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West Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Janet Powell obituary: Civic-minded sports fan rallied for causes
With table tennis bat in hand, Janet Powell was a fighter for points. When a different sort of battle loomed in connection with the more serene sport of lawn bowls, she was up for it. As a city councillor in Belmont, she backed the bowlers who were in danger of losing their green and clubhouse after 60 years of activity. Her appeal went wider than winning scores. 'With health and mental health more important than ever, our seniors need our support to help save their club,' she wrote in her community message. She had organised a petition and moved a council motion seeking legal opinion on the lease between Belmont's sports centre and its bowlers. Her eventual victory was sweet. As for table tennis, her friend and partner with the bat, Steve Sampson, recalls another reason for Janet to feel triumphant. 'We won our competition in the first year we played together undefeated, and entered the State championships. We tried to train hard, with regular runs, but quite often a pub would be in the way of our regime . . . that is where the training would come to a sudden halt. Janet always laughed about that. That was her fun for life attitude.' Much of Janet's contribution to the City of Belmont related to more serious matters. She was keenly across agendas, meetings and resolutions — a councillor from 2001 to 2021 and re-elected during an extraordinary election for south ward in June 2024. The city's formal statement said it was 'deeply saddened' by her death. 'Councillor Powell represented our community as a proactive and hardworking member. She was on many committees, including time as presiding member of the community vision standing committee, and member of the age-friendly and cultural diversity working groups.' She also represented the City of Belmont on the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council for 16 years and the WA Local Government Association East Metropolitan Zone for 10 years. In a more glamorous vein, she was proud to have put on finery to meet Prince Charles (now King Charles III) at a ball in Perth in 1979. The Prince was on a royal tour as the State marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Swan River Colony. Surely this brush with royalty, almost a decade after emigrating from England with her family, would have impressed former classmates in her birthplace, Stockport, just south of Manchester. Janet Houston was the only child of Enid (nee Holdsworth) and Andrew Houston. The journey to Fremantle on the cruise ship Achille Lauro was made extra memorable by their daughter's winning a table tennis tournament on board. In 1973 Janet married Mario Pietracatella, whose family were prominent in Perth's restaurant scene. Janet, as well as working with her husband, operated several small businesses over the years, including flower arranging and lingerie party planning. Civic-minded jobs in sales and management covered links with the Red Cross and Salvation Army. She had the lioness' share of looking after their daughters, Rachel and Naomi. Rachel remembers that Janet's concern for people in need in her community led to practical benefit in such ways as fostering an Aboriginal girl, Carmel, from Sister Kate's children's home in Queens Park. In the 70s this was a more courageous cultural reach than it would be today. The marriage ended in 1986. In the same year Janet married David Powell. They divorced in 2008. Her consistent kindness and compassion were among qualities treasured by family and friends. Phil Marks, an admirer of her work as well as council ally and Belmont's mayor for 12 years, also respected her bravery. 'Janet had a great belief in truth,' he says, 'doing the right thing and never taking a backward step. In 2001, with her on council for only a few months, an important vote was needed to pass a development on the corner of Great Eastern Highway and Graham Farmer Freeway. The landowners wanted to make money and didn't want it to go ahead. They rang Janet the night before the vote and 15 minutes before she went into the chamber and warned her of legal action if this passed. Janet was upset but still voted in the development. It took great courage to face down a large group of landowners.' A cancer diagnosis was a major setback, but Janet's spirits kept their shape. Sepsis, which affects the immune system, proved fatal. Janet Powell died on April 18, survived by her partner, Arthur Koulis, her two daughters, Rachel and Naomi, two grandchildren, and her mother, Enid Houston. Naomi points to her 'mum's deep reservoir of integrity'. Rachel relished being 'Mum's plus one at official events and conferences. Our lives were melded in work and play.' Landmarks also survive Belmont's tireless champion, who cherished the past as well as upheld priorities in the present. The old brickworks next to Ascot Racecourse is believed to be Australia's largest collection of beehive-style kilns. Loud voices recommended demolition. Janet, who always regretted the destruction of buildings in her home town of Stockport, was an early supporter of retaining Ascot's kilns. Protests made newspaper headlines. Janet could count the kilns, heritage-listed in 2020, as a triumph to share. Town councillor and community stalwart Born: Stockport, England Died: Subiaco, April 2025
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Seven Seas Splendor luxury cruise ship: At the helm and inside the nerve centre
The bridge is generally off limits to guests, but with special permission, the NZ Herald has infiltrated. Armellino is in his element, responsible for the safe passage today of some 1259 people - 711 passengers and 548 crew - gliding across the Mediterranean's Ionian Sea, south of Italy, the captain's home country. He's responsible, too, for a ship that is more akin to a floating art gallery (with $US6 million [NZ$9.97m] of art, including two Picassos) or a six-star luxury hotel and restaurant (with 15 categories of suites, five high-end eateries and highly personalised service). Armellino, 60, has been on the ocean since he was 18, following in the wake of his father, who was a chief engineer, including time on the Achille Lauro cruise ship. Captain Ubaldo Armellino at the bridge of the Seven Seas Splendor. He loves the sea, but didn't like the sheer heat of the engine room that his father endured - 'room' being a loose term. In those days, engineers worked at a desk beside the machines they pampered. Armellino knew he'd enjoy a cooler deck role. 'I respect the sea,' says Armellino. 'I speak with the ship. The officers here all know me, but when a new officer comes on board, they see me talking with the bow, looking at the bow of the ship. They say, 'The captain is crazy'. 'But I have a very good feeling because I speak with the ship. I have to treat it well because it's my home - this is our home.' Armellino has been with Regent Seven Seas Cruises - and its predecessor company, Radisson - for 26 years, starting as a second officer and has a particular focus on the safety and security of all on board. Today, the Splendor is slicing through a flat springtime ocean. There were no issues at all in the five nights we were on board as we moved between Italy, Turkey and Greece. Armellino has a special respect for the Tasman Sea - he's brought several of the Regent ships to New Zealand in the past quarter century. Everything on board is safely bolted in place - including high security for the aforementioned art, including the Picassos, one of which sits above reception in the Prime 7 restaurant. Armellino loves the personalised service of a cruise ship. Generally, he'll try to spend two to three hours each morning walking the decks, speaking with passengers one-on-one. 'I've met thousands and thousands and thousands of people,' he says, although he becomes a little evasive when asked about any famous names. 'Our guests are very, very happy, always happy. I think about what we offer - and of course, what they pay - but what we offer.' He says meeting his guests is the most interesting part of his role. 'I'm not tired because I start from the point that life is a continuous learning process. 'I say to my officers when I have a meeting with them, 'Guys, don't think that you have reached something. I'm a captain. I'm still learning'. 'My goal is to learn [about] human beings, how they think. My wife sometimes makes a joke with me and says, 'You were supposed to be a psychologist'.' He has me thinking about the people I've met over the course of the five days, generally poolside and often with a cocktail or a drink in hand. A bird's eye view of the pool and exterior decks of the Seven Seas Splendor. Thirty-year-old Dakota, originally from Florida, now lives in Texas (Austin, to be precise). She's with her parents from Seattle – they've shouted her a luxury cruise to celebrate her milestone birthday. Another woman and her husband, also poolside, are seasoned cruise-ship travellers. We chat about New Zealand, their love of equestrian in the UK, and a shocking tragedy: their daughter was killed in the UK some years ago. Whether it's a case of celebrating, bringing families and friends together, or remembering loved ones, a cruise has a unique ability to take the stress out of travel. Unpack once and ease back – someone else is driving, someone else is pouring the drink. Get off the boat if you want at myriad stops - don't worry if you don't want to. Armellino says he's seen the world for free, and now he tries to view it through a different lens and always stays curious. He used to go ashore all the time when he was a younger officer, but for a couple of years, as he got older, he started to stay on board more. 'And then my wife suggested to me that you do it in a different way. You buy a good camera. 'So now I go around, I take a picture. That can be another way of how to visit. I love it. I go out even if I've been, let's say, to Barcelona 100 times. I try to discover places where I've never been. 'But I've reached the point that I have more than 20,000 pictures and no one wants to see my pictures.' Before I can blurt out the obvious question, Armellino takes command. 'I'm sure that you would like to know which country is the most beautiful? 'I love French Polynesia because there I feel free again. There is this freedom over there. Everything is still wild. Tahiti and Bora Bora. Bora Bora is one of my preferred places.' Bora Bora's coral maze and shark encounters redefine island adventures. Photo / Supplied He spends 10 weeks on the ship, and then 10 weeks at home. He's not permanently attached to the Seven Seas Splendor - he can be rostered onto any one of Regent's six ships (the other five are the Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Grandeur, Seven Seas Mariner, Seven Seas Navigator, and Seven Seas Voyager). His wife encouraged him to be a cruise ship officer from the start. 'She said that when you work on the cargo ship, you become like a bear. Working on a cruise ship, you would be more human. She was right many years ago.' Home for the couple and their four children is Castel Gandolfo, located in the Castelli Romani region, about 20 minutes from Rome. 'There's a switch. At home, you focus on your family. On the ship, it's the safety and security of the crew and guests, and being as professional as possible. 'On the ship, I am a captain. At home - this is what I said to my wife - I am the second in command.' Details Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie was a guest of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, sailing on Seven Seas Splendor from Salerno, Italy, to Athens Greece. For more information on Revent Seven Seas Cruises, visit FACT BOX Name: Seven Seas Splendor Launched: February 2020 Guest capacity: 746 Crew: 548 Suites: 373, all with balconies Dinner restaurants: 5 Artwork value: $US6 million (NZ$9.97m) Length: 224m Athens to Istanbul Ship: Seven Seas Splendor Departs: May 15, 2026, from Athens (Piraeus) 7 nights Up to 42 shore excursions included Visits: Athens, Santorini, Heraklion Mykonos in Greece. Plus Istanbul, Turkey. Deluxe Veranda Suite G2 from $NZ10,610.00 per person
Local Italy
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Local Italy
Music, parades and picnics: How Italy celebrates Labour Day on May 1st
A public holiday Labour Day has been recognised as a public holiday in Italy since shortly after the fall of Fascism in the mid-1940s – more on that below. The fact that Labour Day falls on a Thursday this year means many Italians will take the opportunity to fare il ponte and give themselves a long weekend break by taking the Friday off as well. Parades and protests For many in Italy, Labour Day isn't just a day off work but also a day of action, with unions and other organisations organising rallies and marches to campaign for workers' rights and other social issues. Most Italian towns and cities hold some kind of march or parade, with trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL focusing on worker safety and job security this year. USI-CIT has called an all-day strike that may effect the healthcare and education sectors - though since May 1st is a public holiday anyway in Italy, it's unlikely to cause much additional disruption. A tradition borrowed from the US Though May 1st is Italy's Labour Day (as it is for a long list of other countries, including France, Spain and Germany), this day of action actually has its origins in a huge strike in Chicago in 1886. On May 1st, 35,000 workers walked out of their jobs, joined by tens of thousands more in the next couple days, leading a national movement for an eight-hour work day. The idea of introducing an international workers' day made its way to Europe, and Labour Day was first celebrated in Italy in 1891 – but the holiday was suppressed under Fascism, and only became an official public holiday again in 1946. Music concerts Some Italian cities celebrate May 1st with live open-air music concerts. The biggest of these is the C oncertone or 'big concert' held every May 1st in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni in Luterano (though last year it briefly relocated to the Circo Massimo venue). The event – the largest free live music concert in Europe – features performances from some of Italy's most popular singers. This year's lineup is set to feature Achille Lauro, Elodie, Ghali and Giorgia, among some 50 performers. The city of Taranto, in the southern Italian region of Puglia, hosts the free concert Uno Maggio Taranto, featuring musical acts interspersed with speeches from guests and activists. When the weather is sunny, public holidays in Italy are often observed with a gita fuori porta, or 'trip outside the city gates', and Labour Day is no exception. Italians living in towns and cities take advantage of the day off to take a day trip somewhere in nature, be that the seaside, countryside or the mountains. It might involve a stroll or even a short hike, but food is always key, whether it's lunch at a trattoria or a barbecue at a picnic spot. Classic dishes As is always the case on Italian holidays, food comes front and centre, and different parts of the country have their own favourite May Day dishes. In Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio, green fava beans are eaten raw, straight from the pod, along with pecorino cheese and usually some locally produced vino sfuso (cask wine) – a tradition that dates back to ancient Roman times. In the mountainous central Italian region of Abruzzo, virtù teramane, a thick stew made using leftover legumes, pasta and fresh vegetables is widely consumed. And on the island of Sardinia, pilgrims make their way to the shrine of San Francesco di Lula, in the Nuoro province, where they're served s u filindeu or 'God's threads' soup – a kind of minestrone made with very fine strands of pasta in a mutton broth. Calendimaggio and the 'Songs of May' Italy's May folk traditions and spring rites celebrating renewal and rebirth, known as Calendimaggio, date back to the ancient pagan festival of Floralia, in honour of Flora – the Roman goddess of flowers and fertility. In the Middle Ages, young men would go into the woods on the night of April 30th and pick flowering branches to place outside the doors of young girls as a courtship ritual. Towns and villages would celebrate with music, parades, games and banquets. Maggianti or maggerini singers would go door to door playing instruments and singing folk songs about spring, receiving meats, sweets and wine in return. Today, towns in parts of central and northern Italy - in particular, mountain villages around the Tuscan city of Pistoia - continue the tradition of Cantamaggio folk singing. Terni, in the central region of Umbria, stages a Carnival-style float parade on the evening of April 30th, while Assisi, also in Umbria, puts on a whole month of Calendimaggio celebrations.
