180503 citynews

Brave Joanne

Burch found liberation from a tattoo nine years after cancer claimed her breasts

She’s taking part in the Mother’s Day Classic on Sunday, May 13

Dr Eryn proves hearing is believing

By Danielle Nohra

WHETHER it’s a story told by the news, a friend or research presented by a scientist, Dr Eryn Newman says people are constantly making a decision about what’s real and what’s not.

“When people are assessing the credibility of information, most of the time they’re making a judgement based on how something feels,” says Eryn, 33, of Acton.

She first became fascinated about how people process information dur ing her undergraduate degree in her home country, New Zealand, before expanding on it further throughout her postdoctoral training in Ameri ca, where she co-wrote a paper about a “surprising” study, which she now shares in her new position at ANU.

In the study Eryn found that when people listen to recordings of a scien tist presenting their work, the audio quality has a significant impact on whether people believe what they hear, regardless of who the researcher is or what they are talking about.

“As soon as we reduced the audio quality, all of a sudden the scientists and their research lost credibility,” she says.

During the study, one group of participants viewed video clips of

scientists speaking at conferences in clear high-quality audio, while the other group heard the same recordings with poor-quality audio.

“Our results showed that when the sound quality was poor, the participants thought the researcher wasn’t as intelligent, they didn’t like them as

much and found their research less important,” she says.

In a time when science is struggling to be heard above fake news, Eryn says this study has found that researchers need to consider how their messages are delivered.

“When people find something

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more difficult to process, they tend to evaluate things more negatively,”

During the study, researchers conducted the same experiment using renowned scientists discussing their work on the well-known US “Science Friday” radio program.

“It was really surprising, again, that sound quality trumped the quality of the research,” she says.

“Surely it shouldn’t matter if the radio crackles? They’re already a rock star with fancy credentials.

“But when we added crackle into the background, all of a sudden the ratings plummeted.”

In a time where people are increasingly exposed to miscommunication, Eryn says it’s concerning for many professionals.

Through her research Eryn wants to make a contribution to criminal justice, which relies heavily on human memory and human judgement.

In the future she hopes to change the set up of courtrooms to try to create an acoustic environment where everyone’s voice comes out clear.

“Some courtrooms are set up in a way where it’s not clear,” she says.

The study was co-authored by Eryn Newman and Prof Norbert Schwarz of the University of Southern California and is published in “Science Communication”.

WHEN IT MATTERS

‘Trouble’

brings Maura a prize

CANBERRA author Maura Pierlot’s “The Trouble in Tune Town” has been awarded Best Illustrated Children’s E-Book at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in the US.

As part of the official book launch and book-signing, Pierlot is holding a musical afternoon, which also features reading and craft activities, with a performance by Music for Canberra’s Peg Mantle Strings. At the National Library, 2pm, Sunday, May 6. It’s free but bookings essential to nla.gov.au or 6262 1424.

Think big cakes

THIS year’s PANDSI charity Cake Off, featuring more than 50 cakes of iconic “Big Things”, will be at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 2pm-4pm, on Sunday, May 6. All cakes will be on display and available for purchase via live and silent auctions. Funds raised will be used to help support more then 300 Canberra families annually through perinatal (post or antenatal) depression or anxiety. Cake Off tickets are $10 (children free) and can be booked via trybooking.com

High tea at the reach

THE Zonta Club of Canberra is holding its annual high tea at the Burrunju Aboriginal Gallery, 245 Lady Denman Drive, Yarramundi Reach, 2pm-4pm, on Sunday, May 6. The cost is $55 for afternoon tea by the lake with a glass of bubbly on arrival. Bookings before Friday, May 4 via eventbrite.com.au. Enquiries to 0409 444761.

SEVEN DAYS

Meegan’s Calvary probe may be too little, too late

The Gungahlin Jets AFL club hadn’t won a match since August 2016 and singing the club song was slightly awkward, but should become more familiar as the season unfolds.

ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris’ probe into systemic bullying at Calvary Hospital will be seen by many as too little too late.

During my time on Canberra talk-back radio, bullying across the entire ACT health sector was the single most dominating issue. Just two of the scores of horrendous bullying and intimidation stories shared with me include a former ACT Health staffer who won her Comcare claim but “would not advise anyone to go through the process” as the compensation fight left her permanently damaged.

And another who went to the roof of the Canberra Hospital planning to end her life, described the administration as the “most evil and corrupt maintainers of the status quo” she’d ever dealt with.

AN old cliche was being tossed around out Gungahlin way recently. After last winning a game of football in August 2016 it has indeed been a long time between drinks for the Gungahlin Jets AFL club.

With a new coach, Belconnen champion John Love at the helm and a dozen players debuting, the Jetters finally broke through in the opening round of the new season with a 22-point win over the Tuggeranong Hawks. Apparently, singing the club song was slightly awkward but should become more familiar as the season unfolds.

A GUNGAHLIN restaurant is way ahead of the war-on-waste curve. Frankies at Forde is committed to saving an estimated 45,000 disposable coffee cups from landfill annually.

Owner Mark Ramsay says apart from an outlet at the ANU, Frankies is the only cafébar of its type in Canberra and one of the very few nationwide to adopt the concept. Ramsay says locals have “overwhelmingly embraced” the “keepcup” concept.

dose of dorin

FORMER Liberal Party leader Brendan Nelson has racked up some serious bipartisan credibility as director of the Australian War Memorial, but a recent initiative has dragged him back into the reality of politics.

The former Howard government Defence Minister who also once headed the leftleaning AMA has drawn negative fire after calling for recognition for military personnel involved in the Abbott government’s “stopping the boats” campaign. Nelson is pushing for a dedicated section of the

AWM honouring those who took part in the border-protection missions.

ACT Minister for Veterans and Seniors Gordon Ramsay laid a special rainbow wreath at the Stone of Remembrance on Anzac Day. Extending the rainbow roundabout theme established in Braddon after the “Yes” vote, the Barr government partnered with Defence LGBTI information services to honour diversity among our defence forces.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has

referenced an incompetent but lovable buffoon from a TV cartoon in urging people to “move with the times” in the nuclear debate. The state Nationals leader and member for Monaro opted for a “not ruling in or out” stance on nuclear reactors for the region after recently attending the Advanced Reactor Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.

Barilaro said nuclear power was “inevitable” and was keen to “debunk some of the myths tied to nuclear” and move on from the “fears after events like Chernobyl and Fukushima”. The MP flippantly added: “This isn’t Homer Simpson driving the power plant.”

APPARENTLY, we have our very own right royal doppelganger. And a very contemporary one at that. Since the daily paper spotted a Meghan Markle look-alike waiting tables at a Belconnen café, the world of showbiz has been calling the 28-year-old.

Stephanie Murray says she’s often been compared with the soon-to-be-royal but the recent exposure has been intense. Requests from most Australian TV networks and a call from a European talent agency with offers of commercial endorsements are flowing in.

AND lingering in the celebrity spotlight for a little longer, there is a young Canberra man who is deemed a dead ringer for the Oscar-winning actor Ryan Gosling. Sadly though for this local lad La La Land is not knocking down his door with the same offers reportedly swamping Meghan Markle’s Canberra “twin” Stephanie.

Faster, easy to control and delightfully cosy –there’s a lot to love about natural gas heating. And with a range of manufacturer incentives across a wide selection of appliances, natural gas might just be your new best friend. Discover what modern natural gas heating and hot water can do for you (and your budget) this winter. Find your nearest appliance retailer at evoenergy.com.au/gasrewards Natural Gas. Better

BRIEFLY Expert in orangutans

WORLD-renowned orangutan expert

Leif Cocks is the guest speaker at the Sumatran Wildlife Fundraiser at the National Zoo and Aquarium, 5.30pm-7.30pm on May 10. All proceeds will go to the not-for-profit Orangutan Project for the protection of critically endangered wildlife and habitat in Bukit Tigapuluh, Sumatra, Indonesia. Tickets are $65 and available until May 9 from nationalzoo.com.au/sumatran-wildlifefundraiser/

All sorts of books

SECOND-hand books for all occasions are on offer at St Ninian’s next book sale featuring fiction, non-fiction, cookery, gardening, manuals and books for children plus magazines. Morning tea and scones, and lunch will be available. The sale, at St Ninian’s Uniting Church, corner of Mouat and Brigalow Streets, Lyneham, is open 9am-1pm, Friday and Saturday, May 11-12.

Fun day on the farm

A CHARITY raising funds to build schools in rural Cambodia is hosting a “Family Fun Day at the Farm”, at RMB 883, Spring Range Road, Hall, noon to 4pm, on Sunday, May 20. In aid of the Sophan Kith Education Fund, entry is $50 each (children under 12, free) and includes a lamb spit roast, salads and entertainment for all ages. BYO drinks. Booking inquiries to 0411 879149.

Presidential musings

THE president of Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club, Louise Josephs, is the guest speaker at the next lunch meeting of the ladies of the Tuggeranong Day VIEW Club at the Vikings Town Centre club, Greenway, 11am-2pm, on Tuesday, May 15. Guests welcome. Lunch costs $26 and bookings to 6294 1384 or email maleyjan@yahoo.com

Heart and soul singing

THE Heart and Soul singers will entertain the ladies of the Weston Creek VIEW Club at their next monthly lunch meeting at the Woden Southern Cross Club at 11.30am on Tuesday, June 5. Open to visitors, the cost is $28 and bookings to 6288 7625 by Thursday, May 31.

Rental figures reveal ‘heartbreak’

THIS week Anglicare released its annual “Rental Affordability Snapshot” showing the availability of private rental accommodation for low-income Australians.

Across Australia the statistics are shocking, but for the ACT the worsening trend over recent years can only be described as heart breaking.

The report, now in its ninth year, shows increasingly unaffordable private rental properties in the ACT with no properties available across almost all household types surveyed. These included people relying on the Disability Support Pension, as well as those on the Youth Allowance and Newstart.

The exceptions included couple families where both parents were on a minimum wage and those on the aged pension. However, in these categories less than 2 per cent of properties were within reach, down from 6.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively in 2015.

With media attention firmly fixed on housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne, it’s easy for the Canberra market to slip under the radar of national scrutiny. But for organisations such as Anglicare and other crisis services in our community working directly with people in our region, we see the reality every day in the faces of people accessing our

Without changes, unaffordable housing trends in the ACT look set to continue with no relief in sight for those who are already at housing risk.

support. Our staff and volunteers hand out food parcels and emergency assistance to increasing numbers of families who have reached a point no-one should have to be at of choosing between paying rent or putting dinner on the table.

While each story presents its unique challenges, one theme runs through most of them – a deep reluctance to ask for help. This is a far cry from the misguided assumption that families in crisis have somehow brought this on themselves. A relationship breakdown, loss of employment, illness or injury is sometimes all it takes for people to find themselves in a crisis situation. Sometimes the only recourse for these individuals and families is to hope that their time on a public housing waiting list doesn’t drag on too long as they couch surf, sleep in their car, or sleep rough while watching prices in the private rental market slip further out of reach.

And the numbers of people struggling are growing. Our services report an increasing number of people seeking food help and rent assis-

tance. This is increasingly including more and more people in the low-paid workforce. Our research shows that financial stress caused by the private rental market is a key driver of food insecurity in Canberra. Likewise, a report released by ACTCOSS late last year, showed that there were around 40,000 people in Canberra living below the poverty line.

A home is a sanctuary where people can feel safe, develop relationships, rest, study, create, find privacy, build memories and find relief from the daily grind. Safe, affordable and appropriate housing is a foundational block to build a career or a thriving family. It is very difficult to gain a permanent job when you have no contact address to give a prospective employer.

Tackling the issue of affordable housing is complex and needs to be addressed across many areas. Affordable housing needs to be located near public transport links

JEREMY

to give struggling families a way of getting their children to school and accessing services and employment opportunities.

There needs to be improved security for renters. The low level of welfare payments for families on low incomes needs to be addressed and there needs to be a winding back of negative gearing and capital gains tax exemptions with saved funds redirected back into community and public housing.

Without changes, unaffordable housing trends in the ACT look set to continue with no relief in sight for those who are already at housing risk. Our hope is that Canberra social workers can look into the eyes of the people they are assisting –people who are facing homelessness and wracked with shame, panic, anxiety, depression, isolation and despair – and honestly assure them that things are going to get better.

Jeremy Halcrow is the CEO of Anglicare NSW South/ACT

HALCROW

POLITICS / government caught napping

Rubbish responses to recycling crisis

By Michael Moore

CHINA’S refusal to accept Australian recycling has exposed a Pandora’s Box of Australian government failures for a sustainable Australia.

Aspirations for a better future have gone down the gurgler while governments either focus elsewhere or are simply sitting on their hands.

At the turn of the century ACT Urban Services Minister Brendan Smyth was a Liberal who set a goal of “No Waste by 2012”. Ironically, the aspiration for waste to be an absolute minimum as recycling became the norm lost priority under Labor-Greens governments in the ACT. China has blown Australian recycling objectives to

pieces with 1.3 million tonnes of recyclable waste being barred from that country. The Australian National Waste Report 2016 identified that 60 per cent of total waste in 2014-15 was recycled. But where? Who even knew our recycling was being shipped overseas?

The really frustrating part is that governments have had the National Waste Plan in place for more than a decade. They know what to do.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the National Waste Policy 2009 identified “16 policies that they wanted implemented. Virtually none have been implemented by any Federal government in the last 10 years.

sustainable in Australia and that’s going to take significant investment and some time. But if we get it right, then we will be self-sufficient, we will have a resilient recycling industry and create thousands of new jobs.”

Australians are renowned for their ingenuity. However, guidance and support is needed from government. The cliché “out of adversity comes opportunity” needs to be embraced.

The Federal government’s billion-dollar loan to schemes such as the Adani Carmichael coal mine needs to be redirected. It is time to stop investing in redundant systems while throwing crumbs to sustainable, forward-looking industries.

Aspirations for a better future have gone down the gurgler while governments either focus elsewhere or are simply sitting on their hands.

The ones that have been implemented have been poorly funded or a couple of them have been scrapped.”

The Federal government has been caught napping. However, Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg attempted to get on the front foot claiming the Federal government was tackling issues in the waste industry. He cited “the product stewardship program, the phasing out of microbeads, the National Market Development Strategy for Used Tyres and the National Food Waste Strategy”.

As part of the solution Frydenberg has also floated the idea of “environmentally sustainable” plastics incineration. An idea as tenable as Tony Abbott’s notion of “clean coal”.

The reality is that the success of the kerbside recycling scheme has been dependent on China.

In Senator Whish-Wilson’s words: “We actually need to look at how we make recycling

Contrast Australia’s approach with that of China. McKinsey Global Institute report “China’s Renewable Energy Revolution” identifies the 2017 commitment to invest $360 billion in renewable energy by 2020 including “scrapping of plans to build 85 coal-fired power plants”.

They add: “China is already investing more than $100 billion in domestic renewables every year. That is twice the level of US investment in domestic renewable energy and more than the combined annual investment of the US and the European Union.”

Despite Australia’s natural advantages in terms of recycling and renewable energy, we have a government hell bent on leaving decisions to the private sector. Thanks to such ideology Australia has failed to grasp the opportunities and, instead, has allowed China to take the high moral ground.

Brave badge of pride

IF tattoos are the modern marker of milestones then Joanne Burch, 51, hopes the magnificent work of body art across her chest is a one-off.

The ink creation, encompassing meaningful flowers, lace and jewels, was done nine years after a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis at age 42.

The tattoo marked a major point following her cancer diagnosis, where she felt terrific wearing the clothes she wanted to again.

With no family history of breast cancer and a commitment to living a healthy life, the mother of two was both devastated by the diagnosis and fearful of looking different following the treatment.

“I hated my hair falling out and no longer felt good wearing the clothes I would normally wear,” says Joanne.

But a chance viewing of a similar tattoo led Joanne to travel to tattoo artist, Cindy May in Albury-Wodonga where she spent more than eight hours having her personal design permanently etched into her skin to hide her scars and boost her self-esteem.

Joanne has joined the grow-

Journalist BINA BROWN meets a woman who found liberation from a tattoo of meaningful flowers, lace and jewels, nine years after a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis at age 42.

ing number of Australians symbolising life markers from christenings to marriages with a tattoo, according to social demographer Mark McCrindle.

“In a generation, tattoos have been transformed from a sign of rebellion and nonconformity to symbols of personal meaning and life-change,” he says.

Later additions to Joanne’s tattoo were pictures of her mum’s favourite flower, the Phalaenopsis orchid, as Joanne’s way of thanking her for support during the difficult cancer journey, which included six rounds of chemotherapy.

Joanne will be further honouring her mum when she walks with her own daughter at the 2018 Mother’s Day Classic fun run/walk on Sunday, May 13.

“I’m expecting it to be an emotional day but if it helps to prevent more women going through what I did with my diagnosis, then it will be worth it,” says Joanne.

SPORT / gold medalists

As the major fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Mother’s Day Classic hopes its contribution to breast cancer research will exceed $40 million following this year’s event which is held in about 100 locations around Australia.

“The Mother’s Day Classic is no average fun run/walk. It is a powerful day for families and friends to support breast cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to the disease,” says the CEO of the Mother’s Day Classic Founda tion, Sharon Morris.

She says the focus is not about breaking speed records but on participation, whether you walk, run or volunteer.

Many people have fun dressing up: expect to see everything from pink gorillas to teams in tutus and tattoos a plenty.

To register to walk, run or volunteer go to mothersdayclassic.com.au

Mothers march for midwives

By Kathryn Vukovljak

MIDWIVES, birth workers and consumers will be marching on May 5 to raise awareness of the restrictions on privately practising midwives that limit home birth as an option for birthing mums.

The nationwide Mothers for Midwives march will be held on International Midwives’ Day, outside the offices of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in Barton, says Aimee Sing, co-founder of Homebirth Consortium Australia (HCA).

Aimee is co-ordinating marches in all major cities across Australia.

“My passion for home birth comes from noticing all the regulations that are restricting privately practising midwives, and in turn taking choices away from birthing mums,” Aimee says.

“In Canberra, the restrictions have almost eradicated privately practising home-birth midwives, which of course makes home birth difficult to access.

Determined to get back from the brink

WHAT must have been going through the minds of Canberra cyclist Chloe Hosking and fellow ACT athlete and Australian hockey goalkeeper Andrew Charter as they sat together on the tram at the end of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast?

I am predicting a sense of satisfaction given the battles both encountered on their way to winning gold medals.

Seven months ago, Chloe was left out of the Australian team for last year’s World Road Cycling Champion ships in Norway. She fought selectors for the right to compete and eventually won a place in the Australian team. This was the team that helped Katrin Garfoot win a silver medal in the road race. Then there was a crash in the Tour of Flanders in Belgium, which left Chloe in hospital.

Her response after winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in the road race reflected the journey she had encountered with the biggest motivator being her omission from the world championship team.

”I was literally told that I wasn’t good enough. I said: ‘Well, I think I am good enough’,” she said.

“I thought: ‘What do I need to do to show them?’ I worked really hard in the off-season and I did a lot of things to improve and I am sure I am getting better. But winning the gold medal is a

Road cycling can appear at times a solitary sport, but the reality is that teamwork plays a vital role. In recognition, Chloe had the names of the Australian team engraved on her gold medal.

For Andrew, the message from the selectors last year was just as blunt. He was dropped from the Australian

or, like Chloe, fight to win back his place.

It is a sign of his character that he chose to use his omission as a motivation, picking up his training levels to a new height.

“I thought being dropped was unwarranted at the time, but on reflection, I think they were probably a little bit on the mark and I think it reignited me for the next couple of months leading into the Commonwealth Games selection and obviously the competition,” he said.

If road cycling looks lonely, spare a thought for the hockey goalkeeper in the world’s number one ranked team. Expectations are high as you prepare to stare down a penalty stroke or a penalty corner. Self-analysis probably doesn’t begin to describe it.

Andrew has shown time and time again his mental strength.

Both Chloe and Andrew will face challenges in the foreseeable future. Chloe is without a contract for next season while Andrew has told the coaches and the selectors he is keen to make the Australian team for the Tokyo Olympics in two years. The struggles they faced in the past 12 months will have prepared them for any hurdles that lay ahead.

“Choice in how and where we birth is so important because I feel that when options are restricted you’re less likely to be able to birth effectively.”

Aimee says the march, organised by the newly formed HCA, is calling on the government to come up with a solution to the professional indemnity insurance issue, to remove the requirement for two midwives to attend births at home, to remove the requirement for midwives to collaborate with an obstetrician or doctor in order for women to access Medicare rebates, to remove the recent new requirement of all privately practicing midwives to undertake an audit and to undertake a full inquiry into the increased reporting of privately practising midwives to AHPRA.

The regulations and restrictions can lead to an increase in free birth, that is birthing at home without a midwife present, says Hannah Dahlen, professor of midwifery at Western Sydney University.

“Women tell us the main reasons they free birth are they are unable to find a midwife in their area or can’t afford to pay for them,” she says.

“We will continue to see adverse outcomes unless we fix the system and respect women’s right to choose their place of birth and care provider.”

The march will be held on May 5, from 11am-2pm, outside the AHPRA offices at 50 Blackall Street, Barton. Join the Homebirth Consortium Australia (HCA) at facebook.com/ HomebirthConsortium/

Greyhound racing is banned in ACT

from 30 April 2018

Fines of up to $15,000 apply.

ACT residents exiting the industry can access support. For those choosing to remain in the industry and race interstate new rules and requirements will be in place.

To learn more visit act.gov.au/greyhound

At the opening of ‘Blanc de Blanc’, Civic Square

90% of a child’s brain development occurs in the first five years of their life

This creates a critical window for quality early education as your child develops new skills and explores new learning opportunities.

YMCA Canberra is a leading provider of highquality education and care with Early Learning Centres located in Gungahlin, Belconnen, Holder, Holt and Jamison.

Both nature and nurture (genes and environment) influence each child’s development. The quality of a child’s earliest environments and the availability of appropriate

experiences at the right stages of development are crucial to the way each child’s brain develops. YMCA Centres promote caring and supportive environments that ensure optimal early childhood development.

Working in partnership with families is integral to all we do. Call us to arrange a tour of our quality Centres and spend time with our Educators to discuss how we can provide the best outcomes for your child.

60% of our EARLY LEARNING CENTRES rated EXCEEDING under the National Quality Framework.

Time to celebrate, honour and treat mum

MOTHER’S Day, which falls on the second Sunday of May, celebrates and honours mums, motherhood and the influence of mothers in society.

This year, Mother’s Day will be held on May 13, and will mark the 110th year since it was started in 1908 by American Anna Jarvis in West Virginia.

She campaigned for the day following the death of her mum, who had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.

– Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre for three shows across Saturday, June 2, and Sunday, June 3. Star of the show Hugh Barrington says the show has something from just about every era to please every mum.

touring which focus on one era or artist, Boys in the Band stars four of Australia’s most talented versatile artists singing and dancing their way through multiple eras of music and multiple iconic artists and bands,” Hugh says.

Anna believed that mothers were “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.

The high energy, all-singing, all-dancing concert goes on a historical journey through 50 years of music from the biggest boy bands of all time, such as The Beatles, Jackson 5, The Bee Gees, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Righteous Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, and new tunes for the 2018 show from Queen, Elvis, Australia’s Cold Chisel, Crowded House

“We put a little of our own style and flavour in the mix and make sure that everyone leaves the theatre feeling like they’ve just been to the best party of all time!”

“Boys in the Band”, at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, June 2 and June 3. Book via theq.net.au

Give the gift of luxury this Mother’s Day with a Mudd The Spa Gift Certificate

An experience as luxurious as it is unforgettable.

Our exclusive 5-star treatments will enhance, invigorate and revitalise your body and mind.

Spoil Her this Mother’s Day at Mudd The Spa.

Mudd The Spa offers five private relaxation suites, including a couples room, a custom-designed Vichy Shower wet room and relaxation lounge.

Exclusive spa treatments and rituals for both men and women including facial, massage, hot stone massage, vichy shower, performance body treatment wraps, manicure, pedicure, organic spray tanning and waxing and tinting therapies.

To book your experience or to purchase your Gift Certificate phone 6162 0909 • www.mudd.com.au Located within Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit Barton Open 7 Days

MOTHER’S DAY

New fabrics feature in special apron range

MY Favourite Apron Company’s owner and designer Kendall Fayle says she has fabulous new fabrics for her Mother’s Day range such as stunning metallic fabrics and florals, which are perfect for pocket details.

The aprons, which are all 100 per cent cotton, making them durable and easy to wash, are available online and will also be at the Handmade Market on May 5.

“Each of my aprons is one of a kind so anyone wanting to find a unique gift that no one else will ever have, my aprons are perfect,” she says.

“They make great presents because they’re often something people wouldn’t buy for

themselves, even though they’re really practical and functional gifts, especially for foodies.

“I also have many new, one-ofa-kind mother and child sets for kids from two years of age up.”

Kendall, who is passionate about her designs, makes each one with care and attention to detail, saying all aprons are traditional in function but funky in their style.

“My aprons are all adjustable in size, too, so are meant to fit any body type,” she says.

My Favourite Apron Company. Call Kendall on 0415 844317 or visit @myfavouriteaproncompanyhandmade on Facebook.

Menu reflects cosmopolitan taste of modern India

WITH more than 35 years’ experience, the chef at Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant draws upon the many culinary regions of India to create a modern and authentic menu, one that reflects the cosmopolitan India of today.

Located in a large, open-plan space along Genge Street, Civic, Blu Ginger’s high ceilings and edgy decor add character to the dining experience.

Owner Reddy Manne, says: “We have been operating for 17 years and love hosting mothers and their families on their special day, giving them a wonderful dining experience.

“At Blu Ginger we use only the freshest, locally sourced produce, combined with authentic spices imported directly from the sub-continent, to offer classic, traditional recipes with a modern twist, creating

help them feel relaxed, happy and healthy, says founder and co-director Emily Avery.

She says often mums come into the clinic having neglected their stresses, aches and pains to the point where they’re not coping any more because they’ve put kids, work, relationships and more before themselves.

“It’s not selfish to put yourself first,” she says.

“Making sure you are feeling happy and healthy just means that you have a better chance of looking after your loved ones.”

As a small, locally owned business, CARM Therapies is dedicated to offering its clients evidence-based treat-

a unique and memorable dining experience for you.”

Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant, 5 Genge Street, Civic. Booking is recommended to 6247 2228 or visit bluginger.com.au

acupuncture, massage, naturopathy, yoga, Pilates and meditation, Emily says mums can be left feeling good on the inside and out.

“Mother’s Day is a special chance for everyone to show their mums how much they mean to them and to acknowledge all the extra little things that mums do for us throughout our lives,” she says.

“We are very lucky to have such strong and loving women in our lives.”

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

Special meal in a relaxed space

CENTRALLY located in Gungahlin yet convenient with access to parking, Siren Bar is a great destination to take mum for a special meal in a relaxed space, says owner Dan Gaul.

But it does get busy on the day, so Dan recommends booking in advance to get a preference on the sunny deck, if it’s a nice day, or inside where it’s warm, if it’s cold.

Dan says Siren Bar, which is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, has become a place that the community calls home.

“We have a strong community focus, assisting community sports, local schools and charities through sponsorship arrangements, donations and the community raffles run on Fridays,” he says.

“We cater for any occasion and can provide big buffets to small cocktail food platters.”

With a variety of modern Australian food, Dan says guests can either enjoy a relaxed dining experience with good vibes on the sunny deck or a more formal gathering in the restaurant.

“Our staff is very attentive, customer-focused and friendly,” he says.

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

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the buffet lunch

IT’s the one day where people get to show their mums what they really mean to them and The Deck at Regatta Point has the perfect views and food to do just that, says venue manager Laura English.

“It’s also a good chance for the family to get together in a relaxed and family-orientated space,” she says.

On Mother’s Day morning, The Deck at Regatta Point is offering breakfast as usual and then a grazing-style buffet for lunch.

“We’ll be serving fresh prawns, fresh oysters, lime and chilli barramundi, roast pork and heaps of sides and salads,” she says.

Bookings are essential but Laura says they’ll take breakfast walk-ins if there’s space.

She says The Deck at Regatta Point will make the day special as it showcases Canberra, with its views of Lake Burley Griffin, the National Gallery, Parliament House and the Great Dividing Range.

The Deck at Regatta Point, Barrine Drive, Parkes. Call 6230 7234 or email thedeck@artisticfood.com.au

8:30AM - 11:00AM BREAKFAST MENU AVAILABLE 12:00PM - 3:00PM

STYLE GRAZING MENU

$65 PER ADULT | UNDER 12 $30

Special occasion? Let us design and make your unique engagement or wedding ring exactly how you’d like it.

Need or desire a new piece of Jewellery? We can design any piece of jewellery to your specifications and custom-make it in-house.

Complex repairs? Difficult repairs are not a problem –bring your repair in and we’ll discuss what can be done.

Feel like a change? We do remakes using your existing jewellery to give you an exciting one-of-a-kind creation.

2/16 Bougainville Street, Manuka (Opposite Manuka Court) • 6295 8545

On-Site Jeweller & designer

• Remake • Repair • Laser solder & engraving

MOTHER’S DAY

Unique jewellery for mum

SPECIALISING in custom-made jewellery and laser engraving, Clover Jewellery is able to turn a piece of jewellery into something more personalised for mum, says Veronica Oh.

“You are able to add a little bit of your own idea, design or message,” she says.

“It usually means that you are creating something that is unique and probably the only one in the world.

“We provide laser engraving services, where you are able to write a special message or your mother’s favourite quote on her jewellery and make the gift extra personal.

“Or add a little bit of personal taste and make that jewellery gift extra special by adding in their birthstones or their favourite gemstones.”

At Clover Jewellery, Veronica says pearls are a very popular gift idea. “They are elegant and classy and can suit almost every occasion,” she says.

“Whether they are earrings, necklace or a set, their classic designs means they are usually fail proof.”

If people are looking for an intricate and sophisticated design, Veronica says the on-site jeweller, James, has more than 30 years’ experience of hand-making jewellery with a speciality in jewellery styles seen in Japan and Australia.

Clover Jewellery, 2/16 Bougainville Street, Manuka.

Welcoming spa offers time out for busy mums

IN a world that’s always on the go, Endota Spa’s spa manager, Bree Leighton says it’s important for mums to take some time out.

With an Endota Spa on Petrie Plaza, in the Canberra Centre, as well as over 100 spas nationally, a gift voucher will make a great present for mums both near and far.

“People can expect a high level service and consistent treatments across all locations,” she says.

“Expect to be greeted by the friendly staff, who can give you expert advice on

what is the best type of treatment for you.”

One treatment, which Bree says is popular, is the total-body “rejuvenate” treatment, which cleanses, de-stresses and refreshes the entire body.

“It’s a gentle body scrub followed by an organic massage and an organic facial,” she says.

Endota Spa, Shop DG20, Petrie Plaza, Canberra Centre. Email canberra@ endotaspa.com.au, call 6223 2275 or visit endotaspa.com.au/canberra

Every main meal ordered will also qualify for a bonus entry in the current club promotion to win a Mercedes Benz or $50,000 cash. Bookings are essential and can be made at the club or over the phone.

Canberra Labor Club. Chandler Street, Belconnen. Call 6251 5522 or visit laborclub.com.au

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Potters have a place for mum

CANBERRA Potters’ Society has more than 16 potters and ceramic artists, who are involved in the “potters place” shop, crafting unique and handmade items to make any Mother’s Day a special one, says director Richard Thomas.

“History tells us that things that are handmade hang around longer and are more memorable,” he says.

Rather than getting mum an imported “productionline” mug, potters place in Watson has a choice of all different styles of locally created cups such as traditional mugs with flowers, earthy-style mugs and Japanese-style vessels.

Richard says potters place also has large and small sculptural artworks, jewellery, and a wide range of functional wares such as mugs, bowls and teapots to suit all budgets.

But for mums who are more hands-on and would prefer to make their own mug or pot, Canberra Potters’ Society also offers a range of classes such as an introductory seven-week course.

“The course teaches you the basic skills and gives you a bit of a taste of everything we do,” he says.

For busy mums, the society also has an intensive course, which condenses the seven-week one into almost four days.

Law Week 2018

Monday 14 – Saturday 19 May Law and

Law Week aims to promote public understanding of the law and its role in society with free public events including lectures, tours, and information sessions. Book online or call for appointments.

» Law Week Launch, featuring the ACT Golden Gavel: Attorney General Mr Gordon Ramsay MLA will open Law Week 2018 followed by Canberra’s funniest young lawyers competing in the ACT Golden Gavel speaking competition. Mon 14 May at 5.30pm, Great Hall, University House, ANU. $30 per person.

» The Blackburn Lecture – “Sleepwalking through the minefield: commercial surrogacy and the global response”: To be given by The Hon John Pascoe AC CVO, Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. Tue 15 May at 12.30pm, Finkel Lecture Theatre, ANU. Entry by gold coin donation.

» Sentencing in the ACT – An introduction to sentencing law, including the factors courts take into account when imposing a sentence. Thu 17 May at 5.30pm, ACT Supreme Court. Free entry.

» Disability Justice – Equal before the Law? A forum on the impact of disability on people’s access to the law. Tue 15 May at 8.30am, Finkel Lecture Theatre, ANU. Free entry.

» Managing family violence in a workplace context: A seminar presented by the Women’s Legal Centre. Tue 15 May at 4pm, ACT Law Society. Free entry.

» Wills Day: Make a free appointment with one of our qualified solicitors for advice on how to set up your Will – appointments available Fri 18 May between 11am and 2pm.

» Free Public Tour of the ACT Supreme Court: Mon 14 May at 11am.

Law Week is coordinated by the ACT Law Society, and is made possible with the generous support of principal sponsor, Lawcover. Law Week 2018 will raise donations for the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service (ADACAS).

ACT LAW WEEK / May 14-19

Lawyers promote community

ACT Law Week, hosted by the ACT Law Society, is the biggest social event on the Canberra legal calendar, bringing the legal community together for a week of lectures, forums, tours and social events.

Law Week will run between May 14 and 19 with the theme “Law and Justice in Your Community” to promote public understanding of the law and its role in society.

ACT Law Society president Sarah Avery says Law Week is a really important opportunity for legal professionals to continue to build trust with the public and show the community why law is so important to the functioning of society.

“Without good lawyers and without community confidence in the law, we lose fundamental values of Australian society like equality before the law,” she says.

This year, Law Week also seeks to raise donations for Canberra charity, the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service (ADACAS), which is an independent, not-for-profit, advocacy organisation helping people with disabilities, as well as older people and their carers.

ACT Law Week, visit actlawsociety.asn.au

Lawyers who like to keep things stress free

BEVAN & Co Lawyers and Conveyancers gives specialised attention to its clients and treats them individually, says licensed conveyancer Rachel Bevan.

“We don’t just treat clients like a number, we form good relationships with them,” she says.

“To me, you don’t leave people waiting days and days for a phone call, you ring them straight back.”

Bevan & Co covers areas of law such as crimi nal law, family law, personal injury, property and conveyancing, and wills and estates.

Rachel, who was one of the first licensed conveyancers in Queanbeyan, has about 26 years of experience.

Her husband, principal Peter Bevan, is an accredited specialist in personal injury law and the only accredited criminal specialist in private practice in Canberra.

“He’s one out of three in the Queanbeyan and Canberra region, who has been accredited by the Law Society in those areas,” Rachel says.

As a family run business, Rachel says the staff at Bevan & Co understand people needing their services can be stressed, so they try to make it as stress free as possible.

Bevan & Co Lawyers and Conveyancers, suite 1, City Arcade, 69-71 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6298 1333 or email rachel@bevanco.com.au

• Conveyancing

• Workers Comp

• Criminal Law & Traffic Offences

• Personal Injury Law

• Commercial Law

• Family Law

• Wills, Powers of Attorney & Estates

• Drink & Drug Driving offences

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LAW WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

ATTORNEY General Gordon Ramsay will officially open Law Week at the Law Week Launch, featuring the ACT Golden Gavel in the Great Hall of University House, on Monday, May 14, at 5.30pm. Following the opening, Mr Ramsay will join Justice Loukas-Karlsson and Law Society president Sarah Avery to judge the ACT Golden Gavel speaking competition. Tickets $30.

THE 33rd Annual Blackburn Lecture will be held at the JCSMR’s Finkel Lecture Theatre on Tuesday, May 15, at 12.30pm. Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia, John Pascoe will deliver his lecture “Sleepwalking through the minefield: commercial surrogacy and the global response”. Entry is by gold-coin donation.

THE Women Lawyers Association of the ACT will host the Annual Law Week Dinner, featuring guest speaker Virginia Haussegger, at The Boat House, on Wednesday, May 16. Tickets $145.

THE Office For Disability, Community Services Directorate and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate will present

PROVIDING strong and personalised legal advice and services for more than 50 years Nelson & Co is a small, well-established legal practice within the ACT.

Allan Nelson started the practice in the early ‘60s and since has trained many of Canberra’s top lawyers and set a number of precedents within the ACT.

In 2012, James Colquhoun joined the firm as special counsel. He has more than 45 years of litigation experience and is a well sought after commercial law specialist. In 2014, Peter Hohnen also joined the firm as special counsel.

“Disability Justice – Equal before the Law?” a forum about the impact of disability on people’s ability to be treated equally before the law. At Finkel Lecture Theatre, ANU, Tuesday, May 15, 8.30am11.30am. Free entry.

AS mediation continues to be a booming area of the law, president of the ACT Bar Association Ken Archer will argue that pre-trial conferencing has merit and that it brings opportunities to make existing criminal listing processes more efficient and equitable. “Is there a role for mediation in the criminal law?” at King & Wood Mallesons, Thursday, May 17, 7.45am-9am.

Tickets $40.

its clients – not just during ACT Law Week – says Ashilpa Khanna.

THE ACT Supreme Court in conjunction with the Australian National University College of Law and the University of Canberra School of Law and Justice will provide an introduction to sentencing law, including the factors courts take into account when imposing a sentence. Sentencing in the ACT, ACT Supreme Court, Thursday, May 17, 5.30pm-7pm. Free entry.

He helped pioneer defamation law in the ACT and is a specialist in litigation and dispute resolution.

“For more than 50 years our firm has provided sound services in estate planning for the Canberra community,” says Allan.

“These services include preparation of wills, preparation of trust documents, estate planning advice, preparation of powers of attorney and estate administration.”

Nelson & Co, Level 1, Savings House. 8 Petrie Plaza, Civic. Call 6248 8544, email info@nelcolaw.com or visit nelcolaw.com

Ashilpa, who is the wills and estate planning lawyer, says whenever there’s any new legal advancements or changes, Capon & Hubert makes sure its clients are aware of them.

“We’re constantly learning and growing, which is important as lawyers, so we can be aware of any new advancements because if the lawyer doesn’t know, then how would the client be expected to be informed?” she says.

“Keeping up to date with changes benefits the clients in a lot of ways. For example, a new case might come up where similar facts are looked at in a new light.”

Ashilpa says knowing about this different outcome could be helpful in relation to a client with a similar case.

Capon & Hubert also has staff who bring with them decades of experience, such as Ken Hubert who is heavily involved in the legal community.

“It’s important to have a practitioner like him with over 35 years of legal experience because he holds a lot of weight to his word in the office and in the community,” she says.

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

• Wills and Probate

Elder Law

Family Provision

Level 1, 8 Petrie Plaza, Canberra City Email info@nelcolaw.com • www.nelcolaw.com

At Capon and Hubert Lawyers we ensure that your estate goes to family or friends of your choice.

Having a valid and up-to-date Will can help reduce stress for your family and friends, limit administration costs, and lessen the possibility for dispute over your estate. We understand your situation is different and may require a unique specialist approach.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Ché needs hometown help with his local movie

By Helen Musa

CANBERRA’S burgeoning film industry is about to get a hefty boost with a week-long season of an entirely Canberra-made film at Dendy in Civic.

“Blue World Order”, an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller directed by Ché Baker and Dallas Bland, has been screened at film festivals around the world, but now it’s coming home. Expect to see the villain holed up in the Telstra Tower and DeLorean car chases across Lake George, as well as pathos and a good dose of laconic humour.

In part a celebration of home-grown crea tive talent, it’s nonetheless been packaged as an international film that can be appreciated anywhere. “Titanic” and “Back to the Future” actor Billy Zane appears as the evil Master, Stephen Hunter from “The Hobbit” plays the eccentric Madcap and Jake Ryan from “Home And Away” stars as Jake Slater, a dad bent on saving his daughter Molly, alongside Aussie cinema luminaries such as Jack Thompson and Bruce Spence. Even ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has a small cameo role.

The venture has for the past four years taken Baker away from his day job as a video producer.

“There’s always going to be one driving force behind a film and I’m that guy,” he tells “CityNews”.

He’s been hard at work attracting Canberra entrepreneurs and business owners to back the movie, working to make it a “safe investment” for them. So far, he reports, they’re all very happy.

Canberrans, he says, will recognise familiar places such as the Glassworks, the Brickworks and the Wee Jasper Caves, as well as familiar faces such as Andy Trieu, Tim Stiles, Pat Gallagher, Brendan Kelly and Leah

Baulch. He and Bland play small roles, too.

But it’s not as simple as cramming in iconic spots and getting local talent involved for a film to succeed internationally.

The idea for the feature came, Baker says, when he and director Bland entered a short sci-fi film into the Lights! Canberra! Action! competition in 2012.

Thinking they could extend it into a bigger story, his partner Sarah Mason, Bland and he started mapping out a TV series, but eventually decided to work on a feature film that could credibly be produced here. Then,

Not political then, but shot in Canberra, with an all-Canberra crew and produced with private funding, apart from some ACT government marketing assistance.

“We did it in Canberra to show that we have the capacity to do that,” Baker says.

“Canberra is unique, with a diverse range of locations all within 15 minutes of each other that is a huge advantage to a film producer.

“It’s very much a template for other films made on a small budget.”

He and Bland shot throughout 2015, then spent the next two years releasing the film internationally and doing the festival circuit.

five years ago, writing as Scott Baker, he wrote a novel of the same name, only now to be released.

“I wanted to finish the film and then give the novel another go-over to make it align with the film a little better,” he says.

“In my original novel, the Billy Zane character was a North Korean general so I changed that to fit in better with the film.”

The original plot of the short film was simple – a father protects his daughter in a society taken over by a mind-controlling biological virus. They filled it out with a backstory.

Getting it on at Dendy marks “the end of the line” for Baker, who says, “general distribution is the last thing I have to do, getting it theatrically distributed in Australia was a big deal – Dendy has never released a locally-made film before in a full season.”

“It’s running for one week, but if it does well they’ll keep it another week, so we really need to hit the public in the first weekend.

“We want to show to Dendy that it’s viable to release a small-budget film in Canberra, then they’ll do it for more films.”

After that, “Blue World Order” will go to video-on-demand and DVD, which he says is where you make your money back as an independent production house.

“The beauty of VOD and DVD is that it’s around forever,” he says.

“It’s a case of one guy up against the system, one guy who is immune from the mind control and determined to save his daughter, but it was a huge amount of work to change from an eight-minute short to a full feature,” Baker says.

Such a story could easily be made in Canberra, they thought, but unlike those TV series which exploit the national icons and monuments, they are not showing a political Canberra, saying: “It could be anywhere, it’s actually supposed to be set in the undescribed ‘south’.”

“We know it’s not a Marvel movie, but we are hoping It will get quite a cult following.”

And after this? Baker has good news, telling “CityNews” that he has just secured the rights to Australian thriller writer Matthew Reilly’s book “Contest” and is working on a possible collaboration with Peter Jackson’s WETA Digital in Wellington. The story is set in the New York State Library, but what’s the bet the National Library of Australia will do just as well?

“Blue World Order”, Dendy Cinemas, Civic, May 3-8. Bookings to dendy.com.au

MUSIC

Various Voices lure Lennie and the Qwire away

By Helen Musa

WITH a collective spring in the feet and tune on the tongue, the Canberra Gay and Lesbian Qwire is about to hop on a long flight to Munich to sing at Various Voices, the 14th European LGBTI Choir Festival, where anything between 2700 to 3500 choristers will sing, representing 93 choirs from 19 countries.

Our Qwire will introduce German audi ences and LGBTI singers to the music of Kylie Minogue, Gotye, Vance Joy and others when they raise the rafters of the Gasteig cultural centre in Munich with Aussie anthems such as “Beds Are Burning”, “You’re the Voice” and “My Island Home”, all performed under the baton of Canberra’s hardest-working conductor, Leonard Weiss.

“Lennie”, as members prefer to call him, identifies as straight, but that’s no problem for the broad-minded Qwire, whose con stitution recognises “the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities including and not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer…[the Qwire] also welcomes straight allies”.

Weiss will step down when he gets back from Munich after four years at its helm.

A strong supporter of LGBTI values, Weiss tells “CityNews”: “I’m happy to be in front of such wonderful company”.

the NCO and then in 2013 I started my own choir and I was roped in to direct the Gay and Lesbian Qwire between 2013 and 2014,” he says.

He quickly cobbled together a mixed repertoire that “might’ve been a bit all over the place” and travelled with members to the

A group of seven friends got together over a barbecue and asked: “Why don’t we start a choir?”

Healy says: “At first it was in someone’s garage where we had to sing to the smell of Dynamic Lifter then, with about 26 people, we graduated into the library, the church

quickly became very popular, with numbers rising to 80. Founding director Chris Ashcroft had been a barbershop singer so soon had them singing in four, six and eight parts.

It’s always been an “unauditioned” choir.

To Weiss that’s “a very interesting chal -

lenge”. A survey told him that 30 per cent of members don’t read music and that many hadn’t sung since school.

“We don’t want to exclude anyone, the point of the whole exercise was so that we could extend solidarity to people,” Healy says, noting “the more you sing, the better you get at it”.

After Ashcroft left, Leanne Linmore stepped in, a trained teacher who brought the Qwire to such a high standard that it performed on ABC radio. Then came Ken Teoh, who “brought in choreography and gave the choir a tremendous injection of energy, and now we have Lennie”.

“Lennie” is particularly excited because of his mixed German and Austrian ancestry, but says: “For Munich, I felt what we needed was to show a bit of an Australian identity and to show what LGBTI is in Australia.

“This year we have a mix of mainly all-Australian icons, like Kylie Minogue, INXS and AC/DC.”

He’s also included “Stay Awhile,” a “gorgeous classical-style piece” by Canberra composer Sally Greenaway that begins: “If the moon goes out I will light a star, and brighten up your heart”.

Ellis and Healy say that although the full number is about 60, 30 Qwire members will travel to Munich, but add that with previous visits to Various Voices in San Francisco, Portland, Paris and Dublin, they know what’s involved so started saving up well ahead of time.

“The idea is to make good music and have fun,” Ellis and Healy say.

Affectionate memories of a man who lived life

“Gurrumul” (PG)

WHERE to begin to review director Paul Damien Williams’ comprehensive and compassionate documentary film studying the life and music of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, blind from birth, dead at age 46 from liver and kidney diseases?

Somebody writing about a filmic study of somebody whose creative work crossed between his own Yolngu culture in Arnhem Land and the European musical tradition that has spawned such a horde of thematic and performance styles should really know about both of those arts. When it comes to music, I rely on what my ears tell my brain. And my brain tells me that while it loves music from many eras and styles, it doesn’t like much of the noise masquerading as modern music. Gurrumul’s music merges the Western musical canon with the traditional songs and chants that were being sung and danced to long before European settlement. For me, the musical highlight of Williams’ film is a performance towards its end of a composition in which both styles work together to complement each other. It sent

Supa Productions presents

Aboriginal singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, blind from birth and dead at 46 from liver and kidney diseases. me away feeling good about a film that affectionately and comprehensively remembers a man whose life in permanent darkness must have been excruciatingly depressing yet who lived it to the fullest despite that.

I’m grateful to Paul Williams and the memory of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu for what their co-operation has given me. I hope you will feel that way as well.

At Palace Electric and Dendy

“Last Flag Flying” (M)

FORTY five years ago, “The Last Detail” was the first movie based on a novel by Darryl Ponicsan and told a story about two US Navy men detailed to escort a young sailor to prison to serve eight years for a petty theft. Since then, Ponicsan has written 11 features and a TV episode across a range of themes.

The basis for “Last Flag Flying” is also a Ponicsan novel about military men escorting one of their own to his final resting place in 2003. But this one’s rather different. The Marine Corps wants the body buried at Arlington. The dead man’s father wants to bury it in his New Hampshire home town.

The dead man died in Iraq. Thirty

years previously, his recently-widowed father Larry (Steve Carell) had been a US Navy medic. Carrying big grief, Larry locates his two best buddies from Vietnam to come to his succour by joining him in the escorting exercise, which is not what the Marine Corps has in mind.

The two best buddies are Sal (Bryan Cranston) now the owner of a washed out tavern bar and Richard (Laurence Fishburne) now the pastor at a small rural church. At the depot from which the body in its casket is scheduled for transport to Arlington, Col. Wilits (Yul Vazquez) wants the body dealt with in accordance with Corps tradition and “Semper Fi” motto and that means right up to the burial.

So Wilits details Pte Washington (J. Quinton Johnson) to provide an official escort on the train journey.

Directed by Richard Linklater, this very American movie sends a universal message. Its depiction of military traditions is perhaps a tad overdone. But it treats its fundamental themes of friendship and human goodness with dignity and affectionate sprinkles of humour.

At Palace Electric, Capitol 6 and Dendy “Loveless” (MA)

IT’S winter in St Petersburg. In the bedroom of an upmarket apartment Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and her lover are banging away while across town her husband Boris (Aleksey Rozin) is tupping heavily-pregnant Masha (Marina Vasileva).

Behind the bedroom door, Zhenya and Boris’ 12-year-old son Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) stifles his sobbing and tears. This is

a family undergoing self-destruction. When Alyosha flees, it is two days before either parent notices his absence.

Writer (in company with Oleg Negin) and director Andrey Zvyagintsev has created a story that in another country might have worked its way to an inevitable sort of happy outcome. But Zvyagintsev’s objective is to tell a more sobering tale, about a country with a history that its masses might well wish would they could rewrite. But they can’t.

The USSR may have given way to a more affluent, less oppressive mode of government, but in that replacement, the middle class has lost sight of its origins.

“Loveless” is not an overtly political attempt to make sense of Russia’s immediate past. Zvyagintsev is delivering a scenario in which the best and the least-good elements of recovery from a past for which the kindest word is perhaps “difficult”, are learning to live alongside a present embracing much of what materialistic 21st-century life has to offer. Free enterprise. Jobs for all. Modern home and office conveniences. Imported cars. Hi-tech toys. Opportunities for wealth.

But have these benefits delivered comfort of the kind that Zhenya, Boris and Alyosha most need? That’s what “Loveless” is worried about. And so are we in the audience, as Zvyagintsev guides it along a narrative path less strewn with rose petals than it seems. It’s called life. Its nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category in this year’s Oscars and its sheer cinematic quality are thoroughly appropriate.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

ARTS IN THE CITY

Young voices from slums of Kampala

By Helen Musa

UBUNTU 2, a group of singers, musicians and dancers who were members of the world-renowned African Children’s Choir, are coming to town. Canberra’s Angelica Snowden travelled to Uganda in October and volunteered alongside the children’s choir in the slums of Kampala and Entebbe. She is promoting their Canberra performance at Daramalan College, Dickson, on Sunday, May 6. Bookings to trybooking.com

“THE Bleeding Tree” won the 2016 NSW Premier’s Literary Award. An Australian murder story crafted by Angus Cerini, it premiered at Sydney’s Griffin Theatre during 2015 and now returns with Paula Arundell, Sophie Ross and Brenna Harding on stage. At The Playhouse, May 9-12. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

CANBERRA comedian Emma Holland was runner-up to Bec Melrose from NSW as the 22nd RAW Comedy Champion at Melbourne International Comedy Festival. More than 1060 people competed in 63 heats and finals around Australia.

BELCONNEN Arts Centre marks ACT Dance Week with “memorable, mesmerising and mischievous” new works commissioned for “Dance on the Edge 2018”, at 5pm and 8pm, on Saturday, May 5, and 2pm, Sunday, May 6. Bookings to belconnenartscentre.com.au

THE third American Essentials Film Festival will screen 22 contemporary American independent films, including this year a homage to “the spirit of LA”. It opens with Sophie Brooks’ directorial debut “The Boy Downstairs”, about an aspiring writer who finds that her new downstairs neighbour is her ex-boyfriend. At Palace Electric Cinemas, May 9-20. Bookings to palacecinemas.com.au

PIGEONHOLE Theatre’s July production of “Switzerland”, part

DINING / local press wholefoods, kingston

Press for wholefoods in a jar

The menu isn’t extensive. If you’re looking for a big plate of hangover-cure greasy eggs and bacon you’re going to be disappointed. This place is about the body and soul.

LOCAL Press Café is always buzzing at Kingston Foreshore. And now a sister location has opened – Local Press Wholefoods on Giles Street.

was delish with truss tomatoes, spicy jalapenos, sweet red roasted capsi cum, fried onion, creamy avocado, salty feta and crunchy iceberg lettuce. My only problem was how to manage eating the darn thing. It was so much so it had to be held together with a large wooden pic. I had to think strategically about the challenge and eventually just deconstructed it to make life easy. However, I did make a mess.

The Indian burger was just as tall. It was tasty, but my Mexican packed a stronger punch. The chickpea and quinoa patty came with mushrooms, eggplant, pickled cucumber, hummus and house tomato sauce. You can’t fault Local Press Wholefoods for serving healthy ingredients.

of the Canberra Theatre Centre’s 2018 subscription season, has sold out and that’s good news for director Jordan Best and stars Karen Vickery and Lachlan Ruffy.

CANBERRA pianist Stuart Long presents a selection of short works by popular American composers including Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein at Wesley Music Centre, 12.40pm-1.20pm, on Wednesday, May 9. No bookings required; tickets at the door.

“ENGAGING with Children through Picture Books” is an interactive session with Julie Long for parents, grandparents and educators that will show how to “get inside a book” with children. At ALIA House, Deakin, 4.30pm-6.30pm, on Wednesday, May 9. Registrations to ncaclmeetings@gmail.com

THE 2016 “CityNews” Artist of the Year, Alpha Gregory, will be conducting the Brindabella Orchestra in works by Handel, Gounod, Elgar, Bizet, Delibes and Mancini, with Peter Shaw performing Purcell’s “Trumpet Voluntary” at the Queanbeyan Uniting Church, Rutledge Street, Queanbeyan, 2pm, Sunday, May 6. Entry by donation.

Both venues are devoted to reusing, reducing and recycling, with Local Press Café now a certified ACTSmart business. Local Press Wholefoods is a café and a place you can bulk food shop. Take your own jars, bags and containers or buy them there (ones you can reuse, of course).

But this is a food review so let’s start there.

I’ve been a couple of times, first for just coffee and then for breakfast. The atmosphere is chillaxed and the stacks of brightly coloured coffee cups and saucers are fun, as is the floor artwork, which features painted vegetables and fruits. It’s all designed to celebrate the colour of food, and to uplift the spirits.

The menu isn’t extensive. If you’re looking for a big plate of hangover-cure greasy eggs and bacon you’re going to be disappointed. This place is about the body and soul.

The fruit toast ($9) is delightful. Each slice is packed with raisins and orange and the toast is served with a pretty, pink, raspberry butter (the toast was served on a pink plate, too). The butter was gorgeous – not overpowered with raspberry but strong enough to make your tastebuds dance.

The veggie burgers are all $13. The Mexican was loaded with flavour and ingredients. The black rice, corn and black bean patty

Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, closed Sunday and public holidays

The front counter has salads, quick bites and sweets. The bread and butter pudding (only $7) looked amaz ing, but I was stuffed from my burger. I want to road test the vegan sweet potato brownie ($6.50). I’m not vegan but the treats look amazing, including the Snickers slice and a mint slice.

On the wholefoods side, there’s a fair bit on offer with more to come (I’m hoping the Brazil nuts I had my heart set on buying). Spices, teas,

GARDENING

Colour to brighten dreary days

ENTERING the second month of autumn as the leaves fall in earnest and the landscape is looking bare, we look for colour in the garden to brighten up those inevitable dreary days.

Now’s the time to discover a large range of autumn-flowering perennials at the local garden centres, starting with Anemone hupehensis or Japanese anemones. They are to be loved or hated depending on whether you are a true gardener. If you do not just love the mass of bright pink or white it is due to their ease of self-propagation, spreading through the garden. However, the true gardener knows that after flowering it is simply a matter of pulling out the surplus. Once the ideal number is arrived at simply cut the rest to ground level.

Salvias are another super autumn flowerer with a large range of colours. Cutting them to ground level after flowering last winter or early spring the foliage slowly grows through summer. Then in autumn quite suddenly we are rewarded with their beauty. Salvias range in height from 50cm to 1.5m to suit every garden. Or simply grow the

low ones in front graduating to the taller ones at the rear. Naturally this will depend on your garden size. Keeping in mind the most effective way of presenting solid blocks of colour is to plant each variety in groups of three, five or seven. This will look far more attractive than one of this and one of that. In summer, as the foliage grows, I cut this back by a third at least three times before March to encourage bushiness and more flowers.

ASTERS or Michaelmas daisies, so called for their flowering in the northern hemisphere at that time, are a cut-and-come-again perennial. They start flowering quite early in autumn and after the first flush I cut them to ground level. I did this in March and already, within weeks, I have a mass of the second crop of flowers. Don’t be frightened of hard pruning of the foliage as they grow through summer.

Sedum spectabile “Autumn Joy”, the deep pink variety, has been flowering well in the last few weeks. The flower heads have started to turn bronze and over the next few weeks the thick flower stalks can be cut to ground level.

S.s. “Iceberg” is naturally the white variety. The amazing thing about

sedums is that the stalks will be affected by frost but, once cut back, tiny new shoots start immediately to appear. The tender new shoots are untroubled by frost and will continue to grow through winter. By early spring these new shoots will be up to 30 centimetres high.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS are recognised universally as the Mother’s Day flower. They are so easy to grow, most dying back in mid-winter, growing through summer to burst forth in mid-autumn.

Likewise, they benefit with reducing the foliage a few times in summer for more stems and flowers. I always suggest you give mum a potted chrysanthemum rather than a bunch of flowers.

After flowering they can then be planted in the garden or in a pot, or even divided for several pots.

WE still need some steady rain over several days to keep the garden going through winter.

When we have long periods of dry, frosts have a far more dramatic

effect on garden plants. This means that while cold days stay consistently dry, gardens will still need to be watered.

Jottings...

• Plant Russell lupins and hollyhocks now, feed fortnightly with certified organic Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient.

• Plant lilium bulbs now.

• Last chance for planting those spring bulbs or digging up existing ones to divide or transplant from shade to a sunny spot.

• Plant bright orange calendulas around the veggie patch to discourage pest insects.

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

On Tuesday and Wednesday you’ll feel restless and ready for spontaneous shenanigans and avant-garde adventures. Then on Saturday, Mercury and Mars contribute to the tendency to argue and use words as weapons. And Sunday’s Mercury/Uranus hook-up boosts impulsive behaviour. You’ll feel fiery, feisty, racy and rather rebellious but pace yourself or you’re likely to blow a fuse! Smart Rams will slow down to a safer and much more sustainable speed.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

This week the Sun (in your sign) trines Pluto. So it’s time to tap into your innate Taurean power and become the strong, smart and sexy Earth Goddess (or god) you were born to be. Draw inspiration from feisty movie icon Katharine Hepburn (who was born on May 12, 1907): “You can’t just be talented: you have to be terribly smart and energetic and focused. Don’t just show up. Transform the work, yourself and everybody around you. Be needed. Be interesting. Be consistent.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

A tablespoon of tact and a dollop of discretion are the secrets to a stress-free week. But expect an eventful weekend, when Mercury (your patron planet) squares Mars and then links up with Uranus. Make sure your restless mood doesn’t lead to reckless behaviour and a loose tongue. Think twice before you spread secrets and salacious gossip. Passing on unverified hear-say could lead to unexpected consequences, like a clash with a colleague or a fall-out with a friend.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

You’ll feel frustrated and moody on Monday, but resist the temptation to start arguments and arouse opposition in others (especially loved ones). And be extra careful what you say because hasty comments can cut like a knife. So choose your words wisely. On the weekend, you could come up with a radical solution to a problem you’re having at work. Draw inspiration from fellow Cancerian, Princess Diana: “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.”

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The energy builds all week, leading to the powerful Sun/Pluto trine, which will boost your Leo talents and Cat charisma. So make sure you do something special on Saturday. Then on Sunday, when Mercury and Uranus activate your travel zone, you’ll feel ready to introduce an exciting international flavour to the mix. So start planning (and saving) for that European escape, Timbuktu trek, Himalayan holiday, South American sojourn or Asian adventure sometime soon!

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

When it comes to a child, teenager, lover or friend you’re on a mission to correct their mistakes and change their behaviour. But you’ll get a lot further if you criticise less and encourage a lot more. And the greatest realisation this week is that you really can’t change anyone. They can only transform themselves. As birthday great Katharine Hepburn wisely observed: “You learn in life that the only person you can really correct and change is yourself.”

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Are you sick and tired of being single? Romantic sparks are set to fly, as this week’s stars rev up your relationship zone. But the course of true love won’t run smoothly. So take off your rose-coloured glasses and be prepared for a wild card. If you are attached - don’t depend solely on the love of your partner (which can ebb and flow) to validate your self-worth. As celebrated writer (and fellow Libran) Oscar Wilde declared: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Prepare for a week of extremes! Frustration levels rise on Monday, culminating in a dramatic disagreement with a friend or colleague (in person or online). Whatever happens, try to keep things in perspective and resist the temptation to be sarcastic, manipulative or just plain pushy. The weekend looks wonderful when Pluto (your power planet) trines the Sun, which boosts your enthusiasm, motivation and mojo. So make the most of the energy surge while it lasts.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Get set for a big week, as you overdo just about everything. Under the influence of the Sun and Jupiter, you’re inclined to be generous and garrulous; enthusiastic and exhausting; restless and reckless; passionate and pushy. You’ll certainly be hard to ignore as you ruffle a few feathers with your impulsive ideas and spontaneous shenanigans. But jumping to conclusions could land you in hot water – especially when it comes to a child, teenager or friend.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Clever Capricorns know that sustainable success doesn’t just drop out of the sky. So this week’s stars are super for utilising every opportunity that comes your way, as you make things happen through consistent hard work, awesome organisation and forensic attention to details. If you tap into the creative power source within, you really can transform your life. And the best time to dream big dreams, set ambitious goals and write down affirmations is on Friday night.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Creative and innovative communication is the secret to a successful week. But resist the compelling urge to launch half-baked projects and jump to hasty conclusions. Listen closely to what others are telling you, otherwise you’ll misunderstand their motives. And be careful what you post online, as a controversial comment could lead to unexpected consequences. The late week Sun/Pluto connection could precipitate a magical meditation and/or a powerful revelation.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

The buzz word this week is honesty. Have you been less than 100% truthful with a family member? On Monday and Tuesday, the Venus/Neptune square could lead to confusion involving your true motives. Or someone could question your version of events. Or you could disappoint a loved one by blurring the lines between fact and fantasy. Things improve later in the week, when the Sun/Pluto trine helps you communicate your ideas in creative and powerful ways.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018

Who

“The

7 What are bouts of otalgia? (8)

8 What is an amount received from a lease, etc? (6)

9 Name the capital of Malta. (8)

10 Papeete is the capital of which of the Society Islands? (6)

11 Who claimed to have discovered a reef of gold in the western NT, Harry Bell ...? (8)

14 Name another term for liquid industrial waste. (8)

18 What is an alternative word for a dinner jacket? (6)

19 Which word implies a relationship to trees? (8)

21 To draw out, is to do what? (6)

22 Who chooses the members of a team? (8)

23 What might we call Judith Durham? (6)

Down

1 Which male voice is between a tenor and a bass? (8)

2 Name an extremely powerful acid. (6)

3 Frank McCallum was known as the bushranger, Captain ... (8)

4 Which term describes that which is uttered by the mouth? (4)

5 What is an underhand plot called? (6)

6 Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride were known as Ma and Pa ... (6)

12 What do we call those who take up portions of land for agriculture? (8)

13 Which other term describes a journalist? (8)

15 Name a town in eastern central NSW, on the Lachlan River. (6)

16 What do we call a person who plunders, as in war? (6)

17 Name the inland duty on spirits, tobacco, etc. (6)

20 What are common newts in their land stage? (4)

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