The population of Maida Vale is approximately 4 300.\u00a0 Features of Maida Vale include a primary school (Maida Vale Primary School), Hillview Golf Course, parks\/ovals including Maida Vale Nature Reserve, the Seventh Day Adventist Church Ground and Caravan Park, a heated swimming pool, netball, basketball, tennis courts and a skate park.<\/p>
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Romancing the Stone and Little Covent Garden<\/span><\/p>
When Tom Hogg moved to Number 3 Lillian Road, Maida Vale in 2000, the half hectare property was a \u2018jungle mess\u2019.\u00a0 With no landscaping background, the self taught stone mason transformed the block into a multi-award winning garden and amphitheatre called \u2018Romancing the Stone\u2019 and \u2018Little Covent Garden\u2019 respectively. \u00a0\u00a0The theme of the garden is romance, the sound of running water (provided by the winter creek) and fragrance.\u00a0 The garden is also littered with statues, curios and hand painted signs displaying positive adages that reflect Tom\u2019s community minded approach in its creation. When asked why he built the garden, Tom simply says he had the idea and had to see it through.\u00a0 He also says that there is something very rewarding in achieving an end result and being able to share that with other people \u2013 and share that he certainly has!<\/p>
Little Covent Garden (the amphitheatre) seats 200 people and is free to anyone to use for performances.\u00a0 For the past three years, The Amanda Young Foundation (a non-profit community organisation dedicated to reducing deaths in WA from meningococcal disease, supporting survivors of the disease and supporting the development of young people into WA\u2019s future leaders), has held an annual concert to raise funds, as have the Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Fund and The Royal Flying Doctors.\u00a0 Every year, in early October, Tom and his partner Jan hold an Open Day with the proceeds going to charity.\u00a0 Over the past 10 years Romancing the Stone and Little Covent Garden has raised over $100 000 for charity.<\/p>
For more information or to find out details about the next event, you can contact Tom at\u00a0[email protected]<\/a><\/p>
Zanthorrea Nursery<\/span><\/a><\/p>
Zanthorrea Nursery is a family-owned garden centre located in Maida Vale.<\/p>
Hillview Golf Course<\/span><\/a><\/p>
Advent Park Campground, Caravan Park\u00a0& Convention Centre<\/span><\/a><\/p>
The formation of Maida Vale as a suburb has unique origins.\u00a0 The name was officially approved and district officially recognised in 1910 when the handful of residents residing in that part of the foothills requested the Under Secretary for Lands to have a distinct name for their locality due to the difficulty in providing an address for the mail service. Although a distinct community, up until that point, the residents of Maida Vale had their mail addressed to\u00a0\u201coff Kalamunda Road, near Guildford\u201d\u00a0which was very indefinite. \u00a0A meeting was held by the already formed Primary Producers Association and two names were proposed \u2013 \u2018Nelty\u2019 and \u2018Maida Vale\u2019 \u2013 the latter being the name given to the property of local resident Mr McCormack (that property was on land which today is the Seventh Day Adventist Park).\u00a0 The vote was even, and the name \u2018Maida Vale\u2019 was chosen by the deciding vote of the chairman, Mr John McCormack.\u00a0 Maida Vale was also the name given to one of the four wards of the Darling Range Road District.<\/p>
In its pioneering days, Maida Vale was largely a produce area.\u00a0 The main land use was fruit cultivation (the main fruits grown in the orchards were apples, oranges, lemons and plums).\u00a0 It is believed that the earliest apricots to appear on the Perth market in stone fruit season came from Maida Vale.<\/p>
The first houses in Maida Vale were fairly primitive consisting of a timber frame covered with hessian. The hessian was painted with a limewash to make it waterproof and wide verandas were built all around to keep the weather off.<\/p>
In 1910, the Maida Vale Recreation Ground was established on the corner of Midland and Kalamunda Roads.\u00a0 Facilities included a tennis and football ground.\u00a0 The Maida Vale Sports Club laid down a cricket pitch in 1922.\u00a0 In 1912, the first Maida Vale School opened near the present High Wycombe supermarket and moved to its present site near the Maida Vale Recreation Ground in 1926. In the late 1950\u2019s, real estate developers Sloan Homes and General Agency opened up the \u201cHigh Wycombe Estate\u201d and that part of Maida Vale became what is today known as High Wycombe.<\/p>
Notable characters in Maida Vale\u2019s early history include:<\/span><\/p>
William Henry Mead<\/span><\/p>
The first private settler in the area, at the age of 24, Mr Mead and his wife took up 40 acres near the foot of Gooseberry Hill Road in 1873. His block was known as \u2018Greenvale\u2019. A prominent pioneer, Mr Mead is described as a \u2018short, stocky, resilient and self-reliant\u2019 fellow who went by the nickname \u201cCocky\u201d.\u00a0 Mr Mead was from a farming family who were among the pioneers of Northam.\u00a0 He leased a further 2 000 acres in addition to his 40 acre block on which he ran sheep with the aid of a shepherd. Mr Mead, along with his neighbour Mr John Farrant were founders of the Darling Range Vine and Fruitgrowers\u2019 Association in 1895 and the subsequent Darling Range Roads Board which were, essentially, the first attempt by the settlers to form some sort of organisation for the advancement of the community. Mr Mead was the first Chairman of the Darling Range Roads Board and was instrumental in the area\u2019s early development.<\/p>
The McCormacks<\/span><\/p>
The Maddersons<\/span><\/p>
Pioneering residents of Maida Vale since 1913, (and then High Wycombe), the Maddersons\u2019 were primarily orchardists who resided on a 30 acre block on Edney Road. They purchased their first truck in 1926 and became carriers for the whole district until the end of the Second World War.\u00a0 They also helped to develop the place, especially the roads.\u00a0 Peter Madderson recalls orchards (stone fruit, figs and oranges), an olive oil farm, pig and dairy farming and wood cutting as being the main activities in the area.<\/p>
Mr Percy R. Emms<\/span><\/p>
Came out from England in 1909, loaded his wife and three daughters and a milking goat on a horse and cart and made his way to their property near Wittenoom Road.\u00a0 He started up a poultry farm and a Reserve has been named after the family in honour of the good work they did for the district.<\/p>
Mr E.H. Myerson<\/span><\/p>
Was the first lay preacher at the first Church of England on the corner of Boonooloo and Kalamunda Roads.\u00a0 Myerson lived at the foot of the hills in Maida Vale and was Mr John Butcher\u2019s neighbour.<\/p>
Mr John Butcher<\/span><\/p>
The first postman for Maida Vale, Mr Butcher rode a horse to Guildford every Tuesday to collect the mail.\u00a0 The horse was actually a wild brumby which was caught in the hills by some of the Maida Vale boys.<\/p>
Mr Henry Berry<\/span><\/p>
Was an orchardist who had 98 acres on Brewer Road and Maida Vale Road.\u00a0 He named his property \u2018The Priory\u2019.\u00a0 It still exists today on the corner of Priory and Kalamunda Road.\u00a0 In 1918, the Maida Vale Post Office operated from this house.\u00a0\u00a0Miss Davies\u00a0was the first Post Mistress.<\/p>
Mr A.V. Burtinshaw<\/span><\/p>
Owned the property adjacent to the McCormacks\u2019.\u00a0 He had a flourishing orchard and a small canning facility and raisin drying enterprise.<\/p>
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