Fish Anchor Dived – Confirmation Through Field Tests in the Swan River

This paper reports the results from field tests on a 1/15th scale recently developed fish anchor. The tests were conducted at three locations in the Swan River, Perth. Two series of tests were performed from the Burswood and Maylands jetties with water depths between 1.1 and 1.9 m. The final series of tests were undertaken in deeper waters of 2.6 m from a barge. The riverbed at the Burswood Jetty and barge test location consisted of soft clay, and that at the Maylands Jetty comprised sandy silt. The tip embedment depths of the scaled fish anchor, with dry weight of 0.304 kN and impact velocity of 5.89∼9.55 m/s, in soft clay were 1.17∼2.40 times the anchor length. For similar impact velocities, the tip embedment depths in sandy silt were 30 ∼ 60% shallower than those in soft clay. By comparing the field test data in clay, the fish anchor achieved normalised embedment depths similar to those of the torpedo and OMNI-Max anchors under half or less impact velocity. Most importantly, the field tests confirmed the diving behaviour of the fish anchor under loading with mudline inclination of 20° and 25°, with the second peak dictated the capacity. The ultimate capacity was 5∼7 times the anchor submerged weight in water.

Public Attitudes Regarding the Community Canadian Mental Health Association Crisis Stabilization Unit in Swan River, Manitoba

A door-to-door survey was conducted on households within a one square block of a Canadian Mental Health Association Crisis Stabilization Unit (Swan River, Manitoba, Canada). This was undertaken to examine the opinions and attitudes of the members of the surveyed households regarding the neighboring community mental health residence, as well as their general attitudes toward mentally ill individuals. The survey utilized preliminary questions to obtain personal characteristics of the respondents, which were followed by 11 short questions regarding attitudes towards mental illness and the neighborhood facility. The findings of this study agree with previous research suggesting a general receptiveness on the part of community residents to deinstitutionalization and to having community mental health residents as neighbors. The personal characteristic with the greatest positive influence on attitudes was previous personal contact with mentally ill individuals. However, it was found that a segment of the population holds negative attitudes towards the CSU. The author suggests that education of the community regarding the mental health facility and mentally ill persons may improve acceptance to a greater extent.

Scaling Colonial Violence: One Day Celebrations in Fremantle, WA

The aim of this paper is to analyse the Fremantle City Council’s decision to celebrate One Day on January 28th 2017 instead of the usual Australia Day on January 26th, as well as the ensuing media debate between its supporters and opponents, especially Noongar leaders and WA Government. The discourse is examined in the context of the disruption of colonial violence. The City of Fremantle, as a place, itself serves as a point of reference for the analysis. Although today Fremantle is often perceived as a “progressive island” in a largely conservative Western Australia, the Fremantle prison and nearby Rottnest Island are stark reminders of the maltreatment of the Whadjuk people after the formation of the Swan River Colony in 1829.

Resolution of the types and type localities of some early nominal species of the Australian myobatrachid frog genus Pseudophryne Fitzinger, 1843

The types and type localities of Bombinator australis Gray, 1835, Pseudophryne bibronii Günther, 1859, and Phryniscus albifrons Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854, are defined. The nominal type locality for B. australis, Swan River, is considered to be in error. The source of the specimen, Joseph Wright, owned property in the Swan River colony in Western Australia, but later resided in Sydney, the latter locality within the known range of the species. We designate a specimen in the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris as lectotype of Pseudophryne bibronii, restricting the type locality of both species to Parramatta, near Sydney, based on the published statements of the collector, François Péron. The holotype of Phryniscus albifrons, a species defined by a painting of a specimen, was likely to have been collected by Jules Verreaux, but the only extant Pseudophryne obtained from Verreaux does not match the type illustration. Verreaux is renowned for the numerous errors in the localities associated with his specimens, and the locality for this specimen, Moreton Bay, Queensland, is likely to be another such error. Resolution of these issues facilitates ongoing taxonomic work on the genus using genetic and morphological data.

Arthur James McComb 1936–2017

Professor Arthur McComb conducted pioneer research on the occurrence and mode of action of the plant growth hormones gibberellins for fifteen years. He then applied his experimental skills and physiological knowledge to develop a whole ecosystem approach to the study of aquatic systems. He was passionate in wanting to improve the state of environmental management, based on rational, logical and well-founded biological principles. He and his team focused primarily on the mechanisms controlling plant growth and productivity in aquatic environments, and especially the effects of nutrient enrichment and its consequences, eutrophication. He became a leader in nutrient analysis of water systems, with innovations in how to determine nutrient pathways into waterways and strategies for fixing these issues. This important research has informed the long-term management of several important aquatic systems in Western Australia: the Blackwood River Estuary, the Peel Harvey Estuary, and the protection of seagrasses in Shark Bay, the Swan River and Cockburn Sound. Arthur McComb had a seminal influence on a generation of researchers. Thirty-nine students completed their higher degrees under his supervision and they are spread internationally and throughout Australia in universities, state government departments and consulting firms, confirming his influence on driving our understanding and management of marine, estuarine and freshwater systems.

Towards developing robust climate risk management strategies in the estuarine park of the Swan River, Western Australia

Purpose This study aims to support the development risk management strategies towards improving the resilience of assets located in the estuary and lower level of the Swan River, Western Australia. The study evaluated the key role of Federal/State policies in adaptation planning and the communication and interface between various stakeholders, including State/Local governments, construction professionals, property developers and landowners. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a mixed research approach through a questionnaire survey followed by an in-depth interview involving local construction experts. Collected data were analysed following the grounded theory methodology style of data analysis. Findings The findings revealed a convoluted understanding of communication networks and responsibility for owning the future risks between relevant stakeholders. As a result, a framework illustrating clear process and roles in mitigating risk and implementing adaptive asset management measures has been formulated and presented in this study. Originality/value Scientific evidence suggested that sea-level rise and increased frequency of major coastal flooding events are inevitable as early as 2100, and having a comprehensive risk management plan of assets to anticipate climate risks and to improve urban resilience is essential. The proposed framework is aimed at local stakeholders in improving current state of communication and adaptation planning as a pathway to develop a robust risk management strategy.