We present here some nostalgia and the mostly good news stories that have happened in Perth, Western Australia during 2011.

Though there were a few regrets with some much loved icons being demolished, there are also many new and exciting developments taking place in the new year.

This includes plans for the future with reports on the almost complete Perth Arena, Perth’s proposed new stadium, the lowering of the railway with a new centre for the city and the futuristic riverfront developments.

Perth is the most isolated city in the World, yet it is a modern metropolis with sunny environment that has been populated by people seeking a better life, and in most case have achieved this.

Though isolated, we do get many visitors which in 2011 included the Queen and the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth, the Dalai Lama, Cirque Du Soleil, Teen queen Miley Cyrus, young Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber, Riverdance, and the musical Wicked. There was also everything from the Australia Day fireworks, ‘How Ridiculous’ amazing us with their sporting skills, a Royal BBQ and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Perth, as was the RAC Channel 7 Christmas Pageant, and Heath Ledger being honoured with the new State Theatre opening, plus much more.

• The City of Perth Australia Day Skyworks on Australia Day, 26 January 2011
• Peek inside new skyscraper City Square which gets a tiara and will contain BHP offices whilst the former WAN building will now be a four level bar and restaurant
• The Perth Entertainment Centre making way for the Perth City Link project

• Proposal to build a multi-billion-dollar theme park in Perth
• Perth’s new airport one billion dollar overhaul starts soon and will take ten years
• Perth Arena showdown as situation heads to court where BGC could face fines
• The Burswood stadium is now official with 2018 as the estimated finish time and may cost at least $700 million but we’ll lose a golf course

• Perth foreshore future with work to start early in the new year
• Riverdance returned to Perth after 14 years
• Cirque Du Soleil also returned to Perth

• Wicked the musical arrived in town, though star Burt Newton was admitted to hospital with viral pneumonia
• Perth’s Oscar winner Shaun Tan celebrated after winning the Academy Award for best animated short
• Teen queen Miley Cyrus ended her Australian concert tour at the Burswood Dome
• The Dalai Lama also appeared at the Burswood Dome, where his Perth tour was sold out

• The ‘How Ridiculous’ team continued to exhibit their extraordinary sporting skills
• Canadian pop idol Justin Bieber performed at the Burswood Dome
• The 44th Channel 7 Telethon set a record of almost $13.5 million
• The 85 year old Queen met with thousands of Western Australians for a BBQ on the Esplanade
• More crowds attended the annual RAC Channel 7 Christmas Pageant

2011 Highlights and Retrospect

WA TV History
Here’s the mostly good news stories that have happened in Perth, Western Australia during 2011.

Another year has expired as sadly have a number of fondly remembered friends and colleagues.

There have been many events, though most news reports concentrate on the tragic rather than the joyful.

So we take this opportunity to dwell on the good news which happened locally, that has been captured by the television news cameras, supplemented here by our own humble footage. Only a prominent news service has the resources to do it thoroughly, when it comes to traditionally being there, no matter where or at what time.

The intrepid news camera-persons and helicopter pilots often capture scenes that are a great challenge, taking many risks and sometimes with a fatal outcome. Meanwhile, journalists with tenacity tell the stories and enlightening us on many unfamiliar matters we otherwise have no knowledge of, or access to. Journalists aren’t necessarily educators, and sometimes they get the facts wrong, the more reason to celebrate the training institutions which impart the much valued reporting skills and encourage a high class of participant.

Much of the content here is courtesy of Channel Seven with additional insight courtesy of the ABC, who provide a valued glimpse of life in the future with convergence of all media forms edging closer.

Even with convergence and the greater availability of content from around the world, courtesy of the internet, local news reporting is likely to stay the domain of the local television stations for some time. Firstly, they have the resources and secondly they have the trained reporting staff and professional presenters. Things may change over time as citizen reporters with powerful smart-phones convey the latest happenings direct from the scene. Accuracy, balance and quality control may be sacrificed in the process, unless people become more news wary and sophisticated in its treatment. Twitter has been known to break news much before the conventional media, though ill informed comments can lead to considerable misinformation. Accurate reporting involves the participation of knowledgeable people who research the issues and check their facts, whilst avoiding defamation.

Citizen reporting may better represent public opinion once the means of reporting reaches everyone, and the audience maintains a discerning approach to content, to filter out the ridiculous and identify the genuine article. There is a lot of rubbish disseminated via the internet, but there is no compulsion to consume it.

Fortunately the young grasp new concepts and embrace them quickly, leaving the aged journal writers such as us with a challenging task to keep up so that we may convey what it means to our readers. There’s hope for us oldies if we take notice of what interests our children and grandchildren, for thats where its all happening.

Those who lived through the introduction of radio and television are slowly fading away. Only a few centenarians remember the horse and cart era, the introduction of the automobile and the aeroplane. The older folk tend to reminisce about the old days and fondly wish to relive them. Each era has its good and bad points, such as mental arithmetic before the advent of calculators. Unfortunately corporal punishment was rife in the schools back then, so there’s always some good and some bad. Medical advances are most welcome, particularly if the aged benefit by enjoying increased health and mobility. But then a longer life brings to the surface other ailments, such as dementia, which is on the increase as people survive longer.

The clever scientists are seeking cures for everything, though it may be the young who will live long enough to benefit most from it. Sadly some of the more intelligent are choosing to delay childbirth or even forgo it. Does this mean theres a risk the population may be dumbed down if the less educated and the socio-economically disadvantaged are the ones who breed like rabbits? More reason then for keeping the mentally agile elders as mentors, rather than being tossed on the scrap heap.

We need a discerning audience otherwise the program fodder we are fed will continue to be aimed at the lowest common denominator, though the greater choices being offered through new media has the potential to change everything. But will it be for the better?

Seven News Perth is broadcast live every night at 6pm, presented on weeknights by Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr with sport presented by Basil Zempilas and weather by Natalia Cooper. Weekend editions are presented regularly by Emmy Kubainski or Sally Bowrey with sport by former West Coast Eagles player Adrian Barich.

Seven Perth’s news director is Howard Gretton, and the reporting staff featured in our video include Geof Parry, Emmy Kubainski, Sally Bowrey, Reece Whitby, Blake Johnson, Ryan Daniels, Alexis Donkin, Kate Smithers and Chris Reason.

Veterans appearing in our video include Sir James Cruthers, Gary Carvolth, Audrey Long, Richard Ashton, Gordon McColl, David Hawkes, Earl Reeve, Peter Harries, Murray Jennings, John Harper-Nelson, Michael Palmer, David Ellery, John Barnett, Peter Holland, Jenny Seaton, Pixi Hale, Coralie Condon, Russell Goodrick, Brian Williams and Reg Whiteman… representing staff from Seven, the ABC, Nine and TEN.