Single, smart, over 40 - and frustrated

Eligible: Tanya Durham, Nicki Williams and Kerryn Lambert agree that the over-40s dating scene is dismal. PICTURE: Will Russell Source: PerthNow

THEY'RE single, smart and successful, but these over-40 Perth women can't find a decent man.

East Perth hairdresser Tanya Durham, 46, says she's been on so many dud dates she's stopped trying.

And events manager Kerryn Lambert was stood up on Monday night after waiting 45 minutes at a bar for a date to show up. To make it worse, it was the eve of her 40th birthday.

Ms Durham, who has never married, said being in her mid-40s limited the range of eligible men.

"I don't mind going out with younger guys, but they want children, so that market is out, and a lot of guys over 40 are going for girls under-30, because they don't think they're 40," she said.

Part of the problem was that men didn't want independent women.

"We're looking for guys because we want to have them in our life, not because we need to have them," she said. "But there are a lot of guys who want to feel needed. And they're the guys that we won't possibly attract."

Most men who registered for online dating websites were creeps, she said.

"One guy had a 10-year-old photo of himself on his online profile. When I met up with him, he was morbidly obese," she said. Ms Lambert said online dating had given men too much choice.

"It's just one big, easy fishing pond," she said.

Public relations professional Nicki Williams, 45, said there was definitely a shortage of eligible men in their 40s and 50s in Perth.

"If you're serious about settling down with someone, you're not looking at the 35-year-olds for long-term prospects. You're looking at somebody who is more settled and has possibly been married, so they're in the same situation as you," the twice-married mother of two said.

"If you want to settle down, it needs to be with someone over 40 and there aren't that many of them out there."

Ms Williams said that though she'd love to meet someone, she didn't need a man to provide for her because she was financially stable.

"I don't want to end up old and alone, but I'm not desperate and dateless, so to speak," she said.

Debbie Rivers, who runs Dare to Date, which organises social events for singles, said it was a challenge to get men over 40 to attend her events.They were often hurt by previous relationships and unwilling to give anything a go.

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Marriage misery hits our under-25s

Young divorcee Courtney Furness at home in Yanchep. PICTURE : Ross Swanborough Source: PerthNow

A GENERATION of young adults who no longer view marriage as a lifelong commitment has produced a big rise in the number of couples under 25 filing for divorce.

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal the divorce rate for those married at 24 and under has reached the highest levels since the mid-1970s, while marriage rates for young people have continued to fall.

In the past five years, the number of men divorcing aged 24 and under increased 40 per cent, and there was nearly a 30 per cent rise for women.

Curtin University cultural studies professor Jon Stratton said young couples rushing to the altar were influenced by romantic tales of celebrities marrying spontaneously.

"Marriage has once again taken on that aura of being something really romantic that you'd like to do and is associated with a better life," he said.

"But given the complexities of life today, the difficulty of buying a house, the need to have two incomes and the way that complicates having children, getting married that young means a much greater chance the marriage will break up when those stresses come."

Social demographer Bernard Salt attributed the rise in divorces to a shift in thinking by those in their early 20s who believed "if you're unhappy, get out".

"We now have a wave of young people who are more driven by 21st century values, which are around organising your personal life to suit your circumstances at the time, whereas the 20th century notion was through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, if you were happy or unhappy, you just stuck at it," he said.

Mr Salt said the older members of Gen Y, now in their late-20s and early 30s, had delayed commitment until later in life after being affected by the high divorce rate in the 1980s through their parents or friends' parents, and were now quite stable in their relationships.

American blogger Joelle Caputa has tapped into the zeitgeist with a website and online support group for young divorcees called Trash the Dress.

"Women divorced in their 20s initially view themselves as failures because all their friends are getting married and having babies while they are starting their lives over from scratch," she told The Sunday Times.

"Once they get past the hurt and embarrassment, they reach rejuvenation. These young divorcees may just be the most motivated group of women in the world. They travel, trash their wedding dress, have divorce parties, go back to school, quit the jobs they hate and apply for new ones, go out on dates, celebrate their new lives and inspire others to follow suit."

Having divorced in her 20s, Ms Caputa is now writing a book about the experiences she and other young divorcees went through and said she discovered many women were marrying at a young age because of pressure from family members or religious groups.

"You would think that mindset would become extinct in this day and age," she said.

Relationships Australia WA branch manager Kylie Dunjey said they counselled many 20-somethings going through divorces.

"Divorce is grief and loss, and counselling can be a good place to go or there are a lot of books out there that can help people," she said.

'Happy family' dreams dashed at 21

COURTNEY Furness was married at 18, a mother at 19 and divorced by 21.

"We thought we were in love and were meant to be," the Yanchep mother said.

"It was the whole picture of a happy family, so getting married was like the icing on the cake."

But nine months into the marriage Ms Furness, who admits falling pregnant with her daughter was one of the reasons she married, separated from her husband, who was several years older than her.

She signed the divorce papers just after her 21st birthday.

"You don't realise what a person is really like until you live with them and marry them, and then it's for ever," Ms Furness said.

"That bad habit of theirs it's forever now. It's just a whole lot of work, and I thought it would get better."

Now 23, Ms Furness has gone back to university and is building a house for herself and her daughter.

"I sometimes feel like I've done everything because I've already been married and divorced," she said.

"Now my life is all about my daughter it's not about me anymore."

She said she was often judged for her decision.

"Men don't like it. Older people don't like it," she said. "I once had a doctor who said the reason I was having medical problems was because I was being punished (for being divorced)."

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Perth leads land sales across the nation

The land market in Perth is off to a strong start in 2013 with February sales volumes at their highest level since early 2006 / File

PERTH boasts the suburb which sold the most land of any area in Australia in 2012, according to figures from RP Data.

Southern first-homebuyer mecca Baldivis recorded 936 land sales last year, far outstripping land markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Tasmania.

The booming 'burb was well ahead of nearest rival Craigieburn, north of Melbourne, with 568 sales.
Piara Waters, another southern Perth suburb just past Jandakot Airport, was the fourth most active land market (433 sales), just behind The Ponds in Sydney (466).

Urban Development Institute of Australia WA division chief executive Debra Goostrey said last year was the start of the perfect storm for Perth land markets.

Ms Goostrey said tight rental markets, low interest rates and long term pent up demand had pushed first-home buyers into the market at levels not seen for years.

She said while the northern corridor was a major area for land development in Perth, the southern corridor was gaining prominence.

"In Perth's south west, land sales in 2012 increased 39 per cent on 2011 levels driven by activity in the City of Rockingham,'' she said.

"Young families are increasingly attracted to the range of affordable products available in the southern corridor with residents aged 0-4 and 25-34 the fastest growing age groups in the region, according to the latest Census figures.''

"There are three reasons for that: access to transport, affordable lots close to the beach and a slightly higher average lot size.''

Ms Goostrey said blocks in Baldivis were larger than most developments in Perth and the high levels of competition (there are more than ten land developments in the Baldivis region) had pushed average block prices below $185,000 in the second half of 2012.

She said the land market in Perth was also off to a strong start in 2013 with February sales volumes at their highest level since early 2006.
 

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Rachael finds a silver lining after darkest day

Mervyn McDonald and fiancee Rachael Sprigg-McKinnie together. PICTURES: www.talinacphotography.com Source: PerthNow

Mervyn in Afghanistan. Source: PerthNow

Mervyn McDonald and fiancee Rachael Sprigg-McKinnie together. Source: PerthNow

RACHAEL Sprigg-McKinnie was meant to wake up this morning as Mrs Rachael McDonald a blissful newly wed, embarking on her first day of marriage to the man she adored and wanted to grow old with.

The church, reception and honeymoon in Thailand had all been planned. Even starting a family had been discussed.

But Rachael, 32, wasn't a bride yesterday. And Easter Saturday wasn't the dream wedding day she had waited her whole life for.

She was surrounded by close friends, though, who kept her busy and comforted after the death of her fiance, WA soldier Mervyn McDonald, in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan last year.

The special forces soldier, who served with the 2nd Commando Regiment, was on his sixth tour of the treacherous country.

Speaking on the eve of what was meant to be her wedding day, Rachael said she would spend it "celebrating" the best 18 months of her life after Lance-Cpl McDonald swept her off her feet.

Incredibly, she said she felt like she was one of the "lucky people".

"I cry a lot, but I also know that I'm one of the lucky people," she said.

"Not everyone gets to experience love like that so I'm just thankful that I did, even if it was for only 18 months."

The pair met at a Melbourne bar when Merv introduced himself with a "terrible" pick up line.

"He came up to my girlfriend and I asked if we were sisters," Rachael said. "We just cacked ourselves laughing."

It took five months for the soldier to get a first date, but they then became inseparable.

Rachael said she nearly "stuffed up" his proposal last year when he placed a ring at the bottom of the ocean and her novice snorkelling skills weren't up to finding it.

"He kept telling me to dive down because there was something special to see," she said.

Rachael said her late fiance had incredible positive energy.

"He was such an amazing and encouraging person," she said.

"He wasn't about sitting around and feeling miserable. He was always about looking for the silver lining."

Rachael, who lives in Sydney, wants to ensure Merv's legacy along with those of the other 38 Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan is never forgotten.

With the announcement this week that the nation will pull most of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, it's a wish Merv's family shares.

"People forget about things like his death after three weeks, unless you have a direct link to it," his stepfather, Bernie Walker, said. "The pain for us is still as raw today as it was when it happened. We will never forget."

His mother, Myrna Walker, said Merv and his younger brother Percy had always wanted to join the army.

"They would sit and watch war movies for hours and hours when they were young," she said.

Merv was born in Carnarvon in 1982, but grew up in the South-West town of Australind.

"He was shy when he was little, but once you got to know him he would open up," Mrs Walker said.

"He was a clown. A very funny boy to be around."

He grew up to be a keen athlete, a "gentle giant" who won numerous football awards in Aussie rules and could have played professionally.

At the age of 17 he enlisted in the army and by the time he was 25 he had already completed four tours of East Timor. He got his first deployment to Afghanistan in early 2009. Percy followed him into the army and was sent to Iraq.

Merv was one of two special forces soldiers who died in the night-time helicopter crash.

In 2010, Merv had escorted home from Afghanistan the bodies of three close friends who died in a similar helicopter crash. The tragedy didn't jolt his resolve.

Rachael said she would always remember Merv for his huge heart, infectious smile, loyalty to family and friends and his love of the Outback.

"After 2010, I couldn't understand how he could go back," she said.

"It's a type of courage I can't explain."

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Charged Jurrah locked up for Easter

Liam Jurrah pictured during a break in his court proceedings in Alice Springs earlier this month. Picture: Justin Brierty Source: adelaidenow

TROUBLED footballer Liam Jurrah will spend the Easter weekend in custody after being charged with four counts of assault in Alice Springs.

The charges come after the footballer's arrest in Alice Springs when three women were allegedly assaulted at a 24-hour store in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Jurrah, 24, and another man, 32, were arrested.

Without naming Jurrah, Senior Sergeant Darrell Kerr from Alice Springs confirmed that two men arrested over the incident at the store had been charged on Thursday night.

He said a bail application was heard before a magistrate in an over-the-phone hearing today and was refused.

"Police opposed bail due to the seriousness of the charges," said Snr Sgt Kerr.

The news means Jurrah will be locked up over Easter until the court resumes sitting on Tuesday.

Last week he walked free from the Alice Springs Supreme Court after being acquitted of attacking his cousin with a machete.

Twice this week he has failed to appear in court in South Australia, where he faces separate charges of aggravated assault and drink driving.

Jurrah made his AFL debut in 2009 and played 36 games for Melbourne.

The club delisted him at the end of last season but he has since signed on to play for the Alice Springs South Kangaroos Football Club.

His grandmother, Cecily Granites, said she did not understand why Jurrah had ended up in custody.

"He went over to the 24-hour shop on Gap Road and bought something to eat, like a sandwich," she said.

"There was a group of (people that) saw Liam going in and when he came out there was a couple of people standing there and they started talking to him in a really angry way."

Ms Granites said she received a phone call about 4am saying Jurrah was in trouble and that he was in police custody.

Superintendent Brent Warren said police attended the incident after 3am and identified three women who allegedly had been assaulted.

"Police subsequently arrested two men, aged 24 and 32, in relation to the alleged incident," he said.

In Adelaide yesterday, Magistrate David McLeod said a warrant for Jurrah's arrest would lie on the file after he failed to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court to answer a charge of aggravated assault.

Jurrah's lawyer told the court her client had stayed in Alice Springs for his grandfather's funeral, but Mr McLeod said he wanted corroboration the funeral was taking place.

The hearing proceeded without Jurrah, but prosecutors said the charge against him was likely to be withdrawn because the alleged victim had signed a form saying she did not wish to proceed.

Defence lawyer Joanna Caracoussis told the court Jurrah's grandfather died late last year and the funeral was scheduled for last week but had been postponed.

The funeral had been planned for last Thursday - the day a jury returned its not guilty verdict in Jurrah's case of alleged assault against cousin Basil Jurrah.

The matter was adjourned to May.

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Birnie parole bid rejected

REJECTED: Catherine Birnie has again lost a bid for freedom. Source: PerthNow

SERIAL killer Catherine Birnie has again been denied parole.

The Prisoners Review Board began the review in January and the final decision was made this week by Attorney-General Michael Mischin.

"The Attorney-General has accepted a recommendation from the Prisoners Review Board that Catherine Birnie not be released on parole,'' a spokeswoman said.

Under law, Birnie's life sentence is reviewed every three years, so her next statutory review will be in 2016.

Former Attorney-General Christian Porter, who last year left state politics for a tilt at the federal arena, in March 2010 decided Birnie would not be placed on parole or put into a re-socialisation program.

WA's attorney-general in 2007, Jim McGinty, said Birnie should never be freed from jail.

Birnie and her late partner David Birnie raped, stabbed, strangled and clubbed to death four victims in their Willagee house, in Perth's southern suburbs, in 1986.

They were caught only when a fifth intended victim escaped after they abducted her at knifepoint.

The pair were handed strict-security life sentences for the murders.

David Birnie hanged himself in his protective custody Casuarina Prison cell in 2005. She wasn't allowed to attend his funeral.

A 2007 review of Birnie, who is serving her sentence at Bandyup Women's Prison on Perth's north-eastern outskirts, found she was at low risk of reoffending but her release was rejected because of the extreme nature of her crimes.

Birnie, now 62, left her husband and six children in 1985 to live with David Birnie.

She did not marry him but took his surname.

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Teen shielded sister from falling wall

Alex Jones, 19, died in the Swanton St wall collapse, and his sister, Bridget, 18, is fighting for her life. Source: Herald Sun

TWO teenage siblings with the world at their feet bore the brunt of yesterday's wall collapse tragedy.

Melbourne University student Alex Jones, 19, died and his teenage sister Bridget 18, is fighting for her life after being crushed by bricks and debris.

A third victim, a woman in her thirties, is yet to be formally identified according to police.

The Melbourne University student siblings were in the wrong place at the wrong time when a 15m section of brick wall tumbled from the former CUB brewery site in Swanston St on Thursday afternoon.

Both were, making their way in life after recently graduating from Montmorency Secondary College.

Alex was a school captain and had dreams of one day being Prime Minister.

Pesestrians rush to help people caught under the horror wall collapse. Picture: Jonathan Lian/Twitter

Four separate probes are under way into the cause of the freak accident with police, Grocon, WorkSafe and the Coroner investigating.

The families of two people who died when a brick wall collapsed in Melbourne's CBD are devastated, police say.

Detective Senior Constable Brooke Manley said police had notified the families of a 19-year-old man from Montmorency and a woman aged in her 30s, who both died in the accident on Swanston St about 3pm yesterday.

The collapse was caused by a freak gust of wind.

"It's horrendous, a tragic accident," Sen-Constable Manley said.

Flowers were laid at the scene of the tragedy this morning. Picture: Stuart Walmsley

"The families involved are devastated."

A 19-year-old woman from Montmorency remains in a critical condition after surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital .

A man who sat with the woman as she waited for paramedics said she hasn't left his thoughts since the accident.

North Melbourne resident Very Impressive, who said he changed his name by deed poll in 1992, said he rushed to help clear bricks after he heard the "almighty crash" of the wall.

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An aerial shot of the Melbourne CBD wall collapse. Picture: Fred Zhang

"She was the first thought in my head when I woke up this morning at 6.15," he said after returning to the site today.

"I took my jacket and placed it over the young lady to try and keep her warm.

"Then I knelt down in the bicycle path; I was taking her pulse on her neck and her wrist as there was a nurse above me wearing blue latex gloves. She kept asking whether or not the young lady was breathing.

"I was checking constantly to see if she was still breathing.

"She acknowledged the fact that I was still talking to her.

Emergency crews after the collapse. Picture: Mati Safi/Twitter

"We got more of the wall off them and we discovered there was a young man fallen against the young woman.

"Eventually the paramedics arrived, which seemed like forever, but I'm sure it wasn't."

The scene in Swanston St, Carlton, was described as being like a battleground as frantic passers-by scrambled to free victims.

Police are appealing for witnesses after it was revealed trams were passing at the moment the wall collapsed.

"Police believe there may have been trams passing at the time and passengers may have seen something that may be of help to the investigation," Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty said today.

Building inspectors survey the damage at the site of the collapse. Picture: Mark Dadswell

"A number of people stopped to assist at the scene, however investigators are particularly keen to speak to anyone who left the area before speaking to police.

"Investigators also believe there may have been a pedestrian that could have been injured in the incident but left the scene before police arrived."

Earlier this morning people came to pay their respects to the victims.

One mourner brought a bunch of flowers, a small brown teddy bear with a pink bow and a small chocolate.

Another stopped in front of the bricks to say a prayer.

Investigators at the scene of the wall collapse. Picture: Alex Coppel

Rosanna Romeo, 57, came to pay her respects.

"It's very sad news ... as a mother I feel for the families," she said.

"It's devastating, it could happen to anyone."

Premier Denis Napthine last night offered sympathy to the victims' families.

Police said they had tragically been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The historic wall was part of the former CUB brewery, opened in 1858, which building giant Grocon is developing into apartments.

The wall was located between Queensberry and Victoria streets.

Debris was strewn across the footpath, opposite a tram stop frequently used by students from a nearby RMIT University building.

Jonathan Lian, a university student, said: "There was a huge thunderclap. "It was really, really loud, and people were rushing about in all different directions."

He said there were about three or four people near the wall when it fell.

"One guy barely got away," he said.

Rescue workers and passersby frantically try to remove the rubble. Picture: Nick Fellingham

The brick wall had been reinforced by a wooden hoarding.

But the wall and the timber collapsed under strong winds that, according to the weather bureau's Melbourne station, peaked at 57km/h at 3pm.

CFMEU state secretary John Setka said he was among union members who helped lift a wooden hoarding off the victims.

A man and a woman were near each other, and another woman was farther away, he said.

He said the CFMEU first-aid staff helped treat the survivor until ambulance officers and firefighters arrived.

The other man and woman appeared to have died instantly, he said.

"Maybe it was just a freak gust of wind and three poor kids happened to be there," Mr Setka said.

Jim Olssen of Carlton, 83, was on a tram going down Swanston St as the wall fell.

"The gusts of wind were very strong," he said.

Swanston St resident and RMIT student Lip Hyean, 23, said: "Many students walk past this wall every day. It's a popular route."

The owner of El Pronto Cafe, Natasha Weiss, 21, was making coffee when the wall collapsed.

"I saw the wall crumble like breadcrumbs from the top down, and fall on a group of people. You could see the panic on everyone's faces by the way they were throwing bricks away," she said.

Police acting inspector Ian Lindsay said no work was going on at the building site when the wall fell.

"It's a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

"We're unable to identify the pedestrians at the moment, and we believe strong wind gusts made the wall collapse."

Dr Napthine said: "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the deceased. Our best wishes go to the woman fighting for her life. This is a terrible tragedy."

The brewery has been vacant for more than two decades.

Grocon is creating a $1 billion development of 1500 apartments in three high-rise towers and a major shopping precinct.

But two historic walls at the brewery, which closed in 1987, were protected under heritage rules and so were being incorporated into the development.

Grocon deputy chief Carolyn Viney said it would run its own investigation.

"We extend our sympathies to the families of those killed and to the person injured, and we also thank those who worked at the scene to assist in trying to rescue them," she said.

"This is a terrible tragedy for all concerned."

RMIT said in a tweet: "Our hearts go out to the victims of the wall collapse in Swanston St at the Grocon site."

The university said counselling would be offered to students if they required help.

WorkSafe was investigating the accident.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au

stephen.drill@news.com.au 

- with Stephen Drill, Jon Kaila, James Dowling, Jessica Evans and Brendan Casey

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Mandela 'in good spirits' in hospital

Catholics at a Soweto church pray for the health of 94-year-old Nelson Mandela. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

NELSON Mandela was spending a second day in hospital Friday after responding positively to treatment for a lung infection.

South African presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said there was no update on the condition of the frail 94-year-old, who was admitted to hospital just before midnight on Wednesday.

President Jacob Zuma sought to reassure South Africans that Mandela was in good hands as his doctors reported some progress in his treatment.

"The country must not panic, Madiba is fine," Mr Zuma told the BBC, referring to South Africa's first black president by his clan name. "Mandela is in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast this morning."

"The doctors advise that former president Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," Mr Zuma's office said in a short statement Thursday.

The Nobel peace laureate was conscious when he was admitted, Maharaj, who was in prison with Mandela on Robben Island, had said.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital for treatment of a lung infection. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/AFP

It is the second time this month that Mandela has been admitted to hospital, after spending a night for checkups on March 9.

That followed a nearly three-week hospital stay in December.

"In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about," Mr Zuma said.

Mandela is idolised in his home nation, where he is seen as the architect of the country's peaceful transition from a white-minority ruled police state to hope-filled democracy.

Nearly 20 years after he came to power in 1994 he remains a unifying symbol in a country still riven by racial tensions and deep inequality.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Nelson Mandela, 94, former president of South Africa, at his home in Qunu, South Africa, on August 6, 2012. Picture: Jacquelyn Martin/AFP

While Mandela the symbol bestrides South African politics, the man has long since exited the political stage and for the country's large young population he is a figure from another era.

He has not appeared in public since South Africa's football World Cup final in 2010, six years after retiring from public life.

Still, his nearly life-long struggle against apartheid resonates.

"We are deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health - he is a hero, I think, to all of us," US President Barack Obama said.

"When we think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that I think we all aspire to, the person's name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. So we wish him all the very best," Mr Obama added.

A 2011 photo  shows former South African President Nelson Mandela posing with his wife Graca Machel after casting his vote at his home in Johannesburg for the country's local elections. AFP/ SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT/ ELMOND JIYANE

"He is as strong physically as he has been in character and in leadership over so many decades. Hopefully he will come out of this latest challenge."

The name and location of the hospital where Mandela is being treated were not disclosed, to allow the medical team to focus on their work and to shield the family from the intense media interest.

"We know they are going through a difficult time and we want to ensure that their privacy is maintained," said Maharaj.

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Media abused as teens face murder charge

FAMILY ANGER: Family members, not identified for legal reasons, clash with the media after leaving Perth Children's Court where three teenagers appeared on murder charges. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

VICTIM: Mandurah man Tauri Litchfield, 28, who was bashed to death in Mandurah on St Patrick's Day this year. Source: PerthNow

THREE teenage boys charged with the bashing murder of Mandurah man Tauri Litchfield have appeared briefly in Perth Children's Court.

The boys, two aged 14 and one aged 15, were in custody and were not required to enter a plea to the murder charge. They were supported in court by family members who sat in the public gallery.

The teens were remanded in custody and will apply for bail on April 4, next Thursday, via video link.

Outside the court, some family members confronted media, yelling abuse at the media with one man spitting in the face of a television cameraman, then dropping his shorts to expose his buttocks.

The teenagers were arrested yesterday after a series of raids across the metropolitan area in connection with the 28-year-old's death in Mandurah, 80km south of Perth, on the night of St Patrick's Day, March 17.

A 15-year-old boy from Mandurah, a 14-year-old boy from Leda and a 14-year-old from Thornlie in Perth's southern suburbs, have been charged with murder.

Several other people taken into custody yesterday were released, however investigations are continuing into whether others may have been involved.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan told ABC radio it was shocking to see young kids charged over such a crime.
 
"It's always a shock to see kids involved in crimes, but I mean this is a very serious crime for a young person to be involved in, so I think we should all be very sad about that," he said."

"You have to ask all sorts of questions about their background and what led them to this type of lifestyle.

"We'll find that out in time no doubt."

Anyone with information they believe could assist this investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Callers can remain anonymous.

Mr Litchfield was found critically injured in a car park on Pinjarra Road, Mandurah on the night of St Patrick's Day with severe head injuries.

He died a short time later in hospital.

A 17-year-old girl was also found beaten, just metres away from Mr Litchfield's body.

Police believe he was at the Brighton Hotel in the hours before the attack with friends and his partner Lisa, who was the last person he spoke to.

Lisa said he had planned to walk home from the bar.

Last week, Mr Litchfield's sister Kirra said her brother had a passion for the outdoors and was like a magnet to those around him.

"My little brother, he was just such an outgoing and charming man. He had such a passion for people and the outdoors, he spent so much time outside and he had this huge enthusiasm that just kind of sprung out of him," she said.

"You can see it in his smile, you'll see it from the photo. Even when it's on a two-dimensional piece of paper, it hits you in the face.

"He was so caring and he was so loving and loved by so many people .... people have come forward and supported us .... it's just been so overwhelming."

Kirra said her brother was an avid surfer and kitesurfer - an all-round adrenalin junkie.

"It was all about the water sports and when he couldn't get in the water then he was trying to create some sort of water sport-esque thing on the land," she said.

"He was a sail-maker, he loved it. When he was a kid all he really wanted to do was get on boats and then he found a job that he could do on boats."
 

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Facebook hunt for parrot pinchers

Social media is being used to track down thieves who stole a wooden parrot from a tiki bar in Perth.

The Hula Bula Bar in the CBD has posted CCTV footage of a group who stole a wooden parrot from their tiki bar. Source: PerthNow

SOCIAL media detectives are being called on to track down thieves who stole a wooden parrot from a tiki bar in Perth.

The outraged owners of the Hula Bula Bar in Victoria Avenue have used their Facebook page to post images of the group, and video of the alleged theft.

CCTV shows four men and a woman laughing as the parrot is ripped away from a bamboo beam.

Pete Long from the Hula Bula Bar said permanent damage was done to the bar, and he wanted help in catching the offenders.

"This group spent half an hour watching out for staff so they could violently pry a wooden parrot statue off a bamboo beam in our back room. They caused permanent damage to our custom built bar and stole an irreplaceable decorative parrot.

"If you are one of these people, please return my parrot and pay for repairs, and you might get served in a Perth bar again ... maybe.''

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'We're hopeful Schapelle will get parole'

Mercedes, Meleane and Schapelle Corby. Source: Supplied

SCHAPELLE Corby's chances of getting parole have been given a boost after Indonesia's Justice Minister met her in prison today and emerged to say that only technical issues now needed to be sorted out.

Schapelle's sister Mercedes welcomed the positive news.

"We are still hopeful that Schapelle will be granted parole. It's nice that the Justice Minister met with her today and had positive news," Mercedes said.

Mercedes continues to recuperate at home after being mugged and bashed on the weekend.

She did not want to comment on her condition or the assault.

But her husband Wayan Widiartha said: "She is recovering well and better today."

The sister of Schapelle Corby has left hospital after being treated for an assault in Bali. Courtesy: Nine News

Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin visited Kerobokan prison today and went to see the jail's workshop and women's block.

After the visit Mr Syamsuddin said he had met Corby briefly and he said there was a chance for Corby to be released on parole.

"She should be here (in Bali) and someone should be able to give her a job, to support her financially. And it is technical issues that we must sort out together but I don't close that chance (for Corby to get parole)," Mr Syamsuddin said after the jail visit.

"I met with all women inmates one by one, nothing special. And I met Corby just for a second," he said.

The comments are good news for Corby's family, who are working on getting all documents necessary to lodge the parole application.

Part of the application also involves Corby's willingness to be a "justice collaborator" or to work with authorities to uncover the network behind her case.

This is problematic for Corby because she has always maintained her innocence and will never admit guilt.

On that, Mr Syamsuddin said: "To be a justice collaborator is the willingness to make a statement to co-operate with the law enforcers to uncover the case she knows."

Mercedes and her Balinese husband Wayan Widiartha have already agreed to support her financially and have her live with them in Kuta when she is released.

The Australian Government has now also provided a letter of guarantee for her. And the local Kuta commuity leaders have also supplied letters, supporting her parole application and agreeing to have Schapelle live in their community.

A loophole in new Immigration laws, which does not specify the visa type to be given to foreigners on parole, now needs to be closed in order for the application to be lodged. Authorities have suspended parole applications from foreigners until the loophole is sorted out.

Meanwhile police in Kuta say that they have yet to take a formal complaint and statement from Mercedes regarding the assault upon her early Saturday morning.

She is recuperating at home, in her husband's family compound after being released from hospital on Tuesday where she had surgery on a broken nose.

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Easter to us means a holiday

HOLY TIME: Pope Francis in St Peter's Square at the Vatican this week. Only half of adelaidenow respondents said they would celebrate the Christian meaning of Easter this weekend. Picture: AP Source: adelaidenow

MANY South Australians are critical of the commercialisation of Easter but embrace the holiday as a much-needed break from work and a time to spend with family.

An adelaidenow survey of 2308 people found more than 80 per cent of respondents believed Easter had become too commercialised, including only 6 per cent who said they were looking forward to chocolate the most.

Instead, about 40 per cent - or 920 people - said the long weekend was the most important part of Easter, ahead of 30 per cent of respondents who nominated the Christian meaning of Jesus's resurrection.

"It is a great excuse to see family and friends - celebrating and having fun with them," one person wrote.

Another wrote: "(I will be) catching up with family and getting stuff done around the house."

For most people - about 1707 respondents - this meant spending the weekend at home. Most said this was because they needed a rest at home, could not afford a holiday, did not want to deal with traffic or had work commitments.

 The majority - 1503 people - said this would result in spending no more than $200 over the long weekend.

But more than 18 per cent said they would exceed this by spending up to $500.

"I'll be catching up on paperwork - as a sole trader it's a task that needs to be done," one person wrote.

Another wrote: "I prefer to catch up with family (and) avoid the holiday crowds."

More than 90 per cent of respondents said they supported police blitzes on drivers during the long weekend.

The sample group was divided in its religious beliefs. Only half of respondents said they would be among those celebrating the Christian meaning of Easter.

Only 556 people said they would definitely attend church and about 60 per cent said they would eat meat today.

But the majority - 1350 respondents - said despite our multicultural society, it was not wrong to have public holidays to mark one religion's holy periods as it marked the nation's religious traditions.

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HIV+ Liz: Unsafe sex is never ok

HIV+ peer education Officer, Liz Walker. Picture: Dominique Menegaldo Source: PerthNow

A DECISION many young women make led to a life-changing illness for Liz Walker.

Eight years ago, she decided to have unprotected sex with her long-term boyfriend.

She did not make the decision lightly; she had been checked for sexually transmitted infections (STI), was using a contraceptive pill and was in a monogamous relationship.

She thought she was covered.

But two years later, before entering a new relationship, she had a comprehensive STI test including blood tests and  found out she was HIV-positive, with the virus most likely unknowingly transferred by her previous partner.

Ms Walker said the diagnosis was initially overwhelming.

"I was really freaking out and didn't feel I could identify with any of those groups," she said.

Ms Walker said she could not come to terms with her diagnosis for a number of years and did not start medication immediately.

Since then, Miss Walker has accepted her diagnosis to the point she is now "openly positive".

"I think young people in the community can learn a lot from my story.

"I want people to know that you do need to have protected sex and more importantly you need to have regular STI checks and engage in conversation with partners regarding sexual health."

Living with HIV means Miss Walker takes three pills each day, which keeps her viral load undetectable and improves her immune function.

Read more about Liz's journey at inmycommunity.com.au

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Gillard warns she won't back down over Gonski

Protesters and supporters of live sheep export outside Thornlie Senior High School, in Perth's south-eastern suburbs, where Prime Minister Julia Gillard is holding a community cabinet meeting. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has warned state governments to expect no compromises at next month's Council of Australian Government Meeting (COAG), saying she is determined to come away with a deal on the Gonski education reforms.

Speaking at the community cabinet meeting in Perth, Ms Gillard said the "end game'' had been reached in the debate between the federal and state governments on the proposed reforms, and she was not about to back down.

From a surprisingly welcoming audience of around 400 people, Ms Gillard was questioned on subjects as wide ranging as the Jandakot Airport to the return of the death penalty in Australia.

But it was on the debate with the states of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Gonski reforms that Ms Gillard showed her hard edge, saying she "deeply regretted'' not being able to roll out an NDIS scheme in WA later this year.

Asked about what impediments the WA Premier Colin Barnett had put in the way of the Gonski reforms, Ms Gillard renewed her attacks on state governments threatening to withdraw funding from schools.

"We are going to keep the dialogue open, but we are not going to put more money into schools only for state governments to take money out,'' she said.

"We are prepared to talk to get this done, but it can't be against a backdrop of states taking money out.

"We are in the end game of this now, and I am very determined to go to the COAG in April and come out with better deal for Australian children.''

Asked about the lack of co-operation from Mr Barnett on the NDIS, Ms Gillard said she did not believe there was "absence of will'' to support the scheme in WA.

"What we are arguing about is the governance structure - he does not want services governed remotely from Canberra and neither do I,'' she said.

Taking just 12 questions over 45 minutes, Ms Gillard also defended her position on the live export ban.

Flanked by ministers including Stephen Smith, Gary Gray, Kate Lundy and Mark Dreyfus, Ms Gillard fielded all but two of the questions, espousing her views on asylum seekers, the impact of a lower Newstart payment for single parents and the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Perth.

Communications minister Stephen Conroy confirmed the first homes to receive NBN coverage in Perth would be hooked up in June.

Ms Gillard will wrap-up her three-day tour of WA on Thursday morning.

Live export protests

Earlier, Ms Gillard slipped almost unnoticed past various protest groups waiting outside the community Cabinet meeting.

About 200 people in groups supporting and opposing live animal exports, as well as representatives of Vietnam veterans, lined the street outside the school, under the watchful eye of a heavy police presence.

But Ms Gillard's convoy was able to slide past the banner-waving protesters relatively unnoticed, despite fears of angry scenes on the PM's first trip west for more than four months.

Farmer Michael Trant, who runs the "Hadagutful'' protest campaign, said earlier he hoped to bring the farmer's plight to the notice of Ms Gillard.

"We want to make the PM aware of the problem WA farmers are facing since the new live exports regulation came in,'' he said.

"We are sick and tired of being knocked about because a few bad images get put across the media.

"We can't compete with an image of a cow getting its throat cut wrong. No-one likes that.

"Hopefully we can throw a few questions and some assurances something will happen shortly or it is not going to be pretty.''

The opposing view was put by Stop Live Exports rally organiser Katrina Love.

"We are in vehement opposition to live exports and we want to remind the PM that the majority of Australians are in favour of a phase out of live exports,'' Ms Love said.

"It is not about us versus them (the farmers) - both of us are directing our complaints to the government.''

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RBA tells homeowners to resist loans

RBA tells homeowners to save and not take on attractive home loans. Source: Supplied

HOUSEHOLDS are being urged to continue bolstering their saving and resist the attractive loans on offer from the major commercial banks by the Reserve Bank, as the economy works its way out of its historically high debt levels.

Despite financial stress and mortgage arrears falling in most parts of the country, the RBA said the household savings rate of just over 10 per cent, which is well above its 20-year average, must be maintained and debts paid down.

And the central bank's half-yearly Financial Stability Review warns investors the upward swing in global markets this year may only be temporary with the crisis in Cyprus a clear warning of the risks that still remain as the global economy works its way out of its financial hangover.

The RBA's increasingly optimistic outlook has seen JP Morgan yesterday push back its tip of another and final interest rate cut, to take the official cash rate to a record low of 2.75 per cent, from May to November.

This comes as the RBA confirms the cost of wholesale funding - the level at which banks borrow from each other - has dropped to its lowest level since the GFC began in 2008.

But instead of using this drop to lower borrowing costs for consumers, the banks have continued to strengthen their capital, funding and liquidity positions.

The Financial Stability Review also said that while ANZ accounted for a large part of the growth in Asia with its super regional strategy to generate 25-30 per cent of its business from the region by 2017 - all the big banks have increased their exposure in the past five years.

International Banking Statistics shows Australian banks assets in Asia has risen from $27 billion in 2007 to $112 billion at the end of last year.

But the report warned that while the more prudent approach of the post global financial crisis period has helped bring household debt-to-income ratio down from 153 per cent in late 2006 to 148 per cent it was still to high and paying down debt must continue to be priority.

The US rate peaked at 133 per cent during the sub-prime boom.This more cash-conscious approach has however seen household's mortgage buffer surge to over 20 months - this is scheduled repayment plus interest - in the past five years.

"Housing loan arrears rates have continued to improve across most parts of the country and other indicators of household financial stress remain low," the RBA report said.

"Nonetheless, household indebtedness and gearing remain around historically high levels. It would therefore be undesirable from a financial stability perspective if households were to exhibit less prudent behaviour than they have over the past few years.

"This increasingly conservative approach to family finances has seen the net worth of the average household rise to $721,000 - this includes property assets, superannuation and savings in the March quarter.

It is back from a low of $632,000 in mid-2008 but still below its 2007 peak of $772,000 before the crisis hit.

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Rejected refugees' perks revealed

Asylum-seekers at the Topside camp in Nauru. Picture: Clint Deidenang Source: Supplied

A PREGNANT asylum seeker deemed a security risk by ASIO was offered free domestic help and childcare while another detainee has had drooping eyelids fixed by taxpayers.

An array of non urgent medical treatment provided to detainees has been revealed including a suspected war criminal who had his impacted wisdom teeth removed at no cost to him.

Details of treatment were contained in Ombudsman's reports on long term detainees and come as the government announced the latest asylum boat detected yesterday had 147 passengers on board, the biggest arrival since October last year.

Most of the detainees who have been given everything from free glasses and orthotics to dietary counselling to combat high cholesterol, have been rejected as refugees and are exhausting appeals or have received a negative ASIO security assessment.

In August last year immigration official offered the pregnant 33-year-old, whose third son was born in January, free "domestic assistance, occasional childcare support and assistance with (her daily) routine" on the advice of an occupational therapist and a psychologist.

The woman, who had attended ante-natal appointments at Fairfield Hospital while living in residential housing in the Villawood complex, rejected the offer.

She and her two sons arrived by boat in May 2010 and were in community detention, where she married her husband in April last year, until her release was revoked in April after ASIO delivered an adverse security assessment.

A 27-year-old Tamil Tiger had his impacted wisdom teeth extracted in June at Whyalla in South Australia, two months after he complained of dental pain.

He has been in detention since arriving by boat in December 2009 and was rejected as a refugee after Department of Immigration officials found "serious reasons for considering (the man) had committed a war crime or a crime against humanity."

A Department spokesman declined to comment on the man's case.The 38-year-old with drooping eyelids overstayed a business visa before being rejected as a refugee, prompting attempts to remove him.

While he has been in detention in Sydney, the man has had three rounds of surgery between December 2009 and January 2011 to correct his eyelids.

A Department spokeswoman said surgery was never provided for "purely cosmetic reasons."

Other cases include a 35-year-old with two wives who has been treated for everything from hearing problems to reflux and insomnia since arriving by boat in 2009.

"These cases, especially that of that of a suspected war criminal will do more than test the patience of the Australian public," Opposition Immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Immigration said it had a "non delegable duty of care" to ensure the health and welfare of detainees and that care "is funded by the Australian Government."

She said treatment had to be clinically recommended by "health professionals such as GPs, dentists and medical specialists."

Meanwhile, the government is reportedly considering a plan to move families out of community detention onto bridging visas to save money in the May budget.

Families would be treated the same as single asylum seekers who receive about $440 a fortnight and some rent assistance to live in the community.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard would only say yesterday that a decision had not been taken.

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Perth husband betrayed by Chinese wife

A Perth man was betrayed by his Chinese wife who left him weeks after gaining permanent residency. Picture: AFP Source: PerthNow

A PERTH man, left betrayed and with sexually transmitted diseases, is warning others not to fall for the same tricks he did.

In April 2010, someone he now knows as the "madam" of a brothel introduced him to a Chinese woman, whom he married later that year.

On New Year's Eve in 2012, less than three weeks after she gained permanent Australian residency, she left him - with genital warts and herpes.

It was then the signs fell into place: her ready cash, her late nights "at the casino" , her two mobile phones and her "friendship" with the madam, who once lent her $2700 for one visa application.

"I obviously had feelings for the woman, and turned a blind eye to a lot of things," he said.

The man's screens for other diseases came back clear, but the HIV test result will take several weeks.

Read more about this story at inmycommunity.com.au

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Mercedes Corby bashed by five men

The sister of Schapelle Corby has left hospital after being treated for an assault in Bali. Courtesy: Nine News

• Suffered a broken nose and bleeding in one eye
• Has undergone surgery to repair damage to her nose
• She has left the Kasih Ibu hospital in Denpasar

MORE details have emerged about Schapelle Corby's sister Mercedes who was mugged and brutally assaulted by a group of men trying to rob her of her handbag in Kuta, Bali.

Mercedes told News Ltd from her hospital room in Denpasar that she was mugged for her handbag in a robbery believed to involve five people.

"It was a mugging for my handbag," Mercedes said. "I'm on the mend," she said.

Mercedes, 39, suffered a severely broken nose and bleeding in one eye when she was assaulted by the group of Indonesian men as they tried to snatch her handbag in a Kuta street.

According to Kuta police, Mercedes' husband, Wayan Widiartha, made a police report about the attack on his wife to the Kuta station on Saturday morning.

But that initial version did not contain any allegations that Mercedes had been the victim of an attempted bag snatch or robbery.

Police sources said Mr Widiartha had reported that his wife was on the way home from a birthday party at 12.30am on Saturday when she heard some people making derogatory comments about her in the  Balinese language which she understood.

Police said Mr Widiartha told them that at this time she stopped to argue with them and was punched and injured. The incident occurred in Poppies Lane 11 in Kuta, a busy sideroad off the main street of Jalan Legian.

Police said that they had not heard, except from the media, about the claims that men had tried to rob Mercedes of her handbag.

They have yet to formerly interview and take a statement from Mercedes, saying they are waiting until she is well enough.

Wayan said his wife was resting inside and he denied suggestions that the couple has split up.

Mercedes Corby and her Balinese husband Wayan Widiartha pictured at Kasih Ibu Hospital in Denpasar today.

Staff say that she arrived at the hospital suffering a broken nose.

She has since had surgery to repair her severely broken nose. Mercedes earlier today left the Kasih Ibu hospital in Denpasar, Bali's capital, where she had been staying in a private room.

Mercedes' Balinese husband Wayan Widiartha and her two children are currently at the hospital visiting her and it is believed she may be discharged today.

Mr Widiartha confirmed his wife was robbed by seven people in Kuta and that she was injured while trying to fight them off and stop them from stealing her handbag.

Mercedes Corby's text message confirming the assault.

He said the incident happened just as Mercedes was getting on her motorbike and the Indonesian men had tried to steal her handbag.

He said his wife, who had a black belt, had fought back and was then helped by a friend.

An angry Mr Widiartha said Kuta was becoming dangerous and needed to be cleaned up.

Mr Widiartha also denied rumours that he and Mercedes have split up, a move that could put Schapelle's parole bid in danger.

Mercedes Corby suffers broken nose during attack by bag snatchers on a Bali street. Courtesy of Nine News.

"We are still together. We are still in love," he told News Ltd from his central Kuta home this afternoon.

Mr Widiartha said his wife was inside their home, resting, after being discharged from hospital.

A hospital staff member earlier told news.com.au Mercedes had been initially expected to stay for up to four days.

"She is OK," she said. "We've already operated.

Mercedes Corby's husband Wayan Widiartha seen today at Kasih Ibu Hospital in Denpasar with their children.

"Some of the family (is here)."

Mercedes's mother Rosleigh Rose confirmed the incident to news.com.au, but said her daughter wanted privacy.

"She's asked for privacy at the moment. I can't say any more," she told news.com.au. "I'll just get upset. I don't want to talk about it."

Mercedes lives in a traditional Balinese compound home in central Kuta with her two children and her husband.

Mercedes has been living in central Kuta since her younger sister was arrested and jailed in 2005 for smuggling 4.2 kilograms marijuana into Bali inside a body board bag.

In recent months she has been fighting for Schapelle, 36, who has always claimed she is innocent and was set up by a smuggling ring,  to be released on parole and either allowed to live with her in Bali or return to Australia.

Sources close to the family vigorously denied reports today that Mercedes and her husband had separated, which would place Schapelle's parole bid in doubt.

Reports today claimed Mr Widiartha had not lived in the family compound in Kuta for some months and was living elsewhere.

An important part of Schapelle Corby's parole bid, under intricate Indonesian parole laws, is the promise that she could live with Mercedes and Mr Widiartha if released.

The couple would help her financially, with her "morale" and oversee her education as "a responsible citizen".

Sources said the couple have not split, but had rented a second property in Kuta because they needed more space.

Their original family compound had become too well-known and their neighbours were angry that it was the centre of attention, the sources said.

Muggings of tourists have become common in Kuta and sources close to the family said the incident had nothing to do with Schapelle.

The gang did not manage to take her handbag.

According to one Australian man who says he witnessed the event in Bali,  "she had blood all over her face and her eyes were closed". 

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Southern Cross at hoax inquest

A student of a nursing college places a candle in front of a picture depicting nurse Jacintha Saldanha, during a candle-lit vigil organized by a local politician in Bangalore, India. An inquest into the apparent suicide of Saldanha, who was duped by a hoax call from Australian DJs about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, heard she had left three notes. AP /Aijaz Rahi Source: AP

THE radio broadcaster involved in the royal hoax call that tricked a nurse days before she took her own life will be a party to her inquest amid accusations the prank contributed to her death.

Mother of two Jacintha Saldanha was found hanged in her apartment in the nurses' quarters in central London last December, three days after unwittingly putting 2Day-FM DJ's posing as royal family members through to the hospital ward where the Duchess of Cambridge was recovering from severe morning sickness.

Yesterday at the reopening of the inquest at Westminster's Coroner's Court, Southern Cross Media applied to be a party to proceedings with the media group's lawyer Maya Sikand saying the hoax may have had "perceived consequences".

Ms Sikand said her clients had apologised for the "unforeseen and totally unintended consequences" of their actions and subsequent death but she was "dancing in the dark" in terms of how their involvement will materialise and likely witnesses to be called but recognised there was great public anger at her clients for the tragedy.

She also said it could be Southern Cross could assist in recommendations for future in terms of "lessons learnt".

Their inclusion into the proceedings, which will start proper on May 2 and is set down for two days, were granted.

The 46-year-old Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza, 49 and their children Junal, 16 and 14-year-old Lisha were present in court.

Their legal representative John Cooper QC did not object to Southern Cross being party to the hearing since he said the radio station had claimed it had contacted the hospital "four or five times" to seek permission to broadcast the hoax but the hospital had been adamant that no call was received.

He said those facts were likely to be in dispute.

Mr Cooper also asked whether Ms Sikand would be representing the two DJs behind the hoax Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who posed as the Queen and Prince Charles when they rang the King Edward Hospital.

Mr Cooper also indicated he would be asking how it was Ms Saldanha came to be working effectively as a receptionist and whether that was in her contract

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox abruptly adjourned the hearing for the two lawyers and two others representing the hospital and the police service to meet immediately in her chambers for a discussion.

After proceedings continued sometime later, Dr Wilcox said there would be four witnesses including the duty nurse, whose name is suppressed, and the hospital's boss John Lofthouse.

She also indicated her hearing would not be a "court of adversity" but a court of inquiry to allow a cause of death to be recorded and not other issues.

Outside court, family spokesman Keith Vaz said the inquest would mark the beginning of the end of the case.

He said the family was still suffering from the loss of their beloved mother and wife and the weeks before the inquest would be hard, not least of all because the two children had crucial exams to prepare for.

He said last Sunday would have been Ms Saldanha's 47th birthday.

He said the family specifically wanted him to thank the police for their thorough investigation and the media for respecting their privacy in this difficult time.

The duchess' hospitalisation with acute morning sickness last December made headlines around the world with details of how husband Prince William rushed her to hospital after a weekend away with her parents when she could not stop throwing up.

The dash to King Edward VII Hospital then forced the palace to prematurely reveal the duchess was pregnant.

Jacintha Saldanha's family arrive at Westminster Coroners Court for the inquest into her death. Picture: Charles Miranda

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Freed hostage bans wife from seeing him

Australian former soldier Warren Rodwell thanks Philippine officials, friends and family for their help in his release after being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants for 15 months. Jessica Gray reports.

Miraflor Gutang wife of Warren Rodwell. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied

Australian hostage Warren Rodwell recovers after being released by militants following 15 months in captivity. Picture: AP Source: AP

THE Filipino wife of freed hostage Warren Rodwell - who claimed she had to sell her house to help pay his $94,000 ransom - has been blocked from seeing her estranged husband.

It has emerged that Miraflor Gutang, who was married to Mr Rodwell soon before he went missing, has fled her Mindanao home to seek refuge with family after Mr Rodwell reportedly denied a request to see her.

Ms Gutang, 29, could not be contacted yesterday for comment and sources reported that she was hiding out in Naga City.

The pair is believed to have fallen out before Mr Rodwell was kidnapped and the couple has not spoken to each other since Rodwell was released on Saturday.

Warren Rodwell is released in Pagadian City in the southern Philippines, 15 months after he was taken captive by rebels from the Abu Sayyaf group.

News Limited can also reveal that Filipino investigators and senior officials are looking into the possibility that the high-profile al-Qaida linked group Abu Sayyaf was not involved in Mr Rodwell's 15-month kidnapping ordeal.

Mr Rodwell, who is still recovering from emaciation, has already undergone questioning by detectives from the anti-kidnapping unit who were keen to talk with him as soon as possible about any clues he could provide.

ADFAT spokesman last night said there had been "various claims" about who was responsible for the kidnapping, which had been picked up by media outlets.

Kidnapped man Warren Rodwell has offered his heartfelt thanks to Australian and Filipino authorities.

"The kidnappers made every effort to hide their real identities ... we cannot be certain of the accuracies of these public claims (by the group responsible)," he said.

It is believed that other splinter Islamic groups or opportunistic locals could have targetted Mr Rodwell and this is being investigated by senior Filipino police led by Senior Superintendent Renato Gumban.

DFAT said it would continue to support Mr Rodwell, 54, as he recovers his strength.

They will also provide ongoing assistance for his sister Denise and brother Wayne - who helped co-ordinate and put up the ransom money.

The family of freed Australian hostage Warren Rodwell have thanked Philippine and Australian authorities.

The former Australian soldier could remain in Manila for up to two weeks depending on his health and the Philippines' famous Easter week celebrations - where major government departments and stores across the country shutdown - are also likely to cause some delay.

Sources said Mr Rodwell - who is staying at an undisclosed location - was keen to get back to Australia as soon as possible after his ordeal.

His captors had initially threatened to kill him unless a $US2 million ($1.93) ransom was paid.

Through a strategy of using Mr Rodwell's wife Miraflor as a front for negotiations, the ransom was eventually settled for $94,000 in a deal brokered by Al-Rasheed Sakalahul, the vice-governor of the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

On the weekend, Ms Gutang claimed she had to sell her home, a water filling station and a vehicle to help fund Mr Rodwell's ransom.

Australian hostage Warren Rodwell (C) who was recently released talks arrives at the Manila International Airport in Manila on March 25, 2013. Australian Warren Rodwell said on March 25 he was overwhelmed, happy and thankful at finally being free after 15 months as a hostage of Islamic militants in the southern Philippines. AFP PHOTO/NOEL CELIS Source: AFP

It is believed that Mr Rodwell's Australian based family provided the bulk of the funds.

Mr Rodwell was released by his captorsnear Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur on the weekend.

He was put in a boat in the early hours of the morning and had to paddle his own way to shore.

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Cot death: Father denies giving baby alcohol

TRAGEDY: A baby has died in Perth's south and found to have had a blood alcohol reading of 0.03 per cent. Source: PerthNow

A TWO-month old baby, who died after being found lying face down in his cot, was later discovered to have a blood alcohol reading of 0.03 per cent, an inquest into his death has heard.

The boy, named only as "Baby Shorn'', died in November 2008 after being found not breathing by his father at their home in Parmelia, in Perth's southern suburbs.

After he was rushed to the local hospital, the 46-day-old boy was given up to a dozen doses of adrenaline, and a faint pulse was detected.

However, after suffering a cardiac arrest and being transferred to Perth, he died two days later.

The tragic death took a mysterious turn when blood samples taken from him on his admission to hospital showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03 per cent.

At the opening of an inquest at Perth Coroner's Court today, West Australian deputy state coroner Evelyn Vicker was told the boy's father denied giving any alcohol to his baby.

But he did admit to drinking two cans of bourbon and cola himself before falling asleep on the couch next to the baby's portable cot.

That night was the first time he had looked after his son on his own, after his partner had earlier been admitted to hospital with complications with her caesarean scar.

Senior counsel Kate Ellson, assisting the coroner, said the inquest intended to find out what caused Baby Shorn's death, where the alcohol in his body had come from and whether it was a contributing factor in his death.

Detective Sergeant Terry Rakich, of WA's major crime squad, told the inquest the infant would have been without oxygen for up to an hour when his father brought him to the hospital.

Police searches of the house and the car raised no alarms, and a post-mortem examination found no signs of mistreatment.

But after the discovery of the significant alcohol level, police launched further inquiries - including quizzing the manufacturer of Karicare, the brand of formula Baby Shorn had drunk since birth.

Nutricia provided statements that no alcohol of any type was present in the formula, or the individual ingredients.

The boy's father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to give evidence on today, but was excused until later this week to seek legal advice and family support.

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Bus fires: fleet will stay in service

PREVIOUS FIRE: A bus was destroyed by fire in Munster. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow

PERTH'S gas-fuelled bus fleet will not be taken off the road because it would cripple public transport, despite three of the vehicles catching fire since December last year.

The Public Transport Authority is investigating a bus fire at the Welshpool depot last night which destroyed one gas bus and damaged another.

Last night's blaze involved the third gas bus to catch fire in recent weeks, with the first in December and the second in February.

A bus was destroyed in Munster in a December fire preventing investigators from examining the vehicle.

The bus that caught fire in Bentley last month forced 20 passengers to flee the vehicle but was still tact for investigators.

Each bus is worth about $500,000 and despite $1.5 million of bus now lost to the fires and Transport Workers Union drivers threatening to walk off the job because of safety fears, the vehicles will not be shut down.

"We've got about 1250 buses in the Perth fleet, the gas buses represent about 40 per cent of that," PTA spokesman David Hynes said.

"We've got about 500 gas buses, to take them off the road would absolutely cripple the bus services."

Mr Hynes said it was now a matter of the PTA "managing the fires."

"What we've done is, we've installed fire suppression equipment and then after the latest fire in February there was a number of steps put in place," he said.

"One of those was to substantially upgrade the fire suppression equipment that we have.

Each of the gas buses has tubing around the engine bay and when the temperature reaches a certain level, a fire suppression fog is dispersed through seven nozzles into the bay for 45 seconds.

After the February fire, the PTA has moved to increase the number of nozzles to 11 and the spray time to 90 seconds.

"That upgrade, and it's a fairly major upgrade, will take place on every gas bus we have and work on that actually starts this week," Mr Hynes said.

Mr Hynes said the works were originally planned to finish by June 30 but those works will now be sped up.

He also said the PTA was working closely with the drivers, contractors and union in fixing the problem.

"I can understand the drivers would be concerned, we're doing everything we can," he said.

Mercedes and the investigators are working with the PTA to find a solution, with all the planned upgrades expected to cost $1.5 million.

"We're working to stop the fires completely, but if we can't stop the fires the next best thing is to put it out immediately," Mr Hynes said.

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Car stealer 'shot over drug debt'

Damien Phillip Mathews and Hayden Shane Wayne Joseph are on trial in the Supreme Court for the murder of Jeremia Iskander, 21, who was shot in the chest at close range in December 2011. Source: Supplied

A STAND-OFF between two former friends after a $20,000 car was stolen to settle a drug debt ended in the murder of one of them, the WA Supreme Court has heard.

Damien Phillip Mathews and Hayden Shane Wayne Joseph are on trial for the murder of Jeremia Iskander, 21, who was was shot in the chest at close range on December 2, 2011.

Prosecutor Amanda Forrester said in her opening address on Monday that Mathews had fired the fatal shot, but Joseph was involved in its planning and was therefore equally culpable.

The court heard Mr Iskander had been friends with Joseph for several years but they had fallen out because Joseph owed him money.

Ms Forrester said Joseph's car was stolen on November 13 to force him to pay his debt to Mr Iskander.

She said Joseph believed Mr Iskander was driving the car and doing burnouts, "rubbing his nose" in his loss.

The court heard Joseph and Mathews confronted Mr Iskander in a driveway and the three men, as well as a woman who accompanied the accused men, had an argument.

Mr Iskander accused Joseph of wanting to fight only when other people were around and said he would rather have a "one-on-one" with Joseph, Ms Forrester said.

Instead, Mathews shot Mr Iskander in the chest and the accused men fled, she said.

An ambulance took Mr Iskander to Joondalup Health Campus, where he died.

In the lead-up to the murder and the hours after it, Joseph sent many text messages to friends, indicating in one message that he was responsible for Mr Iskander's death, Ms Forrester said.

Joseph and Mathews set fire to the car to destroy evidence and went missing for nine days until they finally turned themselves in, she said.

Police say they found four unfired bullets in the driveway that the prosecution claims came from the gun used in the killing, but no weapon has ever been found.

The defence team has not yet made its opening address.

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Boy dies as asylum boat hit by waves

Footage from Nine shows asylum seekers arriving at Christmas Island after a boat carrying 95 capsized, killing two.

A YOUNG boy was among two asylum seekers killed yesterday after a terrifying series of waves smashed a dangerously overcrowded asylum boat, with the latest tragedy coming as three more boats arrived.

Traumatised Customs staff plucked 93 survivors from waters 14NM north of Christmas Island, including a seriously ill pregnant woman, aged in her 20s, and a boy, aged six to seven.

The pair ingested water and diesel from the surface of the water and were in a serious condition with breathing difficulties.

Children and their parents who survived the tragedy arrived at Christmas Island around 2pm, three hours after the disaster.

Customs staff are caring for two traumatised officers who had boarded the overcrowded 12-15m Indonesian fishing boat moments before two waves slammed into it in swells of between 1-2.5 metres.

Rescued passengers receive medical care after a suspected asylum seeker boat carrying 95 people capsized off Christmas Island killing two. (AAP Image/Sharon Tisdale)

The vessel, carrying mostly Afghans, was the latest in a string of arrivals, including another vessel with 128 on board which was found on the weekend, with the government bracing for more boats as monsoonal conditions ease.

Last night it was revealed another three boats, carrying almost 150 people, had arrived over the previous 24 hours.

Since Saturday seven vessels have arrived, carrying more than 430 people, taking March's total to 1583.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard last night said: "I worry every time we hear that a boat is out on the water, too many people have lost their lives getting on these very dangerous boats, paying people smugglers to do so and what a dreadful tragedy this is."

A passenger on the stricken vessel had made a distress call to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre at 9.30pm Sunday night, almost six hours after it was first spotted by a Customs Dash 8 surveillance plane.

Customs vessel the Ocean Protector was sent from Christmas Island at 10.13pm Sunday and spotted the asylum boat 33NM north of Christmas Island.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said the vessel was underway and "did not appear to be in distress" and Customs staff waited until first light at 7am (11am AEST) to board.

The vessel stopped to allow Customs staff on board, making it more vulnerable to the two unexpected waves which slammed into it, swamping the hull with water, he said.

"Two officers from Customs and Border Protection Command boarded the vessel, about that time two large waves hit the vessel, the vessel rolled and a number of people entered the water," Mr Clare said.

"The two Customs and Border Protection officers were recovered and are safe. The men and women of protection command acted quickly to rescue the people from the water.

"The men and women of border protection command have experienced another tragic event, two of our men and women have been on board that vessel when it foundered, they went into the water, it is very important we provide them with support services and counselling."

Counsellors were being flown from WA.

Survivors still face being sent to Nauru or Manus Island to have refugee claims processed, Mr Clare said.

Border Protection Command Commander Rear Admiral David Johnston said the Customs officers had approached the vessel in a small rib boat, leaving the larger Ocean Protector 300m away.

He said it was safer to wait until the sun rose to attempt a boarding.

"We are confident we rescued all those we saw in the water," he said.

HMAS Maitland was patrolling the surround area yesterday but it was not expected any more asylum seekers had drowned.

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All roads lead to inner-city living

Professionals WA chief executive David Hobbs recommends investing in a unit within 4km of the CBD.   Source: News Limited

HOMEOWNERS are giving up on the great Australian dream of a big back yard and turning to inner-city apartments.

Industry experts said traffic congestion and busy work schedules meant an increasing number of West Australians saw city apartments as more convenient.

Professionals WA chief executive David Hobbs said if he had $500,000 to invest in the next 12 months he would be looking for a unit within 4km of the CBD.

"With the traffic jams on freeways and highways in and out of the city, city living is very appealing," he said.

"Low vacancy rates and a shortage of accommodation in Perth's hotels and motels give investors and company executives all the more reason to look at units close to the city. Other areas I would be looking to invest in would be Victoria Park, East Perth, Mt Lawley, Burswood and Highgate.

"The rental market continues to be stretched, with Perth's median rental rate for houses at December 2012 at $489 a week, and $436 a week for units."

Realmark director John Percudani said the popularity of inner-city living was growing as cities became "more vertical and less horizontal".

"At the moment there is a trend towards inner-city living, particularly in apartments even one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments in the Adelaide Tce and East Perth precinct," he said.

Peter Wright, of inner-city apartment specialist Real Estate 88, said the modern lifestyle suited apartment living.

"Perth has been going through a lifestyle change for the past five to 10 years," he said. "Instead of buying a quarter-acre block with a big back yard, people want easy-maintenance, lock-and-leave places.

" They want to be out socialising or doing things instead of mowing the lawns or cleaning the house."

Mr Wright said there had been a definite increase in sales in the $500,000 to $800,000 range over the past 12 months, but properties worth more than $1 million were still on the market.

Apartments were most popular with investors, downsizing baby boomers and middle-aged professional couples working in the CBD.

Supplying higher-density housing in central Perth was a key directive of the Barnett Government's Affordable

Housing Strategy 2010-2020 to keep pace with WA's growing population.

According to independent government authority Landgate, 1047 units were sold in the central metropolitan area in the past 12 months. East Perth was the best performer in the region. 

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Baby Montana a tiny Easter miracle

Joanne McAuley with baby daughter Montana Bland who was born at 25 weeks gestation.   Source: The Sunday Times

MONTANA Bland is the baby girl who made her doctors believe in the power of determination.

Even her mum Joanne McAuley was sure Easter Sunday last year would forever mark the day her tiny daughter was born and then tragically died. But Montana had other ideas.

Only two weeks after Ms McAuley found out she was pregnant in March last year, little Montana made a surprise Easter entrance into the world at only 25 weeks gestation.

Luckily, she was born at King Edward Memorial Hospital, which has world-class neo-natal equipment and specialists.

But all the equipment and expertise in the world could only do so much. Montana had to fight the rest of the battle.

On her second day of life, her fragile brain starting bleeding out. Two severe bleeds on either side of her head began leaking the 50ml of blood in her body.

Montana's doctor David Baldwin describes her survival as one of the miracles he has witnessed in a career saving premature babies.

"Sometimes it seems as if babies just really want to be here," Dr Baldwin said. "They continue to surprise us on a daily basis.

"The haemorrhages in Montana's brain meant she might not have survived or ended up with more severe neurological problems than she has, and that speaks probably to her abilities than what anyone else was able to do.

"Sometimes the parents or ourselves think the situation is very dire or hopeless and they manage to get through it.

"I think the fact she survived is more an observation of her robustness and strength than our ability to keep her alive.

"She proved she wanted to hang around."

Ms McAuley said she was as amazed at Montana's recovery as hospital staff working around the clock to save her.

"She's just a little fighter," Ms McAuley said. "There's no doubt she's meant to be here.

"When I think back on it, there were so many different things that happened that could have gone bad, but every time she got through it.

"It just makes me think she's here for a reason."

After more than five months in hospital, Montana went home with her mum and six-year-old brother Tyler.

Next Sunday, she will celebrate her first Easter and a week later, her first birthday.

Dr Baldwin urged people to donate blood to help other premature babies such as Montana, who often need several transfusions.

To support The Women and Infants Research Foundation, which undertakes research helping sick babies like Montana, go to wirf.com.au or call 93401437.

To contact the reporter: linda.cann@news.com.au 

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Voters: Gillard is lame duck leader

Julia Gillard with deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan at a press conference in Canberra, March 21, 2013.   Source: News Limited

LABOR's leadership fiasco has trashed the office of the Prime Minister, according to a majority of voters who have also declared Julia Gillard a "lame duck" leader.

In the first opinion poll to ask voters' verdict on the wreckage of Kevin Rudd's final leadership tilt, voters have warned the Prime Minister's third leadership battle victory has not legitimised her.

A majority 60 per cent agree she is a "lame duck" in the lead-up to the September 14 election and 71 per cent believe the office of the Prime Minister has been damaged.

But voters are divided over whether an early election is the answer, with support growing to 44 per cent of voters but still short of a majority.

Support for the Labor Party is unchanged at a rock bottom 32 per cent, a result that would see Ms Gillard preside over the lowest primary vote since the 1930s and lose up to 18 seats.

The exclusive Galaxy Poll has found the majority of voters 52 per cent still believe the Labor Party made the wrong decision rejecting Mr Rudd.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister is likely to announce her second major frontbench reshuffle in just seven weeks after four ministers were sacked or quit over the failed Rudd coup.

The fate of Aged Care Minister Mark Butler still hung in the balance yesterday amid suggestions some senior frontbenchers were cautioning against sacking him.

Gillard backers had been calling for Mr Butler's head with one describing him as "gutless' for not falling on his sword after he was linked to the Rudd camp, but the Prime Minister praised him as an "able minister".

"I'll deal with the ministerial reshuffle in coming days," Ms Gillard said.

Another Rudd backer, Anthony Albanese, also broke his silence over claims he was Mr Rudd's choice as deputy prime minister, acknowledging the former prime minister had been "supportive of my political contribution".

"(But) I have never asked for support as deputy. There was and is no vacancy," Mr Albanese told The Sunday Times.

"I would never run against Wayne Swan."

According to the Galaxy Poll, which included a national sample of 1005 voters and was held over Friday and yesterday, a majority of voters 55 per cent also believe Mr Rudd has been true to his word not to challenge, rather than acting as a prima donna.

In an olive branch to the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd yesterday announced he would campaign with her in Queensland if she wished to deploy his popularity to save the party from a looming electoral massacre.

But the Prime Minister's announcement of a September 14 election date may not be final if some MPs have their way.

With Opposition Leader Tony Abbott planning a no-confidence motion for May 14 that could terminate the Government and force Australians to an early poll, key independents have urged Ms Gillard to lift her game.

"I tell you what, if the Government doesn't start showing some stability and some competency I think it is going to struggle to get the numbers when that motion of no confidence does come up," independent MP Andrew Wilkie said.

Liberal frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull said the Opposition was not asking the independents to hand the Coalition power, but for an early election.

"We are not asking to be made the government," he said. "We are not asking the independents for a baton change. We're just saying let the people decide."

Likely winners from the Cabinet reshuffle are Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare, David Bradbury, Catherine King and the so-called faceless men who counted numbers of the Prime Minister, South Australia's Don Farrell and Victoria's David Feeney. Some suggested veteran Victorian MP Michael Danby may even secure a parliamentary secretary gig.

Despite the resignations of Chris Bowen, Martin Ferguson, Senator Kim Carr, and the sacking of senior minister

Simon Crean, Ms Gillard said she "absolutely" had enough talent at her disposal in deciding the make-up of her new Cabinet.

But she flatly ruled out a return to the front bench for Mr Rudd.

"Mr Rudd some time back made clear that his future is as the member for Griffith," she said. "He verified that as recently as yesterday."

samantha.maiden@news.com.au
 

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Father, sons run down at Karrinyup party

A father and his three sons were hit by a car in Karrinyup. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

A MAN and his three sons have been run down in an altercation at a party in Karrinyup last night.

Five men were asked to leave an 18th birthday party being held at a home in Draycott St at about 10pm.

As they were leaving, the group had several altercations with other party-goers.

Some of the men drove away in a gold or maroon Holden Commodore, which side-swiped another vehicle causing damage.

Another man then drove down Draycott Street in a white hatchback a short distance before doing a u-turn and stopping the vehicle.

A 44-year-old father and his three sons, aged between 19 and 24, walked towards the vehicle.

The driver then started the engine and drove towards the men, hitting two of the brothers before making contact with the father and his other son.

The four men were treated in hospital for cuts, bruises and lacerations.

Major Crash officers are investigating.

Police are asking anyone who can assist in the investigation to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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