Court Hotel Tops Two Categories at Awards
The Court Hotel took home two awards – Community Service and Best Redeveloped Hotel – from the Australian Hotels Association awards night on November 10th.
‘It was a massive coup for us to win the Best Redeveloped,’ said Bree Maddox, owner of the Court, ‘because we are not a mainstream venue… It makes all the hard work and stress of renovating pretty worthwhile.’
The Community Service Award recognises the contribution that the Court Hotel has made to the WA community. The Court Hotel has supported a number of community organizations over the last couple of years, including Pride WA, GLCS, The Breast Cancer Foundation of WA, the RSPCA, Canteen and the Freedom Centre.
The Court Hotel is now in the running for the national awards, which are held next year.
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Pride to receive Connections cheques
On December 6th Connections nightclub will be celebrating their 33rd Birthday. As part of the celebrations, Connections will be formally handing over two cheques to Pride WA for money raised through events this year. The first cheque, for $7000 was from money raised at August’s Madonna Party, and the second, for $15,000 was raised through the Official Pride After Party following this year’s Pride Parade. Connections is also supporting Pride through ongoing funding for a part-time strategic planning officer to develop a sustainable long term plans for Pride WA.
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Court Hotel Closes Restaurant
Less than a year since it first opened, the Court Hotel has closed its formal dining restaurant.
‘The restaurant closed basically due to lack of support, which was very, very disappointing because there were some people who supported the restaurant on almost a weekly basis… We just couldn’t have a part of the business losing so much money,’ said Court Hotel owner, Bree Maddox.
The space formally used for the restaurant will become a casual lounge with ottomans and low coffee tables. Food will still be available, though it will be more pub-style pizzas, burgers and desserts rather than formal dining.
‘We are envisioning the area now as a place where you can sit with a bottle of wine or a cocktail and a share plate and have a casual experience,’ said Maddox.
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Trans Men to Fight Gender Board Decision
Two WA trans men have launched a bid to overturn a decision by the Gender Reassignment Board of WA to deny them gender reassignment recognition certificates. The two cases will be heard in the State Administrative Tribunal.
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Ward 10a Question
Following concerns raised by PLWHA WA Inc, member for Perth, John Hyde MLA has put a question on notice to Health Minister Kim Hames asking if RPH HIV/AIDS ward, 10a, would be remaining in its current location. The concerns centered around access to the ward via public transport and the fate of community donated equipment if the ward was to shift to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. The government has taken the question on notice and should provide a written reply within eight weeks.
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Making Links
As part of the 2008 Making Links Conference, Nadine Toussant, from WAAC and Dani Wright from the Freedom Centre, presented case studies of how the two organisations have utilised information and communication technologies (ICT) to optimise accessibility for people using their services. The conference, which was held at the University of Melbourne from November 11 – 14 brought together groups from around Australia who are using ICT in developing sustainable communities.
