CityNews 210311

I don’t want anyone going through cancer to ever feel alone “

7 PAGES GETTING READY FOR A ROAD TRIP

BETH LEFEVRE and her passion to support younger women with cancer

Retire to The Aerie at Narrabundah

Indigenous rights restored in change to land act

By Danielle NOHRA

A GAME-changing amendment to the Native Title Act 1993 will force the ACT government to negotiate land rights with local traditional custodians, including the Ngambri people, says Ngambri elder Paul House.

The amendment comes 20 years after the then Gary Humphries-led ACT Liberal government, in the spirit of reconciliation, established a “99 Year Namadgi Special Aboriginal Lease”, which was signed by two of three Ngambri/Ngunnawal signatories.

As reported by “CityNews” in August, the signatories gave up a native title claim lodged in the Federal Court and, in return, they would work in partnership with the government to manage Namadgi National Park.

However, under the ACT Labor-led government, the agreement never came to fruition and the interim board, which was to become a statutory board of management, was quietly dissolved in about 2007.

Now, the government can’t avoid native title any longer, says Paul House.

Under the new section in the Native Title Legislation Amendment Act 2021,

passed in early February, the extin guishment of native title rights in rela tion to the preservation of the natural environment, is to be disregarded.

“It’s an amendment that allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all over the country to claim reserve at national parks,” he says.

“It justifies reopening the negotia tions over the ownership and manage ment of Namadgi National Park, if not also over other areas set aside as conservation reserves such as parts of the national capital open space system and river corridors within the ACT.”

Mr House is now calling on the gov ernment to withdraw the restrictive clauses in the “99 Year Namadgi Spe cial Aboriginal Lease” that required the signatories to give up native title.

“That agreement was signed in 2001 when the native-title system was only six years old. We knew very lit tle about how the native-title system worked at that time,” he says.

“We are now 20 years further down the track, there are over 520 native ti tle determinations across the country, and over 1300 registered indigenous land-use agreements across the country. It’s time to let the native-title system work in the ACT.”

Paul House… “The government’s one-tribe policy focuses on Ngunnawal and they don’t consult with anyone else, ignoring the historical truths of Ngambri providence here in the ACT.”

Mr House says the ACT government has stifled the whole process since the start of the Namadgi agreement and, as the years have gone by, they’ve never acknowledged that.

Since 1993: Volume 27, Number 10

Arts & Entertainment 26-28

Canberra Matters 8

Cinema & Streaming 28

Crossword 16

Dining 27

Garden 17

Horoscopes 16

Letters 14

News 3-15

Politics 10

Seven Days 4 Cover: Beth’s lonely cancer journey as a young woman

Photo by Holly Treadaway. Story Page 6.

Ph 02 6189 0777

Mr House also wants to see the government support the Native Title Services Corp (NTSCorp), a company that assists traditional owners to exercise rights under the act, with sufficient resources and funding needed for them to prepare their native-title claim.

“We ask the ACT government to fund NTSCorp to undertake the research to determine the families’

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people in the ACT.

“They need to acknowledge that the land was taken from our ancestors without free, prior and informed consent,” he says.

“It was taken without a treaty and we’ve never been compensated for our losses.”

As part of those steps, Paul wants to see a treaty formed and he wants to

see the government sit down and have open and honest dialogue with contemporary Aboriginal families who claim the ACT as their ancestral land.

“It’s a matter of a public record for the Ngambri people, and it’s also about voice, treaty, truth,” he says.

“There is a massive void in the truth about the ACT’s past that needs to be

Mr House questions how the ACT government can talk about voice, treaty, truth, when it only gives voice

“The one-tribe policy has to stop, it’s offensive and exclusive,” he says.

“Their one-tribe policy focuses on Ngunnawal and they don’t consult with anyone else, ignoring the historical truths of Ngambri providence here

“A one-tribe policy puts Aboriginal people into difficult situations where they may not be the right person to

“There are strict rules on custom around speaking on or for someone else’s country and the ACT government totally ignores that.

“Aboriginal families in the ACT, they need an opportunity to all be treated equally. At the moment that’s not happening.

“Ultimately we’re calling on the ACT government to move forward toward supporting Aboriginal people in the ACT with land rights and native title.”

Don’t have a cow, man, especially if it’s lying…

AS embattled Defence Minister Linda Reynolds spun nuance around the accusation she called former staffer Brittany Higgins a “lying cow”, the expression got me thinking.

Minister Reynolds says she was expressing frustration at the media coverage of Ms Higgins’ revelation of alleged rape two years before on the minister’s couch in Parliament House, not the veracity of her former staffer’s claims.

Meantime, her former staffer, reported to be “incredibly hurt”, threatened to sue for defamation, which if it progresses will usefully give us all a legal definition of a lying cow.

Despite a scolding from PM Scott Morrison, Ms Reynolds hasn’t actually admitted to using the phrase. Unlike Vincent van Gogh, who did... in naming two of his oil paintings “Lying Cow”.

There’s a view that they’re associated with his 1883 painting “Cows in the Meadow”, finished shortly before the artist broke with his mistress Sien Hoornik . One presumes Vincent wasn’t trying to make a point.

But what is it about insults and cows?

Some readers will recall the TV bigot Alf Garnett’s characterisation of his longsuffering wife as a “silly moo” in the BBC’s ‘60s series “Till Death Us Do Part”.

Then there’s cartoon character Bart Simpson’s reprise of a 1950s saying: “Don’t

have a cow, man”, which means don’t overreact to something relatively minor. That’s my kinda cow.

NEWS from the front on the crackedfootpath campaign: reader Rosemary Harrison, of Yarralumla, reports a positive sighting of the footpath repair crew.

In news that will warm the cockles of ACT ratepayers awaiting remedial attention to their crumbling suburban pavements, Rosemary says: “They have been paving flat out at embassy row in Yarralumla.

“Two weeks ago, they paved a long stretch from the Belgian embassy to the United States. Last week they went from Sweden, through Poland, down to Greece. This week, it’s Spain’s turn”.

And when will it be your turn? As if by magic, City Services Minister Chris Steel

has popped up like a spinning top extolling the virtues of lots and lots of (overdue and neglected) urban maintenance programs that include $2.6 million of $16.5 million in funding for replacing and repairing shared community paths in the next 12 months.

Then we’ll have footpaths just like the chauffeured embassy belt.

THE career of musical impresario Michael Gudinski, who died of a heart attack in Melbourne this past week, sparks memories for Greenway local Roger Smeed Smeedie, an established and respected company director these days, has had more jobs than 2CC’s breakfast man and foodie Stephen Cenatiempo’s had hot dinners.

In his early 20s in Melbourne, Roger was an ad man for the pop music weekly tabloid “GoSet” (1966-74) with the heady responsibility

Thorpe and the Aztecs),” he says.

One of them was young Michael, organising his first gig.

“They took a quarter page that cost, oh, $250, that’s about $3000 these days and paid for it in cash,” he says.

“It wasn’t the last time; they would pop in an ad every few weeks.”

The rest is history, with Mr Gudinski AM

being feted by rock’s royalty (including Bruce Springsteen) as a man people could rely on.

THE run is over for Canberra gardens with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting that the bursts of rain over summer are at an end and that the 2020–21 La Niña has passed its peak and is now weakening. “Climate model outlooks indicate the El Niño–Southern Oscillation will return to neutral (neither La Niña nor El Niño) during autumn,” BOM solemnly intones.

“CITYNEWS” advertising exec Damien Klemke is a wag. Passing a reporter’s desk he spotted a bottle of tomato ketchup and urged the scribbler to hide it away, immediately! “Why, Damo?”

“Because journalists shouldn’t reveal their sauces”. Boom, boom.

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard in the “CityNews Sunday Roast” every week on 2CC, 9am-noon.

We invite 2021 Year 6 & Year 5 students to join us for Try High School Day on either the 24th or 25th March 2021 from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

Students will have the opportunity to meet some of our JPC students and staff, become familiar with the layout of our school, and have fun experiencing ‘classes’ in a high school setting.

Time: 9.30 am to 12.30 pm (drop off from 9.15 am)

Dress: Current primary school sports uniform

Catering: Morning tea will be made in Food Tech

24th or 25th of March

(Students are welcome to bring their own food if they prefer or have a specific dietary requirement)

What to Bring: Water bottle and hat

To Book: https://www.trybooking.com/BOVIU

Please note that it is up to individual families to arrange participation in this event including transport to and from the College, as it is not being coordinated through our feeder schools.

Beth’s lonely cancer journey as a young woman

By Belinda STRAHORN

BETH Lefevre was 33-years-old and on maternity leave when she discovered a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancerous.

The mum-of-three, who had given birth to twin boys four months earlier, said she felt the lump in the shower but assumed it was mastitis.

“I thought it was a blocked milk duct at first, but within a week the lump started changing shape and it started to feel like a giant blackhead,” said Ms Lefevre.

At the time of her breast-cancer diagnosis, Ms Lefevre’s father was dying from melanoma.

Ms Lefevre had to deal not only with her own health, but also managing her young family and her father’s affairs.

“This was something I didn’t think I’d be dealing with at 33,” she said.

“I felt numb but I just had to get on with it.”

Desperate to find a group of accepting and understanding peers, but unable to find one, Ms Lefevre has started her own.

“It’s called the Younger Women’s Cancer Support Group and it’s just that, for young women aged under 50

A BETTER FUTURE

BRIEFLY

Call to feds on territory rights

THE ACT and the NT are again calling on the federal government to restore the rights of both territories to legislate on the issue of voluntary assisted dying.

ACT Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne and NT Attorney-General Selena Uibo have jointly written to Attorney-General Christian Porter, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories Nola Marino and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack emphasising ongoing concerns about the inequity between states and territories regarding voluntary assisted dying.

“By mid-2021, all Australian states will have either passed legislation relating to voluntary assisted dying or have a Bill before their parliament,” Ms Cheyne says.

“It is hard to fathom – and embarrassing – that the federal government allows a situation to persist which limits some residents’ human rights in our own country.

“This is a simple legislative change for the federal government to propose and enact which would cost nothing. But it would mean so much to ACT and NT residents – and right a wrong that has persisted for decades.”

Spinning yarns at showcase

VENDORS from the Southern Highlands to the Sapphire Coast, from the Yass Valley to the Monaro will be at the Queanbeyan group of the NSW Knitters’ Guild’s second annual Capital Region Yarn and Fibre Showcase at Westwood Farm, off the Kambah Pool Road, Kambah, 10am-2pm, Sunday, March 14.

Butterflies on Black Mountain

BUTTERFLY expert Suzi Bond is leading a walk around the summit of Black Mountain from 10.30am on Sunday, March 14, to look at how colourful butterflies are so well “camouflaged” when resting on logs or rocks. Hosted by the Friends of Black Mountain, walkers will meet at Lookout Terrace, which is slightly uphill from Telstra Tower. There is a suggested donation of $5. Places are limited, and available only to people over 18. Email your name and phone number to friendsofblackmountain@gmail. com or call 6251 6972.

New club seeks members

THE Yerrabi VIEW Club is looking for inaugural members at its next meeting at Eastlake Gungahlin, 11.30am, on March 18. Interested

Day for neighbours

SWINGER Hill residents will celebrate Neighbour Day at the Barnet Close playground from 11am on Sunday, March 28. A totally neighbourhood-driven,

ladies are welcome to attend. More information or RSVP to june3@iinet.net.au by Monday, March 15.

non-sponsored, non-funded event, organisers say people, kids and dogs should just turn up with their own coffee (maybe a cake) and meet their neighbours.

Jams, pickles and more

HOMEMADE jams, pickles, chutney, lemon butter and sugar-reduced preserves are among the offerings at the Bold Bandannas charity stall at the Belconnen Fruit & Veg Markets, 8am-5pm, on the weekend of March 13-14. The Relay for Life Team raises funds for cancer research. Its stall will also sell handsewn items, including children’s dress-up clothes, hand-knitted dolls’ clothes, crocheted hand towels, and knitted and lace coat hangers.

A journalistic view

NATALIE Ahmat, a journalist from NITV, will speak at the next lunch meeting of the Tuggeranong Day VIEW Club, at the Town Centre Vikings, Greenway, 11am-2pm,

Tuesday, March 16. The cost is $26 and interested ladies and visitors are welcome. RSVP by Friday, March 12 to 0409 747017 or email maleyjan@yahoo.com

THE ACT’s City Renewal Authority, a 2016 bright idea from Andrew Barr, is something the people of Canberra did not ask for and is spending a lot of taxpayers’ money in one place – a selected part of central Canberra.

The CRA is irrelevant to and largely unknown to most Canberrans, given that it has dealings with a small portion of the city, ie from the lakeside near Civic, up Northbourne Avenue to the commercial centre around Dickson.

And the rest of Canberra? Are the other town centres and their feeder suburbs not part of the city?

The photo with this column indicates that Gungahlin is not in Canberra – so maybe Weston Creek, Molonglo, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong residents have made the same mistake. This traffic sign indicates the thinking that seems to operate within the ACT government.

To the politicians, Canberra is where they spend their days, being inside a building in Civic. And then there

Just how much money can one agency spend on pop-ups, temporary thingys and activation events that deliver nothing substantial when so much of the urban infrastructure is being run down?

are the other town centres and their suburbs – out there, somewhere!

Community groups work hard to attract the government’s attention for the provision of facilities and parklands – and the maintenance and upkeep of urban infrastructure such as footpaths, open spaces and trees.

This task is an uphill battle for the Woden Community Council as it looks north and witnesses a constant stream of amenities being provided by various agencies. They are not alone.

There are similar voices from Tuggeranong and Molonglo about how much is not provided in urban services compared to what happens within the inner north – especially given the Barr government’s emphasis on inner-north developments, courtesy of his special development agency set up to do just that – the City Renewal Authority.

Just to put a different spin on that justifiable envy about what happens within the inner north, maybe they

should consider being careful about what they wish for.

The City Renewal Authority’s reputation for caring about suburban areas, heritage and residents is not exactly brilliant.

Just how much money can one agency spend on pop-ups, temporary thingys and activation events that deliver nothing substantial when so much of the urban infrastructure is being run down?

There is a load of fading paint and remnants of other questionable activations around the inner north. This agency is an imposition on the heritage and lifestyle of Canberra –being a city within a landscape. Is this the best this Labor/Greens Coalition can do to enhance the landscapes of the whole city?

Many who live within the inner north would be very happy to see the authority replaced with a wellresourced structure within one of the directorates to better manage and improve the many suburban assets and the green infrastructure throughout the whole city of Canberra – not just in Shane’s and Andrew’s electorate.

The city’s landscape structures remain in reasonable shape at best (being positive here!). But greenery and biodiversity and basic community facilities and assets are being degraded by ad hoc decisions and reduced Budget allocations. All of this is not helped by concentrating scarce resources into one, central, developer-friendly agency – the City Renewal Authority.

This brings us to the role of the elected members and that residents continue to expect them to look after their electorates. Yes, they have state functions to fulfil – but that is underpinned by the reality that they are elected by constituents in their own areas.

If they were being true to their own electorates, there is no way they could

justify resources being continually allocated to the City Renewal Authority to throw around within an exclusive part of the inner north while not providing the equivalent to the rest of Canberra.

A whole-of-government approach to looking after all the city’s landscapes is required. Based on the ACT government’s management of our city’s assets, this would require a major change in how the current government operates (improved governance). This shift needs to happen – but first delete the City Renewal Authority.

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

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Exercise Physiology – Individual exercise prescriptions, small group classes to increase strength and improve rehabilitation, strength and balance classes, hydrotherapy support.

Occupational Therapy – access reports for NDIS and Disability Support Pensions, home modifications, equipment prescriptions.

Dietetics – meal planning, weight management support, food intolerance support.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PAIN COURSE

How does pain impact on your life? How does life impact on your pain?

Take the opportunity to assess your world and find solutions to manage your pain from different angles. First course to be run Friday 19 March at Bruce. Further courses scheduled over the year at Bruce and Pearce.

Can Greens protect equity and green spaces?

THE Greens now have much more power in the cabinet and in the ACT Assembly. But are they able to use this power to protect equity and the green spaces that make Canberra a different and desirable city in which to live, work and play?

COVID-19 has exposed many weaknesses in our community. One of the most dramatic failures of control happened in Melbourne in the public housing towers.

The very clear message from that disaster, and so many similar situations internationally, is that crowding people into smaller and smaller spaces is a formula for spreading disease, depression and anxiety.

It is a message that ought to be heeded by the ACT government. The pages of “CityNews” have illustrated that Labor has failed dismally in its planning controls in the past.

Are they now able to heed the message or will ACT Planning

rily continue as though nothing has happened?

And can the Greens

At a time when Melbourne City Council is ‘greening’ the inner city by planting more and more trees to reduce temperature in the city, the ACT government has been hell-bent on more and more intense development with less and less trees. It makes no sense.

have enough influence to ensure change that favours access to green space and greater social equity?

Social equity is integrally tied to planning issues. A high proportion of those who can afford to do so live in leafy suburbs with large backyards. Although some make other choices, a high proportion of the socially disadvantaged live in much higherdensity communities. COVID-19 provided a significant reminder that the more intense the living space the greater the vulnerability of families to infectious disease and associated conditions.

Cramming as many units as possible into valuable sites has been the yardstick of so many recent planning decisions. The inner-city buildings near Ainslie Avenue and Cooyong Street provide just one example. However, there are also intense

residential developments in the new suburbs of the Molonglo Valley and other areas where similar residential developments are well away from access to green space.

At the very same time as housing intensity is being increased, com munity access to playing fields is under attack. The vandalism and safety arguments have been used as an excuse to erect ugly, impenetrable fences around playing fields. There is some justification for restricted areas of fencing in the case of primary and pre-schoolers.

However, as Anne Quinn explains in this edition of “CityNews” (Page 15), high schools are also in the process of excluding community from these facilities. It is bad enough that these ugly, prison-like containment areas are allowed to be erected by the ACT government, but locking the gates to keep locals out is really rubbing salt into the wound.

Equity is a key issue for the Greens and Labor. Under-

standing the role that city planning plays in equitable living standards should be fundamental.

People will make different choices about how they spend their money and the manner in which they choose to live in different stages of their lives. Finances will play a key role in such choices. However, effective city planning can significantly reduce the drawbacks of such choices.

At a time when Melbourne City Council is attempting to “green” the inner city by planting more and more trees (amongst other things, to reduce temperature in the city) the ACT government has been hell-bent on more and more intense development with less and less trees. It makes no sense. Whether residential buildings or office blocks, so many developments have been allowed to spill out to the footpaths. A particularly disgusting example is the way the Magistrates Court has spilled out almost to the road on City Circle. Where was good government? Where was good planning? How did this happen? What can be done to ensure this sort of mistake does not happen again?

The answer lies in the ACT Assembly. Our elected representatives have control of the planning laws and the ministers should be held to account when the planning administration allows these failures.

More importantly, there is a serious expectation on the now-more-powerful Greens, to influence the Assembly to proactively set the parameters for more accessible green space, for greater equity, for better planning.

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.

Martha Graham

NEWS / plan for riverside land

Queanbeyan plans to build a botanical garden

By Belinda STRAHORN

MAJOR changes are planned over the next 50 years for Queanbeyan’s urban landscape, including the creation of a botanical garden.

Delivered in stages, the project –currently in the concept design stage – will transform a city-owned parcel of parkland on the east side of the Queanbeyan River into a Botanical Sister City Garden.

One of only a handful of major regional cities without its own botanical garden, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council’s (QPRC) mayor Tim Overall sees the project as “visionary” and a “long-term investment” in the city’s tourism.

“This will be a real asset for Queanbeyan and the community and more so for future generations and visitors,” Mr Overall said.

“In years to come, I see this project as a must-do attraction for southern regional NSW.”

QPRC has endorsed the initial concept for a botanical garden, a working group has been formed, designs are being developed and the community will be asked to have a say.

Nine-hectares on the east bank of the Queanbeyan River – from the Morisset Street low-level bridge to the railway in the north – has been ear marked for the project, which involves extending landscaped green space along the river.

The project is based on council’s River Corridor Strategy and CBD masterplan, and the creation of a bo tanical garden would fall under stage eight of the masterplan.

QPRC’s urban landscape manager Tim Geyer said there was a lot of po tential for a botanical garden given the city’s connection to the river. The project would rehabilitate degraded river area and open up a large area of under-utilised parkland, for the com munity to enjoy.

“Essentially the whole corridor becomes a botanic garden,” Mr Geyer said.

“While we have a really great river walk on the other side, there’s an op portunity to continue it on this side [east] and link it back to the caravan park or the CBD.

“The river corridor is a beautiful place, there are so many magical spots here that people don’t know about and could be using and enjoying.”

For some years QPRC has held sister-city ties with Minami-Alps city in Japan and a friendship agreement with Ohrid in northern Macedonia.

Sydney and Newcastle, Mr Geyer said the garden would include all sorts of native trees from countries across the globe.

“So, if we were to be doing something that would tie in with our sister city relationship with Minami-Alps,

ed in this space using the botanical gardens.”

The creation of a botanical garden helps the council tick its environmental goals and reach its target of planting 1200 trees each year.

QPRC tree-management officer

Christine Rampling said she imagined the whole community getting

“I envisage Queanbeyan Wildcare and other groups being down here monitoring birds in boxes that the Queanbeyan men’s shed built and educational talks being run for school kids,” said Ms Rampling.

“It’s an exciting project, when I’m 60 years old I could be coming back here and saying: ‘I planted that tree’.”

While it will take time for a botanical garden to grow and develop, initial stages of the project – including opening up unused parkland for the public to enjoy – could start soon.

“We are thinking of taking a central location like near Blundell Park, opening up some routes along the river corridor of the river path itself and that gives people a chance to start explor-

“We hope to do some early tree planting, too, because that’s what’s going to take a long time.”

However long it took, the project had the potential to leave a “lasting legacy” on the community’s wellbeing, Mr Geyer said.

“The community can live and breathe this project for the next 50 years; they can be a part of it.”

Visual concept designs for the Sister City Botanical Garden should be completed soon.

OPINION / the paucity of public art

Gun-shy government stays away from statues

I HAVE followed with interest and a sense of deja vu recent commentary about the commissioning of statues of former Prime Ministers.

The latest debate was kicked off by the installation late last year of a statue of “Black Jack” McEwen in the Parliamentary Triangle.

McEwen was prime minister for three weeks following the death of Harold Holt. He was at the time deputy PM and leader of the Country Party and certainly, for a couple of decades before that, one of the most powerful and influential politicians in Australia.

The debate about the McEwen statue is ostensibly not only about why him but also whether there are not other ex-prime ministers more deserving of being so memorialised and in any event the desirability of recognising other than boring, old, dead, white men in the triangle.

Much is made of the fact that McEwen is the fifth boring, old, white man to be so recognised. The fact that there is a lovely two-metre high bronze bust of

Alfred Deakin at the Deakin shops has been ignored in the discussion.

There are six significant statues of ex-prime ministers of Australia in Canberra. Of the six, four were commissioned by me when I was chief minister and minister for the

arts and were paid for by the ACT government, namely those of Alfred Deakin, Ben Chifley, John Curtin and Robert Menzies. The other two, Australia’s first prime minister, Edmund Barton, unveiled by Bob Hawke in 1983 and McEwen, were commissioned by the Com-

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monwealth.

The four statues for which I was responsible were among the 40 or more works of art I commissioned through the public art program I established in the mid 2000s in my second term as chief minister. Sadly, the program was abandoned in my third term, for political reasons – ie because it was deeply unpopular.

The public art program was actively opposed by the Liberal opposition, constantly derided by the community and trivialised by the media. To be fair, a number of my caucus colleagues had also developed a serious case of the wobbles in response to the public reaction to the outrageous notion of spending public money on the arts.

statue was the last piece of art generated by the public art scheme. The last significant work of art commissioned by the ACT government was, of course, the Skywhale, which was commissioned separately, in 2011, for the 2013 centenary celebrations.

That not a single significant piece of public art has been commissioned by the ACT government in the decade since is an indication of just how gun shy and deeply scarred the government remains.

Those of us fretting about having foisted on us yet another statue of some boring, old, white geezer should relax. It is extremely unlikely to happen in our lifetimes.

The constant attacks, and the absence of any community champions of public art with whom to share the misery, did wear me down. I ultimately threw in the towel when I was presented with internal ALP polling which revealed, to my astonishment, that the public art scheme was listed, along with the arboretum, as among the top three reasons that people who had voted for the ALP in the 2008 election gave as the reason they were proposing to change their vote to another party or non-Labor candidate in the 2012 election.

The Robert Menzies

To provide some perspective to the commentary on the McEwen statue it needs to be noted that it is only the second statue of a prime minister commissioned by the Commonwealth in the 108 years since the ACT was gazetted as the site of the national capital. I should say that I have no problems with it. I think it is a fitting and justifiable acknowledgement of McEwen’s service to the nation. The statue itself is fine, if a little corny, and a welcome addition to statuary in Canberra.

Now that the ACT government has abandoned the public art field it is reasonable to assume, on the basis of the Commonwealth’s record to date in the erection of statues in Canberra, ie an average of one statue every 54 years, that the next statue of a prime min-

significance, whether a woman or an Aboriginal person, will not appear before 2075.

So I think those of us fretting about having foisted on us yet another statue of some boring, old, white geezer should relax. It is extremely unlikely to happen in our lifetimes.

While it is now only of academic interest, if even that, I did at the time that I was busily commissioning works of art and unconsciously provoking every redneck and philistine in Canberra have in my mind a list of other statues I thought it might be reasonable to commission.

My list included Onyong, Miles Franklin, Nelson Mandela, Gough Whitlam, Billy Hughes, Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony, Charlie Perkins and Maj-Gen Sir Granville Ryrie. I also think it would be nice to have a statue of Gen Bridges’ horse, Sandy, who was shipped back to Australia following Bridges’ death at Gallipoli. Sandy was the only horse of the more than 120,000 shipped to the Middle East and Europe during World War I that made it back to Australia.

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.

WHIMSY / of toilets, loos, latrines, lavatories, heads, bogs, khazis, dunnies, restrooms...

Take a seat,

IN a previous column I mentioned the Americanised habit of asking for the bathroom in order to avoid using that apparently offensive “t” word, “toilet”.

That got me wondering – why is the porcelain throne room referred to as the toilet?

I found it’s French in origin, coming from “toilette”. Toilette is derived from another word “toile”, which means cloth. A cloth would be draped over the gentry in the morning while their hair was being groomed as they sat over a chamber pot doing their business. The word toilet came to be used for the room where that action took place.

There are many other words used to refer to the toilet. The more common ones include loo, latrine, lavatory, head, the John, bog, khazi, privy, dunny, restroom, WC, and crapper. (I am indebted to “plumbworld” for information on the origin of these terms, some of which date back to Roman times.)

“Loo” is derived from the French “guardez l’eau”, meaning “watch out for the water”. In Middle Ages Europe people emptied their chamber pots out of upstairs bedroom windows on to the street below. They called out “guardez l’eau” first so that pedestrians could avoid wearing the contents. The British shortened this down to “l’eau” then “loo” and applied the term to the toilet itself.

“Latrine” comes from the Latin

so to speak, you’ll want to read this

word “lavatorium”, which means “washbasin”.

“Head” is of maritime origin. Traditionally the toilet on a boat was located at the head or bow. It was located in that area so that seawater splashed up by the front of the vessel washed the waste away.

word for wash – “lavare”. Lavare transformed into “lavatrina” which was then shortened to “latrina” and changed to “latrine” by the French in 1642. Today the word “latrine” is most commonly used by the military.

“Lavatory” comes from the Latin

“The John” is named after Sir John Harrington who invented Britain’s first flushing toilet.

The bog is a contraction of “boghouse” and comes from British slang meaning “to defecate”.

The “privy” is an old British term. It derives from “private”, once used in the north of England and Scotland to refer to an outside toilet.

“Dunny” is an Australian expression for an outside toilet. It comes from the British word “dunnekin”, meaning “dung-house”.

“Restroom” is of early 20th century American origin, applying to a room with a toilet where you would “rest and refresh” yourself.

“WC” stands for “water closet” because the first plumbed toilets were located in closets.

“Crapper” first appeared around 1932. It derives from the company “Thomas Crapper & Co Ltd”, that manufactured toilets in Britain.

“Khazi” is possibly derived from the Cockney toilet word “carsey” but could also have been brought back from the colonial Zulu wars. The Zulu

or Swahili word “M’khazi” refers to a toilet.

What does polite company call it then? Well, if you’re caught short at Buckingham Palace, lavatory or loo are the preferred terms.

From working in Japan, I believe the world’s most user-friendly and sanitary porcelain thrones are the Japanese ones, which feature heated seats and different bidet options.

In many parts of the world, porcelain squat toilets, comprising a couple of footrests on either side of a hole in the ground, are the norm. Squatting is probably the most natural position for doing the business.

However, Caucasians are rubbish at squatting as I demonstrated in rural China when I went to a communal squat toilet room where the local men squatted over the toilet holes and discussed local issues. Needless to say, they were amused by my squatbalancing problem.

In the infantry when we were in the field, the normal procedure was to use one’s entrenching tool to dig a hole behind a small tree (to hang on to) while you squatted and did your business.

In Central and South America,

newspaper is often used instead of toilet paper, so there’s a basket next to the toilet to put the soiled paper in. The flies and smell can be somewhat confronting. (That said, the disgusting toilets at the Pheasants Nest rest stop on the way to Sydney take some beating.)

At Chernobyl I was advised to spend as little time in the toilet as possible because the toilet water there was still radioactive.

At an army operational base in Vietnam, we had six thunderboxes (field toilets) mounted in a row over a sealed septic pit with hessian partitioning. Periodically, diesel was poured into the pit to keep the flies away. One of the diggers was smoking as he sat there and when he had finished, absent-mindedly dropped his cigarette butt between his legs and into the pit below. That caused a small explosion and six soldiers having to see the medic for singed private parts. I’m not sure if they were listed as woundedin-action!

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

LETTERS

Where the developer rules and democracy loses

WHEN I see the anti-democracy upheavals in various parts of the world, where authoritarian rulers replace a functioning democracy, I feel relaxed living where democracy is, I believe, ingrained and unchallenged.

Put simply, in a democracy the community votes to elect people to represent them in a parliament (or an assembly). These elected representatives act to cater for the overall wishes of the community.

Of course, to do this, they must engage staff; staff known as public servants, who, as their title indicates, are there to develop an overall environment according to the wishes of the community, as directed by the community’s elected representatives.

Sounds almost too good to be true.

So, let us see how this works in practice.

Currently the ACT government, through its public service entity known as the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) is proposing the rezoning and ultimate redevelopment of a parcel of land, a bit over nine hectares and known as Block 2 Section 76, in the suburb of Watson.

As one would expect under the democratic model I have outlined, representatives of the Watson community have met several times with various ministers, Assembly members and with EPSDD.

The Watson Community Association (WCA) has also outlined its vision for the suburb in its “Plan for the Sustainable

Development of Watson”.

As part of the rezoning process, EPSDD has produced a Draft Place Plan and Development Concept (PPDC) that outlines the government’s proposal in general terms. Not a perfect proposal, but nonetheless not overly far removed from community expectations.

EPSDD is conducting a community consultation process, and then will produce a final PPDC. Expectations and hopes are that this will not deviate too far from the current draft, hopefully aligning more with community input.

Then, after rezoning, developers will be able to submit Development Applications (DA) so that development can proceed in line

with the PPDC.

dose of dorin

A fine example of democracy in action – the community expresses its views and their elected representatives, through their appointed public servants, deliver to the community’s wishes.

Oh, but wait! What is this I have been told by EPSDD?

“The final PPDC will also be passed on to future developers as a document that they will need to consider when they undertake a detailed design for their site through a Development Application (DA)”.

“Need to consider”? Why not required to comply? So, developers can “consider” and then “reject”?

So, the developer rules, and democracy loses. Clearly, I was correct – the democracy model I espoused above is in fact too good to be true in the ACT.

Geoff Murray-Prior, Watson

Anne, you already pay!

ANNE Willoughby, of Griffith (letters, CN February 25), you pay for paths to be fixed already – through your rates and the myriad other taxes you pay to the ACT government. It’s just that the government can’t get the priorities right!

Clinton White, Wanniassa

Another way of saying it

IN the “Seven Days” column “Gordon slips quietly back to government service” (CN February 25), I was aghast at the characterisation made of Gordon Ramsay. I have known Gordon since about 1985 and can attest to his good character and heart for community and people. Have a go at the Barr government all you will, but “came to a crashing end” and then “sent packing by the voters of Ginninderra” is just a little too much emphasis on some wafer-thin statistics, I think.

Okay, so I spent some hours and shoe-rubber (not leather) canvassing and letterbox-dropping for my friend, Gordon Ramsay. Too few, it seems.

Here is a contrary view of your first two paragraphs:

We heard a whisper that former AttorneyGeneral and Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay, whose one-term political career ended in a wafer-thin loss in October, had quietly got a new job. In the Chief Minister’s Office. It’s been barely four months since the election that saw the former lawyer and minister of religion take some relative rest from the hurly-burly of politics, after losing narrowly in Ginninderra.

Oh, well, maybe the word-slinging editor can find a moderate or even paler version of words when not needing to scandalise the political demise of a good person in future.

Peter Ellis, via email

Impressed by green club

I WAS very impressed to read about the carbon offset scheme the MG Car Club has initiated (“The MG car club takes a shine to green machines”, CT February 18).

It’s true that most of our lifestyle choices and fun hobbies add to the carbon emissions contributing to expedited climate change. Human-caused global warming is creating a myriad of threatening issues for humans and the Earth’s finely balanced natural systems. We can all show more initiative in carbon reduction by offsetting our carbon-producing activities. There are many carbon-offset schemes to choose from.

Next time you travel, whether for work or pleasure, try offsetting your carbon emissions through an offset scheme.

Michele England, Braddon

Brinkmanship on the bridge

THE ACT government hopes stage 2 (Civic-Woden) of its light rail network, will fit with the extremely sensitive Commonwealth Avenue, including its iconic bridge.

Meanwhile, it is apparently planning to implement the only (very recently) approved section – Civic to Commonwealth Park – which has its own major cost, time, infrastructure, safety, engineering heritage and traffic problems.

Many believe that the National Capital Authority cannot approve the Commonwealth Park to Capital Hill section out of respect for the integrity of the National Triangle, including its bridges.

Politically, and reading between the lines, it now seems that the federal government wouldn’t mind if the ACT was left with “a tram to nowhere” i.e. the tram line terminating at Commonwealth Park.

Both sets of politicians (federal and ACT) appear to have scant understanding of the sensitivity of Commonwealth Avenue and its bridge in this regard.

Double brinkmanship seems to be going on, when there’s a much better route available, with wider national capital coverage via Edinburgh Avenue or Gordon Street in Civic, Liversidge Street, Griffin’s missing elegant lake crossing (for trams, bikes, and pedestrians only, and made yacht-friendly) between Acton Peninsula South and Flynn Drive (via the existing narrowest section of Lennox Gardens, and around State Circle as currently planned.

Many “land value capture” opportunities exist on this route; along with the opportunity for Lennox Gardens North and Flynn Place to become a better, sunnier, readily accessible “city-to-the-lake” precinct in its own right, uncompromised by blocks of flats, and close to many national attractions.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Support for village plan

THE Neighbourhood Canberra board is to be congratulated on its plan for a much-needed village environment where people stricken by dementia can enjoy company and be cared for (“Village plan to lead

the world in dementia care”, CN February 25).

I have unpleasant memories of the gradual decline of my father who suffered from multi-infarct (or vascular) dementia for years, until it finally killed him. For most of this time, my mother tried to care for him on her own. This came to an abrupt end when mum (in Burleigh Heads) told my sister in Brisbane that dad had confronted her with a mattock handle. He told mum that someone was trying to break in through a second-floor window with only a brick wall below. My sister phoned to tell me of the mattock-handle incident and, for the first time, about dad’s disorder and mum’s soaring blood pressure. I was on the first available flight to Coolangatta, met my sister, and took dad to his GP who, without hesitation, referred dad to a special care facility – to mum’s relief.

This is just one example of how valuable a resource such as the Neighbourhood Canberra could be.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Avalanche of health disasters

WHEN I instigated the ban on smoking on aircraft I recall Qantas gained a temporary compromise: those up front could smoke, but not those in the rear half –behind the curtain.

Non-smokers complained bitterly that they were subject to dangerous second-hand smoke from a legal drug. We again met with Qantas and the ban passed Parliament.

A similar situation now confronts the community if brain-wrecked governments do legalise illicit drugs. It won’t just be second-hand smoke but the avalanche of health disasters that befall users, their families and the whole community from the range of deadly products.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

School fence locks locals out of green space

Reader ANNE QUINN, of Wanniassa, says 43 years of community access was extinguished without a thought for the locals when an unannounced twometre-high, locked fence surrounded the oval at St Mary MacKillop College.

ONE day we’ll wake up to find that one of the best things about living in Canberra has disappeared.

Access to open, connected green spaces in our residential areas is one of Canberra’s many attractions, but it’s being threatened as more and more schools enclose their ovals with padlocked fences.

Schools are part of the local community and their ovals, whether attached to government or non-government schools, are an integral part of our communal green space. We meet with friends at the local oval to kick a footy. We run there to keep fit. We take our kids to throw a frisbee. Our ovals contribute to a sense of community and support our physical and mental health.

Local ovals are also part of the network of open tracts of interlinked green space throughout our suburbs. These tracts provide unimpeded walkability and have significant aesthetic value.

But this loved suburban space is being taken from us, one fence at a time.

The recent construction of a twometre-high fence around the oval at St Mary MacKillop College in Wanniassa

is just one example. It is an indication that something has failed in the ACT planning system and, this time, in the Catholic education system, too.

The fact that a school situated on land within a suburban community can deny public access to its oval is at odds with the ACT government’s plan ning strategy in which Canberra’s “spatial foundations of liveability” including “open (green) space and rec reation areas woven through where people live and work” are held up as key strengths.

Other phrases repeated in the gov ernment’s “Better Suburbs Statement” are “community connectedness”, “live able suburbs” and “green open spaces”.

The government must be able to hold all land-users – government and non-government schools included –accountable to this vision. Individual ACT citizens certainly are.

Quite rightly, homeowners in Canberra are not permitted to erect front fences at their homes as this would detract from the “attractive interlinked environment for pedestrians”. Shouldn’t this also apply in multiples

Locked out… the fencing at St Mary MacKillop College erected at the end of a year in which COVID-19 and lockdown made the local school oval even more precious.

education authorities. In the case of St Mary MacKillop College, a complete lack of community consultation about the perceived problems and potential solutions at the oval shows a breathtaking disregard for the community in which the school is situated.

Forty three years of community access was extinguished without a thought for the locals who have used and loved the space during that time. And this happened at the end of a

down made the local school oval even distanced recreation. The fence has left many local Wanniassa residents devastated.

The school says dog excrement on the oval was the primary issue, with trespassing during school hours and vandalism cited as occasional problems. Presumably, there is no issue with young students straying on to a busy road, one possible reason for a fence, as the school caters for year 7 to 9 students.

Understandably, the school needs to deal with these issues – they are

annoying, inconvenient and, to the extent they occur, they compromise student and staff safety. However, the response is totally disproportionate.

There are many other more constructive and community-minded approaches that would solve these problems. Instead, the Catholic education system has opted to lock the community out and, in doing so, has fractured an unwritten social compact.

You see, while the school has solved its problems by fencing the oval, locals must still put up with the school’s negative impact on them. Cars crowding nearby streets every school day at dropoff and pick-up time is just one example.

Given the speed and timing of the fence’s construction (in the two weeks before Christmas), some locals now view the fence as a fait accompli undermining the opportunity to challenge it. Some argue that we can’t change it because it’s happening at schools all around Canberra.

However, if we never question and challenge things that have already happened we will definitely wake up one day to find that one of the best things about living in Canberra has disappeared.

“Grumpy” is an occasional column in which readers are invited to let off steam. While this is a bit longer than normal, submissions of around 400 words are welcome to editor@citynews.com.au

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By Joanne Madeline Moore

March 15-21, 2021

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

With four planets transiting through your seclusion zone, the week starts slowly as you hibernate, meditate, contemplate or just ruminate. Yoga, drawing, painting, playing music, reading and journal writing are other things you can do on your own as you reflect on where you are going, and where you have been. Then the energy shifts on Saturday, when the Sun charges into your sign. So the weekend is wonderful for being active outdoors and initiating exciting new projects.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Some stubborn Bulls can get stuck in a stultifying daily rut. This week it’s time to ricochet out of your usual routine and do something completely different. Variety is the spice of life, as you experiment with exciting new activities (and welcome sudden detours and disruptions). If you want to avoid potential problems and power struggles, then learn to diplomatically let go and move on. A burgeoning relationship or creative project has the potential to blossom in the future.

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It’s Equinox week, so try to bring more harmony and balance into your busy life (especially at work) as you closely consult with colleagues, clients or customers. With dynamic Mars charging through your sign (until April 23) it’s also time to take action and walk your talk. Stop discussing things endlessly and instead, start doing! Be inspired by birthday great, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen: “A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Sensitive Crabs are capricious creatures, constantly buffeted by the many phases of the ever-changing Moon. This week we celebrate the Equinox (when day and night are of approximately equal length) which will help stabilise your temperamental moods and balance your brooding nature. Attached Cancer – remember there’s a fine line between ardent affection and clingy obsession. Singles – you could find yourself drawn to someone with a powerful personality.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Lions can be selfish souls; constantly centre stage and always demanding attention and applause. But sometimes your adoring public can get plain worn out – all that worshipping is exhausting! Are loved ones getting tired of kowtowing to the wonder that is you? It’s time to pull your weight and offer help, praise and positive feedback to those around you. If you’re bored with your current peer group, be proactive about introducing some fresh new faces to the friendship mix.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Virgos can spend so much time stressing about ‘what-ifs’ that you end up with ‘perfectionist paralysis’ where you don’t attempt things, for fear of making a mistake. It’s time to throw perfectionism and worry out the window, as dynamic Mars charges through your career zone (until April 23) and you initiate changes and dive into challenges head-on. Overthinking is out and being proactive is in, as you view a work or unemployment problem from a bold new perspective.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

The Venus/Pluto connection has the potential to boost romantic and domestic harmony. Avoid being indecisive though! You need to keep what’s working in your life and discard what isn’t. (And you may have to lose a minor battle in order to win the war.) Opportunities for advancement could come from trusted loved ones and colleagues, as you realise who really has your best interests at heart. This week, the main secrets to success are confidence and compromise.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Scorpio is the zodiac sign of intense extremes. You tend to see things in black and white, and you can have trouble de-stressing, winding down and relaxing. Avoid arguing, obsessing and worrying about the woes of the world. Smart Scorps will swap sulking, sarcasm and tempestuous behaviour for clever cooperation and cool compromise. It’s Equinox week, so do your best to be less stubborn and more flexible, as you strive to bring more harmony and balance into your busy world.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians tend to overdo things. And you’re walking a fine line at the moment as you strive to get the ratio right between being expansive and exuberant in the outside world, and being personally disciplined and focused (especially financially). Venus sends a promising opportunity your way this week. But you must grab it when it comes along or it will just pass you by. With dynamic Mars in your relationship zone, there’s no substitute for being passionately proactive in love.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Jupiter and Saturn are in your money zone, so look for ways to consolidate your finances and build firm foundations for the future. Getting sound professional advice is best policy, as you work on manifesting abundance. The Sun and Venus link up with Pluto, which is wonderful for fostering positive feelings within your family, peer group and local community. Be inspired by birthday great, singer Nat King Cole: “I’m helping to bring harmony between people through my music.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

2021 is the year to get the balance right between being an adventurous Aquarius and a responsible citizen of the world. You’re keen to make connections with as many people as possible, from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Expect a steep learning curve in the coming year – and you will make many mistakes along the way. Don’t be deterred! Adopt the free-wheeling philosophy of Aquarian writer Colette: “You will do foolish things but do them with enthusiasm.”

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

With four planets passing through your sign, you’re the quintessential Piscean at the moment – creative, compassionate, imaginative and inspirational. But you’re also more inclined to be passive, procrastinating and impractical! Make the most of proactive Mars moving through your home zone as you tackle domestic challenges with plenty of passion, and turn abstract ideas into productive projects. Be a fearless Fish, as you swim into unchartered waters and embrace adventure.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore

2021

(7)

9 Name an Australian family of great artists and writers. (7)

10 What is the possession of land as one’s own? (7)

11 To be more hazardous, is to be what? (7)

12 What is another term for wanderers? (6)

14

22

23

their like, after separation? (7)

24 What are buildings, used for gambling games? (7)

Down

1 What is a very small quantity of something? (7)

2 What, colloquially, are ruses, or confidence tricks? (5)

3 Name the official printed reports of the debates and proceedings of the Australian Parliament. (7)

4 Name a renowned musical work of Maurice Ravel. (6)

5 Which hollow cavity in the skull connects with the nasal cavities? (5)

6 What are remains of animals or plants of a former geological age? (7)

7 Name a more common term for a stratum. (5)

13 Who was Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert ...? (7)

15 What is an oblique-angled equilateral parallelogram? (7)

16 Who, in Roman mythology, was the god of the sea? (7)

17 Which mythological woodland deities are part human and part goat? (6)

18 Name the acronym for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Commission. (5)

19 What is another name for the devil? (5)

20 Which term describes that which is lukewarm? (5)

Secrets of success in propagating

THERE are several ways to propagate plants, from saving seeds and taking cuttings to root division and layering.

For little to no expense, you can add more plants to the garden this autumn.

Let’s start with seeds. Many perennials are about to finish flowering, so to collect seeds before they scatter, place a brown paper bag over the flower head and tie tightly around the stalk. If it rains, the bag will quickly dry out. Don’t use a plastic bag – it will sweat and rot the seeds. Take note of flower heads that weren’t covered as an indicator when to cut the stalk just below the bag. Write the name of the plant on the bag with a waterproof pen.

One the seeds are collected, ensure they’re dry. If not, place them in an oven-proof container with a lid and pop them in the oven. This works well with banksia seeds, as in nature they rely on heat to open the hard shells. Bush

fires can be nature’s way to propagate native plants. Use a specific seed-raising mix, not potting mix, and if reusing plastic pots, clean thoroughly with a weak solution of disinfectant. The cheapest container is a one-litre, waxed milk carton.

Snip the corners off the bottom for drainage. Cut the carton in half for seeds, or use the full size for say, eucalyptus or acorns with long roots. It’s important that the seeds do not dry out. Use a misting bottle rather than a hose nozzle, which can literally wash the seeds out of the container.

Commercial seed containers are placed on a heat bed with an automatic misting system, which comes on depending on the heat of the day.

It’s possible to make a cheap propagation bed with an old electric frypan. Fill it with washed river sand, turn to a low setting and place seed pots on top of the sand. Keep misting regularly, especially as the first leaves appear. Don’t transplant to a larger pot until at least two leaves are showing.

TAKING cuttings is quicker at this time of year, as the stems of plants have hardened off since the soft growth of spring. Take cuttings just under a node or leaf joint. Use a cutting compound to

encourage root growth. There are various commercial products available, in a powder solution or liquid. One important point: after dipping the end of the cutting in the mixture, give it a quick flick to get rid of any surplus. If the solution is too thick, it can actually inhibit root development. Some folk have good success using honey for cuttings.

THE EASIEST method of propagation, especially with most perennials, is root division. Before you start, give the plant a good soak with an organic seaweed solution, then dig it up and divide the roots. Trim off any scraggly roots so the plant will fit in the pot. As the plant is already well-developed, start with a pot that’s 150-175mm, potting up into a premium grade potting mix. Follow up with another soak of liquid seaweed.

FINALLY, try layering. Dig a small trench near a shrub, pull down a soft branch and pin in place with a piece of wire. Cover with soil. Within a few weeks, it will develop roots.

I’M STILL receiving reports about the overwhelming growth of plants this year. Besides needing to mow lawns twice a week, many shrubs have gone berserk. I had to show a photo of our Zéphirine Drouhin climbing rose with its new shoots that are more than 1.5 metres long –in just 10 to 14 days!

THE FRAMERS

COMBINING his love of art and framing in the Gold Creek Gallery, Aarwun Gallery owner Robert Stephens, a framer since the ‘80s, says: “Framing is an artform.”

After building a career in art and running the gallery for 22 years, Robert says he is a big believer that an artwork always needs to be more important than the frame, and a good frame needs to enhance the artwork, not take the attention away.

“I am an ‘old school framer’ and there is cer tainly a lot of skill, creativity and craft to framing that people don’t always realise,” he says.

Robert recalls framing artworks in the shed of his property at Hall, before bringing the framing side of the business into the gallery 10 years ago under the banner, The Framers.

He says he’s delighted to have Scott Bullock on his team who has been in charge of The Framers for the past five years, with Robert occasionally putting his “two bobs in”, giving customers a combined wealth of experience spanning more than 40 years in the craft of professional framing.

“As a business owner, it is essential to have talented and trustworthy people working with us like Scott. I am so fortunate to have a great team,” says Robert.

For Scott, an art school graduate and keen cartoonist, framing has been a passion since he was a teenager doing work experience in framing.

He says it’s a natural fit for him to work with beautiful artworks, and help customers create special and lasting pieces of art in their homes.

Experience the passionate art of custom framing

“It’s all about letting the art shine and making sure we make it special,” he says.

“We always listen to what the customers want

and give them suggestions and guidance.”

Building rapport and providing expert guidance to customers is an important part of the service at The Framers, with Scott saying he would never push a certain frame design on a customer and wants to make sure they are totally happy with the end result.

“After all, the artwork will be living in their homes for years to come,” he says.

Robert and Scott say anything can be framed – from golf clubs, jerseys to medals, tapestries to photos and special family memorabilia.

They say they’ve had the pleasure of working on many diverse framing projects – from top Australian painters to personal wedding photos – they love a challenge and the opportunity to create a beautiful framed artwork that lasts.

“I am a great believer in history. Often people

forget how important it preserve precious family

With the latest technology machines, Scott says customers of a quality, handcrafted and techniques that have conversation.

For older paintings that Framers can help restore

“Some old artworks that years ago might have been ing, acidic materials,” says

“Framing materials have past 20 years and we can glass and archival quality techniques and materials art, photo or memorabilia.” Scott also handcrafts

Based in Gold Creek, we are a team of experienced picture focus on quality, excellent design and value for money. Friendly, and collaborative. We are passionate about the work that we you to elevate your artwork and memories into beautiful and designed objects which will enhance your home and happiness.

We are open 7 days from 10am to 5pm, free parking and to various great coffee shops.

range of custom framing services including:

always realise.’

framing works of art

is in this age, to record and family moments,” says Robert. technology and cutting customers can be assured handcrafted frame, using materials have a strong focus on that have been damaged, The and reframe them, too. that have been framed been made from damagsays Robert. have changed a lot in the can offer UV protected quality conversation framing materials that will project your memorabilia.” beautiful mirrors that are

on sale and can work with customers and make mirrors to order according to specific style and size requirements.

He says that mirrors can work wonders on rooms to enhance their size and sense of light. But overall, with the ease of plentiful, nearby car parking and the convenience of being open seven days a week, Scott says that customers love coming to The Framers, one of very few framers in the ACT who offers such benefits to their customers.

He says the beauty of the Aarwun Gallery next door might inspire people with their framing choices, or inspire them to buy some art, too!

The Framers, open seven days. Shop 10, Federation Square, O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 6230 2055 or visit theframers.com.au

SCOTT BULLOCK

Framer and head of “The Framers”

A HIGHLY experienced framer, with 17 years’ framing experience, Scott Bullock started as a teenager doing high school work experience at the former Art Shop in Braddon. It quickly became a passion and a future career path, when he returned to work there during his studies at ANU Art School, where he pursued his love of cartooning.

Scott started framing full time after his studies, joining The Framers five years ago.

“It’s lovely to be surrounded by art,” says Scott, who still enjoys cartooning and performs as a Spiderman character for children’s parties during his time off.

He says he loves hand crafting frames and takes immense pride in his work.

AARWUN GALLERY

PROUD to have been part of the cultural fabric of Canberra for more than 20 years, Aarwun Gallery’s collection is rich and eclectic, featuring old and new works hanging side-by-side.

Aarwun represents some of Australia’s finest classical landscape and portrait artists as well as carrying a wide portfolio of stunning contemporary works.

Heritage treasures from Norman Lindsay, Pro Hart

and David Boyd sit alongside exquisite dot works from the indigenous community.

Whether it’s paintings, printmaking, ceramics, glass, bronze and sculpture; Aarwun Gallery embraces the endless diversity of the best that Australia has to offer.

The gallery’s “Autumn Exhibition” opens on March 26, featuring Canberra veteran artist Sandra House alongside works by Wendy Wooden and Carlos Barrios.

picture framers with a Friendly, approachable we do and in helping and individually happiness. and walking distance including: www.theframers.com.au and and Textiles casing framing

EXPERTS OF GUNGAHLIN

Fast-growing district has a variety of services

ONE of the fastest growing regions in Australia, the district of Gungahlin is one of the original 18 districts of the ACT used in land administration.

Made up of more than 17 suburbs, its light-industrial focused suburb, Mitchell, and its neighbouring suburb, Franklin, are becoming known destinations for locals’ everyday needs. Whether it’s landscaping, IT, finance, home items, or just some recreation, the businesses in Gungahlin have a variety of services to choose from.

Courses help learners become safer drivers

THE Road Ready Centre is helping learners become safer drivers with its courses, says CEO Stephen Lake.

Operating across two loca tions – Mitchell and Kambah – Stephen says Road Ready Centre has two courses taught by certified driving instructors to help “L” platers become more safe, confident and attentive drivers.

“The ‘Safer Drivers Course’ has a two hour workshop followed by one hour out on the road, and focuses on speed management, gap selection, hazard awareness and safe following distances,” says Stephen.

“And, upon successful completion, the course contributes 20 hours of the overall 100 hours learner drivers need to secure their ‘P’ plates.”

Another course, a program that focuses on vulnerable road users, trains learners how to be safer around cyclists, motorcyclists, the elderly, pedestrians and other at-risk road users, says Stephen.

“This course is worth 10 hours of credit

as well, and so if done in the same day as the ‘Safer Drivers Program’, learners can become better, safer and more experienced drivers, and get 30 hours towards their total.

“It’s great for the kids and it’s also great for the parents who can trust that their child is safer on the roads and who can save a bit of that time teaching too.”

Road Ready Centre, 4/54 Hoskins Street, Mitchell. Call 6103 0463 or visit roadreadycentre.com.au

All financial needs under the one roof

THE team at Wholistic Financial Solutions aren’t just accountants, but also financial planners, mortgage brokers, property advis ers, retirement consultants and superannua tion specialists, says CEO Catherine Smith.

“We look after the ‘whole’ of someone’s financial needs, all under one roof,” she says.

With a vision to take clients on a journey to financial freedom, Catherine says the team at Wholistic Financial Solutions are Australia’s most awarded team of financial and property

“We understand how conflicting opinions from professionals in different fields can make the financial world a lot more complicated,” says Catherine.

“At Wholistic Financial Solutions we work as a team to answer all your questions simply and efficiently. The unique combination of our services also makes our advice very affordable.”

Running a seminar on March 22 and 23 at the Ainslie Football Club, Catherine says: “Those interested can find out the 36 factors affecting property right now and how to build wealth through property.

“No more running around visiting different professionals.

Catherine Smith.

“Come see us and sort out your whole financial life in one appointment.”

Wholistic Financial Solutions, 4/6 Pelle Street, Mitchell. Call 6162 4546 or visit wholisticfinancialsolutions.com.au

Your

VULNERABLE ROAD USER PROGRAM

This

SAFER DRIVER COURSE

This teaches your learner driver how to interact safely with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and gives them 10 hours credit against their mandatory 100 hours. If your learner driver completes both programs they will be safer on the road and will only have to do 70 hours of supervised practice.

What you will learn

• Are we heading into the ‘perfect storm’ for property investing?

• How to ride the wave of the biggest nationwide property boom in 20 years?

• Has the pandemic changed the real estate market forever?

• The 36 factors affecting the property market right now?

• How to pay off your mortgage 20 years sooner?

• How to build wealth by saving tax?

• How to retire with a portfolio of investment properties?

• Do you want to be in the 5% of Australians who retire wealthy?

• How to buy positive cash flow properties that are predicted to increase in value by 20% in two years?

• How to buy property in an SMSF?

• Go in the draw to WIN one of five $200 gift cards

• Catherine Smith’s Book - ‘Wholistic Wealth through Property’

• A FREE valuation of your current properties

• A FREE mortgage review and a $500 cashback on re-finance of your mortgage to a better rate

RSVP Essential Event

Monday 22nd of March & Tuesday 23rd of March Ainslie Football Club 6:00pm

EXPERTS OF GUNGAHLIN

Rebates help homeowners make the most of solar

GOVERNMENT rebates on house hold batteries help homeowners make the most of the Canberra sun, according to Solar4Life director Sukhjeet Singh.

Sukhjeet and his team of experts recommend saving on money and protecting the environment with a new solar battery rather than solar panels.

Solar panels generate power during the day but aren’t useful when electricity is most often used in the evening, when it is the most expensive, he says.

Batteries instead store that power and can actually feed it back into the grid at a higher value during peak times, he says.

Sukhjeet says applicants only need to be connected to the grid with existing solar panels and a new or compatible inverter to meet the rebate requirements.

“The sun is shining bright in Canberra, so it’s always useful to get that free power,” he says.

Sukhjeet opened Solar4Life four years ago and says his team of about 30 expert tradespeople such as in-house, qualified electri cians and engineers, can offer advice and support that interstate operations cannot.

“We always do a consultation before we install the solar system,” he says.

Solar4Life director Sukhjeet Singh… “We send over experts to the customer’s house to discuss their requirements, check their usage, do a free consultation.”

any project, says director Brian Corkhill.

Offering soils, mulches, sands, gravels and wall rocks, Brian says the team at Corkhill Bros can help with any project, commercial or residential.

“[We] calculate what quantity you require and organise a delivery,” he says.

After that, they will suggest the best solar system, tailored for each house, he says.

“If they need custom things, like hot water or smart management, we look after all of that,” he says.

warranties.

Solar4Life, 4/66 Heffernan Street, Mitchell. Call 6182 2724, email admin@solar4life.com.au or visit solar4life.com.au

Brian established Corkhill Bros in partnership with his brother Patrick Corkhill in 1954, and says they have the expertise to ensure customers get the best possible outcome for their project.

“We extract and process all of the soil mixes within our range [and] we get these soil mixes tested

drop-off facility at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre, as well as receiving all the green waste collected in the Canberra kerbside green bins, which is all recycled into landscaping products.

“We are very passionate about ensuring all green waste that is received at our facility is composted and beneficially reused back in the local community,” says Brian.

Corkhill Bros, 33 Darling Street, Mitchell (6241 8860), and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre, Symonston (6239 7200). Call or visit corkhillbros.com.au

Quality

in

Framing & Ready Made Frames. Watercolours, Oils & Acrylics, Pastels, Charcoals and Pencils, Canvas, Papers and Pads. Ph: (02) 6255 7033

44-46 Grimwade St. Mitchell ACT Email: contact@framingpieces.com.au Fine Art Supplies & Framing

STAY CONNECTED WITH TEAMS

• Make your staff more productive

• Effective strategies for office and remote workers

Safeguard against security issues

Services – at a fixed

EXPERTS OF GUNGAHLIN

art works, photographs and interesting items of memorabilia for more than a decade.

“Always catering to the everyday Canberran and specialising in fine art and exhibition work [our] prices reflect customers’ needs,” says Eddy.

“The team has framed the most interesting assortment of artworks, militaria and memorabilia. From original works by Picasso and Longstaff to

al artists hired to enhance the shopping experience.

“[Our] well-priced framing and delectable art materials have created the perfect storm for any Canberran wishing to cheer their life and surroundings up,” says Eddy.

Framing Pieces, 44-46 Grimwade Street, Mitchell.

Now’s the time to get a new winter quilt

SPECIALISING in making and servicing feather and down products since the ‘80s, Therma Quilts says now’s the time to pick out a new quilt for winter.

Using quality textiles, a Therma Quilts spokeswoman says the seamstresses hand-make every item suited to the customer’s needs and provide a top-up service when quilts and pillows show signs of wear or loss of warmth and fluffiness.

“Servicing of feather and down products is essential for keeping them in optimal condition for comfort,” she says.

“With time and usage, body proteins and lipids (natural oils and perspiration) are absorbed onto quilt casings and into the feather and down inside.

“Over time, this build-up dampens the down, which causes it to lose its thermal resistance. However, regular servicing of your quilts would ensure that your down is fresh and fluffy.

“With time and usage, the fabrics on quilts wear out and get thin, but once holes appear there is no need to throw away your quilt.

“Therma Quilts is able to re-case your quilts in addition to other services such as extending them into a

With its eco-friendly cleaning process, Therma Quilts services feather and down products such as sleeping bags and down clothing as well as other textiles such as silk, polyester, cotton and wool quilt underlays.

“Whether you’re wanting to rejuvenate your quilt, customise it or buy a new custom-made one we can look after you,” she says.

Therma Quilts, unit 9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell. Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au

Teams include features like one-on-one chats, Instant Group Messages, Video & Voice calls and document sharing.

Collaboration is made easy - your Team can edit documents and work on the same project at the same time, making them more efficient. Let us help you – we are your IT department.

Eco-friendly cleaning and rejuvenation of:

• All feather & down products

• Woollen, silk, polyester and cotton blankets and underlays

• repairing, resizing and re-casing services

• add extra feather and down to your quilts, pillows or sleeping bags

Michael specialises in keeping IT safe

OMNIIT, a leading provider of professional IT support and managed IT services, prides itself on offering a personalised service to customers, says owner Michael Warnock.

Whether it’s cyber security, cloud storage, or day-to-day issues, Michael says he and his team make it easy for businesses to upgrade their IT environment.

“One of our specialisations is cyber security, especially targeting hacking, malware, data theft, and other threats,” says Michael.

“Businesses are safe in our hands. We work with you to develop and strengthen your IT environment, providing additional security layers and controls to ensure that you have the highest level of security that

OmniIT also promises fixed prices and works with a budget that suits the client, Michael says.

“In doing so it allows us to take a proactive approach to our business,” he says.

“We monitor the client’s IT environment 24/7 looking for issues and fix them before they go wrong.

“It’s about making the most of the client’s IT environment, helping the staff be more productive and ultimately making the business more profitable.

“We make sure questions, concerns or any other interests of our clients are our priority.”

OmniIT, unit 8, 12 Sandford Street, Mitchell. Call 6230 3839, email support@omniit.com.au

E-scooters make commutes easier

AFTER moving back to Gungahlin in 2006, Cookies Cycles owner David Cook has seen the Gungahlin area boom and says his range of e-scooters are a great fit for a growing precinct.

The popularity of e-scooters has really taken off, according to David, who says many people ride the scooter to the tram stop, take the light rail into work, then just “scoot” to their office.

“[And they can do it] without having the bulk of a bike to store away,” he says.

Located in Franklin, David says Cookies Cycles stocks the best leading brands in e-scooters, such as Zero, Mearth, Shogun and Emove.

They also stock a range of electric bikes and skatepark scooters, as well as push bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes and road bikes, accompanied by a full range of

SPOIL YOURSELF WITH A BRAND NEW SCOOTER FROM COOKIES

bicycle accessories and parts, says David. Skateboards are in stock, too, as well as skatepark kick-scooters.

And, when it comes to shopping at Cookies Cycles, customers can do it with confidence, says David, who, backed with about 35 years’ industry experience, not only has leading products at his store, which he opened in 2015 to cater for the family cyclist, but has the knowledge about the items, too.

Cookies Cycles has a fully equipped workshop as well, which David says offers services and repairs, including all electric products they sell.

Cookies Cycles, 227 Flemington Road, Franklin. Call 6242 0338, email shop@cookiescycles.com.au or visit cookiescycles.com.au

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Lindy’s Four Winds to show a ‘shared humanity’

By Helen Musa

THE sense of excitement is palpable at the Four Winds office in Bermagui as its inaugural creative director, Lindy Hume, takes over the reins for the 2021 and 2022 Easter festivals.

Hume is one of Australia’s best-known festival and opera directors, with stints head ing up Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, WA Opera, Victoria State Opera, OzOpera and Opera Queensland, but she’s no stranger to Canberra.

In 1991 she directed Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” (Cinderella) at the Canberra Theatre for the now-defunct Opera ACT, then in 1995 she directed “A Dinner Engagement” by Lennox Berkeley and “Three’s Company” by Anthony Hopkins for the chamber-opera company, Stopera.

It was while directing “La Cenerentola” that one of the singers introduced her to the south coast. Five years later, she put a deposit on a block of land that gradually became a house to which she and her husband eventually moved.

festival “Ten Days on the Island”, which runs throughout Tasmania until March 21, and Four Winds, coming up over the Easter weekend, April 2-4, so she’s been cutting it fine.

As for the newly-invented title “creative director”, she says it was her decision.

She took on arts advocacy as chair of South East Arts and on the board of Regional Arts NSW and has made herself very much a part of the Tathra community, whose losses in the fires of 2018 she describes as “stuff you

“What I’m doing is I’m curating a festival, not just an artistic program, but a whole experience for that week,” she says.

She’s even found herself tracking down gin cocktails – as they say, somebody’s gotta do it.

“I’ve decided to mix things up this year so that the festival becomes something more

Margaret Fulton The Musical

MARGARET FULTON

as the Goldner String Quartet, The Muffat Collective, cello suites by Timo-Veikko Valve, piano by Stefan Cassomenos and a program of all-female composers, she’s turning it into a multi-arts event.

“I’m just not the same sort of animal as those who have directed Four Winds in the past, who’ve been mostly instrumentalists… (think Chris Latham, Genevieve Lacey, Paul Dean and James Crabb) I can program music and I have done, but that is not my best offer.

“I felt the festival should be more general – some may disagree – but people have been through a whole lot in the last

One of her centrepieces will be William Zappa‘s “The Iliad – Out Loud”, a venture first seen at Canberra’s Street Theatre, where director Caroline Stacey suggested the title to Zappa before he took it elsewhere.

Four Winds has an amphitheatre, the 2000-person capacity outdoor Sound Shell, where Hume believes they can create “the Greek experience”. Actors Blazey Best and Linda Cropper will join Zappa, with oud player Hamed Sadeghi and Michael Askill on percussion. One of the three performances is free, but you still have to register.

Another favourite initiative this year is

a hook-up with Candelo, south-west of Bega and a catchment area for musicians. Musician-storytellers from the village will join Yuin artists in presenting vocal and instrumental music for the free opening event, “Things Are Looking Up: Songs From Yuin Country” – “there’ll be a nice sense of unity”, Hume believes.

She praises the Four Winds Aboriginal creative producer Cheryl Davison for her work with the organisation, and says: “I take it as a serious task for all our cultural undertakings to be underpinned by Yuin culture… We need to understand that there are stories and music that are part of this natural environment”.

Another innovation is Hume’s introduction of Rafael Bonachela’s Sydney Dance Company show, “Cinco”, now extended to include seven dancers performing, for the first time, to live music played by Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows string quartet in full daylight – a completely different experience from a theatre performance, Hume notes.

Her final pièce de résistance is “Compassion”, created by Nigel Westlake and Lior and performed in Hebrew and Arabic text.

“That was to have been in the Opera House but now it’s coming to Bermagui,” Hume says.

“How lovely is that?”

2021 Four Winds Festival, Bermagui, April 2-4. Book at fourwinds.com.au

Irma’s never forgotten her first brush with an elephant

Reading Challenge and a professional editor.

Now known to some of her friends by the suggestive title of “the elephant woman”, she has been pursuing the endangered pachyderms for years, first in her early 20s, when she went to Kenya and Tanzania to see them in the wild, then later when she travelled to Thailand, hoping to get a closer look.

“I looked into a trek which involved riding elephants, but as soon as I googled, I realised this was not a good thing and that they go through a great deal of suffering,” she says.

In 2016 she travelled north, first to Chiang Mai, and kept a journal recording all the little details of what she saw, took a lot of videos and pictures to help her connect.

“It would immediately put me back in that place if I looked at them,” she says. Details, for instance, include an awful lot of Chang [Thai for elephant] lager being drunk – that’s the Thai beer with cute little elephants on the bottle – a reflection of what she observed, as she doesn’t drink beer.

While she had already spent a lot of time with elephants, she needed to go back and was lucky enough to get an artsACT-funded trip to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

“Writing my first novel was a lot of work, but I wrote the first draft quite quickly,” Gold says.

“I work full time as an editor, so I devoted two mornings a week to writing 1,000 words a day and had my first draft in eight months.”

In “The Breaking”, Gold uses the firstperson narrative style as she takes on the persona of Hannah Bird, a first-time visitor to Thailand.

“It happened naturally,” Gold says.

“It was an instinctive choice to show the story through the eyes of Hannah, who is very green and hasn’t got a clue. It gives us access to a young person’s experiences in

bers of the queer community in Canberra to make sure that she was accountable, yet, she says, “no doubt some readers will judge me in this respect”.

It was the same with her use of Thai words, where she talked to Thai expats here to make sure she got them right.

“You have to be prepared for your work to be held up to scrutiny,” she says.

The end of Gold’s novel is somewhat cataclysmic, but it wasn’t planned that way.

“Part three was completely different in my first draft… parts one and two had energy, but I was forced to admit I’d gone in the wrong direction, so on my third draft I scrapped part three and re-wrote it… as soon as I read what I’d done, I realised it had the same energy,” she says.

“I don’t plan everything, mostly I don’t know what’s coming – to me writing is an exploratory process.”

“The Breaking”, by Irma Gold, MidnightSun Publishing ($29.99).

A crepe question: sweet or savoury?

SWEET or savoury? That was the question when out for breakfast at Crepe Stop, which opened in the Yamaroshi development on Mort Street, Braddon, about a year ago.

We opted for savoury. Both crepes were delicious and filled with tasty ingredients – not overloaded but certainly not skimpy. The possibilities with these thin pancakes are endless and it’s no wonder they’re popular in so many parts of the world.

The Greek crepe ($13) celebrated the flavours we all know and love about this country. The crepe was stuffed with salty feta, baby spinach, black olives and fresh chives. The dish included tomatoes but they were pale pink, hard and had no flavour so I set them aside. I was a bit baffled because tomatoes are in season and it’s so easy to source bright red, juicy ones, loaded with goodness.

Other savoury options include the Aussie ($15), and varieties named after cities like Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane and Sydney (poor Canberra isn’t on the list). The Americano is a crepe modelled after a beef burger ($13).

My friend opted for the Mexicano ($17), created with spicy pepperoni and Mexican sauce. The cheese was tasty, the jalapenos added bite and the capsicum offered a veggie hit.

On the sweet side, the Crepe Stop offers several styles with decadent Nutella, including the Sphinx with cream

DINING

By Wendy Johnson

and ice cream ($11) and the Pyramids with bananas, strawberries, coconut and whipped cream ($12).

Non-Nutella nuts might prefer the Tut ($8) with cinnamon or lemon, sugar and whipped cream or the Ramses ($10) with maple syrup or jam and ice cream. Pancakes ($12 to $16) and waffles ($12 to $14) are also available.

We were going to stay to share a sweet crepe but were disappointed with the coffee, so much so we didn’t drink it but headed out to buy takeaway at a wellknown coffee spot down the street. Crepe Stop uses a system called TopBrewer, which promises to deliver “wow-factor” moments but falls short in our view. It’s a touchless coffee technology system, so no barista is required, but we are too serious about our weekend caffeine hit to accept less than the best.

After our takeaway it was time to bop about Braddon. We headed to the (relatively) new Village Markets at Haig Park, held every Sunday 8am to 2pm. The markets are well worth the visit and it’s super to buy local and regional produce. Then we settled in with friends who were dining at one of their fave spots, Rizla, for lunch. We indulged in a glass of stunning Whistle and Hope Riesling 2019, which winemaker Matt Bilby in Wangaratta, Victoria, accurately describes as “Unforced. Elegant. Pure”. So true.

Fern’s in no hurry but the wait’s worthwhile

By Dougal MACDONALD

“Nomadland” (PG)

IN this film, Frances McDormand plays Fern, a widow, the last resident to leave Empire, Nevada after the town’s single industry closes its 88-year old factory and the US Post Office cancels its Zip code.

Something of a polymath where jobs are concerned, she gathers up the necessities, packs them in her SUV campervan and takes to the road.

Frances McDormand as Fern in “Nomadland”.

“Nomadland” has no perceptible plot. But it’s not a documentary. Nor does it show any hint of scripted dialogue as it follows Fern along minor roads in several of America’s middle states that, like in our island continent, are mainly desert. She’s in no hurry. She is good with people. She bears no resentment for the tough hand that life has dealt her. She makes friends. She helps people. People help her. Dave (David Strathairn, one of the very small group of professional actors in a listed cast of 48 people) might like to develop a relationship with her.

Now in her mid-60s, two-time Oscar winner McDormand is no feather-headed beauty. But I rate her watchability highly and there’s a brief passage in “Nomadland” in which her beauty is undeniable.

I first reviewed “Nomadland” at its short advance run last Christmas-tide. Since release last September, it has garnered 164 movieindustry peer-group and audience awards and nominations, including Golden Globes for

sunday

McDormand and Chinese-born director (and co-writer with Jessica Bruder who wrote the book) Chloé Zhao and Best Film Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Now it’s here for as long as people come to see it. The wait has been worthwhile.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

About Endlessness” (M)

“ENDLESSNESS” isn’t a word frequently used by English-speakers. What’s a feasible explanation of it? Breaking it into its three parts gives an intuitive understanding. Here endeth the quick lesson.

Filmmaker Roy Andersson had no problems about the film’s main title in its original tongue. But not a lot of people outside his native Sweden would understand “Om Det Oändliga’’ or find that “ä” compete with diaeresis in Microsoft’s menu of type symbols (I fluked it – clue – look how it’s expressed here).

But enough of this terminological discussion. What about Roy’s latest movie? Is it drama,

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comedy, history, fantasy, tragedy, narrative? Well, in its 79 minutes (including credits), it manages to be all of those and more. “Endlessness” is a package viewing the human condition in all of its vagaries. Entertaining without being didactic, it’s a collection of vignettes of humans behaving in visual/aural bites that each don’t take more than about 180 seconds to illustrate on the screen (sorry, didn’t bring the stop-watch to time them).

A couple floats over a war-torn Cologne; on the way to a birthday party, a father stops to tie his daughter’s shoelaces in the pouring rain; teenage girls dance outside a cafe; a defeated army marches to a prisoner-of-war camp. A priest (one of the few characters seen in more than one vignette) laments his loss of faith and wonders how he can be true to himself when delivering sacraments. In a wordless look inside the Fuhrer-bunker, a trio of generals sits still and silent among the wreckage. That’s a powerful-enough imagery. It gets stronger when through the open door comes a man whose name needs no explanation; the little moustache tells it all.

Why should you watch this disconnected stuff on the screen? Why are you alive?

One answer to both questions. Because you are alive. Do you know a better reason? I don’t.

At Dendy

“Chaos Walking” (M)

A CONDENSED summary of director Doug Liman’s filming of a screenplay by Patrick Ness and Christopher Ford adapting Ness’s novel “The Knife of Never Letting Go”, the first in a

young-adult science fiction trilogy, might run thus: “extra-terrestrial sci-fi in 2274 AD”.

The IMDb says it in more detail thus: “Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) discovers Viola (Daisy Ridley), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by “the Noise” – a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola’s life is threatened – and as Todd vows to protect her, he will have to discover his own inner power and unlock the planet’s dark secrets.”

Does that mean that somewhere out there in deepest space, there’s a planet populated by children of same-sex parents?

Long before humans walked on Earth, certain immutable natural laws applied. Among them is that male mammals do not give birth. Where did those woman-less blokes come from? An outer-space cowboy movie with possibly the longest list of credits in cinema history, “Chaos Walking” makes no attempt to offer an explanation.

The cast includes always-watchable Swedish actor Mads Mikkelsen as chief villain Mayor Prentiss, determined to prevent dilution of the status quo; David Oyelowo as one of Prentiss’ henchmen… whoa there, what’s the point of listing both male and female cast of a movie originating from a book written for children or young adults of both genders, set in a dystopian world where only one gender is tolerated?

And if you think that the preceding paragraph delivers a confused muddle of ideas, wait until you see the movie. Or don’t bother, which may be the better option.

At all cinemas

WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

Mia puts the weights on Woody

By Nick OVERALL

THERE would be few people who didn’t at least have some awareness of the Woody Allen and Mia Farrow scandal.

On one side, there’s Allen, one of the most beloved filmmakers of his generation. “Manhattan”, “Annie Hall”, “Take the Money and Run”, “Love and Death”, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”... the list of the director’s influential work extends throughout a 60-year career.

On the other, Mia Farrow, a talented actress of some 50 films and the mother of more than a dozen children.

In the middle is Dylan Farrow, one of Mia’s children who says at seven years of age she was sexually abused by Allen, a claim her mother has relentlessly supported for the three decades since.

Both women have now opened up in a new, four-part documentary series, “Allen v Farrow”, streaming on Binge that’s been the epicentre of streaming news and conversation. Most interesting though, is the public’s reaction.

On the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), an aggregator of user ratings, the doco has been lambasted with one-star reviews defending Allen.

The average score as a result has come to rest on around 3.5/10.

Critics have been more favourable. Rotten Tomatoes, an aggregator of critic’s reviews, currently places it at an 87 per cent positive response with many calling it a compelling, albeit one-sided account of what happened, eager to put the argument to bed through the condemnation of Allen.

Many cite the affair between Allen and another of Mia’s other adopted daughters, Soon Yi Previn, which began when she was 21 and Allen 57, as the giveaway of his alleged creepy tendencies.

Farrow, another of Allen’s adopted children who grew up in the same house where this all played out. Moses wrote nearly 5000 words unwaveringly defending his father, instead condemning his mother as physically abusive and manipulative.

When discussing why Allen and his work have become so celebrated, a writer for “Slate” magazine who appears in the doco, Lili Loofbourow, astutely observes: “Showing your underbelly to the audience is a great motivator of sympathy.”

Allen is renowned for his soft, vulnerable caricatures, ones audiences have been able to deeply see themselves in and, as Loofbourow implies, form a bond with.

Certainly Allen’s films would have generated that feeling for many. It is a frightening thought, that someone who has had such an emotional influence could, at the same time, be a heinous transgressor.

One can see then why people so quickly and vehemently come out to defend figures such as Allen, as seen by the outrage in much of the response to the doco. They don’t want to lose what his work gave or taught them, and so struggle to wrestle with the idea he may have committed such a crime.

It’s up to the individual to make their own mind up about the production, and the issue at large, but it serves a silent reminder of the importance of looking at both sides of a story, however uncomfortable that process may be.

ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa

THE National Film and Sound Archive has a new exhibition celebrating Mervyn Bishop, one of Australia’s most prolific and influential photographers. Drawn from the Art Gallery of NSW collection and Bishop’s private archive, the show is enriched by sound and moving images from the NFSA. It features his famous 1975 photo of Gough Whitlam pouring red earth into Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari’s hand in the aftermath of the Wave Hill strike.

MEGALO Print Studio is back in action after its temporary closure while the roof at the heritage facility was replaced. Big news is that Ingeborg Hansen will be retiring at the end of April as artistic director and CEO, after 11 years at the helm. The studio is now open at 21 Wentworth Ave, Kingston, 10am4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Inquiries about membership and workshops at communications@megalo.org

BELL Shakespeare is putting on an extra performance of “One Man In His Time: John Bell and Shakespeare” at The Playhouse on April 14-15. Bookings at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

FRANKLIN writer Thomas McAllister is one of the selected authors in “The Furphy Anthology”, which showcases the best 16 short stories selected from the Furphy Literary Awards from 2020. McAllister’s story, “The Karlee Story”, features, alongside 2020 winner Ruby Todd’s story “Awakening” and former Canberran Cate Kennedy’s story “Ando Gets Plastered”. The Furphys were founded by Shepparton’s Furphy family, the most famous of whom, Joseph Furphy, wrote the classic “Such is Life’’ under the pseudonym Tom Collins back in 1903.

THE Song Company tour launches its 2021 season with “Dances of Passion”, part of its “Salon” program. It features soprano Roberta Diamond, mezzo-soprano Janine Harris, tenor Ethan Taylor and baritone Hayden Barrington performing romantic works by Brahms, songs by Granados and “Fables for a Prince” by contemporary American composer Juliana Hall. The Street Theatre, 7pm, Saturday, March 20, bookings at thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

CANBERRA Symphony Orchestra is holding a fundraising gala billed as “an evening of sensory and gastronomic delights”. Hosted by chair Sir Angus Houston, the event will feature performances by CSO string and wind players, as each musical course is paired with Canberra region food and wine. 2021, National Museum of Australia, 6.30pm, Friday, March 16. Bookings at cso.org.au/ fundraising-gala or 6262 6772.

GETTING ROAD TRIP READY

Prepare to discover magical destinations close by

THE taste of a fresh morning coffee, loading up the car, pulling out of the driveway – it all adds to the magical feeling of heading out on a road trip.

And, luckily for Canberrans, surrounding the nation’s capital are picturesque landscapes, historic communities and fascinating events.

But before heading out to nearby locations (that feel a world away), make sure the car’s serviced and ready to go!

brake problems or any issues with their tyres to avoid a blowout.

And, he says they shouldn’t forget their electrical system, or they’ll risk being left without properly working lights.

Paul Whyte Automotive first opened in 1985 as a family-owned and operated auto mechanic.

While the family has since moved on, Ken says they still pride themselves on offering a personal experience.

“We’re not a corporation. We see people out in the community and have a chat. We remember them and we remember their car,” he says.

Located on O’Brien Place, Gungahlin, Ken says: “We’re an ‘all make and model’ servicing centre that includes cars still under new car warranty.

“You can drop your car off, jump on the tram and head into work.”

Paul Whyte Automotive also offers other services such as car servicing, registration inspections, suspension services, brake replacement, and tyre and wheel services.

Paul Whyte Automotive, unit 3, 4 O’Brien Place, Gungahlin. Call 6241 4047, email admin@paulwhyteauto.net.au or visit paulwhyteauto.com.au

“SHAPED by rolling hills and natural beauty, the Yass Valley showcases the seasons like a well-hung canvas,” says senior destination marketing officer Georgia Patmore.

Just a 40 minute drive along the Barton Highway from Canberra, Yass Valley makes for the perfect road trip, heading right through Canberra’s wine region and the scenic Murrumbateman.

“It’s a true snapshot of Australian history,” says Georgia.

“Just some of the highlights include food and wine experiences, exploring nature and outdoors, enchanting shops and boutiques, talented local artisans and traditional country hospitality.”

Georgia says the weekends really put the proud

CAR CHECKED BEFORE

community spirit on display, with the regional markets offering items such as arts, crafts, clothes, plants and local produce.

“There’s live music, award-winning wine and wide open spaces to enjoy,” she says.

“The famous country Yass Show is also coming up in March, along with Canberra Wine Week and much more.

“Come enjoy the place that’s loved for its strong sense of community, spectacular natural scenery, innovative local producers, and embrace the simple country lifestyle – all on the doorstep of Canberra.”

Yass Valley, visit yassvalley.com.au or call 1300 886014.

COME AND STAY A WHILE IN YASS VALLEY

the best of the Canberra region

STAY

TOWNS & VILLAGES SEE & DO

Our valley is blessed with some truly stunning scenery and delightful country villages and towns ripe for sightseeing.

Situated just off the Hume Highway, Yass Valley is a popular stopover and meeting place for travellers.

Yass Valley’s highlights include food and wine experiences, exploring the rugged yet stunning outdoors and enchanting shops and boutiques.

Of course, there’s the town of Yass itself, and you can also explore the villages stretching from Gundaroo to Murrumbateman and Binalong to Wee Jasper and everything in between.

In Yass Valley, you can choose to stay in a central hotel or motel, quaint country bed and breakfast, historic homestead or caravan or cabin. And if camping is more your style, we’ve got that, too.

Just as there is variety in your choice of accommodation here, you can rest easy that there’s also a range of accommodation to suit all budgets. Come and stay awhile in Yass Valley.

EVENTS

Country fairs, wine harvests, sculpture exhibitions, food fests, music and markets – there’s never a dull moment when it comes to the events on offer in Yass Valley. Take a look at what’s on offer and slot a visit into your calendar to coincide with one of our fabulous annual events.

FOOD & WINE

Often the best part of holidays is sampling the food and wine of the region and Yass Valley has so much quality food and wine to taste, with everything from delightfully quaint eat-in options to top-quality food producers, cosy cafes, fine dining, world-class wineries and makers.

You’ll never be short of things to see and do in Yass Valley. History and heritage buffs will love the region’s connection to early rural Australia that can be experienced at the museums, historical sites and antiques centres.

Yass Valley is also brimming with talented artists, sculptors, designers and creators just waiting to show off their wares at the galleries, retail shops and design studios.

Nature lovers will be impressed with the range of outdoor experiences on offer in Yass Valley – from exploring caves and bushwalking, to strolling through our parks and gardens, camping and water sports on the lake.

Ready, set, go!

by Nichole Overall

An award-winning social and pictorial history of Queanbeyan over 175 years.

This full-colour gloss coffee-table book contains 256 pages, more than 300 colour and black & white rare and unique images.

$39 (includes postage).

For information & bookings, 0413 671 123 or visit anoverallview.wixsite.com/blog

GETTING ROAD TRIP READY

Getting close-up and personal with animals

MORE hands-on than any zoo or park, Taralga Wildlife Park offers close-up and personal animal experiences, making it the perfect outing for the whole family, says owner John Stafford.

“Meet all our regular visitors’ favourites like Suzie the wombat,” he says.

“You’ll find Suzie wandering the grounds just waiting for a pat and some attention.

“Or get up-close with Poco, our super friendly Rusa deer in the friendship farm area that also features rabbits, guinea pigs and sheep.”

Perhaps visitors might want to hold a lizard, or let “Hoot” the tawny frogmouth sit on their hand, John says.

28 years

COVERING CANBERRA

The park also has numerous species of kangaroos and wallabies, including two spectacular white kan garoos, more than 100 species of birds, including macaws, curlews, parrots, finches and endangered freckled ducks, as well as free-ranging peacocks.

With more than 50 exhibits featuring animals such as dingoes, deer, antelope, a camel, a guanaco (pictured), llamas and alpacas, John says there are plenty of animals and birds to see and feed.

Visitors can make a day out of the park, too, finishing it off at its cafe, which John says serves great coffee and cake, homemade pies and light lunch options until 3pm, Friday to Monday.

He says there’s also a good range of cafes and hotels in the area to enjoy a range of food.

Taralga Wildlife Park is open 10am to 4pm, Friday to Monday, and is open every day during school holidays.

Taralga Wildlife Park, 257 Bannaby Road, Taralga. Call 0419 014540 or search Taralga Wildlife Park on Facebook.

Magical region boasts diversity in every town

AUTUMN’S a magical time to visit the Hilltops Region, just over an hour drive from Canberra, says tourism and events manager Brent Randall.

The Hilltops Council, formed in 2016, includes the former council areas of Boorowa, Harden, Murrumburrah and Young, where there are plenty of magical things to see and do, Brent says.

“It’s a truly diverse and historical region, with something different in every town,” he says.

“There’s everything from museums and galleries, to lookouts and trails, to restaurants and wineries, one of which won best wine in the state at the 2019 NSW Wine Awards.” When it comes to coffee, Brent says Boorowa is seeing a quickly-growing cafe culture,

with new places for coffee, wine, and dining popping up rapidly.

“The streets of Boorowa come alive with people dining both inside and out on the street,” he says.

And, for fans of art, Brent says now’s the perfect time to come to the Hilltops.

“We have a spectacular, just finished nature mural, painted across four silos, and an art trail from March 17-21 [where] people can visit studios, meet the artists and participate in workshops.”

Hilltops Council, call 1800 628233 or visit visithilltopsregion.com.au

Wish you were here!

Historic region’s brimming with charm

NESTLED high on the Great Dividing Range, less than an hour from Canberra, the Upper Lachlan region is the perfect destination for a day trip or a weekend getaway, says Upper Lachlan Shire Council tourism manager Andrew Warren.

Located on Canberra’s doorstep, Andrew says the region boasts snow-dusted winters with cosy warm fires, autumns ablaze with colour, spring blooms galore, and mild and sunny summers.

Home of the Wombeyan Caves and Lake Wyangala, with a plethora of outdoor activities, he says the region is also blessed with some award-winning food and wine establishments, such as Taralga’s Argyle Inn – recognised as one of NSW’s top eateries by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide Awards, and Collector Wines – winning Gourmet Traveller’s 2020 Star Cellar Door and Best Small Cellar Door awards in the Canberra region.

“We also boast a number of resident artisans, such as Lindner Socks – 11th generation sock makers crafting socks from locally sourced wool,” Andrew says.

“Each and every one of our picturesque villages –Crookwell, Gunning, Taralga, Binda, Bigga, Collector, Dalton, Grabben Gullen, Laggan and Tuena – [which are] steeped in history and brimming with charm, are worth exploring.

“Our region really is a region with stories to tell, beautiful vistas to behold and a warm country reception to be enjoyed at one of our many boutique accommodation houses.

“We look forward to welcoming you to the Upper Lachlan – so close but a world away.”

More information via visitupperlachlan.com.au or email info@upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au

DISCOVER THE SHIRE OF VILLAGES

Crookwell . Gunning . Taralga

Why don’t you discover the great diversity of experiences right on Canberra’s doorstep? From award winning wines in Collector and potato farming in Crookwell to the gold history of Tuena, the Shire of Villages is dotted with fascinating and historic pioneering villages that each have a story to tell and all within 2 hours of Canberra. In 2021, the vibe is modern yet relaxed with great food, coffee and craft beer all within a setting of wide tree-lined streets, picturesque valleys and historic architecture. The countryside in between offers some of the most spectacular views in regional NSW ranging from the bushland of the Great Dividing Range to never ending horizons over the rolling Southern Tablelands – a photographers delight!

The Southern Tablelands have been a food bowl since the 1800s and so it is no surprise that the local produce is top quality and ranges from world class lamb to free range eggs to gourmet potatoes. You too can enjoy these delights by following the locals to one of their favourite eateries.

The Argyle Inn – Located in the village of Taralga, in what was once a rundown pub, is a contemporary country inn that was not only awarded a Good Food Guide Hat in 2019 but retained that status in 2020. Hugh Wennerbom and the team at The Argyle Inn have a commitment to local produce, sustainable farming and simple and delicious food which can all be experienced in the lovingly restored 1875 building. To learn more or better still to book, note that you can also stay the property, go to www.theargyleinn.com.au

Laggan Pantry – Speaking of local produce, it doesn’t get more local than at Laggan Pantry where their kitchen garden is the source of the freshest ingredients you can possible find. With a focus on seasonal produce and careful attention to every table, you will not be disappointed by this dining experience. Lucky for the locals, Laggan Pantry is co-located with Laggan Brewing Co which sits snuggly in between the restaurant and the onsite Laggan Cottage B&B. As the owners say “Our love of ingredients (and beer) naturally led us to brewing right here on site using quality grain, local specialty hops and pure Laggan water.”

Why not grab a tasting paddle and a gourmet platter whilst you fill out your application for the keg club? Bookings for the restaurant are essential whilst the brewery is drop in – for all the details go to www.laggan.com.au

Some Café – Some Café in Collector may be small in size but the vibrant young duo behind its inception will ensure you have an experience that exceeds its stature.

Whether you dine inside or al fresco we can assure you that the coffee is great and the homemade cakes and slices are devine. Breakfast and lunch are also on the menu and as you would expect, they feature regional produce from the eggs to the bread to the meat and the fruit and veg wherever possible. Some Café share their building with Gourmet Traveller Wine’s 2020 winner of “Star Cellar Door” and “Best Small Cellar Door” – Collector Wines. Winemaker Alex McKay grew up in the area and now produces a collection of highly renowned wines across a variety of styles that you just have to try for yourself. For all the details go to www.somecafecollector.com and www.collectorwines.com.au

Merino Café –- Built in 1881, London House in Gunning is memorable for two key reasons; the striking arched coach entrance and the amazing Merino Café which is a mecca for locals and travellers alike. As soon as you step into the historic general store you are struck by the incredible architecture and the enticing smells. In addition to their all day breakfast menu, they specialise in a delicious selection of homemade cakes, slices, biscuits and scones all lovingly baked fresh on the premises. So whether you are after a quick bite in your travels or you are staying in town and exploring the area, Merino Café, just 2 minutes off the Hume Highway, is the perfect place to rest and relax. For details go to www.facebook.com/merinocafegunning

Café Zestt – You just can’t go passed a good vanilla slice and Café Zestt in Crookwell certainly does a good one! But it is not just delectable cakes and slices you can enjoy in the heart of this Southern Tablelands township, Café Zestt prides itself on amazing sausage rolls and fresh scones baked on site using Catherine’s secret recipes and not to forget the great coffee and classic milkshakes. With the best location in town right amongst the specialty shopping strip you can marry your food experience with a touch of retail therapy and support local makers. For details go to www.facebook.com/Cafe-Zest

The Shire of Villages is a photographer’s delight and if you want to know why, just check out #visitupperlachlan that showcases everything from stunning cold climate gardens to quiet country roads and views forever. If you have a love of the outdoors then there are plenty of walks, rides and drives to choose from with varying levels of difficulty. They lead you through an exploration of different parts of the region including picking up the stories of bushranging, gold mining, agricultural pioneering and plotting new paths to all parts of the country.

Hands down, one of the best rural museums is located in Taralga and is lovingly curated, maintained and operated by a dedicated group of local historians. From their comprehensive military service exhibits in the Nissen Hut to traditional tools and equipment in the machinery display to the rebuilt schoolhouse that is like stepping back in time, the museum is a must do if you have any interest in Australia’s pioneering history.

Famous as a launching point for Hume and Hovell’s journey to Port Phillip, the site of modern day Melbourne, Gunning is home to Pye Cottage Museum, a reconstructed slab hut full of artefacts with stories to tell about the region and it’s people. And, there is no better way to take in the sights than on foot and there are self-guided walks for Crookwell, Gunning and Taralga that lead you through the streets and augment the beautiful built and natural surroundings you find yourself exploring.

There is nothing quite like getting up close and personal with our friends of the animal kingdom and there are plenty of opportunities across the Shire of Villages – you can visit the local kangaroos at Wombeyan Caves or Reflections Grabine Lakeside, you can feed an alpaca at Greenridge Glen in Crookwell, you can learn from a horse herd at Horses Teaching Humans in Laggan or spend a whole day at Taralga Wildlife Park enjoying the petting zoo, the incredible bird collection and the vast array of native and exotic species.

Hold Cottage – Located on Gunning’s main street and sitting high up on the hill with views across the village, Hold Cottage is a 1910, double red brick home that has been lovingly restored and offers complete comfort and luxury for a relaxing country getaway. To book go to www.holdcottage.com

Abercrombie Ridge – Taralga’s premium, luxurious and contemporary accommodation destination that offers a 3-bedroom American-style barn, with an outdoor hot tub with spectacular views and a fully equipped Games Room. To book go to www.abercrombieridge.com.au

Markdale – Offering an out-of-the-ordinary experience to fire up the senses, Markdale is a working sheep and cattle station in the Great Dividing Ranges with self-catered farmstay accommodation for up to 24 people. The property is rich in history and features a five acre awardwinning Edna Walling garden and rambling homestead, a remarkable mirror of the elegance of the decades stretching from the ’30s to the present. To book go to www.markdale.com

Crooked Corner Cottage – Nestled on 30 acres just off the main road, is this private country getaway. Designed for groups, the property can sleep up to 12 people and the living space and bedrooms are a separate dwelling, so when it comes to early nights

or sleeping in you’ll get a peaceful sleep away from everyone! To book go to www.airbnb.com.au

Laggan Cottage – This charming little cottage accommodates one couple. The perfect secluded country getaway to unwind and explore the historic Shire of Villages. Discover the ambience of a little farm in a rural village. The cottage also shares the grounds with the very popular Laggan Pantry Restaurant and Laggan Brewing Co. To book go to www.laggan.com.au

Tanjenong Camp – Nestled on the edge of a peninsula, Tanjenong Camp offers extraordinary views of the southern end of the Great Dividing Range. Wake in one of the several glamping options to the stunning view of clouds in the valleys of endless eucalypts. Every detail is handcrafted and you truly feel immersed in the natural landscape. To book go to www.tanjenong.com.au

Pinn Cottage and Homestead – Pinn Cottage is a beautifully restored 19th century bluestone cottage in the township of Crookwell. A perfect country retreat or romantic getaway set within private gardens. For a larger group, Pinn Homestead provides both space and light with stunning French doors that open out to the expansive verandah that overlooks the creek.

To book go to www.pinncottage.com.au