Canberra CityNews September 6, 2012

Labor + Greens = triple rates, cry Libs

“LABOR + Greens = triple your rates” is the formula the Canberra Liberals have released as the first step to win the October 20 election.

A few weeks ago it seemed the prime focus of the Canberra Liberals’ campaign would be attempting to paint a picture of a failing health system.

A couple of announcements supporting non-government schools and an additional green bin gave the impression of a campaign that would be based on tidbits to win over specific sectors of the community.

Now the debate will swing to “better local services with lower rates and charges”.

This week the Liberals’ Leader, Zed Seselja, has shown that his team is ignoring the predictions of another Labor-Greens government and the idea that Canberra “is really a Labor town”. Instead they have looked for the soft underbelly of the Government and worked to their own strengths.

The conservatives always argue that they are better money managers and this election will be no different. They are on firm ground to this extent: the first Budget the Labor

The Canberra Liberals have thrown down the gauntlet. They have put rates and taxes firmly on the agenda for the ACT election, writes MICHAEL MOORE

Government produced after it came to power was in 2002 predicted ACT revenue at just over $2 billion.

This year, the Budget predicts revenues approaching $4 billion. Despite this, there is a considerable increase in borrowing of almost a half a billion dollars and a predicted deficit of $318 million.

Labor will argue this borrowing is not for short-term bills but for capital infrastructure – similar to taking a mortgage out on the family home. Hence, they have maintained a Standard and Poor’s Rating at the highest level of AAA.

However, sound financial management is a much harder argument to make against the challenge of “triple your rates”.

Zed Seselja and his shadow treasurer, Brendan Smyth, will not rest. They are determined to persuade the community about their skills as financial managers. Before the week’s big announcement they provided a media briefing about how carefully they have priced each of their policies.

Smyth identified the assumptions, the basis for the figures and how they have determined the level of expenditure. Accusations of “back of the envelope” figures by the Government are now likely to get very little traffic in the media. The shadow treasurer explained how the Liberals have been using their time in opposition to milk committee processes, questions on notice and Freedom of Information to establish a sound basis for these policies.

The recent Quinlan Review of the taxation system claimed to be “fairer, simpler and more efficient”. The claim is for a more socially just approach to taxation. Seselja will be denying both of these claims.

In doing so, the Canberra Liberals are attempting to grab the middleground by challenging the traditional view of both the Greens and Labor as the parties of the socially disadvantaged.

The argument they put is that the lowest socio economic quintile of house owners will be paying the highest proportion of disposable income.

“The increase in rates,” according to Seselja, “is neither fairer nor more progressive”.

The key election pitch is to “repeal ACT Labor’s tax grab, which will triple rates, halve stamp duty for first-home buyers, expand the firsthome buyers’ concession scheme and reduce ACT Labor’s unit tax.”

The difficulty for Labor is that the increase in revenue over the last 10 years is commensurate with the picture that the Liberals are painting for the coming decade.

The tax reforms proposed by Quinlan are based not just on increasing rates, but removing a wide range of indirect taxes to compensate. However, the Liberals can simply assert that the removal of these other indirect taxes and charges will not eventuate.

The Liberals announcement and the thrust of their approach is to leave Labor on the back foot in the financial management debate. It is still a big ask. The swing away from the Greens and Labor will have to be very significant if the Liberals are to come to government.

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

‘NO ONE WILL EVER LOOK AT CANBERRA THE SAME WAY AGAIN’ – ROBYN ARCHER

Razzle dazzle greets Centenary party

Helen Musa reports

YES, the razzle dazzle of the Centenary is almost upon us, as Canberrans found on Tuesday, September 4, when the public packed into the Playhouse for the festive launch of a century.

Certainly the event was enhanced by stars such as former Bangarra Dance Theatre dancer Djakapurra Munyarrayan, but there was no getting away from it, all eyes were on creative director Robyn Archer herself as she delivered the massive “Volume 1” – summer and autumn – of the celebrations ahead. It would be very easy, executive director for the Centenary, Jeremy Lasek, told the press, to find another 500 people worth interviewing, but this was Archer’s week.

She’ll be taking off soon to Burley Griffin pilgrimage sites in Lucknow and Chicago, to New Delhi, to London, where she’ll be the first woman to give the Arthur Boyd address and to Washington where ambassador Kim Beazley will throw a publicity-seeking party.

And, yes, the ever optimistic Archer assured the press, the world will want to know about Canberra, still the world’s best planned “garden city”. So will the rest of Australia, including neighbouring Queanbeyan, celebrating its 175th birthday?

How to get the nation excited?

On the sporting front, the Brumbies and other Canberra teams will hold dedicated centenary matches.

In the arts, there will be celebrations of Aboriginal Australia, with a special focus on activist-writer Kevin Gilbert, on home-grown Canberra creativity, on a commissioned work by the Australian Ballet dedicated to Aldo Giurgola’s Parliament House, on the big public “Centenary Symphony” commissioned from composer Andrew Schulz, on a hot air balloon created by cutting-edge artist Patricia Piccinini and on hundreds of exhibitions and performances in national institutions, local arts venues and even local neighbourhoods.

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In cyberspace, there will be the means for people across the nation to get involved, telling their Canberra stories and contributing to a growing list of 100 things to like about Canberra.

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Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, of Suite 1, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.

The normally hard-boiled press will get involved by holding the Walkley Awards in Canberra, an initiative of veteran political journalist Laurie Oakes.

Even the buildings of Canberra would join in, with the Arboretum building and the new Women’s Hospi-

tal just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s bigger than “Ben Hur”, it’s complicated, it picks up on existing events, but it also creates new ones.

“No one will ever look at Canberra the same way again,” Archer predicts. Whopper serve in theatre’s Centenary season, Page 21

Blackboards fall to call of classroom tablets

IN a sea of iPads, tablets, laptops and interactive whiteboards, the idea of getting your hands dirty on a chalky blackboard or fiercely rubbing out a mistake with an eraser seems rather quaint in today’s classrooms in the ACT.

In reality, new technology has had a place in schools around the Territory for close to a decade.

The INSPIRE Centre, which launched last year as a partnership between the ACT Government and the University of Canberra, is behind find-

Gazing around today’s classrooms, it’s almost hard to believe there was once a time where chalk, pencils and erasers were school necessities, says LAURA EDWARDS

ing new and emerging technologies to be applied in local classrooms.

The centre’s manager, Laurie Campbell, believes tools such as iPads, tablets and electronic whiteboards have “empowered students”.

“Technology has given students flexibility of choice about how and when they learn, and that’s starting from kindergarten onwards,” he says.

“This environment is so critical to their ability to learn and think in different ways, and to use the technology to be innovative and entrepreneurial in their future – there isn’t really a job that doesn’t involve technology.

“Students can research information or analyse data on their iPads, play a math game on the whiteboard, or connect with other students hundreds of kilometres away by using social media... it becomes a personal thing, a tactile engagement.”

When information is put into a graphic format “kids get it straight away”, Laurie says.

“It’s simpler – there’s a lot more collaboration, a lot more sharing when learning is visible,” he says.

Laurie’s INSPIRE associate Ian Thomson, who is also the Information

Communication Technology convener at Kingsford Smith School in Holt, says technology has given new confidence to students who previously struggled in class.

“Some of these guys who perhaps haven’t had a lot of success with school previously, gain confidence from using these technologies because they are familiar with them, which is fantastic. It’s really given them a boost,” he says.

“The kids use this kind of technology at home, so I think when they come to school and use it, it’s safe, it’s known to them. Their adaptive ability is amazing – some of them even know more than me.”

But technology doesn’t come without risks, and Ian says educating students about cyber safety is a top priority.

Kingsford Smith School Year 7 teacher, Emma Turner, says technology has gone from being a novelty factor to a reliable learning tool for students.

“It helps me as a teacher, too; rather than being the sole provider of information, I can step back and be the facilitator,” she says.

“The students get excited because

they can find so many interesting facts when they research themselves, rather than me telling them; so it’s more about honing your own research skills rather than relying on the board or handouts.”

Year 7 student Lema Khoram agrees: “I find it easier to use an iPad than writing.”

She says she’d like to be a journalist

and report from all around the world when she grows up, saying: “I think using this kind of technology... will help me do that.”

But Ian insists this isn’t the death of the pen and paper.

“It’s about a collaborative approach; different ways of learning complementing each other so students can get the best learning experience,” he says.

Motorists mar cycling’s big push

With Canberra cyclist Susan Powell winning Australia’s first gold medal at the London Paralympic Games, the push to promote Canberra as a tourism cycling destination takes on some lustre. But we’re not the most welcoming place for cyclists, says TIM GAVEL

ENCOURAGING people to cycle more is a no brainer as Canberra grows in size and congestion is becoming an issue.

Yet it would appear that no issue raises the blood pressure of motorists more than the mere mention of cyclists’ rights and the push for more people to ride bikes to work instead of driving their cars.

There are obvious health benefits through exercise and a decrease in pollution created by car use.

In Europe and Scandinavia there is an accepted culture of bike riding as the preferred choice of transport. In Australia, it is almost the complete opposite with many motorists having an aversion to cyclists. There is a push to promote Canberra as a tourism cycling destination, which potentially has a huge market. The only problem is that we’re not always the most welcoming place to visit for cyclists with considerable aggression from a percentage of the motoring public and the fast flow of traffic in and around most suburbs.

The issue of road space and cyclists in Civic is about to hit new heights with the Cycling Promotion Fund linking up with Pedal Power and the ACT Government to create an iconic image of how things would look without cars in the

centre of the city.

The Cycling Promotion Fund is an independent group set up to promote cycling. It is funded in part by the cycling industry that, no doubt, would be keen to see more people buying bikes, but there are other agendas that intersect with this need.

People I know in the bike industry very much live the cycling lifestyle and there is a firm belief in their product.

You can understand why the ACT Government is involved; governments around the world are trying to work out how to transport people by alternate means, such as cycling.

To this end, all three parties are coming together to recreate one of the most iconic photos on the subject of cars, buses and cyclists. The original was taken on the main street of the German city of Muenster in 1991 featuring three visions. The first shows the required space to transport 60 people by car, the second shows 60 people by bus, and the third is the space required to transport 60 people by bike.

On Sunday, September 9, Allara Street, between Constitution Avenue and the casino, will be closed for four hours in a bid to recreate the image

created by the photo in Germany. The image will then be used to promote the use of bikes over cars in the city centre. It’s understood cycling groups in other cities are looking to create a similar image, but are waiting to see how it is created in Canberra.

ON the issue of cycling, the ACT Olympic Council is seeking to have the presentation ceremony for Michael Rogers’ bronze medal from the 2004 Olympic Games take place in Canberra next year as part of the Centenary celebrations.

Rogers, one of Canberra’s greatest athletes, having won world titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005, has been retrospectively awarded the bronze medal from the time trial from the Athens Olympics. He finished fourth, but the gold medallist, Tyler Hamilton, was stripped of the title after confessing to drug use.

Alas, for Michael Rogers, there was no magic moment on the podium; the local Olympic Council would like to see that changed with a ceremony in Canberra next year. It would be an event in itself.

Tara talks green

CELEBRITY homemaker Tara Dennis will host a workshop for those wanting to create something green inside their homes at The Crace Demonstration Village’s Sustainable House Day from 12.30pm on Sunday, September 9. There will be entertainment for the kids, a sausage sizzle and ActewAGL’s electric car will be on display.

The village, at Abena Avenue, Crace, will open from 10am to 4pm.

Taste of Thai

THE annual celebration of all things Thai – food, massage, boxing and cultural exhibitions –will be on display at the Thai Food & Cultural Festival, at the Royal Thai Embassy, 111 Empire Circuit Yarralumla, 11am-5pm on Sunday, September 23. Free entry.

Lunch for Grace

MEL and Ben Eveille are hosting a fundraising lunch for the Juvenile Diabetes Walk for a Cure 2012 campaign at Restaurant 2602 in Ainslie on Sunday, September 16. Their daughter Grace “has endured 4500 finger pricks and 2700 injections since diagnosis in February 2011. She is very brave and we would like to see a cure for her in her lifetime.” Bookings for the lunch, which will include door prizes and a raffle, to 6247 4437.

Newspapers are not the exciting chronicles they used to be, bemoans

ROBERT MACKLIN

Man bites... newspapers Trekking for Timor

THE $2.7 billion loss recently announced by Fairfax, publishers of “The Canberra Times”, “The Age” and “The Sydney Morning Herald”, was a real shock to the system.

The CEO, Greg Hywood, tried to pass it off as some kind of technical write down of assets, claiming the papers would be around for “a very, very, very long time”.

Unfortunately, he cut no ice with his major shareholder, Gina Reinhart. She decided that investing tens of millions into the company to protect her mining interests was now money down the drain and tried desperately to sell $5 million worth of her shares.

Alas, no one was interested.

So, is Mr Hywood’s assurance worth the paper it’s written on? Frankly, I doubt it, but not for the usual reasons given by journalists with a horse in the race. They blame the internet, television and social media which, they say, have taken much of their advertising so their endeavour has become uneconomic. The one element they don’t mention is the product at the heart of the problem – that is, their concept of “news”.

For a century they have been claiming that newspapers were the exciting chronicle of our times, the “first draft of history”. Truth is, they were nothing of the kind. Instead, they peddled a perverted view of humanity designed to frighten and titillate their readers and so keep them coming back for more.

In the newspaper world we were always poised on the brink of disaster. People were essentially wicked. Turn your back and you’d be robbed, beaten or worse. Our leaders were either incompetent or venal; men were potential rapists or pedophiles; women were sex objects (or worse: not), and everyone who looked slightly different was to be treated with aggression or contempt.

The reality of our lives is very different. Consider three illustrations: most Canberra

homes are unoccupied for much of the day and in our coastal communities much of the year. In the newspaper world they are an open invitation to thieves. Yet police figures reveal that robberies hardly ever happen. The newspaper world is an obscene distortion.

Every day, millions of Australians hurtle towards each other at breakneck speed on our roads and highways, missing each other by centimetres. In the newspaper world, that is a recipe for mayhem. Yet disaster doesn’t happen. We are overwhelmingly responsible and considerate of our fellows.

The biggest television audience assembled each year is for the closing episodes of “MasterChef”, a program devoted to that act of affection – even love – which is preparing the meals each day for our family and friends.

None of these examples rate as “news”. That would require a “crime wave” of house breaking, a six-car pile-up on the airport road, or a cooking contestant poisoning the judges (or sneaking outside help from his mobile phone).

People aren’t perfect. We will always need bodies to expose crime and to regulate public behaviour. And I for one will always want the pleasure of joining minds with creative columnists such as Mike Carlton and Richard Glover. But we certainly don’t need the ugly, twisted package – the newspaper – in which they are presently delivered. robert@robertmacklin.com

THIRTY ANU students will trek up to 45kms in the Blue Mountains on September 15 as part of the Friends of Hatobuilico’s “Trek for Timor” fundraising event. Timor Leste ranks third in the world for child malnutrition. The event is being run by the ANU Asia-Pacific Learning Community and Bruce Hall Social Justice Committee and the money raised will be spent in promoting the long-term development and independence of the community, largely through education. To donate visit trekfortimorbm.org.au.

Netballers hit goal

AFTER eight hours of continuous netball last month, Tuggeranong Netball Association has raised $8344.55 for breast cancer support group Bosom Buddies. The TNA Turns Pink community and fundraising event brought all Tuggeranong clubs, teams, players, families and others from the wider netball and Canberra community together to raise funds for Bosom Buddies, which supports Canberrans being treated for breast cancer and their families.

Depot goes green

KINGSTON’S Old Bus Depot Markets will host “Green Savvy Sunday”, on September 16. Now in its third year, the environmentally focused theme day shows easy ways to be green, from products made with recycled materials to demonstrations of the latest in green technology for the home. There will also be products made using low energy or organic techniques, organic food and all types of green products and displays.

Markets return

QUEANBEYAN Council will resume its Summer Sunset Markets on the first and third Friday of the daylight-saving months (except January), starting on Friday, October 5, 5pm-8pm. The final market will be on March 15.

letters

Jensen has no answer

I SUSPECT the Australian Christian Lobby’s Nick Jensen’s broadminded promotion of polygamous marriage (“Untie the knot on marriage changes”, CN, August 23) is just a straw man against gay and lesbian marriage and the ACL does not really support polygamy at all.

Mr Jensen has not made a case against same-sex marriage. He denies it is an issue of rights or discrimination. Yet the definition in the Marriage Act is a clear discrimination against same sex couples.

He complains it is undemocratic for the Assembly to act on same-sex marriage, but what could be more democratic than an Assembly vote? His description of “ideologically driven obsession” applies far more accurately to the opposition of some in the church than to supporters of same-sex marriage.

The ACT Government apology to victims of forced adoption is unrelated to same-sex marriage. Any attempt to link the two is disingenuous.

Finally, and importantly, Mr Jensen fails to explain how two same-sex adults in a loving, committed, mutually supportive

relationship can possibly be a threat to someone else’s marriage in particular or the institution of marriage in general. How is it any less worthy of recognition as marriage? He just doesn’t have the answer.

Brett Gray, Monash

‘Undeserving’ Greens

UNLIKE Graham Jensen (letters, CN, August 30), I agree with Robert Macklin’s sentiments on the Greens.

I hope the Canberra electorate remembers the Greens’ support for the unsuccessful appeal against the bushfire coroner and the illegal attacks on CSIRO research facilities and Parkwood Eggs.

These actions, along with current economically doubtful and uncosted election promises, show both local and national Greens to be immature, naive, idealistic, irrational, rigid and economically illiterate. The Greens do not deserve to hold the balance of power in any government.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Register cyclists, too

I AM in full agreement with Pedal Power spokesman Brendan Nerdal’s call to “Spend to Save” (letters, CN, August 30), but I also think that the cyclists of Canberra should put their hands into their pockets and contribute to the costs of installing the facilities being requested. Why shouldn’t cyclists have their bicycles registered, riders licensed (and insured) and why don’t they have to go through a competency test before they are allowed to ride on public roads, etcetera?

I’ve seen too many cyclists ignore red lights, cross against the walk signals on footpaths, and just plain miss out on being hit because they feel they own the road and have a “right of way” regardless. There needs to be “formal” training so that the excuse “I didn’t know the rules” doesn’t carry any weight any longer, just like in cars.

Randy Goldberg, via email

Matt looks to the bright side

Public servant Matt Barwick has penned his struggle with depression, mental illness and infertility, hoping to show others that ‘mental illness doesn’t have to be a death sentence’. LAURA EDWARDS reports

WHEN his brother committed suicide four years ago, it was a crippling blow for Matt Barwick.

“I didn’t even know my brother was depressed or suicidal – he kept that from me,” Matt says.

The reality of losing a loved one soon spun Matt into a manic state and a deep depression of his own. He became suicidal and was admitted to a psychiatric ward where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The experience made him realise one of the most important things in life was “communication”.

“I learnt from what happened to my brother and, luckily, I told my wife what I was feeling,” he says.

“I think it shows how important talking to each other is... if my brother had spoken about his problems, maybe he would still be here.”

The power of communication is one of the main messages in Matt’s debut book, “Life in Limbo”, a personal account of how he got through the darkest period of his life.

The book’s timely release comes before “R U OK” day on September 13 and Mental Health Week in October.

Matt, a Stirling-based public servant, says he wrote the book because he “thought others would benefit from my story” and wanted people to hear a “male’s perspective.”

“I think it is relevant to many people as we can all be indirectly affected by mental illness – one in five people will have an episode in their lives,” he says.

“I’m not saying this book will

have all the answers, but I hope it will help and give hope to people. I think it will appeal because it’s from an emotive, less clinical, sufferer’s perspective. It shows mental illness doesn’t have to be a death sentence.”

The 35-year-old hopes his story will help to end the “stigma” behind mental illness.

“I think there’s a strong view, or prejudice, about people with mental illness and how they come to be unwell – there’s a view that these people are weak,” he says.

The book also covers Matt’s struggles with infertility, after he and his wife Ali spent five years desperately trying to conceive.

“If you’re going through infertility, it’s very easy to become obsessed by it,” he says.

“The death of my brother was hard and tragic, but it was certain... with infertility you’re in limbo, you wonder do you keep trying or not.”

Matt and Ali had a baby boy, Oliver, through IVF last year.

“It was such a blessing,” Matt says.

Although “Life in Limbo” deals with heavy topics, Matt says there’s an underlying humour.

“The book isn’t all doom and gloom, I always try and see the funny side of things,” he says.

“When I took this to my publisher, they thought it was an important story to tell, particularly because there’s not much resources out there for men about these issues, whether it be infertility or mental illness.

“I hope it helps because talking about problems is hard for us men sometimes; it’s that

macho thing how men are portrayed even in movies or TV, they’re not often shown as being sensitive – it’s the Aussie bloke, ‘chin up, she’ll be right mate’ scenario.”

Matt hasn’t had a manic episode since 2008 and says his current mindframe is “positive.”

“I will never take my mental health for granted. It really is

everything about you as a person,” he says.

“Life in Limbo” is $29.99 and available from selected bookstores; or ebooks can be ordered from Big Sky Publishing, www. bigskypublishing.com.au. Two thirds of the royalties from the book will go towards Beyond Blue; www.beyondblue.org.au and Sids for Kids; www.sidsandkids.org.

Nanny needs to let go a little

Accidents just happen when you’re growing up, says columnist SONYA

FLADUN

MY best friend didn’t mean it when she broke my finger.

An enthusiastic “high five” between a couple of 12-year-olds went astray and bent my finger back 120 degrees. I still look at my slightly misshapen finger fondly, though it hurt like hell at the time.

However, I still cringe when I gaze down at the scar across my calf from falling over the school bike rack while trying to walk and read simultaneously. And there’s the just-visible burn on my right hand, the result of a home economics class that went horribly wrong.

I have no idea how many times I twisted my ankle and was on crutches, or suffered a sprained wrist while trying to catch a cricket ball or netball. I recall I was nearly decapitated at my one and only hockey game.

Accident prone maybe, but I got through my childhood pretty lightly.

These days there are greater efforts to make schools provide a safe, healthy environment for children. Play equipment is much safer and the hard asphalt has been replaced with springy rubber stuff.

That all makes perfect sense, but sometimes the fear of litigation can trigger policies and interventions that leave one wondering if the trend towards a nanny state isn’t going a bit too far.

The latest example is the recent ban imposed on cartwheeling at Drummoyne Public School in Sydney. Cartwheels, handstands and somersaults are now only permitted there while children are under the supervision of trained gymnastic instructors. I understand the school’s concerns. It only takes one accident and a litigious parent and it’s a lawyer’s picnic. But let’s be realistic.

My husband was once summoned when our son cut his knee at school. Staff wanted formal advice whether only a Band-Aid was required!

My six-year-old does acrobatic gymnastics. She loves her cartwheels and handstands. At school she’s always swinging on the monkey bars. There’s no doubt she’d get hurt if she came a cropper doing any of these, but my girl and her older brother are healthy, active kids. They want to run and jump; and occasional trips, tumbles and falls are part of life.

Truth is, I’m very happy that my kids are hugely into sport, exercise and physical activity and that they’re doing what kids do – “playing”!

Canberra Confidential

Sharing a secret with

Jamie

OOH, “CC” loves secrets and a secret assignation with glamorous gardener-to-the-stars Jamie Durie is likely to set some knees trembling with excitement. If so, it’s yours to win, albeit with a handful of other hopefuls at an exclusive cocktail party in a secret location on September 15. Jamie’s here for the Floriade curtain-up and to spruik his landscaping for the Observatory Living estate at Molonglo Valley’s first suburb of Wright. Just “like” the Observatory Living Facebook page at www.facebook. com/ObservatoryLiving, post your favourite photo of a Canberra landscape and Jamie will do the rest.

Electoral roll?

NOT the most edifying picture of the Chief Minister on the hustings but while the body-language boffins could

write a thesis, Katy Gallagher assumed the lone Chiko double-handed grip while finding pre-poll time to share one of the iconic deep-fried rolls with grimacing MIX 106.3 brekkie show personality Biggzy, left, and Chiko Girl Amy Pinheiro, seemingly in her office at, the clock suggests, 3.37 in the afternoon.

Forsaking the safety of the fluoro jackets and hard hats, so beloved of campaigning pollies, the Labor leader found herself in the middle of a commercial promotion so contrived “CC” hasn’t the stomach to explain. What are her minders thinking?

Someone about Mary

POWER couple Ian De Landelles and Ginninderra Labor MLA Mary Porter were at the Tony Campbell Race Memorial Cup race day lunch at Thoroughbred Park where Mr D scored a door prize of a $100 ACTAB voucher. Something for pecuniary register, Ian? No, he said, it would all be gone by afternoon’s end. De Landelles, whose day job is in the ACT public service, is sharing his hard-earned dosh around at the moment. Over a fortnight, to the end of last month, according to the ACT Elections’ website he donated, in four different bursts, a total of $2400 to those managing his wife’s re-election.

Pox on plasma

RETIRED prosnowboarder Chad Kolcze wants to see kids away from the screen and actively taking part in life. In an e xample-setting

crusade against the pox of plasma, he is skateboarding from Parliament House to Thredbo in seven days to raise awareness of childhood obesity and illiteracy. Chad plans to arrive in Thredbo by Sunday, September 9, on the way stopping off at schools to promote his healthy living and literacy messages to primary school students. The Byron Bay local, who is dyslexic, says he took up the challenge because he believes “we should be encouraging our kids to spend less sedentary time in front of the [TV] screen. I’m all for more pushing, less plasma.”

Arcade of echoes

JUST two shops remain inside the ghostly-empty Centrepoint arcade. Once a bustling, city-centre precinct, these days the arcade echoes with empty shops and barely a soul in sight. But the last two survivors, beauty spa Elegance and hair salon African Look, insist customers are still filing through their doors and that they are “very busy”, saying they will stay put in Centrepoint and have no plans to leave.

Flint in the awards

MURRUMBATEMAN’S celebrated Flint in the Vines restaurant, located at the equally celebrated Shaw winery, has snaffled the Best Restaurant in a Winery and Best Tourism Restaurant titles at the Southern NSW 2012 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Awards. Flintster Jai Dawson says the gongs help with “gaining exposure for the area”.

Pickpocketing begins

WHILE you wait for the ACT Government’s June Budget’s bite on rates and utility charges to get a firm grip on your wallet, the pickpocketing in the city’s carparks (the ones we all own) has started. Around on London Circuit, for example, the all-day parking rate has jumped by $1.50 (or 2.14 Tosolinis take-away cappuccinos a week) from $12 to $13.50. Who wouldn’t love to be a business that can bang its prices up 12.5 per cent – five times what the private sector can get away with – in a year?

Dwight on, partner

COUNTRY music star Dwight Yoakam (who really lives in Los Angeles) is playing Canberra in November with a ho-down at the AIS Arena on November 15. Apparently, the promoter would have you believe, the name Dwight Yoakam invokes images of a cowboy hat with the brim pulled low and blue-jeans tight enough to ensure the cowboy crooner has sold 25 million albums with hits such as “Honky Tonk Man”, “I Sang Dixie” and “It Only Hurts When I Cry”. Tickets on sale September 14.

At the Make-A-Wish Spring Ball, Hellenic Club, Woden

At Australian Portraits 1880-1960, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic

At the ACT Chamber of Commerce & Industry

At the Monaro Folk Society’s Colonial Ball, Albert Hall

At Tony Campbell Memorial Cup race day luncheon

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars / September 10 - 16 Across

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Is a friend frustrating you? Are your kids driving you crazy? Beware being a bossy Ram on Thursday. With Venus in your children/teenager/friendship zone, calm cooperation is the clever way to go. Saturday is your pick of the week, as you channel energy into productive new projects. Focus on health and fitness on Sunday, as the New Moon activates your wellbeing zone.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

With Venus visiting your domestic zone (until October 3), home is definitely where the heart is. Sunday’s New Moon highlights your hobby/leisure zone, so you need to do more of what you love. Get physical, sporty, creative, musical – whatever turns you on. Don’t have enough time to have fun? Stop making excuses and instead make recreation a top Taurean priority.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Is your domestic life a disorganised mess? Are you having trouble communicating with loved ones? Sunday’s New Moon energy encourages you to spring-clean, clear the clutter and rejuvenate rickety relationships. It’s also time to shake off the mental cobwebs and put on your thinking cap, as you find stimulating ways to get your marvelous mind motivated again.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Expect plenty of phone calls, emails, texts and good old-fashioned snail mail. But do adjust the way you communicate this week Crabs – one size definitely won’t fit everyone. Short trips are also highlighted (even if it’s just around the local neighbourhood). Sunday suits all types of study and research, as you give your brain cells a vigorous workout.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Don’t let impulse buys burn a hole in your wallet! Lions love luxury but avoid spending more than you can comfortably afford. With the New Moon in your cash zone, try a fresh (and more fiscally responsible) approach. It’s a wonderful weekend for work and business. Just make sure you’ve done your financial homework – and don’t skip over seemingly minor details.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

With Sunday’s New Moon lighting up your sign, it’s time to approach life with extra Virgo vim and vigour. And don’t obsess over what might have been. Instead, channel energy into starting a new project or initiating important changes. Saturn is still moving slowly through your money zone, so focus on being a serious saver – rather than a spontaneous spender.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Serious Saturn continues to test your mettle, but don’t let it get you down. The New Moon falls in your contemplation zone, so take a break from work, family and social commitments and indulge in some splendid solitude, as you tune into your imaginative, intuitive side. Be inspired by Lauren Bacall (born on September 16): “Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

With the Moon and Venus in your career zone, strive to be compassionate and creative at work. But don’t spoil professional success by being too stubborn! The New Moon shines a spotlight on your goals and dreams for the future. Make them as bold and beautiful as possible. As birthday great D. H. Lawrence wrote: “Hitch your wagon to a star, or you will just stay where you are.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Positive aspects between the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus promise a terrific Thursday so make sure you do something adventurous and avant-garde. With the New Moon stimulating your career zone, get ready to find fresh work opportunities and explore more of your professional potential. Mercury helps you communicate your ideas in extra creative ways.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Saturn and Jupiter are in your work zones so, if you combine hard work with a positive approach, you’ll have a winning formula for professional success. With the New Moon and Mercury activating your adventure zone, jump out of your comfort zone and take some calculated risks. A business trip or heavenly holiday looms large in your plans for the coming months.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

You’re in the mood to ruffle a few feathers but be careful who you target with your idiosyncratic ideas and amusing antics. Some people definitely won’t be amused! Sunday’s New Moon indicates a shift of gear in an important area of life. This week, the heavens signal a fresh start for adventurous Aquarians involving intimacy issues or money matters.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Piscean partnerships are in for a major rejuvenation, as the New Moon revs up your relationship zone. Does your spouse encourage your talents and support your dreams? If not, then it may be time to negotiate a better deal. Single Fish – make a wish-list of the positive traits you are looking for in a long-term partner. On Friday, resist the urge to be free-and-easy with the facts.

Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore

4 Who was Australia’s prime minister, 1971-72, Sir William ...?

8 What do we call the income of a government from taxation, etc?

9 What is an assessment of audience size, especially of TV or radio programs?

10 Name a more common term for crystaline terpene alcohol

11 What are forcible or serious encroachments known as?

12 What is a well-known child’s toy?

14 Which is the largest state of the USA?

18 Name an orthopterous insect with the ability to leap, and for the males to produce shrill sounds

21 What do we call a person who harasses a public speaker?

22 What is a drawing, painting, etc, of the side view of the head?

23 Into which occupation was Florence Nightingale engaged?

24 Which felt pads, mounted on wooden blocks, are used for cleaning blackboards?

2 What is an item in a program of one sport?

3 Name the mound of earth, built up by termites (3,4)

4 Who was the legendary Arthurian magician?

5 What is another term for an engine?

6 Into which shelters are aeroplanes kept?

1 What do we call a person who plays the largest percussion instrument?

7 What are organs that afford passage of air in respiration, etc?

13 Name those whose business is to make outer garments, expecially for men

15 Name a particular form of quadrille dance

16 Which term is descriptive of ordinary, or normal?

17 Which city hosted the 2004 Olympic games?

18 Who is the Roman god of love, the son of Venus? 19 Which item of cutlery is used for slicing food? 20 Name the long patterned piece of cloth worn about the shoulders by Scottish Highlanders

arts & entertainment

Bangarra’s new terrain

By Helen Musa

WHEN British explorer Edward John Eyre first saw the lake that would be named after him on August 27, 1840, he was struck as much by its “extraordinary effects of mirage and refraction” as by its “melancholy prospects”.

It is that mixture of rarity and desolation that amazed three members of Bangarra Dance Theatre when they visited the unusually full lake (properly called Kati Thanda) around a year ago.

To composer David Page, it seemed “so silent, so desolate” that he turned to choreographer Frances Rings and suggested, only half-joking, “maybe we should dance to nothing”.

To designer Jacob Nash, who joined the others in a small plane flying over the lake, the bewildering reflections offered “a showcase of colours”.

This unforgettable journey resulted in Bangarra’s newest work, “Terrain”, due in Canberra next week.

“Terrain,” Page tells me, “has no story, no narrative – it’s more a respectful celebration of a beautiful part of the country that means so much to all people in Australia.”

Whopper serve for Centenary season

HELEN MUSA previews Canberra Theatre’s new subscriber season and discovers it’s a whopper!

WHEN you contemplate the Canberra Theatre’s next season, “Collected Works Australia 2013”, one thing is glaringly obvious – there’s a centenary coming up. There will be a whopping 20 productions for “season ticket-holders” to choose from (“we don’t call them ‘subscribers’ any more,” the theatre says) – the usual season has between 10 and 12 shows.

There are inclusions from every State and Territory in a bold, “we are the national capital of Australia” statement, but some motifs emerge clearly.

From Aboriginal Australia come Bangarra Dance Theatre’s “Blak”, Big hART’s “Hipbone Sticking Out”, “Jack Charles Versus the Crown” and the NT’s “Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui”, which uses actors and puppets to tell a Tiwi Island tale.

Behind the program lurks the figure of the creative director of the centenary, Robyn Archer, so it’s no surprise that the season looks a bit like the old National Festival of Australian Theatre.

Archer is behind the Sydney Theatre Company’s Centenary commissioned, 170-minute adaptation (by Andrew Bovell) of Kate Grenville’s novel, “The Secret River”.

Statewise, from Queensland comes circus with a twist in “Wunderkammer”; from SA there’s Brink Productions’ (with the English Touring Theatre) “Thursday”; from Tasmania, “As We Forgive” by contemporary playwright Tom Holloway; from WA, “Shrine,” by Tim Winton and there are several from NSW and Victoria. For dance lovers, it’s a big year, too, with Bangarra, the Australian Dance Theatre’s “G”, the Sydney Dance Company and Australian Chamber Orchestra

Australian Ballet... will perform “Symmetries”.

collaboration “Project Rameau” and the Australian Ballet’s “Symmetries”, a Centenary-commissioned piece inspired by – of all things – the architecture of Parliament House.

Favourites include The Wharf Review, John Bell as Falstaff in a 200-minute “Henry 4” and, later on, Bell Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors”.

At the weird and wonderful end are “Brief Encounter”, theatre, film and the songs of Noel Coward, and VERSION 1.0’s “The Major Minor Party”, tracing the emergence of the Australian Sex Party.

Finally, in QL2 Dance’s “Hit The Floor Together”, Everyman Theatre’s “Home At The End” written by Duncan Ley and Jigsaw Theatre’s “Michael France Willoughby in Elohgulp” there is a Canberra element, though not nearly as much as there should be for our Centenary year.

Alas and alack, the absence of a strong professional theatre company in the nation’s capital is an unfathomable mystery.

“Collected Works: Australia,” bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au/season2013

During their five-day visit, local Arabuna elder and tourism guru, Uncle Reg Dodd, told them stories of the early inhabitants of the area, far predating Eyre’s “discovery” of the lake.

Page, of course, is one of the brilliant Bangarra trio of Page boys from Brisbane, also made up of his dancer brothers Stephen and the late Russell.

His part has been to compose music that is accessible, but resonant of ancient cultures.

Once “Little Davy Page”, Australia’s answer to Michael Jackson, his life has defied indigenous stereotypes, seen in his hilariously touching show “Page 8,” now being turned into a movie.

“It’s good to have a look at Aboriginal Australians living in cities,” he tells me, “not

everybody is living on missions with kangaroos hopping down the street.”

In creating music for “Terrain”, he turned to his favourite instruments, using an electronic beat and adding bilma, (ironwood clap-sticks) yidaki/didgeridoo, rhythmic hand-clapping, chest-beating “and a tiny bit of language.”

“My music is very minimal and sometimes it’s the dancers who create a rhythm with their bodies,” he says.

All the same, he wants people to say to him:

“Oh my God, that’s an amazing soundtrack!”

Bangarra Dance Theatre’s “Terrain”, Canberra Theatre, September 13-15, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Free pre-show forum with David Page and Frances Ring in the Link, Canberra Theatre, 6.30pm September 13. No bookings required.

arts & entertainment

The Hall is alive with the sound

THAT night of nights, the National Operatic Aria Final, is coming up at Albert Hall. It’s always such fun to compare your judgment with that of the adjudicators. And then there’s the glorious singing. Tickets at the door, 7.30pm, Saturday, September 15.

NEIL Simon’s comedy “Lost in Yonkers” has a special director in film star and former Rep actress, Angela Punch McGregor, now senior acting lecturer at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. The play shows what happens when Grandma Kurnitz’s two teenage grandsons have to live with her for a year. At Theatre 3, September 13-29, bookings to 6257 1950.

PHOTOGRAPHIC work by students from 12 ACT senior secondary schools and colleges will be shown in “SNAP” at the Huw Davies Gallery at PhotoAccess, Manuka Arts Centre, September 6-23, Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm and weekends, noon to 4pm.

THE 17th Canberra Short Film Festival is at Dendy, September 14-16. Judges include NZ director Louise Leitch; film distributor John L. Simpson; Los Angeles actor Chuck Noland; all-purpose TV star and former Canberran, Paul McDermott; Canberra-born actor Rhys Muldoon and Canberra-born “Muriel’s Wedding” star Gabby Millgate.

of music

Helen Musa arts in the city

TOURING p ercussionist Nick Parnell plans to “explode the stage” with Brazilian rhythms, some Satie, Bach and Gershwin in “Bach to Brazil”. Joined by Matthew Binion on piano, he’ll play Brazilian composer Ney Rosauro’s 27-minute “Brazilian Rhapsody”. The Street Theatre, 4pm, September 9 only, bookings to 6247 1223 or www.thestreet.org.au

IN the midst of a springtime flurry of local arts, that perennial harmonising rock group “America,” is in town. In the ‘70s, Beatles producer George Martin produced seven of their albums. Amazingly, 42 years later, they’re still going. Canberra Theatre, September 9, Bookings to 6275 2700 or www. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

ON a more modest level, Smith’s Alternative Bookstore has Australian rock singer/ songwriter Stephen Cummings performing to just 80 people, playing two full sets from his 36-year catalogue. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, from 1977 to 1981 and has written two novels and a memoir, a good match for Smith’s. 8pm on September 14. Tickets instore or www. paperbacksessions.com.aua

Lights, action, Russian!

By Helen Musa

THE Russian Resurrection Film Festival, imbued with “a passion for Russian culture”, was instigated by Nicholas Maksymow in 2004.

The “resurrection” is the cultural renaissance that followed the collapse of Soviet Communism.

This year’s eclectic program features 14 Australian premieres, retrospectives on Chekhov and the 1812 defeat of Napoleon, a potpourri of drama, animation, comedy, art house cinema and classics.

The opening-night film, the thriller “Spy”, Maksymow promises, will be preceded by entertainment, hospitality and “pure Ruski high spirits – you can take that literally, for as the Russians say, ‘a toast is vacant without vodka’. ”

Top of the list on 2012 films is Vitaliy Melnikov’s “The Admirer”, a look at one of Chekhov’s many love interests, an affair that never was.

Then there’s Dzhanik Fayziev’s controversial film, “August Eighth”, set in the 2008 South Ossetia war where a young boy conjures up large robots to protect him and the viewer sees the war through his eyes.

An unusual inclusion is the historic epic, “The Horde”, set in the 14th century during the era of The Great Khan.

Children’s films, always festival favourites, include a 1947 “Cinderella” and the 2011 animation “Ivan Tsarevich & The Grey Wolf”.

Russia, the organisers tell us, has more movie theatres than any other country. This festival goes a way towards explaining why.

The 9th Russian Resurrection Film Festival, at Greater Union, Manuka, September 14-19, full program at russianresurrection.com/2012/sessions/ canberra-2012/ bookings to eventcinemas.com.au/ sessions

Win one of three opening night passes at citynews.com.au

A busy Bite amid the buzz, buzz, buzz

IT was that day. The day when rain turned to snow and when the temperatures fell below minus 4C by 10am.

We wanted a nice lunch in the sun, but it wasn’t to be. So we headed to a warm, comfy place instead – A Bite to Eat, at Chifley shops.

It was buzz, buzz, buzz that Friday lunch. And luck, luck, luck. While we hadn’t booked, someone cancelled just as we arrived so we settled into a table for two, marvelling at the chaos – people everywhere, furniture everywhere and “stuff” everywhere (more on that later).

Wendy Johnson dining

eclectic and fun. The lights hanging from the ceiling are all different, the tables – including vintage ‘50s retro chrome and Formica ones – are all different, and the chairs mismatched. The big “mural” wall where we sat is a fascinating collection of bits and pieces. We checked out postcards sent by clients from all corners of the world, photos of people from all walks of life, thank-you notices, baby-birth announcements (huh?) and even a traffic infringement someone felt like pinning up (tsk, tsk).

and toasted brie salad ($17.20).

I wasn’t enamoured with the wine list. While I didn’t expect it to be glamorous, it could have a bit more style. Still, the prices are decent with wines from $7 a glass and bottles $31 to $45.

A Bite to Eat serves breakfast and on Sundays you can groove to the tunes of live music and nibble on tapas (5pm to 7pm). Nice one.

A Bite to Eat, Chifley shops. 6260 3703. Open seven days.

My yummy tummy vegetarian lasagne with roast vegetables and bocconcini was loaded with flavour and quite a good stack for $16.50, considering it came with a sprightly spinach salad and citrus-style dressing. However, the dish wasn’t heated through and so the cheese on top was hard and the middle bits almost cold. Although the temperature was disappointing, I enjoyed the crunchy bits around the edge.

My friend loved her Punjabi tomato curry with spiced roast vegetables, onion bahji (kind-of like fritters) and creamy yoghurt ($16.50). Not too heavy on the spice, but enough to make the dish pretty special.

A Bite to Eat (café and bar) is, by design,

Lunch is served daily (midday until 3pm) and includes four “sammiches”. These aren’t made with any old ingredients slapped between two ordinary slices of bread. They are feasts. “The Mississippi” ($13.50), for example, is stacked with spicy, slow-smoked, free-range pork, mixed leaves, tomato and more. Other cooked lunches include a burger with smoked bacon and gouda ($18.20), smoked Mackerel cakes with a beetroot carpaccio ($15.50), and a roast pear, honeyglazed walnuts, roast pumpkin, mixed leaves

A Bite to Eat… people everywhere, furniture everywhere and “stuff” everywhere.

Cynical end to innocence

“Wunderkinder” (M)

IN 2011, the 70th anniversary of the events it tells, German film-maker Markus Rosenmuller made this memorial to the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis.

In a small Ukranian town, violinist Abrascha and pianist Larisssa, Jewish children under the tutelage of teacher Irina, have shown themselves to be talented musicians. Hannah, daughter of the German manager of the local brewery, has musical ambition, as yet only developing. The three form a sweet and innocent friendship.

After Hitler refutes his non-aggression pact with Stalin, communists – now an underground opposition – and Jews, unaware of the fate awaiting them, become vassals of the occupying Wehrmacht with Col. Schwartow exercising over-arching power. Schwartow has no notion of the immorality embedded in Nazi racial laws which override his cultural enthusiasms.

Schwartow offers Abrascha and Larissa safety if they deliver a faultless public performance. Hindsight is both an advantage and a drawback. We know there will be no happy ending. Presenting a view different from most dealing with its time and place, the film’s focus on the children‘s gentle innocence makes Schwartow’s cynical rigging of the deal, all the more cruel.

Dougal Macdonald

cinema

The narrative neither hurtles toward resolution nor wastes time getting to the nub of its issue. Its portents of tragedy don’t diminish its emotional power. While not a film to enjoy in the conventional sense, it offers unexpected rewards that linger.

At Greater Union

“Moonrise Kingdom” (PG)

“DID you enjoy it?” asked the box-office lass as I emerged from Wes Anderson’s gentle, affectionate allegorical lampoon of a choice selection of contemporary American social, political, military and institutional habits. I enjoyed it a lot, which I don’t often do.

It’s a mid-’60s fantasy on an imaginary island off the north-eastern US coast with basic infrastructure and strong community values. At a Khaki Scout camp run on military principles (rather than those propounded by Baden-Powell), Sam (Jared Gilman), an orphan who has never fitted into any fostering arrangement, goes AWOL to join Suzy (Kara Hayward) and begin a life of

A scene from “Wunderkinder”… The narrative neither hurtles toward resolution nor wastes time getting to the nub of its issue.

togetherness free of adult strictures.

The search for the young lovers forms a simple dramatic core to which the screenplay attaches well-crafted observations of a myriad of social values, expressed with clever humour and sharp wit providing the film’s main joy.

There’s wonderful use of Benjamin Britten’s music and my heart leaped up on hearing the opening bars of Hank Williams’ delightful ‘50s ballad about Kaw-Liga, the wooden Indian. The cast is top hole. Beside the two impressive youngsters, the list includes numerous names known better for their acting than celebrity status – Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel and Tilda Swinton, to name the top rank.

It’s about young adolescents, but I suggest that its target demographic is somewhat older. And if you refuse to enjoy it, you’re a grouch!

At all cinemas

“The

Expendables 2” (MA)

POSSESSION of a brain is almost an overqualification for seeing this joyously ramshackle, violent, good-guys-versus-villains fantasy written by Sylvester Stallone and directed by Simon West, of the kind that I enjoyed as an adolescent who knew no better.

In fact, leaving the brain on the laundry shelf to cool off while venturing forth to watch it is not the stupidest thing that you might do. An adolescent who knew no better might have written its escapist plot, full of big boys’ toys, which a main cast of performers most known for the size and tension of their deltoids, biceps and pecs, brandish and make go bang with improbable frequency and better accuracy than do minor villains who lie dead in windrows after every skirmish!

The plot is not all that fresh. In an abandoned mine lie five tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium that its owners have forgotten! But the CIA and a group of really bad guys both want it. The CIA engages the seven expendables to go in and get it and obliges the chief expendable to let a woman tag along because she’s a scientist and trained agent with good fighting skills. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. There are worse movies around. There must be!

At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight.

Glamorous Ricki-Lee gets in the ‘Zone’

COVERGIRL model and pop star Ricki-Lee Coulter brings her new look to Canberra to wow Tuggeranong shoppers, reports LIBBY HILL

RICKI-LEE Coulter’s made headlines recently as much for her dramatic weight loss of a reported 30 kilograms as her relaunched music career.

Her latest hit singles “Do It Like That” and “Raining Diamonds”, from her recently released album, “Fear & Freedom”, went platinum. But it’s her recent signing with cosmetics giant Covergirl, that’s cemented her return to the A-list.

“I could never have dreamed I would one day become a ‘Covergirl’ joining the ranks of Drew Barrymore, Sophia Vergara, Ellen DeGeneres and Taylor Swift... It really is such an honour,” she said.

Ricki-Lee’s Covergirl campaign is seen in more

than 1000 stores nationally.

“Becoming a ‘Covergirl’ marks a moment in my career I will never forget. It’s been a huge year for me so far and set to get even bigger. Watch out, Australia!” she added.

Her visit to Canberra as a style ambassador for Colonial shopping centres will see Ricki-Lee host “Glam Zone” workshops across Australia, offering head-to-toe solutions for working the season’s hottest looks.

Ricki-Lee Coulter will be in the “Glam Zone” at the Hyperdome Shopping Centre, 6pm, Friday, September 14.

Ricki-Lee...at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, September 14.

Wood works for hair care

A GREAT comb is an investment and, by taking care of it, you’ll probably need only two or three to last a lifetime; one for everyday use, one to detangle hair and another for styling and blowdrying.

By combing your hair with a high-quality wooden comb you can achieve healthy, shiny looking hair.

Here are the top tips for savvy haircare.

1. Comb wet hair instead of brushing: brushing wet hair can cause irreversible damage. Wet hair is very fragile and when brushed can easily snap, leaving it vulnerable to split ends. Use a wide-toothed wooden comb to detangle and comb through wet hair. Be careful when combing out tangles to avoid snapping the hair, and always hold the hair at the roots and gently comb through to avoid over-stressing it. Once hair is completely detangled you can begin to brush the whole length through. As a general rule always comb hair before brushing.

2. Prevent flyaway hair by using a naturally anti-static wooden comb: plastic combs release static electricity that causes frizzy, dry and tangle-prone hair. The rough, irregular teeth of a plastic comb can strip the protective layer of the hair cuticle leaving your hair weak, brittle and prone to split ends. A high quality wooden comb glides

through the hair, is gentle on the hair strands and will keep your hair naturally frizz free.

3. For a healthy scalp, comb hair regularly with a highquality wooden comb: the firm yet smooth teeth of a wooden comb massage and stimulate blood flow, helping to promote a healthy scalp, strengthen hair roots and encourage hair growth. Combing regularly, with the natural anti-bacterial properties of a wooden comb, helps to eliminate dead skin and reduce bacteria causing dandruff. To treat an oily scalp, a wooden comb can help by distributing sebum down the hair shaft to moisturise hair and prevent the scalp from getting greasy.

garden

When the garden goes to pot

WITH busy, modern lifestyles some people simply don’t have the time to maintain a large garden.

Consequently, the size of building blocks is getting smaller and some modern houses on small blocks prefer to have a courtyard with plants in containers.

Equally, large numbers of people live in units with only the balcony as a potential “garden”.

The garden in new housing developments can include large parkland and open space or community areas. A good example of this trend is the Lend Lease Springbank Rise estate in Casey.

Here are a few pointers for successfully growing container plants:

1. CONTAINERS come in brightly-coloured ceramic pots to terracotta, or wooden barrels to the humble plastic pot.

Firstly, make sure the container has drainage holes. It may seem obvious, however, I have seen a range of so-called indoor pots at DIY stores with the saucer permanently fixed to the pot with no drainage of any sort. With wooden barrels it is often up to the purchaser to drill the drainage

holes. Next, place a piece of fly-wire mesh or shade cloth over the hole/s to prevent grubs entering the potting mix from below. Then place a layer of charcoal or wood ash in the bottom of the pot. Potting-mix companies now formulate some of their mixes specifically for containers. These often include slow-release fertiliser to get the plants off to a good start combined with water-retention crystals.

2. WHEN buying potting mix look for the best quality with four red ticks on the bag designating top quality. Please, for the sake of your plants and assuming you want them to last a long time, only the best will do. Not the cheap potting mix that some supermarkets sell at about $4 a bag. Goodquality potting mix will cost about $10-$12 a bag. Obviously, it is no good buying good potting mix and then buying cheap plants.

3. UNLESS absolutely necessary, do not place saucers under pots. This will retain water and can lead to root rot and the death of the plant. Always raise the pot off the ground either with the purpose-made feet or even pieces of paver or tile.

People often put saucers under pots on wooden decks in the mistaken belief it will stop the wood rotting. A damp saucer in contact with the deck will hasten the demise of the timber. Whereas, with good air flow under the pot, the timber will quickly dry out between watering. Likewise, for indoor plant saucers sitting on carpet, you will end up with a large patch of

A wonderful cactus collection of droughttolerant, low-maintenance specimens on a fourth-floor balcony... perfectly happy to leave unattended for several weeks of holiday.

rotten carpet. Incidentally 80 per cent of indoor plants die from over-watering with the saucer constantly full of water. For indoor and outdoor container plants, if you must have a saucer under the pot, fill the saucer with pebbles and sit the plant on top of the pebbles.

What plants to pot

Some suggested plants for containers include:

• Dwarf Camellia sasanqua “Paradise Petite” or C.s. “Paradise Baby Jane”.

• Kumquats, brandied kumquats with cream in winter, yum.

• Daphne “Eternal Fragrance”.

• Pots in shady areas, grow carrots, parsnips and beetroot.

• In sunny areas, grow tomatoes, peas, lettuce and cucumbers.

• All herbs prefer full sun.

• Annual flowers in sun, such as petunias.

What’s new in the kitchen

WE take a look at the latest indispensable gadgets, gorgeous accessories and eco-friendly ideas for the kitchen

edge for forged and pressed-steel knives. The appliance also has a non-slip base with a magnetic surface so the sharpener can be stored on the surface of the refrigerator, and not take up valuable drawer space.

Available from leading independent kitchenware outlets for $24.95 each.

Doll bake

Kids love babushka dolls, and the Wiltshire Partybake Babushka doll cake pan will help you make the cutest cakes for a party. The pan holds one cake mix across its six doll moulds.

Available from David Jones, Myer and specialty stores, $14.95.

Retro

memories

OKAY, not exactly a gadget, but this might take you back. The Aussiedesigned Splayd is a knife, fork and spoon in one, popular in the 1950s. You can eat from a plate with one hand! Splayds are available in a retro red tin box set of six, $44.95, from www. splayd.com.au