DOUGLAS J BURTON By Darcy Farrell It’s easy to see how Doug Burton was chosen to be a wartime flight instructor. You often hear the statement ‘he’s a born leader’. That term is sometimes used loosely. But Doug was a born leader – akin to General Peter Cosgrove. In leadership qualities Doug Burton reminds me […]


 Language of the Flowers Executive Producer Douglas Burton Writer Director Don Shepherd Narrator Vincent Price Photographed by Michael Baker Richard Malins Kipling Baker Douglas Burton Editor Alan Cox A TVW Enterprises and Shepherd Baker Studios co-production copyright 1981 WILDFLOWERS, WASPS, ORCHIDS, DOUG, JIM AND THE “LANGUAGE OF THE FLOWERS.” By Michael Baker 24/10/2014     […]

The Origins of the Whitfords Broadcasting Network by ‘Gus Slater ‘Poppa’ Frank Whitford in 1934 Photo – Stan Gervas     Thanks to scribes Stan Gervas and Harry Atkinson, coupled with the folk-lore imparted by other contemporary Whitford employees who contributed to my incubation in the broadcasting industry, we have a fairly comprehensive picture, particularly, of […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 1 of 7 Our indigenous brethren relied an oral history, for they had no written language. Yet stories from the Dreamtime can still be recalled today, at least 40 to 60 thousand years after the first native inhabitants populated the land. One wonders how much the […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 2 of 7 One very popular museum that deals with the sciences more than history is Scitech. Meanwhile Parts 3, 4 and 6 will show, that a number of museums with history themes have received a raw deal. The former Telecommunication Museum, the Fremantle Motor Museum, […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 3 of 7 Much of the central business district of Perth has been demolished. William Street has lost many of its old buildings, starting with Temple Court and the Embassy Ballroom, the Capitol Theatre and all buildings up to St Georges Terrace. Then everything on one […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 4 of 7 Since the Heritage Council of WA was established in 1990, places of cultural heritage to the State have been entered on a Registry and recognised for their value and importance. This does not mean that the system is infallible, as the ongoing battle […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 5 of 7 Saving an icon seems to be mission impossible for the powers that be, when it comes to the landmark Guildford Hotel, which continues to sit in ruins six years and counting after it was severely damaged by a suspicious fire.. The Guildford Hotel […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 6 of 7 Some decisions defy logic, particularly when an incredible and irreplaceable collection is offered to the State at a reasonable price, to be rejected, for it then to quadruple in value when it goes to auctioned with keen buyers from all over the world. […]

Lamenting the whittling away of our heritage – Part 7 of 7 On a brighter note, it is possible to keep old buildings and merge them with modern developments without totally destroying the heritage elements. Though they may not convey the past history to the fullest, they at least give token homage whilst pleasing the […]