Talkback Tim can’t wait to be shocked
KATE MEIKLE
Keep an eye out for others
SONYA FLADUN
The bother for people who hover JOHN GRIFFITHS
Farrar Gesini Dunn and Certus Law would like to thank all of our sponsors and participants who helped to raise money for the Tara Costigan Foundation at the Charity Golf Day at Fairbairn Golf Club.
After three years of television reporting in steamy Thailand, 2CC’s new breakfast announcer Tim Shaw heads to Canberra fearless of our cold winter mornings. He talks to reporter KATE MEIKLE
“PEOPLE believe that if you work in radio you are a shock jock. Believe me, you will shock me more than I will shock you!” says veteran broadcaster and one-time TV infomercial salesman Tim Shaw.
He’s moving to town to head up the 2CC breakfast program from January 11 after the sudden resignation of long-time host Mark Parton.
Tim wants to talk with people rather than to them.
“I am so looking forward to hearing your stories, about your life, your kids, your jobs and private enterprises. I want to talk with the cabbies, our doctors, nurses and maybe the occasional politician,” he says.
Tim’s rich media career has seen him on every Australian TV network and a stint at 2GB, hosting his own show, as well as a nationally streamed overnight talk show on Sydney Radio 2UE 954 and across 45 networked stations, including 2CC.
Tim says he’s no stranger to Canberra and has many old school friends living here. He recalls his first meet-
ing with former Chief Minister Kate Carnell when he was MC at the ACT real estate awards, which started a friendship that continued as they later served on the board of NRMA together.
“I have had 200 messages from friends since announcing the new job, saying ‘guess where I am living now?’ Many of my old schoolmates live here,” says Tim.
“As our PM Malcolm Turnbull says: ‘There’s no greater time to be living in Australia’, I say there’s no greater time to be an Australian living in Canberra!”
Tim describes his posting in Thailand as an extraordinary career move. For the past three years he has been a senior journalist for the Seven Network as well as hosting a radio program on Phuket’s Live 89.5 FM and “The ASEAN News Hour”.
He has broken more than a dozen exclusive stories for Seven in Thailand, including last year’s baby Gammy surrogacy controversy in which a Thai surrogate mother for an Aus -
tralian couple sought to raise money for her critically ill, Down syndrome surrogate son, Gammy, who had been left in her care by his parents.
Tim says he is most proud of breaking the global story that helped raise more than $250,000 for Gammy’s medical needs.
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“It was all about the power and passion of telling a story about the plight of one little boy. It felt good journalistically to tell a story, but also to be able to help Gammy was the proudest moment of my career,” says Tim.
Does he think he’ll feel the cold during those early Canberra winter mornings, after three balmy years in the tropics? Tim assures “CityNews” that he doesn’t particularly feel the cold.
“Although there is nothing more freezing than the hot-air balloon ride I took over Lake Burley Griffin! It was an incredible experience,” he says.
Doting father of three daughters, Tim says he is looking forward to family skiing trips and enjoying the vibrant arts community that Canberra offers.
Inevitably, we touched on his time as the “Demtel man”, selling products on TV infomercials in the early 1990s, which led Tim to share his favourite story about meeting the now-Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, in 2001. Tim recalls Sir Peter coming up and bemoaning: “Have you any idea how much money you cost me? My wife Lynne bought everything you ever sold on Australian TV!”
2CC Breakfast with Tim Shaw starts on Monday, January 11.
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THE torture and vicious killing that ISIS has visited upon the world is vile and reprehensible. And it will continue.
But as we confront a new year with its inevitable travails and tragedies, perhaps it’s worth taking a glimpse at the other side of the coin, for nothing is ever all bad; invariably there’s a silver lining. And this certainly applies to ISIS, both in the big picture and in our own neck of the woods.
On the big stage, the Islamists have spread their contagion from the Middle East, that crucible of hate, to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Indeed, not even distant Australasia has been spared the symptoms of the virus. But its very universality holds the key to one of its unintended virtues – for it has drawn together nations that would otherwise be rubbing each other up the wrong way, with potentially disastrous consequences, into a shared struggle against a common enemy.
Each time terrorist outrages take place in France, Britain, Russia, China, Indonesia, Australia and the US their governments are forced to put aside their silly nationalistic squabbles to confront the common foe. And no country will be the bigger beneficiary of this movement than Australia. For the truth is that since colonial times we have been prey to a racist defence
policy – our notional enemy in the ADF’s war games has been either China or Indonesia depending on the fashion of the day. And that was never going to change until the advent of ISIS.
As it happens, both Indonesia and China are extremely vulnerable to the ISIS virus – Indonesia through its 95 per cent Muslim population; and China via its 160 million Muslims of the northwest. Both are in the early stages of the ISIS contagion, but its spread is inevitable.
And as we work together to battle the disease, new bonds of co-operation will
temper that nationalistic nonsense so beloved of warmongers everywhere.
At the political level, the ugly face of intolerance a la Donald Trump and Tony Abbott will stand in stark contrast to the humanity and decency of the Angela Merkels and Gillian Triggs
Even Abbott’s replacement by Malcolm Turnbull suggests that in the end good sense will win out over stupidity. And if in the process the whole notion of religious faith over science and reason is called into question that can only be a step in the right direction.
Of course, it’s easy enough for an Australian, blessed with the bounty of our great continent, to find a silver lining to the world’s travails. Undoubtedly, the battle will be hard fought with terrible casualties on both sides. However, the signs are hopeful. The world is shrinking; economic co-dependence is becoming irreversible; and as education routs the dark corners of ignorance, there are surely grounds for optimism. That we were able to secure the agreement on action against climate change in Paris, the same city that suffered two of the most shocking terrorist atrocities, was deeply significant. It was a long and tortuous road and we aren’t out of the woods yet. But the good guys are having a win or two. Maybe we’re on a roll.
robert@robertmacklin.com
A POLL in Canberra to determine the dominant local and national political issues in 2015 would not be likely to produce any surprises.
The tram followed by Mr Fluffy would be confirmed as the local issues and the elevation of Malcolm Turnbull to the Prime Ministership followed by the Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption likely to rate as the primary national political issues.
It is fairly certain that these issues will continue to be significant in 2016; at least until the twin elections for the Legislative Assembly and the Federal Parliament are held.
To the extent that the pros and cons of light rail have dominated local politics, one could be forgiven for thinking both the ALP/ Greens coalition and the Liberal Party have effectively staked the next election on voter response to it or at least its anticipated cost.
There will, as always, be other issues or factors that will influence the outcome of the elections.
Conventional wisdom is
The next ACT election will be determined by which party candidate or independent wins the fifth seat in three of the five electorates. It’s as simple as that.
that the “It’s Time” factor, after 15 years of one party in government, would be a relevant consideration. However, the ACT Labor government has been fairly effective in generating a sense of renewal with regular changes to the ministry including that of the chief minister.
This has occurred in a constructive and consensual way with changes initiated by the respective members.
The notable exception being, unfortunately, the odious treatment of Simon Corbell by his faction in the most recent round of preselections.
Health and hip-pocket issues will prove to be more problematic for the ALP/ Greens than “It’s Time”.
The performance of Canberra’s public hospitals and public health generally are always fertile ground for an organised and energetic opposition. All governments are vulnerable on health, no less so an ACT government
seeking a fifth term and rightly required to stand on and defend its record.
Rates and other charges (including parking fees) will, particularly in light of increases over this term of the Assembly and the relative success of the rates campaign in the last election, certainly feature in the Liberals’ attack ads.
The state of the Budget bottom line, if as anticipated there will be a sizeable deficit, will also be used to highlight the government’s economic management and to illustrate the cost/benefit of light rail.
Housing affordability for young families wanting a detached house and the related failure of the government to deliver developer-ready land for affordable detached housing also presents a real opportunity to a hungry opposition.
However, the Liberal Party has signalled that it believes it can ride home on the tram.
It is a high-stakes gamble and there is a very good chance the Liberals have underestimated the extent to which Canberra residents understand and will support government expenditure on major longterm city or community building enterprises such as light rail.
As 2015 draws to a close and an election year and the campaign beckon, the Labor/Greens coalition has finalised its team of candidates and those of us with an interest in these things have made our assessment.
For pundits seeking to predict the likely outcome of the next ACT election the most important piece of information is not yet available.
And that is not the composition of the Liberal Party electoral team. It is
the identity of the five (one for each electorate) highprofile, credible, electable and sympathetic independents that the Liberal Party has surely, after 15 years in the wilderness, managed to inveigle into standing at the next election.
The next ACT election will be determined by which party candidate or independent wins the fifth seat in three of the five electorates. It’s as simple as that. The outcome of the next Federal election is, at this point, more clear cut. Malcolm Turnbull is odds on.
The ALP is holding firm to the belief that nothing in life is certain but death and more taxes. Bill Shorten and the entire caucus are praying for both.
Jon Stanhope was Chief Minister from 2001 to 2011 and represented Ginninderra for the Labor Party from 1998. He is the only chief minister to have governed with a majority in the Assembly.
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Summer loving had me a blast, Summer loving happened so fast, I met a girl crazy for me, Met a boy cute as can be…
THE romantic cities of Europe, the excitement of a beach holiday or going on a cruise, where the stress of day-to-day life is abandoned for fun and excitement, are all key ingredients to a summer romance.
“When you are on holidays, people tend to be more relaxed, they tend to chat more with others and do things that they wouldn’t necessarily do at home,” says Dr Vivienne Lewis, clinical psychologist from the University of Canberra.
“There’s a certain amount anonymity about meeting someone away from home and there isn’t the pressure that goes with meeting someone in Canberra.
“Some younger people go out deliberately looking for summer romances and with no expectation that they will result in anything long term, it takes the pressure off.”
Vivienne says that when people meet on holidays, their relationship is sped up and intensified.
Penny Coulter, manager of Counselling Services at Relationships Australia, agrees that in summer
We all know of the cliched summer romance stories made famous by Sandy and Danny in “Grease”. Is it a case of fairytales? Or can people find a special someone this summer and make that romance last? KATE MEIKLE went looking for answers
romances people can be swept away from the world and swept away with each other.
“Discovering the world together can bring people closer together,” says Penny.
“Summer romance is a time of fun and discovery, and connecting with a person in a moment in time,” she says.
But the big question; can summer romance last?
“To avoid heartbreak, keep an open mind and talk about your expectations so you are on the same page with your partner,” says Penny.
“It doesn’t matter how you met, it gets down to respect and keeping a safe and healthy relationship,” she says.
Discuss if you would like to stay in contact with your partner and if so, when you are back home, keep communication up and put the effort in, recommends Vivienne.
“A few of my clients have met
people on holidays and kept in contact and their partner later moved to Canberra, so you do hear of that working out!” she says.
To help manage disappointment when your summer romance is over, Penny advises people to turn to friends and family for extra support. And if things are getting you down and you aren’t moving past it, consider talking to a counsellor about your feelings.
And for those feeling shy or self conscious, Vivienne says to remember that summer is about having fun.
“The advice I give my clients is do you want to look back on your holiday and all the fun and social times you had, or remember it for feeling self conscious?” she says.
“We are all different sizes and shapes, and people are paying far less attention to your body than you think. It’s not such a big deal so go to the pool or barbecue and enjoy!”
“On holidays, people tend to be more relaxed, they tend to chat more with others and do things that they wouldn’t necessarily do at home,” says psychologist Dr Vivienne Lewis.
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UNDER many a tree this Christmas there will have been a hoverboard.
Of course, I don’t mean an actual “Back to the Future” style hoverboard, rather the beast of no name that Wikipedia tries to describe as a “self-balancing two-wheeled board”, sometimes they’re referred to as a “Segway board”. They have no agreed name, they occasionally explode, there is no known inventor or designer, they are wildly illegal to ride in public and, yet, here they are, everywhere.
As to their origins Wikipedia has a despairing note: “The fast pace of the Chinese manufacturing industry makes it difficult to pinpoint which Chinese company was the first to manufacture the device.”
What appears to have happened is numerous Chinese companies stole the idea from each other and raced to market, while lying about being the inventor.
English-speaking importers then believed the lies they were told about exclusive licensing deals and those early adopters are taking a bath as secondwave designs, selling for mere hundreds of dollars, outperform
The “self-balancing two-wheeled board”... At around 10kg they’re light and small enough to pick up and take on a bus or train.
the models they bought to sell for thousands.
At around 10kg they’re light and small enough to pick up and take on a bus or train. They’re so low and small that most law enforcement appears not to take them seriously enough to charge their riders, despite each
wheel throwing out 350 Watts of power (250 Watts being the unregistered limit in these parts, as applies to electric bicycles).
With rechargeable lithium batteries being churned through the unregulated wilds of Chinese manufacturing a large percentage of them do not meet recognised electrical safety standards and some houses have been burned down. It’s worth noting that some of them do meet safety standards (check carefully and
buyer beware).
What they appear to demonstrate more than anything is that no-one is in charge and no-one seems much to mind.
Where the Segway failed to revolutionise urban transport these things, along with the harder-to-learn but safer-to-ride monowheel scooters, have some promise.
Boasting speeds up to 20kph they can save a lot of time (cyclists are considered to average around 15kph), they can handle pretty steep hills and reasonably big people (some models up to 140kg).
With a range of around 20km between charges (assuming they don’t explode and set fire to your house) they are useful for popping down to the shops.
All of these statistics are based on a wild range of specifications from a huge range of makes and models and new generations seem to pop up every few weeks. The important thing is that they’re getting better and cheaper at a phenomenal rate.
When the price point is a few hundred dollars, all sorts of other inconveniences can be overlooked.
One hopes the regulators will catch up to them soon.
It’s all very exciting, but also makes one wonder what’s coming next, out of nowhere, attributed to no-one, ubiquitous in the blink of an eye, completely against Australian rules, laws and standards.
Next Christmas is going to be amazing!
John Griffiths is the online editor of citynews.com.au
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In memory of Sylvie Stern
The passing of a stalwart of the Canberra arts community generated immense sadness.
Smith’s to close doors on Saturday
The March closure of alternative arts venue Smith’s attracted plenty of interest. Out of the arms of the receivers a re-tooled Smith’s emerged later in the year.
Truck causes carnage in Acton tunnel
A rogue truck driver trying to move an excavator without approvals caused a surprising amount of disruption to the city when he ploughed into the roof of the Acton tunnel over Parkes Way.
HOME buyers in the ACT have handed over an eye-watering $2.9 billion in stamp duty payments on property since 2001.
Revenue has doubled from $87 million in the 2001 financial year to $227 million in 2014. If Budget forecasts are correct, it will top $229 million this year.
Relying on homebuyers and business to bankroll the Territory’s Budget is hurting families and holding back the ACT economy.
The Chief Minister has promised that the ACT will have the nation’s lowest stamp duty rates. And yet stamp duty has increased by a whopping 537 per cent in the last two decades.
Home buyers are right to question what they are getting in return for these astronomical increases.
Stamp duty acts as a disincentive for people wanting to upsize, downsize or move to places where there are more job opportunities.
The Federal Treasury has identified stamp duty as the tax with the highest cost to economic growth and living standards.
In fact, modelling has found the nation’s economic welfare is reduced by 73 cents for every dollar of stamp duty collected. Why is this? Because stamp duty acts as a disincentive for people wanting to upsize, downsize or move to places where there are more job opportunities.
Stamp duty distorts business decisions and is a highly volatile revenue stream for governments.
Survey after survey has found Australians want to axe the tax because it’s driving up home prices and making it unaffordable for young people to own their own home.
And yet, state and territory governments remain addicted to stamp duty
revenues. New analysis from the Property Council has found that state and territory governments are collectively on track to reap a record $20 billion in stamp duty for the current financial year alone. That’s a threefold increase in 14 years. Tax reform is emerging as a massive challenge not just in the ACT, but around the country. If we are to get serious about reforming our taxation system to encourage economic growth, then eliminating stamp duty – the tax most harmful to the economy – would be a New Year gift for everybody.
Catherine Carter is the outgoing ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia. This is her final column and “CityNews” thanks her for her contribution over many years.
Sarah and John have been married for six years and separated four weeks ago. John has moved out of the house, but continues to pay the mortgage and rates. Sarah has remained living in the house. On Christmas morning John opens Facebook and sees Sarah tagged in a photo holding a lotto ticket with a caption that reads “What a win! Can finally take my dream luxury holiday in Europe! Thanks Santa.”
Can John prevent Sarah from spending all of her winnings?
John may need to commence urgent property proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court and seek an injunction to prevent Sarah from accessing and spending the winnings, until such time as they can negotiate a property settlement, or proceed to a final hearing.
Is John entitled to some of Sarah’s winnings?
The pathway set out in section 79 of the Family Law Act 1975 determines the overall adjustment of property interests Sarah and John will be entitled to. The first question in determining whether John is entitled to any of Sarah’s winnings is whether or not the winnings would be included in the pool of assets and liabilities between John and Sarah. In this case, it is likely that the Court would consider the lottery win to be included in the pool as it came into Sarah’s hands very recently after separation and there was still an intermingling of assets, with John continuing to the pay the mortgage and Sarah living in the home. If the lottery win was included in the pool, John and Sarah’s entitlement to it, or a portion of it will depend upon a number of factors including their financial and non-financial contributions to the acquisition of property prior to and during their marriage and each of their future needs (including their age, health and income earning capacities).
Does Sarah have to tell John about these winnings?
Sarah does need to disclose her lottery win to John. When negotiating a property settlement, each party is required to provide full and frank disclosure of their financial circumstances to the other.
What claim does my former spouse or de facto partner have on my future assets?
Formalising a property settlement severs your financial ties and will prevent your former spouse or de facto partner from seeking an adjustment of property interests between you. If you have not entered into a formal property settlement, your former spouse may have a claim on your assets.
For advice about your options and entitlements, please contact us to make an appointment.
By Kate Meikle
TO herald the New Year, the ACT Government is hosting two free events in the city.
Civic Square will be the venue of a family-friendly, all-ages concert from 7pm, with performances by Melbourne six-piece band Saskwatch and two local favourites, Los Chavos and The Advocates.
State-of-the-art firework displays will go off with a bang at 9pm and midnight, set to a soundtrack.
Lead singer of Saskwatch, Nkechi Anele, says she is happy to be celebrating New Year’s Eve with her band in Canberra.
It’s been a busy year for Saskwatch, with the release of its third album “Sorry I Let It Come Between Us” and the departure of three band members.
“We are now a six-piece band, from an original nine. We are the same, strong band as before. We used to be a soul band but our music has moved towards rock, with more guitars rather than horns,” says Nkechi.
Nkechi says that Saskwatch spent half of this year touring the country as the support band for The Rubens, and the
New Year’s Eve performance will feature lots of music from their new album.
At Garema Place, Bass in the Place all-ages dance party will kick off at 9pm until 1am.
The line-up features DJs Jake Raven, Hudak and Felixx. DJ Tigerlily, best known for her hit single “Paradise”, will headline the concert and take over the decks in the lead into the midnight countdown. This year, DJ Tigerlily has toured locally and internationally, released new singles and her first video clips. She says 2016 will see her moving to LA. After four years, she says it’s the right time to take the next step and tour in the US.
“Everytime I come to Canberra, the shows are always lots of fun and there is such a great response from the crowd,” she says.
“New Year’s Eve is all about the set list. I’ll be playing hits as well as some classics, to bring people together with good vibes and good music.”
Both the Civic Square and Garema Place events are alcohol-free and ACTION Buses will operate the Nightrider service.
New Year’s Eve is also the last chance to the see the world-record-breaking SIDS & Kids ACT Christmas Lights in the City.
• THE National Gallery’s main attraction this summer is a collection of paintings of legendary Australian artist Tom Roberts. It will bring together Roberts’ most famous paintings such as “Shearing the Rams” (1888-90) and “A break away!” (1891) which are among the nation’s best known works of art. Tickets on sale until March 28.
• Free exhibitions at the National Gallery: “Behind the scenes: Tyler Graphics at work”, which features art from one of the most innovative print workshops of the 20th century, photographs and specially produced short films, reveal the processes of printmaking and the collaborative relationships between seven leading artists and Ken Tyler, master printer. “The world is beautiful: photographs from the collection” is an exhibition of photographs taken over the last 100 years from the NGA’s photography collection, including work by Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Max Dupain, Bill Henson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man Ray and Cindy Sherman.
• “MAGNIFIED: 12 years of the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize” is on at the National Archives. Enjoy prize-winning artworks exhibited alongside inspiring historical content from the collections of the National Archives of Australia and the SA Museum.
• NGA Contemporary, located at Queen Elizabeth Terrace, on the southern foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin is exhibiting “The last temptation: the art of Ken + Julia Yonetani”. This installation by internationally acclaimed artists is a provocative response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The exhibition features chandeliers made from uranium glass, representing nuclear-powered nations and a nine-metre banquet table made entirely of salt.
By Helen Musa
THE Young Music Society’s coming summer school looks like being the liveliest ever.
With more than 400 students in attendance, this year’s event will see each student enjoying drumming classes with Gary France, from the Groove Warehouse, and choral practice with Opera Australia luminary Tobias Cole.
There’ll be a visit from the Polish ensemble Kwartludium and, of all things, an excursion to the Cavalry Baseball with Young Music Society students providing pre-game entertainment.
With a focus on creating new musical masterpieces and exploring creativity, the school runs for two weeks with classes for students from kindergarten to year 12.
There’ll be the chance to learn a new instrument and choose from a wide range of elective classes, as well as participate in public performances
And it’s not just classical music. As well as France and Cole, other teachers will be Moochers Inc., the Foray Ensemble, Mr Michael, Pheno and The String Contingent.
Young Music Society Summer School, Canberra Grammar School, January 11-22, inquiries to admin@youngmusicsociety.org. au or visit youngmusicsociety.org.au
• THE National Portrait Gallery presents “Sideshow Alley: Infamy, the macabre & the portrait” Featuring a selection of death masks, post-mortem drawings and other spooky and disquieting portraits, “Sideshow Alley” looks at the official, personal and commercial uses made of images of Australian convicts and criminals throughout the 19th century.
• “ENCOUNTERS: Revealing stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects from the British Museum” at the National Museum. It features rare, early Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects from the British Museum.
• OLD Parliament House is home to “Behind the Lines: The Year’s Best Political Cartoons”, which condenses a year of political highs and lows into 80 of the best cartoons of 2015.
• HOLIDAYS + art at NGA . In January, The National Gallery will have a special art activity running every day. There is no need to book – just drop in and staff can guide you to the kids’ art station.
• FAMILY tours. The National Gallery will run special family-friendly tours daily at 10.30am beginning on January 11.
• DESIGNED for children aged 5 to 12, Kspace is the National Museum’s new interactive adventure game for kids.
• DISCOVERY Space: Continuing culture – Children are invited to drop into the National Museum and engage in art and craft activities inspired by some of the objects in the museum’s “Encounters” exhibition.
• BETWEEN January 20-23, Canberra Theatre will present “Storytime Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty” Packed with dancing, tutus and Tchaikovsky music, this is a good first ballet experience for boys and girls aged three and up.
• AUSTRALIA vs. India: One Day International Cricket match will be hosted at Manuka Oval on January 20.
FOR my family, January has to be the best time of year. We get to sleep in. We catch up with friends and family. We do things together. We probably eat way too much and watch all those TV series we missed during the year.
January is a time for well-earned rest, recovery and, often, a time of contemplation. It’s also the time of the year for new starts, new projects, New Year’s resolutions. All in all it’s a pretty positive time of year. But as I have got older I have realised January can also be a pretty challenging time of year for many of us.
For many families, January and February can be a time when financial stress is at its worst.
It’s a time when all those bills come in at once and unexpected expenses put strain on budgets and relationships.
For those without family or friends, it can be a time when loneliness is particularly acute, when the loss of loved ones is most felt. It’s also the time of year when the daily and weekly routines that keep us going through the year take a bit of a pause, leaving a temporary but nonetheless significant void.
For those of us who suffer from sickness or ill health, it’s the time of the year when access to services can be more difficult.
For new parents dealing with infants,
Many of us are enjoying the summer break, but quite a few of us are in the midst of a summer breakdown.
the heat and long sleepless nights of January can be an exhausting and emotional roller coaster ride. For the elderly, the heat can take a terrible toll.
January is usually a lot of fun for kids, but it can also be a time of anxiety for children whose family is moving address, possibly interstate, or who are anticipating starting at a new school.
For teenagers with too much time on their hands and parents who have left them at home to do their own thing, January can be a time of trouble and strife. (In passing, I have to add that I’ve come around to the conclusion that social media is an enormous sociological experiment that is going horribly wrong for many youngsters.)
Now, I know this is all a bit gloomy and I do apologise. January in Canberra is and always will be my favourite time of year.
Many of us are enjoying the summer break, but quite a few of us are in the midst of a summer breakdown. So this January why not add a New Year’s resolution to keep an eye out for others and be aware that many people around us are, for all sorts of reasons, doing it tough at the beginning of the year.
‘TIS still the season of goodwill in Canberra, so how about showing some of it.
If you can’t get a park right at the door of the shopping centre, it’s not going to kill you. Seriously, people, if you have to walk 500 metres before doing your shopping, it’ll probably be better for you in the end, so don’t stress so much about it. It’s holiday time. Smile, even if it’s a fake one. Even fake smiles are infectious.
To the cranky motorists who don’t believe cyclists should be sharing the road, just accept that they are and get over it. They’re not actually hurting you. Nobody’s asking you to wear lycra, but if someone else chooses to do so and if they’re commuting choice gets them out of a car that would have been jostling with you for that aforementioned car park, shouldn’t that be a good thing?
I’m so sick of hearing the old chestnut: “There was a perfect bike path 10 metres away, so why was this peanut riding on the road?”
I’ll tell you why: the bike path network is incomplete. It doesn’t always take you to where you want to go. If you’re commuting on a bike, you want to get to your destination as quickly as you can and often that doesn’t involve a bike path.
Road bikes are called “road bikes” because they’re designed for riding on the road.
Sure there are “peanuts” riding bikes on our roads, but their ratio is no higher than the peanut ratio of regular motorists.
And while we’re on the subject of goodwill… why does it have to be so complicated out on the building sites of Canberra? Why must there be war
To the cranky motorists who don’t believe cyclists should be sharing the road, just accept that they are and get over it.
between builders and the CFMEU? I think when it all started this was about workers’ safety and workers’ rights, but you get the impression it’s now about power and money.
Unions have played a major role in making this country as great as it is today, but I’m seeing and hearing about incidents of late which don’t align with that original vision. I don’t know where all of the money is going, but I do know that, as a consequence of the corner we find ourselves in now, everything costs more to build than it should.
In this season of goodwill, how amazing would it be if we had a “Western Front-style, post-Christmas moment”. Imagine if the CFMEU and the builders and the contractors could come out of the trenches for a friendly game of football.
Maybe that will never happen, but it might be strangely more likely now that the Royal Commission has had its say. I live in hope.
SWEARING, overly sexual and ill-mannered behaviour and affairs have all featured as issues in the list of most complained about advertisements in 2015.
“What we can see from the list is that complainants are particularly concerned with seeing behaviour in advertisements that they view as inappropriate,” Advertising Standards Bureau CEO Fiona Jolly said.
An advertisement which featured a young boy saying “bloody” topped the list, with 161 complaints. An advertisement for an online dating company for married people looking to have an affair was the second most complained about, and another showing a woman licking chip flavouring off a man’s lip came in third.
Advertisements that featured a stereotypical depiction of a woman in a bad mood while on her period, a sweaty man wiping himself at the gym, a woman flicking a belt at a snake and one in which a woman refers to her cat as a “big pussy” also featured in the 10 most complained about list.
“While some people may not like to see ‘bad behaviour’ in advertising, the content of many of these advertisements did not breach the code,” Ms Jolly said.
The board found that just over 70 advertisements breached different sections of the code this year. Of the 10 most complained about advertisements, only one was found to breach the code.
The top five most complained about ads this
year are:
Holden Ltd: TV ad features a man driving and complaining about “Bloody caravaners”. Dismissed, number of complaints: 161.
Ashley Madison – Avid Life. TV ad features men singing about “looking for someone other than my wife”. Upheld, number of complaints: 138.
Fantastic Snacks Australia: TV ad shows a wife licking chip flavouring off her husband’s lips. Dismissed, number of complaints: 85.
Unicharm Australasia: TV ad features a woman in a variety of stereotypical scenarios related to having her period. Dismissed, number of complaints: 76.
Sportsbet: TV ad featuring a sweaty man wiping himself at the gym. Dismissed, number of complaints: 71.
WHEN you’re driving a police car, CC supposes it’s reasonably unlikely you’ll ever really get a parking ticket, especially when backed into a disabled spot as this patrol car was spotted doing in the city recently.
THIS is Deborah Pearse’s gorgeous photo “Survival” that won her first prize in the 2015 Helping Wetlands Flourish category and the People’s Choice Prize winner 2015 of the annual Wetlands in Focus Photography Prize. The 2016 awards are open for entry with prizes for the best shots of wetland plants, animals, landscapes and wetland volunteers. It’s free to enter and submissions are open until the end of February to wetlandcare.com.au
an equal chance of being drawn”. Nevertheless, here are the postcodes with most frequent division-one wins across all games: Two wins: 2912 Gungahlin and 2606 Woden. One win: 2615 Charnwood, 2617 Evatt, 2900 Tuggeranong, 2903 Wanniassa and 2602 Dickson.
LOCAL food blogger Bec Cuzzillo has landed a spot on the Hoi Polloi menu at Old Parliament House with her Bob Hawke-inspired politician burger.
“The Full Yard”, comprised of a beef rissole, grilled pineapple, mayonnaise, tomato chilli relish, cheddar cheese, sliced beetroot, caramelised onion and iceberg lettuce, was selected after a month-long, democratic, public-voting process. And its name? Bec drew inspiration from the former PM’s uni-days world record for drinking a yard glass of ale in less than 12 seconds.
IN the year ending November 30, nine players in the ACT won $89.9 million in NSW Lotteries’ division one prizes with Gungahlin named ACT Lotto Hotspot, where $51 million was won with two tickets. The biggest wins were the $50 million Powerball prize won in May in Gungahlin, and the $30 million Oz Lotto prize won in mid-December last year from a ticket bought in Woden.
While these locations may inspire the superstitious, NSW Lotteries’ spokesperson Belinda McDougall was having none of it saying: “Regardless of where a ticket is purchased, every number on every ticket has
“I’m excited that I can take my friends to a restaurant in the historical grounds of Canberra and order a burger that I created. It’s pretty weird, but very cool and makes for a fun story,” she says.
By Kate Meikle
WHEN we last met Sunny Forsyth, CEO of Canberra-based charity Abundant Water, in 2013, he had taken clay-pot filtration technology developed at the ANU to Laos.
With an emphasis on training locals to create, sell and use this simple, life-saving filtration system, it helped provide communities with safe drinking water.
Two years on, Sunny says that Abundant Water has given 7000 people in Laos clean drinking water, an achievement that brings him and his team great personal pride.
“Our approach has been to work with the locals to help solve their problems and help them to drive their own projects,” he says.
“We build relationships with partners, government and our Laos-based team.
“One issue we faced is that people in Laos are always working and have little downtime in their lives, and one major task that takes about 200 hours each year is to gather firewood to boil water by women and children,” says Sunny.
“With the clay-pot filtration systems, they don’t have to boil their water. Once they got a sense that they didn’t have to spend time gathering firewood anymore, we were able to reach more people.”
Engaging women and giving them the opportunity to become vendors and run their own business has been a focus for Abundant Water and it has recently been awarded a grant to train Laotian women to make their own filtration business.
Sunny says that the first female vendor has just started her business, joining six men who are successfully making a living selling the filters.
Nepal is Sunny’s next challenge. Abundant Water has partnered with organisations that provide social support to women and children to flee domestic violence and gain independence
THE ACT’s push to host a cricket test is looking positive for the first time.
As the dust settles on the Hobart test, the campaign is well and truly underway for Canberra to take the place of Tasmania as Australia’s sixth test venue.
The success of our hosting of the World Cup, the Big Bash final and the one-day internationals cannot be under-estimated because it appeared as if Cricket Australia was putting Canberra through its paces before deciding whether we were ready to manage a test.
Previously, Cricket Australia would decide test venues based on the make up of its board and, under that scenario, Canberra didn’t seem to get a look in.
Things have changed with Cricket Australia basing decisions on where to host matches on a business case.
As such, there has been little public campaigning from ACT Cricket, which has simply presented a financial forecast coupled with obvious support for cricket, not just in Canberra but in southern NSW.
The ACT Government has also been proactive in backing any proposal to bring a test match to Canberra. It would appear as though it is only a matter of time.
through employment.
“We partnered with these groups who see our work from a financial perspective as important for women to start a small business in a country where formal employment and education is not high,” says Sunny.
After the Nepal earthquake in April, clean water has become a major issue. Abundant Water has launched a crowdfunding campaign to take their Lao training team to Nepal to train Nepali women potters to make their own water filters to supply their families and communities with clean drinking water. Rotary and several Canberra businesses are supporting the campaign.
“This project helps train women in challenging circumstances build and recover, giving their communities clean water as well as providing them with a chance to become independent and healthy members of the community,” says Sunny.
Sunny is now back home in Canberra and, after eight years predominantly spent in Laos, he plans to establish Canberra as his base. With a team of international managers and staff on the ground, Sunny says he is now free to focus on other Abundant Water projects, such as Nepal.
And for those interested in volunteering, Sunny says he is keen to hear from you.
“We have an active volunteer team in Canberra including an internship program in Laos. We are looking for volunteers and keen to find a way to share what we do.”
For more information on Abundant Water, to contribute to the Nepal campaign or seek volunteering opportunities, visit abundantwater.org
Cricket Australia has been putting Canberra through its paces before deciding whether we were ready to manage a test.
RICKY Stuart’s contract with the Raiders has been extended for another two seasons beyond next year.
Some have been surprised at the move by the Raiders, but Stuart was always going to be a long-term coach of the team. The board has made that clear over the past 12 months.
The board believes that with Stuart as coach the club is heading in the right direction. Key players have re-signed and Stuart has a long-term plan for the future.
The big test comes next season with the side, on paper, the strongest it has been for years.
Anything short of the finals will be deemed as a failure.
One thing Stuart has been working on is competition for positions and that is starting to materialise. One player to watch out for is the English forward Elliott Whitehead . He has the potential to make as big an impact as Josh Hodgson.
You get the feeling it’s also shaping up as a vital year for the Brumbies, too. However, David Pocock’s future remains in doubt beyond next season and he could join Matt Toomua in heading overseas.
Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen, resulting in only 50-80 per cent of the protection stated on the product.
THE summer holiday season brings with it dangers of added exposure to the sun and outdoors, exposure that can lead to skin damage and the risk of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is all-too-common in Australia, with an incidence among the highest in the world and two to three times higher than that of Canada, the US and Britain.
Cancer Council Australia reports that skin cancer accounts for about 80 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers and that between 95 and 99 per cent of skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun. In addition, GPs have more than 1 million patient consultations a year for skin cancer, up 14 per cent over 10 years.
In 2012 – the latest statistics available – 2036 people died from skin cancer in Australia. Most of these deaths were due to melanoma, with 1515 deaths from melanoma that year, compared with 521 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers.
The five-year relative survival rate for melanoma is 90 per cent for Australian men and 94 per cent for Australian women.
One way to reduce skin cancer risks is to avoid sunburn, which causes 95 per cent of melanomas. In Australia, almost 14 per cent of adults, 24 per cent of teenagers and 8 per cent of children are sunburnt on an average summer
weekend.
The Cancer Council recommends that, for the best protection, we should:
• Slip on sun-protective clothing that covers as much of our skin as possible.
• Slop on broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30+ sunscreen 20 minutes before we go outdoors and then every two hours afterwards.
• Slap on a hat that protects the face, head, neck and ears.
• Seek shade.
• Slide on sunglasses that meet Australian standards.
Applying sunscreen correctly is essential for maximum protection and at least a teaspoon is recommended for each limb, front and back of the body and half a teaspoon for the face, neck and ears. Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen, resulting in only 50-80 per cent of the
protection stated on the product. Your community pharmacist can help if you think you may have a problem with your skin – the sooner a skin cancer is identified and treated, the better.
Signs to be aware of include:
• Any crusty, non-healing sores.
• Small lumps that are red, pale or pearly in colour.
• New spots, freckles or any moles changing in colour, thickness or shape over a period of weeks to months (especially those dark brown to black, red or blue-black in colour).
If your pharmacist suspects there may be an issue, they will refer you immediately to your doctor for further advice and consultation.
George Tambassis is national president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia
Across
4 Who is known affectionately as “Whispering Jack”, John ...?
8 Name a plug-in electrical appliance, called a double ...
9 Which social worker is attached to a hospital?
10 Which number is depicted by the Roman numeral XV?
11 To be curved like the interior of a hollow sphere, is to be what?
12 Name another term meaning shun or avoid.
14 What are appointments between lovers?
18 Name the outer and thinner bones that extend from the knees to the ankles.
21 What is an alternative name for lucerne?
22 Name the dark pigment in the body of humans and certain animals.
23 Which horse-drawn vehicle was traditionally inhabited by gipsies?
24 To throw into disorder, is to do what? Down
1 What is another term for armed conflict?
2 What do we call children without homes?
3 Name the lofty tower attached to a church.
4 From which country did Offenbach come?
5 Which is the ancestor of present-day calendars?
6 What are sheds for aeroplanes?
7 Who invented a telegraph system using a particular code, Samuel ...?
13 What is another term for one who mends shoes?
15 Name the Australian pioneer surgeon whose recommendations led to better conditions on convict ships, William ...
16 Name a plain, as in the Sudan of Africa.
17 What is a meeting of people seeking to communicate with the dead?
18 To be well known, is to be what?
19 Name a fabric woven from flax yarns.
20 Name a British general and statesman in India, Robert ...
By Helen Musa
ONE of Canberra’s most hardworking artists has been acknowledged recently through two very public acquisitions of her work.
Helen S. Tiernan’s work, “Colonial Wallpapers – wealth opportunity abundance” has been acquired for the Parliament House Collection, while her poignant comment on the National Arboretum site, “Fire Tracks, National Arboretum”, has been acquired for the ACT Legislative Assembly Art Collection.
Tiernan, a graduate of the ANU’s School of Art and a busy curator, volunteer guide and participant in the local community, has lived in Canberra since 1997. Born in Gippsland of Aboriginal and Irish descent, she has long been an active member of this town’s art
scene and has exhibited her work at the School of Art Gallery, M16 Art Space, the Italo-Australia Club, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, the National Museum of Australia and many other places.
Her commissions include a wall mural for Gilmore Primary School and a pole for a public art project at the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre.
Speaking of the Legislative Assembly acquisition, Tiernan told “CityNews”: “I knew I wanted to focus on the arboretum… it’s the most obvious example of the tension between Aboriginal and western ideas of land management I see daily from the Tuggeranong freeway [she lives in Chapman].”
“Colonial Wallpapers”, she said, had been inspired by Bill Gammage’s prizewinning book, “The Biggest Estate on Earth – How Aborigines Made Australia”. It brings together
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Aboriginal and Western ideals of beauty, alluding to Australia’s colonial past and hinting at forms once created through Aboriginal land management.
Gammage said in opening her 2014-15 solo exhibition at Adrian Newstead’s Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery in Bondi: “She does depict specific places, mostly around Canberra, but beyond that she expresses
the idea of a made landscape, surely something the people of 1788 would have appreciated.”
Tiernan said news of the acquisitions had left her thinking her art would be “a legacy for my kids”. But one of her friends put it much better, telling her: “Well, girl, you’re going to go down in history now.”
Disclaimer: Helen Musa is a member of the Speaker’s Art Advisory Committee for the ACT Legislative Assembly.
“The Sound of Music”
By Rodgers and Hammerstein, at The Capitol Theatre, Sydney, until February 28.
Reviewed by Helen Musa
TIMED perfectly for the holiday season, this touring production, based on the London Palladium show, brings wholesome family entertainment back to the Sydney stage.
Played on a handsome conventional set with hints of the Austrian alps visible upstage, this is a straightforward production that focuses formerly on fine singing and very cute children.
Amy Lehpamer leads the way as the wayward novice Maria who captures the hearts of the von Trapp children and their straight-backed father Georg, played fairly blandly by Cameron Daddo.
Normally cast as the heroine, Marina Prior is seen in a new light as the rival love interest, Baroness Schraeder. David James, possibly best known to the young crowd in the audience from “Play School”, plays the entrepreneurial Max with gusto and unexpected depth. Veteran stage and screen personality Lorraine Bayly drew an ovation when she first appeared as the longsuffering housekeeper Frau Schmidt.
This extraordinarily popular musical features universally-loved songs like “Do Re Mi” and “My Favourite Things,” but there are also several more religious songs, such as “Dixit Dominus”, “Alleluia” and “Climb Every Mountain”, and it is in these numbers that the full magnificence of the vocal chorus comes to the fore.
Stefanie Jones plays the 16-year-old Liesl von Trapp with an element of wisdom beyond her years and newcomer Du Toit Bredenkamp gives us a hint of the emerging Nazi in his portrayal of Rolf the post boy, though it was a shame we couldn’t have seen him better in the scene where he allows the von Trapps to escape. In the end this production stands out because of the lively performances by the young actors playing the smaller von Trapp children, often accompanied by rhythmical clapping from the audience.
If it all sounds a bit too saccharine to be true, it isn’t. The darker second half of “The Sound of Music” allows for some nerve-wracking moments even for those of us who know the von Trapps will successfully escape across the mountains to Switzerland.
It’s a cliché, but this production of “The Sound of Music” is one for the whole family.
By Helen Musa
SPARE a thought for the dance teachers of Canberra – Ausdance ACT is doing exactly that. Hard-working and talented, mixing the rigours of teaching with creative discipline in a system where colleagues often think what they do is mere frivolity, dance teachers understand that their chosen art form offers life skills like few other subjects.
Now help is at hand as Ausdance’s “Move Up”, a program of practical dance workshops, moves into gear with summer workshops, helping teachers to learn and understand dance movement while implementing the dance elements of the Australian curriculum.
Led by eminent dance artists in popular, even commercial genres, the program also aims to encourage self-reflection in teachers, with each session featuring warm-ups, studio work and a period for deep discussion.
Ausdance hopes each workshop will be a safe place for risky ideas and opposing views of practice and policy across schools and the professional dance teacher network. The focus this January will be on upper-primary, high school and college teachers, but there is also room for any teacher of dance working independently.
Ausdance has hired a star-studded line up of professional tutors. Sarah Boulter will teach practical contemporary dance skills, technique and improvisation working within the new curriculum to high school, college and studio teachers. She became a household name through her choreography for “So You Think You Can Dance” in Australia and the UK.
Co-director of Ev & Bow dance training centre in Sydney, Boulter is also a performer, having worked in the hit musical “Notre Dame de Paris” in Europe and for The Queen’s 50th Jubilee Celebration in London. She worked alongside Meryl Tankard on “Kaidan: A Ghost Story” at the Opera House.
Neale Whittaker is co-director of the hip-hop comedy group Phly Crew, who in “Move Up” will focus on inclusivity and boys in dance, especially relevant to primary and studio teachers.
Individually, Whittaker fuses contemporary and hip-hop, fined-tuned for the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”, on which he had been assisted by Boulter. His TV credits also include the ABC3 TV series “Dance Academy” and in 2014 and 2015 he attended Urban Dance Camp in Germany.
He’ll teach popular commercial styles to high school, college and studio teachers alongside Sydney jazz ballet expert Daniel Dolling’s classes on that perennially popular art form with young people, musical theatre.
Ausdance ACT’s “Move Up”, January 20-21, Gorman Arts Centre. Registrations via ausdanceact.org.au
By Helen Musa
THE Australian Ballet’s exciting new program for children, “Storytime Ballet”, is coming to Canberra with “The Sleeping Beauty” performed by dancers from the company. Designed for children aged three years old and up, the interactive production of under an hour is full of “dazzling dancing, sparkling tutus and enchanting Tchaikovsky music”.
Hugh Colman’s set is the one originally created for Maina Gielgud’s 1984 production of this ballet. Children can learn about ballet in pre-show activities and are encouraged to dress up.
At The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre, January 20-23. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre. com.au or 6275 2700.
NIDA summer courses will be held at The Street Theatre, January 18-24, with enticing titles such as “Acting Boot Camp” and “Heroes, Villains and Spies: Screen Acting”, to name a couple. Courses are available for young people (grades 3-12) and adults (18 years+). Bookings via open.nida.edu.au
THE Artists Society of Canberra’s annual “Summer Art Experience” is described by members as “a week of pure bliss where you can take your art to a new level with an experienced and enthusiastic tutor.” There’s a
new home this year – Campbell High School –and a new-look program in which workshops run on January 9-10 and January 12-14, with a “tutor-free day” on January 11. Registration to asoc.net.au/summer-art-experince-2016/
FOURTEEN members of Belconnen Artists’ Network are exploring aspects of Australia’s living heritage in an exhibition of sculpture, painting, drawing, photography and textiles at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, daily 9.30am to 4.30pm until January 17.
CANBERRA Potters Society is running an intensive introductory holiday course on January 27-29. But for those of a different inclination, they’re running a weekend Medieval Cookware short course. It’s “handson history plus food,” says Alex de Vos, of Flaming Gargoyle pottery. Application details at canberrapotters.com.au, call 0422 596395 or email education@canberrapotters.com.au
CHARLOTTE Pass is the superb location for a new Celtic Music Camp hosted by musicians Dave O’Neill and Jo Cresswell. Classes will be offered in guitar and another as a multi-instrument class based in Irish music by O’Neill and Jeremy Dunlop. Charlotte Pass Village, January 15-18. Bookings to charlottepasscelticmusiccamp.com or 0420 769449.
‘Star Wars’: bigger, yes, but is it better?
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (M)
IT’S three decades since the good guys defeated the Galactic Empire. What’s Lucas Films going to do for kicks without its big cash cow?
Breed anotherie, that’s what! Bigger, yes. Better? The jury is out. This juror isn’t sure whether “Star Wars VII” is better than any of its predecessors.
No argument about the energy of its publicists. Nobody who watched TV or read a newspaper in the last month would not have been aware of its arrival. Such media saturation suggests that its creators were scared the public might read between the lines and discover that they didn’t want the public to know.
Yes, boys and girls. “Star Wars VII” is just another expensive (reported $US200 million for the producers to recover) outer-space, cowboy movie.
The last surviving Jedi, Luke Skywalker, went into hiding several earth decades ago. First Order, the new team of bad guys, wants to get hold of the map showing where in the galaxy Luke now calls home. Who knows who’s got it? Well, not long into the film, we do. It’s quite the cutest little droid so far in the series. And only one human understands its language.
That is Rey (Daisy Ridley) who roams the desert scavenging saleable parts from wrecked spacecraft. Before too long, it becomes apparent that she, more than any other human character, will sustain the film to almost the last frame.
Finn (John Boyega), a First Order storm trooper who’s seen the error of his ways and deserted, finds it in his interest to accompany her. Romance seems probable. But the film has more important matters to canvas.
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca, still roaming the galaxy in the Millennium Falcon, drop into a bar where they learn about what’s going on. And that’s where nostalgia rears its lively head.
Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay is long on action, less so on dialogue, simple in themes and issues. Director JJ Abrams gets plenty of scope to fill out the film’s 135 minutes with special effects, out-of-this-world creatures, which are among the film’s most endearing participants, and explosions that light up the sky with lurid power.
Some would call “Star Wars” science fiction. Wars? Certainly. Without them, the series would not exist. Fiction? Nothing else is an option. Science? Nah, the film has nothing reflecting research, experiment, proof of theory and peer evaluation. Entertainment? There are better examples in the genre, which in some ways is a pity.
At all cinemas
WHILE some places are closed on New Year’s Eve and others on New Year’s Day (presumably so the capital can cope with being hung over), oodles of cafes and restaurants are open to start the New Year.
It’s always fascinating doing this story.
First , you would think that restaurants, already going out of their minds with the buzz of Christmas parties, would save themselves the hassle of answering phone calls on whether they’re open by just updating their websites. I can tell you, more than 90 per cent of those I checked didn’t indicate their holiday times online and so forced me into a phone call.
Second, some restaurants didn’t answer their phones. I gave up after seven rings and, no, I didn’t call during the height of any service.
Third, a fair few who answered the phone didn’t know and had to yell out to someone to confirm.
Fourth, and this is the good news, more and more eateries in Canberra are welcoming customers at this time of year than ever before. So, gone are the days when we can all moan and groan about “nothing being open in the capital”.
Here’s a selection to keep you from starving as January dawns...
• Akiba, Civic: closed January 1; regular hours after that.
• Bentspoke Brewery, Braddon: open regular hours.
• Bicicletta , New Acton: open regular hours.
• Chifley’s Kurrajong Hotel, Barton: open regular hours.
• Hopscotch, Civic: open regular hours.
Every year dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON does a round-up of restaurants open over the January holiday period. This year, she says, the good news is that you won’t starve if you’re not in the mood to dish up a dish at home.
• Jamie’s Italian, Civic: open regular hours.
• Joe’s Bar, East Hotel, Kingston: open regular hours.
• Les Bistronomes, Braddon: open regular hours.
• National Museum Café, Acton: open regular hours.
• PappaRich, Civic: open regular hours.
• Pod Food, Pialligo: closed January 1; regular hours after that.
• Saffron Restaurant , Kingston: closed January 1; regular hours after that.
• Sammy’s Kitchen, Civic: open regular hours.
• Schnitzel Haus, Braddon: open regular hours.
• Urban Pantry, Manuka: closed January 1; regular hours after that.
Happy eating; I’m looking forward to munching my way through 2016.
4TH DEGREE WILL BE LIVE ON STAGE FROM 10PM UNTIL LATE
NOT everyone heading to the coast in summer is a beach lover, but looks forward to other forms of relaxation.
One alternative is the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens, five kilometres south of Batemans Bay, which holds the greatest collection of native plants from the Shoalhaven area from near Nowra in the north to Bega in the south.
Of special interest is the arboretum with trees donated by friends of the gardens. This is a favourite spot for the kangaroos, which are just so friendly as they laze in the shade.
The lakes and streams are a special feature with hides from which a wide variety of birds, especially the water birds, can be observed.
There is a never ending floral display, depending on the season, providing interest to all native flora lovers with guided walks from the visitors centre. The Children’s Walk offers kids the chance to learn about the animals that inhabit the gardens.
There are colourful signs plus full-size sculptures of the various animals with the chance of seeing them live.
Lucky visitors may see the giant goannas throwing dirt high in the air as they dig for rodents. If frightened, the goannas race up the nearest tree and are almost impossible to see with their camouflaged bodies against the eucalyptus bark.
Plus there’s the children’s playground, where some of the equipment is exclusive to the gardens, with the slippery dips that disappear into the “jungle”. Alongside this is a covered area with free gas barbecues.
Entry to the gardens and parking is free. The gardens are open 10am-5pm, Wednesday to Sunday and open every day during public and NSW school holidays. And the Mogo Zoo is just a few kilometres down the road.
More information at erbg.com.au
WHILE away, I have found – even with little or no rainfall – the garden will survive very well. However, pot plants will not and will need a relative or friend to give them a water at least once a week, plus fill the bird bath. The smaller the pot, the more frequent will be the watering, not forgetting any
hanging gardens.
I mulch around the top of all pot plants with pea or cane straw to reduce evaporation. If the pots can be easily moved, place them in shade, under the eaves or in a carport or gazebo, out of the direct sun.
I suggest indoor plants, if small enough, are placed in the bath or laundry tub with a few centimetres of water. It is a good idea to put an old towel in the bottom of the bath under the pots to prevent scratching.
If you have a veggie garden, obviously it will need at least that weekly watering. Tell your watering friends if veggies are ripening to help themselves rather than seeing them go to waste. It may be a further incentive to look after your garden.
UNLESS you are putting in new plants, mainly in the veggie garden, there is no point feeding during mid-summer. Most plants put on little or no growth over the summer period and start their autumn growth about March/April. For new planting, water in with Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient to promote root growth.
“If you grow contented plants you will find peace in your garden.”
– Beth Chatto, renowned English gardener
MOORE
looks at the year ahead
(March 21-April 20)
LOVE & LUST
The Lunar Eclipse rocks the relationship boat around March 23 and it will take your latent diplomatic skills to get things back on an even keel! From May 27 until June 29 you could suffer from a lacklustre libido, as Mars (planet of sex) reverses through your intimacy zone. From September 9 until October 2017, Jupiter jumps through your partnership zone and you’ll experience your luckiest love cycle for the last 12 years. It’s a fabulous time to go on a heavenly holiday with your partner or start a hot, new romance with a sexy foreigner, as love and travel are linked.
LOOT & LUCK
In March, lucky Jupiter trines Pluto in your career and work zones so it’s a wonderful month to look for a job, hit your boss for a raise, apply for a loan or start a business. If extra money comes your way, then make sure you secure it wisely (with an eye to future needs rather than present whims). Your financial situation appears to go backwards in June, but with patience and persistence things gradually improve. September 9 through until December 31 is the perfect time to start (and promote) a promising joint venture.
LIFESTYLE
Your reckless Ram nature intensifies from April 17 through until June 29, when Mars (your ruling planet) is in retrograde mode, and your energy and timing are all over the place. Aim to be reasonable and responsible – rather than impulsive and impossible! August and November are the best months to travel (as long as you plan your trip carefully).
FAMOUS ARIES
Sarah Jessica Parker, Russell Crowe, Kate Hudson.
(April 21-May 21)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Bulls – the year starts well when passion planet Mars moves through your love zone in January and February and the relationship heats up. But then frustration sets in from April 17 until May 26, as Mars reverses through the lust zone and your sex life seems to go backwards, too. With Jupiter and the Solar Eclipse stimulating your love zone, June through until early September are marvellous months to join an online dating site, fall in love, move in together, propose, get married or renew your wedding vows.
LOOT & LUCK
When it comes to finances it will be one step forwards and two steps back. With Mars and penny-pinching Saturn both reversing through your “money-from-others” zone, you can expect cashflow problems and budget blow-outs. Separating your wants from your needs is a must in the current economic climate, as you cut excess consumption and learn to get by on less. Things improve
after September 9, when Jupiter jumps through your work zone and you may expand your business, get a promotion or land a better job.
LIFESTYLE
January through until September 9 is fabulous for fostering friendships, as you extend your peer group to include an adventurous new crowd. And some Bulls will welcome a new baby into the family or enjoy improved relations with a child or teenager. The eclipses activate your hopes and wishes zone (in March and September) so make an overly ambitious wish list and then do all you can to make your dreams come true.
FAMOUS TAUREANS
Cate Blanchett, David Beckham, George Clooney.
(May 22-June 21)
LOVE & LUST
With Saturn in your relationship zone, expect some romantic challenges in 2016. Singles – you may have to kiss a few frogs before you find your Prince (or Princess) Charming. But don’t give up – each dating disappointment will lead you closer to your soulmate. Passion planet Mars reverses through your love zone from April 17 until May 26, when sexual satisfaction may be (temporarily) hard to find. Attached Twins – March and June are the prime months to plan an erotic weekend escape with your lover, as Jupiter and Pluto kick-start your mojo and your libido goes into overdrive.
LOOT & LUCK
The Jupiter/Pluto trines (on March 17 and June 26) are fabulous for money matters involving family and real estate – or an inheritance, superannuation payout, divorce settlement or bumper tax return. By all means celebrate your windfall in style, but Pluto encourages you to think strategically and plan for the future, so make sure you squirrel some cash away to tide you over when finances are tight.
LIFESTYLE
The best time to redecorate, renovate, build an extension, sell property, buy a new home, house-sit or relocate is between now and September 8. From September 9 through until December 31, some Twins will welcome a new addition to the family, while others enjoy improved relations with a child, teenager or friend as you share mutual hobbies, sports or interests. You could also benefit (artistically and financially) from exploring exciting new avenues of creative expression.
FAMOUS GEMINIS
Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman.
(June 22-July 23)
LOVE & LUST
If you are attached, 2016 is the year to take a long hard look at your partnership and transform it in some way. Are you truly 100 per cent committed to your spouse? If not, then it’s time to resuscitate the relationship… or extricate yourself as gracefully as possible and move on. For Crabs who are sick and tired of being single – March and June are the best months to go looking for lasting love, as lucky Jupiter boosts your chances of finding your soulmate on an online dating site.
LOOT & LUCK
January through until August is a period when your
career and/or public profile could suddenly take off via the clever use of social media (and a helping hand from Jupiter). You could find that something you write reaches a wide audience or even goes viral. Canny Crabs will find numerous ways to monetise these lucky opportunities when they come along. September 10 through until December 10 is a terrific time to buy and sell property, or start a home-based business
LIFESTYLE
With Saturn visiting your wellbeing zone, you need to get serious about your health. Take a good look at your diet and fitness program, and keep up to date with medical and dental checks. Don’t skimp on sleep and regular relaxation or you’ll find your Crab energy has deserted you. With two eclipses (and Neptune) in your aspirations zone, it’s a year when your wildest wishes really can take flight. Now’s the time to tap into your inner muse, set ambitious goals, dream big dreams and visualise a fabulous future.
Nelson Mandela, Meryl Streep, Prince William.
(July 24-Aug 23)
LOVE & LUST
In 2016 many Lions will take the plunge via an engagement, wedding, moving in together or by becoming a parent as you strive for more permanence in your primary partnership. With hard work and commitment, your love life will slowly go from strength to strength. Single Cats – expect a temporary dating drought between April 17-May 26, when Mars and Saturn both reverse through your romance zone. The best times to meet your soulmate are in February, March, September and December, when your Cat charisma attracts amorous admirers from near and far.
LOOT & LUCK
Jupiter (planet of prosperity and good luck) transits through your money zone until September 9, so expect a boost to your bank balance via a pay rise, bonus, gift or extra business coming your way. Any windfall won’t last long if you don’t manage it wisely though. Jupiter then moves through your social networking zone until October 2017 and you could hit the internet jackpot when something you post (or sell) online goes viral.
LIFESTYLE
March and June are momentous months, when you’ll be given the opportunity to cut the dead wood from your daily life, reform bad habits and proceed in a positive new direction. Expect big domestic changes in June, when retrograde Mars stimulates your restless gene and turns your living arrangements upside down. With Jupiter and Uranus activating your travel zones, an interstate sojourn or overseas adventure is on the cards between September 9 and December 31 so start planning (and booking) ASAP.
Helen Mirren, Barack Obama, Amy Adams
(Aug 24-Sep 23)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Virgos – the Solar and Lunar Eclipses (in March and September) bring up hidden tension or simmering
resentment, particularly if one of you has been putting work before the relationship. It’s best to bring these problems up into the light of day, where they can be examined, discussed and resolved. Singles – Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike in February or March, so brush up on your flirting technique and sexy one-liners. But avoid playing the martyr by falling for a dubious dreamer, a sexy schemer or a needy individual who wants to be saved.
LOOT & LUCK
A frustrating financial issue could come to a head around the time of the Lunar Eclipse on March 23. Between April and August, it’s very important that you sort out any cashflow problems because prosperity planet Jupiter moves into your money zone on September 9 (where it stays until October 2017). So, if your financial affairs are in order, then you can capitalise on the lucky opportunities that come your way during this period.
LIFESTYLE
From January through to August, Jupiter encourages you to be the boldest and very best Virgo you can be, as you tackle challenges that would usually daunt you. Confidence is the rocket fuel that will take you places in 2016! But be extra careful with correspondence, contracts, computers and travel from August 30 until September 22, when Mercury (your ruling planet) reverses through your sign and scrambles your communication antennae. Due diligence is essential.
FAMOUS VIRGOS
Ingrid Bergman, Cameron Diaz, Beyoncé
(Sep 24-Oct 23)
LOVE & LUST
Under the influence of Uranus, your love life will be unpredictable. For some attached Librans – a relationship that has lost its spark could unexpectedly be reignited; for others – a previously happy partnership could suddenly encounter problems. Singles – if you settle for a superficial, second-best love then you are selling yourself short. Have the confidence (and patience) to wait for the right person to come along. February and March are the best months to look for love, and you’ll have more luck if you don’t go for your usual type.
LOOT & LUCK
Have you been rash with cash? Money matters come under the spotlight in June, when Mars retrograde brings financial problems to a head. Time to stop overspending, learn from your mistakes, formulate a fresh fiscal plan and then move on. September 9 through until December 31 is lucky for Librans, as Jupiter moves through your sign for the first time in 12 years. If you don’t have definite goals and aspirations, then this is the time to formulate them. The more balanced, settled and certain you are, the more you’ll reap the rewards that come your way
LIFESTYLE
Don’t like something about yourself? After September 9, Jupiter gives you the confidence and chutzpah to make bold choices, initiate personal changes and then take on the world. In 2016 many compassionate Librans will become more socially responsible and involved in volunteer work, as you reach out to help the old, sick or disadvantaged within your local community
FAMOUS LIBRANS
Naomi Watts, Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman.
(Oct 24-Nov 22)
LOVE & LUST
Coupled Scorpios – Mercury reverses through your partnership zone between April 28 and May 22 so strive to communicate clearly about your romantic expectations, otherwise there’ll be misunderstandings and domestic dramas during this time. Singles – the eclipses and Neptune are set to cause chaos in your romance zone in March and September, when you can expect a few false-starts and dating disasters. With a positive attitude (and plenty of patience) you could finally find love with a tender Taurus, a virile Virgo or a passionate Piscean.
LOOT & LUCK
March and June are the best months for money and business. But – with Saturn in your money zone – your ability to budget is being tested. So you need to come up with a clever plan to cut consumption, decrease spending, and boost cashflow. If an investment, real estate deal or joint venture doesn’t work out then don’t be afraid to cut your losses, learn from your mistakes and move on. Financial improvements (and sacrifices) you make now will pay off handsomely in the future.
LIFESTYLE
Mars charges through your sign from January 4 until March 6 when you’ll achieve success by being passionately proactive and productive. But energy levels will be low from May 27 until June 30 (when Mars retrogrades back into Scorpio) so pace yourself. Mercury reverses through your peer group zone from August 30 until September 22 so this is the time to review your major friendships. Make sure you choose your company wisely because false friends will just lead you up the primrose path to trouble and strife!
FAMOUS SCORPIOS
Pablo Picasso, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts.
(Nov 23-Dec 21)
LOVE & LUST
When Mars reverses through your sign from (April 17 until May 26) it will be tricky to get the balance right between independence and togetherness. Singles –Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike between May 24 and June 18 (when Venus visits your romance zone) so make
sure you flirt up a storm and circulate in style. Couples –love and lust are on the menu in August and September, when your sex drive soars. September is also the month to be extra considerate towards your partner, as you try talking less and listening a lot more.
LOOT & LUCK
Sagittarians are natural entrepreneurs and, with lucky Jupiter (your ruling planet) trining Pluto (in March and June), it’s the ideal time to initiate an exciting new business venture. Economically uncertain times are when entrepreneurs really flourish. Perhaps you could expand your present job, buy out your struggling competitor or live the laptop lifestyle by starting an online business? Don’t be too slap-dash though. There is no substitute for thorough preparation and proper planning
LIFESTYLE
2016 is the year when you can dazzle the doubters and make a strong impression in the public sphere. But there’s a fine line between blowing others away (with your boundless energy and enthusiasm) and turning them away (with your blunt and sometimes insensitive approach). As Saturn moves through your sign (until December, 2017) it will teach you to celebrate your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Being the authentic you is really the only way to go.
FAMOUS SAGITTARIANS
Bruce Lee, Jane Fonda, Brad Pitt
(Dec 22-Jan 20)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Capricorns – clear, concise and consistent communication is the key to romantic harmony! The more you bottle up your emotions and keep things from your partner, the more fractured (and frustrating) the relationship will become. Singles – when looking for the “perfect” partner, have you got ridiculously unrealistic expectations that no mere mortal can possibly meet? Look for love with someone who is sexy, smart, successful – and fabulously flawed. Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike in June and July, so make sure you dress to impress and socialise in style.
LOOT & LUCK
Between now and September 8, good fortune comes from education, publishing, imports, exports, foreign friends or overseas commerce. Jupiter then charges into
your career zone (from September 9 onwards) so you can look forward to plenty of professional opportunities and lucky breaks, which could include a promotion, new job or boost to your public profile. More studious types will spend money on training and upgrading job skills.
LIFESTYLE
Run-ins with work colleagues or authority figures are likely in March, when the Lunar Eclipse boosts your bossiness and increases your impatience. So pace yourself, and proceed with plenty of tact and caution. You’ll be extra restless until early September, as Jupiter stimulates your latent wanderlust. Travel and study are two ways you can shake up your life, and get things moving in an adventurous new direction. But the Saturn/Neptune squares (in June and September) may force you to look at a cherished dream in a much more realistic light.
FAMOUS CAPRICORNS
Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, David Bowie
(Jan 21-Feb 19)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Aquarius – in order for your union to survive in the long term, you need to experience adventure, freedom and autonomy within the parameters of your committed relationship. One way to do this is to combine travel and togetherness, as you go on an adventurous and exotic escapade with your partner (sometime between September 10 and December 31). Singles – with Venus vamping through your sign (from February 17 until March 12) you’ll be at your bewitching Aquarian best as you attract admirers like moths to a flame. So this is the perfect time to join an online dating site or update your current profile.
LOOT & LUCK
Your financial situation will be unpredictable and confusing in 2016 (especially in March, June and September) as Neptune and three eclipses shake up your $$$ zones. Unexpected cash could come your way – only to be gobbled up by rapidly rising expenses. Smart Aquarians will find clever and creative ways to make more money. If you are entrepreneurial, follow your dreams and explore possibilities outside your comfort zone, then you’ll start to taste tangible success.
LIFESTYLE
You’ll be extra restless in 2016, as Jupiter, Uranus and the Lunar Eclipse stir up your gypsy gene, and you’re keen to
explore local landmarks; travel internationally or move (especially interstate). You may discover that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side though! Some Aquarians will resolve a long-standing issue with an in-law, which sees the relationship progress in a positive new direction.
FAMOUS AQUARIANS
Oprah Winfrey, Bob Marley, Yoko Ono
(Feb 20-March 20)
LOVE & LUST
Singles – Jupiter sends a swag of suitors to your door between now and September 8, so make the most of it, play the field and then choose wisely. You need a tender partner who understands your sensitive soul; and you require a relationship that is based on romance, mutual respect and shared values. Attached Fish – up until September 8, Jupiter gives the relationship a welcome boost and it’s also a wonderful time to learn something new with your partner. From September 9 onwards, your sex drive goes into overdrive as Jupiter jump-starts your libido and you’re in the mood to experiment!
LOOT & LUCK
If you want to generate more funds, you’ll have to be proactive! There’s extra cash to be made through projects involving joint ventures, education, writing, publishing, travel, sport, internet marketing and online sales. And the more you network (locally, nationally and internationally) the more financial progress you’ll make. But with Saturn squaring Neptune (in June and September) steer clear of dodgy business deals and vague financial ventures. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Keep it real and play it safe.
LIFESTYLE
Expect ongoing professional challenges and increased pressure, as Saturn continues transiting through your career zone. Are you planning an interstate trip or overseas holiday in 2016? If you are travelling in May or June, then prepare for Mercury and Mars retrograde to turn your travel itinerary upside down. As long as you are flexible, then you can still have a fun trip – with a few frustrating hiccups along the way!
FAMOUS PISCEANS
Drew Barrymore, Bruce Willis, Jessica Biel.
(C) Joanne Madeline Moore (2015), distributed by Auspac Media
