171019 citynews

Well written, well read

Time to bring in the auditor on tax stress JON STANHOPE

The car may be king… for now MICHAEL MOORE

Japanese treat that takes a bow WENDY JOHNSON

The three times LIBBY HILL felt lucky fighting aggressive breast cancer

How ‘Singed Sisters’ survived fire’s aftermath

By Kathryn Vukovljak

A PROJECT that’s part cookbook, part memoir has grown out of nine women’s friendship after losing their homes in the 2003 bushfires, says Karen Downing, who’s writing, compiling and publishing the book.

“Tears, Laughter, Champagne: A sto ry of friendship forged through fire and food”, is appealing for crowdfunding through Pozible and will be available to buy online in December, says Karen.

“It covers the themes of devastation, desolation, restoration, celebration and commemoration,” she says.

“It contains family favourites, main meals, quick and easy recipes, cakes and comfort food and lots of salads. I’ve tied in the recipes around the themes –which means there aren’t any recipes in the first chapter because that’s when we lost everything,” she says.

Karen says that on January 18, she was at home with her then 10-year-old son, and had to jump in the back of a police car to escape her home.

“It was very dark with smoke and eerie, you couldn’t see very much, and although there were lines of cars try ing to leave the suburb, there was no panicking, so it was a very odd day,” she says.

Karen says that in the weeks and

Arts & Entertainment 27-29

Cinema 28

Dining 29

Crossword 31

Gardening 30

Horoscopes 31

Letters 9

News 3-9

Politics 9

Socials 10-11

1993: Volume 23, Number 39

CEO: Greg Jones, 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au

Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au

Journalists: Kate Meikle, kate@citynews.com.au; Danielle Nohra, danielle@citynews.com.au; Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au

Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au

Photographer: Maddie McGuigan

Advertising manager: Greg Jones, 0419 418196

Senior advertising account executive: David Cusack, 0435 380656

Advertising account executive: Liam Jones, 0400 092095; Damien Klemke, 0439 139001; Emily Lester, 0406 412462

Production manager / graphic design: Janet Ewen

Graphic designer: Paulette Leo

Proof reader: Glenda Anderson

Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au

Karen, who’s a historian at the ANU and has created the publishing company Obiter Publishing, says that about five years after the fires the Singed Sisters started to talk about sharing their stories and recipes more widely.

“We thought we could turn it into a book, but no one had time for such a big project so it’s been a long time com-

“As time went on, it occurred to me that you hear about the devastation at the time and you get the personal stories of shock, loss and grief, but it usually disappears after the first anniversary and you don’t often get to hear about how people fare longer term. I thought there was an interesting story in that, and now it’s as much about the

“It’s also about trying to find some insight in what helps people to cope

“Unfortunately bushfires are such a common occurrence now, this horrendous experience happens every summer and we have to be prepared

pagne” at pozible.com/project/tears-

The funds raised will go to production costs and maximise the ultimate dona-

Dog whistles turn to cheers as mosque opens

GUNGAHLIN’S mosque, beset by delays and legal challenges is finally open. A sinister campaign waged by the Concerned Citizens of Canberra (CCC) dog-whistled residents over the “dire” consequences of a mosque being built in the suburb, but came to an abrupt halt in July, 2014.

Master of the ACT Supreme Court David Mossop took less than 60 seconds to comprehensively and stunningly scuttle the plans of the anti-Muslim group, which had lodged an objection to the DA, declaring “application dismissed”.

THE ACT’s Human Rights Act is set to be tested again after an inmate at the Alexander Maconochie Centre demanded vegetarian food be added to the menu and stationery fees be abolished. Isa Islam has filed a civil claim in the ACT Supreme Court stating the AMC’s handling of inmates’ dietary requirements and photocopying protocols breached the Human Rights Act. Islam, who is serving time for a violent stabbing at the Ainslie shops in 2008 and for the bashing of a fellow inmate at the AMC in 2013, complained he failed to receive a vegetarian roll and called on management to stop charging 20 cents a page to photocopy educational material.

TENNIS brat Nick Kyrgios has reverted to his bad-boy ways in spectacular fashion and copped another schillacking in the process. On the Sydney, Triple M breakfast show, former NRL stars Mark Geyer and Matty Johns labelled the Canberra champion a “disgrace” and suggested his “walk-off” after losing his first set at the Shanghai Masters was “almost in match-fixing territory”.

The 22-year-old

dose of dorin

recently demonstrated rare levels of maturity since being heavily fined for “tanking” at the 2016 Shanghai Masters. In September, at the Laver Cup event in Prague, commentators spoke of an obvious osmosis between Kyrgios and Superbrat John McEnroe, captain of Team World, and that “Mac was getting through to Nick”.

THOSE who know the shy little Canberra wallflower, Chic Henry, may be shocked to learn the man who founded the iconic Summernats was quite a larrikin as a lad in his native Tasmania.

In his new autobiography “I Remember One Time”, Henry shares details of a wild, unrestrained “boy’s own”

existence in the burgeoning suburbs of Launceston. Among Chic’s stand-out shenanigans was playing chicken with trucks and buses “to see how close I could get without being clipped” and “pashing” the mayor’s daughter – “a sweet girl with dark brown hair who shared my interest in Olympic-level kissing”. In the book’s foreward, Henry – who was appointed an Honorary Ambassador for Canberra in 2000 by then Chief Minister Kate Carnell – warns “text contains occasional coarse language and adult themes”.

A TALENTED Canberra footballer is hoping to impress officials at the North Melbourne AFL Kangaroos ahead of November’s National Draft. Former Belconnen junior Jordan Harper, 24, who this season co-captained the Canberra Demons in the NEAFL and won the club’s best and fairest for the second year running, is currently training at Arden Street.

A LOCAL, same-sex couple has been shortlisted in the 2018 LGBQTI awards. Tom Snow and Brooke Horne are among finalists for the Inspirational Role Model category for their work on the marriage-equality campaign including the rainbow-coloured Canberra airport. The ACT Aids Council is also shortlisted in the Community Initiative/Charity section. Winners will be announced in March.

THE airport’s ground-breaking marriage equality campaign has also impressed comedian Lawrence Mooney. Passing through the terminal for a show at the Canberra Theatre, the host of the ABC panel show “Dirty Laundry” posted a pic of the airport’s marriage equality signage on Twitter, adding: “Yay, Canberra Airport. Can’t miss this through security. It thrills me that Abetz, Bernardi, Abbott and co have to look”.

Belinda’s big on social justice

By Danielle Nohra

WHEN Belinda Miller was in year 11, an indigenous, Redfern lawyer came to Chevalier College, in Burradoo, near Bowral, and shared a story about how, as a boy, he had been saved from being sentenced for something he hadn’t done.

“He explained the lawyer didn’t do anything complicated – he was just calm, rational and able to speak on behalf of the young boy,” Be linda says.

“And everyone listened to and respected the lawyer, resulting in the boy being released.”

It inspired the boy to become a lawyer and, in turn, the story inspired Belinda to go into law and help people who were in bad situations, by being their voices.

After high school Belinda moved to Canber ra’s north and began her law degree at the ANU.

“I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to help people, I’m not interested in corporate law, I’m more interested in social justice,” she says.

Now, at the age of 29, Belinda has stayed true to her beliefs and recently received the 2017 ACT Young Lawyer of the Year Award for her professional achievements and community involvement in the region.

She is the Secretary of the Women Lawyers’ Association of the ACT, is a member of the ACT Law Society’s Industrial Relations Committee and a member of the ACT Community Legal Assistance Forum’s Community Legal Education Committee.

But that’s just in her spare time. As her job, and with the help of an “amazing” lecturer at ANU, Belinda was drawn towards a career as an employment and discrimination lawyer at the Women’s Legal Centre ACT.

At the centre she provides all the employment and discrimination legal advice and representation services.

“A common scenario at the Women’s Legal Centre, is a client who has been discriminated against or sexually harassed at work to the point where they were unable to attend work,

or were sacked because they complained about their treatment and therefore have lost their income,” she says.

“Often they will have no tertiary qualifications and it is extremely difficult for them to get another job.

“If they are from a single-income household, this can mean they are unable to feed their children and are often about to become homeless.”

In these circumstances, Belinda says the most rewarding part of her job isn’t seeing a client get compensation.

“It’s seeing our client become empowered through that process, and walk away not just with money [to feed their family or pay the bills] but with an understanding of their rights, and hopefully feeling supported and that they’re worth fighting for,” she says.

“Often we can help really vulnerable clients link in with other community services and it’s incredibly rewarding to know their interaction with us has enabled us to help them with a whole range of problems.”

Currently Belinda is drafting a “best practice” toolkit for dealing with how domestic and family violence impacts on the workplace.

She has initiated training sessions with the Community and Public Sector Union around the issue with attendees now implementing it in large government departments.

While Belinda doesn’t make as much as a corporate lawyer, she says she’d be unhappy if she was doing anything else.

And, she says: “I sleep really well at night.”

The Women’s Legal Centre, 6257 4377.

Bicentenary celebrations

The Canberra Baha’i community is hosting a public festival to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Baha’i faith, Baha’u’llah, at the Baha’i Centre, 18 Hickey Court, Weston, on Sunday, October 22. Opening at 10am, there will be music performances, multicultural food stalls and free children’s activities. At 3pm there’s a screening of “Light to the World”, a new film about Baha’u’llah (1817-92).

New builders’ master

DEPUTY executive director of Master Builders ACT Michael Hopkins has been appointed to the leading role following the resignation of Kirk Coningham in September. Mr Hopkins had been in the deputy’s role since 2015.

Family dancing

CHILDREN, parents, carers and grandparents are invited to learn dances from around the world at a family dance during ACT Children’s Week at Folk Dance Canberra, 114 Maitland Street, Hackett, 2pm-4pm, on Saturday, October 28. A contribution to afternoon tea is welcome and entry is by gold coin donation.

Potluck lunch

THE ACT Bilingual Education Alliance is again hosting a fun event for families raising children in more than one language. Entry is free, but participants are asked to bring a dish of their favourite food to share. It’s at the Deakin Preschool, 2 Hopetoun Circuit, 11am-1pm, Saturday, October 28. RSVP via eventbrite.com.au or call 0408 089235.

Fete time again

FETE time looms at Kangara Waters Retirement Village with the promise of treasures, toys, jewellery, bags, jams and preserves, books, CDs and DVDs, plants, cards and cakes. At 2 Joy Cummings Place, Belconnen, 9am-2pm, on Saturday, October 28.

taxes

Time for auditor-general to probe tax stress

IT is more than five years since the ACT government issued its response to the “ACT Taxation Review”.

The review was instituted in 2010 by then-Treasurer Katy Gallagher and ranks as one of the more significant pieces of policy reform in the ACT. Katy is to be congratulated for commissioning the review and later, as chief minister of the ACT, oversighting its implementation.

However, I am fairly certain that Katy would share the misgivings which I and I’m sure a growing number of Canberrans have about the impact the new taxation arrangements are having on many in the Canberra community.

Any analysis of data on the cost of living and trends in household disposable income in Canberra will show just how much stress households in the bottom-income quintiles are suffering.

The major concern is that the centrepiece of the taxation reform package, namely the increase in rates, designed to compensate for the abolition of inefficient taxes such as stamp duty has, since Katy handed over the reins, been undertaken without due regard to the significant inequitable distributional risks inherent in such a dramatic change.

I’m fairly certain that Gallagher would share the misgivings that I and a growing number of Canberrans have about the impact the new tax arrangements are having on many in the community.

Compounding the impact of the changes on households in the lower-income quintiles has been the addition of new charges such as the Safer Families Levy and increases in others such as the Fire Levy and in water, power and gas prices.

That this has occurred is surprising because these risks were recognised and discussed in detail in the “Taxation Review” report and were the subject of a number of its recommendations, all of which were accepted by the government in its response to the report.

The “Taxation Review” report includes in Part 4, from page 195, an excellent analysis of the important part the concession system would need to play in the transition to a new taxation system if adverse distributional impacts of the reform were to be avoided.

The report specifically noted that concessions would be “a key component of recommendations to abolish duty on conveyances”

and that the “role of concessions, including appropriate adjustments, will be fundamental to the success of any reform of the ACT’s tax system.”

The report outlines in detail the necessary components of a new concessions framework that should be developed as an adjunct to the implementation of the taxation reform proposals and makes five specific recommendations about why and how concessions should be used to “cushion” the distributional impacts of reform through the transition period and on an ongoing basis.

The government in its response to the “Taxation Review” agreed, unsurprisingly, to all of the concessions-related recommendations in order to ensure that negative and unfair distributional impacts were avoided.

However, it is clear that this has not occurred and that the actual experience of many Canberra households, notably those with

lower incomes, including young families and pensioners, is unfortunately that the distributional impact of the changed arrangements has in fact had a major detrimental effect on their household budget.

Therefore, it would be valuable to understand the extent to which the recommendations have been actioned and of any other parallel decisions of the government that may have exacerbated the negative aspects of the changes.

The most effective review would undoubtedly be a performance review by the auditor-general of the overall implementation of the report. As part of any such review the auditor could, as part of her scope of work, assess the Treasury analysis of the distributional impacts of all decisions, for example the introduction of any additional levy or increase in existing levies, fees and charges, taken by the government in the period since the commencement of the taxation reform.

It would be remarkable if such analysis has not been undertaken and there would be advantage in the auditorgeneral reviewing it.

How did pokies get into the casino?

WHILE on the subject of the “Taxation Review” report, I was intrigued to see that the government rejected only one recommendation from the report, namely a dissenting recommendation from one member of the panel who recommended that poker machines be allowed in Casino Canberra.

The government in its response rejected out of hand the recommendation that the casino be permitted to own and operate poker machines, presumably accepting that the long-accepted current community gaming model reflected the range of economic, social and ethical considerations that previous governments had taken into account in setting the policy.

The fact that this decision has been subsequently reversed raises the obvious question of the basis of the decision by the current government to overturn the unequivocal and presumably unanimous position on poker machines of the Gallagher Cabinet in late 2012.

Jon Stanhope was chief minister from 2001 to 2011 and represented Ginninderra for the Labor Party from 1998. He is the only chief minister to have governed with a majority in the Assembly.

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COVER STORY / breast cancer awareness month

The three times I felt lucky having breast cancer

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cuddle. She told me I could text her any time with whatever little or big concern I had. I would be thousands of dollars out of pocket if I’d gone through the private system. Instead, I had free, around-the-clock access to excellent health professionals. Lucky me.

2. The Great Hall, Parliament House

IT was January 25, five days after my first surgery, and I’d made it out to the Australian of the Year Awards. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull presented the Local Hero award to Vicki Jellie.

She described how her husband Peter had to travel 320 kilometres to access cancer treatment before he died. It’s a huge problem for regional Australians who need to travel to the city for regular treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Not only is it costly but patients are away from the comfort of their homes, family and friends.

I had to travel six kilometres from Narrabundah to Garran for chemo and I could pick my daughter up from school in Red Hill on the way home. I could tuck my children into bed on chemo nights, although often they would tuck me in. We were together. I was in my own bed. My husband by my side. Lucky me.

but that wasn’t enough to make sure I don’t get a recurrence. I was advised to follow up with seven weeks of radiotherapy. Or a bilateral mastectomy. It was a weighty decision and a very personal one.

My dream team at the Canberra Hospital included a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist and a genetic counsellor – when I still had questions they Skyped in a genetics expert from Sydney for me to chat with for an hour.

I saw each of them separately, looked them in the eye and I asked them: “If you were aged 33, with a six-year-old and a fouryear-old and you had grade 3, triple negative breast cancer, what would you do?”

Each one of them, behind the closed door, gave me an honest response. Not the standard recommended treatment protocol. The truthful opinion of a person with expert knowledge. To them, I wasn’t just one of hundreds of patients, I mattered. Lucky me.

A cancer diagnosis makes you re-evaluate your life. You suddenly see everything around you with a different perspective. I chose to go with one of gratitude. As my eyelashes grow back, I’m seeing Canberra with a fresh set of eyes and a whole new appreciation. Until the pollen count skyrockets, anyway!

My new breast friends

IF you’re unlucky enough to meet breast cancer, you’ll be given a showbag of brochures to peruse. I reckon, if you pick out these ones, you’ll be in good hands: Bosom Buddies – they give you cushions and bags that you’re not really sure will be useful until you need them and then, my gosh they are useful!

BCNA – The “My Journey” kit is an invaluable resource and so much safer than Dr Google. I refer to it almost weekly.

The ACT Cancer Council Wig Service – I got a second-hand Rapunzel-style wig for $40 and my daughters loved it. Anything to make them smile.

The Cancer Support Group – Lorraine is the best. She helps with the things that can keep you awake at night with worry.

Heads Up – Sue makes you feel fantastic. I ignored one piece of her advice and regretted it badly. Listen to Sue.

Look Good Feel Better – You’ll leave with a bag full of free make-up and laugh more than you thought possible.

The car may be king… for now

PEDESTRIANS, cyclists and public transport play second, third or even fourth fiddle while the car remains king of Canberra.

The vast majority of us love our cars. The NRMA endeavours to protect the role of the car and ensure that individuals retain their right to move around the capital with the least possible impediment.

Proposed plans for the redevelopment of Kings Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue by the National Capital Authority (NCA) have had respondents raising the spectre of traffic chaos.

The aim of the NCA is to create grand boulevards from these key Parliamentary Triangle avenues at the same time as facilitating easy cycling and walking by giving priority to public transport, cyclists and pedestrians.

But surely not at the cost of our commuter time in our private cars! Environmentalists welcome the move.

The redesign of these major avenues will also make way for an extension of light rail. The light rail will go through the Parliamentary Triangle to Woden and beyond. It provides a catalyst for planning an even grander national area. Appealing artists’ impressions of grand boulevards

What real chance is there that the light rail, our current bus system, cycling and walking will be able to replace the level of car use through the Parliamentary Triangle?

across the two bridges do have significant appeal. But is it enough?

What real chance is there that the light rail, our current bus system, cycling and walking will be able to replace the level of car use through this precinct? The NRMA submitted that 83 per cent of Canberrans use their personal vehicles to get to work. Many already cross one or other of the bridges.

The vision seems to be taken from the way Amsterdam was transformed from clogged roads half a century ago being replaced by vibrant streets with pedestrians, bicycles and buses taking priority. The same pattern was adopted by many cities across Europe and other parts of the world. Canberra planners see the long-term advantages.

The challenges for Canberra are great. There are the decentralised town centres. How to manage a successful transition to adequate public transport

and to more acceptance of commuter cycling.

Planners should be aware of some European cities, such as Geneva, where the transition has not really worked. Although very well served by buses and light rail, gridlocked traffic is a constant issue. Interestingly, it is caused by limited road crossings over the Rhone and Lake Geneva.

Andrew Smith, acting CEO of the NCA, reinforced their commitment to community engagement. He argued the strategy proposes the road transport function of Kings and the Commonwealth Avenues be retained while also accommodating a range of other transport options.

The NRMA and South Canberra Community Council disagree. The NRMA submission argues that the NCA is bound by the Federal government’s road-user hierarchy,

which places cars as the lowest priority for urban planning but does not suit Canberra’s transport movements. South Canberra Community Council president Marea Fatseas challenged the “more than 20,000 cars, buses and trucks travel along Commonwealth Avenue alone” as completely inaccurate traffic figures.

In the NCA’s perspective, “traffic congestion is a key issue for our growing city and the draft strategy recognises that in the future there will be additional pressures placed on the road network”.

However, it argues decisions are based on evidence as it uses “traffic impacts informed by detailed traffic modelling”.

In Canberra the car might be king for the moment. However, getting the balance right on planning in Canberra, even in the Parliamentary Triangle, is more likely to require the wisdom of that other king – Solomon!

Crash, bang, then silence…

GOOD on Liberal MLA Elizabeth Kikkert for pressing the ACT government to release the report on the intersection of Ginninderra and Tillyard Drives.

Road safety at this point has long been an issue and the subject of many calls for remediation of the half-baked works at this accident-prone, busy intersection some years ago. I recall bending the ears of then chairman of the Black Spot Committee, Dr Andrew Leigh MP, about the preferable need for a roundabout rather than what was obvious to regular users – but seemingly blind to traffic engineers, probably cash strapped – that a minimal realignment of turn lanes would be ineffective.

The continuing crash rate bears this out. Dr Leigh’s response was enlightening for its lack of local-traffic knowledge – a roundabout was not needed because eastbound traffic would only reach about 60 km/h coming from the Florey Drive intersection!

He seemed not interested in my laughable response that 80 km/h was the minimum half way along and trying to weave through the volume of vehicles from Ginninderra to Tillyard and vice versa was a nightmare! Since then, the joint Emergency Services station at Charnwood has been added to the mix as has the volume of peak-hour traffic connecting through Tillyard out to Gungahlin and the growth of Dunlop. Len Goodman, Belconnen

Remember non-Brits

WONDERFUL article (as always) by Robert Macklin (“The disgrace that is Tasmania”, CN October 12), on the “foreign object” to Australia’s south.

But where does that leave two definitely non-British Tasmanians – the late conservationist photographers Olegas Truchanas and Peter Dombrovskis? Are they to share the collective shame instead of “glorifying” the place?

Meta Sterns, via email

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At Capon and Hubert Lawyers we ensure that your estate goes to family or friends of your choice. Having a valid and up-to-date Will can help reduce stress for your family and friends, limit administration costs, and lessen the possibility for dispute over your estate. We understand your situation is different and may require a unique specialist approach.

Where there’s a will…

A WILL is an important legal document that all adults should have to protect the assets they have worked hard to accumulate.

Making a will is a specialised task, often requiring consideration of complex financial, legal and tax issues to ensure that a person’s estate is distributed in accordance with their wishes.

During Wills Week, which begins on October 23, law firms around Canberra will be raising awareness of the importance of a will.

There are two “Wills and Decision-Making” sessions at the Hellenic Club, Woden, 6pm-8pm, on October 24, and at Ainslie Football and Social Club, 9.30am-noon, on October 26.

Bookings via ptg.act.gov.au

Estate planning is essential, says Barbara

IT’s absolutely essential that people decide what happens to their estate when they die rather than letting the law and legislation decide for them, says founder and principal of Campbell & Co. Lawyers Barbara Campbell.

your will or make a will, you’re leaving your family in a difficult position at a hard time,” she says.

can predict what will happen with your estate, which is why planning is essential.

people don’t know, is they have death benefits; so if they make a will, when they die their traumatised parents won’t

be left to clean up a mess.” Campbell & Co. Lawyers also offer services that help remove people from social media sites after they die.

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Wills are powerful, get one, urges Ashilpa

PEOPLE don’t realise how powerful of a document a will is, says Ashilpa Khanna, of Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators.

“A will that is well drafted can give effect to the wishes of the deceased,” she says.

Ashilpa Khanna.

“It’s important to understand how a will works and also the legal technicalities of drafting a good will.”

If a person doesn’t have a will,

once they die their estate is left to be governed by the law.

“Under normal circumstances the estate will go to their partner and/or children. However, that is not the case if the deceased had no partner or children or had estranged relationships during their life,” Ashilpa says.

Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, First Floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Email enquiries@chsol.com.au, call 6152 9203 or visit chsol.com.au

Are you in a dispute with your former partner about property or parenting? Do you want to try settling without going to court?

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Reborn Melba supermarket goes big on value

UNDER new management, IGA X-press in Melba Court has changed everything from its appearance to products, giving the shop the benefits of a big supermarket.

IGA X-press now has a quality range of fruit, vegetables, meat and about 500 new products including vegan, vegetarian, organic and gluten-free items.

There are new specialty areas such as a barbecue section, for all barbecue needs, and a stationery section, so parents can stock up on school and home-office needs locally.

Owner Krish Brahmbhatt says another big-store benefit is it’s not overpriced and it comes with free and convenient parking.

“I want to change the perception that a small shop is expensive because it doesn’t have to be,” he says.

“Customers shouldn’t be paying an arm and a leg for convenience, products should be convenient and reasonable.

“I want to support the local community and, in turn, I would like them to have the desire to support me, but not because they have to, because they want to.

“I’d like to spark a community feel in Melba Court and see locals not only supporting my business but also the family-owned businesses surrounding me.”

IGA X-press shares the centre with a Chinese restaurant, Fortune Cookie, a butcher, Latham Independent Meats, an Indian restaurant, Laziza House – as well as a hairdresser and a takeaway store.

Krish says he would like to see a stronger “local feel” where everyone is on a first-name basis.

“I’ve employed two Melba locals and if any kids from the local high schools want work experience, I will train them up and give them paid work experience,” he says.

“Another point of difference is we will be doing home deliveries at no cost to the elderly people in Melba who find it difficult to do their shopping.

“I personally don’t want to make money from somebody in need of delivery. Doing free delivery is just part of the customer service that I believe in.”

In coming months IGA X-press will introduce a loyalty program where every dollar spent will earn points that will go towards a future discount.

And to make things even more affordable, IGA X-press takes part in “price matching”.

“Even though it’s optional, we have chosen to participate in ‘price matching’, which looks at Coles and Woolworths and matches the lowest price,” he says.

On top of IGA X-press’ weekly specials, the Local Liquor area inside the store runs “Price Vice” specials on its huge range such as organic, preservative-free and local wines.

NICHOLE OVERALL

YESTERDAYS

• An excellent refresher course

• Riders do all exercises at their own pace

• 3 hour theory night held from 6pm the night before*

The MASTERS course is tailored to the needs of long-term licensed riders from the ACT and surrounding region, who have not had any formal rider training in the last 10-15 years and want to return to motorcycling after a lengthy break.

The practical day covers safe, defensive riding techniques. Each exercise is preceded by an explanation and demonstration of relevant techniques for safe riding.

The ACT Government subsidised cost of the course is $150.

* Theory night held at: Stay Upright, 65 Hincksman Street, Queanbeyan

Time to plan for holidays

AS the days grow warmer, now’s the time to book a south-coast getaway.

Visitors can enjoy time out in the sun, with lots of swimming and siestas, or try something new, which is bound to get the heart racing.

Luxury family holiday down by the beach

ANYTIME of year is perfect for a relaxing getaway to Lilli Pilli Sublime, says its owner and manager Angela.

And now, with a mid-week special for “CityNews” readers, visitors can enjoy it for less – outside of the Christmas peak period.

With the end-of-year school holidays ahead families, couples and friends can escape Canberra, sit back, relax and take in the sounds of nature at the luxury beach house.

Situated only five minutes’ drive from the heart of Batemans Bay, Lilli Pilli Sublime is a spacious, single-level, four-bedroom luxury beach house that can accommodate eight people.

Everything has been thought of at Lilli Pilli Sublime, from its free wifi and Foxtel to full provision of linen and beach towels.

“It’s just a matter of packing the bags and heading down,” Angela says.

“We’re pet friendly, too, so you don’t have to leave your dog in a kennel or with your neighbour.”

Angela says there’s a local vet who runs a “doggy daycare” in case owners want to go on a day trip.

Seeing the sea from a seaplane

THERE’s no better view of the Batemans Marine Park than from one of Tim Gilbo’s seaplanes.

Tim, the managing director and chief pilot of South Coast Seaplanes, says the flights change anyone’s perspective of the world.

“So much goes on in the Batemans Marine Park with the whales, sea life and dolphins,” he says.

“People get a great view of it all from about 1000 feet in the air, but the experience is also very unique. Taking off and landing on water gives you a sense of freedom you don’t get with regular land planes.”

South Coast Seaplanes not only does scenic flights but it also drops people off to have picnics in secluded places, drops people off at restaurants or sand bars and teaches people to fly seaplanes.

“Most people who know how to fly an aeroplane at some stage want to learn how to fly a seaplane,” he says.

“They can get their ‘FLP’ – float endorsement – with me on a beautiful plane, or take part in a refresher course.

It’s also close to the Mogo Zoo, cafes, specialty stores, local beaches and bush tracks.

Angela says for families, the kids can be fully occupied with its rumpus room with games and snooker table, while parents can enjoy quiet time in the outdoor entertainment area.

“There’s a lot to do at Lilli Pilli Sublime, whatever the weather,” she says.

The property can cater to family members of all ages with a cot and baby items. Its entertaining area has a full outdoor kitchen.

It also has a DVD collection, library and a Nespresso coffee machine, and it’s also pet-friendly on application for well-mannered pets.

Angela can also arrange romantic getaway packages, dining packages, beauty packages and can help organise other activities including fishing, golf, surf school and kayaking.

Email lillipillisublime@me.com,call 0412 800857 or visit to find out more.

“Our Maule M5 and M7 aircraft are an ideal platform for both the beginner and the more experienced float pilot, with exceptional performance on and off the water, and the capability to operate in confined areas.

“We take a practical approach to float training and like

South Coast Seaplanes. Call 1300 359356, email admin@southcoastseaplanes.com.au or visit southcoastseaplanes.com.au

A superb, one-of-a kind getaway IN A UNIQUE LOCATION

Weekend special:

Book a weekend getaway and we will add an extra night on your stay for free!

(3 nights for the cost of 2).

Midweek specials:

(Sunday - Thursday nights):

3 nights: $900 ($300 p/n)

4 nights: $1000 ($250 p/n)

Mention this ad to receive a complimentary gift

Specials are available for bookings made from today and do not include Peak periods such as 15 Dec- 31 Jan, public holidays and school holidays.

Lilli Pilli Sublime is a destination unlike any other. We offer holiday accommodation in a spacious, delightfully decorated 4 bedroom house with rumpus/games room, and a Moroccan themed outdoor kitchen area with BBQ.

LPS is nestled in the stunning surrounds of Lilli Pilli Beach Estate in an idyllic position overlooking natural bush land on the outskirts of Batemans Bay, NSW. For families, couples, executives or anybody who needs to get away from it all, relax and wind down, LPS offers something special. We provide WiFi, Foxtel with all channels, Xbox 360 with games, Nespresso Coffee Machine, linen including beach towels and baby

items. We accept our guests well mannered dogs on application.

The LPS vibe is very much a tropical one with its hot and cold private outdoor shower. Its Bali inspired garden adds a touch of paradise and is pleasantly styled with Asian stone sculptures, fountains and bamboo. Guests can enjoy the many beaches in the area; Lilli Pilli Beach is just a 300 m walk. Take in the fresh ocean air and sounds of the wildlife.

Luxury comfort and style - these are the three principles upon which the hosts have built the LPSublime experiences.

BOOMING IN BELCONNEN

From farmland to thriving hub of the north

COMPRISING 25 suburbs surrounding the Belconnen town centre and the Ginninderra Lake, Belconnen is the most populated district of the ACT.

Originally farming land, Belconnen was developed in 1966, with Aranda as its first suburb.

Now Belconnen, as we know it, is a thriving hub for North Canberrans, with so much to offer residents and visitors.

CARTRIDGE World in Belconnen is always striving to have the best value for its customers, says owner Shirley Arrow.

Shirley and her husband Noel opened Cartridge World in Belconnen, and in Queanbeyan, in 2001 when it was still a reasonably new and original Australian company.

“Our core business was to refill ink and recharge toner cartridges,” she says.

“The idea is that people would save money but also the environment would benefit.”

While Cartridge World still has these services, it also has its own brand of compatible cartridges, which is a cartridge that isn’t manufactured by a certain printer brand but will still work in the same way.

Cartridge World stocks top-quality inkjet and laser toner printer cartridges that are compatible with all of the leading printer brands such as HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Brother and Samsung.

Being a family-owned, local business, Shirley and Noel always enjoy seeing people come through the door and are happy to answer any questions.

Cartridge World, 52 Weedon Close, Belconnen. Call 6253 3822 or visit cartridgeworld.com.au

FOR the last 30 years Lake Ginninderra College has offered a supportive and high-achieving environment for Belconnen students.

And since partnering with elite athletes from the AIS in its opening year, the college has pursued excellence for all of its students with a comprehensive array of programs.

This includes developing alternative academic programs, working closely with the University of Canberra to train future teachers, supporting students online to graduate with an ATAR, running profession ally produced live musical shows, supporting athletes to complete college while they simultaneously lay the foundations of a sporting career through the AIS, innovative support for students with identified disability to ensure successful completion of the Senior Secondary Certificate and leading the future of vocational training for the Belconnen network as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).

Alumni as diverse as Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Sam Prince (Zambrero founder and philanthropist) and Lauren Jackson (Australia’s most decorated basketball player) show a small insight of the impact of the college on student lives.

UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, 2 Emu Bank, Belconnen. Call 6142 0222, email LakeG@ed.act. edu.au or visit lakeonline.act.edu.au

“We

BOOK Passion at the Belconnen Markets is a locally owned bookshop with hand-picked titles that are carefully chosen to appeal to the young, the old and everyone in between.

Book Passion has a great range of books for children, as well as contemporary fiction and eclectic non-fiction.

If it doesn’t have what a customer wants in stock, Book Passion will order it if it’s currently in print.

Book Passion’s Leisha Sutton is a self-confessed bibliophile who handpicks all the stock with a focus on remaindered books that, she says, means great savings for customers.

At the shop and on the Book Passion website there is a wide range of titles. Call into the shop or email Leisha if you would like recommendations for the best reads in the genres you love. Just let her know what you have read recently and enjoyed, and let her do the rest.

Book Passion, Shop 35, Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, 1 Lathlain Street, Belconnen. Call 6251 0116, email leisha@bookpassion.com.au or visit bookpassion.com.au

School thrives on community links

SITUATED on Lhotsky Street in Charnwood, the parish school of St Thomas Aquinas West Belconnen shares its strong community feel with its surrounding suburbs, says principal Cameron Johns.

“We’re an inclusive school, open to all students and we’re all about raising students’ achievements, whether they’re academic, social or sporting,” he says.

“We have a very diverse learning team and the teachers work with all students, whether they’re gifted, find learning hard or are somewhere else on the spectrum.”

And, as part of St Thomas Aquinas’ “community feel”, it does its best to engage the parent community and give them a say, too.

St Thomas Aquinas is modelled after its patron saint of the same name, who is the saint for education and learning.

This is why St Thomas Aquinas caters for a diverse range of learning needs and offers lunchtime clubs such as STEM clubs, book clubs, chess clubs and art clubs.

With a strong art focus, St Thomas Aquinas has a specialist arts teacher, who teaches visual and performing arts, a guitar teacher for years 4 and 6 and a Spanish teacher for all years.

St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, 25 Lhotsky Street, Charnwood. Call 6258 4077 or visit staquinas.act.edu.au

advertising feature

Injury inspires a career of care

AFTER a lower-back injury as a teenager, Mark Tapper moved from wanting to study psychology and instead a new desire to become a chiropractor and osteopath was born.

Amazed by his speed of recovery, Mark, the practice principal of the Belconnen Chiropractic Centre, is now helping patients do the same.

“Mark’s very much into a holistic approach, his services aren’t just treatment based,” says practice manager Eunice Bowman.

“We get a lot of referrals because of the results from Mark and the other practitioners.”

Mark’s greatest passion is helping and teaching people how to take care of their spine and nervous system, which will minimise damage to their spine and brain.

He educates his patients on areas such as posture, correct movement and lifting techniques, exercise, stretching, diet, meditation and brain rehabilitation advice (neuroplasticity) in order to maximise their health potential while minimising reliance on treatment.

But the Belconnen Chiropractic Centre and its other practitioners offer many other services such as massage therapies, dry needling, exercise rehabilitation, stretching, posture training and gait analysis.

“Everybody is treated as an individual because one size does not fit all,” Eunice says.

“We listen to each person’s individual needs rather than treating everyone the same.”

Belconnen Chiropractic Centre, 84 Emu Bank, Belconnen. Call 6251 1133 or visit belconnenchiropractic.com

How’s

Belconnen Chiropractic can help with the following services:

• Chiropractic

• Osteopathy

• Functional neurology

• Therapeutic massage

• Remedial massage

• Sports rehabilitation

Our professional staff have been helping Canberrans for over 37 years. We treat many types of conditions especially head, neck, back and sporting pains and injuries.

Remember that every bad back was once good!

You’re in great hands with Belconnen Chiropractic:

Dr Mark Tapper Chiropractor, Osteopath, Sports-Chiro, Neuro-Chiro

Dr Shaun Kim Chiropractor

Dr Charlotte McClure Chiropractor

Michael Greenwood Massage Therapist

Anna Clarke Massage Therapist

Don’t wait any longer phone us today on 6251 1133

84 Emu Bank, Belconnen www.belconnenchiropractic.com

Serving the community of West Belconnen including Charnwood, Dunlop, Macgregor, West Macgregor, Flynn, Fraser and Latham, the Parish School of St Thomas Aquinas seeks to live out our faith in response to the needs and challenges of the times. Our faith is important to us and underwrites all that we do.

At St Thomas Aquinas we will:

• Provide a stimulating and safe learning environment

• Challenge your child to be his or her best

• Cater for your child’s stage of development

• Teach values – Christian and caring attitudes

• Encourage collaborative learning & cater for different learning styles

• Make effective use of Information and Communication Technologies

• Teach Spanish Language and Culture

• Encourage leadership development

• Provide enrichment, through Sport, Music & Dance

• Provide the fullest potential for each child – spiritual, intellectual, physical and cultural

BOOMING IN BELCONNEN advertising feature

Tea party for little Beanie Boo fans

LOCATED in Westfield Belconnen, newsX press has been serving as a specialty store and newsagent for about 11 years.

The store is part of newsXpress, a group of Australian independent retailers specialising in quality gifts, homewares, greeting cards, collectables, toys, stationery, ink and magazines.

Part-owner Narelle Dixon says it stocks a lot of gifts for milestone events such as weddings, confirmations and communions.

“We’re always looking for something different and we stock some lovely religious gifts such as crosses and saints,” she says.

The store also sells “world-class” brands such as Funko Pop! Vinyls, Ty Beanie Boos, Teeny Tys, Funko Mystery Minis, Willow Bears, Charlie Bears, Hallmark cards and John Deere toys.

The shop will hold a Halloween Beanie Boo tea-party for children and young adults on October 28 and Narelle says parents can drop off their children and go have a coffee nearby and know they’re in a safe environment.

“There will be games, colouring competitions, cupcakes, lollies and entertainment,” she says.

“We’ll run specials on the day and kids can come dressed as their favourite Beanie Boo.”

Halloween Beanie Boo tea-party, October 28, 10am-2pm, newsXpress, Shop 114, Westfield Belconnen, Benjamin Way. Call 6251 4300.

Suzie has a cool approach to weight loss

SUZIE Heath, the owner of Canberra Weight Loss Health Centre, has a “getout-of-jail-free card” called fat freezing, which helps her clients get rid of fat without any exercise.

Suzie says fat freezing is the newest breakthrough in “cold sculpting science”.

“Our procedure is efficient, non-invasive and utilises a precise and controlled cooling device to remove stubborn fat, which is designed to only destroy fat cells and not harm the skin or other tissue,” she says.

“There is no down time with our procedure and our chosen brand of cold-sculpting machine is the latest technology in this area.”

Suzie, who has used the treatment on herself, says it gets fast and long-term results.

The treatment targets fat bulges, eliminates fat cells and reduces the fatty tissue layer safely, on both men and women.

Suzie, who offers a high-quality service in a safe environment, says there’s no other service like this in Canberra, especially not at her affordable prices.

Canberra Weight Loss Health Centre, 7 Hirschfeld Crescent, Macgregor. Call 0410 485916, email info@ CanberraWeightLossCentre.com.au or visit canberraweightlosscentre.com.au

BOOMING IN BELCONNEN

Health help in a calm environment

THE CARM Therapies clinic opened at Higgins shops in early 2016, after Emily and Kingsley Avery decided to combine their skills, turning it into an allied health space.

The clinic specialises in acupuncture and remedial massage, and almost two years on now offers yoga and meditation classes and has a resident naturopath sharing the space on Thursdays.

“Our team are all highly qualified, experienced and friendly, and we all love what we do,” Emily says.

“We promote an environment that is both professional but relaxing, and encourage all our clients to be proactive in their treatment and recovery via education and support.

“We specialise in treatments for pregnancy, chronic pain and general wellbeing.”

CARM Therapies, Shop 5 Higgins Place, Higgins. Call 6278 7302 or visit carmtherapies.com.au

Agents with a long history of service

LJ HOOKER Belconnen has been growing with the district since it began 39 years ago, making it one of the longest-running real estate agents in the area, says franchise principal Dennis Vlandis.

Dennis, who has been with LJ Hooker Belconnen for 37 years, says he has enjoyed being part of a service to over 20,000 clients and customers.

“We’re now concluding four decades of service under the same ownership, with several of our team members still on board after 10 or 20 years,” he says.

“This means we’re now serving the children and the grandchildren of our earliest clients.”

Dennis says the benefit of dealing with LJ Hooker Belconnen is that it has a long track record of consistency, industry knowledge and repeat and referral business.

“We take great pride in assisting the greater Belconnen community and its property investors, owners and tenants,” he says.

“There’s always someone new coming into the real estate industry but we’ve made the transition of four decades and we know Belconnen.

“It’s a flourishing and growing area, which is close to Canberra’s CBD, it’s a university and sports hub with Radford College, the University of Canberra, the AIS and the new training hospital.” LJ Hooker Belconnen, 21 Benjamin Way, Belconnen. Call 6251 1477 or visit belconnen.ljhooker.com.au

EXPERTS IN FITNESS

The many ways of being fighting fit for summer

AS we shake off winter, many people come out of exercise hibernation, resolving to get their “beach bodies” back.

This week we feature a selection of high-quality options for getting fit effectively and safely.

Andrew sees wellness as the way forward

WHILE working as a doctor, Andrew Morris became disillusioned believing medicine should be focused on preventative health and how to better support people to regain health.

At the time, Andrew’s wife Frederique suggested they start their own practice with this focus in mind and in 1996 Morris Wellness was born.

“Our practice has an intentional ‘non-medicalised’ feel, and was the first fully computerised practice in Canberra,” Frederique says.

“We wanted our clients to feel safe and comfortable, so we could work in partnership with them.”

Andrew is dedicated to helping his clients achieve mental and physical wellness, while Frederique possesses vast knowledge in the areas of professional coaching, holistic nutrition and preventative health.

After Andrew was diagnosed with skin cancers in 1999 Morris Wellness was the first practice in Canberra to offer computerised skin cancer screening.

“Since that time, Andrew has continually upgraded his knowledge and skills in the diagnosis, treatment and management of skin cancer,” Frederique says.

“We seek to help our patients get as independent as possible with their health, rather than become entangled in the health system, with the loss of autonomy that results.”

And, after a long, cold and gloomy winter, Frederique says now is the best time for a “spring clean” of one’s health in order to enjoy the long summer days ahead.

Morris Wellness, 1/6 Kennedy Street, Kingston. Call 6239 5881, or visit morriswellness.com.au or facebook.com/morriswellness1

‘Move’ with Anita’s aerobic classes

NEW to the sunny, east-facing studio at Core Essentials Pilates is its “Move” classes, which focus on cardio and aerobic fitness.

“Move”, run by Anita Markey, is a full-body workout, designed for anyone who wants to challenge their strength and co-ordination, balance and stability, while calming and focusing the mind.

This movement-and-dance-inspired class is grounded in controlled Pilates principles, fusing low-impact Pilates with dance cardio and small apparatus.

“Move” emphasises connection of the body and mind, appealing to a student’s physical and mental wellbeing.

As well as the “Move” classes, Core Essentials Pilates has a range of Pilates classes taught by its owner Sven Smith and senior instructor Cathie Raymond.

“The classes can help with bone density, strength, flexibility, blood flow, maintaining a good posture and quality of life,” Sven says.

With many classes, such as “Circuit Pilates”, “Mat” and “Reformer Pilates”, Sven says Core Essentials Pilates keeps its classes small and personalised.

Core Essentials Pilates, Level 1 / 14 Barker Street, Griffith. Email admin@coreessentialspilates.com.au, call 0488 349747, or visit coreessentialspilates.com.au

• Prevent Injuries

• Correct Muscle Imbalance

Fernwood puts women first

WHEN it comes to making exercise a priority Fernwood offers all the support needed to actually achieve it.

Fernwood’s goal is to give women the confidence they need to succeed in all they do.

Seeing its members achieve their goals, and hearing their amazing stories, inspires Fernwood to continue delivering world-class health clubs and programs to women across Australia.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a community of like-minded women behind you,” says Lisa O’Brien, from Fernwood.

• Improve Sports Performance

• Strength & Toning

• Balance & Functional Movement

www.coreessentialspilates.com.au 0488 349 747

Level 1 / 14 Barker Street, Griffith Shops

Walking to good health

SPRING is the perfect motivator to make a fresh start on improving health, says Kristen Pratt of Capital Nordic Walking.

And to improve health, Kristen says rather than taking a road filled with fad diets, broken promises and neglected exercise equipment, people need to move more in an effective way, such as through Nordic walking.

“Nordic walking is one of the most conveni ent, affordable and fun ways to get fit,” she says.

“And, you can do it with friends. You simply walk out of your front door and do it anywhere that you enjoy walking.

“Nordic walking can burn twice as many calories as regular walking, strengthen your back, shoulders, arms and core and builds a beautiful upright posture. All the while taking the strain off knees and hips.”

And, Kristen says Nordic walking is “NOT” just for beginners, the elderly or the unfit.

“It can be done at any age and any level and is a fantastic, motivating workout for the super-fit as well,” she says.

Kristen, who is an occupational therapist and has a Certificate IV in Fitness, is experienced in working with people with a range of health challenges and fitness goals.

She encourages anyone to try it and says Capital Nordic Walking currently has places left in their Spring and Summer Nordic Walking Proficiency course.

Capital Nordic Walking, email hello@ capitalnordicwalking.com.au, call 0499 993215, or visit capitalnordicwalking.com.au Kristen Pratt, of Capital Nordic Walking.

CAPITAL NORDIC WALKING

October 28, from 7am-2pm. Visit curves.com.au/clubs-canberra

Melanoma is the most common life threatening Cancer in the 15 to 44 year age group.

At Morris Wellness, our Computer Assisted Skin Cancer Screening uses the latest in professional imaging systems for progressive early recognition of skin cancer.

Each mole is automatically analysed and a risk index generated.

Minimise the unnecessary excision of perfectly harmless moles and skin lesions.

Only 15 minutes to photograph and map all the significant skin lesions and moles on your body.

EXPERTS IN FITNESS advertising feature

Right time for getting fit and well

CIT Fit & Well is the fitness centre that’s open to the pub lic and offers gym-goers a range of equipment, group classes and personal training by industry professionals alongside CIT fitness students.

Offering modern fitness equipment and a new functional training area, the centre is open seven days a week.

“Spring is that time of renewal,” says Emily StewartReed, head of department, Health Services.

“People have been hibernating in winter… a time that exercise becomes one of the later things to think about.

“Although any time is a good time to get into exercise, what better time is there than spring?”

Fit & Well also offers a daily “Heart Health” class, which in partnership with the Heart Foundation, delivers a low-to-moderate intensity exercise program designed for people living with health conditions or those looking to get back into fitness.

“It’s also a great way to meet new people; it’s an incredibly social group,” Emily says.

“There’s no thumping music, no lycra and no judging. A lot of our members have been coming for years.”

Other classes on offer are osteo-cise and yoga classes.

Fit & Well also has a massage clinic, which is 100 per cent student-based with supervision by a qualified health professional.

Sessions include a thorough assessment and treatment based around a person’s specific needs. The clinic is open until November 29, on Tuesday, 2.45pm5pm, Wednesday mornings, 9am-11am, or Wednesday afternoons, 2.45pm-5pm. Cost is $35 per one-hour treatment. EFTPOS/card payments only.

CIT Fit & Well and CIT Student Massage Clinic, CIT Bruce. Visit cit.edu.au/fitness or call 6207 4309.

IN FITNESS advertising feature FEATURE

Hands-on help with pain and injury

THE inviting weather of spring and summer can inspire people to become a lot more active, which could lead to aches and pains, says Hands-On Physiotherapy’s practice manager Liz Kell.

With the team’s “hands-on” approach, Liz says they’re committed to helping people manage acute and chronic occupational, musculoskeletal and sports injuries.

But, being one of Canberra’s original hand specialists, it also offers hand therapy following injury or surgery as well as management of Occupational Overuse Syndrome (RSI) and chronic conditions, including pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

“We can treat or manage injuries including sports injuries, wrist and finger fractures, elbow fractures,

carpal tunnel syndrome, joint replacements in the hand, wrist or elbow, nerve entrapment syndromes and osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritic conditions,” she says.

“We also fabricate static and dynamic splints for our clients as required by their treating surgeons or condition management.

“We have experience with Graded Motor Imagery in the management of phantom pain, chronic pain, CRPS and post trauma.”

Hands-On Physiotherapy, 1/43 Mawson Place, Mawson. Call 6286 6467, email admin@hands-onphysiotherapy. com.au or visit hands-onphysiotherapy.com.au

Food-waste campaigns are missing the point

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigns often appeal to our emotions: they ask us to care. They implore us to feel a sense of connection, empathy and stewardship, and then to alter our behaviour as a result.

In relation to food waste, this could mean anything from not pouring oil down the sink so as to protect ocean habitats, to keeping methane-emitting organic waste out of landfill.

About one-third of the world’s food goes to waste. We know that this squander is bad for social, economic and environmental reasons, yet still it happens.

But my recent research (publication pending), which looks at how food surplus is managed in homes, found that in many households food wastage is not due to people being unthinking, unskilled or uncaring over-consumers. Instead, it is a product of our (largely reasonable) hierarchies of care: we actively prioritise the health and well-being of our family and friends.

For example, leftovers may go to waste because of health concerns about freezing and reheating certain foods, or the need to eat them within particular time frames.

Many parents with young children (in line with parenting and dietary advice) want to give their kids a wide variety of fresh, nutritious food. This means not feeding them the limp veggies lurking at the bottom of the crisper and avoiding meat that may have crept past its use-by date.

As well as feeling a strong obligation to their family’s immediate concerns, many people I survey and interview are frustrated by a lack of appropriate infrastructure to help keep food waste out of landfill. As a consequence, campaigns that focus on mobilising people to “care more” about the environment may actually be preventing – or at least limiting – the focus on more urgent problems.

About one-third of the world’s food goes to waste. We know that this squander is bad for social, economic and environmental reasons, yet still it happens.

wrapped in huge lengths of cling wrap.

Food enters the waste stream not because we don’t care, but because we actively prioritise other things such as our family’s health and because of authorities’ failure to provide infrastructure to address the problem.

While care for the environment is rarely front and centre in people’s decision-making about food waste (being secondary to health considerations), my research suggests that people will happily use schemes to keep food waste out of landfill, as long as they are simple, efficient, and mess free.

Such schemes could include regular collection of the waste by local councils, including provision of receptacles that fit into kitchens and minimise mess and smell through the use of biodegradable bags (as used in a recent successful trial by Lake Macquarie Council). Community composting initiatives, commonly centred around community gardens, also have potential, as does the use of private companies, particularly for servicing businesses.

In my work with households involved in some of these initiatives, all were enthusiastic about having their food waste being repurposed into compost to nourish new life.

But most urban Australian households either can’t or won’t compost at home and this is unlikely to change no matter how much we urge the public to care for the environment.

FAST NEWS FIRST

The implication that waste results from a lack of care reinforces a neoliberal approach that blames consumers. This is evident in the most well-known food waste reduction campaign, Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW), which originated in Britain and has been imported to NSW and Victoria.

The NSW LFHW website implores us to care for food, in turn promising that we can “waste less food, save money and our environment”. The suggested strategies include meal planning and leftover recipes. These could be useful for some people, but many consumers are already using these techniques. They know how to reuse food and consciously attempt to avoid overbuying.

In the few research studies that have looked in detail at the passage of food into and out of homes, all found that householders carefully monitor and manage fresh foods. Generally speaking, people aren’t adding organic waste to landfill through a lack of care for the environment.

Many of my participants said they want to reduce waste but find it difficult to buy small amounts of fresh food from supermarkets, where such products are often pre-packaged. Many people were also concerned about overpackaged items, such as half a cauliflower

This illustrates why focusing solely on making people “care” is unlikely to reduce household food waste as much as we would like. Instead, we must reduce food waste in landfill by providing infrastructure that drives widespread behavioural change. Put simply, we need to expand our toolkit.

Many people already care about food waste, but they care about other things, too, such as health and hygiene.

By giving consumers a simple way to deal with food waste rather than throwing it into the bin, we can reduce landfill without asking people for unrealistic compromises about their food habits. To really drive behavioural change, perhaps what we need to promote is not care but the infrastructure that makes caring convenient.

Dr Bethaney Turner is an assistant professor in International Studies at the University of Canberra.

This article was originally published on The Conversation website (theconversation.com)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Helen Musa

“THE word is heard” – remember that phrase, you read it first here.

It’s the catch-cry of Tobias Cole’s ambitious Canberra company Handel in the Theatre, which is bringing the words and music of a great composer to life on stage, in English.

Now Cole is embarking on a full production of Handel’s quasi-opera, “Esther”, which has probably never before been performed as a staged opera since the composer’s plans fell foul of the Bishop of London’s ban on staged biblical stories.

When “Esther” surfaced as an oratorio in 1732, the celebrity castrato Senesino played the king in plain clothes and made such a mess of the English language one observer said: “It might as well have been Hebrew”.

That won’t happen at The Playhouse, mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell assures “CityNews” because director Cole has impressed upon them that the principle of “the word is heard” must be viewed by all singers as no less than the Holy Writ.

Russell has been cast in the intriguing “pants role” of the political agitator, Mordecai, and she couldn’t be happier. Pant roles – women playing men – are a common joke in opera, but it is unknown in oratorio, where theatrical verisimilitude is absent.

But with a cast of seasoned operatic

THEATRE

Heard is the word when it comes to Handel

Popular return of the silly Mechanicals

By Helen Musa

THE SA Theatre Company is coming to The Playhouse soon with a very silly play, “The Popular Mechanicals”, directed by Sara Giles.

The Mechanicals are the Athenian tradesmen from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” who put on the play “Pyramus and Thisbe” for the king’s wedding.

There’s Peter Quince the carpenter, Snug the joiner, Nick Bottom the weaver, Francis Flute the bellowsmender, Tom Snout the tinker and Robin Starveling the tailor.

In 1987, at Belvoir Theatre, actordirector Geoffrey Rush got together with writers Tony Taylor and Keith Robinson, with a bit of help from William Shakespeare, to concoct one of the most hair-brained plays ever to grace the Australian stage.

In it, we see those world-famous amateurs, the Athenian Mechanicals, as they prepare themselves for the “tedious brief scene of young Pyramus and his love”.

In the original Shakespeare we see them behind-the-scenes too, rehearsing their lines deep in the forest, but Rush and his players took it to even greater extremes, putting together a cocktail of vaudeville, slapstick, stand-up comedy, bad

Coming soon... The SA Theatre Company’s production of “The Popular Mechanicals”.

puppetry and fart jokes. So if it was all that funny, why haven’t we seen it here before?

The answer is, we have, staged by Carole Woodrow’s Canberra Theatre Company in the old Playhouse during March 1990.

And what a line-up of talent it was – the late character actor Ron Hill played Bottom; present-day

Melbourne Theatre director Tom Healey played Flute; Angus Strathie, who went on to do the costumes for Baz Luhrmann’s “Strictly Ballroom”, designed the show and comedianturned union organiser Michael White performed his theatrical swansong as Snug.

Our recollection is that it was unremittingly funny and with

actors such as Julie Forsyth, Nathan O’Keefe Holly Austin, Lori Bell, Charles Mayer and Rory Walker in the cast, it’s bound to be the same all over again.

“The Popular Mechanicals”, The Playhouse, November 1-4. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

him as a loving uncle and carer to Esther but as well, a savvy politician plotting his way to a positive outcome for his people. “Underhanded in a political way, Mordecai adores Esther but has manipulative power over her,” she says.

Handel politely passes over what Esther and Mordecai do to their former enemies, preferring to end on a triumphal note with a walloping choral finale “The Lord Our Enemy has Slain.”

While Russell is well aware that many Handel music tragics will be coming from interstate for this rare performance, she applauds Cole’s decision to hire professionals like herself, soprano Janet Todd as Esther, baritone David Greco as Haman who have broad backgrounds in opera, concert performance and recording.

Cole is mindful of the need for accessibility, so has modernised a few words, so that Asia becomes Persia and “propitious” becomes “kindly”. He also emulates that smart 18th century businessman Handel, by throwing in the anthem, “Zadok the Priest”. But it won’t be the beauty of the voices alone that will create the sense of “rapture” Cole wants. Above all, in the coming performance of “Esther”, will be the text – the word will be heard.

Handel’s “Esther”, The Playhouse, October 28 at 7.30pm and October 29 at 2pm. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

The muted turmoil that’s testing Thomas

“The Only Living Boy In New York” (M) DO you ever wonder about your parents’ lives before you were born?

That question waits beneath the surface of Allan Loeb’s screenplay for director Marc Webb’s agreeably brief (89 minutes) filming of the story of a young New York man trying to find himself among job possibilities, parental influences, love and other fulfilments. When it comes to the surface, its impact may be astonishing but its delivery is muted, to an effect that doesn’t try to make us gasp.

The young man is Thomas (Callum Turner) whose father Ethan (Pierce Brosnan) is in publishing. Thomas’ friendship with Mimi (Kiersey Clemons) is nice but non-committed. Thomas’ mother Judith (Cynthia Nixon, whose portrayal of poet Emily Dickinson placed her in my personal pantheon of American actresses) doesn’t enjoy good health.

Kate Beckinsale plays Johanna whom we first see smooching in a restaurant with Ethan. Joanna’s independent spirit is a cover for repressed self-doubt. Her influence on Thomas is not what we expect. Or is it?

The best for last. As WF Gerald, Jeff Bridges once again delivers wisdom and emotional impetus both within the story and as the film’s narrator. WF intrudes on Thomas’ life without warning, without apparent reason. His wisdom is profound, his affection for Thomas doesn’t shy away from gentle disputation.

“The Only Living Boy In New York” is a

Callum Turner in the role of Thomas in “The Only Living Boy In New York”... a lovely, subtle, convincing, comfortable film delivering optimism, wisdom and family cohesion performed by a fine cast.

lovely, subtle, convincing, comfortable film delivering optimism, wisdom and family cohesion performed by a fine cast. What more could you ask for?

At Capitol 6, Palace Electric and Dendy

“The Mountain Between Us” (M) I SUSPECT that reading the first of Charles Martin’s 12 novels to be filmed will generate a more credible impression than does Israeli director Hany Abu-Assad’s film. And as I’ve not read it, that observation reserves judgement on J Mills Goodloe’s screenplay.

The plot is as old as talking movies, perhaps older. Two people, necessarily of different sexes, find themselves confronting

Duratone Hi-Fi PTY LTD

hi-fi

Cnr of Botany Street & Altree Court, Phillip

an unexpected crisis. Weather is causing cancellation of flights, leaving freelance news snapper Alex (Kate Winslet) desperate to get to her wedding. Neurosurgeon Ben (Idris Elba) has a patient awaiting his arrival to perform life-saving surgery. Ben overhears Alex hearing that bush-pilot Walter (Beau Bridges) might be able to take her. Alex agrees to share the flight with Ben. And it’s up and away for adventure, tribulation, danger, snow-covered mountains and suspense.

Because in flight, an unwellness conniption renders Walter unfit to fly. And that, for some unfathomable reason, leads the tail section to fall off the aircraft and the forward

ARTS IN THE CITY

section to come to rest halfway up (or down – you choose) a snow-covered peak, carrying Alex, Ben and Walter’s dog alive.

By the time the trio get to safety, they have endured privations that they always discover ways to relieve.

Well before the film reaches the point where the most cynical filmgoer can see exactly where the plot’s trying to reach, the cynics will have worked it out. The only remaining question is, how to get there?

In a sequence of incredible cliché, getting there waits too long to begin and, having begun, takes too long to roll the closing credits.

At all cinemas

“Good Time” (MA)

SPENDING 17 minutes setting up its message before the opening credits roll, “Good Time” is the work of co-directors the brothers Benny and Josh Safdie.

Josh also co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein. Benny plays the younger of two New York brothers who spend those 17 minutes trying to elude the cops after a bank heist that went phut.

While “Good Time” begins with a crime, that’s not the gravamen of its subsequent focus. Rather, it’s a sociological examination of bottom feeders in a community where poverty rules, intellect has never intruded,

emotion arises only when self-interest is challenged, violence is a natural part of life and lawbreaking is as normal as breathing.

After its 101 minutes runtime, my companion wondered what audience it was most seeking to reach. I opined that what I’d seen was a message movie reminding young people that lawbreaking is a poor career choice. But I wondered how many young people have enough smarts to get that message from a film that never lets up sending it.

Older brother Connie (a powerful performance from Robert Pattinson) spends the night trying to raise a bail bond to get younger brother Nick out of jail. Connie is terrified that confinement among real bad guys awaiting arraignment will be more than Nick’s autism can cope with.

Bottom line is that both brothers are born losers. Connie rushes among the city’s lower orders whose possibility of lending him $15,000 matches his own – zip, nada, zilch. The screenplay presents those characters forthrightly, reasonably, credibly, non-judgmentally. And unremittingly hopelessly. The supporting performances are first rate.

At Dendy

‘Table Manners’ brings a change in Tempo

TEMPO Theatre is taking a break from murder with its coming production of “Table Manners”, the hilarious first play in Alan Ayckbourn’s British trilogy “The Norman Conquests”. At Belconnen Community Theatre, October 20-28. Bookings to canberraticketing.com. au or 6275 2700.

SOPRANO Louise Keast’s Revival House Project will reach a new stage with a performance of Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” and Korngold’s “Unvergänglichkeit Op. 27” to film footage by Alex Hobba, shot during a recent residency in Germany. Keast will be joined by mezzo soprano Shikara Ringdahl and Mark Connors on piano. At the ANU Drill Hall Gallery, Acton, 7pm, Friday and Saturday, October 27 and 28. Bookings to trybooking.com or tickets at the door.

REAL life is centre-screen in this year’s impressive British Film Festi val. Opening night movie, “Breathe”, tells the true story of Robin Cavendish, paralysed by polio at the age of 28; “6 Days” is a thriller from NZ filmmaker Toa Fraser telling the true story of gunmen invading the Iranian embassy in London in 1980 and “Goodbye Christopher Robin” looks at the relationship between “Winnie the Pooh” author AA Milne and his real-life son, Christopher Robin. At Palace Electric, October

IN “Dancing Stories” choreographer Padma Menon will recreate the atmosphere of traditional temple community performances as she portrays legendary Buddhist and Indian characters such as Kali, Green Tara and Siva. “I am trying to take this kind of work out of theatres, and out of the context of art for art’s

a vegetarian Indian dinner. At the Currie Crescent Community Centre, Kingston, 7pm, Friday, October 27. Bookings to movingarchetypes. com.au or 0447 643646.

ANGELIC harp music from Meriel Owen is promised at the next “Sunday Afternoon Music by Lake Ginninderra”, at Belconnen Arts Centre, 2.30pm-3.30pm, October 22. A free event, families welcome.

THE Eighth annual “Come Alive Festival of Museum Theatre” features original Canberra plays by college and school students. This year the impressive line-up includes Lake Tuggeranong College’s “Jailbirds”, inspired by the Belconnen Remand Centre’s cell door in the collection of the Canberra Museum and Gallery and Canberra College’s dance piece inspired by Tom Bass’ statue of Ethos in front of the ACT Legislative Assembly. At the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre, October 23-28. Lunchtime performances are free, but bookings advised to canberratheatrecentre. com.au or 6275 2700.

The banquet treat that takes a bow

The restaurant is hugely accommodating with its set menus. One of our party doesn’t eat pork and Lilotang happily provided another option.

A BANQUET at Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, is a true treat. Set menus are a fab way to take an exciting journey through a style of cuisine. You just sit and enjoy.

Lilotang is part of the highly regarded Chairman Group, which includes Chairman and Yip, also at Burbury Hotel, Barton, and Lanterne Rooms, Campbell shops. And when in Hong Kong you can pay a visit to Chairman HK.

Lilotang specialises in contemporary Japanese cuisine. Its interior design and super-cool feel is contemporary, too, featuring funky artwork and polishedcement floors. The light-coloured pine sliding panels are on tracks and can be easily moved to configure different-sized spaces and semi-private dining sports. Smart design.

DANCE

each). We worshipped every dish (except for one) and the service in bringing out dishes at just the right time is a well-developed skill at Lilotang. The restaurant is also hugely accommodating with its set menus. One of our party doesn’t eat pork and Lilotang happily provided another option.

The tuna sashimi is to die for and so lovely with creamy avocado and wasabi soy. It sits beautifully

Next up was the poached ocean trout, another delectable dish. The grapefruit added lovely tang, the radicchio a lovely bitterness and the sweet pepper soy and wasabi mascarpone balanced all ele -

On stage, ballet’s big hits

By Helen Musa

CAPITALISING on Canberra’s insatiable appetite for classical dance, the Imperial Russian Ballet Company will be back this month with “A Festival of Russian Ballet”.

The 40-strong company, directed by former Bolshoi soloist Ged iminas Taranda, has been touring internationally since 1994 and has been seen here several times with full-length ballets.

However, this time they’re presenting a “three-hour ballet extravaganza” that mixes up the great hits of ballet and, according to Mexican-born soloist, Mayela Marcos, is “going to make you cry and laugh”.

For the last four years Marcos, who studied ballet as a hobby in her home country while she schooled then announced to her shocked family that she was going to be a ballet dancer in Russia, has since been studying with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, from which she received her master’s in February.

the-mouth chargrilled Scotch fillet with herb miso, spicy dried plum and Japanese spices.

Our least favourite dish was the last cab off the rank. The soup-like vegetable sukiyaki with slowcooked egg was slightly too sweet.

If you’re a sake fan (or expert), you’ll find premium brands on the menu. As with all Chairman operations, the wine list is a delight to read and makes choosing a challenge. The list is curated to marry well with the style of cuisine.

Gallaghers top the Challenge

THE Canberra District’s Gallagher Wines has won the best-wine award of the Canberra International Riesling Challenge with its 2017 Gallagher Riesling.

The wine was also named Best Dry Riesling, Best in Australia and Best Riesling from the Canberra District.

for a unique taste sensation. How can one go past a superb slow-cooked pork belly? This version is served with a refreshing cucumber and Japanese mustard mayo. Delish. Equally delish and as tender as could be was the melt-in-

The only part of the experience I wasn’t comfortable with was the clanging in the kitchen towards the end of our meal. The kitchen staff cleaning cutlery and tossing it into containers of some kind did my head in a bit. And it wasn’t the type of behaviour we had experienced throughout the meal. No doubt the kitchen staff weren’t aware, but I sure was. Still, I’ll be back… just at another table.

Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, Barton. Call 6273 1424.

Rieslings from seven countries – Australia, NZ, US, Germany, France, Hungary and the Czech Republic – were judged at this year’s Challenge which was held at Albert Hall.

Under the guidance of chairman of judges John Belsham, seven judges from Australia, the US and Germany and three associate judges, have tasted more than 500 wines over four days to find the best wines across a number of styles. The 2017 Challenge had a total of 519 entries. Judging resulted in 57 gold medals, 100 silver and 201 bronze being awarded. Will Gilbert, winemaker at Gilbert Family Wines in Mudgee,

A true enthusiast for the work of the company, Marcos describes the comic acting of the dancers in Act I, a scene from “Don Quixote”, as “really funny, they play with the audience” and praises the senior artists for their technical mastery. Coming from Mexico, she is especially excited about the colourful Spanish-style costumes for Act I. By contrast, the ballet Taranda has choreographed around Ravel’s work “Bolero”, she describes as “really dramatic”.

But her favourite is Act III, highlights from the world’s great ballets, including classical vignettes from “Giselle”, “Swan Lake” and “Le Corsaire” and some more modern dance works such as “Ne Me Quitte Pas” and “Can Can Surprise”.

For Marcos the standout is Taranda’s “Dance of the Horses,” choreographed to the music of Rossini’s “William Tell” overture after the choreographer saw the Melbourne Cup. What the dancers playing jockeys wear onstage owes something to the tutu, she says –“you will be amazed – it’s so cool”.

“A Festival of Russian Ballet”, The Playhouse, 8pm, Monday and Tuesday, October 23-24. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

GARDENING

MOTORISTS roaring along Hindmarsh Drive at Red Hill may not notice a great native climber that seems to have gone out of fashion.

The mass of purple on the left-hand bank towards Fyshwick is Hardenbergia violacea “Happy Wanderer”, in this instance used as a ground cover. Equally, it makes a great climber, traditionally used to grow over and disguise the outside dunny. It looks great on a trellis to screen that ugly, next-door shed.

A hardy evergreen, it grows three to five metres tall with a similar spread and a mass of violet flowers. There is also a white-flowering variety.

A smaller version is H.v. “Minnie Ha Ha” bred originally by an American nursery and readily available here. Growing to just one metre by one metre, it would be perfect on a frame on a townhouse balcony.

OFTEN mistaken as a native climber, the evergreen Clematis armandii is in fact a native of China and, when in flower, appears to be

covered in snow, hence one variety is called C.a. “Snowdrift”.

Named after Jesuit missionary and plant collector in China Armand David (1826-1900), it’s a vigorous climber, as can be seen with the photograph I took a couple of weeks ago at Heritage Nursery. It can grow up to six metres with a similar spread, making it ideal to disguise a water tank.

I HAVE brought back some select ed seeds from a recent visit to the UK. Importantly, I declared them at quarantine. There was no problem as they were from worldwide seed company Thompson and Morgan and in their original packets with the full botanical name.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some people hide seeds in luggage or think it’s okay to bring in seeds, maybe gathered from a friend’s garden.

Along with NZ, we have some of the toughest quarantine regulations in the world and rightly so. Anyone in doubt about bringing seeds or plant material into the country should declare them. Environmental and noxious weeds snuck into the

country over the years have cost our agricultural industry dearly.

packing cases. It would be disastrous if the elm or ash tree problems got here, which is why the work of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service is vital.

Jottings…

The Horticultural Society’s outstanding, annual Iris, Rhododendron and Azalea Show will be held at the Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, noon-5pm on Saturday, October 28, and 11.30am-3.45pm the following day. Entry by donation.

The annual Bundanoon Garden Ramble is on again over the weekend (October 21-22). More information at budanoongardenramble.org.au.

My last column featured the new dwarf clematis that grows to only about a metre tall. Some readers have wondered if the flowers were also smaller. No, only the growth is dwarf, the flowers are full size.

• Time to plant dahlia and potato tubers.

THERE are two major pest problems that affect trees that must be kept out of Australia at all costs.

The first is Dutch elm disease.

The beetle that spreads the disease is now in Australia, but not the disease itself. It has destroyed more than 15 million elm trees in Britain alone.

The second is a new disease in Europe that’s affecting ash trees to the extent that 95 per cent of Britain’s 80-90 million ash trees are predicted to be wiped out by fungal ash dieback disease combined with the emerald ash borer beetle. This beetle is native to Asia and could get into Australia, for example via wooden

• Use Velcro re-usable plant tape to train clematis on wires or lattice before it gets out of control. Available from most garden centres.

• There’s a full range of Diggers Seeds available at Heritage Nursery,

PUZZLES PAGE

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

It’s time to replace confrontation with co-operation! With Venus and Mars moving through your relationship zone, the more you focus on the needs of loved ones the happier everyone will be. And the more proactive you are about finding win-win solutions to partnership problems (whether romantic or platonic) the more harmonious life will be. So your motto for the moment is from Scorpio writer Robert Louis Stevenson: “Compromise is the best and cheapest lawyer.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

With Venus and Mars both visiting your wellbeing zone, be proactive about finding a fitness routine that keeps you motivated. And choose healthy food options that you actually enjoy eating! Attached Taurus – are you stuck in a relationship rut? The Sun and Jupiter urge you to communicate with your partner in creative new ways. Single? Don’t be seduced by powerful pecs or a bulging bank balance. Look for lasting love with someone who has similar goals and values.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

This week you’re in the mood for fun, action and entertainment! But, in order to capitalise on the Sun-Jupiter energy surge, some forethought and planning are required. There’s just no substitute for thorough research and paying close attention to detail as perceptive Pluto helps you think deeply and Mercury helps you multi-task. So don’t waste the opportunity to be mega-organised and super productive, as you power through projects with extra focus and finesse.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

The planetary patterns promise a period of nurturing old friendships and establishing new ones. Creativity is high, so tap into the magical muse within. With Venus and Mars visiting your domestic zone, strive to be more proactive and diplomatic about a current family problem. Plus adjust your home/work ratio so it’s much more balanced and more family-friendly. Some domestically inclined Crabs are in the mood to decorate, renovate or cook up a storm at Casa Cancer.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

It’s one of your luckiest weeks of the year as Jupiter (planet of prosperity) links up with the Sun (your power planet). Domestic matters and relationships with family members should improve, as Jupiter blesses all things to do with your home life. Fun, festivities, learning and loving are especially favoured in your Lion’s den. You’ll find the more positive and proactive you are about “home sweet home”, the better you’ll feel. It’s also a wonderful week to buy or sell real estate.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

The Sun, Mercury and Jupiter encourage creative communication, as you expand your influence (especially via social media). Being confident is paramount, as you go after what you want with plenty of passion and pizazz. Venus and Mars promise an increase in cash flow – but be careful you don’t cancel that out by indulging in a spontaneous spending spree! You’re super perceptive on the weekend, when you solve a problem and pay close attention to important details.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Your Libran passion for fashion and addiction to romance are both magnified at the moment, as Venus and Mars move through your sign. So it’s a wonderful week to attend a fashion show; buy a fabulous new outfit; have a romantic rendezvous with your partner; or fall in love. But, when it comes to a business deal or a financial decision, don’t stress over minor details that don’t really matter. The Sun and Jupiter encourage you to think big as you plan for prosperous times ahead.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

This week prosperity and good humour planet Jupiter joins up with the Sun in your sign. So sarcasm and sulking are out, and buoyant joie de vivre is in! There’s much to look forward to as you attract good luck, acknowledge a success and/or celebrate a major milestone. It’s also time to be as proactive and positive as you can manage. So your mantra for the week is from Scorpio birthday great, painter Pablo Picasso: “One must act in painting as in life, directly.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians to the rescue! The generous Sun/Jupiter conjunction increases your enthusiasm for assisting those who are sick or in need. You’ll find the more you lend a hand to others, the better you’ll feel and the more friends you’ll make. With Venus and Mars visiting your peer group zone, your motto for the moment is from Scorpio writer Robert Louis Stevenson: “A friend is a gift you give yourself.” If you listen to your intuition on Thursday, good luck will follow.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

When it comes to work matters, Mars and Venus encourage you to balance being proactive and productive with being calm and cooperative. It’s also a good time to apply for a job or promotion; redecorate your work space; expand your business; or fall for a colleague. With the Sun and Jupiter joining up in your hopes and wishes zone, do your best to be bold about the future as you face your fears, follow your dreams, and take an adventurous leap into a brave new world.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

A lucky professional opportunity is heading your way but you must reach out and grab it or it will pass you by. Confidence is the key. Be inspired by birthday great, singer Katy Perry: “If you’re presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” Superficialities won’t work on the weekend! A problem requires a focused and forensic approach, as you get to the bottom of what’s really going on (and you may have to scrap a project and start from scratch).

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

The Sun and Jupiter activate your adventure zone. Many Pisceans are keen to travel, and the best time to take a heavenly holiday is between now and December 2. So start planning, booking and packing ASAP. Coupled Pisces – love and lust are in the air. Are you looking for love? With Venus and Mars visiting your intimacy zone, you need to be romantically proactive. If you are attracted to someone, then you’ll have to be bold and make the first move. Fortune favours the brave!

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2017

Across

1 What are remarks spoken in undertones? (6)

8 Name a particular spinal injury, usually in the cervical area. (8)

9 What do we call a pair of equal and opposite electric charges? (6)

10 Who carries out the provisions of a will? (8)

11 Name an Australian aviator and director of transport and tourist enterprises, Reginald ... (6)

12 Name a more common term for a cicatrix. (4)

13 The pips on the two opposite sides of a dice add up to which figure? (5)

16 What is an authoritative proclamation? (5)

19 What is another name for water? (4)

21 Who was the great-grandson of Noah? (6)

22 Name a legendary member of Jason’s band, in search of the Golden Fleece. (8)

23 Who was known as “the Little Digger”, William Morris ...? (6)

24 What is a plume of feathers arranged as a head ornament? (8)

25 Name the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (6)

Down

2 What do we call a particular branch of knowledge? (7)

3 Name the district, with its population, that falls under the pastoral care of a bishop. (7)

4 Which dish is served at the end of a meal? (6)

5 What is another term for a ghost, phantom, or the like? (7)

6 Name a cocktail, largely of gin with some dry vermouth, dry ... (7)

7 Which two-wheeled vehicle was used by the ancients? (7)

13 What are extended instrumental compositions, usually in several movements? (7)

14 Name the artist who signed his paintings with “Vincent”... (3,4)

15 Which other term is descriptive of governesses? (7)

17 What is an inferior deity called? (7)

18 Name an acute infective disease, often fatal. (7)

20 What do we call a hymn of patriotism? (6)

Election of 2017-19 Executive Committee for positions of Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and ordinary committee members • Wednesday 8th November 2017 at 6:30pm for 7:00pm • Venue Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre Function Room, Level 2, 180 London Circuit, Canberra City • Committee nominations close on COB Wednesday 1st November 2017

Melanie* was a paediatric nurse when she was involved in an motor accident that wasn’t her fault. She suffered serious injuries which required her to change career. Because she was injured in NSW, she didn’t receive adequate compensation. In the ACT Melanie would have been fully covered.

The ACT Government’s pilot citizens’ jury is currently considering how much compensation is fair for all Canberrans. Your rights will be decided over just a few weekends.

As a result of this process, you may lose your right to proper compensation.