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WHEN around 200 delegates from around the world congregate to Canberra this month in the leadup to the G20 leaders’ summit, two local women will be collectively holding their breath after months of intense planning.
Department of Treasury employees Mary Balzary and HK Holdaway have spent the last 18 months scrutinising every detail to ensure the G20’s finance track to Canberra, Sydney and Cairns runs smoothly for Australia’s G20 host year, which runs until November 30.
The track will begin in Canberra for a two-day finance and central bank deputies meeting at Parliament House on December 15, before delegates head to Sydney and Cairns next year and finally, Brisbane for the summit.
“Canberra is such a beautiful city and, since it’s our hometown, we’re looking forward to showing it off first,” says HK, who, with her team of 30 in the G20 policy division, is working on the policy agenda for the meetings, covering topics including current economic and financial sector vulnerabilities, infrastructure financing, financial regulation and taxation issues.
Korean-born HK isn’t a stranger to this kind of work: in 2010 she was seconded to the Korean government to assist with preparations for its G20 meetings.
“A lot of people say I’m crazy doing this the second time around, but it’s such an amazing opportunity and I think of it as a privilege,” HK says.
The passionate 43-year-old says the economic aspects of the summit may sound boring but are a “really big deal,” with the opportunity to influence the global economic agenda and strengthen engagement with the world’s major economies.
“In the end it’s the good government policies that have the potential to change people’s lives for the better and really make a difference, and it’s with that kind of passion we take on that responsibility and venture into our presidency,” she says.
Mary Balzary, with her team of 30, has a “hand-in-glove” relationship with HK’s policy team, responsible for operational and logistical arrangements including accommodation, security, travel, catering, transport, communications, branding and media management.
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1956.
“It’s not very often you get to work on something like this on this scale; you have such a diverse number of
things you oversee,” Mary says.
“I grew up in Canberra and love this city, so I’m really proud to be holding the
first G20 finance track meeting here.”
Mary, who has a background in communications, was also tasked with choosing meeting venues that best showcase the country to the world as a world-class destination for tourism, education and business.
“We had so many venues to consider, and particularly in Canberra, we wanted to show off the beauty of it as our capital, so of course Parliament House will be an iconic meeting place,” she says.
Both HK and Mary have small children, and juggle senior positions with their family life.
Working in the male-dominated finance sector can be challenging, HK says, but she feels “privileged”.
“I’m always thinking about how it is I can help younger women achieve their aspirations, or eventually reach senior positions,” she says.
One of the highlights of her career is meeting International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde; one of the most powerful women in the world of finance.
“I was at a meeting that had mostly men at the table, and after it she took my hand and said: ‘You know, there just aren’t enough women in our field. I know people like you will work really hard and make it in the end.’ That was just so inspiring to hear.”
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AS Canberra Liberals leader Jeremy Hanson announced his party’s reshuffle of responsibilities this week, few portfolios looked more fitting than those of MLA Nicole Lawder.
The former Homelessness Australia chief executive, who replaced Zed Seselja six months ago, will take on the party’s new responsibilities of housing, environment and family and community service, which she describes as “areas close to the heart”.
“These are portfolios I’m extremely passionate about given my background with Homelessness Australia, they’re a good fit and something I can really sink my teeth into,” Lawder says.
The reshuffle sees Mr Hanson hold the shadow portfolios of attorneygeneral and police, and remain the Opposition spokesman for health and veterans’ affairs.
Deputy Opposition Leader Alistair Coe will continue with urban services, planning and infrastructure, transport and heritage, while treasury spokesman and Opposition whip Brendan Smyth retains industrial relations, emergency services, arts and tourism, gaming and racing and higher education.
Steve Doszpot will remain spokesperson for education and training, ICT, ageing and sport and recreation,
while new MLA Andrew Wall has added corrections to his responsibilities of small business and disability services, youth and indigenous affairs and Giulia Jones retains women and multicultural affairs while picking up the new area of mental health.
Lawder admits she has an emotional connection with her portfolios, particularly in housing and homelessness, but will take a “pragmatic approach” to the responsibilities.
“It’s certainly a challenge I face, but I think you can be passionate about it while at the same time being reasonably pragmatic because you’re trying to achieve particular outcomes,” she says.
“With homelessness in particular, I’ve heard some terrible stories of abuse and neglect, which are absolutely devastating. But it makes me more determined to fix these problems.
“You can go home and vent about these things, but the focus is always on achieving the outcome. It makes me feel satisfied. I’ve always believed politicians and philanthropists should focus on the policy, the economic side and be a bit more pragmatic and leave the emotional, personal stories, to the actual individuals.”
Lawder says her central focus in the housing portfolio will be on the Government’s affordable housing action plan.
“Affordable housing is like the flipside of homelessness, if you don’t have affordable housing you can easily tip over into homelessness,” she says.
“So I’ll be absolutely focusing on holding the Government to account on their affordable housing action plan, while also working on bringing the Liberals’ affordable housing plan to the next election.”
Her goal in the environment sector is improving the quality of the “appalling” Tuggeranong wetlands, she says, while pushing the nature conserva-
tion function into one agency.
On the community services front, the safety of children is her number one concern.
“We’ve heard some terrible cases in the press recently, and we’ve heard 21 per cent of child deaths were of children who were known to the community services directorate which is very troubling,” Lawder says.
“So I’ll be going through what are the causes of this, whether it’s staff shortages or another issue, because our children should be safe at all times.”
Lawder says she’s aware there’s “some sort of historical perception” that her portfolios lean towards the Labor Party, but she is determined to change public perception.
“I know from my involvement with the Liberal Party there are many people there involved with the community sector, and I’m proud to bring my background and experience in that area to the party, I’m very much looking forward to the challenge,” she says.
CANBERRA gadfly, writer and passionate advocate for disabled people, Don Allan, who died in October after a short illness, is to be remembered in a name change to the charity he founded.
Following its recent AGM, the board of the ACT Association for Advancing Disabled Sport (ACTAADS) confirmed it had decided to call the organisation The Allan Key, a name Don had modestly agreed to just weeks before his death.
“The board had been discussing a name change for some time but despite a number of ideas coming forward, none really hit the mark,” said association president Jeff House.
“Then one of our directors suggested The Allan Key and, if you’ll excuse the pun, it simply was a perfect fit.
“The whole purpose of our organisation is to raise money and then provide grants to people with disabilities to help them unlock their potential and build a better future and there was a terrific and appropriate link between what we do, Don’s last name and allen keys which are used to put things together – to build things. We thought the theme was perfect for us.”
Don was the association’s long-serving secretary and the driving force behind the creation of ACTAADS, as it was called then. He set up the ACT Paralympic Committee in 1994, which evolved into ACTAADS and, over its history, more than $400,000 has been provided in grants. All without a cent of government funding.
“Don’s the reason why we exist and that’s why we’ve chosen to honour him and his memory through this name change,” said Jeff.
Jeff said The Allan Key had a very simple mission to raise money and then provide grants to individuals who have
disabilities to enable them to pursue their interests and goals in life.
“People with disabilities are great contributors. They are creative, productive and know about hard work and effort to overcome adversity, Jeff said.
“Sometimes achieving their goals requires a little bit of financial help and that’s what we do. There are no free rides though – each grant is awarded on the basis of an application which has to demonstrate that the money will be well spent and go towards something bigger and better.
“It’s about providing a bit of seed capital if you will.
“We’re always on the lookout for corporate sponsors, who receive naming rights to a grant and the advertising that goes along with that. If any business would like to talk about sponsorship opportunities, please contact me at theallankey@gmail.com”
Donation enquiries to theallankey@ gmail.com or visit via actaads.org
All over our nation the signs say ‘Stop, Revive, Survive’. MARK PARTON says, heed their warning.
WHEN was the last time you drove tired? I did, last week.
Luisa and I had taken our girls to see Taylor Swift in Sydney. I’d worked the breakfast radio shift that morning and had been up since 2.45am.
I took an early mark from work before 10am and toddled home to get an hour’s sleep, knowing that I’d need it in the next 24 hours.
We left for Sydney at 1pm and parked at a friend’s house at Canterbury before taking the train to Central Station and then a bus to Moore Park.
The concert was spectacular. There were 40,000 fans at Allianz Stadium and it took until midnight to get back to the car. I felt good when we left. Before we got to the freeway most of my passengers were asleep. I got “the tireds” just before Pheasant’s Nest. I felt my concentration begin to slide, with the sound of those cats’ eyes in the middle of the road drumming as I started to drift over the edge of my lane. Clearly, my focus was beginning to waver. I pulled over and went for a good two or three-minute walk. I stretched arms and legs, and had a drink before getting back in the car.
At Sutton Forest, I got a Coke and some fries. Sugar always lifts you a bit.
I stopped again just before Goulburn and then, one final time, down by Lake George. During it all, I kept on asking myself whether my reaction times would stand up to an unexpected event, such as a rogue kangaroo or an out-of-control car. If at any point I’d believed that the answer was “No”, I would have pulled over and grabbed a 15-minute snooze.
In the end, I got us home relatively comfortably.
If you’re off on a long trek over the Christmas period, be sensible in managing fatigue. Every road death is a tragedy, but there is nothing more meaningless than those who lose their lives because they became unconscious at the wheel. It can happen to you.
Mark Parton is 2CC’s breakfast announcer
In a perfect world, we would all return to work in the New Year feeling pleased with our job role and ready to tackle new and engaging professional challenges. Unfortunately, for many Australians, this is not the case. Job satisfaction can be lacking for a number of reasons; whether you have been in a role for a number of years and want a change, feel that your efforts are not properly recognised, or because your position does not make use of your skills, abilities or interests. While the decision to quit is not a viable option for many Australian workers – particularly in the current economic climate – working towards a new, more satisfying career is entirely possible if approached correctly.
1. Figure out what you want, and how to get there
After you make the decision to change career, it is important to establish the direction you want to move in. You will need to ask yourself, what is your dream job? Where can your talents be best put to use? What would make you look forward to going to work each day?
Once you have decided on a goal,
you will be able to map out how to reach it. It is essential to research job requirements – what experience is needed? Will you be expected to display a portfolio of work? Are there any necessary qualifications that you will need to complete to be considered for the role? Once you have worked out what is required, it’s just a matter of organising what you need to move forward professionally.
2. Keep your CV up to date
Your résumé is the first impression of yourself that you show to potential employers, and as such, it needs to represent your aptitude and experience at a glance. Make sure that you keep it current, succinct and informative –most employers are pressed for time and will briefly skim several résumés for relevant key words and phrases. It is recommended that you list transferrable skills, and not just major accomplishments – your degree may be a great selling point, but so is your polite phone manner and typing speed. It is also advantageous to explain how the skills you have mentioned apply to the job role you are enquiring about.
3. Make your presence known – cultivate a professional network
The most powerful resource you have when looking for employment is your professional network. Joining networking sites like LinkedIn, or industry-specific websites, connects you to highly qualified and influential people within your profession. Being connected to those in your industry can lead to an advantage when seeking work, as you are ‘known’ within a group, and can see what skills and qualifications others at your employment level have.
4. Stay confident
When jobs are scarce and your efforts seem to be getting you nowhere, it is crucial to maintain confidence in yourself and your abilities. Remember that you are talented, hardworking and an asset to any organisation. Confidence is essential when it comes to interviews for potential positions. Joining clubs or groups in which you are encouraged to use your skills, or completing a course in an area of interest are two good ways to feel confident in yourself as you accomplish something.
5. Look for alternatives
Sometimes, no matter how qualified and prepared you are, the ideal job will just not be available. It’s easy to get discouraged in the job seeking market; but often the perfect role will be easier to achieve once you have a foot in the door. Look for positions in a similar field to your desired role, or jobs that utilize a similar skill set – this experience will only make your résumé more desirable to potential employers in the future. We at HBA Learning Centres are passionate about job satisfaction, and we want to make sure all people have the opportunity to look forward to going to work every day. Completing a Nationally Recognised course with HBA Learning Centres can not only protect your current job role, while also increasing your future employability; it also allows you to make professional connections, gain further confidence in your abilities, and increase your knowledge. Whether you are looking to change the direction of your career, or just wanting to have your experience substantiated, getting a qualification is invaluable.
By Alana Gundry (Marketing Assistant, HBA Learning Centres)
CELEBRATING 40 years of shoerepair services, Civic Shoes can offer key cutting, bag and luggage repairs, shoe colouring, boot adjustments, general repairs and orthopaedic adjustments.
Owner Milton Vassiliotis says he took over from his father at the shop 10 years ago.
“We’re now the most well-known shoe repair shop in Canberra and attract a lot of customers, who know our work is of the best quality,” he says.
FOR skilled and qualified watchmakers, you can’t go past AJ Watch Repairs – it’s a unique shop with the largest selection of cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, barometers and weather stations in Canberra.
Owner Krzysztof Jakubaszek says they service all makes and models of watches and timepieces, with two qualified watchmakers on site.
“We can restore old timepieces where possible, and can help with any timepiece that needs work,” he says.
“ICONIC Bailey’s Corner offers wide range of general services and unique fashion shopping through its select and experienced group of speciality traders.
”DOWN the front steps is hairdresser Franco of Canberra, which has been based at the arcade since 1956. With a young and enthusiastic team of talented stylists, come and have a blow-dry, get your formal hair done or just try a change for summer, says James Calabria.
“We also offer hair treatments and a head massage, to put the bounce and shine back in your hair,” he says. Franco’s caters for men and women, and are taking Christmas bookings right now, says James.
GORGEOUS floral arrangements and gifts are available further down the arcade at Janines Florist , where you’ll also get friendly and prompt service.
“We always go the extra mile to make your floral gift perfect, and customer service is important to us,” says Janine Batley. She says they have a host of ideas about how to make any gift occasion something special for you and the recipient. They also offer a wedding bouquet and function flowers service.
London
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UP the stairs is TT Fashion, a well-known, skilled tailor whose family business has been based in the arcade for 13 years.
From clothing alterations and mending, to making sure a vintage dress fits and flatters perfectly, owner Tuan Pham says they offer a friendly and efficient service.
“We can do suits, dresses, pants and skirts, whether it is shortening, lengthening, letting items out or taking them in,” he says.
THE challenge for a political columnist is to find something to write about other than the bungles, incompetence and excessively ideological actions of the Federal Government.
It is difficult to resist so much material as the Abbott Government seems so intent on providing, from foreign affairs to immigration and education!
Calling someone a liar in the parliament is simply unacceptable. However, members find ways to describe the mendacious or hypocritical behaviour of their opposite numbers in interesting ways. This is the background to the speech Greens Senator Richard Di Natale used to compare the current government to the Land of Topsy Turvy, from Enid Blyton’s “The Magic Faraway Tree”, which he has been reading to his small son.
It is the land where people walk on their hands and wear hats on their feet. The children of her story explore lands such as the Land of Take-What-You-Want, the Land of Dame Slap, the Land of Topsy-Turvy, the Land of Spells, the Land of Goodies, the Land of Dreams and the glorious Land of Birthdays.
There was a risk for the Senator of the clichéd accusation of the Greens being “off with the gnomes and fairies at the bottom of the garden”. As it turns out, it was a risk worth taking; a bit of light-hearted fun to draw attention to political foibles is a welcome change from the hard-nosed and vicious accusations that were the hallmarks of the previous parliament and are boomeranging back at the Liberals now they are in government.
The Senator started with the notion of “some kind of bizarre political version of the Topsy Turvy Land” and quickly moved to refugee policy: “In the case of the Abbott Government, where transparent and accountable government means keeping billboards with the tally of boat arrivals in opposition but refusing to disclose details about boat arrivals in government”.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison used his ministerial powers to undo Labor and the Greens’ move to override Temporary Protection Visas. The Minister has now effectively frozen issuing of Permanent Protection Visas until the next financial year. How will more than 30,000 people feel about the Austral-
By H E Wilkinson
The people walk upon their heads, The sea is made of sand, The children go to school by night, In Topsy Turvy Land.
The front-door step is at the back, You’re walking when you stand, You wear your hat upon your feet, In Topsy Turvy Land.
And buses on the sea you’ll meet, While pleasure boats are planned To travel up and down the streets Of Topsy Turvy Land.
You pay for what you never get, I think it must be grand, For when you go you’re coming back, In Topsy Turvy Land.
ian Government?
“In this version of Topsy Turvy Land clear and calm and methodical government”, according to Senator Di Natale, “means you convene late-night meetings to clean up the mess that is the fallout from your broken election promises”. Whether it is education or foreign affairs, the Government hardly seems to need an opposition to pour mud on them, they seem intent on digging themselves into deeper and deeper holes. In this form of Topsy Turvy Land the Senator draws attention to the response of a government with financial issues. “The response to a Budget emergency is to cut revenue – like those provided by the Mining Tax and by the Fringe Benefits Tax on novated leases”. He then went on to refer to the attempt of the Government to lift the “debt ceilng” by $200 million.
However, immigration and fiscal management were not enough for Senator Di Natale. He went on to illustrate the Topsy Turvy nature of the Government in science and its commitment to women.
“You show your commitment to science by cutting CSIRO and by not appointing a Minister for Science and campaign with daughters to show commitment to women and then appoint one woman to the cabinet,” he said.
He continued on financial contributions to big polluters while removing a market mechanism to deal with carbon and accuse others of being politically incorrect when pointing out the increase in extreme weather events.
The Senator considered Topsy Turvy the notion of concern about people drowning at sea, then the Australian Navy is given a dangerous task putting sailors lives at risk.
“Being a ‘good Christian’ means locking up young kids indefinitely in offshore prisons. It means denying a woman and her newborn access to decent medical care,” the Senator said. His conclusion was “other people would use less kind words to describe the behaviour of this government in their first few months,” before returning to “walking on their hands and wearing hats on the feet”. It is a shame he missed the line: “You pay for what you never get”.
Seasons Greetings.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health
Senator Richard Di Natale’s speech can be seen at youtube.com/watch?v=tjYhD-piZU4
MOST churches have bells, but it takes a special kind of teamwork to ring them at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Manuka.
Behind the continuous cascade of sound is a peculiar English combination of art and science called change ringing.
St Paul’s is the only place in Canberra where you can do it, under the guidance of tower captain Julie Doyle, who has about 50 years’ experience.
More mathematical than musical, change ringing was devised in 17th Century England to co-ordinate bands who jointly play the bell tower as one instrument, with one person responsible for each note it can play. This makes normal melodies awkward.
“We’ve tried doing it once or twice and it’s just really difficult,” Julie says, explaining that the eight bells of St Paul’s form a complete octave, or a major scale, but what her band plays on them is not really music.
“The first thing you do is ring the scale, which is also called rounds, then you go on to ‘call changes’, which means you tell one bell to ring after another one,” Julie explains. “Then you start getting on to ‘methods’.”
She opens a book full of methods, which are not songs, but long lists of
number codes showing the order for the bells to ring (12345678 denotes a round from lowest to highest).
How the codes change from one line to the next in each method is important. It follows a pattern that gives the method a unique sound, and explains why the art is called “change ringing”.
“The maximum number of combinations you can have is 40,320 on an octave, 5040 on seven bells, 720 on six and so on,” says Julie, explaining that the ringers need only memorise the patterns, not the entire lists of numbers stretching down the page like a spy’s notebook.
Only once, in 1963, has a band ever rung all 40,320 possible combinations of eight bells in one session, in just under 18 hours. To do the same with the 12 bells they have at St Saviour’s in Goulburn would take over 30 years.
St Paul’s installed its bells in 2003.
Julie says there were plenty of ringers in Canberra before that, who had looked for a place to practice their arcane craft for years.
“St John’s [in Reid] is too small,” she says. “St Andrews [on State Circle] weren’t interested in converting theirs into real ones, which is really
Julie Doyle, bell captain at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Manuka… “There’s a real finesse to doing it properly… There’s the speed and the rhythm and all that sort of thing.”
disappointing because they’ve got that lovely tower – it’s perfect for it – so we ended up here as a sort of last resort really.”
At St Andrew’s, the pointy church beside Parliament House, the bells themselves are magnificent but only their clappers swing, which means there isn’t much for bellringers like
speed and the rhythm and all that sort of thing, bearing in mind that every bell is different; in some, the clappers move a bit slower than others, so you have to take that into account.”
Julie to do.
Converting them to what she calls “real ones” would mean installing special mechanisms that let the bells swing 360 degrees and stop upside down, giving the bellringers the control they need.
“There’s a real finesse to doing it properly,” says Julie. “There’s the
Interestingly, she says a lot of bellringers do not share the same religious faith as the congregations they call to prayer, and many have no strong faith at all.
“You don’t have to be a member of the church, but quite a lot of people are here,” says Julie. “We’ve got quite a good group and we’ve got a fantastic rector who grew up in Parramatta, where there’s bells, so he’s very friendly.”
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An unabashed Elvis fan, arts editor HELEN MUSA spends a little time with the singer before he got famous
IT’S not every day you come out of the National Portrait Gallery singing “Just Wanna Be Your Teddy Bear”, but so it was when I caught up with Maria Ramsden, a recent convert to the cult of Elvis Presley.
There are some people who really do set up shrines to Elvis, but Ramsden isn’t one of them. Rather, as associate registrar, she’s been deeply involved in receiving and organising the exhibition “Elvis at 21” from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery and de facto, the NPG’s Elvis expert.
The teddy bear song comes from the 1957 film “Loving You,” which, along with “Love me Tender”, “Jailhouse Rock” and “King Creole”, is one of Elvis’s earliest movies.
Ramsden tells me with some excitement that throughout the exhibition, which runs until March, they’ll be screening “Love Me Tender” every day. She’s sure the exhibition is going to be a great family, Christmas and summer holiday show and it’ll still be running when the next Parkes Elvis Festival is on in January.
While walking through the photos, she regales me with Elvis stories. At school his interests in music and movies didn’t hit the spot with the
sporty crowd, but even then he was drop-dead gorgeous and he knew it, cultivating the moody appearance and sultry look that he attributed to his partial native American ancestry.
He wasn’t gay, but considering just how beautiful he was, Ramsden doesn’t blame the gay community for floating the idea. Far from it, “he absolutely adored women and that’s why they adored him”. Nor was he racist, though he didn’t believe in mixed-race marriages. You can tell she’s a fan.
But, she cautions, in this show we’re looking at a “snapshot” of Elvis at 21.
He hasn’t met Priscilla, he’s not on prescription drugs, he hasn’t yet been conscripted into the army and sent to Germany and he’s probably not much interested in cheeseburgers.
What we are actually seeing are photos taken by the commercial snapper Alfred Wertheimer, hired by RCA Victor in 1956 to shoot promotional images of the new boy when he switched from Sun Records to the bigger recording group.
So, this is Elvis in the first flush of success – not totally au naturel , for the Machiavellian Col. Tom Parker was by now busy making him a superstar – but still young and optimistic.
Parker, an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands, was never a colonel or a Tom, but he was a marketing genius, creating the Elvis brand and creaming a fortune off the top. Later Parker would interfere with his life, micromanage his marriage, prevent him from touring worldwide and force him into the countless bland movies that fans loved.
The 21-year-old Elvis loved clothes, his mum Grace, girls and movie stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean, whom he tried to emulate, posing in one photo with a motorbike.
Above all, he loved all kinds of music, including that of Mario Lanza and Liberace and would surprise his fans with unexpected numbers such as “O Sole Mio”.
But, Ramsden cautions, we mustn’t forget just how shocking Elvis’ sexuality was at the time, so Wertheimer doesn’t show much of his notorious pelvis in action. He does, however, show us Elvis tongue-kissing a young waitress – “the girl of the day,” she says – a shockingly provocative image. And yet he was a fine gospel singer and a good boy at heart who looked after his family, including his father’s second family.
“Elvis at 21”, National Portrait Gallery, paid exhibition, until March 10, 10am to 5pm daily. Closed Christmas Day.
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On train, New York to Memphis, July 4, 1956.
Reviewing playback, RCA Victor Studio 1, New York City, July 2, 1956.
CATHERINE CARTER says Canberra is coming of age with new colour springing from our special suburban character.
CANBERRA makes living easy and full of fun, and I can’t help but smile at the exciting changes we are seeing now and into the future.
Small-business gems previously secreted away in our local centres are thriving and finding new audiences. Exciting urban precincts have emerged attracting young and old to new scenes and vibes.
• Redevelopment in and around Civic has revitalised our city streets, adding a fun indy edge to the north in Braddon, and bringing a new lease of life to City West and NewActon.
• Kingston Foreshore has focused our attention on a fresh arts and commercial precinct on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin.
• New hotels and apartments sitting alongside government buildings in Barton have re-energised a beautiful traditional Canberra suburb.
Unsurprisingly, our city has become the home-of-choice to an incredibly talented cohort of creatives – designers, artists and craftspeople who can see the value of the Canberra lifestyle
and embrace the opportunities to develop their skills and build new businesses in the capital.
What is great is that we can all enjoy the fruits of their labour and many of my favourite places in Canberra offer local creative wares.
Canberra Glassworks, Australia’s only cultural centre wholly dedicated to contemporary glass art, shares its magic with the public while providing a venue for artistic development. And I am continually impressed by the skill of our local craftspeople.
Likewise, new urban precincts such as NewActon are providing a new space for Canberra’s extraordinary artistic and design community, as well as those seeking new dining experiences, and it’s flourishing.
These new businesses and spaces enhance what is already an amazing city. Our beautiful shared outdoor spaces and our relaxed and friendly way of life remain one of Australia’s best-kept secrets. It’s time to share.
One of the largest community Christmas events in Canberra, the Salvos’ annual Carols in Town Park, will be held at Bartlett Place, Greenway, on Sunday, December 15. Kids’ activities start at 5pm and there is a chance of a visit from Santa! The community carols begin at 7pm.
MORE than 1000 bikes and riders are expected to gather at Old Parliament House on Saturday, December 14, from 8.30am, for breakfast in the lead up to the 35th Motorcyclists’ Toy Run, this year in support of the Salvation Army. The event has raised tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts.
AFTER the success of its inaugural event in September, Canberra fashion market Hustle&Scout returns on December 14. The event, which features a diverse line-up of entertainment and music, food and drinks and one-of-a-kind clothing, will be held at NewActon Nishi from 3-8 pm. More information hustleandscout.com.au
EIGHT hundred new trees are being planted across 57 suburbs at a cost of $163,000 as well as the monthly watering of 21,000 young street trees through summer to April. This follows the planting of 1000 new trees in winter and 800 new trees in autumn.
Canberra’s First Turkish Restaurant BELLY DANCER EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT... and to add a special touch to the festive season for your Christmas parties, for the December period we are offering a Belly Dance performance on the house by request any night of the week for any group of 15 or more people when you order our Chefs Banquet.
Are you over 35?
Are you a squash player or do you want to be a squash player?
Are you looking for a friendly, fun atmosphere in which to play the game?
Then WE WANT YOU. Come and play Masters squash. All standards catered for. We play 3 competitions a year in a mixed gender team format. It is very social and lots of fun and it is the cheapest squash in town. Our next competition starts in January 2014. For further information either go to our website squash.actmasters.org.au or contact the Secretary on 0407 296 454.
CANBERRA’S marketing bureau, Australian Capital Tourism, has launched new branding and a new logo, with the bureau now known as VisitCanberra. In our centennial year this seems a positive move.
But what concerns me is the obvious lack of modernisation of many of our smaller shopping precincts including Kingston and Manuka.
At Manuka the footpaths rise and fall like a moderate Pacific Ocean swell with a rogue wave (sorry, brick) every few steps, allowing the unsuspecting to trip the light fantastic and experience, at first hand, our medical expertise.
Canberra is a name, but it has to become a destination. Let’s do the unusual like Antwerp does, having their trained voices singing opera segments spontaneously in their streets.
Of course, if all else fails, I suggest a chapter of “Yes Minister” performed in one of the larger Senate or House of Representative meeting rooms!
Visitors would enter through Room 457.
Colliss Parrett, Barton
TIM Gavel tells us (CN, December 5) that “the psychological boost of sporting success cannot be underestimated”. Does that mean it is pointless trying to win?
More seriously, Robert Macklin’s absurdly anti-British screed says it was British colonial policy that decimated the Aborigines. Unless he means they should never have settled Australia (get real), then he should know that the official policy was that they be respected and protected.
Many Australian colonists ignored the instructions (and that contempt for authority is still admired here), so accept your ancestors’ guilt Mr Macklin, and don’t blame the UK administration.
Pierre the Lair, via email
This time of the year is driving mum in the city, SONYA FLADUN, to rhyming couplets...
Christmas carols are playing, the decorations are all about;
The shopping centre’s buzzing and the queues are blowing out.
The Eftpos machine is malfunctioning, the kids are a screaming mess;
The Wii we were supposed to buy is forgotten when the real thing runs down our daughter’s dress. Cleaned up as best we can, she sits sadly on Santa’s knee;
No smiles in the photo for the in-laws this year, but lucky them, they missed out on the pee.
The car park’s a total jungle where the biggest take the prize;
I wish I had a big SUV so I could just roll over the other guys.
People are so grumpy, everyone’s flipping the bird; Why do we do this to ourselves? It really is absurd.
The supermarket’s freezers have been raided so there are no turkeys left;
So I grab a turkey roll and some chicken drumsticks. I’m hoping for the best.
With a little artful stitching, frankenbird is born; The kids are a bit suspicious. Christmas dinner might be a bit forlorn.
Those over achievers down the road have really gone out of their way;
The neighbourhood is ablaze with lights, there are flashing reindeer and an inflatable Santa on his sleigh. But we can’t remember where we put the Christmas tree, the tinsel, or the lights.
Our annual Christmas shambles seems to be reaching new heights.
I have no idea what to get the in-laws and they live so far away;
If I don’t get their presents in the post, they won’t see them until after Boxing Day.
I bought some lovely cards years ago.
But they’re still in a box, somewhere. Don’t you just love this time of year? Ho, ho, ho!
On Christmas Eve late at night when the children have gone off to slumber;
After we have wrapped the last present, ready for the morning plunder.
My other half and I slump, exhausted and sip a little wine;
And are thankful that it will be 12 months before we again endure Christmas Time! Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601.
A CREDIBLE political snout says the ALP’s biggest electoral asset, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, will hand over the big chair to deputy Andrew Barr some time during the life of the present Assembly, to spend more time with her family.
While that’s a familiar excuse, there may be some validity here; the Chief is a devoted parent who was controversially criticised by pilloried former Liberal front bencher Jacqui Burke for bunking off to the kids when she was Deputy Chief Minister.
While CC finds it hard to believe, we have asked Katy whether we’re hot or cold, but at press time hadn’t had a response.
Don’t worry, be happy CHRIS Knaus is the police reporter for “The Canberra Times” and over the past weeks authored a major series called “Punch Drunk, fighting violence in the city”, which has embroidered the paper’s front and inside pages with hair-curling accounts of violence in Civic fuelled by excessive alcohol. CC was therefore startled to read on Facebook how Mr K and a couple of chums planned to host a 27.5-hour New Year’s Eve party (December 31, 2011 at 1pm until
January 1, 2012 at 4.30pm).
In an invitation sent to scores of people, with an illustration of two bra-clad women kissing horizontally atop of a group of metal kegs, guests were promised “a BBQ and drinks all day and night (before we head out) to celebrate the New Year in style” and offering, among other things, beer pong, drinks, alcohol, beer, food, jelly shots (“if u come early”), spa… “and [separate name removed]’s penis will no doubt make an appearance. We will prob start drinking early in the arvo, so feel free to come anytime!”
CC wonders if this year will be a little more subdued?
LOOKS like rolling pins at 10 paces as the two local Country Women’s Association branches agree to disagree.
The Evening Branch (30 members) has decamped from Scone Central, the association’s Barry Drive clubrooms, ostensibly citing parking problems and security dangers for members returning to their cars late at night in Civic.
But the nub of the disaffection that Evening Branch president Joan Crook won’t talk about is an increase in maintenance costs imposed by the 100-strong Day Branch, who are the greater users of the clubroom’s resources.
Calvary John James has come to the rescue offering the estranged Eveningers the hospital’s Education Room next year in deference to the branch’s commitment to making trauma dolls for the pediatric department.
MAGINDA Wood got the last laugh from comedian and MC Vince Sorrenti when she was declared the winner of a new $480,000, fully furnished, eighth-floor apartment in Belconnen’s Altitude complex in the Labor Club’s “Walk Right In” competition.
FORMER FORMER chief of the defence force
Peter Cosgrove is the favourite and his successor, Angus Houston, second favourite of the mysterious Braddon Punters’ Club for Australia’s next Governor-General, with civilians, Olympic boss John Coates and former PM John Howard not far behind.
The club reckons it got the odds right for the last ACT election and has listed its selections for the upcoming vice-regal role after Quentin Bryce vacates Yarralumla in the New Year.
Here’s the latest call of the card: Peter Cosgrove, 5/2; Angus Houston, 3/1; John Coates, 4/1; John Howard, 5/1; Harold Mitchell, 6/1;
Ita Butrose, 7/1; Heather Ridout, 7/1; Pat Dodson, 10/1; Michael Kirby, 10/1; Bonita Mabo, 10/1; Fiona Wood, 10/1; Amanda Vanstone, 15/1; Cardinal George Pell, scr; first emergency: Andrew Scipione, 12/1 and second emergency: Ben Roberts-Smith, 8/1.
EVEN “The Canberra Times” is using Seek to recruit staff, with an advertisement for a senior position oddly titled the “life and entertainment topic editor”. One attribute the successful candidate will have is an understanding of “what makes digital audiences tick”. Balanced, accurate and fair reporting would be our guess.
URBAN Food, the pioneering restaurant of the up-and-coming NewActon precinct, has apparently gone bust, according to next-door neighbours Mocan and Green Grout. The restaurant has been closed since Saturday “until further notice” with a sign urging customers to go to nearby newbie A.Baker for breakfast instead.
CC has been told by the formidable National Portrait Gallery chair Dr Helen Nugent that a new director for the Gallery would be announced in the New Year and that intermin director Jenny Bott is just that.
“CITYNEWS” gardening guru Cedric Bryant , buying Christmas-card stamps from the Post Office, was asked if he wanted religious or non-religious ones!
IF you missed the opportunity of doing something special on Wednesday, December 11 (11/12/13), fear not, it’s only a 90-year wait until 1/2/3 (February 1, 2103) for the next such sequence.
RELAX, if you’re going nowhere during the holidays. Staying home just took on a new cache with Canberra just being rated number six in the website TripAdvisor’s top 10 Travellers’ Choice Awards for Destinations on the Rise for the South Pacific region.
THE full name of WA’s favourite baseball team is the “Alcohol. Think Again Perth Heat”.
“I was extremely lucky and feel gratified for being alive and able to write ... My luck was in all the time. It is miraculous that I am alive, three different times I was blown yards away from bombs ... Anyway the CO is very pleased with me and so is the Brigadier so I feel happy as Larry.”
Frederick Tubb describes the battle of Lone Pine in his diary; he was later awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions there.
Discover the First World War through the words of our first ANZACs. Now on display
Free entry. Open daily 10 am – 5 pm Treloar Crescent Campbell ACT www.awm.gov.au
At Independence Day of Finland, Yarralumla
After a very successful 20 years in the Golf Industry both as a PGA Tour Professional and as a teaching coach, it was inevitable that Steve would commence a career in Real Estate.
Steve has very strong ties within the real estate industry, his wife Alex worked with her father at Capital Real Estate Manuka for 9 years and then the last 11 years here at Philip Kouvelis Real Estate.
Steve has great learning and listening skills and is a highly motivated and driven person and will be the perfect person to choose to “list, market, negotiate and sell” your valuable property.
As a Garran resident, with both his children (Harry and Finn) attending Garran Primary School, Steve has chosen to specialise in and around the Mawson area.
Many people would remember that Steve ran the driving range for many years on the corner of Beasley Street and Athllon Drive.
Steve will of course assist you in the sale of a property right across Canberra also. Steve will be working alongside Philip Kouvelis and the golf club will no doubt transfer quickly to an auction gavel.
Please feel free to contact Steve for all your real estate requirements and he may just give you a little golf tip along the way to help you or anyone in your family.
M: 0402 082 886
E: steve@garran.kouvelis.com.au
Or please call into our office which is right next door Paparazzi Café at the Garran Shopping Centre.
STEPHEN EASTON meets a local DJ with an emerging global reputation and 10,000 Facebook followers, most of them overseas
ELECTRONIC music producer Rob Targett couldn’t be happier with his decision to put his business career on pause and go full-tilt at making dance music.
Going by the name System Segue, the 34-year-old has been creating original tech house music for about two years, and he’s pretty amazed by the results: 17 tracks released by seven record labels in five different countries, nominations for a couple of industry awards and slots in big-name nightclubs on the Spanish party island of Ibiza.
“It’s any house DJ’s pinnacle goal to play in Ibiza, and when I started out I never ever thought I would come to that,” says Rob, who used to DJ under the name LYLT.
“I’m very goal-driven and that was kind of right up the top. To have music released was also pretty much right up the top and all of a sudden they’re all just falling into my lap.”
As LYLT he spent years mixing and modifying music by other producers at dance parties and nightclubs both in Sydney, where he grew up, and Canberra, where he was a regular on the decks at notorious former nightspot Lot 33.
“It’s rare that I play out now,” he says. “I’m in the process of working on a five-track EP
that I’ve got coming out, and I’m going to do a national tour to promote that release. I’m hoping to bring another guy from Canberra with me, B-Tham.”
Rob started mixing vinyl records on turntables in Sydney, aged 16, prior to the digital revolution.
“Producing is sort of that ‘next step’ in this generation,” he explains. “It was always a dream of mine, but back when I was a DJ I never touched production.”
Where you are in the world is another thing that matters far less in the digital era.
“My style of music isn’t really appreciated as much locally as a lot of other genres… so I’ve launched myself overseas. I’ve got over 10,000 followers on Facebook, and 90 or 95 per cent of them are not from Australia. They’re all overseas.”
The songs he creates are for DJs to play on big sound systems, not for the radio, although he is moving in that direction.
Last year, System Segue was nominated for Best Electronic Dance Music Producer at the first MusicAct Annual Music Awards (MAMAs), and this year, for DJ/Producer of the Year at the MusicOz Australian Independent Music Awards.
The field is wide open these days for pro -
ducers like Rob, who revel in the widespread embrace of electronic music. This year’s MAMAs, for example, featured no less than three electronic categories: house, electro and techno; bass music; and psychedelic. He goes back to his Ibiza experience as a key turning point. It cost a large chunk of his sav-
ings, but he came back with new contacts and deals to release more of his tracks, and even proposed to his fiancee on the party island.
“If you play in Canberra you can get a lot of people who like your stuff, including a lot of friends, but you play over there and it’s like people are infatuated with you. You’re a god, you know? You’re playing this music that everyone’s just... words can’t explain.” Wherever else System Segue takes him, Rob Targett is not going to die wondering. System Segue is on several websites: iTunes, Beatport, Soundcloud and Facebook.
JUDITH Clingan has been in Canberra for 50 years, so she’s throwing a party – a three-day feast of music and culture.
Inspired by composer William Byrd’s assertion that “singing is so good a thing… I wish all men would learn to sing,” she’s packing the three days with exhibits, small concerts, workshops and talks and three nights with concerts of 700 years of Western music, Christmas music from the last 50 years and music by Australians, including local composers Stefanos Malikides, Liam Waterford and David Cassat.
Who in Canberra doesn’t know Clingan? As the founder of the Canberra Children’s Choir, the Summer Music Schools for Children, Gaudeamus, Voicebox Youth Opera, The Wayfarers, Imagine Music Theatre and The Variables, she’s written the music for her operas, made and painted the sets, conducted the choruses and the instrumentalists and sent out the publicity. In fact, when it comes to music, there is little Clingan hasn’t done, and she’s involved the community.
She’s been noticed, too, honoured as a Churchill Fellow, Australia Council Composer Fellow, ANU Creative Arts Fellow, artsACT Creative Artists Fellow and Artist of the Year.
I caught up with her last week commanding a team of volunteers laying out visual memorabilia for the coming show.
It tickles Clingan to think that her time in Canberra is exactly half that of Canberra’s official age.
Imbued with a love of choirs from her time at
Hornsby Girls’ High, she arrived with her family in 1963 and headed for the ANU to study French, German, English, and Icelandic literature and joined other choir lovers, including Prof Hans Kuhn, who’s still singing.
Then, one day “someone” turned up at her dad’s bookshop in the Monaro Mall and instructed: “You sing, come to a meeting”. Soon SCUNA, the ANU Choral Society, was born and Clingan began to compose works
for the choir and to conduct them – somebody had to.
She also started a children’s choir.
She sang, played around on the recorder and after joining the teaching profession, insinuated herself into every school choir she could.
Clingan studied bassoon at Canberra School of Music and with composer-musicians Donald Hollier and Larry Sitsky.
It wasn’t enough. She headed to Hungary with her young daughter to take out a diploma at the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music.
Back in Canberra, figuring she could “get to kids through drama,” a huge outpouring of operatic composition followed, including her seminal works “Nganbra: a Canberra canticle,” her 1988 tribute to the original inhabitants of this region and “The Grandfather Clock,” based on a book by Anthony Hill, which she workshopped for years and eventually staged in 2001-2.
After a thunderous silence from the Centenary of Canberra, to whom she had pitched the idea of an augmented revival of “Nganbra” at Tidbinbilla for the 50th/100th anniversary, she decided to go it on her own.
Initially, she thought to focus on her own portraits of Canberra music-makers, but that has expanded to become a mixture of exhibition, concerts and workshops bearing intriguing titles such as “Voice Workshop for Anxious Singers” with tenor Chris Lincoln-Bogg.
“I’m just doing it,” Clingan says defiantly.
“So Good a Thing: Judy Clingan Remembers 50 years of music in Canberra”, Albert Hall, 10am-10pm, Thursday, December 17 to Saturday, December 19. Tickets at the door, bookings and all program details at judithclingan.net.au.
“Delivery Man” (M)
IN 2011, Ken Scott and Martin Petit made a French-Canadian film about a guy who, in late adolescence, “wrestled the dragon” and sold the result to a firm whose business is artificial insemination.
In the American version, Vince Vaughn plays David, delivering meat for the family business, owing big bucks to some heavy guys, in a relationship with female cop Emma (Cobie Smulders), best pals with Brett (Chris Pratt) who wishes he was a lawyer but hasn’t qualified and urges David never to procreate because it’s a never-ending chore.
Then David learns that his sperm has led to 533 births and 143 young adults have begun court action to discover their biological father.
is living. Sutter and Aimee drive for several hours to visit him. The reunion does not go well. And the return journey is worse.
Director James Ponsoldt knows this country well and succeeds here in giving those elements, explored so often by other, lesser, films, a patina of newness. Scott Neustadter’s screenplay has good theme awareness. Teller and Woodley deliver their characters with commendable conviction. It’s not your usual campus movie. It’s credibility level is, well, credible.
At Palace Electric
2014 Musica Viva International Concert Season
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Concert tickets from $34 and subscription packages from just $105! Visit musicaviva.com.au/gifts
kelemen quartet sitkovetsky trio choir of king’s college, cambridge imogen cooper borodin quartet ray chen with timothy young
The film took a long time to reach that point, bringing me close to walking out. Then it began to have purpose as David and Brett enter uncharted territory, not to oppose the claim but to identify the claimants. David meets anonymously with a selection of his progeny and discovers an epiphany that becomes an obsession. Simultaneously, Emma announces her pregnancy.
There are worse ideas for a screenplay which avoids several areas that could have really muddied the dramatic waters. It makes no contact with those 533 dads who have done the hard yards of parenting. Intellectually disabled Ryan provides the film’s only real challenging moment. The rest mostly follows a path of sweetness and light to a low-credibility predictable yet not totally disagreeable outcome.
At Hoyts and Dendy
“The Spectacular Now” (M)
AH, those exciting transition years as life encounters the unexplored boundary between adolescence and young adulthood!
For Sutter (Miles Teller), the final months of senior year have not been good. His girlfriend has dumped him. No great matter, Sutter’s “not a relationships guy” for whom the past is unimportant and only the now matters. His mother tells him he’s better off not knowing where his father is. School is unexciting. Liquor, on the other hand, is not.
Sutter awakes on the front lawn of a stranger’s home. Aimee (Shailene Woodley) is driving past doing her mother’s paper run. It’s not love at first sight. But where it’s going makes challenging cinema.
Sutter’s sister tells him where their father
“Night Train to Lisbon” (M)
WHEN widowed Swiss academic Raimund (Jeremy Irons) stops a young woman wearing a bright red raincoat from jumping into the river in Berne, what we get watching Bille August’s film of Pascal Mercier’s novel is a complex, compelling drama that time-travels between now and clandestine resistance in the late 1960s against Antonio Salazar’s repressive PIDE secret police.
Raimund considers himself a boring fellow living a boring life. The young woman vanishes leaving the raincoat in his lecture room. In its pocket is a small book by Amadeo Prado, a philosophical discussion of human existence against the background of a cell of resistance partisans.
And a ticket for that night’s train to Lisbon where Raimund’s impulsive decision to get on board becomes the portal to an intelligent thriller. Forget home and university. Meet new people. Ask questions. Overcome reluctance to answer. Feel the boredom dissipate. Escape dangers.
It looks lovely. Good tensions develop. Passion and jealousy underlie revolutionary dedication. Playing characters with resistance connections from the story’s two periods, the impressive cast includes Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Gansz, Melanie Laurent, Tom Courtenay, Lena Olin, Christopher Lee. Playing the only character involved only in modern events, Martina Gedeck is the optometrist who not only replaces Raimund’s smashed spectacles but also helps him in his quest and perhaps lifts a corner of his boring self-esteem.
At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
“Gold and the Incas: The Lost Worlds of Peru”, National Gallery until April 21
Reviewed by John Milner
WHAT is it about the Incas that captivates the imagination of the public and has done so since the early explorations of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pissarro – is it the gold, the mystery, the expanse of the empire, the culture?
“Gold and the Incas” goes some way to answering these questions and allows one to experience ideas around the ancient Peruvian ritual, warfare, daily life and sense of dualism.
On display are 200 artifacts, including ceramics, stone carvings, textiles, silver and gold. The loans come “from 10 private and public museums in Peru”, says NGA director Ron Radford. However, it is not only the Incan empire of the 15th century that features, but also more than two millennia of preceding ancient cultures – cultures that spanned the high plains of the Andean ranges in southern Chile to the coastal shores of Ecuador in the north and the Amazonian basin to the east.
Standout pieces include the 3000 year-old stone effigy of a winged deity carrying a severed head, and the ceramic piece “Stirrup vessel in the form of a Cormorant” from the Moche tradition. This work depicts a long-necked sea bird curled around a tubular spout – its free-flowing rhythm and expressive depth demonstrate the extraordinary craftsmanship of its maker. Discovered in burial sites, many of the exquisite ornaments and jewellery such as the golden llama figurines are believed to be offerings to the afterlife. After recent exhibitions such as Lautrec and Turner, it is refreshing to see NGA look beyond the shores of Europe for this summer’s blockbuster. The exhibition marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Peru and is the first major pre-Colombian collection to feature in an Australian gallery.
gold,6.2cm x 5.5cm “Llama” (1400–1533 AD).
THE Australian Chamber Orchestra, joined by the Choir of London and a collection of world-class choral singers and soloists, wraps up the year with Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio”, on December 15. We hear the head of the ANU School of Music, Peter Tregear, used to sing with the choir. Bookings to aco.com.au/whats_on/events
DON and Bev Aitkin’s 629th Centenary “Musical Offering” will be a Christmas concert in the foyer of the High Court, 2pm-3.30pm, on Sunday, December 15. Renowned Canberra singers Louise Page (soprano) and Christina Wilson (mezzo-soprano) will be joined by Phillipa Candy (keyboard), The Resonants and the Trumpet Club led by Zach Raffan.
TERTIARY dance students from across Australia and NZ have descended on QL2 for an annual workshop due to culminate in eight bite-sized works on show at QL2 Theatre, Gorman House Arts Centre, on December 14 and 15, bookings to QL2.org.au
RECENTLY around $10,000 of equipment was stolen from the Dante Musica Viva choir, established in 2004 to share the members’ love of Italian language and culture. Musical director Francesco Sofo says they’re devastated, but will plan a fundraising concert in the New Year to make up the loss.
ALEXINA Hawkins (viola), who plays on an amazing 19th century G. Ceruti viola, will join pianist Adam Cook for a recital at Wesley Music Centre on December 18. As well as playing Bach, Hindemith and Debussy, they will perform Canberra-trained composer Sam Smith’s new piece “Between Shapes Luminous and Vague” Bookings to trybooking.com/DYXJ or tickets at the door.
UC design graduate Katey Baddeley is best known for her equine drawings. Now she’s holding a crowd-funded launch party for her newest range of prints entitled “Sultry Seasons” at 16 Marcus Clarke Street, Civic (near New Acton), 5pm, on Monday, December 16. All welcome.
HERE’S a rare thing, an arts job. ANCA (Australian National Capital Artists) is looking for a
gallery manager, responsible for the operation and management of the ANCA Gallery, and delivery of the exhibition program. Applications close on December 18. Selection criteria and all details from 6247 8736 or office@anca.net.au
ANNA Sutherland is the recipient of the 2013 Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society (ADFAS) Canberra, Young Arts Program Award of $1000. The textile artist plans to do a small business course next year and to stage some exhibitions of her own work.
VERDI’S “Aida”, in a rare, lavish production from Opéra National de Paris, is coming to the big screen at Palace Electric, NewActon, at 1pm on December 20, 21, 22, 23.
It’s the tragic operatic tale set in ancient Egypt – we hope there will be elephants! Bookings to 6222 4900.
Shopping too much? Get outside for a coastal meal… only short of the sea breeze!
order as you like it!
NOTE: We do not use Bain-maries or micro-waves
WHILE the Kingston Foreshore is piping hot with development on the food, wine and coffee front, the main part of this historic part of Canberra is undergoing its own revitalisation.
And that takes me to European, under the helm of seasoned restaurateur Danny Tosolini, whose career in hospitality began many moons ago when he and his brother Carlo opened the café in the city bearing their last name, under the watchful eye of “Mama Tosolini”.
At one point, Danny moved to Sydney, but he is now back and – based on my food experiences at European to date – I wave my arms frantically in the air and yell: “This is a good thing”.
Yes, Italian-inspired dishes are on the menu, which is no surprise. But classic influences from other parts of Europe are too, combined with modern Australian fare.
European is where artespresso used to be but don’t expect “same, same”. I was bowled over at the complete makeover, which has given European its own true personality.
My dinner experience was a noisy one (full house, and our gang may have contributed to the volume levels). My lunch was less frantic with our group, out celebrating Christmas, nicely positioned on a balcony facing Giles Street. Although the lunch menu is quite small, we all found something our little hearts desired.
The dishes are lovingly prepared and high on
taste. We shared a quality charcuterie of cured meats, pickles, olives with fennel and orange ($26) presented on a big wooden board perched on a tall stand. A great start.
Then it was off to the mains. Two of us ordered the chicken breast. I rarely do when dining out since I often find it comes dry, but when this dish came, with roasted meat, corn puree, asparagus and jus gras ($28), I was struck with a bad case of food envy. Two of our party ordered the grilled market fish fillet of the day and were enamoured with the creamy, tangy, tartare sauce, the crisp chips and the tender, tasty fish. My pappardelle, with succulent, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, tomato and my favourite spice in the whole world, saffron, was a big hit ($28). The only ho-hum dish
was the Greek-style octopus salad. It just didn’t pack a punch on flavour ($21).
I was dead keen to try the European trifle for dessert ($15), but was convinced to share the cheese platter which certainly didn’t disappoint. It hasn’t taken Danny long to pinpoint areas for improvement, which has included reprinting the menus on to a lighter coloured paper, making it easier to read. And check out the wine list – it features some big stars.
And as for the name? Is it the cuisine or that Kingston’s streets are named after Australia’s early European explorers?
European, 31 Giles Street. Brunch served on weekends. Call 6295 1515.
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
The Full Moon fires up your communication zone so get ready to talk, text, tweet, chat, converse, mix and mingle. But avoid making rash statements that you later regret. With Uranus in your sign, are you capitalising on your special individual talents? Your motto for the moment is from birthday great Margaret Mead: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Most people will be busy rushing around this week, stirred up by the garrulous Gemini Full Moon plus the pre-Christmas shopping and festive celebrations. Not Bulls though! Nothing will shift you from your pre-set Taurean timetable. Don’t worry if loved ones or work colleagues become impatient with your perceived lack of speed … just keep going at your own steady pace.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Twins are in chatterbox mode, as the Full Moon lights up your sign and exaggerates your need for gossip, good times, variety and change. You’re keen to connect with others, but resist the urge to spread ridiculous rumours. Business and financial dealings are favoured on Thursday, while Saturday is super for socialising, sport, travel, group activities and local community get-togethers.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
You’ll feel like retreating into your cozy Crab shell, as the Full Moon stimulates your solitude sector. Contemplation, prayer and meditation are favoured, plus pondering and planning your goals for 2014. Don’t forget to make your dreams as big and beautiful as possible! Do all you can to sort out problems with others before Sunday, when Venus starts reversing through your relationship zone.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
It’s all about friendships and social networking this week, as you catch up with local mates; update your international connections; and share a special dream with a like-minded soul. Limit your intake of rich food and alcoholic beverages over the holiday season otherwise, with Venus reversing through your wellbeing zone (from December 22-February 1) your health will suffer.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Stop stressing and micro-managing! With the Full Moon in your career zone, a fun and flexible approach brings rewards at work. It also puts you in the mood for a relaxing holiday break. But money matters look unpredictable, so leave important financial dealings for a better time. Group activities are favoured, as long as you can accommodate a wide range of differing views.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Avoid the Libran tendency to sit on the fence (very stylishly!) and procrastinate. With gung-ho Mars now moving through your sign, strive to go after what you want with confidence and plenty of chutzpah. Plus get your skates on and complete your Christmas shopping by Saturday, because Venus (your ruling planet) goes retrograde on Sunday morning (until February 1).
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
For some lucky Scorpios, love and lust are on the menu this week as the Full Moon steams up your sensuality zone. For others – an issue involving joint financial matters (or shared possessions) comes to a head and demands to be addressed in a proactive way. Strive to be a lot less stubborn and a lot more spontaneous. You’ll find an ounce of action is worth a pound of pondering.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
A close relationship takes up much of your energy this week, as you do all you can to right a perceived wrong. With a smart and sassy Sagittarian attitude, you’ll get it sorted in no time. The Moon and Jupiter join forces on Thursday, when you’re at your affectionate, encouraging best. But, if someone tells you something in confidence, resist the temptation to trumpet it all over town!
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Conscientious Capricorns love things to run efficiently and smoothly. But there’s unpredictable Full Moon energy about this week, so why not drop your perfectly planned schedule and just take things as they come? Mighty Mars (visiting your career zone) also encourages you to take a calculated risk at work. If you are overly-cautious, a fabulous opportunity may pass you by.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
This week’s frantic Full Moon pace suits your Aquarian style … fast and furious, with plenty of variety, last minute changes, controversial conversations, sudden disruptions and exciting discoveries along the way! But don’t be too hasty in your evaluation of a person or situation. Just remember there is a lot going on beneath the shiny surface, so take the time to look a lot deeper.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
In the chaotic lead-up to Christmas, are you feeling like a tired and fragile Fish? The Full Moon falls in your domestic zone so try to spend a few nights at home this week, complete with plenty of food, cushions, chocolates, and your favourite book or TV shows. Follow the sensible advice of writer Jane Austen (born on December 16): “There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
4 Who introduced a bill simplifying the laws relating to land ownership, Sir Robert ...?
8 What is a preliminary to a work of broader scope?
9 Name an elementary particle which is a constituent of all atomic nuclei, except hydrogen
10 Which term describes an excessively stingy person?
11 What do we call a qualified voter?
12 Which people suffer from Hansen’s disease?
14 What is a colloquial term for swagmen?
18 Name the profession of El Greco
21 Which central Queensland town and shire is west of Blackwater?
22 To treat someone as a celebrity is to do what?
23 What designates the diameter of a bullet?
24 What do we call that which remains after a part is taken, disposed of, or gone?
1 Name a dog used in hunting or as a pet
2 Which twilled worsted fabric is used especially for clothing?
3 Name a person in charge of a museum, art gallery, etc
4 To make a formal offer, is to do what?
5 Name a red cosmetic used for colouring the cheeks
6 Which Latin term applies to an error in writing or printing?
7 What is the conventional Spanish title of respect for a man?
13 Name an alternative word for jails
15 Name a less familiar term for German measles
16 What do we call one engaged in military service?
17 In which country was Pythagoras active?
18 Which type of bear is a large white one?
19 What fraction of 111 is 37?
20 Name a long, slender, deadly, arboreal African snake
Cash and cash flow management is an important part of every business as it is essential in meeting working capital requirements in the short term and allows your business to prosper long term. Good cash management starts with a successful process of managing and collecting your trade debtors on time.
Many businesses, especially small businesses, struggle converting their trade debtors into cash in a timely manner. Our experience at Kazar Slaven indicates that this may be due to not having a proper formalised system in place to manage trade debtors or may be attributable to not chasing payments for fear of loosing key clients or customers, or a combination of both.
Here are some simple tips which will assist in managing and collecting your trade debtors.
• Have an effective system in place, obtain credit checks on prospective customers, clearly define your terms of trade and credit limits with your customers at the beginning of your business relationship;
• Invoice on time. Send your invoices as soon as possible. If you don’t invoice on time you cannot expect that your customers will pay you on time;
• Encourage your customers to pay quickly and on time Your terms or trade may include provisions of interest on overdue accounts or discounts for early payments;
• Review and credit control. Conduct a review of your trade creditors monthly. See if any circumstances have changed which may cause your customers not to be able to pay you. Follow up overdue accounts by telephone and email as soon as they become overdue, issue account statements at months end with reminder notices, communication with your customers on when you will be paid is essential; and
• Know your options. If you have a customer which will not, or cannot pay, you need to be aware of your legal options in regards to collecting the delinquent debt and take appropriate steps.
The local team at Kazar Slaven has a depth of experience in cash flow management across all industries. We regularly deal with business struggling to manage their trade debtors and cash flow. At Kazar Slaven we are proud of our track record in providing cash flow solutions to business through consulting advice or formal restructures. If you feel that your business could use some advice about cash flow and managing your trade debtors please give one of our friendly staff a call for an obligation free consultation.
The Canberra region’s largest range of locally-grown plants – grown on site for local conditions.
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fragrant white trumpet Lilies in decor pots which flower year after year.
THERE is nothing more soothing than the sound of water on a hot day.
And a water feature, with a small fountain and water plants, such as water lilies, is becoming popular among people with limited space such as a unit balcony or a townhouse.
The container can be ceramic or a wooden barrel, though you have to be careful to avoid the problems of contaminated water if there are fish in the container.
It’s also a good idea to keep the mosquito larvae under control.
I SAW this great idea while in Holland earlier this year. Similar to a round plastic kid’s floatie, it’s made of plastic with a ring suitable for fitting in a 200mm plant container. The whole ring floats and there is no soil in the base of the container, resulting in clean water for fish. Replacing the
A LITTLE more on potting: last week I alerted gardeners to modern potting mixes that drain a little too well, which means liquid fertilisers run through the mix and are largely wasted.
Originally, peat was used in potting mixes to hold moisture. However, for obvious environmental reasons, peat is no longer harvested. So, for hanging gardens, try mixing one third clay soil in with the potting mix. Then add a plant food that, in itself, holds water and slowly breaks down adding nutrients. Neutrog Seamungus, a combination of pelletised seaweed and chook poo, is ideal for this purpose. It is certified organic and can be used on any and every plant.
waterplants or if the plant dies it’s just a matter of lifting the pot out of the “floatie” and replacing it. But remember, in water features chemical fertilisers cannot be used if fish are in the water. I showed this idea to Bruno at The Heritage Nursery and, in no time at all, he now has these in stock.
ANOTHER misconception with potted plants, as Nigel Colborn, of the UK’s Royal Horticultural Society points out, “is that ailing plants, whatever their affliction, will recover more quickly if given an extra feed”.
“This is fallacious, of course,” he says. “The addition of a good dose of nitrogen-rich fertiliser on the root zone of a sick plant is likely to be its execution.
“The sick plant may be nothing to do with feeding, but simply a case of over or under watering. In the drought, when called upon to give garden advice, I found more plants died from overwatering than any other cause.
“If the soil is looked after, the plants will, once established, largely look after themselves”.
Finally, there is nothing better than your own compost, as you know exactly what it contains.
• Cut back Michaelmas Daisies by two thirds, even if buds are forming. This will quadruple the blooms at flowering time in early autumn.
• Cut back scraggly cooking thymes to encourage fresh growth. Finely chop and freeze the cut pieces for later use.
A good organic way to get rid of “pear and cherry tree slug” is to simply throw fine sand over and under the leaves. The sand sticks to these critters and they will simply fall off.
• It’s still not too late to plant dahlia tubers, but do get on with it.
THE indoor-outdoor flow, with courtyards, balconies and gardens linking to the indoor space, has created a new trend of durable outdoor furniture being used inside the home, according to Susan Tait, creative director of Melbourne furniture design company Tait.
“When you consider the workout given to furniture in the much-used home kitchen, dining and living areas it’s logical that more people are catching on to the virtues of robust outdoor furniture for indoor use,” she says.
“Investing a little bit more on one quality table that
can work inside or out can make the most of both space and budget constraints.
“Also, selecting pieces from the one collection for use either indoors or out, helps to create a feeling of there being one single, uninterrupted indoor-outdoor living space.”
Co-ordinating the look and feel of your indoor and outdoor furniture allows pieces to be moved around whenever required. This makes catering for those extra numbers and special occasions a breeze while your spaces and furniture become more useable, says Susan.
