Stirling Scene is the City’s monthly e-newsletter, full of events and important updates. Subscribe to find out what’s new at www.stirling.wa.gov.au/subscribe
Welcome to the January edition of Stirling Scene
On Sunday, the City of Stirling held its annual Australia Day Community Citizen of the Year Awards and Citizenship Ceremony. We celebrated the contributions of incredible local people who have made our community a better place through their leadership and commitment.
Our 2025 Community Citizen of the Year is Carol Marinkovich. As the long-time president of the Hamersley Rovers Soccer Club, Carol has led the club through a period of enormous growth. A champion for female sport and community sport in general, she juggles a high-pressure career with her service to the community, family commitments and passion for charity.
We also recognised:
- Doug Simpson, 2025 Senior Community Citizen of the Year
- Peyton Maguire, 2025 Young Community Citizen of the Year
- Friends of Inglewood Triangle, 2025 Active Citizenship Award.
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Community Citizen of the Year Awards, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, nominate them today.
Sunday's event was also about celebrating 143 new Australians from 44 different countries as they took their final step to becoming citizens at our Citizenship Ceremony. Perhaps one day we will see some of those new citizens at a future Australia Day event, collecting a Community Citizen of the Year Award.
Australia Day is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the ever-evolving story of our nation. From Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the new citizens we welcomed on Sunday, we are all part of that story.
I look forward to working with you as we add to that story during what is set to be another big year for our City.
Mark Irwin
Mayor
Local heroes awarded for service
Alongside our 2025 Community Citizen of the Year, Carol Marinkovich, the City of Stirling proudly celebrated our community’s exceptional contributors at the 2025 Auspire Community Citizen of the Year Awards, recognising outstanding individuals and organisations.
Our Senior Community Citizen of the Year, Douglas Simpson, whose remarkable contributions span decades of community service. Doug’s involvement with the Surf Life Saving WA Drone Patrol, Volunteer Marine Rescue and the RSLWA, among many others, highlights his dedication to safety, education and support for both the community and his fellow volunteers. His leadership and mentorship have left an enduring legacy.
At just 16, Peyton Maguire received the honour of Young Community Citizen of the Year. Peyton’s impressive achievements include completing her Gold Youth Leadership Award and excelling in surf lifesaving leadership roles, including as a Nipper Age Group Manager and a youth trainer. Peyton’s commitment, enthusiasm and ability to inspire younger members make her a truly deserving recipient.
The Active Citizenship Award (group) went to Friends of Inglewood Triangle, recognising its exceptional efforts in conservation of a precious patch of remnant Banksia woodland in inner Inglewood. While protecting and enhancing the bushland is the group’s main focus, they do a lot more than that, engaging with young and old in the community and advocating for the natural environment and their local area.
The City of Stirling’s Australia Day events were made possible thanks to a grant from the National Australia Day Council (NADC).
For details on all winners and for new photos from the City's 2025 Citizen of the Year and Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony, visit our Facebook page.
Bring your community project to life
Have a project or idea that could benefit the community? The City of Stirling’s Community Grants Program is back, with round three offering grants to bring your ideas to life.
Applications open Saturday 1 February 2025 and close at 3.00pm on Friday 28 February 2025.
There are five grant streams that aim to support the diverse needs of our community and align to the priorities in our strategic community plan, Sustainable Stirling 2022-2032.
We're looking for creative, community focused ideas that will help us become a sustainable city. This can include everything from vibrant events and community art projects to sporting activities, business innovation, community gardens and more.
Visit stirling.wa.gov.au/communitygrants for inspiration, tips and tricks.
$4,000 student design competition returns
After the success of last year’s Sustainable Stirling Student Design Competition, the City is excited to again take part in Perth Design Week, running from 20 – 27 March 2025.
The Sustainable Stirling Student Design Competition invites students to create eco-friendly designs for a real local lot. Students go on a journey to learn about sustainable development and urban change, helping to imagine a better future for the City of Stirling.
This year’s competition development site is owned by a local couple who were inspired to suggest their property after visiting the Student Design Showcase in 2024 and seeing the creative solutions on display.
The competition challenges students, either individually or in teams, to design eco-friendly urban spaces, with $4,000 in prize money shared across four categories:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
- Mayor’s Commendation.
Entries will be showcased at the City Administration Centre from 24 – 27 March, with the winners revealed at an Awards Gala on the final day.
Be sure to register before the competition officially begins on Monday 10 February.
Keep your cool this summer
As temperatures rise, keeping your home cool while cutting down on energy use can be a breeze! The City offers a variety of tools and support to help reduce your energy bills and beat the heat.
Take advantage of these:
- Switch your thinking – Reward for Residents: Partnering with local businesses to offer discounts on products that will help reduce your energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, cut water use and limit waste
- Home Sustainability Support Program: Get free in-home advice from a sustainability expert. Learn how to reduce your costs, create a comfortable home, and a wildlife-friendly garden. You can also receive up to $50 worth of free products like LED lights, pedestal fans, soil improvers, and bee houses
- Hire a Home Energy Toolkit: Available for loan from each of our six libraries, the toolkits will help you learn about energy use in your home to reduce your electricity use
- Energy Ahead: Learn practical ways to lower your electricity bills through these online and in-person workshops. Events are held across the state throughout the year.
Undelivery on-demand
The City of Stirling is making it easier to dispose of damaged or unwanted items with free undelivery. Residents can book an on-demand collection, and the City will take care of removing the items – no hassle required.
To find out what items are eligible and to book your collection, visit stirling.wa.gov.au/ondemand
Little Hemsley’s big love for waste trucks
Three-year-old Hemsley from Gwelup loves waste trucks and eagerly awaits bin day every week, rain, hail or shine. He enthusiastically helps his parents sort waste; always asking where each item belongs.
Over time, Hemsley has befriended some of the truck drivers, including Tara, who handles the yellow bin route fortnightly. This Christmas, Tara surprised Hemsley with a special gift — a toy waste truck of his own.
He was so excited, and for a child who never chooses to not do anything immediately, he chose to leave it to Christmas day to open. It was the first present he wanted to open on the day!
Coastal Explorer back for summer
The Coastal Explorer bus has returned to Perth’s Sunset Coast this summer, connecting the Perth CBD, Scarborough and Hillarys through a partnership with the Cities of Stirling and Joondalup and City Tours.
The bus starts in Perth CBD, then travels to Scarborough Beach before making its way to Hillarys Boat Harbour and returning to Barrack Street Jetty in the late afternoon. The open-top, double-decker bus offers six daily hop-on, hop-off trips on weekends until the end of February. Two ticketing options are available, including a day trip from Perth, or a shuttle service between Scarborough and Hillarys.
Showcasing our pristine coastline, the Coastal Explorer provides a unique and family-friendly way to explore Perth’s premier beachside destinations.
Scarborough Beach precinct maintenance
A scheduled power outage at the Scarborough Beach precinct will take place from 9.00pm on Tuesday 4 February until the morning of Wednesday 5 February for essential maintenance.
The outage will affect lighting in carparks and along pedestrian walkways in the precinct. Some facilities will be closed earlier in the day to allow for installation of security fencing.
Traffic management and additional security will be in place to ensure vehicles and foot traffic can be redirected safely.
For any enquiries, please contact the City on (08) 9205 8555.
City sports reserves go green with eSwitch lighting
The City of Stirling is excited to announce the implementation of eSwitch controllers across 44 active sports reserves, allowing clubs to manage floodlights conveniently via a secure smartphone app.
The system offers greater flexibility, sustainability, and cost savings by enabling lights to be used only when required by the clubs.
Following a successful pilot at Inglewood Oval and Hamer Reserve in July 2024, eSwitch was then rolled out to the remaining reserves. The implementation of the controllers supports sports clubs with a sustainable, cost-effective lighting solution.
What's on in the City
Our City is coming to life with lots of free and low-cost events, many of which are supported by City sponsorship or our Community Grants Program. From arts and music to sports and festivals, discover some of the must-not-miss events.
- Beach Handball | Sundays in February | 8.00am – 10.00am | Trigg Beach
- Mirrabooka Friday Markets | Fridays | 7.30am | Stirling Leisure – Mirrabooka
- WAZouk Sandpit Dancing | Sundays | 4.00pm | Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre
- Summer X Salt Markets* | Saturday 1 and 15 February | 8.00am – 1.00pm | Clarko Reserve, Trigg
- Rock Scholars Scholarpalooza Battle of the Bands Final* | Sunday 2 February | 4.00pm – 7.00pm | The Garage, 14 McDonald Street West, Osborne Park
- Movies in the Hood: Monsters Inc.* | Friday 7 February | 4.30pm – 10.00pm | Inglewood Town Square
- Inglewood Blooms: Lunar New Year Fair* | Saturday 8 February | 10.00am – 3.00pm | Inglewood Town Square, 895 Beaufort Street, Inglewood
- Stirling Players presents: Matriarchs, Mischief and Mayhem* | 13 – 22 February | Various times | Stirling Theatre, Morris Place, Innaloo
- Backstories^ | Saturday 15 February | 5.30pm – 7.00pm | Stirling Civic Gardens | A relaxed evening of storytelling celebrating unique voices in our community, in partnership with Perth Festival
- We are Yokine Outdoor Movie Night* – Flushed Away | Saturday 15 February | 5.30pm – 9.30pm | Yokine Reserve Play Space
- Open Water Swim (OWS) Series Round 8 - City to Scarborough* | Saturday 15 February | 7.30am – 11.00am | Scarborough Beach | A fun, safe swim event for all skill levels
- Indian Ocean Sounds^ | Saturday 1 March | 6.30pm – 8.00pm | Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre | Enjoy soulful performances from South Africa’s The Joy and Réunion Island’s Lindigo, in partnership with Perth Festival
- Carine Skate Fest | Saturday 8 March | 12.00pm – 6.30pm | Carine Skate Park | The Cities of Stirling and Joondalup present youth skate, BMX, scooter and roller-skating competitions, activities and more hosted by Freestyle Now - stay tuned!
- Brazilian Beach Carnaval* | Saturday 15 March | 12.00pm - 9.00pm | Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre | Experience the energy of Rio with music, dance, family activities and more
- Perth Beach OCR 2025^ | Friday 5 and Saturday 6 April | 7.00am – 1.00pm | Scarborough Beach & Trigg Bushland | 5km obstacle course winding through the amazing coastline and brushland at Trigg and Scarborough, recovery and energy zones, DJ all-day, retail and merchandise and more!
Have you been to an event in the City of Stirling? Share your thoughts on events.
^ Proudly sponsored by the City of Stirling Sponsorship Policy
* Proudly supported by the City of Stirling Community Grants Program.
Birak — season of the young
Local Aboriginal-owned graphic design agency, Norlap Creative, partnered with artist Teresa Miller to create six original artworks for the City of Stirling that share the story of the Nyoongar seasons and Mooro Country native flora and fauna. The above artwork represents Kambarang or the second spring.
During the Kambarang season, we see an abundance of colours and flowers exploding all around us. The yellows of many of the Acacias continue to abound, along with some of the Banksias and many other smaller delicate flowering plants including the Kangaroo Paw and Orchids. Also during this time the Balgas will also start to flower, especially if they've been burnt in the past year or closely shaved.
It's also a time that many young families of birds will be singing out for their parents to feed them. Koolbardies (Magpies) will also be out protecting their nests and their babies.
