Origami swans to brighten Elizabeth Quay with kindness
A collection of colourful origami swans made with community spirit and kindness is brightening up Elizabeth Quay to raise awareness for WA's most vulnerable.
The City of Perth has launched a new initiative, One Thousand Swans for Telethon, which is running during the Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival until April 27.
The activity aims to put a local twist on the Japanese tradition of senbazuru — the art of folding 1000 cranes to make a wish, often for good health, happiness, and recovery.
Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said Perth City is inviting West Australians to get behind the special initiative by creating origami swans and raising money for Telethon.
'The City of Perth is hoping to surpass 1,000 swans and raise as much money as possible to support Telethon, so come down this week for a fun school holiday activity for a great cause,' he said.
'Everyone who contributes an origami swan is encouraged to make a donation to Telethon to support sick children.'
Blake Troode, 5, crafted an origami swan with her family on Tuesday. Millie Johnson, 8, with paper swans at Elizabeth Quay. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian
'It's fun to do crafts during the holidays, and it helps other kids who are sick,' she said.
It was the same for Willow Johnson, 9, who said she was making swans to help other kids.
'We can help make (kids) lives better by raising money for Telethon,' she said.
The hand-crafted origami will be displayed alongside Mamma Maali on April 27, representing Perth's collective effort to support sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children across Western Australia.
Organised origami workshops will be held during the week in Elizabeth Quay for West Aussies, however people are welcome to craft an origami swan at any point to contribute.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Laughter echoes through Geraldton as comedy roadshow delivers a night of diverse and dazzling acts
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow had the walls of Geraldton's Queens Park Theatre shaking with laughter on Thursday night, bringing an event filled with raucous belly guffaws, awkward audience interactions and a variety of comedic styles for everyone in the audience to enjoy. The evening kicked off with an engaging MC Tim Hewitt who's job it was to warm-up a slightly reserved Geraldton crowd, picking out audience members from the first few rows to bounce off. His jokes about eastern Australian culture resonated particularly well with attendees from Brisbane (there were more than you would think), eliciting hearty laughter and setting a jovial tune for the rest of the evening. The first performer Sez — a self-described 'dyslexic bisexual' — captivated the crowd from the get-go as she walked on stage armed with a guitar and a powerful voice. Her unique blend of comedy and music struck a chord with younger audience members, however, it was her story about her housemate's boyfriend and his weird, and sometimes gross, habits that had the whole audience in stitches — with many seemingly relating to her woeful tale. She had the audience singing along to her tune about online harassment with a twist, which was a standout from the evening and her ability to write, carry and perform multiple songs in a 20-minute set while also engaging with audience members was a credit to her comedic skill. Suren Jayemanne had the tough job of following what was a brilliant opening set from Sez, and he absolutely nailed it — until the end. Jayemanne introduced a humorous concept of tracking the percentage of audience laughter throughout his set, starting at around 14 per cent but aiming for a perfect score. His anecdote about council kerbside collection had the audience in stitches — not due to the joke itself, but because Geraldton does not have kerbside collection, nor yellow-top recycling bins. He expertly recovered by finishing his set, acknowledging the oversight by saying, 'I did my research about crayfish but didn't know the frequency of council rubbish would be my downfall'. With his intelligent and somewhat dry humour, Jayemanne poked fun at his Sri Lankan heritage and told a variety of dark jokes such as one about his appearance and airplanes which had the audience close to tears in the best way possible. French-British comedian Celya AB took the stage next, delivering one of the evening's standout jokes about societal perceptions of women and what they eat. Her observation that a woman eating an entire pizza would be considered a 'cool girl', whereas consuming a whole quiche alone would lead to lifelong associations with 'Lorraine' drew hearty laughter from the crowd. AB's ability to weave storytelling with dry comedy was truly a standout. To conclude the show, Japanese comedian Takashi Wakasugi took to the stage for what could only be described as the most successful set of the night. Something about his comedic take on Japanese culture and critique on Australian habits resonated deeply with all ages and had the audience applauding after each punchline. He humorously called-out Aussies who smoke casually and use an air-fryer, urging consistency with the hilarious Japanese mantra, 'be consistent, be samurai.' Wakasugi's line delivery, use of physical comedy, and stage presence truly had the audience captivated and was an excellent closing to a hilarious show with amazing international and Aussie talent. While some of the night's jokes were more tailored towards an Eastern States audience, the performers' adaptability and engaging delivery ensured that the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow was a resounding success in Geraldton.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Young talent gives ballet culture a ‘bad wrap'
The intense demands and 'toxic culture' surrounding ballet forced Charley-Marie Travia to quit the sport she loved from age 3 to 17. The Iona Presentation College graduate turned her experience into Stored Away, a series of photorealistic oil paintings of her ballet possessions covered in plastic. One of canvases, a representation of her favourite ballet dress, features as part of this year's The West Australian Pulse exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA. The 18-year-old also created eye-catching images of her trophies and pointe shoes, all wrapped in plastic to be stored away. While she dreamt of joining one of the great European or New York ballet schools, Ms Travia left the demanding sport to focus on her high school studies. Iona Presentation College graduate Charley-Marie Travia, with her artwork Stored Away at The West Australian Pulse exhibition. Credit: Danella Bevis / The West Australian 'If you want to take it seriously, you have to leave (school) at 15 and go to a different country and start a new life,' she said, 'and then your career is done by 25, at the oldest.' Now studying architecture at Curtin University, Ms Travia said the 'ballet industry is very toxic' with potentially detrimental impacts on the mental and physical health of young dancers. 'Whatever you do, it's never good enough,' she added. 'When you're in a ballet studio, you're surrounded by mirrors, so it's very hard on your body image. 'Mentally, it's a very tough sport, as well as physically.' Charley-Marie Travia and fellow Pulse artist Ben Ioannou at the Pulse exhibition opening night. Credit: Alan Chau / The West Australian Partly inspired by American collage artist Barbara Kruger's use of slogans, Stored Away features the phrase 'I was once your favourite' emblazoned on her ballet dress. Ms Travia said the Pulse artwork closed a chapter in her life. 'I can now move on to bigger and better things,' she said. Can she see herself ever dancing again? 'No, I don't,' Ms Travia laughed. 'It's a very traumatising career — I don't think I'd ever go back.' Mentored by Iona teacher Lisa Corbett, Ms Travia enjoyed the process of painting Stored Away but said she never thought her work would end up on a wall in WA's most prestigious art gallery. 'The standard in Perth, especially for Year 12 students, is crazy,' she said. The West Australian Pulse exhibition is free and runs until August 31.
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Perth families brave the wild weather to celebrate WA Day
Western Australians have enjoyed a public holiday celebrating WA Day with a number of festivals across the State. Hundreds of Perth residents flocked to Fremantle to enjoy the WA Day festival. Families got to enjoy the festivities including a performance by the Wadumbah Dance Group showing the long Indigenous history of the State. Festival goers could also enjoy a variety of other cultural performances and food stalls throughout the day at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and Bathers Beach. While spirits were high, the weather proved to have different plans. A morning of clear skies were eventually overrun by grey clouds and rain as the first storm front of the season rolled through into Perth. Milah and Zara enjoy themselves at Bathers Beach. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian Events were also held across the regions with Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton and Carnarvon all holding their own festivals. Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said the day was a great chance to celebrate the State. 'WA Day is a day to celebrate what a great state we have, proud Western Australians,' she said. A performance by the Wadumbah Dance Group. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian 'We have an incredible day, we're expecting rain, maybe that's coming this afternoon but it's a day that we celebrate all the great things about our State. 'Western Australians have always been very parochial, we we love our state, we love living in WA and we want to continue to make sure we can grow jobs and opportunities and make sure everyone gets to participate in this great state.' The Fremantle event comes a year after organisers were forced to cancel the Burswood Park event due to poor weather, instead holding a belated festival in November. The Mermaid Aquarium show at Bathers Beach. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
