160728 citynews

The problem with bigots

JOHN GRIFFITHS Sport treats, but not at any price

TIM GAVEL

Hero Hume’s long road to recognition

ROBERT MACKLIN

Awesome orchids always please CEDRIC BRYANT

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Lights, action; family time in the kitchen

By Kathryn Vukovljak

KIDS learn so many things through cooking, says teacher James Clode, from communication and teamwork to measuring, basic maths and nutrition, which is why he loves cooking with his three daughters.

James started his YouTube channel, Dad’s Apron, four months ago as something to do with his kids during the school holidays.

“When my wife Claire went back to work, I had the holidays with the kids and I wanted to do some fun activities with them, and to get them in the kitchen,” he says.

“We started cooking together, just little snacks or sweet treats that they could help to make themselves.”

James says his three daughters, Charlotte, seven, Grace, five, and Abigail, three, really enjoy the cooking sessions although he says they’re under no obligation to comply.

“It’s not scripted, but we tell the girls beforehand what we’re going to be making,” he says.

“It’s generally pretty smooth, although there are times when I’ve asked Grace to put in the sugar and she’ll say no. But generally they enjoy getting in there and doing it, and they just do their thing, unless one of them is distracted

by a toy or something.

“We don’t force them – one time Charlotte didn’t feel like being on camera and that’s always fine. It’s up to them.”

Claire does the camera work with 10-month-old Heath and creates all the recipes, from Disney’s “Frozen” jelly cups to chocolate brownies, egg and bacon snack baskets and herbie crackers,

while James does the editing and leads the cooking on camera.

“We have friends who say they watch the videos and make the recipes every week which is really lovely,” says Claire.

“We also like watching them back and we have a laugh together at the girls’ antics.”

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“It’s family time for us, we’re all there together and I think it helps us to stay connected,” says James.

“We chat about life, what’s going on at school and it’s fun to eat the snacks together.”

Dad’s Apron has made around 12 episodes so far and James says they have committed to releasing one every Tuesday.

“It’s amazing how much the girls have changed already since we started, so I also think it will be nice for us to look back on,” says James.

“We use Instagram to share our recipes to the greater community and link to our YouTube channel, so there’s a marketing element that I enjoy. If the opportunity arose and the interest continues to grow we would consider monetising Dad’s Apron but at this stage it’s more for fun.

“Generally it takes us a couple of hours to film it on a Sunday morning, or some weeks we’ll film two episodes at once.”

The girls say they like cooking and seeing themselves on the TV afterwards.

“The best part is the end, when we get to eat,” says Charlotte.

Check out the Dad’s Apron channel on YouTube, follow instagram.com/dadsapron/ or facebook.com/dadsapron

Labor finally picks up on hard waste

AFTER years of resistance, a re-elected Labor Government has promised a hard-waste pick up from every home in Canberra. At the same time, Labor will fund a not-for-profit organisation called Givit to put unwanted items to further use.

The government has already committed to green garden waste bins, starting in Weston Creek and Kambah early next year.

“The hard-waste pick-up service will be an important community service for people who find it difficult or inconvenient to dispose of large, unwanted household items,” says Chief Minister Andrew Barr.

“It will also provide a significant quantity of usable items to redistribute to people who want them and ensure they do not end up in landfill or illegally dumped.

“Givit will be funded to match real and urgent requests for donated goods with unwanted community items, so that usable furniture, fridges, TVs, computers and other essentials get another life with someone who needs them.”

Surprises, unsurprises and Queenslanders

Senator Zed Seselja made an immediate impact with a sensible response to the overly-excited fears of a TV hostess about terrorism and a welcome pledge not to block same-sex marriage legislation.

IT began with the reshuffling of the deck chairs on the Federal cruise liner; and in its wake the ACT Libs’ Tugboat Annie with skipper Jeremy Hanson rearranging the wardroom after petty officer Brendan Smyth jumped ship.

Our own Senator Zed Seselja earned an extra stripe from Malcolm Turnbull on the bridge as Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and made an immediate impact with a sensible response to the overly-excited fears of a TV hostess about terrorism and a welcome pledge not to block samesex marriage legislation.

However, some of his matelots on the conservative wing were not so accommodating.

Queens-

lander George Christensen is already threatening to cross the floor if he doesn’t get his way with his favourite policies.

The new Hanson shadow ministry contained few surprises as he distributed Smyth’s portfolios across the team. Some changes rectified anomalies – adding higher education to the bailiwick of the personable and competent Steve Doszpot , for example. Giving the vital Treasury to Deputy Leader Alistair Coe rather than taking it himself was interesting. Coe has carried the fight against light rail as Transport spokesman; but its political bite comes from whether we can afford it.

THE Barr-Rattenbury team took the light rail issue the next step with a survey of preferred extensions to the Gungahlin line. This at least will give other Canberrans the sense of inclusion in the project. But at what cost? That’s the 64 billion dollar question!

STILL on transport, airport boss Stephen Byron is cock a’ hoop over the international

addition starting in September; the best news for senior travellers being his promised “short walk” from domestic to overseas flights. Navigating most overseas airports

ROBERT MACKLIN

dose of dorin

those over 60 are soothing their troubled brows with a glass or two. And with the world the way it is, who’s to blame them? THAT indefatigable Queenslander Kevin Rudd leapt back into the news with his plea for the Turnbull Government to nominate him for UN secretary general and found some senior backers in Dick Woolcott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, both of whom he courted assiduously as PM and Foreign Minister with just this situation in mind. Whatever the outcome, he’s the biographer’s gift that keeps on giving.

THE US election held one of the keys to Rudd’s future. He cultivated Hillary Clinton for years and it’s hard to believe – after that chaotic Republican convention – that Daffy Donald is going to beat her in November. In a delightful twist, “The New York Times” calculated that her chance of winning was exactly the same as an NBA player scoring from a free throw: 76 per cent. Watching Trump’s acceptance speech, we couldn’t help wishing it a little higher.

can be a marathon, even with the moving walkways.

SPEAKING of seniors, a fascinating survey this week showed that more are having an evening tipple while teenagers are drinking less. Overall, the Australian drinking trend is downward but about six per cent more of

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Jobs for the boys?

MR Barr, can someone perhaps advise how a $300,000 job can be created, advertised, an office furnished, staff hired and the position filled within a week? And that’s some handle –commissioner for international engagement – were the position for Australia not the ACT.

And does this include your personal agendas? Who were the other applicants, Mr Barr? Has equality been lost here? It appears to be a get rid of the Opposition by stealth by creating overpaid jobs for the boys with no scruples or loyalty.

Michael Attwell, Dunlop

Show good faith CSIRO

HAVING attended the most recent round of “consultation” on the CSIRO Ginninderra Field Station site, a lot more questions were raised than answered.

It appears that the brief for selecting a developer is currently with the Federal minister. The ACT government will find out who that is along with the rest of the community.

If the CSIRO wishes to claim

that it is dealing with ACT residents in good faith, they should ask the Commonwealth to revoke National Land status on the site immediately. This is the only way to guarantee that ACT residents and our democratically elected ACT government have genuine input into the outcomes.

Kim Fischer, ACT Labor candidate for Ginninderra

Prevention not discrimination

SONIA Kruger’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned temporarily from entering Australia can help us understand that discrimination can be mistaken for prudent prevention.

Discrimination is not always negative. Not long ago, persons between 18 and 30 years claimed they were being discriminated against by the police for speeding and other road offences. But

when it was revealed that age group had a much higher roaddeath statistic than other age groups, the allegation virtually ceased.

An argument could be made not to allow entry to Muslims until terrorist attacks stop – a case of primary prevention, not discrimination.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

THE Monaro Folk Society is hosting an Olympic Celebration Dance at the Canberra Baptist Church Hall, 11 Currie Crescent, Kingston, from 8pm on Saturday, July 30. Participants are urged to dress in gold, silver or bronze (or all three). Bush dancing experience isn’t needed as all dances are taught. Entry is $18, concessions and groups $16 and under 18 free. Bring a plate to share for supper.

Job expo for students

MORE than 8000 secondary students, parents and teachers are expected at the 16th CareersXpo at Budawang Building, Exhibition Park, on August 3-4. Run by the Rotary Club of Canberra City, the expo is a one-stop shop for information on careers, training and further education for students as well as adults considering a career change.

Ghouls and trolls

CANBERRA’S annual festival of swing dance, Canberräng, is promising a wild mix of horror and sophistication in its 10 dance events until July 31. Presented by volunteer group Jumptown Swing, it features local and interstate musicians, with eight live bands over the weekend and the events include “Guys and Dolls, Ghouls and Trolls” at 11.30am at the Chess Pit, Garema Place, on Saturday and that night “The Banshee Ball” at the National Film and Sound Archive.

sport Treats, but not at any price

THE decision not to enter a bidding war for the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifiers may be a realisation that paying big money for one-off events is not the way to go.

In the past the ACT government has been keen to attract whatever it can in terms of major sporting events, but in the case of the Socceroos and the money required to bring them here for the qualifiers, there appears to have been a change in thinking.

With the Socceroos usually arriving only a day or so before they play, the lasting benefits are minimal.

Instead, the ACT government is keen to fund A League games involving the Central Coast Mariners and the Wellington Phoenix. The motivation appears to be that the Mariners will work in the Canberra community to promote the long-term development of the code while the Phoenix helps the government in its push for closer ties with Wellington.

I know some will be upset that the Socceroos won’t be coming to Canberra as part of the World Cup qualifiers, but the direction taken is understandable given the prospect of an A League team being based in Canberra remains a distant hope.

The long-term strategy is very evident with the deal for at least one international cricket game in Canberra each year, the GWS 10-year deal and the push for more Wallabies’ tests.

This approach seems to be paying off with the Wallabies set to play a test against Argentina next year, the one-day cricket internationals and a scheduled cricket test all pencilled in for Canberra. The hockey tests, involving the men’s and women’s teams, are another example

While Canberra should celebrate the events it has managed to attract, a long-term visionary approach needs to be maintained.

of the local code promoting development of the sport and being rewarded to some degree with tests.

With an ACT election coming up, I’d be interested to find out whether this strategy will continue should there be a change of government or will there be a change in the approach taken to attracting major sport to Canberra?

The problem for the government is the money being paid by other centres to secure major sports events. These sports events attract significant tourism dollars, but Canberra often struggles to match the big dollars that other centres are willing to pay.

While Canberra should celebrate the events it has managed to attract, a longterm visionary approach needs to be maintained with each sports associa tion having a role to play because it is the strength of a sport in this city that can potentially influence decisions and bring about change.

TIM GAVEL

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Turning memories into heirlooms The problem with bigots

By Kathryn Vukovljak

AFTER making a short film of his grandma telling her life stories for the family, Simon Cunich launched his startup Heirloom Films to offer the same opportunity to other families who want to preserve their loved ones’ stories and memories.

“My grandma Lesley was diagnosed with dementia a couple of years ago, and although we had talked for a long time as a family about trying to capture her stories, with the diagnosis it felt more urgent,” he says.

Documentary maker Simon says he decided to interview his grandmother, collected old family photos and home videos, and produced a short film.

“The whole family fell in love with the film, and it became like a family heirloom,” he says. “It’s special because it’s her stories, told by her, for the family.

“The feedback I got was that there’s a much wider need to do that because too many stories are just lost.”

Simon says his grandma told stories he had never heard before, including one that he particularly loved about her dad promising to buy her a watch if she ever got first in her class.

“When she did eventually come first, she recalls her dad meeting her at the school gate and taking her to the shops to get her first watch,” he says.

“It would have happened close to 80 years ago, and it’s just a small slice of life but she can recall it with such emotion and such detail.

I think it’s just beautiful.”

Simon says the films, of which he’s made about a dozen, capture a visual memory or essence of the person.

“It’s a privilege to be given access to someone’s stories and to be

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trusted to record them and shape them into a film,” he says.

“In terms of future-proofing these stories, it makes sense to use film so families can share it on Facebook and all the grandkids and cousins can see it, too.”

Having studied at AFTRS (Australian Film, Television and Radio School) in Sydney, focusing on documentaries, Simon has recently won awards for his documentary “Maratus” about a garbage collector who accidentally discovered a new species of spider, including the top prize at last year’s Stronger Than Fiction documentary film festival.

He says that while Heirloom is different to what he’s done in the past, in other ways it’s just a continuation of finding stories to tell.

“I love the insight I get into people’s lives, understanding what’s important to people and hearing so many diverse and fascinating experiences,” he says.

“It’s wonderful to be able to make something for a family and to see their reaction when they watch it.

“It’s so rewarding to know that it is going to be treasured.”

Prices start from $1500. Visit heirloomfilms.com.au or call 1300 082010.

By John Griffiths

Speaking different languages, eating different food, worshipping slightly different gods. What is the world coming to?

POLITICAL correctness, we endlessly hear, is running amok. And yet it’s hard to imagine that 30 years ago arrant bigotry as espoused by Andrew Bolt, Pauline Hanson and Sonia Kruger would have been allowed free rein in the nation’s media.

Which suggests to me that the problem is not so much that views are being censored, as much as bigoted blowhards are increasingly being told to sit down and shut the hell up.

The problem with blowhards is that they’ve spent a lifetime thinking that their family and colleagues agree with them. The reality more often is that those unfortunate enough to share space with them have smiled, nodded, and made for the exits.

In these days of the run-amok, politically correct, horrendous people are finding out what other people actually think of them.

The transition, of course, is going to be bumpy. The longer the decades one has been tolerated, the angrier the response will be when tolerance comes to a frayed and tattered end.

The most annoying thing about the rallying cries of the bigots is their appeals to fear.

They wrap themselves in flags, talk in shrill tones about the need to “get tough”, and then act out of complete cowardice.

I’m a 40-something, white, male Australian who likes rugby and tanks. I’ve had more than my fair share of privilege in this world.

Having said that, I’ve enjoyed far less privilege than the likes of Kruger and Bolt.

But I am not afraid of refugees and migrants who want to make a better life in my country.

It’s almost sad how these very wealthy and powerful people are struck dumb with terror at the simple audacity of people other than themselves daring to live.

Speaking different languages, eating different food, worshipping slightly different gods. What is the world coming to?

We have laws to punish those who harm others in our society.

Statistics strongly indicate that they, and you and me, are in far more danger from other Australians than anyone else.

But why not, the demagogues think to themselves, whip up hatred and fear of some of the world’s least powerful and with it leastdangerous people?

I suppose they think that if it harvests votes and electoral dollars, if it sells copies of the “Herald Sun”, if it drives clicks and creates relevance, then why not pander to the worst in society at the expense of the most vulnerable?

I am far more afraid of anyone who can think like this and already wields considerable power, than I am of a cleaner, a taxi driver or a kebab vendor.

Sadly, a percentage of the Australian public are scared, confused and, in a small number of cases, downright awful.

Sadly, some people can make careers and live fat and happy by pandering to those segments of the community.

That’s no reason to let these fringe dwellers take over the public debate.

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

Barr’s problems: trams, rates, smells and unions

politics grumpy Welcome to the dark side

THE Labor Party is putting some big challenges in the way of Andrew Barr and overcoming them will be important if the Chief Minister is to have a reasonable chance of winning government at the October election.

The challenges start with simple issues such as the roads and rates. However, much more damaging are the internal issues that leave an odour around ACT Labor.

Before each election there seems to be a rush on repaving local roads I hear regular discussion on the current system of pouring asphalt, covering it with gravel and leaving the cars to do the rest as less than satisfactory. The outcome seems not much improvement and much noisier road surfaces.

The debate over rates will be a serious challenge. The argument was that a fairer system would be introduced with an increase in land rates and a reduction in a range of other less efficient and more inequitable taxes. The Quinlan taxation review of 2012 promised a taxation system based on four principles – equity, stability, efficiency and simplicity. The Liberals have rolled this all into a “triple-your-rates” political campaign.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has assisted Barr somewhat by resisting the temptation to bend to factional pressures that would have removed Andrew Leigh from the Federal shadow ministry. Leigh was a professor in the Research School of Economics at the ANU. His appointment, particularly at a relatively young age, demonstrates his intellectual competence. His publications and his history reflect a widespread understanding of economics. The Labor Party desperately needs his competence in its shadow ministry.

Then there is the tram. The Greens

The appointment of Brendan Smyth was not only cynical politics but was certainly questionable. None of the key players opted for voluntary consultation with the commissioner for parliamentary ethics. Why?

have dragged Labor into a quagmire around what ought to have been a great legacy for the current government. Whether Canberrans agree with improvements in transport infrastructure or not, the light rail project has proved seriously divisive. There are those who reject the system in favour of better buses, those who just do not want to spend the money and those who believe investing in 150-year-old technology makes no sense. Support is narrowed primarily to Gungahlin.

Then there is the smell. The appointment of Brendan Smyth as commissioner for international engagement was not only cynical politics but was certainly questionable. None of the key players opted for voluntary consultation with the commissioner for parliamentary ethics. Why?

The position was not advertised, will be a significant cost to the taxpayer, was politically motivated and was made without normal checks and balances.

There is also a whiff around planning and development. The Hong Kong-based Aquis Casino has ready access to the political process, its proposed $330 million development flies in the face of long-term agreements on poker machines and provides privileged access to a prime lease of land and bypasses an open and transparent process of competitive tendering. The same is true of the Grocon approach at Manuka oval. Both developments need open and

transparent competitive processes. Labor appears to be too close to developers. A concern heightened by the Eddie Obeid case in NSW.

In the ACT they also appear to be acting at the behest of the unions. In March the closeness was revealed by the release of a memorandum of understanding with Unions ACT which, amongst other things, stated: “Prior to any contract being awarded: The list of tenderers for each contract will be provided to Unions ACT” and later, “only providers/performers of works and services who meet the set criteria will be pre-qualified”.

A long-term government that carries an odour of incumbency is in real danger of being annihilated. With the election campaign still to swing into action, it is difficult to assess the level of impact these things will have on Labor’s chances. Will the electorate simply sigh in the expectation that a change of government will not change these issues – or perhaps make them worse? Or will we once again see a rise of smaller centralist parties and independents to hold one or other of the larger parties to account?

Michael Moore was an independent member of the

Beautiful Gifting

Reader BARBARA HAYDEN wants all black cars banned!

WE all know that Canberra is full of spies. Now, as much as they like to go incognito, I believe that driving a black car at dusk without lights on is going a bit too far.

I’ve noticed that the last cars to switch their headlamps on in poor light are always those that are black or another dark colour. What type of personality disorder is this?

One evening I counted 10 black cars without lights on during my seven-minute trip home from the shops. Do they think that everyone else on the road has been endowed with special night vision?

Do they consider themselves exempt from road rules? What makes these drivers so selfish that they won’t consider others who share the road?

Even the laziest person should find it easy to switch the lights on, and it doesn’t cost anything. I can only assume that they don’t want to be seen.

With the current trend towards road-coloured cars as well, actually seeing every car, day or night, has become a difficult exercise.

I personally believe black cars should be banned completely! They have nothing to offer. Easy visibility should be a high priority when buying a car.

Grumpy is an occasional column dedicated purely to things that get up your nose. Readers are invited to vent (no more than 300 words, please) at editor@citynews.com.au

Hero Hume’s long, trying road to recognition

By Robert Macklin

THE latest plan to link Sydney and Melbourne with a very fast train might sound far-fetched – and even a little wacky – but it’s nowhere near as silly as the first idea, nearly 200 years ago, to forge a passage between Sydney and Bass Strait by the then NSW Governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane.

Brisbane’s idea was to select a band of convicts from Sydney Cove, sail them to Australia’s southern coast and promise that if they made it back through the totally unknown country they’d be granted their freedom. It was fairly typical of Brisbane who spent six days out of every week plotting the stars of the southern hemisphere through his telescope at Parramatta and only one – Tuesday – running the colony.

When he confided his madcap scheme to Alexander Berry, a former ship’s surgeon turned colonial pioneer, Berry suggested a slight “amendment”.

He had been the beneficiary of the most daring and respected young bushman in the colony. Indeed, he’d become firm friends with the young man who had led him to some of the finest country in the Illawarra. Now, he told Brisbane, he had just the person to lead such an expedition. His name was Hamilton Hume.

When invited, Hume made another “amendment” – he set out from the outskirts of Sydney and through leadership, courage and bushmanship conquered the wild rivers, precipitous

peaks and almost impassable scrubland to Port Phillip and returned without losing a man.

I learned this odd story two years ago when I began the research and writing of my book, to be launched next month by Professor Bill Gammage, “Hamilton Hume – Our Greatest Explorer”.

It is the first biography of the great man to find a commercial publisher and that reflects another oddity: in our schools and universities we have never been taught Australian history; instead we’ve learned the British history of Australia, a very different beast. And because Hume was the only Australian-born of our explorers, his remarkable achievements have never been prop -

erly recognised.

Even the great expedition of 1824-25 that flowed from Alexander Berry’s intervention has been portrayed as a joint operation of Hume and the British-born William Hilton Hovell; whereas the truth is that on three occasions a fearful Hovell demanded that they turn back and on two of them he tried to rouse their six convict companions to mutiny.

For many years Hovell and his friends among the “stirling” community promoted the canard that the “currency” lad, Hume, merely accompanied the former ship’s captain in the triumphant journey there and back.

It was not until Hovell made the mistake of giving a speech in Geelong in 1853 in which he claimed the leadership for himself that Hume finally responded – with chapter and verse from the other members of the expedition – and the truth was revealed.

But by then the myths had taken root and Hume unwittingly had become a victim of the socalled “culture wars” that still bedevil our history today. It didn’t help his cause that Hume was unique among the explorers in his friendship and respect for the Aboriginal people through whose country he travelled. Indeed, it was Hume’s early friendship with surveyor-general Thomas Mitchell that led Mitchell to order his surveyors to seek the Aboriginal names for the geographical features they discovered. And it was Hume’s “friends of the forest” who gave safe passage to the expedition he led with Charles Sturt to discover the Darling in 1828.

However, in another oddity, mine is not the first “life” of Hume. That honour goes to RH Web -

ster, the first director of LJ Hooker in the ACT, “the man who auctioned Canberra” in the 1960s. Bob Webster was my father-in-law and though his “Currency Lad” did not find a commercial publisher, it was privately published by the family in 1982 and formed the hard kernel upon which my work was built.

But since Hamilton Hume’s life covered the first 80 years of British conquest and settlement, it allowed me to expand the story to that pivotal period of transition of Australia from penal colony to the beginnings of nationhood.

It is an amazing time of frontier wars, of transportation replaced by the bonanza of gold, the bushranger rebellion and the quest for federation. But none of that extraordinary transformation could have occurred without Hume’s discovery of the magnificent stretch of country – now traversed by the Hume Highway – “capable of producing food to feed half the world, wool to clothe half the world and gold to buy half the world” on his journey to Port Phillip (which the navigator Hovell insisted was Western Port).

Well may Malcolm Turnbull say that today “there has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian”. I challenge him to repeat it after he reads “Hamilton Hume – Our Greatest Explorer” (Hachette Australia, rrp $32.99).

Vibrant, affluent centre

AS one of the most established suburbs in the inner-south, Kingston has undergone a transformation over the years.

A blend of high-rise units, boutique shops and cafes, Kingston has become a vibrant, affluent place that offers attractions such as the Old Bus Depot Markets and the adjoining Fitters’ Workshop, where art exhibitions and concerts are held and the century-old Powerhouse, which is now the Canberra Glassworks.

Beyond the traditional shopping precinct, the foreshore area has become one of Canberra’s success stories with its vibrant lakefront promenade.

Gail keeps the answers straight

GAIL Freeman and Co Pty Ltd aims to simplify the complex when it comes to finances.

With more than 35 years of experience as a chartered accountant, registered tax agent and financial planner, director Gail Freeman and her staff look after all aspects of financial affairs from tax, financial planning and investment advice to retirement planning, superannuation, self-managed superannuation funds and all aspects of business improvement.

“We like to demystify accounting and at the same time make sure clients understand what they are doing and why,” says Gail

Dentist Rick has good health at heart

FOCUSED on long-term oral healthcare for all its patients, Oasis Dental on the Kingston Foreshore is a boutique practice that offers treatment plans that come with a guarantee.

“People mainly come to dentists when something is wrong. I want to help my patients to be healthy,” says dentist Dr Rick Luu.

According to Oasis Dental, patients are never given short-sighted solutions and all treatments are designed to last with full transparency in all their fees. They also package treatments to not only utilise a patient’s time wisely but deliver cost savings over the

“We simplify the complex and try to make sure we keep our advice as straightforward as possible.

Having a smaller team allows Gail to offer personal service.

“We are constantly evolving and always up to date with the latest tax office, budget and software changes – we’re always at the cutting edge,” she says.

“We’re always anxious to improve our clients’ finances, minimise tax legally and maximise their business.

Gail Freeman and Co Pty Ltd, 9/71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston. Call 6295 2844 or visit gailfreeman.com.au, enquiries to info@gailfreeman.com.au

course of the treatment.

“I understand that dentists can be expensive, so my approach is to consult and provide patients with information about where they are and what we can do in partnership to achieve a healthy and stable outcome, with the best dentistry and equipment,” Dr Luu says.

Oasis Dental offers intimate monthly information evenings that give new patients a chance to speak directly to its dentists.

Oasis Dental, 50 Eastlake Parade, Kingston. Visit oasisdental.com.au or phone 6162 3888.

Future-proof your smile with first-class dentistry at Kingston Foreshore.

At Oasis Dental we partner with patients to restore teeth and plan for long-term oral health. We structure extensive dental treatment with packaged pricing and treatment guarantees.

Join us for a FREE information session where our dentists will answer your questions. You’ll learn about the Oasis Dental difference and how you can access quality dental treatment and dedicated ongoing care.

OUR NEXT SESSION IS THURSDAY 28TH JULY AT 6PM.

Our sessions are open to the public and we encourage you to bring a friend or loved one. They do book out fast so please register by calling us on 02 6162 3888.

We’ve helped many patients and we’d love to help you too.

Phone: 02 6162 3888

50 Eastlake Parade, Kingston Foreshore www.oasisdental.com.au

Celebrating a decade in Canberra

Now located in Kingston Foreshore

After 10 years in Fyshwick, Copiworld has relocated to, and is providing the highest quality digital printing, photocopying, and scanning services from the Kingston Foreshore.

all about kingston

Popular dentists with plenty of experience

AS the most long-standing practice in Kingston, Dr Parragi and Mckeon’s Dental Surgery offers quality general, preventative and cosmetic dentistry.

Located on Kennedy Street, Dr Amanda Mckeon, Dr Alex Parragi and Dr Anne Henchman are dedicated to providing the best possible dental care for all age groups.

“We understand that patients’ needs vary, so the service is suited to the individual,” says Amanda.

“We are a well-known practice with a high level of combined experience. Alex and I have been practising in Canberra for 30 years or more.

“We’ve been here for many years and people know who we are. We provide a professional experience and high-quality of care. We have built up loyalty and respect, people know and trust us.”

Focusing on all aspects of dentistry, the practice provides general services such as evaluation, prevention, diagnosis and cosmetic services such as whitening, crowns, bridges and restorative work.

Amanda says: “You need to look after your mouth and keep it healthy as you get older.

“We always do the right thing by our patients. We sit down with the patients, discuss the options and decide on the best treatment for them.”

Dr Parragi and Mckeon’s Dental Surgery, 6/10 Kennedy Street. Call 6295 6190.

A world of quality copy options

COPIWORLD is a family run, reprographics business providing high-quality service and products to Kingston and the surrounding regions.

The business offers a large range of printing and business service options, in both full colour and black and white.

These services include small and large format printing, copying and scanning, plan printing, binding and laminating.

Situated on Wentworth Avenue, Copiworld is a family-run Canberra business which Mark Lawrie and his wife Julie have looked after for 10 years, alongside their children Jade and Travis, who run the store and oversee the IT solutions.

With their use of modern, contemporary technology Copiworld places a strong focus on IT and the ways in which they can help their customers achieve the best result possible. Whether this be from a file, or a hard copy document, both Jade

and Travis strive to always achieve the best quality and outcome.

“Our customers range from architects, engineers, builders and lawyers to accountants, designers, students and consultants,” says Mark. “They are very loyal and tend to come back because of our quality products, reasonable prices, good service and up-to-date technology.” Open 9.30-5.30, Monday to Friday, Copiworld provides an instant, across-the-counter service for small jobs, as well as offering customers the option to email or upload their jobs via the Copiworld website. Combined with its carbon-neutral delivery options, Copiworld offers a convenient, flexible solution for everyone.

Copiworld, Unit 28, 47 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston. Visit copiworld.com.au, email kingston@copiworld. com.au or call 6280 6799.

Dr Amanda McKeon

(Syd) & Dr Alex Parragi

(Syd) & Dr Anne Henchman

Hons (Syd)

Joel likes to welcomes guests ‘home’

CREATE your own home-awayfrom-home at the Manuka Park Serviced Apartments.

Conveniently located between Manuka and Kingston, the 40-apartment complex accommodates a variety of guests, social and tour groups, corporate, government and business guests to families and wedding parties. With a passion for hospitality, hotel manager, Joel Smith, has worked in hotels across the world and intends to create a homely feeling for his guests.

He says: “I have worked in hotels across Canberra, as well as Canada and America and I really enjoy what I do.

“We have employed new staff and renovated the rooms. A few of our guests travel to Canberra for corporate events and they stay here for months out of the year. We try to make it like home for them so they feel comfortable during their stay.”

All apartments are fully self-contained, with well-equipped kitchens, a laundry with washing machine and dryer, LCD TV with Foxtel channels, as well as a swimming pool, undercover parking and each apartment contains a private balcony or courtyard.

Manuka Park Serviced Apartments, 1 Oxley Street, Manuka. Call 6239 0000 or visit manukapark.com.au

Joe’s Bar promises authentic Italian fare

FOR an extensive choice of Italian and Canberra region wines coupled with authentic Italian fare – Joe’s Bar in Kingston provides an intimate yet lively setting to enjoy the two.

Set in the East Hotel, Joe’s Bar is a celebration of Italian fare and wine – with all of its food selection designed to share, from Olive

Ascolane (crunchy breaded Mount

Zero green olives stuffed with pork, veal, toasted fennel seeds and fresh rosemary) to Pappardelle ai Funghi, Capocollo e Tartufo (house-made pappardelle with Swiss brown mushrooms, minced pork neck and fresh truffles).

“Our chef is Francesco [Balestrieri]. He is from Rome and he puts his heritage into his food,” says Kathryn Dixon, venue manager of Joe’s Bar.

“He even uses some of his mum’s recipes on the menu, it’s authentic. He’s a lovely chef who likes talking to customers and is very passionate about what he does.”

Kathryn says all staff are very knowledgeable on their food and wine pairings as well as on their extensive list of Italian wines and Canberra region wines.

They also use a Coravin wine

system that allows them to pour their premium wines by the glass without opening the bottle.

Kathryn says they also offer wine flights, which give customers an education into a region of wine. Their next wine flight will be on an Italian region in August.

Joe’s Bar also serves cocktails. Its list consists of Italian cocktails as well as a “Joe’s Bar take” on the classics.

Joe’s Bar at East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston. Call 6178 0050 or visit joesateast.com

Welcome to beautiful Manuka Park Serviced Apartments, your preferred accommodation in Canberra

Our tastefully appointed 1 & 2 bedroom apartments offer you all the convenience of apartment living. Manuka Park’s handy location places you steps away from Manuka Oval as well as restaurants, cafes, Parliament House and the CBD. Our One and Two Bedroom Apartments contain fully equipped kitchens, washing machine & dryer, linen and towels are supplied and secure undercover parking is included in the rate.

Contact: 02 6239 0000

www.manukapark.com.au reservations@manukapark.com.au

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

• Chronic persistent pain

• Rehabilitation – reconditioning after injury, surgery and neurological conditions

• Medical Pain and Rehabilitation

Procedures such as blocks, neurotomy, discography, stimulators, Botulinum toxin injections all to the highest International Standards

• Diagnostic and therapeutic injections seen rapidly with GP referral

Canberra Confidential

The perils of Pauline

NO-ONE in our omnipresent nanny state seems to give one when it comes to removing this offensive graffiti daubed on the Mitchell end of Gungahlin Drive. Our northern snout says he’s been driving over the vulgar daubing for weeks (in deference to the sensibilities our our delicate readership we have modified it).

Bewilderingly, CC can’t deduce whether the author was insulting someone called Pauline or urging a call to action.

Either way, wake up, City Services; it’s a disgrace to Paulines and children everywhere that it’s been there for more than three weeks.

Rough and smooth

AND while our intrepid lensperson was heading back, city bound, on Gungahlin Drive, along where there have been weeks

of inconvenience while the Sandford Street intersection area was widened and resurfaced, it was impossible not to miss the nasty nest of patched-up potholes, undisturbed amid the new smoothness, just before the traffic lights.

Another stop for snaps revealed that all around has been resurfaced, but not the pothole area. They seem to be saving it to spend more money to bring the asphalt crew back again instead of sorting it at the same time?

Comrades in creativity

IT would seem the soon-to-becampaigning ACT Labor Party is towing the party line and following the Federal comrades in jobbing out creative work to a Sydney ad agency in Chippendale.

CC was alerted by an incomplete press release from Chief Minister Andrew Barr who was writing to tell us about the promise of off-peak free travel for seniors. The header was missing his “furry” bonce, the entertaining result of unfinished artwork that had previously evoked giggles from graphic designers around our office.

And in lieu of the missing footer, the revelation it was work of junior art director Dean Arrow; the agency, Creative Edge and the clients, ACT Labor. No one in Barr’s Clever Canberra can do this better? Seemingly not.

Spooky fundraiser

QUEANBEYAN’S irrepressible Mistress of Mystery is planning to scare the bejesus out of those brave souls turning out for the fundraising “Night @ the Haunted Penitentiary” experience.

The normally sedate journalist, historian and “CityNews” columnist Nichole Overall takes on a disturbing alter-ego as she shepherds the unwitting through the deserted corridors, silent rooms, restricted areas and empty cells of the ghost-enriched, abandoned, downtown Queanbeyan building.

“It’s a place where your worst nightmares come together behind the barred, blackened windows,” she chillingly taunts.

“It’s a performance/experience based on the factual, historic record exploring Queanbeyan’s judicial past and some of what transpired over the course of the town’s earliest years, all built around a purposefully constructed ‘haunted’ prison/asylum.”

The Misfit Of Magic, Nyte Mare, will be there as will be Suzie’s Mysticism & Emporium.

In aid of the Queanbeyan Children’s Special Needs Group, it runs from 6pm in 20-minute sessions until sold out on Saturday, July 30. Tickets are $15 and bookings to qbn@qbncityofchampions.com.au

Yvette’s all ears

READERS will doubtless be buoyed to know that Youth Minister Yvette Berry is traversing the ACT on a “youth listening tour”.

Last week she co-hosted, with the ACT Youth Advisory Council, a late-afternoon “Pop Up Politics” conversation at Smith’s Alternative licensed venue in Civic.

Although aimed at the 18-25-yearolds, the minister’s largesse over happy hour didn’t extend to shouting the bar. Hospitality was limited to free coffee and cakes.

New faces

BECAUSE we can… Our senior advertising account executive David Cusack and wife Allie were blessed with a baby boy, Joshua, last week and last month reporter Kate Meikle and husband James Anderson welcomed little Audrey into the world.

arts & entertainment

Mirusia minus that man with the violin

By Helen Musa

MIRUSIA Louwerse thought she was going to be an opera singer, but life had a more enticing prospect in sight for the Queensland soprano with the voice of an angel.

Lead soprano since 2007 for the sensationallypopular Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu, she tours the world with Rieu in an enviable international career that has also seen her billed as the only classical artist with an Aria number-one chart award.

“The way we can fly everywhere so quickly it doesn’t matter where you are, you can have a career from anywhere,” Mirusia tells “CityNews” by phone from Brisbane, where she now lives with her Dutch-born husband Youri Wystyrk.

She will be performing at The Playhouse on Saturday, August 6, with her chamber orchestra and her chosen Australian pianist and arranger Graeme Press (musical director for Judith Durham).

“This will be a solo concert, I’ll be performing a whole mix of repertoire, some classical opera, some musical theatre, some of my own compositions – a mixed bag of music for the whole audience to enjoy.”

That’s pretty much in the same tradition as Rieu, darling of the crowds and scorned by connoisseurs, who claim he has brought music down to a common level. Favourite Mirusia numbers include “Mio Babbino Caro”, “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” and the title number of her new DVD, “This Time Tomorrow”.

Classically trained with tenor Gregory Massingham at Queensland Conservatorium, she was all set to take her opera studies to a higher level when fate intervened.

At age 21, she won the Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship, the youngest singer to have done so.

“The money prize is $10,000 and they give it to someone they feel can use it to further their career,” she says. So she used it to record a debut EP, “She Walks in Beauty”, in 2006.

There’s a Dutch connection. Mirusia is the daughter of immigrants from the Netherlands and speaks Dutch fluently. An aunty in the old country wrote to Rieu and told him she had a niece in Australia who could sing.

“André looked at my website and thought: ‘This is great’. I was touring with a show called ‘Scotland the Brave’ when he called me up and said: ‘Hi, my name is André Rieu and I really like your voice’ – I didn’t believe it was André, but the rest is history.”

She’s been working with him for nearly nine years.

“I can’t wait to work with them again,” she says of the glamorous, crowd-pleasing concerts that have made both her and Rieu household names.

The gorgeous costumes, the crowds, the adulation – these are all absorbing to a young musician, and Mirusia is only 31, but for a classically-trained singer, there’s always a nagging doubt.

“In the conservatorium I studied operatic voice and I’d love to perform in opera, but at this point it’s quite impossible,” she says.

Mirusia Louwerse, The Playhouse, Saturday, August 6. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

Hitting an academic note

By Helen Musa

WE are about to experience one of the world’s greatest choirs as Musica Viva brings the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge to Llewellyn Hall.

Led by eminent choral conductor, Stephen Layton, also artistic director of the City of London Sinfonia, who has been at the helm for 10 years, this mixed choir is made up of 30 fresh, young voices of male and female undergraduates of the college.

But here’s the unusual thing – they are all chosen for their academic qualities.

“Although they must have good voices, they are chosen for their academic talents, no matter what discipline – arts, science or economics,” says Layton.

“I see myself as nurturing students to be part of a whole.”

It’s a very old choir. Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 and, Layton says: “There’s been a choir since that time. Originally it was made up of men and little boys like King’s College choir, but they’re all adults now and in the late ‘70s and ‘80s women were welcomed. Trinity led with this.”

He says the high point of their performance will be one of the 20th century’s

most beautiful choral works, “The 1922 Mass for Unaccompanied Double Choir” by Frank Martin. It took the composer 40 years to allow it to be heard, but it has never left the spotlight since.

The program also includes Renaissance works by Byrd and Tallis, through Purcell, Elgar and Herbert Howells, then contemporary works by Arvo Pärt, Ešenvalds and Rautavaara.

Layton says the program aims “to confuse the boundaries between them… that is why we begin with the music of Pärt, he’s a very interesting figure whose approach combines elements of old and new.”

Layton makes good his aim, with a strong emphasis on new music. Two new works have been especially commissioned for this tour, “The Wings of the Wind” by the choir’s organ scholar, Owain Park, and “Hymn of Ancient Lands” by the Australian composer Joe Twist, commissioned for Musica Viva by Mary and Paul Pollard.

“We’re all in a global village,” Layton says.

“I listen when I travel to places like the Baltic or Poland, I hear their music, I take it back. I see us as always reinventing.”

Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Llewellyn Hall, 7pm, August 4, bookings to musicaviva.com.au/trinity

By Dougal Macdonald

Alas, just pies in the sky

“Star Trek Beyond” (M)

AT the session where I saw the sixth “Star Trek” feature, the audience barely reached double digits. Have those committed Trekkies of yore grown up, got wiser, lost their passion for an idea that even when it was fresh had so many limitations? That would be a good thing.

The film’s futurism, its voyaging to the furthest reaches of the universe, the construct of its conflict, its view of a confederation of beings recruited into StarFleet from around the galaxy are, if you will forgive the oversimplification, a collection of pies in the sky.

USS Enterprise is tasked to make a five-year voyage to seek out and destroy a demagogue known as Krall. Idris Elba plays him in what qualifies for mention as the film’s best acting, a tad ahead of Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the screenplay) as chief engineer and beamer-upper Scotty.

When Enterprise crashes on a planet looking very like Earth, with forests and streams, Krall’s henchmen capture all of its crew apart from those with speaking parts. Captain Kirk, Bones, Spock and Scotty meet up with Jaylah, a bonny fighter with a prominent bosom, who lives in a cave near the century-old wreck of Starship Franklin. Together they get the old Franklin going, rescue the Enterprise crew, hurtle back to the nearest space station where Kirk and Krall (commander of the Franklin when it crashed) have a big stoush, then back to Earth where it’s promotion and champagne for all and…

It’s all so boring, dull, predictable, lacking novelty or freshness.

At all cinemas

“Love and Friendship” (PG)

PROBABLY in 1794, before her 19th birthday, Jane Austen wrote the first of her epistolatory novels “Lady Susan”. Austen’s modern biographer Claire Tomalin describes Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) as “a sexual predator who uses her intelligence and charm to manipulate, betray and abuse lovers, friends and family.”

Let us give thanks and even praise for writer/director Whit Stillman’s decision to adapt the novel into the screenplay for this film that’s as entertaining and perceptive as any from an Austen novel.

Newly widowed, penniless Lady Susan, daughter of an earl, invites herself to the country house Churchill belonging to her sister-in-law.

Stillman has done us a favour by introducing the story’s numerous main characters with screen titles saying who they are and where they fit into the plot. It’s probably best simply to look, enjoy, go with the narrative flow, smile a lot and make your own judgement of Lady Susan. She’s not a nice person. Just ask her 18-year-old daughter Frederica.

A well-crafted story illuminating a family and its sidebars needs a fool, a buffoon, a figure of incompetent fun. I considered Mrs Bennett from “Pride and Prejudice” to be the pinnacle of Austen’s achievement of this kind. But no, an actor serendipitously named Tom Bennett plays Sir James Martin. How much of Sir James on screen is Austen’s invention and how much is Stillman’s, I do not know. But on screen, Tom Bennett is a delight to watch playing him.

The novel was unpublished until 1871. Stillman has engaged a fine cast of actors to perform its translation into film. The wait has been worthwhile.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

Seduced by water spinach

It smelled amazing when we entered and we went quiet while reading the menu, remarking on how most dishes sounded delish.

THE décor at Bistro Nguyen’s is eclectic. Padded 1950s kitchen chairs sit comfortably alongside fluro-coloured, metal ones. Tables of various shapes and sizes.

An eye-catching, massive, hand-drawn, black and white mural consumes one wall and large, pumpkin-shaped, copper lamps above the bar add a touch of class. So does the soothing jazz music. It was our first time at this Vietnamese restaurant. It smelled amazing when we entered and we went quiet while reading the menu, remarking on how most dishes sounded delish.

We didn’t notice the warning that food is delivered to your table as soon as it’s ready and not in any order. This wouldn’t make everyone chirpy, but it is what it is.

We changed our mind three times on what to share for entrée, deciding on what the next table had because it looked amazing. The deep-fried chicken wings and drums were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, but didn’t offer “wow-factor” flavour (five for $6.50). We wished we’d ordered the make-your-own rice-paper rolls, which would have been fun and no doubt fresher tasting than the chicken.

The winning dish was stir-fried

water spinach with fresh chilli, chilli jam and garlic. It was out of this world – one of those dishes you crave ($14.50).

We’re big fans of rock-salt prawns. These came with fried onion and coriander ($26.50). They were good, but not fabulous. We were looking for more salt.

It was obvious during our lunch that Pho is the specialty, massive bowls of piping hot, traditional beef noodle soup, slow cooked with a Nguyen’s secret family recipe ($12.90 to $16.90).

The wine list isn’t extensive but features a couple of decent drops. The Vasse Felix classic dry white went well with the style of food ($10 a glass/$40 a bottle). You can BYO.

The service at Bistro Nguyen’s was hardly chop-chop even though it wasn’t bursting at the seams and no one was sitting outdoors (cold, windy day). It took a while to order and once the dishes arrived, we

arts in the city

Only the Best for

By Helen Musa

OUR theatre spies tell us sex lies not much further beneath the surface than death in Jordan Best’s provocative “Macbeth” for Rep, starring Chris Zuber and Jenna Roberts as the murderous duo. As well, there’s original music by Tim Hansen. Theatre 3, Acton, August 4-20. Bookings to canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950.

EVER-relevant, the Arab Film Festival kicks off on Friday, August 5, with the Lebanese comedy “Halal Love” – elsewhere titled “Halal Love (and Sex)” – where director Assad Fouladkar shows Beiruti Muslims trying to manage their love lives and desires without breaking their religion’s rules. At the National Film and Sound Archive until August 7. Bookings to trybooking.com

THE go-ahead Spanish embassy is celebrating the 400th anniversary of Miguel Cervantes’ death with a project called “Money to Read”, where $1500 goes to an Australian citizen or permanent resident to silently read his great novel “Don Quixote” (in English) at the National Library during October-November. I did just that a couple of years ago while stuck at an airport and what fun it was. Entries close Thursday, September 22 at moneytoread.com

were more or less ignored. Still, we’ll be back dragging some friends along, to see how our second experience goes, and to have more of that yummy spinach. It was a long weekend and we appreciated that Bistro Nguyen’s was open, one of only a couple of places in this part of Canberra that was (we were in the area and starving). The interstate visitors next to us were baffled by so many closed eateries, remarking that Canberra still has a small country town mentality. It’s a shame ‘cause we don’t. I guess you still just need to know where to go.

Bistro Nguyen’s. 70-80 Alinga Street, Civic. Call 6262 8888.

LOCAL musical heroines Louise Page (soprano) and Phillipa Candy (piano) will perform “Where Go the Boats?”, “a concert for the depth of winter”, for Art Song Canberra, at Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, 3pm on Sunday, July 31. Tickets only at the door.

PIANIST and Canberra medical specialist Robert Schmidli will perform a benefit concert of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin for L’Arche Genesaret, which provides community living for people with an intellectual disability in Canberra. At Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 3pm on Sunday, August 7. Bookings to trybooking. com/205687 or tickets at the door.

AUSSIE and international country entertainer Wayne Horsburgh is coming to the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre with a “Morning Melody” concert featuring plenty of yodelling, at 10.30am, August 3. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

GUITAR and violin duo, the Mimosa Duo, Morgan Haselden and Phoebe O’Shea, will perform a mix of classical and gypsy jazz compositions in the High Court, 1.30pm, on Sunday, July 31. Free, but bookings to hcourt.gov.au/about/concerts

gardening Awesome orchids always please

CROSSING the road recently, a man beside me was carrying a potted orchid to a very ill friend in hospital.

“Everybody takes a bunch of flowers, which in the air conditioning in the hospital barely lasts a few days,” he told me.

“Whereas, the orchid will flower for weeks and can be taken home when my friend leaves hospital.”

It is easy to become addicted to orchids, often starting with that first gift. And the range is staggering with more than 30,000 species and more than 100,000 registered hybrids from the bold Cymbidiums to the dainty, miniature Phalaenopsis

Orchids are so easy to look after, almost surviving on neglect.

Phalaenopsis orchids, also known as moth orchids, have round flowers of white, pink or purple with a pronounced lip that grows on a single, tall stalk from a whorl of fleshy oval leaves.

Dendrobiums, or cane orchids, have smaller, usually white flowers in clusters that grow in rows on stalks growing on thick canes.

While orchids are native to tropical rainforests they won’t tolerate wet feet. If you think an orchid needs watering, leave it for three days or even a week, then water.

As I advise for all indoor potted plants with a saucer, fill the saucer with pebbles and sit the container

on top of the pebbles. This prevents over-watering while providing extra humidity, which is what orchids get in their natural environment.

Don’t place orchids in drafts of heat or cold, such as near ducted heating vents. Dry air or direct heat, especially in winter, will cause the demise of the plant.

More information at canberraorchids.org.au

THE Orchid Society of Canberra meets on the first Wednesday of every month at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, corner of Gould and MacLeay Streets, Turner.

Besides its annual show, the next best display of orchids is at the local specialists The Heritage Nursery, Yarralumla.

GARDEN arches, used from time immemorial, were originally made from timber, then metal and, more recently, plastic.

I don’t recommend the plastic versions as they are too flimsy, won’t carry the weight of many climbing plants and break down over time.

Here I have illustrated an idea that highlights a brightly coloured urn with a mirror behind.

Over the arch is Rosa “Crepuscule”, a beautiful apricot rose with an abundance of flowers. This is combined with Clematis napaulensis, the winter-flowering clematis. Together they provide almost all-year flowers – the rose

Orchids… so easy to look after, almost surviving on neglect.

with leaves and flowers in summer and autumn, and the clematis with leaves and flowers in winter.

Mirrors are great in a garden.

I have three, all found in secondhand junk shops. The two pot plants on either side of the arch are Camellia sasanqua “Simone” with an abundance of pink flowers also in winter.

Another effective idea is to have a series of arches, say three in a row, a couple of metres apart. Either the same plant or a different plant on each arch can look stunning.

Jottings…

• Start pruning roses, making sure the secateurs are sharp for good clean cuts.

• Soak the roots of new, bare-rooted

roses in a bucket with a seaweed solution for an hour before planting.

• Prune dormant crepe myrtles by at least a quarter to a third off. They flower on new season’s wood.

• Spray peach, apricot or nectarines when buds appear with organic Bordeaux or Kocide to prevent leaf curl. Don’t spray once flowers appear as

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

This week’s stars accentuate your adventurous nature and ‘devil-may-care’ attitude, but too much hot-headed hastiness could lead to an argument or accident so pace yourself. Rams are always butting in with advice but don’t offer help unless you are asked. Tuesday night’s New Moon is the time to be sporty, creative or just super social. Then Mars moves into fellow fire sign Sagittarius which boosts your independent, boisterous side – and your impulsive, bossy streak.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Each monthly New Moon is a magical time of beginnings and the promise of things to come. Family and home life are where you need to make some changes and adjustments – the sooner the better. If things have been tense with a loved one, don’t be afraid to swallow your pride and get talking, as Venus encourages cooperation and compromise. It’s also a wonderful week to add value to your residence via gardening, repairs, renovating, decorating or a quick paint job.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

You can light up a room with your quicksilver energy and gregarious Gemini nature. Wednesday onwards is the best time to channel your enthusiasm into a business partnership or entrepreneurial venture. Joining a group, club or organisation in your local community brings mutual benefits, as you’re keen to connect with a diverse range of people. From Friday onwards (under the influence of benevolent Venus) a family relationship is set to improve in leaps and bounds.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Do you feel stuck at work? Or are you persevering with a dead-end job? Uranus urges you to banish boredom and take a smart calculated risk, as you shake things up via a professional pitch, a career detour or a new money-making venture. And with action-planet Mars moving into your well-being zone (from Tuesday until September 27) it’s also time to be proactive about your diet and fitness. So jump off the comfy couch, grab a green smoothie and get moving Crabs!

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

What a wonderful week for lively Lions, as the New Moon stimulates your sign. Your creative talents are on fire and you’re bound to be the centre of attention (which is just the way you like it). Plus Mercury, Venus and Jupiter bless financial matters and commercial transactions, so shift your business brain into top gear. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great Andy Warhol: “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

With Mercury and Jupiter jumping through your sign (to be joined by Venus on Friday) you’re in the mood for flirting, shopping and socialising, as you channel your inner hedonist. It’s not all fun and frivolity though! When Mercury (your ruling planet) links up with serious Saturn on Saturday, you may veer off into Virgo worrywart mode. But stressing about problems won’t help. Instead, roll your sleeves up, put your head down, and just get on with the tasks at hand.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

One half of you wants to be a social butterfly, while the other half longs for some peace and privacy. The solution? Be a well-balanced Libran and juggle both sides! When it comes to relationships, expect the unexpected. If you are depending on loved ones to be punctual and organised then you’ll be disappointed. But, if you expect them to be unpredictable, then you’ll have a stimulating week. Contributing your creative talents to a group project brings much personal satisfaction.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

The more proactive you are (professionally and financially) the more successful you’ll be. Looking for employment? Think outside the box and find creative ways to present yourself in an irresistible new light that makes you stand out from the crowd. It’s also time to set goals and dream big dreams for the future. And don’t make them too safe and sensible Scorpio! Go for gold, as Jupiter and Venus help you envision ambitious dreams and manifest creative schemes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Action-planet Mars charges through your sign (from Tuesday until September 27). But progress will be erratic as Mars motivates you to move forward, while Saturn cautions you to look before you leap! If you run around on auto-pilot, then you’re more likely to make thoughtless remarks and silly slip-ups. The weekend is wonderful for travel, camping and outdoor adventures. You’re at your boisterous best as you lead the way, but avoid outstaying your welcome by being too bossy.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

The week starts well, when the Sun/Saturn trine helps you take care of business, make an important decision or call the shots. But remember there’s a big difference between leading others and just being plain bossy. Domineering behaviour will lead to problems later in the week, so slip on your humility hat! And learn how to delegate. No one (not even a capable, conscientious Capricorn) is indispensable. Others are happy to step in and help… if you give them half a chance.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

It’s time to crank up your social media strategy, as you network in increasingly creative and innovative ways. It’s not what you know but who you know, so get circulating and advertising in style! Are you sick of being single? Love is in the air, as the New Moon revs up your relationship zone and a promising suitor steps into the dating spotlight. Attached Aquarian – the planetary patterns encourage you to make a bold romantic gesture that knocks your partner off their feet.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Do you feel dismally disorganised? Is a lack of a daily routine letting you down? Perhaps it’s time to tune into the energy of the fiery New Moon and try a more creative and considered approach? Focus your mind and pay close attention to small details. On Monday, making a snap decision about work or money could turn out surprisingly well. But, if you confuse fact with fantasy on Friday, then you could end up with a complicated mess on your hands. Keep it real Pisces!

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2016 Daily astrology updates at twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore

4 Name a member of the Rajput people living in Nepal.

7 What is another name for wedlock?

8 What is an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family?

9 Name the Australian bushranger, Frank ...

11 To slip back into a former state, is to do what?

13 What is the income of a government from taxation, excise duties, customs and the like?

15 To get better is to do what?

17 What, colloquially, is a person who meekly accepts ill-treatment?

20 Name the scale that indicates the velocity of the wind.

23 What is another term for a housing development?

24 Which fruits are hybrids between the tangerines and pomelos?

25 What are actors’ undertones?

Down

1 Name another word for magma.

2 What is a contrivance for gathering objects from the bed of a river?

3 What do we call a young deer?

4 Name an alternative term for a kind, sort, or style.

5 Name a particular climbing palm, the stems of which are used for wickerwork, etc.

6 What are the feet of horses or donkeys called?

9 What is a derived noun form of a verb?

10 Which expression describes a hermit?

12 Name a person who has a special skill in some particular field.

14 What is a trip to convey a message?

16 Name the Australian tennis great, and US Open champion 1997 and 1998, Patrick ...

18 What is a fertile place in a desert region?

19 When one encourages by approval, one does what?

21 Name the daughter of Elizabeth II of Britain.

22 What is the external upper covering of a house?

Linda came into my office confused about the recent Federal Budget announcements on superannuation.

With the prospect of the Budget now being passed she was looking for my advice on her situation

“Linda it’s good that you came to see me,” I told her.

“At this stage there is no legislation so it’s unclear whether there will be changes or what the legislation will look like.

“However, I can share some advice based on the proposals.

“There are two types of caps. The first is the non-concessional cap, that is personal contributions for which you haven’t received a tax deduction. “The Budget is proposing that there be a lifetime cap on non-concessional contributions of $500,000 made after July 1, 2007.

“This contrasts with concessional contributions, which are generally made by your employer including salary sacrifice and for which the person or organisation contributing has received a tax deduction.

“The second cap, that is for concessional contributions, is proposed to be $1,600,000 effective from July 1, 2017.”

Linda said she wasn’t aware there were to be two different caps and that they applied to different contributions.

I told Linda that I had looked at her superannuation statements.

“I can see that you have about $300,000, which is subject to the non-concessional cap and, as you are not planning to make any further personal contributions, it seems unlikely that you would exceed this,” I said.

“However, in the event that you have exceeded the nonconcessional cap before 7.30pm on May 3, 2016, you will just be deemed to have exceeded the cap, whereas if you exceed the cap after this date you will be required to withdraw the excess above $500,000.

“In the case of the $1.6 million concessional cap, it is triggered when you transfer your superannuation account to a pension account. At that time you can choose to cash out the excess and invest it or you can leave it in your superannuation account.

“The balance in your pension fund is tax free while the balance in your superannuation fund is subject to 15 per cent tax on the earnings. “Based on your current tax rate of 39 per cent it would be more tax effective to leave the excess, if any, in your superannuation fund. However, you do not need to make that choice until you start to draw your pension.”

Linda asked if that meant she could have both caps if the legislation proceeded.

“That’s right, Linda; you can have $500,000 as your nonconcessional balance plus $1,600,000 as your concessional balance,” I advised her.

“Both caps will be indexed. If you do contribute the maximum amount to your tax-free pension and the fund earnings push the balance over the limit you will not have to take any further action.”

Linda said she was pleased she now understood the superannuation proposals and would need to wait to see what the final legislation brought.

If you need any advice on superannuation or your pension, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.