151126 citynews

Perils of parking penny pinching

MICHAEL MOORE

Malcolm laps up a little wooing

ROBERT MACKLIN

Hard lessons

still not learnt

JOHN GRIFFITHS

Playing favourites with flowers

CEDRIC

BRYANT

DANCING Queen

Unhappy with school? Tracy takes the calls

IN the wake of the “boy-in-the-cage” controversy, the embattled ACT Education and Training Directorate gave Tracy Stewart a new job.

As the newly created director for families and students Tracy is charged with placing a focus on the wellbeing of students and their education experience, particularly the most vulnerable children.

“I’m the key contact for families, students and the community, so they can raise concerns that have not been sufficiently met by the school,” she tells “CityNews”.

“At the same time, I look at policies and guidelines, and how to make them more accessible and see where they may need to be strengthened.

“Before I started I wondered if, by the time families came to me, would they be at their wits’ end and frustrated, and would I get the vent of that frustration?

“But it hasn’t been the case at all. A lot of the time I’m getting, ‘what can you value-add’ and then, of course, it’s rewarding when you see the complex cases we’ve been able to help.”

Tracy says a major focus at the moment is student engagement and admits

that, in some cases, it’s challenging.

She won’t be drawn into the recent political controversy, but admits:

“There’s been a lot of focus this year on what’s happening in schools and how we’re providing education experience for students and I think we’ve identified that it’s important to keep that focus on students.

“And this role allows that to happen; not that it wasn’t happening before but

it provides that additional focus.

“There are some students where we haven’t quite got the right solution in place.

“But we’ve been looking at those individual cases to see if there is anything extra we could do. There are programs in place to help students stay engaged, from special units to parttime homeschooling, but I wonder if there are still some gaps there and we

may need additional support in place.”

Tracy, who has worked at the Education and Training Directorate for six years in the Corporate Executive Team, says the new role brings a greater profile to the fact that there is additional support available.

“I think everyone sees value in the role, particularly in providing that focus on keeping students at the centre of all we do,” she says.

“We’ve always had really good mechanisms for families to raise concerns, but now there’s this focal role; we’ve got my contact details on the website and families are responding well to that.

“The calls come directly to me, and I’m getting a range of issues raised from very straightforward to very complex. Everything from, ‘I tried to enrol my child at school and I haven’t got his birth certificate’, up to students with more complex issues.

“And in many cases, families have been working extensively with the school but the issues are so complex they need extra support.”

Tracy says she is taking a dual approach – individual case management and a systemic view.

“I’m responding to a family’s individual concern on one level, but then I try to see if there is something we could improve directorate-wide that would help others with a similar concern in the future,” she says.

Tracy says she is finding the new role very rewarding personally.

“I talk to every family that approaches us and I initiate a conversation with the family in every case. And they let me know how things are going.”

Page 5 – Hard lessons still not learnt, says John Griffiths

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Since 1993: Volume 21, Number 44

Arts & Entertainment 19-21

Canberra Confidential 12

Cinema 20

Dining 21

Gardening 22

Horoscopes 23

Letters 8

News 3-8

Politics 6

Puzzles 23

Socials 9 -11

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Malcolm laps up a little wooing

IT’S been travelling week with PM Malcolm Turnbull streaking across the zones to engage with the international leadership. And what a time to be doing it as ISIS struck another fearful blow at a “soft” target in the City of Lights.

But while the attacks were utterly tragic for the victims, they did serve to cut through the political flim-flam among the allies to bring a concerted response to the Syrian crisis. And the terrorist ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud got his just deserts in a hail of bullets from the French police. However, just as they tried to put the horror behind them, another outrage erupted in their former African colony of Mali.

MALCOLM was trailed by half the press gallery who revelled in the chance to record his triumphal progress. Barack Obama invited him to visit the White House in January and praised Australia’s “enormously helpful” efforts in the Middle East. Indeed, the President seemed to be actively courting the new boy on the block.

THE Americans were startled to discover that the NT Government had

While the attacks were utterly tragic, they did serve to cut through the political flim-flam among the allies to bring a concerted response to the Syrian crisis.

leased Darwin’s port to a Chinese company. The PM suggested they should have subscribed to the “NT News” as “there was certainly nothing secret” about the purely commercial deal. The neocons saw all sorts of sinister oriental implications and Treasurer Scott Morrison banned the sale of a big cattle station to them. Happily, Trade Minister Andrew Robb called them cockeyed: “I’ve heard about selling Australia forever. I haven’t seen a farm leave the country yet.”

BY chance your columnist was also travelling in the US when the Paris tragedy struck. And after the initial shock it became part of the US Presidential Election campaign. We spent much of our time in Arkansas with the Hillary Clinton entourage. And while nothing is certain in politics, the former First Lady seems to have the

Democratic nomination tied up; but on the Republican side confusion reigns. The “smart money” is on Marco Rubio, the young Florida senator, but no one really knows.

OUR journey took us to New Orleans, where the tram system threw a new light on Canberra’s light rail plans. The New Orleans’ population is 1.2 million but they need the big tourist influx to make the system profitable. Canberra commuters alone will not do the trick; it needs attractions such as, say, a relocated Floriade to boost ticket sales.

THE suggestion from US academic Mark Fenton that light rail could help counter our growing obesity problem really hit home. “If we can encourage people to walk or cycle to the tram we can begin to address an epidemic of inactivity,” he says. Mark should know –

ROBERT MACKLIN

there are so many morbidly overweight people in America it’s a wonder it hasn’t sunk beneath the waves.

GOOD to see the quick $7 million response from Education Minister Joy Burch to the 50 recommendations arising from the report into special needs children in Canberra schools. Sad that she needed the “boy-in-the-cage” scandal to respond to years of pleas from teachers for classroom support.

FINALLY, sincere thanks to editor Ian Meikle for keeping the “Seven Days” fire brightly burning in our absence. Sooo good to be safely home!

robert@robertmacklin.com

Latitude: -40.917268

Longitude: 173.053589

lowbrow

Hard lessons unlearnt

MOST of us will have experienced poor management in our working lives.

Given that active psychopathic bullying is frowned upon, it more usually manifests as a form of benign neglect.

And when push comes to shove, I’ve been guilty of it as well.

There’s a job that needs doing, there are no resources to do it by the book, so what to do?

“Delegate it and hope it doesn’t blow up,” is the easy way out.

Maybe, just maybe, the underling being handed the whiffy brown sandwich will find some brilliant way to square the circle.

More often corners will be cut and the unspoken mantra is “don’t get caught”.

Which brings us to last week’s response to the now infamous “kid-in-a-cage” incident at an unnamed Canberra school.

The education system has systematically failed to support teachers dealing with special needs students for a very long time, but a principal in desperation chucking a student in a steel cage has prompted a carefully calibrated response to do as little as possible while appearing to have done enough to make the problem disappear.

(Wasn’t it a very Canberra solution to remove the principal from the school, thus being seen to do something, while maintaining their employment so as to avoid a very ugly unfair dismissal fight in open court?)

There were a few red flags in Joy Burch’s response to the Shaddock review.

Right at the front of the headline we had “Students at the Centre”.

As a motherhood statement it’s hard to fault, but it does raise some questions. Questions such as: “So, teacher safety isn’t at the centre?” or “Which children are at the centre, and at the expense of which other children?”.

Then there’s the very first bullet point in Joy’s list of key initiatives: “$430,000 for innovative approaches to support students in primary schools with complex needs.”

A

principal in desperation chucking a student in a steel cage has prompted a carefully calibrated response to do as little as possible while appearing to have done enough to make the problem disappear.

“Innovative” approaches? So not tried and tested approaches then? This looks like another Hail Mary pass to the underlings as the issue gets shoved under the bed.

Further down the list we have: “$90,000 towards professional learning and online training for teachers in complex needs and challenging behaviour”. It will no doubt be a comfort to a 65kg female teacher trying to control a 100kg ball of rage that an online training module is available.

The cage was a symptom of a broader problem that’s very important to us as a broader society.

If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link then our community is only as strong as the public education provided to everyone.

The dirty secret of private education (and I write as an ex-Radford boy) is that most of the benefit comes from the school’s ability to exclude problem children.

“Moral values”, uniforms, structure and discipline are all nice selling points, but across the whole sector the real benefit is that they don’t have to deal with students they don’t want to, a problem that gets dumped on the public system.

This then drives students the other way. If your child is not learning because the teacher spends all their time managing one disruptive and dangerous student what sort of parent wouldn’t cancel the family holiday and spend the money on a private education?

Rather than providing online training modules for hard-pressed teachers to study in their off-duty hours, it may be that a more systemic approach is needed for the children who, often through no fault of their own, shouldn’t be in classrooms until they’re truly ready for it. That would be a much more expensive reform program, but it would probably pay off in the long term.

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

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Parking penny pinching crimps community spirit

THE new, card-operated parking machines; convenience at last? Well, a great idea, but all downhill from my first exposure.

On the plus side, no more searching for those elusive coins nor trying to change a note to the chagrin of the local café or small-store staff. Or more desperately, hoping a fellow parker has a bag of change to swap for a note.

Or that generous soul: “I am about to leave and there is still another half hour on this ticket”. Life saver. Must remember to do the same for others. Builds community spirit.

An hour park just to race in to pick up a trinket for a birthday or pop across the road to a meeting?

Could take the risk the parking inspector doesn’t come along. After all, if caught it would make up for all the times without coins that I dodged a fine. Just another form of gambling!

New machines. No worries. Simply swipe the card. Better still, use “paywave”. What a time saver.

If only! Things are starting to go downhill; instead of sticking coins in the machine, we have to wait – for the person in front and the person in front of them and the other people down the line. They all take so long. What is wrong with them?

MICHAEL MOORE marks his column’s ninth anniversary with a frantic encounter with Canberra’s new, Orwellian, paid-parking machines

rego number of the car. What if I leave early and want to pass the paid-for ticket to someone else? Community spirit – down the gurgler. The space has been paid for. Bloody hell! This is just penny pinching. Penny pinching undermining community spirit. What is needed most? A tiny bit of additional revenue or community spirit?

Parsimonious! Scrimping! Avaricious! Miserly!

Can it get worse?

Buttons up. Buttons down. Set the time. Last time, I hit the go button on the maximum. Sun on the machine’s screen prevented seeing properly. Who invents these things? Who approves them? Everyone has to use them. Well, almost everyone. Is it a plot to get us on to bikes, walking or public transport? Just might work. The time is finally set, but better add some to be sure. The credit card allows a few more dollars. Shame extra time can’t be passed on.

number plate, recording the details.

Where else is the information going? Will it be with Facebook, Google or some other internet system?

Targeted advertising next offering the best place to park next to the most suitable shop adjacent an appropriate café.

What happened to civil liberties? Is it Orwellian?

Does the modern-day “1984” start with a credit card in the carpark? Number plates?

Big brother is watching. Are there unpaid fines on the vehicle? Just the start. Information gathered, collated and circulated.

Finally. Card accepted. Approval. Printing will start. Any time now. At last, a ticket. Late for the meeting. The others at the meeting had to do the same. Colleagues might understand. Doubt it! And I used to worry about not having enough coins!

Remembering Ferenc Puskas

TV’s “Mr Soccer”, Les Murray, is the special guest at the Hungarian Embassy’s Football Day salute to lengendary player Ferenc Puskas, who famously led the Hungarian team to defeat England twice, first with a 6-3 win at Wembley Stadium. The panel discussion will be hosted by MLA Steve Doszpot, who is keen to meet anyone who was at the Wembley game. The event at Deakin is free, all welcome on rsvp to huncbr@gmail.com

Christmas Fayre

THE All Saints Christmas Fayre will celebrate all things Christmas at Cowper Street, Ainslie, 10am-3pm, Saturday, December 5. There will be traditional fare, including puddings, cakes, mince pies; crafts and decorations; handmade gifts, St. Nick’s gift bag, and a lucky dip for boys and girls.

One of the ‘best’

PROMISING “one of the best fetes in town”, the Holy Family School Fete will include stalls selling books, toys, show bags, lucky dip, plants, Devonshire teas and cakes as well as face painting, pony rides and a petting paddock. At Castleton Crescent, Gowrie, 10am-2pm, Saturday, November 28.

• Showcasing over 30 high quality street style foods

• Mobile food trucks & stalls from regional & local cafés/restaurants

• Local breweries & bars • Wineries • Juices/other

Music: • Live music lounge with local musicians • Roaming dance performances

The Forage event runs alongside Hustle&Scout

• Free Entry & Parking

• ATM Facilities www.theforage.com.au

Made it. Machine examines the card. Needs a pin number as the “paywave” won’t work. Verify the number. Verify the card. Impatient people behind in a rush as well. Wait! What? It wants the

But wait. Now the numberplate has to be verified. Who knows the rego number of the car? Takes extra time. No wonder the long wait. Behind, the line grows even more impatient now and I’m already late for a meeting!

Philosophical question: who is verifying the number plate? This is an outsourced operation. This is not ACT government. It is a private company checking the

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

Solar survey

ANU researchers are looking for 60 volunteers who have solar panels on their roof to take part in a new study. An estimated 50MW of the total 80MW capacity of solar power in the ACT originates from residential homes, but there is no accurate realtime data on what energy is being produced and fed into the grid. Dr Christfried Webers, from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, says the aim is to develop software to forecast the solar output from each suburb, using low-cost devices installed on individual homes. Participants can sign up to join the study at solarforecastingtrial@nicta.com.au

Dancing queen tops the town

By Helen Musa

A GROUNDBREAKING choreographer and pioneer of modern dance in Australia has been named 2015 “CityNews” Artist of the Year.

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, who was described by one member of the Canberra Critics’ Circle judging panel as “the doyenne of Australian dance”, won a $1000 cheque and a fine porcelain bowl crafted by Canberra ceramic artist Avi Amesbury.

She is in Taipei teaching dance until February at the National University of the Arts and was unable to attend the ACT Arts Awards evening held in the Canberra Museum & Gallery.

“I shed a few tears [and] felt several pangs of homesickness… I have always felt proud to be a part of Canberra’s artistic and cultural community, but this award makes me feel even more so,” she told “CityNews” by phone.

“I am also humbled and, indeed, very honoured.”

Founder, 50 years ago, of the Australian Dance Theatre in Adelaide and 13 years ago of the Mirramu Dance Company, named after her property on the shores of Lake George, Dalman is a proud octogenarian who shows no sign of slowing down.

She has staged several works in this, her golden anniversary year, and says: “It’s essential to pass on my work to solo dancers who are younger than me.”

Initially inspired by dance trailblazers such as Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham and Colombian-American Eleo Pomare, she fined-tuned her dance practice in Amsterdam, where she met her late husband Jan Dalman, known for his photographic portraits

of Marcel Marceau.

After returning to Australia she set up the ADT, which she directed for 10 years and put on the map with a 1971 tour to Taipei, breaking away from the conventions of European ballet tradition.

She created original works with Aboriginal and Taiwanese dance artists, usually accommodated and hosted by her at Mirramu.

In her 26 years in the Canberra region she created many works about the environment on the dry lake bed near her home, also founding “Weereewa – a Festival of Lake George”.

With an Australian Artists Creative Fellowship (a “Keating”), an OAM, the award for lifetime achievement at the Australian Dance Awards, an artsACT Fellowship, no fewer than four Canberra Critics’ Circle Awards and now “CityNews” Artist of the Year, Dalman has been justly recognised for what she calls “a fortuitous lifetime of dance”.

The ACT Arts Awards evening, hosted by the Canberra Critics’ Circle, also featured the Circle’s own awards, which went to: visual artists Alison Jackson, Phoebe Porter, John Pratt, Alison Alder and Danny Wild; filmmakers Simon Cunich, Declan Shrubb, Christian Doran and Daniel Sanguineti; dance artists Ruth Osborne and Elizabeth Cameron Dalman; theatre artists David Atfield, Karen Vickery, Liz Bradley, Michael Sparks and Pip Buining; musical theatre artists Ben O’Reilly, Will Huang, Bronwyn Sullivan, Jacquelyn Richards and Chris Neal; musicians Katie Cole, Coro Chamber Music, Tom Woodward and Sally Greenaway; and writers Owen Bullock, Robyn Cadwallader, Marion Halligan and Julian Davies (with illustrator Phil Day).

Despite the fear, now’s not the time to worry

THE terrorists are doing their best to create fear and, after Paris, you’d have to say they’re succeeding.

Should we be worried in Canberra? That’s up to you, but I’m not in the least bit concerned.

When you’re assessing the terror-attack risk for your city without access to the ASIO intelligence, you’re forced to make a commonsense, gut-feel judgement. I made a mental list of the pros and cons for potential terror attack in our town.

On the downside is the fact that we are the national capital, but we should rejoice that most people on the planet are convinced Sydney is the capital!

There are many reasons that any terror attack wouldn’t be here: a. We’re not a densely or highly populated city; b. there are no genuine ghettos in Canberra; yes, it can be a tough place to live if you’re not earning a good quid, but our city doesn’t have

large geographic areas of disadvantage; d. firearms are hard to come by; and e. we don’t have many extremists here and my experience suggests they’re virtually non-existent in Canberra.

Some of my listeners challenged me on the final point. They seem to believe that Canberra is a hotbed for extremism and they’re wrong.

I went to the “mosque” in Monash last month looking for extremists and found none. Set up as the National Islamic Library, it’s not actually a mosque, but it does serve the purpose of a place of worship.

When Luisa and I were there for its open day, we found a whole bunch of families, just like ours, who happened to believe some things that we don’t.

We were welcomed with smiles, wonderful food and an openness that I wasn’t expecting.

I genuinely believe that if members of Canberra’s Islamic community sensed even a minuscule hint of extremist sentiment here they would move swiftly to disarm it at its source.

There’s going to be more drama before this is all over, but I don’t think it’s going to happen here.

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DOMESTIC SKIPS

Sad, depressing sights

I RECENTLY returned from overseas visiting many towns and villages in Holland and France in particular.

Invariably, entering these towns one is met with avenues of healthy trees, the nature strips and grassed areas neatly trimmed, planted up roundabouts; what a pleasure to visit these places.

to Cooleman Court Shopping Centre.) Our next competition starts in February 2016. More information at www.squash.actmasters.org.au Or call 0407 406 249

Arriving back to Canberra, what a sad sight as one enters the nation’s capital – no beautiful avenues of trees, the Federal Highway joining Northbourne Avenue with overgrown, knee-high grass along the median strip, overgrown edges, graffiti along the back fences of Downer facing our principal entry into the city.

Then I look at the next most important entry point into the city, from the airport

Hepatitis C needle claims challenged

I READ with interest the comments from Colliss Parrett (letters, CN, November 10) regarding hepatitis C transmission.

He claims that providing sterile needles and syringes has contributed to increasing hepatitis C infections.

In fact, although hepatitis C prevalence (total number with hepatitis C) may appear to be increasing, the incidence (number of people becoming hepatitis C positive) is decreasing (Kirby Institute 2013).

That means that each year less people become hep C positive. This indicates that harm reduction and hepatitis C prevention (including, but not limited to, needle and syringe programs) has a positive impact.

As long as humans feel the need to take drugs and alcohol, we require a realistic response that includes treatment options and harm reduction to keep people alive long enough to access treatment. This is accepted by the WHO, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UNAIDS, the Commonwealth of Australia and many more agencies and experts.

Needle programs save lives. HIV and hepatitis C can lead to serious illness and death.

Certainly, I would prefer it if more than the estimated 130,000 cases of hepatitis C were prevented in the years 1999-2009. One of the ways to do this is to provide a regulated program in the AMC. I believe this would in fact be safer for staff and detainees than the current unregulated program which exists at present.

Sione Crawford, manager, Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA), Curtin

along Parkes Way where the original plantings of only a couple of years ago are disappearing in waist-high weeds.

The other entry, Fairbairn Avenue with its ornamental grasses planted on top of the stone walls are now 90 per cent dead!

Even in Civic, there are empty squares of gravel where trees have died and never been replaced. What sad and depressing sights for the visitors, let alone us residents. Did I hear someone describe this as a garden city?

Cedric Bryant, Watson

PS Now back nearly three weeks and the grass on the road past the showground is getting higher and drier; with rising temperatures, have we learnt nothing from fires in the past?

Credit for Jon’s grave revelations

I ENJOYED Jon Stanhope’s reflections on Sandakan and the Cocos Islands (CN, November 12). Having been to Sabah and also Changi in Singapore they are genuinely moving places.

I was unaware of the fate of the Emden sailors, I had assumed they would have been respectfully buried and their graves maintained. Seeing the contrast with the arrangements at Cowra for Japanese POWs is stark. I am surprised that the German government is not active in maintaining its sailors’ graves, but it would be worthwhile for Australia to take some initiative. I have a relative buried in a faraway land, in his case the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible. Someone needs to act on this issue; credit to you, Jon, for pointing it out.

Martin Gordon, Flynn

Write to us

Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601.

property Keeping Canberra liveable

By Catherine Carter

WITH Australia’s population expected to grow to 30.5 million over the next 15 years, it’s perhaps no surprise that congestion could cost the economy $53 billion a year.

In Canberra, delays on Northbourne Avenue alone could cost $1.1 million a year by 2031, according to the Infrastructure Audit conducted earlier this year. Congestion across the capital is tipped to reach $700 million.

Infrastructure Australia’s CEO Philip Davies says we need to “lift our game” if we are to deal with the inevitable population growth in our cities.

Australian cities regularly rank highly in liveability rankings, with the most recent Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Rankings featuring four Australian cities in the top 10 – more than any other country measured.

Curiously, the EIU noted that the most liveable places tend to be “mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density.”

Sounds like Canberra to me.

The secret to liveability is to embrace smart growth – because that’s the best way to build a city that has a high level of amenity, is safe, comfortable and liveable, and is also exciting and dynamic.

Embracing smart growth doesn’t mean losing our suburbs. But it does mean increasing density in places that support it – such as along transport corridors, in our town centres and suburban shops – while also protecting our precious natural environment and the lifestyle that we so love.

In Canberra, we’ve got the basics right – and we have the most liveable city in the OECD as a result.

But we can’t ignore the fact that our city will grow and we need to plan and invest in infrastructure that enhances our city’s character and charm while maintaining the enviable quality of life prized by us all.

Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia

SIZES 12 to 28

Iconic Canberra plus-size brand Silk Sisters has popped up shop at Baileys Arcade.

Shop stylish and comfortable natural fibre clothing as well as luxe silk scarves and accessories. Plus-size is our passion!

scene / around canberra

Social event of the week / Tharwa lunch for the Children’s Medical Research Institute

THERE was a lovely lunch to enjoy on the lush lawns under the mature trees of Lambrigg Homestead, at Tharwa, for the Children’s Medical Research Institute.

It is the quintessential Australian homestead with the memories of Mary Grant Bruce’s “Billabong” series brought to mind though now intruding on the bucolic is the suburb of Gordon visible over the valley.

It is an annual lunch and market stalls event, a lesson in planning, organisation, style and class with an efficient bunch of volunteers who have the perfect formula from inception to finish and are intent on making it a pleasure for everyone. The support of regular donors is significant and to see the dust fly as the cars arrive and the glam ladies emerge armed with their tables and napery heading for a perfect place in the shade before making a beeline to the bar for the mandatory punch is a signal that it’s all-systems-go, and we’re here to enjoy it and spend money for this most wonderful organisation.

Every year a representative group from the CMRI joins the party and we hear stories of research success, future efforts and the need for continued fundraising for our most precious littlies.

Country hospitality for a good cause, the best kind of lunching.

At ‘CityNews’ Artist of the Year Awards, CMAG, Civic

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.

Canberra Confidential

The power of 1 penis

THE Old Parliament Househoused Museum of Australian Democracy launched an online exhibition called “The Power of 1” in which it called for people to share their views about Australian democracy, to “have your say with a selfie” and add a portrait to the “faces of democracy” gallery.

And that’s where it all went pear-shaped, as Buzzfeed’s Mark Di Stefano reported.

Some of the selfie respondents took to the unmoderated gallery selflessly, with one plumpish, reclining nude man sharing his, well, everything with the nation. And there was another environmentally friendly topless woman amid the gallery of faces.

BuzzFeed called the Museum of Australian Democracy to alert it to what was popping up on the page. And, in a seeming flash, three hours later democracy was overruled, the exhibition was closed and the nude man lost to the ether if not his underpants.

Let there be lights!

IN a letterboxed flyer to residents of Belconnen and Gungahlin, the shrewd Liberal Deputy Leader Alistair Coe contrasts perfectly the difference in thinking between his party and the Labor government when it comes to road infrastructure.

He illustrates tellingly the Labor solution to northern road congestion with an eye-blinking nine sets of traffic lights on the Barton Highway roundabout and the Liberal proposal of a bog-standard, straightforward flyover.

• Quality custom designed chairs, sofas and bedheads

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When the government has feelings for you...

EAT your heart out Cusacks… in a snub to the unhip furniture retailing taxpayers of Canberra, the ACT government’s Visit Canberra website has enthusiastically listed the Swedish furniture store Ikea as an attraction and one it cheerfully endorses.

“Visit Ikea Canberra and spend the day strolling through the 11,000 square metre showroom and market hall and browsing over 8500 products,” bubble the bureaucrats.

“Get design inspiration from room sets, enjoy a lunch of world-famous meatballs in the Ikea restaurant and take the kids to Smaland, their internal children’s care facility.”

According to Visit Canberra (aka the government), Ikea “aims to create a better everyday life by offering welldesigned, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing products that are produced with care for people and the environment.”

Weeds? Blame the tram

WHO knew? African lovegrass, serrated tussock and Madagascan fireweed are cutting a swathe across the ACT, warns Liberal environment spokesperson Nicole Lawder.

And why are we under siege from weeds? It’s all thanks to the Barr government pruning the funding for weed management from the current Budget, she says. What’s more we appear to have been deserted by the ACT’s weeds advisory group that, not sensing the crisis, hasn’t recently met (or perhaps fled the overgrown city).

Drawing the longest of bows, she said: “Unlike the Barr government, the Canberra Liberals care about proper management of basic services like weed control, instead of directing all of our attention into a $1 billion light rail project.”

Dancing with a star

LOCAL dancer Alex Carson, pictured, now performing with Janet Jackson on her Unbreakable World Tour, is returning from the US to run workshops at her old school, Dance Central, noon-3pm, on Saturday, November 28.

The dance school has been celebrating its 10th anniversary with an open day at its newly renovated studio at 13-15 Altree Court, Phillip.

“When Dance Central opened I started taking hip hop classes, which evolved into foundations, jazz, contemporary, Latin and fitness,” says grateful Alex, who has never looked back.

Weston Creek

Special people serving a special community

Weston Creek is one of Canberra’s original districts, named in honour of Captain George Edward Weston, a former officer of the East India Company who arrived in Australia in 1829. He was superintendent of the Hyde Park Convict Barracks in Sydney before being granted land in the district in 1841.

The area later became part of the 16,000-hectare Yarralumla Station owned by Frederick Campbell and, in 1920, more than 3600 hectares were subdivided for soldier settlement leases.

Now it’s renowned for being home to more than 22,700 residents, who make up a community fortunate to have many amenities and services at their doorstep and an easy-to-find location for those visiting the area. “City News” discovers some of the people and businesses that make Weston Creek so special...

Mechanics with a passion for perfection

CHARLIE Sgori, owner of Automeccanica in Fisher, has been providing expert automobile service in Weston Creek since 1980.

Charlie and his family have lived on site and operated the business for the past six years. His wife and accounts manager, Raffy, says that thanks to their loyal customers and word-of-mouth, they have expanded to a team of three qualified mechanics working under Charlie’s direction.

“We focus on being reliable, honest and professional,” says Raffy.

“We are upfront and open with our customers. Whether we have a car in for a small repair or major service we will do a thorough check up and inspection. If we discover extra issues, Charlie will call the customer and talk through the priorities and give suggestions and options.”

Raffy says that Automeccanica’s honesty and commitment to quality work has built up a loyal base of local customers and they are now having customers bring their cars to them from all over Canberra.

“We also do car registrations as well as offer an after-hours pick up, drop offs and road service. We give our customers lifts to their local workplace or the bus stop, to help them get on with their day while we fix their car,” says Raffy.

Automeccanica. 4 Kapunda Street, Fisher, call 6162 4111 or visit automeccanica.com.au

‘Frog’ celebrates two decades in world of music

ONE of the remaining independent record shops in Canberra, Songland Records, is proud to celebrate its 20th anniversary of being Canberra’s “home of the hard to find”, says owner Brian “Frog” Harris.

Alongside the shop’s comprehensive collection of music genres, including a specialisation in classical music, Frog says that Songland also offers a huge array of “talking books” (or spoken-word books) on CD.

“We also provide a transfer service to help people enjoy their music and video memories at home that they can’t play any more. We transfer vinyl records to CD, VHS videos to DVD and audio cassettes to CD,” says Frog.

And for those interested in old-school vinyl, Songland boasts of a vast selection of new 180gm vinyl records.

Songland Records, Cooleman Court, Brierly Street, Weston, open seven days, songland.com.au

A new Cornerstone of fresh, affordable food

CORNERSTONE Cafe Co. opened seven months ago with the vision to create simple, delicious and fresh meals at a reasonable price, says owner Mark Dunphy. Located across the road from Cooleman Court, Cornerstone Cafe is fully licensed and air conditioned and open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, serving dinner on Thursday and Friday evenings.

“We are very child friendly and kids eat for free on Thursday nights,” says Mark.

“Our coffee is from local roasting house

Red Brick Espresso, which is unique to us and one other outlet in town. We receive heaps of compliments about our coffee and our baristas are well trained and passionate about what they serve,” he says.

Mark says the cafe is popular for weekend breakfasts and its menu has recently changed to reflect the change in season.

Cornerstone Cafe Co., 6/15-25 Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6162 1566.

Hairdressers who care for environment

HAIR in the City is a boutique salon located on the lower level of the Chapman Shopping Centre. The highly awarded, committed team of stylists provides a caring, friendly atmosphere, says advanced stylist and salon co-ordinator Heather Sainsbury.

“We are constantly improving our skills and compete on a national level, winning many accolades,” he says.

“This is to ensure we have the highest standards, so our clients get the best we can offer.”

Hair in the City is as committed to their customers as they are to sustainability and the environment and is proud to have recently joined Sustainable Salons Australia to help address the issue of recycling aluminium foils used in the hairdressing industry that contribute to 1500 tonnes of recyclable aluminium being sent to landfill each year across Australia.

Hair in the City now recycles 95 per cent of its waste.

“We are committed to sustainable growth that encourages social responsibility and respect for the planet. This simple initiative can make all the difference to what

was once landfill waste becoming a future resource”, says Heather. Excess shampoo and hair colour waste now go to a chemical recycler and plastics are also recycled into construction material and gardening equipment.

Heather says the team loves that the proceeds from recycling benefits community programs. Every kilogram of recycled aluminium helps Oz Harvest fund four meals for the homeless. Ponytails go to Variety, the children’s charity, to provide wigs to children with alopecia, while cut hair is made into booms used to absorb oil spills,” says Heather.

Located at Cooleman Court Shopping Centre, the Commonwealth Bank Weston branch allows customers to access a range of services during the Centre opening hours seven days a week, which has been welcomed by both business and personal customers.

The Weston branch features a more open and welcoming environment where customers are greeted by friendly staff who are able to assist them with their immediate needs, appointments and specialist requirements.

The branch also introduces the very latest banking technology including iPad Net Bank Kiosks and free Wi-Fi, Instant Cash and Cheque Deposit ATMs, coin counting and dispensing machines, a Business Change Machine and video conferencing

options for personal and business banking and financial advice.

Weston Branch Manager Rebecca Burns believes the opening of the new branch will provide an improved and interactive banking environment for local Weston customers.

“The combination of our friendly staff and new stateof-the-art technology means we can offer customers a seamless experience that is faster, more convenient, and meets their needs” she said.

You can find Rebecca and her team at the Weston Branch at Shop 5A, Cooleman Court, Weston ACT or call them on (02) 6288 4788 today.

Commonwealth Bank Weston is open normal banking hours for staff assistance: Monday to Thursday: 9:30am – 4:00pm Friday: 9:30am – 5:00pm Self-service technology is available during centre opening hours.

advertising feature

Computer geek Craig loves fixing problems

THE owner and “geek” of Craig the Computer Geek, Craig Plaister, has been in the computer business for 27 years. For the past three and a half years he has been running his business from Weston Creek, helping locals with all of their computer problems.

“The main thing I am asked to help with is to remove viruses,” says Craig. “I can custom-build new computers, repair laptop screens or keyboards, provide web hosting and build websites, too.”

“I am also available to help small businesses, tradies or community groups who don’t have the resources for a full-time IT guy, but need IT sorted

on a regular basis. I can work remotely or on site to help deal with issues,” says Craig.

Craig recommends that PC users upgrade their software now.

“Windows 10 has been out for four months now and it’s a good idea to upgrade, especially if you are using Windows 8,” he says.

Craig the Computer Geek. Follow Craig on Facebook or Twitter, visit craigthecomputergeek.com.au or call 0411 147909.

Relaxing massage with an Authentic touch

SIT back and relax at Authentic Chinese Massage, located next door to Sassy Hair at Weston.

Offering a suite of massages including remedial, relaxation, hot stone and deep tissue as well as reflexology and feet spa,

the Authentic Chinese Massage experience aims to leave its patrons relaxed and refreshed.

Owner Sucie Fan-Hackett says that first-time customers will receive a $10 discount and there are Christmas gift

vouchers available.

Rebates are available from 47 private health funds.

Authentic Chinese Massage, 8/14 Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6287 3088.

Champan Pharmacy always takes the time to care

THE Chapman Pharmacy has been serving the Weston Creek community for more than 40 years.

Pharmacist Veronica Vera says the team at Chapman Pharmacy pride themselves on being pleasant and providing swift service to their customers.

“We are an experienced dispensary and provide medication packs, medication history checks, patient counselling and advice,” she says. “When customers

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Pharmacy also sells a wide range of vitamins, skin care and gifts.

Chapman Pharmacy, Shop 2, 58 Perry Drive Shopping Centre. Call 6288 8684.

AWARD WINNING SALON

Photographer Adam Thomas

Accredited agency offers the best in holiday advice

WESTON Creek Cruise and Travel has a proud 35-year history operating in Weston Creek, says owner and Chapman local, Deb Long.

“We have lived here since 1997 and this is where we brought our kids up. We love it here!” says Deb, who has worked in travel since 1981.

“We provide old-fashioned customer service. We spend the time to get to know our clients, their preferences and what they like to do to ensure we give them the best advice and holiday experience,” she says.

Deb says the ATAS accredited Weston Creek Cruise and Travel team is honoured to be recognised in numerous

national awards, including being Scenic Tours’ “number-one agency”, and Deb is delighted to have been awarded its top consultant in Australia for the past four years. Their industry group, Travellers Choice, recently held their annual awards and Weston Creek Cruise and Travel was awarded the top agency for Scenic Tours for the second year in a row and recognised in the top 20 agencies nationally. Deb also runs travel tours for small groups to experience exotic locations such as the Mekong and Burma.

Weston Cruise and Travel, Cooleman Court, Brierly Street, Weston, westoncruiseandtravel.com.au, 6288 4400.

advertising feature

The experts in enjoying the best of BMX

FOR more than nine years, Back Bone BMX has been selling 100 per cent BMX products including whole bikes, parts, accessories, clothing and protective wear.

Back Bone BMX runs local and international jams and competitions. It sponsors the ACT Government’s Ride or Walk to School initiative, with all staff members involved as coaches in the program.

“We go out to 52 primary schools every year with our trailer of BMX bikes,” says manager Tyson Jones-Peni.

“We teach the kids the fundamentals of how to ride BMX. It’s a big part of what the shop is about – we believe in making sure the sport and art of BMX is enhanced.”

Tyson says that Canberra is well known for some of the best skate parks in the country and the strong BMX scene was the reason he moved to Canberra from regional Victoria nine

“I read about Back Bone opening in a magazine and knew I wanted to be part of it,” says Tyson.

The Back Bone team has also been busy completing an hour-long documentary video, shot at various locations over three years.

“The video showcases the best Canberra riders. We play the video in the shop to inspire new riders,” says Tyson.

Tyson says that the Back Bone team believes they have the best expert knowledge of BMX and wants to help their customers, especially kids who have never ridden BMX before, to find the best bike and inspire them to get involved with the sport that they are so passionate about.

Back Bone BMX, 82 Kalgoorlie Crescent, Fisher, 6288 5186, backbonebmx.com.au, or visit Back Bone BMX’s Facebook page.

Remedial

Relaxation

Feet Spa “Find us next to Sassy Hair” walk in or call 6287 3088 9am to 6pm 7 days Unit 8/14 Brierly St,

CAR MECHANICAL SERVICES

$8

Corner of Brierly and Trenerry Streets, Weston Creek Phone: 02 6162 1566

Adria Village at Stirling... “Our emphasis is on person-centred care.”

Village people enjoy a safe, caring environment

PROVIDING a caring, safe, home-like atmosphere, Adria Village in Stirling has been delivering low and high-level aged care for more than 20 years.

Adria Village contains low and and high-level residential care for 42 residents, as well as 36 independent living villas.

“Our emphasis is on person-centred care,” says manager, Iva Vujica.

“We provide care that is tailored to meet the individual needs of each person.

“We are also very multicultural. We were established by the Croatian community in 1994 and have expanded over the years. Our residents and staff come from diverse multicultural backgrounds.”

With a landscaped environment, a vegetable garden, a community room and events and activities through -

out the year, Iva says that Adria is very homelike. As well as organised social programs the village provides multilingual staff, bus services, regular Mass, an on-site chapel, a psychologist, podiatrist, chemist, hairdresser and pharmacist.

Adria Village also provides special-care units for residents with dementia and any other special needs, and has two respite care rooms for short-term care by arrangement.

“Adria Village is located 500 metres from Cooleman Court, and bus services connect it to Woden, Civic, Belconnen and Tuggeranong town centres,” says Iva. “It’s close to everything!”

Adria Village, 89 Fremantle Drive, Stirling, adria.org.au, 6288 0198.

Established in 1994 by the Canberra and Queanbeyan Croatian community. Created by the many selfless volunteers in admin and construction.

Adria Village was named after the Adriatic sea where it is renowned for its unique landscapes, islands and history.

Adria Village has 36 independent living units and 42 high care and dementia rooms incorporating 2 respite rooms with care provided by quality trained nurses and care staff.

arts & entertainment

Seeker finds a new home

By Helen Musa

KEITH

Potger

has moved to Braidwood and he wants to let everyone know about it.

Potger, one of the founding members of The Seekers, is holding solo concerts in his new hometown’s National Theatre during December, part of a drive to restore the historical, 200-seat, former roller-skating rink to its former glory.

After becoming aware that many locals don’t go out at night, he’s decided to add a couple of special daytime shows. “I’ve been planning a really lovely concert… I go through my life as a performer,” he tells “CityNews”.

Then at night, on December 5, he’ll chat with the audience as he performs old favourites from The Seekers, a touch of Nashville, some original ballads from his three solo CDs and a few covers of hits from the ‘60s to the ‘80s.

Potger has been living in Braidwood for a few months now, but tells us he’s known about it for a long time and nearly bought a house there in 1990.

“I’ve moved all around the world and lived all around the world, but Braidwood

has captured me now,” he says, explaining that Braidwood makes quite a good base for travelling, citing his “very exciting” March visit to Nashville. Just a jump from Canberra Airport and not too far from Sydney, he says, “it’s a handy place to live, with a great atmosphere and I’ve made some lovely friends.”

He still gets around Australia, performing and appearing as he did with The Seekers at the recent launch of the musical “Georgy Girl”, which opens in Melbourne during late December.

But his real new passion is for the 1920s local theatre that has played host to many entertainments and theatre productions.

“This will be a great space for all types of performances, such as music, small drama groups, Morning Melodies concerts

for seniors and rock’n’roll dance parties,” Potger enthuses and his concerts will aid the National Theatre Restoration Fund, adding to the contributions from the Braidwood Community Bank’s support of the refurbishment. As well, Potger’s production company, Circle Music, is planning events there for 2016.

Potger says the National has a wonderful PA system “perfect for acoustic instruments. It’s just me, my songs and the guitar – lovely and concise.”

“Morning Melodies” with Keith Potger, National Theatre, Wallace Street, Braidwood, 11.30am, December 1 and 2, bookings to 0455 832979. “An Evening with Keith Potger”, same venue, Saturday, December 5. All bookings to 4842 1700.

History played as the Röhns perform

By Helen Musa

THE Canberra International Music Festival has scored a major coup in its relentless search for novel fundraising events.

Five members of a formidable German musical dynasty will perform at The Crisp Galleries, home to famed glass artist, Peter Crisp and his mother and brother, Helen and Sandy Crisp, all noted music lovers.

“This is definitely a performance for the history books,” says festival artistic director Roland Peelman, as he invites us to remember the von Trapp family and the Mozart families.

The Röhns are headed by Andreas Röhn, leader of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for nearly three decades. He will perform alongside his violinist son, Daniel, his daughter Anja (concertmaster of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra) and their mother Kerstin Hindart, a noted accompanist.

There’s a local-region twist to the lineup with the appearance of Daniel’s new wife, flautist Ana Röhn de la Vega, who was educated in the NSW Southern Highlands and Wollongong. She recently performed solo with the English Chamber Orchestra.

Hearing they were in Australia for the wedding of Daniel and Ana, the festival seized the opportunity to have the Röhn family perform.

The family will perform works by Beethoven, Kreisler, Debussy and Dvorak, with the addition of fine wines by Clonakilla, food by Thyme to Taste of Yass, and a guided walk around the “garden rooms” of the Crisp Galleries.

The festival’s boast, “chamber music doesn’t get better than this” sounds like nothing less than the truth.

“Summer Lunch in the Garden with the Röhn Family”, The Crisp Galleries, Hume Highway, Bowning, 11.30am-3pm, Saturday, December 5. Bookings to cimf.org.au or 6230 5880.

Silly, improbable and funny

“Absolutely Anything” (M)

SEVERAL light millennia out there, a giant coelenterate houses a quartet of ugly lawmakers (voiced by the surviving Monty Pythons) who have judged planet Earth as unworthy to continue to exist. But the law requires that an inhabitant must be tested to confirm that destruction is appropriate.

The chosen tester is teacher Neil (Simon Pegg) who lives opposite Catherine (Kate Beckinsale), whom he dearly wishes would notice him. Neil personifies feckless. The film chronicles the consequences of his getting the power to make whatever he wishes happen simply by saying it and waving his hand. The possibilities are infinite.

Terry Jones’ film, co-written with Gavin Scott, exemplifies the well-worn adage about the dangers inherent in getting what you wish for. “Absolutely Anything” is deliciously silly, improbable beyond belief, funny both ha-ha and peculiar, gently didactic and frustratingly stupid (which is not the same as silly).

It’s also Robin Williams’ last film, voicing Neil’s dog Dennis. Dog lovers will take to Dennis with varying degrees of credulity, enthusiasm or distaste. Stay for the closing credits, showing Williams recording Dennis’ speeches.

At Palace Electric, Dendy

“Secret in their Eyes” (M)

WRITER/director Billy Ray’s Americanisation of Argentine filmmaker Juan Jose Campanella’s 2009 film “El Secreto de sus Ojos” is an easily (for the benefit of English-speakers) assimilable example of that cinematic rara avis, an intelligent thriller.

The main cast of “Secret in their Eyes” has impressive professional chops. Oscar-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor plays former FBI agent Ray, who has spent much of the last 13 years scanning mug-shots to locate the killer of the daughter of Ray’s colleague Jess (Oscar winner Julia Roberts).

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman plays lawyer Claire, once part of the original, unsuccessful team investigating the murder.

The screenplay segues comfortably between this year and 13 years ago. The interaction between divorced Ray and married-but-notworking-hard-at-it Claire forms an achingly powerful erotic undercurrent energised by the undeniable physical beauty of the two actors.

The film’s climax is an absolute screamer, in the sense of a powerful denouement totally unsignalled yet credible. As it develops, working out where it is going offers filmgoers an agreeable challenge.

At Palace Electric, Capitol 6, Dendy, Hoyts Belconnen, Limelight

“Crow’s Egg” (PG)

IN a slum beside a major rail corridor in Chennai, formerly known as Madras, Chinna and Peryia eke out a scant diet with eggs robbed from the nests of crows. Their mother earns a meagre income in a factory. Their father is in jail.

“Crow’s Egg” is a welcome digression from Indian mainstream cinema, aka Bollywood.

Watching child actors Ramesh and Vignesh carry this delightful social comedy is a delight. Being impoverished, they sell coal collected from beside the railway tracks to earn a pittance. They yearn to have TV. And in a burst of social happenstance, a set does arrive.

On the edge of the slum, a franchised pizza shop has opened. The boys have seen a celebrity arrive to perform the shop’s grand opening. They’ve seen pizza ads on the TV. What is this marvellous new food? How does it taste? When they try to get in, the security guy sends them packing.

Getting answers to those questions allows writer/ director M Manikandan to pillory a goodly collection of social customs and prejudices, both cosmopolitan and peculiarly Indian, and to highlight the differences between haves and have nots. Appropriately, the film has a sting in its tail. Foresee ing that is quite the best of its numerous small satisfactions.

At Palace Electric

Fond scenes from the ‘Summer’ classic

By Helen Musa

RAY Lawler’s archetypal Australian play “Summer of the Seventeenth Doll” is turning 60. Jordan Best, Jim Adamik, Liz Bradley and Alexander Hoskison have got together with Karen Vickery to present scenes from the 1955 play at the National Portrait Gallery, 1pm, November 28-29. Bookings not required, but donations welcome. Post-show discussion at 2pm on November 29.

PHOTOACCESS has an intriguing trio of solo exhibitions by artists-inresidence Hayley Boyle and Thea McGrath, and darkroom resident David Flanagan. Boyle presents “Akin to Lust”, in which the camera is said to have been used “as a form of self-surveillance alongside awareness of culture, representations of the body and sexuality”. Huw Davies Gallery, Manuka Arts Centre, December 3-13. Opening by NGA curator Anne O’Hehir, 6pm, on December 3. All welcome.

THE Canberra Men’s Choir will encourage audience participation at its Everybody Sing concert at the Uniting Church, 9 Denman Street, Yarralumla, 3pm, Sunday, December 6. Tickets, adults $10 and concessions $5, only at the door.

“EVANGELINE (or, the grief that does not speak whispers the o’erfraught heart, and bids it break)” is the testing title of a new live art work by Chenoeh Miller. A highimpact, physical theatre creation in Butoh-style, it’s the work of Little Dove Theatre Art. Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre, 8pm, December 3-5. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

ART in Miniature is an artists’ group whose members love to paint miniatures. AIM’s 2015 exhibition will be at Yarralumla Gallery, near the nursery, where 170 tiny art works in watercolour, acrylic, oil, gold leaf, embroidery and mixed media will be seen from 3pm, November 29 until January.

BUNGENDORE musical satirists Shortis and Simpson have a whole new batch of songs, mostly about our political leaders, in “Not Quite Christmas”, coming to Teatro Vivaldi on December 4 and 5. Bookings to 6257 2718.

SOME of Australia’s finest young classical musicians will compete in the national final of the Young Virtuoso Award at the Larry Sitsky Recital Room, ANU School of Music, 2pm, Sunday, November 29. Tickets at the door.

Affairs of a funny kind

theatre

“Don’t Dress for Dinner”

Directed by Walter Learning for Canberra Rep

At Theatre 3 until December 5.

Reviewed by Len Power

MARC Camoletti’s “Don’t Dress For Dinner”, in its English adaptation by Robin Hawdon, ran for six years in London’s West End from 1991.

A farce, in which both husband and wife are having affairs that collide on one memorable evening, the extra fun in this one is that the lies told get found out earlier than expected. This is really a very funny play.

Peter Holland’s and Rob de Fries’ sense of timing for both the physical and verbal action is perfect and they wring every laugh out of the script. Natalie Waldron and Michelle Cooper give amusing performances as Suzette and Suzanne. Daniel McCusker creates a nice character with the smaller role of George. You can usually expect a good production from director Walter Learning, but this one is especially memorable for its attention to detail. He keeps the pace running at a furious speed, but ensures that the actors can be clearly understood at every moment. Learning has given it that extra something.

Where less is more

BICICLETTA is a relaxed Italian café nestled in the pretty and inviting New Acton courtyard. It’s part of the Pepper Gallery Hotel and is, once again, open for lunch on weekends.

This is a rustic-looking bistro with a bit of industrial injected into the décor. Its claim to fame is authentic, handmade Italian fare.

The menu isn’t extensive but I’d rather a café offer fewer options and better food than the reverse, which is what Bicicletta excels at.

You can select from four antipasti plates to share ($12 to $15), including a marinated, seared beef tenderloin thinly sliced and served with Italian herbs, rocket, parmigiano and olive oil.

The three salad options (all $16) feature a smokey duck breast with peppery radicchio leaves, crostini, pecorino and an aged balsamic dressing. Four pizzas are on offer ($20 to $23), including the traditional Margherita for those who love tasty and simple. The kitchen creates four pastas ($22 to $24). On my visit, Bicicletta was celebrating re-opening for lunch with a couple of decent specials – any pasta with a glass of wine and any pizza with a beer for $25 (good value). It was pasta I

was after and it only took a flash in the pan for me to select the Gnocchi Funghi e Salsiccia (regularly $24).

This house-made gnocchi was light and fluffy, and the other ingredients an intriguing blend of flavours, with just the right intensity. The mixed wild mushrooms and pork sausages (crumbled) were sautéed in white wine and finished with Italian smoked provola. It was highly agreeable and a generous serve – I couldn’t finish it.

I really must return to try the crespelle, an Italianstyle crepe stuffed with beautiful ingredients such as porcini mushroom, asiago cheese and truffle oil ($24).

And I overheard staff describing to another table, just before I left, that Bicicletta’s spaghetti bolognese is a signature dish, made in the traditional “Nonna’s” way with three meats, served hot and spicy.

On my start to lunch: I popped by just before noon and was told the kitchen didn’t open for another 10 minutes. I wasn’t sure if that was a direction to leave, so tentatively asked if it was okay that I sat at a table and waited (which I was happy to do). “Sure” was the answer, so I did. I sat all by my lonesome while staff chatted inside. I wasn’t offered any water or a menu until the clock struck 12 – not exactly a warm-welcome start. Perhaps I should know better than to dare interrupt before service officially starts. Sigh.

Bicicletta’s wine list has several reasonably-priced options by the glass and the café offers coffees and meals to take away.

Bicicletta, 1/15 Edinburgh Avenue, New Acton, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days. Call 6262 8683. Licensed.

gardening

Playing favourites with flowers

I AM often asked what my favourite flower is, particularly during garden talks.

Taking the cue from the famous English gardener Christopher Lloyd: “My favourite flower is the one I am looking at at the time”.

My favourite flower this week is Cornus capitata, the evergreen dogwood. It is in full bloom in our garden with an absolute abundance of flowers. I particularly love the way the flowers change colour as they age.

Firstly, as in the picture, the flowers are lime green, gradually changing to a light green and finally into shades of pink. The flowers last a remarkably long time on the tree. Technically, they are bracts, not flowers, followed by large strawberry-like fruit.

The Royal Horticultural Society gave this tree its Award of Merit for its flowers in 1922 and for its fruit in 1974. This is an ideal tree for the small garden, ours is about six metres after 15 years.

SPIRAEA or May bush, with its white flowers appearing in early spring, finished flowering some weeks ago. However, the outstanding Spiraea japonica “Anthony Waterer”, with bright crimson flowers is now in full bloom.

In my original edition of “The Garden” journal, dated January, 1894, an advertisement by Waterers Nurseries advises gardeners: “In reply to the many inquiries and intending purchasers of this new plant, I beg respectfully to say that it will not be distributed until November, 1894”.

Costing seven shillings and sixpence, it was a hefty price at the time for a new variety of plant. And it is still readily available today.

It is one of a huge family, with Hillier’s trees and shrubs manual listing more than 120 varieties of May Bush.

An ideal shrub for the small garden, it looks particularly effective in a group of, say, three.

DESPITE the huge variety of plants available to gardeners today, with many plants we have only a fraction of the varieties of years ago. For example, another advert in the same journal of 1894 for hybrid tufted pansies, Dickson and Co, of Edinburgh, announces it has 120 varieties available at four to seven shillings a dozen depending on the variety.

The term tufted varieties has been properly used to distinguish plants of a spreading habit. Such exotic names include the Countess of Wharncliffe, Marchioness of Tweeddale and Lady Dundonald. It would be hard to find more than a dozen varieties of any sort of pansy available today.

“YATES Garden Guide” just gets better and better. The 44th edition has been fully revised and updated, profusely illustrated guiding every step of the way for the dedicated gardener to the absolute beginner.

Arthur Yates first published the gardening guide in 1895, which proved a winner from day one. Since then, Yates has become synonymous with all things gardening, helped

by this guide, with impressive sales of more than seven million copies. Available from most bookshops and newsagents. I am giving one lucky reader the chance to win a copy. Write your name, suburb and a contact phone number on the back of an envelope and mail it to Cedric’s Garden Guide Giveaway, GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601 by midday, Friday, December 4. Winner will be announced in my column of December 10.

WHY is it that blackbirds upset so many people? Sure, in their hunt for worms they scatter mulch all over paths. But so what? It’s the only bird I know that can sing from dawn to dusk without repeating a tune.

Jottings…

• For an early display of summer bedding plants, keep in mind from the time of planting (petunias etcetera) that they normally take eight weeks to be in full flower.

• Michelia figo or Port Wine Magnolia can be given a light prune now that it has finished flowering.

• Don’t put coffee grounds into garden beds because they kill microorganisms and worms.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Many Rams will feel mighty restless – especially on Monday, when the Sun/ Saturn conjunction stymies communication (or education) and frustrates travel plans. Then the Mercury/Uranus trine activates your adventure zone, and you’ll be dreaming of exotic escapades and foreign shores. Sunday is your best day of the week as the Sun and Mars boost motivation and energy levels. So, if you’ve got a challenging project that needs to be done – strike while the iron is hot!

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Taskmaster Saturn demands that you get some serious work done on Monday! Matters involving finances, taxes, study and research are highlighted but if you don’t check all the facts thoroughly then mistakes are likely. Venus (your ruling planet) shifts into your relationship zone on Saturday, where it stays until December 30. Attached Taureans – plan something extra romantic with your partner. Single Bulls – look for lasting love with a lusty Libran or a sexy Scorpion.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Your mercurial mind is hungry for a stimulating workout so it’s a wonderful week to solve a puzzle; play chess; dip into an adventure novel or try something new. Social networking and internet commerce are favoured, as you discover innovative ways to deliver your message. You’re in chatterbox mode on Friday, when Mercury and Jupiter stir up your communication gene. You’re keen to hear the latest neighbourhood news but don’t get carried away and spread salacious gossip!

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Expect an emotional rollercoaster this week, as the Full Moon unsettles you and stirs up unpredictable moods. So avoid making important decisions until things settle down. And don’t expect to achieve much of practical value, as you’re in the mood to daydream the hours away in your cosy Crab cave. You’re keen to retreat into your own private world but make sure you can differentiate between fact and fantasy, otherwise you’ll end up in a real mess – especially at work.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Saturn cramps your style on Monday, as your work is criticised or others fail to appreciate your creativity. Just remember that you are absolutely fabulous – even when people aren’t applauding! Your mood improves on Tuesday, when you shake off the mental cobwebs and learn something new. Sunday’s a super day to get the ball rolling on a challenging project. Inspiration is from Walt Disney (born on December 5): “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Are you stuck in a Virgo rut? Are you completing daily tasks on auto-pilot? Resist the urge to be too safe and sensible! With Jupiter in your sign (until September 2016) it’s time to broaden your horizons and activate your adventurous side. Whether you explore foreign shores or take on a challenge closer to home, your motto for the next nine months is from birthday great Mark Twain: “Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

On Monday there’s no substitute for hard work and no clever short cuts so stop complaining, roll up your sleeves, and get to it. Avoid procrastination like the plague! With gung-ho Mars moving through your sign (until January 3) strive to go after what you want with charm, confidence and plenty of chutzpah. And try to balance being mentally rigorous with some creative brainstorming. It’s time for multi-talented Librans to step into the spotlight and shine.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Is money too tight to mention? With Saturn moving slowly through your finance zone, your ability to budget is being tested. So it’s time to come up with a clever plan to cut spending and boost cash flow. Financial improvements and sacrifices you make now will pay off handsomely in the future. With Venus vamping into your sign on Saturday (until December 30) you’ll be at your bewitching and sexy Scorpio best as you utilise charm and consultation to get others onside.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

There’s no denying there’s a tricky dilemma this week Sagittarius. You want to go, go, go – but the preferred planetary pace is slow, slow, slow! Monday looks mighty frustrating, as Saturn stymies you at every turn. Then, as the week progresses, sloppy attention to detail could see a promising project fall flat. Attached Archers – you’re keen to get things moving in a new romantic direction but remember that promises are cheap. Your partner is hoping you will walk your talk.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

The pressure’s on! You’ve got an incredible amount on your plate so aim to work smarter, rather than harder. And have you got a problem you can’t solve with logic? If you allow yourself the time and space to day-dream; imagine and visualise; then you’ll come up with a surprising solution. Let your subconscious mind do the work! When dealing with friends, colleagues, clients or customers, a combination of being proactive and being diplomatic brings the best results.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Adventurous Aquarians are in freedom-bunny mode on Tuesday and Wednesday, when positive Mercury/Uranus aspects fire up your curious mind and your independent nature. Communication is the buzz word as you seek out colleagues, friends and acquaintances. It’s not what you know – it’s who you know – so make the most of your networking skills and international connections. But be careful you don’t get carried away and unintentionally blurt out a secret.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Work or home life will be challenging on Monday, when someone expects you to complete a task on a very tight timeline. Don’t complain or descend into confusion – just put your head down and get on with it. On Thursday and Friday you’re in the mood to daydream but don’t overdo it. Keep a firm grip on reality, otherwise you’ll delude yourself about a person or situation. To avoid disappointing yourself (and others) stay on top of facts and leave fantasy for the movies.

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

4 What is a derived form of verbs?

7 What is a slaughterhouse better known as?

8 Which garden implements are used to cut lawn borders?

9 Name a small, long-haired Chinese dog.

11 Name the leader of an Australian state government.

13 What is a holy war undertaken with papal sanction?

15 Which containers are used to boil water?

17 What is a snag more readily known as?

20 Which bore is used to draw up water by hydrostatic pressure?

23 Name an earlier term applied to silver.

24 Which word describes morbid self-conceit?

25 What do we call those who are fully skilled in matters?

Down

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3 Which Australian peninsula is on the N E point of Arnhem Land NT?

4 Name an Australian academic and feminist writer in Britain, Germaine ...

5 What is a system of government called?

6 Which profession did Florence Nightingale follow?

9 Name the nuts of a hickory tree.

10 What do we call the presiding officer in the House of Representatives?

12 Which sweet grape is dried in the sun, or artificially?

14 To be dozing, is to be what?

16 Who was responsible for the European discovery of New Zealand, etc, Abel ...?

18 Which term describes that which is bitterly pungent?

19 Name the founder of the Microsoft Corporation, Bill ...

21 Which ancient city was besieged by the Greeks for ten years?

22 Which compound turns blue litmus paper red?

A Fresh Approach by Dr Vass

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch or a free hearing test’ – By Dr Vass

A question that is becoming more common in my practice is ‘do I offer free hearing tests’ my answer is always the same ‘No’ and I never will. Like the saying goes ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ everything has its price, if you are being offered a free hearing test I think you need to ask yourself one important question ‘why is it free?’

Usually it is a sales pitch, an attempt to get customers into a clinic to try and sell them hearing aids or a way of capturing personal information to add to a company database. The more recent trend of offering patients gimmicks such as; ‘make a booking today for a free hearing test and go into a draw to win a prize’ is even more alarming.

As a Doctor of Audiology I find this approach demeaning to those who work hard to keep the hearing industry professional. When seeking help for a medical problem do you really need to go in the draw for a Christmas turkey?

I have been in the industry for over 37 years and I take my profession seriously. I am passionate about the hearing industry and I believe that the knowledge and advice that I share with my patients is invaluable. My philosophy is simple – My patients and their wellbeing come first. I welcome anyone to come in and have a chat if they have noticed a change in their hearing range or they are unhappy with their current hearing devices.