Humble Dockers vow grand final return

Despite the grand final loss, there was no lack of enthusiasm from the Dockers fans when the players were presented. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

FREMANTLE'S coach, captain and chief executive alike have vowed to give everything to get the Dockers back to the AFL Grand Final in 2014.

After several hundred fans were on hand at the airport to greet the Fremantle team on arrival back in Perth, the players were quickly whisked off onto a bus to head to the family fun day at Patersons Stadium, where around 2000 people were waiting despite the inclement conditions.

Fremantle fans were still in celebration mode after seeing their team make it to the AFL grand final for the first time.

Each of the 22 players who played in the grand final, plus emergencies Tom Sheridan, Alex Silvagni and Jack Hannath, were introduced to their adoring fans.

The Fremantle Dockers players are presented to their adoring fans at Paterson Stadium. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

Ryan Crowley, Michael Barlow, Aaron Sandilands and captain Matthew Pavlich took the microphone, as did coach Ross Lyon and chief executive Steve Rosich.

All up, the presentation lasted around 15 minutes before the players disappeared.

Fans who were hoping for some interaction with the players, and perhaps an autograph or two, were left hanging but it didn't seem to bother them and they continued to enjoy the rest of the day.

Lyon was a divisive figure among Fremantle supporters when he replaced Mark Harvey as coach following the 2011 season.

Two years later, he is beloved by everyone at the Dockers and received the biggest cheer of all when he was introduced.

Lyon was quick to thank the fans for their support and to pay his respects to his players for their efforts of making a grand final, but after four losing grand finals as a coach he has vowed to ensure the Dockers will make another run at a grand final, and ultimately a premiership.

Fremantle Dockers coach Ross Lyon addresses the crowd at today's family day at Patersons Stadium. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

"We are all really humbled by the support of our fans and members here and in Melbourne. It has been unbelievable and to still come out here in these conditions after the loss makes us really humble and it is much appreciated by us all," Lyon said.

"I know you are all really proud of the players and I know I am and the whole club is for them to give the effort that we are all proud of.

"I have never experienced anything like the support we had at the prelim and the same with the Freo chant at the MCG yesterday. This is the start of our journey and there was a lot we will learn out of it, and we will come again."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich might have achieved almost everything in his 291 matches - including six Doig Medals and six All-Australian jumpers - but a premiership still eludes him.

Fremantle Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich addresses the crowd at today's family day at Patersons Stadium. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

The 31-year-old desperately wants another crack at winning a flag, but is realistic enough to know that the Dockers will have to improve even further in 2014 to make that happen.

"I probably should qualify what I said right at the end of the grand final when I said we would be back, and I still very much believe that, but what it will take is a huge amount of hard work and there's no guarantee you'll get there," Pavlich said.

"I'm not putting a dampener on what is a celebration of a really positive year, but it's going to take a huge amount of hard work to get back to this position that we found ourselves in. I have the full faith in our playing and coaching group, though, of giving ourselves every chance of doing that."

Rosich, Fremantle's chief executive, also wanted to thank the Fremantle supporters and members for their efforts, starting with the preliminary final win, before the team departed for the grand final and then in Melbourne at the parade and match itself.

"Over the last nine days we have witnessed the energy of the Fremantle members and supporters first of all here at Patersons Stadium and during the week in Melbourne at both the parade on Friday and at the MCG yesterday," Rosich said.

"The Fremantle supporters were absolutely terrific and it was something to behold as they were here in Western Australia."

Despite the grand final loss, there was no lack of enthusiasm from the Dockers fans when the players were presented. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

While Rosich acknowledged the performance of the 2013 team of making the club's first AFL grand final, he also was quick to point out that attention has already switched to 2014 and trying to get back there for another crack at that elusive premiership.

"Although we can stand here and reflect on our 2013 season, where we played our 429th game yesterday as a club in our first grand final, the attention very quickly turns on to season 2014," Rosich said.

"The players will be at the club until Tuesday or Wednesday, and then be back in training very shortly to do their very best for season 2014.

"We can't promise that we will get back to the stage of the grand final but what we can promise is that everyone associated with your football club will work extremely hard and do their best to give us the best chance of getting back to the MCG."

Deborah and John Holland were at Patersons Stadium to welcome back the Fremantle Dockers after their grand final loss to Hawthorn. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

Barlow has been a favourite of the Fremantle faithful since he burst onto the scene as a mature-aged recruit in 2010, and the 25-year-old is glad the Dockers can at least come back to Perth after the grand final knowing that they have no regrets despite their missed opportunities.

"We didn't bring the result back that we would have liked, but our fans have been through thick and thin so this sort of support from them doesn't surprise me at all," Barlow said.

"It's still a devastating feeling to have lost and there's a real sense of disappointment amongst the group even though we did leave it out there, and leave with no regrets. We didn't come home with the result we wanted though."

Justin Hrubos and baby McKenzie were at Patersons Stadium to welcome back the Fremantle Dockers after their grand final loss to Hawthorn. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

Crowley might be the No. 1 villain amongst the AFL's other 17 clubs, but he got a rousing reception from Dockers fans after he did a terrific job in the grand final on Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell. He was blown away by the reception the team got from the fans.

"On the way here I was saying to the boys that it's raining and there will probably be no one here, but we turn up and this is what they produce. It's been fantastic," Crowley said.

Sandilands was a tower of strength in the middle for Fremantle in the grand final and he wanted to acknowledge the support Fremantle received in Melbourne.

"It was awesome to see all the purple over in Melbourne at the parade and in the game. We really appreciate all that support," Sandilands said.

Louise and Kael Driscoll, with daughters Rosie (2) and Ruby (5), were at Patersons Stadium to welcome back the Fremantle Dockers after their grand final loss to Hawthorn. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

Jade Lavery, Katlyn Pearson, Krystal Jager and Chris Dodson were among the fans who welcomed the Fremantle Dockers back to their home at Patersons Stadium after their grand final loss to Hawthorn. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: PerthNow

Suspected shark attack closes beach

Mullaloo Beach as seen from the air. Source: PerthNow

THE discovery on an injured seal believed to have been attacked by a shark has forced the closure of a Perth beach.

Surf Life Saving WA tweeted today that the Fisheries Department had advised there was an injured seal at Mullaloo Beach, with possible bite marks.

"Council rangers will be closing Mullaloo Beach due to the seal's injuries indicating shark activity in the area,'' Surf Life Saving WA said.

On Saturday, the Fisheries Department said one of the receivers in the Shark Monitoring Network was out of position, after the buoy to which it was attached broke free of its mooring and was found washed ashore south of Scarborough Beach.

Staff attended the Peasholm Dog Beach to retrieve the equipment and assess the situation.

The Westpac lifesaver helicopter also sighted three whales 400m south of Scarborough, about 250m offshore, tracking north on Sunday.

The helicopter also spotted three whales off the Scarborough coast this afternoon, and Surf Life Saving WA tweeted a picture:

Man charged over stabbing

A MAN has been charged over an an attack where a 27-year-old was allegedly stabbed in the neck in Mirrabooka overnight.

Just after midnight police were called to a house in Dampier Loop where a 53-year-old Yokine man and his 27-year-old son had gone to pick up another family member.

It is understood a fight started outside the home and the 27-year-old Koondoola man was stabbed in the neck.

He was taken to hospital and has undergone surgery for serious injuries.

A 38-year-old Mirrabooka man has been charged with grievous bodily harm and aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm.

The 53-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault on a juvenile.

One amazing ride with dolphins

A dolphin springs from the water in front of unsuspecting surfer, Trent Sherborne. Picture: Picture Media Source: Supplied

THIS is the incredible moment a surfer experienced the rush of his life, by surfing with dolphins.

The amazing photograph is a once-in-a-life-time shot and captures the exact moment a dolphin breaches free of the water into the oncoming path of a surfer.

Although dolphins have been known to share the waves with surfers in the past, very rarely are they photographed leaving the water completely and on the same wave.

Self-taught photographer, Matt Hutton, 31, thought he would try his hand at some surfing photography after buying a new Canon 70-200mm lens and x2 extender and just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

A dolphin springs from the water in front of unsuspecting surfer, Trent Sherborne. Picture: Picture Media Source: Supplied

After stopping in the small surfer town of Kalbarri, while travelling between Perth and his home in Wickham, Western Australia, locals advised Matt of a few great spots for photo opportunities but was told that dolphin sightings were not common.

Against the odds, Matt managed to snap local surfer Trent Sherborne just as the dolphin bursts out of the waves.

Matt said " I was travelling back from Perth to Wickham on a road trip which is a 1500km drive along the coast of Western Australia.

A dolphin springs from the water in front of unsuspecting surfer, Trent Sherborne. Picture: Picture Media Source: Supplied

The purpose of the trip was to take photos to add to my portfolio, I had no idea I was going to get such wonderful shots of dolphins.

"While I was taking some photos of the surfers, I noticed there were quite a few photographers with some serious lenses so I assumed this must be a popular place to take photos, one photographer even said that he had been there hundreds of times but only seen dolphins on a few occasions.

"I was getting some great photos of Trent Sherborne surfing this awesome wave, when a pod of dolphins decided to join him.

A dolphin springs from the water in front of unsuspecting surfer, Trent Sherborne. Picture: Picture Media Source: Supplied

"On the first occasion I captured two dolphins sharing a wave with him and a few separate photos of just the dolphins by themselves.

"We were about to leave for the day and I followed Trent in on what was going to be my final shot of the day when a dolphin jumped out of the water beside him, at this point I was a little excited and zoomed in on my LCD screen to make sure it was in focus, which it was.

A dolphin springs from the water in front of unsuspecting surfer, Trent Sherborne. Picture: Picture Media Source: Supplied

"It really is a very rare shot and I was so lucky to have been at the right place and right time and in regards to the dolphin and the surfer, Trent said he knew it was him in the photo as it's not everyday you get to eyeball a Dolphin, so it was pretty close!

" I have had so many people write kind emails, messages, comments etc and it has been a very humbling experience, it is simply the highlight of my small photography career.

"A few people think its photoshopped but I can assure you they're not!"

Two critically injured after car crash

TWO people are in a critical condition after a crash in Herne Hill earlier today.

About 12pm, a Landcruiser and a Hyundai collided at the intersection of Padbury Av and Campersic Rd, causing one of the vehicles to rollover.

The Hyundai driver and one passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, and another passenger suffered serious injuries.

The Landcruiser driver and passenger did not require St John Ambulance treatment.

Major Crash Investigators attended the scene and are investigating the crash.

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Rating hits WA Future Fund returns

Troy Buswell declined to comment on the Future Fund today. Source: The Sunday Times

THE state's Future Fund is a disaster set to worsen with the state losing its AAA credit rating, the Opposition says.

The fund was the centrepiece of the 2012/13 budget handed down by former treasurer Christian Porter before he entered federal politics, and was forecast to grow to $4.7 billion within 20 years.

Established with more than $1 billion in seed capital over four years using money from the Royalties for Regions fund, it was meant to quarantine returns from the state's finite mineral resources for future generations.

However, Opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt has been highly critical of the fund since its creation and now claims it's destined to become even more of a loss-maker because the state's credit rating with Standard & Poor's (S&P) has fallen to AA+.

"The Future Fund is one of the biggest financial disasters that Barnett's given us ... and with the loss of the AAA, that'll just be exacerbated,'' Mr Wyatt said.

According to Treasurer Troy Buswell, the Liberal-led government's long-term historical analysis shows the fund can make a small five basis point (0.05 per cent) return.

But Mr Wyatt says the problem is the number crunching was done when WA was AAA rated.

He says the fund involved "borrowing money at one rate of interest'' for investments and "sticking it in an account at another''.

Mr Wyatt said 80 per cent of the fund had to be invested in other states' bonds and a fresh analysis had to be done on projected returns, given the lower credit rating meant a higher cost of borrowing.

He says the fund is losing more tax payer money each financial year, and due to its lower rating, South Australia is now the only other state WA can invest in.

Asked about the fund in parliament on Thursday, Mr Buswell called it "a bold decision'' by the government and a long-term investment.

"Over that long period of investment, there may well be changes in relative rates compared with what it earns versus the alternative cost of funds, but we have to conduct that analysis over a long time,'' he said.

Mr Buswell told parliament that analysis "should not happen as a kneejerk reaction'' to the S&P announcement.

He declined to comment further today.

160 'superbug' cases at RPH

The Vancomycin Resistant Gram-positive Enterococci. Picture: Carr Janice Haney Source: PerthNow

MORE than 260 cases of potentially lethal antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been detected at WA public hospitals this year - including 160 at Royal Perth Hospital.

The WA Health Department released the new Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci figures yesterday, responding to questions from The Sunday Times which last weekend revealed RPH had multiple carriers of a new VRE strain called T90.

RPH has had 109 cases of T90 so far this year, according to the figures. This was among 160 VRE cases at that hospital across several strains.

Fremantle and Sir Charles Gardiner hospitals have had 64 and 17 VRE cases respectively up to September 19.

A further 14 cases were listed under a category of "metro non-tertiary'' hospitals, and six were under "country non-tertiary''.

The department would not say how many of the 261 cases were infections or carriers, but it is believed the vast majority were carriers.

The tally comes after an RPH media conference on Friday about the T90 cases, where the hospital's executive director Frank Daly said VRE T90 was not a superbug, because it was not highly virulent, despite respected international medical journals referring to VRE as a superbug.

Prof Daly had also said RPH was safe for patients and visitors.

But he would not rule out that people who came to hospital for surgery or treatment could become carriers or become infected.

"I can't categorically rule that (getting an infection or becoming a carrier) out," he said.

"As you've seen (we are) continuing to have cases convert (to infections), but … we're doing absolutely everything in the scientific literature that we can do to minimise the spread."

Prof Daly also revealed that a patient who died earlier this year at RPH had a VRE infection, and confirmed the bug could kill vulnerable patients by causing a "bloodstream infection where the bug is in the bloodstream and it causes septicaemia".

"You can die (from) that," he said.

"(But) it's important to realise that this bug has very, very, low virulence, which means that even if you're a carrier, the vast majority of people with good health, all people with good health, remain asymptomatic."

"It's only a very small sub-set of patients with problems with their immunity or who have had major surgery where there's a potential for it to convert into an infection.

But on Friday he also released figures showing that up to 10 per cent of RPH's 541 multi-day patients may now be T90 carriers, with 21 confirmed, and a further 32 being tested for VRE, and he conceded that most would have caught the bug in hospital.

He also confirmed that another RPH patient had developed a potentially deadly T90 infection this week, which was believed to be at least the second infection this year.

Prof Daly also confirmed it was hard to get rid of once people became carriers, and that RPH was having a "universal clean" because of VRE.

"I wouldn't call it an outbreak. I would say we have an increased rate of carrier status in the hospital. We wanted to reassure both our staff and our patients that Royal Perth Hospital is still a safe place to be treated."

Of the patient who died this year, he said: "We've  had an elderly patient who had a very complex surgical condition who died … who it was discovered had infection caused by multiple organisms, one of which or one organism which was found there, was VRE.

"But our microbiology experts have advised me that their demise was not directly related to a specific VRE infection. They actually felt there were other organisms that were more chiefly involved so we have not reported that as a VRE infection."

The office of Health Minister Kim Hames would not answer questions on the new figures.

A Health Department spokeswoman said yesterday: "VRE is not a superbug, the infection rate for VRE T-90 is very low, and is not harmful to healthy people, including pregnant women and children; and Royal Perth Hospital is leading the world in research to better diagnose, understand and treat these organisms".

Enterococci normally live in the intestine and in the female genital tract, but antibiotic-resistant versions, because they are very difficult to treat, can kill vulnerable people such as very ill hospital patients, causing infections such as meningitis.

Healthcare-acquired infections such as VRE have been estimated to contribute to 7000 deaths in Australia each year.

Nurses denied leave, patients at risk

Australian Nurses Federation state secretary Mark Olsen. Source: PerthNow

PATIENTS' lives are being put "at risk" because nurses are driven to exhaustion after being denied holidays, their union says.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Mark Olson said overworked nurses were pushed "beyond their normal limits" by the lack of leave, which was often caused by staff shortages and cutbacks.

He said some nurses were having leave refused even when asking up to 18 months in advance.

"The potential for mistakes to occur, which put patients' lives at risk, is far greater when the WA Government creates a fatigued, burnt-out workforce, which is happening now, because nurses are being denied leave," Mr Olson said.

Government records show nurses were owed about 2.85 million hours of annual leave, and a further 1.85 million hours of long-service leave, in May.

Annual leave owed had increased by about 327,000 hours and long service by 338,000 hours since December 2011.

A WA Health Department spokesman confirmed "there is a significant total of leave owing", but the WA Health Minister's office refused to comment.

Mr Olson said he had received hundreds of emails about the lack of leave, and it was becoming "one of the key issues facing our hospital system".

He said some nurses and midwives were told they could not take leave because "there are too many staff on maternity leave, or there are staff away on long-service leave".

Mr Olson said this was particularly worrying because "more younger nurses than ever were having babies" and WA also had a rapidly ageing nursing workforce that had accrued "record levels of long-service leave".

"The result is that if there are one or two nurses who are away on maternity leave or long- service leave on any particular ward, that means annual leave is denied to the other 20 or 30 staff in that same area," he said.

"Without time to rest and without time to step away from work and spend some time with your loved ones, we are seeing the net effect of these policies leading to resignations and sick leave due to exhaustion."

The department spokesman said: "It is not WA Health policy to deny access to leave.

"WA Health recognises there is a significant total of leave owing and has strategies in place to limit the department's total leave liability to the level which applied at June last year, as all government departments are required to do.

"Options are available for staff with significant leave accrued."

But he would not say what the strategies or options were, or provide a dollar value of the leave owing.

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said the leave would be worth "many millions of dollars", which represents "a significant liability to the Health Department".

"Does the cash-strapped Health Department have the resources to cover this, or are we looking at another Government budget black hole in a week that the Barnett Government's economic mismanagement lost WA its AAA credit rating?" he said.

Curtain call for historic cinema

Last picture show: Cyril Watson, owner of Piccadilly Cinema, has called time on the historic theatre. Source: PerthNow

THE trouble-plagued Piccadilly Cinema will close next month, bringing the curtain down on 75 years of history.

Operator Cyril Watson this week confirmed the art deco theatre  the only cinema complex left in the CBD  would show its last film at the end of the school holidays.

He said it had been his dream to save the grand dame of Perth cinemas when he took on the lease in 2005, but it had lost too much money.

He blamed illegal downloads, greedy film companies and other problems that had beset the business.

The Sunday Times revealed in May that ceilings in the building had collapsed twice, most recently in June last year. And Mr Watson claimed they narrowly missed customers.

He had accused the building's owners of letting the Piccadilly Arcade go to "rack and ruin".

Mr Watson owes more than $400,000 in rent. He recently negotiated a deal with the arcade's owners to wipe the slate clean with a $200,000 payment that would allow the cinema to keep operating on rolling three-month leases.

But the deal appears dead. Terry Posma, who represents the arcade's overseas owners, said he had not been told what Mr Watson's plans were.

"We can't get any firm commitments from him on anything," he said, adding that the owners would now chase all outstanding rent.

The owners were planning a major renovation of the heritage-listed arcade, which would include replacing its asbestos roof.

The cinema's operator before Mr Watson was pedophile Dennis John McKenna, who left the cinema in 2004 with big debts and a trail of angry creditors, including film distributors.

In May, Mr Watson denied he had hired McKenna to help him as recently as 2011. But this week he admitted that McKenna had returned to do some office work. He said this was cut short when detectives charged him with new offences.

McKenna's father, Doug, also said his son had worked at the cinema as recently as 2011, before being jailed again.

He said Mr Watson and his son had met when they were both in prison during the 1990s. McKenna was serving his first jail term for sexually assaulting boys at St Andrew's Hostel in Katanning, where he was the warden from 1975-1990.

"Dennis met him in jail...Dennis rings me every evening around 5.30pm," Mr Mckenna Sr said. "Cyril is a fairly sick man and he used to have a lot of time off ... Every now and then Cyril would ring him (Dennis McKenna) up to take over while he was off sick."

Mr Watson was jailed in 1992 for organising and taking part in the brutal bashing of two men over $37,000 in stolen cash. The victims were innocent. One had both his arms broken.

Charge laid over murder of Albany father

A 35-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a young father in Albany earlier this month.

The body of Mark Colbung, 31, was found in bushland late on September 13 after residents reported hearing "blood-curdling'' screams and seeing a group of young men fleeing Barnesby Drive, Yakamia.

Investigators later found a burnt-out blue Toyota Corolla Seca hatch in nearby Marbelup.

Police today said they had laid a charge over the murder after receiving significant assistance from the public and were continuing their inquiries.

The man has been charged with one count of murder and will appear in the Albany Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Battle for Burswood heats up at rally

The crowd at today's Battle for Burswood rally. Picture: Twitter/Mandy Loveland Source: PerthNow

Opposition Treasurer spokesman and Victoria Park MLA Ben Wyatt at a rally to keep the Burswood precinct in Victoria Park. Picture: Twitter Source: PerthNow

A 'Battle for Burswood' placard, which argues against Burswood being swallowed up by an expanded City of Perth. Picture: Twitter Source: PerthNow

THOUSANDS of people have attended a rally in protest of the Barnett Government's plans to see the Crown Casino become part of the City of Perth.

The hour-long rally was held in the Memorial Gardens in Victoria Park this morning.

Opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt, who is the member for Victoria Park, said the proposal has caused a "huge amount of frustration" for ratepayers.

"People are just seeing it for what it is, that is cherry picking assets while leaving the cost to manage those assets with the ratepayers of Victoria Park," he said.

The rally was attended by a large, vocal crowd, many of whom also signed a petition against the boundary changes.

He said it was hoped WA Premier Colin Barnett would change his mind, however was so far proving "obstinate."

The City of Vincent will hold a rally in Hyde Park next Sunday to argue against council being split between the cities of Stirling and Perth.

The local Government reforms were announced by the Barnett Government in July and would see the City of Perth expand from 782ha to 1,893h.

Body discovered in Albany bushland

POLICE are continuing to investigate the suspected murder of a 31-year-old man, after his body was found in bushland on WA's south coast yesterday.

At around 8am yesterday, the body of a deceased person was located by a member of the public who was walking through bushland at the end of Barnesby Drive in Yakamia, near Albany.

Major Crime Squad officers from Perth visited the scene late yesterday afternoon, and are treating the death as a suspected homicide.

The body has been identified as a 31-year-old man and his next of kin have been notified. 

Forensic police will continue their investigation of the scene today. 

Police are asking anyone with information that can assist in this investigation to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 

Support worry for failing kids

Kristian Boulter (9) has been diagnosed with severe dyslexia but his parents can't get funding for a education assistant because dyslexia is not yet recognised as a disability. Pictured is Kristian with his mum Tania at their home in Gidgegannup. Picture: Justin Benson-cooper Source: The Sunday Times

KRISTIAN Boulter is failing school, but through no fault of his own.

The nine-year-old boy is the true face of an under-resourced education system that many warn is only going to get worse.

Kristian has been diagnosed with severe dyslexia, but it's not yet recognised as a disability  which means he can't get funding for an education assistant to help him through his classes.

His mother, Tania Boulter, says WA needs more education assistants, but the Barnett Government will cut 350 of the positions next year amid moves to a student-centred funding model in 2015.

Mrs Boulter said her son had been diagnosed with three learning difficulties:

- Severe dyslexia, which affects his ability to read fluently.
- Dyscalculia, referring to a range of life-long learning disabilities involving maths.

- Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability that affects written expression.

But despite pleas to Education director-general Sharyn O'Neill and Premier Colin Barnett, Mrs Boulter said her son did not qualify for an education assistant.

"The Department of Education states on their website that they provide high-quality education for children and young people throughout WA, helping them reach their full potential," she said.

"It's very frustrating because they don't understand these children need this assistance.

"He needs the support now. The Federal Government is saying that they are going to recognise dyslexia as a disability, but not for two years. Two years is too late. The children need it now."

The Education Department said dyslexia was not a "disability category that attracts supplementary funding" because "there are inconsistencies in the diagnosis of dyslexia".

But it said the School Support Programs Resource Allocation, which has been reduced by 30 per cent as a result of education cuts, offered flexible funding for public schools "to use at their own discretion".

Eirlys Ingram, the department's statewide services acting executive director, said Kristian's teacher had been trained in dealing with dyslexia through the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation.

Ms Ingram said the department was "committed to supporting all students, including those with dyslexia, to reach their full potential".

Mrs Boulter said she was heartbroken to see her youngest son crying in his bedroom the day after he had taken his first NAPLAN test, for which he scored a zero.

Education Minister Peter Collier said he looked forward to discussing the national approach to dyslexia with the new federal education minister "once the Federal Cabinet is in place".

Rules sometimes need to be broken

Ellie Gregory and Jukka Guy during their engagement. Source: Supplied

The rules weren't written for cases like Ellie Gregory's.

There comes a time when rules need to be broken. An exception needs to be made.

And a bit of common sense - and common decency - must prevail.

Today, The Sunday Times reveals the story of British 24-year-old Ellie Gregory.

Ellie came to Australia as a backpacker in 2009, setting off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

But after meeting a North Albany Football Club premiership player by the name of Jukka Guy, that plan changed.

From the moment she met Jukka on the night of his birthday at his father's Ongerup pub, Ellie says: ``I knew that we were supposed to be together''.

The couple fell in love - and soon they were planning a life together.

Ellie had found the love of her life and a new place to call home.

Jukka and Ellie have lived together since September 2010. Their love for one another has taken them to England and Finland, as visa restrictions pushed them far and wide to prove their love for one another.

But after they got engaged, their future was set in the pristine coastal city of Albany.

Ellie returned home to England, packed up her belongings and farewelled her family for her new life in Australia.

The couple was due to marry on April 5 this year.

But just days before, Jukka tragically passed away in his sleep.

What was to be their wedding day became Jukka's funeral, attended by more than 1000 people, including the couple's 120 wedding guests.

It was supposed to be the day they made a life-long promise to one another. Instead, it became the day Ellie - and the couple's family and friends - said goodbye to a ``magical man''.

Now, the Immigration Department is telling Ellie she must leave the life she has created in Australia.

The prospective marriage visa she re-entered the country on earlier this year expires on December 6. And there are no exceptions for heart-wrenching cases like Ellie's.

She will have to leave the country and try her luck with another visa.

I don't think that's good enough. That's not the way we should treat someone who has suffered unimaginable pain, and worked hard, paying taxes, to make a life here.

And, I believe, honest, hard-working people like Ellie deserve better. She is the exception to the rule – and must be treated as such.
 

Man dies after suspected hit-run

The scene of in East Cannington last night, where a 42-year-old man died after being hit by a car. Picture: Nine News/Twitter Source: PerthNow

A 42-year-old East Cannington man has died after being hit by a car last night.

Police believe the man was struck on Gibbs Street in Cannington just after midnight.

A 28-year-old man driving a Holden Cruze subsequently ran over the man, who was lying on the roadway and he pulled over and remained at the scene to help police.

The victim was taken to Royal Perth Hospital but died a short time later.

Major Crash officers have attended the scene, and will continue to investigate.

Anyone who witnesses the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Falling tree crushes car

A 45-year-old man has died after his car was hit by a falling tree.

The man, who was from Nillup, about 290km south of Perth, was driving a Holden Commodore on Brockman Highway about 1km east of the Nillup store yesterday afternoon.

Police believe poor weather conditions may have caused the gum tree to fall onto the road, crushing the man's car, but will continue to investigate.

The man died at the scene.

Cop attacked with tomahawk

A police officer has been treated for minor injuries after allegedly being set upon by a man brandishing a tomahawk and a fire extinguisher.

A 28-year-old Camillo man will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court on September 16 charged with criminal damage, being armed in a way that may cause fear, and with intent to do grievous bodily harm or unlawfully wound another.

At about 5.10pm yesterday police were called of a house on Midhurst Street in Camillo after reports of a domestic incident.

They will alleged that on their arrival the man approach their police car armed with a tomahawk and fire extinguisher, and used the tomahawk to smash the window of the car before spraying a police officer with the fire extinguisher.

The officer received minor cuts from the smashed glass and other injuries and was taken to Armadale Hospital.

A second officer, who was able to exit the car, apprehended the man.