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Stuttering Ross learns how to work the talk

By Danielle Nohra

IN the years after being bullied in school for having a stutter, Ross Mullen variously used humour and alcohol as coping mechanisms in social situations.

He visited many specialists, but there was never a permanent cure and his stutter kept catching up with him again and again.

But now, at the age of 39, the Gungahlin resident believes he has overcome the issue, but not necessarily the stutter, after five sporadic years learning a technique based on diaphragmatic breathing.

The McGuire Programme is a stammering treatment course founded in 1994 by Netherlands-based sports psychologist Dave McGuire who, at age 45 and a lifetime with a severe stammer, brought together a method based on an operatic breathing technique (called costal breathing) and a traditional psychological approach known as “non-avoidance”.

Within five years, the program was being taught in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Holland, Australia, NZ, South Africa, the US and more lately Mexico, Spain, India and Dubai.

presents to his peers… “It’s about using my stutter as a strength, not a weakness.”

Back in Canberra, Ross aims to be an eloquent and effective communicator.

“It’s about using my stutter as a strength, not a weakness,” he says.

Regional director of the McGuire Programme Australia and NZ Stu Dow says the program looks at physical and psychological causes.

“There’s no defined version of what stuttering is,” Stu says.

And he emphasises that there’s no cure for stuttering, either.

“A lot of the actual issue is the avoidance and changing of words, which build up fear and anxiety,” he says.

Ross would go to great lengths to avoid saying certain words.

“I wanted to appear fluent and wanted to sound as though I had overcome the stutter,” Ross says.

If Ross was ordering food and the

item was difficult to say, he would point to it or describe where it was on the menu using easier words.

Word substitution made it difficult during job interviews because what Ross was saying would appear out of context.

“It makes you look very messy and not coherent,” Ross says.

With little success in job interviews, Ross then turned to truck driving, even though he had a computer science degree.

In 2008, Ross finally put his degree to use when offered a graduate position in the public service, but he still had troubles with his communication skills.

“I always had difficulty using a phone and talking to people,” he says.

“About four to five years ago I reached a point where I would be avoiding using the phone and talking to people unless I absolutely had to.

“I would find that when I would be socialising in new settings it would be easier to have a few drinks.”

Ross wanted to overcome the issues that arose from having a stutter. He wanted to rid himself of the frustration and emotions it produced.

“I wanted to be comfortable with talking in situations, whether it’s speech with my boss or on the phone with family or friends,” he says.

At this stage Ross came across a support group in Canberra run by the McGuire Programme. He then attended some of its courses in Sydney, which push attendees out of their comfort zones and help them overcome anxiety before they tackle speech.

Arts & Entertainment 18-21

Cinema 21

Dining 21

Crossword 23

Gardening 22

Horoscopes 23

Letters 11

News 5-12

Politics 8

Socials 13

Sport 12

Cover: Canberra’s Toby Francis as Charlie in “Kinky Boots”. Photo by J Green. Story Page 18.

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no defined version of what stuttering is.”

For the first time Ross felt as though he was improving.

“There was a realisation that I was still emotional about my speech and was only practising half-heartedly,” he says.

“If you want something good, you need to work for it.”

For Ross, this means consistently applying the techniques and not substituting or avoiding words.

Even though Ross was surrounded by supportive people, such as his partner of nine years, his parents and friends, it was still not enough to compensate for the everyday anxieties of living with a stutter.

More information at mcguireprogramme.com

Thirty nimbys and a greyhound go for a walk

If a costly citizens’ jury and a risky, interactive website are necessary, then the question begs, whatever happened to good old-fashioned grassroots listening?

THE complexion of political protests in Canberra changed slightly at the weekend. With uni students angry at federal government cuts and fee hikes planning a range of Budget-week shenanigans, a more civilised group took to the streets on Saturday. Thirty Chapman nimbys, and a rescue greyhound, irate at a proposed public housing development on their patch marched 15 kilometres to Civic to deliver a petition containing 800 signatures to waiting (Liberal)

MLAs Mark Parton, Jeremy Hanson and Giulia Jones

TWO recent “listening” initiatives announced by ACT politicians might suggest a paradigm shift in the direction politicians now point their radars. If a costly citizens’ jury and a risky, interactive website

are necessary, then the question begs, whatever happened to good old-fashioned grassroots listening?

Hot on the heels of the CM’s citizens’ jury concept, Canberra Liberals leader Alistair Coe has launched an interactive website designed to “empower the community”, “recognise the modern scourge of time poverty and allow the party to more broadly consult with the electorate”. Barr and Coe might need to be careful not to outsmart themselves.

The stellar career of one of the great sniffers of political winds, John Howard, quickly went downhill after he stopped keeping a practical ear to the ground.

CANBERRA-born sports reporter Erin Molan has been forced to pay a painful price for her success. The 34-year-old, who cut her teeth locally on WIN TV, has been drawn into a scandal via a court application for an AVO involving celebrity accountant and billionaire yatchsman Andrew Bell and his estranged wife.

An insinuation that Molan and Bell had an affair has been flatly denied by Molan, who tearfully told a “Footy Show” audience:

“There is not one iota of truth to any of the speculation, it is not who I am and it is not how I was raised”.

A testament to the broad support the respected reporter enjoys was an on-air endorsement of her family’s moral fibre by influential broadcaster Alan Jones

THE Queanbeyan-Palerang Shire clearly wants to have its cake and eat it, too, in the decentralisation debate – or at least be able

Don’t let a faulty joint replacement ruin your quality of life.

to scavenge crumbs that may fall from the table.

Council administrator Tim Overall respects the status quo saying: “The national capital is where centralised government departments must be”. But Overall is selling the “opportunities Queanbeyan offers a range of smaller, less-significant-to-the-ACT” agencies. The shire recently greenlighted plans to build a state-of-the-art office complex complete with a smart hub to enable public servants to work remotely.

MEANTIME, the ACT branch of the Liberal

Party has finally officially endorsed its opposition to the relocation of public service agencies. Relatively quiet on the issue to date, leader Alistair Coe is emphatic, saying: “Canberra is the home of the APS and APS jobs shouldn’t be seen by Federal governments, of either political stripe, as pawns to be moved around at any discretion.”

AN innovative business venture created by a Canberra family with a special needs member is rapidly gaining a national following. GG’s Flowers, set up by the Wijewickrema family and operated out of their Yarralumla home was featured on “The Feed”, the news, current affairs, and satire television on SBS Viceland. Nip Wijewickrema, 24, the 2016 ACT Young Australian of the Year, says the florist idea came about after concerns for the future employment possibilities for her 17-year-old sister Gayana, who has Down syndrome. GG’s Flowers now employs several people with special needs.

A DEDICATION to donating dictionaries to Dili has seen a Hawker man officially recognised. The Canberra Friends of Dili chapter presented Ron Robertson from Ron’s Book Shop with an award in appreciation of his commitment to the Dictionaries for Developing Countries program during which time Robertson has provided more than 600 dictionaries. Dierk von Behrens, from CFOD, says he saw a need after visiting a Dili school in 2006 that had 70 students but only one (spelling only) dictionary.

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Swallowing hard on pill testing

EFFECTIVE policies on illicit drugs are invariably counter intuitive. The ideal would be, in Nancy Reagan’s words, “to just say ‘no’”. Unfortunately, this largely law enforcement approach has been a dismal failure increasing crime and health problems. The most effective intervention is a comprehensive approach with a strong focus on treatment and harm-reduction strategies combined with addressing supply through effective policing.

Sunday’s Groovin’ the Moo festival was bypassed as the first opportunity. Instead, the Spilt Milk youth music dance event in December is proposed as the first trial for pill testing in the ACT. It will follow a detailed planning process to ensure all health and legal issues have been addressed. It is important to be meticulous when planning entry into a new and controversial area.

Pill-testing advocate Dr David Caldicott and others were enraged that the opportunity to commence with Groovin’ the Moo was missed. I have sympathy for that view. However, the worst thing would be to have a half-baked program fall over through teething problems that would undermine the long-term benefits.

Pill testing involves analysing tiny fragments of pills or powders that people have bought from the black market. The analysis is carried out on sophisticated machines that are standard equipment in Australian laboratories. Typically, the drugs present can be identified, the dose quantified and the presence of any

The focus is on ensuring the young people who are determined to take an illicit drug actually understand the impact of what they are doing, the dose they have and what is really in the pill.

dangerous contaminants determined.

The focus is on ensuring the young people who are determined to take an illicit drug actually understand the impact of what they are doing, the dose they have and what is really in the pill.

The ACT government needs to have all of the details thoroughly worked through before the trial begins. Legal issues may prove more complicated than the health issues. The process of evaluation must be understood and planned well as the community is entitled to know if the pill testing trial is successful.

Attempts to prevent young people taking psychoactive drugs when attending these kinds of festivals have failed. The only way that they can obtain the drugs they want for the time being is buying them from the black market. This is why a pragmatic public health approach is necessary.

This means allowing carefully regulated pill testing to take place as international evidence indicates it has a high probability of saving lives, preventing expensive hospital admissions and

even saving law enforcement costs. However, pill testing will neither eliminate all deaths nor will it eliminate some people getting seriously ill after taking psychoactive drugs bought from the black market. But it will be a significant reduction in risk.

It is realistic to expect, based on experience from other countries, that most people will throw away their drugs when testing has shown their drugs to be dangerous. It is also likely that the presence of testing at a youth music event will increase competition for safety between those selling drugs.

Harm minimisation approaches have been highly successful in Australia. Despite having been personally involved in these debates for over a quarter of a century, I am always surprised at the resistance. Every new reform is still resisted tooth and nail. We should know better.

From 1st February 2018 you will no longer be able to buy codeine containing medications without a prescription.

Unfortunately the use of codeine which is an opioid drug, can and has led to opioid tolerance, dependence, addiction, poisoning, and even death. Side effects include headache, drowsiness, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, nausea, constipation, and increased likelihood for falls particularly in the elderly. In fact dependence on this drug creeps up on people very easily, with higher and higher doses being needed to get relief from the same symptoms.

Also severe withdrawal symptoms can result when you stop taking codeine and those symptoms often mimic the pain that the drug was originally being used to

treat. We then mistakenly think we need the medication to control only our original pain. We see this especially in those with headache.

The other big problem that happens if you take more of the recommended dose of over-the-counter drugs that contain codeine is that serious harm can occur. For instance, with paracetamol you can end up with liver damage, and with ibuprofen this can result in internal bleeding, kidney failure and heart attack.

Research has shown that these medications are not particularly effective in the long term and your General

Practitioner may have other options including referring you to a pain specialist for an opinion. Medical evidence also finds that simple paracetamol and/or ibuprofen or in combination is surprisingly effective for many acute and persistent pain problems.

If you would like broad-ranging advice and information on your pain, or feel that you may have a dependency problem, don’t be embarrassed or beat yourself up. Without a referral you can see our pain counsellor, one of our psychologists or our physical therapists, who will help you with a plan of action that puts you back in control.

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Jayanti’s the top volunteer

JAYANTI Gupta has been named the ACT’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year, honoured for addressing a need in the community that had previously gone unmet, with a special focus on assisting women find organisations and information that can support them. Ms Gupta is the founder and chair of the Integrated Women’s Network and is on the executive of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum Inc. and the Canberra Interfaith Forum.

The Hartley Hall Markets Volunteer Team was recognised as the Volunteer Team of the Year. Other winners included: Senior Volunteer of the Year – Linda Barry; Junior Volunteer of the Year – Kate Barton; Profound Influence Award – Rosemary Drabsch; Innovation Award – Orange Sky Laundry, Canberra; Thought & Leadership Award – Juliet Moody; Go Beyond Award – Mark Bell and Canberra’s Choice Award – ACT Volunteers in Policing Program.

Ginninderry commended

THE new west Belconnen land development Ginninderry has been awarded a commendation in the Planning Institute of Australia’s 2017 national awards for Public Engagement and Community Planning. The joint venture partners are the ACT government and Riverview Developments. Riverview Developments MD David Maxwell said: “Our vision is to create an urban greenfield development that captures the aspirations of the community, particularly when it comes to environmentally sustainable solutions.”

The national recognition comes midway through the opening sales release for Ginninderry’s first suburb of Strathnairn.

Meditating pain away

SUZANNE Newnham will talk about meditation and relaxation for persistent pain at Pain Support ACT’s next “Expert Speaker” event. From a lifetime of chronic pain, Suzanne has developed a variety of meditative techniques for people experiencing chronic pain and fatigue. She’s speaking at the Pearce Community Centre, Building 1, 1 Collett Place, noon to 2pm, on Tuesday, May 23. A small donation to help Pain Support cover basic costs is requested. More information at painsupportact.org.au or 6290 1984.

Dinner and trivia

TRIVIA will be the name of the game at the next dinner meeting of the Tuggeranong Evening View Club. Two courses cost $27 and guests and interested ladies are welcome to attend the Town Centre Vikings Club, Greenway, 6.30pm, on Wednesday, May 24. Enquiries to tuggeven@gmail.com or call 6291 7716.

Penny for thoughts

FORMER chief scientist Prof Penny Sackett is the guest speaker at the annual World Environment Day Dinner, hosted by the ACT Conservation Council, at the National Arboretum on Saturday, June 3. Tickets at $135 include a three-course meal plus bubbly and canapes to start, and wine for each table. There will also be a silent and live auction, games and a raffle. Tickets from conservationcouncil.org.au or by calling 6229 3202.

/ drugs and Donald scribbles

Punishment should match crime

THE current consensus is that cannabis (THC) use raises your likelihood of being involved in a collision by two times unlike alcohol, which at 0.02 per cent (a legal limit) makes you six times more likely to have a collision.

Cannabis intoxication isn’t dose dependent like alcohol, either (ie the effects don’t increase with the dosage).

I’m not proposing we legalise intoxicated drivers, my argument is that the punishment should match the crime – any amount of THC in your blood and you’re sentenced as if you’ve blown high-range BAC (which can raise your risk of collision to a whopping 20-30 times).

People are allowed to drive with copious amounts of benzodiazepines and other legal sedatives, which are far more implicated in collisions – the police just don’t test for them.

Of course, people will say “you shouldn’t have THC in your body anyway; if you get caught you deserve what you get”. By doing so they’re completely disregarding Australia’s legal system. It’s like saying “well, prostitution is illegal anyway; if you get raped, you deserve what you get”. Why do these people have less rights than others?

Politicians and police accept that medication affects different people accordingly and as such, don’t test for pharmaceutical drugs (“may cause drowsiness and increase the effects of alcohol, if affected do not drive or operate machinery”).

The punishment for THC in the blood should be nil, just like for benzodiazepines and opioids and the punishment for impairment should be increased accordingly.

If you choose to drive while impaired, you’re a bloody idiot.

Geordie Irwin, Yarralumla

Get off Trump’s back!

I’M no disciple of President Trump, but I wish people would get off his back. Such short memories. In recent times several of our prime ministers have had their parliamentary plans thwarted by the Opposition/Senate/minor parties.

At time of writing, Trump has had 16 of his 27 initiatives blocked and has had to resort to executive orders. Every president except one has issued executive orders.

Governments and oppositions may have to compromise, but in an executive sense, for

opposition to retract to and remain in the hands of the non-governing for an unreasonable time can surely not be good democracy.

With very few exceptions indeed – certainly not 16 from 27 – politically unpopular initiatives, if put forward by a legitimate government, should have the opportunity to play out until the next election.

Let us pray that Trump never has to experience Harry Truman’s deepest moral dilemma over the atomic bombs. But given the North Korean president’s behaviour, who can say it can’t happen?

Colliss Parrett, Barton

Who, how, what, when, where, why, daddy?

By Paul Dorin

THE most naturally curious people are kids, and they can have the most awesome questions.

Mine surely have figured out l don’t have a degree in medicine, maths, science, engineering, physics, theology or even technology, but it doesn’t stop them asking.

Parents are continuously getting asked questions and this can be very exhausting, especially when we are expected to have all the answers. Some of the great typical questions are:

• “Why do l have a belly button?”

• “Why have l got freckles?”

• “What happens if you eat tomato seeds, will tomatoes grow inside?”

• “Why can’t l use toothpaste to make my shoes whiter?”

•“Do unicorns live on rainbows?”

l wouldn’t ever want to spoil my daughter’s dream of unicorns and rainbows, so l explain how rainbows appear but also add that it wouldn’t surprise me to find unicorns wherever there’s a rainbow.

l find myself searching Google more than ever and it’s

because of the type of questions the kids are hitting me with. Without making it up, l will sometimes improvise, stretch the truth a little and l will be very creative with my answers.

My daughter asked me recently: “If kids are always growing, do they shrink a little by the end of the day?”

That one was easy, I deflected it to her science-teacher mum, curious to know the answer myself. Apparently, we do shrink throughout the day. Our true height is first thing in the morning, at the end of the day your spine has been decompressed by gravity.

Our house also turns into a medical centre sometimes; while the kids know l am not a doctor, l’m expected to have the cure. They’re finally in bed, it’s parent time to relax and here come the little footsteps down the stairs, followed by the soft voice that says: “l have a sore finger, it hurts, can you fix it?”. It’s amazing how the magic of a Sponge Bob Band-Aid will fix everything, plus a kiss to make it better.

Paul Dorin is the “CityNews” cartoonist

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Oh, how the big men fly!

AN out-of-the-blue phone call six years ago gave me an insight into the AFL’s intent in the Canberra sporting market.

The caller said the AFL was doing more in Canberra schools to develop the code than it had ever done before. Teachers, burdened enough with teaching responsibilities, expressed a sense of relief when AFL development officers, armed with significant resources, turned up with the offer of running school AFL programs and competitions. There was even the offer of goalposts.

It was a wake-up call to rival sports that have since considerably lifted their game in a bid to match the AFL’s development and community programs.

In the past, the AFL has made several ill-fated attempts to crack the Canberra market with the Kangaroos and Fitzroy. It appears now to have hit the mark!

Just as other sports have got their act together, the AFL is about to launch the next wave.

At a luncheon in the lead up to the Giant’s first Friday-night game at Manuka Oval, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan uttered a prediction that could have a major impact on sport in Canberra.

Unprompted, McLachlan forecast that AFL would become the number one code in Canberra within five years. What is meant by “number one” I am not entirely sure.

GWS still has some way to go before it catches the Raiders in terms of overall crowds. The Brumbies have dropped back in popularity after being the top-drawing

Rival

sports must be in awe of the resources at the disposal of the AFL… The AFL has the ability to have more development officers on the ground than any other sport.

code in Canberra for years.

Free-to-air television ratings, to a certain extent, provide a barometer of popularity in Canberra and suggest that League remains the dominant sport, followed by the AFL on Channel 7’s secondary channel. Ratings for soccer remain small by comparison on SBS and Super Rugby has no live exposure on free-to-air.

Pay television numbers trail free-to-air by a considerable margin.

When it comes to women’s participation, the AFL has emerged as a genuine contender to the traditionally strong women’s sports of soccer and netball. Both soccer and netball have wellestablished pathway programs that have resulted in growth in the sports.

Cricket and basketball have also lifted their game in a bid to attract more participants in Canberra with modified versions of their sports.

However, rival sports must be in awe of the resources at the disposal of the AFL, which are difficult to match. The AFL has the ability to have more development officers on the ground than any other sport in Canberra and when the CEO says he wants it to

be the dominant sport, it’s fair to predict no stone will be left unturned in a bid to achieve that goal.

The AFL is also better at securing government funding for facilities and programs than any other sport in Australia. Part of its pitch is the contribution made by the AFL towards the upgrade of sporting facilities. Governments see this as a major factor in allocating funds.

This is an area rival codes can’t match, mainly because of the funds required. For instance, in Canberra the Raiders have been lobbying for a centre of excellence at their facility in Braddon. To say things have moved slowly in terms of securing ARL and government funding is an understatement.

In contrast, the AFL seems able to get things moving rapidly. I presume this is why the prediction of the AFL boss could become a reality.

Go for it at Gold Creek Village with a long history and a bright future

GINNINDERRA Village, later Gold Creek Village, is one of the earliest settlements in the Canberra region. The village changed its name in the 1990s.

Located at the intersection of the Barton Highway, which was then the Queanbeyan-Yass Road, and Gold Creek Road, the settlement included the former St Francis School of Ginninderra and the historic Ginninderra Schoolhouse, which was built in 1883.

These days the popular destination village has plenty of attractions, cafes and shops, all within walking distance.

Armadillos Café

Just good food with a song

Home-style cooking at reasonable prices. Open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Afternoon Tea.

Tuesday to Sunday 8am – 3.30pm.

Annie (Annie and The Armadillos) invites you to her cafe nestled between the George Harcourt and Gold Creek Square. Food and music for the soul. Bookings welcome 0422 076 313

Antique furniture with a quirky spin

STAGHEAD is taking part of the vintage chic revolution, stocking preloved and upcycled furniture, antiques and its own line of handmade soaps and soy candles.

Nestled in Federation Square, Nicholls, Staghead aims to provide customers with items that brighten up homes and make unique gifts.

Some furniture has been rescued from old farm houses in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and the ACT, while other pieces have come directly from flea markets in London and Paris.

Staghead caters for those who enjoy the primitive and unchanged look of era furniture and objects.

Staghead owner Adriana says: “I enjoy the process of restoring furniture because it goes beyond the actual restoration.”

“It starts with a careful selection of the initial piece and then it is transformed by the right colours and textures to design the final look,” she says.

“I want each piece to keep the original vintage character but with an additional touch of funk.”

Staghead. 4 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 6230 9665 or shop online via staghead.com.au

VISITORS to Armadillos Cafe will often see its owner, Annie Sloane, singing along while she works, giving customers just a taste of her band Annie and the Armadillos.

Annie opened the cafe about four years ago and since then works hard cooking during the day and then leads the band in the night at gigs around Canberra.

“If you walk into the cafe you’ll hear singing in a fun environment,” says staff member Kerry Bradley.

Kerry describes the cafe as welcoming and a place where people can stay for hours.

“It’s more about customers, about being friendly and personal,” she says.

Armadillos Cafe has a corner full of toys for children to play with.

According to Kerry most people come in for the home-made scones, which are cooked daily and come in flavours such as plain, date and ginger.

Armadillos Cafe. Unit 2/ 7 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 0422 076313.

FLIGHT of Fancy was opened in 1989 after its owner Linda Dale believed there was a need for different products that weren’t generic.

Linda describes the products as beautiful and tasteful but not necessarily expensive.

“I find that our customers do want the sort of products that aren’t seen everywhere,” she says.

Every item in the store is individually chosen by Linda and she has a sort of person in mind when ordering the classic, timeless and romantic products.

Flight of Fancy stocks wall art, jewellery, costume jewellery, home fragrances, leather handbags and accessories for winter, such as scarfs, gloves and cosy slippers.

“We also have the most extensive range of led light lamps in Canberra and probably NSW,” Linda says.

Linda says it’s a great place to pick up a present for yourself, a family member or a friend.

“It’s always our pleasure to offer complimentary gift wrapping for our customer,” she says. Flight or Fancy. Federation Square Stage 2, O’Hanlon Place. Call 6230 2712 or email flightoffancy1989@gmail.com

THE George Harcourt Inn, located opposite Cockington Green, was built in 1980 and named after a local landowner, George Harcourt.

The George has since been taken over by a local family who turned it into a cosy meeting place.

It offers the best of live music, great food and a cool kick-back atmosphere, giving it a unique ambiance.

The George fosters an unplugged environment and a great atmosphere, inside or outside.

The demographic is diverse and colourful and always friendly and comfortable.

The George Harcourt Inn. 3 Gold Creek Road. Call 6230 2484, email info@georgeharcourt.com or visit georgeharcourt.com

GET up close and personal with a range of birds at the Canberra Walk-in Aviary.

The aviary is a 1000sqm planted walk-in enclosure that has about 550 birds from about 60 different species.

“The aviary is great fun for all ages. You have the chance to get up close and personal with a range of birds,” says Mick Logan, owner and manager of the aviary.

“While not all birds will interact with you, you get the chance to observe, up close, species of birds that otherwise would be hard to see in the wild.

“We give you a small plate of food and a tub of mealworms and you can wander around and feed the birds.”

Mick says that people are welcome to take photos of the birds.

“Providing the weather is fine you can have a great time feeding the birds or just observing our feathered friends,” Mick says.

Call 6230 2044 or visit canberrawalkinaviary.com.au

The Canberra Walk-In Aviary is a 1000 square metre planted walk-in aviary where the friendly free flying birds can be observed, photographed and fed. The Walk-in Aviary’s owners developed the aviary as a way to enjoy and share their extensive collection of feathered friends. It is our mission to allow people to interact directly with the birds. Visitors to the aviary walk amongst more than 500 birds representing 50 different species from Australia and around the world.

Visitors are given a small plate of food and some of the birds will come and interact with you.

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Some of the small secrets of Cockington Green

A MAIN attraction at Cockington Green Gardens in Gold Creek is its landscaped gardens, which change in design twice a year.

The gardens are the backdrop to the delightful and fascinating display of meticulously crafted miniature buildings that are a replica of Babbacombe, a district in England.

“The gardens’ original planting date goes back to 1977 and some of which are still surviving today,” says general manager Mark Sarah.

“Currently we propagate around 40,000 annual flowers a year, in two distinct seasons, spring and summer.”

The flowers are spread across 800 square metres

of “fine turf”, which is looked after by five full-time employees.

“We have no bonsais, most of them are slowgrowing dwarf varieties,” Mark says.

“[And] our lawns are Bentgrass, similar to what’s used on a bowling green or golf green.”

At the moment Cockington Green Gardens is preparing for Floriade, but also has many flowers over winter and this year older-style flowers are in the display, such as foxgloves.

Cockington Green Gardens, 11 Gold Creek Road, Nicholls. Visit cockingtongreen.com.au or call 6230 2273.

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Mother’s Day Mini Tea

Museum has dinosaurs galore for education and family fun

THE National Dinosaur Museum first opened in 1993 on the back of the original “Jurassic Park” movie.

It has since grown from just a small collection to housing the largest permanent display of dinosaur and other fossil prehistoric material.

After its new directors took over four years ago, the museum continues to expand.

In recent months the museum has converted part of its shop into a mineral gallery of gemstones, minerals and fossils, where visitors can come in, without entry fees, to have a look or buy some to add to their collections.

But further past the store is an ever-

changing display of some of the oldest fossils, minerals and gemstones.

Education manager Phil Hore says coming soon to the museum is an evil looking “Dunkleosteus”, which evolved before teeth.

“It’s the most ferocious looking thing you’ll see,” he says.

Until then, people can come and see a “Dracorex” head, which is a dinosaur fossil that looks like a dragon, and is even named after one from Harry Potter.

The museum is also exhibiting the very first fossil of a bird, “Archaeopteryx”, which is the first link between dinosaurs and birds.

For people who like to get outside, the museum has also put together “The World’s Oldest Scavenger Hunt”, which shows locations in the ACT and its surrounds containing a plenitude of evidence for the prehistoric oceans, glaciers, volcanoes, and continental collisions that shaped the landscape.

The map can be downloaded from the museum’s website in support of the Canberra Heritage Festival.

The National Dinosaur Museum, 6 Gold Creek Road, Gold Creek. Call 6230 2655 or visit nationaldinosaurmuseum.com.au

Busy Donna has a passion for training

MANTRA Training and Development, a registered community adult education provider, was founded by its CEO Donna Moulds in 2012, the same year she trekked Kokoda and she has constantly been on the go ever since.

Donna is passionate about the positive, supportive and reassuring environment she has created, giving students a traditional face-to-face learning experience, especially for those who have been out of the workforce a long time, have to transition after a workplace injury or are nervous to start training.

“We provide a supportive environment with lots of flexibility from our trainers who work with students to identify their learning needs,”

Donna says.

“Not everyone is suited to online learning, and that’s a really important factor to consider.”

Mantra Training and Development CEO Donna Moulds.

Mantra offers training courses and traineeships in business, financial services, IT and workplace training and assessment.

It also offers its students learning support such as stress management.

Mantra Training and Development participates in many charities and this

year is part of “Lock Up Your Boss”, where Donna will be in a “virtual” prison until enough money is raised for her “bail”, which goes to Lifeline.

Mantra Training and Development, 5 Federation Square, 2 O’Hanlon Place. Call 6230 9439 or visit mantratraining.com.au For Lifeline crisis support call 131114.

arts & entertainment

Toby goes for it… ‘Boots’ and all!

COVER STORY

music Rowan goes full-tilt for the ‘Requiem’

By Helen Musa

THE formidable director of the Llewellyn Choir, Rowan Harvey-Martin, is putting the ensemble through its paces in preparation for Verdi’s superlative “Requiem”.

And the superlatives don’t stop there, with more than 180 singers on stage, her own instrumental group the Llewellyn Sinfonia performing and a star-studded line-up of soloists in soprano Sonia Anfiloff, mezzo soprano Christina Wilson, tenor Christopher Lincoln Bogg and bass baritone Jeremy Tatchell.

By Helen Musa

AT age 29, musical star Toby Francis has a lot to skite about, but he’s remarkably modest.

The boy from Canberra is hitting the heights starring as the straight hero Charlie in “Kinky Boots”, the Cyndi Lauper-Harvey Fierstein musical that’s just moved from Melbourne to Sydney.

I caught up with Francis after seeing the show in Melbourne recently. The Canberra connections are still strong and he immediately recalls his drama teachers Peter van Riswick at St Francis Xavier and Kate Rose and Steve Brown at Hawker College.

“It’s my first time on the main stage in a production of this scale and with a touring deal,” he says, although he’s done some independent musicals.

Born in Queanbeyan and raised in Canberra, Francis was a chess freak from age six and also read up on science, but he couldn’t keep his mind on his studies.

“I was a terrible student at school,” he says – but there was a reason.

Once he got to Hawker College it was all very grown-up. “We all called everyone by first names, Kate and Steve were my drama teachers… Steve would constantly talk about this thing called character,” he says.

“I really wanted to do straight plays,” he says, “I wanted to be an actor, but I also sang.”

It was in the drama class at Hawker when he was 17 that he met his fiancée Lauren Peters, now a designer with the Hayes Theatre in Sydney.

Last year the pair made headlines when they announced a pact not to marry until their gay friends gained marriage rights.

Francis took singing classes with the late Phil Perman, played Edmund in Phoenix Players’ “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, won a couple of CAT nominations, did work experience at The Street Theatre then headed for the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney.

At age 23 he won first place in the Sydney Cabaret Showcase Festival with his one-man show, “Blokelahoma”, went on to write “The King is Dead, Long Live Queen”, got a touring gig with the Ten Tenors, did a

writing workshop with John Cleese, formed Highway Run Productions with Peters and staged “Rent” at the Hayes, and won the 2014 Sydney Theatre Award for another cabaret show, “Love, Death and an American Guitar”.

But all the while a dark shadow was hanging over Francis in the form of undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“There was an inability to focus on one thing, my teachers said I got bored and I had a total inability to concentrate on things, to sleep or to cope with my emotions,” he says.

By chance he stumbled upon an article about ADHD and with the support of Peters, sought medical advice.

At age 26 the condition was confirmed. “To have the diagnosis explained so much about my life, I was at my wits’ end,” he says.

Now with medication and a happy personal life, Francis has turned the corner and when he’s not acting, spends his spare time doing courses on economics and sciences, and committing himself to political issues.

“I’m a political man,” he says, “and I’m really passionate about making sure that this theatre industry is thriving.”

And there’s the success of “Kinky Boots” to cap it all.

“Melbourne audiences have embraced it all the way, with people jumping up and dancing around singing songs they’ve never heard,” he enthuses.

Francis landed the role of youthful factory boss Charlie in the hit musical about a Northampton shoe factory that saves itself by producing “kinky” boots for drag queens. Coincidentally, his co-star is another Francis – Callum – playing Lola, the flamboyant transvestite.

Callum is from London and they’re entirely unrelated, though they bonded immediately.

His contact with such a seasoned player has taught him that “capturing character is everything, but it tends to get lost in the glitter”.

“My character Charlie starts out not knowing who he is and what he wants, he gets to breaking point… the challenge was to make sure that Charlie was relatable to audiences… you make sure your character’s voice is heard.”

“Kinky Boots,” at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, to June 25, bookings to ticketmaster.com.au

Three of the four singers are Canberra trained and Wilson is well-known for her many years of fine performances and teaching in Canberra.

The choir has been preparing for months both musically and on the fundraising scene. Well aware of the grand operatic stature of “The Requiem”, they needed money to put it on properly. One of the members, Michael Braund, embarked on a 2500-kilometre cycle ride to raise funds for the performance.

Many Llewellyn choristers believe this work is Verdi’s greatest, full of the same excitement and drama as his great operas, arguing that if you compare it with the great requiems of composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Berlioz and Britten, it stands out for its passion and intensity. It is, next to Mozart’s “Requiem in D minor”, the most performed.

Originally composed in memory of Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” was first performed in Milan Cathedral in May, 1874, but these days it is not considered liturgical. Verdi had to obtain special permission from the archbishop to include women in the chorus, but only on condition that they sing from behind a screen. No problem about that these days, with the Llewellyn Choir at least, women rule.

The Llewellyn Choir presents Giuseppe Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem,” at Llewellyn Hall, 7.30 pm, Saturday, May 20. Bookings to premier.ticketek.com.au and tickets at the door.

dance Employing artistic weight to the power of eight

By Helen Musa

THE number eight can mean many things to many people, but to the artistic director of Sydney Dance Company, Rafael Bonachela, it means he’s been at the helm of the flagship company for eight years.

His newest dance work is “Ocho” – “eight” in his mother tongue Spanish – and we’ll be seeing it soon at The Playhouse in the company’s double bill, “Orb”.

“Time flies,” Bonachela tells “CityNews” by phone from Sydney. “It has really gone fast, it takes so much to start working with a company, so it feels like three years.”

But if we’re talking numbers, he confides, the fact that he’s been here for eight years is more of a “nice coincidence” than anything. He normally works with 16 dancers, but with the visit of Taiwanese dance artist Cheng Tsung-lung to Australia to work on “Orb”, he’s split them down the middle, so that he gets eight dancers and so does Cheng.

Bonachela, a noted connoisseur of music, has been collaborating with one of his very favourite composers, Nick Wales.

“The first thing I thought about, even before I had a title, was that I wanted to work with Nick again,” he says.

“After working on last year’s piece ‘Lux Tenebris’, I was left thinking how much common ground there was between his music and my physical language, but also there were interesting tensions between him as a composer and me as choreographer.”

After Wales said “yes”, they started playing with ideas for a 40-minute piece. Looking at the number of dancers, they looked at the shape of eight, finding the octagon to be an interesting shape. And if you turn it on its side, it can be the symbol for infinity. By chance, Wales found himself collaborating with Arnhem Land singer Rrawun Maymuru, who told him that in songlines of his family, the idea of infinity is “very sublime and important”.

Neither Wales nor Bonachela was thinking literally of an eight-beat rhythm, but they did find, in yet another nice coincidence, that the number eight in numerology is all about confidence, authority and dynamic determination, connecting with the idea of a solo dancer. That was serendipitous, because Bonachela had

artsin the city

been thinking he’d like to do something about the solo performer. It won’t be a series of traditional solos, he says, as the dancers are on stage all the time but there will be a real identity in a certain intensive idea that the soloist uses so that “each dancer’s uniqueness will come to light”.

The second part of the evening is a first, he believes, for Sydney Dance Company in having an Asian choreographer.

“Our dancers are from all around the world with very mixed backgrounds,” he says, so he set about looking for choreographers from Asia and found Cheng Tsung-lung.

“Full Moon”, inspired by the importance of the moon to Taiwanese and Chinese culture, will be, Bonachela believes, in marked contrast to his own more intense work and will be enhanced by the “unique but gorgeous” costumes by high-end fashion designer Fan Huai-chih.

“Orb”, Sydney Dance Company, The Playhouse, May 25-27. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

By Helen Musa

Looking back at Kirstie Rea

“KIRSTIE Rea: The Land”, a 20-year survey of works by one of our most famous glass creators, is one of the artists chosen for the reopening of the Canberra Museum and Gallery. The show runs from May 13 to August 20.

CANBERRA Symphony Orchestra’s next concert, performed under the baton of Stanley Dodds, begins with Haydn’s “L’isola disabitata” (The Desert Island), moves on to Schumann’s “Cello Concerto in A minor” performed by Italian soloist Umberto Clerici, followed by Peter Sculthorpe’s “Jabiru Dreaming” and Brahms’ third symphony. At Llewellyn Hall, May 17-18.

AMERICAN Essentials is a festival that celebrates the best of American independent cinema. Highlights include Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, an adaptation of Philip Roth’s sprawling epic “American Pastoral”. At Palace Electric, May 16-28. Book-

ings to americanessentials.com.au

CANBERRA artist Helen Tiernan, who we featured last year when her work was purchased by the ACT Legislative Assembly and Parliament House, has a new exhibition – “Transculturation: Sublime and Surreal Encounters of First Contact in the Antipodes”. It opens at Cooee Art Gallery, 31 Lamrock Avenue, Bondi, and runs to June 3.

PIANIST Andrew Rumsey’s farewell concert before leaving to perform the premiere of Michael Dooley’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” at New York’s famous Carnegie Hall is at Wesley Music Centre, 7pm, on Saturday, April 20. Bookings to eventbrite.com.au

COMEDIAN-hypnotist Matt Hale will bring his show “Hypnolicious” to The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, May 19-20. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

AUSTRALIAN singer and songwriter Gregg Arthur, a Sydneysider who now lives in Los Angeles, will perform his brand of smooth romantic songs with the Peter Locke Trio at the Bungendore Woodworks Café on Saturday, May 20. Bookings for dinner and show to the cafe or 6238 1688.

HARPISTS Meriel Owen and Tegan Peemoeller will perform together in a concert naturally called “Harp 2 Harp” at Cooinda Hall, Kangara Waters, 2 Joy Cummings Place, Belconnen, from 2.15pm on Saturday, May 20. Tickets at the door include afternoon tea.

AUSTRALIAN composer Ralph Hultgren’s exciting “White Noise” opens the Canberra Wind Symphony’s next concert, “Blown Away”, conducted by Geoff Grey. At The Street Theatre, 7.30pm, on Friday, May 19. Bookings to the street.org.au or 6247 1223.

By Willy Russell

Channel

“YOU

Mike

HYPNOLICIOUS!

How Bailey’s trick lingers on the last woof…

By Dougal Macdonald

“A Dog’s Purpose” (PG)

WRITER W Bruce Cameron adapted his own novel into the screenplay for director Lasse Hallstrom to turn into this movie. As so often happens, it’s the writing that lets the result down.

Adolescent Ethan brings a retriever puppy into his family and calls him Bailey. As a young adult, Ethan falls for Hannah but the relationship folds. Fade to black.

In Chicago, a female german shepherd called Ellie is undergoing K9 training. His handler weeps when, after rescuing a teenager at risk of drowning, Ellie dies in action. Fade to black.

Student Maya gets a corgi that she calls Toby. Toby complains that his short legs don’t allow him to run fast. He falls in love with Roxie, a much taller dog. Maya marries and raises kids who treat Toby badly. He gets depressed when Roxie has to be put down. Fade to black.

Abandoned St Bernard Buddy passes

dining

a woman whose scent is vaguely familiar. Following her brings him back to the farm where bachelor Ethan recognises Hannah, now a widowed grandmother. Buddy tricks Ethan into playing a game he played with Bailey in earlier days. Run closing credits. Hallstrom’s telling of Bailey’s reincarnations is well enough done. But if you’ve ever owned a dog, it’s likely that you have seen it looking intently at you and wondered what is going on in its mind. Food? No, just eaten. Voiding body wastes? No, just done that. Show of affection? No, too physically distant at that moment. The human is baffled.

People love their dogs, but humans’ ability to understand them completely is limited. At best, dogs can be trained to behave as humans direct. One thing is indisputable. The stars of “A Dog’s Purpose” are the dog trainers, not writer, director or other humans. And even trainers will admit, they don’t know for sure what the animals are thinking. How that must frustrate the pooches!

At Hoyts, Capitol 6, Palace Electric and Limelight

“Get Out” (MA)

YOU might be forgiven for expecting an echo of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” when Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) tells her photographer partner of some four months Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) that it’s time to meet her parents in their remote country mansion and assures him that they will welcome him regardless of his colour.

But “Get Out” owes nothing to any predecessor.

A brief but unexplained prologue begins a powerful horror movie that, while it doesn’t overdo its nasty bits, deserves recognition as a leader in its genre. Its writer/director Jordan Peele delivers a subtle message about racism packaged in a clever plot that will work best if you don’t know much more than that about it.

It has a quality cast, an intelligent dramatic argument, characters displaying interesting but unexplained behavioural and personality quandaries and quirks, leading to a denouement that I found admirable for its

Lazy and lovin’ the flavours

WHEN I was a kid – many years ago – and my family gathered around the kitchen table celebrating Friday night with takeaway Chinese, a lazy Susan was always front and centre. I delighted in twirling it round and round, watching the colourful dishes zip by.

No one really knows when these circular dinner turntables appeared on the dining scene. Some say it was the 18th century when Thomas Jefferson invented one to make daughter Susan happy. You see, Susan was always the last to be served and continually left the table starving. Others say the Chinese made them famous, especially for dim sum.

What delights me today is the gold versions sitting pretty on some of the round tables at Lazy-Su, a new restaurant in Braddon (well, another new restaurant in Braddon).

A full wall of beckoning cats wave as you walk in, promising good luck. Then you enter a different world. The décor pops with colour, neon lights abound, rows of bright-blue, paper lanterns form a statement element, and the cool bar is built around lightboxes, advertising a curated selection of spirits such as bourbon and whisky. Elements of pop culture abound, even in the loos (over to you to discover).

We sat towards the back, in an area slightly elevated, and settled in to watch the happenings. This is casual but fun dining at its best. The food is high on taste and a refreshing change for the Canberra market. Nothing is over $30, with many dishes priced well under that.

Small dishes to start are from $6 for edamame beans with miso soy sauce to $13 for KFC (caught you… Korean Fried Chicken) with a smoky sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Yum. Traditional Korean and Japanese flavours are celebrated with an intriguing mix of American influences, which some diners might find initially strange but, trust me, Lazy-Su has nailed the tastes.

Poke fans will drool over the items in the “Salaryman-lunch” section of the menu ($15 to $17) – the raw salmon and raw kingfish salads (served everywhere as a starter in Hawaiian cuisine) are delish and addictive.

Another American influence is the charcoal-grilled, succulent, beef short ribs ($26) which you wrap in lettuce. The pickle is punchy, the ssämjang paste thick, spicy, colourful and the short ribs melt in the mouth.

Noodle fanatics won’t be disappointed, and I reckon everyone will worship the noodles dished up in 12-hour broth with pork belly, soy egg, crispy lardon and nori ($18). Bao-gers (see what I mean about the mix of cuisine inspirations?) include a pork belly, chicken with peanut sauce and a tasty tofu ($9 to $11).

The front part of Lazy-Su features rows of booths and bar seating. Everything is designed around yakking, sharing and applauding sensational tastes.

Lazy-Su, 9 Lonsdale Street, Braddon.

economy of delivery and the credibility of its presentation.

Leading the film’s fine supporting performances are Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener as Rose’s parents and Milton “Lil Rel” Howery as Chris’s foul-mouthed airport security officer buddy Rod.

For filmgoers wondering why the prologue unfolds to the accompaniment of Flanagan and Allen singing their second-most-remembered duet “Run Rabbit Run” (their enduring theme was “Underneath the Arches”), that does have a thematic link to the plot and an explanation in the climactic sequence.

At all cinemas

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” (MA)

ANGELA Workman’s screenplay for NZ-born director Niki Caro adapts Diane Ackerman’s book telling how a small group saved more than 300 people from Nazi atrocities against Warsaw’s Jewish population.

Antonina Żabiński was head keeper at the Warsaw Zoological Garden where her

husband Jan was director.

Condensing five horrific years into 127 minutes of film memorialises not only those who fought and died in the Warsaw ghetto but also the unfortunates packed into railway vans for delivery to the holocaust.

In that poignant, heartbreaking sequence, children hold up their arms so that Antonina may lift them into a van, as she must to protect her secret work. The story makes a brutal symbolic reference to the fate of women whom conquering German troops raped.

The role of Antonina is another milestone for Jessica Chastain who for a reason unknown (and which some might say unnecessary) speaks with an accent and Belgian actor Johan Heldenbergh probably understates the role of Jan.

A brief coda tells us that some two decades after the end of the war, the Żabińskis received medals for their role. Niki Caro’s film serves as a powerful reminder of what happened nearly eight decades ago.

At Palace Electric, Dendy and Capitol 6

gardening Plants for a colourful winter

BRIGHTEN the garden through the dull winter days ahead with perennial flowering plants.

• At the moment Iris unguicularis will be all scrappy leaves that don’t look particularly attractive. So, like hellebores, it’s not too late to cut the leaves back quite hard to expose the flower buds to develop with winter sunshine. The flowers have a delightful fragrance and last well as a cut flower.

• Bergenia cordifolia, also known as elephant’s ears due to its huge leaves, originates in Siberia with frosts down below minus 50C. The delicate flowers range from shades of pink to white flower in mid-winter.

• The Australian ivy-leafed violet with soft flowers, Viola hederacea, is a perennial ground cover plant that flourishes when planted under deciduous trees to get winter sun. Hederacea is the botanical name for ivy.

ONE plant that always attracts interest in our garden is Myrtus communis or myrtle.

Originally from Sardinia and around the Mediterranean, it has a profusion of small white flowers in spring, but the main interest is at this time with its profusion of edible deep purple berries and leaves.

The Italians make a wonderful liqueur from the berries and the leaves can be used as an alternative to bay leaves in casseroles or for covering roasting lamb for added flavour.

It has been suggested the shrub is prone to a rust, although there is no evidence of this in the ACT and I understand our cold winters fix this problem.

A REMINDER that it’s illegal to burn autumn leaves (or any other matter) in gardens. Territory and Municipal Services also ask householders not to rake leaves off the lawns and nature strips on to the road to avoid blocking gutters and stormwater drains.

Rotting leaves provide great additional nutrients for the garden. If you do not have a compost heap, make a simple enclosure of chicken wire held in place with tomato stakes. Add a handful

Winter-flowering iris... for colour and fragrance.

of blood and bone fertiliser and similarly garden lime to every few barrow loads of leaves. This will activate the rotting process.

In spring and summer the rotted material can be spread on garden beds as a mulch. Oak leaves are the highest in nitrogen content. I shred the leaves with the mower, half on to the compost heap and the rest directly on to garden beds.

WHY do we recommend an apple a day? This has been a good year for most varieties of apples. Getting back to the “why” question: apples have four times the antioxidants as the current trend to drink green tea. Or 10 times more oxidants than the equally trendy goji berry juice. Apples, skin and all with their combination of antioxidants, fibre, potassium and other minerals all help to keep the body feel younger inside and out. More importantly, they help fight cancer, heart disease and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

IN the early days of Canberra block sizes were large enough to have fruit trees, a veggie garden

Cyclamen… thrown out once they finish flowering by unwitting people who don’t realise they can be planted in the garden.

the popular florist’s plant, is from the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Everywhere it is pronounced as per the horticultural pronunciation guide “sik-la-men”

To my knowledge, only Australia and the US pronounce it rhyming with “cycle”.

Garden centres abound with cyclamen at this time of the year, but unfortunately tens of thousands sold as indoor plants are thrown out once they finish flowering by unwitting

people who don’t realise they can be planted in the garden or used in outdoor hanging baskets.

Ideally their soil preference is one part leaf-mould, one part soil and one part washed river sand planted in a semi-shaded position. In their native growing regions they experience extreme heat plus snow and frost in winter, which makes them ideally suited for growing in Canberra gardens.

and a lawn, wow!

Most gardens had at least two apple trees, one for cooking and one for eating. Apple orchards abounded in the Yass district in the early 1920s and 1930s but now, except for perhaps one, they are gone.

liqueur.

of varieties

of apples there meant that years ago you could eat a different variety of apple every day for six years and never actually get to eat all of them! In Canberra, you’ll be hard put to find apples or fruit trees of any variety in the new suburbs. Where do you find room for even parsley on a block of just 270 square metres? And yet our town council still keeps persisting in the concept of Canberra as a “garden city”.

Jottings...

• Keep bird baths clean of falling leaves.

• One last feed of lawn fertiliser won’t go astray before winter.

• After leaf fall on fruit trees, give them clean up spray with lime sulphur.

• John Grubb will speak on bees at the meeting of the Horticultural Society at the Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, 7.30pm, May 15. John is the training manager for the ACT Beekeepers Association. All welcome.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Remember Rams – there’s a fine line between making smart decisions at lightning speed, and making impulsive moves that land you in hot water. This week will work best if you do something out of character for an Aries – think before you speak and act. Hopefully steady Saturn will settle you down, so you’re not worn out before the weekend! Plus do your best to get the balance right between maintaining the status quo (with things that are working well) and hatching new ideas.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Are you feeling uncertain about the future? Mercury (planet of thinking and communication) moves through your sign from Tuesday until June 6, which will help steady your mind and improve your concentration. So don’t waste time worrying about perceived possibilities. Do your best to balance old and new in your life. Keep what’s working, and change what isn’t working. The trick is knowing which is which – then you can move ahead with renewed confidence.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

When it comes to close relationships, you need to be more discriminating. This week Saturn and Uranus encourage you to keep the partnerships that are working well or have plenty of potential. But is it time to turf a lover who is letting you down? Or to finally discard a friend who doesn’t have your best interests at heart? The Sun joins Mars in your sign on the weekend. So energy levels will be high as you sparkle and shine, and show others what you are really capable of.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Work issues are in a state of flux, as Uranus throws you a curved ball – but it’s nothing you can’t handle. If you are too slow though, you’ll be left behind. So strive to get the ratio right between being cautious and being spontaneous. If you are looking for a job, employment is waiting where you least expect. And are you interested in your ancestors and family history – the next few months will pique your curiosity even more. So perhaps it’s time to take a peek back into the past?

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

This week Saturn urges you to spend time consolidating your old friendships that are stable and satisfying. While Uranus encourages you to go out into the world and find some fabulously new bohemian friends. There’s plenty of room for both! And are you having problems with a child, teenager or lover? If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll just keep getting what you’re getting. Clever Cats will put sustained time and effort into perfecting a radical new approach.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

With the Sun and Mars lighting up your reputation zone, don’t hide your versatile Virgo talents! Be proud to show the world what you are truly capable of. But with Saturn reversing through your home zone, a family problem is challenging your mettle at the moment. Habitual thinking won’t help. Uranus encourages you to look at the situation from a totally fresh perspective. And it may take a few false starts before you finally find a satisfactory long-term solution.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Don’t even try to second-guess the behaviour of others. They will continually surprise (and flummox) you with their unpredictable antics. So don’t lose sleep trying to work out where they are coming from. If you expect the unexpected, then you’ll manage just fine. Concentrate on nurturing relationships with positive people who encourage your efforts and celebrate your numerous talents. When it comes to social media this week, tread carefully and comment cautiously.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

When it comes to money matters, make sure you are completely up-to-date with current market trends, but avoid taking unnecessary risks. Strive to balance stability with small incremental changes. Slow and steady wins the race as you apply new knowledge within a conservative financial framework. And worrying about all the work you have to complete this week won’t help matters. Prioritise tasks and pace yourself. Then you’ll get things done without having a Scorpio brain snap!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians can be very scattered but this week Saturn helps stabilise your firecracker energy. And Uranus revs up your creative and intuitive side. So get moving and make the most of a wonderful week where you’ll be given the opportunity to work hard on an exciting project involving sport, leisure, children or creativity. Joint ventures (with like-minded souls) are also favoured. Be inspired by birthday great, writer and comedian Tina Fey: “Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Don’t get stuck in a stultifying rut! This week’s positive Saturn/Uranus trine helps stabilise the parts of your life that are working well. Plus it also gives you the confidence and motivation to question old ways of doing things and add some exciting new elements. So your mantra for the moment is from birthday great, writer and philosopher Bertrand Russell: “In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Restless Aquarians will feel rash early in the week. So slow your motor and cool your heels – otherwise you’re headed for a headache, argument or accident. Blow off steam with some sort of vigorous exercise instead. Friday’s fabulous Saturn/ Uranus trine encourages you to get the balance right between maintaining the status quo, and introducing some original new ideas. You’ll find experience and innovation are a marvellous mix at the moment!

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

It’s time to throw Piscean procrastination out the window! Friday’s Saturn/Uranus trine is perfect for money matters, business ventures and/or professional projects, as you combine quick thinking with an unusually strategic approach. Plus use your fertile imagination to help create your preferred future via goal-setting and a practical plan. Don’t dilly-dally! Your mantra for the week is from birthday great, Malcolm X: “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Copyright

Joanne Madeline Moore 2017

4 What do we call the widow of a king, duke, or the

(7)

8 Name the principal female character in a story. (7)

9 Which heavy material is carried by a ship to ensure proper stability? (7)

10 What is another name for the cougar or puma? (7)

11 Which air-breathing arthropods often have three pairs of legs? (7)

12 What do we call one who operates a keyboard? (6)

14 What are stages of change or development? (6)

18 Which term describes one who trades in drugs?

21 What is a repository of arms and military stores? (7)

22 Name another term for a gormandiser. (7)

23 Which instrument is known as the Bach trumpet? (7)

24 To be worthy of recompense, is to what? (7) Down

1 Which dog looks like a small greyhound? (7)

2 Name a northern borough of New York City. (5)

3 Which chess pieces move obliquely on squares of the same colour? (7)

4 What describes the remains of anything broken down or destroyed? (6)

5 Which legal documents declare how persons wish their possessions to be disposed of after their death? (5)

6 What are quick or brief looks? (7)

7 What are council taxes called? (5)

13 On which small platforms do orchestral conductors stand? (7)

15 Name a city in central western Victoria, on the Wimmera River. (7)

16 What is a young tree known as? (7)

17 Which word describes an hypnotic state? (6)

18 When one is summoned by having one’s name called out, one is what? (5)

19 Which term implies “after the usual time”? (5)

20 Name a mollusc with one leg. (5)

Neville and Jane came by to tell me they'd seen their stockbroker about some "spare cash" in his self-managed superannuation fund.

"The broker said I needed to look at 'resetting the capital gains tax cost base' of my shares… and I don't know what that means!" said Neville. First I had a look at his fund. Neville confirmed it had an $800,000 balance, there was no other superannuation in another fund and the plan was to start drawing a pension before July 1 this year.

"Let's start with me explaining what resetting the cost base means," I said.

"Under certain circumstances you can be eligible for one-off capital gains tax relief if you have held shares continuously from November 9, 2016 to June 30 this year.

"Under the current law the capital gains in a pension fund are tax free. Among the superannuation changes that take effect from July 1, 2017 there will be a maximum amount allowed to be held in a superannuation fund at the time that the pension commences of $1,600,000.

"So you can increase the cost base of the shares to their market value at June 30, 2017 where your fund exceeds $1,600,000. This allows you to retain the 'tax-free' nature of those gains up to June 30, 2017. As your fund is worth less than $1,600,000 and you plan to start your pension before July 1 this year, you will not be eligible for capital gains tax relief.

"However Jane, who is drawing a CSS pension and has her own self-managed fund, is in a different situation. Her pension, which I believe to be $52,000 per annum, is valued at $832,000. The balance in her SMSF is $1,000,000 which means that her total in super is $1,832,000 and so has $232,000 above the cap.

"Jane will need to ensure that this amount is retained in accumulation phase or cashed out. It can be transferred into the accumulation fund in this or another SMSF and there are other options.

"The choice needs to be made before July 1 this year. Relevant paperwork needs to be completed including minutes.

"It is also important that the fund doesn't become a fund that only pays pensions in the period from November 9, 2016, to June 30, 2017.

"The other thing that I need to mention is that if Jane's pension was a transition-to-retirement pension the rules are slightly different."

Nev said my advice had answered all his questions.

"We feel that we now know the way forward and I am glad that there are currently no complications with my superannuation so that we can concentrate on Jane's," he told me.

If you require help with any aspect of superannuation or your pension please contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 6295 2844

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