"I Got The Shock Of My Life": The Hidden Human Crisis in Rockingham's Bushland

How grassroots advocacy and Centrecare are pulling vulnerable seniors out of the dirt and into safe beds.

By Wade McColl (06/06/2026)

The remains of flattened tents and exposed campsites at Point Peron. Photo: Phil Edman.

There is a hidden crisis unfolding just out of sight in Rockingham, and it took a simple conversation between a husband and wife to bring it to light.

Around six months ago, local resident Phil Edman’s wife raised concerns about people living rough in the nearby bushland, suggesting they might need better security around their home. Expecting the worst, Phil walked down to the camps to see the situation for himself.

What he found completely shattered his expectations and changed his life.

Phil Edman alongside volunteers with a truck full of essentials for the homeless on Memorial Drive. Photo: Phil Edman.

“I got the shock of my life when I found out and saw that all the elderly that were there,” he said.

The reality of the situation is staggering. Phil was recently officially informed that there are 250 homeless individuals living just within the Rockingham area. It is a demographic largely made up of vulnerable seniors who have fallen through the cracks of a brutal housing market.

Grassroots Survival Meets Institutional Relief

Phil Edman, along with volunteers on Memorial Drive, handing out essentials. Photo: Phil Edman.

Working quietly at first, Phil helped organise a support hub out of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church to deliver first aid kits, sleeping bags, and basic hygiene necessities to those living in the bush.

While this grassroots effort provides daily survival for many, a massive, life-changing victory for two specific locals came this week thanks to the work of Centrecare.

Centrecare logo. Image: Centrecare.

The Gosnells-based organisation stepped in to provide urgent housing relief for two brothers who had been living rough on Memorial Drive, one of whom is currently battling cancer.

The men eagerly called Phil to share the news, saying,

“Phil, Phil, Phil, we’re bloody getting out of here. We’ve got a place”.

Centrecare successfully placed the brothers in two caravan sites next to each other at a Fremantle holiday caravan park. The accommodation is completely paid for by the organisation, giving them a vital 27-day reprieve from the elements while further options are explored.

After their first night in a proper bed, the relief was palpable. When Phil checked in to ask how they slept, they simply replied that it was peaceful because there was “no yelling and screaming”.

Setting the Record Straight

Phil Edman alongside volunteers loading up a truck with essentials. Photo: Phil Edman.

With any high-profile community work comes local gossip. Given Phil’s past as a Liberal Member of Parliament and Rockingham City Councillor, some have questioned his motives, wondering if his work with the church hub is a calculated return to the political arena.

Phil is completely shutting those rumours down. After being grilled by locals about his intentions, he made his stance incredibly clear, telling the Baldivis Times the following:

“I’ve done my term four years in the council, I haven’t been involved with the Liberal party for 7 years, and I don’t wish to do it again,” he stated firmly. “I still live here. I haven’t left. And I do all of this because it’s the right thing to do. It’s not about politics”.

Ruined belongings and waterlogged bedding scattered through the mud after the storm. Photo: Phil Edman.

For Phil, the motivation to run the supply runs is purely human.

“I do this out of the goodness of my heart because I’m a humanist,” he explained.

The reality of what he saw in the bushland simply left him with no other choice.

“I can’t go to sleep at night knowing that they’re there,” he said. “Nobody’s helping. This is a human crisis here right now”.

As the Rockingham community continues to grapple with the housing crisis, it is a combination of localised grassroots hubs and institutional support like Centrecare making the immediate difference between a night in the cold and a safe place to sleep.

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