Latest news with #TheWestAustralian
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Perth Now
Everything you need to know for best shot at seeing aurora
Perth's astronomy fans are being told to look up to the sky tonight with Perth in for its best shot at seeing an aurora since the start of the year — as long as the clouds don't ruin the show. According to Perth Observatory's Matt Woods this is the best chance to see an aurora since January 1, with recent solar flares mostly hitting south west WA during the day or during heavy cloud cover. He said the central Wheatbelt would likely be the best spot to see the aurora but areas like Mundaring Weir, Herron Point or Lake Leschenaultia were your best bets closer to Perth. To have the best chance of seeing it you need a clear view to the south, away from city lights. Using a camera with a long exposure setting will make it more likely to see the vibrant colours. 'What we're seeing is a solar storm that was released from the sun back yesterday and it's finally starting to arrive and hit the Earth,' Mr Woods said. 'It's going to probably hit later in the evening so probably early-evening onwards. 'What we're seeing is the solar particles that are coming back along the magnetic field lines to the north and south pole and interacting with the oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere and causing them to excite like a neon sign and glow.' Mr Woods said the exact timing of the Aurora could be unpredictable. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian While the predictions are pointing towards the light-show hitting on Sunday night, Mr Woods said you'll have to play a patient waiting game. 'That's the thing with auroras, they're like meteor showers, comets and also with cats, only they know what they'll do,' he said. 'It's just one of those things you've just got to get prepared and start and just have a plan on where you're going to go and just go out there. 'Even if it is cloudy just sit there and just relax and just take in the scenery, that's all you can do. If you're driving home after not being able to see it, at least you've gone out there and had just a quiet night to yourself or to the family.'
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
How a WA brewery became an icon with just $25k
In the 20 years since launching with salvaged equipment and a $25,000 credit card, Gage Roads Brewing Co. has surfed the ebbs and flows of the craft beer industry to become Australia's fourth-biggest beer group. 'Number cruncher' John Hoedemaker and his brother Bill, an award-winning brewer, started the business named after the stretch of water between Fremantle and Rottnest Island in the former Meadow Lea margarine factory in Palmyra. Rather than follow in the footsteps of pioneering Fremantle brewpubs Sail & Anchor or Little Creatures, Gage Roads opened the production facility well before its 'ultimate beach house' at Fremantle's Victoria Quay. Gage Roads is now part of Good Drinks Australia, also home to Matso's, Alby and other brands. The company delisted from the ASX in December 2024. Anthea Green, Kieran Hookway, Lavinia Collins and Chase Barrett-Brown enjoying the beers at Gage Road Freo. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian Chief strategy officer Aaron Heary said while other craft breweries focused on hops and other ingredients to impress 'bearded hipsters with tattoos', Gage Roads focused on aligning their brand with the coastal lifestyle. 'We kind of broke all the rules,' the former head brewer said. We'd like to see a Gage Roads beer in every fridge in Australia. Gage Roads' Single Fin summer ale is currently the fifth biggest selling beer by volume in WA after Great Northern, Emu Export, Carlton Dry and Corona — all owned by Japanese giants Asahi and Kirin. Gage Roads co-founder John Hoedemaker and chief strategy officer Aaron Heary. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian Mr Heary revealed Single Fin was initially called South Beach before being pulled from shelves because a major brewer had already registered the name. In addition to an epic Sunday session starring local musician Noah Dillon on the WA Day long weekend, Gage Roads will unveil new core range beer, Huey Coastal Lager, to celebrate its 20th birthday. The 3.8 per cent pure malt lager featuring the brewer's seagull mascot Huey harkens back to Gage Roads' first beer, Pure Malt Lager. Mr Hoedemaker was keen for Gage Roads, which was 25 per cent owned by Woolworths from 2009 to 2016, to become entrenched as the pre-eminent WA beer brand. 'It's important for a community to have their own brewery,' he said. Gage Roads will also continue to push into eastern states markets, especially Queensland, according to Mr Hoedemaker. 'We'd like to see a Gage Roads beer in every fridge in Australia,' he said.
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
HBF runner's heart stopped just metres from line
Paul Jolly was just metres from the finish line of the HBF Run For a Reason when his heart stopped. The 59-year-old dad collapsed during the final stretch of the 12km charity race last Sunday morning, suffering a life-threatening cardiac arrest in front of thousands of runners and stunned spectators. It was 9.07am when Mr Jolly stopped breathing. As he collapsed, several bystanders and a volunteer event doctor rushed over to him and started CPR. 'I just remember it being really hard to run, and then probably a kilometre later I just hit the deck. I don't remember anything,' Mr Jolly said in an exclusive interview. 'It felt a bit like I didn't have the oxygen to do what I wanted to do, but I didn't know it had anything to do with my heart so I just kept running.' Moments later an urgent request for medical help rang out across the loudspeakers at Gloucester Park, and 32-year-old Suchi Kalia and fellow St John WA volunteer Amy, 22, grabbed their equipment and started running. 'We had no idea what we were walking into. People in the crowd were screaming and waving at us to hurry,' Ms Kalia, one of the two responding Event Ambulance Officers said. 'So I sprinted ahead a bit because I thought 'something's not right' and as I came around the corner I saw people on him doing chest compressions.' A minute after they were dispatched the pair arrived at the scene, just 100m from the finish line, and called for backup. Paul Jolly suffered a life-threatening cardiac arrest metres from the Run For A Reason finish line. Credit: Ian Munro / The West Australian A person's chance of survival after suffering a cardiac arrest decreases by 10-12 per cent every minute they go without intervention. So for Mr Jolly, every single second he went without air mattered. Over the next couple minutes, the St John volunteers were able to use a defibrillator to shock Mr Jolly's heart and continue CPR. By 9.13am, a team of paramedics had arrived and delivered a second shock. Less than nine minutes after his heart stopped, the father-of-five regained consciousness and enough cognitive awareness to realise he wasn't supposed to be on the ground. 'He was very adamant on wanting to get up and finish the race,' Ms Kalia told The West Australian. 'He kept saying 'I'm fine, I'm OK, let me up'.' Amy said the experience was extremely 'surreal'. 'We had amazing training so we felt as prepared as you can be in that sort of situation. These two little girls wouldn't have me unless you'd restarted my heart. 'And your brain sort of goes into autopilot. You get hyperfocused on each step.' Jaimee Styles, a third volunteer who was on the other end of the radio when Mr Jolly regained conciousness, said she was incredibly proud of the team. 'To be sitting there on the phone and hearing everything happening in real time. Hearing the were able to shock, they were able to get a second shock. And then to even be able to hear him over the phone saying 'I'm, fine, I'm fine', was quite amazing,' she said. Paul Jolly with volunteer St John WA officers Amy, Suchi and Jaimee. Credit: Ian Munro / The West Australian In an emotional reunion with the three volunteers on Thursday afternoon, Mr Jolly said he was 'deeply grateful' to the women. 'These two little girls wouldn't have me unless you'd restarted my heart,' he said, gesturing to his six-month-old and seven-year-old daughters nestled on his lap. 'I'm eternally grateful to you, and to the three other people and bystanders and runners on the day all who helped save me.' The Mindarie man had been training for the 12km race and runs regularly. He's fit and healthy, and is now undergoing tests to try determine the cause of his cardiac arrest. Mr Jolly has joined the ranks of the one in 10 people who survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In WA, approximately 1300 cases are reported every year, with cardiovascular disease costing the state $1.3 billion annually. Heart Foundation general manager WA Dr Helena Viola said Mr Jolly was an 'incredibly lucky guy'. 'Every minute counts in this kind of scenario. You've got less than 10 minutes to get into action,' she said. 'The early CPR and defibrillation in this case are key.' Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in WA, with 150 West Australians hospitalised every day. Even more alarming is the rate of hospitalisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is two times that of non indigenous people. Dr Nik Stoyanov. Credit: Ian Munro / The West Australian Mr Jolly's cardiologist at Royal Perth Hospital, Dr Nik Stoyanov, said while Mr Jolly was unlucky, he was also 'very lucky he had the cardiac arrest where he did'. 'There were bystanders nearby, there was a defibrillator, there were volunteers, paramedics, a junior doctor, he was very fortunate,' he said. 'It could have been a very different scenario. And a very different outcome. 'If he was out going for a run in the community when this happened... well, only five to 10 per cent survive that.' Mr Jolly's partner Liezel Caliso said her partner had been given 'a second life'. 'We are so fortunate,' she said.
West Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Socceroos hopeful Jack Iredale eyes World Cup qualifying squad after long road from Perth to Hibernian
It has been more than a decade since Jack Iredale last stepped foot in an Australian national team camp. The Scottish-born, Perth-raised defender last donned the green and gold for the Australia under-17's back in 2012. Now, the Hibernian defender is potentially days away from fulfilling a lifelong dream of representing the Socceroos at international level. To do it in his hometown, in front of an expected 45,000 at Optus Stadium in a crucial World Cup qualifier no less, would be the cherry on top of a remarkable journey. 'It's the things dreams are made of, isn't it?' Iredale told The West Australian. 'You grow up wanting to play for your country, and if there's a possibility of playing for your country in a massive game, with a win that would send your country to the World Cup in front of all your friends and family, it would be absolutely massive.' Iredale's spot in Tony Popovic's squad for Australia's last two World Cup qualifiers is not set in stone, with the final squad to be announced on Sunday. But irrespective of his selection, the Perth RedStar (formerly ECU Joondalup) product's path to the national team's training camp in Abu Dhabi deserves to be celebrated. 'I never stopped believing: it was always the one thing that I desperately wanted in my career, to play for Australia and to get this opportunity now, I'm very grateful,' Iredale said. 'I was absolutely buzzing. First thing (when I found out) was I called home, I don't even know what time it was. They were probably asleep back home.' If selected, the 29-year-old could even play alongside his fellow Connolly Primary School alumni: Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess, whom Iredale was classmates with. 'I followed Cam's career closely, he's always been that one step ahead of me; he went over to the UK, and I went over, and then he worked his way up and got all the way to the Premier League,' Iredale said. Iredale has had to overcome a lot in his career: he is a type one diabetic, with his sugar levels keeping him on his toes and he also suffered three torn ACLs as a teenager, threatening his dreams before they even began. In 2017, he exited Perth Glory's youth set-up and spent a short stint at ECU Joondalup before moving back to the town of his birth, inking a deal with second-tier Scottish outfit Greenock Morton. 'I wouldn't have taken that chance (leaving Glory) if I did think the ship had sailed. I knew I wanted to be professional, I knew I could be and it was a matter of taking it into my own hands,' Iredale said. Iredale bounced around England and Scotland's mid-to-lower leagues , turning out for Queen's Park in Scotland, Carlisle United, Cambridge United, and Bolton Wanderers. 'You learn lessons every single day. With promotion and relegation, it's do or die. You've got no excuses, no chances to slip up,' Iredale said of his seven year-spell after leaving home. 'It teaches you game management, all that side of things and then obviously you need to be a good player to survive as well, and a good player to progress.' Iredale describes the past season at Hibernian, who finished third in the Scottish Premiership behind only Celtic and Rangers, as 'one positive thing after another.' He played 32 games, was one of four Australians at Hibs alongside Martin Boyle, Nector Triantis and Lewis Miller who won rave reviews and he even won the league's goal of the season — coming in an Edinburgh Derby against Hearts no less. 'It was a really fun season. It didn't start very well, we had the goal of European football and then found ourselves rock bottom by November, but the club stuck by the management team,' Iredale said. 'Since then, togetherness was massive. Winning games helped with the confidence, and the fans were absolutely incredible, they backed us all the way, home and away, and we shared some really positive moments with them throughout the season.'
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
WA Day: Young Aussies pen love letter to west coast as new survey shows Perth is better than OK
If Western Australia were a person, Gen Zers would be writing it love letters. From the white-sand beaches and sunsets over the ocean, to the laid-back lifestyle and small-town vibes, young Australians are smitten — and they want the rest of the country to know it. New research released ahead of WA Day on Monday has providing a glowing endorsement of the golden State's irresistible pull, finding that more than nine in 10 WA residents would convince someone to make the move west. The inaugural Kleenheat All-In On WA survey showed that while 98 per cent of Gen Zers and millennials would convince someone to relocate here, there's no shortage of love for the State among the older generation, with 94 per cent of baby boomers saying they also wouldn't hesitate to encourage loved ones to move. According to the data, almost three-quarters of baby boomer and Gen X residents consider WA beaches among the best in the world, while 90 per cent of millennials and Gen Zers agree that WA offers easy access to some of the best hiking and camping spots in the country. Ninety-one per cent of us also agree that natural landmarks including Rottnest Island, Ningaloo Reef and the Bungle Bungles make WA one of the most scenic States in Australia. 'For me, I could not fathom living anywhere else in the world,' City Beach business owner Sophie Langer told The West Australian. 'I tell my family and my friends pretty much every day how lucky I think we are to live in WA — dead set, I'm not exaggerating.' The born-and-raised Perth local said she regularly travelled to other Australian States but that none came close. 'For me it is the beaches. We've got the beast beaches in the country, one thousand per cent,' Ms Langer, the owner of City Beach coffee window Fred's, said. 'Then there's the people. I don't think the people in cities like Melbourne and Sydney are as friendly. Everyone's just wanting to go from A to B, whereas here it just feels a bit more community-vibes and everyone's willing to be friends with everyone and says hi to everyone.' The 24-year-old spends most afternoons sitting on the sand at City Beach, her favourite place on earth, watching the water. 'I love Perth so much, I never want to leave,' she said, describing the small-town charm with the perks that come with living in a major city as 'really special'. 'It is very untouched. It feels like it's our own sort of sacred place.' Speaking to the Iona Presentation College graduate would be enough to convince even the most hesitant to move west — she radiated love for WA, every word she used to talk about her beloved home State sounding less like a description and more like a love song. 'Margaret River, Yallingup, Dunsborough, the Kimberley, Broome, honestly the whole State is incredible. We are so fortunate,' she said. Her close friend Brianna Goldsworthy couldn't have agreed with the glowing review more, adding that her own love for the State centered around the healthy, active lifestyle so many West Aussies lived by. 'You can be up before 7am and by that time most people have already done their exercise, have gone for their walk, have had their coffee. Everyone sort of shares those values here,' the 24-year-old from Wembley Downs said. 'Then there's the amazing sunsets over the ocean . . . the beautiful walks, and of course the really great coffee.' Ms Goldsworthy, who is studying a masters in dietetics, also joked about how small WA felt despite it being the biggest State in the country. 'You definitely can account to bump into at least one person. It's rare if you don't see someone you know when you're out and about,' she said, laughing. 'And you can hop in your car and drive a few hours and then you're in a completely different environment, camping, wineries, beaches, forest walks.' Fifty per cent of residents like Ms Goldsworthy and Ms Langer have never even considered leaving WA, with the majority crediting the weather and climate as their biggest reason for staying. Ninety-five per cent of millennials also said WA was a great place to raise children, and more than 80 per cent of all WA residents surveyed agreed the State offered strong career opportunities, with it also being the top reason people have moved west. One of those individuals is New Zealand man Daniel Gray, who moved to Perth just over a year ago and is now in the process of trying to convince his Melbourne-based girlfriend to make the move. 'She loves the beach and lives about two hours away from one at the moment, so that's the biggest thing I say when trying to get her out her,' he said on Friday. The 24-year-old plumber moved to WA for the work opportunities and spends his time off-site surfing and camping. 'I love the lifestyle here, and everything's a bit more affordable, a bit more laid back,' Mr Gray said. 'It's really good — anyone thinking about moving here should just do it.' Kleenheat's head of natural gas and electricity Rick Newnham said the report not only showed how much WA had to offer people of every generation, 'but has highlighted an underlying sense of pride in things that are unique to our State'. Committee of Perth chief executive Paula Rogers said her heart 'bursts with pride when I heard about the recently released survey WA is better than OK which highlights our younger residents are leading the love for Perth and WA'. 'When I saw the results, I thought 'yes, yes, yes, finally some positive celebration of what we have here in Perth'.' The survey results were released in the lead-up to WA Day celebrations on Monday, when residents and visitors are expected to descend on Fremantle to show their love for the State. The Port City's free community event will showcase dragon dancers, unicorn stilt walkers and Latin music among the multicultural melting pot of entertainment that will transform Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and Bathers Beach into a long-weekend holiday hot spot. While Premier Roger Cook lauded WA's beautiful beaches and sense of community, State opposition leader Basil Zempilas praised the unique WA lifestyle. He will be spending most of his time over the long weekend at the WA Netball Championships at the Matthews' Netball Centre. 'My oldest daughter Ava is playing, and I'll be watching her compete while also spending time on the scorer's bench,' he said. 'There is something very West Australian about combining family and sport while enjoying the WA Day long weekend.'
