Canberra CityNews February 16, 2012

Little Annette’s death started a movement

Freyla Ferguson reports

ANNETTE Taylor was a bright, active, healthy girl, when a cerebral haemorrhage unfairly took her life only three weeks before her 12th birthday in 1975.

But what her death would lead to was the start of the organ donor program that has since saved hundreds of lives in the ACT.

Annette’s story started when a family friend was a recipient of a donated kidney.

“We knew a chap who had just been given a kidney, about six months before,” Marjorie Taylor, Annette’s mum, told “CityNews”.

“She was very inquisitive to know from him what happened.

“Then she mentioned to me, while I was cooking dinner one night, that she’d like to be an organ donor if anything happened to her.”

Marjorie who was the sole breadwinner of the Taylor family – her husband was a paraplegic – was working in Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s office as a “gopher”.

Annette’s unexpected haemorrhage left her brain dead and forced Marjorie

Photos by Silas Brown

to face the reality they would have to turn off the life support. But Marjorie was also faced with Annette’s wish to be an organ donor.

“It came back to me really suddenly when the doctors told me that she wasn’t going to make it,” Marjorie said.

“Back in ‘75 there wasn’t legislation but I just happened to be working in the Prime Minister’s office and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“If there’s no legislation, I asked ‘can I have the phone? Can I call my boss?’, at the time it was Gough Whitlam.

“They didn’t ring him, but they did take me very seriously ”

Her request led to a chain reaction of events that saw ACT with its first legislation on organ donation.

“It’s not until the last few years that I realised, gee, I must have really opened Pandora’s box in intensive care at the old Canberra Hospital,” she said.

“Doctors seemed to come out of the woodwork everywhere and they took me rather seriously and over the next three days they said ‘yes, they would be taking her kidneys’.”

One kidney went to a man in Sydney, the other to a 14-year-old boy from Queensland. She has since learnt the man had passed away.

She said when she was told they found two people, it “gave us back a little hope that Annette’s wishes would live on”.

“It gave them a huge opportunity to have a better quality of life and took them off kidney dialysis machines,” she said.

Marjorie has lived a busy life, but it was 10 years ago, after her husband passed away, that she started to work with DonateLife and in particular the DonateLife Walk – Canberra’s largest community activity during DonateLife Week (February 19-26), that promotes organ and tissue donation nationally.

She said it was the first time she re -

ally came out and told Annette’s story in full, at times to thousands of people at one time.

“I can really talk about it now without breaking up,” she said. “I have a tear in my eye and my heartache is still there to a degree, but I can tell it how it is.”

She hopes events such as DonateLife will bring the importance of organ donation to the spotlight and encourage other families to have similar kitchen conversations, like the one she had with Annette 37 years ago.

“I can’t stress strongly enough to people to basically talk about it to their families, to their loves ones,” she said.

“To carry out someone’s wish is a privilege... because at the time, and it’s even grown stronger, that we get great comfort, of knowing we fulfilled her last wishes.”

DonateLife Walk has attracted more than 2000 participants in the past. This year, Masterchef’s Alana Lowes will be cooking a free breakfast barbecue.

DonateLife Walk starts at Regatta Point, Commonwealth Park, Lake Burley Griffin at 6.45am for a 7am start on Wednesday, February 22.

To register visit www.giftoflife.asn. au. To become an organ donor visit www.medicareaustralia.gov.au

Can we trust Seselja with public money?

TRUST is the key element in an election, but  ACT Opposition Leader Zed Seselja is on very thin ice as he starts the first sitting week of the election year.

He should be challenging the Government on failures, testing their management of the economy and stimulating doubt about their capacity. Instead, the shoe is on the other foot.  He is fighting to retain community trust.

In the first moments of introducing the most recent Budget, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, told the Assembly: “This Budget returns the Territory to surplus in 2013-14, as planned”.  It will not be achieved before the next election in October and so ACT Labor is not as vulnerable as, say, the Prime Minister to being exposed as a poor money manager. There is no black and white indicator – surplus or no surplus.

There is no sense of crisis or impending doom about how the Budget is being managed. The roads are still in better condition than in most places in Australia, the rubbish is being collected, schools are working and those urgently needing an operation or emergency treatment are being looked after.

A change of government really

requires a community sense of need.

The best shot the Seselja Liberals have of winning government at the next election is to create a sense of failure, the need for a change to something better.

Where better for conservatives to challenge a left-wing government than on money management?

It’s taxpayers’ money! Why should Zed be trusted to manage the finances of the whole community if he cannot be trusted to manage the money in his own office?

The exposure of failures over staff entitlements such as leave and time sheets raises serious concerns. Had it been one of his MLAs who had made the same mistake he or she would have been forced to take some public action to illustrate his or her potential as a strong leader and a good money manager.

It is only eight months ago that Seselja forced the Liberal Party to pay back a $10,000 grant to the ACT coffers after the money was used inappropriately.

There are temptations in government. The public service is effective at managing money, but there are always

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Canberra Confidential 12

Cinema 16

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News 4-10

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Property 21-31

Puzzles 20

Social Scene 13-14

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forces pushing towards a favoured project, an approval of development for a benefactor or a decision that will have favourable electoral consequences.

There are checks and balances in place in the ACT to prevent the misuse of taxpayers’ money beyond the directorates advising Ministers.  They include independent authorities such as the Auditor-General and the potential of inquiries by the Assembly Committees or judicial inquiries under the Inquiries Act, a process similar to a Royal Commission.

There must be an inquiry to determine the extent to which there has been inappropriate expenditure of money in the office of the Leader of the Opposition. It is not a question of whether he has deliberately misspent the money, but more to understand if he has not been careful enough to ensure the money has not been used inappropriately.

There will be an inquiry. The Liberals will look for a short, sharp investigation. Labor will want to spin the inquiry out as long as possible as the electoral advantage is just too great. The Greens will also have to make a choice between what is the fairest way for an inquiry to be conducted and what is in their own best interests politically. The decision also tests trust in them. There is a higher

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expectation of the Greens that they will put the community interest before their own – a result of how they have campaigned for decades. Are they really to be trusted to do so?

There is no more important factor than trust in the choice people make when voting. In politics, as in the home or with friends, money is the thing that tests trust.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health in the Carnell Government. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

Last week columnist Moore wrote: “All the Liberal MLAs other than Jeremy Hanson are Catholics”, when in fact Alistair Coe is an Anglican.

news / sport

TV crosses the line

WHEN will the intrusion by television into sporting events ever stop? When will the media bosses say “enough is enough” and leave sport alone?

The NRL/Indigenous All Star game is a classic example of over-baking the coverage. Is there a need to have players interviewed while they are about to take a shot at goal or players interviewed after they scored a try?

Do we really want to know what is going through the players’ minds as they prepare for goal?

It has the feel of a master class in goal kicking or how to beat a tackle. But is this really what the viewing public want; a Hollywood-style approach to sport?

A better slot for this is “The Footy Show”. All it does is cheapen the game by making it appear “staged” rather than viewed as a serious contest.

As it turned out, it was a great match despite the television coverage.

It was the same with the T20 International. Players were

Tim Gavel comments

miked up to speak with the commentators.

It works with some games, but not with others.

It worked when Shane Warne spoke as he was about to bowl, but that was in the Big Bash where almost anything goes and they were trying to establish a point of difference.

In the Big Bash I don’t see a problem because it has a “festival” feel about it.

I also don’t see a problem with this approach to charity cricket matches involving celebrities.

In an international, as we saw in the T20 game between Australia and India, it shouldn’t be allowed. This is a strong competition where players display considerable concentration and great talent.

The media also needs to respect the space required by players to perform rather than cast themselves as integral to the entertainment, when in fact they are interpreters of sport.

I am speaking from experi-

ence, having overstepped the mark in my enthusiasm in what seems like a lifetime ago.

In the 1989 Rugby League Grand Final, I was the sideline eye with Johnny Peard during ABC TV’s coverage. Close to full time, I gatecrashed the Raiders’ bench and interviewed prop Brent Todd while the game was still underway. I still remember the look coach Tim Sheens cast in my direction.

I had overstepped the invisible line.

That line was also broken during the radio coverage of the Barcelona Olympics when I stormed on to the arena to interview the Australian equestrian team. They were still gathering their thoughts and I had invaded this private moment for a radio scoop. Not my finest moments, I cringe when I recollect them now, but you live and learn. Some things need to be left to the imagination of the listener or the viewer. Although the line between sport and entertainment is blurry, sport itself provides enough entertainment without the media playing a role equivalent to that of the players or athletes.

Labor paves the city’s streets with fool’s gold

FOR too long, the ACT Government has failed to provide adequate funding for the maintenance of roads, footpaths, public car parks and other public areas. Now, suddenly, it appears to have found its pot of gold.

It is proposing to spend $22 million on maintaining and upgrading the urban amenity of Canberra, as one of its 2012-13 Budget initiatives, by applying the money raised via the new Lease Variation Charge.

The LVC is the July 1 tax that brought into effect a massive new tax on residential housing, through the introduction of excessive charges for lease variations.

Provision of municipal services and maintenance of the public realm is what rates and land tax are supposed to cover, as everyone who benefits from it pays for it.

But the Government is attempting to spin a bad tax into something that looks like a community benefit, when in fact the community is the one carrying

Gloves off, CATHERINE CARTER says the Government’s attempt to link a bad tax with its failure to maintain the town is a dangerous thought bubble

the cost for the new tax through less-affordable housing.

With this new announcement, the Government is also playing wedge politics by attempting to directly link the LVC to a program they will try to sell to the community as a “must-have”. That means anyone attacking the LVC will be linked with attacking this new fund.

In making the announcement, the Government also inferred that the property sector had been profiteering, with ACT Treasurer, Andrew Barr, saying: “It is only right that the money received from developers – who are profiting from Canberra’s livability – is put directly back into the community.”

Amid the political spin, Mr Barr seems conveniently to have forgotten that the Canberra

property sector is the ACT Government’s cash cow, with more than 50 per cent of tax revenue coming from property.

One of the myths that the Government continues to perpetuate to justify these massive cost increases on redevelopment, is that developers have been making mega-profits at the expense of the community, and that the community has consequently been missing out.

However, the LVC does not affect developers’ profits, because banks and financiers won’t allow this to happen. In reality, where lease variations are higher, the amount a developer can pay to landowners goes down, so the community is in fact the loser.

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

Let the carnevale of romance begin

It’s to be an evening of Venetian-style romance when Canberra Symphony Orchestra marks 30 years of its annual Prom concert. American-born, NZ conductor Mark Taddei (pictured), a CSO favourite, takes up the baton as soprano Eve Kong and tenor Gaetoano Bonfante sing arias from “La Boheme” and a crowd-thriller from “Turandot”.

The 2012 Shell Prom Concert: “Carnevale di Canberra”, in the grounds of Government House, 5pm (gates open 3.45pm), Saturday, February 18. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberraticketing.com.au

– Helen Musa

briefly

‘Times’ tumbles

CIRCULATION of “The Canberra Times” continues to remain down with the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for the quarter to December recording falls in every edition.

The new figures show the Saturday flagship edition slumping 6.6 per cent, from 52,182 copies to 48,759 compared to the same period last year.

The Monday-to-Friday average circulation is down 6.5 per cent to 30,262 and Sunday has fallen 4.7 per cent to 33,549.

Secrets of Rome

ROME’S almost 3000 years of continuous habitation are mixed up in a unique blend of ancient, modern, recycled and reinvented cityscape and Dr Kathryn Welch will unravel the confusion of time and space that is the Eternal City at a free public talk at the ANU. Dr Welch is chair of the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney, where she lectures in Roman history. She has written extensively on the Roman Republic, civil war and early Imperial Rome.

Her talk, presented by the Friends of the ANU Classics Museum, “On Being Eternal: Discovering Ancient Rome in the Modern City” is at the ANU’s Haydon-Allen Lecture Theatre (“The Tank”), 8pm, Thursday, February 23.

More informnation at culturalinquiry.anu. edu.au/classics-museum

The secret of lunch for less than $10

BUYING lunch can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be, with a bit of research.

Reporter FREYLA FERGUSON has been limiting her appetite to meals priced at $10 or less over recent lunchtimes and compiled this personal list of hearty meals at reasonable prices around the city.

Some like it hot

LOVE chilli food? And really tasty satay chicken? At Indo Cafe, for $8, take a pick of some Indonesian favourites from rendang curry, nasi goreng, mie goreng, gulai (red curry) and satay chicken or beef, just to name a few. All meals are served with white or yellow rice, with extra sambal and fried onion (for extra zing and crunch). Add $2 and you get a choice of samosa or spring roll plus a can of soft drink.

Indo Cafe, Ground Floor, Waldorf Apartments, London Circuit. Visit indocafe.com.

Eating by halves

COO, little sister to Japanese restaurant Iori, may be better known for its Japanese tapas-style dinners, but during the day it’s a take-away lunch bar they like to call 2Go4u.

It sells all the yummy sushi that Iori is known for but also offers an “a la carte” lunch menu that includes a list of don buri (rice dishes) plus ramen, udon and combo soups. The best thing is the price, for a full dish it could cost up to $13.50 but buy a half (but still generous) serve and it’ll cost you $6.50.

Coo, bus interchange, Sydney Building, East Row. Visit www.iori.com.au/coo

Terrific toasties

WHO doesn’t love a good toastie? Two before Ten, a little cafe in Canberra House, Marcus Clarke Street, offers not only great coffee but tummy-warming toasties with tasty fillings. Most of their products are sourced locally, with their jams, marmalades, flavoured butters and sauces made in house.

The toasties menu (using organic, sourdough bread) includes: rare roast scotch fillet, provolone, caramelised onion and roasted tomato relish; butternut hummus, marinated mushrooms, caramelised onion and provolone; and lemon-scented chicken with avocado, honey mustard and cheese. All toasties are $10.

Two before Ten, 40 Marcus Clarke Street. Visit www.facebook.com/TwoBeforeTen

Big serves of curry

DON’T let appearances deceive, Burmese Curry Place in the city bus interchange, is an all-time favourite for lunch (or dinner), if looking for a big serve of a quick and tasty stir-fry or curry.

Take your pick from chicken and potatoes; egg curry; sweet pork; fish cake; fish curry; beef and potatoes; chicken and prawn; chicken and beans; and vegetarian. And for $6.99 take-away and $7.99 eatin, it’s definitely some of the best value in town.

Burmese Curry Place, Civic bus interchange, Alinga Street.

Rolls and dogs

SO if pub meals are more your style (and you can get away with drinking a schooner over lunch) then Wig & Pen is the lunchtime spot.

Not only does it offer its locally-brewed range of beers and cider on tap, but well-

priced counter meals. The most you’ll pay for a main is $12.90. But for under $10 you can have your choice of roast chicken roll, roast beef roll or Danish hot dog. Wig & Pen, Canberra House, Alinga Street. Visit wigandpen.com.au

A taste of Ethiopia

FOR $8 at Global Cafe, you can have a taste of three authentic Ethiopian curries (made mild, but chilli is available on request) served with either rice or a fluffy, sour pancake-like bread called injera. It is also great for vegetarians, with a good selection of vegetable-based curries, including a tasty red lentil curry. Mmm! Global Cafe, 63 Northbourne Avenue. Visit www.globalethiopian.com.au

Quick and affordable

PEPPER chicken, Mongolian beef, honey chicken, sweet and sour pork; when you have the taste for Chinese food, Asian Cafe offers it quick and affordable. The award-winning restaurant (it’s won and been nominated for ACT’s Best Asian Restaurant and Best Chinese Restaurant many times) has a lunch time take away specials menu that offers many Chinese food favourites served with steamed or fried rice, or soft pan noodles. The best bit, it’s only $7.50 for small and $8.50 for large. Asian Cafe, 32 West Row, Melbourne Building. Visit www.asiancafe.com.au

Know any more cafes and restaurants around Canberra that offer cheap eats under $10? Send them to freyla@citynews.com.au or leave a comment at citynews.com.au/cheapeats

What Bishop Mitt believes

IT now looks as though Mitt Romney has the Republican Party’s nomination pretty well sewn up. And according to the American pundits there’s an even chance that he will defeat President Obama in the November election.

W HILE I suspect the Washington press corps is no better at such predictions than our own Press Gallery, we really can’t ignore the possibility that in 2013, when he moves into the White House, a Mormon will become the most powerful man in the world. And Mr Romney is not just any old run-of-the-mill Mormon, but a fully fledged bishop of the Church of Latter-day Saints.

Americans have recently been arguing whether or not Mormonism is a cult, as charged by a Southern Baptist preacher, or a bona fide religion. This is a rather silly argument since the difference is semantic. The real issue is whether Bishop Romney can and should be taken seriously, given the absurd nature of the Mormons’ beliefs.

Their founder, Joseph Smith was about on a par with L. Ron Hubbard, the inventor of the Church of Scientology. Both were convicted fraudsters; both claimed to have special knowledge of aliens from outer space (or on the moon); both ruled their communities through fear of retribution and promises of life after death; both created organisations that became very wealthy indeed.

But while it doesn’t matter if actors such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta promote the whacky ideas of Scientology, we should be very

Robert Macklin the gadfly

afraid of a having a man in the Oval Office who honestly believes that Joe Smith discovered some gold plates on which a new revelation was inscribed in no known language. However, Smith was able to read it and discovered that in 600 BC a group of Israelites journeyed to America where they settled. And after his resurrection Jesus visited them.

Smith announced that he wanted to be known as the Prophet Muhammed of North America with the slogan, “Either al-Koran or the Sword”. He encouraged polygamy to breed lots of little Mormons and sent his disciples out to spread the word. One of their oddities is their practice of amassing great archives of the dead and “praying them in” as adherents of the cult. Then they baptise them as converts. When Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister, for example, they went to enormous trouble to research his family background and presented it to him at a small ceremony – to which I was invited – at Parliament House.

Kevin was – and is – a bit of a sucker for things religious and happily accepted the booklet. But even he, I strongly suspect, would be hoping that Bishop Mitt loses out to his pal, Barack Obama.

After all, Mr Obama only believes that God gave birth to a son and when he grew to manhood He arranged for him to be crucified so that Christians could enjoy a life after they died...for eternity!

God bless America.

robert@robertmacklin.com

news / opinion dose of dorin

letters

Religious influence

THE predominance of Catholics in the ACT Opposition (Michael Moore, “Onward, Christian soldiers”, CN February 9) would seem to support the view, common in the ‘40s and ‘50s, that the Catholic Church encouraged its youth (male) to enter professions of influence – police, law, politics etc – in order to extend its own influence in Australian society, a policy which would appear to have been very successful, as exemplified particularly in the person of [Opposition Leader] Tony Abbott, who clearly sees politics as a means of advancing his religious convictions.

Patricia Saunders, Chapman

Humour to the rescue

I ADMIT to being down in the doldrums about the performances of our politicians at all levels. In a state of despondency I looked for character references for our representatives.

What first came to notice was an old Polish saying: “Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Socialism is the exact opposite”. Not much luck there. But humour to the rescue. My eyes lighted on the talents of Dave Allen, that wonderful Irish comedian. He left little doubt he didn’t like politicians, saying on stage in 1991: “If John Major was drowning, his whole life would pass in front of him and he wouldn’t be in it”. Shamefully, thinking of our elected friends, my spirits lifted.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less stand a better chance of publication.

What if the Greens had built Canberra?

MARK PARTON muses about a national capital very different from the one we enjoy today

I HAD one of those lazy, boozy, backyard barbecues around at Ricko’s while I was on holidays.

Buzzard got on the turps, as he tends to do, and came up with an intriguing hypothetical question.

“What if the Greens had been in power federally for the first half of last century?” he said.

“What would Canberra look like now if the Greens had been in power for this city’s formative years?”

It’s an almost impossible question because there wasn’t a substantial Green political movement in 1901 and there weren’t many environmental crusaders. But we still had a little fun trying to transplant modern-day Greens policy on our fledgling city.

For starters, there wouldn’t be a Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, because I don’t believe there would be a Lake Burley Griffin. The Greens’ website clearly states that they don’t believe in any major dams on Australian rivers.

Belconnen, Gungahlin and Tuggeranong would be without their town lakes and we certainly wouldn’t be in the throes of a Cotter Dam expansion, because the Greens wouldn’t have allowed the dam in the first place.

There’s every chance that Parliament House would still be surrounded by a sheep paddock and I am quite certain that there would be a bricks-and-mortar Aboriginal embassy to replace the tent one.

However, if the Greens had planned the place, we would have a functioning public transport system, which would probably involve rail of some description. Just as well because I daresay the Parkway, Belconnen Way and Northbourne Avenue would be single-lane affairs and that peak hour would be most of the day.

Canberra’s suburban houses would all have rooftop solar panels and single garages. Backyards would be full of veggie gardens, compost bins and rainwater tanks. House prices could well have felt the upward pressure of decades of compulsory six-star energy ratings making today’s prices look modest. There would be as many bike lanes as there are roads, which I’m liking the sound of.

When you consider the Greens’ education policy, it’s unlikely that our fine private schools would have flourished in the way that they have in the last 100 years, if they existed at all.

And it’s also highly likely that Canberra itself wouldn’t have been built at all – think of all of the Golden Sun Moths, yellow-nosed fruit bats, purplecrested water fowl and bandy legged brown frogs that would have been threatened by the establishment of such a city. I think Parliament would have just stayed put in Melbourne. What do you think?

Canberra Confidential

Pauline’s talking back

NEWS that Pauline Hanson will co-host with 2CC’s Mike Welsh, has got chins wagging all over town. The award-winning drive presenter has told “CC” it wasn’t difficult to secure the former politician for his program.

“I’ve interviewed her more than a dozen times on various radio programs, but I didn’t get to spend any time with her until last year, when she came to town for the anti-carbon tax rally at Parliament House and we clicked,” says Welshy.

The move comes just in time for the first Nielsen radio ratings for 2012. But according to the station’s program director Peter Davidson, the negotiations began after Hanson’s stint on WIN TV’s “Celebrity Apprentice”.

“Pauline spoke publicly about her desire to give talkback radio a try,” Davidson told “CC”. “As a talent scout I thought ‘why not give her a go?’.

“She certainly gets people stirred up and has ignited debate over the years and I expect that will make for entertaining listening with Welshy.”

While the station would not confirm Hanson’s appearance fee, “CC” been told “there’s money involved” and that “she will be looked after”.

Pauline Hanson will join Mike Welsh to try her hand as a talkback radio host on Wednesday, February 22, and Thursday, February 23, between 3pm and 6pm. Who knows? This time she may even pass her apprenticeship!

Ball kicks off season

THERE’S a lot of excitement around this year’s ball season which kicks off in a matter of weeks. But it’s the

Ronald McDonald House Charity Audi Centre Canberra Ball on March 24 that’s creating the most talk. It’s a new addition to this year’s calendar and organisers say ticket sales are through the roof!

They’re hoping to create a new benchmark in Canberra with entertainment that’s never been seen before in the ACT and the chance to win a $100,000 Audi A5 on the night.

All monies raised will go towards the new Ronald McDonald House that’s set to occupy an entire level of the Canberra hospital’s new women and children’s wing.

“CC” can confirm our Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has her ticket. The ACT Government has been instrumental in negotiating the handover of hospital space for the facility – making the deal the first of its kind in Australia – which will cost about $1.7 million to fit out and is expected to open mid-year. More information at www.canberrarmhc.com.au

Winner wasn’t sure

MEANTIME, the ACT Liberals have given away a new car. Ross Stephens, from Weston Creek, won the $47,500 Ford Falcon XR6 after buying five tickets in the party’s recent fundraising raffle. And, he’s told “CC”, he thought his friends were playing a joke and didn’t believe it was Opposition Leader Zed Seselja calling him to share the good news.

“I’d totally forgotten about the tickets and so after I put the phone down I actually checked the number on my screen with the one in the phone book to make sure it was really Zed,” Ross said.

A researcher at the ANU, Stephens describes himself as a swinging voter.

“I think people should swing to get a difference in ideas... new ideas and new people ensure we keep moving forward,” says Stephens.

Wonder which way he’ll swing in this year’s election?

Steps in the right direction

GOVERNOR-General, Quentin Bryce and Mr Bryce, will host the Mother’s Day Classic launch at Government House in a few weeks.

The GG became patron of the national event in 2009 and has participated in the walk locally and around the country.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Mother’s Day Classic. Since the first event in 1998, more than half a million men, women and children have raised $10.8 million for the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s research programs.

The 2012 Mother’s Day Classic is Sunday 13 March. More information at www.mothersdayclassic.org

KUDOS to the ONA Coffee guys who have won first, second and third places in the barista championships and latte art categories in the AustralAsia Specialty Coffee Association ACT Barista Championships 2012 at the Hellenic Club. Co-owners Danny Moreno and Sasa Sestic have been serving up coffee in Fyshwick since their grand opening in August, 2010.

Moreno told “CC” the guys knock back around 10 coffees a day in a bid to ensure consistency for their customers.

“We are coffee freaks here... at least every hour we taste what we’re pouring to ensure quality and consistency,” he says.

The award-winning crew – including Moreno’s fiancée Kiri Bell – are all smiles first thing in the morning. Head there enough and they’ll shout your name and your order as you walk in the door. Regulars include Raiders head coach Dave Furner, Queanbeyan Mayor Tim Overall and heavyweight champion, the KO machine Ben Edwards. ONA Coffee, with cafes at Fyshwick, Manuka and Belconnen, is one of the few places in Canberra that roasts its beans on site.

At the Ricky Stuart Foundation charity golf day, Royal Canberra Golf Course, Yarralumla

At the ‘Le Joie of Colour & Light’ opening, Aarwun Gallery

arts & entertainment

The women in Dickens’ life

LAST week I was invited to a very special birthday party in Sydney.

Charles Dickens had turned 200 on February 7 and Miriam Margolyes, that empress of Dickensian artistry, flanked by her British director Sonia Fraser, was hovering over a beautifully-sculpted cake in the shape of a Dickens book, wondering whether to cut it.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Italians love Dickens. We love him just about as much and his many followers last week even included members of the Jane Austen Society. To all his fans, it seems, the great man of letters is alive today as ever he was.

Margolyes, known to kids as Professor Sprout in “Harry Potter” and to others as the nurse in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet”, will also soon appear in ABC TV’s “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” series.

But she is most celebrated for her pièce de résistance, “Dickens’ Women”, her tribute to the author she fell in love with at age 11 on first reading “Oliver Twist”.

She and Fraser originally wrote it for the Edinburgh Festival in 1989 and we saw it here in 2007. Now entrepreneur Andrew McKinnon is reviving it for a 200th anniversary world tour that finishes in Chicago during December.

Helen Musa reports

We’ll get to see it this month.

Margolyes was in fine form at the party, thrilled to be back portraying Dickens’ silliest and truest characters, but equally determined to dispel any idea of him as a cheery soul ready to dispense Christmas puddings and largess.

On the contrary, she says, her closer study of his life shows a dark side.

“He’s a surprising man, much crueller than people expect,” she says.

Margolyes aims to shock. Who knew about his obsession with 17-year-old girls? And who, until she told us so, guessed that the abandoned bride Miss Havisham in “Great Expectations” is really a portrayal of Dickens himself?

She admitted to us that she and Fraser had occasionally felt nauseated by his chauvinistic view of women, seen in his portrayal of faithful Mrs Micawber (“I will never desert Mr Micawber”) or in his vicious portrayal of Flora Finching in “Little Dorrit”, Dickens’ revenge on the real-life youthful sweetheart who had, quite unforgivably, grown old.

Audiences who pack in to see the characters come to life will not be disappointed. A chameleon of the stage,

Margolyes takes us inside personalities drawn from “Martin Chuzzlewit”, “Nicholas Nickleby”, “The Old Curiosity Shop” and more famous works, as well as lesser-known stories such as “Mrs Lirriper’s Lodgings”.

Oh, yes, and there’s a book about the

show. Who can doubt Margolyes will be on hand to sign it?

“Dickens’ Women”, The Playhouse, February 23-25. Bookings to 6375 2700 or www.canberratheatre.com.au

Amid the little, we’ve a lot to sing about

By Helen Musa

ONE of the consistent pleasures of musical life in Canberra is the high calibre of smaller groups that provide year-round quality recitals in churches and other more intimate spaces.

Among these, founded as the ACT Lieder Society in 1976, is Art Song Canberra, an organisation that focuses on the human voice.

With the pleasant-sounding title “Season of Song” for its annual program, Art Song will present seven recitals this year, all at 3pm on Sunday afternoons in Wesley Music Centre, Forrest.

The 2012 season is a who’s who of our best and brightest. On February 26, Canberra-trained baritone

Jeremy Tatchell and pianist Elena Nikulina will start the season by performing Schubert’s song-cycle, “Winterreise” (“Winter Journey”).

On April 1, glamorous husband-and-wife couple, baritone Ben Connor and soprano Sonia Anfiloff will return from Vienna to perform “Hollywood’s Romantics” with their old ANU voice teacher, Alan Hicks, at the piano.

On June 3, young singers who have been studying with our top singing teachers, show off their achievements in “Lovers of Song”.

On July 1, soprano Rachael Duncan and Penelope Cashman, now based in Austria, will perform “Crossing the Pond – Songs from both sides of the Atlantic”.

Talking of Austria, on August 26, the German soprano Birgid Steinberger and former Sydney pianist Stephen Delaney arrive from Vienna to sing “Simply Schubert”.

Then on October 21, soprano Louise Page and pianist Phillipa Candy will be performing “Divine”, including songs by Schubert and Bernstein

The final recital will be “Ophelia and the Art (Song) of Madness”, performed on November 25 by central western NSW soprano Helen Barnett, with Sydney University’s David Miller at the piano.

Annual membership of Art Song costs $25. Inquiries to artsong@cyberone.com.au or call 6156 2604.

There’s much ado among the vines

By Helen Musa

ESSENTIAL Theatre is soon to bring Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing” to Murrumbateman’s Flint in the Vines for its annual Shakespeare in the Vines, with two shows this year.

It’s the company’s tenth year of touring the Bard’s works to open-air stages around the country, and artistic directors, Amanda LaBonte and Sophie Lampel, have chosen a perennial favourite in the romantic comedy that sees two of Shakespeare’s most articulate characters, Beatrice and Benedick, locked in a battle of words.

Innocent young Hero is famed by the motiveless villain Don John and her fiancé rejects her. Her cousin Beatrice and soldier Benedick, take up her cause. Against the odds, the local constables save the day.

“Much Ado” is hilarious and timeless. This version, directed by Anna McCrossin-Owen, is played in 1920s costumes and features Amanda LaBonte and Brad Flynn as two garrulous stars.

There’s some cross-dressing for the silly policemen Dogberry and Verges and, as Shakespeare’s title suggests, it’s all quite ridiculous, with a heart-warming message about the rewards of virtue.

Just the thing to wash down with a Murrumbateman vintage.

“Much Ado about Nothing”, at Flint in the Vines, Murrumbateman, 6.30pm, February 25 and 26, children under 16 years of age are free. Bookings to www. flintinthevines.net.au/events  There is  also accommodation on site, visit www.flintinthevines.net.au/ accomodation

arts & entertainment

Birthday treat with presence Sex and shame on a grand scale

THE first production for Rep’s 80th birthday season is Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” at Theatre 3, February 24 to March 17 (bookings to 6257 1950). Duncan Ley directs a top line-up, the most amazing piece of casting being the normally glamorous Helen McFarlane as Mrs Bennet. Touchingly, this is the 25th anniversary production of this play, originally adapted and directed by the late John Spicer at Theatre 3 in 1987.

THE Q’s exhibition space has its first touring exhibition, original interpretations of contemporary textile art from Australia’s leading and emerging quilt artists. Ozquilt Network Inc’s “Australia Wide Two” is at The Q, Queanbeyan, until February 25.

Helen Musa arts in the city

ADRIAN Walter and Bill Grose together form the Duo Guadagnini and will perform works for early 19th century guitar using copies of original instruments at Wesley Music Centre’s “Wednesday Lunchtime Live” series, 12.40pm to 1.20pm, February 22. No bookings needed.

DURING February, Cork St Café, Gundaroo, is hosting “Walking the Dog”, an exhibition of humorous artworks about dogs by Canberra artist Steve Roper. The Thursday-to-Sunday show features drawings, paintings and ceramic garden sculptures.

JAS Hugonnet tells us he has left the Gallery of Australian Design to focus on his own gallery and design work. Visit jas@hugonnet.com.au

BEN Drysdale, curator at the gallery in the Belconnen Community Centre, is now program officer for the theatre, too. As part of the rebranding, the gallery has become “gallery@bcs” and the theatre “theatre@bcs”. The theatre is an affordable space for shows, music, movies and poetry nights. Drysdale is contactable Wednesday, 1pm-5pm and Friday, 1pm-5pm at 6264 0267.

PAYAL Sehgal’s show “And then there were none…” has nothing to do with Agatha Christie, but is “about initiating a conversation between past and present”. Curated by M16’s Ren Pryor, it’s a retrospective from 2003 to 2012 of photographs,

Sassy,

Steve Roper’s “Hound Dog Thomson Quartet”, from his humorous “Walking the Dog” exhibition at Cork St Café, Gundaroo.

crochet and drawings. ANCA Gallery, 1 Rosevear Place, Dickson, until February 26.

ENTRIES close on February 27 for the “Weereewa Ephemera” exhibition to run from March 24-25. Helen Maxwell will judge the winners and, through sponsorship from Infogen, the top three prizes will total $10,000. Entry is free and entry guidelines are at www.weereewafestival.org

sexy razzle dazzle

“RAZZLE dazzle ‘em”, advises lawyer Billy Flynn, and that’s exactly what director Anne Somes does with this sassy, sexy, visually impressive production of the hard-edged Kander and Ebb musical.

Set in the ‘20s, “Chicago” was originally devised by Bob Fosse as a showcase for his dancer-wife, Gwen Verdon. A series of vaudevillestyle set pieces, it tells how two murderesses, Velma Kelly (Hannah Ley) and Roxie Hart (Jenna Roberts), with the enthusiastic connivance of corrupt lawyer, Billy Flynn (Adrian Flor), exploit the law and the media to launch successful careers as vaudeville performers.

The show demands virtuoso,

“Shame” (R)

“SHAME” puts sex-addict Brandon (Michael Fassbender) at odds with his beautiful but emotionally fragile, aspiring-singer sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan). Each is the other’s only family, with an enthusiastic libido, physically beautiful at the most fundamental level, that is, nude – full frontal. Neither knows how to handle emotional attachment or commitment to the other or anybody else.

Brandon is obsessively tidy. Sissy is not. That difference creates conflict when she moves into his condo. The elephant in the room is the implicit barrier of cultural conditioning preventing their coming together sexually.

Director Steve McQueen sets the film’s stylistic bars at

impressive heights. Long one-take sequences, powerfully acted, probe Brandon‘s issues – with Sissy, with a beautiful Afro-American colleague (Nicole Behari), running alone through New York’s midnight streets trying to exorcise personal demons.

“Shame” is a significant film, despite its often disconcerting contents.  Fassbender and Mulligan give well-nigh faultless performances. Its nudity and explicit sexual passages are frank yet not salacious. Its outcome’s brutal honesty leaves us wondering where that elephant really is right now.

At Greater Union and Dendy

Violence, bodies and blood

“Safe House” (M)

MUSICAL THEATRE

“Chicago” Free Rain Theatre Company, The Q, Queanbeyan, until February 27.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

triple-treat performances from its two leading ladies and extraordinary dancing from its ensemble.

In this production, played out on a slick, multi-level setting, choreographer Lisa Buckley has captured the sensuous, idiosyncratic Fosse style to create a succession of brilliantly staged, sexily-costumed production numbers, which are performed with style and panache by an accomplished ensemble in which Jordan Kelly, Will Huang and Anne Timperley are outstanding.

Hannah Ley delivers a powerhouse performance as Velma Kelly, but Jenna Roberts, initially vocally insecure and tentative, did not hit her straps until her big number “Roxie”. Adrian Flor as the lawyer, Billy Flynn, oozed the necessary charm and presence to make “All I Care About” a showstopper.

The gutsy sound of Leisa Keen’s brassy, on-stage band, conducted by Ian McLean, provided the perfect accompaniment for a memorable staging of this music theatre classic.

THIS fantasy intelligence-agent actioner is Swedish director Daniel Espinosa’s fourth feature. Oliver Wood has shot it mainly with a shaky camera in available light. What they have confected does little justice to its underlying premise.

Alarms sound at Foggy Bottom when star CIA agent Tobin (Denzil Washington) walks into the US consulate in Johannesburg after being nine years on the run for stealing intelligence data.

When the CIA team gently waterboards Tobin, he tells them nothing.

They send him to a local safe house kept by relatively unfledged agent Matt (Ryan Reynolds) who yearns for an assignment that will let him demonstrate his mettle

and perhaps get brought back to DC and promoted.

Matt has suddenly got the assignment of his career. It’s his duty to take care of Tobin. But hard men of Middle-Eastern appearance will kill to get what Tobin has.

In so far as “Safe House” purports to display CIA operational procedures, on the basis of numerous sundowners with a close friend who retired as a deputy director of CIA and about whose honesty I was always confident, I think it misses the mark. But wot the hell? It’s crammed with violence, bangs, demolition derbies around the streets of Jo’burg, dead guys and blood. Will anybody know the difference? Alas, writer David Guggenheim does not. An idea like this deserves better material. At Dendy

Forgetting life with Leo

“The Vow” (PG) AT the end of Michael Sucsy’s debut feature, there’s a title saying that it’s based on real characters now married with two kids.

After a car accident leaves her in a coma for five years, Paige (Rachel McAdams), four years married to Leo (Channing Tatum) unbeknown to her parents, surfaces with no memory of the accident or life with Leo. From that point, “The Vow” declines from a comfortable relationship story into a chick-flick that may or (more probably) may not reflect how the real-life couple dealt with rehabilitating the relationship, Paige’s bossy parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) and the boyfriend she ditched when she met Leo.

Daddy wants Paige to divorce Leo and return to law school. Mummy is suppressing a family secret. Paige wants to resume being a sculptor and complete the commission she was working on before the accident.  Leo just wants the girl he loves back in his life and bed.

I’ve never read a Mills and Boon “novel” but from what I’ve heard, “The Vow” might easily have come from that stable. The screenplay misses opportunities to establish credibility. Its treatment of issues is flaccid. In life, people ask questions and expect answers. Screenplays, to be effective, should do the same. This one instead erects contrivances to sustain it and the effect is disappointing. At Greater Union

Funky, warm hole in the wall

LOCAL shopping centres in Canberra can be a strong pull for foodies who love great coffee. Sure, not all local shops, but many have small cafes focusing on what small cafes do best… keeping customers happy.

The Red Brick Espresso, Curtin Shops, is such a place. It’s a bit Melbourne funky, definitely warm and fuzzy, and wonderfully relaxed. A friend gave me the tip, describing it as a new “hole-in-the-wall cafe with great coffee, cool music and food not too bad, either”. A perfect summary.

The place seats about 15 inside

Wendy Johnson reviews

(seating outside also) and the bench running along the one wall is made all the more comfy with pillows each featuring their own smart design. If sitting on the bench side you’ll face the minute prep area and the wall of earthy coloured bricks.

Most food is brought in, as far as I can tell, since there was no real sign of a formal kitchen – not that there’s anything wrong with that if what’s on the menu is yummy, and it is.

The staff are delightful and weren’t fussed when I asked for a breakfast item even though it was lunch (“If there are any left”, they promised). And so it was that I tucked into the sweet potato, corn and coriander rosti with rocket, smoked salmon and aioli (GF), a bargain at $13.90. The serve of salmon was generous and the aioli not too heavy on the garlic. The rosti was quite sweet, which is no surprise given the potato, but I enjoyed it.

Another good bargain was my friend’s “Red Brick Lunch Plate”, with smoked leg ham, sharp cheddar cheese, semi-dried tomatoes and home-made pesto served with toasted sourdough ($11.90). It’s a simple, satisfying plate, although a bit more toasting of the sourdough was in order.

Other wholesome items for breakfast are toasted fruit loaf

($5.90), a vegetarian tortilla pocket with scrambled eggs, mozzarella and aromatic Spanish tomato sofrito ($7.90) and homemade organic Bircher muesli ($11.90). By the way, the place is open bright and early, serving coffee from about 7.30am.

The lunch menu is concise and features a standard range of hot, pressed rolls for $8.90 (nothing I haven’t seen many times before, though). Beyond that are smoked salmon rillettes ($11.90), chickpea and caramelised onion patties ($13.90) and a vegetarian tortilla pocket.

Vegetarians and those with gluten intolerance are well cared for at Red Brick Espresso, as are the little ones who will love the Coco Pops and a glass of apple juice ($7.50) for breakfast and the vegemite soldiers with a glass of home-made raspberry cordial ($7.50) for lunch. Kid’s milkshakes are $3.50.

Mags are available and, as my friend said, the place has great coffee and cool music.

Red Brick Espresso, Monday to Saturday, breakfast and lunch. 4/35 Curtin Shops, call 6285 1668.

Raise your glass

By Kathryn Vukovljak

Contemporary colour

WE love coloured glass, and Villeroy & Boch’s new range of hand-blown tumblers and bowls in pretty pastel shades including blue, olive, turquoise and burgundy is just gorgeous. Mix and match with white or patterned china for an eclectic look. From $32.95, available at selected department stores. Call 1800 252 770 or visit www. villeroy-boch.com for stockists.

Clearly cool

AMERICAN glassware designers Anchor Hocking are the kings of coollooking glassware! Their Tall Ice Tea glass ($12.95) is a sophisticated way to enjoy a cold drink; while the Cambria mug-style glass ($6.95) is just right for a cuppa. Call (03) 8787 4200 or visit www. anchorhocking.com. au for stockists.

Downward spiral

The exquisite, swirly designs in the Romantica by Luigi Bormioli range look delicate and elegant but the glassware is strong and more durable than normal glass, thanks to a special formulation. The stems are even reinforced with titanium! From $44.95 for a box of four tumblers. Call 1800 651146 for stockists.

Lounging around – outdoors

Outdoor lounges that are just as flexible and practical as indoor styles – King Furniture has hit the spot with its first alfresco range of sofas. The Delta Outdoor (pictured) has storage underneath,

and can be used as an upright sofa then slid into a sunlounger or a daybed, and it’s waterproof – useful for the unpredictable weather we’re having!

Crinkly thrills of colourful petals

WITH the cool summer continuing, except for the odd warm day, the leaves are already turning into their glorious autumnal hues. There has certainly been mixed success with tomatoes this year lacking the consistent hot weather that they require. I have had numerous calls regarding tomatoes and I will touch on them later in this column.

Autumn-flowering shrubs are certainly flowering earlier this year. Take Lagerstroemia indica or Crepe Myrtle, for example. I used to say these were autumn flowering, but now most varieties were in full bloom at the end of January.

CREPE Myrtles were named by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus after Magnus von Lagerstrom (1691-1759), a Swedish merchant who, in his travels, brought back new plants from around the world to Linnaeus. These delightful plants with the common name due to the crinkly petals were first introduced into England in the 18th century from China and Taiwan by the early plant hunters and then introduced into the US. With modern plant breeding, especially by the National Arboretum in Washington, many new varieties have been introduced. These are a cross between Lagerstroemia indica and L. fauriei

Many of these new varieties were named after North American Indian tribes and are known as the “Indian Summer” series. Here is a selection

In the garden this week...

• Move pots around to face north and the sun. If they stay in one position for too long there will be sparse growth on the south side.

• Tomatoes split if watered too often or the ground is waterlogged. This can also cause rotting on the bottom of the tomato.

• Tomatoes showing papery brown patches on the fruit is usually caused by sun scorch.

• There are more entries on growing tomatoes in the latest “Canberra Gardener” than any other plant. Buy a copy at your local newsagent or bookshop for growing all plants in our local climate.

now available from your local garden centre:

• Lagerstroemia indica “Natchez” is an elegant, vase-shaped tree to 8m tall and a spread of 6m with delightful deep pink flowers.

• L. indica “Biloxi”, a smaller-growing small tree or small shrub ideal for the smaller garden or courtyard growing 3mx 3m with lilac flowers.

• L. “Sioux” a strong, vase-shaped small tree to 4m x 3m with pink flowers.

• If you are into standard roses consider “Acoma”, a pure-white flowering standard crepe myrtle. This will grow higher than standard roses and give a stunning display planted alternatively with the roses.

• Growing smaller still and could be grown in a large container is L. “Yuma” to 3m tall and 2-3m spread. Incidentally, these super shrubs have now been planted in Monaro Street, Queanbeyan, in the streets of Penrith and

Tomatoes... lack of hot weather has led to mixed growing success.

• Keep applying Multiguard Snail and Slug pellets to strawberry plants, especially after rain. This is the pet-safe one recommended by Dr. Harry Cooper, the TV vet.

are now being considered for our streets in Canberra.

It used to be the practice to heavily prune Crepe Myrtles in winter, as they flower on the new-season’s wood. Now it is recommended that only a light prune after flowering has finished just to keep a good shape and encourage new wood in spring.

Two other special features are the wonderful colours of the exfoliating bark in winter, which is a feature in itself, especially for floral artists; and then the wonderful autumn colour after flowering.

THE next meeting of the Horticultural Society of Canberra is at the Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, 7.30pm, Monday, February 20. Jim Jackman will be speaking about Australian Furniture Timbers. You do not have to be a member, all are welcome with supper provided.

Joanne Madeline Moore your week in the stars / February 20-26

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Aries are very autonomous, and can be selfish souls. This week the New Moon, Mercury and Neptune all encourage you to do good deeds and assist others, as your humanitarian side is highlighted and you’re keen to help those in need. Rams to the rescue! If you blurt out the first thing on your mind on Thursday, you’ll just upset others and spend the day arguing.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

The New Moon urges you to stretch yourself in dynamic new directions. Keep what’s working in your life but don’t be afraid to discard people, possessions or projects that have passed their used-by date. And don’t underestimate the importance of networking. It’s all about connections, as you extend your social circle and get involved in group projects.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

With the New Moon (plus Mercury and Neptune) stirring up your career zone, it’s time to plan professional projects, apply for a new job, take on a second job or completely change vocation. Don’t sell yourself short – reach for the stars! Be inspired by birthday great Steve Irwin (born on February 22): “Whatever you want to do in this world, it is achievable.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Cancers are typically cautious creatures. But, with four planets all activating your adventure zone, it’s time to crawl out of your cozy Crab cave and take on the world. Shake up your normal schedule – and perhaps you can plan a holiday or trip for sometime soon? On Thursday, avoid using sharp words or insensitive remarks to cover up your insecurities.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

For lusty Lions, a relationship revamp is overdue as the New Moon stimulates your sensuality zone. Attached Cats – it’s time to reboot a problematic partnership. Singles – a sudden attraction promises passion but are you seeing the person clearly? With Mars reversing through your finance zone, your bank balance may temporarily go backwards so plan accordingly.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Whether one-to-one relationships are of the romantic or platonic variety, it’s time to revamp old patterns of relating and communicate in creative new ways. Single Virgos – you’re looking for more than a passing flirtation. Good looks aren’t enough – you need a partner you can really talk to. The more you criticise others on Thursday, the more they will push you away.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Laidback Librans can be lazy and lackadaisical. This week’s New Moon energises your health zone so it’s time to get physical, as you design a new exercise program that is fun and flexible. Others are in the mood to tell it like it is on Thursday, so don’t take offence if you hear a few unpleasant home truths. Singles – Sunday is the day to be proactive in love.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Don’t sweat the small stuff Scorpio – and don’t be so focused on future results that you ignore the joys within your daily routine. Whether you are at home or at work, take the time to smell the roses along the way (they are what make the journey worthwhile). You’re in the mood to socialise on Thursday but resist the urge to be super snappy or sarcastic.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Home sweet home is the place to be as the New Moon puts you in the mood to tackle domestic duties with a Sagittarian spring in your step, and a smile on your dial. It’s time to ring in some changes as you decorate, renovate or relocate. Positive Sun/Jupiter aspects promise a wonderful weekend, plus a work opportunity could come your way via a family connection.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Capricorns are keen to communicate creatively mid-week, as you collaborate with like-minded souls to achieve a win-win result for all. If you’re stuck in a mental rut, look for ways you can reinvigorate your mind via conversation, study or travel. Family affection will be thin on the ground on Sunday, as Saturn focuses your attention on problems rather than solutions.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

There are plenty of ways you can become financially unstuck at the moment Aquarius. With no less than five planets activating your $$$ zones (including the New Moon, Neptune and retro Mars) avoid making fast money moves as you’re not seeing the picture clearly. Feelings fluctuate on Friday, as Uranus stirs up unpredictable moods and fiery emotions.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

The Sun and Neptune hook up, so you’re the quintessential Piscean at the moment. It’s the best time of the year to break old habits and set inspiring goals for the future, as the New Moon lights up your sign. Don’t rehash old ideas or tread over familiar ground – it’s best to start projects from scratch. Financially-challenged Fish – find creative ways to increase your cash flow.

Burdekin Av Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0418 215 878 3BR H

11:30-12:15 3/80 Buckingham St First National Hincksman 0417 687 379 4BR H

BELCONNEN

Canberra Region Property Summary 100%

BONNER

CHARNWOOD

CALWELL

CAMPBELL

DICKSON

Canberra Region Property Summary

DUFFY

FADDEN

FARRER

FRASER

GARRAN

GILMORE

GIRALANG

GLENEAGLES

HILL

Sat 11:00-11:40 182 Temperley St Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0408 219 148 4BR G

12:00-12:30 1 Mcritchie Cct Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0408 219 148 5BR E

12:40-1:30

HOLDER

Canberra Region Property Summary

Wyselaskie Cct L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0431 419 847 3BR I

Sat 10:00-10:30 6/18 Currie Cr Luton Properties 0418 697 844 3BR F Sat 10:00-10:30 81/55 Dawes St Peter Blackshaw Woden 0412 152 607 3BR D

Sat 10:00-10:30 17/47 Eyre St Luton Properties 0427 214 337 3BR H Sat 10:00-11:00 8/57 Eyre St Peter Blackshaw Manuka 0418 628 641 3BR C Sat 11:00-3:00 9/20 Eyre St Colliers International 0435 659 746 1BR H

Sat 11:30-12:15 63 Cunningham St Luton Properties 0418 697 844 4BR C

Sat 12:00-12:45 64 Kennedy St Independent Civic 0418 693 635 3BR C

Sat 12:00-4:00 17 Trevillian Quay Colliers International 0418 623 290 3BR C

Sat 12:00-4:00 11/17 Trevillian Quay Colliers International 0418 623 290 3BR D

Sat 12:30-1:00 45/47 Kennedy St Luton Properties 0419 688 034 2BR I Sat 1:00-3:00 4/77 Leichhardt St McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 212 332 2BR I Sat 1:00-3:00 6/77 Leichhardt St McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 212 332 1BR I Sat 1:00-3:00 13/77 Leichhardt St McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 212 332 1BR I Sat 3:00-4:00 39/51

NICHOLLS

Canberra Region Property Summary

NORTH LYNEHAM

PALMERSTON

QUEANBEYAN

11:00-11:30 21/43 Antill St Peter Blackshaw Queanbeyan 0419 683 599 2BR J

Sat 11:00-11:30 9/44-64 Carrington St Go Gecko Queanbeyan 0410 606 401 2BR K

Sat 11:00-11:30 1 Taylor Pl Peter Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0413 830 598 H

Sat 11:15-12:00 38/13-15 Mowatt St Maxwell & Co Real Estate 0408 971 672 2BR K

Sat 11:45-12:15 9 Stonehaven Cct Peter Blackshaw Queanbeyan 0419 683 599 4BR H

Sat 12:00-12:40 27 Mcintosh St L.J. Hooker Queanbeyan 0415 735 777 3BR A

Sat 12:00-12:30 1/83-85 Tharwa Rd Go Gecko Queanbeyan 0410 606 401 3BR I

Sat 12:15-1:00 11 Donoghoe Cr Peter Blackshaw Woden 0412 152 607 3BR H

Sat 12:15-1:15 43 Erin St Ian McNamee & Partners 0418 832 091 1BR K

Sat 12:15-1:15 43 Erin St Ian McNamee & Partners 0418 832 091 2BR J

Sat 12:30-1:00 88 Cooma St Peter Blackshaw Queanbeyan 0419 683 599 4BR H

Sat 12:30-1:00 4/91-99 Donald Rd Maxwell & Co Real Estate 0408 971 672 2BR K

Sat 12:45-1:15 37 Sassafras Cr Go Gecko Queanbeyan 0410 583 048 3BR B

Sat 1:00-1:30 162 Donald Rd Go Gecko Queanbeyan 0410 606 401 3BR I Sat 1:15-1:45 75 Barracks Flat Dr Peter Blackshaw Queanbeyan 0419 683 599 4BR H Sat 1:45-2:30 27 Hellmund St Go Gecko Queanbeyan 0410 583 048 4BR H Sat 2:00-2:45

Canberra Region Property Summary

WATSON

TURNER

WANNIASSA