Western Australia

Australia Day 2012

Are you ready for Australia Day tomorrow?

We celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January each year because it was that day in 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became its first Governor. The first official celebrations were held in 1818 to mark the 30th anniversary of white settlement.

If you want to find out more about Australia Day you can go to the official website here.

Watching fireworks on Australia Day has become a solid tradition in Perth but over the past several years many people have started looking for ways to avoid the parking hassles and find a family friendly event. Answering the call is the 98.5 Sonshine FM Town of Bassendean Australia Day Celebrations and Fireworks event which has built a reputation as a safe place to spend Australia Day with friends and family as well as providing a spectacular show.

If you’re in the Perth area it’d be great to catch up with you at Ashfield Reserve, Guildford Road, Ashfield, for the evening. It’s a great event that culminates in a massive fireworks display away from the big and sometimes rowdy crowds of the city fireworks. 98.5 Sonshine FM is proud to be providing the soundtrack and we’ll be broadcasting live from the venue.

I’ll be joined on stage by my friend and colleague, Arthur Muhl, to MC the live entertainment which starts from 5:00 p.m. There’ll also be an awards ceremony. The fireworks will begin lighting up the skies later in the evening with the whole event finishing at 9:00 p.m.

If you want to enjoy some great entertainment in a more relaxed family atmosphere, without having to wait hours in traffic on the way home, come on down.

Either way, make sure that you’ve got some plans in place to celebrate.

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Gnomesville

Jan 17th, 2012

by Rodney Olsen.

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Do you believe that gnomes are magical creatures? I’ve got to wonder if they have magical powers after visiting Gnomesville a few days ago. Why else would I be drawn to wander around in searing heat looking at thousands of gnomes?

Located by the roundabout at the junction of Wellington Mill and Ferguson roads, Gnomesville is the magical home to over 3000 Gnomes who have migrated there from all over Australia and around the world.

Plan to spend a few hours wandering through the villages and glades full of playful, naughty and sentimental gnomes climbing logs, hanging out in trees, playing cricket, even flying planes! You’ll enjoy the clever Gnomish puns and who knows, you may decide to return to contribute a Gnome of your own. Don’t be tempted to take home a souvenir, however, as Gnoman legend has it that bad luck will surely follow! – Ferguson Valley Website

We had a few days holidaying in the Ferguson Valley before I returned to work and part of the visit to our state’s south included a visit to Gnomesville. It’s a strange and wonderful place with many gnomes telling stories of those who have placed gnomes in the past.

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Hopman Cup Revisited

Jan 7th, 2012

by Rodney Olsen.

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Around 21 years after my first trip to the Hopman Cup I made a return visit this week. Pauline and I spent Wednesday watching some fantastic tennis amongst great company.

The first time I went to the Burswood Dome to see a Hopman Cup session was in late December 1990 and I watched the Italian team of Paolo Canè and Raffaella Reggi beaten by the Yugosalvian duo of Goran Prpic and Monica Seles, who then went on to conquer the US team for the 1991 title. To cut a long story short I was seated in the Italian team’s private box enjoying some generous hospitality and the company of the Italian players when they weren’t on court.

All these years later, Pauline and I were invited to share a court-side box to watch Bulgaria’s team of Grigor Dimitrov and Tsvetana Pironkova defeat Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen and Caroline Wozniacki.

The Hopman Cup is a mixed competition where male and female players are together on combined teams and represent their country. Players are invited to attend.

Eight nations are selected annually to compete in the Hopman Cup. Each team consists of one male player and one female player. Each match-up between two teams at the championships consists of:

One women’s singles match
One men’s singles match
One mixed doubles match

Each year the eight competing teams are separated into two groups of four (with two teams being seeded) and face-off against each of the other three teams in their group in a round-robin format. These seedings ensure that each group has approximately similar strength. The top team in each group then meet in a final to decide the champions. – Wiki

Caroline Wozniacki is the current women’s world number one player so we were assured of some great tennis right from the start. The women’s match went for around two and a half hours, the longest match of the cup. Wozniacki won the match for Denmark but Bulgaria won both the men’s and nixed doubles matches. The program told us that sessions could last for around five hours. This Session lasted seven hours with a lot of hard fought games throughout a rather warm day.

I’m hoping that it won’t be another 21 years before I get to enjoy the Hopman Cup again.

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Heading Home

Nov 5th, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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The Morning Café Cancer Ride has seen a group of thirteen cyclists riding from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council WA.

The team will arrive back at 98.5 Sonshine FM at 4:00 p.m. today, Saturday the 5th of November. We’d like to see as many people as possible joining us to welcome the team home.

If you’re in the Perth area please arrive at 98.5 Sonshine FM, Murray Street, Como, just before 4:00 p.m. and be ready to make a lot of noise.

We’re about to tackle our toughest day with a big climb out of York. 100 kilometres later we’ll be home after riding over 500 kilometres.

It’s not too late to donate. Just click the link in my sidebar. It’d be wonderful to see our tally climb as much as we’ll be climbing today.

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… And so it begins

Oct 31st, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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What a fantastic day. The day finally arrived and the 2011 Cancer Ride is under way.

We began by broadcasting from St. John’s Church in the main street of Albany. Then at midday the Mayor of Albany wished us well and officially started our ride.

We cycled just over 91 kilometres to Cranbrook with a very pleasant stop at a cafe in Mt. Barker.

The team had a wonderful day on the bikes with a good breeze mostly on our backs for a good part of the afternoon which meant we achieved a fairly good pace. The only downside was that most of the day was spent in the very busy Albany Highway. Oh …. and the fact that there were plenty of hills which bothered a few riders.

The people we met in Albany over the last few days have been extremely generous with great hospitality and lots of donations to kick the fundraising tally along.

The meal we had in Cranbrook tonight proved that country hospitality is always outstanding. We’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep before broadcasting from the Cranbrook Post Office then cycling 80 kilometres to Katannning. The roads will be much quieter tomorrow now that we’re away from Albany Highway.

If you’d like to support Cancer Council WA just click the link in my sidebar.

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