Well written, well read
ACT Health heads back to the future
MICHAEL MOORE
Go spend a penny here, Mr Barr!
GRUMPY
Big things happen when Tiny sets goals
DANIELLE NOHRA
Leaves, leaves, glorious leaves
CEDRIC BRYANT
300 pieces of Cartier history comes to Canberra
By Danielle Nohra
CANBERRA is always projected through photos of Floriade but Kambah man Vijay Koul wants to know why nobody is making a fuss about the ACT’s autumn.
Vijay, an amateur photographer and scientist, has travelled the world and believes Canberra is the most beautiful city, especially in autumn, which he’s been taking photos of for 10 years.
“The tourism department is projecting photos of Floriade but people living here have no idea how beautiful autumn is,” he says.
“I really love autumn colours, it makes me nostalgic and brings me back to my childhood.”
Vijay’s fascination towards autumn started as a child in Kashmir, in northern India, which Vijay says has a similar autumn to Canberra.
Working in Delhi, Vijay didn’t enjoy the hot capital and moved to Canberra as a 34-year-old in 1992, followed by his wife, Greeta, and son in 1993.
“Always people ask why I picked Canberra?” he says. “I had no internet, no emails when I was picking a city.”
Vijay was looking at the Australian cities in a “Lonely Planet” book and when he saw that Canberra only had 300,000 people (at the time) and
saw what the temperature was like he knew Canberra would be home.
The first six months were a struggle for Vijay, who was qualified but couldn’t tie down a job, so he asked for voluntary work in forestry.
“They really liked me – and probably my work – so decided to give me a three-month contract and after that made me permanent,” he says.
Vijay has worked for almost two decades in the fields of soil and nutrition, forest hydrology and bushfire dynamics.
In 2012 he took some photos at a wedding and afterwards noticed one of his images hanging in the mother-of-thebride’s lounge room.
“She said: ‘Your photos are really good compared to the professional who also took some’,” he says.
That experience gave Vijay the confidence to upgrade his camera (nothing too fancy) and continue with this hobby.
Vijay has since been to places such as Norway, Holland and Switzerland to take photographs.
“When I came back to Australia, the Swiss ambassador said he liked my photographs and invited me to the embassy,” he says.
It turned into what he says was the happiest day of his life because he was asked to produce a book with his landscape photos from Switzerland.
Even though Vijay has travelled to many beautiful countries, he still thinks that Canberra is the most beautiful city in the world and because of that, he wants to promote it with his photos.
“I feel like this country and CSIRO has given me so much, so I should pay them back,” he says.
Vijay takes photos for the love of it, not for the money, and says if anyone wants a photo from his website, instead of paying him money, decide the price of it and give money to a charity.
“I don’t want to be biased, you pay to your charity and I’ll be happy to send the photo in full resolution,” he says.
View Vijay’s photos at bubphotography.com
Arts & Entertainment 15-17
Cinema 16
Crossword 19
Dining 17
Gardening 18
Horoscopes 19
Letters 6
News 3-7
Politics 6
Socials 8-9
Cover: Cartier Paris necklace, bracelet and earrings (1951). Photo: Marian Gérard, Cartier Collection, ©Cartier. Story Page 15.
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Fyshwick
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AN “understanding” between Canberra hospitality and service industry workers and Federal politicians may soon be obsolete.
Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari signed with the KIIS FM Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show promising to “spill the beans” on Canberra politics in a segment called “Gutter Politics”.
For years cabbies, waiters, hairdressers and the odd dry cleaner have respected their clients’ need for discretion. Mixed metaphors aside, in order to stoop to the required levels of Kyle Sandilands and his co-host, Dastyari will need to dish plenty of “dirt” among those “spilled beans”.
MLA Mark
scathing assessment of CM Andrew Barr is yet another reason the former radio man should be the party’s leader. The member for Brindabella’s incisive spray in the Assembly
zeroed in on Barr’s appalling double standards.
“I can’t believe the hypocrisy from this man who lives by a mantra of inclusion; he doesn’t judge people by their colour, creed, religion, sexuality or gender but he can judge an entire profession because they dare to disagree with his vision,” said Parton.
He highlighted Barr’s “vindictiveness” towards journalists being “so strong that he wishes with all his heart their employer goes belly up so they can become unemployed”.
MEANTIME, Canberra-based political editor for “The Australian” Dennis Shanahan wisely allowed some water from Barr’s “hate gate” to flow under Commonwealth Avenue bridge before soberly suggesting local media does need a shake-up.
The Press Gallery veteran wrote: “The real issue is not about his personal feelings towards journalists or old people but the need for a vigorous, independent and competitive local media in Canberra.
“After all, it is the national capital, and just across the Commonwealth Bridge every media organisation in Australia fights on a daily basis to monitor and condemn any misdemeanour or wrongdoing of the
SACKED CSIRO technician Jack Hoffman who left Canberra 22 months ago “broken” after a prolonged and traumatic battle with the scientific body over bullying issues, has returned briefly to the capital a new man. Hoffman gained notoriety via the now defunct “Today Tonight” TV show after being caught buying a Big Mac from Maccas drive-through in Condor, breaching CSIRO’s company car use policy.
The 55-year-old, who spent his first six weeks in Sydney homeless, is now the poster boy of the Metabolic Rehabilitation Program at Camden Hospital in Sydney after dropping 70 kilograms from his 185-centimetre frame to be 198 kilograms.
federal government.”
SINCE vacating the breakfast slot at HIT 104.7 Ryan Jon continues to take the world beyond by storm. The announcer’s heart wrenching 2017 Mother’s Day YouTube video on his search for the woman who gave him up for adoption 30 years ago has notched 580 million views. Still to trace his mother, Jon told “The Project’s” Carrie Bickmore his video had unearthed his biological father, an American who had a one-night stand while backpacking through Australia. And Ryan has found two half-brothers.
THE ACT government is among the first jurisdiction to sign-up for the new national
redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions. While applauding the proactive approach, Gold Creek art gallery owner and child sexual abuse victim Robert Stephens is challenging the government “to keep the momentum going” by changing the name of William Slim Drive.
Mr Stephens came to Australia in 1952 aged eight as part of the UK governmentsponsored Fairbridge Scheme and has accused then Governor-General Sir William Slim of sexual abuse at a Fairbridge farm in NSW. Stephens is a long-time campaigner for the name change.
FROM the Canberra Noticeboard Facebook site comes this touching post: “A huge thank-you to ‘Maureen’, a lovely lady who was walking down our street and found my daughter’s cat dead on our road. Maureen stayed with Luna for 10 minutes until I got home and then later called in with flowers for my daughter! If you are on this site Maureen, thank you again! You are a true angel!”
Tuesday 1 or Tuesday 8 May
Become a St Clare’s girl for a day! We invite prospective Year 7 students to experience the exciting and enriching opportunities available at St Clare’s College. Please register on our website.
Wednesday 2 May
Our Open Evening is an opportunity for parents and all prospective students to look at our facilities and talk to staff and students. The evening will run from 4.00pm to 7.00pm with an information session to be held in the College Hall from 6.00pm-6.30pm.
Thursday 10 May
Discover the many courses and leadership opportunities available for senior students at our Information Evening from 6.00pm - 7.30pm at the College.
Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 16 May
School Tours with the Principal are available by appointment at 9.00am or 4.00pm.
Please contact the College to register for a tour.
An amusement park in Serbia, a TV special, mentoring and charity work… the irrepressible Tiny, of Green Shed fame, doesn’t know how to slow down, reports DANIELLE NOHRA
GORAN Srejic may be nicknamed “Tiny” but the co-founder of The Green Shed is ticking off some big goals, one of which is raising $1 million for charity. He’s over half way there. The Green Shed’s co-founders or, as Tiny calls them, “the four musketeers”, which include couple Sandie Parkes and Charlie Bigg-Wither as well as Tiny’s wife Elaine Stanford and, of course, Tiny have raised more than $530,000.
Once a month on “Charity Day”, all proceeds from The Green Shed are collected and once $10,000 is raised it goes to a nominated charity.
“I don’t need my best friend or daughter to be dying from cancer to do the stuff I do, I have a policy: if you can, you should,” Tiny says.
But this is only one of many goals that Serbian-born Tiny, who says he has always been part of at least five businesses at a time, is ticking off.
Tiny’s family came to Canberra from Serbia when he was five, but it was working overseas as a young man amongst older workers where Tiny was given his nickname, which stuck in Australia because it was easier to pronounce than Goran.
Growing up in what he describes as an “unsupportive environment”, Tiny
has spent the last 30 years mentoring people and giving as many as possible a hand.
“I have a scholarship where I have a few students stay with me for a year and I coach them on business and life,” he says.
“If you live through it you can under stand it and don’t need to read a book about it.”
For Tiny, a training course run by a real estate company more than 30 years ago, was a big influence on his life.
“One of the teachers walked in and said: ‘By the age of 65, one of you [out of 20] will be wealthy, choose now’,” he says.
“So I looked around the classroom and thought: ‘I hope there will be two because I’m not the brightest’.”
During the course Tiny was told to write down his goals for the next 20 years, put the list in his bathroom and read them every day.
When Tiny shared his list with family and friends they laughed, but he kept reading his list every day and says he ticked all the goals off. Most of it was about doing something for someone else and a small part related to financial goals.
“Some of the goals were to be a good dad, a good husband, a good friend...
make somebody’s day; every day make somebody laugh,” he says.
These days, among the other goals Tiny is planning to tick off soon is the construction of an amusement park in Serbia, Bora’s Labyrinth, which is aimed to provide Serbian families with an affordable holiday.
And, on a new adventure, The Green Shed has been producing a special onehour television show of what Tiny says
CANBERRA hairdresser Jenni
Tarrant, owner of Bond Hair Religion salon in Kingston, has been nominated as one of six national finalists in the Avant Garde category of the 2018 Australian Hair Fashion Awards.
She says her “Homage to McQueen” collection uses the medium of hair to translate the style, textures, shapes and colours of some of the late UK dress designer Alexander McQueen’s signature looks.
The Australian Hair Fashion Awards, which attract hundreds of entries from salons and individuals across Australia, are judged by a panel of international industry profession als. Winners will be announced at a gala night at Luna Park, North Sydney, on Sunday, April 15.
to McQueen” collection of avant garde styles.
THE annual Easter Fair at Adaminaby, in the Snowy Mountains, is on from 9am, Saturday, March 31. A family event, organisers are promising market stalls, tea and scones, barbecue snags and fun activities such as competitions for pie-eating, trout tossing, boot tossing and watermelon-eating, plus a dog high jump and the well-known “wacky
THE restructure of the ACT Health Directorate by Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris and Mental Health Minister Shane Rattenbury not only makes good sense for better management, it is also wily politics.
Kate Carnell implemented a similar model in her first term as chief minister when she was also minister for health. This makes it awkward for Alistair Coe and the Liberal Opposition to attack the change in any substantive way. Good politics. This announcement came as the auditor-general made public the intention to inquire into breaches of the Public Sector Management Act including by senior ACT Health executives. Wily distraction politics.
All state departments of health along with the NT employ purchaser-provider models for managing health and hospital care. This does not mean that the ACT should follow suit. There have to be very good reasons for such a substantive departmental restructure.
The health ministers have given a six-month lead time to prepare for the implementation. The restructure will see two separate parts of the directorate. The oversight, or “purchaser”, will be responsible for “the strategic policy and planning stewardship of the health system”. The other part of the directorate will be responsible for service delivery, or as the ministers explained “the delivery of quality health services to our growing community”.
According to Minister Fitzharris: “This separation will enable a clearer focus on operational effectiveness and efficiency, and improve accountability for health service delivery.”
This is certainly what Canberrans should be expecting of the ACT government and its directorate. She identified a reason as Canberra’s changing needs and the ability to be more responsive and flexible.
The timing did coincide just too neatly with the auditorgeneral’s announcement. It is hard to believe that this is a coincidence.
The minister also attempted to reassure health staff working in the hospitals and across the directorate. As an example, she pointed out “the clinical and service planning underway through the territorywide Health Service Framework will remain a key priority for government”.
However, the timing did coincide just too neatly with the auditor-general’s announcement. It is hard to believe that this is a coincidence. The announcement provided a clue, “critical to getting the reform right is continuing to talk to the community, ACT Health’s workforce and non-government partners”.
Of course, it is appropriate for both ministers to reach out to the community to have “conversations over the coming months to guide these new organisations”.
Opposition Leader Coe was quickly into attack mode with: “It’s pretty shoddy that on the same day as the auditor-general announced she is investigating very serious allegations in ACT Health, Minister Fitzharris comes out and makes what seems to be an ad hoc decision to split the directorate into two”.
He added: “I fail to see how creating two departments of health in a small jurisdiction will fix Canberra’s health woes.”
On the issue of the potential impact of the restructure, the Canberra Liberals are on thin ice considering how close this restructure is to the one Kate Carnell implemented in order to overcome some of the administrative issues that had been plaguing the system from the time of
self-government. The approach allowed much more ministerial control, transparency and clarity on the priorities set by government and followed through by the “purchasing” area.
On the second issue, the Opposition Leader was on firmer ground with his comparison to the Land Development Agency.
“This decision is straight out of the LDA playbook: after a scathing auditorgeneral’s report, split the organisation in two, double the costs and claim the problem has been solved,” he said.
The ministers have assured the community that the restructure will be achieved within the Budget. However, in the meantime the current chief executive will be stepping aside with one of her deputies managing the transition.
In a nutshell, the restructure might just be the right tool for the ministers to handle the portfolio more efficiently and effectively. However, the timing does indicate that there is a fairly significant catalyst. Hopefully, the auditor-general’s report will shed light on what has been going on.
Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health in the Carnell government. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.
IT is amusing to see Chief Minister Andrew Barr condemned in “CityNews” for deriding “The Canberra Times” as irrelevant and in decline.
“CityNews” has been promoting much the same line for as long as I can remember. Thank goodness for the change of heart!
As for his wanting to be ACT Chief Minister for life, I doubt it very much.
Helmut Simon, Watson
I DO wish the Trump haters would look at the facts. Since his election about 15 months ago, 2.4 million new jobs have been created, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing. Wages are rising. Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. AfricanAmerican unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history. Small business confidence is extremely high. The stock market has gained $8 trillion in value.
The biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history have been enacted. The standard deduction for everyone has nearly doubled, and the child tax credit has doubled. Many families earning about $75,000 will have their tax reduced by half. The recent economic movements on the Australian stock market, and others, are a result of the good news from Trump’s America, not bad news. That country’s interest rates will rise again this year for the same reason. Could the Trump haters have a cup of tea and lie down please.
THE boast of being “the most successful multicultural society on this planet” is hollow while our political leaders sow resentment and division.
The nation’s indigenous people continue to be deeply disadvantaged and their aspirations arrogantly disregarded by government.
Our government continues to enforce the shameful treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, imprisoning innocent men, women and children for years in torturous conditions solely for the benefit of base political purposes.
We would do well to heed the words of the 2018 Senior Australian of the Year, Canberra’s Dr Graham Farquhar who in his acceptance speech lauded the value of “accepting, correcting and building on our mistakes”. He said: “To me, the most important things in life are to struggle to improve, to struggle to be honest and to struggle to re-evaluate one’s prejudices.”
We should heed his words, and then ensure that the people we elect to Parliament are people of vision and integrity who can lead the nation through that struggle.
Eileen O’Brien, Kambah
Write to us
Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au or write to: 9b/189 Flemington Road, Mitchell 2911
Colliss Parrett, Barton
Reader MAL BARNETT, a Canberra resident of 52 years, is grumpy about the “disgraceful” state of a public toilet block.
I AM very proud of our wonderful city and all it of fers. Sadly, recent experiences cause me to write out of total frustration as to the state of the toilet block at Bowen Park on the foreshore at Kingston.
As a regular visitor to the lake and surrounding areas, this toilet block is an absolute disgrace. I often meet up at this location and as a 75-year-old need, on occasion, to utilise the “high-tech toilet” facilities along with lots of other visitors, walkers, joggers, travellers and cyclists.
Comments from locals and visitors alike tell it all –no toilet seats, no toilet paper, filthy conditions (hosing down doesn’t solve the problem), and broken locks.
The elderly and kids – the most vulnerable of our community – have to use this facility (if you can call it that), which is a health hazard and an the NSW south coast. The ACT government personnel in charge of our toilets should visit this place. In the main street there is a toilet block alongside the art gallery. This is five-star compared to the one in Bowen Park. It is absolutely immaculately clean with nice toilet rolls, washing and hygiene facilities, and no graffiti – a great credit to this country town which handles a lot of tourists.
Maybe Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his team, who as he stated does not like our media or what it says, should take a trip to Bowen Park and maybe have a barbecue and a toilet break then go and wash his hands and see what he thinks.
It’s a sad reflection on our wonderful city.
Grumpy is an occasional column dedicated to things that get up your nose. Readers are invited to vent (no more than 300 words, please) at editor@citynews.com.au
“CityNews” independently visited the Bowen Park toilets. Reporter Danielle Nohra was able to confirm Mr Barnett’s experience.
“The toilets were worse than I expected,” she writes.
“The toilet seats were missing, there was no soap, the once ‘button-operated’ doors were replaced with dodgy locks and one of them smelt so bad that I couldn’t stand in it for more than five seconds.
“A man nearby approached me while I was taking photos and unsurprisingly said that some of his female workers refuse to use them.”
“CREDIT card” knives are now illegal in the ACT. Police say there are many such items with concealed blades in the community.
“If you have one of these credit card knives or a similar weapon, you should destroy it or dispose of it safely,” says Superintendent Mick Calatzis. “If you want to keep the item, you can do so after removing the blade. It is not necessary to surrender the item at a police station.”
The maximum penalty for the unauthorised possession or use of a prohibited weapon such as a credit card knife is $75,000 or five years in prison, or both.
The view from above
DR Daniela Helbig, of Sydney University, will speak to the Friends of the Classics Museum about “Trace of Rome? Aerial Archaeology in Syria and Lebanon under the French Mandate (19231946)” at their next meeting in the Larry Sitsky Room, ANU School of Music, from 6.30pm, on Thursday, April 5. Dr Helbig, who is a glider pilot, will speak about aerial photography as one of the earliest forms of archaeological remote-sensing and as a historiographical tool. The lecture is free and no bookings are required.
Register online before 4pm Monday 9 April 2018 to participate in the ballot.
The Suburban Land Agency is pleased to present one of the final opportunities to purchase a block in these established communities. There are 194 blocks available for purchase by ballot across both communities. Blocks in this release range in size from 403m2 to 977m2
DROP-IN SESSION
Talk to a sales agent about the ballot process and find out more about your preferred block.
When: 5:30 - 7:30pm, Wednesday 4 April 2018
Where: Stromlo Cottage, Noffs Crescent Coombs
contact
Draught Proofing
Actsmart about heating your home
“I was able to halve my gas bill after implementing the advice offered in two of these outstanding workshops. I highly recommend attending if you want to save on energy costs.” Mark from Bruce Understanding Solar
For more information and bookings: visit actsmart.act.gov.au email actsmartadvice@act.gov.au or phone 1300 141 777 All workshops are free with limited places available. Bookings are essential.
Rebekah Biggs Massage Therapy Are you stressed? Injured from weekend sport? Suffering RSI? Or do you just need to relax for an hour or so? Rebekah Biggs Massage Therapy offers a wide range of treatments from the comfort of a clinic conveniently located at The Health Works. Contact 0418 642 705 for bookings Provider for all Major Health Funds.
TUGBA
Feathered Brow Studio is your one stop for all your eyebrow maintance needs. The services that we offer include Microblading, Waxing and Tinting. We are also ACT Health Protect Inspected and approved.
Contact Tugba on 0452 345 272 to book your apointment now, or featheredbrowstudio@gmail.com
AT LEVEL 1, 1/56 HEFFERNAN ST, MITCHELL
SUPPORTED by Gungahlin’s newer surrounding suburbs, Mitchell is home to a growing variety of businesses and services.
The suburb was named after Maj. Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell,
AERIAL Sports’ upcoming showcase and taster classes on May 12, is a great way for people to see and try a fun way of getting fit, says owner Cher Albrecht.
“It’s an alternative way to work out, it’s a fun kind of fitness and people are exhausted by the end without even realising how much work they’ve done,” she says.
Aerial Sports has a range of classes such as regular aerial, silk, lyra or trapeze, as well as classes that work on handstands and flexibility.
surveyor-general and explorer of NSW, and all its streets are named after Australian industrialists.
This week “CityNews” meets some of the top expert businesses operating out of the northside’s commercial hub.
THE Paris End is always looking to support local and emerging designers and artists in its gallery upstairs as well as Canberra makers in its store downstairs, says owner Anthony Bean.
Located in Mitchell, The Paris End is an eclectic mix of local crafters, makers, designers, artists, artisans and purveyors.
New in store are timber pens, made by Bungendore maker Gideon, under the brand Gideon PenTurner, which Anthony says are beautiful.
“He’s got pens made of all sorts of different timbers such as fountain pens, rollerball pens and ballpoint pens,” he says.
Also in store is Courtney Williams’ creations from Winter Yarn, which makes handmade cushions in the shape of items such as owls and moustaches.
New to Aerial Sports is its daytime classes, with one for toddlers, called “Carers ‘N Cubs” and an “Intro to Aerials” for adults.
Cher says the “Carers ‘N Cubs” class, for two to four-year olds, is a chance for kids to play and explore the different apparatus set up for their size.
The adult class, which is at noon every Wednesday, directly after “Carers ‘N Cubs”, is a chance for carers or parents to take a class, too.
Cher has set up a toy corner, where carers can still see the children and says she plays with them while the teacher runs the class.
ABOVE The Paris End is The Health Works, where its director Rebekah Biggs is renting out rooms to allied health professionals in a warm and welcoming space.
Rebekah, who has been a massage therapist for more than 20 years and has her practice in the building, says The Health Works is designed to support small businesses and sole traders in allied health.
Her shadow box frames are for sale, too, with one made out of an old Yahtzee game, incorporating the dice, timer, cup and rules.
Then there’s the gallery, which sits above the shop and is described by Anthony as an airy, open space with brilliant natural light.
With no budget gallery spaces in Canberra, Anthony says The Paris End’s goal is to help small businesses get their work out there.
“We have an emphasis on sustainable businesses and don’t have as many stipulations as other gallery spaces,” he says.
She says it’s perfect for allied health professionals looking for a quiet and safe room.
She says it’s hard for carers and parents to do something for themselves when kids are involved, so this is an option to have some fun.
Aerial Sports, 17a Darling Street. Call 6262 0215, email info@aerialsports.com.au or visit aerialsports.com.au
“Any allied health professional, such as therapists and councillors, who want to set up their own business can, with the freedom to run it as they like,” she says.
The Paris End, 1/56 Heffernan Street, Mitchell. Call 6262 3237 or search @TheParisEndCanberra on Facebook.
Darling St, Mitchell ACT 2911 02 6262 0215 www.aerialsports.com.au info@aerialsports.com.au
“Compared to other places my rooms are quite large and I’ll be assisting with advertising and supporting them in that way as well.”
Rebekah is looking at getting a variety of different professionals into the four rooms and will give them options to rent them as half days, full days or full weeks.
The Health Works is even open to hosting workshops that are health related, too.
Currently Rebekah is joined by eyebrow specialist Feathered Brow Studio, which does HD brows, microblading, facial waxing and brow tinting.
The Health Works, Level 1, 1/56 Heffernan Street. Call 0418 642705 or search @TheHealthWorks on Facebook.
Where landscaping materials are a family affair
FROM a humble beginning with a few trucks in 1954, Corkhill Bros, Landscaping Supplies Canberra, has since grown and now provides wholesale landscaping materials to the public and green waste recycling services.
The family owned business started with cofounder Brian and his brother Patrick, who both decided to establish Corkhill Bros after losing the family dairy farm to Lake Burley Griffin.
Brian says Corkhill Bros aims to incorporate the family ethics and values in day-to-day business operations.
“We strive to create a workforce of hardworking, committed, trustworthy and loyal employees that promote this culture,” he says.
Through its multi-faceted operations Brian says the company’s intention is to successfully extract, process and deliver its products to meet the needs of varied target markets; both residential and commercial.
Corkhill Bros’ commercial operations include chipping, screening, grinding, processing, bulk production and special blend production as requested.
Then its waste side has services such as the hire of skip bins of various sizes and recycling of drop off and kerbside garden organics.
Corkhill Bros’ landscaping supply outlets are located at Mugga Lane, Symonston and Darling Street, Mitchell.
Everything for a great party, except the guests!
HIRE All, possibly the second biggest party hire business in the region, began 15 years ago as
owner and CEO Jose
hiring out pinball and soccer table machines at the time, says the advertising went into the wrong part of the Yellow Pages and the rest
“As the name says ‘Hire All’, there’s very few things we haven’t got and if we haven’t got it, we’ll get it,” he says.
“Anywhere we can set up a 10-metre marquee we will and we can also deal with anything you might need inside.”
Popular items that are hired at Hire All are tables, chairs, heavy duty pop ups, coolrooms
Then, Hire All’s subsidiary company, Capital Pinball, has a range of entertainment items.
“Pinballs are always a hit a parties as are Big Buck Hunters shooting games, as well as multi-game retro machines,” Jose says.
“Don’t forget all time favourite, the Daytona USA twin-person driving simulator.
“We have a fully themed pinball showroom for viewing of machines and everything in
Hire All, 3/71 Vicars Street. Call 6241 6855 or visit hireall.com.au
TWENTY-five years on and the family-owned business Capital Trophies and Sportswear is still a one-stop-shop for local sporting teams.
Based on Lysaght Street in Mitchell, owner Brett Boardman says Capital Trophies and Sportswear is easy and convenient as sporting teams can get uniforms at the beginning of the season and trophies at the end.
Recently modernised, the showroom, which features trophies, clothing, corporate gifts and awards, has been condensed, leaving more room to customise items in the workshop at the back.
“We can go from resin trophies for kids sports, to medals, to 24-carat, gold-plated
AT Adore Tea in Mitchell, it’s all about the experience and its owner Naz says she makes sure every customer has the best one possible.
As a passionate tea drinker, Naz and her family took over Adore Tea two years ago and are always exploring different ways of taking tea to the next level.
“We have learnt so much more about teas in the span of just two years and still continue to discover new things each and every day which has made our passion for that art of tea drinking grow even stronger,” she says.
Along with more than 200 teas to choose from and a beautiful collection of teaware, Naz says the tearoom offers a selection of the finest handcrafted tea infused food and drinks that are sure to make anyone’s trip to Adore Tea one to
“Our flavoured blends are made using natural flavours, so our customers can be assured that when they drink our teas they are only drinking naturally flavoured, high-quality, loose-leaf tea,”
“There’s the perfect-flavoured tea blend for
AS one of the most established printing shops in Mitchell, FASTdigital offers quality and knowledge that other places might not have, says general manager Danny May.
For 15 years FASTdigital has been providing services for all digital printing needs such as general printing and copying, posters, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets, letterheads, business cards, postcards, greeting cards, invitations, booklets and envelopes.
It also prints directly on curtains and blinds, offers custom vinyl sticker rolls and now does real estate signs, promotional banners and promotional merchandise.
FASTdigital specialises in working not just with corporate entities but private print needs, too.
Offering a personalised service FASTdigital will do all the small jobs that the other companies are not willing to make time for.
“We’re very up close and personal and when we listen to the customers, we find out what their needs are,” Danny says.
“We actually listen to what they say and actually do what they want.”
FASTdigital, Unit 5, 47 Vicars Street. Call 6262 2278, email sales@ fastdigital.com.au or visit fastdigital.com.au
Adore Tea, 10/12 Cheney Place, Mitchell. Call 6134 6781, email warehouse@adoretea.com.au or visit adoretea.com.au
ONCE people put their window furnishings up they can “BASC” in the view, says BASC proprietor Murray Johnson.
BASC, meaning BLINDS, AWNINGS, SHUTTERS & CURTAINS, is a locally owned and operated company that specialises in supplying quality window furnishings within the ACT and the surrounding region. Murray, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the industry says BASC products are all made-to-measure, using quality products to fit every window.
To ensure this, BASC provides its own free measurement, along with
Gareth takes the stress out of servicing
NORTHSIDE Euros is a specialist in European vehicle servicing, repairs and performance tuning.
Its director Gareth Wiggan became passionate about cars at an early age and on to European cars in his late teenage years, particularly Volkswagens and Audis.
Gareth, who completed his apprenticeship with a prestigious business in the UK, saw a need for European vehicle specialists in Canberra’s north.
“All our mechanics are factory-trained and have extensive experience with working on Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes brands,” he says.
“We offer a personalised service, which aims at getting your car serviced as stress free as possible.”
And because European cars have always been in the forefront of automotive technology, Gareth says Northside Euros keeps up to date with the latest advancements in the automotive industry.
Northside Euros, 76 Darling Street, Mitchell. Call 6241 1111, email service@northsideeuros.com.au or visit northsideeuros.com
SINCE 2013 Power Saving Centre Canberra has helped homeowners and businesses in the ACT and its surrounding regions reduce their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.
“If you invest in a solar system, you’re buying your own power for life,” says sales manager Donna Spargo.
Similar to renting a house versus owning a house,
Donna says people can either rent power or, through Power Saving Centre Canberra, buy their own power.
Power Saving Centre Canberra is essentially an engineering company that specialises in solar, which means all its systems are customised.
“With every person we look at their historical data of their electrical usage and work out a customised solution,” she says.
“We always go to the site because there’s always something to identify before giving them a price.”
Donna says this means customers don’t get hit with
WHEN it comes to Land Rovers, Range Rovers and 4x4s, no one can do a better job than Roverworks in Mitchell, but it doesn’t stop there, says owner Richard Orchard.
“We’ve developed a bunch of enthusiasts who will pretty much do anything,” he says.
“We’re welcoming of all models and recently we’ve managed to trap ourselves a good-quality auto-electrician.”
Richard says auto-electricians are rare to come by, so he is proud to have someone on the team fixing issues such as air-conditioning problems.
Roverworks also does ACT and NSW roadworthy certificates and has expert mechanics who can work on brands such as Citroen, Renault, Peugeot and Jaguar.
But Richard, who has a Land Rover “addiction” with models dating back to the ‘70s, says Roverworks is the place to go for 4WD owners, especially when no one else can fix a problem.
“We will always specialise in Land Rovers but we have those other services that hang off it,” he says.
“We also have a range of accessories that we can get for 4WD vehicles such as bars, winches, lighting, dual battery systems, suspension and under-body armour.”
Most importantly, Richard says Roverworks will bend over backwards to help its customers out in the most cost-effective way possible.
Roverworks, 38 Hoskins Street. Call 6241 8777 or visit roverworks.com.au
Raven Waves, which specialises in hair extensions but is also a full-service salon, as a challenge after working many years as a beauty therapist and make-up artist.
Thoroughly trained in several different methods, Catherine offers premium, top-of-the-line hair extensions to both individual customers and respected salons.
She provides a friendly yet professional
service and says she looks forward to giving her clients an extra boost in confidence.
“Hair extensions give people more confidence, especially for people who have had health issues previously,” she says.
“People come in who want to thicken up their hair or who have medical reasons, too.”
Raven Waves’ hair extensions are thicker than normal because Catherine uses her own brand.
“And they’re also designed to last up to a year, if not more with the right care,” she says.
Raven Waves, 2B/52 Heffernan Street, Mitchell. Call 6262 4696, email contact@ravenwaves.com.au or search @RavenWavesCanberra on Facebook.
LOCALLY owned and proud of it, Therma Quilts specialises in making and servicing feather and down products such as quilts, pillows and cushions that have been keeping Canberrans warm since the ‘80s.
Using quality textiles, the seamstresses at Therma Quilts hand-make every item suited to the customer’s needs and provide a top-up service when quilts and pillows show signs of wear or loss of warmth and fluffiness.
“Servicing of feather and down products are essential for keeping them in optimal condition for comfort,” Therma Quilts says. “With time and usage, body proteins and lipids (natural oils and perspiration) are absorbed on to quilt casings and
into the feather and down inside.
“The fabrics on quilts wear out and get thin, but once holes appear there is no need to throw away your quilt. Therma Quilts are able to re-case your quilts in addition to other services such as extending them into a larger size or reducing them to a smaller size according to your needs.”
With its eco-friendly cleaning process, Therma Quilts service feather and down products including sleeping bags and down clothing as well as other textiles such as silk, polyester, cotton and wool quilt underlays.
Therma Quilts, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell. Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au
By Helen Musa
“JEWELLERY – it’s the oldest human art form in existence,” says the curator of the coming Cartier exhibition at the National Gallery, Margaret YoungSanchez.
“People have always desired to adorn themselves, it’s a basic instinct.”
But if you want adornment with magnificent stones and beautiful craftsmanship, she says, you’re in the world of haute joaillerie (high jewellery) and nothing, not even the creations of Bvlgari or Boucheron, can rival the art of Maison Cartier.
“Cartier: The Exhibition”, showcasing more than 300 items loaned by royal families, celebrities and the Cartier Collection itself, began at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado where, as the curator of pre-Columbian art, Young-Sanchez also found herself looking at three-dimensional objects in general and jewellery in particular when she was asked to curate a smaller Cartier show.
She mounted a show that has been seen as far
expanded exhibition, in Canberra.
It’s a development from the Denver nucleus, augmented by sections on Dame Nellie Melba and the British Royal Family, and is intended “to create a story of jewellery through time”, or at least since the Cartier family set up business in 1847.
Unsurprisingly, she believes, you can spot Cartier creations from a mile off, so distinct and recognisable are their forms.
For one thing, Cartier jewellery was made for each individual, each piece made to lie perfectly on the body of a person. A perfect example is the famous crocodile necklace made for Mexican film star María Félix in 1975. Its sharp claws can be detached and replaced by gentler claws. Stories are circulating among NGA staff that Félix came into Maison Cartier with two young crocodiles, but advised the jewellers, “be quick, they grow fast”.
From the outset, a mainstay of Cartier, Young-Sanchez says, was its celebrity clientele. In the 19th century it was important to have royalty among patrons, figures such as the Princess Mathilde Bonaparte or the Aga Khan III and his young wife Andrée Carron or later King Edward VII, who ordered a job lot of tiaras for his own coronation.
So, what will Canberrans see? Curator YoungSanchez says the opening gallery is devoted to the idea of refined elegance and focuses on
pre-World War I art, when there was a mix of new and old money.
American women were marrying into British and European aristocracy and wanted to make their mark, such as American mining heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, who owned the Hope Diamond, but whose father had been an ordinary Irish immigrant who struck it rich on the goldfields.
A significant part of the NGA exhibition is devoted to the jewels of diva Dame Nellie Melba. When her career first burgeoned in Brussels, she was given some paste jewellery and a real diamond that she later had set by Cartier. Later music lovers showered her with gifts of jewellery and she was purported to have said disingenuously: “I care nothing for the jewels, only the music”.
It was to Cartier that she turned in 1902 in preparation for Edward VII’s coronation and, in the same year as her first return visit to Australia, she wanted to dazzle, purchasing a necklace and a ready-made tiara from their shop.
Ever-patriotic, Melba did not confine her taste to conventional jewels. During a tour the “Musicians of New South Wales” presented her with a heart-shaped opal that she had made into a brooch by Cartier and she also tried to encourage the use of the tourmaline in Europe, to help Australian miners.
In the 20th century part of the NGA show there are geometric pieces from the European art deco tradition as well as individual pieces designed in Indian, Egyptian and east Asian styles. But Young-Sanchez stresses that the objects are not Chinese or Indian, but pure Cartier. Elsewhere are fantastical creations by Cartier, including the “Tutti Frutti” necklace owned by Edwina Mountbatten, on loan from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Bypassing forgotten celebrities of yesteryear, the exhibition has turned the spotlight of five individuals – fashionista Daisy Fellowes, once called “the most wicked woman in high society”; Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor; Mexican actress María Félix; the Duchess of Windsor and Grace Kelly, who combined film celebrity with royal status. One object in the show is on loan from the Monaco Palace.
Fellowes, Félix and the Duchess in particular were very strong personalities. YoungSanchez says: “With daring taste, pushing the boundaries… they wanted to become the most fashionable women in the world.”
And Cartier helped them do that.
“Cartier: The Exhibition,” at the National Gallery of Australia from March 30 to July 22. Bookings to premier.ticketek.com.au
“Peter Rabbit” (PG)
LEAVING the cinema, I asked a mother just ahead of me how her moppet had enjoyed writer (with Rob Lieber) and director Will Gluck’s movie about the character that people most quickly relate to in Beatrix Pot ter’s timeless children’s (of all ages) books.
The child thought it was great. What did she like most? That all the bad people were grown-ups! Top marks for that answer.
However, as an example of British cinema it owes much to the formative influ ence of American TV series – behaviour, vocabulary, dramatic structure, ethics and moral direction. Not that that influence detracts from the film’s entertainment values. When she created her very naughty hero Ms Potter could never have known what others would do to him.
The screenplay loses little time in dispos ing of old McGregor (Sam Neill) and Peter’s (voiced by James Corden) invitation to all the animals to move into his house. But in London, Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) is about to get two shocks. He’s not going to get the promotion he yearns for as head of Harrods’ toy department. But on the other hand, he is his uncle’s sole heir. He can sell the property and use the proceeds to open his own shop. Fat chance.
“Peter Rabbit”... great filmic fun for any age even if a little pretentious.
Arriving at a house occupied by animals,
birds and their detritus, Thomas makes cleaning up his first mission. But that won’t work while Peter runs free to lead a partisan campaign against him. And that conflict would be the film’s main purpose, were it not for the pretty girl next door. Sweet ditz and committed animal lover Bea (Rose Byrne) yearns for recognition as an artist. Grown-ups escorting their kids or renewing acquaintance with their own
childhood Potter favourites (mine is “The Tailor of Gloucester”, published 1902) will have no difficulty working out where this is heading. Getting there is great filmic fun for any age even if a little pretentious. Grown-ups also might justifiably wonder how Ms Potter might have felt if she were watching it in 2018.
At all cinemas
“Die Göttliche Ordnung” (The Divine Order) (M) BY 1971, feminism was marching apace globally. Except in Switzerland, where the status of married women was limited to housekeeping and motherhood. Most galling of all limitations was denial of the right to vote.
Writer/director Petra Biondina Volpe’s gently assertive feminist movie about breaking through the barriers could never be called a chick flick. It unfolds a Catch-22 situation. Lacking political power to bring change about, Swiss women couldn’t change the rule preventing them from changing the law.
Hans (Maximilian Simonischek) proudly tells wife Nora (Marie Leuenberger) about his promotion to foreman at the furniture factory. The job Nora had before marriage and motherhood is again vacant. She wants to apply for it. Hans ridicules her before leaving to do military service. The film tells how Nora and close friend Theresa (Rachel Braunschweig), widow and former tavern-keeper Vroni (Sibylle Brunner) and present tavern owner Graziella (Marta Zoffoli) work together to improve the status of Swiss women.
At a gathering of village women arranged by Nora and her friends, an emancipated guest addresses them about their potential, the political value of their bodies and much that they don’t know about sex. That passage started me thinking about a play by Aristophanes first performed in 411 BC.
Lysistrata speaks to Athenian women: “There are a lot of things about us women that sadden me, considering how men see us as rascals.”
Then she proposes that they withhold
what men most desire from women – sex. I don’t know whether Nora’s story reflects reality. But it makes an engaging film that has won audience awards in the US.
“Mary Magdalene” (M)
THIS is director Garth Davis’s second feature, after “Lion”. And we know what a powerful story that told.
What we most know about the fisherwoman from Magdala is that we know very little about her. The screenplay by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett suffers from that lack. While it provides a basis for events immediately before the crucifixion, its explanations of the events leading to those are less than convincing.
It’s likely, and the film doesn’t confirm or deny, that she was illiterate. Rooney Mara plays her listlessly. Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Jesus lacks conviction. Much of the film involves Mary and Jesus wandering through the countryside between speaking engagements, gathering followers as they go.
There are grounds for concluding that the timing of the film’s release, just ahead of the 2018 observance of its climactic event, is not coincidence.
Perhaps its chiefest virtue is that the visual details of the crucifixion are probably closer to reality than those that have preceded it in other films. But that’s little consolation for a work that, while respectful of its theme, does not really tell us much about it.
At all cinemas
By Helen Musa
AN unusual blend of musical tradition will be at the centre of the National Capital Orchestra’s first concert for this year, with the world premiere performance of the new work “Zodiac Animalia” by the Australian composer Jessica Wells.
Wells, a graduate in composition from the Sydney Conservatorium and in screen composition from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, has orchestrated more than 50 films and is perhaps best known for composing the theme music of ABC TV’s “Q&A” program.
In “Zodiac Animalia”, to be performed under the baton of musical director Leonard Weiss, she fuses Chinese and Australian heritage as the orchestra “describes” each of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, challenging the instrumentalists to bring each of them to life.
The composition was workshopped last year at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Reading Day. In a set of 12 approximately one-minute episodes, Wells says she has “attempted to capture the personality of each animal, or perhaps the anthropomorphism that humans project on to them”.
In order, the animals are, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
After the premiere, Weiss and the orchestra will then perform Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s concerto for guitar and orchestra with Matt With -
ers, the well-known classical guitar pedagogue and performer who has performed as a member of Guitar Trek and with musicians such as William Barton, Sally Whitwell and the Carl Pini Quartet.
After the interval, Withers will be joined by fellow guitarist Callum Henshaw, first prize winner at the 2012 Cordoba International Guitar Competition, the 2014 Tirana International Guitar Competition and the 2017 Melbourne International Concert Artist Guitar Competition, for which he secured a 10-concert tour in 2018.
Withers and Henshaw will join to play the “Concierto Madrigal” by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and a final work, also in the
Spanish mode, “Capriccio Espagnol”, by Rimsky Korsakov.
Playfully tagged “Canberra’s OTHER orchestra”, the NCO sees itself a driving force in the presentation of works by living Australian composers, and has premiered works by Sean O’Boyle, Sally Greenaway, Graeme Koehne, Carl Vine, Christopher Gordon, Nigel Sabin and Natalie Williams.
In line with this, Jessica Wells will give a pre-concert talk about her work at 6.30pm.
By Helen Musa
“SPANISCHES Liederabend” is a concert program soprano Louise Keast and the Revival House Project are aiming to establish as an annual event. Keast, mezzo-soprano Melissa Gregory, tenor Tom Holownia and baritone Oliver Boyd will perform a program of Spanish poetry set to music, accompanied by Brisbane pianist Mark Connors and ANU guitarist Bradley Kunda. At Wesley Music Centre, 7pm, Friday, April 6. Bookings to trybooking.com
THE Llewellyn Choir is flying to Spain on April 15 to perform in Madrid, Salamanca, Cordoba and Barcelona. Thirty-seven singers, 12 spouses, conductor Rowan HarveyMartin and accompanist Anthony Smith will make up the group of 51. But first the choir will perform the works they’ll be touring, Requiem Mass in C Minor by Cherubini and “Messe Solennelle” by Vier at St Paul’s Church, Manuka, 7.30pm, on Saturday, April 7. Bookings to trybooking.com
BARRIE Kosky’s in-yer-face production of “Carmen” has been getting up everyone’s noses overseas. Canberrans can now see why in the Royal Opera House Live
Cinema Season screening of this production, starring Anna Goryachova. At Capitol, Manuka, April 7, 8 and 11. Bookings to eventcinemas.com.au
COMPOSER and local music legend Judith Clingan is trying to work out what to do with her collection of music, much of it her own. She needs lots of cardboard boxes around the B4 size and asks that anyone with suitable boxes leave them behind the wooden fence at 11 Mirbelia Crescent, Rivett. But what to do with her huge collection after that? She is looking for ideas.
CANBERRA poet Geoff Page won the 2017 Australian Catholic University Prize of $10,000 and now it’s time for the 2018 competition. This year’s theme is “Empathy” and Chris Wallace-Crabbe will judge. Prizes are $10,000 for the winner, $5000 for second and $3000 for third. Entries to acu.edu.au by 5pm on Friday, July 20.
TWO innovative performers, Anton Wurzer on accordion and Ariana Odermatt on cembalo/harpsichord, will perform compositions by JS Bach and GF Handel in “Unique Baroque” at Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, Saturday, April 7. Tickets at the door.
Green goddess is the name of an entire salad that’s so healthy it justifies having a decadent sweet for dessert. At least that’s how I justified it.
GREEN goddess. It’s an exotic reference that many associate with a salad dressing because its ingredients are – you guessed
However, at L’Orange Pâtisserie, it’s the name of an entire salad that is so healthy it justifies having a decadent sweet for dessert. At least that’s how I justified it.
So where to start with this pâtisserie in the heart of Manuka Court?
Let’s begin with that salad. It was delish and packed full of yummy ingredients. Quinoa is the base and, yes, there are loads of green ingredients – celery, avocado, zucchini, Sicilian olives and pesto. Toss in some salty Bulgarian feta, some dressing made in part with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and you have a fabulous lunch ($12.90, eat in; $9.90, take away).
A selection of other salads are available, including on my visit a delish-looking detox one. Styles vary to keep interest alive for the regulars. Paninis ($12.90) are on offer, too.
Breakfast, which starts at 8, is when the freshly made croissants make their grand entrance, sweet ($4.50) and savoury ($7.90).
L’Orange Pâtisserie opened last year. Chef Wim has been in the capital for many years. He’s opened restaurants (including A Prickly Pear), worked in prestigious kitchens such as the Hyatt and whipped up magic in some cafes.
The lineup of pastries at L’Orange Pâtisserie is stunning
with names as exotic as their appearance. These are delectable desserts and, yes, I indulged… in the “mousse au chocolat” to be precise. This is a layered cake of chocolate mousse, pistachio and strawberries ($8.90). What I loved, besides its gorgeous presence, was the combination of layers, textures and flavours. And I loved
that the dessert wasn’t sickly sweet.
Other sweets include a mini tart made with fresh fruit and crème patissiere ($6.90), a lemon tart with raspberry and rose ($8.90), and a slice of lemon and raspberry vlaaien with Chef Wim’s lemon curd, raspberry mousse and Italian meringue ($6.90). Or how about the sour cherry version
that also features Belgian chocolate?
While on the subject of vlaaien, which L’Orange Pâtisserie describes as a sweet flan on a luxury bread dough base, there is flexibility here. You can also order a quarter ($16), half ($29) or whole ($52). If you want a specific type (whole), order by 1pm for pick up the next day.
Although you’re indoors when dining in Manuka Court, the environment is bright and inviting. The sun streams in from the skylight above and the colour palette, design and fixtures are all about light, which makes the colourful desserts on display really pop. It goes unsaid that Chef Wim uses only the best-of-the-best ingredients. L’Orange Pâtisserie wouldn’t accept anything less.
L’Orange Pâtisserie, Manuka Court, 11-17 Bougainville Street, Manuka. Call 6295 3897. Closed Sundays and at dinner.
THIS week is all about leaves, glorious leaves, an inescapable part of autumn in Canberra.
While it’s also a season considerably more predictable than spring, the unexpected characteristic of autumn is the timing of the early arrival of frosts.
Two important reminders about autumn in Canberra:
• Burning leaves is illegal for the obvious reason of pollution.
• Don’t rake leaves into the gutters, where they can block stormwater drains.
ELABORATE compost bins are unnecessary for leaves. Just a simple 1-1.5 diameter circle of chicken wire held in place with two or three tomato stakes does the job.
Leaves break down faster if they are shredded, particularly oak leaves. Incidentally, oak leaves are higher in nitrogen than almost any other leaf. I use the mower with the catcher on to shred leaves with half of the leaves going directly on to the garden and the other half into the compost heap.
My compost bins, which I have illustrated before, work near to perfect.
I ensure every second board is missing to provide good air circulation.
I fill one first and, when full, leave it for the material to gradually compost until spring or summer, then start filling the second one. The pallets are more than 20 years old. The front is recycled fence palings held in place with tomato stakes fixed to the pallets. Note the plastic agricultural pipe in the centre. This is for the regular application of liquid seaweed to speed the decomposition.
A good handful of garden lime to every couple of barrow loads of leaves is recommended.
I reckon the best spot to view Canberra’s glorious kaleidoscope of leaf colour of the deciduous trees is an early morning visit to the top of Mount Ainslie, with a mist rising from the lake adding to the magic of the moment. Perhaps you’d like to share what you like most about autumn by emailing cedricbryant@ grapevine.com.au before the end of April.
• Now’s the time to select trees with the best autumn colour, starting perhaps with the maples.
• Regularly clear leaves off small hedges such as box or Osmanthus, the weight of wet leaves can cause irreparable damage.
• When planting trees and shrubs dig a square hole rather than a
round hole, allowing the roots to spread more evenly. In clay soils a round hole encourages root circulating.
• If a stake is needed to support a new tree always put the stake in place first to avoid root damage.
• Don’t put chemical fertilisers in the planting hole, they can seriously burn new roots. Water in with liquid seaweed after planting.
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Does life feel like all work and no play? With Mercury reversing through your sign and serious Saturn sauntering through your career zone, there’s no escaping hard work, stress and extra responsibilities at the moment. So stop complaining; make frustration your friend; roll up your sleeves; and get to it! Be inspired by feisty Aries birthday great, acting diva Bette Davis: “The key to life is accepting challenges… Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
This week it’s likely that travel plans, educational pursuits or an international venture will be delayed. Plenty of patience and perseverance will lead to a successful outcome further down the track. When it comes to a personal project, the harder you work on the weekend, the luckier you’ll be. Attached Taureans – demonstrate to your partner how much you really care. Singles – give frivolous suitors the flick. Look for love with someone who is mature and ready to commit.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
With Mars and Saturn both stirring up retrograde Mercury (your patron planet) you’d better gird your loins this week Gemini as a few frustrating problems head your way. And your usual breezy charm won’t work on family, friends and colleagues, no matter how hard you try. Plus avoid getting lost in a confusing quagmire of what-if scenarios and vague possibilities. Instead, be sensible and surround yourself with down-to-earth people who focus on practical solutions.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
Mercury retrograde is causing havoc in your career zone. So it’s not a good time to initiate a professional project, apply for a promotion or look for a new job. Instead, be patient and wait until after Mercury goes direct on April 15. When it comes to a problematic relationship with a significant other, avoid being a cranky Crab! There are no quick fixes. It’s a case of one step forwards and two steps backwards (or sideways) but if you are tenacious, you’ll eventually make progress.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
You’re in the mood to be controversial but that could lead to unexpected consequences. Just remember - some things are best left unsaid. It is a suitable time to look at your aspirations in a realistic way. Are you doing what you want to do? Are you heading in the right direction? If not, then make some positive and practical changes. On the weekend, ground your fiery physical energy, focus your mind, and get things done. If you put your mind to it, you’ll be unstoppable!
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Mercury (your ruling planet) is still retrograde and makes some very tricky aspects to Saturn and Mars. Fear not Virgo! With a patient and intelligent approach you’ll muddle through. But if you expect people to be punctual and projects to run like clock-work, then you’re set for a week of frustrating delays and disappointments. Heed the wise words of birthday great, writer and activist Maya Angelou: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Expect some drama, as retrograde Mercury stirs up issues with a loved one. So use your substantial diplomatic talents to help find practical solutions to potential problems. On the weekend, Venus/Saturn aspects encourage ambitious plans and you’re keen to impress others. But pace yourself and don’t promise more than you can realistically deliver. For some lucky Librans, a burgeoning romantic relationship has the potential to become a robust long-term partnership.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Take charge Scorpio! This week it’s important to steer clear of criticism (especially online); avoid letting negative self-talk drag you down; and stop worrying about all the personal qualities you perceive you don’t have. With Jupiter visiting your sign, you have to be your Number One fan. Confidence is the rocket fuel that will take you anywhere you want to go. The weekend is a wonderful time to re-affirm your commitment to a special person or a worthy cause.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
Speedy Sagittarians are in the mood to be rash! Making a snappy decision seems like a good idea but it could backfire badly. And it will be incredibly easy to put your foot firmly in your mouth (especially involving finances or friendships). So think twice before you blurt out something that you later regret. You need to be clever and uncharacteristically cautious, as you consider situations carefully before you pounce. If you work hard on the weekend, it will turn out well.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Expect frustrations and delays, as retrograde Mercury confuses communication and Saturn slows things down. Don’t stress. There will always be work to complete and mountains to climb. But perhaps a friend or relative needs your attention and affection right here and right now? Remember the wise words of birthday great, writer Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Be extra careful when emailing, texting or tweeting this week, as it will be very easy to send the wrong message to the wrong person. And impulsive actions could lead to an argument or accident so pace yourself, think things through, and then proceed with plenty of caution. Family activities are favoured on the weekend, when you combine individual talents for a productive result. It’s also a terrific time to work on improving a close relationship. Clear communication is the key.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
This week your self-esteem will be a bit shaky, as Saturn and retro Mercury confuse your mind and dent your confidence. You could also face a reality check when you find out that a perceived friend is actually a frenemy. Time to delete them from your daily timeline and stick with supportive old friends who trumpet your talents and support your dreams. You’re enthusiastic about a creative project but make sure you check the facts, figures and finances before you proceed.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018
3 Which chart shows distribution of meteorological conditions over a region? (8)
7 Name a word that is the only one in the English language that ends in “amt”. (6)
8 Which style of bowling is used in softball? (8)
9 To have hexed, is to have done what? (6)
10 Which term describes something that is thin and delicate? (8)
11 What is an essential ingredient of concrete? (6)
14 What is an official enumeration of inhabitants? (6)
17 Name the tenth month of the early Roman year. (8)
18 To be floating or swimming, is to be what (6)
19 Which term describes rough or injurious action? (8)
20 What is a particular calculating contrivance? (6)
21 Name a particular orchid – or hair style. (8)
Down
1 Name a system of writing or printing for the blind. (7)
2 Name the principal ore of aluminium. (7)
3 What do we call one who is engaged in a course of instruction at a college or the like? (7)
4 To supervise, is to do what? (7)
5 Name the Australian-born author of the Mary Poppins series, Pamela ... (7)
6 Which cloud is seen in fair weather? (7)
11 What is an alternative term for a corpse? (7)
12 Name Sherlock Holmes’ brother. (7)
13 Which term suggests that which is the most deficient in sensation or feeling? (7)
14 What describes the transparent anterior part of the external coat of the eye? (7)
15 To refrain from taking part in a war is to remain what?(7)
16 Which metallic element is the basis of nuclear reactors? (7)
Amelie's
Amelie's online business is booming and, in seeking to hire more staff, she has an application from someone in another state. Because the business is online, working remotely is not a problem.
But will there be any complications? She came to see me about it.
“Amelie, one of the interesting things about carrying on a business in Australia is that there are differences in each state so I'll explain some of the differences to help you make your decision,” I told her.
“First, let's look at payroll tax. Each state has a different threshold for wages. For instance, SA has the lowest threshold. Payroll tax only applies when you have an employee located in that state. So if you employ staff located in the ACT and Queensland and your payroll is $650,000 then you will have no obligation. Whereas, if you have staff located in SA then you could have an obligation to pay payroll tax."
Here are the state-by-state thresholds: SA $600,000; Queensland $1,100,000; WA $850,000; NT $1,500,000; NSW $750,000; ACT $2,000,000 and Tasmania $1,250,000.
Amelie said she'd heard of payroll tax but had not realised the state-by-state differences.
“Not only are there differences in payroll tax, but there are also differences in workers' compensation cover as well," I said. "You are required to have workers' compensation in each state where you carry on business. The definition of wages is also different in each state. It is calculated based on the state where the business is carried on and not where the employee lives. However, if you have an employee who lives over the border, for example in Queanbeyan, you may also need a minimum policy in that other state. I recommend that you discuss this proposal with your insurance broker as this is a specialist area and you really need your broker’s advice.”
“One of the things that causes confusion in the ACT is that the definition of wages also includes contractors. So if you have someone working for you on contract with an ABN and they work on a regular basis and they are not operating through a company you have to include their payments in your workers' compensation declaration. Again I recommend that you get further advice on this from your insurance broker.’
Amelie said she thought she wasn't paying wages if she hired a contractor.
“There is another sting in the tail," I said. "You could also be liable to pay compulsory superannuation for your contactors. Again, if you hire a company you do not have to pay superannuation guarantee for that company, the company will pay it for their own employees.
"My advice right now is that you come back when you have some clarity about employment arrangements and we can review compulsory superannuation.”
Amelie said: "This is much more complex than I thought so next stop is my insurance broker!”
If you have any queries on your business, tax or superannuation contact the experts at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 6295 2844
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