Latest news with #Kalgoorlie
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Man charged after allegedly leading police on chase through streets of Kalgoorlie
Police in Western Australia's Goldfields have charged two people following a string of incidents, including a man behind the wheel of an ATV allegedly attempting to ram police cars several times. The incident allegedly began early on Monday, when a 19-year-old woman was stopped by police for allegedly recklessly driving a stolen Toyota LandCruiser through bushland in the northern suburbs of Kalgoorlie, 600km east of Perth. A WA Police spokesperson said that during the woman's arrest, a 29-year-old man driving a Polaris all-terrain vehicle was also directed to stop. Police allege he drove directly at the officer arresting the woman, with both officers jumping out of the way. Police located the ATV a short time later in a laneway in West Lamington, where the 29-year-old allegedly drove it directly at a police car. The ATV rolled, causing significant damage to the police vehicle, but the two officers inside managed to apprehend the man. Police allege the man had methamphetamine in his possession, while a subsequent search of a nearby property uncovered mercury, a stolen trailer and bobcat, and a paintball gun. The West Lamington man has been charged with 12 offences, including assaulting police, driving to escape pursuit by police, possession of a dangerous poison, and unlawful possession of a paintball gun. The 29-year-old man and 19-year-old woman are due to face Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court in June. Police are continuing to look for a trailer with a small crane that was initially sighted being towed on the LandCruiser. The trailer has WA registration KBC 962W, and anyone with any information is urged to contact police. Goldfields-Esperance Acting Inspector Shayne Knox said incidents such as this could have lasting effects on the community. "We will not tolerate this level of reckless behaviour that puts lives at risk and could cause catastrophic outcomes for members of the public and public officers," he said. "The circumstances of these arrests strongly demonstrate the commitment of Kalgoorlie police to relentlessly hunt down and arrest individuals impacting our community."
ABC News
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- ABC News
Compared to my village, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all
You might think I live in the middle of nowhere, but to me, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all. It's easy to get around. It only takes six-and-a-half hours to drive to Perth, and four hours to get to the beach. In Papua New Guinea, the roads are a disaster. Our car would constantly get stuck in the mud, and a trip to a nearby village could take a day or two. Travelling by small plane is quicker, but scary. The pilots fly at low altitudes, right above the misty mountains and forests. But I love flying. I always have. I'd watch the pilot and try to figure out how the equipment worked. When my parents said we were moving to Australia, I thought of the flight over the ocean. I was so excited to board the plane. It was huge! It felt like stepping into a big house. There was food on board, toilets, videos, and even the internet. Working the screen on the back of the chair in front of me was fun, but challenging, because I'd never used a computer before. In my first week at school, I was given a laptop. I felt anxious. They assumed I knew how to use it, but I had never been taught. I'm still slow at typing, but my teacher compliments me on my neat handwriting. English is my second language, so I concentrate on each individual letter, and the shape my pen makes. I try to block out the noise from the students at the back of the class when I write. In PNG, everyone is scared of the teachers, but students here are fearless. I always work hard, even if it takes me a while to understand. Sometimes, I wonder how long it will take me to catch up to the other students, or whether I'll always feel behind. But I'll never waste an opportunity to learn. I need to improve my English so I can study aviation and aerospace design one day. Right now, speaking English in front of an audience makes me feel shaky, like turbulence on a small plane. But I know that with more practice, I can soar.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Carjacking teen, 15, who dumped baby and toddler on the side of the road in 40C heat learns his fate
A teenager who stole two cars, both with young children inside, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison over the horror carjackings. The 15-year-old boy from Kalgoorlie-Boulder stole a Kia Sorento from a driveway in West Kalgoorlie in WA's Eastern Goldfields in January. He was under the influence of methamphetamine when he stole the car, a Perth Children's Court has heard. After the teen discovered that a one-year-old and a 10-month old baby were inside the Sorento, he dumped them on the side of the road. The two young children were left for 10 minutes in the 40C heat, until they were discovered by a member of the public. CCTV vision captured from a neighbouring house showed the toddler appearing distressed while the baby lay face down on the hot pavement. The children's screams could be heard in the footage. Moments later, the teen crashed the stolen SUV and fled to a nearby recycling depot, where he hijacked a second car. The mother (pictured) was seen screaming out for her nine-year-old son in the passenger seat This time, a nine-year-old boy was sitting in the front passenger seat. Once again, a mother tried to stop the man from taking her car. The court heard she was 'holding on for dear life' to the car door but was dragged along a gravel road and sustained injuries that required stitches. 'I didn't want to let go of the door handle' she told 9News. The teen then sped off down a bush track. The nine-year-old child, who had been warned by his mother about kidnappers, jumped out of the moving car after three minutes. 'The child feared for his life,' the court was told. The teenager was arrested and charged with a raft of offences, including deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery causing bodily harm, and driving-related charges. Acting Children's Court President Mara Barone said the teen's conduct was 'serious and aggravated but acknowledged he had expressed regret over his actions. He was already under a youth supervision order for previous burglary offences. 'There is no doubt that you understand the seriousness of your offending,' Judge Barone told him. 'You have expressed genuine remorse, and I accept that.' The court heard the teen had endured 'significant and prolonged' exposure to drugs, having first used methamphetamine at age seven. He has been held at Unit 18 within the adult Casuarina Prison since April, which the judge described as 'a more intense regime' than the Banksia Hill Detention Centre. The boy's family had not visited him during his time in custody. His behavior in detention was said to have improved markedly. The teen reportedly told the court that his incarceration had been a 'wake-up call,' with no desire to return to substance abuse. Judge Barone determined that a custodial sentence was the only appropriate response. 'An immediate term of imprisonment is necessary,' she ruled. The teenager will be eligible to apply for parole after serving seven months.
ABC News
7 days ago
- ABC News
Kalgoorlie teen jailed after stealing cars with children in them
A Kalgoorlie-Boulder teenager who stole two cars with children inside as their mothers tried desperately to stop him has been sentenced to 15 months behind bars. The 15-year-old, who cannot be named, stole a Kia Sorento station wagon from a West Kalgoorlie driveway in January this year while under the influence of methamphetamine. A one-year-old and a 10-month-old baby were inside the car, and the teen dumped them beside a road within minutes after discovering them in the back seat, the Perth Children's Court was told. The pair were left in 40 degree Celsius heat for about 10 minutes before they were found by a member of the public. CCTV vision captured from a neighbouring house showed the toddler appeared distressed, and the baby lay face down on the hot pavement. The children's mother was injured trying to prevent them from being taken. The teenager then crashed the car and fled as witnesses attempted to stop him. At a recycling depot, he jumped into another car, which had a nine-year-old boy in the front passenger seat. Again the boy's mother tried to stop the teen, with the court hearing she was "holding on for dear life" to the door handle. She was dragged along the gravel road for about 10 metres, and needed stitches for her injuries. The car sped off down a bush track and the nine-year-old jumped out of the moving vehicle after about three minutes. The court heard the child feared for his life, as his mother had previously warned him of kidnappers. The teenage driver was subsequently charged with deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery causing bodily harm and a number of other driving offences. He wore a grey tracksuit when he faced the Perth Children's Court, which was told he had been in custody for four months, the longest he had spent on remand. He was described as "intelligent" and "respectful", with his behaviour in custody noted to have improved. The court heard "significant and prolonged" drug use likely contributed to his behaviour on the day of the carjackings, with the teen first exposed to drugs at the age of seven. The court was told his time in custody had been "a wake-up call" and he had no interest in returning to his substance use when released from custody. He has been at Unit 18 at the adult Casuarina Prison facility since April, which the court heard was a "more intense regime" than Banksia Hill Detention Centre. His Goldfields-based family had not visited him while in custody, the court heard. Acting Children's Court President Mara Barone told the teenager she accepted he had expressed genuine remorse for his actions, and understood the seriousness of his Barone said the offending was aggravated as the teenager was already subject to a youth supervision order over separate burglary said an immediate term of imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence for the must serve seven months before he is eligible to apply for parole.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Outrage over British YouTuber's shocking comment to Aboriginal man during on the street interview
A West Australian mayor has hit out at a British YouTuber over the portrayal of his city's First Nations community and a heartbreaking interview with an Indigenous man. YouTuber @WendallExplores visited the state's mining capital, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, around 600 kilometres northeast of Perth. In a 26-minute video titled Drunk In Australia's Roughest Outback Town, Wendall explored the city and interacted with several locals, including an Indigenous man called Jeff. The video's description reads: 'Known as a wild place where miners risk it all to make their fortune in the goldfields of the area, it is also a place where the streets are unpredictable and wild. 'Aboriginal communities make the long trip from faraway remote places to visit the town to access vital services, crime and homelessness is rife and scantily clad ladies serve cold pints. 'I met the locals and visitors and enjoyed a few cold ones myself.' Speaking to Jeff, Wendall asked: 'What's Kalgoorlie like? People say it's a wild town, a dangerous town. Is that true?' Jeff agreed that it could be 'rough at night' before revealing he had been an alcoholic since he was 18. 'How do you spend your days?' Wendall asked 'Sometimes I have a quiet day, sometimes just too much on the drink … There's nothing much to do round (sic) here. Only thing is just that,' Jeff said. In the tragic exchange, the Indigenous man revealed he had been sleeping on the streets 'for two years'. 'You've got to try and drink less, mate,' Wendall said. 'I know it's hard … Are you drunk already today?' 'I'll be going soon,' Jeff said The city has an Indigenous population of about 4,397 and 29,109 non-Indigenous residents. Glenn Wilson, who has been Mayor of Kalgoorlie-Boulder since October 2023, has criticised the depiction of his city. 'We do not condone the way footage of our First Nations community was captured and presented,' he told He said any stories involving Indigenous Australians needed to be 'approached with cultural sensitivity, respect, and in consultation with the community'. Wilson argued that sharing moments with individuals 'experiencing hardship' without 'the right cultural awareness risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes'. He said the video failed to help viewers understand the real challenges the Indigenous community face and the work being done in his city to address these challenges. Wendall, who had previously visited Kalgoorlie on a few occasions, said he always wants to learn from the stories of those he speaks to. He said he wanted to understand the town better and enjoyed his conversation with Jeff, who he described as a 'very sweet and calm man'. According to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in every Australian jurisdiction except for the Northern Territory, the proportion of First Nations people who drank more than 10 alcoholic standard drinks per week, or more than four standard drinks in a single day at least once a month declined from 48 per cent in 2010 to 33 per cent in 2023. The gap in the disease burden between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians decreased between 2003 and 2018. A range of factors is responsible for the gap including disconnection to culture, traditions and country, social exclusion, discrimination and isolation, trauma, poverty, and lack of adequate access to services. Alcohol use was the second largest contributor to the total disease burden in 2018. In April 2025, the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder released a report addressing transitional Aboriginal homelessness and anti-social behaviour across regional Australia. The six-month research project involved over 30 stakeholders across Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory, and features case studies from communities including Broome, Ceduna, Alice Springs, Darwin, and Kununurra. The report found 'culturally informed, locally driven solutions are key to achieving real and lasting change'.
