Big snouts in the election trough
MICHAEL MOORE
Symptoms of sick hospitals
ROBERT MACKLIN
Volume rises on noise protests CATHERINE CARTER
Police apathy disappoints LETTERS
New hands for Floriade? CANBERRA CONFIDENTIAL
Stars of the fleeting fragrance
CEDRIC BRYANT
The best-Christmas-ever guide EIGHT PAGES OF IDEAS
Arts editor HELEN MUSA talks with singer Verity Hunt-Ballard, the star of the ‘ballsy’ new production of ‘Sweet Charity’.
“I’M a new mummy, so I get a bit muddled,” the star of “Sweet Charity”, Verity Hunt-Ballard, tells “CityNews”.
Not so muddled that she can’t manage to play the perennially optimistic dance hall girl Charity Hope Valentine at Canberra Theatre Centre in February.
The big songs “Big Spender”, “The Rhythm Of Life” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now” are well known, but this close-up version (described as “ballsy”) is the one that astonished audiences at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre earlier this year and won Hunt-Ballard a Helpmann Award for “Best Female Actor in a Musical”.
A Sydney production is one thing, but the packing needed to take 20-month-old Emmylou with her on tour is perplexing her a bit right now.
“I very much enjoy being a mother,” she says, and she’s bringing Emmylou along because “it’s all going so quickly.”
Luckily her partner, actor Scott Johnson, isn’t working over the holiday season and producer Lisa Campbell, a mother herself, has supported her in this aim.
In this show she plays the sadly hopeful Charity Hope Valentine in a refreshing slant on the 1966 Neil Simon-Bob Fosse musical that was itself inspired by a Fellini film.
“It’s been a wonderful journey,” she says of both her role and of the “incredible support from my family”. Actresses have been mothers since time immemorial, but with the advent of the internet and mobile phones it’s been a lot easier for her than in the bad old days when, as former “Sweet Charity” star Nancye Hayes has reminded her, performing mothers left their children with total strangers.
Hunt-Ballard is no stranger to Australian audiences, having shot to fame as Mary Poppins in the 2011 Disney and Cameron Mackintosh touring production.
But her present role “can be quite unnerving for a mum, though I bring maturity to it,” she says. During the tight
three weeks’ rehearsal, she “got in and dug deep”, finding that, like Charity Hope Valentine, “you can’t give up”.
Hunt-Ballard and her fellow actors take Neil Simon’s script very seriously and as well they’ve been going back to the “very gritty” Fellini film in the hope of making the story less a psychedelic Broadway musical in the manner of the Shirley MacLaine movie and a little darker, like Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria”.
For no matter how you try to package it, girls like Charity Hope Valentine, unmarried, with no education, had to sell sex to survive.
“If I don’t turn tricks, I don’t eat,” she says, so Charity Hope Valentine only once shows signs of shame when she sings “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”.
And Neil Simon’s “so clever, so funny” script gets laughs in the sad scene where she applies for a job at an office.
Hunt-Ballard has invented a life story for Charity Hope Valentine, imagining her as an orphan who likes to amuse people.
She was flattered when actor Geoffrey Rush dashed up to her after a performance and said: “You know Verity, she’s a clown,
just like a commedia dell’arte clown.”
And the part feels real.
“We’ve all been rejected,” Hunt-Ballard says, so her song “Where Am I Going?” draws tears from the audience.
The production, directed by Dean Bryant and choreographed by Andrew Hallsworth, has been much-praised for its stripped-back aspects, but Hunt-Ballard is quick to assert that they’ve stayed true to Neil Simon and to Bob Fosse’s extraordinary choreography.
So what’s it been like transitioning from super-confident, “physically refined” and “otherworldly” Mary Poppins to down-atthe-heels Charity Hope Valentine?
“It was a bit of a slog at first – so fullon,” she says. But then fellow star Martin Crewes, told her: “You feel that because you are a mum”, so she used all her “tiredness and hormonal stuff” to fill out the role.
In the end, with the uncanny similarity of the names Verity and Charity, friends started sending her cards addressed to Charity Hunt-Ballard.
“Sweet Charity”, at The Playhouse, February 11-21, bookings to canberratheatrecentre. com.au or 6275 2700.
Southport comprises a collection of exclusive apartments and terrace homes, set in the much-anticipated and newly-released Southquay in Tuggeranong.
Engaging seamlessly with the waterfront precinct, Southport embodies urban living in one of Canberra’s largest town centres. Designed by Cox Architects, Southport is a master planned development, features a high level of inclusion and interior concepts and is ageless in its design.
Created as a complete retreat, with an unprecedented level of amenity and facilities; Southport offers maximum space for living.
All residences are complemented by recreational spaces designed to make life at Southport an enriched one; outdoor pools set amongst beautifully landscaped gardens, elevated recreational decks and viewing spaces, sauna and a finely appointed 250sqm gymnasium.
Living in Style is a one-stop destination for stylish décor and gift requirements. A Pandora’s Box of contemporary, unusual and quirky items from across Australia and around the world, the store continually delights customers. Hilarious cards, aprons and mugs. Speciality items for home, office, garden and pets. Free gift wrapping.
TEL 6295 6894 facebook.com/pages/Living-In-Style-Manuka/512732572078001?ref=hl
T.O.D. Manuka imports impeccable classic pieces with a twist direct from Europe. We empower our customers with a fresh sense of fashion and sophistication. Since establishing in 1999, T.O.D. Manuka has cultivated a highly satisfied base of customers from around Australia who appreciate stylish garments and accessories.
TEL 6260 8844 / todesire.com.au
Creations is an award-winning, family-owned and operated business, something of a rarity in the traditional world of fine jewellery. The business has a modern approach and a keen sense of fashion. It specialises in designing, manufacturing and remodelling old jewellery. The friendly team of staff includes designers, gemologists and creative jewellers.
TEL 6295 1763 / creationsjewellers.com.au
Step inside this tastefully designed store to find a breathtaking selection of homewares to tempt the discerning decorator and gift buyer. Brands include Alessi, Design House, mud australia, Fink, iitalla, Papaya, Murano glass and Mondaine watches. We’re on hand to help with your gift choice and gift wrap your purchase.
TEL 6295 1985
This emporium of indulgent body care and bathroom luxuries will arouse your senses. Specialties include a range of L’Occitane en Provence, Voluspa scented candles, Missoni towels and bathrobes, SLIP silk pillowcases and luxurious bathrobes. Spoil yourself and your loved ones with fabulous gifts. You can even create your own gift basket.
TEL 6295 2255
Indulge and treat the kids with quality clothing, durable toys and unusual gifts. This cosy little shop is brimming with great gift ideas for newborns to school age. Labels include Petit Bateau, Oobi, Oishi-M and Marrimekko. You’ll find educational games, charming mobiles, cute ride-on toys, colourful backpacks, and Tiger Tribe toys.
TEL 6239 7235
Manuka Flowers has been providing stunning designer flowers for over 19 years with attention to detail and personal service. We provide flowers for all occasions, specialising in weddings, functions and corporate designs, delivering locally, nationally and internationally. Manuka Flowers has moved to a new, larger studio in Palmerston Lane.
TEL 6295 0713 / www.manukaflowers.com.au
Escala Shoes sources shoes and accessories from exciting designers in Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Australia, bringing cutting-edge designs to customers. Escala Shoes provides signature looks that are elegant, highly wearable and on-trend. Established under the present ownership in 1999, Escala Shoes has been in retail for almost 30 years.
TEL 6232 7666 / escala-shoes.com.au
Find fanciful fashion and whimsical wares for babies and children up to 16 years at Wolfie. We select the best quality clothes, shoes and gifts, so children can run wild and play hard. Kids can play in the outdoor forest while you shop. Brands include Sudo, Paper Wings, Eeeni Meeni and Wilson & Frenchy.
TEL 6239 6038 / wearwolfie.com.au
Marilyn and Arthur at Mail Boxes Etc Manuka, have been providing a range of services to customers for 19.5 years. Business services include digital, offset printing, courier, freight and mail services. Christmas promotion: We will pack and send your Christmas goods anywhere in the world with a trusted carrier.
TEL 6239 5122 / mbemanuka.com.au
Dedicated to sourcing unique and beautiful products from around the world, Country House Manuka is truly a feast for the senses. For 22 years, Marlene McCarthy has personally selected a diverse range of personal accessories and homewares, all chosen for their superb quality, beautiful design and the best materials.
TEL 6295 1502 / countryhousemanuka.com
As Canberra’s favourite independent bookstore, our comfortable atmosphere is perfect for browsing. With knowledgeable staff who are passionate about reading, and a huge range of titles, we can find the right book for you. We hold regular events with authors and are open 9am to 8pm seven days a week.
TEL 6295 6723 / paperchainbookstore.com.au
We have just undergone a major expansion and renovation providing you with an exciting, modern and innovative space. We are serving a new seasonal all day menu for breakfast and lunch matched with ONA’s finest specialty coffee. ONA on The Lawns—creating a cultural hub for the community.
TEL 6295 0057 / onacoffee.com.au
At Boettcher Law, our experienced lawyers provide practical and cost-effective solutions to businesses. We have a proven track record in resolving complex and sensitive disputes. We proudly serve clients ranging from large construction companies and foreign embassies to individuals seeking personalised service in estate planning, asset structuring and notarisations.
TEL 6232 0600 / boettcherlaw.com.au
Manuka Oval is the premier venue for Cricket and Australian Football League events in the ACT. With a rich and diverse history dating back as early as the 1920s, Manuka Oval is an iconic venue. We are proud to be part of the Manuka community.
TEL 6207 2294 / manukaoval.com.au
East Hotel is a 4.5-star apartment style hotel with creative event space where guests leave with expectations exceeded and with a sense of having experienced something different. Winner of the Australian Hotel Association National Award for Best Suite/Apartment Style Hotel 2013 and 2014, East is designed for couples and families.
TEL 6295 6925 / easthotel.com.au
Urban Pantry brings warmth and sophistication to Canberra’s leafy inner south. The rustic fitout, vintage floorboards and earthy colour palate, creates a lived-in feel. The menu changes with the seasons and focuses on local produce. Blackboard specials delight. The wine list is carefully selected. Sit, taste and indulge at Urban Pantry.
TEL 6162 3556 / urban-pantry.com.au
My Cafe promises something for everyone with a tasty breakfast menu from 7am to 5pm and all-day and late-night dining. Indulge in vegetarian dishes, paleo-friendly and gluten-free options, seasonal and daily specials and exquisite desserts. Shelter indoors or enjoy the breeze and a cocktail al fresco. Reservations are not necessary.
TEL 6295 6632 / mycafemanuka.com.au
Located in the chic shopping precinct of Manuka, Briolette prides itself on the remarkable design and beauty of it’s original pieces. Briolette is dedicated to delivering, the highest standards of excellence, refined craftsmanship and assurance of quality, and the knowledgeable staff are experts in advising on all manner of inquiry.
TEL 6295 9493 / briolette.com.au
Ambia is a privately owned fashion boutique established in 1984 and renowned for exclusive designer collections including Joseph Ribkoff and Frank Lyman. We specialize in Mother-of-the-bride and Mother-ofthe-groom wear and other special occasion wear. Our friendly, expert staff will help you find the best outfit for any occasion.
TEL 6295 8411 / ambia.com.au
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Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111 GPO Box 2448, Civic 2601
HEALTH and hospitals were much in the news this past week with Katy Gallagher copping it from
The Canberra Hospital’s maternity unit was savaged in a report of its cultural, staffing and management problems that have put the health of patients at risk. Steven Adair, clinical director for obstetrics and gynaecology, resigned and will depart the position at the end of the month.
The ACT Visiting Medical Officers Association accused the minister (once again) of a deliberate campaign to reduce their numbers in favour of salaried doctors and using “rubbery figures” to justify her actions. And Calvary Hospital suffered an $11.3 million loss last financial year, double what they initially reported.
BY chance, your columnist can report that all is not well in the Canberra Hospital Emergency Unit. Hurrying to close a window when a late night storm hit, I managed to impale my right calf on the wooden lever that adjusts the footrest of my favourite TV chair. It tore the muscle and slashed the skin and flesh.
At 10.45pm we called the after-hours CALMS doctor who took one look and ordered us to the hospital for a complicated suturing.
She said the hospital would be in touch that day to arrange a Friday appointment. Two days later there had been no call. I rang. My file had temporarily ‘disappeared’.
We arrived about midnight on a relatively quiet Monday yet we were not seen until 3.45am; and when the horror calf was revealed we were immediately bedded in for “surgery”. The plastic surgeon arrived at 8am, discussed taking a skin graft and gave complex instructions on the suturing. Later, I was told, he changed his mind and a very competent nurse bandaged it. When I was finally discharged at 11am she said the hospital would be in touch that day to arrange a Friday appointment. Two days later there had been no call. I rang. My file had temporarily “disappeared”. To be continued...
IN NSW, the ambulance service was under the gun for the 23 minutes it took to reach the SCG when Phil Hughes had been felled by a bouncer. As it happened, he was under a doc-
tor’s care almost immediately but to no avail. Australia mourned; the cricketing community rallied to the family; but perhaps most touching of all, Phil’s sister Megan comforted the bowler Sean Abbott
AT the Maconochie Centre, the warders’ union dropped their ban on free needles for prisoners in exchange for a pay rise. There’s principles for you. Drug addiction is undoubtedly a health issue; but a free needle exchange gives a blazing green light to drug trade within the jail. Prison should be the one place where the addict can get clean.
KATE Lundy did the right thing by signalling her departure from the Senate in plenty of time for the ALP to choose her replacement. Let’s hope they go for an activist like Brianna Heseltine with a little fire in the belly.
What a change that would be from our current MPs.
WHATEVER possessed Lib Leader Jeremy Hanson to support the abolition of the $10,000 cap on donations for election spending?
On a recent 2CC “CityNews Sunday Roast” program we shared, he reckoned elections should be (modestly) publicly funded. Now both major parties want the biggest public funding in the world plus open slather for the special interests. Come on, chaps; Canberra’s better than that. robert@robertmacklin.com
A VIBRANT live music scene is adding zing and zest to Canberra’s cultural life. But it is also a growing source of conflict.
Live music attracts young people, provides entertainment options, generates jobs and provides many small businesses with a valuable income stream.
People are increasingly attracted to the buzz of innercity life, but are less impressed when that buzz is ringing in their ears at 3am.
This isn’t an issue just for the denizens of Dickson during music festivals or the neighbours of New Acton during the summer jazz series. Live music can be heard throughout Canberra – from choir rehearsals and tap classes at community halls to primary school pianists and
People are increasingly attracted to the buzz of inner-city life, but are less impressed when that
buzz is ringing in their ears at 3am.
garage bands jamming in suburban streets. And with live music comes noise complaints.
A single complaint can cost music venues thousands of dollars. In some cases, conflict between residents and venues has only abated when the music has been silenced permanently.
As a community, we’ll need to grapple with this issue as the pattern of our land use changes. Larger houses are being replaced by town houses and units, bringing neighbours closer together.
Investment in sound proofing is an obvious solution, and the ACT Government should consider financial support for smaller venues to help them upgrade their acoustic treatments. But there are other solutions, too.
We can also review the way offensive noise is defined, reassess our noise curfews and establish mediation processes between venues and disgruntled residents. And people who move into lively inner-city precincts must also
acknowledge that they will experience late-night noise. Balancing everyone’s needs is part and parcel of being in a community – and compromise can ensure harmony is restored and that live music is an integral part of Canberra’s cultural scene.
Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia.
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THE major parties in the ACT Assembly want to have their cake and eat it too. Recent amendments proposed for the ACT Electoral Act are specifically designed to strengthen their parties at the expense of independents and minor parties.
There is a pincer movement being attempted on political donations. On the one hand, there is an attempt to remove the current limit of $10,000 as the maximum for any entity making a donation and, on the other, to quadruple the level of community contribution per vote from $2 to $8.
The idea of an increase in community contribution has merit. The cost to ACT ratepayers will move from just $400,000 a year to less than $2 million. The concept is to make parties less reliant on donors who then have an actual or implied “hold” over the party or candidates.
A similar concept applies to the limit on donations. In the recent proposals put to the Assembly it seems the major
The outcome is not in the best interests of the community, our freedoms or a fair and equitable electoral system.
by the Attorney-General, Simon Corbell. Apparently, the best they can come up with is to remove “an incentive for donors to circumvent the electoral funding laws”. These are spurious arguments. When a small number of people circumvent laws we normally investigate and prosecute.
The ACT Electoral Commission report, as recently as September, did not address the issue of the increase in publicly funded voter payment because it had not been raised. Its recommendations on the cap were to strengthen the laws around the cap rather than move to remove it.
The commission’s report suggested: “Where one or more gifts are received by a political entity from a single source in a financial year totalling more than $10,000, the amount above $10,000 must be deposited in a separately identified account and must not ever be used for an ACT election purpose (including payment of a loan used to incur ACT election expenditure)”.
The lone voice of objection in the ACT Assembly is Greens minister, Shane Rattenbury, who says: “It’s unconscionable to ask ACT taxpayers to cough up for million-dollar election campaigns whilst the old parties tighten their grip around Canberra’s democracy”.
He then goes on to use terms such as “snouts in the trough” and “gobbling public funds”.
The Greens opposed an increase in public
funding and proposed limiting overall spending by any political entity to just half a million dollars. The major parties will attempt to ignore or to dismiss this as “grandstanding” but it is good public policy.
Big donors to political parties undermine democracy. As John Thorpe, of the Australian Hotels Association, once observed: “Democracy is not cheap… Everybody’s involved with assisting political parties… We need to keep these people in place to have the democracy we have today… Yes, it costs money.”
Shane Rattenbury described the problem appropriately: “The decision to increase public funding without reigning in party expenditure or restricting donations is ludicrous.
“It amounts to a net gain for the big political parties, and cannot be described as anything other than an unprecedented and unjustifiable act of self-interest”.
There were many positive recommendations in the report of the Assembly Select Committee entitled “Voting Matters”. This was enhanced by the response of the Electoral Commission. However, the government has tabled something quite different. Maybe the party machine aficionados saw an opportunity to strengthen their chances against minor parties or independents?
The outcome is not in the best interests of the community, our freedoms or a fair and equitable electoral system.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
I was expecting an imposing figure and while I was waiting somebody’s teenage son or the work-experience kid came in, looking lost.
I’D been sent to record a radio interview with Phillip Hughes, among others, in the lead up to the Prime Minister’s XI game of 2009. I’d heard a bit about young Hughes, but I hadn’t even seen footage of him playing. I felt vastly underprepared for the interview.
At the time the dogs were barking his name as a potential superstar. His state cricket stats were astounding and Mark Vergano, of Cricket ACT, told me to prepare to see a young man take the bowlers on with impeccably timed batting aggression.
I didn’t even know what he looked like, but I was expecting an imposing figure and while I was waiting somebody’s teenage son or the workexperience kid came in, looking lost.
“Are you Mark?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Hello. Phillip Hughes.”
This boy looked as though he should be wearing a school uniform. He was a diminutive figure with “just-got-out-ofbed” hair and an air of what seemed to be aloofness, but before long could be seen as country-boy shyness.
Phillip Hughes was a really nice lad, but it was a shocking interview. Softly spoken and of few words, he gave me lots of “yes” and “no” answers and his voice was so quiet that parts of the audio were lost.
I don’t know that any more than 30 or 40 seconds was used on air, but that meeting left an impression on me. I was struck by the pure simplicity of this freakishly talented young man who didn’t want to be a media star… he just wanted to make runs.
He didn’t make many at that PM’s XI game at Manuka Oval. He opened the batting with Michael Klinger and made 20-odd in what was a successful run chase led by the then unheralded
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George Bailey.
Since that day, I followed his career very closely, excited to see him break into the Australian side and then to score those early tons on tour against South Africa.
Wasn’t he a joy to watch? In those very early years there were imperfections in his game. His footwork was nonexistent on occasions and he was yet to discover the leg side of the ground. I’d be so nervous whenever he came to the crease because I knew the selectors had little patience for early dismissals. Once he got his eye in, he was
unstoppable. He was a courageous excitement machine who was always looking to move the game along and keep the scoreboard churning.
It’s still difficult to comprehend that he lost his life to the game that he loved.
Phillip Joel Hughes, the game will miss you. Thank you so much for everything that you gave to us cricket fans. We are much richer for seeing your talents on display. May you rest in peace.
Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC
THERE’S a free “Little Day Out” for little kids and their families at the Tuggeranong Town Park, 10am1pm, on Thursday, December 11. Presented by Tuggeranong Arts Centre and ACT Playgroups, the fun will include singing, dancing, facepainting, craft activities, story telling and lots of entertainment.
THE Cooma Cottage, 756 Yass Valley Way, Yass, is hosting a reading of the classic Cinderella tale with a saucy twist performed by Kim Turner and friends. “Rindercella” starts at 7pm, Friday, December 12. Entry is $20 and includes a light supper. Bookings to 0488 963492 or coomacottage@nationaltrust. com.au
The ACT Junior Chess League is hosting the Australian Junior Chess Championship at the Canberra Grammar School, Red Hill, from January 17 to 25. The tournament is expected to attract more than 200 of the best junior chess players in the country. The championship was last held in Canberra in 2007.
WE are in the middle of the 150th anniversary of Sherman’s March to the Sea. As Barack Obama has declined to fly to Atlanta to celebrate the anniversary of that city’s burning to the ground by the Union Army, it falls to “CityNews” to shoulder the burden.
For those unfamiliar with it, the American Civil War (1861-1865) was fought between the northern US (the Union) and the southern parts of the US (the Confederacy) fundamentally over the issue of the Confederate States’ desire to own other human beings as slaves.
There were many other reasons and factors in play (for example, you can argue that the industrialised north no longer needed slaves having replaced human labour with machinery) but at the bottom of it was the ownership of slaves.
The torture, debasement and brutality required to keep humans slaves is almost beyond the comprehension of civilised people in 2014. It speaks volumes that the recent Quentin Tarantino film “Django Unchained”, if anything, underplays the depravity. When a regime’s violence prompts Tarantino to dial it back you’re in an especially horrific place.
Maj-Gen William Tecumseh Sherman’s March, from Atlanta to Savannah, from November 15 to December 21, 1864, has been described by the likes of British historian BH Liddell Hart as an act of military genius on a par with Scipio Africanus, Belisarius, and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Taking off without lines of supply or communication, his army cut a swathe 60 miles wide through the heartland of the south, destroying its industry, tearing up its railways, and burning down the slaving plantation owners’ grand houses.
The very shaky re-election prospects of Abraham Lincoln were saved by Sherman’s capture of Atlanta. One shudders to think of what world we would live in today if failed Gen George McClellan, with a party platform of immediately ceasing hostilities and negotiating with the Confederates, had triumphed. It’s entirely possible human bondage would be widespread in the world today instead of unpleasantly exceptional (for all that we could do more to stamp it out in the pockets where it lives on).
Of no small moment was Sherman’s freeing of the slaves. Not wanting to have to feed and protect them, he broke their chains and issued them each
40 acres of land and a mule. Post war appeasement of the southerners sadly led to these proclamations being revoked. A source of resentment to this day.
At this point let us tip our hats to the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union), 2000 southern hill farmers who saw no value in fighting for the property rights of wealthy plantation owners and signed up on the right side of history. Post war they all had their houses burned down for their troubles.
To the extent that Sherman is remembered today it is because he destroyed a great deal of southern landholders’ property. The south remains outraged at the humiliation of it.
People who started a war (that killed more than 500,000 people) to maintain the untrammelled right to rape, assault, torture and exploit other human beings, objected to the destruction of property. It takes a special kind of southern logic.
As an eight-year-old on a family holiday in Virginia, I looked out the car window and saw painted on the side of a water tower: “Welcome to Historic Appomattox”.
“Why is Appomattox historic, daddy?” I asked.
“It’s where the Civil War ended,” is my recollection of his reply.
In large part thanks to Sherman and his Army of the Cumberland, and their willingness to take flame and the sword to people who looked and talked like themselves, for the benefit of those who did not.
John Griffiths in the online editor of citynews.com.au
AINSLIE is named after James Ainslie, a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo.
He was employed by Robert Campbell in 1825 to drive a mob of sheep south from Bathurst “until he found suitable land”. Ainslie chose the Limestone Plains and was the first overseer of Duntroon Station before returning to Scotland 10 years later.
The suburb has three housing precincts planned on Garden City principles that were gazetted on to the ACT Government’s Heritage Register in 2004. The first stage of the Corroboree Park precinct was constructed between 1925 and 1927 to accommodate tradesmen for the construction of the city.
The Alt Crescent precinct was designed for the
members of the Federal Capital Commission and built in 1926. The houses were originally occupied by the founding staff of the FCC.
The first stage of the Wakefield Gardens precinct was constructed between 1925 and 1929 to accommodate lower-income public servants and workmen for the opening of Parliament House in Canberra in 1927.
The suburb’s name was gazetted by the Government in 1928. Its streets are named after pioneers and legislators.
When the then-Duke and Duchess of York came to Canberra to open Parliament House in 1927, the Duchess, later Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother, expressed an interest in visiting a typical local family. She was invited to tea with the Truesdale family at 20 Corroboree Park.
SITUATED in Ainslie for more than 80 years, the Ainslie Football Club is proud to be involved in the historic suburb’s history and to offer its services to the demographically diverse local community, says Ainslie Group marketing officer, Alycia Kunze
The club was formed primarily to foster Australian Rules Football, but it also supports a large range of sporting and non-profit organisations in the community, including baseball, golf, the Canberra City Bowling Club and the Gungahlin Lakes Giants junior team. The club also gives 17 per cent of its yearly income in community and charity donations.
The Ainslie Group has won the award for Best Member Services in Canberra this year and last and “we are very proud that the Ainslie Football Club is one of the most
prestigious football clubs in Canberra,” says Alycia. The club is looking to update its amenities, which include a restaurant, cafe, bar, gaming facilities, and function rooms “to develop our presence in Ainslie,” says Alycia.
“It’s a good meeting place, especially during the football season and we want to continue to build upon that.”
Leading up to Christmas, the Ainslie Football Club is offering a gourmet hamper raffle to its members on Thursday, December 18 and bookings are now available for a Christmas Day lunch.
Ainslie Football Club, 52 Wakefield Avenue, Ainslie. Call 6248 8422 or ainsliefootballclub.com.au
“WITHOUT the support of the Ainslie community, our business wouldn’t have done as well as it has in the last 14 and a half years,” says Maddie, proprietor of Q Hair in Ainslie.
Opened in May, 2000, Maddie started Q Hair because she wanted to fit working in with being a single mum to three children.
“I wanted flexibility and thought Ainslie was an up-and-coming area, so I was lucky enough to get a space here before it took off,” she says.
With a staff of five, Q Hair provides the Ainslie with all manner of hairdressing from blow-waves to adults’ and children’s haircuts, to wedding and formal styling.
“It’s an incredible place to live or have a business, it’s a vibrant, supportive and enthusiastic community that is interesting and diverse,” says Maddie.
The salon has been using Redken colours, haircare and styling products for many years because “they are incredibly true to colour, a classic range that has been tried and tested for over 30 years.”
Q Hair, Shop 2, Wakefield Gardens, Ainslie. Call 6257 8242 or go to qhair.com.au
“PROVIDING quality pathology services to the doctors and patients in the Ainslie area for over 40 years, Capital Pathology is proud to be a part of the Canberra medical community,” says a spokesperson for Capital Pathology.
The Ainslie Collection Centre offers a full range of pathology services including corporate health testing, vaccination programs that include hepatitis A & B, tetanus and influenza, hearing tests, drug and alcohol testing, chemical exposure monitoring, genetic testing and drug trial monitoring.
Capital Pathology is led by Dr Ian Clark and a team of nine specialist pathologists, who perform all tests in the NATA-accredited, purpose-built laboratory in Deakin. Most of the Capital Pathology collection centres, including Ainslie, offer appointments for certain tests and many are open extended hours.
“All our staff know that behind every pathology specimen there is a person expecting and deserving prompt, efficient and professional service,” says the spokesperson.
”Capital Pathology is the pathology practice that is chosen by our community for our professional and personal service.”
Capital Pathology, Ainslie Collection Centre, Shop 9-11, Edgar Street, Ainslie. More information at 6285 9802 or capitalpath.com.au
• We use Redken colours and products in our salon and are available to purchase
• We have a number of GHD stylers and dryers available
• We offer a number of services including wedding and formal hair styles.
To book an appointment visit us and come in have a chat with one of our stylists. You can find us at Shop 2 Wakefield Gardens. Alternitively, give us a call on (02) 6257 8242.
Opening hours:
8.00-12.00 and 13.00-16.00 – Monday to Friday
Shop 9, 11 Edgar Street, Ainslie Phone 6247 3789
MY wife and I (and about 20 others) witnessed a frightening motor vehicle “accident” on Athllon Drive, Wanniassa on Saturday morning.
A car used the right turn lane at a busy roundabout to turn left at high speed, attempting to overtake a number of cars already turning left.
In attempting this reckless manoeuvre, the driver of the offending vehicle lost control, veered on to the wrong side of the road, briefly recovered then badly sideswiped a car being driven by an older woman with her grandson in the rear. Most of the damage to her car was immediately alongside the child’s position in the car, including a smashed window.
The offending car then left the scene, again at high speed, and disappeared through the Wanniassa suburbs. Triple-0 was called, the situation explained and the police requested.
Apart from appearing severely shocked and shaken the woman driver of the smashed car appeared in no immediate need for an ambulance. A short time later the police rang back the witness who had rung 000
(my wife) and asked if the victim’s damaged vehicle was drivable and could the woman please drive her car down to the police station (Tuggeranong)!
Are we in such a sorry situation in the ACT where there are better things for police to do than have a patrol attend where there has been such an obvious and dangerous incident – and offenders on the loose.
The offenders’ car’s make and number plate were noted, as was the direction in which they fled, not knowing or caring what damage or injuries they had created.
Is it appropriate for anyone who has just experienced this type of trauma to be asked by police to “drive down to the police station”?
When we left the scene 25 minutes after the accident, the police had still not arrived. I am not sure if they ever did. There are 20 other ACT residents, also shocked at witnessing such an incident, who I am sure share the same disappointment in our local police force.
Name and address withheld
WE are in the completion stage of a build and I cannot say enough about the excellent service and ability of Canberra/Queanbeyan builder Michael Hogan, director of Hogan Homes.
Summer is always a great time to experience something new, be it a new place to relax, somewhere
A HOLIDAY at the beach can be a lovely way to relax and unwind, says Angela Noakes, owner of Lilli Pilli Sublime.
The four-bedroom house is located just a 300-metre walk from the beach at Lilli Pilli, and features a rumpus room with a snooker table, a tropical-style outdoor garden and a fully-equipped undercover outdoor kitchen, says Angela.
“It’s a lovely place to get away from it all, perfect for a girls’ weekend before a wedding, where you can come and chill and get some pampering going,” she says.
“It would also make the perfect honeymoon location or romantic getaway – why go overseas with all the hassle of plane travel when you can drive to the coast and have a beautiful quiet holiday right here?
“The garden is so beautiful that it
to enjoy country pies or jumping out of a plane. Here is the inspiration…
has been used for photo shoots, and it would actually make a very special place for a small, intimate wedding ceremony.”
Call 0412 800857, email lillipillisublime@me.com or visit stayz.com.au/ accommodation/nsw/south-coast/ batemans-bay/107076
Of late, you only hear about the bad builders and not enough about the good builders, and I believe it needs to be brought to the attention of the public it is not all doom and gloom when finding the right builder.
Tony Carnovale, via email
REFERRING to migration policy (CN, November 20), Collis Parrett asks: “Is our integration working?” Unlike the Danes, we actually have a policy of disintegration, and how is that working?
Find the percentage of each migrant group in the general population and compare it with their percentage representation in criminal cases or long-term welfare dependence. It should then be easy to see whether all cultures are equally admirable, or some are a liability to society.
However, it is not easy to extract this information from context-free ABS data such as:
“The most common birthplace for (migrant) prisoners in NSW was NZ”.
Data on the “Australian-born” category are the most useless, since a high proportion do not identify with Australian culture, but with that of their ethnic group. It is then left to the curious to draw conclusions from the most frequently appearing surname types in crime reports, and the fact that special police squads have to target particular ethnic groups. So yes, Mr Parrett, as far as can be judged our disintegration policy is working.
P.
Edwards, Holder
AS the festive season approaches and as we reach the end of our centenary year, I am reminded of the wonderful work of our Red Cross volunteers, who give hundreds of hours each year to help people in crisis, not only in our local community but right around the world.
I am also constantly humbled by the generous public support we receive for our everyday work. However, despite our best efforts, there are always new families that need our help each year, new communities that find themselves in crisis, and a growing number of lonely, elderly people cut off from friends and family. At this time of the year, I would like to urge everyone to put a little something aside for people and families in crisis.
To give to the Red Cross Festive Appeal go to redcross.org.au or call 1800 811700.
Wenda Donaldson, executive director, ACT
SOUTHERN Pies is the newest bakery in Kangaroo Valley, with the guiding ethos to always do it for the love of pie.
“Our deep-dish gourmet pies are extremely popular, with a very generous amount of filling in a full, round shape,” says owner John.
Located right in the heart of the village, Southern Pies offers a new special pie every week, on top of its standard range of 12 different savoury varieties, including everything from the classic beef pie, which you can have with buttery mash, mushy peas and gravy, right through to the more unusual flavours such as lentil and chickpea dhal, or green Thai chicken.
Southern Pies haven’t forsaken the sweet side of pie-making either, with favourites such as old-fashioned cherry pie and newer tastes such as salted chai caramel slice.
“You can wash it all down with one of our retro milkshakes, complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top,” says John.
BASED at Batemans Bay Airport, Moruya Heads, Skydive Oz offers tandem skydiving on to the beach from two spectacular locations on the NSW south coast – Moruya and Merimbula airports.
“For some it’s an adrenalin buzz that will last for days, for others it’s a life-changing experience,” the company says.
“We have a unique, laid back atmosphere that will make you want to come back for more, and a range of skydiving options to suit everyone’s needs.
“When you jump with us we invite you to make a day of it – bring your friends and family to watch you land on the beach and bring the esky, too, as we have a barbecue in our new skydiving complex.
If you want to stay for the weekend we have camping facilities or can recommend a range of accommodation options.”
Tandem skydive from Batemans Bay Airport seven days a week all year and Merimbula during the summer.
Bookings to skydiveoz.com.au or call 1300185180. Gift vouchers are available.
Southern Pies, 1/146 Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley. Call 4465 2778 or go to southernpies.com.au Southern Pies… in the heart of Kangaroo Valley.
Lilli Pilli Sublime is a destination unlike any other. We offer holiday accommodation in a spacious, delightfully decorated 4 bedroom house with rumpus/games room, and a Moroccan themed outdoor kitchen area with BBQ.
LPS is nestled in the stunning surrounds of Lilli Pilli Beach Estate in an idyllic position overlooking natural bush land on the outskirts of Batemans Bay, NSW.
For families, couples, executives or anybody who needs to get away from it all, relax and wind down, LPS offers something special. We provide WiFi, Foxtel with all channels, playstation with games, Nespresso Coffee Machine, linen including beach towels and baby items at no extra cost.
The LPS vibe is very much a tropical one with its hot and cold private outdoor shower. Its Bali inspired garden adds a touch of paradise and is pleasantly styled with Asian stone sculptures, fountains and bamboo. Guests can enjoy the many beaches in the area; Lilli Pilli Beach is just a 300 m walk. Take in the fresh ocean air and sounds of the wildlife.
Luxury comfort and style - these are the three principles upon which the hosts have built the LPSublime experiences.
BUNDA Street is set to get even more buzz and activity with the opening this month of the first stage of the shareway project.
The project is the final stage of the Civic Cycle Loop which is a 3.2-kilometre cycle path that connects Marcus Clarke Street, Rudd Street, Allara Street and Bunda Street.
Work on Bunda Street will pause over the Christmas and New Year period to allow for increased shopping activity, before returning in January with an April finish.
The street features a slow-speed “shared space” for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to safely enjoy.
A shared space removes the conventional traffic control devices that regulate traffic by separating people from cars and bikes, such as line marking, kerbs and signage.
Instead, a shared space fully integrates all road users and pedestrians, which encourages negotiation of the space between different road users, resulting in a safe, slow-speed and active environment.
The shareway project, when fully complete, will redesign Bunda Street with a 20kph speed limit, raised entry thresholds, minimal signage, more street trees, seating, feature lighting and creative pavement treatments.
Shared spaces have been implemented in cities across the world to increase the vitality
of an area, but also improve safety.
The Bunda Street project will help reduce the level of car reliance towards more use of sustainable and active transport.
“Bunda Street is already a vibrant retail
area with a number of great shops and cafes but this project will not only make the area safer and more accessible for people in the area, but also encourage even more activity,” says Minister for Territory and Municipal
Services Shane Rattenbury.
“It will also demonstrate how the shared space concept can work, possibly lending to further use of shared spaces in other parts of Canberra in the future.
“Encouraging walking and riding is an important part of the ACT government’s ‘Healthy Weight Action Plan’ and also our target of having six per cent of journeys to work completed by cycling by 2016, under the ‘Transport for Canberra Plan’.”
The first stage of the project has focused on the intersections of Bunda Street with Mort Street and Scotts Crossing as well as some work at the intersection of Bunda Street/Akuna Street.
The works are being conducted as part of the $6 million Civic Cycle Loop project – a 3.2-kilometre path that loops around the city and connects to existing paths that lead into the city, allowing greater access and safety for cyclists.
Unlike other sections of the Loop, which feature segregated cycle lanes on one or both sides of the street, a unique design has been chosen for Bunda Street.
“The completed shareway will help revitalise Bunda Street and provide opportunities for the street to support special community events and festivals as well as outdoor dining and pop-up cafes,” Mr Rattenbury says.
“A shared space traffic environment is a relatively new concept for most Canberrans so street teams will help educate the community on what a shared space is and how to safely use the area.”
More information at tams.act.gov.au
“ENJOY a great day out at the Brindabella Christmas Markets, with food stalls, entertainment and live music,” says Melissa Evans, manager of commercial and retail marketing at Canberra Airport.
The popular Christmas Markets in the park have been running for a number of years, and are on again at Brindabella Business Park on Thursday, December 11.
The markets will feature more than 50 stalls selling Christmas puddings and cakes, cherries, gingerbread houses, women’s fashion, children’s clothes and accessories, ceramics, jewellery, condiments, original art, locally grown produce and more.
There will also be entertainment and live music by Tuchasoul, a local group that has its own brand of acoustic soul.
THERE is lots of fun to be had at the Majura Park shopping centre this Christmas with events for the whole family, says Jason Costa from Canberra Airport.
The “12 Prizes of Christmas” will run until December 24 giving shoppers a chance to win a range of prizes from the new iPhone 6 from Big W, to a kayak from Ray’s Outdoors. Customers must spend $10 or more at any specialty store to receive a game card that has a unique code that can be entered online.
A Christmas petting zoo will be set up outside Big W between December 10 and 14 featuring Dasher and Dancer, and Santa is available every weekend outside Babies ‘R’ Us, says Jason.
“It costs a gold coin donation to the Canberra Hospital, but parents can bring their own camera to take a photo with Santa,” he says. Every child will also receive a free Majura Park activity pack that includes an activity book, crayons and a letter to Santa.
• Visit one of the largest galleries in Canberra
• 7 large roooms of contemporary art
• Large affordable abstract canvases and painting under glass
• One off original pieces for the home or corporate setting
• Delivery is available
• One week free trial in your home
“After they send their letter, kids can check their reply on our website,” says Jason. “They can also find a lot of fun Christmas games on our website, in Santa’s Village.”
More information on dates and times of events at majuraparkshop
• No obligation Open Friday to Sunday 10-4pm or by Appointment
0407 416 480
Corner of Hopetoun Circuit and 38 Grey Street, Deakin email: wmdimoff@bigpond.com www.margaretdimoffart.com.au
THE Curatoreum is a great place to shop for unique gifts that can’t be found anywhere else in Canberra, says proprietor Richard Baz.
“We’ve got two stores now, one at the National Portrait Gallery and another at the Arboretum.
“We have Australian designer-maker works at both stores, but the Arboretum store has more of a botanical theme, while the Portrait Gallery follows the art theme.”
The Curatoreum features the ceramic work of Angus & Celeste, including the new Gold Spot range that comes in a condiment bowl, a salad bowl and a hanging planter.
“They are quite lovely and uniquely Australian, and we are one of only a few stockists in Canberra,” says Richard.
The shop sells screen-printed Australiana tea towels, cushion covers and totes, and printed wooden storage cubes by Melbourne-based company Bonnie and Neil, as well as a range of jewellery from an Australian designer.
“We also have a wonderful range of books from Australian contemporary fiction, to gardening and art,” says Richard.
“We are a big bookstore as well, not just a gift store. We have a wonderful selection of kids’ books and activity sets that teach children things, like how to make their own kite, or create their own tutu.”
The Curatoreum, at the National Portrait Gallery, call 6102 7170, and at the Arboretum, call 6251 3371. More information at thecuratoreum.com
THE Canberra Outlet Centre is offering lots of festive fun up to Christmas.
“Every weekend in December Santa will be here with a helper and a professional photographer in an interactive display,” says marketing manager Katey Johnstone.
“Santa will be available from 11am to 2pm and photographs can be purchased so parents can treasure them forever.”
There will be Christmas card craft activities run by Direct Image between December 6 to 10 in the food
court and free Thomas the Tank Engine children’s rides between December 17 and 21. Rides will start at the pick-up point near Monkey Mania and will tour around the centre. Each child who is given a ride will receive a free gift.
For a gold-coin donation, teams from Lifeline Canberra and Marymead will provide shoppers with gift-wrapping services over weekends in December.
More information at canberraoutletcentre.com.au
“THE paintings make good Christmas gifts because they can enhance the decor in people’s houses, especially if they have large walls,” says artist Margaret Dimoff.
Margaret is an abstract impressionist, who has painted extensively for the last 15 years, predominantly using acrylic on canvas or paper. While she still produces some smaller-scale works on paper, usually framed under glass, she creates many works on large-scale canvasses that are up to 170cm.
Margaret uses natural tones, and texture and layering to create form and substance, and her works are one-off pieces that come direct from the artist, not from a reseller.
“For Christmas there will be 10 per cent off paintings purchased from the gallery only,” says Margaret.
“Customers can take the paintings home and try them on their walls, obligation free. There is a van at their disposal that customers can borrow to transport the paintings.”
The paintings can be purchased online and sculptures also made by Margaret are on display in the gallery.
Margaret Dimoff Art Gallery, 38 Grey Street, Deakin. Go to margaretdimoffart.com.au or call 4473 8193.
Over 40 stalls including: Christmas puddings and cakes, cherries, gingerbread houses, women’s fashion, children’s clothes and accessories, ceramics, jewellery, condiments, original art, locally grown produce and many more. Enjoy a great day out with food stalls, entertainment and live music from Tuchasoul.
In the event of poor weather the markets may be postponed.
A photo with Santa gets everyone’s tail wagging!
But, if you’re keen, you’d better book your time and day at our website. All pet sessions were booked out last year!
Santa pet photos!
He’s practiced all year on his reindeer to get the perfect smile out of your pet! From 6 – 9pm.
Tuesday 2 December
Tuesday 9 December
Tuesday 16 December (Bookings essential)
Santa people photos!
Hey kids, you know the drill: Look super cute now, be mildly embarrassed in years to come.
22 November – 24 December
10 – 4pm most days, see website for full list of dates and times.
Check out our other Christmas events at hyperdome.com.au
Giselle Dunn’s mini gingerbread houses that sit on the rim of a cup available at the Old Bus Depot Markets.
“CHRISTMAS is only weeks away and all of our stallholders have been super busy creating some truly beautiful and distinctive gifts and food,” says Old Bus Depot Markets director Diane Hinds.
The Old Bus Depot Markets will celebrate Christmas with a variety of new Christmas stallholders, delicious fresh Christmas foods, the annual Christmas stallholder sale on Saturday, December 6, and the Christmas Markets on December 14, that will extend into the adjacent Fitters’ Workshop building.
“It’s always such a great time of year to visit the markets as they’re buzzing with a really Christmassy feel,” says Diane.
“The markets make a great place to stock up on Christmas decorations, food and gifts for friends and to find something a little different that’s made lovingly by hand, not mass-produced.”
This year there will be handmade wooden Christmas trees and ornaments from Woodmade Trees, Christmas pamper packs for dogs from Pup Cakes and More, handmade Christmas nativity sets and angels from Julie Aston, and hand-stamped Christmas cards and decorations, garlands and Christmas gift boxes from distINKtive Stamping Designs.
“There will also be plenty of Christmas food including cute mini gingerbread houses that sit on the rim of your cup, mince tarts, cakes, Christmas puddings, shortbread and other specialist Christmas treats,” says Diane.
Old Bus Depot Markets, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston. Entry is free.
More information at obdm.com.au
Why not take inspiration from brands from around the world!
For more than 100 years the Swiss Federal Railways have been famous for punctuality and precision.
Mondaine’s original and authentic watch and clock collection captures this pristine and punctual look.
RECENTLY relocated from their store in Tokyo, Japan, to Manuka in Canberra, Clover Jewellery offers “exquisite and sophisticated jewellery that is designed and made on site,” says award winning jeweller, Honey Lee.
Clover Jewellery has produced a number of designs especially for Christmas.
“We are happy to offer gift wrapping and selected items for Christmas will be discounted by 30 per cent,” says Honey.
Owners Stella Lee and James Oh have more than 30 years’ experience in jewellery design and production.
“We are a handcraft and platinum specialist, and we offer laser engraving and laser soldering,” says Honey Lee.
Clover Jewellery makes custom and one-off pieces, and also offers a free quote for its design services.
Clover Jewellery, 16 Bougainville Street, Griffith. Call 6295 8545, or email clover.j@hotmail.com
“PEPE’S Paperie has brands from all over the world!” says Civic store manager, Sian Harrington.
The paperie sells wallets, computer accessories, bags, watches and cufflinks as well as notebooks, paper, craft supplies, cards, pens, pencils and other stationery products.
There is a wide range of gifts from around the world at Pepe’s Paperie this Christmas. For the ladies, there are Mywalit bags and purses; and Rob Ryan’s written pieces and pottery items.
“Mywalit, founded in Lucca, Italy in 2005, was first opened in the old Roman Amphitheatre in Tuscany. Using modern, practical styling and bold colour combinations, Mywalit expanded to develop a gorgeous handbag collection,” says Sian.
“Rob Ryan, who was born in 1962 in Akrotiri, Cyprus, and studied fine art and printmaking in London, creates items consisting of whimsical figures paired with sentimental, grave, honest and occasionally humorous pieces of writing which he admits are autobiographical.”
For the gentleman, there are Gentlemen’s Hardware products such as credit-card sized multi-tools, wallets, laptop cases, wash bags and bike bells; and Lamy Design, which produces pens.
“Gentlemen’s Hardware products have been crafted for the rigours of today’s modern life with a vintage aesthetic. Designed by Wild and Wolf from the UK, they are truly excellent products manufactured by relentless pioneers with an unfaltering commitment to
functionality and style,” Sian says.
“Made in Germany, Lamy has set new standards in the development of writing instruments. They are still designed and produced in Heidelberg at the family business and have won many awards for design concept. The brand is a classic for the pen lover amongst us all.”
Pepe’s Paperie, Shop 26, Level 1, Canberra Centre, Civic. Contact pepespaperie.com.au or call 6162 4448.
AFTER starting with the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme earlier this year, Caitlin Jolly has expanded Caitlin Elizabeth Textile Design to sell her dyed and painted shawls, scarves and hair ties from a variety of places. “The scheme enables individuals to start their own small business by providing them with accredited small-business training, business mentoring and income support,” says Caitlin.
Caitlin Elizabeth Textile Design produces and sells scarves, shawls and hair ribbons that have been painted or shibori (tie) dyed by Caitln herself. “I really enjoy silk
painting and dying, and all the items are painted or dyed by me. They are all one-off designs and I try to make every one individually; there is no mass production,” says Caitlin.
Caitlin will be selling her painted and dyed scarves and hair ties at the Handmade Markets on December 6 and 7, from the Old Bus Depot markets and the Craft ACT shop.
More information at facebook.com/ caitlinelizabethtextiles
Spoil the special lady in your life for Christmas
• Specialised Environ Facials
Why not purchase the perfect pampering girft for your loved one at Mystique Beauty. We provide all your beauty needs, with the finest prodcuts.
109 Anthony Rolfe Ave, Gungahlin ACT 2912 • 02 6242 4542
• Hot stone massage
• Hot oil relaxation massage
• Body scrub
• Body wrap
• Manicures/Pedicures
• Bio sculpture gel nails
• Eyelash enhancements
• Make-up
• Spray tanning
• Waxing/tinting
“OUR gifts are special because people can relax and be pampered, and feel good inside and out,” says Karla Palombi, owner of Mystique Beauty in Gungahlin.
Mystique Beauty offers waxing, spray tanning, massage, body treatments, manicures and pedicures, eyelash enhancements, Bio Sculpture gel nails, environ facials, and make-up for important events.
Karla also sells Environ skin care products, a vitamin A, C and Ebased range for aged, dehydrated and damaged skin; and Norvell tanning products, which produce a natural DHA tan.
Gift vouchers are available for all services and products at Mystique Beauty and for Christmas Karla is selling small gift packs of skin care, body lotion and nail polish.
“I also put together a Christmas food and wine hamper that is worth over $130,” says Karla. “Customers can purchase raffle tickets and the funds are all donated to a local charity.”
Mystique Beauty, 109 Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Gungahlin, 6242 4542.
Expert jewellers with over thirty years’ experience in the jewellery industry. Exquisite, hand-crafted jewellery made on-site in Manuka.
We provide laser-soldering services for jewellery as well as stainless steel spectacle frames and metal watch band repairs.
We also provide laser-engraving services to personalise jewellery pieces and watches.
Visit our store to see our full range of ready-made pieces, or to discuss your custom jewellery requirements.
KEEPSAKES is a wonderful word for the paraphernalia, memorabilia, documents, letters, photos, press cuttings, ephemera and trinkets collected to remind of all manner of events and occasions.
The National Library of Australia is a repository for more keepsakes than we can imagine, with 600,000 photographs alone, and judging by the just opened exhibition, “Keepsakes: Australians and the Great War”, their repository of collected, gifted and donated keepsakes is undoubtedly a treasure trove of discovery.
Opened to coincide with our commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Great War, this exhibition gives an insight into diverse aspects of this time when for King and country young Australian men were swept up in the excitement of going to war.
The propaganda is confronting for those who didn’t, the cartoons witty and cutting and even our favourite gumnut babies from Snugglepot and Cuddlepie were caught up in the whole nationalistic fervour as Gumnut Soldiers on postcards.
Generations on, a decorated soldier who knows the horror and futility of war, Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, spoke of the importance of keepsakes, and how honoured he was to open the exhibition. Barbara Searle whose in-laws’ wedding photo from 1915 is the poster picture for the exhibition was a guest of honour.
FLORIADE’S future in Commonwealth Park looks uncertain and the ACT Government is rehearsing getting out of staging it, according to CC’s snouts-in-the-know.
Early this year the ACT Government was, apparently, notified in writing by the NCA that its lease on Commonwealth Park to stage the annual flower festival would not be renewed, they want their park back.
This started a snowballing review involving the inevitable consultants and the commissioning of a hush-hush high-level internal report that’s focusing on getting the government appropriately out of the showbiz of staging Floriade and passing the annual problem to a contractor.
While it’s too early to know where Floriade will end up, this might be an opportunity to give the event a permanent site with infrastructure somewhere lakeside like Weston Park.
CANBERRA Theatre
chief Bruce Carmichael admitted over lunch with one of CC’s arts snouts that he started getting concerned at the number of tribute bands treading his boards when a lady phoned up to book
tickets for ‘80s hard rocker Suzi Quatro’s February concert at Canberra Theatre but only if they could guarantee it really was Suzi who was playing.
YOU don’t get to be Chief Minister without making friends. In a level of commendable transparency, consistent with her early pledge as she slipped into the big chair, it is pleasing to see how easy it is to look up the names and web addresses of hundreds and hundreds of what looks like subscribers to Katy Gallagher’s Word Press-based website katygallagher.net. And what a list! From functionaries to the famous they’re there for all to see, if you know where to look. Type katygallagher. net/wp-content/uploads and Aladdin’s cave opens. Scroll down to wpmisubscribers and there are three mailing lists from December last year to June this. Or at least there were when we went to press.
CC notes the dark irony that, in two weeks of hospital accusations, resignations and shocks, the winner of ACT Health’s 2014 ACT
Quality in Healthcare Award is an idea that keeps “selected” sick people away from the overcrowded emergency departments. At a knees-up at the Boat House by the Lake, the overall award winner on the night was the ambulance service’s “Expanded Scope of Practice for Paramedics” program, which redirects selected patients who call an ambulance back to the primary care sector. Unsurprisingly, there was an overwhelming decrease in the number of patients being transported to emergency departments unnecessarily. But it’s still a long wait.
THEY wrote to tell us they were having a knees-up at the Apostolic Nunciature in Red Hill to celebrate the second year of the Pontificate of Pope Frances .
announce that the Enlighten Festival is to get night noodle markets early next year. The Deputy Chief Minister told the world more generally in a media release hours after “The Canberra Times” had it as front-page news that morning.
in the past year to 35,568; Sunday is down 14.78 per cent (21,589 copies) and weekdays, it’s fallen 9.63 per cent to 22,797.
AND finally on “The Canberra TImes”: the cranky gnomes of Fyshwick just weren’t big enough to give our little paper the credit for sponsoring the Canberra Artist of the Year Award, which they stopped sponsoring a few years ago at short notice, feigning budget cuts. Its early internet coverage, days after this year’s event, described the award correctly as the “CityNews” Artist of the Year Award, but two hours later (and subsequently in the printed edition) all mention of us was gone.
So off goes social snapper-to-the-stars Andrew Finch to capture the occasion only to be confronted with a situation that conjures up Manuel’s “que?” scenes in “Fawlty Towers” as the relentless photographer struggled to be understood. But they were not for turning and Finch, who has been thrown out of some gin joints in his time, was firmly escorted to the exit by a nun!
ANDREW Barr was terribly pleased to
Why was it the paper’s most newsworthy photo story of the day? Well, the hawkerstyle noodle markets, which have been a success in Sydney and Melbourne, are being managed in Canberra by the paper’s Sydney-based owner Fairfax Media. What the paper didn’t admit in its ecstatic puffery (but Barr did in his subsequent media statement) is that the ACT Government has coughed up $200,000 to “assist” Fairfax to line up 25 food stalls for 10 nights. In return, there’s a contra deal of $1 million in out-oftown advertising. Given the festival was never going to spend a million on media, CC’s brow wrinkles at the value proposition.
AND while we’re on numbers “The Canberra Times” won’t tell you, here are the latest tumbling circulation figures for its only source of reader income – the daily paper.
While it gives away its news free digitally to the city and beyond to Fairfax paywall dodgers nationally, its print version continues to head determinedly south. Flagship Saturday has sunk by 12.73 per cent
MYSTERY surrounds the goings on at St Eddies recent “muck up” day, where the tradition is for graduating students to, it seems, run amok.
First, who’s not talking: the school to our emailed enquiry and the police, who say they have no record of having been there, despite a school mum of our acquaintance counting three patrol cars at the school that day. What the school isn’t confirming or denying or anything else is our snout’s info that “some of their leavers got a bit crazy, got pepper spray recipes off the internet and sprayed a few students, covered piglets in oil and let them run loose in the library and egged a staff member.”
We’re pretty sure about the oily oinks, the rest remains a mystery.
By Helen Musa
“CHOOSING what you want to see in a theatre season can be like a box of chocolates, you will often have your favourites but sometimes like to try something new,” says Stephen Pike.
Pike, the artistic director of The Q, The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, was introducing his theatre’s 2015 season.
The tastiest item is a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”, directed by Duncan Ley and choreographed by James Batchelor with an all-star local cast of Jarrad West, Jordan Best, Laura Dawson, Vanessa De Jager, Duncan Driver, Amy Dunham, Max Gambale, Will Huang, Hannah Ley, Helen McFarlane, Michelle Norris, Stephen Pike, Karen Vickery and Christopher Zuber.
Three women from one of Australia’s most prominent artistic families exhibit together for the first time. Well loved for her expressive strokes, thick impasto palette and celebratory use of colour, artist Velia Newman is joined by her 12 year olddaughter Brittany and mother Anita for this very unique event.
To join us for a summer evening of drinks and nibbles and a chance to meet the artists please RSVP by December 3.
That is joined by two other local productions, “Tuesdays with Morrie”, directed by Liz Bradley and starring Graham Robertson, and Pike’s own production of “Grease”, billed as “the No. 1 party musical”.
The generous choice of musicals is augmented with “Mother, Wife and the Complicated Life”, the new hit Australian musical written by and starring Amity Dry of the TV show “The Block”. There’s circus with a difference in “360 Allstars”, which Pike says replaces acrobats with break dancers, jugglers with a basketball freestyler and a unicyclist with a BMX flatlander. For dance lovers there is “Carmen Sweet”, a look by Expressions Dance Company’s choreographer Natalie Weir at Carmen’s psyche.
As for “straight” theatre, we’ll see “Flak”, Michael Veitch’s stories collected from more than 50 RAAF veterans about their experiences of combat. Alex Ellis plays a “difficult” Hollywood
star’s battle with the film studios, alcohol, men, and herself in “Drowning in Veronica Lake”.
In the comedy “Reserved Seating Only”, David Ross Paterson plays a loud, burly football fan and Cecelia Specht a recently divorced football widow.
Outside the subscription program, Pike has not forgotten the kids, with “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, “I am Jack” and “The 26-Storey Treehouse”.
“Morning Melodies” returns and there’s a rare classical music inclusion when composer and pianist Chris Jarrett meets Italian improviser and violin virtuoso, Luca Ciarla.
Pike’s chocolate box could hardly be more enticing.
“Treat Yourself”, the 2015 season at The Q. Program bookings and subscriptions to 6285 6290 or theq.net.au
GOOD news that Canberra-trained guitarist Stephanie Jones has been named as winner of the 2014 National Fine Music Network Young Virtuoso Award in Adelaide. Jones, one of the many brilliant students of Tim Kain at the ANU, receives a $5000 cash prize. In November Jones also won the $500 ArtSound FM Fine Music Network Young Virtuoso Award, supported by a mysterious anonymous donor.
“THE Shearer That Could Have Been” is the Griffyn Ensemble’s next show. Billed as “a spooky night of spine-chilling music and paranormal activity set on Christmas Eve”, it actually takes place at Yarralumla Woolshed on December 12 and 13. It is a collaboration with prizewinning Canberra author and resident griffyn (the creature) expert, Katie Taylor. Bookings through iwannaticket.com.au
COMPOSER-pianist Margaret Legge-Wilkinson will be performing music by Debussy and Ravel to coincide with the NGA’s “Impressions of Paris” exhibition. Debussy was known to have described his compositions as “sound-
paintings”. At James O Fairfax Theatre, NGA, 3pm, on Sunday, December 7. Bookings to online.nga.gov.au or weekdays at 6240 6701.
ARTIST Marie Hagerty, and CMAG curator Mark Bayly have been busy judging the 130 entries in the $1000 M16 Artspace 2014 Drawing Prize, to be announced on Friday, December 5 with the accompanying exhibition on show until December 19. M16 will then close and reopen on January 22.
WESLEY Music Vocal Scholars Sarah Campbell, Joshua Knol, Louise Keast, Zanele Ramsay and Katrina Wiseman will perform in Wesley Music Centre’s “Wednesday Lunchtime Live” concert, 12.40pm1.20pm on Wednesday, December 10. The theme for the program is Christmas with carols. Entry $5 minimum, concession $2, no bookings required. Tickets at the door.
TEMPO Theatre will be back in 2015 doing their favourite thing – murder. First up will be an Agatha Christie classic, “Spider’s Web,” directed by Tempo’s Jon Elphick. The show will also tour to the recentlyfinished Tin Shed Theatre in Cootamundra. Even more exciting, Bob Morris and Michael Weston are staging that delicious black comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace”, in which innocent nephew Mortimer discovers that his sweet old aunties are serial murderers. Details of auditions at tempotheatre.org.au
“Serena” (MA)
WHAT’S not to like about a gutsy melodrama?
Director Susanne Bier engaged art director Martin Kurel to convert a Czechoslovakian valley into a 1920s North Carolina logging camp. There, adapting Ron Rash’s book, Christopher Kyle’s screenplay builds melodrama’s foundation when timber tycoon George (Bradley Cooper) gallops after a spectacular platinum blonde astride a galloping white horse. Smart girl, she lets him catch her. Unconstrained by introduction or romantic chit-chat, he says they really should marry.
Orphaned in early teens and growing up in logging camps, Serena (Jennifer Lawrence) knows the lumber business very well. She and George spend much time practising getting pregnant. We know the delay isn’t down to him – in the pre-Serena era, a Native American girl bore his child. George wants to clear-fell his logging concession. The local community, led by Sheriff McDowell (an impressive performance from Toby Jones), wants it as national park. The land-use alternatives splitting the community take unexpected turns. A bloodstained miscarriage drives Serena into deep depression. Records of malfeasances and political favours are in a locked drawer of George’s desk. Tensions build. There’s little humour in Serena’s movie. But as the foregoing selection from its dramatic elements indicates (there’s more than just those) its dramatic values offer effective compensation. Yay, melodrama! A meaty one like this, with sidebars examining social issues, offers an agreeable diversion from 21st century life’s depressing realities.
At Palace Electric, Dendy, Capitol 6 and Hoyts
“A
NORWEGIAN Erik Poppe knows exactly what reporting terrible events in the Middle East or heartbreaking conditions in Africa involves – he was a reporter before becoming a filmmaker.
Written by Harald Rosenløw Eeg, Poppe’s film pulls no punches creating realities to show risks. The opening sequence is a slow-paced almost poetic preparation of an event that springs a surprise even more horrific than its denouement, an event that happens so often that we might be forgiven for saying, “so what, another one; why do they do it?”
Photographer Rebecca (Juliette Binoche), more focused on the existence of events than on their emotional content, has left her home and family in Ireland to work in a war zone (the sequence was filmed in Kabul). Getting the shot to her editor in the US is her main concern. But that assignment over, she plans to put away her cameras and be a housewife and mother.
A Norwegian friend invites Rebecca to shoot a spread in a refugee camp in Kenya. Her teenaged daughter is desperate to accompany her. Her friend assures her there is no danger. Oh, yeah?
Poppe’s film is a gut-wrencher, delivering more profound impressions than three-second TV grabs, a message film as much about consequences of the Kenya incident for Rebecca’s family as about the events in the camp. It’s not a job for a wife and mother. Watching it reminded me about ABC reporter Sally Sara.
At Palace Electric
“Men,
FILMMAKER Jason Reitman casts a dispassionate eye over how social media influences life in the developed countries (thank heaven he forbore from including their use by bad guys in current Middle Eastern conflicts).
Adam Sandler plays a husband and father who uses internet porn as a surrogate for late-night connubiality. Rosemarie DeWitt plays his wife who visits a dating website that leads her to lie about where she really is when he thinks she is visiting her sister.
Reitman’s examination of the role of social networking goes beyond marital infidelity. The major part of the film goes among teenagers, a minefield if ever there was one. The film’s treatment of teenager issues is mainly sexuality-related, not drugs.
The film’s structure is more a series of linked vignettes than a cohesive plot. Rated R in the US, it’s commendably frank without being salacious. The Internet Movie Database reports that after opening on October 1, it was withdrawn from exhibition within a month. I suspect that those good folk who grow filthy rich from providing social networking facilities might have applied pressure on exhibitors.
The IMDb quotes Reitman saying the filmmakers spent “the same amount of budget on creating the digital world as … the physical one. People know what Facebook looks like better than they do a hotel lobby, you stare at it all day, so it had to be convincing”. That’s worth thinking about and quite a compelling reason for watching the film.
At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
THE audience of “Anthology” walked through a bittersweet and beautifully layered landscape of narrative in the place we now know as Stirling Park, Yarralumla. From 1922-1965, it was Westlake, a working-class community of small cottages and large families. Before that, it was, as it still is, Ngunnawal country.
In the golden hour before sunset, stories from the past were evoked through a fictional presentday scenario. Joe Woodward, as the property developer, Robert Rolland, urged us to buy into his proposed new property development. Caroline O’Brien provided a counterpoint with her charming portrayal of Westlake kid, Ann Austin. Young people from the CADA ensemble, older women from the GOLD Dance Company and musical duo The Cashews breathed poignant life into the historical scenes and installations. As we walked through the site, it became disturbingly hard to distinguish between satire and seriousness. We were herded around
“Anthology – A Theatrical Journey into the Vanished Canberra Suburb of Westlake”. Written and directed by Pip Bunning, installation art and co-creation by Louise Morris. Reviewed by Simone Penkethman. Until December 6
perilous ants’ nests and constantly reminded not to trip or fall on the dangerously uneven ground. And then, just as the beautifully staged vignettes had us yearning for the freedom and simplicity of bygone times, tales of a teenage drowning, of infant mortality and maternal grief tarnished the nostalgia. The otherwise flawless production tried too hard for a final resolution that was neither necessary nor credible. But this minor flaw couldn’t undermine the moving and thought-provoking examination of hidden, local history.
By Helen Musa
WITH the almost irreverent subtitle “Music, Einstein and You!”, the dynamic new artistic director of the Canberra International Music Festival, Roland Peelman, launched the 2015 event at the Shine Dome at breakneck speed, to a musical soundtrack.
Flanked by physicist Prof John Rayner, who observed that music and science shared the common attribute of “creating masterpieces from very simple beginnings”, Peelman made it plain that he saw Einstein as a revolutionary whose four papers delivered in 1915 had changed the world.
And what does that have to do with music? Well, apart from the fact that Albert Einstein was a pretty fair violinist, he was the perfect example of an individual who turned things upside down.
With that in mind, Peelman has programmed a series, running from May 1 to 10 next year, of musical masterpieces that in their time, “defied the limits”.
And who more revolutionary than Beethoven, whose complete piano sonatas will be performed at the beginning of the festival by brilliant artists such as Ian Munro, Anna Goldsworthy, Arnan Wiesel, Daniel de Borah, Lisa Moore, and the recent Chopin competition winner, Kotaro Nagano.
“There could not be a Canberra Festival without Bach,” Peelman asserted, and sure enough, one of the earliest items, “Bach on Sunday” on May 3, would feature Tobias Cole, Paul McMahon and the Festival Bach Ensemble directed by Erin Helyard.
Last year’s formidable theme relating to World War I was by no means forgotten, seen in “The Memory of Gallipoli and the Western front: traditional Sufi music and Western music of loss and redemption” at the Australian War Memorial on May 4.
Despite having promised to put the “fun” back into the festival after a budget-breaking 2014, which he told “CityNews” was “not fun”, Peelman is also insisting on some hard work from his audiences.
There’s the cult event “Music in 12 Parts”, the 209-minute work by Philip Glass, to be performed in Gandel Hall at the NGA on May 10. Peelman said he expected it would be fine for audience members to come and go during the performance.
And science? The Shine Dome will be the location for “String Theory,” described as “a strung-out performance in the round”, with music by Smalley, Ligeti, Wesley Smith and Canberra’s own Kristian Winther.
At Mount Stromlo, in the concert “Space Exploration”, music by artist-in-residence Kate Moore, Bach and others will be performed, enhanced by a high-level talk by Nobel Laureate Prof Brian Schmidt.
The Canberra International Music Festival 2015, May 1-10 2015, bookings now open to cimf.org.au
GOOD things always come in threes; three French hens, three-ring circus and even three-piece suits.
And at the Kingston Foreshore this adage is true of three linked establishments – The Merchant Deli & Café, Prohibition and the Market The Grocery Store.
The Prohibition bottle shop, a collaboration with Australian Liquor Marketers, has a distinct look and feel, some great labels and specialty items such as Cuban cigars and chocolates. Market The Grocery Store is super convenient for those living at the Foreshore and The Merchant Deli & Café (byo) complements the other eateries in the area.
We were off to The Merchant. The super friendly staff promptly greeted us in our possie in a spot of sun.
share plates. It’s a wonderfully social way to dine.
Having said that, my tastebuds demanded that I order the braised lamb shoulder pappardelle ($22).
We wish there was enough space on the page to truly express our heartfelt gratitude.
After 26 years of presenting Italian Cuisine, we will be closing our doors for the last time at the end of December. Until then we will be bringing back some of our favourite dishes for an encore specials menu. Thank you for being part of our family… Ciao
The menu has changed since my visit, but we were impressed with the range of share options, including a charcuterie plate ($28), featuring small goods from Italy and Spain, including smoked pepper turkey, an antipasto plate ($28) and a fromage selection ($28). I love
The shoulder was slow cooked with cumin and coffee. The dish came with minted green peas and 24-month old grana padano, undoubtedly one of Italy’s most popular cheeses ($22). It sounded sensational but the dish didn’t nail it for me. It was watery, lacked depth of flavour and I wasn’t impressed with the grissle. However, it was a generous serve and nicely presented.
My friend was in the mood for a hit of chilli – not an unusual situation – and so ordered the spanner crab linguine ($22) served with cherry tomatoes, broccolini (gotta love your greens) and lemon olive oil. At first she wasn’t sure there was enough chilli for her liking, but the flavour came through in the end. It
was a lovely dish. Both our meals needed extra seasoning for our taste. We got up and grabbed salt and pepper from another table.
We hadn’t planned on dessert but were convinced to try “a sweet” after being told they were sourced from Sydney’s Yael’s Cakes. And so it was that we shared the black forest cheesecake. We were glad we accepted the tip. It was a fab way to end our meal.
Also on the sweet list (cakes $8; tartlets $6) was an Oscar Torte, a carrot and orange cake (no nuts), New York lemon cheesecake and sour cherry and almond flan. The desserts are reasonably priced and remember that The Merchant offers drinks, cakes and coffees all day.
3/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston Foreshore. Open seven days. Times vary. Call 6162 1359.
Joanne Madeline Moore
your week in the stars – December 8-14, 2014
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Education, exercise, travel and international connections are favoured this week, as you give your mind and body a thorough workout. Cast your net wide – you have much to learn, many exciting people to meet and exotic places to visit. Single Rams – Venus visits your career zone (from mid-week until January 3) so you could be introduced to your perfect match via a client, customer or professional colleague.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Bulls can be a lazy, languid bunch. With Mars marching through your work zone and your ruler Venus moving into career-oriented Capricorn, you need to blast out of your comfort zone and be professionally proactive. If you are retired, then consider doing some volunteer work in your local community. Time to get off your beautiful bovine behind and make things happen. Confidence will take you far!
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
It’s hard for others to keep up with you this week. You’re in Gemini gadfly mode, as the Sun stimulates your gregarious side and Jupiter revs up your mercurial mind. You’ve got work to tackle; appointments to keep; parties to attend; plans to initiate; books and blogs to read; plus much talking, texting and tweeting to do. Just make sure that –amidst the mad whirlpool of activity – you actually achieve something.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Crabs can be incredibly self-absorbed but the more you concentrate on the needs of others, the better the week will be. With love-planet Venus visiting your relationship zone (from mid-week until January 3) you’re feeling romantic. So it’s the perfect time to pamper your partner with lashings of love and TLC. Are you sick and tired of being single? Sparks are set to fly with a tender Taurus or a sexy Scorpio.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
Jupiter is jumping through your sign and trining Mercury so it’s your time to shine! You receive a welcome confidence boost Friday, as worries slide off you like water off a duck’s back. Whatever comes your way, you’ll handle it with plenty of Leo aplomb and loquaciousness. Be inspired by American poet Emily Dickinson (born December 10, 1830): ‘Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.’
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
With Venus shifting into your friendship zone from mid-week through until January 3, it’s time to give fair-weather friends the flick. Focus on mates who support your endeavours and encourage your dreams, so your motto for the moment is from birthday great Jim Morrison: ‘A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.’ Friday is fabulous for business, travel, education and positive thinking.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Venus decamps into your domestic zone so your relationship with a family member starts to improve as you see things from their point of view. When it comes to your glorious goals for the future, don’t just talk about them Libra. Long-term plans require action to turn them into robust reality. It’s also a wonderful week to clean, de-clutter and beautify your living space. Fresh flowers are a must!
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Are wonderful things happening to everyone else? Do you feel overlooked and under-appreciated? Avoid being a bitter sour-puss. Saturn is in your sign and Jupiter is about to reverse through your career zone so success has been slowed. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Be persistent and take a long-term view. As birthday great Frank Sinatra declared: ‘The best revenge is massive success.’
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Sagittarians are in super chatty mode! The Sun and Mercury hook up in your sign, increasing your curiosity and tendency to talk a lot. Jovial Jupiter (your ruling planet) links up with Mercury and the Moon, boosting your confidence, emotional wellbeing and sense of humour. You’re also keen to soak up overseas influences via travel, learning another language or connecting with international friends.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Goats can work too hard and be grumpy. But, with vivacious Venus vamping (from mid-week until January 3) you’re feeling unusually flirtatious and fabulous, as you charm the cynics and dazzle the doubters. It will be oh-so easy to get what you want and who you want over the festive season if you stop being a control freak and try a ‘softly-softly’ approach instead. A dash of diplomacy is the way to go.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Are you stuck in cruise control? Mighty Mars moving through your sign encourages you to be proactive about personal projects, as you work on being more motivated and assertive. Strive to be brazenly bold and beautiful. If you’re not confident about your talents, why should anyone else sing your praises? On Friday, aim to be generous and supportive as you help loved ones achieve their dreams.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
This week many Pisceans are basking in the public spotlight in some way. Study and education are also highlighted, so make sure you exercise your brain cells and learn something new. Plus, with Venus entering your networking zone, it’s time to boost your social media profile by connecting with more family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances from around the globe.
Solution next week
Across
1 To which bird family does the budgerigar belong?
7 Name a renowned Australian ballet dancer, Sir Robert ...?
8 Which term describes the wolf?
9 Name the Irrigation Scheme which was completed in 1970-72 (3,5)
10 What do we call a person who converts hides into leather?
11 Name a particular type of coffee preparation?
14 What was the former name of Zimbabwe?
18 Which other term is applicable to a serviette?
19 What do we call one who maintains the political equality of all people?
21 Salem is the capital of which US state?
22 Which spray is used by police to subdue offenders?
23 What is a portion of ice-cream with syrup poured over it?
Down
1 Which US annual prize is awarded for journalism, literature and music?
2 What are periods of ruling, as by sovereigns?
3 What, in mathematics, are propositions embodying things to be proved?
4 The Australian opera singer, Ms Moncrieff, was known as “our ...”
5 What, in cricket, is a referee called?
6 What are smaller pictures, maps, etc, inserted within the border of larger ones?
12 Which term describes apparitions or spectres?
13 What is cannon or artillery known as?
15 Which African nocturnal carnivores feed chiefly on carrion?
16 What is a pathological accumulation of diluted lymph in body tissues and cavities?
17 The lien is a less familiar term for which human vascular organ?
20 What, in Rugby Union, is a scrimmage also called?
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We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow
FOR a few short weeks some plants exude a wonderful fragrance and then it is gone until next year.
Two plants, on either side of our drive, immediately come to mind; firstly, the stunning climbing rose, Rosa “Zephirine Drouhin”, with a fragrance any perfume manufacturer could only wish for.
As they fade, the Chinese Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, comes into full flower on the other side of the drive. The fragrance of its clusters of tiny white flowers are almost overpowering.
To complete a trio to test the senses at this time is Philadelphus x virginalis or Mock Orange in flower in garden centres now. It is
not to be confused with Choisya ternata, the evergreen Mexican Orange Blossom. Out of more than 65 varieties of Philadelphus, P.x virginalis is probably the best with its double, highly fragrant flowers. The UK’s Royal Horticultural Society gave this shrub its Award of Garden Merit in 1926.
CLEMATIS, with its huge flowers, are possibly the star performers at this time of year, especially the big-flowered C. “General Sikorski” pictured here. It combines well with the deep mauve of C. “Romantika”. After a lattice screen fixed to timber posts had disintegrated over time, with the loss of an entangled climbing rose, I retained the uprights and horizontally placed wires, spaced every 30cm.
This provided perfect support for six different varieties of Clematis trained along the wires that included the winter flowering Clematis napaulensis to the first of the spring clematis, C. montana rubens, with small, pink flowers and purple-tinged leaves all summer.
I am also training it to climb through the branches of a nearby maple, Acer “Bloodgood”, which has deep purple leaves all growing season.
Clematis are so easy to grow. The main secret is a cool root zone and the old-timers’ idea was to place one or more roofing tiles over the root zone. This is just as applicable as it was 100 years ago. Lifting the tiles the morning after a very hot day will reveal condensation under the tile.
• Hoses lying on lawns in hot weather cause scorch marks.
• Water restrictions apply with no sprinklers 9am-6pm.
• Deadhead Rosa “Zephirine Drouhin” with hand shears once the first flush of flowers finishes.
• It’s time to clip back, by 50 per cent, Michaelmas daisies, Salvias and chrysanthemums.
MOST French lavenders flower early in spring and finish well before the English summer-flowering lavenders. An exception has been Lavendula “Princess”, introduced last year and featured on this page in August. It has been flowering continuously since then, proving its worth in any garden and I highly recommend it.
All of Cedric Bryant’s gardening columns are available and searchable at citynews.com.a
• In a recent item promoting organic products for gardens, I wrote that Go-Go Juice was “Certifed Organic”. This is not the case. Its manufacturer, Neutrog Fertilizers, confirms that the product is not certified, but an “organically based, high-microbial solution with a wide range of benefits not found in non-organic chemical compounds”.
Come into Living Simply this Christmas season and you will be pleasantly surprised with our new and unique stock range. You are sure to find the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone.... Or why not treat yourself.
We are simply bursting with Christmas ideas! 10 Beltana Road, Pialligo ACT (opposite Canberra Airport)
On Sunday 7 December at 11am and 2pm, Dennis will be holding two free talks / demo sessions about his very unique pizza fired ovens. If you are looking for a custom built, one of a kind pizza oven, or would like to commission Dennis for any artistic piece of sculpture, come and join Dennis and learn about everything there is to offer. His talks will cover:
