CityNews 210204

In a class of our own for locking up Aborigines

JON STANHOPE

‘Yes, Minister’ planners review their own rules! PAUL COSTIGAN

Little arrows pave the way for path frustration IAN MEIKLE

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Jets are always winners,

By Andrew MATHIESON

WINNERS are not always measured on the scoreboard.

But the vanquished can still be grinners.

So no smiles are wider than the last women picked to represent the Gungahlin Jets.

The moment they all stride on to the court, wins and losses seem inconsequential.

The North Canberra netball division six side stood victorious just once throughout all of 2020 – and that only came in the laid-back Belconnen social summer competition.

“The girls were so excited after that (win),” founder and coach Marilyn White says.

“That wasn’t our goal, but we scored on average eight goals.”

The real success lies in what the team represents.

That is anything but your typically speedy centre, behemoth shooter under the net or dour and disciplined keeper. They, in fact, are a group drawn from diverse, yet inclusive, backgrounds.

Netballers with special needs, netballers on the mend from injury, netballers that never experienced team sport before.

Just coming together is a reason to celebrate.

It takes a while for rivals to accept their presence and true goals.

“The other teams would go a bit hard at the beginning against us,”

Marilyn says.

“Because of the covid year, we didn’t have much time before the game to talk about it.”

One time the undefeated benchmark of the competition renowned for their ruthless approach stopped the game when one of the Jets players got whacked in the glasses.

All of their players rushed to the hurt opponent with a disability concerned over her well-being.

“We hope we bring out the best in all of the teams,” Marilyn says.

The all-abilities team was the dream of a wishful coach back in 2017.

Concocted from the idea where recruiting players had nothing to do with ability but opportunity.

It went against the principles of competitive sport and even a local competition.

“Sometimes it’s actually hard because we play against regular teams and they allow us too much,” Marilyn says.

“I’m like, ‘my team isn’t going to learn if you just let them get the ball too easily’.”

Other clubs have been so inspired by the Jets’ approach and virtues to

suit towards an all-abilities netball division in Canberra.

Netball ACT and the ACT Deputy Chief Minister thought so highly of the concept that they handed out inclusion awards for the Jets’ Shooting Stars program.

“We are one of a kind at the moment,” Marilyn beams.

It all had culminated when the territory’s netball rookies with an intellectual disability returned from playing states in the Marie Little Shield in Queensland with no pathway to continue.

Concerned the team would lack di-

Canberra netballers knowing the game too well for too long, the coach intervened and swapped the clipboard for a playing bib.

“I thought only having girls with a disability on the court there is no guidance for them,” Marilyn says.

“I could yell from the sideline like a coach does, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to understand.

“So I created an atmosphere of players who can play and put them in the thirds (of the court) and then build the girls around that to help develop their skills.

“As it was starting, I was talking to

my friends who had never played netball before and I said this is the perfect team to start in.”

The side is based around the likes of a 17-year-old keen to play with her 21-year-old sister with Down syndrome.

A couple of the teammates are also autisic and one of them has OCD.

But also the ages rise quickly from 17, 19, 20 and 21 up to a few 50-year-old heads.

The veterans of the team are not all veterans of netball.

Pam Murray is a recent Canberra resident, born and bred in Canada, on the comeback trail from a hip replacement.

The crisp Vancouver accent is so foreign on court, but not so the recovery from injury that also struck another three ageing teammates.

Funnily, the inside joke is the coach was fit as a fiddle before the season, but was also the only player to hobble off after damaging a coccyx in her tailbone and fracturing an ankle.

Golden Gogia is an Indian national, who naively went on a Hawaiian trip with middle-aged friends playing in an ironically-named golden oldies tournament and fell in love with the game after watching just one quarter of netball.

“They all want to help these girls, feel like they are part of a club, put the uniform on, be a vital part of the team and play netball,” Marilyn says.

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SEVEN DAYS

Little arrows pave way for footpath frustration

MORE than 92 per cent of Canberrans feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day and inside their home alone at night.

That’s the reassuring message from the latest figures on government services from the Productivity Commission.

A pity then about the state of footpaths that we purport to be feeling safe walking on. Some of them aren’t.

I am a devoted pavement pounder and constantly see the little, white, painted arrows around cracked and crumbling concrete paths indicating the promise of imminent repair. More often the paint fades and the arrows disappear before anyone ever fixes the problem.

Over more recent months there was (preelection, of course) a flurry of bright, new white arrows again teasing residents with the promise of repair. Now, everywhere I walk, there are white arrows, so many that I was inspired to spontaneously start counting them over a one-kilometre residential

To be fair, there has been some recent work on seriously decrepit slabs, but nothing in relation to the size of the problem.

I counted 118 arrowed slabs of footpath. If each slab averages about 1.2 square metres then that means just over 14 per cent of the footpath is awaiting repair. The following day, I counted the other side of the road; it was worse: 137 slabs, ie nearly 16.5 per cent.

Unscientific maybe, but they seem like awfully high figures for a government that’s been huffing and puffing for the past five years about the virtues of its Age Friendly Suburbs Program (“an ACT government commitment to improve path network infrastructure and connectivity in suburbs that include a large proportion of residents aged over 55 years”).

According to the City Services website, the program runs out of budget funding this year, yet there’s still so much to fix.

READER Bill Burke wrote with a “left-field” idea he has for the tree-lined entrance to Government House in Yarralumla.

“I’m trying to generate interest in a commemorative pathway paralleling Dunrossil Drive with interspersed plaques or plinths containing biographical information on our governors-general,” he says.

Bill’s been inspired by a combination of many walks up and down Dunrossil Drive and a biography he’s researching on the late Dr Marcus Faunce, who was the vice-regal physician for many years.

“I’m a feminist republican, so have zero interest in glorifying a series of what were initially a bunch of over-privileged foreigners, but this is our history and a permanent sequential record like this would show us how we have

changed as a nation and a society.

“We had our first non-Brit decades ago and eventually, and long overdue, our first female G-G. One of these days we will celebrate the first indigenous person to hold the office and, glory, glory, hallelujah, our first president.

“I’ve written to various people that matter such as David Headon [historian], Sally Barnes [NCA] and Gary Kent [National Trust] and all were ‘supportive but...’.”

Bill’s happy to hear from any other soul mates at wmjburke@gmail.com

THE strangest things can happen on live radio; people suddenly confess things, argue things, break down and cry, but the weirdest thing happened on 2CC when I called by Leon Delaney’s “Canberra Live” program the other Thursday.

We were talking on air about this and that, covid, bugs, sneezing and I mentioned that I’m a bit old school and carry a handkerchief, a confession I thought would bring the usual derision. Not so.

Delaney ups the ante – says he carries two hankies, one in the left pocket, the other in the right. Incredulously, I baited him with a “you don’t!” Whereupon, microphone on, he jumped to his feet and started emptying his pockets; hanky one from the left side, hanky two from the right. They even matched!

Why, dear Leon, do you carry two snot rags? In the event of having to use one for sneezing, he says, he still has a clean spare. Like I said, the strangest things happen on live radio (at least weekdays on 2CC, 3pm-6pm).

Ian Meikle is the “CityNews” editor and can be heard weekly on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast” news program, 9am to noon.

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.

/ indigenous incarceration

In a class of our own for locking up Aborigines

I AM on the mailing list of PeakCare Queensland, an organisation involved in the development and support of the child-protection sector.

On January 26, Australia Day, PeakCare released the following statement which reflects, perfectly, my views:

“Australia has much to celebrate as a nation, but not on this date. The date on which this occurs should be one that permits all Australians to participate in the celebration.

PeakCare recognises that the 26th January holds specific significance to many of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues and friends and it gives them no cause to celebrate.

“For non-Indigenous Australians, especially those with British ancestry, it is a date that should also prompt our own reflections on the events that transpired in 1788 and their devastating aftermath. They are events that also give non-indigenous Australians no cause to celebrate.”

Along with a growing number of Australians, I have come to believe that we simply must resolve to address the hurt caused by the celebration of our national day on the day on which the dispossession of the Aboriginal peoples of this nation effectively commenced.

The reality is that the consequences for Aboriginal peoples of the

Aboriginal people imprisoned in Canberra are five times higher than the Australian average. We Canberrans are clearly in a class of our own when it comes to locking up Aboriginal children, men and women.

occupation of their land have been, and continue to be, catastrophic.

The celebration of Australia Day on January 26 divides us. It is a festering sore that will not heal until its cause is addressed. It is, I think, past time we acted on the matter.

Ironically the continuing tragedy for Aboriginal people living in Canberra resulting from the occupation of their land and their consequent dispossession and the shattering of their culture was brutally exposed, on Australia Day, by an article published that day on the Guardian Australia website under the heading “Aboriginal woman in ACT prison alleges she was stripped naked [by prison officers] in front of male inmates.”

The sub-heading to the story was: “The sexual assault survivor, who is on remand in the prison says she felt ‘absolute fear and shame’.”

In the interests of transparency I acknowledge that the woman is known to me and I consider her a friend. Needless to say, I also believe her. I also think, in light of the stand

she has taken following the painful ordeal she has endured, that she is one of the bravest people I know.

While the Guardian Australia article on Australia Day may have been prophetic, I am sure it was simply coincidental that in the week leading up to Australia Day the Productivity Commission issued three separate reports in its “2021 Report on Government Services” series that highlight just how dramatically we in Canberra continue to fail the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

The latest reports are based on data from 2019-20, and relate respectively, to child care and protection, youth detention and corrections generally. I urge anyone in Canberra interested in how we rate as a fair, just and progressive community, particularly in relation to our support of Aboriginal peoples, to read these reports.

Space prevents me going into detail, but the headline findings in each of the reports are as follows: Care and Protection: The rate of

Aboriginal children in Canberra in out-of-home care is 14 times higher than non-indigenous children.

Youth Detention: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Canberra are locked up at 18 times the rate of non-indigenous children. This is the highest rate of incarceration of Aboriginal children in Canberra in the last five years.

As pointed out by ACTCOSS CEO Dr Emma Campbell and Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs on the day of release of this report, the ACT Government has, despite these appalling outcomes for Aboriginal children living in Canberra, continued to sit on the report of the “Our Booris, Our Way” review. The first of the recommendations from the review were received by the minister more than three years ago. The vast majority of the recommendations have not been implemented and frankly there can only be one explanation for that.

Imprisonment: The crude imprisonment rate per 100,000 adults for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT is 1988, which is 19.4 times higher than the non-indigenous rate. This is the highest ratio in Australia. The age standardised ratio

is 15.0, which is also the highest ratio in Australia. The rate of increase in the number of Aboriginal people imprisoned in Canberra is five times higher than the Australian average. We Canberrans are clearly in a class of our own when it comes to locking up Aboriginal children, men and women.

In August, the ACT government committed, following representations from Julie Tongs, to a review of the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the ACT justice system with the initial work on the inquiry to commence before the October election. Ms Tongs has advised that seven months later she is not aware of any action that has been taken in furtherance of that commitment.

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

‘Yes, Minister’ planners review

CANBERRA residents care for their homes, their streets, their suburbs and wish that the urban environments and facilities were maintained and enhanced for future generations.

This may come as a shock to the ACT ministers with portfolios involving planning, along with their planning chief and his band of bureaucrats. But is it true!

Has anyone noted that those undertaking the planning review are the same “Yes, Minister” bureaucrats who, for years, kept rewriting the rules, adding technical variations on top of variations, had an ad-hoc approach to planning administration and allowed questionable developments to sail through as if there were no rules.

Before the pre-Christmas release of the draft consultation documentation, the review has largely been conducted in secret.

A select few were spoken to with the caveat that whatever was discussed remained confidential. So much for community

The Planning Directorate would be very happy if residents were to move out of the way to allow the developers to get on with shaping this city to be just as bad as other metropolitan centres.

representatives being able to keep people informed.

The stated aim is to make the ACT’s planning regime simple and accessible. This is hard to believe, given the 212 pages released over the summer consisted of a tangle of meaningless broad statements, loads of repetitions and a multitude of pretty pictures.

All this over-the-top design stuff dares you to press print (and use up loads of ink). The directorate definitely has to be joking, given that pre-Christmas documentation is as inaccessible as the planning system to be reviewed.

The documentation begins with an insult to transparency by making it clear that important items are excluded from the review.

This directorate is despised because of how planning is mismanaged and involves inaccessible and obtuse decision processes (governance). No discussions are allowed about its structure and the role of the planning bodies (governance). And forget the

idea about having resident-led community panels so the whole shebang could be revolutionised by becoming transparent and community focused. People desperately want planning to be relevant to their suburb. Despite this, the directorate is to enforce its weird concept of district codes. Civic will have the same rules as Watson and the apartments along Northbourne – and those in the ever-increasing Woden towers will be treated the same as Garran; and while Woden remains the major commercial/shopping centre for Woden, Weston and Molonglo, it is in three separate districts. All stupid and no discussion allowed!

Another “not negotiable” is the 2018 ACT Planning Strategy. Given that it was a forgettable document, maybe a readable plain-English planning strategy should be insisted on by the lucky few who are secretly being consulted. Meanwhile, the Planning Directorate has been pouring out DA after DA for the community to deal with in the run up to Christmas. There has been little evidence that the mountain of well-thought-through submissions

as part of the review.

Often, when the government changes policy directions, it reflects practices that are already being implemented. If the unfriendly culture, questionable actions and secretive nature of the Planning Directorate are any indicator of intentions, then the city should be prepared for superficial and “worthy”-sounding changes that will mean very little.

And behind the facade of gloss will be the same entrenched bureaucrats playing the same games with whatever new rules they invent – complete with usual technical variations when required to get around their own rules.

During the election campaign in 2020, there was a blatant effort by all three major parties to avoid serious discussions about the planning system and how it is managed by

to discuss serious aspects such as governance and the realities of how the system is corrupted.

The directorate and Minister Mick Gentleman would be very happy if residents were to discard their commitments to their homes and suburbs, cancel plans to have a healthy and enjoyable life, and move out of the way to allow the developers to get on with shaping this city to be just as bad as other metropolitan centres (think 21st century Sydney). Not many believe that real changes will happen given this same crew is mismanaging the planning review. Depressing!

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

New rural fire chief discovers an old connection

By Andrew MATHIESON

THE flames have been burning far longer on Rohan Scott’s hazy destiny than the new head of the ACT Rural Fire Service could picture it.

It is through almost grainy, sepia vision that the 46-year-old more clearly visualises descendants of the first Canberra Fire Brigade squatting fire beaters as much as holding a hose.

“Looking back through the history of the Rural Fire Service, some of my ancestors were actually a part of the original forming of the brigade way back in the early 1900s,” Rohan says.

“I’m related to the McKechnies that were one of the first founding members of the rural brigade.”

That legacy dates back to when the future capital was little more than a sheep station in 1913.

Firefighting was remarkably a lot different in the surrounding bush then than under the chief’s current watch where technology is just a fingertip away.

The caretaker of the observatory was tasked with being on the lookout for fires so to telephone the central administrator and notify men owning bicycles and horses to congregate to the blaze.

The McKechnies knew the land well before any GPS, let alone maps of the territory.

“My grandmother’s family owned the land up near Eaglehawk – McK echnie Lane is named after the family. They used to also own land along Ma jura Road,” Rohan says.

“I didn’t know any of this at the time until I saw the history of the service.”

This occurrence at the 100-year an niversary celebrations of the ACT Ru ral Fire Service only happened after first casting his eye over the ghostly documents.

After nearly 20 years rising up the ranks from the frontline, it all made sense.

“I wouldn’t say it cemented my ser vice because I was well and truly into it, but it gave me that stronger connection, I suppose, of what it does and means for the community,” Rohan says.

Amid a sometimes transient com munity where bureaucrats file in just as often as the nation changes govern ments, there’s something reassuring about the Canberra dad of three tak ing charge following his appointment in January.

The MacGregor resident had been keeping the seat so warm for nearly 12 months that it was a seamless transi tion from his acting role to take over for good.

Half of a decorated life – now 23 years in the fire service – dedicated ferent path. “He kept disappearing to this place

The brigade was established that very same year.

“Everything was new and we could develop, I’d say, in our own history and culture for that particular Molongo brigade,” Rohan says.

The eventual successor to the retiring chief Joe Murphy had a good grip on last summer’s Black Summer Fires that impacted heavily on the ACT.

As bad as they burnt, it only takes Rohan a moment of recollection to head back to the 2003 Canberra Bushfires to find out the character of the man under fire and still relatively raw.

“Just purely sheer size and scale of the fire and we had never really worked with anyone else,” Rohan says.

“We went down the road and the fire came over the top of us.

“A little bit later, we went down the same road and a second fire came through with the ground fuel. It was

Four people died, a further 490 were injured and nearly as many homes were all but obliterated.

But there could have been more had his crew not stepped up.

“I know the five of us that were on that truck during January 18, 2003, have a special bond that will never be

“We saved two people out of Stromlo Forest settlement when that was com-

“As a crew, we probably shouldn’t have driven in there, but decided to go in anyway.”

The good, bad and ugly of how food is made

By Danielle NOHRA

“IS tofu processed?” was the irritating question that inspired first-time author Ayla Marika to find out.

Turns out it’s not so bad, says Ayla who gets to the bottom of it in her book, “How Food is Made: An illustrated guide to how everyday food is produced”.

“It had been bugging me. Where does it come from?” she says.

“My diet is mostly vegetarian so tofu features a lot in it and sometimes when I talk to people about it, they say: ‘How can you eat that? You don’t know what’s in it compared to a steak’.

“For fun and to satisfy my own curiosity I thought: “I’m going to find out and because I enjoy doing illustration and design, I’m going to put it into an infographic so that I can share it with those friends that I have those conversations with.”

But the curiosity didn’t stop there. That one infographic turned into more, and five years on – two that involved really knuckling down –Ayla, 36, of Collector, had finished the book, which uses illustrations and text to show how everyday food is produced.

The most shocking revelation for the author/illustrator was what’s in chewing gum.

“I wouldn’t have chewing gum anymore. It’s basically just plastic,” she says.

Another food that’s “pretty scary” is gummy bears, with Ayla saying: “A lot of people don’t associate sweet foods with meat but that’s basically what gummy bears are from.”

Being gelatine-based, she says they’re usually made from pig or cow offcuts, which have been boiled, reduced and processed in various ways to produce gelatine.

While Ayla was confronted by some of these ingredients, she says her background in drawing and graphic design was helpful to illustrate them

in a less confronting, more accessible way.

“Even though you can talk about things, sometimes those messages don’t get through just through con versation,” she says.

“If you tried to do the same thing through photos or video it might be too confronting, especially with, say some of the meat ones where you have to actually see the processing of the meat.

“I’ve really tried to strike that bal ance between communicating those concepts but not making people go: ‘That’s too difficult to look at.’”

However, Ayla assures that the book isn’t too confronting to read, saying she hasn’t really changed her eating habits much – except for chew ing gum and gummy bears!

“On the flip side, one that I thought was going to be really bad but wasn’t actually that bad at all was fish fin gers,” she says.

“I thought fish fingers were going to be super processed with all sorts of weird offcuts and who knows what, but turns out fish fingers are basically blocks of frozen fish cut into fingers which are breaded. They’re actually not very processed at all.

“I also found that almost all of the brands used sustainably sourced fish, even if they don’t put it on the carton.”

This surprising discovery saw Ayla more inclined to eat fish fingers, and feed them to her two-year-old.

But, she says it’s up to the reader to make their own judgement on the food mentioned in the book.

“I really tried to keep my wording very balanced [and] not to bring in any personal bias on anything like that,” she says.

“I just want to present the information and then they can use that to think about these things for themselves and come to their own decisions.

“The main thing I’d like people to take away from this book is I’d like everyday food and food processing to start to appear in people’s conversations. I’d like this to spark discussion with people and bring that topic to life because people just don’t talk about how processed food and the

food we eat everyday is made.

“My main aim is to get people thinking about it and talking about it. Being more open about it, not treat ing processed food as taboo.”

And now that the book is out in bricks-and-mortar stores such as POP Canberra, Dymocks Belconnen and the National Library as well as Ayla’s website – what’s next for the new author?

She says a follow-up might be on the cards, but this time on a different subject.

“How Food is Made: An illustrated guide to how everyday food is produced” ($30), available at howfoodismade.aylamarika.com

A word from Will: Never squat with spurs on

I HAVE long-admired American Will Rogers for his homespun and sage observations. Some seem obvious, such as: “Never squat with your spurs on”.

Will Rogers cultivated a cowboy philosopher image and was in fact part Cherokee Indian. Rogers quipped that his ancestors did not come over on the “Mayflower”, but they “met on the boat”. (His mother was one quarter-Cherokee.)

Rogers was much more than just a cowboy. He was also a stage and film actor, vaudeville performer, humourist, newspaper columnist and social commentator. He also fought politically for greater Cherokee recognition and Indian rights. He came to Australia in 1903 where he performed as a rider and trick roper at the Wirth Brothers Circus. He returned to the

In America, his aphorisms, terms, were

widely quoted. He once observed: “I am not a member of an organised political party; I am a Democrat.”

Commonsense observations...

• Never slap a man who’s chewing tobacco.

• Never kick a cow chip [pat] on a hot day.

• There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.

• Never miss a good chance to shut up.

• Always drink upstream from the herd.

• If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

• There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

• If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.

• Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier’n puttin’ it back.

• After eating an entire bull, a mountain

lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: “When you’re full of bull, keep your mouth shut.”

On growing older...

• Eventually you’ll reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

• The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

• Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me; I want people

to know “why” I look this way. I’ve travelled a long way, and some of the roads weren’t paved.

• When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of algebra.

• You know you’re getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

• I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

• One of the many things no-one tells you about ageing is that it’s such a nice change from being young.

• One must wait until evening to see

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how splendid the day has been.

• Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable and relaxed.

• And, finally: “Long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it’s called golf.”

Most of Rogers’ observations are timeless, but he never got to experience being really old. He died aged 55 with aviator Wiley Post when their small aircraft crashed in Alaska in 1935.

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

OPINION / drug possession

Tougher laws won’t fix the problem with drugs

ONE should always respect the pain of anyone’s lived experience, but I struggle to do justice to the lessons Bill Stefaniak and his wife Shirley have drawn from the death of their son.

In a “CityNews” column (“Going soft on possession won’t fix Canberra’s drug problem”, January 21) Mr Stefaniak wrote that his son’s death was caused when the car driven by his friend’s young girlfriend crashed while she was under the influence of ice.

Of course, driving while impaired by any substance illicit or legal should be an offence. The Bill dealing with drug possession that Labor MLA Michael Pettersson plans to push in the Assembly does not change that. My struggle comes from my own close association for over a quarter of a century, with the efforts of Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform.

It has long called for the lifting of the criminal law from the back of drug users, as the Pettersson Bill promotes.

The criminal law is not regarded as an appropriate response to any other physical or mental health condition, so neither should it be for people struggling with a substance dependency or simply choosing to push a boundary.

The lesson that Mr Stefaniak has drawn from his family’s tragedy is contradicted by the lessons drawn by the hundreds who have participated at annual remembrance ceremonies for those who have died from our

All too often, society has failed to keep drugs from our kids and then turned around and punished the very people the law was intended to protect.

efforts to save them from drugs (303 names were read out at the 25th ceremony in October).

Mr Stefaniak sees the proposal to extend the expiation notice system to substances other than cannabis as sure to lead to disaster, while many of our members will tell how fear of police involvement had the same effect. The fear obstructed communication with parents and support networks.

Out of fear of the police, the son of one of our members took a hurried holiday in the course of which he used heroin and died alone with no friend to call the ambulance.

In another case, a 15-year-old girl died in the drain opposite the Canberra hospital. Her young mates on that occasion were sternly rebuked by the magistrate for not seeking nearby help. But it was fear of the law that stopped them doing so, just as drug-using mothers are deterred from accessing perinatal care. No one, child or otherwise, should ever be put in that position.

All too often, society has failed to keep drugs from our kids and then turned around and punished the very people the law was intended to protect.

Other countries, such as Portugal, Canada and The Netherlands, are showing other courses are open to us.

Mr Stefaniak claims that Michael Pettersson appears to have consulted no one and that “ACT Labor and the Greens did not take this Bill to the local election”.

First let me say that the Bill is an exposure draft designed to promote consultation. Secondly, on August 20 Stefaniak’s former party joined the other two parties in endorsing a motion calling on the post-election Assembly to “investigate the feasibility of a simple offence notice for other drugs of dependence to ascertain the legal, social and health impacts.”

Mr Stefaniak’s answer to the drug problem is a hard-hitting media campaign “showing how dumb it is using hard drugs”.

Sorry, Bill, the idea is not new. It has been tried and been shown not to work. The US has a recurrent history of failed scare campaigns and the Howard government tried it as part of its tough on drugs strategy.

The approach of the canny Dutch is more successful: paint drug use as boring. A Rand Corporation study

in the US has shown that engaging drug users in treatment is six times more effective in reducing the supply of drugs than domestic law enforcement. The Dutch, the Portuguese and the Canadians are showing that treatment and support is the way to go and produces better outcomes. The Pettersson Bill paves the way for that.

The core of Mr Stefaniak’s objection is that decriminalisation will cause mental-health problems. He disregards the fact that support for the Assembly motion grew out of the findings of an Assembly inquiry into youth mental health, of which Mr Pettersson and two Liberal members were part.

Decriminalisation would reduce stigma and marginalisation “directed at both those people with mental illness and those who support them”. The commission identified this as one of several key factors driving poor outcomes in Australia’s mental health system.

Mr Stefaniak claims his experience as a lawyer and a member of ACAT accords him authority. Here, too, the lessons he draws do not jell with those of Nicholas Cowdery, the former DPP of NSW, and Mick Palmer, a former AFP commissioner.

In Palmer’s view a punitive drug

policy is counter-productive. He comments in the film “Half a Million Steps” that: “If the intention of our policy is to put toxic substances on the street and make them available to anybody that wants them in a market place run and driven by organised criminal gangs our policy is working very well but if the aim of the policy is to reduce drug use and the harms associated with it, it’s an abject failure and we should tear it up.”

Cowdery stated in the same film that: “Instead of addressing some kind of harm by these laws we’re actually increasing the harms and I think that’s a direct contravention of the purpose of the criminal law and indefensible in practice.”

Bill Bush is the president of the Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform (ffdlr.org.au).

Welcome step in fixing failed drug laws, letters, Page 14

MICHAEL MOORE continues his review of inaugural speeches from new members of the Legislative Assembly, this week highlighting two people committed to building a better world, but having such different perspectives.

IT’S fascinating to understand why our most recently elected MLAs have run for office.

For most there is a specific catalyst. Marisa Paterson’s “inaugural speech” was not her first parliamentary contribution.

Moments earlier the member for Murrumbidgee contributed to a motion regarding government support for clubs and commented on the dangers of gambling.

“What we cannot ignore in the ACT is the harm experienced by 10 per cent of the community as a result of gambling. This level of harm is not acceptable in our community,” she said.

There is an element of politics in Marisa Paterson’s background. And it was not always young woman she watched as her granddad attempted

to influence politics as a chair of the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association in Victoria. And her parents “instilled in all four children a sense of social justice and the importance of making a contribution to community”.

As the only newly elected Labor MLA, Dr Paterson was also supported by Emily’s List. This is a network within Labor that was set up to ensure gender equity in the election of Labor women to parliaments across Australia.

She has a strong academic background studying at Monash University and the ANU before taking on a PhD scholarship “at Charles Darwin University, to study gambling and the impact on remote Aboriginal communities”.

Her study was motivated by a fascination “in human behaviour: why people do what they do and how culture and society influence and interact. My particular interest was in mental health and addiction research”.

It is not surprising then that after

same social-justice journey

Greens’ Jo Clay… “What are we going to do about the climate emergency?”

tion being made “in a very sensible and level way”.

Ahead of her now is to live up to the reason she joined Labor in order to work “together to make the world a fairer and equitable place”.

GREENS MLA Jo Clay began her inaugural speech with what seemed to be a rhetorical question: “What are we going to do about it?” Ms Clay was talking about “the climate emergency”, a phrase she constantly reiterated.

In explaining her background as being from a family of lawyers and

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Labor’s Marisa Paterson… “We cannot ignore the harm.”

resulting in a double degree in Law and Creative Arts. She has worked in the arts as a writer of stories, books and films. However, “everything that I made was about apocalypse”.

“Now that we are in a climate emergency, what are we going to do about it?” The reiteration of her message added power to her speech.

There was no doubt left about her motivation for entering politics and the need for her to hand a better world to her daughter Xander and the next generation.

“Climate change is here, and it is a

blazing disaster,” she said.

Although the first part of Ms Clay’s life involved travel and “a lot of gap years”, she has also been a public servant. Additionally, as an environmentalist she has put her efforts in line with her philosophy as a worker at the Green Shed and as a manager of Send and Shred.

Jo Clay set herself a personal goal to cut her own carbon footprint. She contrasts her efforts with that of the federal government.

“While the federal inventory claimed a 0.1 per cent emissions cut, mine cut 77 per cent. Apparently, I am 7700 times more effective than our federal government”.

A key message from the member for Ginninderra’s speech was: “I have learned a lot since accepting that I am part of the problem. I have learned far more working on solutions than I ever did running away from them.”

The conclusion was also powerful and included: “Plenty of climate denialists ran, none were elected”.

The question, “what are we going to do about it?”, seemed much less rhetorical by the end of Ms Clay’s contribution.

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.

LETTERS

A welcome, small step in fixing failed drug laws

I FIND it difficult to understand why people who have suffered under illicit drug policy want that same policy to continue. (“Going soft on drug possession won’t fix the problem”, CN January 21).

To understand the need for change we must consider the broader picture and the real outcomes of prohibition drug policy and whether its goals have been achieved.

If the goal of prohibition was to hand over the production and sale of drugs to drug cartels, encourage the sale of drugs through black-market pyramid selling; encourage the illegal manufacture of a diversity of drugs with no controls whatsoever; produce more criminals as those addicted commit crime to support their drug use; overpopulate our prisons; corrupt police and officials; lose thousands of lives yearly to drug overdose; fragment families; cost taxpayers billions of dollars, then the goals have certainly been met. But if the goal were to reduce the availability and use of drugs it has been an absolute, dismal failure.

Michael Pettersson’s Bill to decriminalise small amounts of drugs for personal use with access to health guidance and information is a very welcome small change in the right direction.

Marion McConnell, Giralang

Did we vote for this?

I THOROUGHLY agree with Bill Stefaniak’s article “Going soft on drug possession won’t fix the problem” (CN January 21). Have people advocating this softened approach ever had close-up experience of drug addicts with their lifetime of scrambled brains and social and economic dependency on others? Most of them probably started their addiction with a seemingly harmless “small dose”.

I suspect Bill is correct to think that MLA Michael Pettersson has the backing of the Labor/Greens cabinet in putting forward this

Bill as a “tester” of public feeling. I can imagine that Shane Rattenbury is waiting in the wings with his proposal for a permanent pill-testing clinic in Civic; yet another message to young people to disregard the law and “have a go at drugs”. Did the Canberra community really vote for these policies?

Bill Bowron, Wanniassa

Big blocks, fewer roads

IN new suburbs such as Whitlam, the (expensive) typical blocks of land are too

small for healthy family use. Limiting “urban sprawl” is the excuse.

The problem is that virtually all blocks are given full-frontage street addresses. So huge areas of land are given over to roads and verges. And, new estates have to be scraped back to bare earth because of the massive road footprint, and because the tiny blocks have to be made almost level to build on effectively. All this serves only the sub-division, façade-design, spec-building, and storage “industries”.

Lost is the existing natural soil profile and vegetation; and unavailable are flexible solar access for internal and external living areas, and space for gardens, good-sized trees, lawns, trampolines, sheds, pools and even “granny flats”, which all contribute to family well being.

A paradigm shift in estate design could enable larger, cheaper blocks (say, typically, minimum 650 square metres), without reducing the overall number of them, or expanding the suburb.

The number and extent of roads can be readily reduced significantly, still with good public parkland (not in dangerous road median strips, as in some new suburbs), and space for utilities, emergency access, etcetera, while still achieving a legible address for each dwelling.

Briefly, one solution is to have virtually all streets serving double rows of back-to-back blocks, with simple, readily identifiable, and durable access ways through to adjoining pairs in the “inner” rows.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Radio gem on the TV

WHILE struggling to find something to watch on evening TV, I came across a little gem I hadn’t before noticed or considered. Something worthwhile to watch on television? Not exactly. Its Kids Radio channel 202 on the television!

After 9 at night it plays beautiful, calm music uninterrupted by anything including the human voice. Who’da thought it? This needs to be better known.

Phil Dickson, via email

‘Keep up the good work’ CONTRIBUTORS to “CityNews” seem to have more regard for correct word usage and correct spelling than many current journalists.

Ian Meikle’s “Seven Days” column in the January 21 edition was more than usually delightful with its inclusion of 16 winners from “The Washington Post” neologism competition.

I think my favourite was “Balderdash (n.) a rapidly receding hairline”, though pre-octogenarians may well have other favourites.

Anyway, please keep up the good work.

Michael Duffy, Curtin

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The kids are alright… now

By Helen Musa

THEATRE director Luke Rogers has been busy doing his favourite thing since last we spoke to him – sorting through promising scripts.

This time last year, he was embarking optimistically on a 2020 season but nobody suspected that his second year as artistic director of Canberra Youth Theatre was going to be so fraught.

It wasn’t all bad news, because by October the company had negotiated a deal with the Canberra Theatre that saw them on stage, not in the Courtyard Studio but in the more capacious Playhouse, with a sophisticated production of “Normal” by Katie Pollock, performed by four actors aged 18-25.

It was sweet relief to Rogers, who is keen to raise the status of the CYT into a performance company worthy of recognition alongside adult companies.

“I believe it was the first play on the main stage since lockdown, a wind of opportunity that came out of the chill,” he says.

“How lucky we were.

“COVID-19 has brought everyone closer together as the company did Zoom sessions and we banded together to weather the storm.”

While his planned “big fat” first program was thrown into chaos by covid, it gave him a chance to step back. It’s now officially his third year with the company, but because 2019 was planned by his predecessor Katie Cawthorne and last year was curtailed, this will be his first full planned year.

But it’s not a re-run of 2020.

Rogers is famous for his love of a good script and, reassessing what was needed, he’s found a couple of impressive new ones, leaving two 2020 choices behind.

At the Courtyard Studio in May, a large ensemble cast of actors aged 14-17 will perform “Little Girls Alone in the Woods” by Melbourne playwright Morgan Rose, in which young people are seen leaving security and safety for a world where they can be unruly, extreme and creative. The play is a modern adaptation of Euripides’ tragedy “The Bacchae”, that puts a feminist lens on the Greek legend of Dionysus. Auditions are in February.

“It’s about young people challenging the establishment, there is a lot of anarchy and rebellion and a sense of urgency to be heard,” Rogers says.

CYT’s relationship with The Street Theatre will continue as planned last year, when they co-present “I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You”, originally created by Brisbane company The Good Room. That’s a one-hour tell-all, where up to 20 nine-to-13-year-olds from Canberra say exactly what they’re thinking – and, Rogers says, it will be different each day. Auditions open in May.

Then in October, also at the Courtyard Studio, he’ll direct a play with a very long title.

“Two Twenty Somethings Decide Never To Be Stressed About Anything Ever Again. Ever.” written by Michael Costi is a “much-needed comedy” which looks at the stresses in millennial life. Set in a flat filled with cool friends, indoor plants and home-brewed kombucha, it will be performed by emerging professional actors aged 18-25. Auditions are in July.

“It’s rare to find works that really encapsulate the 20-plus group,” Rogers says.

Fleur feels the love at the Hive

ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa

Productions aside, Canberra Youth Theatre is on track with workshops at Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres, in schools and at Belconnen Arts Centre for all school years, as well as for teachers. There will also be masterclasses, the Young Playwrights Program for 16-25-year-olds, working with Canberra-raised professional playwright, Mary Rachel Brown and the Emerge Company, a new professional development program for young theatre makers, not just actors.

The resident artists’ program for early career theatre makers carries over from 2020 with artists Rebecca Duke, Claire Holland and Holly Johnson, but applications for 2021 residents are open.

An innovation for 2020 is a $16,000 playwriting commission grant for an emerging playwright or writing team to create a new full-length work that brings young voices and stories to the stage.

Despite all these ventures, Rogers reiterates his belief, expressed to us last year, that “we are not a drama academy but a theatre company that advocates for youth and strives for artistic excellence”.

Canberra Youth Theatre 2021 season

• “Little Girls Alone in the Woods” by Morgan Rose, at the Courtyard Studio, May 20-22. Bookings to 6275 2700.

• “I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You”, The Street Theatre, July 9-10. Bookings to 6247 1223.

• “Two Twenty Somethings Decide Never To Be Stressed About Anything Ever Again. Ever.”, Courtyard Studio, October 20-23. Bookings to 6275 2700.

• Inquiries about classes, residences and playwriting to canberrayouththeatre.com.au or 6248 5057.

VALENTINE’S Day is almost upon us and the Queanbeyan Hive and Fleur-de-lys Vocal Talent are joining to present “Heart Music”. There’ll be opera, world music, belly dancing, poetry, love songs and a Turkish high tea. Artists are soprano/director Fleur Millar, pianist Sam Row, belly dancer Kirsty Duncan, guitarist/ vocalist Barak Zelig and introducing vocalists Louise Jeffrey, Michael Row and Kim Goldsmith, with Persian poetry by Atoosa Kasirzadeh. The Hive, 274 Crawford St, Queanbeyan, 4pm, Sunday, February 14, bookings essential at qbnhive.buzz

COMPOSER Stephen Leek and Joel Copeland from the Music Academy at Canberra Girls Grammar are establishing a new non-profit a cappella ensemble to fulfil a need they see in Canberra’s music community. “Voices of Canberra” is now open for friendly and individual auditions by anyone aged 16-21 keen to sing music from the Renaissance through to contemporary classics. First rehearsal is on February 17 and auditions are now open at youngmusicsociety.org. au/Voices

ROMANIAN band Super Rats are back at Smith’s Alternative with the promise of transporting audiences to other times and lands. 76 Alinga Street, Civic, 8pm, Friday, February 12. Bookings essential at smithsalternative.com

ARTIST Jane Gerrish has studied the way Matisse thought of his women as creative partners rather than objects. In “Observe” at Suki & Hugh Gallery, she takes viewers to the Côte d’Azur of the 1920s, revealing Matisse in his study. 38A Gibraltar Street, Bungendore, opens 10am, Saturday, February 13 and runs to March 21.

CANBERRA Symphony Orchestra has created free lesson packs for primary school teachers. Based on the CSO’s “Music in My School – Time Traveller” program, the lessons take students on a journey through music history. Beginning as a live experience, developed by music educator Anita Collins, Eloise Fisher and Nicola Bartasek, it was presented by Ginninderry and Icon Water and has been further developed in response to COVID-19. Lesson packs are accessible free at csomagazine. org.au/music-in-my-school/

IN “You Want it Darker”, artist Stephen Harrison takes over the Pivot Gallery at Belco Arts to express his darker thoughts in drawings and sculptures that range from isolated evocative lighthouses to WW2 aeroplanes and lonely thylacines. Harrison is inspired by Shakespeare, animal rights, mythology, dreamscapes and comics and this show looks back to his exhibition immediately following a visit to Prague (Praha) in 2000. 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen, TuesdaySunday, 10am-4pm, February 5-March 21.

CINEMA / reviews

A message amid the tensions of territory history

“High Ground” (MA)

THERE’S more to director Stephen Johnson’s NT film than merely good guys v bad guys.

The screenplay by Chris Anastassiades is more than merely an actioner, a tale of vengeance or a thriller.

It delivers a message that, in the midst of ongoing tensions between indigenous Australians and the rest of us, both sides need to recognise and do something to make things much better.

In the 1930s, the Commonwealth governed the territories directly. Beyond the European settlements in the NT, day-to-day governing involved police presence most of all and indigenous lives had little value. Most of the non-indigenous characters in “High Ground” are police. They’re doing their best but Aboriginal welfare is not high on their priorities list.

The story unfolds on an Arnhem Land cattle station where, 12 years ago, white men shot all the members of an Aboriginal family except for one small boy, Gutjuk, (played as an adult by Jacob Junior Nayinggul) and his uncle Baywara (Sean Mununggurr).

daughter Claire (Caren Pistorius) who feels the same about him.

Now working for station owner Travis (Simon Baker), Gutjuk’s rather in love with his

Baywara’s followers have been burning houses. A small NT police contingent comes to the homestead. Led by Insp Moran (Jack Thompson) who with gentle bombast at one point tells an Aborigine that he is the

Annual Community & Family Festival

Celebrating the Lunar Year of the Ox

second-most-senior person in the NT police. What happens in the next few days forms the story’s main body.

The plot may be fiction but its substance has a sense of positive reality. I won’t spoil it for you by trying to summarise it here.

As well as looking magnificent (the exteri -

ors were shot in Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park), all the performances are convincing and the characters and their actions are all credible.

I urge readers to see this film. I hope it does well throughout Australia and overseas. Its vision of the relationship does much to set the record straight. Its entertainment values are profound. And it stands as an undeniable reminder (as if one were necessary) that Australians can make great movies.

At Palace Electric, Hoyts Belconnen, Limelight and Dendy

“Occupation: Rainfall” (MA)

“Occupation: Rainfall”... most of the film involves good guys fighting bad guys.

beginning with torching the city.

TO build this Australian-made futuristic sci-fi actioner, writer/director Luke Sparke recruited a team of techno whiz-kids to cram it with out-of-this-world visual effects.

In this age of IT, that sort of stuff is as common as farmyard muck. And, frankly, equally attractive.

To justify hi-jacking 129 minutes of viewers’ time, filmmakers need to mate hi-tech visuals with a dramatic framework that doesn’t abuse their intelligence.

The film’s narrative content is – well, you might have guessed it – a garbage-truck load of same-old same-old: good guys v bad guys.

The good guys are ADF fly-boys and footsloggers trying to protect frightened Sydney-siders fleeing invaders from another planet who, after over-running every other continent, have come to Oz to finish the job,

WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

The invaders resemble humans with bad complexions. One even has a ginger moustache! I assumed its purpose was to add a mote of humour.

Most of the film involves good guys fighting bad guys. Funny, that, don’t you think? It put me to sleep. When I woke, the film had yet an hour to run. Boredom drove me out into gentle rain. Ahh, so refreshing.

There’s an audience out there for movies like “Occupation: Rainfall’’. And it doesn’t include me. Fans of its genre will accuse me of prejudice. Damn right. Waay back when, in another publication, I told readers that “Star Wars” was an outer-space Western. Little has since changed. I defend my right to a personal view of every movie I review, as well as a considered opinion of its intrinsic worth.

At Palace Electric, Hoyts, Limelight and Dendy

Crime totally pays for streamers

AUDIENCES, it seems, can’t get enough of sleuthing in their streaming.

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One of Netflix’s newest shows puts an eccentric, literary thief front and centre, eluding even the greatest of detectives.

“Lupin” is a TV version of the classic French tales of Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief and master of disguise originally penned in 1905 as something of an antithesis to the much more well-known Sherlock Holmes.

He’s a cunning burglar, a “Robin Hood-esque” enigma who uses his smarts to steal from the rich as justification for his devious dealings that detectives can’t keep up with.

The show is what we’ve come to expect from this genre: twists, turns and all the criminal doodad, but a charismatic lead of Omar Sy swiftly pulling it along has made “Lupin” a hit, reaching 70 million households in just its first month of streaming.

In a quirky dash of trivia, Maurice Leblanc, the original creator of the Lupin stories, actually tried to write in Sherlock Holmes to buff up the popularity of his own character.

Surprise, legal issues ensued with the real author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who essentially told Leblanc there’s no way that Holmes would be featured in his books.

Not dissuaded, Leblanc kept the character in his stories, just with a new, original handle of “Herlock Sholmes” which, would you believe, turned out to be somehow legally dandy.

Herlock doesn’t make an appearance in this Netflix series, but anyone interested in the actual detective, he’s certainly around in the BBC show “Sherlock”, currently on Stan.

Although a modern twist brings this iteration of the detective to the 21st century, it remains the most faithful to, and loving of, Conan Doyle’s

source material. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the super sleuth, paired up with Martin Freeman playing faithful companion Dr Watson are a blast to watch together.

Stan also has the other series that brought Holmes to the modern day: “Elementary”. It’s good fun, too, but the avid readers of Doyle’s detective stories are likely to find the BBC’s version a more rewarding watch.

Popular on free-to-stream platform ABC iView is another show diving into some detective work, although this one’s a little heavier.

It’s called “The Missing” and it first premiered in 2014, however it’s found a renewed burst of interest with ABC iView pushing it to the fore of their featured shows.

It tells the story of a family whose holiday turns into a nightmare after a young boy vanishes, and of the dark obsession to get him back that follows.

This one’s quite the hidden gem, tucked away on one of the more minor streaming sites, but it’s good to see shows such as this edge their way towards the mainstream superhighway.

There’s some traffic speeding down that road – a recent trailer from Netflix is not showcasing one film, but rather 70.

That’s right, the platform recently released a run down of every film that’ll be available for streaming on the platform in 2021, with a promise of at least one new flick a week making its way to subscribers.

Netflix isn’t the producer behind all 70 films, as much as it might like to be. What it does have though is a line-up of producers from other companies desperate to get more people viewing their films than what a cinema in a pandemic allows for.

As such, Netflix has been able to reach out all over the world and snatch up deals to premiere the films on their own streaming platform.

For comparison, Universal Studios, which is widely ranked as the largest film production company on earth, has released 12 films over the last 12 months, which makes Netflix quite the comfortable record breaker.

In fact, it was the streaming giant itself that put its promise into words best two years ago, saying it wanted to give subscribers a “cinematic onslaught”.

That does indeed seem like some bang for your buck, but Netflix shouldn’t jump the gun too fast. A model not prioritising quality, but rather content for sheer content’s sake seems rather elementary, my dear Watson.

More of Nick Overall on Twitter @nick_overall

Hardy battles on to a very personal exhibition

By Helen Musa

ON a black day in January, 2003, looking from his Weston house, veteran Canberra artist Bernard Hardy saw flames from Holder and Duffy coming over, “like a cat tongue of incandescent orange”.

The next thing, the flames hit the verge and he was soon to see his purpose-built studio in the backyard succumb to multiple explosions, then the greenhouse that stored his paintings and, finally, the family home.

“When I drove out, the hedges were on fire and my hair burnt off, but I didn’t experience any emotions,” Hardy tells me.

Little could be saved at Hardy’s place but for a bronze sculpture he had acquired by swapping a painting for the work with well-known Canberra artist Ante Dabro.

“Wading through the ashes, I saw a single hand sticking out,” Hardy says. “It needed to be repatinated, but it survived.”

Like many before him who have seen a life’s work go up in smoke, Hardy has been sorely affected, but it hasn’t stopped him creating art.

“I lost a huge amount of my early work, which did damage me, but people came up and said: ‘I’ve got this painting or that painting’.”

Hardy battled on and since the fires has exhibited work in places as diverse as Gallery 101, Melbourne; the State Library of Victoria; Canberra Museum and Gallery; Sculpture

from the Edge, Bermagui; M16 and Megalo Gallery.

Now he’s planning a very personal exhibition, “Last Train to Karachi”, at the Helen Stephens Gallery in Collector.

Over a long life of art, Hardy has worked with collage, printmaking and a mixture of figurative and abstract painting.

DINING / Molto Italian, Kingston Foreshore

All smiles as the year begins

“IN heavenly pizza we crust” – this motto, in white neon lights and hung proudly on a wall at Molto Italian, Kingston Foreshore, makes you smile.

And smiles are what Molto wants from its friendly vibe, yum food and delicious wines.

It was time for dinner, and we decided to kickstart this year’s “CityNews” reviews by heading to Molto, in part to celebrate its Award for Excellence 2020 (ACT) win at the Restaurant and Catering Awards.

When we arrived, some guests were out front relaxing on bright orange beach sling chairs nestled under big, bright-orange umbrellas, which Molto has set up for a bit of fun. It’s a super spot to enjoy a pre-dinner drink.

exciting with nduja dressing and stunning salmoriglio ($23).

We settled into our table, scoring a perfect possie for people-watching, and explored the menu. Molto showcases classic Italian cuisine served with a modern finesse. Many items are made by hand and in the traditional Italian way. Pastas are hand cut, for example, and traditional Neapolitan woodfired pizzas are crafted with love (dough is set aside to rise for 48 hours). Molto worships qual -

The small but mighty specials board was enticing indeed and my friend settled on the cappelletti ($36). The little parcels of pasta (similar to ravioli) were stuffed with prawns, zingy lemon zest and served with a flavoursome seafood bisque. The cappelletti was worth every bite.

I struggled to decide what to order, but was convinced to try the mezze maniche (which I will forever be thankful for). The dish is created with slow-cooked, milk-braised pork with chilli ($32). It’s subtle in some ways but not so in others, with the chilli making its own statement. The pork was wonder-

“I love apparent reality,” he says of his works. “So they’re not really abstract, although there is a lingering element of abstract expressionism.”

In his printed statement for the show, Hardy says: “Artists live, in a world yet to be unfolded, yet to be resolved from the swirl of mental and physical potentials from which images fix, out of the unknown, their shapes.”

He goes back a long way in art. His mother, Pat Vaughan Flood was a formidable artist-intellectual who lived for many years in Deakin. His experiments with materials began as a 15-year-old boy in Melbourne when he tried to create his own oils from cooking oil, which he soon found wouldn’t dry.

He studied philosophy and English at the University of Melbourne and then took a job with the Department of Immigration in the hope of going overseas, soon finding himself posted to Madrid, where he soaked up the art in the Prado and other galleries from 1974 to 1976.

Back in Australia, the government offered him leave to do more studies so in 1979 he enrolled in the old Canberra School of Art, then directed by German printmaker Udo Sellbach, combining his studies with holiday work in Immigration.

Salvation arrived when head of the painting workshop Robert Boynes offered him a job teaching in the painting department, then Czech artist Petr Herel asked him to join his Graphic Investigations unit that, since he’d studied philosophy in Melbourne, suited his mindset.

“I asked Petr: ‘What do you want me to do?’ and he let me try new things.”

The experimental nature of the workshop taught Hardy a lifelong love of printmaking and playing with materials – he shows me some hand sculptures he’s been doing around his studio just to see what would happen.

The work in the Helen Stephens Gallery exhibition is not so much a formal survey, but a selection of post-fire paintings, a mixture of small works and some larger ones, many of them figurative, as he shows me in his Waramanga studios.

It’s not themed around the fires, but one called “Cotter Road” relates directly to the 2003 conflagration, showing the warped and twisted body of a car.

Bernard Hardy “Last Train to Karachi”, Helen Stephens Gallery, 39 Murray Street, Collector, February 14-March 28.

Photo: Wendy Johnson

Molto’s wine list is carefully curated and we indulged in the Matteo Braidot Pinot Grigio from Italy ($14 glass, $35 carafe and $59 bottle).

We were too full at the end of our meal on this visit, but will be back soon for Molto’s famous “nonna’s tiramisu” ($17). Or perhaps the torta di cioccolata served with dehydrated raspberries, raspberry fairy floss and sorbet ($17).

Molto was clever through the crazy days of covid, when things got really bad for hospitality. It adapted operations, sold retail goodies and ramped up takeaway. It’s great that they did, and succeeded with their efforts. The Kingston Foreshore is all the better for Molto’s presence.

IMPROVEMENT

Expert tips on how to make

HOME is where the heart is (as the famous saying goes), so it makes sense to turn that space into something that the homeowner or renter loves being in. Whether it’s renovating a home to get the best out of a sale, adding some designer furniture, working on the garden, bathroom, or kitchen, “CityNews” speaks to some of Canberra’s most passionate home improvement experts on how to make a place truly “yours”.

Now’s the perfect time to plant natives

WITH autumn just around the corner, now is the perfect time to pick up some beautiful new native plants, says Cool Country Natives’ owner Karen Brien.

“Most people might think spring is the best time to plant but in Canberra

autumn actually makes things a lot easier,” she says.

“This is because our spring is normally short and following it gets very hot. Autumn, however, being cool and damp, means they need much less watering and we see a lot more successful growth.”

Open since 2015, Karen says Cool Country Natives offers the largest range of native plants in the Canberra region, and they have an expert team that can give advice and guidance for implementing beautiful greenery into any home environment.

“Soon conditions are going to be perfect for smaller species like eucalyptus or wattles,” says Karen.

Cool Country Natives will also be hosting a few market days in the coming months, where Karen says visitors can talk to the staff as well as other plant enthusiasts while they search for the perfect plant for their home.

“All are welcome,” she says.

Cool Country Natives, 5A Beltana Road, Pialligo. Call 6257 6666 or 0402 307275, email retail@coolcountrynatives.com.au or visit coolcountrynatives.com.au

“There’s a lot of people working from home in these times, and so we’ve also seen many wanting to

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“We understand people don’t have the time to renovate and want the process to be as quick and easy as possible [which is why we] offer personal service and renovating only where we believe it will increase the value of the home.”

Through their diverse team of tradespeople such as

do the rest,” says Kim.

“We treat your home like our own.”

Your Property Profits. Call 1800 225597, email hello@yourpropertyprofits.com.au or visit yourpropertyprofits.com.au

Building bathrooms with confidence

BEING one of the oldest bathroom companies in the region, the community can be confident that The Bathroom Company knows how to do renovations well, says owner Andrew Finn.

Established in 1993, Andrew says they’ve become quite “embedded in Canberra”.

“We’re bricks and mortar and that gives people

The team, led by general manager Claire Carroll, are specialists in bathrooms, and sit down with clients to listen to what they want in order to design the bathroom they want.

With three professional designers in-house in the Manuka office, Andrew says they can help with all decisions, from colour to tiles and baths.

Offering a smart, stylish and stress-free experi -

ence, Andrew says clients will only have to deal with one staff member who will help them through the whole project.

“We’re also the only ones that send through a professional cleaner to clean it all out for you so it’s all nice and ready to go,” he says.

The Bathroom Company can also custom-make vanities, are available to do stone work, and can incorporate modern modicums like LED shower lighting or full-body showers, says Andrew. Their designs complement the home, he says, including designs such as art deco.

The Bathroom Company, 7 Murray Crescent, Manuka. Call 0437 222631, email quotes@bathroomcompany. com.au or visit thebathroomco.com.au

Adding value to the home through renovations

BORDEAUX Construction and Management is a “one-stop-shop”, guiding renovation projects through the design process to the end of its construction, says project manager Michael Milutinovic.

This makes the process easier for clients, according to Michael, who says the family-run, Queanbeyan-based business can do it all when it comes to renovations, such as renovate the kitchen, adjoin a new master bedroom or ensuite, or even attach a sunroom.

“We’re not waiting on anyone and we can guide them through the finishes,” he says.

“We work with some interior designers to guide them through the colour and finishing selection, too.”

The business even has in-house joiners that can provide renovators with custom joinery solutions for their walk-in robes, ensuites and vanities, says Michael.

Often, Michael says clients like where they’re living

and they like their suburb but they want to improve their home.

“They don’t want to move but they want to maximise their quality of life at home as well as add a bit of value to their home while doing so,” says Michael who holds an unrestricted “A”-class builder’s licence in the ACT and is licensed in NSW.

With more than 14 years’ experience in the construction industry in Canberra and Sydney, Michael says the business doesn’t shy away from complexity.

“We do everything from extensions, full home renovations and new builds,” he says.

“We can really look at any type of construction. We have experience across the board.”

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

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Showroom Hours: Mon-Fri: 9.00am to 4.00pm, Sat: 9.00am to 12pm, or by appointment

A decade of growing advice

ON February 10, it will be 10 years since I joined the team at “CityNews”.

drought-tolerant plants. This is all to the good, as we needed to realise the true value of water with the message of ‘watering responsibly’.

I’ve written about 350,000 words, hopefully providing the best garden advice for local gardeners, based on organic principles without the use of chemical fertilisers and sprays; and providing the latest in garden products and ideas. Here’s how I got things started a decade ago:

“Welcome to my first new garden column in “City News”... this garden page will provide the right advice to help you enjoy your garden.

“With more than 30 years designing gardens and providing horticultural advice plus owning a nursery and herb gardens with my wife Gerdina in Yass for 10 years, I am gradually getting the hang of what grows here!

“Canberra has been variously described as a garden city, the bush capital or a treed city. I noted that “CityNews” did not have a garden page, so now we have corrected that situation. More importantly, I write about gardening locally with the vagaries of our climatic extremes.

“Gardening here has changed dramatically in the last few years, drought and water restrictions having taken their toll on gardens. This has forced us to look at the plants we grow with an increased emphasis on

“Then in the last 12 months record rainfall has lulled many into a false sense of security with lush growth and green lawns again. However, this is not a gardening chat column, so let us get down to the nitty gritty…”

And so I did. During my writing career, a total of 33 years in print, there have been huge advances in horticulture. Many hundreds of new varieties of plants have been introduced since 1986, thanks to modern advances in plant breeding.

So, as I frequently say, “gardeners are optimists”, as we move on to the next 10 years.

AUTUMN is the traditional time for planting trees and shrubs, and it’s vital to have the ground well prepared to give them the best possible start.

Canberra is renowned for its clay soil, which interestingly has a good many nutrients, but they’re locked up – and clay soils are very effective in stopping water penetration.

One way of loosening the clay, if there’s room, is to use a bobcat with the teeth on the bucket breaking up the clay crust. Then add plenty of organic matter.

Many garden articles recommend using gypsum to break up the clay, but it’s only effective in the depth of soil of which it can be dug in. Also, heavy applications of gypsum can be detrimental to acid-loving plants.

I recommend a liquid clay breaker that will soak down into and through the soil, such as Multicrop GroundBreaker. It improves water penetration and aeration, and starts working immediately, with maximum effect seen within six to eight weeks.

When planting trees or shrubs, dig a hole twice the width of the container it comes in and half the depth of the pot. Fill the hole with GroundBreaker and let it soak away. If the soil is in reasonable condition it may drain away almost immediately. With heavy clay, this may take at least a day.

Editor’s note: Congratulations, Cedric. You are truly the gardener’s gardener and I’m sure I learn something new from your column every week. Thank you for 10 terrific years of good advice and columns of good humour.

PUZZLES PAGE FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

By Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Keep your sharp tongue and fiery impulses in check on Wednesday, especially involving finances and friends. Then Thursday night’s New Moon highlights your hopes and wishes zone, so you need to make your aspirations for the future as creative and innovative as possible. Your motto for the week is from birthday great Alice Walker: “We should learn to accept that change is truly the only thing that’s going on always, and learn to ride with it and enjoy it.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

You’ll be in the public eye in some way, as no less than six planets stimulate your reputation/career zone. So you could shine at work, at school or in a volunteer position. When it comes to your job, do you need to upskill? Are you looking for employment or is it time to change vocation? The winds of change are blowing through your professional zone so prepare to pivot! Unhappily single? You could find yourself attracted to a colleague, client or customer.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

This week dynamic Mars provides a much-needed energy boost. You’re raring to go and super busy but are you actually achieving anything of substance? Mercury is retrograde so make sure you double-check details and leave plenty of time to get to appointments. If you prioritise (plus tackle tasks in regular short bursts) then you’ll gradually get things done. The New Moon heralds an insightful realisation about yourself or a welcome weekend getaway.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Crabs are sentimental creatures and can spend too much time in the past. Resist the urge to brood over love gone wrong. This week’s stars help heal your hurt feelings so you can finally let go and move on. The New Moon signals a major shift in the areas of intimacy or money. Perhaps a passionate new affair or the start of a promising financial partnership? But plenty of patience is required on Wednesday, when a relationship goes through a bumpy patch.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Mick Jagger, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez… why are so many major entertainers Leos? Because they relish being the centre of attention. But the New Moon encourages you to share the spotlight with someone else, whether it’s a lover, business partner, family member or friend. On Valentine’s Day, some lucky Lions will launch a new romantic relationship (or rejuvenate a tired old one). Singles – look for love with a gregarious Gemini or an adventurous Aquarius.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Virgos love to be in tip-top condition. With the New Moon in your well-being zone, it’s the perfect time to start a more nutritious diet and a more challenging exercise program. If you’ve been neglecting your health, then it’s the best week of the year to swap fast food for home-cooked meals; cream buns for carrot juice; and TV marathons for power walks or gym sessions. Virgos thrive with a regular routine and a healthy lifestyle, so stop the excuses and start ASAP!

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

The New Moon fires up your entertainment zone so put aside some quality time to spend with special people who make your heart sing. With Venus visiting your peer group zone, it’s also time to patch up a rocky relationship, as you hold out the olive branch of peace. But have you outgrown a certain so-called friend? As writer (and birthday great) Alice Walker wisely observed: “No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.”

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

With Mercury reversing through your home zone, expect some domestic dramas and family fiascos. You’ll find the more stubborn you are, the more frustrating the problems will be. Negotiation planet Venus encourages you to display your diplomacy skills, as you sympathise and compromise. Thursday night’s New Moon puts you in the mood to shake up your daily routine as you do something different that makes your Scorpio heart sing.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

This week you’re keen to communicate, activate and innovate. And others are finally sitting up and taking notice of what you’ve got to say (both in person and online). But with Mercury in retro mode, take care in the way you communicate, especially on Wednesday. A rushed (and rather controversial) message could easily be sent to the wrong person! Thursday night’s New Moon is terrific for education, conversation and neighbourhood connections.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The New Moon stimulates your cash zone, so take stock of your financial situation and initiate some smart new strategies. And don’t forget to do an inventory of your inner wealth, which includes your self-esteem and core values. Remember – you are more than your job, what you earn and what you own. Romance is in the air but the energy is behind the scenes suggesting a private Valentine’s Day. Singles –amazing synchronicities could lead you to your soul mate.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

This week there are six planets transiting through your sign! Venus and Jupiter encourage good fortune, Saturn demands self-discipline and retro Mercury revs up restlessness. However, just because you’ve thought of a brilliant idea (and talked about it endlessly) doesn’t mean you’ve actually achieved anything. Be proactive about turning your dreams into reality. Thursday night’s New Moon is in Aquarius, so you’ll be twice as much fun – and double the trouble!

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Retrograde Mercury and the New Moon are both energising your ‘escaping’ zone. So (if you have a problem that needs to be faced or a decision that needs to be made) resist being side-tracked by unrealistic schemes and distracted by other people’s agendas. When it comes to your love life, maintain your Piscean belief in romance, fate and destiny. As actress Loretta Young said: “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2021

General knowledge crossword No. 767

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

THE ART OF DRAWING THE RIGHT INVOICE

Samantha and Jake are setting up a new company and want to start the year on the right foot.

"We are changing our software and stationery, and so we thought we should find out what invoices should look like," Samantha said.

I told them that there were certain requirements for invoices, the most important being that, if you are registered for GST and if the sale is for more than $82.50 and less than $1000, you must show the words "tax invoice".

1 Name a direction given by a race starter. (3,3)

8 Which evergreen shrub is a traditional symbol of remembrance? (8)

9 To be in the privacy of a judge’s chambers, is to be in what? (6)

10 What is a misalignment in the comparison of two locations due to the relative position of the observer? (8)

11 Which earlier king was known as the great? (6)

13 Name the champion Australian cyclist and politician, Sir Hubert ... (8)

16 Name the common, almost cosmopolitan, wild ducks. (8)

19 Which NW European kingdom is bordered by Finland and Norway? (6)

22 What was today, yesterday? (8)

24 Who asked for more? (6)

25 Which person deals in gems or their like? (8)

26 What is a collection of literary matter etc, often condensed? (6)

Down

2 Which term describes the sending of messages over the Internet? (5)

3 What is an ox or a bullock known as? (5)

4 Name the spider that constructs silk-lined tunnels in the ground. (8)

5 What was an emperor of Russia called? (4)

6 That which is of greater extent, is said to be what? (6)

7 What is a fleet of warships? (6)

12 What is a domestic hen called? (4)

14 Which secret expression is used to obtain access to a computer system? (8)

15 Which alcoholic liquor is made by fermenting honey and water? (4)

17 Name the positive poles of batteries. (6)

18 What do we call one who plunders, or pillages? (6)

20 To be watching narrowly, is to be doing what? (5)

21 What are pitchers with wide spouts? (5)

23 Which term describes an actor’s part? (4)

"Your business identity should be next and you should include your logo. This should be closely followed by your ABN. Then your address, email and phone number,” I said.

“The next item should be the date of the sale and the name of the purchaser.

"Then there should be a description of the goods and the quantity if you are selling more than one. The total cost should follow.

"At this point you can choose to show the cost before GST, show the GST separately and then the total. Alternatively, you can show the cost including GST but the purchaser must be able to identify the amount of GST included in the invoice.

“Your software has the capacity for you to set up invoices. So you need to make sure that they contain all the above elements.

"I am a great believer in making things easy for customers, so I recommend you include your payment details and terms.

"From a customer’s perspective there is nothing worse than trying to work out how to pay. These details should not only be on the tax invoice but also on any statement you issue.”

"If your invoices are over $1000 you need one more field and that is the ABN or identity of the purchaser. It is also the case that if you choose, you can have all your invoices with your customers' ABNs and names even if they are under $1000.”

Samantha said she had no idea that was the situation and raised the issue of different rules if the new company was not registered for GST.

I confirmed that the rules were different and that if the company was not registered for GST, it was really important not to give a "tax invoice".

"You need to provide an ‘invoice’. And it is best practice to also state at the bottom that ‘no GST is included’,” I said.

“And one other thing that often catches new businesses out; if you buy an invoice book from the stationer it says ‘tax invoice’. If that is the case I recommend that you get a thick black marker and delete the word ‘tax’. You must also state there is ‘no GST is included in the invoice’.”

If you need advice on tax or GST contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 02 6295 2844. If you want a template for a tax invoice email kylie@gailfreeman.com.au

Disclaimer

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