Time Zed stood up against discrimination
MICHAEL MOORE
Rapper who puts young people first DANIELLE NOHRA
Josh Armstrong has a big decision to make TIM GAVEL
Putting wine pinks to the taste test
RICHARD CALVER
HELEN MUSA reveals the designer, artist, teacher, writer, historian and ‘new woman’, Eirene Mort
THE Yes result in the SSM postal survey, repeatedly described by PM Malcolm Turnbull as a “hugely historic moment”, has transformed a common roundabout in a former used-car precinct of Canberra into a major intersection of social change.
The rainbow roundabout at Lonsdale and Elouera Streets, Braddon – the hipster HQ of Australia’s gayest city – is a marketer’s dream. Poets and minstrels won’t flock to Braddon as they did to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in the ‘60s, but the pink dollar will certainly flow into the tills of local traders.
IT would seem a healthy cynicism still exists when it comes to pledges by politicians. Despite the emphatic “Yes” vote in the SSM postal survey, the widely praised “Yes” campaign conducted by Canberra Airport has been significantly ramped up. Just in case they’ve already forgotten, an electronic billboard at the entrance to the airport has a strong reminder: “WE SAID YES TO EQUALITY, politicians get it done”.
STILL at the airport, a local woman has been left wondering about its security when 20 minutes after leaving the terminal she realised she’d left her backpack behind. Returning, she was able to review CCTV footage that revealed an unknown male approach her luggage, unzip and inspect
its contents – including a pair of $600 headphones – and then walk out of the building with the backpack. Problem is the footage ends once the opportunistic thief walked through the airport’s doors providing no further clues as to his identity.
MLA Caroline Le Couteur wants to cleanse the capital of “loud” billboards. The Greens member for Murrumbidgee is keen for a Canberra denuded of the “visual” pollution that apparently comes with advertising hoardings.
The message from a recent ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry into billboards was loud and clear, she says: “We want fewer not more. This is the message of all but six of the 166 submissions to the inquiry and the nearly 800 people who signed a petition opposing billboards.”
AND “screaming” from a billboard soon may be the message that Ned & Josh – a couple of lads from the West – are taking over the Hit 104.7 breakfast slot suddenly
vacated by Ryan Jon and Tanya Hennessy recently. The new duo armed with “sharp wits and down-to-earth personalities” debuts on December 4 becoming the fourth on-air team since 2015 to coax sleepy Canberrans from their slumber.
STILL with “visual pollution” and that greater blot on the landscape: graffiti. Colourful murals mostly enhance the city but then there’s the amateurish scrawl growing like a filthy moss on fences and
A QUEANBEYAN man and his shed are the envy of men with sheds all round the nation. Chris Tregea , 62, is included in “The Block’s” Scotty Cam’s book “Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds”. Chris’s shed was built in the early ‘90s at the back of his new home to provide a space for him to restore ‘20s and ‘30s stationary engines. The retired electronics technician says: “You can do things that you wouldn’t normally do in the house”... such as “spray painting petrol tanks”.
OUT Yass way after the dust had settled from the rodeo and the cowboys had disappeared into the night locals were left grappling with the correct pronunciation of the word “rodeo”. Such was the angst in the village that the “Yass Tribune” ran an online poll on the accepted/correct way to pronounce the popular Wild West event. At last check, “roh-dee-o” was far more acceptable at almost 73 per cent whipping “roh-day-o” on 27 per cent.
buildings from one end of the city to the other. Though a small victory was reported recently when a notorious but non-creative northside tagger caught on CCTV was presented with “an offer he couldn’t refuse” by a business owner. The tag was removed by the tagger.
• Fabrics from sample size up to 3 mt long
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By Danielle Nohra
WITH a love for the popular Swedish music group, ABBA, “honorary Swede” Allison Pyke started the ABBA-influenced choir, the Andante Andante Choir, about 12 years ago.
After giving up her position as the president of the Canberra Scandina vian Australian Association in 2001, Allison wanted to do something more “ABBA-ish” but everything was online, which wasn’t for her.
“I couldn’t see the point of making relationships with people you’ll never get to meet,” says Allison, 49, of Bel connen.
The point for Allison was to get out and do something, while having fun, so she said: “Oh well, I’ll do it myself!”
“I toyed with the idea of a fan club but I thought what would we do? Talk about ABBA for an hour?” she says.
“I wanted to do something active and everyone loves singing ABBA, so I thought, ‘yeah let’s do it!’”
Allison still remembers the hype when ABBA first came to Australia in 1976 to promote their ‘77 tour, and says she has loved them ever since.
“You just get swept up into their music, it’s so upbeat and fun,” she says. “It’s very poppy and at the same time very serious.”
And what better way to have fun than to wear costumes inspired by the ABBA song “Money, Money, Money”, says Allison.
Sporting the same colours as the pop group once did, Andante Andante Choir members wear black clothes and a white feather boa, for the women, or a white scarf, for the men.
“We don’t read music, we learn it and sing it without the music in front of us.”
And, the best part is anyone can join, Allison says, members don’t need any singing experience.
But, like any choir, there’s four parts so don’t expect to belt out the melody, Allison says.
“When I sing the harmony I find it difficult because I’m so into ABBA, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite fun!”
While Andante Andante largely sings ABBA songs, they also take on songs that are ABBA related, such as music from “Chess”, which was written by ABBA singers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
The choir’s musical director Katie
So far, its biggest accomplishment was when the choir performed for the King and Queen of Sweden in 2005 at the Swedish embassy. Its next performance will be a Christmas fundraising event for Dainere’s Rainbow Brain Tumour Research Fund on Monday, December 4, from 8pm, at St Columba’s Uniting Church. To join visit andanteandantechoir.com
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TRUST in politicians and the political process seems at an all time low. However, it is set to take an even greater dive.
Unfortunately, ACT senator Zed Seselja is part of the team of ultra-conservatives who are undermining the recent vote and undermining the democratic stance taken against discrimination.
With a voluntary voting system, a voter turnout of more than 80 per cent and with three quarters of voters in Canberra voting in favour of same-sex marriage, you would hardly expect one of our senators to set about undermining the intention of the community and the outcome. This was, after all, a vote that most of us saw as nothing more than a sop by the Prime Minister to the very people who are now trying to undermine the outcome of the process they demanded. No wonder confidence in our politicians is at an all time low.
It is bad enough that we were forced to a vote on the matter, but now for the very people who have demanded the vote, to seek to introduce legislation to water down the concept, is an affront to the people of the ACT, Australia and an affront to our democratic processes. We expect more from an ACT senator.
No doubt there will be arguments about ensuring that legislation to allow same-sex marriage needs to have protections for religious freedom. Our discrimination acts already have appropriate protections in place and the legislation introduced by Senator Dean Smith (Liberal) is cognisant of these concerns. The arguments of this kind are really an attempt by those dissenters to distance themselves from the decision and to maintain the hard line the no campaign failed to get across the line.
This is a rear-guard action. No amount of pretence about increased protections for religious freedom will be able to hide their attempt to discriminate against people who are different from themselves.
Their actions are about increasing discrimination when voters made their intention very clear that discrimination, even on the issue of marriage, is simply unacceptable. The “Yes” vote had greater approval than any government elected within living memory and it was about ending discrimination.
Zed Seselja is part of the team of ultra-conservatives undermining the recent vote and undermining the democratic stance taken against discrimination.
Canberrans can be proud that their jurisdiction delivered the highest support for same-sex marriage. However, inner-city Melbourne and Sydney electorates delivered even higher support with those of Tanya Plibersek (Labor) and Adam Bandt (Greens) favouring same-sex marriage by more than 83 per cent. It is interesting that electorates with higher levels of education delivered much higher “Yes” votes than those of lower education and the highest “No” votes were often in Labor electorates. Overall though, nearly 90 per cent of electorates and all jurisdictions voted in favour of removing this discrimination.
Canberrans can also be proud of the leadership taken by our local ACT government and the majority of Assembly members as well as by corporations such as Canberra Airport which was very clear in its support for equality. Other than Senator Seselja, the ACT Federal representatives have been strong in their position of support for ending discrimination and we now need to be sure that the legislation itself delivers an end to the sort of discrimination that has been identified in this debate and that has plagued LGBTIQ people for so long.
Senator Seselja may well disagree with the outcome of the vote. But there is a higher-order issue that he should now recognise – the majority outcome is clear and he should be taking all actions appropriate to see that the intent of ending discrimination is delivered.
Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.
CANBERRA’S Josh Armstrong does a pretty good job at keeping things close to his chest; he is also one of the more composed 18-year-olds you are likely to come across.
It’s probably not a bad thing because his chosen field is golf; he is Australia’s top-ranked junior boy’s golfer and ranked eighth in the men’s amateur rankings.
With schooling at Burgmann College almost out of the way, his focus will now turn to making one of the biggest decisions of his life – stay as an amateur and head to one of the American colleges clamouring for him to be part of their programs or turn professional?
According to Josh: “There is not much difference between the amateurs and pros. Golf’s golf! But with the amateurs there is less going on around you.”
My observation is that the pro circuit can be a bit of a circus with managers, agents, sponsors and tournament organisers pulling players in different directions, coupled with the constant pressure of securing places in tournaments.
As an amateur, the players are left
to focus on the game itself. There is an element of purity in amateur golf. There is not the pressure created by the lure of playing for money.
On the other side of the coin, the financial appeal of turning professional can’t be easily discounted.
“You look at what a lot of guys have done, they were in a similar position to me,” says Josh.
“From that sense, it makes you want to turn pro pretty quickly.”
So, does he stay or does he go?
“Both are going to do wonders for my golf. I haven’t decided what I am going to do yet. I do have offers in the [United] States, but I feel comfortable here,” he says.
It is an old head that doesn’t rush into the attraction of turning professional straight away and Josh definitely has “an old head’.
“I need to make sure I am doing it properly,” he says.
There are plenty of players who have gone from college to the pros in the US. They start on the American minitours, which can
be costly. By some estimates it can cost about $50,000 to cover living expenses. For the PGA tour, the estimated cost is $110,000. However, with a couple of really good performances through the year, a player can easily cover the costs, but then there is the pressure of playing week-in-week-out to keep your tour playing card.
Josh has sought good advice, talking to Matt Millar at Gold Creek. He also spent time with Adam Scott and Jason Day in September while playing in the Junior President’s Cup in New Jersey.
Josh says: “There were things I learnt from those guys, it wasn’t necessarily just what they were saying, it was observing things I can implement and changes that I can make to improve.”
In many ways Josh has spent his life mining for improvements. He first held a golf stick as a one year old going on to win the Junior European Championship at 12 as well as the Australian Schools under-19 title. It’s been a breathtaking ride so far.
By his own admission Josh loves golf and is obsessive about the sport.
“There are times when I have to force myself to take a break for an hour or so,” he says.
“There are times when I go through a rough patch and have to grit my teeth. There are other times though when I am playing well and I just want to keep going. You have to be patient with golf.”
As he resists the temptation to rush into turning professional, it appears patience is one of his many virtues.
JO Forestier, long time Fellowship of Australian Writers’ member, presents a history of writers and writing in the Canberra area in the Friends’ Room of the National Library, 1pm, on Sunday, November 26. She will give personal glimpses of members’ activities and events over the 67 years that FAW has been active in the Canberra region. Founded in NSW by Dame Mary Gilmore in 1928, the aim of FAW is to provide opportunities for Australian writers, of all disciplines and experience, to share their writing with other writers. More information from 0417 692018 or email pwau@bigpond.com
FESTIVAL Indonesia will be held in the embassy grounds, 8 Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla, 10.30am-4pm, on Saturday, November 25. Special guest star will be Michael Jakarimilena (Michael J) from Jakarta. There will be a food festival, cultural performances, a cultural exhibition, music workshop, art and craft exhibition, kids’ corner, door prize, photo booth and a raffle. Free entry.
“SOAK the Teacher” promises to be a popular attraction among student visitors to the Holy Family Primary School Christmas Fete, Castleton Crescent, Gowrie, 10am-2pm, on Saturday, November 25. The fete will feature fun stalls including the show rides and sideshow alley, pony rides, face painting, hairspray, show bags, badge making, sand craft and photo booths. All funds raised will support buying learning resources and equipment for the school’s new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) initiative.
THE Canberra South Branch of National Seniors Association will hold its final meeting for the year at the Weston Creek Labor Club, Teesdale Close, Stirling, 10.30am, on Wednesday, November 29, followed by Christmas lunch. Non-NSA members are welcome to attend the meeting. Lunch is $42 and bookings via nsacanberrasouth@gmail.com.
UP-Opping@Limestone is holding a sale where customers are given a bag and invited to fill it for $5 with clothes, shoes, bric a brac, books, Christmas gifts and decorations. There will also be food, coffee, tea and live music. The op-shop sale is 82 Limestone Avenue, Ainslie, 10am-2pm, Saturday, December 2.
THE charity Towards a Better World is holding its last garage sale before Christmas at 5 O’Grady Place, Wanniassa, 8am-midday, on Saturday, December 2. Organisers promise a huge range of baby, kids, adult and household items, all at affordable prices. All proceeds go towards funding projects that promote sustainability and self-reliance in poor communities.
VISITORS can be assured of buying “lovely” handmade gifts (including bags, patchwork, porcelain art, crochet, knitting and jewellery) and homemade cakes and biscuits, promise organisers of this year’s Christmas Market at Kangara Waters Retirement Village, 2 Joy Cummings Place, Belconnen, 8am-3.30pm, on Saturday, December 2.
FORMER Canberra florist Marilyn Carle has been given the Joan O’Brien Award for excellence by an individual in floral art at the Garden Clubs of Australia National Convention in Ulladulla. Now a member of the Braidwood Garden Club, Marilyn has been a florist for 24 years and worked at the GovernorGeneral’s residence and Parliament House.
She participated in Floriade, the ACT Flower Club, Lanyon Homestead Fair, flower displays for churches, the Royal Canberra Show, the ACT Quilters Guild, the Embroidery Guild ACT and the Centenary of Canberra.
THE annual “Pasko sa Canberra” (Filipino for “Christmas in Canberra”) fair at the embassy grounds in Moonah Place, Yarralumla, 10am-5pm, on Sunday, December 3, will feature food stalls, entertainment, raffles, game, carols and a visit from Santa. Organised by the ACT Filipino Community Council, proceeds from the event will help feed the 300,000 displaced families of Marawi.
ANYONE with Welsh heritage or an interest in Wales, Welsh language or culture is welcome to bring a picnic and share a family-friendly lunch at Telopea Park, Barton, noon-2.30pm, on Sunday, December 3. For more details and alternative venue in case of rain call 0408 089235.
DANIELLE NOHRA visits the Mitchell studio of a rapper with a reputation for his music, youth work and a lowcost dance studio.
CANBERRA rapper Kagiso “KG” Ratlhagane has been the support act for musicians such as Bruno Mars and Ice Cube, and has been chosen to open for this month’s Spilt Milk festival in Canberra.
But he believes it’s important to use this platform to speak for the minority.
While he can’t speak for an indigenous Australian or a black American, he can speak, or sing, about his experience as a South African refugee in Australia. His new single is the politically charged “Mabo Martin Mandela”.
“I created the song to educate people on who they are and get an emotion of pride from the black community as well as a reaction from people of all races,” Kagiso says.
“In the current climate and fight for equality worldwide, it’s important that we learn from the past.”
As a nine-year-old Kagiso didn’t realise the gravity of his father’s decision to leave Australia and return to South Africa before the Freedom Day election in 1994.
But as he grew older and after a trip to visit his dad in January, KG was inspired to write the single.
“When I went to South Africa I saw the racism that is still so potent over
there,” says Kagiso, 32, of Ainslie.
The new song, which features Aus tralian indigenous rapper Philly, was created to give pride to the black com munity as well as get a reaction from people of all races.
“‘Mabo Martin Mandela’ is my tribute to three of my favourite black leaders in history,” he says.
Kagiso’s father decided to return to South Africa after Nelson Man dela came to Canberra and called on educated South African people to help rebuild the country.
At the time South Africa was racial ly segregated because of apartheid, which was responsible for the impris onment of KG’s grandfather and the rape of another family member.
KG’s father was the chief of a vil lage, but growing danger in South Africa forced the family to leave for Canberra in 1987.
It was Kagiso’s English teacher in years 11 and 12 at St Eddies who sparked his passion for writing.
That, coupled with Kagiso’s basketball trips away, where the team would rap songs on the bus trip, was the starting point of his future music career.
After high school Kagiso and his
Shaka, under the name the KASH Boys, would perform at parties.
“From that we had a little bit of a following and then got into the club scene early,” he says.
“We were scouted by a dude in Melbourne and ended up signing a deal and moving there.”
But Kagiso grew tired of answering to labels who didn’t understand his vision, which was to fill his music with cultural emphasis, so he started his own music studio, Freedom Music, this year.
“I wanted to create Freedom Music for that exact reason, I wanted to be
Kagiso is using the label as a bridging gap for musicians who are in the early stages of their careers.
Before starting the label he asked: “How can I do this for myself and at the same time help other people?”
And, “help” seems to come naturally for Kagiso, who has worked as a youth worker for 10 years and still currently works as one at a local Canberra
“I’m passionate about helping young people. It keeps me grounded. And I had a great youth worker who helped me when I was younger,” he says.
Kagiso says it’s important to have someone outside of the family network
He also is the owner of a dance school called Passion & Purpose Academy, where he mentors and teaches positive dance to Canberra children.
“It’s not predominantly a dance studio, it’s more of a movement to engage young kids,” he says.
“I try to make my price-point for the dance school affordable so it’s not exclusive to certain families.
“Arts is becoming this exclusive society, it’s almost like racism via financial ability.
“I know the importance of the arts, it keeps kids out of trouble and it’s a safe space to express themselves.”
freedommusic.com.au
By Kathryn Vukovljak
NATASHA Janssens wants to change the way women think about money, and the founder of financialeducation business Women with Cents says she’s keen to encourage women to step up and engage with the finances.
“I get it, believe me – we’re busy, we’re working, we’re looking after the household and dealing with the mental load. I’m looking at ways to push past that, as we have a habit of going: ‘I have so much on, I can’t learn about investments, I don’t have time and I’m not ready for that’,” she says.
“But you can do it, you can make the time and it’s impor tant that you do, from a longterm perspective. As much as I hate the phrase, a man is not a financial plan!”
Mum to a three-year-old boy and with a baby on the way, Natasha says she started Women with Cents to support other mums in her mothers’ group with financial questions and challenges.
RE Kay Beagle’s letter (CN, November 9) showing a sign outside Leeton “Welcoming New Settlers Migrants and Refugees”.
We keep hearing about the “refugees” on Manus Island (they are not really refugees as this is not the first country in which they landed and they were safe in Indonesia, so they are economic migrants).
We are told how there are rapes and beatings in the camps and we should set them free and bring them to Australia.
Canberra along with a number of other places or organisations offered to take them in. If they are so violent and lacking in moral ideals then do we really want these rapists and violent people in Australia? It is common knowledge that the
incidence of rape by Muslims and Sudanese has increased in recent years. The jails are full of people serving sentences for breaking the law. Why are these people on Manus Island so different?
They have been given the option of going back home but they refuse to go. If Malcolm Turnbull allowed them to go to NZ, they have won and can very easily come into Australia like all New Zealanders.
Does nobody wonder why there are so many men and far fewer women? If they have families back home what sort of men are they that they leave the families behind if it was so unsafe?
Vi Evans, via email
Finally I can agree with Jon Stanhope (“Time for auditor-general to probe tax stress”, CN, October 19) despite the fact it was his party that tried to reduce funding to the auditor-general.
What is it about Andrew Barr that he cannot see that at a time when consumer spending is at a low ebb, his various taxes, charges and levies are reducing the discretionary consumer spending of ACT residents, which results in closures of businesses that are exposed to declines in such spending such as cafes, hairdressers, entertainment venues, etcetera?
Complaints by residents about high charges and taxes have had little impact so it is time the small-business
FOR a past chief minister, Jon Stanhope’s opinion piece (“Time for auditor-general to probe tax stress”, CN, October 19) was disappointing.
Pollyanna could not have done better in seeing the bright side and ignoring the reverse.
If you look back at housing since self government was foisted upon us some very bad things have happened to our would-be house owners and renters.
The first is public housing. We have sold off around 3000 units. The arrangement with the Federal government was that we would build a replacement unit before we sold off an existing unit. This has not happened. The Federal government has told Andrew Barr that he will not get the money from sale of public assets till he meets his obligations regarding public housing.
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At the moment they are measuring up community land in every suburb to use for public housing.
The next bad thing that a predominantly Labor series of governments did was take away the over-the-counter sale of land and put an inadequate stock of land up for auction.
This has resulted in the price of land more than doubling over two decades.
This in turn has resulted in Canberra having the second highest number of homeless people in Australia.
The promises that have been set out as undertakings by this present government on past history will nowhere near meet the amount of housing that would replace the public housing they have sold off.
Howard Carew, Isaacs
Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at: 9b / 189 Flemington Road, Mitchell 2911
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It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.
Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.
HOI POLLOI, a casual dining venue located in the heart of Old Parliament House, overlooking the majestic House of Representatives Courtyard. It’s the perfect spot for business lunch meetings, to grab a drink at the bar, or simply park your pram and enjoy our fantastic food and drink offerings in peace, while your kids can play in the dedicated kids’ corner
True to our name, we believe dining out should be celebrated by everyone, so we’ve designed a menu that focuses on fresh produce and value for money.
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WESTON Creek was named in honour of Capt George Edward Weston, a former officer of the East India Company who arrived in Australia in 1829, and was superintendent of the Hyde Park Convict Barracks in Sydney.
In 1841, Weston was granted land that, by the 1960s, was established as a residential district as an offshoot of Canberra’s first satellite city in the adjacent Woden Valley.
Construction of Weston Creek’s eight suburbs started with Waramanga and Fisher in 1968, and was followed by Weston and Rivett in 1969, Duffy and Holder in 1970, and Chapman and Stirling in 1972. Each suburb has its own local shops, and they all share the larger district centre of Cooleman Court situated in Weston. Each suburb is named after a notable Australian and the street names in each suburb follow a specific theme such as Australian rivers, native flowers, or names of surveyors.
Weston Creek, which is now home to more than 22,000 people, has developed a strong sense of community and is also home to many friendly traders and service providers. Here are some of the best...
in 1994 by the Canberra and Queanbeyan Croatian
Adria Village was named after the Adriatic sea where it is renowned for its unique landscapes, islands and history.
Adria Village has 36 independent living units and 42 residential care beds incorporating 2 respite rooms with care provided by quality trained multilingual staff.
CURVES Weston cares for not only the health and fitness of women, but also giving back to the Canberra community, says owner Julie Griffin.
Strengthening women is at its core but Julie says Curves Weston also loves supporting local charities, and has raised money for causes such as Toora Women, Cancer Council, Ovarian Cancer ACT, MS ACT and RSPCA.
“Support is such an important aspect of our Curves community and we are proud that we are able to extend this care towards great causes and help make an impact across Canberra,” she says.
“Our members tell us that one of their favourite things about Curves is being around like-minded women and making lifelong friendships.
“It’s great to be able to meet after a workout for a catch up, share
successes and empower each other to strive for greatness.”
Julie says with the help and support of those around them, the members strive to achieve their health goals and many have even gone on to become Curves coaches themselves to help other women.
“We look out for each other because we believe that no one should feel alone on their journey to health and strength, and that having strong support is the key to success,” she says.
“That’s why Curves is so much more than a gym. At Curves we live stronger, but more importantly, we live stronger together.”
Curves Weston, Brierly Street, T3, Cooleman Court Shopping Centre, Weston. Call 6288 8333 or visit curves.com.au/club/weston
CAFE Niugini Arabica, in Duffy, is on Canberra’s doorstep selling a “world best”, single-blend coffee from Australia’s own doorstep – Papua New Guinea.
One of Niugini Arabica’s store owners, Theo Levantis, says: “Pure product is the best product.
“The reality is, when you blend coffee you are making it worse. But all coffee is blended from different countries in order for people to own their own blend.
“Our product is a single-origin coffee from only one area in Papua New Guinea.”
Theo and the other two owners – Charles and Satish – were inspired to open up their cafe when working together in New Guinea. It was there that they decided to incorporate the locals’ own spelling of “Niugini” into the store name.
The coffee beans are grown in the fertile highlands, near the town of Goroka, at elevations above 2000 metres.
Theo says: “It’s here that some of the best coffee on the globe is grown.
“In Australia, we have a massive coffee culture, yet the world-best coffee next door is unnoticed.
WITH a combined 42 years’ experience, ACT Podiatry’s principal podiatrist Jane Earl and podiatric surgeon Dr Clayton Clews offer a one-stop shop for all foot and ankle problems.
And, after adding a practice to Weston Creek about a year ago, ACT Podiatry now helps patients with their mobility in the Weston Creek area as well as Tuggeranong and its surrounds.
Jane says ACT Podiatry passionately supports the notion that mobility enhances quality of life.
“Whatever your goals are we will try our best to ensure your feet don’t let you down,” she says.
“Our capacity to treat the whole spectrum of podiatric complaints using an extensive range of treatment options, including surgery, stands us apart from other clinics.”
Dr Clews, who is a fellow of the Australasian College of Podiatric Surgeons, is the only podiatric surgeon in Canberra.
“There are very few disorders of the foot and ankle to which he has not been exposed or developed experience in,” Jane says.
As for Jane, she loves the challenges of private practice, and the relationships she has built with her clients, many of whom she has been looking after for more than 14 years.
ACT Podiatry, Unit 16-17/14-16 Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6287 2818 or visit actpodiatry.com.au
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We ensure that the monument created will be visible to family members for generations. Our speciality is providing the best possible design, with the highest quality materials and craftsmanship. We have the expertise and knowledge to create anything you have in mind.
IT can be an uncomfortable reality, but planning your will and funeral arrangements is an important part of life.
Pre-planning can give you and your loved ones peace of mind and in this special feature “CityNews” showcases compassionate professionals who can help arrange the details and minimise the burden to help make these difficult decisions easier.
PEOPLE don’t realise how powerful 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.
“It’s important to understand how a will works and also the legal technicalities of drafting a good will.”
Capon & Hubert has been established for more than 30 years and Ashilpa says clients can be assured that their wills will be made with experience and care.
For an obligation free quote phone 6299 7711 or 0414 940 836 or email oskarmemorials@netspeed.com.au 34 Waterloo Street, Queanbeyan
“We take time in talking our clients through the nature and effect of the docu ment and work with our clients to give them the best possible results,” she says.
Lawyer Ashilpa Khanna of Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators.
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.
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.
“Anyone who needs to get their estate in order to ensure that their wishes are
looked after once they’ve passed away can come and see one of our lawyers at Capon & Hubert to assist them in putting their wishes into effect through a will.”
Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, First Floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Email enquiries@chsol.com.au, call 6152 9203 or visit chsol.com.au
WITH 125 years of experience in arranging funerals in the Canberra and Queanbeyan area, MH O’Rourke branch manager Jason Codey says they “always strive for simple, respectful and honest ways to honour the individual”.
Established in 1890 by Cornelius O’Rourke and relocated in 1929 to its current Queanbeyan location, MH O’Rourke Funeral Services has maintained the traditional values of service and caring for families in times of need.
MH O’Rourke provides pre-paid, pre-arranged and at-need funerals, offering full mortuary care, transport for the deceased and the family on the day of the funeral and liaising with government departments, venues, the crematorium, members of clergy and officiators.
“Our pre-paid funerals ensure that everything is arranged exactly to your personal choice and takes the burden off your family. It’s peace of mind knowing that it’s all paid for and your wishes will be carried out,” says Jason.
Not only do they connect families with all the people involved in arranging a funeral, depending on the person’s background, they can also arrange cultural services that include religious and cultural customs, rituals, extra services and viewings.
MH O’Rourke Funeral Services has a resident manager on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide quality after-hours support and assistance.
MH O’Rourke Funeral Services, 113 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 1052 or visit orourkefunerals.com.au
THE Canberra Grief Centre has been supporting Canberra and its regional com munity by providing specialised services to support grief, loss and bereavement for five years.
Grief and bereavement counsellor Sonia Fenwick and grief counsellor Mandy Cox came together through their shared interest to support the experience of grief; an experience which is often missed, minimised or disenfranchised in the community.
“Grief will touch us all at some time in our life, and often we are not prepared for how it will impact on us,” Sonia says.
“Although grief is not pathological and not a mental health disorder, it can feel anything but ‘normal’ and can leave us feeling destabilised and disorientated.
“Grief counselling can assist people to understand their experience, what grief requires of us in the wake of loss and teaches ways to integrate the loss into our continued living in order to minimise the risk of grief becoming a complex condition such as depression or anxiety disorder.”
Canberra Grief Centre offers grief support for adults and children through services such as counselling, training and education, support groups and workplace incident debriefing and support.
Sonia says the Canberra Grief Centre supports any loss including death, dying,
Canberra Grief Centre, Unit 6, 1 Geils Court, Deakin. Call Sonia (0409 966515) or Mandy (0401 344577), or visit canberragriefcentre.com.au
AFTER working as a stonemason for a business that wasn’t “caring”, Tony Nemeth started Oskar Memorials in 1993 to give people in Queanbeyan, and Canberra, a “caring” experience in a time of grief.
Sales manager and son-in-law Steve Peake says Oskar Memorials is a family-run business, which is empathetic and listens to its customers.
“Unfortunately, we’ve experienced what the customer goes through, we have all lost family members, so we really empathise with them,” Steve says.
“We go the extra mile. If some people don’t have the money, we will work something out to suit their budget. There’s no job too little or too big, we treat everyone the same.”
Oskar Memorials provides services such as building monuments for all areas of the cemetery, it makes headstones out of all-rock materials and makes bronze plaques to be added to headstones.
“We try to start off by meeting the customer at the cemetery so we can look at the plot and explain the process,” Steve says.
Oskar Memorials offers free quotes and Steve says the company has a high reputation with all the funeral directors in Canberra.
Oskar Memorials, 34 Waterloo Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6299 7711.
CARING, professional and committed to offering simple choices, dignified care and with an honest approach to a funeral service, Toscan Dinn Funerals has been in Weston Creek since 2005.
Starting off as a small, familyowned business, Toscan Dinn has grown in the last 12 years.
Lead funeral director Peter Dinn says that being family run allows Toscan Dinn to offer a more personalised service.
“We get to know all of our families very well and establish relationships with them,” says Peter.
When it comes to the stress of funeral payments, which can be added to an already hard time, Toscan Dinn has it sorted.
“Some of the larger funeral homes ask for money up front,” says Peter.
“At Toscan Dinn the family doesn’t have to worry about finding the money during someone’s time of grief.
“We pay the people who need to be paid, then send the family a single invoice after the funeral.”
It’s hard to think about funeral planning and the best advice Peter can give is to try and organise the ceremony beforehand, when possible.
Toscan Dinn Funerals, 10 Liardet Street, Weston. Call 6287 3466 or visit toscandinn.com.au
The Canberra Grief Centre provides specialist grief and bereavement services including:
• Grief counselling and support
• Professional debriefing support to those affected by a death(s) while operating in a professional capacity
• Custom designed grief education/training workshops
• Facilitated support groups
Mandy Cox and Sonia Fenwick have extensive experience in grief and bereavement. Counselling services are offered to anyone who has experienced the loss of:
• Child
• Any significant family member or friend
• Baby through miscarriage, still birth, medical termination, IVF
• Pet
m: Sonia: 0409 966 515
e: sonia@canberragriefcentre.com.au
m: Mandy: 0401 344 577
e: mandy@canberragriefcentre.com.au
www.canberragriefcentre.com.au
1 Geils Court, Deakin ACT
By Helen Musa
THE name Eirene Mort (1879-1977) may not ring a bell, but the Canberra Museum and Gallery is changing all that with its summer exhibition, “Eirene Mort: a livelihood”.
A tribute to the multifaceted work of a dedicated designer-maker, artist, teacher, writer, historian and “new woman”, it’s likely to prove a sleeper for the gallery, one that will repay close attention to detail and many visits.
Mort, who lived until the age of 98, was a mighty proponent of Australian materials and motifs in the decorative arts, transporting the “English Arts and Craft” movement to an Austral ian context. Now, thanks to a gift to CMAG from her heirs, curator Dale Middleby and researcher Pam Lane have built a compelling story through the artefacts left behind.
On show is Mort’s purple georgette gown, bought in Paris. There are her ceramics, embroidery, wildflower painting books, a children’s book she illustrated for Mary Gilmore, woodblocks, posters for women in art, an image of the god Pan with kangaroo feet, Sheridan sheets featuring her designs, a lyrebird-decorated firescreen, personalised bookplates and a medal from Sydney University presented when she was a girl.
There is also a tapestry she conceived for Frensham School in Mittagong, where she taught and designed with the specification that it “must be gay and must have a swagman in it”.
“She was a jobbing artist,” Middleby says.
“She made money from teaching and art, tapping into middle-class women wanting to make their homes beautiful through her wallpaper, embroidery and designs.”
Mort worked professionally throughout her life, even at age 89 submitting entries to the design competition for Australia’s decimal coinage.
Her father was an Anglican minister and her mother a gifted linguist who spoke five languages and she herself attended the progressive St Catherine’s Clergy Daughters’ School in Waverley, Sydney.
But Mort wasn’t just a city girl who holidayed with her aunt and uncle in Gungahlin, where she learnt fishing, riding and cricket, doing what the boys did. An acute observer and chronicler, she also saw Canberra change from pastoral acreage to national capital.
As a young adult, Mort studied art with Antonio Dattilo Rubbo and Albert Fullwood, then in London at the Grosvenor Life School, the Royal School of Art Needlework and the Royal College of Art, South Kensington.
Truly radical in her personal life, she eschewed marriage, living with her partner of 60 years, the wood artist Nora “Chips” Weston, first in Vaucluse and then in the southern highlands.
“The way the family looked on her lifestyle, it
“The exhibition shows how visual arts and social history can intersect and expose each other… it all goes towards making a richer story,”
Left: Eirene Mort’s 1927 etching “Canberra Creek”, which is held by the Canberra Museum and Gallery.
CMAG was able to mount such a substantial exhibition because in 2013 the family made a donation of artistic equipment and edition plates of her etchings. The show makes space for a country cousins section, a Eunice section, a Canberra section and a section devoted to Nora Weston. Her work is collected by the National Library and the National Gallery, yet little has been published about Mort so almost everything on show is a revelation.
So why does the name Mort only conjure up memory of her industrialist great-uncle, Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, after whom Mort Street in Braddon was named?
Largely because she didn’t transcend her time. As a devotee to the English “Arts and Crafts” movement, she was overshadowed by Australia’s women modernist artists such as Grace Cossington Smith, Thea Proctor and Margaret Preston.
“She thought they were vulgar, but she got lost in their bright lights,” Middleby says.
“Eirene Mort: a livelihood”, at the Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Square, until February 25.
By Helen Musa
THIS has been, say satirists John Shortis and Moya Simpson, the “Year of the Haircut because we’ve been taken to the brink by Donald and Kim, two men with the world’s worst hairdos”. The Shortis and Simpson pre-Christmas show kicks off at 8pm on November 24 in Ainslie Arts Centre then travels to Bungendore, Melbourne, O’Connell and Tilba. Bookings for Canberra show to 6182 0000 or eventbrite.com.au
THE Ralph Indie program for 2017 winds up with “Tristan: A Song for the Superior Man”, a theatrical look at masculinity written and directed by Chenoeh Miller featuring actor Raoul Craemer with Chris Endrey, Nick Delatovic, Oliver Levi-Malouf and Erica Field. At Ralph Wilson Theatre, Gorman Arts Centre, November 28 (preview) to December 3. Bookings to agac.com.au
ST Clare’s College tells us after the event that it recently staged the world premiere of “Unrequited: The Musical”, with music by ARIA-winning composer and former Canberran Sally Whitwell. It was based on the teen novel “Unrequited”, published by HarperCollins and written by St Clare’s mum Emma Grey.
CANBERRA Choral Society and an augmented community choir, helped by soloists Greta Claringbould, Tobias Cole, Paul McMahon and Jeremy Tatchell, plan to shake the rafters as they sing Handel’s much-loved “Messiah”, with Leonard Weiss conducting. At Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm, on Saturday, November 25. Bookings to ticketek.com.au
JOLLY jesters, lusty wenches and mad minstrels are coming to town again for Dirty Dick’s Theatre Restaurant. At the Harmonie German Club, Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah, November 25, then December 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16. Bookings to 6295 9853 or dirtydicks.com.au
DANCER Liz Lea is slipping out of town to perform at the Kampoeng Nusantara cultural festival held from November 24-26 on a three-hectare property in the Kulon Progo regency near Yogyakarta in Indonesia.
“YUGPURUSH: Mahatma’s Mahatma” is a spiritual play from India that depicts the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his mentor, Shrimad Rajchandraji. It will be performed in English at Gungahlin College Theatre, 23 Gozzard Street, Gungahlin, 7.30pm, on Monday, November 27. Bookings to drytickets.com.au
THE Kangara Concert Series brings AJ America and Chloe Lankshear and friends to perform vocal solos, duets and trios at Cooinda Community Hall, 2 Joy Cummings Place, Belconnen, 2 pm, on Sunday November 26. Tickets at the door only.
ART Song Canberra’s final concert for 2017 will see Susan Ellis and Dianna Nixon perform “Why Do They Shut Me Out of Heaven?” At Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, on Sunday, November 26. Tickets at the door only.
“Borg McEnroe” (M)
EARLIER this year, “Battle of the Sexes” focused on the 1973 tennis match when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs for a $100,000 pot. Now the debut feature from Danish director Janus Metz takes us to the 1980 Wimbledon men’s final between 24-year-old, Swedish, four-time winner Björn Borg and 21-year-old, bad boy, New Yorker John McEnroe.
The main body of “Borg McEnroe” is its depiction of the psychological and physical precursors to winning and the pain that accompanies getting them right on the day or, worse, not getting them right.
The result of the match is now history but I won’t spoil it by repeating it here. And Metz’s film succeeds in capturing the tensions and excitements of a five-setter that went neck and neck right down to the wire.
The two roles needed athletes to play them. At 38, Sverrir Gudnason was half as old again as Borg was on the day of the match. At 31, Shia LaBeouf, was 10 years older than McEnroe whose speed around the court was legendary. Both actors give convincing portrayals.
The tennis sequences are in their own way a triumph of technology. Anybody who’s ever held a racquet knows the heartbreak of a shot that doesn’t go where it should. The film makes the speed, direction and result of every shot at a critical point in the match look credible. Otherwise the pundits might well laugh the film out of court.
We are shortly to begin the Australian Summer of Tennis, with today’s great players committing their bodies, talents and spirits to entertaining TV viewers. We can only conjecture how Björn or John might have gone against Roger or Rafer. But, gee, wouldn’t such matches be exciting to watch?
At Capitol 6, Palace Electric and Dendy
I MOURN Harry Dean Stanton who eight weeks ago died aged 91, after a 200-title acting career beginning with an uncredited part in a 1956 B-Western.
In this, his penultimate role (a supporting role in “Frank and Ava” is now in post-production for 2018 release), Harry plays Lucky, living in a small desert community in the American west.
In World War II, Lucky was cook in a US Navy supply ship in the western Pacific (as was Harry in real life). Now he spends his days following a routine that suits him – ablutions, exercise, walk to Joe’s restaurant for breakfast, complete a crossword, visit Elaine’s tavern for a couple of Bloody Marys and conversation.
John Carroll Lynch’s film applies a wonderful screenplay by Logan Sparks and Drago Sumonja that is intelligent, compassionate, funny, sad, loving, emotional, honest and any other graceful attribute you might care to find in the human context. And I suspect that Harry may have ad libbed more than a little and would get away with it better than most.
The movie industry is filled with people whom we recognise as much from their off-camera behaviour as for professional merit. Harry Dean Stanton was not one of them. He gave me pleasure whenever I saw him on the screen.
Harry was an acting legend for all the right reasons. Go and watch him dominating the screen as his alter ego atheist Lucky searches for spirituality and an acceptable explanation for life’s purpose.
At Palace Electric
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (MA)
IT would be simple to write off Greek writer/ director Yorgos Lanthimos’ oddly-titled film as a bummer of little merit. But that is no less because of the title, of which no part appears in the film, than of how it delivers a story that is at best eccentric and at worst unbelievable.
Nowadays not a lot of people spend time becoming familiar with ancient Greek mythology. As I watched the film with increasing scepticism and not a little impatience, a word in the dialogue provided a vital clue to what it’s actually about. Iphigenia.
Never heard of it? She was the daughter of Agamemnon, king of Argos. Out hunting one day, Agamemnon accidentally killed a deer that was sacred to the goddess Artemis, who commanded Agamemnon to sacrifice his daughter before Artemis would let him sail his army to Troy where there was a battle needing to be fought. Vengeful, those Greek gods.
The film opens with actuality footage of open-heart surgery to prepare us for gruesome stuff to follow and introduces a modern Agamemnon in the form of heart surgeon Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell). Unknown to Steven’s family, 16-year-old Martin (Barry Keoghan) has been visiting Steven. Gay? No way. Steven’s daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy) has just begun to menstruate and son Bob (Sunny Suljic) is interested in body hair.
Martin inveigles his way into the Murphy home. He invites Steven to come to his home for dinner, after which his comely mother comes on to her guest who begs to refuse because his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) has a superb body and an ardent libido.
Martin tells Steven that unless Martin gets what he wants, the children will refuse to eat, become unable to walk and announce impending death by bleeding from the eyes. Lovely stuff.
In a way, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is a horror movie, offering gruesome images and high-grade tensions. Some may consider it more horrible than horrid.
At Dendy and Palace Electric
By Helen Musa
“MICHAEL Taylor would like to do the honours with new work,” says gallery owner Nancy Sever as she prepares to move into the old Currong Theatre in Gorman Arts Centre.
She’s thrilled to have him “do the honours”. Taylor is the famous Monaro-region artist admired for his abstracted landscapes and the subject of a huge retrospective curated by Deborah Clark at Canberra Museum and Gallery last year.
He also exhibited new works last year at the Nancy Sever Gallery in Kingston, from which she is now moving to be closer to the thriving arts hub that Gorman has long been.
“There’s an exciting synergy with Canberra Contemporary Art Space and the artists renting studios,” she says.
“And also there are artists, dancers, musicians and creative people – I plan to meet everyone soon, at least in B Block… I’m surrounded by artists.”
Proving her point, contemporary artists Alexander Boynes and Alex Asch swing by while “CityNews” is catching up with Sever.
She’s been busy negotiating with electricians and handymen and is trying out some of the large Taylor abstracts for the new exhibition in a space so transformed as to be almost unrecognisable.
Gone are sombre tones of a performing arts space and instead there is a pristine whiteness of a contemporary gallery, something Sever is not about to be apologetic for, even though trendier arts-buffs have told her that white is “out”.
“But I think people want to be able to see the work at its best,” she counters.
Sever is the former director of the ANU Drill Hall Gallery and was once behind
an exhibition that toured to Singapore, showcasing the finest work of ANU artists.
Nowadays she’s one of a vanishing breed of commercial gallery owners in Canberra since the demise of Chapman Gallery’s Judith Behan and Solander’s Joy Warren, but sees no problem in relocating to Gorman, betterknown for housing funded tenants.
She’s paying commercial rates and only taking a low commission, so she’s playing her part, reflecting: “I might be doing as much for artists as the ACT government.”
It’s been a whirlwind month for her after suddenly getting approval from the ACT government, which closely guards all heritage-listed properties. After meetings with Gorman director Joseph Falsone and chair Suzie Campbell, she’s steamed ahead through the regulations and is now preparing signage.
“Michael works very hard and I could sell his work every day, people find it so attractive,” she says of Taylor.
“He has a big following here but also interstate and Melbourne people ring me about his work.”
Sever, who is also his commercial representative, is hoping for interstate interest in the gallery.
After a pre-Christmas opening and a January closure, she will reopen in February with a major exhibition by the celebrated Indonesian-born artist Dadang Christanto, who now lives in Lismore.
Then, with monthly exhibitions she will feature and co-curate works by respected veteran artists Tim Johnson and Janenne Eaton as well as one of Canberra’s most exciting young artists, Kate Stevens – “people who are dedicated to the arts,” she says.
“Michael Taylor: New Paintings”, Nancy Sever Gallery, Gorman Arts Centre, Braddon, opening November 29.
Act 1 Scene 1:
A priest, a rabbi and a vicar walk into a grog shop in Manuka. The shop assistant says: ‘’Is this some kind of joke?” Cut!
Really Act 1 Scene 1:
The author walks into Vintage Cellars in Manuka and asks: “Do you have a Canberra district rosé in stock please?”
The shop assistant says: “Yes, it’s a Lerida Estate 2017 pinot noir rosé.” And there was no punchline, although I did mention to the salesman that there is usually so much choice in his shop that I feel as confused as the dyslexic man who walked into a bra. But on this occasion, only one Canberra district rosé.
I purchased the wine for $17. I wanted to pit a Canberra district rosé against one supplied by the Wine Gallery, a wine supplier I’ve recently signed up to. They send three bottles of wine a month for $23 a bottle plus freight costs. The wines are selected after you take a web-based quiz that asks you questions about your taste preferences.
The mystery selections are made from that initial test and from any ongoing electronic feedback that you give. In the second month’s selection is a rosé; a wine style that I generally choose not to drink, with (wistful sigh) the exception that it became an aperitif of choice at the end of the day when I was working in Geneva three years ago.
The rosé chosen by the Wine Gallery is a Bondar 2017 grenache from McLaren Vale. The blurb that comes in the packaging says that it is “Australian wine at its best”.
Two bottles of wine mean at least four people should be here to taste: I invite four people for dinner. Two come as an item, like the man and woman in the shop wrapped up in a barcode. The other is a dear friend and the fourth my son who is ever keen to learn about wine and getting to know
what he likes.
Act 1
Scene 2:
Five people standing around awkwardly swirling wine in their glasses on instruction. I tell them that they have to distinguish number 1 (the Bondar) from number 2 (no sniggling, children!) and tell me which one they like and why. Well, says the youngish male guest: “I’m no wine connoisseur, but this is a bit bland.” His companion: “It’s inoffensive.” My son: “I’m getting nothing (I say: “Until I die, ha, ha”). My input: a hint of strawberry with a good clean acidic finish. But pretty anodyne.” The good friend: “Dunno just don’t like the taste.”
WHO doesn’t love experience of an artisan bakery? Hot, freshly baked loaves of bread stacked ready for sale. Sweet and savoury treats neatly lined up on shelves ready to make your day an indulgent one.
Canberra’s newest bakery, Remy’s Bakery, in Fyshwick, offers it all.
Romain Remy, who some will recognise from Autolyse Bakery when it operated in Braddon, is open for business. Romain has been baking since he was young, having worked at reputable establishments such as Maison Maufferon and Boulangerie Guy Miniconi in France (he worked at both for more than three years each).
Act 1 Scene 3:
Five people standing around much less awkwardly. “This has a better smell,” says the son. I say “Yes the bouquet is fruitier, gives more lusciousness.” “Yeah, whatever…” is the response.
Male guest: “This has more body, a bigger taste.” Me: “Yet the grape variety would point you in the other direction, interesting.” Female guest: “I think I’ll drink this with the duck, it is very pleasant.” The good friend: “I don’t like the taste of this one, either.” “Okay I sigh, let’s drink something else.”
Act I Scene 4:
We are eating duck breast with a garlic and Oloroso sauce. The female guest is eating it with the Canberra district rosé. Everyone else has flagged away the rosé because it is just okay whereas the pinot noir and the cabernet I serve are just more suitable. And then comes the even more awkward question: “Did you pay for those rosés?”
“Yes,” I say. “Don’t worry, as Catherine Deneuve said: “I don’t enjoy. I suffer from enjoying.”
Remy’s bread line-up includes sourdough, baguettes, whole wheat, multigrain and a sprouted dark rye, which is good for the gut. The imported French Bongard oven can bake 240 loaves an hour (Bongard was founded in 1922 and is known for its specialist baking equipment). Everything is made in-house. Savoury options feature sausage rolls and pies, including lamb shoulder and pea, chicken and leek, and beef brisket ($6.50). The croissant line-up features a delish ham, cheese, tomato and basil ($6.50). Pre-wrapped, ready-to-go sandwiches include a smoked Wagyu that looked sensational ($9.50). Perky, colourful and healthy salads, loaded with goodness, range in price.
Our first bite wasn’t the best, but the staff handled it beautifully. Our savoury spinach, olive, feta and ricotta pastie was dry and not exactly generous with ingredients ($7.50). It was the last one on the shelf, so staff suggested we might like a spinach and ricotta roll. It was generous with a light and delicately balanced filling.
The ham and cheese roll we shared was packed with quality ingredients, the ham a beautiful flavour.
As one would expect of an ex ceptional bakery, the sweets look sensational and are impossible to pass by ($7.50 on average). The opera cake glittered with gold on top, the chocolate torte promised to be decadent and the blueberry tart was covered with fresh fruit,
with sweet little meringues that did a decent job in cutting through the intensity of the lemon flavour. Bits of candied lime add a special touch and the pastry was as flaky as could be.
Coffee is from Seven Miles, a micro roaster located on Sydney’s northern beaches. The Cultivar blend, with its eventually retail the beans.
Blue and white are the predominant colour schemes, including with the major mural feature wall.
The large outdoor eating area at the back is undercover and away from the traffic. A lawn area is marked out (grass still young but
Open 7.30am-2.30pm.
By Cedric Bryant
THE world’s first museum of garden history in London has recently re-opened after 18 months of major renovations.
The Garden Museum was established in 1977 by Rosemary Nicholson in the church of St Mary of Lambeth, located on the Thames Embankment next to Lambeth Palace, the town residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The first church on the site predates the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the present one was built in the 14th century. It was damaged by bombs during the last war, although not seriously.
With falling congregations and the huge upkeep it was deconsecrated in 1972. This is where
that the church was scheduled for demolition.
The church and graveyard was of enormous historical importance from a gardening perspective and Nicholson moved quickly to establish the Tradescant Trust in 1977 with a 99-year lease for the site. For any visitor to London, this is a must.
SO, who were the Tradescants?
John Tradescant (1570-1638) came to prominence when buying plants for the 1st Earl of Salisbury in Holland for his residence at Hatfield House. Later he was appointed head gardener to Henrietta Maria, the “rose and lily queen of Charles I. Tradescant established London’s first botanic garden in 1629, collecting plants ranging from the Arctic Circle in Russia to Algeria.
John Tradescant (1570-1638).
His son, also John (1608-1662) married at St Mary’s and succeeded his father as the royal gardener. He travelled frequently to America and between father and son collected plants from three of the four known continents.
Both, together with their families, are buried in St Mary’s churchyard along with another historic figure of interest to Australians – Capt. William Bligh, of Mutiny-on-theBounty fame.
When opened as a garden museum, it was appropriate that part of the churchyard was given over to a traditional knot garden, as illustrated here.
Just before going to the museum,
The Knot
Museum… features plants from the 17th century, many still available to this day.
I visited Hatfield House where they had just discovered records of the original plant lists and cost of the plants in John Tradescant’s handwriting.
The knot garden features those same plants from his original list of the 17th century, many still available to this day.
One last amazing discovery was made in April, when lifting flagstones in the church and an unknown crypt was discovered with 30 lead-lined coffins containing leaders of the church in England.
Five had names on the coffins, which positively identified them as former Archbishops of Canterbury from the 14th and 15th centuries.
TO complete the picture of the importance of St Mary’s at Lambeth
and the Tradescant connection, here is a partial list of plants they introduced into England from around the then known world. These include, pears, medlar, quince, walnuts, nectarines, limes, horse chestnuts, magnolias and the tulip tree. Plus many other perennial plants we take for granted such as asters, phlox and making sure tulips from Holland became available in England.
Jottings...
• When growing tall dahlias, as with tomatoes, put the stakes in first. It is the ideal time for planting both without delay.
• Dead-head roses after the first flush of flowers is finished.
• If you have a friendly blue tongue lizard, fill a shallow bowl of water in the garden.
THE Braidwood Open Gardens this year include six gardens and the opportunity to see inside two grand homes that date back to the 1830s.
Visitors can take guided tours of Bedervale Homestead, a Georgian colonial-style house designed by Australian architect John Verge and built by emancipated convicts.
The public is also invited to see inside part of historic Nithsdale Homestead and its restored jail, which played a role in the capture of the Clarke gang of bushrangers who terrorised the district at the height of the gold rush.
Many of the weekend’s activities will be based in the grand gardens of Mona , whose 48.5 hectares have been developed following the principles of English landscape
designer Capability Brown. Other highlights include guided tours of the produce gardens at Wynlen House, at 14 Solus Street , owner Cheryl Raper has created a vision of calm, tucked away behind her pre-1900s home and Tillararra , whose network of pathways take advantage of the property’s views over grazing land and distant mountains.
Each property will be open 10am-4pm, over the weekend of November 25-26. The cost is $5 a garden (under 18s free) or visitors can purchase a $25 pass that offers access to all properties. Bedervale and Wynlen House tours extra. Proceeds will go to the not-for-profit Braidwood Preschool. More information at braidwoodgardens.com.au
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
This week’s restless stars boost your adventurous Aries side and your rambunctious Ram nature. But, if you are too recklessly impulsive (especially on Friday) then you could find yourself smack-bang in the middle of an argument, accident or relationship drama. Sunday night’s Full Moon is the perfect time for a brilliant light-bulb moment. You certainly have the ideas and passion to get an ambitious project off the ground. Now all you need is the persistence to finish it.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
The Full Moon shines a spotlight on personal and shared finances. But money matters look complicated, as extra expenses surface or cracks appear in a financial partnership. If you can’t sort things out yourself, then find a professional who can. Whether it’s money, property, business or relationships, all joint endeavours must be closely examined and creatively reinvented. And how much do you value yourself? Remember, there is just no substitute for healthy core self-esteem.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
This week you’re full of wonderful ideas as the Full Moon lights up your sign, and your energy and enthusiasm go into overdrive. But, if you take a sharp detour into fantasy land, then stern Saturn will bring you back down to earth with a thud. A joint venture (or a romantic partnership) needs to pass the practicality test. So try to balance being idealistic with being realistic. And don’t make serious commitments unless you are 100 per cent certain you’ll be able to keep them.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Expect an emotional roller-coaster ride this week, as disruptive Uranus and the Full Moon stir up surprises at work, and unpredictable moods at home. So avoid making important decisions until you are feeling much more settled. You’re keen to wind down and daydream the hours away in your cosy Crab cave. But, as you retreat into your own private world – make sure you can differentiate between fact and fantasy, otherwise you’ll end up in a disorganised mess.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
Electric excitement is in the air this week, as manic Mars does a fiery cosmic dance with unpredictable Uranus. So it’s time for proactive Cats to pounce! Just make sure you don’t get burned in the process (or get booked for driving too fast). When it comes to ambitious goals, networking and your peer group, the more inventive and versatile you are, the better the outcome will be. Lions are trusting creatures but don’t let a false friend lead you down the primrose path to trouble.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Work and home life look lively, as the Full Moon fires up your career and domestic zones. The week will be messy and disorganised (and you might get distracted and make some mistakes) but try to keep things in perspective. Whatever happensexpect the unexpected, accept changes with good grace and adapt accordingly! So your motto for the moment is from fellow Virgo, Beyonce: “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.”
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Librans love things to run smoothly but there’s unpredictable planetary energy about this week. So a relationship with a loved one (or a business partner) is likely to veer off in a totally unexpected direction. Which could be wonderful or woeful, depending on the circumstances. Whatever happens, drop the perfectly planned schedule and just take things as they come. With Mars visiting your sign and Venus shifting into Sagittarius, it’s definitely time to be bold and beautiful!
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Are you stuck in a boring daily rut? This week’s stars shake up your comfort zone – which could make you feel very uncomfortable. Try to view any upset positively, as it makes you see a current situation from a totally different perspective. Then you can step in and do something about it. Sunday night’s Full Moon fires up your money zones, so a financial matter could become increasingly complicated. Scorpios have a good business brain. Just make sure you’re using it!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
With the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn all visiting your sign, it’s time to shake off the shackles of other people’s expectations and instead, be the authentically real you. Draw inspiration from Sagittarian birthday great, actor and martial artist Bruce Lee: “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” Sunday’s JupiterNeptune trine is terrific for dreaming big dreams and imagining creative schemes.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Have you been wasting time worrying and procrastinating Capricorn? With this week’s Full Moon lighting up your work zone, you need to reboot your daily routine and be fast and flexible as you plan your future career path. If you have the confidence to listen to your wise inner voice, then you’ll be one step ahead of the professional pack! It’s also time to shake things up on the home front, as you tackle domestic chores (or DIY projects) that you’ve been putting off.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
You’ll feel super impetuous, as rash Uranus opposes impulsive Mars. But there’s a fine line between being spontaneous and successful; and being hasty and foolhardy. So aim to be a calculated risk-taker, rather than a reckless rebel (and take extra care when driving). Also, a goal or dream may require much more planning than you originally thought. That’s okay. Concentrate on enjoying the long and winding journey, rather than just focusing on the destination.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
A work issue, volunteer project or education matter is taking up a lot of your time and attention but, if you hang in there, it will pay off in the long run. The main celestial theme for this week? Jupiter is activating your travel zone, while Neptune has you dreaming of exotic escapes and foreign adventures. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great, writer Mark Twain: “Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2017
9 What do we call a parliamentarian? (6)
10 Which polygons have eight angles and eight sides? (8)
11 Name a long-bodied, short-legged, hound. (6)
14 What are oxen also known as? (6)
17 Which rare element is used to toughen steel? (8)
18 When one dresses with nicety, one does what? (6)
19 What are bodies of retainers in attendance on important persons? (8)
20 Name some of the aquatic, furred, mustaline mammals. (6)
21 What do we call one who undertakes to murder for reward? (8)
Down
1 Name another term for German measles. (7)
2 Which infectious skin disease is caused by parasitic mites? (7)
3 Who disrupted the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, Francis ...? (7)
4 To be brave and dashing, is to be what? (7)
5 What is a nerve cell also called? (7)
6 Which hollow cavities in skulls connect with the nasal cavities? (7)
11 Munich is the capital of which S German state? (7)
12 Name extended instrumental compositions, usually in several movements. (7)
13 What are the conclusions of matters? (7)
14 Which huge desert is in part of the NT, Qld and SA? (7)
15 Name the Australian runner who broke the 4-minute mile on 17 occasions, Herb ... (7)
16 What serves as a bulwark or defence? (7)
Alexa and Justin were worried: “We want to expand our business but we are not sure what to do next," said Alexa.
"There will be costs so we went to the bank and were asked for a business plan, but we don’t have one. We need your help to devise one.”
I told them I was glad to hear about their plans.
"Before doing a business plan, which I am happy to help you with, I prefer that we run a session on the details behind your business and then the business plan is prepared based on that,” I said.
“It will take about two hours to go through all the relevant information, which will identify the key areas of your business and then we can use it to work out your plans for future expansion. I have a grid* that I work through with you, which will provide the items that are important for your future expansion.”
Alexa asked if they could see a copy of the grid beforehand.
“Yes, of course," I said.
"I will just give you a brief on the sorts of things that we will be discussing before we do the session and then we turn this into a one-page plan. "Some of the segments will take a longer time than others, often because you may not have thought of things in this way.
“The first thing we do is look at customer segments. We ask questions about who is creating value and who are your most important customers. So the question to ask is who do you help?
"We then look at customer relationships; what do your customers expect and how you have built that into your business model? Basically how do you interact with your customers?
“Value propositions is the next thing we tackle. We analyse how your business helps its customers by looking at the value you deliver to them. What problems are you helping to solve and what products and services do you offer to each customer?
Then you look at your marketing channels. You may have referral networks, you may deliver products directly to your customers. How are you reaching your customers now and does this work well?
"Key activities is the next area; what do you do and what do you need to do in the business? It also helps you confirm that what you have identified in the earlier part of the session is consistent.
Then we get into the nitty-gritty; what resources do you need and how do they interact with the issues you have raised earlier?
We look at your key transaction partners. What do they do for your business and how are they involved? We look at the costs and revenues. What are the cost structures? Are they fixed or variable? What do you give to your customers?
"Lastly, we look revenues. Is your pricing structure right? Are your customers getting value and are they prepared to pay more for higher value? What do your customers get for their dollar?
"That completes the grid and we move to prepare the business plan at the following meeting.”
Justin said: “When can we start?”
*Readers who would like a free copy of the business-plan grid – or would like help with a business plan – should contact the friendly
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm • Unit 3, 80-82 Kembla Street, Fyshwick