Casuarina Prison Chapel is now looking much brighter after the installation of a stained glass window, made by inmates at Riverbank Prison.

The metre-wide leadlight window depicts the dove of peace and an olive branch, representing reconciliation.

The Riverbank inmates who made the window are studying for an accredited TAFE certificate in leadlighting and stained glass.

Written by Maya Anderson

A beautiful, handmade one-of-a-kind water feature perfectly complements the pool and alfresco area of this Belmont display home.

Designed for the APG display home, the Lincoln, the water feature was made by WA company Little Rhino Designs.

Company director and designer Jason Hirst says he enjoys producing simple features that enhance a home’s outdoor area. “The design aim of this project was to complement the modern landscaping and to provide a design that would add interest to the pool and its surroundings,” he says.

The contemporary design features thick glass sheets inlaid with circles made of tiny mosaic tiles and circles of glass that reflect light in different colours. Water trickles over the feature and into the pool, creating a sparkling display.

Perth Art Glass made the glass and installed the feature.

Frameless glass fencing means the water feature can be seen from any point in the alfresco areas or living area.

Flowing directly off the Lincoln’s spacious open-plan kitchen, living, and dining room, the garden features two covered alfresco entertaining areas. One has a lounge setting and the other has a dining table and a kitchen with stainless-steel cabinetry, a barbecue and range hood, and a glass-door fridge.

Mr Hirst says more people now want to use water features and artworks in their outdoor areas. “(It) has become an extra room to the house and people see the value in designing water features that will provide the wow factor to the outdoor area,” he says.

“The most common request is to provide a piece of artwork that will enhance the outdoor area and provide a focal point to the landscaping.”
In tune with the garden’s laid-back, elegant feel, the garden beds have been planted with a mix of low-maintenance, contemporary

The birthplace of the Catholic Church in WA – and the second-oldest building in the Perth CBD – has had a makeover.

The restored St John’s Pro-Cathedral, the small chapel that sits within the shadow of St Mary’s Cathedral in Victoria Square, will soon be open again for tours and religious events.

Project archaeologist  Father Robert Cross said the building was significant for WA Catholics, both historically and spiritually, as their first place of worship and their first cathedral.

The church’s foundation stone was laid in 1844 and was the principal place of worship for Catholic West Australians until 1865 when, because of a growing population, a bigger cathedral, St Mary’s, was built just a few hundred metres further up the hill.

In an update issued last year, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said: “I am delighted that this important and unique building, the first Catholic Church in WA, which in recent times had fallen into a state of disrepair, will son re-emerge – a much loved icon of our city, ready to again serve as a working Church for the people of Perth.”

Thanks in part to a $60,000 Lotterywest grant, the restoration has included a new floor, improved ventilation under the floor space to solve a rising damp problem, restoring the windows to their original condition, replacing roof timbers and painting.

“It’s amazing the building has survived so long,” Father Cross said.

“And the new work will ensure it survives a lot longer.”