Canberra CityNews July 5, 2012

‘Ngapartji Ngapartji one’

BOXED SETS

‘The Thick of It’ at citynews.com.au

Anxious? Stressed? Hug a tree, says Hugh

GARDENS represent more than just a place to grow our veggies, according to social researcher and author Hugh Mackay, who believes they can fulfil some of our very basic desires as human beings.

In fact, chatting to “CityNews” after a day’s writing (Hugh is working on his latest book), he confessed that he plans to “go out in the garden and attack the hydrangea, which is due for its great winter chop – just the thing after a day’s work!” Hugh will talk about his theories on how gardens satisfy our desires in a special lecture at the National Museum of Australia on Wednesday, July 11.

He says it doesn’t matter if it’s our own garden, a friend’s garden, or a public park – or indeed, if we are actually gardening or just enjoying the space – but it’s definitely the case that we feel comfortable, or most ourselves, when surrounded by nature.

“Human behaviour is not rational, it’s complex, and we are all more powerfully driven by the heart than the head,” he says.

“One of our very basic needs is to have places that are special to us; physical places that define us.

“For some people, it’s a favourite pew in a church, or the family home, a corner of a cemetery or a sporting field.

“But for a vast number of people it’s gardens. It’s the place we most easily develop a sense of connection to the ground.”

Planting, nurturing, pulling weeds and trimming edges is a very satisfying way to have things under control in our lives, Australia’s pre-eminent social researcher Hugh Mackay tells KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK

This desire to actually connect to the natural world is another significant factor that brings us outdoors, he says.

“US psychologists have coined the phrase ‘nature deprivation syndrome’ in kids who don’t spend enough time outside,” he says. “It refers to the restlessness and concentration lapses we experience due to a lack of fresh air.

“Things like swimming, bushwalking, sailing, rock climbing, even owning pets, can put us in touch with the natural world. It’s a basic desire for people. That’s why you usually find that those who live in high-rise apartments, quite removed from nature, will usually have a little pot plant of some sort on the balcony!”

Gardens also fulfil the human desire to control something, says Hugh.

“Most of us get frustrated trying to control things… or people!” he says. “But planting, nurturing, pulling weeds and trimming edges is a very satisfying way to have things under control in our lives.”

Another factor is the desire to belong to a group, which is very common among gardeners, says Hugh.

“There is often that sense of sharing of information, or produce, which is a lovely

point of connection. I think gardening is a very healthy activity for human beings.

“It’s a kind of modern, controllable symbolic version of the days when we had to grow our own food. And it’s hard to stay anxious in a garden.

“It’s a way of defining your own space, in a way that is easier than decorating a house – you can change the landscaping more easily than adding an extension!

“Gardening also satisfies the creative impulse and fulfils that sense of being in a tranquil place in a spiritual sense.

“We don’t always know why we feel anxious, restless or stressed, but it’s often because we haven’t been doing enough tree hugging!

“It’s really important for us to get out into the public parks, go to the arboretum, go for a walk around the lake.

“Sometimes we need to literally smell the roses.”

Hugh Mackay will talk about what gardens mean to us in a lecture at the National Museum of Australia 5.30pm, on Wednesday, July 11. It costs $20 (includes pre-talk drinks and presentation). Bookings essential at www.opengarden.org.au or call 6208 5084 during business hours.

Leslie loves sculpting hair

Libby Hill reports

HAIRDRESSER Leslie Henshaw considers himself to be an artist.

“I compare what I do to sculpting, but instead of just working with a lump of clay, hair changes all the time so whether you’ve got thick hair, fine hair, the product is always changing and you’ve got to put a lot of thought into what you’re creating,” 22-year-old Leslie says.

“I’m working with an everchanging medium... I love that I get to be creative.”

Leslie has been hairdressing for six years and is on the verge of achieving global recognition as a finalist in the FAME competition, run by “Australian Hairdressers Journal” and open to any Australian hairdresser under the age of 30.

“I’ve made my way to this point by entering various other competitions, but I’ve never entered anything of this magnitude before,” says Leslie who studied hairdressing at Goulburn TAFE and now works at Bond Hair Religion in Green Square, Kingston.

The look he achieves is inspired

by strong shapes and strong lines.

“My aim was to do something really creative and out there,” he says.

“I wanted to create strong, bold shapes that hadn’t been seen anywhere before.”

The final FAME team of four hairdressers will visit the US and the UK to gain experience in education, runway and photographic work. The four winners will be announced on Monday, July 9.

Styles from Leslie’s competition portfolio.

Photos by Illumin8Me Photography

Has Ivan got your cheque?

IVAN Slavich, leader of the failed A League 4 Canberra bid is going to be sitting in the Delphi room of the Woden Hellenic Club, 10am to 1pm, on Saturday, July 7 giving as much money away as he can.

There’s a catch, of course. He’s there to refund the hundreds of thousands of dollars in foundation donations to the hundreds of Canberrans who chipped in to try and persuade the FFA that Canberra should have an A League team. The federation was ultimately unswayed by Team Slavich’s effort and in April awarded a licence to a bid from the western suburbs of Sydney.

Now Ivan and wife Anna have the chore of refunding money to those original bid supporters who haven’t elected to donate the money towards promoting elite men’s football in the ACT and region. The interest accrued from the fund is being donated to this objective through Capital Football.

Ivan says: “Please bring your photo ID (passport or licence), it would also be helpful for you to bring the original certificate if you have it and/or proof of payment. We will then issue you a cheque for $200 per membership. Other arrangements will be made for people interstate or for those who cannot travel.

“Thank you to all who helped out, it has been an honour and privilege to have led the process and, hopefully, sometime in the future there will be an A League team for Canberra. ”

All queries to slavich@grapevine.com.au

loan market / advertising feature

‘We don’t sell loans, we’re client support people. The art of being a broker is the art of being able to relate to the client’

Skilled brokers who

don’t fear

difficult deals

AT Loan Market, they’re not frightened of difficult deals.

“Most brokers are scared of self-employed people or tax accounts that include trusts, but that’s what we specialise in,” says mortgage broker Michael White.

“If an assessor gets a set of accounts that’s got six trusts, two companies, four directors, they just don’t know what to do but that’s our strength.”

Michael, along with business partner Mary Abbey, runs Loan Market, a finance provider for homes, businesses, equipment and vehicles for individuals and businesses.

“We don’t sell loans, we’re client support people. The art of being a broker is the art of being able to relate to the client,” says Michael.

As Loan Market brokers, they can find home loans that don’t have the additional bank fees and charges that you might get if you went directly to the lender yourself.

is an essential part to securing the right loan for your finance needs,” he says.

“Your mortgage broker will act as your very own loan expert; making sure you understand the loan repayments, loan features, fees and charges of your home loan.

“Loan Market mortgage brokers are fully accredited experts in finance and lending.

“Our knowledge and understanding of the real estate market puts you at an advantage when bidding at auction or negotiating on your new home.

“Loan Market mortgage brokers don’t charge a customer anything for using the services and tapping into the expertise of a Loan Market home finance broker.”

“ ”

Our knowledge and understanding of the real estate market puts you at an advantage when bidding at auction or negotiating on your new home.

“Loan Market use our award-winning software to find the home loan deal from our panel of lenders that is in your best interest,” says Mary.

“With banks and lenders at war, new loan products appear in the market, but are not always immediately obvious to consumers.

“At any given time, Loan Market brokers have access to more than 800 loan products from a panel of over 30 secure banks and lenders, including newly released products. A better home loan deal can potentially save consumers thousands off their current home loan.”

Michael says getting a loan is not an easy thing.

“Knowing what to look for in a mortgage broker

The pair have been in partnership for almost three years and, after a recent move from Weston Creek to Deakin, agree that by co-locating with accounting and insurance businesses, they’ve created a one-stop shop for people looking to make a big purchase.

Michael had 25 years in the public service and owned a clothing manufacturing company.

“My sister lives in America and I went to visit her once. Brokers run the show over there and I came back and thought: why don’t we have them here? So I was one of the very first people who started broking.”

Mary’s career in finance started when she was working for a bank.

“We differentiate ourselves from a lot of brokerages in that we work as a team so the client has all of us working on the loan,” says Mary.

Loan Market, 39 Geils Court Deakin. Phone 6260 4644 or go to loanmarket.com.au

Cheerleader Charlie takes charge

Canberra children’s author Leanne Shea Langdown has big plans for her newest character, says FREYLA FERGUSON.

LEANNE Shea Langdown says her new series of short novels surrounding a young girl called Cheer Chick Charlie is a culmination of work she’s done over the past few years as a mum, cheerleading coach and life coach.

“At some point it hit me like a tonne of bricks that everything I had been doing; the coaching with adults, as well as the cheerleading, as well as all the books I had written in the past was all coming together,” she said.

“[Charlie] was inspired by all three of our children, but particularly around [my 12-year-old daughter] Tahlia’s want for becoming a cheerleader and it has grown from there.

“There is a little bit of every cheerleader that I have come across in Charlie. So that’s where the inspiration came from.

“And when I sat down to write book one, it just poured out of me. And then book two and book three, which is waiting to be printed.”

Leanne said the books are suitable for children aged five to eight. Charlie wasn’t about the “razzle dazzle” of cheerleading on the sidelines; the character was based on

confidence, resilience and fitness.

“I didn’t realise how big this cheerleading thing could be, I knew that I wanted to [coach cheerleading] to help kids’ confidence,” she said.

“They are little girls, they have body image issues so early now that they compare themselves to the other kids, they might look different, but instead of embracing that they kind-of beat themselves up over it.

“And I thought, cheerleader! Only the most popular and the most beautiful and the most talented in the movies get to be the cheerleader – but everybody can be that person.”

Along with a line of merchandise with inspirational messages, Leanne has started an interactive website; working with the Academy of Interactive Entertainment to create an animated version of Charlie.

The Canberra Institute of Technology recorded the voice of Charlie – voiced by Leanne’s daughter Tahlia.

And each month “Cheer Chicks” – a group of young, local cheerleaders – will be featured in a short health and fitness video that will be

uploaded on the website. Leanne, a mother of three, who had her first children’s book “My Happy Gift” printed in the US last year, said the venture was helped through the ACT Government

Innovation Connect program and also workshops through Canberra BusinessPoint.

More information at leanneshealangdown.com or cheerchickcharlie.com

Thai winter dinner

THE Canberra Australia-Thailand Association’s 2012 Midwinter Dinner will be held at the Deakin Thai Cuisine Restaurant, Deakin, 6.30pm, Saturday, July 28. Bookings to johnmilne@ozemail.com.au, www. austhaicanberra.org.au/Events.html or call 6288 5487.

Back to antiquity

DR Giorgos Georgiou, from the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus, will present developments in Cypriot archaeology, from the earliest settlement 10,000 years ago to the end of antiquity at the Hellenic Club, Woden, at 8pm on Monday, July 9.

Frank talking

AUTHOR Frank Moorhouse is the speaker at the next meeting of the Canberra & District Historical Society, National Archives of Australia, Parkes, 7pm, Tuesday, July 10. His latest novel, “Cold Light” has much of the action set in Canberra. Members and guests welcome.

Green diners

GREEN candidates in the October ACT election are fundraising through winter dinners in each electorate. MLAs and other party aspirants will be at Molonglo, at the Thai Garden restaurant, Dickson, July 13; Ginninderra, at Sanur’s Balinese restaurant, Belconnen, July 20 and Brindabella, Ethiopia Down Under restaurant, Pearce, August 10. Tickets for each dinner are $45. Bookings to 6140 3220 or email office@act.greens.org.au

Sweets with the flavour of nostalgia

SOME Canberrans, it seems, have a sweet tooth for oldstyle, English lollies.

“People in their 50s and 60s come in and they spot a lolly that they haven’t seen since they were a young boy or girl,” says Rod Giles, of the newly opened Billy Bean’s Chocolate and Sweet Shop.

The snug, little store at Bailey’s Arcade, in Civic, hasn’t been around long, but its range of sweets and confectionery date back to the early ‘40s.

“We don’t stock anything that [other stores] stock, which are standard Australian sweets, because they’re plentiful everywhere. We just try and sell English sweets and unusual sweets – that’s the idea,” says Rod.

“We mainly sell retro sweets,

Tamara Junor reports

but we have gourmet chocolates as well.”

Billy Bean’s stocks 85 different brands of retro jarred sweets and sells everything from Swizzels Matlow Giant Fizzlers to Fry’s Chocolate Cream Bars.

The wide selection of jarred lollies allows customers to mixand-match between old and new sweets.

“We get customers saying: ‘Oh, do you remember that lolly?’ If they know the name, we’ll try to get it in store for them,” Giles says.

More information at 6162 1638 or www.billybeans.com.au

Tamara Junor is a work experience student from Alfred Deakin High

The weird world of carbon tax

MARK PARTON says the carbon tax won’t win the election for Julia Gillard

SO, the carbon tax has arrived. The sky hasn’t fallen in. It’s my understanding that Whyalla is open for business, miners are still mining and manufacturers haven’t moved off shore.

comment politics

Why Tony Abbott can’t compromise on boats

A RECENT letter to two of the key independents in the Federal Parliament was copied to me by a friend. It illustrated for me the extent to which the blame game has plunged to new political depths.

The refugee debate has focused the community squarely on the putrid nature of politics.

Attempts to blame this venomous atmosphere on the minority government were blasted out of the water by the actions of the cross-benches during the most recent sitting of parliament. It was not the government or

Michael Moore politics

the cross-benches who were not prepared to compromise, it was Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and his cronies.

When a cross-bench solution was put with a Bill moved by independent Rob Oakeshott to amend migration legislation and facilitate offshore processing, there was finally an opportunity. Oakeshott provided the middle road.

However, a solution that found the middle road would mean the end of a political gold mine for Abbott who, despite the platitudes, is not going to lose this issue that he has turned so well to his advantage.

The real problem is clear – the politics is simply more important than the outcome.

This was the motivation for my friend’s letter:

Dear Mr Oakeshott, Mr Windsor, I have not done enough to support you.

Your continuing efforts to make this current Australian Parliament function well, both by governing effectively and also – and it is no contradiction – by providing the scene for complex public debate outside the cloying control of executive government – have been consistent, professional, competent, largely successful and well worthy of admiration. I regret that the reaction of our standard media

and many of our fellow citizens seems intent on denying you the recognition and appreciation which you deserve.

This past week has reinforced my views about your performance. I thank you, and I can only apologise that I have not the opportunity to provide you any useful assistance. Please be assured that I rarely miss an occasion, in discussing politics with family, friends and at work, to promote a vision for better public decision-making, which includes a place for people who act as you do, and to praise you both personally. I regret that I cannot even offer you the encouragement of living in your electorates, for if I did I would certainly be inspired to offer you more practical support.

I imagine that you must end your working days depressed by the condemnation too unfairly heaped upon you, and the constant frustration which the actions of others must cause you. Please be comforted that at least some people in our nation, of whom I am one, are glad that you are there.

If the conservatives win the next election, Australians will have rewarded the most appalling form of politics. Others will learn and we can only expect this abysmal type of politics to flourish.

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

On the flipside, in this first week, we haven’t seen a reduction in carbon emissions and the global temperature hasn’t moved up or down. The Government admits that despite the carbon tax, emissions will continue to go up for the next 15 years.

We will feel the negative effects of the carbon tax before too long and, as I’ve stated in these pages before, we’ll feel them more in Canberra. We know that electricity will rise in price by around 17 per cent. What we don’t know for sure and certain is how much extra we’ll pay for goods and services. Government modelling is suggesting that we’ll see an increase to the CPI of as little of 0.7 per cent. I don’t believe that figure for a moment. Do you?

How about the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s message that you can increase prices as much as you want, so long as you don’t say it’s because of the carbon tax?

The ACCC has made it very clear that it will not tolerate businesses blaming the carbon tax for any price rises. But the ACCC isn’t protecting consumers here, it’s protecting the Government against bad headlines.

The reality for so many businesses is they’re not certain how much the carbon tax and associated price rises will affect their bottom line. They’re aware that supply costs and operating costs are going to increase, but they’re not able to be honest about why their prices are increasing, for fear of big fines.

The carbon tax won’t win the election for Julia Gillard. Tony Abbott will be Prime Minister at some stage next year. I think the big question is, will Abbott be able to dismantle this beast a year down the track, with a hostile Senate. It’s certainly more likely than Australia being able to effect climate change, but it’ll still be a very difficult task.

Dataflex 25th anniversary / advertising feature

‘I’m

really proud of the fact we do something for the community, whether it be we employ people or supporting different charities’

Service still first as Datatflex celebrates

IT has been 25 years since managing director Brian Evans started Dataflex; purely with an idea to best service Canberra’s IT data requirements and armed with only two staff at a time when PCs were considered a “new world”.

Now as the company reaches its silver anniversary, Dataflex has become an industry leader in the Federal Government space with 37 staff, offices in not only Canberra but NSW and Queensland and an integration centre in Fyshwick. It’s now all about providing IT solutions and services including IT design, provision and support, including helpdesks, networks, storage, voice communications, disaster recovery and backup arrangements, and cloud computing.

A far cry from its humble beginning selling floppy discs, print ribbons and ergonomic office furniture.

“When I look at Dataflex now, 25 years later, I think we’ve got more relevance now than we did 25 years ago,” Brian says.

“In those days there were a lot more SMEs, and that gives you a lot more choice.

“The way I see the market now, federally, it’s completely dominated by multinational IT companies, whether they be manufacturers or multinational re-sellers, but they have a very, very different view and there is always a party line.

“We employ 37 people. I’m really proud of the fact we do something for

the community, whether it be we employ people, so they can have a good lifestyle or supporting different charities.

“That’s part of your role as a company in any economy and in any environment.”

Brian moved to Canberra in 1975 to finish his schooling and entered Canberra’s emerging IT industry in sales in 1982.

In 1986, while working with the company Xidex, which was manufacturing floppy discs at the time, he suggested that instead of taking a position in Sydney as the company’s NSW sales manager, he be the company’s independent partner in the ACT.

“They said ‘that’s a really, really good idea’,” he said.

By 1987, about 70 per cent of Dataflex’s business was supplying discs.

However, in 1991, the business made its biggest move to the supply of PCs.

“We went down the Acer path, it was about 1991, Australian Customs Service went out to tender for the purchase of PCs because they were moving from their mainframe internal environment to a desktop environment,” he said.

“We won that tender for 1000 PCs and I think Acer’s largest client in those days was the RTA which had about 200 PCs installed.

“So Dataflex made a bit of a name for itself and we continued to prosper with Acer.”

“If we have a look at what Dataflex has become; we’re reasonably unique.

“In my time, we’ve faced four or five IT recessions, and when you are dependent on government and they’re not spending, things can be pretty tight.

“If you remain relevant to your

market, you should continue to operate.

“It’s all about relevance and clients being aware of what you can do.”

And it’s a demand for the Dataflex service that has resulted in the opening of offices in NSW and Queensland.

“What our vendors like about Dataflex is that we are loyal. We’ve sold Acer for 23 years, we are loyal to our vendors and clients, and they really appreciate that,” he said.

Community work is also a strong philosophy for Dataflex – the company is a major sponsor of the Brumbies, including schoolboys and veterans teams, and supporters of charities including Care Flight, Mission Australia and the Canberra Star Ball.

According to general manager Chris Churchill, the key to Dataflex’s longevity is the people.

“Dataflex, is a great company, it’s a local company; Brian and his wife Dianna are fantastic people to work for,” Chris said.

“We’ve had about 125 staff that have come through over the 25 years but there’s 10 or more that have been here for more than 10 years.

“For a small company in a market where everybody changes jobs every day of the week in the IT industry, that’s a good reflection on the company and on Brian that people want to stay working here.”

And for Brian, there’s no slowing down.

“It’s the thrill of the hunt, when a company like Dataflex, beats one of these multinationals in a sale, because we understand the client better and our solution is better, that makes you feel really good. That’s fun,” he said.

Dataflex 25th anniversary

Celebrating 25 years of Dataflex in the Canberra IT market, Alto Restaurant, Black Mountain

‘We can hold someone’s hand from starting the design to getting the costing and inclusions right and then building it’

Brendan builds on success with more awards

CANBERRA building company

Today’s Homes and Lifestyle has won the HIA 2012 Australian Professional Medium Builder Award.

This is the second time since 2009 that the company has won the national award.

For the past four years, the company has also won the HIA ACT and Southern NSW Housing Awards Professional Small Builder of the Year. “It’s a totally independent opinion of what a product and a price and a design is,” says Brendan McCoullough, a principal of Today’s Homes and Lifestyle.

“It’s a recognition that is awarded against your peers. It’s the strongest testimonial you can get.”

Todays Homes has been in business for 10 years, growing from about five homes a year to now building 35 homes a year.

Brendan is the builder and oversees the running of the business. He is involved with the client from the beginning to end. His wife Heidi takes care of marketing and compliance.

“We are providing modern homes that are totally energy efficient at similar prices to a project home,” Brendan says.

The typical client is a second or thirdhome buyer that is looking for a custom home priced from $250,000 to $800,000.

In the past five years, Today’s Homes has seen a huge increase in the number of locals wanting to build energy-efficient homes.

“We’ve got a really niche market that comes to us for that and it’s something that will obviously grow,” Brendan says.

“There’s a definite push from people to move into modern, energy-efficient homes if for no other reason than it’s a cost-of-living saving. But it’s a better lifestyle – it’s a healthier lifestyle.

“It’s a passion and that’s what our business is built around.”

Half of the Today’s Homes business is knockdown and rebuilds in the inner suburbs and the other 50 per cent in the greenfield estates.

“Australia has typically built an English model house with solid brick and small windows and it didn’t matter where it faced,” says Brendan.

“They simply don’t work here and it’s

Today’s Homes and Lifestyle principals Brendan and Heidi McCoullough collect the HIA 2012 Australian Professional Medium Builder Award, which recognises customer service, leadership, business management and financial management.

a hard egg to break because that’s what people are used to.”

Brendan says that a recent survey of customers shows they choose to work with Today’s Homes because of the high level of customer service, quality construction and personal contact with the builder.

“We’ve got systems in place where we can hold someone’s hand from starting the design to getting the costing and inclusions right and then building it,” he says.

“We also have a full-time costing estima -

tor, which is why our prices are so competitive. We price every house individually so it’s not a guess of what it’s going to be.

“We also offer competitive prices on major items and that’s a big saving for the client.

“Our policy is that we get the prices right from the beginning. We get all the extras done pre-starting so the client doesn’t have to dig any deeper for money.”

Today’s Homes and Lifestyle. Suite 1 and 3, HIA Home Ideas Centre, 28 Collie Street, Fyshwick. Website at todayshomes.com.au

“We are providing modern homes that are totally energy efficient at similar prices to a project home,” says Brendan McCoullough.

At the opening of Skate in the City, Garema Place, Civic At the Master Builders’ Association awards, Civic

At Escala’s 5th birthday celebration, Manuka

At the ActewAGL’s Business Rewards Club networking event, Skate in the City, Civic

At the Sydney Dance Company’s ‘The Land of Yes & The Land of No’ opening night, Canberra Theatre Centre

Canberra Confidential

Disconnecting you now...

TWENTY four and counting... that’s the quiet headcount of redundancies to date as Transact’s corporate functions inevitably get vacuumed into the vortex of its new Perth-based owner iiNet.

Despite the warm-glow promises of no changes for a couple of years, the Sandgropers are putting an economic bowling ball through the white collars in Dickson.

A Transact deep throat tells “CC” that high-profile CEO Ivan Slavich, who has one of the best business and social networks in Canberra, has had his own job and title “realigned”, but has compassionately managed each departure, taking corporate pastoral care to a new high by also finding jobs elsewhere for at least five of his lost sheep.

Who’s that with Ivan?

WHILE politely refusing to comment on matters iiNet, ebullient iiVan did give “CC” an exclusive – a picture of himself and the sec-

ond man to land on the moon, Buzz Aldrin Slavich, a hopeless history tragic, found himself at the US embassy’s Independence Day burger fest weak-kneed in the company of the 82-year-old astronautical artifact.

Your shout, David

DAVID Metcalf, chair of Canberra’s annual National Wine Show of Australia, has given up drinking alcohol. But only for the month.

He’s signed up to the Dry July program.

“Why?” was “CC’s” slack-jawed response. “It’s in a good cause, cancer support.” It is too, but we reckon he’ll still be counting the sleeps!

Bounced from ball

SO much for freedom of the press...

“CityNews” social snapper Andrew Finch was escorted from Parliament House during the pre-dinner drinks at the Press Gallery’s slap-up Winter Ball on the say so of a security goon who ordered him not to take happy snaps of willing guests, while other photographers were. He told the affable Andrew, a very occasional visitor to Parliament House, that he’d seen him sneaking around the place (a la paparazzi) trying to get photos.

Pants on fire, Peter. We were welcome last year and we will be back next time to test Capital Hill’s finest!

Plush gets the push

ANOTHER prominent Canberra arts figure has fallen victim to restructuring, with the director of research and development

at the National Film and Sound Archive, Vincent Plush, being moved on at financial year’s end. After what the bean-counters assured him was 5.3347 years of service, he’s quite happy about the move, though. A noted composer who is keen to get back to creative work, Plush has plans to write a new orchestral work for 2013.

Jumped or pushed?

THERE are a lot of tight lips around the Belconnen Arts Centre, following the announcement that founding director Hannah Semler, will leave on July 6.

Semler is tight-lipped, saying she’s “taking leave from Saturday, July 7 and will be attending to a host of long outstanding personal matters that one just does not get to when running a wonderful, but very full on program here.”

And yet, the board, led by arts identity Evol McLeod, and staff – also tight-lipped – have thrown a farewell party to thank her and “share in her many achievements of the past three years”.

Jumped or pushed? No-one’s saying.

Looking for lolly

WEDDINGS, funerals... anything to raise funds. That’s the message from “LocalnLive Radio” on 2XXFM, which is running a crowdsourced fundraiser to make the program “a music platform full of Canberra artists,” says manager Jamie Freestone. Starting at the White Eagle Polish Club, O’Connor, on July 13, “LnL” and 15 bands will launch a five-week

fundraising campaign where the community can pledge money in exchange for unique and creative “rewards” through the crowdfunding website, pozible.com/localnlive

With the funds raised, “LnL” will equip a street team to record, film, and put on local music events, which will all be shared through the program and its website.

Croc croaks from toad snack

CALL the cops! That’s a croc those kids are messing with!

Happily, all is not what it seems. The photo is part of an exhibition by in-demand photographer Darren Clark at the CSIRO Discovery Centre. Clark travels widely to photograph remote parts of Australia. Arts consultant Suzie Edwards says the children were swimming in a river in northern Australia, but leapt from the water when they saw the two-metre croc haul itself

on to the bank – and die. That’s right, dead, at that very moment.

“After the kids determined it was dead by throwing stones at it and prodding it with a stick, they then started investigating it,” she said.

The local plod hauled the ex-croc away to rangers, who discovered it had croaked from eating a cane toad.

“Darren Clark – from Daly to Darwin”, until July 15.

Voices rise as ‘Don’ gets the treatment arts & entertainment

Big is the word when it comes to OzOpera’s coming production of ‘Don Giovanni’, says arts editor HELEN MUSA

“DON Giovanni” is a big story, ranging from comedy to the depths of hell. And for a big story, you need big people with big voices.

Enter Eddie Muliaumaseali’i and Adrian Tamburini, the two basses of the show, whose thunderous voices nearly bring the roof down as they speak to me – “an occupational hazard,” Tamburini quips.

“I’m known as the big guy with the big voice,” says former rugby player and first generation New Zealander Muliaumaseali’i. You can say that again. It’s a very, very tall cast, too. He’s just 188cm tall, but others in the cast rise to 198 cm.

“Tall and, dare I say, sexy,” Tamburini says, adding, for my information, “we mimic tenors and their little speaking voices.”

Muliaumaseali’i will be on stage for much of the evening and doubling as the scary Commendatore, the dinner guest from hell, and the innocent young lover Masetto.

He particularly enjoys the frankness of non-city audience members, who “will tell you what they really think”. The cast also take workshops with individuals, community choirs and schools and they’ve found trained singers attending workshops, who normally have to fly thousands of kilometres for their lessons. The less knowledgeable participants often “get a shock when they hear a soprano sing a few metres away from them.”

Muliaumaseali’i tells me that wherever their “lovely bus” pulls in, the word goes out and people flock to them.

Tamburini only plays one role in the opera, the man-servant Leporello, who has “enough nous to get Don Giovanni in and out of sticky situations”. Given the number of women the Don seduces, (“1003 in Spain alone”) there are plenty of those.

Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Canberra Theatre, July 12-14, bookings to 6275 2700 or www.canberratheatre. com.au

Dougal Macdonald

Cracks in the ‘Ice’ sequel

Name typo starts drama

THERE was a bit of backstage drama last week at Rep when the composer of “The Venetian Twins”, Terence Clarke, turned up to find his name misprinted as “Terrence” on the program and poster. Nobody publicly acknowledged his presence, but Clarke later suppressed his evident fury to praise the production, singling out Josh Wiseman as the Twins –“the only one…to get the bright one right”, and Dick Goldberg, playing Arlecchino, as “better than in the original – the best I have seen”.

GREAT news that Canberra artists Jenni Martiniello and Lyndy Delian are attending the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts in the Solomon Islands until July 14. Canberra Glassworks has generously chipped in with two portable kilns for the artists to use in workshops, something of a “first,” they think.

ALL the while, 10 dancers from Quantum Leap have been in Taiwan at a global dance summit, performing a new work called “Scratch the Surface” created with STEPS youth dance from Perth.

ONE of our citynews.com.au readers responded to our review of Dame Edna’s “farewell” show by suggesting, “perhaps we should book seats for those who are destroying the School of Music and make sure they sit in rows A and B.” That would be chastening.

JORDAN Best is directing a modern production of Molière’s “The Imaginary Invalid” at the Q for Centre -

piece Theatre. Tony Turner’s back, magnificent as the hypochondriac star. July 11- 21, bookings to 6285 6290 or www.theq.net.au

THE absorbing Arab Film Festival Australia is on again at Arc Cinema from July 12-19. The opening night films are “Habibi” (Darling) from Gaza, which deals with forbidden love, and “The Pillars” from the Emirates, the story of a divorced couple. Bookings to 6248 2000 or tickets at the door. Details at www.arabfilmfestival.com.au

ACT’s Child Play is presenting “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis and dramatised by Joseph Robinette, at Belconnen Community Centre’s theatre@ bcs from July 12-21, suitable for children 6+ and families. Bookings to 6257 1950 (Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm) or www.canberrarep.org.au. Cash sales at the door an hour before.

VIOLINIST Robert Harris will join Andrew Lorenz (violin) and Wendy Lorenz (piano) to Brahms Trio in E flat Major Op. 40 for Piano Violin and Viola (originally horn), Fauré’s En prière, and a selection from “Porgy & Bess” in the Wesley Music Centre’s Wednesday Lunchtime Live series, 12.40 to 1.20pm, July 11. $2 or paper note entry. No bookings required.

arts & entertainment

Cracks in the ‘Ice’ sequel

“Ice Age 4: Continental Drift” (PG)

(and for those yet to start preschool)

STEVE Martino’s film compresses events spanning several million years into the 93-minute latest in an animation series that began well a decade ago, but has now passed its use-by date.

Visually it’s typical CG. Narratively, it’s fluff. Scrat is still cherishing his acorn. Mastodon Manny gets separated from his wife and daughter when Pangaea breaks up. He, sabre-toothed pal Diego, sloth Sid and Sid’s granny float away on an iceberg promising to return ASAP for a family reunion.

They fall foul of a crew of pirates led by villainous Captain Gutt and have adventures of every maritime kind before the family reunion. End of story.

The film offers no novelty. We don’t expect scientific validity in an animated wildlife-based fantasy, but a series crammed with misinformation about important events in our planet’s back-story is less than honest to its principal audience – below about grade 2. The film has one redeeming feature – it rejects

creationism. But little kids won’t know that.

At all cinemas

“Margaret” (MA)

I AVOID answering the question, what’s the best film I’ve ever seen, but along with the 16 hours of “Heimat”, “Margaret” is high on my list of most “rememberable” films.

A meticulous, intelligent, literate, uncompromising screenplay offers a superb cast the opportunity to shine in an exposition of emotions, relationships and dramatic energy in a visual statement that explains New York’s ethos with fresh credibility.

Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan took the short poem “Margaret” by Gerard Manley Hopkins for the rock upon which he built this profound study of coming of age combined with the melancholy still burdening New York in 2003 (when he wrote the screenplay; it was shot in 2005).

Anna Paquin plays Lisa, living with her actress divorced mother and younger brother in middleclass comfort on the upper West Side.

Lisa inadvertently causes a bus to run a red light and kill a woman returning from the supermarket. Her statement to police is evasive. Her insistence on trying to lay full blame on the driver is discomforting. She embarks on an odyssey to expiate her conscience by bringing

legal proceedings against the bus driver.

“Margaret” is 150 minutes of powerful cinema with an unfortunate contra-heroine with a disturbed past and uncertain future. We can only hope the lessons from her experience might stick.

At Dendy “Where Do We Go Now?” (M)

LEBANESE writer/director/actress

Nadine Labaki spends 98 minutes telling a cinematic parable for our time.

In an isolated village to which the only access is a narrow crossing of an encircling gorge, Christians and Muslims live in social and religious harmony. It’s no Utopia. But everybody knows everybody else. The imam and the priest are pals.

The community is essentially a feminocracy. A bus carrying a troupe of hootchie-cootchie dancers suffers engine failure at the outer end of the land bridge. The village women offer hospitality. The men suddenly get interested in village affairs. A young man on a trip to buy supplies in the outer world dies from a stray bullet in a sectarian scuffle. Muslim and Christian pallbearers lead the cortege to the cemetery. Suddenly, the film’s title acquires a purpose.

The film delivers a wonderful intertwining of humour and anger to anchor its dramatic development. As with every parable, it carries a message.

At Greater Union

Reedy finds the ‘perfect’ Queen

DAVID Reedy, founder and artistic director of Canberra Opera Workshop, has been plagued by two questions since he announced that he was going to stage Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in the state-of-the-art Lyneham High School Performing Arts Theatre.

Does the auditorium have raked seats? And do you have a suitable Queen of Night?

The answer to both questions is yes, but in the case of the second, it’s almost a silly question. This, after all, is Canberra, a city in which brilliant artists hide themselves away behind desks and in suburban houses by day, only to come out at night and shine.

It is to this curious demographic that Reedy appeals in setting up a group that is more a workshop than a fully-fledged opera company.

Queen of the Night is always the biggest talking point of “The Magic Flute” and, in dramatic soprano Stephanie McAlister, he has found a perfect match for the role.

A first-class honours graduate in vocal performance from the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, McAlister came to Canberra 10 years ago. She first became aware of Canberra Opera Workshop, last year when it was doing “L’elisir d’amore” and signed up for the chorus and an understudy role. But, as she prepares for the notorious vocal acrobatics of the Queen, her main concern is one shared by the company members – “to get people through the door”.

–Helen Musa

“The Magic Flute”, Lyneham High, July 13-22. Bookings to www. canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/ magic-flute-tickets/

Snuffles hits the truffle trail

It’s truffle time in Canberra and WENDY JOHNSON went truffling, but with a seafood twist

SNUFFLES, the truffle dog, has been at it again. It’s the season for this special, highly trained American cocker spaniel to be on the hunt for the rich – and very expensive – black fungus that is the centrepiece of dishes being created by many restaurants around town during this year’s Canberra and Capital Region Truffle Festival.

The festival will continue until July 31, or before if participating venues run out of this highly prized, exotic fungi. So Snuffles, who is a valuable member of the team at French Black Truffles, has a busy schedule for a few weeks yet.

Many establishments are running degustations offering the full truffle experience and others a dish or two created with great care given that one razor-thin shaving of this fungi can cost around $10 (or $125 or more for a small piece, depending on quality). In Canberra, participating establishments include 3seeds, Benchmark, Dieci e Mezzo, Mezzalira, Pod Food, Pulp Kitchen and Redsalt. The National Press Club is also truffling, with a seafood twist. And it was a twist we wanted, so that’s where we headed.

Chef Daren Tetley is the club’s “truffle man”, having joined the team last year after stints at Canberra restaurants, including the Boat House by the Lake and the Hyatt Hotel.

Our truffle seafood degustation began with rolls and delicate truffle butter followed by a sensational forest mushroom and white truffle thickened soup topped with tropical lobster mousse and micro tarragon. We were greeted at the table by a waiter sporting a super clean, white glove and holding (for dear life, no doubt) a black truffle. He spoke for a moment about the mellow and intoxicating truffle and then shaved a bit on to our soup before we indulged (it was truly wonderful).

The Press Club’s degustation is $115 for six courses with wines matched (100ml glass with

Southern Bluefin pink peppercorn crust on eggplant puree and truffle honey-glazed vegetables, left, and rare roasted Wagyu beef with truffle red wine jus and baby celery.

several local labels on the menu) or $88 for food only.

Our second course was an assiette of cured seafood, including Tasmanian salmon gravlax with passionfruit and mandarin dressing, baby herbs and a truffle brioche. Then Alaskan king crab and Italian truffle tortellini. Then pink peppercorn crusted Yellowfin tuna, with truffle honey glazed, baby root vegetables.

The blackberry and Perigord truffle granita was a commanding colour, but some of us found it too “pucker power” coming after a series of

Dazzling Sydney Dance

CONTINUING the collaboration with composer Ezio Bosso, which inspired his two previous works seen in Canberra , “We Unfold” and “6 Breaths”, Rafael Bonachela has revisited, revised and expanded an earlier work for 16 dancers of the Sydney Dance Company.

Lasting just 70 minutes and danced to Bosso’s throbbing, insistent score, this work, apparently inspired by everyday signs and symbols, is a dazzling abstract creation, stunningly well danced by this company of superb dancers, each of whom wears a chic white individually-styled pleated costume designed by Theo Clinkard.

The work is divided into 11 sections with titles such as “One Way”, “Diversion”, “Cross” and “Roundabout”, but as the dancers move quickly through brilliant frenetic ensemble passages and quirky duets, most would have found it difficult to grasp the significance of the titles or differentiate between the sections

dance

“The Land of Yes & The Land of No” Sydney Dance Company At Canberra Theatre. Reviewed by Bill Stephens

to concentrate on individual performers.

However, none is likely to forget the brilliance of Charmene Yap, who opens the piece with her arresting solo, and Richard Cilli, who joins her for the duet “Entrance”. Cilli later performs a stunning solo entitled “Cross” to vocals by Ezio Bosso. Also outstanding are Andrew Crawford and Jessica Thompson in their duet “Speed Limit” and again Crawford with Juliet Barton in the tender, sensuous duet “Merge”. Alan Macdonald’s harsh angular white fluorescent-light setting, softened by Guy Hoare’s green/ red lighting design, provides the perfect ambience for this latest masterpiece from Rafael Bonachela.

more subtle dishes.

And the piece de resistance was Les Coulommiers truffle brie, Tasmanian honeycomb, Cognac poached baby fruit, lavoche and ciabatta. My only “complaint” was that I was too full to finish every single bit on my plate (there is no rule dictating this, but I really, really wanted to).

So go forth Canberrans and truffle your way through the next several weeks. You’ll love it.

www.trufflefestival.com.au

There’s always lots to do

A NEW addition to the family brings much excitement, but it’s also a time of great change, with a lot of new products and services needed.

From maternity wear to setting up a nursery, finding clothes and shoes for little ones and buying toys, there’s always plenty to do!

Baby market is surging

“IT seems that Australian mums, who largely control household purse strings, are watching family budgets very closely in the wake of the global financial crisis... and purchasing quality, pre-loved goods,” says Cathie Wall, of Canberra’s Baby & Kids Market.

“This might go some way to explaining the surge in popularity of Canberra’s Baby & Kids Market, Australia’s original and biggest market for quality pre-loved baby and kids items.

“Stalls are booked by mums and dads who stack them high with gently-used goods like

high chairs, prams, bikes, cots, toys, change tables, playpens, clothes and DVDs, which are then purchased by other parents.

“By giving sellers the chance to de-clutter the house of the things their kids no longer need, other parents are able to snap up some incredibly good buys, all the while reducing landfill and helping the environment.”

The Baby and Kids Markets are held in the Fitzroy Building at Exhibition Park in Canberra. Markets dates for the rest of the year are: August 11, September 22 and December 1. Entry fee is $3 per adult.

Quality label joins online boutique

THIS winter, Dressing for Two, Canberra’s own specialist online maternity boutique, has added Ninth Moon Maternity, a high-quality, Australian label, to its range, says director Thérèse Scarano.

“A few of the items from this range include a funky cowl neck feeding tunic; bootleg jeans and a knitted feeding hoodie. The boutique also sells a range

of dresses suitable for office wear and formal occasions as well as a lovely range of maternal art products from BaldiBearART,” she says.

The boutique offers clear navigation and honest product descriptions, says Thérèse. All payment transactions are made via the secure PayPal site and orders are sent withing 24 hours. Free shipping and a flexible returns policy is provided to customers in Canberra and the surrounding regions.

Visit www.dressingfortwo.com.au

Clockwise from top: Bootleg jean from Dressing for Two, $85.

Knitted feeding hoodie from Dressing for Two, $80.

Cowl-neck feeding tunic from Dressing for Two, $75.

Here come the holidays

THE Marketplace in Gungahlin Town Centre is hosting free school holiday entertainment for children with activities ranging from face painting, arts and crafts, glitter tattoos and more.

Children who also wish to join the Market Play Kids Club can call centre management on

6123 4900 to have an application form sent to them or collect a form at Market Play – the indoor playground.

By Joining the Kids Club, members receive a free joining gift, a membership card, and invitations to birthday celebrations and will be the first to know about The Marketplace’s school holiday entertainment. More information at themarketplacegungahlin.com.au

Funky kids’ clothes

when the baby arrives Michelle’s creative

“LELLOW is a children’s boutique store in Braddon, with funky kids’ clothes, fabulous shoes, a beautiful painted hallway and an amazing toy section down the back with faux grass and a blackboard bench to keep the kids amused while you shop,” says principal Loretta Hately.

“Amongst the products in store are clothes by Munster, Minti, Oobi, Chalk N Cheese, organic cotton outfits from Gaia and beautiful tutus by Tutu

Du Monde and Princess Ratbag, and the gorgeous ballet slippers by Pitter Patter.

“There are a range of toys including Tiger Tribe, Automoblox, Seedling and plenty more. Some toys will bring back memories from the old days.

“Gorgeous jewellery from Little Lamb makes the perfect keepsakes for a baby’s christening or special occasion.”

More information from 6248 5006.

zest returns

“LELLAM is a small, home-run business that was established in 2009 that specialises in quality handmade accessories for babies, children and adults,” says principal Michelle Mangeruca.

“All items are made to be stylish yet functional. Most items are custom made to enable you to be able to choose your own fabric, style of item and suit it to your needs.

“LellaM was created after the birth of my first daughter when I decided to be a stay-at-home mum.

“I was previously a primary

school teacher for nine years, mostly in the infants area. I have always loved making things for the classroom and preparing exciting lessons.

“A few years prior to opening LellaM, my mother passed away. After that I lost a lot of passion for life and nothing really interested me. But when I started sewing, my zest for being creative and looking forward to doing something suddenly came back.

“Since then things have just taken off and my life is now going in this more positive direction. LellaM allowed me to continue using my creative side in a different way.

“At LellaM you can find nappy bags, nappy pouches, bibs, various pouches for Ipods/cameras/Ipads, coin purses, children’s bags, ladies’ handbags, enviro shopping bags and a variety of other accessories.”

More information at facebook.com/LellaMhandmade or madeit.com.au/LellaM

health & fitness

The new, winning tape

LOCAL athletes are discovering the benefits of kinesiology taping to help with recovery and rehabilitation.

Kinesiology tape is pliable and allows for a full range of motion without decreasing blood flow, whereas traditional strapping tape is used to immobilise and stabilise joints.

Sports Medicine Australia ACT Branch president Peter Garbutt says that for years kinesiology taping has been used in conjunction with more traditional forms of rehabilitation.

“The role of the kinesiology tape predominantly works by providing structural or muscle support; assists to correct postural problems; increases blood flow; aids lymphatic drainage and enhances rehabilitation of the

muscles,” Garbutt says.

“Despite kinesiology tape being first developed in the 1970s by Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase, it only came to prominence after the 2008 Olympics.

“When the tape is applied correctly, it achieves the last of these effects by lifting the skin to create a small space between the muscle and dermis layers. That space takes the pressure off swelling or injured muscles, allows smooth muscle movement and makes space for drainage and blood flow.”

When kinesiology taping is used in the sport setting it may help to:

• Treat muscle pain

• Reduce muscle fatigue

• Increase blood flow

• Prevent cramps

all about dancing advertising feature

Get up, get dancing and get healthy!

DANCE is increasingly popular in the ACT and region with social dances such as salsa and fitness dances such as Zumba or Human Fusion are everywhere. All of which means that with such a healthy studio and community dance sector there’s a dance class for everyone aged two to 92 just about anywhere in the ACT. This week “CityNews” presents a selection of the best of what’s available in Canberra’s world of dance...

“WARM up this winter and add some ‘Sabor’ to your workout,” says Salsabor Dance Company director Raquel Paez. “Sabor” is Spanish for “flavour” and there’s plenty of it at Salsabor.

“As the temperature drops this time of year, so does the motivation to keep fit. Instead of worrying about what that meat pie will do to your hips this winter, why not

Classes to suit your ‘sabor’

keep them moving instead?” says Raquel.

The instructors at Salsabor are making it easy to get fit and have fun this winter by inviting “CityNews” readers to attend a free

dance class between July 9 and 12. Salsabor is not just a Latin dance school, they offer a range of classes to suit your “sabor”. From Hip Hop to Salsa, Samba,

Burlesque and Zumba classes.

“All of the instructors are very passionate about making sure you get the most out of your session – whatever level you’re at,”

at Salsabor... “Warm up

Raquel says.

“What have you got to lose? Get fit, have fun, meet new people, express yourself and learn to dance. Warm up with the Salsabor family this winter – no beanie or gloves required!”

Salsabor Studio, 1st floor, 11-13 East Row (at the Civic bus interchange) www.salsabor. com.au

all about dancing

Amy’s dream comes true

WHEN Elite Dance Studio opened in Canberra in February, it was a lifelong dream come true for 23-year-old owner Amy Peacock.

Amy’s dancing dream began in Canberra at age four and after 19 years of training (which included 10 years as a part of Canberra’s QL2 and two years’ training at a commercial dance school in Melbourne) she has returned to Canberra to pass on this experience and passion for dance to her students.

Elite Dance Studio offers students aged four to adults, access to the latest techniques and innovative style.

Offering training in jazz, hip hop, lyrical, ballet and contemporary with new boys-only hip hop, and tap

classes starting soon.

Amy says students get to experience learning from trained professionals and are exposed to many performance and non-performance opportunities.

“We offer students the tools to explore and nurture their passion for dance in many genres. Private lessons and school programs are also available,” she says.

“Elite Dance Studio Canberra offers students a non competitive and safe environment to learn about dance.”

Enrolments for Terms 3 and 4 are being taken now. Classes are currently running in Dickson and Ainslie.

More information from elitedancestudiocanberrra@ hotmail.com or 0422 985438 or www.elitedancestudio. com.au

Making the right impression

BUILDING confidence and enjoying movement through dance and fitness is the philosophy that drives Impressions Dance and Fitness.

With almost 50 classes a week, the team at Impressions is spreading this buzz throughout the Queanbeyan and Canberra region.

Students can start as young as 18-months through mini funk dance classes that are educationally themed and combine a mix of dance, singing, acting and even instrument playing.

As children get older they can choose from a variety of dance styles such as jazz, hip hop, ballet, cheerleading and musical theatre. Not only do children have a wide choice of dance classes to sample, Impressions also offers children’s fitness classes such as Children’s Bootcamp and ZumbaTomic – Zumba classes specially designed for children under 12 years!

Managing director Nikki

Knieriem says Impressions also offers a range of dance and fitness classes for adults.

“A popular class for our adults is Risqué Rhythms which combines burlesque with jazz and funk dancing – it’s such a great class for beginners!”

More information at www. impressionsdf.com.au or call 0421 590433.

There’s lots to Legs

Legs Dance Studio has been operating for 22 years and has trained thousands of Canberrans.

Some of its students have gone on to careers in television and film, Moulin Rouge, Tap Dogs, Raw Metal, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise and Universal Studios, to name a few. The end-of-year “Dance Extravaganza” is renowned for its amazing costumes and talent.

Legs caters for students with Down Syndrome and special needs, and has a group called The Dream Team which performs and competes regularly. Legs won the Chief Minister’s Inclusion Award in 2009 for its work with The Dream Team.

The Legs Performance Team has been invited to perform in China in July at an international children’s festival together with children from more than 40 other countries. This is the fifth time that Legs has been invited to represent Australia.

Legs caters for dancers from 18 months up to adult classes. Contact 6293 3212 or email mhldemails@gmail.com or www. legsdance.com.au

Progressive Arab-style dance

HILAL Dance, founded by European-based, Egyptian contemporary dance artist Suraya Hilal, is a progressive Arab-style dance characterised by strong foot and legwork, fluid upper body expression and rhythmic, grounded movement.

Instructor Rachael Hilton has been teaching in Canberra for over a decade. She began her training in Hilal Dance in 1996, was invited to become an associate of the Hilal Dance organisation in 2003, joined

the professional program in 2007 and was awarded the Hilal Dance Diploma in 2010.

She says Hilal Dance is a way of moving that captures energy, joy and fluidity through refinement of line and expression with rhythmic movements that link the mind and the body.

“Regular practice of the holistic Hilal Dance bodywork develops dynamic alignment while the yogalike exercises connect the breath with movement in a way which unblocks tension and promotes a grounded flow of energy,” she says.

“Taking regular time out to do the Hilal Dance bodywork energises the body and clears the

mind.

“International master artist Suraya Hilal is presenting open workshops at Belconnen Arts Centre in October this year. A special one-day, come-and-try experience is available to newcomers. No previous dance experience is necessary and the classes and workshop are open to male and female participants from all backgrounds.”

Rachael is also inviting “CityNews” readers to attend a free dance class with her anytime during August.

More information at hilaldanceaustralia.com.au or call 0418 226540

Swing’s always the thing

JUMPTOWN Swing has been teaching swing dancing in Canberra for almost 10 years.

Enter the salsa capital

THERE’S a new Latin event in Canberra called “Capital de la Salsa” (“The Salsa Capital”) this month.

The aim is to promote Canberra as an exciting and happening tourist destination; and raise the profile of prominent and successful businesses and local Canberra celebrities.

Jumptown runs regular classes, workshops and events, and has a performance troupe available for functions and demonstrations. No experience or partner required. Classes are offered on the northside and southside of Canberra.

Jumptown Swing has an experienced performance troupe

Swing dancing is a popular way to keep fit, socialise or get ready for a wedding. Join in the fun, meet new people learning the Lindy Hop, the original partner dance from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s.

– The Jumptown Jammers – with a range of Lindy Hop, Charleston or swing-era routines for charity or corporate events, birthdays, dinners, balls and weddings. More information at www. jumptown.org

Something for everyone

BOLLYWOOD Dimensions Studio

artistic director Carla Marks believes that this dynamic form of dance offers something for everyone. “Bollykids for children from three years’ of age, Modern Bollywood for those who would like a twist of hip hop and Latin, semi-classical classes if you prefer something on the traditional and

exotic side, just to name a few options,” she says.

“BDS also offers private tuition and choreography for bridal couples and parties ensuring that guests will remember your first dance for years to come!

“BDS has been accommodating students of all experience

levels since it opened nine years ago.”

The studio’s new term starts on July 24 and offers a free trial class.

Bollywood Dimensions Studio, Gorman House Arts Centre, Braddon, www.bollywooddimensions. com or call 0449 133203.

The full event runs over 24 hours with three consecutive parties, the first and main party held at the Convention Centre on Saturday, July 14.

Organiser Mario Gordon says VIPs have been selected who contribute a lot to Canberra.

“The celebrity salsa challenge is another exciting addition to ‘Capital de la Salsa’,” he says.

“We are taking six prominent local business personalities and teaching them a salsa routine in just four weeks. They will be performing at the main party and are excited to unleash their new skills and show how exciting Canberra really is as a fantastic place to visit, grow business and party!”

Mario says that, in conjunction with Kokoloco Dance Studio, the celebrity dance challenge aims to show that anyone can learn how to dance and that Canberra is a great place to live with an exciting culture.

Tickets from capitaldelasalsa.net/ tickets/

Winter’s warm bloomers

Winter is not necessarily devoid of flowers, says CEDRIC BRYANT

BEYOND Camellias, which I highlighted in an earlier column, other plants offering winter flowers include Garrya elliptica or tassle bush.

An evergreen shrub between 2-3 metres, at this time of the year it has male catkins of striking grey-green leathery tassles up to 20cm long. These mature into a honey colour before shedding.

Similarly, Corylus avellana “Contorta” or Witch Hazel is mainly grown for its sculptural contorted stems with its honey-coloured catkins in winter.

In this group we should include Chimonanthus praecox or Winter Sweet. Many regard the small, starry, yellow winter flowers, which appear on bare stems with its strong, sweet perfume, as unrivalled amongst plants. This deciduous shrub grows to about two metres.

FOR smaller shrubs, one cannot go past Ericas, the flower colours depending on the variety. These can be grown as a low-growing, evergreen hedge or planted in a bold group of three to five.

It is impossible to mention all but a few, as my Hillier’s “Manual of Trees and Shrubs” lists no fewer than 140 varieties of Erica.

Erica x darleyensis pink is one of the hardiest, from winter frosts to hot, dry summers. This is unsurprising when looking at where they originate. For example, Erica mediterranea is native to the south of France, Spain and, interestingly, Ireland. Is this another of those plants introduced to the Emerald Isle from the Mediterranean by the early missionaries such as St. Patrick?

Other varieties generally available include E. “D.R.Maxwell”, E. malanthera improved, E. “White Delight” and E. melanthera “Ruby Shephard”. They are all suited to Canberra, from our frosts to hot summers.

THEN, to delight us all with its early blossoms in winter is Prunus mume, the flowering apricot seen in bloom about town at this time. This is the first of a succession of blossom trees that will delight us for the next five months. The two select varieties are Prunus mume “Splendens”, growing to 4m x 3m and ideally suited to most gardens, has deep-pink, double-fragrant flowers with yellow stamens. Equally superb is P. mume “Rosebud”, of a similar size with large, semi-double, soft-pink flowers. The flowers are produced on one-year-old wood. To encourage flowers each year, it is advisable to prune quite heavily after flowering, it can even be pollarded. This

has been grown as street trees and in suburban parks in Canberra and definitely should be used more widely.

ONE of the most popular winter flowering shrubs usually referred to as “japonica” is flowering quince, Chaenomeles japonica. It is one of those common names that can get one into trouble when ordering a specific plant. “Japonica” merely

indicates it originates in Japan or China. This is a favourite for flower arrangers with the brilliant red or white flowers on bare stems. However, a word of warning, this plant can sucker like mad. We had the shoots constantly appearing in a gravel driveway in our old nursery at Yass. Even undiluted glyphosate applied to cut stems had no effect on it and after 10 years we still had it growing!

Winter jobs in the garden

• CHECK on stored bulbs, corms and tubers such as Dahlia and Canna regularly, discard any showing signs of rot.

• Look for plants that have layered and carefully remove from the soil for potting up in premiumgrade potting mix. Water in with Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient to encourage new roots.

• While the ground is soft, it is an ideal time to get rid of persistent weeds.

• Leave old flower heads on Hydrangea as added frost protection for the emerging new buds. Prune back in spring when the worst of the frosts are over.

• Ensure indoor plants are in good light in winter. Do not place too close to air conditioners, ducted heating vents under floor or overhead. Check they are not suffering from drying out with winter heating.

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars / July 9 - 15

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Many Aries are famous for being pioneers in their chosen fields (like Leonardo da Vinci, Marlon Brando, Diana Ross and Gloria Steinem). With Uranus barnstorming through your sign, you’re at your dynamic and inventive best as you experiment with fresh approaches to perennial old problems. But – if you come on too strong this week – you could alienate loved ones.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

With lucky Venus and prosperous Jupiter both activating your money zone, it’s an auspicious time to focus on financial matters. And, in an uncertain economic climate, a calm and conservative approach is the sensible way to go. Which suits your cautious Taurean nature down to the ground! Socialising is unlikely on Sunday, as Saturn puts you in the mood to work.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Gregarious Gemini – the more proactive you are (and the more you network with others), then the better your week will be. With vivacious Venus vamping through your sign (until August 7), it’s time to flirt outrageously, party like a pro, and live life to the max. Your conversational skills are firing, your curiosity is piqued, and you’re in the mood to chat up a storm!

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Crabs can get stuck in a rut that may be comfortable but does nothing for your personal and professional development. Don’t become so obsessed with security that you are afraid to move forward. This week, view change as a grand opportunity – and be inspired by Harrison Ford (born on July 13): “We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

With the Sun in your solitude zone (until July 24), you’ll feel less social than usual. But it is a terrific time to contemplate or meditate, plus catch up on some extra sleep. Saturn squares your Sun on Sunday, so aim to be serious and sensible (rather than fiery and flamboyant). Single Lions – you’re in the mood for romance, but don’t assume things will fall effortlessly into place.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Money matters look messy this week, Virgo, especially if you are behind with paying bills. The more disciplined and proactive you are, the more manageable your finances will be. To generate extra cash flow, could you have a garage sale, sell things online or take on a second job? It’s also time to shine the spotlight on your hopes, dreams and wishes for the future.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Do you find it hard to say no? With Saturn still moving slowly through your sign, you’ll need to learn to prioritise and discriminate. If you try to do everything for everyone, you’ll just end up in a super stressed state. As birthday great Bill Cosby declared: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Sunday favours fact over fantasy.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Communication is highlighted as you throw yourself into activities. With Mercury and Uranus in your work zones, clear communication with colleagues, clients or customers is a must, as you open your mind to new ways of doing things and keep mentally flexible. On the weekend, getting deep and meaningful with a loved one leads to revealing insights. Don’t be too secretive though – or hold back from expressing your true feelings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Are you having problems with a partner (whether they are of the romantic, business or platonic variety)? With Venus in your relationship zone (until August 7), drop the “I’m always right” attitude, and instead hold out the olive branch of peace and cooperation. Singles – love is likely with someone from a different culture, so keep up-to-date with your overseas connections.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Keen to get ahead professionally? With Mars and Saturn in your career zone, aim to be proactive and patient (a tricky combination). Sunday’s Sun/Saturn square increases your tendency to be demanding and domineering. Calm cooperation is the clever way to go. Learn to relax, otherwise you’ll end up exhausted. Perhaps it’s time for a session of meditation or a spot of yoga?

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Nebulous Neptune is moving through your finance zone, so when it comes to money, take off your rose-colored glasses, avoid get-rich-quick schemes, and get all agreements in writing (plus check the fine-print carefully). Attached Aquarians – doing romantic things together will help rejuvenate the relationship. Singles – look for love with a lusty Leo or a gregarious Gemini.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

You’re in the mood to spend money but, if you overextend yourself financially this week, Pisces, you’ll pay the price further down the track. Find creative ways to cheer yourself up that don’t involve shopping (either in person or online). With Jupiter and Venus visiting your domestic zone, make your home the best possible place it can be – full of fun, laughter and joie de vivre.

Across

1 Name a form of quadrille marked by extravagant leaping and dancing

7 Which horse won the Melbourne and Caulfield cups in 2001?

8 What implement is used for cleaning the barrel of a rifle?

9 Which animal has been displayed on Australia’s one dollar piece?

10 Which word describes the wolf ?

11 What do we call the words of an opera or the like?

14 Name a novice belonging to a religious order

18 Which water-nymphs are fabled to dwell in streams, etc ?

19 What is a cover for the blade of a sword?

21 What is a trip, to convey a message?

22 One who appoints, as to a post or duty, could be called a what ?

23 Which sport is known as the “round ball game”?

Down

1 Name an external foot covering

1 What is a set of stationary bells, hung in a tower ?

2 Name Australia’s prime minister, 1941-45, John ...

3 Who is one of Australia’s most wellknown bushrangers (3,5)?

4 What is the front part of the leg, from the knee to the ankle?

5 Name the 1978 renowned film which starred Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta

6 What is an elephant driver called?

12 Which devices are used for pulverising and mixing dry and liquid food ingredients?

13 In horseracing, what is a “roughie” also known as?

15 What is an inland tax on spirits, tobacco, etc ?

16 Name the hotel bar which is least comfortably furnished

17 Which acid is found in lemons?

20 What do we call the sister of one’s parent ?