150910 citynews

Time to get knocking down Northbourne

MICHAEL MOORE

Off the grid isn’t good enough

JOHN GRIFFITHS

Poll dancing breaks out everywhere!

MARCUS PAUL

I’m over Food and Eating!

PIP CONOLLY

She’s dreaming

Why determined triathlete Ntasha Gerebtzoff needs a helping hand

MAKING THE MOVE WITH ANDREW WINTER

Do you want to know more about downsizing, your local property market and preparing your finances for retirement?

Lendlease Retirement Living is proud to present the Making the Move event at Isabella Gardens. This informative session is designed to provide you with the latest information that may help you make the right decision.

Join us at Isabella Gardens on Monday 28th September, 11am – 1pm

Along with a panel of local experts which include a downsizing expert, financial advisor and selling property agent, you will also meet Special Guest – Andrew Winter, host of ‘Selling Houses’.

Enjoy a complimentary lunch and take a tour of our resort style facilities, plus find out more about the latest new release with homes starting from $425,000.

RSVP’s are essential; book now to secure your place today. Please call 1800 550 550.

Gardens, The Clubhouse Azalea Circuit, Isabella Plains ACT Pricing is correct at the time of printing and subject to change.

Mood app promises harmony to couples

Kathryn Vukovljak reports

The secret to a happy relationship is being in sync with each other, say Canberra couple Luke Jansen and Cathy Frazer, who believe their new app Cyclemate can help.

“The app lets a woman and her partner know what her hormones are doing at any point throughout the month,” says Cathy.

“All you have to do is update the cycle once a month, and if you choose to share it, then your partner gets a notification – and that’s it.”

Luke says the app, built by local developers Connexions, has helped his and Cathy’s relationship run more smoothly by avoiding unnecessary arguments and misunderstandings.

“We are generally good communicators and this sort of thing isn’t taboo for us at all,” he says.

“It’s helped us so much that we wanted people to understand the impacts of hormones on a relationship.”

Cathy says that Cyclemate, which shows how a woman might be feeling in terms of energy, mood and sex drive due to hormonal changes, has helped her understand herself better.

“There may be days where I feel I’m not coping, then Luke will show me the app and it will relate to where I am in my cycle,” she says.

“It can be empowering to know what this biological process is doing to you.”

Cathy works as a science communicator, and

says she has researched the effects of oestrogen and progesterone on women.

“Oestrogen is the energising hormone, so in the middle of the month when levels are high, women have more resilience, they feel good, they want to go out and have fun,” she says.

“Then the progesterone comes in, and it’s the calming, nesting hormone. Women may feel like staying at home, rearranging the furniture, bak-

1993: Volume 21, Number 33

contacts

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ing, knitting, reading or resting.

“Then they both tail off and things get a bit more difficult.”

She says that the app tells the story quickly and easily, in plain English, with emoticons to display mood at a glance.

“We wanted to do it in a nice way, keeping it light and easy, while explaining the moods and the impact they can have,” she says.

Superannuation Lump Sum Disability Payments

You may have an entitlement to a payment from a past superannuation policy you have long since forgotten.

If you are unable to work because of a disability and whether acquired through illness, misfortune or other circumstance you may still be covered for a payout. Even if you have not worked for several years and are on a Centrelink pension you still may be entitled.

Case One

“There are a few period trackers out there but they’re all quite complicated, whereas we provide the information clearly and simply.

“It can also be used as a fertility tool as it charts the ovulation period.”

Luke says that the app is useful for partners, because when a woman’s hormones are fluctuating they see the world differently, while for them nothing has changed.

“There were times when telling her I was going out with the boys was totally fine, and times when it wouldn’t be,” he says. “It can be confusing.”

Cathy says that of course hormones aren’t the only thing that affects mood, and that there are always other factors at play such as personality, the quality of your relationship, sleep and life events.

“But underneath it all, for women who have a monthly cycle, there are regular changes that affect how they deal with life,” she says.

“Cyclemate can give partners the heads up about how she’s likely to be feeling now and down the track.”

The couple say the app is a unique concept because it shares the information with the partner.

“It could take people time to get used to the idea, but it is a such a helpful tool,” says Luke.

“It’s about mindfulness in a relationship –what can I do today that will help her feel better? You don’t even need to have a conversation about it; you just know.

“It allows you to cut each other some slack.”

Cyclemate costs $2.49 at the iTunes store. Cyclemate Lite is free for eight weeks.

Case Two

Because of an incident several years ago Sam was no longer able to work. Sam had not looked into his superannuation entitlements under a policy that he held. His total TPD entitlement was $214,000 which helped him carry on with his life.

Carroll & O’Dea

Carroll & O’Dea have been looking after worker’s rights since 1899, we have helped many clients, who can’t work, to access their entitlements to superannuation benefits.

18 00 271 92 0

www.codea.com.au

Because of an incident in 1996 David was no longer able to work. He later came to Carroll & O’Dea saying he had a super policy with a TPD component. We were able to help him and the TPD Insurer agreed to pay him an additional $59,173.33 being the total TPD policy.

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.

When the messengers start doing the shooting

Dyson Heydon was back on the bench as though nothing had happened… and we were treated to more appalling behaviour from Canberra’s building industry thugs in the CFMEU.

THE media itself became the news this past week as Immigration Minister and former Queensland policeman, Peter Dutton, rounded on Fairfax journalists when they trumpeted that his Border Force operation in Melbourne had crashed in flames. Then when they revealed that his predecessor’s $55 million deal with Cambodia to take asylum seekers off our hands had yielded exactly four, he was fit to be tied. And if that wasn’t enough, they reported Cabinet ministers suggesting Joe Hockey was for the high

But did he really have to accuse them of “jihad”?

BY week’s end

the proprietor of their rival News Limited, Rupert Murdoch, was so tired of Fairfax hogging the limelight that he took to Twitter to call Australia “ungovernable” and ordered Tony Abbott to call a snap election. Tony declined… for now. But as we’ve suggested, it’s sure to happen before the next Budget.

INDEED, the economic news made an early poll much more likely. Australia’s trading account collapsed dramatically, raising our foreign debt to almost $1 trillion! And the domestic economy would have actually contracted in the June quarter were it not for massive Government defence spending. No wonder Tony wants to bomb Syria.

LOCALLY, it was not much better. Canberra had a net loss of 1244 residents in the latest figures with more than 18,700 departing our fair city. By contrast we attracted only about 17,500, some 3200 fewer than seven years previously.

ROBERT MACKLIN

THE bad economic news also put pressure on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to wave the Australia/China free trade deal through the Senate. Instead, he was using it to bolster his party’s prospects in the Canning by-election. Not the most statesmanlike stance for a prospective prime minister,

but these days, it seems, both political leaders are more concerned with their own futures than that of the country.

THE first hint that Anthony Albanese might well mount a tilt against Shorten arrived this week in the form of a “Good Weekend” article. “Albo” was permitted to display his undoubted leadership qualities without the slightest demur from regular Fairfax author

Jane Cadzow. Suspicious, Mr Dutton?

THEN, on Friday, the “New York Times” grabbed its share of the limelight with a scathing editorial calling Abbott’s asylum seeker stance “unconscionable”.

“His policies have been inhumane, of dubious legality and strikingly at odds with the country’s tradition of welcoming people fleeing persecution and war,” it said. “It is inexcusable that some find themselves today in situations that are more hopeless and degrading than the ones that prompted them to flee.”

No doubt Dutton is penning a blistering reply as we speak.

ROYAL Commissioner Dyson Heydon was back on the bench as though nothing had happened… which was just as well as we were treated with more appalling behaviour from Canberra’s building industry thugs in the CFMEU.

ALL very depressing, but Canberrans can take heart from our own shaggy sheep story. A merino named “Chris” hadn’t seen a wool barber for five years till shearing champ Ian Elkins fleeced the jumbuck this week. “Chris” was so happy he’d shed the 40kg he’d been humping around the back blocks, we’re told, that he changed his name…to “Sean” (boom boom!).

robert@robertmacklin.com

briefly sport / cover story

Dream still needs a helping hand

is a tale that needs to be told, if for nothing else but as a reminder that if we have a dream we should never give up.

Forty-one-year-old Ntasha has qualified for the World Ironman Triathlon titles in Hawaii in October. She has qualified as one of 80 in her age division worldwide, but that’s just a small part of the story.

Last year, five weeks before attempting to qualify for the world titles for the sixth time, Ntasha was diagnosed with two separate types of stage-three cancerous cells; one of which was deemed aggressive and incurable.

She was told it was life-threatening and major surgery was required immediately.

Undeterred she put off the surgery and competed in Port Macquarie in a bid to secure a place at the Worlds. As it turned out, she suffered cramps and finished in seventh place: not good

enough to qualify.

Brave triathlete Ntasha Gerebtzoff has overcome a battle with cancer to get to the starting blocks of her dream –the World Ironman Triathlon titles in Hawaii next month.

But

she still faces a financial hurdle, as TIM GAVEL reports

Surgery then became the priority before three months’ recovery time. By all accounts she was lucky to be alive.

Sure enough though, after the allotted surgery recovery period the mother of two was back training in the hope of reaching the holy grail of events – qualifying for the Triathlon World Championships.

On May 3 Ntasha finally qualified for Hawaii on the seventh attempt.

Under normal circumstances the story would effectively finish there but not in the case of Ntasha.

Upon qualifying, she realised that more than hard training lay ahead. As a self-funded triathlete with a husband,

two children and a small design and architectural drafting business, the enormity of the expense of actually taking part in the race in Hawaii started to become apparent.

Was she about to fall short of reaching her dream because she couldn’t afford it after all she had been through?

She then set about raising funds, but was finding it overwhelming.

A chance encounter though has turned her fortunes around just when the whole campaign was about to be derailed. While at her local post office in Weston Creek, Ntasha started talking to one of the staff, a man by the name of Tom Griffiths.

Upon finding out about her plight

he offered her $500 to get her on her way. Ntasha says she burst into tears such was the enormity of the generous gesture in the context of her journey to achieve this long-held dream. Tom later upped it to $1000.

Since then Tom has been rallying Canberra business people. He organised a fundraising night and has delivered Ntasha a great source of encouragement.

At this stage she has raised around half the $12,000 she needs to make it to the world titles next month.

Applying the same determination required to qualify in the first place, she remains eternally optimistic of reaching her goal.

No matter how she fares in Hawaii, to get to the start line will have been a monumental achievement in itself and Ntasha’s story is one that should be used to inspire us all.

Donate via the “sponsors” button at irontush.com

Rallying Big Reds

THE annual Big Red Kidney Walk around Lake Burley Griffin to raise funds for kidney research will be held from Rond Terrace from 10.40am on Sunday, September 13. The walk, along with others across the country, will help create awareness of kidney disease, which kills one Australian every 25 minutes. Kidney disease currently affects an estimated 1.7 million Australians, with 1.5 million Australians living with undiagnosed chronic kidney disease. The mortality rate from this disease has not improved over the last decade, in contrast with the improvement in death rates recorded for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

ACT Health Minister Simon Corbell will be there and Marcus Paul, from 2CC, will be the MC.

Sale with a soul

THE monthly fundraising garage sale at 5 O’Grady Place, Wanniassa, will be held on Saturday, September 19, in aid of Opportunity To Do, a group dedicated to raising funds for life-changing children and youth projects. They promise a huge range of baby, kids, adult and household items including kitchenware, toys and bric-a-brac. All proceeds go towards funding projects that promote sustainability and self-reliance in poor communities. The last sale raised enough to fund sight-restoring treatment for 48 people.

View of history

PHIL Robson, honorary curator of the Hall School Museum & Heritage Centre will be regaling the next lunch meeting of the Gungahlin Day VIEW club at the Versatile Restaurant, Gold Creek Village, on Wednesday, September 23. It’s $30 for a two-course meal and interested ladies and new members should call 6166 2874 before midday, September 21.

Thinking small

ROSEMARY Blake will speak about “Marvellous Miniatures”, the making of furniture for dolls’ houses and miniature ornaments, at the next Weston Creek VIEW Club lunch meeting at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11am on Tuesday, October 6. Lunch is $26 and interested ladies and new members are welcome. RSVP to 6281 3110 by Friday, October 2.

IN some ways I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised to read that Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon doesn’t own a computer or know how to use email.

In a small way I was a fan of the man when he was in the High Court. While not always agreeing with him, it was hard to argue with the power of his intellect.

And there will always be his almighty bollocking of the ACT Supreme Court in 2009: “The torpid languor of one hand washes the drowsy procrastination of the other. Are these phenomena indications of something chronic in the modern state of litigation? Or are they merely acute and atypical breakdowns in an otherwise functional system? Are they signs of a trend, or do they reveal only an anomaly? One hopes for one set of answers. One fears that, in reality, there must be another.”

That’s a lyricism sadly lacking in much of Australian life, in my opinion.

But a great intellect and a glorious writing

It is notorious among the legal profession that I am incapable of sending or receiving emails.”

– Dyson Heydon

style are sadly not enough in 2015.

At its best, the internet allows us all to be smarter and better informed than any individual, no matter how brilliant, can be. Just as a carriage of slobs sitting on a train can leave Usain Bolt gasping for air on the side of the tracks.

Another right-wing culture warrior with a brilliant mind and a snappy writing style, Gerard Henderson, recently demonstrated the danger of not checking his own certainties.

Writing on August 7, Gerard excoriated the ABC for daring to suggest that the Soviet invasion of Manchuria might have had something to do with the end of the World War II.

“It was all achieved by good old Uncle Joe in the Kremlin who had no battalions in the field. No other view was heard. Historical sludge. ABC style,” he wrote.

Now a very, very quick Googling will inform any idiot that the crescendo of the war involved not battalions, but three whole Red Army “Fronts” (a “front” comprising multiple groups of multiple armies). In all, 1.7 million Soviet troops fighting 1.2 million Japanese of the elite Kwantung Army.

The Soviet contribution to the war is generally not well appreciated in the West and certainly

wasn’t talked up when Gerard was a boy.

Living in an era of constant advances in all areas of learning, we can’t afford to rely on the prejudices we acquired in our youth. Doing that just makes us look silly.

It’s one thing for an elderly judge to decide to check out from modernity and stay off the grid. Good luck to him, I say, and I hope one day to emulate him.

But if he’s going to accept a high-powered salary to run a Royal Commission into the nuts and bolts of Australian society I’d really appreciate it if he could make the effort to keep up.

It’s not good enough to rely on others to research for him and draw things to his attention. That’s exactly what got him into trouble in the first place.

He’s ended up like the prisoners chained to the wall in Plato’s cave, trying to to understand the world on the basis of shadows flickering on the wall.

We are unbelievably lucky to live in a time when all the knowledge in the world is instantly available to us. It’s near criminal not to make use of it.

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

THE other day, I had a #WinningCafeMoment. You know the one; my repurposed greens, compressed hemp tofu nuggets with ionized kombucha drizzle had obviously been prepared by not just one, but a team of Michelin-star chefs, spirited directly from heaven by a bevvy of gastronomic goddesses.

Everything about my food screamed biodynamic hedonism and instantaneously guaranteed an additional century of healthful and energetic living. My friend’s dish, however, was evidently speared out the back of a roadside café west of Oodnadatta, certain to cause long-term cardiovascular complications and was nanoscopic. I then realised, with devastating first-world-itis, that I am over Food. Don’t get me wrong. I love food but Food and Eating, as they have become, are leaving me cold (and somewhat hangry). Personally, I would quite like to see the rise of the Equalicafe, where all diners are born equal and the only available menu items are cold boiled potatoes, nanna’s meatloaf and a healthy side of flatulenceinducing brussells-sprout mash. Imagine. Two people. In a café. Not talking about Food.

As it stands, current café etiquette involves an obligatory 10-minute standoff during which café buddies pass comment on each other’s dishes while either inwardly high-fiving themselves or weeping with an acute attack of Menu Choice Incompetence.

You marvel at the ability of a chef, with years of prestigious culinary training, to arrange two undernourished kale leaves and a pea-sized ball of protein on your companion’s plate and coo over the nondescript jus dribbled with as much aim as a two-year-old in potty training.

Your friend counters by staring disconsolately at your plate, which is a towering monument to satisfaction. You instagram your #win while she slides into a little puddle of starvation under the table, licking at the dust on the floor.

Over the last decade, food has morphed into Food and somewhere along the way we have

also lost juice to Juice. I am no longer allowed to order Juice following the last incident when I smeared it on my face instead of drinking it, which, apparently, is what “normal” people do. It was packed full of phytonutrient-rich aloe vera, black bean puree and oats (which had been steel cut by unicorns under a full moon in Narnia). Well, it sounded like a facemask.

So, I will think of you next time I tuck into my cold potato of culinary equality and grin at my lunch date with goodwill and benevolence as we discuss more interesting things than Food. Like world peace and… er… the weather (well, it been cold!). I really hope you are #winning.

A year out, but the poll dancing begins

YOU’D be forgiven for thinking elections in the ACT and Queanbeyan were just weeks away, such is the politicking that’s going on.

Take the last couple of weeks in the Territory, where Chief Minister Andrew Barr has seemed to be offloading contentious issues that have put his Government at odds with the community.

Barr’s backflips include the land-swap deal at Telopea Park, poker machine reforms, development at Yarralumla and the improbable cave-in to the Heritage Council over restoring and saving at least 25 per cent of the Northbourne Avenue flats.

Atop this, he’s also had to deal with Minister Joy Burch being constantly on Fairfax Media’s dartboard, the local hearings of the Royal Commission into Trade Unions and his party’s perennial factional in-fighting. Do we honestly believe Simon Corbell is leaving of his own accord? Not on your nellie, say the local Libs, who are adamant the Capital Metro Minister is being pushed out.

Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson and his cohorts continue to sense blood, whether it’s leaks over union polls into the light rail or another bungle in the many portfolios under Minister Burch and the angst of many affected Mr Fluffy home owners. This is all happening despite the fact we’re not heading to the polls for another 13 months!

However, the jockeying for preselection and announcement of new candidates for the changed electoral boundaries is imminent.

I’m hopeful the new faces will include Andrew Blythe, the former CEO of the defunct local Chamber of Commerce. Brianna Heseltine has been very quiet of late, no doubt awaiting the final stages of the Mr Fluffy demolition scheme before announcing she will stand. There’s the very likeable “Ms Belconnen” Tara Cheyne. I’d be disappointed if she doesn’t contest next year’s election. And there’s the non-factional Kim Fischer, who will be nominating for Ginninderra for the ALP.

STEPPING over the border, there’s political posturing taking place in Queanbeyan ahead of next September’s council election – and it’s getting nasty.

Do we honestly believe Simon Corbell is leaving of his own accord? Not on your nellie, say the local Libs.

Certainly, Mayor Tim Overall is feeling it after the Council’s last “heated” meeting, which saw a majority of councillors vote to halt further spending on the CBD upgrades and divert the money to a long-awaited cinema project.

I have been front and centre of this dysfunction.

Mayor Overall, Deputy Mayor Peter Bray, Cr Jamie Cregan and Cr Kenrick Winchester have all spoken to “Canberra Live” on 2CC in the past week.

There have been passionate arguments on both sides – with a devastated Tim Overall “dumbfounded” at the so-called voting block moving against him.

“The upgrade project has already gone to the community for consultation with almost 90 per cent support... councillors then voted unanimously to proceed with the project,” he bemoaned.

“This is not a matter of either/or but this is the project committed to by Council and to renege on the basis of erroneous suggestions of revisiting finances and other dubious assertions is a slap in the face to the community.”

This strikes me as party politics at play, with less than 12 months to NSW local government elections, though the main agitator Cr Cregan’s call for “pausing and considering Council finances” may have some merit given the possibility of the Queanbeyan and Palerang councils being merged.

Marcus Paul is the drive announcer on 2CC.

MARCUS PAUL

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION AT DEAKIN

As part of a national infrastructure sharing project Optus and Vodafone plan to upgrade an existing telecommunications facility at Deakin Telephone Exchange, 107 Kent Street, Deakin, Australian Capital Territory, 2600.

1. The works will include the upgrade of existing ancillary infrastructure including power, tilts, tower mounted amplifiers, cabling, and feeders and other additional equipment for the improvement or introduction of various technologies (where applicable) to the local area.

2. Optus and Vodafone regard the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 1997 based on the description above.

3. Further information can be obtained from Ben Davies, (02) 9300 1716, bend@cpsglobal.com, and at www.rfnsa.com.au, RFNSA reference number 2600010.

4. Written submissions should be sent to: Vodafone c/o CPS Global, Level 5, 55 Grafton Street, Bondi Junction, New South Wales, 2022 by 5pm, Thursday, 24th September 2015.

Email: cw@dvcs.org.au (8am to 11pm daily)

Time to get knocking down Northbourne...

Using its funds to continue legal action against the proposed compromise reflects a stubborn and obstinate approach that will eventually mean a marginalised National Trust.

WHAT doesn’t the National Trust understand about compromise? The current antics over the Northbourne Avenue development suggest an organisation that would like to see a “no-change” Canberra. Our heritage is important. The processes are in place to ensure appropriate protection. The ACT Heritage Council has remained vigilant in protecting our city’s heritage since the early days of self-government.

The ACT National Trust branch has also played an important role as a nongovernment organisation identifying important sites and arguing for their

obstinate approach that will eventually mean a marginalised organisation.

I have been responsible for opposing a number of development applications. I have chaired ACT Assembly committees on planning, environment and heritage. However, this goes over the top.

The current Northbourne Avenue entrance to the city is simply inappropriate for our National Capital. On the one hand, the entrance is grand with the large central plantings and wide street. On the other, hand, the buildings that are up for redevelopment make the entrance to the city look dated, tired and dilapidated.

Protecting the heritage of architect Sydney

Ancher and the development of public housing in the 1960s as part of the National Capital Development Commission’s expansion of Canberra does have a place. The Heritage Council has recognised this and, as part of a compromise, has identified the range of building styles used to house the large influx of public servants coming to Canberra in that era. However, protecting all of them is point-

less. The original approach of Chief Minister Andrew Barr and the Land Development Agency to bulldoze the lot and get on with the job has been put to one side. They have compromised significantly. The Heritage Council has worked through the compromise and has accepted a sensible solution that protects the characteristics of the area and the specific buildings. This should be enough. Extrapolating from the approach of the ACT Branch of the National Trust is that

very little change will be able to occur and urban renewal will become bogged down in over-zealous appeals.

Not everything built in the 1960s is worthy of protection. The same applies to the 1930s, the 1920s and right through the development of the National Capital over the last 100 years. There has to be a good reason to preserve buildings as part of our heritage. The responsibility of the Minister and the Heritage Council is to ensure the reasons are understood and recorded and the protections put in place.

It is easy to argue the development is linked to light rail. However, whatever public transport system runs down this Canberra

transport artery, the pressure will be on for development. More than 1000 additional dwellings will be able to be built in this process. That is 1000 dwellings that seriously reduce the number of commuters on the road or in public transport coming from the other town centres. This is an important contribution to reducing fossil fuel use, to increase productivity and for appropriate use of the Canberra urban design.

In the same era as these public housing buildings were being designed and built, the National Capital Development Commission was also developing the “Y Plan”. This was the strategic plan that provided the shape of modern Canberra – extending initially to Woden and then to Belconnen and Tuggeranong and on to Gungahlin. One of the main principles of the “Y Plan” was to ensure that people had the opportunity to live close to where they worked. This was the idea behind the town centres and the linked public service offices (although this was never delivered appropriately in Gungahlin or enough in Tuggeranong).

The redevelopment of Northbourne Avenue is a key element of maintaining enough people in the area to support office buildings in Civic as well as renewing the grand nature of the entrance to Canberra. It is time to accept the compromise and get going with the redevelopment.

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

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.

... And save the ‘ghost town’

By Catherine Carter

“LACKING a heart and a soul”... “A mismatch of modern and dated poorly-maintained heritage buildings”... “A place with no oomph”.

These are just three comments from more than 400 people polled on their views of Canberra’s city centre.

The results are clear. Canberrans want more investment in the city centre.

“Transforming Canberra’s City Centre”, commissioned by Canberra CBD Limited and conducted by KREAB Research, finds strong support from Canberrans in three areas: refurbishment of the Sydney and Melbourne Buildings, adapting under-used buildings and revitalising Garema Place.

The report finds Canberrans are keen to see the revitalisation of Braddon and NewActon replicated in Civic, however views were mixed on introducing more high-density residential living.

They also questioned whether a major tourist attraction in Civic would add value. Moving the bus interchange, while acknowledged as an eyesore, was

not considered a high priority and opening up City Walk to cars had a low level of support.

Some respondents spoke of Civic being a “ghost town” in which buildings and land were underused. While more frequent festivals, markets and events in the city centre would be welcome, those surveyed said the biggest opportunity lies in upgrading tired, old buildings.

The simplest way to maximise our opportunities in Civic is for the ACT Government to relax the flawed Lease Variation Charge, which is preventing many buildings from being refurbished or converted to new uses.

Developers pay LVC on any building that changes use, which is largely preventing adaptive reuse and renewal of these older buildings.

Canberrans see the city’s problems and they want them addressed. Only when we relax the LVC and adopt a taxation policy that supports building upgrade will we kick-start Canberra’s heart.

AWARDS HIGHLIGHT QUALITY OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS

Minister for Education and Training, Joy Burch MLA presented the 2015 ACT Training Excellence Awards at the Hotel Realm last week. “The awards are a celebration of the efforts and achievements of those involved in vocational education and training in the ACT. They acknowledge the successes of apprentices, trainees and vocational students, as well as the teachers, training organisations, employers and families who have supported them,” Ms Burch said.

SCHOOL-BASED APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR CERTIFICATE III

Hana is in Year 12 at Gungahlin College and is currently completing a Certificate III in Aged Care. Her host employer, Villaggio Sant’ Antonio Aged Care Facility has supported her journey by providing further study opportunities for Hana to support patients with dementia. An avid writer, Hana has a passion for writing short stories and she has begun writing stories relating to dementia in a bid to raise awareness of the disease.

Supi began a Certificate III in Carpentry in 2011 after being influenced by his carpenter grandfather. He has made himself a reputation for being an excellent tradesman who brings a sense of security and direction to each job. His dream is to start a company that will build and provide free housing to people facing difficult circumstances.

After completing an Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASBA) Certificate II in Sport and Recreation in 2013 at Mount Rogers Primary School, Samantha began a Certificate IV in Community Recreation with a placement as the Sport and Recreation Coordinator at Black Mountain School. Samantha coordinates all sports and recreation activities at the School, including leading programs in the on-site hydrotherapy pool.

Nicholas is currently completing an Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASBA) Certificate II in Sport and Recreation and is hosted at Macgregor Primary School. The experience has allowed him to develop his skills, which helped him when working with the school’s No Regrets Group, a group designed to integrate students from all backgrounds to develop social and leadership skills, and work towards improving the school as a whole community.

Canberra Confidential

By

George, it’s Bond in Goulburn!

AUSTRALIA’S only James Bond, George Lazenby, is coming home from Los Angeles to Goulburn later this month to attend the inaugural SPYfest. He was born in Goulburn in 1939 and moved with his family at the age of 14 to Queanbeyan.

The former car dealer, model and actor shot to international fame when he was cast as Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.

George Lazenby pictured in 2008… home for SPYfest.

Organisers say George inspired the festival and is looking forward to being there.

The “epicentre of espionage” will be the Special Agents Gala Dinner, at the Veolia Arena, on September 26. SPYfest events feature spy demonstrations, a parade, an author forum and city-wide game of “iSPY”. Dinner tickets from spyfestgoulburn.com.au

Dan Backhouse and daughter Bella… “If ever there is a time she feels tested or unsure, I am hoping that she can draw strength from her dad.”

Things dads do #27

WHAT is Dan Backhouse doing with a distinctive tattoo of a coclear hearing implant on his head?

At two weeks of age, Dan’s daughter Bella was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in both ears.

“Bella was our first child and my wife Rachel and I didn’t have any experience with hearing loss, so it was a really difficult time,” says Dan. At eight months, Bella received coclear implants in both ears by Canberra surgeon Dr Peter Chapman Bella started kindy this year, says Dan, and she’s “doing brilliantly”.

“I got this tattoo in order to support Bella in feeling comfortable with her coclear implants. She

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is very confident in herself, but if ever there is a time she feels tested or unsure, I am hoping that she can draw strength from her dad who will always be proud to wear his.

“It also provides me the opportunity to advocate for the wonderful technology and support from SCIC (Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre) and RIDBC (Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children).”

One-man bookshelf

IT took “CityNews” columnist and (day job) author Robert Macklin’s latest book launch (of “Warrior Elite”, a compelling account of Australia’s Special Forces and intelligence operations) the other night to discover it’s his 27th burst into print. He’s becoming a one-man bookshelf.

Kenny’s old chum snubbed

Every picture tells a story

YOUNG Canberra artist Angela Parragi’s portrait of local actor Chrissie Shaw as her character “Bijou” has been shortlisted for the $50,000 Black Swan Prize for Portraiture. The 40 finalists will be on display in Perth, September 24-October 4.

Soirée of silliness

IS this art impersonating real life or the opposite?

Lyneham’s Front Café & Gallery is the location for an upcoming “comedy of food, wine and petty grudges” over three Wednesdays in October called “The Dinner Party”. Tagged a “soirée of extreme silliness”, guests are implored to come in, enjoy a drink and be a fly on the wall.

Creator and director, Ben Crowley says: “Audiences can expect a comedic dinner-party disaster that they can relate to and simmering relationships where hidden attitudes and feelings are waiting to bubble over.

THE fuzz was abuzz with Constable Kenny Koala’s 40th birthday. There were press releases, a giant birthday cake was despatched to the kids’ ward of Canberra Hospital and top cop Rudi Lammers grandly planted a tree at the Botanic Gardens to commemorate the hand-puppet’s contribution to educating Canberra children on how to stay safe. CC was startled by the sad missive on citynews. com.au from retired senior seargent Bill Mackey aka Kenny’s original Sergeant Bully, who wrote: “I made Kenny a local TV and radio legend. Did my invitation to his 40th get lost?”

Angela, who studied at the Julian Ashton Art School, has just returned from studies in Europe and, coincidentally, Chrissie’s show “Bijou – a Cabaret of Secrets and Seduction” is having a reprise season at The Street Theatre on September 16.

Naturally synthetic

SPOTTED at Bunnings, “Natural synthetic” grass matting. “I suppose it’s organic, too,” sniffed our sardonic Greenway snout.

“The choice of improvisation to present this piece will mean the actors can tailor each show to the interests of that night’s audience. The audience will be asked a few questions at the start of the show that will influence the narrative and relationships between the partygoers, and then they can sit back and watch it all unravel.”

It stars Crowley, Susan O’Reilly, Hannah Gissane, Gregory Thomas, Louise Walsh , Scott Bowcher and Laura Griffin , plays October 7, 14 and 21, and tickets via trybooking.com or at the door.

Social event

of the

week / Mandy Martin and Nicola Dickson at Beaver Galleries

MANDY Martin’s new paintings in her “A Change in the Weather” exhibition at Beaver Galleries, reflect her vision of the impact and anxiety for the changing climate during the past 20 years of living on a large property in the central west of NSW.

For an artist with a long list of artistic and environmental credentials, this time has been used not just creatively but to coordinate art and environment practices. Her paintings, with the burning, smoke haze, firestorms, snow, mega fires and cooling rainstorms, are of weather of the here and now. As a lecturer at the Canberra School of Art, little did Martin expect that one of her students, Nicola Dickson, would one day share the limelight at a joint exhibition.

And what a glorious contrast as the luminosity of Dickson’s works shows how the drawings of Austrian draughtsman Ferdinand Bauer has influenced this collection with the “bizarre beauty of Australian flora and fauna”, that she references and gives a hint of chinoiserie to, especially in the stunning triptych.

The opening-night crowd was again well served by Beaver Galleries at Deakin.

Two Sisters Authentic Lao Thai Cuisine advertising feature

‘We learned all of our skills from our mother, we love to cook authentic Lao dishes for everyone.’

Two sisters, one passion for traditional food

WITH a passion for food that has spanned generations, Nale and Sisouk Rajbanbith have brought the essence of Lao to Civic at their new restaurant, Two Sisters Authentic Lao Thai Cuisine.

For 18 years, the sisters have served their traditional, home-made cuisine at their restaurant in Dickson and have recently opened at another location on London Circuit in July.

“We decided to open another restaurant because we just love what we do. We’ve both got a talent for it,” says Sisouk.

“We learned all of our skills from our mother, we love to cook authentic Lao dishes for everyone. London Circuit is a great spot and we like being so close to the city centre.”

Known by customers for its delicate style and use of fresh ingredients, the food at Two Sisters Authentic Lao Thai Cuisine is available for takeaway, home delivery as well as to eat-in.

Nale says: “We offer catering and are fully licensed so you can enjoy a glass of wine with your meal. In our dishes, we incorporate the perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty. If the flavours are too bold we can suit the dishes to your taste, we have people from Laos come in and they ask for their meals extra spicy!

“Our most popular dishes are the traditional Lao Som Tam, Larb, Gai-Yang and Lao sausages. We also have an extensive range of curries, from green and red curry to panang and massaman, with a choice of different meats.

“There is also a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free options. The food is very healthy with fresh ingredients and we believe that we really can cook Lao traditional food that no one can beat.”

The sisters, who moved to Canberra 28 years ago from a small village in Champasak, Southern Laos, have spent their time experimenting, modifying and perfecting Lao and Thai dishes to express their love for the culture.

“We love it here in Canberra, it is the first place we went to in Australia and we will never move anywhere else. When we opened the restaurants we were determined to incorporate as much of

our mother’s traditional recipes into our menu as possible,” says Nale.

“We are passionate about recreating the homely atmosphere where good home cooking is enjoyed and cherished by all that are dining.

“The new restaurant in Civic is a blend of modern and traditional Lao Thai dishes and the décor is a mix of Asian and European. We want people to come in and relax, it is a place to enjoy yourself.”

Welcoming new customers in true Lao style, Nale and Sisouk celebrated the opening of the new Civic restaurant on July 1 with family,

friends and food.

Sisouk says: “It was a big celebration for the grand opening. We invited special guests from the Lao community and cooked a lot of food.

“It was a great night spent with family and friends, celebrating our culture.”

Two Sisters Authentic Lao Thai Cuisine, Sydney Building, 111 London Circuit, Civic. Call 6262 7594 or visit twosisterlaothai.com

For Dickson, corner of Badham and Woolley Street, call 6247 7199.

Lu NCHBOx SPECIAL

Two Sisters Authentic Lao Thai Cuisine is offering a weekday “Lunch Box Special” for $9.90 to take away or $12.90 to sit in.

Sisouk says: “Customers will have the choice of beef, pork, chicken or vegetarian with rice. It is a great opportunity to try a taste of authentic Lao and Thai cuisine, our specialty! “With our new restaurant, we are very excited for the future and we know that with the support of our customers we can be open for another 28 years!”

Warm welcome from the specialists in the art of authentic Lao and Thai cuisine.

Now open right here in the heart of Canberra City - 111 London Circuit, Civic after huge appreciation for our food and service at Dickson.

Two Sisters Lao Thai has been serving fresh ingredients with succulent layers of flavours to Canberrans for more than two decades. Two Sisters is the perfect place to go when in need of a unique and remarkable aromatic lift. With an extensive menu of bold tastes, hand-crafted flavours and the perfect balance of the best produce, Two Sisters offers an exceptional dining experience with the perfect ambience for any occasion.

• Lunch special $9.90 box (weekdays only) • Gluten Free available

• Fully licenced & BYO • Dine-in & Take-away • Home Delivery

Canberra City, Sydney Building, 111, London Cct 6262 7594

Lunch Mon – Sat • 11:30 – 2:30

Dinner Mon – Sun • 5:00 – 10:00

Dickson, Cnr. Badham & Woolley St 6247 7199

Lunch Tue- Fri • 11:30 – 2:30

Dinner (7 Nights) • 5:00 – 10:00

www.twosisterlaothai.com

Plenty to explore in buzzing Mawson

THERE’S a lot going on in Mawson! The buzzing Woden Valley suburb is named after the Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson and features a range of shops and cafés to cater for everything from quality dental care and schools to relaxing beauty therapy and award-winning coffee. Here are some great reasons to meet at Mawson…

CANBERRA Christian School at Mawson is part of the Adventist independent education system, which welcomes families from all religious and cultural backgrounds.

Principal Bree Hills says the primary school maintains small classes and challenges each student to discover his or her particular gifts and talents.

“At Canberra Christian School we provide a safe and happy environment for children to learn within a supportive community,” she says.

“Our enthusiastic, highly professional teachers focus on nurturing the strengths of our students and work together with parents to bring continuity between school and home; we even have a smartphone app that keeps you up to date.”

Ms Hills says that Canberra Christian School’s differentiated curriculum is designed to recognise each child’s individuality and offer a learning program to maximise their potential in all areas of learning.

“Our school has implemented the government-developed Australian Curriculum, however, children are placed on levels of work based on achievement outcomes rather than chronological age,” she says.

“This results in satisfaction and

Dentists committed to quality care for all ages

COMMITTED to providing the highest quality dental care in a caring environment, the staff at Mawson Dental Care aim for excellent results, every time.

With 37 years’ experience, principal dentist Dr Peter Walmsley and general dentists, Dr Robert Honeybone and Dr Michael Black are qualified and accredited in providing excellence in dental care for all ages.

Focusing on prevention, the team provides services in general and cosmetic dentistry, implant restoration, dentures, root-canal therapy, tooth extraction and more.

Practice manager Tanya Jackson says: “We have a strong patient base that come back for our preventative program. This includes a check-up, as well as a scale and clean to hopefully catch any problems before they get worse.

“From our instructions and guidelines, patients are aware of how to maintain their teeth and are focused on keeping up their oral hygiene.”

Designed to relieve the anxiety of going to the dentist, Mawson Dental Care aims to make both children and adults comfortable during their appointment.

“Some people are nervous but when they come in develop a rapport with the dentist, they find out how easy they are to get along with and they feel better,” says Tanya.

“Regular patients come in, have a chat with the dentist during their check-up and leave with a smile on their face.”

Mawson Dental Care, 3/142-152 Mawson Place. Call 6290 0055 or visit mawsondentalcare.com.au

Enquiries at reception@mawsondentalcare.com.au

challenge being an integral part of every child’s learning program. Children at an early age see themselves as individuals in their learning and the overall result is children feeling positive about their achievements in their academic areas.”

Canberra Christian School will be holding an open day on Monday, November 2.

Canberra Christian School, 64a Ainsworth Street. Call 6286 3989 or principal@ccs.act.edu.au. More information at ccs.act.edu.au

MAWSON Open 7 days

request)

Good range of sandwiches and rolls as well as delicious fruit smoothies and salads

Wide range of gluten free products.

meet me in mawson

Coffee with a sense of community

AS well as serving award-winning coffee, the Coffee Guru in Mawson is about to introduce its new menu for the spring and summer months.

“We will have salads, from pumpkin and pinenut to rocket and parmesan, tasty frittatas and a range of smoothies all made fresh on the premises,” says manager Karley Anderson.

“We also serve up many homemade items, we make our own batter for Belgian waffles, and serve them with homemade butterscotch and chocolate sauces.

“We can serve them American style, with bacon and maple syrup, and we do our own sandwiches, scones and muffins. We also offer gluten-free bread.”

IT PAYS TO TALK TO A LOCAL.

Looking for the best financial products and services? Your local Commonwealth Bank branch can help you with all your financial needs.

® Home loans and investment home loans

® Personal loans

® Credit cards

® Foreign exchange

® Business loans and equipment finance

® Transaction and savings accounts

® Home insurance

® Car insurance

® Superannuation, managed funds and wealth creation

® Life insurance and income protection

Simply drop into the Mawson branch and speak to one of our friendly staff, or call us on (02) 6286 2840

Visit: Mawson Branch, Shop 6/7 Southland

Coffee Guru offers a house-blend coffee and single origins from Guatemala, Colombia and Brazil, and they allow customers to try before they buy.

The have a 10 per cent discount for seniors, as well as a $6.50 coffee-andcake deal for them every Tuesday.

“We also have a kids’ corner where they can draw on the blackboard and have a bit of space to themselves,” says Karley.

“We get a lot of groups that come in – we have Bosom Buddies meeting here often, a running club on Saturdays and the Lions Club on Wednesdays. It’s a great place to meet with a lovely sense of community.”

Coffee Guru, Shop 1A, Heard Street. Call 6286 3137 or visit coffeeguru.com.au

ADVERTISEMENT All financial services under one roof!

Located at Southland Shopping Centre the Commonwealth Bank Mawson branch offers the full range of Commonwealth Bank Group products and services that cater to all customer needs. From transactional accounts, to buying their first home or investment property, managing their mortgage, preparing for retirement or organising Travel Money cards.

Finding the right way to help clients is of the utmost importance at the Mawson branch, and acting Branch Manager Tristan Solway says it’s a matter of matching the right product to an individual customer’s needs.

The Commonwealth Bank’s vision is to secure and enhance people’s financial wellbeing, and this is especially true at the Mawson branch.

“Our banking specialists work hard each and every day to engage with our customers in quality conversations, understanding what’s important to each customer now and into the future,” Tristan said.

James Corbett, Regional General Manager NSW/ACT Region, believes Tristan Solway is a valuable asset to the

Mawson branch team.

“The Mawson branch prides itself on having a CAN do attitude towards creating a better banking experience for its customers” James said.

You can find Tristan and his team at the Mawson Branch at Shop 6/7, Southland Shopping Centre on Heard Street, Mawson ACT 2607, or call them on (02) 6286 2840.

Commonwealth Bank Mawson branch is open five days a week for staff assistance: Monday

Renee focuses on

the personal touch

WITH a focus on personal service, Renee at Rest & Recuperate ensures each of her clients leave her salon feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Awarded the Encouragement Award for Best New Business in 2012, owner Renee Rawson specialises in a wide variety of beauty therapies from her home salon on Hoadley Street.

“Customer service is a top priority for me,” says Renee.

“It is only me at the salon, so clients see me every time and get to know me. It is very private and I provide an individualised, one-to-one approach with the aim to create a relaxing experience for my clients that I would personally like at a salon.”

From organic spray tanning, hair removal and facials, to manicures, pedicures, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, Renee also specialises in a variety of massages including pregnancy, relaxation and hot stone.

“I can do just about everything at the salon. In October, I introduced sugaring to the salon, which has become very popular,” says Renee. “It is more natural and a lot thinner than wax and provides both exfoliation and hair-removal treatment.

“You really see a difference; sugaring reduces the hair and it can be like laser treatment, only natural. The Australian-based product I use is very gentle on psoriasis, varicose veins and ingrown hairs because it pulls the hair rather than the skin.

“It has been six years since I opened Rest & Recuperation and I have built a large and loyal client base that I couldn’t imagine life without.”

Rest and Recuperate, 10 Hoadley Street, call 0404 700746. Visit facebook.com/restandrecuperate or womo.com.au/reviews/rest-and-recuperatemawson

advertising feature

Tinies get the taste of a new language

“WE believe in children having the opportunity to learn a second language regardless of age,” says Judy Kuzma, director at Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre (CAECC).

Open 50 weeks of the year, the CAECC is a unique centre that provides quality day-care for up to 46 children under six in a bilingual (Mandarin and English) and multicultural environment.

Open to children of all language and cultural backgrounds, the centre is situated adjacent to Mawson Primary School on Ainsworth Street and offers a range of programs for preschoolers, toddlers and infants catered to their individual needs and interests.

A bilingual program is also available, which involves immersing children in Mandarin and English throughout the day through a collaboration of children and educators in play experiences.

“The best time to learn a language is between 0-5 years,” says Judy.

“At the centre we not only provide an environment for the children to feel confident in learning a second language but to personally feel confident, secure and accepted as well.”

Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre, 50 Ainsworth Street. Call 6290 1566 or visit chineseaustralian.weebly.com

her toes for cash award Lots of goodies from the Wharfies

By Helen Musa

THE Wharfies will soon be back in their spiritual home Canberra – this time for a whole two weeks – and, as they celebrate their 15th birthday, rumours of the popular revue’s imminent closure have been officially denied.

In fact, as Jonathan Biggins, one of the three creators gleefully tells “CityNews”, the The Wharf Revue has signed a new contract with the Sydney Theatre Company and is unlikely to go away any time soon.

In a bumper year of retrospective skits from the back catalogue and up-to-date works, the full team will be in town.

And for the favourite reruns Phil Scott gets to reprise Kevin Rudd in his Phantom-like “Rudd never dies” role; Biggins takes on the Mark Latham “Song Cycle”, describing the former Labor leader’s recent misdemeanours as “perfect timing for us” and former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark makes a welcome return to The Playhouse stage in the hands of Amanda Bishop.

It’s an obvious enough way of marking their 15th, but Biggins has noticed that the program elicits spontaneous laughs and another kind of “reflective” laughter that says: “I’d forgotten that”.

History aside, the Wharf team prides itself on being up-to-date, so sadly they had to abandon a portrayal of former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop as the Queen of Hearts –”beautiful costumes and all” – when she stepped down.

Senator George Brandis made a momentary appearance in 2014 after suggesting it was okay to be a bigot. But this year, Biggins tells us, after stripping the Australia Council of money, it’s only natural that he seizes the limelight, performing in his favourite art

forms, ballet and opera.

Drew Forsythe, perhaps the most serious scriptwriter of the trio, takes on Christopher Pyne and gets to perform his own script as Alan Joyce, previously played by Josh Quong Tart while he was on leave.

You could argue that with three males and only one female, the casting is sexist, but this year Bishop gets the lioness’ share, reprising her famous Julia Gillard “Habanera”, also playing Clark, Julie Bishop, Janette Howard, Emma Alberici, Leigh Sales, Annabel Crabb and a new showbiz star, Jacqui Lambie – “that’s

really good,” Biggins says admiringly.

Biggins himself isn’t doing too badly, reprising Clive Palmer, Tony Abbott and Paul Keating in the nursing home with Bob Hawke.

So the team of usual suspects is ready for Canberra – the only problem is that with so much to choose from, they had to drop some beauties.

The Wharf Revue, The Playhouse, September 15-26, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

By Helen Musa

CANBERRA dancer Jasmin Durham has been shortlisted for the $20,000 Telstra Australian Ballet Dancer of the Year award and needs a bit of local help to land votes for the People’s Choice Award.

Born in Hong Kong, Durham, now aged 22, is in the corps de ballet of the flagship ballet company. She lived in Canberra from three months old and, after starting to learn ballet at the age of three at the Lisa Clark Dance Centre, later studied jazz, tap and contemporary dance before moving to the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne.

Now in its 13th year, the ballet award has so far uncovered some of the Australian Ballet’s brightest stars, including seven previous winners who have risen through the ranks to reach principal artist status.

The 2015 award winner will be announced on Thursday, December 3 and the winner of the People’s Choice Award, decided by public vote, will receive $5000.

Her solo highlights so far have included a part in Jiří Kylián’s “Petite Mort” in 2014 and the roles of Stepmother in Alexei Ratmansky’s “Cinderella” and Lead Hungarian in Graeme Murphy’s “Swan Lake” this year though, as she told “CityNews” several weeks ago, she aspires to the “bad girl” role of the Baroness.

Voters in the People’s Choice Award are entered into the draw for an $800 prize consisting of airfares, one night’s accommodation, two premium reserve tickets, program and drink voucher to The Australian Ballet’s performance of “The Sleeping Beauty” at the Sydney Opera House on December 3.

The Telstra Australian Ballet Dancer of the Year People’s Choice Award closes at 11.59pm on October 31. Voting via “connections” at exchange.telstra.com.au/

WIN TICKETS… … to see Michael Flatley’s latest ‘Lord of the Dance’

arts in the city

New chapter opens for Anne

“RETIRED booksellers don’t die…they just try and reinvent themselves,” Anne Hutton tells us just months after she and business partner Katarina Pearson closed Electric Shadows Bookshop. From her Yass home she’s been building a website called Paper Parrot (paperparrot.com.au) that specialises in the add-ons that people loved in the Braddon bookshop – cards, bookmarks, calendars, wrapping paper and gifts that emphasise Australian art and design talent, “but not to the point of xenophobia,” she assures us.

CHRISSIE Shaw’s “Bijou” is a sell-out cabaret built around a real-life character, Madame Bijou, Queen of the Belle Epoque demi-monde, back at Street 2 for six shows after touring in regional NSW. Alan Hicks plays the

long-suffering bar pianist. At The Street Theatre, September 16-20, bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

CANBERRA Short Film Festival is another sell-out, attracting audiences from all over Australia. Now in its 20th year, it’s become a must for film buffs and the 2015 edition will run at Dendy Cinemas in Civic over three nights from September 18-20. Full program and bookings to csff.com.au

“HOLD on to your big hats” advises Victor Valdes, whose Mariachi Band is coming from Sydney to the Fitters Workshop on Thursday, September 17, with a family-friendly Mexican Independence Day concert. Bookings to stickytickets.com.au/28233

REP’s next production, “Much Ado About Nothing,” is at Theatre 3, September 17-October 3. Director, set and costume designer Cate Clelland sets the play “just after a war” (bet you that’s World War I) with music, dancing and a sense of new possibilities and promise. Intriguing casting of Jim Adamik as Benedick and Lainie Hart as Beatrice. Bookings to canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950.

SOPRANO Rachael Duncan and pianist Anthony Smith take the podium at Wesley Music Centre for Art Song at 3pm, Sunday, September 13 in a program alluringly titled “Night’s Caressing Grip”. Actually, it’s art songs from the 19th and early 20th centuries that explore devotion, loss, yearning and homecoming in works by Schumann, Grieg, Britten, Hahn and Svendsen. Tickets available only at the door.

FINNISH pianist, conductor and composer, Olli Mustonen, will be here with the Australian Chamber Orchestra to perform Bach’s “Concerto for Keyboard”, to direct Hindemith’s “The Four Temperaments” from the piano, and then to see colleagues, including ACO principal cellist Timo-Veikko Valve, perform the world premiere of his own “Sonata for Cello and Chamber Orchestra”. At Llewellyn Hall, Saturday, September 12, bookings to aco.com.au

THE ACT Storytellers Guild and Mannyfesto will present an afternoon of stories and song at Kangara Waters Community Centre, 2 Joy Cummings Place, Belconnen, 2.30pm, on Sunday, September 13. Entry is $12 at the door and includes light refreshments.

HELEN MUSA

e hilarious and heartwarming musical about marriage, motherhood and the juggle to ‘do it all’. It’s the ultimate Girls Night Out!

arts & entertainment / cinema review

Shining in leukaemia’s shadow

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (M)

GREG (Thomas Mann) isn’t your conventional high-school jock. He’s Jewish, something of a dweeb, nerd, geek, with a mom who lets him run free and a wonderfully eccentric dad who’s in the film mainly because boys need dads and Jesse Andrews’ screenplay adapting his own novel needs light relief.

Greg’s good buddy is classmate Afro-American Earl (RJ Cyler) whose home may be geographically only a couple of blocks away from Greg’s but is socially rather more distant.

And in the same neighbourhood lives Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who’s been diagnosed with an incurable form of leukaemia.

Those three youngsters, played by actors whose names are not yet household but may in time become so, play out the film’s dramatic core. Their characters don’t fit neatly into archetypal school groupings.

Greg and Earl’s pastime using a smartphone and a laptop to make short movies with titles parodying those of classic feature movies provides much of the story’s energy. The shadow of leukaemia hangs constantly over the film but not so heavily as to depress it. The meat

of the story turns out to be not Rachel’s death, which happens without elaboration, but Greg’s dealing with it in a coda that does the film honour. Testosterone plays no part in the film’s structure. The three youngsters have made a film for and about Rachel, her family and her life. It’s wise, loving but not soupy or sentimental.

At Dendy, Palace Electric, Hoyts Belconnen and Limelight

“A Walk in the Woods” (M)

BILL Bryson has written great books about the English language, science and travel in whatever nation he happened to be living in when the Muse tapped him on the shoulder. One of them is about Australia.

In 1998, after returning to the US from living 20 years in Britain, he wrote “A Walk in the Woods” (re-published in 2002 in a single volume with “Walkabout”). The impetus was a need he felt to recharge his batteries and rediscover his identity by walking the Appalachian Trail, which runs approximately 3500km from Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mt Katahdin in Maine.

From Bryson’s book, Ken Kwapis has made a splendidlooking, agreeably funny, American-to-its boot-straps film. Bryson asked all the men he knew if they’d care to accompany him on the walk. None did. Except a buddy who arose from the deep recesses of memory. In the book and the film, he’s called Stephen Katz.

So here are two actors, Robert Redford (born 1936) as Bryson and Nick Nolte (born 1941) as Katz, setting forth on a bushwalk that might daunt hikers born four decades later.

And before the adventure begins, the best part. Emma Thompson plays Catherine Bryson, watching the father of her children set forth into the wilderness. The two men carry the plot’s major load. The landscape plays a significant role. Kristen Schaal plays Mary Ellen, hiker with a vengeance, motor-mouth like Niagara Falls. Me, I wanted Bryson to get home for more of Emma.

At Dendy, Capitol 6 and Palace Electric

“War Room” (PG)

THIS film arrived in Australian cinemas with little warning. Director Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote it with his brother Stephen, is an ordained Baptist minister. Its dramatic foundation comes from stresses and tensions in a middle-class black American family.

Beleaguered wife (Priscilla C. Shirer) takes succour from Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), a committed older Christian with a profound belief in salvation, Jesus and the value of praying to resolve problems.

“War Room” doesn’t rush to declare its true and unabashed intention. Obviously, it won’t change the faith of practising Christians. I doubt it will convert non-believers or adherents of other faiths.

At Capitol 6

Delicious comedy needs more pace

theatre

“Arsenic and Old Lace”

By Joseph Kesselring, directed by Jon Elphick. At Belconnen Theatre until September 12.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

IN “Arsenic and Old Lace”, American playwright Joseph Kesselring has written a nearly-perfect black farce, replete with sophisticated dialogue and odd characters.

Tempo Theatre’s Jon Elphick has made himself a veteran director of Agatha Christie thrillers for the company, but in tackling the farce genre, he has faced new challenges. Gone are the pregnant pauses and significant looks of the average murder-mystery and in their place are throwaway lines, gags and more than a hint of menace.

Elphick and his energetic cast very nearly pull it off, achieving a high percentage of the laughs scripted by Kesselring and successfully conveying the sense of madness associated with the seemingly respectable household of the Brewster family. I have no doubt that, as the season progresses, the show will get even funnier.

The set, designed by Elphick, worked very effectively to provide a canvas for this deliciously ridiculous comedy to resolve itself, complete with opening and closing doors, windows, cellar and stairs, all needed to keep the plot moving.

But with a mixed cast performing in mixed styles, the pace is not always maintained at an even level. Central to the stage action are the two maiden aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, played quietly and convincingly by Lynne Seaman and Marian Fitzgerald, but altogether too softly and slowly to keep up with the other characters.

Angela Edwards and Sam Kentish as the two young protagonists provided the right kind of crazy energy to keep things moving and Kentish, who plays New York drama critic Mortimer Brewster, successfully keeps the audience on its toes with a line-up of theatrical in-jokes.

The more ostentatious eccentrics, such as the delusional Teddy Brewster (Elphick himself) and the sinister Dr Einstein (Bill Kolentsis) hit the right tempo with their unabashed caricatures. Kim Wilson acquits himself modestly at the beginning as the Rev Dr Harper but he, too, hits his straps later in the play as the cartoon-like Officer O’Hara.

The director needed to decide which it was to be – realism or overthe-top farce. Surely, the latter was the best way to go.

arts & entertainment / dining

Bakery off to a winning start

BREAKFAST in a bakery. It’s always a winning start to the day, if the bakery cuts it. Let’s face it, some are terribly ordinary, using pre-packaged “stuff” to “bake” and others sweat it out preparing everything in-house, from scratch. Such as the new EQ Bakery at the Equinox Business Park in Deakin. Opened for about six weeks, EQ Bakery is the little sister of the successful EQ Café and Lounge.

Partners Wally Rao and Will Shippard could see a gap in the market in the area for a scrumptious line-up of eats that can be served quickly and with great coffee. Items change regularly. Juices are pressed daily. All smallgoods sourced locally where possible. Trust me, this all adds up to a quality experience.

The ham on my ham, cheese and tomato toastie (generous serve), for

No doubt the big outdoor area, which gets quite a bit of sun, will be the most popular once spring well and truly settles in.

example, actually tasted like ham. Sounds weird to put that in writing but “bland” is the name of the game when smallgoods aren’t of the highest order.

This Grandmother Ham comes from a fully boned leg, which is hand trimmed and smoked over German beech. It’s award-winning, including a gold medal from the Royal Melbourne Show last year. The cheese was top-notch Italian provolone.

Savoury options are stacked high on the shelves when the bakery opens and diminish quickly. Wally says the slow-cooked beef is prepared overnight, the Italian salami is superb and the savoury pies made fresh (three varieties). Now for the sweets. What’s a bakery without an impressive array of sweets?

The pure butter croissants look amazing and, as I enjoyed my little brekkie, I could see the brioche donuts and cannoli marching out the door. Wally says everyone’s favourite, the vanilla slice, does too.

Fave cakes include the chocolate mousse with chocolate meringue and the rocky road log. Loaves of bread are stacked on shelves behind the cash register and can be ordered to take away.

Fresh juices, the day I visited, included a raspberry, cranberry, pear and orange combo as well as a mango, passion fruit, pear, banana

and orange blend. Healthy as…

The EQ operation offers free internet access. If eating in, you order at the bar, grab a number and are served at your table. No doubt the big outdoor area, which gets quite a bit of sun, will be the most popular once spring well and truly settles in.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge, although there is now a full underground paid parking area.

Equinox Business Park, 70 Kent Street, Deakin. Open Monday to Friday, 7am to 4.30pm.

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Colourful natives miss the party

UNFORTUNATELY, Floriade still has no real displays of our wonderful range of native plants, which are bursting forth in colour at this time and could add to the overall floral displays.

There was a time when unruly, straggly native plants were not considered worth feeding, watering or pruning. There was very little advice available, even in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, and native plants got quickly out of control in the home garden.

In those days Canberrans could pick up their 70 shrubs and 10 trees for free from the Yarralumla Nursery without really knowing that the little plant a few centimetres high in a plastic bag would grow into a 10-metre-tall Melaleuca, for example.

These little babies were planted around the perimeter of the block usually less than half a metre from fences. Nowadays, I visit old gardens where those plantings have tipped over fences and caused neighbours, in some instances, to fall out. If only the correct information was given in the first place.

We are a huge country and many native plants from other areas simply won’t grow in our climate. Fortunately, we now recognise that native plants respond to regular pruning, watering and feeding the same as every other plant.

A FEW years ago I was consulting for a large wholesale nursery in the south of England where we were trialling a wide range of Australian native plants with huge success.

Interestingly, there are more frosts in Canberra than most of southern England. In the west, in Devon and Cornwall, under the influence of the warm Atlantic gulf stream, the weather is warm enough to grow such plants as banana trees. Perfect conditions for our native plants.

Florists there almost fight over our native banksia flowers. It just needs some enterprising people to investigate and tap into this market.

THE ideal garden has a healthy mix of exotic and native plants to give year-round colour.

Most native plants flower in spring and into the summer with few flowering in the autumn.

Salvia “Love and Wishes” is an example of an exotic plant with the flower colour blending perfectly Prostanthera (or native mint bush).

Growing to

just 80cm x 80cm, it’s a perfect mix-and-match plant flowering from late summer well into the autumn. Part proceeds from the sale of this salvia are donated by its breeder, Plant Growers Australia, to Make a Wish Australia, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

WITH modern breeding, there is now an extensive range of smaller-growing native plants suitable not only for small gardens and containers –ideal for townhouse balconies or small courtyards.

Jottings…

• Feed native plants now with a low-phosphorus fertiliser.

• Prune native plants after flowering finishes.

• Mulch all plants with an organic mulch that helps improve the soil, such as Canberra Sand and Gravel’s Canberra Organic Mulch.

• Do not use mushroom compost near native plants or acid lovers, such as azaleas and camellias.

• Advice on growing native plants in “Australian Plants for Canberra Region Gardens” published by the Society for Growing Australian Plants,

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

With your ruler Mars in sunny Leo, Rams are in an optimistic phase. No challenge is too great as you approach life with extra energy, enthusiasm and adventurous ideas. But expect conversation overload when Mercury reverses through your relationship zone (from Friday until October 9). Make sure you choose your words wisely, otherwise you’ll just upset loved ones. Over the next two years, Saturn has much to teach you about foreign cultures and far-flung places.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

This week it will be unusually easy to be swept away with dubious dreams and uncertain schemes that have no basis in reality. So keep your Bull bull**** detector on high and keep your feet firmly on the ground. Are you expecting a substantial sum of money to land in your bank account sometime over the next two years? There may be some delays, as Saturn slows down financial transactions. And you could find yourself with unforeseen extra expenses, so plan accordingly.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Don’t expect others to magically read your mind. You’ll have to be extra patient and precise in the way you communicate this week, otherwise misunderstandings are likely. Saturn also shifts back into your relationship zone, so expect a steep learning curve in your dealings with others. Strive to consolidate romantic, platonic and business partnerships over the next two years. Singles – avoid lightweights! Look for someone who is sensible, stable and mature.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

When it comes to your aspirations for the future, you’re full of fabulous dreams and schemes but avoid letting blind optimism lead you up the primrose path to trouble. Stay on top of facts and leave fantasy for the movies. If something [or someone] looks and sounds too good to be true, then walk away. With Saturn shifting back into your wellbeing zone, strive to be more disciplined about your fitness and food choices. Pilates classes and spinach smoothies to the rescue!

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Lions – do you feel like a cat on a hot tin roof? Avoid being cooped up inside this week – make sure you move your muscles in a variety of different ways. Some Leos will become confused about a complicated financial situation; while others make wildly impulsive purchases that you later regret. With Venus and Mars both visiting your sign, focus on drawing influential people to you and then have the confidence to turn fortuitous opportunities into concrete projects.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

With Jupiter in your sign, learn to put a positive spin on a perceived failure. With energy and enthusiasm, you can turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse! But avoid signing contracts or making big-ticket purchases between Friday and October 9, when Mercury reverses through your money zone. Savvy Virgos will devote extra time to improving family relationships or tackling overdue home renovations over the next two years, as Saturn saunters through your domestic zone.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

General knowledge crossword No. 517

Across

1 Which river forms the border between NSW and Victoria?

7 What was the remembered occupation of Charles Sturt?

8 Name a sensation of impending sickness.

9 What do we call a sporting club’s second team?

10 Jerusalem is the capital of which Asian republic?

11 What do coroners conduct?

14 What is a concluding part added to a literary work?

18 Name an earlier highly regarded W Indian cricketer, Sir Garfield ...

19 Which word describes a matter of contention?

21 Name a large lizard of tropical America.

22 Name one of the animals depicted on an Australian fifty cent piece.

your week in the stars – September 14-20, 2015 Sudoku hard No. 158

Get ready for some family fiascos and relationship rumbles, as Mercury reverses through your sign for three weeks (from Friday). So avoid bringing up controversial or sensitive subjects until a more suitable time. Courtesy of Saturn, prepare to undertake some serious study over the next two years as you discipline your mind, learn new skills, complete a degree or improve the way you communicate with others. And make sure your online presence is as professional as possible.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

If you’re not careful then an unreliable friend or questionable acquaintance could lead you astray. So keep your realism radar on high and avoid getting caught up in dubious daydreams. You’re in for a few hard financial lessons over the next two years, as Saturn stirs up your money zone. Smart Scorpios will budget wisely, and favour saving over spending. Strive to build your material security and also your inner emotional security. Both are equally important to future success.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Saturn (planet of hard work, personal responsibility and lessons to be learned) moves back into Sagittarius on Friday, where it stays until December 2017. You had a test-run when Saturn was in Sagittarius from last December until June, but it now settles in for a long stay in your sign. Saturn will send many challenges your way over the next two years. But, if you are smart, then you’ll learn some valuable life lessons and you will gradually mature like a fine red wine.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Avoid being impatient about a work matter or education issue that will take time, tact and persistence to resolve. Your ruler Saturn shifts into Sagittarius on Friday, which heralds a period when you’ll be more politically involved or philosophicallyminded. But resist the urge to blame others when things go wrong. The only person who’s likely to sabotage your efforts over the next two years is you! So you need to get out of your own way and trust your inner voice.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Over the next two years, take your hopes and wishes from the vague abstract realm and bring them down to Planet Earth. Through hard work, focus and discipline, you can make your dreams come true. It’s also the perfect time to learn from others and experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Be inspired by birthday great, actress Sophia Loren: “It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Pisceans can be very gullible – especially this week. Confusion reigns supreme, as Jupiter opposes Neptune. Just because someone sounds impressive, doesn’t mean they are the real deal. Relationships and personal projects are definitely in a state of flux, so avoid making important decisions until the dust settles. When it comes to school, university or career, it’s time for a reality check. Over the next two years, Saturn will push you to be more serious, organised and committed.

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

Heather came in very excited and announced she had been posted to South America.

“My partner Steve will be coming with me,” she said. “He won’t be working there and I need to make sure there aren’t any unforeseen circumstances from this posting.”

I congratulated her, saying: “As I recollect, you are a member of the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme, so you are deemed to be a resident of Australia while you’re away.

Down

1 What is the bone of the lower jaw called?

2 Which term relates to a base, dishonest person?

3 What, in horseracing, is a horse one year old, dating from August 1st, but not yet two?

4 What is a musical composition known as?

5 Which word describes an evening party or social gathering?

6 Which substance binds concrete together?

12 Name a particular time in parliament, which is usually noisy.

13 What is another name for a parasol?

15 What is a less familiar term for an outcast?

16 Which room is used for relaxation purposes?

17 To be thick, is to be what?

20 Name the title of a British nobleman.

23 Which pointed instrument is used in sewing?

“The legislation also deems Steve as your spouse and your daughter Brianna to be in the same situation.”

Heather confirmed that, but said she was concerned about Steve’s self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) because the law required that if the SMSF was not considered to be a resident fund, it was regarded as non-complying and was taxed at 45 per cent and not 15 per cent.

I listed three necessary conditions that needed to be satisfied to maintain the fund’s resident status.

“The first is that the fund must have been established in Australia or have its assets situated in Australia. Clearly, this is the case so you satisfy the first condition,” I said.

“The next is that the central management and control of the SMSF is ordinarily in Australia. As you are going on a three-year posting, satisfying this may be a little harder. The Australian Taxation Office has stated that a temporary absence of two years or less can still mean that the central management and control is within Australia.

“It is not the day-to-day administration tasks that are important, it’s the high-level decisions including setting the investment strategy and reviewing the fund’s performance that are relevant.

“In your circumstances, it is clear that you and Steve are going for a fixed period and you both retain your status as Australian residents for tax purposes, so your documentation around this posting should be sufficient to satisfy the criterion that the central management and control is in Australia.

“Lastly, the active-member test needs to be considered. As both you and Steve are deemed to be Australian tax residents while you are away, you will be considered to satisfy the requirements of this test.

“With appropriate documentation, you will both satisfy the three tests and there will be no need to take further action.

“However, were you to no longer work for the Australian Public Service or were not a contributor to PSS the situation could well be different. It could also be different if Steve becomes a contributor to the Public Sector Superannuation accumulation plan.”

Heather said she was grateful for the advice and hadn’t realised how important their resident status would be.

“I’ll bear that in mind for future postings or job opportunities,” she said.

If you need information on your SMSF or your resident status for tax purposes contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.