Failing prizes may silence Canberra Aria
HELEN MUSA
Canberra Connect’s licence to thrill!
ROBERT MACKLIN Gorgeous blooms that celebrate winter
CEDRIC BRYANT
Here’s cheers for action on alcohol
MICHAEL MOORE
Soprano TRISHA CROWE and her big night with George Gershwin
LIBBY HILL sees children with special needs touched by symphonic music
THE Canberra Symphony Orchestra’s Noteworthy Outreach Education Program of educational symphonic concerts is free to all students across Canberra, but is having a big impact in special schools, where concerts are held and students get the chance to play instruments themselves.
CSO education manager Wendy Lorenz, is an experienced performer and educator and takes musicians into four Canberra special schools, visiting each twice a year.
“Some of the students respond wonderfully to music. It seems to get through where other things don’t,” she says. “It’s that universal language. It seems to reach people.”
Mary Pitt is a teacher and a parent at Black Mountain School.
“This program is important to me on two fronts. One is that my son gets to enjoy things that I enjoy and also I get to see how many lives this program can touch,” she says.
“We don’t want to deny these students the wonderful opportunities that mainstream students have.
“Because of the difficulties a lot of our students have with noise sensitivity or crowds or the types of things that go along with their special needs, we find it difficult to take them out to large venues and places where we feel they may intrude upon some of the performances for the artists.
“We find for our students that they are in
Arts&Entertainment 21-24
Canberra Confidential 20
Cinema 23
Dining 24
Garden 26
Home 27
News 3-11
Opinion 14
Politics 10-11
Property 29-32
Puzzles 28
Social Scene 15-19
Sport 12-13
the comfort of their own environment and it opens another door, which is important to their post-school life.”
Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111
GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601 www.citynews.com.au twitter.com/city_news facebook.com/canberracitynews
Chief executive officer: Greg Jones 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au
Senior advertising executive: Ernie Nichols, 0421 077999
Advertising sales executives: Mara Stroppa, 0431 245130 Rebecca Darman 0411 225169
Advertising sales co-ordinator: ad@citynews.com.au
Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9420 1777
Funding for the Noteworthy Outreach program comes from the Macquarie Group Foundation and the ACT Government.
Since 1993: Volume 18, Number 23
Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au
Journalists: Freyla Ferguson, freyla@citynews.com.au
Libby Hill, libby@citynews.com.au
Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au
Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764 helen@citynews.com.au
Design and photography: Silas Brown, 0412 718086
Graphic designer: Leonie Fox
Contributing photographer: Andrew Finch
Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au
Distribution and circulation: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au
KINGSTON’S Wentworth Avenue, one of Canberra’s oldest roads, is to be resurfaced. In Estimates hearings, ACT Government officials said the road would be repaired. Liberal urban services spokesman Alistair Coe said the Opposition had been lobbying for three years to have the road fixed.
RED Nose Day is celebrating its 25th anniversary. SIDS and Kids uses proceeds from the day for bereavement support to families who have experienced the death of a child during pregnancy, birth, infancy or childhood. They also deliver the safe sleeping education program for the prevention of SIDS and other fatal sleep accidents. For information about volunteering, please call 02 6287 4255.
YEAR 10 Canberra Grammar School student Sebastian SummerbyMitchell came second in the 2012 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition. About 90,000 students from 775 schools from around the country took part in this year’s competition.
THE “Ageing Well in the ACT: Research Showcase” forum will be held at the Ann Harding Centre, University of Canberra, 10am-4.30pm, on Wednesday, July 4. Presenters include experts from the Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing (ANU); Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies (Charles Sturt University); Centre for Research and Action in Public Health (UC) and the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre. A panel will discuss “Ageing well: what to aim for and how do we get there?” The forum, organised by the non-profit ACT Australian Association of Gerontology, costs $40 (or $20 for members, students and seniors) and includes lunch and refreshments. More information and bookings to arjorykobold@ozemail.com.au or call 6295 1444.
ROTARY is embracing the internet and social networking as a way to attract younger people and retain members.
Long-time Canberra Rotarians are establishing Canberra’s first Rotary e-club aimed at attracting business, professional and community leaders unable to commit to attending regular club meetings in person.
One of the organisers, Ross Ellis, says the new Rotary EClub of Brindabella will cater for those with time and mobility constraints, ill health, disability or the requirement to relocate from an existing Rotary club. There are 52 e-clubs worldwide.
“Internet clubs are known as Rotary E-Clubs, but they are not virtual Rotary clubs. They are real Rotary clubs of Rotarians who are committed to providing service to others,” Mr Ellis says.
“The new Rotary E-Club of Brindabella will use the internet as a tool to meet, to manage
the club and to work on club projects, all as part of Rotary International.
“Members will log-on for about 30 minutes each week to participate in club business and visitors will be welcome to visit the website.”
Members will share information through a chatroom feature on a specially designed website. They will also have access to the notes from guest lecturers through the website.
“Personal contact will not be lost as there will be an opportunity for e-club members to meet socially, probably once a month,” Mr Ellis says. It is hoped the new e-club format will provide an entry point for younger people to join Rotary and act as a stepping stone into traditional clubs.
Prospective members should call 0412 122330 or email r_ellis@tpg.com.au
Determined, passionate and always polite; Liberal MLA STEVE DOSZPOT has returned to Molonglo with political experience and a strong desire to serve the community
LIBERAL MLA Steve Doszpot will stand for Molonglo at October’s ACT election.
Opposition Leader Zed Seselja has swapped electorates and is heading south to seek re-election through Doszpot’s seat in Brindabella.
And while it’s considered the best move to assist the Canberra Liberals to get into government, Steve said it was also a personal decision for him and his wife Maureen to downsize and move back to Canberra’s inner-south – the area where they spent their first 20 years in Canberra.
But although he served his first term for Brindabella and holds the Opposition portfolios of Education, Disability, Multicultural Affairs, and Sport and Recreation, Steve said he’s simply committed to fighting for all Canberrans – a commitment that stems from his father.
“I come from a refugee background, my parents were refugees that came from Hungary when I was seven years old, English was my second language,” Steve said.
“My father always impressed on me the need to repay Australia for the kindness that our family was shown. My father was always badgering me to get into politics.
“My background was in the IT industry. My father died in 1992, but I had always felt very guilty about not pursuing some of these things.
“At a certain point in my commercial career I decided it was time to give something back to the community.
“Basically, to answer my father’s calling.”
The perennially polite politician is a father of two and grandfather of four, and has lived in Canberra with his wife since 1974, initially in the suburbs of Holder and Fisher.
Before being elected to the Assembly in 2008, Steve had led a successful career primarily in the IT industry and has held positions including ACT general manager of Canon, general manager of Duesburys Strategic Connections, business development manager for the CSIRO’s ICT Centre and ACT CEO of the Sydney Olympics organising committee.
He’s also held community positions as president of Soccer Canberra and president of the ACT Olympic Council.
But he says his steepest learning curve has come from the world of politics.
“I have found that being in Opposition has been a tremendous training ground and I am looking at putting some of the things I have learnt into practice
in Government,” Steve said.
“The fact that we have helped people while being in Opposition has been the biggest, pleasant surprise.
“There are lots of people who come to us at the very last resort. I take my job very seriously about making sure that politics plays its part and we help people.”
ment accountable for the UC and CIT merger.
“I felt very strongly about finding out the motivation for why the Government wanted to make that change because we only have one vocational education centre in the ACT, and that’s CIT,” he said.
“Other jurisdictions have different options, but here that’s the only one we have.
LEE Hillier is a person that Liberal MLA Steve Doszpot considers a true inspiration.
Lee, an aspiring politician, is an ANU student studying politics and philosophy, that has been doing work experience with the Canberra Liberals for a few years.
He also has a muscle degeneration disorder called duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“Lee is probably one of the most intelligent young men you can meet, but he’s got this disability that prohibits his movement, he can guide the chair but that’s the only movement he’s got,” Steve said.
“He’s an inspiration to me. In politics, you look at the numbers and the stats, but with Lee you can actually understand the trauma that people have to live with.
“Not just Lee himself, but his family, the carers and the parents who have to look after people with disabilities.” Steve said he’s blessed with shadow portfolios in disability and education, and working with Lee has given him invaluable understanding of the challenges people with disabilities face.
“It’s enabled me to better understand how big an issue people have to contend with in the community,” he said.
I have found that being in Opposition has been a tremendous training ground and I am looking at putting... things I have learnt into practice in Government.
“ ”
In his first term, his list of achievements in the Assembly include facilitating a delay to class and campus changes at Weston pre-school to give parents more time to make informed choices for their children’s education and chairing the Assembly Health Committee that delivered a report into “Government and non-Government respite care serves in the ACT” that highlighted issues in the provision of respite care services and helped to bring a greater awareness of the role of carers in the community.
“Noah’s Ark and the Shepherd Centre, which are involved in assisting children with hearing impairment, were going to have their funding cut. I fought for that and we had the funding restored,” he said. He also had a strong part in holding the Govern -
“In the end, that whole situation has been put on the backburner because I don’t think the Government was able to justify what they were going to do.
“And certainly, they couldn’t justify the financials.”
Steve also worked tirelessly for three months towards including non-government schools in the Shaddock review into special needs education.
“I have quite a few years of experience behind me in terms of family, business, cost of living, for my children and, now, grandchildren,” he said.
“Business issues with having to contend with red tape, families issues with education and understanding the needs of our older Canberrans who shaped Canberra’s development, who have now got to the age where they now need to be protected from the rising cost of living; the retirees, and self-funded retirees who are definitely affected by Government.”
But why should we vote for Steve?
“I bring a fair bit of experience into the position and bring resolve and determination, I don’t turn away or resign from any issues that I face,” he said.
Authorised by Tio Faulkner for the Canberra Liberals, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City
“The fact that there’s so many issues for families and the individuals themselves, I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg with what I’ve learnt so far in the last three and a half years.
“But it motivates me to learn more about the issues that they have to contend with and see how best we can address them.”
“Frog” Harris and a recent award his store won for being a leading retailer... “It’s great to work with acts in music that you really appreciate and you really help those people.”
FREYLA FERGUSON discovers that when you want to know anything about music, there’s only one man to go to.
WHO else in Canberra can say they’ve not only met but worked with; Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, André Rieu, Reba Mcentire, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, just to name a few?
“Frog” Harris can.
He knows his stuff – starting his career in the music industry in a record store at Sydney’s Roselands shopping centre at 18 years old. He was soon “tapped on the shoulder” by RCA Records (now Sony Records) and was plunged into the world of rock’n’roll.
Working in sales, marketing and promotions for RCA, then later CBS, Frog met with and made friends with, some of the world’s biggest mega stars.
He made the move to Canberra to become promotions director of radio stations Kix106 and 2CC.
But when it came time in 1995 to start his own business, Songland Records – “the home of the hard to find” – he wanted to bring some of that superstardom to Canberra.
Songland recently relocated from Tuggeranong to Cooleman Court shopping centre and these days is Canberra’s only full-range, independent record store.
Frog has regular radio spots in Canberra (on 2CC) and Sydney (on 2UE).
“By design or by request, we do a lot more than just have a store,” he said.
“We’ve done probably about 50 or 60 instore appearances with artists at Songland,
before that when I was at Grace Brothers in Sydney, I did in-store appearances with artist from Tiny Tim to Gerry and the Pacemakers to the Heeby Jeebies.
“It’s great to work with acts in music that you really appreciate and you really help those people.
“You then build up a friendship with them, whether it be a John Schumann, Amber Lawrence or Melinda Schneider.”
Despite the music industry facing a change to digital, Frog said, for now, record stores will live on.
“We actually saw graphs that said ‘digital is going to be up there, it’s going to take over the world’, well it was never going to take over the world,” he said.
“The reason it wasn’t is that we still have the demographics out there that aren’t interested in digital products.
“I’m 50 and there’s people who are 50 and upwards, and some people like digital, I appreciate that, but there are people who love the physical product.”
But the real mystery is that Harris is universally known as “Frog”. Why? He’ll say no more than, as a teenager, he had wanted to be a vet and the nickname came from a series of “consequences” to do with frogs.
Songland Records at Cooleman Court, Weston, specialises in worldwide imports, classical music, country music, horror movies among a wide range of CDs and DVDs.
Senator Kate Lundy is tackling the nexus between sport and alcohol, says MICHAEL MOORE
IN launching the $25 million ‘’Be the Influence, Tackling Binge Drinking’’ initiative with the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA), Senator Kate Lundy is taking an important step in wrestling with the growing number of problematic issues associated with alcohol.
Lundy, one of two ACT senators, is Australia’s Minister for Sport representing a government that has recognised the importance of tackling alcohol-related harm. For improved community health, she is prepared to stand up to the industry’s “nanny state” accusations and seek to modify Australia’s drinking culture.
It is time to take action on alcohol. It is time to wrestle with the culture of binge drinking and other forms of harmful use of alcohol. Commensurate with increasingly liberal regulation has been increasing harm. Early morning violence in the streets, increased violence in the home and the aftermath of binge drinking are just some of the indicators. In the long term, the community will have to pay for increased chronic disease associated with inappropriate drinking along with such repercussions as children who grow up with foetal alcohol syndrome.
The campaign launched by Lundy and her ministerial colleague, Mark Butler, is a partnership between the Aus-
tralian Government and national sporting organisations who are determined to address binge drinking and the influence of alcohol promotion on young Australians. Twelve sports have accepted part of the $25 million package to promote safe alcohol consumption to adults, provide alcohol-free sporting environments for minors and to reduce alcohol promotion in their codes. Soccer, basketball, cycling, volleyball, netball, swimming, hockey, athletics, skateboarding, equestrian, triathlon and canoeing have all signed up to the package.
Chief executive officer of Swimming Australia, Kevin Neil, said his sport was “proud to take a leadership role in this important area”. It is particularly dangerous to mix alcohol and swimming. At the launch of the initiative, the influence of Australian role models was also high on the agenda. It was epitomised by swimming champion Geoff Huegill, who supports the initiative “to combat the growing problem of binge drinking in youth culture in this country”. The combination of politics and sports is a powerful mix. And it will require an incredible effort from many Australians to move our community to a healthier drinking culture. In the first major move on alcohol, ANPHA, the Government’s prevention body,
BIANCA Prichard, owner of Jindii EcoSpa, recently approached Woden SEE-Change to propose a partnership with the community. As a result, a program of activities that includes planting trees and fundraising for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will be launched on Sunday, July 8, in the Cotter Valley with a tree planting. Anyone who wants to participate in the event should RSVP peoplepowerjindii. eventbrite.com.au or if you’d like a tree planted in your name, donate to the Jindii Sustainability Fund through www.jindii.com.au.
THE book, “The Joys and Dangers of an Aviation Pilot”, written by Laddie Hindley (CN, June 21-28), won’t be available for another three to four months. All rights belong to the Commonwealth of Australia exercised by the RAAF Air Power Development Centre, not the Australian War Memorial, as published.
WINNERS of one of four double passes to see Selby & Friends “Magical Miniatures” concert, are: Naomi Barber, of Queanbeyan East; Marilyn Garratt, Evatt; Luke Willard, Griffith; and Lisa Schneider, Jerrabomberra.
WINNERS of the five $50 Grill’d vouchers, are: Marilyn Davidson of Amaroo; Nic Kosseck, Watson; Jonathan McFeat, Braddon; Ben Low, Acton; and Daniel Walding, Downer.
working with the Ministers has provided appropriate leadership to highlight the sort of action that needs to be taken.
Senator Lundy explained: “This campaign is about tapping into the positive influence sporting clubs have on young people while promoting responsible drinking.”
More is needed. The government and ANPHA understand the importance of marketing and are tackling this aspect. However, price and access are also important tools available to governments. For as long
as there is ludicrously cheap alcohol available as a tool to lure young people, there will be ongoing problems.
Governments have levers around access to alcohol. In Newcastle a couple of years ago, an experiment bringing closing hours back to just 3am resulted in a drastic reduction in emergency presentations at the hospital. In the ACT, there has been a mushrooming of convenience stores that primarily sell alcohol to the small hours.
The evidence is overwhelming: increasing availability is as-
sociated with increased harm.
Lundy and her Government stood up to industry on the “alcopops tax” and have now taken the next step. This is one area the Government is demonstrating political spine, determination and resolve.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health. He is the CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and co-founder of the National Alliance for Action on Alcohol.
THE rumours surrounding a possible move by Wallabies’ skipper David Pocock from the Western Force to the Brumbies won’t go away.
Pocock has put his future on hold while in camp with the Wallabies, but it hasn’t stopped talk that he is considering a move.
There is a perception that Pocock has a strong belief in the Brumbies with Jake White in charge and a move to Canberra would enhance his prospects of playing in a team capable of playing in the finals.
One of the main obstacles could be his asking price and with the Force desperate to keep him, he may feel obligated to stay with Perth because of his overall role with the team, which isn’t confined to the playing field.
Pocock would be a major gain for the Brumbies. Apart from his obvious playing ability, he has a strong social awareness with much of the money he makes from rugby going to African charities.
WHILE I’m on the issue of footballers and their work off the field, the people involved in Special Olympics in Canberra told me that they invited Wallabies’ and Brumbies’ centre, Pat McCabe, pictured, to speak to their
athletes. Not only did he speak to the athletes and their carers, but he also helped pack up after the event!
RAIDERS’ skipper, David Shillington, is another keen to put back into the community: he works with disadvantaged kids. It is something he did off his own bat and didn’t seek publicity for doing so. I applaud these athletes who manage to find time for others and respond to the needs within their community.
IF ever you were looking for evidence of people never giving up you don’t have to go past the Paralympics.
Canberra cyclist, Sue Powell, pictured, is one that comes to mind. She took up cycling at the age of 39 to keep fit after suffering permanent nerve damage. Since then, she has set world records and won a world championship. She is now preparing for her first Paralympics, competing in road and track events in London. But
preparing for the track isn’t easy in Canberra with the Narrabundah Velodrome a poor excuse for a facility. It’s dangerous and exposed to the elements, yet Sue has managed to make it through to the highest level that an athlete can reach. We’ll be cheering her on.
CALL it blind faith, call it naive, but in sport, trust is everything. Without it, competitive sport lacks the emotional connection that sets it apart.
Watching Lance Armstrong win seven Tour de France titles, we believed that his herculean performance was the result of hours of hard work and sacrifices. The inference that he allegedly achieved what he did because of performance-enhancing drugs has always been in the background, but it has been easy to dismiss the allegations of drug use because he has had 500 or so tests with not one positive result.
The latest allegations, with fellow riders and doctors lining up against him, again tests the resolve to support him.
I have been asked a number of times: if athletes want to use drugs, then why not let them? But would we offer the same
sentiment if we were talking about match fixing, bribery, tanking or faking injury to gain an advantage?
Don’t we want to see sport as a human endeavour, with a set of rules that allow people to compete as equally as possible?
I would like to think that any form of cheating needs to be eradicated. That’s not to say that faking injury to get a penalty, as we see in soccer especially, or AFL clubs making sure they don’t win to ensure a draft pick, is the same as systematic blood doping or performance enhancing drug use.
But if we let one form of cheating go unchallenged, who is to say that it won’t be seen as a green light to go one step further.
The essence of sport is the belief that we understand that every competitor is competing on an even playing field.
SEEING double? Has Joe Picker got a shearing twin?
No. The two-Joes photo is one of two Raiders (the other’s Bronson Harrison) featured in a new exhibition called “Onside with the NRL” featuring 20 photographs of League players by Mark Tedeschi, at the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney until August 5.
Tedeschi’s day job is senior crown prosecutor for NSW. He met Joe at a friend’s farm near Crookwell.
“Joe has been shearing sheep since he was about 15, and is still a country boy. This image shows how he successfully lives in both the world of pastoral pursuits and the world of first-grade NRL,” says Tedeschi.
There’s nothing like a trip to Norfolk Island to make you appreciate Canberra, says ROBERT MACKLIN.
THE beauty of a holiday in what used to be known – quite properly – as the “hellhole of the British Empire” is that a week on Norfolk Island feels like a month.
There’s so little to do that if you retired there you’d hardly notice when you slipped the mortal coil.
My journey wasn’t exactly voluntary.
I’m writing what I hope to be the definitive history of the three aspects of the island’s horrific past (and present) – the sadistic penal settlements; the invasion of the “Bounty” mutineers’ descendants from Pitcairn; and the disgraceful activities of the Anglican missionaries who stole children from the surrounding islands to turn them into little Christians while they slaved on the mission farm.
I needed to make one final trip there to witness Bounty Day, the annual celebration by the Pitcairners’ descendants of their arrival in 1856 and to complete my research.
It’s so hilly that you can’t walk or ride bicycles, but happily the hotel provided a car. That was when I discovered that my ACT driver’s licence had expired.
Fortunately my wife was able to drive us around, but the morning after I returned I headed for the Woden branch of the ACT Government’s shopfront, Canberra Connect.
I expected the usual two-hour wait while bored and dilatory attendants (such as one finds on Norfolk) dawdled their way through the red tape. And my heart sank when I arrived at 10 to nine to discover a queue of at least 20 people ahead of me before the doors opened.
But then, as the portals parted, something quite extraordinary occurred.
The queue shot forward, each one of us welcomed by a charmingly helpful woman who immediately gave me the necessary form (and pen) on a clipboard; I took a seat and set to, but before I even got past the “given names” up came my number on the screen beckoning me to station 7.
In fact it was so quick I went to the wrong station, but the delightfully helpful young lady there didn’t mind a bit.
She looked me up on the computer, checked the details, then directed me across the aisle for an eye test; whipped around and conducted it herself.
I passed with flying colours and then, blow me down, she sat me in a chair and took my picture. She even let me smile for it.
Smile! By now I couldn’t get the grin off my face. Then I signed it and she warned me it might take a couple of minutes to process. It did – two minutes exactly.
She handed it over, processed my Visa card and set me on my way.
As I walked out the door, I checked my watch. It was 9.12am. That was astonishing in itself, but it wasn’t the best part of the experience. That was the absolutely charming and helpful manner that pervaded the entire operation and everyone involved… and that lady who welcomed us even took the time as more clients were arriving to say “Cheerio” with a genuine smile. Canberra, I doffs me cap. It was sooo nice to be home.
robert@robertmacklin.com
CATHERINE CARTER reveals the ‘key message’ of the recent ACT Budget
“CITYNEWS” columnist Michael Moore is usually very perceptive when it comes to political analysis, but he has missed the most important impact of the ACT Budget in his recent column “Labor fires first election salvo” (CN, June 14).
He has fallen for the short-term trick of getting over the line at the next election by running a “temporary deficit of some $400 million”.
He failed to point out that the $400 million is withdrawn (in the form of rates, taxes and liabilities for government borrowing) from the private sector, so any retention of employment by the Government is at the expense of employment in the private sector.
The key test of the Budget is not simply whether there is a surplus or deficit or whether it gets the Government re-elected. Rather, the most important question is: “What does the Budget contribute to productivity through the way the Territory’s resources (physical, technical and managerial) are combined to create wealth and improve the community’s well-being?”
In focusing on the “temporary” operating loss, Moore overlooked the figure in the Budget that best reveals the impact of the Government’s activities on the rest of the community – that is, the fiscal balance. When the fiscal balance is negative, it means that the Government has effectively or actually borrowed from the rest of the community to fund its operation and capital spending. In other words, the negative amount is money which is no longer available to the rest of the community to spend. In the 2012-13 Budget, the fiscal balance was estimated to be -$1016 million. By 201415, it will accumulate to more than -$2700 million over a six-year period. That massive drain to the community shows the high cost of the Government living beyond its means. That is the key message of the Budget.
Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia
At the ‘Help From the Under Ground’ fundraiser for Vinnies and the homeless, Zoo basement, Kingston
COULD the Vinnies CEO Sleepout fundraising tallies of our local MLAs be a harbinger of the upcoming election result?
For those looking for signs – Opposition Leader Zed Seselja, who manfully overcame a sleeping bag malfunction (the zip wouldn’t open) to blitz the political field, raising $2515 for Canberra’s homeless. Greens Action Man MLA Shane Rattenbury managed $470 and Labor’s Minister for Community Services (and housing) Joy Burch could squeeze the comrades for only, ahem, $460.
Topping the star-studded list of 155 participants was Zoo Advertising’s top banana Clinton Hutchinson with a credible $16,200. All up, our CEOs raised $457,213.26.
“CC” never misses an edition of the Member for Canberra’s lavish newsletter “The Brodtmann Bulletin”. We can’t, it arrives in the letterbox despite the menacing presence of a large “no junk mail” sign and a small white dog. However, before it begins its journey into the recycling stream, we like to count how many photos of herself Gai Brodtmann can fit into the six pages. Alas, only 10 this time because two of the pages were devoted to a map and list of all the schools in the electorate benefiting from the Labor’s education largesse.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher ’s more modest pre-election pitch to the good burghers of Molongolo is limited to only five self-portraits over four pages.
MICHAEL Stevens, succeeding editor of “The
Canberra Times” after lunching treasure Jack Waterford was Rudded by the Rural Press regime, is said to be returning to the paper to oversee a move of some editorial services (subediting?) to Fairfax’s hateful Auckland sweatshop where, after leaving Fyshwick, he was sent to head up an online and computing transformation in NZ.
He is best remembered by the paper’s now endangered scribblers for when Dame Edna inveigled him and his wife on to the Canberra Theatre stage some years ago and gave them marriage counselling. The event found its way to the paper’s arts gossip column with the alliteration-rich heading: “Edna Everage educates the editor”.
ROBYN Archer ’s year-long centenary mardi gras is set to kick off in a matter of months, but the Centenary of Canberra director Sarah Hitchcock has resigned before a single firework goes off. How so? It was a “personal decision”, she told us. Hitchcock is heading off to be head of education and visitor services at the Australian War Memorial.
She won’t start on Anzac Parade until a centenary replacement for her has been found, which may be as late as October – after the Centenary’s full program is announced. “Most of the heavy-lifting, backend work has been done,” she said reassuringly.
HERE’S something rather sweet. Each Monday, the teaching staff of Canberra Boys’ Grammar
gather in gentle anticipation as principal Justin Garrick awards an enormous block of chocolate to any chalkie who can get their name (and the school’s) into the media, including “CityNews”. So come on down Burgmann House’s gold star Jenny Holbrook , that sweet brick is finally yours!
THE last time saucy minx Penny Ashton (pictured) was in town she was 14 and here for a Music in Education conference.
Twenty four years later, she’s “looking forward to titillating the capital” with her acclaimed solo show called “Hot Pink Bits” – a “burlesque-esque history of the sex industry,” she says. It’s at Vivaldi Theatre Restaurant, July 14.
AND if hot, pink bits don’t rock your boat, how about some beefcake? The male-stripper ensemble Sydney Hotshots (that’s Gene pictured) will be braving Canberra’s withering cold to present their “Funtasia” show at Calwell Bar and Bistro, Calwell shops, on Tuesday, July 17. They say the “show is jam-packed with sensational bodies, dancing, acrobatics, comedy and even a little romance to heat things up!”
THE Australian National Eisteddfod has stepped in to help save the jewel in its crown, the National Operatic Aria competition, guaranteeing $15,000 for first place in 2012. But for how long?
As Canberra’s Patricia Whitbread, a former Opera Australia principal and now artistic adviser for the competition, warns, this could be the last of the arias if new sponsorship is not found after one of its major corporate sponsors was forced by events in Europe to reduce its donation.
The National Aria, as it is now known, has been putting Canberra on the operatic map since 1955, with the Eisteddfod hosting it each year. First as the glamorous Shell Aria and then as the Qantas Aria, it saw opera-lovers from all around the country flocking to the nation’s capital for the annual contest. This year, the National Operatic Aria finals will be at The Albert Hall on Saturday, September 15.
Helen Musa reports
In recent years, thanks to the support of local, clean energy scientist/business couple Gavin and Sylvia Tulloch, it has also offered real prize money of $15,000 for first, $7000 for second, $4000 for third and $1000 each for the remaining three finalists, among the richest in the country.
The National Aria has also proved a stamping ground for Canberra’s brightest and best, with Canberra entrants punching well above their weight and going on to brilliant careers. Mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby (1999), soprano Lorina Gore (2001), Amanda Forbes (2003) and baritone Ben Connor (2010) are all Canberran Aria winners.
Gore and Carby enjoyed careers in England before returning to become leading lights in a new generation of Opera Australia principals. Forbes, who is Whitbread’s daughter, is a rising star in England.
Connor is just one of seven singers to win a coveted contract in the Young Artist program at the Theater an der Wien (The Theatre on the Wien River) in Vienna.
As Alan Hicks, head of voice at the ANU School of Music explains it, “every dollar counts” when you’re training to be an opera singer and they tend to run around the country on the competition circuit saving up.
But, Hicks points out, the National Operatic Aria is “not just a competition”. To win it, you have to have a finalised study plan that shows you are serious about your career. He considers it “a good decision to have a really generous first prize”.
Good, but a stop-gap. Whitbread, for one, says they’re “throwing their hands up” over the matter and would be thrilled if somebody with deep pockets could step in to bolster the minor prizes and to secure the top prize for the future.
Contact Singing Eisteddfod convenor Janetta McRae at 6231 6073 or ianjanetta@westnet.com.au
By Helen Musa
“I REALLY love doing concerts with the beautiful CSO,” though “it can be pretty scary with a whole lot of players behind you,” says the glamorous soprano Trisha Crowe.
“I try to be the icing on the cake,” she says. Classically-trained, with a vocal range reminiscent of Sarah Brightman, Crowe will star in a slap-up gala in Llewellyn Hall, where she’ll perform numbers by George and Ira Gershwin, with the CSO and pianist Piers Lane.
Although Crowe has performed in shows such as “Oliver” and “Eureka!”, she believes that “as a concert artist, you get to explore different music”, praising the “classical basis with lots of jazz” that forms the basis of the gala.
She says that singing with CSO is sheer pleasure and Gershwin is “a new area of music” for her, so she’s been slaving for six months to learn the relatively unfamiliar songs.
Speaking by phone from Singapore where she’d entertained guests at the birthday party of a local shipping tycoon, Crowe says she’s impressed that the CSO’s director Nicholas Milton has revamped the orchestra for the night by adding a “big band” style sax section.
She’s counting off on her song list… “Summertime”, “The Man I Love”, “A Foggy Day “, “I Got Rhythm”, “’S Wonderful” and a delicious version of “Someone to Watch Over Me” in French.
The last time we’d spoken, she’d just sung a staggering 12 songs for CSO’s 2011 “Symphony in the Park” and was about to open in the “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. She volunteers some unprompted opinions about the ANU School of Music crisis. “I signed the petition,” she tells me, “Canberra’s music school has had such a reputation.”
ACTEW Grand Gala, “An Evening with George Gershwin”, Llewellyn Hall, Saturday, July 7.
CANBERRA Choral Society teams up with the Hall Village Brass Band and Danzón dance studio to stage a glamorous 1930s “Soirée” as part of its Albert Hall Festival (3pm, Saturday, July 7). Brent Newbery and the CCS will croon Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Porter; Danzón will teach the dance styles and musical director Tobias Cole will be the host. On Sunday, July 8, CCS will present a “Tribute to Dame Nellie Melba”. Bookings to 6275 2700 or www.canberraticketing.com.au
JILL Eddington is curating the first Writing Australia National Writers’ Summit, to be held here during the Canberra Centenary. Writing Australia’s national director, Mary Delahunty, says Eddington, who was a former director of the Byron Bay Writers Festival, “has an ability to find the unexpected, the new and exciting”.
GLASS artist Trish Roan explores the many “things that are only able to be held briefly, and then let go of” in her solo exhibition of kinetic sculpture, assemblages, drawing and new media, “Sum of Parts”, at ANCA Gallery, 1 Rosevear Place, Dickson, until July 1.
JENNIFER Wright’s newish gallery, The Wright Space Gallery, at 47 Cork Street, Gundaroo has a second exhibition of work
Helen Musa arts in the city
by Canberra artist and object-maker Rachel Bilal. There are colourful wall pieces, small sculptures and even a lamp shade. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-4pm.
THE Austrian Australian Choir in Canberra is inviting new sopranos, altos, tenors and basses to join, with a view to “singing in Rome – possibly even for the Pope” during its September overseas concert tour. Rehearsals start soon.
Visit www. austrianchoircanberra.com.au or phone 6251 1616 (evenings).
DURING the recent Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music Festival, the winner of the poetry slam was Alopi Latukefu from Canberra, one of a plethora of poets contesting at the burgeoning event.
AND coming up at Wesley Music Centre’s Lunchtime Live series (12.40pm to 1.20pm, July 4) will be “A Plethora of Pianists”, pianists from the studio of Marie Cull performing works by Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Prokofiev, Ibert, Hyde and Agnew. Entry is $2 or paper note entry. No bookings required.
“Hum”, by Trish Roan, at ANCA.
musical theatre
“The Venetian Twins” The Canberra Repertory Society
Theatre 3, until July 7.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
AN excellent choice for inclusion in Canberra’s Repertory’s 80th anniversary season, “The Venetian Twins” is an iconic, though rarely-performed, Australian musical, written by Nick Enright, with music by Terence Clarke, who was in the opening-night audience.
This larrikin knock-about comedy, concerning twin brothers and mistaken identity, is based on Goldoni’s “A Servant of Two Masters”. Its Elizabethan and Commedia del ‘Arte references, tongue-twisting songs and hectic pace, places considerable demands on its cast and requires style and flair to carry off successfully.
Dick Goldberg is sheer delight as the muddling servant Arlecchino and, together with Ian Croker, the scheming villain Pancrazio and Kate Tricks, a wonderfully buxom and cheeky Colombina, garners the bulk of the laughs. Josh Wiseman impresses in the demanding dual roles of Zanetto/Tonino, however his energy flags towards the end and he finishes looking rather more harried than happy. Pamela Andrews sings beautifully as Beatrice, Bronte Forrester brings energy but little charm to her role as Rosina and Jennifer Watson is cast inexplicably as the Judge’s nephew, Lelio. Peter Brady and Nick Beecher round out a cast in which some are still struggling to capture the required style.
Tessa Bremner’s imaginative production with its colourful setting by Ian McDonald, delightfully chaotic costumes by Kate Levy and Jim McMullen’s fine orchestra, has much to commend it, but on opening night, inaccurate sound and lighting cues, sluggish pacing and carelessly executed staging prevented it from being the unqualified success it could become.
“Brave” (G)
WHILE writer/director Mark Andrews may have taken liberties with Scottish tradition, it doesn’t greatly matter, for this cheerful animated fable could have happened anywhere.
Scotland is a bonny place for it. Setting it there made casting Billy Connolly to voice Fergus, chieftain of a quartet of clans, one of the best things about this tale of tomboy princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald – no relation, there’s lots of us about) who refuses to conform with her mother’s wish that she behave like a lady.
Pixar’s CG visualisation of the land and its people is delightful, a Disney animation refreshingly uncluttered by cutesy-poo wildlife with human attributes. Its animal content is a savage black bear that took off Fergus’ lower right leg, a soft one that’s actually Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) under a spell that will be permanent if it isn’t broken before the sun rises twice, Fergus’ two hounds and Merida’s Clydesdale whose stable she mucks out daily.
Breaking the spell is one of the story’s two main structural members. The other is choosing a mate for Merida. Will it be a Dingwall, a MacIntosh or a MacGuffin? It’s academic. Merida rejects them all, but Fergus has a jolly time entertaining them during the games to decide the matter.
Great fun, fine for school-age children and over, but perhaps not for littlies.
At all cinemas
“A Royal Affair” (M)
WAS Christian VII, of Denmark, insane or merely intellectually and morally inadequate to govern a small nation where he simply took part in the deliberations of an appointed cabinet without ruling in the accepted sense?
Why should we get excited about Nikolaj Arcel’s film excellently canvassing the relationship between Christian, his wife, the English Princess Caroline, and the country physician Johannes Struensee, who came to court to minister to the king’s medical needs?
If you must have an answer to that, go see the film. It’s handsomely mounted, wonderfully acted, dramatically profound, ultimately tragic with overtones of optimism that might make a further film about how Christian’s son Frederick, ruling as Prince Regent, set in train reforms that swept away Denmark’s feudal system. If its treatment of history cuts corners, consider that as a pardonable excision
of boring bits.
Mads Mikkelsen as Struensee, Mikkel Folsgard as Christian and Alicia Vikkander as Caroline do great honour to their roles, as does David Dencik as Guldberg whose machinations in Cabinet, with the dowager queen’s (Trine Dyrholm) support, brought down Christian and Struensee’s initial reforms.
The film offers more than 18th century oligarchy. Its narrative thread tells how Caroline sought emotional consolation from Struensee and, in time, bore him a daughter. Those passages are tender and beautiful, made fearful by the film’s revelation of Guldberg’s schemings.
At Dendy and Greater Union
“Elena” (M)
ELENA (Nadezhda Markina) is tall, physically imposing, her otherwise unremarkable features lighting up whenever she smiles (which isn’t often).
Her unemployed son has two children, a layabout nogoodnik adolescent boy, a babe in arms and another on the way. Two years ago, Elena married businessman Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov) whose daughter sees Elena’s presence as threatening her expectations for the distribution of his estate.
Some might object to the leisurely pace at which director Andrei Svyagintszev initially drives the film, but thoughtful consideration would perceive pace to be an important element of Oleg Nagin’s screenplay.
In middle age, Elena and Vladimir are passing their remaining years with scant passion or emotional sustenance. In their comfortable modern Moscow apartment, their interests don’t extend beyond passing the time.
While Vladimir’s heart attack in the gymnasium pool does not accelerate the narrative’s pace, it shifts the plot’s intensity up a gear, bringing the realisation that to this point, the film’s been an invitation to get inside Elena’s head.
Watching her making a snap decision about a difficult choice is scary. The evidence is clear on the screen for careful observers to discover in two brief glimpses, one black and white, the other blue, which, combined with the back story, reveal the film as a tense thriller that had the hairs standing on the back of my neck.
At Greater Union
“Bringing the House Down” (Connor Court)
By Barry Cohen
Reviewed by Robert
Macklin
BARRY Cohen could give Clive Palmer a lesson on mining a vein of precious ore to the point of exhaustion.
This latest volume of political anecdotes is the 10th in the series since his 1986 hit, “The Life of the Party”.
I must admit that he has churned out quite a few delightful diamonds in the rough.
There’s a smile in most of them and a chuckle or two in the best. I particularly liked some of the more recent stories.
For example, he tells of Julia Gillard in 2004 as shadow health minister debating her then opposite number, Tony Abbott. “Julia indicated she had plans for the Minister for Health: ‘I’m doing everything I can to make Tony Leader of the Opposition’.”
Editor Cohen could have said (but didn’t): “Be careful what you wish for.”
The trouble is that these are few and far between.
The vein is thoroughly exhausted.
Most are a rehash of those used in his earlier works and there is a limit to the enjoyment to be mined from his idol, Gough Whitlam’s monstrous arrogance.
Moreover, he takes pride in one of his own in refusing the request from the National Library for $400,000 to buy the Webber painting of Captain Cook in 1983.
Whitlam, he says, told him: “Wise decision, minister, wise decision.” Unfortunately, he was serious.
Today the painting is priceless.
robert@robertmacklin.com
IT’S England in the late 1770s and the Duchess of Bedford is famished and fatigued. Too impatient to wait for dinner, she invites high-society friends to join her for a cuppa and assorted breads and small, sweet cakes. “How too terribly lovely,” the ladies thought. And so “high tea” was born.
High tea still has its place in society. In Canberra, many think Hyatt Hotel, but now we can enjoy the occasion in a more relaxed, quaint venue.
At Café Societea, Griffith shops, you’ll find a delicious selection of house-made ribbon sandwiches, fresh scones, mini patisserie cakes, tiny quiches and petite-four truffles served with as much coffee and tea as you like.
Café Societea is a small, family business, run by Phil and Jeanette Kim and supported, part-time, by son Aaron, whose idea it was to buy a cafe. You may recognise Phil and Jeanette’s smiling faces from the 10 years they owned a florist shop in Kingston, and many will be pleased that a selection of flowers are on sale at the café.
High tea is $40 a person and you get your own three-tiered stand (half sweet, half savoury), with what you can’t squeeze in neatly packaged to enjoy at home. Booking in advance is a must given the prep time required.
All food at Café Societea is “feel good” because it’s house made. The café’s mix of furniture includes a large, stunning antique wooden table. Pressed white tablecloths and pretty flowers in pretty vases add a special touch, as do the glam black-and-white photos of Audrey Hepburn and others who were expert at enjoying high tea. You can also – when the weather allows – eat on the outside deck and enjoy lots of sun in warmer weather.
Café Societea is open for breakfast and lunch, which includes fresh sandwiches, soups, salads and a few heartier dishes such as risotto ($15) and an organic, premium-meat pasta bolognese ($15 for a main). For the littlies, there’s a ham and cheese toastie with a babycino for $6.
A friend and I recently visited for breakfast. The French toast with fresh strawberries, bananas, pure Canadian maple syrup and cream was great value for $10. My friend loved her creamy scrambled eggs with pumpkin gluten-free bread –also great value at $8.50.
Café Societea offers loads of gluten-free food, including specialty breads with quality jams, marmalades and organic fruit. It’s a great spot to grab a quick coffee and a Florentine ($1.50) or a cupcake with icing ($3.50). The Griffith shops, despite its large number of eateries, doesn’t offer many places to have a coffee in the mornings.
Café Societea, Barker Street, Griffith Shops. Call 6239 5477.
AS we pass through the winter solstice (June 21), in gardening terms, it is now a downhill run to spring.
However, there are still plenty of plants that flower in winter, especially our Australian plants.
Going for an early morning walk around the Botanic Gardens, I had not gone more than 50 metres without seeing yet another plant in flower.
Starting from the Visitor’s Centre (open from 9.30am), collect a copy of Barbara Daly’s “In Flower This Week”. The plants listed are also clearly signposted in the gardens. However, if you take an early morning walk, followed by a coffee at the revamped Café Floresco (open from 8am), you will need to collect your “In Flower This Week” the day before or at anbg.gov.au
At the start of my walk are the spectacular flowers of Corymbia “Summer Beauty” (pictured here). It’s an interesting name considering it flowers in winter. Behind this are the emerging spikes the compact Banksia “Stumpy Gold” – perfect for the small garden.
Next to it is the mass of white, fluffy flowers Acacia alata var. biglandulosa, possibly one of the first wattles to flower and now on the endangered list.
A few metres along, the honey-coloured flowers of Homoranthus flavescens are about to burst from their buds.
Tea trees are one of my favourites with Leptospermum squarrosum in full flower, its delicate pink petals resemble miniature crabapple flowers.
The “Banksia Men” in the banksia section are always a favourite for children and the stories woven around May Gibbs’ books.
Special attention has been given to children with the Children’s Discovery Trail. There are colourful signs throughout the gardens, with a flip-top lid to find out who lives in particular spots in the gardens, ie goannas, etcetera. It would be a competition between this trail and the rain forest as to which is the favourite for children.
As we move along the track we see Banksia robur with its huge distinctive purple leaves in winter, great for dried-flower arrangements.
On the way back to the Visitor’s Centre, I noticed the deep-red flowers of the grafted Grevillea bipinnatifida “Jingle Bells”.
One of the most brilliant flower colours for winter is Epacris impressa, also pictured here, and who
would not want this to brighten up their garden?
One new addition to the gardens is the “Flora Explorer” bus, a fantastic idea I understand originating with Warwick Wright. Financed by the Friends of the ANBG, this 12-seat, electric, whisper-quiet passenger vehicle transports visitors around the gardens.
It’s ideal for those a bit wobbly on the legs or for taking young children on a journey of discovery.
ONE of the best ways to revamp the home is by looking underfoot and updating your floors, says Stuart Hosking, marketing manager for flooring and retail at Formica.
“Nothing in the home is subject to wear and tear more than floors, so it’s no surprise that homeowners have traditionally paid more attention to their floor’s practicality than its looks,” he says.
“Until recently, laminate flooring colours and designs have stayed mostly with the traditional timber look, varying little from the way nature intended.
“But, with the impact fashionable influencers have had on flooring and improvements in technology, we can now offer consumers a wide spectrum of colour, design and finish options.”
There are four different floor thicknesses of 7mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm available, so you can choose what you need to suit the requirement within your home, says Stuart.
“Large, high-traffic areas like hallways or kitchens need more durable and thicker floors than low traffic areas,” he says.
It’s easy to DIY too, according to Stuart.
“Formica laminate flooring goes straight down in manageable sheets over most hard surfaces,” he says. “Panels easily lock together, meaning you can walk on the floor immediately after installation.”
Tonal greys have taken the interior and fashion design world by storm, he adds, as has the soft, worn and weathered look of a relaxed, beach-side home.
your week in the stars / July 2 - 8
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Professional projects and relationship issues will take up much of your time this week. With the Full Moon falling in your career zone, you’ll become obsessed about a work project and won’t rest until it’s done and dusted. On Thursday, there’s a fine line between making smart snap decisions – and jumping to hasty half-baked conclusions. Pace yourself Rams.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Do you fantasise about upsizing your lifestyle? And are you spending beyond your means? The Full Moon activates your aspirations zone, so make sure you have the cold, hard cash to finance your super-sized dreams. In the current economic climate, small and sustainable is the sensible way to live. Let non-essentials go and focus on what’s really important to you.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Issues involving joint finances could come to a head. If your money is tied up with someone else (either personally or professionally), then make sure you adopt a conservative approach and keep the lines of communication open. Singles – got your eye on someone special? With Mars moving into your romance zone, you’ll have to make the first move.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
The Full Moon highlights power issues in a relationship. You both need to compromise, otherwise the emotional tug-of-war will continue. With proactive Mars in your domestic zone (from July 3-August 24), make the most of your home life. Be inspired by birthday great Tom Cruise: “Family, for me, has always been important. I’ve always wanted to be a father, a husband.”
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
The Full Moon stimulates your wellbeing zone. Pluto’s there also, so some health issues may not be obvious on the surface and you may need to have some medical tests to discover what’s really going on. With Mercury moving through your sign (until September 1), your curiosity knows no bounds, so it’s a great time to expand your mind through study or travel.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Avoid discussing money matters – especially with a fractious friend or a tear-away teenager. If you do broach the subject, expect some heated words as common sense flies out the window. Exciting experiences are opening up on the work front, so keep your eyes and ears open. Don’t be shy – the more you network and collaborate, the more pleasing your progress will be.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Laidback or lazy Librans beware! With the Sun shining in your career zone, it’s time to take care of business (and work overtime). Plus the Full Moon revs up your home zone, so it’s not the ideal week to get the long lost relatives together for a reunion – or to bring up sensitive issues with frazzled family members. Keep the communication flowing with your overseas contacts.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Communication is highlighted as you throw yourself into activities like teaching, public speaking, serious study, intense discussions or neighbourhood negotiations. Travel is also likely but try to slip out of the Scorpio control-freak mode and into flexible mode, as plans are likely to be altered at the last minute. On the weekend, don’t believe everything a child or friend tells you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Spontaneous Sagittarians are the binge spenders of the zodiac and, with the Full Moon stirring up your money zone, your self-control is at an alltime low. So avoid a weekend of window shopping (that quickly turns into a spending spree) and temporarily misplace your credit cards. You’ll have a successful week if you channel your abundant energy into creative pursuits.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
A Capricorn Full Moon brings out the best and worst in you. So aim to be patient and persistent; rather than picky and pedantic. You also love to be in charge and call the shots – and you’re about to get a whole lot bossier, as Mars marches through your career and reputation zone. Just remember that too many chiefs (and not enough Indians) can lead to rebellion in the ranks!
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Your soul sector is illuminated by the Full Moon, so it’s the perfect time to meditate or contemplate – or find other ways you can connect with the wisdom within. Thursday is your pick of the week, as you dazzle others with your innovative ideas and mental dexterity. You’re also in the mood to read, write, and converse about current affairs and controversial subjects.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
Don’t let shyness or lack of confidence stand in the way of forming wonderful connections with others. It’s time to nurture friendships and tell loved ones how you feel. Plus, Venus and Jupiter help you enjoy your home and family more. Your motto for the week is from the Dalai Lama (born on July 6): “A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation of your life.”
