151203 citynews

Tom’s big birthday among the bugs

By Kate Meikle

WITHIN the CSIRO lies the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC), home to more than 12 million insect specimens dating back to the 1890s.

The largest collection in Australia, the ANIC boasts of having one third of Australia’s collection of insects and features international specimens and related species such as a spider collection. Each specimen is painstakingly preserved and labelled in display cabinets and drawers that are maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers, co-ordinated by retired CSIRO researcher, Tom Vanderwen.

For the past 18 years, Tom has led the group of 116 past and 24 present volunteers, who have collectively clocked up over 90,000 hours of volunteering since the inception of the scheme in 1998.

The collection informs researchers, agriculturalists and ecologists about the impacts of the environment on insect species and grows by 100,000 insects each year.

Since Tom was 20, he has been involved with insects, starting at the CSIRO in Canberra as a new immigrant from Holland in an assistant-researcher role in 1956. Tom assisted with a largescale population study of blowflies in the district.

“Blowflies are a major pest to sheep farmers,” explains Tom. “We discovered that blowflies are activated to fly in the morning due to the heat of the sun, but when the temperature peaks at the middle of the day, we found that blowflies like to take a siesta and sit on a leaf and wait for the temperature to drop before flying again,” he says.

“In 1959, a very fortunate thing happened to me, I fell in love and wanted to marry my wife, Margaret,” says Tom.

“I wanted to make a career at CSIRO but needed more money to marry so I re -

signed against my better judgement and worked at the Charles Rogers department store, delivering furniture and working in the grocery department.”

Three years later, Tom was approached by Dr Barton Brown who has done his thesis on the Queensland fruit fly to come back to CSIRO as his assistant. Tom was delighted, although he kept his weekend and Friday evening shifts at the East Row store and married Margaret in 1961.

“I set a goal to make a career out of research and stayed for the next 38

years, studying blowflies mostly. In research, you find that once you answer one question you get 10 new questions so there was always interesting work to do,” says Tom.

In 1996, Tom retired but still kept in touch with his colleagues. He was invited to set up the volunteer scheme at the ANIC in 1998.

“I knew the ins and outs of entomology and was always interested in this area although I never really worked in the taxonomy field, I wanted to know more about the collection,” he says.

Starting as the inaugural volunteer, Tom had recruited 20 others by the end of the first year and the scheme grew from there.

“All our volunteers have an interest in insects but not all have a science background. Six students have secured jobs with us and others have gone on to find work in related areas.

“The volunteers provide enormous benefit to the health and future of the collection, they help improve it and make a big difference,” says Tom.

Tom celebrates his 80th birthday on Tuesday, December 8 and his colleagues at ANIC will mark the occasion with a special celebration.

“Having set goals throughout my career, my goal on retirement was to live 100 years, so I look forward to continuing my work for many years to come,” he says.

Bollywood spectacular

MORE than 60 dancers will perform “a riot of swirling colours, high-energy music and sensational dance scenes” in “Straight Outta Bollywood”, this year’s Canberra School of Bollywood Dancing’s annual dance concert at the ANU Art Centre, Civic, on Saturday, December 5. In aid of Ronald McDonald House, tickets are $25 ($20 concession) and can be booked via trybooking.com/JQEI

Clothing slashed!

ALL adult clothing will be reduced by 50 per cent at Opportunity To Do’s final Charity Garage Sale for 2015 at 5 O’Grady Place, Wanniassa, 7am-noon, on Saturday, December 5. Organisers promise a huge range of babies’, children’s, adults’ and household items, all at affordable prices. All proceeds go towards funding projects that promote sustainability and self-reliance in poor communities.

Terribly British…

ASTON Martin, Lotus, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and Sunbeam are just six of the British car makes to be on display at the 40th anniversary of Terribly British Day at Weston Park, Yarralumla, 10am-3pm, on Sunday, December 6. The chairman of the Terribly British Day, Paul Sutton, says that more than 300 British vehicles are expected to be displayed. Entry is free.

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How macho men confront the nation

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THE violent actions of men –from the international arena to the home – took centre stage this past week. And PM Malcolm Turnbull found himself engaged on both fronts.

In his national security report to Parliament he counselled “moderation” over “machismo”, in sharp and purposeful contrast to his predecessor, the former Oxford boxing Blue. And the sideswipe was not lost on the neocon rump – including our own Senator Zed Seselja – at their regular Tuesday lunch. However, Turnbull’s 65 per cent polling numbers ensured that they kept their grumbles sotto voce and instead feasted on Tony Abbott’s contribution –the cake baked by his Canberra landlady, the versatile Peta Credlin

BUT the real focus of the week quickly turned to domestic violence; and all Parliamentarians were happy to follow the PM’s lead in their condemnation of its horrors.

The two-part ABC series by Sarah Ferguson and the “Q&A” special that followed were devastating. The statistics alone were shocking – no fewer than 70,000 Australian men are now under domestic violence restraining orders (DVOs). In military terms, that’s five infantry divisions! It’s

The pity is that Simon Corbell allowed waiting times to deteriorate so much that expensive emergency funding was necessary… so it’s not surprising that Andrew Barr wants more GST money in the coffers.

10,000 more than the entire full-time cohort of the ADF. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The government’s $100 million funding will go some way to assist, but on top of the appalling behaviour exposed in the Royal Commission on child abuse, there are clearly fundamental problems to be confronted.

ON the local front, the indefatigable Simon Corbell signalled a rollout of recharging stations for electric cars to cut CO2 emissions. Nice idea, Simon, but that’s only one element in the revolution taking place in the car business. According to Industry Department projections, Uber is the forerunner of a movement that will see private car ownership become an optional extra… and that would make his expensive light rail system redundant.

ANOTHER blow came from Griffith University’s senior transport planner, Matthew Burke, who says the Gungahlin tram route “will get a few more riders than existing bus services but at great expense”. He says the system “only makes sense when it’s extended south through the Parliamentary Triangle and down to Woden. You’ll then get bureaucrats during the day travelling to other offices and tourists to those tourist sites”. Otherwise the finances don’t add up. THEN came Simon’s decision to devote $12 million to a “surgical taskforce” next year to perform 1000 extra elective surgeries. Another good idea. The pity is that he allowed waiting times to deteriorate so much that expensive emergency funding was necessary… so it’s not surprising that Andrew Barr wants more GST

ROBERT MACKLIN

money in the coffers. Indeed, the GST debate is not going well for Labor, with SA Premier Jay Weatherill the latest to break ranks with his Federal leadership. “It’s needed for health care,” he says. “It would give us a fighting chance. At the moment we’ve got none.”

Finally, while this week’s Australian Masters winner, the eponymous 56-year-old Queenslander Peter Senior, is a nice bloke, his victory was a telling commentary on the sad state of Australian golf. Player numbers are way down. Obviously, the game is too genteel for real Aussie blokes. Maybe if play-offs were decided by duelling with five irons at the 19th hole…

robert@robertmacklin.com

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lowbrow

Taxis, trips and drugs

RECENTLY, we had an interesting story out of Sydney. A cocaine-trafficking cartel had been broken up.

Otherwise functional human beings had established a network with taxi drivers whereby a text message to a number (oft changed) would lead to a quick ride around the block with monies exchanged and substances passed over in return.

They would then proceed to enjoy their Friday night before going home and continuing to be productive members of society.

Thankfully, the NSW Police were down on this like a tonne of bricks with portly taxi drivers humiliated in their underwear for the benefit of “The Daily Telegraph”.

I have to admit, at the moment I’m a drug user myself.

Feeling sore, awful and rundown, I pop a fexo and suddenly the world is an awesome place.

Luckily for me, a fexo is a generic analog for the old Telfast and it clears up my hayfever.

Popping down from the palatial “CityNews” offices to the Garema Place chemist I pay $9 for a pack of 10 fexos. No prescription and no questions asked.

For archaic reasons, other people with other drug desires need to enter the criminal sphere to satisfy their needs.

Canberra, for instance, boasts a cadre of mothers who get their children over-prescribed with ritalin so they can swap part of the prescription to dope dealers.

When we talk about the war on drugs we should know that in World War II every major power doled out amphetamines to the troops like it was candy.

As a civilian standing on the sidelines, it’s certainly worth noting that the cartels in “Narcos” were willing to lose 60kg of drugs in a day to law enforcement to make sure the other 600kg got through.

When we hear about our police making a major drug bust “acting on intelligence” it’s worth remembering that intelligence was likely a rival drug gang effectively making our police their own muscle.

Furthermore, when we talk about the war on drugs we should know that in World War II every major power doled out amphetamines to the troops like it was candy, the British alone making 70 million doses, and early James Bond books were redolent of the hero huffing bennies.

A lot of people caught up in the ice scourge are trying to hold down two jobs after coffee isn’t enough to get them through the split shift. It would be nice if we could all be trusted to act morally in our own self interest. The economic models would certainly be a lot cleaner.

The reality is that huge swathes of the population engage in self-harmful behaviour and nothing the rest of us say or do is ever going to change that.

Returning to the busted taxi ring, it’s worth noting that Pablo Escobar, in his meteoric ascent to being the richest criminal in human history, according to the wonderful Netflix series “Narcos”, used three taxis in Colombia as a money laundering front that saw the taxis also be the most profitable ever known.

The most messed up people I’ve ever known were chronic alcoholics. A week long binge on pizza and Netflix will take years off your life.

I’m not saying drugs are good. I just wonder why we all can’t walk down to the chemist and pay a dollar a pill for something that will make us feel how we want to feel.

Liberals get mojo back, don’t they?

As the ACT Liberals seek government, in October, will lessons from the conservative Abbott and Campbell Newman governments hit home?

CHANGING the leader has dramatically changed the Federal coalition. But is it just a ruse to win the next election?

Labelling politicians and putting them into boxes is convenient. But it is always tricky. It simplifies the message, but rarely paints the full picture.

In the not too distant past Malcolm Turnbull would have been called a “wet” – a Liberal Party member who is a liberal rather than a conservative. In contrast, Tony Abbott is a little easier as he has no hesitation in identifying as a conservative. The government under his leadership was unashamedly conservative; the focus on the leader, the rhetoric, the hardline stance on Budget matters and the selection of key ministers told the story.

The electorate did not like this level of conservatism. It’s not that Abbott is not personable; most who have met and chatted to him would agree. But this is the same for the vast majority of politicians, it’s how they get through pre-selection. It contrasts with an uncompromising commitment to his conservative ideology.

The ACT Liberals wrestle with the same tensions. Leader Jeremy Hanson is politically more aligned to Turnbull while the majority of his colleagues are on the conservative end of the spectrum. Oppositional politics has been a determinant to a certain extent, but generally they have tended to lean to the conservative side, particularly on social issues.

In the week after Turnbull’s ascendancy to Prime Minister, Labor’s Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek identified him as “a hollow man” arguing that his “backflips” on climate change and marriage equality illustrate that “this new Prime Minister is actually just like the old one. There’s a bit of difference to the style, but the policies

It may have looked that way,

however the past few months have revealed an extraordinary change in tone across government. The conservatives have slipped into the background and the liberals (or wets) have found their feet.

The challenge is determining the extent to which this is smoke and mirrors. Is it a ruse for electoral advantage or a genuine case of changing to a more thoughtful, measured approach, as the new Prime Minister has clearly delivered?

The vast majority of conservatives have seen the outcome of militant conservatism and made the pragmatic decision that it’s better to be in government and accept the compromise of a more moderate approach.

ACT Senator Zed Seselja, a strong Abbott supporter and a self-proclaimed conservative, has been surprisingly quiet. Perhaps he has also determined the pragmatic approach is better for the party and better for his own future opportunities.

Despite all the grandiloquence about the disaster of revolving leadership, our parliamentary system is operating the way it should. The electorate has welcomed the softer, more thoughtful, consultative, less combative Turnbull government.

The Prime Minister’s parliamentary statement following the terrorist attacks in Paris illustrates the point when he argued Australia should not abandon its values as “the most successful and harmonious multicultural society in the world”.

Rather than stridently reacting by seeking stronger laws that undermine liberty, he took a more measured approach, suggesting “the terrorists want us to bend to their will, to be frightened, to change the way we go about our lives, to abandon our values. If we do that, they win and they will not win, we will not let them win.”

As the ACT Liberals seek government, in October, will lessons from the conservative Abbott and Campbell Newman governments hit home? If they run hardline conservative policies into the next election Canberrans will be faced with a “Hobson’s choice”.

It stinks: no help for autistic Ryan

QUITE often providing public scrutiny, through talkback radio, on the government and its officials can lead to changes or at least a re-think on issues and decisions.

But not for Amy and Phil Garner. They have called this city home for nearly a decade after moving from NZ. They have two children, Ella, 6, and Ryan 4.

Ryan’s a gorgeous, cheeky little bloke. However, his blond locks and innocent smile mask some serious issues. He has been diagnosed with autism.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which the Garners – like everyone else – pay for through an increased Medicare levy, initially approved support for him to assist early intervention via speech therapy and other services. However, support was withdrawn when it was noticed his parents are NZ citizens.

Despite having lived in

Australia for 10 years, having paid taxes, rates and a mortgage – they have been left with no Federal Government support. I think it stinks.

Phil, now struggling with three jobs, works as a delivery driver six days a week, and has taken on two part-time gym jobs to support his family – which means he rises each morning around 1am – catching sleep between shifts.

Many have asked why doesn’t the family simply return to NZ and others say the children, including Ryan, will be able to become citizens when they turn 10. However, as anyone with a child on the spectrum knows, early intervention is crucial –and by the time this little boy is eligible for assistance it might be too late. It is tough and it is unfair.

Marcus Paul is the drive announcer on 2CC

Put money back into pockets of the workers

By Kirk Coningham

THE construction industry is critical to Canberra’s future; for every $1 million spent on construction, an additional $2.9 million is generated within the broader economy, giving rise to 46 jobs.

The construction industry not only creates the buildings and infrastructure that make Canberra a great place to live, but also jobs and opportunities throughout the entire economy.

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption has found evidence of bullying, intimidation and exclusion that is strangling competition and sapping the industry.

Evidence has been tabled that the CFMEU raised $1.2 million in 2013-14 from undisclosed payments in enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) – and that’s just in Canberra.

This has inflated costs, eroded competition and put jobs at risk.

Nationally, the union has paid out more than $10 million in court fines and legal settlements in the past year. These fines are passed on to members.

This week, Master Builders ACT is launching a campaign to dispel some of the myths about EBAs. For example, research shows that having a union EBA doesn’t necessarily improve safety on construction sites. Experts agree that the foundations of safety on construction sites are workplace culture, consultation and collaboration.

Construction industry workers are surprised to learn that they can get the same or better pay and conditions with an EBA than they negotiate with their employer.

Workers on construction sites around Canberra are talking to their teams about how to reclaim their right to choose when they want to take their rostered days off, when they want to work overtime and where to invest savings for retirement.

We can create a sustainable future built on cooperative workplaces, healthy competition and shared values – but only by working together.

It’s time to put the money back in the pockets of workers and businesses, and build a better Canberra.

Kirk Coningham is the Master Builders ACT executive director. More information at mba.org. au/news-and-media/get-a-better-deal/

Matt’s big passion for building quality

It’s not about living in boxes, says developer Matt James, who has returned home determined to make a difference, reports KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK

HE avoids suits, loves sneakers and had dreams of being a musician while growing up, but Matt James, co-founder of boutique property development company Crafted, has found his niche.

“I like being able to take a piece of land and create something that’s a quality built product, with highend materials, finishes and building quality,” he says.

“This job gives me the opportunity to do something special. It’s not about living in boxes; our designs are bespoke for every project and respond to the site.”

Matt started Crafted with Peter Sarris, a former colleague at Sydney’s Macquarie Bank, in 2012 after nearly 10 years working in both its real estate and investment banking groups.

“While working in property development and finance at Macquarie Bank, I found that I really enjoyed property – it intrigued me,” he says.

“I was involved in real-estate development projects across Australia, established real estate equity funds and provided structured financing for a variety of projects, including airports and theme parks.”

He says he was also able to invest in Canberra, as the equal joint-venture partner with the Molonglo Group for the Property Council and Australian Institute of Architects 2012 Project of the Year, The Apartments at NewActon South.

Matt says he eventually started to feel the pull back to his home town of Canberra.

“Ultimately Peter and I wanted to be more creative and flexible,” Matt says. “We are both from Canberra, so we felt we understood the market here.

Matt James... “I like being able to take a piece of land and create something that’s a quality built product.”

Photo by Andrew Finch

“It’s been nice to come home to Canberra, it’s such a lovely place – I know people complain about the weather but I love it.

“It’s also really convenient here and a great place to do business.”

Matt says that Crafted is focused on a bespoke and considered design approach to every project, as well as environmental sustainability and excellence in quality – in the delivery of large-scale residential and

FAST NEWS FIRST

Wine and

commercial development projects in Canberra.

Their projects to date include the Prince in Kingston Foreshore, with The Brindabella, in Greenway, and Neon House in Civic also underway.

“We bought the site in Kingston Foreshore about 18 months ago with 160 apartments, and we have sold all but 15,” he says.

“We wanted the Prince to be our flagship project, and from there we’ve moved into The Brindabella, with the key difference of density – here we have 170 buildings, 31 townhouses and 144 apartments over 2.6 hectares.”

Matt says that when he and Peter were looking at competing projects at the time, they were much more urban in style.

“We decided that we wanted to do the opposite at The Brindabella, as we had the luxury of all this land on the edge of the Murrumbidgee River corridor and nature reserve,” he says.

The new project in Greenway will feature uninterrupted views over the Brindabellas and a central village green inspired by the secret gardens in London’s Notting Hill.

“We’re trying to create the highest-quality product in the south, with a Scandinavian palette of dry pressed brick, metal, glass, off-form concrete and stone, and an average energy efficiency rating of 7.7 stars,” he says.

Matt says that the 10-staff strong Crafted is a fun company to work for.

“I love the flexibility of running my own business, and it gives me the chance to create and build something special.”

More information at thebrindabella.com.au

your career

LOCAL artists are offering wine and nibbles to inveigle prospective buyers to the opening of the Canberra Art Workshop’s Annual Art Competition and Exhibition at M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, 6pm-8pm, on Friday, December 11. Meet the artists and enjoy the opportunity to view and purchase selected works. The exhibition runs to December 17.

Peachey award

LOCAL artist and wildlife photographer Marg Peachey has been awarded an International Fund For Animal Welfare Award. She has spent many years working with wildlife as a carer and shelter manager, and two years ago set up Canberra’s wildlife rescue group ACT Wildlife, which rescues, rehabilitates and releases wildlife native.

Powerful contract

ACTEWAGL has won a four-year contract to supply electricity to 72 Commonwealth departments and agencies in the ACT following, what GM Retail Ayesha Razzaq described as, a highly competitive tender process.

At CIT you will build valuable workplace skills with training delivered by highly experienced industry professionals, helping you gain employment in the professional industry sector. Get qualified and open a world of exciting career opportunities.

Secure your place for 2016. Enrol now for study in:

Information and enrolment sessions:

Business, management, human resources and marketing: Tuesday 8 December and Wednesday 9 December, 4:30pm, Room B117, CIT Reid

Business administration: Tuesday 8 December and Wednesday 9 December, 5pm, Room F110, CIT Woden

Accounting, bookkeeping and legal studies: Friday 11 December, 12:30pm and Monday 14 December, 5pm, Room B202, CIT Reid

DOMESTIC SKIPS

Spooky night at the penitentiary

QUEANBEYAN’S Nichole Overall, is heading to prison and is looking for others to share her “creepy” short stretch for charity.

The “Mystress of Mystery”, creator of the popular Mysterious Queanbeyan by Moonlight Tours and the successful Ghost Train of the Limestone Plains, is hosting a “A Night at the Haunted Penitentiary” on December 19.

“This is a one-night-only event not to be missed!” she says.

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“The evening includes a terrifying journey inside an abandoned building transformed for the occasion, music and a barbecue when all the screaming is done.

“Over the course of its long and colourful past, Queanbeyan’s had its share of convicts, bushrangers, prison escapees – and many a reputedly haunted location linked to crime and mayhem.

“In a unique regional event, the public

will have the chance to explore this mysterious and darker side.

“Participants will be able to walk through deserted corridors, silent rooms, restricted areas and empty cells – although, perhaps not so empty. It’s a place where your worst nightmares come together behind the barred windows.

“The now abandoned building at the heart of this stands on ground which has witnessed much. If a pre-requisite of a haunting is a particularly intense tragedy or emotion, there’s been no shortage of them here.

In aid of the Queanbeyan Children’s Special Needs Group, there will be three sessions: “Family Fun” at 7.30pm; “Are You Brave Enough?”, 9pm and “Terror Behind the Walls” at midnight.

Bookings to 0413 671123 or email qbn@qbncityofchampions.com.au Tickets at the door, $30 adults and $25 for under 16 and concessions.

Grave ‘lost’ by guardians

I AM one of the five volunteers comprising the Finding Sydney Foundation, which discovered the wreck of HMAS Sydney II in 2008. I have an abiding and very active interest in all matters concerning this important part of our history, so I would like to correct some aspects of Jon Stanhope’s column (“Australia remembers and chooses to forget”, CN, November 12).

Firstly, the “unknown” sailor’s grave on Christmas Island was “lost” by its guardians and only found after two archaeological digging expeditions by the Navy in 2001 and 2006.

Secondly, the man’s grave in Geraldton is placed in its War Cemetery, which is maintained

under the auspices of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It is clearly identified, is well cared for and often visited, especially on occasions such as the anniversary of Sydney’s loss on November 19 when I visited the grave, as I do each year. I noted that it had some poppies placed there.

It seems to me that it should be the families of all of the men who were killed in Sydney who should be respected in this issue. My impression from some of them at the ceremony in Geraldton last month and the very many who attended his interment in 2008, is that he is home, where he belongs.

Bob Trotter, via email

Defending the indefensible

T HE ACT Government has been defending the million-dollar beach volleyball facility after a cost blowout.

Again, Mr Barr defends a simply indefensible ACT Green-Labor Government project. Six hundred people will use it, while thousands wait for the restoration of the

Canberra International Dragway and, of course, the V8 Supercars. Of course, the beach facility could be reshaped a little and used for a miniature Dakar Rally course for radio-control and nitro-model car racing in winter. Hey, just saying.

Michael Attwell, Dunlop

Fame and how to find it...

CANBERRA has a rich sporting history, but it remains hidden unless you head out to the University of Canberra, where the corridor of its sporting hub is lined with photos recognising the exploits of people who have paved the way for the current generation who will themselves, in time, adorn the walls.

The ACT Sporting Hall of Fame has struggled to find a home. It has gone from the former Hackett Primary School to Canberra Stadium and now the UC.

Over the years, there have been murmurings to build a permanent facility to showcase Canberra’s sporting history, but this idea has run out of steam many times, although some attempts to provide a stage for our sporting history had momentum.

There was a proposal at one stage to build a sporting museum in the Lyneham precinct; there was also the “walk of fame” in front of the Canberra Theatre.

Surely, the time has come for a permanent home for the Hall of Fame.

Perhaps the new indoor sporting stadium on the site of the Civic Olympic Pool is an option. At least it is central and the plan is to run the facility throughout the year and not just for sporting events.

And just on the building of a new aquatic facility, there is hope that construction on the Molonglo Pool will be underway next year. There is also the likelihood of the pool incorporating a new diving facility with Civic’s Olympic Pool having a limited life span.

AS we have seen with reviews into sporting teams and organisations, they can come with a certain amount of pain, while at other times a review can be cathartic.

The review into the Canberra Capitals’ program has the potential to have both elements.

One aspect you’d hope would be addressed is the resourcing needed to put a competitive team on the floor.

The Capitals run a lean operation. That is okay while everything is going well, but when things are not going well it can become exacerbated.

There is no doubt about it, the side has been dogged by wretched bad luck with two stars pulling out before the start of the season, injuries to Lauren Jackson and Abby Bishop, and the list goes on. The link with the UC has been positive in that players have access to further studies as part of their basketball careers. It’s hoped the club could build on that in the future.

One question that, no doubt, will be asked is: Can the university offer more in terms of resources to support the program?

There also needs to be an advantage in terms of a home court. The on-again, off-again move away from

scene / around canberra

Social event of the week / Leadership in Government Awards, National Press Club

THE Leadership in Government Awards for the Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ was a keenly anticipated night for guests and particularly the award recipients as the guest of honour, keynote speaker and presenter was Sir Bob Geldof – and he was in the mood for kissing and hugging.

But before we got there, his address kept a room full of accountants, public servants and their partners silent and in awe of the breadth and depth of his opinions and solutions to a myriad of current issues and problems this world is facing.

Geldof is a musician, as music provided a diversion for the young man whose mum had died and, with his two sisters, was left to their own devices from a young age. Today he is also an entrepreneur, humanitarian, businessman and respected speaker espousing an intelligent and blunt opinion on everything from climate change, equality, leadership and why he thinks we haven’t begun this new century yet. he was applauded for opinions of Donald Trump and the need to defeat the “living cancer” that Comprehensive and erudite, Sir Bob deserved all the hugging and kissing and, please, get a copy of his autobiography “Is That It?” It’s one of the best I’ve read.

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At the National Association of Women in Construction Christmas cocktails, New Acton

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Canberra Confidential

Happy knight for Gail

FORMER London coffee-lounge folk singer and latter-day Canberra accountant Gail Freeman is often to be found in the merch queue after concerts to share a fraternal word with a visiting star or two.

CC is therefore unsurprised to see her flashing this snap around Facebook of her chumming up with singer Sir/Saint Bob Geldof, who was at the Press Club on his best behaviour the other night.

The one-hit-wonder (“I Don’t Like Mondays”) and global human rights campaigner was improbably in town to give the keynote speech for the Leadership in Government Awards. According to one snout, despite some gentle pressure not to swear, the Irish knight dropped a few eff bombs through his well received discourse and shared some frank views of leadership. Apparently, he doesn’t think much of it. Despite that, he brought the house down.

Groundhog Day

DESCRIBING the Federal Golf Club’s seventh attempt to build 150 houses and apartments as “Groundhog Day”, president of the Red Hill Regenerators

Ross Kingsland says the conservation group is “bitterly disappointed” that the cash-strapped club has dusted off failed development applications to yet again seek “inappropriate development on their lease”.

However, he says, this time it’s bigger than before and would require tens of hectares of clearance within the adjoining Red Hill Nature Reserve for fire management, roadworks and other infrastructure.

“It would also require bulldozing at least 300 native trees and nationally important endangered woodland,” he says.

No more Mr Nice Guy?

DID local Liberals’ media flack Joe Prevedello cross a line by playing nice guy and distributing a media release on behalf of the Speaker?

Vicki Dunne’s announcement of the Legislative Assembly prizes for art strangely came from the Liberal press office.

“Joe, is the Speaker required to clear her communications with your office or is her office unable to send a media release?” we waggishly wondered.

“Usually these Speaker releases get sent out from the Assembly, but the person who usually does it was away,” Joe replied.

“That particular release needed to be sent out on Friday so I did them a favour and put

it out for them. I never clear these releases, they are for the Speaker.”

All of which is a sad reflection on Assembly resources that no one in the Speaker’s office was capable of circulating a little news.

Rouge with anger

AS factionally challenged Environment Minister Simon Corbell joins the other 39,999 junketeers to the Paris climate change conference, one exasperated Canberra ratepayer has written to declare the trip a “rort” and urging “CityNews” to lodge an FOI on the travel/accommodation expenses when he gets back.

“Apart from the cost and self-indulgence, none of us exist in a bubble… the ACT could put in place the best, greenest environmental policies and processes in the world, and they would count for little if the major manufacturing states either side of us kept chugging away in full-bore industrial mode,” our correspondent harrumphs.

“The only consoling thought about Corbell’s trip is that all the famous five-star hotels in Paris will be booked out for genuine VIPs, and Simon could be staying in a dodgy motel in the distant outer suburbs, where life is pretty challenging these days.”

Moving House

WITH a looming pokie grab by the casino, it isn’t the time for ClubsACT to lose the sharp political nous of its CEO Jeff House, who is heading to the local bureaucracy as deputy director-general Arts, Business, Events, Sport & Tourism. And long-time breakfast host Mark Parton leaves 2CC on December 18 to cultivate his marketing business.

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Organisers organise non-organiser

JENIFER Dwyer Slee, pictured, is the first amongst us to be gonged with a Lifetime Award from the Professional Conference Organisers Association. And she’s not even a conference organiser! She’s the director of sales and marketing at the National Convention Centre.

“Jenifer truly cares about bringing business to Australia and to Canberra

and has been open and generous in sharing her knowledge in how the hotel sector operates with PCOs, to help with their professional development and upskilling,” says Barry Neame, president of the PCO Association. “This includes helping young people entering the industry acquire quality skills and quickly. Jenifer has always been open to being a mentor.”

The careful art of longevity

By Helen Musa

WHEN I catch up with Martin and Susie Beaver, at Beaver Galleries, to talk about the 40th anniversary of Canberra’s largest privately-owned art space they’re one step ahead, producing a copy of a story I wrote when it turned 21.

That was five years after the couple took over the popular galleries, initially founded by Ron and Betty Beaver in their Red Hill home in 1975. Later, the Beavers and the late Joy Warren of Solander Gallery, were offered allocations of land on the southern side of Adelaide Avenue, then overgrown by gumplantings, where they built their purpose-built galleries, designed by Martin’s architect brother Ross. The rest is history.

In the earliest days of Beaver Galleries, decorative arts and music were to the fore and even now Betty, a musician herself, sponsors the “Beaver Blaze” in the Canberra International Music Festival.

But the younger Beavers had a different idea, one that has proved remarkably successful, with a balance of fine and decorative arts providing a solid business basis.

When they took over, their first child was three months old and now she’s due to turn 24, growing up in the gallery until the family moved offsite. Times have occasionally been hard, but as Martin says, “in real life, stuff happens.”

“If it hadn’t worked, we would have stopped a long time ago,” Susie adds.

When we catch up, the Beavers are in the midst of a sellout exhibition of landscapes by the late Andrew Sayers and an unusual show of works by cartoonist Judy Horacek, including works on clay.

But normally they have a stable of favourite artists, people such as Helen Geier and Madeleine Winch, as well as fine artists in glass, ceramics and textiles and jewellery, some exhibited as art and some purely for sale.

They believe that over the years, part of their success is attributable to the fact that they’ve been galleries, reasonable and affordable, in an intimate setting.

“There is an ownership factor with people coming here for a long time,” Susie says. “They feel as if they’re a member of a club.”

Martin and Susie Beaver regard the marketing and business side of running a gallery as an art in itself – “you have to be sensitive to the market,” they say.

With that in mind, Martin has often travelled to the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago, but nowadays they consider the Melbourne and Sydney arts fairs more workable for them.

As for their regular stable of artists, they say, “every now and then there is a little bit of attrition – you have to be completely hard-headed in managing such business, you have to show work that is really worth showing… it’s a massive risk.”

When they first took over from Betty and Ron, Susie says: “We romantically thought we could work together”. They’re still there with the help of their “fantastic young staff”, but say they don’t have a succession plan.

“So long as we still have the passion, we’ll be here, it’s something you take as it comes,” says Martin. “But we won’t be here in our Zimmer frames!”

Beaver Galleries 40th birthday celebration and opening of “Small Works 2015” exhibition, at 81 Denison Street, Deakin, 6pm, Friday, December 4.

Happy Target aims to have fun

By Helen Musa

ARDEE Dionisio plays the happy, extrovert character Target in Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam”, coming soon to the AIS Arena.

At 32, Dionisio describes himself as “the happygo-lucky person who brings life and happiness into the show.”

“I could be him, or it could be her, it’s a kind of asexual character,” he tells “CityNews” by phone from Seoul, where Cirque is enjoying standing ovations.

He’s rarely, if ever, grumpy, saying: “That side of human nature is expressed by one of the other characters, the dark clown Boum-Boum.

“But that’s only his outside, he’s actually a very fun-loving character once you get to know him.”

Dionisio has much to be optimistic about. He started dancing at age 13 in his native Philippines, becoming a soloist with Ballet Philippines as a teenager, studying at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and later dancing as soloist for

the Nicolas Musin ABC Dance Company in Austria, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

Spotted on YouTube by Cirque, he joined their tour to Chile, Peru and Colombia in 2010 and stayed.

He’s travelled pretty much from the North to the South Pole, but not to Africa, not to his native Philippines and until now, not to Australia or NZ. I guarantee him sightings of kangaroos in Canberra – “that’s awesome,” Dionisio says.

Not trained as a gymnast, he’s worked in opera, musicals and variety yet only sings “in front of my wife, not in public”. But, he says, his background as a ballet and contemporary dancer “gives me the edge which I bring to Quidam… I can be a jack of all trades.”

Quidam means “anonymous passerby” in classical Latin and he, as Target, is that anonymous observer, watching the young girl Zoe, the focal figure, as she slides into an imaginary world where she frees her soul.

“I’m in character all of the time, I’m always on stage watching my colleagues and it’s amazing how different they are, I really have fun on stage,”

Dionisio says.

In his view, there is no “highlight” in “Quidam”, which he sees as “a total performance to live music, the highlight is the whole show”. That sense of totality is achieved with great care. The costumes by artist Dominique Lemieux, for instance, are all “delicate and handmade, specific to each individual”.

As well, he says: “There’s not a single show that is the same each time, because the public is always very different.

“In South America, the circus culture is so vibrant you feel as if you’re standing in the middle of the audience, but in Germany and Britain, audiences are more reserved, clapping after each act but not during the performance. Korean audiences really surprised us at their reaction – it is just overwhelming.”

And why not? After all, as he says, “there are 18 separate Cirque du Soleil shows around the world, but there’s only ever one ‘Quidam’.”

“Quidam” by Cirque du Soleil, at AIS Arena, December 11-20.

Joanna gets into the

There’s more to actress and entrepreneur Joanna Richards, reporter KATHRYN VUKOLVJAK discovers, but for now there’s a new show to do...

GE TTING theatre make-up over her clothes during fast changes helped actress and entrepreneur Joanna Richards get to the final of the Telstra Business Woman of the Year Awards.

Joanna has been acting in Canberra since she was eight and says that performing will always be a passion for her.

She’s about to appear in “Baby Boomers”, a revue tracking the decades and music since World War II, at Teatro Vivaldi.

“I perform because I’m creative, so I need that to kind of nourish myself,” she says.

“In this show, there’s a subtext of how music and culture intertwine, and it really gives you a sense of what the baby boomers have lived through.

“It’s also really cool to see how music has evolved through the years, and the dancing is so different. We’ve been learning steps that you wouldn’t do now, and it’s interesting to see how they moved.

“In the ‘40s it’s all quite proper and then in the ‘70s we’re all over each other!”

But she says it’s the ‘80s part of the show, with its power suits, Madonna, Abba and Wall Street attitude, that she really enjoys.

“For me, the ‘60s and ‘70s sort of blend but the ‘80s really stamps its feet,” she says.

“I think there will be a certain kind of smile from audience members who were actually there – we all know and love the songs, but there’s nothing like having lived it, remembering when that song was released or what it was like when the Beatles came to Australia.”

But back to the make-up problem.

“My friend and co-founder of Solution Solution, Katie Doherty, is a chemist and I was complaining about quick changes and heavy make-up and how you wear a white dress and end up with make-up all down the front of it,” says Joanna.

“And she casually mentioned that when she did her chemistry degree she came up with a formula that gets rid of that instantly. I told her, you have no idea how many people would want this!”

Joanna says that Solution Solution is a scientific laundry brand that has developed a product with the CSIRO specifically targeted for instant make-up removal from clothes.

“Because of the unique constituents of make-up, which is designed to sit on the skin without being absorbed, it makes it a very difficult stain to remove,” she says.

“Make-up is also full of colour, which when you then try and remove it you have to be careful to not remove the dye of the clothing.”

Joanna says that once she and Katie started pursuing the idea as a business in 2014, they found that laundry was a field that had been “left behind”.

“People who may not be able to buy a house any more are spending a lot more on luxury items like clothing, but have no real idea of how to take care of it,” she says.

“So we decided to build the branding around information and teaching people to love their laundry again, and we became ‘the lost art and the new science of laundry’.”

As to how the formula works, Joanna says the secrets remain in the lab.

“It’s a foam that you dab on and the make-up comes out instantly, no soaking needed, and there’s nothing else that really does that,” she says.

Joanna, 22, won the Telstra ACT Young Business Woman of the Year Award for her work on the branding, marketing, design and sales with Solution Solution, and was the youngest of the state winners.

“I think that’s where my strength is – I have the

and entrepreneur

creative vision to help with branding,” she says.

Fluent in French, Arabic and Russian, Joanna says she has recently returned from a scholarship to study theatre at Harvard with the Moscow Art Theatre. She’s also writing an honours thesis on female leadership and the relationship between linguistics and gender in government.

Joanna says that as she’s fresh to business, having come out of a political science degree followed by a theatre degree, and then finding herself in a startup, she feels she has a lot more experience to gain.

“Both my parents are in business and it’s something

special feature

swing of success Louise marches on to today

there’s a subtext of how music and culture intertwine, and it really gives

I naturally seem to have a talent for, but it wasn’t something I ever saw myself doing, especially when I was in high school,” she says.

“Startups are so fast-paced, and it’s the same as theatre; you have to be on the ball, thinking constantly and working as a team. With theatre you’ve got an idea that you turn into a product, and it’s the same with a startup.

“I like to be doing lots of things at once and, at the moment, I’m involved in another startup, but I’m also planning to do my own venture talking to women about careers. I want provide a representation, showing women the possible pathways they can take.”

“BABY Boomers” was first conceived by writer/ director Louise Rostron after her experience as a cast member in a locally produced show called “Pack Up Your Troubles”.

That show ended with Prime Minister Ben Chifley’s announcement that World War II was over.

And it’s with that announcement that Louise starts the new show, a series of linked vignettes with music, characters, costumes and narration complemented by a “slide show” of images as the audience travels through the baby boomer years to the present day.

“The first original song in the show was written after a conversation with Baby Boomer friends over dinner where the two topics of conversation were mainly health and superannuation,” says Louise.

“The musical score consists of memorable numbers from each of the decades with a collection of original music pieces highlighting some significant Boomer issues along the way.”

The show was first staged in 2008 and the new production coincides with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Musical director Matt Webster has created new arrangements for the musical score and choreographer Jacqueline Richards has re-imagined the choreography to capture the dance character of the decades.

Cast members are Jill Elderton, Leonie Leonard, Joanna Richards, Linda Gledhill, Linda Tregonning, Keith Young, Fraser Findlay, Nathan Rutups and Steve Osborne.

Joanna says she has now left Solution Solution to pursue these other ventures.

“Once we had got the business to the next stage and the brand was successfully built, I figured the easy option would be to stay there for the rest of my life,” she says.

“But if I wanted to do something else – I’d love to do a film or theatre company one day – I feel I need to work in different fields and with different people, to give me stronger networks for the future.” “Baby Boomers”

arts & entertainment / cinema Old Rocky rides again

By Dougal Macdonald

“Creed” (M)

THIS is actually episode six in the “Rocky” series that Sylvester Stallone created in 1971 and the first in the series for which he didn’t write the screenplay. That task fell to twenty something director Ryan Coogler. Rocky remains central to the series, but the star is Michael B Jordan playing Adonis, orphaned love-child of Apollo Creed, Rocky’s boxing opponent in four “Rocky” films.

Adonis, uncontrolled and violent, is taken in by Apollo’s widow (Phylicia Rashad) who raises him into a personable young adult in whom his father’s fighting gene is strong.

Adonis asks Rocky to coach him, which develops toward a bout with the US champion light-heavyweight leading to a challenge from “Pretty” Ricky Conlon, played convincingly by real-life heavyweight champion, Briton Tony Bellew. The film works well on all its story levels – father-son relationship between Rocky and Adonis, Rocky’s confrontation with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the climactic 12-rounder in Liverpool between Adonis and Conlon. The actors playing the principal roles do a fine job. Despite my aversion to blood sports, I found myself admiring the way “Creed” demonstrates the attributes that a great boxer must master – speed, power, agility, courage and above all determination.

At Palace Electric, Hoyts and Limelight

“By The Sea” (MA)

ANGELINA Jolie wrote and directed “By The Sea” and plays its star opposite real-life spouse Brad Pitt in this drama of two people holidaying at a French coastal village in the 1970s.

Writer Roland has brought his notebook and

typewriter but appears to have left his muse at home.

Former dancer Vanessa does little more than lay around the hotel room and wait for Roland to get home from the bar where he discusses life’s vicissitudes with proprietor Michel (Niels Arestrup).

Roland tolerates Vanessa’s lack of sexual enthusiasm out of hope that things will improve. Vanessa discovers a spy hole and begins to watch the couple in the adjoining suite doing the honeymoon thing with gusto. Roland joins her, which does nothing for his erotic equanimity. Vanessa learns that the wife is pregnant. Aha, so that’s what’s bothering her. Is Roland firing blanks? Only one way to find out.

The film’s combined effect is agreeable yet a little short of overwhelming, gently-paced, visually handsome. Mrs Pitt, transcendentally beautiful, acts with delightful precision. A moustache that makes him look spiv-ish doesn’t diminish Mr Pitt’s acting chops.

At Capitol 6 and Dendy

“The Program” (M)

QUICKLY developing into disgust and anger, learning about Lance Armstrong’s malfeasances with performanceenhancing substances also confirmed our suspicions.

Stephen Frears’ docu-drama features Ben Foster as Armstrong, Chris O’Dowd plays Walsh, Jesse Plemons the whistle-blower Floyd Landis and Guillaume Canet as Michele Ferrari, the medico who took advantage of the legal availability of EPO substances in Switzerland to work out the regime that eventually led to Armstrong’s continuing denial of never having tested positive.

Foster’s uncompromising portrayal of Armstrong is what most drives the film’s message and Frears motivates our revulsion toward Armstong’s lies by replicating their original on-the-record revelation.

At Palace Electric

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Turning painter Tom into hip and trendy

By Helen Musa

WHEN the National Gallery of Australia’s director Gerard Vaughan arrived in Canberra to take up his new post, he promised a good deal for young people, and the coming “Tom Roberts” show looks set to make good that promise.

“CityNews” took the opportunity to chat with assistant curator of the exhibition Simeran Maxwell (“I’m sort of a youngie”, she says) in the thick of preparations.

“We’re trying to reinvigorate Tom Roberts and to make something that younger audiences can connect to,” Maxwell tells us.

“We want to get them to look again and realise that the things Roberts was painting were part of a narrative current today and worth addressing for a younger audience.”

All generations will be pleased to learn that this time audio tours can be uploaded on to personal smartphones or ones provided by

the gallery and there’ll be technology for the visually impaired, too.

And in the accompanying public programs, Maxwell says: “We will try to create a conversation across a range of people across the disciplines that will tap into a young audience.”

“Tom Roberts” is definitely an exhibition that has something for everyone and she says there is much more to Roberts than she had initially realised – “he is really important”.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, she explains, Roberts was not a political man, his main motivation was making sure that he was remembered as an artist and, with friends on both sides of politics, he used those connections to build his career.

Take the celebrated 1903 work “Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 9 May 1901”, known as “The Big Picture”, in which mini-portraits of real people feature with the huge canvas.

“That way, they could be enticed into becoming the subjects for portraits later… was very clever,”

Maxwell says.

Clever, but also: “He comes across as a really nice guy… an artist doesn’t

have to be nice to be a fantastic artist, but it’s nice when they are nice, and we ought to remember he lived off those commissions.”

Head of Australian Art, Anna Gray, has planned the exhibition in a chronological order, so initially we will see the works Roberts created as a student, moving through the varying stages of his career, including his introduction to the Australian outback – significant for a man born in England.

“Mostly, we will take a very contemporary view of the show, but we have to have a sense of ‘period’ and the ‘9 by 5’ room does that,” Maxwell says. That’s a reference to the little paintings exhibited at the famous “9 by 5 Impression Exhibition” in Melbourne.

There’s a whole room for “The Big Picture,” transferred from Parliament House for the show, accompanied by sketches he made in pencil and the engraving.

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Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art – RTO 40859

“Tom Roberts” finishes with the late works. “We want to disprove the theory that his life works finished with ‘The Big Picture’,” Maxwell says. “He had plenty of money by then, so focused more on much smaller paintings, but there are many beautiful and touching works, scaled down.”

Inevitably, though, viewers will spend more time in front of the famous national paintings such as “A Break Away!”, “Shearing the Rams” and “Bailed Up”.

“‘A Break Away!’ is just phenomenal,” Maxwell enthuses.

“It’s the most amazing painting of movement. Painting is intrinsically still, but Roberts has come as close as possible to creating the physical movement – the turning of the rider in the saddle, I think people will be taken by that.

“And for an Englishman, he captured the Australian summer like nobody’s business.”

“Tom Roberts”, the NGA until March 28.

Birthday comes a metre at a time

By Helen Musa

MEGALO Print Studio is pulling all the stops out to celebrate its birthday by creating the world’s longest screen print, 35 metres long – one metre for every year, to be unveiled by Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Megalo began at Ainslie Village, moved to Hackett Primary then later to Canberra Technology Park in Watson, finally finding a permanent home in the trendy Kingston Arts Precinct. It’s holding an open day at its Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, centre, 11am-2pm, on Saturday, December 12. All are welcome.

EXPECT Caribbean calypso steel drums, African drums, Indonesian Gamelan, marching drumline and the drum kit in all its splendour when percussion guru Gary France and his Groove Warehouse present “the power and majesty of the world of percussion” in their first Christmas spectacular, “The Power of Drum”, with a finale composed by Sandy France. At The Street Theatre, 6pm, Saturday, December 12. Bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

TEATRO Vivaldi, at the ANU Arts Centre, so we hear, is selling out fast with its pre-Christmas show, “Baby Boomers the Musical”, a revue written and directed by Louise Rostron that tracks, musically, the decades since World War II.

Vivaldi’s, December 10-15, bookings to 6257 2718. Dinner and high-tea shows available.

BELCONNEN Arts Centre’s Christmas Market is almost upon us with designers’ wares and gifts, music, food and drinks outdoors by Lake Ginninderra. And for the first time, a wine-tasting lounge. Noon-5pm, Sunday, December 6. All welcome.

“HOME in Time”, at Canberra Museum and Gallery, will be opened on December 11 by Tim Reeves and Alan Roberts, authors of “100 Capital Houses: A Century of Capital Architecture”, a book about Canberra architecture from 1913 to 2013 written as a centenary project.

YOUNG Finnish jazz group Kokko Quartet will perform in “Jazz from the North”, music influenced by tango, Indian, Arabic, and Cuban styles. At the Embassy of Finland, Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla, 7 pm, Monday, December 7. Bookings to Ewa.Walczuk@formin.fi

THE Llewellyn Choir will celebrate Christmas with a concert featuring soloists Greta Claringbould, Christina Wilson, Michael Martin, and Dominic Harvey, at Wesley Uniting Church, 6pm, Saturday, December 19. Bookings via trybooking.com or tickets at the door.

332 Manhattan is newish on Canberra’s café circuit and like an increasing number of dining establishments in the capital, it’s sourcing fresh and local produce, as much as possible.

And so it should. That’s what wonderful food is created from.

Across the road from Glebe Park, the café does more than just use great produce. It sells it to customers. So part of the décor is shelves on which, sitting pretty, are goodies such as Adore Teas (a Canberra success story if there ever was one), products created right here by The Muesli Bar, and jam by Canberra’s Black Horse Fine Foods.

We popped by Manhattan on a weekend to have a latish lunch, having checked on the website that all would be cool and also calling to ensure the kitchen would be open.

When we settled in, just five minutes past the time we said we would arrive, a person behind the counter informed us the café was closing in a short bit. I indicated that I had checked

the website for times and had called. She said the website must be wrong… that they were shutting the doors.

We ordered quickly, although our race to the finish line was slightly problematic because the dish my friend initially selected ended up not being

Owner and highly experienced chef Sahid Shaikh welcomes

available so we had to check the menu once more. In the end it was a brekkie burger for my dear friend, which was great. It’s one of those “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” burgers, which you really have to treat yourself to every once in a while. Bacon, lettuce, avocado, caramelised onions, cheese and fried egg all stuffed in a bun (she said no to the tomato – she’s simply not a fan). It was great value at $14.

I opted for a lamb house-made pie, which was delicious. The pastry was light and flaky, the filling generous and big on taste and the side salad a nice balance and super fresh. What I really got stuck into (and my friend did, too) were the yummy roasted potatoes. Another dish offering great value, at $15.

332 Manhattan has a great line-up of sandwiches which you can eat in or take away. Also on offer at lunch is a soft-shell crab salad ($19), a grilled haloumi salad (with maple glazed pumpkin – yum; $15), burgers ($17 to $19) and a prawn san choy bau ($19).

The fitout at 332 Manhattan is warm and comforting and there’s a large outdoor dining area.

However, in the end we felt rushed. It was disconcerting trying to enjoy our meals while chairs were being stacked on tables around us. When the big mop bucket was wheeled past us we downed the last few bites and left, knowing we simply weren’t welcome any longer.

332 Manhattan, Unit 332, 240 Bunda Street, Civic. Call 6248 8771.

2015 – it’s been a pleasure! But it’s almost time to relax, celebrate and enjoy a welldeserved summer getaway. The south coast offers holidaymakers the perfect location, only two hours’ drive from home… think swimming, evening strolls, barbecues, siestas, fish and chips at the beach, and loads of fun memories for the whole family.

BATEMANS BAY

THE Coachhouse Marina Resort at Batemans Bay has 89 fully self-contained holiday villas, set amongst 6.6 hectares of tropical gardens.

This beautiful, relaxing waterfront property provides guests with everything they need for a fun summer holiday with the family, says wedding co-ordinator and receptionist, Madelyn Goss.

“We are only a short easy walk along a waterfront pedestrian path into the heart of Batemans Bay,” says Madelyn.

“On one side of the resort we have a tidal lagoon, that kids will love to paddle in. We have a beach volleyball net set up, and it’s a great spot for paddleboarding and kayaking.”

“At the back, we have direct access to Corrigans Beach, which is a calm, family beach. Guests can launch their boats straight into the water!” says Madelyn.

The Coachhouse Marina Resort has a 20 metre solar-heated outdoor pool, kids’ wading pool with day beds and shade for poolside relaxing, and kids will be entertained in the playroom, outdoor playground and games room.

“We have activities planned over January including a New Year’s Eve party at our waterfront marquee, karaoke nights and specials at our Rockwall Restaurant,” she says.

Madelyn says staff are always thrilled to see many return guests each year. “We always try our best to accommodate their preferences. I encourage guests to book directly through the Resort to ensure the best rate possible,” she says.

The Coachhouse Marina Resort, 49 Beach Road, Batemans Bay. Call 4472 4392, email bookings@ coachhouse.com.au or visit coachhouse.com.au

LILLI PILLI BEACH

Sublime holiday accommodation

LILLI Pilli Sublime is a spacious, four-bedroom, luxury beach house nestled in the Lilli Pilli Beach Estate on the outskirts of Batemans Bay.

Only 300 metres from the beach, Lilli Pilli Sublime gives you an easy and relaxed summer getaway with all the conveniences and privacy of enjoying a fully equipped, standalone home.

Every member of the family is catered for – from a cot for the baby, a rumpus room with games, train set and a snooker table for older kids, to a newly added, premium entertaining area with outdoor kitchen that grown-ups will love!

“We also welcome your four-legged family members and our Balinese style garden is secure and dog friendly,” says owner, Angela.

“Having a summer getaway doesn’t have to be during

the peak Christmas season. The weather is warm for many months and we have availability throughout this time.”

Angela encourages guests to take advantage of the mid-week specials and even plan ahead to book for next year!

Call Angela on 0412 800857, email lillipillisublime@me.com or visit lillipillisublime.com.au

Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

Chartered Accountant

Gwyneth and Joe came to see me and their timing was perfect. They’d heard that people living overseas now have to repay their HELP (formerly known as HECS) debts and wondered how this would affect their daughters.

“Jodie our eldest has been in Geneva for two years and Mel, our baby, will be going to London in February,” Gwyneth said.

“Well, you have come to see me with perfect timing,” I said.

“The legislation was passed only recently although announced in the last Budget. As you know, Jodie wouldn’t have been making any repayments while she’s been away. However, Mel has been making repayments. “The current rules are that when your salary reaches $54,126, indexed each year, HELP debts start to be repaid. The situation will be different for each of your daughters.”

I then asked how long the daughters were likely to be working overseas.

“Mel’s contract is for three years, but she may stay on,” said Gwyneth. “Jodie is planning to stay for at least another three years because her job is so interesting, but after that she is uncertain. I think she’s a bit homesick.”

I said that because Mel is leaving Australia after January 1, she will be required to notify the Australian Taxation Office.

“She can do this by setting up a MyGov account and linking it to the ATO,” I advised.

“She will then have to pay the appropriate percentage of her HELP debt back based on her earnings.

“I am advised that the Government is commencing negotiations with overseas revenue authorities to make repayments of these debts easier. How long this will take is unclear so I recommend that they save sufficient amounts to make the requested repayments.

“Jodie’s situation is different as she is already away. She will not have to make any repayments until July 1, 2017, but these will be based on her income in the 2016/2017 financial year.

“She will also need to register for a MyGov account. I am advised that the Department of Education and Training, the ATO and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will share information to ensure that all Australians living overseas make their repayments.

“When their salary reaches the threshold of $A54,126 the repayment commences at 4 per cent and increases on a sliding scale until it reaches 8 per cent when the salary reaches $A100,520.”

Joe was sure they would each be earning more than $100,520, so it looked like 8 per cent for each of them, with Mel starting sooner than Jodie.

“Yes it looks that way, but it is obviously better that they are aware that they need to save at least 8 per cent of their gross pay rather than getting an assessment in arrears they are not expecting,” I said.

“It would appear that it will still be possible to make voluntary repayments until at least January 1, 2017 so Jodie and Mel may prefer to reduce their debts that way and get a discount.

“Thanks so much, Gail. That has been very helpful, now we just need to talk to the girls,” Gwyneth said.

If you need assistance with any tax-related matter contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.

puzzles page

Joanne Madeline Moore

your week in the stars – December 7-13, 2015

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Using guilt to get what you want is never a good idea – especially on Monday. If you do, then expect others to reciprocate with manipulative behaviour of their own! Wednesday looks wonderful, as you do your own thing in your highly individual and adventurous Aries way. But resist the urge to be bossy and reckless on Friday. If you are too hasty, then you could find yourself involved in an argument or accident. Compromise and patience are the keys to a stress-free day.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Don’t accept things at face value. With the New Moon and Saturn stimulating your research/mystery zone, look beneath the surface and do some background briefing to discover what’s really going on. Work or study will also be challenging, so make sure you pay attention to the fine details. Friday is fabulous for all things romantic. It’s the perfect day to plan something special with your lover or engage in some flirtatious shenanigans with a potential partner!

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Get ready for a relationship renaissance, as the New Moon kick-starts your love life. Attached Twins will shift into a serious new phase of a long-term partnership, while some singles finally meet their future long-term partner. But with Saturn in the picture it won’t all be smooth sailing. Mercury moves into earthy Capricorn, which stabilises your quicksilver mind. If you methodically tick off the to-do list, you’ll power through Christmas preparations without the usual distractions.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Expect others to resist your plans early in the week, especially at home or work. Avoid responding with anger, or getting caught up in pointless power struggles. Instead, find fun physical outlets for your pent-up energy. With the New Moon and Saturn highlighting your wellbeing zone, the focus is definitely on health and fitness over the next few weeks. But if you are undisciplined and overindulge at too many festive celebrations, then you’ll be a super curvy Crab by Christmas!

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

This week bohemian Uranus trines the Sun (your ruling planet) so you’re keen to experiment and explore – and it’s also vital to cast off the expectations and misconceptions of others and express the authentic you. Friday’s New Moon encourages you to tap into your inner muse and be the creative Cat you were born to be. Draw inspiration from birthday great, singer/songwriter Jim Morrison: “The most important kind of freedom is to be who you really are.”

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Your ruling planet Mercury moves into conscientious Capricorn (from Thursday until January 2) which suits you just fine, as you concentrate on fine-tuning detailed work and completing practical projects. But are you being unusually subjective about a money issue? You may feel stressed but avoid being uncharacteristically rash with cash and credit and don’t let a friend or family member bulldoze you into a financial situation that you really don’t feel comfortable about.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Usually laidback Librans are feeling ridiculously restless, as Mars and Uranus fire up some divine discontent. Impulsive behaviour could backfire though so try to balance being spontaneous with making smart decisions. If you are attached, you’re in the mood to rock the relationship boat but is that the best way to go? Singles – love is likely with someone who is way outside your comfort zone, like an adventurous Aries, an avant-garde Aquarius or a free-spirited Sagittarius.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

On Monday you could find yourself consumed by compulsive desires, when your possessive side takes over. If you hold onto loved ones too tightly, they’ll just try to escape from your suffocating grip. Remember Venus is vamping through your sign (until December 30) so aim to be the most charming and co-operative Scorpio you can be. Friday’s New Moon urges you to swap frivolous spending for serious saving, as you carefully nurture your nest egg for the future.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Have people been talking you down and celebrating your mistakes? Some family, friends and colleagues won’t be happy with your current choices or dreams for the future, but you must formulate them to suit yourself – not others. So don’t pay attention to the stream of criticism that inevitably comes your way this week. Keep your mind firmly focused on the prospective path ahead. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great Frank Sinatra: “The best revenge is massive success.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Tricky aspects make for a challenging start to the week, when others may question your authority or motives. Wednesday is a wonderful day to take some calculated risks, especially at home or work. If you are too cautious you’ll miss a marvellous opportunity to make positive changes. Mercury moves into your sign on Thursday (until January 2). So you’ll be at your rational, rigorous and reasonable best – but resist the urge to critique and criticise those around you.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Tuesday until Thursday is a terrific time to do something unexpected, as Uranus unleashes the adventurous Aquarian within. So explore, experiment, invent, innovate and grab life enthusiastically with both hands. On Friday take extra care when walking in high traffic areas, don’t be distracted by your phone, and no speeding whilst driving – otherwise you could find yourself involved in an accident. You also need to think twice about posting controversial comments online.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

How’s your career going? With the New Moon activating your job zone, you need to have a long, hard think about creative adjustments that would improve your work experience in 2016. Have the courage to follow your intuition, it will point you in the right direction. But don’t be slapdash and take short-cuts, especially when it comes to shared finances. Friday is a fabulous day for love, romance, creativity and compassion so plan something special.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2015 Daily

1 Name a ground squirrel found in N America.

7 Who, in Greek legend, died when Paris wounded him in the heel, where he was vulnerable?

8 Which grape is dried in the sun, or artificially?

9 What do we call the permanent head in certain government departments?

10 Name an alternative term for influx.

11 What do we call that which urges forward?

14 To have commented casually, is to have done what?

18 Name one of the only words that ends in “amt”.

19 Which term implies that which relates to the brain?

21 Which glassy varnish-like substance is applied to surfaces for protection?

22 What is a particular zither, with metal strings struck by light hammers?

23 Which weapons are used for thrusting or throwing? Down

1 Name a renowned Australian bushranger, Frank ...

2 To quarrel or squabble, is to do what?

3 Name a famous Sydney AJC racecourse.

4 Which term is often used to describe a cleaning lady?

5 Name a colourless, sweet-tasting liquid, used as an antifreeze in motor vehicles.

6 What is another word for a bacterium.

12 Name an alternative term for hawkers.

13 Which type of animals are lizards and snakes?

15 In Greek mythology, who was the god of darkness?

16 What is an organisation that furnishes some form of service for the public?

17 Name a period of ten years.

20 What are male sheep called?

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

22 Which compound turns blue litmus paper red?

gardening Meet the queen of the climbers

CLEMATIS is the queen of climbing plants with its stunning flowers, and it’s so easy to grow.

It is a genus of more than 300 species of deciduous and evergreen climbers. The largeflowered hybrids are the most popular.

Its flowers are comprised of 4-8 sepals, the true petals are absent in almost all clematis.

Clematis flowers in all seasons, although the large-flowered varieties appear mainly in late spring to early summer. Mid-winter flowering clematis includes Clematis napaulensis, a vigorous climber with cream-coloured flowers and purple centre. It was first discovered by the famous plant hunter George Forrest in China in 1912.

I combined this with Rosa “Crepuscule”, a beautiful apricot climbing rose over an arch.

In summer we are provided with the colour of the rose and in winter, when the rose is bare, the clematis flowers. After flowering, clematis is referred to as “Old Man’s Beard” due to the silver-grey of the fluffy seed pods.

Clematis cirrhosa is an evergreen, winterflowering variety that I have growing over an arch in our front garden. The profusion of small, creamy-white flowers are a joy. It comes from southern Europe and North Africa, and has been recorded in gardens since 1596. There are several varieties of this clematis, ours is C. cirrhosa “Wisley Cream”.

ON a trellis in our rear garden, we have five clematis including the illustrated C. “General Sikorski”, plus C. “Romantika”, C. “Ernest Markham” and the early spring flowering C. montana rubens, a vigorous climber with white or

are

pink-tinged flowers.

Due to its vigour, it is ideal for growing over sheds and, in times past, was popular for growing over outdoor dunnies.

Clematis is in full flower at local garden centres and now’s an ideal time to choose the colours.

These are all combined with that rose I rave on about; the climbing thornless Rosa “Zephirine Drouhin”, an old French rose from 1858 with

Founded in the ‘70s by Clive and Penny Blazey in an old tin shed in Victoria, the Diggers Club was an immediate success and today has more than 76,000 members.

Many old varieties of vegetables were disappearing as the large seed companies dropped lines they couldn’t sell, which concerned the

Blazeys enough to want to rescue and continue to make them available.

In 1978, its first seed catalogue listed an amazing 300 varieties. The Blazeys have partnered with Bruno and Hedy Zimmerman, of the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla, to offer locally a range of Diggers organic seeds.

possibly the most fragrance of all roses. It is used in Europe extensively for pot-pourri. Those who have seen it growing on the northerly side of our house often remark: “For once Cedric, you are not exaggerating”.

An example is growing at the entrance to Heritage Nursery in Yarraluma, although it does not do it justice there. I did explain to owner Bruno that he would run out of these when they arrived in late winter, particularly when I featured them in this column and, sure enough, he did! He has managed to find some more.

Jottings…

• Look out for the new Martin’s “Pelletised Lucerne”. Expands four times and a bag covers nine square metres. Better than cane or pea straw.

• Take out dead leaves of bearded iris, a hiding place for snails.

• Prune spring and early flowering shrubs such as Deutzia, Philadelphus, Kolkwitzia and Weigela.

• Dead head delphiniums and lupins to encourage a second flowering.

Date: 7th December

Venue:

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Relax, ideas galore and

THE iconic Bailey’s Corner offers original arcade shopping through its select and intimate group of speciality retailers. Filled with friendly faces, and interesting products, these speciality retailers can help you find unique Christmas gifts.

Outside the arcade and facing Garema Place is Ken Cook Menswear. Stocking high-quality labels including Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans, Ermenegildo Zegna, Dressler, Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Bugatti and Lloyds shoes, Ken Cook has been based in Bailey’s Corner for more than 20 years.

On the entry to the arcade is the quirky and eclectic April’s Caravan which is a vintage treasure trove of quality clothes from the 1940s to 1980s!

Downstairs from Ken Cook is Ted’s Cameras, another mainstay of the arcade which has been here since 1988. Ted’s is the only specialised, dedicated camera store in Canberra, selling all the leading brands – Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony and Panasonic – as well as photography accessories.

Inside the arcade is AJ Watch Repairs, a striking shop with a wall of ornate Swiss cuckoo clocks and a variety of elegant grandfather clocks for sale. The shop sells a selection of beautiful watches and AJ’s qualified watchmaker can repair all timepieces.

Across the hallway is Corona Tobacconist Gift Shop – stocking all major brands and a range of convenience items and gifts.

Civic Shoes has more than 40 years of history at Bailey’s arcade and sells mostly imported designer footwear from Brazil, Italy, England and the US.

Baileys Arcade, 143 London Circuit, Civic.

CANADIAN Joseph Ribkoff has been designing women’s clothing since starting as a 21-year-old in 1957.

He has been one of the leading designers in the Canadian fashion industry for nearly 60 years and his clothes feature in more than 64 international markets including the most chic cities in the world.

All his clothing is designed and created in Canada and each collection consists of more than 300 articles, offered in sizes 2 to 20.

An official partner of Miss America Organization, the collections are changing quarterly and are sold in exclusive boutiques and by independent retailers who offer a personalised service that understands and meets the needs of their clientele.

In Canberra, the Joseph Ribkoff collection is available at Ambia Designer Collection in Manuka.

or overseas.

“We

Smooth Moove Studios, www.smoothmoovestudios.com or call Adele on 6297 0606.

Looking

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of gift ideas right here in Queanbeyan with helpful advice available.

Phone Deborah on 0419 627 210 84 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan

Stories for the young at heart

CANBERRA has a new event called “Tales After Dark – Storytelling For Grown-Ups”.

“Storytelling is one of the best entertainments; remember when you were a kid, you loved someone reading you a very special story, didn’t you?” asks organiser Suzanne Kiraly, pictured.

“So if you are a child at heart, then you can re-live the experience as a grown-up.

“After all, we all love storytelling. It’s in our DNA – remember at the pub last week, when you were told a great story? Or when you stopped to chat at a party and told your favourite story?”

At Kingston’s Saffron restaurant on Monday, December 7, grown ups are invited to hear stories read out loud by engaging actors who, Suzanne says, will make you think, laugh and cry. Bookings include dinner and show or show only and can be made via talesafterdark.eventbrite.com.au

Still time for radiant holiday skin

IN December, Clear Complexions Clinics celebrate 10 years of offering clients a unique, personalised and medical approach to skin care.

Suzie Hoitink’s background as a registered nurse, coupled with her quest to address her own skin issues, led her to open her first Clear Complexions Clinic in Belconnen, she says.

“We now have three clinics in Canberra and have expanded into Sydney over the past 10 years. We are opening our sixth clinic in Sydney to coincide with our birthday, and this year we moved our Erindale Clinic into a larger, state-of-the-art clinic at Woden,” says Suzie.

“We are so appreciative and humbled by the support from the Canberra community over the past 10 years.”

Suzie attributes the clinic’s success to the need it meets to provide medical-grade skin care only by qualified nurses and doctors, who give the highest level of care safely and effectively to treat a client’s skin.

“We are all about holistic care and promoting the health of skin. I want our clients in five years’ time to look in the mirror and say: ‘I look this good and my skin looks this healthy because of Clear Complexions’,” she says.

Suzie says that there’s still time to get your skin ready for Christmas, with many smaller treatments available that will refresh the skin. Clear Complexions is offering 20 per cent off all treatments until Christmas Eve.

To find your nearest Clear Complexions Clinic, visit clearcomplexions.com.au Suzie Hoitink... three clinics in Canberra.

Christmas gift inspiration advertising feature

Holiday style at half price

SORBET Style, located at the Canberra Outlet Centre, sells mainstream ladies fashion with a twist, says national retail manager, Leigh Lewis. From December 1 until January 3, Sorbet Style holds a store-wide sale, with 50 per cent off all items.

“It’s a great opportunity to pick up current fashion pieces for Christmas Day or your beach holiday,” says Leigh.

“We are known for great fitting, quality garments and have something for everyone,” she says.

Sorbet Style’s current season trends feature a colour palette of blues and pinks and soft summer prints.

“We also have a lovely apricot and denim range,” says Leigh.

“We stock sizes 10-20 and a range of items including pants, clam diggers (three-quarter pants), tunics, fabulous tops, cool summer dresses and exclusive prints.”

Sorbet Style, Canberra Outlet Centre, corner of Canberra Avenue and Newcastle Street, Fyshwick, sorbetstyle.com.au

Christmas markets make shopping fun

CANBERRA Christmas Markets boast a wide array of Christmas fare and gift stalls, making Christmas shopping a relaxing and fun experience.

Located in the Fitzroy Building at Exhibition Park, the Christmas Markets will feature beautiful decorations, Christmas trees,

homemade festive treats, books, fashions, jewellery, stocking fillers and more!

Canberra Christmas Markets, 9am-3pm, 12-13 December at Exhibition Park, canberrachristmasmarkets.com.au

Computer advice for Christmas

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.

“I can help tradies in particular to get their own domain name and email set up with your business branding rather than have a Gmail or Bigpond address. If you use a Gmail account you are promoting Google rather than your business!”

Craig has also started a weekly YouTube series called ‘Tech Tip Tuesdays’ to help answer any computer questions.

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

comfortable clothes for summer

FOR the past eight years, business partners Janice Bannerman and Elizabeth Hall have been running Silksisters, a stylish, comfortable and elegant clothing label for ladies sized 12-28.

“We are a fair trade company. Our clothes are handmade in Vietnam and our main product is natural fibre clothing that is cool and comfortable,” says creative director, Janice.

Starting as an online business and a regular at local markets and shows, Janice, who designs all the clothing, says that they have built a loyal group of regular customers.

“Our 80 per cent cotton and 20 per cent silk clothing is perfect for travelling, and doesn’t need ironing. Our summer season features fresh whites, aqua, lime and jewelled tones,” she says.

“We have some beautiful jewellery and pure silk scarves in every colour of the rainbow which will make lovely Christmas gifts!” Janice recommends customers come to their new shop at Bailey’s Arcade to try on sizes and see what works for them.

Silksisters, Bailey’s Arcade, Civic.

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Family, laughter, loving… For the good times. The way memories should be. See our 50% off Christmas Package