Holmes Coffee opens in Shenton Park

“Screw it, I’m just going to move to Perth and see if I like it!”

Three and a bit years later, it’s safe to assume that Max O’Connell does, in fact, like Perth. We’re chatting to the barista ahead of his new café Holmes Coffee opening its doors – and by the time you read this, the espresso machine should be pumping, the milk frothing and the pastries flying out the door.

Originally from Canberra, Max spent eight years at uni in Sydney studying marine biology – working in cafés all the while, it was only when a coworker moved to Byron that he fully committed to the hospo life.

“I was working at a place in Manly and this baker I worked with was like ‘I’m moving to Byron Bay to open a bakery, do you just want to come with me? Screw this uni stuff’.”

“So after a couple of years there, I was like ‘I think I’m ready to start this process of opening a shop, but where do I want to do it?’ I didn’t want to move back to Sydney: Sydney’s pretty hectic. Byron you just can’t find a commercial tenancy. Where haven’t I lived before? Perth.”

Having visited Perth just once before, he packed up his car, hit the road and drove from Byron to the sunny west coast – eventually asking friends Jake and Samh from Myaree roaster Double Double where he should get a job. They told him to hit up Dan at Micrology – not to lean too heavily on a cliché, but the rest is history and all that.

Freocast, the independent internet broadcaster that's spent three years running on volunteer energy turns three this month — and is marking the occasion with a full rebrand, a new website and app, a party and more that will shape the station's future in exciting new ways.

The milestone launches publicly on Friday 26 June at the Fremantle Buffalo Club (tickets here), with a fundraiser party across both levels of the venue featuring music curated by Freocast's own presenters, headlined by Larry D and Rok Riley.

And a big part of the celebration is news that Freocast has received Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, recognising it as a charitable organisation.

And so they've launched Freocast Amplifier, a community fund designed to let listeners, local businesses, and supporters make tax-deductible donations directly into the station's future.