CityNews 200702

Keeping pets in place for older owners

By Kathryn VUKOVLJAK

OLDER pet owners need to be able to stay with their pets as they age, says Dr Eloise Bright, vet and president of volunteer community organisation Pets and Positive Ageing (PAPA).

“Many older people live for their pets, and it’s a particularly important relationship around this time of re striction, when there are less social groups or services available,” she says.

“Animals are therapeutic, and pro vide a sense of connection and social support.

“It’s unconditional love. The emo tional health benefits are huge, as well as all the physical benefits of walking a dog, getting out and seeing people, facilitating chats and friendships.”

Eloise, a veterinarian at Belconnen Animal Hospital and RSPCA volunteer, joined PAPA a year ago as president. The group started in 2012 following a local community conversation on pets and aged care, hosted by the organisation’s patron, Mary Porter.

up their beloved pet because they’re downsizing or moving to assisted living, or can’t care for the animal in the same way,” she says.

“As a vet I feel strongly about this issue, and through my work at the RSPCA I see people who have to give

“We want to help keep older pet owners and their pets together, in the interests of both.”

While unable to offer events currently, PAPA has new resources including a Pet Care Plan and resources on pet-friendly aged-care facilities and retirement villages, emergency boarding and transporting pets.

“We want pet owners moving into

INDEX

Arts & Entertainment 21-23

Canberra Matters 12

Crossword 27

Dining 23

Garden 26

Horoscopes 27

Letters 16

News 3-16

Politics 6

Seven Days 4 Cover: Author Heidi Lemon tells the Tara Costigan murder story, Page 10. Photo: Holly Treadaway.

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aged accommodation to be able to carry on living with their pets, where possible, and offer in-home support for ageing pet owners when needed,”

Eloise says PAPA works closely with Northside Community Services and its PAWS (Pet Assistance and Wellbeing Service) program, which under usual circumstances supports pet owners ageing at home with transport for pets to vet clinics, dog walking, feeding and grooming, although it’s currently on hold.

“There are a lot of barriers older people face. We don’t want anyone to be worrying about caring for their pets if there’s a difficult time or their own needs change,” she says.

Eloise, who’s been a vet for 13 years and herself has two cats, three dogs and a guinea pig, also set up the charity ACT Pets in Crisis Support in March last year to help pet owners who need financial help with vet bills, offering subsidised and discounted dentistry services, and home visits if needed.

“I have access to a lot of animals and see the heartbreak of people who can’t afford expensive vet bills to save their pet,” she says.

“We don’t think about the costs involved in pet ownership if things go wrong, particularly with an increase in pet ownership at the moment and people being stood down or losing their jobs.”

Local ABC jobs to go

FOUR ABC Canberra staffers are expected to lose their jobs and the 7.45am radio news bulletin on 666 Canberra will be cut following a funding indexation pause announced by the federal government in 2018.

About 250 jobs will be axed and more programming will be cut nationally, reports ABC News.

The flagship 7.45am radio news bulletin on 666 Canberra will be replaced with an extra 15 minutes of local programming and a new, local, five-minute news bulletin at 8am, with “AM” still to follow.

Help for the arts

MORE than $1 million of funding will go to nine ACT arts organisations that have been “significantly impacted” by the coronavirus pandemic.

The ACT government is funding the ACT Writers Centre ($10,032), Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres ($187,777), Ausdance ACT ($63,030), ArtSound FM ($35,000), Belconnen Arts Centre ($550,000), Canberra Potters Society ($80,690), M16 ArtSpace ($31,173), Tuggeranong Arts Centre ($54,105) and Warehouse Circus ($64,765).

Applications are open for the next arts activities $5000-$50,000 round. Information via the artsACT website.

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SEVEN DAYS

When it comes to pokies, size seems to matter

SOME ACT health priorities seem to be morphing into political ones, so it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for the community clubs battling weekly losses and frustrated by the necessary capacity constraints.

The direct health risk of pressing a gaming machine button has never been properly explained, but months on the pokies remain silent and powerlessly awaiting a restart day. While they wait, an Access Canberra officer has been unhelpfully visiting venues providing advice that, in calculating the allowable number of patrons on a gaming floor (the four-square-metre rule), the space the gaming machines occupy must be subtracted from the available space.

I say unhelpfully because the Safe Work Australia guidelines prescribe the exact opposite; that retail stores (ie a shopping centre, retail store or supermarket) the room taken up by fixtures and fittings and hospitality venues calculate customer numbers on the total space.

housing tenants.

CHIEF Minister Andrew Barr is called all sorts of things but “Big Brother” is a new one to me. Liberal shadow housing minister Mark Parton, in an attention-seeking moment, let fly with a breathless media release headed “Big Brother Barr is watching: Soviet style cameras line public housing residences”.

It’s good to see the warm-and-cuddly Libs caring so much about the welfare of public

“Bright red and yellow, four metres tall and wrapped in barbed wire; these are the Soviet-styled CCTV cameras recently installed in public housing complexes in the inner north,” growls Parto.

Then a little over-egging: “While the rest of Australia is wary that elements of the Red Army might be watching us, it seems the Barr government may have provided the cameras.”

Then the denouement: “Nobody has a clue what Big Brother Barr’s surveillance

experiment is about because just as soon as the cameras were up, they have quickly been removed.”

Then the realisation: it doesn’t amount

AS a large rump of eminent Australians decry lavishing the Kerry Stokes -chaired National War Memorial with a $500 million refurbishment, the (son) Ryan Stokeschaired National Gallery of Australia is crying poor and slashing 10 per cent of its 300 staff

in the face of a funding shortfall.

Galley director Nick Mitzevich says straight-faced the timing was unfortunate, but the cuts were not COVID-related, they were the result of several months of discussions on how to cut back.

GIVEN the National Party doesn’t raise its rural head in the ACT, it’s hard to believe the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (ACT) would have much going for it despite applying to the ACT electoral commissioner to register as a political party for the October election. While the objections deadline is July 7, indifference will be the party’s biggest challenge.

SENATOR Zed Seselja’s office pops out a next-day press conference alert to announce the $12 million go ahead for the Mitchell tram stop and lists ACT Transport Minister as Chris Steele. Ooops. By morning, Mr Steel had lost the third “e” and the tummy rubbing went ahead.

IN a bit of campaign tin rattling to the faithful, ACT Opposition Leader Alistair Coe describes the October election as “one of the most important in a decade”. He says it will have a lasting impact on the future of Canberra for generations to come. Not having seen too many policies from anyone

yet, apart from a million trees from the Libs, I’m not sure how he arrives at this dramatic consequence.

But here’s the juicy bit: “The Liberal Party’s internal research shows that this election is extremely close. Just a few hundred votes in two key seats will determine the outcome at this election.”

He doesn’t say which ones, but he does say $100 buys them a 30-second radio ad and $250 gets a television ad.

“I WAS concerned to see your reviewer of Patrick Mullins’ book about the ‘Portnoy’ trials make a serious spelling error in last week’s edition,” sniffed a reader from distant climes pointing out we “rendered the word ‘masturbation’ with an ‘e’ and not a ‘u’”. Then, with a withering flourish, came: “I could be unkind and suggest that a publication serving a city full of alleged wankers should get that word right.” Point taken.

Ian Meikle is the “CityNews” editor. He can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and current affairs program, 10amnoon on 2CC.

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A second opinion on hearing loss

An elderly woman with hearing loss came to my clinic for a second opinion, after she had recently been to a hearing aid sales person. I found the cause of her hearing loss was simply the fact that she had build-up of wax in her ears, the salesperson had failed to inspect them. You might be surprised how often this happens!

Here are some things to do to avoid getting ripped off:

1. A visit to the GP may save you from being ‘sold’ something when your only problem is wax in your ears.

Recently I was told by two different patients that they were quoted $16,000 for a pair of hearing aids. This seems a ridiculous amount of money to pay and is most likely not appropriate for the majority of people (or possibly anyone).

5. If you are a pensioner or partpensioner, or a DVA gold or white card holder, you should carefully consider if you want to use the free-to-client government hearing aids or if you’d like to top-up to a different hearing aid.

“In an unregulated market there is a lot of opportunity to take advantage of people. Yes you have read correctly, there is no licensing of people who sell hearing aids.”

2. Look for someone who is independent and can offer you unbiased advice, not just give you a sales pitch.

– Dr Vass

3. There are a range of hearing aid prices. Finding the right hearing aid might save you money and it will also give you the best chance of success.

4. Hearing aids can be expensive.

The free-to-client hearing aids are appropriate for many people, however if you have great difficulty hearing background noise (for example in restaurants) then you might trial the top-up hearing aids, but only if you can afford them. There are a range of top up options and prices, if you are disappointed after a trial, you should return them and trial the free-toclient hearing aids.

If you get the feeling the person you’re dealing with is just trying to sell you something, then take a step back and get a second opinion.

When developers push the planning envelope

WHAT is it that makes ACT planning and development go wrong? Is it incompetence, complacency, corruption or stupidity? At least, if the cause is corruption, it would be easy to understand.

Much more frustrating would be if the cause is complacency, incompetence or stupidity. These are things that a capable government and minister can, and should, tackle.

There are many examples that have appeared in “CityNews” over the years. However, two current examples highlight the problems we have in planning and development. To what extent do the governments and the planning systems counter the greed of developers?

The big development companies do have a right and responsibility to maximise profit for their shareholders. Governments have a different role. Their responsibility is to contain that drive for profit in the community

Ignoring environmental and cultural issues provides the first example.

Two current examples highlight the problems we have in planning and development. To what extent do the governments and the planning systems counter the greed of developers?

The Doma Group describes “The Foothills”, a four-hectare development on the old CSIRO headquarters site and surrounding lands in Campbell “as reflecting its elevated position at the foothills of Mount Ainslie”, with the site comprising apartments and townhouses that ”will take advantage of the northern aspect and views over the city and lake”.

The Ngunnawal and Ngambri Elders have expressed serious concerns about the treatment of the site. Shane Mortimer, working with Environmental Sciences Australia director Dr Shane West, has highlighted the lack of “due diligence” in examining the site.

Anyone who even gives a perfunctory look at the site would be aware of the very prominent group of boulders. Planning responsibility for this site is with the National Capital Authority, which has already granted approval to clear this rocky outcrop. They have

not yet given final approval for the development.

As Mr Mortimer and Dr West point out, apart from Aboriginal knowledge, there is considerable other evidence about the prominence of the site for the local Aboriginal Peoples.

A collector of Aboriginal artefacts, Will Kinsela in 1933 donated implements from this site to the British Museum, which still holds them. In 2013 the ACT Environment Directorate identified the rocky outcrop was likely to have indigenous significance.

Federal Minister Sussan Ley must be frustrated with her Environment Department that originally found no reason for a cultural or environmental assessment, and had not consulted with local Aboriginal groups as “no world or national heritage sites had been identified on the land”.

In response to the recent concerns, Chief Minister Andrew Barr wrote to Ms Ley. Her response was to publish a statement stating: “I have instructed the department to review the heritage claims as new information”.

Following an investment of $20 million to buy the site, the Doma Group

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The Doma Group’s four-hectare development around the old CSIRO headquarters site in Campbell… why is more than 20,000 years of settlement being set aside in a rush to build 241 dwellings?

originally tried it on with an application for 600 dwellings on this land. The National Capital Authority cut them back to 241 dwellings comprising 112 apartments and 129 townhouses.

In Denman Prospect, land is selling for close enough to half a million dollars a block. Granted it has amenities provided including power, sewer, water and roads. However, even with just 241 dwellings, it does make the $20 million look like an extraordinary deal.

Why is more than 20,000 years of settlement being set aside in a rush to build 241 dwellings? Incompetence, complacency, stupidity or corruption?

Move directly towards Civic from “The Foothills” site down Ainslie Avenue for the second example. There on your left at Cooyong Street is the Geocon construction. This is the

responsibility of the ACT government. How did this development get approval to build so close to the road? Whatever happened to appropriate setbacks? It was bad enough having the temporary building site cabins in the middle of Ainslie Avenue.

However, the question remains, just how far can developers push the envelope? Is it incompetence, stupidity, corruption, or complacency of a bureaucracy too long with the same government?

Perhaps the new ACT Integrity Commission could examine some of these planning issues and eliminate corruption. This way, when Canberrans vote in the ACT election in October they can consider what to do about complacency, incompetence or stupidity.

POLITICS / eight years of ACT Budget deficits

Treasurer preens as health and housing founder

ON June 18 the ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer, Andrew Barr, made a ministerial statement on the ACT response to COVID-19.

The statement, not unexpectedly, does not want for self-congratulatory and fulsome praise for the Treasurer and his management of the ACT Budget and economy. The following excerpts give some flavour of the speech.

• “Here in the ACT, we are in one of the strongest positions around the world, due to the decisive steps to reduce the risk of transmission, while supporting our economy and protecting jobs.”

• ‘We are only in a relatively strong economic position because we listened to and implemented expert public health advice and acted to ensure our hospitals and healthcare services were equipped to deal with COVID-19.”

• “In 2018-19, our economy was one of the strongest economic performers in Australia.”

• “We have built a strong foundation upon which we have confronted the challenges of the past few months, and this Government is leading the pathway back as we implement Canberra’s Recovery Plan.”

Now the facts.

My colleague Dr Khalid Ahmed and I have in the last week posted to the UC Policy Space blog a detailed analysis of the financial position of all Australian states and territories before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our purpose was to assist in determining the capacity of each jurisdiction, before the pandemic struck, to absorb the financial shock it generated, as well as the extent of the shock.

The ACT has averaged a deficit of 5.8 per cent in each of the last eight years while all other jurisdictions including the NT recorded across the same years an average operating surplus of between 1.4 per cent and 3.9 per cent.

It also allows the policy measures and expenditure decisions taken by individual states and territories, in response to the economic and other impacts of COVID-19, to be objectively assessed and reported on.

We note in our paper that the ACT is, on the basis of its financial position vis a vis all other jurisdictions, clearly the least prepared and hence less able to respond to the economic shock resulting from COVID-19.

The two most relevant fiscal measures and aggregates through which the financial position of all Australian jurisdictions can be assessed and compared are the operating result, commonly reported as Net Operating Balance under

the Uniform Presentation Framework and Net Debt. The former provides an indication of the health of the operating budget and the latter is used to measure the overall strength of a government’s fiscal position.

A comparison of the Net Operating Balance for 2018-19, reported in the audited financial statements of all states and territories reveals that all states recorded a healthy surplus and that only the ACT and the NT were in deficit. The ACT deficit was equivalent to 5.3 per cent of its Budget. However, more worryingly is that the ACT has averaged a deficit of 5.8 per cent in each of the last eight years while all other jurisdictions including the NT recorded across the same years an average operating surplus of between 1.4 per cent and 3.9 per cent.

Dr Ahmed and I have, accordingly, concluded that: “The ACT’s sustained deep deficit over seven years in an environment where every other jurisdiction’s operating budgets have been in modest to strong surplus can reasonably be attributed to a disregard for prudent financial management.”

A comparison of Net Debt as a proportion of revenue for each state and territory reveals an equally dim picture of the state of the ACT’s finances.

The ACT had in 2018-19, the third highest Net Debt at 40 per cent behind only WA and the NT. The weighted average of all states and territories was at that time 16 per cent. The 2019-20 ACT Budget Review forecast Net Debt in the ACT to grow to 63 per cent of total revenue within the next year. This rate is clearly unsustainable.

In our latest paper we also touch briefly on the alarming increase in the Net Financial Liabilities to revenue ratio for the ACT. The ratio has ballooned from 51 per cent in 2009 to 188 per cent in 2019 or in dollar terms by $8.8 billion. This rate is also, of course, clearly unsustainable.

The major visible impacts of the relentless attack on the principles of prudent, sober and people-focused financial management has been the massive reduction, in real terms of funding for public hospitals and the abandonment of any serious commitment to affordable or social housing.

The ACT does have a strong economy, due in the main to the presence in our midst of the Commonwealth government. Indeed, as the Chief Minister crowed in the Assembly, the ACT is one of the strongest economic performers in Australia.

The worrying question is, therefore, why with the strongest economy in Australia does the ACT have the weakest finances and the worst budget?

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

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NEWS / cover story

New book tells the Tara Costigan murder story

By Danielle NOHRA

UNTIL Heidi Lemon starting writing a book about the murder of Tara Costigan, she had no idea there was a relationship between verbal abuse and intimatepartner homicide.

In 2015, Tara, who was much-loved in the Can berra community, was killed with an axe by expartner Marcus Rappel in front of her two young sons, while she was cradling their newborn.

It was “The First Time He Hit Her”, as the title of the book states, which was something that not only surprised Heidi, but a lot of those who knew Tara.

“No one had expected that murder. There was no physical violence in the lead up to the murder,” says Heidi, who at the time of Tara’s death, was follow ing the story from her, then, home in Melbourne. Heidi, who had lived in Canberra for some time, was the same age as Tara, and, in the past, had her own experience with abuse, so the story really hit close to home.

“I was following the story on my phone, looking up as much as I could about the case,” she says.

But it wasn’t until a few years ago, after Heidi met the then-CEO of the Tara Costigan Foundation, Michael Costigan, who is also Tara’s uncle, that the idea of a book came about.

“He expressed the wish that a book be written about his niece,” says Heidi, who had an honours degree in creative writing from the University of Canberra.

“I didn’t initiate [the idea of a book] because I considered it sacred ground but when he ex pressed that wish, I committed myself to it with all of my heart and it became my purpose.

“I was very interested in the case long before I met Michael. Not only was Tara my age but she lived in a city I lived in, a city where you don’t

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chord” with Heidi who says that background really enabled her to understand Tara’s position.

“It helped me understand what can seem so mysterious to a lot of people who haven’t been in these sorts of situations,” she says.

Heidi says she could understand Tara’s desperation to keep the relationship going, even though Marcus would say horrific things to her.

“It’s an account of Tara’s life and the circumstances surrounding her murder, but it’s also a study of the relationship between intimate partners, homicide and verbal abuse,” she says.

“I hadn’t really understood that there was a relationship prior to researching for this book.”

Tara was one of 80 women murdered in Australia in 2015. “The Counting Dead Women” project estimates that 80 per cent of this number died as a result of domestic violence.

“I want this book to reach women who are feeling vulnerable and fearful in abusive relationships,” Heidi says.

“Looking at Tara’s case, she was verbally abused but she was never physically abused until the first assault that led to her death.”

Tara, certainly, didn’t expect it either, according to Heidi. And even though she took out a domestic violence order (DVO) against Marcus right before her murder, she didn’t think he

even asked her how he would react a day before the incident, and Tara had said: “He’d go ballistic but he would never hit me” because he never had.

Turns out this isn’t as uncommon as people might think, and Heidi says almost 25 per cent of women murdered had not previously been a victim.

“I hope that Tara’s story will not only give readers a sense of the vibrant woman she was, but also draw attention to the relationship between verbal abuse and intimate-partner homicide,” Heidi says.

“If Tara’s story helps one woman to recognise that she may be in danger and take steps to get out of it, then I think it will have done valuable work.

“In the book I look at what measures are in place, what services were available.

“A lot of women don’t realise that their situation is one where they could receive these services, especially when they’re in a verbal abuse situation.”

Up until the book’s publication on June 30, Heidi says she devoted the last few years of her life to writing this book.

“It was my reason,” says Heidi, who describes writing as “innate” to her.

“I’m trying to work out what my next project will be. Writing has always been my passion. I’ve grown up writing. My late mother was an English teacher and a deep lover of the English language, and she instilled that in me.

But right now, Heidi says she wants this book to reach as many vulnerable people as possible.

“Tara didn’t realise she was in physical danger right up until the last minute of her life,” she says.

A life of a person who Heidi says was adored by everyone around her.

“One life is literally a universe,” she says.

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CANBERRA MATTERS

Land-swap shadow hangs over housing project

STEPHEN Bartos, chair of social housing provider Common Ground, said his organisation wasn’t involved in the planning processes around the planned Dickson site and certainly didn’t want to be, when he spoke to “CityNews” on June 3.

Common Ground’s new site is part of the infamous Dickson land deal between the ACT government and the Tradies.

Despite his effort to distance Common Ground from this mess, the reality is that Argyle Community Housing Ltd, the NSW registered public company and Common Ground’s parent body, benefit from this land swap.

Common Ground owns the outcome of this yet to be thoroughly investigated land deal. Not a good look!

Residents who have attended meetings about Common Ground are well informed – they get the Argyle Housing model for Common Ground (while knowing little about Argyle Housing). The big problem

with how this Labor/Greens coalition government has

remains that this proposal is bad governance at work, with terrible things being done in the name of a worthy cause.

Bartos acknowledged that the community has stated clearly that Section 72 Dickson should remain community lands for cultural and recreational purposes. He encouraged the inner-north community not to let its aspirations get in the way of Common Ground and hinder helping chronically homeless people.

This type of disingenuous remark is what people now expect from the politicians and bureaucrats involved with this proposal. It is not good governance for Common Ground to imply such an accusation.

Locals are not objecting to social housing and assisting chronically homeless people. Residents have asked for Common Ground to be not on Section 72.

Stephen Bartos heard this when he attended public meetings with the

has been embraced in the Gungahlin community. This has been said often as if the inner-north community would be at fault if it did not do likewise. It is such an insulting comment. There are 70,000 plus residents in Gungahlin and one wonders how this large community has been informed about a plain apartment tower on the south-east edge of the main commercial centre. This is not to say that they wouldn’t “embrace” it if they knew about it, but it is more likely

that given its isolated location that the vast majority have not paid it any attention.

The apartment block has been opposed, not because of its purpose, but because of the lost opportunity for wider community uses, the faulty development application, the boring design proposed, its location is on a possible flood plain and that this tower, being eight storeys (the same as towers on Northbourne), will dominate the local area.

this nonsense and to then partner with the community to deliver better outcomes for the future tenants and for the inner-north residents who cherish their community precinct –the Dickson Parklands. This would be good governance!

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

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The morning scramble to ‘snuggle mummy first’

EVERY morning when they wake, our children come into our bed for a cuddle. Sounds lovely, but I can tell you it usually always ends in tears.

It’s slightly ridiculous but my kids fight over who gets to “snuggle mummy first”.

Once the first out of bed has snuggled into my best cuddly side (yes, according to the kids I have one!) the second will appear at the bedroom door, take one look and realise they were not the victor and promptly burst into tears. One child is in heaven, the other’s heart is broken. At that point, I declare that I am getting out of bed as I can’t stand all the screaming and carrying on first thing in the morning. Then both kids start howling. So within moments of opening my eyes to face a new day, I have a rude awakening with two screaming kids to deal

This is my

At six and four, my kids might not need the attention that as babies they demanded from me, but the daily closeness and physical affection that they so clearly want from their mum warms my heart.

life. It’s beautiful to be loved so very much, but also a big burden.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” asks my husband who, don’t get me wrong, is much loved by the kids, but not to the fervent degree that they squabble over his cuddles and love, like they do to me.

When I am out of their sphere, I am told they are a lot more co-operative for my husband or any other family member who looks after them, but when I step through the door, the dynamic changes. No wonder there are times I feel drained by motherhood. I’ve been told that new mothers feel “touched out” by the end of the day after having the closeness of a baby and all the physical responsibilities that entails, that they crave some time alone when no one touches them or needs anything from them.

I put my hand up for spending more time on the toilet than need be, and

hiding in the kitchen cupboard to scoff a treat out of the kids’ sight to reclaim a little bit of that elusive “me time”.

At six and four, my kids might not need the attention that as babies they demanded from me, but the daily closeness and physical affection that they so clearly want from their mum warms my heart.

Every Wednesday, I meet the “CityNews” magazines arriving off the delivery truck and manage our wonderful team of distribution driv ers, which requires me to get up early and so there’s no mummy cuddles allowed.

Sometimes, this is met with disappointment, sometimes some tears, and I have to recreate a quick snuggle in bed before heading out, but this morning, when I came back from the shower, the blankets of my bed were thrown aside with a big “Surprise!” revealing two cuddly little people snuggling up with their dad. And then, the little boss baby started sooking because she “didn’t say ‘surprise’...” so they did it again.

can be just as exciting for the kids. He might be “chopped liver” but my husband is also “Daddy Lion”, a character that the kids go bananas over when he romps around on all fours, letting the little ones ride his back and jump all over him, usually

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Admittedly, that game can end in tears at times, but the fun of roughand-tumble play with dad keeps them asking for more “Daddy Lion” sessions. Mummy might have the best cuddles, but there’s no way I’m entering that fray.

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REFLECTING on the membership of the board of the City Renewal Authority raises interesting questions about the Curtin Horse Paddock-West Basin land swap.

Of the members of the board, none of whom, as far as I am aware lives in Canberra, and the only one I have ever heard of is proud Sydney resident Michael Eason, and he has pulled the plug.

One wonders if any of the board members could actually find the Curtin horse paddocks on a map or if they have ever visited West Basin. Perhaps even more pertinently do any of them have a clue what the residents of Canberra value about the city they love and call home?

On a more mundane matter I wonder whether the board or any member of it might be able to shed light on the reason that both the ACT and Commonwealth governments have refused to respond to a request for the valuation they each placed on the land they agreed to swap with the other as part of the Curtin-West Basin deal.

Following the refusal to reveal the valuations I have lodged an FOI request with the NCA and the ACT government. The NCA has advised it won’t provide any information unless I agree to pay it $1400. I may have to crowd fund. The ACT FOI request is grinding through the process. I will keep you updated.

Jon Stanhope, via citynews.com.au

Crisis calls for meaningful ideas

FOR a long time we have had “CityNews”

columnist Jon Stanhope highlighting our own local failings in the drug/criminal justice space.

Clive Williams’ very thoughtful piece about the recent protests in the US and elsewhere (CN, June 18) felt like channelling of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Moynihan was a US Democrat senator, diplomat, worked for administrations of both parties and produced the “Moynihan Report” in 1965 on the state of race and socio-economic status in the US.

He had a knack for saying what needed to be said (just like Clive has done).

I have followed developments in the US for a bit over 50 years, and the cycle of low socio-economic progress, family dysfunction, incarceration and crime is a constant.

The media report it because there is a lot of media coverage of it. Other parts of the world simply don’t get much coverage. For example, the persecution of the Falun Gong and detention of a million Uighurs in concentration camps continues without much media interest at all – hint: it is in China.

People who encounter the criminal justice system and police tend to be at the low end of socio-economic status. It exists everywhere, the US has a visible and large problem, and much of the welfare and justice system are ineffective in dealing with

it. On the day I wrote this there was the murder and wounding of two police in NZ. Policing in the US is dangerous too, as Clive pointed out.

Can the US do better, yes, and so should we? The hijacking of the protests about the wrongful death of George Floyd is a bigger travesty when they spiral into looting and grandstanding rather than meaningful ideas.

Martin Gordon, Dunlop

Quarantine rules for everyone

THE exemption given to diplomats returning from overseas not to isolate puts a new meaning to “diplomatic immunity” (“Seven Days”, CN, June 18).

The latest coronavirus case in the ACT was from a diplomat returning from overseas. Again we have a situation where the exceptions, just like the Ruby Princess debacle, are the ones causing the virus to continue and place everyone in danger. When are those making the decision to allow exemptions going to act to ensure we have consistent rules about restrictions, and that the restrictions apply to everyone in the whole country. No exemptions, no immunity! When you arrive in Australia, you must go into a 14-day quarantine.

I would also like to know how these diplomats are travelling to Australia when all international flights are banned. They are not Australian citizens returning home, they

are foreign nationals. Their travel to Australia should be banned just like every other noncitizen. Oh, I forgot – diplomatic immunity!

Australians will not be able to return to a “normal” life if we keep on allowing individuals to flaunt the restrictions.

Bill Meani, Watson

The dangerous ‘enemy’ in protestors’ anarchy

IN the US, the city council of Minneapolis has agreed under pressure to dismantle the police force and replace it with a socialworker outreach. In Seattle, groups, mainly anarchists, reportedly have removed the normal rule of law by police in a self-created Capital Hill Autonomous Zone, about six city blocks and a park – roughly equivalent to Manuka/Kingston/Barton.

They laid siege to the police station until the Democratic mayor told the police to evacuate. They then announced it was a “cop free” socialist paradise that was no longer part of America.

Most recently, Paris police blamed anarchists for hijacking a peaceful protest as thousands of doctors, paramedics and nursing home carers, many dressed in their scrubs and white blouses, were protesting near the health ministry for better wages and conditions.

The head of the Paris emergency room workers’ association stated his disgust that the protest had been stolen violently from the workers. Australians should recall the words

of US President Theodore Roosevelt in the 1900s when confronted by the anarchists’ phenomenon “the anarchist is the enemy of humanity, the enemy of all mankind and is a deeper degree of criminality than any other”.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

‘Multiple’ criticism of police report

FIRST, a bouquet: I enjoy “CityNews” and have been reading it for several months now. I hope you keep your excellent columnists Jon Stanhope and Michael Moore. They are incisive writers who don’t need a tabloid page and a half to make their point. Second, I have a brickbat. In “Seven Days” (CN, June 18), you referred to the “Calwell Slasher” as stabbing “multiple residents”. By using the word “multiple” your news item gave me no idea of the extent of the Slasher’s nefarious activities. Has the Slasher stabbed a couple of people? Or several? Or dozens? Even hundreds? I could only guess. And still am. “Multiple” gives me no clue. If police reports used by “CityNews” contain “multiple” inappropriately, “CityNews” should reject its use and demand real numbers from police.

Terry Craig, Holt

Businesses open and excited to welcome you back

CANBERRA businesses continue to re-open and they can’t wait to welcome back old and new customers, in a safe and COVIDcompliant way.

Whether it’s local experts in fitness, Austrian food, education or services, they all tell “CityNews” how excited they are to greet their members, customers and guests in a face-to-face environment.

Pilates classes continue on and offline

ONLINE Pilates classes on Zoom can be more convenient, especially for those who are immunocompromised and prefer to do their class at home, says Pilates Canberra owner Lanette Gavran.

Once COVID-19 hit, Lanette acted fast and within four days had adapted classes to an online format.

Pilates Canberra at Hale Health Spa is now open again to restricted numbers, private or duet classes, though Lanette says they will continue with online instruction as it has been so popular.

“We had to completely close all our in-person classes and instead offered oneon-one support in real time, Zoom classes for groups and pre-recorded classes that people could do in their own time,” she says.

With experienced instructors, who are able to watch students very closely and correct them online, Lanette says it’s been successful and she intends to continue.

“It was in the back of my mind to offer classes online at some point but it all happened sooner than I thought it would,” she says.

“We do general strength and conditioning, as well as injury rehabilitation, and while some

Personal and Group Training in BungyPump – Nordic Walking available NOW

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people have complex needs and specific conditions, it’s working out really well.”

Pilates training can also help improve flexibility and balance, and Lanette says mat work classes are just as worthy as using the equipment, for people who aren’t able to return to the studio yet.

“We have always had a significant focus on a high standard of hygiene and are following all protocols to create a COVID-safe and spotlessly clean space,” she says.

Pilates Canberra, 14 Macquarie Street, Barton. Call 0412 022917, email barton@pilatescanberra.com.au or visit pilatescanberra.com.au

LOOKING TO LOCK IN THE WINTER WARMTH?

77 High Street, Queanbeyan Phone: 6232 9977 E: reception@skyview-windows.com.au

Quick to get quality windows to clients

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This allows our customers to mix and match colour schemes for their houses without having to stick to the six standard colours our competitors offer.”

Skyview Windows, 77 High Street, Queanbeyan, call 6232 9977.

Duncan helps boomers age with ‘abs’

GETTING fit requires a different approach as people age, says Duncan Craig, personal trainer, founder of BoomerAABS and ACT representative of BungyPump.

The “AABS” stands for “Active Ageing, Balance and Strength”, and with a focus on training the over-50s, Duncan offers one-on-one, group or active training classes using the effectiveness of Nordic walking with BungyPump poles.

“This form of exercise uses the whole body, without the knees cracking and the back aching,” he says.

“It’s like walking, except it burns more calories, trains more muscles and is easier on your joints.

“The poles offer all the benefits of aerobic activity as well as strength development, flexibility and balance all in the one activity.

“Using the poles is ideal for exercising in winter [too] as it boosts the benefits of walking, activates 90 per cent of muscles and burns 77 per cent more calories than walking without poles.”

Glad to be back training his clients, now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, Duncan says he is keen to help people “shake off the lockdown blues”.

“Being active helps people work on both their physical and mental health, and getting outside is just as important at this time of year,” he says.

Call Duncan on 0404 373157, email info@boomeraabs. com.au, visit boomeraabs.com.au or facebook.com/ BoomerAABS

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Discounts encourage plastic-free living

FOR Plastic Free July, Ben Pfitzner from Mawson’s eco-friendly store, Let’s Be Natural, says the shop will run its monthly “bring your own container” (BYOC) day every Saturday for the month.

“On BYOC Saturday we offer 20 per cent off all bulk/ unpackaged food and cleaning products if customers bring their own solid reusable containers,” Ben says.

“Our aim is to support the community to find a better balance with the natural world and help find a sustainable and waste-free future.”

Let’s Be Natural offers products that bring people a step closer to that goal, Ben says.

“Plastic, particularly single-use, is a menace to the natural world but society continues to use it with virtually no control or consideration,” he says.

“It’s everywhere, with microplastics now showing up in our food chain.”

Through the coronavirus crisis, Ben says staff saw a big reduction in people bringing their own containers, presumably for fear of contamination, which would have had an environmental impact in terms of waste.

“Plastic needs to be reduced, it needs to be controlled, and although Australia is small by population and global impact, everyone should be trying to lead by example, otherwise we have no ability to help and no right to influence other countries to do the same,” he says.

Let’s Be Natural, Shop 2, 73-77 Mawson Place, Mawson. Call 6286 3775 or visit letsbenatural.com.au

Centre gives kids a ‘unique’

start to education

KIDSTART Southside Education and Activity Centre is excited to be opening its doors again and can’t wait to offer its unique early childhood education program to more families next term, says director Kristen O’Connor.

Kristen says their age-appropriate programs for children from five months to five years prepares children socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually for school.

With three distinct programs, Kristen says families can feel confident to venture out with their little ones to experience the unique play-based fun and creative and co-operative atmosphere at Kidstart.

New menu welcomes members back

THE Austrian Australian Club at Mawson is open again, and club manager Jason Ingram says the staff and committee are excited to welcome members and guests back.

“We give the kids the best head start by igniting in them a love of learning,” says Kristen, who has been the director since 2005.

“We receive wonderful feedback from schools and we create strong relationships with our families.”

During Kidstart’s closure, Kristen and her team of dedicated educators worked tirelessly on online classes and craft packs to keep their children engaged and connected.

“The biggest thing was helping the children understand that they weren’t the only ones missing out. The kids have been amazing over this time,” she says.

Now the centre’s open again, Kristen says their strict hygiene practices provide a safe and clean environment.

Kidstart Education, 65 Sternberg Crescent, Wanniassa. For term three enrollment enquiries visit kidstart.com.au

“We have missed our members, it’s like a family here,” says Jason who started working at the club for only three weeks in February before it was shut down. He’s excited to begin to open up, with reduced numbers and hours to begin with, in accordance with COVID-safe measures.

“The health and safety of our members and staff is at the forefront of what we do. We are focusing on cleaning and are very mindful of hand hygiene,” he says.

Jason says their new Austrian chef Rosemary Doeberl has introduced an exciting menu, featuring Austrian home-style classics.

“The new menu is delicious [and] we have some great lunch and dinner specials,” says Jason.

The club is open from 11am-7pm and the restaurant is open for lunch on Mondays, with dinner also available from 5pm-7pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Jason says the club also has some exciting plans, including bringing back their popular Friday night live music and other special events such as wine tastings. He says that function bookings for up to 75 people are available in their ballroom.

Austrian Australian Club, Heard Street, Mawson. Call 6286 5793, email mail@austrianclubcanberra.com or visit austrianclubcanberra.com

Building academic confidence in kids

KUMON Education centres across Canberra continue to offer learning for children of all ages, to help them do their best academically in maths and English, according to the Tuggeranong centre’s instructor and owner Jane Hiatt.

All the Kumon centres, which are designed to encourage independent learning by providing students with worksheets, to be done for 20-30 minutes each day, are now holding weekly faceto-face classes, with reduced student numbers.

Throughout the period of school closure and social isolation, Jane says Kumon gave her students stability through the structured, step-by-step program.

“The time at home may have highlighted to parents either the difficulty they might have in motivating their children, or the difficulties

TUITION BY KUMON

60 YEARS OF PROVEN RESULTS

A daily home-based structured routine of Maths and English has continued to help develop the skills and build the confidence of many Kumon students in Canberra throughout the past four months of the Coronavirus isolation period. Kumon students have been emerging stronger and even more confident because they have continued to progress in their studies; many having excelled.

they might be experiencing with the school curriculum,” she says.

“Whether they are needing extra help or more challenges, Kumon can extend and draw out the potential in them.

“Children need to exercise their perseverance and Kumon is an excellent way to do that academically, once a day.”

Jane says children love the sense of satisfaction and confidence that comes from perseverance and achieving their goals at Kumon.

There are Kumon Education centres located at Pearce, north Lyneham, Palmerston and Tuggeranong.

Visit kumoneducation.com.au for more information.

As the Canberra-based Kumon Centres open once more for face to face sessions, students are being offered more flexibility with attendance frequency, study plans and with the option to continue from home if required.

“We’ve always tailored our study approach that best suits our students but COVID-19 has presented options we really hadn’t considered in the past” says Jane Hiatt, from Kumon Tuggeranong.

“It’s a new world which will hopefully attract more people to give Kumon a try.”

How does Kumon work?

Kumon Maths and English programs cater for children from preschool to year 12 with a daily approach aimed at developing excellent academic skills. The Kumon Instructor tailors your child’s study program based on their specific needs. Students attend Kumon classes at least once each week and receive homework to do every other day.

There are four Kumon Centres located in Canberra. For almost 30 years, they have collectively helped thousands of students improve their Maths and English abilities.

The Restaurant will open as of MONDAY the 13th with a limited menu and varied hours, see below:

• Open lunch and dinner Monday (13th July).

• Closed Tuesday and Wednesday

• Open for lunch and dinner Thursday and Friday.

• Saturday dinner only.

• Lunch hours: 11:30am - 2pm.

• Dinner hours: 5pm - 7pm.

IMPORTANT!

DUE TO COVID -19 SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES AND LIMITS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE IN THE RESTAURANT AT ANY ONE TIME WILL BE IN PLACE. BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL! By Phone 02 6286 5793.

All members and guest will be required to sign-in at reception and sign-out when leaving the club. Temperatures will be taken on arrival at reception as per Federal Health guildlines for COVID-19. Booking will be capped at 10 people per booking.

Celebrating seven, strong years of fitness

CROSSFIT-based gym Cartel Fitness is celebrating seven years in business in July, with its aim to get people as strong and fit as possible without risk of injury, says owner and coach Tim Finn.

“Avoiding injury is so important,” says Tim, who used to be a swimmer but suffered from four bulging discs in his back.

“I couldn’t even put my shoes on when the pain was at its worst. I started crossfit about eight years ago and it was the best thing I ever did.”

Cartel Fitness is hosting an open day on Saturday, July 11, to celebrate seven years in business, where people can come along, do a session and find out what crossfit is all about.

“Crossfit is as much skills-based as it is a workout, with

standardised, constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity,” Tim says.

“The focus is very much on technique and personal progression – you compete with yourself, not with anyone else.”

Cartel Fitness focuses on health and fitness through endurance, functional movement, strength, cardio workouts and high-intensity training for all fitness levels.

It’s also a great community, welcoming new members of any age, skill or fitness level, and offering different, programmed, coached group sessions, daily, he says.

Cartel Fitness, 3/12 Cheney Place, Mitchell. Call 0413 452932 or visit cartelfitness.com.au

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

French film festival resurrected on Bastille Day

By Helen MUSA

IT’S not every day the director of the Alliance Française Film Festival gets a second chance, but so it will be when Philippe Platel oversees the 2020 festival, cancelled because of COVID-19, and resurrected at Palace Electric on Bastille Day.

“That’s a very symbolic date, July 14,” he says of France’s national day, and even more so because, after fulfilling his tour of duty at the French consulate in Sydney, he’s going back to France.

“I’ve been happy with the way the festival has evolved over the four years I’ve been here and even happier to see the resurrection while I’m here,” he says.

“My contract ends at the end of August and I will see the festival through to its rebirth.”

It’s been one of his major tasks, and a big success in his view, with rising attendances around the country.

“The first thing I had to do was to make sure it would be safe to continue, so we put in place very reliable and strict policing of the COVID-19 regulations,” he says.

“The second thing was that there was a

we were going and weren’t sure if we would come back because of complexities involving Australian distributors and French agents.”

The festival was refunded for some films, but the decision to reopen created what he calls “an intense financial situation” so that they weren’t able to buy some films back in.

“Maybe we will be able to show some of those next year,” Platel says.

The reborn festival will feature 27 instead of the 49 films originally planned, but as he points out, that’s already a big film festival and anyway, they’re the best 27 films you could possibly see.

“All the big hits are still there, like “The Extraordinary”, set in a Parisian shelter for autistic youth, which would have opened the original festival.”

But now in the new version, they’ve decided to open with “La Belle Époque”, which he says has done very well at the box office.

“We love it,” he says. “It’s a feel-good movie and it feels like a good way of reopening a festival.”

It also features the talents of glamorous French superstar Fanny Ardant, the longtime muse of director Francois Truffaut. Platel enthuses about the many other wonderful films.

Social distancing at the drive-in

By Helen Musa

THERE’S a three-week, drive-in movie season playing in the Parliamentary Triangle.

Organiser Vincent Hernandez, a Parisian expat living in Sydney, says the Mov’in Car outdoor car cinema is all happening in the huge car park near Questacon.

The season includes classic titles such as “Titanic”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “A Star is Born” and “Toy Story”, and munching on New York-style pizzas, delivered to cars while the movies are in progress.

Hernandez is no stranger to large-scale events, having staged “Bastille French Festival: Revolution in The Rocks” each July around Circular Quay and The Rocks. In 2020 that event, which was attracting numbers in the order of 700,000, is postponed until October. In the meantime, he has another string to his bow.

“Since one of my passions is for the movies,” he says. “I thought I could set up an outdoor cinema event that was different from all the others in Australia.

“So I created Mov’in Bed outdoor bed cinema, where patrons watch movies from 150 queen-sized beds with blankets and pillows provided. Food was delivered to the beds, and it went nuts.

“This year we were planning to do it in Perth, Sydney and St Kilda on the beach, but then COVID-19 hit

and restrictions set in.”

Hernandez’s original plan had been to try out a 4000 sqm garden car park near the Moore Park Entertainment Quarter, providing “beds in the sky”, but with the advent of lockdowns he embarked upon a hasty rebranding from “Mov’in Bed” to “Mov’in Car” to turn it into a drive-in venture relatively safe from the social distancing point of view.

“We were the first to launch this and it’s been selling out,” he says.

To cater for patrons who don’t have a car or a driving licence, Peugeot has chipped in with three cars for hire.

Hernandez is vague on detail about the ACT venture, but says he got a call asking: “Can you come and do it here in Canberra?”

The answer was an enthusiastic “yes” and he had 10 days to organise everything including, first and foremost, observance of COVID-19 restrictions.

“We have a contactless way of ordering food and drinks so people don’t have to go out to order the food at the bar,’ he says.

‘We have plenty of space and the only restriction is to make sure that people are seated properly inside the car watching the movies – we are doing things properly.”

But there are a couple of things that make him “a bit angry”, he says, especially the reality that thousands of people are crowding into massive shopping centres while entrepreneurs like him have to hold the numbers back.

The temporary rebranding from beds to cars will probably return to beds because “they’re very, very popular and it’s a very cool way to watch a movie,” but who knows? Cars are good, too.

One of his own favourites is “Alice and the Mayor”, in which the jaded mayor of Lyon encounters a young female philosopher – it’s definitely in the feel-good category.

But “In the Name of the Land”, another movie audiences seem to have loved, where a man takes over his father’s farm, feel-good is not the word – “it’s a drama with a very strong leading role,” Platel says.

And the closing film he’s so proud of?

That’s “The Bare Necessity”, a “twisted“ romantic comedy set in the French countryside.

The ubiquitous Fanny Ardant turns up in this one too, yet again as a middle-aged housewife.

“She’s a legend and we are very happy to have this film… and also the very end is one of the most poetic scenes in all the festival. I truly love this film,” he says.

As for the opening date, July 14, it’s perfect.

“It’s the day when we think not merely of the French Revolution but of a humanistic message… I think it’s a very strong message to open the festival on Bastille Day.

“We are still alive, we are resilient, we are happy again.”

The revised Alliance Française Film Festival, Palace Electric, July 14-August 4. Bookings at affrenchfilmfestival.org

WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

Streaming stimulation for our binging nation

NETFLIX continues to reign supreme with an action-packed month of new seasons of some of its biggest shows released.

“Thirteen Reasons Why”, a wildly con troversial teen drama based on a mystery surrounding the suicide of a high school girl brought out its fourth and final season.

It’s based on a 2007 best-selling novel by Jay Asher, well, at least the first season was. It was initially promising when still staying mostly faithful to its source material.

Unfortunately the show now only wallows in its own misery and pushes excessive controversies that don’t contain any substance past their shock value in an attempt to stay relevant.

This will always pull in viewers, but it won’t be a show that will necessarily be remembered.

In comparison to where we’ve seen the brilliant Bill Pullman before – think “Independence Day” and “Spaceballs” – he offers some of his most sophisticated acting in his return as Detective Harry Ambrose in season three of “The Sinner”.

This one is an anthology crime drama that features the detective investigating a new case with each season, but there’s always a twist. The first sees star Jessica Biel playing a troubled mother at the centre of a grizzly incident where she, seemingly out of nowhere, murders a young man on a beach. Talk about an eventful family holiday.

Captivating, psychological and a twist I put my money on you won’t see coming, this one is definitely worth the watch.

“Dark” also just came out with its third and final season. This is a kaleidoscopic science-fiction tale about the illusion of time and a family caught in the middle of it.

To say any more would be to spoil, but think of this one as a more adult and complex version of “Stranger Things”.

“Dark” is a completely German production meaning you can either watch it with an English dub or subtitles (I highly recommend the latter). Or, of course, if you can speak German, that’s pretty cool, too. It is a testament to the brilliance of the show that it remains highly popular on Netflix considering that, unfortunately, a foreign language is often enough to turn too many viewers away. This one requires

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.

a hefty amount of concentration, but the reward is certainly worth it.

All this speaks to Netflix retaining its place as streaming king.

New figures show that it’s now reached 15 million Australian subscribers. This puts our country in the top five for the platform in the world and makes us quite the population of bingers.

These numbers, of course, have skyrocketed because of the COVID-19 lockdown, and it only looks to continue that way for the duration of 2020.

Last year, the streaming mega machine generated a whopping $20 billion internationally. This is what allows it to pump out endless original series, such as the ones mentioned above, faster than any other platform.

as “Doctor Who” on the former, or “Game of Thrones” on the latter.

In fact, you might have caught Foxtel Binge’s ads on commercial TV in the last few weeks touting it as “unturnoffable”. That is, of course, if you’re still watching commercial TV.

Seems from the conversations I have, so many people say they no longer watch much commercial TV in favour of what they stream on their preferred platform.

Others such as Stan (and now Binge) have to find other ways to attempt to catch up to their rival. This is often through investing in iconic pieces of popular culture, which although still coming with a hefty price tag, is certainly cheaper than churning out self-funded productions. Take stuff such

Seems from the conversations I have, so many people say they no longer watch much of it in favour of what they’ve got to stream on their preferred platform.

Some I know don’t even have a TV aerial, but instead a simple connection to the internet that does them just fine. If that doesn’t speak volumes about our times, I don’t know what does.

NICK OVERALL

ARTS IN THE CITY

Surprises among ‘Blue Poles’

By Helen Musa

JACKSON Pollock’s 1952 work

“Blue Poles” has gone under the microscope at the National Gallery of Australia for its most comprehensive conservation project to date. It’s rarely been off display since the gallery opened in 1982, but the pandemic closure provided an opportunity for the first in-depth research, analysis, and major conservation treatment of the work since its acquisition in 1973. Senior paintings conservator at the NGA, David Wise, has been using surface microscopes, ultraviolet and infrared light, and other analytical techniques to uncover surprises hidden to the naked eye. From July 8 visitors can see Wise working on “Blue Poles” every Wednesday from 1.30-2.30pm.

CANBERRA’S busiest conductor, Leonard Weiss has written from the US, where he’s studying for his masters under the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s director, Marin Alsop. He has won the BSO-Peabody Fellowship for next year, allowing him to work more closely with Alsop and guests as assistant conductor. He has also been recognised as the Peabody conservatory’s “Rising Star” for 2020. After finishing the academic year in online classes, he formed the Peabody Virtual Orchestra and conducted Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1” which

David Wise investigating ‘Blue Poles’… NGA, every Wednesday, 1.30-2.30pm.

opened Johns Hopkins University’s online graduation ceremony. “Certainly not the same as making music in person, but a treat to perform with friends,” he says.

JOHN R Walker is a professional artist living in the Braidwood area, whose principal interest is the Australian landscape and environmental history. His new exhibition “Fireground” presents a cycle of paintings on the theme of destruction and rebirth inspired by the recent bushfires. Utopia Art Sydney, 983 Bourke Street, Waterloo in Sydney until July 25, also online at utopiaartsydney.com.au

BUDDING Theatre is itching to get back on stage, and has announced that its production of “The Great Gatsby” will run at Belconnen Theatre from September 15-20. It’s a

new adaptation by Kirsty Budding, who weaves F. Scott Fitzgerald’s words with 1920s music played by live jazz band, Charlie’s Angels. In the title role of Gatsby is former Olympic swimmer for Zambia, 28-year-old Zane Jordan in his first stage role. Playing his muse, Daisy, is 21-year-old Emily Mullamphy, who has been seen in “Sweeney Todd” and “The Little Mermaid”. Bookings now open at buddingtheatre.com

M16 ARTSPACE studio artist Bronwynne Jones has been using a mix of new and reclaimed fabric to make a range of clothes and accessories under her fashion label Thunder Thighs Fashion. Of late she has turned to making practical but ornate face masks from fabric offcuts and with straps made from pantyhose. Her work may be viewed at thunderthighsfashion.com

or “Fuego Nero”

The difference this method of cooking makes to the taste of the food is remarkable.

Normally we’d head into the restaurant for a full experience but this time it was iso-homedelivery. Would the food stand up to the travel? It did.

The restaurant itself delivers but we were out side the specified zone so we ordered through the relatively new Canberra Eats platform, paying $10 for delivery (minimum order $55).

The mixed mushrooms with truffle ($15) were packed with only the type of flavour that gently sautéing brings to a dish. It’s a beautiful side and the mushrooms weren’t overcooked (which makes them mushy). It was delish.

We couldn’t pass by the suckling pig, a specialty of the house along with sous-vide chicken breast with sautéed greens ($21), braised lamb shanks with mash ($24), pan-fried John Dory with roasted potatoes ($21), and last, but not least, suckling lamb with roasted potatoes and garlic sauce ($35).

Our suckling pig was super moist and flavourful. The roasted potatoes were divine – crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside – and the apple sauce was lovely and tangy ($35). It was a decent portion (we had some for lunch the next day) and we’d order it again in a flash.

For salad we opted for the haloumi – the type that’s chewy and squeaky ($17), which sat on a bed of

The difference [cooking on fire] makes to the taste of the food is remarkable… the restaurant has been around for some years now, a testament to the quality of its food and service.”

Many Black Fire dishes are readily available dairy-free, glutenfree, vegetarian and vegan. The restaurant has been around for some years now, a testament to the quality of its food and service.

diners and rethink operations around takeaway and delivery. Hospitality staff needing jobs are Canberra Eats drivers and ours was appreciative, thanking us for supporting them.

Canberra Eats popped in the capital during the third crisis of 2020 – the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s post-fire and post-hail, when so many restaurants were forced to close to in-house

The Canberra Eats process is simple: Order before 5pm, pick a delivery time after 6pm, then wait while the chefs cook your dinner and the hospitality staff needing jobs drive it to your door. All you have to do is set the table.

Canberra Eats is about supporting local, which we love. We also love the ease of ordering (the cart system) and that you can pre-order, removing any stress.

COME DANCING

Get dancing for fun, friendship and fitness

DANCING, no matter what style it is, is a great way for people of all ages to have fun, form friendships and get fit.

And, with a variety of Canberra dance classes in styles such as ballroom, tap, hip hop, jazz and contemporary, everyone is bound to find a style that suits them best.

Photo: Es Fotografi

contemporary, musical theatre, lyrical and open clas sical, as well as performance classes and conditioning, the Kim Harvey School of Dance director, Kim Harvey, is thrilled to be back to teaching face-to-face.

“We’re working hard now to prepare the students for online auditions, examinations and future opportunities in a shorter than usual time span,” she says.

Kim Harvey School of Dance has been running for 30 years, and now operates from a bespoke building that was awarded the Australian Institute of Architect’s ACT Art in Architecture Award 2016, Kim says.

“Our students are fortunate to have access to a world-class facility and our highly-trained faculty love

Kim says she’s proud to have been instrumental in the early training of future and current dance professionals such as Dimity Azoury and Cadi McCarthy.

“I love running the school: the interaction with engaged young minds, the opportunity to see students grow and learn, the sharing of knowledge and love of dance to all ages and the family and community that extends beyond the dance school,” she says.

Kim Harvey School of Dance, at “The Oak”, 11 Rosevear Place, Dickson. Call 6230 0425, email admin@kimharveydance.com.au or visit kimharveydance.com.au

TEACHING a range of classic dance styles, Dale’s Ballroom Dancing offers a fun way to get fit, socialise and compete in a friendly environment,

“You don’t realise how much exercise you’re doing, you’re constantly on

Dale, who loves seeing her students having fun and improving in her classes, teaches styles such as the 10 traditional ballroom dances: waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, Viennese waltz, cha cha, samba, jive, rumba and

Backed by more than 20 years’ experience teaching dance, Dale started dancing even earlier, at the age of six, when she developed an interest in ballroom dancing.

She’s since received many qualifications in ballroom dancing and is also a championship adjudicator who travels interstate to judge ballroom competitions.

And while it’s not compulsory, Dale says her students have a chance to compete and she loves seeing them receive medals for their achievements.

“I enjoy seeing the looks on the

kids’ faces when they get their medals,” she says.

But, she says she also loves to see them having a great time and enjoying the classes, with classes for adults, children and social classes, too.

Dale’s Ballroom Dancing, 245 Cowlishaw Street, Tuggeranong. Call 6296 4009, email dale_harris@bigpond.com or visit dalesballroomdancing.com

THERE’S no better time to go for a walk in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, now that it’s open again.

At the entrance gates to the gardens is the beautiful bottle tree, Brachychiton rupestris from Queensland, which is always of special interest. Even more spectacular is the Adansonia Gregorii from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The gregorii is named after one of Australia’s great explorers, Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1819-1905). Born in England and migrating with his parents to the new Swan River settlement in Western Australia, he led four major expeditions exploring and opening up parts of WA, mainly north of Perth.

Boab trees are also found in Africa and Madagascar. The name is a derivative of the Arabic word baobab. One myth is that the bulbous trunk is full of water – not so, although these have an amazing capacity to withstand drought. Some of these trees are huge, with trunks recorded up to five metres in diameter. It is one of only a few native plants that are deciduous, losing its leaves in the cold winter months. Most parts of the tree are edible, and the leaves are used by indigenous people medicinally. An

pulp of the fruit has an agreeable taste like cream of tartar”. An interesting article in “Australian Geographic” (3/7/19) explores its possible African connection.

BACK to everyday gardening, with hints on growing rhubarb. Its origin is obscure, grown centuries ago in China, Russia and Turkey. Historically it was considered more valuable than cinnamon, saffron and opium. The stalks are the edible part, while the leaves are poisonous and must not be eaten, even when cooked and should not be given to stock or chickens. The Chinese treatise “The Divine Farmer’s Herb-Root Classic” from 1800 years ago mentions rhubarb for medicinal purposes. In Scotland it was first grown as an edible plant in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens in 1786. It is considered a cool-season perennial with the best stem colour when the temperatures dip down to -10C, hence ideal for this area. Rhubarb is best planted as a crown in an open, sunny position and can be left for four to five years, after which it is best divided and planted in fresh soil. The ground should be well dug over with plenty of animal manure worked into the soil before planting. Feed regularly with liquid manure or liquid certified organic seaweed. Now is an ideal time to plant, with the crowns just shoots and at harvest do not cut the stems, but rather gently pull from the crown. Do not remove any more than half of the stalks at any one time.

BIRDS can be fussy eaters, as evidenced in our garden. We have several Japanese maples including Acer “palmatum”, A. “Trompenburg”, A. “Bloodgood” and others. However, sitting at my desk looking out of the window, the magnificent king parrots were only interested in the seeds of A. palmatum. An advance party of two arrived for a couple of days. Then they came in force, with at least 15 stripping the

PUZZLES PAGE FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

You’re keen to rush things and speak bluntly but don’t barge in with guns blazing! If you do, then you could end up smack bang in the middle of a fiery argument. It is a suitable week to tackle domestic chores and proceed with DIY projects. Just make sure you finish details properly before you embark on exciting new projects. Your quote for the week is from birthday great, philosopher Henry David Thoreau: “Haste makes waste, no less in life than in housekeeping.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

With Mercury reversing through your education and neighbourhood zones (until Sunday) it’s a suitable week to revise work or revisit a local friendship. But be very clear when you’re communicating with family, friends and work colleagues. What they say and what you hear may be two very different things. So make sure you keep them up-to-date with what you are thinking and doing, otherwise misunderstandings are likely. A good dollop of diplomacy will get you through.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

The more creatively and compassionately you communicate, the more smoothly the week will proceed. But – with retrograde Mercury square Mars – expect a friendship to be rather frustrating. Gossiping about others will also lead to a fraction too much friction. Instead, tune into the deliciously diplomatic vibes of Venus as she sashays through your sign. You’ll find peace, love, harmony and discreet diplomacy will get you a lot further than scuttlebutt and shenanigans.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Prepare for a special week, when the Moon activates your relationship zones and the Sun-Neptune trine puts you in the mood for lashings of romance and a touch of magic. Be inspired by fellow Cancerian, actor Tom Hanks (who was born on July 9): “I always look up at the Moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos.” But be careful what you say on Wednesday, when retrograde Mercury squares Mars and your usual discretion flies out the window.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Mercury is reversing through your self-sabotage zone until Sunday. So be careful you don’t put your foot in your mouth, antagonise other people and stuff up a potentially positive week. On Sunday the Sun (your patron planet) forms a fabulous trine with Neptune. So it’s your time to sparkle and shine as you meditate, create, contemplate, pursue spiritual study or engage in volunteer work. You’ll find the more you reach out and help others, the happier you’ll be.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Your very discreet Virgo nature is emphasised, as retrograde Mercury activates your friendship and mystery zones. So make it a priority to connect with likeminded people who understand your particular peccadilloes and strong need for privacy. A loved one could be super snappy on Wednesday, so handle them with extra care and don’t even try to work out where they are coming from. Romantic liaisons and creative joint ventures are favoured on the weekend.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Remember Mercury is still reversing through your career zone until Sunday. If you are professionally unprepared (or make a tactless off-the-cuff remark) then you could find yourself with a fractious client or a cranky colleague on your hands. So take the time to think things through carefully before you speak and act! Work opportunities are highlighted on the weekend, when creative inspiration strikes or you come up with a wonderful way to help others.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

With retrograde Mercury in your aspirations zone, pursuing your dreams won’t be a direct journey. Planning, patience and persistence are required before you finally taste the sweet fruits of success. So smart and strategic Scorpios will take things one slow and steady step at a time. Compassion and forgiveness are also highlighted. Heed the wise words of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (who turns 85 on July 6): “Forgive others… be kind, honest and have positive thoughts.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Fiery words are likely on Wednesday. If you find yourself on the receiving end of some hurtful comments (in person or online) then resist the urge to retaliate. And beware the urge to splurge! Jupiter is jumping through your money zone (until December 19) which can mean a temporary boost to cash flow. But it also increases your tendency to indulge in an impulsive and extravagant shopping spree. Retrograde Mercury reminds you to spend time becoming more financially literate.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Mercury is reversing through your partnership zone until Sunday. So you could revisit an old romance, a long-lost relative could reappear or a friend from the past could re-enter your life. Don’t be deceived by charming words or glossy appearances though. Look beneath the surface to evaluate the person’s true values and motives. And if you’re having doubts, then double-check their credentials. If you take the time to look a lot deeper, then you’ll discover what’s really going on.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

How are you feeling Aquarius? Mercury is reversing through your wellbeing zone until Sunday. So it’s a good time to review your health and fitness; revise your diet and exercise routine; and then make appropriate adjustments and improvements. But they must be creative tweaks that specifically suit your idiosyncratic Aquarian style! Then Sunday favours volunteer projects and philanthropic pursuits, as you do your best to make the world a better and fairer place.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

General knowledge crossword No. 740

3 Name a popular US ball game. (8)

7 What is a course of travel, especially to a distant place? (6)

8 What do we call those who acquire knowledge by study, etc? (8)

9 Which season precedes summer? (6)

10 Which colloquial term implies that something is beneath one’s dignity? (5,3)

11 To abandon evil conduct, is to do what? (6)

14 What is a dirty mark or smear? (6)

17 What else is a boa constrictor known as? (8)

18 To give up a position, is to do what? (6)

19 Which term describes that which is characterised by adroit procedure? (8)

20 What are items in sports programs? (6)

21 What is a variable electrical resistor? (8)

1 What is a house of shelter for pilgrims, strangers, etc? (7)

2 Name a member of a Sicilian criminal secret society. (7)

3 In which country is Flemish spoken? (7)

4 What is the tympanic membrane more commonly known as? (7)

5 To have improved something, is to have done what? (7)

6 Name a form of pasta, cut into flat sheets. (7)

11 Which nuclear device produces radioactive isotopes? (7)

12 What do we call a woman, engaged to be married? (7)

13 What are raw recruits also known as? (7)

14 Name a particular bright red colour. (7)

15 What was the first given name of the US general and president, ... S Grant? (7)

16 What are mechanical devices called? (7)

Couple fail the stimulus tests CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Michelle and Brian were looking for help with the federal government stimulus packages to see if they could benefit from any of them.

Michelle said she thought it might be a great idea to withdraw $10,000 from her superannuation fund this year and next. She'd heard she could contribute it back and get a tax deduction.

"Well, Michelle, it's not quite that simple," I replied.

"In order to make a withdrawal from your super you need to satisfy certain criteria. These include that: you are unemployed, eligible for JobSeeker or JobKeeper, your role was made redundant or your working hours have been reduced by 20 per cent or more.

"As I understand it, none of these apply to you. Therefore, you are not eligible.

“In fact, over the last few days the Tax Office has indicated there is a lot of available information (including single-touch payroll and information reported by superannuation funds) that allows them to check individual eligibility to withdraw super.

"Letters are already being sent out from the ATO querying eligibility for people who have withdrawn money from super.

"It's also unwise to withdraw money now from super as it will have such a long-term effect, but we can discuss that later.

"In addition, the ATO has said anyone recontributing the $10,000 to super to obtain a tax deduction will be examined. Then Part IVA, the anti-avoidance provision, will apply to the transaction and they will be fined.

"This proposal is not a good idea and will cost you a lot in penalties. So I recommend you don't proceed.”

Brian said he was thinking of putting an extra room out the back and using the government’s $25,000 for this.

"If the government is giving $25,000 away, we should take advantage of it,” he said.

I replied: “The first question I would ask is if you were planning to put on a new room if the government had not offered these grants? Secondly, do you need the extra room?”

Brian said: “No, I just like the idea of free money.”

I said: “Well, if you don’t have $125,000 sitting around you will have to borrow it. The $25,000 grant is not free if you are making a decision to do something you hadn’t planned to do, then borrowing to do so and having a loan that you have to pay back.

"Even though the interest rates are historically low, you will be out of pocket if it takes you longer than about seven years to pay it back. And, of course, your income levels suggest that this will not happen. In addition with all the COVID 19 uncertainty, if the value of your house goes down it will have been a very costly exercise.”

Brian said: "I hadn’t thought of that, Gail. So now we know neither of the ideas is workable for us.”

If you need advice on the government’s stimulus programs contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 6295 2844.

Disclaimer

This column contains general advice, please do not rely on it. If you require specific advice on this topic please contact Gail Freeman or your professional adviser.

The stars focus on financial matters, as Mars and retrograde Mercury stir up your spontaneous spending gene. Which is OK – as long as you have the cash flow to fund a shopping spree. If you don’t, then you’ll have to entertain yourself in more frugal ways. Finances and friends are a particularly messy mix, so strive to keep the two well separated. Your motto for the week is from birthday great, writer Henry David Thoreau: “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” Copyright

Joanne Madeline Moore 2020

BRAND NEW WILD TOURS!

Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium has just released three of the most exciting animal interaction tours ever seen!

Only if you are game…… for 90 minutes, handfeed lions, a tiger, a bear, try to find a leopard in the rainforest, have a python wrap itself around you (definitely optional) and meet a hyena up REAL close! To bring your heartbeat back from racing to just fast, we will slow things down with an introduction to the meerkats and otters.

Discover the magnificence of the African animal kingdom – pat a rhino, hand feed a giraffe, meet the zebras, lemurs, cheetahs, antelope and ostrich on a tour that winds through our open range section for 90 minutes. You can book just one of these two tours or do both (either on the same or on separate days). Also check our all-day Wonders of Wildlife Tour (WOW).

You can also experience Jamala Wildlife Lodge – there is something for everyone at the National Zoo and Aquarium. Gift vouchers for animal encounters, memberships and Jamala are available online or at the zoo.