Canberra CityNews July 14-20, 2011

The child question that haunts Kylie

THE question “how many children do you have?” seems simple enough, but for Kylie Sladic the answer is fraught with emotion.

Having lost two children after early onset labour, Kylie says situations such as taking her eldest child to playgroup become isolating when you don’t know how to answer the question.

Kylie’s journey as a mother began four years ago when her son Alexander was born.

“With Alexander it was a very easy pregnancy, everything went really, really well,” she says.

Kylie and her husband Ben had no reason to suspect there would be complications when they discovered they were having a second child, but just 23 weeks into the pregnancy their son Declan was born.

“Being so early, he wasn’t able to survive,” Kylie says.

Last year, Kylie and Ben’s third child, a daughter named Ella, was born at 241/2 weeks.

“She did quite well to live for five weeks and then, unfortunately, we had to withdraw life support,” says Kylie.

Through the heartbreak, Kylie has found a safe environment where the difficult questions don’t come up because “everyone just knows”.

The Puggles Playgroup, run by SIDS and Kids ACT, has been instrumental in helping Kylie deal with her loss. A free playgroup for bereaved families, it provides a place for Alexander to play with other children and Kylie to meet with other mothers who understand what she has been through.

“The Puggles Playgroup has been a lifesaver for Alexander and I,” she says.

SidS and Kids ACT is one of three charities benefitting from this year’s The Majura Park $10,000 Charity Challenge. The other two are PatCH (Paediatrics at the Canberra Hospital) and Ronald McDonald House Canberra Building Appeal.

The challenge is supported with the “Big Book of Kids’ Savings”, which has been delivered into households in Canberra and Queanbeyan. It contains six weeks’ of coupon deals from stores at Majura Park, Canberra

By Libby Rolfe

At the time of losing her babies, Kylie says she “became so engulfed in the darkness that (she couldn’t) see past it.” But now sees the colour again, being 22 weeks pregnant with her fourth child.

While it was a difficult decision for Ben and Kylie to continue trying to have children, Kylie says they are confident they have done everything they can.

“Of course, being pregnant this time there are a lot of conflicting emotions, but we have to fall back on the belief that we can’t be that unlucky again,” she says.

“I’ve got such regular medical appointments that each one becomes my next milestone and I focus on that.”

As well as the playgroup and a raft of counselling services, SIDS and Kids offers a Pregnancy After Loss support group, which Kylie has also used.

She says she has been amazed at the support network available through SIDS and Kids, even though “it’s a club you never want to belong to”. SIDS and Kids ACT offers bereavement support to all families affected by the death of a child during pregnancy, birth, infancy or childhood.

ACT chief executive officer Karen Faichney says the organisation sees about 120 families a year.

Puggles Playgroup is run in partnership with Noah’s Ark Resource Centre. It is for bereaved families with children aged 0-5 years and held for two hours on Mondays from the second to the last week of each school term. SIDS and Kids 24 Hour Crisis Support is available at 1800 138300.

Airport, and a “donation slip”. The charity with the most donation slips by Sunday, August 14, will receive a $5000 donation from Majura Park, with $3000 and $2000 donations for the other charities according to the number of donation slips submitted.

Donation slips can be placed in collection boxes at any participating store, including Toys”R”Us, Babies”R”Us, Lollipop’s Playland, Chemist Outlet, Trade Secret, 3 Seeds and McDonald’s Majura Park.

Gallagher hints at new face for Cabinet

In the job only eight weeks, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is pleased with her progress – and her toddler thinks she’s the prime minister! FREYLA FERGUSON reports

KATY Gallagher has hinted that the Cabinet vacancy caused by Jon Stanhope’s resignation two months ago might go to rookie backbencher Chris Bourke.

In an interview with “CityNews”, the equally new Chief Minister spoke of the hard work of running the ACT Government with four ministers and the time needed for former dentist Dr Bourke to adjust to the “unusual workplace” of the Assembly before she made any decisions on who the fifth minister would be.

“I have to consider all options and make an appointment on merit,” she said.

“We can manage in the short term, but not in the long term.

“It is hard work and the new leadership team has a new energy and are excited and interested… but it’s not sustainable.

“When I appoint a fifth minister it will be the right time and the right decision.”

Gallagher spoke of life in the top job and with pride that her three-year-old daughter thinks she’s the prime minister.

She said her government was doing “very well” to date, consid-

June July 14-20, 2011

Since 1993: Volume 17, Number 26

Arts&Entertainment 13-15

Cinema 14

Crossword 17

Dining 15

Home&Garden 16

Horoscope 17

Letters 9

News 2-9

Politics 6

Property 18-36

Social Scene 10-12

Sudoku 17

ering the circumstances.

Since taking over from Stanhope eight weeks ago, Gallagher has faced the busiest part of the Government’s year.

“In a normal year, end of June is the busiest part of the year, but this change has compounded things,” she said.

“I am feeling very positive. The Government has done a lot, we’ve passed the Budget, survived sitting weeks, made changes to the public service structure; it’s a funny job where you don’t usually sit back and reflect and look at what the Government has done and how they’ve dealt with issues.

“It’s gone very well.”

She also said Stanhope’s ambition for more members in the Assembly was still on the agenda for the Government.

“It is not something we can deal with in the immediate future, we will have to wait until next election,” she said. “It will come to a question of good governance… and looking at every member’s workload.”

She said there was a number of recommendations about increas -

Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111

GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601 www.citynews.com.au twitter.com/city_news facebook.com/canberracitynews

General manager: Greg Jones 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au

Senior advertising executives: Melissa Delfino, 0415 137660 Ernie Nichols, 0421 077999

Advertising sales executives: Mara Stroppa, 0431 245130 Lyn Cram, 0458 028990

Advertising sales co-ordinator: Rebecca Darman, ad@citynews.com.au

Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9420 1777

ing the number of members, including three electorates of seven – but all were subject to review.

“It’s not just [the workload of the executive] but all of the Assembly,” she said.

She said when self-government began in 1989 there were 17 members of the Assembly with a population of around 270,000. But now, the population is at 355,000 and the number of members remains the same.

This, in comparison to 25 members in the NT parliament and 25 members plus an upper house in Tasmania.

When asked what the point of difference was of a Labor Government under Gallagher she said: “I hope the people of Canberra see a new leader, a local girl who grew up in Waramanga and a government committed to working for and with the community.

“I’m excited to be part of a government that can say: ‘Right – here’s a huge opportunity to face the city and its assets and how do we position ourselves to face the new century’.”

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

Journalists: Freyla Ferguson, freyla@citynews.com.au

Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au

Libby Rolfe, libby@citynews.com.au

Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764 helen@citynews.com.au

Design and photography: Silas Brown, 0412 718086

Graphic designer: Louise Brooks

Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au

Distribution and circulation: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au

Contributing photographer: Andrew Finch

‘Angels’ run for mum

By Kathryn Vukovljak

DAVE Griffith has rallied a team of  0 to join him in the “dreaded” CitySurf fun run in Sydney to raise money for cancer research, inspired by the devastating news that his mother is terminally ill.

“I was always going to run the City2Surf, but when we got the bad news about mum a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a positive spin on it,” Dave says. “It’s easy to sit around and mope, but while she’s alive I’d rather be positive.”

The “Ann’s Angels” team will run Sydney’s City2Surf on August 14, wearing matching purple singlets, to raise money for the Australian Cancer Research Fund.

“I sent an email to all my contacts and asked them to pass it on, and there’s been an amazing response,” he says. “Some people are friends and others I have no idea who they are, but I’m really grateful that people are getting involved.”

Dave’s mum, Ann Griffith, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2002 and told she wouldn’t survive six months.

“Being stubborn and having

that never-say-die attitude that mum does, she beat the cancer, lasting another eight years, until once again we were told of terrible news just recently,” he says. “I want to bring some happiness to mum, who’s been very humbled by all this.”

The City2Surf is a 14km fun run from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach, and while Dave says he will be running it, which he predicts will be “hell”, there’s no pressure on the other “Angels” to do so.

“I’m leaving it open to wheth-

er people would like to walk or run it, but it will be followed by a beer or 30 at Coogee or Bondi somewhere,” he says.

“Initially my aim was to raise $5000, but in just 17 days we raised $8360, so I’ve upped the goal to $20,000. People have been so supportive.

“It’s an amazing feeling, to be bringing people together and creating awareness and a sense of camaraderie.”

To make a donation, visit www.fundraise.city2surf.com. au/anns_angels

Winter’s phlegm is flying!

I’M not particularly squeamish these days; it’s a state of mind that comes with family life.

After all as a parent you get used to dealing with all sorts of messy situations – exploding nappies, misdirected wee, projectile vomiting – that are part and parcel of looking after infants and young children.

Thanks to Latex gloves and disinfectant, it’s amazing how one copes with things that would have once left one gagging.

Still, the other day something totally grossed me out.

My husband and I were walking along the street at our local shopping centre when a man standing near us decided to hack up a whole lot of mucous and spit it out.

Not an attractive sight or sound, but we thought little of it until a few minutes later my poor husband realised that the man’s aim had been pretty indiscriminate and that a large glob of yellow-green phlegm had landing on the sleeve of his coat.

I know its winter and phlegm seems to be flying everywhere, but this was totally gross and the habit of spitting in public places struck me as a not-insignificant public health issue.

A bit over a century ago spitting in public places was pretty commonplace. But around the end of the 19th and early in the 20th century behaviour began to change and spitting was largely gone from public places.

Public health campaigns, especially during the great influenza pandemic after the World War I, told our grandparents and great grandparents the importance of washing hands, holding hands in front of noses or mouths when we sneeze or cough and, yes, not spitting in public places. There was also enforcement with fines for people who had little regard for public hygiene.

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, it was extraordinarily rare to see anyone spitting in the street. But over the last few years more and more frequently I see the young, the old and the in-between hacking up the contents of their throats and projecting them out on to footpaths, walls, the floors and walls of toilets and elevators for all to see, step in, brush against and spread around. What was once a very strong social prohibition, built up over many decades, has been eroded.

A quick survey of ACT laws indicates that while spitting is prohibited on buses and at public swimming pools, it’s pretty much open season anywhere else.

A new effort to reinforce a basic community hygiene standard would be timely. Perhaps some deterrence with on-the-spot fines for creating a nuisance by spitting in public places would help.

Rocking queen of the karaoke screen

By Kathryn Vukovljak

SHE can often be found belting out rock songs at the Irish Club’s karaoke night and now Penelope Ginich’s singing talent has won her a place in the Australian final of the Karaoke World Championships in July.

“I enjoy going to the Irish Club, having a few beers, and getting up on stage for a sing,” she says. “It’s good times with friends. I love doing the rock thing – I sang songs by Jet and Linkin Park to get through the first heat and the semifinal.”

Penelope, who writes her own songs and plays classical piano, will represent the ACT in the ninth annual Australian National Grand Karaoke Final to be held on the Gold Coast on Saturday, July 23.

She says she’s busy preparing for the finals, organising rehearsals and deciding what to sing and what to wear.

“I’m so excited. It’s all about being confident, though,” says Penelope. “You have to forget the competition, and just get up on stage and do it because you love it. And I genuinely do.

“I love being in the spotlight and entertaining people – singing is my yoga. When I get up on stage it’s relaxing to me. It’s like a relief.”

If Penelope wins, the first prize includes return airfare to the World Champion finals in

Killarney, Ireland, in September.

“At this level, they encourage us to dress the part and not even look at the karaoke screens,” she says. “We’re expected to work the stage and really put on a performance.

“I don’t get nervous as a rule, but with the finals we’re going in blind. We don’t know what to expect. Hopefully I’m the only girl doing the rock thing.

“There might be professional musicians watching, it might lead to a career in music. You just don’t know.”

politics

THE proposed electoral redistribution should make the ACT Greens stop and think about their policies, says political commentator MICHAEL MOORE

Greens lose odds

OVER the last five elections, since the introduction of the Hare-Clarke system, the Greens have had the advantage of a favourable seven-member electorate.

Shifting the seven-member electorate from central (Molonglo) to north (Ginninderra) Canberra, as proposed for by Elections ACT, will mean an increased challenge for the party.

The ACT Electoral Commission is an independent body charged with maintaining the electoral boundaries in a way that, as closely as possible, means that a vote in one electorate carries as much influence as a vote in any other electorate.

It is uncanny how well they have achieved this as any examination of the electoral boundaries over the last five elections will indicate. However, there is another factor that they also attempt to manage – taking into account common interest.

It is the common interest factor that provides an impetus for relocating the seven-member electorate from central to north Canberra. As Gungahlin has grown, there is clearly a much closer relationship on issues with the newer Belconnen than the traditional areas of north and south Canberra. The questions lie over the transition of the Greens’ strongholds of Lyneham, O’Connor and Turner.

The impact of the proposed redistribution can be better understood by examining how people voted in the affected booths at the 2008 election. For Labor, the changes will have little consequence as across the Gungahlin booths and for those targeted in north Canberra, its vote remained remarkably consistent at around 40 per cent of the formal vote. The overview for the Canberra Liberals shows a Molonglo vote at just over 30 per cent and a Ginninderra vote of around 28 per cent.

However, they had very strong support in Gungahlin, which will move across to the new seven-member electorate and is likely to con-

solidate their two current seats in that area and provide a reasonable chance for wrestling the third seat from the Greens. O’Connor, Turner and Lyneham were weak booths for them.

The Greens were very strong performers in the three central Canberra seats with about 30 per cent of the vote. However, in some major booths in Gungahlin such as Palmerston, Ngunnawal and Amaroo they performed poorly by comparison, with their votes going to Labor and to the Australian Motorist Party.

In the last election commuting from the Gungahlin, and the Gungahlin Drive Extension in particular, was a major issue that would have undermined the Greens’ vote.

It does not have to do so at the coming election as the GDE will be duplicated before the poll and Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has now secured Commonwealth agreement for a Majura Lane parkway.

The Greens policies can now come into play. They will need to continue to advocate strongly for a fast and effective public transport system and for the establishment of Commonwealth offices and other employment to be located in the Gungahlin town centre – but they will have to do so with much more panache.

The difficulty for the Greens is they are often seen to focus on developing systems that effectively punish motorists rather than emphasising the parts of their policies that encourage multiple use of cars and fast, efficient public transport systems that link the town centres.

Greens MLA Meredith Hunter has argued that growing support for her party will shield it from any adverse effects. However, it is important for the Greens to understand just where the support is coming from and which policies to emphasise if they are to maintain four seats in the Assembly.

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

Malcolm in the muddle

Radio broadcaster and failed independent candidate MARK PARTON discovers he’s in with a chance at the next ACT election. Maybe, maybe not...

SO I’m on air the other day talking about the proposed changes to the electoral boundaries in the ACT; we’ve taken some callers and I’m discussing it with veteran political commentator Malcolm Mackerras. He’s all for the changes.

Malcolm tells me that the new boundaries would force a change to the make up of the Assembly and that the Greens’ influence would lessen. He tells me that after 2012. the Assembly will be seven Labor, six Liberal, three greens and an independent… and he goes on to explain to me on my own radio program that the independent would be me!

I did point out to Malcolm that this theory was based on the premise of my running as a candidate in 2012 and Malcolm just gave me a wink.

It was a phone interview, but I could still see him winking.

I don’t always agree with Malcolm, but I think he’s right in supporting the redistribution. It’s always seemed crazy to me that Molonglo straddles the lake in a way which sees the seat stretch from just north of Kambah right up to Amaroo. Under the proposed changes, Ginninderra would include Belconnen and Gungahlin and

Lyneham, O’Connor and Turner. The rest of the inner-north would stay with Molonglo. Ginninderra would become the “people-mover”, the seven-seater and Molonglo would be reduced to a “sedan”, a five-seater.

The ABC’s Antony Green agrees that this would potentially remove one Green from Assembly.

I don’t think ACT Labor will be displeased about the potential redistribution. Under the old scenario, Labor would have had some problems filling the electoral vacuum caused by the departure of Jon Stanhope. The former chief minister didn’t just have supporters in Ginninderra, he had worshippers and the Labor section of the ballot paper was set to look a little empty without his name on it.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher suggested to me last week she would, under the proposed new scenario, stand in Ginninderra simply because she would be residing in the seat.

When is that election again? October next year and I am very happy doing what I’m doing right now.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC

Amanda in the real(ty) world

By Freyla Ferguson

FROM a cadet journalist to the CEO of one of the biggest organisations in the country – Amanda Lynch has lead an impressive career.

Ms Lynch was appointed CEO of Real Estate Institute of Australia in April and has hit the ground running.

“Some of my friends say, ‘from journalist to CEO’, but what they don’t realise is that a lot of the job is about communication,” she said.

Already, Ms Lynch and her president have “rubbed shoulders” with ministers and shadow ministers at Parliament House, lobbying hard for the real estate industry.

The hot issues for REIA include impacts of the carbon tax, first-home buyers, supply constraints, banking competition and taxation.

“There are lots of relevant issues at the moment, one was the idea of negative gearing,” she said.

“The Government, we believe, were considering removing [negative gearing], we’ve been very heavily lobbying the Government and working with other industry groups HIA and Master Builders Australia... two groups whose interests don’t always coincide with ours but we are building partnerships and collaborating.”

She said the October tax forum is also high on her agenda.

“Taxation is a big issue for us on the supply side, we believe that land-release policies and too many State taxes are actually holding the supply of housing back,” she said.

“We believe it is making it more difficult for people to afford houses.

“If I can achieve anything in REIA, it would be to encourage people to get into the housing market and build their long-term security.”

Ms Lynch began her career in journalism at “The Canberra Times”, before moving on to 666 ABC, “Sunday Sun” (Brisbane), “The Advertiser” (Adelaide) and magazine publisher Emap in London.

She’s held parliamentary positions as senior adviser, chief of staff and media adviser including senior political adviser to Peter Dutton, chief of staff to Gary Hardgrave and assistant media adviser to former Howard Government ministers Alexander Downer and Amanda Vanstone.

Ms Lynch was also the director of Govern-

Real

Have pram, will push it

By Megan Haggan

BEING a new mum – or a mum new to Canberra – can be an isolating experience for many women, especially in winter, says Naomi Scamp, spokesperson and walking mum at Weston Creek’s new parenting group, Weston Pram Pushers.

Pram Pushers, meeting at Cooleman Court every Monday morning, go outside and walk for 20 minutes, spend 20 minutes at a playground or park, and then return to the shopping centre for a coffee. It’s the first Pram Pushers group to operate from a shopping centre in Canberra.

ment relations/public affairs for the Australian Local Government Association.

Born in Perth, Ms Lynch moved to Adelaide at a very young age. After completing high school she moved to Canberra to attend ANU, studying politics, English literature and the arts.

After finding a love for journalism with university newspaper “Woroni” – Ms Lynch began working as a cadet journalist at “The Canberra Times”.

She left Canberra for London and later Adelaide, but returned to Canberra to further her political career.

Now tackling “very contentious” housing issues with REIA, she’s established Canberra her home for the unforeseeable future – pursuing her interests in the arts as chair of M16 Artspace.

“It’s a good way to be able to meet people in the community, to actively do something and make a few new contacts. It’s also great because it’s local: it’s knowing the people around you,” says Naomi, who’s mum to four-year-old Levi and 11-month-old Tarryn.

She said one mum, who came to the first walk had a six-week-old baby, “almost didn’t come, because she’d had a bad night with the baby, but was a different person afterwards.

“She couldn’t get into a mother’s group till August, her husband was back at work and so, like a lot of us, she was finding being a new mum really isolating.”

The program has been established by Communities@Work, and is also endorsed by the Heart Foundation: it’s an official Heart Foundation Walking Group.

Mums, dads, grandparents and carers are all welcome to attend, and the group plans to follow a different route every week for variety. More information at www.commsatwork. org or on 6126 9000.

DON AITKIN sees a tendency towards gloom and despondency in the Western world today.

Don’t worry, be happy

OVER the past week or so I have been viewing the series of TV programs made by Kenneth Clark, called “Civilisation”. Throughout the series he kept emphasising a point that I think is highly relevant to politics today.

It is this: civilisations look strong, but they are fragile, and they begin to decay when people lose confidence in themselves and in the ruling values, skills and purpose of their society. That thought seems to me to underpin something of what I see as the tendency towards gloom and despondency in the Western world today.

It is not the mood I remember from the 1960s, when my own career was in sharp ascent. Then everything seemed possible. It was not just me. John Kennedy, the young President of the US, seemed to see the possibilities for the human future as both attainable and desirable. His successor, Lyndon Johnson, was to say similar things, and he began a war on poverty itself.

In England, Harold Wilson, PM from 1964, echoed Johnson in telling the Brits that the future was good, and he could see it. Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a gifted French politician and journalist, said much the same in France. Pierre Trudeau offered the same insight in Canada when PM from 1968, and in our own country Gough Whitlam, not yet PM, seemed of the same stuff.

I think they were good days, and much that we of that generation hoped for has arrived, at least in some form. So why the gloom, the timidity, in our politics – not just in Australia, but in the Western world generally?

I’m not sure. But some of the ingredients are obvious enough. The collapse of the Soviet Union, whose presence and influence was the backdrop

to those times, has gone, but no one much is happier. A new rival to the West has appeared in a resurgent and angry Islam. Spectres of an overpopulated world, a thermageddon where the world is uninhabitable because of greenhouse gas emissions, and the collapse of the economic world as we have known it appear in the media almost daily.

Why aren’t we confident than we can solve these problems as we have solved other major worries? After all, our society is very much better educated than was the case 50 years ago. Australia is some three times richer per head of population, as well as three larger in population. We have tens of thousands of clever scientists and researchers generally.

Part of it, I think, is that we have lost a strong sense of “us”. Societies are always in tension between communal needs and private desires, and ours at the moment is pretty much devoted to the latter. If that is to change we will need articulate and persuasive leaders who can jolt us out of the feeling that all is gloom, and show us that much of what we would like to see for our society is indeed possible.

I admit that I have been saying something like that for a while now, and still have to see anything that looks or talks like such a leader. And I also ought to admit that Lord Clark made that program, and was saying those wise words, in the 1960s, not last year. He was then most gloomy about our civilisation’s chances of success – just as I thought things were going gangbusters!

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

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Who? Him who?”

“You know, Silas Brown, that snapper from CityNews.”

“What’s he doing in McKellar?”

“Shooting something next door.”

“Hoi, Silas, take a snap of us in our winter suits.”

“Did he hear you?”

“Don’t think so...”

Civic interchange ‘designed by a pre-schooler’

IT’S an interesting reflection on the ACT Government’s alleged green credentials when we see streams of ministerial announcements talking up a new $45m edifice to the car park being built at The Canberra Hospital, while the centre of our city’s bus network is an unorganised ramshackle of an interchange.

Despite its agreement with the Greens, and its pandering to the bus unions, actual bus patrons still have a Civic Bus Interchange where the roads are beset by

‘I

roll my eyes in disbelief!’

AS part of the ongoing discussion regarding the future of the Fitters’ Workshop in Kingston, I would like to ask the question: Why is the actual Fitters’ Workshop building so important to the future growth of the Megalo Print Group?

The current counter argument against all arts groups having access to an upgraded Fitters’ Workshop, is that if the correct form is filled in, the correct boxes ticked and an interdepartmental meeting is held the outcome is therefore sacrosanct! I roll my eyes in disbelief!

Because of a lack of input or facts regarding the actual art of printing in the debate from Megalo and its supporters, one can only assume that there is some secret printing business that currently takes place at the old high school in Watson and that in the future this secret process can only be performed in the Fitters’ Workshop in Kingston.

I would suggest that to release the details on this act of printing mysticism would go a long way to allowing the music and choral arts participants in this debate to see the Megalo Print groups need in a much clearer light. Any reasonable person can only make an informed decision once they have all the facts in front of them. This also applies to the ACT Government when they implement the final decision on this matter. We hope for commonsense and a positive solution for all.

Warren curry, Kingston

potholes and the roof panels of numerous bus platforms have been broken or missing for years.

As if that isn’t bad enough, with the recent bus network changes, new platforms were created with no shelter at all, and in some cases no seating. To stay dry, patrons must wait under the protection of nearby buildings, blocking access to shops and other facilities.

With the amount of haphazard changes made to the interchange over the past

three years, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking it was designed by a pre-schooler during a red-cordial rush.

If the ACT Government was genuinely interested in the environment or improving bus patronage, they’d be spending their $45m of capital works funding on a bus interchange that not only functions, but also keeps bus patrons dry, instead of promoting increased exhaust fumes around The Canberra Hospital.

J D Matthews,

via email

‘Over the moon’ about carbon tax

TODAY, as a young person, I am over the moon. At the UN Rio Earth Summit in 1992, all the countries present (including Australia) signed a document that stated that carbon pollution was a problem and that the best way to solve it would be to introduce a price on its emission per tonne. That was 1992, the year I was born.

And today, 19 years later, it has been announced in Australia and is set to pass Parliament. The carbon price announced by the Government is not perfect but is a fantastic and essential first step to transition the Australian

economy to 100 per cent renewable sources of energy. It proposes an 80 per cent reduction in emissions on 2000 levels by 2050, a target that, if taken up by the rest of the world, will protect the future of young people from the worst impacts of climate change.

Today is a historic day, but more needs to be done to safeguard the future of our generation and to support the countries that stand to lose everything. We will continue to fight for a safe future. And lastly, Prime Minister Gillard, thank you.

Benjamin Huttner-Koros, a randa

At the Export Leaders’ lunch, Hyatt Hotel

At the ‘Out of the West’ exhibition opening, National Gallery of Australia

all about the arts

Serious side to making it up as you go along

By Helen Musa

IMPROVISATION is not a casual thing, these days it’s a serious artistic business, according to Impro Theatre ACT’s artistic director Nick Byrne, who’s been leading the movement here for six years. To prove it, he’s organising a slap-up international improvisation festival called “Improvention” at The Street Theatre.

With funding from artsACT, he’s hosting international performers and directors such as Randy Dixon from Seattle and Felipe Ortiz from Columbia.

The second festival of its kind, it will run over six nights of advanced-skills workshops and public performances.

And it’s not just “Theatresports” short-form improvisation.

But even that was never what it seemed, Byrne explains. For the inventor of Theatresports, Keith Johnstone, hit on the concept after seeing entertainment wrestling, in which performers are really collaborating with each other, though to audiences they seem to be in competition.

So in the great “North v South Theatresports” battle in May over which side of Lake Burley Griffin is better, there was a good deal of camaraderie.

At The Street, there will be long and short-form impros and sometimes both.

In “The Gift”, improvisations will be drawn together to make a 50-minute piece by Melbourne improviser/director Marko Mustac, where each performer must bring something to

“gift” to other improvisers.

Swedish improvisation master Per Gottfredsson will take on a serious challenge by training a group in how to produce a 50-minute work in the style of Strindberg.

Other ventures include a rock opera, which will grow out of a half-day workshop with Melbourne director Tim Redmond, three musicians and, when eventually performed as a long, sung-through musical, a cast of around eight, some who have only just completed a term of classes.

“Suddenly they’ll be taken to a new level,” Byrne says.

So what kinds of Canberrans like to improvise? Byrne says: “We endeavour to get as many people from as many environments to improvise.”

Improvisers are not usually conventional actors. The vast majority are public servants, lawyers and teachers. Byrne and his colleagues have been studying the psychological and workplace benefits of joining in: it’s fun, like stand-up comedy; and it breeds confidence. A third of the people who sign up for classes will stay for the long-term and become impro addicts.

There’s an unexpected side benefit, says Byrne – selfless behaviour. “Impro theatre just doesn’t work unless you observe give and listen to other performers,” he says.

“Improvention” , The Street Theatre, July 18-24. Bookings to 6247 1223.

More information at www.impro.com. au/act

Arabic revolution and romance

arts in the city

Helen Musa

FEATURING revolution, romance and stark reality, the Arab Film Festival is in Canberra until July 21 at the Arc Cinema. Settings include tunnels below the border of Israel, wartime Beirut, Cairo in January 2011, the streets of Morocco and even suburban Australia – it’s about as up to date as it could be. Full program at arabfilmfestival.com.au

TERRIFIC news for opera lovers that CinemaLive and Greater Union Manuka will screen Opera Australia’s famous “La Dolce Vita” production of Verdi’s Rigoletto July 23-27. Elijah Moshinsky originally directed this production. Alan Opie plays the hunchback jester, with Emma Matthews as his daughter Gilda.

F OR a different audience on July 24, they’ll screen André Rieu’s annual concert series from Maastricht direct via satellite. Bookings to www. eventcinemas.com.au

BARBARA van der Linden’s next portrait in her marathon Canberra

Centenary project series is of graphic designer Frank Arnold. “He looks like Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones and we can imagine his life sometimes runs in close parallel,” she says. HURRY, hurry, hurry to book for the following two concerts: creative director of Canberra’s Centenary Robyn Archer is incredibly busy, but not too busy to perform “The Other Great American Songbook” at The Street, July 16-17. Bookings to 6247 1223. Then the Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, is at Wesley Uniting

Church, 7.30pm, July 19 and 20. Bookings to 6232 7248 or email wesleymc@ bigpond.net.au Full program at www. wesleycanberra.org.au/music

ARTIST Steve Roper is organising an exhibition of work by himself, Mac Nichols, Moira Nelson, Margot Hislop, Terry Everston and Jo Telfer at Cafe Yala at CIT Reid campus, MondayFriday, until August. The fabulous title? “Woof Cluck Moo Neigh”. No prizes for guessing that animals feature prominently.

THE National Film and Sound

Archive tells us that the Film Australia Collection, consisting of about 5000 titles, has been transferred from Screen Australia to the management and care of the NFSA. What a coup.

CARO Roach, ACT ArtsAbility Officer, is naturally chuffed that Federal Arts Minister Simon Crean has announced $500,000 in Australian Government funding for Arts Access Australia, the national peak body for arts and disability.

REMEMBER our call for unloved 35mm film cameras? Well, West Belconnen Child and Family Centre is hosting classes where ace photographer, Lee Grant, will teach photography as art and as journalism beginning on August 4. It’s free, but be quick. Bookings to 6264 0232 or simone. penkethman@bcsact.com.au

ROB Riley’s 10th solo show, (and his fourth in Canberra) “Screen Graphics – Common Sites”, is at CCAS Manuka until July 17. Riley’s paintings are “vertically gridded 2D planes with freeform, painterly shapes floating on their surfaces” and owe much to familiar online sites.

College tastes gold

again

ERINDALE College has won the annual Australian Culinary Federation ACT’s Secondary Schools Culinary Competition for the second consecutive year and is heading to the Gold Coast for the national competition next month. The overall winners, Andria Bencich and Nathan Ballard, produced a teriyaki crusted salmon with Asian-inspired vegetables, pork and salmon sausage, vermicelli noodle basket, lychee puree and wasabi marshmallows.

The competition, held at the CIT Reid, gave ACT secondary school students studying a food or hospitality course the opportunity to cook-off against each other. Nineteen teams of two had an hour to prepare and cook their masterpieces using Atlantic salmon, vegetables, starch and a garnish.

The competition was judged by top Canberra chefs Tom McDonnell, Hartmut Kehm, Paul Butler and Keaton McDonnell.

–Megan Lewis

By Helen Musa

Searching for a gruffalo More magic, please

WHAT actually is a gruffalo? Well, that’s the whole joke in the popular children’s book by Julia Donaldson that first introduced this mysterious creature.

And that will be the question some will ask of the musical production of “The Gruffalo’s Child”, coming to town later in July.

A little mouse mimics the strength of the mysterious gruffalo in the certain knowledge that there is no such creature. However, to his surprise, a real gruffalo appears and helps transform him into the Big Bad Mouse. I am told that Donaldson got the idea from an ancient Chinese tale where the fox borrows the menace of the tiger.

As in all good sequels, there is a child, in this case not the son of gruffalo but his daughter. She goes on a lone adventure into the deep, dark wood looking for her dangerous adversary, where she meets creatures such as the snake, the owl and the fox from the first “Gruffalo” story. The company is promising puppetry, physical theatre and “paw-tapping music”

Stephen Anderson as Fox, Crystal Hegedis as Mouse and Chandel Brandimarti as the Gruffalo’s child.

for kids aged four and up. The stars, Stephen Anderson, Chandel Brandimarti and Crystal Hegedis, are all NIDA graduates. With a huge creative team, including former Canberra costume maker Matthew Aberline (who also did the costumes for Nancye Hayes and Reg Livermore in

“Turns”), this is the perfect antidote to the many mediocre shows that are thrust on children these days.

“The Gruffalo’s Child”, Canberra Theatre, July 20-23. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Ghost story with panache

“FROM

TIME TO TIME” (PG)

BETWEEN 1954 and 1976, Lucy M Boston set six spooky novels for children in the fictional country house that she called Green Knowe. The BBC serialised the first in 1986. In 2009, Julian Fellowes adapted the second into this feature filmed at Athelstane in Dorset.

In the late 18th century, Maria (Carice van Houten) the Dutch wife of Royal Navy captain Oldknowe (Hugh Bonneville) bears Susan (Eliza Hope Bennett) blind from birth and Sefton (Douglas Booth) who in adolescence has become despicable.

In 1945, 13-year-old Tolley Oldknowe (Alex Etle) arrives to stay with his grandmother (Maggie Smith) who occupies the house with Tweedle her cook (Pauline Collins) and gardener/handyman Boggis (Timothy Spall) whose ancestor was doing the same job in 1811. Tolley is certain that his soldier father will return from war. Grandmother is less sanguine of that.

Grandmother has financial worries. In 1811, while socially-ambitious Maria was giving a dinner, one wing of the building burned down. And the family diamonds, plate and other valuables went missing.

On this foundation, Julian Fellowes has built a ghost story with more going for it than many

run-of-the-mill frighteners. The relationship between Grandmother and Tolley takes time to coalesce. Grandmother, Tweedle and Boggis don’t download family history that Tolley’s Midlands mother hasn’t told him until after Tolley meets the spectres of Susan and the African boy (Kwayedza Kureya) whom the captain brought to be her companion.

People familiar with Ms Boston’s books may object to Fellowes’ variations, which I’m told are extensive. But the result is almost credible, a charming mix of ghost story and time travel, entertaining, sometimes tense, warmly affectionate and acted with some panache.

At Greater Union

“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr” Courtyard Studio, until July 17. Reviewed by Bill Stephens

i N its original form, the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast” was conceived as a stage spectacular with lavish sets, costumes and theatrical effects.

Though still quite ambitious, Free Rain Theatre’s version is much more simply staged, with a large cast, lots of costumes and an impressive setting taking up the full length of one side of the Courtyard Studio. The studio is not an easy venue in which to make fairytale magic, but director Barbara Denham has managed to pull a few rabbits out of the hat. Even so, some of the performances are surprisingly tentative, possibly due to having to sing to pre-recorded music, or difficulties in getting on and off-stage quickly with only a couple of stage entrances. More of the attack and panache displayed by Nathan Fernandez as Lumiere, would be welcome and although the singing is pretty, the deletion of a couple of the slower songs might please some younger members of the audience.

Sarah James is a pretty Belle and Lachlan Whan works hard at being beastly. By the end of the season they will, hopefully, have learned the knack of arriving at the finale with neat hair befitting a story-book prince and princess.

Kobi Sutherland (Cogsworth), Sophie Finney (Mrs Potts) Cameron Taylor (Chip) and Pippin Carroll (Lefou) all contribute special moments to a charming production that needs perhaps a little more sharpening to achieve real magic.

arts&entertainment

Lunch with a taste of chaos

THE Griffith shops is a haven for food lovers, with wellestablished, classy Aubergine and Rubicon at one end of the spectrum and the long-standing, cheap and cheerful Griffith Vietnamese Restaurant at the other.

In the middle sits We Graze at Griffith (formerly E.U. Café). It looks small, but there is a large area out back, behind the kitchen, with indoor and outdoor seating.

It was here that we settled in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. I had called ahead and been told the kitchen was open until 3pm, but on arrival were “warned” that closing time was 2.30pm (this was before anyone welcomed us to the café).

We Graze has an extensive menu, which features a page headed “We love our mussels”, promising big pots for $25. We were disappointed that there were no mussels that day – a supplier issue, apparently.

dining

Wendy Johnson

Now what? The grazing menu? These dishes ($9 to $14) include confit shredded duck salad, garlic mushrooms and crispy haloumi bruschetta. Some interesting items, but we grazed by reading the rest of the menu.

In the end it was good old pasta and pizza. The chilli prawns fettuccine with Napoli sauce ($18 small; $22 large) was surprisingly sweet and my friend was definitely in the mood for more chilli.

My handmade “gourmet” pizza, on a thin crust, was tasty ($15). It featured cured meats, spiced chorizo, pepperoni, mushroom, prosciutto, capsicum, boconccini and a small bit of jalapeno. I couldn’t plough through it, although was proud for giving it a go.

We Graze at Griffith has wooden chairs with fabric seating (black and white floral design) and bench seating. An old-fashioned bubble-gum machine sits in the

Tear-jerking triumph

STEPHEN Pike delivers another winner with this assuredly directed and deeply moving production of the Willy Russell musical “Blood Brothers”.

An explosive mix of drama, comedy and song, “Blood Brothers” centres on the bonds of human nature between mothers and sons, brothers and lovers, and tells a simple moral tale of a destitute, loving working-class mother forced by poverty to give up one of her twin sons to her manipulative rich employer.

Outstanding as the mother, Christine Forbes, in an acting tour-de-force, delivers her songs with stunning clarity and provides the strong thread which links all the component parts. She provokes real sympathy as she transitions between carefree young girl to careworn anxious mother.

Ben Kindon and Peter Ricardo are totally believable as the twin brothers separated at birth. Both are a joy to watch

MUSICAL THEATRE

“Blood Brothers, The Musical” Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre until July 23. Reviewed by Bill Stephens

negotiating the tricky acting job of progressing from sevenyear-olds playing cowboys and indians to teenagers swapping sweets for porn magazines, effortlessly capturing the childlike innocence and humour.

Joanna Richards, too, gives a sweet and touching performance as their friend Linda, while Sarah Golding succeeds beautifully in capturing the inner torment of the conniving Mrs Lyons. Roy Hukari is mesmerising as the sinister narrator.

With excellent supporting performances, superb orchestra, atmospheric settings and restrained lighting design, this is a must-see production, with an inevitable shattering climax that left many in the first-night audience in tears.

corner – a quirky element for sure. It was all going okay until the “witching hour” when the staff seemed to decide it was more important to set the tables for dinner than to pay attention to us as customers.

So we sat watching someone almost toss plates and cutlery about and were amazed at how noisy the process was (a more gentle approach may have helped control the sense of chaos we felt).

Then that person discussed with another staff member, in a loud voice that echoed through the dining area, that night’s bookings – oblivious to our presence.

No one asked if we enjoyed our meal. I can’t even remember if we were encouraged to have a cup of Fairtrade organic blend coffee. All I remember is we didn’t seem welcome, so we asked for the bill and left – forever.

We Graze at Griffith, fully licensed with no byo. 2/4 Barker Street, Griffith. Open Tuesday to Thursday 11am-10pm, Saturday and Sunday brunch, Saturday dinner 6pm till late. Call 6295 6915.

home&garden

Plant now for spring’s rewards

gardening

cedric Bryant

HERE are some suggestions of trees that blossom well into the start of summer.

Prunus campanulata or Taiwan Cherry is very early for a flowering cherry. The single, bell-shaped, deep, cyclamen-red flowers hang in clusters appearing in late August.

For those with limited space, you cannot go wrong with Prunus “Okame”, growing to 2mx2m with masses of rose-pink single blooms in early September. I have seen this grown successfully in a large container.

The first of the crabapples to flower is Malus “Profusion” starting in early September. This is a small tree suitable for most gardens, growing 3mx3m with single, deep-purplish flowers.

Plant a Malus purpurea now for a spectacular sight in mid-spring as illustrated here.

I did mention in an earlier article Malus ionensis plena, described as the “most beautiful flowering crabapple” and given the prestigious Award of Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1940.

This magnificent blossom tree, which I highly recommend, was said to have given hope in the dark days of World War II.

It is just not possible to list all the spring and summer blossom trees. These are a few suggestions that I hope will tempt you to visit your local garden centre to see the full range, as these trees need to be planted without delay while they are still dormant.

SPRING is indeed coming, although the first week in July tested that thought with 8-10C days and blizzard conditions!

i note the Fraxinus oxicarpa or ash trees are coming into leaf, as are the flower buds on Manchurian pears.

This leads me to an important reminder regarding pruning of deciduous trees and shrubs. Pruning should be completed before the sap seriously starts to rise with a few simple rules to follow, at least with small trees and shrubs in your garden.

Firstly, the three “Ds”, removing any dead, diseased or damaged branches, highly probable with the recent gale-force winds. This accounts for 90 per cent of the pruning, then remove any crossing over

branches that are rubbing against each other.

Like us, the bark is the skin of the tree and if it is damaged this can be an access point for disease or entry of pests. Then stand back and look at the general shape of the tree, maybe trimming a few wayward branches. For larger trees, I strongly recommend a qualified arborist or tree surgeon, vital if the trees or even large shrubs are near power lines.

A HARBINGER of spring for the semi-shady spots in your garden is Hellebores. These are now coming into stock in garden centres and the range of colours seems to increase every year with modern breeding techniques.

Planted in clumps with each plant about 30cm apart and in a few years they will have multiplied so you will never need to buy another helleborus, unless it’s in a colour you don’t have.

A REMINDER to complement the glorious array of bulbs, spring annuals will provide continuity of colour well into summer. However, these need to be planted without delay, allowing at least eight weeks from planting those fragile seedlings from the punnets to full flower.

Planting now with regular feeding, fol -

Helleborus... make a great show in early spring.

lowing my formula of “weakly, weekly”, the pansies and violas will be rewarding you at the start of Floriade in mid-September.

THE next monthly meeting of the Canberra Horticultural Society will be in the Vercoe Room, Wesley Uniting Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, at 7.30pm on Monday, July 18. The speaker will be retired weather forecaster and now a researcher at the ANU, Clem Davis, who will discuss “Climate change in the ACT region and the seasonal climate drivers”. All welcome.

THE weather of late is so extreme, it’s good to stay inside and read a garden book. A suggestion is “The New Ornamental Garden” by Simon Rickard (CSIRO Publishing, p/back, 280pp rrp $39.95).

CSIRO books are always meticulously researched and accurate in detail, and this book will assist the gardener in taking into account the changes in our climate.

Stephen Ryan of ABC’s “Gardening Australia” comments: “The text sparkles every bit as brilliantly as the images”. Excellent photos illustrate every plant together with suggestions of garden uses and cultivation.

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 1 – Apr 0)

July 18–24

Restless Rams – ‘Keep moving forward and don’t look back’ is your current motto. With Uranus barnstorming through your sign, you’re full of initiative as you step in and take the lead. Make sure you think things through though (especially mid-week). You don’t want to be saddled with the long-term consequences of impulsive and imprudent actions.

TAURUS (Apr 1 – May 0)

Jupiter is asking you to let go of the past, and stop worrying about the future. It’s time to enjoy the here and now. Be inspired by Carlos Santana (born on July 20): “The present is where everything begins.” Don’t let jealousy or guilt games spoil a wonderful weekend. If you are possessive, it will only drive others away. There’s plenty of love for everyone!

GEMINI (May 1 – June 1)

With Mars in your sign you’ve got energy to burn, but make sure you channel it into productive pursuits (like travel, study or community projects). Mental activities and communication are favoured, as you pick up information with lightning speed. Geminis love nothing better than a good old gossip but resist the urge to be the neighbourhood nosey-parker.

CANCER (June  – July )

The Sun and Venus are in your sign, which boosts your Cancerian charisma. So it’s the perfect time to turn up the charm factor and call in some old favours. But comfort eating is a danger so try to nurture yourself in less fattening ways! Pluto is slowly transforming your ideas about love and intimacy, as you strive for more depth in your close relationships.

LEO (July  – Aug )

With Uranus activating your adventure zone, many Lions are dreaming of exotic getaways that are off the beaten track. If you’re planning a trip, don’t be too safe in your choice of destination. Be inspired by birthday great Amelia Earhart: “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” The Sun shimmies into your sign on the weekend, so you’re ready to shine.

VIRGO (Aug  – Sept )

Group activities are favoured this week, but try not to upset the convivial vibes by being a carping critic. Make sure your comments are constructive and positive. Some Virgos will bump into an old friend, discover long-forgotten loveletters, or re-connect with a former flame. Just remember – memories are so seductive because they’re so damn selective …

LIBRA (Sept  – Oct )

Laidback Librans can be a luxury-loving, lazy bunch as you enjoy the good times and go out of your way to avoid hard work. Not anymore! With serious Saturn moving slowly through your sign (until October 2012) it’s time to accept extra responsibilities with grace, grit and determination. For some lucky singles, love and work are lusciously linked.

SCORPIO (Oct  – Nov 1)

Professional projects are favoured, as Mercury boosts your ability to communicate clearly and creatively. You’re in the mood to manipulate others on Thursday but be warned – loved ones are primed to fight back, so you may find you’ve bitten off more than you can comfortably chew. Snuggle up with someone special on Sunday; it’s time to make love not war!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov  – Dec 1)

Serious Saturn is testing platonic relationships. Is a close mate the real deal? Perhaps it’s time to finally give a fair-weather friend the flick? Look at what they are doing, rather than what they are saying – actions usually speak louder than words. On the weekend, you have the opportunity to inspire others with your sunny Sagittarian smile and positive attitude.

CAPRICORN (Dec  – Jan 1)

Does life seem like all work and no play at the moment? Hang in there Goats – the professional skills you polish now will pay off handsomely further down the track. Resist the urge to be too fussy and finicky on Friday. Sunday is the day to spend quality time with a child, teenager or friend as you explore a new sport, hobby or creative activity together.

AQUARIUS (Jan 0 – Feb 1)

Aquarians love to rock the boat but resist the urge to be a disruptive influence on Thursday, when the Moon joins up with unpredictable Uranus (your ruling planet). Aim to be passionate and proactive – rather than rebellious and reckless. With Mercury in your relationship zone (until July 29), clear communication is the secret to positive partnerships.

PISCES (Feb 1 – Mar 0)

With Neptune in your sign, you intuitively know what you want –even though you may appear confused to others. (Welcome to Planet Pisces!) So don’t let loved ones push you around or persuade you to do something you don’t believe in. Having fun with children is highlighted, as you re-connect with your inner child in creative (and slightly chaotic) ways.

general knowledge crossword

Across

1 What is another term for a spanner?

8 What do we call extra working hours?

9 Which establishment is used for gambling games?

10 Name the capital of Jamaica.

11 What, in golf, is one under par?

12 Which imperial land measure is approximately one quarter of an acre?

13 Name a more readily known term for a bingle.

16 What was once known as a composition?

19 To be adjacent is to what?

21 Which paint dries to a hard, glossy surface?

22 What is an externally heated piece of equipment for pressing clothes?

23 What is the chest also known as?

24 Name a member of a "government by the few".

25 Which term describes a registered nurse?

Down

2 What is the taking of a practical rather than a moral view in human problems, etc?

3 Name the classes of waternymphs fabled to dwell in streams and springs.

4 Which rugby player gets the ball out of the scrum?

5 What is a large body of troops?

6 What are short, simple songs?

7 Name a place where fronded plants are grown.

13 Which crocus has handsome purple flowers?

14 What are soluble mineral salts?

15 Name another term for a place of abode.

17 What are downhill skiing races over winding obstacle courses?

18 What is an arithmetical mean?

20 Which fractions are similar to two twentieths?

Defence Housing holds on to inner-south office

CANBERRA’S inner-south has recorded the largest leasing transaction for 011.

Defence Housing Australia recently signed up for a new deal to stay on in its 2819sqm office lease at  Brisbane Avenue in Barton.

In the lead up to lease expiry in August, the Commonwealth Government authority searched the Canberra city centre as well as Woden for options, but found its current location hard to beat.

According to Ross Jordan, company secretary at DHA, other areas were attractive, but didn’t have the complete package that Barton offers.

The organisation looked seriously at Equinox Business Park in Deakin as well as locations in Woden and the CBD.

“Barton is a really central position in Canberra allowing easy access to Russell as well as Parliament House, both places our staff need to attend regularly,” he said.

The new 10-year term was brokered on behalf of the property owner by Michael Ceacis, associate director at Colliers International.

“It was a great result retaining a Commonwealth tenant of the calibre of DHA and securing

commercial property t im Humphrey

100 per cent occupancy for the building,” Mr Ceasis said.

Canberra’s inner-south continues to be highly sought after by landmark office tenants in government and the private sector, and few willingly make the move to other areas.

For example, the Treasury recently decided to stay on in its 641sqm space at 39 Brisbane Avenue, while law firm Minter Ellison – which has been actively in the market for around 3000sqm – is understood to be close to finalising a leasing deal to stay put in its current premises.

Managing partner Paul McGuiness was unable to comment specifically on the upcoming deal, but indicated it was a sensitive time in negotiations.

Other tenants actively in the market in the inner-south at present include new legal practice HWL Ebsworth (600-800sqm), Grey Advertising (400-450sqm), ASIC (500sqm) and CPSU (1500sqm).

Tim Humphrey is editor of Property Daily, a market news and intelligence service focused on commercial property markets nationally. www. propertydaily.com.au

L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0424 288 717 3BR J

Hooker Tuggeranong 0438 627 772 3BR I

BELCONNEN

Canberra Region Property Summary

100%

BRUCE

465 4BR H

Sat 1:00-2:00 55 Overall Ave Premier Capital Properties 0422 266 555 5BR H Sat 2:00-3:00 11 Borthwick Ave Premier Capital Properties 0422 266 555 5BR H

Sat 2:00-3:00 16 Renfree St First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 4BR H Sat 2:00-3:00

Renfree St First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 4BR H Sat 2:00-2:30 3 Wighton Tce Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0407 703 443 4BR G

Sat 2:30-4:00 68 Ashston Calvert St Peter Blackshaw Inner North 0409 007 313 4BR H Sat 2:30-4:00 David Miller Cr Luton Properties 0405 135 009 2BR K Sat 2:40-3:10 9 Walter Crocker

CHAPMAN

CHARNWOOD

Canberra Region Property Summary

CHIFLEY

CHISHOLM

THE ONLY MARKETING YOUR PROPERT Y NEEDS

CURTIN

EVATT

FADDEN

FADDEN HILLS

FARRER

FLOREY

FORDE

Kinalung Pl Luton Properties 0414 405 675 4BR G

Peter Blackshaw Belconnen 0411 092 990 4BR H

Capella

2:30-3:00

Canberra Region Property Summary 100%

969 4BR A

Woden 0411 414 624 4BR D

GOWRIE

GREENLEIGH ESTATE

HARCOURT HILL

GRIFFITH

Collyburl Cr Independent Tuggeranong 0414 985 800 4BR A

Cromwell Cct Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0412 726 025 3BR I

Tuggeranong

Woden 0401 218 325 4BR H

Sat 12:30-1:15 8 Burgan Gr McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0413 503 312 4BR A Sat 1:30-2:15 16A Breen Pl McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0413 503 312 2BR I

0417 681 981 3BR

0418 633 806 4BR

KALEEN

THE ONLY MARKETING YOUR PROPERT Y NEEDS

LYNEHAM

MCKELLAR

Canberra Region Property Summary

NEWACTON

MELBA

MONASH

NGUNNAWAL

MURRUMBATEMAN

NARRABUNDAH

100%

PIALLIGO

QUEANBEYAN

STIRLING

STROMLO/URIARRA

Canberra Region Property Summary

WANNIASSA

WARAMANGA

SWINGER HILL

SYMONSTON

THEODORE

TORRENS

4BR I Call Agent 2 Lane Pl Peter Blackshaw Belconnen 0411 092 990 3BR J SPRINGBANK RISE Sat 12:30-1:15 12 Bott Cr Luton Properties 0410 542 667 5BR G

1:30-2:45 31 Renouf St McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 701 465 4BR H

2:30-4:00 Blk L Section Cd First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H

2:30-4:00 Block C Sec Cd First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H Sat 2:30-4:00 Block Q Section Cd First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H Sat 2:30-4:00 Block R Section Cd First National Gungahlin 0433 557 337 4BR H

2:30-4:00

2:30-4:00

Plimsoll Dr First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 4BR H

Plimsoll Dr First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 2BR J

2:30-4:00 91 Plimsoll Dr First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 6BR D

Sat 2:30-4:00 97 Plimsoll Dr First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 3BR I

Sat 2:30-4:00 99 Plimsoll

First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 4BR I

First National Gungahlin 0408 413 405 4BR G

11:00-11:45 12 Bott Cr Luton Properties 0410 542 667 5BR G

TURNER

THE ONLY MARKETING YOUR PROPERT Y NEEDS