150716 citynews

How Tony screws local Libs’ election hopes

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has demolished, in one stroke, the Canberra Liberals’ light-rail strategy for the next election.

For nearly three years since the last election the Liberals have been mercilessly attacking the Labor government over the Canberra light rail project, going so far as to say they will “tear up the contract” if they win the election in October next year. But they appear to have little room to move when they are being rebuked, yet again, by their own national leader.

Speaking on the Gold Coast last week, the Prime Minister lauded the Capital Metro project as being a good example of a government benefitting from the Commonwealth’s plan of providing cash incentives to governments prepared to replace old infrastructure for new.

The ACT will receive a $60 million boost to the light rail

Barr has won the Prime Minister’s support to step firmly into Liberal territory. In doing so, he has tightened his grip on government and improved Labor’s chances at the election.

Minister’s action was not an off-the-cuff comment, but rather a deliberate and very public support for the ACT government’s infrastructure approach.

The ACT has already sold ACTTAB for $105 million and there is more to come with the sale of public housing and prominent ACT buildings such as Macarthur House on Northbourne Avenue and Dame

Pattie Menzies House in Dickson. Sales of Currong and Bega flats in Braddon and Reid are already in the pipeline and others will include Stuart flats and Strathgordon Court – with an impact on more than 1300 people.

The Liberals will have difficulty turning these sales into an election strategy.

In April, the ACT Liberals’ Deputy Leader Alistair Coe jumped on the Victorian Labor government’s bandwagon after it cancelled the Melbourne East-West link project, announcing that the Canberra Liberals would do the same and, if they win next

year’s election, will cancel the $800 million project. Abbott responded by pointing out the position of his government was that “contracts should be honoured”.

At the time the Labor/Greens government used the opportunity to join the Prime Minister in attacking the Canberra Liberals, warning that the cancellation would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Minister Simon Corbell pointed out that the construction will be underway by the election and “we will have local Canberrans employed, we will have local contracts issued to local Canberra businesses, and all of those contracts will have to be cancelled as well, if the Liberals cancel the light rail project”.

Coe was on the back foot attempting to argue “we think if we can get a three per cent penalty here in the ACT, as unfortunate as that is, at least we would be saving 97 per cent of the cost”.

This sort of tit for tat has marked the

Phone: 02 6296 4009 Mobile: 0407 066 110

Email: dale_harris@bigpond.com

Web: www.dalesballroomdancing.com.au

Principal: Dale Harris

Superannuation Lump Sum

O’Dea

& O’Dea have been looking after

Because

rights since 1899, we have helped many clients, who can’t work, to access their entitlements to superannuation benefits. Diana Farah is ready to assist you in finding out what your rights are. Call Carroll & O’Dea today or visit our website for further information. First

battle lines on the Canberra Metro in the minds of Canberrans.

When the Prime Minister intervenes a second time, it simply provides ammunition for the government to support its ongoing drive to deliver on light rail. And the best that Coe can do is a limp accusation of “squandering a Commonwealth cash bonus on light rail”.

The original push for the project has come from the Greens. With the government dependent on the vote of Greens Minister, Shane Rattenbury, the Liberals were able to paint a picture of the government just kowtowing to a fringe element to remain in power.

The strong support, the constant defence of the project and the general approach taken by Simon Corbell, Chief Minister Andrew Barr and the government as a whole has been an attempt to resist this wedge.

The opposition has certainly been making inroads into the government is credibility on this issue – just as Labor did a decade and a half ago over the Liberal government’s handling of Bruce Stadium.

While their own ideologically aligned colleagues are not just defending the project but bankrolling it, their approach is exposed as electioneering rather than the framework that they have carefully constructed about what is in the best interest of the community.

Barr has won the Prime Minister’s support to step firmly into Liberal territory.

In doing so, he has tightened his grip on government and improved Labor’s chances at the election next year.

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

Madness, madness everywhere... ask Barnaby

Shorten is in trouble. His approval rating is almost as bad as Tony’s and this past week’s events will only make it worse.

“THE world has gone mad,” cried Barnaby Joyce, and who better to break the news. Barnaby has been strolling down that borderline ever since he entered Parliament as a Queensland senator.

He’s “the best retail politician in Australia” according to PM Tony Abbott . This is the same Tony Abbott who banned him from appearing on the ABC’s “Q&A”, which actually reaches a big retail audience. Madness? Ask Barnaby.

HIS colleague Greg Hunt approved a massive $1.2 billion Shenhua Watermark coal mine on some of the finest agricultural land in Australia. And this at a time when the coal price has tanked and it’s damned for its role in climate change. Madness? Ask Barnaby.

THEN another minister (guess who?) actually warned that if we gave the tick to gay marriage “it would hurt our beef exports”. Madness? Well, Barnaby should know.

HAPPILY, the perfectly sane Tony Windsor took Barnaby’s cry to heart. He’s thinking about running against him in the next

election. That’s enough to send anyone over the borderline. Even Barnaby.

OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten was mad as a hornet at the warning he received from Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon that “your credibility as a witness is at risk” in the inquiry into the Trade Unions ordered by the PM.

Counsel assisting, Jeremy Stoljar SC, didn’t help when he repeatedly questioned the former AWU boss on special deals with companies to pay union dues in return for… well, we’re not quite sure. Either way, Shorten is in trouble. His approval rating is almost as bad as Tony’s and this past week’s events will only make it worse.

But what if the PM’s clever trick works and Shorten departs in favour of Anthony Albanese? Might Tony have just stepped over that borderline of political cunning and into a deep hole of his own making?

Ask Barnaby.

SPEAKING of alternative leaders, Malcolm Turnbull kept everyone guessing all week about whether he’d accept Tony’s demand that he join the boycott of “Q&A”.

Sadly, he crumbled, even though he’s a special case as the minister in charge of the

SUNDAY 19TH JULY

ABC. But his silence spoke volumes, and when he did open up, it was to contradict Tony’s scary warnings that ISIS “is coming to get us”.

Truth is, ISIS is a frightening symptom of Barnaby’s “world gone mad”. But for Australians it’s much less lethal than

dose of dorin

to be single-dimensional characters who perform for us like marionettes, then go back into their boxes until next time.

We forget Nick’s a 20-year-old kid going through a tumultuous time. And, of course, we talk a lot of silly nonsense about the Wimbledon “tradition” as though it’s a contest of life and death.

UNLIKE the State of Origin series final, which provided your former Queenslander columnist with glorious whoops of joy! But one couldn’t help thinking: what would happen if you were a Queensland politician who had left the Senate and now held a seat in NSW?

Madness? Just ask Barnaby.

robert@robertmacklin.com

domestic violence, to say nothing of youth suicide which is still running at more than 2000 a year.

SO Nick Kyrgios bowed out of Wimbledon on a mournful note – sad, but surely not the end of the world. We expect sportspeople

ROBERT MACKLIN

A presentation on services and options available for people living with mobility issues.

When: Tuesday 21st July, 12:00pm

Where: Canberra Labor Club, Stirling

Cost: FREE

RSVP: 1800 011 041 or contact Arthritis ACT for more information.

FAST NEWS FIRST

lowbrow Blinked and bought that watch

I WEAKENED last week and splashed out on an Apple Watch.

As, dear reader, you haven’t heard about any Canberra newsagencies selling a winning lottery ticket this month, you can safely assume I went for the entry level “Sport” model, albeit in the larger 42mm size.

It has to be said the Apple store in the Canberra Centre really turns the theatre on for a watch purchase.

I’ve bought a new car with slightly less effort made to validate my decision.

The fitting was at least as awkward as getting measured for a new suit, but as a result the silicon band is wonderfully snug and very comfortable.

It needs to be because the back of the watch is a nest of sensors monitoring my bodily functions.

Sadly, I was running late to meet a friend for lunch, so had to decline the one-on-one tutorial in how to use it best.

New watches have always had over-the-top

Stress less.

Planning, organising and managing an event can be a stressful experience. At End 2 End we have the experience to look after any or every stage of your event. Give us a call or visit our website and we’ll look after your event for you.

packaging and Apple’s gorgeous packaging is legendary, so it should come as no surprise that unpacking the thing is like getting to the heart of a Russian doll.

Bonding it with my phone went reasonably smoothly.

Then came getting used to a terrifyingly powerful computer strapped to my arm wanting to interact with me near constantly.

Some things are a surprise. It nags me if I’ve been sitting down for an hour without moving. An online editor will get nagged a lot for this kind of thing, but I’ll concede the compulsory minute walking around the office is probably good for me.

The voice recognition to respond to text messages takes some getting used to but works amazingly well.

The mapping function is just brilliant, a wristmounted set of directions works better than I’d imagined.

After some fiddling I’ve got a default watch face I like.

At a glance it tells me the time, the temperature outside, my next appointment, and if I have notifications I haven’t dealt with yet.

letter

Shame of our underfunded urban forest

THE Minister, Simon Corbell, has announced that the Gungahlin-to-city light-rail corridor will get an extra 1000 trees as part of the Capital Metro Stage One.

He said that despite 860 trees being removed, 1800 would be planted in their place. Is this a further justification for light rail, by implication that if the light rail does not go ahead the extra 1000 trees would not be planted?

With so many trees reaching the end of their healthy life, this is evidently part of the spurious reason for removing all the trees in Northbourne Avenue.

It is incumbent of the government to look after and respect our existing assets. Unfortunately, this is tied in with insufficient government funding to look after our urban forest.

While older trees are more costly to prune and maintain, according to the “Urban Trees Asset Management Strategy 2005-2022” prepared by TAMS: “Current ACT funding is only sufficient to respond to maintenance requests from the public and does not provide for systematic inspections and maintenance of trees”.

Our trees are our most valuable asset. An ANU study in 2005 calculated the amenity value of Canberra’s street and park trees to have a value in excess of $1.1 billion. It would be criminal to reduce this most valuable asset of the 860 trees, but we do desperately need those 1000 extra trees.

Cedric Bryant, horticultural consultant, Watson

But what it was all about for me, and where it really delivers, is message triage.

Every moronic PR agent in the world trying to get me to care about their addled campaign to grow the ego of their clients results in an email. It turns out the price of the watch is a small one to be able to consign their messages to the abyss more easily.

Even better is being able to concentrate on a piece of real work without having to check the mail for anything urgent requiring my attention.

Between the automated triage of Google’s Inbox software and the message headers coming up on my wrist my working day in busy periods is much, much less anxious.

It’s not going to be for everyone. But if you have to manage a large volume of messages, of which a small volume require very urgent responses, it’s worth the price of purchase.

The health-monitoring tools might well extend your life, let us not forget the ECB cricket app gives wonderful updates of the fall of wickets in the Ashes and, of course, it’s not (yet) illegal to fiddle with your watch while sitting at traffic lights.

The only downside is that your date will appreciate you looking at your watch during dinner just as much (or as little) as looking at your phone.

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

briefly

Cool Yule

THERE’S an outdoor celebration of winter at the Currie Crescent Community Centre Courtyard, at the Canberra Baptist Church in Kingston, noon-2pm on Saturday, July 25. In the mood of Christmas in July, there will be a giving tree, music, soup and more. Participants are encouraged to donate a blanket or warm clothing to local charities.

Vounteers for the World

THE Australian Institute of International Affairs wants volunteers to help at embassies around Canberra during the 2015 Windows to the World program of embassy and high commission open days around Canberra over the four weekends of Floriade in September and October. Volunteers would be engaged in, among other things, welcoming visitors and keeping track of numbers entering the grounds. Uniforms will be provided. Volunteers should register by Friday, July 31, via windows@internationalaffairs.org.au

Folk dances for kids

FOLK Dance Canberra is presenting a nine-week dance class for children, focusing on the music and dances of other cultures. Classes are held at the Folk Dance Canberra Hall, 114 Maitland Street, Hackett, on Friday afternoons from July 24. Cost is $8 a session or $65 in advance. Bookings to 0420 524412 or 6258 5443.

Charity garage sale

OPPORTUNITY To Do, a charity group raising money to fund projects that support sustainable development in poor communities, is holding another of its charity garage sales with clothes, books, DVDs & CDs, kitchenware, bric-a-brac and nursery items up for grabs. It’s at 5 O’Grady Place, Wanniassa, 8am-1pm, Saturday, August 15. Call 0404 182494 or visit o2d.org

Daring to be different

What would have happened had his racket, which ended up in the crowd, hit somebody and caused an injury?”

asks TIM GAVEL

WHEN Nick Kyrgios first came to the ABC 666 studio on a Saturday morning a few years ago, when he was still at school and ranked in the 1000s, he was humble and shy but he still had a slightly edgy personality, which he has used to great effect in his tennis career thus far.

I can’t say I got to know him well through only four, reasonably brief, interviews. Nevertheless, conjoin this personal connection with the fact that he is from a city in which I live and love, and I can’t help but become defensive when he is under fire from people who have only seen him in the spotlight under pressure.

He is one of the most gifted tennis players we have witnessed for a long time and he does it with a sense of theatre.

I don’t like the pack mentality virtually hunting him out of the sport without some consideration of his age and experience. Not that I agree with his actions.

Then to suggest his heritage was part of the “problem” was totally wrong; his parents Nill and George are two of the nicest parents you could ever hope to meet. They have raised three, highly successful children and Nick’s obvious love of family is an endearing feature of his personality and reflects the support that they have given to him.

That said, to see him belittle an umpire who is just there doing his job, or bounce his racket into the crowd, coupled with the petulance he exhibits if things don’t go his way, gives the impression of “entitlement” and bad sportsmanship.

He doesn’t need me to tell him that it’s unacceptable. It has all happened so quickly, I would imagine that he is starting to realise what happens on a basketball court is totally different to the hallowed grass of Wimbledon.

To my way of thinking, he displays such character in his actual game, he doesn’t need the carry on beyond that.

Kyrgios is an electric sportsman, strutting the court as if he owns it, taking on the best in the world with seemingly little fear,”

says MARCUS PAUL

I would hate to see him sabotage his career by doing something stupid on court at such a young age. What would have happened had his racket, which ended up in the crowd, hit somebody and caused an injury? The racket might be thrown in the heat of the moment but sometimes the consequences of outbursts are well beyond that moment.

I come at this stance through the education I have received by being the patron of the Early Morning Centre in Civic.

At the centre, which provides meals for the homeless and the disadvantaged, I come into contact with many on a weekly basis who have little. You hear tragic life stories that make you so grateful that you have a roof over your head and good health.

There are times when I would like to bring young sportspeople who give the impression of taking things for granted along to the EMC to see first hand what life is like on the other side.

As we have seen many times over the years, sport is filled with young men falling short of public expectation only to mature into statesmenlike figures later in life. Perhaps now is not the best time to be judging Nick Kyrgios.

WHAT is it with our constant obsession about creating villains? You’d think, given all the chatter over the recent week, Canberra’s Nick Kyrgios was public enemy number one, rather than the most exciting prospect Australian tennis has seen in years.

Let’s get one thing clear – this sporting prodigy, who honed his skills on the Lyneham courts, is only 20 years old. I think back to when I was this age and I’m certain my parents would declare I was far from fully mature. Neither is Nick.

What a stir he has caused in the last couple of weeks; the arguments with umpires on court and the media off it, and the accusations of “tanking” his exit game at Wimbledon.

And all this drama eagerly lapped up by the world’s media, looking for a headline from someone who dares to be different.

There is little doubt many, who love the spectacle of top-class sport, may find Nick’s carry-on jarring. He is a colourful character, from the studded ears to the slick hairstyle, with a swagger about him. But he is also an electric sportsman, strutting

the court as if he owns it, taking on the best in the world with seemingly little fear. His demeanor, emotion and talent are there for the world to see.

A quick glance at the top 10 dummy spits in world tennis and there is little doubt Nick has potential… but is still a long way off from the “You cannot be serious” screams of a McEnroe or the hissy fits aimed at distracting opponents of Jimmy Connors.

I think it best to leave the last word to his mother here Nill Kyrgios, who says her son grew up watching Roger Federer and she wants her son to act a little more like him.

This Canberra wunderkid may well go close to emulating Roger’s 17 Grand Slam victories and become the mature and highly regarded sportsman as his idol. I know I’m right behind him and for anyone who doubts Nick’s drive or potential, I say: “You cannot be Kyrgios”!

Marcus Paul is the host of 2CC’s drive show.

Brain cancer has the worst survival rate of all cancers for those under 40 but there are many stories of hope and inspiration. Come and celebrate the 50th birthday of one man who is beating the odds.

Motivational speakers, uplifting music and laughter. Leave at midnight feeling like you could conquer the world.

Support brain cancer awareness and help find a cure.

Fantastic prizes, auction items and more!

Friday 28th of August 2015 Commence at 7:00pm

Corinna Room

Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden

Dress up like it’s your birthday

Table of 10: $800

Single: $85 purchase online at: www.trybooking.com/IBGD

opinion About the right to die?

I AM 77 years of age and still in enough good health to allow a reasonably active life.

Like most other retired people, I have seen a great transformation of society, much of it beneficial: such as a kinder attitude to single mothers and their children. I also have seen stupidities like being unable to smack your child.

Political correctness has entered our lives often with unfortunate results. Certainly we always had a few euphemisms so that people didn’t die but passed away, entered eternal life or, more vulgarly, fell off the perch. However, now we have carried this attitude to death to an extent anyone in contact with a fatality – always identified as tragic – even if several parts removed (such as being in the same school), receives counselling. Incidentally, we never hear if this failure to face the reality of the human condition really works and the recipients return to being no more mixed up than they were before the “terrible” happening.

All funds raised in support of: Cure Brain Cancer Foundation Brain Tumour Alliance Australia

Email: enquiries@btaa.org.au Phone:1800 857 221

We also have been subject to social justice, so laws now prevent ageist, racist, religious and sexist discrimination in comment or behaviour – fortunately, we can still think freely. Again all is not bad. Antidiscrimination against the disa-

As elderly people... should we be denied the opportunity to decide how and when we will end our own lives?

bled, for example, is long overdue.

Most of us elderly go with the flow in relation to these societal changes, accepting that there is nothing we can do to turn back the clock to a simpler time.

In those days there were few drugs to kill or criminalise our children, when the law punished offenders according to the seriousness of the crime and such extraneous issues as unhappy or dysfunctional childhoods or expressions of remorse after the fact were not taken into account and when anonymous parole boards did not release people who subsequently committed further crimes, including rape and murder.

We elderly generally accept that the future lies with the young and if they accept such aforementioned changes to how we all now live then why should those in the twilight of our lives object?

So we accept changing attitudes even if some of us may feel uncomfortable about the direction society is taking. Gay marriage, for example,

is a divisive issue across the country, as is the question of Australia becoming a republic. Matters for majority decision, I suggest. As also should be the right to die Why, as elderly people accepting that we should not dictate to the young how they should live their uncertain lives, should we be denied the opportunity to decide how and when we will end our own? Why should we live our declining years in undignified, often painful circumstances, immobile, incontinent, and unconsulted.

As I have doubts about a free vote in Parliament, how about a referendum?

Greg Cornwell is a former MLA and Speaker of the House of Assembly.

GREG CORNWELL

We are not your regular accounting firm at Freewater Accountants. We don’t just prepare your tax return and send it back to you.

We “go the extra mile” by helping you form sound business strategies to help sustain your business growth into the future.

Our team of accountants are highly trained, specialising in all aspects of Australian taxation and retirement income; sharing this knowledge to small business owners and individuals who want to build their wealth for a stable financial future.

You still have time to take control of your future… Speak to one of our knowledgeable team.

PHONE 6280 4866

Level 1, Fyshwick Plaza, 38/59-61 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick facebook.com/FreewaterAccountants or freewateraccountants.simplybook.me

Glebe Park Dental

‘As well as adults, we also treat children. We check tooth eruption and see if any problems are emerging.’

Quality dental healthcare for all ages

THE qualified and experienced team at Glebe Park Dental aims to provide quality dental care for all ages with a focus on prevention, oral health maintenance and general well-being of the patient.

Dental surgeon, Dr Peter Stejskal, says: “We aim to get the patient’s oral health to an optimal level. We need our teeth for eating, speaking and socialising; so, healthy teeth means a healthy body.

“We offer a range of dentistry services and have up-to-date technology that allows us to look at parts of the teeth that need maintenance and then provide the relevant treatment.”

Centrally located on Coranderrk Street in the city, Glebe Park Dental provide services in general and cosmetic dentistry, including smile makeovers, tooth whitening, braces, root canal therapy, complex restorative dental work, single-visit crowns, minor oral surgery, implants, check ups and cleaning of teeth.

“As a dental surgeon, my role is to diagnose, prevent and treat oral problems. I do restorative work and cosmetic work as well,” says Peter.

“Some patients need extra treatment, such as people who are systemically unwell with diabetes or cancer, this can affect their oral health, too.

“We use OPG machines to conduct X-rays and a Cerec machine, which takes a 3D image of the teeth, designs a crown or cap and then cuts the shape out of a porcelain block.

“As well as adults, we also treat children. We check tooth eruption and see if any problems are emerging. Mainly, it’s advice on oral health, brushing and making sure that parents don’t fall into bad habits with their child’s diet.”

After 18 years at Kingston, Glebe Park Dental made the move to Coranderrk Street three years ago, which Peter says has been a positive change.

“We moved to the city because I wanted to own my own premises and refurbish the way I wanted. We have loyal customers who have followed us here and we have a new flow of patients from the surrounding buildings,” he says.

“I have been a dentist for over 20 years and I really enjoy it. I like interacting with the patients and it can be very satisfying to see the end result after doing restorative or cosmetic work.”

As an oral health therapist, Tanya Fane says that at Glebe Park Dental there is an emphasis on teamwork and making the

patients feel as comfortable as possible. She says: “I work alongside the dentist and utilise my skills to be an educator in prevention, oral health maintenance and health promotions.

“The treatment we provide can be both simple and advanced, depending on the patient and their needs.

“Some people just need a deep clean, but others may need further treatment. We examine patients’ risk factors for certain oral diseases. People can have a reaction to dirty teeth and can develop periodontal disease. This is a chronic disease of supporting tissues (gum and bones) that can cause the teeth to loosen and fall out.

“We provide a range of services and can also refer patients for specialist treatment.”

Centrally located in the City

General and cosmetic dentistry, including:

• Smile makeovers

• Braces

• Complex restorative dental work

• Minor oral surgery New adult and child patients welcome

• Teeth whitening

• Implants

• Root canal therapy

• Single-visit crowns

• Teeth cleaning

YES... We accept Hi–Caps and participate in the Child Dental Benefits Scheme

“For a comfortable and caring experience” call 6295 9460

Tanya understands that for some people, a visit to the dentist can be a scary experience, so she makes it her priority to help her patients feel at ease.

“We aim to make people feel comfortable when they come to see us,” she says.

“If someone has a phobia, we sit at their eye level and chat to them, we ask them to be honest with us and to say what scares them. In return, we explain exactly what we are doing to help them feel in control.

“Going to the dentist is just a part of life and we want our patients to feel that we are doing the best we can for them.”

Glebe Park Dental, 188/15 Coranderrk Street, Civic. Call 6295 9460 or visit glebeparkdental.com.au Enquiries at reception@glebeparkdental.com.au

Come and see us at 188/15 Coranderrk Street, Civic or visit glebeparkdental.com.au • Email: reception@glebeparkdental.com.au

come dancing Fun ways to learning

Dancing’s for everyone, whether it’s hip-hop, ballet, Brazilian samba or partner styles such as swing.

And it can be a fun way to meet new people or an opportunity for people who want to pursue a career in the artform.

“CityNews” looks at the movers and shakers in the varied Canberra dance scene.

Just for the love of dancing

DANCE Northside is a quality dance school for “people who simply love to dance,” says artistic director, Holly Diggle.

“Our team of qualified dance teachers aims to provide a positive, recreational experience for students of all levels. We teach anyone from 18-months-old to adults, and classes include kids’ creative movement contemporary, intermediate adult contemporary, ballet, jazz and funk.”

Situated in Kaleen, Dance Northside is a community-focused and inclusive dance school that provides quality, educational and fun dance classes in a safe and nurturing environment.

“We focus on instilling a positive

Urban dance heads north

CANBERRA’S leading urban dance program, Fresh Funk , is expanding into Gungahlin, after 15 years in Tuggeranong.

The program’s creator and current artistic director Caroline Wall, better known as Leena, is leading the expansion of Fresh Funk into north Canberra.

She says: “The program’s success is due to its focus on inclusion, and the support and development of dancers and tutors.

“Acacia and Sarah, the tutors taking the classes in Gungahlin, both grew up dancing with Fresh Funk and have performed in over 50 shows”. Leena says that although she and co-founder Geza

self image and not fulfilling the preprescribed ‘dance’ look,” says Holly. “All the costumes, music and choreography are age-appropriate and we aim to provide a more holistic dance experience where the children feel safe and can uniquely identify their own expression and not fit a certain mould.”

Dance Northside believes that any body type, shape, size, age and gender can dance and aims to assist its students’ journey by providing them with a passion for the artform.

Dance Northside, Kaleen Community Hall, Georgina Crescent, Kaleen. Call 0404 144128.

Szanto knew they were the first to offer hip hop dance classes in Canberra, they had no idea they were creating a whole new dance movement.

“Back then we had 12 kids and one class, now we have over 300 students in 17 classes; and it will be 19 classes when we start in Gungahlin later this month,” Leena said. Term-based, weekly classes in Gungahlin will start on July 27; with a class for 10-14-year-olds on Tuesday afternoons and a class for 15-18-year-olds on Mondays.

More information at tuggeranongarts.com/fresh-funk. Call 6293 1443 or email info@tuggeranongarts.com

Dance Northside

Dance Northside is a communityfocused, inclusive and recreational dance school based in Kaleen which provides quality, age -appropriate, educational, non-competitive and fun dance classes in a safe and nurturing environment.

Dance Northside believes that any body type, shape, size, age and gender can dance and aims to assist its students’ journey through life by providing them with a passion for dance!

how to trip the light fantastic

The moves and more

At Subsdance Dance Studio you are “learning more than the moves,” says director, Kate Ticehurst.

Situated on Bunda Street, Civic, Subsdance is Canberra’s hub for Latin, Brazilian and Afro dance lessons, as well as Zumba fitness, specialised student development, coaching, professional entertainment and wedding and hen dance lessons.

Kate says: “You don’t just learn the dance moves, you also learn the culture behind it. With Brazilian samba, the drumming is so infectious and brings life to any event.

“I trained in Brazil for five weeks and performed in the Rio Carnival. I love the meaning behind the different dance styles and representing the culture.

“We teach classes at beginner, professional and entertainment level. We also do a lot of student

Igniting creative dance energy of young people

QL2 Dance Inc , situated in the Gorman House Arts Centre, runs programs for ages 8 to 26 that focus on igniting and developing young people’s creative energy and dance skills.

Artistic director, Ruth Osborne, says: “We are home to ‘Quantum Leap’, Canberra’s auditioned youth dance ensemble and to many other programs which assist young dancers to find their choreographic voice, and the best dance graduates to find their creative pathway.”

For its dance theatre production of 2015, Quantum Leap presents ‘Reckless Valour’, which looks at the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, contemplates what war means now to young Australians and celebrates their power to shape the future.

Ruth says: “The original production of ‘Reckless Valour’ was inspired by the spaces and symbolism in the War Memorial. This time around, we’re reimagining the whole work, to reflect modern concerns.

“One of the dancers who was in the original performance in 2005 has returned to choreograph a completely new section. He’s focusing on the displacement of people by war, which is enormously important not just in the current political climate, but as one of the oldest and most devastating impacts of war itself. People have always had their lives radically turned upside-down by war.

“Our cast comes from a huge range of backgrounds, and it’s important that the production reflects that breadth of experience.”

“Reckless Valour” is at The Playhouse from Wednesday, July 29 to Saturday, August 1.

QL2 Dance Inc, Gorman House Arts Centre, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon. Call 6247 3103 or visit ql2.org.au

Bookings for “Reckless Valour” to canberratheatre.com.au or call 6275 2700.

development and professional shows around Canberra. We do specialty shows for any event and can do any theme, such as Las Vegas, circus, burlesque and more.”

The Subsdance mid-year show will be held on Saturday, July 18, at the ANU Arts Centre and will tell the story behind different dance styles, from samba and salsa to hip hop and afro.

“The show is about teaching through words and dance,” says Kate.

“Our dancers came first and second in every category of the Australian Latin Dance Championships and are National Brazilian Samba Champions.”

Subsdance Dance Studio, Monkeybar, Level 1, 128 Bunda Street. Call 0404 687806 or visit subsdance.com.au Enquiries info@subsdance.com.au

In search of the

‘King of Swing’

JUMPTOWN Swing dance school hosts Canberräng, an annual festival of swing dancing held over four nights. This year’s theme is “Where is the King of Swing?” says president, Liam Honer.

“Held from July 30 to August 2, it is a film noir murder mystery which takes place across different venues in Canberra looking for clues to find the ‘King of Swing’,” he says.

“It is a great opportunity for swing dancers from across Australia and the Canberra public to come together for a weekend of dance and music.”

The key events are the ball on Friday, July 31, at Old Parliament House and on Saturday, August 1, at Albert Hall.

Liam says: “There will be eight live bands playing across the weekend. Everyone is welcome to enjoy some great music and performances.”

From 11am on Saturday, August 1, people are encouraged to bring their families and friends to enjoy a free swing dance performance from 20-piece Big Band, In Full Swing. Tickets, at $45, are available from canberrang.org to the Friday and Saturday balls.

Canberra Confidential

Disconnecting you now…

IF one needed any evidence that the energetic, service-focused days of Canberra’s own telco Trans ACT are well and truly over, then look no further than the antics of its WA-based owner iiNet the past couple of weeks.

The passion for customer service that former CEO Ivan Slavich seared on to his organisation is long gone with a “courtesy email” to “CityNews” CEO Greg Jones – and many, many others – that we had reached iiNet’s “excess spend limit of $200”. Hello? What limit? Well, that’s apparently to be explained in our next account, meantime we’re a busy newspaper, we makes calls all day long and we always pay the consequent bill. We’ve been a Transact customer for years and suddenly, without warning, as a business, we’re on a $200 limit! It gets worse. “To prevent further charges, your phone service has been temporarily limited to making local and emergency calls only until the account is settled,” writes chummy Mat Conn, customer service GM, which means he arbitrarily and outrageously cut off mobile and interstate calls.

Greg, who clearly thought it was a mistake, was also harassed by a menacing string of texts before he called and they magnanimously raised the limit to $300 and later to $500.

A Kingston accountant who has also been through this hoopla bludgeoned a $1000 limit from them for each of six lines, which gives her time to shop around, but Mr Jones is open to calls from competitors – 6262 9100.

CC admires the normally sensible member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann . But we broke into unbecoming sniggers at her recent wet-day, road-safety tweet where bravely she faced the rain in Tuggeranong and tweeted the resultant picture of a damp pollie with raised arms, Canute-like fruitlessly imploring Huwie to spare her constituents. Looks like God’s a Liberal, Gai.

• Quality custom designed chairs, sofas and bedheads

• Re-upholstery of dining chairs, sofas, chairs and ottomans

• Window seat cushions, outdoor cushions and scatter cushions

• Upholstered wall panels for warmth, peace & quiet

• Free consultation with an experienced designer in store

• A local business that has been in Canberra for 30 years

6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick Phone: 6280 4464 www.dreamdesignfurniture.com.au

Tosolini’s is back

AS CC still suffers daily denial at the jarring closure at Easter of our coffee-shop-of-choice, Tosolini’s, at Bailey’s Corner, comes the news the family name is back in business.

Younger brother Danny Tosolini has popped up branding the imperilled Italo Australia Club’s tired, old bistro the “Tosolini’s Pop Up”, which has brought the First Family of Italian fare back together with mama, Valentina, contributing to the simple range of home-style Italian food. Danny’s also convinced brother Carlo to assist in front of house. Just like old times, but the test is if they’ll honour CC’s handful of Tosolini’s coffee-loyalty cards!

Wall flowers

AT CC, we’d ban everything including bans, so we were tickled by cheeky Liberal Andrew Wall’s wedgie on the ACT government that’s planning to ban smoking in the prison, yet still pushes to have a needle-and-syringe program. “The contradiction is ridiculous,” says the opposition spokesman for corrections, accusing Minister Shane Rattenbury of having it all wrong.

“On the one hand, the government is saying: ‘Let’s give prisoners needles to inject an illegal drug’. Yet on the other, they’re saying: ‘Put a ban on smoking cigarettes’. It simply doesn’t make sense.”

The place to be

BURIED in Simon Corbell’s call for nominations to join Capital Metro’s community and business reference groups is mention of the “recently announced” place managers program, which will see Capital Metro staff located in localities along the light rail alignment, to wit Gungahlin, Dickson and Civic.

What are place managers? They are essentially moles

assigned from the propaganda unit of Capital Metro and, when they’re not spinning for them, they’ll be working “closely with and support each of the community and business reference groups”, which a cynic might suggest will keep the, albeit handpicked, group members under a rein. Corbell’s office is a lot more complimentary in describing the PMs as being “highly skilled in conducting effective community consultation processes, establishing relationships with partnering organisations and demonstrate a good understanding of the economic, social and environmental issues associated with the project”. They are senior officers (SOG B) with salaries ranging from $111,478 to $125,497. There are three of them, so that just leaves 3497 new jobs from the billion-dollar tram to go.

Dear lads...

THE member for Fraser’s direct mail campaign appears to be having relationship issues. In one Palmerston household the parents got a pro-forma letter from Labor’s Andrew Leigh bemoaning Tony Abbott’s lack of action on the “gender gap”. Their voting-age sons were also sent a letter (about young Australians being locked out of home ownership), but the odd thing is the boys were grouped together and addressed as one might a same-sex couple.

PS:

Can’t Visit Canberra get any more excitable than this:

Worse still, the luvvies at the AWM retweeted it! Oh, the power of social media.

scene / around canberra

At the Race Discrimination Commissioner’s address

IN our city of a vibrant and diverse multiculturalism, it is always good to be reminded of the insidious aspects of race discrimination and to be alert and aware of what can happen.

In his address to the National Press Club, Dr Tim Soutphommasane, the Race Discrimination Commissioner, started with two stories of people who stood up for others being abused and vilified. Stacey Eden was on a Sydney train when a fellow passenger started abusing a Muslim husband and wife. She confronted the abuser and uploaded the footage to social media. Similarly, on a Melbourne train Jason Cias stepped in when a group of tradesmen began vilifying three women wearing Islamic headscarves. He was assaulted and punched in the face. His only regret is that he didn’t act sooner.

This was a considered address from a man who now sees the signs that we have a generational change happening on matters of race. That was made clear with the last articulate and sensible question (a little long for the senior NPC scribes) from Radford College student Dominic Nguyen that brought applause and the beginnings of a new friendship between a youthful ambassador and the perfect mentor.

At the Sweet ChariTea fundraiser, Gold Creek

SUNDAY ROAST

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.

Special time to talk about

THE theme for National Pain Week is “PAIN… Let’s talk about it”, which aims to break the silence and reduce the stigma of living with chronic pain.

Chronic pain affects one in three Australians (that’s eight million people) and is one of the nation’s most costly health problems.

National Pain Week is an opportunity to talk about pain in the open and to let people living with pain find out there is help and resources available.

The week is run by Chronic Pain Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that urges everyone who has pain or is a carer of someone living with pain, to go to its website (nationalpainweek.org. au) to see where and how they can get help for pain.

According to Chronic Pain Australia, one in five Australians will suffer chronic pain in their lifetime, and up to 80 per cent of people living with chronic pain are missing out on treatment that could improve their health and quality of life.

Unsurprisingly, the need for comprehensive multi-disciplinary injury and pain management treatment is growing.

Chronic pain can affect everyone, whether it’s the result of illness, injury, disease or surgery and this week “CityNews” showcases some of the practitioners around town who specialise in dealing with pain.

Stepping up to fix the feet

CANBERRA Podiatry was formed in 1998 and focuses on all facets of podiatry including general treatments, biochemical assessments and orthotic therapy.

Principal podiatrist Michelle Prophet-Pearson runs the clinic with her orthotist husband Andrew Pearson.

She says: “We provide general treatments such as the removal of corns, calluses and ingrown nails as well as orthotic therapy, which is the use of an appliance or device that can correct biomechanical or structural abnormalities of the foot and lower limb.

“My main interests are biomechanics, podopaedi -

atrics and sports podiatry, specialising in dance and ballet.”

“A lot of people leave their foot pain to the last minute, if they come in earlier it is easier to fix and they may not need full orthotic treatment, it could just be that new shoes are needed.”

The clinic also has introduced a new EMS Swiss DolorClast, which is the latest in technology for radial shock-wave therapy.

Canberra Podiatry, 2-4 Chifley Place, Chifley. Call 6281 1200 or visit canberrapodiatry.com.au

Doctor aims to make an impact on chronic pain

DR Geoffrey Speldewinde, a well-known specialist at Capital Pain and Rehabilitation Clinic, is committed to making a positive impact on chronic pain.

According to the clinic, one in five people who have an episode of acute pain will go on to have chronic or persistent pain (pain that has gone on for three months).

This can have devastating personal consequences and there are huge costs to the economy with 36.5 million workdays lost each year.

Capital Pain and Rehabilitation Clinic takes a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach which includes retraining the brain through neuroplasticity techniques such as measured pacing, “movement is medicine”, visualisation techniques, and intensive

training and repetition, which Dr Speldewinde says is the key to seeing the greatest improvement for chronic sufferers.

After 24 years of membership, Dr Speldewinde has recently been appointed as the president of the Australian Pain Society.

He says: “Being involved in the APS has ensured that in Canberra I am able to offer the best evidencebased treatments for my patients from a wide-range of medical procedures, enhanced education, optimising self-empowerment, and incorporating neuroplasticity strategies.”

Capital Pain and Rehabilitation Clinic, 25 Napier Close, Deakin. Call 6282 6240 or visit capitalrehab.com.au

advertising feature problems of living with pain

The cold-weather risk to soft tissue injuries

WHEN it comes to pain, “you don’t need to suffer”, says Barbara Bowen, emotional and mental wellness practitioner at The Resourceful Minds Clinic.

Situated in Queanbeyan, the clinic aims to improve and eliminate feelings of stress, depression and trauma caused by pain, relationship issues and phobias by using relaxation and breathing, guided meditation, coaching, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and clinical hypnotherapy.

“When you suffer pain from a physical injury, your body is saying to slow down and to stop and relax, but what happens next is that we start asking questions such as ‘why did this happen to me?’,” says Barbara.

“To do this, we interview the person in pain and see what was going on in their life during the time of the injury. We keep a positive frame of mind, and look forward, asking what they want in the future.

“It is very future-oriented and we use different techniques such as NLP and clinical hypnotherapy to help reprogram how the person hears their internal thoughts and to focus on where the pain is, not on the body.”

The Resourceful Minds Clinic, 142 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6299 2660 or visit resourcefulminds.com.au

“THE winter season is upon us once again. We are undertaking different levels of activities and maybe not warming up as well as we should due to the cold Canberra temperatures,” says Ricky Lee, a podiatrist at The Walking Clinic.

“These factors are likely to increase the risk of soft-tissue injuries, which can make the simplest activity, such as doing the shopping or walking the dog, much more difficult and frustrating.”

The team at The Walking Clinic deal with all types of lower-limb injuries and a common problem called plantar fasciitis, also known as heel spur or bruised heel, which affects more than 10 per cent of the population at some point in their lives.

Ricky says: “Our team commonly sees plantar fasciitis due to walking on high-impact surfaces. It occurs due to repetitive strain of a thick formation of connective tissue called the plantar fascia.

“As we walk or run our arch may compress, this can place significant pressure on the plantar fascia causing inflammation and pain. In more severe cases partial or complete tears can occur.

“The Walking Clinic team dedicates itself to providing the best possible outcomes and will help you get back to 100 per cent as quickly as possible.”

The Walking Clinic. For an appointment with a podiatrist call 6249 1758 for Lyneham or 6251 5149 for Belconnen. Visit walkingclinic.com.au

Richard goes the ‘extra mile’ for his clients

WITH a high level of experience, the personalinjury team at lawyers Baker, Deane & Nutt can help with workers’ compensation, motor vehicle accidents, occupiers’ liability, medical negligence and Comcare claims.

The firm has provided legal services to Canberra, Queanbeyan and the surrounding regions for 150 years.

Partner Tanya Nadin says: “Our personal injury partner Richard Baker is based in the Canberra office and can provide a personalised service to people who have been injured in the ACT so they

can get their life back on track.

“He goes that extra mile for his clients.”

With a free consultation, Baker, Deane & Nutt offers a “No Win, No Fee” service to most claims and says that anyone who has suffered an injury, should contact a solicitor as soon as possible to find out about any applicable limitation periods.

Baker, Deane & Nutt. Call the Canberra office on 6230 1999 or Queanbeyan, on 6299 3999. Visit bdn.com.au

www.queanbeyanphysio.com.au

National Pain Week

‘Powerful’ therapy for chronic pain

MICHELLE Driscoll is a qualified and registered Biodynamic Craniosacral and Remedial Massage Therapist with more than 15 years’ experience in body therapy.

Operating a busy practice at the Kingston shops, Michelle says: “Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) has proven to be a powerful therapy in addressing chronic pain. It can also help with acute pain and disease, trauma, as well as emotional and psychological disturbances.

“It releases tensions and improves the body’s overall health, increasing physical vitality and wellbeing.

“Regardless of the cause, the common denominator of conditions that cause chronic pain is irritation of the nociceptors (pain receptors) which causes abnormal activity that is interpreted as pain.

Regaining balance for women

SPECIALISING in women’s health, Blue Sky Clinic in Manuka helps to guide the body and mind back to a state of balance through modern Chinese medicine.

Through a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine, clinic director Dr Alex Perry aims to provide solutions to eradicate and manage pain.

He says: “We treat a variety of different ailments from acute pain such as sport injuries, tennis elbow or lower back pain to chronic pain caused by physical trauma.

“Our main focus is women’s health, including fertility, menopause, period pain and pregnancy, as well as headaches and migraines.”

With a degree in Chinese medicine and human biology, Alex has a strong focus on clear communication with his clients through a three-part consultation process.

He says: “It’s not just about needles, the treatment

Do you suffer from painful feet, legs, knees, hips or lower back?

Frustrated by niggling injuries holding you back? Unable to reach that next level of fitness because of pain in your feet or legs? Pain stopping you from doing the everyday things you want to do?

Keeping active should be a joy, let The Walking Clinic’s team of podiatrists help you do what you want to do pain free. Our team have treated thousands of people just like you!

We have devised our “Bullet Proof Your Body” Program – a 3 step assessment system will identify the problem and then fix it!

“The pain receptors overfire and create an inflammatory response. Our nervous systems become overwhelmed. We can start to feel fragmented and not present in our bodies, and life can become very difficult.

“Every cell in the body expresses tide-like rhythms we call Craniosacral rhythms.

“Pain and trauma cause our tissues to contract, and stop these rhythms being expressed as they should be. BCST uses a light, gentle, slow touch that creates safety in the body and our cells respond to this.”

Michelle is the chairperson of The Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists.

Michelle Driscoll Craniosacral Therapy and Massage Therapy, 49 Jardine Street, Kingston. Call 0411 281586 or visit michelle-driscoll.com

depends on the type of pain. We try to get to the bottom of why it’s there and once we know we can find a solution.

Pathways to dealing with pain

ARTHRITIS ACT is offering a “Take Charge of Pain” course that helps people to manage pain in a variety of ways.

CEO, Rebecca Davey, says: “For people who are fairly new to pain and have only just developed a chronic condition, this course provides different pathways to deal with pain.

“A lot of people with a chronic condition can overdo things and get tired easily, we advise them to pace out activities, which allows them to move forward in their lives. The course also provides a great support group where people can talk to others who are in the same position.”

The two-week course will run on different dates throughout July and can be modified to suit the needs of the group. Bookings are essential.

“We support and educate people living with musculoskeletal problems by providing support groups, information sessions, telephone counselling and more,” says Rebecca.

Podiatrists:

Richard K Lee

Peter Bottrill

Ricky Lee

Kwang-Hee Kim

Romany Vonarx

Andrew

Step 1

Subjective and objective examination

This allows our podiatrists to paint a picture of your problem. It outlines causes, frequency, affected area and contributing factors.

Step 2

Video gait analysis and 3D pressure analysis

Visual and structural analysis of your gait when walking and running (if you are a runner) to establish an understanding of your biomechanics. Indepth analysis to identify the problem so we can treat it!

THE WALKING CLINIC

“It is not always possible to eradicate the pain but we always try to fix it rather than covering it up with painkillers.”

“Arthritis can refer to 120 conditions related to joints and bones. We cover anything from lupus to rheumatoid arthritis.”

Dr Alex Perry.

Blue Sky Clinic, 34 Bougainville Street, Manuka. Call 6162 4950 or visit blueskyclinic.com.au

Arthritis ACT, Grant Cameron Community Centre, 27 Mulley Street, Holder. Call 6288 4244 or visit arthritisact.org.au

Tailored treatment plan

We create a program to meet your goals and get you back to what you want to do as soon as possible! Step 3

&

Focus on family and sports

WITH a focus on family and sports podiatry, The Foot Clinic cares for all ages and can help with issues such as aching feet, bunions, flat feet, growing pains, achilles pain, shin splints, stress fractures and more.

Through a foot function assessment, The Foot Clinic says it can reduce potentially damaging forces of the foot and leg with the use of prescription orthotics (shoe inserts) and can assess foot function, treatment and advice at an early age in order to prevent the development of more complex foot and leg problems in later life.

The Foot Clinic, Suite 18, Corinna Chambers, 36-38 Corinna Street, Woden. Call 6282 5466 or visit thefootclinic.com.au

advertising feature

Help in getting back the balance

THE philosophy of Queanbeyan Physiotherapy is to “Restore the Balance”, aiming to help people return

With a team of four qualified physiotherapists and a massage therapist, Queanbeyan physiotherapy offers a range of services including managing spinal and orthopaedic conditions, back and neck pain, headaches and sports injuries, women’s health, motor vehicle and work-related injuries, muscle and joint problems and post-operative rehabilitation.

Principal physiotherapist, Jane Grey, says: “We do different techniques to help with movement and to improve stiffness, weakness and lack of control in different parts of the body.”

Queanbeyan Physiotherapy, 276 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 1005 or visit queanbeyanphysio.com.au

Dr Geoffrey Speldewinde and Dr Keith T Chan, specialist pain and rehabilitation physicians, along with our multidisciplinary team provide the highest level of service for:

• Chronic persistent pain

• Rehabilitation – reconditioning after injury, surgery and neurological conditions

• Medical Pain and Rehabilitation Procedures such as blocks, neurotomy, discography, stimulators, Botulinum toxin injections all to the highest International Standards

• Diagnostic and therapeutic injections seen rapidly with GP referral

Has your chronic pain been caused by personal injury?

National Pain Week

Treating muscular imbalance and chronic pain

CARM Therapies (Corrective, Alternative and Relaxation Massage) is a remedial massage and movement clinic that offers a variety of massage therapy options and stretching classes. Located at Scullin shops, the multi-disciplinary, allied-health clinic maintains a friendly and relaxed environment.

Over the years, principal therapist Emily Worsnop has gained valuable insight into the treatment and management of soft-tissue injuries, muscular imbalances and chronic

pain states.

Suitable for people with chronic pain, injury rehabilitation and sports therapy, remedial massage therapist Christine Webster offers stretch classes every Saturday and is available for appointments during the week.

An eight-week stretching class is also be available from July 28.

CARM Therapies, Scullin Place, Scullin. Call 6162 1800 or visit carmtherapies. com.au

Unlocking the pathways to pain

“ALL pain is made in the brain and neurons that fire together, wire together,” says Kingsley Avery, principal acupuncturist at Avery Acupuncture.

“This is a concept I like to explain to my clients where the longer the pain is in the body, the more ‘hardwired’ it can become and can take a longer treatment for the desired outcome.

Baker Deane and Nutt has provided legal services to Canberra, Queanbeyan and the surrounding region since 1861 BDN has the experience, skill and reputation.

For sensible and practical solutions to your legal needs, call our offices

CANBERRA CITY • 6230 1999

Level 4, 1-13 University Ave

QUEANBEYAN •

Making the most of movement

“PEOPLE can feel overwhelmed with an experience, I help them to make sense of it and to work with them to minimise pain and help them to say: ‘I can!’,” says movement-based somatic therapist, Deb Carroll. With group classes and personalised programs, Deb helps people on a physical and emotional level to assist in gaining the most physical movement possible.

She says: “I work with a variety of different people, including people with MS, muscular dystrophy, chronic pain, diabetes, chronic fatigue, people who have had motor vehicle accidents and athletes.”

Deb Carroll, call 0414 865430, enquiries to pilates.deb@live.com.au

SORE FEET?

We can help with:

• Diabetic foot care

• Corns, callus & warts

• Ingrown toenails

• Common skin conditions

• Posture & gait analysis

• Paediatric foot care

• Foot, lower limb & back pain

• Range of comfort & orthotic fitting shoes available

• A.R.C laser treatment for fungal toenails

Building strength and muscle

SUFFERING from back problems herself, Elyse MacDonald became a strong believer in the benefits of pilates and started Elysium Studio Pilates to help others in pain.

The ex-dancer and current dance teacher provides equipment-based, private and semi-private sessions, mat classes and personalised programs to help build strength and muscle.

“I remediate people who have had injuries or surgery and can help with post-natal issues as well,” says Elyse.

“Through a different range of exercises, I aim to help clients to build muscle tone around certain areas that aren’t utilised.”

Elysium Studio Pilates, Scullin Place, Scullin. Call 0414 920401 or visit elysiumstudiopilates.com.au

“The neurons have fired together for so long that a connection has been made that is hard to break, these may be associated with physical and emotional components, too.”

With a degree in traditional Chinese medicine and a diploma of eastern massage, Kingsley treats a wide range of ailments with a particular interest in musculoskeletal conditions, sporting injuries and the treatment of pain through massage, manual therapy, acupuncture and more. Kingsley conducts an individual assessment to determine the nature and cause of the pain and to figure out ways to unlock the specific pain pathway using a combination of manual therapies, exercises and mindfulness.

Avery Acupuncture, Edgar Street, Ainslie. Call 0434 083338 or 6257 0388. Visit averyacupuncture.com.au

The team at Canberra Podiatry is delighted to introduce our new EMS Swiss DolorClast –the latest in technology for radial shock wave therapy.

Effective for a range of soft tissue conditions and injuries, pneumatically generated shockwaves are transmitted into the area of pain to provide relief and promote healing to ensure a quick recovery.

Some of most common conditions we treat include, but are not limited to: plantar fasciitis (heel spur/pain), arch pain, Achilles tendonitis, lower limb and foot cramping, shin splints and patellofemoral syndrome (runners knee).

Principal Podiatrist

Michelle Prophet-Pearson Podiatrists Jake Foley & Jessica Laws

Got groove, it’s got meaning

By Helen Musa

IT’S a mixture of classical and popular when it comes to the theatrical backgrounds of the latest Sandy and Danny in Stephen Pike’s new production of “Grease”.

Rosanna Boyd is playing Sandy, while the smooth-talking Marcus Hurley gets to play her opposite number, bad boy Danny.

Boyd is a brilliant young classically-trained soprano and former St Clare’s pupil who recently performed in “Lovers of Song” for Artsong Canberra. She has performed in Canberra shows such as “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Chicago”, and starred as Marsinah in “Kismet” for Queanbeyan Players.

Hurley, whose dad, by the way, is the Governor of NSW, shone in economics and ancient history at Canberra Grammar School before changing to media studies at UC. A love of singing, from a boy soprano in Brisbane, has continued and he’s performed roles in Pike’s “Sunset Boulevard”, “Phantom”, “The Witches of Eastwick” and with Boyd in “Kismet”.

While they’re having a load of fun, they are undaunted by comparisons with the famous movie’s stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. They’re not even making Sandy Australian, as they did in the movie, but will revert to the original setting of the 1972 musical set in fictional ‘50s Rydell High School in the era where the “Greasers” spent as much time smoothing down the Vaseline in their hair as oiling the engines of hot-rods. Boyd and Hurley have been researching the era in which “Grease” is set, telling me that the 1950s was on the cusp of change, on the very edge of a new era.

To my accusation that the musical says if you’re a square peg in a round hole “you’d better shape up”, Boyd tells me her mum feels that way, but she doesn’t agree. To her, it’s a case of boy-changes-forgirl and girl-changes-for-boy. And they both think Danny and Sandy will still be together after the story of “Grease” ends, probably planning another beach holiday, where the romance first started.

The musical, although a lot of fun, is not without a serious motif, dealing as it does with teenage angst, class conflict and gang violence. “Bad girl” Rizzo gets pregnant and that, as we now know, was no fun at a time when unmarried mothers were treated abominably.

Though it has a 16+ age recommendation, with songs such as “You’re The One That I Want” and

by comparisons with the famous movie’s stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.

Photographed at Grease Monkey,

“Grease Is the Word”, and snazzy choreography by Jordan Kelly, seriousness is unlikely to intrude too far into Pike’s production, which is Queanbeyan City Council’s annual-funded musical.

To Boyd and Hurley, “it’s just innocent fun”. “Grease”, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, July 29-August 15. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

By Kate Meikle

WHEN “CityNews” last met independent filmmaker Courtney Dawson in 2012, she was embarking on an ambitious documentary to investigate why it’s been 20 years since an Australian film has reached number one at the yearly box office and why Australian films have consistently grossed under five per cent of annual movie revenues for more than a decade.

But first the former Ainslie resident needed $8000 to make it and turned to crowdfunding to raise the money.

“In the early stages of planning the documentary three years ago, crowdfunding was such a new concept. I found it difficult to explain to people,” says Courtney.

“But I benefitted from some media interest and reached my goal; $8000 was a small budget for a documentary, but I found an amazingly dedicated crew and I am so grateful to them!”

Courtney spent the next six months juggling working full time at the ABC in Sydney with scheduling interviews with influential filmmakers, historians, academics, critics, distributors, publicists, as well as stars of Australian cinema – Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Baz Luhrmann, Joel Edgerton and Jessica Mauboy.

A highlight for Courtney was sitting down with film critic David Stratton.

“David was great, he shared so much information and experience in films,” says Courtney.

Having studied film with honours

at ANU, Courtney realised that she hadn’t seen an Australian film in a long time.

“I remember fondly the great relatable comedies of the 1990s such as ‘The Castle’ and ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ and I wondered why had Australian film successes dropped off recently?” she says.

Her documentary, “Advance Australian Film” looks at the problems facing the Australian film industry such as marketing, distribution, losing local actors to Hollywood and funding.

“My story is also included in the film and my struggles to get the documentary off the ground. It is very hard to get funding – I didn’t get a grant,” says Courtney.

Despite the challenges, Courtney remains positive and hopeful about the innovations underway to help get the Australian film industry back on the map to former glory.

“Changes such as crowdfunding, social media marketing and video on demand platforms have made filmmaking accessible and changed the way we make, promote and distribute films,” says Courtney.

“Advance Australian Film”, SBS2, July 26. Buy the DVD/Digital download from advanceausfilm.com

Retired Mike goes back to the grind

“Magic Mike XXL” (MA) unrateable!

AS the only male in a small audience for Gregory Jacobs’ sequel to a 2012 film about male strippers, I kept wondering why and for what target audience?

One woman said she was surprised to see me among an otherwise totally female audience. It’s my job. And she thought the film demeaning to women. This I was inclined to dispute.

Retired stripper Mike (Channing Tatum) gets persuaded to join four former buddies to travel to a strippers’ convention for a final big blast. So it’s a road movie. But when Tobias writes the van off in the scrub, it diverts to family-grade erotica as the guys visit skin joints where screaming women shower male strippers with banknotes.

The screamers are mostly women for whom a romantic, emotionally-fulfilling, sexually-satisfying life is no more than wistful ambition. Their looks will never turn male heads. Their yearnings and their behaviour match male-slavering over women since humans began walking upright. Listen up, guys.

Director: Stephen Pike

Choreographer: Jordan Kelly

Acknowledge and respect that women too have erotic appetites needing satisfaction. That’s the film’s real message. Women’s rights include a complete vocabulary. The dialogue is peppered with varied uses – noun, verb, adjective, participle, expletive, gerund, praise, condemnation, pleading, curse – of that word that family newspapers remain reluctant to use (many years ago I was the first person to get away with it in “The Canberra Times”). In school playgrounds, kids of both sexes now use it freely. “Magic Mike XXL” extends its once predominantly male use to women playing major characters.

Fellatio and cunnilingus while wearing pants are not possible. Feature movies dealing full-on with those behaviours would incur the wrath of the Grundies. “Magic Mike XXL” takes them to the brink in an adaptation of the famous vaudeville act known as the Lupino mirror. But to this straight male, the film offered no erotic beckoning.

At all cinemas

“Madame Bovary” (M)

IN my late teens I tried to comprehend Gustave Flaubert’s novel of a woman laid low by marital disappointment. Flaubert died before receiving royalties from the 37 movies

Musical Director: Jenny Tabur

it has generated. Sophie Barthes adapted the screenplay, produced and directed version 37. Her delivery of a languid tale about a silly bourgeois woman unable to cope with life’s realities works well enough, but the plot, as for me it did all those years ago, failed to encourage any real enthusiasm. A cautionary tale that in its original era might have warned young wives about running up big bills, Flaubert himself described it as “about nothing, a book dependent on nothing external, which would be held together by the external strength of its style”.

Mia Wasikowska portrays Emma, who believes that life owes her a living, who sees no reason to lift her game. Driving her dull country medico husband to the brink of penury, she follows up with adulteries offering little erotic fulfilment. Rhys Ifans does a fine job as the merchant who exploits her frustration in a life that fails to deliver her expectations of society’s rewards. Paul Giamatti gives good sly and untrustworthy as Dr Bovary’s friend.

In May, we saw a modernisation of Flaubert’s novel in which Gemma Arterton played the heroine. If you saw that, by all means see this true-to-period version and decide which version is the more effective. Comparison of the two heroines is an interesting exercise.

At Palace Electric, Dendy and Capitol 6

“Women He’s Undressed” (CTC)

Gillian Armstrong’s bio-pic about Orry-Kelly is a cornucopia of reminiscences of the man who, until Catherine Martin pipped him by one, got more Oscars than any other Australian to date.

Who’s Orry-Kelly, do I hear somebody ask?

Born in Kiama in 1897 and dying in Hollywood in 1964, he designed costumes and other visual elements for nearly 300 movies, many of them classics in their own right.

Armstrong’s film is rich in history, youthful images of actors who have long since gone to the big back-lot in the sky wearing costumes he designed and built, inviting cinema enthusiasts to play “Who’s that?” It’s also delightfully entertaining. An exhibition of them will open in Melbourne next month.

For many, the film will deliver its best satisfactions when dealing with Orry-Kelly’s relationship in New York and later Hollywood with young Englishman Archibald Leach.

The two were lovers. In their split, Leach was vindictive and cruel. Nobody in Hollywood, a community that thrives on gossip and innuendo, knew about it. But Orry-Kelly had writing skill. He detailed his memoirs in a manuscript that everybody thought had been lost or destroyed. But it was not so.

And Armstrong’s film makes good use of it. Leach became a big star. We know him as Cary Grant.

At Palace Electric from July 16.

arts in the city

Dylan’s doomed last tour

By Helen Musa

WHEN Dylan Thomas wrote of “wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight”, he could almost have been describing himself as he was when, drunk and dying, he stormed the stages of the US in 1953.

By Helen Musa

Glassmakers celebrate

CANBERRA Glassworks is celebrating its past and future with Magda Keaney’s new show, “New Glass 2015: Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane” (until August 30), that features the work of a new generation of Australian glassmakers, including Lucy Quinn, Nick Adams, Georgina Cockshott, Lea Douglas, Ngaio Fitzpatrick and Alex Valero.

MEANTIME, Peter Nilsson’s lighting work “Anemony” is on sale at the Glassworks for $15,000 and there are lights available for sale by other artists including Ruth Allen, Annette Blair, Helen AitkenKuhnen and Spike Deane.

KEN Healey, the Canberra theatre and music critic and opera producer who left Canberra to lecture at NIDA, will be at the National Portrait Gallery, 2pm-3pm, on Sunday, July 19, talking about performers Malcolm Williamson, Richard Tognetti, Peter Sculthorpe and Simon Tedeschi, all of whose faces can be seen there. Bookings to bookings@ npg.gov.au or 6102 7070.

HERE’S a departure for the Llewellyn Choir. It will perform folk songs and spirituals, as well as music by Cole Porter, Fats Waller, Harold Arlen and Samuel Barber, at the Belconnen Arts Centre, 2pm, on Sunday, July 19. Bookings to llewellynchoir.com.au or tickets at the door.

WENDY Binks’ “Stripey” series of books is now a play starring Aussie characters such as Fluster the Corella, Bluey the Kanga and Shuffle the Echidna. Not unlike “Possum Magic” and “Wombat Stew”, it’s coming to Canberra Theatre Centre, July 23-25. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre. com.au or 6275 2700.

QUEANBEYAN City Council is calling for artists to work with local young people and older children in designing and applying an artwork to a rail carriage in Henderson Road Reserve. Responses due by 4pm, Friday, July 31. Inquiries to Debbie Gillman at 6285 6551.

AS part of Big hART Theatre’s “Namatjira” project, the company is making a doco exploring friendship between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. They’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign with rewards including original watercolour paintings. Visit startsomegood.com/namatjiradoco

BELCONNEN Arts Centre, the Scullin Cultural Precinct and the West by North West Neighbourhood Network invite artists to reveal the treasures of their lives here or beyond, in artworks for a show called “Hidden Treasures”, at the centre, September 4-20. Applications to belconnenartscentre. com.au by 5pm, Monday, August 3.

Now a one-man play, “Dylan Thomas: Return Journey”, coming to The Street and directed by, of all people, Anthony Hopkins, will bring us up close and personal to one of the world’s most empathetic poets, author of works such as “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”, “And Death Shall Have no Dominion” and “Under Milk Wood” that have entered our common idiom.

Although Thomas wrote only in English, the rhythmical Welsh lilt of his language has made him accessible above many other poets and he is considered rare in having achieved fame, if not notoriety, during his own lifetime.

Cardiff-born actor Bob Kingdom takes the audience through Thomas’ final, doomed tour, we are promised, “without an inkling of actorliness”. Kingdom has been living and breathing Thomas for years and was already “being” him when his fellow Welshman Hopkins, who had long wanted to play Thomas on stage or screen, caught one of Kingdom’s performances in a pub theatre and later asked if he could become his “other eye” as director. The rest is history.

“Dylan Thomas: Return Journey” is made up of readings from Thomas’ poems, stories and letters.

A popular DVD has been made of the presentation, which focuses not on Thomas’ BBC radio recordings but on his fourth trip to New York in 1953, when Thomas fell into an alcohol-induced coma from which he did not recover. Kingdom/Thomas takes his audiences through Wales of the past and present, with a few sideswipes at the American touring scene and the art of acting.

“Dylan Thomas: Return Journey”, with Bob Kingdom, at The Street, July 21-25, bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

arts & entertainment / dining

Tongue-tingling taste of Sichuan

Kungpao chicken, which I’ve enjoyed in Sydney, is a super dish and, remember, you can order mild, medium or blow your socks off.

THE Red Chilli Group has come to town and if bursts of spicy, tongue-tingling Sichuan is your thing you’ll be mighty pleased.

I’ve been to the group’s restaurants in Sydney, which never disappoint. No doubt those in other cities are just as hot and regularly packed out. So when I heard that Red Chilli Sichuan Restaurant had opened in Civic, I grabbed two friends and off we went.

Sichuan cuisine is delightful. Although not all dishes feature chilli, many do and these are the best in my book. The menu says the number of Sichuan dishes has surpassed 5000 with some of the more famous including twice-cooked pork and spicy diced chicken with peanuts, also known as famous Kungpao chicken, which I’ve enjoyed in Sydney. It’s a super dish and, remember, you can order mild, medium or blow your socks off.

We started with wontons served in a hot chilli sauce (six for $7.50). They were fantastic and we could have eaten them all day. The boiled Chinese cabbage and prawn mince (12 for $12) were great, with two of us preferring the soy-based sauce over the vinegar-based one.

The extensive menu features traditional, authentic dishes such as tea-smoked duck with pancakes, a chef’s special, which we tried ($19.50). Sichuan cuisine uses smoking, salting, pickling and drying to preserve many foods. We found the duck too heavily smoked and overpowering for our liking. We also had it in our heads that the pancakes would be thin, not doughy, but that’s not to say the dish was not cooked as it was meant to be cooked. This is a preference issue, not a problem in the kitchen.

We also ordered a restaurantrecommended dish, the deep-fried black tiger prawns with “mysterious sauce” ($26.80), which we found on the sweet side. A favourite dish by far was the stir-fried green beans with pork mince ($16).

Red Chilli has fish tanks at the back with lobster, mud crab, parrot fish and barramundi (market price) on offer.

We’re adventurous diners, but the less-familiar dishes such as jellyfish head, stir-fried duck heads, pickled chicken feet and pork ears, and beef tongue and

tripe will have to wait.

Red Chilli isn’t in new premises – I believe a restaurant was in the space previously. There are private dining rooms off the main dining area. We agreed the place could use a mighty good scrub, especially ceiling vents and glass areas. The service needs a pick-me-up. It was super slow to order and super slow to be served. And when we ordered a bottle of wine, we were served one that had been opened and was half full. Oops.

Creating Sustainable Gardens

Glenbog Nursery and Landscaping

• growers of drought tolerant and frost resistant plants

• new garden creations and garden makeovers

• sustainable garden design and advice

• providing a value for money solution

NURSERY OPEN: 9am to 5pm Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4pm Weekends

314 Plummers Rd, Burra NSW (20 minutes from Queanbeyan)

Ph. 0402 024 204 – 0408 119 160

glenbog@skymesh.com.au Like us on Facebook

We grow them hardy so you can watch them grow

Big news for small fruit trees

THE increasing availability of dwarf fruit trees, which can be grown in reasonablesize containers, is great news for people who live in townhouses with only small gardens or just balconies.

This doesn’t mean the fruit is small, only that the trees are grafted on to dwarf rootstock.

Dwarf fruit trees in containers require full sun most of the day, preferably in an area with good air circulation.

Citrus trees are ideal for growing in pots and this has been a traditional way of growing citrus in Britain and Europe for several hundred years. In fact special, heated buildings or orangeries were constructed where the citrus in pots were moved to in winter.

Dwarf Meyer Lemon and kumquats are especially suitable for pot culture.

Apples Gala, Granny Smith,

Containers galore… but avoid the Ali Baba shapes.

Golden Delicious, Pink Lady and Red Fuji are all available in dwarf form.

Fleming’s Trixzie miniature peach is a delightful small tree with delicious, yellow-fleshed, full-size peaches and the Victorian nursery’s Trixzie Black Cherree is the first truly

• Follow

dwarf cherry for home gardeners. It is reported to be self-fertile and doesn’t need another cherry tree to cross-pollinate.

The dwarf Trixzie Nectazee is a good way to grow nectarines in a container; a semi-freestone variety, it has good-flavoured, yellow flesh.

Or there’s a cross between a nectarine and a peach, Spicezee Interspecific Nectarine, a whitefleshed freestone with a great flavour.

All can be planted directly into the ground if you have a small garden.

WHEN it comes to pots, I always recommend buying straight-sided ones rather than the curved Ali Baba pots.

When plants die in a container that curves in at the top, it is almost impossible to get the plant and its established root system out

without smashing the pot. Forget saucers under containers, they inhibit drainage and encourage root rot.

Always raise containers off the ground. For pots in garden beds, broken bricks or pavers will do. On a paved area, feet made especially to match the pots might look better.

YATES, Australia’s largest seed producer, historically sold three quarters of its seed for flowers and one quarter for veggies. This trend has reversed with more people looking for organic seed when growing their own vegetables (in addition to using only organic fertilisers). Organic seeds are not easy to obtain. However, the Diggers Club in Victoria, founded by Clive and Penny Blazey in 1978, is a mine of information for gardeners. It’s at diggers.com.au

Jottings...

• Don’t cut off frost-damaged leaves from plants at this time. They help protect the leaves underneath from further frost damage.

• Prune kiwi fruit.

• Sand back and apply linseed oil to preserve wooden handles on tools.

• Paint small garden hand tools bright orange to make them easier to find when lost in the garden.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Saturn settles your fiery energy early in the week, as you take some sensible and well-considered action. Then the Sun and Mercury both move into your selfexpression zone mid-week, so it’s the perfect time to connect with your creative muse. But things take a nose-dive on the weekend when the rebellious Mars/ Uranus square sees you acting like a wild Ram on steroids. Just remember – there’s a fine line between making smart snap decisions and being recklessly rash!

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Love, family and duty are linked, so accept what you need to do with a smile. When it comes to a troubled relationship, there’s no substitute for sitting down and having a long chat with the person involved. If you see things from their point of view, it will certainly help. Attached Bulls – your partner will test your patience this weekend. Singles – with love planet Venus retrograde (from July 25 until September 6) expect a few setbacks along the road to finding a partner.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

The early week Sun/Saturn trine helps ground your flighty mercurial mind. If you have to speak in front of a group of people, at work or within your local community, then make sure you’ve done your homework and have something substantial to say. Saturn also urges you to be more responsible about your physical wellbeing. So aim to nurture your body with healthy food and regular exercise – chia pods and pilates anyone? Disciplined effort now will pay off in the future.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Expect some mood swings, as you oscillate between sombre stability and rash exuberance. A steady-as-she-goes approach sees a relationship with a child, teenager or friend improve early in the week. Don’t undo all your good work on the weekend though, when unpredictable moods or precarious actions could upset the apple cart all over again. Motivation and good intentions are high but don’t promise more time, expertise or money than you can actually provide.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Stop running around in a mad Leo fluster and instead, focus on stabilising a shaky family situation with some practical solutions. The Sun/Saturn trine also sees others viewing you in a more professional and serious way. Plus DIY, real estate and research projects are favoured, as you tackle things in a careful and methodical fashion. But avoid making expensive long-term financial commitments, as Venus starts reversing through your money zone on Saturday.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

There’ll be plenty of phone calls, emails, texts, tweets and snail mail early in the week – mostly to do with work. Your mind is at its disciplined best as you multi-task like a pro, plus handle a perceived communication problem in a positive and professional way. But, with Venus going retrograde in your sign on Saturday, it will be almost impossible to please others on the weekend. And it will also be hard to live up to your own high standards. So pace yourself Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Luxury-loving Librans – you love to shop till you drop! But this week, when you’re thinking about making an expensive purchase, don’t rush, take your time. After some reflection, you may find you really don’t want to buy it after all. With Venus, your ruling planet, moving backwards from Saturday until September 6 expect some romantic hiccups over the following six weeks. Single Librans – true love has been delayed, so you’ll just have to be patient.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

The planets are giving you a professional power surge but don’t overdo it Scorpio! You’re confident about your abilities but that must be tempered with a consultative approach, a touch of humility and a willingness to learn. It would be best not to pre-plan things too precisely on the weekend, as people will be unpredictable and plans are likely to change at the last minute. So you’ll need to be flexible and adaptable – rather than stubborn and uncompromising.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

It will be difficult to get the ducks all lined up at work this week but, if you are patient and persistent (not your Sagittarian strengths) then you’ll make slow but steady progress. Being extra cooperative with colleagues, clients or customers could also lead to long-term rewards. But it will be oh-so-easy to upset others on the weekend with your suddenly disorganised approach. So strive to be spontaneous and dynamic, rather than temperamental and disruptive.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Stop worrying about the state of the world and just get on with things Capricorn! A combination of Saturnine productivity and sparky creativity will really take you places early in the week. In fact, the harder you work – and the more creatively you think – the luckier you’ll be. So get motivated, and get moving. Your motto for the moment comes from birthday great Helen Mirren (born on July 26, 1945): “The trick in life is learning how to deal with it.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Business and financial transactions are favoured. Aquarians prefer to improvise but, the more practical and organised you are early in the week, the better the outcome will be. Plus, if you take the time to nurture friendships and network with colleagues, you’ll reap the rewards in the long run. With your ruling planet Uranus squaring Mars, you’re in a rebellious and impatient mood on the weekend. You’ll also be more accident-prone than usual, so slow down and take extra care.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

You need to be clear and straightforward in your dealings with others – no Piscean pussy-footing around! Communicating with a child, teenager or friend should be pleasant and productive early in the week, as the Sun and Saturn boost motivation and steady overblown emotions. But things continue to be unpredictable financially. No money one moment and unexpected cash the next! So make sure you squirrel any extra dollars aside to tide you over when times are tight.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2015 Daily astrology updates at twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore

General knowledge crossword No. 509

Across

1 Which colloquial term implies that one is mad?

8 To display a disposition to avoid exertion, one is said to be what?

9 What was the surname of the notorious Australian bushranger “Mad Dog” ...?

10 Which long, close-fitting garments are worn by those engaged in church functions?

11 What is an edifice for public Christian worship?

13 What is said to be the final abode of the righteous?

16 Which term describes constituent parts of a whole?

19 What is a pendent ornament known as?

22 What is a break, as between two movies at a cinema?

24 Name the various herons that occur throughout the world

25 Which believers maintain religious opinions contrary to those accepted by their churches?

26 Name the ship on which Captain Phillip arrived at Botany Bay in 1788

Sudoku hard No. 154

Down

2 Name the beginning of any distinctive period in the history of anything

3 What was a nickname applied to the Australian cricketer, Bill O’Reilly?

4 Which term describes the key point of a plan, or the like?

5 What are lyric poems known as?

6 Name a nut, the oil of which is used in cosmetics

7 What are serpents also called?

12 To assert with earnestness, is to do what?

14 Which term suggests that one is characterised by unceasing activity?

15 Name the Egyptian goddess of fertility and nature

17 What, historically, was a mounted soldier, armed with a long, shafted weapon?

18 To be more unduly patient or submissive, is to be what?

20 Which thick, sweet, cookery liquid is prepared from molasses?

21 To praise highly, is to do what?

23 Which blood vessel conveys blood to the heart?

Lorna wanted to upgrade her computer software and called by to seek my advice on payroll and accounting packages.

“They all seem to be expensive,” she bemoaned. “I’m not sure what to buy.”

I told her she’d come at an opportune time because I had just been evaluating software packages for some of my clients and I had examined most of the on-line programs.

“You’re right, Lorna, they do vary in price and what is provided but, ironically one of the newer programs and one of the cheapest is, in my view, one of the best,” I told her.

“That program has been available overseas for many years and now has an Australian edition.

“The prices for this kind of software vary a great deal, as shown in these figures:

• Xero, $25 to $90 a month; payroll, up to 100 employees, additional employees $2 each; free trial, one month.

• Sage One, $15 a month plus $3 for each user above two; payroll, up to five employees free, $2.20 a month for each extra; free trial, two months.

• MYOB, $29-$99 a month; payroll, unlimited depending on the versions; free trial, one month.

• QuickBooks, $15 to $35 a month; payroll, up to 10 employees, then fees for additional employees’ free trial, one month.

• SAASU, $15 to $180 a month; payroll, up to 100 employees depending on the version; free trial, one month.

“As an accountant, I find some features incredibly useful. One is bank and credit card feeds. Some of the software programs include these at no cost while others charge, so you need to check carefully when selecting a program.

“When you have bank feeds activated, the bank sends all the transactions into the accounting program at regular intervals and makes it easy to keep your accounts up to date. I do mine daily.

“I also find the program’s ability to aggregate data outside the confines of a financial year very helpful. If, for example, you run an advertising campaign for 18 months and you want to track its effectiveness and the data is identifiable when you post your accounting records, some of the programs allow you to do by exporting to Excel, which is time consuming and inefficient. This is because every time you export and manipulate figures, mistakes can occur.

If you can track your transactions in the program for a period that you choose, errors are far less likely to occur. So you can get a report for your advertising campaign, which could cover an 18-month or longer period.

“Most of these programs have similar dashboards and they are generally easy to use.

“The cost of payroll is another important factor depending on the number of employees you have, the costs vary as do the number of employees that the program can handle. All programs should be able to produce a file to allow direct credits to your employee’s bank accounts.

“Lorna, I believe that Sage One will suit your needs totally; it is cost effective, it will allow you to report as you need for your special projects and, in your small business, the payroll will be free. Let’s make an appointment to set it up next week.”

Lorna said: “Thanks so much, Gail. That’s a huge weight off my mind and I am looking forward to using this new program.”

If you require help with accounting computer software or any other accounting-related matter contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co.