Canberra CityNews February 3 - 9, 2011

New festival from city’s empty shops

EXCLUSIVE

By Eleri Harris

CIVIC’S vacant shopfronts are set to come alive with a series of music, theatre and visual art exhibitions next month as Centenary of Canberra launches a festival for our city’s 98th birthday.

Held over 11 days from March 10-20, the as yet unnamed festival sponsored by CBD Ltd is based on the “Renew Newcastle” project, which has seen an ongoing relationship between property managers and local artists temporarily re-purposing vacant shops and offices.

Selected by Centenary of Canberra’s creative director Robin Archer, David Finnigan comes direct from Newcastle as an organiser for the annual “This is Not Art” festival.

He says the ACT festival will try out some different elements, placing artists in interesting places to showcase the best talent Canberra has to offer.

“It’s primarily intended to promote local artists,” Finnigan says.

“There will be events happening from the laneways and courtyard of the Melbourne Building down to a circus tent in front of the carousel at Petrie Plaza.

“In Newcastle, the results of those projects have been positive, the spaces are transformed

INDEX

February 3-9, 2011

Since 1993: Volume 17, Number 04

Arts&Entertainment 15-18

Cinema 18

Crossword 20

Health&Fitness 19

Horoscope 20

Letters 4

News 3-10

Politics 10

Property 21-40

Scene 14

Sudoku 20

as the festival hub.

“It’s a great concept and it’s good for business,” Notaras says.

“There’s a bit of vacancy around City Walk right now, this will brighten it up.

“It rejuvenates the city utilising otherwise vacant space and bringing a bit of activity at night on the main thoroughfare, which is logical.

“It will make people feel they can use our city, not just night-clubbers.”

But while the Centenary of Canberra’s festival is a one-off pilot event, the ACT Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur says her party has costed the project for a three-year period at $49,975 per annum.

“It will take more than 10 days to revitalise Canberra,” Le Couteur argues.

“There’s a lot of empty space in Civic and a project like ‘Renew Newcastle’ would be a winwin for everyone.

“The arts community get space to show off their work, the building owners get good vibes and people utilising empty space and the people of Canberra get to see what our city is producing art wise.”

Property managers from the GPT Group in Newcastle gave artists access to vacant spaces rent free until the shops were leased, allowing artists to establish businesses such as galleries and creative co-ops without start-up overheads.

giving a fresh perspective of the city.

“It’s offering people a chance to re-imagine their city.”

Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au

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Property manager Harry Notaras will be lending the vacant former Dick Smith shop on the corner of East Row and Alinga Street to operate

In 2010, “Renew Newcastle” and the GPT Group won Partnership of the Year Award and the Toyota Community Award at the Australia Business Arts Foundation National Awards, after two years of operation seeing more than 60 artist-initiated projects housed in 40 spaces in their CBD.

Instant satisfaction for sci-fi Greg

Long considered the realm of shameless self-promoters, publishing-on-demand or selfpublishing has come into its own in the digital age, says ELERI HARRIS

FROM Blurb to Book-Pal, the web is overflowing with companies clamouring to be your own personal vanity press and Australian literary magazine “Meanjin” says it’s quite okay.

“While some may still regard it as a cheap and tawdry practice, authors and publishers alike are growing savvy to the advantages to digital publishing,” “Meanjin” blog “Spike” proclaims.

“Smaller print runs are now not only conceivable, they are also profitable.”

In 2009, TheBookseller.com reported the number of publications printed on demand had overtaken traditionally published books in the US.

Former Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly Greg Cornwell has happily jumped on the bandwagon, receiving “reasonable” responses in the press for his book “Shangri-La” that would otherwise not have seen the light of day.

“I have seven ‘whodunnits’ in there, manuscripts, Canberra-based, and I have tried in the past to send manuscripts to various publishers,” Cornwell told “CityNews”.

“I became frustrated, I became disillusioned with the process.

“Okay, the quality might have been bad, I don’t mind admitting that.

“So when this one came up and I learnt of this

Former politician and now science fiction writer, Greg Cornwell... “It’s a step-by-step process and it’s not difficult really, once you realise you have to do it all yourself.”

self-publishing thing, I thought I’d give it a go.

“It’s a step-by-step process and it’s not difficult really, once you realise you have to do it all yourself.

“You’ve certainly got to check all your copy, I went through the book three times before it was okay.”

Pushing a very 1960s “Population Bomb”-style barrow, Cornwell has written a short science fiction work warning of a tragic future should

global population trends continue.

“I don’t read science fiction at all, I am attracted to the future of civilisation.” Cornwell says.

“I thought it was worth promoting because most of the problems of over-population are dealt with in an academic sense, people are talking about percentages and that kind of thing. I thought, perhaps we can get to more people about this major problem if we make a fiction story or book.

“Unless we address this problem of over-population there isn’t going to be a future.”

But while James Joyce and Virginia Woolf garnered attention with the self-publication of their early work, today’s would-be authors require different forms of promotion – that Cornwell is a former public figure works firmly in his favour.

Director of ACT Writers Centre Anne-Maree Britton says your average self-publishing Canberra author struggles to get review space in traditional media and the digital sphere is more accessible.

“It’s hard to get a review in Canberra for a local, self-published book.

“More and more people are reading things online and writers are bypassing the whole publishing and reviewing system.

“With online the tools for production are in the hand of the author, you’ve got the ability to make PDFs and e-books, you’ve got very simple websites and Facebook to promote yourself, you can list on Amazon.

“It would take a year to be published traditionally, it’s instant if you do it online.”

But authors beware, Britton says it’s important to get your book professionally edited.

“Everyone that comes here, we cannot stress highly enough that they need editorial, they need a proof read.

“It’s worth investing $300-400 so you’re not embarrassed when it’s out there, they’ll always pick up things you’ve missed.”

The ACT Writers Centre will host a talk, “The secrets to self-publishing and marketing your book” 1-2pm,Tuesday, February 22 at Gorman House Arts Centre, Braddon.

letters

Why no green waste bins?

I have a question: If the ACT is meant to be one of the best States/Territories for recycling, why do we not have green waste bins here?

I have friends that live in Melbourne and Sydney, and both these States have a green-waste collection system. Here in Canberra we have to take it to a so-called waste recovery centre. This means that on any given weekend you could have, say, five cars from five suburbs in the same area going to the waste recovery centre on the same day, when you could have one truck doing the same collection from the kerbside for all these suburbs (and more!) therefore reducing carbon emissions.

Perhaps a campaign needs to be started for something to be achieved. I note the ACT Greens media release posted on their website dated Monday, April 26 that mentions a trial of residential organic waste recycling, but I have never heard anything about this.

Mark Rowley, via email

Moore is right about Bligh

MICHAEL Moore expressed my own feelings perfectly (“Disaster drags out the usual blame games”, CN January 27) when he compares Anna Bligh’s response to the flood disaster with Jon Stanhope’s, and indeed John Brumby’s, response to the bushfires. Both Brumby and Stanhope were more interested in protecting their bureaucrats than learning lessons from the disaster.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Hobbits tempt Baker away from home

By Eleri Harris

ALL smiles, stubble and stereoscopic, D wisdom, Canberra film-maker and academic Ché Baker is going to NZ to work with the Hollywood hobbits on Peter Jackson’s latest film.

“I’ve been working with the director of photography, [“Lord of the Rings” Academy Award winner] Andrew Lesnie, for about five years in various capacities,” the Blue Mountains-bred video lecturer told “CityNews”.

“My particular area of study is stereoscopic 3D, and ‘The Hobbit’ is going to be shot in 3D, so Andrew asked me to come and help him out and work in the camera department with him on this.

“Of which I said, absolutely, as long as I can dress up as a hobbit and get in the background somewhere!”

Baker is one of Apple’s eight master instructors for film and television applications in the world, working at ANU and UC, but he says it’s time to step back into the industry full time.

“A lot of people, they get tenure at the university and that’s it, they sit around doing nothing,” he says. “But I’ve got a lot still to do before I retire and give up on work.

“I’ve been out of features for a long time. In the last 10 years I’ve done a lot of TV commercials, corporate videos, music videos, short films and things like that. I wrote a book! But features are really where the passion is, so it’s time to get back into it, I think. And that’s not going to happen in Canberra.”

Starting out a work-experience kid on the set of American teen television drama “Dawson’s Creek” at university in North Carolina, Baker has worked in the film and television for nearly 15 years, but moved to Canberra for Olympic Tae Kwon Do training seven years ago and stayed because he loves the lifestyle.

“Canberra’s really nice,” Baker insists. “People are like: ‘Really? You want to stay in Canberra?’

“But when you’ve lived in other places, you realise how good the lifestyle is here and it’s a good base.

“I love living in Canberra and the lifestyle it gives you and I’ve had lots of offers to work on other films and things.

“They give you a lot of offers that sound nice on the surface, but it’s often going to

crap places working on projects you don’t really want to.

“‘The Hobbit’ was the first novel I ever read as a kid and I had a big fantasy phase when I was an early teenager.

“I think ‘The Hobbit’ will be another opportunity to showcase 3D as enhancing the story, not just as a novelty.

“If it’s shot in 3D properly with two cameras, a movie can be a really, really good experience. What’s going to kill 3D is bad 3D, where they shoot it with one camera, then they do all of the stereoscopic effects post production, which makes it really distracting and uncomfortable.

“Who knows what I’ll really be doing six months in, but my initial role is assisting the director of photography in colour-grading.

“It takes that calibre of thing for me to give up riding around Canberra,” Baker, who arrived on a bike, jokes.

He’s never been to Wellington, but Baker says “The Hobbit” will be filmed in three, five-month “chunks” and he’ll call Canberra home in the sizable breaks.

And Baker is hopeful for the capital’s future as a film-making centre.

“Canberra’s recently got a $1.8 million investment fund the Stanhope Government’s put up... There’s going to be a lot of production happening here in the next couple of years.”

A flair for feathers

By Eleri Harris

WATERCOLOUR

artist Rodney Usback has been awarded a prize in the 2011 WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition on World Wetlands Day.

Usback is one of two merit-award winners from the ACT announced on Tuesday.

He started painting when he returned from the Vietnam War in 1968, and is a long-time advocate for sustainability in the urban environment and conservation.

“The last 25 years I’ve worked in an environmental field and I have a soft spot for it and sustainability,” he says.

“I was quite interested in the urban environment, the environmental aspects of our cities. I left the army as an engineer, I was 27, I was the youngest major in our corps at the time when I left and got a job with the Cities Commission when the Whitlam Government got in.

“It wasn’t so much the fur and feathers side of things. It was urban and regional development, it was about growth centres, it was about planning sustainable cities.

“Later I was instrumental in bringing in the import regulations on products made from endangered species.

“That was a first because the penalties were around $100,000 – as much as the penalties for importing drugs.”

Painting in a tiny, well-lit corner of his Flynn home, Usback is a naturalist, drawn to wildflowers, birds and botanicals.

“I’ve always painted the native birds, the parrots and blue wrens,” he says.

“This year’s theme was forested wetlands and I immediately thought of the masses of river gums that are dead in places like Menindee. Birds might be able to nest, particularly parrots, but they’ve got no food. The eucalyptus are all dead and there’s nothing to survive on.

“A lot of those wetlands are human made, they’re to do with cotton farming and the like, the consequence is we’ve lost so many of the river gums, which are now an endangered species and, of course, the red-tailed, black cockatoo is an endangered species.

“I painted red-tailed, black cockatoos a while ago and that’s a bit of a favourite.

“I thought, well, one day if I can use my work from these two cockatoos, if I can translate that to a flock of them. Now there’s two sitting and about 10 flying across the page with these dead river gums in the background, a whole wetland of them like out in Menindee.”

Usback’s winning work “Red Tails Spooked in River Gum Graveyard” will displayed with 37 other works at the CSIRO Discovery Centre, Acton, until February 12.

Plan or the ‘bush capital’ dies

WOULD you believe that 83 per cent of Canberra residents believe that the city is either just the right size now, or already too big?

Add to that, 77 per cent of Canberrans last year told an independent random survey by the Australia Institute commissioned by the ACT Conservation Council, that they believe that our available water supply will limit further growth.

Yet, according to the current review of the Territory Spatial Plan, the ACT Government has accepted a future where our city will grow to more than 500,000 people.

Canberra already has the highest carbon footprint in Australia – and it is growing. We are seeing major biodiversity (trees, plants, animals) loss with new developments such as Gungahlin and Molonglo.

Without careful planning that protects and restores the environment, we will see the death of the “bush capital” as we know it. The answer to an environmentally sustainable Canberra isn’t difficult. It just needs a little rethinking and some vision.

John Hibberd

A sustainable Canberra needs more urban housing designed to world’s best-practice around existing centres. Older suburbs need to be revitalised, higher standards for water and energy efficiency need to be met, and people should be encouraged to walk and cycle to work. Through a more compact Canberra, the ACT Government can provide more cost-efficient infrastructure and services.

Concentrating growth around business nodes and main transport routes will help create vibrant liveable neighbourhoods that provide a sense of community. This will also reduce our carbon footprint. Now doesn’t that sound more like the kind of city we want to live in?

John Hibberd is the executive director of the Conservation Council ACT Region

If you see a knife, run!

By Megan Haggan

FENDING off or escaping an attacker wielding a rubber knife isn’t a standard part of the PE curriculum – but getting out of this, and other sticky situations, was a change of pace recently for Year Nine students at Marist and St Mary McKillop Colleges.

Synergy Self Defence owners and instructors Bronnie and Craig Bath came to the schools to teach the kids techniques, and are aiming to bring the program to other schools around the ACT this year.

“We had kids who aren’t into PE, who hate running and exercise, but this is pure self-defence and talking to the kids about not putting themselves into a dangerous situation,” says Bronnie. “All my husband has to do is a couple of spinning flying jumps or kicks and even the surliest kids are saying, ‘hey, check him out’. It gets them interested.”

Bronnie says a lot of Canberrans miss out on learning about self-defence because they don’t want to study a martial art. “There’s a big gap out there.”

Bronnie says that while she’s passionate about helping women and girls avoid or escape sexual violence, statistically males are more likely to be victims of violence.

The pair educate boys and girls separately on how to handle the situations they’re more likely to find themselves in.

“We’re targeting Year Nine because we go into a few sensitive topics; for example, I take the girls aside and walk them through a rape situation: I show them things to do when you’re on the ground on your back, and talk

about how it’s important not to give up, that even from that position you can still get away. I do that because, while my husband’s gorgeous, it removes any threat they might feel from a man talking about it.”

Bronnie says that young men are particularly at risk from unprovoked violent assault these days: “Guys are more likely to punch on. If somebody eyeballs you, it can start just like that. It’s not one-on-one any more, it’s fiveon-one, a real pack mentality.

“Kids in Year Nine are convinced they’re invincible, unbreakable. Having Craig stand there, an enormous guy with two stripes on his belt, and tell them he’s never been in a fight, makes them feel less like walking away is a wussy thing to do. It isn’t.”

As for those rubber knives, Bronnie says that while the boys in particular find them interesting (until they realise they’re rubber), they’re for simulating a situation where somebody’s backed into a corner: the Baths teach kids how to defend themselves, grabbing at the attacker’s arms instead of the knife itself.

“When you see a knife, run,” says Bronnie. “We don’t encourage standing and fighting; our whole goal is to teach people how to buy themselves a few seconds in order to get away. It isn’t about getting in a fight.”

More information at www.synergyselfdefence.com.au

comment

When the kids have to come first

MARK PARTON believes the Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett, who says he resigned to spend more time with his family

I WAS surprised by the resignation of Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett. He made the call, after about eight minutes in the role, in a move that inspired seasoned political watchers to dream up conspiracy theories involving treachery and back-room deals.

“I’m resigning to spend more time with my family,” he said.

“Yeah, right,” said the media pack. Well, I believe him… and so does former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell. Kate spoke to me about the impossible task of striking a sensible work/life balance as Chief Minister/Premier.

“It’s a 24/7 job and the new forms of media make it even tougher than it was in my day,” she said.

“There was never a night off. There was never a weekend off.”

Kate told me that she loved every minute of the job, but that she does regret the many moments of her children’s lives she missed.

I lived in Tasmania for three months. It’s a funny place. They refer to Coca-Cola as cordial and they see a two-hour cross-island drive in the same way that we see a highway trip to Brisbane.

It’s a quaint little island, politically speaking, and David Bartlett knows

all about that. Here was this hardworking ALP politician who managed to climb to the top of the political mountain in his State, but then discovered it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

David always knew that the balancing act with the Greens would be tough, but he didn’t think it would be this hard. As he was digging in for the long haul, he says, it was the journal entries from his seven-yearold son that led him to re-examine his life priorities.

Apparently, there were so many entries in Hudson’s diary that started with the words: “Daddy went to work this weekend.”

Those words got to David Bartlett. I was watching some of Oprah’s Australian shows the other day, and in particular the bit where Oprah gate-crashed this typical Aussie barbecue. She had the big, wide vacant smile as this “typical Aussie” explained to her that here in Australia “we work to live, whereas in America you live to work”. I think he was right, but sometimes in this town it’s hard to know.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC.

‘Big school’s’ going to be huge transition… for me!

MY youngest, the one I’ve wanted to bonsai since the day she was born, is going off to kinder next week.

It’s going to be very quiet at home and I’m going to miss my weekday expeditions with my little shopping buddy.

I should know all about this, having already kissed goodbye to my son on his first day of school; but that was more than three years ago and it’s amazing how the whole experience is now a total blur.

So once again I’ve been searching through the

mum in the city

sonya Fladun

handbooks and websites for some guidance on how to handle this important transition.

My favourite is a tongue-in-cheek one that suggests that, as each child comes to school on the first day, the parent should receive a “Kindergarten Parent Welcome Pack”. Items proposed for inclusion include tissues (just in case), a note pad and pen (for notes to the teacher), a small ball of BluTac (for that important first picture from big school), a tea bag/coffee sachet (for that all-important cuppa and relax), and lots of

chocolate (because you always need chocolate).

I have been a bit worried, though. My son found the transition to big school a challenge. So when I suggested to my little girl that we have a little chat she nervously agreed, but said she needed to do some drawing first.

I reminded her about all the friends she already has at school, about the fun things she likes to do such as painting and story time and the fantastic new things she will learn. I also wanted to emphasise that I’d be there waiting to pick her up.

However, my spiel didn’t get far before my four-nearly-five-year-old interjected that everything was fine. She loves school, she says;

she can’t wait to start. She has been going to one of Canberra’s relatively new early childhood schools, so “going upstairs”, as she puts it, and spending even more time with all her friends, is not really that much of a big deal.

But it did turn out that she had some concerns. “It will all be okay,” she reassured me as she presented her pictures, all of which involved suggestions about what I might do at home without her – cooking, cleaning, writing stories on my laptop, a bit of art and craft.

“Look just keep busy,” she suggested, “and I’ll be home before you know it, you’ll be fine.”

Yep she’d worked out it was going to a big transition – a big transition for me!

A night to remember little Gabby

By Megan Haggan

GABRIELLE Pettit-Robberds loved playing horses with her big sister Charlotte, watching Dora the Explorer and playing in water – “whether this was lying in a bath and kicking her legs around, or floating on her back, assisted, in a swimming pool,” says her dad, Craig Robberds.

“She loved being stretched, in particular hamstring stretches – she would always start laughing. Most people start screaming.

“She loved getting rolled over from one side of the bed to the other, or getting thrown as high in the air as possible. She loved being held, and would

always fall asleep on [mum] Angie’s or my chest.”

Gabrielle suffered from a severe case of cerebral palsy and couldn’t crawl, walk or talk, he says.

In May, only a few weeks before her third birthday, Gabby passed away, following an hour-long seizure.

Craig is now organising a dinner to raise funds and awareness for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, which provides help with wheelchairs, standing frames and other equipment kids like Gabby need to live their lives more fully.

“Gabby utilised the services of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance two to three times a week, through activities such as playgroup, swimming, physiotherapy and touch pad/computer recognition,” he says. “She needed things like hydrotherapy and she had a standing frame; she was being fitted for a wheelchair.

“They did so much for her – now I’m trying to help out. It was actually her sister’s idea. Charlotte’s just turned 12 and she wanted to do something to raise some money, and it’s sort of gone on from there.”

“A Night to Remember” will feature

“Deal or no deal” host Andrew O’Keefe – “a mate of mine from school” – as well as Mark Ella, former Wallaby captain and member of the Wallabies 1984 Grand Slam team. The MC will be former WIN news and sports presenter Phil Small.

Craig says that while the Cerebral Palsy Alliance were of huge help to Gabby, their services are stretched and

they could do with some extra support. “This sort of thing would cost a fortune to do privately.”

The charity evening will take place on Friday, March 4 at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden, and will feature auction items such as a sevenday luxury Bali getaway, a signed and framed Led Zeppelin guitar, a framed Wallabies jersey signed by Andrew Slack, Nick Farr-Jones and John Eales, and more. There’ll also be a raffle with prizes including a 50-inch full HD LG plasma TV, a blue-ray player, a barbecue and four double passes to a Captain Cook cruise in Sydney Harbour.

More information by emailing craigrobberds@westsrugby.com.au.

Power of the passionate teacher

ELERI HARRIS learns a thing or two from the man who won the Prime Minister’s award for Australian University Teaching.

“IT’S hard to be a good teacher,” Dr John Minns says, adjusting the collar on his suit in a leafy ANU courtyard.

“Students can spot a fake a mile away.”

The senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations and director of the Australian National Centre for Latin American studies should know, he’s been awarded the latest Prime Minister’s award for Australian University Teaching.

The $50,000 award towards research expenses is the biggest gong for university teaching in the country, but Minns says the responses from his students are what count.

“You get the rewards really in front of the class and students,” Minns said.

“One of the interesting things about getting the award, probably one of the most gratifying, was getting emails of congratulations from students I taught 10 years ago. I thought that’s quite amazing that they still remember me.”

Minns says at ANU teaching and research are not counter opposed, arguing that enthusiasm for your discipline is what makes an aca-

demic a good teacher.

“You’ve got to be passionate about your own subject. That’s number one. If you’re not passionate about it then you can’t really impart any passion to the students.

“The second thing I think is teachers have to have respect for their students. I try to engage with them and draw them out, students are not empty vessels that you fill up.

“The third thing I suppose is something that Paulo Freire said, he was a famous Brazilian educator, he said that what is most important about teaching, is not so much what you say to the students, it’s what you are. If you’re passionate about your subject, that’s more important than the actual content. To be quite frank, how much content will they remember? How much will they use in a future life? But if you can convey through that content, your intellectual curiosity, intellectual interest, that can have an impact on them.

“That’s the thing I think people remember over time, that’s certainly what I as a student had an impact on me. The details of my un-

Dr John Minns... “If you’re passionate about your subject, that’s more important than the actual content.”

dergraduate classes are a bit hazy, in an older mind, but I do remember a few teachers who pushed me along this path.”

Former Fullbright Scholar, Minns has been at the ANU since 2003 focusing on economic development in Latin America, before that at Wollongong and UNSW, but he started out studying medicine.

“I decided the sight of blood wasn’t quite for me,” he laughs.

“Then did a whole range of other

jobs, various other things, all over the place before I came back as a relatively mature age student.

“I’ve always been interested in political ideas, I was involved in lots of things about trying to change the world. Still am a bit. And in terms of changing the world, you’ve got to understand it first. If you’re interested in questions like poverty and development and wealth and inequality and all that, it’s important to try to understand what you’re dealing with and that’s what drew me in that direction.

“Working in academia is a dream job. It gives you the freedom to research whatever you want. It doesn’t necessarily give you the money, but you determine what you’re interested in and what you’re going to do research in. You determine how you write.

“The teaching gives you that really important human engagement, with mostly interesting young people.

“In university teaching we’re particularly lucky. People are coming here largely because they want to be here, they’re adults and they’re the sorts of people who’ve done fairly well, so they’re motivated to start with.

“I wouldn’t say it to the vice chancellor, but I’m amazed they keep paying us to do some of this.”

Books for tree win

MOTHER Teresa School is the winner of $500 in the Christmas Tree School Decorating Competition at The Marketplace, Gungahlin. The prize will be spent on library books for the new school year. During December, shoppers voted on their favourite tree with more than $500 raised towards Barnardos Canberra Children’s Family Centre.

World Challenge fundraiser

A “CURIOUS Quiz” trivia night Night, will be held at the Hellenic Club, Woden, from 6.30pm on Thursday, March 10 to raise funds for a group of high school students going to the National Geographic Channel’s World Challenge in Cambodia/Thailand in November. Cost is $10 a ticket with tables of eight. Book online at trybooking.com/KLJ or contact Di on 0408 025780 or Kate on 0407 730537.

Record-breaking breakfast

CAMP Quality is the beneficiary of a record $5441 raised at the Great Aussie Day Breakfast in Commonwealth Park on Australia Day. About 4000 people attended the event, sponsored by ActewAGL and the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets. Camp Quality’s Caroline McIntyre said: “The funds raised will go towards our local family camp which helps bring fun and optimism back into the lives of children and their families living with cancer.”

Uni’s world honour

CANBERRA University research to protect Australia from invasive species and understand the impact of climate change on wildlife has been recognised as world class in the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research for Australia exercise. The university’s performance in environmental science research was ranked above Australian and world averages.

Our local politicians urged: Bring out your dead!

RECENTLY, I heard a suggestion about the world and work of our local parliamentarians that I thought worth putting out for wider consideration: Why not get the MLAs, instead of creating new legislation, to go though the books and get rid of as much as they can of the old?

I said I didn’t know whether this made sense, and was directed to the Annual Report of the Assembly for 2009/2010. In the far-off past I was for a few years one of the judges of annual reports published within the Commonwealth jurisdiction, and I am glad to say that the Assembly report can hold its head up.

And its inhabitants seem to be busy, too. Since 1988/89 the Assembly has considered nearly 2000 Bills, most of which made it into law. So there’s a decent amount of work to consider there.

In the last financial year, although the Assembly as a whole only met for 40 days, its members

DON AITKIN urges our local politicians to slow the slew of new legislation by weeding out the old

formed themselves into 11 committees that did a lot of detailed work, which required nearly 300 meetings. And when in the Assembly itself, they asked 750 questions, proposed 94 amendments, and filled up 473 pages of Hansard.

Our MLAs are a hard-working lot, and that made me feel that perhaps we should not be adding to their burdens.

But I kept coming back to nearly 2000 Bills. That’s a lot of law. How much of it really makes sense today? I ought to add hastily that the urge to create new law within the ACT Legislative Assembly pales into nothingness beside the activity of the Commonwealth Parliament.

The truth is that we as a nation are world ex-

perts in regulating. It must be worth something, and when we find how much it is worth I bet our GDP will really shoot up. And we should also be exporting it, especially as the $A is so high.

But more seriously, how much regulating do we need? Those 2000 Bills work out at one Bill for every 180 people! It has to do with our political culture, which began, as we all know, with a prison setting and an emerging political economy that lacked the kind of small farmers who pushed out from the seaboard in North America.

I was fascinated by the consequent differences when I lived in the US. Here, we would grumble about some fairly small-scale matter; “When are they going to do something about that?” Where

I lived in the US – in Ann Arbor, a lovely college town, then about the same size as Canberra was, the wording was: “What are we going to do about that?”

There was no “they”, the omnipresent word you keep hearing in Oz about government. In Ann Arbor, they was us, if you’ll forgive the language. I’m not a great admirer of the American political system, but I would have to say that it has produced the most seriously dedicated “democrats” I have ever met, together with standards of honour and integrity in local office that compel admiration. Of course, there were crooks, too. And, of course, Australia has none of them. Back to reviewing old legislation. What about it, elected representatives?

Don Aitkin, political scientist and historian, served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra from 1991 to 2002.

Come on, Tony, it’s just a muggaccino dose of dorin

OH, horror! Opposition

Leader Tony Abbott is running a scare campaign about the flood disaster levy.

But, Tony, it just equates to a mug of coffee a week. Or two mugs a week if you earn over $100,000.

What a terrible sacrifice for the support of our fellow Australians and the re-establishment of flood ravaged infrastructure? This is a time to be a good Australian and work in concert with the government rather than stoop to base-level politicking.

So many people have made donations to support their national brothers and sisters in Queensland and other disaster-hit areas. The community spirit has been overwhelming. How many people have made their donations through the banks, the supermarkets, credit unions and so on? The contributions have been direct to the Queensland Premier’s appeal, through attendance at events, television specials, service clubs, sporting occasions and a myriad of other ways.

The donations help so much in the immediate aftermath, but the time has come to take responsibility as a

politics

Michael Moore

nation – and that means through our government. When it comes to infrastructure issues, the sums of money are vast and do require government action. The Prime Minister’s funding proposal is entirely appropriate in its dual approach of combining savings, through cutting or postponing some current projects, and the use of a “oneoff” levy.

This is a “one-off” levy. It is for infrastructure – once capital works are built and paid for there are no further ongoing costs. This contrasts with governments’ recurrent funding, which is usually used for such things as employment of public servants. Commitment to recurrent funding on the one hand means that ongoing money must be found every Budget for the increased expenditure while, on the other hand, capital dollars are a single-project expenditure. It is frustrating that the Leader of the Opposition and others seem to have lost sight of or ignored this simple distinction.

Billions of dollars will be needed for

the reconstruction effort. Considering the unexpected circumstances, do we really care if the Government had to postpone the time frame that it had set for a surplus in 2013? By international standards the Australian fiscal situation is very healthy.

The Gillard Government knows what will happen if the surplus is not achieved by 2013. The conservatives cannot do an interview without trying to persuade the community that they are the only ones who can manage money.

Abbott has hit the depths in arguing that the levy is going to be a terrible burden on battlers. No, it is not! People earning under $50,000 are not levied. From there to $100,000 it is that one mug of coffee a week. Double that earning and it will be a couple of mugs. Objection to the levy should make us shudder with embarrassment. There is a time for political point scoring. This is not it!

And the cross-benchers who are arguing for a permanent (if lower) levy are also simply playing politics by appealing to local constituencies worried that they will not receive the same support when a small town suffers inundation, bushfire or some other natural disaster. But this can be handled within normal government budgets. Contingencies exist for smallscale disasters and are constantly deployed by Federal, State and Territory jurisdictions.

The scale of this disaster has brought out the best in Australians. It is saddening, therefore, that the nature of politics is undermining this spirit.

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

all about Valentine’s Day

When

love is in the air...

It’s that romantic time of year again and February means time to start thinking about the ones we love. “CityNews” has done the rounds to find some traditional gifts and some quirky ones, as well as looking at where to spend a romantic evening...

Busy clinic’s beautiful gifts

AVIDA Aesthetic and Wellness Clinic has moved. According to owner and therapist Lina Prego, demand for the clinic’s services has seen it outgrow its original premises, and it’s now located at the Glebe Park Apartments, Coranderrk Street, Civic.

Lina says that the gift of beauty is a wonderful alternative for Valentine’s Day.

“These treatments make people feel great,” she says. “Basically, all the treatments are non-invasive, offer immediate results and let people feel their best.

“For example, our cellulite treatment is very popular. Ninety per cent of women have cellulite, and so it’s a huge problem for women; we do treatments to remove cellulite and our customers are very happy.”

Avida also offers treatments such as double-chin removal, hair removal, oxygen facials, teeth whitening, non-surgical liposuction and more.

More information at www. avidaclinic.com.au or call 6249 1848.

‘Playful’ lingerie and sleepwear

WHEN people think about receiving lingerie for Valentine’s Day, “the mind goes in a direction of raunchy, untasteful pieces,” says Emma Knieriem, of Emma Knieriem Sleepwear and Lingerie.

Lingerie that’s classier is a much nicer gift, she says. “Emma Knieriem pieces are playful, innocent and with a feminine touch. Playful lingerie and sleepwear gives a different type of alluring power.”

Likewise, sleepwear doesn’t need to be boring. “Have you ever put on a new, gorgeous dress and it changed the way you felt – you became confident, renewed and excited?” she says.

Emma says sleepwear and lingerie make lovely Valentine’s Day gifts, “because it’s a special day, put aside from every other day, to appreciate your loved one and take the time to rekindle the romance of a relationship, whatever stage that relationship is at.

“Most of the time, women focus on how they look on the outside, and often don’t purchase a lot of special lingerie for themselves – so receiving sleepwear and lingerie for Valentine’s Day is the perfect gift.”

More information at www.emmak. com.au

Five-course degustation delight

BETTER- KNOWN for its functions, the Kamberra Wine Company will be hosting romantic dinners this Valentine’s Day.

“We’re mainly a function centre, and host weddings, birthday parties, big meetings... but we have the capability to do anything and so we wanted to do something different,” says assistant manager Danielle Koerber.

The package for romantic couples will start with pre-dinner drinks and hot and cold canapes, and a five-course degustation menu, which Danielle says is best described as “modern Australian”. Each dish will be matched with Kamberra wines, and there will also be roses for the ladies.

“We’re excited about doing special events. Our chef is wonderful, has owned his own restaurant and is now running the Country Comfort Greenway, Kamberra and Conoisseur Catering, so he’s really versatile.”

More information at www.kamberra.com.au or call 6262 2333. You’ve seen it for weddings... now try a

Relax and enjoy a massage

OM Shanti College has a wonderful array of gifts for Valentine’s Day, says the college’s Luciana Todd and their benefits can be longlasting.

“We have beautiful massages, which are one of the best gifts you can give your Valentine,” she says. “Plus we have beautiful aromatherapy products and yoga classes on almost every night of the week.

“These are great gifts because they’re longer-lasting, unlike flowers that soon die or

chocolates which are quickly eaten.

“The massages transport people to different states of being due to the power of essential oils in our aromatherapy products, and provide healing. Yoga helps people increase their flexibility and their core strength, and if you keep it up, that lasts and lasts. They’re really gifts with a difference.”

More information at www.omshanticollege. com.au or call 6295 2323.

Bliss to show you care

A BEAUTIFUL piece of jewellery or unusual piece of home ware is a wonderful way for partners to show they’re thinking about their wives or girlfriends, says Kylie Eaton, from Bliss Garden and Giftware in Pialligo.

“Some men tend to think chocolates, but that’s not long-lasting. These gifts, which really brighten up a room, show you’ve been thinking about your partner personally. I know I always notice when

A passion for flavours and culture

DURING February, Rydges Lakeside will be hosting “Sapori e Saperi” (“Flavours and Culture”), an Italian food extravaganza which will see a different region of Italy the focus each week, says marketing manager Carly Simpson.

She says it’s a great idea for Valentines to sample the passion of Italian cooking – or come at any other time during the month.

“I think this is something Canberra hasn’t really had before,” she says. “We have a real passion for Italian heritage, and our Italian chef, Paolo Milanese, is from Sicily, so he’s very passionate about his background and bringing that cuisine to Canberra.”

Each week there will be a different menu, focusing on north-eastern Italy the first week, north-western Italy the second, followed by central Italy, and last, southern Italy.

The month will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

More information at www.rydges. com/canberra

someone’s gone out of their way to get me something different: Every time I see it, I’m reminded of that person.”

Bliss will have 20 per cent off its gift ware lines in the lead up to Valentine’s Day, and is offering a range of unusual, quirky gifts from unusual jewellery to candleware, homewares and unique cushions.

“We have Ruby Star cushions and cushions hand-stitched from vintage

Indian materials. There’s a range of Anna Chandler gift ware – she’s a Perth artist who does some wonderful pieces.

“We have Verve candle ware, with diffusers, candles and melts shaped like hearts, and ceramic oil burners.

“There’s also Polli jewellery and jewellery by Shonah, which is again something a bit different.”

More information at www.blissgardengiftware.com.au or call 6257 8358.

Fun change of focus

THERE’S no excuse for singles to stay at home in front of a DVD on Valentine’s Day, says Brett Boulton, from the Rydges Capital Hill.

“We’re having a ‘Meet, Mingle, Mix and Match’ evening on Valentine’s Day: It’s sort of a twisted take on speed dating,” he says.

“Comedian Emo Parsonson will be hosting the night for us. It’ll start with an introductory cocktail party, which will feature mingling games.

“This will be followed by a two-course menu which will be served at bigger tables so that everybody can interact and chat away.”

Brett says that while in the past the hotel has traditionally catered to romantic couples, it’s going to be a fun change to focus on Canberra’s singles. “We’re trying something new and different!”

More information at www.rydges.com or call 6232 0362.

At

Woden

all about living

By Eleri Harris

John lets fans get a word in Joy of pulling strings

AUSTRALIAN political folk music legend John Schumann will be delivering a performance with a difference in the capital this February, accompanied by Hugh McDonald of Redgum fame and the Vagabond Crew’s Alex Black.

Ditching the traditional one-way concert strategy, the trio will mix songs with interactive dialogue as the audience are encouraged to ask questions, fielded by MCs “CityNews” editor Ian Meikle and 666 ABC Canberra’s Genevieve Jacobs, over the Friday and Saturday nights respectively.

“This show is a chance for those people who have observations or questions about those songs or campaigns we’ve been involved in to ask what they want,” Schumann told “CityNews”.

“I’ve always been of the view that a songwriter’s performance should include in-between-song banter and it’s always been a feature of our performances.

“This time instead of a one-way street we’re going to have a moderator on stage who will field questions from the audience.

“A bit like ‘Q and A’ with songs.” Adelaide singer, songwriter and guitarist Schumann made his name with Redgum in the late 1970s, he says with Meikle’s help, continuing to perform solo from 1985 and with the Vagabond Crew from 2005.

“The very first review Redgum got was at the Fringe Festival and Ian wrote it,” Schumann says.

“I bet he thought, ‘Oh wow, I got the short straw here, four university students with a guitar – just what I need’.

John Schumann... “Instead of a one-way street we’re going to have a moderator on stage who will field questions from the audience.”

WIN TICKETS

“CITY N EWS” has three, double, show-only tickets for the February 25 show at the Southern Cross Club, Tuggeranong. Full details and entry form at citynews.com. au/win

“But he loved the songs.

“He wrote a review that was published widely around Australia as one of the shows at the Fringe not to miss and those things can drive your career and your fortunes in very strange but deliberate ways.

“A lot of important people came to see us.

“Ian has tread a fine line between being a friend and a critic.

“I remember in about 1985-6 Redgum was in Europe on a six-month sojourn, touring in the days when you could actually write what was an embryonic email and send it to a fax machine.

“I remember barrelling along a nondescript highway in Belgium being a bit over this and homesick.

“I remember writing Ian, at that stage he was pretty high up in a very senior level at ‘The Australian’, in the ‘email’ berating him for his reviews in the 1970s and ‘80s, because I wouldn’t be in this van bored out of my mind in Belgium if it wasn’t for him.”

Exploration of Australian environmental and social justice issues reign in Schumann’s song repertoire, his career highlights include protest against Jo Bjelke-Petersen, the Franklin River Dam and running for the Democrats in South Australia 1998.

Jacobs says Schumann comes from a long tradition of artists who aren’t afraid to ask questions that come from ordinary Australians.

“I think his fans are probably going to be pretty articulate – and maybe argumentative,” Jacobs says.

“So they’ll want to really engage with him rather than simply appreciat-

ing the music.”

“I think there’d probably some questions about songs,” Schumann says, “But also about the things I’ve done. I will be surprised if people didn’t ask for my take on the current political situation.

“The three of us will be doing an unplugged and seated performance of songs I did in Redgum and have written and recorded since.

“As a songwriter my distinguishing feature as a performer is that I have something directly or indirectly to say about the human condition and particularly the Australian human condition.

“These songs usually say something of substance as opposed to ‘I love my girlfriend and she broke my heart when she left me’.

“Somebody made the observation of me that with John Schumann you’ll never die wondering what he thinks.”

John Schumann, Hugh McDonald and Alex Black, Southern Cross Club, Tuggeranong, February 25 and 26 (sold out).

Ian Meikle... “The very first review Redgum got was at the Fringe Festival and Ian wrote it,” Schumann says.

By arts editor Helen Musa CANBERRA

artist Joy McDonald is a woman with a past.

Though known here as a ceramicist and cross-media artist, McDonald turns out to have been a member of Sydney’s radical New Theatre and a puppeteer with the celebrated Tintookies, performing during the ‘70s with marionettes the length and breadth of Australia and cementing an association with the artistic director Richard Bradshaw, who took over from Tintookies founder Peter Scriven.

To be sure, there followed a lengthy period during which she taught, married, had a family, studied painting and ceramics and took out a degree at the ANU.

“I’ve flashed between things – I can’t help it,” she says. As if to prove this, she’s back working at her old passion – puppetry – in a venture destined to dazzle audiences during the 2013 Canberra Centenary celebrations.

In her schooldays, McDonald never made much of her Greek ethnicity and the fact that her parents came from the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo, but her cross-cultural inclinations have surfaced now through Minoan designs in her art and her involvement in Multicultural Festival exhibitions.

Not since the early ‘90s, when McDonald created community puppet theatre in Coffs Harbour, has she flaunted her hidden talents, but now she is back with a vengeance. After attending a course on illustrating children’s stories run by fellow artist Franki Spark, she wrote the character of the sad fish-lady from tales her grandmother told her.

“I’d love to do a model of her,” she told herself, “a human-size puppet.”

Swinging to The Sapphires

“THE Sapphires” is hot property, with 21 popular songs such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like a Sex Machine)” designed to get the audiences moving. And it’s coming to the Canberra Theatre.

Not just that, the theatre says, but after visiting the ACT, the smash-hit musical about a group of indigenous Melbourne girls who become Australia’s answer to the Supremes, will make its way to Penrith and London. Well, it’s already been to Korea.

The version we’ll get to see is a re-staging, by Neil Armfield, of the original Wesley Enoch production of Tony Briggs’ play that premiered in 2005. Wayne Blair is Armfield’s associate director. He’ll direct a film version later in the year that will take cameras on location to western and northern NSW, into Melbourne, where much of the story is set, and as far afield as Vietnam.

Few Canberra theatregoers could forget Blair playing Othello for the Bell Shakespeare Company in 2007. Blair is not surprised by the success of the musical. He was in the first production and tells me: “‘The Sapphires’ is such a gift to the audience – it has humour in the way it’s delivered, it has the heart and sadness of war as it looks back to the Vietnam conflict in the 1960s.”

By arts editor Helen Musa

Above all, “it welcomes all people”. What Blair particularly likes about the show, based on the story of playwright Briggs’ mother and aunts, is the second act, where the girls perform for the troops on the front-line in Vietnam. “They’re really ordinary people, but they’re in a war zone,” he says.

Blair is at a transitional point in his career. He’s been in demand as an actor, but as far back as his time with Bell Shakespeare, he realised what he really wanted to do – “to tell stories”, so he started saying no to jobs while he worked out what to do next and got into directing with Company B Belvoir.

From Wesley Enoch’s 2005 version, only singer Casey Donovan remains among the stars, which have included Christine Anu, Deborah Mailman and Ursula Yovich, so there’ll be three new girls playing the Sapphires and singing up a storm.

“The Sapphires”,The Playhouse, February 9-12. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre. com.au

all people,” says director Wayne Blair.

Blokey play, but make it snappy

THEATRE

“Manly Mates”

By Frank Hatherley, directed by James Stevens, Tuggeranong Arts Centre until February 5.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

IT may not be quite the Manly you might remember from summer holidays, but playwright Hatherley conjures up a world of corrupt politicians, police chiefs, gangsters, druggos and half-naked socialites to create an exaggerated, zany entertainment about Australia in the 1970s.

It’s a good thing you can’t libel the deceased, because Michael Miller’s portrayal of a late NSW premier Sir Robert Askin (no secret – the playwright names him) is nothing short of ferocious and the play lashes out, in farcical style, at many of the corrupt practices of the time.

This is primarily a blokey play set in the Octopus Lounge of the old Manly Hotel where mates gather on Saturday for a little off-course betting and some heavy-duty wheeling and dealing.

Into the dramatic mix steps Rebecca Nicholson, as Patricia, the intrepid reporter for “The Manly Daily”, disguised as a casual barmaid. Sir Robert spots the disguise quickly enough, but doesn’t let it get in the way of business. The play seems to be a good choice for a community theatre company such as Canberra Dramatics with its sizeable cast and variable roles. The problem is that this kind of situation comedy requires a snappy pace that the director and cast just cannot realise. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a long night.

The joy of pulling strings

From page 15

FROM that point, “it got bigger than I expected”.

Enter Craft ACT, keen to host something craftbased but spectacular for the centenary.

ArtsACT had said no to funding the production, but then McDonald won CAPO’s Rosalie Gascoigne Award so it’s full speed ahead for a tragi-comic puppet production, story book and exhibition called “The (very) Sad Fish-lady (who lives in a rock)”.

“CityNews” Artist of the Year David Pereira will compose the music, Bradshaw will adapt the story for the stage and McDonald will supervise the puppets and sets.

It’s a tale of migration, separation and is replete with unusual characters, McDonald says – perfectly suited to the puppet stage.

Rapper with a passsion for words

Rapper, poetry slammer, writer and Queanbeyan boy talks to ELERI HARRIS

FORGET Mark Webber and that dude who played James Bond, Queanbeyan’s next successful export is shaping up to be poet and hip hop artist Omar Musa, who, fresh off a spectacular year, is set to hit six countries in the first three months of 2011 with his unique brand of spoken and written word.

Smiling through his stubble Musa is neither modest or shy about his accomplishments, refusing to set a limit before the sky.

“Keeping my mind open has allowed me to make a career of it,” Musa says, gulping down a latte in the ever-fashionable Front Cafe at Lyneham.

“If I was just doing one thing, just doing poetry, I don’t think I could.

“It’s pretty exciting because I get to do a whole bunch of things. I get to do poetry readings, hip hop events, go and talk to school students, do writer’s festivals and meet these elite writers.

“At the end of the day, I’m a writer. I see myself not just as a poet or as a rapper, but as someone who loves the English language and loves writing.

“I guess I’m lucky or blessed, or have just worked hard enough to put myself in that position.”

Winner of the 2008 Australian Poetry Slam, Musa has released an EP, an album and a book of poetry, worked with the Bell Shakespeare company and Seattle producer Geoff Stanfield, and toured with the legendary Gil ScottHeron in Germany.

“I was the main support for him in Munich,” Musa says, “He’s a bit of a hero, a great spoken-word artist, a predecessor to hip hop itself, so that was really exciting.”

A regular face at international writers’ festivals, the 26-year-old ANU graduate says it’s important to network, to “work it”, to get to know the right people at the right time. But he argues the most important thing in his life is expression.

“Basic human emotions are my main inspiration,” he says.

“I’m not going to change anything about what I do to fit into what the market demands.

“What I try to do is tell simple, but powerful stories about everyday life.

“I try to write stories about ordinary people’s lives, including my own, and write about being a person from a small town, like Queanbeyan, and growing up in Canberra.

“I have a bit of a weird, meandering path to where I am now. I’ve always

been into poetry, from day one, my parents have an arts background. My dad was a poet and an actor, my mum was a theatre director and then arts journalist, so I’ve always been into the arts.

“The turning point was when I went to California to study for a year in Santa Cruz, close to the Bay area. Everybody was either a DJ or a rapper or a spoken word artist or a b-boy, so I really got into hip hop. It was something I was interested in in Australia, but it was still seen as a bit lame and the accent was seen as a bit laughable and I suppose I wasn’t confident enough as a young guy to just go against all of that and just rap.”

But “randomly” having the opportunity to get up on stage in the US and freestyle with hip hop royalty KRS-One gave Musa the kick he needed to embrace a life on stage.

“I was probably terrible, I’m glad there’s no footage!” Musa laughs.

“But it really gave me confidence that this was maybe something I could do for the rest of my life. I got back to Australia and I’ve just been working hard ever since.

“I’m trying to make hip hop my career, but then along the way I won the Australian Poetry Slam at the Opera House, saw that there was this blooming spoken-word poetry scene and so I’ve got involved in both.”

Musa had to read 50 books in December, he says, as a judge for a major Australian literary prize, then he’ll be in Sri Lanka, India, the US and China before March, attending writer’s festivals and recording a new, full-length album with Korean-American rapper Mighty Joe. “2010 was an amazing year, and hopefully 2011’s going to be even better,” he says. “Taking Queanbeyan to the rest of the world.”

arts&entertainment

When gentle George falls in love

“HOW DO YOU KNOW” (M)

WHEN Government agents investigate unspecified commercial malfeasances carrying a prison term if he is found guilty, CEO George (Paul Rudd) gets hit with an order to isolate himself from the trading company founded by his father (Jack Nicholson milking the role for humour without actually making us laugh).

Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), 0.6 seconds slower around the softball field than another player, misses the cut when next year’s team is named.

Before George and Lisa meet, before the opening credits finish rolling in James L Brooks’ lightweight, ultimately harmless

cinema

Dougal Macdonald

rom-com, we know where it is taking us.

“How Do You Know” chronicles how they deal with not only the blows to their professional well-being, but also how they tentatively develop a friendship that inevitably blooms into a shared future. Why are we not surprised?

A gentle guy with an impeccable moral standard, George is seeing an academic mathematician but it’s not working.

No intellectual giant, but possessed of courage and common sense, Lisa knows

arts in the city

what way is up. At age 31, her prospects from a mercurial relationship with hotshot baseball pitcher Matty (Owen Wilson) a doofus goofus oversupplied with money, boy-bling and acquiescent anonymous groupies, are not good.

The plot gets its tensions from George and Lisa each withholding their misfortune from the other.

The cast is an agreeable bunch competently performing a plot that occasionally delivers a mote of substance among its gentle flummery. In delivering its warm fuzzies, the film offers an agreeable experience provided your expectations respect its limitations.

At Greater Union, Hoyts and Limelight

Fantasy and nostalgia

THE Q exhibition space in Queanbeyan is kicking off the year with “Fantasy and Nostalgia,” paintings by Julie Ballis and Kay Watts. Neighbours in Queanbeyan for more than 20 years, Ballis is best known for her portraits of local identities, but has included nostalgic paintings of 1920s film stars. Watts is a prize-winning naïve painter. It runs from February 8 to 26 with an official opening by Steve Whan, MP Member for Monaro, at 5.30pm on February 11.

SALUT! Baroque brings together eight top early musicians to perform “Gypsy Pearls” in Albert Hall at 7.30pm on February 11. It’s a tribute to the tantalising gypsy or Zigeunermusik, often from exotic locations, that found its way into the music of Telemann, Vivaldi, Zelenka, Schmeltzer and Merula. Tickets at the door.

FREE Rain Theatre is pulling all the stops out with a big production of “Oklahoma” at The Q, February 11-27. The musical may seem a bit schmaltzy these days, but from the moment cowboy Curly arrives singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning”, the stage is alive with the sound of music. Bookings to 6285 6290.

RUNNING simultaneously from February 11 at Belconnen Arts Centre, Civic Library and Tuggeranong Arts Centre is an exhibition called “FOCO,” where professional and emerging photographers celebrate cultural diversity in the ACT. The show will be opened by German-born Heide Smith, high priestess of photography in this region.

CANBERRA stencil artist E.L.K. has joined the trend towards online fundraising by setting up a profile through which supporters can help him reach a financial goal. Visit www. pozible.com/index.php/archive/index/182/description/0/

PHOTOACCCESS’ Huw Davies Gallery in the Manuka Arts Centre has “Eye on Afghanistan”, photographs by Virginia Hausseger, Sanaz Fotouhi, Palwesha Yusaf and Gary Ramage now showing. On February 5 from noon to 4pm you can meet the photographers, who look at the everyday life of the people of Afghanistan. Then from 4pm to 5.30pm, 28 Canberra photographers will be auctioning work to raise funds for the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief fund. Entry is $15. You can also buy work online at photoaccess.org.au

Good sports for summer

By Megan Haggan

WITH the mercury soaring, there’s no excuse for not taking advantage of the sunshine and getting out and about!

There’s no better time of year to pay attention to our health than summer, says fitness and activewear retailer Lorna Jane – and if you received fitness-related gifts for Christmas, it’s time to take them out for an airing.

It’s a great idea to encourage others to exercise with us, she says, “to motivate the people you love to action their health and fitness goals well into the New Year.”

For those who are finding their New Year’s resolve waning, “CityNews” found a few bright pieces to inspire and motivate Canberrans to you get moving...

Mango and cherry box, $65 plus delivery, from www.snowgoose.com.au

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 2 – Apr 20)

February 7 - 13

Being organised and focused doesn’t come easily to restless Rams but, the more disciplined you are, the better the week will be. Don’t rush; the devil is definitely in the detail. If you are proactive about your goals and dreams for the future, then they are more likely to manifest. For some singles – love, passion and work are lusciously linked.

TAURUS (Apr 2 – May 20)

With no less than five planets firing up your job zones, professional matters are on your mind at the moment. Mars and Saturn give your daily routine an energy boost which will work in your favour, as long as you all pull together as a team. Thursday is an intense day as you get passionate with your partner – or look for online love in far-flung places.

GEMINI (May 2 – June 2)

Are you feeling a tad restless? Is the green grass of home looking predictable and boring? Blame it on plenty of planetary activity in your adventure zone, which will stimulate your travel gene and leave you dreaming of tropical trips, heavenly holidays and exotic escapades. So you’d better start planning your itinerary (and saving) ASAP!

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

With four planets stimulating your sensuality zone, you’re in the mood for love and lust. If you are attached, it’s time to spice up the relationship with a sexy SMS or an erotic email. Singles – Cupid has his arrows pointed in your direction and love is likely with a tender Taurus or a sensual Scorpio. Resist the urge to be a possessive and clingy Crab.

LEO (July 2 – Aug 22)

It’s all about love this week Lions. If you are attached, you’re overdue to do something wildly romantic with your neglected spouse. Sick of being single? Make a wish list of all the attributes you prefer in the ideal partner; burn the list, and send your wishes out into the universe. Then sit back and wait for your sexy soul mate to come calling.

VIRGO (Aug 2 – Sept 22)

Superficial chit-chat is out! You’re keen to connect in deep and meaningful ways, as you re-boot a rickety romantic relationship or freshen up a stale friendship. Your obsessive side is also activated as you tackle daily tasks with an extra fastidious approach. Worrying about your financial situation won’t help – taking decisive action will.

LIBRA (Sept 2 – Oct 2)

Saturn’s still moving through your sign which increases your perfectionist streak, and your aversion to making mistakes. Heed the wise words of birthday great Jack Lemmon: “Fear won’t hurt you but fear of failure will cripple you.” Mars gives you a confidence boost this week so you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again…

SCORPIO (Oct 2 – Nov 2)

Venus joins forces with powerful Pluto in your communication zone, so opportunities will come your way through connecting with people face-to-face, plus via social networking sites. It’s time you extended your circle of influence to include professional contacts and internet friends. Keep your jealous side under control on Thursday.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 2)

Sagittarians love to learn and this week, you’re keen to soak up as much information as you can from teachers, mentors, colleagues and loved ones. On Thursday, Venus and Pluto link up in your money zone so you’ll be passionate about pursuing pleasure, no matter what the cost. If you overdo it though, you’ll pay the price further down the track.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 9)

Calling all Capricorns! Nurturing your business and professional contacts takes time and commitment, but is well worth the effort. If you communicate with a wide range of people, it will broaden your perspective and make you feel more connected to the world around you. Sunday is the best day to patch up problems with a fractious family member.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 8)

Take your head out of the clouds and bring ambitious Aquarian dreams down to earth, as you turn abstract ideas into practical projects. With four planets in your sign, you’ve got a renewed zest for living, loving, learning and laughing. Be inspired by birthday great Carol King: “You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face.”

PISCES (Feb 9 – Mar 20)

With plenty of planets in your “helping others” zone, it’s time to concentrate on the needs of those around you. You’ll also gain good fortune if you are involved with projects from behind-the-scenes. You could become embroiled in a secret love affair involving yourself, a family member or a friend. Intrigue is the new black and you’re wearing it!

COPYRIGHT Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

Across

1 What is another word for lorries?

8 Which musical wind instrument is equipped with a slide?

9 Name the Dickens character who "asked for more".

10 What is a particular system of weights and measures?

11 To seize an aircraft in transit is to do what?

12 The Orient is also known as the what?

13 What is a termagant?

16 Name the Irish nationalist poet, dramatist, and essayist, William Butler ....

19 Which W German river flows into the Rhine?

21 Name a particular woodwind instrument player.

22 What are eminent musical composers, teachers, etc, called?

23 To which kingdom do we humans belong?

24 Name an alternative term for a journalist.

25 What did they call a Federal soldier in the American Civil War?

Down

2 Name the English explorer, and favourite of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter ...

3 What is another name for the roe of sturgeon?

4 To withdraw one's labour, is to go on what?

5 What is a general pardon for offences against a government?

6 Sucre is the capital of which republic?

7 Name the pendulous folds of skin under the throats of cattle.

13 What is a brief and comprehensive presentation of facts?

14 Name the written acknowledgement of the payment of a bill.

15 What is an alternative term for novelists or the like?

17 By which process is the surface of the earth worn away by water, winds, etc?

18 What describes having made and left a valid will?

20 Name the string of beads used in praying.

Solution next week

Now it’s time to walk the talk

IT is always nice to find the perception of your home town shared by other people who live there and the Chief Minister’s release of the findings of the “Time to Talk” initiative confirms that Canberrans want a more compact city to better support a public transport system and mix of housing across the ACT, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and planning laws that allow new homes to be more sustainable.

The “Time to Talk” consultation was carried out in late 2010. Twenty thousand people visited the website, with almost 34,000 opinions and comments posted. Almost 2500 people participated in online and telephone surveys while hundreds more attended face-to-face forums, focus groups, workshops and provided opinions via postcards and the media.

The findings coincide with the results of a national Auspoll survey commissioned by the Property Council, which polled 4072 residents’ views in all our capital cities, including 571 from Canberra – benchmarking their performance against 17 attributes that define good cities. According to Auspoll, on sustainable approaches to climate change, we come second only to Adelaide, but the poll revealed that no city is doing well on this according to its citizens. We all failed, and Canberra’s second spot earned just 41 per cent approval from its people. Our housing affordability came sixth in the nation

By c atherine c arter

with our lowest score in the poll – 22 per cent.

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said one of the biggest successes of “Time to Talk” had been its ability to engage with all age groups in Canberra, including the younger residents whose responses were consistent with those of their older neighbours and showed concern about a number of much-discussed areas.

“The next steps during this year will involve the Government reviewing policies.

“This means identifying where increased density can occur, how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, how we can make sustainable transport options more convenient and accessible, and it means identifying what quality we want our city and neighbourhoods to look and feel like.”

This willingness to listen to the people is probably the reason for ACT Government’s overall approval rating in the Auspoll survey (tied with WA, in third place, with 51 per cent). The ACT led the country for planning and managing urban growth.

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

BELCONNEN

Canberra Region Property Summary

Canberra Region Property Summary

FRANKLIN

HACKETT

Canberra Region Property Summary

HARCOURT HILL

HARRISON

HAWKER

LATHAM

542 667 4BR A

Thu 5:30-6:00 7 Trigg Pl L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0423 900 640 3BR A

Sat 10:00-10:30 5 Grieve Pl Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0401 354 540 3BR I

Sat 11:00-11:45 6 Humble Ct Peter Blackshaw Woden 0408 848 622 4BR A

Sat 11:00-11:30 5 Rounsevell St Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0401 354 540 6BR B

Sat 12:15-1:00

Sat 12:30-1:00

8 Trimmer Pl Independent Tuggeranong 0407 245 177 4BR H

5 Darlot Pl Richard Luton Properties 0410 542 667 4BR A

Sat 1:00-1:45 7/10 Ashby Cct

0403 246 800 3BR J Sat 2:30-3:15

Harrington Cct Richard Luton Properties 0410 542 667 4BR A Tue 6:00-6:30 5 Rounsevell St Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0401 354 540 6BR B

0410 542 667 4BR A

Luton

NICHOLLS

Canberra Region Property Summary

NORTH LYNEHAM

PEARCE

627 953 3BR A

Thu 5:45-6:30 5 Mcinnes Pl Go Gecko Queanbeyan 02 6299 4400 4BR H

Sat 10:00-10:45 16/5 Charles St Ian McNamee & Partners 0419 683 599 1BR

TURNER

Canberra Region Property Summary

WESTON

New Release Apartments & Townhouses

Attention: Investors & First Home Buyers!

The Fair at North Watson is located just 8km from the City centre, close to restaurant and shopping precincts and adjacent to Mt Majura Nature Reserve in a much sought after rental location.

With quality inclusions and set amongst leafy and spacious community parklands, these apartments average 70sqm of living space and offer excellent investment potential.

The Fair at Watson…Live in the City’s backyard.

Join us for our Open Day this weekend!

Enquiries: Mary-Jane 0448 891 019 Sales Office: Antill Street, Watson

One of the fastest selling communities in Canberra, the award winning Brindabella at Macgregor offers home buyers the opportunity to purchase a quality home at an affordable price.

Solar hot water, energy efficient fixtures and fittings and water efficient landscaping are standard inclusions in these homes that are close to shops, parks, playgrounds and walking trails.

Brindabella at Macgregor…where dreams and affordability meet.

Enquiries: Brett 0404 891 148 Sales Office: 95 Macfarlane Burnett Ave, Macgregor