140731 citynews

ChariTea begins at home

When it’s great to love your enemies

MICHAEL MOORE

How jerks are giving nerds a bad name JOHN GRIFFITHS

What’s behind footy’s boofheads?

MARK PARTON

Happiness is a weeping cherry CEDRIC BRYANT

Boat built for the love of Olga

MARCEL Kievit started making wooden kayaks as a way of healing after his wife of 43 years passed away from breast cancer.

He says he doesn’t have a particular love of boats, but he wanted a project that would take a lot of time.

“I had to focus on something when Olga passed away,” he says. “And I wanted to make something beautiful in her memory.”

Woodwork has long been a hobby for Marcel, particularly making small, comedic wooden birds.

“I like making the birds, but they are over too quickly,” he says. “The idea to make a boat was a spur-ofthe-moment thing. I needed something to keep me occupied, to keep my mind off things. A much longer project.

“And once I started making boats, I started to get into them.”

Marcel has now made three boats in 18 months, and has donated one to Bosom Buddies, which will be the first prize in a public raffle in October. Second prize is a full mixed case of wine donated by Gallagher Wines of Murrumbateman.

The raffle will be drawn on

Marcel Kievit needed something to keep himself occupied after his wife died of breast cancer. So he built a boat. And another. And another. He’s donated one of them to Bosom Buddies.

KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK reports…

October 27 at the Bosom Buddies’ annual dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden.

Olga was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years before she died.

“Her diagnosis was almost by accident, during a yearly check up with her doctor, who found a small lump on her breast,” Marcel says.

“It turned out to be nothing, but another lump was found on the other breast, that wasn’t even noticeable, and that had already spread. It was detected early enough that she had several years in remission, but it came back.

“It just goes to show how incredibly careful you have to be.”

It’s estimated the kayak is worth around $5000, but Marcel says he never made his boats for a profit.

“When you look at the cost of materials and labour, you’re out of pocket before you start,” he says.

“But it was never about money.”

The boat in the raffle is a Macgregor style two-person kayak, designed by renowned smallboat designer Iain Oughtred. It was built with four-mil marine ply donated by Robert Ayliffe, of Straydog Boat Works, from Mount Barker in SA. It can be converted for a sail, Marcel says.

Although he is very happy for the boat to be donated to such a good cause, he has another that he says he will always keep, that bears his wife’s name and has a pendant of hers inlaid in the bow.

“I think Olga would like the boats, particularly the fact that this one is going to Bosom Buddies,” says Marcel.

“She would want to thank the volunteers who supported us.”

To buy raffle tickets, call Bosom Buddies on 0406 376 500 or 6290 1984, or email bosombuddies@shout.org.au

When it’s great to love your enemies

THE idea of loving an enemy takes on a whole new meaning in the political context.

An enemy helps the nation, the community and the party unite behind a leader, making that leader look strong and decisive. Changing leadership suddenly looks risky both for the political party and for the voters. The reality is that it is great to have an enemy.

In the horrific tragedy of MH17 Prime Minister Tony Abbott and President Barack Obama capitalised on a political opportunity to strengthen their own leadership positions by pointing the finger at the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin.

Abbott is at his best when he has enemies. He demonstrated this in opposition and the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister looked strong and were certainly effective in persuading the UN Security Council to unanimously adopt a resolution calling for an international investigation into the air disaster over the Ukraine.

On the other hand, he was also strident in his condemnation of Putin and Russia. His voice conveniently joined others who were accusing the Russian leader of complicity and of having “blood on his hands” as the supplier of missiles most likely used by the Eastern Ukraine separatists in the downing of the passenger aircraft.

Journalist and commentator Nile Bowie, recently calling for objectivity, wrote about the support of the West for the right-wing, nationalist government in Kiev and the outcome of toppling former President Viktor Yanukovych.

He argued that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko leads a government staffed by figures who toppled the previous democratically elected regime in February “known for their pejorative anti-Russian viewpoints”.

The separatists from the “industrialised south-east of the country either support greater autonomy from Kiev or a peaceful integration into the Russian Federation following the example of Crimea,” says Bowie.

In contrast, most of the Western media has picked up the nationalist Kiev government’s rhetoric of the separatists as “terrorists” and “Russians”. They are not Russians – rather they are Ukrainians who speak the Russian language in the same way as we are not Americans although we use the same language.

Using enemies for political advantage means a politician or a party does not have to have a vision, policies or effective governance

you checked

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu understands the same advantage of having an enemy. The risk of his seriously seeking a peaceful two-state solution is that the right-wing elements of his constituency, and the citizens generally, will withdraw support from his government.

The importance of enemies in politics is not new. Before April, 1982, Margaret Thatcher was polling as the UK’s most unpopular Prime Minister. She then assembled a British task force that retook the Falkland Islands from Argentina’s military junta’s Gen Leopoldo Galtieri. The following year she won a landslide election, continuing as PM until 1990.

The enemy is sometimes within, as with the “war on drugs”. A similar approach was taken by Treasurer Joe Hockey in his erroneous claims about welfare recipients taking a month’s wages from hard-working Australians.

Using enemies for political advantage means a politician or a party does not have to have a vision, policies or effective governance – they can simply continue to fire real or metaphorical shots at an enemy to gain the attention and support of the media and the population.

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

Nile Bowie blogs at nilebowie. blogspot.com.au and his call for objectivity is at rt.com/ op-edge/174336-downingflight-mh17-objectivity/

The irony is that the conflict in Gaza could be easily framed in the same way; Israeli troops have killed more innocent women and children than died in the downing of the Malaysian aircraft. Does this mean that Obama, who provided sophisticated weapons to the Israelis, has blood on his hands?

Since 1993: Volume 20, Number 28

Arts & Entertainment 17-19

Canberra Confidential 10

Cinema 18

Dining 19

Garden 22

Horoscope 23

Letters 9

News 3-9

Politics 3

Puzzles 23

Socials 11-12

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PM Tony Abbott has received widespread support for his forthright response to the tragic downing of the Malaysian airliner.

Shane Rattenbury’s private member’s Bill to legalise marijuana for terminally ill patients is sensible and compassionate… You have to wonder why its opponents want the dying to suffer. seven days

His demands for “justice” for those Russian separatist thugs struck a chord. And the Governor-General’s journey of support for the stricken families was entirely appropriate.

We must, however, be careful to treat it as a crime rather than cause for a military response. Sending soldiers to the crash scene might not turn out to be the best option. And the PM has a well known predilection for “direct action”. Fortunately, our military leaders have learned the very recent lessons from the Bush-Cheney regime that took us down the road to hell in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ANOTHER nice PR win for Tony with the release this week of the Joe Hockey biog by Madonna King revealing that it was the Treasurer who wanted an even tougher Budget.

“In reality,” said Madonna, “[Abbott] was taking a much more cautious approach… with his eye firmly on the reaction of voters.”

Worked spiffingly too, didn’t it?

terminally ill patients is sensible and compassionate.

The draft released this week for public discussion should have come from the ACT government at a time when one American State after another is dropping most restrictions on its sale. And in the Netherlands, for example, it’s simply a non-issue. You have to wonder why its opponents want the dying to suffer.

THIS really struck home with the revelation that at least two – and possibly seven – Mr Fluffy homeowners had contracted the killer cancer, mesothelioma.

This is a tragedy of the first order. Let’s hope the Feds respond to Katy Gallagher’s pleas before it’s too late for the victims. Money doesn’t ease the pain to the loved ones of the lost.

IT looks as though the Fairfax Press

– including “The Canberra Times” – is about to be clasped to the ample bosom of Australia’s richest woman, mining tycoon Gina Rinehart

She already owns nearly 15 per cent of Fairfax and is said to be preparing a takeover bid for the rest. She’s “disappointed with the performance of the company and the decline in value of its radio assets”. I suspect she’s also not best pleased with the work of the brilliant David Pope whose scarifying cartoons put his verbose and pedestrian colleagues on the op-ed pages to shame.

FULL marks to chef de mission

Steve Moneghetti in choosing Anna Meares to carry Australia’s flag at the Commonwealth Games. She’s an ornament to her sport of cycling, and if ever a sport that produced a Lance Armstrong as druggie-in-chief, needed one…

SHANE Rattenbury’s private member’s Bill to legalise marijuana for

SPEAKING of chefs, one can’t help hoping that the bubbly teenager, Laura Cassai – the real star of this year’s “MasterChef” – goes on to a great career in the food world. Thank goodness it’s over for another year and we can get back to chops and two veg (with jus).

AND what a wonderful season for the Canberra Philo whose “Cabaret” folded its tent to roars of applause. Of special delight were the warbling hoofers whose choreographer, Shasha Chen, could wow them on Broadway! robertmacklin.com

Strong, soft, sad, Gina and Steve ROBERT MACKLIN

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ChariTea magic begins at home

AN elegant party with tea, cakes and a magical garden to explore is a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, says Sweet ChariTea organiser Kartika Medcraft.

The high-tea charity event is back for its second year, again raising funds for Paediatrics at Canberra Hospital (PaTCH), and this time The Abbey, in Gold Creek, will be transformed into an enchanted garden, adorned with vines and flowers, with a green carpet to welcome guests and green house lights to add to the garden vibe.

Kartika’s 10-year-old son Sebastian, the inspiration for Sweet ChariTea, is going well, she says, although his condition is accelerating faster than anticipated.

Sebastian has a rare spinal-cord tumour that was diagnosed when he was three.

“Things have started happening at 10 that we were expecting at 12,” she says.

“It’s an unknown for everyone, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Next year will see the start of 12-weekly monitoring and regular MRIs at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, for Sebastian, says Kartika.

“We’re always honest with him, and he knows exactly what’s going on,” she says.

“He’s making the most of being normal, and we take all opportunities by the throat when we can because we don’t know how long he will be able to enjoy life in the physical

Kathryn Vukovljak reports

sense. He’ll most likely be confined to a wheelchair by his late teens.

“We’re designing a special table for Ronald Mcdonald House guests, and another called Little Heroes to honour kids who have been through tough times with serious illness.

“We don’t know yet where PaTCH will choose to use the funds this year, but we know they will go where they are most needed.”

Last year, Sweet ChariTea raised $13,614, which was given directly to the play therapist at Canberra Hospital, says Kartika, owner of Swish Vintage.

“For us, play therapists are the hidden treasures of the hospital. They help kids learn how to live their lives, no matter the outcome,” she says.

“It’s so important to gain a child’s trust for any treatment to work. It could be re-learning to walk or striking up a relationship with them before surgery so that afterwards, when the hard yards come, the connection is there and the child has the trust already.

“I was so happy the money went to them last year. It was the perfect place.”

While last year’s Sweet ChariTea was boisterous, cheeky rockabilly fun, this year’s will be softer and more refined, with comedic undertones, Kartika says.

“We’re having performances from the Classical Ballet Centre

Sebastian, 10, with his favourite nurse JoJo at Sydney Children’s Hospital… “We don’t know how long he will be able to enjoy life in the physical sense,” says Kartika.

and the Open School of Music’s jazz and classical bands, but also the naughty duo Sparrow Folk, and ladies’ barbershop quartet Tonal Obsession,” she says.

“We’ve got fashion shows from Gwynnie’s Emporium and Rockstars and Royalty, and our MC is Captain Spitfire from the Sass and Tease Collective.”

Kartika says the table designs will be amazing, with themes including Enchanted Garden, For the Birds, Midnight in Paris, Magical Pony Garden, The Good Housewife and Naughty But Nice.

Auction donations include a $2000 design-your-own jewellery voucher from Diamond Boutique, photography and tea party vouchers, beauty and gourmet food hampers, handmade jewellery and antique treasures. And, of course, there will be cakes, treats, tea and a candy bar.

“We’ve had so much support again from local businesses, it’s fantastic – and it’s a wonderful showcase for what they can do as well,” she says. “With everyone, including the behind-the-scenes stuff, there are about 60 businesses involved. We ask a little from a lot of people, which is why it works.”

Sweet ChariTea, Sunday, August 24, 1pm-5pm, at The Abbey, Gold Creek Village. Tickets at $93 are available through eventopia.co

Front cover credits:

Photographer: Belle Garfath, of Belle Photography

Model: Paris Yves, of Haus Models Gown/Hair/Concept: Rockstars & Royalty

Make-up: Kimi Holzapfel Vintage Props: Swish Vintage Canberra

the most of the CBD

By Catherine Carter

WE live in a “wide, brown land”, and yet 80 per cent of the value of our goods and services is produced in just 0.2 per cent of it – and most of that is in our city CBDs.

This is the headline finding from a new report from the Grattan Institute, “Mapping Australia’s economy: cities as engines of prosperity”.

The report reveals that the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne – just 7.1 square kilometres in total – produce almost 10 per cent of all economic activity in Australia, and triple the contribution of the entire agriculture sector. It’s clear that concentration of activity delivers economic dividends; businesses are more productive when they have access to large numbers of customers, suppliers, competitors, partners and employees.

At the same time, employees are more likely to cultivate and capitalise on their skills when they have better employment opportunities.

It is these skills that are increasingly important in our knowledge-intensive economy in which value is driven not by what we make, but by what we know.

We must be unwavering in making our CBD an attractive and productive place to do business. Encouraging the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of ageing buildings and empty sites will breathe new life into Civic and help us make the most of the knowledge economy.

We must increase the residential density of Civic, and the redevelopment of the ABC flats should be just the start.

We must also invest in good public transport that connects people with job opportunities, and businesses with customers, suppliers and partners. The Capital Metro project – with stage one linking the city to Gungahlin and Dickson Town Centre – has the potential to do that, while also creating jobs, attracting investment and revitalising our city centre.

Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia

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How jerks give nerds a bad name

Sportslovers’ Lunch

TIM GAVEL

DIRECT FROM THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES IN GLASGOW

Join Tim and a distinguished panel of sporting personalities for a memorable annual lunch that helps support the dreams of people with disabilities.

BRASSEY HOTEL, BARTON from 12pm, Friday, SEPTEMBER 5

TICKETS: $75 (tables of 10, $575) Bookings to Rose at info@brassey.com.au 3rd ANNUAL

THE concept of “Jerk Tech” is very hot this month as the ever churning ferment of technology innovation throws up increasingly ill-advised ideas.

The IT space was long the preserve of beardy, well-meaning nerds who were rarely short of a decent job thanks to their skills.

But now vast rivers of gold have flowed out of technological innovation, dreamers and schemers are flooding in with little thought beyond getting rich as quickly as possible. They’re rarely evil in their intent, rather they don’t think things through.

The two cases that have gained the most attention this month are “Monkey Parking” and “Reservation Hop”.

In theory, “Monkey Parking” gives people a cash incentive to let other people know when they’re freeing up a public parking space. In practice, people flood into areas of high parking demand and squat until they get paid to leave the spot, which was not theirs to sell.

“Reservation Hop” lets people sell their restaurant reservations, in theory if they can’t make it. But in practice it encourages people to make fake bookings, crowding out anyone who can’t pay and leaving restaurants with empty tables, not to mention a reduced discretionary spend from their remaining customers.

These are simply recent peer-to-peer services that reward awful behaviour.

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The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding. – Former Justice of the US Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis

that all technology is progress (and therefore good) and apply this new filter then it’s easy to see some other areas of technology that have been pretty jerky over the years.

Email spammers have been furiously innovating for 20 years. When Sanford Wallace created the industry in 1997 he made some moderately credible arguments that he was merely a legitimate businessman creating marketing opportunities.

Before Sanford one could draw a line to direct marketers with their snail-mail lists who were using the technology of their day in pretty jerkish ways.

Aspiring snake-oil salesmen all over the world pay hundreds of dollars to hear workers from Barack Obama’s election campaigns tell how they revolutionised the use of technology in elections.

The problem is that the lessons they teach aren’t how to best inform and engage citizens in a democratic discourse. What they teach is how best to extract cash money from the committed support base to throw at advertising to convince the uncertain.

Here in Canberra we have no end of dreamers hoping to disrupt the

briefly

entrenched players and build a better world (selling out afterwards to soak their feet in buckets of Pol Roger on the French Riviera perhaps), I used to be one of them.

For the most part they go nowhere, some few are unlucky enough to build something promising, at which point they need to be very careful of the sharks that swim in these waters.

A danger of the fast-moving “Jerk Tech” term is that, like “hipster”, it has in just a few weeks come to be a catchall pejorative meaning “something I don’t like” or “something that threatens my interests”.

In a world where everyone can reach out and touch everyone else, we’re all going to need to get better at thinking about the consequences of our own actions.

John Griffiths is the online editor of citynews.com.au

JOHN GRIFFITHS

Sportslovers’ lunch

SPORTS broadcaster Tim Gavel is hosting the third annual Sportslovers’ lunch in aid of local charity The Allan Key (formerly ACTAADS) at the Brassey Hotel, Barton, on Friday, September 5. Tim will be joined by a distinguished panel of sporting personalities for a memorable lunch that will help support the dreams of people with disability. Tickets are $75 (tables of 10, $575) and bookings to Rose at info@brassey.com.au

Mah-jong marathon

THERE’S a “Mah Jong Marathon” planned for the Southern Cross Club Woden, 10am-5pm, on Sunday, August 10. Tickets are $10 for unlimited games. There will be a raffle and handmade stall. More information from 6288 7752 or lrdrabsch@gmail.com

Open for science

GEOSCIENCE is holding its annual open day as a National Science Week feature event, 10am-3pm, on Sunday, August 24. Last year more than 8000 people attended. Geoscience Australia is at the corner of Jerrabomberra Avenue and Hindmarsh Drive, Symonston. Activities will include science talks, tours and activities for all ages.

Cookbook centenary

RED Cross shops will celebrate the organisation’s Australian centenary in August by using donations of unwanted “Women’s Weekly” cookbooks to help create an eye-catching centenary window display and by selling the books afterwards to raise money for the everyday work of Red Cross.

What’s behind the boofheads?

Wayward players and off-field misdemeanours have had a major impact on the fortunes of the Canberra Raiders.

I HAVE a theory about boofhead footballers, the ones who can’t seem to get their heads out of the newspapers.

I’m from WA, so I played AFL… badly. I wasn’t a great footballer for two main reasons: (A) I didn’t have any natural talent or ability, but (B) – and probably more important than (A) – I had far too much regard for my own safety and wellbeing.

I was averse to risking harm, would think twice before launching myself for a big pack mark and unlikely to run back with the flight of the ball and keep my eye on it (I heard footsteps all the time).

Most of the great footballers, and I’m talking AFL, NRL and Union, are risk takers.

They begin to shine at juniors because they have natural talent and because most of them have no fear. Eventually they get so good at it they’re able to ride the bumps, take the tackles and avoid the hits, but the risk is always there.

While playing on the big stage, they’re encouraged to keep on taking risks and they’re rewarded for doing so. When you get a bunch of twentysomething, testosteronedriven young men whose professional lives are built around extreme risk-taking behaviour, why are we all surprised when these boys continue to take risks after the game?

I’m not defending or trying to justify the actions of Todd Carney, Ben Cousins, Josh Dugan and the like, but saying it shouldn’t be a big surprise that some elite footballers struggle to see the boundaries.

Wayward players and off-field misdemeanours have had a major impact on the fortunes of the Canberra Raiders.

I had the pleasure of catching up with the legendary Ray Warren, who was promoting his new book, “The Voice”, and we got talking about the NRL’s bad boys and why there are so many of them.

“Rabs” believes that the immediate future of the Raiders depends on our ability to make the capital attractive to star players and then getting them to stay focused.

Risk-taking footballers are great for the game because they’re wonderful to watch. Let’s hope that more and more of the Raiders players can learn to see the difference between football and life.

MARK PARTON

letters

Love your trees, or

else

I AM writing as a visitor to Canberra, who finds great charm and a feeling of “soul” in the tree’d feel of our “Bush Capital”.

I recently heard a comment on your local radio that temperatures can vary as much as 7C between new suburban areas and the older suburbs with shaded streets.

Something for all Canberrans to think about! What sort of environment do you want? Now and for your grandkids?

Ann Sprague, Horsham, Victoria

Sunflower Dash thanks

ON behalf of the Leukaemia Foundation, I would like to thank your readers who brought sunshine to those with blood cancer through the support and participation in the Sunflower Dash on Sunday, June 29. Currently, there are more than 50,000 Australians living with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma. The funds raised by the Sunflower Dash will help the Foundation provide emotional support to those living with blood cancer and their families at no cost.

As the Leukaemia Foundation receives no ongoing government funding, we rely on the support of the community to continue our Mission to Care and Vision to Cure. On behalf of all those diagnosed and their families, who will be supported as a direct result of the Sunflower Dash, thank you.

Christine McMillan, general manager, Leukaemia Foundation NSW and ACT

As I get older I want to have choice and control

You can with a bit of help from My Aged Care

Let’s talk about changes to aged care.

Aged care should be decided by the person who knows you best – you. That’s why aged care changes from 1 July 2014 give you more choice, more control and more of the services you might need to help you stay independent. New financing arrangements also start. So if you’re getting older and need help, or if you’re caring for someone who does, call My Aged Care or visit the website to find out what you need to know to start planning and talking about aged care with your family and loved ones.

For personalised assistance, talk to a real person on 1800 200 422* or visit myagedcare.gov.au

Because the sooner we all start talking about aged care and planning it, the better the outcome for you and your family.

Canberra Confidential

Curtins for someone?

IN announcing an eminently worthy fellowship for gender equity in science, Labor Chief Minister Katy Gallagher’s otherwise word-perfect press release finished with this howler: “The Fellowship is named in honour of Emeritus Professor Judith Whitworth AC, who was director of The John Curtain School of Medical Research from August 1999 until July 2009”. Widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest prime ministers, Labor hero John Joseph Curtin died in office in Canberra on July 5, 1945.

The power of petals

health) Handan Otay, “they need to spend ample time in the sunshine.” He cites Australian research that shows strong links between excessive study hours in school children and short sightedness.

Onesie wonders

STAFF at the Allara Street Italian cafe il Covo are raising funds for the McGrath Foundation by wearing onesies on Wednesdays.

The charity was chosen by a customer who has breast cancer, says owner Cameron Bailey-Price

“We will be donating all tips received each Wednesday to the McGrath Foundation, specifically the breast care nurses,” he says. “I will then be personally matching the amount raised dollar for dollar.”

CC’s sheltered world was shaken with the news from Sydney that: “Flowers are like the lipstick of interiors, no space is complete without some living colour.”

That’s the view of interior stylist Emma Blomfield , who lists the five top trending petals in interiors at the moment as: roses, peonies, hydrangeas, Billy buttons and ranunculus (buttercups), which she says “are often featured on bed linen, making your bed sing with their bright and colourful petals”.

Sunny outlook

SEEMS sitting too close to screens doesn’t make you square-eyed. As we nudge the end of “Juleye” (groan), the National Eye Health Awareness Month, comes the news that sitting too close to the TV or playing video games doesn’t damage children’s eyes. “However,” says orthoptist (one who specialises in preventive eye

Kate’s sweet success

MANUKA-based kinesiologist, Kate Pamphilon, says the momentum of the sugar-free movement is in “full throttle” and in Australia Sarah Wilson’s “I Quit Sugar” campaign is leading the way.

“I Quit Sugar” is midway through an eight-week detox program and Kate has

joined Wilson’s expert panel answering questions on its online forum and writing articles about how to beat sugar cravings, de-stress and sleep better.

She says recent research reveals that sugar lights up the same pleasure and reward system in the brain as recreational drugs making it highly addictive and that the World Health Organization has recently revised guidelines by slashing the recommended daily sugar intake from 10 per cent of daily calories to five per cent, which equates to 5-9 teaspoons a day.

REPAIRING damaged footpath sections along Perry Drive in Chapman is not before time, reports our Weston Creek snout. “But why take the protective screens away before the cement has dried properly, leaving errant children to etch their names into the concrete?”

IN a cliched week of pop-up arts centres, pop-up cafes and pop-up shops, it was refreshing to hear Minister Joy Burch share a new hip expression: “a new phase of collaboration between the centres – with new branding, an informative and accessible one-stop blog site…” One-stop blog? That’s a first.

OH, the travails of tweeting… Chief Minister Katy Gallagher now has a digital media adviser in the form of Emma Webster And so does her opposite Jeremy Hanson, who says he’s had one longer, so there!

THE Civic merry-go-round is celebrating its centenary with a month’s rest for maintenance, including repainting the horses, from August 4.

Social event of the week / Opening

OPENING night of “Abstraction-creation JW Power in Europe 1921-1938”, at the National Library, was a chance to celebrate and acknowledge this significant Australian artist.

Power (1881-1943) spent most of his artistic life in Europe and it is this extraordinary exhibition that brings together the library’s collection of his almost too perfect sketchbooks, designs and art books with the paintings from the University of Sydney collection of this avant-garde artist.

Sydney born into a wealthy family, he became a doctor and went to England to further his studies, which probably made his surgeon father and architect grandfather very happy, but Power had a passion for art realised in later life.

He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and his meticulous drawing and architecturally influenced abstract painting makes me believe that, as a surgeon, his stitching would have been perfect.

But it’s the sketchbooks that offer an insight into his travels.

LYN MILLS

From Paris to Bruges, Avignon to Africa and in Sydney in his youth, his constant sketching in an eclectic mix of books is a treasure trove of Power’s talent. It would seem he never made a mistake.

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Rebuild rather than renovate, says Albert

ANYONE thinking about renovating should consider taking the knock down, rebuild option, says Albert Aeberhard, owner of Whitecross Constructions.

“There is always a compromise of some sort when you buy a home,” he says.

“It costs a lot to renovate or move house, and often completely starting over with a blank slate, if you are happy with the location and block, is a better way to go, and can get you the home you really want with no compromises.”

Albert, who has been in the building industry his whole working life, says that rebuilding is often a better solution than extending or renovating an existing property, which can hold hidden surprises.

“It can be challenging to add a brand-new section to an old house, mainly because you don’t really know what you’ll find when you start renovating,” he says.

“Often you will have to replace things like the existing pipes, the plumbing or the old wiring for the whole house. And you will still have part of an old house, with its problems and issues.”

While the planning stage can be timeconsuming and daunting, Albert says that Whitecross Constructions aims to make it as stress-free as possible.

“We understand that taking on a rebuild or new build project is not easy, especially if you are a newcomer in this, but there are so many benefits to building your own house,” he says.

“With the assistance of our professional contractors and designers, it need not be a daunting task.

“We provide our customers with simple solutions to complete their project with the best connections and the right resources. We are available every step of the way, from start to finish.”

Whitecross Constructions owner Albert Aeberhard… “We understand that taking on a rebuild or new build project is not easy, especially if you are a newcomer in this, but there are so many benefits to building your own house.”

Albert says that part of the service is a meeting with an interior designer, to help clients decide on fittings and finishes, from wall colours and tiles to kitchen cabinets and tapware.

“We know it can be hard to make so many big decisions all at once, so we aim to make this as straightforward as possible,” he says.

“I have some clients who have rebuilt after the fires, in Duffy, and others who are replacing old homes in Ainslie or Narrabundah, with great success and the results they wanted,” he says.

Whitecross Constructions offers knock down rebuilds, contract homes and project

Constructions

• Custom build • New home builders and • Knockdown/rebuild in Canberra

• 100% transparency on our work and complete unbiased and professional assistance

‘A

homes, says Albert.

With a focus on family homes with an open-plan layout and a classic design, Albert says his team can create a tailored approach to whatever the client is looking for.

“We are here to ensure our clients don’t have to settle for less than the ideal purchase they are looking for,” he says.

“We can use a design they have in mind, or an architect design concept. We are flexible and we are very much led by what the client wants to achieve, with a focus on high-standard finishes and the best possible quality.”

More information at 0403 016168, or email admin@whitecrossconstructions.com.au

The new look Canberra Outlet Centre is Canberra’s one stop retail destination.

Canberra Outlet Centre has an extensive range of offers for winter fashion - whether it be jumpers, jackets or boots, knits, scarves and gloves, we have it all!

Retailers include:

cold-weather comfort / advertising feature

When warm is the word

Floor heating easy to install

UNDERFLOOR heating provides a comfortable, energy-efficient heating solution, says Dion Perrins of Setpoint, who sells Coldbuster DIY floor heating kits.

“Coldbuster Australia was established in 2005 to service the increasing demand for DIY floor heating kits,” he says.

“The Coldbuster tile-heating kit is easy to install and quick to warm up,” he says.

“The kits are supplied pre-configured, eliminating the need for on-site measuring and electrical connections.

“Customers roll out the pre-measured heater across the floor and stick it down, using self-adhesive tape on the heater.

“Kits are supplied complete with the heating element on self-adhesive tape, fibreglass mesh, element monitor and a fully programmable thermostat with both air and floor sensor.

“A five-year guarantee is given on the heating element under the floor finish.”

Dion says that Setpoint can supply and install the kit, if required. Setpoint, call 0488 576577 or email dion.p@coldbuster.com.au. More information at coldbuster.com.au

Experts in toasty homes

THERE should be more emphasis on double glazing as insulation in Canberra, says Karen Porter, owner of Solace Creations.

“With our freezing cold winters and hot dry summers, we see people wasting hundreds of dollars in energy bills just to keep their home liveable,” she says.

Solace Creations will source the best windows and doors for clients, and offer advice on maximising the insulation in a new home, including choosing the right windows for ventilation, insulation and to suit the style of the home, Karen says.

“We also do consultations that can look at improving what’s already there in existing homes, to help cut energy bills and boost insulation,” she says.

Solace Creations won the ACT Telstra Micro Business Award 2014, and Karen will now travel to Melbourne for the Australian Telstra Awards in August.

“We are a local company and have been operating for eight years, with a range of trusted suppliers and our own team of experienced installers,” she says.

Solace Creations, 79 Dundas Court, Phillip. Call 6260 1621 or visit solacecreations.com.au

Fashionably hot

THE Canberra Outlet Centre offers a mix of retail outlet stores for a one-stop retail destination, says marketing manager Katey Johnstone.

“To ensure you stay warm in the chilly Canberra winter, fashion retailer Forcast offers sensual femininity and style sophistication,” she says.

Choose bright colours, Katey suggests, with the Lucie chain top and Serena fitted mididress perfect for layering.

“Forcast offers quality cuts and careful selection of fabrics, which reflect current trends and ensure you look fabulous wherever you go,” she says.

Forcast offers the experience of a boutique store with surprising prices, and the knowledgeable and friendly team will ensure you are always greeted warmly with first-class fashion advice.

“If you’re looking for something new to wear, whether for work or a night out in town, they just may have what you are after.”

“We have many other premium fashion retailers here, including Cue, Alannah Hill, Diana Ferrari, Joanne Mercer, JAG, Oxford, Puma and Cotton On,” Katey says.

Canberra Outlet Centre, 337 Canberra Avenue. Call 6112 6222or visit canberraoutletcentre.com.au

www.eliteaustralianalpaca.com

‘It’s

Savouring success, with a Nepalese flavour

RUNNING a successful restaurant is hard work, but Lachhu Thapa and Benjamin Richardson, owners of The Hungry Buddha at the Curtin shops, also both have day jobs.

“When we started the restaurant in July 2011, our jobs weren’t particularly fulfilling, and we were both looking for something extra to do,” says Ben.

“We had an idea about opening a restaurant, making use of Lachhu’s passion for Nepalese food and cooking, as well as his finance skills, and my IT background. It seemed like something we could do in our spare time.”

It wasn’t long before an opportunity came up for the friends, who met on Gumtree while looking for a share house. Lachhu was helping a relative find a place to live in Canberra, and they met up with a landlord at an Indian restaurant where the owners mentioned they were thinking of selling up.

“Ben and I thought it would be the perfect place, so we decided to give it a try,” says Lachhu.

The first step was extensive renovations in two weeks, says Ben.

“It was a bit crazy, looking back – we stripped the place back to nothing,” he says.

“We had people with bookings for our planned opening night, who would pop in and say that if we weren’t going to be open in time, they’d be happy to change their booking.

“It was a building site in there until a couple of hours before we opened!”

This month is the restaurant’s third birthday, and Ben and Lachhu say they’ve been reflecting on how far they’ve come.

“We’re fortunate now that we have some flexibility, and we’re not slaves to the business,” says Lachhu.

“There was definitely an element of naiveté at the start, and there have been

times where we really had to work hard and commit, and tell ourselves: we’re in this, no matter how hard it is,” says Ben.

Ben and Lachhu say that while things seemed to fall into place relatively easily, it hasn’t been an easy ride.

“We each have very different ideas of how a business should be run, and at times that has created problems,” says Ben. “We’ve had plenty of disagreements – Lachhu once threw a potato at me. It was only a small potato but it was definitely thrown in anger!

“It’s been a big learning experience for us both. I’ve grown so much as a person over the past three years; I’d say the restaurant has taught us a lot of life skills. It’s made me more responsible, and we’ve learned to pace ourselves and look after ourselves when we need to.”

Lachhu agrees, and says that running a restaurant isn’t something you can learn from a book.

“You have to be out there doing it, it’s the only way,” he says. “We’re fortunate that we’ve had the same amazing staff from day one, apart from the chef, who we retained from the previous restaurant for the first six months. We learned so much from him and it was invaluable to have him there from the start.”

Lachhu designed the menu himself, and says it took six weeks until he felt it was right.

“There are some Indian dishes, but mainly it’s the Nepalese food I would cook at home,” he says. “I don’t go by restaurant rules, because I never knew them – we don’t have a big range of dishes. There’s a village-style goat curry, and just one chicken dish, the Himalaya kukhura. We keep it simple and authentic.

“I also invented a salmon dish, because we don’t have fresh salmon in Nepal, but here we pan-fry salmon with Nepalese spices and it’s become one of our most popular dishes.”

Ben and Lachhu say The Hungry Buddha service is as important as the food, and

that they aim to be genuine, friendly and attentive without hovering.

“It’s all about understanding what people want,” says Ben. “Once we worked out what people wanted, we knew we just had to keep on delivering that.”

“There was definitely an element of naiveté at the start, and there have been

and tell ourselves: we’re in this, no matter how hard it is,” says Ben.

A wooden sculpture made by a local Curtin artist representing the peaks of Nepal has just been installed in the restaurant, with some local mountains thrown in for scale (there are strips of wood representing Mt Kosciuszko and the Brindabellas, teeny-tiny by comparison).

The Hungry Buddha is supporting a cricket academy in Nepal, as well as organising travel expeditions to Nepal. It also has a new private room that sits around 25 people, and can also be used for seminars.

Ben and Lachhu plan to keep on with their day jobs. Ben says he has now left his public service job for what he feels is his true career in web design and development, and Lachhu works in finance for the Australian Mint.

“It’s pretty cool to think about how far

we’ve come in three years,” says Ben. “I never would have thought we’d have eight staff and be busy every night.

“Looking back, we took it one step at a time and didn’t really look at the big picture – and I think that helped us get to where we are.

“If we had thought about everything that was involved all at once, we would probably have given up!”

By Helen Musa

“CANBERRA’S home of circus”, Warehouse Circus, is about to stage a midwinter blockbuster aimed at getting audiences to “explore the world in a brand new light”.

Twenty five-year-old Nathan Anderson is directing the show, “Refract”, and the concept is all his. Well, nearly all. He’s based it on a quotation from British philosopher Alan Watts, who once said: “The whole universe is just a refraction of the single consciousness”.

With 17 young people, aged 12 to 20, on stage displaying skills in juggling, “toss the girl” (in this case, it’s more toss the boy), pair-balancing and huge pyramids, it will probably be more dizzying than refractive.

Anderson enthuses about “Refract” to “CityNews”, saying: “The main concept is driven by me, but the kids have been given a lot of free rein, so it’s almost 50-50 group work and my own concept.”

Anderson says he got the idea when he and a friend were looking up at the stars and talking about the universe.

He says: “The idea is that one thing passes through another medium, and many things can come out at the end seeming quite different.” Like refraction, but in movement.

The physical imagery in the production will not involve astronomical symbolism, although there are mirrors to get the sense of intuition.

“We don’t literally do any refracting, though,” he says.

Anderson, who has been with Warehouse for 10 months, previously coached gymnastics at the national level with the Woden Valley Gymnastics Club.

He sees no contradiction between gymnastics and circus – one is technical and the other artistic. His mum was a classical ballerina and he attended classes in classical and contemporary dance before taking gym at age 12, so he sees circus through the artistic prism.

“Circus is a great creative venture, combining the acrobatic and gymnastic disciplines,” he says.

The show has a story about a sailor travelling down the river. He attracts the attention of a siren, who finally approaches him and there’s “a bit of interest, some sort of connection, but not love”.

Sirens, tumbling, flipping, flying, throwing and catching – but no love. How cool is that?

“Refract”, Warehouse Circus, Belconnen Community Theatre, August 7-9. Bookings to trybooking.com

Above: Circa’s “S”… seven acrobats who bend, fly and hang.

Left: Warehouse Circus’ “Refract” ... probably more dizzying than refractive.

By Helen Musa

AT 19, Kimberley Rossi is the youngest member of the go-ahead Brisbane physical theatre company, Circa, which chalked up more than 400 shows last year all around the world.

It will be in town soon with its electrifying work, “S”, staged by director Yaron Lifschitz on a floating white diamond stage, with seven acrobats who bend, fly, contort and hang.

“S” fuses group acrobatics with intimate feelings, all to the music of the Kronos Quartet.

Rossi exudes enthusiasm. “What I love about Circa is the humanity, we get to be ourselves on stage, we have that freedom,” she tells “CityNews” by phone from Brisbane. Rossi wasn’t always intended for the circus. She grew up in Brisbane and still lives at home.

“As a 15-year-old all you see is football and netball,” she says.

“I went and saw a Circa show and said: ‘That’d be kind of cool’, so joined the youth performance group Circa Zoo and fell in love with the art form. She’s a stay-at-home girl when not touring.

“I’m pretty happy with Circa right at this moment and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be,” she reports. She’s not the only one. Nobody has left the company while she’s been there.

The coming show, “S”, Rossi says, is “definitely different… I’ve never worked on a diamond-shaped stage before but with Circa the group is always exploring different ways of moving.”

Circa’s “S”, Canberra Theatre, August 6-9, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

arts & entertainment cinema

Contrasts in comic shock

theatre

“Bartleby”

By

Julian Hobba after Herman Melville At The Street Theatre, until August 3

DIRECTOR Julian Hobba’s version of “Bartleby” is a contemporary comic nightmare featuring humanity’s struggle to get a look-in within the professional/career world’s semantic double-speak and the business of pressure goals.

It challenges ambitions and obsessions through the referencing of Melville’s “Moby Dick”.

The strength of the production is in the struggle of highly contrasting and differentiated characters to establish their mark.

Max Cullen’s “Old Lawyer” at first presents as a bumbling old man on the verge of dementia only to emerge as a grounded and insightful figure able to still feel empathy and display wisdom beyond the confines of the reductionist office.

Kermond’s “Young Lawyer” is brash and committed to all the illusory goals so consistent with young ambition. His vocal and physical dexterity is in high contrast to the seemingly rambling distractions of the older man. Ben Crowley’s “Bartleby” is filled with ambiguous anxiety that reverberates with passive violence.

The slow rhythm may irritate some audiences while inviting others to work with the actors in the re-interpretation of our lives.

London season for lost play

THAT indefatigable former Canberra director and Olivier award-winner Adam Spreadbury-Maher tells us he’s unearthed another hitherto unperformed play. Now he’s producing the late, brilliant Joe Orton’s lost first play, “Fred and Madge”, at the King’s Head Theatre in London.

“MAD Songs and Englishmen” is a cheeky title for Salut! Baroque’s next concert. It’s a look at radical changes in English music between Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the restoration of King Charles. At Albert Hall, 7.30pm, on Friday, August 8. Tickets at the door.

RETURNING to Canberra for its sixth year, “Short+ Sweet Canberra” presents more than 30 10-minute plays, directed and performed by Canberrans. Twenty of the plays were also written here, including a

Absorbing search for the truth

“Still Life” (M)

SOME filmgoers might consider Uberto Pasolini’s gentle study of a man whom life’s pleasures have bypassed to be banal, shallow, lacking dramatic bite.

But, as well as providing actor Eddie Marsan with a career-elevating role, it stands for the little man whom we might not notice as we go about our exciting lives.

mini-musical by Jim McGrath. At the Courtyard Studio from August 5 with finals on August 17. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

POPULAR pianist and former ANU School of Music lecturer, Colleen Rae-Gerrard, will join bassoonist Matthew Ventura, to perform works by Mozart, Telemann, Schubert and Weber at Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, on Sunday, August 3. Tickets at the door.

THE next free concert at the High Court is by the Canberra Recorder and Early Music Society, 1pm, on Sunday August 3. No bookings, but be early – 500 people came to the last one.

Happy ‘Man’

has issues

Borough Council clerk John deals with people who’ve died without known relatives or friends. Watching his meticulous personal and working styles without visible enjoyments or diversions so pervades our perception of him that we might easily overlook that John’s situation parallels those of his clients.

That even tenor stops suddenly when his supervisor tells him that his position has been rationalised away. His last case is Billy, a Falklands war para, no other details. From skimpy initial clues, John travels around England to locate people who knew Billy in order to discover what kind of man he was.

to provoke laughter. The rest tries unsuccessfully. The concept hasn’t got the legs to carry it more than half an hour of TV sitcom time.

At all cinemas

“Devil’s Knot” (M) FROM Egypt-born Canada-reared director Atom Egoyan comes a forensic docu-drama about the 1993 murder of three small boys that came to be known as the “West Memphis case”. Three teenaged boys were tried and found guilty of the crime.

The screenplay by co-producer Paul Harris Boardman examines the belief of private investigator Ron Lax that they were innocent. Colin Firth gets the film’s top billing as Lax.

musical theatre

“The Rokitelly Man” At Belconnen Theatre until August 2.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

WRITTEN by prolific Canberra songwriter Andrew Hackwill and Michael Heming, “The Rokitelly Man” is an engaging new original musical, complete with tuneful, toe-tapping songs, imaginative choreography, a witty set design and colourful costumes.

The film turns out to be a detective story quite unlike the general example of that genre, a gentle journey among joy, laughter, sorrow, admiration, grief, achievement against seemingly impossible obstacles and other satisfying human understandings. No violence, no angry conflicts, no unbearable tensions, merely a steady and absorbing search for truth in a progress toward a double-barrelled denouement that some may find ingenious, even sad. But not without charm. And Eddie Marsan’s performance is virtuoso.

At Palace Electric

“Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie” (M)

Playing Pam, mother of one of the victims, Reese Witherspoon delivers unimpressive anger, hysteria and grief.

It tells the story of Jeremy, a packaging department assistant in a failing toy emporium, who invents a best-selling toy robot called “The Rokitelly”.

THE concept, the brainchild of writer/director/female-impersonator star Brendan O’Carroll, is popular on British TV.

The underlying thesis of the crime is that the three accused were engaged in a satanic cult. In a semi-rural community where Christian fundamentalism strongly influenced the population, that coupled with the violent and sexual elements of the crime led to prejudices surfacing outside the court-house. Lax worked pro bono to show that while heavy metal bands, drugs and possibly aberrant sexual practices influenced the defendants, the State had not proved its case.

Director Richard Block has assembled an attractive cast headed by Miles Thompson, as the gormless Jeremy, and Alex McPherson as Cindy, the girl he loves and loses.

Miriam Miley-Read almost steals the show with a delightful comedy performance as the deliciously ditzy Angela.

Though it’s a shame that the dull, pre-recorded backing tapes drain away much of the necessary oomph and spontaneity of the musical numbers, that un-ironed costumes spoil the gloss, and an inexplicable change of style in the last 10 minutes plunges an otherwise frothy entertainment into some kind of Brechtian morality tale, there is still much to enjoy in “The Rokitelly Man”.

The tax-man says Agnes Brown owes four million pounds. Ruthless Russian investors and a venal developer want to exploit the Dublin F&V Market site where three generations of Agnes’s family have had a stall. Can students at the Blind Ninja training college break into the National Records office to get the tax receipt copy Agnes swears (something she does copiously during the film) will prove she’s paid? What justice can she expect from a drunken judge hearing argument from her lawyer suffering from Tourette’s syndrome?

A market opening-time dance routine by a troupe of prampushing overweight stall-holders closes the film’s prologue and later there’s an interlude of Irish dancing. These work because they don’t try

Egoyan is a skilled director but films often suffer from a ponderous pace that constricts our interest in discovering its truth and its dramatic values. That’s regrettable.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

dining Room with a beautiful view

WALT and Burley, one of the latest places to open at Kingston Foreshore, has amazing views of the lake. It’s a massive space occupying a prime position that can’t be beaten and streams of customers have arrived over the past two months since opening.

The fitout is designed to make you feel at home. The massive copper-hooded fireplace in the lounge area keeps you cosy. The space offers distinct seating areas –a casual set up with high tables and stools (no reservations taken); a bar area with distinctive stained-glass windows; and a more “formal” seating area near the kitchen (reservations taken). The two outdoor decks are popular – the one opposite the water is flooded with sunshine.

Beer lovers can enjoy nine varieties on tap, including Fat Yak and Kopparberg, and 15 varieties by the bottle.

Our group agreed the wine list was small and uninspiring. Reds range from $30 to $180 (only two by the glass) and whites from $30 to $90 (only three by the glass).

Walt and Burley was out of the type we ordered (some members of our party had experienced this on a previous visit also) and, after an attempt to upsell us to one that was

The lunchtime smokehouse dishes sounded appealing and different from other fare available at Foreshore eateries. The menu promised beans with some smokehouse dishes but, alas, it was ‘beans no more’.

$50 more a bottle, we settled on house wine. We weren’t keen on a $90 wine knowing some of us would be munching on fries.

The lunchtime smokehouse dishes sounded appealing and different from other fare available at Foreshore eateries. The menu promised beans with some smokehouse dishes but, alas, it was “beans no more”. Coleslaw was substituted and bland coleslaw at that – heavy on the carrot and not even the ranch dressing saved the day. The pulled pork was tasty and

tender, although we agreed it needed slightly more seasoning. The small piece of corn it came with was stone cold, but the chips hot and yummy. The smoked pork ribs were hot and the meat fell off the bone, as it should. We felt the flavour lacked punch and the accompanying mashed potatoes were cold. Two of our party ordered salmon, which was “fine but not spectacular”. The chicken schnitzel won the top award. If I return I’ll share some starters, which feature smoked mixed nuts

and rosemary salt, heirloom carrots with quinoa, goat curd and herbs, crab cakes, baked ricotta, white corn nachos and duck liver pate ($5 to $15). Or perhaps I’ll try a burger. Mains cover the bases – pasta, fish, pork belly, strip loin, chicken breast and a couple of salads ($14 to $28). A special note on the staff… there are plenty about the place and everyone was super friendly and keen to make our experience warm and fuzzy. However, the service was chaotic with a 45-minute wait for most dishes (we were not warned about this when we ordered) and dishes were served terribly out of synch, meaning some of our party finished before others even began to eat.

Walt and Burley. Open seven days, Eastlake Parade, Kingston. Call 6239 6648.

THE CHAIRMAN & YIP

CHAIRMAN’S LIGHT LUNCH

$37.5 per person $45 per person with a glass of wine LIGHT FRIED CALAMARI SALAD TOSSED WITH SPICY SALT AND CHILLI

Shogun Restaurant offers superb Japanese

Japanese classic favourite of SUKIYAKI, SHABU-SHABU, SUSHI, SASHIMI, TEMPURA ETC, and TEPPANYAKI.

A fund-raising dinner at the acclaimed D’Browes Restaurant in Narrabundah with a special performance by contemporay, local folk singer Fred Smith. Smith is currently on a national tour presenting songs from his album “Dust of Uruzgan”, based on his experience of two stints as a diplomat and political adviser in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

All proceeds from the evening will assist Save the Children’s work in Australia and overseas.

WHERE: D’Browes Restaurant, 59 Boolimba Crescent, Narrabundah

WHEN: Tuesday, September 9 from 6.30pm

TICKETS: $65 each, bookings to: bit.ly/1rUWvJv

La Scala Italian Restaurant

Celebrating 25 years of excellence and welcomed as an accredited member restaurant to The Academy of Italian Cuisine for accurately displaying Italian culinary traditions and innovations.

Centre Cinema Building, Garema Place, Canberra City 6248 8338 www.lascala.net.au

2014 AHA ACT Hospitality Awards

The Brassey of Canberra Belmore Gardens and Macquarie Street, Barton ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6273 3766 Email: info@brassey.net.au Toll Free Telephone Bookings 1800 659 191 www.brassey.net.au

Owned and Operated

C DINE Bar, an early restaurant at the emerging Kingston Foreshore precinct, won the Best Restaurant award at the Australian Hotels Association’s annual ACT Hospitality Awards.

Before a capacity crowd of 400 people at QT Canberra, Muddle Bar’s Robert Ingram was awarded the association’s John Press Award for the most outstanding industry leader in the licensed bar scene. And, also from Civic, Mediterraneaninfluenced Tazé was named the town’s top cafe.

Leading hotelier Mark Sproat, of The Brassey of Canberra, Barton, was awarded life membership to the association.

More than 35 awards were presented at the AHA’s “night of nights”, which recognised local hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, cafés and their employees for outstanding achievements and service.

AHA ACT general manager, Brad Watts, said this year’s event celebrated innovative newcomers located in new entertainment precincts in Canberra’s $1.8 billion hospitality sector.

“From a popular underground speakeasy to an innovative, sustainability-focused hotel, this year’s winners showcased innovation and progression in the ACT’s licensed hospitality sector,” he said.

There were several multiple awards winners including Knightsbridge Penthouse (Best Cocktail Bar and Best Late Night Entertainment Venue), Hotel Realm (Best Front of House Employee, Best Meetings and Events and Best Marketed Hotel) and Hyatt Hotel Canberra (Best Apprentice Chef, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Deluxe Accommodation – 5-Star and Restaurant Cookery Employee).

Murray Emerton, from Premier Hotel & Apartments, won 2014 Member of the Year.

Creating Sustainable Gardens

Glenbog Nursery and Landscaping

Happiness is a weeping cherry

Authority could look at this in their next tree plantings.

flowers in early spring looking like it is covered with snow.

The Canberra region’s largest range of locally-grown plants – grown on site for local conditions.

• 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

IT’S hard to surpass the beauty of a weeping cherry.

But despite flowering blossom trees of every variety growing well in Canberra, there are no blossom trees in Commonwealth Park.

THIS is the ideal time for planting flowering blossom trees, especially the weepers, which belong to the large Prunus family.

Prunus “Cheals” has bronze-green emerging leaves with a profusion of deep-pink double blossoms.

pronunciation guide is sounded “sik”, not as in bicycle. They don’t like to be overwatered and can be kept on the dry side. When they finish flowering they can be planted in the garden and will continue to increase over the years.

One flowering cherry, Prunus “Mt. Fuji”, is often confused as a weeping cherry, but has upright spreading branches grafted on to an upright standard.

Nursery open 9am to 5pm Wed to Fri 10am to 4pm Weekends.

314 Plummers Rd, Burra NSW 2620 (20 minutes from Queanbeyan) Ph. 0402 024 204 – 0408 119 160

We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow. glenbog@skymesh.com.au

BIGGEST

FRUIT TREES

This is made harder to understand when the park was originally laid out by one of Britain’s most distinguished landscape architects, Dame Sylvia Crowe, in 1964.

The park plantings are predominantly exotic with substantial banks of rhododendrons for which spring blossom trees would be complementary. I believe it’s time this was rectified and maybe the National Capital

The pendulous branches weep to the ground and become covered with a magnificent display of flowers that can be either white or pink and either double or single blooms.

Two of the most popular are Prunus subhirtella “Rosea” with lavender-pink buds opening to single, soft pink flowers (pictured here at Tulip Top Gardens) and Prunus subhirtella “White” that

ORCHIDS

Breaking news, views, arts & socials every day…

Not realising this, some home gardeners try to weigh the branches with, among other things, heavy lead fishing weights. Of course, none of this works, it is simply the nature of the tree.

The weeping part of the tree is grafted on various upright standards, varying from ground level to the graft from 1.5 metres to a tall 3 metres. I prefer the taller graft to set the tree off to perfection, but remember, they can have a large spread.

Pictured here is a Cyclamen hanging in our gazebo. Note the basket liner is foam carpet underlay, perfect for lining baskets because birds don’t raid this material for building nests as they do with, say, coconut liners.

With the multi-coloured side facing outwards, this will weather and even grow moss to make it very natural. With plastic on the inside, it retains the water better, but you should punch a few holes in the plastic for drainage. This liner and plants have now been in place for more than seven years and, with regular feeds

I know of one in Hughes that has a 10-metre spread and it worries me to see them planted a couple of metres either side of a front door!

They can be kept somewhat smaller by judicious pruning after flowering although it is important not to prune before the third week in October when the sap has finished rising or they will “bleed” profusely and the cuts take longer to heal.

WINTER is flowering time for Cyclamen, which in the botanical

CEDRIC BRYANT

puzzles page

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars – August 4-10, 2014

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Are you sitting around berating the world for not being the way you want it to be? It’s time for Rams to ricochet into brand new territory, as you initiate changes in increasingly creative ways. As birthday great Andy Warhol declared: “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change things yourself.” Thursday is a super day to help someone in need.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

You think you know how a loved one is feeling but jumping to conclusions without checking the facts first is a recipe for trouble this week. Take the time to talk things through. Attached Taureans - love and duty are linked as you work on a creative solution to a stubborn problem together. For some single Bulls - a platonic friendship gradually turns to romantic love.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Many gregarious Geminis are keen to share information and exchange ideas with family, friends and colleagues. Just make sure your amusing chatter doesn’t denigrate into gratuitous gossip. Saturn steadies your mercurial mind on the weekend, plus Uranus helps you approach a dilemma in a daring new way. And are there new social media platforms you can explore?

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Don’t assume you have all the answers Crabs. You have much to learn from others – especially the children and teenagers in your life. Listen to the wise words that come out of the mouths of babes! Money matters are on your mind on Sunday so make sure all bills are paid and resist the urge to spend extra cash. Instead, squirrel it away for when times are tight.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Mercury and Uranus stimulate your Cat curiosity and propel you into a brand new adventure, but you may also encounter some road blocks, as Saturn stymies your progress. Hasty actions and half-baked plans will only lead to long-term frustrations. If you can balance dynamic action with a dose of discipline, then you’ll have a stimulating and satisfying week.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

The stars give you a welcome boost this week and help you re-discover your Virgo vim, vigour and verve! So take a break from the madness around you and escape somewhere quiet where you can relax and rejuvenate. The power of imagination is on your side. Ideas and inspiration come from daydreaming and creative visualisation, as you retreat into your own private world.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Impulse buys now could lead to cash flow problems later on. So avoid making expensive purchases or major money moves, as you’re inclined to view your current financial situation through ridiculously rose-coloured glasses. In the present economic climate, slow and steady wins the money race. The weekend stars encourage you to extend your friendship net far and wide.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

You’re thrust into the spotlight this week. The Sun, Mercury and Jupiter give you a confidence boost, so polish up your public persona and make sure you’re putting on a good show. Things get serious on Sunday when a family member frustrates you or an authority figure antagonises you. Some Scorpio charm and deft diplomacy will get you through with your reputation intact!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

With the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter all activating your aspirations zone, it’s time to dream big dreams for the future. They won’t materialise overnight though - you need to be patient and persistent. Be inspired by birthday great Barack Obama (born on August 4, 1961): “It’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realise your true potential.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Avoid being a lone wolf. If you nurture close relationships and network with colleagues, then you can combine your talents on a creative joint project. You’ll have to be patient though. A relationship with a friend or acquaintance could cool, as responsibilities overtake having fun. If you keep the lines of communication open, then the storm in a tea cup will soon blow over.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Your bohemian side shines brightly this week, as you inspire others with your quicksilver mind and avant-garde spirit. Attached Aquarians - the relationship heads into exciting territory. You enjoy sharing common interests but you’re also keen to pursue personal projects, plus explore new hobbies and adventures. Single Aquarians – love is waiting where you least expect!

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Are you feeling bored to bits with the daily grind? Seek out stimulating people this week Pisces, as you celebrate your versatility; shake up your usual routine; and do something wildly different. It’s also a terrific time to express your Good Samaritan side as you nurse a family member, support a friend in need, do some volunteer work or lend a helping hand in your local community.

Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2014

General knowledge crossword No. 463

• Pre-nuptial agreements • Separation and Divorce • De-facto relationships • Parenting and children

Solution

Across

1 Name the Australian entertainer, composer and musician, Rolf ...? (6)

7 Which annual US prizes are awarded for journalism, literature and music? (8)

8 What do we call a long, narrow rug, suitable for a hall or staircase? (6)

9 Which term is descriptive of the World Wide Web? (8)

10 Name an island separated from SE China by the Formosa Strait (6)

11 Which newspapers are about one half the ordinary page size? (8)

14 Name the negatively charged elementary particle of an atom (8)

18 Which fever is also known as breakbone fever? (6)

19 Which medicines perform no physiological function, but may help patients psychologically? (8)

21 What do we call that which undergoes a genetic change? (6)

22 Name a term sometimes referring to a police officer (8)

23 What is a junior lifesaver known as? (6)

Sudoku hard No. 131

Down

1 That which comes to one by reason of birth is called what? (8)

2 Which term is descriptive of widespread and high repute? (6)

3 Name the type of horse that races at full speed, especially for a short distance (8)

4 What is an abundant supply of something? (4)

5 Which word element refers to threedimensionality? (6)

6 What is a non-historical story, handed down by tradition from earlier times? (6)

12 Which persons become sureties for others? (8)

13 What is an alternative word for a school term? (8)

15 Name an Australian cricketer, noted as a fast bowler, Dennis ...? (6)

16 To which insect family does the ‘’Yellow Monday”, or the “Greengrocer”, belong? (6)

17 What is the curved inner surface of the human foot? (6)

20 Name another term for the bindi-eye (4)

from last

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