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The Empire’s bad guys love doing good
IN a galaxy far, far away reporter KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK meets members of the local Southern Cross Garrison of ‘Star Wars’ fanatics who walk the talk (because they can’t sit down!)...
THEY can’t sit down, move comfortably or see very much, and it can get hot under all that heavy armour, but it doesn’t stop these dedicated “Star Wars” troopers, who say they love bringing a smile to a sick child’s face.
“I love the reactions we get from kids,” says local trooper Travis Kirk.
“At the Canberra Special Children’s Christmas Party I met a blind boy who was a ‘Star Wars’ fan, and he wanted to put his hands all over the costume.
“Once on a Down Syndrome Association Buddy Walk, I was approached by a little boy who recognised my character, Commander Cody, and his name was Cody too, so it really meant a lot to him.
“He held my hand the entire day, I felt like it was a huge moment for him. It made him so happy.”
Troopers go to gaming or charity events in costume, posing for photos, dishing out high fives and handshakes, holding props and creating a sense of “Star Wars” authenticity, says Travis.
Travis and his fellow troopers are part of the 501st Legion, a US-based organisation that regulates “Star Wars” costuming. They’re all members of the local Southern Cross Garrison (except Zachary, who’s part of the under-18s
Galactic Academy).
Travis says he generally dresses up as Commander Cody from the “Star Wars: Clone Wars” era and the cartoon series, and he made the costume himself. It’s not cheap, either; the costumes can cost anything from $1000 up to $6000 for a Boba Fett or Chewbacca.
“Something like a Death Star staff officer will cost around $500 to $600, but the more accurate it is, and the more armour required, the more it will cost,” he says.
“It comes in a basic kit, but we build it ourselves and it’s a tricky process. It’s a big commitment; it takes up a serious amount of evenings and weekends to make!”
Any wannabe trooper then has to send photos of their completed costume to the 501st for approval. No one can troop until they get the tick, and the photos are closely scrutinised, he says.
The detail has to be spot-on.
Travis says he started trooping two years ago, after a visit to a friend in Melbourne who was involved in his local garrison.
“I like that the ‘Star Wars’ characters are so recognisable. It’s perfect for the new generation of ‘Star Wars’ fans
SUNDAYS 10AM-4PM
and also for their parents who are revisiting their childhood,” he says.
“The idea of trooping is to promote ‘Star Wars’ with accurate costuming, but also to support charities and the community.
“It really touched me that my friend who got me into this was helping charities by trooping. A major reason I do
this is for the kids.”
The garrison has trooped at events for charities such as Make-A-Wish Australia, Miracle Babies, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Cancer Council and the Canberra Special Children’s Christmas Party, with plans to visit local hospitals in the pipeline.
“We’re all very close now!” he says. “You can’t be shy in the garrison.
“I can’t sit down when I’m wearing my costume, and I need a lot of help to get all the bits of armour on and off.”
Kim McIver dresses as a staff officer from the Death Star, but she started out “wrangling” for her boyfriend Matt, a Scout trooper.
“Wrangling is like being a trooper nanny,” she says. “You make sure they’re okay in there, not getting too hot. The costumes can be heavy, and the guys can’t see much, if at all.
“With all the children wanting photos, it can be busy and they often need someone to remind them to stay hydrated.
“They also get kids trying to lift up their helmets and things like that – the kids aren’t sure if they’re real or not.”
The 501st Legion all dress up as the bad guys in “Star Wars” (there is another, the Rebel Legion, who dress up as the good guys) – but Travis says being a baddie is more fun.
“We’re bad guys doing good,” he says.
But it’s not easy work. Travis says that because the costumes are so restrictive, garrison members usually have to get ready together in the car park.
To organise a charity troop, call 0423 609900, or email travis.kirk@yahoo.com
Canberra, it’s your chance to show everyone your creative side. Post a selfie wearing your Raiders DHA beanie on Twitter or Instagram and include #DHABEANIE to be in the running to win some fantastic prizes. Most creative selfie wins!
Week one of the competition will close 20 minutes after the main game kick off on Monday 28 July for the clash against the Rabbitohs. Week two of the competition will then open. It will close 20 minutes into the clash with the Warriors on Sunday 3 August. Winners will be announced at half-time. You must be present to collect your prize.
Super Troopers… from left, Biker Scout (Matthew Wood), Sand trooper (Vincent McGann), Commander Cody (Travis Kirk), Tusken Raider/Sand People (Zachary Kirk), and Shadow Stormtrooper (Drew Ridley). Photo by Gary Schafer
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, co-chair of the Federal Government’s school curriculum review, Kevin Donnelly, declares himself in favour of a return to the cane. seven days
GLOBAL is local in this new world of ours – and the consequences are decidedly mixed as we saw this week when a Canberra mum, Liliane Derden, was among the 298 passengers and crew on that tragic Malaysian flight.
At the same time, we discovered that Aussie citizens who joined the Islamist fighting in Syria and Iraq are returning with rage in their hearts. And many, we’re told, have slipped through undetected by our security services. Such is our winter of discontent.
PM Tony Abbott’s giant leap backwards on climate change – just as the world was getting serious about it – split the nation. And the sniping from all sides came thick and fast.
Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, for example, enlivened the chamber with this shaft at carbon price supporter and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten: “We will hang this around your neck like a rotten, stinking carcass”. Golly.
Policy differences are one thing, but the tone of political debate quite another. Alas, the verbal fusillades have changed character since Mr Abbott donned the mantle of leadership, be it climate change or stopping the boats.
Maybe we should quarantine Capital Hill lest the infection spreads.
MORE than 1300 well-meaning Canberrans packed Llewellyn Hall recently to urge “a more humane and tolerant policy” towards asylum seekers and refugees. And they presented their views to Federal Parliament this week through a couple of Labor MPs.
Full marks for a nice, civilised political protest. But honestly, what did they expect from a minister who keeps a boatful of Sri Lankans fleeing the murderous Rajapaksa regime in windowless cabins aboard a Customs vessel in the middle of the Indian Ocean?
SO, how come Gungahlin gets all the goodies? First it’s a terrific freewaycum-raceway, then they’re first out of the blocks for the light rail, to say nothing of the recently opened $30 million leisure centre. And this week
they were favoured with the start-up of their superfast NBN!
Maybe it’s time for us southerners to get our moving boots on.
TREASURER Andrew Barr gave the RSPCA a golden handshake this week with his decision to award them the concession to raise funds at Floriade.
This is the animal protection group that gave its imprimatur to the local kangaroo “cull”. And there’s to be a Dog’s Day Out, he says, so owners can bring “their four-legged canine friends to Floriade for the first time since the introduction of fencing in 1999”. But, Andrew, in the interim Canberra has banned plastic bags, so what happens to all those little presents that Fido leaves behind?
FINANCIAL belt tightening is understandable, but why, oh, why is the National Library, one of Canberra’s
ROBERT MACKLIN
– and the nation’s – finest ornaments to scholarship, closing its stacks on weekends when Saturday is its busiest day?
If it’s just money, I’m sure researchers would be happy to pay a modest fee. It feels like we’re heading back to the dark ages.
AND just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, co-chair of the Federal Government’s school curriculum review, Kevin Donnelly, declares himself in favour of a return to the cane. I wonder how he’d like it.
robertmacklin.com
Cover: Southern Cross Garrison members in their “Star Wars” costumes. Photo by Gary Schafer. Story Page 3.
Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.
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THE tragedy of the AIDS epidemic has been with us since the early 1980s when the Nobel Laureate Prof Françoise BarréSinoussi and her team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris isolated the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
In Canberra, in the lead up to the 20th World AIDS Conference being held in Melbourne, the professor paid tribute to those who died in Malaysian Flight MH17.
Some of the 298 people on board were heading to Melbourne to share their knowledge about the battle against this insidious virus.
Speaking at the National Press Club, the professor of microbiology emphasised the role that marginalisation and prejudice played in retarding the fight against HIV/AIDS.
On the same platform was former Secretary of Health in the Conservative Thatcher government who added his voice to the challenge that was faced in the early 1980s because of the marginalised groups such as gay men, sex workers and injecting drug users.
The marginalisation continues. The least powerful in our community are those most at risk. This was recognised by governments in Australia and elsewhere. Federal Health Minister Neal Blewett (Labor) and Shadow Minister Peter Baume (Liberal) had the courage to put politics aside to
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ECan’t have it both ways
WHILE applauding Robert Macklin on his positive comment on Katy Gallagher’s support of Ramadan (Seven Days, CN July 10), it’s a bit hypocritical of Macklin considering his overt criticism of Christianity.
I would have thought that he would welcome either ALL faiths or none at all. You can’t have it both ways, Robert.
Geoff McLaren, via email
Macklin should apologise
I OBJECT to columnist Robert Macklin’s remarks on Rolf Harris (Seven Days, CN July 10).
He states: “I suspect the enthusiasm they brought to his prosecution had much to do with the Brits not being able to make the disgusting Jimmy Savile pay for his crimes”.
It was disgusting what Mr Harris did to one girl in particular, but had little to do with the Savile case.
This is a health and human rights issue rather than a moral issue. The issue is not just one for warders, although they are integrally involved in the well-being of prisoners, it is one for the whole community.
stand up and support gay men, injecting drug users and prostitutes. The results speak for themselves. Australia still has one of the lowest rates of spread of infection in the world.
However, the challenge continues. The third speaker at the Press Club, Australian Prof Sharon Lewin, warned about complacency, revealing: “This year, again, we had the highest numbers of new infections”.
The three also discussed the parallel issue of the spread of Hepatitis C infection and the importance of tackling marginalisation, bigotry and prejudice.
There is no cure for HIV/AIDS although treatment has come a long way. There has been more success with Hepatitis C but the expense puts it out of reach of ordinary people. Prevention is still the most important approach to both infections. The opportunity to take on the issue of increasing infection of AIDS and Hep C in Canberra remains. Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has made public that she is prepared to introduce a needle and syringe program in the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Prisoners often fit into the marginalised groups already mentioned with the additional impact of being incarcerated. And yet the very people who are looking after these prisoners resist the introduction of the needle and syringe program.
Prison officers do not have to participate. A series of methods have been demonstrated that will allow this preventive approach without
engaging the warders.
This is a health and human rights issue rather than a moral issue. The issue is not just one for warders, although they are integrally involved in the well-being of prisoners, it is one for the whole community.
Joep Lange, along with his partner and more than 100 AIDS researchers, scientists, medical practitioners and activists, died in the crash of MH17 on his way to the Melbourne AIDS Conference.
Prof Lange was a former president of the International AIDS Society who, amongst other things, worked tirelessly and was not one to shun marginalised groups. He was one of the key leaders in ensuring treatment reached the poorest people on earth and was founder of the PharmAccess Foundation.
The common factor amongst the scientists and activists was a sense of commitment and compassion for those around them, for those less fortunate than themselves. Rather than being judgemental they were compassionate, rather than letting things go on they were innovators, rather than giving up they persisted in looking for cures, in summoning the courage to speak out and to care for those not able to care for themselves.
If the same principles of persistence, courage and caring are applied in the fight against HIV and Hepatitis C in Canberra, the establishment of the needle and syringe program in the Alexander Maconochie Centre would be imminent.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
As CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, he was responsible for a report on an NSP in the Alexander Maconochie Centre in 2011.
ON
Mr Macklin has made Harris’s crimes sound like he should have just been slapped on the wrist – this is just so totally unfair to the many girls and women who were physically and mentally abused, and especially to those who were courageous enough to come forward from the beginning.
Mr Macklin should apologise for his ill-informed and light-hearted comments about this case.
Anne Wyer via email
Ready to play my part
AT the risk of sounding nationalistic, I am tired of the civil rights people objecting to almost anything restrictive that governments do. The latest is data retention. Nobody wants to take out insurance – on their house, car, possessions – but virtually everyone does it because it’s the sensible thing to do. Yes it costs, but trying to ensure safety always does.
Nobody wants even to think of it, but some experts are saying there will be a terrorist attack in Australia. If there is, hundreds could be killed or injured, and I suggest the most silent voices in our community then would be the civil libertarians. I am ready to play my part in helping to protect my country and its citizens while simultaneously supporting the full force of the law against those who betray that protection.
Colliss Parrett, Barton
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lowdown Omar’s swift kick in the vernaculars
Wish we had a white person with us Ten empty cabs have passed us by.”
Part of the blame for that must also be laid at the door of the publisher for putting an endorsement by Welsh on the cover.
– from “Here Come The Dogs” by Omar Musa
In theory, the setting is an anonymous “Town” near the “City”.
But there is this passage to really nail home the location:
OMAR Musa’s new book is a vernacular romp through the mean streets of Queanbeyan and Canberra that has attracted comparisons to Irvine Welsh’s “Trainspotting”, in part because it’s full of swearing, sex, drugs, and violence.
“They walk hand in hand past the merry-go-round, past the restaurants with ironic menus and pink lemonade in jam jars, past the bus interchange and straight to the noodle house”.
The book is important just as an insight as to what it’s like to not fit into this city of overwhelming white privilege. And as a white, middle-class male it can be challenging in parts and, coming from that background, I have to admit to wondering where the chicken and egg lies in some of the written situations.
Did social exclusion drive the young protagonists to be drunk, on drugs, and smashing the teeth out of the heads of people they’ve met at the pub? Or are they excluded because of that behaviour?
Canberra is written in parts as a glittering and confusing place where bad things happen.
In one case the bad thing was a humiliation in front of a girl and passersby getting our paralytic hero into a taxi home. Some would think this was a pretty good result, really.
There is a hell of a lot in this book about hip hop music, it’s interesting in parts, at times confusing. There’s also a lot about graffiti. The process behind it, the differences between the Sydney and Melbourne schools, the different paints, the different nozzles, the planning drawings.
This almost seems sympathetic until our heroes, in the course of vandalising a site, violently assault a security guard just trying to do his job and run triumphant into the night.
JOHN GRIFFITHS
On one reading of the book it would be possible to conclude the issue is not ethnicity but mental health.
The language is crazy brave, flicking between standard literary prose, Queanbeyan vernacular (“eh” written as “ay”), and outright poetry.
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The verse used to describe scenes of extreme intoxication is very effective when you get used to it with the same dreamy disjointed lurching sense most of us have experienced on a big night out.
That it, for the greater part, works is a real testament to the author’s skill.
Some reviewers, who one suspects have not actually finished the book, seem to think it is in some way about the 2003 bushfires. Fires are a very minor part of the story and nothing like 2003 in any detail aside from fire in the Australian summer.
It’s a good book about being young, confused, and angry in our part of the world. The characters are rich, and develop across the course of the book, which is a wonderful thing.
In short it’s a book every literate Canberran needs on their shelves (or in their e-reader) and it deserves to stand on its own in the sun, and not in the shadow of “Trainspotting”.
“Here Come the Dogs” (Penguin, $29.99)
Cash call to catapult top kids
IN the early 1990s, I raised the prospect of the establishment of a special fund to help young athletes in Canberra achieve their goals.
The idea came after being approached to assist an athlete to go overseas for competition; his family just couldn’t afford it. We had a fundraiser and sent him overseas, but it was to be an ongoing struggle. His mother told me that the family was committed to ensuring he was given the same opportunity as any athlete who was financially better off, even if it sent them into debt. She likened her son’s pursuit of athletic success to that of a university student studying for a degree.
I won’t identify the athlete or his family but I can say, after 25 years of fund-raising functions, there are plenty of others in the same position.
Given the rise of the next generation of Canberra’s young athletes and the city wide pride they generate, which no professionally developed marketing campaign could ever achieve, the concept of a fund is worth revisiting.
In this era of crowdfunding, I’m suggesting that the ACT government doesn’t go it alone with funding, but that the community contributes to a fund to assist young athletes.
To hear commentators tell international audiences of the emergence of Canberra athletes such as Patty Mills, Caroline Buchanan, Lauren Jackson, Nick Kyrgios, Michael Matthews and Anna Flanagan does wonders for the psyche of our city.
It also means that Canberra is on the right track in developing athletes for the world stage.
But we can do better. Why not build an Olympic-class BMX track to assist not only Buchanan and her next-generation athletes?
Imagine parents outside the ACT, keen for their children to succeed, looking at Canberra and the success of Kyrgios, Buchanan and Mills, and thinking that this might not be a bad place to live, to give their son or daughter the best opportunity.
Some though do fall through the
cracks; they can’t afford to fund their child’s sporting ambitions no matter the potential.
In this era of crowdfunding, I’m suggesting that the ACT government doesn’t go it alone with funding, but that the commu nity contributes to a fund to assist young athletes.
People would be able to contrib ute what they like – it might be $50 or $500 – but it has to be affordable and doesn’t have to be in the form of sponsorship as such.
And while I’m on a roll, the fund could be administered by the government’s Sport and Recreation Directorate with funds distributed on a request basis and determined by a small panel of people
TIM GAVEL
involved in sport. It would give the community a feeling that it had helped a young athlete achieve on the world stage; a possibility that may have been missed had it not been for the fund.
It would set Canberra apart from a lot of other cities and would provide an insight into the community spirit that I have seen so many times at fundraisers and functions over the years.
Corbell salutes trees
CANBERRA has the nation’s highest proportion of tree cover with 56 per cent, according to a recent study of urban land cover types by the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney. Environment Minister, Simon Corbell, said urban trees played an important role in moderating microclimates within the city and provide “shade and shelter for houses and reduce the need to turn on air conditioners”.
Starving the urban forest, Page 22
Trivia for kids
THE local council of the internationl charity Save the Children is hosting a fundraising trivia quiz afternoon at The Durham, Green Square, Kingston, from 2pm, on Sunday, August 17.
Passion for dance
THE Latin dance community celebrates its passion for dance at the 27th Stomp, at Albert Hall on Saturday, July 26. Proceeds will assist Rotary International and Greening Australia. Organisers are hoping for a record crowd and to raise $12,000. The theme is “Mythology” and there will be fun activities including a mechanical bull competition. Tickets from thestomp.org.
Welsh gathering
THE Welsh Society of Canberra is hosting a social afternoon of singing and chat “with others who hail from Wales” or share an interest in the country and its culture at the Irish Club, Weston, 2pm-4pm, on Saturday, July 26. More information 0408 089235 or cymrycanberra@yahoo.com
Hip hop = happiness
By Kathryn Vukovljak
THEY may seem unlikely hip hop advocates, but Rwandan enthusiasts David and Mandy Wheen have been instrumental in bringing urban dance classes to Kigali, the country’s capital.
“Unemployment is high, as is teenage pregnancy, drugs and instances of HIV,” says David. “A high percentage of the population are youth – 44 per cent – and there isn’t much for them to do.”
David, a former senior Immigration officer, and Mandy, a retired treasury official, have visited every year since 2007, when David worked there for a UN agency to help the Rwandan recovery. After a few visits they knew they wanted to do more for the country’s youth.
“Young Africans love dancing, it’s natural for them, so we thought formal hip hop teaching might go down well,” she said.
Inspired by the Fresh Funk dance class, run by Caroline Wall at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Mandy and David turned their attention to finding a place in Kigali to run free classes.
“We got in touch with Club Rafiki, a youth club which already had hairdressing classes, childcare, a gym, games and
a library. They were keen, they found two young blokes to teach and the classes took off,” says David.
Two years on and it’s been a huge success, he says, thanks to support from the Indigo Foundation, an independent community development organisation based in Australia.
“There was informal hip hop dancing going on already, but very few people could afford the hip hop discos that were held,” says David. “These classes are free and there’s a waiting list as long as your arm.
“There’s a sense of achievement and it’s good for their self-esteem.”
The club also provides a family planning and HIV education program, which has formed part of the couple’s most recent area of fundraising.
“One of the club members died from an HIV-related illness, and the young teachers had an idea to take dance demonstrations around the country, and to tie it in with HIV education for people in remote areas”. “Our experience in immigration and HR means we can bring those skills to bear in the Rwandan context,” says David.
“It’s also a delight to work together after all these years – we have four children and with our busy lives and careers over the years, we often didn’t see much of each other!”
Mandy says the poverty in Rwanda is hard to understand but despite it, the people seem happy and proud.
“We see improvements every time we go there, in attitudes as well as in physical development,” she says.
“For example, there are great opportunities for girls. Everyone believes kids should be at school. There is a strong sense of national purpose.
“But the perpetrators and survivors of the 100-day genocide in 1994 have to live together now, and the people there are physically and emotionally scarred for life.
“All these children who lost parents or older siblings in the genocide – they need something. It’s a deeper thing. It’s not just about dance classes.”
To donate, visit indigofoundation.org
From heartbreak to hollow legs...
THE other day I came across a scrap of memorabilia that took me back to one of the most stressful times of my life.
It’s a small, dog-eared notebook recording the times and amounts of my son’s daily, indeed hourly intake of milk when he was a newborn infant.
The detail is meticulous as the notebook records every feed for more than six months: 10 mls at 2.15 am on November 3, 15 ml at 11.50 pm on December 24, etcetera.
It was a pretty grim time.
Breastfeeding just didn’t work for us and being harangued by hospital midwives in the early hours of the morning for “failing” really didn’t help. My boy wouldn’t sleep, would only drink pitiful amounts of formula from bottles and wouldn’t put on weight.
It was the beginning of five years of sustained sleep deprivation and my son’s status of a “fussy eater”. The effort to get him to drink from his bottle was eventually successful, but he never seemed to have much of an appetite.
As a toddler he seemed to live solely on milk, Vegemite and spaghetti. Meal times often ended with my dumping his dinner pretty much untouched into the bin and I was just distraught about it all, convinced he wasn’t going to grow, that he wouldn’t be healthy or his brain wouldn’t develop properly.
We consulted doctors and dieticians and spent a fortune on books by “experts”, but nothing seemed to improve. I would watch other mums with plump babies or well-fed toddlers with guilt and envy because my little guy seemed destined to stunt his own growth.
However, years later I have the opposite problem. Now an intensely energetic and rapidly growing “tween”, I just can’t fill him up. I often
wonder if he really does have hollow legs and how a normal-sized child can consume so much food so quickly. A full fridge seems to disappear in a blink of an eye.
Our shopping trolley looks like we are feeding the entire Raiders team. He’s omnivorous with an insatiable appetite. “I’m hungry” and “what’s for dinner” are his constant refrain. I really don’t know where he puts it, but he’s growing like topsy and a full program of acrobatics and figure skating sees him just packing on muscle.
I’m not quite sure when things changed – sometime when he was about seven or eight and his physical activity picked up sharply. Suddenly he was just ravenous.
The lesson that I draw from this is that one of the problems with parenting is that while we so often want instant perfection for our child, the reality is that things rarely follow the path laid out in all those glossy parenting books anxious new mothers and fathers buy. If there are problems – seek out good advice. But don’t be too stressed if things don’t follow a smooth path. Every child is different and I never imagined, as I carefully recorded every reluctantly drunk drop of milk, that I’d now have the strapping, young man who is again raiding the fridge as I write.
SONYA FLADUN
Hip hop in full swing at Club Rafiki in Kigali… “Young Africans love dancing, it’s natural for them, so we thought formal hip hop teaching might go down well,” says Mandy Wheen.
David and Mandy Wheen. Photo Gary Schafer
scene / around canberra
Social event of the week / Bangarra opening night, Canberra Theatre
WHAT a triumph Bangarra’s opening night of “Patyegarang” was; one of its best and there have been plenty of “bests”.
LYN MILLS
Canberra audiences love Bangarra and happily huddled together in this full house of devotees, who braved the night’s freeze.
Distinguished guests on their first official visit to the Canberra Theatre were the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove hosted by John Hindmarsh , chair of the Cultural Facilities Corporation, and Rosanna Hindmarsh with Larissa Behrendt ,chair of the Bangarra board.
There was a little “oops” moment when a couple happily sitting in the VIP seats waiting for the Ten Tenors had to be quietly told that they were in the wrong seats – and the wrong theatre!
I’m sure the Cosgroves would have happily shared had the couple decided to stay.
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Yolande Brown, Jasmin Sheppard and Kaine Sultan-Babij
Larissa Behrendt, Lady Cosgrove and Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove with Rosanna and John Hindmarsh
Brett Cashan and Lena Saboisky
Thomas Greenfield, Nicola Sabatino, Stephen Page, Waangenga Blanco and Jasmyne Mehrton-Johnson
Leonard Mickelo and Antoinette House
Alice and Trish Brown
Tristan Thomas and Emily Forato
Jessa Rogers, Anne Martin and John Paul Janke
Nick Janchno and Jess Hayes
Pierre Huetter, Opposition Leader and guest speaker Jeremy Hanson, Catherine Boden and Andrew Blyth
Suzanne Moulis, Josephine Donges and Stephen Trump
Brett White and Joe Cortese
Jo Powell and Beth Peters
Kevin Cox and Marianne Chaston
Steve Doszpot MLA, Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson MLA and Giulia Jones MLA
Martin Fisk and Lynne Harwood Marcus Allesch and Ven Kuma
Fyshwick, Canberra (formerly DFO)
Danny Gaul, Amanda Beattie and Mick Vanzetti
Lizzie Cleaves, Tracy Atherton, Ben Collett, Kristy Ryan and Kayla Scott
Maurits De Graeff, Anita Parker, Marricel Watt and Andre Vanderkouw
Ahyeon Yun, Manoj Badoni, Kaarin Dynon and Chloe Wursten
Chester Mok, Nikko Acena and Aaron Desa
Vince Azzopardi, Leana Osenieks, Jason Travers, Shana Skinner and Carol Scott
Phil Clark and Rosemare Doeberl David Grigg and Sean McGrath
Karen Dempster and Melinda Kibukamusoke
Courtney Reeve, Jeremy Magan and Stephanie Booksmythe Justin and Kerrie Bisa with Richard Hoe
Photos by Andrew Finch
Natasha Roberts, Carly Devine and Emily Vrbenski
Canberra Confidential
“He
Dressing-gown dauber
PUBLIC servant Justine Scott is a passionate painter who daubs, it seems, day and night.
“I paint almost every day; before work, after work and on weekends,” she says.
She lives in a small apartment in Turner and paints on her balcony.
“If you’re lucky, you might see me painting outside, wearing my dressing gown, at 7am!”
Three years ago she decided to “get practical” and turn her passion into saleable art, an objective that will culminate in her first solo exhibition, “Ile Mare”, at the Kaori Gallery, corner of London Circuit and Hobart Place, Civic, August 2-30.
The exhibition features paintings that explore the landscape around the islands of New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Scary mums
BOUND by a love of books, vampires and the paranormal, Canberra writer Jen Shepherd and her best friend Cairnsbased former Canberran, Sarah Dawson, have penned an “urban fantasy” titled “Enlightened”.
Mums by day and authors by night, they have self-published what they say will be a series of books in the footsteps of “Twilight” and “Vampire Academy”.
“We wanted a more adult theme than some of the books we had read which were more geared for teenagers,” Sarah said.
“Sarah’s mum was shocked and read it under duress, but then totally devoured it,” Jen said. “It was a little bit awkward at some moments because there are a few racy bits in the story.”
“Enlightened” will be launched in Canberra on Saturday, August 2 and is available online at sjjensar.com and as an eBook from Amazon, Kobo, Sony Reader Store, iBookstore and Kindle.
• Quality custom designed chairs, sofas and bedheads
• Re-upholstery of dining chairs, sofas, chairs and ottomans
• Window seat cushions, outdoor cushions and scatter cushions
• Upholstered wall panels for warmth, peace & quiet
• Free consultation with an experienced designer in store
• A local business that has been in Canberra for 30 years
BLESS ‘em… This is a team of painters from competing local companies who donated nearly 100 hours of manpower, plus all the paint, to give Kese House in Kaleen – a respite care home for children aged 5 to 12 – a complete makeover.
Managed by Disability ACT and servicing 200 local families, Kese House provides a supported environment for children who
Member for Canbe-r-r-r-a?
ONE of CC’s treasured southside snouts called by to drop off the member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann’s latest fridge magnet for consti tuents extolling an upcoming series of community forums during which she wants to “hear about the impact of the Abbott Government’s Budget on you.”
But the Federal MP for the seat of Canberra appears to have trouble spelling Canberra,
have a diagnosed intellectual disability.
Hmmms
AT the height of the school holidays, the loss-making, government-owned Civic merry-go-round was dutifully shuttered, as per its “non-daylight saving” hours, each weekday at 2.30pm. You have to wonder.
HAVEN’T the police got better things to Tango Whisky Echo Echo Tango?
Here’s the honour list: Fusion, Homeworks, Rick Maier Paint Plus, Pride Painting & Decorating, Alan Harding, Dino Forner, ASF Painting & Decorating, Cheerza, PW Painting, Fluid Painting, GMK Painting, Guevara Painting, Everlasting Impressions, Wayne’s Painting, Canberra Painting Services and Murphy Bros’ Painting Services.
adding an extra “r” in the main heading. If it’s any consolation, Gai, “CityNews” once managed to spell its political columnist Michael Moore’s surname as Mooore – on the front cover.
ANNOUNCING its inaugural conference in Melbourne next month: “As the new peak body for Australia’s off-site construction industry, prefabAUS is set to assemble industry experts from around the world…”
AND whatever rocks your boat… “At The Front Gallery and Cafe, art openings turn into all night parties,” says the Lyneham venue. “Show up for an album launch and you’re liable to end up doused in body paint and fed pancakes.” Hmmm, indeed.
“STRESS levels in Australia remain high, with 91 per cent of respondents indicating they are experiencing stress,” says the Lifeline 2014 Stress Poll. The counselling service is encouraging everyone to “stress down” on Friday, July 25, national Stress Down Day, but presumably not by drinking alcohol.
Justine Scott in front of her work
Put Coral in my Hand”. Photo by Farhana Islam
Sarah Dawson, left, and Jen Shepherd.
handmade advertising feature
Unique delights of creative arts and crafts
Canberra is full of clever crafty types who put passion and personality into their unique creations. From stylish digital artwork and delicious hand-poured candles to hands-on art classes and delicate glass jewellery, here’s a handy look at all things local and handmade.
FOR Australian handcrafted designs that are stylish, unique and exceptional quality, you can’t go past Shop Handmade, says owner Julie Nichols.
It’s also the ideal platform for designers, she says.
“The Handmade Market and Shop allows designers to showcase their work while avoiding the cost and the hassle of having their own shop, or having to be at a market every weekend,” says Julie.
“Our niche is that it’s all handmade and it’s all made in Australia.”
The first Handmade market was in 2008, and it’s grown from 35 stalls to showcasing more than 170 designers. Shop Handmade was born out of the demand, Julie says.
“Our shop is located on City Walk, at the casino end,” she says.
Shop Handmade has had recent wins in the Telstra Business Awards, the Canberra BusinessPoint Awards and the Canberra and Capital Region Tourism Awards.
Julie says they have a passion for supporting independent, small and creative businesses and connecting them to their target customers.
“We’ve created a market and a shopfront that maintain a grass-roots level and also a high standard in quality, workmanship and sensational customer service,” she says.
Shop Handmade, City Walk, Civic. Call 6247 8676.
Soothe the soul with scent
FROM invigorating orange blossom to indulgent milk and honey, scented candles can create the perfect ambiance for any occasion, says Nura Hatami, designer and owner of House of Nunu.
Nura, known by her friends as Nunu, makes luxurious handmade soy candles, made with pure ingredients and scented with essential and aroma oils using perfumery techniques, she says.
“These create extraordinary fragrances that evoke a unique mood and soothe the mind, body and soul,” she says.
Nura says her love of candles started at a young age as she observed her mother burn candles at home, adding ambiance through light and scent.
From the choice of fragrance to the packaging, Nura says House of Nunu was created in collaboration with creative friends and experts in the field who share a passion for design, exceptional quality and a holistic approach.
“Combined with a unique soy wax blend and cotton wicks, House of Nunu’s handpoured candles ensure a longer lasting, ultra clean, non-toxic burn,” she says. Email enquiries@houseofnunu.com.au or visit houseofnunu.com.au
carolyn.brennan@bigpond.com
Mick’s urban landscapes
WHETHER it’s a group of cockatoos on a nature strip or a magpie in autumn leaves, digital artist Mick Ashley, of Leafy Sea Dragon Artwork, loves to take note of uniquely Canberran scenes.
“It’s the ordinary things that we tend to ignore, but they are very distinct to Canberra’s urban landscape,” he says.
Mick is working on a new series of “planets”, where areas of Canberra are depicted as a planet with their features in orbit, such as his recent Planet Floriade piece.
“I’ll have my first stall at Floriade this year, which will be an opportunity to bring my art to a new audience,” he says.
Mick also currently has a small exhibition called “Urban Landscapes” in Wilbur’s at Hackett shops for five weeks. Email
Luxurious and soft
ALPACA fleece is amazingly soft, warm and lightweight, says Val Johanson, of Elite Australian Alpaca.
Val says Elite uses its fleeces to make hand-knitted garments, including soft warm baby goods, luxurious fashion scarves, beanies, hats, gloves and other accessories for guys and girls.
“Our farm is based at Williamsdale, just south of Canberra, where we breed champion alpacas,” she says.
“We sell our commercially spun-fleece and yarn, and also have a team of experienced home knitters making luxurious unique garments for sale.
see Carolyn’s work at:
“The fleece is a lustrous lightweight fibre, with a unique silky feel, and it has the best thermal qualities of any of the natural fibres.
“It’s not prickly and has no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic and ideal for allergy sufferers to wear next to the skin.” Val says the garments are all natural, and contain no dyes or chemicals – perfect for babies, those with allergies to wool or synthetics, and for the discerning shopper.”
Call 0412 887857, email sales@australianalpaca.net or visit eliteaustralianalpaca.com
Classic fragranced candles, $34.95; variety box of three mini candles, $39.95
At The Little Flame Co. we pride ourselves on handmade high quality scented soy candles and products.
We are located and produce our products in Goulburn, NSW. Postage and delivery are available.
For further information regarding our products and services please contact Cheyenne on 0419 164 265 or thelittleflameco@hotmail.com Shop online at etsy.com/shop/thelittleflameco
handmade
Blue for blueberries
BLUEBERRIES are a source of antioxidants and Blue Berrylicious, a north-coast gourmet food business, has created a range of blueberry-based goodies that are decadent, delicious and packed full of goodness, says owner Gwenda Ford.
“We wanted to find a good use for all our blueberries, and we came up with the idea of making a vinaigrette, and that’s where it all started,” she says. “I also wanted to have a little business to help me look after my three horses.
“We only use local blueberries and raspberries, cooked in small batches with no preservative or colours added,” says Gwenda.
Blue Berrylicious has been in business for more than six years, and donates 10 per cent of its profits to women’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Email info@blueberrylicious.com.au or visit blueberrylicious.com.au
Blue Berrylicious is a Mid North Coast gourmet food business specialising in all things berry. Decadent and delicious, Blue Berrylicious products are packed full of goodness.
Our products include:
• blueberry jam
• raspberry & vanilla jam
• decadent dessert drizzling sauce
• blueberry pancake mix
• blueberry relish
• blueberry vinaigrette
• blueberry bourbon BBQ sauce
• blueberry basil marinade
Available online at www.blueberrylicious.com.au or at the Handmade Canberra shopfront.
Blueberries like you have never tasted before
Little handmade flames
MAKING her own candles started out as an idea for homemade Christmas presents for friends and family, but has grown into a passion for Cheyenne Heath, owner of The Little Flame Co.
Her Etsy shop sells her hand-poured soy candles, tea lights, reed diffusers, melts for oil burners and candles in travel tins.
“My mum and I had the idea initially as a way to make our own presents rather than buying them, then we decided to make them for ourselves. The next logical step was to sell them online and at markets,” says Cheyenne.
Cheyenne says the candles are available in two styles of jars, timber tops and classic, which is a more curved, feminine style.
She also makes a range of bath teas under the name Suds & Co, which are a mix of herbs and salts for encouraging relaxation at bath time.
Email thelittleflameco@hotmail.com or visit etsy.com/shop/thelittleflameco
For the love of glass
CAROLYN Brennan loves glass, and makes glass beads using lampworking techniques in her home studio.
“Each bead is unique so every finished piece is also unique,” she says. “I don’t make the same piece twice.”
Carolyn makes necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets using glass sourced from Italy, Germany, and the US. She says some glass is sourced from China, where it is manufactured under licence to Italian glass makers.
Having made beads for five years,
Carolyn says it’s definitely more of a hobby for her but that she loves the process.
“When the glass is molten, you can do almost anything with it,” she says. “You can really play with it and put designs into it.
“Recent innovations in the production of new types of glass mean I can revel in a wide variety of rich colours, including colours with a high silver content.”
Email carolyn.brennan@bigpond.com
advertising feature
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
FEEL gorgeous and have fun wearing beautiful handmade hair accessories, says Rochelle Austin, owner of Summerblossom Handmade.
Rochelle’s headpieces are feminine and bohemian, she says.
“I started out making accessories for friends, and then decided to launch the business full time in November 2010, when I quit my day job as a graphic designer,” she says.
Now Rochelle makes bridal and bridesmaid headpieces, as well as her fashion line.
“We make the bridal range petal by petal in our studio, and there’s a trend at the moment
Arts market with a mission
BUNGENDORE comes alive on the third Sunday of each month, when the markets are held at the War Memorial Hall on Molonglo Street, and Canberrans can ride out in style on a historic steam train from Kingston.
The markets are organised by the pARTnership, a small group of Bungendore artists, according to spokesperson Lyn Randall.
Visitors can see a range of local arts and crafts all in the one place, as well as fresh produce, musical instruments, toys, rugs, second-hand goods and various edible delights
“The market @ bungendore is a not-forprofit venture,” explains Lyn.
“Entry is by gold coin donation and this money is donated to the Bungendore War Memorial Hall Restoration Fund to assist with
for really fresh-looking flower crowns, with greenery and sprigs of lavender,” she says.
“We can make complementary pieces for bridesmaids and flower girls.”
Rochelle’s designs include intricate silk flowers, delicate gold chains and subtly sparkly headpieces.
“A popular look at the moment is our hippystyle string wrap, which looks great with long, loose and wavy hair, it’s a very 70s-style look.”
Call 8084 2090 or visit summerblossom.com.au
The market@bungendore, War Memorial Hall, Molonglo Street, Bungendore. More information at themarketatbungendore.com
Preserving hand-crafted techniques
TEACHING freehand drawing and painting is the focus of Greg Devenny-Mackay, of Lavender Art Studios.
Greg founded Lavender Art Studios in 1999, with a vision of helping to pass on these techniques to his students.
“This vision has helped the natural creative development of hundreds of art students within areas of their artistic, personal and career endeavours,” he says.
“The art classes, which suit beginners through to the more confident artist, are very often nurtured by the elegant and age-old music of the harp which is played live for the students by Elita Mackay.
“Combining a natural blend of all things handmade, to the delivery of the art classes, workshops and creative programs, ensures that those who attend the Lavender Art Studios art classes for young people and adults enjoy a completely pleasurable artistic and naturally cultured experience.”
Lavender Art Studios, based above the Hansel and Gretel coffee shop in Townshend Street, Phillip, also conducts specialised art workshops for educational, business and corporate groups and offers a high-quality discounted framing, quality discount art materials and a fine art reproduction print service, Greg says.
Call 6292 6339 or visit lavenderartstudios.com.au
House of Nunu is a range of handmade soy candles by local designer, Nura Hatami
Elita Mackay Playing the Harp at Lavender Art Studios was executed in pastel by Jo Royd; one of the adult art students at Lavender Art Studios.
the maintenance of the hall.”
Only the good get through
By Helen Musa
“STRONGER than Fiction” is the catchy name chosen last year by Simon Weaving for the documentary film festival, now heading into its second year at Palace Electric.
It’s not just clever copywriting. Weaving is adamant that the documentary form is every bit as exciting and as strange as fiction, telling “CityNews”, “We only let really good stories through the gates… I am an absolutely passionate believer in the power of narrative.”
Take the horrifying movie, “The Kill Team”, a story about a renegade platoon of US soldiers who set up innocent Afghan civilians to torture and kill just because they were bored. Ironically, because of the odd military justice system, it’s Private Adam Winfield, the young soldier who blows the whistle, who ends up in jail. “It’s a mind-boggling, eye-popping story,” Weaving says.
And there’s “The Crash Reel”, made up of verité footage showing the rivalry between friend/snowboarders Shaun White and Kevin Pearce in the lead up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, where they performed increasingly dangerous tricks until Pearce crashed and had to watch as White won gold.
If that’s not provocative enough, Australia’s eminent documentary maker Bob Connolly will be on hand to open the festival, which begins with “La Cour de Babel” (School of Babel), Julie Bertuccelli’s feature about young immigrant children in France. That’ll be followed by a ritzy party at Hotel Hotel.
This year, indigenous filmmakers are to the fore with “Buckskin”, the debut film by Dylan McDonald and “Big Name, No Blanket”, about Warumpi band front man George Rrurrambu, directed by “Redfern Now” writer, Steven McGregor.
Then there’s the world premiere of “Message from Mungo”, a new feature-length
By Helen Musa
THE scene is Cowra, NSW on August 5, 1944 and 545 Japanese prisoners of war at a camp are planning the largest escape attempt in Australia’s history.
It’s 70 years since the Cowra Breakout, where 1000 prisoners tried to break out and 231 young Japanese and four Australians died in the attempt.
Then Prime Minister John Curtin called it “a suicidal disregard of life”, while the honchos, the heads of the PoW blocks, advised the men: “Don’t humiliate yourself by being captured alive”.
Thomas Keneally’s recent fictionalised account of the breakout, “Shame and the Captives”, puts the Australian point of view and now a play coming to Australia from Japan will show, for the first time, the Japanese perspective.
Set in a reconstructed barrack shed, Yoji Sakate’s play, “Honchos Meeting in Cowra”, portrays the collaboration between two film-school teachers (Jane Phegan and Mari Nakayama) as they teach their students to “meet their characters”, the soldiers in Camp B – young Japanese men grappling
with ideas of honour, shame and personal integrity.
Australian director and Japanese theatre expert, Aubrey Mellor, tells “CityNews” that “the truth did not come out for many years, until some of the prisoners began to talk of it without shame… Sakate says that what happened there is still happening in Japan today.”
“Honcho” is staged by Tokyo’s Rinkogun (“Phosphorescence”) Theatre Company for its 30th anniversary and is playing in Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya before Australia, where it will be performed in Cowra at the Breakout commemorations, in Canberra at The Street Theatre and at NIDA in Sydney.
Writer and director Sakate has also engaged four guest actors from Australia –Matthew Crosby, Baylea Davis, Sarah Jane Kelly and Sonny Vrebac – all NIDA alumni and Australian-Japan Foundation scholars.
Veteran actor Crosby says: “Rehearsals are flying… Sakate San is a great artist – really enjoying the opportunity to work with him… Wow. It is powerful.”
The play is spoken in Japanese and English, with English subtitles.
“Honchos Meeting in Cowra”, The Street Theatre, August 6-7, bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au
documentary from Canberra’s Andrew Pike and Ann McGrath that explores the interface between scientists and the indigenous communities around Lake Mungo. Weaving and co-director Deborah Kingsland, who’d like to transform the event into a national touring documentary film festival, say they hope the festival will “provoke thought, inspire discussion and embrace the richness and diversity of different cultures within our city”. And that’s bound to be much stronger than fiction.
“Stronger than Fiction”, Palace Electric Cinemas, July 31-August 3, Q&A sessions follow each screening. Bookings to palacecinemas.com.au
Actors Matt Crosby and Jane Phegan with writer-director Yoji Sakate.
Photo by Michihiro Furumoto
Kevin Pearce in action before his crash in “The Crash Reel”.
Choristers promise three Aussie carols
THE Choir of King’s College, Cambridge will be in town on July 31 with Musica Viva. The famous choristers entertain millions every Christmas Eve on BBC TV. Highlights will be three Christmas carols by Aussie composers, Peter Sculthorpe’s “The Birthday of thy King”, Brett Dean’s “Now Comes the Dawn” and Carl Vine’s “Ring Out, Wild Bells”. Bookings to 1800 688482 or musicaviva.com.au
CANBERRA’S theatrical community is saddened by the death of veteran director Colin Anderson, who staged more than 10 shows with Canberra Repertory and six musicals in the Canberra Theatre for Canberra Philharmonic, not least his ground-breaking 1994 production of “Les Miserables”.
AARNE Neeme is back at Canberra Rep for the eleventh time to direct Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia”. The play, a favourite with the company, totters between past and present and even ventures into a rare theatrical subject, mathematics. At Theatre 3, August 1-16, bookings to 6257 1950 or canberrarep. org.au
IRREPRESSIBLE contemporary folk singer Fred Smith is at Canberra Theatre’s Courtyard Studio until July 27 with a revamped version of his “Dust of Uruzgan” show, complemented by projected photographs from Afghanistan. Smith wrote the songs while working for DFAT and playing concerts on the multinational base in Tarin Kowt. Bookings to 6275 2700 or
Helen Musa arts in the city
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
THE 2014 Mindscapes Festival is planning a project called “Move – Speak – Act”, an acting course for people who have experienced mental health issues and people who have cared for them. There’ll be a public performance on October 18. Don’t worry if you have never acted before, director Robin Davidson says. Registrations to 6173 3320 or ann.mcmahon@belconnenartscentre.com.au
THE democratic Playing Field Studio in Kingsley Street, Acton, is running workshops as part of its Arts Exchange program. Nat Clark will teach how to make a “zine” (small magazine),10am-12.30pm, on August 2 and September 6, and Canberra textile designer Julie Ryder will teach how to use block-printing on paper. The cost is $2 per workshop and open to everyone. Registrations to playingfieldstudio@gmail.com
CASULA Powerhouse Arts Centre, near Liverpool, has an exhibition running until September 7 that it’s describing as “a cross-cultural feast for the senses”. It features paintings, sculptures and installations by Canberra’s Vivienne Binns and Adelaide’s Hossein Valamanesh exploring Australian and Iranian-Asian cultures.
Canberra trumpeter Ben Marston has been nominated as one of 16 2014 Freedman Jazz Candidates, the winner announced at Sydney Opera House on August 20.
To bring some warmth and magic to the long Canberra winter, Margaret Dimoff Gallery in Deakin is presenting a special Christmas in July Event. Featuring:
• Margaret’s multi-layered paintings
• Camille Thomsett’s vivid Kinetic Art sculptures
• ambient acoustic music performed by Rob Thomsett
• magic and laughter by Majura, the Magician • and delightful Christmas food and drink Amazing art, colour and movement in balance, great magic, music and good food
Gulpilil goes up ‘Country’
“Charlie’s Country” (M)
THE back story to this, the third collaboration between director Rolf de Heer and Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil. It begins with Gulpilil in Darwin jail and ends at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival when Gulpilil, out bush at the time, won the Best Actor award in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section for his portrayal of Charlie, an Aboriginal elder during the NT intervention forced to comply with white fella intrusions.
De Heer’s films are the quiet achievers of the Australian film industry, telling us something that de Heer wants us to understand better than we did when we entered the cinema.
Early in his acting career, Gulpilil encountered substance abuse. The monetary rewards from acting made him a target for sponging Aborigines wherever he went. In Darwin jail, de Heer asked him what he wanted to do after he was released. “I want to make more films.”
The result is “Charlie’s Country”. Gulpilil told de Heer things about his life that de Heer wove into a draft screenplay, a work to satisfy the most jaded palate, funny, poignant, angry, an anti-paean to the Aboriginal condition in modern Australia, telling it like it must have been, without self-pity or overt pleas for a silver bullet to make things better, its bottom line saying: “You white fellas don’t understand”.
While “Charlie’s Country” will help improve your understanding, its entertainment values also deliver very agreeable cinematic satisfactions.
At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
“Words and Pictures” (M)
BRAVO, Fred Schepisi, for turning Gerald de Pego’s insightful screenplay into a film deserving better praise than other media have given it.
“Words and Pictures” is more than merely a college rom-com. Emotional discomfort driven by divorce and alcohol, coupled with intellectual hubris, constrain the life-satisfactions of English teacher Jack (Clive Owen). Intense pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis limits art teacher Dina (Juliette Binoche) in movement, work and life enjoyment. The screenplay erects an argument between them.
The plot weaves a credible dramatic fabric involving teachers, school management and students, treating Jack’s and Dina’s debilitations without conferring any inalienable right to a happy outcome.
While simmering on the back burner throughout the film, its emotions don’t boil over. Its closing implication of optimism is admirably restrained.
At Capitol 6 and Palace Electric
DOUGAL MACDONALD also reviews “Reaching got the Moon”, (M) *** and a half, at citynews.com.au
Bangarra’s seamless masterwork
BANGARRA Dance Theatre is like no other dance company performing in Australia today.
It dances to the beat of its own drum, guided by the clear-eyed vision of artistic director, Stephen Page, who is not only one of the country’s most respected and innovative choreographers, but also able to clearly and ingenuously
dance
“Patyegarang”
Bangarra Dance Theatre, at Canberra Theatre, season closed.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
articulate his vision, as demonstrated in the standing-room only first-night, pre-show forum.
For his newest work, to celebrate Bangarra’s 25th anniversary and
presented in Canberra directly after its inaugural six-week Sydney season, Page has incorporated all the elements that make Bangarra unique – skilled dancers with a distinctive movement vocabulary, fluid, idiosyncratic choreography, superb design, original music and excellent production values.
Determinedly abstract in its telling of the relationship between an Eora woman and an officer in the First Fleet, and performed to a stunning soundscape by David Page which includes snippets of the Darug language, “Patyegarang” is both visually and aurally arresting.
Within an evocative textural landscape created by Jacob Nash and lighting designer, Nick Schlieper, and echoed in Jennifer Irwin’s gorgeous sculptural costumes, the work moves fluidly and seamlessly through a series of mesmerisingly beautiful episodes.
Jasmin Sheppard is luminous as Patyegarang, and Thomas Greenfield, the only non-indigenous member of the cast, impresses as William Dawes. Both Waangenga Blanco (Ngalgear) and Elma Kris (Burulalalalung) are stand-outs for their strong presence in what is essentially an ensemble masterwork.
dining review
Found: dumplings to enjoy
They were so quick, which is not surprising given that the Chinese are masters in the art, and each round or crescent-shaped dumpling was a parcel of perfection.
I FOUND it difficult to get inside the CBD Dumpling House. Not because staff weren’t welcoming or because it was swamped with customers.
It was because I stood mesmerised outside watching, through an expansive glass window, a large kitchen team busily making dumplings.
They were so quick, which is not surprising given that the Chinese are masters in the art, and each round or crescent-shaped dumpling was a parcel of perfection.
Crazy Kit Kat Klubbers
KANDER and Ebb’s searing view of the rise of Nazism as seen through the prism of the lives of the habitués of a seedy Berlin cabaret venue loses none of its unsettling power in this brilliant new production by the Canberra Philharmonic Society.
Confidently and imaginatively guided by director Jim McMullen, who also conducts the excellent orchestra and co-designed the impressive set, the well-focused scenes flow seamlessly between the stage of the Kit Kat Klub and the bedrooms of Frauline Schneider’s run-down guest house to tell two concurrent stories of love under oppression.
musical theatre
The Canberra Philharmonic Society Erindale Theatre until July 26.
Kelly Roberts, all steely fragility and wilfulness as the young English singer, Sally Bowles, is hopelessly entangled in the decadence of the Kit Kat Klub. She captivates the sexuallyambivalent young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, charmingly portrayed by Mat Chardon O’Dea.
Ros Engledow and Ian Croker as
the guest-house proprietor, Frauline Schneider and her Jewish suitor, Herr Schultz, help anchor the show with strong, well-judged performances that provide touches of warmth in an otherwise unforgiving milieu. Angel Dolejsi is mesmerising as the edgy, reptilian MC, commenting on events, singing and dancing up a storm with the brilliantly choreographed and costumed Kit Kat girls. Dave Smith (Ernst Ludwig), Kitty McGarry (Frauline Kost) and Ben Trabinger (Max) contribute characterisations that are strongly supported by an excellent ensemble cast, superb orchestra and costume design for this outstanding Philo production.
Located at Scott’s Crossing in the Canberra Centre, the CBD Dumpling House is a treasure of a place to enjoy dumplings… and enjoy we did. There is no set rule on how to make dumpling fillings. The possibilities are endless and can include vegetables, meat or seafood, with regional parts of China celebrated in the mixtures. Whatever the fillings, wrapping skill is needed to make the dumplings look attractive. We do, after all, feast first with our eyes. The menu is extensive but not expensive. The dumpling section showcases many types you’d expect – freshly made pork buns, shallot cakes, boiled dumplings, pan-fried dumplings and more.
We were in for a light lunch and so shared a selection of boiled pork, chicken and vegetable dumplings ($11.80 for 14 pieces). The mixtures weren’t spicy, but we perked matters up by happily dunking the little darlings in salty soy sauce and chopped, fresh chilli.
Next up were Shanghai pork dumplings created with a secret concoction of healthy, spicy ingredients ($9.80 for six pieces). Chefs are highly protective of their Shanghai dumpling recipes, each one wanting to offer up a special experience for
CBD Dumpling House… “The design is contemporary and I love the bright, airy feeling,” says Wendy Johnson.
diners. These did not disappoint.
On my next trip I’m going to dig into pan-fried dumplings, including the tomato and egg and the prawn and pumpkin.
Do not fear if dumplings are not your thing. The CBD Dumpling House has a wide range of beef, chicken, pork, duck and lamb dishes. The seafood section, a highlight of the menu, includes scallops with XO sauce (another guarded chef secret, no doubt –$21.80), Singapore crispy fish fillet ($14.80), special red curry prawns
La Scala Italian Restaurant
($19.80) and a crispy sweet and sour fish dish ($14.80).
Hot pots (15 types) are a specialty (ranging from $13.80 to $23.80) as are rice dishes and noodles, noodles, noodles.
The restaurant is a large space with ceiling-to-floor windows, wonderful timber finishes and beautiful ceiling lamps. The design is contemporary and I love the bright, airy feeling. Staff are friendly, but service levels varied on our visit – sometimes too quick off the mark and sometimes too slow. We weren’t all that fussed.
The dumplings kept us mesmerised.
Shop FG, 13C Canberra Centre, open seven days for lunch and dinner. BYO, $6 a bottle.
THE CHAIRMAN & YIP
Shogun Restaurant offers superb Japanese cuisine. Combing the Japanese classic favourite of SUKIYAKI, SHABU-SHABU, SUSHI, SASHIMI, TEMPURA ETC, and TEPPANYAKI.
Phone: 6248 8888
1st Floor, Garema Centre, 70 Bunda Street, Canberra City www.shogunrestaurant.com.au
“Cabaret”
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
The CBD Dumpling House kitchen team busily making dumplings.
Photos by Gary Schafer
gardening Starving the urban forest
IN 2000, a committee of three members of the ACT Legislative Assembly examined our urban forest, in other words the trees in our urban parks and streets.
One person on that committee is still a member of the Assembly, Simon Corbell. Over several weeks there were many submissions from individuals and organisations concerned about the state of our trees.
In that inquiry, our urban trees were considered Canberra’s most valuable asset. It was suggested a reasonable figure for maintaining our 500,000 trees to be $12m annually.
This amount was never actually accepted. In recent years I understand the figure has been about $4m or less. This is to cover replacing of losses due to the drought plus new plantings, removal of dead or dangerous trees, regular formative pruning of newly planted trees and pruning of older trees. The latter is especially applicable to eucalyptus trees that need regular pruning, more so than exotic trees.
About three years ago a committee under Territory and Municipal Services was established. Initially called the Urban Forest Renewal Program, it was intended to reexamine the care and maintenance of trees in our urban parks and streets. I was a member of that committee.
Things looked promising with research examining other varieties of trees used in our urban forest. Unfortunately, due to budgetary restraints this committee was abandoned, although some of the work has continued in a limited capacity.
I read of a recent study by ANU researchers who suggested that present tree management practices could wipe out all of Canberra’s
large old native trees by the end of the century if changes are not made.
This may seem a long time, but take into consideration that it takes many years for a tree to reach maturity.
Similar comments were made by Prince Charles regarding the same subject in Britain: “The British countryside and its trees is the unacknowledged backbone of our environment and national identity. It is as precious as any of our great cathedrals and we erode it at our peril”.
The same could be said in relation to Canberra. Our early directors of Parks and Gardens, such as Weston, Hobday and Pryor, recognised this and the planting of trees was one of the first priorities of the establishment of this city.
We are fortunate in not having had the ravages of tree diseases such as Dutch Elm Disease that killed an estimated 15 million mature trees or the present disease
killing ash trees at a similar rate.
However, we are not providing sufficient resources to sustain Canberra’s urban forest. Oh, you might say look at our arboretum, where ratepayers have contributed more than $70m so far. But this does nothing for the urban forest in our streets and urban parks with ever decreasing house block sizes and nature strips.
This situation is leaving literally no space for trees of any meaningful size to provide summer shade, biodiversity for birds and other wildlife, let alone the natural carbon offsets.
Certainly Minister Corbell, who sat on that committee, would be aware of the findings of the 2000 inquiry, and Shane Rattenbury as the Greens would be aware of our treed environment.
The ACT Government must as a matter of urgency provide sufficient funds, even in their Budget-stressed state, to protect Canberra’s acknowledged most valuable asset.
Just planting a couple of thousand trees each year with formative pruning and maintenance running years behind will,
It was suggested a reasonable figure for maintaining our 500,000 trees to be $12m annually... In recent years I understand the figure has been about $4m or less.
as the ANU report suggests, come back to haunt us and future generations.
Perhaps as Sunday, July 27, is National Tree Day, it is a good day to change the current situation and announce a reversal in the decline of the care of our trees.
Jottings…
• Go plant a tree this Sunday. Look at cedricbryant.com, click on Cedfacts and scroll down to “small trees for small gardens”.
• Look around your suburb and see which trees do well in your area.
• Prune dead, diseased or damaged branches on trees in your garden.
• Ensure tree branches are not growing into
CEDRIC BRYANT
Elm trees planted by Charles Weston in Weston Park.
puzzles page
Joanne Madeline Moore
your week in the stars – July 28-August 3, 2014
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
If someone else is managing your money, then make sure you have your finger on the pulse and know exactly what’s going on. Your self-confidence takes a temporary tumble on the weekend, when someone jumps to conclusions and criticises you unfairly. Avoid responding with sharp words or sarcastic comments. Strive to shrug things off with an abundance of Aries aplomb.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Communicating with others is complicated, as you dig beneath the surface and get to the bottom of old emotional issues. But, if you are jealous or possessive, then you’ll find yourself deep in disagreement with a loved one. Friday is a fabulous day to cement a relationship with a proposal or gesture of commitment, but there may be a hidden catch that you haven’t anticipated.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Twins are curious, quicksilver creatures. If you want to achieve your goals this week and impress others then flash-in-the-pan plans are out and patient progress is in. You’re especially nosey on the weekend as you uncover a secret, pass on gossip or study up a storm. But, with Mercury squaring Mars, be careful that your motor mouth doesn’t get you into trouble!
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Are you trying to get closer to a child or teenager but they keep pushing you away? Patience and persistence are the keys to improving the relationship. Avoid the tantalising temptation to gossip on the weekend. If you pass on information that was given to you in confidence, you’ll end up feeling foolish and friendless. Zip your lip Crabs and find something constructive to do!
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
Leos are proud people who love to pontificate but, this week, heaps of hubris will land you in heaps of hot water. If you are too full of yourself, others will cut you down to size. Try a little humble humility instead! Mercury moves into your sign on Friday (until August 16) which favours lively conversation - but once again avoid the temptation to monopolise social situations.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Mercury shifts into your solitude zone (from August 1-16) so it’s time to recharge your run-down batteries and reflect on the future. Words of wisdom for the week come from singer/songwriter Kate Bush (born on July 30): “There’s an awful lot you can learn about yourself when you’re alone.” On Sunday, avoid using words as weapons – or making promises that you later regret.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Your delicate diplomatic skills are needed early in the week, when you step in and play the peace-maker – but don’t get caught in the cross-fire! The Moon moves through your sign (from Friday through to Sunday) which highlights your Libran elegance and timeless style. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great Yves St Laurent: “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Early in the week, avoid using power games and emotional manipulation to get what you want. Cool compromise is the smart way to go. With the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury all charging through your career zone, all eyes are on you at work. So make sure you are putting on a good show Scorpio! If you’re looking for employment, be adventurous and cast your net wide.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Curiosity and optimism are high but don’t skim the surface Sagittarius. There’s more going on than you realise so take the time to investigate properly. Keep your ego in check on the weekend. If you impulsively jump on your high horse, you’ll arouse the opposition of others. Impetuous ideas and spontaneous shenanigans could backfire badly, so take the time to think things through.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Venus and Saturn rev up your relationship zone, which usually signals a settled time of heightened romance. But Uranus throws a curved ball into the mix, and a union heads off in an unexpected direction. And it will be hard to balance your desire for commitment with the other person’s need for independence. Wednesday is wonderful for nurturing your international contacts.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Rebellious behaviour will get you into trouble. You’re ambitious for success but think twice before you challenge authority figures, arouse the opposition of colleagues or upset loved ones. Diplomacy is not your natural forte, but it’s exactly what’s needed ATM. Contributing to your local community turns into a win for everyone. The more you give, the more you’ll receive in return.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
Pliable Pisceans are perplexing at the best of times! Try to communicate clearly mid-week, otherwise confusion and monumental mix-ups are likely and self-delusion is a danger. The weekend is wonderful for romantic reveries and declarations of undying love - but don’t get too carried away with extravagant promises, vague dreams and pie-in-the-sky schemes.
Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2014
General knowledge crossword No. 462
4 Which grey and pink cockatoos are found in Australian open areas?
7 What is a strainer for draining off liquids, in cookery?
8 To burst suddenly, is to do what?
9 What are young female actors often called?
11 Name a person who denies the existence of God
13 Which European country is bordered by Wales and Scotland?
15 That which is not straight or direct, is termed as what?
17 What is a gift for good luck?
20 Which peoples speak Flemish?
23 Which structure is also called a summerhouse?
24 What are the elementary particles of atoms?
25 Name the largest of the Channel Islands
1 What is an animal or plant from which a parasite obtains nutrition?
2 Name the thinner one of an earlier comic duo
3 To be unemployed, or doing nothing, is to be what?
4 What is an alternative term for ground corn?
5 What is a pantry also known as?
6 Which word applies to expectations of things desired?
9 Name the head of a Muslim religious body
10 What is the aquatic larva of frogs?
12 Which other term relates to dogmas?
14 Name the common European vipers
16 Name the contractile circular diaphragms forming the coloured portions of the eyes
18 What is a less familiar term for a proverb?
19 Which hard, heavy, durable wood is prized when black?
21 What is good fortune also known as?
22 How many players comprise a baseball team?
Last week Lee attended a superannuation seminar at work and heard about a transition to retirement pension (TTR). He called in to see what that meant for him.
“Lee, a TTR is a income stream that you receive once you reach preservation age,” I told him.
“As you were born before July 1, 1960, your preservation age is 55 and you are now eligible to start a TTR, but as you are a member of the PSS superannuation scheme, it doesn’t allow fund members to withdraw a TTR pension.
“However, Lee, it is possible to set up a second fund with PSSap and pay your TTR from this fund.
“The advantage of a TTR is that you can commence the pension, taking up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the balance and a minimum of 4 per cent.
“It is a requirement of the rules that a TTR cannot be rolled back to a lump sum. Until you are 60, the tax paid on your TTR is eligible for a rebate of 15 per cent and will be tax free after age 60.
“So, not only can you draw a concessionally taxed income stream, but you can also salary sacrifice into superannuation up to the maximum allowable amount.
“The net result of maximising this strategy is that you should have more money in superannuation when you retire.”
Lee said that was much clearer, but wanted me to explain the difference between the Centrelink income and assets tests.
“Lee, Centrelink has two eligibility tests for pensions,” I told him.
“When you apply for an age pension, Centrelink applies both the income and the assets tests and uses the one that gives you the least pension. So, if your assets exceed the threshold but you are eligible for an income pension, the pension will be zero.
“You cannot choose which test to apply. Just for information, you can earn between $4160 and $47,985 as a couple and still receive some pension using the income test.
“The assets test for a couple homeowner allows you to have assets between $433,000 and $1,280,500 and still receive some pension.”
And finally, Lee wanted to know how all that related to the Health Care Card.
“If you receive an age pension, you will automatically receive a pensioner concession card. If you do not qualify for the age pension you may still be eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card if your adjusted taxable income combined with that of your spouse is less than $80,000.
“However, there are proposed changes that mean from January 1 next year income streams will be counted to determine eligibility for the Health Care Card. If you have a Health Care Card before that date you will remain eligible for it.”
A happier Lee left my office saying: “Thanks, Gail, I now feel I can usefully begin my retirement planning”.
If you need help with retirement or superannuation contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co.
Sudoku medium No. 131
Pam Lyndon | Partner
Family Law is complex and you need an experienced law firm to guide you.
But what you need most is someone to listen to you. To hear your story.
