Canberra CityNews June 9-15, 2011

issues

What to do about sport’s ugly parents?

IS there a worse sight in sport, apart from outright thuggery, than the image of the abusive parent at a junior sporting event?

You know, the parent who takes it too far, they sledge or try to intimidate the 13-year-old referee or become abusive when their 10-year-old son or daughter doesn’t win.

I have seen it for myself a couple of times over the past weeks and I feel for the kids. They become caught in the middle. In one instance, the game was stopped because a parent was going too far and a senior official was called across to resolve the problem.

Since I raised the issue on air last week, I have been inundated with examples of poor behaviour from parents at sports events in Canberra.

I have also received e-mails from the people providing their own examples of how they resolved problems in their sport. In one case a group of parents, who were offering plenty of advice to the coach of their kids’ team week after week, were given clipboards and were made assistant coaches and told that if they had any thoughts on the coaching, to write them down.

In another case, an abusive parent was approached by a senior official and told to walk away from the side -

One way to turn people away from junior sport is to have some nutter on the sideline constantly yelling abuse and threatening all and sundry, says sports broadcaster TIM GAVEL.

line and have a cup of coffee with the official.

There was also the story of a parent who was told by his fellow parents that he wasn’t welcome at games after he launched an attack on a referee in a junior game.

The question is: What to do when you see it happen? Do you confront the abusive parent and possibly make it worse? Do you turn your back and pretend that it didn’t happen? Do you pull your kids out of competitive sport or do you leave it up to the sport’s club to sort it out?

Sporting organisations in Canberra have worked on various strategies to combat the “ugly parent syndrome”, but there have been threats to officials with physical intimidation in some instances, there have been others where kids end up in tears because of the actions of their parents.

In some cases, trouble on the sporting field has continued long after everyone has gone home with parents still upset about a ref’s decision. I have heard of plenty of examples of junior officials walking away from sport because of the intimidation.

Sometimes though, out of a negative comes a positive. I came across a great story on the internet about an abusive parent involved in junior soccer in the US. The parent was behaving like an idiot.

The referee stopped the game and ordered him away, but the abuse continued throughout the remainder of the game.

The abusive parent’s team won 3-1, but the kids of the beaten team told their parents how proud they were that they didn’t behave like the parents of the team they played against on the weekend.

We all know how much time and effort goes into kids’ sport and what is perceived as an unfair call can hurt at the time.

However, these things need to be put into perspective; we can all get carried away, but we all know that our behaviour on the sideline should be as supporters.

We also know that ultimately we want our children to enjoy these experiences and build skills and friendships that will last a lifetime. That’s what sport has to offer.

June 9-15, 2011

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FRONT COVER: Martial art expert

Majdie Hordern. Story Page 11. Photo by Silas

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No cure, but Cindy won’t stop fighting for her dad

By Megan Haggan

CENTRAL West farmer

Michael Ridley is a fairly typical Australian bloke in that it takes a lot for him to go and see a doctor.

But four years ago, he knew something was wrong when his right leg began to drag behind him a little as he walked – and after a series of tests and a visit to a neurologist, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, a progressive, paralysing disease that many Australians have never heard of.

“The diagnosis basically involved the doctor telling him to go home and get his affairs in order, because he probably only had two years to live,” says Michael’s daughter, Cindy McGhie.

“There’s no treatment, no cure; it’s a degenerative terminal illness, so when mum and dad called me to tell me the news, it was quite devastating. And it’s been devastating to watch him lose the ability to do anything.”

MND is the name given to a group of diseases where there’s damage to motor neurones, which are nerve cells that control the movement of voluntary muscles such as those of the limbs, the tongue, and the muscles involved with swallowing and breathing.

With no nerves to activate them, the muscles gradually weaken and atrophy, causing paralysis. Symptoms may include a feeling of weakness in the extremities, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech or muscle twitching or cramps. In most cases the senses, intellect and memory aren’t affected.

Cindy, an accountant from Hughes, makes the three-hour trip to visit her parents near Caragabal every fortnight with her husband, Fergus, five-year-old Hugh and two-year-old Pia. She’s also about to take part in Canberra’s “Global Day Walk to D’Feet Motor Neurone Disease”, which will take place on Sunday, June 19, alongside Lake Burley Griffin.

The walk aims to raise awareness of the little-known disease – those who have heard of it may associate it with sufferer and mathematician, physicist and author Prof Stephen Hawking – and funds for research.

“I feel very fortunate that dad is still with us four years on, and also that he’s still at home with mum [Julie],” Cindy says. “Mum’s his full-time carer, and if she didn’t do what she does, he wouldn’t be able to be at home right now.

“It’s taken its toll on her, too, as not only is she dealing with losing her husband, she’s physically exhausted! She’s a tiny woman, and there’s a lot of physical work involved with dressing dad, getting him up

in the morning, making sure he’s there as part of every day.”

Last year, Cindy helped raise more than $15,000 for research, and she has her sights set high again this year.

“I say ‘MND’ stands for ‘more needs doing’,” she says. “I really want people to be more aware of what this disease is, and how hard it is on families and carers.

“But it’s also been such a positive experience to help raise awareness, and it’s given us all a lot of joy that we’ve been able to do this while dad’s still here, and not in his memory.”

For more information or to join the walk, visit www.mndnsw.asn.au or to donate, visit www.everydayhero.com.au

Good and bad news for bowels

THE number of Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer every year is increasing – and more than 4000 die of the disease each year, despite it being one of the most curable cancers when diagnosed at an early stage.

According to “Bowel Cancer: one of Australia’s most common diseases”, a report just released by GI Cancer Institute, a total of 14,234 people were diagnosed in 2008, compared to half as many in 1982.

Deaths from the disease are slowly dropping due to early diagnosis: bowel cancer is 90 per cent curable if caught early, but only 10 per cent curable if not diagnosed until late in its progress.

“Now is the time to talk about bowel

cancer and, in doing so, to save lives,” says Russell Conley, executive director of the GI Cancer Institute.

“Raising awareness of the curability of this cancer is as important as the medical research into treating advanced cases of this disease.” It’s currently Bowel Cancer Awareness Week.

People with any of the main risk factors – which include having a family history of the cancer or a sedentary lifestyle, especially if they are aged 40 or over – should talk to their GP about being tested.

Bowel cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer after prostate cancer, with a higher incidence than breast cancer.

Simon’s out there tweeting

By Eleri Harris

IN the Legislative Assembly Andrew barr usually takes the prize for social media savvy, but a new contender has emerged with Simon Corbell’s new blackberry-fuelled Twitter romance fully fledged and flying.

The ACT Minister for Emergency Services admits he was dubious at first of Twitter’s value as a mode of communication with constituents.

“Initially, I saw it like a diary and I’ve never been good at keeping diaries,” Corbell told “CityNews”.

“But if you treat it as a more spontaneous thing you can dip in and out of, depending on what’s happening, it can be very useful.”

Corbell says the experience of the Queensland emergency services during the floods and cyclone earlier this year forced him to reassess his scepticism of the micro-blogging platform.

“During the crisis, Queensland Police released three press releases, but they tweeted thousands of times. Twitter became the main news feed for the Queensland Police,” he explains.

“It was quicker, it was more reliable. Websites were crashing, they were overwhelmed with hits. Twitter doesn’t crash, Facebook doesn’t crash, because it’s got multiple servers across the world and people can add to it.

“The Queensland experience changed my perspective. It showed me how powerful it was as a medium.”

In recent months Corbell has hit his ‘Crackberry’ hard, churning out images, links and commentary on the life of a Canberra Minister with four portfolios.

“Twitter on my Blackberry is very addictive,” he admits with a guilty smile.

“I look at it and I think, ‘I wonder what’s new?’ so I have to go back and see what’s new.

“It’s a very immediate channel of communicating in both directions between a politician and people. I think that’s what’s really quite powerful, you’re dealing with the politician without the media and that’s really quite exciting, but also challenging.

“It’s quite unlike traditional forms of correspondence; those channels are really controlled because you’re going through lots of other people’s hands and they’re slower.

“On Twitter I’m talking about things that don’t get into the news. Like I’m meeting with ‘X’ or ‘Y’ or ‘this morning I’m meeting with people from my department’ and I might give a taste of what we’re talking about. Or I might even talk about an interview I’ve just given before any journalist reports it.

“I want to explore social media more to show people what I do day-to-day aside from the three-second grab on the news.

“Why should the mainstream media have a monopoly on what I say? If I’ve given the interview it’s public, so why shouldn’t I put it out there?

“I think the ability to reach people who haven’t been reached before in political dialogue is potentially very powerful.

“You can deal with the pollie online pretty much 24/7 and I’ve found myself in conversations with people at four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon!”

Corbell says he has never deleted a Tweet or Facebook post

or blocked anyone from seeing his accounts, but won’t rule out censorship or staffers posting for him and says he doesn’t follow any members of the Opposition.

“It’s a bit like lessons people have learned from email, just because it’s immediate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about what you’re saying. It’s like any media. The immediacy of it means you can get caught up in being spontaneous and not thinking about whether what you’re saying is appropriate.

“I’ve been tempted myself to weigh in on some national political debates, I’ve wanted to say something about it, but I’ve had to think twice about it.”

It’s all about balance, Corbell says and encourages other politicians to take up social media.

“We’re certainly seeing a number of MLAs using it, to a greater or lesser degree,” he said.

“I think people should use the medium that works for them. I don’t have as strong a Facebook presence as Andrew [Barr], but that’s what he’s comfortable with and it works. I think Twitter is working better for me than Facebook.

“What’s important is reaching people you wouldn’t always reach directly.”

To read the Twitter interview visit http://bit.ly/lMiaGk

Refugees are hard political work

I HAVE a strong interest in refugee policy. Not because it’s the “in thing” for young people to be passionate about refugees, or because I want to project Christians as being hip and progressive.

The fact is I have lived with a refugee for the last three years. He had to flee his country about 10 years ago or risk death or imprisonment for his political activities. He is now living happily in Australia with two beautiful children, and I am so thankful that I’ve have had the chance to share a part of his life with him.

That does not mean that refugee policy is by any means simple in my mind, far from it. In an ideal world, all people would be able to move and live and settle wherever they want.

The reason I believe this doesn’t work yet is because of the massive inequality between countries. From what I hear

By n ick Jensen

about 90 per cent of people in the Philippines would love to come and live in Australia or the Us . This is not because they hate their country, but rather that they recognise that Australia is where the economic opportunities are. Until these countries are equal in their relative prosperity, this ideal world cannot exist. Australia’s infrastructure could not handle many million more people at this stage. Another option is to choose the high moral ground (as Christians sometimes admittedly love to do) and focus solely on compassionate appeals to the injustice of detention centres and turning people away.

It is too easy to attack our politicians for

their cold hearts, and all too hard to actually come up with a real policy alternative that would not cause a significant increase in dangerous boats, and at the same time deal fairly with the people waiting patiently in refugee camps overseas. I know I bring more questions than answers, but I guess I am growing in respect for the incredibly difficult job that politicians dealing with these issues have. While we need to ensure that the people who do come are treated humanely, processed quickly, and aren’t kicked around like political footballs, let us remember and respect the tough decisions our leaders have to make every day, and work individually on making that equal and ideal world.

Katy’s quandary: What to do with Dr Bourke

ThE election of Chris bourke to the Legislative Assembly to replace Jon Stanhope in the electorate of Ginninderra raises a series of challenges for Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher.

On the one hand, Bourke needs parliamentary experience before she should consider him for a ministry. On the other, he needs the sort of exposure to the public that comes with being a minister if he is to stand a good chance for Labor at the next election in 16 months.

Bourke comes into the Assembly with an impressive background as a local businessman and health professional. He has run his own successful dental practice for a decade and an indication of his commitment to others is that he volunteers his professional services at the Karabar Dental Clinic.

Mr Bourke has been the president of the Indigenous Dentists Association and says he is particularly proud of his heritage. He told ABC radio: “I’m proud to have been elected during Reconciliation Week, the first indigenous member of the Legislative Assembly. It is an important event, not just for Canberra’s indigenous community, but also the half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who continue to be under represented in our democracy.”

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has also addressed this issue when she welcomed Mr Bourke, saying: “It’s fantastic that the Labor Party has elected through its processes the first indigenous member of the ACT Legislative Assembly.” Bourke’s election does not change the factional arrangement of the Labor Party in the Assembly.

Like Stanhope, Bourke is part of the nonaligned group. Stanhope’s factional position was

politics

Michael Moore

one of the reasons that he was able to remain as Chief Minister without any real threat of being rolled from within the party in the way that Kevin Rudd was ignominiously dumped as Prime Minister.

For both the right and the left it was much less problematic to have a Chief Minister being non-aligned rather than having a leader from the alternative faction.

The Federal election pre-selection results from last year illustrate the general demise of the power of Labor factional systems in Canberra. There we saw the rejection of the party factional candidates in favour of Andrew Leigh in the electorate of Fraser and Gai Brodtmann in the electorate of Canberra.

When it comes to pre-selection under the Hare-Clarke system, the party is likely to put up candidates from all factions and the electorate will determine the outcome.

Having a left-faction Chief Minister should, in theory, make the Assembly less stable.

However, instability will certainly not be an issue before the next election and the nature of the Hare-Clarke electoral system means that it is possible for any mix of factions to emerge after the election.

At the moment Katy Gallagher will be thinking not so much about what faction is elected as much as ensuring Bourke gets the recognition necessary to be re-elected rather than face the threat of a second Green candidate in Ginninderra.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

Plugging into a green future

ENERG y provider ActewAGL has signed an agreement to supply Better Place’s electriccar charging network in Canberra.

The $60 million, 10-year deal is the largest renewable energy agreement of its kind in Australia. The energy will be drawn from sources such as wind, hydro and solar.

“Better Place has always been committed to supplying our electric car network with renewable energy,” said Better Place Australia CEO Evan Thornley.

“The cars on our network will provide distributed storage, which is the key missing ingredient particularly for intermittent renewables like wind.

“This landmark deal demonstrates that renewable energy can and should play a leading role in integrating electric cars into Australia’s sustainable transport mix.”

ActewAGL CEO Michael Costello said the company was “excited to be involved in this

Changing face of being a citizen

Citizen dON AITKIN looks at the generational aspirations of his fellow Australians

AT a recent seminar, I heard discussions about how the public service should deal with citizens, especially in areas such as freedom of information, whistle-blowing, bad experiences with the bureaucracy, and the like.

It took me a while to realise that what we mean by “citizen” has changed a lot over time.

In ancient Athens, free-born men were citizens, but women and slaves were not. In late 19th century Australia some women had the vote but were not in other ways full citizens. But even when all had gained the vote and were apparently citizens of the new Commonwealth of Australia, how did they, women as well as men, see their role as citizens?

We can only answer such questions distantly. But since I know a good deal about my own family I can do a quick comparison over time. My father’s parents lived in Broken Hill, and my father went to school there without shoes, for his first years. The family was large and poor, and mining was risky and turbulent. What did my grandparents want as citizens?

We know from family lore that their great wish was for education, for all of the children, especially the boys. Broken Hill had primary schools and a high school. All the boys went right through, and all left Broken Hill, most to become teachers.

My parents were both teachers. What did they want? They had no daughters, but it was important for them that girls were educated as much as boys, and (given that they married in 1932, in the worst year of the Depression) that there be economic security for families. “Prosperity” was a distant dream, and neither had experienced it.

When my generation started to marry, in the late 1950s and 1960s, economic prosperity was alive and well. What did we want, as new citizens? I think we wanted our governments to develop an Australia of which we could be proud, one that was creatively alive,

one that had no cultural cringe – one that was accepted as a real place by the rest of the world (we were the first generation to travel extensively abroad).

My own children became citizens in the 1980s and 1990s, and their outlook is different. By and large, they see Australia as a good place, with a wide variety of possibilities and opportunities. As citizens, what do they and their generation want?

My guess is that they don’t regard our governments as the be-all and endall of what happens in our country. Perhaps my parents and grandparents had a similar view, but for different reasons – they had seen how powerless governments were to fix real problems.

Those born 20 or 30 years ago, I think, see governments more likely to get things wrong than to get them right. Our contemporary world is a complex place, and many of its younger citizens have had to learn its complexity through experience, and have no great wish to have governments make things even more complex, through what they see as meddling.

Australia is well provided with schools to a degree that would have astonished my grandparents. It is three to four times wealthier than was the case in the 1932, and the wealth is well distributed. We are a culturally creative society in a way hardly imagined in the 1950s.

Today’s citizens might well say that they need smaller rather than larger government. That’s not to say that we don’t have problems, but it seems likely, at least to me, that many of those problems have to be solved by the people experiencing them, with the support, but not the direction, of government.

What do you think?

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

Memories of a lost past

By Megan Haggan

THE chance discovery of a letter to a 10-year-old girl in a sydney orphanage during the Great Depression of the 1930s inspired O’Connor management consultant Toryn Chapman to start writing what became “The Grey Cat”, a first novel which has been praised by Alzheimer’s Australia.

“It grew from a letter my mum found, to my grandmother when she was in an orphanage in sydney, from her own grandmother back in England,” Toryn told “CityNews”.

“It didn’t refer to the tragic events that led my grandmother to be there, but reading between the lines it was an incredibly moving letter, with this woman on the other side of the world not being able to come and look after this little girl who meant the world to her.

“I was working full-time and our little boy was 12 months old, so every

night after I came home from work, and when he was in bed, I’d sit down and write a thousand words. I have a pretty understanding wife!”

“The Grey Cat” weaves two stories together; a woman’s struggle to cope with her mother’s Alzheimer’s Disease, and her mother’s life in an orphanage as one of the “Forgotten Australians” (children who came to Australia from the UK), which increasingly intrude on the present.

Both stories are based on the experiences of Toryn’s mother, Joan, and her mother, Marjorie, who passed away in 1998.

“I wanted to help my mother come to terms with the grief she felt when her mother passed away, and also to write something that would be potentially meaningful to other people in the same situation.

“Alzheimer’s Disease robs us of the ability to ask loved ones about their

past, just when it becomes important to know.”

Published by Cubefarm Publishing, “The Grey Cat” has been endorsed by Ita Buttrose and Alzheimer’s Australia’s Glenn Rees and Doris younane.

“When I’d finished, I thought, as an unpublished author: ‘I’m going to need some help getting this noticed’, and so I thought Alzheimer’s Australia might be interested,” he says.

“I think for some people, the fact that it’s about Alzheimer’s Disease would be of great interest, but for others it could be just a story about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. I guess it’d appeal to anyone who loves their mother.”

Toryn’s not ruling out another novel – “If I can find another story that’s as meaningful,” he says.

“The Grey Cat” is available in bookstores.

Skateparks: Let’s have more fun

TWENTY years ago, when I was making international documentary films, a high-ranking Commonwealth public servant named Kevin Power came to me with an idea.

“You should make movie on skate-boarding,” he said. “The kids would love it; wouldn’t cost much; you’d make a fortune.”

I scoffed. “It’s a fad,” I said. “It’ll go the same way as hoola hoops and yo-yos. Forget it.”

What a dumbo.

Not him. Me. Other people in Hollywood made the movies. They didn’t cost much and they earned their producers an absolute motzer.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of this when I visited the local skate park at Weston recently. It was a Saturday afternoon with a wind chill taking the temperature down to about five degrees, yet there were kids everywhere.

However, there were some big changes from the days of yore.

And I think we’re missing an opportunity not dissimilar to the one that I allowed to pass me by.

First the changes: Skateboards themselves seem to have been largely replaced by scooters and BMX-style bikes. In fact, the skateboarding area is pretty much divided between the two. The little kids zip up and down on their shiny aluminium scooters, while the bigger boys do all sorts of interesting tricks – at terrifying speed – on their bikes.

But there are no girls.

There’s no adult around to make sure they wear helmets or to lend a hand when they fall.

And among the bigger boys, there’s a division between the genuine athletes who are there for the sheer love of the sport, and the loser element for whom it’s a venue to smoke pot (or worse, tobacco) and plan break-ins and other nefarious activities.

The ACT police know this and they find it

A dumbo no more,

RObERT MACKLIN

revives an old idea at a local skate park

handy to zero in on the area when they’re looking for a miscreant. So there’s no pressure from them to change.

But it’s terrific exercise and wonderful for balance and body co-ordination. Yet it seems that once the Government erected it, they more or less walked away.

So here’s the opportunity: We should upgrade the facility, put a roof over it, add some spectator seating and, most importantly, engage a youth worker – preferably a man and a woman in shifts – to keep it safe.

Their presence would encourage girls to participate and in no time they could help organise events to involve the parents.

It’s an opportunity too good to miss. What’s more it’s a natural for the new Chief Minister Katy Gallagher. She used to spend her afternoons supervising after-school care… with one of my handsome sons.

robert@robertmacklin.com

Footnote: My recent column on Canberra’s rubbish collection system drew some interesting emails, not least one from Maureen Bell, of Cook, who says: “Ezy Scrap collect just about anything metal if you put it out on the nature strip or front garden and are a courteous, efficient and punctual firm. You ring up, they say they will come on, say, Tuesday and they do! I have used them countless times for anything from small odds and ends to fridges.”

Still time to get a flu shot

By Megan Haggan

THERE’S still time to be vaccinated against the flu – but according to recent figures from the Influenza Specialist Group, a huge percentage of Australians don’t get their yearly jab.

The ISG surveyed more than 1100 Australians and found that while 82 per cent understood that even healthy people could benefit from vaccination, nearly three-quarters were unsure whether they’d get the vaccine this year.

Many people avoid vaccination because it’s “too much hassle” (40 per cent) or they consider it unnecessary because they “never get the flu so there’s no point” (18 per cent).

According to ISG director Prof Bill Rawlinson, there are more complications (such as serious illness, hospitalisations and deaths) in people with underlying conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease, as well as

elderly and Indigenous people, but otherwise healthy people are also at significant risk.

People need to understand that the flu is a serious disease, as distinct from the many different strains of coronavirus and rhinovirus that make up the common cold, he says.

“Taking preventive measures, along with avoiding transmission to others, is very important,” he says.

“We should be concerned for our own health, as well as for those friends, work colleagues or family members around us, in particular those with underlying conditions who are at increased risk of serious outcomes, such as pregnant women.”

On average there are more than 2200 hospital admissions each year in Australia which are directly related to flu, and more than 1750 of these are in people aged under 65.

Majdie thrives on the art of the sharp

By Megan Haggan

ThE traditional Japanese martial art of Iaido is a great way for women to train because it’s not combative, says local student and assistant instructor Majdie hordern.

“It’s one of those martial arts that are fantastic for women, because of the performance aspect, the aesthetic... chicks look good with a sword in their hand. It’s ‘Kill Bill’ without the yellow leather suit and blood,” she says.

Majdie is part of the Kuroyamakai (Black Mountain) Dojo in Acton, and won second place in the Iaido Shodan (first degree black belt) Kata category competition at the 2011 Australian Iaido and Jodo Championships earlier this year. For the last couple of years, she has been the MC at the Japanese Nara Candle Festival held in Canberra in September, and her husband Darren Boyd is also a dojo member.

“I spent some time working in Japan many years ago, and I was a high school exchange student there as well. When I was there, I did a little bit of kendo, which is Japanese fencing, but Iaido is the first martial art I’ve ever studied.

“I liked the idea of swordsmanship, but kendo was a bit too one-on-one, too combative.”

Iaido centres more on executing particular moves and techniques alone: a performance as opposed to a bout. Kuroyama Kai Dojo principal instructor Damon Schearer describes the art as “swordsmanship based on ancient techniques that allowed Japanese warriors to be able to intuitively respond to an attack by quickly drawing their sword, performing a series of cutting actions and re-sheathing the sword from a

series of seated and standing situations.”

“This makes it a great martial art for women, though the majority of practitioners are still men,” says Majdie.

“It’s about mental discipline and perfecting your technique more so than the practical application. In day-to-day life it’s not very often that you’re going to get into a bar fight with a Samurai sword in your hand – you’d be arrested before you got anywhere near the pub!

“Instead, you stand alone and perform your kata. If someone does Iaido well it’s quite beautiful to watch, like a dance.”

The dojo has just included “Tameshigiri”, the art of target cutting with a sharp sword, usually using specially prepared tatami mats (the type of mat commonly used in Japanese homes) as a target.

“It gives you more of an opportunity to assess your technique, because you’re actually putting your sword to wood,” Majdie says.

“Normally when we train we use a blunt sword, but for Tameshigiri we use a different, sharper sword, what we call a “live” sword. It’s a bit like a gun range in that we only have one person with a live blade at any one time, we don’t have people gathering around and there’s no horsing around!

“The first time I used a live blade I had to keep saying to myself, ‘don’t drop it, don’t let it slip, don’t let your fingers anywhere near it’ – they’re very, very sharp.”

Majdie hopes to travel to Japan again and visit local dojos, she says, adding that Iaido is “like Rotary – You can travel anywhere around Australia or round the world, and if there’s an Iaido club, you can walk right in and say: ‘Can I come to your training this week?’ In Iaido, you’re welcome anywhere.”

More information at kuroyamakai@gmail.com

Substituting hazards is not fixing the problem

ThE article concerning the “snap, send, solve” (“App snaps TAMS into action”, CN, June ) iphone application initiative suggested that your photographer, Silas brown, used the system to solve the problem of a broken handrail near the Canberra Museum and Gallery.

Unfortunately, the photographs accompanying the article illustrated that the solution was no better than the problem.

Instead of fixing the broken handrail the Government apparently chose simply to remove it, thus exposing the old and infirm to even greater danger.

The “after photo” also clearly shows an abandoned shopping trolley near the base of the stairs. A further hazard.

The initiative will only work if the Government has the common sense to fix hazards rather than merely substitute hazards.

Jack Pappas, barrister-at-law, c anberra Rubbish collection: Yes, but

I AGREE with Robert Macklin (“Katy, let rubbish be thy name”, CN, May 26) that we need a green refuse collection, etc.

However, one should not complain about the once-weekly rubbish collection; some NSW councils only have fortnightly collections.

Mark Goyne, Kaleen

Worried about waste

MY mother, who lives in O’Connor, has posted me Robert Macklin’s article (“Katy, Let Rubbish Be Thy Name”, CN, May 26) about waste management (or lack of) in Canberra.

It was brilliant! Having now lived in Adelaide for some 15 years (but looking to return – I have just bought a unit in Turner), your article struck so many chords.

In Adelaide, we have a fortnightly garden waste, kerbside collection service, and in my council area a FREE annual hard (bulky waste) kerbside collection service and, this year, three different opportunities to off load electronic waste FREE of charge.

What worries me the most about the lack of a garden-waste service in the Garden City is that it is socially exclusive and reinforces the car-centric mentality of decision makers.

Anything Mr Macklin can do to continue the pressure for a more enlightened service would be great. At least the ACT Government visited us to find out how we introduced the first plastic bag ban in Australia.

Marcia Ruff Hewitt, st Peters, sa

Ban live exports now

THE horrific cruelty that recently aired on ABC’s “Four Corners” – including cattle being beaten, having their throats hacked, and their eyes gouged out in Indonesian abattoirs – is, sadly, business-as-usual in the live-export industry.

Multiple investigations by PETA, Animals Australia, and other organisations have revealed rampant cruelty at every step of the live export process.

For example, sheep that are discarded by the wool industry and that have already suffered the misery of mulesing (in which huge chunks of flesh are carved off their backsides, usually without any pain relief) are forced to endure hellish, weeks’-long voyages to slaughter on extremely crowded, disease-ridden ships.

Many sheep succumb to illness, starve to death, or are trampled. Survivors are often dragged from the ships at their destination and thrown into the backs of trucks and cars. At slaughter, most will have their throats cut while

they are still conscious.

Banning live exports to some slaughterhouses in Indonesia is a start, but animals will continue to suffer as long as any live export remains legal. It’s time for Australia to ban this cruel practice entirely.

Jason Baker, director of campaigns, PE ta a ustralia, sydney

False and misleading

IN the “Say Yes to Carbon Tax” TV ad it states: “Here’s to better health for our kids”.

This is a false and misleading statement.

Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant that affects the health of anyone. It is not carbon (black soot). It is an invisible gas essential for all life on earth.

s hirley Philipson, c roydon south, Victoria

Compassion has its limits

OH, isn’t that nice? Some Canberra CEOs sleeping out to experience homelessness for themselves. That must make the homeless go over all gooey and goosebumpily.

It’s fabulous what we do for the homeless and the lonely and the poor and the losers in society, considering our hectic lives doing very, very important stuff, like selling used cars and being journalists and politicians, and watching TV, and playing computer games, and Facebook.

We chuck a bit of cheap food at the outcasts here and there, provide a bureaucratic service here and not so much there, some charity way over yonder, a $430 million Govt building. No time to smile though. Face would break, you know.

Disappointed at tarrif’s end

THE ACT Region Conservation Council is disappointed that the Government has decided to end the solar feed-in scheme.

Over the last 12 months we have been working to encourage Canberrans to put solar panels on their household’s roofs. This successful program, “Project Sunshine”, which is in partnership with solar provider Ingenero, has resulted in 125 kW of solar power installed in the last 12 months.

Many Canberrans are looking for ways to easily reduce their personal carbon footprint. Solar is one of the easiest and most logical ways for people to make a difference and make their lives more sustainable. Without the feed-in tariff in place, householders will have one less support in becoming sustainable.

The ACT has the second highest number of sunshine hours of all major cities in Australia, yet it has the highest carbon footprint. Canberra is ideally placed to be the most sustainable city in Australia. Yet this decision will mean that this will significantly reduce the ways which Canberra can become sustainable.

Solar energy production has zero greenhouse gas emissions and offers consumers a safe, clean, green and affordable form of renewable energy. And many people who have already installed tell the Conservation Council of the immense personal satisfaction they get from being a solar-energy producer.

We hope the ACT Government will review its decision and reintroduce a more sustainable scheme and also continue to explore other ways it can encourage development of alternative energy systems.

nick tebbey, president, conservation council

Irrelevant comments

ONCE again Alex Satrapa has taken it upon himself to tell me what my investment strategy is (letters, CN, May 26).

I have never said that big resource companies are “perfectly safe investments”. In fact, the days of putting investments in the “bottom drawer” and the “set-and-forget” strategy are long gone.

Therefore Satrapa’s comments on “safe-ashouses” investments are irrelevant, as are his comments on coal-seam gas companies.

If Satrapa has any investment experience, he would know that many of the coal seam gas companies like Arrow Energy, Sunshine Gas, etc, were taken over by companies like British Gas Corp with high returns to shareholders. So his surmise that I still hold large holdings in such companies is in error.

I had the opportunity to have a long discussion with Peter Bond, the CEO of Linc Energy, when he was in Canberra recently and I queried him on environmental problems associated with CSG. Despite Satrapa’s assertions, the impact of CSG operations on water supplies is minimal, which doesn’t mean that this will always be the case.

In respect of Linc Energy, they are using piping designed for the geothermal industry and do not expect any fracturing problems in bringing a gas to the surface which lessens greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent if used in place of coal in power stations.

Incidentally, shareholder return for the company is 181 per cent over the past 12 months and 70 per cent per annum over five years. Who would bother to invest in property, sub-prime mortgages or even banks with returns like that?

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Compassion has its limits in our busy, busy lives, but we do our best, don’t we? I think I’m going to cry.

John c leland, Latham

Justice delayed

THE Returned & Services League of Australia is greatly concerned at the inordinate delay in the legal process surrounding the decision of the director of military prosecutions to prosecute three members of the Australian Defence Force charged with very serious service offences alleged to have been committed during operational service in Afghanistan.

The alleged offences occurred during an operation against the Taliban in February 2009, but it was not until 19 months later on September 27, 2010 that the director of military prosecutions announced her decision to charge the three soldiers.

The charge sheet against the lieutenant colonel was signed at about the same time in September 2010, but those against the other two members were not signed until January 14, 2011, almost two years after the event.

On May 20, the chief judge advocate found that no service offences had been committed by the sergeant and lance corporal.

The RSL publicly welcomed the decision of the chief judge advocate, but expresses its concern about the charges for which there is no precedent. The RSL understands there has never been an occasion where soldiers in combat on a battlefield owe a duty of care to civilians, as alleged by the prosecution.

The lieutenant colonel still has not had his charges considered by a judge advocate or a court martial, and no date has yet been announced for this. Such delays in finalising these important matters is a denial of justice and is unacceptable to the soldiers involved, their families and the defence and veteran communities as a whole.

Even accounting for the time taken to investigate the incident by the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service and its referral to the director of military prosecutions, there has been far too much time taken to process and prosecute this case.

The excessive and unexplained delays in these legal proceedings is deleterious to the morale of the Australian Defence Force, is an affront to all who have previously served the nation and is the antithesis of what members of the League believe should be a robust, fair and efficient system of military justice.

Rear admiral Ken Doolan ao R an (Rtd), president, R s L

Deprived of power

I AGREE with Colliss Parrett ( letters, CN, May 26) that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Refusing to provide an R18+ rating for computer games is depriving caregivers of the power to inform themselves of the nature of the games their charges are playing or wish to play.

The result of refusing to introduce an R18+ rating for computer games is that some games end up rated MA15+ which otherwise would have been rated R18+ – games such as “Left 4 Dead 2” are sold in the R18 category in NZ, but MA15+ in Australia. This is giving parents the wrong message about these games.

The classification system does not stop people playing “refused classification” games, it only prevents adults acquiring these games legally in Australia. A classification system missing an R18+ rating is misinforming parents and caregivers. Obstruction and misinformation are not the tools of a sane democracy.

a lex s atrapa, Isabella Plains

Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to

all about Russia Day, June 12

Day that celebrates Russia leaving the USSR

RUssIA Day, a holiday celebrated on June 12, marks the day in 1990 when the Russian Parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the UssR.

The holiday was officially established in 1992. Initially it was named Day of the Adoption of the Declaration of sovereignty of the Russian Federation, but on February 1, 2002 it was officially renamed Russia Day.

The First Congress of People’s Deputies of the Russian Federation adopted the Declaration of state sovereignty of the Russian soviet Federative socialist Republic on June 12, 1990.

The idea of the declaration was born in the Democratic Russia movement, in which proponents of evolutionary market reform and strong statehood based on Russia’s national interests started opposing the Communist monopoly on power.

The creation of the post of the President of the Russian Federation and the adoption of the new Russian Constitution to reflect the new political reality, along with the national flag, anthem and emblem of the Russian

Our rich shared history guides a positive future

RUssIA and Australia have much in common: Both are large countries with vast unsettled territories and an important part of both our economies is dependant on natural resources.

We are both part of the Asia Pacific Region which is becoming one of the key players in foreign policy. We are both members of the APEC Forum. Australians are aware of our increasing involvement in A sEAN and East Asia summit developments.

Both countries have signed an Agreement on Co-operation in the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes. We are also working on a bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement.

While being in Russia on an official visit in April 2010, the former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. stephen smith signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Co-operation and announced the Australian Government’s European Endeavour Awards for Russia.

In March, we organised in Australia the third meeting of the Russian-Australian Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Co-operation.

All of this brings us closer together and opens new horizons for mutually beneficial co-operation in a broader range of fields.

Russia and Australia have clear potential for enhancing relations in a number of sectors: Agriculture, mining, nanotechnology, bank and insurance field, education, space

Russia’s ambassador to Australia VLAdIMIR MOROZOV traces the ties that bind our two countries

exploration and people-to-people contacts.

We are witnessing a positive shift in cultural ties. Our leaders demonstrate a good level of political dialogue.

Our countries enjoy a rich historic connection, which started from the visit of the first Russian sloop Neva in 1807. Afterwards, Russian ships became frequent visitors to Australian ports. This year marks at once several anniversaries in the history of the bilateral sea contacts.

On May 9, 1901, Russia’s Consul Passek and Capt Karl Iessen attended the opening ceremony of the Australia’s first Federal Parliament in Melbourne.

Captain Iessen was sent by Emperor Nicholas II to represent Russia. He navigated the cruiser Gromoboi, pride of the Russia’s Pacific squadron, to Albany, Melbourne and then sydney.

Iessen wrote: “The Constitution of Australia’s new Federal Parliament comprises the best provisions of parliamentary constitutions throughout the whole world, carefully elaborated”.

The Gromoboi’s commander hosted a reception for 500 people on the ship, which was attended by the Governor of Victoria, Federal and state ministers, s enators, “the entire Consular Corps and… all the residents

of Melbourne who had shown me and the officers such rare kindness”.

In 1881, famous Russian explorer Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay established Australia’s first biological marine research station in sydney, where he experimented in the fields of anatomical, anthropological and ethnological science.

He occupies a particular niche in the history of Russian-Australian relations. Miklouho-Maclay was the first Russian citizen to make a major contribution to Australian science.

He lived in Australia for more than five years, and his name has become a symbol of connections between our two countries. This year we are also celebrating the 165th anniversary since this talented scientist was born.

The story of the ballet in Australia owes a great deal to two visits of legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova who was born 130 years ago in 1881.

It is obvious that there is a wide range of possible fields for co-operation between our countries.

As Ambassador to Australia, I wish to see Australian investments, companies, students and scientists in Russia, as well as their Russian counterparts in Australia.

Federation, were major landmarks in the consolidation of Russian statehood.

The country’s new name – the Russian Federation (Russia) – was adopted on December 25, 1991. The day when the declaration was adopted – June 12 – was proclaimed as national holiday by supreme s oviet of Russia in 1992.

The Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed in Moscow is more formally known as the Cathedral of Intercession of Theotokas on the Moat. This Russian Orthodox church, located in Red Square, was erected in 1555-61 to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan; it is located in the exact geometric centre of the city. Since 1928 it has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum. The church was totally secularised in 1929; it is part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage site.

The XXII Olympic Winter Games will be held in Russia’s Sochi, a town in the Krasnodar region with a population of about  00,000 people.

The Winter Games will take place between February  and February , 01 (1 days of competitions).

The XI paralympic Winter Games will take place between March  and March 1, 01 (10 days of competitions).

Sochi to set firsts for Winter Games

ThE Sochi 01 Winter Games will be the most compact in the history of the Olympics.

For the first time, there will be a unified Olympic Park (within the Coastal Cluster) that can accommodate more than 75,000 guests at a time.

All ice competition venues will be located within walking distance of each other.

Mountain Cluster venues will be situated in Krasnaya Polyana and it will take about 30 minutes to get there from the Olympic Park by means of a new railway line. There will be venues for snow sports, the Mountain Olympic Village, hotels and other infrastructural buildings there.

s ochi is situated in a unique climate zone on the shore of the Black s ea, at the foot of the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana. The territory of s ochi covers 200,000 ha, including 30,000 ha of arboretums, botanic gardens and protected wilderness areas with unique flora and fauna.

It is famous for its unique combination of Mediterranean and alpine climate. The average thickness of snow cover in the mountainous region is two metres and in the winter temperatures are usually below zero, but severe frosts are rare.

About 5500 Olympic athletes and team members from 80 countries and 1350 Paralympic athletes and team members from 40 countries will take part in the Games.

During the Games 86 sets of medals will be awarded in seven Olympic sports and 64 sets of medals in five Paralympic sports.

About 2800 journalists and photographers will be accredited and a worldwide television audience of three billion viewers are expected to watch the s ochi Games.

The s ochi Games will become the most

innovative and the “greenest” in the modern history of the Olympics.

A total of 235 new facilities will be constructed by 2014; 11 of these are new, world-class Olympic competition venues and the other 224 facilities will consist of sites and venue infrastructure intended for s ochi’s development as an alpine resort. There will be a unified ID system that will enable thousands of Games’ guests and participants to visit sports events, obtain information about the venues, time of competitions and directions to them.

There will also be special information booths which will offer guests information

about shops and hotels and a smart-card system which will allow them to travel by public transport and pay for service.

s ochi will become an example of sustainable development for other Russian cities and the Games will help transform the town from a place known to Russians as almost exclusively a summer resort, into a year-round resort of the highest international rank.

The Games will help create the first international winter sports resort in Russia, which will later be used as a training centre for Russian athletes as well as for international competitions.

Sochi will be building or reconstructing:

11 competition venues with a total capacity of 145,800 people;

4 Alpine resorts with a capacity for 42,000 visitors, including 150km of alpine skiing tracks;

More than 367.3km of roads and bridges, more than 201km of railway lines, 22 tunnels; 210km of intermediate and low-pressure gas pipelines and a high pressure gas pipeline from Dzhubga to s ochi that is 174km long, including 151km of underwater piping;

5 Thermal power plants, 18 electric power sub-stations with a total power capacity of over 1208 MW and over 550 km of overhead transmission lines;

More than 690km of engineering networks, sewage treatment facilities with a performance output of 255,000sqm per day;

More than 100 hotels and accommodation facilities with a capacity of 27,100 rooms;

74 education, health care, culture, physical training and sports venues;

566 houses and 967,400sqm of new roads and pavements,

33 parking lots and multi-storey car parks.

The sports venues will be used widely after the Games. s ome of the venues will be transformed into exhibition halls, concert halls and other entities, thus improving the quality of life of s ochi residents.

One of the examples of the Games’ legacy is the Russian International Olympic University, a unique higher education institution that will help train a new generation of highly-qualified sports managers to an international level.

To preserve the nature of the region during the construction of Olympic venues in s ochi, for the first time in Russia a system of “green” standards will be used.

Environmental support is being supervised at the highest federal level and the Government has approved a special program of activities for environmental support of the preparations and hosting of the Games.

The program’s obligations, which were presented during the bidding stage, include: The formation of a network of specially protected natural zones, the protection of rare species of plants and animals, and measures for protecting the cleanliness of air and water, hydro-meteorological support and ecological monitoring.

New centre looks for scientists

RUSSIAN ambassador Vladimir Morozov sees new technologies as an important opportunity for co-operation with Australia.

“A completely new project announced by the Russian President is the skolkovo Innovation Centre which will be built 20 kilometres from Moscow,” he says.

“It represents a special partnership between the Government, business and science.

“Russia’s Parliament passed a special law on Skolkovo that contains provisions defining the innovation centre’s status, including a system of grants allocated by the government to attract foreign scientists to work in Russia.

“A special Development Fund of the Centre for Development and Commercialisation of New Technologies ( s kolkovo Fund) was created. Its scientific advisory board includes renowned scientists from Russia, Germany and the U s .”

The skolkovo Foundation Council comprises eminent representatives of foreign business including Google CEO Eric s chmid and siemens AG CEO Peter Loscher.

“Over the next three years, the Russian Government will allocate $Us .8 billion for the construction of this research hub,” the ambassador says.

The centre will focus on five research areas: energy, information technologies, communication, biomedical research and nuclear technologies.

The new skolkovo township will be inhabited by 25,000-30,000 permanent residents and its design and construction will focus on environmental factors, energy efficiency, intra-urban logistics, supply of water and heating, waste recycling and other.

The infrastructure will comprise an academic complex, scientific campuses for innovative technologies research and laboratory facilities.

“To promote the inflow of foreign scientists, the Russian Parliament adopted amendments to a Bill defining the legal status of foreign workers in Russia,” says Mr Morozov.

“It includes special beneficial provisions for so called ‘qualified professionals’. All these arrangements are sure to attract more scientists and other professionals into Russia.

“The skolkovo Centre is a good example of state-private partnership. state-private partnership has become an important priority of our policy. We have a number of banks and superannuation funds that have expressed their interest in this field.

“A good example of co-operation in the bank and insurance field is the joint venture between Australian Macquarie Group and Russian Renaissance Group. It proves that there is huge potential in this area, too.”

Russia Day, June 12 special feature

Interest in agriculture and mining

ThE agricultural sector is highly important for the food security of any state and Australia’s rich, agricultural experience is highly appreciated and valuable for Russia, says ambassador Morozov.

“Each year, Russia imports thousands of the best Australian dairy and meat livestock. It is

settled in our farms. However, we need to move to a higher level of co-operation,” he says.

“Australia’s agricultural technologies and expertise should be brought to Russian soil and we are looking forward to welcoming your investments in our agricultural sector.”

Mining is another sector which brings both countries to the same table of collaboration, the ambassador says.

“Russia is one of the major exporters of resources. Our siberian and far-eastern regions are deeply focused on mining activities. We have vast reserves of oil, gas and gold. Russian and foreign companies are involved not only in mining, but also in the development of the whole region,” he says.

“We are seeking investments, technologies and other forms of co-operation in the mining sector.

“This sector is of high potential. We already have joint projects, such as s akhalin 2, and as far as we know, Australian companies are involved in some of them. Major Russian mining companies Rusal and Norilsk Nickel are represented in Australia by joint ventures with local partners.

“Our far-east regions, such as Khabarovsk and s akhalin, have expressed their interest to work with Australia.”

Remembering a space pioneer

ThIS year Russia is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the first flight of a human being in outer space and the first to orbit the Earth.

On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut yuri Gagarin made his historic 108-minute flight into outer space. He orbited around Earth once and parachute-landed in the plains of Russia.

“Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship, I marvelled at the beauty of our planet”, yuri said afterwards. “People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty – not destroy it.”

People all around the world gather together on April 12 each year to remember Gagarin’s heroic flight, says ambassador Morozov.

“This year, a wide series of commemorative events were held in almost 100 countries. The initiative ‘ yuri’s Night’, aimed at preserving the Russian cosmonaut’s heritage for new generations, was held in 75 countries and comprised of 567 events,” he says.

“In Australia, around 20 events were held in sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and several other cities and towns.

“In February we launched the commemoration year in Melbourne, which was supported by the city’s Lord Mayor. For the first time in many years senior Russian officials, business entities involved in the aerospace industry and Russian cosmonaut s ergey Ivanchenkov participated in the Avalon Air show and International space

Congress held in Melbourne.

“We have initiated an anniversary wine, by Windowrie Winery, and a special space beer Vostok is now sold throughout Australia. The Perth Mint is producing a silver coin dedicated to Yuri’s flight.

“I wish also to acknowledge the contribution of the Russian community in Australia to these celebrations.”

Busy times in Vladivostok

IN 01 , Russia will host the ApEC Summit in Vladivostok.

“Lots of infrastructure works are being held there currently,” says ambassador Morozov.

“Just as an example, on the Russky Island a completely new university is going to be opened before the summit. Roads, accommodation, industrial projects are putting new life in Vladivostok. Certainly, Australian investments are most welcomed.

“There are many opportunities in the

educational field. During his visit to Russia in April 2010, former Australian Foreign Affairs Minister s teven s mith announced the European Endeavour Awards for Russia. That means that people from Russia and Australia, who want to study or hold a short course or have working practice in business of the other country, may apply for the grant that will cover all the relevant costs.

“From our side, annually we propose two-three grants for those who want to study Russian language in our universities.”

Staying up with the right systems solution

A large part of business success and productivity can depend on having the right IT systems in place – but because systems change so rapidly, it’s important for businesses to do their homework before putting them into place. “CityNews” took a look at some of the latest local advice...

Success from a local approach

IT was an auspicious year: In 19  Microsoft released Windows  , IbM introduced the revolutionary 3.5 inch floppy disk drive, Apple’s Macintosh SE unleashed a whopping Mb of RAM on to an unsuspecting public and Brian Evans launched Dataflex.

“Technology has changed a lot in the past 23 years,” says Mr Evans, “but Dataflex’s philosophy of finding the right solution for each client’s individual set of circumstances has remained the same.”

Dataflex has grown from a business employing two Canberrabased staff to a technology intermediary with 35 employees working from offices in Canberra and Sydney, operating across the government, education and corporate sectors and providing whole-of-business ICT solutions.

“I think our customised and localised service approach is one of the keys to our success, and has helped us to our present position as one of Australia’s market leaders in supplying IT solutions to government,” he says.

Dataflex resells enterprise-wide hardware and software solutions for various Australian governments, as well as the education and corporate sectors. It provides specialised infrastructure technology advice and implementation services across enterprise hardware and software solutions, and is an authorised repair centre for several technologies.

“Our range of hardware and software offerings varies from printers, desktops and laptops through to larger-scale solutions such as network storage, virtualisation and security authentication devices,” Mr Evans says.

“Our value-add to the procurement process is to investigate the right technology for a client’s needs and broker the most competitive price on their behalf.

“We provide fully managed implementation and on-going support arrangements for the design and provision of ICT, including help desks, local and wide area networks, network storage, voice communications and, importantly, disaster recovery and back-up arrangements.”

Science and art of collecting debt

ONE of the knock-on effects of the Global Financial Crisis is a blow-out in debtors’ days squeezing the life out of many businesses, says Mike Rich, managing director and founder of Attaché

“Debtors are still averaging over 50 days to pay their accounts – almost twice the normal 30-day terms,” he says.

“Business failures are now higher than during the GFC, with over 80 per cent due to a lack of cash, rather than poor sales.”

There is light at the end of the tunnel though, he says, “because there are a number of cost-effective, high pay-off tactics that technology can automate to dramatically reduce your debtors and get that all-important cash back in your bank account where it belongs.”

First, creditors should calculate their debtors’ days. “Multiply your debtors outstanding at month-end by 365 days and divide by annual sales. For a $2 million business, with debtors of $300,000, that’s 55 days.

“Do the sums and you’ll find that you’ll have an extra $80,000 in your bank account if you reduce this to 40 days. That’s a good return in my book.”

Mr Rich says that the longer a debt is allowed to remain outstanding, the less likely it is that the creditor will get all they’re

owed: They can write off as much as 20 per cent of the outstanding amount in wasted time, interest, bad debts and settlement discounts.

“The lesson here is simple: The quicker you get paid, the more you’ll get paid.”

Because timely debtor payments are so critical to business, every staff member needs to understand their responsibilities and not abdicate them to others – for example, sales leaving it to office staff, Mr Rich says.

There are several key players: Business owners/general managers must motivate staff, agree on targets and monitor progress, For example, a five-day reduction in debtors’ days for each of the next three months.

Accountants and office managers have

responsibility for monitoring cashflow. They own the debtor-collection process and must ensure tactics are in place to meet the targets, Mr Rich says.

Meanwhile, sales managers need to ensure that customers are credit-worthy and their accounts will be settled when they fall due.

“With these foundations in place, you can start to implement debtors’ reduction tactics. This is both a science and an art, as you combine common sense tactics with the art of being insistent without being offensive. you should see results almost instantly.”

He says the buzzword today is visual management, especially the use of real-time dashboards that monitor a debtor’s situation.

“They enable both management and staff to see at a glance what needs to be done without having to be told or run reports, for example when an invoice or payment promise becomes overdue,” he says.

The “Business Improvement Guide”, valued at $150, is available free by calling 1300 288 224 and saying you are a “CityNews” reader. It contains more than 110 tactics to help reduce debtors, and especially targets businesses with annual sales over $1 million (and their advisors), showing how technology can automate each tactic.

At ‘Landmarks: People and Places Across Australia’, National Museum of Australia

all about the arts

Dance remembers last emperor

By arts editor Helen Musa

IVAN Cavallari is one of those rare contemporary choreographers to have had the satisfaction of seeing his major work performed over and over again.

The Italian-born creator is now the artistic director for the West Australian Ballet, so will have the double satisfaction of having his spectacular work “The Last Emperor” seen throughout Australia in a touring production soon to hit Canberra.

Readers will know the famous Bertolucci film “The Last Emperor”, starring John Lone as China’s tormented last emperor, Puyi.

It was this film, viewed by Cavallari years ago when he working with the stuttgart Ballet, that inspired him to turn this dramatic story into dance. He had also visited the Forbidden City, a further stimulus, despite the imagination-crushing blue uniforms he saw all around him at the time.

“I read everything I could about Puyi,” Cavallari tells me.

Eventually he tracked down a book in a London bookshop that filled in the private life of the character, especially as he related to the mentorship of the Johnstons, then began looking into Chinese musical influences and “working out the dramaturgy”.

Cavallari chose Chinese-style

music for the first act, set behind the walls of the Forbidden City, and the more revolutionary music of shostakovich for the second act.

To him, the most inviting aspect was the extraordinary range of experiences Puyi endured, from his childhood as emperor at the age of three to his adulthood as the puppet king of the Japanese in Manchukuo and then as a private citizen of China.

Other dramatic highlights include the forced separation of Puyi from his beloved nurse and later from his tutor, as well as the frustrations experienced by his two wives.

Initially, Chinese authorities frowned upon the exercise, since at the time Puyi was an unpopular figure in the official imagination. But suddenly there was a change of heart and now “The Last Emperor” has been running for 10 years, initially with 60 performers but now with a tighter case for touring.

To do it, he needed a special company, and he found it in regional China. Established in 1980, the Liaoning Ballet stages modern ballets with Chinese characteristics.

“It is definitely a classically trained company”, Cavallari says. To him, it offered not only a regional

Crafts in the creative season

arts in the city

Helen Musa

yOU know it’s the cold season when The Midwinter Arts and Crafts show goes up at yarralumla Uniting Church each year. This year there are more than 140 local participants displaying and selling paintings, photography, fashion, jewellery, woodwork, glass art and ceramics. It opens at 6pm on Friday, June 24 and runs to sunday, June 26, with concerts, fashions parades, refreshments and demonstrations of lace making.

IT’LL all be rawness, spontaneity and chance with DJ Rush’s first solo photography exhibition at The Front, Wattle Street, Lyneham, June 16-27. Rush has been snapping around Canberra, sydney and Los Angeles since February and we’ll see more than 400 Polaroids and the launch of his Polaroid book.

DAMIEN Molony has an unusual exhibition of paintings about Japanese funerary architecture strathnairn Homestead Gallery until June 19. Molony went to Osaka in 2009 and found simplicity and order in the gravestones of a cemetery. Also at strathnairn until June 19 are house and garden paintings by Patrick Larmour.

The folk/punk/surfedelic duo Ill Starred Captain... at The Phoenix, June 16.

ILL starred Captain is a great name for a band. The WA folk/punk/surfedelic duo will be at the Phoenix bar in Civic on June 16 performing numbers from their album “Black swan Eye” – another great name.

THE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office is showing photography and Taiwanese rare stamps until June 29 at Civic Library. The “Retracing Our steps” photo exhibition features the history of the development of the Republic of China, Taiwan.

A joy start to the finish

MUSICAL THEATRE

“Mary Poppins”

Presented by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh Capitol Theatre, Sydney

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

IT is hard to imagine a more magical page-tostage adaptation than Cameron Mackintosh’s beautifully realised production of “Mary Poppins”, currently running in sydney.

Based on Australian author, P.L. Travers’ tales of the “practically perfect” nanny who makes everything right but “never explains anything”, this show is a joyful, exhilarating theatrical experience from start to finish. All the familiar songs from the movie are there, plus a few new ones. Magical popup storybook scenery, spectacular dance numbers, a top cast of outstanding Australian music theatre performers, all brilliantly combine in a show so chock-full of theatrical magic that you just want to sit back and let it wash over you.

understanding of Puyi’s story, but also lots of male dancers to play soldiers, eunuchs and the like. And it paid off. He never ceases to be amazed by their capacity for facial and emotional expression, more than he regularly finds in Western dancers.

It is, he stressed, essentially a ballet, not a folkloric Chinese dance. “When I was choreographing it, the truth is I just responded to the music and did what I felt”.

“The Last Emperor”, Canberra Theatre Centre, June 14-16. Bookings to 6275 2700 or www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Verity Hunt-Ballard, as Mary Poppins, is superb. Her sweet, clear soprano, flawless articulation, graceful movement and slightly astringent manner, are perfect for the role, which will make her a major star. Matt Lee also shines as the all-singing, dancing, chimney sweep, Bert. Marina Prior is wonderfully winning as the slightly ditsy Winifred Banks, while Philip Quast brings welcome gravitas and surprising warmth to his role as her husband, George, father to Jane and Michael Banks, delightfully played on opening night by Ashleigh Ross and Cameron Holmes.

Unrecognisable as the Bird Woman, Debra Byrne provides a moving moment, and s allyAnne Upton, as the gregarious, no-nonsense cook Mrs Brill, dishes out laughs generously. This “Mary Poppins” is a gorgeous musical treat guaranteed to delight the young and young-at-heart.

A shelter from the storm

“HERE I AM” (M)

MOVING into a women’s shelter after serving two years for a drug-related offence, Karen is desperate to re-connect with the daughter left in the care of her unforgiving mother.

In a nutshell, that’s the plot of Aboriginal writer/director Beck Cole’s handsome, simple, credible, poignant and optimistic feature film debut.

But the principal objective of “Here I Am” is to illustrate being black, female, uneducated, overweight, unattractive, lonely, yet anxious to avoid the morass of addictive substances and casual sex.

Cole has written some marvellous characters for those other women in the shelter, by turns tough, vulnerable, cheerful, funny, reaching out to claim the film-goer’s sympathy knowing that in the real world, they could expect no other sympathy.

The Aboriginal women playing those important supporting roles give the film a marvellous authenticity, persuading us that lack of acting training does not mean inability to deliver convincing characters.

As Karen, s hia Pittman, with prospects of an acting future, will hopefully avoid stereotyped roles. As her mother, Marcia Langton gives a strong characterisation with no apparent reason to give up her academic day job.

If “Here I Am” doesn’t bring big boxoffice returns, that’s due to the market, not the film. Beck crafted the story to shine light into its social environment. For compassionate people, it offers worthwhile rewards.

At Greater Union

arts in the city

continued from Page 21 cinema

M16 Artspace at 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, is packed with exhibitions, all closing on June 19. Photographer Emily Hanna, has a collection of works about the community of Maningrida in Gallery 03. Local artist Timo Nest, Tan Haur, from singapore, and Zoya Tavakoli, from Iran, have works exploring ideas of existence in Gallery 01. Open noon-5pm, Wednesday to sunday. sEED grants of up to $1500 are available to help indi -

Ho, hum. The funny ha-ha moments are cynical and brief. At all cinemas

“X-MEN: THE FIRST CLASS” (M)

BEGOTTEN by a copulation between improbable and impossible, this good-looking no-brainer fantasy actioner tells the back story for four earlier X-Men movies which I assiduously avoided.

I approached it less with trepidation than misgivings. In early adolescence, movies of its ilk gave me an excited buzz. But I grew up.

In 1944, Polish teenager Erik (Michael Fassbender) faces a terrible choice – watch German scientific bureaucrat Shaw (Kevin Bacon) shoot his mother or demonstrate his mutant power, the on-switch for which turns out to be furious anger.

In 1944, in America, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) learns of the mutant powers conferred by his genetic structure. After taking a degree in genetics at Oxford, he gets a chair at a very young age.

A secret Us agency recruits Charles to search the globe for mutants to undertake important Cold War missions. Charles and Erik pal up. Erik’s motive is vengeance against shaw whose s oviet-made hat confers great powers.

Matthew Vaughn’s film has fun pitting Charles’ team of mutants against shaw’s evil plan for the Us and UssR to destroy each other in World War III, leaving Planet Earth as a subservient fief under Shaw’s domination.

viduals and small community groups stage events during National s cience Week in Canberra, August 13-21. The deadline is June 20, but you’ll need to email Guy.Micklethwait@csiro.au or phone Guy Micklethwait on 6246 4620 for an application form.

“PAINTING from Nature,” traditional realist images of the Australian ocean, earth and sky by award-winning artist John sharman is at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery until June 20.

THIs updates “Cane Toads: An Un-natural History”, Mark Lewis’ amusing hour-long 1988 doco which delighted us by telling the Australian history of Bufo marinus.

Marinus came to Australia in the 1930s from Puerto Rico, where it fed on pests of sugar cane. Trouble was, Marinus ignored the subterranean larva that feeds on the roots of Australian cane.

Marinus’ migration has now reached northern WA. The estimated Australian population is now 1.6 billion. Problem is, it has no predators. External glands on its head exude a toxic venom.

s cientists, agricultural bureaucrats, cane farmers, friends, detractors, admirers, haters, speak their minds to Lewis’ camera about, for and against the critter. Essentially non-judgemental of their attitudes, the result is comical, perhaps less so than its predecessor.

One definition of “weed” is a plant for which mankind has yet to discover a use. Marinus is an animal weed that makes attractive leather, but with every female’s annual fecundity around 100,000 eggs, the supply of raw material grossly exceeds demand for finished product. This amusing doco with enough verity to reinforce our smiles makes Lewis one of the few to whom Marinus offers an economic benefit.

At Dendy

Premieres for charity

CANBERRA youth Orchestra will return to the stage of Llewellyn Hall on Friday, June 10 with an exciting and original concert.

This charity concert for the victims of the Japanese earthquake will feature two world premieres – Kanako Okomoto’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” written for the orchestra and Andrian Pertout’s “ symphonie de Guerre”, both conducted by Dominic Harvey. As well, Paul Hindemith’s challenging “ symphonic Metamorphoses” will be performed by these

outstanding young musicians. Kanako Okamoto is rapidly gaining an international profile as one of Japan’s most exciting female composers and has performed in Australia extensively. Pertout is a prizewinning composer who was born in Chile and is now based in Melbourne as a composer, performer, producer, arranger, writer and educator.

Bookings to 132 849 or at the door.

Friendly, cheap, relaxed Bite

dining

Wendy Johnson

SOMETIMES you want just a bite. Quick, easy, not expensive.

That’s what we wanted when out and about in Mawson recently and we got it, at “Just a Bite”.

Owned by Chittima Reed, this small, friendly, local cafe gives service with a big smile. Chittima worked for years at Abel’s Kopi Tiam in Manuka (still a favourite of mine) before opening her own eatery and she knows about customer service. It was a chilly day and while we could have eaten outdoors (with throws available to put over our knees), we lucked into a seat inside.

Everything at Just a Bite is house made – honest food that hits the spot. Breakfast is served all day, including the big breakfast ($13) with quality bacon sourced from a local butcher, sausages, eggs – the lot. A great choice that goes well with the coffee sourced from Kaldi Coffee (a local operation that roasts its own beans).

We were attracted to the range of spuds ($7 to $8), which included Italian, Texan, Mexican and Aussie versions – potatoes cut up in big chunks and loaded with different toppings depending on their nationality.

The Mexican spud, with cheese, chilli con carne and fresh sour cream, was yummy. The chilli was tasty, but not super spicy. The spud dishes are a lovely light lunch or a side for those with bigger hunger pangs.

My chilli con carne, of the “non-spud variety”, came with corn chips. It was piping hot and, while I wasn’t expecting the spice in the chilli to be on par with this famous dish as I’ve had it many times in Mexico, a bit more “bite” would have been nice. I know, I know – personal taste.

Homemade shepherd’s pie is on the menu, fresh sandwiches, melts and rotating specials, including, on our visit, chicken schnitzel and a steak sandwich. you can get smoothies and shakes, or grab a drink from the self-serve fridge.

Just a Bite has been open for seven months and we could tell, by the customers greeted by their first name, that there are loyal fans. It’s very

relaxed, with a flat screen TV inside and newspapers and mags for those who like to read.

This cute eatery isn’t a gourmet destination, but a super little spot to visit if you’re in the area.

On our way home we whipped around the corner and, after drooling for several minutes, ordered hand-made

Bravo, ‘Superstar’!

FROM the first notes of the familiar overture, it was obvious the opening-night audience at The Q was in for something very special. And so it proved to be.

Over the years I’ve seen quite a few productions of “Jesus Christ superstar”, including Jim sharman’s original Australian version, but none more riveting than this brilliant contemporary staging, designed and directed by Kelda McManus and superbly executed by her large ensemble cast.

Every aspect is outstanding.

Chris Neal’s dazzling lighting design, Chris shackleton’s crystal-clear sound, Jennie Norberry’s witty costumes and Nikole sklavos’ clever choreography all serve the concept superbly.

The technical excellence is also matched by outstanding performances. David McCallum is extraordinary as Jesus; an exceptional singer/actor his passionate, charismatic performance dominates the stage. Which is exactly as it

chocolates at Bruno’s Truffles (Bruno’s café closed a couple of years ago). It was a special treat to end a special lunch.

Just a Bite, shop 9B, Southland Shopping Centre, Mawson. Call 6290 1122. Open breakfast and lunch, MondayFriday, 7.30am-4.30pm and Saturday, 7.30am-4pm.

MUSICAL THEATRE

“Jesus Christ Superstar” The Queanbeyan Players. The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre until June 18t.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

should be.

He is well-matched by Adrian Flor’s torn and troubled Judas, and Jacinta Le’s gentle, soothing Mary Magdalene.

Accompanied by an excellent band, all three perform Lloyd Webber’s songs as if they were written specially for them.

Among the large ensemble cast, Gordon Nicholson as Pilate, Tony Falla as Annas, Joe McGrail-Bateup as Herod and John Kelly as Caiaphas all contribute striking performances. This production is among the best yet produced by The Queanbeyan Players and is an exciting demonstration of what can be achieved by non-professional theatre companies with imaginative direction and good facilities. Bravo!

all about home&garden

Mad or what? Cedric opens his garden

By Kathryn Vukovljak

“AM I mad or what?” says “CityNews” gardening guru Cedric bryant of his decision to open his Watson garden to the public in the middle of winter.

“Nobody in their right mind opens their garden in winter with bare trees and little else,” he says.

“However, one can more readily see the structure of a garden in winter, the focal points, the use of mirrors – things that don’t rely on a lot of greenery.”

He says the structure of his backgarden is inspired by the design of Canberra by Walter Burley Griffin, with a central circle and paths radiating out towards focal points, such as a water feature urn, within the space. Cedric also confesses to a love of “throwaway things”, such as salvaged gates and old mirrors that find a home in his garden of several small “rooms”, like the orchard (with winesap apples and buerre bosc and packham pears) and washing-line room, with lavender thoughtfully planted below the line so the laundry will brush against it and pick up the scent.

“As well as seeing the framework of the garden and how it was designed and planted, people will be able to admire little details like the beautiful bark of the silver birches,” he says.

“I like to plant in threes or fives, because it looks more natural, but I planted four silver birches thinking that one would likely die, but they all thrived, shattering the principles of feng shui!”

Cedric’s garden will be open on the weekend of June 18-19, and there will still be plenty to see as he has planted for year-round colour and interest.

“Early bulbs will be appearing and depending on the weather, there might be daphne in flower,” he says.

“The clematis napauliensis produces particularly gorgeous small flowers and they’ll be out in force,” he says. “The jonquils might also be out.

“And along the back wall, the screen of camellia sasanque herigu, which is drought and frost

hardy, flowers all winter and will be absolutely beautiful.

“I love whatever season I’m in at the time,” he says. “But I do like winter better than summer. I’d much rather a good frost in the morning, followed by a warm day where you can have lunch in the garden.”

Cedric Bryant’s garden, 5 Burnside Street, Watson, open 10am-4pm, Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19. Entrance is $5 each, children under 16 free.

It pays to pick carefully spring’s blooming roses

JUNE is rose-planting time and most garden centres are brimming with roses. There are important points to keep in mind, some of which I have mentioned before but are worth repeating.

Rose growing in Canberra and Queanbeyan can be quite different to other states or even other areas of Ns W. If you are planting new roses where roses were growing previously and perhaps have died or reached the end of their useful life, it is vital to prepare the soil.

This means digging out half a barrow of the old soil, as rose soil can have “rose sickness” and affect the new roses. Then dig in some good organic matter such as from the compost heap. Do not include any chemical fertiliser as this can cause severe damage to the young roots.

When selecting roses, I always recommend you buy two-year-old roses.

gardening cedric Bryant

s ometimes this comes back to price and you may be tempted to buy roses with thin one-year-old stems at half the price.

These do not have a strong root system and those thin stems can be severely damaged by frost.

There is always competition with some DIY stores and supermarkets to be the first to get roses in stock and to sell them for the cheapest price. However, it can often be a case of “you get what you pay for”. I strongly urge you to purchase roses from your local garden centre, where roses are kept in natural outdoor conditions. In supermarkets, roses are usually kept in an air-conditioned atmosphere and under artificial lights. In addition, they can have a plastic cover over the stems. This will encourage soft, new growth subsequently killed by the first frost.

Check the roots of your new roses, if any are damaged or broken cut these with a pair

A passion for roses

“A Life with Roses” by David Ruston (Rosenberg Publishing, rrp $49.95 H/cover 232pp) is the story of a man whose life is flowers and became one of the world’s most respected rosarians. Ruston tells his story with his passion for roses even from his teenage years. He extended his father’s rose plantings from 500 bushes to eventually covering 4.5 hectares with an amazing 50,000 roses. This world-acclaimed garden in Renmark, s A, has the largest collection of roses in the southern hemisphere and is now recognised as “The National Collection of Roses”. In 2010, to honour his achievements, the president of the World Federation of Rose s ocieties unveiled a “Life in Flowers” sculpture in Remark. The book is a must-read for long, winter nights.

of sharp secateurs. Damaged roots can lead to the ingress of diseases. Always make the hole large enough so that the roots can be evenly spread out, making a small mound in the centre. Keep the graft/bud union above the soil level. Then water-in thoroughly to eliminate any air pockets so that the soil settles down around the roots.

Then apply a liquid seaweed solution such as Maxicrop s eaweed Plant Nutrient, which will have a two-fold effect. Firstly, this specifically promotes new root growth and, secondly, it gives greater ability to the plant to withstand stress such as severe cold, especially when transplanting new plants.

Do not worry if the stems appear a bit scraggly or have not been pruned to an outward facing bud, this can be done later in spring.

For more information go to www. cedricbryant.com and click on Cedfacts Garden Information Sheets and then click on “How to grow beautiful roses”. I will bring you details later of rose-pruning demonstrations.

This week

DO NOT prune roses, this should be done at the end of August or early s eptember.

DO NOT prune wisteria now, leave until the first shoots appear in spring.

DO plant rhubarb and asparagus and all the berry plants.

DO plant out seedlings of onions and chives.

DO start pruning apples and pears.

Textures bring back bricks

b RICK is back for home builders thanks to the ever-growing range of this durable, low-maintenance and thermally efficient building material, according to david Francis, boral’s national clay and concrete marketing manager.

“The range of bricks available has expanded rapidly to meet the needs of architects and designers, particularly for the design of contemporary buildings,” he says.

“Bricks offer a vast choice of colours and textures, with a type to suit all architectural styles. When you also consider the effect of mortar colour, architects can really get creative with brick.

“Brick also complements other building materials which are being used increasingly in interesting combinations.

“Once the exclusive domain of the rendered finish, a smooth look can now be achieved through innovative new brick textures and colours that don’t need ongoing maintenance.”

David says Boral’s best-selling bricks reflect the different style preferences from state to state. “In Queensland, light colours are popular, while Victorians still appreciate traditional red and brown tones.

“Recently, darker colours have grown in popularity in Ns W as well as Victoria.”

Choose the right bricks

TO ensure the right materials are selected, David suggests a five-step guide to choosing bricks.

Style: Explore ideas and designs to establish your preferred house design as this will greatly influence the type of brick chosen. Popular styles today include contemporary, traditional, beach and homestead, with a choice of brick for each architectural style.

Location: Whether you need general purpose or exposure grade bricks and mortar joints depends on the location of the property and the conditions it’s subject to. It’s preferable to use exposure grade bricks if the property is near the coast, for example.

Colour and texture: When deciding on colour, consider all the components of the building such as the roof, guttering and fascia, as well as doors and window frames.

Limit yourself to one or two trim colours and focus on texture and decorative elements to create a unique look. Remember, brick-laying styles also offer choice.

Size: While the standard 76mm-high brick size remains the most popular, there is a growing interest in using different sizes, such as slimline and double height bricks. These can be used for the entire house or for feature walls, window sills, internal features, facades, fireplaces and architectural details.

Mortar: The mortar joint and colour can alter the appearance of bricks considerably, allowing you to achieve a relaxed light feel or a dramatic contrasting effect. The raked version is common however rolled or ironed joints complement nearly all brick and house styles. Flush joints provide a flatter look by minimising shadow.

The go-to place to get it done

Mitchell has fast established itself as the place to go for home improvement and automotive repairs. With the growth of Gungahlin and its surrounds, Mitchell is well placed to serve the needs of homeowners.

Providing quality

MITCHELL has doubled in size since Rob Cunningham opened Premier Automotive in the suburb 16 years ago and it’s been great for business.

“We’ve gone from being a two-man show to employing seven staff now and we’ve really needed to do that to keep up with the demands of the growing Gungahlin area,” Rob says.

Premier Automotive boasts a team of qualified mechanics who use the latest diagnostic equipment.

“We really pride ourselves on providing quality repairs from people you can trust.”

Premier Automotive, 5 Winchcombe Court, Mitchell. Call 6242 8450.

Pool for Christmas?

FOR almost 30 years, Capital Country Pools has been servicing the Canberra region, but it is only in the last 12 months that the business has operated from Mitchell.

“We wanted to offer our Canberra customers a place to come in and look at our fantastic range of pool and spa products,” says owner sharyn Duggan.

“A lot of people now are looking for pools and spas that are energy efficient and they want to use products that are good for the environment and we can help with that.”

For people considering having a pool installed for Christmas, sharyn emphasises that now is the time to start looking.

Capital Country Pools, 52 Hoskins Street, Mitchell. Call 1800 816 516 or 6238 0035.

Experience pays off

JODy Williamson and Graham Tuckley have a combined 32 years experience selling furniture and bedding and have thrown their knowledge and experience into their new business venture, Hoskins street Timber Furniture and Bedding.

“We have been open for two-and-a-half months and the business is really taking off,” says Jody.

Hoskins street Timber Furniture and Bedding stocks a range of bunk beds, futons, pantries and other timber furniture and specialise in Australian-made furniture.

Hoskins Street Timber Furniture and Bedding, 56 Hoskins Street, Mitchell. Call 6242 0091.

Celebrating 50 years

BINK Cement Products has been operating from Mitchell for 16 years and has benefited from the rapid growth of the Gungahlin area.

“When we first opened in Mitchell, there was really only Palmerston and Ngunnawal,” says John Bink.

“When my father started the business 50 years ago, Canberra was much smaller, but as each suburb grew, so too did our business.”

Being based in Mitchell has allowed Bink Cement Products to expand with their products being manufactured at the Dacre street premises.

“Our customers like that they can come to our premises and see and feel what’s happening.”

Bink Cement Products, 40 Dacre Street, Mitchell. Call 6242 7033.

Exhaust specialist

CRAIG Cartwright has been the exhaust specialist in Mitchell for a decade.

The team at The Exhaust shop specialise in steel fabrication and work on cars, trucks and performance exhausts as well as trailer repairs.

“I’m proud of the fact that I built this business on my own,” Craig says. He is soon to include a showroom at the Brookes street premises.

The Exhaust Shop, 23 Brookes Street Mitchell. Call 6241 4000.

Demand for utes

FOR the past three years, Mitchell Rent-A-Ute has been servicing the Canberra region.

Owner Rob Cunningham says there is a large demand for people wanting to hire vehicles to move house or clean up the garden.

“We hire out vehicles for as little as two hours at a time,” he says. “Every weekend our utes are booked out – it started out as a side business for me but has become very busy.”

Mitchell Rent-A-Ute, 5 Winchcombe Court, Mitchell. Call 6242 8500.

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline

Moore June 13 – 19

ARIES (Mar 1 – Apr 0)

With this week’s fiery Full Moon Eclipse activating your adventure zone, you need to remember that there is a fine line between being courageous and daring – and being plain impulsive and reckless. By all means take risks Rams, but make sure they are calculated (and clever) ones! Friday favours communicating creatively with family and friends.

TAURUS (Apr 1 – May 0)

Bulls become insecure when things start to shift. The Lunar Eclipse stirs up your transformation zone, so the only certainty at the moment is change. Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, your personal metamorphosis is happening at an unusually rapid rate. s o you’d better get used to it! Love and loot are a complicated mix at the moment.

GEMINI (May 1 – June 1)

Twins can get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life that you neglect loved ones. This week, put aside time to spend with someone special - then you’ll both feel energised and emotionally renewed. Mercury moves into Cancer (from June 17-July 2) so it’s the perfect time to combine creativity with compassion; and intellect with intuition.

CANCER (June  – July )

your already overloaded daily schedule is set to be revved up by the Lunar Eclipse. If you pace yourself (and prioritise) then you’ll sail through the week without getting too crabby. Mercury visits your sign (from June 17-July 2) so it’s time to show the world what a clever Crab you can be! sunday favours group get-togethers and family affairs.

LEO (July  – Aug )

The Lunar Eclipse falls in your drama zone. s o those around you can expect some classic attention-grabbing antics, as you throw yourself into daily tasks with diva-like abandon. (Resist the urge to throw a huge hissy fit when you don’t get your own way.) When it comes to friends – is it time to replenish your peer group with some fresh new faces?

VIRGO (Aug  – Sept )

It’s a fantastic week to make plans for the future. Dare to discuss your dreams with friends and colleagues, as you build a strong support system around you. Thursday’s Full Moon focus is on home and family, as you do good domestic deeds and tackle pet projects around Villa Virgo. Jupiter jolts you into action and gives you an energy boost on s aturday.

LIb RA (Sept  – Oct )

serious saturn may be moving slowly through your sign but that doesn’t mean you have to be down-in-the-dumps. Be inspired by Donald Trump (born on June 14, 1946): “What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.” saturday favours permanent partnerships, as single Librans go searching for long-term love.

SCORpIO (Oct  – Nov 1)

How stable and settled are you feeling? Financial and emotional security are highlighted, as the Lunar Eclipse shines the spotlight on your money/self-esteem zone. Accumulating cash and possessions will make you feel more secure on the outside, but true peace of mind can only come from within. If you are planning a holiday, do your research first.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov  – dec 1)

With the Lunar Eclipse lighting up your sign, your positive traits are magnified – and so are your negative ones. Aim to be generous, gregarious and optimistic (rather than bossy, belligerent and impatient). Friday is the day to foster friendships, while the weekend favours stability in relationships. snuggle up sagittarius – it’s time to make love, not war!

CApRICORN (dec  – Jan 19)

Do you feel as if you’ve been treading water? s aturn moves forwards, so you’ll start to see your motivation (and mojo) returning. Cool Capricorn – you could be the one to calm troubled waters, as those around you suffer from a dose of Full Moon Madness. s ecrets and hidden motivations are also about to be revealed. Are you ready for the truth to come out?

AQUARIUS (Jan 0 – Feb 1)

“Most people’s lives are a direct reflection of their peer group” (Anthony Robbins). With the Lunar Eclipse stimulating your peer group zone, it’s definitely a week to choose your companions wisely. Fair-weather friends will lead you astray, whereas true mates will fill your life with joy and abundance. On Saturday, encourage the unique talents of a child or teenager.

pISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 0)

Have you been procrastinating Pisces? This week’s Lunar Eclipse energises your career zone, so make sure you plan your professional path with plenty of passion and pizzazz. On Friday, positive Mercury/Neptune aspects boost your creative and compassionate side, and many Fish will find a fabulous community project to contribute your plethora of talents to.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

general knowledge crossword

Across

4 Name the New Guard member who disrupted the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.

8 Which compound is used for household use as an insect deterrent?

9 Name a plant of the mint family, used in cooking.

10 Which, with Jaffa, is the largest city in Israel?

11 Name a piece of soft material, as wax, inserted in the outer ear to keep out noise, etc.

12 What is another term for a learned person?

14 Which is the largest state in the US?

18 What are periods of ten years?

21 Which utensils are made of an alloy of tin and lead?

22 What is a pilot of an aeroplane called?

23 What is any of two or more atoms, the nuclei of which have the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons?

24 Which term describes the range of vision?

down

1 Which implements with a long curved blade are used for mowing grass?

2 To fuse ore in order to separate the metal contained, is to do what?

3 What is the striped badge worn on the sleeve as an indication of rank, etc?

4 Name one who moves live stock, usually over long distances.

5 Who wrote "The Female Eunuch", in 1970, Germaine

6 What are persons considered to be a source of wise counsel of prophesy?

7 Name a loosely held type of sandal.

13 What is a modified virus, used for preventive inoculation?

15 Name the English cricketer, noted for the "bodyline" incident, Harold 16 Name an aromatic seed of a herbaceous plant, used in medicine, cooking, etc.

17 What is another term for lively intelligence?

18 Name the English buccaneer who circumnavigated the globe.

19 Of which nationality did the painter, Vincent Van Gogh belong?

20 What is a different word for a convict?

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