IT was a momentous year around the region, with a number of significant and exciting events, terrible tragedies, topical issues and significant progress made.
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Plenty of exciting stories unfolded throughout the year, many of which have had a big effect on the community.
The Mail looks at how it all unfolded, with an in-depth review of ‘the year that was’.
JANUARY
THE year started on a happy note, with MacKillop Catholic College dux Andy Longman scoring 99 for his ATAE and Jade and Errin Mason welcoming Busselton’s first baby of the year with a son, Eli.
There were also some good news announcements that later went sour. CCTV security cameras were installed in Mitchell Park to combat antisocial behaviour – however after a trial run were not considered to have been effective.
Dunsborough markets moved to Palmer Wines, but later went into recess despite their popularity and were not reopened in 2012.
On a brighter note, a roundabout plan to make a dangerous intersection safer in Dunsborough was initiated.
Busselton also lost a prominent figure in Bill Scott, an Order of Australia Medal recipient and JP who swore in numerous councillors.
A juvenile Rockhopper penguin, which are normally found on the coasts of South America and Africa and as far away as Antarctica, was saved at Yallingup beach, Clancy’s Fish Pub opened in Dunsborough, a sellout concert at Palmers raised $15,000 for the Margaret River bushfire appeal, while well-known local conservationist Rob Breeden sorted and typed into sequence Jack Bussell’s handwritten notes of the Wardandi and Bibbulmun tribal areas.
The number of shark sightings in the bay resulted in Jetty Swim stalwart Barry Green organising confidence swims around the jetty in advance of the keenly contested event.
One of Busselton’s most momentous occasions occurred when it became a city, with one of the biggest and longest firework displays the town has seen. Ian Stubbs had the unusual distinction of having been the CEO, shire president and then becoming Busselton’s first mayor.
Plenty of interest was shown in three sites that become available as a result of new leases at the ‘Holy Mile’ and thousands enjoyed the closing concert of the Festival of Busselton, which saw Sarah-Jane Aston become the new Young Ambassador and Emma Ryan the Fundraising Ambassador.
The month ended following Busselton’s hottest ever maximum, 40.2C, which was on Australia Day.
FEBRUARY
The month started with the Governor Malcolm McCusker and his wife Tonya visiting Busselton, and the first anniversary of the reopening of the rebuilt Busselton Jetty was celebrated.
Local resident Rob Griffiths called for the closure of Port Geographe, saying it was time something was done about the “disgrace” which was the annual buildup and stench of seagrass.
Dual police operations in Busselton and Dunsborough resulted in a crackdown on juvenile offending and drug dealing in the city.
There were record numbers of new students in primary school classrooms in Busselton and Dunsborough as the new school year begins.
(Dorothy) Norah Howe celebrates her 100th birthday, a school student is suspended from a local high school and later charged over an alleged assault and Busselton quadruplets Janae, Will, Isaac and Brylee Snaddon celebrate their fourth birthday.
CCTV cameras are planned for Busselton Jetty and it is announced, after publicity in the Mail, that the Keep Busselton Beautiful Committee which was in danger of folding had stayed afloat with new members.
One of the town’s biggest turnouts attended the funeral of Brian Mitchell, there is a major drug bust relating to the operation of a clandestine drug lab, Jack Passmore turns “three”, even though he is 12, because his birthday falls in a leap year, on February 29 and it’s claimed that Busselton kids lack bite because their standard of teeth is not as good as in the metropolitan area.
Cr David Reid expresses concerns about the “disgraceful” state of the Vasse River, hundreds of fish die at Wonnerup and Busselton gets set to celebrate the opening of the new cultural precinct at the beach-end of Queen Street.
MARCH
Three local fireys have a lucky escape when they are forced to abandon their vehicle while fighting a fire in Boyanup.
Planning gets under way for a TAFE at Vasse and David Reid announces he is to step down as chairman of the Busselton Water board after guiding the organisation through a tumultuous period because of its decision to chlorinate the local water supply.
A funding windfall from the Department of Sport and Recreation boosts the upgrade of the Dunsborough skate park, the Busselton Foreshore Master Plan attracts 115 submissions and Rob Breeden passes away at the age of 84.
The new cultural precinct is officially opened, the relocation of the tennis club hits a snag when the city is unsuccessful in two State Government funding applications totalling $3.52 million and Sharyn Barratt is honoured by having the new Dunsborough netball courts named after her.
Another $2.25 million is injected into the new Busselton Hospital campus, bringing the total budget to $120.45 million, the inaugural Cape Naturaliste College ball is a hit, the new marine park is announced, in Yallingup, by Premier Colin Barnett, we report on a 20-year-old cat, Squid, which is thought to be the oldest in Busselton and the manager of Busselton’s Red Cross shop Aileen Earl moves on.
APRIL
Local identity Peter Kurmann was farewelled after being taken by a shark near Stratham.
An organisation who missed out on a campsite on the ‘Holy Mile’ claimed the selection process was flawed. The WA branch of the Australian SAS Association claimed at least one councillor was required on the selection board, and there were none.
City rangers struggled to keep beachgoers safe, after shark signs kept getting stolen from local beaches, including the signs at Stratham beach, near where Peter Kurmann died. Busselton’s rangers resorted to taking in the signs, which cost $200 and were quickly running out, late at night and putting them out early in the morning to prevent more thefts.
Busselton Water announced that it had begun the process of chlorinating the city’s water supply, with CEO Keith White saying he understood that not everybody was happy with the decision.
The city’s own stormtrooper, Jacob French, arrived back in town after his solo walk from Perth to Sydney wearing stormtrooper armour to raise money for the Starlight Foundation. The nine month trek raised more than $100,000 for the charity.
On Anzac Day we talked to Alan Grant, who had been in a horrific accident while on his way to Hellfire Pass for a dawn service in 2011. Alan travelled back to Thailand for the memorial at Hellfire to remember his best mate who didn’t survive the accident.
MAY
Lionel Jones received a fatal punch to the head when he approached a neighbour over loud music. Craig Neil Smith, 23, is due to appear in the Bunbury Magistrate’s Court on February 15.
People started to report dirty water running out of their taps following the introduction of chlorine. Reports also surfaced of strong smells and tastes of the chemical. Busselton Water tried to alleviate fears that chlorine was the reason behind medical ailments.
Busselton once again hosted the half ironman, which, like other years, was a sell-out event.
A Dunsborough man picked up a lotto windfall, taking home $3.3 million from the Saturday Lotto draw. The owner of the ticket, purchased at Broadwater News, was completely unaware it was a winner when he got it checked at another local newsagency.
A Bussell Highway resident, Rick Daniels, raised his fears that a car crash was inevitable in the 70kmh zone near Jean Street.
Despite his prediction, the Mail was surprised to learn of a car running into the back of a rubbish truck less than a month later, in exactly the spot.
Barry Blaikie, Vasse’s longest serving MLA, passed away, exactly 74 years, to the day, after his father.
Barry took over the seat from Sir Stewart Bovell, who was the original member for Vasse, and the two of them held the seat for over 50 years.
JUNE
Busselton Water board gained two new members. David McDonald and Chris Boulton who replaced chairman David Reid and former shire president Frank Elliott. However, despite the new faces, they stated that they would not reverse the chlorination process, which angered some local residents.
Mr McDonald resigned shortly afterwards.
Circus Joseph Ashton rolled into town, promising to bring a show of epic proportions, and unfortunately it did. Their tent was blown down by strong winter storms, which brought with it wind gusts in excess of 130kmh. The damage caused the circus to cancel shows across the South West.
The same storm caused wide-spread damage across the region, ripping trees out by the roots and taking roofs off houses, with Cape Naturaliste recording gusts of up to 139kmh.
The end section of the Busselton Jetty was reopened. It was destroyed by fire on the 12th of December 1999. After a long rebuilding process, people could now walk out past the underwater observatory. Kevin Kealley reminisced that it had been a long journey from fighting the fire 13 years ago, to opening the section.
A humpback whale got tangled in craypots and created a spectacle at the Busselton Jetty. John Edwards, the senior marine operations officer from the Department of Environment and Conservation in Perth, joined local boats on the water and they managed to free the whale just before 4pm. Once freed, the 9m juvenile headed back out to sea to continue its migration.
JULY
The beginning of July saw the start of the Quindalup block mystery, which stretched out for months, as the land owners sought building approval for the block on the Dunsborough foreshore, and the city scrambled to discover how the privately owned property had been classified as public land for so long.
The redevelopment of the Busselton Hospital gained environmental approval, and the third Woolworths liquor outlet was approved to open. In a strange attack on our native flora, several trees were poisoned by persons yet to be apprehended, suspected of killing the trees because they blocked the view of nearby houses.
Local sporting legends, archer Taylor Worth, gymnast Emily Little and cyclist Scott Sunderland qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games, which officially opened on July 25.
The Kevin Cullen centre was saved from closing down, and the chlorine battle continued to rage, in what wound up as the second driest July on record.
AUGUST
In quite literally a 100-times marathon effort, Busselton man Grahak Cunningham finished his epic 5000km ultramarathon in New York for the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race.
It took him over six weeks to complete, running for around 18 hours every day to finish in 43 days, 10 hours, 36 minutes and 39 seconds, a full nine days earlier than the allotted time for the race of 52 days.
While Grahak was pounding the pavement overseas, Busselton decked out the red carpet, with local movie star Emma Booth coming home to appear at this year’s CinefestOz, along with another South West star Sean Keenan, plus Aussie screen icon Brian Brown.
The mystery of the Quindalup block became murkier as the case went to the State Administrative Tribunal.
Despite a boost in numbers, the Keep Busselton Beautiful group folded, and the group of residents opposed to water chlorination took a petition to the State Parliament to reverse the process.
Doric Contractors Pty Ltd was selected as the group to build the new hospital, and near the end of August the first sod was turned at the site, officially beginning the construction.
The historic Ballaarat engine was moved from Victoria Park to Busselton’s Light Industrial Area to undergo major restoration works.
SEPTEMBER
Descendants of the Bussell family met with sculptor Greg James in early Septe-mber, who showed the family miniatures of the statues that will line the streets in the cultural precinct of Busselton.
One statue will represent founding father John Garrett Bussell, with others representing key figures in our city’s past.
The State Government provided $750,000 funding towards the dual-use path under construction between Dunsborough and Busselton, and the Busselton Magpies had finals wins over Eaton and Bunbury to earn a spot in the 2012 SWFL grand final.
A rotting whale carcass at Smiths Beach, which had been buried in the dunes after washing up, had to be re-buried further away, after concerns were raised it was attracting sharks to the area.
A proposal was put forward to honour the Cox Plate star Northerly by erecting a statue near the foreshore, and after months of planning, building and preparations, the new Woolworths complex was opened at the end of September.
OCTOBER
October would be an historic month in local football, with the Busselton Magpies winning their first SWFL grand final since 1996.
It was a drama-packed ending to the season, with the Magpies and Collie playing out the first drawn grand final in league history.
A 35 point win in the replay ensured the club would be celebrating, while Busselton’s reserves lost their grand final after finishing the season on top of the ladder.
A surfer told the Mail about his close encounter with a shark in Yallingup, while the following week a much more appealing creature appeared on our cover, after a seal was spotted resting on the beach near the jetty.
Two appeals against the controversial Quindalup ‘phantom’ block were withdrawn, and two big announcements were made, that a polo event would be held in Busselton in 2013, and faster broadband internet would be coming.
Local stalwart Dick Scaddan celebrated his 100th birthday, councillor Debra Kurmann tendered her resignation, and the Northerly statue saga continued, with standoffs over the cost, size and suitability of ways to honour the champion racehorse.
The city began to seek public feedback on the proposed dog exercise area changes, and a carjacking victim received a new vehicle courtesy of a local dealer.
The month ended with a Perth man being charged over a weekend rampage in Busselton, while Kaye Booth, mother of actress Emma, skydived from 4000m for charity on her 66th birthday.
The Mail also had a special wraparound cover previewing the Busselton Show.
NOVEMBER
The first weekend of November saw the 152nd Busselton Show held, and the Mail covered all the action, fun and results from the annual event.
We also brought attention to the plight of Busselton Water employees, who had been abused and threatened since the decision to chlorinate local water.
Voytek Kozlowski, the sculptor who was working on the Queen Street entrance statement, was profiled.
FIFO/DIDO workers were a popular topic, and we examined how this was impacting on local families.
Two consecutive weeks of A-grade cricket were cancelled due to rain, and the Mail also released its special 32 page sports magazine, Momentum, featuring interviews with many high-profile athletes.
Remembrance Day was honoured, while the year-long saga at Port Geographe appeared closer to a resolution with a $28 million State Government funding package announced.
Joan Tuffin, the wife of the deputy mayor, showed off her prize-winning patchwork that honoured Margaret River bushfire victims on the anniversary of the disaster.
Leavers hit Dunsborough in the last week of November, and police reported a relatively incident-free week, even though two nights of The Zone activities were cancelled due to wild weather.
Funding was announced for Busselton’s new women’s refuge, and the Veterans Car Club of Busselton celebrated its 45th birthday.
A suspected drug lab explosion also happened in Vasse.
DECEMBER
The Mail reported the arrival into Busselton of a group of Rebels bikies, here for the opening of a new club branch.
A memorial sculpture for shark attack victim Kyle Burden was unveiled in Cowaramup.
Two new fire trucks arrived to service the Capes area, and doubts were raised about the viability of Mitchell Park CCTV cameras.
Ironman Western Australia again brought thousands of visitors to Busselton, and they were treated to a beautiful day with the race won by Jimmy Johnsen, a Dane who now lives in Victoria. New Zealand’s Britta Martin was the women’s winner.
That was followed by the announcement of an off-road triathlon, the X-Adventure, to be held in Dunsborough in March.
Prominent businessman Vern Walsh, founder of V&V Walsh meats, passed away.
Actress Emma Booth again graced the front cover, with news that she would return home for Christmas.
Police were forced to use tasers in an incident that “had the potential to turn very ugly”.
Chris Elliott became the new Busselton Water CEO, while local bowler Len Mazga stunned everyone by winning the Sorrento Masters.
Dunsborough police Sergeant Craig Anderson gave a Christmas message, urging drivers to remain safe.
The year concluded with a look at a lesser-known part of the city – the townsite of Jarrahwood.
