Car drives into sink hole that looked like large puddle

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A sink hole opened up in a road in Cape Burney , just south of Geraldton, this morning.  

A local drove through some water on the road, and the road reportedly gave way. 

Driver is reportedly ok.  

This turtle needs your help We have a Oblong Turt...

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This turtle needs your help

We have a Oblong Turtle in Coorow which needs to be either taken through to Perth or brought up here for medical attention. He was hit by a car but thankfully has survived and is being cared for ATM by Shannon . If you can help by giving him a lift either way please phone me 0404387215 Thank you in advance.
From Darren Darch at Fauna for the future

5 reasons you should keep getting the Geraldton Guardian

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Newspaper sales have fallen dramatically around Australia in recent years, and our local Guardian has not been immune to the changes in how we all consume content. 

Even though Everything Geraldton may compete in some ways with the Geraldton Guardian, I honestly believe Geraldton is better served if said newspaper continues does well. 

Here are some of the reasons I believe you will benefit from buying our local paper.  

1. Public notices

They may be the most boring part of the paper, but I think they're the most important.

Why?

When a local government WANTS to get the word out about something, they will send a press release or public notice to all media, usually including Everything Geraldton. 

I'm grateful for this. EG wants to help locals stay informed about what's happening in their community. Many people who never read the paper, including young people, are now far more connected and informed.

Sometimes the City will even pay Everything Geraldton to promote or publish something. This too is very helpful for us in terms of paying our staff and continuing operating. We think we're pretty good at getting information out to the Geraldton public. And we're super grateful for support from the CGG. 

But when the council HAS to put something out to the public, but doesn't necessarily WANT a lot of feedback, I've noticed they just purchase an ad in the public notices section of a paper. 

They are legally obligated to do this much of the time.

While I'm sure there's nothing malicious happening behind the scenes, I do believe that for much of the general public, only putting a public notice in a newspaper essentially makes it invisible. I don't think I know anyone under the age of 35 who even buys the paper with any regularity. 

Here's a recent example. I've seen no hoo-ha or press release about it, despite it potentially having a massive impact on our city. 

There were a number of complaints when the Jaffle Shack opened on the foreshore, saying that others weren't given the opportunity to put a business on the most prime piece of real estate in Geraldton. Now the city can technically say they have given everyone the opportunity. All you had to do was be one of the few people that buy the Guardian twice a week and always checked the public notices section. 

In fact, each time there's a public outcry about a decision the city makes, I have heard: "We published a public notice in a newspaper and very few people responded."

So until the laws change to better reflect how people actually get information in 2016, it's incumbent upon us, the general public, to keep an eye on the public notices in our local papers. 

2. Journalists.

The Geraldton Guardian employs a small team of journalists who put effort into chasing up stories. 

It's no secret that journalism isn't exactly a growing industry, but it will probably survive for the foreseeable future. Even though it's not the highest paying career, it can lead to other fulfilling professions. 

The Geraldton Guardian has a good track record of giving young journalists a start and helping them get their uni degree. I personally know a couple of people who are doing well in other careers now, who started off at the Guardian. Had they not had the support of the local paper in their youth, they may have struggled somewhat more. 

3. Geraldton needs multiple media voices

I admit I'm extremely inconsistent when it comes to reading the paper. Or rather, I'm consistently terrible at it. 

I will try harder after writing this article.

Three years ago I knew I wanted local content in a digital format, but no-one was going to do it in Geraldton. So instead of complaining, I started a business doing just that. But The goal of Everything Geraldton was not to replace other the media completely, but to be another voice.

I don't think a community is well served if there is only one media voice. If you piss off the wrong person, you can essentially be cut off from having your say. 

Fortunately, this isn't the case in Geraldton.

We have Everything Geraldton, which is independant and I'm obviously an advocate for. There's the Geraldton Guardian/Mid West Times, who have been around for 100+ years and are backed by Seven West. There's a talented and creative team over at the ABC, who publish great stuff. And there's a few radio stations. 

Having more media publications means a more diverse voice, and fewer newsworthy items are likely to slip through the cracks. It also gives advertisers more choices and opportunities to promote their products and services. 

4. Responsible people at the helm

I know a couple of people who work at the Geraldton Guardian in the editorial team, and from what I know of them, I do believe that they care about the people of Geraldton. 

It's not very common to have people who care so much about the community in charge of local media. Often the agenda to simply sell more papers at the cost of sensationalising everything wins out over the mandate to serve the community by printing the facts. 

Anita Kirkbright is the current editor, and I've dealt with her in other capacities in the past. I've read several of her articles over the last year or two, and she certainly seems to have a desire to surface encouraging stories from the Mid West. It's a refreshing change from the usual negativity that seems to fill our Twitter and Facebook feeds. 

That's not to say I agree with every publishing decision the Guardian makes, but for the time being I think it's well above par. 

5. It's not too big

I'm pressed for time. I don't sit down and read the paper to alleviate boredom. I know reading the paper was a favourite pastime for our Granddads. But I have a million things to occupy me that are more interesting than a newspaper. And when something big happens I will probably hear about it well before the paper comes out anyway. 

So when I do read the local paper, I want to get through it as quickly as possible. 

I have listened to complaints for about 8 years now about how thin the Guardian is. But looking at it as someone who mostly reads content online, I consider thinness a positive. 

When someone "reads" the paper, they don't actually read very much. You scan through the headlines until something stands out, and you end up reading about 1 and a half articles. 

What you leave with is the knowledge that you haven't missed anything important that may affect you, your business, or your family.

And with a world of information now accessible through our smartphones, we don't need our local papers to try and be all things to all people, publishing all manner of lifestyle articles that we may or may not be interested in. They can just give us important local content, and we can follow our particular interests through apps, social media, websites, podcasts, YouTube etc. 

In conclusion, my vision of the future of media in Geraldton doesn't involve a winner take all outcome as was the case in the past, but a diverse range of voices, each serving the community and playing a part in our daily lives. I hope the Geraldton Guardian is a part of that future. 

Note: No one from the Geraldton Guardian had any involvement with this article.

 

 

Pokemon Go: This new active game is a lot of fun

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Thanks Elliot Brown for this heads up. I started playing it with my kids yesterday. I think they'll enjoy it a lot. 

"Pokemon Go was just released, its like a virtual pokemon game which encourages people of all ages to walk around in real life and catch pokemon! Sort of like geocaching, might be a great thing to do over the school holidays for the kids with their parents."

Get it on iPhone and Android. 

TAB sale: Minister admits privatisation could see electronic gaming machines outside Crown Perth - ABC

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Pokies everywhere causes so many social problems in the eastern states. If this happens, it's pretty clear how much the Liberal government care about our communities. 

Get on the phone to Ian Blayney and let him know what you think.  

Click here to read full story.  

Trying to get help in the system

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A woman reached out to EG a few weeks ago, at her wits end and demanding a return phone call. I rang back as quickly as I could. For privacy reasons we'll call her Jane. (That's not her real name, but Jane is such a wonderful name I like to use it whenever I can.) 

I wondered what I had done to upset her. Turns out she wasn't upset about anything to do with Everything Geraldton. Moreover, she didn't live anywhere near Geraldton. She lives in Rockingham. That would be Mark McGowan's electorate if I'm not mistaken. 

She reached out to EG, as well as a number of other media outlets, in a desperate attempt to have her story told. She told me the other outlets had basically said "we don't like to deal with these sorts of things" and I guess I can understand why. But I decided to listen to Jane for some time as she related her troubles. 

Here it is in a nutshell. 

Jane has seven kids. She's come out of a violent relationship. She had a VRO for her and her children's protection, but as she put it, "I may as well wipe my arse with the VRO." She says her ex breached it at least 20 times. 

Her ex husband committed a terrible crime recently and is about to go to jail. Jane says he got her onto meth a decade ago, and she says she's been off it for a bit over 100 days. Jane is also medicated for bipolar.

Oh yes. Seven kids, who have been brought up in a violent home, and are about to see their father locked away for a long time. 

Most men I know head to the doctor for that special procedure after kid number three, because they know the limits of what they can cope with. But Jane has seven, ranging from 14 to 1.

Jane copes. 

But barely. 

And she's been trying to get some help. 

Admittedly, she's already helped out by the government/taxpayer. She doesn't work, and receives the usual benefits a single mother receives. 

But Jane has been trying to get some assistance with caring for the kids from agencies like DCP. 

But because Jane copes she doesn't quite qualify. 

You see, Jane was told the only way she could get some extra assistance was if her kids were in actual danger. 

Jane had explained she was suicidal and barely coping at times. But it seems "barely coping" translates into "you're coping so you're not our problem." 

Someone kindly advised Jane that all she needed to do was lie to DCP and tell them she had neglected her youngest child. Jane told them the lie they needed to hear, and was then able to get day care for the children. 

It seems that if you're on the edge of coping, and can feel yourself slipping, there's not a lot of help available until you've actually slipped. 

Jane doesn't want her kids to go into foster homes. But she tells me she doesn't feel like she's coping much of the time. She says she's trying to get some sort of in home care or assistance to help keep her from the edge, but because she isn't bad enough of a parent, she's struggling to get the assistance. In her words: "I'm not a bad enough mum for DCP to do anything, but don't feel like I can keep treading water for much longer."

But having recently watched Jane try and navigate the numerous organisations that are ostensibly there to help, I can see why she's frustrated.

Here's another example of the difficulty faced by Jane in looking for assistance.

Jane's nine year old daughter has been more difficult than usual lately. Perhaps that's an understatement. She actually tried to run onto the road in front of a car. The daughter confessed to a psych worker she wants to kill herself, and explained how she would carry it out. She also explained how she would hurt her siblings. Jane tells me that this daughter has a history of similar behaviour. After the recent episode of the nine year old running out the front of the home and heading for the road, only stopped by a friend who happened to be arriving who tackled the girl to the ground, Jane sought help. 

As per her instructions from the support agencies, she called the Police. They said in a nutshell "What do you expect us to do? Call agency X or go to the emergency department of the hospital." Agency X also said "go to the hospital." The hospital admitted the daughter, but wanted her gone the next day with no other advice. After arguing and fighting Jane was able to take the daughter to another hospital in Perth. But they didn't want her either, because she wasn't displaying any problematic behaviour at that time. So home Jane went. But she didn't make it all the way home. Nine year old started threatening to open the car door and jump out on the freeway. So off to the nearest hospital, Fiona Stanley. And guess what. They don't want the daughter there any more either. Fair enough. They've got sick people to look after. So where do you take a suicidal nine year old who's threatening to hurt her siblings and herself? DCP will know. 

Nope. DCP said, and I quote because I heard the conversation, "That's up to you to talk to the hospital about."

"But I can't take my daughter home because it's unsafe, and the hospital says I can't leave her there. What do I do?" Jane asks. 

"That's up to you to talk to the hospital about," DCP says again. 

I'm sure you're a better parent than Jane. I'm sure you'd never make the life choices that would lead a person to this point. Good for you. 

But the fact of the matter is there are plenty of people like Jane living in our communities, and they struggle to navigate the complicated network of government departments and agencies. And some of these people don't fit our definitions of who qualifies for assistance.

They feel like they're being handballed each time they pick up the phone and ask for help.

I've done as much independent investigation as I can, viewed correspondence and court records, but as you can imagine DCP aren't too keen on speaking with the media about specific cases. I'm sure there's more than one side to the story, and I'm sure the individuals at all the different agencies are doing their best. Is Jane just someone who has failed to take responsibility for her own actions and needs to blame the "system" to make herself feel better, or is she someone who doesn't quite fit the description of a person who needs help, and hasn't said the magic words yet to get it? Is her case symptomatic of the disconnected age we live in where we can't even reach out to our neighbours or family and ask for help, and instead depend on the tax payer to fund an agency to solve our problems?

I don't know. But I keep meeting people who can't find the help they say they need, and they seem to be trying their best.

Geraldton may have to pay back $9 million to the federal government

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"Financial Millstones"

As I scanned Hansard earlier this week (as one does) I noticed a mention of $9 million that the federal government is requesting back from the City of Greater Geraldton for funding of a particular project. (Hansard is the formal record of what was spoken in parliament.)

Another $9 million bill when funds are already tight, staff have been cut, and services reduced, would not be great news for the people of Geraldton. 

You'll notice the reference to Royalties for Regions projects now being "financial millstones". Millstones are quite handy when you're running a mill, but we think Blayney is using the term in the biblical "millstone around your neck" context.

We haven't had confirmation of which project is being referred to, but... 

A quick search reveals that $9 million is the exact amount granted to the City of Greater Geraldton for the Karloo-Wandina project, which was meant to produce 800 affordable blocks of land, as well as the construction of Verita Road and the accompanying bridge. The grant came from the "Building Better Regional Cities" program created under the Gillard government back in 2010. 

The project has been beset by cost blow outs, with the original figure to be contributed by ratepayers expected to be around 4 or 5 million, but that seems to have grown somewhat higher. (In last year's budget, $18 million was allocated to finalise the project.) Money also came from Royalties for Regions and other government departments for the project.

The project also turned out to be a major ongoing financial burden to the people of Geraldton. This is a statement from Mark Atkinson, who was the Manager of Infrastructure Planning & Design with the City of Greater Geraldton:

"Whilst higher levels of government have provided the majority of the upfront capital, this represents only about 20% of the whole of life costs of the asset. The CGG will ultimately inherit the ongoing maintenance of the road infrastructure and will now need to budget for in the order of an additional $1M/year for depreciation if it intends to maintain the same level of service."

The purpose of the Building Better Regional Cities grants was to increase the number of homes for sale and rent that were affordable for working families on ordinary incomes, in communities that are experiencing positive jobs and population growth that need more homes to be built. The program was largely unsuccessful and poorly run according to an audit in 2014, resulting in projections that the program would be lucky to result in helping 2000 homes be built across Australia, instead of the original goal of 15,000.

According to the 2014 audit done on the project, Geraldton suffered the most delays of any of the BBRC projects, with the expected completion being 30 June 2017. The BBRC projects were originally given until the deadline of 30 June 2016 to complete their residential works. 

The BBRC program stated in the funding agreement that is it a "performance-based, legally enforceable agreement between the Australian Government and the Successful Applicant."

Interestingly, according to an article from Darcy Hay of the Geraldton Guardian in 2013, Ian Blayney and Shane Van Styn were at odds with each other over the project, with Van Styn, who was at the time a National Party candidate and is now Geraldton's Mayor, strongly supporting the project, but MLA Ian Blayney, (our state government representative in the Legislative Assembly) opposed to the project. (link). Comments on the Facebook post embedded below are worth a read too (or click here).

We have emailed the City of Greater Geraldton for comment, and to confirm for which project the federal government is asking the funds be returned. 

Update: 5:00pm - CGG CEO Ken Diehm has sent a response. Click here to read.

3 tips for promoting your organisation online in Geraldton

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From the conversations I've had lately, it seems many businesses in town are doing it tough right now. Unemployment is up, government spending is down, people are leaving town, and there's less money floating around.

That being the case, it's more important that ever that your advertising efforts are fine tuned, and money isn't being wasted as you try to promote your business. 

With that as a backdrop, I thought I'd share a short list of things you can do to help better promote your business, community group, event, or not for profit, in the digital age.

This poster probably looks great on a large screen, but is terrible on a small phone, which is what most people are using. 

1. Stop using print content online

 We often get flyers and posters sent to us by advertisers who want to run the same thing they did in the paper on the Everything Geraldton website. But print is completely different to the online world. Your beautiful poster may look wonderful on the 27 inch iMac the graphic designer was using, but 70% of our readers are using mobile phones, and now your beautiful poster is impossible to read.

Instead, provide the details in text format, and use a few relevant images separately to add life to your information.

2. Your press release sucks

Most press releases we get sent go straight in the (digital) bin.

Perhaps back in the print age they would have been useful newspaper filler content. But that's because newspapers had no way of knowing who was reading what, and they needed to fluff the paper out so people felt like they were getting their monies worth. And it explains why newspaper readership in Geraldton has plummeted over 30 percent in recent years. 

Everything Geraldton, on the other hand, sees exactly how many people read (or don't read) each article. We can see how long they spend on the page, and what device they're using. So we know people don't read boring press releases.

How I file most press releases. 

While that public relations agency may have made a convincing argument for why you needed a professionally worded, long form, boring-as-hell, press release about the thing your organisation is doing, 99.9% of people just glazed over it as soon as they saw your headline.  

Instead of a headline from the 1990's like "Local business implements wonderful upgrade", try something like "Three amazing deserts you should try at Local Business".

You could run something like that on Everything Geraldton for about a quarter of the price of a full page ad in the local paper, and reach about twice as many people. AND people would actually want to read it and share it with their friends.

Instead of making your press release sound like it was written by a journo from 1992 who's never heard of the Internet, ask yourself "What would I want to read?" and go from there.

3. Take photos of yourself.

You need to get the hell over the fact that you don't like seeing pictures of your own face. To understand marketing is to understand people, and you should recognise that people trust people... not your fancy logo, shop front, or new car. 

If I see a post in my Facebook feed with a human on it, I'm more likely to pause for a moment and look. If I see a business logo, I'm more likely to scroll by as quick as possible.

The next time you place an ad on Everything Geraldton, instead of just a picture of the product, consider a photo of you or your staff. Three years of doing this has convinced me that people are interested in other people.

Faces are interesting. Logos are boring.  

----  

Everything Geraldton's most successful style of ads are the sponsored posts... articles that appear alongside other news, about your business or organisation. They're affordable and well read, and don't get glazed over like most other ads.  

I've been running Everything Geraldton for over three years now, and feel that I know what works and what doesn't. So if you want some ideas or help writing a sponsored post for your business, you are welcome to call me personally on 0404 443 442.

Good luck, and all the best in business.  

Jason Smith

Shane Crothers Homes' staff, customers and creditors still in the dark

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Staff, contractors, and customers are still in the dark and wondering what to do as Shane Crothers Homes has still not entered into administration, despite Mr Shane Crothers telling staff, creditors and customers it was happening about 25 days ago. 

Mr Crothers also told customers that he had sold the business. Everything Geraldton has learned that this is not the case. 

A group of creditors who claim they are owed large sums of money have joined forces to try and make something happen, after still not being informed of who the administrator is. 

Below is a copy of original letter sent to customers around four weeks ago. It states that Shane Crothers Homes was to enter into Voluntary Administration immediately. Mr Crothers also told Everything Geraldton himself that Shane Crothers Homes Pty Ltd had entered into voluntary administration. 

Several staff from Shane Crothers Homes have contacted Everything Geraldton upset that they have not been paid money they are owed, have not been fired or let go officially, and have no idea what is going on. Apart from being owed holiday pay and entitlements, we were informed that some of the staff were still attending work until recently.

Multiple customers who were building homes through Shane Crothers Homes have also spoken with Everything Geraldton asking if anyone knew if the company had entered into administration yet, as they have been unable to move forward with insurance claims etc, and are just sitting in the dark. 

These are copies of emails sent to staff of Shane Crothers Homes over the last week or so, provided to Everything Geraldton by staff of Shane Crothers Homes. 

In one of the letters Mr Crothers blames a technical issue with the banks, lawyers and accountants for the delays.

Debbie Crothers contacted Everything Geraldton upset over a comment made on our website claiming they were "rubbing their hands together".

"It's all lies," she said. "It's just not true. We've lost everything. We even had to sell the boat to make sure everyone got paid."

What happened with the supposed sale?

We spoke with a local builder Mick Desmond, who told us he had been in discussions to take over the building of the homes through his company Norwest Building Group. "We were approached and asked if we would like to finish the houses off," Mr Desmond told us. "We said yes. I talked to some of the creditors and tried to get to the bottom of which trade did what on each home [in an attempt to be able to use them again on that home]."

Mr Desmond tells us the plan was for him to pay a sum of money into a trust account, which would then apparently be used by liquidators. In exchange Mr Desmond would then complete the building of the homes using tradies and contractors that were originally used on the homes. The contractors would not have received old monies they were owed, but the intention was to provide them work moving forward, according to Mr Desmond. 

Mr Desmond said he did not go through with the arrangement, and walked away from it last night. 

"I couldn't get to the bottom of how it's going to work. I couldn't get a guarantee of where the money would go," said Mick Desmond. "I met with Mr Crothers yesterday as part of doing due diligence," he said. Mr Desmond told us he wasn't satisfied with the state of the stocktakes he saw on the homes, and decided to walk away from the arrangement. 

"We're happy to still be involved in finishing the homes," said Mr Desmond. "However we've exhausted all opportunities through this avenue."

We asked Mr Desmond who it was that approached him to ask him if he wanted to finish building the homes, and were informed by him that it was representatives from a company called Hall Chadwick. 

Who is Hall Chadwick?

Hall Chadwick, according to their website, is a Chartered Accountant and Business Advisory firm with offices around Australia, including Perth. 

Everything Geraldton contacted them to ask questions regarding their involvement with Shane Crothers and Shane Crothers Homes, but they were not willing to talk. 

"We respectfully decline to make any comments in relation to Shane Crothers," was their response. 

Will people still get their homes built?

From the Department of Commerce for WA:

Residential building work contracts in Western Australia are governed by the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (the Act). If residential building work valued over $20,000 is to be undertaken, the Act requires that a builder take out home indemnity insurance in the name of the owner before accepting payment or commencing work.
What is home indemnity insurance?
HII protects owners against financial loss if a builder cannot complete residential building work or meet a valid claim for faulty or unsatisfactory building work because of death, disappearance or insolvency.

Based on information provided by Dept of Commerce, it appears customers should be insured for exactly this kind of situation, and are able to have their homes completed if their builder becomes insolvent. The policy is in the name of the owner, not the builder.  

Click here to read more.

So what now?

We contacted Mr Shane Crothers this morning, who rang us back, but was not willing to make any comments at that time, other than that he was going to make a comment later this afternoon. 

We asked if it was true that the company still had not entered into administration, and were told a comment would be made later this afternoon. 

We asked if was true that Mr Crothers was leaving Geraldton, as per assertions made by creditors today. Again we were told a comment would be made this afternoon. 

We will update this article when Mr Crothers provides said comments. 

Update: Mr Crothers has sent the following statement

Our key priority throughout this process has been our clients. Our clients have been kept informed of our efforts to find another quality builder to facilitate a fast takeover of the unfinished jobs, avoiding delays related to the Home Indemnity Insurance system. 
This process has unfortunately taken a lot longer than we had anticipated due to negotiations with all parties involved and we regret the effect this has had on our clients, staff and creditors.
We will proceed with appointing a liquidator next week.

Isn't liquidation different to administration?

Yes. 

Read more here.

200kg of meth seized following seizure of suspicious boat in Geraldton

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Police will be holding a press conference later today in Perth regarding drug seizures related to the suspicious boat that came into Geraldton earlier this month.

It's being reported by ABC that up to 200kg of meth has been seized from an international drug syndicate following raids on homes in Perth on Saturday, in connection with the men arrested.

Details of the case and those charged has been suppressed by the courts up to now.

Around midday on 2 May 2016, some Everything Geraldton readers spotted the suspicious boat in Geraldton's port, and a number of men, pictured below, who according to onlookers "appeared foreign" were seen being questioned by authorities, before being taken away.

Police later confirmed 8 Chinese men with no entry visas for Australia had been arrested and placed in immigration detention, but would not comment on their investigations. 

The boat remained in Geraldton's port for several days while it was searched and contents from the boat removed.  

The suspicious boat

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The men who were arrested  

The boat that took the men away  

Port levy scrapped after it generated double what it was intended for initially

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Not sure who does the accounting for the state government. But a levy at Geraldton's port that was put in place to repay a $107 million loan in 2003, actually generated $210 million, and only reduced the loan by $40 million. 

The government has decided the debt is to be cleared and the levy scrapped, following letters from Nationals member MLC Paul Brown. 

Not everyone is happy with the levy being scrapped though. 

Click here to read full story. 

 

ABC: Farm Fish Harvest in Geraldton

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A great short video from ABC Mid West, on Yellowtail Kingfish being bred in Geraldton. 

Midwest aquaculture trial harvest: Thousands of Yellow Tail Kingfish ready to hit the Australian market Fifteen thousand fat and healthy Yellow Tail Kingfish currently swim in Geraldton's Champion Bay waiting to be delivered to a local restaurant and markets in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Indian Ocean Fresh Australia have been working with the Mid West Development Commission to determine if it is commercially viable to farm fish in the pristine waters off Geraldton's coast.