops at the corner of McCombe Avenue and Petterson Avenue more than a decade ago.

Samson Precinct Group convenor Paul Winter said the issue was a constant topic among locals.

“Samson has been starved of a local coffee provider for years, and not a precinct group meeting goes by without someone bringing this up,” he said.

Mr Winter said temporary coffee vans had already demonstrated strong local demand.

“Even before the park was recently upgraded, coffee vans at this location proved a popular option for locals, dog walkers and the nearby school communities,” he said.

He hoped the new EOI would attract a vendor keen to put down roots in the area.

“Hopefully there is a coffee vendor out there who sees the potential business opportunity this presents, as well as the chance to be around great locals and our beautiful nature park,” Mr Winter said.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/w5vm6bmm.

A closed-door discussion at a recent Fremantle council meeting has revealed building design and restrictions have put th...
05/01/2026

A closed-door discussion at a recent Fremantle council meeting has revealed building design and restrictions have put the Fremantle Parks Club at risk of collapse.

The Fremantle Park Sport and Community Centre opened in 2020 as a way to house the city’s tennis, bowls and workers clubs under the same roof, with the FPC acting as a coordinating body.

However, issues with the building’s design have put a dent in turnover, with councillor Andrew Sullivan saying it is not fit for purpose.

The second floor, home to the Workers Club has copped much of the criticism.

Despite boasting a sprung dance floor and commercial kitchen, Cr Sullivan says its facilities are disconnected from the tennis and bowls clubs downstairs.

“I think that there are going to need to be some physical changes to the building to deal with some of the dysfunction,” Cr Sullivan said.

Additionally strict noise regulations have limited the clubs’ ability to hold events which could bring in much-needed cash.

As a condition of the liquor license, sound limiting equipment is plugged into the wall and cuts power to the stage if it gets too rowdy.

“The noise regulations have really stymied the operations of the Workers Club,” Cr Sullivan said.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/mrxyscws.

It's been quite the journey – from cow pats and tractors on a Wheatbelt farm to A listers and quinoa wraps in Los Angele...
17/12/2025

It's been quite the journey – from cow pats and tractors on a Wheatbelt farm to A listers and quinoa wraps in Los Angeles.

Shelley Q grew up in Highbury, about 20 minutes from Narrogin, but now plies her trade as an actress and singer in the City of Angels.

She broke through to fame in the US social media thriller '1 Million Followers' (Amazon Prime and Apple TV), after responding to a worldwide casting call.

Now she’s turning heads in the music world, her singles 'The Stand' and 'Run to the Moon' getting international radio play.

Recently she’s teamed up with award-winning French jazz violinist and composer Scott Tixier, who’s performed with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Adele, Pink Floyd, Beyoncé, Hans Zimmer, and Jon Batiste.

“We met in April/May 2024—I discovered a video of Shelley singing a cover of a French song on Instagram (Dalida’s Paroles Paroles) and I privately messaged her, I fell in love with her voice,” Tixier says.

“We started working on music together online, and after four weeks of FaceTimes and Zooms, she took a 30-hour flight to meet me in Cabo Mexico, where I was attending a friend’s wedding.

“It was our first date. We fell in love.”

The Scott Tixier Quartet featuring Shelley Q is at the Duke of George, East Fremantle tonight (Wednesday December 17) at 7:30pm. Tix at moshtix.com.au.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/ya7p5vcm.

Fremantle’s docks were buzzing as 10 Clipper Round the World yachts glided in after being thrashed across the Roaring Fo...
16/12/2025

Fremantle’s docks were buzzing as 10 Clipper Round the World yachts glided in after being thrashed across the Roaring Forties, bringing home a swag of salt-streaked Aussies.

Among them is Perth engineer Colin Thomson, who signed up for the race when life needed “a change and… some excitement”. With no sailing experience before training, he admits he couldn’t wait to see home rise over the horizon — “Returning to home is all about the beers and the beaches!”

The fleet’s arrival gives locals a rare chance to nose around these stripped back ocean racers. Free public tours run December 16-17, 10am–6pm, letting visitors clamber below deck, test a winch, or take the helm.

A Discovery Talk at Fremantle Sailing Club follows on 18 December 18, before the fleet heads back out on December 21 at noon for the next leg to Airlie Beach.

At least 100 children will be sleeping in tents, cars or temporary shelters in the Fremantle region over Christmas, says...
15/12/2025

At least 100 children will be sleeping in tents, cars or temporary shelters in the Fremantle region over Christmas, says St Pat’s CEO Michael Piu.

Since launching their Family Support Program last month, the Freo Community Support Centre has been inundated with requests for help and is already at capacity.

“Sadly we have seen a growing number of people, particularly families, facing homelessness this year,” Piu says.

“With the news that Perth has been named the most unaffordable city for renters for the second-year running, we predict demand will only increase in the new year.

“The impact of homelessness on a child’s development cannot be overstated, both immediate and long-term, so our biggest concern is finding them and their families a safe, appropriate place to call home as soon as possible.”

The good news is that St Pat’s has lots of support for folk doing it tough over the festive period.

They’ll be serving about 400 Christmas lunches, distributing around 500 Christmas Hampers, and holding their popular Christmas Party on December 17 at St Patrick’s Parish Hall.

Their Christmas Appeal is well underway (you can donate at donate.stpats.com.au) and its community centre will be open on Christmas and Boxing Days, providing meals and a friendly chat.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/2kj7mzx6.

Blood is in the water in East Fremantle, with moves to complete a merger between the men’s and women’s footy teams being...
13/12/2025

Blood is in the water in East Fremantle, with moves to complete a merger between the men’s and women’s footy teams being held up by a dispute over life memberships.

Although the women have been playing under East Freo’s banner four the last four years, they still technically have their own board and constitution.

The dispute flared prior to the club’s AGM on Wednesday, when the East Fremantle Women’s Football Club raised their beef in a series of social media posts.

“If a club wanted to show inclusivity by including life members of the women’s club to an existing men’s club constitution, would it be as simple as adding a clause and having it voted on at an AGM?” one post said.

The other queried why just two players from the 2023 premiership team were still in the squad, suggesting many had left because of disillusionment.

It’s been another sticky point for Sharks CEO Adrian Bromage to negotiate after a tumultuous year of lease negotiations, board resignations, and a cash deficit.

But says things are finally starting to take shape.

Two women board members, Bianca Starcevich and Sandra Di Girolame, have stepped up this year following the departure of three directors — giving the club, Mr Bromage said, an opportunity to improve its gender balance and skillsets.

In an ideal world, he says the EFWFC would deregister and be formally recognised by the EFFC — allowing the women’s club’s life members to be acknowledged.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/ys8fcjd8.

Eddy the Octopus has been recovered.The popular statue was stolen from Fishing Boat Harbour on October 24, with the thie...
12/12/2025

Eddy the Octopus has been recovered.

The popular statue was stolen from Fishing Boat Harbour on October 24, with the thieves sawing off a bollard after failing to pry Eddy off his home.

On Thursday Fremantle detectives announced that they’d found Eddy and had charged a Warnbro man with one count of possessing stolen property.

He was due to face Fremantle Magistrate’s court on Thursday.

It’s not the first of sculptor Greg James’s bronzes to go missing from the harbour.

His popular Bella disappeared almost exactly six years ago, and while a 40-year-old Fremantle man was convicted over her theft, the statue was likely already melted down and she had to be replaced.

James said Bella’s theft prompted calls from around the world, with thousands of people who’d stopped to snap a momento with her expressing their sorrow at her loss.

Former Fremantle council senior heritage architect Ian Molyneux, who championed the city’s heritage through a time of ra...
10/12/2025

Former Fremantle council senior heritage architect Ian Molyneux, who championed the city’s heritage through a time of rapid change, has died aged 81.

Born in Cottesloe on December 6, 1943 and trained in Perth, Molyneux spent time in the United Kingdom before returning to Western Australia in 1974.

Over his decades-long career, he became a key figure in heritage conservation — most notably serving as the council’s chief architect and later as chair of the Heritage Council of WA from 1991–1994.

Mr Molyneux combined a scholarly eye with passionate advocacy.

His 1981 guidebook Looking around Perth: A Guide to the Architecture of Perth and Surrounding Towns became a foundational touchstone for understanding WA’s architectural heritage — and often highlighted buildings and streetscapes of Fremantle that might otherwise have escaped wider notice.

His tenure at the council, where he was tasked with developing long-term strategic plans for the city, came at a critical time in the city’s history; many of its heritage buildings were empty and falling into disrepair as the need for warehouse space for port activities diminished, and there were strident calls to bowl them over and go modern.

Beyond writing, Mr Molyneux undertook critical conservation assessments and plans — such as documentation of early warehouse sites on Collie Street, ensuring that the layered history of Fremantle’s maritime and convict-era structures would be recorded before redevelopment.

He also contributed to heritage reports for significant precincts, including a heritage-study of Victoria Quay for the Fremantle Port Authority — underscoring his belief that Fremantle’s heritage was integral to its soul.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/9jcy922h.

The Fremantle Street Kitchen and other homeless support services have been given a year’s reprieve after being told they...
09/12/2025

The Fremantle Street Kitchen and other homeless support services have been given a year’s reprieve after being told they’d have to leave their Beach Street car park site because of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge replacement.

The services have been operating from a shelter on the Public Transport Authority car park, but with the authority hoping to add more parking while the bridge is closed, it ended Fremantle council’s lease and told it to clear the site.

But earlier this week the council confirmed to the Herald that the services had been given a 12-month extension, mirroring the breathing room won for the neighbouring skate spot (“A week of backflips for skaters,” Herald, October 17, 2025).

Street kitchen volunteer Jennifer Byrne said the current set-up grew from negotiations between council and the Public Transport Authority.

“The transport department okayed the location of this.

“The council had very detailed negotiations with them at the time, so they knew it was happening, but I think they hadn’t planned for the bridge, for this extra parking at that stage.”

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/5n7keruz.

Summer is here, the days are getting longer, and we’re celebrating in a big way — with a massive Herald and Perth Voice ...
08/12/2025

Summer is here, the days are getting longer, and we’re celebrating in a big way — with a massive Herald and Perth Voice giveaway!

We’re giving readers the chance to win one of 12 x $50 dining vouchers to use at three of the area’s favourite food spots: Ruocco's Pizzeria E Ristorante, Coogee Boathouse Eats & Sips, and Om Nom Nom Pizza & Pasta Bar.

Enter here: https://wp.me/p2Np7f-GZz

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