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Our photographers this month illustrated a significant day for WA's history, a woman's struggle with her tiny home and a group of rowers competing on the world stage. Love and war Almost half a year after their wedding in Gaza, two doctors who met in the emergency rooms of Gaza's hospitals have reunited in Perth. Nour Dalloul and Mohammed Mustafa are still figuring out what their new life in Australia will look like as they come to terms with their experiences in Gaza and leaving Dr Nour's family behind. Young hacker Five years ago, at the age of 15, Joshua triggered one of Western Australia's most significant public health data breaches, after accessing unencrypted hospital frequencies using a radio scanner. The then-teenager, who is autistic, said it was a passion project and his "heart sank" when he realised what he had done as 10 police officers came banging on his door. Joshua was not charged, and his story helped explain what can happen when disability runs up against the legal system. Historic apology Almost 200 years after one of the most brutal attacks on Aboriginal people in Western Australia, the Binjareb traditional owners, including Karrie-Anne Kearing, invited WA Governor Chris Dawson to apologise for the 1834 Pinjarra Massacre. It was his predecessor, WA's first governor James Stirling, who led the massacre, and Mr Dawson wanted to acknowledge what had happened publicly. A moving ceremony, held 191 years after the killing where up to 80 Binjareb Noongar people are estimated to have died, was held at Pinjarra and included exchanging olive and jarrah tree saplings as a sign of peace. Dieback dog At 14 months old, Milo the English springer spaniel is helping to detect one of the biggest threats to Australia's native plants — dieback disease. Milo is one of two furry friends joining the fight against dieback, and can detect the deadly tree disease in minutes, rather than weeks. Royal no-show While around 300,000 people made it to the Royal Show this year, attendance at the iconic event was the lowest it's been in eight years. While organisers blamed wet weather for the slump, some vendors were concerned about the high cost of entry and operating stalls. Red dust revival More than 600 kilometres east of Perth at Lake Perkolilli track, the hum of vintage cars filled the air as nearly 200 enthusiasts gathered for the Red Dust Revival. Among them were Murray Wood and his daughter Casey — the youngest female driver at the race. Multicultural fanfare Hundreds turned out in Karratha to celebrate culture, inclusion and diversity on a Saturday night in October filled with entertainment. In a place as isolated and distant as the Pilbara, togetherness and connection is as important as ever. Groups representing New Zealand, Indonesia, Tonga, Fiji, Colombia, Brazil and India performed to much fanfare. Tiny dreams Perth resident Kathryn Payne had dreams of living in a tiny home, and they didn't seem far off when the 30-year-old and her father purchased one in 2023. But the tiny home dream is in limbo after a neighbour complained to the local council, which has demanded the structure be removed from the front of her father's house. The tiny home was a way for her to have independence while being supported medically for her epilepsy, but is now little more than a $130,000 storage unit. Treasured moments Eric Cook loves spending time with his daughter, but has been left with a sense of uncertainty after waiting as long as six months for surgery on potentially life-threatening pressure sores. At one point, he felt he had become a stranger to his young daughter, thanks to what he says was a lack of timely access to care. Road safety For the past 20 years, Bridgetown High School in WA's south-west has been running a brutally honest road safety lesson. It involves a simulated head-on collision between two cars, where firefighters free a driver from the wreckage, and a passenger lies on the road in a white sheet, later stretchered away by a local funeral director. Local police say the program is effective, and students say while it's graphic, it's helpful in showing them the consequences of a real road crash. Black Swans The Black Swans are a group of high-level rowers in their 40s and 50s who reunited five years ago. Now they're world champions after competing this month in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, taking the top spot in the Men's Grand Master Eights division. Camera operator Tahlia Davis and sport reporter Tom Wildie spent a morning with them before they travelled to the US to compete. Spooky batteries As the spooky season descended, media were called to a press conference at Minister John Carey's Perth home, completely covered in Halloween decorations the MP had made himself. But the scary decorations came with a warning from authorities that as many as 80 per cent of items inspected by a government consumer protection team didn't meet safety standards for button batteries — used in many Halloween products and potentially devastating if swallowed by young children.
