CityNews 201105

MICHAEL MOORE / WILL LIBS FINALLY HAVE A CHANCE AT

Women leaders challenge climate change

ROBERT MACKLIN Greens’ brave promise to heal indigenous hurt JON STANHOPE Talking to voters happens only during elections!

PAUL COSTIGAN

of the Opposition LEEDER

New Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee, up close and personal with BELINDA STRAHORN

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Lots to do, corruption fighters seek more cash NEWS / ACT Integrity Commission

By Belinda STRAHORN

THE man who built the ACT’s first integrity commission from the “ground up” says there’s a bottleneck hampering the speed with which investigations can take place.

ACT Integrity Commission CEO John Hoitink is calling on the newly returned territory government to boost the commission’s annual $4 million budget by a further $1 million to allow it to almost double its staff from 14 to 25.

The commission, which has been operating since December, is currently investigating three cases of “serious” corruption. It is yet to make any findings or referrals to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Hoitink believes more resources are necessary if the watchdog is to be “effective” in tackling maladministration and alleged corruption in the ACT.

“If we had more investigators things would move quicker,” Mr Hoitink says.

“Obviously, anything that is serious and could be affecting people’s health or well-being then, yes, they will be prioritised first… there are some matters we have we will have to park

because we do not have the resources.”

The corruption watchdog has received more than 127 matters, 13 per cent of which have proceeded to some form of investigation.

While declining to disclose details of these investigations, nor the kind of matters the commission has had referred to it, Mr Hoitink admitted the number of cases progressing to some form of investigation was “pretty high”.

At a time when integrity and accountability in public office is coming under intense scrutiny in NSW, Mr Hoitink says there are lessons that can be learnt from the NSW experience.

“Pork barrelling, giving money to electorates, being in relationships, it’s a difficult thing, but what’s come out of all those integrity commissions is that it doesn’t mean that the ACT is immune to those sorts of things,” Mr Hoitink says.

“This is a $40 billion economy, significantly larger than Tasmania and the NT, and I’ve said a few times when you’ve got that sort of value in the economy you’re bound to have people who think they can make a buck out of this or can have a level of power in relation to that sort of money.”

Canberra-born Mr Hoitink has previously held an executive position with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and is also a former AFP officer.

He says corruption is wide and far

reaching, ranging from blackmail to seeking power over people.

“If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t,” Mr Hoitink says.

“If you look at the building and construction in Canberra, it would be naive to think that all the things that are occurring in other jurisdictions were not happening here; that’s headin-the-sand kind of stuff.”

Despite describing the ACT’s integrity commission as “robust” and “capable”, the man in charge of overseeing its day-to-day running says the agency can only be as effective as its

resources allow.

“If you want something to be effective, it’s no use having something that is half hearted, you need a critical mass,” Mr Hoitink says.

“We are not here to be grandiose, but you cannot be effective unless you have the right amount of staff and the right amount of funding to go with that.

“In saying that… I’m sure there are a lot of agencies in the ACT that would like more funding.”

In September, the commission moved to its $2.5 million fit-for-purpose home in Kingston, where it can

conduct investigations, interviews, official hearings and protect evidence and exhibits.

If the agency’s stringent security measures, complete with ballistic glass and X-ray machine, are anything to go by, the commission is expecting to deal with highly confidential and important cases in the years ahead.

Matters referred to the commission will be subjected to a process whereby an assessment team, comprising Mr Hoitink, the Commissioner – former Federal Court judge – Dennis Cowdroy and three directors will make a decision on whether to proceed to a formal investigation.

The public would only be made aware of a matter if the commissioner decides public hearings are required.

“If someone is found to be corrupt within our system, that is not a prosecution, that is a finding, we don’t prosecute, we might find something is corrupt and then we refer the matter as a brief of evidence to the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] and DPP would make the decision as to whether to take the matter further,” says Hoitink.

The ACT is the final state or territory jurisdiction in the country to establish an integrity commission. As recently as last week there were renewed calls to expedite the establishment of a federal integrity commission.

Arts & Entertainment 23-25

Canberra Matters 12

Cinema & Streaming 24

Crossword 26

Dining 25

Gardening 27

Horoscopes 26

Letters 18

News 3-12

Politics 10-11

Seven Days 4 Cover: Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. Photo: Holly Treadaway. Story Page 8.

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Liberals look like a lovely bunch of coconuts

FROM where Andrew Barr sits in the Legislative Assembly, the opposition benches must look like a coconut shy to him.

In the analogue world, that’s a fairground sideshow where balls are thrown at coconuts in an attempt to knock them off stands.

So far, the Chief Minister has knocked two opposition leaders (Messrs Hanson and Coe) off their stands and now has a new one in his sight.

And with two fewer than the last Assembly, only five of the eight elected Liberals at this point haven’t been or aren’t the Opposition Leader. Or looking at it another way, 37.5 per cent of the parliamentary party has held the title.

Stepping up to the shy is second-term and sole Kurrajong survivor (fellow member Candice Burch’s political future was laid waste to the inner-city Green surge) Elizabeth Lee, who seems to be a popular choice for this wound-licking point in the election cycle.

Wise owl and normally unexcitable political columnist Michael Moore is bordering on effusive this week, writing: “Elizabeth Lee is an excellent media performer and a thoughtful politician. She does need to be given a chance, particularly by her parliamentary colleagues and the broader party.”

He’s clearly signalling that the party needs to hunker down behind her if it’s to stand a chance in 2024.

In our cover story, Lee told political

reporter Belle Strahorn

learnt a sharp lesson from the election failure.

“When you are in the bubble of campaign ing and you put your heart and soul behind the leadership team and campaign team in trying your best to win, you look at it blinkered, you do look at it from a certain perspective.”

In the story, the diminutive Liberal leader oddly admits to having the former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard political heroes.

“The amount of public scrutiny she went through and how she handled it with so much class is something I respect a lot,” she told our scribbler.

However, Ms Lee is first a politician and her elevation to the party’s peerage isn’t entirely the “greatness-thrust-upon-her” moment they’d have you believe.

Two years ago, over coffee with a senior Liberal insider, her credentials were set out and the mid-term prospect of a leadership ticket to unseat Alistair Coe was floated. That might have been the theory, here finally comes the practice.

TWENTY-three suburbs in Canberra’s south and inner-south missed out on garbage collection on Monday (November 2) when drivers quaintly walked off the job as part of ongoing pay negotiations.

Households from Chapman to Yarralumla went without the red bin (waste) pick-up, including some who lost the yellow bin (recycling) too.

It all seemed all very polite and organised

their own household waste to temporary drop-off sites in Waramanga, Kambah, Gowrie and Weston. But the cheek of it, the drop-off sites will only accept three large plastic bags of waste. Don’t expect a refund on your rates any time soon, either.

A RECENT column by academic Clive listing the things that make him grumpy has brought out a ripple of people who agree and disagree with him, including , of Chapman, who is sorely aggrieved in this edition’s “Letters” page.

I have a snout in Phillip who was moved to write: “Another item to add to Clive Williams’ list of peeves; well-respected magazines supplying the previous week’s clues for their current week’s crossword puzzle. Or is it simply a result of six Greens in the Legislative Assembly and an effort to save ink or paper?”

He was cruelly alluding to last edition’s howler, where we unwittingly published the clues to the wrong crossword grid.

In publishing, you don’t mess with the crossword and we bravely faced the inevitable slew of seriously cranky readers writing with withering comedic and sarcastic

“I hope the inevitable public backlash disappears shortly,” chortled Mr Phillip.

FOR months now I have followed buses and driven past bus shelters festooned with the brand “Zango” and, in the blur of commuting, wondered what the word actually meant.

I know it’s the name ascribed by its realestate agent shareholders to a new website offering house-sales listings that has spent the last nine months fruitlessly kicking the shins of the all-conquering AllHomes site.

But does the word “zango” mean anything and did any of the agents, like one of them, look it up before coughing up for all the expensive, outdoor festooning?

Maybe they did, but when I asked Google: “Zango meaning” the result was, well, blushmaking.

There on the “Urban Dictionary” site was this: “Zango – it’s what you say when you have a boner, and when you see a hot girl(s) next to you.” Ahem, mystery solved then.

Ian Meikle is the “CityNews” editor. He can be heard on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast”, 9am-noon.

Kerstin Glomb Estate Planning Special Counsel

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.

Women take on climate-change malaise

A POLITICAL movement is afoot among women wanting action on climate change with the potential to transform the Federal Parliament. And the surprise surge of Greens votes in the ACT election provided a massive encouragement to its supporters.

Central figures of the movement are the two independents, Zali Steggall and Helen Haines. Steggall sensationally defeated former Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott for his safe Liberal seat of Warringah in the last election, while Helen Haines succeeded fellow independent Cathy McGowan in the Victorian regional seat of Indi.

It is understood that Rebekha Sharkie, the Member for Mayo in SA – formerly of the Nick Xenophon group – is a supporter and could extend the movement to that state.

Since the last Federal election Steggall and Haines have been getting calls from other electorates around Australia asking for advice on how they started their community movement. They and their supporters have been spreading the net, seeking the involvement of other high-profile women willing to become candidates in the next election.

Action on climate change is the key motivating issue. However, they will also be campaigning on a Federal ICAC and increasing women’s participation in the workforce.

Last week they advanced on two fronts. On Monday, Helen Haines introduced her own ICAC Bill seconded by Zali Steggall. And on Thursday, Steggall sent an email to supporters announcing that she, Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie had signed the notice for her Climate Change Bill to be presented to Parliament on November 9.

“Covid has knocked us for six, but the recovery could be a blessing in disguise if we grasp the opportunity to use government investment to build a green recovery,” she said.

“And with the economic benefits of cheaper energy, more jobs and increased international investment, now’s the time to commit to a sustainable future through the Climate Bill and secure a safe and

Since the last Federal election Steggall and Haines have been getting calls from other electorates around Australia asking for advice on how they started their community movement.

prosperous future.”

She called on supporters to email their MPs and – ever hopeful – the Prime Minister Scott Morrison to back the legislation.

The movement, which began among disenchanted women voters at the lack of climate-change action, has avoided an association with the Greens who have been regarded as left-wing extremists in many of their policies.

However, the remarkable showing by the ACT Greens has complicated the issue. Led by Shane Rattenbury in coalition with the Labor government, the Canberra jurisdiction has

shown itself to be more in line with the movement’s principles. At the same time, their tripling of seats in the ACT Assembly has revealed an upsurge of support for action against climate change among moderate, well-educated voters.

“The increased ACT seats is really interesting,” according to a close supporter. So, too, was the number of successful women candidates from all parties.

Meantime, the search goes on for more women to join the movement as candidates from as many electorates as possible while, behind the scenes, support is also coming from women MPs impatient with the climatechange deniers in the Coalition and Labor, which is split by Joel Fitzgibbon and other MPs in coal seats.

“We can’t go back to the way we were after Covid,” one female MP told your columnist, “This [movement] could shake us all up.”

robert@ robertmacklin. com

Gem of a show

THE 2020 Spring Gem Show will be held in the Mallee Pavilion at EPIC over the weekend of November 7-8. Patron numbers in the pavilion will be limited to about 100 at a time and visitors will be expected to sign in and provide their contact details.

Elders dance club

The LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse and intersex people aged 50+ will be held at the Ainslie Arts Centre, Braddon, 1pm-3pm, Sunday, November 15. Organisers say the club also serves as an opportunity for elders to share stories of their past and current experiences, fostering peer-to-peer exchange and support, strengthening community amongst LGBTIQ+ elders. It’s free, but RSVP via Eventbrite or to enquiry@agac.com.au

Health budget help

THE Health Care Consumers’ Association is hosting a free Zoom seminar on “How to Stretch Your Health Dollar” that will look at ways to obtain free or cheap medical services and how to save money on medicines. The seminar will be held, 7pm-9pm, on Friday, November 13. The Zoom link will be sent on registration to reps@ hcca.org.au or call 6230 7800.

Lyneham market day

ST Ninian’s at Lyneham is holding a market day, 9am-2pm, on Saturday, November 14, with the promise of treasures in good-quality glassware, china, ornaments, new and pre-loved jewellery and a selection of handmade items, plus an on-site sausage sizzle.

COVER STORY / Elizabeth Lee

Humble Lee looks to building a better future

Is Elizabeth Lee the reset the Canberra Liberals desperately needed? Political reporter BELINDA STRAHORN to the new Opposition Leader.

ELIZABETH Lee’s appointment as the new Liberals’ leader, in the aftermath of a shocking election loss, demonstrates a clear break from the past and the party’s willingness for rejuvenation.

Days after being voted Opposition Leader, Ms Lee, 41, has opened up about the recent election defeat that saw the Canberra Liberals lose two seats and suffer a three per cent swing against them.

“When it started to become clearer that we hadn’t achieved what we’d set out to do, I went into shock,” Ms Lee says.

“It’s soul destroying and heartbreaking when you put your entire life, blood, sweat and tears into achieving something and you don’t, it’s absolutely devastating.”

Ms Lee, a moderate, succeeded former conservative leader Alistair Coe, who didn’t recontest his position in the post-election leadership ballot.

Under no delusion that the

challenges she faces are “hercu lean” in nature, the new leader is confident she has what it takes to lead a “refreshed” Canberra Liberals.

“We set out to win and we didn’t, that’s something we need to accept and learn from, we need to have a good, thorough look at ourselves, warts and all,” Ms Lee says.

Humbled by her colleagues’ decision to install her as leader, Ms Lee’s appointment is ground breaking for many reasons.

It’s the first time the party has put its faith in a woman leader since Kate Carnell, some 20 years ago.

Ms Lee, along with her new deputy Giulia Jones, are the first female duo to lead a party in ACT politics.

Perhaps of most significance, Ms Lee’s elevation to leader is a huge personal achievement for a first-generation Australian woman of Korean background.

“I have never seen a face that looks like mine in Australian

politics,” she says.

“When you grow up in that kind of culture it’s difficult to dream and have ambitions

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for yourself, so if I can do my small part in inspiring other young Asian Australians to pursue a role in politics, that’s a special thing.”

As the highest-polling Liberal (and only one elected) in Kurrajong, Ms Lee has long been tipped as a potential party leader.

Last year she was considered, by some, as a replacement for Mr Coe as leader, ahead of the 2020 election.

Working with two former leaders in Mr Coe and Jeremy Hanson, it remains to be seen if she has what it takes to lead a united party.

Although Ms Lee remained tight lipped about shadow portfolios, she didn’t rule out Mr Coe and Mr Hanson playing significant roles.

“Their talents are huge, we need those talents, not just for the Liberals but also for ACT

politics and the Canberra community,” Ms Lee says.

Perhaps the ex-gym instructor’s biggest challenge yet, is to regain the confidence of ACT voters who rejected the party’s policy agenda earlier this month, delivering the Liberals a sixth straight election loss.

“I want to make sure we put our best foot forward in terms of showing the Canberra public that we are a genuine, viable and better alternative government.”

A busy mum to 16-month-old daughter Mia and wife to public servant husband Nathan Hansford, Ms Lee’s family migrated to Australia from South Korea in 1986 when she was seven years-old.

Moving to Canberra to study law at the ANU, Ms Lee was elected to the Assembly in 2016.

Her parents’ hard-working and selfless example instilled in

her a strong value of family and community service, she says.

“My parents left behind their language, family and culture and moved to a country where they knew no one, they sacrificed a lot so my sister and I could have a better life,” she

While Ms Lee’s political role models are drawn from across the political divide namely Julie Bishop, Julia Gillard and Natasha Stott Despoja, her big-

“Dad worked in construction in Sydney in the 1980s and was the only Asian man that most of his fellow construction workers had ever met,” she explains.

“Because his English was so poor he didn’t understand that his colleagues were making fun of him and making racist

“I am forever grateful that he didn’t let those negative experiences colour the way he

“He taught us if someone is rude or racist, it’s only that person, don’t ever judge anyone else by those negative comments.”

Some 40 years on, Ms Lee has had to contend with her fair share of derogatory comments and racist attitudes.

“While my race doesn’t define me, it’s a big part of me that I can’t change and I would hope people would see me for my contribution to public life, but it would also be unrealistic to think that it doesn’t play a role,” she says.

“Every time little comments are made it’s just another reminder that we don’t always fit in, we are not quite accepted.”

Something this ex-commercial litigation lawyer would like to change.

“Being a mother has sharpened my focus on what kind of world I want my daughter, Mia, to live in,” she says.

“I’m doing this because I want to create a better world for her and her generation.”

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Will Libs finally have a chance at government?

THE Canberra Liberals have a fresh face. They hope this will mean doing better at the next election.

The abysmal performance of the Alistair Coe-led Liberals at the recent election calls for a serious rethink for both their Assembly team and for their broader party.

Putting up a different leadership team is a positive start. It is different. In her first media statement as leader, Elizabeth Lee stated: “I am proud to lead a diverse team who bring together many life experiences and cultural backgrounds”.

The Liberal Party across Australia has grown much more conservative and it will be difficult for the Liberal Party in Canberra to accept one of the prime lessons from this election is that a big majority of Canberrans do not want a conservative government.

Canberrans do not want a conservative government.

Her own background as a lawyer, an experienced MLA and her Korean heritage suggest something new, something fresh.

The last time the Liberals were in government they were led by Kate Carnell. She also brought a different approach. She wrestled the leadership from the fairly conservative Trevor Kaine and offered something different to Canberrans.

However, the challenge is bigger for Elizabeth Lee. The Liberal Party in Canberra and across Australia has grown much more conservative. As much as it will be difficult for the Liberal Party in Canberra to accept, one of the prime lessons from this election is that a big majority of

Former moderate chief minister Gary Humphries is returning to the party in the hope of having some influence. Dissatisfaction with such a long-term government ought to have resulted in a Liberal landslide. However, rather than voting conservative, voters moved to the Greens.

Under the more moderate leadership of former leader Jeremy Hanson the party did much better at the 2016 election. The Liberals won 36.7 per cent of the vote in that election compared to Labor’s 38.4 per cent. In 2020 Labor dropped 0.6 per cent to 37.8 per cent. However, instead of routing the government, the Liberals dropped 2.9 per cent to 33.8 per cent.

Elizabeth Lee is an excellent media performer and a thoughtful politician. She does need to be given a chance,

particularly by her parliamentary colleagues and the broader party. Issues such as abortion and euthanasia can continue to be handled as conscience votes. Hopefully, without attempts at inappropriate influence on each other.

The new Deputy Leader, Giulia Jones, will need to move from her previously conservative approach to support her leader. She will also need to play a key part in bringing other conservative elements with her. The question for her is how much is she prepared to reconsider her conservative views and to genuinely become more moderate. It will require this sort of transition to facilitate the possibility of winning government.

One indication of a new start would be for the Canberra

Liberals to take a fresh stance on justice issues. A fresh face would put the law-and-order approach aside and fall in heavily behind restorative justice. With her legal background, Elizabeth Lee is the right person to lead this sort of transformation.

The Liberals could lead such a justice transformation. Our incarceration rates are increasing exponentially through our archaic approach to justice policy. The government has committed to reduce recidivism by 25 per cent in the next five years. The Liberals need to be strongly supportive and, additionally, suggest ways to address the causes of such high incarceration rates.

Lorana Bartels, Tom Calma and Rudi Lammers threw down the gauntlet a couple of months ago saying: “There is an avalanche of evidence from experts and governments of all political persuasions that says reform to our traditional criminal justice system leads to better economic and social outcomes”.

A focus on the disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, and particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our justice system, would be a very good start.

Leadership can be managed from opposition. The ACT committee system, introduction of legislation, matters of public importance, challenging government in question time as well as in the media all provide opportunities.

Justice is just one example. Our education system has been going downhill, as have our hospitals. In the absence of any report so far from the anti-corruption commission, there remains a perception of lack of integrity in planning. This ought to have favoured the Liberals in the election.

The Canberra Liberals now have a chance to implement their fresh approach. Let’s see if it happens.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

A CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER FOR FAMILIES IN NEED IN

About Hundreds for Thousands

Hundreds for Thousands is a Christmas fundraiser aimed at helping families in need across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma and Goulburn. With your help, our goal is to raise $100,000, allowing us to provide 1000 families with a $100 grocery gift voucher. This voucher will give each family the freedom to choose the food that they like to eat and help to make their Christmas day lunch or dinner special.

10 Salvation Army centres (listed on the website) are involved in the fundraiser, each with a goal of $10,000 which will contribute to the overall $100,000 target. You have the freedom to choose which centre to support so donate today and GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE!

POLITICS / First Nations’ promises

Greens’ brave promise to heal indigenous hurt

I REGRET not seeing the ACT Greens’ policy statement and election commitments to First Nations’ people before the election. It is very good.

Had I been aware of the range and depth of the ACT Greens’ commitments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Canberra I may have been tempted to abandon Labor and vote for them on that policy alone. Labor’s First Nations’ election manifesto is, in comparison, derisory.

The Greens’ headline commitment is that it will “support First Nations’ families with claims (to native title) to submit those claims for determination.”

This promise is not just generous, recognising that the native-title process is extremely demanding, but also expensive, but also far sighted and, in light of the unique lease-based land title system in the ACT, particularly important.

The Greens are, if I am interpreting their intention correctly, seeking to respond to the inherent unfairness to traditional custodians of land in the ACT, being denied the prospect of claiming native title to that land because freehold title and hence possibly native title, was extinguished when the ACT was transferred by NSW to the Commonwealth for the purposes of creating a national capital.

Importantly, the Greens have recognised the impact which the

I commend the Greens for the bold, even courageous, commitment to seek to address a painful fracture in the local Aboriginal community.

legacy of colonisation, disrupted customs and policy decisions being made by government, without proper consultation with relevant First Nations’ custodians, is having on the Aboriginal community including in the generation of conflict. The Greens acknowledge that disputes within the community are causing lateral violence between local families.

This was, sadly, comprehensively illustrated by “CityNews” journalist Danielle Nohra in her August 6 report of an interview with Mr Paul House, speaking on behalf of a group of Aboriginal families whose traditional connection to Canberra is beyond question, but who identify as Ngambri not Ngunnawal peoples.

In his interview, Paul House highlighted two main issues. Firstly, that the ACT government is in breach of the 2001 Namadgi National Park Agreement and, secondly, the decision by the ACT government and other organs of government such as the ABC and the ACT Legislative Assembly, to refuse to engage with or acknowledge those traditional custodians who identify as Ngambri while engaging with those who also

claim traditional connection but identify as Ngunnawal.

The hurt which the actions of the ACT government, and by extension the ABC and the Legislative Assembly, are doing to those Aboriginal families who have chosen to identify as Ngambri was palpable in Mr House’s closing comment to reporter Nohra, when he said: “It’s creating intergenerational trauma, a stolen generation.

“There’s a generation of people being told a lie on their own country. This government is stealing the identity away from Ngambri. They’re stealing it, they are reinterpreting it, they are trying to whitewash the true history of this country. That’s what they are doing. It’s criminal.”

It is notable, I think, that the Commonwealth government and Parliament acknowledge the Ngambri peoples as traditional custodians.

I commend the Greens for the bold, even courageous, commitment to seek to address this painful fracture in the local Aboriginal community.

The Greens’ First Nations’ election commitments extend well beyond the central issue of native title and traditional custodianship. There are

in fact in the order of about 30 separate commitments. All are worthy of recognition and will, as they are rolled out over the next four years, make a significant difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents of Canberra.

Having been responsible for the commitment in 2008 by the thenLabor government to establish an Aboriginal-specific, residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, I was touched, to the point that I burst into laughter when reading the following Greens’ commitment to such a facility: “The ACT Greens support the aims of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm which is operated and administered by Canberra Health Services. However, we know that the NBHF is not a drug and alcohol service, despite its original intention to be so, and never will be.”

One could not count on the fingers of both hands the number of times members of the ACT government have stood up over the last four years and insisted, with a straight face, that the NBHF was never intended to be a drug and alcohol service. It is so refreshing to see the Greens acknowledge the truth and call out those

repeated claims for what they are. I will quickly mention three other major commitments that we can look forward to the re-elected ACT Labor/ Greens government implementing. In addition to an Aboriginal specific drug and alcohol service the government has also promised a dedicated Aboriginal community controlled medical withdrawal, ie detox, service. It has also agreed to the creation of an office of First Nations Social Justice Commissioner within the Human Rights Commission and the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People’s Commissioner. Each of these is a very significant initiative. Congratulations.

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.

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CANBERRA MATTERS

Talking to voters happens only during elections!

FOR Canberra residents involved with advocacy on planning and development over the last decade, a major frustration was the attitude of ACT politicians once elected to government.

If the pattern continues, the new Labor/Greens politicians will soon disappear behind a bureaucratic wall of minders and communication officers. Talking with voters happens only during elections.

When residents took their stand against the barbaric bulldozing of West Basin’s biodiversity and open spaces by the City Renewal Authority, the ACT Labor/Greens politicians responded with well-rehearsed rhetoric and misleading information.

They ignored the evidence presented by residents, heritage experts, scientists and anyone with a love for this city. Politicians failed consistently to represent their constituents preferring to align with Team Labor and the arrogance of the City Renewal Authority.

Those

This disconnect with residents was the new normal. This was the experience in Molonglo (Coombs shops, Coombs Peninsula), Weston (parkland to be bulldozed for parking), Woden (anything to do with community facilities and green spaces), Dickson (Parklands and Common Ground, the unresolved Dickson land swap), inner south (Kingston Arts Precinct and the undelivered Manuka Master Plan) and the list goes on – but let’s not leave out the North Curtin Horse Paddock land deal.

Those attempting advocacy by contacting local politicians would most likely receive a “do nothing” letter or email with reasons why, as local, elected politicians, they could do little to assist.

If the resident sought an appointment, such meetings were booked for a month to six weeks away. The new normal was that residents’ issues were not priorities of local politicians. They were busy with meetings and

endless committees to sit around in – let alone to be on call to developers and the property industry. The clear message for residents was that their place was at the end of the queue.

When challenged over their commitment to residents, the ACT Greens would say that they had their agreement with Team Labor and to take a stand with residents on issues would mean that they would have had to break that agreement. Somehow their commitment to those who elected them was put aside once in government.

The new Legislative Assembly contains a host of new politicians and many of those are now in government or at least are enabling government to function.

During the elections, planning and development was the hot issue being avoided by candidates. The election results demonstrated clearly that for most voters they were not happy with the two major parties.

The lack of credible planning and the subsequent rubbish developments being approved may not have been discussed daily but the impact of

the destruction of the city definitely influenced how people viewed the last Labor/Greens coalition government.

On urban, biodiversity and green infrastructure issues, none of the last lot scored highly with residents.

The reality is that Labor remains the majority because of rusted-on voters and preferences. The Liberals have to deal with Team Seselja’s conservative faction if they are to be viable to the electorate’s swinging voters.

Many voters swapped to the Greens as they (correctly or incorrectly) could not identify with other options (independents etcetera). This means a lot of trust (with fingers crossed) was attached to those voting Greens.

The next few months should be an interesting time. The new Greens need to seek ways to stay in touch

with residents, to not just talk and be friendly but to take actions and stand with residents, and do the big one, to deal with the Planning Directorate head on. The new Greens must not do what others have done and leave planning to the professionals.

The ACT Greens need to watch every episode of “Yes, Minister” so that they recognise the rhetoric that will be used. They need to act on the reality that the Planning Directorate has years of pushing aside residents for the “greater good”. The ACT Greens in building their new normal need to “do no harm”.

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

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NATIONAL RECYCLING WEEK / November 9-15

Giving resources a renewed life beyond the bin advertising

THIS National Recycling Week is urging people to look towards a future beyond the bin, with its theme “Recovery – A future beyond the bin”.

The week-long campaign, which is running from November 9-15, was founded by Planet Ark about 25 years ago, and continues to educate households, schools and businesses to think “beyond the bin”, encouraging people to better value resources before they become waste.

This year Planet Ark is inviting people to value resources by giving them a second life through reusing and recycling items.

When it comes to electronic waste (e-waste), Australia ranks among the world’s worst offenders in the disposal of e-waste, according to Planet Ark.

Each year, Australians dispose of 21.7kg of e-waste, which is why Planet Ark encourages consumers to pass on electronics rather than discard them.

Planet Ark says food waste and textile waste are both issues, too, with food waste costing the average household $1026 every year, and about six tonnes of textile waste ending up in Australian landfills every 10 minutes.

Finding unique ways to reuse waste

ACT Skip Hire is more than a skip bin service and is constantly finding unique ways to reuse waste, say co-owners Robyn BombellBarron and Tony Barron.

ACT Skip Hire takes the extra step, not just leasing out skips for waste removal, but sorting through that waste and finding Australians across the country who can reuse it, says Robyn.

For example, Robyn says glass waste is finding a new life as insulation in Sydney and tyres go to Cootamundra, where someone collects and reuses them.

“We have bays for glass, masonry, dirty fill, concrete, metals, green waste, cardboard, paper, e waste, and tyres that all are transported, direct to various recyclers in the ACT and NSW,” Robyn says.

According to Robyn, ACT Skip Hire rescue about 60-70 per cent of the waste that comes through their doors each month.

“A lot of things that would have ended up in landfill don’t anymore,” she says.

Anything that can be resold is sent to the Let’s Recycle Canberra Shop, which is run by Robyn and Tony’s son Daniel.

Often, Robyn says, treasures such as jewellery, handicrafts and

Discovering treasure in the unwanted

IT’s all about reuse at The Green Shed, which keeps 8000 tonnes of waste from reaching landfill each year, according to co-owner Sandie Parkes.

“Reuse is the most efficient way to deal with unwanted items”, says Sandie.

The Green Shed is a second-hand reseller running two shopfronts in Garema Place – The Green Shed Shop and The Green Shed Underground –which sells everything from electron ics and clothes to kitchen wares.

The Green Shed has two collection centres as well, with one at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre in Symonston and the Flemington Road Resource Management Centre in Mitchell, where shoppers can find items such as furniture, building materials, outdoor items and toys.

ACT SKIP HIRE

“You’d be surprised about what you’d find. You get anything you see in any shop in the world,” says Sandie.

“In The Green Shed you find many things you’d never see again. “Everything in the malls are so generic [but] shops like ours are where you

And, with National Recycling Week coming up, Sandie hopes that the many Australians clearing out unwanted and unused items during the covid lockdowns will think of new uses for their Sandie says.

Unwanted or unused items, or items in need of minor repair, can be deposited at the shed’s collection centres in Symonston and Mitchell.

The Green Shed Shop, 148-180 City Walk, Civic. Visit @thegreenshed.au on Facebook.

NATIONAL RECYCLING WEEK / November 9-15

Ex-Government Furniture owners James Fullerton, left, and Taylor Radnell.

Rescuing quality furniture from landfill

FURNITURE discarded by government departments or private companies is often in great condition and doesn’t need to end up in landfill, say Ex-Government Furniture owners James Fullerton and Taylor Radnell.

“It may no longer be wanted but we rescue it because one man’s trash is another’s treasure,” says James.

“Buying from us means getting a long-lasting, quality piece, not a disposable item.”

James says Ex-Government Furniture offers a free removal service for offices that are upgrading, downsizing or moving, and in turn the shop gets quality furniture to sell on at budget prices.

“We clean, repair and restore all the furniture we get, and guarantee its quality, replacing any items that may prove faulty,” he says.

“If we get anything that can’t be repaired we strip them down for parts.

“We do all we can to recycle any components we can’t use and repurpose items for another use. It helps to save the environment, too.”

Open six days a week, Ex-Government Furniture, which has been a family-run business for more than 20 years and was taken over by James and Taylor about five years ago, has a workshop and storage facility on-site.

Ex-Government Furniture, 6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490, email sales@exgovfurniture.com or visit ex-governmentfurniture.com.au

Empowering businesses to better manage waste

EDUCATING Canberra businesses about the benefits of recycling and better waste management has become essential for Cleanaway, says ACT branch manager Rob Hibbert.

From Coles to Parliament House, Cleanaway manages much of the territory’s waste, and hopes that through education more businesses will start to see the benefit of recycling and better waste management, says Rob.

“A big part of what we do nowadays is enhancing people’s waste management,” says Rob.

Cleanaway runs a variety of educational programs for businesses, helping them to not just establish recycling programs such as separating waste into different bins or having the appropriate signage, but to empower businesses to make the most of recycling, says Rob.

“We educate them on what actually happens to their waste so they have a level of confidence that what they’re doing is not in vain and they’re actually making a difference,” Rob says.

“It helps them understand their waste is a resource and not waste.”

Cleanaway says it’s also involved in “grassroots” sustainability movements, engaging with 220 communities around Australia to think positively about waste management and protect natural resources.

“People these days just want to do the right thing,” says Rob. Cleanaway, 188 Sawmill Circuit, Hume. Call 131 339 or visit

Rob finds new homes for unwanted hardware

KINGSTON business Reuse-Recycle IT is rehoming or recycling Canberra’s unwanted computer hardware, with the aim to stop it from reaching landfill, says account executive Rob Carmody.

“We work on the basis that there is no waste to landfill,” Rob says.

Reuse-Recycle IT acts as a broker between Australian, international buyers and government agencies and private companies looking to dispose of unwanted or end-of-life computer hardware, according to Rob.

Data centres, personal computers and laptops all pass through the doors at ReuseRecycle IT, and if anything is not resold, it’s recycled to international standards, with any private data being safely destroyed, says Rob.

“Most agencies and customers have two considerations: one is security and privacy

of information that might be retained on the device,” says Rob.

“We have protocols that follow the government guidelines and we ensure our supply chain also adheres to those core principals.”

When it comes to recycling end-of-life IT equipment, Rob says there’s also an opportunity to get money back from the recycle, resale process.

“We’d like [hardware resale] to be extremely common. At the moment, we are trying to get that word out there so [businesses] understand the end result of working with us is they get a financial return,” Rob says.

Reuse-RecycleIT, 50 Eastlake Parade, Kingston. Call 1300 136052, email RRIT@Reuse-RecycleIT. com.au or visit reuse-recycleit.com.au

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Reuse Recycle IT are on the Commonwealth’s Digital Transformation Agency ICT Hardware Panel and are the sole contracted ICT Disposal Broker for the ACT Government, having returned in excess of $5.0m to the ACT Treasury.

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Two big towers with very different design stories

A CONSTRUCTIVE critique is intended in this comparative analysis of two high-rise residential building complexes in Woden.

Surely, such public comment is valid –after all, we have to look at the buildings, or experience their impact on the local environment. The critique has application across Canberra. I have no pecuniary interest in either building.

On the one hand, there’s Sky Plaza (near the Southern Cross Club). It’s a mixture of low, medium, and high-rise buildings in a visually unified grouping, arranged on a large block of land. The facades are articulated with varying balcony treatments. Any intrusive overlooking of other apartments is almost non-existent. The buildings do not overshadow public open space or neighbouring residences.

Virtually all apartments have their living spaces facing north or east. There is extensive on-site landscaping. Colour has been used carefully on the multiple facades. Internal spaces are generous, and all bedrooms have a full-width external wall with sitting-down-view windows.

The development attracted a high percentage of owner-occupiers. The building doesn’t compete with the iconic Woden Town Centre “marker”, Lovett Tower.

Only the south facade of the Sky Plaza tower disappoints.

On the other hand, there’s the classic

developer-driven Grand Central Towers (GCT). Covering virtually all of a tight site near the bus station, it’s a slick new, curvilinear, overly tall, twin-tower complex, with in-board balconies (tempting later enclosure), almost totally covered in a proprietary dark-glass cladding system.

In regard to the Sky Plaza analysis, GCT largely fails; and it offers few redeeming

features. It’s not a “Canberra” building – more down-market Melbourne.

The well thought out ACT Apartment Design Code, which Sky Plaza appears to comply with, apparently disappeared from our planning requirements before the construction of Grand Central Towers.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Grumpy about Clive

I AM making a complaint regarding the statements of columnist Clive Williams (“When talking grumpy, what really irritates me…”, CN October 22).

Linking the use of car horns to ethnicity is racist.

Disparaging what are effectively the accents of radio announcers is classist.

Criticising the use of Auslan interpreters is ableist (that’s low; Auslan interpreters are highly skilled professionals).

I usually enjoy “CityNews” and I am disappointed in your publication of these offensive comments.

Shirley Llorens, Chapman

Egos get in the way

SO, my interest and studies in politics seem to have borne fruit with the ACT election turning out pretty much as I expected and surmised in “CityNews” and local media.

Labor made no gains, and in fact small losses, as a result of Andrew Barr being on the nose for many except welded-on supporters.

The Liberal Party had moved so far to the right that it left most of its constituency behind and disaffected Labor voters didn’t feel that they could vote for it which really only left them the Greens.

I had urged minor parties and independents, both personally and through

the president of the Community Action Party, to amalgamate on community issues and run as a single entity or none of them would be elected. This came to pass as it seems that egos got in the way of common sense.

I voted for Fiona Carrick (independent) who best represented my interests, although I did mention to her outside the Cooleman Court shops that I thought her chances were slim as I figured no independent or smaller party would make it on its own.

I said much the same to Bill Stefaniak when he spoke with me before setting up the Belco Party.

So, if small parties and independents are not willing to join forces then where does this leave us?

It means that we need a revitalised Liberal Party, which needs to move more to the centre and address such issues as euthanasia, women’s right to determine what is best for themselves, youth homelessness, youth unemployment, mental health and, of course, a good sense of economics.

Anyway, as I do with all my letters, I put this out for people to think about.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

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From squattage to fast-growing inland city

QUEANBEYAN, which started as a squattage, held by ex-convict and inn keeper Timothy Beard, pre-1838, is now one of the fastest growing inland cities in NSW, according to the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.

It became a township in 1838 when there were about 50 people in the town, and more recently has grown to a population of almost 60,000, according to the 2016 Census.

Queanbeyan’s economy is based on light construction, manufacturing, retail and agriculture but this continues to grow, with a variety of other businesses settling in the region such as art organisations.

Locals keep Darren’s steel company moving

WHEN it comes to keeping the business going, the Independent Steel Company always keeps it local, says director Darren Tredgold.

For more than two decades, Independent Steel Com pany has based its steel distribution and agricultural supply business out of Endurance Street in Queanbeyan East.

It can take a lot to keep a business like Independent Steel Company moving, but Darren says when it comes to buying their cars, trucks or other machinery, they always like to support local Queanbeyan businesses.

“For services we buy for our business we always try to buy local,” says Darren.

The Independent Steel Company is the only supplier that provides necessities for local farmers in the region such as loading ramps and hay feeders, and without their business many would have to travel as far as Wagga Wagga, says Darren.

The business also supports the local community through sponsorships, and for more than five years has sponsored local rugby team the Queanbeyan Whites and nearby bar and restaurant Campbell and George, according to Darren.

“A lot of customers are local in this area and we feel that they support us so we support them,” says Darren.

And, Darren says they particularly support Yass Road takeaway, which has become a staple of the team’s diet!

Independent Steel Company, 27 Endurance Avenue. Call 6298 4999 or email sales@independentsteelcompany.com.au

exposure and the chance to sell their work, the Queanbeyan Art Society hosts 11 monthly exhibitions per year, competitions and a range of art classes, says president Barry Cranston.

“We’re a working gallery, and give artists more exposure and competition than any other society in the

“Our membership is rising all the time, with members from Canberra, Queanbeyan, the surrounding region and down the coast. We’re proving a need for this for all forms of artists.”

Barry says the society has already set the program of exhibitions for 2021, with the exhibitions available to be viewed online because of covid.

open to everyone and others are members only,” he says.

Barry says the gallery is open on weekdays and weekends, with art classes held on weekdays, weekends and evenings.

“The classes cover all mediums and some specialise in a particular subject matter, with a relaxed and supportive environment. Students of all levels are welcome,” he says.

The Queanbeyan Art Society is located in the historical O’Neill’s Cottage, which was built near the banks of the Queanbeyan River in 1880.

Queanbeyan Art Society, 6 Trinculo Place. Call 0439 392709 or visit qasarts.org

ALL ABOUT QUEANBEYAN

Traditional tile finishes make a comeback

TILE trends have turned to warmer colours and textures blended with classic chevron, herringbone and encaustic looks, says Rivoland Tiles general manager James Hibberson.

“Finishes often seen as traditional are making a comeback, with reinvigorated style and colour,” he says.

“Terrazzo and marble styles are available with so many great options and attributes that they can work with almost any space.”

With showrooms and trade stores in Queanbeyan and Mitchell, the flagship store in central Queanbeyan sits across from a beautiful park, close to cafes, restaurants and shops, servicing people from regional NSW and the coast, James says. He says Rivoland Tiles is a proud family-owned business, built on a strong ethic of customer service and product choice.

“We’re one of the largest stockists on the east coast importing unique and exclusive products from Italy, Spain and China, allowing our customers the best choice and competitive prices,” he says.

“If customers have found something they like online, ask us about it. We’re more than happy to help them source that perfect tile.

“Our customers make what we do, what we love to do. Working on all aspects of tiling from repairing a sill tile to supplying developments, no two days are ever the same.

“Best of all, the people of Queanbeyan are great.”

Rivoland Tiles, 100 Crawford Street. Call 6297 4510 or visit rivoland.com.au

Innovative ideas for any metal project

FROM a custom gasket for a rare engine to a screening system for a home landscaping project, bespoke metal fabrication company Innovative Metalworx has a range of products available, but can also bring customers’ own ideas into reality, says owner Cheryl Moulden.

“We’re a hands-on team that quickly brought to life our vision to be the region’s number one sheet metal fabrication specialists,” says Cheryl, who started the business in 2014 after years working in the residential building industry.

“We have a team of highly skilled experts in metal fabrication and can create items in raw-finish steel, powder-coated

fabrication, a metal bending and cutting service, metal roofing, fascia and gutter, arbours, pergolas and carports, privacy screens, gates and fencing, balustrade and handrails, bespoke signage, custom-made letterboxes, unique hand-cut fireballs, custom-made car parts and Corten garden edges.

“The Corten steel edging is a weathered steel product that needs no painting and develops an on-trend ‘rusted’ exterior that complements the latest outdoor designs and goes perfectly with more traditional gardens as well,” she says.

“We can manage the production of specialised componentry and custom lasercut steel to any exact specifications.”

From concepts to building quality dream homes

BORDEAUX Construction and Management doesn’t shy away from complex renovations, extensions or “knockdown rebuilds”, says project manager Michael Milutinovic.

No matter what an existing home or block looks like, Michael says the family-run business will work with clients from the initial concept stages all the way through to building them a dream home.

“Everything we deliver is a high-quality product that we can stand by for the long term because our reputation and our clients’ needs are very important to us,” he says.

And, Michael says that’s the case for any project, whether it’s from scratch or refreshing a home with a renovation or extensions.

With any home extension, he says they work with clients from the start to understand the vision they have in mind and then work with them step-by-step from the beginning to handover.

“We provide an obligation-free initial consultation which covers initial design and costs,” says Michael, who holds an unrestricted, “A”-class builder’s licence and has more than 14 years’ experience in the construction industry in Canberra and Sydney.

When families outgrow their home but don’t want to move, Michael says Bordeaux Construction and Management can offer professional extension solutions for areas including new sunrooms, master suites and ensuites.

“We have worked with clients to open up their living spaces,” he says.

“Our ultimate goal is always constructing their dream project at the highest quality possible.”

Bordeaux Construction and Management, 8 Aurora Place. Call 6299 4642 or visit bordeauxbcm.com.au

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ALL ABOUT QUEANBEYAN

Taking the stress out of moving

HAVING started House to Home more than 10 years ago, long-time friends and co-owners Deborah Harper and Renee LeGrande cover everything from helping people move house, decluttering, home styling and packing up deceased estates.

“We help busy people move into their new home quickly and efficiently,” says Renee, who promises to take the stress out of moving.

“It’s all about making our clients happy. Every move is tailored to their individual requirements; we can do single rooms like the kitchen or bathrooms, through to the whole house and garage.

“Our minimum booking is two packers for four hours. We pack, unpack and even make up beds.”

With House to Home’s range of personalised services, Renee says they can help clients during tough times, too.

a loved one is difficult, and for many, packing up their possessions can be too hard,” she says.

“We can sort, pack, and remove all items from a loved one’s home respect fully and professionally.

“We can also help with getting a property ready for sale or auction by organising a collection of items to be sold by an auction house, donations to charities and organise rubbish removal.”

As for Queanbeyan, Renee and Deborah say they love working in the region, describing the homes there as being beautiful and being filled with treasured collectables.

“We love Queanbeyan’s tree-lined streets, larger blocks and easy parking,” she says.

House to Home. Call 0457 456767, 0423

FOR more than 25 years, the dependable and friendly service at Transtate Tyre and Mechanical Services, keeps customers coming back, says owner Steve Rowland.

Using leading brands, Steve says Transtate Tyre and Mechanical Services offer a range of trusted services, including brake and suspension work, rego inspections and wheel alignments.

While his business has expanded and his team of 10 highly qualified locals has grown, Steve says it’s the same dependable and friendly service that keeps people coming back.

“I’ve done people’s cars and their kids’ cars, and now I’ve had the pleasure of doing their grandkids’ cars,” Steve says.

“The fact it’s been the same people for over a quarter of a century is a good thing.

“[We have the] same people, same place, same everything, [and the same] good friendly service.

“I’ve been happy to have Queanbeyan and they’ve been happy to have us.”

Transtate Tyres and Mechanical Services, 141-143 Uriarra Road. Call 6299 6747 or visit transtate.com.au

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Lily’s garden chair wins shared art scholarship

By Helen MUSA

A CANBERRA region artist who has painted a light-hearted homage to the ubiquitous green plastic garden chair is one of five young artists chosen for the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.

Lily Platts, 25, will join fellow artists, Charlie Ingemar Harding from Victoria, Emily Grace Imeson and Dan Kyle from NSW and Georgia Spain from Tasmania, who were selected by artist-judge Lucy Culliton from 129 entries.

The scholarship, awarded for the past 21 years to a young Australian painter aged between 20 and 30, has hitherto consisted of a $40,000 residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts studio in Paris, but when COVID-19 struck, the board moved quickly to replace that arrangement with one in which five artists receive $10,000 each and a two-week residency at Shark Island Institute in Kangaroo Valley, NSW.

Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW, which manages the scholarships, says: “That the scholarship this year is shared between five artists instead of a single artist

speaks to the moment we’re in, where we all need to work together and find new ways of thinking for the benefit of our community”.

The residency will take place from November 16-29 when, covid-willing, the artists will be offered studio time and mentoring sessions, including one by Ben Quilty, a former recipient of the scholarship.

Meantime works by the five recipients, as well as by five other finalists, will be shown at the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills until November 15 in a show curated by Wendy Whiteley.

I caught up with Platts on a lunch break from her day job at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.

Raised in Bombala, trained at the ANU School of Art and Design and with honours at RMIT University in Melbourne, she moved back to Canberra with her partner when covid struck and put an end to her metro arts dreams – well not quite, because she had already built up a body of work to submit for the Whiteley scholarship and it paid off.

Luckily, she used to work at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, called them up and got her old job back.

Her partner’s parents own the historical Byrne’s Mill in Queanbeyan, where family members live and from which Lily can walk the dog along the river and occasionally take a break down at Bombala, where she also has a studio.

Although at her age there’s a strong temptation to be “somewhere more happening

and a bit bigger”, Canberra and Queanbeyan, she says, are great places to be an artist.

Readers who have followed Platts’ work in the past will be surprised by a dramatic turnaround that has seen her abandon a previous penchant for brightly-coloured paintings in favour of austere, almost calligraphic impressions of the common garden plastic stack-chair.

“I have always been drawn to colour and used it in my work to evoke what I was trying

ARTS IN THE CITY Festival with strong female focus

By Helen Musa

A REIMAGINING of “Blithe Spirit,” Noël Coward’s riot ous take on British spiritualism, opens the British Film Festival, with Dame Judi Dench playing Madame Arcati. A strong focus on female performers and directors will see, among others, Keira Knightley and Jessie Buckley star in the true-story farce “Misbehaviour”, about feminist protesters who disrupted the 1970 Miss World competition. The “Restored Classics” strand includes classic comedy “The Ladykillers” starring Sir Alec Guin ness and Peter Sellers and “The Elephant Man”, both presented in 4K restoration. Palace Electric, November 10-29, book at britishfilmfestival.com

CANBERRA author Elita Mackay, writing as Elizabeth Anne Thompson, is the winner in the Literary Fiction category of the New York City Big Book Award for her debut novel, “The Wind Queen”. A reflective story about a woman living in the Snowy Mountains, it joined entries from over 100 cities in six continents in the judging line-up. Mackay wove early childhood memories from growing up in Bombala into a work of fiction into the novel, which is available at Paperchain Bookstore in Manuka.

LOCAL natural history artist, Cheryl Hodges, is the only Australian artist among more than 40 established botanical artists to be shown in “Florilegium: A Gathering of Flowers”, at Inverleith House, Edinburgh, until December 13. The artists were asked to respond to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s extensive plant collection. Hodges, who has recently been seen at the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the Helen Stephens Gallery in Collector, entered her painting of a snowgum, “Eucalyptus Pauciflora”.

forum, while violinist Chris Stone and cellist Rachel Johnstone will run a program for young string players and Christina Hopgood and Alex Wanjura will lead young percussionists and drummers. Applications to youngmusicsociety.org.au

to say,” Platts says.

“But with COVID-19, I wanted to communicate suffering and I asked how my work would be if it didn’t rely on colour, so I looked at light and tone… I did more and more drawing in lockdown… Did cartoons or illustrations documenting what my life was like. I did some pretty funny, silly things, and I took some creative liberties, especially with shadows.”

Of the plastic chair as a muse she says,

“I’m drawn to the simplicity of its form and sense of familiarity. Observing the way the chair shadows become distorted and flattened, I tried to capture the different angles that are formed as the arms and holes in the chair twist and move in the sunlight to create abstracted, stretched shapes”.

She saw her works becoming smaller and more intimate and eventually she had “a pretty consistent body of work” to submit to the Whiteley scholarship.

Platts says she looks forward to spending a few weeks at the institute in Kangaroo Valley, working with mentors such as Quilty while using the opportunity to get to know other artists and to “make it in an external environment”.

At only 25, she is nonetheless aware of Brett Whiteley’s status as “one of the most influential painters of the last century”, and she’s even made a journey to Wendy Whiteley’s garden at Lavender Bay in Sydney.

She is impressed by the legacy set up in Whiteley’s name by his mum, the late Beryl Whiteley.

“She really understood the impact of travelling on Brett,” Platts says.

She counts herself lucky, saying, “$10,000 is pretty good and I’m not complaining. “If not for covid, the scholarship would have involved three months in Paris and $40,000, but for just one artist – and it would be so much harder to be The One.”

STEPHEN Leek from the Young Music Society has assembled an extraordinary line-up of musicians and teachers to work with in January 2021 in small, specialised programs. Jim Sharrock and Lisa Gill will

AS part of delayed NAIDOC Week celebrations in Canberra, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is celebrating with an Indigenous Art Market featuring 15 art centres from across the country, showcasing artists and their works and with nightly projections onto the National Carillon. Begins on Aspen Island, Lake Burley Griffin, from 7.45pm on Sunday, November 8 and continues nightly until November 15. Visit aiatsis.gov.au/iam

Two days of trouble teach a lesson for teens

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (M)

I’LL get to the explanation of the enigmatic title of Eliza Hittman’s third feature film in due course; but first, a few words about her first and second features.

In “It Felt Like Love” (2013), a 14-year-old girl envies the sexual behaviour of her about-to-turn-16 bestie. In “Beach Rats” (2017) a teenaged boy looks online for older men to meet with.

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” chronicles two days during which Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and bestie Skylar (Talia Ryder) travel to and from rural Pennsylvania to New York in search of a termination of Autumn’s unintended pregnancy. Ms Hittman’s screenplay and her direction pull no punches in examining that theme.

So what’s the film’s intention with respect to its intended audience? The answer appears to be a message to teenagers negotiating those physically and emotionally turbulent years while their hormones are driving their behaviour along a track that their brains have yet to develop to deal with the changes.

Ms Hittman stands for women in girls’ bodies. And for young men who find girls’ bodies not to their taste. In “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”, a clinic worker asks Autumn which of those choices most reflects her sexual experiences. Nothing prurient. Just trying to understand a bad experience. I wonder which element of burgeoning sexuality Ms Hittman’s next film will deal with.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

“Rams” (PG)

FIVE years ago, Grímur Hákonarson made a film about two Icelandic sheep-farming brothers who, after not having spoken to each other in 40 years, suddenly have to cope with an animal-health issue. That film combined scratchy comedy with two major issues. Now director Jeremy Sims relocates Hákonarson’s cold-climate sheep story to Australia’s rather warmer climate (Mt Barker, the WA version, not the Adelaide Hills one, and only one degree north of Canberra’s latitude).

Does it work? Well, any movie about sheep is bound to strike a melodious chord in Australia, isn’t it?

Jules Duncan’s feature-film writing debut reflects Australian farming humour well enough without making comedy the

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film’s principal theme.

There’s bushfires. There’s dusty landscape. And scorn poured generally over merino sheep. Indeed, the ram playing a major role in the movie is a Dorset Horn named Locke from NSW, in the film, a fictional wool and meat breed invented for the film and named “Kalgan Horn”.

Colin (Sam Neill) has a top ram. But the ram from brother Les’ (Michael Caton) next door (100 metres) farm won the prize at the Mt Barker Show this year where Kat (Miranda Richardson), the vet judging the sheep classes, didn’t pick up that it had OJD. Colin picked it up. And from that point the film gets pleasantly serious.

Ovine Johne’s Disease is a strain of a chronic wasting disease caused by a bacterium that can occur in cattle,

sheep, camelids, goats and deer. If it’s in a flock, there’s only one course open. Euthanasia. A typical herd clean-up program may take five years or longer. Australia is relatively free of it.

I’m no expert on OJD, but I know from breeding alpacas that Colin’s technique won’t diagnose it. Only a vet can do that. The film pokes a modicum of fun at Ag. Department officials who come to the brothers’ farms to monitor compliance.

And that’s about it.

At all cinemas

“The Mystery of Henri Pick” (M)

FRENCH writer/director Rémi Bezançon’s comedy/drama snuck into town with no warning. I’m glad I chose it for review from the six new movies opening here on October 29.

“The Hollywood Reporter” describes it as “a delectable Agatha Christie-style caper whose main characters include a famous literary critic, a deceased best-selling author, his bookworm daughter, an ambitious young publisher and an up-and-coming writer”.

It’s about a novel “The Last Hours of a Love Story”, inspired by Pushkin and allegedly written by Henry Pick, a simple country bumpkin who, before he passed

WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

Baron Cohen –

By Nick OVERALL

SACHA Baron Cohen – best known as Borat – is back in the headlines. Surprise, I hear you say.

In the last two weeks, he’s been the man of the moment with two massive releases now available to stream.

First, he put his talents to the drama film that dropped on Netflix, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, the true story of the infamous anti-Vietnam War protestors charged with conspiracy by the US government.

Taking place at the height of the ‘60s counter-culture movement, the trial of the seven defendants transfixed America and sparked the conversation about how much the mayhem of the decade was undermining the country’s government.

Sounds a little… serious for Baron Cohen though doesn’t it? Well the following week saw the actor depicting the character that’s a little more familiar.

Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh journalist who travels to the US to, in his words, gain “cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan”, created a popular culture legend in 2006 when Baron Cohen starred in the

away, owned a pizza parlour in a small town on the coast of Brittany.

Jean-Michel Rouche (Fabrice Luchini) is a no-holds-barred literary critic whose opinions can make or break a new author’s reputation. Not everybody agrees with Jean-Michel.

The girlfriend of budding novelist Koskas (Bastien Bouillon), Daphne (Alice Isaaz), who works for a prestigious publishing company, discovers the manuscript of Pick’s novel in France’s Library of Refused Books, where failed writers may leave their unpublished work for future reference.

Her judgement of its literary values turns it into a best-seller.

That much takes up the first half or so of the film. Jean-Michel disagrees. He needs to see the manuscript. In his search, he is joined by the author’s daughter Josephine (Camille Cottin), herself a bit of a bookworm.

The tensions and conflicts in the film’s second half may disappoint people who expect tensions and conflicts to come pre-packed with spectacular, fantasy-based, unnecessary or often overlengthy hostility and violence. The rest of us will take satisfaction from that.

At Palace Electric

Borat and beyond

mockumentary film.

Now, 14 years later, is his follow up – “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm”. And once again, Baron Cohen is finding himself the trending topic of the moment.

Like the first, the humour is brutally in-your-face. Baron Cohen holds nothing back in his satire, having ended the careers and ruined the reputation of many who appeared in his productions only to do extremely dubious things.

This time round he’s jumping on all that’s relevant to our strange times, with coronavirus and the US election firmly mired in the plot.

His main gimmick, for which he’s earned such infamy, is staying in

character while he interacts with real people, often catching them out or confusing them.

This was done to extreme effect in his 2018 television series “Who Is America?” (on Stan). Posing as an Israeli anti-terrorist expert, he was able to get former American vice-president Dick Cheney to sign a waterboard on camera.

Baron Cohen knows what he’s doing. Such stunts make him the headlines and whip up conversation about him around the world.

It’s as a result of this fame and international recognition that the filming of the Borat sequel became quite difficult, people recognising him in costume before he could get

up to many of his antics.

Sure enough though, he finds a way around it, sporting various disguises and costumes to ensure he can get his comedy back on the rails. This time, his main target is Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and Donald Trump’s lawyer. It’s at the climax of the film that he’s caught in a compromising situation to say the least, by Baron Cohen. If you don’t go for the comedic style of Baron Cohen, you’ll only need to type Giuliani into a Google search to be met with article after article about the massive stunt, and Giuliani’s response itself.

In a huge deal, it’s Amazon Prime that secured the opportunity to stream this headline-generating machine, which has brought flocks of new users to the platform.

Watching Prime more often in the last few weeks, the catalogue available gives even Netflix a run for its money. For only seven bucks a month and an unlimited amount of screens that can be using the platform at the same time, it makes it good value. Clever of the platform to secure the sequel knowing that once again we’d all be talking about Sacha Baron Cohen.

He’s either very brave, very smart, or very stupid. Perhaps a mix of all three.

MUSIC

The baton man departs after 15 ‘joyful’ years

By Helen Musa

WHEN retiring chief conductor and artistic director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Milton, takes to the podium, it’s always as if a whirlwind has hit the orchestra, so high-powered, physical and passionate is his directorial presence.

And when he greets patrons at the interval, as he invariably does, he always looks as if he’s been through the ringer, only to pick up and return to the stage with renewed vigour.

Milton, 53, a musical polymath armed with four master degrees in violin, conducting, music theory and philosophy, and a doctorate in music from conservatories as diverse as the Sydney Conservatorium and the Juilliard School, was the first Australian conductor ever to be nominated for a Grammy, but he’s surprisingly modest about his own role with the CSO.

When we catch up by phone to Berlin, he prefers to give all the credit to the orchestral musicians, whom he describes as “engaged and passionate music lovers who are compelled to bring something special to the city of Canberra”.

It’s early in his morning and he’s preparing

to rehearse singers for the Deutsche Oper Berlin’s revival of “Tosca”.

That’s the biggest opera company in Germany and it’s been a testing week for Milton because of an unexpected cast change when the leading baritone playing the villain, Scarpia, had to go into quarantine after a colleague at La Scala was diagnosed with COVID-19.

“And on the very day he was meant to arrive in Berlin, but never mind, we’ve got another sensational singer – it’s a great thrill,” Milton enthuses.

Until 2027 he’ll be the artistic director and chief conductor of the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra but he’ll be back at Deutsche Oper to conduct Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” later this year and expects that now he’s departed the CSO, he’ll be “taking the opportunity to do other things in Europe”.

Milton has been dividing his time between Australia and Europe for many years, filling directorial roles with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Innviertler Symphony Orchestra in Austria, then in Germany with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, the North German Philharmonic Orchestra, and the State Opera House in Saarbrücken, while finding time to join the Australia-Germany Advisory Group.

He’s been at the helm of the CSO for 15 years, succeeding the late Richard Gill in the role, while also taking up the baton at Opera Australia and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra.

He sees the instrumentalists as the

DINING / Waters Edge, Parkes

centrifugal force of the CSO.

“It amazes me that the musicians are so committed… it’s like a family, a joyful 15 years and an enjoyable and exciting time of my life,” he says.

Before signing up, Milton had been, among other things, the violinist for the Macquarie Trio, which performed regularly at the NGA and at other places like University House, helping him get to know people and

Perfect possie on the lake

THERE’S something divine about dining in a picturesque setting.

Multiple award-winning Waters Edge has a perfect possie perched right on the lake. Its décor is subtle, so as not to take away from the view. Light floods in through the restaurant’s ceiling-high windows and guests can take in the sweeping views across Lake Burley Griffin and down Anzac Parade, capturing a special spot in Canberra.

Restaurants are slowly being allowed more custom ers through the door. Waters Edge can, in these crazy covid times, take up to 50.

We opted for the three-course lunch which was reasonably priced at $66 for the venue, quality of food (fine dining) and the artful plating.

Waters Edge offers three options for each of the three courses, with dairy-free and gluten-free options very much available, not just token.

The roo fillet was melt-in-the-mouth and married oh-so-well with the blueberry reduction. Introduc ing beetroot three ways was inventive and added delicately to the flavours of the dish. Swooshes of colour swept the plate.

Luxurious looking was the Himalayan-spiced octo pus – so vibrant and delicately presented in the centre of an oversized plate. As with the roo, it was tender, a gorgeous balance of flavours and charred perfectly.

places in the ACT.

During his 15 years at the CSO, Milton became known for having fun with the audiences with his familiar quips, jokes and humorous description of musicians.

“Yes, Canberra always enjoyed that, but of course you can only do that as artistic director, not when you’re a guest,” he says.

“I wanted to make the CSO a symbol of hope and a beacon of beauty for the city.

One entrée that didn’t score as high was the honeycomb tart and fig mousse. We agreed the fermented black garlic element might have been overwhelming.

Mains also looked triumphant.

We really feast with our eyes and chefs who perfect plating are skilled and to be admired.

Wagyu sirloin, so perfectly marbled, sat boldly on top

and a salted caramel sauce. Two crunchy pieces of popcorn sat on top wearing a bright pink petal from an edible flower. The dark cocoa crumb added an exciting contrast to the lighter elements in the rest of the dessert.

Waters Edge’s wine list is extensive and not overpriced. A lot of thought has gone into curating the list, taking into account the style of food and emphasis on quality seasonal ingredients.

Service was professional (as it should be for this calibre of restaurant) and not overbearing. The décor is neutral and the plush chairs comfortable. Tables are positioned as much as possible so guests can enjoy the view.

We achieved that by making the orchestra very approachable. I always feel welcome in Canberra.”

He describes the effect of the pandemic on this 2020 farewell season as “very sad… it would have featured the Mahler 5 and a big prom concert, but it was not to be”.

by

PUZZLES PAGE

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Expect some ups and downs this week. There’s a powerful New Moon in your transformation zone that could lead to positive changes. But your ruler Mars is still reversing through your sign until Friday night (London time) which can cause lethargy and lack of motivation. Try to keep things in perspective. Be inspired by music legend (and birthday great) Neil Young: “As you go through life, you’ve got to see the valleys as well as the peaks.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Lady Luck is on your side but abstract ideas must be transformed into practical projects, and you’ll need the input of others to get things moving. (And remember there’s a fine line between divine dreams and disappointing delusions.) The current buzz words are companionship and cooperation, as you concentrate on the needs of loved ones. But is a close relationship stuck on autopilot? The New Moon urges you to re-connect with each other in creative ways.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Some vigorous physical exercise will help you bounce through the week with extra Gemini gusto and enthusiasm. But if you don’t communicate clearly on Monday, then misunderstandings are likely (especially with a child, teenager or close friend). Mercury moves into your sign mid-week, which gives you the motivation to put ideas into practice. Whereas the weekend New Moon signals a fresh start involving health, work habits or pets.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Jupiter, Pluto and the New Moon shine a bright spotlight on partnerships of the romantic, platonic, business and family variety. You are entering a period of nurturing old relationships and establishing new ones. So it’s a wonderful time to focus on friendships, shared hobbies, joint ventures and having fun. As writer (and birthday great) Robert Louis Stevenson observed: “A friend is a gift you give yourself.” But tread carefully with an impatient colleague.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Many Lions are in for a lively week, as the Sun (your power planet) forms fabulous aspects with Neptune, Pluto and Jupiter. So it’s time to be the creative, flamboyant and feisty person you were born to be. That doesn’t mean there won’t be problems, challenges or dramas along the way. But it does mean that your positive attitude and natural enthusiasm will bolster your spirits and enhance the lives of those around you. So prepare to sparkle and shine!

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Jupiter and Pluto encourage you to contribute more of your time and talents to your local community. Social media is also favoured as you text, tweet, post, podcast or publish your ideas to an appreciative audience. Communicating your thoughts and feelings in a direct and honest way will help relationships move in a positive direction. Aim for a mental spring-clean on the weekend, when the New Moon helps you find a fresh solution to a stubborn old problem.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Pluto and Jupiter highlight a house move, renovation, real estate sale or family gathering. But you’ll need to be extra diplomatic with a grumpy loved one. The weekend New Moon indicates a major turnaround to do with money matters or self-esteem issues. Keep an open mind, as you absorb fresh financial information or road-test a new fashion or beauty trend. But remember Libra… you are lovable for who you are (not what you look like or how much you earn).

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

The New Moon (in your sign) boosts your natural charisma and propels you forward with plenty of purpose. And the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction magnifies your ability to connect with other people in deep and meaningful ways. But remember – you can choose to be powerful and passionate or compulsive and controlling. If you’re a smart Scorpio, then you’ll choose the path of least resistance as you channel your energy into positive and productive projects.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Prosperity planet Jupiter (your ruler) pairs up with resourceful Pluto in your finance zone. So some lucky Sagittarians will score a new job, initiate a smart business deal or make some extra money this week. However, you’re also in the mood to spend! Try to show some restraint, otherwise you’ll go from princess (or prince) to pauper in a flash. On the weekend, take the time to relax and appreciate the power and promise of the magical New Moon.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

This week don’t hesitate to grab opportunities when they appear. If you maintain motivation and are passionately proactive, then your life will move in promising new directions. With the New Moon activating your hopes and wishes zone, it’s also time to review and re-imagine your goals and aspirations, especially within a group, class, club or organisation. But resist the urge to be possessive of loved ones or controlling with work colleagues.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

With Mercury and the New Moon stimulating your career zone, start thinking about strategic ways to create work opportunities and maximise your professional potential. It’s a good week to apply for a job or get feedback from your current boss, colleagues, clients or customers. So shake off any lingering self-doubt and buckle on your invincibility jacket Aquarius! Confidence and persistence are the keys to employment satisfaction in the coming year.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Are you satisfied with your current trajectory? This week Jupiter, Pluto and the New Moon activate your aspirations zones, plus the Sun forms a fabulous aspect with your ruler Neptune (in your sign). So it’s a fortuitous time to re-design your dreams, refresh your future, and transform an important part of your life. Draw inspiration from painter and Scorpio birthday great Georgia O’Keeffe: “I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2020

Across

1 Name the word for the letter “V” in the standard phonetic alphabet. (6)

7 Which NE African republic was formerly called Abyssinia? (8)

8 Name a brandy, especially one made in France. (6)

9 Which creature eats all kinds of food indiscriminately? (8)

10 Name an Australian underworld crime leader Squizzy ... (6)

11 What, in the functions of defective kidneys, are the removal of waste products from the blood? (8)

14 Which musical piece is appropriate to the evening? (8)

18 Ochlophobia is the fear of what? (6)

19 To be dead, is to be what? (8)

21 What are eight-armed sea creatures? (6)

22 What, in law, is an agreement creating an obligation to do something? (8)

23 England is part of which continent? (6) Down

APOLOGY

1 Name another term for a holiday. (8)

2 What is a confused mass of something? (6)

3 Which soft-toned flute is played in a vertical position? (8)

4 Name a title of respect in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. (4)

5 What is a group of military vehicles travelling together under the same orders? (6)

6 To penetrate, or run through something, is to do what? (6)

12 What is a short narrative of an interesting particular occurrence? (8)

13 Name either of the two times in the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator. (8)

15 What is a spotted, leopard-like cat? (6)

16 Name an ancient ruined city in Upper Egypt, on the Nile. (6)

17 Which material binds bricks, stones, etc, into a compact mass? (6)

20 What does a tramp carry across his shoulders? (4)

LAST week's crossword was an impossible challenge to any crossword player in that we managed to publish the previous week's clues. The mistake escaped our usually thorough checking process and we apologise for the inevitable frustration our useless puzzle caused.

GARDENING

Blueberries have the highest antioxidant levels, gram for gram, of any fruit.

ENJOY them fresh, with ice cream or on breakfast cereal, as a jam or even a wine. Every supermarket sells blueberries, but why not grow them at home?

Blueberries were first imported into Europe from North America in the 1930s. Commercial production in Australia didn’t start until the 1970s, when the Victorian Department of Agriculture imported seeds from the USA.

Interestingly, North American Indians were harvesting blueberries in the wild for several centuries before European settlement.

Clive Blazey of the Diggers Club suggests blueberries have the highest antioxidant levels, gram for gram, of any fruit.

Blueberries, which are self-pollinating, grow well in this area. They thrive best in acid soil, the same as rhododendrons and camellias, blending in well with these with their white-to-pink flowers and brilliant autumn leaf colour. Similarly, blueberries must be grown in well-drained soil, and at least eight hours sunlight a day is essential.

Plant 1.5 metres apart and mulch well, as blueberries have a shallow root system, similar to other acid-loving plants. When first planted and for the first few months, feed regularly with an organic liquid seaweed plant food.

It’s vital the soil doesn’t dry out, as with all fruiting plants, so the ideal watering system is the drip method. The fruit is borne on the previous season’s growth, with vigorous new wood producing the most fruit. Birds love to eat blueberries too, so netting is vital once the flowers appear.

Heavy pruning should not be done in the first four years, except for shaping and removing

dead or spindly growth in the dormant winter period. Harvesting usually happens in December, when the fruit turns a deep purple. Store them fresh in the fridge, or freeze without any loss of goodness.

CEANOTHUS, or Californian lilac, is native to many parts of the USA. Like blueberries, North American Indians used the leaves for an alternative to our tea and for medicinal purposes. They were once popular in gardens here, and in 1979 Ceanothus “Blue Pacific” was named as the shrub of the year. This one grows to about twometres-plus, although there are numerous other low-growing varieties. Their popularity waned, mainly due to not understanding their management. Unlike most shrubs, if left for a number of years and then pruned back into the old wood, it never grows back. Prune immediately after flowering, by up to but not more than, one-third. This can be used as a hedge or individual plant. They are extremely drought tolerant.

MOST lemons have now finished fruiting. No systemic pruning is usually necessary, but now is a good time to carry out a light prune, shortening long, scraggly branches and taking out any dead, diseased or damaged wood; usually caused by storm damage. Follow this up with a feed.

DON’T throw away a potted cyclamen if the leaves have died down. Plant it in the garden in a semishady spot, underneath deciduous trees, where it can receive winter sun. If in an ornamental pot, simply turn it on its side for the summer.

By early next autumn, stand it upright and start regular watering. Make sure the potting mix is well saturated before applying liquid seaweed fertiliser, which will encourage new root growth.

THE scraggly, messy-looking leaves of springflowering bulbs can be cut to ground level and put in the compost. Any bulbs in the wrong spot can be dug up now. I find orange bags are ideal for storing bulbs, as they provide good circulation. Hang in a dry, airy place such as the garage or shed until planting time next March.