PHILLIP JONES is the unabashed Martini Whisperer Well written, well
Horrors of the ‘hanging trees’ HEIKE HAHNER
Confessions of a ‘skategeezer’ MIKE WELSH
Funny what lands on your desk...
CHRIS COLEMAN
Caring for summer plants
CEDRIC BRYANT
There’s something about Hughes
KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK
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Cruel horrors behind the grisly ‘hanging trees’
ON the Kings Highway, near Warri Bridge, over the Shoalhaven River on the Braidwood side there’s a “hanging tree” showing the bodies of foxes killed on the property.
In many rural areas animals are strung up in trees, off fences and gates to deter new arrivals to the region, to let neighbours know that the landowner has killed a particularly persistent predator and to advertise how many of these animals have been killed on the property.
Hanging trees are a practice that has been recorded back as far as medieval times. Criminals were strung up, often with a dog on either side, as a warning and as a deterrent for the general population.
It’s very subtle, but becoming more widespread and is causing great suf fering to animals in Australia and around the globe because it allows se vere animal rights and welfare abuses.
Animals are categorised as to their roles and function in our society. We have, for example, pets, domestic ani mals, wildlife, livestock, bloodstock, pest animals, production animals, nuisance animals, feral animals and invasive species.
Pets such as dogs and cats can be expected to be looked after and treated similarly well as a human. But it’s a different story around the psychological and physical treatment for those categorised as a “production” animal.
Let no animal suffer for your gain, as it feels, like you, the pain. – German saying
According to records, hanging trees were still used in Australia in 1816 at the time of the Appin Massacre. After indigenous Australians were killed by white settlers or the military, they were hung from trees as a warning to the rest of the Aboriginal community to stay away from the area. Sounds familiar? History, sadly, repeats itself again and again.
These days, the hanging tree is the final act of humiliation in a new form of discrimination towards animals.
Production animals such as sheep, cattle, pigs and chickens are expected to endure a certain amount of suffering, which is often an awful lot more than what we would accept to have happen to our pets. Their treatment would be classified as cruelty and possibly pursued in court if they were pets.
as dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, buffaloes, horses, donkeys, foxes, rabbits, carp, goldfish, etcetera. Interestingly, many of the pet, domestic and production animals may actually also belong to the invasive and pest species.
This system of discrimination between the various roles and functions these animals perform is supported and endorsed by animal welfare organisations.
Things get worse for those creatures classified as a pest or invasive species.
Categorised as a pest, feral or invasive species brings a nasty surprise, especially for dogs, cats, foxes or pigs. Locally, pigs are frequently hunted with large, strong dogs, that are trained to hang on to the pig until the animal is killed by the hunter.
mals when they are threatened and pig hunting with dogs today is about as sophisticated as it was in medieval times. The term barbaric barely does it justice. Wild dogs and foxes fare no better. These “pests” are poisoned with 1080 baits, which cause a slow, up to six hours, death. There are only a hand-
ful of countries in the world that use the bait and Australia and NZ are two
So, do habits of blaming someone else for animal-welfare abuses while engaging in the very thing, justify different means?
At regular intervals social media explodes into outrage if some country kills animals on a large scale for some festival or fur production.
Meanwhile, animal welfare abuses are happening right around us possibly even on the same scale, but it is not as publicly done, unless one happens to find a hanging tree somewhere.
And, of course, discrimination has worked its magic, the animals that are suffering at our hands have been labelled “production” or “pest, feral or invasive species” and their abuse and suffering is therefore sanctioned.
Heike Hahner is a dog and pet training and psychology consultant (flashmobdogs@ gmail.com) who regularly appears on 2CC’s “Pet Tales” program, 9am on Sundays.
HEIKE HAHNER
Since 1993: Volume 24, Number 1
Arts & Entertainment 17-19
Arts in the City 17
Cartoons 16
Gardening 21
Horoscopes 22-23
Jumbo Crossword 20
News 3-16
What’s On 8
Wine 18
Cover story: The Martini Whisperer, Phillip Jones.
SITTING in a Canberra bar, sipping on a martini made with premium English gin, Phillip Jones had an epiphany.
He wasn’t drunk. He had just real ised how great martinis are. Hooked, he earned himself the name “The Mar tini Whisperer” and now runs a blog for lovers of martinis, craft spirits and cocktails.
Because of this passion he’s cre ated a career (outside of his consulting business Two Degrees Group), run ning martini masterclasses, review ing craft spirits and has even been asked to create drinks.
The idea for the blog blossomed in 2013 when Phillip was asked to concoct the Centenary Martini for Canberra’s 100th birthday, which he called the “Centini”.
“I wanted to use all Australian ingredients but I found, at that time, there was only a handful of them around,” he says.
“That led to me discovering a new wave of Australian spirits and the next thing I know, I had started a website, (martiniwhisperer.com), and was being sent samples from makers to review their vodka and gin.
“In the past I ran restaurants and later an events company in Canberra, Sydney, Port Douglas, Ottawa, London, Scotland and elsewhere.
“So I’ve a love and understanding of the industry, and if I’m critical, its coming from a ‘tough love’ point of view.”
With more than 12 years’ experience working as a fine-dining manager around the world, Phillip found that craft spirits weren’t as well-known and appreciated in Australia.
“Right now we’re blessed with some great Canberra bars, but on the website there’s also over 100 reviews of spirits around the world and a directory of Australian spirits,” he says.
Phillip wants to introduce small makers to the public, especially Aus -
tralian makers who, he says, are often passionate small-business owners with great stories.
He’s currently been in the process of pre-production with a view to shoot a television series next year, which will be about craft distilling and cocktail culture in Australia.
“I want to introduce people to a range of craft spirits they can’t find in the shop,” he says.
“I want to show people how they’re made, how to drink them at home and how to appreciate them.
“When we talk about craft spirits in Australia, most of them are brand new, small businesses, which are off the market.”
Until Phillip uncovers some hidden gems around Australia, he says Canberra is lucky to have some great bars of its own.
But before people suit up to try a martini James Bond style, like Phillip did when he was 20, they should be warned that martinis aren’t always an instant love.
Admittedly, like most things with an acquired taste, Phillip didn’t love his first martini, but grew a strong passion for them over time.
“Martinis are like Russian roulette, you just don’t know what you’re going to get,” he says.
If a martini’s not an option, Phillip suggests his two favourite cocktails, which are ideal in the summer.
The first, a Negroni, which is an Italian cocktail with gin and sweet vermouth on ice, topped with a bit of orange (it’s really refreshing), and the second, a Gin Rickey, which is a simple drink, with fresh lime juice, gin, soda water and a wedge of lime. Phillip suggests choosing a gin with a lot of flavour for that one.
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The Martini Whisperer, Phillip Jones… “Martinis are like Russian roulette, you just don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Photo by Maddie McGuigan
By Mike Welsh
IN reality, statistics would dictate I should be spending the holiday season hospitalised with a broken femur or a fractured hip or both or, at the very least, laid up home nursing a severely bruised coccyx and ego.
But thankfully I was only dreaming. I recently did something, in a dream, that I’ve never done before; not in a dream or in real life. I dreamt I was riding a skateboard.
Statistics reveal a spike in the number of middle-aged men sheepishly hobbling into ER departments over the holiday season who, after over-indulging in festive cheer, attempted to ride a skateboard with the predictably disastrous consequences.
But there I was, a 60+ man fully aware of the fact I had never ridden a skateboard, carving and cruising my way down an empty, unfamiliar suburban street at twilight.
Reliving the long-forgotten sensation of the wind in my hair (odd how the reality of baldness does not rear its ugly head in a dream). No arrogance or recklessness, no grinding or kick flipping, not a backside or front side in sight. Just calm and confident but slightly miffed (a word I only use in dreams) for not having taken up skateboarding years ago. Angry that I had missed something that is strictly reserved for the young. A fact of life brutally explained in Lee Coan’s 2014 article “How old is too old to skateboard?”. “Skating when you’re old enough to have a mortgage or haemorrhoids is not a good look,” he wrote.
Alarmingly, “skategeezers” (middle-aged men on skateboards) are on the rise.
a savage and shuddering return to reality, but I was enjoying this dream way too much. As I recall it ended without incident. But that’s the thing. Why was I dreaming of such folly?
Most people who dream, dream dreams that are similar. The top five dream themes involve falling, running, being naked in public, losing teeth and being lost.
To dream that you are skateboarding apparently indicates – according to a less-thanspecific analysis similar to the daily horoscopes – “the ups and downs of some emotional situation or relationship”.
Another unscientific theory is: “If you zip along with no crashes in your dream, it means you have the strength and energy to achieve your goals in life”. That’ll do me.
A more rational view is my dream was a warning or reminder of those holiday season, emergency-room stats. Stay off the deck. It’s for young people only.
A fantasy I know but it is also possible that I have a special gift, one I must use only for good and therefore publish a book which offers to help unravel dreams and helps me make a bucket of money?
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WHAT’S ON / summer
EVENTS
THE National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) will explore the magic of costumes from films such as the red satin gown worn by Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge!” and Miranda’s white dress from “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, with a week-long line up of screenings, talks and special guests. At NFSA, McCoy Circuit, Acton, January 6-14.
ENJOY food, music and views of Canberra in “Arboretum After Hours”. Free entry and parking at Forest Drive, off Tuggeranong Parkway, from 5pm to 9pm, January 5-19.
THE Australian National Botanic Gardens is offering its guests the opportunity to sample native delights with its “Bush Tucker afterDARK Experience”. Learn about local indigenous foods during a bush-tucker demonstration from your native foods cook Fred, from Fred’s Bush Tucker, then explore the gardens on a twilight ranger-led tour. At the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, until February 2. Tickets cost $50 per person.
FREE talk, “Inked: Tattoos and the Military”, explores the history of ink tattoos in the Australian military and their representation in the Australian War Memorial’s collections. At BAE Systems Theatre, Treloar Crescent, Campbell, from 12pm, January 18.
FANS can spend an evening with best-selling American author, humourist and a regular contributor to “The New Yorker”, David Sedaris. Having recently released his latest book, “Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)”, Sedaris will visit Canberra for a performance featuring all-new stories and observations plus audience Q&A’s and book signings. At Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Tuesday, January 23.
EXHIBITIONS
THE NGA’s summer exhibition “Hyper Real” consists of 50 works in sculpture and video art by 32 artists, varying from the huge “Pregnant Woman” by Ron Mueck to Patricia Piccinini’s fragile hybrid babies.
The ‘CityNews’ holiday guide to happenings and attractions around Canberra as compiled by DANIELLE NOHRA
National Gallery of Australia until February 18. Bookings to premier.ticketek.com.au or 132849.
THE NPG’s big summer exhibition, “Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits”, is for people who love film and portraits, at the National Portrait Gallery until March 4. Bookings to portrait.gov.au
FAMILY
THE New York smash hit production of Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic “Alice in Wonderland” comes to life on stage at the Canberra Theatre on January 14.
EVER wondered how the animals deal with the Aussie heat? The National Zoo & Aquarium Canberra is showing its visitors just how, January 15-21.
DISCOVER “Colour” as never before at Questacon. As part of the exhibition visitors can hear fascinating stories from people who see colour when they hear music. Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, King Edward Terrace, Parkes.
A FREE “Hands-On History”, school holiday activity run by the Australian War Memorial teaches children about what servicemen and servicewomen wear, eat and what jobs they do. It also offers a range of activities where children can try on uniforms, handle real objects, and discover incredible stories of Australians in wartime. Lower galleries, Treloar Crescent, Campbell, Monday to Thursday, January 8-25 and Saturdays, January 20 and 27.
SPORT
PART of the Australian Pro Tour, the East Canberra Challenger will be held at the Canberra Tennis Centre in Lyneham. Players from the world’s top 100 will feature in the event, which runs January 6-13.
NEWS / galaxy man Stargazing Michael keeps an
By Kathryn Vukovljak
DISCOVERING a new galaxy wasn’t something amateur astronomer and former strongman Michael Sidonio ever expected would come of his stargazing and astrophotography hobby.
And now another of Michael’s astroimages has revealed something new and unique about stars, although there’s more information to come early in the New Year as follow-up observations are confirmed and the subsequent scientific paper is released.
“Amateur and pro collaborations are always good, and I’m happy to be involved in them,” says Michael, who works at the Legislative Assembly as part of the security team.
“With the galaxy, it might be the equivalent of a grain of sand on the beach but it’s my grain of sand!”
Michael says the galaxy discovery, which looked more like a smudge on a film initially, was significant in terms of what it revealed about dark matter.
“Professional astrophysicists could see the galaxy was elongated and pointing at the main known galaxy, NGC 253, which was actually stretching the dwarf galaxy, which was named NGC 253-dw2,” he says.
Michael says that from a young age he was interested in stars, space and rockets, but it was as a teenager in Newcastle, when he started earning money that he decided to buy a telescope.
“I started looking into telescopes and researching the things you can see with a really good one, stars, galaxies and nebulas, and the bug just took me,” he says.
“I ended up saving up $375 when I was 15 and bought a nice astronomical telescope but I didn’t understand it and rushed into using it. I expected to see things like the amazing footage and images that were coming from Voyager and space missions in the 1980s.
“So I took it to my front yard and looked up but all I could see was dots, and I thought it was disappointing. But I took a step back and thought, now hang on, let’s do a bit more research.”
Michael says the best night in the early days was when he found Saturn by accident, which looked like a bright star until he pointed the telescope at it.
“It was three dimensional, I could see the division in the rings, and it was so clear and bright,” he says.
erly and follow star maps, and that was when everything changed for him.
“The skies in Newcastle aren’t great in terms of pollution, so when I started getting my telescope on to dark skies and getting bigger telescopes, I very quickly got what’s known as aperture fever in astronomical circles, where you get bigger telescopes,” he says.
A move to Canberra in 1984 to study at Dickson College further cemented his love of stars, says Michael, with the ability to study astronomy, access Mount Stromlo and dark skies.
“Dickson College at that time was almost certainly the only place in the world that offered astronomy at year 11 and 12, so I was able to study my passion with the results going towards my tertiary entrance score,” he says.
“I met another astrophotographer at Dickson College who ended up being best
astronomy for more than 10 years and that, for him, it’s about looking up at the sky and having it mapped out in his head.
“After many years now I see it in three dimensions, I see the Milky Way and I know what it is. I can see the planets, I know them and can distinguish them from stars. My mind can zoom out and look down on it all with a sense of where everything is,” he says.
“I’m what you’d call an active amateur astronomer. I have a dome with a telescope and sleeping quarters at Terroux observatory in Wallaroo, which I get to as often as I can.
“Those nights where the camera is chugging away collecting photons from the galaxy millions of light years away, and I can sit there in my camp chair with a cup of coffee or a whiskey, and look up at the Milky Way and go: ‘Wow. This is life –this is what I love’.”
Michael’s version of galaxy NGC 253 that was successful in the Royal Observatory Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 competition.
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Michael’s version of galaxy NGC 253 that was successful in the Royal Observatory Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 competition.
NEWS / local history There’s something special about
By Kathryn Vukovljak
HUGHES is something of a special suburb, says author Jenny Tyrrell, whose book “The Neighbourhood of Hughes” details its history from its official opening in 1964 while revealing the quirky stories and series of firsts that make the suburb unique.
Jenny has lived in Hughes for 25 years, though she says she didn’t know its his tory when she moved in, and she and her husband just liked the house and garden.
“I was an active parent at the school and was school board secretary for a number of years. When it came to the centenary, I volunteered to put something together about the suburb,” she says.
“I found out that Hughes was extra spe cial in that it had a week of celebrations and events to open the suburb, known as the Hughes Exposition, and there were all sorts of other bits of information coming out, so I started contributing to the school newsletter and ran oral-history sessions at the school for the kids.
“We also had a wine and cheese night, as my neighbour told me they were very popular back in the early days!”
Hughes was officially opened on May 9, 1964, and more than 2000 people attended the initial event, Jenny says. The school opened in January, 1964, although Jenny says the first people moved in 1963, nearly
me he wasn’t the first person to move in because he was busy painting, so his neighbour moved in first.”
“And there are mainly pedestrians today, you meet people out walking all the time and the kids can walk and ride safely to school without crossing roads,” she says.
“We had the first underpass in Canberra, it was a trial and they obviously found it quite successful.”
Jenny says she has received many comments and stories from Hughes’ dwellers about the early days.
“It’s been nice to hear about moving here and what they liked, choosing their block of land, the different kinds of options, the trouble getting builders, one couple had to apply for an extension because they couldn’t get a builder in the timeframe – it’s all been included in the book,” she says.
“The Hughes Primary School principal was a student at the school, and there are a lot of second and third-generation families, it’s always been a very connected
“It’s small with around 1200 houses, and a lot of people were born in Hughes and now live in the house their parents owned.
“One family was lampooned by their friends for moving out all this way, to ‘North Cooma’ as it was called, but coming from a farm they said they loved it –the kids could roam free up Red Hill, the neighbours all gathered together often and they’d have big bonfire nights and
Hughes was very carefully planned and laid out, right down to the plantings, Jenny says, with the idea being that housewives could walk in pleasant surrounds to post a letter, and go to the shops and the school without crossing the road.
about Hughes
share their fireworks together.
“So there are lots of special things. Hughes for example had the first library in Woden and there was much excitement when the street lighting and the public phones were installed.”
Jenny says that Downes Place was named after Maj-Gen Downes and his daughter planted two Doris Downes roses in every garden in Downes Place.
“The roses were named after her mother and the street was named after her father, and there are some roses that are original, they’re still there now at one of the residents’, Molly’s house.”
“The Neighbourhood of Hughes” is dedicated to Jenny’s son Cameron, who suffers from Primary Immune Deficiencies, a rare genetic condition, which means he has frequent infections and autoimmune disorders.
“I wrote the book to tell the stories of Hughes, and also to raise awareness of Primary Immune Deficiencies, and I hope to donate the funds raised to further research,” she says.
“It was research at the ANU and Canberra Hospital which led to a breakthrough after years of illness and tests for Cameron which confirmed a diagnosis for him.”
“The Neighbourhood of Hughes”, $30, available from Hughes Capital Chemist. Funds raised by sales of the book will go to the Immune Deficiencies Foundation Australia (IDFA) and the Centre for Personalised Immunology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the ANU.
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SAFE THIS SUMMER
Every year children under five drown in backyard pools – accidents we can help prevent. As a pool owner it is important to ensure your pool barriers meet the current minimum standards and are as safe as possible for young children.
Remember, while a vital safety measure, a pool barrier is not a substitute for supervision. Always watch kids in and around pools and know how to perform CPR.
Cover image of “The Neighbourhood of Hughes” featuring Mrs Esther Fry resting on a rock in 1963 after looking at an exhibition of 50 houses at Hughes.
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CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
Darren gets his tax bill under control
Darren has just set up business with other computer specialists as a software developer. It is growing fast and earned a lot of income this year. Darren came to see me, worried about the size of the business tax bill. He also asked for clarification concerning GST.
“Darren, you are registered for GST on a cash basis as your turnover is less than $2 million, so GST is reported and paid when you are paid by your customers,” I told him.
“You are, of course, also entitled to claim input tax credits when you pay for goods and services.”
“But much of our income comes from selling support contracts for periods from six to twenty four months in advance,” Darren said.
I asked him to confirm that the income was paid for services that were yet to be provided. Darren said: “Yes, that’s right.”
I explained that “as he reports GST on a cash basis that income is still declared in activity statements when it is received. However, the situation is different for income tax.”
I then told him about the famous Arthur Murray case that went before the High Court many years ago.
“The Arthur Murray School provided ballroom dancing lessons which it sold in advance of providing the lessons. The High Court held that the income was not derived until the lessons were used as there was a possibility that if the customer did not wish to proceed with the lessons then a refund could be provided even though there was no obligation to provide a refund under the contract,” I explained.
“Darren, how do you account for these contracts?” He explained that each contract was separately dealt with, a record was kept of the period that the contract referred to and the services that were provided each month. The purchase and development of the software was accounted for separately.
“Well,” I told him, “because of the way that the contracts were sold and, more particularly, the fact that each payment was accounted for separately and amortised over the life of the contract, the principle in the Arthur Murray case could be applied and the only income that needed to be brought to account each year for tax purposes was income for which the customer had received fair value.”
Darren was thrilled as that would reduce the business taxable income – and hence tax payable – considerably. If you need information about minimising your tax, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.
ONE MAN’S CANBERRA
Funny what lands on your desk...
IT’S funny what lands on your desk.
Over the holiday break, a freak wormhole opened up in Canberra’s space-time continuum*, and from it fell a note from the future.
The note was dated December 17, 2018, and it was a summary of the hottest news stories from the year. So here, with the possible benefit of future hindsight, I present to you what to watch for in Canberra this year.
ARTS: Following the success of the “Mamma Mia” season, the government goes a step further and lures the world premiere of “William Shakespeare – A Musical Event” to Canberra Theatre. However, all does not go according to plan. It’s not until opening night that the public is informed that the production is not a musical re-imagining of “Hamlet”, “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “MacBeth”. Instead, patrons are treated to two hours of reworked versions of the Australian 1970s glam-rock hits
“My Little Angel” and “Can’t Stop Myself from Loving You”. Despite the promise in
Meegan Fitzharris announces that all 14 of Canberra’s trams will be decorated with ‘urban art’ motifs. Being Canberra, this leads to a world-first, “alt-graffiti” movement, resulting in several pensioners being arrested after breaking into the storage yard with the intention of restoring the original colours.
the second song title, Canberrans find out quickly that they can, indeed, stop themselves from loving it.
TRANSPORT: Emboldened by a successful attack on the first of the rolling stock, graffiti “artists” continue to attack Canberra’s light rail vehicles as they arrive in Canberra and, indeed, after they enter service. Some brazen attacks take place while the vehicles are in motion.
Canberra Transport supremo Meegan Fitzharris gives up on maintaining the pre-planned colour scheme and announces that all 14 of Canberra’s trams will be decorated with “urban art” motifs. Being Canberra, this leads to a worldfirst, “alt-graffiti” movement, resulting in several pensioners being arrested after breaking into the overnight storage yard with the intention of restoring the original colours.
THE ACT’s “Lollipop Person” program, which was due to start early in the year, was delayed for several months due to a
massive budgetary blowout and bureaucratic snafu. Instead of stop-go lollipops, an unnamed public servant had instead ordered $20,000 worth of Chupa-Chups. The program was eventually implemented in term two, in conjunction with a driver-focused campaign under the banner “Road Safety – Suck it and See” where drivers doing the right thing were to be rewarded with a lollipop. Six weeks later, that campaign was modified to “any driver not having an accident” as Canberra drivers doing the right thing were too hard to find.
BANS: The increasing amount of graffiti in the city brings about a reaction from Greens leader Shane Rattenbury. He used the party’s balance of power in the Legislative Assembly to have spray paint banned in the ACT from June 30.
In early July, the Greens following Tasmania’s proposed ban on poker machines, ban all forms of gambling in the ACT. Several social club members are immediately arrested for holding renegade chook raffles. Q City Transit reports a massive boom in patronage as Canberrans cross the border en-masse in
largely futile attempts to win chops, snags and steaks at Queanbeyan’s clubs.
But in August, Mr Rattenbury finds himself out of the Assembly as the first politician referred to the newly-minted ACT ICAC, after $5 worth of used scratchies are found in his car. “They weren’t mine!” he was heard to cry as he was frogmarched from the chamber…
* Said wormhole would not have opened without the efforts of my 2CC colleagues Jen Seyderhelm and Eddie Williams.
Chris Coleman presents “Canberra Live”, 3pm-6pm, weekdays on 2CC.
The apps that help little children learn lots
Academics KEVIN LARKIN and KYM SIMONCINI say appropriate educational apps can prepare children for life in an increasingly digital world
APPROPRIATE educational apps can prepare children for life in an increasingly digital world where the availability of apps is growing every year.
Concerns about the negative effects of technology are not new. In the past, television, VCR’s, computers, laptops and PlayStation have each been labelled as potential destroyers of the natural order of childhood through media overuse. But the easy availability of apps has made this topic a hot-button issue.
The main concern is “screen time”. Sedentary use of digital devices, such as TV, computers and iPads, is associated with childhood obesity, poor verbal communication, damaging eyesight, the death of nursery rhymes or digital addiction.
Apps are often labelled as “digital babysitters”, used to give parents and grandparents a bit of adult time to prepare dinner or answer work emails or even sleep in.
While we acknowledge that extensive and unsupervised use of digital technologies may be harmful, not all screen time is equal in terms of outcomes for children.
For most children in the developed world, apps are a normal, everyday part of their life and will remain so. Apps are not new to young children. They interact with them in different ways to their parents and grandparents. Children use apps as a form of digital play.
The Australian government has invested in developing apps for children in the year before formal schooling under the supervision of a degree-qualified early learning teacher in a preschool service.
These apps are aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework. So, activities are underpinned by nationally-agreed educational policy for young children.
In 2017, the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program was expanded across Australia with
$15.7 million to include more than 1800 preschools and 61,000 children. It supports the development of languages other than English through seven apps in seven languages. An independent report pointed to overwhelmingly positive feedback.
The Australian government is also providing $5.6 million over three years to pilot the development and use of apps to inspire young children in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The program called Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) will be piloted in 100 preschool centres across Australia in 2018.
Given this substantial investment, as well as the expanding use of apps by preschool children, parents and grandparents should consider how they might maximise the benefits associated with app use by selecting apps appropriate for young children.
We looked for apps that form a bridge between digital and non-digital play and encourage children to develop literacy, numeracy, and STEM understanding in playful ways.
Apps then become digital toys to be used by children to design, create, build, investigate and imagine as they play.
Kevin Larkin is a senior lecturer in Mathematics Education at Griffith University and Kym Simoncini is an assistant professor in Early Childhood and Primary Education, University of Canberra. Both authors have received funding from the Australian Government to investigate quality apps.
This article was originally published on theconversation.com
Good apps for young children
Over the past five years, as part of a range of university research projects, we have explored hundreds of children’s apps. There
• Starfall ABC helps children develop reading skills
• TouchCounts lets children use their fingers, eyes and ears to learn to count, add and subtract
• Play School Play Time encourages kids to play with time while celebrating Humpty’s birthday
• Play-Doh Touch allows children to shape a creation with Play-Doh, scan it into the app and build a world of their own creation
• LOOPIMAL is an app to help young children learn about making music
are more than 260,000 “educational” apps available at the app store alone. Here are 10 appropriate apps for preschool children:
• Shape Gurus allows children to solve puzzles with shapes and colours as they make their way through an interactive story
• uKloo is a fun seek-andfind literacy game for preschool children
• Code Karts introduces precoding to children from the age of four through a series of logical puzzles presented in the form of a raceway
• Crazy Gears is a digital puzzle game, designed with a real mechanical engine and with children’s critical thinking skills in mind
• Go Noodle gets kids moving with screen-time, and has simple mindfulness and yoga activities to help kids relax
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Juliet aims laughter at fighting family violence
COMEDY and family violence are an odd combination, but for family violence survivor Juliet Moody, they’re necessary.
Juliet, 40, of Gungahlin, doesn’t mean people should laugh at those who experience family violence but rather use the platform of comedy to raise awareness.
“Family violence is prevalent in all areas so I think we should talk about it in every arena, including comedy, arts, sport, everywhere,” she says.
“It happens everywhere, it happened to me – a comedian – so why not raise the issue in this space?”
Which is exactly what Juliet did two years ago. She created the “Fearless Comedy Gala”, a safe event where people can come along, raise money for the Domestic Violence Crisis Service in the ACT and not be the brunt of the joke.
The gala seemed fitting for Juliet, who says comedy helped her come to terms with her experience of family violence.
“Comedy was the thing that built my confidence and gave me my identity back,” she says.
But a career in comedy was at first unexpected and terrifying for Juliet, who had experience in singing, drama and cabaret. Not comedy.
“I don’t think it was ever something I thought I really wanted to get into, but I love making people laugh and I used to make parody songs about my teachers and then perform them to my friends at school,” she says.
Comedy first became an interest for Juliet when she met her comedic partner, Catherine Crowley, through their jobs as drama teachers, about 14
DANIELLE NOHRA meets one half of the acclaimed Canberra comedy duo Sparrow Folk and discovers a performer determined not to be defined by her unhappy past
years ago.
They started doing a bit of improvisation for a music theatre show, where they would write silly, cheeky songs for fun.
It was that experience, which eventually inspired them to start their glam, folk collaboration, Sparrow Folk.
“Our first concert was for our friends and family in Cathy’s backyard because we thought we were hilarious,” she says.
And it seemed others did too, because the unexpected duo went on to win the ABC’s “Exhumed” competition and then perform in the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
“For us we’re loving this ride we’re on. This year we’re creating a brand new show called ‘Nest Friends’,” she says.
Juliet says they’re the first glam, folk band ever created. They originally played the Canberra Folk Festival, which was where they invented their name and realised their genre better fitted into comedy.
They called themselves Sparrow Folk because they felt like little chirping sparrows compared to the other “fabulous” musicians at the folk festival.
As their following grew, an experience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival spurred Juliet’s idea to use comedy as a platform to raise awareness for family violence.
A man at the festival was making fun of victims of domestic violence in his act.
This had a massive effect on Juliet
ARTS IN THE CITY
who decided to reclaim comedy and say: “It’s not okay to make fun of family violence victims or use that space to condone them”.
“For a long time I’d hidden my experience, and then thought what if we use the forum of comedy to raise awareness?” she says.
“I still don’t think we’re quite at that place of understanding what it’s like for victims of family violence.”
Since going public about her experience, Juliet says a confronting number of people have come up to her saying they’ve been through something similar.
“I want to try and turn a terrible situation into a laugh. I want to challenge people to think about it differently. I want people to see that this happened to me and I rebuilt my life, so hopefully they can too,” she says.
“I think it’s most important to remember that there’s always people out there to support you, and you’re not alone.
“I wish I recognised that earlier on and realised I was not in a safe space and needed to leave.
“If you see a friend or family member going through something similar, ring a support service and they will tell you how to support them.
“There’s always signs and generally if you get a feeling, that’s usually for a reason.”
The Domestic Violence Crisis Service’s 24-hour crisis line is at 6280 0900.
Practical help for experimental music
FOUNDER of the SoundOut Festival for experimental music, Richard Johnson, is over the moon at having finally scored ArtsACT project funding. The festival will go ahead at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery, 1pm-5pm and 7pm-11.30pm, on Saturday and Sunday, February 3-4.
ROCK star and former Canberran Erica Bowron tells us that the “unplugged” version of her band’s single “Battlescar” is due for online release this month. It’s a piano-and-vocals collaboration between Bowron and Lucy Bermingham, another bigtime-star coming out of Canberra’s musical scene.
A DAY of choral singing and conducting will be led by the professor of Choral Music Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, Dr Rollo Dilworth. At RA Young Hall, Radford College, Wednesday, January 20. Bookings to trybooking.com
PADMA Menon’s unusual venture, “Moving Archetypes”, where Indian dance and philosophy meet, is on again this year, beginning with a summer intensive course called “Navarasas – The Nine Emotions of Life”. At The Street Theatre, 9.30am, January 26-28. Bookings to eventbrite.com.au
Canadian folk duo The Small Glories… playing in Goulburn.
the “Festival of Small Halls” summer tour. It will feature Australian folk singer Claire Anne Taylor and Canadian folk duo The Small Glories. At St Saviour’s Cathedral Hall, 6.30pm, Wednesday,
January 24. Bookings to festivalofsmallhalls.com
MUSIC at Midday kicks off for 2018 when the Royal Military College Band, headed by Maj. Glenn Rogers, will return. Nearly $10,000 was raised for local charities last year. At the Canberra Theatre, 11am and 12.30pm, Tuesday, February 20. All proceeds to Rise Above –Capital Region Cancer Relief. Entry at the door by gold-coin donation.
THE Infamous Spiegeltent Circus has proved so popular that it’s returning to the Majura Road site for another season from January 12-28. Bookings
WINE THEATRE
‘Lakespeare’ makes a comeback
By Helen Musa
A LONG-neglected Canberra tradition of summery Shakespeare by Lake Burley Griffin is about to be revived by an enterprising group of local creators.
Self-styled impresario Taimus WernerGibbings and Shakespeare scholar Duncan Driver have been inspired by the late Joseph Papp’s famous – and free – invention, “Shakespeare in the Park” in New York City.
The idea was first pitched by Werner-Gibbings, a former candidate for the ACT Legislative Assembly, who had performed in productions of “Breaker Morant” and “Rent” with Everyman Theatre, after a visit to New York in summer this year. While riding his scooter around Tuggera nong Town Park, he thought “it would be nice to do something like that for Tuggeranong” and it didn’t take much persuading for Driver to come on board.
“CityNews” caught up with Driver recently as he was grappling with the nuances of “Much Ado About Nothing”, the play chosen for the project to launch “Shakespeare by the Lakes” in Tuggeranong Town Park, Glebe Park and possibly by the river in Queanbeyan during February.
With a PhD on “Hamlet” from the ANU, Driver is confident that Shakespeare can still communicate with broader audiences.
Another actor friend, Lexi Sekuless, a first-class honours graduate of London’s Central School of Speech and Drama who played Lady Anne in “Richard III” at the Globe Theatre, shares his views.
No surprises, Sekuless will play Beatrice and Driver her sparring partner Benedick in Shakespeare’s most popular battle-of-the-sexes comedy.
It’s no picnic putting on a major Shakespeare play, so the “Lakespeare Team” threw themselves into a crowdfunding project to pay for the necessary amplification and raised $7000, just over their target.
Driver admiringly describes Werner-Gibbings as “a natural dynamo of production and publicity” but he also keeps a sharp eye on money,
estimating the budget at $25,000 with the biggest costs sound and lights.
Driver and Sekuless are nothing if not true believers in the Bard.
“Our main guide has been to use the text to guide us and not to impose ourselves too much on the play,” he says.
“There have been wonderful productions by the Sydney Theatre Company which give a director’s vision, but we think everything is written for us in the work of William Shakespeare… if we speak the lines well and have an understanding of the poetry, we can let the play do its work.”
It’s not just the pair of them – they’ve also pulled in versatile Canberra actors such as Helen McFarlane, Jerry Hearn and “CityNews” writer
John Lombard, who will play the villainous Borachio.
“Lexi and I worked together before on ‘The Seven-Year Itch’ and ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, so we respect the way we work. We’ve done a little editing so that this will be a tight 90-minute version but it’s still the real “Much Ado about Nothing”, Driver says.
“Much Ado about Nothing”, Tuggeranong Town Park Community Stage, Wednesday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day) and Thursday, February 15; Glebe Park Community Stage, Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17. All performances start at 6.30pm. Free, no bookings required, BYO picnic and deckchair.
Swirling memories from a spot of fizz
By Richard Calver
AS you grow older, the memories of events that hardly seemed significant at the time take on more gravitas: the colours become bolder, the smells more pungent and the context more defined by what you have become.
Recently, the pink in a glass of fizz evoked the memory of a date in the early 1970s with a lovely woman who was wearing hot pants in a vibrant, eye-watering pink. I was a slip of a boy at 18, sporting shoulder-length hair and purple bell-bottoms. She was slightly older and had slightly shorter hair.
When I came to the door to collect her for the first date, her father roared at her: “You’re not going out dressed like that and you’re not going out with him.”
The door slammed on my vision
The current day pink that was so evocative was the colour of the Roxanne Petillant Naturel that Lark Hill, the Bungendore biodynamic winery, has on offer. It was served by AJ at the Mint Bar in Gorman House. Feeling the gloom at the end of the day we had wanted to celebrate.
(Quick interpolation: A horse walked into a bar. The barman said: “Why the long face?”) I asked AJ: “What do you have in the way of champagne?”
“Were you after something local?”
“Well that wouldn’t be champagne as the French will quickly tell you, but rather fizz or sparkling wine,” I fire back. “But sure, what do you recommend?”
“Well, we sell a lot of the Lark Hill Naturel just on the colour,” he said.
“Okay, pour a glass and let’s see what it’s like.”
A glass was poured, and the colour was an astonishing, cloudy pink. This style of winemaking is becoming popular: the process of just serving up unadulterated, fermented grape juice. With this style, the wine is fermenting in the bottle. It has nothing added to it: the carbon dioxide creates the fizz and acts as the preservative.
The wine was a shiraz-based rose.
The pink in a glass of fizz evoked the memory of a date in the early 1970s with a lovely woman who was wearing hot pants in a vibrant, eyewatering pink.
It had an acidic hit that belied the vibrant pink colour. It was different, tangy and tart but fresh. The wine is advertised at $25 a bottle on the Lark Hill website. It sells for $13 a glass at Mint.
I spoke with Chris Carpenter, the winemaker from Lark Hill, about what had induced him to make the petit-nat: “Well, the colour with pinot noir that was the previous Roxanne was unstable, so we tried with a shiraz rose and the colour was permanent and was an iridescent red.
“Rather than go through the entire process of making a champagne, we bottled the primary ferment just as a bit of fun. But it works and the shiraz rose gives the wine so much dioxide creates the fizz and acts as the preservative.
red berry fruit character.” I smiled at this explanation: my enthusiasm for the colour had been shared: it was one of the governing concerns of the winemaker in producing this trendy style of wine. Would I want to drink petit-nat wines all the time? The answer is “no”, but as an experiment in having a wine produced at an affordable price as a bit of fun, the wine is a success. It is certainly evocative of the fun that ensued from a father labelling me a “bad boy”: there were many successful, passionate dates that followed the “hot pants” fiasco. I remember them swirling a glass of that pretty, pink wine. No memory is ever alone; it’s at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations – Louis L’Amour
Lexi Sekuless (as Beatrice) and Duncan Driver (Benedick) in Shakespeare’s most popular battle-of-the-sexes comedy “Much Ado About Nothing”. Photo by Emily Hanna
All singing, all dancing, all young and talented
By Helen Musa
“WE’RE not too young to achieve the impossible” is the motto of Ribix Productions, one of the liveliest new theatre companies in Canberra.
Founded almost two years ago by Shannon Parnell, now 18, and Rachel Pengilly, now 19, who staged their play “The Train Station” with the support of North Belconnen Baptist Church, the Ribix team has grown to 11 production members and a cast of nearly 30 actors –more than 90 per cent of them under the age of 20. Now they’re moving into new territory with a very different show, “Foxes: The Musical”. With music and lyrics by Parnell and a book by Pengilly, who also directs, the script follows the journey of two young women, Sierra and Indi, as they try to find their place in a fictional kingdom where the king, grieving from the death of his wife, has neglected his people and allowed
a rebel youth gang to rise up.
“For me, ‘Foxes’ is a story about people just trying to find where they belong,” says Parnell. “I think that’s something that resonates with a lot of the people who are in this show, because we’re all in this world finding our home and finding our place.”
There’s a focus on family, friendship, home and the stigma surrounding disability. Each main character, they tell “CityNews”, represents a different form of physical, mental or emotional disability.
“I’m really enjoying being involved with a director who is also the writer and a musical director who is the composer, all around my age,” says “Foxes” cast member Brittany Lewis, 21. It’s a sentiment echoed by graphic designer Beth Marks, 19, who says it’s “an opportunity for young people to show our community what we can do and the talent we have”.
“Foxes: The Musical”, at Belconnen Community Theatre, January 31-February 3. Bookings to ribixproductions.com.au
FAST NEWS FIRST
Choreographer Hannah Pengilly, left, teaches the title dance of “Foxes: The Musical”.
SUMMER JUMBO CROSSWORD
Special care for summer plants
By Cedric Bryant
WHILE garden centres brim with wonderful, tempting plants to buy, remember it’s high summer and planting shrubs and, even more so, perennials need extra care.
Often February is just as hot as January and even into early March. If you do weaken, you need to be sure you’re able to give all your attention to those babies that, in a couple of days missing watering in temperatures hitting 35C, will be burnt to a frazzle.
The ideal time, indeed the recommended time, for planting shrubs and perennials is during autumn’s cooler days and still-warm ground to promote good root growth.
Many gardeners were surprised at the heavy rain in early December and saw that, within a week, plants were needing water.
Unfortunately, when we receive heavy storm rain following an extended period of dry little water is absorbed into the soil or lost to runoff.
Here’s a simple test, although it will take a few months; plant a few small shrubs now and a few in mid-to-late autumn.
Dig all or some of them in mid-to-late spring and see which have the most roots.
This was a standard experiment at the School of Horticulture when, to get a really accurate figure, the roots were cut off and dried, then weighed. The autumn planting won hands down.
GROWING veggies is the exception to autumn planting as this is a year-round challenge.
Clear beds of broad beans and peas in readiness for planting winter veggies.
Seed potatoes can be planted now after harvesting onions, garlic and shallots.
When planting veggie seedlings apply an organic liquid fertiliser fortnightly.
If your garden centre has the various veggie seedlings in stock it’s time to plant them.
A FEW thoughts from well-known English gardener John Manser, writing in the “Country Life” magazine:
• “Gardens are sculptures in themselves and like sculptures they depend on contrasts of form and texture.”
• “A garden should flow, to walk around and explore, with one area leading to another.”
• “Self-seeders, especially with perennials, help a garden to look healthy and relaxed. Although there is a difference between relaxed and out of control. Pruning and deadheading is very important, so always walk around your garden with secateurs in hand.”
dose of dorin
HOROSCOPE 2018 / your year in the stars
Buckle up for a bumpy and exhilarating
“CityNews” weekly astrologer
JOANNE MADELINE MOORE shares her predictions for the year ahead.
BUCKLE on your seatbelt for a bumpy and exhilarating ride in 2018. The most difficult time of the year will be from July 26 to August 27 when Mercury and Mars are both retrograde and there are two eclipses.
Then Venus, planet of love and money, is retrograde from October 5 until November 16. So avoid planning an important event such as a holiday, wedding, business launch or house sale during these periods.
Saturn transits through Capricorn for the whole year which will be a reality check for corporations, businesses, banks and government. Many people who have taken shortcuts or been dishonest in these areas will be caught out and face serious repercussions in 2018.
The positive side of Saturn in Capricorn is that it will lead to a long overdue restructuring of nursing homes, aged care and end-of-life options. Jupiter moves through Scorpio until November 8 so situations involving the abuse of money, power and sex will be further revealed and exposed as we are already seeing in many industries and professions. This transit could also herald breakthroughs in human reproductive rights as well as virus and disease research. Beneficial Jupiter-Neptune and Jupiter-Pluto connections bode well for boosted funds for humanitarian projects in many countries throughout the world. And watch out for a fabulous new fantasy novel or movie to capture the public’s imagination such as “Star Wars” and the “Harry Potter” films have done.
ARIES
(March 21-April 20)
LOVE & LUST
Expect some interpersonal challenges in 2018 as four eclipses and retrograde Venus stir up your romance and friendship zones. Things could come to a head in July or August when you finally lose patience with a faux friend or unreliable lover. Singles – you may have to kiss a few frogs before you find your Prince or Princess Charming. But don’t give up – each dating disappointment will lead you closer to your soulmate. Attached Rams – January and April are the prime months to plan an erotic weekend escape with your lover when Jupiter and Pluto boost your sex drive and lust for life.
LOOT & LUCK
Lucky Jupiter is moving through your “money-fromothers” zone until November 8 so you could benefit from a favour, freebie, pay rise, inheritance, gift, bumper tax return, divorce settlement or superannuation payout. Make sure you manage any windfall wisely with a view to long-term financial security. Then from November 9 until December 31, there’s money to be made via publishing, education, travel, business trips, international contacts, imports or exports.
LIFESTYLE
Feeling restless? February and December are the best
months to travel as long as you plan your trip carefully. Best destinations may be beautiful natural environments with challenging activities that get your adrenalin going. Your reckless Ram nature intensifies from June 26 through until August 27 when your ruler Mars is retrograde, and your energy and timing are all over the place especially at work. Aim to be reasonable and responsible – rather than impulsive and impossible!
FAMOUS ARIES
Sarah Jessica Parker, Russell Crowe, Reese Witherspoon and Keira Knightley.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“You have good days and bad days. That’s a marriage. That’s a relationship. That’s a friendship.” (Sarah Jessica Parker)
TAURUS
(April 21-May 21)
LOVE & LUST
In 2018 you’ll experience your luckiest love cycle for the last 12 years as Jupiter, planet of good fortune, powers through your partnership zone. So it’s a fabulous time to go on a special holiday with your partner or start a hot, new romance with a sexy foreigner, as love and travel are connected. There is one tricky patch to navigate through! Retrograde Venus rocks the relationship boat from October 5 until November 16 when it will take your substantial diplomatic skills to get things back on an even keel.
LOOT & LUCK
Love, friendship, luck, travel and business are all linked so 2018 is a fortunate year to initiate and promote a promising joint venture – especially with a business partner from another country or culture. From October 5 until November 16 avoid making important decisions as Venus, your ruling planet, reverses through your work and relationship zones. The period from December 7-31 is the perfect time to pool resources with loved ones for a beneficial outcome.
LIFESTYLE
Uranus, planet of disruption and innovation, moves through your sign from May 15 until November 6. And Uranus hasn’t been in Taurus since 1942! So it’s time for bored Bulls to jump out of your comfort zone and shake up your world. Experiment and explore as you do something daringly different or go on a grand adventure. If you are too entrenched in your old lifestyle and don’t make some changes voluntarily, then Uranus will stir things up for you by throwing a curved ball in your direction.
FAMOUS TAUREANS
Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Adele and David Beckham.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“It’s important to travel and explore and have a continual set of experiences.” (Cate Blanchett)
GEMINI
(May 22-June 21)
love and respect yourself, why should anyone else? Love planet Venus reverses through your romance zone from October 31-November 16. So it’s not a good time to go on a first date, propose, get married or renew your wedding vows.
LOOT & LUCK
Lucky Jupiter is moving through your health zone until November 8, which is good news for physical vitality and mental wellbeing over the coming year. But with penny-pinching Saturn and retrograde Mars in your “money-from-others” zone, expect delayed payments, tax problems, diminished cash flow or budget blow-outs. Separating your wants from your needs is a must in 2018 as smart Twins get thrifty, cut consumption and learn to get by on less.
LIFESTYLE
February is a fantastic month for travel, when the planets pave the way for a fun and hassle-free trip. The following dates are when your ruler Mercury is retrograde: March 23 until April 15 looks tricky for friendships and social networking. Expect possible communication, computer, travel or transport chaos from July 26 until August 19. And you need to be extra tactful with work colleagues and loved ones from November 17 until December 6. The best things to do when Mercury is retrograde? Review, research and reboot.
FAMOUS GEMINIS
Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Stevie Nicks.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“Life has all these twists and turns. You’ve got to hold on tight and off you go.” (Nicole Kidman)
CANCER
(June 22-July 23)
LOVE & LUST
With Saturn in your relationship zone in 2018, many Crabs will take the plunge via an engagement, wedding, moving in together or by becoming a parent, as you strive for more permanence in your primary partnership. With hard work and commitment, your love life will slowly go from strength to strength. Singles – the best months to meet your soulmate are in January, May and September when your Cancerian charisma attracts admirers from near and far. But expect a temporary dating drought in August and October when Mars and Venus reverse through your romance zones.
LOOT & LUCK
The Solar Eclipse in February is good for joint business ventures and turning innovative ideas into exciting entrepreneurial endeavours. The best months to buy a lottery ticket, enter a competition or hit the casino are in March and June, when Jupiter sends good fortune in your direction. But don’t then squander any lucky gains you make… squirrel extra cash away to tide you over when times are tight. In October, if a financial proposal looks too good to be true then walk away – quickly!
LIFESTYLE
LOVE & LUST
Attached Gemini – February is a fabulous month to bring more romance, fantasy and fun into your relationship. If you’re single, the best month to look for love or join an online dating site is February when proactive Mars powers through your partnership zone. And don’t be shy about promoting your positive qualities. If you don’t
January through until November 8 is fabulous for fostering friendships, as you extend your peer group to include an adventurous new crowd. Your family life is also incredibly important in 2018. Some Crabs will welcome a new baby or enjoy improved relations with a child, teenager or parent as you share mutual hobbies, sports and interests. You’ll also feel more generous towards a recalcitrant relative and may even find it in your heart to forgive and forget their past indiscretions.
FAMOUS CANCERIANS
Meryl Streep, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana and Tom Hanks.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“My family really does come first. It always has and always will.” (Meryl Streep)
LOVE & LUST
(July 24-Aug 23)
Coupled Leos – in January, February, July and August the four eclipses compel you to take a good long look at your relationship. Is your partner doing all the giving, while you’re doing all the taking? Are you constantly talking while they’re just listening? Compromise and two-way communication are the keys to romantic harmony in 2018. Single Cats – Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike in February when the Solar Eclipse energises your love zone. So brush up on your flirting technique and seductive one-liners. But avoid falling for a dubious dreamer or a sexy schemer.
LOOT & LUCK
Prosperity planet Jupiter is visiting your domestic zone. So the period between now and November 8 is the best time to redecorate, renovate, build an extension, sell property, buy a new home or other real estate, house-sit, relocate or start a home-based business. Good fortune could also come via a loved one, distant relative or family friend. Your luckiest day of the year is November 26 so plan something special.
LIFESTYLE
Cats are ambitious creatures and 2018 is the year when you can really stand out from the crowd and make a strong impression in the public sphere. With unique Uranus revving up your career and reputation zone from May 15-November 6 the more authentically you express your talents and creativity, the more successful you’ll be. But remember there’s a fine line between blowing others away with your energy and enthusiasm and turning them off with your blunt and sometimes bossy approach.
FAMOUS LEOS
Madonna, Mick Jagger, Jennifer Lawrence and Meghan Markle
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“If I can’t be daring in my work and the way I live my life, then I don’t really see the point of being on this planet.” (Madonna) VIRGO
(Aug 24-Sep 23)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Virgo – 2018 is the year to bring more romance and fantasy into your relationship and March is the prime month to spice up your sex life with some surprising new moves. If you’re single, stop searching for the perfect partner. Instead, look for love with a mere mortal… someone with normal human flaws such as a stubborn Taurus or a strong-willed Capricorn. With Jupiter and Pluto stimulating your love zone, January, April and May are marvellous months to join an online dating site, fall in love, propose, get married or renew your wedding vows.
LOOT & LUCK
Prosperity planet Jupiter moves through your social networking zone until November 8. So you could hit the internet jackpot when something you post or sell online goes viral. Some money-savvy Virgos could also boost cash flow via writing, teaching, podcasting or public speaking. Courtesy of retrograde Venus, your financial situation appears to go backwards in the first
love-and-money ride across the stars
two weeks of November. But with plenty of patience and persistence things will soon be back on track again.
LIFESTYLE
With four eclipses firing up your humanitarian zones in 2018, you’ll feel the need to be of service to others via a special volunteer project either overseas or within your local community. You have so many versatile Virgo talents to offer. With Jupiter and Uranus both revving up your travel zones, it’s definitely time to be more adventurous, but avoid signing contracts between March 23 and April 15 when Mercury, your ruling planet, reverses through your income and business transactions zone.
FAMOUS VIRGOS
Prince Harry, Cameron Diaz, Beyoncé Knowles and Pink.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“You’ve got to give something back. You can’t just sit there.” (Prince Harry)
LIBRA
(Sep 24-Oct 23)
LOVE & LUST
Coupled Libra – clear and consistent communication is the key to romantic harmony! The more you bottle up your emotions and keep things from your partner; the more fractured and frustrating the relationship will become. Singles, if you’re looking for the perfect partner, do you have unrealistic expectations that no mere mortal can possibly meet? Look for love with someone who is sexy, smart and successful – and perhaps a little flawed! Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike in January, February or March so make sure you dress to impress and socialise in style.
LOOT & LUCK
Finances and luck are linked in 2018 as Jupiter, planet of prosperity and good fortune, transits through your money zone. So expect a boost to your bank balance via a pay rise, bonus, gift or extra business coming your way. Any windfall won’t last long if you don’t manage it wisely though. October and November are the danger months for overspending when indulgent Venus reverses through your money zone. In uncertain economic times, canny Librans will concentrate on smart saving and sustainable living.
LIFESTYLE
Avoid the Libran inclination to procrastinate and sit on the fence! With Jupiter boosting your self-esteem and two eclipses stimulating your hopes and wishes zone, 2018 is the year to believe in yourself. When you set an ambitious goal or dream a big dream, do all you can to make it happen; however, avoid being impulsive and buying big-ticket items such as a car, home or investment property between October 5 and November 16 when Venus, your patron planet, is retrograde.
FAMOUS LIBRANS
Bruce Springsteen, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“Talk about a dream, then try to make it real.” (Bruce Springsteen)
unpredictable. For some attached Scorpios – a relationship that has lost its spark could unexpectedly be reignited. For others – a previously happy partnership could suddenly encounter problems. Singles – if you settle for a superficial, second-best love then you are selling yourself short. Have the confidence and patience to wait for the right person to come along. May and December are the best months to look for love and you’ll have more luck if you jump out of your comfort zone and cast your net wide.
LOOT & LUCK
Lady Luck is on your side in 2018 as Jupiter, planet of prosperity, jumps through your personal and money zones enhancing your business acumen and boosting your ability to generate extra income. Money matters may stall or even go backwards when Venus reverses through your sign in October – but if you have planned carefully and saved wisely – then you’ll sail through this temporary financial glitch and end the year in good fiscal shape.
LIFESTYLE
Don’t like something about yourself? Jupiter jumps through your sign until November 8, giving you the chutzpah to initiate personal changes and then take on the world. Make the most of this powerful energy surge which only happens every 12 years. So it’s definitely time to be the best and boldest Scorpio you can be, as you tackle challenges and venture into exciting new areas that would usually daunt you. Confidence is the rocket fuel that will take you places in 2018!
FAMOUS SCORPIOS
Katy Perry, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“If you present yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” (Katy Perry)
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov 23-Dec 21)
LOVE & LUST
Relationships are steady as she goes in 2018 – which could be a problem for adrenaline addicted Archers. If you are attached, do all you can to reboot a stale relationship or resolve a frustrating problem. If you allow boredom and complacency to set in, then it won’t be long before you’re heading out the door. Singles, with Venus vamping through your romance zones in March and May, you’ll be at your bewitching best as you attract admirers like moths to a flame. So it’s the perfect time to join an online dating site or update your current profile.
LOOT & LUCK
Intuition and luck are linked in 2018, as your inner-voice guides you in the right direction. But have you been rash with cash? Money matters come under the spotlight in August, when retrograde Mars brings financial problems to a head. It’s time to stop overspending and learn from your mistakes; time to formulate a fresh fiscal plan and follow through. November 2018 until December 2019 is super lucky for Sagittarians as Jupiter moves through your sign – for the first time in 12 years.
LIFESTYLE
SCORPIO
(Oct 24-Nov 22)
LOVE & LUST
When Uranus moves through your relationship zone from May until November, your love life will be
FAMOUS SAGITTARIANS
Mark Twain, Jane Fonda, Brad Pitt and Taylor Swift.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)
CAPRICORN
(Dec 22-Jan 20)
LOVE & LUST
Keep professional projects and passionate desires separate in 2018. With Venus reversing through your career zone, love and work are a messy mix and an on-the-job romance will struggle to survive. May and June are important months for singles, when there’ll be a plethora of potential suitors and – for some lucky Capricorns – it’s when Cupid finally comes calling. If you are attached, be proactive about solving a partnership problem around the time of the Solar Eclipse on July 13, as you lead the way and set new ground rules in the relationship.
LOOT & LUCK
The internet and luck are linked in 2018. January through until October is a period when your career and/or public profile could suddenly take off via the clever use of social media and a helping hand from Jupiter. A blog post, video or podcast could reach a wider audience or even go viral. Canny Capricorns will find numerous ways to monetise any lucky opportunities when they come along. January and April are particularly fortuitous months to launch an ambitious personal project or an exciting group venture.
LIFESTYLE
In 2018 courtesy of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto the power of the group is on your side and you’ll be given the opportunity to transform your life in a positive way. So make sure you join forces with inspiring people who appreciate your vision, boost your ambitions, and encourage your dreams. But slow down and pace yourself in August when Mars, planet of energy and motivation, reverses through your sign and your usual get-up-and-go – goes missing!
FAMOUS CAPRICORNS
Dolly Parton, Muhammad Ali, David Bowie and Kate Middleton.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking on, start paving another one.” (Dolly Parton)
AQUARIUS
(Jan 21-Feb 19)
LOVE & LUST
Strive to balance quiet solo time with exciting adventures. Activities such as meditation, contemplation, yoga and journaling are favoured up until November 8 as Jupiter journeys through your spiritual zone and you tap into the wisdom within. You’re in the mood for at least one business trip or heavenly holiday in 2018 when four eclipses fire up your gypsy gene. But expect transport delays or itinerary changes in June, July or August, when Mercury and Mars reverse through your travel zones.
Attached Aquarians – you are very independent and love to pursue personal projects, but 2018 is the year to share more with your partner. So do your best to find sports, hobbies and leisure activities that you both enjoy. Plus slot some regular date nights into your busy schedules. If you are single, Cupid’s arrow is most likely to strike in January, February or July, when the Solar and Lunar Eclipses stimulate your relationship zone. Expect romantic sparks to fly with an amorous Aries, a lusty Leo or a sexy Sagittarian.
LOOT & LUCK
Aquarians are natural entrepreneurs and with fortunate Jupiter activating your career zone, it’s the ideal time to initiate an exciting new professional venture. It’s
a wonderful year to look for a job, hit your boss for a raise, apply for a business loan, expand your present vocation, buy out a struggling competitor – or live the laptop lifestyle by starting an online business. If extra money comes your way, don’t be too impulsive and short-sighted! Make sure you secure it wisely, with an eye to your longer-term needs.
LIFESTYLE
Many Aquarians are restless and unpredictable souls. But you’ll start to feel more mentally and physically settled in 2018 as Uranus, your patron planet, starts a seven-year sojourn through the stable and sensible sign of Taurus. You’ll certainly need to be extra careful with correspondence, contracts, computers, phones and travel from March 23 until April 15 when retrograde Mercury scrambles your communication antennae. Extra patience and due diligence are essential during this period.
FAMOUS AQUARIANS
Michael Jordan, Bob Marley, Yoko Ono and Oprah Winfrey.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” (Michael Jordan)
PISCES
(Feb 20-March 20)
LOVE & LUST
Attached Pisces – your partnership gets bogged down early in the year. But hang in there because a touch of fantasy spices up your love life in May and August when your imagination runs riot. And the Lunar Eclipse in July promises a romantic celebration via a birthday, anniversary, engagement or wedding. Single Fish – from February 10 until March 6 you’re at your charismatic best, as charm planet Venus moves through your sign. So it’s the ideal time to search for your soulmate. The best places to look are at arts-related events such as concerts and festivals as well as online.
LOOT & LUCK
Luck, travel and education are linked in 2018. Between now and November 8, good fortune comes from education, publishing, imports, exports, travel, foreign friends or overseas business. It’s also a smart idea to spend money on further training to enhance your career prospects. You could also expand your options by learning another language. At this time Jupiter is charging into your career zone, so you can look forward to plenty of professional opportunities coming your way in late 2018.
LIFESTYLE
In May, the Jupiter-Neptune trine brings luck, boosts imagination, increases wanderlust and highlights your creative and spiritual side. So it’s the perfect time to travel or take a special dream and spin it into a rock solid reality. With Saturn, Pluto and retrograde Mars all stimulating your peer group zone, is 2018 the year to finally sever ties with a fair-weather friend? Make it a priority to fill your friendship circle with positive people who boost your confidence, encourage your talents and support your dreams.
FAMOUS PISCEANS
Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Rihanna and Drew Barrymore.
NEW YEAR MOTTO
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” (Albert Einstein)
