Archives of News Stories

Late 2006

CHAMPION LAKES WHITE WATER PARK
PROGRESS REPORT August 2006

The Armadale Redevelopment Authority has advertised for registrations of interest to develop a white water park at Champion Lakes. They offered a 17 hectare site which will incorporate the white water park with grades 2 and 3 level white water in one or two channels. The remaining land will be available for other complementary use including short term accommodation, conference, dining and refreshment facilities.

They received several registrations of interest and have commenced discussions with these proponents. They have also commissioned a major feasibility study to assist the integration of the range of proposals with other commercial opportunities that have been proposed. This report should be completed by the end of September.

Then it is about another 3 to 4 months before a final decision is made.

Enquiries:
Colin Thorpe
Director, Canoeing WA
08 9386 6842 Email

CALL FOR REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST FOR A WHITE WATER PARK AT CHAMPION LAKES

The Armadale Redevelopment Authority has called for registrations from the private sector to develop a White Water Park at the new Champion Lakes sporting complex near Armadale. They have appointed Colliers International to market the request for registrations of interest. A national and international marketing campaign will be conducted.

Click here to view the promotional brochure (2.8MB).

If you know of companies that might be interested please get them to contact Terry Hutchings of Colliers International in Perth on 61 8 9261 6666 or terry.hutchings@colliers.com

Concern over the loss of rivers for sport and recreation as a result of dam construction. There is growing community concern over the number of rivers lost for community sporting and recreational use due to dam construction. 7 of the 10 significant rivers between Perth and Bunbury have been lost to the community. Four "Lost Rivers Paddles" have been filled both sides with signatures. The paddle is endorsed "Have paddle but no creek any more".

Our Friends of White Water Park is still growing with over 7850 registered "Friends". If you would like to become a "Friend" please check our registration page.

Have paddle but no creek.

Early 2006

The Armadale Redevelopment Authority is to call for registrations from the private sector to develop a White Water Park at the new Champion Lakes sporting complex near Armadale. They have appointed Colliers International to market the request for registrations of interest. A national marketing campaign will commence very shortly.

If you know of companies that might be interested please get them to contact Colliers International in Perth.

Robin Bell was recently awarded the West Australian, ANZ, Sports Star of the Year jointly with footballer Ben Cousins in recognition of his World C1 Slalom Championship win.

Robin is a West Australian who gained his initial slalom experience at the Harvey International Slalom Course. This was closed in 1998 as a result of dam building by Water Corporation. As a result Robin moved to NSW where along with other West Australians they have been very successful. They would like to be able to return home. They need the White Water Park to be built to be able return to the West and still remain competitive at the elite level.

Concern over the loss of rivers for sport and recreation as a result of dam construction. There is growing community concern over the number of rivers lost for community sporting and recreational use due to dam construction. 7 of the 10 significant rivers between Perth and Bunbury have been lost to the community. Four "Lost Rivers Paddles" have been filled both sides with signatures. The paddle ie endorsed "Have paddle but no creek any more". We also have a poster that focuses on the loss of the Harvey International Slalom course below the Stirling Dam as a result of dam construction by Water Corporation.

This poster is available from Canoeing WA at ww.wa.canoe.org.au. Posters cost $20 with $6 postage and handling. See a sample here.

Our Friends of White Water Park is still growing with over 7850 registered "Friends". If you would like to become a "Friend" please check our registration page.

Have paddle but no creek.

Late 2005

It has been decided not to go ahead with the initial proposal to develop a White Water Park in Perth.

However the Armadale Redevelopment Authority is to call for registrations from the private sector to develop a White Water Park at the new Champion Lakes sporting complex near Armadale. They have appointed Colliers International to market the request for registrations of interest. Advertisements will be placed in January 2006. If you know of companies that might be interested please get them to contact Colliers International in Perth.

Congratulations to Robin Bell on his recent World C1 Slalom Championship victory. A celebratory poster is available from Canoeing WA at www.wa.canoe.org.au. Posters cost $20 with $6 postage and handling. See sample.

Robin is a West Australian who gained his initial slalom experience at the Harvey International Slalom Course. This was closed in 1998 as a result of dam building by Water Corporation. As a result Robin moved to NSW where along with other West Australians they have been very successful. They would like to be able to return home. They need the White Water Park to be built to return to the West and still remain competitive at the elite level.

There is growing community concern over the number of rivers lost for community sporting and recreational use due to dam construction. 7 of the 10 significant rivers between Perth and Bunbury have been lost to the community. Four "Lost Rivers Paddles" have been filled both sides with signatures. The paddle ie endorsed "Have paddle but no creek any more". Mr Ulrich Feldoff, President of the International Canoe Federation was a recent signatory. See his picture.

We also have a "Lost Rivers" car sticker and more information.

Our Friends of White Water Park is still growing with over 7700 registered "Friends". If you would like to become a "Friend" please check our registration page.

Have paddle but no creek.

SUNDAY TIMES ARTICLE ON LOST RIVERS
Read it here.

SPORTING & RECREATIONAL PADDLING RIVERS LOST DUE TO WATER CORPORATION WATER HARVESTING
Full article is here.

WHITE WATER PARK NEWS
On Friday 25 February 2005 the Department of Sport and Recreation received a firm proposal from Sydney based company JK Williams to develop the White Water Park.

This proposal now needs to be evaluated before a recommendation goes to the Minister for Sport and Recreation, probably by mid to late April.

Our Friends of White Water Park is still growing with close to 7500 now registered as "Friends". If you would like to become a "Friend" please check our registration page.

We have also been contacted by several people expressing their concern of a continual pattern of ongoing loss of white water for sporting and recreational purposes. Over the years the community has lost access to white water on the Helena, Canning, Wungong, Serpentine, North Dandalup, South Dandalup and the Harvey rivers. In addition the Collie River is also under threat.

PRESS COVERAGE
The White Water Park has been getting good press coverage. There have been articles in

There have also been letters in the papers supporting the White Water Park. Thank you for all the effort you are making to help make the Park a reality.

EAST LEISURE GROUP SHORT-LISTED
East Leisure Group has been named by the Department of Sport and Recreation as the short-listed company to submit a proposal to develop the White Water Park in Perth. The Sydney based company, has considerable experience in white water parks including the Penrith Whitewater Stadium in NSW.

A director of the company visited Perth recently for discussions with key stakeholders and visited possible sites.

FRIENDS OF WHITE WATER PARK PUBLIC MEETING
The Friends of White Water Park public meeting on 22 September was very successful with about 60 people attending. We were very pleased to welcome Liberal member for Canning Don Randall and Labor candidate Kay Hallahan to the meeting. Both expressed their support for the White Water Park to be located at Champion Lakes. There are currently 3483 Friends of White Water Park in the Seat of Canning.

Robin Bell who came 4th in the Canoe Slalom C1 event, shared his Athens Olympic experiences with us. Everyone at the meeting had the opportunity to inspect his Olympic Torch, which he received when he carried the torch in Sydney prior to the Games, for us to inspect.

WEBSITE
The website www.whitewaterperth.org.au has been widely visited. There have been over 158,000 hits from over 16 different countries since the site was launched on 17 May 2004.

FRIENDS OF THE WHITE WATER PARK (FOWWP)
FOWWP membership is growing very strongly. Membership is now over 7,400 but we still need more friends. We thank you very sincerely for your support. A large FOWWP membership very significantly helps our campaign for a White Water Park for Western Australia.

If you are not yet a FOWWP please check the benefits that a White Water Park will bring to Western Australia. (Click on benefits in the menu). Then please join. Click on Friends in the menu and follow the directions.

If you are a FOWWP please get some of your friends to join. A sample email to send to your friends can be found under Friends, Email friends in the menu.

ROBIN BELL'S OLYMPIC SLALOM SUCCESS
West Australian Robin Bell had a great Olympic campaign, just missing out on a bronze medal in coming fourth in the Men's C1 canoe slalom. Robin, a West Aussie, who has had to relocate to Penrith in NSW to continue his sporting career is hoping for the White Water Park to be built in WA so he can return home to continue his sporting career.

The TV coverage of the Olympic slalom was very spectacular. It was watched by 148 nations around the world. The television ratings for the slalom competition were overwhelming. Greek television stations have ranked slalom as their top event of the first week of the Olympic Games, while the global viewership figures have placed the slalom racing in the top three of the Games overall, along with the first day of the swimming, and the athletics one hundred metres finals.

The final day's action was watched live by IOC President Jacques Rogge, and many IOC members and national federation presidents attended the slalom events during the earlier part of the week.

Robin will be talking about his Olympic experience at the Friends of White Water Park public meeting at the Harold King Community Hall, Grovelands Drive, Westfield on Wednesday 22nd September at 7.30 pm. All are welcome.

LABOR PARTY POSITION RE THE WHITE WATER PARK AT CHAMPION LAKES
We have received a letter of support from Kay Hallahan Labor candidate for the Seat of Canning.

To view her letter click here.

FRIENDS OF WHITE WATER PARK PUBLIC MEETING
A meeting of Friends of White Water Park has been called to advise "Friends" of developments in the White Water Park campaign and to encourage people to contact their local candidates in the Federal election to ascertain their position re Federal funding for the White Water Park.

Robin Bell who just missed bronze at the Athens Olympics in C1 Slalom will share his Olympic experience with us at the meeting.

Meeting details:
Harold King Community Hall
Grovelands Drive
Westfield
Wednesday 22 September 7.30 pm

REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST
The Department of Sport and Recreation has advertised for Registrations of Interest to develop a White Water Park.

Registrations of interest closed on 29 June 2004.

NEW PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE
We have produced an new FOWWP (Friends of White Water Park) promotional brochure. It looks great. Check it out on the Help Us page. Send it to your friends and get them to register.

WEST AUSTRALIAN SLALOM PADDLER SELECTED FOR ATHENS
West Australian, Robin Bell, has recently won selection for the only slalom C1 berth in the Australian canoeing team to compete at the Athens Olympics.

Robin clinched selection with a meritorious 4th place in the Slalom World Cup conducted at the recently completed Olympic slalom course just outside Athens.

Another West Australian, Kynan Maley, was unlucky to miss selection just behind Robin.

Link to Current News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Photo by Robyn Khorshid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Robin Bell comes
4th in Athens

 


Kay Hallahan support

Can't read the PDF file?
Link here for JPEG format.

 


Robin Bell in Athens


Kynan Maley in Athens


The Athens WWP