130912 citynews

MICHAEL MOORE

Rewards of the three worst years Stadium costs, who coughs up?

TIM GAVEL

Burning opera fires local memories

HELEN MUSA ROBERT

bloom new Fame’s

Floriade concert star Emma Pask talks to STEPHEN EASTON

Artists come together in the RAW

A new community is giving Canberra artists the chance to shine, writes LAURA EDWARDS.

WHEN photographer Kevin Thornhill moved from London to Canberra this year he came armed with a wealth of talent and experience, but didn’t quite know where to start.

“I had met a few people on social media, but I hadn’t really put any faces to names yet, and I really wanted to establish myself here,” Kevin says.

Enter RAW: Natural Born Artists – an independent organisation launched this month in Canberra with a goal to showcase emerging artists through collaboration and networking events.

Described as a “circus of creativity”, RAW’s directors select artists from an array of creative fields – including painters, fashion designers, make-up artists, photographers, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, and graphic designers – and invites them to display their work to the public at networking events held once every two months.

Founded by artist Heidi Luerra in Los Angeles in 2009, RAW has since expanded throughout the world, coming to Australia last year.

Its Canberra launch saw a crowd of the capital’s burgeoning creative

industry packed into Academy nightclub, where guests could freely talk to artists and purchase their work.

Showcase director for RAW Canberra, Sarina Del Fuego, says the movement is a welcome outlet for local artists struggling to live off their craft.

“We want to provide independent artists within the first 10 years of their career with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and

index / contacts

Arts&Entertainment 17-21

Canberra Confidential 14

Cinema 19

Dining 20-21

Garden 22

Horoscope 23

Letter 4

News 3-13

Politics 6

Puzzles 23

Socials 15-16

Cover: Floriade singer Emma Pask. Photo by Kurt Sneddon. Story Page 12.

cultivate creativity,” Sarina says.

“There is so much talent here in Canberra and it needs to be seen, supported and promoted. It gives artists a chance to meet, network and collaborate with other local artists and for the general public, it is a great night out, [with] visual and aural treats.”

Digital artist Mick Ashley, who was invited to join RAW via Facebook, says it’s a dynamic collaboration “where everyone can be themselves.”

“These are all fresh new artists, so it’s easy to get ideas and be inspired by people,” he says.

“Twenty years ago artists would leave Canberra for Sydney and Melbourne because they thought we had no soul. Now we’re staying put because of events like this.”

The next RAW showcase will be held on November 13 at Academy Nightclub from 7.30pm. To apply to become a RAW artist, visit rawartists.org.

likely to make the Senate

By Laura Edwards

LIBERAL Zed Seselja looks likely to win the second seat in the ACT’s Senate contest; nudging ahead of the Greens’ Simon Sheikh after further counting of votes.

Earlier this week, Mr Seselja had reached 33.37 per cent of the primary votes counted; just above the required one-third quota.

But Mr Shiekh remains hopeful, believing yet-to-be-counted below-the-line votes will favour him.

Predictably, Labor’s Kate Lundy retained her position in the first seat, despite Labor’s primary vote falling 6.5 per cent.

Among the minor parties contesting the ACT Senate, the Sex Party received over 6000 votes, the Palmer United Party had over 4300 votes, the Bullet Train for Australia had over 3700 and the Voluntary Euthanasia Party had almost 3000 as of earlier this week.

In the House of Representatives, the Australian Electoral Commission declared the Liberals won 91 lower house seats, Labor has 54 and the Greens have one, while independents Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie were returned.

The was a nationwide swing of just over 4 per cent against the ALP.

Locally, Labor retained both of the ACT’s House of Representative seats. Sitting Labor member Andrew Leigh retains Fraser over Liberals candidate Elizabeth Lee, with 62.9 per cent of the vote after preferences, while Labor’s Gai Brodtmann holds Canberra over Liberal candidate Tom Sefton, with 57.1 per cent of the vote.

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Happy days in Hackett

HACKETT will celebrate its 50th birthday at the inner-north suburb’s shops over the September 21-22 weekend.

Centenary creative director Robyn Archer will launch the celebrations at noon on the Saturday in a ceremony that will include a happy birthday chorus from local pre-school children and a birthday cake.

A “reminiscing corner” with early photos will provide an opportunity for present and past residents to recall the suburb’s earlier times.

Lots of spin but no motorsport

HAVING waited eagerly for the program for the ACT Centenary Year for October and its “Wonderful World of Spin”, I see it contains no real motorsport events for the motorsport-starved ACT participant and supporter.

The ACT has a proud record of motorsport competitions going back to the ‘60s, but by the ‘90s ACT major motorsport has been progressively sanitised to a point of oblivion by consecutive ACT Governments and politicians committed to other agendas.

The ACT proudly boasts several national motorsport championship winners – Graeme Silk, drag racing; Dave Wignall and David House, speedway super sedans and Mick Rawlings, compact speedcars and many more popular household names having competed while some are still competing to a national level representing the national capital interstate.

“There will be stalls selling books, craft items and food, together with kids’ activities including a jumping castle, face painting and a visit by Constable Kenny Koala.

“During the course of each day there will be live performances by dance groups, school groups and street entertainers. There will also be live music by various bands and a local DJ from 5pm to 10pm on the Saturday.”

Hackett is named after Sir John Winthrop Hackett (1848–1916), who was a newspaper editor and worker for the Federation of Australia. Streets in Hackett are named after scientists.

“In previous birthday parties, we have attracted thousands of people and we are anticipating similar numbers for this birthday party,” says Hackett Community Association chairman Greg Haughey.

Snow falls in Hackett in 1965. More photos at hackett.org.au/history/hackett

Oh, and there’s that Queanbeyan bloke, Mark Webber, who has certainly established the ACT name on the international scene as well!

So to the Centenary organisers, good work; but you have missed the bus by leaving gaping holes in ACT “spin” history.

Michael Attwell, Dunlop

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

Hot fashion and flair

FORMER Canberran and stylist Trish Murray will present this season’s hottest trends with a fashion parade and style workshop featuring leading retailers and showcasing exclusive pieces available only through Westfield.

Westfield Belconnen will launch its spring-summer collection with a VIP event in the centre’s new Lathlain Street dining precinct, from 6.30pm on Friday, September 20.

Westfield centres in Belconnen and Woden are

offering free 15-minute sessions with stylists providing tips on how to mix wardrobe staples with key pieces from this season to suit personal style, shape and budget.

“We encourage women to buy pieces that match their ‘Style ID’ so they get maximum wear from them,” says Trish.

Style sessions (FridaySunday, 10am-2pm, to the end October) can be booked online or by calling the concierge desk at either centre.

Date: Friday 20 September

Time: 6:30pm onwards

Venue: Dining Precinct, Lathlain Street To

Why Labor hopes never to see the likes of Rudd again

IT gives me no pleasure at all to have called the election result a few weeks ago.

As the Federal election progressed, it became a foregone conclusion; and Kevin Rudd – with the help of Clive Palmer – did save the furniture; all Labor’s best people retained their seats.

However, in Canberra we have to gird our loins for an economic bloodbath. Not only will 12,000 public service jobs disappear, but Prime Minister Tony Abbott has promised to transfer at least one department holus-bolus out of the city, probably to the NSW Central Coast.

And since the Senate will prevent him from abolishing the emissions trading scheme and enacting his ridiculous Direct Action program; his party will delay his unfair paid parental

As we gird our loins for an economic bloodbath, it seems incoming PM Tony Abbott’s anti-Canberra policies will be the signature tune of his first 100 days, warns ROBERT MACKLIN

leave scheme; and Labor seems already to have “stopped the boats”; his anti-Canberra policies will be the signature tune of his first 100 days.

The only saving grace for Canberrans is that tumbling house prices will allow some young people to buy their first home and as the Australian economy deteriorates low interest rates will cushion their mortgage repayments.

On the Labor side, I expect Kevin Rudd to announce his retirement from the Parliament after a decent interval and for the party, at last,

to put its internal brawling behind it.

In fact, the biggest plus for Labor would be the election of the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to the Opposition leadership.

While he is not particularly well known in the broader community, anyone who watches Parliament regularly knows him to be one of the best performers at the Despatch Box, a highly competent manager of government business and a doughty fighter for the underdog.

He is from the NSW left so unencumbered by association with the corrupt thugs of the right. This makes him the perfect bloke to push through the reforms Rudd initiated there. He’s a Sydneysider and that’s where Labor needs to remake its brand, particularly in the western suburbs – Albo is just the man for it. And he is popular with his caucus colleagues. Indeed, he was the one trusted bridge between the warring factions of Rudd and Gillard.

But more important than all that, he is a thoroughly nice bloke and in no time at all this will shine through to the wider electorate. Indeed, I believe he has the capacity to become a modern day Ben Chifley.

The difficult choice will be deputy. I think Tanya Plibersek or Chris Bowen would be

excellent, but they are both from NSW. There will be a big push for Bill Shorten from Victoria, but he has leadership ambitions himself and that could be destabilising.

Kevin Rudd’s departure will come as a huge relief to the caucus. He was always a divisive figure and they will give him a heartfelt send-off. However this month he will turn 56 and that’s far too young to retire. Indeed, it’s not in his nature. I expect him to find a number of academic positions and, provided his health holds out, to accept prestigious tasks from his friends at the UN headquarters.

But his like will not be seen again… or so his party fervently hopes.

www.robertmacklin.com

Rich rewards of the three worst years

Those responsible for the worst years in Australian political history have been rewarded, writes MICHAEL MOORE.

THE last three years have changed the face of Australian politics. There will probably never be a return to the “kinder, gentler polity” that then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called for in August 2010.

Some blame minority government, but this is nonsense – effective minority governments remain common across Australian jurisdictions. The blame lies squarely with just two people.

Despite his 2010 call, Tony Abbott was swept up in the international ultra-conservative movement largely led by the Tea Party in the US, where the formula is simple – oppose everything! The aim is clear and simple, make anything but the conservatives look incompetent, particularly in matters financial. Ensure governments achieve as little as possible so that when the conservatives return to power they can build a community in their own image.

The partner in delivering the worst years of Australian politics was rewarded in the short term by being returned to the prime ministership. While Abbott was busy running a negative agenda in opposition he was supported indirectly but effectively by Kevin Rudd running a campaign undermining his own government from within.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard seemed plagued by controversy. How often did she appear to be on a winning move when a crisis from within Labor would suddenly loom large?

Gillard finally booted Craig Thomson from

Labor ranks. However, her legal background combined with her sense of justice and fair play allowed Labor to be hamstrung for months and months. Whenever an achievement was in the wind or a good news story, another element in the Thomson prostitute scandal would emerge. The level of detail could only have come from within the Labor movement.

I suspect that history will eventually recognise that the bright light in the whole sorry scenario of the last term of government was the ability of Gillard to deliver so much of an agenda based on social justice principles with the support of rural independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott

and, at least until her mistake over poker machines, the support of Andrew Wilkie.

Gillard understood that the independents would stick to their commitment of considering the merits issue by issue and would vote accordingly. Abbott did not care. He had the golden opportunity to operate at least partially constructively by winning the support of some of the independents for implementing policy change. It is not as though Windsor, Oakeshott and Katter were philosophically on a different page from the Abbott Opposition. But this was not part of his negative campaign plan.

Underlying this whole sad saga is the narcissist belief of the two men that they should be “Presi-

dent” of Australia. A Prime Minister answers to a parliament. Julia Gillard illustrated her clear understanding of the concept through her management of the minority government. In contrast, a directly elected President in a US-style democracy negotiates with a parliament. This belief has been clarified during the election campaign when Abbott declared he would not serve as Prime Minister in a minority government. He also argued that the Senate would have no right to reject his mandate to abolish the carbon tax. Both statements fly in the face of Australian democracy.

The actions of two men accelerated the concentration of power in Australian politics as they sought, effectively, a three-year dictatorship. However, this would not have been possible without their simpering supporters within the two major parties and a complicit media.

This new phase of Australian democracy has a prime minister more beholden than ever before to Rupert Murdoch and his concentration of media outlets. The impact was no clearer than in the swinging seats of western Sydney and Queensland. There was never a more blatant partisan campaign in the media than the one Murdoch ran in this election.

It has been a rough three years in Australian political history where the worst sort of political behaviour has been rewarded. The standards have been set. It is difficult to foresee circumstances in which the downward spiral will be reversed.

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

naturally.

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briefly sport

A stadium costs, so who coughs?

The proposed City to the Lake concept has the potential to transform the use of sporting facilities in Canberra, but TIM GAVEL ponders the question of how it will be funded.

WHERE will the funding for the City to the Lake plan’s indoor stadium, to be built on the site of the Civic Olympic swimming pool, come from?

The plan is that it will be used by the Brumbies, Raiders, potentially an A League team, and quite possibly Canberra United in the W League.

A new aquatic centre will be constructed at the west basin as part of a recreation precinct.

Funding the indoor stadium, which could cost in the vicinity of $300 million, is entirely feasible if there is a mix of government and private enterprise.

There was a rumour that an approach had been made to build a new casino closer to the lake to help fund the City to the Lake project. Sports Minister Andrew Barr said it was news to him.

I can envisage sports medicine clinics setting up shop at the new stadium; sports stores, bars and restaurants are obvious business possibilities.

If it’s used as a year-round venue it would become more attractive to a potential naming-rights sponsor and the funding model becomes clearer.

With the stadium being an indoor complex, it could also host trade expos and concerts.

It’s reasonably obvious there is a philosophical push by Barr for sport to be more sustainable and less reliant on government funding.

There are plans to have businesses established at Manuka Oval as part of its redevelopment, with the ground opening up to the Manuka shopping precinct.

If GWS can attract bigger crowds and more corporate support there will be less reliance on the ACT Government to fill the funding shortfall.

The Brumbies are a case in point, with the capital raised from the sale of their Griffith site facilitating the move to the University of Canberra with financial assistance from the ACT Government and the university. But with money in the bank

City to the Lake plan... transformative.

it makes the Brumbies less reliant on the Government.

The Raiders are also seeking to redevelop on the site of one of their licensed clubs at Braddon.

I wouldn’t be surprised if other sporting clubs with land not being used for sport attempt to sell to developers or redevelop it themselves, although this can be fraught with danger.

For as long as I can remember, there has been a plan to sell parts of Southwell Park in Lyneham to developers to raise capital, but that appears to be on the back burner following the discovery of asbestos at the site.

Another question is: What happens to Canberra Stadium when the new stadium is built?

Canberra Stadium is owned by the Commonwealth; it could be demolished and sold off to developers.

Given the current direction of the Sports Commission with sports’ organisations taking over programs, the need for further development at the AIS appears highly unlikely. Perhaps they could build a velodrome on the site?

The one thing that is becoming increasingly apparent is that current ACT Government funding of all our national sporting teams is not sustainable and there is a push for more sports to function with more independence. Some sports are heading in that direction, others have a long way to go.

Do you know what your obligations are under the ACT’s new retirement village regulations? Come along to the ACT Property Council’s first retirement living event and find out all you need to know. There’ll also be a presentation on the benefits of participating in the retirement living industry’s new accreditation scheme, the Lifemark Village Scheme.

Join us after the presentation for a site inspection of Bellerive Village, followed by opportunities to network with fellow retirement living professionals.

Date: Tuesday 24 September 3:00pm – 5:30pm

Location: Bellerive Village, 15 Burnie Street, Lyons

Members: $60 Non – Members: $80

Contact: Rebecca Scott

Save the night

THE ACT council of the international charity Save the Children is hosting a “Red & White” gala fundraising dinner at the National Press Club on Saturday, September 21. Beyond top food, wine and dancing to DJ Vinn Lalor, organisers promise an array of fabulous auction items (including a weekend driving a BMW 650i, joy flights, rugby jumpers and a table at the soon-to-be-opened Jamie Oliver restaurant). Tickets are $150 and bookings to npc.org. au/membership/membersevents/save-thechildren-gala-dinner

Legs for lymphoma

THE community is invited to join in the three-kilometre Legs Out for Lymphoma walk from the Peace Park (National Library, Lake Burley Griffin) to Federation Mall on the lawns of Parliament House, 1.30pm, on Sunday, September 15. Hosted by Lymphoma Australia and sponsored by local photographer and lymphoma survivor Diana Icasate, the walk is an opportunity to raise awareness to remember those who have succumbed to lymphoma and bring hope to finding a cure. Registrations to canberrawalkforlymphomaaustralia. gofundraise.com.au/

Love the skin

“LOVE The Skin You’re In; Fabulous after-40 Workshop” is a seminar offering an insight into the style challenges faced by women in their 40s, 50s and 60s and how an image consultant can take them from frumpy to funky. At The Hub, Canberra Centre, 1pm-3pm, on September 14. More information from jane@styledge.com.au

Pitching for cash

FIVE local charities will share in $2000 donated by Majura Park Shopping Centre with shoppers deciding how the donation will be divided up between them. Anglicare, Camp Quality, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society and St Vincent de Paul will set up stalls each weekend during September outside Woolworths to help promote their causes, meet customers, raise funds, and sell merchandise.

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The art of effortless

Home-grown veggies are first up on the Floriade menu, with most of the first week to focus on ways to be more self-sufficient in the city, and the many good reasons for doing so, writes

EASTON

AS sustainability becomes a more mainstream value, a lot of people are turning to the ideas of permaculture, which basically means they’re setting up miniature organic farms in backyards or on balconies that produce heaps of food, but largely take care of themselves.

A huge array of ideas for producing food, collecting water and energy efficiency –even in tiny apartments – will be on display at Floriade in a special demonstration garden built by a consortium of 14 community-based organisations from Canberra and nearby regions called Urban Agriculture Australia.

Trish McEwan and Martyn Noakes are members of several of those organisations, including Canberra City Farm, a project to build a place much like the Floriade display, only permanent.

Martyn says the ongoing City Farm project was too big for the small group of initial members to do alone, “so it was better to get together a mixture of community groups who share in the same sort of goals and ideals”.

“Things like social justice and community-building are parts of permaculture, too; a lot of people think it’s just

gardening, but it’s way more than that,” he says, adding that the Floriade permaculture garden will be a good way to share the City Farm’s stated vision of a “Canberra regional community living in harmony with a viable and healthy local environment”.

Permaculture is a broad philosophy based on how natural ecosystems work as a complex web of different living parts like microorganisms, insects, animals and plants, all sharing energy from the sun and minerals from the Earth.

“It’s all about mimicking nature so that everything that’s happening is happening as it would in nature,” says Martyn, who has been applying the principles to his

farm near Bredbo for the past five years.

“It’s about trying to get these systems to just keep going themselves for the whole time and renewing themselves, and a lot of people struggle with that idea,” he says.

“The whole idea of the farm, or the backyard, is that it’s a single organism. It’s all part of one system and if you break it up and force it to do things it doesn’t naturally do, then it starts to break down and you have to start adding more inputs.”

Martyn says that when it’s done properly, the natural ecosystem of an ideal permaculture mini-farm will produce an abundance of food, although harsh winters are

gardening

still a challenge. Many crops can also be left to sow their own seeds, which will sprout of their own accord when the time is right in the next season.

“I was down at Brogo the other day with the guy who taught Trish and I, and he was showing me how his farm’s now at the stage where he doesn’t have to do anything except collect the fruit and vegetables – everything’s matured now,” he says, referring to permaculture guru John Champagne.

As an example from his own farm, Martyn explains that he and his wife keep pigs in the same area they grow carrots. He says that because they feed by digging in the soil, their stomach bacteria – and therefore their manure as well – is particularly good for root vegetables.

“So we put the pigs in, planted our carrots and got a fairly good crop, and we left a few of them to go to seed. Then the next year, we had a lawn of carrots. There were just carrots everywhere without us doing a thing, so we went orange from eating them, just about.”

They also pulled one out of the ground that weighed in at

a staggering 4.8kg, and Martyn says it tasted delicious, contrary to some expectations.

Trish, whose permaculture garden in O’Connor is a work in progress, is also striving for the same ideal of selfsustaining permaculture.

“I think that’s the thing – it’s a process and you’re constantly looking to your environment to teach you things about what’s happening,” she says.

“We’ve been here six years and we’re always looking at things in the garden to find out what works and what doesn’t work, and it’s good when you start seeing the garden doing things for you; things come up in different seasons and you haven’t had to plant them. Eventually you just kick back and enjoy the fruits.”

Floriade runs from September 14 to October 13 in Commonwealth Park. The Urban Agriculture Australia permaculture garden will be opposite the “Gourmet Garden” for the whole festival, and UAA members will make various presentations. See floriadeaustralia.com for more information.

Spring Permaculture Design Course

Learn

Emma basking in

Veteran jazz singer Emma Pask found herself ‘discovered’ all over again on the TV talent show ‘The Voice’. Here for the Floriade opening concert, she tells STEPHEN EASTON about this second burst of fame

NEXT March it will be 20 years since jazz singer Emma Pask got her big break at age 16, when trumpet maestro James Morrison invited her on stage at Kirrawee High School in southern Sydney, just hours after seeing her perform in the school band.

“As petrified as I was, I did it, and the rest is history,” she says. “A week after that, his manager called and I was on the road with the band.”

Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Making the most of the high-profile hornblower’s mentorship, Emma has become a highly sought-after performer in her own right over the past decade or so and earned a huge amount of respect among jazz

aficionados, including famous ones such as Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, who asked her to perform the bridal waltz at their 2006 wedding.

She’s sung with some of the world’s top orchestras and big bands, in front of massive audiences and for more than one princess – and she’s coming to Canberra this weekend to kick off Floriade.

“I am a flower fan, I have to admit,” says Emma. She also admits she’s not much good at gardening herself, but at least she’s coming to the right place to pick up some tips and, along with much of the city, she’s got her fingers crossed for sunny weather.

“Flowers, swinging jazz and sunshine? Sounds good to me.”

As well as the swing material she’s best known for, Emma says she might also throw in a couple of Latin tunes and re-worked versions of pop classics; family favourites such as Beatles songs, for a family event.

She’s sung at Floriade before, in 2008 with James Morrison, but this time it’ll just

be her own quartet, which is made up of “three of the most talented jazz musicians that the country has to offer”, she says.

“There’s the great Phil Stack on bass, Tim Firth on the drums and Kevin Hunt on the piano. They’re all fantastic guys, and great musicians.”

Stack is another accomplished jazz player who will be wielding a double bass on Stage 88 this weekend, but is perhaps better known to a pop music audience if described as “the bass player from Thirsty Merc”.

In a similar way, Emma says she connected with a whole new audience who barely knew her when she decided to place herself at the mercy of the pop star judges on TV talent show “The Voice”.

“I’ve loved getting messages on Facebook and emails from people all around the country and overseas,” she says.

“A lot of them have said: ‘We’ve never heard of you before,’ and you know yourself that you’ve been slugging it out and working for 20 years but,

fame’s new bloom

yeah, you definitely can’t reach everyone and going on a show like that is definitely a great way of being able to reach more

people, for sure.”

Some Emma Pask fans may disdain the idea of her being assessed by the likes of poppunk Joel Madden and latin hip-shaker Ricky Martin – who ended up asking her to sing on an upcoming album – but she values the experience, and in the end it was all about getting out of her comfort zone.

Along with a busy schedule of gigs all over the place, there’s a lot else on Pask’s plate at the moment, including more than one album she’s working on for Universal Records, which signed her earlier this year.

“I’ve got to kind of put my head down and get into the studio this month, and work on some stuff for some other exciting projects we’ve got coming up, so it’s definitely not a wind-down to the end of the year, it’s a rev-up and we’ve got lots of things in the pipeline,” she says.

Emma Pask and band are performing at the ANU School of Music’s Floriade Opening Concert, 12.30pm, Saturday, September 16, on Stage 88, Commonwealth Park.

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ExplorE some of AustrAliA’s nAtionAl trEAsurEs at the Australian War Memorial’s annual collection open day, Big Things in Store. See everything from AircrAft and rockEts to tAnks and ArtillEry. Meet Memorial curators and conservators to discover the stories behind these amazing objects. With a sAusAgE sizzlE and Exciting ActivitiEs for kids of all ages, it is a great day out for the whole family.

sunday 15 september, 10 am – 3 pm

treloar technology centre, 8 callan street, Mitchell Act

Entry by gold-coin donation

Friends of the Memorial receive express entry

Closed footwear is recommended. No large bags allowed. Please bring your camera – tripod and monopods permitted after 2.30 pm.

Canberra Confidential

Book award springs to life

CC’s hearing whispers of worry around the literature traps that the ACT Government, in the Centenary year of all times, is leaving it too late to present the 2013 ACT Book of the Year and two fellowships. It’s a question of timing, says CC’s literature mole. It seems almost too late for these programs to open for applications, considering literary awards take the best part of six months to open, assess, and announce.

Not (entirely) so! When prodded by CC, the minister’s man says the BoY will run as usual and, as if by magic, ArtsACT will have it underway within the next fortnight with the prize held at $10k and the presentation in December.

But the tasty two $45,000 fellowships have been chopped due, he says, to declining or unsuitable applications. A nice saving nevertheless.

Action, eventually

ACTION buses in the digital age: “Last night I put money on my MyWay card online, so it would be ready to use in the morning,” writes “Troubled” of Turner. “I foolishly believed it to be instant, but it takes five days to work! Is that not completely pointless in the digital age?”

Sign of disdain #2

A WEEK after walking out of a kebab shop because the cheap lunch advertised outside was not actually available, CC was enticed inside the relatively new Treehouse Bar at 32 Northbourne Avenue by the “$9 lunches” listed on the chalkboard outside. But not for long. The chalked-up meals weren’t actually available, the busy gentleman behind the bar explained, leaving his smartphone sitting there displaying a slightly less-appetising new menu as he rushed off. Another one for Fair Trading...

There’s a bear in there...

PYROGRAPHY, the curious and ancient art of tattooing wood with a small, hot-tipped pen, is quite the thing with the ACT Woodcraft Guild.

At its recent annual exhibition, Queanbeyan art teacher Shannon Henry was named the year’s club grand champion for her pyrographed bear on a piece of Blackwood Burl.

A pyrographer for only three years, Shannon took several months of delicate burning to create the bear, which she says “flowed from the figured pattern in the wood burl and an image of a bear I had seen”.

The Woodcraft Guild maintains a three-day workshop in the Lions Youth Haven, Kambah, and offers members opportunities to show and sell their woodcraft items. The next sales day is at the Governor-General’s Family Day, at Government House, on September 21.

Family ties that bind

IS this a first for local Rotary, the rather unglamorously titled District 9710, wonders the Gungahlin club? New inductee Geoff Windsor is the son of club member Liz Friend. A mother and son first, maybe, but the Canberra South club’s then president Mike Zarew inducted his daughter Natalie Johnson as a Rotarian a couple of years ago.

Exit to enter?

DIRECTION, one might think, would be a key competency at the Post Office. Not so, it seems, at the GPO on Alinga Street. Entry from the street to the post-office boxes has a big green button that says: “Press to exit”.

Cold comfort

AS spring sprung out in Forde last week, our local deep throat got his ActewAGL power bill and stuffed in the envelope was the familiar presence of its “Essentials” newsletter, the winter edition.

“It’s full of great information such as the ‘Winter home safety check’ and ‘Tips to reduce your bills’... There’s a write-up on ‘Canberra’s Big Day’ that they sponsored back in early March, and invitations to enter a number of competitions,” he reports.

“Well, I guess I won’t be winning a ‘Visit to the Canberra Glassworks’ or an ‘Enviro Escape’, but maybe I can still enter the annual “Postcards from Your Town” photography competition. Nope. That one closed three days ago. Sigh…”

Double Double Shot

THEY come, they go but is there to be a second coming for Deakin’s former Double Shot cafe? Its successor the Deakin Espresso Bar and Café, at the Deakin shops, has closed after barely a year, but there are window signs saying DS will be back “refreshed and ready with our new team”. In August last year, “CityNews” dining writer Wendy Johnson opined that former Prime Minister Alfred Deakin would be proud to sit at “a venue bearing his name, relaxing at a small place that concentrates on offering good food at decent prices”. But it wasn’t to be and the double Double Shot will be back next month.

scene / around canberra

10am to 2pm – Saturday 14 September

We would like to give you the chance to come and see some of what we do; help you meet some of our partners in community health; and also enjoy our celebration of being a part of your community.

• We will be running tours to the Calvary Mortuary, Endoscopy Unit and Operating Theatre

• You can meet our lizards and birds in Alastair’s Aviary

• Free Family Fun with live entertainment and the Gecko Gang

• The Calvary Learning & Development Team are demonstrating state-of-the-art patient simulated training

• Come on down and say hello!

For more information about this event, see news section of www.calvary-act.com.au

Cnr Belconnen Way and Haydon Drive, Bruce

arts & entertainment

Burning opera fires local memories

WE all know that opera excels at tragedy, but the Canberra bushfires? Isn’t that a bit close to home?

Not so far as The Street Theatre is concerned, as I found last year when I attended a “First Seen” presentation of writer Helen Nourse and composer Sandra France’s searing new opera, “From a Black Sky”. Set in Weston Creek, where Nourse lives, it focuses on the human dimensions of the fire – a fracturing marriage, a lesbian relationship, the question of whether to stay or to go as the birds drop from the sky and fire ravages the suburb.

“The subject is so embedded in Canberra’s living history that feedback was invaluable,” conductor and musical director of the work, David Kram, tells me by phone from Melbourne.

Kram is no novice. From his early professional years in Switzerland and Germany to his recent experience as musical director of Deborah Cheetham’s indigenous opera, “Pecan Summer”, he’s been at the forefront of new opera.

While working at the Victorian College of the Arts, he met and collaborated with Caroline Stacey, nowadays the director of The Street Theatre, and that partnership

Helen Musa reports

continued after she moved here, on the Griffin-inspired music theatre piece, “Capital”, by Fiona Fraser.

When it became clear that “From a Black Sky” would get up, Stacey was on the phone to Kram again, aware that he does his own orchestration and thinking it would be developmentally fruitful for France to work with him.

“It’s an incredible piece of music-drama, with interesting characters,” he tells me, “it will have a life beyond Canberra.”

He and Stacey have assembled a three-generational cast of adult opera singers, children from the Arawang Primary School Chorus and teenagers from Erindale College.

With Alan Hicks as “a strong concertmaster,” he also has orchestra leader Rowan Harvey Martin mentoring France, basically a guitarist and pianist, by helping her find “what works well for strings”.

His ensemble, augmented by woodwind, brass, piano and percussion, adds “incredible rhythm and musical variety” to what he stresses is not a neo-romantic opera, but rather melodious music that works “the same way The Beatles lifted pop music

ARTS PROJECTS AUSTRALIA PRESENTS

above the saccharine to a more universal level”.

“Audiences are most attuned to melody… and they will be able to hum the tunes in this work,” he says.

Kram’s task is made easier by the fact that the principals, David Rogers-Smith,

Rachael Duncan, Judith Dodsworth and Aboriginal opera singer Don Bemrose, are accomplished professionals who are enjoying the process.

So how will the music evoke the bushfires?

“It does it very well, but it doesn’t do it in

a blatant way,” Kram says.

“It’s not an opera about the bushfires, it’s an opera set against the background of the bushfires, showing how people behave and react in a city where it was said, ‘this could never happen’.”

“From a Black Sky”, Centenary of Canberra at The Street Theatre, September 20-22. Bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au

2-5 OCTOBER 2013

most enchanting work of stagecraft ever inspired by a movie

Gniog nwod eht plughole

By Helen Musa

WHAT and where on earth is Elohgulp?

Easy, it’s the world you go to when you disappear down the plughole. Elohgulp is “plughole” spelt backwards.

“Kids absolutely love all this wordplay,” Catherine Roach tells me. She’s the puppetry director for Jigsaw Theatre’s coming production of “Michael Francis Willoughby in Elohgulp”, so knows about the Assupods (soapsuds), the Gludse and all the other creatures 11-year-old Michael Francis Willoughby meets when he disappears beyond the S-bend.

If you’re a lucky parent or grandparent and get to see the show, you’ll be disappearing down the S-bend, too. That’s the only way you’ll get into the Courtyard Studio, which will be transformed into Elohgulp itself.

As well, John Shortis has composed music and Ian Blake has created a humorous soundscape in which gurgling water sounds blurt out at odd times.

Roach is a well-known Canberra director and part of the two-person “directorate” of Jigsaw that, in partnership with the Canberra Theatre Centre, now has an office there, from which it plans two shows a year in schools and one on the “main stage”.

Chris Thompson, the Melbourne

writer and director, is the other half of the directorate, of whom Roach says, “it’s fantastic working with new blood”.

Oddly, the main character Michael Francis Willoughby, who goes down the plughole with his good friend “Dirty Duck” (a bath duck), will be played by the only human actor, the tall, middle-30s Craig Higgs. “In Elohgulp space changes, the scale gets a bit topsy-turvy.”

The other grubby characters are puppets, manipulated by barb barnett, Raoul Craemer and Carolyn O’Brien under the expert eye of Roach, who has puppeteered for Company Skylark, Jigsaw and many other shows in Canberra.

All the Elohgulp puppets are

made of “stuff that could have been thrown down the drain” by Melbourne puppetry designer David Hope.

“The Assupods are made of silicone and bubbles, with tentacles like jelly fish, made of plastic, you can recognise the detritus,” she says. There’ll be push-along puppets, hand puppets like the Muppets, rod puppets and shadow puppets, working in what Roach calls “little islands of light,” with the puppets moving around the audience.

“Michael Francis Willoughby in Elohgulp ”, Courtyard Theatre, September 29-October 12, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Large following for short films

Helen Musa arts in the city

THE Canberra Short Film Festival turns 18 this weekend with a big finale on Sunday, September 15. This year’s competition has attracted more than 100 films from overseas and, says director Simon Weaving, “the national finalists are an extraordinary collection of films”. Many, he says, will showcase the next generation of Australian directors.

After running on Friday and Saturday, the festival winds up with a closing event featuring the “Best of the Best”, some surprise films, a short awards ceremony and a long party.

The 18th CSFF, Dendy Cinemas, full program at csff.com.au and bookings to 6221 8900 or dendy.com. au/Promotion/Canberra-Short-FilmFestival-2013

CONGRATULATIONS to Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre and Bradley Allen Love Lawyers, who won the SME Award at the 2013 Creative Partnerships Australia Awards function held last week in Sydney.

MARY French tells us that the ACT Storytellers Guild and the Spence Community Choir will present “September Stories”, an evening of stories and songs at NationsHeart Christian Community Centre, 27 Rae Street, Belconnen, 7pm-10pm, on September 20. Tickets at the door.

MATT Withers and Bradley Kunda, of Brew Guitar Duo, have just performed the world premiere of Kunda’s new composition, “Green Cauldron”, with William Barton, Anthony Garcia and Teije Hylkema, at the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music in north eastern NSW. Commissioned by the festival with help from ArtsNSW, it was written for two classical guitars, 12-string guitar, cello and didgeridoo.

TO mark the Chinese Moon Festival, the Chinese Conservatory Orchestra, which blends folk and opera, will perform at Llewellyn Hall on September 17. Bookings to 132 849 or ticketek.com.au

“LUMINESCENCE” is the newly-formed chamber choir led by Daniel Brinsmead. Its debut of music “inspired by the night with songs of stars, seduction and sleep”

will be part of Wesley Music Centre’s “Wednesday Lunchtime Live” series, 12.40pm-1.20pm, on September 18. Paper note entry or concession $2. No bookings.

QUEANBEYAN Art Society is gearing up for its sixth annual Charity Fine Art Show, to be exhibited in City Walk, Civic, from 12.15pm, September 21-September 29. All welcome.

ENTRIES from local artists over the age of 25 to the Tuggeranong Arts Centre Capital Chemist Art Award are due in by October 1. As well as the main prize of $2000, this year Capital Chemist will sponsor an additional $500 award for a Centenary-themed art work and Aarwun Gallery will offer a $250 voucher in the People’s Choice Award. The presentations will take place in the centre’s newly refurbished exhibition spaces. Entry details from narelle.phillips@ tuggeranongarts.com.au

arts & entertainment

Cliches down ‘White House’

Dougal Macdonald

WHEN people ask me what is the worst film I’ve ever seen, you might expect trawling more than 10,000 titles through my brain to take some time.

Most fundamentally awful films have some redeeming feature. But answering the question is in fact a snap.

My worst film is “Independence Day”, directed by German-born Roland Emmerich in 1996. It’s mindless, packed with cliches, jingoism, contrived violence and a subterranean credibility level. The South African film “District 9” deals with a similar theme far better.

James Vanderbilt has given Emmerich a screenplay for “White House Down” that might have a possibility in reality. It proposes that a team of military veterans has evaded all the protective systems around the US President. As the film progresses, two reasons emerge. The front-line troops are rabid right-wingers for whom small-“l” liberal African-American President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) is a disaster in progress for the nation’s future. Their commander (that status takes time to emerge) is a highlyplaced inside man seeking retribution for the death of his son in a botched clandestine security operation.

Arrayed against this danger is US Army veteran John Cale (Channing Tatum), anxious to join the Presidential protection detail of the Secret Service. His marriage is busted, but he loves his daughter who’s a mine of White House trivia and overjoyed to have been given a pass to join a tour of the building. The full force of the US armed services may be outside the fence around 1600

Channing Tatum, left, and Jamie Foxx in “White House Down”.

Pennsylvania Avenue but they can’t move in without Presidential approval.

Emmerich and a big special effects team make this plot work hard against some fundamental realities of American government and other implausibilities.

The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution becomes a major player. The attackers carry those marvellous Hollywood firearms that need no reloading. Cliches of the adventure genre get an airing that does the film little honour.

While “White House Down” doesn’t displace “Independence Day” on my list of unworthy movies, its actioner values are more ephemeral than rousing.

At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight

Strange and alluring

“Kynic (2013 Histology slide, paint, pencil, paper, urine)” is the detritus from Benjamin Forster’s failed experiment at SymbioticA Laboratories in the University of WA to produce a cell containing both human and canine DNA.

Curator David Broker says Forster was looking for “an allegorical totem that reflects an ‘ideal position’ for contemporary artists and scientists” and the double-barrelled “Science Fiction” is full of such strange and alluring propositions.

Forster also examines advertising’s pseudo-science in “Knowledge, Intermediate, You (Considering Serres)” Forster’s deconstructed LCD screen, which plays various hair, body and cleaning product commercials, is lit from behind with a single domestic light bulb.

Erica Seccombe has collaborated with Prof Tim Senden and Dr Ajay Limaye from the ANU Department of Applied Mathematics to turn the sweet little Garden Slater (or rough

visual art

“Science Fiction: Monster, Erica Seccombe. Kynic, Benjamin Forster”

At CCAS, Gorman House, until November 29.

Reviewed by Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak

woodlouse) into the “Monster” of the exhibition’s title using 3D data and digital visualisation.

The creepy “Modern Prometheus (After Shelley)” [the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”] is made up of 3D paper models of enlarged crustaceans and “exoskeletons”.

In the largely darkened gallery, the Slater’s body parts emit a strange glow. This work is weirdly menacing, posing the unanswered question of just what might these body parts be used for.

Seccombe’s 3D video work

“Monster (Sattva)” (2013), enlarges the Slater to gigantic proportions, hinting at ‘50s sci-fi films and the horror of mad, failed experiments.

THIS tale of high-stakes corporate deception falls short of its potential.

Directed by Australian Robert Luketic, its screenplay, the second for each of Jason Dean Hall and Barry Levy and their first co-operation, unfolds in the high-stakes game of IT innovation.

Liam Hemsworth plays Adam, a nerd with ideas but no funds for their development. Gary Oldman plays Wyatt, head of an IT firm with funds but no new product to fertilise growth. Harrison Ford plays Goddard, once a partner with Wyatt, now heading a firm with a novel idea in need of a whiz-kid to implement it.

Wyatt recruits Adam to get a job with Goddard and spy on development of the new idea. By coincidence (don’t you just love coincidence?) Goddard’s marketing guru Emma (Amber Heard) has turfed Adam out of her bed after a one-night stand. On closer examination, Emma turns out to be a whey-and-water proposition whose post as marketing manager in a big corporation is hard to take seriously. So is her romance with Adam after she reverses her original rejection of him.

A more interesting romance would have been between Adam and Wyatt’s tough PA Judith (Embeth Davidtz), whose bedroom potential never gets explored, thereby missing an opportunity to drive a somewhat listless plot in a different direction from its techie razzle-dazzle industrial espionage theme.

Bottom line? Two dramatic threads, neither given scope to build enough conflict or tension to energise the film to its full potential.

At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight

Family Dinner Special

arts & entertainment Ley

“Home at the End”

By Duncan Ley, directed by Jarrad West

Everyman Theatre and Canberra Theatre Centre

Until September 14

Reviewed by Joe Woodward

ONLY a very confident playwright could write a play with the depth of humanity, insight and complexity of “Home at the End”.

Duncan Ley demonstrates his extraordinary skills with a text that is rich in dialogue and theatrical devices.

Jarrad West’s direction ensures its realisation on stage with deft pacing of dramatic scenes balanced with the lightness of sharp, commedia-inspired ensemble work assisted by movement coach Amy Fitzpatrick.

Everyman Theatre once again displays the great advantage of being a theatrical team that has honed its collaborative skills over considerable time.

Isaac Reilly’s understated performance captured a deep sense of humanity and ultimate tragedy. Helen McFarlane drew upon multi-facets of a most endearing character; utilising her extensive comedy and music performance skills. High level performances were achieved by all cast members including: Jordan Best, Geoffrey Borny, Laura Dawson, Duncan Driver, Amy Dunham, Alice Ferguson, Will Huang and Chris Zuber. The use of a puppet to represent a child was effectively integrated into the style and structure of the play.

In some respects, the production defies categorisation.

There are echoes of Dennis Potter’s “The Singing Detective” in its structure; blending 1950s social realism with highly theatrical story-telling and chorus work. While the earlier story sequences seemed to lose relevance for moments and could be sharpened to link more obviously into the main plot line, they provided highly entertaining movement and choral work.

“Home at the End” provides an enriching and rewarding theatrical experience of quality writing and presentation on all levels.

Pumping, but at a pleasant pace

I HADN’T been to Pulp Kitchen for yonks… since before new management took over with Daniel Giordani at the helm.

This new crew has just picked up its first “chef’s hat” rating from “The Sydney Morning Herald”, following fast on the heels of being named one of Canberra’s top 10 dining establishments in “Gourmet Traveller” magazine’s 2014 Australian restaurant guide. So it’s all happening at this European brasserie at Ainslie shops.

We popped by for brunch, and the place was pumping, but at a pleasant pace. If you adore a leisurely start to a Saturday or Sunday, you can comfortably hang out at Pulp Kitchen sipping on a coffee or hot chocolate in a cup or massive bowl.

Many brunch dishes come in small or regular size, which is a nice touch. You can enjoy something simple such as a fresh croissant ($4.50) or heartier fare, with many dishes super rich but super tasty.

The Cotechino sausage, which enjoys cult status in Italy, with soft fried egg and Gruyere Bechamel on toast ($10 small; $19 regular), tickled my fancy, but my friend selected it first.

Once she got stuck into it and discovered the creamy Swiss cow’s milk cheese, she started to grin. The sausage was sensational and she would order this dish again. Or would she? Why, you ask? She ended up with food envy, wishing she had ordered my choice, the “Breakfast Raclette” ($10 small; $19 regular). It was created with bacon (loads of), potatoes and spinach in béchamel

Wendy Johnson dining

sauce and melted Raclette cheese. Truly “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”, but worth every bite. This semi-firm, cow’s milk cheese is perfect for melting and melt away it did. No boring toast for me at brunch.

Other options that caught our attention were savoury granola (puffed, wild rice toasted in honey and spices) with poached egg, smoked ham hock and cheese ($9 small; $16 regular) and pulled pork in tomato braised beans, with baked egg ($18, one size only). And for those who really want to dig in, the Farmhouse breakfast offers everything but the kitchen sink ($22).

The service at Pulp Kitchen is friendly and was somewhat efficient on our visit. However, I had a moment with my coffee. It was spilled while being delivered to the table and arrived with my cup sitting in a pool of coffee.

No problem, but I had to ask for the obvious – a tidy up. Instead of efficiently substituting my dirty saucer with a clean one, the staff member mopped up the spilled coffee at the table. Not the end of the world, but a bit awkward and strange behaviour for a one-hat restaurant.

Pulp Kitchen, Ainslie Shops. 6257 4334. Brunch Saturday and Sunday. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Wednesday to Friday.

Lucky ticket winners...

WINNERS of the “CityNews” six double passes to see the China Conservatory at Llewellyn Hall on Tuesday, September 17 are: Raelene Dikmans, of Fraser; Tara Powell, Isabella Plains; Che Lee, Manuka; Yuk Lau, Amaroo; Debra Speldewinde, Holder and Troy Simpson, Fraser.

AND entries are closing soon to win one of the three complete boxed sets of the BBC hit political comedy “The Thick of It”. Entries to citynews.com.au/win

Creating Sustainable Gardens

Glenbog Nursery and Landscaping

The Canberra region’s largest range of locally-grown plants – grown on site for local conditions.

• growers of drought tolerant and frost resistant plants

• new garden creations and garden makeovers

• sustainable garden design and advice

• providing a value for money solution

gardening Practical and possible

IN this garden page, I like to feature practical garden ideas, not just lots of pretty flower pictures.

Cedric Bryant gardening

Nursery open 9am to 5pm Wed to Fri 10am to 4pm Weekends.

314 Plummers Rd, Burra NSW 2620 (20 minutes from Queanbeyan) Ph. 0402 024 204 – 0408 119 160

glenbog@skymesh.com.au

We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow.

So here’s a simple idea for raising plants from seed that is considerably cheaper than buying punnets and doubles as a practical learning experience for children.

I use polystyrene containers from our local supermarket to make into perfect seed-raising boxes that provide thick insulation so seedlings can be started off earlier.

include the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia, the nation’s leading organic certifier offering certification both here and overseas.

content encourages strong root growth without which you will not get good, big healthy tomatoes and other veggies.

In the illustrated example, the box has holes in its base for drainage and gaps in the sides at the top. This allows for good ventilation.

It can be covered by Perspex, which is safer than glass. And shadecloth can be used on hot days of full sun.

ORGANIC fertilisers, rather than chemical fertilisers, are absolutely vital in this age of all things synthetic.

Three years ago the Standards Association of Australia introduced Australian Standard AS 6000 for organic and bio-dynamic products. If companies state their products are truly organic they should comply with this standard. In addition, there are existing organic standards certifier organisations that are, I understand, acceptable to the Federal standard. These

There is also Organic Gardening, originally known as Biological Farmers of Australia (the name change reflects more the natural products they certify).

Don’t be misled with the name “farmers” in their title as this certification equally applies to agriculture and horticulture, from commercial growers to the home gardener.

The important distinction to remember when buying products is to look for “certified” organic, not just organic.

Companies producing fertiliser do not necessarily have all their products labelled as “certified” organic. For example, if chook poo pellets come from battery hens, they cannot be classed as “certified organic”. Whereas from free range hens fed with natural feed, they can be certified as organic.

I always encourage gardeners to use certified fertilisers, with two examples being Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient, certified as organic by the NASAA, and Neutrog Seamungus and Seamungus Crumble by Organic Gardening.

WITH the tomato-growing season looming fast, here are two useful products.

Firstly, Maxicrop has introduced its tomato and vegetable fertiliser, especially formulated with seaweed and other nutrients. The seaweed

The second product, one of the best things since sliced bread, is not new, but the Velcro Tomato and Plant Tie may be unfamiliar to many people. This tie, or rather a tape, can be used over and over again and will not rot.

I have used it for tying and training every plant on wires from clematis to star jasmine and climbing roses.

Both these products should be readily available from local garden centres.

Goodbye woollies, hello spring garden

THE pullovers are off and so is everything growing in the garden:

• When planting trees and shrubs remove about a third of the potting mix so some of the roots are in direct contact with the new soil.

• When dividing clumpy plants such as grasses or Agapanthus run a dripping hose on the root ball for a couple of hours to loosen the soil and make it easier to dig up and divide.

• Do not tie up daffodil leaves after flowering as this affects the nutrient returning to the bulb. Cut off old leaves six weeks after flowering.

• If you have trees growing in lawn keep whippersnippers well away from the trunk – they are the perfect ring-barking machine!

Orchid show celebrates anniversaries

CANBERRA is hosting the South and West Regional Orchid Show and Conference this year, which will attract plants from as far away as Albury, Griffith and Wagga Wagga to the west, and on the south coast from Nowra to Bega.

The theme of the show is “Anniversaries”, to acknowledge the centenary of Canberra, the 175th anniversary of Queanbeyan and 30 years since the Orchid Society of Canberra was formed.

To accommodate the larger numbers of flowers, the show will be held at the Wesley Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, 9am-5pm, on Saturday, October 5, and noon-4.30pm on Sunday, October 6.

Orchids from commercial growers and local hobby growers will be on sale and there will also be demonstrations on repotting orchids and opportunities to talk to society members about orchid care.

Anyone wishing to learn more about orchids should register for the conference at canberraorchids.org. The $20 registration fee covers attendance at all sessions of the conference on Saturday, morning and afternoon tea, unlimited entry to the show and participation in the field trips on Sunday morning. More information at 6254 1119 or email orsoc@yahoo.com

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars / September 16-22 Across

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Pace yourself Rams, otherwise you’ll say or do something that you later regret. Remember there’s a fine line between making a smart snap decision … and a hasty blunder. Thursday’s Full Moon prompts you to behave in ways that are a mystery even to you. Issues from the past could also arise - perhaps contact with an old friend or the resurfacing of an unresolved issue.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

If you have set ideas about how the week should progress then the stars will turn your expectations upside down. Strive to be more flexible, as you learn to go with the Full Moon flow. For some attached Bulls, Venus and Saturn help stabilise a relationship that’s been on shaky ground. Looking for love? You may be attracted to someone who is much older … and wiser.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Expect the unexpected at work this week, as the Full Moon shakes up your career zone. When it comes to solving a professional problem or a domestic matter, don’t underestimate the power of imagination and creative visualisation to come up with a stunning solution. Be inspired by birthday great, the actress Lauren Bacall: “Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

The Full Moon gives you a welcome energy boost - but you may also feel like you’ve been blasted out of your comfort zone, as emotional confusion reigns. You’ll feel better if you talk about your intense feelings with a trusted friend. Plus strive to take things one day at a time. Travel is highlighted but you need to be flexible, as plans are likely to change at the last minute.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Calling all convivial Cats! With dynamic Mars charging through your sign (plus a Full Moon) it’s up to you to cheer up confused loved ones this week. But you must resist the temptation to over-spend, and use retail therapy as a form of entertaining escapism. Find less expensive ways to amuse yourself! When it comes to joint finances – have you got all the facts and figures?

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Those around you will have a dose of Full Moon Fever, so why not let your hair down and join the party? Don’t let fear of failure (and making mistakes) stop you from enjoying life to the max. It’s time to be an adventurous Virgo! Your motto for the moment is from Sophia Loren (born on September 20): “It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe.”

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Venus and Saturn shine a spotlight on your financial resources, and encourage you to stretch your dollar as far as it will go. If you have to make big ticket purchases, avoid ‘bargains’ and instead, look for classic products and quality workmanship that stand the test of time. Thursday’s Full Moon highlights issues involving health, diet, exercise and emotional wellbeing.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Have you been too busy to touch base with your nearest and dearest? The Full Moon encourages you to reconnect with loved ones in deep and meaningful ways (and don’t be surprised if they have some dramatic news to divulge!) But is a child, teenager or friend being 100% honest with you? Stand firm Scorpio - others are looking to you for strength, stability and sensitivity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians are restless souls. And, if you’re stuck indoors this week, you’ll drive everyone crazy with your impatient and impulsive ways (which are magnified by the feisty Full Moon). Channel your excess energy into professional projects, sport, exercise or outdoor activities. When it comes to money matters, smart saving now will lead to a larger nest egg in the future.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

The Full Moon urges you to be more mentally flexible, as you take the rough with the smooth and search for the subtleties within every situation. Your networking and multi-tasking skills shine on Saturday, when Pluto gives you a professional power-surge. But don’t overdo it Capricorn! Your confidence must be tempered with a touch of humility, and a willingness to learn.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Your spending patterns are erratic at the best of times. This week (with the Full Moon stirring up your money zones) avoid window shopping, and put your credit card out of reach! Instead, spend time nurturing your close relationships. Attached Aquarians – compromise will get you a lot further than fiery confrontation. Singles – love and work are lusciously linked.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

The coming week is sprinkled with confusion and illusion, as nebulous Neptune and the Full Moon light up your sign, and you may be affected by mood swings and self-delusion. But you can also expect creative inspiration and spiritual insights, as your inner muse blossoms. So it’s a fabulous time to write, paint, perform, play music, meditate, dance or sing up a storm. Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

1 Of which nationality was the composer, Bizet?

8 Which term describes plant sciences dealing with crops?

9 Name the delicacy from the roe of sturgeon

10 What is the more common term for phosphatidyl choline?

11 What do we call a sudden interruption to the supply of blood to the brain?

12 Which imperial measurement is 63,360 inches?

13 What is the course of an artificial satellite in space?

16 Name another term for the rung of a ladder, chair, etc

19 Which Nevada city is noted for quick and easy divorces?

21 What is a local operating division of a company, chain store or the like?

22 In which form of baseball does the pitcher deliver the ball underarm?

23 What describes a costume worn for a particular purpose?

24 Which long TV program solicits support for a charity?

25 Name a deep red transparent gem Down

2 Which nuclear device produces radioactive isotopes, etc?

3 What is the capital of Kenya?

4 Name the chief black section of New York City

5 The US calls them cell-phones. What do we Australians call them?

6 Name a division of the internal ear

7 Which is one of the most deadly poisons?

13 What describes the condition of being excessively fat?

14 Name the lofty granite mountain near Bright in Victoria

15 What is a compliment in acknowledgment of gratitude?

17 What do we call someone who betrays their country?

18 Which modified virus is used for preventive inoculation?

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When living in the UK, client Jamilla opened an account with a building society.

When this was taken over by a Spanish company, she was issued with shares, and recently it had a rights issue. She didn’t understand the paperwork and so did nothing and her bank account has been credited with $5 and she has been given two new shares. Confused about all this, she came to see me. When I asked if she knew what a rights issue is, she replied “not really”.

Wikipedia defines “a rights issue as being offered to all shareholders… and may be exercised in full or partially. The rights may either be transferable, allowing the shareholder to sell them privately, on the open market or not at all.

“A rights issue is generally made… on a ratio basis (e.g. one right for one share issued).”

In explaining her personal situation, I told Jamilla that because she received a number of rights, which she didn’t sell, the company converted some into shares leaving a balance, which it sold for $5. “You may have to pay some tax on the $5, but I cannot determine that until I see the final paperwork from the company,” I told her.

“I do have a couple of other concerns, Jamilla. It appears you have two separate holdings in this company. It would make sense to amalgamate them into one, which will make it easier to keep track of your portfolio.”

She agreed, but was uncertain about how to amalgamate the two holdings.

“If you contact the share registry, it will be easy to amalgamate the two share parcels,” I told her.

“It appears that you are in the dividend reinvestment plan, so you are issued with extra shares instead of receiving cash dividends.”

“When you have a small shareholding in a company, dividend reinvestment plans can be very ineffective cost-wise. Every time you are issued with shares, you have a new parcel for capita gains tax purposes.

“To put that in perspective if the company pays two dividends a year which you reinvest, you own the shares for 10 years and then sell, you will have 21 parcels of shares. The cost of preparing capital gains calculations could be anything up to $2000 regardless of the number of shares issued.”

Jamilla resolved to cancel the dividend reinvestment plan and thanked me for giving her a clearer idea of the process.”

If you require information on the tax implications of your share portfolio, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.