Pokie wars plague Barr government
MICHAEL MOORE
Beware of blokes with bad haircuts
ROBERT MACKLIN
Plea to save the railway museum LETTERS
The dark sides of Scandinavia
HELEN MUSA
Time to prune fruit trees
CEDRIC BRYANT
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By Danielle Nohra
EVEN with a background in zoology and environmental science, Loren Howell, 33, was still unaware of some of the effects plastic has on the environment until she attended a talk at the Canberra Environment Centre last year.
It was there she learnt “shocking statistics” such as that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish and eight million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean each year.
“I have a generally good understanding and even I wasn’t aware of the plastic waste I was producing,” she says.
The facts forced Loren to look at her own contribution and she came to the conclusion that she would give plastic up.
It’s now been 18 months since she’s been plastic-free, which is around the same time Loren and her partner moved to Canberra.
Since then they’ve settled into their Kingston home and Loren has actively made a presence in the local environmental scene.
“It’s like global warming, you can’t
instantly see the results. It is convenient and it is what plastic was designed to be,” she says.
“When deciding to go plastic-free it can be a very overwhelming process.
“You look around the home and there’s plastic on your food and if you look a little further it’s in cosmetics and in your synthetic clothes.”
Loren says when the plastic microfibres that are hidden in clothes are put in the washing machine, they end up in oceans for fish to eat and then humans eat the fish, making it a “vicious cycle”.
But she says there are ways to avoid this cycle by becoming conscious of what is safe to buy, such as natural fibres.
Loren now works from a waste hierarchy, which consists of avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle and then compost.
“I certainly didn’t run around the house and throw all the plastics out, that would defeat the whole purpose,” she says.
Her first step was to stop using or gathering plastic bags, plastic straws, takeaway coffee cups and plastic bottles.
“Basic steps make a huge difference and then I basically use all the plastic that’s in my house and don’t bring anymore home,” she says.
“Cleaning products and cosmetics come in plastic so if I can’t find something that’s plastic free, I just make my
own or buy in bulk.”
Eating healthier is an advantage of living plastic-free too, Loren says as she buys a lot more fresh vegetables and fruit that aren’t packaged. Even though it seems like a restric-
tive lifestyle, Loren says it’s not and she has even found alternative options of buying take-out without the guilt of the convenient plastic associated with it.
Arts & Entertainment 20-22
Dining 22
Cinema 21
Crossword 27
Gardening 26
Horoscopes 27
Letters 9
News 3-9
Politics 7
Socials 10-11
1993: Volume 23, Number 26
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The biggest struggle that Loren has run into so far is with her contact lenses, which can’t always be recycled and says her next step will be laser.
“Milk is a bit of a struggle as well because even if you buy cartoned milk it’s the same as coffee cups (which are lined with plastic),” she says.
“I’ve been in contact with local producers to see if they’ll be interested in using glass milk bottles.”
Loren has even started her own eco-label to provide other people with affordable, plastic-free products.
“I started with the beeswax wraps and before I knew it I had started my own eco label,” she says.
It’s called Yangoora Close and was named after a childhood street where Loren grew up.
“It’s that feeling of being close to home or close to the environment,” she says.
It’s also an indigenous word for string back tree, which ties in nicely with the leaf patterns on some of the products.
It has got to the point where Loren can use the funds for her own campaigns, such as hosting a movie screening on the topic of plastic in the future.
Now, Loren and her partner call in advance and let the restaurant know they’re bringing their own containers, which she says is odd at first but then they don’t mind.
Visit Yangoora Close at yangooraclose.com
JULY 13, 1997, is a day most Canberrans won’t forget, particularly those in the estimated 100,000-strong crowd lining Lake Burley Griffin to witness the planned implosion of the Canberra Hospital.
The event, promoted as a “family day”, turned tragically catastrophic as metal and concrete rained down on spectators, some a kilometre away.
Twenty years on, one Harrison man remembers telling his 1.9-metre (6’ 2”) tall son to sit down so those behind could witness the spectacle. Minutes later a piece of steel flew over his head fatally striking 12-year-old Katie Bender, sitting with her family just metres behind him.
CANBERRA’S “internet sensation”, ABC political reporter Chris Uhlmann, is seeking anonymity in Paris. Uhlmann’s piece for “Lateline” from the G20 summit, which included the stinging assessment
President Donald Trump as ”isolated and friend -
less”, pushing “fast-forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader”, copped 10 million views on social media. The reporter is relaxing with his wife, member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann, in the city of love after being the uncomfortable focus of a social media storm.
STILL on POTUS and a woollen beanie with cat ears, which emerged as a symbol of President Trump’s “pussygate” tapes during recent International Women’s Day marches, is being utilised as a fundraiser for an anti-domestic violence campaign in Canberra. About 20 local knitters have volunteered to produce the beanies, with the Pussy Hat Project founder Stephen Lawton urging more knitters to come on board with the assurance: “It only takes four to six hours to complete a beanie from a relatively simple kit”.
EIGHT years ago the then ACT AttorneyGeneral Simon Corbell cryptically claimed there were “different ways to skin a cat” after rejecting a national call for uniformity on outlaw motorcycle gang consorting laws. Corbell upped the ante slightly in 2014: “While the level of activity by OMCGs was low in the ACT, Canberra was not immune to the influence or activity of these gangs.”
A string of arson attacks and drive-by shootings in the south of Canberra in recent weeks
might suggest that pussy still has its pelt.
A PIECE of public art “planted” by the side of the Barton Highway is attracting hundreds of curious onlookers and plenty of commentary before its official unveiling on Thursday.
“Forgotten 2004”, by local artist Melanie Lyons, is a reference to roadside floral memorials and pays tribute to those who have
died in road accidents. One local who pulled in to examine the three-metre-tall sculpture at the Jeir Creek rest area sneered: “The money would be better spent on the highway”.
ON A slightly different note of artistic expression, the government is boasting the value of employing a full-time graffiti co-ordinator. Patrick Nolan, Transport and
City Services planning manager, says a drop in the number of complaints and requests to remove illegal graffiti proves the co-ordinator role is paying dividends. With an annual bill of $500,000 to remove illegal graffiti, Nolan says “by engaging with young people we are reducing a lot of tagging”.
MLA Mark Parton’s confession to a gambling issue as a young man may have strengthened his profile, but it’s also drawn criticism from a skeptical Prof Laurie Brown, a gambling addict who lost more than $400,000 on the pokies. The UC academic says the comparison by the opposition gaming and racing spokesman of his “problem” with her addiction is “disingenuous” and “a long way from people who become addicted to today’s hi-tech pokies”.
ANIMAL welfare group Animal Protectors Alliance has described the government’s stats from the 2017 kangaroo cull as “codswallop” and accused it of gross exaggeration. Spokesperson Robyn Soxsmith says: “The government has lied about so many aspects of its killing program, we can only assume that, by massively exaggerating the numbers they have killed this year, they hope to keep up the pretence that there are still plenty of kangaroos around”.
THE evidence is clear that heroin prescription works in reducing health harms and criminal behaviour, says Michael Moore, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and president of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
“The heroin epidemic of the late 1990s dropped considerably for some time,” says Mr Moore, a former health minister in the ACT. “However, around the world there is once again increasing use of heroin.”
He will be the facilitator of a panel discussion at the next IGPA Canberra Conversation Public Lecture Series titled “Heroin Prescription: The Need for Rational Policy”, organised in association with the Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform.
He will be joined by Dr Marianne Jauncey, director of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross and David McDonald, an interdisciplinary social scientist and policy analyst.
Mr Moore says it is time to pick up the debate from where it left off nearly 20 years ago when then Prime Minister John Howard overrode the approval decision by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy comprising Federal, state and territory ministers.
“The work done at the ANU in the 1990s was not implemented in Canberra,” he says.
“However, it was used to inform the introduction of heroin prescription policies in Switzerland and has been proven
a success.
“Since that time heroin prescription has been tried and found not only to be effective in a conservative country like Switzerland – it has also proved to be popular.
“This is because it has worked in reducing criminality and reducing the health harms associated with using ‘street’ heroin.
“The program running in Switzerland has even been tested through a referendum with overwhelming support.
“The evidence is there. The only
Does your business want to save money and be environmentally responsible?
question is why would Australia not adopt something that we know improves health outcomes and reduces criminality.
“The fundamental debate is really around illicit use of heroin and the most effective way to protect our community.
“The medicinal cannabis debate has opened the community’s eyes to the arbitrary nature of the different drugs that have been prohibited.
“However, it is quite a different debate to this, one that is really focused on dependent users.
“It is interesting that heroin (diacetylmorphine) and morphine are so closely related but receive an entirely different response in the community.
“My understanding is that the preference for heroin users has to do with the ‘rush’ from heroin that is not associated with morphine.”
The event, at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, London Circuit, Civic, 12.30pm-1,30pm, Thursday, July 27, is free and open to the public. There will be time for questions and discussion. Registrations to eventbrite.com.au
TOO many Canberrans are having their understanding of “gateway” drugs clouded by false information being put abroad that because a cause and effect has not been finally established between, for instance, cannabis and harder drugs, the former is not a gateway drug.
Cause and effect is not essential for a drug to be so described. This was clearly explained in 1999 when the Institute of Medicine – part of the National Academy of Sciences – said: “In the sense that [cannabis] use typically precedes rather than follows initiation into the use of other illicit drugs, it is indeed a gateway drug”.
Increased clarification came in 2003 when in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”, a study of 311 pairs of twins were studied for early marijuana use, that is, one of each set had used marijuana before 17 years of age, and the other had not. Those that had, had between a 2.1 and 5.2 times risk of subsequent other drug use, alcohol dependence and drug abuse/dependence than their sibling. This means that associations between marijuana use and later drug use can’t be explained by genetic factors and gives strong support to the gateway theory.
In conclusion, the Centres for Disease Control has released information showing 7011 cannabis-related deaths occurred in the US between 1999-2015. Many things can be said about this – one being it’s a very deadly form of so-called recreation.
Colliss Parrett, Drug Advisory Council Australia, Barton
Actsmart offers a range of free programs for ACT businesses including:
• support to implement efficient recycling and waste management practices
• obligation free onsite energy and water assessments
• rebates of up to $5,000 (on a cost share basis) to upgrade inefficient equipment
More than 1000 ACT businesses have already signed up to Actsmart programs.
THINGS have come to a pretty pass when war is in the tiny hands of the two blokes with the worst haircuts on the planet.
The awfulness of Kim Jong-Un’s top-knot topiary is exceeded only by the cascading orange swirl of Donald J. Trump’s crowning grotesquery.
Yet these two clowns have their little digits on the buttons that could unleash a nuclear holocaust on the Korean Peninsula and perhaps even the Japanese archipelago.
What is the world coming to?
But wait… when you think of it, we really shouldn’t be surprised. Those bad haircuts should have set the alarm bells ringing months ago. All we needed was a quick glance at history to realise that their forested and flaming follicles were the perfect indicators of their pugnacious propensities.
Take Hitler. If ever there was a bad-hair template for bellicosity it was Adolf’s greasy cowlick and the nosey moustache beneath. Same with Joe Stalin who doubled down on the moustache and glowered beneath a thatch so thick it probably housed the Georgian rats he grew up with.
Or take Kaiser Bill. His haircut was so horrible he hid it beneath a tin hat with an eagle on top and a curling waxed special on the upper lip.
In fact, the hairy horrors go all the way back to Egypt’s all-conquering pharaoh Thutmose III, who hid his
Those bad haircuts should have set the alarm bells ringing months ago. All we needed was a quick glance at history.
mullet beneath a funny scarf but whose beard grew like a carrot, right out of the end of his chinny chin chin.
Alexander the Great was another giveaway. His mother wouldn’t let him cut his hair at all, so by the time he was 21 he’d conquered half the known world – auburn locks flying – in a vain attempt to prove his manhood.
And, of course, Genghis Khan was so hairy that in the few images that survive it’s impossible to discover where his hair ends and the brown
beard on his head begins. But down below that little chin, his beard is a thing of Mongolian monstrosity.
And just in case you think we’re being one-sided, consider the more follically blessed of our great leaders. Take John F Kennedy of the perfect pelt, for instance: no wonder he stayed
so cool in that Cuban missile crisis.
His own fingers were safely tucked away in the pockets of his Brooks Brothers britches. He’d taken one look at naughty Nikita Khrushchev and grinned to himself.
Bald as a badger!
Ho, ho, ho…putty in his hands.
robert@ robertmacklin.com
ABOUT 70 secondary students from schools from around Australia will gather at Old Parliament House next month to debate contemporary global issues in the areas of peace and security, human rights, the environment and development. They will be here for the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) over the weekend of August 18-20, which will involve students in a hands-on experience of a UN General Assembly style debate with the aim of increasing international understanding and goodwill. Each team will represent a country and students will dress in the national costume of the country they represent.
On the Saturday evening, students will join diplomats from some of the countries they represent at the MUNA dinner, jointly hosted by the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise and the ANU.
MUNA 2017 is the 21st consecutive year in which the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise has organised the event. The club says that over that time about 1600 secondary school students have participated.
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THE poker machine wars continue to plague the ACT government.
The Labor Party’s conflict of interest over poker machines has been exacerbated considerably by the reaction of the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, to ClubsACT.
While tripping over their own feet, the Liberal opposition has not been able to capitalise. It is time for a truly independent assessment of poker machines in the ACT.
Around three quarters of community clubs in Canberra have been excluded from negotiating with the ACT government as they affiliate with ClubsACT. Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, will only negotiate with the CFMEU and other “comrade” clubs along with the Burns Club and more recently the Federal Golf Club. These clubs have simply secured preferential government treatment.
The Labor Party’s conflict of interest over poker machines has been exacerbated considerably by the reaction of the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, to ClubsACT.
class. However, Mandela determined to go through a process of reconciliation – focusing on the long-term prosperity of his people and his country.
The Federal Golf Club is looking for government support to develop part of its land in order to put the club on a better financial footing. They wish to turn their community lease into residential leases. A strong government would ensure the full value of the change of lease purpose belongs with the community allowing the Federal Golf Club the prerogative of making profit on the development.
ClubsACT adopted a high-risk election strategy. It has come back to bite them. Clear messages to their members throughout their venues to vote against the Labor Party led the campaign. Around a quarter of a million dollars was spent attacking Labor. The operation was widespread with a pronounced media presence, advertisements and substantial financing of Richard Farmer’s Canberra Community Voters Party. It is not surprising that Labor was infuriated.
The aggressive campaign turned out to be a dismal failure. The Canberra Community Voters Party secured just 1703 (or just 0.7 per cent) of the votes across Canberra. It is understandable, from a political perspective, why the Chief Minister would now ignore them. No doubt Labor believes ClubsACT deserves what is coming to it.
However, it is now the role of the Chief Minister to govern for all Canberrans. The government should be sensitive about clubs and poker machines. From one perspective this revenue through poker machines and the clubs contributes to the community. However, pokies also contribute very significant harm to vulnerable people. Despite this harm caused by these machines, and the obvious conflict of interest, no Labor member of the ACT has ever stood aside on a vote regarding poker machines.
Perhaps Andrew Barr could learn from Nelson Mandela. There was no-one who had more reason to reap revenge on the South African apartheid government and the white ruling
Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury and his party have been outspoken on restrictions on poker machines and their associated clubs. He has described ClubsACT as having “their head in the sand” and having “become a de facto lobbying group for poker machines”. However, Shane is willing to meet with both ClubsACT and the Labor-affiliated grouping. This is in marked contrast to the minister with responsibility for the area, Gordon Ramsay, who appears to have been caught up in the Chief Minister’s wrath and is playing hardball by ignoring ClubsACT.
The poker-machine debate should be grist for the mill for the ACT Liberal Party. Slips, bumps and tripping over his own feet, gaming and racing spokesman Mark Parton has not made this easy. His early outrageous dismissal of the problems of poker machines moved focus from Labor to his own callousness. He is new and is learning about being an effective MLA.
Parton has also included on his own Facebook page a stinging criticism from Jeff House, who described government policy on ATMs in clubs as a “vindictive, lazy, retaliatory shot in the dark”. House is a former Labor stalwart, an ex senior Chief Minister’s Department bureaucrat and previous head of ClubsACT.
Poker machines are a problem in the ACT. The issue requires an independent, non-partisan, arm’s-length assessment to determine a sensible way forward.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
By Danielle Nohra
DURING the time Teresa Zarlenga was growing up dressmakers weren’t widely appreciated in Italy.
This made things complicated for Teresa, who arrived in Australia with her Italian family when she was three.
Her parents wanted her to have a good education and career, and that didn’t include clothes design.
After school Teresa became a cartographer, drawing maps in Adelaide, but it wasn’t long before she gave into her natural urge – to become a couturier.
“I used to work eight hours a day and then would work another four making clothes,” she says.
But it wasn’t enough, Teresa wanted to do that type of work full time.
“My first profession was cartography, but my first love has always been designing and creating my own clothes, which I have been doing since my teenage years,” she says.
And with a lot of determination she put herself in a financial position that allowed
and figure.
her to leave Adelaide and start afresh in Canberra.
“When I was 16 my family came to Canberra for a holiday and as soon as I saw it I knew I’d live here,” she says.
Arriving as a 37-year-old to her new home in 1992, but only knowing one family, Teresa started making clothes for clients who didn’t exist.
In an attempt to get customers she would get “out and about” and meet new people who would
tell others about her work.
Now, at the age of 62, Teresa still has the same passion for her job.
She sets herself work hours and designs “classic” clothes from the studio in her home at Red Hill.
As a couturier and stylist it’s not just about the clothes.
Teresa provides a complete consultation on wardrobe coordination to complement a person’s personality, lifestyle
“I encourage people to bring their ideas and their personal clothes so I can understand who they are,” she says.
Teresa mostly enjoys making clothes for professional and business women.
“I like to make clothes that are classic and then there’s opportunities for mixing and matching,” she says.
“Because of the timeless design, beautiful fabrics and craftsmanship of my creations, they can be enjoyed for years and years.
“I wouldn’t make something that I don’t believe in. That’s why I’d never have a shop because of the pressure to sell stuff.
“I could not tell someone that they look nice when they don’t.”
After a lifetime of hard work Teresa believes she has achieved everything she’s wanted, nearly…
“The only thing that I haven’t been able to achieve is to find a suitable partner,” she says. “A man is the icing on the cake.”
Contact Teresa on teresa.zarlenga@gmail.com or 0450 305055.
NINE Canberra women, who have dedicated time to raising awareness of the facts of heart disease, have been given the Heart Foundation’s Women with Heart Awards.
Abhayaratna says. He says much of the current evidence is based on data in men, which is then extrapolated to women. This has complicated issues related to comorbidities, age, pregnancy and childbearing.
ACT Heart Foundation CEO Tony Stubbs says, despite ongoing health campaigns, heart disease remains the number one killer of Australians and women are three times more likely to die of heart disease than they are of breast cancer.
ANU cardiovascular specialist Dr Walter Abhayaratna says women are physically and hormonally different than men and this creates a unique set of challenges in the treatment of heart disease.
“We know we need to acknowledge sex differences and draw from other areas of medicine to improve gaps in knowledge, which is what the Heart Foundation has set out to achieve, and thereby save more women’s lives,” Dr
Last month the Heart Foundation brought together disciplines of cardiology, obstetrics, midwifery, general practice and research, looking at specific ways heart disease presents in women at the Women and Heart Disease Symposium.
The award winners are:
• Emily Banks, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU.
• Melita Flynn, Community Engagement, Capital Chemists.
• Denise Gibson, Heart Failure Clinic, Canberra Hospital.
• Emma Grey, author.
• Karen Hardy, journalist
• Christine Lloyd, business owner.
• Alison MacDougal, local citizen. Anne Maroney, Active Living Program.
• Maria Selleck , business owner.
THE ACT Fly Fishers Club is holding a trivia and silent auction night to raise funds for its Casting for Recovery program, which aims to give women recovering from breast cancer a free, fun weekend when they will be introduced to the gentle sport of fly casting and fly fishing. The casting movement is beneficial for upper-body flexibility. The next retreat is September 1-3 and there are still a few vacancies for eligible women (enrol at castingforrecovery. org.au or register interest at info@ castingforrecovery.org.au).
Tickets to the trivia night at the Canberra Deakin Football Club, 3 Grose Street, on Thursday, August 10, are $20 or $160 for a table of eight. Bookings via eventbrite.com.au
THE Head of Glass at the ANU School of Art and Design, Richard Whiteley, will give the Bill and Kate Guy Memorial Lecture entitled “How Was Cameo Glass Produced?” He will discuss his research into the mode of production with reference to the fragment of cameo glass from the collection of the ANU Classics Museum. This free public lecture, organised by the Friends of the ANU Classics Museum, will be held in the Larry Sitsky Room, School of Music, on Wednesday, July 26, from 6.30pm.
I AM just an ordinary citizen of Canberra who has become increasingly aware, as a railway volunteer, of an impending loss of some of our region’s core heritage, through a planned “fire-sale” of key assets of the Canberra Railway Museum, which is being wound up.
We are at risk of losing several rail treasures that enable us to pass on our grandparents’ and great grandparents’ stories and experiences to generations now and in the future.
These assets are likely to go to the highest bidder rather than stay in our community for all to see and enjoy.
We haven’t got a lot of these authentic traces of the early days left. We may soon have a lot fewer with the “train wreck” associated with the closure of the Canberra Railway Museum, owing to financial difficulties.
Not only will we lose several irreplaceable carriages over 100 years old, we will lose the authentic experience of travelling in them for our families and visitors.
A number of these carriages took our men and women to the docks to go overseas on our behalf in World War I and World War II. They carried those who survived the horrors back to their loved ones waiting on the stations. After going through several rebuilds these carriages, amongst other rail heritage, have been listed for auction in several weeks. They could be shunted out of our region into private hands and end up as B&Bs or kids’ playrooms.
What self-respecting community, government or companies in national capitals would knowingly let this happen to its shared heritage when it is so scarce? Only the ACT government can address the preservation of our story and retaining community access for generations to come – just like it does with historic houses.
I think it’s now time for all good public-spirited people in parliament, in business and the community to step up to the footplate together.
Surely, we want to avoid being castigated by future generations saying: “What were they thinking – they knew – why didn’t they act before it was too late? Now it’s all gone forever.”
Garry Reynolds, Cook
‘Pro-dog’
I WISH to add my voice to the unfolding dog debate. Yes, Canberra has a very serious dog problem. Not only with attacks on people and animals, but also in terms of barking and public defilement.
Having a loud, vicious barking dog next door, regularly barking all night long and depriving one of any sleep, is a common situation in the ACT. Long term, this situation is catastrophic for people’s mental and physical health, and leaves them traumatised. And yet the police don’t care, the ACT government doesn’t care, and the Domestic Animal Services Unit particularly does care. I know, because I have lived the nightmare. As have friends and family. Most of us had
to sell and move in the end.
I am scathing of this unit. They are shirkers and inappropriately “pro-dog”. My experience and that of others dealing with this unit has all been the same. Constant submission of barking diaries detailing monstrous barking and sleepless nights results in nothing. Constant phone calls result in nothing. And they always have an excuse as to why they’ve done nothing. I would like to know of a single example where this useless unit has actually made an irresponsible owner stop their dog’s barking. I doubt there is such an example.
This unit is a large part of the reason why in the ACT we have frightening dogs running uncontrolled in off-leash areas, frequent attacks on people and animals – with virtually no penalty or consequence, and every public space defiled by dog faeces.
Irresponsible dog owners, which the ACT actually abounds with, will not improve their ways unless we have strong legislation that is vigorously enforced. The existing legislation is not strong, and the enforcement is pathetic.
Simon Kaminskas, Gungahlin
I THOUGHT I would let you know my experience regarding dangerous dogs after reading Rod Henshaw’s article “Dangerous Dogs – much talk, little action” (CN, May 25).
On May 10 while walking my two small dogs Toby and Milo (pom cross maltese) I noticed a lady trying to contain her large black dog as she went around the corner.
I kept walking up the street only to hear screams from behind me. I turned and the black dog was bounding across the road. I was able to quickly pick Toby up but the black dog was trying to attack Milo.
The dog bit Milo across the rear back and under the tail. A lady came from out of a house nearby and picked Milo up while trying to fight the black dog off. My dog was bleeding everywhere and in shock. The lady was bitten on the hand and I received a few marks to my right hand when trying to pull this dog away. If not for her help I would have lost Milo.
The owner? Couldn’t control the dog and get its muzzle back on. It cost me over $1100 to have my dog stitched up. Not only did I have nightmares and flashbacks for weeks due to this experience I have not felt confident to walk my dogs again. My dogs are 14 years old and loved their walks every day.
This was reported to the dog patrol and photos were sent to them of the injuries my dog received. They said they would do extra patrols in the area but next morning I went up Miller Street on to Dryandra Street on my way to Belconnen and saw two people walking their dogs without leashes.
Lee Pope, O’Connor
WINTER is the ideal time to come home to a warm place. And with half of the season left there’s no better time to make a few changes around the home to make winter more enjoyable.
THERMA Quilts is keeping its customers’ quilts fresh, fluffy and warm this winter with regular servicing.
“Servicing of feather and down products are essential for keeping them in optimal condition for comfort,” says owner Jennifer Kusa.
Therma Quilts specialises in making and servicing feather and down products from quilts to pillows, cushions and anything made from feather and down.
Using quality textiles, the seamstresses at Therma Quilts hand make every item suited to the customer’s needs and provide a top-up service when quilts and pillows show signs of wear or loss of warmth and fluffiness.
“Over time, this build-up dampens the down, which causes it to lose its thermal resistance,” Jennifer says.
“In addition, if your quilt is not warm enough or too warm, we are able to adjust it to your requirements.”
Therma Quilts also has urgent, same-day cleaning services so customers aren’t without their quilts in the cold winter weather.
“If children or pets have an accident we can do same-day services at no extra charge,” she says. “As long as we receive the quilts by 9.40am then they’ll be returned by 3pm.”
Therma Quilts, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell. Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au
SPECIALISING in floor-heating products and services, P.A.P. Heating Solutions has the experience and expertise to provide the floor-heating system for any application Australia wide.
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The company says: “It is efficient to install and run and is generally maintenance free as it doesn’t require cleaning or replacement of filters. Floor heating is absolutely silent and is also versatile, it can be incorporated into almost any building product.
“There are floor-heating systems perfect for carpeted, tiled and polished concrete floors and many timber floors.”
P.A.P. Heating Solutions are the Australian importers, distributors and designers for the premiumquality ELEKTRA Heating Cables.
According to the company, the ELEKTRA DM20 Twin In-Screed Heating Cable is an “in-floor heating cable” that is installed on top of an existing floor in a cement screed or self-levelling compound of about 6-8mm thick and can be installed under many different floor surfaces that radiate heat easily, such as tiles, slate, stone, low-pile carpet and some wooden floor panels.
“The ELEKTRA DM20 is a ‘quick response’ heating system and if the room has effective thermal insulation it may be used as the primary heating system,” they say.
P.A.P. Heating Solutions, 23 Winchcombe Court, Mitchell. Call 6242 9310 or visit papheatingsolutions.com.au
The feather and down experts for over 30 years New range of winter quilts! Eco-friendly cleaning and rejuvenation of:
Custom made products to your specifications: SERVICE FOR YOUR QUILTS, PILLOWS & CUSHIONS
All feather & down
repairing, resizing and re-casing services
At Meyer Vandenberg’s Tara Costigan Foundation event, Civic
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.
LIVING with chronic pain can have a huge impact on people’s lives, especially when it disrupts them from doing little things that others might take for granted, such as walking or cooking.
Eventually, pain can become isolating because of the restrictions it can have on someone’s body.
That’s why this year’s National Pain Week slogan is “Let’s manage pain together”.
From July 24-30 the week aims to raise awareness and share knowledge around the area of chronic pain in Australia.
“CityNews” has compiled a list of local experts dedicated to helping anyone suffering pain.
THE team at Capital Pain & Rehabilitation Clinic want to help patients with their rehabilitation so that they can function with pain and get a valued life back despite it.
“The overall impacts of chronic pain can be large and leads to amplified suffering,” says pain counsellor Jude King.
“We teach clients pain-management and stress-management strategies, which doesn’t mean liking the pain, it means finding ways to live despite it.”
At Capital Pain & Rehabilitation Clinic chronic pain treatment has four basic parts, which are medical, educational, psychological and physical.
“Our clinic is multidisciplinary and can deliver all of those components,” Jude says.
One therapy that Jude says people may not realise is effective in the treatment of pain is a neck-strengthening program using the MCU – Multi-Cervical Unit.
It’s complete system for the assessment and treatment of patients suffering whiplash, neck pain and general cervical spine disorders, which results in significant reduction in disability and neck pain and significant increase in neck range of movement.
“We have two of these machines, which are the only ones in Canberra,” she says.
Capital Pain & Rehabilitation Clinic also holds a six-week mindfulness course tailored for people with chronic pain and a hypnotherapy, which targets issues that can affect someone’s pain.
Capital Pain & Rehabilitation Clinic, 25 Napier Close, Deakin. Call 6282 6240, email reception@capitalrehab.com.au or visit capitalrehab.com.au
• Reduced range of movement?
CANBERRA Health Network treats every person as a whole by maintaining an open-door policy so professionals from multiple fields can help with every patient.
Nutritionist Miriam Pollak says by working together clients have the benefit of receiving a holistic treatment, which tackles all aspects of pain.
Canberra Health Network has services such as osteotherapy, physiotherapy, remedial massage therapy, exercise physiology and nutrition.
“We address the lifestyle of the person as a whole and improve their total health,” Miriam says.
As a nutritionist Miriam helps women with endometriosis manage their pain through diet.
She will also often work with physiologists when people come in with sporting injuries.
“If you’re training hard and not nourishing your body, you’re absolutely more prone to injury because of muscle fatigue,” she says.
Canberra Health Network, Level 1, 71-73 London Circuit, Civic or shop 1, 15 Kingsland Parade, Casey. Call 6247 0733, email enquire@canberrahealthnetwork.com.au or visit canberrahealthnetwork.com.au
WINNUNGA Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (AHS) is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of the ACT.
In Wiradjuri language, Winnunga Nimmityjah means strong health, and Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS aims to help its clients achieve that.
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS provides a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions.
The holistic health care provided by Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS includes not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles.
EVERYONE who comes to Canberra Soft Tissue Therapy is suffering from pain to a greater or lesser extent, says director Colin Frost.
But, with a combination of therapeutic treatments and rehabilitation exercises in the clinic, together with a home-care exercise program, usually the problem will go away.
“This is a multimodal clinic, which offers the best patient outcomes,” Colin says.
“We will first pinpoint the cause of a problem and then usually most people need to retrain an area of their body.
“We aim to identify and treat the cause in order to prevent the symptoms from returning whenever possible.”
Canberra Soft Tissues Therapy treats a wide range of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries and conditions through services such as soft-tissue therapy, exercise physiology, cancer recovery, osteopathy and bowen therapy.
“But a huge part of what we do is help people understand that they need to be invested in their wellbeing and they need to do the work,” Colin says.
Canberra Soft Tissue Therapy, 6/189 Flemington Road, Mitchell. Call 5100 7307 or visit canberrasofttissuetherapy.com
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS offers services such as GP and nursing, midwifery, immunisations, health checks, hearing health, dental, physiotherapy, nutrition and psychiatrist services.
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in all operational and governance areas of all Aboriginal health services.
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, 63 Boolimba Crescent, Narrabundah. Call 6284 6222 or free call on 1800 110290.
Arthritis ACT - offering a suite of programs to physically and emotionally assist you with the impact of chronic pain’
• Are you a Carer of someone with a long-term health problem or disability?
• Do you find having time to look after yourself difficult?
• Do you sometimes struggle with life’s challenges?
• Do you sometimes feel isolated in your caring role?
ALMOST 40 years ago Arthritis ACT was formed by a group of women with rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis ACT is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve the quality of life of people in the ACT who are suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal conditions.
“We provide practical and emotional support to any people with musculoskeletal issues,” says CEO Rebecca Davey.
Arthritis ACT also helps people manage pain through programs such as its hydrotherapy program and land-based exercise programs.
Rebecca says these programs build up joint and muscle strength, which helps people from having falls and keeps them safe.
• Do you have a long-term condition or disability?
• Would like to improve your feelings of wellbeing?
• CARERS GROUP - Sunday 30 July, fortnightly for 6 sessions.
• THINKING and FEELING GROUPs - starting Sunday 6 August for 6 sessions or Friday 28 July for 6 weeks.
Medicare and private health rebates available. To find out more or to make an appointment call 1800 011 041
&
For further details or registration for both groups, contact: Canberra Counselling: 0439 378 426 • canberracounselling@gmail.com OR Arthritis ACT: 1800 011 041 • info@arthritisact.org.au
THE team at Synergy Chiropractic Centre strive to provide holistic care with a personalised, individual approach to ensure each patient gets the very best result.
As a family practice, Synergy Chiropractic Centre practitioners have a special interest in aspects of family health.
“Our chiropractic approach involves correcting spinal dysfunction, muscular imbalance and nerve interference/imbalance,” says chiropractor Lindi Vanzwan.
“We have a passion for working with pregnant mums, babies and children, as this is an area close to our hearts.”
When Lindi was younger, chiropractic was about getting back on the balance beam or soccer track.
And it still is. But later on she realised how important posture is to health and longevity and how much chronic stress can wear the body down physically and emotionally.
“After having three children and experiencing chronic pelvic instability, I have developed a strong passion for helping women through their pregnancies and getting stable and strong again afterwards,” Lindi says.
“Posture, stability, stress and diet can have a huge impact on health, so education and home advice are a big part of our care programs.”
Synergy Chiropractic Centre, 41/21 Wiseman Street, Macquarie. Email info@synergychiropracticcentre.com.au, call 6251 8869 or visit synergychiropracticcentre.com.au
“What we know is, if you do exercise you lower your risk of falls,” she says.
For people with arthritis, Rebecca says it can be hard and painful at first but in the long run there will be less pain.
And if people are having issues coping emotionally Arthritis ACT runs emotional and mental support groups, which are run by a councillor.
“If people become a member they have access to regular information sessions, support sessions and meditation sessions for pain,” she says.
Arthritis ACT, Level 2A, Grant Cameron Community Centre, 27 Mulley Street, Holder. Call 6288 4244, email info@arthritisact.org.au or visit arthritisact.org.au
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.
•
And
Functioning
Our experienced multidisciplinary team can assist you with this under the guidance of our pain and rehabilitation specialists Dr Geoffrey Speldewinde and Dr Keith Chan, who can review your condition with a referral from your GP.
CARM Therapies incorporates pain education into its acupuncture and massage treatments so clients can take control of their pain and ultimately be happier, healthier people, says founder and co-director Emily Avery.
CARM Therapies, in Higgins, is an allied health clinic specialising in acupuncture and remedial massage treatments for chronic pain, pregnancy and general wellbeing.
Its goal is to help people understand why they may have pain, dispel some myths about what pain is and assist people to reduce and manage their pain.
“Our qualified and experienced practitioners assess and treat each client as an individual, in order to create a treatment plan that addresses their particular needs,” Emily says.
“If you have ever lived with pain, you’ll know that some days are better than others, and sometimes it flares up without any obvious reason.”
Emily recalls a client, so anxious about her chronic pain, that even very gentle touch would cause her to gasp in extreme pain.
“I explained some reasons why her brain might be reacting so strongly to such minimal pressure and taught her some breathing exercises and was able to get her to relax a bit more during the treatment,” she says.
“On her second visit, she was a completely different person. She was vibrant and confident, and told me the explanations about pain, and the breathing exercise had such a profound difference to how she viewed her pain, that she felt like a brand new person.”
CARM Therapies. 5 Higgins Place, Higgins. Call 6278 7302 or visit carmtherapies.com.au
WIDELY regarded as the original scooter specialist in the ACT, Scooters and Mobility ACT has been around since the ‘90s.
Scooters and Mobility ACT is a NDIS service provider that offers a wide variety products to the mobility and disability industries such as mobility scooters, power chairs, stair lifts and platforms, lift chairs, beds and patient-handling equipment.
“We offer items that make it easier for people with pain and discomfort,” says director Cliff Carey.
One of Cliff’s newest items is “Flyte”, which has a remotelyoperated, self-loading function making it easy for people who are scooter dependent.
The “Flyte” is designed to function with a fully compatible loading and docking mechanism, which is accessed by a remote control allowing the user or carer to load it into a vehicle with very little physical effort.
This docking station is compatible with most hatchbacks, station wagons, panel vans and SUVs.
Cliff has made himself available around the clock because he understands the urgency that people might need some of these products.
“Some people have a wheelchair breakdown and we will be called to retrieve it, replace it for the meantime and bring the other one back to the workshop for repairing,” he says.
Scooters and Mobility ACT, 11 Pitcairn Street, Evatt. Visit scootersandmobility.com.au/ stores/canberra-act/ or call 6258 1111.
OPEN to the general public at the CIT Bruce Campus, the CIT Fit & Well Student Massage Clinic provides affordable treatments to help clients manage pain.
“It’s a professional massage clinic, open to the public, where students provide massage treatments under the supervision of remedial massage therapists,” says senior educator of health sciences Sara Dukic.
“We offer relaxation massage, pregnancy massage and remedial massage, which is good for people who have pain from injuries or tension, or pain related to work or sport.”
The senior students on campus treat clients who have chronic diseases such as people who have Parkinson’s disease, arthritis or people who have undergone surgery and need pain relief.
“For some people, remedial massage is an effective way to manage their pain and this clinic provides affordable ways for people to access those services,” Sara says.
“Our treatments are $35 for a one-hour treatment, which includes a full body assessment and massage treatment.”
CIT Fit & Well also has a gym that the public can access with reduced costs on memberships and affordable prices on student personal trainers.
Sara says exercise can be effective when combined with remedial massage to deal with pain.
CIT Fit & Well Student Massage Clinic, CIT Bruce, Haydon Drive, Room B05. Call 6205 4727 or visit cit.edu.au/services/massage_clinic
SERVICES at Murray Fisher Chiropractor changes people’s lives by enabling their bodies to work more closely to their potential, says owner Murray.
“I became a chiropractor because, as a teenager, I used to visit one and really benefited from what she did and I saw how she really helped my family, too, and thought it looked like a really rewarding career,” he says.
Murray has now been in the industry for 35 years and says he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“It is important to treat pain because it can have a really detrimental effect on the quality of people’s lives,” he says.
“Because chiropractic improves how the nervous system works, and the nervous system controls and co-ordinates all bodily functions, it helps the body to heal itself better.
“That means that not only can sufferers of spinal and musculoskeletal pain find relief, but it enables the body to better deal with any painful condition.”
Murray Fisher Chiropractor, Level 7, 161 London Circuit, Civic. Call 6257 1138, email contact@murrayfisherchiropractor.com.au or visit murrayfisherchiropractor.com.au
Canberra City Health Network welcomes Gemma Conway Gemma specialises in the management and prevention of persisting pain conditions through evidence based exercise programs, actively restoring physical function and wellness.
See Gemma for the following:
• Persisting lower back pain
• Musculoskeletal conditions
• Mental health conditions • Pregnancy & post-partum • Osteoporosis/ Osteopenia • Arthritis & falls prevention
• Hypertension & PAD
Canberra City Health Network welcomes Nutritionist Miriam Pollack (ANutr)
With over a decade of experience in health, Miriam has a special interest in family nutrition and food and mood.
See Miriam for the following:
• Food and mood nutrition
• Antenatal nutrition
• Weight loss
• IBS and FODMAPs • Nutrition through menopause
Appointments are now
• Insulin resistance & Diabetes
• Insulin resistance • PCOS, Dysmenorrhea & Endometriosis
• Return to work programs
• Dyslipidaemia and Fatty Liver
CITY: Level 1, 71–73 London Circuit
Mon to Fri: 7am – 7pm • Sat: 8am – 4pm
CASEY: Casey Market Town, 15 Kingsland Pde
Mon to Fri: 9am – 5pm • Sat: 8am – 4pm
Phone
canberrahealthnetwork.com.au
THE Walking Clinic started in the ‘70s with chiropractor
Richard Lee and since then it has expanded into three clinics, with one in Lyneham, Belconnen and Kingston.
Richard’s son, Ricky who is also a chiropractor and has been working in the clinics for five years, says a lot of the time they deal with plantar fasciitis, commonly known as heel pain or heel spurs.
“It’s a huge epidemic, affecting about 10 per cent of the population,” Ricky says.
“A lot of people suffer from it and don’t seek treatment.”
Ricky says the most common side effects of plantar fasciitis is pain when getting out of bed in the morning and pain after rest.
But aside from that The Walking Clinic does services such as strapping, padding, orthotic therapy, diabetic manage -
ment and care programs, children’s development and exercise services.
“We have shockwave therapy that uses impulse to help break down scar tissue and heal the tendons,” Ricky says.
“As podiatrists, we can help manage lower-limb injuries, treat problems and concerns with feet, knees and lower back pain.
“We are able to treat pain that is caused by walking, running or standing.
“We provide care and solutions for ingrown toenails, fungal toe nails, management of corns and callus as well as general foot care.”
The Walking Clinic is located in Lyneham, Belconnen and Kingston. See walkingclinic.com.au for details.
AFTER an amazing massage while working in a stressful corporate job Sarah Jayne Cornell became inspired to start Hands On Corporate and Events Massage, which provides on-site massages in workplaces and events.
“Seeing first hand the positive impact of massage in a workplace, I knew that was where I wanted to start my business,” she says.
“It allowed me to combine my knowledge of anatomy and treatment of physiological conditions with the familiarity of the office environment.
“I was passionate about the work that I was doing and could give back a lot to staff as I could clearly see from their perspective, how they could change their functional patterns to reduce pain and improve load bearing.”
Hands On Corporate and Events Massage
has services for events, such as trade shows, conferences and sporting events.
Hands On Corporate and Events Massage also has a clinic in Dickson where clients can receive an hour remedial treatment on the table.
“There we provide remedial, sports, relaxation, lymphatic drainage, and pregnancy massage as well as cupping,” she says.
“We understand how important prevention is and the benefits massage can have on employees.
“The application of massage, in our experience, provides great relief from pain and a myriad of health benefits.”
Hands On Corporate and Events Massage. Call 0410 546002, email info@handsonmassage.net.au or visit handsonmassage.net.au
Frustrated by niggling injuries holding you back? Unable to reach that next level of fitness because of pain in your feet or legs? Pain stopping you from doing the everyday things you want to do?
Keeping active should be a joy, let The Walking Clinic’s team of podiatrists help you do what you want to do pain free. Our team have treated thousands of people just like you!
Our 3 step assessment system will identify the problem and then help to fix it!
Step 1
Subjective and objective examination
This allows our podiatrists to paint a picture of your problem. It outlines causes, frequency, affected area and contributing factors.
Step 2
Video gait analysis and 3D pressure analysis
Visual and structural analysis of your gait when walking and running (if you are a runner) to establish an understanding of your biomechanics. Indepth analysis to identify the problem so we can treat it!
Step 3
Tailored treatment plan
We create a program to meet your goals and get you back to what you want to do as soon as possible!
Other services provided include:
• Laser treatment for fungal toenails
• Shock-Wave therapy for plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis
CANBERRAÊS FIRST AND FOREMOST PODIATRIC CLINIC
The Walking Clinic is aligned with: Diabetes ACT , Ainslie Football Club, Next Gen Wellness & Fitness Centre, Sports Medicine Australia, ADFA, DVA and Medicare. for fast claims on the spot
• Custom Orthotic Therapy
• Sports Injuries
• Diabetes Assessment
• General foot care & health
Churches Centre, Level 1,
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal community of the ACT.
In Wiradjuri language, Winnunga Nimmityjah means Strong Health.
The service logo is the Corroboree Frog which is significant to Aboriginal people in the ACT.
Our aim is to provide a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions. The holistic health care provided by Winnunga AHCS includes not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles. Our services include:
• GP and Nursing
• Midwifery
• Immunisations
• Health Checks
• Men’s & Women’s Health
• Hearing Health
• Dental
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Dietician (Nutrition)
• Counselling
• Diabetes Clinic
• Quit Smoking Services / No More Boondah
• Needle Syringe Program
• Mental Health Support
• Healthy Weight Program
• Healthy Cooking Group
• Mums and Bubs Group / Child Health
• Optometry Service
• Psychology and Psychiatrist
• Community Events
• Groups
Winnunga AHCS is a national leader in accreditation, was one of the first Aboriginal community controlled health services to achieve dual accreditation under RACGP and QIC standards. Winnunga AHCS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in operational and governance areas of Aboriginal health services.
By Helen Musa
AT first glimpse, the title “7 Great Inventions of the Modern Industrial Age” doesn’t suggest musical theatre, but in the hands of Canberra composer Sally Greenaway and her theatrical collaborators, music will meet scientific history at The Street.
The result of the inaugural Merlyn Myer Composing Women’s Commission that Greenaway received, it was first seen at the Melbourne Recital Centre last year.
Musically, it centres on the talents of Melbourne’s Syzygy ensemble playing many different flutes and recorders, classical sax, air-raid sirens and test tubes filled with water to the accompaniment of a soundtrack drawn from real-life NASA recordings.
Dene Kermond will be playing Harry Hawkins, a 19th century journalist who follows the path of new inventions over the course of 100 years with Ziggy, his Zeppelin pilot.
The director is Shelly Higgs and lighting is by Linda Buck. Designer Christiane Nowak’s set will be filled with no fewer than 100 objects including a genuine Mark One Radar device found in the vaults of the Melbourne Theatre Company.
With so many options, Greenaway hardly knew which inventions to select – the Cochlear implant, instant coffee, space travel, satellites, the iron lung, the NBN and vaccinations (“I’m hoping a few anti-vaxers might come along and learn a few things,” she quips).
Eventually she and her Canberra scriptwriters, Paul Bissett and Catherine Prosser, divided them into seven cat-
egories, the seven great inventions of the title.
When we catch up with Greenaway she’s finalising a Musica Viva commission to create original music for schools around Australia.
One of Australia’s busiest composers, she recently made it into the ABC’s top 100 Classics with her love song “Stay Awhile” and if she needs to pay the bills she occasionally knocks up a film score jingle, like the one she did recently for the government’s end-of-taxation-year commercial.
This versatility is one of her great strengths. Trained in jazz at the ANU School of Music and Royal College of Music, she is also an accomplished classical pianist who, even while getting into the jazz groove, never let go of a formal training in practice, aural skills and theory with the late Peggy Ann Crosskey.
It all comes together in “7 Inventions”, which shows the 20th century when, she says, “people were exploring and innovating and totally transforming humanity”.
Armed with the totally unasked-for grant from the Myer Foundation, she embarked in 2016 on creating a work that would cut across the genres and give her a chance to collaborate with lighting and sound people, designers and scriptwriters.
The grant guaranteed her a performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre along with any technical support she needed.
“I could try new things without fear because I knew I was guaranteed a performance,” she says.
She composed in a broad range of musical styles, even turning Bach into ragtime.
As composers go, Greenaway is a serious thinker.
Composer Sally Greenaway… “I’m one of the lucky ones who is able to create not just jingles but original work for people and get paid for doing it.”
“I realised that in my schooling I missed out on a lot of stuff – physics, science, how things work… often girls are not being taught swathes of stuff – I feel like this is a big injustice,” she says. And the only music was in the choir.
She got a fresh start in years 11 and 12 at Narrabundah College where she found herself studying alongside jazz whiz kids and top music students such as pianist Teddy Neeman.
After graduating in jazz from the ANU School of Music, she “begged” her way into the Royal College of Music where, she blushes to admit, she auditioned for a course that valued improvisation with scripted music, “Take 5” and “The Entertainer”. They took her in “as a wild card”, she worked hard and topped her
classes all the way.
Nowadays, with the support of husband Peter, who works in IT by day and is a jazz trumpeter for fun, she can live by her music, saying of jingles and film scoring: “I can get those jobs done so quickly, I’m wearing a different hat”.
But she knows she is fortunate.
“I don’t know how, but my music seems to have an appeal in schools and choirs,” she says.
“I’m one of the lucky ones who is able to create not just jingles but original work for people and get paid for doing it.”
“7 Great Inventions of the Modern Industrial Age”, The Street Theatre, July 26-29. Bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.
By Helen Musa
“CITYNEWS” theatre writer Joe Woodward is off to Austria to present his play “Violine” as a reading in Wolfsberg, near the location of the former prison camp featured in the play, where his real-life father Jack, pictured in 1943, was interned. Swedish professional actor, Pontus Olgrim, who was in the original 2003 production at The Street Theatre, will join Woodward for the reading in late July.
AINSLIE and Gorman Arts Centres are turning on an arty winter party, “Canberra Obscura: Metropolis” and billing it as “a night of enthralling performance and emphatic beats, experimentation and the unexpected.” Main Hall, Ainslie Arts Centre, Elouera Street, Braddon from 7pm on Friday, July 28. Bookings to agac.com.au or tickets at the door.
QL2 Dance’s Quantum Leap ensemble has used Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” to explore belonging, ownership and responsibility. Director Ruth Osborne, choreographer Claudia Alessi and former Quantum Leapers Jack Ziesing and Eliza Sanders are creating an epic work. At The Playhouse, July 27-29. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.
THE Childers Group and the Cultural Facilities Corporation are getting together to present the “Arts Value” forum, which will look at what the arts do for us. After a keynote address by cultural strategist and Australia Council board member Kate Fielding there’ll be discussion groups linking arts with health, the economy and social identity. Canberra Theatre Centre, 12.30pm-6pm, July 26. Bookings to eventbrite.com.au
STAND-UP comic and storyteller Damian Callinan is busy researching the “town folk” of Queanbeyan, where he and filmmaker John Cherry will capture local identities on camera then combine the clips with onstage interactions to create a one-off original show for The Q on August 19. Prospective survey participants should visit surveymonkey. com/r/YQY7YQZ
PAUL Eldon, co-owner of Muse café in the East Hotel, Kingston, will join the Sydney Chamber Choir, two big school choirs and other teenage and professional musicians and singers, to stage Benjamin Britten’s “Saint Nicolas” at the Great Hall, University of Sydney, 3pm, Sunday, July 23.
ART Song Canberra has two former Canberra operatic stars, soprano Sonia Anfiloff and her husband, baritone Ben Connor, with Alan Hicks at the piano, performing songs by Barber, Wolf, Fauré and Tchaikovsky that are linked by the poetic imagery of the four natural elements. At Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, Sunday, July 23. Tickets only at the door.
By Helen Musa
THE upcoming Scandinavian Film Festival is testimony to the influence weather can have on the psyche.
Ebullient Danish ambassador Tom Nørring admits that the very short days and long nights partly explain the phenomenon that we know as “Nordic noir”. Think “The Killing”, “Wallander” and the “Millennium” trilogy.
“Noir”, of course, is a French word meaning “black” but it has long been used to describe a cinematic phenomenon in which crime dramas expose the dark heart of mankind, filmed in a subdued and restrained style. It’s easy to see why Denmark’s film directors have taken to film noir and in the coming festival the relatively small country is contributing a whopping eight films to the line-up, most of them screened multiple times.
“Years ago it was the Swedes who excelled in film – remember Ingmar Bergman,” the ambassador says.
“But we are having a nice time now, a nice, long time.”
Nørring puts this “nice time” down to the founding of Copenhagen’s National Film School of Denmark in 1966, where the emphasis was not on costly production or popular films but on proper training. He personally deplores the clichéd films associated with Hollywood where everything is “mega, staged and all colour”, so he is
“Small
happy to claim for Denmark the striking cinema movement, “Dogme”. Spearheaded by Danish film directors Thomas Vinterberg
directed Nicole Kidman in “Dogville”, the “Dogme 95 Manifesto” reminded the film world that fake
plots, fake sets, excessive technology and hauteur directing can kill the art of cinema.
The consequences can be seen in many of
“Baby Driver” (MA)
ENGLISH writer/director Edgar Wright’s first film made in the US explores a delicious collection of diverse themes.
Music. Crime. Romance. Violence. Social conscience. Gun culture. Sociopathic characters. Bad traffic behaviour. And leavening those themes, a generous splash of mordantly-subtle satire and comedy.
Deaf-mute, wheelchair-bound, black American Joseph (CJ Jones) has raised Baby (Ansel Elgort) since his mother’s inattention to traffic made him an orphan.
Joseph is the acme of moral rectitude, uncomfortable about the stash of serious money that Baby is accumulating under a floorboard in the apartment. Crime boss Doc has been exploiting Baby’s masterful ability to drive getaway cars at high speed through traffic after a string of robberies. Baby sings along with tapes of his favourite musos while waiting outside the bank.
Shortly after Doc tells him that a debt has been paid off and he’s free to live his life as he wishes, Baby meets hamburger-joint waitress Debora (Lily James).
Doc commandeers Baby to drive a new gang fleeing with the loot from another heist. That obligation crosses Baby and Debora’s plan to put Joseph into care and head west.
The new gang are an unlovely bunch. Bats is a psychopath. Buddy (Jon Hamm) and his wife Darling (Eliza Gonzalez) are an ethically-deficient, trigger-happy pair. The heist goes bad. The film’s shootouts parody every shootout you’ve ever seen.
Kevin Spacey, whom I last saw suspended by his ankles
on stage in Sydney at the end of a memorable performance as Richard III, is malevolence personified as Doc. As Bats, Jamie Foxx gets choice comic dialogue to sprinkle sparkle over some really scary behaviour.
The good guys are few. And the film’s unsung heroes are the guys driving the cars harumscarum through the streets of Atlanta.
Edgar Wright brought us three memorable British comedies featuring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – “Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”. What will he satirise next? Waiting for it should be worthwhile.
At all cinemas
“The Beguiled” (MA)
ITS 1864. A girl on the cusp of puberty gathering mushrooms discovers a Union army corporal with a broken leg outside the compound of an ante-bellum, Greco-style building.
The building is a school for young ladies, where principal Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) and the widow Edwina (Kirsten Dunst) are caring for the education of five girls. The region’s men are in the Confederate Army fighting for separation from those pesky northerners who want to preserve the Union and abolish slavery.
Keep those wild mushrooms in mind.
Sofia Coppola’s film using the same screenplay by Albert Maltz based on Thomas Cullinan’s
novel as Don Siegel’s 1971 version in which Clint Eastwood played McBurney, makes changes of detail but preserves the principal dramatic threads.
This time Colin Farrell’s portrayal offers him a little more subtlety. Owning the only testosterone for miles around, McBurney finds himself surrounded by women with varying carnal needs, desires, repressions and fears. It’s only a matter of time before they come to a sharp focus. Which, understandably, is when the conflict really gets going.
Don’t forget the mushrooms.
While Coppola’s direction may not please everybody, her realising of the story and evocation of its time and place are deft. If she used any artificial light it is not apparent. Even night-time interiors are lit using candles. When Stanley Kubrick used that technique in “Barry Lyndon” in 1975, there was much media speculation about it. Nowadays it’s unremarkable.
Essentially a period melodrama that comes to a grave conclusion, “The Beguiled” is neither disagreeable nor uplifting, neither cheerful nor sombre. But subject to those parameters, it’s entertaining.
At Palace Electric, Capitol 6 and Dendy
the Danish offerings in this year’s festival. In the smash hit “A Conspiracy of Faith”, famous cold-case detectives Carl Mørck and Assad reunite for a horrifying case in rural Denmark and find themselves drawn into a world of religious fanaticism.
In “Darkland”, directed by Fenar Ahmad, an upper-class successful Danish surgeon of Muslim heritage is drawn back into the dodgy neighbourhood where he grew up when his criminal brother is found murdered.
Nørring can’t help mentioning his country’s many Oscars awards and nominations for fiction, docos, short films, actors and directors, and the huge success of Danish TV series such as “Borgen”, which predated the real-life election of a female PM and the long-running series “1864”, which resurfaces in the festival as a feature film, said to be “as compelling as any Nordic noir”.
It would be wrong to suppose that just because a film is Nordic, it’s gloomy and, indeed, the festival opens with Finland’s comedy “The Other Side of Hope”.
But noir lovers need not fear, even the comedy has a dark side. In Danish writer/ director Ole Bornedal’s “Small Town Killers”, billed as a “gleefully inappropriate comedy”, two tradesmen hire a Russian contract killer to take out their spouses, a story played in “Nordic deadpan” style, with touches of the Coen Brothers. Definitely noir.
The 2017 Scandinavian Film Festival, Palace Electric Cinemas, until August 2. Bookings and all program details at palacecinemas.com.au
WHEN dining on pizza I never think about “AVPN”, but “AVPN” popped into my mind on a recent visit to Trecento, the new woodfired pizzeria and bar in Manuka.
Why? Because AVPN stands for Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and in the pizza world many think a membership in this prestigious “Academy of Pizza” is as hot as a piece of spicy pepperoni. Founded in Italy in 1984, the AVPN is devoted to training passionate folk on the century-old art of making “true Neapolitan pizza”.
Trecento’s co-owner Jon Kosteski is a “master pizza maker” and so, too, is head pizza chef Salvatore Perna, here from Italy. The AVPN has more than 450 members internationally. Only a handful of restaurants in Australia are certified and Jon hopes Trecento will be soon.
Making authentic Neapolitan pizza is a big deal. The leavened dough matures for some time so it’s easy to digest. The base is made with a one-inch rim and thin middle. It’s sacrilege to make this traditional pizza the wrong way. Only certain ingredients
are allowed and the method is sacrosanct.
My favorite is from the “pizza bianca” menu. The Porcinella is delish with a lovely kick of chilli. It’s created with quality, smooth, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, porcini mushrooms, zingy sausage (Neapolitan, of course) and fresh basil ($22).
It is also thumbs up for the Capricciosa, a “pizza rosso” created with fresh cow’s milk cheese (made in the style of Italian mozzarella), parmesan, ham, artichoke, mushrooms, basil and more ($22). Our only recommendation, which Jon says Trecento is on to, is that the tomato sauce be further reduced so it’s thicker and more flavoursome.
Before digging into pizza, we shared the calamari, which is the best we’ve had in ages ($14). It’s incredibly tender and the chilli dust adds a nice vibe. We had fun dunking it into house-made citrus aioli and perked up our palate with the rocket salad.
We also shared four-pepper crust beef carpaccio. It had buckets of flavour – tasty with tangy pearls from rainforest finger limes, crispy capers and anchovy emulsion ($18). The strength of the emulsion has been pared back since Trecento opened. I admire restaurants that pay attention to customer feedback.
Pasta is also on the menu ($22 to $29) and desserts look yum ($13 to $16).
Trecento’s wine list is intriguing and we enjoyed a bottle or two, including a Pinot Bianco.
Trecento is where the old Mecca Bah was. Sadly, the space has been empty since 2015. The restaurant is small but well designed, with indoor and outdoor dining. It’s been transformed with its modern edge softened with warm, rustic touches throughout.
Trecento, Unit 33, Manuka Terrace, open Tuesday to Sunday. Lunch midday to 2.30pm; dinner 6pm to late. Call 6260 7111.
In the edition of June 22 we unwittingly republished an earlier review of the Manuka restaurant Bambusa. We apologise to the restaurant for the error and to any readers inconvenienced by this circumstance. Wendy Johnson’s intended critique is published at citynews.com.au/2017/ dining-modern-taste-traditional-asian/
HOW did I get my first gratis bottle of wine to review?
When I was placing an order with Capel Vale, a prominent WA winery, I asked the sales team member who took my order if they would like me to review any of their wines.
And, lo, when I opened the box that my order arrived in, there was a bottle of 2016 Regional Series Mount Barker Riesling tucked away in a corner. A sweet note accompanied it from one of Capel Vale’s business development managers indicating that I “might be interested in reviewing” the wine.
Not of a religious mindset but steeped in a tradition where Sunday school was a feature for a few years, I recalled Matthew 7:7: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. And, in this instance, it was the cellar door.
Perhaps infused with the biblical, my mind first turned to avarice. I searched the Capel Vale website and found that the wine could be purchased for $24.95. My next step was to determine the best way to review the wine and make it relevant to Canberra. I chose one of the fundamental characteristics of journalism: conflict. Someone struggling with an issue or against another is at the heart of many a story. So, I decided to compare the WA wine against a Canberra classic, a 2016 Mount Majura vineyard 2016 Riesling. The wine won a gold medal and trophy in the Canberra 2016 International Riesling Challenge. It was $29.90 at Vintage Cellars in Manuka. It started as the odds-on favourite.
To determine the best way to review the wine and make it relevant to Canberra I chose one of the fundamental characteristics of journalism: conflict. So, I decided to compare the WA wine against a Canberra classic.
The next step was to eliminate some of the personal bias in the comparison. I asked a friend who comes from WA and my son, who is loyal to this town, to be, avec moi, the tasting panel. They were asked, as usual, to just tell me if they liked the wine, if so why and which one of the two rieslings they preferred and why. To eliminate any bias based on geography, they first tasted the wine blind: this meant that no labels were disclosed rather than a preceding bacchanal.
To my surprise, they both liked the WA wine far more than the local. Comments were that its finish was cleaner and fuller. The Capel Vale is much more fruit driven, more tropical fruit than the Mount Majura that has a citrus element with a slaty finish. I liked them both but my son and my friend did not like the Mount Majura. When we moved to dinner, there was still plenty of wine left. I’d cooked chicken with a lemon sauce and the bigger lycee-like flavours of the guest from the West went better with the food. The Mount Majura citrus element, like the rind of a lime, was considered by the panel as clashing with the sauce that dominated the palette rather than harmonising with the lemony flavour.
At the end of the evening, sitting back in my chair, swirling the Capel Vale in my glass, I thought: “I could do more of this reviewing stuff, it’s like I’d never really tasted wine before” and I heard the lyrics of that cheesy Kenny Loggins song “For the First Time”: For the first time, I’m seeing who you are
I can’t believe how much
I see
When you’re looking back at me… For the first time.
DANCING’S for everyone, whether it’s folk, ballroom, belly dancing, hip hop or contemporary.
And it can be a fun way to meet new people or an opportunity for people to develop their technique.
“CityNews” looks at the movers and shakers in the varied Canberra dance scene.
MOVING Archetypes offers dance classes, which give students a chance to dance into the skins of the archetypes and find how they can empower people’s daily lives, says choreographer Padma Menon.
“Archetypes are figures that symbolise universal patterns of human stories and feelings. They appear in the myths, legends and literature of cultures across the world,” Padma says.
Padma brings to these classes more than 30 years of international experience as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and facilitator.
She has performed in venues all over the world and created numerous original contemporary and traditional Indian dance productions for high profile festivals and venues internationally.
The Term 3 course with Padma is called “The Warriors – Decision and Precision”, which will focus on famous warriors from Indian and Greek myths such as Durga, Achilles and Arjuna.
“We live in an increasingly individual-centred world. Moving Archetypes reminds us that our stories are connected and often have universal themes,” Padma says.
Moving Archetypes is offering free introductory workshops on July 29 and August 5 at Currie Crescent Community Centre in Kingston.
Padma says that no previous experience of dance or knowledge of archetypes is necessary. Visit movingarchetypes.com.au or call 0447 643646.
Choreographer Padma Menon.
QL2 Dance’s Quantum Leap will soon be performing “The Poisoned Sea”, a contemporary dance inspired by ocean garbage and epic poetry.
It asks the question: “How much responsibility does each of us have for the state of the world?” And uses the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” as a launchpad to explore belonging, ownership, and responsibility.
“In this dance work, we are not re-telling the poem,” says artistic director Ruth Osborne.
“Coleridge’s words inspired the choreographers and dancers to look at our irrational, self-defeating acts, especially around environmental issues. They have created an epic, physical incarnation of
some of those ideas.”
Dancer Jessica Nicholls says the performance is not just about some kids dancing on stage trying to tell you something is bad.
“We carry the burden of destroying our world yet we are still conflicted on ways to stop the destruction… there is conflict and an urgency,” she says.
Ruth says the choreographers and dancers have set off from this epic, archaic text to find their own truths, their own stories of place in the natural world and have made a compelling, physical, contemporary performance.
“This Poisoned Sea”, Canberra Theatre Centre, July 27-29. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Archetypes, or mythical characters, are mirrors of ourselves. Connecting with powerful archetypes through dance can help us link with larger narratives and find strength, creativity and power in everyday life.
Dance style based on Indian and western movement, reflection and guided improvisation
TERM 3 COURSE: THE WARRIORS — DECISION & PRECISION
Enter the world of the powerful warrior archetypes from Indian and Greek myths—Durga, Achilles and Arjuna. No previous experience of dance required.
Classes start week of 7 August (6 weeks)
FREE
Thursday nights, 7.30 – 8.30pm (school term)
Learn the: • Gypsy Polka • Russian ‘Ya Da Kalinushku’ • Peruvian ‘Chilili’ • Albanian ‘Valle Pogonishte’
• Turkish ‘Hastayim’ • Romanian ‘Sarba de la Eninsala’ • and many more wonderful dances to inspiring music from countries around the world.
Folk Dance Canberra is a community club promoting fitness and well being through world dance. No partner necessary. Enquiries: 0420 524 412 (Rebecca). Cost: $10.50 per class (discount for term payment)
SPECIAL BEGINNERS WORKSHOP with André van de Plas
Folk Dance Canberra Hall
Hackett Community Centre 114 Maitland Street, Hackett www.folkdancecanberra.org.au folkdancecanberra@gmail.com
Professional world dance teacher visiting from the Netherlands, on Sunday 23 July, 9.30-12.30 (inc morning tea). Enquiries: 6241 2941 (Suzanne). Cost: $25. Phone:
Email: dale_harris@bigpond.com
FOUNDED in 1991 by Christine and Jim Battisson, who had a passion for teaching dances from around the world, Folk Dance Canberra continues to bring world dance to Canberra locals.
“We are truly multicultural and dance to the wonderful music and rhythms of Bulgaria to Bolivia and everywhere in between,” says Folk Dance Canberra president Griff Rose.
“Folk Dance Canberra is a community organisation and our focus is on promoting fitness and wellbeing through world dance in a social setting.
“Folk Dance Canberra strives to celebrate the diversity of our world as much as possible.
“Through teaching dances from different countries, we learn about their unique history and culture.”
The teachers at Folk Dance Canberra travel to workshops overseas and teachers from abroad also visit, such as André van de Plas from the Netherlands, who will be presenting a workshop on July 23-24.
For more than 30 years André has taught and choreographed international dance in the Netherlands and overseas.
He currently teaches at the largest world dance society in Holland and as artistic director of their performance group has won many prizes at both national and international festivals.
Folk Dance Canberra Hall, Hackett Community Centre, 114 Maitland Street, Hackett. Call 6286 6401 or visit folkdancecanberra.org.au
ATTITUDE Australia is an affordable, quality dancewear and costume hire store for boys and girls in the Canberra area.
Its owner, Jackie Barnes, saw the need for affordable, quality dancewear after having two children involved in dance for nearly a decade.
“We offer a broad range of quality products for ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, hip hop, ballroom, Latin, gymnastics and cheerleading,” she says.
“We also have a large range of costumes for hire and offer free costume consultations for solos, troupes and school productions.”
Attitude Australia stocks the latest dancewear from international and Australian brands.
And, Jackie says, Attitude Australia is open long hours, seven days a week so it suits anyone’s busy schedule.
“We’re friendly, and we go out of our way to do deliveries because we believe customer service is important,” she says.
Attitude Australia, level 1, shop 11, 53-55 Heffernan Street, Mitchell. Call 6174 4631, 0449 225538 or visit attitudeaust.com.au
WHETHER you’re looking to dance to socialise, earn medals or enter competitions – Dale’s Ballroom Dancing can help you get the most out of ballroom dancing.
Led by principal Dale Harris since 1997, Dale’s Ballroom Dancing caters for all ages from six to 60 plus and offers a range of beginner and experienced classes from social classes, competition training, wedding groups and private lessons.
Dale says children from ages six to 16 years attend their medal classes, which are a great way for young dancers to perfect their technique.
“They enjoy medal test day,” she says. “We have one every six months and a judge comes from interstate to examine each student and, along with their medal, they receive a written report.”
The studio specialises in a range of dance styles: Australian new vogue ballroom (sequence dancing); standard modern, which includes waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep; and Latin American, which includes samba, cha cha, paso doble, rumba and jive.
“You don’t realise how much exercise you’re doing or how much fun it is. It’s a great way to meet people in a friendly comfortable environment, you’re crazy if you don’t give it a go.”
Visit canberraballroomdancing.com.au or call 6296 4009.
“Arché”… an original ballet based on the age-old classic “Swan Lake”.
FOUNDED in 2007, the Melbourne Ballet Company (MBC) has now established its own unique style of ballet, which is innovative, accessible, and also fully acknowledges classical technique.
Its performance, “Archè”, is an original ballet based on the age-old classic “Swan Lake” and it will be playing at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, August 25-26.
The performance is inspired by the Greek myth, Leda and the Swan, and The Dying Swan.This program explores much of the original narrative and embraces some of the classical repertoire.
Led by director Simon Hoy, the company has already produced about 15 original programs and has now completed seven successful national tours.
MBC consists of 10 professional dancers, all of whom have developed their skills in some of the most renowned companies in the world, such as The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, WA Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet New York, Ballet Mainz and The Queensland Ballet.
By touring to many regional areas MBC is also focusing on building new audiences for dance and making it obtainable to nearly every Australian.
“Archè”, at The Q, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Book via theq.net.au or call 6285 6290.
•
We
from International and Australian brands.
the advantage of being a Diggers Club member at the Heritage Nursery
Banks Street, Weston Park, Yarralumla • 6281 7373 heritagenursery.com.au /TheHeritageNursery
By Cedric Bryant
WITH
Pruning
In fact, prune all deciduous trees and shrubs without delay before the spring sap starts to flow from the wounds.
Make sure secateurs and pruning saws are clean and sharp. Remember, the three “Ds”, remove initially all dead, diseased and damaged branches. Then stand back, look at the overall shape of the tree and see if taking the odd branch off can improve the appearance.
Remove all branches that hang low near paths. Take them up to higher than head height, keeping in mind that branches will be lower in summer when laden with leaves. Low-hanging branches can be an eye and face hazard.
This also applies to trees in lawns. With a hat falling over your eyes or facing blinding sun it’s so easy to walk into a low branch when mowing. Keep whipper snippers away from trees and shrubs planted in lawns, they are great for unwitting
ring-barking.
In fact, all trees should be in garden beds, never in lawns. Depending on the variety, trees planted in lawns present numerous problems, especially with roots and possible suckers.
The frequency of lawn watering is excessive for trees, encouraging shallow roots and instability.
Grass grown under fruit trees can reduce the fruit crop by up to 40 per cent!
The regular application of lawn food is also not good for trees, especially fruit trees, which prefer a high potassium plant nutrient for flower production.
TO grow fruit trees on a narrow block, why not try to espalier them on a wall or fence.
As with all fruit trees, it’s important to grow them where they get at least 8-10 hours a day of good sunlight in the growing season. Almost all fruit trees are suitable to espalier using horizontal wires 30 centimetres apart for the height of the wall.
PERENNIALS can be divided anytime from now until early spring.
Cut back all the spent flower stems of Sedum “Autumn Joy” to ground level. Immediately, the new, tiny shoots will start to emerge.
It can be a challenge to divide this plant and the easiest way is with a very sharp knife. On occasions I have used a tomahawk. While this seems drastic, the damage had little effect on new growth. They grow to about half a metre, so plant well back in the garden bed.
Other perennials to cut back to ground level and divide include Salvias and Echinacea
• AS fruit and ornamental flowering trees start to bud up, spray with Bordeaux copper spray or Kocide when the pink starts to show on the buds. Don’t spray once the flowers have opened as this could kill bees, essential for pollination and without which no fruit!
• Plant lily of the valley bulbs now.
• Trim camellia sasanquas if they have finished flowering, top and sides.
• After flowering, give daphne odora a light trim and feed with Neutrog Organic Seamungus pellets.
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
The stars favour friendships and hobbies, so it’s a wonderful week to indulge in pleasurable leisure activities with like-minded mates. Communication and innovation are also highlighted (especially on Monday and Tuesday) when you express your creative side or experience an inspiring lightbulb moment. But sharp words or impulsive actions could lead to a feisty and fiery time mid-week, unless you strive to be much more diplomatic. Sunday is super for love and laughter.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
Avoid getting stuck in a boring old Bullish rut – no matter how ‘comfortable’ it is. This week’s sparky planetary patterns encourage you to shake and stir things up, especially on the home front. Plus, when it comes to family relationships and/or financial matters, are you being way too tentative? Uranus encourages you to balance being prepared with being much more spontaneous. So shift out of stubborn mode, put on your adaptability hat, and expect the unexpected!
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Tried and tested methods won’t work well this week. You need to look at a tricky long-term problem with completely fresh eyes. Then you’ll solve the puzzle and taste success. Emotions and energy levels will fluctuate on Wednesday and Thursday so pace yourself. When it comes to a close relationship it may seem as if Saturn is holding you back, which can be frustrating. But the Taskmaster planet is actually teaching you to be much more patient, which will serve you well in the future.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Early in the week, a friend or work colleague requires your help but avoid being bossy and taking over. Old solutions won’t help – you need to keep up-to-date with new ways of solving problems. On Wednesday or Thursday, someone makes a cutting comment that annoys you. Resist the urge to retaliate. Instead, do your best to keep your Crab composure. As birthday great Carl Jung reminds us: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
With the Sun, Mercury and Mars all charging through your sign, you’ll go to extremes this week as the planets press your ‘Let’s overdo everything’ button. So your motto for the moment is from uber-Leo (and birthday great) Mick Jagger: “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” But resist the temptation to be a right royal bossy-boots on Wednesday and Thursday. Especially when you don’t get your way. Rather than being pushy, try being charmingly persuasive instead!
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Privacy and self-reflection are paramount on Monday, when your motto comes from birthday great Kate Bush: “There’s an awful lot you learn about yourself when you’re alone.” The pace picks up on Tuesday, as Uranus stimulates your curiosity and sharpens your research skills. Then your multi-tasking talents really shift into top gear from Wednesday onwards, when Mercury moves into your sign and you juggle jobs and take care of business all over the place.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Relationships and group activities will be complicated this week, as family and friends debate a wide range of topics and calm cooperation goes out the window. If you have a problem that’s bothering you, don’t over-think things. Instead, let your intuition be your guide. Wisdom for the week is from Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (born on July 26, 1875): “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Is a work or financial matter going pear-shaped? Don’t point the finger at others! Perhaps you have no-one to blame but yourself? If you are proactive about solving the problem, then you’ll make real progress. But if you sulk or blame others, then you’re in for a troublesome week. Strong feelings could fire up on Wednesday or Thursday, when someone pushes your emotional buttons. Calm down, otherwise you run the risk of turning a minor matter into a grand obsession.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
This week’s Mercury/Uranus trine favours education, travel and social networking as you connect with friends from faraway shores. Who knows where your international contacts may lead? But a close relationship will be tested, when you’re told something in the strictest of confidence. Can a chatty Sagittarian be extra diplomatic, disciplined and oh-so discreet? Blurting out secrets is a recipe for family or friendship friction. So resist the urge to divulge and zip your lips instead.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Avoid being too brisk and brusque with others on Monday, when your business side goes into overdrive. People respect your professional approach but they also appreciate the personal touch. And don’t worry too much about a family situation, as changes are brewing on the home front which could lead to an unexpected solution. With Mercury moving into your international zone, you’ll find foreign business, travel, study and friendships are favoured over the next two weeks.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
If you are creative and original in the way you post on social media early in the week, then you’ll receive a surprisingly positive response. It’s also time to get circulating within your local community and meet some fresh new faces. But, if you are rash and reckless with relationships (or make controversial comments) on Wednesday or Thursday, then you could find yourself with a fractious friend or livid lover on your hands. So think things through carefully before you speak!
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
A professional or family relationship looks somewhat strained on Monday, when Saturn stymies conversation and cooperation. Then Mercury shifts into your relationship zone mid-week, when it’s a positive time to re-open the channels of communication and consultation. If you’re searching for smart ways to boost cash flow, don’t try to re-invent the wheel! Look to successful colleagues, mentors or family members for updated information and novel new ideas.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2017
Across
3 What are cups for the wines of the eucharists? (8)
7 Which NSW city is associated with Wodonga, a Victorian town? (6)
8 Name the first person to reach the South Pole, Roald ... (8)
9 Name a US pianist and most celebrated composer of instrumental ragtime, Scott ... (6)
10 What was the second name of Judas? (8)
11 What is a diamond-shaped pattern of two or more colours? (6)
14 When one worships someone, one does what? (6)
17 What is a substance used to tint something? (8)
18 Which term designates an habitual criminal? (6)
19 Name an alternative term for a publican. (8)
20 The tincture of the flowers of which plant is applied medicinally to sprains and bruises? (6)
21 What is another term descriptive of tendencies or inclinations? (8)
Down
1 Name a social worker attached to a hospital. (7)
2 What, collectively, are knives, forks and spoons? (7)
3 Name a highly poisonous substance. (7)
4 What is a woven coloured cord worn around the shoulder of a uniform? (7)
5 Which other term describes a teller? (7)
6 What are extended instrumental compositions? (7)
11 Which liquid has an intoxicating effect? (7)
12 In Greek legend, which statue of a maiden was brought to life for the sculptor, Pygmalion? (7)
13 Name the legendary enchantress who caused sailors to wreck their boats. (7)
14 Which term describes particular rabbits or goats? (7)
15 To be pompous or bombastic, is to be what? (7)
16 To raise to a higher degree, is to do what? (7)
Stacey has just moved to Australia from the UK with her partner Craig and they are planning to stay here permanently.
They came to see me saying they had heard lots of stories about tax and, as they have to lodge tax returns, needed some guidance and advice about the differences between the tax systems.
“There are a few differences, one of the major ones being that you can’t claim many of the deductions in the UK that we claim in Australia," I said, suggesting I limit this discussion to workrelated deductions.
“There has been a lot of press recently on claiming work-related clothing deductions and laundry. To clarify, you can claim up to $150 unsubstantiated for clothing and laundry.
"Stacey, your suit is not regarded as uniform, it does not have a logo and is just normal street clothing so upkeep costs are regarded as private.
"Craig, your hi-vis jacket and your shirt with a logo are regarded as uniform. Using a formula you can claim maintenance up to $150 without receipts. Your steel-capped boots are also uniform, but in order to claim them you need receipts. The bottom line is that you can only claim uniform and maintenance costs if you actually wear a uniform.”
Stacey said she had been told by people at her work that she could claim her dry cleaning but could now see that was not possible.
I told them home-to-work travel could not be claimed, unless transporting bulky equipment for work.
"If you do want to claim car expenses I will look at it for you in more detail," I said. "However, I can advise that if you do need to travel between two work sites to do your job you can claim those kilometres at the per kilometre rate, which is currently 66 cents, unless you salary sacrifice your car. In which case you can’t claim anything.
"There is also a work related expenses deduction of $300, which you can claim only if you spent the amount but you do not need to substantiate it unlike other expenses. However, this doesn't mean that you can claim $300 if you have no expenditure at all.”
Craig said he thought the Australian system was way more complex than claiming deductions in the UK.
I agreed, saying: "One of the other confusing areas is selfeducation. You can claim your self-education costs, which include books, stationery, photocopying, computers and perhaps travel provided that there is a connection between the course and your current employment. However, the first $250 of your self-education claim may be regarded as private. A calculation needs to be done to determine this. If you incur a HELP debt to study you probably can’t claim your fees unless you receive FEEHELP, VET FEE-Help or OS-HELP. So if you are planning to study and not pay the fees upfront you should come back for further guidance.
“Lastly, one of the big differences in Australia is that you can claim for donations made to certain bodies which have been authorised to receive tax-deductible donations.”
“Wow,” Stacey said. “That's a lot to swallow. Thank you so much, Gail.”
If you need any information on tax and the tax deductibility of any item, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd
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