We were very pleased to hear that we’ve been nominated for two local history awards this year. They’re part of the Heritage Festival that’s currently running in and around the city. It’s is a non fiction writing and multimedia award to promote interest and research in the history of Fremantle and East Fremantle.

The awards ceremony is this evening so cross your fingers for us.

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The Fremantle Heritage Festival is a celebration of the city’s history. Fremantle is a modern and thriving city, but its origins are far more intrepid. Originally an Aboriginal settlement, Fremantle experienced significant change in 1829 with European colonisation, followed by a gold rush and two world wars. Since then migrants from all over the world have journeyed to make Fremantle their home, creating a rich cultural tapestry.

The Fremantle Heritage Festival encourages people to engage with our local history and develop a connection between the past and present Fremantle.
Dr Brad Pettit, Mayor of Fremantle

What Fremantle Heritage Festival
When Friday 25 May – Monday 4 June
Where Multiple locations throughout Fremantle. Download the Fremantle Heritage Festival Program for more information about the specific events.
Web www.facebook.com/fremantleheritagefestival

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A little collection of murals and paste ups near the tattoo studio on Henry Street.

Everyone has sunk their teeth into a burger from Missy Moos/Gourmet on Wray/Flipside/Jus Burger but how about a hot dog for a change? At the lower end of South Terrace you’ll find Run Amuk: blazing a trail for hot dogs in a world of burgers.

We test drove…

The Rascal: bratwurst, coleslaw, cheddar, wholegrain mustard & smokey bbq sauce. $10

The Punk: bratwurst, bacon, caramelised onions, cheddar, wholegrain mustard, tomato sauce & smokey bbq sauce $12

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You may know Shaun Tan, the illustrator. That’s the Shaun Tan, who won an Oscar for ‘Best Animated Short film’ for The Lost Thing. You may have also seen some of his beautiful work here in Freo at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. Now Fremantle Arts Centre invites you the meet the other Shaun Tan, Shaun Tan the painter. It’s the very first exhibition of Shaun’s stunning paintings, which show Perth’s suburbia, where Shaun grew up.

Although I’m often recognised as an illustrator of stories, in private I see myself primarily as a painter of landscapes, particularly the suburban streets in which I grew up and continue to spend most of my time. This world is the bedrock of my imagination – a shoreline of light, space, restless silence – and my suburban paintings of the past twenty years are perhaps more self-defining than anything else I’ve created as a book or film maker. Collecting them together under the roof of Fremantle Arts Centre (a place I visited often in my youth seeking inspiration and direction) is a terrific privilege and opportunity. I hope that exhibition visitors might enjoy the same realisation as I have during my local wanderings with a sketchpad or paint-box: that the most ordinary places can also be the most mysterious. Shaun Tan, 2012

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Love Freo were recently invited to look around a couple of unusual vessels that have been knocking around the waters of Freo. It’s not often you get the chance to step on board these two: alas one thing we learned is that it’s not easy taking photos inside boats.

First up is the Brigitte Bardot: named after the screen siren because she’s a generous supporter of Sea Shepherd, they of the whale hunt scuppering fame (they don’t just fight the cause of whales, as this page explains). First impressions of this boat: small, bit cramped and didn’t feel, er, that seaworthy… which doesn’t seem to bother the crew much as they gleefully tell of dodging icebergs, aggressive Japanese ships, and presumably more than the odd whale. However, it does look like an awesome weapon from the outside.

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We’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team, baby Dane. Many, many congratulations to our wonderful photographer Izzi and her partner Brian.

Sean McKay’s first solo exhibition opened at Kidogo Arthouse on Friday and despite the cloud cover it was a lovely warm evening to be out and about down near the beach. Sean’s exhibition, like the tile suggests, features drawings of small details of the city. The exhibition continues daily until the 2nd of May 2012.

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