Canberra CityNews April 1-7 2010

Help! We need some bodies, (not just any bodies!)

ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Dr Christopher Peters says the world is facing an international ski l ls crisis that Canberra can’t ig nore

“ The numbers are quite sig ni ficant, about 47 per cent of Canberra’s working community are baby boomers and we’re going to need somewhere between 12 0,0 0 0 -15 0,0 0 0 to replace these people,” he says

“I f Canberra’s population doesn’t g row then the ski l ls shor tage wi l l increase ” The ACT Government is al l for ski l led mig ration to Canberra, in fact, in 2 0 0 6 it star ted a prog ram to encourage it cal led “Live in Canberra”

This prog ram gets about $2 0 0,0 0 0 a year in government funding and an equal par t from the private sector, taking out adver tisements at F loriade and the $2 0 0 0 logo emblazoned on the hul l of the ACT ’s only entry in the Sydney to Hobar t Yacht Race – an interesting marketing move in promoting a land-locked city with a lake beset by algae

Live in Canberra operates out of the Chief M inister’s of fice, so it’s impossible to get fig ures on how much sta f fi ng costs because the people who work on it are employed to do lots of things – aside from visiting the U K and South A frica in the name of mig rant research

In May and June this year they wi l l

THE population of our nation is a hot topic with the 2010 Intergenerational Repor t predic ting Australians to number 36 million by 2050, but with C anberra’s limited water supply and ever- increasing housing issues, should we be rethinking the migration call out?

ELERI HARRIS repor ts

visit multiple career expos in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Per th to tout the benefits of living in Canberra

Simon K insmore, ACT Government Communications and Engagement senior manager, says ski l led mig ration is on the rise, but acknowledges that it is impossible to judge the impact the Live in Canberra prog ram real ly has on professional relocation

“It’s a bit bold to say the Live in Canberra prog ram is responsible for population increase or meeting need for ski l led workers,” he says

“ The proof of the pudding is in the net mig ration fig ures and population g rowth, but whether we can claim al l those is debatable

“Our website gets about 12 ,0 0 0 unique visits a month and the database of people who’ve arrived in the last month stands at around 12 0 0 people ”

Dr Peters arg ues that whi le the success rate of Live in Canberra cannot

be evaluated, the prog ram should be ramped up to meet g rowing demand for tradies and technical professionals

“Live in Canberra is a good star t, but we’re going to have to gear it up or Canberra wi l l face a ski l ls crisis

“ There are those entering the workforce now, like g raduates, but that alone wi l l meet less than hal f of our ski l ls requirement

“ The only other options are to encour-

age older people to remain in the workforce or to impor t people from overseas with the right ski l ls ”

Live in Canberra is mostly focused on Sydney right now because the majority of people coming here are from the western suburbs of the nation’s most populous city, but Peters thinks the prog ram should be targeting international markets; workers from South A frica and the U K who are most easi ly pushed through the immig ration system because they have transferable quali fications and already speak English

But Peters ag rees, with an increasingly narrowing housing market, Canberra is in a catch 22

“We’re flat out bui lding houses and apar tments, but there sti l l not enough to keep up with demand and not enough people to bui ld them and there aren’t enough houses to put people in who move here either,” he says

Opposition Leader Zed Sesi lja says,

whi le the Liberals are not opposed to increasing Canberra’s population, limited housing creates serious problems with any projected population intake.

“I haven’t seen any compel ling evidence to con fi rm that it’s [ Live in Canberra] been par ticularly successful

“I real ly do believe that because they have so neglected housing a f fordabi lity it has made it more di f ficult to attract people to the ACT than would ordinari ly be the case.”

Economist R ic H ingee is one of Live in Canberra’s most vocal critics, arg uing that even i f Canberra’s environment could suppor t more people, the methods used by the prog ram are unmeasurable and lack transparency

“I f the system is working I don’t have a problem, but my problem is fi nding out i f it is working,” he says

“ They [the Government] are elusive about the costs and fig ures of people who have come who are actual ly working – not just chi ldren and fami ly members

“ There are no fig ures g iven to how long these people stay ”

H ingee says Canberra would be better ser ved by funding directed towards civic improvements

“I f you make it wor thwhi le making it wor th coming to Canberra by making it better, people would come here of their own accord – you wouldn’t have to go out shopping for them,” he says

P h o n e 6 26 2 910 0 Fa x 6 26 2 9111

ne s 0 419 41819 6 g r e g @ cit y new s co m au

S e n i o r a d ve r t i s i n g e xe c u t i ve: Melissa Delf ino, 0 415 1376 6 0 Ad ve r t i s

G P O B ox 24 4 8 , C an b e r ra Cit y 26 01 w w w c i t y n e w s c o m a u Respons

cit y new s co m au

Chef Geof f has a tas te for Canberra’s delicious au t

C O OK I NG i s never a chor e for T V chef

G e of f Ja n sz – he s ays he even enjoys c o ok i n g for h i s fa m i ly a f ter a bu sy d ay at work “ It ’s my way to r el a x , I c a n’t b e stopp e d !” he s ays “ I t h i n k t he

r a l –“ pro duc e ab ou nd s, it ’s a joy ” – G eof f s ays he love s to get to C a nb er r a . “ It ’s not fa r dow n t he road ,” he s ays

“ I love how C a nb er r a n s h ave such a st ron g s en s e of s el f a nd l ive such a u n iquely C a nb er r a n l i fe.

“ We v i sit of ten for Q ue st ac on, wh ich my k id s love, a nd for O t tom a n C u i si ne i n B a r ton, it ’s t he b e st Chef Sher i f i s a gen iu s!

“ I enjoy t he st a rk ly d i f fer ent s e a son s i n C a nb er r a , to o

“Aut u m n is my favou r ite, you’re sayi ng goodbye to su m mer, but a l l t he su mmer produce l i ke tomatoes, zucch i n i,

COVER STORY

B y K at h r y n Vu kov lja k

egg pla nts a re st i l l g reat – somet i mes at t hei r best , ” he says. “It ’s a wonder fu l t i me, before we move i nto t he slowcook i ng, bra isi ng st yle of w i nter ” Hav i ng been a food jou r na l ist , w r itten t h ree books, ow ned t wo successfu l rest au ra nts a nd been a n i ndust r y consu lt a nt , G eof f a lways seems to be on t he go W het her it ’s developi ng h is commercia l products, work i ng on h is Food Store, t ravel l i ng t he world busy bei ng a “gast ronaught ” , ma i nt a i n i ng h is fa r m or ra isi ng fou r ch i ld ren w it h h is w i fe A ngela, he never seems to stop.

Ge o f f Ja n s z . “Au t u m n i s my favo u rite “

ch at , it ’s over t he phone f rom a hotel

ro om i n T h a i l a nd Enjoy i n g some r a r e

“ch i l l- out ” t i me w it h h i s w i fe s a n s

ch i ld r en, he’s a l so t a k i n g t he opp or-

t u n it y to ex p er ienc e aut hent ic T h a i

fl avou r s “ I n A si a , t hey tend not to r ef r i ger ate

a s much a s we do; for ex a mple, t hey

m i g ht h ave c au g ht some pr aw n s i n t he mor n i n g a nd t hey ’ l l le ave t hem

at ro om temp er at u r e for ei g ht hou r s – wh ich i sn’t enou g h to m a ke t hem go of f, but it ’s enou g h to a l low t hem to develop a d i f fer ent ch a r ac ter i st ic,” he s ays

“ T he fo o d her e t a ste s c ompletely d i ffer ent , even t hou g h we h ave t he s a me

t h i n g s l i ke t

“ We’ve got Nat a sh a , 2 0, Ol iv i a , 18 , H a r r y, 15 , a nd Jon ny, s even A nd t hey wer e a l l su r pr i s e s, not ju st t he l a st one!” he l au g h s “ I t h i n k l i fe i s wh at evolve s a rou nd you , a nd it ’s b e en enga g i n g at ever y p oi nt I r e a l ly enjoy my fa m i ly, I ’m a fa m i ly m a n ” A nd do t he k id s help out on t he fa r m?

i n g r e d ient s i n Au st r a l i a “ It ’s mor e e a r t hy, flor a l – a nd a l it t le

sc a r y somet i me s! But it ’s a l l pa r t of t he

“ No, t hey ’r e l a z y!” he l au g h s “ I ’m jok i n g , t hey ’r e ter r i fic k id s, t hey ’r e i nter e ste d a nd i nter e st i n g , but helpi n g out , no W hen “C it yNews” g r abs G e of f for a

advent u r e. I ’m fa sci n ate d by fl avou r s

“ I ’ve b e en lo ok i n g clos ely at b e ef r e c ent ly, at abat toi r s, cut t i n g ro om s, ex plor i n g t he fl avou r i n b e ef a nd wh at a f fe c t s it , i s it t he a gei n g pro c e s s,

Locals to the rescue of a river

T H E B o orowa R iver c atch ment i s lo c ate d i n t he he ad-water s of t he L ach-

l a n R iver, ju st 1½ hou r s nor t h-we st of

C a nb er r a We av i n g it s way t h rou g h

18 2 , 0 0 0 he c t a r e s of a g r icu lt u r a l l a nd ,

it i s t he l i feblo o d of t he c om mu n it y However, i nten s e t r e e fel l i n g a nd cle a r i n g for a g r icu lt u r e h a s h ad a n

a l most fat a l i mpac t on t he r iver. L ack of veget at ion a nd r i si n g water t able s h ave b e en pu mpi n g s a l i n ate d a g r icu l-

t u r a l r u nof f i nto t he r iver

I n 2 0 0 4 , 2 6 ton ne s a d ay wa s enteri n g t he r iver

T he L ach la n R iver Recover y P roject , a n i n it iat ive of Green i ng Aust ra l ia, bega n five yea rs ago to ma nage t he a mou nt of sa lt enter i ng t he r iver system P roject ma nager L or i G ou ld is del ighted w it h t he prog ress of t he scheme t hat , nat iona l ly, a i ms to restore more

t ha n 10,0 0 0k m of deg raded Aust ra l ia n r ivers over t he next 2 0 yea rs

Volu nte er s h ave b e en fenci n g of f erosion hot sp ot s, pl a nt i n g n at ive

t ub e sto ck a nd d i r e c t s e e d i n g , wh ich i s

a l l helpi n g to r egener ate t he l a nd a nd

r e duc e s a lt enter i n g t he water

T he proje c t i s a pa r t ner sh ip b e -

t we en L ach l a n C atch ment M a n a gement Aut hor it y, B o orowa L a ndc a r e

ENVIRONMENT

B y Ta nya Dav ie s

a nd T r a n sGr id a nd i nclude s bu si ne s s, scho ol s a nd t he fa r m i n g c om mu n it y

S event y fa r mer s a r e work i n g to r ev i-

t a l i s e a g r icu lt u r a l l a nd s, a nd i ncr e a s e

t he su st a i n abi l it y of a g r icu lt u r a l

met ho d s

A s wel l a s my r i ad volu nte er s r a n gi n g f rom scho olch i ld r en to Budd h i st mon k s, C a nb er r a volu nte er s f rom

Gr e en i n g Au st r a l i a’s Gr e en Te a m m a ke t he jou r ney to B o orowa t h r e e or fou r t i me s a s e a son to c ont r ibute to r eveget at ion

“ L a st t i me we wer e t her e we pl a nte d

2 0 0 t r e e s,” s ays C a nb er r a volu nte er

Joh n Sut ton, a r et i r e d fa r mer a nd a memb er of t he Gr e en Te a m “ It ’s lovely doi n g t h i n g s for l a nd holder s, a nd work i n g toget her to r egener ate a r e a s ”

H i s r eg r et i s t h at fa r mer s a r e st r etche d , but do e sn’t s e e t h at volu n-

te er s c a n do ver y much mor e “ M a ny

fa r mer s ne e d a s si st a nc e w it h a f ter-

c a r e such a s we e d i n g ,” he s ays

G o u l d w it h l a n d ow n e r T i m M c G rat h

T he r e stor at ion h a s a l so r e su lte d i n

S out her n P yg my Perch a nd t he Yel low

Sp ot te d B el l F rog b ei n g d i sc over e d

i n u nex p e c te d a r e a s T he S out her n

P yg my p erch h a s b e en r elo c ate d to a prote c te d a r e a a nd t her e i s p otent i a l for t he f rog to b e move d , to o To d ate, Gr e en i n g

r ade d r iver s W h i le it wou ld c ost to o much to c a lcu l ate s a l i n it y a ga i n, M s G ou ld s ays t he proje c t i s able to jud ge it s suc c e s s “ by t he i mprovement s to veget at ion, bio d iver sit y a nd m acro -i nver tebr ate s at t he site, a nd t he a mou nt of s e d i ment enter i n g t he r iver ” environm ent@live c om au

“LI FE is a French C abaret” is the theme for breast cancer supp or t group B osom Buddies’ 15th bir thday gala fundraising dinner to b e held at the Cor r ina B allroom, S outher n Cross Club, S aturday, M ay 8 . Enter t ainment will include cancan dancing, musical p er for mances, clair voyant s and reader s, and an auction. T icket s from 0 4 0 6 3765 0 0 or 629 0 198 4 H igher rates?

When shock turns cruel

TH E trage dy at Nar rabundah was the cat alyst for an amazingly bus y we ek on the phones of t alk radio. O n my program at 2CC , we str uggle d to cop e with the weight of phone calls

O n the M onday mor ning, it was all ab out shock and disb elief. A s the we ek progresse d, the b lame game really took hold. Pe ople have b e en quick to b lame the p olice and to call for a cess ation of p olice pur suit s . I k now this has b e en a devast ating trage dy, but I think b efore we ban p olice pur suit s, we have to ask the question: What is the alter native?

If the bad e ggs k now that p olice will not pur sue them, car insurance premiums would go through the roof. They ’d b e stealing car s left, r ight and centre, k nowing that as soon they were mobile in their “new car ” they ’d b e untouchab le

The conse quences of such anarchy could b e as tragic as what we s aw on C anb er ra Avenue, but on an even greater scale.

I don’t b elieve the p olice can b e b lame d for this accident. I don’t k now that the

WHAT is it about a tragedy that inspires members of the public to open up and talk about their feelings, asks 2CC breakfast announcer MARK PARTON?

cour t s, magistrates or the G over nment can b e b lame d, either. The late Justin Williams is the only one who can b e b lame d. Justin was a troub le d, stupid young man whose life was punctuate d by the shock ing choices that he made H e se eme d to have a disconne ct with the rest of societ y. H e couldn’t se e that his actions had such a dramatic effe ct on the p e ople who were close to him and memb er s of the pub lic that he had never met

What’s s addene d me, almost as much as the trage dy it self, is the disconne ct and the lack of humanit y that so many C anb er rans have shown when resp onding to it. I can’t get my head around the concept of sending a Faceb ook mess age to Justin’s mother telling her what a goo d thing it is that her son is dead

I under st and that he was a ser ial cr iminal. I under st and that many p e ople are angr y with him, but come on, show a bit of resp e ct. The b oy is dead. H e was someb o dy ’ s son. H e was someb o dy ’ s brother. H e hugge d p e ople, he laughe d, he st ar re d in school plays and he once b lew out fi ve candles on a bir thday cake Yes he was a dop e, but he was still a human b eing

O ne of the things that makes Australian societ y different from other s is that in this countr y ever y individual life is imp or t ant Justin Williams waste d his life and k ille d thre e innocent p e ople in the process, but his family and fr iends have still manage d to fi nd things ab out his life to celebrate In a civilise d countr y like this, at this troub le d time, we should let them gr ieve in as much p eace as they can

Police get the inside word

Police and the Australian Institute of Criminology have joined forces to combat alcohol -fuelled violence around C anberra, writes ELERI HARRIS

“ We’r e su r vey i n g c om mu n it y memb er s a nd bu si ne s s e s to get a s en s e of cu r r ent p erc ept ion s of problem s a s so ci ate d w it h l ic en s e d pr em i s e s a rou nd C a nb er r a a nd , I g ue s s, some of t hei r v iews r ega rd i n g wh at st r ateg ie s m i g ht b e ef fe c t ive i n r e duci n g t hos e problem s.

“O u r role i s c ol le c t i n g t he i n for m at ion t h at w i l l en able i n si g ht i nto how wel l p ol ic e st r ateg ie s a r e work i n g a

A IC r e s e a rcher A nt hony Mor ga n s ays t he su r vey w i l l prov ide t he fou nd at ion for me a su r i n g p erc ept ion s of v iolent cr i me

a nd p ol ic e r e sp on s e s to it i n t he c apit a l

“ It ’s goi n g to s et t he ba s el i ne for u s b e -

i n g able to me a su r e t he i mpac t of p ol ici n g st r ateg ie s

“ I don’t t h i n k t her e’s a ny doubt t h at r e -

a l ly t he on ly cr i me t y p e t h at ’s cu r r ent ly

i ncr e a si n g acros s Au st r a l i a i n ever y c apit a l cit y i s v iolent cr i me a nd so t her e’s

a pa r t icu l a r i nter e st a rou nd a lc ohol-r el ate d v iolenc e, g iven t h at we k now a fa i r prop or t ion of v iolent i ncident s a r e a lc ohol

r el ate d

“S o we ac t u a l ly put toget her t h i s ide a of lo ok i n g at wh at p ol ic e c a n do, wh at p ol ic e c a n do b et ter, i n ter m s of r e duci n g

t hos e i s sue s a s so ci ate d w it h a lc ohol , pa r -

t icu l a rly i n enter t a i n ment pr e ci nc t s – a n

obv iou s hot sp ot for v iolenc e a nd a r a n ge of ot her problem s

BY ap p e a r a n c e s you wou l d t h i n k t h at C h i e f

M i n i s t e r Jo n S t a n h o p e wou l d b e t h e “ wo rk-

h o r s e ” a n d h i s d e p ut y K at y G a l l a g h e r t h e

“s h ow p o ny ” N o t s o

T h e s e d ay s t h e C h i e f M i n i s t e r s e e m s t o b e

d i s t a n c i n g h i m s e l f , wh e r e p o s s i bl e , f r o m t h e

e ye o f c o nt r ove r s y, l e av i n g it t o G a l l a g h e r – w it h t h e p o r t fol i o s o f T r e a s u r y a n d H e a lt h

– t o d e l ive r t h e b a d n ew s a n d t o we a r t h e

t ou g h d e c i s i o n s

Ju s t a f t e r t h e S t a n h o p e G ove r n m e nt c a m e t o p owe r, i n l at e 2 0 0 1 , t h e b e n e fi t s o f t h e G S T

c o mb i n e d w it h t h e r ap i d ly e s c a l at i n g d e m a n d

fo r l a n d p r ov i d e d a w i n d f a l l fo r t h e AC T c o f-

f e r s A t t h e t i m e , S t a n h o p e s p e nt h e av i ly, i n -

c r e a s i n g t h e nu mb e r s o f p u bl ic s e r v a nt s , p u r -

c h a s i n g r o a d s i d e a r t , b u i l d i n g a s i n g l e - l a n e

G u n g a h l i n D r ive E x t e n s i o n a n d g e n e r a l ly

b e i n g a ny t h i n g b ut f r u g a l

T i g ht e n i n g t h e b e lt d e m a n d s h a r d d e c i s i o n s a n d d i f fi c u lt p r i o r it i e s

T h i s i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l it y a s s i g n e d t o G a l -

l a g h e r, wh o e nj oye d a s h o r t b r e at h e r wh e n

s h e t o o k up T r e a s u r y t h a n k s t o t h e F e d e r a l s t i mu lu s p a c k a g e B ut t h i n g s h ave c h a n g e d

a n d t h e T r e a s u r e r w i l l h ave n ow t o d r ive

h a r d d e c i s i o n s

G a l l a g h e r h a s a l s o r e s p o n s i b i l it y fo r h e a lt h

at a t i m e wh e n h o s p it a l s a r e o n t h e n at i o n a l

a n d l o c a l a g e n d a

A t t h e l o c a l l e ve l , s h e h a s t o n e g o t i at e w it h

C a lv a r y ove r t h e b e s t s olut i o n fo r a p u bl ic

h o s p it a l t h at i s c u r r e nt ly m a n a g e d by t h e L it-

t l e C o mp a ny o f M a r y, a n o r d e r o f f ewe r t h a n

10 0 nu n s t h r ou g h out Au s t r a l i a – t h e m aj o r it y

e politics of pink

I ’ V E a lways b e en fond of pi n k , so when I h ad a baby g i rl it c a me n at u r a l ly to embr ac e a l l t h i n g s

pi n k

Fou r ye a r s on, her b e d ro om i s fit for t he pr i n-

c e s s she i s – a nd t her e’s no pr i z e for g ue s si n g

t he c olou r t heme But I do u nder st a nd t h at some p e ople a r e a bit pi n k aphobic A nd for t hos e of u s

who a r en’t i nto t he whole pi n k t h i n g , t he plet ho -

r a of pi n k t h at ador n s ju st ab out ever y t h i n g for

l it t le g i rl s mu st i nde e d b e f r u st r at i n g

However, I h ave b e en su r pr i s e d to d i sc over ju st how p ol it ic a l t he c olou r pi n k i s For some mu m s, pi n k i s not mer ely a bad choic e, it ’s p osit ively ev i l “ P r et t y i n pi n k” i s not h i n g le s s

t h a n t he fi r st step towa rd s gender ster e ot y pi n g , sub ord i n at ion a nd oppr e s sion I n t he U K t her e i s even a lobby g roup wa g i n g a wa r a ga i n st pi n k.

T he P i n k st i n k s c a mpa i g n wh ich h a s t hou s a nd s of supp or ter s, bl a me s pi n k for m a ny of t he wo e s

women h ave su f fer e d i n so ciet y a nd c a l l s for pa r ent s to b oyc ot t pi n k i n k id’s clot h i n g a nd toys

P i n k st i n k s’ a r g u ment i s t h at wh i le toys for b oys enc ompa s s ever y a sp e c t of l i fe i m a g i n able

– c on st r uc t ion; scienc e; advent u r e; role pl ay ;

physic a l a nd e duc at ion a l – i n t he so - c a l le d

“ pi n k a l leys” of toy stor e s, t he choic e s for g i rl s a r e mor e l i m ite d T hey s e e pi n k a s le ad i n g g i rl s to va lue pa s siv it y over i n it i at ive a nd cu r iosit y ; a pr et t y fac e over i ntel l i genc e, le ad i n g to l ater

i n s e cu r it y, p o or p erc ept ion s of b o dy i m a ge a nd

l i m ite d c a r e er choic e s

I wa s i n it i a l ly pr et t y d i sm i s sive of a l l t h i s:

letters

Hig h pra ise for a ir por t open day

T H E Ca nber ra A i r por t Open Day was excel lent!

It has to be one of t he best free events i n Ca nber ra for you ng fa m i l ies

We’ve got t wo todd lers, so ma ny of t he la rger events just go over t hei r heads a nd t hey get bored, but t h is was br i l l ia nt , w it h lots goi ng on i n a sma l l, wel l- orga n ised space – pla ne acrobatics, get t i ng up close to a hot-a i r ba l loon, fi re t r ucks a nd pol ice c a rs, bei ng able to touch a nd go i nside fi ghter pla nes a nd big a i rl i ners (a lt hough t here was a fa i r bit of queu i ng i nvolved for t he pla nes)

T hey got st uck i nto t he rows of ju mpi ng c ast les a nd t he a n i ma l fa r m, too Pa rk i ng was easy a nd close to t he act ion We spent less t ha n $10 for a g reat mor n i ng out , a nd t hat was a couple of dol la rs to Rot a r y for a sausage sa ndw ich a nd a donat ion to go i nside a DC - 3 – ha rd ly a ny t h i ng you’d beg r udge pay i ng for Wel l done to t he a i r por t – t hey do t h is rea l ly wel l! Kim Har vey, Ainslie

Committed to change

I W R I T E i n response to t he let ter ‘“Senator sm i les? ” from R ic H i ngee, of Du f f y (CN, Ma rch 2 5) Si nce at least 2 0 0 2 I have worked closely w it h t he Supera n nuated Com monwea lt h O f-

ficers’ A ssociat ion a nd t he Defence Force Wel fa re A ssociat ion on t he issue of Com monwea lt h a nd Defence Force Supera nnuat ion Pensions

Si nce t he release of t he Mat t hews rev iew a nd t he G over nment ’s response i n Aug ust , I have w r it ten to a nd met w it h

F i na nce M i n ister L i ndsay Ta n ner expressi ng d isappoi nt ment at ou r gover n ment ’s response I have advoc ated t he adopt ion of a n a lter nate mea ns of i ndexat ion.

I rema i n com m it ted to t he c a mpa ig n for fa i rer i ndexat ion of Com monwea lt h Supera n nuat ion a nd Defence Force pensions a nd I u rge you to t a ke pa r t i n d r iv i ng t h is issue for wa rd

You c a n fi nd more i n for mat ion on my website w w w.katelu ndy com au or t hose of t he Supera n nuated Com monwea lt h

O f ficers A ssociat ion w w w scoa asn au a nd t he Defence Force Wel fa re A ssociat ion w w w d fwa org au Kate Lundy, Senator for the AC T

u n

briefl y Hou r of power

C A N B ER R A’S E ar th H our ’ s energy s aving e qualle d an estimate d re duction of 17. 8 6 tonnes of gre enhouse gas emissions, the e quivalent of t ak ing 4 15 car s off the road for a year. S ales mar keting and cor p orate affair s dire ctor Paul Walshe s aid ActewAGL would purchase 283, 35 6 kWh of Gre enPower for ele ctr icit y use d dur ing E ar th H our, which would b e the e quivalent to t ak ing up to 71 average car s off the road for a year

Crace begi ns

CO NS TRUC TI O N of the fi r st homes in Crace, a new subur b in C anb er ra ’ s nor th, has b e gun Proje ct dire ctor Ian Dawk ins s ays all of the Crace par tner builder s, including A PA H omes, Classic Constr uctions, A DR H omes, Vogue Constr uctions and To day ’s H omes and Lifest yle, are well under way with constr uction activities, and new homes will quick ly st ar t app ear ing.

Wri te to us

L

Global accounting group gets local face

ACCOUNTANC Y network Moore Stephens Australia has expanded into Canberra, with a new addition to its national network of eight independent firms of business advisor s and chartered accountants in all mainland capital cities of Australia

Moore Stephens Canberra, previously known as A scent Audit and Governance Ser vices, joined the national and global network of 351 independent member firms with 630 offices in 98 countries, in March

Managing partner Adrian Kelly said his firm A scent and Moore Stephens share a vision for the future

“ We’re ver y happy about joining the network,” he says. “ We have benefited from our previous association with Bentleys over the year s, and it has been an amicable departure, but our firm is now looking to build on our core strengths of external audit, internal audit and risk management

“Moore Stephens is stronger in these areas and is investing in them for the future

“It’s not a merger or a takeover – we ’ re an independent member firm,” he adds. “ We feel our future lies with the Moore Stephens network, which has the size and infrastructure that supports the challenges facing our assurance clients.”

Adrian says there is also considerable appeal in Moore Stephens’ ver y strong and cohesive Australian and

international network, which will open up “exciting” opportunities for his firm’s clients and its people

Moore Stephens Canberra has five partner s – Adrian Kelly, Eric Hummer, Selina Stanford, Trevor Vivian and Tony Brine – and 25 staff

“ We are a high- quality audit and governance firm with excellent Austalian Government contacts, network s and contracts,” says Adrian

“It’s our aim to grow further, but in a measured, sustainable way. We’re looking for ward to achieving this with support from the Moore Stephens network, and to engaging fully in

ever ything the network has to offer.”

The firm has operated in Canberra since 1992, providing audit and assurance, internal audit, risk management and financial consulting ser vices to a growing range of Canberra-based government, not-for-profit and commercial clients

“Our strengths lie in our abilit y to resource assignment s with exp er ience d senior st aff, our commitment to maint ain consistency of p er sonnel, and our collab orative approach to engagement s and client management,” s ays Adr ian

“These strengths enable us to provide

clients with attention to detail and a level of under standing of their business that larger firms with competing resource demands are unable to match ”

With regard to its external audit ser vices, the firm has developed a strong relationship with the Australian National Audit Office, says Adrian, and agencies that the firm audits on behalf of ANAO include the Australian War Memorial and the Australian Federal Police

Over the past four year s, considerable investment in a robust methodology and quality assurance regime has assisted the firm to win a strong foothold in the Canberra internal audit market

Recognising that internal audit is becoming more focused on business improvement and less on compliance, the firm’s ser vice approach assists its internal audit clients achieve their strategic business goals

Other ser vices provided by Moore Stephens Canberra include risk management and advisor y, financial accounting, reporting and budgeting, fraud risk assessments and fraud control plans, legislative compliance framework, reviews and strategic asset management

Stephen Humphr ys, chairman of Moore Stephens Australia, says that securing a firm in Canberra has been a strategic priority for Moore Stephens for some time

“Not only does A scent bring to the network outstanding technical skills, knowledge and experience, but having a highly regarded and well - connected member firm in Canberra opens up the critically important government market for the rest of the network,” he says.

“ We have worked hard to build a network of like -minded firms committed to success by delivering quality work for quality clients, but not at the expense of the quality of life of our partner s and staff

“ We also aim to deliver to our member firms appropriate, high- quality centralised resources with a conser vative cost structure designed to deliver maximum value ”

At the Rochipop kids’ shop opening Cusacks Cen t re, Ki ngs ton At Heart Foundation’s Heart Classic Charity Golf Day, Yarralumla

all about Easter

Hot fun with lots of hiss

TH E sight s and sounds o f vint age steam trains will r etur n to the AC T fro m 9am to 4 p m o n E aste r S atur day with the r unning o f the annual E aste r Steam Sp e ct acular, which showcases l o cal rail he r it age – and attract s C anb e r ra families ke e n to exp e r ie nce a bygo ne e ra

This year ’ s sp e ct acular at the C anb e r ra Railway St atio n, We nt wo r th Ave nue, K ingsto n, will featur e:

• Eve r- p o pular steam train r ides with l o co 3016 ( built 19 03 ) b et we e n C anb e r ra and Q ueanb eyan, with a sp e cial mixe d train shuttl e in the afte r no o n using vint age fr eight ve hicl es fro m the C anb e r ra Railway M useum

• A d i s p l ay o f h i sto r

S t a t i o n – a ch a n ce to g e t u p cl o s e to

1210, n

132

n ow n a s t h e l o co m o t i ve w

• Family Fun activities such as a jumping castl e and face painting, p rovide d by the G e cko Gang

• A vint age e ngine disp lay by the C anb e r ra and D istr ict H isto r ic Engine Club

Contact the Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT Division) on 6284 2790

Further information at w w w trains org au

Pialligo shoes step into an ar t form

PI A LLI GO Plant Far m’s Galler y 12 is showing “ The A r t of the Shoe”, a mixe d - me dia exhibition which uses paintings and photographs of shoes, plus sculptures in ceramic, woo d and soft fabr ics to highlight the b eaut y of the shoe, s ays G e off Clear y, owner of Galler y 12 at Pialligo Plant Far m, Pialligo

“ The show features 15 ar tist s, some of whom have up to 10 pie ces and other s have

just one,” G e off s ays .

“Linda Davies has made a b eautiful ceramic shoe and handbag set, while local ar tist Julie A ston, who’s also the creator of the quir k y gates around Pialligo Plant Far m, has use d met als and fabr ic to make several pie ces, including painte d antique shoe last s

“Painter Jan Weir, k nown for her heav y layer ing of thick oils on canvas, has move d

from her usual seascap es to make eight, lovely, whimsical pie ces relating to the theme,” he s ays

“ The A r t of the Shoe” is op en seven days a we ek (except G oo d Fr iday) , and will close on A pr il 12

Galler y 12, Pialligo Plant Farm, 12 B eltana Road, Pialligo, 6247 5752

N u rser y hos t s kids’ egg h u n t

O N E aster Sunday, Ro dney ’ s Nur ser y in Pialligo will b e the venue for a family char it y event to raise money for the 4TylerJames Fund Tyler James is a fi ve -year- old C anb er ra b oy who was diagnose d with N eurob lastoma at age t wo N eurob lastoma is the four th most common childhoo d cancer and account s for eight to 10 p er cent of all cancer s in children

A long with an E aster e gg hunt and a chance to fi nd the “big golden e gg ” , children can re gister to enter their own, hand - made E aster b onnet.

The event, organise d by children’s b outiques M issChief M aker and B r indab ella B aby, k ick s off at 1. 30 pm, with the hunt commencing at 2pm

The after noon will also feature a s aus age siz zle, wine t astings, demonstrations, mar ket st alls, facepainting, a pre - hunt b ook reading by Tania M cC ar tney and a p ost- hunt b ook reading by Ingr id Jonach Hunting bags, gift bags and name t ags will b e provide d for re gistere d children

A s places are limited and registrations should be made at w w w misschiefmaker com au/events

There’s lots to do around the town

Bes t of t he bes t

“ Masterpieces from Paris: Van G ogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond ”

B R AVE the queues and catch this epic, re cord - break ing exhibition b efore it goes! The National Galler y of Australia has extende d “M aster pie ces from Par is: Van G ogh, Gauguin, Céz anne and b eyond”, for t wo we ek s

The wor k s of ar t usually reside at the Musé e d’O r s ay in Par is and their visit is a fi r st for Australia – and only in C anb er ra Visit nga gov au/MasterpiecesFromParis / for opening times , or call 624 0 6 411

Nat ional por t rai t photos

“ National Photographic Por trait Prize 2010 ”

TH E annual National Photographic Por trait Pr ize promotes the ver y b est in contemp orar y photographic p or traiture by professional and aspir ing Australian photographer s . There is a pr ize of $25,0 0 0 for the most out st anding photographic p or trait

National Portrait Galler y, King Edward Terrace Parkes , call 6102 70 0 0 or visit w w w portrait gov au. O pen daily 10 am - 5pm, entr y is free

Democracy at work

“Australian Democrac y: more than 20 0 0 year s in the making ”

SEE Australia’s democracy in its historical and geographical context View a fir st edition of Thomas Paine’s “The Rights of Man”, published in response to the French Revolution, and learn about Catherine Helen Spence, who fought for women ’ s suffrage E xhibition access include d in the museum ’ s entr y fe e

Museum of Australian D emocrac y at O ld Parliament House w w w.moadoph.gov.au, King George Terrace, Parkes , 6270 8222 D aily 9am - 5pm – adult $2, child $1, family $5 , concession $1

A ll you need is...

“O f L ove and War ”

LOVE touches us all. Dur ing times of confl ict it plays an imp or t ant role in the lives of our ser vicemen and women; the swe ethear t s and lover s they left b ehind or those they met while ser ving

This exhibition look s at the impact of war on these relationships and the ways in which Australians incor p orate d affair s of the hear t into their war time lives

Australian War Memorial, Special E xhibitions Galler y w w w awm gov au Treloar Crescent, Campbell, 6243 4211. D aily from 10 am - 5pm

U p close wi t h water

“ Water: H20 = Life”

E XPER I EN CE water like never b efore in this thought- provok ing, enter t aining and inspir ing exhibition. Lear n how water shap es our planet and near ly ever y asp e ct of our lives

Discover what you and your family can do to prote ct and conser ve our planet’s water. S e e interactive displays and live fish and frogs . This inter national exhibition features a sp e cial se ction devote d to Australia’s own water stor y National Museum of Australia w w w nma gov au Lawson Crescent, Acton, 620 8 50 0 0 , 9am - 5pm daily

A isles of t reasu res

Old Bus Depot Market s “ Por tobello Road ”

Sunday, April 4 , 10am - 4 pm

F O R E aster Sunday, the focus is on antiques and colle ct ab les . B rowse the aisles of e cle ctic and interesting treasures – retro de corative ar t, antique jeweller y, quir k y colle ct ab les, china and ar t glass, linens and lace, silver and restore d pie ces

O ld Bus D epot Markets , Went worth Avenue, Kingston

Eas ter ch u rch ser v ices

St Luke’s Anglican church Newdegate Street , Deakin.

April 2 , 10. 30am, Good Friday Stor y for Families

This family fr iendly ser vice aims to interactively tell the stor y of G oo d Fr iday It includes drama, stor y, explanation of traditions, and time for prayer and re fl e ction

April 4 , 6am, Easter Dawn Ser vice.

Join us on the lake at Yar ralumla B ay (at the b ottom of H op etoun Circuit) as we watch the sun come over the lake, celebrate with H oly Communion, and share in the joy of the resur re ction of J esus . We fi nish with hot cross buns and an E aster e gg hunt

April 4 , 8am, holy communion,

traditional APBA Prayer Book ser vice

April 4 , 10am, family ser vice

A joyful and interactive ser vice for p e ople of all ages . Includes new and old music, children’s program, holy communion and mor ning tea

St John’s Corner Constitution Avenue and Anzac Park West

April 4 , 6am Eucharist & lighting of the new fire Rev Paul Black 8am, sung Eucharist, Rev Margaret Campbell.

9. 30am, church family Eucharist Rev Black

11 15am, choral Eucharist Rev Black No evening ser vice.

A market to rela x Hall Market

Sunday, 10am -3pm W

by the

among the

for lunch and enjoy the

ainment and children’s activities

Hall Fairgrounds , Hall

Free Bu n ny photos

Free photos with the Easter Bunny

March 27 until April 3 (excluding G ood Friday)

GE T your child’s photo t aken with the E aster Bunny You’ll re ceive one fre e 5x7cm photo p er child p er day, pr inte d within 6 0 minutes (s ame day for busier p er io ds)

Additional photos can b e purchase d for $5 B rand D epot, Majura Park , 11am -2pm daily

St Philip’s Anglican church Macpherson Street , O’Connor

April 1, Passover Dinner and Maundy

Thursday ser vice

April 2 , noon to 3pm, Good Friday

April 4 , 6am, lighting of the new fire; 7am, Eucharist; 8am-9. 30am Easter celebration breakfast; 10am sung Eucharist

St Christopher ’s Cathedral Manuka

April 2 , 3pm, Good Friday ser vice.

April 3, 7. 30 pm mass.

April 4 , 8am, 11am and 5 30 pm, Easter Sunday mass

Blending fictitious love into histor y

“THE LAST STATION” (M)

B LEN DI N G a fi ctitious love stor y into re corde d histor y, M ichael H offman’s fi lming of Jay Par ini’s novel ab out Le o Tolstoy ’s last summer in 1910 engages and ultimately rewards our involvement without pander ing to b ox offi ce conventions such as violence, fant as y, extra - ter restr ials or cliché d come dy Cher tkov (Paul Giamatti) , zealot CEO of the paci fist Tolstoyan movement, engages Bulgakov ( James M c Avoy) to rep or t to him as Tolstoy ’ s se cret ar y H offman’s scre enplay strengthens the fi lm’s dramatic thr ust by br inging Bulgakov together with the luminously lovely but fi ctitious Tolstoyan acolyte M asha (Ker r y Condon) in an affair embroider ing the fi lm’s fabr ic, a concession to dramatic convention, a char ming sub - plot complementing the p ower and emotional energy character ising Tolstoy ’s 4 8 -year mar r iage with S of ya dur ing which she b ore 18 children (of whom, fi ve did not sur vive) while he wrote “ War A nd Peace” and “A nna Karenina”.

The drama’s core inexorab ly approaches Cher tkov ’ s visit to Tolstoy ’s home to p er suade him to b e queath his est ate to the movement, not S of ya. Chr istopher Plummer gives a care ercapping p er for mance as Tolstoy. H elen M ir ren ’ s magni fi cent S of ya dominates the action, emotions and passions of a p ower ful and often humorous fi lm which offer s the adde d delight of some vint age steam railway se quences

At D endy

“THE

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO” (MA)

TELLI N G the subst ance of Steig L ar sson’s forensic novel with vigour, cre dibilit y enhance d by pass ages that se em at fi r st to lack it, and unabashe d treatment of some rather dis agre eab le themes, this is as s atisf ying a movie in any genre as I ’ ve se en for some time

A judge sentences investigative jour nalist M ikael to thre e months for lib elling a fi nancier in a progressive monthly. B efore his confi nement st ar t s, industr ialist H enr ik (Sven B er til -Taub e) en -

gages him to investigate the 196 6 dis app earance of his nie ce. Researching M ikael’s prose cution, Lisb eth, cyb er-sleuth for a metrop olit an daily, hack s into his laptop. M ikael’s enquir y for H enr ik get s st alle d

A fter Lisb eth get s magni fi cently even with sleaze - bag attor ney Bjur man (Peter A nder sson) , who has t aken stewardship of her income and her b o dy, M ikael p er suades her that it’s to her advant age to wor k with him. Sub - plot s come together including residual Nazi attitudes in Swe den, family tensions, abuse of pub escent gir ls and multiple sex-slayings . Dire ctor Niels A rden O pley guides the fi lm deftly through that gr uesome -sounding cat alogue with just enough visual and ver bal reference to explain what’s happ ening without descending into explicit sens ationalism.

A lthough M ichael Nyqvist as M ikael get s lead billing, the fi lm’s real energy source is N oomi Rapace’s sup er b Lisb eth

At Greater Union, D endy

“HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON” (PG)

I F you ’ ve se en the trailer for this CG animation, you ’ ve se en the b est of it

In a Vik ing tr ib e plague d by marauding dragons, most men are bulk y, hair y, thick b et we en the ear s and violent. N one of those, Hiccup (voice d by Jay B ar uchel) , a grave dis app ointment to his dad the chief (G erard Butler) , toils and invent s in his uncle’s ar mor y and dreams of slaying dragons . Dur ing a raid, Hiccup br ings a dragon down when his new- design weap on shear s off it s t ailplane. When he fi nds it, he cannot br ing himself to k ill it. H e fit s a prosthesis and embar k s on a campaign to p er suade the tr ib e that dragons are actually fr iendly chaps in e conomic thrall to the biggest baddest dragon of them all Dean de B lois’s fi lm is probab ly too mature for k ids and too simplistic for adult s . Der ivative of several b etter fi lms explor ing interaction b et we en humans and CG fant as y animals – “ Where The Wild things A re” and “Avat ar ” come easily to re cent mind – it muddles it s accent s something awful, from broad, wor k ing - class lowland S cot s to N ew Yor k east side. It s wor thiest element is the imagination applie d to designing dragons and compiling an amusing fi eld guide to them

At Greater Union, Hoyts and Limelight

A surgical team de cides not to remove the bullet in the head of or phan B azil (Dany B oon) and sends him back to the stre et. A scavenger who fi nds him sle eping rough br ings him to a wonder ful cave b eneath a Par is r ubbish - dump, the tire - lar igot, home to a multi -sk ille d bunch of vagab onds who build incre dib le creations from s alvage d mater ials

The stre et k nows B azil’s t aken the bullet S omeb o dy fi nds the discharge d car tr idge showing it was made in the ar mament s factor y r un by de F enouille (A ndre Dusollier) whose passion is expanding his colle ction of exp ensive exotic cur ios His r ival M arconi (Nicholas M ar ie) , whose factor y across the stre et makes identical pro duct s, is also a colle ctor

De ciding that revenge will help B azil to fe el love d, his new family memb er s devise a strat agem for punishing de F enouille by destroying his factor y plus the collateral b ene fit of putting M arconi out of business

It’s delicious z any come dy of quir k y character s with wack y abilities . F or example, L a M ôme C aoutchouc, a contor tionist who can b end her self into any desire d shap e. C alculette who count s obje ct s and measures dist ances merely by glancing at them. Fracasse (the wonder ful Dominique Pinon, a re gular in J eunet’s fi lms) little, ugly but with the hear t of a lion. Remington who creates plans and sp eak s in aphor isms and maxims that delight the ear

M ore than cinema of the absurd, “M icmacs” s ays something of value. The exp er ience of watching it is no less joyous than it s content S er ve d with J eunet’s inimit ab le exub erance, it matter s little that only Frenchmen inherently under st and it s title. It’s fun for ever yb o dy At D endy and Greater Union

G l a s s w o r k s i n a t e r r i fi c e x h i b i t i o n i n s p i r e d

b y i t s h i s t o r y a s t h e K i n g s t o n P o w e r H o u s e ,

w i t h w o r k s n e s t l e d i n u n e x p e ct e d c o r n e r s

t h r o u g h o u t I n “ R o o t s o f P o w e r ” , S i m o n M a b e r l y h a s

a t t a c h e d l a r g e , f o u n d r o o t s y s t e m s t o s t e e l

a n d i m p l a n t e d t h e m i n t h e o u t s i d e h o p p e r

o u t l e t s f r o m w h i c h t h e y d e s c e n d a s t h o u g h

d e s p e r a t e l y s e e k i n g e a r t h

B j o r n G o o d w i n ’ s m a s s e d c l u m p s o f g l o b e s j o s t l e d r u n ke n l y f r o m p o i n t s b o t h o u t s i d e a n d i n s i d e t h e c e n t r e , w h i l e h i s g r o u p o f e i g h t l a r g e fi b r e g l a s s t r e e s t u m p s a n c h o r s t h e o u t s i d e s q u a r e J a c q u e l i n e B r a d l e y ’ s f o u n d d o o r a n d w i n d o w f r a m e s r e c a l l t h e r o l e o f t h e p o w e r

s t a t i o n i n t h e d o m e s t i c r e a l m a n d K r i s t i n M c F a r l a n e ’ s w o n d e r f u l c h a n d e l i e r s a n d g l a s s r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s o f p o w e r h o u s e c o m p o n e n t s e n c a p s u l a t e t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e c o a l t o p o w e r, p o w e r t o g l a s s p r o g r e s s i o n o f

t h e s i t e G e o f f F a r q u h a r - S t i l l t r a n s f o r m s t h e l i f t i n t o a w a t e r y, s e r e n e s p a c e t h a t u s e s s o u n d a n d r e fl e ct i v e v i ny l t o e c h o t h e b u i l d i n g s p a s t a n d p r e s e n t i n c a r n a t i o n s E xc i t i n g l y, N i c h o l a s F o l l a n d p r e s e n t s a l i v i n g s cu l p t u r e w h e r e i c e g r o w s a r o u n d a c o p p e r a r m a t u r e , t h e s u r f a c e g l e a m i n g w i t h d r o p s o f m o i s t u r e i n s t a s i s , t h e w h o l e e m i t t i n g b r e a t h s o f c o l d a i r Tr i s h R o a n i n t e r p r e t s t h e b u i l d i n g ’ s w i n d o w s w i t h a fi n e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f p e r f e ct l yf o r m e d , w a t e r - h o l d i n g g l a s s s p h

arts&entertainment

By ar ts editor Helen Musa

“PEOPLE go to the circus to be frightened, but they don’t want the performers to be hurt,” Michael Edgley tells me He should know Not only is he often too scared to watch his show’s “amazing motorbike act”, but has he been running the Great Moscow Circus since when his father died in 1967 It’s six years since we last saw Edgley’s Moscow Circus in Canberra. The present edition of the circus began playing in Brisbane in September 2008, and after 15 to 16 months, half a million people have seen it With the increased population of Australia, he believes he could keep it going perennially “But,” he swears, “One of my big, basic principles is that it must be a totally different show each time ”

One thing about the Moscow Circus that fascinates Edgley is the huge age-span to which it reaches He has noticed people as young as three and as old as 93 looking on with excitement. “We fight to make it affordable at just over $30 a head,” he says As for competition, he was an enthusiastic partner in the first two tours of Cirque du Soleil, but sees it as essentially a more theatrical act than circus, with its emphasis on production, lighting and music But in his view, beyond the big capital cities, it just wouldn’t pay.

Edgley explains that the Moscow Circus is now a brand “We always have Russian actors in the show,” he says, and his eldest son Mark is engaged to a Russian girl in the show. But what was once a Soviet Ministr y of Culture venture is now a private enterprise to which he and tent-master Harr y Webber long ago acquired the licence.

These days, fees go directly to the original Moscow-based circus company, which

Circus boy to man

always has a say in what goes into the show, but rarely stands in the way of non-Russian talent when it’s needed Edgley cites the presence of a 16 -year-old Tasmanian boy, William Campbell, who came in as a localcolour performer with his Diablo act and is now a permanent feature of the circus

Edgley is especially proud of the circus’ contributions to charity, which in Canberra will consist of 800 free seats given to the Snow Foundation for free tickets to go to disadvantaged people and 400 seats which have gone to Rotar y, which will sell them to give to the Southcare Helicopter

Most of all, he loves what has become of his (and the Webbers’) family business.

“The majority of our performers are in their 20s and 30s – good-looking, young people – although our main comedy man is in his 50s… it’s absolutely thrilling.”

And his motto? “Make it different and make it interesting ”

The Great Moscow Circus, Brand Depot precinct, April 9-26 Bookings 0429 667269, 132 849 or www ticketek com au

Sculpt ures share top prize

B y Helen Mu sa

THE inaugural Weereewa Sculpture Prize has gone jointly to two striking work s of art installed on the ancient bed of Lake George at the end of Lake Road, Bungendore

A s sturdy art-lover s journeyed around the 29 sculptures submitted, judge Wendy Teakel and head of sculpture at the ANU School of Art, explained how she had divided the fir st prize victor y between two joint winner s, Dave Argaet’s vision of a submerged house and water-tank, “Sands of Time”, in brick, iron, timber and a skeletal hor se sculpture, “Adrift”, made of steel and salvaged

objects by Andy Townsend and Suzie Bleach

The two winning entries shared in the $50 0 0 prize money donated by energy company Infigen, while the third prize of $10 0 0 went to Tracey Love for “Carbon Lockup”, with a highly commended going to Mike MacGregor for his steel sculpture “Sowing Change”

Ms Teakel said she had taken into account the materials used, the three - dimensional quality, the originality, the relationship to the lake and the answer s to the question “did I get it? ” She expressed the hope that this might be the beginning of a major sculpture award for NSW

Halal’s tast y call to faithful

I ALWAYS feel healthy when eating Middle Eastern cuisine. For the most part, it’s low in saturated fats, dietar y fibre and celebrates the benefits of quality olive oil Better still, is that this amazingly diverse type of food packs a punch on taste.

The Turkish Halal Pide House at the Yarralumla shops is nothing flash Far from it But the extensive (and inexpensive) menu and, for many, being able to eat 100 per cent fresh Halal, are major draw cards

This small operation has an outdoor seating area and two small, indoor seating areas – one to the left of the front door and one to the right The middle is where customers line up to order, and line up they do A steady stream picked up large orders of take away when we were there, but only for a few moments because the ser vice is quick, quick, quick

The term Halal describes anything permissible under Islamic law, including with diet. Certain foods and drinks are lawful and others, such as pork and alcohol, are not So the Turkish Halal Pide House is not licensed and byo is not permitted

We began our dinner with one of the eight dips on the menu, which we had never tasted before The chilli and walnut dip was a rich colour and delighted us with its texture and bite The Kabak Mucveri, fried zucchini puffs

DINING

with a delicate yoghurt sauce were excellent – light, fluffy and big And this brings me to a gentle warning It’s easy at the Turkish Halal Pide House to get stuffed on dips and entrées, meaning you have to be a marathon eater to get through your main (or, if you wish, get them to pack up what you could not get through)

Next came the mains The Pirzola, marinated lamb cutlets with herbs were tender and a full-flavour sensation So, too, was the spicy sliced chicken and the Tavuk Gogusu, marinated chicken breast The chicken – both the breast and the spicy sliced – was a bit dr y and overcooked, but it didn’t stop us from digging in. All mains come with a huge ser ve of rice and fresh salad decorated with thinly grated carrot

The Turkish Halal Pide House has been ser ving those who live, work and visit Yarralumla for eight years. Ser vice is seven days and starts early morning, around 9 30

to

Si ngi ng praises of home

By Helen Musa

WHEN Canberra-raised tenor Christopher Steele swept into town recently with his wife and two-year-old daughter, it wasn’t difficult for him to sing the praises of his home town After all, Steele had just left behind a bitter European winter and an even worse one when he toured the US with the eccentric “Opera Show ”

Here, he noticed immediately, “the parks, the space the open air – Canberra is looking fantastic “ Steele was keen to talk about his coming concert at the Italian Cultural Centre with Stopera Steele will share the stage with sopranos Rebecca Collins, whom he knew when they sang in opera choruses together in the old days, and Rachel Duncan Accompanied by Stopera director Vivienne Winther, they’ll be performing all those popular arias and duets from “La Traviata”, “Rigoletto” and “West Side Stor y ” and throw in a bit of “O Sole Mio” and “Time to Say Goodbye.”

Steele, now 37, left for London some years ago to study and trod a hard road until he started getting top roles in contemporar y operas such as “Letters of Love Betrayed” staged in a small

theatre at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He has also performed for the English National Opera and the Welsh National Opera

But though he is no longer a star ving artist, Steele still takes regular vocal training in an effort to raise his pitch While he doesn’t mind singing a bit of Puccini in concerts like the one he’ll do here, he calculates that he is still two years away from singing the lead roles such as Rodolfo in “La Boheme” in a big opera house Happily, there are composers who are “really healthy” for singers, such as Donizetti and, on a good day, Verdi So Steele will keep on training, urging towards that perfect top “C”. And, by the way, when is a proper time for a tenor to stop taking lessons? “Never!” says Steele

“A Night at the Opera”, Italian Cultural Centre, Forrest 8pm, April 10.

TRU E b lue Aussie theatre celebr it y, the actor and wr iter M ax Cullen, will b e at The Stre et Theatre with his own wor k , “Faces in the Stre et – a S alute to H enr y L awson” from A pr il 10 to 24 . It’s par t of the theatre’s “ S olo at the Stre et” proje ct, which will se e also wor k s by David F innigan and B ill Z appa. B ook ings to 6247 12 2 3 YOU N G wr iter s were re cognise d at the AC T A ssociation for the Teaching of English’s Litlink s Wr iting Comp etition 20 0 9 Awards Ceremony, held at the National Librar y re cently. The UC’s A nthony E aton sele cte d J essica Swann, of Er indale Colle ge, as overall winner and r unnerup was Rachel Stok ker, from L ake Tuggeranong Colle ge

o c r e a t

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m o r o u s k i t s c h , w h i l e B l a ke’s r e s p o n s e t o t h e m e d i a i n p a i n t i n g i s “t o t a l e s c a p i s m ” T H E n e xt D av i d Pe r e i r a Ce l l o S e r i e s i s a w i l d o n e: C a n b e r r a d i r e cto r a n d p u p p e te e r C a t h e r i n e Ro a ch a n d C a t hy Pe to c z h ave cr e a te d a

Hot pizza business delivers for Paul

“E AGLE B oys is a great business to b e in – ever yone likes piz z a! ” s ays E agle B oys Gungahlin franchise e Paul Par k . F or Paul and his wife Lis a, who r uns the business with him, b eing big fans of piz z a help e d them st ar t their own successful family business

“ The only prob lem nowadays is that sometimes we ’ re so bus y r unning around and ser ving customer s that we don’t always get the time to enjoy them. Still we’re happy to share our passion for piz z a with our customer s and se e them enjoy our hot and t ast y piz z as ” Paul s ays he had b e en a pub lic ser vant for 26 year s, and was ready for a change

“ We were ver y ke en to st ar t our own business,” he s ays . “ Var ious family memb er s have had hospit alit y businesses over the year s .

“ We looke d into E agle B oys, we like d the pro duct, and it se eme d like a really goo d opp or tunit y for us . It’s cer t ainly b e en a great exp er ience so far ” E agle B oys Gungahlin op ene d in De cemb er 20 0 9, and Paul s ays that in thre e months he’s had fant astic fe e dback

“ We get lot s of p ositive phone calls ab out our foo d,” he s ays . “ We had one gentleman call up and s ay: ‘I ’m 59 year s old, I ’ ve never tr ie d E agle B oys b efore and it’s the b est piz z a I ’ ve ever t aste d’. H ear ing things like that is just wonder ful. It’s ver y s atisf ying ”

“ We always use fresh ingre dient s, and source from local supplier s wherever p ossib le,” he s ays

Paul lives in Gungahlin, a couple of minutes from E agle B oys, and s ays he enjoys supp or ting the local communit y.

“Gungahlin is a growing area, and we love it here,” he s ays . “ We give back to the communit y through providing foo d to sp or ting groups, schools and the drop - in centre ” Eagle B oys Gungahlin, Shop 10 8 , Gungahlin Square, Gungahlin, 6241 1946

Light side to tast y pizzas

E AGLE Boys Pizza has undergone a major menu overhaul, becoming the largest Australian pizza maker to of fer a range of full - size pizzas which are at least 92 .7 per cent fatfree, according to its executive chef Melanie Townsend

Create d by M elanie, the “Lighter Choices” range consist s of fi ve gour met piz z as made using a sp e cial light, white s auce – giving full fl avour without the fat – and without compromising on size, she s ays

The fi ve light piz z as for m par t of E agle B oys’ new menu, which features 31 new items – the company ’s biggest menu over haul in it s 2 3 -year histor y

It also includes fi ve new premium piz z as, fi ve k ids’ meals, fi ve new side dishes, thre e new desser t s, a gluten - fr iendly piz z a base and a new dr ink s range

“ We’ve create d innovative piz z as, devilish desser t s and sumptuous sides like p ot ato sk ins and las agne,” M elanie s ays . “E ach one is delicious ” E agle B oys Piz z a is one of Australia’s leading franchises, with more than t wo de cades of

exp er ience in the ret ail foo d industr y

It op erates a net wor k of more than 30 0 stores across Australia, mak ing more than 16 million piz z as a year, generating a tur nover of more than $16 0 million

Having re cently op ene d it s 30 0 th store, in Sydney ’s R yde, E agle B oys is wor k ing on a $20 million expansion strate gy which will cement the company ’ s p osition as the countr y ’ s se cond - largest piz z a maker, according to M ichael St andley, franchise s ales manager for NS W/AC T.

B ig plans for expansion into C anb er ra are also under way, he s ays

“O ver the next 12 months we ’ re aiming to op en six stores across the AC T,” he s ays . “ There will b e t wo in B elconnen, one in B raddon, one in Chisholm, one in Queanb eyan and one in the M awson area ”

“In re cent months, we ’ ve se en inquir ies from p otential franchise es soar,” he s ays . “E ach month we re ceive any where up to 25 0 individual inquir ies from p e ople wanting to join our awardwinning s ystem

“ This put s us in a great p osition to b e ab le to sele ct those budding entrepreneur s who we fe el b est suit the E agle B oys s ystem and will b e successful in dr iving their own franchise ”

The launch of a new “national phone name” in M arch is exp e cte d to add to brand identit y re cognition, s ays M ichael. “Instead of rememb er ing a numb er, just think 130 0 E AGLE B OY S ”

Creature comfor ts with

Shade for any w here

JUS T R ite can design and inst all the b est shade s ail for any area, according to a company sp okesp er son.

“ Shade s ails will add st yle to any outdoor space and increase the use and enjoyment of outdoor living areas,” she s ays

“Our shade s ails have many features to ensure a high - qualit y, long - lasting pro duct, including 95 p er cent U V b lock and shade in a large range of fabr ic colour s ”

Just R ite uses commercial - grade shade fabr ic for durabilit y; p owder- coate d, galvanise d -ste el p ost s, st ainless-ste el fastener s and tur n buck les to ensure no r ust and a pulley is inst alle d at ever y cor ner so that the st ainless ste el wire won’t fray.

I deal for school playgrounds, childcare centres, sp or ting facilities, car par k s and many other commercial applications, Just R ite also stock s Coolaroo Commercial 95 shade s ails, which will b lock out the majorit y of the sun’s har mful U V rays providing a s afe, cost- effe ctive cover ing for small and large areas .

Just Rite, 14 Whyalla Street, Fyshwick , 628 0 530 0

W hen energ y leaks

EN ERG Y Imaging’s testing has shown that air leakage and p oor insulation are major prob lems in C anb er ra dwellings .

“Gaps in insulation and air leak s in your building means that your home or wor k en -

“Cit yNews” presents a selec tion of supplier s who are providing at trac tive and innovative energyef ficient goods and ser vices of interest to C anberra householder s...

vironment is losing valuab le energy, money and comfor t,” s ays an Energy Imaging sp okesp er son

“ We can quick ly and accurately fi nd these hidden leak s and help you fi x them, by accurately diagnosing the prob lem areas using ther mal imaging and air- leakage analysis ”

M any energy auditor s rely on a visual insp e ction and a questionnaire to develop an energy-s aving retro fit plan for a building

“Unfor tunately, this approach means conceale d gaps and leak s go undete cte d

A s a result, building owner s often sp end money on energy-s aving measures which are under mine d by the const ant, but hidden, leakage through gaps in insulation and air leak s in the str ucture.”

Energy Imaging diagnose the prob lems, by physically testing the building, and then develop a pr ior itise d fi x- it plan

S ealing air leak s and thoroughly insulating can re duce heating cost s by 30 -5 0 p er cent. Re ducing air leakage is a simple DI Y job for most households once they k now where the leak s are.

Energy Imaging, 8 Wiluna St, Fyshwick , 610 0 4 014

Design for com for

t

DESI GN and siting are cr ucial to building an energy- effi cient home in the C anb er ra re gion, according to Leslie Paton, of Paton Constr uctions

“B y mak ing use of our clear, sunny winter days and relatively cool summer night s, it is p ossib le to build a comfor t ab le home that does not re quire active sources of heating and cooling,” he s ays .

In winter, this means maximising nor th - facing window areas to allow the sun ’ s war mth into the home. This energy must then b e store d in inter nal ther mal mass such as a concrete slab fl oor or areas of inter nal br ick wor k

The store d energy ne e ds to b e ret aine d through the use of goo d insulation in the exter nal walls and ceilings, he s ays

In summer this means minimising the effe ct of the hot summer sun through use of roof over hang to shade windows . West- facing windows should b e minimise d and well -shade d, and exter nal walls and ceilings ne e d to b e well insulate d. Cooling the home’s inter nal ther mal mass over night through goo d cross-ventilation helps to ke ep the inter ior cool the following day

environmental benefits

“Using these simple cr iter ia will ke ep a house war m in winter (15 -25°C ) and cool in summer ( 20 -28 °C ) without the ne e d for heating or air- conditioning,” s ays Leslie

To day there are also many new appliances and fittings availab le that will enhance the energy effi ciency of your home, such as solar hot-water s ystems, water- effi cient fittings and back- to - gr id solar panels

Paton Constructions , 214 B inowee D rive, Googong, 6298 19 0 0

Ways w i t h water

SM A LL water gardens sound lovely, are relatively inexp ensive, easier to maint ain than a large p ond and can b e place d in a small area such as a patio or balcony, s ays Ian E aton, owner of B liss Garden and Gift ware at Pialligo

“ Small - cont ainer water gardens are actually a colle ction of submerge d p otte d plant s, so re designing a planting is as simple as moving the p ot s around,” he s ays .

“A nd the plant s are tough – most are hard to k ill and re quire vir tually no maintenance

“A ll you ne e d is a sunny sp ot with at least six hour s of dire ct sun a day, something that holds water, and a few plant s ” B liss sells garden fur niture, arches, p ot s

“If you’d like your water garden to b e an accent feature, choose a str ik ing water b owl with a bit of height,” s ays Ian. “In it you can place t all water plant s like papyr us, lepiromia or ir is

“If you’re more intereste d in the plant s and water, choose a low, wide b owl, giving the abilit y to fit more plant s, fish and p ossib ly a small fount ain ”

B liss Garden and Gift ware, 8 B eltana Road, Pialligo, 6257 8358

Fl us hed w i t h success

TH E Toilet smar t program, which was sche dule d to close on June 30, 20 0 9, has b e en extende d, according to the Depar tment of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water (DECCE W )

The program assist s AC T residential prop er t y owner s to replace single - flush toilet s with four-st ar, water- effi cient 4 5/ 3 litre dual - flush toilet s

This program is only availab le to AC T home owner s for residential prop er ties conne cte d to AC TE W ’ s water supply net wor k

To b e eligib le for the AC T G over nment rebate, the new dual - flush toilet suite must b e supplie d and inst alle d by a fullylicense d M aster Plumb er s A ssociation AC T plumb er par ticipating in the deliver y of the Toilet Smar t program.

F or a limite d time, a sp e cial p ensioner concession card offer is also availab le

– some that are new to Australia in an unusual jade gre en glaze – as well as water features in a var iet y of shap es and colour s Ian creates the water features himself, so each is or iginal

which allows eligib le card holder s to apply for the inst allation of the C aroma Slimline Conne ctor Suite mo del for fre e (nor mally $39 0 after the AC T G over nment rebate)

There is a limit of one fre e toilet suite p er eligib le household

For information and to arrange an installation, visit w w w think water act gov au or call Canberra Connect on 132281

Ou t side t he sq uare

“OU R p oint s of difference are that ever ything we build is qualit y, and that we do all we can to ensure that it is also as energy effi cient as p ossib le,” s ays Karen F isher, dire ctor of DR F isher Building Proje ct

DR F isher can help with the design, sele ctions and overall fi nish to complete a home, according to Karen.

“ We sp end as much time as ne cess ar y with our client s to make sure we achieve exactly what they want, within budget,” she s ays .

“Our team has b e en wor k ing together for some time now and this gives us the abilit y to provide you with reliab le, professional and qualit y wor k . ”

D R Fisher, Unit 3 , 45 Sheppard Street, Hume, 6260 1742

fashion Hig hits t jack

WO R DS: Ka t h r y n Vu kov l j a k PH OTOS: S i l a s B r ow n

A TER R I B LY civilise d time was had by all at the se cond “Hat s and G loves” high tea fundraiser on the lawns of G over nment H ouse, in aid of M alkara S chool, Gar ran Lis a Tremop oulos, memb er of the Fr iends of M alkara organising committe e, s ays the fundraiser was a fant astic success

“A ll the ladies tur ne d out in their fi ner y, with lot s of b eautiful hat s and gloves of cour se, and some gentlemen even came in top hat s and t ails, which was lovely to se e

“A nd we raise d more than $5 0,0 0 0 for M alkara S chool – and that amount really means a lot to the school, with their ne e d for so much sp e cialist e quipment.

“F or tunately, the G over nor- G eneral has invite d us back for next year, so there will b e a third ‘Hat s and G loves’, I ’m happy to s ay! ”

Lis a s ays that ever yone se eme d to par ticular ly love the fashion show

Compered by Sarah Kelly, winner of Fashions on the Field at Flemington last year, the fashion parade was divided into day wear, racewear and eveningwear, and saw Victoria’s Models strutting the catwalk in clothes by Soho/Momento, hats by Canberra milliner s Cynthia Br yson and Christine Waring, and with hair by Anton’s

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore

April 5 - 11

Pace your self on Thur sday, when tricky Moon/Mar s aspects leave you feeling impulsive and irritable. The main quality you need to cultivate this week is patience You’re keen to escape from present difficulties but the motto for the moment is “Good things come to those who wait” – especially when it comes to love

TAU RUS ( A p r 21 – May 20)

Avoid being too safe Taurus! An adventurous approach will transform your world and bring more love and passion into your life With Venus in your sign (until April 25) your appreciation of the arts is intensified So it’s a fabulous time to soak up some culture and creativity at a concert, book reading, art exhibition or movie festival

G EM I N I (May 21 – J u n e 21)

Twins crave constant communication but this week you’ll need to temporarily escape the hurly-burly of the social world and spend some quality time on your own You’ll also be drawn to the hidden and mysterious – anything from a good myster y novel to digging up a fascinating secret

CA NCER (J u n e 22 – J u l y 22)

I’ve got two words to describe this week , Crabs – it’s complicated! You’ll have more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, as you veer from irrational behaviour to calm contentment – and then back again Tr y to maintain a sense of per spective and resist the urge to over-react to well -meant criticism

LEO (J u l y 23 – Aug 22)

With Mar s in your sign, you ’ re a Lion with extra courage as you dare to dream and take on mighty challenges In between juggling family and work responsibilities, make sure you stretch your self in new directions Your quote for the week is from Claire Booth Luce: “Courage is the ladder on which all other virtues mount ”

V I RGO ( A ug 23 – Sept 22)

Saturn moves back into your sign this week so it’s time to be a vigilant Virgo as you tie up loose ends and complete unfinished projects This weekend’s Piscean Moon encourages you to be more sensitive towards other s They may not share your close attention to detail, but they have many other talents to offer.

LI B R A (Sept 23 – Oc t 23)

The Sun shines on your love life (until April 20) and gives your partner an extra golden glow of gorgeousness So it’s the perfect time to pamper them with lashings of love, as you show them how much they mean to you Singles – with Mercur y and Venus in your intimacy zone, you need to look for a lover who is also a friend

SCO RPI O (Oc t 24 – N ov 21)

Secretive Scorps have strong beliefs, but you often hide your true feelings, for fear of revealing too much of your self. This week’s star s encourage you to be frank and straightfor ward with other s; to stand up for what you believe in; and tell it like it is Come the weekend, you ’ re in the mood to socialise with family and friends

SAG I T TA RI US (N ov 22 – Dec 21)

This week favour s fostering relationships with family, friends and neighbour s And, with the Sun lighting up your sport /hobby zone, it’s also time to pull on your running shoes, hit the gym or turn up the music (loud) and start dancing For Sagittarians who are sick of being single – love and work are lusciously linked

CA PRI CO RN (Dec 22 – Ja n 19)

Friends and finances are a messy mix on Thur sday so tr y to keep the two separate Whether you tackle a DIY project, play gracious host or help out in your local community, home sweet home is the place to be this weekend Leave work problems outside the door as you luxuriate in the pleasures of casa Capricorn

AQ UA RI US (Ja n 20 – Feb 18)

Aquarians love to have all the latest gadgets But, with Jupiter, Uranus and the Moon all in your money zone, watch that your urge to splurge doesn’t get out of control as you turn impulse buying into an extreme sport! This week ignore advertising catalogues avoid window shopping – and leave your credit card at home

PISCES (Feb 19 – Ma r 20)

Pisceans are master s of avoidance, as you swim around ‘issues’ and side -step challenges With Jupiter (planet of confidence and bravado) in your sign (for the fir st time in 12 year s) it’s time to tune into the fearless and feisty Fish within Be inspired by, Bette Davis: “The key to life is accepting challenges ” Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2010 .

general knowledge crossword No. 255

ACROSS

1 Which term describes something composed of elements of different kinds?

8 What is another word for the surrounding atmosphere?

9 What is a false name?

1 0 Name a member of an indigenous armed resistance to an invader

1 1 What is a sudden interruption to the supply of blood to the brain?

1 2 Name another term for a trick or artifice

1 3 Which type of corgi is quite wellknown?

1 6 What is a rush, or grass-like plant, of ten growing in wet places?

19 Which of t-used Latin word means " therefore"?

2 1 Name the hit musical - the film version starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton- John

2 2 What is an alternative term for a layabout?

2 3 Name the mountain volcano on Ross Island Antarctica

2 4 What is another name for pharmacists?

2 5 A sofa is also known as a what?

DOW N

2 Name a river that flows from Tibet through China to the sea

3 What are redemptions of kidnapped persons, for a price?

4 Which bush bread is made from flour and water?

5 What are short, simple songs?

6 Name the aromatic seed of the anise

7 Which term describes that which defines the main interest?

1 3 What do we call a sorcerer or wizard?

1 4 In Christian belief, who was the proud archangel who fell from heaven?

1 5 Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake for being a what?

17 What is a component part of a whole?

1 8 What is an action intended for effect?

2 0 A female monster is called a what?

A lush and elegant haven in Kambah

WO R DS: Ka t h r y n Vu kov l j a k

PH OTOS: S i l a s B r ow n

ELEG A N CE, for mal design and an abundance of lush, gre en planting combine to create a pr ivate, relaxing garden where the whole family loves to chill out, s ay owner s K im B rady and Dar rell Sk idmore. The couple’s st ylish garden in G leneagles, Kambah, will b e op en on the we ekend of A pr il 10 and 11 as par t of Australia’s O p en Garden S cheme, a not- for- pro fit organis ation promoting the pleasure of gardening

“ The garden is semi - for mal with an It alian influence,” s ays K im “I love str ucture and balance, with a r ustic touch. I ’m inspire d by M elb our ne landscap er Paul B angay ”

A for mal fount ain, large p ool, columns, loggia and multiple plantings of stunningly br ight- gre en mop - top cat alpas, he dges of conifer s and b ox and Chinese st ar jasmine are the main features Immaculately clipp e d shr ubs frame views over the golf cour se b eyond the back gate

O ver the past 10 year s, K im has create d many p oint s of interest and little se cret cor ner s in her showcase garden, which is viewe d from ever y room in the house and is in ke eping with it s for mal st yle

“I don’t think the garden has ever looke d as out st anding as it does r ight now,” she s ays

Proce e ds from the we ekend will go to the Stroke F oundation

Kim and D arrell’s garden at 19 Apperly Close, Kambah, is open April 10 -11 from from 10 am - 4 . 30 pm. Entr y is $6 , under 18s free.