130711 citynews

Students love teacher’s ‘awesome’ app

WHEN Alfred Deakin High School teacher David Reeson commissioned his own iPad app for assessing students, he found the simple teaching tool had an unexpected benefit that gave the app more value than he ever imagined.

As soon as the students saw Mr Reeson tapping and swiping away on the tablet computer, they wanted to have a go, too.

“I hadn’t designed it for the students – it was a time-saving device for teachers – that was the whole idea behind it in the first place, because a teacher’s time is ridiculously precious,” he says. “But what I found was, when I actually showed it to some students – it was a group of year 9 boys – they came around it almost like they were moths to a flame, and they were saying: ‘This is awesome!’”

The simple app, Assessmate, was intended to make it a little easier for teachers in schools and universities to do what they’ve always done – assess students according to different criteria, not just how much they’ve learned, but also in other areas such as attitude or neatness.

Instead of using a piece of paper for each student in each class, year

after year, Reeson wanted to do it all on the simple, visual interface and use all the basic functions that make computers so helpful with repetitive, data-oriented tasks.

It cost him a few thousand dollars, but with a whole world of teachers out there, he thought enough might think it was worth $2.99 for him to make his money back.

At first Reeson was incredulous of the students’ enthusiasm and thought it would wane rapidly. Some asked him immediately if they could buy it; when he asked why on earth they would want a boring app for teachers, “Because it’s cool!” was the answer.

“That was the first time that it twigged to me that it was really engaging, for no other reason than the fact that it’s IT-based,” he says. “Now I’ll either set a task, or they’ll come up with a task for assessment, and we plug in the assessment criteria that the students come up with. It means they have ownership over their learning, so they’re more likely to actually do it, then.”

As teachers and education bureaucrats know, it is a losing battle these days to try and engage students with

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Cover: Charlotte Allen enjoys hot chocolate at Koko Black, Civic. Story Page 7. Photo by Brent McDonald

the old tools when they are surrounded by smartphones, tablets and other shiny pieces of digital technology everywhere else. Boys especially are far more likely to concentrate when they use a computer rather than read-

ing and writing on paper, according to Reeson, who is in his fourteenth year as a teacher.

Combining that with another modern teaching method – giving students a say in the content of their assign-

ments, the criteria by which their success is to be judged, the weighting for each one and even their own grades – has improved outcomes all around, he says.

“Assessment shouldn’t be a surprise; it’s much better when they all are aware of exactly what’s going on. The level of quality is increased by doing that, and there’s good research that backs that up, also.”

The students don’t all come up with assignments that are too easy, or give themselves 100 per cent for everything, either.

“What’s interesting is they actually mark themselves harder than you would,” says Reeson, describing a oneon-one consultation process to agree on a fair grade.

In other areas where there’s less at stake, such as naming the various levels of achievement, he lets them go nuts and use their own, teenage language.

“For example in my cooking class they all agreed on ‘cool beans’, ‘not bad’ and ‘peasant’. The boys were going, ‘Oh my god, are you actually going to put this in?!’”

“I said, ‘Yeah, check it out,’ and they were going, ‘This is amazing!’, so it really drew them in and really engaged them and I thought it was just fantastic.”

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Big Brother keeps an eye on the little men

By Laura Edwards

AFTER being stolen, kidnapped and even taken to with a hacksaw, Civic’s littlest men are getting extra protection.

Danish sculptor Keld Moseholm’s “On the Staircase”, in Petrie Plaza, will return in October after the two little guys who had been stolen from their spot at the top of the stairs were re-cast by the artist in Denmark.

And the restored statue, which has been vandalised at least three times in the last two years alone and is currently hidden in a secure construction area, will return with a few extra security measures.

Arts Minister Joy Burch says the little men will now be monitored 24/7 by a CCTV camera, and there will be a public loudspeaker inside the statue.

“Any future thieves who try and mishandle the men will hear a real person’s voice on the loudspeaker, telling them to get away and that the police have been called,” Ms Burch says.

She adds she’s “baffled” as to why this particular artwork is so popular with vandals.

“The sheep [statues] used

to get vandalised, but not so much anymore... perhaps it’s because the men are still quite new,” she says.

“The artist is pretty disap -

pointed it’s happening.” Ms Burch says if the statue is vandalised again, she will consider moving it “to a safer location.”

Fire move on nursing homes

The second payment of the Schoolkids Bonus for 2013 is coming in July to help with your children’s mid-year expenses. If you’re eligible, it will be paid automatically into your bank account. You cannot claim it through your tax*.

THE ACT Government is moving towards forcing nursing homes and residences for people with disabilities to install fire sprinklers, if they don’t already have them.

Stephen Easton

“In our view, the Fire Service view, aged-care facilities without sprinklers are an extreme risk to life in the event of fire,” Mullins told an aged care industry conference last year.

$410 a year for each primary student

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The office of Environment Minister Simon Corbell told “CityNews” the Government had decided to “commence work towards mandating sprinklers in some aged care and disability facilities”.

If it did this tomorrow, the ACT would be Australia’s first State or Territory to do so without first having a major, deadly fire at a group residence within its borders.

and in Victoria, similar rules were precipitated by the deaths of nine men with disabilities in a 1996 fire at Kew Cottages.

While aged care is regulated by the Federal Government, whose accreditation standards place a high value on fire sprinklers but stop short of requiring them, the issue becomes one for State and Territory ministers because they are responsible for the application of building codes.

Unfortunately, he said, the unique value of sprinklers, which was wellaccepted when it came to new buildings, was called into question by some in NSW (and in Queensland and Victoria) when it was suggested that existing care facilities should retrofit them, at significant cost.

The self-proclaimed experts propagating these views, said Mullins, were “leading [aged-care providers] up the garden path”.

You could be eligible if you have a child in primary or secondary school and receive a family or income support payment (including Family Tax Benefit Part A) or you are a primary or secondary student receiving an income support payment.

See if you’re eligible at australia.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus or call 132 468.

In reality, it won’t happen before the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate finishes an “investigation, scoping and feasibility assessment” on the issue and presents options to the Government, which is expected to happen at the end of this year.

The decision comes after Minister Corbell gave in-principle support for “the retrospective application of fire sprinkler requirements for nursing homes and aged care facilities” last month, and was also influenced by similar legislation passed by the NSW Government in January.

The change in NSW was in response to a tragic fire at Quakers Hill Nursing Home in late 2011, which killed 11 elderly people and hastened the deaths of about 10 more.

In Queensland, a fire that killed 15 people at the Palace Hostel in Childers in June, 2000 also led to fire sprinklers being retrofitted in aged-care facilities,

Opposition Planning spokesman Alistair Coe said the Opposition would not necessarily support such changes in the ACT, but would “carefully consider” any such proposal.

“There is always a difficult balancing act between building infrastructure and keeping costs down,” said Coe.

“Of course, the safety of residents in nursing homes is always paramount, however exploring other options of ensuring their safety would be worthwhile.

“For example, in some buildings it is simply impossible to install a sprinkler system.”

As the NSW Government geared up to regulate after the Quakers Hill tragedy, fire safety experts such as the State’s fire commissioner, Greg Mullins, told the aged-care industry that sprinklers are uniquely superior to passive fire safety systems, based on a wealth of evidence from around the world.

In the months after the Quakers Hill fire, various commentators also questioned whether each State and Territory would need to have its own tragedy before it would force the cost of retrofitting on the owners of residential care facilities, or taxpayers.

“The only proven lifesavers are sprinklers,” concluded Mullins. “And I have to ask, really. In other parts of the world, in Victoria and Queensland, sprinklers are required. Do the elderly and care workers in NSW deserve any less?”

To put the issue in perspective, almost 600 aged care homes in NSW, with more than 24,000 residents, did not have fire sprinklers when the new rules came into force.

In the ACT, there are probably less than 20 buildings that would be affected, but nevertheless, the ACT Government is taking steps towards consistency with the larger state that surrounds it in this area of safety regulation.

Gunzel Rodney’s many tales from the rails

RODNEY Avery is happy to be called a “trainspotter”, although he doesn’t spend his days recording the minute details of every locomotive, carriage and caboose that has ever crossed his path.

Instead, he’s capturing the sort of information about trains that’s much more interesting and useful to the rest of us, and put it in his second book, “Great Rail Journeys of Australia”.

Talking trains with Avery on the disused platform at the Canberra Railway Museum in Kingston, it’s not hard to see the beauty in the old steam engine that sits in front of us, waiting patiently to take the next load of day trippers to Bungendore for the markets. Surely, however, it takes a true “gunzel” (train enthusiast) to feel excited by the ordinary, modern kind that take passengers from Canberra to Sydney, for example.

“I don’t know why I like trains,” he says. “I’ve never been able to figure that one out. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but now I just accept that I enjoy them. They make me happy for some reason – why doesn’t matter to me.”

Regardless of the reason, riding trains, writing about trains and taking photos of trains are the key elements of a serious hobby for the 46-year-old

Stephen Easton reports

public servant, who chose to ride around the country on the freighthauling variety for his first book.

In “Great Rail Journeys”, he has aimed to produce something for a wider audience – not just his fellow gunzels – and not just as a travel guide, either. “It is a book to be read from cover to cover for the pleasure of reading it alone,” according to the dust jacket.

“It’s a happy book, it’s enjoyable, it’s highly positive and it talks about journeys that you do, not for the sake of getting somewhere or reaching a destination, but for the act of getting there,” says Avery.

“It combines a travelogue theme, where you get the experience of doing the journeys, with the history behind them, so you can understand the context and how these journeys came to be, who built the railways, why they built them and the obstacles they faced.”

The Zig Zag Railway in the Blue Mountains – Rodney’s number one recommendation to Canberrans – is a good example of what he means. All around Australia are such remnants of the amazing railways that conquered the mountains, deserts and vast distances between Australia’s population centres, before being

replaced by newer, but somehow less impressive engineering solutions.

Unfortunately the Zig Zag is currently closed for repairs, but after spending more than a month and several thousand kilometres sitting on trains, the author has plenty more suggestions.

“When it comes to luxury and being spoiled, the Sunlander from Brisbane to Cairns would be the best – the food was just exceptional – but if you want

to take young kids on a trip, the Puffing Billy in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne is the best by far,” he says.

“If you want to spend as long as possible on a train, the best one is the Indian Pacific; it all just depends on what you’re looking for.”

Avery is quick to admit that his book lists no great rail journeys starting in the ACT, but he is adamant that this is only because he ran out of time.

“These ones here at Kingston are

great!” he says, referring to the steam train rides put on by the local chapter of the Australian Railway Historical Society. “They do regular trips from here out to Bungendore and they do longer, overnight tours as well. And the Xplorer from here to Sydney is an enjoyable trip; it’s far better than taking the bus.”

“Great Rail Journeys” (Acacia Press), $39.95, available from acaciapress.com.au

Barista Jean Kirkland serves up Kindle cafe’s signature Italian hot chocolate... “It’s probably our most popular drink in winter, because it’s thick and just a bit different,” she says.

The hottest in hot, hot chocolate

Winter says hot chocolate because there’s something comforting about a steaming mug of it on a cold day and these days, cafes and eateries are a lot more creative, with flavours ranging from peppermint to peanut butter. LAURA EDWARDS brings a taste of the city’s best.

Kindle

THICK and rich, Kindle’s Italian hot chocolate ($4.50) is the real deal. Using a high cocoa content, baristas boil the liquid until its texture is super thick and top it off with chocolate powder. Barista Jean Kirkland says the drink is so popular in winter, the cafe will have it on tap soon. 240 City Walk, Civic

Koko Black

CONSIDERING this establishment is dedicated to all things chocolate, we had high hopes for its hot drinks and they didn’t disappoint. Koko’s rich, Belgian-style hot chocolate is melted goodness in a mug. With equal parts cream, milk and chocolate, get the cup topped off with extra froth for a real treat. For something a little sweeter, try the chocolate affogato ($7.90): a hot chocolate blend poured over a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.

Shop 1, 62 Bunda Street, Civic

Gus’

IT’S been around since the ‘60s, but Gus’ cafe is hardly an old fuddy duddy when it comes to new and interesting hot chocolate flavours. Hot White Chocolate, Peppermint Hot Chocolate and the surprisingly delicious Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate ($5) are all on offer this winter. Nurse a mug in front of the window and watch the city go by.

Shop 8, Garema Arcade, 60 Bunda Street, Civic

Sweet Bones

FOR the vegans, this quaint little bakery has plenty of options; its vegan hot chocolate has 70 per cent real dark chocolate mixed with brown

sugar and is thickened using soylent ($4.50). To add extra flavour, caramel, hazelnut or vanilla syrup shots are on offer. Sweet Bones has also been known to serve up an extra-warming Mexican hot chocolate, using cinnamon and chili ($4.50).

Shop 8, 27 Lonsdale Street, Braddon

Max Brenner

THINK of any flavour and you’re likely to find it in this chocolate lovers’ dream. Top picks include American marshmallow chocolate, Danish toffee chocolate, coconut chocolate, mint chocolate, Italian thick chocolate, chocolate with crunchy waffle balls, spicy Mexican hot chocolate (all $6) and the classic chocolate, using milk, white or dark chocolate ($5.50). Each flavour is served in a comfortingly huge “hug mug”.

Level 3, Shop 324, Westfield Centre, Benjamin Way Belconnen

Siren

THIS slick new bar has a do-it-yourself style hot chocolate ($5.50) where you’re given a block of real dark, white or milk chocolate on a stick to slowly stir in warm milk, meaning the drink can be as chocolatey as you want. The best part? Eating the melted, gooey chocolate left on the stick when the milk’s all gone!

Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Gungahlin

Lonsdale Street Roasters

HAILED around Canberra for their coffee, but “the roasters”, as they’re affectionately known, also serve a seriously creamy, steamy hot chocolate ($4) using pure chocolate syrup mixed on site the day before serving.

3/7 Lonsdale Street, Braddon

Wednesday July 24th 2013 10am – 3pm

Federal Golf Club is nestled on the leafy western side of beautiful Red Hill

At Federal we offer a comprehensive range of hospitality services and a variety of catering packages, for weddings, formals, seminars or corporate golf.

Our room hire rates are very reasonable, well priced for that private function or business seminar.

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Federal is located only 10 minutes from Canberra CBD with ample complimentary car parking. For more information please visit www.fgc.com or call 02 6281 1888 Red Hill Drive Red Hill ‘We look forward to seeing you at our Open Day’

Alice takes coffee pods to a fashionable high

By Laura Edwards

SHE’S a keen coffee drinker, but local fashion designer Alice Sutton is taking her love of caffeine to a whole new level, creating a designer outfit using thousands of recycled Nespresso pods.

The CIT graduate was invited by Nespresso to take part in the challenge, Project Upcycle, which asks one ambassador from each State in Australia to “recycle” at least 1000 pods in a creative way.

“There are all creative people from a sustainable field involved, so for example there’s an environmental artist, jewellery designer and two fashion

designers including me,” says Alice.

“This challenge combines my three great loves really – fashion, coffee and sustainability.”

Alice’s creation is a pure wool jacket and dress, with 5000 caps inserted into the hems to create a “circular angle that bounces when you walk.”

“It’s still very wearable, and I’ll also be creating some accessories using the pods to go with it,” she says.

The garment and all other project entries will be displayed in Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art later this month, where they will be auctioned with proceeds to go to each entrant’s chosen charity.

Alice’s choice is Keep Australia Beautiful.

Mega high tea

THIS year’s “Sweet ChariTEA” at The Abbey, Gold Creek, on Sunday, August 25 is in aid of PatCH (Paediatrics at the Canberra Hospital). It will feature a sevencourse high tea degustation, four hours of entertainment, vintage dress ups, photo booths, auctions, raffles, lucky door prizes, a floral exhibition and couture fashion shows. Tickets at $96 from canberraticketing.com.au

Danger ahead

CORRUPTION abounds and the innocent are in danger when Narrabundah College student theatre presents Evgeny Shvarts’ re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Shadow”. At Hawk Theatre, Narrabundah College, August 14-17 and 21-24, tickets from trybooking.com/49833 or call 6205 6979.

Ad man’s appetite for change

CHANGE is a theme that Tony Mansfield keeps coming back to, when he reflects on his work in the business of marketing, brands and advertising, in executive coaching and as a part-time facilitator for Relationships Australia.

A change of job brought Mansfield to Canberra a year ago, to run the local office of a global advertising giant, the Grey Group, where his role as general manager once again involves facilitating change, for the business and its clients.

While he was attracted by the prospect of moving back to one of the “big five” global ad agencies, a space where he had previously spent a considerable chunk of his career, Mansfield says the main reason behind the move to Canberra last July was “just circumstances”.

“My partner had taken a role down here so we were commuting backwards and forwards from Sydney already,” he explains between sips of coffee in the foyer of the newly refurbished Diamant Hotel, not far from his new home in trendy NewAc-

Stephen Easton reports

ton. “I really didn’t think there’d be an opportunity that I’d be interested in down here, to be honest, but this opportunity came up.”

Having made frequent trips to the capital before, Mansfield says most of its best aspects are invisible to such “fly-in, fly-out” visitors.

He now sees a very interesting city in a constant state of flux, which presents “a real juxtaposition of conservatives and liberals” but is also “becoming a drawcard for people with new-world values” at the same time.

The optimistic ad man believes Canberra and its surrounding region naturally attracts people seeking “a lifestyle they value in terms of the traditional things that we’ve valued in Australia, but in a really contemporary way, in an environmentally friendly way and a green way, if you like”.

He later points out this is more or

less the same lifestyle that Grey Canberra is currently selling through its “Googonians” campaign, which jokingly presents Googong as a new nation as a way to describe the actual community the developers hope to create.

Beyond the obviously fake nation, with its Googonian Anthem, flag, language and an “embassy” instead of a sales office, Mansfield says the campaign gives people “something genuine that they feel they can be part of”.

On the capital’s own branding issue – the national sport of Canberrabashing – Mansfield believes the ACT Government has largely done a good job and that recent marketing efforts are working. He applauds the collective effort that is the Centenary, says Australian Capital Tourism did a “fantastic job” on its Human Brochure and is a big fan of hot air balloons, including the Skywhale (“It was absolutely a good thing to do; it caused lots of discussion, which I think is a healthy thing.”).

But the “Like Canberra” campaign? “Umm, I have my moments with that one,” he says.

Mansfield’s refreshing optimism also extends to the ACT’s economic outlook, and the impact that any contraction of the public service might have on the lives of its citizens.

“It doesn’t worry me really, because I think all of Australia is going through change in some shape or form and that’s just our little piece of it,” he says, going back to what seems a guiding concept for him – change is inevitable and it’s how we deal with it that counts.

“I think there’ll definitely be some contraction but there are always periods of contraction and expansion, so we just have to ride with it, like we do with most things in the economic side of life,” he says.

“I think it’s just the fact that it’s publicised a lot that makes it a bit scarier; I think it’s our perception and our attitude and our belief that we get from the media and other sources – we’re actually still very lucky.”

Comics make a big impact with Mal

RUBBING shoulders with superheroes and characters who defy ageing is all in a day’s work for co-owner of Impact Comics, Mal Briggs.

One look at the Civic store proves comic books from as early as the 1930s, such as “The Phantom” and “Wonder Woman”, are still very much alive and kicking – literally.

“Surprisingly, the most popular comic book is still ‘Batman’, and they’re all producing new material each month,” says Mal.

“It means a whole new generation is coming through and getting introduced to these characters now... we’ve got kids as young as 10 coming in with their $5 to get a comic.”

Despite stereotypes, 36-yearold Mal is a far cry from the sarcastic “comic book guy” from “The Simpsons”.

Cheerful and talkative, he has a keen eye for detail – ask about any comic in any genre and he’s bound to know the latest storyline.

“I usually read most comics when they’re delivered... it’s pretty hard not to,” he says.

“I like that you can get two hours of entertainment out of a comic. When I see comics adapt-

Comic books and perennial heroes such as “The Phantom” and “Wonder Woman” are still very much alive and kicking in Civic, writes LAURA EDWARDS

ed to the big screen, sometimes when there’s an action scene I think, ‘ah that’s pretty small’ because unlike movie sets, comics have no limits, anything can be drawn.

“They cater to the people who don’t have a very visual imagination or, on the flipside, those with a very visual imagination who tend to run away with ideas in books. They can give you that middle ground guidance and show what they want you to see.”

First popularised in the US, comics have been around since the 1930s, hitting the height of their popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mal says the oldest comics in his store are “The Phantom” and “Superman”, both originating in the 1930s, while American classics such as “Peanuts”, “Archie” and “Garfield” continue to live on.

But while the characters remain frozen in time, with most never changing their outfits or costumes, the content of com-

ics has shifted to adapt to the times, says Mal.

“The latest ‘Archie’ comics have introduced a gay character who gets married and many characters use mobile phones, despite looking exactly the same as they did 70 years ago when the comic first started,” he says.

Mal says he sells “hundreds” of comics a week to Canberrans since opening Impact Comics in 2004, with about 700 regular clients.

“Business is steadily increasing... in large part thanks to the recent trend of movies based on comic books, like ‘Watchmen’, ‘Sin-City’ and ‘Spider-Man’, that has definitely put comics more on the radar,” he says.

“We get a major delivery each Friday, and at 5pm it gets absolutely crazy with people waiting to get their new comics.”

But the clientele aren’t the typical “geeks” you’d expect.

“We have men and women from all ages – from 10-yearolds buying their first comics to older men and women around

Comic seller Mal Briggs... “I usually read most comics when they’re delivered... it’s pretty hard not to.” Photo by Brent McDonald

my age looking for collectors items or back-issues of the comics they first fell in love with,” Mal says.

Mal’s own love of comics started as a kid when he discovered a copy of “The Phantom” and couldn’t stop reading.

Once seen as delinquent, he says the role of comic books have changed over time.

“People used to have an issue

with drawings in books, but people now realise comic books can give people that extra story, while video games have taken over as what’s seen as the new ‘bad influence’,’” he says.

Confident of their staying power, Mal believes there will always be a place for a comicbook store in Canberra.

“I think they’ve lasted the test of time because there are

lots of layers of coolness about them,” Mal says.

“They have the ability to tell a very action-packed story very easily through a visual medium – you can get a lot of information across very easily. A comic is something you can store away, give to a friend, frame it as a collector’s item... for many people, a comic means something to them.”

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mum in the city

Happy kid finds a bully at her throat

Bullying hit home to SONYA FLADUN when her six-year-old reluctantly confessed a boy at school had been hurting her.

LAST year my six-year-old daughter was being bullied at school. Popular and outgoing, I would have thought she was the least likely child to be bullied. She was at a school she loved, had a lovely little group of friends and great teachers.

It was a real shock when she first came home and reluctantly said a boy had been hurting her. It had been happening for some weeks, but she was too embarrassed and, indeed, frightened to tell anyone.

I read a lot about how to help our girl. My husband and I talked to her teachers and the school principal. We wrote a formal letter documenting our concerns, and the school was keen to assist and help. Still, a series of incidents left our daughter very nervous. And rightly so – she had been repeatedly threatened and hit.

On at least one occasion, witnessed by other children and teachers, the bully had his hands around her throat to stop her from calling for help. She had night terrors, cried every morning on the way to school and was positive that, despite the efforts of teachers, the boy would hurt her again.

She put a baseball in a sock and hid it in her bag so that she could defend herself. I had to confiscate this together with the Barbie perfume she intended to “Mace” the bully with if he came too close.

Our girl told me what she hated most was that it seemed the bully

always got away with it. He wasn’t afraid. He didn’t have to watch out all the time and make sure a teacher was always in sight.

She asked me why kids that bully couldn’t go to a special school with other bullies so that kids like her could feel safe and happy.

We did think seriously about pulling our daughter from the school, but that would have involved her leaving friends and a teacher she loved dearly, and maybe give her the impression that somehow she was being punished.

After some discussion, the school put on more staff to supervise the kids in the playground and separated children at times when supervision might be less comprehensive.

Our girl did manage to finish the year off at her old school and eventually there were some attempts at reconciliation made by the boy in question. We then moved her to a new school and new environment and she is back to her old self.

But I still wonder what else we should or could have done, and whether our schools have the ability or the framework to really deal with these situations. Certainly, they appear to have few disciplinary options.

I also wonder what happens when these bullies grow up into adults and what the full social and economic cost is for not dealing with these problems at the very beginning.

Fear not, Libs or Labor, they’re all coming for us

WE will have an election in the spring, one of the major parties will win and whichever it is will make cuts to the public service.

It’s possible that the cuts may be more severe under a Coalition government, but I reckon the difference will be negligible.

Whichever party wins, both have the same problem: there’s not enough money to do all of the things they want to do. The Coalition has been honest about the cuts they plan to make; Labor hasn’t.

Okay Labor voters, it’s time to stop kidding yourselves over public service job cuts in Canberra, says MARK PARTON

The ALP, which declared it wasn’t cutting public service jobs, has already chiselled out 3000 workers in the last financial year. The Coalition plan of 12,000 workers over three years translates to 4000 a year. There’s not really much difference. In fact, with Treasurer Bowen and Prime Minister Rudd talking the fiscally conservative talk that they have in the first weeks since the latest coup, the Labor cuts

Shooting fires Lawder into politics

By Laura Edwards

LIBERAL Nicole Lawder’s political ambitions first surfaced 10 years ago as she sat, reeling, in an intensive-care waiting room.

Her brother, a lecturer at Monash University, had been shot and injured in the campus’ infamous 2002 shooting.

“A lot of thoughts pass through your mind when you’re in that situation,” says Lawder.

“One of them is: ‘What if it were me, how would people remember me at my funeral? What had I done in my life, what have I achieved, what difference have I made?’”

While Lawder’s brother survived the shooting, her political aspirations didn’t come to light until last month, when she was announced as the replacement for former Canberra Liberals MLA Zed Seselja following a countback of ballot papers in the southern electorate of Brindabella.

She beat Tharwa identity Val Jeffery, who was widely tipped to claim the seat, by just eight votes.

Lawder, who has lived in Canberra since 1988, has a background in the disability and community sectors. She was a member of the National People with Disability and Carer Council, director of the Deafness Forum of Australia and, more recently, CEO of Homelessness Australia.

She says her background in social justice will play a key role in her political career.

“I guess you’d probably say that I’m an eco -

may be the more extreme.

Beth, a Federal public servant and a listener to my radio program, sent me a Twitter message last week to share the news that her department had told staff that they will shed more than 1300 positions in the next 12 months through natural attrition.

I don’t know which department, but it seems indicative of a staff-cutting direction to me.

nomic rationalist, but I’m very strongly driven by social justice values,” she says.

“I decided if I went into politics, it would be an opportunity for me to achieve systemic change at a more holistic level, not just in homelessness and disability areas, but also to try and make change across a range of different levels.”

Lawder and her second husband, Peter, live in Fadden. Between them they have five children and nine grandchildren.

She says by the time her grandchildren are grown, she wants to have helped create a “more vibrant and dynamic” Canberra.

“I want to get to the point where my grandchildren and their children will be able to find jobs, create business opportunities and afford to buy a house... that’s a huge issue to tackle right now.”

Lawder will be sworn in at the next Assembly sitting in August.

I’m not downplaying the seriousness for our town, but we need to get used to the idea that the public service will be trimmed.

Last week, I spoke with Richard Dennis from the Australia Institute about the Coalition’s plans. He’s suggesting that the best-possible scenario would see 5400 jobs go from Canberra. That’s a big number.

He doesn’t quite understand why there’s national outrage when 1200 Ford workers lose their jobs in Geelong, but nothing when 5000 public

servants lose their jobs in a city our size.

When John Howard’s mob went through with the slasher, it really knocked the wind out of Canberra’s sails. My mate Rod works in the fastfood business and says his turnover decreased by a third almost overnight in that period. He’s worried it will happen again.

Hang on Canberra, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC

The pervasive role of religion in politics

FEDERAL politics seemed pretty rugged on the ousting of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, but how orderly does Australia look compared to politics in Egypt, with widespread violence and dozens of deaths?

Although just one factor, religion has played a significant role in Egypt. It is not so clear in Australia, with the loss of atheist Prime Minister Gillard leading to a struggle between a very religious Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and an even more religious Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

Just as misogyny is one factor in the demise of Gillard, so too is the religious element. If even five per cent of voters refused to vote Labor because of strongly held religious views, it would generate a huge swing against Labor.

In Egypt, the huge protests have largely been objecting to President Morsi attempting to change the constitution to provide himself with more power, to allow clerics to intervene in the lawmaking process and to leave minority groups without proper legal protection.

While millions have been protesting on the streets across Egypt, Australians debate whether or not Gillard should have been deposed and the extent to which her prime ministership, and the Labor Party, was constantly weakened and undermined by Rudd’s white-anting. Other issues such as the role of misogyny, the morality of an unmarried, atheist woman living with a bloke in our Lodge, and mistakes made by Gillard are debated around dinner tables, cafes and in the media along with the completely negative approach of Abbott’s opposition.

Cathy Alexander, writing recently in crikey. com.au, examined the influence of religion in Australian politics.

Her article started with the fuss about Labor MP Ed Husic being sworn in as Minister on a Koran. She went further arguing “the influence of Christianity on Parliament is far greater than Islam” and “whatever happened to the separation of Church and State”.

The influence of religion, she argues, is pervasive. Examples include commencement of sitting days with “The Lord’s Prayer”, evangelical religious service breakfasts “where alliances are formed” and having “unofficial parliamentary chaplains who have prayed with MPs to help them decide which way to vote on legislation”.

The main issue in Egypt may well be the constitutional questions. However, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie addressed tens of thousands of cheering supporters who gathered near a mosque in Cairo and called on the army to recognise “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).

He vowed his movement would stay on Egypt’s streets in their millions until Mr Morsi is restored as president. The crowds were calling for the army to withdraw from the conflict and for the population to rise up in support of the deposed president. The military maintain that they are just ensuring a return to full democracy and will seek early elections.

Democratic systems are far from perfect. At the most basic level they are elected by the majority of the people and are usually very effective at looking after the majority. The challenge for democracies is not so much how to deal with the majority but rather how they manage and protect the minorities within the community. The constitutions of the world’s long-term democracies provide a buffer of rights to protect the minority.

The role of religion in the Egyptian conflict highlights why it is critical in Australia to develop a more effective separation of Church and State. The world has watched the religious influence of conflict in Syria as the civil war exacerbates the divide between Sunni and Shia factions of Islam killing thousands upon thousands in the process. The situation in Egypt is even more complex with liberals, Islamic factions and over seven million adherents to the Coptic Orthodox Church debating the constitutional decrees.

In Australia, the number of people that either declare they have no religion or do not practice a religion is rapidly growing. Our multi-cultural society is largely respectful of all religions as well as those who have no religion. This respect has yet to be fully reflected in our Federal Parliament.

However, at least Australians should count our blessings that we are not in the same situation as Syria or Egypt.

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

Now for the personal chef

Busy mums and bachelors who don’t want to or can’t cook, but are sick of take away are the target market for a new breed of personal chef, says LAURA EDWARDS

NO LONGER reserved for the rich and famous, personal chefs are fast becoming a staple in busy Canberra households.

An era ruled by reality cooking shows such as “Masterchef” and “My Kitchen Rules” has seen time-poor families and singles paying to have gourmet meals specially prepared at home.

Chef Maggie Taylor set up her personal cooking business The Gourmet Saint in Canberra last year, and says her clients aren’t the cashed up executives people expect.

“I’ve got busy mums who don’t have the time to prepare healthy meals for their kids each week and there’s a lot of bachelors who don’t want to or can’t cook, but are sick of having to get take away all the time,” Maggie says.

Maggie’s clients pay between $280-$310 for five meals and five sides that usually last a fortnight.

“We’ll work through what they want and their dietary needs, then we’ll do the grocery shopping and a chef will come to the client’s home with their equipment, spend five hours cooking and stock the fridge with meals to be reheated,” Maggie says.

“I try to up the level a bit from ‘mother’s cooking’, it’s very seasonal. In winter we do soups, casseroles – I can do mashed potatoes 78 ways. In summer I try to include salads, smoked salmon fillets are popular, and I jazz it up with flavours.”

Personal chef Ben Harrison says his Canberra-based business Home Plate is booked out

“almost every weekend” preparing meals for dinner parties, celebrations and intimate dinners for couples.

Ben, a chef at Manuka cafe Urban Pantry, set up the business in March 2011 after seeing a growing demand in the market.

“Anyone who has hosted a dinner will know it comes with stress – there’s the cooking, making sure everyone’s drink is topped up and, at the end of it all, a huge pile of dishes to clean,” he says.

“I’ve done romantic anniversary dinners where the couple don’t want to worry about a babysitter, where I bring my own gear and wash up after. They like that they have control over music and wine, rather than having to go to a noisy restaurant.”

Dishes on Ben’s menu include vodka-cured ocean trout, cider-braised pork belly and zucchini flowers stuffed with herb ricotta, with three meals starting from around $150 for two people.

He believes the rise of reality cooking shows has prompted higher demand for fine food.

“I think the days of sausage rolls and party pies are gone,” he says.

“People are expecting more, they want fresh ingredients and something that looks impressive. Pretty much every time I cook, I have clients come to me and say ‘Thank God you were here’, which is nice to hear.”

For bookings and more information, visit homeplatedining. com.au or gourmetsaint.com.au

ACT launch in 2014

The ACT is one of six locations across the country to benefit from the launch of DisabilityCare Australia. Between now and June 2014, programs will be implemented to help people with a significant and permanent disability, their families, carers and service providers get ready for DisabilityCare Australia. The scheme will launch on 1 July 2014.

DisabilityCare Australia will have full coverage across the ACT for people up to age 65 by July 2016.

One scheme.

One focus on individuals.

One commitment to lifelong support.

From 1 July, Australia’s current support system for people living with disability is being progressively replaced with DisabilityCare Australia. This new scheme will help provide a better quality of life for Australians with a significant and permanent disability, and for their families and carers too.

What’s new about DisabilityCare Australia?

DisabilityCare Australia is a new way of funding personalised support for people with disability. As well as looking at a person’s immediate needs, it will take a lifelong approach and enable people with disability to have choice and control over their supports. It will focus on early intervention, recognising that timely support can minimise the impact of a disability on individuals, families and carers. Assistance will be provided at the right time, rather than only once people reach crisis.

Who is eligible?

DisabilityCare Australia will help people who have a significant and permanent disability and who need assistance with everyday activities. This includes people whose disabilities are attributed to intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, or physical impairment, or a psychiatric condition.

Will I lose my current support?

No. Your current arrangements will stay in place until you have met DisabilityCare Australia to discuss your needs.

Will it affect my Disability Support Pension?

No. Your Disability Support Pension will not be affected.

When does it all begin?

DisabilityCare Australia is being rolled out in stages because it is a big change to the current system.

Locations that start from July 2013

Barwon region of Victoria People aged 0-64

Hunter region of NSW People aged 0-64

South Australia Children aged 0-14

Tasmania Young people aged 15-24

Locations that start from July 2014

ACT People aged 0-64

Barkly region of NT People aged 0-64

From July 2016, DisabilityCare Australia will continue to extend to more locations and age groups around Australia, including Queensland.

For more information, visit australia.gov.au/disabilitycare or call 1800 800 110

For people with hearing or speech loss

TTY: 1800 555 677

Speak and Listen: 1800 555 727

One big difference to lots of lives.

Prices take the biscuit

I JOIN Les Hegedus (Letters, CN June 27) in his whinge about high prices charged at many Canberra restaurants for a glass of wine. He mentions an expensive French wine, but I’ve noticed high prices for wines less than half the cost of that bottle.

However, my whinge is about the absurdly expensive cakes/biscuits sold at Canberra tourist attractions and art galleries’ cafés. Not everyone is a tourist and not everyone wants to have a meal at these places. All that we, locals, want sometimes is a cup of coffee and a cake or biscuit to go with it.

Last Sunday I went to the Museum of Australian Democracy to see the Arthur Boyd exhibition. I visited the coffee shop wanting to have a cappuccino and a biscuit. But I refrained from the latter as they were charging $3 for a couple of biscuits a little bigger than a 20c coin and $5 for one the size of a honey jar lid. These prices are typical of most art galleries and tourist attraction cafés in this city and I don’t think they are justified. Many of these biscuits come from Byron Bay Cookies, which are expensive. Why not order from a good local bakery and charge less?

Vivien Munoz, Holt

Dental bill pain

ON a recent routine visit to my dentist, I was shocked to be charged $505 for a clean and a very small filling. No

letters briefly

Crime takes a dive

VEHICLE theft is down 38 per cent and robbery has dropped 24.5 per cent, according to the latest quarterly crime statistics. The figures show a 14 per cent decrease in general crime across the ACT when compared to the same period last year, with the sharpest drops in Weston Creek (31 per cent), Woden (21 per cent) and Tuggeranong (20 per cent). The inner north experienced the smallest decrease of 4 per cent. Only theft (5 per cent) and burglary (1 per cent) were up on last year. The latest data is available at police. act.gov.au

Foreshore cancelled

DESPITE repeated sell outs over its six years, this year’s Foreshore Festival has been cancelled. Kicks Entertainment director Jeff Drake says: “As we began assembling the pieces for 2013 it became evident that the event was not going to meet the high standard people have come to expect of Foreshore, so rather than deliver an event we feel would not meet that standard, we have opted to give Foreshore a well earned rest this year and focus our energy on Foreshore 2014.”

injection for pain relief required.

Surely these high charges are putting people off going to a dentist. My three adult children only attend when in pain as they can’t afford to go on a regular basis. It is a fact that oral care affects our overall health, so why are dental fees not included in the Medicare rebates?

Heather Gibson, via email

When football was a game

WHEN did football stop being a game and become just a business? (Tim Gavel’s column “When the coach turns babysitter”, CN July 4).

My father was a footballer, a real footballer who lived and breathed the game he loved. He played during the ‘30s and ‘40s when you played for the love of the game, not the negotiated salaries that are legally agreed to before some of today’s “sportsmen” are prepared to step on the field.

Back then it was not a game where players competed against each other, but one of teammates supporting one another for the good of the game and their club.

Back then the coach’s job was to coach, not babysit players whose focus now seems to be on salary packages and the fame that being a so-called “star” might bring them.

Amanda Medcalf, via email

Shops upgrade

STREET furniture, new lighting and bike racks are included in next year’s upgrade of the Chapman shops. Design and development manager Diana Hill says the upgrade will provide locals and traders with a “safer, more accessible and attractive centre”. The plan is available for viewing until Friday, August 2, at the Chapman shops, Woden library and Woden Government Shopfront. The plan is also available online at timetotalk.act.gov.au

Bridge back to work

A SURPLUS bridge from the Belconnen Mall is being installed as the new Molonglo Reach pedestrian bridge. It will replace the shared path damaged by floods in March 2012. TAMS spokesman Ben McHugh says: “The bridge, which previously connected the Belconnen Mall and Lathlain Street and was known locally as the ‘red bridge’, will be painted grey to blend into the landscaping. The bridge option is necessary due to the poor soil conditions along the river edge, which make the replacement of the path difficult.” The $1.49 million work, funded by a Government insurance claim, should be complete by December.

Canberra Confidential

Nic’s Outed

AFTER five years away from Canberra’s hospitality scene (possibly simply to catch up on sleep) CC was surprised to hear of a recent return. Following the sale of his cheeky little blog, The Canberran.com, to Out in Canberra, Nic Crowther has joined the ranks of the OIC. And what next for The Canberran? Well, we understand it’s due for a mini-makeover, but will continue to stir the pot of commercial kitchens across the city.

Out there, Jerry...

...AND lovin’ it. Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson is clearly a glutton for punishment. After four hours sleep in freezing temperatures with nothing more than a beanie, three sheets of cardboard and a mug of soup to show for it, he thanks his Vinnies CEO Sleepout supporters for their donated dosh and, in his monthly newsletter, finishes with the masochistic flourish: “I look forward to taking part again next year”. Really?

Up with the girls

APPARENTLY, there are women out there who shamefully have been “banned from wearing high heels by their partners” – at least this is what we’re told by the promoters of footwear brand Taller.

The makers of “shoes that make men taller” say women love high heels, but that

“Frog” Harris, left, gets his award from singer Russell Morris.

to a frosty screen saying the airline was interested in valued guests with a different background.

So we went back in, told a porkie and did the survey with a response that would turn them pink with pride.

Poring over mistakes

“GLAD to see that CC cares about correct spelling,” purrs reader Jennifer Evans, alluding to last week’s item “Where’s Zed?”, before giving us a deserved smack in the chops.

Frog feels the love

THE ebullient Brian “Frog” Harris, owner of Songland, one of the last two record shops in Canberra, got a big metaphorical kiss on the nose from veteran singersongwriter Russell Morris the other night. At the end of Morris’ set at the Vikings Club in Erindale, Frog – a man untroubled by modesty – was the subject of a surprise

wearing them can make their partners seem shorter.

Not to worry. Taller combats this “growing frustration” with shoes that have a hidden height increase of between 6cm-10cm.

“Banned” women have a clear choice: dispose of the vertically-challenged man in your life, or check out taller.com.au

presentation by Morris with a “gold record” acknowledgement for the music vendor’s enthusiastic support and advocacy for the singer’s astonishingly successful recent blues album “Sharkmouth”, recorded as a “labour of love” and inspired by Australian characters from the ‘20s and ‘30s era.

Nobody loves us

AS a “valued guest” of Virgin, CC was invited to take part in a 15-minute internet survey about a recent flight. Poised to wax lyrical, we moved to the first screen and when asked to select a calling, the word “journalist” sent us down the laundry chute

“Interesting to see your dining reviewer in the same issue writing, we ‘were immediately served a welcome pot of tea (complimentary), which we enjoyed while pouring over the extensive menu’,” she says.

“The student diners mentioned were equally sloppy, ‘pouring over textbooks while slurping soup’.”

Pick and tell

WHAT all this means, we’re at a loss to say, but... based on 1000 dog owners, researchers have concluded that only 56 per cent of owners always pick up after their dogs’ poo in public. Nine per cent say they never pick up poo, a further five per cent only pick it up if someone else is watching. Unsurprisingly, men are worse than women when it comes to picking up poo in public with 11 per cent of men admitting they never pick up compared to seven per cent of women.

Free falling

FREE papers, which CC imagines couldn’t possibly be used to bolster the foundering circulation numbers of “The Canberra Times”, are readily available at the Canberra Airport concourse. “The Oz” and the “Fin Review” are also free, too. If you spot other examples of paidnewspaper largesse, please alert us at confidential@citynews.com.au

In store, then online

IT’S confirmed... according to a nationwide poll, shoppers are increasingly treating physical stores as a dress rehearsal for their online purchases.

They try on clothes for size and suitability before buying them online, ask for the price on goods to be matched to what they can buy them for on the internet and quiz salespeople for information.

Of those polled, 65 per cent agreed that if service was better in physical stores they would shop in them more often. Long queues at the checkout or register were by far the biggest complaint with 43 per cent of those surveyed regularly experiencing this issue and a further 45 per cent, occasionally.

The poll, for a Sydney-based public relations consultancy, surveyed 1221 Australians, aged between 18 and 64, of which nine in 10 had shopped online.

LOOK REFRESHED & YOUTHFUL TODAY

I recently turned 50. Most of my friends have had cosmetic work done, they’re telling me that ‘everyone is doing it’. I have been told that my face is sagging, I put on weight after having children. Over the past couple of years I managed to lose most of this weight with regular exercise, but my face is looking worse than ever. I was considering a face lift but I am not ready for surgical intervention. I want to look more refreshed. I don’t want to look 30, I just want to look better. I heard you offer non-surgical treatments, am I too old to have this done?

It is not vain to want to look more attractive. It is all about being the best version of yourself. The aging process affects everyone. Most people develop unwanted lines; others have dark circles under the eyes, nasolabial folds or jowls. Much of this can be attributed to facial volume loss. Facial bones and fat pads, which provide structural support to the overlying skin, shrink as we age. Skin becomes loose as a result of this shrinkage.

Surgical face lift alone can only address some of these changes. There are other treatment options available with no or minimal downtime, that in my experience can you give you a better, more natural-looking and long lasting result.

My approach would be to address the underlying reasons for the aged appearance. The aim is not to create a new you, but to revolumise and reposition your facial anatomy back to where it once was. This will result in a more youthful appearance, while still looking completely natural. Your Facial Revolumisation treatment will include dermal fillers and anti wrinkle injections.

Facial Revolumisation can help reduce bags and dark circles under the eyes, give you higher cheek bones, help diminish the appearance of nasolabial folds and improve jaw line definition. Achieving a natural looking result is of paramount importance to me. I believe that understanding the artistic aspect and the mathematics of beauty is just as important as the treatment itself. By having and using this knowledge it is possible to achieve naturally attractive results which are not ‘overdone’.

Professional, Qualified, Experienced

Dr Leung combines technical excellence with artistic judgment

For more information on our procedures or to ask Dr Leung a question:

Facial Artistry

13 Murray Cres, Manuka

www.facialartistry.com.au

T: 02 6255 8988

E: info@facialartistry.com.au

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Have you been having trouble communicating with a loved one? Stop talking and start listening. If you strive to see things from their point of view, then you’ll know what to say. Sunday should be a super day, as Neptune and Saturn trine Mars (your ruling planet). It’s a fabulous time to take creative ideas and turn them into practical and productive projects. Go Rams!

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Careful and clever communication is the secret to a successful seven days. Attached Bulls – it’s a wonderful week to build bridges as you work through partnership problems in a mature and sensitive way. Singles – don’t waste your precious time on a part-time partner. Look for a lover who is ready to commit to a long-term relationship. They will be well worth the wait.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

It’s time to plug the cash flow drain and save, rather than spend. This week’s stars also zero in on core self-esteem issues, as you learn to love yourself for who you are on the inside (rather than what you do on the outside). Be inspired by musician Carlos Santana (born on July 20): “I know that I am worth more than my house, my bank account or any physical thing.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Have you been avoiding important issues, side-stepping challenges, and burying your head in the sand? With mighty Mars moving through your sign (until August 28), it’s time to be a courageous Crab as you step up and face your fears. Draw inspiration from birthday great Nelson Mandela: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Your bossy side is softened by Venus, which endears you to others and helps smooth over problems in rickety relationships. It’s time for cantankerous Cats to be cooperative kittens! Lions love to be in the public spotlight, but this week’s stars also encourage you to slow down socially and spend some quality time on your own. Solitude is soul food for you at the moment.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Mercury is still in retrograde motion so you need to be a vigilant Virgo when travelling, texting, organising appointments and communicating your ideas. If you’re in the market to buy a car or a computer, wait until next week (when Mercury will be moving forwards again). This week is the perfect time to tie up loose ends as you revise, rehearse, research and re-do.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

It’s a wonderful week for work matters and business projects as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune support your talents and propel you into the spotlight. Others are finally sitting up and taking notice, so make sure you have something substantial to say. Procrastination is out and proactive plans are in, as you stride into the future with plenty of passion and purpose.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Has serious Saturn put an obstacle in your path... and do you feel as if it can’t be overcome? Or are you unsure about your future direction? This week’s stars encourage you to take on challenges with gusto, plus rework a long-term goal so that it better suits your current aspirations. On Sunday, be careful you don’t dredge up old issues that are better left alone.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians are ready to shine! Jupiter forms a terrific trine with Neptune and Saturn, so make sure you capitalise on the good vibes that head your way. Don’t be so restless and distracted that you fail to recognise a fabulous opportunity when it comes along. All sorts of social and outdoor activities are also favoured, as you flex your mind and muscles in exciting new ways.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

It’s crunch time Capricorn, as you work out the future direction of a marriage, romantic relationship or close friendship. If you’re not sure which way to go, then let your intuition be your guide. Thursday through to Sunday are especially good days to join an online dating site, go on a first date, fall in love, propose, get married or renew your wedding vows.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

The Sun, Mars, Jupiter and retro Mercury are all visiting your wellbeing zone. So take a close look at your health and fitness, review your diet and exercise routine, and then make appropriate changes. Plus, with Saturn moving slowly through your reputation zone, take responsibility for the image you are portraying to the world. If you don’t like it, then change it.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

This week’s stars stimulate your desire to pursue creative, humanitarian, religious or spiritual pursuits. You could also seek out the wise counsel of a mentor, or play that role yourself. Whatever you choose to do, lift your thinking from mundane daily concerns to more lofty and inspirational ideas. Music, writing, painting, prayer and meditation are also favoured.

1 What do we call a trip by a politician at public expense, ostensibly to obtain information?

7 Name the Danish author of fairy tales, Hans Christian... ?

8 What is a hospital department devoted to the care of out-patients?

9 Which means of communication has been all but replaced by the email?

10 Which substance turns red litmus paper blue?

11

are

19 What is one of the numerous species of flatfishes?

21 Which term describes a space entirely void of matter?

22 What, in France, is a police officer?

23 Name the planet which is the sixth in order from the sun Down

1 What is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station?

2 Topeka is the capital of which US state?

3 Which term describes that which is characterised by adroit manoeuvring?

4 What, in the Bible, is a false god called?

5 Salem is the capital of which US state?

6 Name a superior grade of morocco, used for bookbinding

12 Which group of footballers sit on the bench?

13 What do we call a native of Edinburgh?

15 Which term describes the flight of a number of missiles together?

16 What is a boxing match divided into?

17 To draw out, is to do what?

20 Name a dagger, especially used in the Highlands of Scotland

arts & entertainment

Don’s promise of a starry, starry night

Bye, bye Miss American Pie... guess who arts editor HELEN MUSA’s been talking to?

WHAT was the day the music died? February 3, 1959. Which king was looking down when the jester stole his thorny crown? Elvis looking at Dylan. Where did the singer drive his Chevy? To the levee. And who were the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost? Probably JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

By now a goodly proportion of our readership will know that I’m talking about the 1971 song “American Pie” by Don McLean, written after Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper went down in a plane crash.

But this is a song that has resonated down the generations, so when I told my 29-year-old son I’d been interviewing Don McLean on the phone, he responded with an enthusiastic “awesome”.

“American Pie” is certainly not the only string to McLean’s bow. He’s made more than 40 gold and platinum records, his song “Vincent” is played daily at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, “And I Love You So” was on Elvis’s last album and “Babylon” is the theme song for the German Green Party.

Nonetheless, “American Pie” was judged the fifth greatest song of the 20th century in a list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts and there’s no getting away from it.

It was hardly a surprise to find McLean brimming with confidence.

“I like myself fine,” he tells “CityNews”, “I’ve always known what I was supposed to do… I didn’t have any

doubt about it.”

He can find a song for any occasion.

“I know about 10,000 songs, I can find anything I want.”

Not just that, he tells me happily: “I’m a control freak”. One of the people he controls is himself.

“I had to invent Don McLean,” he says. “I was born in a suburb, which doesn’t have much musical credibility, so I became the American troubadour.”

McLean refuses to glamorise the ‘50s and early ‘60s, deriding the same cult of “niceness” that drove Barry Humphries from Australia.

“People didn’t discuss religion and politics… in my world conformity was the religion,” he says.

“It took a lot of adjusting, but gradually I became free.”

He got to play with rock pioneers Bo Diddley and Little Richard, he performed free for folkie Pete Seeger to raise funds for cleaning up the Hudson River and he played at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have done that,” he says.

Known as the “Hudson River Troubador”, he nevertheless quit New York City in 1990 for Maine, “to keep my kids away from drugs”.

McLean finds a lot of vileness and anger in contemporary music. He doesn’t have anything to do with computers or emails, he hates travelling, and he still doesn’t read music, but he feels it.

“A lot of what I do is about loss,” he laments. “People don’t want to have those feelings anymore, but I like to

Wedding hits right note

SMITH’S Alternative in Civic recently hosted one of the most romantic weddings of the winter, when chanteuse and former “Australian Idol” finalist, Chanel Cole, tied the knot with the brilliant classical pianist and winner of the coveted Michael Kieran Harvey Scholarship, Adam Cook. Family and well-wishers from the Canberra arts community gathered to wish the couple well as they prepared to leave for France, where the bridegroom will use his $25,000 scholarship to study with composer-pianist and improviser Jean-Francois Zygel.

compose beautiful love songs.” He plans to give audiences their money’s worth – “I do things people expect; I do things people don’t expect,” McLean says, and he’ll guarantee great singing and great playing.

“I’m in control of this… we are in good shape.”

Don McLean, Canberra Theatre, August 26, with guest Catherine Britt, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

‘Dreams’ become a reality

By Helen Musa

FORMER director of Urban Theatre

Projects, Alicia Talbot, who with present director Rosie Dennis, responded to the Centenary of Canberra’s Robyn Archer’s question in 2010: “Do you want to come to Canberra and make a show?”

The resulting, hard-hitting play, “Catalogue of Dreams”, draws upon the experiences of the Canberra community, researching and recreating the lives of young people coming out of foster care and facing a terrifying array of bureaucrats, lawyers and police officers.

On the way, they’ve done serious research into what Talbot calls “the social zeitgeist, what’s going on in the ACT.”

She and Dennis may be out-of-towners, but they’re the only ones, with “the actors, the designer, and the lighting designer all from Canberra”.

Talbot describes the open audition process with help from community “stakeholders”, the Gugan Gulwan Aboriginal Youth Corporation, Canberra Youth Theatre and the Theatre Centre. “We had a huge callout,” she reports.

Benjamin Slabb, one of the chosen actors is a Banjalang man from the Lismore region, whose aunt is the famous actor-director Rhoda Roberts. He has lived in Canberra for about 11 years, worked in the public service and been involved in amateur theatre and in creative workshops with Gugan Gulwan.

“My persona is a general supporter, mentor and comforter. I also play the role of somebody working hard in an official capacity,” he says.

Slabb joins veteran artist Moya Simpson as the “older” generation and tells “CityNews” they are both enjoying the cross-generational nature of working with much younger actors, Casey Keed and Jeremy Broom.

Over 12 months of work, the entire team has come up with an “image-based physical script” enhanced by masks, voice-overs and visuals by prizewinning local designer Imogen Keen.

“It’s not actually scripted, but it’s really very tightly scripted,” Talbot says, in an apparent contradiction, “in the sense that every night, it will be the same.”

“Catalogue of Dreams”, Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, Previews 8.15pm July 13 and 16, season 8.15pm Thursdays to Saturdays, July 18-27, bookings to 6275 2700 and canberratheatrecentre.com.au

THE 10th anniversary of the Russian Resurrection Film Festival is coming up at that fashionable new venue, Palace Electric, from July 16-21. The opening night film is “Conductor” (2012), in which a Russian conductor takes his orchestra to perform in Jerusalem. If it sounds challenging, you can be sure that at the “traditional” after-party there will be a “traditional” snort of vodka. Bookings to palacecinemas.com.au/festivals or 6222 4900.

IT’S been a while since we’ve had a new theatre company in town, but Something Borrowed Theatre is staging Edward Albee’s “At Home at the Zoo”, July 18-20, in Smith’s Alternative. It’s the first play in the space, they say, and if it sounds familiar that’s because it’s Albee’s expanded version of his brilliant 1958 play “The Zoo Story”. Bookings to 6247 4459.

IMPROVENTION is gearing up the largest gathering of improvisers in Australia, from July 20, with a gala at the Canberra Theatre Centre, the cabaret “Zeitgeist” on July 21 at Casino Canberra and the rest at The Street Theatre from July 23-27 – everything from sketch comedy to an improvised Chekhov-genre musical. Bookings to improvention.com

SUSANNE Powell, recipient of the 2012 artsACT Creative Fellowship to study the celeste, recently performed on that magical instrument in Disney’s “Fantasia” with the Sydney Symphony

Orchestrated start to festival

Helen Musa

arts in the city

Orchestra at the Opera House. She’s become a world expert on it.

CHILD Players ACT’s artistic director B J Anyos has adapted “The Marvellous Land of Oz” for 40 children aged 10-16, to be performed by the Child Play group. It tells what happens to Dorothy and her friends after her first visit to Oz. At theatre@bcs, Belconnen Community Centre, 10.30am and 2pm on July 11-13 and July 17-20. Tickets at the door.

MEG Morton’s first solo exhibition of more than 30 original watercolours inspired by “the surfaces of the leaves and bark” is called “Bower Bird –borrowing from nature” and will be at Form Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan, July 15-19, weekdays 9.30am-2.30pm, weekends 10am-4pm.

THE Canberra Museum and Gallery is calling for proposals for site-specific works for its glass-walled exhibition space on Civic Square, Gallery 4. Submissions, which close on Friday, July 19, will be considered from artists based in the ACT region who are not currently engaged in formal study. Inquiries to mark.bayly@act.gov.au or 6207 5885.

arts & entertainment

The strange day black Jack saw red

JACK Charles, “a man driven”, turns 70 in September, but you feel as if you’re talking to a man half his age.

He’s been a junkie and a con who, in the doco “Bastardy”, relished telling how he had been “comfortable in Kew”, living off the proceeds of theft in what were once his father’s ancestral lands.

He is out of his addiction and proud of it, telling “CityNews”, “I’m the last featherfoot lawman of Collingwood and Fitzroy, I’ve jumped off the methadone, finished with bastardry and now I’m taking myself seriously.”

You can bet that when Charles appears at The Playhouse in his one-man show “Jack Charles V The Crown” he’ll tell us all about it.

He’s thrilled that his young friend, the artist E.LK., who entered a portrait of him in the Archibald this year, is bringing his mum to the show.

That kind of thing gives extra zest to his performance, he tells me in the magnificent voice he swears is “a gift from the great big wedge-tailed eagle of Melbourne.”

Charles devised the script with playwright John Romeril and director Rachel Maza sitting around a kitchen table.

To him, it’s a “pretty loose play” and he’s in his element on stage chatting about his life, “especially if I know there are black fellows in the audience, there are certain things I can say that will have them rolling in the aisles”.

But he admits that Maza is no pushover as a director and he is particularly respectful because she is the daughter of his very old friend and fellow Black Theatre pioneer, the late Bob Maza.

Born of Bunnerong and Wiradjuri heritage, Charles knows many parts of Australia. His dad came from Leeton and his mum lived in Griffith, where she was charged with

Helen Musa reports

murder in the 1950s, later cleared. He’s going to write about that.

Though one of Melbourne’s most famous sons, he’s not as popular as you’d think.

“I have to keep pushing the bar so I’ll eventually be taken seriously in Aboriginal Melbourne,” he tells me.

Respect matters to Charles. With lineage traced to Tasmania’s Truganini and the family made famous in “The Sapphires”, he was furious when he found last year that the Australia Council insisted he must prove his Aboriginality to get a grant.

“Me? I’m the last surviving Black Theatre pioneer… I founded the Nindethana Theatre Company in Melbourne… I’m black!” Charles saw red, consulted the Fitzroy Legal Service, and got a famous local QC.

In the interim, he pulled out of the Sydney Theatre Company’s “The Secret River” (“Cate Blanchett understood” he says) announcing, “my mental capacity had been mucked up”.

He chuckles as he tells me that on June 28, after consulting 1700 people, the Australia Council announced a change in policy.

It’s the sweetest victory.

Ilbijerri Theatre Company’s “Jack Charles V The Crown,” (Victoria’s Centenary gift to “Collected Works: Australia”), July 17-19, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Free screening of “Bastardy” at Canberra Museum and Gallery, 3.30pm, July 13.

Questions in a dark world of secrets

“We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” (M)

ALEX Gibney’s documentary about two prisoners, Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and Bradley Manning in Quantico, will undoubtedly polarise the attitudes of its audience for or against their motivations.

Initially, Assange and Manning come across as well-meaning disciples of firm belief in the world’s right to know the inner workings of governments, embassies and military commands.

The film then explores Assange’s development from a crusader into an oligarch whose behaviour matches that of his targets – devious, secretive. In an interview with Ars Technica, Gibney described him as “somebody who believes that because he’s good, he’s permitted to do bad”.

In contrast, Manning presents as a flawed persona, damaged from childhood, more deserving of compassion.

Inevitably, the film by implication develops some subtle questions. Are we entitled to know how governments, embassies and military commands, with good intentions, covertly perform necessary but disconcerting functions? How does WikiLeaks’s selective manipulation of hacked material differ from the secrecy of its original classification? Do we not have a right to expect

Dougal Macdonald cinema

that secrets, however unpalatable, generated in the interest of public good, should be allowed to take the consequences of running their course and if unsuccessful, die on the vine?

Assange set the price for an interview with Gibney at $1 million. That kinda puts him in perspective! Experiencing Gibney’s achievement without that outlay requires some endurance, but delivers an interesting aftertaste.

At Dendy

“A Gun In Each Hand” (M)

THIS is neither a western nor a thriller. Its title is a Spanish saying implying you are aware of a situation and trying to make the most of it. With sensitive writing and staging, Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay has made an ensemble film with a strong cast.

Two men who have not seen each other for more than a decade cautiously remember why.

A father visits his ex-wife to return their son and collect the rest of his stuff. Two men dance around the adultery between one and the other’s wife. At the end of the day, they find themselves in the kitchen of the apartment of one of them who’s cooking the evening meal.

Sounds simple. Some say it’s boring. Both opinions have substance. There’s much subtle humour embedded in its duologues. It often seems that it doesn’t quite know who constitutes its target audience.

Yet, despite its complexity of purpose, content and style, it’s by no means intolerable.

“Reality” (M)

MATTEO Garrone’s film begins with a long aerial shot of two white horses drawing a richly ornate carriage through traffic to a commercial wedding garden.

That’s the last time that segment of Neapolitan life appears. At a wedding, Luciano (Aniello Arena), to please his small girl-child fronts up to Massimo, a celebrity employed to deliver a few platitudes to newly-wed couples before sending them away to married life.

Massimo’s celebrity stems from having won a season of “Big Brother”. And Luciano is smitten by the prospect of doing just that. He and his brother Michele live in an antique apartment building among an extended family mainly comprising obese sisters and aunts, a caricature of Italian working-class folk who, when he gets an interview to enter the program, believe it’s a done deal and in time Luciano will be a rich celebrity.

The TV people tell him “we’ll let you know”, theatrical-speak for “we won’t!”. But he sees every newcomer to the square as a talent scout observing his suitability for the program.

When Luciano starts giving away household chattels to the poor to recompense a beggar whom he earlier turned away in the square where he and Michele run their open-air fish market, handsome, devoted Maria (Loredano Simioli) can no longer tolerate his paranoia. Luciano’s optimism remains unshakeable, giving the film a powerful poignancy and a justification for its outcome. That is its true reality.

At Palace Electric

arts & entertainment

Snoop leads to a pizza treat

SOMETIMES you stumble across a place to eat by accident – sheer accident. And that’s what happened to us the day we ended up having lunch at La Piazza at Erindale.

We headed to Erindale to dine at a soul food place only to discover that they weren’t open for lunch (despite what their website said). Starving, we decided to snoop around and see what we could see.

That was when we spotted La Piazza, on Gartside Street. It looked a bit trendy and we thought: “Why not?” It’s always fun to try something new.

The range and quality of pizza in the food world is phenomenal. In Canberra, we have very high end, such as Italian and Sons. And the takeaway joints. And the chains… and then more chains… and more chains. But places such as La Piazza, as I discovered, score well and it’s super to have them in the marketplace.

The menu is quite extensive and we sat near

the kitchen watching all the activity around the traditional oven in which dozens of wood-fired pizzas were lovingly made (takeaway as well). A medium pizza is six slices and a large, eight slices (gluten-free medium is available for an additional $4). La Piazza is happy to split either size in half –with any two varieties your little heart desires.

More than 20 types of pizza are on offer. If you prefer you can order a range of pasta dishes or mains which included, on our visit, lamb shanks, grilled eye fillet, chicken, veal and so on.

But it was the pizza we were after. We ordered half Napoletana (vegetarian), with tomato, olives, oregano, bocconcini ($14 medium, $19 large) and

the more extravagant Arugula, with prosciutto, rocket, olives and provolone ($17 medium, $22 large). The pizza came piping hot and hit the spot – lots of ingredients on top, a superb base and flavours that exploded like fireworks on Canberra Day.

La Piazza is open seven days a week. It’s tucked away in a small street, away from the main shops, and so dining al fresco is pretty attractive. Coffee is available from 8am, hot breakfasts start at 8.30 and then lunch and dinner follow.

The service wasn’t exactly perfetto, even though the place wasn’t super busy. We waited a long time for our glass of wine, and we had to ask for utensils so we could share our salad (too much balsamic for our liking). But the staff were welcoming and friendly.

La Piazza’s décor features one wall with very bold wallpaper – quite colourful and flamboyant, actually. But it works. The aim here isn’t to win awards with design, but to keep customers happy with darn good pizza. And that’s what La Piazza did for us.

La Piazza. 3/33 Gartside Street, Erindale. 6296 2995. Open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

‘Hipbone’ brings the house down

RARELY can an audience be treated to theatre that is extremely moving, relevant, educational and highly innovative in a most engrossing and entertaining way.

“Hipbone Sticking Out” is one such production. It is part opera and part documentary drama that makes historical links between current attitudes and events and the very lives of people living on this continent. The design is visually spectacular with effective video integrated into the flexible stage set. The music, in conjunction with the setting, is used to provide the dreamscape that is at once highly engaging while thematically based in the core of the story. The acting and singing is tempered with authenticity and exceptional power to communicate.

This is all the more remarkable as the work was created over three years with people from the Roebourne community in the Pilbara region; some of whom appear in the production.

theatre

“Hipbone Sticking Out”

Written and directed by Scott Rankin Big hART, part of the larger Yijala Yala Project A Centenary of Canberra project at Canberra Theatre, season closed.

Reviewed by Joe Woodward

There was a seamless blending of professional performers with community actors. The talents of Trevor Jamieson (Pitjantjatjara), Derik Lynch (Yankunytjatjara), Lex Marinos (Greece/Wagga Wagga), Simon Gleeson (Scotland) Natalie O’Donnell (UK) and Jada Alberts (Yanyuwa/Larrakia) ensured many surprises and consistent engagement with the audience.

The standing ovation and the obvious rapport between performers and audience represented a rare moment that is surely a highlight of the Centenary of Canberra program.

What is it about winter?

For sunny days...

• In the veggie garden, it is time to plant asparagus and globe and Jerusalem artichoke.

• Plant garlic in groups near roses making sure it is not the imported Chinese garlic. This has been chemically treated in accordance with quarantine regulations and will not grow.

WHAT is it about winter so many folk dislike?

In winter it is easy to put on an extra coat or pullover as opposed to the full heat of summer when there is a limit to how many clothes one can take off!

Summer is about trying to keep water up to plants, scorched leaves and pesky insects. Whereas, as we go into the second month of winter, now is a time of renewal.

This winter has been very mild with few frosts and regular rain. Under the ground, the roots of autumn plantings are quietly developing with the warmth still in the soil.

Bulbs are emerging to brighten our spring days. Beautiful buds are developing on springflowering shrubs. We are enjoying the first flowers on blossom trees with the delightful flowering apricot Prunus mume. Even the early flowering wattles are starting to brighten dull winter days. Winter is such an exciting time in the garden.

A FEW theatrical ideas can add fun to a garden, a few quirky statues or ornaments.

Dare to be different, say, with a bright yellow garden seat rather than the standard stained timber furniture.

Our main garden seat is a rich purple. It adds colour in the winter to an otherwise drab garden. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules in gardening. Grow vegetables amongst the perennials and shrubs. Lettuce looks great filling a gap of bare dirt or red spinach can add a great splash of colour, too. You do not have to have a specific veggie garden and, in fact, will find less of an insect problem with this style of companion planting.

The main thing is to please yourself, don’t worry about making it look good to compete with the neighbours. Think less about maintenance and more

Cedric Bryant gardening

about developing an atmosphere in your garden.

I ALWAYS recommend planting shrubs, perennials and even annuals in groups of, say, threes, fives or sevens for a more natural look.

While it is tempting to walk around a garden centre and pick out one of this and one of that, you will not have room for one of everything. That’s the role of botanic gardens (or living museums, as I often refer to them) or you’ll end up, as the late Mackenzie Clay, of Canberra, used to say, with “a fruit salad garden with one of everything”.

Betula pendula or silver birches are often planted in groups, which encourages a tall columnar form. There are numerous other columnar trees that look effective planted in a group. For example Prunus cerasifera “Oakville Crimson Spire”, is an extremely upright purple-leafed flowering plum with white flowers in spring, growing to 5-6 metres tall and just 2 metres wide.

• Plant chives in bold groups amongst the flowerbeds and similarly plant rhubarb as an ornamental with its big bold leaves.

• As buds emerge on early flowering fruit trees spray with Bordeaux or Kocide to prevent brown rot in fruit. Also spray the ground under the trees.

• Most garden books suggest onion seedlings can be planted now, however in this district leave this planting for a few more weeks.

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ABODE WODEN WINS SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION AWARD

Abode Woden is not only on target to be Australia’s first Green Star and NABERS rated hotel but is award-winning before the doors have even opened. The group’s third hotel was recognised at the 2013 Master Builders Association Excellence in Building Awards for Commercial Sustainable Construction.

Abode – The Apartment Hotel is committed to providing quality accommodation in the nation’s capital. This year, we are pulling a rabbit out of the hat and growing the group’s offering with the opening of Abode Woden in August.

On target to be Australia’s first Green Star and NABERS rated hotel, Abode Woden will be the smart choice for the savvy visitor.

Cleverly positioned in the true heart of Canberra, just minutes to the CBD and Parliamentary Triangle, these modern, serviced apartments bring together the comforts of home and the convenience of a vibrant retail and business district.

Offering 151 rooms and set across nine floors, Abode Woden transforms a 70s commercial building into stylish accommodation featuring a new restaurant and conference facilities.

To make it your Abode, get in touch.