CityNews 181004

OCTOBER 4, 2018

When trust fades, apply more spin

PAUL COSTIGAN

Work hard, lose the next election!

MICHAEL MOORE

The hypocritical tale of two territories JON STANHOPE

GUITAR GONGSTER

Legendary Foreigner co-founder Mick Jones is getting an award from the ANU

NEWS / community centre’s 40th anniversary

Weston Creek’s tireless centre of attention

By Danielle NOHRA

MORE than 40 years ago a group of people described as Canberra’s first community “activists” and Weston Creek’s unofficial council met in the old homestead in Chapman.

“In those early years our main, onthe-ground, activity was the issue and distribution of a newsletter to garner support and keep the community in formed,” says Maurice Sexton, who’s been part of the Weston Creek Com munity Association in various roles since it began in 1972. These days he’s its president.

With no official council until 25 years after the Weston Creek Commu nity Association was formed, Maurice says their other main activity was to lobby the government for a community centre.

Maurice, 83, moved to Duffy from Melbourne in 1972 with his wife Mary and their two daughters at a time when, he says, more than 20,000 people were dumped into Weston Creek and into a group of new suburbs that had virtually no sense of community and support services.

Not long after moving he heard

ing to set up an organisation for the community, so he joined.

“Many of the prime movers were associated with local churches and embryonic school and sporting groups,” he says.

In 1977 the Weston Creek Community Association became the first community group in the region to get a centre, with Maurice turning the building’s first sod that same year.

community centre and they weren’t very interested,” he says.

“In the old days we didn’t even have local government, we had to go to the Federal minister of the Territory.

“The breakthrough came when the relevant authorities were considering developing a shopping centre in Weston Creek.”

During this time Maurice, a public servant, and other members were in the centre.

Since 1993: Volume 24, Number 37

The centre opened its doors 40 years ago, in April, 1978, and Maurice says he’s since seen decades of community spirit.

But one event that stands out the most was during the 2003 bushfires where the centre offered its squash-

court showers to the community.

“We’re not funded at all by the government,” Maurice says.

“Initially squash was our main income source but now we rent out function rooms.”

In the earlier days Maurice says the association was more of a “seeding” organisation because it was closely involved in establishing social, youth and counselling services in the area.

Some of the association’s tenants now support other parts of the community such as Communities@Work and Maurice even remembers giving a helping hand so the Raiders could get started.

But, he says, the association couldn’t have done it all without its tireless manager, Yung Tran, who has been part of it for about 30 years.

Describing him as the “heart and soul” of the place, Yung, 60, of Melba, came to Canberra as a refugee from Vietnam. He was working in the public service and decided to take the job at the community centre because he felt an attraction to the place.

“The appreciation and the acknowledgment of the people you help is overwhelming,” Yung says.

“I’m here to work for the community [because] we’re the voice of the people.”

More information at westoncccentre.org.au

Arts & Entertainment 19-21

Cinema 21

Crossword 23

Dining 21

Gardening 22

Horoscopes 23

Letters 10

News 3-11 Politics 11

photos 16-17

Meikle, 9b/189 Flemington Road, Mitchell. Cover: Foreigner’s Mick Jones. Photo by Bill Bernstein. Story Page 10.

by

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SEVEN DAYS Cafe gone, but clueless Jamie can’t say why

THE impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU has hit the Canberra food scene.

The shingle bearing his famous name no longer hangs outside Jamie’s Italian in Civic after its sudden closure in April but Jamie Oliver is still none the wiser. The scooterriding Naked Chef told “The Australian”: “I honestly don’t know [what happened]”.

Oliver’s North Quarter eatery remains closed, adding to the neglected tone of the food precinct. The 43-year-old speculates “a perfect storm of rents, rates, the high street declining, food costs, Brexit” may be to blame.

CANBERRA’S contribution to punk comedy features on a new ABC TV documentary. “Tick F***ing Tock” – a two-part series – covers the stellar career of the Doug Anthony All Stars who honed their skills as street performers in Garema Place in the mid 1980s. Tim Ferguson Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler say the edgy title is a reference to time running out for the group. DAAS has been described as “crucially important in the development of Australian comedy” by consistently “pushing the boundaries of humour and good taste to their absolute limits”.

SOME welcome good news for the local ABC amid the firestorm that raged through the corporation removing its MD and chairman.

per cent) and heading the breakfast field (18.7 per cent). But early morning presenter Dan Bourchier has Radio National’s Fran Kelly snapping at his heels with a 17.5 per cent share. The survey shows 56.7 per cent of all Canberrans tune to an ABC radio format for breakfast.

A POPULAR dinner-party topic around town – airline cancellations – has intensified lately. Conversations across the capital are dominated by tales of frustrated travellers and cancelled or delayed flights. One man who planned to leave Canberra late one afternoon and fly to the north coast of NSW to arrive the following morning was forced to drive overnight to meet his deadline. His return was just as problematic. Another story begins with a planned flight to Canberra on Tiger from Melbourne at 9.30am and being bumped from flights all day until finally leaving at 6pm.

The latest Canberra radio survey reveals the ABC back on top of the pile overall (15.3

dose of dorin

since its launch. One black-and-white snap features a full-grown elephant, from a touring circus, arriving on campus as part of the traditional student scavenger hunt.

ACROSS the border there’s a creative commemoration underway. Queanbeyan is awash with special memories and activities until October 12. “180 Mementos |180 Years” is a two-week event celebrating Queanbeyan’s 180th birthday and featuring 180 objects, including Mark Webber’s go-kart, world champion squash player Heather McKay’s racquet and a James Bond doll from the collection of Queanbeyan actor George Lazenby who played 007 in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.

RICHARDSON residents awoke to find up to five roadside signs completely flattened. The suburban banners, supported by two steel poles anchored in cement appear to have been deliberately knocked down by a large tank or at the very least a heavy vehicle with a serious bullbar. And in a nearby stormwater drain a mangled supermarket trolly bore witness to a wave of senseless vandalism.

A NOSTALGIC mood is sweeping the region with a string of anniversaries. September 26 marked the 45th anniversary of the controversial acquisition by then PM Gough

Whitlam of “Blue Poles” by American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock . At the time the public backlash was savage, and not just over the price tag of $1.3 million. Art historian Patrick McCaughey once described the work as “never had such a picture moved and disturbed the Australian public”.

THE University of Canberra dragged out the photo album to reflect on the 50 years

AND still on anniversaries, plans have been announced for “Yes!Fest”, a street party to coincide with the first anniversary of the historic “Yes” vote for same sex marriage. A range of activities are planned for Braddon on November 17 and has been described as “Mardi Gras meets the multicultural festival”.

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OPINION / double standards

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. WHILE the sacking of Malcolm Turnbull has dominated the news and taken the focus off the debate on the repeal of the Andrews Bill it is worth revisiting the issue.

The Andrews Bill, which was enacted to deny the territories the capacity to legislate on the issue of euthanasia, is unarguably an affront to the democratic rights of people living in the territories and in a proud democracy such as Australia, should not be tolerated.

However, the debate in the Senate was captured by people both for and against euthanasia, determined to treat it as a debate about euthanasia and not one about democratic rights and equality. A majority of those in the Senate, including Senator Zed Seselja, ignored the democratic issue at the heart of the debate and voted to maintain the status quo.

Since the vote, Senator Seselja has been under sustained attack from the ACT’s other Federal representatives and from Labor and Greens members of the ACT Assembly, as well as many of his constituents. I too believe that his decision to vote against the motion was wrong. And I say that as a constituent who opposes euthanasia. I am disturbed by the dripping

The debate leading to the decision to abolish selfgovernment and to deny the people of Norfolk Island, an entire Australian community, the vote, lasted about one hour.

hypocrisy and double standard of those senators and members, particularly from the ACT and the NT, who justified hooking into Senator Seselja and others who voted against repeal of the legislative ban on euthanasia on the grounds of the affront it was to the right of “territorians” to be treated equally and not as second-class citizens.

The Andrews Bill applies, of course, to all of Australia’s territories, not just the ACT and the NT. For example, it also applies to Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, all of which have permanent populations of loyal and proud Australians.

It was only three years ago that both houses of the Federal Parliament voted unanimously to repeal the Norfolk Island Act and to abolish self-government. That decision, which was fiercely opposed by 68 per cent of the residents of Norfolk Island was led by the member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann and Warren Snowdon from the NT, and supported by every ACT and NT member of the Parliament.

All animals are not, of course, equal and karma is certainly non-

discriminating.

IF anyone in the ACT or the NT is feeling like they have been treated as a second-class citizen because they have been denied the right to have a say on the question of euthanasia, spare a thought for the residents of Norfolk Island who have been denied a say in anything relating to any state-type function.

I recently read all of the Parliamentary speeches given in the debate, held on May 14, 2015, to abolish self-government on Norfolk Island. There were five speeches in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate.

The debate leading to the decision to abolish self-government and to deny the people of Norfolk Island, an entire Australian community, the vote, lasted about one hour.

Not a single speaker had the courage or the integrity to address the consequences or implications of removing from an entire community the most fundamental democratic and human right, namely the right to be involved in decisions relevant to the day-to-day services that govern the quality of their lives, such as health

and education.

The Greens, who supported the decision to trash the rights of Norfolk Islanders, didn’t even bother to speak to the motion.

It is interesting to compare the Parliamentary debate on the abolition of self-government on Norfolk Island with the recent Senate debate on restoring a single legislative right to the ACT and the NT.

Gai Brodtmann, for example, summarised her support for the decision to abolish self-government on Norfolk Island, which she represents, in the following terms: “There is no point in having self-government for self-government’s sake. It is clear to me that the current governance arrangements have met only the basic social and economic needs of Norfolk Island. For self-government to have my support it needs to be stable, economically responsible, democratic and in the best interests of the people it serves.”

It is interesting, then, to compare her approach to the democratic rights of Norfolk Island territorians with the territorians of the ACT. A few weeks ago, for example, she said: “I do want to remind Zed Seselja that he

is a territorian and he represents the people of the ACT. This is a question of territory rights; this is a question of equality and the right of people of the ACT to enjoy the same rights as those in (the States). In 2018, in a democracy that’s only fair.”

At least Seselja has been consistent. He voted against the rights of both the ACT and Norfolk Island. As much as I disagree with him, I find that more honourable and palatable than the appalling hypocrisy of those ACT and NT members and senators who happily and unthinkingly trashed every right that the people of Norfolk Island once enjoyed but are now bleating about the refusal of the Senate to restore to the ACT and the NT a right on a single issue. Hypocrites.

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

CANBERRA MATTERS / battling the bulldozers

When trust fades, apply more political spin

WHAT does the ACT government do when it is obvious that it has lost the trust of its residents? Simple – double down and do something even more outrageous.

On Thursday, September 7, two ACT government ministers, Mick Gentleman and Rachel StephenSmith, published “alternate facts” about what residents are saying should happen on the Dickson Parklands site (Section 72).

Their media statement is simply insulting spin attempting to justify the bulldozing of much of the community parklands site to make way for some social housing and a load of residential apartments – with heights indicative –that is, yet to be determined.

Residents see the Dickson Parklands’ availability, a community site, as the last chance for cultural and arts facilities for the growing number of residents across the inner north. They also do not want to lose any more trees. Enough is enough! Where are the Greens on this? Surely not silent again?

The government continues to make development decisions with no respect for residents and no willingness to represent the voices within their own electorates.

While people have been clear about the need for more social housing in and around Dickson, locals have said repeatedly, but not on the Dickson Parklands site. As for using a community site for apartment towers – you’re kidding!

Despite residents’ views being documented for years, the ministers’ statement makes it clear that the residents’ aspirations for this important site are to be ignored.

Unfortunately in Canberra we have politicians who encourage planning bureaucrats to bend the truth, publish alternative facts and use insulting spin to hide deceptive practices. Is this a definition of telling lies? Is this how a democracy works? Do they tell their loved ones about their use of deceptions and questionable practices to cheat residents of the character of their cherished suburbs?

In the lead up to the 2016 ACT elections, planning and development issues were hot topics. So hot that Chief Minister Andrew Barr acknowl-

edged this was a problem (something he rarely does) and committed to fixing things.

Some deck chairs moved slightly, new expensive CEO’s appointed, new agencies created, and then the planning bureaucracy carried on as if nothing was wrong.

To add to the insults, the planning chief even made a series of statements about how planning processes were to be improved and that he was focused on the community. Nice words – but yet again nothing changed. The community around Dickson is being offered even more workshops and is being asked to go online and have “your say” – again. To what end? One can only imagine that this latest “engagement” stage will be as fruitful as all the previous. Residents will be ignored and misrepresented.

The decisions on the Dickson Parklands, along with the ridiculous application of zoning in Campbell (destroying the urban forests and biodiversity), the proposal to bulldoze West Basin to build an apartment suburb (further ruining Civic and the lake’s heritage values), and monstrous proposals elsewhere across Canberra,

all point to that someone’s election commitment to change was a joke played on the electorate. Was it another big lie?

The goings-on around this inappropriate and unpopular Dickson Parklands proposal are similar to what is happening in many suburbs. The government continues to make development decisions with no respect for residents and no willingness to represent the voices within their own electorates. Bureaucrats are dispatched to override the residents’ voices who mostly remain polite in the face of this onslaught. The ACT government has learnt that by using such brutal tactics that it can get away with delivering horrible proposals time and time again.

If the government was honest and trustworthy, it would be consulting in a determined manner to see its planning bureaucrats treat residents with respect and intelligence. This is not happening.

Are there no politicians or potential independent politicians willing to take a public stand against the new disastrous proposals for Dickson Parklands, willing to actually represent the people who elect them and to call a halt to the many atrocious things being done to our bush capital?

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

GRUMPY GOOD PEOPLE

Supply and demand, they’ve got you!

Crossword’s painful ‘birch’

Regain the freedom of your home

WITH the introduction of the new “smart meters” ActewAGL has also introduced an extra charge of actually supplying electricity.

What a blatant rip-off!

Reader M McGREGOR, of Curtin, is grumpy about an extra charge that’s popped up in his electricity bill

In addition to the regular supply charge ($1.26 per day) ActewAGL has also added a new tariff named, appropriately, “demand tariff”.

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The purpose of the new tariff, they explain, is to encourage customers to use less electricity at peak times, thus avoiding strain on the electricity network. “Peak times” are described as 7am-9am and 5pm-8pm.

The basis of calculating the new demand tariff is for each smart meter to record one 30-minute period within each month that uses the most electricity (in kilowatts), and then apply a fixed rate ($0.141960 from July 1) for every day of that month!

This is a blatant rip-off, totally unreasonable and incapable of being justified.

I mean, to apply a tariff, based on the highest 30-minute period of usage, to the whole of the month when it was probably recorded in one of the “peak” periods anyway? And, to make matters worse, the GST is added on top of it.

As a result, my latest bill showed the normal “supply charge” ($96.70) but then added a further $152.62 for the new “demand

tariff” to supply the same electricity! And we are aged pensioners in our early 80s!

ActewAGL apparently reasons that this “hip-pocket” encouragement will result in people using less electricity during peak periods. But aren’t those peak periods the times when people actually need to use the most electricity, starting the day with washing, showering, radio/TV, cooking breakfast etcetera and, in the evenings, returning home to the TV, air conditioning, cooking, computers etcetera. In fact, the times when a 30-minute period will use the most electricity?

Does ActewAGL really think that people will change their habits, or are they banking on people not changing, so they can sit back and reap in the extra dollars, perhaps to pay for their smart meters?

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

PUZZLE solver Mel Morgan, of Harrison, heads this week’s “Good People” column for sparing, what a reader describes as, “thousands of ‘CityNews’ readers, a migraine”. While perusing the “CityNews” crossword of September 27, she looked at the clue for 19 down: Which term suggests a relationship to birch? She wondered if this was a typo and should read “birth”, especially given the answer was “natal”.

Editor’s note: We discovered “birch” was in the original text from the crossword author. Alas, our internal checking missed it, too. Thanks, Mel.

ELSEWHERE, an elderly resident of Garran, perhaps the victim of one too many curry puffs the night before, was “caught short” early on a Saturday morning while waiting for his local newsagency to open. Darren and Karen came to his rescue, bundling him into their bathroom and thereby averting an environmental disaster and a severe case of embarrassment followed by the walk of shame.

Have you met any “good people” lately? Tell us about them at editor@citynews.com.au

What’s in a name? Notoriety if you’re James Cook; nothing if you’re Joseph Cook, the prime minister who STEPHEN HOLT reckons we’ve all but forgotten.

AUSTRALIAN prime ministers get to have a Federal electorate named after them after they die.

There are 22 deceased Australian prime ministers and after the latest redistribution there are, seemingly in line with this practice, 22 Federal seats bearing the name of a deceased prime minister.

There is an anomaly though and it bears directly on our latest PM.

Joseph Cook was prime minister from 1913 to 1914. There is a Federal seat of Cook. Its current holder is Scott Morrison.

Despite this, Joseph’s name means little to most people whereas another Cook – James Cook – has been famous since the 18th century. Cook the navigator swamps Cook the PM in the recognition stakes.

Capt Cook was always going to have a seat in the national parliament named after him. An electorate called Cook was created in 1906. An innerSydney Labor seat, it lasted to 1955 when a population decline led to its abolition.

In 1969 Cook became a seat once more, strongly Liberal this time and based in Sydney’s south-east suburbs. It was named solely in honour of the sailor and not the politician even

though Joe Cook, having died (in 1947), was eligible.

In 2006, the Australian Electoral Commission proposed that the seat be jointly named for Joseph Cook.

This step was unknown by Scott Morrison when he gave his first speech as member for Cook in 2008. He was chuffed to note that Capt Cook was “the namesake of my electorate”. Cook, he said, “landed at Kurnell and so began the modern Australian story”.

There was no mention of Joseph Cook. The AEC’s belated initiative in co-naming the seat had not registered with Morrison or with anyone else for that matter.

This was hardly surprising since Joe Cook, who was born in England in 1860, was very much into fudging and switching his identity. This process began when he altered his name after he embraced Methodism. His discarded original surname was Cooke.

A colliery worker, Joe migrated to Lithgow in 1885. He was a founding member of the Labor Party and was elected to the NSW parliament in 1891. Rejecting caucus solidarity in 1894, he became a Minister in the Free Trade ministry of George Reid.

Cook entered Federal parliament as a member of the Reid faction in 1901. In

World War I Cook fused with Billy Hughes in another expedient coalition. The Liberal Party dissolved itself and the name lapsed until the 1940s.

Liberal Party. Cook became its leader when an ailing Deakin had to retire.

In 1913 Cook was the first Liberal Party leader to win a majority in an election for the House of Representatives. In a preview of our own times he became the first elected Liberal Party Prime Minister to be frustrated by a hostile Senate. He lost a double dissolution election, Australia’s first, in 1914. When the Labor Party split during

Cook served as Hughes’ deputy until retiring from politics in 1921. Previously he had been a solid deputy to both Reid and Deakin. He was efficient, diligent and scrupulously loyal but came across as plodding and humourless.

Cook, who was knighted in 1914, and his school teacher wife Mary had eight children. Despite being an exemplary family man, he was eminently forget-

table as a public figure. It took almost six decades for a Federal electorate to be co-named after him – hardly a giant step – such was his overwhelming selfeffacement.

The name of the Belconnen suburb of Cook does nothing to perpetuate the memory of our sixth prime minister. It’s also co-named after James Cook whose fame continues to obscure Joseph Cook. He is fated to remain our forgotten prime minister.

Stephen Holt (sjholt@fastmail.fm) is a Belconnen writer.

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Vice-chancellor’s gong for Foreigner guitarist

The ANU’s school of music head is conducting a rock tour, his vice-chancellor is handing out a gong to a guitarist and legendary band Foreigner is performing. What’s happening? Arts editor HELEN MUSA brings it all together

CLASSIC rock will combine with symphonic orchestration when one of the highest-grossing bands of all time, Foreigner, and its lead guitarist Mick Jones arrive in Canberra to begin their 40th anniversary tour of Australia and NZ.

Foreigner, co-founded by Jones with Ian McDonald and famous for numbers such as “I Want to Know What Love Is”, “Cold as Ice” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” has had nine Top 10 hits, the same as Fleetwood Mac.

Jones, who once co-wrote a song with Eric Clapton, will on October 10 receive the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Musical Achievement from the ANU’s Brian Schmidt.

There’s a unique ACT angle to this news, because the band’s latest album, “Foreigner with the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra and Chorus”, has been orchestrated by Kenneth Lampl, head of the ANU School of Music, his wife Kirsten and their friend, the American cellist and composer, Dave Eggar. In May the album shot to the top five on the Billboard 200’s Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts.

Not just that, student musicians from the School of Music, will accompany Foreigner on the coming tour, forming the core of an orchestra to be augmented by local youth orchestra musicians in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and at Sydney Opera House. The ANU Symphony, Lampl says, will serve as a recruiting activity for the school.

When “CityNews” catches up with Jones by phone to New York, his dry

humour emerges immediately.

He knows Australia well, having been here just after Foreigner’s first album was released in 1976 and looks forward to the opportunity to view a few of “the old ‘roos” in Canberra. He describes the orchestrated tour as “fun and it’s a nice change of pace from the rock thing”.

Jones, who has produced or co-produced every Foreigner album as well as Billy Joel’s “Storm Front” and Van Halen’s “5150”, still keeps up a cracking pace at age 74, but he doesn’t mind a few accolades like the one about to be conferred by Schmidt.

“I don’t get very much of that,” he says, “except for the Hall of Fame, [in 2013 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame] that sort of stuff is very nice… it makes the kids proud of me.”

He has seven children aged 30 to 44, and adds: “If I get a platinum, they love it.”

With his huge fan base, he appears laid-back but is in fact driven, telling CityNews “gotta keep working.”

Jones is notable among rockers for having established solid careers in three countries – his native England, France and the US, where he now lives.

As a young man living through what he calls “the Rolling Stones era” he says he was “mainly listening to what everyone else was listening to, American R&B, Chuck Berry and Marvin Gaye”.

His role-model guitarists were Buddy Holly, first heard when he was in short trousers; Pete Townshend, of The Who, and George Harrison for his melodic playing – in his view Harrison

Canberra Theatre Centre, in association with the Royal Military College Band and proudly supported by the Canberra Labor Club, presents Music At Midday six times a year.

CTC is seeking registered charities to apply to participate in Music At Midday in 2018. Selected charities will be recipients of all donations collected on concert day.

For more information and an application form, please visit canberratheatrecentre.com.au

APPLICATIONS CLOSE MONDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2018

ration with Clapton on the song “Bad Love”, that was “pretty cool”.

In the 1960s Jones went to France to play back up for a day, fell in love and stayed for seven years.

“I studied at the University of Life in Paris and went as far as I could go in French music,” he says.

LETTERS

“I started writing there but I was too young to slip into middle-age.”

He moved again and his biggest successes were in the US, followed closely by England.

On the go all the time, he prefers to play down the fact that advancing age makes it a bit harder.

“We arrange it so that it’s not too

Hands and hygiene at the hospital

RECENTLY I visited the Canberra Hospital five times to see a patient. On each visit only one of the four hand sanitisers near the entrance was working.

On the first occasion I asked where I could find a specialist who had been at the hospital for 14 months. The inquiry area told me they had no record of him – but to go to Outpatients and ask. They misdirected me, but finally a friendly doctor passing by told me he was on Level 8, not Level 2.

On each visit I went to the coffee shop. Having worked many years in public health I couldn’t help but notice one gentleman serving food without hygiene gloves. Those preparing coffees also had no gloves. One server sneezed into her hands – apparently no tissues! And then the piece de resistance – my coffee was handed to me with all five fingers around the top of the cup where the mouth goes. This happened frequently to others while I sat having my coffee.

Having commented in this vein, my sympathy is with the staff. Hospital management seems to have forgotten it has a “no excuse” responsibility to train all these good workers in whatever capacity they are serving us.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

Solutions to ‘mess’

PLANNING in Canberra is in a huge mess. The solutions are simple:

Any block that’s big enough should be allowed to be upgraded to a twin title (good enough for the government’s “Fluffy” blocks, good enough for citizens). It would also stop the massive need for high rise and allow a more suburban lifestyle.

Betterment tax to be 15 per cent on the unimproved value. This would release land and innovative designs.

The stupidity of the heritage tree policy on home blocks and street nature strips, where solar axis is blocked and new buildings need to be built on stilts to protect the roots, should be reworked. Trees can be replanted, just like the government’s doing for the tram.

Basically, there’s one rule for the government and another for citizens.

Ben Gershon, Woden

gruelling, but these days travel is easier and more comfortable so I’m not complaining, I love getting out of the house and going on tour.”

They’re even planning shows in China, a first for the band.

Jones is rather chuffed that when he gets to Canberra he’ll be working with young musicians from the university, saying: “I never studied classical music, but I enjoyed certain composers and the power that an orchestra can bring acoustically.

“Any time I ever performed with an orchestra I’d think, ‘what the hell is this huge wave of sound?’”

They’re not trying to do anything too clever, he asserts.

“We’re trying to do it more subtly so that the strings and the brass enhance the electric sound.”

He gave the Lampls specific instructions not to do just a simple orchestral arrangement, but to reinterpret their original songs in a classical style.

Jones wanted the overture to have a quotation from Dvorák’s “New World Symphony”. That idea, he says, came to him in Switzerland when they were recording the album and where he talked to the Lampls. “Local promoters in Lucerne said, if you’re interested we can provide an 80-piece orchestra and 50-voice choir and before we knew it, we were in the orchestral setting, we had a lot of fun,” he says.

Describing it as “a thing that’s building up,” he says the first real test will come with the Australian tour, where Lampl will be conductor.

“It’s all moving along and we’ll be doing the orchestral thing in China, too.”

But, he is quick to say: “It’ll still have the rock edge to it.”

Foreigner’s 40th anniversary concert, Royal Theatre, Friday, October 12, bookings to ticketmaster.com.au

BRIEFLY

Author to talk of freedom’s daughters

HISTORIAN and author Clare Wright will talk about her new book, “You Daughters of Freedom: the Australians who won the vote and inspired the world”, at the 2018 Dymphna Clark Lecture, to be held at the RN Robertson Lecture Theatre, Building 46, ANU, 7pm, on Wednesday, October 17. The book looks at the contribution made by five women in the early years of the 20th century who took the campaign for female suffrage to the UK and the US. Bookings via trybooking.com/YJQM

Scones and books

IF the books don’t get you the freshly baked scones will at the next book sale at St Ninian’s. Beyond morning tea and lunch, there are second hand books on offer including fiction, non-fiction, cookery, gardening, manuals, children, magazines and more. At the corner of Mouat and Brigalow Streets,Lyneham, 9am-1pm, Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

Bowlers wanted

THE Weston Creek Travelling Bowlers Group is calling out to healthy, mobile seniors keen to share conversation, fresh air and a Sunday afternoon game of bowls. Beginners welcome and bowls can be supplied. Inquiries to 6241 8800.

POLITICS / government backbenchers

Work hard, lose the next election!

HOW many of the following can you identify: Tara Cheyne? Bec Cody?

Michael Pettersson? Suzanne Orr?

Backbench members of the Legislative Assembly don’t get much chance to build a profile despite it being a factor critical for re-election under Hare-Clark.

Will their hard work cost these MLAs the next election?

Chris Steel was recently elevated from backbench to Minister. What about the others? We are now pretty close to half way through the electoral cycle. My own “off-the-cuff poll” with a few colleagues tested the recognition factor of those above. It does not bode well for many of them.

Tara Cheyne was familiar to some. Perhaps because of her role as chair of the Belconnen Community Council before the 2016 election and being in the electorate of Ginninderra.

Michael Pettersson was recognised by one. He has recently announced legislation to remove the minor civil penalties that apply to personal cannabis use. The Labor Party has allowed him to introduce controversial legislation, which will assist in improving his profile.

The others did not score well on recognition amongst my small, unrepresentative sample. It is quite unfair. These government backbench members work extraordinarily hard on Assembly committees. They wrestle with complex issues, negoti-

Maybe the rumours that Andrew Barr might step down that have been circulating for more than a year might be motivated by his own backbenchers hoping for a break!

ate outcomes with the Opposition and crossbench members and seek sensible, informed and evidencebased decision making in the Legislative Assembly.

Bec Cody is deputy chair of the Justice and Community Safety Committee and sits on the powerful (and busy) Public Accounts Committee. However, she also is part of Select Committees on the Independent Integrity Commission, Estimates and is currently chair of the controversial End of Life Choices Committee. These roles require extensive reading, running public inquiries, negotiating agreements, dealing with differences of opinion and being heavily involved in drafting reports.

with the No Self-Government Party in 1989, served a single term working like a Trojan as a committed MLA (despite the party) but was never able to build a positive profile.

Similarly, my close colleague, Helen Szuty, was incredibly committed to Assembly work in the Second Legislative Assembly. However, she simply did not build a high enough profile to be successful at the following election. The same was true for MLAs such as Norm Jensen, Lucy Horodny and many others who were not able to capitalise despite making important contributions over the years.

It is not all doom and gloom. Former MLA, Mary Porter, could serve as a role model. She established an amazing reputation and profile in her own electorate in Belconnen and in the wider community simply through hard work and community engagement. She attended an enormous number of community functions, listened to constituents, solved problems and followed up with the appropriate ministers.

It is possible that my (very poor) sample was not able to see the work from Suzanne Orr (Yerrabi). She does serve on committees suitable for building a profile. Perhaps she has done so in different ways in her own communities. But hard work within the Assembly is not enough.

Health medal for Michael

FORMER MLA and recently retired head of the Public Health Association of Australia

This is repeated by others as unseen, critical work for the ACT community. However, no matter how much there are community calls on politicians to “get on with the job”, this type of hard work is rarely rewarded at the ballot box.

Hard work in Assembly committees has, of itself, not always paid off electorally. Carmel Maher was elected

This is the challenge for government backbenchers unless they can build their profile or be elevated to a ministerial role. Maybe the rumours that Andrew Barr might step down as Chief Minister that have been circulating for more than a year might be motivated by his own backbenchers hoping for a break!

Building a profile takes time and is critical to re-election. Nationally, the community wants our politicians to stop “politicking” and get on with the work. The danger in the ACT is that this might just mean reducing chances for some MLAs continuing working hard in the Assembly after the next election.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health.

Michael Moore was one of two people honoured as outstanding leaders in public health at the Australian Public Health Conference 2018.

Moore, who is also the political columnist for “CityNews”, was honoured with the Sidney Sax Public Health Medal, the PHAA’s top prize awarded to individuals who have made a notable contribution to the field of public health.

Moore’s work on challenging health issues during his time as ACT Minister for Health and Community Care, which included drug law reform, campaigning for the legislation of voluntary assisted death and protecting the health of vulnerable and marginalised groups such as sex workers, was acknowledged.

• Opportunities to live in the community, form new friendships, build confidence and develop strengths.

• Improve quality of life through connecting with community and mainstream services.

• Access to housing and support services, medical, leisure and social activities.

Understanding and

CELEBRATED in more than 100 countries, Mental Health Month is an annual program to raise community awareness and understanding of mental illness, reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness, and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

World Mental Health Day is on October 10 and is widely recognised in Australia with one in five Australians experiencing mental health issues every year.

In Canberra, the Mental Health Community Coalition ACT co-ordinates Mental Health Month and this year its theme is “Identity and Growth”.

“We need to be able to look at each other as whole people and not just identify them with mental illness or any other condition,” says the coalition’s chief executive, Simon Viereck.

“We need to be able to say: ‘I’m okay with me and I wouldn’t change a thing’.

“That means accepting who we are with all the warts and all.”

Simon says it’s really important to remember that people with mental health issues are still treated differently.

“So Mental Health Month is an important opportunity to raise the awareness of

mental health and the importance of looking after your own mental health and seeking help early if you need it,” he says.

“Mental Health Month is also a good opportunity to start conversations with other people about mental health and about how they are doing.”

The coalition will kick off its awareness raising at a carnival-styled launch in Garema Place, Civic, on Friday, 4.30pm6.30pm, on October 5.

On Thursday, October 11, will be the Mental Health & Wellbeing Expo, also in Garema Place, 11am-2pm, which will see 70 local organisations encouraging people to learn more about the mental health services available in the Canberra region and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

“The expo is our annual opportunity to come and sample some of the mental health and wellbeing services in the ACT,” Simon says.

“There will be everything from health services to yoga, to drumming, to a visit from a pet therapy alpaca and a pet therapy dog.”

Mental Health Community Coalition ACT, room 1.06, level 1, The Griffin Centre, 20 Genge Street, Civic. Call 6249 7756, email admin@ mhccact.org.au or visit mhccact.org.au

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING EXPO

OCTOBER 11 2018

11:00am - 2:00pm

Garema Place - Petrie Plaza and City Walk, Civic

The Mental Health & Wellbeing Expo is a free public event bringing the ACT community together to celebrate positive mental health and learn more about the services available in the ACT

Join over 70 local organisations in a fun market day atmosphere with interactive activities, sausage sizzle and music.

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH LAUNCH CARNIVAL

OCTOBER 5 2018

4:30pm - 6:30pm

Garema Place, Civic

Come along and celebrate the launch of Mental Health Month 2018! Grab a bite to eat under the city lights in a fun, laid-back carnival atmosphere Live circus performances, music and face painting are just some of the fun activities lined up for the evening

reducing the stigma

Shopping centre’s special festival

LED by “Happy Healthy Strong” author and advocate Rachael Finch, “Festival of You”, a celebration of “you”, kicks off at Cooleman Court on Monday, October 8, says Coole man Court marketing manager Laura Howes.

The three-week campaign will also feature self-worth coach Cassie Mendoza-Jones, decluttering diva Kristina Duke and Mind Momen tum’s Wendy Gilroy.

“We have been working hard to put together a fantastic schedule of events for everyone to enjoy and having exclusives like Rachael Finch and Cassie Mendoza-Jones at Coolo for their only Canberra appearances is the icing on our 40th birthday cake,” says Laura.

horses teach people a lot about themselves.

“They gave me really clear feedback on how they felt about the anxiety I was carrying,” she says.

people who don’t know how to set boundaries.”

Lisa also recommends it for team building and leadership as it teaches people about traits such as respect.

Horses, Connecting Heart and Head

Experiential learning in an outdoor fun environment, where individuals learn lessons at their own pace. Activities are predominantly from the ground and not about riding or horsemanship. That is, except for our Horsemanship for Confidence Program.

To celebrate the milestone, Laura says on October 27 and 28 local schools and community groups will be providing entertainment.

Cooleman Court, Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6288 8800, email info@ coolemancourt.com.au or visit coolemancourt.com.au

“It made me reassess the way I was delivering my messages to them.”

So Lisa went out and did some horsemanship training with a professional horse trainer in Victoria but decided she didn’t want to just be a horse trainer, so she did further training in equine-assisted learning.

“We don’t nurture our mental health as much as our physical health but we need to take an approach to our mental health too because it’s all integrated,” she says.

Believe Equine Coaching and Training, Settlers Road, Royalla, NSW. Call 0411 558604 or email believeequinetraining@gmail.com

Learn in the horses’ environment becoming part of the herd. Be challenged through practical exercises as individuals and as part of a team. The emphasis is on participants being present, mindful and respectful of themselves, their company and surroundings. All the while building self-esteem, self-confidence, trust, respect, resilience and reducing anxiety.

Through predominantly ground based activities within the herd, participants explore a combination of herd-based philosophies and horsemanship techniques to demonstrate our reactions and responses to everyday situations.

Our programs provide opportunities for individuals, couples, families, teams and leaders. Suitable for NDIS self-managed clients.

A self-care opportunity to “Fit your oxygen mask first”.

To find out more about our programs

Presents Presents Presents Present

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH / October

Centre for mental health recovery

Stories that help break the stigma

THE largest mental health recovery residential care in the area, Richmond Fellowship supports its residents and helps them find a more fulfilling life, says CEO Wilf Rath.

Founded in 1957 in England, Richmond Fellowship opened its head office in Pialligo in 1976 and has accommodation around Canberra, Queanbeyan and Goulburn.

Wilf, who has been the CEO in Canberra for 23 years says Richmond Fellowship initially ran programs for long-term unemployment but has since moved to focus on mental health recovery.

“Obtaining employment is an important

As part of the program, weekly activities such as cooking, indoor games and art are held at Pialligo.

“Socialising is important for those individuals,” he says. “It’s proven that when we get together in a social environment that general mental health improves.”

Richmond Fellowship homes, which are always staffed, have about five residents in each accommodation, who are all encouraged to create structure to help make a fulfilling life.

“People can contact us directly or NDIS to see if they can be supported,” Wilf says.

FOR two years now, This is My Brave Australia has been dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness one story at a time, says its co-founder Tim Daly.

After experiencing his own issues around anxiety and depression, Tim decided to use his background in events to put together a stigma-breaking arts activity.

“The arts activity is a light theatre show cast from members of the community with lived experience of mental illness,” he says.

“We present stories of lived experiences to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness.”

This is My Brave Australia has produced four shows since it began and will soon, on October 17, present its fifth.

Partnering with Mental Health Australia ACT, Tim says the funds raised will be donated to the organisation.

The stories could be from anyone who has lived experience such as a carer or a family member of someone with mental illness.

“It sets up a community of support within the cast members,” he says.

“I’m still in contact with people from the first show.”

This is My Brave Australia is also producing a series of films about mental health around the world, which will be played at the Canberra Mental Health Film Festival on October 13.

“We’re trying to expose people to stories of mental health, broaden their education and break the stigma,” he says.

“Theatre and film are an experience. It’s immediate contact with people telling their, what can be, emotional journeys.”

This is My Brave Australia. Email tim@thisismybrave.org or visit thisismybraveaustralia.com

Are you struggling with life’s problems?

Grow is weekly meetings of small groups of people who have experienced depression, anxiety or other mental or emotional distress, who come together to help each other deal with the challenges of life.

It can be extraordinarily liberating and a rming to share problems with others who are encouraging, accepting and facing similar issues with no fees!

Empathetic services for all life stages

SINCE opening three years ago, Dickson Psychology has been providing people of all ages and stages of life, caring and empathetic services, says psychologist and co-director Natalie Evans.

Natalie, who specialises in anxiety, trauma and relationships, works with preteens, teens, adults, families and ageing Canberrans while the practice’s other director, Dr Eliza Ahmed, who specialises in educational and developmental psychology, works with children, families and parents.

“With Eliza’s experience in academia and mine in community work, we really complement each other,” she says.

“We’re both trained professionals in helping our clients to work out where their issues might stem from and we assist

them to address them in ways to suit the individual person.

“We give them a toolbox of ways to better manage their day-to-day problems.”

As well as offering therapy services, Dickson Psychology also has diagnostic services.

“We specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of issues including anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, panic attacks, relationship difficulties, challenging behaviour, school and workplace difficulties, and trauma,” Natalie says.

Dickson Psychology, Suite F1, Dickson Chambers, 25 Dickson Place, Dickson. Call 6100 7383, email reception@psychadmin.com.au or visit dicksonpsychology.com.au

issues to meet with others who are going through something similar, says ACT field worker Joelle Low.

Founded in Sydney in 1957, Grow is a community mentalhealth movement, which was established after its co-founder Father Con Keogh suffered from mental illness.

“At AA he met and made friends with others, who, like himself, were not alcoholics but former mental patients recovering from breakdown,” Joelle says.

“They decided to meet on their own in addition to the AA meetings, to work more on their own particular problems.”

Grow, which has four groups in the Canberra region, uses a 12-step program with cognitive therapy to help people with issues such as depression, anxiety and panic

“It’s a peer-support program where people can share challenges and solutions for recovery, with members involved in all facets of governance from local leadership teams right up to the national board,” Joelle says.

With the motto “Truth, Character and Friendship”, Joelle says it’s about speaking the truth and hearing the truth about what people are feeling.

“It’s about character because we need to have growth and build our resilience,” she says.

“And friendship because loneliness and isolation are major factors in mental health.

“Friendship can break down barriers and provide people with courage to change and grow.”

Grow. Call 6295 7791, email act@ grow.org.au or visit grow.org.au/act

Advocacy help for getting things done

FOR more than 27 years the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Services (ADACAS Advocacy) has been in Canberra making sure individual stories and experiences are heard.

Projects co-ordinator Helen Connolly says ADACAS advocates for people across all disabilities, including social disability.

“People don’t need to define what their primary issue is,” she says.

“We work with people with mental ill health on any advocacy issue they bring to us and that might be around transport or around accomodation or around justice.

“We want to ensure that people with mental ill health have no infringement on their human rights.”

One of the big things Helen says ADACAS has done over the last three years is improve community and service awareness of the new Mental Health Act.

“It made specific provisions to allow people to actively participate in their own treatment care,” she says.

ADACAS Advocacy, Unit 14, Weston Community Hub, corner of Gritten Street and Hilder Street, Weston. Email adacas@adacas.org.au, call 6242 5060 or visit adacas.org.au

We all have the right to make decisions about our life. We all use support to make decisions. ADACAS is an advocacy organisation supporting people with disability, people with a mental health condition, older people and carers. Advocacy is about helping a person to have their voice heard and rights respected so they can live their own good life.

SCENE / around canberra

At Business after Business, UNSW Canberra

At the launch of Queanbeyan’s ‘Moments in

sundayROAST

Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.

It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.

Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.

THIS Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia has chosen the theme “a moment is all it takes”, and while a safety incident can happen at any time, a moment’s forethought can prevent harm.

Safe Work Australia was established in 2008 to develop national policy and guidance for workplace health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation.

All about getting home safely

THE main goal at Access Canberra, WorkSafe ACT is to make sure that all workers return home safely, says Work Safety commissioner Greg Jones.

But to achieve this, Greg says it needs to be a shared responsibility between employers, employees and the government.

During Safe Work Month, WorkSafe ACT will highlight high-risk areas in the workplace such as manual handling and “slips, trips and falls”.

“While we should focus on work safety everyday, Safe Work Month is an opportunity to highlight key issues

and what can be done to reduce the risk of injury in the ACT,” he says.

“With manual handling (meaning lifting things) if you do that incorrectly, that could result in lower-back, arm or knee injury.

“If a worker sees a hazard such as a frayed cable or an item that’s unprotected they have an obligation to report it and, at the same time, the employer has an obligation to keep the workplace safe.”

Access Canberra, WorkSafe ACT. Call 132281, email worksafe@act.gov.au or visit accesscanberra.act.gov.au

Industry leader for emergency training

Work-related injury and disease costs the Australian community $61.8 billion a year.

Safe Work Australia says no industry should be unsafe to work in and no death or injury is acceptable.

This is why, during October each year, it asks workers and employers to commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.

Visit Safe Work Australia on safeworkaustralia.gov.au/

AS the industry leader for emergency response training, Ferst Training Solutions has a focus on safety throughout the whole year, says director Gary Cheeseman.

“Our training gives people the skills to not only keep themselves safe but anyone who visits their workplace or facility,” he says.

“Ferst in… Safely out!”, is the catchphrase driving the team behind Ferst Training Solutions, which offers specialised emergency response training to workplaces in the ACT and NSW.

Since 2007, the family-run business has run a range of courses to workplaces including: Training of Emergency

“We endeavour to give people the skills so when something does go wrong, they have the tools to get out of that situation safely,” he says. All trainers have been in operational positions, meaning they have real-life experience, Gary says.

“Our training is practical and procedural,” he says.

Ferst Training Solutions. Visit ferst.com.au or call 1300 333778.

• use mechanical aids if available

• ask for help if something is too heavy or awkward to lift

• carry loads close to your body

• lift using your thigh muscles

• take regular breaks

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Hilarious, heartfelt and homicidal teen musical

By Helen Musa

PEER-group pressure and gross verbal abuse are the heart of a “deliciously dark” musical about to take the stage at Gungahlin College Theatre.

It’s one of those contemporary musicals that’s based on a cult movie, in this case Daniel Waters’ 1989 film “Heathers” starring Winona Ryder, who plays schoolgirl Veronica, who joins the in-crowd on campus and finds herself in the middle of a murder spree.

According to the producer of Dramatic Productions, Richard Block, it’s spot-on for 2018, an era when cyberbullying and other acts of shaming destroy the lives of high school students.

With clever music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, Block and musical director Matt Webster feel it’s bound to be a hit with young people in Canberra and they’ve had no trouble engaging bright, new talent.

Block is standing back for a while from directing and “Heathers: The Musical” will be staged by Grant Pegg and Kelly Roberts, who received a Canberra Critics’ Circle award for their 2016 production of “Spring Awakening”.

All a crazy race to the Finnish

ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa

THE Finnish Crazy Games are back again for 2018 to celebrate all things Finnish, such as wife-carrying, hobby horse-riding, mobile throwing, “air guitar” playing and Nordic dancing. At the embassy of Finland, 12 Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla, 10am-6pm, on Saturday, October 13, all welcome. Bookings for sauna visits and tours of the embassy to finnishcrazygames.com

THE Canberra mental health film “This Is My Brave” is aimed at providing an inspiring voice for social justice and human rights for people with mental illness. This year’s festival is at the National Film and Sound Archive, 9am-5pm,on Saturday, October 13. The day begins with “Calm in Chaos”, a documentary focusing on frontline service people dealing with PTSD. Bookings to nfsa.gov.au

LUMINESCENCE Chamber Singers are performing Frank Martin’s “Mass for Double Choir”, alongside four new commissions by Elliott Gyger, Brad Gill, Anastasia Pahos and Kim Cunio. At Wesley Uniting Church, 3pm, Sunday, October 7. Tickets at the door.

It may be based on a hit movie, but in Block’s view “theatre has a way of connecting with people, drawing them into an experience, it’s unlike movies; people really get involved in the work… you relate to people in musicals.”

Audiences, he says, will understand the theme that bullying has to be confronted and the musical shows will be attractive to the younger generation but, “because it deals with bullying and that plays out in the media these days, it should resonate with every generation”. However, the show is M-rated and “not suitable for the kiddies”.

about bullying and suicide… it looks bright and Jennie Norberry’s costumes are strikingly colourful.”

Veteran Canberra musical star Will Huang will play the murderous JD but they had no trouble casting the various Heathers – there are three of them and, of course, Veronica.

“I would be thinking that people will come out of this hopeful and inspired,” Block says.

“In this show people learn they can change, the world can be made a better place.”

“Heathers: The Musical”, Gungahlin College Theatre, October 12-27. Bookings to stagecenta.com

can learn about the environment and puppetry, create puppets from recycled materials and perform stories about our local endangered species. Some programs are already running but there are five-day programs available from October 8-12, and a single session on October 7, all culminating in a concert at 7pm on October 12. Bookings and details to agac.com.au

AN evening with Ivan Horvatic and Andrew Rumsey is billed as a sumptuous feast of French piano music. Swiss-Croatian piano virtuoso Horvatic and former Canberran Rumsey have performed in Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Israel, China, Canada, Switzerland, Croatia, Spain, Australia and the US. At Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, October 13. Bookings to eventbrite.com.au

ANU’s Chinese Classical Music Ensemble in conjunction with the Australia China Friendship Society, will hold a concert titled “Spring Thoughts” in the Larry Sitsky Room of the ANU School of Music from 2pm on Sunday, October 7. Bookings to trybooking.com

OPENING WEEKEND Sat 6 October

Many Canberra suburbs are home to the distinctive concrete bus shelters designed by architect Clem Cummings in 1975.

Nearly 500 shelters remain in place and over the past four years artist Trevor Dickinson has been on a quest to find and photograph every one.

Dickinson has selected over fifty of the most striking examples to draw and develop into digital prints. His collection reveals that every shelter has its own beauty and personality; and explores how these shelters shape Canberra’s unique suburban landscape.

Mon-Fri 10AM–5PM, Sat-Sun 12–5PM Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com.au

Early Christmas present for everyone

Bookings: canberraticketing.com.au Phone 6275 2700

CONVERSION SERVICE

Would you like to watch those old family videos once again, or listen to your favourite records on CD?

We can take your vinyl records or cassette tapes and put them onto CD and we transfer VHS tapes onto DVD.

Cooleman Court, Weston Creek | 6293 4677 | songland.com.au

MUSIC

“Grease”... the arena experience at Bruce, October 12-14.

In the arena of Sandy and Danny

By Helen Musa

“GREASE” will be the word at the AIS Arena when the popular musical hits Canberra soon.

This showstopper about a girl who learns how to fit in, coincides with the opening of the peer-group-pressure musical, “Heathers”, which opens on the same night.

Both deal with teenage angst in an entertaining way but “Grease,” the Broadway musical made famous by the movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, sets the gold standard in the genre.

Now Harvest Rain, a young theatre company from Brisbane, is touring this show with a core of 15 professional actors while also engaging hundreds of school children wherever they go to make up a publicised cast of 400 performers.

They’ll sing in the big numbers such as “Grease”

(Is the Word), “Greased Lightning”, “You’re the One that I Want” and “Born to Hand Jive”.

Ashleigh Taylor gets to play the coveted role of Sandy, the girl from Australia (the script never spells that out, but you can tell by the accent) who comes to the fictional Rydell High School circa 1959 and falls for the smooth Danny.

She gets in with the cool crowd, the Pink Ladies, but finds out that they’re not all that cool, with the raunchy Rizzo facing an unwanted pregnancy and “beauty school dropout” Frenchy trying to work out her future. A fairy god person appears to cast wise advice around and it all ends happily.

Taylor has trained in musical theatre at the Brent Street Studios in Sydney and has a swag of star roles to her name including Elphaba in “Wicked.”

So far she’s been with the show to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane again and next Canberra then Perth, with substantial breaks in between shows, during which she’s been writing her boutique musical called “The Life of Us”.

Taylor is trying to find a balance between playing in the Olivia Newton-John style audiences want and her own version of Sandy.

“You have to bring yourself to it and determine your own flavour, but it’s difficult to play somebody as iconic as Sandy,” she says.

Sandy, she says, starts out as wholesome and ends up “edgy, glamorous and ‘Rizzofied’ – it’s fun, I live for that moment at the end with the big hair and the red lips”.

But Danny, she says, comes halfway to meet Sandy’s needs, a point she and Tom Lacey, playing the role, have been keen to highlight. As well, the “beautiful relationship” between Sandy and Rizzo is far more evident in the musical.

Taylor likes the fact that the “Teen Angel” in this iteration is played by Christine Anu, though it’s normally played by a bloke.

“Grease the Arena Experience”, AIS Indoor Arena, Bruce, October 12-14. Bookings to ticketek.com.au

It will have you laughing and clapping from beginning to end and there is an uplifting, positive theme about being a woman that just puts a gold star on this production. I had a hot flush during the show but just fanned myself through it while laughing. Excellent Show!

‘Menoapuse The Musical’ follows the story of four women who discover they have plenty in common including mood swings, night sweats, hot flushes, lacklustre sex drive and much more! A sisterhood is created between these diverse women as they realise that Menopause is no longer “the silent passage”, but a stage in every woman’s life, which is perfectly normal! This hilarious musical parody is staged to classic tunes from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The clever changes in words will leave you smiling and even dancing in the aisles! Men love it too!

DINING / morning glory

From long nights Morning dawns

By Wendy JOHNSON

THERE’S new action in New Acton.

XO in Narrabundah now has a baby sister in the area, Morning Glory.

It’s a special place and the food is inspiring. Your heart pitter patters at the thought that Morning Glory is the result of a “distant dream and count less long nights”. Finally, it’s here.

The two establishments are related through their love of honest food and an intense desire to experiment and offer anything but “same old”. XO focuses on longer lunches and dinners. Morning Glory, perky breakfasts and lunches.

Where A Baker once lived, Morning Glory has an all-day menu that the team says includes dishes reminiscent of their childhood, such as eggs and soldiers. It also has Vietnameseinspired dishes and daring dishes such as black sesame waffles (we saw them at the table beside us… OMG!).

The place was pumping and we were lucky to grab a seat and get noticed. Even though the place was packed, the staff didn’t seem phased. Everything under control.

We shared the miso ocean trout, which just melted in our mouths.

My tastebuds danced with the dairy and gluten-free “Xiu Mai”, one of the most popular dishes ($18).

The chicken and veal meatballs sat in a super-rich and tasty tomato sugo, with chunks of tofu. It was topped off with an egg – all served piping hot in a small, cast-iron frying pan. I soaked up every bit of sauce with fresh bread. I’d pop by anytime for a second round.

My friend was thrilled to discover

Morning Glory has an all-day menu that the team says includes dishes reminiscent of their childhood, such as eggs and soldiers.

her choice was equally popular, the bhò kho casarecce (also dairy free and gluten free, $26). It is an adventurous beef stew with basil pangrattato. The fragrant star anise adds mystery to this wonderfully balanced dish.

Lighter dishes include the childhood-inspired eggs and soldiers but ramped up several notches with 62˚ egg, kaya and wyngaard cheese ($18). Toast comes with Chinese five-spice jam, kaya or yuzu marmalade ($9). Yum.

Heartier dishes include a lamb rump, which sounds so delish. It’s created with fermented red tofu, smoked potato and a spicy combo of herbs that is officially called “morning glory” ($29).

Our only concern was the noise. We get it was crazy busy, but there’s not a lot to absorb the sound it seems and the music almost painfully loud (likely to drown out the noise, but that just makes everyone really raise their voices). Still, we will be back. And we’ll likely dive into that black sesame waffle which comes, by the way, with raspberry and white chocolate ($18).

Morning Glory, NewActon Pavilion, 2/15 Edinburgh Avenue, Acton. Open seven days, 6am-4pm. Call 6257 6464. Nice that there was no surcharge for a Sunday.

Sir Ian’s art of playing the part

By Dougal Macdonald

“McKellen: Playing the Part” (M)

FANCY yourself as a theatrical groupie? Who’s the biggest theatre name that you’ve seen performing live? Mine happens to be the total focus of Joe Stephenson’s documentary in which Sir Ian McKellen tells the camera about the good, bad, even occasionally indifferent, events in his 78-year life. Her Majesty did the right thing when she admitted him to membership of one of the most exclusive groups on the planet, rewarding actors and mountebanks whose lives have enriched ours.

Stephenson has cast a short list of current actors to play McKellen at the BC (Before Cameras) stages of his life. That’s how you get to see McKellen in footage created before becoming a star at age 30, a name to be reckoned with in the theatre.

The film allows him constrained only by memory to speak his mind about family members and colleagues, Shakespeare and playwrights who have set dramatic standards since Marlowe (whose name McKellen helped to resuscitate in yet another play about an English king) and common folk waiting at stage doors in many lands.

What does the film offer to an audience with no or but little knowledge of the man and his career? A chance to take a preparatory course about the trade of wearing funny clothes and doing funny things, of being a monarch or a Middle Earth magician speaking somebody else’s words, about rallies against social injustices and one-on-one conversations with people praising his achievements or challenging him about social issues (particularly his sexuality, which he didn’t acknowledge until he was 49).

Got your interest, have I? Good. Now toddle

along and watch the film. Savour it. Enjoy meeting his chums. And be thankful that Ian McKellen isn’t yet ready to appear at the funeral about which he speaks with refreshing candour and delicious comedy.

At Palace Electric and Dendy

“Custody” (M)

MEET the Besson family. Myriam (Lea Drucker) and Antoine (Denis Menochet) are stating their cases before a mediator.

Which of them shall have custody of their 11-yearold son Julien (Thomas Gioria)?

In writer/director Xavier Legrand’s taut, intense drama, Myriam has taken Julien away from the home here the family used to live. She has had more than enough of Antoine’s mercurial temperament and propensity to violence. At the hearing, the bruises on her face testify what she has endured. Julien is terrified of him.

The mediator’s decision is for joint custody. From that point, the film follows father and son along an increasingly rocky path.

Myriam and Julien move to a new neighbourhood to avoid Antoine, who wants also to have contact with Julien’s older sister at her 18th birthday party. She doesn’t want Antoine to attend. Antoine wants to give her a gift. The party continues while Myriam and Julien quietly sneak away. In the small hours, Antoine arrives toting a shotgun. What follows is a taut and tense confrontation that merits admiration for its staging as much as for its content.

Some may find its tensions, conflicts, anxieties and fears somewhat uncomfortable to endure from the comfort of a cinema chair but its final quarter-hour more than adequately compensates.

At Palace Electric

WRITER/director Gus Van Sant has made a bold, confronting, credible and authentic movie about rehabilitation of a tortured soul in an injured body.

John Callahan wrote about his alcoholism, the car crash that left him almost totally paraplegic, the people he met and his subsequent life as a newspaper cartoonist.

By any measure, it’s an admirable cautionary tale about the unsuitability of strong drink as a life support and a tribute to Callahan’s determination to be himself after life dealt him a hand that might have sent lesser men (and before the accident he wasn’t exactly the model of courage or propriety) to an early grave. There’s reason to accept that it’s pretty authentic.

Joaquin Phoenix is memorable as Callahan, riding an electric wheelchair through road traffic at speeds symbolising equally an unquestioning acceptance of where he was coming from and what he cared about where he was headed.

Jonah Hill comes close to a similar accolade playing the convenor of the Alcoholics Anonymous group that Callahan entered on the first step out of his boozy dilemma.

Telling things as they were, the film doesn’t fit neatly into any generic slot. It doesn’t expect a flood or even a trickle of audience tears. It projects a sense of admiration for a man who overcame such powerful obstacles without abandoning his determination and self-effacing humour. Its quirky title offers a clue about its source.

By Cedric BRYANT

AS we head towards warmer weather and the prospect of spending more time outdoors, now’s the right time for spring cleaning in the garden.

I’ve just taken a large boot load of unwanted garden products to the Green Shed. This included excess pots, a fork and spade needing new handles and one surplus garden sprayer, all taking up room in the shed. Mower maintenance is time well spent. I suggest completely flushing out the fuel tank and the oil tank, if it’s a four stroke. Maybe a new spark plug is in order and, finally, give it a good clean.

Then there are the hand tools; rakes, spades and forks. If they have wooden handles, it’s a good idea to sand them and apply a liberal coat of linseed oil.

Try walking the whole garden while looking for broken or lifting pavers, possibly caused by tree roots.

And what about that neglected garden furniture; time to give it a new coat of paint? Or better still, replace it, especially if it’s timber furniture that’s been in the open. We’ve had a WA Jarrah seat for years.

happened when a family member recently sat on it? Crash, it collapsed! It took a full weekend to replace timber and give it two coats of paint. Don’t you just love the colour?

NATURALLY, part of any garden clean-up is dealing with weeds and moss on paths, a real slip hazard. Roundup, the trade name for glyphosate, developed by Monsanto, has been making headlines recently. The company has been ordered to pay compensation of several hundred million dollars to a man in the US who was found to have been affected by using this chemical.

Quoting from The Diggers Club, which only recommends certified organic products: “The World Health

glyphosate and in particular the Monsanto-formulated Roundup, also sold as Zero, was probably carcinogenic to humans in addition to causing cancer in animals. This is Australia’s most used weed killer by gardeners, farmers and councils.

“Recent research connects glyphosate to cancer, and malformation of embryos in chickens and frogs. Also possible destruction of beneficial gut bacteria, which may cause the rise in autism, kidney and liver diseases. It has been banned in The Netherlands, Mexico, Russia and Sri Lanka and removed from garden centres in Germany, France and Brazil”.

I understand some councils in Australia have stopped the use of glyphosate and are using alternative

methods of weed control including steam and gas guns.

Slasher is a safer alternative for the home gardener. Produced by Eco Crop Protectants, Slasher is a registered organic herbicide that rapidly kills weeds, moss, algae and lichens. Use it on gardens, paths and driveways.

It is a non-selective weedkiller, so care should be taken near favourite or valuable plants.

The active ingredient is made from non-GM plant oils, has no lasting spray residuals, is 100 per cent biodegradable within a few days and is totally glyphosate free. It is registered as organic for use in organic farms and gardens, and available at most garden centres and DIY stores.

PUZZLES

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Attached Aries - with Venus reversing through your intimacy zone, don’t be too picky with your lover. (Nothing kills passion like constant nagging!) You’ll find praise and encouragement will get you a lot further than criticism. Single Rams – you’re in a hurry to meet someone special but (with Venus now retrograde) you’ll find it difficult to differentiate between a romantic charmer and a dubious dreamer. So – when it comes to dating – take your time and tread carefully.

TAURUS

(Apr 21 – May 21)

This week it will be difficult to give and receive affection, as Venus (your power planet) is in retrograde mode. Attached Taurus – you may have to deal with unresolved issues from the past, or your current relationship could be complicated by the re-emergence of a former lover. If you’re single, avoid becoming entangled in a complicated secret affair. Whatever happens, don’t make long-term decisions about your romantic life until after Venus moves forwards on November 16.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Gung-ho single Geminis love to dive into the dating pool frequently and often date two people at the same time. But (with Venus retro) you need to be much more discriminating. Attached Twins – you’ll have to be extra patient (not one of your natural strengths) if you want to avoid a breakdown in communication between you and your partner. Two-way conversation and lots of listening are required, otherwise you’ll be at cross-purposes and misunderstandings are likely.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Single Crabs – with love planet Venus reversing through your romance zone, you’ll find it difficult to differentiate a dream date from a disappointing dud. So – if you are dating – avoid making snap decisions and instead, proceed with plenty of caution. If you’re attached, then it’s time to review, reboot and re-commit yourself to the partnership with extra passion and purpose. But – if you are too bossy with your beloved – then you could find yourself temporarily travelling solo.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Singles – with Venus now retrograde, it will be hard to get the romantic sparks firing between you and a potential partner. So – when it comes to dating – take a long Cat nap instead! Attached Lions – have you been neglecting your lover? Stop being so preoccupied with your own individual needs and start considering your partner’s desires. On Friday, the Sun forms a tricky connection with Pluto. So avoid being a pushy Prima Donna and put on your humility hat instead.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

With love planet Venus retrograde, expect some romantic hiccups over the next few weeks. Attached Virgo – you’ll have to work hard to foster intimacy and maintain a close connection with your partner. Otherwise silly arguments and stony silences are likely. Singles – true love has been temporarily delayed, so you’ll just have to be extra patient. Plus be very careful what you post online. It will be oh-so easy to make insensitive comments and hurt someone’s feelings.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

If you are extravagant with cash and/or credit this week then there could be financial repercussions. With Venus (your ruling planet) reversing through your cash zone, there’s a tendency to overvalue products and services, and underplay your ability to pay for them. So you could end up making an expensive mistake. Venus and Mars are at odds on Thursday, which could lead to fiery words with a child, teenager, lover or friend. Clever Librans will cool down and compromise.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

You’re super keen to find your soul mate but with love planet Venus in retrograde mode, it’s not the ideal time to be searching and sampling. Plus, if your intuition tells you that a prospective date is not the real deal, then avoid them like the plague! If you’re attached, then you could experience problems with your sweetheart due to personal, work, health or financial issues. The more controlling and stubborn you are on Friday, the more you’ll attract opposition from others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Spontaneous Sagittarians are by nature busy bees as you talk up a storm, and restlessly roam around looking for exciting new adventures. This week – with Mercury, Jupiter and retrograde Venus all visiting your solitude/soul zone – it’s time to slow down and look within as you contemplate, ruminate and meditate about where you’re going and where you’ve been. So, your motto for the moment is from birthday great, John Lennon: “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

You’d prefer to approach a current problem in a slow and steady Capricorn-like way, but a loved one wants it fixed immediately! Finding some middle ground is the smart and sensible thing to do. Plus a close friend or work colleague could encourage you to take risks with your cash. But – with Venus retrograde – a cautious and conservative financial approach is the safest way to go. The Sun and Pluto are at odds on Friday, which will set your frustration levels onto high.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Are you attracted to a cute colleague, client or customer? Think twice before you make a move because (with Venus reversing through your career zone) love and work are a messy mix at the moment. There’s more chance of success if you delay any romantic developments until after November 16 (when Venus moves forwards again). Attached Aquarius – there could be extra pressure placed on the relationship when one (or both) of you experiences work-related problems.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Love planet Venus is in retrograde mode until November 16. So, the next few weeks is the time to review close relationships, revise personal values, and ask yourself some serious questions. Is your romantic partnership providing the love, romance and security you desperately crave? Is an old friendship out of step with your current values? When Venus is reversing, you need to make adjustments. Single Fish – expect a few frustrating obstacles along the road to finding a partner.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018

what? (6)

10 To transfer a person, in order to promote greater efficiency, is to do what? (8)

11 What is a coincidence in pitch of two or more notes, voices, etc? (6)

13 Name the style of bowling used in softball. (8)

16 Which term describes the ability to influence or impress people? (8)

19 What is another name for hessian or gunny? (6)

22 What is a gem cut in a long, rectangular shape? (8)

24 The Richmond AFL team is known as the what? (6)

25 To practise a play, piece of music, etc, in private, is to do what? (8)

26 Name a long seat or bench with arms and a high back. (6)

Down

2 Name a French sculptor whose works include "The Kiss" and "The Thinker". (5)

3 Name an earlier renowned English cricketer, Jack ... (5)

4 What are the breastbones also called? (8)

5 Which soprano was known as "the Swedish Nightingale", Jenny ...? (4)

6 Name the last meal of the day. (6)

7 Which fabric has a fine, raised finish? (6)

12 What is another term for a very small quantity? (4)

14 Name a disease in which the ability of the body to use sugar is impaired. (8)

15 Who was the second son of Adam and Eve? (4)

17 What is an alternative name for paradise? (6)

18 What are roads planned for travel? (6)

20 Who wrote "A Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases", Peter ...? (5)

21 In which month did the Anzacs land at Gallipoli? (5)

23 What else may we call a novice? (4)