Canberra CityNews November 10, 2011

inspiration

Amazing Kate, from novice to star!

If you are looking for inspiration, you don’t need to look any further than Kate Silk, one of the great success stories in sport, writes TIM GAVEL

This time last year, Kate silk was preparing for her first triathlon. Before the Females in Training program, she had never owned a bike, nor run with a group of people, and hadn’t swum in years.

At 27, Kate, a physiotherapist at Calvary hospital, was well and truly out of her comfort zone, but she was determined to overcome any perceived barriers.

some barriers are real, others are perceived. For Kate, the mere thought of running, swimming and cycling in group training for the first time was as daunting as the race itself.

Another such barrier was swimming in Lake Burley Griffin for the first time. As luck would have it, the lake was closed for swimming on the day of her triathlon debut. i n the end, the triathlon became a duathlon and Kate didn’t need to swim after all, but the fears had been conquered, nonetheless.

briefly

Jamie’s in town

CELEBRITY garden designer Jamie Durie will be in Canberra for book-signing appearances on Tuesday, November 15. He will sign copies of his latest book “100 Gardens” at Dymocks Belconnen (11am-11.45am) and Tuggeranong (12.30pm-1.30pm).

Doctor talks drugs

CRIMINOLOGIST Dr Caitlin Hughes, a research fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, will address a public meeting at the Legislative Assembly Reception Room, 12.30pm, Thursday, November 17. Her topic is “What can we learn from the Portuguese decriminalisation of illicit drugs?” The meeting is organised by Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform and is hosted by Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan. Enquiries to 6254 2961 or email mcconnell@ffdlr.org.au

Marymead fete

balance. she says the role played by Females in Training cannot be underestimated.

coach the novices, supporting them through their triathlon debuts.

Remembering, of course, that this time last year she had never competed in the sport before, this time she faces a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90-kilometre bike ride and a half marathon.

With her life outside work now devoted to training, Kate says it has given her a sense of work-life

Kate completed her first event without any drama alongside her fellow debutants. From that moment, she was hooked. she was named the ACT Novice Triathlete of the Year and with a number of triathlons under her belt, Kate is now preparing for the Canberra half i ron Man in December.

INDEX

November 10-16, 2011

Since 1993: Volume 17, Number 43

Arts&Entertainment 27-30

Canberra Confidential 18

Cinema 28

Crossword 26

Dining 30

Fitness&Health 31

Home&Garden 32-35

Horoscope 26

News 3-13

Politics 10

Property 36-47

Social Scene 19-20

Sudoku 26

FRONT COVER: Gynaecologist and fertility specialist Dr Nicole Sides and plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Tony Tonks. Story Page 15. Photo by Silas Brown.

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Close to 600 women have taken part in the training program over the past 12 years, which includes three training sessions a week in preparation for their first triathlon.

Ages range from 18 to 73, with a large number in their late 60s preparing this year to compete in the longer event.

Often, women who have finished the course and competed in their first triathlon return as mentors to

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

Journalists: Freyla Ferguson, freyla@citynews.com.au Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au

Libby Hill, libby@citynews.com.au

Lisa Ridgley, lisa@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

For her part, Kate says, with the novice triathlon taking place the day before her half iron man, she is forced to take on a mentoring role, saving her energy for her big event. it is surely one of the great success stories in sport, not just women’s sport in Canberra. Encouragement is provided in such a way that it motivates people who, for one reason or another, have never attempted anything like this before. Well done, Females in Training.

THE annual fete at Marymead, will be held at 255 Goyder Street, Narrabundah, at 9am-1.30pm on Saturday, November 12. It will feature kids’ activities, craft, food, clothes, Devonshire tea, plants, books and bric-a-brac.

Post-natal positives

DR Rebecca Reay will address the value of “group support” at post-natal support group PANDSI’s fundraising twilight event at the Canberra Club, Level 1, 45 West Row, Civic, at 6pm, Monday, November 14. There will also be the opportunity to hear from two women who have experienced post-natal depression and taken part in PANDSI support groups. Registrations and more information at 6287 3961 or email info@pandsi.org.

In the pink, for a good cause

By Libby Hill

A DEDICATED group of ladies who lunch are proving they can make a difference – and host a social event worth talking about!

stunning venues, stalls, sparkling wine and signature petit fours are just some of the reasons the Children’s Medical Research i nstitute annual Canberra luncheon has become a notable event on the social calendar.

The 2011 luncheon will be held at Burra station homestead on Wednesday, November 16 and the theme is bright pink, says Carolyn Forster, who has been a member of the CMR i Canberra Committee since 1973.

“Out-of-town venues are always charming and it’s a great opportunity to lunch in the gardens of a country property, browse the Christmas stalls and relax with friends,” Carolyn says.

CMR i conducts research into childhood diseases and their consequences. it raises funds with the Jeans for Genes Day campaign each August and is supported by 27 fundraising committees around the country, of which the Canberra committee was the third established.

After 38 years, Carolyn is still as passionate as ever about helping out.

“i never resent one minute i spend with CMR i because it is such a worthwhile organisation.”

Carolyn says one-in-20 children is born

with a congenital abnormality or genetic disease.

As a mother of three and grandmother of five, Carolyn is aware that “having a healthy child is a real gift”.

she says the work of CMR i is so important because it conducts basic research into childhood disease.

“i f you can find the basis for a disease then you can fix it.

“By studying the key changes that occur during development we can identify when, where and how faults may occur.

“i f small problems can be detected at this stage they could be prevented from becoming big problems, or treated to reduce their impact on our children’s quality of life.”

having already raised $15,000 this year from Jeans for Genes day activity, the Canberra committee is aiming to match the $80,000 they raised last year for CMR i Carolyn says the committee is always looking for new members. For more information about the Canberra committee email cmricanberra@hotmail.com or phone 0437 510676.

More information about CMRI at www. cmri.org.au

What: Children’s Medical Research Institute Annual Canberra Luncheon

Where: Burra Station Homestead, Burra Creek

When: 11am-3pm, Wednesday, November 16

Cost: $75

Theme: Bright pink

Why: To socialise and raise money for the Children’s Medical Research Institute Enjoying the produce stalls.

GDE needs more speed

By Freyla Ferguson

ROADS ACT may be reviewing the speed limits on the GDE, but Alex Turini says there’s no reason why the speed limit can’t be set to 100km/h from Mitchell to the Tuggeranong Parkway.

“The road encourages high speeds,” says the founder of the watchdog website actroads.org.au

“I don’t see why it can’t be 100km/h with advisory signs on certain bends.”

Mr Turini said three days after the extended GDE opened, he was filmed driving along the new stretch of road and was overtaken by 22 cars.

He said a clause from the Australian Standards (1742.4 Section 2.1.2 (b)) says the speed limit can’t be too low that people ignore it.

And with the introduction of point-to-point cameras, he says all these factors are going to bolster belief in the community that speed limits and speed cameras are about revenue and not safety.

“It’s fuelling disrespect for speed limits and speed,” he said. “It’s almost negligent.”

The ACT Government’s website for the GDE had originally stated the road was designed for speeds of 90km/h. However, early last month the speeds were changed to 80km/h.

And as for traffic noise concerns from Kaleen and Aranda residents?

“In terms of noise, you can see the noise barriers as you go to Goulburn and Sydney,” he said.

“The GDE also has a great road surface where they have used hot seal tarmac compared to chip seal used on other roads.”

ACT Road’s review on the GDE will depend on tests including noise monitoring from homes at 16 locations. Car volumes and speeds will also be monitored.

More information at actroads.org.au

Digital portrait wins the prize

By Helen Musa

“W h AT a winner we have!” said curator suzie Edwards of the first-prize winner in this year’s Capital Chemist Art award at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.

“New media and a bit political,” is how Edwards described the limited-edition print on paper by Rodney Usback that proved the winning entry from 25 submitted to the competition across all media.

Usback’s work, “Behind the Mask” was created using a graphics tablet and digital paintbrushes in Adobe Photoshop and was accompanied

with an unusually strong artist’s statement.

“some non-indigenous Australians,” he says, “may never

know if they have Aboriginal ancestry; but they still dream! This artwork is a ‘universal’ self portrait for such people.”

Chef thrives on burgers and chips

By Freyla Ferguson

BACKED by 0 years’ experience as a chef, Peter Clark with wife Michelle left their successful Swinger Hill steak and seafood restaurant Terrapin, to own and run a fast food take-away van in Hume.

“it’s a better lifestyle,” Peter says.

“We are home every night, home all weekend.

“There’s better hours, although the hours are just as long.”

For the past four years, Peter and Michelle have owned Thomo’s Truck stop, a take-away van on Tralee street that services the industrial area of hume plus any truckies coming off the Monaro h ighway.

Their menu, the same menu used by the original owners who owned the business for 20 years, consists of the usual roadside fare – from salad rolls and sandwiches to beef and gravy rolls and riblet burgers.

A big change from Terrapin’s steak and seafood cuisine – the restaurant that, under Peter’s reign, had won best seafood restaurant in the ACT for three years running.

“The people who owned it were customers at the restaurant and they retired,” he said.

“it’s always been busy here and it’s gotten busier since the new estate has opened up.”

Peter says the biggest difference between running a restaurant to running a take-away van is

Chef Peter Clark and wife Michelle... “At the restaurant we were always doing something different,” he says. “But with the van it’s the same menu.”

the variety of food.

“At the restaurant we were always doing something different,” he says. “But with the van it’s the same menu, it can be repetitive.

“Although i do a bit of teaching in commercial cooking at night.”

Peter says they now serve up to 200 people a day thanks to their position in hume which allows trucks to pull over by the van.

“it’s been around for a while – so people know about us,” he says.

“There’s a few other little food vans that drive around, which i suppose is good.

“sometimes people don’t have a lot of time to get away from their businesses.

“We are stationary, they know we are here, whereas the ones that drive around can only be at one spot at a time.”

With the business going from strength to strength and hume continuing to grow, Peter and Michelle won’t be moving on anytime soon.

“i am quite happy with this,” Peter says.

Bowling for prostate

THE lawn bowling event “Bowl for Blue” is a day to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, to be held at Yowani Country Club (corner of Barton and Federal Highways) on November 19 with registration at 11.30am and games beginning at noon. $20 per person or $70 for a team of four. Bookings to 0400 034033 bowlforblue@ gmail.com

Leighton back on 2CA

LEIGHTON Archer will return to 2CA as breakfast announcer, replacing the retiring Greg Robson on Monday, December 5. Robson, who is leaving to pursue other business interests, will still be heard on the occasional fill-in shift.

Beyond intervention

A PANEL discussion, comprising the 2011 David Hunter Memorial Lecture, will be held at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, 15 Blackall Street, Barton, at 7.15 pm on Thursday, November 17. John Paterson, CEO of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT, and Prof Jon Altman, of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at ANU, will discuss “Beyond the Intervention: Aboriginal Development in the Northern Territory”. Refreshments will be provided. More information at antaract.wordpress.com or email antaract@yahoo.com.au.

Rotary shares the love

THE Rotary Club of Canberra will host its annual concert for seniors at The Albert Hall, Yarralumla, 2pm-4pm, on Sunday, November 20. Sing Australia will perform with the theme “Love is in the Air” and there will be a free afternoon tea. Bookings to 6282 3777.

Special kids do their best

MORE than 500 ACT school students with a disability converged on the AIS athletics track for the annual Be the Best You Can Be Athletics Carnival.

Students from primary and secondary schools and colleges participated in a rotation of activities including sprints, vortex throw, long jump and shot put. The students, who have either intellectual or physical disabilities, competed in specially modified sporting activities.

The carnival, in its 11th year, is a joint initiative between local law firm Snedden Hall and Gallop and ACTSport.

Photos by Silas Brown

Awards go to students who care

Patron General Peter Gration AC with the individual winners of the ACT Order of Australia Association’s annual student awards for citizenship and community service. From left, Natalia Nuutinen, of Melba Copland Secondary School, General Gration, Jeeven Nadanakumar, of Marist College and Gemma Armarego, of St Clare’s College. The school award went to Giralang Primary School. A certificate of commendation was awarded to Rachel Crampton Smith, of Melba Copland Secondary School.

Time to listen to the people

By c atherine c arter

T

h E most important consideration when choosing a home is the number of bedrooms, followed by safety for people and property, according to a report by the Grattan i nstitute.

Titled “The housing We’d Choose”, it reported on the preferences of more than 700 sydney and Melbourne-based respondents.

The survey found the rest of the top 10 considerations relate mainly to the neighbourhood: people want homes near public transport, near shops or a shopping centre, near family and friends.

Researcher Jane-Frances Kelly said the research showed that many of us do not want house-and-land packages. But shortages in inner areas indicated a desire for more variety in housing choice.

This is certainly the case in the ACT, as shown by the rapid pre-sales of apartments in and around Civic and the town centres.

But delivering what people want is challenging, especially in the ACT because of a range of onerous taxes, fees and charges, especially the noxious new lease-variation charge that is forcing up the costs of new apartment buildings.

Then there are extra costs for materials and labour, the search for available land and, finally, the sad reminder of the foibles of Australian planning systems – the delays and uncertainty that seem to be a basic characteristic of them all. Time to listen to the people.

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

On the White side of survival

FREYLA FERGUSON talks to a remarkable former athlete and journalist who won the fight of her life and wants to share the story...

BREA sT cancer survivor and former journalist AnneMarie White says if she was going to die at the hand of cancer she wanted to die “screaming and raging”.

AnneMarie, whose outstanding sports journalism and media career has led to an Order of Australia medal, a Prime Ministerial Award for “Outstanding Media Coverage” for her contribution to women in sport, plus dream gigs at the Athens Olympics and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, will speak at the Pretty in Pink – National Breast Cancer Foundation Luncheon at the Woden Tradies Club on November 12.

“i guess my dream is that just one dollar raised from a function i’ve spoken at, could be the dollar that funded the research that found the cure to cancer,” she says.

After her husband passed away four years ago, AnneMarie decided to start a new adventure and more recently moved to Canberra to be closer to her daughter and grandchild.

she has just recently taken on a communication position with Csi RO and is volunteering with F i T (Females in Training). she has also signed up to take part in the Tour de Femme 20 km cycling competition and the WAG - Tri (Women and Girl’s Triathlon).

“it’s a new adventure in my life,” she says.

“Once you are in a place, it’s best you be as involved in that place as you can be.”

AnneMarie was working part time at the ABC’s Toowong studios in Brisbane when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. The building was infamously abandoned in 2006 after being

associated with a cancer cluster, however AnneMarie doesn’t like to bring attention to the fact.

“it brings up a lot of memories for other people,” she says.

AnneMarie’s story of survival began on the Friday before Mother’s Day – the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“i n that weekend, i had to face my own death and i did wallow,” she said.

“Together with my family i did face the inevitable that i would die.

“But by Monday, i thought i would give it my best shot.”

And she did. After six months of chemotherapy and five years of medication she’s been given the all clear, but even then, she says, the chance of it coming back never goes away.

“i’ve always had the philosophy to live a big life,” she said.

“i realised how much more i wanted to live and do, and how much more i wanted to love and laugh.”

it was her battle with cancer and the inspirational women she met along the way that inspired her to write her book “Telling it Like it is: 23 Breast Cancer Journeys”.

she said if she could use her skill as a writer to raise money for cancer research she would “go to the grave knowing that i had contributed to the world.”

AnneMarie’s journalism career started in 1984.

“i was an athlete and i actually lost my cool with a newspaper in Toowoomba because they

Cancer survivor

AnneMarie White... “I realised how much more I wanted to live and do, and how much more I wanted to love and laugh.”

didn’t cover a women’s sporting event,” she said.

“i n the end the editor said: ‘Maybe you should do it’.

“Ever since then i’ve had a passion to see equality of media coverage for women and men in sport.”

AnneMarie was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2007, which saw her travel overseas and research “innovative ways of increasing media coverage of women in sport to provide positive healthy role models for young women.”

The following year she was awarded an OAM for her services promoting women in sport through media and advocacy.

AnneMarie has represented Queensland in netball, water polo swimming and has won national lifesaving titles.

she is also ranked in the top four in the world for Masters swimming, received gold and bronze medals for water polo, and represented Australia in the 2001 World Veterans Athletics Championships.

Pretty in Pink – National Breast Cancer Foundation Luncheon, at the Woden Tradies Club on Saturday November 12. Tickets at www.thetradies. com.au

Fun with Zonta

THE Zonta Dinner Club of Canberra is holding a fundraising dinner at Theatre 3, Repertory Lane, Acton, 5pm, on Sunday, November 27 themed “Out of order – Fawlty Towers meets Yes Minister”. The cost is $45 and bookings to mperdriau@hotmail.com

Chairman Phillips

KEN Phillips is the new chairman of the small business lobby group COSBOA. Mr Phillips, formerly deputy chairman, replaces Geoff Fader, who will continue as a director. Amanda Lynch has been appointed to the deputy’s role.

Climate forum

THE role of public transport in achieving Canberra’s 40 per cent emissions reduction target will be one issue discussed at a public forum at the Legislative Assembly, 12.30pm, Wednesday, November 23. The forum, organised by local climate group Canberra Loves 40%, marks one year since the target was set and will give all Canberrans the chance to quiz Deputy Chief Minister Simon Corbell and Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury.

Greenhills’ green award

THE Greenhills Centre, off the Cotter Road, has been recognised for its environmental leadership with the presentation of the inaugural Christian Venues Five Leaf EcoAward. The award is a new program to help Christian venues care for creation. After losing half its buildings in the 2003 bushfires, Greenhills embarked on a recovery to make its site bigger and better than before. In 2011, with new buildings, upgrades to the surviving facilities, landscaping and the establishment of a range of green initiatives, the centre has achieved that.

Katy caught in own quagmire

Chi EF Minister, Katy Gallagher has found herself in a quagmire over the process used in the appointment of the auditor-general.

The process so incensed the deputy chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Brendan smyth, that he resigned the position accusing the Chief Minister of using the committee as “a rubber stamp for Katy Gallagher’s decision”.

Any appointment to a position established under legislation, with a few exceptions – such as the judiciary – must be referred to the appropriate Legislative Assembly Committee requesting a committee perspective before the appointment is made.

The government does retain the power to proceed with an appointment even if the committee suggests that the appointment is inappropriate.

Nevertheless, any member of the Assembly has the right to challenge the appointment by moving a motion of disallowance. however, for the appointment of the auditor-general, the PAC has an even stronger and more direct role as set out in section 8 of the Act, which effectively provides a power of veto. since the middle of this year there has been an ongoing battle over the way Dr Maxine Cooper was appointed as auditor-general

The Chief Minister has undermined an important of accountability by arbitrarily announcing the name of the new auditor-general, says MICHAEL MOORE in a column that marks his fifth anniversary as a political commentator for ‘CityNews’

by the Chief Minister. Gallagher has been accused of abusing her position of power, bullying the chair of the PAC, Caroline LeCouteur, and riding roughshod over the intention of the Act.

The matter is now before a select Committee on Privileges.

The position of the auditor-general is one of the most important appointments made by government. it should be very carefully considered by the PAC and the Assembly as a whole.

The office of the auditor-general is one of the key mechanisms by which government accountability may be maintained.

i n fact, the chair of the PAC wrote to the Chief Minister employing particularly strong language: “The committee is therefore of the view that your public announcement... was premature with regard to the process and a discourtesy.”

The Chief Minister has unreservedly apologised for any “dis-

courtesy” which she suggests was unintended.

i n evidence to the select Committee on Privileges, LeCouteur said that the first she was aware of the appointment was from her staff telling her it was in the media. The same morning a hand-delivered letter had arrived in her office, but was not yet opened.

Auditors-general are required to be critical of governments from time to time when they encounter issues and it is in the interest of non-government members of the Assembly that the person appointed is well-qualified, competent and capable of delivering “frank and fearless” reports.

Former Chief Minister Jon stanhope could certainly not be accused of appointing a patsy considering the extent to which the former auditor-general Tu Pham proved to be effective and critical in the role over seven years.

The auditor-general reports to the Assembly rather than to a minister – making the government very uncomfortable at times.

This is why a process that provides for a clear, uncompromised appointment is so important to the Assembly and, in turn, to the community.

Dr Maxine Cooper may prove to be a very fine auditor-general. however, her qualifications, background and suitability should have been assessed by the PAC before being pre-empted in the media.

Now the Assembly has appointed a Privileges Committee to take evidence about how this appointment was handled (or mishandled). it is a serious matter that must be considered with the utmost care.

The Assembly cannot afford to have a government abuse this sort of appointment process or a major mechanism of accountability will be lost.

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

Select Committee on Privileges papers at: www.legassembly. act.gov.au/committees/index1. asp?committee=175&inquiry=10 31&category=14

Memories you can’t remember

MARK PARTON takes a sad song and wonders

ONE of the downsides of working in news/talk radio is that you’re forever seeking information, but when I knock off on a Friday I don’t care what’s going on in the news. I turn off the radio and listen to my iPod on the way home. Last week, I’d left the iPod in the other car and I was forced to brave music radio, where I found myself bopping along to the Good Charlotte song “Last Night”. Then it began to annoy me because it spells out one of the great problems with Generation Y: Last night, can’t remember.

What happened? Where’d we go?

I woke up this morning.

Where’s my car? Where’s my keys? Where’s my clothes? I feel my head still spinning but I’m doing alright Cause I think I just had the best night of my life. Last night, can’t remember.

What happened? Did it happen? Last night

So here we have a young man who’s gone out on the town and met some gorgeous girl. He thinks that he may have had the best night of his life, but he can’t remember. In the song, the only way that he recalls the face of the girl is the picture of the two of them on his mobile phone. Now I’m sorry, but if you can’t remember, what was the point of it all?

If you were so inebriated that you have virtually no recollection of what happened, then why do it in the first place?

Stroll through Civic at three o’clock on a Saturday morning and you’ll come across dozens of young revellers, who may well be having one of the best nights of their lives, but won’t remember anything about it the following day. Do these people not have any personality without alcohol?

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC

opinion

Why we get the parliament we deserve

iDON’T look back to a Golden Age of Parliament, because my studies of previous eras suggest lower public expectations of Parliament then rather than higher levels of performance (however that might be measured).

some of the contemporary criticisms are unfair or unrealistic of this very human institution. i also think that in many ways Parliament has improved as a democratic institution over the past 50 years.

i believe that Parliament is an honourable vocation and the whole community is in debt to the courageous souls who stand up to be counted by entering Parliament. it is a good time to look at Parliament because we are experiencing a new approach to it under minority government.

We have what’s called a hung Parliament. At the insistence of independent MPs, led by Rob Oakeshott, the Member for Lyne, and Tony Windsor, the Member for New England, Parliament was meant to be revamped last year to make it more open and democratic and to shift the balance towards all MPs and away from the executive.

This reform, enshrined in a memorandum called “Agreement for a Better Parliament”, was welcomed by members of all parties, including even the Opposition.

The Parliamentary Library has just issued a report that tracks these reforms in a background note called “The hung Commonwealth Parliament: the first year”. The record is patchy. Reform is slow, but some progress has been made towards developments such as a Parliamentary Budget Office and a Parliamentary i ntegrity Commissioner. The independents have increased their own share of parliamentary time, including through increased numbers of private members

At the second Order of Australia Association-ANU lecture, JOHN WARHURST addressed the theme: “What’s the matter with Parliament?” This is an edited version of his presentation

Bills. Question Time balance between questions and answers is edging forward, too.

i worry about the poor reputation of Parliament and parliamentarians.

This has been in evidence again during the republic-monarchy debate which accompanied the Queen’s visit. Letter writers have referred again and again to the so-called “odium” surrounding politicians.

While the 2010 AEs survey from ANU shows, rather contradictorily, that Australians are satisfied with and inclined to celebrate Australian democracy (72 per cent in 2010, down from 86 per cent in 2007), they also think MPs look after themselves first and foremost (63 per cent in 2010), and they don’t trust them to work for the common good (only 37 per cent trust). All of this is unhealthy and even dangerous.

i worry about the conduct of parliamentarians, especially within the chamber, driven by an entrenched culture of extreme competitiveness, sometimes called “adversarialism”. Parliament is a bear pit in which the ends are used to justify the means. The ends are the destruction of the other side, just like in any professional football match. This is achieved by extravagant rhetoric, exaggeration, and, where necessary, personal attacks. Both sides are guilty.

i also despair about those MPs, admittedly a small minority, who behave like court-jesters or, even worse, rip off the system by helping themselves to self-interested perks and rorts.

i worry about the representativeness of Parliament, given that most parliamentarians, a) represent a white-collar middle-class demographic to the exclusion of a blue-collar demographic, and b) represent the dwindling mass membership of the two/three major political parties.

The major parties still dominate representation in Parliament. Too many MPs come from a background as staffers (ironically made possible by the increased resources now given to parliamentarians). While this means that the political class as a whole has become more professional, we have lost the benefits of a more amateur approach in which politics, broadly defined, was not a lifetime career.

Labor has a particularly narrow base because of an additional factor, affiliated unions.

Too few MPs are indigenous or from a recent non-English-speaking background, though we are seeing slow improvement in each category.

The first indigenous member of the house of Representatives, Ken Wyatt, was only elected at last year’s election.

i worry about the relative weakness of Parliament in the face of an ever-stronger executive government. The executive has the numbers, control of the agenda, and also control of information, especially that held by government departments. Minority government does try to restore some balance in the face of this problem.

i worry that too many young Australians under 30 (about a quarter) do not enrol to vote in

elections for Parliament, despite the best efforts of the Australian Electoral Commission. There are many reasons for this disturbing pattern, but the poor reputation of Parliament, connected to the tough way Australian politics is played (as Tony Abbott saw fit to tell the Queen during her visit), is probably one of them.

Parliament is an institution that cannot escape the impact of social change. some of the remedies to weaknesses that i see are, therefore, out of the hands of Parliament itself. it needs assistance from the whole community if change is to be forthcoming.

The mass media contributes significantly to the loss of dignity being experienced by parliamentary leaders and sometimes drags public debate into the gutter. We have seen recent examples of utter disrespect for our political leaders. i n turn, this encourages ever-angrier public debate and criticism of Parliament.

The community has had for some time a growing attraction to the sort of participatory/direct democracy found in many new social movements and to forms of involvement in politics, like the social media group, GetUp!, that are more immediate, direct and hands on. This is such a challenge to representative democracy that it may ultimately be beyond Parliament’s ability to respond.

Following on from this, social changes in communities, work patterns and family life are undermining political party membership, which continues to fall. While the major political parties maintain their iron grip on representation in Parliament there is little that Parliament itself can do. That is up to the voters and to the parties themselves.

continued Page 13

Abbott’s Canberra will be a smoking ruin…

The closer one examines the Opposition’s economic plans, the more terrifying it becomes. Especially for Canberra, says ROBERT MACKLIN

shOULD Opposition Leader Tony Abbott carry out his threats to slice $70 billion from Government spending, Canberra’s economy will become be a smoking ruin.

Whole departments will be disbanded, their employees thrown on to the street. Private industry, so dependent on the government in this company town, will go into steep decline. Consumer spending will plummet; house prices will fall; and here’s the rub: the Mad Monk will actually boast to the rest of Australia that he’s brought those Canberra silvertails to book.

The support from right-wing ideologue Judith sloan, on a recent “Q&A” on ABC TV, that such cuts were easily do-able was simply breath-taking. This is the same Judith sloan who raged at the proposed super tax on those poor, harddone-by miners and their world-record profits. Presumably, she is the one economist in Australia he doesn’t treat with derision.

First to go will be the Department of Climate Change and Energy; for the truth is that Abbott’s idiotic plan – to tax households $1300 to somehow reduce emissions by five per cent by 2020 – is just a shabby political cover. Everyone knows he doesn’t believe in climate change and the scheme won’t do the job. so he’ll postpone it indefinitely.

This means there’ll be no need for the Department. A few survivors might find their way into the environment section of Prime Minister’s, where they’ll moulder away approving coalseam gas permits.

since the NBN will be scrapped, there’ll be no need for the Department of Broadband, Com-

munications and the Digital Economy. i f they’re lucky, the public servants will find jobs around the country digging up the fibre and reconnecting Telstra’s old copper wiring.

immigration can be cut in half. All they’ll need is a project team to rebuild Nauru. That’ll take care of the boat people. The remainder can administer the greatly expanded 457 temporary workers Abbott will import at third-world conditions to handle the mining boom…oh, except that the boom might start to look a little shaky as he continues to insult those godless Chinese Communists in favour of the peace-loving Japanese. And that’s just the beginning.

i f you think i’m being a little extreme you’re right. But that’s because the mainstream press has been so obsessed with their misogynistic attacks on Julia Gillard they have totally ignored the actual policies of the swaggering, schoolyard bully who leads the Opposition. someone has to put a little weight on the other end of the political seesaw. however, here’s the good news: i honestly believe it won’t happen.

Abbott will never be Prime Minister. The Australian people are much smarter than that. Malcolm Turnbull is smarter than that. And so is Kevin Rudd. something must – and will – be done before that fateful election takes place. The great pity is that in the meantime the Press Gallery doesn’t get it. They’re like Brown’s cows: they all eat the same grass and expel the same putrid methane into the clear, Canberra air.

robert@robertmacklin.com

We get the parliament we deserve

From Page 11

As citizens we all fall into the trap of wanting our side to win at all costs and “whatever it takes”. We are all guilty of regularly excusing those on our side of politics for their misdemeanors and offences against Parliament. Many of the possible remedies were discussed last year in the context of minority government. i support the general drift of the “Agreement for a Better Parliament”, though i fear for its longterm future as it has been produced by a most unlikely result from the 2010 Federal election. That result is unlikely to be reproduced.

Any reform for the better would have to be the result of improvements to processes and procedures and cultural change among the representatives. i would suggest the following: We should press on with the institutional reforms, such as a more independent speaker, a better-quality Question Time and more opportunities for backbenchers and crossbenchers, in order to make parliamentary processes more even-handed and transparent.

We should encourage relaxation of party discipline in a general sense. This would need to be encouraged by the party organisations and factions that run the big political parties and supported by the party leaders who should lead by example.

More specifically, we should support greater use of conscience votes where free votes are allowed on a greater number of issues and not restricted to a limited number of sociomoral issues like euthanasia or embryonic

stem cell research. Parliamentarians often rise to the occasion as independent thinkers on such occasions.

We need to be clear just what roles we want Parliament to perform and in what priority. Yet as a community we are clearly deeply divided. Unfortunately, some of the worthwhile functions of Parliament are contradictory if taken to their logical conclusion. i n particular, do we want a Parliament that is a real threat to the government of the day or one that makes a much more modest contribution to the making of those legislative sausages? We can’t easily have it all.

Parliament is a limited, old-fashioned institution, a creature of its time that may need major, creative re-jigging in the longer term. society has moved on in ways that challenge its place in the wider scheme of things and in its day-today operations. some potential reforms are just tinkering at the edges.

Ultimately, we get the Parliament that we deserve, in the sense that it draws its norms of behaviour from society at large. That means us. Two-party politics permeates and defines Australian society. Parliament is unlikely to be more civil than the society from which it is drawn. When we enter the ballot-box next time parliamentary reform is not likely to be a high priority for any of us. That’s a pity as there is room for improvement.

John Warhurst AO is an emeritus professor at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.

Diamond Design Woden advertising feature

Where jewellery and the service sparkle

THE staff at Diamond Design Woden collectively have more than 50 years’ experience selling jewellery, according to manager Vicki Hitchcock

With more than 35 years’ experience managing jewellery stores, Vicki says it’s the feelgood factor that keeps her in the business.

“I love seeing people get engaged and celebrating a special time in their lives,” Vicki says.

“Our aim is to have everybody leave the store with a smile on their face.”

Diamond Designs has four stores across Canberra, but the shop in West  eld Woden has recently expanded.

“The new store is absolutely stunning,” Vicki says. “We got so busy at the old store that we needed a bigger business premises.”

Vicki feels strongly about the personal touch, saying the main focus of Diamond Designs is customer service.

“How nice is it to have a family owned business in Canberra that is focused on customer service?”

Not just specialists in diamonds, Diamond Designs stock a range of coloured stone jewellery including opals, onyx, turquoise and they do remakes and repairs.

They stock Love and Passion jewellery, Argyle Pretty Pink Diamonds and Dora with a wide selection of rose gold jewellery as well as platinum, pearls and natural stones.

“We do in-store quick repairs, we have handselected diamonds and can remake old pieces of jewellery,” Vicki says.

“When Diamond Design opened in Woden two years’ ago it was just a little store, but now it’s

a thriving business focused on customer service that stocks Australian and international brands.”

At Diamond Design, customers will  nd treasures ranging from $20 to $70,000, according to Vicki.

When purchasing a diamond, Vicki says it’s not always about the four Cs – carat, cut, clarity and colour.

“A lot of people get caught up in colour and clarity,” she says.

“I always say, if you pick something up and you love it and it looks good on your hand, then you should buy it.

“I’m an emotional seller and I have found that most people just want a beautiful piece of

jewellery that suits them.

“I always say, you shouldn’t buy something just as an investment piece – you have to love it.”

Vicki sees many newly engaged couples in her line of work and says elegance is always a winner when choosing the perfect engagement ring.

“The traditional six-claw, very simple setting is popular at the moment. It won’t date so it’s a wise choice.”

For men who are planning to surprise their girlfriends with an engagement ring, her advice is to go for something very simple.

“Sizing is not a problem because we can always adjust it later on.

“I certainly see more couples coming in to

choose the ring together,” she says.

“Some people are going for more unusual cuts as well so rather than the usual round brilliant-cut or square princess-cut diamonds we are seeing a lot more people choosing pear shaped or tear drop styles,” Vicki says.

“It’s a very special time so we make sure it’s one-on-one and the customer feels special and very comfortable.”

Diamond Designs also specialise in selling pearls and have an expert who can care for and restring pearls.

“There is such a huge variety of pearls now. Saltwater pearls are more expensive and freshwater pearls are mass-produced so they are more affordable.”

And after 35 years in the industry, Vicki says she will never lose her love of the jewels.

“You know what I love about jewellery? Everything in the store is natural. It’s all made by mother earth and no natural stone is ever the same as another because they all have their birth marks,” Vicki says.

Diamond Design Woden, Level 1, Shop 41/42 at Westeld Woden. Call 6162 2072.

NEW STORE OPENING

We would like to thank our customers for their wonderful support and warmly invite you to our beautiful new store.

Day Surgical Centre

Medical centre offers five-star treatment

IN the thriving Barton precinct, thousands of people are experiencing a new, five-star medical facility where a patient can recover in a luxury hotel suite immediately after a breast augmentation. Or a tummy tuck. Or ear nose and throat surgery.

In fact, there are 32 Canberra surgeons now operating out of Capital Day Surgical Centre specialising in gynaecology, urology, plastic surgery, ENT and orthopedics.

Gynaecologist and fertility specialist Dr Nicole Sides and plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Tony Tonks are two of the owners of Capital Day Surgical Centre and helped develop a new medical precinct in Barton.

Dr Sides says Barton is now a hub of medical excellence and it all started with the development of the Hotel Realm and the commercial real estate on Sydney Avenue.

She says 15 specialists got together and decided to create a new medical precinct because it was connected to the hotel.

“We created a medi-hotel as part of a day surgical centre. So if people are

having operations, particularly plastic surgical procedures, rather than stay in a hospital, which is very clinical and often a shared room, they can actually stay in a five-star hotel for a day to recover and their partners can stay and

it’s lovely!”

She says there are many benefits to the medi-hotel concept.

“If they’re paying their own way, it’s actually a lot cheaper than it is to go through a private hospital and much

more lovely.”

And discretion is key.

“It’s much more private in the way it’s arranged. People in Canberra know each other, so we wanted to have it so it’s like business-class seating, so

people aren’t watching each other and have their own recliner chairs to recover from their minor surgery.”

Dr Sides says the Barton precinct is ideal because it’s central.

“It was the case that everything was moving south to Tuggeranong, but now everything is moving north to Gungahlin. While Deakin was more or less the epicentre for a while, the parking is terrible and if we’re running late there is nowhere to go, but around here there are great places to have a coffee and wander around.”

“It’s a central hub. It feels like its metropolitan and like you’re in the thick of it. It’s the happening part of Canberra!”

In addition to the day surgical centre, a range of primary and secondary health-care providers are popping up in the Barton precinct with pathology, general practitioners, dermatologists, radiology and a pharmacy to come next year.

“There are thousands of people who work here in Barton with DFAT and all the government departments so now they can come here and have all their pathology done, go to the pharmacy, see the family doctor and it’s fantastic!” Dr Sides says.

“Because I run a fertility clinic, it was a great opportunity to establish a state-of-the-art fertility clinic from scratch, design it all and make it really boutique, but it’s right next door to the day surgery so it’s all connected.”

Capital Day Surgical Centre

Suite recovery time impresses surgeons

PLASTIC and reconstructive surgeon

Dr Tony Tonks says the co-location of a day surgery and a five-star hotel is unique.

“I am told by the health funds, it is the first of its kind in Australia,” he says.

“The model that we are trying to deliver here is very, very good primary health care and we are achieving that and then the flow on from that is secondary care is enhanced because the foundations are strong.

“On top of that we are trying to offer more value because of the completeness of the service.”

“I’ve been putting patients through the medi-hotel for three years now. It is unbelievable. The way the patients recover and their sense of well-being is stellar.

Colleague Dr Nicole Sides, a gynaecologist and fertility specialist, agrees, although she has been using the medi-hotel for about 12 months.

“I was very cautious about the monitoring and the safety issues, initially,” she says.

“I have found patients recover so much better. I’m amazed at how quickly they are recovering. Whether it’s the comfortable beds, whether

it’s the wellness model or whether we have their pain relief under better control because we have very experienced nurses, I don’t know but I’m amazed at how quickly they’re getting better.”

Dr Tonks explains his theory as to why the medi-hotel is delivering such surprising results.

“The difference is between the philosophy of wellness and sickness. When you are in a hospital, you are sick. When you are not in a hospital, you’re not sick. So even if you’ve had an elective operation and you’re in a hospital, there is an environment subconsciously or consciously that says: ‘I am in a hospital and therefore I am sick’.

“If you have had surgery and are lying in a hospital bed, you are automatically allowed to be sick. You become more co-dependent and that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

Dr Tonks recalls his first patient, who “flung open the door like Patsy from ‘Absolutely Fabulous’” and said “come on darling, come in!”. She had enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the balcony of the suite and with a full face of make-up and jewellery on was up and about after having had five hours of surgery the day before.

“The health funds will pay for them to stay because it’s considered our ward,” Dr Tonks says.

“I did two ladies’ tummy tucks, they both stayed in the Realm last week and their husbands stayed with them,” he says.

“Where the funds don’t pay for it, it’s actually cheaper. For a breast augmentation, it’s cheaper to come here and stay in the medi-hotel than stay in a private hospital.

“And they get a king-size bed, their own bathroom, a car park and late checkout and their partner can stay.”

Patients can be monitored in their suites 24 hours a day using a system of remote telemetry.

“They are actually monitored every second by wearing a wrist watch with a little oxygen probe on it to monitor heart rate and oxygen saturation.

“We have monitors in the nurses suite so if the patient’s heart rate or oxygen saturation drops below the parameters that we’ve set, it will alarm in the nurses suite.

“You do not get that kind of security in a hospital unless you’re in an ICU and you’re stuck in a bed with wires coming off you,” Dr Tonks says.

Dr Nicole Sides, gynaecologist

Dr Tony Tonks, plastic surgeon

Dr Catherine Drummond, dermatologist

Dr Andrew Foote, urologist Gareth Roantree, physiotherapist

Louise Roantree, physiotherapist

Dr Cameron Webber, general practitioner

Dr Jung Le-Qui, general practitioner

Dr Stephen Jamieson, general practitioner

Dr Anthony Webber, general practitioner

Dr Ruth Przychodzka, general practitioner

Dr Mike Seah, general practitioner

Dr Thras Triantopoulos, general practitioner

Bundles Baby Ultrasound Capital Pathology

Capital Specialist Centre

Capital Day Surgery Centre ISIS Fertility

Canberra Confidential

No lease bars Nun

IT appears All Bar Nun’s future is in doubt amid fears of closure. “CC’s” heard the lease agreement for the O’Connor pub was up for renewal in October. And at the time “CityNews” went to print, it had not been renewed.

The Kenny boys have owned and operated the bar for 12 years, establishing what can only be described as a Canberra institution.

“It’s horrible not knowing what the future holds,” Drew Kenny told “CC”. “It’s our second home.”

But the new owners of the building, stretching along Macpherson Street in O’Connor may have other ideas.

“We’d like to stay and invest, but we can’t until a new lease is in place,” Drew says. “Hopefully, we can come to some sort of resolution with the new owners but, for the moment, the Retail Tenancy Act is protecting us.”

All Bar Nun is home to many sporting clubs and is frequented by the likes of Australian Rugby Union chairman Peter McGrath, Brumbies chairman Sean Hammond and Prime Television Network’s CEO Doug Edwards.

Little Canberra legend

CONGRATULATIONS to Liam Favelle, a very brave Canberran.

“CC’s” heard the Anthony’s Parish Primary School Year 2 student, is set to receive an award for assisting with the rescue of a stranded bushwalker who suffered an asthma attack in the Namadgi National Park a couple of weeks ago.

“CC” learned about Liam from a speech made by Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann just before Question Time recently.

The stranded bushwalker was one of four Scouts

hiking in the park on the Bicentennial National Trail between Mount Clear and Caloola Farm. Realising their mate needed urgent medical attention, two of the Scouts continued on to Caloola Farm to raise the alarm and get assistance.

Apparently Liam, assisted by his father and others, rode a quad bike to rescue the hiker.

While Liam’s father ferried the sick bushwalker to receive medical attention, Liam stayed behind to keep the remaining Scout calm and provide reassurance.

“At the age of only eight, Liam has shown the bravery, selflessness and maturity of someone much older,” says Brodtmann. “He is a great tribute to the Canberra community, he is a Canberra legend – a little Canberra legend.”

Whenaproudmumtweets

THERESE Rein was enjoying a proud-mother moment at the National Library in Canberra recently.

Rein was with her daughter, author Jessica Rudd, who was there talking to guests about writing her second Ruby Stanhope novel.

And while our former (or perhaps forthcoming), Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was not in attendance; mum was busy on Twitter telling followers about how proud she felt.

“Wonderful evening at the National Library hearing @Jess_Rudd talk about writing ‘Ruby Blues’,” Rein tweeted.

And proving 140 characters can be hard for any avid tweeter, especially a gushing mum, she added: “whatithinkiswonderfulbutiwouldsaythatasiamhermum”.

Jolly good show, Stephen

WORD has it Canberra University’s vice-chancellor

Prof Stephen Parker is gearing up for Canberra’s 2011 Terribly British Day in December.

This year’s event celebrates the 50th anniversary of the E-type Jaguar, MG Midget and Triumph TR4. And it will showcase a range of British-made vehicles including a 1971 Austin taxi.

The day was washed out by a week of rain last year but organisers say this year will attract more than 350 vehicles, including the Morgan Car Club from interstate.

Prof Parker owns Jaguar and Triumph motor vehicles and “CC” has learnt he’s an honoured guest for this year’s event.

Entry is free, Patrick Lawns behind the National Library of Australia, 10am-3pm, Sunday, December 4.

Howard gets taste of Sage

FORMER Prime Minister John Howard has been seen dining at Sage Restaurant, at Gorman House Art Centre, Braddon.

And while “CC” has been unable to confirm the details of the dinner, apparently it did appear Australia’s second-longest-serving Prime Minister was enjoying his meal, prepared by French chef Clement Chauvin.

The award-winning restaurant’s head chef has extensive experience in Michelin-starred restaurants including Pic and Nicolas La Bec, as well as Gordon Ramsay’s flagship, Claridges, in London.

Sage’s extension is the new Mint Garden Bar, which is officially open from Friday, November 11. The two venues combined are now known as the Batman St Brasserie.

At Robson Environmental’s office opening, Fyshwick At the Film Festival’s

all about Weston Creek

If Captain George could see us now!

WESTON Creek was established as a residential district in the late- 0s as an offshoot of Canberra’s first satellite city in the adjacent Woden Valley. Construction of Weston Creek’s eight suburbs commenced with Waramanga and Fisher in  , Weston and Rivett in , Duffy and Holder in 70, and Chapman and Stirling in 7

Each suburb is named after a notable Australian, and the street names in each suburb follow a specific theme such as Australian rivers, native flowers, or names of surveyors. These days Weston Creek is home to more than 23,000 people.

Weston Creek was named after Captain George Edward Weston, a former officer of the East India Company who arrived in Australia in 1829 and was granted land at the “Yarrow-Lumla plains” in the Weston Creek area in 1831.

Along with the adjacent Woden Valley, the area later became part of the 16,000-hectare Yarralumla Station owned by Frederick Campbell until it was resumed in 1913 as part of a land acquisition scheme after the Federal Capital Territory was declared in 1911.

Weston Creek was hard hit by the January 2003 bushfires, with nearly 500 homes destroyed and four people killed. Duffy bore the brunt of the bushfires with 219 homes destroyed, while parts of Chapman, Holder, Rivett and Weston also suffered significant damage.

Notable residents

Former Australian national rugby union team Captain, George Gregan, grew up in Weston Creek.

Former Australian representative cricketer, Michael Bevan, grew up in Weston Creek.

Author and ABC radio host Helen Razer grew up in Weston Creek.

Former marathon runner Robert de Castella lives in Weston Creek.

A club amid the greens A taste of Croatia

THE modern Weston Creek Labor Club is located in the heart of Stirling and overlooking beautiful bowling greens, parkland and sporting fields.

The club offers three bowling greens, bar lounge, large screen TVs, a new giant kids’ play area and free all-day parking.

The Weston Creek Labor Club Bistro has an extensive menu with weekly specials, including the popular $10 Sunday roast and kids’ deals.

The club forms part of the award-winning Canberra Labor Club Group, which also includes Canberra Labor Club, Belconnen; Ginninderra Labor Club, Charnwood and City Labor Club.

Membership includes the opportunity to enjoy the club for $11, plus go into the draw to win a share of a

$13,500 cash pool.

More information at www.laborclub.com.au. ACT TP 11/04503

Planners seek Weston feedback

THE master plan process for the Weston group centre starts with an open community consultation on the ground floor of Cooleman Court from 11am-2pm on Saturday, November 12.

Visitors will be able to see information on the plan and make suggestions to the ACT Government master-plan team about how the centre should look in the future.

The team wants to know what users of the centre want from it, what works well, what could be improved and what concerns them.

The centre includes Cooleman Court, the service areas, recreational and community facilities.

The master plan will guide development and re-development over the next 30 years so the centre continues to meets community expectations, has a vibrant economy, is attractive and well-con -

nected, and contributes to a sustainable city.

The community will have the opportunity to comment at several stages through the community engagement process of the master plan.

The ACT Government is also currently consulting on the draft ACT Planning Strategy, which will set Canberra’s direction for the next 30 years and beyond, and the proposed group centre at Molonglo Valley.

The master plan is one of a series being prepared for town and group centres around Canberra and follows master plans for Dickson, Kingston, Kambah, Tuggeranong and Erindale.

More information at environment.act. gov.au/Weston and to comment on the draft planning strategy, visit timetotalk. act.gov.au

THE 50-seat Maestral Restaurant, in Weston, offers award-winning Croatian, Mediterranean and seafood cuisine.

A Croation restaurant specialising in seafood, the menu reflects Croatia’s heritage, with influences from neighbouring countries – Austria, Hungary, Italy and the Middle East.

Owners Julian Skaljac and Julie Lokvicic Skaljac come from the Dalmatian Coast where, says Julie, they have a taste for seafood.

Customers are welcomed with dips of black olives and olive oll with balsamic vinegar served with fresh bread. The restaurant, which is fully BYO with no corkage charge, is open for lunch from Wednesday-Friday from noon-2.30pm and dinner Tuesday-Saturday, 5.30pm-!0.30pm.

Maestral Restaurant, 13 Trenerry Street, Weston Creek, call 6287 3930. www.maestral.com.au

all about Weston Creek

Spa with passion for environment Fight the holiday fat

CURVES, a leading fitness facility designed for women, is waiving the monthly fees until 2012 for new members who join between now and December 31.

“There’s no better way to finish the year strong than getting in shape and looking and feeling amazing,” says Julie Griffin, owner of Curves of Weston Creek.

“Just 30 minutes, three times a week at Curves can lift your spirits and help you enter the New Year with confidence and style.”

According to Nutrition Australia, Australians gain an average of 0.8-1.5 kg over the festive season.

“With the proven Curves 30-minute circuit, women can work every major muscle group and burn up to 2000 kilojoules in a single workout to combat excess fat,” says Julie.

“This program is just the push you’ve been looking for to let you fit into that little black dress or enjoy your holiday treats to the fullest.”

For more information call 6288 8333 or email admin@curvesweston.com.au

JINDII Eco Spa has quickly established itself as a leader in the growing eco spa movement since its launch last year, says owner Bianca Prichard. Nestled in the urban bush belt of Duffy, Jindii EcoSpa has become internationally recognised as an industry leader, having won numerous awards including the Australasian Spa Association Best Urban Day Spa award 2010.

“We’ve made an effort to consider the environment in everything, from the planning and building stages through to the smallest daily details,” says Bianca.

“We’re very excited and proud to have our achievements acknowledged by an organisation as influential as ASPA.

“Jindii offers spa and wellness treatments as well as lifestyle and yoga classes, and aims to educate spa guests in caring for themselves and the environment.

“No one thinks they have time to look after themselves these days, or the energy to change their environmental habits. Jindii’s ultimate goal is to help guests realise that they can’t afford to neglect either one.

“Jindii EcoSpa embraces a strong commitment to reducing its eco-footprint and to having a positive involvement in local and national communities.

“It participates regularly in local community events, from NAIDOC Week celebrations to school fetes and charity fundraisers.

“These events offer a great opportunity to show our commitment to supporting our local community. It’s one small way we can give back to the people who support us, as well as sharing our passion for what we do.”

Jindii Eco Spa, 20 Jindabyne Street, Duffy, call 6257 8777. www.jindii.com.au

High school offers starting options

STROMLO High School, in Waramanga, offers a range of programs for its students.

Starting at Year 6, the school provides parents and students with a different option for starting at high school.

The Year 6 classes are single-year group ones of about 20 students. Students have opportunities to access a number of specialist areas before the formal start of high school – students can learn woodworking skills in the workshops as well as improving their drama skills with the school drama specialist teachers.

Students in all years are able to learn in extension classes and tutorials as part of the Lex@S program.

One such class initiated this year in Years 8, 9 and 10 has been engineering. Some of these students are now mentoring younger students as they prepare for the Engineering Games next month.

Support programs are also offered for identified students to assist them to learn to their fullest potential.

These programs include ones for students with identified special needs as well as

students involved in sport or performances at an elite level beyond school. Success in all fields is recognised and encouraged at Stromlo High. The curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop as learners, people, members of the community and contributors to society as reflected in the school’s values of learning, endeavour, respect and pride.

Stromlo High School, Badimara Street, Waramanga, call 6205 6166 or at admin@ stromlohs.act.edu.au

Advantages of Cooleman’s club

COOLEMAN Court shopping centre has launched its new online loyalty club – AdvantageClub.

Situated in Weston Creek, Cooleman Court offers major stores, including Woolworths, Aldi, Target Country, Best & Less, The Reject Shop and 34 specialty retailers.

AdvantageClub members receive offers from retailers exclusive to Cooleman Court, alerts to competitions, special offers and sales before others and receive exclusive members-only offers.

Anyone joining the AdvantageClub in the centre during November will receive a free green bag, while stocks last.

Cooleman Court has also introduced a “Fresh Promise” that guarantees the freshness of products purchased from its fresh food retailers. If a product is not 100 per cent fresh, customers should return it with proof of purchase within 24 hours for a full refund from the store of purchase.

Look for the “100% Fresh or Your Money Back” logo at the following participating stores: Baker’s Delight, Chickens Galore, Freddy Frapples, Mr Chops and Mr Chops Meat Xpress.

More information at www.coolemancourt. com.au

all about training

No train, no gain – the personal key to Course offers a licence in construction

ENROLMENTS are now open for next year’s HIA certificate course to achieve a builder’s licence.

The CPC40110 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) covers the skills and knowledge needed by professional builders in the low-rise residential sector of the building industry.

It will also assist with the technical training component associated with an application for a Class C builder licence (low-rise residential) in the ACT or the builder licence and/or kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovation licence in NSW.

The Housing Industry As-

sociation is the leading industry association in the Australian residential building sector.

This qualification will provide participants with the skills to run a small-to-medium construction business.

It also enables successful graduates to be able to coordinate the construction of a building – taking responsibility for the overall completion of the job – including selecting contractors, overseeing the work and its quality, and liaising with the client.

This nationally recognised training consists of an industry supported combination of short courses, providing a progressive and practical understanding of each of the skill areas.

The program should take between six and nine people and needs a committment

of about 189 hours (27 days) of face-to-face time, as well as about seven to 10 days a month for self-directed learning, research and assessments.

The short courses contained within this qualification are:

Legal Requirements

Resolving Business Disputes (NSW only)

Simple Building Sketches & Drawings (ACT only)

Managing Your Finances

Building Codes

Building Structures

Building Contracts

Interpreting Plans & Specifications

Planning Building Work

Estimating & Tendering

Occupational Health & Safety

Site Set Out

Supervising Building Work

More information at 6285 7300 or email b.vernon@hia. com.au

Work from home

AN international company in the positive media, success education and personal development industry is inviting applications from people seeking to work flexible hours from home.

•

Freedom2Dream Today is offering training and support for work that would include: placing simple advertisements, conducting brief telephone

interviews, supplying information via the internet and investing time into ongoing personal development and training.

The company says this is not about selling things to friends and family, there is no cold calling and no home demos.

More information at www. dream2freedomtoday.com

When it’s time to turn to mentors

TEMPO Strategies is a Canberra-based boutique consultancy with a record of 21 years providing support to leaders of national organisations, peak bodies, not-forprofit organisations and small business.

Tempo Strategies’ founder Lynette Glendinning was ACT business Woman of the Year in 2005 and has built the practice so that Tempo provides assistance to the boards and chief executives of more than 60 organisations each year to help them position the organisation for the future with strategic planning and review, build capability in executives and middle managers, forge high-performing teams and adapt to change.

Tempo Strategies has just moved to new premises in the Pearl Building in Kingston and introduced a new line of business, Tempo Mentors.

“As the baby-boomer generation retires, emerging leaders will need access to wise heads and support as they are fast-tracked through organisation,” says Lynette Glendinnning.

“Tempo Mentors has assembled a panel of experienced and senior former CEOs, chairs and departmental secretaries

to provide mentoring services to emerging leaders.”

The work of executives demands deep experience and a high level of judgement. Mentoring assists: high performers who are being fast tracked to the top team.

technical professionals who need to acquire judgement and acumen. experienced executives who want to expand their leadership repertoire. executives in transition who need to clarify career and professional development.

“The name Tempo reflects the pace of change for contemporary organisations and businesses. Tempo helps to keep the pace or change the pace,” says co-director Bruce Glendinning, formerly a senior project manager and executive in the corporate sector. In 2009, Tempo joined forces with Best Practice Project Management and provides services to corporate and small-to-medium businesses in corporate improvement, project management and building capability in implementing projects.

More information, call Lynette Glendinning or Peter O’Brien on 6239 5766.

building a better future

Skilful Andrea turns trainer

ANDREA Close, a Canberra media professional with nearly 20 years experience in radio and television journalism, presentation and company (brand) representation, is a Media Manoeuvres executive trainer.

A multi-award winning actress, her writing for media, corporate marketing and PR experience, along with teaching media industries through the VET system, add to her diverse range of skills.

Andrea began her career as a commercial radio copywriter, quickly moving to an on-air position and has 10 years’ metropolitan commercial radio news and presentation experience.

She then spent several years with 666 ABC Canberra, where her communication skills saw her listening audience grow by 20 per cent and her program

reach number one in several consecutive ratings.

She spent eight years in Canberra commercial television as weekend chief of staff, reporter and news presenter and has hosted dozens of events including Carols by Candlelight and the Parliament House 20th Anniversary celebrations.

More information at (03) 9510 6000.

Conference

in the city

THE Pilgrim House Conference Centre offers a centrally located, city venue for meetings, training days or conferences.

Close to government and corporate offices and just 200m from Civic’s cafe, entertainment and shopping precincts, the venue has facilities for 15-200 people.

“We keep our charges affordable and within reach of all prospective groups,” says manager Susan du Boulay.

“Facilities are accessible to people with disabilities along with on-site parking. And we offer a wide range of catering options; including morning tea, afternoon tea, lunch and conference packages.”

The centre has equipment hire and a photocopying and fax service.

Susan offers an invitation to visit the premises to check for for suitability.

Pilgrim House Conference Centre, 69 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, call 6257 4600, www.canberracityuca. org.au

Hotel hosts employment program

DISTANCE Learning Australia is offering a pre-employment program beginning on November 28.

The program, in partnership with Novotel Canberra, prepares participants to work in a large international-standard hotel in a variety of possible roles. It focuses on the understanding of customer needs and how individual staff members contribute to providing an enjoyable living environment.

The program integrates work experience in the Novotel Canberra, which is part of the Accor Hotels chain. Accor provides a workplace mentor for each participant and will assist DLA to tailor the program to meet identified needs.

The aim is to place participants in entry-level positions within Novotel Canberra or other local Accor hotels.

While the program will not be exclusively for indigenous participants, Accor is actively seeking to recruit a higher proportion of indigenous employees. The program includes specific competences related to indigenous culture.

It uses an innovative approach to develop personal confidence and skills by first teaching participants still photography to understand their place within their social and physical environment. Then it moves towards using video to record role plays of customer interactions, gradually building confidence to allow personalities to show through.

More information at 6262 2964 or email peter. robinson@dla.edu.au

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore November

14-20

ARIES (Mar  – Apr 0)

With positive Mars/Jupiter aspects (plus Uranus shaking up your sign) you’re keen for a fresh start. You’ve got big ideas and ambitious plans but make sure you walk before you sprint. Others won’t appreciate you tackling tasks in a hasty, half-baked manner. Be inspired by birthday great Georgia O’Keeffe: “I decided to start anew; to strip away what I had been taught.”

TAURUS (Apr  – May 0)

The focus this week is on friendships – how to make them, nurture them, and keep them. Thursday is the best day to catch up with friends, colleagues and acquaintances, as Mars and Jupiter boost your confidence in social situations. Your quote for the next seven days is from Robert Louis Stevenson (born on November 13): “A friend is a gift you give yourself.”

GEMINI (May  – June )

It’s the perfect week to act on your hunches and follow your dreams. The more proactive you are at home, the better. With Mercury and Venus both in your relationship zone, it’s time to get talking (and romancing) with your partner. Single Twins – you’re in the mood for some fabulous flirting, and sparks could fly with a luscious Libran or a sexy Sagittarian.

CANCER (June  – July )

Expect exaggerated emotions and domestic dramas, as Pluto and Saturn stir up your moods. Thursday’s Mars/Jupiter aspects encourage you to get involved in group activities within your local community. Fabulous friendships and frisky flirtations are favoured on the weekend, as your Cancerian charm swings into top gear. Don’t underestimate your power to persuade!

LEO (July  – Aug )

Attention all Lions! Lady Luck is on your side this week, as fortuitous Mars/Jupiter aspects boost your business acumen – and put you in the right place at the right time. Don’t waste the opportunity to do something special! You’re in a romantic frame of mind on the weekend, as you view your spouse (or potential partner) through rose-coloured glasses.

VIRGO (Aug  – Sept )

An adventurous new project (involving study, travel or international contacts) fires up your enthusiasm this week, as marvelous Mars/Jupiter aspects boost your motivation and energy levels. You’re at your versatile Virgo best on Friday, as you analyse and solve a tricky problem. On the weekend, you may surprise others with a change of image or a new slant on life.

LIBRA (Sept  – Oct )

One of your endearing qualities is that you look for the best in everyone. True mates will bring love and lucky opportunities into your life this week, whereas fair-weather friends will just lead you astray. The weekend is a wonderful time to study a subject that has always fascinated you. Don’t be a lazy Libran and jump to conclusions though – check the facts first.

SCORPIO (Oct  – Nov )

Make the most of your natural charm and networking skills this week, but beware false flattery! And resist the urge to be talked into doing something that you disagree with. Attached Scorpios – expect a week of rejuvenating romantic antics, as Jupiter jump starts your love life. Singles – don’t look for your soul mate in the same old places. Cast your net wide.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov  – Dec )

It’s a fortuitous week for work and money as fabulous Mars, Jupiter and Pluto aspects boost your business and financial skills. But don’t get carried away and promise more than you can deliver! There’s a fine line between reaching for the stars and overreaching. If you take on challenges in a positive and practical way, then you’ll taste sweet Sagittarian success.

CAPRICORN (Dec  – Jan )

With Saturn in your career zone (until October 2012) you need to adopt a long-term perspective. Work projects will take a while to get off the ground, and professional relationships require much hard work and persistence. Be inspired by birthday great Robert Louis Stevenson: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 0 – Feb )

With the Sun in your professional zone (until November 22) it’s your turn to shine at work. With a passionate and positive approach, you’ll move ahead in leaps and bounds. You have more influence than you think. Thursday through to Saturday is the time to dream delicious dreams and follow your instincts, especially when it comes to a close relationship.

PISCES (Feb  – Mar 0)

Attached Fish – has your spouse been walking all over you? It’s time to be assertive in the relationship. Singles – with dynamic Mars in your love zone, you need to be proactive about finding a partner. If you escape into a fantasy world on Saturday, difficulties won’t magically disappear. Use your imagination to find creative solutions to current challenges.

Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

Across

3 Name the author of "Waltzing Matilda"?

7 What is the conditional liberation of a person from prison?

8 A reserved person is said to be what?

9 Name exceedingly venomous snakes.

10 Which pop and rock group was originally formed in 1977 under the name of "Flowers"?

11 Name the Australian federal Liberal politician, leader of the opposition 1990-94.

14 What is an alternative term for bullocks?

17 Name the bone of the lower jaw.

18 What is another word for fate, or destiny?

19 To be trustworthy is to be what?

20 What are surviving memorials of things past?

21 What describes securities against loss or damage?

Down

1 Which term expresses the energy value of a food?

2 Name the brother and sister who both broke swimming records in 1958-60, John and Ilsa ...

3 Of which nationality was the poet, Omar Khayyam?

4 What is a term applied to a person to express an attribute?

5 What, in pathology, is a convulsion?

6 Name lumps of native gold.

11 Which long single bone extends from the shoulder to the elbow?

12 One who manipulates something for dishonest purposes is a what?

13 What is a chemical reagent that supplies oxygen?

14 Name the Australian folk group, formed in 1962.

15 What is another term for a letter?

16 Name the office of those who exercise ruling power during the absence of a sovereign.

all about the arts

Pioneer station hits the big eight oh!

Canberra’s oldest radio station CA turns  0 on November  . FREYLA FERGUSON discovers the hits and memories...

FOR the last 80 years, 2CA has been “all things to all people” says program director Don Dawkins.

The station reaches the milestone on November 14 and over the years has seen numerous ownership, management and format changes.

It has also seen many radio personalities come through its doors, such as John Blackman, Steve Liebmann, Michael John Fewster, Jimmy Pilgrim, Terry Malcolm, John Kerr, Peter Leonard and Greg “Robbo” Robson, who has been associated with the station for the past 30 years.

“2CA was the home for a lot people to come to from a regional station to a major regional then to step up and go on to a metropolitan,” Don said.

“People like Blackman went from here to Sydney or Melbourne radio and then obviously into TV.”

Canberra’s first radio station started from humble beginnings in 1931 by the late AIF veteran Jack Ryan, with the help of right-hand man George Barlin.

According to Don, the station has had its ups and downs over the years, particularly after its now-sister station 2CC opened in the mid-’70s.

“The ‘80s were pretty turbulent for 2CA,” he said.

“There were a lot of ownership changes, but also a lot of format changes. “And basically it’s gone back to where it was in the early ‘80s, which is classic hits station playing solid-gold songs.

“That’s where it’s been most successful. It tried its hand at being a talk station and, on a couple of occasions, a light and easy station.”

The station also traditionally ran broadcasts from America, with breakfast or daytime shows broadcasting for specific events happening overseas.

“We were promoting Canberra to the world,” Don said.

“In fact, we did a lot of that over the decades, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.”

Now, 2CA is welcoming the digital radio with open arms.

“After so many years, I guess it was all things to all people providing a wide variety of on air product at the time from the horse racing, even pre-TV doing a lot of serials at night,” he said.

“2CA, for a long time, had to really cover a wide range of people, styles and tastes.”

The new world of news

Comedy short on wit and subtlety

“OUR IDIOT BROTHER” (M)

THIS family comedy confected by siblings Jesse and Evgania Peretz works hard to make us laugh at gags that might go down poorly with short-fused film-goers expecting wit or subtlety. But what the heck? Tickled endorphins are a plus at any time.

Ned (Paul Rudd), a sweet, free spirit without a mean or angry cell in his body, has three sisters, unattached Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) trying out for a writing job with “Vanity Fair”, Liz (Emily Mortimer) married to a philandering documentary maker (Steve Coogan) and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) in a full-on relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones).

After serving a sentence for selling weed to a friendly cop, Ned finds that his ex has assumed control of the farmlet where they grew vegetables. His mother (Shirley Knight) suggests that he live with one of his sisters. A recipe for chaos if ever there was.

The story’s evolution through Ned’s interaction with his family and their significant others never really convinces us that it has a useful purpose. Watching him surviving among his family feminocracy is a sufficiently disquieting experience to persuade us to persevere with him in the hope that his life will somehow work out. As it must, with resolution coming from left field, as we knew it would.

At Dendy

cinema

“ANONyMOUS”

(M)

DIRECTED by Roland Emmerich to a screenplay by John Orloff, “Anonymous” tells of the political struggle about choosing a sovereign to succeed Elizabeth I. And to flesh out that well-documented issue, it speculates about the authorship of those plays, sonnets and epic poems which four centuries later we affectionately call “Shakespearean”.

“Anonymous” is full of male characters whose identities are best known to the actors playing them behind thickets of whisker. Chief male protagonist is the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans). David Thewlis plays William Cecil and

“I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT” (PG)

THIS is an American adaptation of a bestselling novel based on the life of its Fleet Street columnist author Allison Pearson. A better title for it would be “I Don’t Know Why They Made It”.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate, working in a Boston finance house, wife to aspiring architect Richard (Greg Kinnear) and mother of two. Kate lives a life ruled by home and office to-do lists, her mobile phone and a powerful ambition. The firm sends her to other cities at a moment’s notice. Her family tolerates her frenetic pace because she brings in money while Richard pitches for

Edward Hogg his scheming son Robert. Rafe Spall is Shakespeare. Leading the female cast, Vanessa Redgrave as the aged Elizabeth and her daughter Joely Richardson as the young one wear bodices compressing their bosoms in a manner looking uncomfortable.

Mildly challenging, often violent, “Anonymous” depicts historical realities and modern conjectures with unabashed frankness and arguments of some cogency. The costumes and locations are impressive.

Leaving the cinema, a stranger and I agreed that the experience had been worthwhile. The number of children borne to the virgin queen really doesn’t matter. Neither does the name of the author of Shakespeare’s collected works. They are with us forever. For which we give thanks.

At Dendy, Greater Union and Hoyts

major commissions.

Kate may be a financial whiz-kid, but she’s blind to how she’s depriving her family of emotional sustenance. The film isn’t really funny. It’s not romantic despite second billing going to Pierce Brosnan as Jack, a divorced colleague with whom she is pitching a new financial product in another city. Jack’s too decent a guy to come heavily on to her. And I suspect he’s too wise to get involved with a woman whose relationship track record does not impress. What entertainment values are in a film about such a professional high-flyer so unaware of her life’s realities? Discuss. Or dismiss as unworthy of serious consideration. At all cinemas

Mr President, please welcome Kamahl

DURING a coffee interview session last week, author/ speechwriter Bob Ellis, kept looking nervously at his mobile phone. “I’m waiting on a call from Kamahl,” he told me, adding that he’d been asked to write a speech for the famous singer to deliver during the coming visit of President Obama. Assuming Ellis was serious, you’d have to wonder what the organisers of the visit are thinking.

ARTIST Cheryl Jobsz paints a picture of suburbia: “8am: a house, a garden and a ubiquitous blue port-a-loo surrounded by a cyclone mesh skin. 5pm: site cleared, levelled,

arts in the city

house, garage, garden, trees, and birds disappeared.” It’s all in her new installation at ANCA Gallery, Rosevear Place, Dickson until November 20.

ALTERNATIVE-country singer Lachlan Bryan will promote his new single “Fly by Night” at the Canberra Country Music Festival’s Federation Stage at 5.45pm, and the Front Gallery, Lyneham, from 9pm, on November 19. Other performers at the festival include Australian Gold Guitarist Catherine Britt

and Sean Patrick McGraw from Nashville. Visit www.canberracountry.com

ERINDALE Theatre will be the setting for a Canberra-made zombie movie, “Theatre of the Dead” by director Patrick J Gallagher and producers Daniel Sanguineti and John Cougar. At a “crowd-funding” campaign launch on Halloween last week, media were treated to lollies in the shape of eyeballs. They need local support and you can chip in from as low as $10 by visiting www.indiegogo. com/Theatre-of-the-Dead YEARS ago, when Prof David Williams left the School of Art, he wouldn’t use the word “retiring”, preferring the term “re-focusing”. Now they’re farewelling textile artist and lecturer Annie Trevillian who, they say, will be “re-purposing”.

SUZIE Edwards, visual arts curator at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, is re-purposing next week after 12 years at the helm. She’ll be hard to replace.

SALUT! Baroque presents “Caledonian Baroque” on November 18 at 7.30pm in Albert Hall, music by Geminiani, Matteis, Oswald, Barsanti, Veracini and McGibbon. Tickets at the door.

MUSICIAN Simone Penkethman is running free singing workshops for mothers on Mondays from 10am to noon for Belconnen Community

Services. Accompanied children are welcome. Inquiries to 6264 0232 or bcc@bcsact.com.au

I HEAR Canberra Opera workshop has been looking for a penny farthing bicycle for its coming production of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore”. Success. Drago Zovak from the bicycle shop facing the ANU Arts Theatre has a whole collection of them.

ARTSOUND FM’s annual radiothon, “Save Our Sound”, culminates in an open day and book fair at the Manuka Arts Centre from 10am, November 13.

TEN String and Bouzouki is an ensemble formed by Chilean guitarist Felipe Vásquez and Bouzouki player Alexandros Tefarikis and is playing at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 7.30pm, November 19. Bookings to 6293 1443.

M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, has “Natural Instincts”, an exhibition by Julie Bradley, Tiffany Cole, Nicola Dickson, Patsy Hely, Cherry Hood, John Pratt and Julie Ryder, noon-5pm, WednesdaySunday, until November 13. THE 15th Japanese Film Festival is in full flight in Canberra until November 13. The festival will screen earthquake-related films such as Yamakoshi’s “The Recovery of a Tiny Japanese Village and The Town’s Children”. More information at 15th. japanesefilmfestival.net

arts&entertainment

Dancing against the clock

By arts editor Helen Musa

ADELINA Larsson is the director of Canberra’s Short+Sweet Dance Festival.

It’s an offshoot of the hugely successful Short+Sweet drama initiative, founded several years ago by Mark Cleary from Newtown Theatre in Sydney, and now the biggest little-play festival in the world.

Like its big brother (or sister), the dance version of Short+Sweet places a 10-minute limit on each work, but that’s a long time in dance, so she’s been getting emails from choreographers saying: “Oh, I’ve only got six minutes”, but that’s fine.

Swedish-born Larsson, an independent dancer who studied choreography at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands (also the alma mater of Canberra’s Padma Menon) has been in Australia for four years and tells “CityNews”, with some pride, that she has just become an Australian citizen. This is no amateur dance fest, she says, but rather a showcase of the best in emerging professionals.

This year’s participants mostly have dance degrees from the WA Academy of Performing Arts, Queensland University of Technology, or the Victorian College of the Arts.

This, in Larsson’s view, is lifting the game and the project also helps fill

the gap for young dancers after they graduate, creating, as she says, “a platform to explore new ideas”.

One big success has been the “absolutely stunning” Eliza Sanders, Short+Sweet’s “young Canberra choreographer” for 2010 and about to take off for WAAPA. She’ll be presenting a work called “Two people together and at once”.

Other notable participants are Liz Lea, Alison Plevey, Kate MacDonald,

Keira Mason Hill, LeeAnn Litton, Tegan Jones, Janine Proost and Tanya Voges. Dancer-choreographer Carlee Mellow, from Chunky Move, Meryl Tankard, Ballet Lab, KAGE and S+S will hold an artist talk at 7.30pm on November 17, with the idea of “opening up new possibilities”.

Short+Sweet Dance, Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, 8pm, November 17-20. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

‘Cordelia’s’ haunting springboard

LET’S get this straight – “Cordelia” is not a reworking of “King Lear”. It is rather, as Polish director Jerzy Grotowski used to say, a case of using a classic as the “springboard” for the imagination.

Yes, there is a king, though we never see him. Yes, there are three daughters and we know their names. Goneril, (Erika Field) is consumed with hatred and ambition. Regan (Peta Ward), whose name her father can hardly remember, is gentler, yet riven with guilt. And Cordelia (Noa Rotem), father’s pet, is ripped from her

THEATRE “Cordelia”

Created by Chenoeh Miller, The Street Theatre, season closed. Reviewed by Helen Musa

dying mother’s womb, but is stronger than the other two.

It’s a dysfunctional family in which there is more than a hint of parental abuse, but this is not a soap opera. Instead, Chenoeh Miller delivers a haunting production.

How does Miller harness the cacophony of her non-sequential plot? By calling in the big guns – a cast expert in vocal

and physical theatre, including a brilliant singer in Janine Watson and a fine clown/fool in Rowan Davie.

Miller’s fertile imagination produces a script that interleaves childish nursery rhymes with a witty narrative from the King of France, played with flair by Adam Hadley, whose beautifully resonant voice adds an Elizabethan flourish.

You won’t always understand what’s going on. Jealousy and longing are not shown in conventional acting, but rather through energetic jumping and dancing to 1980s music.

Seasons of friends and of musicals

By

arts editor Helen Musa CANBERRA Repertory is celebrating its 80th birthday next year and its 2012 season will be all about people.

And what a lot of friends this grand dame of the theatre has!

One of Rep’s younger friends is the enormously successful Ed Wightman, a former Rep Theatre Players Scholarship winner, who won the ANU University Medal for Drama, then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Wightman will direct the comedy, “The Memory of Water” by Shelagh Stephenson.

The first play will be Duncan Ley’s revival of the late John Spicer’s adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”.

Ross McGregor, long-time Rep director returns to direct “Speaking in Tongues”, Andrew Bovell’s AWGIEaward winning play, the basis of the film “Lantana”.

Another old friend, Tessa Bremner, will direct “The Venetian Twins”, Nick Enright and Terry Clarke’s Aussie-take on Goldoni’s play of the same name. Then actordirector Angela Punch-McGregor will stage “Lost in Yonkers”, by Neil Simon.

Veteran director Corille Fraser will be staging “Improbable Fiction” by Alan Ayckbourn, in her 30th year as a main stage show for Rep.

HOT upon Rep’s came Free Rain Theatre’s announcements. It’s obvious that the musical currently rides high in director Anne Somes’ estimation.

They’ll do “Chicago” at The Q in February, “Cats” at the ANU Arts Centre in July and Neil Gooding’s “Back to the 80s – The Totally Awesome Musical” in September. Jarrad West will direct “The Velveteen Rabbit” as part of FreeRain Frolics in January, Cate Clelland will stage John Patrick Shanley’s play “Doubt” in April and Liz Bradley will direct Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird” in October-November.

Subscriptions to any of eight different packages for Rep’s season to 6257 1950 or www.canberrarepertory.org.au

Bookings for Free Rain to 6257 2700.

arts&entertainment

Thumbs-up for roti and rendang

A TASTE of Malaysia is on the menu at a fairly new restaurant in the city featuring roti, satay, curries, rice dishes, noodles and more – all packed with the exotic traditional flavours and secret spices Malaysia is so famous for.

The Roti House opened in September and is part of the ANU Exchange Precinct, which is becoming home to more and more interesting eateries.

It’s service with a smile from the minute you walk in, including from the chap who makes the fresh roti at the front of the restaurant. We got a bit of a fright upon discovering the Roti House was BYO, so my friend whipped around the corner to grab a bottle of wine before we settled in.

We started with a Roti Canai with chicken curry set ($12) – a small bowl of chicken curry, served with soft, flaky plain roti

dining

Wendy Johnson

bread (hot off the griddle), curry sauce, dahl and a spicy sambal chilli paste. It took a nanosecond before we were dipping our unleavened bread into the dishes to soak up the pack-a-punch flavours.

The chicken satay (six pieces for $13), skewered and char-grilled, came with a small bowl of peanut sauce and crunchy onion cubes and cucumber slices. The chicken was tender, but the dish scored mid-range for me… I’ve had much better.

My fave was the Malaysian Beef Rendang ($15.80). How can you go wrong with a wonderful rendang? This was melt-in-your mouth beef, prepared in a rich curry, slowly stewed in coconut milk and spices the chef keeps secret.

This is one of several dishes on the menu with a little “thumb’s up” symbol, signifying a chef’s recommendation. Other thumb’s-up dishes include hot rock-salted calamari, Tofu Goreng (fried tofu with boiled eggs, bean sprouts and cucumber salad) and the classic Otak otak – parcels of spicy fish mousse marinated with more of those secret spices, infused with a hint of coconut milk and grilled.

If you’re into dessert, it’s fun to share the Roti Tissue with ice cream. The roti man at the front creates a crispy, sweet, tall, hat-shaped roti ($10) that you crack open and enjoy. Very addictive.

The restaurant is large and very bright even at night. The square, brown tables are

big enough to fit an array of dishes and can easily be joined for different-sized groups.

The Roti House is not associated with any restaurant outside of Canberra, but the owners also operate the Malaysian restaurant at Garran Shops, Mamak Corner, a laid-back, affordable place that has been serving locals since 2004.

The Roti House, Shop 4, 121 Marcus Clarke Street. Open Monday-Saturday, lunch 11.30am-2.30pm and dinner 5pm10pm. Halal meat is used. BYO only. 6257 9688.

Trees with the sound of...

By Helen Musa

IT mightn’t quite be a forest yet, but the National Arboretum has ambitions in that direction.

Now the Village Building Company plans to transform the natural amphitheatre just below the Visitors Centre complex into an outdoor concert-hall with sensational views to the lake, city and Yarralumla.

In the inaugural “Voices in the Forest” concert, Canberra luminaries such as centenary creative director Robyn Archer, Louise Page, Peter J Casey and a 200-voice children’s choir have every chance of upstaging

4pm-7.30pm, gates open at 2pm,Saturday, November 12. Wear tough shoes. Bookings to 6275 2700.

Put your heart into vigorous exercise

MEN who exercise vigorously three times a week could lower their risk of having a heart attack by  per cent according to new research.

The study from the Harvard School of Public Health has been published in the American College of Sports Medicine.

The National Heart Foundation of Australia said the study confirmed the importance of increasing physical activity to reduce the risk of a heart attack.

“Heart disease is Australia’s number one killer, with heart attacks responsible for the deaths of more than 5200 Australian men in 2009,” said Dr Lyn Roberts, National CEO of the Heart Foundation.

At the same time, about half of Australian adults (54 per cent) were not sufficiently physically active to gain health benefits, she said.

The Heart Foundation recommended that every Australian adult be active at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes on all or most days of the week – 60 minutes for children.

“Physical inactivity and our increasingly sedentary lifestyles is leading to increased blood pressure, increases in blood cholesterol and weight gain putting us at risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers,” Dr Roberts said.

The new world of news

home

Big things come from a

HOUSE TOUR

Words: Kathryn Vukovljak

Photos: silas Brown

WITH a sunken lounge room, concrete kitchen bench top, a vast deck and a pop-out cooker, Shaun Humphreys and Viv O’Connell’s Lyneham home is light, fresh and fun, and feels spacious despite having a relatively small footprint.

Raked ceilings and an abundance of natural light make the home feel bigger than its 145 square metres, says Viv, and it was a conscious decision when renovating not to “live big”.

“We wanted to make the space work for us and to make the most of what’s here,” she says. “We only extended by 16 square metres.”

“It was a decision we made partly because of budget and partly because we just didn’t want to build a massive addition,” adds Shaun. “It helped us keep costs down, too.”

The finished home won the Australian Institute of Architects renovation award earlier this year for architect Andrew Verri and builder Tom Henderson, of Jigsaw Housing.

“It’s been a fantastic project in terms of bang for buck,” says Shaun. “We wanted to retain the character of the old house, which was built in 1952, and we weren’t keen on knocking it down – even though it was mouldy, smelly and pretty uninhabitable when we bought it!

“It’s a good house; it has a hardwood frame and double brick. It’s so resource-

intensive to knock down and rebuild.”

The couple bought the house in August 2009, when luckily, says Viv, they both had bad colds and couldn’t smell anything.

“The owner had reptiles and apparently the smell was putting everyone else off!” she says.

“But we liked the high ceilings and were able to look past the free-range turtles that were wandering around in the shagpile carpet.”

Viv and Shaun enlarged their bedroom, redid the bathroom and laundry, added a timber deck and redesigned the main living areas – “We pretty much moved every

single wall there was to move in the living area,” says Viv.

The area now includes a sunken lounge room surrounded by clever “disappearing” sliding and bifold doors that can separate it for a cosier feel.

“The kids call it the mosh pit,” laughs Viv. “They’ve discovered Queen recently and they pull the doors shut and party down there while the grown-ups sit around the table.

“It’s a great entertaining house; we have people over for dinner all the time and it never feels crowded.”

The house was re-insulated and fitted with hydronic and underfloor heating. “We never really feel cold here and you don’t have to stand in front of a fire to get warm,” says Shaun.

“The house didn’t have the perfect aspect to start with, but Andrew and Tom helped us open it up to the north to catch the afternoon sun and to encourage natural ventilation.”

The kitchen features a large, polished, 800kg concrete bench top, hidden storage and a space-saving, pop-out stove-top, surrounded with windows on three sides.

“It’s essentially a box built on to the exterior,” says Viv. “Our neighbours say from the outside it looks like we’re in a cockpit at the controls when we’re cooking!”

Viv says that when they first moved in, 10 months ago, they were bowled over.

“We just sat here and thought, it’s a really nice house!

“To see our dream realised has been amazing. It’s nicer than we expected.”

small renovation

Hard truths of gardening

IN a previous edition, I asked for suggestions on future columns and a few readers requested more articles on hard landscaping as opposed to discussing plants every week.

I am happy to oblige. Starting this week, I will discuss paths, which are vital to all gardens. They link the various elements from the clothesline to the shed or garage, the compost heap or gazebo. Traditionally, the “backyard” comprised of three fences with a narrow path leading from the back door to the regulatory Hills hoist.

No thought was given even to having a larger paved area around the clothesline in which to stand the trolley or to stop dropped clothes getting dirty.

Preferably, paths need to be a minimum of 120cm-150cm wide, enabling two people to walk comfortably next to each other. This is wide enough for those who require a wheelchair or a walking frame. Or to wheel a trolley to the clothesline.

The cheapest form of path for low-traffic areas in the rear garden is using fine Eucalyptus chips, usually referred to as Euky chip. This, by the way, is useless as a mulch, verified by numerous attendees at my garden workshops.

These chips pack down like layers of papier-mache and, if the ground is sloping, the water simply runs off, never reaching

the roots of plants.

But for paths in bush or cottage gardens, Euky chips blend in perfectly with the surrounds. At seven centimetres thick, they will quickly compact, enabling walking or wheeling a barrow on this surface. It does not need compacting by machine.

Next in the economy stakes is compacted decomposed granite, often referred to as Paddy’s River gravel. It is important to have a solid edge such as timber or pavers, as illustrated here. Without this edge, compacted gravel will spread out sideways and simply not work.

Clay pavers are the most effective material for all paths, patios and driveways. The standard brick-size paver is the one most commonly used.

Concrete pavers are great for paths and patio areas or swimming pool surrounds. They are available in a variety of colours and sizes. One of the most popular sizes is 40cmx40cm, an easy size to handle.

Here in Canberra, Binks Concrete Company, of Mitchell, has been manufacturing such pavers for more than 50 years. As you walk around any town centre, you are almost certainly walking on Binks’ pavers. They are not recommended for driveways. It is important that pavers are laid on washed river sand, never on cement or crusher dust. It fact, most paving com -

panies will not guarantee their products unless laid on the right material. The advantage of all the above-mentioned types of paths, as opposed to concrete, is that they can all be lifted or moved if the need arises. They may be dug up to repair sewer or burst water pipes or where tree roots have damaged the path.

DOREEN WILSON has been awarded life membership to the Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. In part, the citation reads: “In appreciation of outstanding service as an active volunteer of the Friends of ANBG since 1990”. Congratulations Doreen, an award well deserved.

Did you know that...

in Europe, gardeners consider frosts are over once hawthorns flower?

Have you noticed the rich carmine colours of the hawthorns along Northbourne Avenue now in flower? the main reason for lifting bulbs is that over the years, with falling leaves, mulching etcetera they get deeper and take too long to surface when spring arrives? rosemary tea is great for fresh breath?

that ground lovage, thyme or marjoram are a substitute for salt? grass growing up to the trunk of fruit trees can reduce your crop by up to 40 per cent?

Gorgeous old garden in Gundaroo

BOWYLIE Station, a property of significance in the Yass region since the early  00s, is rarely open to the public.

Open Gardens Australia will be opening its large, country garden on Saturday, November 19, and it will be of interest to gardening enthusiasts, those with an interest in historical properties and anyone who enjoys the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of an idyllic rural setting.

Situated at Gundaroo, the first significant elements of the Bowylie garden were planted in the 1860s when William Guilfoyle, one of the early curators of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, planted the magnificent elms and conifers that still grace the garden today.

In 1896, the property was acquired by the Osborne family, who renamed it Bowylie and began the true development of the garden. When a newly married Mrs James Osborne arrived in 1904, the garden’s only features were the trees and the barbed-wire fence that surrounded them.

She laid out the garden, including the Lambertiana hedge, the circular gravel carriageway that passed in front of the house and planted the Bunya Pine, Magnolia floribunda and the main veranda’s wisteria, a descendant of which still flourishes today.

After World War II, a large rose garden was developed at the front of the house, and a vegetable garden with long rows of berries was planted near the river.

The Osborne family sold Bowylie in 1995, but the current owners continue the tradition of using all parts of the garden for family occasions.

Since 1995, the property has seen its most prolific period of investment and expansion.

James Hoskins was commissioned as the landscape designer with a brief to develop an English-style garden, retaining as many of the existing garden features as possible and, in 1997, a full-time gardener was employed.

Artworks by local and international artists have been installed throughout the garden to provide focus and points of interest.

The gardens have continued to evolve with more garden beds constructed and existing ones enlarged and replanted.

Bowylie as it is seen today is a superb amalgamation of the maintenance of the property’s history, adaptation to the physical environment and the creation of a haven for several generations of the owners’ family.

The Bowylie Station garden, 3668 Sutton Road, Bowylie, will be open in aid of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Open Gardens Australia on Saturday, November 19. Tickets are $10 and children under 18 are free. Tickets can be booked online at www. opengarden.org.au for the four, two-hour sessions at 9am-11am, 11am-1pm, 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm. Community groups will provide refreshments for sale.

Other open gardens

2 Larakia Street, Waramanga: A delightful garden brimming with interesting and rare plants. Well-arranged layered plantings from the tree canopy down to colourful shrubs and attractive underplantings.

Open 10am-4.30pm, November 12-13, entry $6, children free. Art and sculpture exhibition. Refreshments and plants available to purchase.

44 Waite Street, Farrer: Distant views are a picturesque backdrop to a lush suburban garden. Blue-mauve flowers of native plants contrast with cream walls; massed annuals hug quirky sculptural pieces.

Open, 10am-4.30pm, November 12-13, entry $6, children free. Refreshments and plants available to purchase.

5 Angell Place, Banks: Successfully established during the drought, this small waterwise garden illustrates that you don’t need space to create a peaceful haven. White cedars, maples and birches provide shade; a bottlebrush attracts birds.

Open November 19-20, 10am-4.30pm. Entry $6, children free.

72 Charterisville Avenue, Conder: Illustrating the opportunities offered by elevation and a mild micro-climate, murraya, clivias, snail vine and other plants uncommon in Canberra flourish in well-established beds.

Open November 19-20, 10am-4.30pm. Entry $6, children free. Refreshments and plants available for purchase.

19 McBurney Crescent, Richardson: Tranquil garden featuring many mature deciduous trees including maples, oaks and Ginkgo biloba. Courtyards contain bonsai and small ponds surrounded by tree-ferns, cycads and bromeliads.

Open November 19-20, 10am-4.30pm. Entry $6, children free. Refreshments available for purchase.

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