KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK meets sisters who have opened a new restaurant based on the idea of eating healthily 80 per cent of the time and allowing 20 per cent for treats
WITH a focus on clean eating, the idea for Eighty/Twenty, Braddon’s latest cafe, began with co-owner Tihana Ravanparsa’s wheat intolerance.
“I found it so hard to eat out, and we thought if it was hard for me it must be the same for other people,” says Tihana, 27.
“But when you talk about healthy food and clean eating, it’s subjective. My perspective of what’s healthy is completely different from someone who goes to the gym every day.
“Someone’s 80 could be another person’s 20, so we try to cater to everyone; paleo, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free.”
Tihana opened the Lonsdale Street restaurant with her younger sister Klarisa Cengic, 24, a few weeks ago, with the idea of eating healthily 80 per cent of the time, and allowing 20 per cent for treats.
“I personally can’t eat 100 per cent healthy all the time, it’s too much pressure!” says Klarisa.
“You have to allow yourself treats. Each to their own, everyone has different diets, but it’s not the end of the world if you have a bit of chocolate.”
When it came to the fitout, the girls didn’t
want to “go hipster”.
“We wanted it to be a reflection of who we are – black and white!” says Klarisa.
“We’re straightforward people, we’re straight shooters.”
Eating healthily is all about balance, says Tihana, and thinking about the food you put in your body.
Their menu features glowy smoothies, breakfast includes bircher muesli and quinoa porridge, and the lunch menu changes every week.
“There are better choices you can make,” says Tihana. “We wanted to take everyday food and make it healthier, like our raw desserts –they’re still desserts but they’re better for you.
“The focus is very much on clean eating, but we still offer coffees and desserts, that’s our 20 per cent. And there’s an egg and bacon roll on our breakfast menu – you can’t not have an egg and bacon roll – but we use the best-quality ingredients, like the Pialligo Farm Smokehouse bacon.
“Our background is Croatian so we’ve always had nourishing, wholesome food – although our chefs Mark Howard and Matt Love have had to rein us in and tell us what will and won’t work in a commercial kitchen!
“Essentially, our food makes you feel good. We’ve had people tell us they don’t feel heavy and stodgy after eating here – it’s not food coma-ry.”
FORMER PM Julia Gillard will launch her biography in Canberra at a function hosted by the YWCA Canberra at the National Portrait Gallery, on November 10. Ms Gillard will be in conversation with Julie McKay, YWCA Canberra board director and executive director of UN Women Australia. Limited tickets through ywca-canberra.org.au
THE Canberra Day View Club is organising a day trip by bus to art galleries in Canberra and Bungendore stopping for lunch at the Woodworks Cafe on Thursday, October 23. The fundraising outing, in aid of sponsorships for disadvantaged children on the Smith Family’s Learning for Life Program, costs $75 ($70 concession) and includes lunch. Booking enquiries to gallerytrip@gmail.com
CANBERRA Botanical’s annual art exhibition of botanical art will run at M16 Art Space, Blaxland Crescent, Griffith from October 3 to 19. All artwork is for sale and the gallery is open 10am-4pm daily.
THE Rotary Club of Weston Creek is hosting a trivia night from 7pm on October 27, at the Burns Club, 8 Kett Street, Kambah, with half-time entertainment by the Sugar Plum Fairies. Tickets are $10 (in aid of Rotary youth programs) and bookings to 6291 4505 before October 19.
DALLAS Atkins will be providing the entertainment as the Tuggeranong Day View Club celebrates its 21st anniversary with lunch at the Vikings Town Centre Club, Greenway on Tuesday, October 21. Cost is $21 and open to all interested ladies and guests. RSVP to 6284 8804.
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Perhaps Mr Hanson would attract more support for his ideas if only he’d learn to smile occasionally. It’s not the end of the world, Jeremy. It’s Canberra; it’s springtime! seven days
IMPOSSIBLE to avoid “terrorism”, from gun-toting policemen at Parliament House, US President Obama’s call to arms at the UN and our own Army Chief, Gen David Morrison’s warning of a “long war that lasts for decades”.
Not a happy prospect, particularly when a young Melbournian’s knife attack on two police officers brought the conflict to our doorstep.
The legislation expanding ASIO’s reach into the internet alarmed some privacy advocates, but the Opposition had little choice but to wave it through the Parliament. They are determined not to be “wedged” by PM Tony Abbott as being “soft on terrorism”.
ACT Lib Leader Jeremy Hanson was equally firm in his declaration this week that all Canberra’s “frontline” police be given Tasers to subdue aggressive behaviour. Hard to understand why Police Minister Simon Corbell would object, especially when police have to deal with mentally disturbed people. Who could forget the shocking events here and elsewhere of the police shooting bullets when they feel threatened by people acting irrationally?
support for his ideas if only he’d learn to smile occasionally. It’s not the end of the world, Jeremy. It’s Canberra; it’s springtime!
NICE to see Canberra’s own Islamic fashion designer Fatima Tabaja setting up a sales outlet for her colourful hijabs at Belconnen Westfield. Truth is, they frame the face delightfully; it’s only those awful Dalek style coveralls with slits for eyes that offend notions of good fashion taste. Of course, no one’s perfect – as a young Canberra boulevardier I used to sport an icecream coloured suit… until the day I was waiting to cross the road and a bloke beside me said: “Guess who’s mum’s got a Whirlpool?”
WHAT a pity the owners of a Mr Fluffy home decided they had to take the matter to the courts when Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is doing her
level best to put together a fair deal for all. They claim it’s only “precautionary” but once the legal hyenas gather it will be every man for himself. And guess who’ll get the lion’s share?
AT least disgraced former Speaker Peter Slipper escaped a jail sentence for ripping off his Cabcharge entitlements (and giving Julia Gillard an extra vote in the hung Parliament). His 300 hours of community service will be served in Canberra, according to Attorney-General Simon Corbell; but doing what exactly? Any suggestions?
THE trial announced this week of new regulations requiring car drivers to allow one to one-and-a-half metres (depending on your speed) when overtaking a cyclist is about as whacky as it gets. Who’s going to measure it? A much better idea would be
an expanded citywide network of cycle paths instead of the light rail to Gungahlin.
But since that decision has already been taken, surely the answer is mutual respect and a little old-fashioned courtesy.
ON a happier note wasn’t it great to see how well Canberra scrubbed up in the terrific ABC series “The Code”. The first two episodes were corkers. And from what I hear the local film and TV industry is poised to take off with at least two feature films and another TV series in the offing.
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Perhaps Mr Hanson would attract more
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In war, truth is the first casualty.”
– Aeschylus 525 BC-456 BC
WELL, that was quite the spectacle, the week Australia lost its flipping mind.
It was a quite astonishing coincidence that the advice from our security services flipped the country into fear and loathing just as laws to expand their powers were being debated.
Also quite the coincidence that this opportunity for a deeply unpopular Prime Minister to look so strong, resolute and protective, should turn up just at the same time.
It’s almost as if ASIO and the Prime Minister’s office have a mutual interest in terrifying the nation.
Judging by their newspaper websites, it’s clear that the UK and the US are not experiencing anything like the same hysteria.
President Barack Obama went so far last week as to say that climate change is a bigger threat than terrorism, but don’t expect this Government to bring back a carbon price.
“But John”, I hear them cry, “our intelligence agencies are beyond and above politics.”
To which I would ask them to please stop talking about serious matters if they have no knowledge of Australian history. ASIO has been intensely political at least since Charles Spry’s 20-year reign as director-general of security under Menzies.
But if Australia in the 1950s is too distant history, it’s worth remembering the invasion of Iraq where intelligence was cooked up to support the action the Government wanted to take at that time: invading Iraq.
There are plenty of signs to show this is all pantomime. Eight hundred police officers in an operation to make just one arrest in an unheard of blaze of publicity is an easy one.
The much heralded arrival of assault-rifle wielding police at Parliament House here in Canberra is another.
Parliamentarians filing past must be dreadfully impressed by this show of force never seen before in Australia. Not after 9/11, not when standing off against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, not when Imperial Japan was on our doorstep. MPs have also been told to close their blinds, for fear of
sniper attack, to really keep the juices flowing.
But what exactly are these guys supposed to be doing with those guns? An angry mob can be thwarted with the key to the doors.
Experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has shown that guns can indeed stop trucks and cars.
But not the paltry 5.56-millimetre rounds fired by the M4 carbines we’ve been seeing pictures of. For that you need the mighty .50 BMG round, 12.7mm and in a shell closer to the size of a banana.
In the stunningly unlikely event that a suicide bomber in a truck full of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil turns up, those police are at best going to kill the driver a few seconds before the truck blows up anyway.
Architecture speaks a powerful language and it’s fitting that Parliament House is writing this story.
The free country that opened the building in 1988 had no need of big black guns and tactical vests. Speaker Bronwyn Bishop spoke more than she might have realised when she complained about the architecture:
“One of the problems with this building, of course, was that it was designed for people to come in easily,” Mrs Bishop told a briefing, “And so we have lots of entrances, [you can] walk on the roof.”
If IS were a serious threat to this nation’s safety do you think we’d have sent a training shakedown flight from the RAAF as our sole contribution to the fight?
They’re a nasty group very far away, amongst many other groups of similar unpleasantness. Before anyone raises the tragedy in Dandenong, ask yourself how sanely you would be acting if you felt you were the target of the recent convulsions?
My suspicion is we’ve got a lot more to fear from power-hungry security services in harness with a deeply unpopular government with a reputation for incompetence and dishonesty. Each is driving the other on trying to make the wider population as scared and angry as possible.
How’s your decision making when you’re scared and angry? Mine isn’t very good.
THE 19th remembrance ceremony for those who lost their lives to illicit drugs will be held at the memorial site on Weston Park Road opposite the Prescott Lane intersection in Weston Park, 12.30pm, on Monday, October 20. A list of people to be remembered are read out while flowers are laid at the memorial rock, which was unveiled in 1996 following the concern that many families and friends were left to mourn the lives of their loved ones alone because of the stigma and marginalisation that surrounded such deaths. Families and friends are invited to have their loved one’s name read out at the ceremony by calling 6254 2961 or emailing mcconnell@ffdlr.org.au
THE Canberra Environment Centre’s annual fundraising event will be held at the Nishi Gallery, NewActon, 8pm-11pm, on Friday, October 24. There will be live music, roving entertainers, complimentary cocktails on arrival, a charity auction and a lucky door prize. Bookings to ecoaction.com.au
THE Cancer Support Group’s annual Hawaiian Ball will be held at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, on Friday, November 7. A not-for-profit organisation, the Cancer Support Group, has been providing financial assistance to local cancer patients and their families since 1985. Tickets at $120 include a three-course meal plus beer, wine and soft drink. Bookings to thecancersupportgroup.org.au or call 6297 1261.
for
13 – 18 OCTOBER 2014
The Canberra International Riesling Challenge presents rare chances to build your wine knowledge and enjoy tasting the world’s best rieslings, among Australia’s and the world’s leading international riesling experts.
Wine E-Commerce Seminar
Hyatt Hotel, 8am-10am, Friday, October 17. Hosted by Australia Post. Cost $20 a ticket or free entry to attendees of the Riesling Excellence Seminar and/or Master Class.
Seminar on Riesling Excellence
Convened by Charles Sturt University at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 10am-2.30pm, on Friday, October 17, light lunch included. Four leading wine experts will dispel some myths and tell of the latest developments in winemaking and the wine industry. Cost $60 a ticket.
Riesling Master Class
Hyatt Hotel, 2.30pm-4.30pm, Friday, October 17. The class will feature internationally recognised riesling experts who will guide participants through a range of rieslings from around the world.
Cost $85 a ticket.
Special price to attend two Seminars and the Master Class: $195, or the Riesling Excellence Seminar and Master Class for: $135.
The Awards Presentation Ceremony and Celebration of Riesling
Hyatt Hotel, from 6.30pm, Friday, October 17.
A chance to taste the award-winning wines and others from a museum collection matched with food selected by the Hyatt Hotel Canberra executive chef during the presentations. Limited tickets available at $80 each.
Riedel Trade and Consumer Tasting
Albert Hall, 11am-3pm, Saturday, October 18.Taste all the wines judged at the 2014 Canberra International Riesling Challenge. Tickets $30, including souvenir Riedel tasting glass and official CIRC results catalogue.Entry payable at the door. Trade and Exhibitors: free entry (from 10am).
Bookings and enquiries for all these events to info@rieslingchallenge. com or call 6290 1505. Booking forms at rieslingchallenge.com
SPONSORS
THANK you, Tony Abbott. I have received my electricity bill and I really appreciate the effort you and your colleagues went to in saving me the grand sum of $10.37 for the last quarter.
At first I thought it was for the whole quarter – a saving of just 12 cents a day. Actually, it is even better. The law came in on July 1 and so the savings are for 16 days – that is 65 cents a day – or $237 a year.
Not bad; I might even be able to have an extra coffee each week!
Then I started to think of the costs.
I suppose I had seen the carbon tax as an investment in the future and that my (yet-to-beborn) grandchildren and their descendants would reap the benefits of a return on that investment. But now my savings will mean they have to pay.
Putting a price on carbon was a clear way of meeting our emissions targets to slow and eventually turn round the looming disaster that is global warming. This is a global issue and one in which Australia was able to participate in the UN Climate Change Summit. I understand that a Prime Minister must set priorities and delegate. This is one that you delegated to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to attend the meeting in New York. As the leader of the first government in the world to abolish a carbon price, I suppose it would have been embarrassing being there, but more than 100 world leaders, including Barack Obama and David Cameron, made it.
When a few days later you went to New York for a meeting on the situation in the Middle East you illustrated which issue you consider more important. The difference is the narrow, immediate threat of terrorism and kowtowing once again to the US on bellicose issues versus a threat to the planet as a whole for generation after genera -
CANBERRA’S Jack Steele has a quality AFL clubs are searching for.
In these times when an attitude of entitlement is predominant the 18-year-old has fought his way back to form after suffering a knee injury last year that thwarted his being drafted for the 2014 season.
Jack has been part of the GWS Academy, and the Giants are keen to draft him, but face stiff competition from rival clubs.
GWS list manager Stephen Silvagni told me that AFL clubs are looking for that fighting quality, a “coming back from adversity” mentality in a young player; the qualities that show they won’t give up.
Clubs are looking for players such as Brownlow medalist, Matt Priddis, who remained positive despite numerous hurdles including four draft rejections.
In many respects, the multiple rejections have shaped Priddis as a player who simply gets on with the job.
AFL clubs have seen the same “never-giveup” quality in Steele and have beaten a path to Canberra to talk with him and meet his family.
As the leader of the first government in the world to abolish a carbon price, I suppose it would have been embarrassing being at the UN Climate Change Summit.
tion to come.
There was a third choice. Take both issues seriously.
The carbon tax has gone. We have some savings on our electricity bills. However, our other taxes are being diverted to support coal production and its dirty energy. The mining tax was abolished and corporate taxation reduced by your government, Prime Minister.
The money comes from somewhere. So the slash and burning on spending in health, in education and in Aboriginal affairs has effectively been diverted to support mining. Where is the light at the end of the energy tunnel? For a while it was looking like Australian investment in renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal would pay dividends in the emergence of a new industry and in reduction of greenhouse gases. Sounded like a winning solution. Oh! That’s right, it didn’t suit the big miners.
Would you at least have your government build on sensible Renewable Energy Targets?
Julie Bishop’s motherhood comments and failure to support sensible RET at the UN Climate Change Summit were summarised in her statement about “economic growth and competitiveness must be at the forefront of our thinking” rather than the generations to come.
Thank you, Prime Minister for our short-term savings. However, I would really like you think of the long, long term and put such decisions in the context of a sensible return on investment.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
It is becoming very much part of recruiting that clubs of every code are determined to find out as much as possible about a player before they are drafted. The type of family a potential player comes from can be a major influence when clubs are deciding on players. No doubt they would have been told that Jack went to Burgmann College where the greater focus of the college student body was on rugby union. But he resisted many overtures to switch codes and stayed with Australian Rules.
Former Brisbane Lions’ premiership player and Brownlow medalist Michael Voss tells the story of going to school age 11 in Queensland when his family moved north and being one of only two kids in the school who played AFL. Once again, he had to overcome many hurdles before he was drafted. Like Voss and Priddis, the basis is there for a player such as Jack Steele to succeed.
A NUMBER of sports representatives are telling me they are bursting at the seams with insufficient facilities to cater for the number of people wanting to play their sports.
For instance, there are limited indoor basketball courts, with some games scheduled at 9pm on Sundays because it is the only time they can get on court. Friday night at the Lyneham Netball Centre during summer provides an indication of the growth of indoor soccer or Futsal.
Social netball is another sport taking off and the ice-skating community believes it needs improved facilities.
It could be time for a summit on community sport facilities to establish future priorities so those who want to play aren’t turned away because of insufficient resources.
IN Mark Parton’s article, “Keep the faith, stay alert” (CN, September 25), he makes an unfortunate slipup: “They think there was no threat and that, as a nation, we were being racist to these poor, defenceless, peaceful Muslims.”
In the context, he is directly linking Islam to an alleged terrorist plot. Does Mark genuinely not understand that Daesh does not represent Islam, in the same way that the Ku Klux Klan does not represent Christianity?
I hope it’s only a naive error, and not a symptom of a deeper underlying fear of people who believe different gods to himself.
A more suitable wording to emphasise the sarcasm could be, “… poor, defenceless, peaceful activists” (or “mercenaries”, “militants”, etc).
I can see that Mark was trying to misrepresent the opinion of certain people on social media as being thoroughly misguided, but in his misguided attempt to snark at people such as myself who are extremely cynical of massive police activities that involve 800 members to bring two charges and a single arrest, he has made an inflammatory and apparently bigoted statement.
I WAS disappointed to hear that “Mrs Fluffy”, Brianna Heseltine, is thinking of running for Labor in the next ACT elections.
The Labor Party should have moved quickly on the asbestos problem immediately after my friend and Canberra Citizen of the Year, Peter Leonard, died of mesothelioma in January 2008.
I am quite impressed with what
I don’t mind Mark having the terribly misguided opinion that the police would never, ever be commissioned to undertake operations intended to fulfil a political goal of the Government of the day, but could he please take some care to avoid inciting hatred and animosity towards members of society who don’t believe the same god as him?
Alex Satrapa, Isabella Plains
I have seen so far of Ms Heseltine, but would have hoped that if she were interested in becoming a MLA, she would run as an independent or as a candidate of a communitybased party rather than being subject to the whims and demands of faceless, party machinery men/ women in a major party organisational structure.
ROBERT Macklin summed up succinctly the Shane Rattenbury push for needles in our jail – “madness” (Seven Days, CN, September 25).
Mike Crowther was a Community Alliance Party candidate at the 2008 ACT Assembly elections and a prison officer for 19 years during which time he suffered two needlestick injuries.
He gave his telling reasons for strongly opposing a needle exchange program in the Alexander Maconochie Centre in City News, August 5, 2010.
WINNERS of the five copies of the BBC “Wild Kingdom” DVD are Katharine Blackwell, of Braddon; Michelle Bollard, Watson; Teresa Maynard, Kambah; Dianne Perkins, Lyneham and Brian Taylor, Kambah.
Ric Hingee, Duffy
Today, intravenous injection of contaminated blood is virtually the only way to contract hep C. With this in mind, if as little as half a per cent of an alleged health-oriented product was known to spread serious disease upon sharing, it would be banned immediately. Can it be imagined that any authority would release transmission devices into an enclosed community where the disease already existed?
Colliss Parrett, Fellow, Drug Free Australia, Barton
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NOT that the debate over which was Canberra’s first Chinese restaurant was raging since columnist Mark Parton nominated Happy’s in Garema Place the other week, but it has been the subject of some recent historical discussion.
Local historian and author Nick Swain, quoting from his piece in the November edition of “Canberra History News”, says Happy’s began in Queanbeyan in April, 1957, and branched out to Lonsdale Street the following August. By October, the unstoppable Happy’s was at the Starlight Drive-in. However, it was not until 1963 that Happy’s appeared in Garema Place.
“I was also interested to find that in January, 1957, the Casablanca at Kingston was advertising that its meals were cooked by the famous Chinese chef Happy late of The Bamboo, Sydney,” he says.
The plot thickens slightly in that the improbably named Gloucester Restaurant in Civic advertised in June 1956 that it was serving genuine Chinese meals and had a Chinese chef.
“There is still debate about whether Happy’s was the earliest Chinese restaurant in Canberra,” says Nick, saging warning that “terminology is important”.
HE looks like the happiest man in the world, but this picture of Goodwin Village, Monash, resident Steve Alt shows him surrendering his licence last year aged 99 after an unblemished 80 plus years of driving and never having been in an accident.
“Quite a record!” says son-inlaw Stephen Bills, who explained that a fall and a fractured hip had ended Steve’s car driving, though these days he gets along in a motorised wheelchair.
Bombala-born Steve has just celebrated his centenary at the Vikings Club, Greenway, with more than 100 guests coming from as far afield as NZ, Sydney and regional NSW.
Having a ball at the
“I’M the mayor, get me out of here”... Here’s a shot of Queanbeyan’s number one citizen, besuited Tim Overall, walking the talk inside a water ball to launch the inaugural Queanbeyan River Festival, which will be held on the banks of the Queanbeyan River, noon-7pm, on Saturday, October 11.
Event co-ordinator, Emma Hawke,
IN December
last year Canberra teenager Josh Goyne, pictured, took off from Lake Ginninderra and pedalled 277 kilometres in a bike ride to Sydney to raise money and awareness for stroke victims.
“It’s all in honour of my grandfather, who’s just suffered his fifth stroke and he’s paralysed from the waist down now,” Josh said at the time.
says: “The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Play and Protect’. We wanted to ensure the event had lots of activities to complement the river.”
There will be water balls, kayaks and stand up paddles, children’s picnic games, stage shows, fishing workshops. The full program’s at qcc.nsw.gov.au
This year, on December 6, the 16-year-old Melba Copland Secondary School student is planning to ride 679 kilometres to Melbourne, sadly this time in memory of his grandfather Barry, who suffered another stroke and died last month.
“I don’t want anything for Christmas, just to make my grandfather proud through doing the ride in his honour and fulfilling his final wish of me fixing and repairing his pride and passion, his 40-year-old tractor,” says Josh.
Support to barrysarmy@gmail. com or Josh’s Facebook page at facebook.com/strokeawarenessride
AFTER 25 years, La Scala, one of Canberra’s best-known Italian restaurants is closing at the end of December. The Garema Place eatery is making way for its cafe neighbour Shorty’s expansion plans.
THE Cock and Crown at the Woden Churches Centre, Phillip, serves beer. But it’s not a pub, it’s a new barbershop for “today’s gentleman of leisure” that serves beer with your cut.
Lazy running or lazy spelling? CC isn’t sure but in announcing locations for a come-and-try week of “the new, fun, friendly way to run,” the organisers of Lazy Way Running managed this howler when spelling Lake “Burleigh” Griffin.
“THINK before you toss,” is the sound advice of Emergency Services Minister, Simon Corbell . The context, of course, is the $300 fine for discarding a lit cigarette.
WOFTAM is an internet slang acronym for what we have politely interpreted as “waste of fecking time and money”. Now knowing that, a reader wonders “would it be appropriate to call the light rail proposal a WOFTRAM, ie. Waste Of Fecking Time Resources and Money?”
INDONESIA is celebrating its 69th independence anniversary and to mark the occasion the Indonesian Embassy held a reception on the most perfect Canberra spring day – albeit more than a month after the official August 16 date.
Guests were spilling outside to enjoy the weather, the neverending trays of delicious taste treats and the usual conviviality of this occasion.
Dancers dressed in spectacular costumes dripping in gold performed a dance to celebrate the ancient trading empire of Srivijaya in South Sumatra that flourished in the 5th-7th centuries AD. The girls held steady the elaborate golden crowns that looked just a bit too heavy for anything other than a gentle
To toast the occasion the ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema made mention of his recent extended “home leave” when things were a bit testy between us, but he’s quietly slipped back to Canberra to continue this posting with his wife and daughter on hand to keep the niceties of diplomacy ticking over.
The FIRST IGA ROOFTOP HOUSE GALA DINNER 2014
This unique IGA Rooftop House program is a program that is much needed by the wider community, a program that will prosper through community, business and government participation, a program that will eventually be supported nationally with an IGA Rooftop House built near every major or regional hospital.
As a new initiative of Rooftop Foundation – a not for profit charity – The IGA Rooftop House Project relies on fundraising, community partners and the generosity of business and the local community to meet the needs of providing house and support families of individuals from regional areas who are experiencing serious illnesses requiring hospital treatment where accommodation is not available or too expensive to house the entire family where required.
This years first ball promises to be an opportunity to raise funds for local people in our community who are doing it tough.
DATE: Friday 31st October, 2014
WHERE: Corinna Ballroom, Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden 92-96 Corinna Street, Phillip ACT 2606
TIME: 6.45pm for 7.30pm start
DRESS: Formal
PARKING: Open air parking directly opposite the Club COST: $120 per person, tables of 10. Includes a three course meal plus beer, wine and soft drink
You’re invited to the
Sundays from 10am, 2CC Talking Canberra presents an exciting new concept on Canberra radio – the CityNews Sunday Roast.
It’s a program that will trigger conversation and debate with news, views and background to issues that affect the great city in which we live.
And it’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” writers and 2CC’s local personalities.
Be a part of the discussion and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon
Weston Creek and Woden retune 7 October 2014 Tuggeranong and surrounds retune 9 October 2014
If you live in Weston Creek, Woden or Tuggeranong, you may find some TV channels missing on 7 and/or 9 October. To get your channels back, you’ll need to retune your TV or digital equipment.
This is part of the final step in Australia’s move to digital-only TV and it’s happening across Australia progressively until the end of 2014.
Viewers receiving their TV signal from Black Mountain Tower will retune later in the year.
Temporary outages affecting all channels may occur on or around the retune dates.
To find out if this is your retune date and to sign up for an SMS or email alert, visit the website.
1 2 3 For most systems press the MENU/SETUP button on your remote, or refer to your manufacturer’s handbook.
Follow the prompts to retune and your TV should automatically find all channels.
You can now keep watching your favourite shows.
Weston Creek and Woden retune 7 October 2014. Tuggeranong and surrounds retune 9 October 2014.
COMBINING contemporary fashion with artistic flair and edgy trends, local milliner Christine Waring ensures her hats are always wearable, too.
“Generally, over the past few years fashion trends in hats/ headpieces have been towards smaller and more sculptural pieces, particularly taller designs worn with their elevated trims more centred and towards the front,” she says. “Of course, the hat must always suit the client’s needs: with reference to client proportions and colouring and the design of her race day outfit.”
While sinamay is still used as a preferred construction medium, there is a strong trend towards hats from finer (parisisal) straws and
Ready-made and bespoke designs
Made-to-measure creations incorporating your concepts, fabric, style, colours and textures
One of Australia’s leading milliners
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bright leather, Christine says.
“Colour-blocking also continues to evolve, and florals remain influential. It’s going to be another bright season, but white, black, black and white are popular. Pinks - all shades, from pale to hot - will be everywhere and pops of yellow are expected.
“My spring/summer 2014/15 collection will be sculptural, but has strong feminine details. So my signature glossy straw petals, some on matching vines/branches, are rising from petite beret, pillbox and percher parisisal straw hats, with touches of leather.”
Christine Waring Designer Millinery, call 6248 9302 or visit christinewaringmillinery.com.au
MAKE your millinery fabulous for Melbourne Cup Day, says Briony Young, sales and marketing manager at Thoroughbred Park – because a small feathery fascinator just won’t cut it at Fashions on the Field this year.
“We’re seeing the return of the hat, which gives serious ‘wow’ factor, and also floral crowns for spring,” says Briony.
“But a fascinator just isn’t enough. We see people who are wearing a beautiful dress and shoes, but then they add a little fascinator with a couple of feathers – and it just doesn’t set the outfit off.
“We have such amazing milliners in Canberra, like Biretta and Busby, Christine Waring and Cynthia Bryson, who are making hats Australia-wide and are renowned for their skills.
“If you want to stand out, it’s worth visiting a milliner – for something original – it will be an investment and something you’ll have forever.”
Known as “the race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup is the richest two-mile handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races but, as Briony says, it’s more about the fashion than the horses.
Pastels and florals are in, Briony says, and the “Mad Men” style is back, too. There’s also a Japanese element in hats and outfits.
“But the peplum needs to disappear for
good now – its moment is over!” she says.
Although the Couples category has been dropped from Fashions on the Field this year, Briony says.
“Fashions on the Field is very regimented, and it’s great to see younger people taking that on board,” she says. “And without the Couples category, we’ve been able to put even better prizes into the Classic Ladies’ Racewear and Classic Men’s Racewear categories, so there’s some terrific incentives to take part!”
“You have to pay attention to every detail, down to your manicure and having your hair styled to perfectly suit your millinery.
“But remember, the judges love to see a unique outfit.
“It’s not about spending big bucks, either; we had a girl who was wearing a Chanel dress one year and she expected to win because of that – but another girl won in Melbourne with a $15 dress.
“It’s about how it works on you, and how you put together the accessories. You need to show a flair for fashion, and that’s an individual thing.
“Guys usually get up on stage and realise how much fun it is – and that the girls love them when they’re up there!”
More information at thoroughbredpark.com.au/melbourne-cup
INSPIRED by overseas travel and the beautiful fashions of Europe, Hanna Coady, of Studio Moda in Phillip, creates original, made-tomeasure dresses for formal events, race meets or weddings.
“I’ve been interested in handcrafts, and especially sewing, from my early childhood,” she says. “My first project was a blouse crafted from one of my mother’s dresses at the age of 10.”
Hanna says that all her dresses are crafted according to the style and fashion that will suit the wearer.
“I’m experienced in helping the wearer choose the style and fabrics that suit them best and make the design uniquely hers,” she says.
Hanna has a large selection of overseas sourced fabrics and materials to choose from, including satins, laces, taffetas and chiffons.
Studio Moda, 1/41-43 Colbee Court, Phillip. Call 6282 8003.
“TANNING makes you look healthier, slimmer and complements the perfect outfit on race day,” says Arety Krikonis, owner of Luscious Glow, a salon that offers spray-tanning, eyelash extensions and make-up services.
“It can even create a barrier to the sun and reduce the tendency for skin to burn.”
Arety began the business two years ago because: “I wanted to provided a service using products that suited people with allergies and sensitive skin, like me.”
The spray-tanning products she uses are 100 per cent organic, contain no harsh chemicals, animal products or petrochemicals, and are suitable for all skin types – even for those with eczema or psoriasis.
To ensure they get the right tan for their skin, every client is given a full consultation each time they visit the salon – even if they’ve been before.
“I love the look on my clients’ faces when they first see themselves in the mirror after coming out of the tanning booth, and they can see already that they look so much better,” says Arety.
This Melbourne Cup, Luscious Glow will be open all day Monday, November 3, for tanning and other services, and Tuesday morning so that “if people have a party for later in the day, they can come and have their make-up done beforehand.”
Book online at spraytanningcanberra.com/ contactbook-online.html
Exquisite, original, ready-made fashion garments
Gowns for all occcasions including formals and race day events Made to measure
wedding dresses in original designs
A range of beautiful fabric available Hanna Coady
Makeup and Spray Tanning appointments are available mornings of Monday and Tuesday during the Melbourne Cup. Solutions for sensitive and allergy skins. Natural colour, no orange tones. To make an appointment, visit www.spraytanningcanberra.com Bookings are essential.
THE sniffer dogs are out in full force when “CityNews” meets Max Gillies on the lawns downstage from Parliament House.
We can’t be absolutely sure that they’re looking for him, after all, security has been heightened by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
But it is the perfect setting for Gillies to talk about his coming show “Once Were Leaders”, a title he points out suggests that “politics are toxic”.
With that in mind and a serious concern that our present-day politicians are “plagued by the need for authenticity”, Gillies is abandoning his customary use of prosthetics to show us the real Max, looking back on his best scripts and our greatest (and not so great) leaders.
Gillies is a familiar face in the nation’s capital. Who could forget his rendition of John Howard in the show “You’re Dreaming” or years later his Amanda
Comedian Max Gillies tells arts editor HELEN MUSA he is abandoning his customary use of prosthetics to show us the real Max.
Vanstone (who, in real life, he admires) perched precariously on the edge of a grand piano eating KFC?
Prosthetics helped a lot in those portrayals.
But time takes its toll, the now 73-year-old Gillies tells me that after playing Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott in a show called “Godzone” several years ago in Melbourne, “I decided I was past the stage of dressing up and using props… when you are younger your face is more pliable, but at my age, playing Julia Gillard was grotesque.”
Gillies isn’t copying satirist John Clarke, who has always played in his own guise, but has rather decided in
Would you like to watch those old family videos once again, or listen to your favourite records on
We can take your vinyl records or cassette tapes and put
“Once Were Leaders” he pays tribute to the great scriptwriters with whom he has collaborated over many years – Don Watson, Patrick Cook and Guy Rundle.
“Don Watson?” I ask. Paul Keating’s speechwriter? Yes, says Gillies. Back in the ‘70s when Watson was a history teacher in Footscray, he showed Gillies a sketch called “Menzies in Heaven”, then went on to create the Bob Hawke sketches for Gillies over many years.
Gillies was also evolving into a politically-aware animal during the ‘80s, performing in Kinsela’s nightclub in Darlinghurst and discovering that audiences tuned out whenever he acted fictional characters – they wanted politicians.
He recalls the ‘80s as a golden era
of satire. As well as our own politicians there were the gigantic figures of Thatcher and Reagan.
“It was historical good fortune,” he says and his scriptwriters for the TV show “The Gillies Report” – Clarke, Cook and Phil Scott – took full advantage. But Gillies himself had been listening to Parliament on radio since he was a child, so brought his own perspective to the task.
Gillies only occasionally performs in plays nowadays, but “Once Were Leaders” gives him the chance to plunder the golden era for characters.
“This is not a theatre show,” he concludes, “it’s more like Charles Dickens reading from his works – “it’s a tribute to my writers”.
“Once Were Leaders”, The Playhouse, 8pm, October 23 and 24, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.
“The Immigrant” (M)
THE plaque attached to the plinth supporting the Statue of Liberty quotes from Emma Lazarus’s sonnet “New Colossus”.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Writer/director James Gray’s intense drama opens with a shot of Liberty shrouded in fog. The next two hours are spent demonstrating a microcosm of the US failure to honour those sentiments a mere 35 years after the statue’s dedication.
In the arrival hall on Ellis Island in 1921, health inspectors separate Polish sisters Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and Magda. Immigration officers accuse Ewa of immoral acts on the ship. From here the plot accompanies Ewa in her travails and confrontations with federal, state and municipal laws as she tries to earn money to pay for Magda’s hospitalisation. The suave Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix) greases palms to get Ewa ashore on the mainland. And we know what Bruno’s expecting Ewa to do in return, don’t we?
Emil (Jeremy Renner) performs an illusionism act in Bruno’s burlesque theatre where Ewa unwillingly dances in a small company of young women whom men from the audience can have in an upstairs room for $2 a pop, half for the woman, half for Bruno. Two men now desire Ewa who never loses sight of her main purpose – Magda.
It’s strong stuff, its period reconstructed with impressive verisimilitude and filmed in muted colours and lighting, its dramatic impact suffused with an ongoing sense of
gloom amid its poverty and depravity. The three principal performances (Cotillard, Phoenix and Renner) are powerful. And the emotional pitch is as you might expect –bleak until the last reel.
At Palace Electric
“The Skeleton Twins” (M)
IN California, Milo (Bill Hader) writes: “To whom it may concern, goodbye” on the back of an envelope then slits his wrist in the bath. Even at suicide, Milo, besides being gay, is ineffective. His twin sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig) brings him to New York to recover. They
have not contacted each other for a decade. He contacts bookshop owner Rich (Ty Burrell) who, when Milo was 15, seduced him. Maggie and affable Lance (Luke Wilson) are trying unsuccessfully to start a family. Maggie fills in the waiting time taking self-improvement courses, currently scuba diving under the tutelage of an Australian dive-master unfazed by conventional student-teacher relationship principles.
The main structural member of writer/di -
rector Craig Johnson’s plot is the interaction between the twins. It’s not good. Neither is it so bad as to explain why they’ve been so long without contact. Milo is pestering Rich, now going straight and fathering a son now in his teens, to renew their relationship. Maggie’s confession of serial infidelities when Lance finds her contraceptive pills destroys the marriage.
The pace at which this moves is relatively glacial, unblessed by emotional or behavioural elements that reach out to embrace filmgoers. Wiig and Hader have a shared background in network TV comedy. Wiig’s filmography includes many very funny roles. I hoped to see them here. Alas, no.
At Palace Electric
“The Little Death” (MA)
THE title of writer/director/actor Josh Lawson’s film is the literal English translation of the French colloquial expression for orgasm. No love-making should finish without at least one each.
In Sydney, partners in hetero couples confess their secret yearnings for special experiences to enhance orgasmic intensity.
While convention might consider the centre of human sexual satisfaction to be between the thighs, the reality is that its true engine lies between the ears. Acknowledg -
ing this, Lawson’s film shuns visual exposure in favour of external behaviour stimuli. Foreplay consists mostly of participants talking about how they want things to proceed.
A film canvassing intimate practices that few would reveal to even closest friends (unless, of course, group sex is their thing) manifests Lawson’s courage in choosing his film’s theme, restraining it within reasonable bounds of community standards. The result does little to advance public awareness of the infinite variety of sexual technique. For that, you must visit the internet!
In the film’s most challenging session, a Skype conversation between a deaf mute man and a female call-centre signer lists inter alia a catalogue of erotic variability. Delivering gifts of home-baked gingerbread men to make neighbourhood acquaintances, newcomer Steve (Kim Gyngell) ends each conversation by saying that Federal law requires him to reveal that he’s a convicted sex offender.
Section 51 of the Constitution is an entertaining read, but nowhere does it mention sex.
At Capitol 6 and Palace Electric
By Helen Musa
ONE of the hit numbers in the coming production of “Sunset Boulevard” at The Q is “Let’s Have Lunch”, a showstopper with most of the cast on stage.
It’s a song that captures the Hollywood ethos and to Vanessa de Jager, who plays the young romantic lead, Betty Schaefer, having lunch with “CityNews” is a good excuse to show off some of the glamorous late ‘40s fashion she’ll be wearing.
To musical director Sharon Tree, it’s an excuse to let off steam. “Sunset Boulevard”, you see, is among the most musically challenging of Lloyd Webber’s shows, especially “Let’s Have Lunch”, which she describes as “most complicated and contrapuntal… I have to do it again and again just so that I know I can… it makes me feel as if I’m limping.”
The show is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 15-song recreation of Billy Wilder’s celebrated 1950 noir film, from which wordsmiths Don Black and Christopher Hampton took most of the lyrics. Tree is one of Canberra’s most in-demand singing teachers, she masterminded the orchestral section of Supa’s “War of the Worlds”, played keyboard in “The Phantom of the Opera” and is now working on next year’s stadium production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
While her favourite composers are Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, she credits Lloyd Webber with writing great tunes that people can actually remember (for instance, in this show “With One Look” and “Greatest Star of All”) and a gift for creating complex harmonies.
De Jager’s character Betty has several lovely melodic moments with her opposite number, the ambitious young scriptwriter Joe Gillis, played by Daniel Wells.
Betty, in the rather kinky story of “Sunset Boulevard”, is the young studio staffer to whom the doomed Joe escapes every night after becoming lover/toyboy to the demanding former screen diva, Norma Desmond.
“He treats me like an equal,” de Jager says of Joe, but as anyone who knows the movie is aware, this is not a partnership that’s going anywhere.
Both Tree and de Jager have become quite fascinated by this production’s star act, Bronwyn Sullivan, who plays Norma Desmond. While Tree is quick to praise the musical ability of the other principals (they all read music, which makes her life much easier), all eyes are on Sullivan, who brings mystery, glamour and a thrilling stage voice to the role.
Close as they are to the show, Tree and de Jager are still puzzling over the grand exit of Norma in the arms of the police.
“You see her unravel and you ask yourself, how mad is she? Or is she still playing a role?” they chorus.
And with deep and meaningful questions like that, dessert can’t come too soon.
“Sunset Boulevard”, directed by Stephen Pike, at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, October 8-25. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.
PETER Shaffer’s “Equus”, one of the most memorable and popular plays of the 1970s, details a harrowing investigation of a horrendous crime by a psychiatrist with serious self-doubts of his own.
This production by barb barnett lacked pace and energy on opening night. Performances were uneven, in several cases lacking depth and needing more vocal projection.
Only at the end, in the long psychiatric re-enactment of the crime, did the production display the level of intensity required to draw audiences in, mainly due to the performances of Jerry Hearn as the psychiatrist and Benjamin Hardy as the youth.
An important element of a production of “Equus” is the way the horses are depicted. The masks designed by S.E. O’Brien were excellent, but the device lost a lot of its power with the actors often just holding the horse heads rather than
“Equus’”
Written by Peter Shaffer, directed by barb barnett for Canberra Rep At Theatre 3, until October 11.
Reviewed by Len Power
wearing them. There was no sense of the youth’s perception of the horses as awesome God-like creatures. A key scene set on a beach where the youth first encounters a horse was awkwardly staged.
Although set in the present, the play is showing its age, especially in the scene set in a cinema showing a Danish soft core movie. The relationship of the parents and the troubled youth seem more 1970s than today as well.
Nevertheless, “Equus” is still a play with a lot of power to intrigue and disturb audiences.
-35° 16’ 46.45” S – 149° 7’ 35.23” E = directions to Molly. You can’t get more precise directions to a bar. Don’t look for a sign, neon lights, or a sandwich board with an arrow pointing you the right way.
IF you’re great at coordinates you’ll find it easy to get to this fabulous new speakeasy everyone is talking about. If not, then head to Hobart Place. Find the big wooden door. Open. Walk down a mysterious set of stairs. Open another door and, bam, you’re in.
It’s no surprise that Molly is secretive. Speakeasies have always been about “shhh”. They illegally sold alcohol in the US during Prohibition and while most disappeared in 1933, speakeasies are making a comeback. While many offer a surface experience, Molly transports you to a different era.
Dark lighting. Raw interior elements. A massive selection of alcohol (four pages of whiskey alone). And the music. Think “La Vie en
Rose” by Louis Armstrong. It sums it up.
We perched at the long copper bar. The alcohol line-up is mind boggling and includes whiskies from Canada, Ireland, NZ, Scotland and more. There’s even a single malt from India.
We sipped on the superb Hibiki 17-year-old whisky from Japan, awarded editor’s choice by “Whiskey Magazine”, and well worth a try. But what about food?
Here Molly shines. It features a cheese and charcuterie station with strands of garlic and big slabs of meat hanging on hooks, a huge bowl of apples, and a meat-slicing machine. So it’s charcuterie that you order.
All plates are $25 – Spanish, Italian, French or a Greek plate, or just cheese or meat. Our French plate was exceptionally presented, with fanned apple, three delicately placed cheeses, a stunning presentation of razor-thin slices of two types of meat and fresh breads from Whisk Bakery. It’s the best charcuterie plate I’ve had in Canberra and the best value by far.
The Montecatini Pancetta was to die for – pork belly salted with garlic, red wine spices
and beautifully cured. Although “mild” it offered a nice kick and we wanted more and more and more. This is specialty smallgoods (from NSW) at their peak. The cheeses were excellent, although we found some too cold, which affected their texture.
You can pay to be a VIP at
“WOMEN Together: Conflict, Courage and Hope” is an exhibition of 37 photos by Kenyan photographer Thomas Mukoya staged by UNHCR at Nishi Gallery, NewActon, until October 5. It shows how the UN Refugee Agency and its partners help women rebuild their lives in often remote and dangerous locations.
FURTHER to last week’s news about the 2014 Stencil Art Prize, we are happy to report that among the finalists are Canberrans “Byrd” from Kaleen and Angus Comyns from Narrabundah. Byrd’s unusual entry is stencilled on to a child’s denim jacket in 15 colours.
MEA culpa: it was Geoffrey Borny, not Ian Croker, who played the psychiatrist Dr Dysart in the last Canberra production of “Equus,” now revived by Canberra Rep.
IN “Voices from Heaven” the Llewellyn Choir, conducted by Rowan Harvey-Martin with accompanist
Molly ($2000) which gives you three bottles of alcohol that you can store onsite in an old bank vault (indeed, a bank once occupied the space) and enjoy other privileges, including the ability to book a table (other than that, no bookings taken).
Molly. A true speakeasy experience.
Hobart Place, 4pm-2am, Tuesday-Saturday.
Anthony Smith, will perform works by English composers influenced by their experiences in World War I. At the High Court of Australia, 1pm, Sunday, October 5. Free event.
BRAIDWOOD Regional Arts Group will hold its spring exhibition, “Homage to Wood”, at the Braidwood Community Arts Centre until Sunday, October 12, 10am-3pm, Friday to Monday. Artisan talk by architect-turned boat builder, Antony Harvey, at 2 pm on Monday, October 6.
SENATOR Kate Lundy will launch Canberra Botanical’s Floriade-time exhibition at 6pm, on October 2, at M16 Artspace, Griffith. Artists from Tasmania, NSW and Victoria and the Canberra region will be exhibiting in the show that runs until October 19, 10am to 5pm daily. There’s a Judges’ Prize of $1000 for an outstanding artwork.
PLANNING is underway for Gundaroo Public School’s 150th anniversary celebrations on March 21, 2015. Readers with memorabilia or just keen to get involved can contact gundaroo-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au or call 6236 8115.
COLOURFUL mosaics and stained-glass artworks are around every corner in Tina Van Raay’s Campbell garden, but the design of the space is a work of art in itself, with a central Celtic cross path leading off to secret corners in all directions, framed by towering gum trees and the reserve beyond.
“It’s an amazing place; we’re three minutes to the city but backing on to the reserve here it feels like we’re in the bush,” says Tina.
The garden will be open to the public for the first time on the weekend of October 11 and 12 as part of Open Gardens Australia’s final run, and Tina says that while it’s been a lot of work, “it’s also got me outside, putting thought into the garden and ultimately I’m making part of the world beautiful. What can be better than that?”
The sound of running water creates a relaxing backdrop to a space that Tina says could once have been described as “weeds around a trampoline and a washing line”.
She says she couldn’t wait to redesign the space, and while she loves structured gardens, she says for her own she didn’t have a specific plan.
“My husband Rob and I decided to have our wedding in the garden in 2000, so we brought in some rocks and
dug out the pond to get things ready for the ceremony,” she says. “That was how it all started, and the artworks crept in from there.”
As a mosaic and stained-glass artist, Tina says that much of her art has been geared towards the garden. Her work is inspired by her travels, including trips to Italy, Ireland, the Middle East, Istanbul and Alaska.
It’s also a practical garden, with Rob taking carriage of the thriving veggie patch, chooks and composting in the top left corner.
Hidden away up the path on the right-hand side, through a stained-glass archway and past several mosaic toadstools and “Victor Borge”, the giant mosaic dog, is Tina’s domain; a secret fairy garden loved by their nine grandchildren, and a spectacular mosaic seating area inspired by the starbursts in the Galla Placidia mausoleum in Ravenna, Italy.
“We love sitting here; in the summer it’s shady and cool and in the winter the sun streams in,” she says.
Tina’s garden, 28 Vasey Crescent, Campbell, open Saturday, October 11, and Sunday, October 12, 10am-4.30pm. Adults $8, children under 18 are free. Funds raised will go to the Canberra Refugee Support Group and Open Gardens Australia. More information at opengarden.org.au.
ANNUALS provide the “quick thrill” in gardens. They are planted for the moment and have to be replanted several times a year.
For example, pansies and violas for winter and petunias for summer, repeated year after year at considerable cost.
Perennials are the way to go –plant them now for flowers for all seasons for years to come. The big plus is they provide hundreds of extra plants at no cost.
For example, I planted three standard 150mm pots of different salvias last spring, which provided brilliant late summer and autumn colour. In late autumn they were cut to ground level and divided.
Each of the original 150mm pots, after dividing, yielded at least 10 extra plants or a total of 30 more plants.
At the end of the coming autumn I can divide each plant again to yield several hundred more plants. More than enough for my garden plus potting up for church or school plant stalls.
Perennial plants provide colour without continual replanting. As one variety finishes flowering, the next is springing into action. Some die down after flowering and others stay evergreen.
For suggestions by season go to cedricbryant.com click on Cedfacts and scroll down to “Perennials for
EXPERIENCED gardeners know that weed mat can kill plants because water doesn’t penetrate the mat.
In a garden I was redesigning recently I noticed that weed mat had been used extensively and, despite the regular rain of the last few months, the ground under the weed mat was rock solid and bone dry. Not a worm in sight – and no worms means no plant growth. Although it may sound ridiculous, weeds generally don’t come from under the ground, but on top, spread by birds, wind etcetera. With a foot of concrete under the mulch, weeds will still appear. Where weed mat is used, plant roots grow just under the mat and fine roots tangle through it.
TEMPERATURES need to be consistently over 20C, not just sudden short bursts of warmth, to release the fertiliser used in slow-release resin pellets.
This means that besides not being organic, plants will not be fertilised just when you want, which is now.
WHEN planting up in pots always look for containers with straight sides rather than Alibaba-type pots
that taper in at the top.
If shrubs die in this type of container it is almost impossible to get the dead plant out of the pot. Think about a selection of plants to give continuity of colour over a long period. Preferably plants that flower at different times.
Use the best premium grade organic potting mix and water in with Maxicrop Seaweed plant nutrient to establish strong roots. Plus raise the container off the ground.
• Cut back penstemons almost to ground level.
• Re-pot house plants into the next size pot using premium-grade potting mix.
• Plant gladioli a few at a time over a few weeks for continuous flowering over a longer period.
• Core lawns and apply Multicrop liquid GroundBreaker for improved
water penetration. Call Paul Howard Lawn Coring on 0412 483846.
• Cut back and divide agapanthus. It’s not easy and I use a tomahawk, which doesn’t seem to worry them.
Whether it’s a whole-house declutter or a serious cleaning session, spring is the time to get things organised! Here are a couple of options to help with cleaning up and taking out the trash...
FOR a thorough spring clean, Complete Surface Care and Cleaning offers carpet, tile and grout, upholstery and concrete cleaning, using the latest equipment on the market, and 10 years of experience in the industry.
Joe Agnello, the main operator, has been running this business in the ACT for 12 months after a long history in the industry, using the best technology available and the best super-powerful mobile cleaning vehicles in Australia.
Using an environmentally friendly, powerful, high-temperature, truck-mounted
machine for hot-water extraction, “there’s not much it can’t get out,” says Joe. Red wine, dye, food stains, pet stains, oil and grease, magic marker, ink, gum, and wax can all be removed using this method. They also can recolour grout, remove graffiti and have a 24-hour emergency call out service for flood damage.
Based in the ACT, Joe and his team also service Queanbeyan and the south coast.
For the 24-hour flood damage hotline, call 0488 822273. More information on regular services at csccleaning.com.au
FOR hassle-free decluttering, Aussie Skip Bags are a userfriendly, simple and convenient alternative to standard skip bins, says stockist John Cobanov.
The bright pink canvas Skip Bags come in three sizes, and can be purchased from hardware stores such as Bunnings, and some supermarkets, as well as online. When empty, the bags, which come in a pouch, can be easily lifted by hand, and customers say that “it’s very easy to wheel a wheelbarrow right into it when filling it up,” says John.
There are no time limits or hire fees, so the bags can be filled with garden waste, building materials, and household waste and appliances at leisure, then collected by John when pick-up is requested.
The entire process can be completed
online, and John offers a discount for pensioners.
John has been delivering and collecting Aussie Skip Bags in the Canberra and Queanbeyan area, a fairly new concept, for only a year, and says that their flexibility and ease of use means that they “are used for clean-up at fetes, at aged care facilities, during construction and for garden and household waste. We’ll pick up everything.”
To order an Aussie Skip Bag or to have one collected, go to aussieskipbags.com.au or call John Cobanov on 0418 220333
Joanne Madeline Moore
your week in the stars – October 6-12, 2014
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
The Lunar Eclipse is in your sign, so aim to be a pioneer. Perhaps an eco-warrior cum peace activist, or you could have the first carbon neutral house on the block? Be inspired by fellow Aries, Fred Hollows (who restored eyesight to people in the Third World). He encouraged others: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Being super possessive about a person (or material possession) will only lead to a whole lot of trouble this week Taurus. So strive to be less precious about what you own and who you love. Attached Bulls – your partner is looking to you for some sensible advice. Singles, you’re attracting a few flirtatious admirers, but make them prove themselves before you ride off into a romantic sunset.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
A situation (with a child, teenager, lover or friend) looks chaotic, as you misinterpret their actions. Ask for some clarification before you jump to hasty and half-baked conclusions! Keep in mind that Mercury is retrograde until October 26. Cooperation and clear communication will get you a lot further than confusion and confrontation, so aim to be a gracious and genial Gemini.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Crabs will be anything but congenial this week as the Lunar Eclipse cranks up your cantankerous, crabby side – and volatile Sun/Venus/Uranus/Mercury aspects highlight worries at work or havoc at home. So you’ll need to be on your toes! Plus do your best to avoid stressful situations and people who push your emotional buttons, as you will pick up negative energy like a sponge.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
The Lunar Eclipse causes chaos mid-week, as Lions lurch from one drama to another. If you are too hasty you could find yourself headed for an argument or accident so pace yourself, and take particular care when walking and driving - no distractions! Fabulous aspects (on Friday/Saturday) put an extra spring in your step and a smile on your dial. Be proactive about a problem with a child or friend.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Retrograde Mercury continues to confuse communication (until October 26) so be extra careful Virgo when talking, texting and sending messages via social media. But, if you obsess over minor matters and meticulous details too much, then you’ll overlook the bigger picture. As birthday great John Lennon sang: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Peace and harmony are a faraway dream this week Libra, as the Lunar Eclipse, Pluto and Uranus stir up problems with partnerships – of the romantic and platonic variety. Expect the unexpected, and try to stay calm. With the Sun, Venus and retrograde Mercury all visiting your sign, comfort eating is a danger and it will be difficult to stick to your chosen diet. So try to employ some restraint.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Mid-week looks intense as the Lunar Eclipse and Venus/Pluto square stir up inner compulsions, submerged secrets and hidden resentments. Plus you could become possessive about a person, possession or place. Strive to keep things in perspective. By the time the weekend comes around, you’re in high spirits as others sit up and take notice of your numerous Scorpio talents.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Prepare to inspire others with your high spirits and contagious enthusiasm! You’re at your bouncy and buoyant best, as Jupiter boosts confidence levels and puts extra wind in your Sagittarian sails. But your affections are changeable and erratic, as you do too many things and catch up with too many people. By all means have fun but you’ll have a more pleasurable week if you pace yourself.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Family fiascos have got your head in a perpetual spin but do your best to sort out simmering domestic dramas. A relative will be anything but reasonable so strive to be a cool, calm and collected Capricorn, as you focus on the positives. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great, Desmond Tutu: “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Avant-garde Aquarius - expect the sparks to fly this week, as the Lunar Eclipse fires up emotions and Uranus heats up your hasty, rebellious side. If you must be a rebel, try to be one with a worthy cause. Plus slow down, otherwise you’re likely to over-react and do something that you later regret. When it comes to ambitions and aspirations, you’re feeling restless and ready for change.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
Hey Fish … a fresh fiscal cycle calls for a radical new approach. Cut the dead wood and start building firm financial foundations by taking on a second job; setting up a savings account; paying off debt; employing a hot shot accountant; or fine-tuning your investment portfolio. Don’t procrastinate Pisces! The more proactive you are, the more positive your financial future will be. Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2014
Across
4 Name a rare green variety of beryl, highly valued as a gem (7)
8 Who was Australia’s prime minister 1972-1975? (7)
9 Which ships carry mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route? (7)
10 To be reasonable is to be what? (7)
11 What is the state of being corpulent? (7)
12 Which establishment produces chardonnay, claret or the like? (6)
14 To be frightened, is to be what? (6)
18 What, amongst other things, is a treasurer responsible for? (7)
21 Name another term for governesses (7)
22 What are spaces, entirely void of matter? (7)
23 To be honest, or just, is to be what? (7)
24 What does one do, who acts in opposition? (7)
Down
1 Name one of the numerous small, longwinged passerine birds (7)
2 Which gambling game is also known as housie-housie? (5)
3 What is the earlier NRL player, Steve Roach affectionately called? (7)
4 To use the services of a person is to do what? (6)
5 Which term (often in two letters) describes a master of ceremonies? (5)
6 Name another expression for an artist’s studio (7)
7 Who was one of Australia’s most outstanding balladeers, Slim ...? (5)
13 What is a more common term for tyros? (7)
15 Name the Scottish actor, noted for his portrayal of James Bond, Sir Sean ...? (7)
16 Which term describes “the mass per unit of volume”? (7)
17 What is an official enumeration of inhabitants, with details of age, sex, etc? (6)
18 What is a considerable natural stream of flowing water? (5)
19 Which parts of speech comprise words denoting persons, places, things, etc? (5)
20 Name the sixth sign of the Zodiac? (5)
Kurt is about to renovate an old property he bought as an investment a couple of years ago with the plan of improving the rent. He wants to know what he can claim as a tax deduction.
“I am glad that you came in before you started,” I told him, “that way I can really help you maximise your deductions.
“Repairs are deductible in full while improvements are deductible under the capital allowance rules, namely 2.5 per cent a year over the next 40 years. You can also get a full deduction for any depreciable items that you scrap and replace during the renovation, but you must follow certain steps for it all to work effectively.”
I also alerted him that all items subject to the 2.5 per cent capital allowance rate get added back to the cost base when the property was sold.
“This may sound as if you don’t get any benefit from the capital allowance but as capital gains tax is calculated at 50 per cent of the normal rate for an individual you still are entitled to 100 per cent of the deductions through the years that you own the property and you effectively only add half of it back,” I advised him.
Kurt said he was a little confused, but thought it meant that he still retained half the deductions he had received.
“Exactly right, Kurt,” I reassured him. “You will need to engage a quantity surveyor to value the depreciable items at the date of the renovation and you can then claim a deduction based on the value of the items at that date which you have not depreciated.”
Despondently, Kurt said it seemed “like a lot of work.”
“The last client who did this found about $10,000 of additional deductions which he wasn’t expecting and, therefore, got an additional tax benefit of nearly $5000,” I told him.
“Obviously the amount of tax saved will depend on the renovation and your marginal tax rate.
“The quantity surveyor should also look at the renovation specifications as there may be some items which may be classified as repairs, although from what you have said, that is not very likely.
“It is also important that you get a new report from the quantity surveyor when the renovations are finished so that you can maximise your depreciation deductions going forward.”
Kurt said that as he was doing a big renovation, it sounded like the costs of the building reports would be saved in the additional tax savings.
“Correct again, Kurt,” I said. “It also means that you will have the comfort of knowing that if the Australian Taxation Office does audit you at any time you have the objective reports from the quantity surveyor proving all your claims. It also makes it easier for us to prepare your depreciation schedules going forward.”
If you need any help with your rental property and deduction claims contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co.
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