CityNews 180920

Why Health doesn’t need a costly check up

MICHAEL MOORE

Is working with residents that hard?

PAUL COSTIGAN

James Cook – hero or harbinger of doom?

HELEN MUSA

Prosecco, as Aussie as lamb chops

RICHARD CALVER

Matt’s meringues with a message

By Danielle NOHRA

COOKING is an important life skill, says author and chef Matt Morrissey, who is inspiring children into the kitchen with his new book “The Social Chef and the Case of the Missing Lemons”.

“When you know the basics of cook ing, you can get yourself through life,” says Matt, 44, of Jerrabomberra.

“I want to provide children with a lifelong love for cooking through read ing fun and engaging stories.”

Even though Matt started as a chef later in life, he says he’s always loved food and is a big advocate for people being able to cook.

“Food and the kitchen are at the centre of our memories and are the foundation for many traditions,” he says.

“And through these books, I hope to create experiences that bring people together for life’s joyful moments.”

Matt has had the idea of The Social Chef to inspire children to get cooking for many years and launched the first one recently.

“I used to love reading to my children and have always been an advocate of people being able to cook,” he says.

“I’ve always loved food. It’s always been a big part of my life.

“Mum was always cooking in the kitchen when I was a young child.”

“Yellow in colour, ‘The Social Chef and the Case of the Missing Lemons’ sees The Social Chef waking up dreaming about lemon meringue pie,” he says.

“But the adventures begin when he discovers the lemons from his tree have gone missing.”

He chose a focus on lemon-meringue pies because he loved them as a child and he also liked the idea of having a bright and fun book, so the colour yellow seemed perfect.

Matt says it’s such a great feeling to see photos of children with lemon-meringue pies they’ve made themselves after reading the book.

“The Social Chef and the Case of the Missing Lemons” will eventually be followed by other bright-coloured books, each with at least two recipes that relate to the story,” he says.

“At the moment there’s four books written but this is the first published,” he says.

Matt is eager to get the other books in the Social Chef series published,

WHEN IT MATTERS

but has been distracted by a cooking opportunity, which sees him and his partner Katie leasing the restaurant at Lake George Winery.

Before entering the kitchen professionally Matt was a musician in the Royal Australian Navy Band playing trumpet, french horn and drums for more than 10 years before working in the private and public sector doing media and marketing.

He loved media and had exciting jobs such as helping manage the relationship between Channel 7 and Customs for the production of “Border Security”.

But around the age of 40 he was hit with depression, which was when he decided to do something that makes him happy.

“I decided to change my career and start as an apprentice chef,” he says.

“I was going to school with people my children’s age. I was doing dishes and cleaning floors.

“You really are starting from the bottom of a career and unless you’re going to immerse yourself in the apprenticeship and start again then I don’t think you’ll succeed.”

But it was worth it.

“It was everything I dreamed of and probably a little more,” he says.

“If you want to chase your dreams, you have to be able to make those sacrifices.”

thesocialchef.com.au

Weston community stories all welcome

COOLEMAN Court celebrates its 40th anniversary next month and is inviting the local Weston Creek community to share their own stories from over the past four decades. The personal stories will then be commemorated within the walls of the shopping centre and all will be in the running to win a $250 gift card. Cooleman Court’s name is of Aboriginal origin meaning food basket and was chosen by the community. Stories can be emailed to info@coolemancourt.com. au, dropped in to Centre Management or shared on Facebook.

Kids and screens

Dr Kristy Goodwin, author of “Raising Your Child in a Digital World” will speak at St Edmund’s College, Griffith, 7.30pm-9.30pm, on Monday, September 24 about raising children and teens in a screen world. Dr Goodwin will tell Canberra parents clinically or medically diagnosed gaming addiction is actually rare. Tickets from eventbrite.com.au

Lighting the night

THE Leukaemia Foundation invites the public to take part in its “Light the Night” event to be held at Kingston Foreshore on Friday, October 5. It is the only event in Australia that brings the blood cancer community together and will include people living with blood cancer, their families, friends, carers and medical professionals. Full event details at lightthenight.org.au/events/canberra

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Bob the media charmer stands up for whales

WILY, old political fox Bob Brown was back in Canberra doing what he does best –protesting.

The 73-year-old father of the Australian Greens rallied a small number of troops and charmed the surprisingly large media pack outside the Japanese embassy.

Dr Brown’s undeniable credibility sharply contrasted the confected outrage of high-profile, contemporary Greens – the hyphenated senators, Hanson-Young and Whish-Wilson, who were also protesting.

The Greens were outside the embassy objecting to its government’s move to overturn an International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on whaling. And while Dr Bob doesn’t pull the crowds or stunts he once did, no chances were being taken. Five uniformed AFP officers lurked discreetly nearby as two plain-clothes officers liaised with Japanese security operatives through the bars of the embassy’s high security fence.

THE power and influence of R U OK?’s annual day cannot be overstated. It was again highlighted on its 10th staging of the national day of action with local radio journalist David Sharaz opening up on his long battle with depression, anxiety and self loathing.

The 27-year-old Sharaz told reporter Megan Doherty that he reached his lowest point six years ago.

“I decided there was a solution: I’d have one last night with my friends and quietly disappear. I downed an entire bottle of

would most likely remain ignorant to the struggles of those around me.

SEEMS the world just can’t get enough of our national animal. A month after a video of a mob of ‘roos bounding through Canberra streets went viral, a short story by Canberra freelance writer Peter Papathanasiou has hopped on to the digital pages of the “New York Times”. The 44-year-old, Greek-born and Canberra-raised Papathanasiou wrote about

heads the story: “The politics of Canberra, Australia’s capital, are a mess. But beyond Parliament, there are other natural urges and animal instincts that need managing”. The father of two has won or been shortlisted for more than 20 literary awards in Australia with his debut novel “The Stoning” making the top 19 in the Richell Prize for emerging writers.

THE Press Gallery’s charity “Midwinter Ball”

ball gown and Peta Credlin’s stunning black number with a deep-plunging V, made the podium but it was Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek who won the night. One red-carpet loiterer reported the member for Sydney “pulled off a pantsuit with fab sleeves”.

BUT not every media type was ga-ga over a midwinter function held in early September. Buzzfeed’s Canberra-based political reporter Alice Workman tweeted: “FYI I’ve decided not to attend this year’s Midwinter Ball as I don’t believe an event hosted by journalists for politicians (but also business people, diplomats, lobbyists and staff) should be off the record.”

IS Roman our new God(win)? The former public servant at the centre of the 2009 “utegate” scandal, which interrupted Malcolm Turnbull’s debut tilt at The Lodge, is back in the conversation. Responding to a relentless Labor attack – aided by former Border Forces head Roman Quaedvlieg –embattled minister Peter Dutton evoked the name of Godwin Grech. Dutton’s “Roman Quaedvlieg is your Godwin Grech” counter-punch landing squarely on the jaw of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, will hover in the political ether for years. But will Dutton’s skilful slur finally retire the political punchline which is the mild-mannered Treasury official from Calwell.

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CANBERRA MATTERS / kingston and barton

IT’S not often when discussing Canberra planning that there is praise for the ACT’s chief planner. So let’s do it. The ACT chief planner revisited the former approval for an aspect of that waste disposal site in Fyshwick that had been previously approved. He admitted that approval should not have been given and so he reversed the decision. Full marks to the chief planner.

A little while ago I met with members of the Kingston and Barton Residents’ Association (KBRA). They tabled three-pages of the planning matters that they are dealing with. It is an amazing list. The most well known was the battle over the so-called “unsolicited” proposal to do a monster development on the Manuka Oval along with questionable land swaps that were at the cost of local amenities. This was backed by the then Urban Renewal Minister – the Chief Minister. The Manuka Oval proposal was eventually dumped.

Another major proposal relates to the Kingston Arts

What will it take to change the planning regimes – sooner rather than later – before too much damage is done and older suburbs lose their historic character?

Precinct. This could be a fantastic development. Sadly, the people I spoke to have doubts about what is happening especially as there is no news on this since early 2017 when the goal posts moved from what was originally announced.

Given the habit of the government and the developers to suddenly hit communities with enormously complex and questionable development applications – with little time to respond – who knows what and when something will be thrown the community’s way for consideration. Will it be a set of tall apartments and/ or giant hotel? Who knows?

Across Canberra the precinct codes now being used by the ACT government to define what should be in certain suburbs are not delivering quality outcomes.

There are some very ordinary, bland complexes now appearing in Kingston. As with communities across Canberra, the KBRA has a desire to work with the government

and developers to see the character of their suburbs enhanced as develop ment progresses – as it will.

This older Canberra area has herit age and historical values on top of the desire to maintain neighbourhood character and recognise residential aspirations.

What will it take to change the planning regimes – sooner rather than later – before too much damage is done and these older suburbs lose their historic character (the reason many people want to live there)?

But wait – the KBRA has had positive experiences with development. Yes, it can happen. The KBRG put out a statement thanking Roads ACT, Kingston Traders and the supermarket developers for working together on the Eyre Street Atria mixed commercial and residential development that all agree should benefit residents and businesses.

This is the development opposite Green Square on Eyre Street. Fingers are crossed that it delivers what has been agreed to.

There are many more stories. But what matters most is the lack of master planning for these suburbs

government agencies to work with the residents rather than via a disjointed approach that results in getting the residents offside through exhausting confrontations.

So when the ACT chief planner announced that something was wrong with that Fyshwick proposal, he also drew attention to the issue that bothers most community associations. Just how do so many inappropriate ideas get to be taken seriously by this government? Surely there should be a mechanism to let developers know quickly – “don’t even try it”, “it is silly”, “it doesn’t meet the rules, so don’t submit it”.

Could the chief planner make

that it is absolutely clear that it is not the role of government and community groups to spend days, weeks, months, if not years, trying to make sense of inappropriate proposals? While most of us have sat at home over the seasonal cold evenings, there are dedicated residents, such as those in these inner-south Canberra associations, having to spend far too much time with issues that matter to all of us. All praise to them.

Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters.

Upselling hearing loss: retail hearing aids

Last week, I was approached by a patient looking for a second opinion. The week prior she had been to a retail hearing aid store in her local shopping centre, hoping to get some advice regarding her hearing loss. As a pensioner, she should have been able to claim free hearing aids as part of the Australian Government’s hearing loss scheme under the Office of Hearing Services, but when she inquired about the program she was told by the salesperson that the governmentissued hearing aids were of poor quality and inadequate for her needs.

”We need to speak out and about what is going on in the hearing aid industry if we want change.”

– Dr Vass

The salesperson insisted what she needed was one of their more expensive hearing aids, priced at over $7,000 for a pair. Anxious about not being able to afford what seemed to be a necessity, she reached out to a friend who suggested she make an appointment with me for a second opinion.

After consulting with the patient and looking over her results, it became

clear to me that the assessment from the shopping centre was completely wrong. The patient had had surgery on one ear 20 years ago which had resulted in worse hearing loss in that ear and not the other. Yet the “hearing test” from the shopping centre showed that her hearing was equal in both ears. Was this because the tester was incompetent or the equipment was faulty? Or was it just an attempt to cover up a medical condition that would have required the patient to be seen by a doctor before hearing aids could even be considered for her? It is likely we’ll never know the answer, but any of the above explanations would be unacceptable.

We need to speak out and about what is going on in the hearing aid industry if we want change. Anyone who has a similar story can report it to the ACCC.

If you would like to have a complimentary second opinion with Dr Vass please phone 02 6282 2717 to make an appointment.

by Danielle Nohra

Abundant new opportunity

By Danielle NOHRA

ABUNDANT Water has done some big things since it was first established about 10 years ago, but its most recent partnership is its biggest says CEO Sunny Forsyth.

civil-society organisations, to provide more than 3500 of these water filters to families and children across the Xiangkhouang Province over the next two years.

“It’s [a collaborative partnership] model that we’ve been developing over the life of the organisation,” he says.

“For us it’s significant because it’s going to be a project spread across 100 villages.

business training.

“Based on previous projects, we expect that these agents will be empowered to provide filters to their communities long into the future,” he says.

“This will ensure that villages across Xiangkhouang Province will have the capability to sustainably maintain a safe water supply.”

Health doesn’t need a costly check-up

By Michael MOORE

HANRAHAN is alive and well. He has turned his political focus towards the Canberra Hospital.

Of course there are problems, but they can be uncovered and addressed. The process must not undermine the commitment and work of so many of our wonderful nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and other staff that work so hard to ensure the ACT and region has outstanding health care facilities.

“We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan”. This phrase is from the famous Australian bush poem by the Roman Catholic priest Patrick Joseph Hartigan who used the pen name John O’Brien. The poem touches on the pessimism of one of his farmer parishioners at both the time of drought and then flood and the disaster that will occur “before the year is out”.

the dissatisfaction with the rate of change as the prime catalyst. Perhaps a similar phenomenon applies at the Canberra Hospital.

Michael De’Ath, the newly appointed Director-General of Health, responded to questioning by Tim Shaw on morning radio 2CC regarding the announcement of an inquiry into bullying and the culture of ACT Health. He argued that the inquiry would supplement the considerable work that has already taken place to improve the Canberra Hospital, to build a better culture throughout ACT Health and to find more effective ways to assess the extent and type of bullying in some sections of the hospital.

“This is the biggest project we have undertaken both in scope and impact,” says Sunny, 37, of Turner.

The NGO and social enterprise has been delivering cheap, clean-water filters to communities in Laos for nearly its whole existence.

But the inspiration was there a lot earlier, from the time Sunny shared a laboratory with Dr Tony Flynn at ANU in 2001.

Tony was a materials scientist and ceramics lecturer who demonstrated how an extremely effective, longlasting water filter could be made for next to nothing, mainly out of clay and used coffee grounds.

And now in a major breakthrough for Abundant Water, it will be working with major NGO Caritas Luxembourg, some government departments and

“[And] we are excited by the prospect of delivering safe, clean and sustainable water security to thousands more families in Laos.”

Initially, Abundant Water will install 1800 filters. Each village will receive 15 filters distributed to the poorest households.

“We will also be installing a further three additional filters in public spaces like schools, health clinics, and meeting areas,” he says.

“This will ensure all members of the community benefit from safe and sustainable drinking water.”

But, Abundant Water, which was founded in Canberra, doesn’t just simply give away the filters.

“You can give them away but how does that work long term?” Sunny says.

As part of the project, at least 20 sales agents will receive water, sanitation and hygiene and social

The World Bank estimates that each year in Laos there are three million cases of disease and 6000 premature deaths directly linked to unclean water and poor sanitation.

Sunny says not having clean water might have minor impacts to more major impacts such as negative health impacts.

“It can lead to reduced school attendance, reduced strength at important times of the year [such as when the rice crops need harvesting],” he says.

“It’s a real issue that we can’t relate to here in Canberra. It impacts their ability to lead productive lives.

“There’s other issues like water infrastructure, which is not necessarily something that can be provided by the government.

“Here in Canberra, we take for granted that we get all of these facilities provided for us.”

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Hanrahans operate across the political spectrum. The Canberra Hospital provides a great example. It is appropriate for the opposition to identify problems and to bring them to the public’s attention. However, it is also appropriate for the community to soberly assess the extent of the problems and to determine the reality of “we’ll all be rooned”.

The impression created by the ACT opposition and reported in the media is that the whole hospital is ‘rooned’.

In March Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris restructured the Health Directorate. Such a restructure was always going to be painful, cause anguish for some of the players and reveal issues within the Directorate. Change processes take time, are difficult, and invariably challenge comfort zones. Clearly, the Minister was aware of problems within her areas of responsibility and set out to address them.

At the time she argued: “This separation will enable a clearer focus on operational effectiveness and efficiency, and improve accountability for health service delivery.”

She was also seeking to improve the culture of the health system.

The 19th century French historian, Alexis de Tocqueville identified in “L’Ancien Régime et la Révolution” that revolutions do not so much occur when things are at their worst –but rather as they begin to improve. He saw

The impression created by the ACT opposition and reported in the media is that the whole hospital is “rooned”. Hence the call for a very expensive and legalistic Royal Commission or inquiry under the Inquiries Act. De’Ath argued this is not needed and pointed to the accreditation process in the Canberra Hospital that was turned from a failure to comply in a number of areas to a clean bill of health within six months. Change is possible. Where problems are identified they can be improved. However, this can only happen if there is a positive culture of respect and a willingness to address specific issues.

What is really needed is an inquiry headed by an appropriate person who understands change management, culture and clinical issues. It must determine the extent of bullying and harassment across the ACT Health Directorate and make recommendations to address the issues. The person must be able identify genuine bullying (which is completely unacceptable in any workplace). This is in contrast to petulant accusations when demands are made on staff that they deliver according to their clinical responsibilities and other work duties.

There will always be opportunities for political Hanrahans. They will operate similarly to the predictions in the famous poem of being “rooned”. In the poem, the plentiful harvest followed the drought and flood before the next set of predictions were made of being “rooned” by bushfires.

We are not “all rooned”. Spending millions and millions on a legalistic inquiry would be irresponsible when the money should be spent on improving the health and wellbeing of the greater Canberra community.

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Built in 1968, Alexander & Albemarle are undergoing a rebirth. Repurposing much of the existing structure, the office towers are set to be transformed into residential apartments like no other — A&A.

With a European industrial warehouse aesthetic, A&A will offer a 3.4 metre ceiling height of raw concrete with exposed soffits, premium finishes of wool carpets, timber floors and double glazed windows. The ground floor will be activated by a brewery, gym, restaurants, cafés and other retail spaces making A&A a truly unique place to live.

THE GADFLY / Turnbull’s legacy Malcolm needed a few more days in The Lodge

AS the electors of Wentworth consider their options to replace Malcolm Turnbull as their MP, we might take a moment to note his legacy as PM. At first glance it barely rates with his predecessors in the passing parade since Kevin Rudd’s departure in 2010. Rudd at least has the apology to the Stolen Generations; Julia Gillard will be credited with the NDIS and the Royal Commission into child abuse; and who could forget Tony Abbott’s knighthood to the Duke of Edinburgh. But Malcolm? Well, the Banking Royal Commission got started on his watch but that was despite his determined efforts and those of his successor, the “Muppets” fan, Scott Morrison.

However, behind the scenes Turnbull had been engaged in a project that had the capacity to remake a vital element of Australia’s defence and security; and if only he’d been given a few more days in The Lodge he would have sealed the deal. From the time he took office, Turnbull turned his attention to

What a let down it was. Scott Morrison, the ‘Muppets’ fan, looked about as comfortable in Jakarta as Miss Piggy in a tutu.

the tightrope that Australia walks between our principal trading partner in China and our major defence ally in the US. He was happily free of the kind of racial prejudice that has bedevilled our relations with Asia; and as a partner in Goldman Sachs he well knew the enormous global power and influence of the American imperium. While the US remained unchallenged at the top of the tree, Australia could dance along the tightrope enjoying the best of both worlds. But once China came roaring back into the economic arena after a couple of centuries on the sidelines, the winds of change began buffeting the little Aussie funambulist. And when the Americans had a mad conniption and elected Donald J. Trump to the White House, it was suddenly blowing a gale up there. Turnbull realised that we needed a net. It was not a new thought. A former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, had come to the same conclusion decades before when he said that Australia should find its security “in Asia and not from Asia”. Keating secretly negotiated a security agreement with Indonesia’s President Suharto then announced it to a bemused nation. Neither

Indonesia nor Australia were ready for it and Suharto’s corrupt regime fell apart anyway.

However, by 2016 President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was running a good democratic government overseeing a massive economic growth spurt that provided an excellent antidote to the Islamic extremists.

And Jokowi was equally concerned to avoid any intrusiveness from a China who Xi Jinping himself boasted was the “big guy” in the neighbourhood. Turnbull set out to

charm Jokowi, calling him to his face, “one of the most important leaders [and] role models in the world”. The Indonesian responded in kind. By August this year, it was all coming together – the broad outlines of a new relationship had been negotiated and individual agreements, staggered and timed for the greatest impact, would follow in its train. The stage was set for Turnbull’s trip to Jakarta on August 31.

But there were rats in the ranks at home and there was no way he could leave the country without putting them in their place. So on August 21 Turnbull called a spill to confirm his leadership… and the rest, as they say, is history. However, before he called the final meeting that saw him replaced, he secured Morrison’s agreement that he would make the Jakarta visit. Which he did.

But, oh dear, what a let down it was. The “Muppets” fan looked about as comfortable in Jakarta as Miss Piggy in a tutu. And it’s no job for a new Foreign Minister like Marise Payne. And with those intemperate tweets from New York went any chance that Malcolm himself could save it. Seems a shame, doesn’t it. robert@robertmacklin.com

GRUMPY LETTERS Sick of men’s poor attitudes Are

seniors so bad?

Regain the freedom of your home

I AM grumpy about film reviewer Dougal Macdonald’s comments about a film, “The Wife”, that he reviewed in “CityNews” on August 9.

Reader JENNIFER HOLMES, of Weston, is grumpy about men’s poor attitudes to women.

I ENJOYED reading Paul Costigan’s recent “Canberra Matters” column (CN, September 13) where he commented on the fact that Canberra was not necessarily an age-friendly city, despite the best efforts of aged-care workers and the community.

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Why is it that, in general, women are relatively tolerant of “men’s movies” (and football), and that men are less tolerant, more condescending and trivialise women’s interests, in particular movies dubbed “chick flicks”?

Why are women’s interests less interesting to men? After all, they do or did have mothers. And sisters, perhaps.

In my opinion, even if one was able to guess what was coming next in “The Wife”, as Dougal indicates, that it was a movie with important issues for both genders in relationships.

The wife’s script was incisive. She has a brain and she used it. Not only was her self-conflict evident, she put it to good use in arguing and stuck up for herself. That is not to say I did not have kind regard for the

husband or the son.

We all get a bit tetchy when we are confronted or under threat. We often strike out and the wife struck out, as long-suffering women do sometimes, which surprises men, because they are just so humdrum and take so much for granted, especially in long-term relationships, such as marriage. An excellent performance from all. I am sick of men’s poor attitudes to women, fiction or real. Why can’t such a film be regarded as one of interest to both genders, not just women? Men could learn more about the positive attributes of women.

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

The fact that Caroline Le Couteur and Nicole Lawder were the only ACT politicians to attend the “Canberra Conversations” lunchtime session on this topic shows that Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s attitude that seniors are a nuisance and an impediment to progress in the ACT doesn’t appear to have changed.

COTA ACT continues to stick up for the rights of elder Canberrans to be treated with respect and recognised for their contribution to the community.

Richard Lord, Ngunnawal

Why, Zed, why?

WILL our Liberal senator Zed Seselja ever accept that he is employed to represent and respond to the wishes and interests of more than the very small number of ACT Liberal Party members to whom he will now chat privately about his decision to lobby actively to install Peter Dutton as parliamentary party leader and prime minister (“Vulnerable Zed’s happy to take the brickbats”, “Seven Days”, September 6)? The rest of us would like to know the reasons for that decision, too.

Sue Dyer, Downer

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SCHOOL HOLIDAY IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

When school’s out, fun’s in

JUST because it’s the school holidays, doesn’t mean parents or carers can’t enjoy themselves, too!

Canberra has some great experiences for all ages, such as musicals, shows and indoor snow sport fun. With winter over, there’s no better time to come out of hibernation and enjoy the spring holidays.

Enjoy the best of birds

GET up close and personal with a range of birds at the Canberra Walk-in Aviary.

The aviary is a 1000sqm planted walk-in enclosure that has about 550 birds from about 60 different species.

“The aviary is great fun for all ages. You have the chance to get up close and personal with a range of birds,” says Mick Logan, owner and manager of the aviary.

“While not all birds will interact with you, you get the chance to observe, up close, species of birds that otherwise would be hard to see in the wild.

“We give you a small plate of food and a tub of mealworms and you can wander around and feed the birds.”

Mick says that people are welcome to take photos of the birds.

“Providing the weather is fine you can have a great time feeding the birds or just observing our feathered friends,” Mick says.

Canberra Walk-In Aviary, 8 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 6230 2044 or visit canberrawalkinaviary.com.au

When a kangaroo wants to dance

A MUSICAL about dreams, believing in yourself and dancing is coming to Canberra during the school holidays, says the creative director of “Josephine Wants to Dance”, Eva Di Cesare.

With two shows set for the Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday, September 29, Eva says: “It’s been touring Australia now for five months and the feedback has been outstanding,” she says.

Eva says “Josephine Wants to Dance” has been adapted from a picture book into a musical and, in collaboration with the Australian Ballet, has had an amazing choreographer work with the cast.

Eva says the show’s director and the co-adaptors have done a spectacular job bringing the story to life.

“The musical is about Josephine – a kangaroo who loves to dance,” she says. “Her little brother, Joey, tells her that kangaroos don’t dance, they hop, but Josephine continues to point her toes and leap through the air.”

“Josephine Wants to Dance”, 10.30am and 12.30pm, at Canberra Theatre Centre, Saturday, September 29. Book through canberratheatrecentre.com.au or via 6275 2700.

Holiday camps at indoor snow centre

CANBERRA’s new and only indoor snow sport destination, Vertikal Indoor Snow Sports Australia, is running two, three-day camps for children in the school holidays.

Even though Vertikal Indoor Snow Sports is open 364 days of the year to children and adults alike, its director Charlotte Ostor says the camp is a way for kids aged seven and up to focus on their technique in a fun environment.

“We provide all the equipment, the conditions are perfect and parents don’t have to worry about travelling all the way to the snow,” she says.

The Vertikal Indoor Snow Sports’ hydraulic system is made in the Netherlands and simulates terrain found on the mountains, so people of all ages and abilities can access the slopes at any time of the year.

“We’re trying to enhance the experience you get when out on the mountain by providing further training to hone and develop the skills you already had,” Charlotte says. And, she says alongside working with a physiotherapist it’s also suitable for people coming back from injury by helping get muscles back into action.

Vertikal Indoor Snow Sports Australia, Unit 2, Building 3, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick. Call 5105 0202 or visit vertikalsnowsports.com

advertising feature

for all the family!

New heights for the holidays Here comes the Hungry Caterpillar

THE countdown has begun until Temora Aviation Museum stages its third Warbirds Downunder Airshow, which features a line up of impressive aircraft, says the museum’s general manager Peter Harper.

Throughout the event, from Friday, October 12, to Saturday, Peter says people can expect to see aircraft such as a Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane, which is the only one flying in Australia.

“On Friday, an evening airshow will commence at 3pm and will run up until sunset,” he says.

“There will be a mixture of warbird aircrafts as well as serving aircrafts with RAAF.

“It’s rare to see them all in the one place. There’s really nowhere in Australia where you’ll see such a diverse range of warbirds as well as current RAAF serving aircraft in the one place.”

For families making the short trip down during the school holidays, Peter says there will be children’s activities such as a jumping castle and peddle cars.

But, he says, the show is also about remembering past and current veterans who have served the country.

“The entire airshow comes with running commentary from an experienced commentator, which will be integrated with videos,” he says. There’s also the option of staying on the airfield over the weekend with the event’s camping or glamping options, and there will be a street festival in town on the Saturday night.

Temora Aviation Museum. 1 Tom Moon Avenue, Temora. Call 6977 1088, email info@aviationmuseum.com.au or visit aviationmuseum.com.au

ONE of the most-read and famous children’s books of all time, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” emerges off the page in a masterful theatrical experience for the whole family.

On Wednesday, October 10, journey through Eric Carle’s stories as they come to life on stage in this enchanting show at the Canberra Theatre Centre.

The show will feature some other characters from three of Eric Carle’s best-selling classics tales such as “The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse”, “Mr. Seahorse” and “The Very Lonely Firefly”.

Producers of the Australian-made show say it will excite, educate and entertain new readers and first-time theatregoers.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has been created by Jonathan Rockefeller, directed by Naomi Edwards and will feature 75 magical puppets created by New York’s Puppet Kitchen.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, at Canberra Theatre Centre, 10am and 3pm, Wednesday, October 10. Bookings via canberratheatrecentre.com.au or by calling 6275 2700.

LEADING LAWYERS

Professional practitioners who put their

CLIENTS in crisis need advice from lawyers with cool heads and experience to get them through their issues with dignity and justice. But where to turn for sound, expert legal advice?

Here “CityNews” showcases some of the most passionate and professional practitioners of Canberra, and their particular specialities.

Proactive lawyers taking care of business

NATIONAL Business Lawyers doesn’t just perform legal processes but it looks at the whole picture, says its principal Francis Low, who has been in the practice since 1990.

Based in Phillip, National Business Lawyers specialises in areas such as conveyancing, business succession (including exit strategies for departing members of a business), commercial leas ing and sale and purchase of businesses with extensive knowledge.

But Francis’ area is estate planning and he says he crafts wills and powers of attorneys in a holistic and integrated manner having regard to his clients’ overall assets, family circumstances and other relevant matters.

“We don’t merely perform legal processes but are proactive, incisive, holistic, solution-orientated and strategic in our approach to solving our clients’ problems,” he says.

“[And], we keep clients up to date at all times.”

“We interact with our clients in a friendly, punctual and honest manner.

“We are always thinking about the best way to reach the best outcomes for each client.

National Business Lawyers is a boutique law firm dedicated to providing expert advice with a personal, caring touch. Francis Low, Director of National Business Lawyers has been practising law in Canberra for 28 Years.

We are the Experts in:

• Wills, Powers of Attorney (ACT & NSW)

• Probate

• ACT & NSW Conveyancing

• Business Law including Business Succession Law

• Sale and Purchase of Business

• Commercial Leasing

National Business Lawyers, Level 1, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Call 6230 5399, email kthompson@nblawyers.com.au or visit nblawyers.com.au

clients to the fore

Daryn thrives on commercial property deals

Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, commercial and property solicitor Daryn Griffiths is proud to be part of its fixed-fee model, which is an affordable way for clients to be part of the entire process.

He says the main reason he joined Capon & Hubert is because of the way it operates.

“There’s specialists in each area of law so, therefore, I can concentrate on my specialist area,” he says.

While Daryn covers all areas of commercial and property law, he says commercial property transactions for small businesses is his area of expertise, and it’s also what he thoroughly enjoys.

“I like to be able to get inside a client’s business knowledge and see how I can value add to that,” he says.

Being a former small-business owner himself, Daryn says he gives his clients more than just straight legal advice and can talk to them about their documentation, business set-up and monthly bills.

He describes it as a more holistic approach and as well as providing clients with a face-to-face service, he can use his background to help keep costs down.

“My services would be beneficial for anybody who’s in the property sphere, including commercial property purchases, such as property or business assets,” he says.

“Any small-business people who are acquiring or leasing assets or buying into business franchises.

Commercial and property solicitor Daryn Griffiths of Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators.

“[As well as] mums and dads who are buying or selling or downsizing, or older people moving into retirement villages.”

Daryn says he enjoys providing his services to these areas, but his point of difference, and the Capon & Hubert point of difference, is they keep their clients informed, every step of the way.

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

Legal services with experience

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.

“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 also provides services such as

conveyancing, commercial law, litigation and dispute processing, property and planning law, and agency matters.

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

Conveyancing laws in NSW and the ACT have become quite complex in the last few months.

At Capon and Hubert Lawyers we are up to date with the changes in Stamp Duty, Identity Verification, and Tenancy laws. Our Conveyancing Solicitor will apply these changes to your unique situation and work with you for the best result.

FAMILY LAW Separating or Divorcing…

“When you need someone to fight for you, no one fights harder than a viking” Level 1, 28 Morisset Street Queanbeyan Phone 61 471 600 info@marjason.com.au marjasonsolicitors.com.au

“The Vikings”

Criminal lawyers dedicated to protecting clients

McKENNA Taylor Lawyers might be a new firm in Canberra but its partners are backed with more than 10 years’ experience, says partner Adrian McKenna, who works alongside Tom Taylor.

Based in the Nishi Building, Adrian says he and Tom have practised exclusively in criminal law defence throughout their careers and will continue to do so at McKenna Taylor Lawyers.

“We also represent applicants and respondents in the related area of protection order matters,” he says.

Unlike other transactional and commercial areas of the law, where law firms are gradually automating their services, Adrian believes criminal law calls for the complete opposite approach.

“Facing criminal charges can be one of the most stressful times of our clients’ lives and calls for as much face-to-face engagement as possible,” he says.

“From the moment we first speak with our clients over the phone and meet for our first conference we know one of the priorities is to help our clients understand the enormity and full implications (whether big or small) of what they are going through and how we will best protect them.

“As a boutique firm you will know you will get the full attention and direct benefit of our wealth of experience in criminal law and will not be palmed off to a junior lawyer or paralegal.

“We believe in building meaningful relationships with our clients, where they are kept fully informed through every stage of court.”

McKenna Taylor Lawyers, Level 9, Nishi Building, 2 Phillip Law Street, NewActon. Email info@mckennataylor.com.au, call 6243 5115 or visit mckennataylor.com.au

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Rome’ comes to Canberra for the summer

By Helen Musa

ALL roads will lead to the National Museum of Australia from this week as its newest exhibition, “Rome: City and Empire,” opens to the public.

That and other aphoristic Roman puns will be inevitable as staff settle in for an exhibi tion running through the summer, with a host of terrific public programs, including one in which two Roman mosquitos guide kids around the Eternal City.

There are 260 artefacts from as early as the 9th century BC and images of little Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf.

One person who knows very well how to do as the Romans do is NMA curator Lily Withycombe. She’s the on-the-ground person responsible for ensuring that this show and its substantial catalogue, featuring “Why Rome Matters: An Australian Perspective”, co-written with NMA director Mathew Trinca, have an Australian flavour. In it, Norman Lindsay’s ribald impression of Petronius’ “Satyricon” is set against an image from Sydney’s Mardi Gras.

World in 100 Objects” in 2016. It’s only travelled outside England once before, to Nashville, Tennessee.

And, indeed, Rome continues to resonate today through our forms of government, law, architecture, language, engineering and religion.

Withycombe did her PhD in archaeology, rattling around the Capitoline and Palatine hills in central Rome, and she proves to be an entertaining human encyclopaedia on all things Roman.

The exhibition, she explains, which comes from the British Museum, is the third show in a collaboration with them, following “Encounters” in 2015 and “A History of the

“It is an exciting time to be working here and it has been a pleasure to deal with the British Museum people,” she enthuses.

With sensational, sometimes huge, sculptures and frescos, it is nonetheless a very up-to-date show. It includes recent discoveries from repositories such as The Selby Hoard, unearthed in Yorkshire in 2010. In such hoards, as the Roman Empire was waning, wealthy Romans stashed away their often-revealing personal treasures.

“They show us how humans lived,” Withycombe says, pointing to the beautiful

ARTS IN THE CITY

“luxury goods” such as fine silver spoons and delicate silver toothpicks.

This is the largest display of Roman objects ever to come to Australia and is divided into five parts – The Rise of Rome, Military Might, The Eternal City, Peoples of the Empire and In Memoriam.

Augustus may have said: “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble”, but as in Ancient Greece that marble was often painted and what we’ll see, Withycombe says, will be “a colourful and vivid spectacle”. That will include a gilded wall painting from Nero’s decadent Golden House.

In the past, Withycombe has addressed Canberra’s classicists on portraiture in Ro -

man sculpture and there will be no shortage of distinctive characters on show.

The key image of the exhibition is a striking, ferocious female face, probably that of the notorious Messalina. Then there’s Commodus, the evil son of Marcus Aurelius played by Joaquin Phoenix in “Gladiator” and the emperor Hadrian, the only royal personage to be depicted with a beard. These are all “real” people, with hairstyles of famous women such as Cleopatra as recognisable as Maggie Thatcher’s.

In the stunning entry to the show there will be a 2.5-metre-tall Roman magistrate from the 1st century AD in full toga, but there’s also a full-size priestess in Carrara

He will, they will totally rock you

By Helen Musa

IAN McLean’s Peewee Productions, which staged “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the AIS Arena in 2015, has a November production there of the Queen musical, “We Will Rock You”. Bookings to premier.ticketek.com.au

THE Japanese Film Festival is presenting a free, classic film program at the National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc Cinema, September 28-29. Most are adapted from novels by celebrated authors, translated to the screen by cinematic masters such as Japanese auteur Seijun Suzuki, whose “Kagero-za” (September 29) is the story of a playwright who meets a beautiful woman he suspects is the ghost of his patron’s deceased wife. Bookings to nfsa.gov.au

LOUISA May Alcott’s novel “Little Women”, newly adapted by Kirsty Budding and her co-director Glynis Stokes, will be at the Courtyard Studio, September 24-29, with alternating casts. That will be interspersed with Budding’s own reworked play “The Art of Teaching Nothing”, now directed by Rachel Hogan at the same venue, September 26-29. Bookings to 6275 2700.

FOR one night only Filipina artist Juana Change and political satirist Mae Paner will

they raise questions of extrajudicial killings and human rights. At Street Theatre 2, 2pm and 6pm, Sunday, September 23. Bookings to 6247 1223.

MARCELA Fiorillo will present “Argentina Magica”, a piano recital of music by Argentina’s most eminent composers Ginastera and Piazzolla, before taking off to perform in NZ. At Wesley Music Centre, 7pm, Friday, September 28. Bookings to marcelafiorillo.iwannaticket. com.au or at the door.

between men in a mash-up of extreme physical risk-taking, movement and slow-motion fight sequences. The Playhouse, 8pm, Wednesday, September 26 only. Bookings to 6247 1223.

IGITUR Nos and the Oriana Chorale, conducted by Matthew Stuckings, will perform an arrangement of “Carmina Burana” for voices, two pianos (Colleen Rae-Gerrard and Anthony Smith) and a percussion ensemble at the High Court, 1.30pm, Sunday, September 23. Register at hcourt.gov.au

marble. Most of the women portrayed, Withycombe says, are aristocratic, but images on bowls speak to the lives of ordinary people who lived across the Roman Empire.

Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day and the exhibition follows the city as it grew from a cluster of small villages to become the centre of an empire encompassing more than a quarter of the world’s population. It’s a fair bet that even very small children are going to love this exhibition. Those flies buzzing around the museum are called Marcus and Tullia and they’ll take the kids on a journey through the stinkier parts of Rome. Richard Fidler will provide a more sedate guide for adults.

At the end, visitors will doubtless be saying, like Saint Augustine, “Rome has spoken”.

“Rome: City and Empire”, National Museum of Australia, until February 3.

James Cook – hero or a harbinger of doom?

By Helen Musa

CAPTAIN James Cook, enlightenment hero or agent of Western imperialism? The National Library is about to address this question as libraries do, through journals.

Director-general of the Library, MarieLouise Ayres, says it’s a “world-first”; two “Endeavour” journals from the British Library in London will join the NLA’s own “Endeavour Journal”, in a free exhibition designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the voyages.

When the words “change the date” and “no pride in genocide” were painted on a statue of Capt James Cook in Sydney’s Hyde Park last year, there was a media explosion.

For the previously unimpeachable Aussie icon and hero of the European Enlightenment was in the process of being reassessed here and in the region as a harbinger of doom for all the first peoples of the Pacific.

It’s part of the discourse about the damaging effects of colonialism that have been explored in recent years, including by actor Sam Neill in his book and History Channel documentary, “The Pacific in the Wake of Captain Cook”.

Now in a magnificent coup, the National Library of Australia will have all three of Cook’s handwritten journals from his Pacific voyages on display in an extended show that lets the public decide for themselves about the complex scientist, discoverer and map maker.

“Reuniting these journals is significant

because they are Cook’s own record, in his own words, of how he experienced the three Pacific voyages from 1768 until his death in 1779,” Ayres says.

In addition, Cook’s last logbook, which ends about a month before his death, also on loan from the British Library, will be shown.

“CityNews” caught up with co-curator of the show, Susannah Helman, who says the exhibition, the library’s big summer show, has been in preparation for a couple of years.

She is quick to assert that neither she nor co-curator and map expert Martin Woods has any political agenda, telling us: “After 250 years the library thought it was timely to have another look at Cook, to let the diaries speak for themselves and let the public make up their minds”.

She says they’re not taking sides in an argument about Cook, but have gathered all the voices, including those of first nations people in the Pacific.

Her response to our question about Cook’s dubious popularity in NZ and Hawaii, is measured: “It’s very interesting these days to see how different people look at Cook differently and what he means across the Pacific and in

the world today”.

With that in mind, she explains, the library has assembled documents and artefacts from its collection and other museums and libraries, ranging from watercolours to rare maps, notebooks to even a playbill inspired by Cook’s voyage.

They’ll also mount a public program plan to talk about why Cook is such a central figure.

So, why is he? Helman doesn’t conceal her admiration.

“He was essentially a mapmaker, a self-made man who succeeded incredibly through his own energies and efforts,” she says.

Cook mapped a huge part of the Pacific. Europeans had been there before but those parts did not appear on maps. He completed the map of Australia and NZ, too. He taught mapping to the famous navigator William Bligh.

“These maps meant that the world would never be the same again,” she says.

“Perseverance was one of his defining attributes but as a man, he was quite ascetic. He was one of the only people on board not to exploit female islanders on the travels.”

The exhibition is a thoroughly modern one technically, with digital images to allow people a close-up look at the diaries – visitors will be able to turn pages in the multimedia displays.

“Cook was a very complex man so the exhibition raises complex issues,” Helman says.

“His personality was widely admired but in his last voyage he was increasingly tired; at 50 it was very old to be at sea.”

The last voyage, she says, “was very hard and isolating and he had a lot of trouble with his ships”.

A keen observer, he was the navigator who got on to the role of vitamin C in scurvy, but the focus in the show will be more on Cook as a man of serious science.

“After all, he went to the Pacific primarily to observe the transit of Venus,” Helman says.

“Cook and the Pacific”, National Library of Australia, September 22-February 10. Free exhibition.

GALA ART AUCTION 2018

CINEMA

Crazy pavement of events that lead to... murder

“A Simple Favour” (M)

IS it a comedy? A chick-flick? A thriller? A mystery? Not one of those labels on its own adequately describes the genre of this clever little movie written by Jessica Sharzer adapting Darcey Bell’s debut novel and directed by Paul Feig. Its most egregious element is the way it observes the development of the chalk-and-cheese relationship between go-getting, rich-bitch corporate executive Emily (Blake Lively) and mousey housewife Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) supporting herself by making video-blogs of day-to-day exciting moments in her kitchen. Quite early in the film, you could be forgiven for wondering why Stephanie should succumb to the blandishments of friendship that Emily tosses her way. The only apparent connection is that each has a small son in the same class. Was their meeting pure chance? Why should Emily invite Steph to her house to share Emily’s large supply of vodka? This is the first indication of something amiss. And its consequences portend more than Emily’s alcoholism. Finding the real reason is the first step along a crazy pavement of events leading to murder. Murder of whom? To reveal this would be to spoil the amateur sleuth lurking in the soul of every dinki-di film lover. The implications pop up with increasing frequency.

What’s not to like about “A Simple Favour”? It may not challenge our brains but it’s great fun and quite satisfying when it starts to unravel the mystery. Kendrick and Lively carry the main burden of the plot with style. Lively is drop-dead spectacular. Kendrick’s high-speed vocal delivery may annoy people who want to think about what she’s saying in this sentence before beginning the next.

And for readers consulting their dictionaries about the meaning of “egregious”, it can be “outstandingly bad” or “remarkably good”. See the movie, make your choice. At all cinemas

“Beast” (M)

AN adolescent girl has been murdered on the island of Jersey and the residents are more than a little concerned.

One young woman isn’t overly bothered with that. The relationship between tourist guide Moll (Jessie Buckley) and her mother (Geraldine James) is close to toxic. When Moll, on her day off, goes for a rural walk with an amorous young man whose importunations get a tad too insistent, she is grateful for the intervention of another young man Pascal (Johnny Flynn) who seems to be just right for her. They become lovers. Things seem to be going fine. However, “Beast” is a thriller and to that point its conflicts are rather mild. But that’s a mere waypoint on its dramatic journey

Filmmakers are coming to the Channel Islands in a slow trickle that may well become a flood – remember “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”? Pearce’s creative craft makes impressive use of the locations. And the visual and dramatic authenticity of his staging and filming of the denouement surely has few equals in the whole history of cinema.

At Dendy

“Christopher

Robin” (G)

BUILDING a movie on the foundation laid by AA Milne’s novels that have a rightful place in the lore and language of children’s literature, was an act of optimism.

Since 1966, the franchise for the stories featuring Christopher Robin and his stuffed toys, together with characters that his father invented that never were stuffed toys, was traded to the Disney entertainment empire.

Thankfully, there is no Disney input into Marc Forster’s filming of a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Oscar-winning Tom McCarthy. Has that trio done honour to the memories of Milne father and son? My judgement is that by their exclusion from the original books, beginning with “Winnie the Pooh” in 1926, they’ve come close.

In this film, after surviving World War II, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) now works in a London office. Times are hard; business is in crisis. While his wife and daughter go for a promised weekend away from London, by opening time next Monday, Christopher Robin must find a solution to save the Winslow luggage factory from folding. Meanwhile, in his house in the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh wakes up and goes in search of his chums. Much of the film’s early stages deals with finding them. The rest flows along lines evocative of the adventures of Paddington Bear.

Children will take no harm from it. Of whatever age.

Street food served with affection

By Wendy JOHNSON

KISS-kiss. It’s what Momoda means, in a slangy kind of way.

This new eatery is all about affection, especially affection for casual-but-yum Chinese street food. First, let’s set the scene. Momoda is a sister establishment to finedining Wild Duck, Kingston Foreshore, but the personalities of the siblings are radically different.

The food is equally delicious at both establishments, but Momoda is a hyperenergised teenager daring to be different. As a Chinese eating house and bar, Momoda embraces unconventional approaches to absolutely everything it does.

The cocktails ($18) take you on a liquid adventure. Some offer plenty of kick, like the Spicy Angel with Szechuan vodka, chilli, Chinese rice wine and lime, and the Penang Curry with tamarind, curry leaves, vodka, Aperol and Malibu. Get ready is all I have to say…

Sharing dishes is the way to go, although we passed by the odd-sounding double cheeseburger dumplings. Perhaps another cocktail was first required.

From the “small” section of the menu, we highly recommend the Mongolian kangaroo spring rolls ($9), which were super stuffed with meat, veggies, herbs and spices, all beautifully offset with the fresh ginger salad.

The lemongrass cured salmon is super

subtle. The salmon was creamy on the palette and the dish lifted a notch or two with green apple and soy sago ($15). It was lovely but too subtle (for our liking).

The dragon-cut cucumber salad, with strawberry and bocconcini ($8) is a pleasing combo of flavours with an unusual texture (for some, anyway).

Last we munched on crunchy Taiwanese chicken wings with salty egg yolk and hundred spicy salt ($12), which we found as divine as the roo rolls. Indeed, both dishes are must tries.

A highlight from the “share” section is the fried rice ($17) – another unusual combo of flavours but featuring ingredients that work together exceptionally well. The rice is prepared with Chinese fermented olive, snake bean, shitake mushroom and sweet corn. It comes with a fried egg on top decorated with salty fish roe.

Momoda’s décor is quirky. Well-worn bikes hang on the wall, well-travelled, vintage-style suitcases pop up here and there, and a fabulous wall of hanging red lanterns greets diners near the entrance.

A couple of service issues need refining. Two sauces were whisked away even though we hadn’t finished with them. Although it might be the service style, we would have preferred a more sensible pace to the serv ing of dishes, so the hot ones weren’t stone cold by the time we got to them.

Momoda, 39-47 Northbourne Avenue, Civic. Open Monday to Wednesday, noon-10pm; Thursday to Saturday, 10am-midnight. Call 6262 9814.

WINE / prosecco

As Aussie as lamb chops

By Richard CALVER

I RETURNED from interstate to find my adult children waiting to surprise me by taking me out to a Father’s Day dinner.

Excellent, I said: “I will provide the wine”. We decided on Thai food and from the wine fridge I extracted a prosecco, a light, sparkling wine that goes well with middle-range Asian food such as Thai noodles. It was not an Italian prosecco but a 2016 Box Grove from central Victoria, supplied by the Wine Gallery at $23. And here the didactic dad overtook me.

When we arrived at the restaurant and had ordered, I declaimed in advance of the meal being served.

Grabbing up the bottle, now devoid of its beer-like cap, I said: “Australian winemakers are still permitted to call the wine made from grape variety prosecco, a prosecco even though it has been re-named the “glera” grape variety in Italy.

Producers of prosecco from the Veneto region in north-east Italy have succeeded in protecting the geographic integrity of the prosecco name within the European Union but not outside of that zone. In Australia the protection would be reflected in the legal regime established here that distinguishes particular geographic regions as not being able to be used to describe Australian wines, as well as protecting certain Australian places and language. It has an amazingly pompous name: the Register of Protected Geographical Indications and Other Terms. It’s kept by Wine Australia (an Australian government authority) in accordance with the Wine Australia Act. The Register contains a list of geographical indications and traditional wine terms that are protected under Australian law.

“So, while sparkling wine produced in Australia can’t be called Champagne, because it doesn’t come from that region in France, we can say that prosecco is as Aussie as lamb chops because it comes from grapes formerly known as prosecco and is grown here, mostly from the King Valley in Victoria.”

My children were amazed.

“Wait it’s Father’s Day,” said my daughter, “and not one joke yet, not one cringe-worthy dad joke. How can this be so?”

My daughter indicated that the worst time was when she was in London and we had spoken on the phone. I had apparently remarked that swine flu was everywhere around the world and could lead to the oft-predicted dystopia of a land bereft of people.

“You then said that you had recently called the swine flu hotline. I was aghast. Do you remember: I said: ‘Oh, no, what happened?’ and you said: ‘I just got crackling’.

“That was so irritating,” said my daughter.

“But at least it was funny,” said my son.

I swirled the prosecco in my glass and remarked on its apple fruit flavour, how it was not overly sweet and how the wine went very well with the Thai food.

There was a silence and perhaps that’s why after a while the conversation strangely turned to death. I said yes to cremation and no to being on a machine, just like my mate Bruce, I said to my children.

“He was sitting in his living room and being contemplative. He said to his wife: ‘Just so you know, darling, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on a machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’

“So his wife gets up, pulls the plug from the television set and pours down the sink the three quarters of a bottle of Aussie prosecco that he had sitting next to his armchair.”

And there it was: the Father’s Day

New directions for Rep’s new season

By Helen Musa

CANBERRA Rep may be a senior citizen, but the theatre company that’s been going since 1932 has announced that its 2019 season will be titled “New Directions”.

While the season will include classics, a musical revue, suspense, laughter and “riotous mayhem”, one big change will be the renaming, for the coming year at least, of Theatre 3 as the Naoné Carrel Auditorium in honour of the previous president of Rep and formidable actor who died in 2014.

The 2019 season also reflects a move to an annual subscription season rather than the confusing system of recent years where the program overlapped into the next calendar year.

This means that Aarne Neeme’s production of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” is the first play for this new annual season.

In another first, in partnership with the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council the final play will be a joint production to play in both The Q and Theatre 3, designed to build audiences and theatre communities

across the border.

After the Ibsen, a groundbreaking play in Western theatre, there’ll be “To Kill a Mockingbird” directed by Anne Somes; the Kander and Ebb musical revue, “The World Goes ’Round”, staged by Jarrad West and “The Art of Coarse Acting”, six short plays that demonstrate how things can go wrong, directed by Chris Baldock. There’ll be a change of mood with Aussie playwright Alma De Groen’s play, “The Woman in the Window”, directed by Rep veteran Liz Bradley. Then things lighten up for the end of the year with Noël Coward’s retirement-home comedy, “Waiting in the Wings”, directed by former Rep manager Stephen Pike.

Rep Season 2019 bookings to 6257 1950 or canberrarep.org.au

GARDENING

By Cedric BRYANT

SPRING is one of the most exciting times in the gardening calendar and the Pieris family, commonly called pearl bush (the panicles of flowers resembling strings of pearls) provides a special delight this time of the year.

Almost all of the original species were collected by English plant hunters from China, Japan and Himalaya in the mid-19th and early-20th century. From these, many hybrid varieties have been cultivated. “Hillier’s Manual of Trees and Shrubs”, the bible of plants, lists more than 50 varieties.

I grow several varieties and, as I write, I am looking out at Pieris japonica “Christmas Cheer”, a particularly hardy variety from Japan now covered in rich pink flowers.

A taller variety is “Forest Flame” with the leaves starting red and changing from creamy-pink to green will have large panicles of white flowers appearing as we go into spring.

Other varieties that do well here include “Bert Chandler”, which was bred at his nursery in 1936 in the Victorian Dandenong Ranges. This is a medium shrub that grows up to two metres

tall. The young foliage is salmon-pink changing to creamy yellow then white and finally green.

Surprisingly, this Pieris is grown mainly for its attractive contrasting leaves.

Pieris floribunda is a compact, dense, rounded shrub, also about two metres tall. The greenish-white flower buds provide interest during winter before producing a solid mass of pure white flowers in early spring.

Pieris like the same conditions as rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas as illustrated in the photo taken in the inner courtyard of the National Film and Sound Archive in Acton.

ONE of the most popular events for flower lovers is the Orchid Society of Canberra’s Annual Show, this year at the Ainslie Football Club, 32 Wakefield Avenue, 10am-5pm, on Saturday, September 22 and 10am4pm on the Sunday.

Orchids are one of the two largest plant families in the world with more than 26,000 known species of which there are more than 250 Australian species. From these there is in excess of a staggering 110,000 registered hybrids with more being bred almost on a daily basis somewhere in the world!

Orchids have been grown as a popular hobby for centuries, with Confucius, for example, who lived 2500 years ago, known to be an orchid lover. They were also used by ancient societies for both medicinal and culinary purposes.

One amazing fact is we would not have Brazil nuts without orchids. The Brazil nut tree has a specialised flower that can be pollinated only by a very special female bee known as the Euglossine bee. The male Euglossine bee relies on a specific orchid species to collect a scent essential to attract and mate with the female bees.

Vanilla is derived from the seed capsules of the vanilla orchid, a Mexican species. My thanks to Peter Coyne, of the Orchid Society, for sharing some interesting facts about this amazing plant.

Jottings...

• Chrysanthemums are just emerging from the ground after their winter sojourn. Now’s the ideal time to dig and divide, as usual to fill in blank spots in the garden with the excess potted up for fetes etcetera. Chrysanths planted out now will flower in the autumn.

• Likewise, Ajuga reptans or bugle flower with its mass of blue flowers in spring into early summer. Runners can simply be pulled up and replanted as a perfect ground cover for sun or shade.

PUZZLES PAGE

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

The sparks are set to fly on Monday night, when the Aries Full Moon amps up your fiery and feisty side. Then expect some annoying frustrations and delays on Tuesday or Wednesday, especially involving your job, future goals or close relationships. So you’ll have to dig deep to find a quality that you usually have in short supply… patience. Thursday and Friday are the best days to push an ambitious project ahead with renewed motivation and plenty of Aries passion.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

This week’s planetary patterns hinder your progress, as a project stalls and you feel as if you’re going nowhere. Don’t give up Bulls! The stars are testing your stamina and persistence, The Full Moon encourages you to tap into your bountiful reserves of inner strength as you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on keeping on. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great, writer F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Are financial worries festering in your mind? Stop stressing about money and instead, do something tangible about it. When it comes to a work matter or a job interview, crank up the Gemini charm and dress to impress! Thursday and Friday are the best days to contemplate a current problem and then turn thoughts into action. As writer (and birthday great) F. Scott Fitzgerald reminds us: “Either you think – or else others have to think for you and take power from you.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

It’s a good week to increase your public profile, complete a professional project, give a speech or be proactive about tackling DIY projects at home. But you’re likely to feel rather lonely, as family and friends are preoccupied with their own problems and communication is blocked in some way. So avoid being overprotective, as it won’t be appreciated by loved ones. All relationships need room to breathe and there’s a big difference between loving and smothering.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The Full Moon revs up your gypsy gene and activates your adventure zone. But hold your horses Lions! If you are too hasty, you could run headfirst into obstacles. You also need to be extra careful when communicating with others (in person and via social media). If you say something or send a message when you’re not concentrating (or are feeling rushed) then it could lead to serious consequences. Thursday and Friday are fabulous days to follow your true destiny.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

You’re keen to power ahead with a financial matter, a business project or a creative idea. But expect delays or challenges as Saturn seems to stymie every move you make. Don’t stress Virgo! Switch your settings to cruise control and use the down time to review your approach and reassess your plans. Thursday and Friday are fabulous days to exercise, hit the gym, play sport or go for a long walk. Your mantra is from birthday great Olivia Newton-John: “Let’s Get Physical!”

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Expect some relationship rumbles this week, as the Full Moon stimulates your partnership zone. Saturn also urges you to get the ratio right between your personal needs and those of your family. If you always give too much (time, energy and support) then there’ll be no petrol left in the tank when you need it. So do your best to reset the balance between giving and receiving. Thursday and Friday are fantastic days to be proactive and creative, as you sparkle and shine.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Scorpios have strong likes and dislikes and don’t do things by halves… especially when there’s a Full Moon! And you could also find it difficult to let go of a grudge or grievance this week. If you stew over perceived slights and sweat the small stuff, then you’ll just end up feeling stressed and exhausted by the end of the week. Avoid getting drawn into complicated discussions – especially with a relative or neighbour. Do your best to bring more balance into your busy life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Monday night’s Full Moon shines a bright light on romance and friendships. Socialising with loved ones will put a spring in your step and a smile on your Sagittarian dial. But money matters look challenging (especially on Tuesday and Wednesday) as you are hit with extra bills, expensive repairs or rising costs. It’s imperative that you work out a strict budget and stick to it – ASAP. Thursday and Friday favour networking, group activities and community connections.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

This week’s celestial salad throws a full dose of frustration into the mix, as your power planet Saturn squares the Sun and slows everything down (especially at work). Which could send your stress levels into the outer stratosphere. Calm down Capricorn! Your motto for the moment is the Serenity Prayer (from Reinhold Niebuhr): “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

With proactive Mars powering through your sign, you want things done quickly and you want them done now! But Saturn has other ideas. If you slow down and are more astute in your appraisal of people and situations, then it will save you time in the long run. And does it seem to be taking forever for your dreams to come true? Are you blaming circumstances (or those around you) for the delays? Take a long look at yourself Aquarius. Perhaps the saboteur is actually you?

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week the Full Moon shines light on a financial problem, a puzzle that needs to be solved or a challenge that needs to be overcome. You’ve certainly got big and beautiful aspirations for the future. But reality planet Saturn urges you to make a clear distinction between an achievable goal and an airy-fairy fantasy. With the right balance of idealism and realism, you can make your wishes come true. Your mantra for the moment? Dream a dream and then make it a reality!

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018

10 What might we call a policeman (coll)? (8)

11 What is a person to whom one is engaged to be married? (6)

12 Who was the last person to be hanged in Australia, Ronald ...? (4)

13 Which term describes units of inheritance? (5)

16 What is iron, in a modified form? (5)

19 What is the nickname for the Geelong AFL team? (4)

21 Which hotel room is used by guests for relaxation purposes? (6)

22 Name the less familiar term for scholarly people. (8)

23 What are currents at variance with the main currents in a stream? (6)

24 Which expression relates to Christians, as distinguished from Jews? (8)

25 What is a state of suspended physical powers and activities? (6)

Down

2 Name a European republic on the northern shores of the Black and Azov seas. (7)

3 What is a body of retainers in attendance upon an important personage? (7)

4 What is a trough in a stable, from which horses or cattle eat? (6)

5 Which bands of tough fibrous tissue serve to connect muscles to bones? (7)

6 Which liquid hydrocarbon is used in making synthetic rubber? (7)

7 Name a well-known Premier League member. (7)

13 What is the science that deals with the earth, rocks, etc? (7)

14 Name the mythological god of the sea. (7)

15 Which is the eighth sign of the zodiac? (7)

17 Thor is the god of what? (7)

18 Name the Spanish painter noted for his abstract and exaggerated forms. (2,5)

20 The most cunning or wily, is the what? (6)

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