180419 citynews

Has Labor turned its back on Canberra’s battlers?

JON STANHOPE

How the Liberals shot themselves on rates

MICHAEL MOORE

Murder most grisly at Sawpit Gully

NICHOLE OVERALL

Can can-do Canberra ever stage the Games?

TIM GAVEL

COMES HOMEChloe

...to star in the Canberra International Music Festival

THE GROVE NGUNNAWAL

By Kathryn Vukovljak

HELD in the midst of Canberra’s stunning display of autumn colour, the fifth annual ACT Tree Week aims to encourage us to look up and appreciate the trees we have and what they do for us.

Samantha Ning, tree protection officer at City Services, says Tree Week will kick off on Monday, April 30, at the English Gardens in Yarralumla, with Prof John Langford, grandson of Charles Weston, handing over the Weston Family Papers to the ACT Heritage Library.

“Charles Weston was responsible for setting up the Yarralumla Nursery, species selection and doing a lot of the original planting for Canberra, so to have John Langford here officially donating these papers is incredible,” Samantha says.

“Under Charles’ guidance, more than a million trees were planted over five years.

“John will be giving information that will be at the Heritage Library for generations to come. There’s family photos, old photos of Canberra from Mount Ainslie where there’s nothing but St John’s Church in Reid, and documents and letters between him and officials, so it’s a really significant donation.”

Arts & Entertainment 22-25

Cinema 24

Crossword 27

Dining 25

Gardening 26

Horoscopes 27

Letters 5

News 3-8

Politics 7

Socials 9

Tree Week will include a series of events, from tree-themed storytimes at local libraries to a symposium at the Botanic Gardens covering topics including Canberra’s Urban Forest: life and death situations, “Tree Happenings” at the Yarralumla Nursery, how Canberra’s urban forest can protect us from climate change and data-driven urban forest

Soprano Chloe Lankshear. Photo by Peter Hislop. Story Page 22.

Big week to hug, climb and look up to trees

“I think people take for granted how many trees we actually have here and curse about the leaves that fall, but the value that tree is adding, not just to our homes but to our lives in general, is immeasurable. Taking the time to get that perspective is important.”

Samantha says she wants to share her passion for trees with everyone.

“I want people to stop and take a look around, acknowledge the benefits that trees give us,” she says.

“We’ve got one of the best urban forests in Australia, with so many different species and diversity. Especially in autumn, which is why we have Tree Week at this time of year, just that tapestry of colour you get. It’s spectacular and people travel to Canberra to see that.

“Let’s celebrate it, let’s enjoy and embrace it. I just love trees. They make you feel good, they look beautiful, they’re air conditioners, they filter pollution, they bring so many benefits.”

management; art workshops, guided ranger walks, “Treeology” installations around Civic, a tree-hugging session at the arboretum and the ACT Tree Climbing Championships.

Tree climber for Canopy Maja Blasch, 27, will enter the tree-climbing competition held at the Botanic Gardens this year and says she loves being

1993: Volume 24, Number 13

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

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Sport 8 NEWS / ACT Tree Week, April 30-May 6

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outside, but also getting to connect to people over their trees.

“The competition is a great spectator sport, with five events over the day including work climb, secured footlock, speed climb, throwline and aerial rescue,” she says.

“Tree Week brings more awareness to trees and what we’re doing in Canberra.

The launch of ACT Tree Week 2018, 9am, Monday, April 30, at the English Gardens, Weston Park Road, Yarralumla.

Tree Climbing Championships, Saturday, May 5, 8am-4pm at the Eucalypt Lawn, Australian National Botanic Gardens.

ACT Tree Week, April 30-May 6. A full list of activities is available at tccs.act.gov.au/city-living/trees/ canberra-tree-week

WHEN IT MATTERS

DAYS / ABC tumbles in radio ratings

Listeners turn away from ‘refreshed’ line-up

THE ABC insists ratings do not drive programming initiatives but the first Canberra radio survey for the year will have management a little concerned.

Following a “refreshing” of 666 ABC Canberra’s on-air line-up – which included punting long-time presenter Genevieve Jacobs – the station has dropped from number one to three. An audience protest appears to be responsible for 8.4 per cent being wiped from the station’s core demographic (40-54) and a massive 5.6 per cent drop in the breakfast show audience share.

MLAs Gordon Ramsay and Mark Parton are in a dog fight over cruelty in the local greyhound racing industry. As the territory’s Racing Minister, Ramsay is finally demonstrating some political “mongrel”, accusing Parton of treating his syndicated greyhound Community Values (originally named Nugget) as “a disposable object”.

Parton responded that “if the

Minister could speak dog” and told Nugget he could no longer race “the dog would be gobsmacked”. Spare a thought for Hansard staff.

FROM dishlickers to a very big dish, the Deep Space Station 43 at Tidbinbilla, is celebrating its 45th birthday. The 4000-tonne structure, designed to be moved and “pointed with hair-width accuracy and communicate

dose of dorin

with spacecraft billions of kilometres from earth” was officially unveiled by then PM Gough Whitlam on April 13, 1973.

THE Doc Marten boots worn by Russell Crowe in the 1992 film “Romper Stomper” are coming to Canberra. The National Museum of Australia successfully bid for the iconic combat boots at a Sotheby’s auction of the actor’s movie memorabilia collection. The NZ-born actor wore the marooncoloured boots while playing the lead role of the violent skinhead Hando in the movie. The acquisition will help the museum to tell the Australian film industry story.

STILL on footwear and the tip is, incoming National Gallery director Nick Mitzevich will quickly fill the boots of retiring director Gerard Vaughan. The 47-year-old’s reputation has preceded him thanks to eight years heading the SA Art Gallery in Adelaide when he presided over growing crowds and major acquisitions. The Hunter Valley-raised Mitzevich says his new job is to ensure the Canberra institution is “bursting at the seams” and wants “visitors playing a vital role in the nation’s cultural life”.

SENATOR Derryn Hinch has offered punters flying business class out of Canberra at the end of a sitting week tips on in-flight etiquette. According to the Victorian senator “nonpolitical” types often like to chat to pollies but suggests this is not always appreciated by our hard-working representatives. In a piece for “Crikey” the “Human Headline” explains that parliamentary members cherish the 60 minutes of uninterrupted bliss the Canberra/ Melbourne flight offers.

NO such R&R for ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury. Fresh from his Saturday morning club run, the MLA backed up to launch Menslink’s inaugural kicktokick4acause at Hughes oval and revealed some stylish skills with the Sherrin. Teams from local sporting clubs and the corporate world spent 24 hours kicking AFL balls. Menslink CEO Martin Fisk says he’s “extremely grateful to organisers and participants for a sterling effort pushing beyond fatigue to raise in excess of $52,000 for men’s health education programs”.

SEVEN Days has been lacking in celebrity spots of late but hopefully Keith Potger striding out along Crawford Street in Queanbeyan satisfies. The foundation member of the internationally successful ‘60s pop/folk group The Seekers and creator of the New Seekers in the 1970s relocated to Braidwood several years ago. Now in his seventies the entertainer looked relaxed, enjoying the autumn sun.

ACCORDING to Sky News political reporter Samantha Maiden, Canberra may have been unfairly labelled when it comes to neighbourliness. She tweeted: “I just went to my neighbour’s house to borrow eggs to make cupcakes. She was not home and never locks the door. So, I stole two eggs, documented this & informed friend of egg theft. Canberra isn’t as bad as everyone says!”

Try a Day at St Clare’s

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.

Open Evening

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.

Year 11 Information Evening

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.

School Tours

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.

YESTERDAYS

Bones and murder most grisly at Sawpit Gully

THE skeleton was believed to be 150 years old and since the early 1840s it had lain unknown and undisturbed beneath the homes, businesses and parks that grew above and around it.

When unexpectedly unearthed during a stormwater drain excavation on April 22, 1991, the unidentified remains revealed the lost location of the oldest known communal burial site following the arrival of Europeans in the Queanbeyan-Canberra region from the 1820s.

The Oaks Burial Ground was an otherwise unblessed, undesignated area in today’s Oaks Estate used from around 1838 until the opening of the official Queanbeyan Riverside Cemetery eight years later. The only surviving record detailing its use is dated 1839: “An enclosed piece of ground, adjoining our inn, was the principal burying ground in which, at this time, seven or eight corpses were buried.”

The “inn” was “The Oaks”, one of the earliest substantive constructions on the Limestone Plains and still standing on the banks of the Molonglo River, since 1913 on the Canberra side of the railway line signifying the new boundary between Queanbeyan and the Federal Capital Territory. Built by the merchant Robert Campbell, of Duntroon, at a similar time as the dead began to be interred

LETTERS

serving as gatekeeper of the first graveyard and being the first pub (the Elmsall Inn), the stone homestead was shortly after occupied by the town’s first doctor, William Hayley. While it might be a natural conclusion that once they were beyond his help patients were simply turfed out the back door to find their own way to eternity, in truth it would have been a matter of convenience in a primitive setting: “Some person dies and his friends select a place to bury his remains… a coffin was seldom made for the dead.”

Current Oaks Estate residents may sleep easier after learning that another six bodies were similarly excavated a century-and-a-half later – and, interestingly, re-interred in the Gungahlin Cemetery.

thought to be another 37 more in situ, laid together regardless of religious proclivities, all in unmarked graves. Of the total, one is believed to have been the town’s first police constable, Patrick Kinsela.

The very last though, placed beneath the ground there almost 20 years after the cemetery had been consecrated, is recorded only as the “Indian Juggler”, the victim of a particularly gruesome murder.

In 1863, a young station hand saw what seemed a solitary figure leaning against a tree in an isolated spot called Sawpit Gully, “two miles and a-half” from Googong, “near Queanbeyan”. On approach, it was an old coat swinging in the wind. Less innocently, further on, a bloodsplattered shirt and scattered bones,

Minister rejects Health link claim

ON March 23 I was pleased to announce, with Minister Rattenbury, that the ACT Health directorate would become two organisations later in 2018, with one organisation responsible for clinical operations and a second responsible for strategic policy and planning.

Meegan Fitzharris.

In response to Michael Moore’s column (CN, March 27), I welcome and value his perspective on the his tory of ACT Health. However, I would like to be clear that the ACT Health organisational change and the auditor-general’s performance audit are unrelated.

I reject the suggestion that such a significant announcement about a directorate restructure was made to coincide with an announcement by the auditor-general. The auditor-general had already foreshadowed a performance audit into issues relating to ACT Health data. Indeed, this was announced in June, 2017. I ordered a system-wide review into ACT Health data issues and I look forward to sharing the outcomes of that review soon.

Of course ACT Health will co-operate fully with the auditor-general’s performance audit. We respect the integrity of this independent process, as well as the opportunity to respond to findings and implement recommendations at its conclusion.

The decision to separate ACT Health is good policy. It will align us with all other jurisdictions and help us meet the health needs of our growing community. I am very optimistic about the future of health care delivery in Canberra and I look forward to engaging with the Canberra community on this important work.

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this issue.

Meegan Fitzharris, Minister for Health and Wellbeing

Beyond the pale

Re “Barr only interested in himself” (CN letters, April 5).

Say what you like about Chief Minister Andrew Barr, but dragging his government’s financial support of the marriage equality vote into your argument goes beyond the pale.

The marriage vote was about extending human rights to all of society and that should never be again used in a political argument; the LGBTQI community has suffered enough.

The ACT’s record-breaking affirmative vote was proof that the people were on Barr’s side on this particular issue.

Jon Stock, Curtin

Concerned about tram trees

I AM concerned that the valuable, vulnerable new trees along the tram track are being planted in square holes.

I fear that they are being popped into drilled round holes in the battered earth once the heavy machinery of the Light Rail project has thundered on.

Also, given consideration to the drought conditions, I hope that they are provided with appropriate moisture.

Suzanne Mitchell, via email

Not the only ‘ant’

IN the “CityNews” crossword of March 29, the 7 across clue says: “Name a word that is the only one in the English language that ends in ‘ant’.” What about cant and cormorant, two that I know just off the top of my head?

Martin Barnett, via email

“gnawed upon by wild dogs”. There was also a damaged human skull.

Ferried to Dr Hayley, it was declared a man, “aged about 40”, and the condition pointed to foul play; the body had suffered a number of wounds, inflicted by a sharp blade or similar instrument. Disturbingly, the fatal blow to the head, penetrating deep into the brain, had been struck while the deceased was still alive.

More than 12 months earlier, a fellow attached to a travelling East-Indian juggling troupe, known for their displays with knives and swords, mysteriously vanished soon after a performance at Queanbeyan’s Harp Inn (Macquoid Street, site of the Leagues Motel today).

Two fellow performers, brothers Cassim and Abdallah Mahoney, were tracked down at Goulburn, billed as stars with Burton’s Circus, and charged with the murder of their compatriot. Evidence presented at the one-day trial that the third “juggler” and the skeleton were one and the same was largely circumstantial but the verdict was guilty, the standard penalty for a capital crime meted out: they were to hang.

While apparently there was motive enough – it seems performance takings had also disappeared – leading Sydney

newspapers decried it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the young men were the culprits. They could also barely speak enough English to adequately defend themselves. In the end, Abdallah, just 20, was spared, his sentence commuted to life behind bars. However Cassim, 27, ascended the gallows of the Goulburn Gaol on May 27, 1863, his end far from rapid, a factor attributed to his “acrobatic profession”.

Consigned to historic perpetuity as only the “Indian Juggler” and considered a “heathen” for his cultural differences, the found skull and bones were interred at the Old Burial Ground, the identity a mystery still.

And on that, there’s an old superstition that says a soul will remain restless while ever its last resting place remains unacknowledged. Could it be then, that Oaks Estate is truly a ghost town?

For additional developments, controversies, and historic detail, see nichole2620. wordpress.com

Has Labor turned its back on Canberra’s battlers?

IN a seminar held on March 29 in which poverty and disadvantage in affluent Canberra were the focus, Dr John Falzon, chief executive of the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia highlighted the role the spread and adoption of neo-liberalism is playing in not just entrenching poverty but in maintaining and expanding inequality in society.

In addition to Dr Falzon, the seminar featured Ms Toni Hassan, journalist and scholar with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Bishop Emeritus Pat Power and Ms Sarah Murdoch, chief executive of St John’s Care.

The panel engaged in a discussion about the nature of poverty in Canberra and the apparent incongruity of an affluent city such as Canberra being home to somewhere in the order of 40,000 people living below or near the poverty line.

A theme in the discussion was whether the existence and circumstances of these 40,000 residents of Canberra was of apparent concern to the ACT government or middle-class Canberra.

Sadly, of the people living in poverty in Canberra almost 8000 are children under the age of 14 – a disproportionate number of whom are Aboriginal.

The panel was unanimous in

Andrew, Shane, Yvette and the rest have ordained that it’s a south-facing, two-bedroom flat on the tenth floor for those aspiring homeowners who used to be Labor’s traditional base.

supporting a call for the ACT government to institute a full-ranging and independent inquiry into poverty in the ACT. A call which, I am aware, has been made repeatedly in recent years by the CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, Ms Julie Tongs.

The government has, regrettably, formally advised Ms Tongs that it does not see the need for an inquiry into poverty in Canberra.

One of the issues raised at the seminar as central to the widening of the gap in wealth and privilege in Canberra was the accelerating rate of the cost of housing, including for rental. That this has occurred is almost entirely a consequence of a decision taken by Chief Minister Andrew Barr and the ACT Labor/Greens government to abandon the ACT Housing Affordability Action Plan.

I cannot comprehend why the ACT government has, most particularly by deliberately refusing as a monopoly provider, to meet the demand for land for detached housing, knowingly forced the median price

of detached housing up by an average of $50,000 a year for each of the last six years.

I have been forced to wonder whether the simple answer is that the Chief Minister and his Labor and Greens colleagues have chosen to channel ex-Liberal Treasurer Joe Hockey’s infamous and classically neo-liberal advice to people who have been priced out of home ownership to “get a better job”.

The ACT government’s unapologetic disregard for the overwhelming demand of young Canberra families and first-home buyers to either own or live in a detached house can reasonably be assumed to reflect a neo-liberal instinct within the ACT government. What other possible explanation can there be – other than, of course, that the underlying Budget position is completely cactus. What is indisputable is that it has resulted in a massive transferral of wealth from those young families and first-home buyers who are mortgaging themselves to the hilt to gain entry to the housing market to

those of us lucky enough to have been able to enter the housing market at a time when governments were not deliberately gouging home buyers.

I have many classically middleclass, home-owning friends who are understandably thrilled at the bonanza that the runaway increase in house prices that have resulted from the ACT government’s policies will deliver them when they sell their homes.

They are grateful to the Labor Party for enriching them so generously and many will no doubt repay that generosity at the ballot box. They now represent ACT Labor’s true base – white, white-collar, middle-class, homeowners and the wealthy.

I am accused of being a party pooper and spoilsport when I ask them to reflect on where the (say) extra half a million dollars or more which they will now unexpectedly reap when they sell their house will come from.

The answer is, of course, that it will come from their children and their grandchildren and young families and people who are in the rental market – people who are

paying far, far more than they should be for housing.

It will come from those with working-class backgrounds and lower-paid employment, people who would once have joined unions such as United Voice and the SDA, and whose families are probably less likely to be able to support them with a deposit or a mortgage but who dream, forlornly, of the opportunity of bringing up their children in a house with a yard, a garden and a sand pit.

In other words people from Labor’s traditional base. But it is not to be –Andrew, Shane, Yvette and the rest have ordained that it’s a south-facing, two-bedroom flat on the tenth floor for them.

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

The Paris End is where you’ll find an eclectic mix of local Crafters, Makers, Designers, Artists, Artisans and Purveyors .... and probably something more.

Tues to Fri 10am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-4pm Phone: 02 6262 3237

GRUMPY

Car shows getting the shove

WHAT’S the point of the city’s open green spaces if we can’t use them anymore? I was grumpy after reading that this month’s Auto Italia was not being held at King Edward Terrace this year.

This picturesque venue within the Parliamentary Triangle for many years has become the spiritual home for this nationally recognised, premier event attracting many local and interstate visitors and valuable tourist dollars.

Surrounded by so many of our significant national institutions has been one of the reasons for Auto Italia’s popularity.

Add to the mix that this is the best time of the year with mild temperatures and the renowned kaleidoscope of autumn colour from surrounding trees.

What better backdrop to bring together a multi-million dollar display of pristine, rare and desirable Italian marques?

I’m certainly not taking anything away from the superb Pialligo Estate venue for 2018, but the word on the street is that Auto Italia was

Car enthusiast NASIS ELLIS is grumpy about the number of events moving out of the Parliamentary Triangle because, he says, the NCA wants nothing to do with car clubs in the ACT

tucked away and could only miss incidental visitors and passers by.

Why is the NCA, the body responsible for events on national land, so committed to removing motoring events traditionally held in the Parliamentary Triangle?

Events such as Wheels and the Terribly British Day have found a new home in Queanbeyan, where the mayor has welcomed the extra business, attends some events and even hands out trophies.

Compare that to Canberra where the events have ceased and the last time one was held authorities threatened parking fines to any vehicles not displaying a special permit for the show.

The excuses by the NCA for not holding displays in the Parliamentary Triangle include parking under the trees seriously damages tree root systems and leaking oil kills the grass.

While this could be true if there were 600 cars there

every day, but a few events a year would have minimal, if any, impact.

It is also important to note that many of the cars at those events actually park on surrounding sealed areas or are held at the Treasury Building Car Park.

I think the conservation part has gone too far and, by not having such events, severely hurts the city’s character.

Urban environments include cars and I think that the “you can look but you can’t touch” policy only further damages Canberra’s reputation for being over regulated, sterile and with the soul of a display village.

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

How the Liberals shot themselves on rates

THE rates issue is going to be a challenge for Labor. However, manipulation of the community by the Liberals plays straight into the government’s hands.

It seems the Liberals have been caught red handed using a Legislative Assembly committee as a springboard for their own campaign on rates.

They had called on community members to submit through a Liberal Party site rather than, more appropriately, directly to the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee. It gets worse. Not all of the submissions made through the Liberal Party site were passed on to the committee.

Opposition Leader Alistair Coe suggests that these submissions were caught up in the spam filter. However, he only did so the day after the Assembly decided to do an inquiry into allegations that the Liberals have attempted to “corrupt the process”.

The committee’s “Inquiry into the Methodology for Determining Rates and Land Tax for Strata Residences” is a serious business impacting on a high proportion of Canberrans. The terms of reference of the committee identify that “in 2017 the government made changes to this methodology as part of the ACT’s broader tax reforms agenda” and the committee seeks input from the public through submissions.

Mr Coe tabled a petition in the Legislative Assembly in February with thousands of signatures calling on the government to reverse the way it calculated rates on units. This was followed by a motion to refer the matter to the Public Accounts Committee – which was successful when it gained the support of the Greens. Then the Liberals decided to play games with their own website.

On the flip side, Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr has made it clear that he prefers to bypass mainstream media and avoid serious questions about the fairness in the ways rates are levied in Canberra. Applying the equity principle in levying rates was always going to be a challenge.

At the time when former MLA Ted Quinlan was Treasurer, the Labor government took the bold step to seek a fairer tax-raising system so that those who could best afford to support the community would pay more. The idea of reducing stamp duties and finding the money through increasing the value of land makes sense. The progressive taxation system is certainly fairer in principle.

However, even Mr Quinlan has identified problems in fairness in regard to the implementation.

He told ABC radio he was concerned about how the current rating system was being applied to home units. His concern was

The Liberals’ lost-in-spam explanation is either a really bad excuse or their website management is extremely poor.

specifically directed at larger complexes where ratepayers are paying proportionally higher rates than those in smaller complexes.

These are matters that ought to be sorted out through the committee processes. At the time of writing, the Public Accounts Committee had published 66 submissions. No doubt there are many more in the pipeline.

The Assembly had little choice but to set up a Privileges Committee, to examine the conduct, or misconduct, of Members of the Assembly and to make recommendations on appropriate actions. The committee, to be chaired by Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury will examine the behaviour of Mr Coe and two other Liberal MLAs – Elizabeth Lee and Candice Burch. It was only after this inquiry was established that the Liberals admitted to failure to pass on 19 submissions. The “lost-in-spam” explanation is either a really bad excuse or the Liberals’ website management is extremely poor.

The excuse seems really lame when Mr Coe pointed to Assembly processes for submissions to committees as being outdated and cumbersome. At least they work! It is little wonder Labor backbencher Bec Cody was challenging the Liberals’ approach after they had made the claim that ALL submissions to their website were passed on unchanged.

She argued that there was no evidence to support the contention and was concerned that the Public Accounts Committee had been undermined and even “biased” or “corrupted” through the Liberals’ actions.

One of the great strengths of the ACT Assembly since its inception has been the committee system. It has been used to investigate, to find compromises, to seek solutions and to make recommendations. The last thing we need is to have the strongest part of our Legislative Assembly undermined through political games.

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.

BRIEFLY

Journalist tells all

RON Coffey, manager Radio QBN 96.7, will entertain the ladies of the Weston Creek VIEW Club with stories from his life as a journalist at the club’s next monthly lunch meeting at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11am, on Tuesday, May 1.

Visitors and new members welcome. RSVPs to 6288 7625 by Thursday, April 26.

Talking drugs and alcohol

JILL Hughes, from ACT Health’s Alcohol and Drug Services, is the guest speaker at a public meeting of the Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform group at St Ninian’s Uniting Church Hall, corner of Mouat and Brigalow Streets, Lyneham, at 7.30pm, on Thursday, April 26.

She will outline what alcohol and other drug services are offered by ACT Health for individuals, their families and friends. There will be questions and discussion followed by supper. Enquiries to 6169 7678 or email mcconnell@ffdlr.org.au

NEW SEASON ELK

IN STORE

SPORT

Can can-do Canberra stage the Games?

Sports broadcaster TIM GAVEL is just back from covering the Commonwealth Games for the ABC on the Gold Coast and has an answer for anyone who thinks we could stage them in Canberra

IT’S a common question raised many times over the past fortnight: do you think Canberra would be capable of ever hosting an event such as the Commonwealth Games?

To be brutally honest, the answer at the moment would have to be “no”. The idea is a wonderful one, but the reality is expensive.

Some locals are taken aback by this stance, given the “can-do” nature of people staging sporting events in the ACT. Sure, we have the best sporting volunteers in Australia, but to put it simply, we don’t have the infrastructure nor the apparent desire to spend an estimated billion-plus dollars to pull it all together.

I remember writing a similar column after the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.

At these events you come across many people involved in Canberra sport, whether it be through the AIS or grassroots events. Many have a strong desire to showcase the ACT’s ability to host a major sporting event such as the Commonwealth Games.

There are glaring shortfalls though. Central to the success of the Gold Coast was the main stadium. It wasn’t over the top by any stretch, nor was the aquatic centre – simply an outdoor pool with temporary seating. But it worked.

The track cycling and the shooting took place in Brisbane, as there is no velodrome or major shooting range on the Gold Coast.

Which brings me back to Canberra. At the moment we don’t have a stadium capable of staging major track events at an international level. One solution would be to significantly upgrade Canberra Stadium or build a new one. The proposed rectangular facility won’t cut it as a track and field venue.

We don’t have a competition swimming pool designed to cater for 16,000 fans, nor a diving venue.

Somebody did say to me that the Civic Olympic Pool could be upgraded or replaced with temporary stands added. This would be costly.

When it comes to track cycling the lack of a decent velodrome prevents any chance of any bid getting up.

Thanks for kind words

FOLLOWING our celebratory, 25th anniversary edition last week, we have been gently overwhelmed by the lovely response from all sorts of people and organisations across.

Thank you. Here are some of them:

“Congratulations to ‘CityNews’ for its 25th anniversary. Thank you to the whole team for always coming up with great ads for Faux Tanning Studio – love the editorials, you always go above and beyond to make sure it’s all good for us.”

–Jasmin Moore, Faux Tanning Studio

“Congratulations on this huge milestone, it has been a pleasure being one of your advertisers. Here’s to another 25 years!”

–Ivan Slavich, via website

I am not sure whether “bid fatigue” is taking place in Canberra at present, with the continual push for an A League team or a Big Bash side starting to wear people out. But I sense there is no momentum whatsoever for an ACT bid for the Commonwealth Games in the next decade at least.

I can think of a couple of events that Canberra could stage without any major infrastructure spend. Hockey is one. There are plenty of similarities between the ACT hockey centre and the one used during the Gold Coast Games.

Road cycling is another event, which lends itself to Canberra’s natural terrain. Stromlo is one of the best mountain bike facilities in Australia. Basketball and netball at the AIS Arena; marathon, walks and triathlon could happen around the lake.

BRIEFLY

A shame really, but all things, including hosting the Commonwealth Games, come at a cost!

“Returning after 11 years away from the ACT, I find that ‘CityNews’, in both hard copy and electronic form, is the best available print medium for its news and critical coverage of the arts in the ACT and, occasionally, important art events in other cities. Please keep it that way.”

–Phillip Mackenzie, via website

“You’ve been a great supporter of mine over many years and even featured my wedding! Congratulations.”

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www.canberramarkets.net.au

www.canberramarkets.net.au

www.canberramarkets.net.au

Anzac discussion

BARRY Virtue will talk about Gallipoli and there will be a discussion about the meaning of Anzac at the next monthly meeting of the Canberra South Branch of the National Seniors Australia at the Weston Creek Labor Club, Teesdale Close, Stirling, 10.30am, on Wednesday, May 2. Non-members are welcome

Saturday April 28th 2018 • 10-5pm Hughes

and attendees are asked to contribute $3 towards the cost of morning tea. More information via email to nsacanberrasouth@gmail.com

Romanian knees-up

DIANNA Alaska, who has an extensive career in studying, dancing and teaching for many years in Europe, will lead a workshop on lively, ener-

getic and foot-stamping Romanian folk dancing. The workshop, Folk Dance Canberra’s contribution to this year’s Australian Dance Week, will be held at Folk Dance Canberra Hall, 114 Maitland Street, Hackett, 1.30pm-4.30pm, Saturday, May 5. The cost is $18 and a contribution to afternoon tea is always welcome. Enquiries to 6241 2941.

–Libby Hill, former “CityNews” journalist

“Congratulations” –Kingston Barton Residents Group

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–Canberra School of Bollywood

“Good on you ‘CityNews”. You have the best arts coverage of any paper in Australia. Long may you thrive.”

–Rob Kennedy, arts reviewer

“Mag looks good this week. Happy 25th birthday to you! ;o)”

–Jess, Co-ordinate Advertising

“Well done ‘CityNews’, congratulations on 25 years! Looking forward to seeing the paper grow and change in the next 25 too.

–Clare, via website

“Congratulations to your dedicated team on 25 years of reporting on Canberra for Canberrans. Well done.

–Russell via email

“Just read ‘CityNews’. Congratulations – that is quite an achievement. Great issue, too – excellent lay-out and interesting stories as usual. Gird your loins for the next 25!

–Bill Stephens, arts reviewer

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–Jen Seyderhelm, via email

SCENE / around canberra

Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program. It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities. Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.

Special day to remember the brave Anzac legacy

THE actions of Australian and NZ forces during World War I’s Gallipoli campaign left a powerful legacy.

The “Anzac legend”, inspired by that bloody campaign, has become an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping Australia’s views of the past and the future.

Anzac Day commemorations have been held since 1916, and the Australian War Memorial continues this tradition, commemorating not only the Anzacs, but the courage and sacrifice of all Australian servicemen and women during periods of war and peace.

Held on April 25 of each year, Anzac Day was initially created to honour the members of the Australian and NZ Army Corps (Anzac) who fought at Gallipoli during World War I. Now, Anzac Day is also recognised in the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn Islands and Tonga.

This year, the concluding year of the centenary of World War I, images of Australian servicemen and servicewomen, depicting a variety of actions and battles across the history of Australia’s Military Service, will be projected each evening on to the War Memorial’s facade from Monday, April 23, until the commencement of the Dawn Service on Anzac Day at 5.30am.

The final 15 minutes of projections will focus on contemporary conflicts and include images from renowned photographer Gary Ramage.

This year’s Dawn Service address will be delivered by retired Col. Susan Neuhaus, who served in the regular army and army reserve, with deployments to Cambodia, Bougainville and Afghanistan, over a career spanning 20 years.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association hosts a ceremony at 6.30am on Mount Ainslie to remember indigenous Australians who have served in the Australian forces since 1901.

At a ticketed event, guests will hear from the Memorial’s senior historian Dr Aaron Pegram discussing the second battle of Villers-Bretonneux at a breakfast event held in Anzac Hall.

Finally, at the National Ceremony, which includes the RSL’s Anzac Day Veterans’ March at 10.30am, speakers will include the incoming governor of WA, Kim Beazley, and former Rat of Tobruk Bob Semple, an Australian World War II veteran.

The Last Post Ceremony at 4.55pm will conclude the day’s commemorations.

Visit awm.gov.au for transport, ticketing and more information

Free bus to the Memorial, but you need to register

EVERY year Transport Canberra proudly uses its bus services to support Anzac Day, says Transport Canberra’s director of Public Transport Operations Ian McGlinn.

It does this through its free travel, under the Register to Ride initiative, which provides transport to and from the Dawn Service and National Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial from various locations across Canberra.

And, anyone wearing or displaying war service medals on the day will receive free bus travel across the network.

“These special services allow all members of our community to

attend these events and pay tribute to and remember those who have served,” Ian says.

In addition, bus services will be running to a Sunday timetable as it’s a public holiday.

“Registering to ride is free of charge and allows Transport Canberra to monitor expected attendance numbers,” Ian says.

“The system also allows Transport Canberra to effectively manage customer demand for bus services and ensures that bus resources are used efficiently.”

Transport Canberra. Visit transport. act.gov.au or call 13 17 10.

‘For Honour and Freedom’

FROM reader Andrew Guild, a poem dedicated to our Anzac soldiers who fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in World War I.

We went over to Gallipoli to fight

We were all volunteers in our brigade;

Our men fought hard against the Turks,

— And fearsome fighters we made

The destruction and rank desolation

Went as far as the eye could see

But we endured the battlefield’s mire

For brave patriots then were we

It should be freely and fully admitted

That there were awful times for us all

But we knew there’d be a high price to pay

When we answered the Empire’s call

We joined for honour and freedom,

Marched to the tune of a stirring song,

And we fought hard for our country’s sake,

As our nation could do no wrong

Our people will never forget us,

Or our tragedies in barbed wire and mud,

For we created the Anzac legend —

But we had to write it with our blood

ANZAC DAY advertising

Hotel offers lots to do on Anzac Day

JUST a five-minute walk from the Australian War Memorial, Mercure Canberra is a great location to warm up after the dawn service, or relax after the National Ceremony, says general manager Patina Farnham.

Starting from 6am Mercure Canberra will have egg-and-bacon rolls and hot drinks in the car park, a shotgun breakfast operating in Olims Bar and Bistro as well as a buffet breakfast in the courtyard restaurant.

Then, from 11am, the front car park will be alive with food stalls and pop-up bars, followed by two-up at noon.

“You need to be there early to get a spot at the front,” she says.

With a vibrant atmosphere, Patina says Anzac Day

at Mercure Canberra is always a melting pot of people from all walks of life coming together to remember the Anzacs and say thanks for the sacrifices made both on that day, and still to this day.

“It’s important for the Mercure to commemorate Anzac Day as this significant part of Australian history has shaped our nation to what it currently is,” she says.

“Without our Anzacs we may not be living the amazing lives as Aussies that we currently do.”

Mercure Canberra, corner of Ainslie and Limestone Avenues, Braddon. Call 6243 0000 or visit mercurecanberra.com.au

Club musters at its traditional site

TO mark 100 years since the end of the first world war, Anzac Day at the traditional site of the Canberra Services Club in Manuka is expected to be big, says president Mike Kinniburgh.

“It’s the hundred-year anniversary so we’ll be celebrating that with live music,” he says.

The club, which was built straight after World War II in the ‘40s, is one of Canberra’s oldest clubs.

Even though the club burnt down in 2012, Anzac Day continues to be acknowledged on the old site – at “the tank”.

The day starts at 4.30am with a gunfire breakfast and then the club will continue to serve food all day.

Two-up will kick off at 12pm, finishing off at 6pm.

Traditional Canberra Services Club Site, Canberra Avenue, Manuka, near Manuka Oval, call 6162 0503 or email info@canberraclub.com.au

A family-friendly dining option

ON Anzac Day, Siren Bar is a great family-friendly option for locals and outsiders to raise money, play two-up and grab a bite to eat, says owner Dan Gaul.

“It’s a friendly environment, even with the two-up,” he says. “For anyone who’s not sure of the game, we have rules and people around to help make everyone feel comfortable.”

But well before then, Siren Bar will begin the day, at 6.30am, with a $15 “Gunfire” breakfast, which will be followed by two-up at midday.

The kitchen will be open all day serving “great food” such as house made chunky beef pies, thick lamb sausage rolls and, of course, meals at the table.

And, any Diggers wearing their medals will receive a free nip of rum.

There will be a live bugle performance at 4pm, where patrons will have a minute to reflect on the meaning of Anzac Day and also donate money to

charities Soldier On and Legacy.

Siren Bar, corner of Anthony Rolfe Avenue and Gozzard Street, Gungahlin. Visit sirenbar.com.au or call 6162 0377.

Relaxed gathering on Anzac Day eve

AS the National Press Club isn’t open on public holidays, it’s hosting an “Anzac Day-eve gathering” to commemorate the Centenary of the Battle of VillersBretonneux with its members and non-members.

Described as a relaxed gathering in elegant surrounds, sales and marketing manager Cathy Bryson says it’s a place to come for recognition.

“There’s no charge for members or non-members, everyone is welcome but we are asking for a gold coin donation to be made to Soldier On,” she says.

Starting at 5.30pm, the gathering will feature live music from Tony Haley and John Black, as well as complimentary “Aussie” food.

Cathy says the chefs have had a bit of fun with the food, naming bits and pieces after previous battles, such as “Gallipoli”, which includes cheese and vegemite scrolls, pepper steak pie floaters and veal sausage rolls.

“It’s an after-work, informal catch up with friends and family, who may be in town,” she says.

“It’s a chance for people to get together before they take the day off and acknowledge why we have the public holiday.”

Anzac Day Eve gathering, National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton, 5.30pm-8.30pm, Tuesday, April 24. Call 6121 2199 or visit npc.org.au

Refurbished and ready for the big day

THE Canberra Labor Club in Belconnen will again commemorate Anzac Day with its always-popular two-up game from midday as well as activities throughout the day.

The club has recently undergone major renovations to its lounge, gaming areas and family dining facilities, so the club says this year’s celebrations will be bigger than ever.

Live sport will be played on the large screens throughout the club

and the restaurant and café areas will be open all day.

All members will receive an entry in the current promotion to win a Mercedes Benz CLA sedan or $50,000 cash, plus every main meal ordered and selected purchases throughout the club will qualify for additional entries.

Canberra Labor Club, Chandler Street, Belconnen. Visit laborclub.com.au or call 6251 5522.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Get an expert on to that job around the house

THE saying, “there’s always room for improvement”, is as relevant in the home as it is in many other areas in life.

A house is likely to be a person’s biggest single investment, so it makes sense to make the most of living in it and, at the same time, adding value through professionally guided improvements or DIY repurposing.

Knights Window Fashions only sources its products from suppliers who can demonstrate the items’ superiority.

This means the customers get the best of curtains, blinds, awnings and shutters, says co-owner Martin Smith, who runs the family business with his wife Blandine.

Here “CityNews” showcases the goods and services of local experts who can help you achieve those objectives…

Regency Knights Window Fashions is even the exclusive suppliers of the “Ultra 20” shutters and “Thermotek” blinds, which are selected especially for quality.

“Our purpose is to listen carefully to customers’ needs and to match products that will best correspond to that,” Martin says.

“But having said that we always let the customers have the final choice.”

Fashions understands purchasing window furnishings for a home is personal and Martin says the staff are sensitive to this and are there to listen and achieve the customer’s desired outcome.

“This means asking a lot of questions and listening to what the customer is wanting,” he says. Once the staff have asked questions and established the customer’s desired outcome then, Martin says, they are in the position to offer advice and provide the pros and cons of each product.

Regency Knights Window Fashions, Unit 1, 60 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick. Call 6147 0426 or visit regencyknights.com.au

Specialists in storage space and cabinetry

STARTING as a creative wardrobe company in 1986, Creative by Design has since moved into all areas of the home such as the laundry, bedroom, office and kitchen.

Creative by Design specialises in storage space, furniture design and cabinetry, which all works side-by-side with any storage needs.

With separate teams for each area such as a design team and a cabinet making team, Creative by Design owner Rosana McLeod says the specialists stay in their field and then all come together to create a beautiful end result.

always aspire to have the clients pleased in everything we do,” she says.

One item which Creative by Design has seen become popular is wall beds.

“We incorporate a lot of pull down beds in homes with limited rooms or with a room that needs to function for two reasons,” Rosana says.

And as for the rest of the furniture, Rosana says, not only is the furniture functional but Creative by Design also looks at the design and colour aspects to make sure it works with the design of someone’s home.

Creative

Customising furniture to fit the space

IT can be hard to find a piece of furniture that fits, which is why Timberland Furniture in Fyshwick customises any of its Australian made furniture, so it can slot straight in to the ideal spot.

Owner Tony Purdy says they can customise the furniture for specific requirements such as changing the colour, size or adding or taking out a drawer.

“We will customise it for you to make it fit the space and with lounges we can make them to size, or you can choose your own material,” he says.

Recently, Timberland Furniture sourced some new products from overseas and Australia but, Tony says, the new Australian range, “Jackaroo”, can be altered, too.

“We try to find things a little bit quirky and different because there’s no point having the same products as everyone else,” he says.

And Tony says all products sourced by Timberland Furniture are good quality but also at an affordable price.

With about half of the furniture in store being Australian made, Tony says people will get value for their money with beautiful materials used to make the furniture such as Australian hardwood.

“We provide a personal service and are able to go to the customer’s home to assist them with measurements,” he says.

Timberland Furniture, 7/17 Iron Knob Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 7411, email timberlandfyshwick@ gmail.com or visit canberracustomfurniture.com

Rejuvenate that quilt before winter

THERMA Quilts is a locally owned and family-run business that

making and servicing quilts, eiderdowns, pillows and cushions and anything made from feather and down.

The company’s unique cleaning process, which involves the feather and down being cleaned separately from the product casing in a specialised steamer and washing machine, helps the feather and down regain its loft and thermal resistance.

“Our eco-friendly detergents mean that there are no harsh chemical residues on products,” says a company spokesperson.

“Using our cleaning process, we can clean quilts, sleeping bags, down jackets and more when they are in need of reju-

venation or before they are needed for the winter months.”

Therma Quilts says if people wait until winter to get them cleaned they will really miss their quilts during that time.

“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,” Therma Quilts says.

“Regular servicing of your quilts would ensure that your down is fresh, fluffy and keeps you nice and warm during winter. In addition, if your quilt is not warm enough or too warm, we are able to adjust it to your requirements.”

•

•

AUTUMN IS HERE, BUT WINTERS COMING...

Better invest in DOUBLE GLAZING from SKYVIEW

The only window company that offers every powdercoat colour at a standard price!

77 High St, Queanbeyan • Phone: 6232 9977

Email: reception@skyview-windows.com.au

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Carpenters with pride in customer satisfaction

SINCE 2002, the family-owned business PAC Carpentry and Joinery has been specialising in full kitchen and bathroom renovations and providing complete wardrobe design and installation for homes and offices.

With customer satisfaction as a top priority, managing director Peter Theodosiou says PAC Carpentry and Joinery always provides a professional service, ensuring every project is completed to a high standard.

He says PAC Carpentry and Joinery takes pride in making sure the process of designing and building kitchens, bathrooms and wardrobes is as “stress-free” as possible.

As a licensed builder, Peter and his team of qualified carpenters and joiners provide a free measure and quote, 3D drawings and co-ordinate all trades required.

“We provide services to Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass and the surrounding districts,” he says.

“By co-ordinating all the trades, we make your renovation easier.”

PAC Carpentry & Joinery, Unit 9/86 Sheppard Street, Hume. Call 6260 1403 or 0408 695935, visit packitchens.com.au

KITCHEN RENOVATIONS

Give yourself a pristine area to prepare food and entertain guests. We can construct the kitchen you’ve always dreamt of.

Window supplier with a view to quality

SKYVIEW Windows was created more than 15 years ago in a small factory with a staff of five and a vision of supplying quality products in the shortest possible lead times, says managing director, Neil Thompson.

“The company mantra from day one was ‘Quality Windows, Fast’,” says Neil.

Since then, Skyview has grown and seven years ago expanded to a 2500sqm factory in High Street, Queanbeyan.

Neil says part of Skyview’s success is being able to work closely with customers and suppliers to ensure consistency in quality and supply is maintained.

“All windows and doors are manufactured right here in Queanbeyan to Australian standards using dedicated local people from a mixture of local and imported raw materials to ensure cost competitiveness and, unlike the major window companies, all the profits stay right here,” he says.

“Skyview is the only window company able to supply any powdercoat colour with no cost premium involved.

“This allows our customers to mix and match colour schemes for their houses without having to stick to the

TRANSFORM ANY SPACE

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS

Whether it’s a full renovation or a simple update or two, we’re here to help you get the bathroom that you desire.

WARDROBE DESIGN

Get enough storage for your personal belongings and clothing. We have custom designs to fit whatever space you have.

STUDIES & ENTERTAINMENT

Increase your productivity with a room designed for you. We also provide custom entertainment units to meet your needs.

We are licensed builders and have a team of highly qualified carpenters and joiners. We provide free measurements and quotes, including 3D drawings, to make your renovation as easy as possible.

advertising feature

www.solacecreations.com.au

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 co-founder 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.

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.

Corkhill Bros, 33 Darling Street, Mitchell, call 6241 8860 and Mugga Lane, Symonston, 6239 7200. Visit corkhillbros.com.au

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.

EX- GOVERNMENT FURNITURE

has the largest double-glazing showroom in Canberra.

“I can’t understand why we have a code in place that says we must insulate our walls and ceiling, yet there is no rule to insulate windows or doors,” Karen says.

consistent temperatures, fewer draughts and a saving on heating and cooling bills.

“We can help you create solace in your home. And solace means comfort,” she says.

“Windows and doors make up about 30 per cent of our wall space and putting in a single piece of glass

Wayne Hicks… “we’re very versatile and are able to repair and replace anything that needs to be done.”

Solace Creations, 17 Townsville Street, Fyshwick. Call 6260 1621 or visit solacecreations.com.au

Handyman promises to be reliable and on time

WITH a love for building, fixing and doing, Wayne Hicks started Hicksy the Handyman as a one-stop shop for all property maintenance needs.

“We cater to everybody’s needs, we’re very versatile and are able to repair and replace anything that needs to be done,” he says.

Wayne provides services such as garden care, painting, landscaping and preparation of home for sale to plumbing, electrical, cleaning, glazing and brick-laying.

“All of your property maintenance needs covered under the one roof, with one bill, and one point of contact, and all covered by our quality guarantee,” he says.

“We’re reliable, we’re on time and we charge reasonable prices.”

Hicksy the Handyman. Call Hicksy on 0407 112345 or email wayne@hicksy.com.au

High quality and almost new

RATHER than creating more waste, Ex-Government Furniture gets in second-hand items weekly, in an “almost new condi tion”, says co-owner and manager James Fullerton.

“It’s all high-quality, second-hand furniture that will last rather than something cheap that will be trashed the next week,” James says.

Ex-Government Furniture stocks pretty much all office and some home furniture, such as high-quality office chairs, desks, workstations, boardroom tables and shelving.

“At the moment we have a number of contemporary ergonomic sit-to-stand desks which are all the rage these days,” he says.

“We’ve got everything from ‘ergotrons’ to modify an existing desk into a sit-to-stand workspace right through to both manual and electronically adjustable sit-stand workstations.”

James says all furniture is repurposed and in top condition before being taken home by its new owner.

And, Ex-Government Furniture’s cabinet maker Taylor, is an expert in repurposing and can talk with customers and give them ideas.

“We charge fair prices and are often able to source the best, no-nonsense, quality furniture available, always with an eye for good quality,” James says.

“We get weekly shipments of furniture, with everything from the vintage to the modern, so there’s always something interesting coming through our doors.”

Ex-Government Furniture, 6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490 or visit exgovfurniture.com or via facebook.com/exgovfurniture/

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Chloe comes home to sing

COVER STORY

By Helen Musa

CANBERRA-raised soprano Chloe Lankshear is one of our rising stars.

A featured performer at the coming Canberra International Music Festival, the second-year student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music will be seen singing the role of Fortuna (Lady Luck) in part of Monteverdi’s “The Return of Ulysses“ and as soloist in Handel’s “Israel in Egypt”.

“She’s a real musician and not just a pretty face and a pretty voice – she has a wonderful, clear, bell-like voice and a professional attitude,” says Canberra International Music Festival director Roland Peelman.

Lankshear tells “CityNews” that she grew up in Canberra was educated in the public system and the ANU’s pre-tertiary music course. But then, after first enrolling, she found herself caught in the crossfire of the crisis at the ANU School of Music and deferred in 2012, taking singing lessons with Louise Page.

“So I worked, while letting my voice settle,” Lankshear says.

“At the ages of 18, 19 and 20 it can be tricky, because your voice is still dealing with adolescence, breathiness slack and lack of control… we singers are considered young for most of our twenties.”

Lankshear joined Canberra’s Luminescence Chamber Singers, developing “oral and mental skills” and in 2016 enrolled in the Sydney Conservatorium. She’s been contracted to The Song Company since halfway through 2017, covering for their lead soprano, Susannah Lawergren, while she was on maternity leave.

The most exciting thing so far was performing with them in Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” opera, where another talented Canberra soprano, Lorina Gore played Ophelia.

Lankshear says the company played the semi-chorus as part of the orchestra for the first 11 scenes then in the death scene came on stage

fully-costumed to play the judges for the final fight.

“It’s the most amazing work and it’s put me on the path for contemporary opera,” she says.

Right now Lankshear is a high soprano, “but I warm up to a ‘top G6’.

“I know my voice is good for baroque music, but I’m quite determined to pursue what contempo rary opera can offer.”

Roland Peelman says he’s keen to involve local artists.

“No matter how global we go, we must always remember that the festival belongs to Canberra, it is owned by Canberrans,” he says.

“And overwhelmingly the majority of our audience is from Canberra.”

Lankshear is one example of involving local artists and another, to be seen in the opening concert, will be Brenda Gifford, indigenous composer and Yuin woman originally from Wreck but now a Canberra resident, with her new work “Gambabarawaraga”.

“Brenda has finally been given a chance to develop a craft and to make a musical statement,” says Peelman.

“She is as gifted as can be and this is her very first commission. The festival found the money to commission the piece.”

“Return” is the overarching idea behind the festival and well in line with that theme will be the concert “A Soldier’s Return” beginning with Stravinsky’s acerbic work, “The Soldier’s Tale”, composed at the end of World War I, about a returning Russian soldier who sells his soul to the devil in return for a magic book.

That will be followed by Jodie Blackshaw’s musical/spoken word, “The Bitter and the Sweet”, performed by Melbourne actor Paul English with the Canberra Wind Symphony, whose conductor and director Geoff Grey has been working at the University of Canberra with servicemen and women returning from war.

Another strong local element is the return of Yass artist Alice Giles, former head of harp at the ANU, with her Seven Harp Ensemble, founded with students in Canberra.

Peerman says Giles is undoubtedly the premier

New aspirations for the departed Daise Morrow

By Helen Musa

WHEN the late Canberra theatre director Ralph Wilson put on a short season of Patrick White plays some years ago, unexpected hordes turned up to see works by our own Nobel Laureate.

Staff at the Canberra Theatre hope it’s going to be much the same when “The Aspirations of Daise Morrow” takes over The Playhouse stage early in May.

harpist in Australia and the ensemble’s sound is “blissful and heavenly”.

“Return”, he says, may mean the soldiers returning from war or musicians returning to their roots in early music and is best exemplified by the concert called “Ulysses Now”.

Monteverdi wrote “The Return of Ulysses“ in 1642, based on the greatest return tale of all, Homer’s “Odyssey”, where the hero Odysseus/Ulysses takes 10 years to get home from Troy. This central concert will feature parts of the Monteverdi in which local luminaries such as Lankshear, Toby Cole and Andrew Fysh will perform.

“The story of Ulysses may be an ancient epic”, Peelman says, “but it is right up to date.”

2018 Canberra International Music Festival, April 27 to May 6. Bookings to cimf.org.au

It’s a stage adaptation of White’s “Down at the Dump”, which appeared in his early book of stories dedicated to “the burnt ones (the poor unfortunates).”

This will be a production with a difference, as “CityNews” found when we called veteran actor Paul Blackwell, who plays the “olderman” role in the show.

Blackwell has been with the production since it began in 2015.

for a long time.

“It’s Daise’s funeral and she’s described as a woman who finds love where she can get it and gives it where it’s needed,” he explains.

This revival, he says, kick-starts in Canberra, goes on to Wollongong and then to the Galway and Edinburgh festivals.

Set entirely on the stage of The Playhouse with actors and audience in close proximity, the viewers are seated in concentric circles, and members of Adelaide’s charismatic Zephyr Quartet – Hilary Kleinig, Jason Thomas, Emily Tulloch and Belinda – as another “character”, will be planted in their midst.

Zephyr has been with the show from the outset and provides what is touted as a haunting score, so haunting that the Canberra International Music Festival has slotted the production into its season here.

“It’s all set under a big white canopy that supports the lighting design and brings everyone in together to witness and be part of it… having the audience on the stage is more intimate,” Blackwell enthuses.

“The audience will get to be people at the funeral – it’s all about a funeral,” he says, recollecting that White also worked that territory over in “The Aunt’s Story” and “The Ham Funeral”.

Blackwell is an unabashed Patrick White fan and reads me an

“The story concerns the Hogbens and the Whalleys, the rag-and-bone people who live opposite and who don’t give anything about the social graces.”

Daise’s sister is the respectable Myrtle Hogben – Blackwell gets to play her part and loves the role –who looks down on the Whalleys, but they’re all pulled together by the funeral and, as Drummond says, the story is “a paean to courage, to reaching, to yearning and to the ache for something bigger”.

Blackwell is intrigued by the fact that “Daise Morrow” is not a play at all.

“We tell the story as it is written with some minor additions and we all speak different roles,” he says. Blackwell plays Myrtle (“That’s a lot of fun,” he says) and Wal Whalley; Genevieve Picot plays Les Hogben and Mrs Whalley; James Smith and Lucy Lehman play the young “Romeo and Juliet” roles of Lummy Whalley and Meg Hogben, while Lehman gets to play Daise, too.”

“The Aspirations of Daise Morrow, The Playhouse, May 1-5. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

ARTS IN THE CITY

All ‘White’ on the night

IN 1968 Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated and The Beatles released “Hey Jude” and “Lady Madonna”. Shortis and Simpson will bring it all to life to mark the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ “White” album in a dinner show at the Carrington Inn, Bungendore, April 27-28. Bookings to trybooking.com or 6238 1044.

MEANTIME, the Australian Bee Gees tribute group, which has racked up more than 2250 performances on the Las Vegas strip, is coming to the Top of the Cross in Woden, on April 27. Bookings to cscc.com.au

JOE Woodward says that in “The Crucible” playwright Arthur Miller nailed the all-too-modern practice of accepting rumour and suggestion as truth. He’s staging this timeless play at McCowage Hall, Daramalan, April 28-May 5. Bookings to trybooking.com

SENIOR curator at the Canberra Museum and Gallery Deborah Clark has moved on after “a wonderful 10 years”. She’s off on a residency in Paris at the Cité Internationale des Arts.

Shortis and Simpson… marking the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ “White” album. Photo by Sabine Friedrich

A MUSIC ADVENTURE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

27 APRIL – 6 MAY 2018

Ten days of glorious music to delight both the young and the young-at-heart, from enchanting musical walks across the National Arboretum to some of the most enduring children’s music ever written. Plus over two dozen inspiring and enriching performances from some of the most talented musicians from Australia and around the globe. Find out more at cimf.org.au

CANBERRA Dance Theatre is

THE Royal Military College Band is going back to the 1940s “Service and 12.30pm, April 24. Entry by gold-coin donation. Proceeds to Bosom Buddies.

the older dancing body. At Canberra Dance Theatre Studio, 1 Kingsley Street, Civic, Mondays from April 23 to May 21. Bookings to canberradancetheatre.org or 0435 025369.

Glorious is the play that inspired the acclaimed movie released last year — Florence Foster Jenkins. In the 1940s the singer everyone wanted to see perform live in New York was the enthusiastic soprano Florence Foster Jenkins - ‘the first lady of the sliding scale’. She was deliciously happy and delusional paying scant attention to her critics as she screeched and warbled to her audiences, most falling about with laughter.

A lunatically funny play that will keep you very happy... A glittering comedy with a heart. The Independent

“ A delightful and blissfully funny play that generates a rare glow of warmth and generous laughter. Daily Telegraph

Glorious!

“ A classic excellent night’s entertainment. Recommended. Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise)

By Peter Quilter

Grim party meanders to a confronting finale

“The Party” (MA)

I SPENT a moderate while asking Google the cost of writer/director Sally Potter using seven top-drawer actors (together with a long list of closing credits) to tell this deliciously complicated dramatic comedy of love, ambition, betrayal, burnt canapés, intellectual argument, political thin ice, grief, anger and 12-inch, 78 rpm disks playing music of a bygone era. Using just two locations.

It turns out that its production cost doesn’t really matter. The film works.

“The Party” is a 71-minute witty, low-budget, black-and-white movie that made me laugh immoderately and pressed my buttons for dramatic satisfaction, from its enigmatic opening sequence to its last-moment answer to a question that kept popping up with tantalising refusals to clarify itself. Of such stuff is satisfying storytelling made.

Kristin Scott Thomas plays MP Janet in her London kitchen preparing to celebrate her elevation to the shadow health ministry – which automatically bespeaks a poisoned chalice right beside education.

In the drawing room, husband Bill (Timothy Spall) remembers the music of his youth but says nothing.

The first guest is Janet’s chum April (Patricia Clarkson) accompanied by self-proclaimed spiritual healer Gottfried (Bruno Ganz). Next to arrive are women’s study professor Martha (Cherry Jones) and her pregnant-with-triplet-boys partner Jinny

(Emily Mortimer).

Last guest is Tom (Cillian Murphy), an emotional basket case packing a pistol in a shoulder holster and retiring to the bathroom to do another line of cocaine to replace his wife Marianne who has refused to come.

And all the while Janet is using the smart phone tucked into the left cup of her bra to give the flick to an unnamed lover. Got you interested? Good.

At Palace Electric, Dendy

“Isle of Dogs” (M)

ESSENTIAL for understanding this bilingual

animation is the ability to read subtitles quickly.

Which means that small fry are unlikely to get much from Wes Anderson’s latest film in which a cast of English-speaking voices combines with subtitled Japanese voices to tell a story of political anxiety in which the good guys are mostly street dogs and the baddies are politically unscrupulous humans.

The conflict has several foundations stemming from an epidemic of dog flu that leads Megacity mayor Kobayashi (voice of Kunichi Nomura) to command that all the prefecture’s canines are to be removed to quarantine on Trash

Island although Professor Watanabe (Akira Ito) is close to finding a cure. One of the dogs, Spots (Liev Schreiber) is the beloved companion of Kobayashi’s 12-year-old orphaned nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin).

Atari hijacks a light aircraft and flies to the island to search for his friend. When he crashes, five dogs, led by Chief (Bryan Cranston) come to his aid. Chief and Atari are the film’s leading good guys. Chief resents humans.

The byzantine complexities of the plot are considerable. Suffice it to say that their delineation and devolution combined with the film’s bilingual elements make “Isle of Dogs” an intellectual minefield, which its human, canine or feline characters work hard to negotiate. The screenplay delivers an ongoing polemic addressing the issues besetting our time.

“Isle of Dogs” offers a viewing experience that Wes Anderson fans will very likely enjoy adding to their lists of goodies. But even if you’ve never yet seen his work, its eclectic flavour offers a challenge for lovers of the moving image to confront.

At all cinemas

“Truth or Dare” (MA)

IT’S a game. Games have rules. In writer/ director Jeff Wadlow’s thriller with a mystic

overtone, the penalty for telling an untruth or refusing to accept a dare is the same. You’re about to become dead.

Characters signal involuntary malignant intentions with a rictus smile that appears with increasing frequency as a group of young adults come under the game’s inescapable influence.

Olivia (Lucy Hale) and Markie (Violett Beane) celebrate graduation by visiting Mexico. At a bar, Carter (Landon Liboiron) persuades the pair, together with assorted boyfriends, to visit an abandoned church on top of a hill out in the boonies. Carter initiates them in the game without telling them about its strange propensity to punish the players – who, one by one, get to be dead.

The young actors have yet to amass impressive CVs. Maybe in time they will overcome that career-limiting shortcoming. But they’ll need to appear in films of better creative merit than this one. They do their best with material that does slowly grab you as the film progresses. But it’s been done before.

At Capitol 6, Hoyts and Limelight

This exhibition showcases the rich collections of visual art at the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG). In its 20-year history CMAG has built a collection of objects with a unique focus, which reflects both the creative breadth of its artists and the historical context of art in the Canberra region – this corner of south-eastern Australia that includes the nation’s capital, the southern tablelands, the Monaro plains and a number of towns and hamlets.

Explore Nicky Gallagher’s extensive collection of tikis and tiki-inspired memorabilia. Amassed over twenty years this private collection reflects the continuing influence of 20th century North American tiki culture and the fantasies of South Pacific life it has shaped.

DINING / little brother, red hill

The little café with a big, beautiful view

THERE is no denying that the view from the top of Red Hill is amazing. Elevated 175 metres above the city, with sweeping views of the capital and several national icons, it’s a stunner of a place to dine in any season, but especially now with the trees changing colours to golden yellows, bright reds and autumn oranges.

Every year, around this time, I trek up Red Hill to the lookout and have a meal at the Little Brother café, often meeting friends at the top who have also trekked, but from another direction.

And so it was, last weekend, that a group of us gathered, to soak in the views and have lunch.

The menu features many of the usual café suspects such as eggs benedict, fish and chips, and a line-up of jaffles. Mains range from $18 to $29. The jaffles and smaller dishes hover around $15, the desserts are $15 and a cheese

perfectly – not too hard, not too soft – and the wilted spinach was a healthy green element. The horseradish cream was tasty and not overpowering. Although the tastes were there, my dish was cold when served and my friend’s fritters appeared slightly overcooked and quite dark around the edges.

Having completed a trek,

hit the mark ($29) and we all sampled the crispy chips and thought they were great. The Asian-type salad was a big let-down. It lacked in flavour, featured very little chilli and was overall underwhelming.

Two of us ordered the sweet potato and beetroot fritters, an interesting combination of flavours and not too sweet.

The wine list at Little Brother is compact, with whites topping off at $60 a bottle and reds the same. The rose is $46.

At Little Brother you order inside at the counter. We were fortunate to score an outdoor table, with the best views. It was a windy day and on a couple of occasions we watched an umbrella tumble over with staff struggling to keep it upright. They need to be better secured.

The service was hit and miss. Even though we had booked, when I first arrived I stood awkwardly at the front counter for some time before anyone said “hello”. It wasn’t the most welcoming of welcomes.

Little Brother, Red Hill lookout. Open Wednesday to Friday, 9am-4pm; weekends, 8am-3pm. Call 6273 1166.

Ford to perform a free concert

Supa Productions presents

At the Larry Sitsky Recital Room, 1pm, Tuesday, April 24. Free but register at music.cass.anu.edu.au

MURRUMBATEMAN sculptors David Jensz and Stephen Harrison are exhibiting in “Sculpture at Scenic World 2018”, which transforms the natural rainforest in the Blue Mountains with 30 artworks until May 13. Details at sculptureatscenicworld.com.au

–Helen Musa

GARDENING

Conifers get some good press

CONIFERS are among the oldest living plants in the world.

For example, 4500-year-old specimens of the ancient Bristlecone Pine, Pinus longaeva, battle the elements in the 3000-metre-high White Mountains of California.

Conifers can include evergreen and deciduous varieties providing wonderful autumn colour. They can provide interest for the smallest garden to pots on a balcony. Farmers have used conifers for windbreaks for more than 150 years, mainly Pinus radiata as seen in ACT forests, growing in poor soils with very little rainfall.

IN the early days of Canberra correct labelling of plants was minimal, if at all, and some conifers bought in the belief they would grow only to, say, 12 metres tall grew to 20 metres or more.

Examples can be seen in the older suburbs, lifting driveways or even in some instances affecting house foundations. These mini-monsters were all right in the large gardens in Red Hill and Deakin, but not for the standard quarter-acre block in suburbia.

The range of conifers is huge and it’s important to read the gardencentre labelling carefully as to size, although most labels only show growth as at 10 years and not the ultimate size.

However, I don’t recommend growing Cupressocyparis “Leylandii”, promoted widely as an ideal hedge. This is strictly for country property windbreaks. It grows into a large tree, so much so that in the UK it has been banned by parliament from being grown in urban areas. Problems included disputes with neighbours from blocking out sunlight to roots getting into drains. Without regular hard pruning, once it gets away it can easily grow to 30 metres and, no matter how often it’s pruned, the trunk keeps growing and growing.

Unfortunately, all this has given conifers a bad name and they have fallen out of popularity in recent years. But this need not be so.

For anyone establishing a new garden or renovating an older one, an ideal place to see conifers in Canberra, from miniature to dwarf and slow-growing conifers, is at the Cockington Green Gardens in Nicholls.

Its conifers were selected to tie in with the miniature houses and other buildings. On the other hand, conifers make an ideal hedge and were also popular in older suburbs, with one of the best being Thuja smaragd

ANY pruning of conifer hedges should be undertaken without delay before severe frosts arrive. Care should be taken not to cut into the old wood as most conifers will not regrow from this wood.

ADRIAN Bloom is acknowledged as a world authority who has spent nearly 50 years growing and promoting the beauty of conifers.

The Englishman followed in his legendary father Alan Bloom’s footsteps at their Bressingham Gardens and Nursery at Diss in Norfolk, which features the amazing perennial gardens, laid out by Alan, and Adrian’s “Foggy Bottom” conifer gardens.

If you have never thought seriously about planting conifers, these gardens will instantly change your mind.

Likewise, I recommend Adrian Bloom’s book “Gardening with Conifers”, which is in its second edition.

Jottings...

• The autumn flowering bulb Nerine “Bowdenii” makes a great indoor cut flower, lasting several weeks.

• Move indoor plants away from windows with frosty night air, similarly move them from near heating ducts.

• Move Helleborus now, without delay, cutting the foliage to ground level to encourage winter flowering.

• Final reminder to remove manual water timers from taps before frosts destroy them.

• Sow broad bean seeds, transplant potted chives, sow seed or

PUZZLES PAGE

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

This week is all about formulating smart strategies and finding practical solutions. Focus on business and/or work, as the planets help you tap into the extra energy, enthusiasm, discipline and motivation needed to boost your finances and/or career. You’ve got the power, so make sure you use it positively! Sunday night’s Full Moon stirs up your self-esteem zone as you take a deeper look at your core values and transform an outdated belief about yourself.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Your patron planet Venus visits flirty, friendly Gemini from Wednesday until May 19. So it’s a wonderful week to mix, mingle and socialise more, both in person and online. Then Sunday night’s Full Moon urges you to get the balance right between individual projects and joint ventures. And it also fires up your flirting zone. Do you long for more love and romance in your life? Flutter those Venusian eyelashes (or flex those Bullish biceps) and you shall receive!

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Venus vamps into your sign so you’ll be at your gregarious Gemini best. You’re keen to have fun but, when it comes to a problematic relationship, resist the tendency to be superficial. There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye. Saturn and the Full Moon encourage you to slow down, observe, listen and learn. In the words of birthday great, writer Harper Lee: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

As we head towards the Scorpio Full Moon, expect an intense week when unresolved issues with a loved one rise to the surface and demand to be addressed. Jealousy, possessiveness or power games could also be cause for concern. Whatever happens, try to view stressful situations from a less personal and more spiritual perspective. Your intuition is certainly switched on big time, as you tune into those around you and uncover important information that others miss.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The burgeoning Sun/Saturn trine brings the opportunity for recognition and advancement at school, college or work. Through your daily words and actions, you have the power to influence other people in positive and productive ways. So don’t miss the chance to make a real difference. Watch out for domestic dramas on the weekend though, when the Full Moon shines a bright spotlight on an unfolding family fiasco. Clever Cats will step back and observe from the sidelines.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

On Tuesday, Mars and Jupiter generate a lucky opportunity involving education, children, sport or social media. So get your ideas out there (in person and online) as you inform and entertain others with your marvellous Mercurial mind. From Thursday until Sunday, a major relationship (whether romantic or platonic) could go through a metamorphosis, as you both air your grievances in a respectful way and work through a problem that’s been holding you back.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Have you been shopping up a storm when you should have been saving or paying off debt? If the answer is ‘yes’ then you can expect a financial hiccup this week, as the Full Moon highlights money matters. It also brings up issues involving your personal values and/or self-esteem. You’ll find the less you base your core self-worth on money, status, image, physical appearance and unrealistic media expectations of what beauty is, the healthier and happier you’ll be.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Expect some drama at Casa Scorpio this week as Mars, Pluto and the Full Moon (in your sign) increase your magnetism – and your tendency to brooding, obsessive behaviour. You’ve got the power to inspire others and transform your own life. So do your best to find appropriate ways to let off steam, and choose positive and challenging projects to channel your intense energy into. Otherwise you’ll just drive family, friends and colleagues (and yourself) crazy!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Tuesday’s Mars/Jupiter connection sends a lucky opportunity your way. Just make sure you are primed and prepared to grab good fortune when it comes along! Then Sunday night’s Full Moon stimulates your spirituality zone. So it’s the perfect time to meditate, contemplate, ruminate and rejuvenate your rundown batteries from within. As actress (and birthday great) Shirley MacLaine observes: “The most profound relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The planetary patterns promise an amazing week… with one proviso. Can you keep your control-freak tendencies under control? If you can, then you’ll astound and amaze others with your can-do Capricorn attitude, your natural personal authority, and your talent for leadership. You’re ready, willing and able to work. Just make sure you are generous and inclusive, as you encourage family, friends and/or colleagues to contribute their creative ideas and share in your success.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Beneath a somewhat detached and deceptively calm exterior, you’ll feel rather restless this week. Jupiter and the Full Moon imbue you with a sense of urgency and you’re keen to activate an ambitious project. But self-discipline and gradual, structured modifications are what’s needed and there’s still plenty of background work to complete. It’s also important to do your best to get the balance right between your professional/public life and your personal/private life.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week do your best to assiduously avoid Piscean passivity and procrastination! With Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Full Moon all activating your adventure and aspirations zones, it’s time to be courageous and confident as you proactively set ambitious goals and follow your dreams. So your motto for the moment is from actress and writer Shirley MacLaine (who was born on April 24, 1934): “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. It’s where all the fruit is.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018

1 To have come to an end, is to have done what? (6)

8 In Greek legend, who was the wife of Orpheus? (8)

9 What, until 1933, was the name of Alice Springs? (6)

10 What are things that have a real existence? (8)

11 Name a loosely woven type of tweed. (6)

13 What are low seats without backs or arms? (8)

16 Which term describes a Spanish bullfighter? (8)

19 Name a mitre-shaped chess piece. (6)

22 What, colloquially, is a police officer called? (8)

24 What is a heavy open or half-decked boat? (6)

25 Name a particular carpentry joint. (8)

26 What is a fixed payment to a person for regular work? (6)

Down

2 What, in cricket, is a run made from a bye or a wide? (5)

3 Who was the drummer for the Beatles, Ringo ...? (5)

4 To have disliked intensely is to have done what? (8)

5 What is a written order issued in connection with a judicial proceeding? (4)

6 Who is responsible for the content of a newspaper, etc? (6)

7 What is a characteristic style of pronunciation? (6)

12 To support up to maturity, is to do what? (4)

14 Which heavy items are used in weight-lifting? (8)

15 To fix firmly in the mind, is to do what? (4)

17 Who was Shakespeare’s king of the fairies? (6)

18 What are rotary or whirling currents? (6)

20 Which light racing boat is propelled by one rower with a pair of oars? (5)

21 Name an alternative term for an Academy Award. (5)

23 What, of horses, is a sorrel, chestnut, or bay colour, sprinkled with grey or white? (4)

CELEBRATING WOOD AND CRAFTMANSHIP WITH EVAN DUNSTONE

Chairs are rightly regarded as the most difficult form of furniture to design and make. Historically, chair making was a separate craft to cabinetmaking and it is only in modern times that a craftsman/designer might be expected to crossover between general furniture design and chair design.

The reason that so few Australian workshops still make chairs is because of the skill level required of the craftsmen and the equipment level required of the workshop. You really don’t need a lot of training or equipment to make a dining table, but chairs are a whole different ball game.

Extensive prototyping is the key to a good chair design. Not only must the chair design work as a seating solution, it must also be manufacturable. If we just consider timber chairs, the challenge is to make the design strong, light, comfortable, durable and visually appealing. People are far more critical of a chair than they are of just about any other piece of furniture.

Over the years, I have put 26 wooden seating designs in to production and taught chair design at three different schools of fine furniture. In all that time, no chair was more challenging to design and put in to production than the Cascade Rocker (pictured). There are 20 separate components in each Cascade, all of which receive the primary shaping and joinery prior to assembly. Once the Cascade is assembled, all the secondary shaping is done by hand. There are nearly 60 hours of skilled labour in a Cascade, not counting the upholstery.

Because we are one of the few workshops left in Australia that can work chairs at this level, in June 2018 I am offering a oneweek Production Masterclass in our Queanbeyan workshop. We have craftsmen from all over Australia coming to learn how we go about putting a seating design into production. At the time of writing, there were still some places available on the course. To join in on this excellent opportunity see www.dunstonedesign. com.au/furniture/product/Production-Masterclass

Evan Dunstone

CHURCHILL FELLOW 2001

Workshop/showroom open 7am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturdays – or by appointment.

Phone: 02 6297 8200

3/5 Aurora Place, Queanbeyan NSW

Email: evan@dunstonedesign.com.au www.dunstonedesign.com.au

Stylish apartments & townhouses designed for seniors

Choose an exceptional lifestyle

By the not-for-profit specialists in retirement living and seniors’ care, Goodwin.

Why would you consider living anywhere else?

Generous floorplans

No home maintenance

Indoor and outdoor living

EXCLUSIVE OFFER!

$2,500 TOWARDS YOUR MOVING COSTS EXTENDED SETTLEMENT (UP TO 6 MONTHS) PLUS NO STAMP DUTY NO RATES NO MAINTENANCE

· Access to an exclusive Clubhouse

· No stamp duty

Secure parking

Adaptable to mobility needs

Home care available when needed

Close to shops & medical services.

To make a viewing appointment, please call 6175 5057 centralbygoodwin.org.au 20 Galore St, Crace

APARTMENT 136

Choose architecturally designed comfort with this large, modern two-bedroom home with NE facing balcony and study nook, ideal for downsizers who need room for overnight guests or extra space for hobbies or work. Beautifully appointed, the kitchen features Bosch appliances and has an abundance of cupboards and bench space. The open plan living-area, walk-through robe, generous ensuite and powder room provide a touch of luxury, with the added benefit of an exclusive residents’ clubhouse plus dining and shopping on your doorstep. EER 7.5

Approx 99m2 + 10m2 balcony

Price: $468,000

Open: By appointment please phone 6175 5057

TOWNHOUSE 97

Choose architecturally designed comfort with these large, modern two-storey townhouses located in The Central complex. Ground floor accommodation includes master bedroom with walk-in robe and ensuite, open-plan living areas and a stylish kitchen. Upstairs are two additional bedrooms each with built-in robes and one with its own balcony. The townhouses face north, have private courtyards and double garages. These large townhouses offer relaxed living within the vibrant surrounds of Crace Central and all it has to offer. EER 6.5

Approx 139m2 + 33m2 outdoor living

Price: $695,250

Open: By appointment please phone 6175 5057