131121 citynews

A HOME THAT SEAMLESSLY CONNECTS THE INDOORS & OUT

Enjoy

breakout spaces to share a glass of wine FIRE

by jamie durie

large balconies for gardening, entertaining and relaxing OWN YOUR OWN SPACE FROM $313,000

Senator Zed fiddles as Canberra burns!

Newly elected Senator Zed Seselja should be fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable in Canberra. But where is he, asks MICHAEL MOORE?

WHERE the hell are you, Zed? Is it a case of Zed fiddles around while Canberra burns?

At least your predecessor, Gary Humphries, admitted that Canberra would suffer a devastating onslaught from an incoming Abbott Government and that he would do what he could to protect Canberra. The promise was natural attrition. The reality is attacking those least able to defend themselves.

Newly elected Senator Zed Seselja should be fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable in Canberra. Whatever happened to his sense of a “fair go”?

The Abbott Government is not just slashing the public service, it is attacking the most vulnerable – the junior staff, the lowest paid public servants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and new graduates. Instead, opening the Canberra Liberals’ web page under “Latest News”, the statement under Senator Zed Seselja on November 9 said: “Sorry, there are currently no items to display”. The same was true on November 10, 11, 12 and right up to press time on November 19, while his Canberra constituency was under attack.

There was a lesson he could have learnt from the outgoing speech of Senator Humphries who talked about his first weeks in the job. After advice from a colleague about how to stop the Film and Sound Archive moving from Canberra he stated: “I put the phone down and thought, ‘Well, that’s how you get things done; you throw a tantrum’.” We do not even hear a murmur from his successor, let alone a tantrum – apart from a fleeting reference in his maiden speech.

The Public Service Commission has identified that temporary workers account for 14,237 of the public servants. These are the really vulnerable ones. Their jobs are relatively easy to cut. But this is not by attrition. They target the women, the young and those on lower earnings. The Commission identifies that three quarters of the temporary workforce is earning less than $42,000 per year.

The policy of the Abbott Government was to cut 12,000 positions. The driver is simply savings from expenditure in the public service. However, if positions at the ASO 6 level were tackled, similar savings could be made with the loss of around 9000 public servants. Tackling the management structure at even higher pay levels instead would mean even fewer positions lost. Making the slashes across the scale

of public servants would mean fewer people devastated, leaner management and support systems and a much more level playing field.

These are the sorts of arguments we should be hearing from our representative. The Labor member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, is publicly drawing attention to the issues that will have such a devastating impact on Canberrans.

On November 7 he said he is “alarmed by the skewed priorities of the Abbott Government that slug the poor and favour the rich” and named Assistant Treasurer, Arthur Sinodinos, as “abandoning a tax break for low-income superannuants, cutting the schoolkids’ bonus, reducing income support and slashing jobs in the public service… cuts across the board exempt mining billionaires, millionaire parents and tax breaks for those with more than $2 million in their superannuation accounts”.

He was joined by the other ACT Labor members, Gai Brodtmann and Senator Kate

Lundy, in calling on Zed to use his influence as he had promised before the election.

In a press release, they used the following quote from a radio interview during the election campaign in which Seselja said: “[The Coalition has] been good enough to put their policies on the table and that policy is to, across Australia, reduce the size of the public service by 12,000 through natural attrition. Now, my job should I be elected to the Senate will, of course, be to hold the Coalition to that promise that it will occur through natural attrition.”

The knock-on effect for Canberra is going to be felt throughout our economy. For example, it will be keenly felt in the housing industry. A reduction in public service workers will mean less demand for new housing. It will also be felt in the service and retail industries that employ some of the lowest wage earners in Canberra.

Remember the 1200 jobs that went from Geelong with the announcement that Ford would be shutting down? The impact on Geelong was to be so devastating that the Victorian and Federal Governments jumped into action. Julia Gillard announced $50 million of taxpayers’ money for retraining and to assist Geelong to reinvent itself. After six years of a constant three per cent cut to the public service under Labor, Canberra now faces losing the lion’s share of 14,000 more jobs. And there is no point in Canberrans holding their breath for any type of support package.

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

SUNDAYS 10AM-4PM

news Adventure grips lucky climber

Chris Warner has been climbing mountains around the world since he was a teenager. He explains it to LAURA EDWARDS

FOR Chris Warner, the grip of climbing has always been hard to shake.

Ever since his first expedition to Central Asia at 19, the Ainslie resident has tackled mountains around the world for about four months of every year.

Something about the wide, exposed spaces gives the affable 36-year-old a sense of calm and belonging no other outlet could provide.

“For me it’s downtime – the isolation, being away from your phone, it clears your head,” Warner says.

“What attracts me most is the sense of adventure, being out in the wilderness; I like getting up high and being exposed.”

That paradoxical longing for adventure and downtime hasn’t ever changed for Warner – even when the grim face of death was staring him down.

Food Safety Supervisor Course

November 26 at 5:30pm

Cost $130pp

Enrolling Now

• Kitchen staff who handle, prepare and cook food

• Front counter or service staff who prepare and serve food

• Managers or business owners seeking a proactive approach to Health Inspectors visits

• Business preparing to meet new ACT Food Safety Supervisors requirements

NSW training also available.

Ensure compliance with Food Safety practices.

Assessment of your environment, also available to assist with reaching high standards in food safety.

Please contact Nicole at nicole@takeanote.com.au or 0412 697 545 to register WENTWORTH AVE KINGSTON 6295 3331 OBDM.COM. AU

Warner was on the widely reported, illfated K2 mountain trek in July, where his two friends and climbing partners, fatherand-son Marty and Denali Schmidt, were killed in an avalanche.

Warner was back at base camp at the time, turning around from the expedition after sensing a threatening change in the conditions, while Marty and Denali had insisted they wanted to keep pushing on.

When asked about the deaths, Warner is confrontingly matter-of-fact.

“It’s not uncommon that people are killed on expeditions – it becomes a risk you have to take,” he says.

Does he ever agonise over what could have happened, when his own death was just a mere misguided decision away?

“Coming back to this life, you’re busy and you get sidetracked, and you don’t think about it much or it fades away a bit, but you do come across it, when I get an email from a family member or something, it’s definitely around,” he says.

As for his girlfriend and family, they’re “well trained” in bracing themselves when it’s time for him to head off to expeditions.

“They definitely worry, but they’re used to it by now,” he grins.

In December, Warner will travel to Nepal for a month, to ice climb and paraglide, while visiting the small guest house he owns with his sherpa friend in the remote Rolwaling Valley – a seven-day trek from the nearest city.

is the sense of

It’s a trip Warner describes as “casual and relaxing” compared to the gruelling expeditions he’s used to.

“It’s by no means the same expedition as something like K2 where we’re camping outside and having huge days, we’ll be on a lot of day trips, rock-climbing, but then coming back to the guest house,” he says.

At 194 centimetres tall with an athletic, slim frame, Warner is built for climbing.

His office at the rope-access cleaning and maintenance business he owns is set up for him to be away for months at a time, with his staff used to him returning with exciting tales of his expeditions.

And yet he’s surprisingly modest when speaking of his extreme feats.

He conquered Everest in several weeks, he says, adding there are currently 50 frozen bodies sitting on the 8848-metre high mountain now.

“You can’t see them, because they’re all under the snow, but you know they’re there, it’s pretty unsettling,” he says.

out

As for K2, the July expedition was his second time; he’d already been there, done that in 2008.

For now, Warner is busily planning his next great expedition – “There are so many mountains out there, I’d love to do South America,” he says.

Despite his wealth of experience, the “pro-climber” tag doesn’t sit comfortably with him.

As a member of the Canberra Climbers Association, he will occasionally talk to schools or interested climbers’ groups, but says he “doesn’t want to do it professionally or anything like that”.

“I’m not really interested in being known as the ‘Everest guest speaker’,” he says.

“I really just do this because I love it.”

Anyone interested in the Canberra Climbers Association should visit www.canberraclimbing.org.au/

MASSIVE OUTDOOR SALE furniture

years

Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award

The ACT Government would like to acknowledge individuals or groups who have helped to shape our city.

You are encouraged to nominate a group, business, friend, family member or colleague, who has lived or operated in Canberra for 50 years or more, to receive a Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award.

Nomination forms are available from Canberra Connect Shopfronts, your local library, by phoning Canberra Connect on 13 22 81 or at www.cmd.act.gov.au/communication/gold

Nominations close on 31 January 2014

Silk defends accused

IT may have been over 90 years ago, but the 1920 trial of Eugenia Falleni remains one of the most “fascinating and important moments in Australia’s legal history,” says barrister Mark Tedeschi QC.

Tedeschi, who is NSW’s Senior Crown Prosecutor, will visit Canberra’s gay pride festival Springout this month to discuss “Eugenia”, his non-fiction book on Falleni, a transgender man convicted of murder.

Tedeschi says he became “fascinated” by the complex and compelling Falleni, who was born in Italy as a woman but lived as the foulmouthed, hard-drinking Harry Crawford in Sydney for 22 years, eventually marrying a woman named Annie Birkett.

Laura Edwards reports

In 1920 Falleni was charged with the murder of Annie, who surprisingly hadn’t realised her husband was in fact a woman until a third party revealed it to her.

The court alleged Falleni beat Annie to death while they were on a picnic after she had discovered her husband’s true gender, while Falleni insisted Annie had tripped and hit her head on a rock. When Annie’s body was found, it had been burnt beyond recognition and took three years to identify.

At the time, Falleni was subject to a trial by media and portrayed as a fiendish human monster, a sexual pervert, liar, hypocrite and murderess. She was sentenced to death for the murder, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Released in 1931, she died in a pedestrian accident in 1938.

Tedeschi believes that Falleni was wrongly convicted on the basis of “fallacious scientific evidence, unreliable sighting witnesses, dubious police practice and an avalanche of prejudicial publicity”.

“At the time there was prejudice surrounding transgender people, and I believe had Falleni had a more experienced defence counsel, things would have turned out differently,” Tedeschi says.

“We will never truly know what happened to Annie. But I do believe Eugenia was not treated to a fair trial, in any sense.”

Tedeschi says he became “fascinated” with the case of Falleni when told about it at a dinner in 2005.

Certificate IV in TAE (TAE40110) - $1000 reduced to $800 (save $200!)

Diploma of VET (TAE50111) - $1590 reduced to $1270 (save $320!)

Certificate IV in WHS (BSB41412) - $1100 reduced to $880 (save $220!)

Diploma of WHS (BSB51312) - $1200 reduced to $960 (save $240!)

Advanced Diploma of WHS (BSB60612) - $1675 reduced to $1340 (save $335!) Diploma of Quality Auditing (BSB51607) - $1500

Certificate III in Children’s Services (CHC30712) - $900 reduced to $720 (save $180!)

Diploma of Children’s Services (CHC50908) - $1800 reduced to $1440 (save $360!)

Send in your enrolment form by the 30th of November to be eligible for these great savings on your Self-Paced Course with HBA!

Contact us for further information!

www.hbalearningcentres.com.au

from another age briefly

“I decided I wanted to write a book, so I spent about two years researching then took 10 weeks off my job to lock myself away and write furiously,” he says.

In the process of his research, he discovered Falleni had a troubled, lonely past – from her longing to live as a man from a very early age, her family “cutting her off” in disgust, and the brutal rape and torment by her colleagues who had found out her true identity while she was working as a seaman.

“I became quite connected to Eugenia and very sympathetic to her plight; she lived at a time where it was hard for her to be accepted,” says Tedeschi.

Tedeschi says his discussion at

Springout will draw on issues that are still “very much relevant and compelling today”.

“Although there is still some prejudice, being a transgender person in today’s society is vastly different to what it was in 1920,” he says.

“I think if Eugenia had lived today, her wish to live as a man might have been met with a little more understanding, and she would have lived a very different life. I think there’s a lesson for us all in the treatment of people who are different.”

In Conversation with Mark Tedeschi, 1pm on Saturday November 23 at the National Film & Sound Archive. Tickets, $15, are available by calling 6248 2000. Enquiries: info@springout.com.au

Abbott likely to sack Pope!

By Robert Macklin

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott is preparing to sack the Pope. According to sources close to both men, he will most likely return to his native land before the end of the year.

Sorry about that; just couldn’t resist the temptation. The Pope in question is about as far as you can get from the Vatican; I speak, of course, of Neil Pope, the administrator of Norfolk Island appointed by Labor’s Simon Crean in 2012. Canberra and the island are abuzz with the rumour that his days are numbered as the Abbott Government takes a much tougher line on Norfolk’s future than previous administrations.

And about time, too.

Since publication of my horrific history of the island, “Dark Paradise,” two months ago I have been inundated by a stream of emails and texts telling of the increasing desperation of the residents as the island descends into bankruptcy. And the message is supported by Kathy Marks whose 2008 book, “Paradise Lost”, lifted the lid on the incest and sexual oppression on Pitcairn among descendants of the Bounty mutineers. The Pitcairners all moved to Norfolk in 1856, but some later returned to the smaller island.

Ms Marks has just visited Norfolk and says: “The economy is in desperate straits. Every other business on the main street is for sale, along with perhaps 200 homes. The roads are ferociously potholed, a bone-jangling symbol of the nation’s decline.”

A “roadmap” to incorporate the island into the Australian commonwealth was signed by Crean and Norfolk’s Chief Minister David Buffett in 2011. For the first time, they would pay income tax and municipal rates in exchange for Medicare and other welfare payments. By 2015 the island would be fully incorporated into the Australian commonwealth. Most importantly, it would pave the way for investment in the island’s tourism industry. Buffett was then defeated by a Pitcairn voting bloc who elected the new Chief Minister, Lisle Snell, a local bus driver and Pitcairn descendant who opposed the roadmap.

Kathy Marks says: “The public service – overwhelmingly staffed by islanders – remains bloated, inefficient and according to numerous insiders, rife with nepotism, cronyism and worse.

“One retired public servant told me that during 38 years on the job, he never bought a piece of steel, nor any timber, cement or petrol, instead helping himself from public stores.”

Neil Pope, a former Victorian State parliamentarian whose most notable qualification for the administrator’s role was his friendship with Crean, seems to have been unable to keep Snell and his faction to the roadmap.

Canberra’s Senator Gary Humphries was a forceful member of the Parliamentary Committee overseeing the planned incorporation. Now retired, his views are well known and well regarded by the Abbott Government. robertmacklin.com

Experience.

Brian and the art of shameless happiness

WHEN serious illness forced Brian Tunks, the founder of international homewares brand Bison, out of his Pialligo workshop for good last year, he found the silver lining.

“It wiped the floor with me and my doctor said: ‘No more production for you’, so now I’m not doing the production. I’m working with other studios around the world, they’re producing for me, but I’m teaching, and I love that,” he says candidly.

Brian’s core expertise is designing and making stoneware ceramics – bowls, plates, teapots and more – using an ancient technique for reproducing the same designs called slipcasting, and glazing them in his own range of bright colours. It’s also what made him sick, he thinks.

“I don’t design for the broader market,” he says later. “I design for me –which is shamelessly selfish – and I am so happy.”

The illness came as a blessing in disguise, making him “take a step back from everything”, and come back in a strategic role, focused on the company’s future.

He enjoyed the 17 years he spent in production, maintaining quality, but says that for an aspiring global brand, “it really limits how you can evolve”.

Over the years Bison has become

Stephen Easton reports

a “lifestyle brand” with the addition of textiles and wood (sustainably sourced), and Brian’s currently working on his first soaps and candles (using WWF-certified palm oil) for a new brand he will launch soon.

“I was tired of going to places and seeing my pieces merchandised and they’d have these really atrocious fabrics with them, or bad glassware, or something else that just wouldn’t work, and you can’t say anything, so my way of taking back a bit of control was doing my own,” he explains.

Bison is already available in select shops around the world, such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art, but the new phase of expansion involves working with distributors in larger volumes, starting with the US, Asia and possibly the United Arab Emirates down the track.

He can also spend more time creating new designs now that he isn’t peronally producing the existing ones.

“Now I’ve got the flexibility to evolve, like doing the ‘Poplar’ range for Canberra’s Centenary; that was a big thing for me. I wanted to do something that was a departure from what I’ve done in the past, but still very clearly identifiable as Bison.”

Tunks started Bison after graduat-

Brian

“I’m not Mother

but I think you have to try to improve the lot of other people you’re working with in a different setting.”

ing with a Masters of Literature from the ANU, where he also studied ancient history, classics and archaeology. He spent time with a team digging up ancient pottery in Syria, “which they’re blowing up at the moment”, he reminds us.

There on the banks of the Euphrates River he saw “the evolution of design from the classical period to

Photo by Brent McDonald

the contemporary” and mulled over doing a PhD in Sydney.

“I could either go into academia –which wasn’t looking too crash-hot in the Howard era, let me tell you – or start my own design company.”

In some kind of karmic consolation prize, lately he’s been getting invitations to give lectures, including one for an upcoming event at Brisbane’s

combined Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art.

The new phase of Bison’s evolution also involves moving some of his production offshore, starting with Indonesia and Thailand. It’s scary, but “extremely liberating” for Tunks, who is obsessive about quality control and has a healthy disdain for the cheap, mass-produced goods he calls “cultural landfill”.

“I’m still balancing that. ‘Mass’ is huge, giant factories, and I would never put the brand into something like that. I tend to work with midsized production facilities, where the owner knows all of the staff by name, where there’s personal relationships, where there’s the possibility of developing something.

“I’m looking at working in certain emerging countries where I could do stuff like interface with an orphanage, and help fund education for women, things like that. I’m not Mother Teresa, but I think you have to try to improve the lot of other people you’re working with in a different setting.”

So far, he’s been absolutely appalled at the quality. It’s perfect.

“It’s amazing! I’m as anal as ever about QC and the horrendous thing is I spent so long doing the production that I became fixated on a certain standard, and now the people I’m working with are equalling my standard, or even better, and it’s depressing!”

Squash! How the Open got closed

IT’S the case of the disappearing sporting event.

The Australian Squash Open had become a fixture in Canberra since 2010, staged in a specially constructed glass court at the National Convention Centre.

It had built up a solid following. A good event, it was accessible, it showcased squash and it was well run.

It was scheduled to continue in Canberra this year and next. But a quick glance though at the Squash Australia website and a subsequent phone call to CEO Garry O’Donnell has revealed that the event won’t be happening this year while the 2014 tournament is in extreme doubt.

So, it seems the event has just disappeared. There was no public announcement as such; there was no speculation about its future. It just evaporated from the public conscience.

Mr. O’Donnell says his organisation

letters

A sad sign of the times

SO, the historic Starlight Drive In sign is left to languish out in the weather at an ACT Government depot (“Heritage shrugs off listed sign’s neglect”, CN November 7). Apparently a heritage listing has little consequence in the Government’s thinking.

This, at a time when we are supposedly celebrating our 100-year anniversary incorporating the (appropriately named ) “Spin” event, allegedly to celebrate Canberra’s motoring heritage.

There was $600,000 available for a whale balloon, which has made us the laughing stock of Australia, but no funding for the iconic Starlight sign.

One moment the national squash championship was planned for Canberra, the next it had gone. But where? TIM GAVEL investigates...

had no option but to pull the plug on the 2013 tournament for financial reasons.

He says the net loss from last year’s event was into the six figures and it couldn’t be sustained.

As for next year’s Australian Squash Open it would appear as though it hangs in the balance with no commitment either way from the sport’s governing body on whether it will go ahead. In the end it will come down to money.

It raises the question, had we known as a community that the event was under threat, would we have rallied to save it as we have done with sporting teams facing the same fate? I doubt whether there would have been a rallying cry as such but there may have been a groundswell among supporters of squash in Canberra.

Needle concerns

MIKE Crowther’s concern (letters, CN November 7) that syringes “will flood” the Alexander Maconochie Centre under a regulated needle and syringe program (NSP) reflects misconceptions. The ACT Government’s proposal specifically requires that detainees surrender a syringe in order to receive a sterile unit. In countries where prison NSPs have already been successfully and safely introduced, staff concern has given way to support when the successful introduction of such programs has reduced the risk of blood borne virus (BBV) transmission for both detainees and staff. Illicit needles are being shared, drugs are available and BBV transmission is a reality in the AMC now.

Mr Crowther’s experience in the NSW prison system illustrates the reality to which the ACT Government is responding. The community, prison staff and detainees all deserve a safer and more healthy prison.

That’s why health organisations – along with the UN and the World Health Organization – are advocating for prison NSPs.

John Didlick, executive officer, ACT Hepatitis Resource Centre

Take me to the ball game...

A NIGHT out at the Narrabundah Ball Park is becoming a sporting experience reminiscent of the glory days of the Canberra Cannons at the Palace in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In those days, the team was riding high on success in the NBL, it had a band playing during the games and there was standing room only.

It would appear as though the Canberra Cavalry has taken the same approach, with the game itself just a part of the entertainment package. There is singing and dancing – it is

In Transylvania

Nail 1: In 2006, the prestigious US Institute of Medicine concluded “multiple studies show that needle & syringe programs do not reduce transmission of HCV (Hepatitis C)”.

Nail 2: in February, 2012, Geoffrey Farrell, professor of hepatic medicine, is quoted as saying: “Injection of contaminated blood by drug users is now virtually the only means of acquiring the virus [Hep C ]”.

Nail 3: The ACT Hepatitis Resource Centre reports there are 226,000 Australians with hepatitis C, of which 3750 are Canberrans.

Nail 4: January, 2011: Stuart Loveday, president of Hepatitis Australia, has told the community that the principal cause of hep C is transmission of contaminated blood through intravenous injection.

Nail 5: February, 2007, “The Australian and NZ Journal of Public Health” reported that 35 per cent of intravenous drug users still share/re-use despite clean needle availability.

That’s why despite the issue of 400 million needles (Victoria alone has six million annually) in the past 30 years, hep C sufferers

akin to being transported to baseball heartland in the US where games in country towns attract around 1500 fans packed into small venues.

Canberra’s previous baseball team the Bushrangers played games at Canberra Stadium and there was a cavernous feel about it. There was little atmosphere and the team suffered.

The success of the Cavalry is no doubt contributing to the enjoyment factor, but there’s a sense that it’s a night out, a chance to escape.

If the venue was to be expanded, there is a danger that it would lose the closeness that exists between the players and the fans.

So far it has been one of the real success stories in Canberra sport in terms of capturing a niche market and catering to that market. It is obvious the team has listened to what its fans want and baseball is just part of the package when they go to Narrabundah.

City bloomers

CANBERRA CBD Limited’s annual summer flower display of 1800 baskets of multi-coloured petunias have returned to 464 locations around central Canberra from Hobart Place, along Northbourne Avenue through City Walk, Petrie Plaza and Ainslie Avenue. They’ll be there until after the Canberra Festival in March.

Potluck lunch

FAMILIES raising children in more than one language and people interested in bilingual education are welcome at the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance’s multilingual potluck lunch, at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, North Building, London Circuit, Civic, 11am-1pm, on Saturday, November 30. More information at actbilingual. weebly.com/

now number 226,000.

I trust no one will try to withdraw these nails from the coffin of the NSP program – as it now resides in Transylvania.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

Missing Mike

I AM sorry to hear that Mike Welsh has finished up at 2CC (CN November 14). Having dealt with Mike on numbers of occasions in respect to my attempts to avoid another bushfire disaster by getting bureaucrats to accept some accountability and responsibility, I found him to be a fierce proponent of this approach and I enjoyed his no-nonsense, practical and informative views on subjects of keen interest to the Canberra community. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Letters are invited to editor@citynews. com.au or GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less stand a better chance of publication.

Campbell for carols

TELEVISION star and entertainer, Tim Campbell, will lead the Christmas at Crace carols night, 6pm-9pm, at the suburb’s recreation park, corner of Abena Avenue and Narden Street, on Thursday, December 12. Local primary school choirs will perform and the Lions Club of Belconnen will be holding a barbecue in aid of the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal. Entry is free.

Charity card shop

THE Combined Charities Christmas Card Shop, in the foyer of the City Uniting Church, Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenue, Civic, is open weekdays, 10am-3.30pm, until December 12 selling cards and small gifts for not-for-profit organisations. Over 25 years, the shop has raised more than $690,000 for local charities.

‘We always order the clothes from Europe about 12 months in advance so there’s still many beautiful clothes left.’

Clothing icon says farewell with a

AS she sifts through photographs of days gone by, an emotional Dorothy Roberts reflects on Millers of Manuka’s 56 years.

“It’s gone beyond just selling clothes –we’ve had such close relationships with the clients who walk through these doors,” she says of the luxury women’s fashion store.

Dorothy, who has owned Millers for the last 42 years, will close the iconic family business on December 21, as she enters “a new chapter” in her life.

“The response from customers has been absolutely amazing, they’ve come in with all these wonderful stories, memories of their time at Millers... we’ve had people just so devastated, so sad that we are closing,” she says.

The Franklin Street store was opened in 1957 by Mary Miller and continued by her daughter Dorothy, who returned to Canberra in 1971 from Mount Isa with her geologist husband Bert to help run the business.

Dorothy’s daughter Sue Bishop, who now lives in Sydney, also helped run the store, assisting with overseas buying.

Over the years, Mary Miller grew Millers into the institution it is today, initially

stocking mostly Australian labels such as Norma Tullo, Carla Zampatti and Prue Acton and eventually importing exclusive European labels such as Armani and Missoni.

Dorothy says the store’s closing-down sale, to be held until its final day, includes 30 to 75 per cent off all merchandise.

“It’s been absolutely manic since we announced the closing down sale, we’ve had customers just pouring through,” she says.

“We always order the clothes from Europe about 12 months in advance so there’s still many beautiful clothes left.”

In the years Dorothy has run the store, she says she has watched “generations upon generations” pass through its doors.

“We’ve had women who shopped here marry, have children and then their children come and shop here, and so onI think the most we’ve had is four generations, which is amazing,” she says.

“I think people kept coming back because of that personal touch; when they walked through the doors they felt welcome and taken care of, and that’s quite rare these days.”

Some of Australia’s most high-profile women have been customers; including Dame Joan Sutherland and prime ministerial wives Dame Pattie Menzies, Tamie

Fraser, Sonia McMahon and Annita Keating.

“We had special clients who would come through and just say ‘we’re here for you to outfit us for the season’,” Dorothy says.

“I have six staff here with me and really, they’ve just been the backbone of the business. They all have their own clients and it meant they could always give them the time and attention they deserved.”

Millers’ expansive history also includes regular in-store fashion shows dating back to the 1970s, with statuesque models parading the latest looks exclusively for customers.

Dorothy says she would have loved to have kept the business in the family, but her daughter lives in Sydney and at 16, her granddaughter is too young.

“We had put it out for sale for about 12 months but didn’t have the right interest,” she explains.

After Millers, Dorothy says she’ll probably stay out of fashion, the industry that has been her life and love for so many years, instead hoping to “give back” to the community.

“All in all, it’s been a fabulous 56 years,” she says.

“My memories of Millers will be the wonderful relationships we’ve made, the many generations, the lovely friends. I won’t forget it.”

After 56 years,

Central arcade with a special appeal

CENTREPOINT arcade, on the corner of City Walk and Petrie Plaza, is home to a group of unique, successful businesses, and the building’s owner is welcoming other entrepreneurs to join them in the prime position at a busy junction of the city’s walking streets.

Upstairs is one of Canberra’s top hairdressers, Hair in the City, which moved in from London Circuit this year, just across from the extremely well-regarded Elegance Beauty Therapy. Opposite, The African Look Salon has been the place to go for dreadlocks and various kinds of braids for the past 16 years.

At ground level on the corner is the V Spot, Canberra’s newest vegetarian and vegan coffee shop, with the funky and affordable one-off fashions in Tressle boutique to one side, and a large range of new and antique timepieces at The Clock Doc on the other, with curry cafe Mon Thani next door.

HAIRSTYLE with an ‘afro’ flair

IF it’s dreadlocks, corn rows, braids or a perm you’re after, The African Look Salon is Canberra’s number one location and its owner, Juliette Graham, is one of Centrepoint’s longest running tenants.

Juliette has been upstairs in the arcade, specialising in “afro” hairstyles for the past 14 years, during which time she has given countless Canberrans a unique hairstyle, many of which feature in hundreds of photographs stuck to the walls.

She’s also styled more than a few stars in her time, including two world-class basketballers, Lauren Jackson and Patty Mills, as well as rugby union great George Gregan (and his mother). She even did hair extensions for Delta Goodrem once.

“She came here with Brian [McFadden]; she was dating him at the time,” says Juliette. “Her bodyguard was sitting here, nobody could come into the shop, and people were everywhere all around here and the phone kept ringing. We had a lot of fun that day, but I had to rush, rush, rush.”

The African Look also has a large range of ethnic hair and skin

A FOURTH generation Swiss-certified clock and watch maker, Vincent Jason from The Clock Doc is definitely a safe pair of hands when it comes to repairing and servicing high-quality timepieces.

Working under the exacting standards of the clockmakers in Switzerland was not easy, says Vincent, but it gave him the enviable old-fashioned skills that Canberrans have relied on for many years.

“It wasn’t easy,” he says of his training, many years ago.

products, make-up, clothing and accessories, along with an absolutely amazing range of wigs and hair extensions.

The African Look Salon. Call 6247 2001.

“I was in a lecture one day and the designer said something and I queried it. He said: ‘You’re the tradesman. I’m the designer. You shut up and you listen,’ and that was the end of that. I never questioned them again.”

The Clock Doc specialises in priceless antique timepieces – grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, cuckoo clocks, anniversary clocks – as well as other ornamental gauges such as barometers and thermometers. The little store also features a house

call service – especially for elderly customers – and an interior design service as well.

“We’ve got clocks from about $10 up to $40,000 –whatever you want – so we do carry a vast range and it’s the same with the watches,” says Vincent.

One grandfather clock he shows us is not far off 300 years old (but doesn’t look it after his restoration work) and another, based around a large block of jade, was made in France in 1889.

As for the location in Centrepoint, just across from the merry-go-round, he says it’s perfect.

“It really is ideal. I’m on the ground and we’ve got people coming in all the time. There’s people walking past and there’s always things going on out the front.”

The Clock Doc offers obligation-free quotes and all the work is guaranteed. During December, until Christmas Eve, the shop will be open seven days and, where possible, Vincent is more than happy to wrap presents at no charge.

The Clock Doc. Call 6230 4535 or go to theclockdocact. com.au

CAFE with vegetarians in mind

CHRISSIE Wittich opened V Spot Cafe in mid-September, in a space that inspired many of the ideas for how she would put her own stamp on the city’s pedestrian area.

“I had a vision, but when I found this site I changed my vision to fit it, and then the concept just evolved and developed from there,” she says, explaining that everything on the menu is suitable for vegetarians, and there are heaps of vegan and gluten-free options, too.

Chrissie says finding the site was like “divine intervention” and after that, a lot of other things seemed to fall into place, with the answers to difficult questions – such as which brand of coffee to use –appearing to present themselves at just the right time as though “the universe had contrived for this to happen”.

“I was looking at a Canberra coffee supplier and I was just a little bit nervous, I wasn’t a hundred per cent sure… then, I was visiting my mum in Wagga and I had the best coffee I’d ever had,” she recalls.

“What is it? Where is it from?” she immediately enquired. It was Jasper coffee, a small Melbourne roaster run by “a couple of old hippies” (their words, Chrissie assures us) that happens to be next door to her sister, who’d been telling her to try their beans for a while.

V Spot Cafe owner Chrissie Wittich serves regular customer Miffy Galloway.

“It’s organic and fair trade and it tastes good,” says Chrissie. “There’s lots of organic fair trade stuff that just isn’t nice, but I think this tastes fantastic and Jasper was the first coffee roaster in Australia to be certified carbon neutral. I think that’s fairly impressive, too.”

V Spot uses as many local suppliers as possible, such as local girl Anthea Cahill’s Real Chai, fresh and ethical snacks from Veganarchy and Raw Capers, and handmade Lindsay and Edmonds chocolate (melted into steamed milk).

Naturally, being as eco-friendly as possible goes hand in hand with a cafe that’s a meat-free zone, and Chrissie tells “CityNews” she has also been exploring the possibili -

ties of nutrient-rich raw foods, like her “zoodles”.

“Zoodles are zucchini cut into what looks like spaghetti with a raw tomato and basil sauce,” she explains, adding that V Spot hosted a “raw-food dinner” recently. The meal got “ticks all round” from health-food bloggers The Merrymaker Sisters, who also describe Chrissie as one of the nicest people they’ve met.

“I did that just to dip a toe in the water, but I’m going to do it regularly, and my next one will be a raw high tea.”

V Spot is the first cafe to serve merrymaker raw cakes.

V Spot Cafe. Call 0402 089 325 or go to vspotcafe.com.au

BEAUTY

with a touch of elegance

HAVING first opened in 1988, generations of Canberra ladies have come to relax and be pampered in the quiet, calm rooms at Elegance Beauty Therapy, where sunshine filtered through the trees outside is all that can be seen through the second-storey windows.

“It’s very relaxing to be working in a room like this, looking out,” says Tina Halikiotis, a beauty therapist with 25 years’ experience who took over the salon in February.

“We have a lot of clients that have been coming from the word go, that still come today, 30 years later and we don’t have a big turnover of staff, either. I’ve kept the same staff who were already here.”

As you’d expect, Elegance has a complete range of facials, treatments for anti-ageing and skin hydration, manicures, pedicures, eyelash extensions, waxing and laser hair removal, all of which can be combined into packages.

“Microdermabrasion is one of our big treatments,” says Tina, explaining that the treatment removes the three topmost layers of skin to reveal more youthful cells underneath.

“As well as doing anti-ageing, we’re doing a lot of teen treatments now, that’s our new thing we’ve been introducing,” she adds.

“What we’re doing now is we want to teach the teenagers how important it is to look after their skin. They say 70 per cent of teenagers shouldn’t have acne, so if we can get them looking after their skin we should be able to help a lot of them avoid that acne altogether.”

Tina is big on rewarding customer loyalty so

Elegance has regular monthly specials, and also gives discounts and bonuses for paying in advance.

“When a client comes in for waxing, if she pays for three of those treatments on the day we’ll give her the fourth one for free – it’s just one of the ways we are always giving back to our customers.”

Tina says she’s now focusing on Christmas, putting together special packs and hammering out yet another great deal on gift vouchers – spend over $200 on a voucher and she’ll throw in another $40 one for free.

Elegance Beauty Salon. Call 6248 0058 or go to elegancebeauty.com.au

HAIRDRESSER with a winning way

WINNING the coveted “ACT Salon of the Year” prize at the recent International Hairstylists’ Society ACT Championships

confirmed Hair in the City’s place at the top of their game.

The hairdressing salon has been in operation for more than 15 years and though it is managed by principal Heather Sainsbury, it runs on a co-operative business model, unlike a lot of other salons.

“This means that you will get the best possible service available, with all stylists contributing to the running of the salon,” Heather says.

“Everyone who comes to a hair salon always wants the owner, because they’re the ones who have the strongest vested interest in your having the best hairstyle. We’re all the owners, so there’s no difference; we all equally understand the importance of making sure that people are looked after.”

Salon of the Year wasn’t the only award that Hair in

the City picked up at the IHS Awards, either. Individual stylists, including some who work at its sister salon, Chapman Studio, took home a total of 19 other awards that night.

Heather says Hair in the City has recently expanded its range of services, to offer “Fame Hair Extensions” and “Feathers”, and adds there are now five make-up artists on staff as well.

The salon specialises in Keune products, which are all free of ammonia and sulphate, as are the hair colourings used, and every Hair in the City appointment includes a free follow-up one week later to make sure the client is happy with their new hairstyle.

“We always do everything we can to make sure people are happy,” says Heather. “We’re happy to bend over backwards to make sure it’s right.

“If we can’t make them happy, we won’t do their hair, it’s really that simple.”

Hair in the City. Call 6248 9977 or go to hairinthecity. com.au

FASHION for the young and young at heart

TRESSLE opened about a year ago, seizing the opportunity of a prime location in Centrepoint right on City Walk, and making the most of it.

Its owners say the location is fantastic because it has “that Canberra feel” to it, explaining that they much prefer being a part of the open-air shopping that Civic is best known for, than inside the big mall across the way.

The idea behind the little fashion shop was to focus on the younger end of women’s fashions and this is evident in the collection of interesting clothes and accessories they have on offer. Forget endless versions of the same things with slight variations; the contents of Tressle’s racks are reminiscent of the collision of bright colours, denim shorts and fluoro you see at a summer music festival.

The people behind the store say they focus on filling those racks with the most diverse collection of the latest fashions they can find, at the same time as making sure they have prices that are reasonable.

“We have a lot of stuff that’s one-off so if you don’t get it the first time you see it, a lot of the time it’s gone when you come back later. Our idea is that we don’t stock a lot of the same, we stock the best of what’s out there.”

Tressle is currently selling leftover winter stock for as

little as $10 an item, while all summer dresses are $35 or less and summer tops no more than $25.

The little boutique aims to employ staff who combine a passion for style and a dedication to excellent service.

According to its owners: “Our customers are always pampered to enjoy their shopping experience. Tressle is a place where you can find unique and beautiful items to make you stand out from the crowd.”

Tressle. Call 6247 8170.

CURRIES with a family flavour

WHEN South-East Asian curry specialists

Khon Toi and his wife Pa Kao Sond first opened their curry restaurant in Centrepoint’s ground floor on the side of Petrie Plaza, they quickly learned to tone down the spices after almost blowing the heads off the first few hungry workers who tried their delicious food.

When met with an enquiry from “CityNews” about how long the couple have been cooking food, Khon Toi looks a little puzzled at first, then cracks a broad smile.

“In my country, everyone cooks!” he laughs, “I learned from my mum and dad, when I was young.”

Khon explains that he and Pa Kao Sond are from southern Myanmar (Burma) but are in fact members of the Mon people.

Their relative May, whose husband is studying at the ANU, also works in the restaurant.

Typical of Asian diners, Mon Thani is all about fantastic food made according to tried and tested family recipes – adjusted for local tastes – at modest prices.

Every day, there are nine Burmese and Thai-style curries and a simple deal: a good helping of two of them, separated by steamed rice, for only $8. Choices include beef and potato, egg curry, prawn cakes, a vegetarian dish, green chicken curry, beef and bamboo, pork mince stir fry, fried tofu or massaman curry.

Mon Thani Curry Restaurant. Call 0433 943580.

Looking for that ideal location in the city?

Canberra Confidential

Praise be, the sign is saved!

THE neglected, heritage Starlight Drive-in sign is to be resurrected near its original site in Watson.

“CityNews”, which has been campaigning for the 57-year-old neon sign for three years, hears that the owners of the Starlight Apartments – which were built on the site of the original ‘50s drive-in – will be voting to donate the sign, now lying rusting and neglected in an ACT Government depot in Fyshwick since falling off its rusted plinth in October last year, to slow-moving ACT Heritage.

The strata group’s executive committee is going to seek the owners’ approval at its November 28 annual general meeting to have the sign donated on the basis of it being re-installed on Government land directly outside Starlight Apartments, which then excuses them from any further responsibility for cost.

But, if it’s to be moved from its original spot, why stay in Watson? Isn’t it time the National Sound and Film Archive took some interest?

Mozzies to sting

MEET the ACT Mozzies, a group of junior fencers aged between seven and 13 who are representing the ACT in an international sporting event called the Koala Cup, to be held in Sydney over three days on the

the credibility in winning that kind of an award? We’ll know soon enough, voting closed on November 19.

Beyond our Ken 1.

KEN Irvine, of Ziggy’s Fruit Markets, has been in fruit and veg for 45 years, but won’t say how old he is. He hates poor service and okra, collects BMWs and admits the most significant change to his business in the last year has been “getting rid of dead wood”. His favourite saying is: “That’s why I get the big bucks”.

He confesses all this and more in a revealing Q&A to support a trade newsletter’s announcement of Ziggy’s Fyshwick winning the October Greengrocer of the Month Award against more than 250 fresh-food retailers across NSW and the ACT, the first award for a store in the Fyshwick Markets since 2005.

Beyond our Ken 2.

with bedfellows such as the “Newcastle Herald” and the “Illawarra Mercury”. Given the staff turmoil and turnover of the past year, Nichols was seen as a steadying, familiar face of the troubled paper among advertisers and the business community in Canberra. The line is that he’ll be there until “the transition”. To what though is not clear.

Down ‘Times’

MEANWHILE, here’s some more news “The Canberra Times” won’t tell its readers or advertisers – its own latest circulation figures from the September 30 quarterly audit, which saw its flagship Saturday edition down 9.6 per cent to 45,162, weekdays flopped another 7.4 per cent to 28,162 and Sundays are down 8 per cent to 28,808.

weekend of November 22, 23 and 24.

“These children are some of the nation’s best representative junior fencers with national rankings in the top 10 and are a credit to the ACT,” purrs proud team manager Letitia Abela

The ACT has the second largest qualifying team with 26 fencers competing, a reflection, she says, of the huge rise in fencing at the junior level. Over the last seven years, fencing clubs in the ACT for juniors have grown from one club to five.

Vote often

SUMMERNATS, Canberra’s annual street machine show, says it’s made it into the top 10 for the people’s choice section of Australia’s Favourite Event awards, where the “public votes for their favourite Aussie event; the event that earns their devotion and support”.

The “devotion and support” comes from fans being encouraged to vote “five times at once and multiple times per day”. Where’s

Conferences

KEN Nichols, operations director of “The Canberra Times” and its former general manager from 2006 until July last year, is leaving the paper. Its owner, Fairfax Media, recently repositioned the national capital’s daily from its prestigious metropolitan team with “The Sydney Morning Herald” and “The Age”, to its regional group

Re-cycle time

WHILE the frame is going nowhere, the wheels of this poor, vandalised cycle, shackled heavily to a bike rack in Bunda Street, Civic, have clearly gone to heaven. Reporter Stephen Easton took the photo.

summer

Plunge into graphics, tribal and tropical

Splash out this summer and invest in an on-trend swimsuit, writes fashion editor LAURA EDWARDS...

WE may not have a beach, but swimwear is a “big deal” in Canberra each summer, says Haus fashion director and stylist Steven Wright.

“So many Canberrans agonise over the decision when purchasing swimwear, it’s such a fraught experience for them,” says Steven, previously the producer for Fashfest.

This year, look to graphic, tribal and tropical prints for an on-trend look.

“Tropical print has always been huge in Canberra, and the tribal look is making a comeback, but this time with more gelato, pastel tones rather than earthy colours,” says Steven.

As for graphics, it’s as if the late 1980s and 1990s have “filtered through”, says Steven.

“Think about those ‘Mambo’ graphics from the early 1990s, high-contrast poster art is really having an impact – we’re almost replaying our childhood,” he says.

And what about that age-old argument – bikini or one-piece?

“I wouldn’t say one-pieces have taken over bikinis, but they are definitely more popular this year,” says Steven.

While bikinis highlight the waistline and hips, onepieces elongate physiques, showing off shoulders and backs and streamlining tummies, Steven says.

“Many one-piece suits have athletic cuts now, which flatter every shape and they’re much more modest than a bikini,” he says.

“If you’re unsure, you can never really go wrong with a well-cut, black one-piece.

“Bikini-wise, bandeaus are very in right now rather than triangle shapes, which keeps in line with that athletic look.”

When accessorising, colourful flower crowns are a cute option, transcending neatly from racewear to swimwear, while clear visors are a sleek way to stay cool.

“It’s not just about thongs or a beach bag now – it’s about creating a total look,” says Steven.

Swimwear: Surf Dive and Ski, Canberra Centre

Jewellery: Jodie Cunningham

Models: Ingrid Vennonen and Melissa Swann

advertising feature

Your perfect pair of summer shoes from Peter Kaiser.

scene / around canberra

At the Disability Support Worker Awards, Hyatt Hotel

At the opening of the George Gregan Playground, Canberra Hospital

Simply spend $10 or more in Kippax Fair at participating stores to be eligible to win.

$2,000 to be won weekly and drawn every Friday at 11am from 15th November until 20th December 2013 8 week competition starts 1st November 2013.

Bonus $2,000 if the winner is present at the draw. This will JACKPOT by $1,000 until claimed or promotion ends.

PARTICIPATING STORES

Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

Chartered Accountant

Beverly came to see me, concerned that the Federal Government had been making changes that affect her small business.

“Beverly, you are right,” I told her. “The first change that’s relevant to you concerns your salary sacrificed cars.

“You may remember that the previous Government announced that the statutory formula for cars would be abolished. So any new cars you purchase would have to be accounted for using the log-book method. Well, the incoming Government has decided not to proceed with this. So you can continue to use the statutory formula in your calculations. This will be much easier for you.”

Beverly was happy.

“One of the other important items that will not be proceeding is the tax on pension fund earnings in excess of $100,000,” I said.

“The problem with this proposal lay in the fact that it would tax capital gains. For example, your normal pension is about $60,000 a year and, if you realised some assets to improve the liquidity of the fund and this pushed your share of the earnings above $100,000 then the fund would have had to pay 15 per cent tax on those earnings. So this is a very pleasing outcome.”

Beverly was happier still.

“And while not one of the changes announced by the Treasurer, it is worth reminding you that your cap for employer contributions increased to $35,000 from July 1, as you are over 60. For those over 50, the cap will increase to $35,000 effective from next July,” I advised her.

“As superannuation is capped, the excess contribution tax regime becomes important, especially if you accidentally pay too much to your superannuation fund.

“From July 1, if you exceed your contributions cap you will be allowed to withdraw the excess contributions from your superannuation fund. If you choose to do this then the excess contributions will be taxed at your marginal rate which is 38.5 per cent including medicare levy.

By now, Beverly was happy and grateful saying: “Thanks for clarifying the position re the superannuation changes. I find it all so confusing.”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” I assured Beverly, adding that there was something else that may impact on her family.

“A cap of $2000 on self education expenses was proposed, however the Government has announced that it will not proceed with this proposal. “While you may not be doing any courses right now, I know that your daughter is studying for a higher degree and this cap would not go very far towards her self education costs. So, this change is also welcome.”

If you have any questions about tax, superannuation or your business, please contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

It’s the perfect week for Rams to indulge in some delicious daydreaming, as your intuition and imagination run riot. So leave rational pursuits and important decision-making for a more suitable time … and make sure you can tell the difference between fact and fiction. Sunday is super for travel and adventure, plus linking up with your international connections.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

The more stubborn you are (especially in relationships) the more difficult the week will be. Keep in mind the following saying “What you resist persists.” Perhaps it’s time to lighten the load and let go? Look to your circle of friends and acquaintances for positive advice and creative alternatives. But be extra discreet as you go about your daily Taurean tasks – loose lips sink ships!

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

With Mercury and Saturn joining forces in your wellbeing zone, it’s time to focus on your health and fitness. Find a diet and exercise program that works for you. It must include plenty of variety and a social component (otherwise you’ll just get bored and give up). Thursday is terrific for travel, education, commerce, business endeavours and financial matters.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Expect some friction, as Mercury/Saturn aspects make children, teenagers or friends more entrenched in their opinions and less likely to be flexible. (Especially avoid getting drawn into arguments over money!) It’s time for clever Crabs to exercise your adaptability muscles. Thursday favours communication, conversation, cooperation and problem solving.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

The Sun/Neptune square makes for a confusing start to the week, when you feel discouraged by a current challenge. Energy levels are likely to be low so look after yourself (have a relaxing bath, a soothing massage, or make some nourishing and nurturing soup.) It’s a wonderful weekend to do something unexpected, as Uranus unleashes the wild Lion within.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

The Moon and Mars join up in your sign, so have the courage to be the real you. As birthday great Bruce Lee declared “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself.” Attached Virgos – resist the temptation to keep a big secret from your trusting spouse. Singles – it may be difficult to pick the difference between a dream date and a disappointing dud.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Don’t expect loved ones to behave in predictable ways this week – but you can expect a romantic relationship or creative partnership to sparkle and shine. Maximise your natural charm but beware of false flattery … and resist the urge to be talked into doing something you really don’t want to do. Strive to make your Libran lifestyle a true reflection of your core values and beliefs.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Avoid becoming stuck and obsessed with one idea (or person). Keep moving Scorpio! Pursue your goals with purpose but remain open to spontaneity and change. With Jupiter jumping through your adventure zone, your motto for the moment is from Mark Twain (born on Nov 30) “Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

With the Sun and Uranus activating your sign you’ve got energy to burn, so act on your hunches and follow your dreams! But don’t get too carried away, make exaggerated claims or promise more than you can actually deliver. There’s a fine line between reaching for the stars and overreaching. If you take on too much, you’ll just end up in a disorganised mess.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Can-do Capricorns prefer things to proceed at a cracking pace. If you are mentally organised then you’ll have a productive week but you’ll have to be patient, as tasks will take longer than expected (with plenty of distracting detours along the way). And don’t let nagging self-doubts undermine your confidence and conviction. You have to be your Number One fan.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Professional projects will take a while to get off the ground, and require hard work and disciplined thinking. You’re keen to connect with others on the weekend, as the Sun and Uranus activate your networking zone. It’s time to mix and mingle; converse and communicate; enthuse and experiment. People are waiting to hear what you’ve got to say so start talking!

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

You may feel confused and discouraged early in the week. But escaping into a fantasy world won’t make problems magically disappear. As the week progresses, aim to be a firm and focused Fish, as you find creative solutions to current challenges. The gap between dreams and reality is wide but, with plenty of patience and persistence – you’ll eventually get there.

9 Which word defines that which is saltlike?

10 What is a small tower forming part of a larger structure?

11 Which term relates to the cutting of precious stones?

14 What is an outline of the plot of a novel, etc?

18 Which zone lies between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?

19 Name

21

22

1 What are the main divisions of a book called?

2 Name another term for trotters

3 Which frames are used as supports?

4 What is another expression for a false god?

5 To have deposited something as security for money borrowed, is to have done what?

6 Name the renowned US composer, Cole...?

12 Name a small message, mailed whilst on tour perhaps

13 From which part of a ship were miscreants once hanged?

15 Name the brutes from Gulliver’s Travels

16 One who once cared for horses at an inn was called a what?

17 Which circle is the southern boundary of the North Frigid Zone?

20 What is a sheet of ice, for skating?

arts & entertainment Wendy Johnson

Hannah’s back and hot to trot

THAT musical with the hyperbolic title, “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” is coming to town again and the production will mark the return to the boards of one of Canberra’s leading lights, Hannah Ley.

The last time we saw Ley performing was in February 2012, when she played Velma Kelly in Free Rain’s production of “Chicago”, wearing a tight leotard to conceal her condition.

Since then, her 15-month-old son Rupert has occupied her to the extent that she says, “it feels like an awfully long time ago and a lot has changed”.

Readers will sympathise, but Ley’s case is extreme, as she juggles the roles of mother, hoofer and actress with the job of education officer at the Canberra Theatre Centre.

“Everything is at the whim of Rupert,” she explains while embarking on the revival of this musical, one of the biggest hits of 2009-10 for Everyman Theatre, “he’s keeping me fit, so I’ll be show-ready.”

Husband Duncan Ley is the co-director of the show, so it’s “a logistical exercise” made possible by a group of supportive friends. Neither has any family in

Helen Musa reports

Canberra, so they’ve had to invent a whole host of “kind aunties” for Rupert.

Some, she reports, come from the admin offices of the Canberra Theatre. Then there’s the musical director and mother, Leisa Keen. And still more are from the mothers’ group run by ACT Health, where one mother runs a rhythmic exercise club.

Together they’ve been getting “fit enough to do the splits again”.

“Things seem to be rolling along really nicely,” Ley says, but taking no chances, they’re flying her mother-in-law in from Queensland for production week.

“Knowing he’s with granny means we can focus,” she says.

It’s been a pretty good year for husband Duncan, she notes, with a feature film underway of his play, “In Cold Light”, a directing job with Canberra REP on “Under Milk Wood” and the commission to write “Home at the End” for Canberra Theatre.

“Now it’s my turn,” she says.

With the arrival of Rupert, they wanted music and dance and creativity to be part of his life – “this is what our family does, so it would have been appalling to have gone cold turkey.”

But Ley couldn’t have picked anything harder for a comeback than “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)”, which she

describes as “very athletic, with full-on dancing and singing all the way through”.

In 2009, Everyman Theatre staged it in the Courtyard Studio, transferring in 2010 to the Playhouse. Now they’ll be back in the intimate studio again where, she says, “it’s got to be precise, we’re not miked, so the singing has got to be perfect and there is a lot of harmony… it’s a mental race.”

Ley plays the all-purpose ingénue, June. For those who don’t know “The Musical”, it satirises and pays tribute to the idiosyncrasies of five different kinds of stage musical.

June comes across as “brassey and Bolshie in the Rodgers & Hammerstein; ditsy and confused in the Stephen Sondheim; wet behind the ears in the

Jerry Herman; full-throttle wanna-be diva in the Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a little minx in the Kander and Ebb (“Chicago” and “Cabaret”).

Once more, Ley will be sharing the stage with Louiza Blomfield, Adrian Flor and Jarrad West, but this time Duncan Driver replaces Duncan Ley as the narrator.

Ley apologises for the cliché but says, “there’s something in it for everyone – for people who love musicals or people who hate musicals or people who just want a great night out.”

“The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” at the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, December 5-21, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Joseph’s in the oud to play

By Helen Musa

CELEBRATED oud player, Joseph Tawadros, is in no mood to be stereotyped when I talk to him by Skype in Zagreb, Croatia, nearing the end of a gruelling tour that has so far taken in India, Austria, Belgium and Egypt, his first time there since the heady days of the Arab Spring Revolution.

“It’s not just about the oud,” he says of the Arabic lute-style instrument that has made him famous, “it’s about being different… our music can’t be characterised.”

The Tawadros brothers – Joseph and his percussionist brother James – have performed with everybody from Zakir Hussain to Richard Tognetti. With seven

Some of the fine S t mind S in Au S tr A li A A nd the world di S cu SS the moSt importAnt, cutting edge i SS ue S of the d Ay

consecutive ARIA nominations in the World Music and Jazz categories, they have won the top prize in both 2012 and 2013. Egypt-born, he came here at age three. He and James, who excels in the Egyptian tambourine, the Riq’, will join jazz pianist, Matt McMahon, on stage at The Street Theatre shortly and he promises it will be anything but, what he calls, “ethnic” music.

Last seen here in the Capital Jazz Project show in August, Tawadros has become so skilled in the exercise of his instrument that he can use the oud to play almost any repertoire.

His music is sometimes styled as Egyptian, Middle Eastern classical, or gypsy, and its improvisational qualities have linked

him closely to jazz. But he says: “My music is not intended to be like anything else”, arguing that his inspiration comes from “a gazillion” different sources.

His recent ARIA award-winning album, “Chameleons of the White Shadow”, will provide the highlights of the coming show at The Street. I’ve listened to several numbers and noted that some bore a resemblance to the classical guitar. Tawadros doesn’t disagree, saying, “I like to perform different repertoire… it keeps you on your toes… it buoys up your performance.”

The Tawadros brothers and Matt McMahon, The Street Theatre, Saturday, November 30, bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au

upcoming Big issues Big talk events:

25 november - Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) Centenary Seminar Series, University of Canberra.

3 decemBer - Australian Academy of Science, Global Impact Series, Shine Dome.

engage with interactive live webcasts for these upcoming events:

20 – 21 november - Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) National Conference, National Convention Centre.

28 november - University of Canberra ANZSOG Institute for Governance, Parliamentary Triangle Series, National Press Club.

10 december - ACT Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Day, National Library of Australia.

At home on the promenade

When zombies come alive

Helen Musa

arts in the city

WATCH out zombie-lovers! The first screening of “Theatre of the Dead”, the zombie movie made in Erindale Theatre, will be at Dendy Canberra, 6.30pm, on Thursday, November 28. Bookings to eventbrite.com/event/9239480535

“PAINTING the Hills of Canberra” is an exhibition of ceramic work by artist Cathy Franzi, created in response to the Griffins’ “grand vision” of our hills. The vessels look like flat-topped hills. Until December 14 at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre, Level 1, North Building, Civic, 10am-5pm, Tuesday to Friday, and noon-4pm, Saturday.

SINCE beginning in 1983, the Capital Arts Patrons’ Organisation has awarded more than $1.8 million to our artists. This year they’re throwing a party at Canberra Museum and Gallery from 6.45pm on November 23, featuring silent and live auctions, gourmet food, drinks and entertainment by the Connexion Big Band. Bookings to capo.org.au/capo-30-auction-tickets.

CANBERRA Grammar School is holding a fundraising art auction, 5.30pm-7.30pm, on Thursday, November 28, to support two Braidwood sculptors and school artists-in-residence, Suzie Bleach and Andrew Townsend, who lost everything when a fire ravaged their studio recently. The event will include silent and live auctions, musical performances and performance art.

LANYON High School is holding its inaugural art show, presenting student artworks from all the Lanyon schools – Bonython, Charles Conder, Gordon, St Clare of Assisi and Lanyon High, 3.30pm-7.30pm, on Friday, November 29 at Lanyon High, Heidelberg Street, Conder. Entry by gold-coin donation for those above primary school age.

YOUNG virtuoso pianist, Aaron Chew, will perform the world premiere of Larry Sitsky’s “Piano Sonata No.3”, dedicated to Canberra composer Jim Cotter, at Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, November 27. Paper note entry or concession $2. Chew was awarded the Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Prize this year.

UNIVERSITY of Canberra Chorale will perform at the Belconnen Arts Centre, 3pm, on Sunday, November 24, together with guests Christina Wilson (mezzo soprano) and Matt Withers (guitar), and the U Can Sing children’s choir. Tickets at the door.

BINALONG’S poetry event, “A Brush with Poetry”, will be held at Black Swan Gallery, on Burley Griffin Way, 1.30pm, on Saturday, November 24. This shared-mic event will mix original contemporary and traditional poetry alongside recitations of famous poems by the old bards. Admission free.

we h Ave h Ad m Any highprofile SpeAkerS And lectureS over the lASt 10 monthS. to view pASt lectureS, or to join An inter Active live weBcASt viSit cAnBerr A100.com. Au/progr AmS/Big/ iSSueSBig-tAlk And follow the linkS.

arts & entertainment

‘Enough’ of a good thing, maybe?

“Enough Said” (M)

WRITER/director Nicole Holofcener’s film shrouded me in an increasing uncertainty about its genre. Is it a chick-flick? Its collection of women in major roles is impressive. Julia Louis-Dreyfus leads the pack as Eva, a divorcee working as a masseuse to support herself and a daughter about to leave home for university. Catherine Keener plays Marianne, a divorcee whose slim volumes of poetry support a comfortable lifestyle, also with a daughter in late adolescence and always ready to tip a bucket over her ex-husband. Toni Collette is

Would

We

Dougal Macdonald cinema

Sarah, Eva’s acerbic friend. None of these women has borne a son.

Is it a romance? James Gandolfini plays Albert, a divorced librarian coping with a solitary lifestyle.

He meets Eva at a party where the two discover an amity portending something more intense.

Eva gives her business card to Marianne thus portending a burgeoning relationship in which Eva finds herself sympathising with Marianne’s escape

from a marriage that was not working.

Is it a comedy? Most of its humour seemed to flow from Eva’s enthusiastic volubility that conveys a limited capacity for thought.

Is it predictable? From about midway, the only surprise turned out to be Alfred’s reaction to what was already flagged as the plot’s crucial turning point. This is not to say that “Enough Said” isn’t an agreeable experience. And Gandolfini’s death too soon takes a versatile and charming actor off the stage, much to be regretted.

At Dendy, Capitol 6 and Palace Electric

Ceramic treat for artist of the year

By Helen Musa

CERAMIC artist Hiroe Swen and Belconnen Arts Centre will join principal sponsor “CityNews” in honouring the 2013 Artist of the Year at the annual ACT Arts Awards, to be held at Canberra Museum and Gallery on Tuesday, November 26.

Swen, a former Artist of the Year, who recently held a significant exhibition of her work at BAC, will present one of her ceramic art works to the artist and “CityNews” a cheque to the value of $1000.

The awards, which are hosted by the Canberra Critics’ Circle, will feature their own awards and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s Green Room Award.

“The Fifth Estate” (M)

JOSH Singer’s screenplay draws heavily from accounts by Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl), David Leigh and Luke Harding about the founding of WikiLeaks and the roles that Julian Assange and Daniel played in its begetting, gestation, parturition and growth.

Director Bill Condon examines those complex, challenging and polarising events in a political-message film canvassing the duopoly embedded in the morality of WikiLeaks. The film throws up subtle tensions, demanding that filmgoers ponder not only what’s on the screen but also its downstream implications. Demonstrations of seminal waypoints in the story combine archival footage with staged inventions based on media reports. Following how it all happened is not hard, but there’s no free ride through events not covered in the source material. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Assange, fervour bordering on brilliance, compelling praise for a bravura performance of substantial intellectual capacity flawed in the manner of its application. The supporting cast is no less admirable.

At Palace Electric and Capitol 6

Margaret makes buying art easy as possible

‘They are now artist prices, instead of gallery prices... I’ve taken about 40 or 50 per cent off already, and now for Christmas, 10 per cent more.’

THE purpose-built art gallery near Deakin shops has been through several incarnations, first as Solander Gallery and later as Australia Made.

“Then it was empty for quite some time,” says artist Margaret Dimoff, who took over the space in June with the help of her two business-savvy sons, Andrew (from Instyle Indoor Plant Hire) and Darren (from DZ Designs). Apparently they made a good choice.

“I love the big rooms and I love the light; I think this is one of the nicest galleries in Canberra,” she says. “Also, nowhere would you see this many paintings from one artist in one spot, and they’re all one-offs.”

Visitors can view her extensive and diverse collection of paintings and other artworks between 10am and 4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and purchase them for incredibly reasonable prices.

“They are now artist prices, instead of gallery prices,” says Dimoff. “That means I’ve taken about 40 or 50 per cent off already, and now for Christmas, 10 per cent more.”

The prolific artist says she mostly just wants her large collection of works to be

enjoyed by others, and since investing in high-quality art is not usually a snap decision, she makes buying as easy as possible.

“People can take the paintings home, view them in their space, and there’s no obligation,” Margaret says.

“We want people to be happy, we want it to fit in their space, and I’ve got the van here all the time so they can take two or three paintings home and see if they like them.”

The gallery’s most recent use – as a display centre for the apartments over the road – was to be its last, and Dimoff got a good deal renting it for its final days. She first thought she’d be out at the end of the year, but very recently the building received a stay of execution.

“I’ve got it for at least another six months now!” she says, delighted at the prospect of staying in the space longer, although she plans to open a more permanent gallery after it’s knocked down, which involves selling the rural property on the south coast where she and her husband have lived for 19 years and moving back to Canberra.

“Once we sell the farm I’ll get a building in Fyshwick where I’ll have a framing business, a gallery, my studio and a printing workshop, too,” Margaret says, explaining her vision of a hub for several artists to work together.

“I have printing presses, all the inks,

Margaret Dimoff… “Nowhere would you see this many paintings from one artist in one spot, and they’re all one-offs.”

and lots of paper at home, so I think about half a dozen people will be able to use the facility, so if they don’t have a studio, they can pay a small fee to use mine with all of

my equipment.”

In the 1980s Dimoff focused on sculpture and pottery (both are represented in the gallery) but she turned her attention to

painting about 15 years ago, developing a style that subtly merges recognisable images with more abstract splashes.

The collection is mainly works she has created in the past 10 years, mostly mixed media on large canvasses that would fit comfortably in a corporate or institutional art collection (her works are available for lease).

Margaret says she started working on the giant pieces of canvas after the director of Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Ross Cameron, invited her to hold a solo exhibition.

“...being such a large space, I decided to paint large canvasses and I thought it looked so nice and I enjoyed it so much that I just kept going with it,” she says, indicating some of her earlier works, which are not as large, framed under glass and often feature distinctive human-like figures that have proved popular over the years.

“I don’t really know why, but those little ‘figures’ were my biggest sellers; I had them in 12 galleries and I could not keep up with them. They have gone all over the world.”

A good time to check out the gallery is on the evening of Thursday, November 28, when Dimoff is hosting a soiree for art lovers to come and have a drink, look around and perhaps pick up a good deal.

Margaret Dimoff Artworks. Call 0407 416480 or go to margaretdimoffartworks.com.au

arts & entertainment / dining

At home on the promenade

WENDY JOHNSON looks at the early offerings for diners on the emerging Kingston Foreshore LIFESTYLE. It’s what Canberra’s only urban waterside community promises. And for visitors and thousands of residents, wining and dining is a massive part of the Kingston Foreshore development.

The views? No doubt they’re enticing. The wind? Not always so pleasant but definitely stimulates the senses.

I’ve been many times and will be back many more.

The first restaurant to make its home on the promenade was C-Dine, which now offers “Buck a Shuck” on Fridays, 4pm-6pm – $1 oysters and $5 cider or tap beer. Next was Morks, with its popular fan base, followed by Chong Co Thai and 38 espresso coffee bar.

A delicious combination of other establishments will be open before Christmas, early in the New Year and through 2014. The line-up includes La Rustica, Max Brenner, Lonsdale Street Roasters, Autolyse, Pizza Gusto, Izakaya Restaurant and the Rum Bar.

My most recent visit was to Chong Co Thai, also in Gungahlin and Belconnen (restaurant and express operation). It is a massive piece of real estate, with an enormous number of tables indoors and outdoors. The interior features dark timbers, warm colours and a comforting water feature near the entrance. We were there when a large golden Buddha was installed. It was lunch and we noted the specials – six noodle dishes ($14.90 to $16.90) and eight rice dishes (same price range). We

opted for the regular menu.

Entrees range from $8.90 to $13.50. We began with the “golden” prawn rolls – plump prawns wrapped in crispy pastry and served with sweet plum sauce. They were far from golden and were barely warm, which was a disappointing start.

Mains range from around $19 to $30. The winner was the duck with chilli basil stir fry. You just cannot beat succulent duck and this dish was sensational with sweet basil, chilli and mixed veggies for good measure. We also ordered the Pad Thai, billed as one of Chong Co Thai’s most popular dishes. My taste buds were not happy, but this dish can be cooked a thousand ways and whether the combo of flavours works for you is often personal preference. The dish looked bland, lacked substance and was not piping hot on arrival (which baffled me, given the place was painfully quiet, except for staff chatting to one another instead of focusing on the three tables with customers).

While the Foreshore is the talk of the town, Kingston proper is also buzzing with activity. Green Square is soon to have its green grass back, thanks to traders lobbying the Government. New Brooklyn, where the Holy Grail used to be, is well on its way to opening. On Giles Street, European is now open and on Kennedy Street, Penny University is enjoying early days.

TWO passionate young business owners are leading the charge to satisfy Canberra’s coffee connoisseurs, with an appreciation of every little thing that goes into a great cup.

For Ona Coffee founder Sasa Sestic and his good mate Michael Rose, who owns the Espresso Room at Woden Westfield and now in Tuggeranong Hyperdome, that includes elements like happy cafe staff, roasters and growers, along with top barista skills and some of the highest grade beans in the world.

“Coffee is graded in points, like wine,” says Sasa, explaining that in Cup of Excellence (CoE), the world’s most prestigious coffee farming competition, beans that get more than 80 points out of 100 are certified specialty coffees while 85 is the minimum to be called a Cup of Excellence. For the rare bean that cracks 90, there’s the Presidential Award.

“I just found out I’m the first Q-grader in the ACT that’s been certified, so that means my palate is certified and I can actually go all over the world and judge coffee and score coffee,” he says proudly, as he shows “CityNews” around the Fyshwick shop where Ona roasts, wholesales and serves its incredible coffee.

“It’s really exciting; there’s only about a thousand people in the world that have this Q Grading certification from the Coffee Quality Institute, an international non-profit organisation that works to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.”

Q Graders must pass a rigorous three-day exam to earn their certification, comprising of 22 sections on coffee-related subjects, such as green grading, roast identification, coffee cupping, sensory skills and sensory triangulation.

Sestic lives and breathes coffee, but he didn’t always; he migrated to Australia from Serbia in 1997 to play European handball and represented his new home at the Sydney Olympic Games three years later.

His passion for the art and science of coffee came through running Hansel and Gretel franchises – a better living than handball –and threw himself into training and education with the dedication of an elite athlete, winning loads of awards since then, including the 2011 Australasian Barista Championship.

“We met years ago watching the World Cup at a joint friend’s house; Sasa was roasting in a garage back then,” explains Michael, who chose Ona Coffee when he later bought his first cafe business at Woden Westfield.

The pair soon teamed up and won a spot in the Department of Health’s Woden headquarters against about 30 competing tenders, setting up the successful Urban Bean

cafe, which Michael still owns today.

Having learnt some hard lessons through other business ventures and less successful partnerships, and seeing his friend’s knowledge of coffee grow and grow, Michael knew he wanted to focus on quality.

“I love food and I consider myself a foodie, but by simplifying it and just doing one thing and doing it well, you can eliminate a lot of problems,” he says, adding that the strategy has also worked well financially by giving Espresso Room a point of difference, providing quality coffee within a shopping mall and more accessible to everyone.

Michael explains he is taking care to build the skills within the company to always do

justice to Sasa’s fine grinds.

“Each head barista has a percentage in my store and is involved in my company and that’s how I’m going to sustain the growth; I don’t want to grow until my baristas are ready to grow. When an assistant barista is ready to become a head barista, they have the opportunity to buy into their own store, and that’s how we’re going to control quality, and not just become another franchisor.”

All of the Espresso Room Barista’s are put through a training program with the head and assistant baristas being invited to attend a “Masterclass Program”, a barista master class run by Sasa at the Ona Roastery once a week.

Sasa has put his certified senses to good use in the last couple of years travelling to 22 growing regions overseas for Project Origin, his program to bring green beans straight from the farm to Fyshwick for a fair price.

“We actually want to do a lot more than just paying the right wages,” says Sasa. “We want to be involved with the producers as well and teach them how to improve their quality even more.”

He looks for growers that unknowingly sell themselves short, sending their beans off to be blended, when they could fetch a far higher price as a single-origin coffee, as he did this year for Honduran grower Jorge Alberto Lanza Ruiz.

“I got a little bit emotional just tasting it and I encouraged him to enter the Cup of Excellence competition,” Sasa recalls.

Ruiz was selling the coffee straight off the bush as a whole “cherry”, to be blended, but Sasa was sure it could score over 90 and earn him more than 10 times the price. He was right, and Ruiz won the Honduras competition.

“I think he got about $40 or $50 per kilo and the average coffee price is maybe $3 a kilo,” Sasa explains. “This changed his life.”

The 22 affiliated growers all get their names and faces printed on cups that Ona uses in its own cafes, and Sasa continues working with them, suggesting scientific ways to push their quality even higher.

In a similar way Michael, who has opened the Woden and Tuggeranong Espresso Room sites and is looking forward to opening more around Canberra next year, benefits from his unique friendship with Sasa, and both try to give their staff much more than a simple job. It’s all about maximising mutual benefit and sharing the success.

“One of our favourite words is sustainability; Sasa and I both want to remain sustainable. We dont want to be replacing staff every two years. They can come to the farms with us, get educated, get excited, and there is a future back here for them.”

open garden

Marshall and Elizabeth Wilson... “The garden is a creative outlet for us, and we enjoy the challenge,” says Elizabeth.

History among the shadows

SURROUNDED by eucalypts, ash and oaks, gnarled old pines, liquidambars, flowering crabapples, Manchurian pears and Canadian maples, historical “Shadowlands” is all about the trees.

The country garden in Braidwood is in the process of being carefully restored by Marshall and Elizabeth Wilson.

“We wanted a place that would be a bit of a retirement project,” says 72-year-old Elizabeth. “We fell in love with the beautiful old trees and we knew the structure was there to make a garden.”

The 2.02-hectare garden will be open to the public for the first time as part of Open Gardens Australia on the weekend of November 23-24.

“We believe this area needs to be preserved and sensitively restored, and we wanted to step up and open the garden so everyone could see it,” says Elizabeth.

In the part of the garden that surrounds the 1880s-built house, there are lawns and colourful beds full of bulbs, snow-in-summer, roses, irises, salvias, penstemon and rhododendrons, says Elizabeth.

“We love the deck with its climbing banksia rose, where we like to entertain or sit and enjoy a cup of tea while overlooking the shady lawn.

“This part of the garden feels sheltered and relaxed.”

There are two other distinct areas, one which makes use of the natural features of the area, with a

WORDS: Kathryn Vukovljak

PHOTOS: Brent McDonald

mixed rockery using the local stone boulders, where a sturdy deep blue rosemary does its own thing in the face of the harsh North West winds, and a third outer zone with eucalypts and natives.

“We wanted to make use of what was already here,” says Elizabeth.

“We’ve created a more open, expansive garden, while maintaining the character of the space.”

Elizabeth says she’s always been a gardener, and that Marshall has become more keen in his retirement.

“You need time to see the results of all your hard work, and it’s so rewarding,” she says.

“It’s a creative outlet for us, and we enjoy the challenge of getting things to grow. There are challenges every day.

“We retired from our careers to a combined mutual project, that we’ve created together.

“It keeps us physically fit, and we genuinely love it.”

The garden at 230 Bombay Road, Braidwood, is open 10am-4.30pm, on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24. Adults $7, children under 18 are free. Proceeds to the Open Garden Scheme and the Mercy Hospital for Women Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Victoria. More information at opengarden.org.au.

A peony for your thoughts

Cedric Bryant gardening

THE stunning flowers of the peony provide the “wow” factor, but some people say they are difficult to grow and take seven years to flower. Incorrect, on both counts.

I have planted peonies that have flowered in their first year and when I replanted them last autumn, after a year in pots when we did an extension, these same ones are now coming into flower.

Peonies (Paeonia species) are a wonderful group of plants ideal for our local climate. They grow in Asia to southern Europe and North America. Plus, many hybrids have parents in different groups. While peonies have been the subject on this page previously, some readers say they are confused with the different types. To clarify, the two main groups are: Herbaceous peonies are perennials emerging as a crown from the soil in spring. They flower in mid-to-late spring and are quite happy in full sun or partial shade. They mainly originated from the Chinese Paeonia lactiflora with predominantly white flowers or shades of pink, although hybrid red flowers are now available. At the end of their flowering period and as autumn approaches the leaves die down to ground level. The easiest method of propagation is by dividing the roots.

Tree peonies do not grow as trees but rather are sparsely multi-stemmed shrubs. They are extremely showy plants with bright colours (as pictured here in a Manuka garden). They are usually grafted on to herbaceous peony rootstocks as they do not divide or grow from cuttings easily. The best method is to buy already grafted plants. A combination of tree peonies at the rear of a bed and herbaceous in front will give that real “wow” factor.

READERS have asked me to recommend a good book on herbs. My choice is “The Ultimate Book of Herbs and Herb Gardening” by Jessica Houdret (Lorenz Books). First published in 1999 and currently out of print, I noticed copies available from

the Amazon website.

ATTENDING a recent Friends function at the Old Parliament House Rose Gardens, I noticed a huge improvement in the health of its roses. Congratulations to Dennis Dempsey, who is overseeing their care and maintenance, and his team for their excellent work. If you have not visited for a while, I suggest that now is the time.

TOMATOES have been the hot topic this spring. I loved this published letter: “To all investors hurting from shrinking mining sector returns, relief is at hand. Quick, lucrative returns can be had by selling repeated (doomed) tomato seedlings in Canberra from August onwards to keen but foolish TV gardeners”.

Most TV gardening shows or glossy magazines are mainly Sydney/Melbourne based.

All you need to do is read my local advice in this very magazine each week, written especially for Canberra gardeners.

Jottings…

• OVERCOME your reluctance to cut back Chrysanthemums at this time, especially when flower buds are showing. Now is the time to cut back the plant by 50 per cent and again in about six weeks’ time. This will result in compact plants with an explosion of flowers in autumn.

• Now is the time to dig up and move spring bulbs that may have been planted in the wrong place. Store them in an open-net orange bag in a cool dry place such as the garage before replanting in full sun next March/April.

• With the magnificent rain, the weeds will come out so easily. Start at the front and work your way all the way to the back fence. Remember the hare and the tortoise, don’t rush, a small area each day.

• For most spring flowering shrubs, now is the time for that last feed once flowering is over until autumn. Most plants do not put on much growth through the heat of summer. Neutrog Seamungus, an organic combination of seaweed and chook poo is ideal.

• Complete mulching without delay before summer. I recommend Canberra Sand and Gravel’s Canberra Organic Mulch.