Canberra CityNews September 2-8, 2010

Plug into petrol-free future

Canberra is positioning itself to be the electric-car capital, writes ELERI HARRIS

ELECTRIC vehicles are set to be the next big thing in Canberra with the first registration of an EV, an Australian Blade Electron, and the arrival of the Mitsubishi iMiEV.

Four of the 20 $60,000 leased iMiEVs were tagged for Canberra, the testing ground for electric-car infrastructure down under.

Three Federal Government departments and Canberra sustainable construction company Rock Development Group received their iMiEVs last week, but with necessary infrastructure not due for over a year on top of their prohibitive cost and limited supply, Mitsubishis aren’t exactly ready for commercial success – yet.

The iMiEV, EVs of which Australia will receive 110 in 2010, takes about seven hours to fully charge on 15-amp power point (the kind that powers air-conditioners and ovens) and can travel 140-160km per charge.

Mitsubishi said working on the basis for normal commuting, the vehicles are designed for charging at home overnight.

Comparatively, the Blade Electron can be plugged into any regular 10-amp household socket for about $2 per 100km, with a similar charging time, for a vehicle asking price of $48,000.

Director, Ross Blade, says his cars will have wider appeal.

“Infrastructure’s not such an important issue because to some extent it’s already there. The 10-amp power-point is just ubiquitous, it’s everywhere.”

Blade has been importing car bodies from Korea and retro fitting them with electric engines in Victoria since 2008.

When they go into full production next year, Blade will be able to produce one car a day of 75 per cent Australian-made EVs for the national market.

Meanwhile, Toyota has developed special battery packs for their hybrid Prius, replacing a regular Prius battery, that can be charged by a regular 240-volt outlet, but their charge life will only travel 40km and they won’t be commercially available for a couple of years.

Electric car infrastructure providers Better Place have a contract with the ACT Government and ActewAGL to deliver fast-charge outlets and battery-swapping outlets to Canberra, that will go live in the second half of 2011, with full networks and cars by 2012, making Canberra the first Australian city with EV infrastructure.

Rock Development’s leased Mitsubishi iMiEV... takes about seven hours to fully charge and can travel 140-160km per charge.

“Everything about Canberra made it an ideal location to start,” Better Place Australia CEO Evan Thornley told “CityNews”.

“People do a lot of driving, it’s a city built for the automobile. The more driving you do, the more you spend on petrol, the more attractive alternatives are. The majority of Canberrans park their cars in garages, where they can be charged. They’re two-car households – which are more likely to experiment. There is one very strong electricity player [ActewAGL] who are now shareholders in Better Place. There is not the complexity, in most parts of Australia you have to deal with local and State governments, but not here. The Territory Government has been very supportive.

“Canberrans have the highest level of environmental conscience, you have an easy market to go to first and we’re very excited.

“The most important thing is to be able to plug in wherever you go,” Thornley said, referring to fast-charge outlets as “glorified parking metres”.

Better Place is confident there is profit to be made from charging electric cars.

“You’ll start seeing increasing volumes of them,” he said.

“Right now, you just have small volume, small cars, that are, frankly, quite expensive.

“But if you look at a car like the Nissan Leaf – it’s a bigger car and cheaper, Renault ZE is an even bigger car and will be even cheaper again.

“You’ll see the cars becoming more mainstream, every major car company will have a plug in on the market by 2013.”

In April, the Chief Minister Jon Stanhope signed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan-Renault under which the ACT Government will develop a policy on the introduction of electric vehicles into the ACT.

here we come! Arts&Entertainment 15-18 Body 21

2-8, 2010

1993: Volume 16, Number 35

22

Dining 18 Environment 6

19 Horoscope 22

Movie reviews 16

News 3-7

Politics 4

Property 23-32

Social Scene 13-14

Sudoku 22

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CANBERRA Airport expects to be offering direct international flights within two years.

Its managing director Stephen Byron, told a Canberra Business Council lunch on Tuesday that with the completion of the new terminal, the airport would be “a world-class facility that will change the way that people look at Canberra”.

“It needs to be remembered that the international capacity of the new Canberra Airport terminal was a requirement of the airlines – they believe that international services will commence with the completion of the new terminal,” he said.

“In essence, Canberra Airport will have gone from a slightly brown-looking, run-down shed in 1998 to literally the best small airport in the world.

“In a matter of weeks the first terminal concourse of this landmark development will be completed, with the second terminal concourse being completed in mid 2012.

“In the next two years we are expecting to commence international services. Our expectation is that we will be offering four to five times a week services to Auckland and Wellington; and, initially, three flights a week to Singapore or Hong Kong.

“Suddenly, with these international services, people in the ACT and surrounding region won’t be driving to Sydney to take their international flights – instead they will be able to come to Canberra and fly directly to Singapore to join up with a London-bound flight.

“You will be able to fly from Albury to Canberra and then get a direct flight to Auckland to link up with a flight to Los Angeles.

“And by becoming an international airport, we will become an international city, we will be directly connected to the rest of the world and the rest of the world will be able to access Canberra, do business here, and visit for holidays so much more easily than today. It will transform our city.”

politics

Liberals getting serious about censures

By Eleri Harris

CENSURE motions and deliberately out-of-order questions have been the cool thing to do in the ACT Legislative Assembly of late, with the Liberal Party putting up five censure motions in 2010 against the Government and Labor’s whip John Hargreaves pulling a plethora of amusingly ironic and totally out-of-order questions out of his hat on the chamber floor.

The one about whether the Opposition were watching Oprah on their computers was possibly his best.

While issues of Parliamentary procedure may bore the pants off your average Canberran, it is worth remembering that when politicians waste time the taxpayer’s purse is paying the difference as attendants and clerks stand by clocking up an unknown amount in overtime.

Not to mention Ministerial accountability when the limited number of questions is used up with frivolous time wasters.

Opposition Leader Zed Seselja... “The Greens look for excuses not to pass censure motions.”

Greens’ whip Amanda Bresnan... “It

just becomes two adversarial sides of politics having a go at each other.”

“Last week I raised the issue of Mr Hargreaves asking supplementary questions that are clearly out of order, that you rule out of order, to use up the questions and delay the debate, we had another instance of that yesterday, so that is now a question each week in the last four sitting weeks,” Smyth said.

When Rattenbury did not agree the Chief Minister Jon Stanhope stood up to connect the dots on chamber tactics.

“The confected nonsense of the Liberal Party in relation to questions asked by Mr Hargreaves needs too to be applied to the fact that we now have to endure a censure motion or a no confidence motion every week as a deliberate tactic of the Liberal Party to disrupt this place,” the Chief said.

two adversarial sides of politics having a go at each other and I don’t know if we actually achieve much.”

But Opposition Leader Zed Seselja does not accept the Greens’ good faith on keeping the Government accountable.

“The Greens look for excuses not to pass censure motions, it’s extraordinary, they are so complicit,” he says.

“Why do they wait for the Liberal Party to act when Ministers mislead the Assembly?

“That they’re in Coalition does not stop us from taking action to keep the Government accountable.

“Censure motions are relatively rare, despite what the Government will say.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Brendan Smyth brought the issue of Hargreaves’ thumb bite to democracy to the attention of the Speaker, Shane Rattenbury, at the end of last week, asking that they receive an additional question for every one ruled out of order.

A censure motion against Community Services Minister Joy Burch caused the Assembly to sit for an additional two hours at night, all because she had left one word out of a sentence, thereby misleading Parliament, but more importantly she later failed to correct the record.

Stanhope isn’t alone in his analysis, Greens whip Amanda Bresnan has questioned the Liberal Party’s use of censure motions in the Assembly, saying they are devaluing the impact of such a motion.

“It is a tool we have, but it’s this issue of crying wolf when every sitting week we get a censure,” she told “CityNews”.

“You get the situation where it just becomes

The Greens have not supported or initiated any censure motions in this term, but they have “admonished” Education Minister Andrew Barr.

“It’s a legitimate thing, admonishing someone,” Bresnan insists.

“You’ve got to actually look at what’s an effective way of bringing someone to account. A censure is one way, but there are other ways you can do that.”

Happiness is a hung parliament

A HUNG parliament! Why is it all about the negatives? What about the opportunities?

Start with accountability on party donations and challenging party discipline and interference. What about the importance of re-establishing the power of the parliament to hold ministers and government accountable instead of “toughing it out”? Minority parliaments can have a dramatic impact on the members of parliament themselves and on parliamentary processes.

The ACT Assembly has only had one term of majority government with the rest causing none of the predicted doom and gloom.

In all Australian parliaments the investigation and examination of challenging and controversial issues through parliamentary committees has provided useful work for members, access for the community and good advice for governments.

When the Senate has not had a majority, these committees have been at their most effective and it could be the same for the House of Representatives.

The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur recently illustrated the power of the cross-bench to introduce legislation and

Former independent politician MICHAEL MOORE either held or shared the balance of power in his three terms in the Assembly

guide it through the ACT Assembly when she addressed the issue of shopping trolleys as litter. The legislation passed after modifying amendments by the Government. There have been many similar examples over the years of legislation that has impact on our daily lives.

The work of Labor’s Mary Porter illustrates how a government backbencher in a minority government can have a major impact on policy. She recently used a Private Members’ motion to pursue the viability of developing further bi-lingual schools in the ACT. This was a personal initiative driven by her. This year alone she has also pursued such diverse issues as: care of the elderly through her Retirement Villages Bill 2010; a Code of Conduct Discussion Paper on the Breeding and Selling of Companion Animals; re-instituting the Canberra-Versailles sister city relationship and has questioned over representation of young indigenous people in the correc-

tions system. Porter is a government backbencher demonstrating independent thought and contributing to the policy debate.

Shadow treasurer Brendan Smyth tabled an amendment to legislation in June to have the Auditor-General’s budget determined by the Legislative Assembly rather than executive arm of government. Smyth, a long-term volunteer country fire fighter, also has a Bill before the Assembly to re-establish a statutory authority to manage emergency services so as to distance day-to-day operations from government.

All non-federal Australian jurisdictions have had minority governments at some time in the past two decades and have used it as an opportunity to improve processes.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health in the Carnell government.

Spring’s the thing

“SPRING is just the best time of year,” says model Kristy Hinze, who’s the Face of Floriade 2010.

“Everyone starts coming out of the winter slump and beautiful flowers are bursting out all over the place.

“All the gorgeous, colourful clothes come out of the wardrobe and people start having parties again – it’s such a fun time of year.”

Kristy, who’s also the host and head judge of “Project Runway Australia”, says she loves the idea of this year’s Floriade theme, “Imagination”.

“The event is celebrating all of the different ways that people express their creativity,” she says. “Fashion is a great example of how imagination can make something beautiful out of everyday materials, so it’s a nice fit with the work I’ve done on the runway and with mentoring young designers.”

Floriade will celebrate spring with more than a million blooms creating a stunning backdrop in Commonwealth Park from September 11 until October 10. The beautiful garden beds will include an artist’s palette, a photography-inspired display, a floral guitar, dancing ballerinas, a butterfly playground, a flying carpet, an alien landscape and a giant pencil that rises above a dense sea of white button flowers representing paper.

While Kristy admits that gardening is not really her thing – “I’m not much of a one for get-

Floriade ambassador Kristy Hinze... “I always try and surround myself with beautiful blooms.”

ting dirt under my nails in the garden!” – she says she absolutely loves the colour and scent of fresh flowers. “Whether I’m at home or in a hotel, I always try and surround myself with beautiful blooms because it’s a little luxury that makes me feel special,” she says. “I particularly love lilies as they remind me of my wedding bouquet.”

And the best thing about being an ambassador for Floriade?

“I get to wear a series of beautiful dresses made out of fresh flowers that have been specially designed for just me,” says Kristy. “We did a photo shoot with one of them and the smell was absolutely fantastic – better than any perfume!”

Bec blogs the joys of eco living

By tanya Davies

I’VE never met anyone who’s grown a loofah before. And I’m suitably impressed as local green blogger, Bec Pollock, shows me a dish of home-grown luffas she cultivated to use as sponges, and the seeds she harvested.

A self-proclaimed “surviromentalist” – someone who bases their beliefs and actions on a balance between survivalism and environmentalism – she is passionate about living more lightly, blogging and sharing.

“I’ll give the seeds to people I know,” she says. And she’ll have plenty of advice on how to grow them, too.

Her two blogs are warm, engaging and packed full of useful information and resources. In “Eat at Dixiebelle’s” she shares recipes, craft and gardening projects, and it’s inspiring and addictive.

“Everyday Eco in the ACT” is a wonderful practical guide for new, and not-so-new, Canberrans. As well as providing links to community groups and info on local markets, Bec

“Survironmentalist” Bec Pollock… “We don’t claim to be eco saints – we’re challenging ourselves all the time.” Photo by Silas

regularly shares her finds so it’s a great place to discover where the best veggies or bargains are currently to be had.

“We don’t claim to be eco-saints – we’re challenging ourselves all the time.,” she says.

“And often things are hard or don’t work or go wrong. I’m keen to share those parts, too.”

Bec and her family are trying to cover a lot of ground. They are planning and designing a permaculture garden in the north-facing section of their yard and retrofitting their house to be more sustainable. They eschew consumerism – Bec’s blogs point the way to a number of op shops – and she is also an ardent fan of preserving foods and making things at home.

“I’m also thinking about growing lots of tomato seedlings this year. I thought I could share them with the neighbours to save them going out and buying them,” she says.

www.eatatdixiebelles.blogspot.com/ and www.everydayecointheact.blogspot.com/

Award finalists

“CITYNEWS” columnist and executive director of the Property Council, Catherine Carter, is among the 13 finalists in this year’s ACT Business Women’s Awards.

The local winners, who will be confirmed on September 21, will proceed to the national finals in Melbourne in November.

The ACT finalists are: Business Owner Award

Laurie McDonald, Canberra Furnished Accommodation, Fyshwick; Tracey Mitchell, Mitchell Personnel Solutions, Mitchell; Kate Sykes, CareerMums Pty Ltd, Mawson; Carly-Jane Tozer, CJ’s Style, Florey.

Private and Corporate Sector Award

Shannon Craig, Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort, Watson; Carol Sawyer, Canberra Southern Cross Club Ltd, Woden. Community and Government Award

Brenda Ainsworth, ACT Health; Catherine Carter, Property Council of Australia; Debra Cerasa, Royal College of Nursing Australia, Deakin West; Roxanne Missingham, Parliament of Australia; Allison Norris, Royal Australian Navy. Business Innovation Award

Brenda Ainsworth, ACT Health; Kate Sykes, CareerMums Pty Ltd. Young Business Women’s Award

Shannon Craig, Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort; Kylie Giles, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Deakin; Laurie McDonald, Canberra Furnished Accommodation; Carrie-Ann Rathbone, Health Futures, Griffith; Carly-Jane Tozer, CJ’s Style.

Riding for the love of being local

I’VE sat in the rain at a Brumbies game at Canberra Stadium, had chips and gravy from Checkers Food Van at 2am, celebrated New Years Eve in Civic Square and spent summers at Batemans Bay, but there’s still a few things on the “true local list” to tick off.

On election night, I spent time at the tally room. Isn’t it the popular place to be? Who knows why, in this computer age, they update the numbers by hand. I wasn’t there for long, but I’m glad to have ticked that box.

The following morning, I ticked off another big one. I packed a backpack and set off on the bike for Lake George. It’s a 90km round trip from Belconnen with some savage hills. I’ve been doing a lot of riding on my new road bike, but this was

In

the interests of becoming a true local there are some things that you need to experience in Canberra, says MARK PARTON

far in excess of anything I’d tried to do in the one hit.

I cruised through Kaleen, Lyneham and Dickson. I was determined as I pushed down the Federal Highway past Epic and Watson. Then there’s the climb up the hill out of Canberra, which isn’t actually as tough as it looks.

I felt good as I crossed the border but soon after passing the Sutton Road turnoff I started to weary and was contemplating turning back, but then I saw the familiar run-up to the Lake George lookout. “Surely I’m not that close?” I wondered. But I was.

I’ve never been as happy to see the wide open expanse of Lake George and those windmills on the hills.

But riding out to Lake George isn’t the tough bit, it’s the riding back. I limped down the big hill from Eaglehawk into suburbia and nearly bought one of the new homes at Watson just to save me riding on to Belconnen. It took me a couple of days to recover, but I don’t think it’ll be last time you see me on the Federal Highway in the bright, bright yellow.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC

Abels’ owner Neville Page... “The restaurant next door wanted to expand and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Abels shuts up shop for future in the cloud

By Eleri Harris

CANBERRA institution Abels Music will close its Manuka shopfront in January after 35 years of supplying jazz and classical music to fans from ANU students to Prime Ministers.

Owner Neville Page is preparing to move the whole business to online and catalogue sales, saying the shop on Franklin Street is no longer financially viable.

“The recorded music industry is in a change, transitioning to a new form of merchandising that involves an online product and digital downloads,” he said.

“Effectively, it makes shopfront music stores now redundant. Classical music stores have been able to survive longer, but there are not many left now.

“Two months ago the restaurant next door, Verve, wanted to expand and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Abels opened on Bougainville Street in November 1975 and Page was first involved in the business from 1981-86 as a partner.

Four years ago he purchased Abels from Ross Gengos.

“I’d retired from paid employment [as an investment manager] and I thought I’d have another go,” Page said. “I love classical music and it’s an interesting business.

“Most of our staff over the years have been practising musicians or from ANU’s music school and the people who come in are music lovers, too. It’s very much a cultural thing.

“The business has evolved in the last four years and while the shopfront turnover is still important, it’s not enough to pay the rent and staff wages.

“That’s what it boils down to. It’s a very sad event, but it’s also a reality. Abels is the only classical music store in Canberra and Canberra’s customer base is well-educated and like classical, they like jazz. They won’t be able to come into the shop, but a lot of our customers buy on the internet.”

Abels has been supplying all the products on Australian classical music website “Buy Well Just Classical”, for the last two years and it also sells on its own website, due for a revamp in time for the shopfront closure after Christmas.

Page says this doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of Abels Music as a shopfront.

“I’m 65 next month,” Page told “CityNews”. “I have a limited career being a shopkeeper. But I’m always open to working with someone else. There is always an opportunity there to open another store somewhere else in Canberra.”

It’s time to think big

By c atherine c arter

THE ACT Government has started its “Time to Talk” community discussion for a couple of months, and infrastructure is part of the conversation.

Infrastructure is vital for the well being of the ACT. Canberra is facing a range of ageing and near end-life infrastructure challenges and the investment of recent years will go some way towards addressing these issues.

An ad hoc approach – only addressing infrastructure when something goes wrong and needs replacement or repair – is not good enough any more.

The Property Council has been calling for an infrastructure plan since 2006 and was pleased to see the ACT Government make a start with its first infrastructure plan, released in June and its record $1 billion, five-year infrastructure investment in the 2008-09 Budget.

But the council says the Government needs to think bigger. Future updates should be aspirational and present a bold vision of what Canberra will look like in the next 30 years.

The Government should ask the big questions about Canberra’s role. For instance, are we a seat of government? Competitive international gateway? Lifestyle investment opportunity? Or all of the above and more? Each of these options carries its own infrastructure challenges and issues, so if we are aiming for one or more of these goals, our plan should include it and indicate how infrastructure is going to be provided to support its achievement.

The council has released an infrastructure paper as its opening contribution to the discussion.

Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia.

all about Braidwood

Discover today’s secrets

WITH a history dating all the way back to  and a host of galleries, cafes, pubs, antique shops and boutique accommodation, it’s no wonder so many Canberrans make Braidwood their place to get away from it all.

Only an hour and twenty minutes away from the capital, Braidwood’s a lovely spot with a population of around 1100. European explorers arrived in 1822, and the town itself was surveyed in 1839.

The village was named after Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson, a local settler and community leader, and a former surgeonsuperintendent on convict ships.

It’s a former gold mining town, and full of original architecture, making it one of rural NSW’s most picturesque areas.

“CityNews” has done the rounds of Braidwood, talking to local business owners about the reasons Canberrans and other Australians love the area. For starters, it’s a haven for artists.

THEBraidwood Regional Arts Group (BRAG) began nine years ago, and according to spokesperson Judit Kovacs (who owns the Braidwood Design Studio), it has a mission to advance the interests of the arts in the

Braidwood region and make the town a centre for creative and cultural excellence.

“BRAG is the natural successor of the ‘Braidwood Group’ of the 1970s, which brought together artists from a wide range of mediums,” Judit explains.

“The group included luminaries such as poet Judith Wright, painter Tom Thompson, weaver Solvig Baas Becking, potter Richard Murray and silversmith Christoph Altenburg.”

Today, BRAG has almost 100 individual and organisational members residing in the Braidwood region, Judit says.

“Current membership covers the whole spectrum of the arts: visual artists, sculptors, wood and metal workers, weavers and textile artists, potters and ceramic artists, film-makers, musicians, singers, performers, composers, poets and writers.

“BRAG plays an active part in local cultural life. It proudly supports members’ activities from the exhibition of their own

works to participation in the ‘Two Fires Festival’ which honours Judith Wright to stage musicals performed by the local school.”

There’s also the BRAG Members’ Exhibition each Easter long weekend.

BRAG has also begun organising an additional spring exhibition, tentatively called “The BRAG Open”, for 2011 around the time of the Braidwood Quilt Show and the Airing of the Quilts.

More information at www.bragart.com.au or www.braidwoodnsw.com

THERE’S a range of accommodation options available in and around town. Nearby, close to the base of Mt Currockbilly in the Budawang range, is Moon Cottage Bush Retreat. Surrounded by natural bush, the retreat is ideal for two families or a small group, comfortably sleeping eight people (up to 12).

Wombats, kangaroos and birds are all frequent visitors, and platypuses are abundant in the permanently-flowing Nettletons Creek, especially in spring and summer.

Guests can explore historic gold mining aqueducts and miners’ ruins, wander the short walking tracks or enjoy the bush badminton court.

More information at www.visitbraidwood.com.au/html/places. self.htm or call 6247 8785.

LOCAL photographer and visual artist Kelly Sturgiss, from Braidwood Photography, says that while she’s lived in bigger towns, Braidwood will always be home.

Kelly does a lot of local wedding and commercial photography. “My family’s been here many generations, and I love being able to operate my business here in a small town that’s home to a lot of artists.”

More information at www. braidwoodphotography.com

BRAIDWOOD is home to a range of quirky, unusual shops. One such is Braidwood

Outdoors, owned by Donna and Steve West, stocking everything from firearms to fashion handbags, wallets and ladies’ clothing, to camping gear.

“The only thing we don’t sell is food!” laughs Donna.

“We’re a very old-fashioned kind of store: visitors say they just don’t see this sort of store any more! “

Braidwood Outdoors is even in a famous building: the turnof-the 19th century structure starred in “Ned Kelly” alongside Mick Jagger, and was also featured in the “Dad and Dave” series.

“I’ve always loved Braidwood,” Donna says. “There’s something about it that’s magnetic, that evokes creativity and calmness.”

More information on (02) 4842 2775.

BRAIDWOOD is also home to special occasions, such as the Braidwood Quilt Event. This year the town is celebrating its 16th Quilt Event, to be held on Saturday, November 27 and Sunday, November 28.

On the Saturday, the town’s main street will be aflutter with hundreds of colourful quilts: the annual “Airing of the Quilts” will stretch along a kilometre-long open-air gallery of the town’s 19th century buildings, hanging from first floor veranda rails and rafters, under awnings and in shop windows.

The National Theatre, a tin-shed community venue built in 1922, which began life as a roller-skating rink, will house an exhibition of traditional and contemporary designed quilts.

The major indoor exhibition and competition will be housed in

of a town with a past

many venues such as the Country Women’s Association rooms, the churches and the Ryrie Park markets, together with open studios and open gardens.

According to Braidwood Quilters Inc president Jill McLeod, owner of the town’s McLeod Gallery, many visitors make a weekend of it: “Sunday is a quieter day. A little more time can be spent in the main exhibition areas and it’s a special opportunity to take advantage of the great Braidwood eateries, the top quality gallery and open studio art exhibitions, and the beautiful spring gardens.”

More information at www.braidwoodquiltevent.org.au or (02) 4842 2626.

GINA

Oldham, of the Altenburg Fine Art Gallery, says the gallery and gift shop’s range is “eclectic”: “It’s a bit quirky, with a bit of everything.

“I’m trying to produce an experience for people which means they see pieces they normally wouldn’t. There’s everything from a $12 hand-made handkerchief to jewellery to $700 glass vases.

“Most of the pieces are Australian-made, and I love

everything that’s hand-made.”

The Gallery hosts several exhibitions each year, “from famous names, to artists you’ve never heard of.”

More information at www.studioaltenburg.com.au or call (02) 4842 2384.

THE Royal Mail Hotel was built in the late 19th century, and served the community for many years as a coach house during the horse and buggy era.

As well as hosting Mick Jagger during the filming of “Ned Kelly” (owner Jess Cooney says one of his groupies, who overdosed

during the filming, is reputed to haunt the hotel), the Royal Mail featured in 1987’s “The Year My Voice Broke”.

The filming of “Ned Kelly” saw the hotel’s name change from the Royal Hotel to the Royal Mail, and is remembered by three large murals painted by local artist Laurie Moran on the hotel’s walls.

Now a family-run operation after changing ownership earlier this year, the Royal Mail offers clean, comfortable budget-style accommodation.

There is live music in the bar each Saturday night, and starting from Friday, October 1, there will be acoustic sessions each Friday night. Throughout October, these will feature Canberra’s own Celtic folk group, Humbug.

More information on (02) 4842 2488.

CLYDE Cottage is a one-bedroom boutique accommodation option in the heart of town, says owner Lee Krijnen.

“It’s just opposite the park, on the Georgian square of town and it’s perfect for romantic getaways,” says Lee, who says she loves the artistic feel of Braidwood.

More information at www.clydecottage.com.au

all about wills and probate advertising

Where there’s a will...

“INTEGRATING your will with your superannuation arrangements can provide a better outcome for your spouse and children,” says Dr Terry Dwyer, of Dwyer Lawyers. “This is especially true of public service superannuation schemes.

“Most people have wills, but the trouble is that a lot of them aren’t as effective in practice as they might wish. Will kits can be quite dangerous: there was one case recently where somebody used one to leave everything to her husband, but he died before her. She died before it could be altered, and so the will failed; that’s a very simple example of what can go wrong.

“Integrating your will and super (and family trust or business succession, if applicable) is very important. It can avoid disappointment or conflict for your family, and ensure the best possible tax outcome.

“Public sector superannuation schemes are good, but inflexible. They may provide for the surviving spouse, but not help so much with the costs of raising and educating children.

“The best gift you can give your children is to help them with the costs of raising their children. Testamentary trusts created under a well-planned will can do this.”

Terry recommends we see a lawyer when planning our estate. “A will is not enough. You have to have an estate plan to take into account things like superannuation, and make sure everything works together.”

This is also important for people who are concerned that one or more beneficiaries could challenge the will, he says.

“For example if you have a situation where there’s an adult child or dependent child with a drug addiction problem, they may challenge the will, so you have to think very carefully about estate planning. You may find the children you intend to benefit will have their shares challenged by a child you wished not to benefit and who may not be morally entitled to benefit, in your view.”

Disputes over wills are, unfortunately, all too common, says Barbara Campbell, from Legal Resolution Services.

“I call it ‘family law from beyond the

grave’,” she says. “Families can really implode, and it’s quite tragic; it’s actually worse when the economy is depressed because people will fight over the last cent.

“It’s unfortunately one of my biggest growth areas.”

Employing the services of a mediator such as LRS can help prevent further conflict and heartache down the track, she says.

“We should be brought in preferably before an affidavit has been filed, because that tends to traumatise and polarise the parties.”

It’s important to have a mediator with a legal background, she adds.

“There are a lot of misconceptions out there about estates; more so even than in family law. For example, people think the estate pays for everything. People think they have automatic entitlements. There’s a lot of confusion.”

Barbara says that a huge proportion of people involved in estate disputes never speak to each other again: “That causes rifts for generations, and it’s a tragedy.”

At the Canberra Cancerians gala ball, Great Hall, Parliament House

At Designcraft’s ‘I-SPY’ function, Embassy of Finland At Richard Luton Properties

all about living

arts | cinema | dining | fashion | body | horoscope | puzzles

Brand off to make his mark in Toronto

By Helen Musa

A CANBERRA-born museum director is in line to become the inaugural director of the new Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada when it opens in 2013.

Michael Brand, who shocked the art world by quitting the directorship of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los

Angeles earlier this year after falling out with its chairman, has been appointed as a consultant to the Aga Khan Development Network that is currently building the new museum.

Brand, 52, an art history and Asian studies graduate from the ANU, completed his masters and PhD at Harvard. He was the co-director of the

Taking a blade to ballet classic

By Helen Musa

A FRINGE benefit of hiring prizewinning Russian skaters for “Swan Lake on Ice” is that most were previously classically trained in ballet.

Mind you, the dashing Andrey Penkin, who plays Prince Siegfried, tells me that he sees himself as essentially a sportsman executing “figure-skating precision”.

Many ballet movements take place on the one spot, but when you’re on ice you need to slide and move very, very fast.

Penkin doesn’t take the drama nearly so seriously. He describes Prince Siegfried as a spoilt young Prince who’s “just having fun”. But he does appreciate the way the plot moves from fun to tragedy then back to fun.

Producer David Atkins is best known to Australians as a dancer (“Cats”) and choreographer, (“Hot Shoe Shuffle”) but here his role is

WIN, WIN, WIN

Hot ballet tix

“CITY N EWS” has three double passes, worth $180 each, to see New York’s hottest dance company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday, September 16.

From classical ballet to its contemporary derivations, Complexions harnesses the strengths of varied dance forms to bring its blend of contemporary ballet to audiences around the globe.

Performed to an eclectic musical track featuring the music of Muddy Waters, Rachmaninov, Billie Holiday and U2, Complexions Contemporary Ballet will perform a program of cutting-edge dance. Entries to citynews.com.

purely entrepreneurial. He praises English ice choreographer Tony Mercer for originality in “Swan Lake” with his radical separation of the good white swan Odette and her black counterpart Odile, who is humanised to achieve a happy ending.

“If you compare them with ‘Disney on Ice’,” Atkins says, “most of whom are athletes, Tony and the team have continued to lift the bar with storytelling and emotional engagement.”

Atkins says the production has been re-energised with revised choreography, new costumes by the Kirov’s wardrobe mistress and “new tricks” like the sensational flame sequence before the end of Act I, which he says fulfils the adage that “you can’t beat fire and ice in the theatre”.

“Swan Lake on Ice”, Canberra Theatre, September 8-12. Bookings to 6275 2700.

Smithsonian Institution’s Mughal Garden Project in Lahore, returning to Canberra as founding head of Asian art with the National Gallery and later becoming deputy director at the Queensland Art Gallery. An expert in the art of presentday India and Pakistan, he will advise the network on museum programs, particularly for the new museum.

The museum’s collection has more than 1000 items donated by the Aga Khan’s family and includes books and manuscripts, metalwork, carpets, ceramics, paintings and ivories. It is hoped that the new institution will become a centre of learning about Muslim culture.

Singer aims to shock

By Helen Musa

BRITISH cabaret artist Barb Jungr, a self-proclaimed minimalist, likes to change the context of her songs, and says she aims to shock at her Canberra concert with Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” by adopting the persona of the male performer who sings “then I got Mary pregnant.”

She’s recently released her album “The Men I Love: the New American Songbook”, which is, she says speaking from London, packed with numbers “from the great artists who emerged during and post-rock ‘n’ roll and everything that follows.”

Jungr will be at the Street Theatre soon with Australian pianist Jenny Carr, paying musical tribute to the big-time, male composers she loves, including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Jimmy Webb.

These are the men she loves, but

Losing grip on reality

arts in the city

THE play “Inside Out”, which won the Rodney Seaborn play-writing award in 2008, is another feather in the cap of playwright and former Canberran, Mary Rachel Brown. Valerie Bader and Benn Welford play mother and son in a production that looks at a young man losing his grip on reality. It has been praised for its insight by Prof Vaughan Carr, of the Schizophrenia Research Institute. Bookings to 6298 0290. CONGRATULATIONS to 17-year-old Hayley Lander, from Radford College, who has won the $2000 Tuggeranong Rotary Youth Art Award for her large (178cm x 108.5cm) oil on canvas titled “Under the Skin”. Judge Robert Stephens also awarded the Aarwun Gallery Encouragement Award to 19-year-old Matthew Rig for his “Self Portrait (I am artist hear me draw)”. DIDO, the ill-fated queen of Carthage, will take the stage for the second time in as many weeks, this time at St Philip’s Church, O’Connor, on September 2 and 4 when CAMRA presents “Dido & Aeneas” in a double bill with Mozart’s “Bastien & Bastienne.” Book online at www. camra.asn.au

SIX young singers will compete for the $29,000 total prize money in the finals of the National Operatic Aria Competition at Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm, September 11. Adjudicators will be Geoffrey Chard and Margaret Schindler. Bookings to 132 849.

she hasn’t always been besotted with all things American, pointing out that America did not dominate the musical world in the ’60s – Britain did.

Jungr has been writing, performing and recording in England, Europe and the US for more three decades. She started out as a violinist in her school orchestra in England’s north-west, and learnt from that the strong melodic line which she describes as “better than piano”. Later in London, she performed and recorded with cult cabaret group The Three Courgettes. Her album and is haunting and her voice quietly intense, but Jungr assures me it won’t be “a quiet evening at all… there will be a lot of singing and the whole thing will be a bloody good laugh.”

BLOOM Music Festival is a three-day event, from September 3 to 5, by musical groups based at the Ainslie Arts Centre at the the corner of Elouera and Donaldson Streets, Braddon. It will feature concerts by professional and youth musicians, a rock concert, sound installations, hands-on activities and the premiere of a new work for community musicians, “Liberty and Death” by Michael Sollis. Visit www.mfe.org.au

TUGGERANONG Arts Centre has started “Comedy Club” on the first Tuesday in each month at 8pm. Next up is “Ladies Night” on September 7 with Melbourne International Comedy Festival favourite Geraldine Hickey. The support artists include Marie Helou, Edwina Nelson and Canberra’s own Pixie Darling as host. Bookings to 6293 1443.

“CHIC”, a short festival of improvised theatre at The Street, September 10-12, by ImproACT will focus on Canberra’s female improvisers and guest performers Rama Nicholas and Monique Dykstra. Proceeds will assist the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Bookings to 6247 1223.

arts&entertainment

Sexciting perils of being a blonde at large in Cairo

“CAIRO TIME” (MA)

THIS is more than a romance about middle-aged people made for a middle-aged audience.

Cairo may present problems for visiting film-makers, but for those who persevere such as Ruba Nadda, Canadaborn of Syrian parents, it offers a rich location for the right kind of film.

American magazine editor Juliette arrives there to join her husband working on a UN project in Gaza. He’s delayed. His friend and associate Tareq has come to drive her to her hotel.

cinema

Dougal Macdonald

Venturing out to explore, Juliette discovers that blonde women dressed in skirt, blouse and sandals quickly attract unwanted male attention. She asks Tareq to show her the city and gets a short course in Egyptian social customs. Juliette and Tareq are aware of friendship’s potential to drive a plot that might move to something both risky and sexciting.

British-born Alexander Siddig is handsome and effective as Tareq. But the

film really belongs to Patricia Clarkson as Juliette. An astounding actress, she also offers delicious carnality without baring great areas of skin.

At Dendy

At

Dendy“THE KILLER IN ME” (MA)

VIOLENCE is more abhorrent than sex. Briton Michael Winterbottom’s first made-in-US film is a bleak, uncompromising story about an emotionallydisturbed law officer fond of beating women to death with his bare hands.

In the 1950s, the sheriff in a small Texas city where developer Conway tells law enforcement officials how to handle their cases assigns deputy Lou (Casey Affleck) to run sex-worker Joyce (Jessica Alba) out of town. Lou may seem educated and gentle, but Joyce happily consents to sado-masochism in their copulations.

The hated Conway sends his son to deliver a bribe. Lou leaves Joyce’s bleeding body on the floor, shoots the messenger with her pistol. At home the demanding Amy (Kate Hudson) waits for her share of him. The tension cranks up leaving a trail of bodies for law officials

Music old, music new

By Helen Musa

THE Choir of Trinity College

Cambridge, under the baton of Stephen Layton, will perform at Yarralumla during the launch of Musica Viva’s 2011 season, but its main object in coming to Canberra is a Llewellyn Hall concert on September 9 featuring English choral music alongside works by Arvo Pärt, John Tavener and younger composers from the Baltic States.

“I like to show the resonances between the old and the new. The idea is that new music will help old music come to life, and old music will help new music come to life,” Layton says.

A highlight will be the performance by the choir of “Deserts of Exile”, written by Paul Stanhope, Musica Viva’s featured composer for 2010.

The choir is made up of 34 Cambridge undergraduates and has previously toured Europe, US, South Africa and Japan. But Layton has been here many times as guest conductor with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, in Llewellyn Hall, September 9. Bookings to 132 849.

to untangle. It’s strong stuff, staged with careful attention to location and period, with a fine cast and distasteful violence, filmed with moderate explicitness.

At Dendy

“BOy” (M)

THIS poignant comedy about 11-year-old Boy (James Rolleston), whose mother died delivering his little brother Rocky and whose father Alamein (writer/director Taika Waititi) is doing time for robbery, is being praised for its high position in the rankings of NZ films.

There’s enough sadness between its lines to distress those concerned about the plight of disadvantaged children. While grandma is away at a funeral, Boy cares for Rocky and other children in an extended family and yearns for attractive Chardonnay to be aware of his existence.

Alamein arrives with two gormless “pakeha” friends and one purpose – to recover the loot buried somewhere in the paddock beside the house.

Waititi’s film has great energy and a deep sympathy for its theme, time and population. Off its native turf, we must evaluate it at face value. Australians with limited awareness of social conditions among Maori kids in the 1980s should laugh and feel a little guilty on behalf of white folk in a country with a treaty between Maoris and colonisers while trying to avoid comparisons with our own indigenous people.

At Dendy and Greater Union

Latest ‘Grand Designs’ DVD

“C ITY N EWS ” has 10 copies of series seven of TV series “Grand Designs”, worth $39.99, to give away. Presented by design expert Kevin McCloud, “Grand Designs” reveals how ambitious design concepts work in practice and depicts the hard realities of creating a dream home.

Entries to citynews.com. au/win

Chi Po-Lin’s “Out Of the World Landscape” shows mud stone that has been naturally sculpted into a moonscape.

Taipei in full colour

THIS photographic exhibition has become an annual fixture in Canberra, where the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office strives to present a colourful image of their country.

This year the exhibition is augmented with a show of tribal and ethnic garments, including woven waistbands and elaborate headdresses from the Amis tribal group.

But the main thrust is photography and this year there are some beauties. Day-to-day activities are made poetic in Huang Ting-Shen’s photograph “Hanging Out”, where hand-dried vermicelli strings look like spiders’ webs. The same artist has captured personalities in the jolly “Lantern Master” and “Demon slayer,” where a puppeteer is almost taken over by his puppet.

PHOTOGRAPHy

“Taiwan Sublime”

Photography and Taiwanese indigenous artefacts, at Civic Library until September 30.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

The arts feature strongly, notably as Liu Chen-Hsieng shows the celebrated Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in “White,” where the dancers simulate shadow puppets.

But overwhelmingly it is Taiwan’s natural beauty that stands out. Chi

Po-Lin’s “Out Of the World Landscape” shows mud stone that has been naturally sculpted into a moonscape.

This is a quiet exhibition that inspires reflection and admiration for the skills of the artists.

OPERA

“Dido and Aeneas”

The Street Theatre, season closed. Reviewed by Clinton White

HENRY Purcell’s opera, “Dido and Aeneas”, is a simple story, beneath which lies intrigue and sub-themes of politics, sex and religious bigotry. Then add some sorcery and witchcraft with more than touch of mythology. Why go to a movie?

A production by the ANU School of Music and The Street Theatre brought together a big cast of students, mentored by director Caroline Stacey and music director Geoffrey Lancaster. This production brings the centuries together. Decisively.

Lancaster, in a hoodie, played a harpsichord. His student musicians, similarly clad, played guitars, violins, a harp and even a virginal. Their playing was engaging, lively and fresh.

Designer, Imogen Keen’s minimalist set included strangely apt things such as construction safety netting, a swing and a bathtub.

The costumes were a mix of jeans, singlets, backwards caps and beanies.

The chorus’ tone and parts were balanced to perfection.

Really impressive were the voices of Dido (Sonia Anfiloff) and Belinda (Karen Fitz-Gibbon). But William Tran’s hip-hop dancing to Purcell’s stately, almost staid music stole the show.

A tiny gripe was that diction was not always clear. But these are young voices with much left to explore and develop. There was so much talent in this production that no audience could come away other than impressed.

dining Delighting the ‘flavour chaser’

By Wendy Johnson

THE inspiration of southern Italian cuisine and the wonders of Australian fresh produce make a formidable couple. One place to enjoy the relationship is Mezzalira Ristorante in the heritage-listed Melbourne Building.

Mezzalira has worked hard for the stack of awards it has picked up over the years, from various industry associations including, in 2009, Best Prestigious Dining Venue and Best Formal Italian Restaurant.

These two awards sum it up. This is upmarket dining in a low-lit, quiet, elegant setting.

I hadn’t been for a couple of years and, other than the updated menu, not much had changed. The décor remains familiar and comforting, including the series of sepia-tone photographs that adorn the back wall. If you want hustle and bustle, your best bet is to visit Mezzalira’s little brother eatery in Braddon (Italian and Sons).

Mezzalira serves small portions so you can enjoy entrée, main and dessert. (To be truthful, the sizes of the meals are what we should be eating for healthy living).

The fresh shucked South Coast Sydney rock oysters, served with a granita, lead the entrée section of the menu, ($42 a dozen). Two of “the gals” enjoyed the irresistible whole-roasted, de-boned, buttery quail, with prosciutto, sage and eggplant caponata and marsala sauce ($22). It was flawless and a testament to what Pasquale

Above, potato gnocchi with tomato, olive and rabbit ragu. Right, quail breast wrapped in coppa, ricotta and sage mustard with fruit vinagrette.

Photos by Silas

Trimboli (who opened the restaurant with two brothers), once told me about the philosophy of Mezzalira – to serve dishes that are “a true delight for the buongustai (flavour chaser) in us all.”

The seafood linguine was not the best I’ve had – too subtle for my liking. However, I sampled the tortellini di zucca (handmade pasta parcels filled with ricotta, pumpkin and leek and burnt sage butter; $32 for a main) and it was absolutely beautiful and classic Mezzalira. The sides are $10 to $15 and the rocket, pear and parmesan salad – another classic – is great.

The highlight was the dessert – the sensational lemon curd tart, with just the right amount of tang, and the silky panna cotta I was also able to sample (great value for $15). For cheese lovers, Mezzalira offers quality imported Italian cheeses (one piece $15, two pieces $22 and three pieces $28).

One of the exciting ways to experience Mezzalira is through the tasting menu – five courses (without wine $85, with local wines $105). Depending on the size of your crowd you could book out the private dining room which seats 12. Mezzalira’s awards include one for exceptional wines, including many by the glass. The service is attentive and professional although we struggled a bit to order more wine.

Mezzalira Ristorante, Melbourne Building, West Row (corner London Circuit), open Monday-to-Friday for lunch and dinner Monday-to-Saturday dinner. 6230 0025.

Passion for fashion

By Megan Haggan CANBERRA’S

Love My Style’s Kestine Staples, has just gone into business.

Kestine’s background is in advertising, but she’s always had a passion for fashion.

“My fashion interest was generated in high school, where I achieved awards in textiles for creativity,” she says. “I have always had a keen interest – just never followed my passion until now.

“The inspiration has been my beautiful daughter, [fourmonth-old] Ruby. I thoroughly enjoy dressing people and making them look fabulous.”

Kestine passed on her top tips for always looking our best:

• Introduce colour! “Adding a colour to your wardrobe is not only fun, it makes you feel confident and alive,” she says. When we’re looking at colours, we should hold a garment up to our face to see how the shade affects our appearance. “If the colour brightens your face, it’s yours. If you’re not sure, select accessories such as a belt, scarf or jewellery to begin with, and add the colour slowly.”

• The accessory everyone needs is a scarf, Kestine says, “to add colour to an outfit, or to take the emphasis off your waist by wearing it long.”

• Keep it simple: of sequins, sparkles or patterns, just choose one. “It’s not a good idea to mix with one another, as it makes your outfit too busy and takes the attention away from where you intend it

garment.”

• Choose the right fabric for your shape. “There are some beautiful fabrics available for us to wear, and selecting the wrong fabric can draw attention to the wrong areas,” says Kestine. “Silks are a beautiful fabric to wear for most body shapes: they’re light and sit comfortably over curves or

fabric, the better the wear.”

• Look after your shoes! “They are a very valuable asset to your outfit. If your heel tips need replacing, do so; if your toe is scuffed, a simple polish can help. Otherwise, throw them away.” Kestine says she sees many women who look great – until she sees their shoes!

Anytime Fitness advertising feature

Anytime Fitness, at the Jerrabomberra Village, is open 24 hours a day.

Healthy success of the all-hours gym

“There’s never been anything like it before in Canberra, and over the year since we opened, Anytime Fitness has helped so many people,” says manager Siobhan Gil.

IT’S been a year since Anytime Fitness introduced a new concept in gyms to Canberra: and in that time, it’s become a huge success, says club manager Siobhan Gil.

The gym, at the Jerrabomberra Village, is open 24 hours a day, providing a secure training environment for those who can’t or prefer not to attend a gym during normal opening hours.

“For that reason, we really stand out from the crowd,” Siobhan said.

“There’s never been anything like it before in Canberra, and over the year since we opened, Anytime Fitness has helped so many people.

“It’s great for people with young families, or shift workers, both of whom often haven’t been able to make it to the gym before it closes in the past. These people are now able to see the difference in their bodies that regularly going to a gym can make.”

Anytime Fitness has developed a strong sense of community among its clientele, Siobhan said. “We’ve organised things like a bowling day and a picnic breakfast; members really feel like it’s their gym.”

Anytime’s success has been such that it bought extra strength and cardiovascular training equipment to avoid its members having to wait too long to use it.

“We have a fair bit of new equipment to cater for the numbers of people coming in!” Siobhan said.

“Like every other gym, we have the peak times of 5pm to 7pm, but we never have people standing around waiting a long time for equipment.

“Rather than having to come at those busy times, though, our members can go home, have their dinner first and spend time with their families, then come back to the gym when it’s quiet. A lot of people take that option.”

Anytime Fitness Jerrabomberra has staff available from 10.30am to 7pm from Monday to Thursday and 10.30am to 3pm on Saturdays.

Members’ security is important; so as well as 24-hour video surveillance of the premises covering virtually every angle, members take a personal distress necklace upon arrival, which they can activate if they feel uncomfortable about their safety at any time, including on the way to their car.

The gym is accessed via a key fob swipe card programmed with each person’s name, so the members on-site at any time can be tracked.

Anytime isn’t one of those gyms where members are on display, either: there’s a degree of privacy.

Until the end of September, Anytime Fitness is offering a $1 joining fee.

“Now’s the time to join up!” said Siobhan.

“Winter’s over, and it’s a great time for Canberrans to start getting fit and healthy in time for summer: we won’t be in all these layers of clothing much longer!”

More information at www.anytimefitness. com.au or call 6255 8464.

Facing the office

By Megan Haggan

WELL- APPLIED make-up gives our faces a fresher appearance, lasts all day and is a great way to boost our professional confidence, says Rhonda Astle, national trainer for Natio.

“Natural tones work best for the office,” she advises. “Choose matte eyeshadows, and ensure your foundation is colour-matched to your skin tone and neck. Avoid too much shimmer.”

As we mature, our skin tone changes, Rhonda says – so we need to colour-match our make-up to suit our current skin tone.

“For a more relaxed look as you age, keep make-up to a minimum: a light application of foundation or mineral powder, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss is all that is needed.”

Overuse of blush, eyeshadow and bronzer are mistakes we make all too often, she says.

“Eyes should be kept minimal – a light dusting of eyeshadow, with eyeliner applied in a fine line and finished with two coats of mascara.

“Keep the smoky look for night-time, or special events. Apply a light dusting of bronzer and blush to the cheeks for a healthy look. Lip colour can be deeper if preferred – choose a colour that enhances your eyes.”

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore September 6-12

ARIES

(Mar  – Apr 0)

Is a close relationship going through a bumpy patch? This week’s stars provide an opportunity to heal old wounds with compromise, compassion and kindness. The New Moon promises surprises and changes to your daily routine. You’ll be at your enterprising best as you combine home, work, love and lust into one exciting epic.

TAURUS

(Apr  – May 0)

Wednesday’s New Moon lights up your hobby/leisure zone, so it’s time to get out of a work rut and do more of what you love. You may be called on to play peacemaker (especially on Sunday). Don’t rush in like a bull at a gate! Take the time to talk things through, as you smooth troubled waters with your sound and sensible advice.

GEMINI (May  – June )

With Mercury in retrograde motion (until Sep 13) you may feel as if you’re going backwards. Don’t drop your bundle and give up – find the fortitude to soldier on. Clear the clutter and give your home a spring clean. By throwing out old things (like clothes and paperwork) you’ll clear the stuck energy so you can start moving forwards.

CANCER (June  – July )

This week’s stars favour being proactive and creative in the kitchen. Be inspired by birthday great Elsa Schiaparelli: “A good cook is like a sorcerer who dispenses happiness.” Don’t let comfort shopping burn a hole in your wallet. Crabs adore buying beautiful things (especially for the home) but avoid spending more than you can afford.

LEO (July  – Aug )

Leos love to hog the limelight and do most of the talking but this week you need to master the subtle art of two-way conversation. The New Moon activates your finance zone, so money matters loom large. Balancing the budget is your number one priority. Until that’s sorted out, you’re just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic!

VIRGO (Aug  – Sept )

The New Moon’s in your sign, so you’re standing at the crossroads and about to make some momentous decisions. It’s the perfect time to plan projects and anticipate important changes in your life. But you need to be patient – don’t put your new ideas into action until after September 13 (when Mercury starts moving forwards again).

LIBRA (Sept  – Oct )

Wednesday’s New Moon stimulates your contemplation zone, so take a break from your usual social whirl and indulge in some splendid solitude – for a change. Creative pursuits are favoured on Friday, as you channel the bohemian artist within. Activities involving fashion, children and sport are also highlighted. Love is in the air on Saturday.

SCORPIO (Oct  – Nov )

Scorpios are sentimental (and stubborn) souls. Try not to obsess about what might have been – dwelling on the past will get you nowhere fast. Be inspired by birthday great D. H. Lawrence: “I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets.” The New Moon helps you aim for gold, as you focus on your goals and dreams for the future.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov  – Dec )

Jupiter (your ruling planet) reverses back into Pisces, so from now until the end of the year is the perfect time to tie up loose ends and finalise projects that have been hanging in mid-air since June. You are sometimes too honest for your own good. Try to be extra tactful on Thursday – a little bit of Sagittarian truth serum goes a very long way!

CAPRICORN (Dec  – Jan )

Conscientious Capricorns are incredibly demanding and super critical. Nothing is ever quite right, and no-one (yourself included) can live up to your ludicrously high expectations. With the New Moon in the fussy sign of Virgo, you’ll feel even more fastidious than usual. Just remember – perfection is a goal, not a destination.

AQUARIUS (Jan 0 – Feb )

Get ready for the big two – sex and money. Wednesday’s New Moon signals a fresh start to do with intimate relations or finances. For some – a hot new affair (or a rekindled romance); for others – the dawning of a new fiscal age when you become a money-saver rather than a money-waster. Work towards being financially independent.

PISCES (Feb  – Mar 0)

With the New Moon stimulating your relationship zone, Piscean partnerships are in for a major rejuvenation. Does your partner love the real you, encourage your talents and support your dreams? If the answer is no, then it may be time to give them the boot. Single Fish – stop procrastinating and get serious about finding long-term love!

Joanne

Across

1 Name Bizet's best known opera.

7 Which science deals with crops and the like?

8 What do we call one who suffers from sleep apnoea?

9 Name the Russian monk and faith healer, assassinated in 1916.

10 Name the capital of the Republic of the Philippines.

11 Which metallic element is also known as wolfram?

14 Which English king was called "the Unready"?

18 Name the chess piece shaped like a horse's head.

19 What is a coiled, chambered fossil shell of a cephalopod mollusc?

21 Name the innate actuating force in living beings.

22 Which type of gold is found in sand, mud, etc, formed by floating water?

23 What do we call profits obtained from investments? Down

1 Name a wool fabric of twill weave.

2 Who was the legendary Arthurian magician?

3 One who tells stories is called a what?

4 What are units of work or energy?

5 Name another term for the muzzles of animals.

6 The Commonwealth games were once known as which games?

12 Name the most renowned of Australia's bushrangers (3,5).

13 What are some elementary particles of atomic nuclei?

15 What is a large or imposing church?

16 Name the second book of the Old Testament.

17 What is the characteristic quality of sound produced by an instrument or voice?

20 Name the bird venerated by the ancient Egyptians.

next week

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Call Agent 4 Tarrabool St McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 701 465 4BR G U

Call Agent 6 Tia Cl L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0417 483 627 4BR H

Call Agent 2 Wanderer Ct L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0417 483 627 4BR F U

Call Agent 1/6 Willara Cl L.J. Hooker Canberra City 0432 989 121 2BR J U

Call Agent 3/2 Yule St L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0417 483 627 3BR B ARANDA

Call Agent 2/27 Arabana St L.J. Hooker Dickson 0411 367 700 3BR I

Call Agent 110 Barada Cr Ray White Belconnen 0411 037 137 3BR A

Call Agent 45 Barada Cr L.J. Hooker Dickson 0411 367 700 2BR A Call Agent 17 Walu Pl Elders Belconnen 0409 560 539 4BR A

Sat 12:00-12:45 36 Galbraith Cl Richard Luton Properties 0418 620 735 5BR A Sat 1:00-2:00

11:00-11:30 1/21

Smeaton Cct Karen Rush Real Estate 0418 285 737 3BR J

St Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0402 017 912 3BR J

Abercrombie Cct Ray White Tuggeranong 0414 665 626 3BR I

Abercrombie Cct L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0424 288 717 3BR I U

Abercrombie Cct Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0401 354

BELCONNEN

Cct IPG Belconnen 0402 838 949 3BR I

Beazley St L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0412 281 735 3BR I

DUFFY

DUNLOP

Canberra Region Property Summary

GOWRIE

GREENWAY

HARRISON

GRIFFITH

Canberra Region Property Summary

KALEEN

Blackshaw Manuka 0412 997 894 4BR A

Agent 52 William Wilkins Cr Karen Rush Real Estate 0418 288 650 4BR D

Sat 12:15-1:00 30 Maharatta Cct Ray White Canberra 0422 454 383 3BR I Sun 12:15-1:00 30 Maharatta Cct Ray

0422 454 383 3BR I

Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0412 726 025 3BR I

St Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0412 726 025 3BR I

Bandulla St Peter Blackshaw Woden 0410 121 601 3BR B U

Cct Ian McNamee & Partners 0429 077 080 3BR J

NORTH LYNEHAM

O'CONNOR

NARRABUNDAH

Canberra Region Property Summary

Carbeen

Kanooka

L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0418 624 913 4BR H

0412 635 019 3BR I

Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0412 726 025 3BR I

Wirilda St Bertram Ellis Chapman 0412 622 006 3BR I

STIRLING

WATSON

SWINGER

SYMONSTON

3BR I

Call Agent 5 Healy St Maloney's The Estate Agent 0417 219 592 4BR I

Sat 12:00-4:00 Blk E Section Df First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H

Sat 12:00-4:00 Blk E Section Dm First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR I

12:00-4:00 Blk G Section Dh First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 5BR H

12:00-4:00 Block A Section Do First National Gungahlin 0414 249 449 4BR H

Sat 12:00-4:00 Block E Section Di First National Gungahlin 0414 249 449 4BR I

Sat 12:00-4:00 Block S Section Dh First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 3BR I

Sat 12:00-4:00 Ronald Walker Blk 1 Section 44 - Unit 2/unit 3 First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 3BR I

Sat 12:00-4:00 Ronald Walker St First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR I

Sat 1:00-1:45 11 Liz O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H

Sat 1:00-1:45 35 Liz O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H

Sat 1:00-1:45 37 Liz O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H

Sun 12:00-4:00 Blk E Section Df First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H

Sun 12:00-4:00 Blk E Section Dm First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR I

Sun 12:00-4:00 Blk G Section Dh First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 5BR H

Sun 12:00-4:00 Block A Section Do First National Gungahlin 0414 249 449 4BR H

Sun 12:00-4:00 Block E Section Di First National Gungahlin 0414 249 449 4BR I

Sun 12:00-4:00 Block S Section Dh First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 3BR I

Sun 12:00-4:00 Ronald Walker Blk 1 Section 44 - Unit 2/unit 3 First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 3BR I

Sun 12:00-4:00 Ronald Walker St First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR I

Sun 1:00-1:45

O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H Sun 1:00-1:45 35 Liz O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H

1:00-1:45 37 Liz O'Neil First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 4BR H

Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR I

Ac AV Jennings 0429 309 299 4BR L

THEODORE

TORRENS

WEETANGERA

TURNER

YARRALUMLA

WANNIASSA