Cuba gets the cigar for health care
MICHAEL MOORE
Let’s remember Richie at Manuka
TIM GAVEL
Prickly end to open gardens scheme
KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK
Young, star composer KATE MOORE brings her ‘hypnotic planes of sound’ to the Canberra International Music Festival
Imagine coming home to your own personal retreat.
Live like the jet-set with luxury indulgences normally only found at 5-star resorts.
Indulge yourself with the life of your dreams and make Southport your new home.
A CANBERRA mum of two who transformed her lifestyle to get the body of her dreams and become a competitive bodybuilder has won first place after competing for the first time.
Rianna Macdougall, the owner and head coach of Sirens Cheerleaders in Mitchell, trained for the past 20 weeks to compete in the International Natural BodyBuilding Association Canberra
Classics at the Hellenic Club on Sunday, April 19.
She won first place in the “Bikini 30plus” division, second place in the “Bikini Momma” division, and was in the top six for “Bikini First Timer” division.
“I had a blast at the competition, it was really well run and I made a lot of new friends,” she says.
“With the first competition it is about mental strength as well as physical, before I didn’t think I would belong on stage but you cannot doubt yourself. Winning two medals and going up on the podium with the other girls was very special.”
The 30-year old cheerleading coach from Amaroo made the drastic lifestyle change when she realised she was focusing more on the fitness of her 200 athletes than her own.
“When I was pregnant with my second child in 2012 I was 82kg and a lot heavier than I needed to be,” she says.
“I was letting my fitness slip, I was sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating food I shouldn’t have been eating. It was then that I thought I had to stop complaining and wishing and get help to get the body I wanted.”
After completing an online 12-week fitness challenge last year with her
Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111
GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601
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Meikle, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.
husband, who signed her up, Rianna began weight training with her coach Alicia Gowans, who is one of Australia’s first WBFF (World Beauty Fitness and Fashion) Fitness Diva Pros and helped her reach her goal to weigh less than 60kg.
“I weigh 59.8kg now and I am so happy with what I have achieved. I have learned so much about nutrition, protein, supplements and how to train properly,” Rianna says.
“I have always been pretty fit, I represented Australia in the cheerleading world championships, I am a black belt in tae kwon do and I was an army reserves officer, but this is the hardest thing I’ve done. It is on your mind 24/7, you have to make sure you eat, sleep, drink and train right, and meal prep for the week takes hours.
Rianna will compete in two more bodybuilding competitions on May 3 in Sydney and another on May 24 in Canberra, as well as modelling the designs of fitness model, Bronwen Stead, at this year’s Fashfest.
She says: “Bronwen has been working on some amazing designs, I never thought anyone would want me to represent their ideas and designs, it is exciting.
“I am so thankful for my husband Christian and my daughters Penelope and Heidi who have been so supportive throughout everything.”
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Your Will is the only way you can ensure that your possessions and assets go to the people and causes you care about. Join Red Cross at a Wills for Life day and take advantage of our special offer, where a solicitor can help you prepare or update your Will.
By including a gift to Red Cross in your Will you’ll help improve the lives of vulnerable people across Australia and further afield, making a difference for generations to come.
THE Anzac extravaganza is finally over, but politicians love it so much we can be sure it will rear its militaristic head again next year.
PM Tony Abbott took full advantage of the occasion during his visit to Istanbul and Gallipoli. Once a year, it seems, we discover a “special relationship” with Turkey, at least for the few days surrounding April 25.
The media went wildly over the top but was nicely exposed by actor Sam Neill who hosted a much-touted Gallipoli special on the ABC. He told Aunty’s new Charlie Pickering show “The Weekly” he hated war and wanted to say so in the documentary. But he was “persuaded” by his producers to “tone down” his views.
It was unfortunate, he said, that we allowed our allies – in this case Britain – to drag us into a war of total irrelevance to Australia and NZ. Pickering was aghast and ended the interview poste haste. Meantime, Tony took time out to lecture the Europeans on how to “stop the boats” after more than 800 drowned in a single vessel crossing the Mediterranean. And who better?
WHILE the PM was away, central NSW was hit by the full force of a Category Two cyclone costing four lives and untold millions in damages to homes and public amenities. Such “extreme weather events” it seems are becoming ever more frequent as climate change takes hold.
We saw out the three-day downpour at Tuross where the sea swept across the beach and into Coila Lake.
Once a year, it seems, we discover a ‘special relationship’ with Turkey, at least for the few days surrounding April 25.
Once rare, it’s now a regular event. Coincidentally, we learned this week that the PM’s office drove the push to provide $4 million government funding for the “sceptical environmentalist” Bjorn Lomborg for a Consensus Centre at the University of WA. Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s office denied all knowledge of it. Another captain’s call?
CANBERRANS, it seems, have a much more intimate combat in mind – the war against obesity. An ACT Government survey revealed we want “tough action” to limit unhealthy food. But at the same time, it turns out, we’re unwilling to take personal responsibility for our own weight problems. At least half our population is “overweight” according to the research, but only 20 per cent say they’ll do anything about it.
AT least we haven’t lost our sense of humour. Clearly there were practical jokers at work in the heritage study that this week found the ugly boxes of the Northbourne Flats were “the pinnacle of design… and critical to Canberra’s urban design history”. It gets better. The flats, the study found, demonstrated “the purist form of cubiform architectural imagery”. Nice one, lads.
AND what about those comedians from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Rio Tinto and BHP who gave evidence about their financial finagling to the Senate Inquiry into tax avoidance. “What, us cheat the tax man?” they cried. “You must be joking”. You had to love the response from tax commissioner Chris Jordan who skewered them in perfect bureaucratese. They didn’t actually mislead Parliament, he said. Oh, no. It’s just that, “their evidence was not accurately reflecting the reality that the level of taxes they pay locally was being contested by the ATO”.
Don’t cross the Jordan.
robert@robertmacklin.com
FORMER astronaut and aerospace engineer Sandy Magnus, who spent 4.5 months on the International Space Station, will give a free public talk at the Australian Defence Force Academy, 6pm, on Thursday, May 14. Hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) and UNSW Canberra, Dr Mangus will speak on “Perspectives from Space”, which will encompass stories, experiences and perspectives gained over her years as a NASA astronaut. A free event, but registration is essential at perspectives-from-space-canberra. eventbrite.com.au
If you’re aged 50-74 you’ll be sent a free bowel cancer screening kit. The kit is simple to use and can detect bowel cancer before any symptoms appear. Around 80 Australians die of bowel cancer every week, but if detected early, up to 90% of cases can be successfully treated. So be sure to complete and return your kit. It’s a gift that could save your life. If you’re over 74 talk to your GP.
By 2020 people aged 50-74 will receive a kit every two years.
INTERNATIONAL Homebrew Day will be celebrated in Canberra this year at Westside Acton Park from 10am on Saturday, May 2. The Canberra Brewers club will host eight different brewers, who will use a range of brewing set-ups, from inexpensive beginner’s gear
through to a computer-controlled, “all grain” system.
THE Greek embassy is hosting an exhibition of work by 14 GreekAustralian artists inspired by the use of Lemnos as a field hospital in the convalescence of Allied troops during World War I. The show, curated by Mrs Eva T. Dafaranos, will be open to the general public at 9 Turrana Street, Yarralumla, 11am to 4pm, on May 2-3.
PROCEEDS of the Dirt de Femme race to be held at the Mount Stromlo Forest bicycle centre on May 3 will go to ACT breast cancer support group Bosom Buddies. Up to 200 competitors are expected to choose between a 21km and 45km course. The Dirt de Femme’s vision is to create a fun, competitive atmosphere for women and schoolgirls.
An afternoon of Indigenous art, with music, food & wine
Bringing together the world’s oldest living culture and its newest science.
Presented by the Canberra Medical Society and supported by The John Curtin Medical Research Foundation, ANU. Sunday 3 May, 11am–3pm Government House, Dunrossil Drive, Yarralumla
A unique opportunity to purchase quality Indigenous artworks through direct sale, live and silent auction. Hear Wally Caruana, expert in Indigenous art, introduce each piece. Proceeds support the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. RSVP madeleine.nicol@anu.edu.au
You might wonder why you’ve blown out your download allowance, but the first you’ll really know about it is when the speculative invoices from the copyright holders start to flood in.
FALLOUT from the “Dallas Buyers Club decision” is taking unpredictable and terrifying turns.
The court has ruled that copyright holders can force internet service providers (ISPs) to provide access to their logs, which would allow them to identify who has been illegally downloading their movies.
With this evidence they’ll be able to demand money from the downloaders and potentially sue them.
If you lead a busy life then Netflix and its rivals have such a cornucopia of content that there’s really no reason to download illegally.
But a lot of people are such compulsive downloaders of shows and movies that to them the streaming vices are limited and out
of date.
An acquaintance who is, shall we say, no stranger to the illegal street-racing community, and thus has an at best tenuous relationship with lawfulness, recently posted on facebook about this.
He was worried about being caught up in future sweeps of ISP data by copyright holders, but wanted an instant access to shows that aren’t legally available in Australia.
His friends’ suggestions were an intriguing mix of different ways to tunnel his internet to a variety of streaming sites around the world in jurisdictions with less care for copyright law. And then one of this crowd piped up with: “Just fire up a Pineapple Wifi and download as much as you like with your neighbours’ wifi”.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head and after a lot of googling (more exciting watch lists to go on) and chatting with a number of IT security professionals I only feel sicker.
Pineapple Wifi can be ordered online
Pineapple Wifi… ordered online and bundled with a fetching rucksack, battery pack and antennas for a couple of hundred dollars.
bundled with a fetching rucksack, battery pack, and antennas for a couple of hundred dollars (for legitimate penetration testing, of course, but no questions are asked).
It takes a plethora of software hacking tools and bundles them with a slightly tricked out wifi router and basically allows any non-technical idiot to be a cyber criminal. It is by no means
alone on the market.
The pieces to build such a thing yourself have been around for a while, which is why a company putting them together and selling them has not created the stir it might have.
For example the “Reaver” software, which launches brute-force password attacks to break open your wifi network, offers a “Pro” version for $75.
The terrifying thing is that non-sophisticated illegal downloaders are becoming aware of such things.
With a high-gain antenna in suburban Canberra they can sit in their parents’ bedroom and target hundreds of nearby wifi networks.
You might wonder why you’ve blown out your download allowance, but the first you’ll really know about it is when the speculative invoices from the copyright holders start to flood in.
Worse than that, the police might kick your door down for downloading material that violates more than copyright. Try explaining that to your wife, kids and neighbours.
The security experts I spoke to couldn’t nominate a consumer-grade router they trusted to hold these devices out, but recommend changing your password monthly, which might at least get the parasites latching on to another host.
None of the above is the worst-case scenario. If the illegal downloader on your network gets enterprising they can, with the included software, perform man-in-themiddle attacks and trick you into logging into fake internet banking pages. Then they can steal all your money.
Law enforcement could fight back using honeypots to draw the hackers in and nab them for exemplary prosecution. It might be time they were prodded to start doing so.
John Griffiths is the online editor of citynews.com.au
NEVER had much to do with greyhound racing; called a few dog meetings in Adelaide in the ‘90s, but I’ve only ever been to the Canberra track twice.
I don’t mind a punt, but I struggle putting money on an animal that doesn’t have anyone steering it.
Maybe I’m naïve, but I was surprised by the ABC TV “Four Corners” live-baiting revelations. What a mongrel of a way for people to try to earn a buck. They should never be involved with animals and I hope they’re all run out of the game.
Do we have any live baiting here in Canberra?
I’d like to give people the benefit of the doubt but Tammy Ven Dange, from the RSPCA ACT, isn’t as generous.
She’s been calling for the ACT Government to distance itself from greyhound racing and to cease funding the sport in any way shape or form. I spoke to Tammy on the radio last week and urged her to tell me what information she had regarding live baiting in the ACT. She has none.
“We’ve had plenty of tip offs, but nothing that was enough to bring about a prosecution,” she said.
“It’s happening all over the country, so why wouldn’t it be happening here?”
Tammy conceded that it’s possible that there is no live baiting occurring in the ACT.
Local trainer Alan Tutt was appalled.
“There is no live baiting in Canberra,” he told me. He said he loves his dogs and that he successfully rehomes them all after their racing days end.
I had a brief conversation with Chief Minister Andrew Barr about this last week. He indicated that the government pumps just shy of a million dollars a year into the greyhound industry and that there was no plan to change this.
I got a fascinating email from a listener soon after my chat with the Chief Minister.
I spoke to Tammy on the radio last week and urged her to tell me what information she had regarding live baiting in the ACT. She has none.
Andy wrote:
“I lived and grew up in the Murrumbateman area in the late ‘70s and I would trap rabbits for their skins for pocket money.
“I would also trap rabbits using ferrets and sell the live rabbits to a guy down the road that owned greyhounds. I was unaware but you can only guess what he used them for. He would say if I caught him possums, he would pay me big dollars.
“If greyhound owners have ferrets you can guess what they are for.
“My dad is in his eighties and said he did the same as me when he was a kid, it’s been happening for many decades.”
I guess we can all make up our own minds.
Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC
UNFORTUNATELY, “CityNews” is starting to read like a weekly supplement to the tendentious left-wing “Canberra Times”, with Robert Macklin misrepresenting Tony Abbott’s reply to Angela Merkel’s supposed question, “what drives his China policy?” (Seven Days, CN, April 23).
The question was not about “his” policy but about “Australia’s policy”, a much more general inquiry, and one that he answered in that light, as “fear and greed”. Which is a correct summary of recent years, if not longer.
Also, it was clearly a satirical answer, indicated by his smile, but it is not the first time that honest answers from politicians are deemed by their critics to be shooting themselves in the foot. No wonder it is hard to get a straight answer from members of parliament. Abbott’s comment certainly isn’t a state secret.
Wasn’t Macklin in China recently badmouthing Australia’s history? Seems like he’s been shooting a few bullets himself.
Glyn Myfyr, via email
JOHN Griffiths is playing Pied Piper when he suggests in “Pockets full of cash, who needs them?” (CN April 16) that cash is irrelevant.
In fact, his suggestion further catapults Australia down the slippery slope we began long ago by proposing to retire cash.
Cash has become one of the last bastions of privacy where you can make transactions that are not recorded and used for marketing and tracing your whereabouts.
Journalism is usually the first freedom pillar to fall and now John is proposing an assault on cash.
WHY is it that governments will act swiftly to punish those who refuse to have their children vaccinated, but won’t lift a hand towards “vaccinating” young persons against illegal drug use.
The whooping cough vaccination is a prime example of the application of the first law of public health when dealing with epidemics – primary prevention. That is, to aim to reduce to nil the number of first-
Yes, there are pitfalls in having a cash-based society, but all of these pitfalls are the consequence of government-gone-rogue in all liberal democratic nations.
Surely, John, you must have had cause to reflect on your own industry’s misfortune and wondered how it got there? When will journalists stop regurgitating the zeitgeist of our time, namely the progressive mindset that drives government into every aspect of our lives?
Peter Twigg, Kambah
time contacts with the infection, just as is happening with Ebola. With our jail overflowing and rehabilitation services turning away addicts, we are reaping what consecutive governments have sowed in following blindly the ideology and propaganda of vested interests seeking to feather their own nests.
Colliss Parrett, Barton
Tony Meloto… anti-poverty crusader.
FILIPINO anti-poverty crusader
Tony Meloto will speak in Canberra in late May as part of his nationwide “Builder of Dreams” tour.
Meloto, voted the most trusted man in the Philippines by “Reader’s Digest” in 2010, will address the issues of social entrepreneurship and volunteerism.
Australia played a pivotal role in the establishment of the growing Philippines-based movement, Gawad Kalinga, Filipino for “to give care”, says Sally Barber, the movement’s co-ordinator for the ACT.
“As a missionary to Australia in the mid ‘80s Meloto was deeply inspired by Australia’s compassion and welfare provisions for the poor,” she says.
“In 1995 he started a youthdevelopment program for gang members in a Manila shanty area. The program evolved in to a globally recognised movement that builds integrated, holistic and sustainable communities for impoverished families.”
GK has been active in Canberra since 2003.
Tony Meloto will speak at 25 Forster Street, Yarralumla, 10.30am, on Friday, May 29. More information from Sally Barber on 0401 369558.
MY work has taken me to Cuba. It would not have been high on my bucket list had this not been the case. However, I am finding fascinating the politics, this new era of thawing relations and the extraordinary impact of the many years of embargo.
Being at an international conference, I saw the country through the lens of a public health professional. Through that lens our societies could learn a great deal from each other.
They would do well to look at better control of tobacco. Smoking is allowed in restaurants and many other enclosed spaces.
Cigarettes are very cheap. Even in public health circles, tobacco reform is not received particularly well in a land renowned for the cigar. Seat belt rules seem non-existent.
In economic terms, it is clear that the years of embargo from the West have had a significant impact. However, better health outcomes for the Cuban community have been achieved by concentrating on the health system and on issues outside health, such as equity, education, social justice, housing, transport and fiscal policy.
The Cuban primary healthcare system is second to none with a high ratio of general practice to community members. Its hospital systems run efficiently and effectively.
Education of medical practitioners and
Cuba claims a 100 per cent child-vaccination rate – a gold medal in world terms. Although Australia is doing quite well, matching this achievement would be a challenge in our community.
other healthcare professionals has been a priority for the government from within a year of the socialist revolution.
Cuban life expectancy, at around 79 years, is the same as the US. However, Cuba spends nearly twenty times less per capita on health compared to its capitalist neighbour.
While the Australian response to the West Africa Ebola crisis was incredibly slow, the Cubans sent a team of more than 200 doctors, supported by other health professionals, to assist people on the ground.
Its medical competency is illustrated by the fact that none of these medical professionals died from an Ebola infection. It is not the only way that Cuba assists other nations.
From the 1960s the Cuban government has been running medical and other health education for developing countries across Latin America and for many countries in Africa.
A cynic may well see this as simply soft diplomacy, a modern form of missionary care from the colonial era. Fidel Castro was an internationalist – his socialist ideals competing with American cultural imperialism.
Even so, I listened to officials from country after country from the African and South American continents acknowledging the role Cuba has played in delivering better health outcomes and health reform in their countries.
A few examples include Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Zambia, Ethiopia and Brazil.
Apart from all the medical doctors trained in Cuba, around 5000 Cuban
doctors are currently working in regional, remote and indigenous communities in Brazil, which has been unable to train and deploy enough medical practitioners within its own systems to meet this need.
Investment in prevention has been a priority for Cuba, which prepares many of its vaccines and claims a 100 per cent child-vaccination rate – a gold medal in world terms. Although Australia is doing quite well, matching this achievement would be a great challenge in our community.
Australian investment in preventive health was slashed in the last budget. Primary health care in Australia is the subject of current reform with the move from Medicare Locals to Primary Health Networks.
The numbers have been halved with just a single Primary Health Network being commissioned for the entire non-capital city areas of both SA and WA.
On all statistical measures for wellbeing and life expectancy, Australia is doing much better than Cuba.
Considering our resources, this should not be surprising. However, as embargos are lifted for them and as our lifestyle chronic diseases, caused by overweight and obesity, grow we would do well to look carefully and to learn – even if from unexpected sources.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health. He is CEO of the Public Health Association of Australian and president-elect of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
RICHIE Benaud should be honoured at Manuka Oval.
He played for the PM’s XI four times and hit a massive 113 on one occasion in 1954.
The relationship between a sports commentator and an audience can be a turbulent one. A commentator treads a fine line between descriptive narrative and opinion.
This is why the late journalist and broadcaster was so popular among people who didn’t even like cricket.
He did more for the promotion of cricket than any other, apart from Sir Donald Bradman, who did it through his dominance as a player and as an administrator.
Like Bradman, Benaud promoted cricket without any self grandeur. He was an Australian captain; a journalist; a vital cog in the establishment of World Series Cricket, which revolutionised the game and, of course, a commentator.
I believe he could be recognised at Manuka in several ways. Given his relationship with the PM’s XI, why don’t the teams play for the Richie Benaud Trophy or the player of the match be awarded the Benaud Trophy?
With the redevelopment of Manuka Oval continuing, there is always the possibility of a stand being named in his honour, but the AFL would be more than justified in staking a claim for recognition for the likes of Alex Jesaulenko.
However, an award in his honour would provide a way for Canberra to highlight his role in the promotion of cricket.
WE talk in the media about the toughness of footballers: they suffer broken bones and we hail them for their courage. However, they pale in comparison to the dangers faced by jockeys.
Twenty-year-old Canberra jockey Kayla Nisbet is a case in point. She is currently recovering from a broken leg suffered when her horse fell on her after rearing in the mounting yard. Last year she suffered breaks in her wrist and foot, but still she keeps going.
IT would appear the Raiders, frustrated with rival teams signing their players after years of development, are heading in a different direction. This season there are five new players; next season there is likely to be another five as the club continues to sign players from rival teams and the UK Super League. If the NRL or other teams are upset by the Raiders’ tactics, they have only themselves to blame. The NRL should be compensating
MOTHER’S Day is on Sunday, May 10, and there’s no better time to show mum how much you care. Whether it’s the treat of a fabulous meal (with
the obligatory glass of bubbly) or a special gift, whatever you choose, the “CityNews” guide to Mother’s Day will show you the way...
ON Mother’s Day, 11am-3pm, Bunda Street will be alive with free entertainment and activities in a fun-filled festival called “Mother’s Day on the Shareway”.
The shareway is designed to feel less like a conventional street and more like a plaza to increase the street’s vitality and make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Mothers can get pampered in the Shareway Spa with shoulder, neck and arm massages, hair pampering, competition hairdressing demonstrations, make-up touch-ups as well as a chance to try out the latest cosmetics.
The festival will also showcase tasting platters from local restaurateurs, cooking demonstrations and surprise giveaways that mums can indulge in after building an appetite in the Mother’s Day Dance Party
and Salsabor’s salsa-dancing lesson.
Festival-goers can take part in DIY chalk art, entering the drawing tent and joining in with gigantic games.
The street will be filled with roving magicians, rickshaw rides, hula hoops, face painting, balloon animals, market stalls and Pedal Power’s bicycle skills rodeo where kids and adults of all experience levels can bring their bikes and have a ball testing their skills. Throughout the day there will be prizes and giveaways across the shareway and competitions for both mothers and their families.
Mother’s Day on the Shareway, Bunda Street (from Genge Street to Akuna Street), 11am-3pm, Sunday, May 10. Visit tams.act.gov.au
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MAKE mum happy with a delicious lunch and glass of bubbly at the Canberra Labor Club.
“Each club is celebrating Mother’s Day with an amazing luncheon, with the Belconnen Club doing its own different menu,” says Matt Michel, from the Belconnen club.
Belconnen will be serving a selection of mains and desserts, including pan-seared Atlantic salmon fillet in a curry laksa broth with Asian vegetables and noodles, char-grilled eye fillet
WITH more than 28 years of experience, the chef at Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant draws upon the many culinary regions of India to create a modern and authentic menu, one that reflects the cosmopolitan India of today.
Located in a large open-plan space along Genge Street, Civic, Blu Ginger’s high ceilings and edgy wallpaper add character to the dining experience.
For Mother’s Day and the following Monday, the authentic Indian restaurant is offering a free bottle of champagne with a two-course meal banquet for four people and a glass of champagne for two diners.
Owner, Reddy Manne, says: “Depending on what the customers want we can
with seasonal vegetables, sweet potato chips and a mushroom and bacon sauce and to finish, chocolate profiteroles, a trio of gelato or a “mortal sin” cheesecake.
Matt says the other clubs, Ginninderra, City and Weston Creek, will have a special lunch menu that includes an entree, main and dessert. Mums will have a choice of salt and pepper calamari, chicken tenderloin, salmon garlic prawns or trafalgar steak for main and mini black forest or
help them decide on a dish that suits their taste, if they want a hotter dish we can create that for them. We are well established and have been around for 16 years. We know what mothers want”.
“At Blu Ginger we use only the freshest locally sourced produce, combined with authentic spices imported directly from the sub-continent, to offer classic, traditional recipes with a modern twist, creating a unique and memorable dining experience for you,” Reddy says. Booking is recommended.
Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant, 5 Genge Street, Civic. Call 6247 2228 or visit bluginger.com.au
fresh
Mains at Belconnen start from $28.50. For the other clubs, the three-course meal is $39. Bookings are essential. Lucky door prizes will be won at all four clubs.
Canberra Labor Club Mother’s Day Luncheon, visit laborclub.com.au Bookings to: Belconnen 6251 5522, Civic 6230 0404, Weston Creek 6288 5047 and Ginninderra 6258 8616.
“COLOUR your world and add a zing to your autumn wardrobe,” says Gail Lubbock, owner of Escala Shoes in Manuka.
“I have noticed that a lot of the female population wear black, especially in the winter months. We have a lot of bright clothes and a range of interesting footwear,” she says.
The Arche collection of Parisian footwear at Escala Shoes epitomises French style and combines practicality with high quality for the working mother running around town.
A choice of ballet flats, ankle boots and kitten heels, the range of casual, transitional footwear is both stylish and comfortable.
With fur lining and latex rubber soles, the Arche ankle boots are suitable for travelling and, by adding a cross-body bag that fits in everything you need, it is easy to create the perfect autumn ensemble for the mother on the move.
Gail says: “We don’t just have casual shoes and boots, we also sell a variety of Mary Jane ankle-strap court shoes for a more refined look. It is nice to focus on colour so you can team up the shoes with a colourful, soft cashmere scarf. The quilted Caradei leather gloves are a beautiful indulgence which come in all colours of the season and are cashmere lined for warmth.”
Escala Shoes, Shop 1, 21 Bougainville Street, Manuka. Call 6232 7666 or visit escala-shoes.com.au Arche shoe and quilted red Casadei gloves.
UNIQUE Diamonds offers a luxurious range of precious diamonds, custom made to suit every taste.
With the focus to “provide you and your loved ones with delicate pieces that are treasured for a lifetime”, the Kingston store also offers a variety of earrings, necklaces and bracelets as well as rings. Which ever design a customer
chooses, from a classic “round” cut diamond (a traditional choice for all occasions), a “princess” cut (fast becoming one of the most popular cuts in the US) to a “radiant” cut diamond (principally used for pendants), a jeweller at Unique Diamonds can custom make it.
Owner Josh Bennett says: “Mothers love diamonds and jewellery. We
specialise in GIA-certified diamonds and we give the best prices in Australia”.
Unique Diamonds works by appointment only.
Unique Diamonds, 15 Tench Street, Kingston, call 6126 5361 or 0411 744808. Visit uniquediamonds.com.au
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MOTHER’S Day lunch at the National Portrait Gallery is becoming an annual ritual for some families.
Seated in the sunny Terrace Rooms with balcony access to the adjacent parkland, this year guests can enjoy a sumptuous buffet catered by Australia’s leading restaurant and catering company, Trippas White Group.
The buffet features hot and cold selections and delicious desserts, plus a complimentary glass of
MUM shouldn’t be cooking this Mother’s Day, so why not treat her to a lavish meal at Garnish of India.
“Garnish of India’s menu is the most complete menu to be found around Australia. It unites India in a way to provide flavours from all over India” says restaurant manager, Arshdeep Singh.
Mums can try a taste of authentic Indian cuisine with the popular murgh makhanwala (butter chicken) dish, which is barbecued boneless chicken cooked in rich tomato base creamy gravy, finished with fenugreek or even the squid pepper and coconut fry, a specialty from southern India that has a flavour of coarsely ground pepper, coconut and fresh curry leaves.
To complete the meal, the sumptuous gulab jamun dessert is an excellent fusion of hot and cold with the combination of
deep-fried reduced milk dumplings and vanilla ice cream.
With all meals created by a head chef with more than 23 years’ local and international experience, quality is guaranteed.
Arshdeep says: “Garnish of India is a modern Indian style restaurant with a City Walk view. We have been open for eight months and we have been very successful so far. We are hoping to open a new restaurant in Gungahlin in the next month”.
Garnish of India offers a lunch special during the week where two people can dine on a curry, portion of rice and a naan each for $25.
Garnish of India, first floor, 70 Bunda Street, Garema Place, Civic. Call 6162 1602 or visit garnishofindia.com.au
sparkling wine on arrival.
Each mother will receive a gift of the catalogue to the Gallery’s current exhibition, the Annual National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015.
The buffet costs $73, $65 for members and $20 for children 12 and under. Bookings from noon.
The National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes. Reservations to 6102 7162 or email npg.events@trippaswhitegroup.com.au
THE view down Anzac Parade, across Lake Burley Griffin and on to the old and new Parliament Houses is spectacular.
Fill it with people eager to be part of the centenary commemorations of that fateful Anzac landing at Gallipoli and the ensuing catastrophe and you can’t help but feel a sense of an occasion that epitomises our egalitarian spirit, has a sense of reverence and, of course, respect.
It is our day to be part of the ceremonial and the celebratory to acknowledge and applaud all who have served us in many theatres of war then and now.
We are not too pompous, nor too regimented in the march past. We hoped the horses wouldn’t bolt as they hauled a gun into the arena and caught a breath as HRH the Duke of Kent slipped a bit on his way to lay a wreath as head of the Commonwealth War Graves. We appreciated that the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, had already represented us in Wellington, NZ, for their dawn service and whizzed back to be here for this occasion.
And while there were grandiloquent pronouncements of those who try to use the Anzac legend to explain our nation, it was the silent moments of this centenary event that said the most about what it really means.
Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.
It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.
Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.
Photos by ANDREW FINCH
A HEARTBEAT short of the Anzac Day centenary celebrations getting into full swing, CC’s eye was caught by an email dropping into the cesspit that is editor@ citynews.com.au
titled “Urgent ANZAC Article Submission”.
Gripped by curiosity and urgency the email was opened to discover only an outrageous misrepresentation of the nation’s mood.
WHILE CC can imagine only how unutterably dull the world’s first Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas earlier this month might have been, Canberra start-up Red Robot’s Phil Preston was enthusiastically there as a speaker and with colleagues Duncan Amos and Peter Walsh showcasing the innovation that’s apparently made RR the largest photo booth manufacturer in the southern hemisphere.
“With social media and green-screen integration, we’ve reinvented the photo booth for the digital age,” said Phil.
The team has built customised booths for brands including Lipton and Lotto West, and even a “Dr Who”-inspired Tardis photo booth for the BBC.
Hughes, models her “historically and personally significant garment”... the custom slouch hat.
Former Canberran turned Sydney milliner, Amelia Hughes, great granddaughter of Prime Minister Billy Hughes, just had to let us know that she had designed, wait for it, a custom slouch hat as a tribute for the 100 year anniversary of the Anzac landings in Gallipoli by “synthesising her own sense of style into a historically and personally significant garment”. “I am quite a gypsy, which is great for keeping my finger on the pulse trend wise”, she reassuringly tells us.
These boys are going places beyond Las Vegas by last year winning both the Sydney and Melbourne Design Awards, the Canberra Business Point Awards for High Growth and Overall Business of the Year, and the Australian Startup Awards Product Business of the Year. Say cheese.
ADVERTISING practitioners John Attard , Phil Selby, Julia Unwin and Gabrielle D’Ambrosio were left without jobs when Grey Advertising unthinkably closed the doors of its Fyshwick office in December and sloped, beaten, out of town.
The global advertising agency also appeared to “sack” some of its clients, leaving local land development company CIC Australia, developers with Mirvac, of Googong, without agency representation.
Not for long, though, the former Grey foursome secured the CIC Australia business and has combined resources with an Adelaide outfit to open a new agency, NATION Canberra, based in Allara Street, Civic.
A CHARITY flyer arrived in the inbox and there, hailing its sponsor, was Icon Water’s unseen, unlaunched new minimalist logo. Has there been a leak?
Since last year, the confusingly named, Governmentowned ACTEW Water has been rehearsing a name change to Icon Water. And now the big relaunch is set for May 4. Iconic MD John Knox , washing his hands of the old name, said at the time the rebranding had provided “the opportunity to refocus the organisation for the next 100 years”.
ACTEW Water launches the logo to 400 staff this week and then the organisation’s first day as Icon Water will be May 4, when there will be a “symbolic changeover mini-launch event” at the Mitchell office with the Chief Minister.
The senior comms snout was sanguine about the charity stealing the corporate thunder.
SCHOOL open days and information evenings are a great opportunity for parents and potential students to gain an insight into the everyday learning
of Canberra’s educational centres. Whether it be for children, teenagers or young adults, visitors can discover what each has to offer in 2016.
University of Canberra Senior Secondary College, Lake Ginninderra
AT University of Canberra Senior Secondary College (UCSSC) Lake Ginninderra, students and teachers strive “for excellence in all things”.
Specialising in the education of year 11 and 12 students, the college, which sits on the shore of Lake Ginninderra, offers an extensive academic curriculum as well as an award-winning sport and outdoor education program.
Deputy principal Gerard Barrett says: “The college has been open since 1987 and has a partnership with
University of Canberra as well as relationships with athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport, ACT Academy of Sport and ACT sporting bodies. We have had a lot of future olympians through our college”.
UCSSC Lake Ginninderra open night will be held at 6pm, on Tuesday, May 12, where school areas will be on display and students and teachers on hand to answer questions and guide families around the college. The principal’s address will begin at 6.30pm.
“Open night is a chance for UCSSC Lake Ginninderra to expose itself to the world,” says Mr Barrett.
“There will be performances from students and musicians, work will be on display, as well as hospitality providing food. The outdoor education students will also be demonstrating their abilities by abseiling into the cafeteria from the upper floor.
“We are remodelling the Belconnen Trade Skills Centre, the kitchens and the workshops for automotive, construction, engineering and furniture making. So there will be improved facilities and better vocational courses on offer for 2016”.
For year 10s, the enrolments are open until June 5 and there will be an opportunity to enrol on open night in the library.
University of Canberra Senior Secondary College
Lake Ginninderra. Open night, 6pm, on Tuesday, May 12. Call 6205 7099, visit lakeonline.act.edu.au or download the LAKE G APP from the app store.
WITH large, open learning spaces, purpose-built furniture and free-flowing rooms, The Anglican School Googong has been designed for the children to make the most of their learning opportunities.
The co-educational school, which opened early this year, is the first school in Googong and caters to students from ELC (preschool) to year 2 with the intention of adding years until eventually reaching 1100 students from ELC to year 12.
Principal Ian Hewitt says: “When you walk into our school the first thing you’ll notice is that the learning spaces are flexible, open, modern, practical and more importantly a reflection of the real world.
“There are no desks in rows, chalk boards on walls or teachers standing in front of classes. At The Anglican School Googong, the children discover for themselves and make meaning of the world around them every single day.
“There are outdoor learning areas where children can create, watch or participate in hands-on activities
regardless of the weather.
“The kitchen garden opens up a vast array of opportunities for learning and innovation, inviting the very youngest of our children through to the oldest to be thinking scientifically and mathematically.”
Parents attending the open day on Wednesday, May 6, can hear from the principal, the junior school teaching and learning co-ordinator (Claire Dalziel) and the ELC director (Rose Young).
There will also be a tour of the school where parents will be able to speak with students, concluding with morning tea.
“We look forward to seeing you at our open day. The Anglican School Googong is a place where children know and discover, understand and dream, and grow in faith,” says Ian.
The Anglican School Googong. Open day, Wednesday, May 6, 9.30am-11am. Call 6299 1000 or visit googongschool.nsw.edu.au
preparation classes for the Brevet and the Baccalaureate French Language School!
(Learn French) at the frenchlanguageschool.com.au
CANBERRA Grammar School is enrolling now for 2016 and invites families to attend the upcoming Whole School Open Day and Academic Expo day.
Held noon-2pm on Tuesday, May 12, the day will provide an opportunity to explore the CGS campus and to learn about the school from its teachers and students.
The Open Day and Academic Expo will provide information about the senior and primary schools as well as an in-depth look at all of the subject choices and available scholarships.
Canberra Grammar School is an independent Anglican school that welcomes
students of all backgrounds, cultures and faiths to learn and flourish.
The school offers outstanding academic education, co-curricular opportunities and pastoral care to day and boarding students.
CGS is also an authorised IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) in years 11 and 12.
Canberra Grammar School, Open Day and Academic Expo, noon-2pm, Tuesday, May 12. If unable to make the day, call the registrar on 6260 9744 or visit canberragrammar.org.au
THE teachers at Merici College are “building the futures for exceptional young women”.
The inclusive Catholic College for young women in years 7 to 12, situated in Braddon, provides a dynamic and welcoming community built on the tradition of best practice in girls’ education.
Merici College open day will be on Wednesday, May 6, 9.30am-7pm and will offer a wide range of after-school activities from art workshops, science experiments, photography, music and dance to displays and demonstrations in history, geography, maths and sport.
Principal Loretta Wholley says: “I would like to welcome all families and their daughters to come along to our open day and to come and see an all-girls, educational setting that challenges and encourages young women to connect their learning with meaning and purpose to life.
“As the principal, my personal goal is to create and nurture an environment that inspires staff, students and our community to continually strive to achieve their personal best, whilst responding to the Gospel message of love.
“Behind the façade of Limestone Avenue lies a vibrant and engaging school filled with staff and students that have a great love of learning.”
Merici College open day, Wednesday, May 6, 9.30am-7pm. Call 6243 4100 or visit merici.act.edu.au
ST Francis Xavier College is conscious of the fact that “it takes a village to raise a child”. Its vision is “Living the truth, leading with courage, learning for life” and much of the living, leading and learning occurs outside the school gates. “We never underestimate the part that various organisations, outside the school, play in assisting our students to develop into socially responsible and contributing members of society,” the school says.
Volunteering is a major focus for students in year 9 and students can continue to do so as they progress to year 12.
Students can volunteer for a number of Belconnen groups and have assisted at Primary Schools’ Athletics and Cross-Country Carnivals, as well as facilitating a number of retreats in local Catholic primary schools.
“There are also many links of a curriculum nature that take our students out of the school,” the school says.
“These include: Robocup International, to be held in China this year, the annual ANU Titration Stakes, frequent visits to the Legislative Assembly for debating and other public-speaking competitions, visits to primary schools during Science Week... the list goes on.
“It does take a village to raise a child and at SFX we appreciate the links we have with the community and the positive difference that this makes in the lives of our students”.
St Francis Xavier College, Barnard Circuit, Florey, information evening: Monday, May 11, 5pm tours and 6.30pm information. Call 6258 1055 or visit sfx.act.edu.au
Thursday
ST Vincent’s Primary School in Aranda has a “real sense of belonging when you walk through the door,” says acting assistant principal Darren Roberts.
The school, which currently has 183 students from Kindergarten to year 6, prides itself on providing a rich and comprehensive education complemented by a wide range of co-curricular activities and programs.
“Our vision as a Catholic community is to nurture and to challenge one another to reach our potential as lifelong learners,” says Darren.
“We have fantastic teachers who are willing to go above and beyond to assist their students, everyone is so welcoming.”
St Vincent’s Primary School’s open day is on Wednesday, May 13 and will consist of two sessions –9.15am-noon and 3pm-5pm.
“Parents will have the chance to see all the wonderful activities happening in the school environment,” says Darren.
“It will also be a chance to see our new refurbishment where we have four new classrooms and a renovated breakout area.
“The students will take parents on a guided tour of the school and will answer any questions they may have. Tea and biscuits will be available afterwards and parents can have a chat with the principal.
“Open day is an opportunity to get a feel of the school.”
St Vincent’s Primary School. Open Day at 9.15am-noon and 3pm-5pm, Wednesday, May 13. Call 6251 2442 or visit svdp.act.edu.au
IF you asked St Mary MacKillop College captains Abigirl Maminimini and Adrian Thomas what they loved about their school, they’d tell you about MacKillop’s welcoming environment, diversity and skill of the teaching staff, and the wide range of opportunities.
MacKillop has all the advantages that being Canberra’s largest school can provide: lots of different people to be friendly with, a wide range of curriculum options, extensive facilities, and a huge range of sports and co-curricular choices.
However, from day to day, the two-campus setup means students enjoy a relatively small learning environment.
“Everyone is welcome at MacKillop, and our teachers encourage us to do our best, be ourselves, and pursue our interests,” they say.
“When we started at MacKillop we learnt very quickly that there’s something for every interest here, with a range of sports, gifted and talented programs, leadership opportunities, performances, a huge range of classes and lots of different people to share the journey with.”
As a co-educational school, boys and girls learn together, promoting a mutual respect for gender difference, cohesive intellectual energy and a learning community that best reflects the society its students belong to and are being prepared to lead.
St Mary MacKillop College. Year 7, 2016 Information Night on Monday, May 4 from 6.30pm at the Wanniassa Campus. Call 6209 0100 or visit mackillop.act.edu.au
May 13 from 9.15am-12pm & 3pm-5pm
• Come and meet the Principal and the dedicated and professional staff • Experience the warmth of our vibrant school community
• Take a guided tour of the school grounds with our Year Six Leaders
Vincent’s
THE values of St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School are inclusivity, respect and community.
Located in Weston Creek, the co-educational primary school caters for about 250 students from Kindergarten to year 6.
Principal Vicky van der Sanden, says: “The three cornerstones of St John Vianney’s are that the children have the right to feel safe here, they have the right to respect and fair treatment and they have the right to learn.
“We are a very community minded school with a community spirit and a Catholic perspective.”
St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School enrolment period is from Monday, May 4 to Friday, May 22. Enrolments for year groups other than kindergarten are accepted throughout the year and places are offered subject to availability.
St John Vianney’s Primary School. Call 6288 2383 or visit sjv.act.edu.au
A STRONG partnership between home and school guides St Michael’s Primary School to be “Educating for Today and Tomorrow”.
Situated in Kaleen, the Catholic school caters for 210 students from Kindergarten to year 6 and is staffed by highly trained professionals who are devoted to providing the best Catholic education for their children.
St Michael’s community is a reflection of its school vision: “A people of harmony, a place of challenge.”
The school is committed to providing a strong, quality curriculum in all academic areas and has a particular focus on developing literacy and numeracy skills across the school.
St Michael’s values enquiry-based learning and guiding students to be discerning life-long learners in an ever changing future.
ROSARY Primary School aims to reflect and promote its motto: “Veritas” (Truth) in all of their activities and experiences.
Founded in 1963 by the Dominican Friars and staffed by Dominican sisters, the primary school in Watson provides a challenging and comprehensive education for students from Kindergarten to year 6 as well as aiming to create a rich relationship with God.
Rosary Primary School open day will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 9am-11am.
Principal, Maureen Doszpot, says: “Our open day is a great opportunity for parents to visit the school and have a tour.
“The year 6 leaders show them around and they have the chance to see the school in action. They are very proud of their school and are very open, the parents can ask them questions as well as meet the
With an integrated ICT program, networked computers, interactive whiteboards, laptops and iPads for teacher and student use, all this stimulating learning takes place in refurbished classrooms, versatile break-out spaces, outdoor options and a modern, multi-faceted library resource centre.
St Michael’s provides individual education programs supporting students to achieve in all aspects of learning. There is a strong student leadership focus and an emphasis on positive behaviour management through a whole school program.
St Michael’s Primary is enrolling now for 2016. Information evening, Wednesday, May 6 at 6-7pm. Open Days, Friday, May 8 and Thursday, May 14, with tours at 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm both days. Call 6241 4022 or visit stmichaelsps.act.edu.au
teachers.
“If, for some reason, some parents cannot attend the open day, we can arrange to show them around another time. You really get an insight into the school atmosphere, you can really feel the spirit of the school by looking around.”
Rosary Primary School welcomes and celebrates diversity while providing a quality learning environment that caters for the development of the individual in all aspects of life.
Maureen says: “The school has been around for 52 years and we try to keep the spirit of the Dominicans alive with our ‘truth’ motto. We are true to the past, but are also looking forward towards the future.”
Rosary Primary School, open day, 9am-11am, Wednesday, May 6. Call 6248 0010 or visit rosary.act.edu.au
The Grove Ngunnawal will offer the very best in modern living, with easy access to shops, parks, sporting facilities, medical centers and other amenities
Currently under construction with the first stage nearing completion, this new community designed for independent over 55s will include resort style facilities like an indoor pool and gym, Clubhouse, gardens, arts and crafts room, library and computer facilities, when complete. The villa homes available for sale now in the first release offer quality living that is comfortable and stylish.
Composer Kate Moore… known for her masterly manipulation of time and colour, she
shifting intertwining planes of sound”.
COMPOSER-in-residence at the Canberra International Music Festival, Kate Moore, should not be confused with New York pianist Lisa Moore, whom we featured on the “CityNews” cover a couple of years ago.
But having said that, there’s a joke going around that the centrepiece concert at Mount Stromlo on May 5 should have been billed as “Moore plays Moore”.
Lisa, you see, will be playing a solo piano work commissioned from Kate by Lisa.
One thing Moore and Moore do have in common, however, is Irish heritage and to that end, Kate has been working on “Sliabh Beagh” (Last man of the land), looking back to her paternal ancestry. Residing in The Hague where she went to take a Masters at the Royal Conservatorium, she’s also been getting a feel for her maternal Dutch heritage.
Kate is a living example of the principle that when you’re hot, you’re hot. Known for her mas-
terly manipulation of time and colour, she has been praised by one critic for her “hypnoticallyshifting intertwining planes of sound”.
She’s also an ANU School of Music graduate who studied here with David Pereira and Larry Sitsky. Her 2014 work “The Art of Levitation” was commissioned by Carnegie Hall. She has a residency at November Music in the Netherlands later this year, a swag of CDs to her name and a phone that runs hot with offers.
Festival director Roland Peelman isn’t giving Kate much spare time to explore old haunts while she’s in Canberra. With three new commissions, including the opening-night premiere of the annual “Beaver Blaze” for Betty Beaver, that solo piano work at Mt Stromlo and a composition where Lyn Fuller plays the National Carillon
and Kate plays the cello part, she will also give presentations, listen to pre-composed works of her own and later give lectures at the ANU.
“At first you’re ecstatically assigned and excited, then you have to face the reality,” she says of working to commission. Luckily, in the case of “Sliabh Beagh”, she reports, “it was really cool, because it meant I could go back into familial history”.
It’s dedicated to her late grandfather, a dairy farmer in the Hunter Valley.
“I really took on the Irish way of telling stories, there’s darkness in it, but it’s also kind of ecstatic,” she says.
The composition, part of a project Lisa Moore has undertaken about her own Irish heritage, starts with a song that Lisa will sing – “keeping the tradition of folk – the performer is the one telling the story, not me,” Kate says.
The newest “Beaver Blaze” will be a “big ensemble piece” for which Kate has mixed Baroque and modern musicians playing electric guitar, keyboard vibraphone and sax didgeridoo, played at opposite ends of the auditorium.
As for the third piece, it’s the first time she has composed for the Carillon.
“But Carillon is very much in my ears all the time – it’s a huge tradition in the Lowlands, there’s one in every church, on the corner of every street,” she says.
Peelman is happy to let Kate do the talking. Since the event is subtitled “Music, Einstein and You”, he’s talked himself half to death about Albert Einstein and, at first, jokes: “It’s everything to do with the hair,” pointing to one obvious similarity between the great scientist and Beethoven. But seriously, in this centenary year of the Theory of Relativity, it seemed the least one could do.
“His mind was attuned to physics, but it was free and open creatively – that’s what we all need and it’s the basis of all music making… this is a city where people get that kind of thing,” Peelman says.
“Music, Einstein and You!” The Canberra International Music Festival 2015, May 1-10, bookings and full program at cimf.org.au
Helen Musa arts in the city
MORE fun as Tempo Theatre presents its favourite genre with “Spider’s Web” to mark 125 years of Agatha Christie whodunits. When a murder takes place in Clarissa’s drawing room, she finds real-life drama hard to cope with. Belconnen Theatre, May 15-23, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.
THEATRE eccentric Miriam Margolyes is joined by pianist John Martin in “The Importance of Being Miriam”. The show reflects on the literary giants and gives us Margolyes’ take on characters such as Miss Prism and Juliet’s Nurse. Canberra Theatre, May 6-9, bookings to canberratheatrecentre. com.au or 6275 2700.
JOHANNES Kuhnen’s art is not set in stone – not always, anyway. Formerly head of the Gold and Silversmithing Workshop at the ANU for more than 29 years, Kuhnen has now departed from aluminium and titanium to produce brooches, pendants and rings using sedimentary and volcanic rocks and stones. “Painting in Stone”, Bilk Gallery, Manuka, May 8-June 6. Opening May 8, 6pm, all welcome.
INSPIRED by The Hot Club of France’s guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt, Ultrafox appears at “Jazz in Concert” at The Gods on Tuesday, May 5. Peter Baylor (guitar and vocals), Jon Delaney (guitar), Jon Hunt (clarinet and sax) and Kain Borlase (bass) will perform gypsy jazz and related styles. Dinner at 6pm, music at 7.30pm. Bookings to 6248 5538 or thegodscafe@gmail.com
IGITUR Nos Chamber Choir provides the next free concert at the High Court, 1.30pm, on Sunday, May 3. Led by Matthew Stuckings and supported by a small orchestra, the choir’s performance will include excerpts from Bach’s “St John’s Passion” and a cappella music from the 16th and 20th centuries. Free, but bookings advisable to hcourt. gov.au/about/concerts
CANBERRA Glassworks celebrates its eighth birthday in concert with Canberra International Music Festival on May 1, as musicians Emma Greenhill and Felix Hoffman-Este play Sarah Humphrey’s cast-glass violin and cello, “A Giocherellare”. And until June 7 at the Glassworks, “ReInventing the Weave” shows the unique, handblown, woven-glass sculptures of Jenni Kemarre Martiniello.
By Helen Musa
AS the Australian Dance Theatre gears up to celebrate its 50th birthday in Adelaide on June 10, there’ll be a Canberra window on the festivities.
For the founder of Australia’s first contemporary dance company and director for its first 10 years, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, has lived and worked in this region for the past 26 years, so we’ll get more than a look-in.
The Adelaide party will be on the actual birthday in the Adelaide Arcade, where Dalman and current ADT director, Garry Stewart, will join past and present dancers, and the Governor of SA and the Lord Mayor of Adelaide will also speak.
But here in Canberra, from May 9 to 16 in the Canberra Theatre Centre – also 50 – Dalman is staging “Fortuity”, a historical tribute to the company she formed in 1965, with a nod towards her continuing artistic work at “Mirramu” on the shores of Lake George, from which she has conducted workshops and productions for many years.
But in a production that will feature former Mirramu Dance Company works such as “Silk” and “Tango Lament”, she will both dance and narrate, looking back on a fortuitous lifetime of dance.
As well, there will be “tasters” from early ADT works showing the technique and the philosophy that derived from her mentor Eleo Pomare, who in turn was a student of Jose Limon, the disciple of dance trailblazers Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham. Incidentally, during 1966 in New York, Dalman spent three months in classes with Graham.
Humphreys and Graham, she explains, “went back to the basics of movement, they taught breathing, walking, running and asked how the body works”.
Often guided by Indian, Asian and American indigenous dancers, their approach was “so very different from ballet, where dancers are always trying to leave the ground”.
Dalman has had a long connection with Aboriginal dancers, a high point of Mirramu’s work in recent years, but that had already begun when the ADT staged “Sun and Moon”, based on an unusual Aboriginal legend.
In a nice twist, this will be now danced by Taiwanese guest dancers.
That Taiwanese connection with Mirramu, wellknown in Canberra, in fact goes back to 1971, when the ADT toured to Taipei and instantly became known as Australia’s premier contemporary dance company.
“Those days we had to go overseas to be recognised,” she says.
To Dalman, music and dance go hand in hand. Conjuring up the ‘60s, there’ll be some Peter, Paul and Mary, The Doors and The Beatles, moving to Peter Sculthorpe and a live performance by cellist David Pereira.
As ADT turns 50, Dalman turns 81, and she’s not slowing down. She’ll be performing in the program at the Courtyard Studio, although she’ll hand over her famous dance rendition of Janis Joplin’s “MercedesBenz” to collaborator Vivienne Rogis to perform.
“It’s essential to pass on my work to solo dancers who are younger than me”, she says.
“Fortuity”, Courtyard Studio, May 9-17, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.
THIS is half a story about food and half a story about service.
Four of us dined at Chifley’s Bar & Grill, at the Hotel Kurrajong, for a long, leisurely weekend lunch. The new steakhouse and bar opened mid-December 2014 with executive chef Michael Chatto – formerly Italian and Sons, Canberra, and Pier, Sydney – leading the kitchen.
Chifley’s is more fine dining than casual. The wine list is sensational, with more than 120 local and international top-notch reds and whites and plenty of options by the glass.
The beef section of the menu focuses on premium cuts, which is no surprise given this is billed as a steakhouse, including David Blackmore Wagyu and Cape Grim Black Angus, each listed with its weight, origin and marble scores ($165 for a 300-gram scotch fillet, albeit 600-plus days ration fed).
We adored the dishes we shared to start, including the salmon pastrami and the tortellini, the best I’ve had in ages.
Mains, outside of the beef, range from $32 to $39. All of our food was beautifully presented except, we agreed, my scotch fillet (not the $165 one) looked bland on the plate. It was just perched on top of mash and lacked colour.
The staff were lovely but not efficient, and that doesn’t cut it in any establishment, never mind one commanding these prices.
The sides we shared ($8 each), which were exciting and full of flavour, included Paris mash, cauliflower gratin and sublime asparagus.
The sustainability farmed Murray Cod was dynamic, the pig truly succulent and the lamb melt-in-the-mouth. The menu focuses on quality produce, sourced locally as much as possible, and celebrating the seasons. Suppliers include Moorlands lamb, Canberra Truffles, Brookland potatoes and fruit and veg from the Capital Region Farmers Market.
Now for the service. The place wasn’t busy when we were there so we were baffled by how we were treated. The staff were lovely but not efficient, and that doesn’t cut it in any establishment, never mind one commanding these prices.
We ordered sherry at the beginning (two of us one kind, two of us another). After a very long time we were told that Chifley’s was out of one kind so we all agreed to have the same. After
“Boychoir” (M)
DIRECTOR Francois Girard’s films are mostly about his great passion – music. Not the jangly noise that so often assaults the ear claiming musical status simply because it’s made on musical instruments, but sounds that delight the senses and challenge the intellect with their emotional and artistic creativity and durability long after the creators of those funny dots and squiggles on paper have carked it.
another very long time nothing happened so one of our party got up and cancelled the order at the bar, saying we’d just go straight into the wine.
After a while staff visited our table and told us the wine we had ordered was out of stock. I then got up to fetch the water we had ordered but which hadn’t arrived. Then the bill was wrong. And there’s no ATM at Chifley’s. All we did, in the end, was sigh, and we agreed that Chifley’s has fine dining prices but not fine dining service.
Chifley’s Bar and Grill, 8 National Circuit, Barton. 6234 4444.
But are the ideas behind new precincts such as NewActon, the Kingston Foreshore and Lonsdale Street in Braddon just fads, or are they the future of Canberra?
Join our experts as they examine:
• Will these new neighbourhoods stand the test of time?
• How do we balance the old and the new to create places with charm and character?
• How do we embrace the philosophy of public occupation to create memorable places for people?
• What opportunities exist for other parts of Canberra? Explore the evolution of cool Canberra
“Boychoir” offers beautiful and difficult music, played on that unique miraculous instrument that, for better or worse, each of us possesses – the voice.
Eleven-year-old Stet lives with his single mother in a small Texas town. Recognising the boy’s vocal talent, Stet’s music teacher (Debra Winger) has persuaded the American Boychoir to swing by during a tour so that Master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman at his best) may hear it. Carvelle devotes his life to the art and science of music and the young singers at the school (which actually exists, as does the choir). The Headmistress (Kathy Bates) mixes maternal warmth with resolute business acumen.
While Ben Ripley’s screenplay has structural shortcomings, the bulk of its substance so appeals to our affection that its gentleness, compassion, commitment, emotional verity and musical credibility effortlessly set at naught any concerns that they might generate.
After his mother’s death, Stet’s wealthy father Gerard (Josh Lucas) pays the school fees and hides the boy’s existence from his wife and daughters. Stet has few friends at the school, notably his class teacher (Kevin McHale) dealing with both academic and musical subjects. His transition from caring for an invalid and alcoholic mother to a totally different set of family and cultural values is not comfortable.
Apparently Stet’s solo singing is dubbed, which doesn’t detract from Garrett Wareing’s impressive playing of him.
At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
“Banksy Does New York” (M)
THE cultural phenomenon known as Banksy never appears in either of the two documentaries made about him and his work.
Chris Moukarbel’s documentary for Home Box Office uses mostly user-generated footage from the internet and TV to survey Banksy’s project involving inviting New Yorkers on every day of October, 2013, to find and observe the graffiti he had made the previous night. The images might illustrate a
play on words or a current social issue or people in politics or something that catches his eye as worth turning into an image on a wall or a sculpture or the back of a truck or a youtube presentation. They’re fun. They’re clever. And they polarised attitudes among New Yorkers of every age and social level. Some think his works have artistic validity. Property owners regard them as defacements, although the buildings on which he makes them are derelict. Others want to own them either for the pleasure they create or the profits they might make on a market forever capricious about what is “in”. I wish I had one.
At Palace Electric
“The Avengers: Age of Ultron” (M) THE Avengers are good guys possessed of superhuman powers and occasional defects, moral or otherwise. Ultron wants to rule the world and anything else he can lay his mechanical hands on. And in fantasy movies based on so-called comic books, whatever happens on the way to the end, the good guys always win.
And that, children, is all you need to know about the plot of writer/ director Joss Whedon’s futurist furious fantasy film resembling so many others of its ilk that I reckon that a good attorney could sue Marvel Studios, its producers, for plagiarism and win.
Occasionally alleviated by a gag line, its main substance is juvenile, noisy, violent, irrational stuff defying the laws of nature. The actors, some of whom have garnered wholesome and even justifiable reputations, including Oscars, spout trite pseudo-scientific dialogue, engage in derring-do acrobatics and wreak destruction on a grand scale. You get the feeling from watching them that they well understand their participation in a rubbish project that deserves to be locked away in a dark cupboard until after the end of eternity. The film uses expensive escapism to suck in punters well aware of what they are getting for their ticket money. If that’s you, go for it. The Marvel Studios guys thank you for your financial support. All those high-priced actors, special effects crews and technicians have spouses and offspring to house and feed. At all cinemas
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
This week is all about formulating smart strategies and finding solutions. Focus intently on work, education or business matters, as the Sun/Pluto trine gives you the extra power and passion needed to boost your public profile or fast-track your finances. But don’t neglect loved ones in the process. Peacemaker Venus shifts into your domestic zone (until June 5) so it’s the perfect time to sort out a problem with a recalcitrant family member.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Hey Bulls – are you being determined or just plain stubborn? The Full Moon stirs up old resentments but holding onto grudges will get you nowhere fast. ‘Forgive and forget’ is your preferred motto this week as you finally face your responsibilities, which clears the air so you can then move onto fabulous new fields of opportunity. Singles – May 8 through until June 5 is the perfect time to go looking for love within your local neighbourhood.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
This week Mercury and Jupiter bring lucky opportunities involving communication, social media or community connections. Get your ideas out there, in person and online, as you entertain others with your general knowledge, nifty networking skills and sparkling repartee. On the weekend resist the urge to overspend and steer clear of work colleagues, as they are likely to completely misinterpret your true motives.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
You won’t feel like indulging in any early week Full Moon frivolity, as the stars increase tension in relationships. Communicating with a child, teenager or close friend could be especially problematic, as moods fluctuate and tempers fray. The Sun and Mars encourage you to put more energy into pursuing your dreams. No side-stepping, it’s time to set ambitious goals and pursue them with plenty of passion and purpose.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
Watch out for domestic dramas early in the week, as the Full Moon shines an unforgiving spotlight on family fiascos. Don’t make matters worse by blurting out what’s really on your mind! Mid-week looks good as powerful Sun/Pluto aspects promise recognition at school, professional rewards or personal insights. You also have the power to influence people in positive and inspiring ways, so don’t waste the opportunity to make a real difference.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Mercury is in your career zone, so step up to the professional plate and showcase your Virgo versatility. Super Sun/Pluto aspects help you replace outdated aspirations with dazzling updated dreams. But a relationship with a romantic or business partner looks complicated on the weekend, as Neptune scrambles your communication antenna. Leave sensitive discussions or delicate negotiations for a more suitable time.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Librans are the fashionistas, style-icons and beauty experts of the zodiac but this week the stars urge you to look beyond outer appearances as you value what comes from within. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great Audrey Hepburn: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
The Scorpio Full Moon fires up your powerful and passionate side. You’re focused on solo projects, but give-and-take is required if you want to reach a successful outcome. Intense communication helps take your relationships to a deeper and more satisfying level, so don’t waste the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal. When it comes to meeting a new person or visiting a new place, stay tuned for a distinctly deja-vu moment!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Taskmaster Saturn is moving slowly through your sign, which can bring up situations that highlight your flaws and zero in on your mistakes. Don’t stress Sagittarius! Use it as an opportunity to learn, develop, practice and mature. Wise words for the week come from George Clooney (born on May 6, 1961): “Failures are infinitely more instructive than successes.” Singles – you could find yourself drawn to someone who is smart, sociable and spontaneous.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
It’s a wonderful week to power through creative projects, network with work colleagues and catch up with friends. Joint ventures are favoured as you link up with others, combine your diverse talents, and make things happen. If you’ve been going through a rocky patch with your partner, now’s the time to find common ground and work through problems in a calm and civilised way. Singles – look for love with a tender Taurus or a caring Cancer.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Adventurous Aquarians love to fantasise about the future, where everything is exciting and new. This week’s stars encourage you to reflect on your personal history, as you use the past to reshape your present. When it comes to a fiery relationship with a family member, don’t keep interacting and stirring things up in the same old way. Keep the conversation light and lively and steer clear of confusing or controversial subjects.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
The stars encourage you to nurture your friends; cultivate your international contacts; and surround yourself with positive people, as you will soak up their energy like a sponge. Work projects and business ventures look positive, as long as you accept the learned advice of a colleague or mentor. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, follow in the footsteps of successful predecessors. On the weekend, strive to separate fact from fiction.
4 Name a Labor politician who was
7 Which term describes an ordinary citizen?
8 What are jargons also known as?
9 What is a large territory in which a single rulership holds sway?
11 Which are the pollen-bearing organs of flowers?
13 Name a term for one who doesn’t believe in a God
15 What is an event when one astronomic body passes into the shadow of another?
17 That which is powered by atomic energy is said to be what?
20 Which other term refers to a wild prank?
23 Name a variety of sheep, valued for its fine wool
24 What is a more readily known term for a homonym?
1 Name a sport played on horseback, that uses a wooden ball
2 Who, in cricket, sees that the game is played according to the rules?
3 One who is opposed to a particular practice, etc, is said to be what?
4 Alexander Archibald Leach used the film acting name of Cary ...?
5 What is a ruling or prevailing system called?
I’ve recently been approached by several people in regards to their dogs not travelling well in cars, from being very unsettled and panicked through to vomiting the entire duration of the trip. This can be quite stressful for both the canine and their owners.
Some dogs just don’t want to get into cars at all and this can be for a number of reasons. Fear of travelling is one of the obvious ones. This fear is not normally the result of a traumatic incident but more commonly because of a negative association with car travel, like being sick or nauseous. If a puppy learns this association on one of its first journeys it may stay with it, causing apprehension about future car journeys, even in adulthood.
Car sickness is more common in puppies and young dogs than in older dogs because their ear structures used for balance aren’t fully developed. Therefore, most dogs will outgrow motion sickness.
The symptoms of car sickness are not limited to vomiting. There are many other, less obvious signs such as listlessness, inactivity, uneasiness, yawning or panting, excessive drooling and general fear of cars.
6 Name a person or thing of enormous size, strength, etc
9 Which mythical monster did St George slay?
10 What did they call those people who took care of horses at inns?
12 What is an underhand plot called?
14 Which term is descriptive of a lofty mountain?
16 What is another word for a customs duty?
18 Name a colloquial term for drug addicts
19 What are indefinitely long periods of time?
25 Which persons lead us to our seats in theatres? Solution next week Down
21 Name a state of prolonged unconsciousness
22 John Wayne was known as the what?
Fortunately there are several ways of dealing with car sickness, including conditioning your dog to car rides and using medications prescribed by your veterinarian.
An easy-to-give, once-daily tablet that stops motion sickness for 24 hours is very effective for motion sickness, nausea and vomiting in general. Puppies must be over 16 weeks of age before it can be prescribed and it must be given at least an hour before travelling. As the medication does not cause drowsiness, dogs will be alert during travel and upon arrival, and will thus be able to enjoy the destination, resulting in a more positive experience for all. For shorter trips (eg 10 or 20 minutes), where it may not be worth giving a tablet active for 24 hours, the following may help to prevent travel sickness:
• lower car windows a few centimetres to equalise the inside and outside air pressure
• keep your vehicle cool on a hot day
• limit your dog’s food and water consumption prior to travel
• give your dog a toy that he enjoys and can only have in the car
• short rides to fun places, such as dog parks
By following the above advice, you will hopefully have a much more pleasant time with your pooch in the car. Safe travels!
If there are any readers who’d like specific topics written about, please email Dr Jana with suggestions – jana@curtinvet.com.au
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The Canberra region’s largest range of locally-grown plants – grown on site for local conditions. 314 Plummers Rd, Burra NSW (20 minutes from Queanbeyan) Ph. 0402 024 204 – 0408 119 160
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AUTUMN is an excellent time to plant magnificent deciduous magnolias.
glenbog@skymesh.com.au
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We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow
Most gardening magazine articles feature magnolias when they are flowering in spring, but when planting now, even with no leaves, the shrub’s labels show exactly the flower colour and size.
Two varieties that have caught the imagination of gardeners are bred in the North Island of NZ –Magnolia felix, bred by Felix Jury and Magnolia Black Tulip, bred by his son Mark.
Autumn planting enables the roots to get well established through late autumn and winter before the hot desiccating winds of summer.
Deciduous shrubs can all be planted now and perennials can still be divided and used to fill gaps in the garden.
of Camellia sasanquas in flower now. I particularly recommend the small-leaved camellias, which unlike the large-leaved Camelllia japonicas do not need summer shade. They are remarkably drought resistant and will provide a floral display all winter.
NOW is an ideal time to plant delicious, easy to grow blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum. They like an acid soil and can be grown in with azaleas, camellias and daphne. While they are self-fertile, it’s advisable to plant two different varieties to ensure cross-pollination and larger crops. They can be grown in containers on sunny balconies.
IT’S time to complete planting spring bulbs, but how much would you be prepared to pay for a single bulb, even if it is rare?
white petals named Galanthus plicatus “Golden Fleece” recently sold on eBay for a staggering equivalent of $2668!
I OFTEN refer to articles in “The Garden”, the magazine of the world’s premier garden organisation, the 110-year-old UK Royal Horticultural Society. Almost all its advice is applicable here by simply adding six months to bring it in line with our seasons.
Anyone off to the UK should consider visiting the society’s gardens, of which they have no equal. Its stunning principal garden is at Wisley in Surrey (rhs.org.uk/wisley).
The society, with a membership of more than 430,000, welcomed a record 1.76 million visitors to its four gardens last year. More information at membership@rhs.org.au
In his museum role he travelled extensively throughout the outback, studying Aboriginal culture and bush foods. His book is profusely illustrated with lists of native plant nurseries in all states. Bindon has a garden in Yass plus his mother’s garden in Nowra, now an extensive bush garden.
centres have a wonderful
In Britain, gardeners go bonkers about Galanthus or Snowdrops and in the early spring “Galanthomania” breaks out as gardeners try to find the rarest Snowdrop. An unusual Snowdrop with yellow blotched
PETER Bindon, the former head of Archaeology and Anthropology for more than 20 years at the WA Museum in Perth, has self-published a book titled “Backyard Bush Tucker”.
Buy the book for $39.50, including postage. For details email to pbio4985@ bigpond.net.au
I HAVE a copy of this book to be won. To enter, write your name, suburb and a contact phone number on the back of an envelope and post to Bush Tucker, “CityNews”, GPO Box 2448, Civic 2601. Entries close Friday, May 22. The winner will be announced in my column of May 28.
• Trim evergreen shrubs before the frosts arrive in earnest. New growth will appear if the weather stays and will be quickly burnt by frost.
• If possible, always water container-grown plants with rain water.
• Raise containers on bricks or feet to prevent water logging.
• While the new stocks of roses don’t arrive until June/July most garden centres have excellent potted roses at bargain prices for planting now.
• Pot up cyclamen for winter colour, small cyclamen hybrids are ideal.
WITH a lawn surrounded by cacti, succulents on the roof of the shed and a glasshouse full of the little spiky plants, it’s clear to see where garden owner Jackie Warburton’s heart lies.
As president of the Cactus and Succulent Society of the ACT, Jackie says she was given her first cactus by her father-in-law, Jon, 15 years ago and has collected them ever since.
“I like them because they require minimal care,” says horticulturist Jackie.
“I only water them twice a year, in the heat of summer, and weed every six weeks or so. They flower spectacularly from November to January and pretty much take care of themselves.”
Jackie and Bret’s succulent-filled garden in Oxley will be open on the weekend of May 2-3 for the first time under Open Gardens Australia. Jackie says it has turned out to be a very personal experience as it’s the last weekend of gardens open in Canberra as part of the 27-year-old scheme, and for which she had been a garden selector.
“Although summer is the best time for the succulents, I chose to open the garden at this time of year because everything else would be looking good,” she says.
“I had no idea at the time that it would end up being the last weekend of Open Gardens Australia for Canberra.”
Jackie says that in 2011 when they moved in, the garden was in a pretty poor state as an ex-rental.
“The garden has evolved over the years, and continues to do so, although we haven’t changed much of the actual structure,” she says.
Now as well as the abundance of succulents, there’s “a bit of everything” – an ornamental grapevine, Muscat and seedless black grapes, a conifer garden and natives out the front, several shade houses, a rose garden, a dwarf orchard, a herb garden outside the house, roof succulents on the shed, a hydroponic veggie patch and a cottage garden.
“I like the lawn, as it keeps everything from looking too crowded,” she says. “There’s something to enjoy year-round because of the different areas we’ve created.”
Jackie runs her own gardening maintenance business Terra Solarus, and says she often rescues discarded seed heads through her work, and throws them to the back of her own garden beds to self-seed.
“Once they grow, I move them to a better spot,” she says. “I’m a fan of things self-seeding, which can be seen as lazy gardening but it’s plants for free. I don’t like to see anything go to waste, and I rarely buy seeds, other than heirloom varieties,
which I can then propagate.
“The garden is always evolving but I’m satisfied with it. It’s lovely to come home to.
“My personal favourite spot is what I call the glasshouse just off the house, where I keep frost-sensitive cacti. I spend time in there most mornings and on weekends, pottering with the radio on – the weather can be doing anything but it’s always perfect in there.”
Jackie and Bret’s garden, 14 Raphael Close, Oxley, open 10am-4.30pm on the weekend of May 2-3. Admission, $8; under-18s free. Jackie will give talks on growing cacti and succulents at noon and 2pm both Saturday and Sunday, and plants will be available to buy. Jackie’s charity is the Cactus and Succulent Society of the ACT.
Also open...
CHRISTINE’S garden at 48 Weathers Street, Gowrie, was created from scratch with cuttings and pot plants from her previous garden, and is now an inviting oasis. Christine is focusing on the more unusual plants in her garden including a snail creeper, a dove tree, a forest pansy tree, the pretty flowering toad lily and the “strange Amorphophallus Lily with its striking flower but horrible stench”.
Open 10am-3pm, $8, under-18s free. Plants from the garden will be for sale.
