TECHNICAL TOUR 1
Trees and the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer
2pm to 3.30pm, Monday 18th November
Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer will be the largest impact to the Urban Forest throughout the Perth and Peel region in modern times. The City of Perth faces a potential impact and loss of 59% of its current tree asset. Martin Weaver, Co-ordinator of Arboriculture, will lead a technical tour that will demonstrate the brief history, actions and current best practices the City is utilising to fight back and adapt to life with the beetle. Starting at the Governors Avenue entrance to Supreme Court Gardens, the walk will meander past some of the largest impacts to some of the oldest formalised planted trees in WA and end at Stirling Gardens where climbing Arborists will provide an update on numbers of beetles that have been captured within a Ficus macrophylla at the rear of Council House via trapping methodologies.
Tour will last between 1-1 ½ hours, depending on questions.
Martin Weaver, City of Perth
Martin is a passionate tree advocate and celebrating 25 years of diverse arboricultural background, which includes Local Government, Consulting, Sales and the Curator of the National Arboretum of New Zealand, Eastwoodhill. In late 2022 Martin joined the City of Perth, as their Senior Arborist, and straight into the PSHB crisis.
TECHNICAL TOUR 2
Sam Kerr Football Centre
2pm to 3.30pm, Monday 18th November
The Sam Kerr Football Centre is the first home of Football in Western Australia in over 120 years. The world-class facility, located at the Queens Park Open Space in the City of Canning, was jointly funded by the State and Australian governments, with the State contributing $34.55 million through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and the Australian Government $16.25 million.
The 16-hectare site includes two full-size elite pitches, three five-a-side playing pitches, tiered seating for approximately 700 spectators, change-room facilities, office and meeting room spaces and car parking and is co-managed by VenuesWest and Football West. Designed to meet international standards hosted training for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco. Football West manage the day-to-day running of the venue including the management of commercial sponsorships, while VenuesWest owns the asset, on behalf of the State Government, assisting Football West through the co-management agreement and overseeing the ongoing maintenance of the asset. The facility is set to elevate football in Western Australia.
Jeremy Sims, Football West
Jeremy oversees the management and delivery of event and non-event day operations at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, ensuring a high-quality customer and stakeholder experience whilst improving venue optimisation and maximising financial returns. A key aspect of his role is developing, and maintaining relationships with partners, community groups, promoters, sporting bodies, venue hires and event service providers to ensure Football West and the Sam Kerr Football Centre can deliver a world-class sporting and or hospitality experience for the user and player group. Jeremy also acts up as a Project Manager to oversee any venue improvements, amendments, and ensures the facility is maintained and well presented at all times.
Jack Anthony
Jack started his career as a apprentice at Altone Park Golf course, where it was just himself working alongside the superintendent. It was more of a restoration job for the first year as the course had been neglected before they both starting work there. After finishing the apprenticeship, he started working for a turf maintenance contractor. During that time with the company, he had many different roles, but was lucky enough to became two IC of Marangaroo golf course. Jack started work for Green By Nature mid-way through 2021, which at that time was Green Options. During this time, he has helped at numerous sites including Site Supervisor at HBF Stadium. He has been at the Sam Kerr Football Centre since mid-August last year, with it being a newly constructed site it provides an exciting challenge
TECHNICAL TOUR 3
Swan Active Midland
2pm to 3.30pm, Monday 18th November
Join Corey Bessant, Swan Active Midland Centre Manager, for an exclusive technical tour of the newly revamped Swan Active Midland. After undergoing a $30 million renovation, the centre is reopening its doors. Be among the first to experience its impressive upgrades and discuss the renovation project from conception to completion with lead professionals.
Discover a gym space that’s four times larger than the old one, with state-of-the-art equipment. See the impressive upgraded indoor pools, offering accessibility for swimmers of all abilities and experience levels. The centre has enhanced sports courts, which are perfect for basketball, netball and more. Throughout the centre, there are also general facility enhancements such as improved amenities, better lighting and modernised spaces. These factors all contribute to a more pleasant and functional environment overall.
Corey Bessant, City of Swan
Corey has worked in the leisure industry for 20 years in several positions and is currently the Implementation Manager, Leisure Services – Corporate Capital Projects at Swan Active. Swan Active has seen considerable growth over the past few years with Corey playing a key role in the refurbishments of Swan Active Beechboro and Ballajura sites, the reopening of the newly refurbished Swan Active Midland and being part of the leadership team for the future development of Swan Active Ellenbrook.
TECHNICAL TOUR 4
Booyeembara Park Mountain Bike Trails
2pm to 3.30pm, Monday 18th November
The first of its kind in WA, the Booyeembara Park Mountain Bike Trails features two trails to cater to intermediate and experienced riders, along with a pump track for beginners. Opened in May 2023, the project was made possible through funding from State Government, Lotterywest, and the City of Fremantle. Community is at the heart of this project, with the Friends of Booyeembara Park, residents, and local mountain bike groups all playing a part in bringing it to life.
The journey commenced in 2019 when the Fremantle Mountain Biking Collective approached the City of Fremantle with a proposal to develop a series of trails in the park. Formalising these unofficial tracks has not only made it safer for the community but has also provided an important contribution to the rehabilitation and revegetation of the eastern edge of the park. During the construction period, the City of Fremantle planted 157 new trees and worked with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to safely relocate wildlife such as bobtail lizards, skinks, and snakes to other parts of the park while the construction took place.
Sustainability was front of mind for the project, with recycled materials used where possible. The construction team used over 8,500 cubic metres of clean sand fill from the nearby East Fremantle Oval project and a further 1,155 cubic metres of certified clean recycled crushed concrete and building demolition material. Recycled and reclaimed bricks, timbers, and limestone boulders were also used for the landscaping, along with the lowest carbon concrete and low chemical coatings. The trails are located within Booyeembara Park at 94 Stevens Street, White Gum Valley.
Ryan Abbott, City of Fremantle
Ryan is the Manager of Parks and Landscape at the City of Fremantle. Ryan is passionate about site-responsive, innovative and sustainable landscapes that deliver high-quality public spaces to the community. He can think broadly across a range of scales, allowing him to realise the objectives of the master plan in the detail. He focuses on creating resilient, people-oriented landscapes to take advantage of our Western Australian climate. Ryan graduated from the University of Western Australia with Honours and is an AILA registered Landscape Architect.
Paul Neve, Three Chillies Design
Grown from a vision of creating a vibrant and thriving mountain bike culture, Paul Neve founded Three Chillies Design in 2002 with the creation of a series of trails to host the first mountain bike enduro events in the state, setting the tone for two decades of trailblazing innovation. Today, Paul and the Three Chillies Design team remain dedicated to pushing boundaries and crafting world-class trails. Paul and the team are specialists in design and construction of trail, pump tracks, dirt jumps, civil works and recreational infrastructure. They pride themselves on our ability to collaborate with a diverse range of clients, including government agencies, community groups, developers, and private enterprises. Pauls projects are renowned for their creative solutions, which incorporate the natural features of the site and deliver outstanding results that exceed expectations.
TECHNICAL TOUR 5
East Fremantle Community Sports Park
2pm to 3.30pm, Monday 18th November
Located in the heart of East Fremantle, EFCP is a vibrant hub where you can enjoy a wide range of facilities and events. Whether you’re looking for fitness and wellness opportunities, family-friendly activities, or a place to connect with family and friends. With over 1100m2 of training space, top-notch equipment, fitness programs, stretching zones and experienced coaches. There are various sports including lawn bowls, croquet, the West Australian Football League, a skate zone, basketball and oval grounds. Family and pet areas including a dog park, playground and playgroup for new parents. There is a café, restaurant and bar as well as function rooms available for hire.
Deb Graham, Belgravia Leisure
Debra has extensive experience at the executive and senior management level within the registered training, fitness, leisure facility management, sports management and related industries. Debra is currently the Area Manager at Belgravia Leisure. Debra has held the positions of General Manager and CEO of the Australian Institute of Fitness (WA) a registered training organisation servicing the fitness and massage industry in Western Australia (with a 12-month sabbatical during which she undertook 2 short-term management contracts with Venues West and Cycling WA).
Andrew Ng, Belgravia Leisure
Andrew is an experienced leader in Health, Fitness, Leisure & Wellness. He is currently the area Manager at Belgravia Leisure- East Fremantle Community Park.
