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7 Pages OF GIFT IDEAS

Well written, well read

Barnaby rolls out the pork barrel

MICHAEL MOORE

Ice crush pressures Labor’s promise

TIM GAVEL

Plan to keep kids safe at Christmas

DAVID SNOWDEN

VEGAN ON A MISSION

How animal-rights activist JESSICA BAILEY put her skills to good use

As Trump harrumphs, China puts out the mat

News that Canberra’s political parties received public funding of $1.7 million for the last election campaign must surely win the case for banning private donations.

AFTER last week’s blessedly Trump-free “Seven Days” from editor Ian Meikle, we have a little catching up to do. Since then the American president-elect has changed the lives of hundreds of Canberrans.

One decision alone – his junking of the Trans-Pacific Partnership – has politicians and public servants across the capital refocusing their activities from the US to China.

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo joined with Kiwi PM John Key to declare that the trade

“void” will be filled by China’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

As Trump’s America retreated, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the APEC conference: “Openness is vital for the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific. China will not shut the door to the outside world but will open it even wider.”

HOWEVER, on other issues Trump pulled in his horns. Climate change was no longer “a Chinese hoax”. Now, he said, he had “an open mind” on whether global warming was caused by human activity.

Well, that’s something.

SPEAKING of China, the formal arrest of 18 staffers from James Packer’s Crown Casino caused barely a whimper among his compatriots last week – except his investors, as the company’s shares continued to fall. Perhaps the virulent anti-Asian prejudice of yesteryear is confined these days to the One Nation fringes. Or maybe we’re just offended by Packer’s horrible Barangaroo temple of

greed on the Sydney Harbour foreshores. PREJUDICE comes in many forms, but surely it’s a bit rich for the ATO’s Iva Ilijevski to sue her employer for $1 million claiming six years of “racism” because she’s Croatian.

ROBERT MACKLIN

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• No referrals

Truth is, Croatians are not a race but a nationality. There is only one race – the human race – and while there might be slight “ethnic” differences among us, there are virtually none between Europeans like Iva and the vast bulk of Australians. And while Croats might be hated unconditionally by their neighbouring Serbs, no one is suggesting that the ATO is a secret Serbian citadel.

NEWS that Canberra’s political parties received public funding of $1.7 million for the last election campaign must surely win the case for banning private donations. If the pollies can’t get their message across with all that public largesse, donations from lobby groups are not going to make the slightest difference. They simply corrupt the process in their quest for preferential treatment from the winner.

DEPUTY PM Barnaby Joyce finally got his way with an official order to move the 150-strong Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from Canberra to his own electorate in Armidale. The cost benefit analysis showed it would cost taxpayers $25 million; but the real issue is the most blatant pork barrelling on record. In fact, Barnaby’s even started to look like a pork barrel! GOOD to see our native animals haven’t lost their rebellious spirit. That male emu defending his territory at the Cotter from those pesky picnickers and cyclists is not the first time our flightless fowl has fought back. Check out the great Emu Wars of the 1930s in WA where they scored a notable victory. Google has the full story.

PET peeve corner: Leaf blowers that move perfectly acceptable leaves from one place to another while shattering the morning calm with their roaring noise pollution. Enough already!

robert@robertmacklin.com

Vegan Jessica puts her know-how to good use

By Kathryn Vukovljak

WITH a belief that everyone should use their skills to do good in the world, vegan and animal rights activist Jessica Bailey says she put her business know-how to good use and started the Cruelty Free Shop.

Jessica has now opened a branch in Braddon, which sells plant-based food, cosmetics and clothing, with a view to helping more Canberrans to become vegan and stay vegan.

She came to veganism while volunteering with Animal Liberation years ago.

“I started picking up literature, and unfortunately the more you know the less you can go on, and I found I couldn’t live with supporting that sort of cruelty to animals,” she says.

“Becoming vegan was the normal sort of process that most people go through – I cut out red meat, then white meat, seafood, then over time I started reading more about the dairy industry, and I thought, I can’t eat that either. It was definitely a process.”

Sydney-based Jessica, 48, was working full time in IT and started Cruelty Free as an online shop from

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Arts &

her spare room in 2001 when she was finding it hard to find vegan versions of non-vegan products.

“I was a single mum at the time, and very cautious – I didn’t spend anything on marketing, just bought my stock and set up a really daggy website!” she says.

“It steadily built up to a point where I decided to quit my job and dedicate myself to it, but it took a long time before I got there.

“We don’t sell lentils or tofu or items you can buy anywhere, it’s the replacers – cheeses, cream, pizzas, ice cream, lollies without gelatin, mock meats and egg alternatives,” she says.

“We source locally wherever we can, and import some items, too.”

Opening the first bricks-andmortar shop in Glebe in 2012 was “fantastic”, she says, though a big step.

“I had loved working from home in my pyjamas, with my cats around me, so it was quite a mental hurdle for me to actually have to go somewhere, after so long!” Jessica says.

“But my son Robbie was a bit older then so it was easier, and I set the opening hours around school hours.

“It was scary to open my own shop and such a big risk when you’re on your own and have no safety net. But it had gotten to a point where

“Charlie” Dagseven and his passion for Canberra wine. Story Page 21.

the house was completely full of stock and, one night, I literally had to climb over boxes to get into bed. I just thought, this has to stop! So that was really the impetus to move it out.”

Now she has shops across four cities, with Canberra the most recent addition, and visits each one in person every couple of months.

Jessica says she’s driven by the desire to help people become vegan and also to make some sort of change in the world.

“Everything I do with the shops is about trying to make it easier for people to ideally become vegan, or just make more ethical choices,” she says.

“Any money we make goes back into expanding the business and making items more available, and we run a ‘Charity of the Month’ program for charities that support veganism or animal rights.

“We give back quite a lot. Maybe it sounds a bit twee but that’s really what it’s about for me. I’m not about getting rich or making an empire or anything, it’s about making change through the way that I can.

“Everyone has different skills and I happen to be good at running a business – I think everyone should use their particular skills to do whatever good they can with them.”

Since 1993: Volume 22, Number 45

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sport Ice crush pressures Labor’s promise

IN the heat of an election battle many promises are made, some materialise, while others disappear into the ether.

The ACT ice sports’ community is keen to ensure Labor’s promise of a new ice sports facility made in the lead up to October’s election doesn’t become the latter.

Demand time on the ice rink at Phillip is at an all time high with operations running at capacity seven days a week.

The demand is due to the two growth areas in ice hockey; the women’s and juniors’ competitions.

Because of the lack of available space on the rink, the women’s and junior leagues have been moved to a summer competition.

There is also the potential for tension between the competitive skating community and recreational users. Recreational use is important because it makes the centre financially viable.

The obvious solution is a two-rink facility, which would allow social users to skate on one rink while competitive sports use the other.

In the lead up to this year’s election the Labor Party promised to facilitate the construction of a new ice sports facility if re-elected, providing $75,000 for design and consultation in the first instance.

The announcement was made on the shores of Lake Tuggeranong, if nothing else signalling an indication of the preferred location.

There was also a promise of the facility being constructed within the next four-year parliamentary term. There is the vision that it

TO LEASE

Demand time on the ice rink at Phillip is at an all time high with operations running at capacity seven days a week.

would attract international ice sports events to Canberra, which ticks the tourism box.

There are plenty of questions yet to be answered. The main one being: What happens if a private-sector partner can’t be found to help build and eventually run the facility? Does it get put on the back burner?

The cost of building a two-rink facility is not insignificant with estimates ranging from $9 million to $16 million.

So where to from here? One school of thought suggests the government should make approaches to the licensed clubs to gauge interest in becoming involved. An example being the Liverpool Catholic Club, in Sydney’s west, where the club operates the skating rink as part of its overall club experience on the same site.

The ACT ice sports com munity is keen to get the project up and running as soon as possible, but there is uncertainty as to where it falls in terms of the re-elected govern ment’s priorities.

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Watching out for greyhounds

IN reference to Tim Gavel’s article “The Risk of Greyhounds Going to the Dogs” (CN, November 17), we too have a concern about the welfare of dogs if the greyhound racing industry continues in the ACT.

But for different reasons and certainly NOT because of any direct correlation between current government funding and the industry’s spend on animal welfare.

The greyhound industry is self-regulated. Racing stewards for Canberra-based races are from Greyhound Racing NSW and they can overrule a vet on the racetrack.

Revelations from the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into Greyhound Racing produced copies of emails where the chief steward told his subordinates to doctor reports to downplay injuries. This same individual has overseen races in Canberra in recent times.

The local industry itself decides how often it swabs for prohibited substances and conducts its own investigations for any issues with racing integrity. Furthermore, starting in February this year,

public access to the race steward reports was turned off making it even harder to monitor any animal welfare concerns independently.

As far as the cost of animal welfare, if one actually reads their financial statements for 2014/15 (last year’s is still unavailable), “animal welfare” costs appear to be less than 10 per cent of their total operating and administration expenses.

Finally, the reason why the gambling aspect has not been raised as a major issue is because the financial benefit to the ACT is minimal, particularly since there appeared to only be 12 trainers who were residents of the territory in 2015.

Purely looking at publicly available information, evidence would suggest that animal welfare is not a financial priority now and therefore is unlikely to change when the ACT government cuts funding as promised at the end of this financial year.

Tammy Ven Dange, CEO, RSPCA ACT

Free tours to energy sites

THE public is invited to take one of two free bus tours of the region’s Renewable Energy Trail during Renewable Energy Day, on Saturday, December 3. Renewable Energy Trail sites will be open to the public between 11am and 3pm and include the Mount Majura Solar Farm, ANU Big Dish, CIT Renewable Energy Skills Centre and a display of electric vehicles. Bookings and details via serree.org.au

Carols in park

WITH more than 3500 people attending last year, the Salvation Army is expecting another big crowd for its annual Carols in Town Park, Tuggeranong, from 6.30pm, on Sunday, December 18. Preceding the community singing, there are children’s activities from 5pm with jumping castles and slides, a petting zoo, a reptile display and pony rides. Food and drinks will be on sale at family friendly prices. Singing will be led by the National Capital Salvation Army Band and there will be a special visit from Santa.

Export winners

CANBERRA-based company iSimulate has won the Education and Training category of the Australian Export Awards ceremony. It exports to 10 countries an iPad simulation technology to assist in the delivery of Advanced Life Support training to the medical field without the cost of expensive equipment.

Charnwood Shopping Centre

Mystery of the murdered baby’s missing grave

IT contained all the elements of a soap opera: a failed marriage, a suggestion of insanity, the most tragic of deaths and a grave that would vanish without trace – save that it was all heartbreakingly true.

On November 28, 1932, Bertram Edward Porter, of Kingston, committed the first murder to occur in the barely christened Federal Capital Territory (by 1938, renamed the Australian Federal Territory).

1932 clipping from “The

fair trading

While trawling records of the ever-fascinating Queanbeyan Riverside Cemetery (1846), I unearthed a trail that allowed me to piece together the most likely solution to the infant’s whereabouts.

His victim was his 11-month-old son, Charles, to whom Porter administered a dose of highly toxic strychnine, commonly used to kill rats.

Following a difficult separation and failed attempts at reconciliation with his wife of just two years, Vera (herself only 17 at the time), the 25-year-old, unemployed sheet-metal worker had portentously informed her: “This will be the end of us two today.”

Given its significance – and shocking nature – the details of the case are not overly difficult to come by, but what’s remained largely unknown for in excess of eight decades is the fate of those involved – including baby Charles and the mystery of his final resting place.

Porter had pleaded not guilty due to being of “unsound mind”, also declaring he’d intended to kill himself but was prevented by the arrival of the police.

After 18 hours, the jury was

unable to reach a verdict in this first criminal trial for the then still innocent capital, requiring a second to be called.

This time it took only 25 minutes, during which Porter “sat passively and gazing with twitching eyes at the Bench”, and he was acquitted of murder on the grounds of “temporary insanity” but nonetheless removed to Kenmore, Goulburn’s “Asylum for the Insane.”

Incarcerated for two years, on agreeing to Vera’s request for a divorce, aided by the authorities declaring “the trouble which led to his detention has been caused primarily through his association with his wife”, the once apparently happy family man was released.

It’s uncertain as to whether Porter ever remarried and he’s believed to have died in Sydney in 1974.

The only other reference to Charles came two days after his death:

Plan to keep kids safe

AS we race into the festive season and look forward to a break in our busy lives, it’s easy to forget that this is a time for families.

And, with this in mind, I can think of no better time to ask all Canberrans to pay particular attention to the quality and safety of gifts they buy for their children.

All toys sold in Australia must meet our exacting standards, but we should also be cautious and, in particular, pay attention to goods purchased online or sent from overseas. You can check the product safety Australia website for a list of mandatory standards and bans at productsafety.gov.au

To assist families in making good choices when it comes to toys, Access Canberra works with retailers to ensure that the products they sell comply with mandatory product safety standards and labelling. This work is further supported by inspections of toys that are going to be sold in the lead up to Christmas.

I especially want to draw attention to portable swimming pools and how a few simple precautions will make them safe for all users and, most importantly, those young thrill-seekers in our families.

But first, a few sobering facts; in 2013/14, 20 children between the ages of 0-4 drowned in portable swimming pools in Australia and many more were hospitalised as a result of a drowning incident in a portable swimming pool.

A single death is one too many and we can do a lot to minimise the risk of drowning or serious injury. Here are some straightforward and practical tips provided by Royal Life Saving Australia that we can all put into practice right now.

I can think of no better time to ask all Canberrans to pay particular attention to the quality and safety of gifts they buy for their children.

Fencing is an important consideration and in the ACT you are required to fence around all pools with a depth over 300mm.

Actively supervise young children by keeping them in arms’ reach whenever they are in or near water. Never rely on older children to supervise younger children.

Smaller pools should be emptied and put away after use and you should ensure that they cannot fill with rainwater or water from sprinklers.

Don’t exceed the maximum number of people that the pool can safely hold.

Pools, no matter what their size, should be fun as they form an intrinsic part of our Australian lifestyle. Let’s keep them safe for all and, most importantly, for the young children that are such an important part of an Aussie Christmas.

David Snowden is the ACT Fair Trading commissioner.

DAVID SNOWDEN

one newspaper report detailed the strained remnants of his parents’ marriage as they stood on opposite sides of the child’s grave but “exchanged no word”, and also revealed that the funeral had taken place in Queanbeyan (at that point, still the only public cemetery in the region).

No record seems to exist though of a Charles Robert Porter buried in the town.

Whether coincidence or something less specifiable, while trawling records of the ever-fascinating Queanbeyan Riverside Cemetery (1846), I unearthed a trail that allowed me to piece together the most likely solution to the infant’s whereabouts.

There are many unknown or incorrectly attributed children’s graves in Riverside due to various floods, including the most infamous in 1974 in which so many were washed away. One I located stated simply, “Baby Jacobs, died c1959”.

Right beside this plot (O1 and N40a), a Vera Jofferette Ford had been interred in 1969.

It was Vera’s unusual middle name that raised the spectre for me, and

lo and behold, it could be shown that Mrs Ford had previously been Mrs Porter – and had died at the age of 54, making her 17 in 1932.

And the link to Baby Jacobs, who’d allegedly died 10 years before Vera?

As reports of the Porter trial prove, Vera’s maiden name was Jacobs – and the “circa” alongside the baby’s date of death of course only indicates an estimation, accurate details no doubt lost as a result of the damage wreaked by the flood.

So with all of that, were baby Charles and his mother eventually laid to rest beside one another?

I’d like to think so.

Nichole Overall is a Queanbeyan-based journalist and social historian with a predilection for bringing to light the unsolved mysteries and conundrums of the Capital Region.

NICHOLE OVERALL

Barnaby rolls out the pork barrel

EJECTING ethics is becoming the hallmark of the Turnbull government. Pork barrelling is not new in politics. However, it remains unethical. Racism is wicked. Taking from the poor to give to the rich is dissolute. Having an attorney-general attempting to out manoeuvre the High Court to undermine national interest is simply immoral.

National Party Leader Barnaby Joyce’s latest pork-barrelling effort will see the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) moved to his own electorate of Armidale. This fulfils a desperate promise he made to the electorate during the election campaign when he had the former Independent MP Tony Windsor breathing down his neck. As Deputy Prime Minister, Joyce should put the national interest ahead of his own re-election chances. On the one hand, he is in a leadership role in a government that is constantly telling the Australian people that there is not enough money and ordinary taxpayers will have to learn to live within their means.

On the other hand, he is prepared to splash $25 million just on moving the APVMA to his own electorate and risk ongoing costs of nearly $200 million a year.

The shallow attempt to dress this

No-one

is having the wool pulled over their eyes by the leader of the National Party. This is simple, blatant, straightforward pork barrelling.

pork barrelling as general decentralisation is supposedly supported by a regulation by Finance Minister Senator Mathias Cormann issued two days before the APVMA announcement.

The Cormann regulation requires any agency regulating agriculture to be further than 150 kilometres by road from Canberra.

The regulation by-passes parliament and allows justification of Joyce’s move.

No-one is having the wool pulled over their eyes by the leader of the National Party. This is simple, blatant, straightforward pork barrelling and inappropriate, unprincipled and dishonourable for the Deputy Leader of our nation.

MEANWHILE, the Attorney-General, George Brandis, has let down his own office, failed to show appropriate leadership and, I believe, neglected his duty to the nation.

It now appears that a shady deal

was done with the WA State Liberal Attorney-General to bypass a decisionmaking process of the High Court. The deal has all the hallmarks of supporting a government that is in trouble approaching an election, putting the interests of the Liberal Party way ahead of the national interest.

In the end, the High Court made a 7-0 decision against allowing WA to take control of the $1.8 billion remaining assets in the failed Bell Group of Alan Bond. The attempt was to allow WA government legislation to facilitate first dibs on the compensation ahead of the Australian Taxation Office. It now seems that the issue of putting Australian national interests first was behind the falling-out of Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson with Brandis and the reason for his resignation. It is Brandis who should be resigning.

THE racist comments of Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton, regarding people of Lebanese Muslim

Family Lawyers at their best

background were put into context by Richard Cooke in “The Monthly”. Cooke pointed out a 1-in-3600 risk of terrorism offences from Lebanese Muslims and compared it to the 1-in150 risk of Catholic priests actually being charged with criminal offences.

Simply put, these priests are “about 250 times worse than Lebanese Muslims” and taking cultural issues into account “Catholic priests are literally thousands of times worse than Lebanese Muslims”. I wonder if Peter Dutton’s many Catholic colleagues in Cabinet had thought this through and would feel justified about a similar attack on the Catholic clergy.

Any Prime Minister wishing to retain and build an ethical government should be demanding much higher standards of ministers.

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

Awfully good show, old boy!

THE spotlight display for the Terribly British Day will feature around 25 iconic Jaguar sports cars from the late ‘40s to early ‘60s. They will be part of more than 350 other British marques on the day, with every make from Austin to Zephyr represented. Terribly British Day chairman Paul Sutton said: “It attracts British cars from Sydney, Melbourne, the south coast, Goulburn, Yass, Cooma, Cootamundra, Young, the Southern Highlands and Forbes.” Tuggeranong Men’s Shed will be the beneficiary of fund raising at the gate. At the Treasury car park, Parkes, 10am3pm, on Sunday, December 4.

New directors

THE board of the Canberra Business Chamber has three new members Jason Duarte, head of Corporate Banking ACT for the Commonwealth Bank; Lorcan Murphy, CEO of Communities@ Work and Alicia Shepard, COO of ONTHEGO Sports. They replaced retiring directors Michelle Melbourne, Greg Castle and Louise Hughes.

The tradies who stepped into the unknown

SIXTY-five years ago the so-called “Jennings Germans” came to town – and Canberra would never be the same.

The 150 German tradesmen were attracted to Australia by builders AV Jennings to help construct 1850 houses the company had contracted to build in Canberra for the Federal government.

Head teacher of building trades at the Canberra Technical College, Alan Jack, and Jennings employee and expat Walter Schauble devised the idea to fill a skills gap by recruiting builders and cabinet makers from Germany.

The first 60 tradesman came to Canberra by plane in 1951 and the rest followed by boat that year and the next.

When Klaus Scharrer arrived he couldn’t speak English. Beyond the language, he had also to adjust to the climate.

He came during summer and was taken by bus to the Ainslie hostel.

“In the hostel we were given five blankets, linen and a pillow case,” Klau says.

“Why would I need five blankets? I put on three and then I woke up in the night and was freezing like a dog! So I

put on my winter coat, too.”

No one had told him Canberra cools at night – even in summer.

He said he was struck by Australia’s empty vastness when he first came and was disappointed to arrive in a place that was, to him, an unknown, undeveloped city.

“Work was different. Let’s say it this

way, we had to work with hard wood,” he says.

“Nobody on site works with it now, only soft wood. There was no nail guns or power tools. We had to cut every piece of timber by hand.

“In Germany, you don’t even nail up furniture.

“We had to pay our fare. The money

for us to come over by ship was deducted from our pay.

“That part of the story is not very well known, we were never migrants. We had to pay our way in.”

Walter Hengge, who arrived around the same time as Klaus, had learnt English driving Americans as a taxi driver in Germany.

But the money was better than at home so he took the chance in a country which had “six million rabbits per billabong”.

Walter saw the upside saying that on his first day the weather was nice but then it rained and rained. He thought: “This is the place, if it rains everything stops on the worksite.”

But there didn’t seem to be any upside with the different new food they were introduced to.

“We went to the butcher and asked for a sausage. The man sold us this beautiful-looking Devon sausage,” he says.

“We bought a piece, cut it up and it tasted like sawdust!”

Karl Cloos was another “Jennings German”. His widow Patricia says he came to Australia when there were “seven million people and 70 million sheep”.

She says the workers, like Karl, Klaus and Walter, built a reputation as hard workers and also formed historic bonds.

Some of the migrant workers returned to Germany after the two years, but most of them stayed in Australia with 10 of the original 150 recently gathering at the Harmonie German Club, a place they had built during their contracts, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of their arrival.

Canberra Confidential

Giggle or hoot?

THE much maligned, eight-metre fibreglass owl on Belconnen Way, at the main entrance to the town centre, appears to be being fitted with a prophylactic, seemingly to protect it from the ravages of graffiti.

That’s the theory of our northern snout Mike Welsh, who snapped the work being performed on what non-lovers of public art sneeringly liken to an extended appendage of the male anatomy. He couldn’t get a hoot out of the workers.

The $400,000 owl, by Melbourne sculptor Bruce Armstrong, was one of the final works commissioned under Jon Stanhope’s highly criticised percentage-for-arts scheme and unveiled as his last public engagement as Chief Minister. AND while on birds… after the 1.4 million national Aussie Backyard Bird Count (October 17-23), spotting 583 species, the Rainbow Lorikeet came out tops for the third consecutive year. But not in the ACT where 1070 Canberra counters spotted the Australian Magpie as the most counted in the territory.

Full results at aussiebirdcount.org.au

Lock up your trouser cuffs!

WE report, with dismay, that the dreaded Trouser-Cuff Slasher is at large, with a charity shop in Macquarie a recent victim of the mystery scissorer who slices the cuffs (and sometimes the sleeves) off men’s suits in charity shops. With all the dark mystery of the Narrabundah Tyre Slasher, the cuffster has, we’re told, been cutting a swathe across a range of charity outlets for something like five years with nary a clue left in his/her wake.

Pockets, rockets and swamps

PASSIONATE Socialist and self-styled “prospective 2019 ACT Senate candidate” John Passant , oddly channelling Republican Donald Trump, says the best way to “drain the swamp” in Parliament House would be to cut the pay of politicians from $200,000 a year to the average wage of about $80,000.

He says the pollies are in the top one per cent of income earners which quarantined them from the economic pressures most voters feel.

“Putting politicians on the average wage of about $80,000 brings them back to the same planet the rest of us live on,” Comrade Passant added.

Masterfully mixing his metaphors he says: “To drain the swamp we need to put a rocket up their pocket.”

The first a charity knows is the disappointment at the cash register when a customer discovers that the suit of their desire is not what it’s cut out to be.

The other oddity CC has learnt of is endless button snipping by a generation of people who see value, often in military buttons, from nicking them from the coat hanger. Don’t charity shops have it tough enough without all this?

The Kofi club

WAS that Kofi Annan, pictured, I saw you with last night? “Well, sort of” is the boast only 250 guests at the Press Club last week could make as the outgoing UN secretarygeneral was beamed in via satellite from Geneva to the Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ’s annual Leadership in Government Awards. His interview with Emma Alberici was described as “endear-

ing”. Last year Sir Bob Geldof was in the room, this year Kofi and next year, who knows, Donald Trump? Susan Pascoe , the inaugural commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission took the $20,000 and the gong for the Outstanding Contribution in Public Administration Award.

All about Christmas giving advertising feature

gift ideas galore and lots of inspiration

WITH the days slipping away and fewer than four weeks until Christmas, there’s no avoiding it, it’s time to get some serious shopping done.

In this special, seasonal feature, “CityNews” has sourced a variety of inspiring and different gift ideas to take away some of the stress from hunting for that perfect present...

The market with a love for all things Christmas

WITH a love of Christmas and also a love of supporting small businesses, founders Cathy and Stephen Wall decided five years ago that they would combine the two and create the Canberra Christmas Markets.

Cathy says: “We love Christmas, the laughter, the food, all the pretty colours and decorations, we love it all!

“We also love supporting small and creative businesses, so we decided to bring them both together.”

Cathy understands that everybody has that person that is impossible to shop for.

“There’s always that person who has everything, well, the Canberra Christmas Markets are the best place to find that extra special unique gift that you won’t find trawling through the crowded shops,” she says.

“Buying from a small business also feels great, it means your money is going to help someone else’s Christmas become a more joyful and prosperous one.”

Cathy says the atmosphere at the markets is fun, relaxed, but it also has a busy bustle to it.

She loves watching people with huge smiles as they find presents for their loved ones.

“We love it when customers come up to us and show us their ‘show and tell’.

“It’s wonderful knowing that on Christmas Day gifts are being given and received with so much love and that we helped to make that happen.”

Canberra Christmas Markets, Fitzroy Building, Exhibition Park. Corner of Flemington Road and Northbourne Avenue, 9am-3pm, December 10-11. Call 0413 594207 or email info@canberrachristmasmarkets.com.au

Still time for radiant holiday skin, says Suzie

THE Clear Complexions Clinics have been around Canberra for 11 years offering clients a unique, personalised and medical approach to skin care.

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

“We now have three clinics in Canberra and have expanded into Sydney over the past 11 years. We have even just recently opened our seventh clinic in Sydney at Mosman,” says Suzie.

“We are so appreciative and humbled by the support from the Canberra community over the past 11 years.”

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

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

Suzie says there is still time to get your skin ready for Christmas, with many smaller treatments available that will refresh the skin. For Christmas, Clear Complexions is offering a Fraxel procedure combined with one Omnilux session for only $899.

To find your nearest Clear Complexions Clinic, visit clearcomplexions.com.au

AT

busiest time of year and now that the zoo has some new animals it might be even busier!

Retail and information manager Sally Bradley says: “We have some new black and white ruffed baby lemurs.

“Also recent to the zoo is a siamang enclosure.”

Sally says the zoo has a variety of different gift ideas for the holidays.

“For anyone in the family that’s an animal lover, the

zoo has it sorted,” she says.

“People can stay in the Jamala Wildlife Lodge, it’s a little piece of Africa right here in Canberra.”

The zoo will also be holding a school holiday program in January called “Zoocation” where kids can get close and personal with the animals.

National Zoo and Aquarium, 999 Lady Denman Drive, Weston Creek. Call 6287 8400 or via the website nationalzoo.com.au

Arts centre promises stress-free, handmade shopping

AVOID the stress of a shopping centre this Christmas at Watson Arts Centre’s annual Christmas Fair.

The Watson Arts Centre program manager, Sara Hogwood, says unlike the busy shopping centres there’s plenty of free parking.

She says: “Local potters and ceramicists are providing a wonderful selection of ceramic artworks, functional and sculptural items.

“Between the fair and Watson Arts Centre’s ‘Potters Place’ shop, visitors are sure to find the perfect gift at the perfect price.”

Sara says it’s a place to find something truly unique.

And purchases will also be helping many local artists and the local economy.

“This year there are new makers presenting their creations alongside old favourites,” Sara says.

“That doesn’t mean there’s anything tired in the works that are on offer, makers are always exploring new ideas and expanding their ranges.”

Watson Arts Centre’s Christmas Fair. Aspinall Street, Watson, open daily, 10am-4pm, December 8-23. Call 62411670.

Boutique toy shop home of quality

LITTLE Sprout is home of quality crafted toys and exclusive brands, perfect to nurture the imagination of kids this Christmas.

Owner Brooke Kearns says: “We are a boutique toy shop in Phillip selling beautiful wooden toys, interactive games and more.” If you’re not sure what to get someone for Christmas, Brooke says you can leave it up to them.

“We have incredible customer service, we gift wrap and we’ll assist people to select the right product.

“We have a wide variety of something for everyone, that’s great quality.”

Little Sprout Phillip, 47 Colbee Court, Phillip, 6282 3684. Facebook page @ LittleSproutReadPlayLearn

Relaxation tucked away in the bustling city

NEW to the city, The Salon @ Kylie’s Beauty is conveniently located on Bunda Street, making it the perfect place for a lunchtime escape or an after-work getaway.

Owner Kylie Heggie says: “We are nicely tucked away downstairs in the City Executive Suites.

“We have a spacious relaxing waiting area that some of our clients even like to relax in after their massage.”

The salon has many rooms to choose from, including a couple’s room.

Kylie says the rooms have been very popular amongst friends as well as mothers and daughters who can enjoy brunch and get pampered together.

For a Christmas present made easy, the salon provides E-vouchers through email.

During massages and all other services, the salon uses the Australian product Heritage Healers.

These products provide natural remedies for modern-day stress and ageing by embracing natural therapies as well as modern skin science.

The Salon @ Kylie’s Beauty, 6/88 City Executive Suites, lower ground floor, Bunda Street. Call 0419 429692 or 6101 0970. Or visit kyliesbeauty.com.au

The Christmas shop that doesn’t stop

BY its name, Hang Ups Christmas Emporium is not just a normal Christmas shop says the owner Mike Welch.

Mike says: “We stock products from all over the world. They’re collectables not disposables.”

The shop is open all year and Mike says it is more of a boutique store.

He says: “Hang Ups Christmas Emporium is where you get nice, quality decorations for Christmas that you won’t find anywhere else.

“We offer competitive prices and pride our service on building professional relationships with our clients.”

Mike says they stock stunning trees, collectable ornaments, snow globes, glassware and ceramics from designer labels.

Hang Ups Christmas Emporium, 80-82 Kembla Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 0312 or email info@hangups.com.au

Gift giving taken to new heights without leaving the ground!

JET Flight Simulator Canberra is a one-of-a-kind experience.

“We provide the everyday person with the opportunity to sit in the most used plane in the world and experience what it is like to captain the 737 using our replica 737 flight simulator,” says Josh Ramsey, owner of Jet Flight Simulator Canberra.

Jet Flight Simulator, which has simulators across the country, is Australia’s only privately

owned and operated flight simulator based on the Boeing 737-800NG run by professional pilots. No experience is needed and participants can bring up to four passengers in for free.

“It’s a gift that’s out of the ordinary. People love the experience, some say: ‘It’s reignited my passion’.

“Lots of people have these dreams as a kid and put them to the side.”

Jet Flight Simulator Canberra makes these

dreams come true, no professional experience needed.

And for Christmas, “CityNews” readers will get 60 per cent off!

Jet Flight Simulator Canberra, Unit 5, 4 Ipswich Street, Fyshwick. Visit jetflightsimulatorcanberra.com.au or call 0438 834026.

Experienced dental practice offers plenty to smile about

THE perfect smile is possible with the help of Karabar Private Dental Surgery.

Conveniently located on the ground floor of Karabar Shopping Mall, Queanbeyan, the surgery is open for emergencies seven days and holidays (by appointment) to provide a full range of dentistry treatments – general and cosmetic – for adults and children.

Oral health therapist and hygienist Koco Clarke says: “We offer bleaching and whitening for $450, where the customer can come in, we clean and freshen their teeth and they go home with a kit, which is very easy to use. They can have perfect teeth in a non-harmful way and not spend a fortune”.

With 20 years’ experience, Karabar Private Dental Surgery has developed a friendly, approachable service that helps relieve the anxiety of visiting the dentist.

To add to the perfect smile, the surgery also offers anti-wrinkle injections that it says are “composed of natural, purified protein and when injected into specific facial muscles, wrinkle-causing muscles are relaxed to reduce dynamic lines and create a younger, softer and natural-looking appearance”.

Karabar Private Dental Surgery, Karabar Shopping Mall, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 3760 or visit karabarprivatedental.com.au

Where facials are a labour of love

DEZINER Beauty in Queanbeyan provides beauty services and treatments with a clinical focus.

With 18 years in the beauty business, owner Louise McMahon says hers is the only local salon to have the Elizabeth Arden Pro Skin Care range.

“We are welcoming, warm and, above all, knowledgeable on any skin type or condition,” she says.

Louise says that the salon was recently featured in “Mindfood” magazine, showcasing its extensive range of Elizabeth Arden products as well as the top five beauty products.

“Our facials are our signature treatment and we love transforming people’s faces, through face lifts, body contouring, make-up or waxing,” says Louise.

“We can take 10 years off your skin with all the amazing treatments and products we have, including a non-surgical face lift.”

Deziner Beauty also offers make-up, waxing, tinting and teethwhitening services.

Deziner Beauty, Shop 18, Cassidy’s Arcade, 72 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Visit Deziner Beauty on Facebook or call 6299 5792.

I have put together three exceptional Skin Refresher Packages. You can choose from one, or try them all. Each are incredible value and will have your skin looking vibrant and ready for summer. Enjoy!!

Refresh Your Skin For Summer

3 Skin Value Packages

PACKAGE 1

Pigment + Pores

∙ IPL Face

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Now only $625 (normally $840)

PACKAGE 2

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∙ Genesis Laser

∙ Procedure Peel Omnilux

Now only $425 (Normally $610)

PACKAGE 3

Hydrate and Heal

∙ HydraFacial MD

∙ Rationale Mask Omnilux

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“Come instore for

crafted toys and exclusive brands for Christmas”

Discounted prices with a quality service

EVEN though the Chemist Outlet at Dickson has discounted prices, this hasn’t compromised its quality service.

Owner Rhonda Warne says: “Our customer service is like any community pharmacy but we also have discounted prices.

“We have a price point that people can handle. They’re more likely to keep taking medication that they need if it is affordable.”

The Chemist Outlet in Dickson has only been open for 18 months and Rhonda says we have the same services as any other pharmacy.

“We do clinical services, too, like diabetes checks,

medical certificates, flu immunisation, blood pressure testing, free Webster-paks and much more,” says Rhonda.

“People on the north side don’t need to travel for a discount pharmacy.

“Here we have two dedicated pharmacists and many more employees who will bend over backwards for the customers.”

For Christmas, discounted fragrances, skin care products, eye shadow packs and more will be available in store.

Chemist Outlet Dickson. 1/42 Dickson Place, Dickson. Call 6247 7944.

A fusion of Japanese and Far East healing

LOCATED in the iconic heritage Melbourne Building is Sui Spa Canberra, a place inspired by a fusion of Japanese and Far East ancient healing.

Sui Spa includes three couple’s and friends’ suites, a yoga studio and a members-only entrance.

The yoga sessions focus on breath control, meditation and postures to promote flexibility, core strength and relaxation.

Through spa treatments, the staff use intuitive touch and high performance techniques that guide clients to optimum body and mind equilibrium.

Sui Spa Canberra, Melbourne Building, 37 Northbourne Avenue. Call 6181 3691 or email info@suispacanberra.com.au

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

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

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

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

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

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

The bookstore Clousten and Hall Booksellers has also been around for a while, selling books for over three decades.

And Silk Sisters provides customers with fairtrade, natural-fibre clothing from a child-friendly women’s workshop in Central Vietnam.

Bailey’s Corner, 131-157 London Circuit, City.

At the launch of the Renewables Innovation Hub, Civic

At the CHC’s 2016 Celebration, National Museum

At the opening night of Queensland Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’, Canberra Theatre

sundayROAST

Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.

It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.

Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.

At the opening of ‘Down To

Earth’ exhibition, New Acton

Special occasion? Let us design and make your unique engagement or wedding ring exactly how you’d like it.

Need or desire a new piece of Jewellery? We can design any piece of jewellery to your specifications and custom-make it in-house.

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Feel like a change? We do remakes using your existing jewellery to give you an exciting one-of-a-kind creation.

2/16 Bougainville Street, Manuka (Opposite Manuka Court) • 6295 8545 On-Site Jeweller & designer • Remake • Repair • Laser solder & engraving

arts & entertainment Taking aim and knowing the target

“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (MA)

THIS clever, cynical, mordant, subtly iconoclastic and emotionally robust film has, in my opinion, the chops to bring a third Oscar to director Ang Lee and a first to writer Jean-Christophe Castelli (adapting producer Ben Fountain’s novel). And I deny all and any accusations that those five stars, the second time in as many weeks, constitute any kind of sycophancy. Impacting the senses long after you leave the cinema, the screenplay works on two levels. The story is straightforward enough. Nineteenyear-old Billy (promising newcomer Joe Alwyn) has received the Silver Star for trying to rescue his wounded infantry section leader Shroom (Vin Diesel) under enemy fire in a skirmish in Iraq. Back in Texas on grand final day, Billy and the rest of the section are guests of the stadium owner (Steve Martin) seeking to bask in the glow of his heroism and patriotism by appearing in the halftime entertainment arranged to keep the crowd’s boredom at bay.

A Hollywood producer has sent his man to try to persuade the soldiers to agree to appear in a movie of the skirmish. Cheerleader Faison (Makenzie Leigh) whisks Billy backstage to exchange virginities. There’s more to Billy’s film than merely those narrative events. Lee and Castelli take a jaundiced look at American cultural values and embedded their grossest, most selfish, least attractive, most unfortunate elements in what you see but leave it to you to venture behind events and discover what, while not overt, drives a character’s response to a situation. That’s not compulsory but it has a pervasive ability to influence your inner reflections on what you’ve just seen and wonder why a particular moment is so.

I wonder what Australian troops think of Hollywood’s habit of laying down heavy fire for the sake of visual and aural effects. I’ve never been in harm’s way, but as a recruit doing national service, I learned a basic rule – know your target. Ang Lee certainly does.

At Capitol 6 and Hoyts

“Like Crazy” (M)

IN writer/director Paolo Virzi’s Italian kind of “Thelma and Louise”, Beatrice and Donatella become friends in a psychiatric institution then walk out with neither money nor permission.

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s volatile portrayal of Beatrice’s mild case of bipolar makes a dry meal of the film’s comic elements. But the screenplay gives her that function to reflect the pitiable case of Donatella (Micaela Ramazzotti), in the institution after being convicted of murdering her babe-in-arms son and attempting suicide by jumping off a railway bridge into the sea.

The two women strike sparks from each other as they steal cars, make fools of lustful men, walk out of restaurants without paying and generally flaunt social conventions and responsibilities that might impede their progress.

Toward the end of the film, Donatella has to make a heart-wrenching decision that forms the main arm of the narrative. But on its journey to that point, while its narrative core is valid enough, the film’s structure and continuity are both a bit flabby.

At Palace Electric

“The Fencer” (G)

FROM Estonia comes a gentle, poignant film telling the story of Endel Nelis (1925-1993) whom the German army compelled to serve during the war, after which he hid himself away in a small Estonian town where he became a teacher.

At university, Endel had won a medal in a fencing competition. Practising alone in the school gym, little Marta watches him. Klaus Haro’s film, scripted by Anna Heinamaa, tells how Endel persuaded the principal to approve formation of a sporting club joined by many of the children bored by weekends with nothing else to do.

The story unfolds under the cloud of oppression from political and law-enforcement agencies by which Stalin controlled daily life behind the Iron Curtain. The further one was from major Russian cities, the less likely that influence was. The school principal, a good party man, betrayed Endel when he accompanied four children to a fencing competition in Leningrad. The film reveals a good man whose courage and commitment are unshakeable.

At Palace Electric

Julia’s story in a burst of song

By Helen Musa

A NEW musical about former Prime Minister Julia Gillard is just one of the entertaining shows announced for the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre’s 2017 season.

“All art, not just theatre, serves society,” says the philosophical program manager and artistic director at The Q, Stephen Pike.

“Much that is best in art and culture is nonmonetary and it should not be judged by the same yardstick as other financial investments.”

Very true, but a savvy operator like Pike knows that variety is the spice of theatre, so he’s promising drama, comedy, a variety of music and musicals, dance and film from local, national and international artists.

“Julia: The Musical”, he says, has been written by Dr Francesco Sofo, better known as the director of Canberra’s Dante Musica Viva choir,

arts in the city

who approached him about 12 months ago. Pike jumped at the opportunity and will co-produce the musical, which deals with the rise of Australia’s first female Prime Minister. Pike himself will direct the council’s annual in-house production, this year “The Addams Family (Musical)” which, he says, dramatises every father’s nightmare as 18-year-old Wednesday Addams falls in love with a sweet young man from a respectable family. Macabre it may be, but this show is billed as “a fun show the whole family can enjoy.”

Administrator of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Tim Overall has expressed excitement about the new community engagement project, “Town Folk”, that will see comedian Damian Callinan and filmmaker John Cherry interviewing and filming prominent Queanbeyanites, resulting in a mixed night of cinema and performance late in the year.

Other favourites cited by Mr Overall included Irish two-hander comedy “Stones in His Pockets”;

Matt Hales’ new-age hypnosis show “Hypnolycious” and for children, “Horrible Harriet”, a play adapted from Australian children’s author Leigh Hobbs’ characters, starring the larger-than-life Mr Chicken.

Pike identifies a few likely shows, including Pigeonhole Theatre’s “The Summer of the 17th Doll”, directed by Jordan Best; “Always... Patsy Cline”, directed by Denny Lawrence, to be staged cabaret style in the Bicentennial Hall and “Around the World in 80 Days”, in which three actors play 39 characters covering seven countries, all in one night. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now, Pike says, it’s time to book for the subscription season and, in 2017, there will be a special card for patrons aged 25 and under in the hope of getting a new generation to enjoy live theatre.

Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre’s 2017 season, bookings and all season details to theq.net.au, 6285 6290 or in person at the box office.

Bah, humbug, old Scrooge is back!

SCROOGE returns in a preChristmas revival of Tom Mula’s play “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol”, also seen around this time last year. Craig Alexander performs more than a dozen characters in what they’re calling a “darkly delicious” show. At The Street Theatre, December 9-11. Bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

“SWEATY, passionate punk-rock” is the promise of powerhouse Canberra band, Glitoris, out to defeat gender stereotypes as they tour the country. They have been getting heaps of Australia-wide radio-play for their debut EP “Disgrace”. At the ANU Bar, with Faux Faux Amis and Moaning Lisa, December 10. Bookings to moshtix.com.au

SILLINESS abounds as Stephen Pike’s notoriously naughty production, “Merry Christmas, Mr Wolf” takes the stage, directed by Annette Sharpe and starring local luminaries Grant Pegg, Kashmira Mohamed

Zagor, Will Huang and Rachel Thornton. At Teatro Vivaldi Restaurant, ANU Arts Centre, December 3-23. Bookings to vivaldirestaurant.com. au or 6257 2718.

CANBERRA Dance Development Centre’s full-time vocational dance course students are presenting a showcase production, “Auth-or-ize”, with several daytime shows

targetted at schools, aged-care groups and the general public. Each show will be followed by a Q&A. At the ANU Arts Centre, December 8-9. Bookings to trybooking.com

CANBERRA pianist Marcela Fiorillo is heading back to perform in her hometown Buenos Aires after a splendid year that included tours to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. While she’s there, she’ll pop in on Santiago de Chile to take part in a recital, too.

THE Strange Weather Gospel Choir joins The Foray Quintet to present “I Will Stand Fast”, a fundraiser for Lifeline Canberra. The choir will showcase gospel, spiritual, African and contemporary songs, while the quintet will perform Faure’s Piano Quintet No 2 and smaller works. At All Saints Anglican Church, Cowper

Street, Ainslie, 2pm, on Sunday, December 4. Bookings to eventbrite. com.au or strangeweather.org

QUEENSLAND acoustic guitarist, Van Larkins, is pairing up with Italian virtuoso guitarist Andrea Valeri to mark the release of his quintessentially Australian number “Outback Storm”, from his forthcoming album, “Cinder Moon”. Larkins makes his guitars do extreme things – “It could be bending the neck to make that ‘wah wah’ sound or pushing my elbow on the back to create delay,” he says. At Smith’s Alternative, Alinga Street, Civic, December 5. Bookings to smithsalter native.com

‘Charlie’ can’t help sharing the love of Canberra wine

WHEN I arrived in this town in 1998 there was a joke I was fond of telling, especially to my Melbourne friends, the burg I escaped from:

Q: “What’s the difference between Canberra and a carton of yoghurt?”

A: “The carton of yoghurt has a living culture.”

That’s a joke I’d never share with Cagil “Charlie” Dagseven, the owner of a new cafe called Brew and Brew set up since August on the ground floor of the Minter Ellison building on National Circuit in Barton. He is energetically passionate about Canberra, its wine and the “educated people” for whom he makes coffee and pours wine.

wine dining

He’s almost unstoppable on the subject:

“I’ve grown up with Canberra wines. They are 100 per cent.

Cagil ‘Charlie’ Dagseven is energetically passionate about Canberra, its wine and the ‘educated people’ for whom he makes coffee and pours wine.

They are what I sell to the people from the offices around here; offices and homes. They think it’s fabulous that I have a small but only Canberra wine list and beer, too; the Canberra Pact Beer, it’s very good.

“The people around here, they are aware of the quality and they don’t have to visit the wineries to know that I’m giving them something from where I live, from where I grew up that is my passion, it’s really important that I can give them something I’m proud of.

“I want the point of difference to be quality, the quality you get from the best riesling that’s made and a, wow, shiraz viognier.

“I’m loyal to Canberra for a reason and that’s because the educated people here, this location, they know that these wines are special, they never let you down. There’s nothing from a cask.”

Dagseven’s loyalty to Canberra comes from his deep connection with the place as a 17-year-old when he arrived from Turkey. His father was part of the Turkish embassy and he stayed on in this town after getting a degree in business management from the University of Canberra and a qualification in hospitality from the Canberra Institute of Technology.

He says: “I have been trying to make something of myself and Canberra has given me that opportunity.”

RICHARD CALVER

Dagseven has a staff of 10 serving coffee, breakfast and lunches, and on Thursday and

Friday late afternoons into the early evening, a good selection of Canberra’s wine, beer and, more recently, gin made by Tim Reardon. The place is abuzz with noise and coffee queues on a normal weekday and the weekends for functions, a haven for those who want to surround themselves with noise and people and the sound of life happening all around. The noise and crowd seem never to stop. Dagseven stocks five whites and five reds. The choices are chalked up on two boards above a wooden bar. He takes his wines from a number of local wineries including Clonakilla, Nick O’Leary, Ravensworth, Mount Majura, Helm and Eden Road.

In his “Australian Wine Companion” Oz Clarke marks Canberra winemakers as independent with a “rebellious” view on life and the region a “must visit” for the quality of the wine. That brave outlook on the wines of this region has a companion and promoter in the likes of Dagseven who is fiercely loyal to his adopted city and whose abiding passion is helping to make the city feel comfortable with a culture of quality.

Eccentric Teddy’s, by design

The menu is ‘minimalist’, too, meaning the all-day breakfast and lunch options are compact and fit neatly on to one page.

THE massive, black, floating shelves at Teddy Picker’s, one of Campbell’s newest eateries, are loaded with books, jars full of legumes, pickles, chutneys and jams, as well as knick-knacks placed here and there. Eccentric, but by design.

The shelf construction is a main feature of the fitout. I liked the spacious feel that is Teddy Picker’s and the range of seating options, with some common tables and also single, square, white tables that can easily be configured to accommodate large groups. The massive windows at the front let the indoors in and the minimalist colour palette is soothing. The outdoor dining area is spacious and not at all crowded. The menu is “minimalist”, too, meaning the all-day breakfast and lunch options are compact and fit neatly on to one page.

Kickstart your day with just toast ($7) and coffee or a brekky roll ($15 and perked up with pickled jalapenos). Or choose from options such as avocado with assorted sprouts, citrus, salt and two slices of rye ($13.90). Chances are, if you order the avo, you’ll want to spice it up by selecting some sides, such as $1.50 for butter (a must if you don’t like dry toast), an egg ($2 each), Christmas ham ($4), Pialligo bacon ($5) or smoked fish ($6). If creating your own dish makes you happy, then you’ll be happy at Teddy Picker’s. I wasn’t fussed ‘cause I was there for lunch.

I settled in, hauled out my computer to get some work done and was immediately greeted by a wait staff asking if I wanted the password for the free wifi. Nice one.

Teddy Picker’s… The massive, black, floating shelves are loaded with books, jars full of legumes, pickles, chutneys and jams.

For lunch you can chow down on tacos ($17.90), a burger with two beef patties ($18.50), roast eggplant and fetta ($17.50) or pulled pork salad ($17.50), which is what I settled on. The salad arrived in a large bowl and looked like it had literally been thrown together. Heaps of pork (subtly spiced), heaps of grated cabbage and carrots, a lonely few slices of preserved stone fruit, loads of peanuts and soy maple dressing. It was a generous portion, but I struggled to work out the combo of tastes. It didn’t pack a punch in any way and I quickly tired of it. Instead, I concentrated on my Red Brick Espresso coffee, which was beautifully presented, just the right temperature and super smooth. Go, Teddy… Vegetarians, vegans and those wanting gluten-free dishes are well taken care of. And Teddy Picker’s also has options for kids from $4.

Teddy Picker’s doesn’t take reservations. It isn’t licensed (BYO only). It charges 10 per cent surcharge on Sundays and 15 per cent on public holidays, with the promise that the moola goes to the “awesome staff”.

Teddy Picker’s, 65 Constitution Avenue, Campbell. Open weekdays breakfast and lunch (7am to 3.30pm) and weekends (8am to 3pm).

AGAPANTHUS has always been a firm garden favourite, although the oldfashioned varieties are now listed as an environmental weed in many areas due to its prolific seeding.

Modern methods have overcome this problem by breeding sterile plants. Agapanthus “Baby Pete” is a new variety in a superior dwarf form, famed for its compact nature and hardy performance.

Throughout the warmer months it puts on a bold show of blue flowers. As illustrated, it is perfect for a border alongside paths or equally at home in a container to brighten a balcony.

THERE are numerous varieties of oregano, with some confusion between oregano (origanum vulgare) and marjoram (origanum marjorana). Some camps claim they are the same while others disagree. There are two main families of oregano; the Mediterranean, which is related to the mint family and is the most popular in cooking and the Mexican oregano, a relative of lemon verbena.

The new ornamental, flowering Origanum “Bellissimo” has just been released. Its rich purple bracts deepen in colour as they age for a beautiful display in the garden or containers.

BE sure to mulch the garden without delay. Despite the mild,

wet winter and spring, summer has arrived with a vengeance. Our challenge is always to minimise evaporation. While the average annual rainfall is 620mm, evaporation is a massive 1800mm!

To retain moisture, mulching to 7-10 centimetres is ideal. Among the numerous mulches available, many are almost useless, but I recommend Canberra Sand and Gravel’s organic mulch, which does wonders at reducing evaporation. I have used it for many years in gardens large and small.

When green waste is taken to the CS&G depots it is shredded and stored in huge heaps generating great heat, destroying any weed seeds. After a few months the heap is shredded and turned over again.

When first spread at home, there might be a good, healthy, earthy smell, but this disappears in a few days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

seed pods.

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

Jottings...

variety.

• Remove all leaves of springflowering bulbs.

• When buying fertiliser, nitrogen (N) is for top green growth, phosphorus (P) for root growth and potassium (k) for fruit and flowers (ie feed tomatoes with a high potassium-based fertiliser).

• Prolong the life of cut flowers by making a clean, diagonal cut at the base of stems, have no leaves under the water and renew it regularly.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

With the Sun in Sagittarius, plus Mars (and then Venus) visiting Aquarius, you’re in Ram freedom-bunny mode! Then on Wednesday, Uranus gives your adventure gene another giant boost. So this week will work best if you experiment and explore, stretch well beyond your comfort zone, and fraternise with a bohemian crowd. But a trip or business project could be delayed or re-scheduled. So strive to be patient and just take things as they come.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Communicating with work colleagues will be enjoyable this week, as you spark ideas off each other and express your feelings openly and sincerely. But resist the urge to take on more than you can realistically handle. And with Venus shifting into your career zone (from Thursday until January 3) it’s the perfect time to spruce up your work desk or office space. Socialising with colleagues will also vastly improve workplace relations and your social life.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

With Mars (and then Venus) moving through your international zone, it’s time to expand your world via travel, study, new friendships or foreign contacts. You’re keen to link up with like-minded people (especially via social media) and, for some lucky singles, love is waiting online. But relations with a loved one will be challenging on the weekend. If you maintain a positive attitude and are serious about finding a practical solution, then things will turn out fine.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

When it comes to personal and professional matters, strive to get the balance right between making changes and maintaining the status quo. Mars and Uranus encourage you to venture outside your Crab cave as you explore and experiment (especially at work). If you connect and collaborate with like-minded souls, then the sky’s the limit. On the weekend, stable Saturn reminds you to keep and consolidate the things in your daily life that are working out well.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

A loved one may surprise you by making an unexpected move. Your first reaction is probably the best one, as long as you honestly express what’s really on your mind. The more you combine your creative talents (via partnerships and joint ventures) the more stimulating the week will be. Attached Lions – it’s time to reboot a long-term relationship with a romantic rendezvous. Singles – don’t sit around waiting for your soul mate to magically appear. Be proactive.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Virgos prefer things to run efficiently and smoothly but there’s unpredictable energy about on Wednesday, so drop the perfectly planned schedule and take things as they come. And is your financial situation less than fabulous? Money matters get a welcome boost this week as Jupiter sends a lucky opportunity your way. But avoid going on a spontaneous spending spree on the weekend, when you’re liable to make decisions based purely on your emotions.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

The focus is firmly on friends, as Mars (and then Venus) move through your friendship zone. But don’t let your peer group influence you too much. The planets encourage you to be your own person and do your own thing. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great Jim Morrison: “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” Creativity is high on the weekend. But don’t let your tendency to gossip come between you and others.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

The planets send an unexpected opportunity your way. But you must recognise good fortune when it comes along (and be thoroughly prepared) or it will pass you by. Home is where the heart is when peace planet Venus moves through your domestic zone (from Thursday until January 3). So it’s the perfect time to deal with family members in a cool, calm and diplomatic fashion. Single Scorpios – you could meet your soul mate via an introduction from a relative.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

This week’s stars celebrate and strengthen your inner teacher/mentor/coach. So don’t underestimate [and undervalue] your natural ability to encourage others to achieve their personal best. Your motto for the moment is from fellow Sagittarian Walt Disney (who was born on December 5, 1901): “I think of myself as a little bee. I go from one area of the Studio to another and gather pollen and sort of stimulate everybody. I guess that’s the job I do”.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

This week the planets help you power through projects with plenty of enthusiasm and a practical plan. So don’t waste the opportunity to get things done! The combination of energy and endurance is a winning double. But avoid being uncharacteristically rash with cash and credit (especially on Wednesday and Thursday). And is it time to embrace your inner humanitarian, as you contribute your considerable Capricorn talents to a local group, club or organisation?

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

On Wednesday, Mars links up with your ruler Uranus so it’s time to be crazy brave as you take a calculated risk on an ambitious project. Don’t try and do it all on your own though. The more you involve others from family and friends to work colleagues and social media contacts) the more your embryonic plans will blossom and grow in exciting and unexpected ways! With Venus vamping into your sign on Thursday, you’ll be at your bohemian, bewitching best.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Artistic inspiration is high this week but don’t waste precious time daydreaming. Do your best to turn creative ideas into a tangible form. And strive to be creative, compassionate (and only slightly chaotic). Pleasure planet Venus moves through your spirituality zone from Thursday until January 3. So pace yourself Pisces, slow down, and enjoy looking within. Solo time – via yoga, meditation or contemplation – is essential soul food for you at the moment.

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

Across

4 Topeka is the capital of which central US state? (6)

7 What do we call a hearing given to a musician, etc, to test voice qualities? (8)

8 When time slips by, what does it do? (6)

9 Walter Burley Griffin designed the original plan for which Australian city? (8)

11 Esculent foodstuffs are more commonly known as what? (7)

13 What do we call a set of webpages on the World Wide Web? (7)

15 Name a more familiar term for otalgia. (7)

17 Which phrase was used by highwaymen, stand and ...? (7)

20 Which figure of a star is used in writing, as a reference mark? (8)

23 What is the quality of evoking a feeling of pity? (6)

24 What, in the US, do they call a steam-train driver? (8)

25 Name a more Australian term for gasoline. (6)

Down

1 Name a large, fast-swimming marine food fish. (4)

2 Which type of cloud yields rain or snow? (6)

3 What is another term for a level or layer? (4)

4 To massage the body, is to do what? (5)

5 To be close at hand, is to be what? (6)

6 What is the passageway between the seats of a church? (5)

9 Name the English author, actor and composer, noted for Blithe Spirit, etc, Noel ... (6)

10 What is a colloquial term for marijuana cigarettes? (7)

12 What is a sharp, high-pitched sound? (6)

14 Who was Australia’s prime minister 1908-09, 1910-13, 1914-15, Andrew ...? (6)

16 What are pinafores also called? (6)

18 To rub something out, is to do what to it? (5)

19 Which tripod is used for supporting an artist’s canvas? (5)

21 Name a robe of office, or some other distinctive garment. (4)

22 What is another name for an outhouse? (4)

Worried and embarrassed, Scott came by to confess that he hadn’t lodged a tax return since 2005 and had been instructed by the Australian Taxation Office to have them in by next week. I asked him it he’d had any letters or demands from the ATO. “I got a call and spoke to this guy who told me that I had been fined for not lodging the returns and that I had a week to lodge them,” Scott said. “He asked me what computer program I used and I said I don’t have a computer. He recommended that I see an accountant, so that’s why I am here.”

I asked Scott to tell me what needs to be lodged and why he hadn’t kept up with the returns.

Scott said: “I had been working as a public servant until 2003 when I retired. I bought a small farm just near Canberra where I intended to run cattle and sheep and make an income that way. “Then my wife got very sick and died. My parents moved in while my wife was unwell and then they became sick. I became their carer for the next six years and was unable to devote any time to the farm.

“I also didn’t lodge my tax returns. I didn’t register for GST, I did have an ABN with my late wife and I think I should have done some Business Activity Statements as well.”

I took a look at his records’ “Scott, you need only register for GST if your turnover exceeds $75,000 in a year. From your records, most years your turnover is less than $1000 so you have no need to register for GST,” I told him.

“In fact, looking at the small number of livestock that you had, the minimal amount of turnover and the fact that you clearly have never made a profit, it appears that the farm was simply a hobby and, as such, you don’t need to declare the income in your tax returns.

“I recommend that I apply to the ATO for a deferral of lodgement for you for about six weeks. That will take us into early next year, which should give us enough time to prepare the returns.

“You should get refunds based on my quick analysis of your information. “I see that you sold the farm, so there may also be a capital gain or loss on the sale of the land. The homestead and two hectares around it are capital gains tax free so you only pay capital gains tax on the remaining area. I will look at that carefully when I get to 2013 the year of the sale.

“The ATO can charge you penalties and interest but in extenuating circumstances such as you have outlined, the penalties may be remitted, but only when all your returns are lodged.

“When taxation gets into a mess, I recommend you call me as quickly as you can to avoid future problems.”

Scott was thankful, relieved and left my office cheered by the the prospect of receiving refunds.

If you have any lodgement problems contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.

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