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It’s the arcade life for April
NOMADIC vintage retailer
April’s Caravan has found a new home at Bailey’s Corner.
It’s been a busy year for owner Netti Vonthethoff, after creating a series of pop-up shops all over town, but she says she finally feels at home in the historical arcade.
“I was born in Canberra, and there’s just so much history here at Bailey’s – it was the heart of the city,” she says.
“It’s a lot quieter here now, but I hope to be able to bring a bit of a vibe back to the place.”
Netti moved April’s Caravan out of Smith’s Alternative in September, then began renovating her second caravan for the Fringe festival, then went on to pack up her pop-up at Braddon Lifeline shop Hipsley.
Five days later she opened in The Front in Lyneham, then it was Parties at the Shops, the Elvis at 21 farewell party at the Portrait Gallery as part of the
Kathryn Vukovljak reports
Enlighten festival, Hustle and Scout fashion market and the Folk Festival.
“I work with time restraints that are just crazy,” she says.
“I take an empty space from no concept to a homely vintage shop in a very short timeframe. People tell me to take my time, but that’s not how it works. It’s fun, but I’m always working against the clock.
“I have regular customers who want to show up at April’s – they don’t always know where to find me, but they do track me down!”
As well as selling vintage clothing, April’s Caravan will also be doing clothing hire from its new home where Mooble used to be.
“The hire is great for people who may not wear the clothes in their everyday life but love
to play and dress up for special events,” she says. “I help them organise their outfits and tell them where they can get authentic hair and make-up done.”
Having just packed up the pop-up designer collective Three Little Birds and Little Boy Blue at Hotel Hotel and April’s at The Front, Netti is happy to be putting down roots at Bailey’s.
“I love the community feel here,” she says. “Big shopping centres terrify me, they’re sterile, soul-sucking places.
“In Bailey’s there are tiny little businesses and people doing what they love, delivering a personal touch. Some have been here for almost 50 years, the florist, the bootmaker, the watchmaker. I love that, and I’m so happy to be part of the community here.
“There are still these great little parts of Civic, where there’s so much potential.
“It instantly feels like I’ve landed at home.”
One big, fat fib after fib, after fib
IT is unusual to meet a politician who is not reasonably charming, thoughtful and respectful. Without these skills their chances of getting elected are very slim.
Yet, collectively, they are becoming more and more despised almost by the day. And so many deserve the scorn that is being heaped upon them because they either practice hypocrisy or they support it. Integrity seems a lost concept in today’s politics.
Although such accusations have been constantly levelled at members of the ACT Assembly since its inception in 1989, generally their standing in the community should be recognised as being much higher than that of their Federal or NSW counterparts.
The revelations of the NSW Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC), and the involvement of so many from across the political spectrum in shonky deals, must surely horrify anyone who believes in democratic processes.
Tony Abbott’s litany of broken promises leaves him open to the same accusations he levelled on others while in opposition. In his case, the allegation of hypocrisy can be added.
We know that the welfare of the ACT, where the impact is greatest, is of no interest to the Abbott government. However, the impact of their broken promises will go much wider. It is part of an ongoing process of undermining the credibility of politicians and our democratic processes.
Never was the litany of broken promises as clear as when Joe Hockey stood to present the Budget on May 13. No new taxes! Ha! What is a levy if it is not a tax? Orwellian language does not excuse broken promises. The $7 co-payment for GP visits, the $5 co-payment on PBS listed medicines, the increases in fuel taxes, and two per cent for the high-income earners are just a start to the broken promises. And all the while providing a reduction in corporate tax and continuing to subsidise the mining industry with the diesel fuel rebate as they rip out our shared resources. Is it any wonder that politicians are frowned upon for untruths and hypocrisy?
No cuts to health was the pre-election commitment. Not so: eight billion dollars out of health. Two billion gone from hospitals. Prevention and primary health care emasculated with the abolition of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, the Medicare Local Alliance, General Practice Education
We know that the welfare of the ACT is of no interest to the Abbott government. However, the impact of their broken promises will go much wider.
and Training, Health Workforce Australia and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This fits most people’s concept of a broken promise. And not just a little one. Turns out it was a big, fat fib. No wonder “The Canberra Times” could write in its editorial on May 14: “The hypocrisy of political discourse has few boundaries”.
Education was another area that the Abbott government told the pre-election community would be spared, along with the ABC and SBS. More idle promises. $43.5 million taken from the public broadcasters. Education was cut. $3.2 billion excised from the student loan scheme – making it even harder for socially disadvantaged people to access tertiary education. At the same time the Budget committed further funds for the school chaplaincy program. No wonder respect for politicians is at rock bottom. The Budget is a triumph of ideology over common sense and integrity. On this occasion government ideology simply overreached community tolerance and trust. It is not just the Prime Minister and Treasurer, in such circumstances, all politicians are demeaned as untrustworthy, dishonest and only interested in their mates.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
MICHAEL MOORE
Netti behind the counter with her gals Dylan Muir (left) and Gina Poulakis.
Distribution: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au
Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111
GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601
Revenge on the lost cause called Canberra
NOW we know how PM Tony Abbott’s opponents felt when he punched them senseless in the boxing ring to win his Oxford Blue.
That Canberrans were singled out for so many painful rips to the body in the Budget was bad enough, but why did neither he nor Treasurer Joe Hockey show any understanding – much less regret – at the effect on Canberra households?
Maybe they think we’re a lost cause at the ballot box. And if not before the Budget…
ONE big winner from Hockey’s address was “Master Chef”. I’m told that 10 minutes into his ABC speech, the Channel 10 cooking show’s ratings began to take off… and stayed that way through the program. Wasn’t bad, either – a competition for customers between two bills of fare – and the people picked the red team over the blues! Prophetic?
LABOR supporters will have watched Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s Budget-in-Reply speech with trepidation – his performance to date has been pretty miserable. It the event, his speechwriter did a well-rounded and professional piece of work.
Imagine Winston Churchill rousing his nation, “to fight vem on the beaches wiff sticks and stones to bweak their bones…
But only half marks for the delivery. It seems Shorten can’t pronounce his “th’s” – they come out “wiff” instead of “with” and sound like baby talk. Imagine Winston Churchill rousing his nation, “to fight vem on the beaches wiff sticks and stones to bweak their bones…”
Oratory it ain’t… and so easily fixed by a good elocutionist.
YOU could tell Speaker Bronnie was not happy with the applause from the public gallery that peppered Shorten’s speech. She was not the only one –Parliament might be political theatre but public participation is a slippery slope.
NICE of Kevin Rudd to put in a fleeting appearance to explain himself to the pink batts Royal Commission. After dumping on the public servants, he magnanimously took “ultimate responsibility” for the whole imbroglio then caught the next flight out to
resume his campaign for SecretaryGeneral of the UN.
It’s becoming a habit among politicians to “take responsibility” for some stuff up (for which they really are responsible) and then carry on as though the words themselves are punishment enough. What about a law attaching a few weeks of community service – say cleaning the toilets at the Maconochie Correctional Centre – each time the phrase is uttered.
WE wait breathless for the report from MLAs Vicki Dunne and Giulia Jones from their prostitution study trip seeking “the way out” for Canberra’s sex workers. Must be a good one – so far they’ve had a fortnight to prepare it.
MIXED feelings about the announcement that Australia Post is resuming Saturday parcel and express mail deliveries. These days most of the envelopes coming our way contain bills
ROBERT MACKLIN
and bank statements… hard to decide which are the more depressing.
ENOUGH gloom, the week did bring some good news; Canberra houses are about to become much more affordable for the remaining young people with a job in the PS; thousands of soon-to-beformer public servants will now be able to enjoy the glories of living on the coast – the really lucky ones at Tuross – and never have to shiver through another Canberra winter; and think of the boom coming to Canberra bakeries and restaurants with those farewell morning teas and liquid lunches!
robertmacklin.com
Cover: Covergirl Rosie Vukovljak, 5. Photo by Gary Schafer. Story Page 6.
Electrolux Ambassador Tetsuya Wakuda is truly an icon. Tetsuya and Wayfarer are a natural fit and both have a special place for Electrolux products. For Wayfarer, that special place is a ‘dream kitchen’ that will command the central living space. Every apartment at Wayfarer features a dream Electrolux kitchen, including induction cooktop, range hood, oven, compact combi oven, microwave and dishwasher.
AUSTRALIAN CHEF AND ELECTROLUX AMBASSADOR, TETSUYA WAKUDA
The write stuff: who cares if kids can’t?
THE rise of technology in classrooms has meant handwriting is no longer at the top of a teacher’s lesson plan.
AS educators place more emphasis on technology and students spend more time with their fingers on a keyboard than wrapped around a pencil, does handwriting still have a place in today’s tech-driven classrooms?
Bonython Primary School principal, Shane Gorman, says what was once a mandatory lesson of penning proper strokes and curves isn’t necessarily a top priority anymore against a “jam-packed curriculum”.
“We have a school where every student in years 5 and 6 uses a tablet, iPad or device to support learning, so it’s a techheavy schedule,” Gorman says.
“If a student is a fine handwriter already, we wouldn’t sit them down and force them to practise for half an hour because it would waste their time and they’d get bored with school.
“It’s not like the days when I was at school and you’d get marks off if your handwriting wasn’t neat enough. For our younger students, we still teach handwriting techniques; things like pencil grip, proper formation and fitting the words on to the lines. But there’s less focus on it as they go on if they already have those skills – cursive writing in particular isn’t mandatory, we focus on the content instead.”
An Education and Training Directorate spokesperson was unable to provide figures on how many ACT schools implement mandatory cursive writing, but confirmed by the end of year 3, students should “write using joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size”, according to the curriculum.
“Technology [acts as] an educational tool to assist with student learning,” says the spokesperson.
But president of the Canberra Calligraphy Society, Marg Peachey, says she is concerned the pervasiveness of technology in schools will mean students won’t have the skills that require an understanding of penmanship, from reading historic documents to filling out legible forms.
“I belong to other organisations where you have to fill out membership forms by hand, and you can barely decipher email addresses because the handwriting is so bad, because they’re used to typing all the time,” she says.
“Particularly cursive writing
is such a handy skill to have and the fact that it’s not mandatory in some schools is worrying.
“If a student can’t fill in an employment form or an exam, for instance, in a legible way, then that’s a problem.”
However Gorman says the growth of technology in schools isn’t at “the expense” of handwriting.
“I think actually because they’re writing less, when they do write, they try a lot harder to be neat,” he says.
“There’s also the quality of the content of the writing… I had one student who, after we first started using the iPads, said he was most proud of his writing.
“Before we had the iPads, writing was what he was least proud of. I got it out of him it was
because the physical writing, as in the letter formation and that sort of thing, was really difficult for him. He spent so much time being neat, he didn’t get much quantity of writing done. And it meant if he made a spelling mistake, he then had to go back and cross it out and write the correct spelling above it.
“With his iPad, he could have six or seven drafts, and still have a final draft he’s really proud of without all the mistakes.”
Gorman argues qualities such as problem solving and good teamwork would exceed handwriting skills when students eventually enter the workforce.
“Your future employer is not going to say ‘you’re not hired’ because you’ve got messy handwriting,” he says. – Laura Edwards
There were so many calls. Many were in favour of what the Coalition is trying to achieve, despite the local pain.
WELL, Canberra, that was a bit of a whack in the face, wasn’t it?
The Federal Budget was pretty much as bad as we thought it was going to be and the public service cuts nearly as bad as what Labor would have served up, but there’s not much point in arguing that one either way.
In radioland, the Budget put our phones into overdrive. There were so many calls. Many were in favour of what the Coalition is trying to achieve, despite the local pain.
I spoke to Judy who’s on a disability support pension. Although supporting the general direction of the Budget, she worries about her personal situation.
“I’d love to be able to work… but I simply can’t,” she told me. She’s aware that now she’ll be assessed by a doctor appointed by the government to ascertain the level of work that she’s capable of, if any. Judy said she’ll try to do whatever they want her to, but she’s worried it will end in tears.
I spoke to Wendy, whose husband Wayne is resigned to the fact that his time at the ATO is over. He’s been there for 20 years working in a very specialised field.
“I don’t know what he’ll do,” she said. “He may end up working a checkout at Woolies or at a service station if he has to.”
Wendy’s biggest concern is that at 48, Wayne may not get even a lowwage job and she’s extremely worried about them keeping the house.
I got a call from Ross who had been retrenched two days earlier. Ross is 52, he’s an electrical contractor. He told me the work in his firm had slowed, but it was still a “bolt from the blue” when they called him in.
What’s he going to do? He doesn’t know. “I thought my life would be all in order and going to plan at 52,” he said, “but clearly it’s not.”
Ross typifies the Canberra response to this sort of adversity; a bit shaken, but determined to play the cards he’d been dealt, confident that his next hand would be better.
Our next hand will be better, but it’s a long time between games at this table.
Mark Parton is the breakfast presenter at 2CC.
MARK PARTON
Five-year-old kindergartner Rosie Vukovljak practises her writing at the O’Connor Cooperative School. Photos by Gary Schafer
Marg Peachey... “cursive writing is such a handy skill to have.”
Recently opened is Fabric Hairdressing, an Aveda salon, situated in the beautiful Kingston foreshore.
Our style experts Wayne, Fiona, Kelly and Sam will look after you. Come and enjoy being pampered.
We at Fabric Hairdressing thank you for support and look forward to seeing you the future.
To make an appointment, call us on 02 6161 1616 or alternitively visit our salon at 2/81 Dockside Eastlake Parade, Kingston fabrichairdressing.com.au facebook.com/fabrichairdressing
lowbrow
Young Josef and the looks that deceive
DOING the rounds on the internet lately have been pictures of the murderous Soviet dictator Josef Stalin as a young man.
The first of two striking things about the photos are that he was a very, very good looking young man with deep soulful eyes.
The more alarming thing is that if you could bring him to life from the century-old photos (just google “young stalin”) and put him down on Braddon’s Lonsdale Street he would fit right in with the hipster crowd without the blink of an eyelid.
It seems unlikely that any of the cool young things zooming around the inner north on their vintage bicycles are plotting the deaths of millions, but then again it’s not clear the young Stalin had much planned beyond coffee, cigarettes, and convincing the next winsome lass that sleeping with him would further the revolution either.
In the interests of disclosure I must admit I cycle a very groovy bicycle to work, sport a beard, glasses, and hold strong opinions about coffee and obscure music.
On the other hand, I’m probably too old and fat to be a hipster and pay insufficient attention to my wardrobe.
WHILE considering the reflections of the past in the modern era; this week’s Budget convulsions in Canberra had me thinking about what drives our political parties.
Greens, Labor and Liberal all trace their ideological underpinnings to the late 19th century.
We’re talking about a time when it was still possible for one person to be at least broadly across everything needed by an up-to-date civilisation.
Back then, a steam train was a very snazzy piece of technology. Today, a moderately intelligent school leaver, deprived of modern society, could hope to build a functioning steam train in their lifetime.
Cast your eyes now to your mobile phone.
In a whole lifetime a single individual could not hope to replicate just the glass screen on the front of the phone. Never mind the processors, accelerometers, batteries, barometers, data arrays and wireless antennae.
It seems unlikely that any of the cool young things zooming around the inner north on their vintage bicycles are plotting the deaths of millions.
That’s before we even think about the millions of lines of software code and the vast infrastructure of the telecommunications industry and beyond it the broader internet.
I bring this up because as a global society we have never been so interdependent and interconnected.
Having found ourselves in this unprecedented situation (and largely having chosen it for ourselves despite all the smarmy youths on youtube railing against technology with no apparent sense of irony) we perhaps have to wonder if the political certainties of the age of steam are really going to be very helpful.
Before the ideological warriors don their tin hats, leap into foxholes and start firing, I’d askthem to consider in what possible other sphere of life would they consider a single set of policies to be universally applicable.
The only other place you find that sort of dogma is in religion.
Even in religion, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount is a more progressive manifesto (coming to us from the Iron Age no less) than anything Labor or Liberal are offering at the moment.
Maybe, just maybe, we need to stop parrotting things we heard when we were young, and start thinking.
JOHN GRIFFITHS
Social event of the week / Bow Ball, National Portrait Gallery
The anniversary had memories flooding back to the eagerly anticipated filling of Lake Burley Griffin.
THE bow as in “bow wow” rather than the bow of the bow tie didn’t cause any confusion for those who know and who row with their back to the bow celebrating 50 years of the Canberra Rowing Club with their Bow Ball bow-tie event at the National Portrait Gallery.
The anniversary had memories flooding back to the eagerly anticipated filling of Lake Burley Griffin, expected soon after the “official” start in September, 1963, but it was delayed by months of drought and the April, 1964, scheduled
rowing championships looked like being a Todd River event. But the rains came and 50 years on we can count many successes for CRC with club greats honoured in what will be a perpetual Hall of Fame, which will include three-times world champion Bruce Hick , Olympic gold medallist Megan Marks (nee Still) and Commonwealth gold and bronze recipient James Galloway
The aquatic themed re-write of The Beatles’ “Help”, sung by Deb Cook , Eileen Bissaker and Judy Walsh, showed more than rowing is learnt on those crisp cold Canberra mornings, and it’s for all rowers, all abilities and all ages. Committee, take a bow!
LYN MILLS
John Blackwell, Pat Davoren, Peter Lanigan and Reuben Bettle Brendan and Dominique Prout
Ann and Brian Hewitt, Helen Mussett, Tony Wilkes and Ros and Paul Philippa
Damien Pentony, Steve McGlynn and Sebastien Lang Fiona Blackwell and Elaine Ninihan Amanda Emerton, Alan Butorac, Denise van Dijk, Colin Thomas and Belinda Beauman
Judy Walsh, Cate Coddington, Robin Poke, Narelle Connor, Deb Cook and Pat Davoren
Carla Borg, Louise Barry and Cathy Starling
The run around looking for childcare is driving us all mad. But there’s a solution. With more than 200 places available in Goulburn, you and your child are in the driver’s seat. And all just a short drive to Canberra.
But it’s the feeling you will have on Friday afternoons that will seal the deal. The anticipation of all the open spaces to play in.
goulburnaustralia.com.au
Margaret Jones, Glenn Theakston, James Macken, Margaret Hunter and Sara Gul
Martyn Hagan, Karen Fogarty, Dr Gillian Dempsey and Martin Hockridge
Liz Bryce and Nadia Tubet Jacob Smit, Greg Stretton and Mitch Strachan Helen Sexton, Lisa Tomlins and Anne Saunderson
David Metcalf and Christopher Ryan Amelia Grieve and Sarah Walsh
Emma Read and Lynda Watson
Ellie Williams and Rachel Moore
Anne Greenwood, Chelsea Greck and Kathy Chandler
Alice Ryan, Madeleine Stopp and Paige Cameron
Paula Fisher and Kay Elphick
Soraya Saikal, Emilija Beljic and Phoebe Burgoyne-Scutts
Roman Abdel-Massih, Svetlana Todoroski, Jo Scott and Jack Pappas
Nicole Powell and James Willson
Erica Brandelius and Sarah Rouse
Mary Weber and Tristan Maddigan Ian Maas and Andrew Blyth
Sam Brown, Leon Buchanan and Noelene Edwards Graham and Gail Potts with John Runko
Melinda Kibukamusoke, Monica Lindemann and Helen Kon
Photos by Andrew Finch
Gungahlin’s got it advertising feature Big future for the north’s ‘little rocky hill’
GUNGAHLIN is an Aboriginal word meaning “little rocky hill” and the northern group of 11 suburbs (including three under construction and a further seven planned) is one of the original 18 districts of the ACT used in land administration. The town of Gungahlin was part of the original 1957 plan for future development in the ACT and in 1991 was officially launched as Canberra’s fourth “town”. At the time, the population of Gungahlin was 389 and by the 2011 census, the population was 46,971. This figure is expected to rise to 60,000 by 2016 and to 72,900 by 2021.
Hairhouse humbled by warm welcome
WITHIN six months of opening in December 2012, Hairhouse Warehouse Gungahlin was in the top 10 most popular salons in the nationwide network of 145 one-stop, hair-care shops. Three months after that it was in the top five.
“I am humbled and excited by the way the Gungahlin community has warmed to our new salon and my fantastic team of stylists,” beams Amanda, the salon manager. “I could not have dreamed of a better start for our business.”
It’s no wonder. Amanda served her practical apprenticeship under renowned Brisbane hairdressing identity Truc Lee. She has since managed salons in Hairhouse Warehouse stores in Brisbane and Cairns and has won a slew of performance and hair-styling awards.
Amanda’s sister Rebecca specialises in hair extensions and has worked in the store since it opened, mixing a career as a bank manager with working in the family business.
Their mother, Shaneen, who owns the store, says that when she was looking to open her own business, Amanda’s experience in Hairhouse Warehouse made the decision easy.
“I am very proud of what Amanda has achieved in her hairdressing career and to have both my girls working with me makes running my own business that much more rewarding,” says Shaneen.
She says opening the store at The Marketplace Gungahlin was an easy decision, too.
“I saw the potential growth in Gungahlin and knew
that was where I needed to be,” explains Shaneen. “I love the unique, busy street atmosphere of the town centre and I am looking forward to the next phase of the development of The Marketplace.”
Hairhouse Warehouse, Shop 13, The Marketplace Gungahlin, 33 Hibberson Street. Call 6255 7759 or go to hairhousewarehouse.com.au
HAIRHOUSE WAREHOUSE GUNGAHLIN
THE MARKETPLACE, OPPOSITE WOOLWORTHS
GUNGAHLIN TOWN CENTRE
p 02 6255 7759
Open 7 Days, late on Friday night
Look good, feel good
KARLA Palombi opened Mystique Beauty in 2011 and over the past three years the young beautician has built up a loyal customer base through a combination of professionalism, attention to detail and the old-fashioned art of being friendly.
“We are committed to not only making our valued clients feel comfortable, but for them to leave feeling 100 per cent satisfied with their treatment and their experience at our salon,” she says.
“As the owner, I am leading my team of qualified beauty therapists to ensure that all objectives are met, such as the appropriate training to maintain and update the knowledge of relevant treatments and standards of hygiene.
“It is of great importance to me that the staff here at Mystique Beauty carry out their work with a high standard of professionalism as well as a friendly approach. I like to demonstrate trust, respect, understanding and support of individual
differences and diversity.” Mystique offers all the treatments a gal could want and Karla says she and her team can create stunning looks for all occasions, and to look good in photos.
“The most important thing is that every client walks out of the salon feeling happy,” says Karla. “Beauty is feeling good about yourself.”
HAIR SALON
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PIERCING
From your very-first to your latest look
• All cartridge facial and ear piercings
• Friendly and hygenic atmosphere
Mother Shaneen, sitting, with daughters Rebecca, left, and Amanda.
Mystique Beauty, 109 Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Gungahlin. Call 6242 4542 or go to Mystique Beauty Gungahlin on Facebook.
Karla Palombi of Mystique Beauty works on a manicure with client Sue Caldwell.
Paul Whyte Automotive is a locally family owned and operated business that has been operating in the Canberra region since 1985. For two generations Paul Whyte Automotive has been offering its customers the highest level of honesty, reliability and quality of work that has give Paul Whyte Automotive the outstanding reputation that it has today.
Over the years, we have been able to expand our expertise by attracting quality technicians to a modern, fast pasted friendly environment. Our mechanics are supported by the latest automotive technology, helping to get your vehicle back on the road as soon as possible. Paul Whyte stands by the highest standards that have become expected by personally road testing and checking over every single vehicle once the work has been completed, ensuring quality work every time.
PAUL WHYTE AUTOMOTIVE
Thinking of Travel?
being met. Come in and experience a personalised service that is second to none. No Surprises and no hidden costs. OPEN: Monday to Friday 9:00am-5:30pm, Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm
Solid reputation for fixing cars the Whyte way
PAUL Whyte Automotive has been servicing cars in Canberra for about 30 years, and has been based in the heart of Gungahlin since 2004. Over that time it’s developed a solid reputation for high quality work, reliability, honesty and old-fashioned customer service.
Whether it’s the brakes, clutch, steering, suspension or transmission (either manual and automatic), Paul Whyte maintains his high standards by personally road testing and checking over every single vehicle once the work has been completed.
“Our mechanics are supported by the most modern automotive equipment and all the latest technology in vehicle diagnostics, so we can diagnose and repair your vehicle right the first time and get you back on the road quicker,” he says.
“As part of our service we have a fleet of complementary loan vehicles, all with automatic transmissions and
mounts for baby seats, so that getting to and from work won’t be a hassle while your car’s getting fixed.”
A lot of new car owners think they have to take their pride and joy back to the original dealer they bought it from but that’s not the case, he points out.
“We can save you money by avoiding those big dealer labour rates while still meeting all the manufacturer’s requirements to ensure that your warranty or roadside assist is not voided. We also have a strong relationship with all of the big fleet companies; just drop your car around and we organise the rest.”
Paul Whyte Automotive is a licensed registration inspector and all work comes with a 12-month warranty on parts and labour.
Paul Whyte Auto, 3-4 O’Brien Place, Gungahlin. Call 6241 4047 or go to paulwhyteauto.com.au
From small pets, big things grow
GUNGAHLIN Veterinary Hospital has been serving the pets of Gungahlin since 1995.
“We started with one vet and one nurse and rented space two hours per week, but we’ve grown with Gungahlin and now 10 small-animal vets, more than 20 nurses and ancillary staff work at our purpose-built hospital, which includes an independent surgical specialist’s practice,” says principal Dr Michael Hayward.
“The hospital is accredited at the highest national level and we have won an award for customer service, too. We aim to provide compassionate veterinary care backed by the best equipment and up-to-date science.
“Your pet’s welfare is our first concern and we believe that preventative physical and behavioural medicine will keep your pet happier and healthier for longer. We receive referrals from other vets in many areas – surgery, ultrasound, behaviour, feline medicine, laboratory tests – and host many veterinary students every year.
“Mental health is as important as physical health, so we’ve been offering puppy classes four nights a week and dog-training classes for more than 16 years, as well as behaviour consultations. As well as being part of
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Small Animal Care
the local community, we serve the wider community through animal welfare and management advisory committees at a federal level.”
Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital, 21 Crinigan Circle, Gungahlin. Call 6242 7276 or go to gungahlinvet.com.au
Modern church keeps it real
LED by pastors Matt and Gill McGaw, Fusion City Church provides a modern take on Christianity for people from all walks of life in the Gungahlin area.
The couple warmly welcomes everybody who comes along to the services at Palmerston Primary School, regardless of their background, or how they choose to dress.
“God does not judge us according to our external appearance and therefore neither do we,” says Matt.
“We invite you to dress in a way that is comfortable and real for you.”
Keeping it real is one of Fusion’s most important values.
“Usually, our Fusion Sundays consist of some singing, some family time updating you on what’s happening in the life of Fusion – communion, prayer and a talk that delves
into the word of God and addresses practical life and spiritual issues. We use multimedia as an integral part of our Sunday meetings and aim to do all this in a contemporary manner.”
On Friday nights, Fusion’s Ignite youth group meets to get fired up about making Canberra a better place for young people.
“I think there’s a big need, particularly in Gungahlin, for a safe place for young people to hang out,” says Matt.
Fusion also has a thriving kids’ ministry as well as Fragrance women’s group and a men’s group, Velocity, that gets together every second month.
Fusion City Church, Gungahlin. Call 6253 8672 or go to fusioncitychurch.com.au
Paul Whyte Automotive mechanic Justin Noakes working on a vehicle in the newly expanded workshop.
Gungahlin Veterinary Services principal Dr Michael Hayward with a patient.
advertising feature
Winning auto care where service comes first
TWO years ago, Matt Whyte from Goodyear Auto Care Gungahlin went to Goodyear’s bi-annual conference in Perth and accepted an award, 2011-2012 Metro Dealer of the Year for NSW and the ACT. This year the store has won it again.
“It’s a real honour with all the hard work we’ve put in,” says Matt, who has run the workshop for just over four years and shares the credit with fellow team members Mark, Dennis, Lam, Jonas, Andrew, Daniel and Sean.
“The company bases the award on a lot of criteria, but to me it’s all about customer service. That’s the biggest thing in this workplace.”
Most of the tyres they fit bear one of two trusted names – Goodyear or Dunlop – but they also stock leading 4x4 brand Cooper, and Matt says that whatever a customer wants, he tries to get for them.
Along with tyre fitting, Goodyear Auto Care does all mechanical work including brakes and suspension,
registration checks, wheel balancing and steering alignment, log book servicing, batteries and even windscreen repairs.
Mechanic Mark Avery has more than 13 years’ experience and trained with Matt’s father Paul Whyte, one of the most respected names in Canberra’s automotive industry.
Goodyear Gungahlin also runs a free car care information night a few times a year for women and Matt says he’s thinking of doing the same for P-platers.
“We put on drinks and a bit of a spread, they come through the workshop and we show them how to change a tyre and the basic stuff under the bonnet like changing the oil and water, so they have a bit more confidence,” he explains. “They always say: ‘We should have brought our husbands as well!’”
Goodyear Auto Care, 1 O’Brien Place, Gungahlin. Call 6255 4955 or go to goodyearautocare.com.au
Cruise to beat the winter blues
INDEPENDENT travel agency Worldwide Destinations provides people from Gungahlin and beyond with all travel services including air and rail transport, car hire, flights, accommodation, tours and insurance and, contrary to popular belief, it’s a much more pleasant experience than spending hours trying to arrange it all yourself.
Michelle Fitzgibbon, who co-owns the agency with Kelly Carr, says a lot of Canberrans take a break from the cold by cruising off to the south seas, especially young families looking to get plenty of bang out of their holiday buck.
“Cruises are really good value for money because they include everything, obviously your accommodation and transportation, but also all meals, activities and entertainment and heaps of fun activities arranged for the kids, too,” Michelle says. “You only unpack once, that’s the beauty of it, and you get to stop at lots of different tropical islands.”
She says Royal Caribbean is offering a special deal until the end of May: buy one ticket and they’ll give you another one for half price.
“If you went for the seven-night pacific island getaway it’s $1209, for example, so the second ticket would be only $605 so it’s really, really good value.”
Those who can’t take weeks off work can still enjoy the cruise ship experience on a two or three-day jaunt in local waters.
“P&O runs Melbourne Cup trips that go from Sydney down to Melbourne and back and include entry to the track, as well as three-night cruises with different themes. There’s comedy cruises, food and wine, or lifestyle ones where they do things like yoga, massages and cooking classes,” explains Michelle.
Worldwide Destinations, Shop 33, The Marketplace Gungahlin. Call 6242 8077 or go to worldwidedestinations. com.au
Beautiful options in Palmerston
A COUPLE of weeks ago Marilynne Read popped the champagne to launch her new home business, Beautiful Ruby, offering facials and education in skincare and make-up techniques from her home in Palmerston.
“It’s not what people normally think of as a salon; what I do is different,” Marilynne says.
“The crux of what I’m doing with Beautiful Ruby is to teach women how to look after their skin with the primary goal of increasing their confidence. The first consultation with me is over a cuppa; I like to get to know my clients and what they need.”
Marilynne, who describes herself as a “beauty advocate”, says helping her friends feel good about themselves has always been a passion of hers, and it seems opening Beautiful Ruby is something of a dream come true.
“When I left school twenty-something years ago I wanted to become a beauty therapist, but life got in the way,” she says.
“Now I work for the ACT government and I’m studying beauty therapy because it’s what I want to do; I want to help people!”
Marilynne actively supports the campaign to end animal cruelty in the cosmetics industry and as such, will not use any products that are tested on animals. Appointments are available every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon and at other times by arrangement.
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The team keen to help at Goodyear Gungahlin.
Helping Children Discover Their Potential…
We achieve this philosophy within a value based atmosphere balancing traditional explicit teaching modes within an engaging, student-centred curriculum. There are generally three classes in every year level form kindergarten through to year 6.
Features of our School
• A Pastoral Care and Behaviour Management Policy that creates a safe, happy and enjoyable playground and classroom environment for children.
• Comprehensive Literacy and Numeracy Programs.
• Representative Sport—offering a wide range and variety of sports.
• Before and After School Care—a joint facility on the school premises.
• French Language Program.
• Opportunity for individual music tuition.
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School … teaching lifelong learning skills
Sibu Beauty Nicholls Call the salon on 6241 4115 64 Kelleway Ave, NICHOLLS
Gungahlin’s got it
Salon multiplies success in Crace
SIBU Beauty opened a second salon in Crace Central shopping centre last December, to provide the same highquality services that have earned the original at Nicholls shops an enviable reputation and a swag of awards.
“It’s got the Sibu Beauty look and feel that you love with a bit of a modern twist,” said owner Elissa Michel at the new salon’s grand opening in March this year.
Sibu specialises in facial treatments and body treatments as well as Balinese, Swedish and hot stone massages, manicures and pedicures, waxing and tinting, gel and Shellac nails, spray tanning, professional make-up, eyelash extensions and ear piercing. Elissa aims to make Sibu salons places to relax and be utterly pampered, with treatments such as the Pure Fiji Body Polish.
“We begin by drizzling warm Pure Fiji Coconut Milk over the body and then follow with an invigorating exfoliation using the Pure Fiji
Coconut Sugar Rub,” she explains.
“The combination of naturally active alpha-hydroxy acids found in the sugar crystals mixed with a nourishing blend of exotic nut oils is a match made in heaven.
“After a warm, refreshing shower we complete the treatment with a luxurious full body massage using
Helping children suceed and flourish
HOLY Spirit Primary School in Gold Creek values relationships shaped by the Gospel.
“We strive to build an environment where your child will flourish to the best of his or her ability,” says principal Tim
com.au
Elliott. “In order to achieve this we aim to provide a caring and challenging environment that will help your child to succeed academically, spiritually, emotionally, physically and socially.”
The school values strong partnerships with parents, staff and its community, as well as a unique partnership with Gold Creek Primary School, which shares the same campus in Nicholls.
Defence school transition aide Vicky Walsh is on hand to facilitate the best possible educational outcomes for the children of ADF members and provide support when their parents are called away in the name of duty.
“Our staff are highly trained, enthusiastic and supportive of all students and have great pride in the school,” Elliott says.
“With the children in our care we celebrate life, learning, our Christian story and community. We encourage individuality, diversity and creativity, and we are dedicated to the development of all children in an exciting learning environment.”
Holy Spirit Primary School, Kelleway Avenue, Nicholls. Call 6241 8640 or go to holyspirit.act. edu.au
Academy for young dancers and aspiring stars
GUNGAHLIN Dance Academy educates children of all ages in classical ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap using space at Amaroo School, from three-year-olds to those on the brink of a professional career.
Sibu Beauty Crace Call the salon on 6162 0397 Shop 4, 56 Abena Ave, CRACE
GDA students Rohan Hazleton and Maia Sullivan recently made it through auditions for the prestigious Australian Ballet School’s Interstate Training Programme, against children from all over Australia, and graduate Emma Wilson got into APO Arts Academy in Melbourne and is studying a double degree in musical theatre. Another GDA-trained dancer, Shantelle Wise, got a scholarship to Broadway Dance Centre in New York City.
“We take enrolments all year, so if people want to join up there’s no problem with not starting at the beginning of the year,” says director Jo McKinley, whose young charges have lots of exciting things ahead of them in coming months.
“In September, the G-Dance Performance Team is doing a tour of Los Angeles which involves performances at Universal Studios, on Hollywood Boulevard and at Disneyland,” she says.
“We’ll also get to do some workshops at some of the top dance studios in LA. In the meantime, we’ve got lots of other things happening. We’ve got performance
teams in the Cowra Eisteddfod next week, then Canberra Dance Festival and the Wollongong Eisteddfod in June, classical ballet exams are coming up in July and our end of year show is in early December at The Q.”
Gungahlin Dance Academy, at Amaroo School. Call 6255 5204 or go to gdance.com.au
Holy Spirit CS0035.indd
Pure Fiji Body Butter. This treatment leaves you feeling smooth, soft and in a heavenly state of relaxation.”
Sibu Beauty. Unit 27, 64 Kelleway Avenue, Nicholls; call 6241 4115. Also at Shop 4, 56 Abena Avenue, Crace; call 6162 0397 or go to sibubeauty.
Sibu Beauty... “The look and feel that you love with a bit of a modern twist,” says owner Elissa Michel.
Gungahlin Dance Academy... for children of all ages.
Preschool students from Holy spirit Primary School Nicholls, clockwise, Xavier Wilson, Bhaureet Kaur, Brianna Simpson and Amy Kingma.
WINNER
Best Franchise NSW & ACT Metropolitan Area
Goodyear Auto Care Gungahlin, is a family operated franchisee since 2010.
Matthew Whyte owner/ manager of this business. Matthew prides himself in high quality workmanship, and achievements.
He has achieved a prestigious award for the last 4years in a row for Best Franchisee in N.S.W. A.C.T. Metropolitan areas. He would like to thank the team for their hard work, dedication and attentions to detail, which has led to them winning the award.
Our dedicated staff of Dennis Hopper, Jonas Manley, Andrew Gavin , Daniel Avila, Liam Jordan, Sean Roach and Mark Avery our qualified technician with over 13 years’ experience.
WORK:
• All Mechanical work
• Motor Registrations
• Tyre Fitting
• Batteries
• Wheel balancing and alignments
• Log book servicing
We also have free workshops such as Women for Drive, which is a popular evening where women can learn about the basics of a car. For example how to change a tyre; putting in air and other necessary things to help maintain the car. It’s a relaxed fun night.
GOODYEAR GUNGAHLIN
1 O’Brien Place, Gungahln
PH: 6255 4955
FAX: 6255 4977
EMAIL: goodyeargungahlin@bigpond.com
Your one stop shop for automotive repairs
arts & entertainment Inspiration from the ‘Inspector’
By Helen Musa
SIMON Stone’s coming production of “The Government Inspector” is the first of his shows to be seen in front of Canberra audiences, though it’s not actually Nikolai Gogol’s classic comedy.
Saying he’s been “inspired” by Gogol, Stone is known for variously delighting audiences and infuriating playwrights with his reworked versions of the classics and admits that this is “the furthest” away from the original texts that he’s ever gone. Happily, Gogol died more than 160 years ago, and isn’t around like those pesky contemporary playwrights.
“It’s not really ‘The Government Inspector’,” Stone confirms, explaining that it relates to the play in its concerns with fakery and stealing other people’s ideas. As well, he’s seized on Gogol’s biting satire and madcap surrealism.
Stone devised the play with his co-writer Emily Barclay and a cast that had already been hired for “the Philadelphia Story”, which was dropped when the rights fell through. But he knew that his six actors, Fayssal Bazzi, Mitchell Butel, Gareth Davies, Robert Menzies, Zahra Newman, Eryn Jean Norvill and Greg Stone, could do comedy.
Here’s Stone’s premise: an ensemble of actors is presented with a play they were never supposed to perform. Can they get the show ready in time for opening night? Must they go to the trouble of learning new lines and a Russian accent? Will all the actors survive the rehearsal period? And who is the star director brought in from St Petersburg?
“It’s completely implausible and completely ridiculous,” Stone says, but he guarantees audiences will get their money’s worth because his “Government Inspector” is three shows in one – a play, a troupe of actors trying to rehearse it and a short musical at the end by Stefan Gregory.
“The principle is just entertainment.”
Accused by some playwrights of doing them
out of a job, he characteristically uses the work of dead playwrights and aroused the ire of the Arthur Miller estate after changing the ending of “Death of a Salesman”.
Gogol’s play has been in the standard repertoire around the world since being written in the 1830s. A layabout arrives in a provincial town and is mistaken for a senior official in the Czarist government. Everybody bends over backwards to please him until the deception is discovered. It criticises foolishness and graft as effectively as any ICAC hearing.
Stone is game to adopt the title – it’s so
Salute the festival
Music critic JUDITH CRISPIN says the Canberra International Music Festival overcame some bizarre programming to come home in triumph.
THE Canberra International Music Festival has drawn to a close after nine days and 25 concerts. Over numerous city spaces, the festival celebrated the centenary of World War I with an international delegation of musicians supported by their embassies and consulates.
My response to this festival was mixed. Programming decisions on the broad theme of World War I resulted in noteworthy inclusions, such as works by Messiaen, Webern and Eisler, but I wonder if the theme went too far.
A concert of music from the time The Fitters’ Workshop was built, for example, presented works that would’ve been overlooked had the composers not been soldiers. But don’t get me wrong – many of the concerts were stunning. Both the “Triumph of the Heart” concert, music from concentration camps,
Dostoevsky once played the postmaster, Stanislavsky directed it, Danny Kaye made a movie of it, “Fawlty Towers” pinched an episode plot from it, it’s been adapted by both the Indonesians and the Taiwanese as a comment on their own bureaucracies and it was adapted and re-translated by former ANU lecturer Roger Pulvers for two actors, and staged by Bell Shakespeare. I’ve even directed it.
“The Government Inspector”, The Playhouse, 8pm, May 28-31, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com. au or 6275 2700.
and “The Christmas Truce”, music from the Western Front, brought the audience to tears and standing ovations. These are the concerts you hope and pray for in a music festival – concerts that leave a gasping, mascara streaked audience in their wake.
Despite the commendable inclusion of new works by Australians Kats-Chernin, Westlake, Edwards and Sculthorpe, I wondered why Canberra composers had been excluded. Larry Sitsky, who turns 80 this year, was a notable absence. But for all these misgivings, my overwhelming impression was that CIMF is good for Canberra and good for music. World-class performances and premieres of new music from Australia and the rest of the world more than compensated for bizarre programming.
Now in its 21st year the Canberra International Music Festival has become a shining beacon in an increasingly politically challenging time for Australian classical music. A recurrent program theme was the triumph of light over darkness – and that is what I will carry away from this festival.
Featuring: Crystal Davis | Kylie Fogarty | Simon Palmer | Ian Lakey
famous.
Cast of “The Government Inspector”... from left, Zahra Newman, Fayssal Bazzi, Greg Stone, Robert Menzies and Eryn Jean Norvill. Photo by Pia Johnson
unnerving comedy of human freedom that defies national boundaries, censorship… and description
arts & entertainment Writer’s dramatic twist to the new media
By Helen Musa
IF you wanted to revolutionise the theatre, how would you start?
“When the theatre phenomenon started thousands of years ago,” says Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, “just one school emerged – the Greek school… but now we are talking about satellites and the internet and cell phones… I am trying to create a shortcut to the new media.”
I’m talking to Soleimanpour by phone to Berlin, where he’s attending the Theatertreffen theatre festival.
Soleimanpour’s now-famous play “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” will soon get an airing at The Street Theatre and it’s bound to raise questions. Notable actors such as Raoul Craemer and Geraldine Turner will appear in the play, but here’s the rub – none of them will have seen the script until they get on the stage itself. And audiences are told to keep their phones turned on.
“We cast different actors each time and we hand them the text,” he says. “They open the envelope and they start reading the text… in that way we can shift the whole paradigm of theatre.”
Trained in European theatre like any of our own writers, Soleimanpour can talk about “Hamlet” or the Theatre of the Absurd as lucidly as anybody, in impeccable (he says, “passable”) English, but that’s not what he’s on about at all.
Nobody, far less the playwright himself, is about to tell us what actually happens in the play, created while he was waiting for his passport to come through (as it did in late 2012) and figuring out how to play a part on the world stage without actually being there.
The rest is history, with outings first in New York, then at the Edinburgh Festival and later on the West
Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour… “I’m not house-arrested, I’m totally free”.
End, in south-east Asia – everywhere, in fact.
“It has now been translated into 20 languages, but never performed in Iran… that proves we are talking about a social phenomenon, not something local,” he tells me.
To Soleimanpour, “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” has nothing to do with politics, and it irritates him that Western journalists are always saying that back in Iran he was under house arrest.
“I’m not house-arrested, I’m totally free,” he tells “CityNews”.
“White Rabbit, Red Rabbit”, The Street Theatre, May 28-June 1, bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.
Same old, same old havoc
“Godzilla” (M)
WHAT can contaminate a cinema screen for 122 minutes (including credits) without saying anything useful?
Surprisingly, the answer is not Gareth Edwards’ fresh-from-the-effects-suite update of Ishiro Honda’s 1954 film about a monster from the deep that surfaces to feed on its sole diet –radioactivity.
Edwards’ sequel takes aim at humankind’s scientific arrogance about dangerous things without which we may be better off.
But the film’s message, which may easily float over the heads of a significant audience cohort, is not what drags Edwards’ film down to the depths of boredom. Its repetitive delivery does that.
Once the gigantic subterranean, submarine and atmospheric beasts emerge, more abovesurface destruction than, say, 40 minutes can depict serves no useful purpose. Edwards’ film intersperses urban destruction and intra-group monster conflicts with fatuous notions of military attempts to destroy the beasts and a lightweight domestic drama involving the wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son (Carson Bolde) of US Army NCO Joe (Bryan Cranston) whose nuclear engineer father, when Joe was a little tad, warned his Japanese employers of potential dangers. Admirals, in fiction never known for gentle forbearance in crisis, kowtow to Joe’s suggestions! I resisted the temptation to go for a coffee soon after the pattern of same old, same old had established itself. But I persevered because of curiosity about how it would end. Telling you that a sequel is not impossible is not a spoiler.
At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight
“Child’s Pose” (M)
DIVORCEE Cornelia (Luminita Gheorghiu), angry that her adult son Barbu (Bogdan Dumitruche) is trying to make a life for himself with Carmen (Ilinca Gola), gets called to the police station after Barbu knocks down and kills a 14-year-old boy crossing the freeway.
Romanian director/co-writer Calin Peter Netzer tells the story of Cornelia’s campaign to traduce the investigation of the event. She tries to persuade the police to change details of an interview record and to bribe the driver of the car that Barbu was overtaking. She smooches the grief of the dead boy’s parents. She scarifies Carmen in an attempt to remove her from Barbu’s life. She has always treated Barbu like an infant. Barbu finds resisting her cloying influence more than his damaged self-assurance can handle.
In a discomforting way, “Child’s Pose” is a comedy of errors and poor manners. Its mordant humour derives from antagonisms between its characters, of whom none invites our admiration except, perhaps, Barbu when he does what we have hoped throughout the film that he would – tell Cornelia to get off his case.
The cinematography often evokes a tennis match, swinging the film’s view between right and left. That, combined with Cornelia’s turpitude and obsession, might suggest that it’s a bleak film posing visual demands. Both those observations are true. But persevering against them is somehow satisfying. And Gheorghiu is wonderful as the chain-smoking, hard-drinking manipulator who dominates the film.
At Palace Electric
Dougal Macdonald’s review of “The Broken Circle Breakdown” (*** and a half) at citynews.com.au
Dougal Macdonald cinema
arts & entertainment dining
“Colourful Imaginary Things, 2014”, by Dean Butters.
Dean shoots for memories
PORTRAITIST Dean Butters is fascinated by Batman and Robin. Not unlike another Canberra-trained artist, Andrew Battye, who focused on Supergirl, his photographic works look at “the heroic ideas of childhood and adolescence dashed against feelings of an unfulfilled life”. His paintings, along with photographs by artist, poet and cameleer Graham Sorrell and Aldo Iacobelli’s mixed media drawings in recycled frames can be seen at Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman House, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon, Tuesday-Friday, 11am5pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm, until June 21.
TWO-time Logie winner Lisa Chappell, best-known as Claire McLeod on “McLeod’s Daughters”, is bringing her latest show, “On/ Off”, to Teatro Vivaldi, ANU Arts Centre, on May 30 and 31.
THE Australian National Eisteddfod’s Bands and Orchestras division is running May 22-29 in places such as Llewellyn Hall, Lyneham High School and the CIT. There’ll be 100 entries with 3000 individual performers. Full program at nationaleisteddfod.org.au
ARTIST Julie Bradley and sculptor Mike MacGregor are inviting the public to “walk through a sylvan grove at Form Gallery.” While it’s an elegant space, “sylvan” is not the word for the industrial
Helen Musa arts in the city
part of Queanbeyan. Bradley explores myths involving the tree expressed in human form, while McGregor has created a “bronze avatar” that responds to Bradley’s theme. 1/30 Aurora Avenue, Queanbeyan, May 26-June 22.
THE Sydney Consort will be at the Wesley Music Centre, 7pm, on May 25, performing “Chaos”. Don’t expect chaos, rather expect the pairing of “old and new” music by notable Dutch and Australian composers. Among the old are works by Jean-Fery Rebel, HI von Biber and JPN Royer, and among the new, Nigel
ARTS in the Valley (Kangaroo Valley) features two contrasting concerts; at 7pm, Saturday, May 24, Simon Tedeschi will perform Gershwin and composers who influenced George Gershwin’s writing. At 2pm, Sunday, May 25, legendary jazz pianist Mike Nock, will be performing his kind of Gershwin. Bookings to artsinthevalley.com.au or 0467 209819.
LILLI Pilli artist, Ian Lakey, Sydney designer-artist Simon Palmer and Canberra line-drawing artist Kylie Fogarty have an exhibition, “Azure Assurances”, at Aarwun Gallery in Gold Creek until June 22.
2014 Food & Wine Tour to France 19-30 September Alsace & Les Vosges
Dream comes through
DISCOVERING a dreamy little spot to have a bite to eat is always a treat, especially when it’s operated by a mother and son in charge of a dedicated kitchen team and a cheery, efficient front-ofhouse crew.
Tucked away on Whyalla Street, Fyshwick, Dream Cuisine Patisserie is run by Owen Saddler, a former engineer, and Marilyn Chalkley, a former communications pro, who do not compromise in any way, shape or form on their food, sweet or savoury.
Dream Cuisine has won a string of awards, including Canberra’s best hot cross buns and four medals at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show (2014). This is thanks to the talented chefs, but also to the quality ingredients Dream Cuisine uses in creating its dynamite food: such as Myrtleford cultured butter, organic whole flour, free-range eggs, organic milk, decadent farmhouse cream and house-made jams loaded with seasonal fruit. And grass-fed beef and Coopers Ale for its famous pies.
It was breakfast time. The menu isn’t large and it certainly isn’t designed for anyone on a diet, but then why would you head to a patisserie if you’re trying to lose weight?
If you’re in the mood for something smallish the double smoked ham and vintage cheddar croissant is a bargain at $5 and the bacon and egg roll, served on a sourdough baguette, great value at $7.50.
Not one to refrain from indulging when in a patisserie, I ordered the Eggs Florentine with spinach and smoked trout and hollandaise sauce ($15). The amount of sauce was perfect… not too
much and not too little. And the smoked trout was out of this world. A sensational way to start the day.
The Gruyere and Chive Omelette was loaded with sliced veggies, probably a bit (okay, maybe a lot) healthier than my option (calorie wise) but, as I have said, I was in a patisserie.
Other breakfast options include ricotta hotcakes with rhubarb, ricotta mousse and elderflower syrup (very classy, $16), a maple toasted granola served with poached quince, house-made vanilla yoghurt and Tilba Jersey milk ($12), and a quinoa and apple breakfast bowl ($12). Lots of gluten free, vegetarian and wheat free options.
We were good gals in the end and refrained from indulging in a sweet treat, the line-up of which includes a stunning-looking lime tart, and an entire glass case of macarons, made with ground Australian almonds and Italian meringue, sandwiched together with creamy chocolate ganache or buttercream flavoured with fruit. The pistachio and lime is award winning, but I would have chosen the walnut and whisky or salted caramel, an all-time favourite.
Put Dream Cuisine on your list of places to try. You won’t be disappointed.
9/18 Whyalla Street, Fyshwick, open MondayFriday, 6.30am-4pm and Saturday, 9am-2pm.
WENDY JOHNSON
La Scala Italian Restaurant
Celebrating 25 years of excellence and welcomed
Butterley, Stephen Yates, Alex Pozniak and Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Tickets at the door.
gardening The brilliant rhododendron
CAN you imagine the surprise when 19th century plant hunters walking through a hidden valley in the Himalayas saw the brilliant colours of rhododendrons for the first time?
Magnificent rhododendrons, some up to 10 metres tall, are hardier than most people think and grow well in this region.
They are the perfect companions for azaleas, daphne, pieris and a host of other plants.
The earliest varieties start to flower any time now right through until October. Fine specimens can be seen in flower in Commonwealth Park during Floriade.
They are generally considered as shade-loving plants, preferring the early morning sun to the hot, westerly sun. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend growing them in shadeless new suburbs that are blasted by hot winds in summer.
The ideal watering method is by drip irrigation and mulching is vital to their relatively shallow root system. Canberra Organic Mulch from Canberra Sand and Gravel is ideal.
For strong root growth, I suggest initially applying Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient then use Neutrog’s Seamungus, a combination of seaweed and chook manure.
Rhododendrons respond well to hard pruning in spring, if you have some growing too large. Incidentally, there are many dwarf varieties suitable for container growing.
IDEALLY suited to a large bed combined with camellias and rhododendrons is the colourful autumn foliage of the medium shrub Hydrangea quercifolia or oak leaf hydrangea.
It grows to about one metre tall with a similar spread and its leaf shape is similar to oak tree
Originating in the south-east of the US, like most hydrangeas it prefers filtered shade.
WINTER starts on June 1 and yet only four weeks until the shortest day of the year. In eastern Australia, the winter solstice will be on June 22 at 3.16 am.
For gardeners, as eternal optimists, this will mean gradually lengthening daylight hours. Leaves of bulbs are now very much in evidence and by mid-June Prunus mume, the flowering apricot with its deep rich flowers, will be in blossom.
larger. It is grown more for the rich autumn leaf colour than the flowers, which are unlike hydrangeas, being white only and up to 40cm long.
WINTER is also the best time to plant deciduous fruit and ornamental trees and deciduous shrubs.
Here are a couple of important points: when selecting trees or large shrubs at a garden centre, always ask staff to lift them. Always lift by the pot, never by the trunk, as these new trees have only just been potted up the roots will not be established.
It is best to decide where the tree is going to be planted before buying. This way it can be taken straight home and planted immediately. Always check the roots and trim any broken roots with sharp secateurs, preventing entry of fungal diseases.
Always dig a square hole. This encourages the
CEDRIC BRYANT
Creating Sustainable Gardens
Glenbog Nursery and Landscaping
roots to spread naturally rather than following the sides of a round hole.
THERE are good reasons for planting trees in garden beds rather than in lawns. Trees planted in lawns are subject to damage by mowers, which can kill them by ring-barking, likewise whippersnippers.
During the drought, when lawn watering was forbidden, trees in lawns simply did not get watered, resulting in the unnecessary death of many trees.
Applying chemical fertilisers to lawns can also be detrimental to trees and shrubs when planted in lawns. Finally on this point, when fruit trees are planted with grass right up to the trunk, with grass being a rapacious feeder, it can reduce the fruit crop by up to 40%.
Jottings…
• The tall-growing Sedum “Autumn Joy” will have finished flowering and the fleshy stalks can be cut back to ground level. This is also the time to dig up and divide.
• Snails are still active, use the pet-safer Multiguard Snail and Slug Killer as recommended by Dr. Harry Cooper, the TV vet.
• Soak raspberry canes in Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient for an hour before planting and then water in with same after planting.
• growers of drought tolerant and frost resistant plants • new garden creations and garden makeovers • sustainable garden design and advice
• providing a value for money solution
Nursery open 9am to 5pm Wed to Fri 10am to 4pm Weekends.
Ph. 0402 024 204 – 0408 119 160
glenbog@skymesh.com.au
We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow.
The true magnificence of rhododendron flowers.
Joanne Madeline Moore
your week in the stars – May 26-June 1, 2014
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
You relish your independence but don’t be a lone Ram! The New Moon encourages you to find fresh ways to connect with others in your local community. But don’t believe everything you hear … check the facts thoroughly first. Mighty Mars trines the Sun on Saturday so make the most of the energy-surge while you can, as you power through projects and tie up loose ends.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Wednesday is wonderful for social get-togethers. And Venus visits your sign [from May 29-June 23] which increases your luxury-loving side. You’ve been talking about saving for something big like a car, holiday or home deposit for a while now so, with the New Moon firing up your finance zone, you need to put your money where your mouth is and actually start saving.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
The New Moon activates your sign so expect a busy, bustling and bamboozling kind of week. Lightning flashes of inspiration will strike, as you discover exciting new ways to convey old ideas. Make sure you communicate clearly though, or there’ll be some crazy mix-ups along the way! It’s the best time of the year to refresh your physical appearance and update your wardrobe.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Prepare for a week of mystery, where you’re surrounded by innuendo and intrigue. What others say won’t necessarily be what they mean, so read between the lines to uncover what’s really going on. Expect a pleasant and productive weekend, as long as you are realistic about relationships. If you expect too much from a loved one, they might unintentionally let you down.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
Fabulous financial and career opportunities are around, but you have to work out the perfect time to pounce. With nebulous Neptune scrambling your antennae, avoid making unrealistic promises, passing on unsubstantiated information or jumping to half-baked conclusions. Saturday’s Sun/Mars trine increases your desire to exercise and party, plus boost your social media profile.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get things done. But, with Neptune visiting your relationship zone, the course of true love won’t run smoothly. If you’re attached, you need to be more realistic and flexible about your expectations. Still searching for your soul mate? When you meet potential suitors, look for the real person behind the picture-perfect façade.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Don’t jump to hasty conclusions and be a lightweight Libran! It’s time to dig deep with family and friends, as you look beneath the surface and discover what’s really going on. Mighty Mars gives you an extra energy boost on Saturday so stay motivated. Be inspired by birthday great Kylie Minogue: “I don’t want to fizzle out. I have to keep going, like a little Shetland pony.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
With the New Moon in your intrigue zone, no secret is safe as you uncover clues and pick up on cues that others miss. Be careful what you unearth though, as it may stir up issues from your own less-than-perfect past. Plus peace-maker Venus encourages you to patch up a partnership problem. Clear communication and constant connection are the keys to satisfying relationships.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
The New Moon encourages you to reboot a rickety relationship or start a hot new romance. When it comes to work, optimism is high and there is the potential to do extremely well. But don’t spoil success by being a careless and slap-dash Sagittarian. Take the time to absorb important details along the way – and be realistic about how much you can actually do.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Hey Goats, have you been butting heads with a child, teenager or friend? Use your powerful energy in more subtle and clever ways. Under the influence of diplomatic Venus, sometimes you need to lose a minor battle in order to win the war. Some sensible Capricorn advice may also be just what the doctor ordered, but resist the temptation to be critical and judgmental.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Have you been feeling tired and uninspired? Hold onto your seat Aquarius! Your life is set to expand in exciting ways - especially in areas involving romance, children, friends, hobbies or sport. The New Moon stimulates your entertainment sector, so it’s time to clear your throat, polish your maracas, and find yourself a captive audience as you perform and party like a pro.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
The New Moon indicates magical beginnings so don’t waste precious Pisces time pussyfooting around! Family relationships and home life are the areas where you need to make some overdue changes and adjustments – the sooner the better. But you must be clear and straightforward in your dealings with loved ones, otherwise there’ll be major mix-ups and misunderstandings.
Daily astrology
1 Name an imaginary creature of Aboriginal legend
8 Name an earlier Australian film actor, Chips ...?
9 What is a meeting of people seeking to communicate with spirits of the dead?
10 To be more animal-like is to be what?
11 What is a company of seven singers?
12 Which chamber is used for baking?
13 What are functions to raise money for charity, school, church, etc?
16 Which twilled worsted fabric is used for clothing?
19 To be in a state of wonder and amazement is to be what?
21 What are further showings of a film?
22 Name the person authorised to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises
23 What is a demand, as by applause, for a repetition of a song, etc?
24 Who was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo?
25 Name another term for waves Down
2 What is a small musical instrument of the guitar kind?
3 Name a well-known Chinese river
4 What, in music, means “in quick tempo”?
5 Which camel drivers helped to open up outback Australia?
6 What are the features of a language known as?
7 Name a highly poisonous substance
13 Which imperial unit of distance is equal to 220 yards?
14 Name the extensor muscle at the back of the upper arm
15 Which horse won the 1996 Melbourne Cup?
17 What is a more familiar term for otalgia?
18 Which military officer is next below a field marshal?
20 Name an Australian conservationist political party
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