ON December 7, 15-year-old Josh Goyne will get on his bike on the side of Lake Ginninderra and pedal off on a 277-kilometre ride to Sydney.
“Basically, the whole idea of it is to raise money and awareness for stroke,” says Josh. “It’s all in honour of my grandfather, who’s just suffered his fifth stroke and he’s paralysed from the waist down now.”
The athletic Melba Copland Secondary School year 10 student is not a cyclist or a triathlete. He plays soccer and softball, and only discovered the joys of pedal power earlier this year, while visiting his grandfather, Barry, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland where he lives.
“I only started riding geared bikes about two weeks before I came up with the idea,” he says. “I was riding a BMX before that, but when I was up in Queensland I started riding a mountain bike around and it was pretty fun.”
He says going cycling helped him deal with the sadness he felt for his grandpa, who needs constant nursing care and will never walk around his farm again, and he was on the bike when he came up with something positive he could do.
“When I told him, he cried for about two minutes straight and wouldn’t stop hugging me, and he started asking if
Stephen Easton reports
there was any way I could film it for him,” says Josh.
So Barry could follow his progress, saving up for a GoPro digital camera was added to the long list of arrangements, but now a family friend has come up with a plan to help pay for it.
He’s also raising money selling discount tickets for Canberra’s champion baseball team, the Cavalry, who are letting him throw the first pitch of the game and do a lap of the field, on top of donating more prizes for him to raffle off. Canberra United women’s soccer team are also giving him similar opportunities and Pushy’s Bike Warehouse has loaned him one of the two bikes he needs.
Another thing Josh found when he started cycling was that it came naturally to him.
“The first training session, I did 35km in under an hour, so that was a good start, and I’m doing training rides every morning now.”
Josh is raising donations for the National Stroke Foundation, which funds research to help improve the lives of stroke survivors as well as educating the public on the signs and symptoms and how to lower the risk of
stroke by keeping the cardiovascular system in good health.
The Foundation’s CEO Dr Erin Lalor says there are about 420,000 stroke survivors in Australia, and the vast majority are not getting the care and assistance they need with daily living, due to “neglect by government and the lack of investment in stroke services”.
Josh plans to break up the challenge into three days of about 90km each, and is lining up people who have survived strokes and their loved ones to meet along the way.
The amount of effort he has put into organising the challenge himself – attracting sponsors, arranging fundraising opportunities, insurance and equipment and working out an agreement with the Foundation – is impressive for someone his age.
“I’m trying to be as self-sufficient as I can; the only thing dad’s getting involved in is driving the car up,” he says.
To support Josh, go to his Facebook page at facebook.com/stroke.awareness. ride.2013
Chocolate, no guilt
CANBERRA’S chocolate lovers are invited to attend an interactive raw-food workshop that teaches how to make guilt-free sweet treats that are gluten, grain, dairy and refined sugar-free, on Saturday November 23 or Sunday November 24, 11am-1pm at The Strathnairn Arts Association Woolshed, 90 Stockdill Drive, Holt. Tickets are $49 and bookings to info@strathnairn. com.au
Charity cards
NINE local charities – ACT Rescue & Foster, Lone Guides, Cancer Council, Sharing Places, Heart Foundation, Sids and Kids, Epilepsy, Canberra Legacy and Anglicare – will be selling Christmas cards and calendars (Monday-Saturday, 10am-3.30pm) at Wanniassa Shopping Centre and the Good Guys Tuggeranong Hyperdome from Monday, November 4 until Friday, December 20.
‘Miracle’ picnic
THE inaugural ACT Miracle Babies Annual Picnic will be held at Weston Park, Yarralumla, 11am-2pm, on Sunday, November 3. Organisers say it gives families of premature and sick newborns the chance to connect together and reunite with staff to celebrate their “miracle babies”. Families will be entertained by face painting, children’s entertainment, alpacas, a jumping castle, fire truck, arts and craft and a barbecue.
Teen cyclist Josh Goyne… “I only started riding geared bikes about two weeks before I came up with the idea.”
Photo by Brent McDonald
Rise and rise of the (grid)iron men
WHEN Grant and Kat Clark were pressed to name their newborn son, the word “Dallas” was never too far from their minds.
A gridiron fanatic, Grant says his beloved team, the Dallas Cowboys, weren’t the sole reason behind the name of his now 18-month-old son, Dallas – but they definitely played a part.
For the past six years, the Charnwood resident has been the linebacker for the Centurions, a Canberra-based gridiron team launched in 2007.
“I’ve always loved watching gridiron, it’s a thinking sport… it’s not just a ‘run-get-tackled’ game, and I liked that conception of it,” Grant says.
Centurions president Peter Lilley says gridiron is becoming increasingly popular in Canberra thanks to easier viewing access on the internet and Foxtel, and heavier promotion of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Centurions have two teams in the ACT Gridiron League, seniors (18s and over), juniors (14 - 17), and are currently in the process of developing a women’s team, The Diamonds.
“I would say gridiron first started to grow here in Canberra in the 1990s, but in the past year interest has just skyrocketed,” says Peter.
“So far, our juniors have won three championships and our seniors have made the semi-finals, and most players
Laura Edwards reports
start with no experience at all.
“With the women’s team... we decided to hold a meet and greet, expecting only a couple of people to turn up, but about 10 girls turned up and now we’re in the process of recruiting for a team of seven.”
Peter, 40, says he fell in love with gridiron back in college thanks to famed NFL commentator Don Lane.
“That was in 1990 and in those days there was no Foxtel or internet, but they had Don’s Monday night football broadcast on the ABC,” Peter says.
“Not long after that the school I was attending, Erindale College, started up a gridiron team and I was asked to join. I was actually playing up until recently, but once I turned 40 my body couldn’t take the hits anymore!”
Predominantly played in North America, gridiron developed in the late 19th century, and is distinguished from other football codes by its use of helmets and shoulder pads, forward passes, the ability to score points while not in possession of the ball, and the ball itself –distinctively coated in brown leather, in the shape of a prolate spheroid.
Peter describes the sport as “one giant game of chess”.
He says the crowds are gradually growing at the junior and senior teams’ home stadium in Greenway.
“Soon we’ll be introducing Friday night lights for the senior team, so there will be DJs and a commentator –we’re trying to jazz it up a bit,” he says. An open day/meet and greet for the women’s team will be held at 5pm on Sun-
day, November 3 at the corner of Captain Cook Crescent and Sturt Avenue, Narrabundah. RSVP to diamondsgridiron@ hotmail.com
More information and game rosters at centurionsgridiron.com
Open for art
LAVENDER Art Studios, first floor, 42 Townsend Street, Phillip, is hosting an open day, 10am-5pm, on Saturday, November 2, to highlight its art classes aimed at the beginner through to the confident artist. More information at 6292 6339 and lavenderartstudios.com.au
Birthday sounds
ARTSOUND 92.7/90.3 FM marks its 30th birthday with a radiothon fundraising and membership drive, starting on November 1 and culminating in an open day party and fair, 10am-3pm, on Sunday, November 10. Call the office on 6259 7444 or visit artsound.fm/radiothon-info/
Mature fashion
QUOTA International, a group of Canberra women who have been working locally for more than 50 years in support of projects for disadvantaged women and children, is hosting a fashion parade for the mature lady at IRT/Kangara Waters Retirement Village, Belconnen, 1.30pm, on November 10. The parade will assist the Shepherd Centre ACT. Tickets at $15 include afternoon tea. RSVPs to 6262 3317 or 6238 2612 by November 2.
Trivia for wishes
CANBERRA’S volunteer branch of MakeA-Wish Australia is holding a trivia night to raise funds for granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions at the Belconnen Labor Club, 7pm, on Friday, November 22. Tickets are $20 from 0411 371 789 or jamesandtherese@hotmail.com
Gridiron fanatic Grant Clark and son Dallas… “It’s a thinking sport… it’s not just a ‘runget-tackled’ game,” says Grant.
Photo by Andrew Campbell
Foster care group folds
By Laura Edwards
THE decision to close foster care program Galilee was “not influenced” by the program’s previous bullying claims, says Communities@ Work CEO Lynne Harwood.
Ms Harwood revealed this week the 25-year-old foster care program, which is partly funded by the Government, would close on December 6 in a “strategic move to focus on other programs”.
She confirmed some of the 20 staff currently employed by the program would be made redundant, but “as few as possible”.
“The decision to close the program was not taken lightly, but we had started reviewing our programs and it was really down to making them all viable and strategically looking at how we are using our resources moving forward,” Ms Harwood says.
when you’ve got two larger agencies [Barnardos and Marymead] in Canberra whose main focus is to do those jobs, whereas we have 100 different programs.”
“At the end of the day we were putting in $100,000 to this program ourselves each year, and it was costing us much more to run. We’re just too small and foster care isn’t an area you grow in, especially
Ms Harwood says the program’s 25 children and their carers would all be transferred to foster care agencies Barnardos and Marymead, while staff would either be re-deployed within Communities@Work, Barnardos or Marymead, with any remaining staff to be made redundant.
“The truth is, we started reviewing the program’s viability before all the allegations started so it wasn’t at all to do with that, it would have happened either way,” Ms Harwood says.
“We were given access to the texts and emails this exemployee had been sending people to get on her bandwagon, to ex-staff of Galilee and ex-carers, by those staff and carers themselves. I believe like-minded people attract each other and when you find a common enemy, someone gives you a script and says do this and do that.
“What happened last year could happen to anybody, if you have a disgruntled person who has the intentions and the skills to run amok, they will do it.”
Ms Harwood says the money left from the closure will be used to fund Communities@ Work’s other programs, most of which are not Government funded.
She denies the program had a “culture of bullying”, as alleged by previous carers and reported by “CityNews” in August last year, saying the allegations are the “work of one disgruntled former employee” and are in no way related to the closure of the program.
Lynne Harwood… Galilee “too small”.
At Songland Records
Meet two Australian music legends, get a photo and purchase an autographed copy of their new Greatest Hits CD: “The Story of Sharky and The Caddman” (featuring: ”Little Ray of Sunshine”, “Arkansas Grass”, “Help is on its Way”, “Reminiscing”).
Where: Songland Records, Cooleman Court
When: Thursday 9 November
Time: 3.00pm (but be early!)
Get ready for Cup fun and fashion
LAURA EDWARDS
previews
Melbourne Cup day in Canberra
YEAR after year, there’s something decidedly alluring about the Melbourne Cup; from the sleek horses and glamorous racegoers to the glorious turn in weather, heralding the start of another racing season.
Figures from betting agency ACTTAB show on last year’s Cup day, Canberra punters spent just under $2.2m on bets.
“We’re expecting to eclipse that amount this year and see some growth,” says an ACTTAB spokesperson.
As thousands of people crowd the city’s restaurants, pubs and clubs for lunch and to watch the running of the Cup, so thousands more gather – as they have for more than 50 years – at Thoroughbred Park to celebrate the race that stops the nation, and marketing manager Briony Young says crowd numbers have “bolstered” in recent years.
“We’ve found that Melbourne Cup day has improved particularly on a corporate side, and this year, the popular Silks Room and Rich Reward Room were booked out months in advance,” Briony says.
“Last year, 7000 people attended the Cup.”
Briony says the most appealing part of spending Cup day on a racecourse is soaking up the atmosphere and social aspect.
“Take the glamour of beautiful ladies, the dapper gents in their suits and ties, add the energy of the horses, the colours of the jockey silks and the anticipation of a winning ticket – the racing is just an added bonus!” she says.
Another part of Melbourne Cup that is constantly evolving is the style stakes.
It’s estimated that in the lead-up to this year’s Melbourne Cup on November 5, Australian women will spend more than $50 million on fashion and beauty for the day.
Stylist Rebecca O’Reilly, of local millinery label Biretta and Busby, says this season women are “stepping away” from 1950s-style dresses and looking to sleek, fitted frocks that fall to the knee.
“It’s a nod to ‘Madmen’, where a fitted bodice and a bell skirt is very flattering, particularly with a cap sleeve,” Rebecca says.
By way of colour, Rebecca says it’s either crisp white or “total chaos”.
“There’s that gorgeous, clean white, which
Kate, left, wears a Forcast dress, $69.95 and Biretta and Busby peach hydrangea flower crown, $90 and Ariel wears a Lipsy dress, $119.95 and Biretta and Busby deep-blue silk abaca fascinator, $360.
is great for the warmer weather or at the other end of the spectrum, there’s bright, digital watercolour prints, but not a lot in between,” she says.
Pastels have joined last year’s jewel tones for millinery, says Rebecca, but if you’re not sure, go for flower crowns.
Melbourne Cup Day, Thoroughbred Park, November 5. Gates open at 9.30am.
Front cover: Ariel, left, wears ASOS singlet top, $30; Oxford skirt, $60; Olga Berg clutch, $110; and Biretta and Busby rainbow check fascinator, $260. Gloves are stylist’s own. Kate wears a Karen Millen dress, $400; Kate Hill wallet, $19.95; and Biretta and Busby flamingo disc with ostrich quill fascinator, $260. Clutch and gloves are stylist’s own.
Models: Ariel Ayers and Myer Face of Canberra Racing Kate Goodwin
Stylist: Rebecca O’Reilly, Biretta and Busby Make-up and hair: Zaija, Canberra City
Photographer: Brent McDonald
Who needs friends? I do!
By Sonya Fladun
FRIENDSHIPS really are important. Just ask any child. As soon as they venture out the front door to childcare, pre-school, primary and so on, their world revolves around friendships they make with their peers.
The ups and downs of these relationships often present kids with their best and worst days. With the teenage years, this all steps up another notch.
As young adults, our friendships are often paramount as we socialise, party, spend weekends and holidays with mates and look for a life partner.
But that can all change when we settle down and, all too often, friendships can be one of the many things that fall by the wayside as the demands of everyday life overwhelm new parents, especially in the early and demanding years of raising infants.
Parenting can be isolating. Increasingly, we fall back on a quick text or email to replace what once would have been a much more meaningful phone conversation.
Having friends who care about you and you really care about, is vital. Even with the advent of emoticons, it’s hard to know how a friend is travelling and what is going on with them unless you actually spend time together.
Moreover, being so caught up in family life that you never take the time to simply stop and have a chat over a coffee, can be detrimental to your mental health and well-being.
As a parent, I benefit from having a good mix of friends with and without children. Friends without children tend to remind you that you are more than a mum or dad. Conversely, friends with children are invaluable for the shared experience they give. Whatever the day-to-day demands of family life, it’s worth putting aside time to maintain and invest in friendships, and maintain a broad network of substantive relationships. After all, no man/woman or family is an island.
Maybe next time, don’t text or email your friend; give them a ring and make time for a cuppa.
for
Photo by Brent McDonald
MASSIVE OUTDOOR SALE furniture
Ainslie Pilates & Yoga Centre
INTRODUCTORY COURSES IN NOVEMBER
• Introduction to Stretch & Mobility a 3 week course
• Introduction to Pilates Circuit Class a 3 week course
Guest Speakers • Tea and coffee provided Enjoy an informative and eventful evening, talk to health professionals about falls prevention and osteoporosis to improve your strength, balance, fitness and health! Please help us plan and RSVP. Entry: Gold coin dontation
HELLENIC CLUB – MATILDA STREET, PHILLIP ACT
To RSVP please call 6288 4244 or email info@arthritisact.org.au
politics / same-sex marriage
Libs wimp debate on gay marriage
MICHAEL MOORE says the Canberra Liberals’ argument on gay marriage is just a cop-out.
“WE are Australia’s smallest parliament in a small jurisdiction” – too small, Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson would have us believe – to make decisions on issues such as gay marriage.
The ramifications go well beyond this wimpish approach to marriage equality. The stance should trick no one as being anything other than an opaque excuse not to participate in the vote on gay marriage.
better for her own reputation, better for the community, better for her party and for the Assembly if she had voted according to her conscience instead of being caught up in the pretence.
There was a second leg to the argument of convenience.
“We believe that this issue belongs in the Commonwealth Parliament. It is a Federal issue, and there are a wide range of sound legal opinions that support that position”, is how Mr Hanson started his speech in the Assembly.
“And consequently this legislation will be challenged in the High Court”.
When the phones light up, light up
Wow, says broadcaster MARK PARTON, hasn’t the town worked itself into a frenzy over same-sex marriage?
YOU should see the phones light up at the radio station whenever I mention same-sex marriage on air.
I’ve spoken to a gay man who really struggled to keep the tears away as he talked about he and his partner finally realising their dream. I’ve had fundamental Christians reading out sections of the Bible and I spoke to a man who warned that we may be heading down the path of the Netherlands, where it is illegal to vilify gays!
Look at the nonsense of the argument. If the ACT is too small to consider issues, what about the NT, which has about two thirds of our population? What about Tasmania that has a smaller GDP than the ACT? Where does the proposition leave SA which is just a tad bigger than the others? Or Queensland? And what about WA, which is a long way away and has a three-hour time difference? Should all decisions of national significance be left to Victoria and NSW just because they are the biggest States? It is a nonsense argument!
Mr Hanson told the Assembly: “We do not think that a majority of one person in the ACT should change the definition of marriage for a country of over 23 million people”.
A reminder is pertinent – one vote made Tony Abbott leader of the Federal Liberals and on to leadership of the same 23 million people!
Rather than being straight, the Liberals were simply finding an argument to suit their purpose. Some of the Liberal MLAs do support gay marriage; Hanson even named newly elected MLA, Nicole Lawder. In my view, even though it would not have changed the outcome of the vote, it would have been
However, a High Court challenge is just that, a way of determining whether or not the power does lie with the States and Territories or with the Commonwealth. If parliaments around Australia buckled every time there was a legal opinion against what they were trying to achieve, very little legislation would even come before parliaments.
It is far too common for governments and oppositions to seek legal opinions that suit themselves and, while they should be acknowledged, they should be treated as debating points.
Of greater concern than the arguments themselves is that the proposition has been put forward by Jeremy Hanson, as the leader of the “alternative government”.
It provides an insight into his approach and that of his shadow ministers in the parliament and in ministerial councils. Will they buckle every time an alternative legal opinion is dropped under their nose rather than demonstrating the courage to have their belief tested? When representing the ACT in COAG or other ministerial councils, will they retain the same pathetic concept about the ACT being a small jurisdiction and not really being a full player at the table?
We have elected all of the members of the Legislative Assembly to represent the views of the ACT, to vote on issues as they see them. This type of spurious argument should be left to one side while the MLAs get on with the job they were elected to do.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health
I’ve been working on radio for 30 years and for most of that time I’ve spoken against same-sex marriage, not all that passionately, but nevertheless against it. Why? Well, I can’t really explain, other than small-town ignorance.
I don’t really understand homosexuality. I grew up in a little country town in the 1970s. If there were gay people there, I didn’t know about them.
As I grew up and moved around Australia, I began to see that this perception was wrong. I’ve got dozens of gay friends and I’ve learnt along the way to accept the differences that we all have. It still took me a long time to get to the point that I publicly support same-sex marriage and, in the end, it was for no other reason than I was sick to death of talking about the issue.
I still don’t fully understand homosexuality, but I don’t have to. I do understand that there are hundreds of thousands of Australians who are attracted by members of the same sex and that they would like to have the chance to get married to their partner in the same way that heterosexuals can. What more is there to understand?
It is inevitable that Australia will one day have nationwide same-sex marriage laws. I’m sick of arguing about it. Let’s just do it. And when it does become law nationally, we in Canberra will have played a role in making it happen.
Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC
Jeremy Hanson... copped out.
Needle plan applauded
THE ACT Government has released its blood borne virus (BBV) management strategy for the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC). The continued commitment to regulate injecting equipment is applauded.
For the ACT’s over-crowded prison with its high rates of hepatitis C, drug use and other risk behaviours, the new strategy details a pathway for the implementation of evidence-based, collaborative and much-needed action. Reducing needle sharing through exchanging used for new injecting equipment is an important element of the Government’s response to BBV infection, transmission and risk at the AMC.
Hepatitis C is transmitted between our people in our prison and this strategy is the opportunity to cease quibbling about evidence-based BBV prevention measures – including needle and syringe programs that are already operating effectively elsewhere.
John didlick, executive officer aCt Hepatitis resource Centre
Enough is enough!
NO, I am not an apologist for our politicians but enough is enough!
There can hardly be a journalist/commentator who has not ridden the bandwagon (dare I suggest, the media frenzy?) that, in turn, has excited “ordinary Australians” to hop on board the expense claims issue now in its third week!
Sure, there are some dodgy claims on show, but why the open season on all pollies? Quite frankly, I think we have allowed the whole thing to grow out of all proportion. We Aussies love to have a crack at tall poppies, but one wonders about the cause and effect of this frenzy? Does taking a piledriver to crack the nuts who do the wrong thing enhance the positive governance of our nation? It stretches the imagination that the media’s interest is purely as moral guardianship – and perish the thought
that there are no “politics” involved. Solution: maybe all pollies should not accept any invitations and not go to any more business/community/sporting/conference stuff or Mr or Mrs Citizen’s events and just stay bunkered down in their offices so that the media can then go into an alternate frenzy about them not being “representative” and “Ordinary Australians” can complain bitterly about not being listened to or supported.
Stupid and delusional it sure is! So, let’s call for some public sanity and media responsibility.
Len
goodman, Flynn
Man who truly cared
VISITING Canberra recently I was very saddened to read your obituary for Don Allan. As a longtime friend and associate, like many others, I regard Don’s fund-raising ability for the disabled to be incomparable in the Canberra community.
Years ago, Don approached me to administer a small grant fund for the disabled to provide access to basic sporting and recreational facilities that changed lives at the most needy end of the social spectrum.
He was especially proud of Canberra’s first Paralympic world champion field event athletics and world-record holder, intellectually disabled athlete Murray Goldfinch, who got his start as a teenager from a grant that Don personally ensured went to Murray’s family in the 1990s. Over the years, I witnessed so many acts of simple, unsung generosity of such nature from this gallant supporter of the downtrodden. Don never took a backward step. He would not take “no” for an answer seeking funds for anyone with a disability.
Although he would laugh to hear it said of him, there is a special place in heaven for this irascible, big-hearted ex-pat Scot who made Canberra his home.
Don Allan is a man of Canberra who truly cared – as simple as that.
John bell, Heidelberg Heights, Victoria
Multi-award winning Italian restaurant
Bring the family
Le Rendezvous – the tradition continues Pizzas, Pastas and traditional and modern Italian cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere
Caters for large groups, banquets available from only $26 per head
Open lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday
Check our website for menus including banquets
Take your partner, family, group or work colleagues for a memorable meal
BOOK NOW FOR CHRISTMAS PARTIES SMALL AND LARGE
Phone 6295 9763
Shop2, Manuka Court, Bougainville St Manuka ACT www.lerendezvous.com.au
christmas functions / advertising feature
‘Tis the season to be planning
WITH less than two months to Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about the office Christmas party. Here are a few options for celebrations to help bring the team closer together, look back on the year and end it on a high note.
‘80s party to ‘rewind’ Christmas Priced to delight
THIS year, Anglicare is taking the hard work out of putting on an office Christmas party by hosting one big one at Albert Hall, raising money for the Club 12/25 youth centre in Civic at the same time.
“We decided to have a ‘back to the ‘80s’ night that we’re calling ‘Let’s rewind Christmas’,” says Anglicare’s ACT functions and events manager Trevor Capps.
Nutmeg Catering, which serves Australian Catholic University, will be
putting on a special three-course “retro Christmas dinner” with drinks included for the tax-deductible $130 ticket price.
“People can come in singles or couples, but the idea behind it is to get businesses on board to bring their team or some of their significant clients, and just have a really good night and support an important charity,” says Capps.
Call 6245 7100 or email Trevor.Capps @anglicare.com.au
Let’s Rewind Christmas!
Get glammed up in op shop 80s clothes and party to the music of 80s tribute band “Stand and Deliver”!
Let Anglicare organise your Christmas party! Join dozens of other businesses on November 27 at the Albert Hall with a 3 course dinner and prizes.
YOUR TABLE NOW!
To purchase tickets or for sponsorship information, please contact Trevor Capps on (02) 6245 7100, or email Trevor.Capps@anglicare.com.au or visit www.anglicare.com.au
FOR a Christmas party with a classic restaurant experience in the heart of Canberra, Le Rendezvous will be offering the same tried-andtested menu options during the festive season as it does all year.
“We do some of the cheapest packages around and we are also one of the few restaurants that can cater to large groups in the Manuka area,” says owner Boyan Berisavac, explaining he can accommodate groups of around 70 people.
“We have a banquet menu with two packages for $26 or $30 per head, as well as our set menu for $36. People can look at the menu and chop and change if they like.”
“We offer high-quality food at an affordable price,” says Boyan. “We make everything from scratch; nothing is pre-prepared.”
Le Rendezvous, Manuka Court, Bougainville St, Manuka. Call 6295 9763 or go to lerendezvous.com.au
Lots of options for all parties
ANU Commons has two private function rooms available for Christmas and end-of-year parties, located in the shiny new Lena Karmel Lodge building within the most modern and vibrant part of the university.
Unique in Canberra, the venue features two courtyards connected to the function rooms through glass bi-fold doors, with space for around 500 people and a massive list of catering options.
“We’ve got a new caterer and there’s a really wide range of stuff this year,” says functions manager Hollie West.
“The packages start at $27.50 and go through to $55 for full sit-down lunch or dinner.”
There are three buffet menus, with traditional favourites such as roast ham and turkey getting the gourmet treatment, as well as two plated dinner options and a long list of mouthwatering canapes.
ANU Commons, 26 Barry Drive Acton. Call 6125 0228 or go to commons.anu.edu.au
Canberra Confidential
Sex, drugs and Alex
DISTANT Curtin resident alex o lah has discovered how literal the Chinese can be. Alex, who retired from Austrade in 2001, and wife Vera decided to abandon the gentle fairways of the Federal Golf Club to teach English at the 25,000-student China University of Petroleum in Shandong Province, where he has also written a book for the university’s 60th anniversary that he’s titled “It’s About the Students – the experiences of Alex and Vera Olah at the China University of Petroleum,” but that the translator thought “China University of Petroleum Through Foreign Eyes” more acceptable.
The book is based on a monthly diary of up to 20 pages about life at CUP that he sent home to his mother, traudi o lah
In an interview about his book for Qingdao’s “Red Star” magazine, Alex enthused about the simple life when asked about moving from a house in Curtin to a cramped apart-
ment in China, “for example, three pairs of shoes instead of a dozen; no car, no kitchen.”
By question nine, the “Red Star” pounced:
“You had an interesting experience with a public lecture titled ‘Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll’...”
“All teachers had to deliver two public lectures a semester that were open to all students and teachers,” said Alex.
“The lecture I was going to give was on aspects of American culture – specifically about pets, sports, cars and guns.
“As a tongue-in-cheek comment, I told my liaison teacher, ‘I’m sure we’d get more people to come if the title were ‘Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll’. She took my comments at face value and advertised it as such.
“It was a full house – the lecture hall was overflowing. When I started the talk, I explained to the students what happened and apologised that they had been lured here under false pretences!
“It was a classic case of ‘Lost in Translation’.”
Only in the movies
TALL tale, but true says paul brennan of Manuka Capitol Cinemas winning the Australian Independent Film Distributors Association award for best Australian Arthouse Multiplex Cinema at the Australian International Movie Convention.
“Apparently even Palace and Dendy/Icon film distributors voted for Manuka over their own cinemas!” he politely crows.
Gardner on the Fringe
THE irascible Jorian g ardner has confirmed CC’s prediction of October 10 that he would be exiting his junior partnership with arts icon domenic m ico after only seven months together in the emerging Smith’s Alternative bar and venue in Civic.
In a self-penned press release, teetering on sentimentality, Gardner says he’s off to – as we said – “concentrate” on his role as director of February’s Fringe festival, overseeing a challenging budget of only $20,000.
And with a generous flurry that perhaps belies the tension between the former
partners he says: “I have had a wonderful time setting up the new Smith’s this year and I hope it continues to prosper under the management of Dom.” Amen.
The beverage Beveridge
WHAT’S IN A name? Publicist Fiona beveridge, at Ethical Strategies, writing that there’s more to liver disease than only alcoholic beverages.
The golden girls
MEET Erindale’s heroic Elementz Rhythmic Gymnastics team, just back from the Annual Country Championships in Orange with a haul of medals. The 16-member troupe got their hands on a startling 19 gold, 15 silver and 8 bronze medals.
The rhythmic gymnastics club is having an end-of-year concert at the Active Leisure Centre, Erindale on December 14, which club director and head coach, Celicia McKenzieMcHarg, promises will be an “amazing spectacle of grace, agility and flexibility”.
More info at 6112 8460 or email celicia@ elementz.com.au
Picture of success
CC’s jaded eye was caught by this picture of Mawson pharmacy assistant Kim o ’dea , who seems to have a plant growing from her head.
Happily, it’s just an unwitting background and takes nothing from her distinction of representing the ACT at the Pharmacy Guild’s National Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Awards at the Gold Coast recently.
With all Dick’s ‘mite
VEGEMITE is “a brand owned by all Australians,” according to confused Kraft Foods chief darren o ’brien. Apart from being patronising and disingenuous, his assertion is plain wrong, as the pouncing d ick smith bellowed.
“Vegemite was originally Australian-owned, in fact it was invented by Australia, but since the giant American Kraft company took over Vegemite many decades ago, it has been 100 per cent foreign owned with all the enormous profits being shipped out of Australia to the US,” says Dick, not one to miss an opportunity.
“But Aussies never give up – we have two great products, ‘OzEmite’ by Dick Smith Foods and ‘Mighty Mite’ from Three-Threes.” Oi, oi, oi!
University of Petroleum president Shan Honghong discusses the book with Alex Olah.
GM Deanne O’Brien with the award.
Sue Service, Kelly Wicks, Matt Joyce and Brittany Shoard Josie Webb and Laura Martin
Jonathan Locke and Bronte Forrester April Taylor and Amanda Beattie Karina Gordon and Dixie Addison-Rolfe Robyn Hendry, Louise Doyle and Kate Cowie
Jessica Arthurson and Bree Murphy Natalie Bray and Stacey Tindall
Laura Scollen-Smith and Candice Randell
Jessica O’Connor, Sandra Georges and Megan Sparke
Daisy Ford and Matilda Delchau Jan Sinclair, Virginia Hensen, Margaret Reid and June Gordon
Rodney Johnston, Noelia Pinto, Vicki Sofatzis and Colin Doery Dorothy Service, Michael Phelps and Elaine Henry
Zoe Blandfort and Melissa Flaws Anita Parker and Maricel Watt
Louise Dalglish Smith and author Jackie French Will, Joe, Sam, Jo, Jesse and Hamish Whithear
Loretta and Jacob Hately with Jen Takiari
Shauna Kelly, Joe Ford, Ceci Wilkinson and Otto Wilkinson Nella Faber-Rod and Janecke Wille
Beryl Gover and Michael Morriss Sue McCarthy, Andrea Slater and Alison Hatcher
Mike Evans with Anne and Bryan Furnass Ray Newcombe with Judy and David Taylor
Mayank Daswani and Martin Henschke
Lashi Bandara, Priya Dev and Dr Malcolm Beazley
ANU vice-chancellor Ian Young with guest speaker Prof Brian Schmidt and Len Goodman
Jack Olsson, Prof Deane Terrell and Prof Robin Stanton
Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson and patron Annette Ellis Larissa Sinclair and Nada Jurjevic Fergus Nelson, Sophie Wacher and Ann Nelson
Rob and Lyn Bendle with Wendy and Rob Shepherd
Sandra Dickinson, Mary Pederson, Edna O’Dell and Bea Dickson
Francis and Suzi Owusu
Eileen Bryan, Brenda Watts and Janet Devlin Song Qian with Alexandra and Ross Heazlewood
Elena Nasca with Bill and Shirley Stefaniak
Anne Prendergast and Irene Yong Scott Coleman and Mitchell Fish
Kacey Lam, Matthew Sait and Fleur Wimborne
arts & entertainment
A little ray of old rock magic
SINGER Brian Cadd says he and fellow Aria Hall of Fame inductee Glenn Shorrock have been mates since “we were little more than kids”.
“Musically, we just always seemed to click and our voices have a most unique sound together.”
Shorrock and Cadd have reunited for a studio album and national tour – “The Story of Sharky and the Caddman”.
The album has just been released and the tour starts next month, arriving at the Southern Cross Club Woden on Thursday, November 7.
“We’ve certainly been on all the rides and every step and adventure has been laced with humour and fun,” says Cadd.
“It happened all during the recording sessions and I’m certain will continue on the road. The status remains very much quo”.
They first collaborated in 1969 by forming Axiom, an Australian “supergroup” designed to take on the English market.
Through Axiom they had huge Australian hits including “Arkansas Grass”, “A Little Ray of Sunshine” and “My Baby’s Gone”.
The new album features a collection of Axiom songs, a selection of Shorrock and Cadd’s own hits and some new material. It was produced by Cadd and Shorrock and recorded in Melbourne with engineer Doug Brady.
The band features guitarist Chris Stockley, and includes Sam See, Glyn Mason and bassist Jason Vorherr.
“This album and tour is made especially
enjoyable by the inclusion of Stockley, See and Mason as well as our original Axiom drummer Doug Lavery in the line-up,” says Shorrock.
“In recent times Brian and I talked about a reformation of Axiom, which was a fairly brief but wonderful part of our musical lives… and which springboarded us both into the international music scene.”
Shorrock is best known as part of the internationally acclaimed Little River Band and for hits including “Reminiscing”, “Help is on Its
Way”, “Home on a Monday” and “Cool Change”. In addition to success with The Groop, Cadd has penned songs for Joe Cocker, Ringo Starr, The Pointer Sisters, Bonnie Tyler and Charlie Daniels.
Brian Cadd and Glenn Shorrock will make an instore appearance at Songland Records, Cooleman Court, 3pm, November 7 to sign copies of their new album “The Story of Sharky and the Caddman”, and will appear that night at Southern Cross Club Woden. Show bookings to 6283 7288.
Fairytale with a Grimm ending
“Blancanieves”
(M)
WRITER /director Pablo Berger’s telling of the story by the brothers Grimm about a beautiful girl-child who winds up in a community of seven dwarves and eventually gets even with her wicked stepmother has won many awards.
Dougal Macdonald cinema
Meaney, Anna Maxwell-Martin, Sean Pertwee and more) attacks the task of giving life to a plot that, at its best, is a drawn-out sitcom episode.
Lea’s still away with the birds dance
“Seeking Biloela”
At The Street Theatre, season closed.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Canberra Theatre Centre, in association with the Royal Military College Band and proudly supported by the Canberra Labor Club, presents Music At Midday six times a year.
Berger’s film is silent save for a musical background. What elevates it way beyond cute is its depiction of adult behaviours, with sexual jealousy, greed and child abuse driving the plot.
When a bull beats toreador Antonio, his distraught wife gives birth to a girl then dies. Ten years later in 1929, stepmother Encarna is employing the child as a domestic slave, forbidden to enter an upper-floor room in the mansion. Why? No prizes for guessing that wheelchair-bound Antonio lives there or that, in time, the girl does get in to see him and have him teach her the toreador trade.
Alan P. is unrelenting in the awfulness of his persona, unaware of the needs of any other person on the planet. The Brit talk-back radio audience loves his crass.
CTC is seeking registered charities to apply to participate in Music At Midday in 2014. Selected charities will be recipients of all donations collected on concert day.
For more information and an application form, please visit canberratheatrecentre.com.au or phone 02 6243 5703
The movie’s plot builds when a takeover of the station leads to a token redundancy that Alan P contrives to remove his on-air colleague Pat (Meaney) who loses his cool, takes all the station staff, except Alan P, hostage thereby initiating a crisis of the kind that TV channels adore to report live.
PROLIFIC dance maker, Liz Lea, continues her fascination with birds and flight with this latest work “Seeking Biloela”, which consists of two dance solos, both ostensibly concerned with birds, one trapped, and the other endangered.
Applications close 11 November 2013
When the child now a woman repels Encarna’s chauffeur’s attempts to put the hard word on her, he drowns her in the river.
But is she really drowned? A group of seven mountebank dwarves fishes her out, adopts her, names her Blancanieves, recognises her value to the comedy opening act to the main event in the ring, and so it goes on to a denouement borrowed from another brothers Grimm tale, “The Sleeping Beauty”.
The black-and-white cinematography delivers high artistic and nostalgic values. The plot treatment aims the film at grown-ups. Engage the baby sitter. You won’t regret it.
It’s more clever than comical, more comical than credible, the anatomy of a profession that, let’s face it, you’d enter only if no-one would give you a job requiring brains.
At Dendy and Palace Electric
“Machete Kills” (MA)
IN 1992, independent filmmaker Robert Rodriguez released “El Mariachi” (production cost less than $US8000), fresh, with high energy, unabashed in its violence and erotic implications. Hollywood soon snapped him up to do more of the same.
“Magnificus Magnificus” is the more successful and accessible of the two. Strikingly performed by indigenous dancer, Tammi Gissell, this work concerns the plight of the red-tailed black cockatoo, but it also echoes the life of the dancer.
At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
“Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa” (M)
EARLY in his career, English actor Steve Coogan became a household name in the UK playing radio DJ Alan Partridge on TV.
Director Declan Lowney and writer Peter Baynham have ongoing associations with Coogan, who co-wrote this film. The trio, supported by a strong cast (Colm
In time, actor Danny Trejo, who describes himself as an ex-con turned icon, was cast as Machete, a soldier of fortune down Mexico way and along the US border. A personality more than an actor, he’s powerfully built, not quite but nearly as ugly as sin and Robert Rodriguez’s second cousin.
It’s loud, violent, unremitting in inflicting indignities and cruelty on the human body, rude in depicting the heart of the US Government (“West Wing”) fans might take cynical amusement from the casting of Charlie Sheen as the President). And it’s more than a little funny.
At Dendy and Hoyts
During the course of the work we learn a great deal about the red-tailed black cockatoo, its habitat and habits. We also learn a lot about Tammi Gissell, a stunning dancer, who addresses the audience directly and disarmingly about the habits and nature of the cockatoo, and the bush turkey. Along the way she transforms into both birds, performs an impressive routine on roller-skates, then executes her finale resplendent in high heels, a towering red and black feathered headdress and showgirl feathers. More complex but less satisfying is Liz Lea’s own solo,”Kapture”, which attemps to interpret the writings of activist Ahmed Kathrada through his favourite Hindi song about a trapped bird.
While often visually interesting, the relationship between movement and theme is often difficult to comprehend.
Brian Cadd, left, and Glenn Shorrock… “Our voices have a most unique sound together,” says Cadd.
Photo by Paul Taylor
arts & entertainment / film festival
Lex talks our reel language
By Helen Musa
LEX Lindsay has noticed two curious things about Canberrans – they like to talk, and they love to talk politics.
Lindsay, the new director of the Canberra International Film Festival, says: “I want to create a festival that is particular to Canberra and feels Canberran.”
With this in mind, he’s put together a debut 64-movie event that’s part-talkfest, where films and “conversations” are grouped under nine themes: sex, politics, religion, individual, family, planet, life, love and liberty.
But, Lindsay hastens to assure “CityNews” it’s not intended to confuse audiences, each category can contain within it a comedy, a documentary, a drama, a love story and an action thriller.
Considering Lindsay has commuted to and from Canberra while curating the festival, how can he be so sure about which stories and conversations will go down with locals?
Easy. He’s taken advice from his board and staff.
Take his inclusion of Lynn-Maree Milburn’s doco, “In Bob We Trust”.
Father Bob Maguire, he says, “challenges people’s perceptions about what a father can say,” so he’ll appear here “in conversation” with
Film festival director Lex Lindsay… “We aim to have a whole lot of fun – who needs to be weeping volumes of tears?”
clerical media stars Pat Power and Paul Collins.
Another collaborative move has been to engage Canberra comedians, students, bloggers, presenters and film lovers to do 90-second video reviews or 350-word written reviews to post on Facebook.
So where does this film festival fit? Melbourne’s is the largest, with more than 300 films, Lindsay says, “but don’t forget that 64 films and 100 sessions are decent figures… ours is a middle-sized festival, and that really excites me… we can be quite original in delivering a different curatorial choice.”
Lindsay’s research shows we are “hot for documentaries”. So he’s chosen a selection of 16 quality
documentaries, including “Our Nixon”, home movies filmed by top Nixon aides and “God Loves Uganda”, which examines the American Evangelical movement’s role in spreading Christianity and promoting the Uganda AntiHomosexuality Bill.
Turning to feature films, there’s Robert Redford in J.C. Chandor’s survival film, “All Is Lost” for opening night.
While film-spotting in Cannes, Lindsay found “Wakolda” from a young Argentine female director as an Australian premiere. It’s a psychological thriller about a family unwittingly living with Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele.
There’s more darkness in “Blackfish,” about the killer whale Tilikum, that was involved in the deaths of three people.
Somehow we’re plumbing the depths? Is that what Canberrans like?
Certainly not, says, Lindsay. “We aim to have a whole lot of fun – who needs to be weeping volumes of tears?”
17th annual Canberra International Film Festival, at Dendy Cinemas and the National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc Cinema, October 30 to November 10, bookings to canberrafilmfestival.com.au
“Wakolda”... psychological thriller about living with Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele.
“In Bob We Trust”... “Challenges people’s perceptions about what a father can say,” says Lindsay.
arts & entertainment
YUM cha is centuries old and remains a tradition with Chinese families gathering for a pick-me-up of piping hot tea and hand-made, delicate, bite-sized dim sum.
They say it all began with farmers and labourers working along the Silk Road, stopping at quaint tea houses to rest and recharge.
Today yum cha is served around the world. Technically, the term means “drinking tea”, but the definition has extended to eating dim sum and drinking lovely, digestive tea.
Most of Canberra’s well-established yum cha establishments are on the northside. Locations on the southside include the Hellenic Club and Noble Palace in Woden and, now, China Plate in Kingston.
Yum cha aficionados get a thrill out of dining in a massive space packed full of diners with staff zipping here, there and everywhere serving from carts. The range of sweet and savoury dim sum
Wendy Johnson dining
is extensive and the fun part is trying as many as you can before you’re absolutely stuffed.
China Plate serves yum cha differently –banquet style, which is perfect for those not enamoured with the frenetic pace of traditional yum cha eateries. It’s also great for those preferring to be presented with a formal menu and a set price. And China Plate offers a more intimate setting where you can settle in for as long as you want without feeling you’re depriving the next group in line the opportunity to dine.
China Plate’s premium yum cha banquet ($40 per person) includes 13 dishes and Chinese tea. The standard banquet is $30 per person. On a recent Sunday, owners Lin Pun and Amy Lo were on site, serving our party of five at the pace we set.
Dumplings are a huge feature of yum cha. My favourites are the steamed varieties. Pork
is always a highlight and we drooled over the Shanghai dumplings, which China Plate excels at, with a tangy ginger and vinegar sauce on the side.
The scallop dumplings were subtle and the lobster dumplings a big hit. But my favourite of the day was the spinach dumplings, which several of us had never had before – a nice hit of antioxidants and Vitamin C.
Steamed barbecue pork buns are another yum cha “must”, although I’m not a fan, finding the dough heavy. You couldn’t stop me from tearing into the soft shell crab dish, though.
By the time the rather fattening Char Kway Teow came, I was getting a tad full, but managed a few mouthfuls, loving the great flavours and contrasting textures, with the noodles silky smooth and the bean sprouts popping in the mouth. And, yes, I indulged in the cooling, creamy coconut sago.
China Plate serves yum cha on Saturdays and Sundays. Bookings essential. Kennedy Street, Kingston, call 6260 7555.
Annie’s getting her... audience
QUEANBEYAN Players’ new production of “Annie Get Your Gun” is one for the aficionados as they present the 1999 revival version of the show that revolves around sharp shooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. The show features “No Business Like Show Business” and is wall-to wall with hits. At The Q, November 1-16, bookings to 6285 6290.
CANBERRA Youth Theatre has teamed up with three exciting writers for “Triptych – A Trilogy of New Works”, running at C-Block Theatre, Gorman House Arts Centre, Batman Street, Braddon, until November 9. The writers are Lachlan Philpott (“Silent Disco”, “Truckstop”), Jessica Bellamy (“Sprout”, “Bat Eyes”) and Canberra’s Olivia Hewson (“A Frog’s Body”, “Retrieval”) and the trilogy is being published by Currency Press. Bookings to cytc.net/buy-tickets
THE Resonants, an awardwinning choral group directed by Helen Swan, is presenting “A Taste of The Resonants”, with music from Sting, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Eric Whitacre and more, at the Belconnen Arts Centre from 5.30pm (drinks available, concert 6pm) on Saturday, November 9.
Tickets ($30, concession $20, family $70) at the door or from resonants.org/
TUGGERANONG Arts Centre has scored a coup with its announced multi-arts showcase, “Beyond the Wall”, which highlights the creative talents sequestered in Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre. Weekdays, 9am-5pm, November 1-22.
MEZZO-soprano Angela Giblin and pianist Margaret LeggeWilkinson are reprising their show piano, “Afroditi Sings” at The
Street, November 7-10. The pair will perform everything from Piaf and Porter to flamenco, as well as a new arrangement of a Hadjidakis song by Stephanos Malikides. Bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au
“SHORT + Sweet Dance”, which showcases choreographic works by independent dancers and a newcomer to the scene, joins “Short + Sweet Cabaret” in the Canberra Theatre’s Courtyard Studio, November 6-10. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au
ART Song Canberra’s last concert for 2013, “Sublime with a Twist”, will be performed by popular soprano Louise Page and pianist Phillipa Candy. It’s to be a cocktail of songs from composers Grainger, Turina, Ann Carr-Boyd and even Schoenberg. At Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 3pm, November 3, tickets at the door only.
THE ANU School of Music’s David Irving is hosting a workshop titled “Global Corelli: Fame and Music in the Early Modern World”, November 4-5. The event culminates in a Llewellyn Hall concert by the ANU Chamber Orchestra at 7pm on November 5 . Entry is free, but registration is recommended, visit music.anu.edu. au/events/global-corelli
POLIFEMY, a chamber ensemble of female singers, directed by Joan Milner, will present two concerts of Medieval and Renaissance music in Holy Cross Anglican Church, Hackett, 6pm, on November 2 and in St Andrews Anglican Church, Braidwood, 2pm, on November 3. Tickets at the door, under 18 free.
Anita Davenport (Annie Oakley) and Richard Block (Frank Butler) in “Annie Get Your Gun”. Photo by Rebecca Doyle
Helen Musa arts in the city
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Venus boosts career prospects, professional negotiations and work-place relations. But, if you rush into situations, then you could end up with a real mess on your hands. Time for Rams to slow down and do the planning and research that’s required! Saturday’s Mars/Saturn aspects will help transform your energy and enthusiasm into productive projects. Patience is the key.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
The Sun and Saturn join forces in your relationship zone, so you need to tend to relationship problems. Don’t make assumptions. Sort out your expectations (and double-check what others expect from you in return). Single Bulls – give superficial and flirtatious suitors the flick. Look for love with someone who is mature, dependable and ready to commit.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Roll up your sleeves and be a disciplined Twin. Re-organise your daily routine (so there’s a chance you’ll actually stick to it); prioritise and streamline tasks; then make time for fresh air and exercise in the great outdoors. But with Mercury still in retrograde motion (until November 11) avoid making witty wisecracks and insensitive remarks, as people are likely to be offended.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
With ebullient Jupiter jumping through your sign, you’re keen to enjoy yourself and capitalise on your Cancerian creativity. You need to be patient though, as it will take a while for your talents to be appreciated by others. Passion and persistence will get you there! Be inspired by Joni Mitchell (born on November 7, 1943) “I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun.”
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
The Sun links up with serious Saturn on Wednesday, which will limit your Leo liveliness. But it also increases your Cat concentration so it’s time to buckle down to business, as you power through projects and tackle jobs you’ve put in the too-hard basket. Your domestic situation is in a state of flux so the more adaptable you are, the better the outcome will be.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Don’t waste time worrying about things you can’t change. Saturn is asking you to be methodical and measured. If you prioritise and are mentally disciplined, then you’ll complete tasks with less stress and strain. But remember Mercury (your ruling planet) is still reversing (until November 11) so take extra care with cars, computers, contracts and all forms of communication.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
This week, Neptune encourages you to come up with plenty of creative ideas, while Venus helps you present them to others in the best possible light. Romance is also in the air! With Venus (your ruling planet) visiting your domestic zone, it’s a wonderful weekend to entertain at home. But – with Saturn and retro Mercury stirring up your money zone – keep it simple!
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
With retrograde Mercury plus the Sun/Saturn conjunction in your sign, there’s no escaping the fact that you’re being tested at the moment. Stay strong Scorpio! Stamina, patience and self-belief will see you through. And don’t become obsessed with doing things ‘perfectly’. Perfection is a goal, not a destination; and it’s important to enjoy the journey along the way.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Jupiter (your ruling planet) goes retrograde on Thursday, so the next few months is the time to pace yourself; stay close to home; review major plans; and look within for ideas and inspiration. You’re a Sagittarian so you love to dream big … but it will take plenty of patience to turn your dreams into reality. The weekend is wonderful for getting involved in your local community.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
The Sun and Saturn encourage you to redefine your goals for the future, and make them as creative and ambitious as possible. With Venus in your sign, you’re at your charming Capricorn best so it’s also a super week to network and make connections. As birthday great Albert Camus wrote: “Charm is the way of getting the answer yes, without having asked any clear question.”
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Career issues continue to be challenging. Energy and enthusiasm alone won’t win others over … the thing that will impress people is plenty of hard work. So put your head down and get on with your job (or looking for a job). Attached Aquarians – avoid keeping important information from your partner. Singles – you may be drawn to someone who has a mysterious past.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
If you are on holiday or planning a business trip, take extra care as Mercury reverses through your travel zone (until November 11). Don’t skim over the surface Pisces - the devil is definitely in the detail. So double-check your itinerary, plus expect some delays and disruptions. Friday and Sunday are super for fun, flirting, romance, creativity and all forms of communication.
accessory plug?
10 Which abbreviated term describes the entertainment industry?
11 What do we call one who is very sensitive to the beauties of art or nature?
12 Name the reputed exclamation of Archimedes
14 Which transparent bodies are used for reflecting light beams?
18 Name the system of writing for the sight impaired
21 Which spectacles have two lens portions?
22 To be more amusingly clever is to be what?
23 To utter repeatedly is to do what?
24 When one scoffs or mocks, one does what? Down
1 What is an alternative term for evanescent?
2 Name a constellation near Canis Major
3 Which term describes the remote, sparsely inhabited country area?
4 What is a lightweight jacket, as worn by sportspeople, etc?
5 Name a nautical interjection meaning “stop” or “cease”
6 What is another term for milliners?
7 Which code is used in telegraphy?
13 Which nuclear device produces radioactive isotopes?
15 Name the colonial administrator who founded Singapore
16 What do we call one who pursues another stealthily?
17 What describes fragments or rubbish?
18 To be arched is to be what?
19 What, in Scotland, is a landed proprietor ?
20 What is the vast body of salt water which covers almost three quarters of the earth’s surface?
ATO NOW READY TO TARGET UNPAID SUPER
Last year we wrote about signi cant changes to the Director Penalty Regime that is deployed by the ATO against directors of companies with unpaid tax bills.
From 1 July 2012, the ATO’s powers were expanded to it to recover PAYG and Superannuation Guarantee debts from directors personally in circumstances where such debts remained unpaid and unreported for more than three months past the due date for lodgement.
Up to now the ATO has sent warning letters only in respect of unpaid PAYG. However, the ATO will now be pursuing the recovery of unpaid superannuation guarantee entitlement more aggressively.
Many directors would be aware that they may avoid personal liability for a company PAYG tax debt by ensuring their BAS returns are lodged within three months of the due date. However, most are generally unaware that if a company cannot meet its superannuation obligations then a Superannuation Guarantee Charge Statement must be submitted to avoid personal liability. So:
• If the company is able, pay all outstanding ATO debts in order to avoid personal liability
• If the company is unable to pay, it must always lodge its BAS and Superannuation Guarantee Charge Statements within three months of the correct lodgement/ payment date
• If a company fails to lodge BAS and Superannuation Guarantee Charge Statements within three months of the due date, a director who receives a Director Penalty Notice cannot avoid personal liability by placing their company into liquidation or administration
• If returns are currently outstanding for more than three months and the company is unable to pay, seek urgent specialist advice
can assist directors who receive ATO Director Penalty Notices with a no obligation initial consultation to discuss the available
Kazar Slaven
open garden
Pretty garden with a meditative air
A GARDEN is opening for the first time as part of the annual “Weekend in the Gardens –Connecting Communities” exhibition this year.
The weekend will invite visitors to explore two Griffith gardens, at 87 Jansz Crescent and 17 Stokes Street, 10am-4pm, on November 2-3.
Jill Bestic’s lovely garden in Jansz Crescent hasn’t been open before and features quirky art, a meditation spot and several shady corners under wellestablished fig, nectarine and persimmon trees.
“The garden has been recently renovated and transformed, with a beautiful dry stone retaining wall creating separate tiers,” says organiser Jane Scroope.
“It backs on to the reserve and has peekaboo views over Red Hill – it’s so restful and quiet here with a real sense of peace.
“It’s not just a pretty garden, it’s a working meditation garden.”
There’s a curved area devoted to meditation and prayer, and little surprises dotted about, like the singing bowl made out of a recycled gas cylinder, colourful ceramic towers and Jill’s own sculptures. There is also an old shed that has been converted into a studio, a gorgeous grapevine and scents of rock roses and rosemary.
Jane’s own garden has opened previously and dates from the late 1930s.
WORDS: Kathryn Vukovljak
PHOTOS: Brent McDonald
It has been developed over the past 16 years and Jane is trying to achieve self-sufficiency, she says.
There will be a plant stall of plants from both gardens, a raffle, Christmas cakes, homemade morning and afternoon teas available, handmade retro-inspired aprons made from donated fabric, along with Japanese water chains and Aboriginal artworks from the Warlukulunga Art Centre of Yuendumu, where Jill has worked.
Weekend in the Gardens is now in its fifth year and all funds raised will assist isolated communities of Aboriginal and rural families in WA.
Jane says “Weekend in the Gardens” also builds community in Canberra.
“Friends, family and local acquaintances pool their creative resources to produce amazing homemade items as well as sharing some great days out in inspiring gardens,” she says.
“The target of this outreach is the Aboriginal community living in and around Three Springs.
“The money goes towards practical projects such as supporting education, gardens and food banks.”
“Weekend in the Gardens” at 87 Jansz Crescent and 17 Stokes Street, Griffith, is on November 2-3. Entry is $10 for two gardens. All funds to the Good Samaritan Rural Outreach in Three Springs, WA.
Jill Bestic’s garden features a curved area devoted to meditation and prayer.
How gardens can fight fire
IT is vitally important, with unprecedented high fire risks and increasing temperatures, to look closely at your garden.
As we have already experienced in Canberra, one does not necessarily need to live in a bushfire-prone area; fire and ember attack can leap boundaries into urban areas.
Research into the aftermath of the 2003 Canberra fires by Phil Cheney, of the CSIRO, showed that the type of garden plantings played a major part in why some houses survived and others burnt.
For example, there were risks from the extensive use of native plants with their volatile oils, ie tea tree with its high oil content, that were planted close to houses. And from trees and shrubs that were not pruned regularly.
Likewise, accumulated debris, particularly from eucalyptus trees in your garden or even if in a nearby park or a neighbour’s garden that fall into your garden, could increase the risk of fire.
Large conifers, with their highly flammable resins, should be avoided.
IT is vitally important not to have native plants close to the house, especially near flammable walls and windows. This includes the garage, shed and even flammable material against timber paling fences.
I am not against native plants, and have used them in many gardens I have designed. However, exotic plants with their glossy green leaves provide a low fire risk.
Immediately after the Canberra fires, I saw that hedges of Viburnum
Particular plantings can be the front line of defence in the event of bushfires – or not, says gardening writer CEDRIC BRYANT
and Photinia did not burn. They were certainly singed badly by the fire and yet, within weeks, were re-shooting.
I visited dozens of fire-affected gardens and saw instances where this type of planting actually saved the house. In the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires it was noted that exotic trees such as oaks, elms and ashes did not ignite and burn.
Lawns can also play a vital part in the survival of houses where they were between the building and shrub beds. Incidentally, artificial grass may not burn, but it can melt, possibly giving off noxious fumes from the burning rubber and synthetic grass blades. If you decide to stay to fight a fire approaching your house, the last thing you want is to be overcome by these fumes.
and, at $29.95, could be one of the cheapest insurance policies you have ever bought.
MANY people who request the removal of trees that could present a fire threat to their house can face enormous opposition from government, especially in heritage areas. It is time we looked at this realistically. I have had battles to remove pine trees close to clients’ houses and equally to remove eucalypts in heritage areas. At times, it has taken several appeals before removal was permitted. I am not suggesting the wholesale destruction of trees, but reality must prevail and obviously each case has to be assessed.
gardens in Yass, plus two country gardens. I will be there to answer garden queries. The Yass Tourist Centre can help with the garden locations and a program of festival events or go to classicyass.com
Friends with plants
GROWING Friends Spring Sale, a major fundraising event of the Friends of the Australian Botanic Gardens, is on Saturday, November 9, 8.30am-11am unless sold out sooner. All plants are grown by the Friends from material sourced from the Gardens. All plants are sold for either $3 or $5. Be early and don’t forget to bring your own boxes and bags. Full plant list can be viewed at friendsanbg.org.au
FOR everyone in a fire-prone area, that means everyone in Canberra and Queanbeyan, I recommend “Essential Bushfire Safety Tips” (CSIRO Publishing), a small but vitally important paperback by one of the foremost authorities on bushfires, Joan Webster, with a foreword by Cheney. It is concise and straightforward. This latest edition, updated after the 2009 fires, is available from the Australian National Botanic Gardens bookshop
Creating Sustainable Gardens
LIKEWISE, there must be an increase in funding for pruning, in particular of eucalyptus trees with substantial dead branches. Numerous roads have what I term “ribbons of fire” with Antill Street as a prime example. Or the parkland extension of Stirling Street, in Watson, with the massed planting of eucalyptus directly behind houses. Maybe it’s time to call a halt for expenditure at the Arboretum to look after the 600,000 urban trees, many in an ever increasing declining state.
Yass open gardens
THE Red Cross Open Gardens, part of the Yass Classic Festival, will be held, 10am-4pm, on Sunday, November 3. Entry $10 to all three gardens, which include the historic “Old Linton”
garden creations and garden makeovers
• sustainable garden design and advice
• providing a value for money solution
We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow. glenbog@skymesh.com.au
Park, Yarralumla
Potential “ribbons of fire” in the suburbs, says Cedric.
This home was saved due to the lawn between the home and shrubs.
