CityNews 220414

NEWS / teen at risk

Mother battles ‘insane’ wait for son’s mental help

“I was pulling my hair out thinking why can’t I get an appointment for him.” BELINDA STRAHORN meets a mother fighting overwhelming barriers to get her mentally-ill son help.

A CONCERNED Canberra mother is desperately seeking help for her mentally-ill son who is still on a waitlist for psychiatry services some six months after a suicide attempt.

A few years ago, after the family moved to Canberra from the US, life threw some challenges at Kate Thompson’s son Robbie, who is on the autism spectrum.

“Robbie was having difficulty at school and he wasn’t getting the right medications,” said Kate.

“He also has ADHD and that was greatly impacting his ability to perform and concentrate in class which made the whole thing very painful.”

Robbie, 17, was also suffering with depression, Kate said, but due to a critical shortage of psychiatrists in Canberra, the teenager was unable to get the help he needed.

“Robbie got so bad, he was isolating and not wanting to go to school, he was depressed and suicidal,” said Kate.

“I was desperate for him to see someone who could prescribe medication for his depression and ADHD.”

Both the private and public psy-

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chiatry sectors in Canberra are facing shortages with peo ple waiting several months to access ap pointments.

The Productivity Commission’s recent report on Government Services 2021 high lighted the fact that Canberrans wait the longest for psychiatric care compared to any other state or territory.

The report revealed three in five Canberrans presenting to Canberra hospitals for mental health care are not getting the treatment they need on time.

It is an issue Kate knows all too well, which she said added to the difficulty of an already painful time.

“I was pulling my hair out thinking why can’t I get an appointment for him,” Kate said.

“I was told I had a six-month wait, and I was thinking this is insane.”

Kate said that left her with no op -

it

tion but to look for private psychiatry support, at a cost of almost $400 an appointment.

“There was no Medicare rebate and I couldn’t afford the follow up appointments at $400 each time,” she said.

Robbie’s mental health deteriorated, and in August Kate’s worst nightmare became a reality when Robbie made an attempt to take his own life.

Kate found her son after he had sustained injuries in a fall, and was rushed to Canberra Hospital.

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The retired nurse expected that upon her son’s admission to hospital, his mental-health needs would be ad-

“In hospital, I was sure he would get to see somebody who would help with medication to manage his depression and ADHD,” said Kate.

“But there was none of that, all they said was they were referring him to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).”

After Robbie was discharged from hospital, a CAMHS team visited him at home, Kate said.

“The people were well meaning, but they said their service was not a direct link to psychiatry,” Kate said.

“When I asked about Robbie seeing a psychiatrist, they simply concurred that the average waitlist time would be six months or longer.

“I couldn’t believe it. I said: ‘My son has had a suicide attempt, isn’t someone going to see him.’ They said: ‘Sorry, that isn’t the way it is.’

“I kept thinking, how could this be happening, in a wealthy country why can’t I get help.”

Kate feels that the territory’s mental health system has failed her son.

“I believe had Robbie seen a psychiatrist with follow-up care he would not have attempted suicide,” Kate said.

In the 2021-22 Budget, the ACT government announced $41 million – over

the next four years – to add 10 new acute mental health inpatient beds at Canberra Hospital in a refurbished ward and add extra capacity in the adult mental health unit.

“CityNews” columnist and former chief minister Jon Stanhope recently argued that there is inadequate funding for mental health resources, with the public health system enduring cuts of up to $100 million a year, over the last six years.

“I cannot put a price on my son’s life, it appears however that the depleted ACT mental-health budget has,” Kate said. “There needs to be more funding, and an awareness that there is a dearth of psychiatry services in Canberra.

“This dereliction of care for the mentally ill is shameful.”

Kate has gained some support for Robbie through the NDIS, but has still been unable to access the psychiatry help he needs.

She said her son continues to suffer, and she fears for his life.

“We go day by day,” Kate said.

“He still feels completely hopeless about his future, which is really distressing.

“In some ways Robbie’s an extremely bright kid, but this whole thing has done him in.”

If this story has raised any issues for anyone reading this story, a call to Lifeline might be beneficial on 131114.

SEVEN DAYS / Calwell High School

The school, the scandal and the shame of it all

“HOW big are your tits, Miss?”

This is the only illustrative phrase I can decently share from the list of verbal abuse catalogued in the extensive dot points of hair-curling concern contained in the prohibition notice issued by Worksafe ACT in banning years 7 and 8 from attending classes at Calwell High School. The rest would make a sailor blush.

Worksafe deemed the school, limping from months of duress due to covid staff shortages, unsafe and directed the students banned until risks to health and safety caused by staffing shortages were resolved.

What a disgrace – discipline has broken down, teachers have broken down (“A staff member [locked] themselves in a cupboard… crying uncontrollably due to work pressures”), but this shameless government and its incompetent Education Directorate feign shock, suprise and denial, despite the ignored Education Union putting them on notice about Calwell months and months ago.

to a severe shortage of staff and covid absences, with one class of 75 students being supervised by one teacher and one learning-support officer.

Worksafe inspectors reported that vandalism was “rampant” at the school, fires had been lit on school grounds, there was regular drug use, and tools and scissors were “counted out” at the end of classes to ensure none could be used as weapons.

Teachers told inspectors they were exhausted, with one describing the school

Worse still, this revelation: “If teachers put in too many reports about occupational violence, the directorate uses its compassionate transfer option to ‘remove the noisy vessels’.”

Where was the faceless Education Directorate then? Nowhere to be seen.

Where was it last week? Crawling all over the school offering help and counselling and promising everything’ll be sorted by term 2.

The hypocrisy of it!

The Worksafe move was unprecedented in

relation to ACT public schools and, while no surprise to the Australian Education Union, was hailed as a “damning indictment” of the Education Directorate.

Branch secretary Patrick Judge wasn’t mincing words, saying it “starkly highlights their failure to provide a safe workplace for our members and a safe school for their students”.

This crisis hasn’t happened overnight. The AEU has been raising safety concerns “around the dire circumstances confronting staff and students at the Calwell site” since 2021.

All ignored by the all-powerful Education Directorate, with Worksafe inspectors also reporting an incident from last month where the principal – now on leave – was thrown across her desk as a male teacher’s shoulder was dislocated and several teeth broken while trying to prevent a student assailant from assaulting another student.

“The Education Directorate has continually failed to recognise and act effectively to address serious, ongoing staff shortages, oversized classes and instances of occupational violence,” said Mr Judge.

“The fact that it takes a staff member to be seriously injured and the intervention of an external regulator to provide a degree of safety for the staff and students at Calwell High School demonstrates a lack of care on the part of the Education Directorate.”

Meanwhile, the ACT Opposition did what it should be doing and appropriately called on a no-confidence motion in Education Minister Yvette Berry in the Assembly.

“On this minister’s watch Calwell High

School has become every teacher, every student and every parent’s worst nightmare,” fumed Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee

“The Minister has had the Education portfolio for five years; five years of incompetence, five years of failures and five years of dangerous workplaces.”

She demanded her resignation. Like that was ever going to happen with Labor’s myopic Mick Gentleman lamely calling the Liberals’ move a stunt as a parade of government members dutifully stood to read adjectives from prepared notes hailing the virtues of the beleaguered Education Minister. Shame on them. They might as well have stood up and farted for all the difference it was going to make as the Labor and Greens compliantly voted the Opposition down.

“I want to be very clear, violent incidents like this are very rare in ACT public schools and when they do occur, we treat them very seriously as we have done in this instance,” Ms Berry told the Assembly with a straight face. And I want to be very clear that someone’s not telling the truth because Patrick Judge says otherwise: “Regrettably the situation at Calwell High School is not an isolated case. With the union receiving staff shortage SOS calls from school staff across Canberra on a daily basis we anticipate further interventions will and must occur.”

And some opportunistic bleating from Greens MLA Johnathan Davis, who has clearly been spending too much time at the bottom of the garden.

“I’ve been incredibly disappointed to see some individuals try to drag the Calwell High School community through the mud to make a cheap political point,” he said, making a cheap political point.

“Other members for Brindabella especially should be trying to lift up their school communities, not tear them down.

“Our schools must be safe, secular, equitable and accessible places of teaching and learning – not political footballs.”

Isn’t that what the Opposition is saying? Isn’t that what the union is saying? Isn’t that what the teachers are saying? Remind us, which way did you vote, Johnathan, in the no-confidence motion?

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon. There are more of his columns on citynews.com.au

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NEWS / astronomy Professor who goes forward looking

By Nick OVERALL

IT was a book filled with distant galaxies that first sparked Lisa Kewley’s interest in the stars.

Having stumbled across it in a bookshop one day as a young girl, she found herself unable to look away from the pages of spiraling celestial megastructures photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Years later, as an astrophysicist, she’d use the Hubble Telescope in her own research to identify a galaxy 9.3 billion light years from Earth.

“We’re fortunate in astronomy that when we look at these distant galaxies we actually are looking back in time,” says Prof Kewley, director of the ASTRO3D ARC Centre of Excellence at ANU’s Mt Stromlo Observatory.

“Like in archaeology where we try to understand how humans evolved on this earth, in astronomy, we’re following that further back in time to understand how the atoms that make us formed and evolved.”

The ANU professor made his-

tory in March with her appoint ment as the first female director of the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in the US. There, she’ll lead 800 staff in eight scientific divisions across nine major scientific facilities and institutes.

“It is an honour to become director of the CfA,” she says.

“I plan to bring people together from across these dif ferent areas to answer some of astronomy’s biggest questions.”

What is the universe made of? What do black holes look like? Does life exist outside of the solar system? These are all questions the Center for Astrophysics wants to answer.

Prof Kewley found herself drawn to those same questions in South Australia, where she grew up.

“I had a physics teacher who loved astronomy. He used to bring me articles from science magazines about black holes, wormholes and all sorts of exciting things and that really triggered my lifelong interest,” she says.

“He took us on an astronomy camp where we tracked the moons of Jupiter over the course of the week and the movement of the constellations.”

Prof Lisa Kewley… “We’re fortunate in astronomy that when we look at these distant galaxies we actually are looking back in time.”

In year 11, she made a trip to Canberra with the National Youth Science Forum in 1991 where she first visited the Mt Stromlo Observatory, a place she would return to for her PhD after studying her undergrad at Adelaide University.

Following her PhD, she went on to do a decade of research in the US, developing a specialty in galaxy formation and evolution.

“When we’re talking about a galaxy 9.3 billion light years away, the light actually takes that long to reach us so we are

looking back at the galaxy as it was that long ago,” she says.

To see across these unfathomable distances, astronomers use a technique called gravitational lensing, a concept first introduced by Albert Einstein.

“It’s a miraculous phenomenon that happens in the universe due to gravity,” says Prof Kewley.

“If you have something that’s so massive in the universe, like a whole cluster of galaxies or a supermassive black hole inside a galaxy called a quasar, these

objects are so massive they bend light and it’s effectively making a telescope or a magnifying glass that is of an entire galaxy or galaxies across.

“We can look back to about a tenth of the age of the universe, about 13 billion years, a little bit before that even.

“We’re hoping that with the James Webb Telescope that’s just launched we’ll be able to look a little bit further, back when the first galaxies were formed in the universe.”

Despite her groundbreaking work, Prof Kewley almost didn’t pursue her aspirations.

While studying at Mt Stromlo, she says there was only one female astronomer with a permanent job in all of Australia.

“I honestly thought I wouldn’t get a permanent job either. I had a back-up plan to leave,” she says.

“I was okay with that because I just thought that’s what happened.”

It inspired her to pursue greater female representation in the field.

“You have to move around a lot and two careers in a relationship make the profession difficult to juggle. Sometimes it’s the women who give up their

careers as a result,” she says.

“Another one is a lack of role models. If you don’t see many women receiving recognition for their work or reaching leadership positions then you’re left likely to feel like you can’t be yourself.”

As director of the ASTRO3D, Prof Kewley introduced a series of initiatives that has now seen half of the centre’s staff and student body made up of women.

“Now that we’ve reached that goal, we know how to do it, so it’s something I’m planning on bringing to the US as well,” she says.

“I think the barriers to women in the field are lower than they used to be, but there are still serious reforms needed to retain and promote talented junior female academics into senior positions.”

She encourages any young girl, or boy, out there who may look at the stars and be inspired like she once was, to “just go for it”.

“It’s a fantastic time to be starting out as a student and getting involved in astronomy and science in general,” she says.

“There’s amazing discoveries to be made.”

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QUALITY TRAINING IN CONSTRUCTION

‘Entering the labour market in the first instance is very challenging for refugees’

Breaking through the barriers to a trades career

QUALITY Training in Construction

(QTiC) offers a training methodology that enhances diversity in the construction and trades sector, says founder and CEO Lynne Sheffield.

“QTiC is the ACT Training Awards Winner in the collaboration category for 2017, 2018, 2020 and runner up in 2019,” she says.

Lynne has worked in the construction industry as a trade specialist and a respected trainer for more than 20 years, and was a finalist in the ACT VET Teacher/ Trainer of the year in the ACT Training Awards in 2020.

Under Lynne’s guidance, QTiC has explored methodologies to strengthen its training model to ensure results are positive for learners, employers and the industry.

“The CPC20120 Certificate II in Construction focuses on upskilling candidates that are unemployed, disenfranchised, migrants and refugees, youth at risk and identifies candidates willing to work and enter into apprenticeships yet face significant barriers to start in the trades sector,” says Lynne.

Lynne says she’s proud that her organisation has trained more than 500 students and as an ongoing apprenticeship program in CPC33020 Certificate III in bricklaying/ blocklaying which reinforces close industry collaboration with the employers of these apprentices.

“QTiC has a track record of securing better than 80 per cent of our graduates into employment, which is well above the

industry average,” says Lynne.

“Entering the labour market in the first instance is very challenging for refugees, with an unemployment rate of 20 per cent for migrants on humanitarian visas and of those using jobactive, 69 per cent have spent more than a year looking for a job.

“In undertaking this program QTiC is imparting knowledge, building a participant’s knowledge and therefore confidence to take on a paying role in the construction industry. The program gives the participant structure, responsibility, confidence and, most of all, high-demand, valuable skills they can make a living from.”

Lynne says QTiC has offered the Certificate II in Construction program to a number of different minority groups over the last six years; youth at risk, immigrants and refugees, women, long term unemployed, and indigenous Australians.

The cohorts have all had different concerns with entering into training and education and following on to employment. Mentoring has been found to be beneficial to candidates, and QTiC has developed the concept of mentoring to enhance learning outcomes.

“Mentoring is used to steer a candidate to a job, an apprenticeship or further

education and gives participants valuable insight into career pathways into the construction industry, how to transition into work, while also providing valuable advice on work/life balance all from experienced construction industry experts,” she says.

“Long-term mentoring was piloted by QTiC in our Building Women for Construction program and we have found greater success in keeping those participants engaged on the path they have decided to take in education or employment.”

QTiC have encountered immigrants who lack the confidence in themselves and their skills which is exacerbated by lack of

verbal, and in some cases written, English language skills.

“This program works with immigrants to develop their English skills, tailored to the construction industry, and practical skills which gives greater confidence in themselves and gains employment and self-respect,” she says.

There is a national skills shortage for all trades, especially bricklaying.

“When a candidate is engaged in a QTiC training opportunity, employers know they are hiring a fully trained employee that is experienced on building sites.

“The CPC20120 Certificate II in Construction provides training to participants in WH&S, construction tools/materials, plans and specifications, measurements, and calculations, working safely at heights, concreting and steel fixing to name a few of the units to be trained. The inclusion to the program CPCCWHS1001 Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry (White Card) and 10675NAT Asbestos Awareness,” she says.

A candidate completing the CPC20120 Certificate II in Construction and wishing to undertake an apprenticeship, for example in the bricklaying/blocklaying trade, is provided with credit transfer for some of the competency.

“QTiC has a large number of construction-industry stakeholders who are engaged, supportive and prepared for our graduates, ready to engage them as apprentices,” she says.

More information at qualitytraininginconstruction.com.au

This program is run with funding support from Skills Canberra under the Skilled Capital initiative. ‘Job Trainer is a jointly funded initiative of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.’

The training for Skilled Capital -Job Trainer Training is ‘fee-free’

Cost: Nil

You will be required to meet the Eligibility Criteria.

Duration of the program is 14 weeks. The qualification includes 6 weeks full time study. The remaining 8 weeks will be full time training until the participant is placed into work experience or full time work on sites then the participant shall come in once a fortnight for training.

CANBERRA MATTERS / Bill Pye Park

YWCA hisses at locals opposing development

THE ACT government’s planning system and processes are no longer fit for purpose. They have been corrupted by ad hoc, ill-informed and illogical decisions.

Today the Planning Directorate functions as a property development unit.

The directorate is known for its laissez-faire approach to development. Whatever the developers put up for consideration, provided enough meaningless boxes are ticked, travels over the desks of those nominated as the planning authority for that day. Checking against the planning rules is regarded as an archaic process.

Residents have unpleasant experi ences with the ACT government’s dodgy approach to development.

The most recent being the experience of Ainslie residents dealing with Canberra’s YWCA and its applications to build units on the corner attached to Bill Pye Park.

This is also a case of residents getting between a very generously funded corporatised organisation and a bucket of money.

Another layer of the residents’ experience has been to observe how compliant the Planning Directorate is to the wishes of YWCA Canberra as a developer chasing yields.

tion (DA) was approved, residents identified that rules were ignored. An appeal to the Appeals Tribunal was successful with a list of reasons given why the development failed. The outcome was obvious, that the chief planner, being the ACT’s planning authority, had failed to assess the development against the rules.

Then things got really dodgy! Rules were varied that suited this development. Apparently, large trees will no longer hinder solar with their shadows, even if the developer builds next to them.

Another DA appeared in February with minor amendments. Residents

including being poorly designed and inappropriate for this site. Why didn’t the Planning Directorate knock back this new faulty DA?

A public campaign was launched by the YWCA against the residents along the lines that they were denying housing for disadvantaged people. Having heaps more housing for the disadvantaged is exactly what the locals want the government to do. However, in this case the developers and the ACT government want to remove trees and demolish the former community facilities (there go the trees again). Residents would much rather have the facilities

MAXIMISE YOUR PROFIT WHEN SELLING

Another of the residents’ experience has been to observe how compliant the Planning Directorate is to the wishes of YWCA Canberra as a developer chasing yields.

revamped for wider community use and for them to be again integrated with Bill Pye Park.

Anyone who has sat in Bill Pye Park for an hour or two, observed children playing, parents calling by to sit with their children, and the occasional groups playing in their special spots (fairy circles) under the trees – would understand what a special place this park is to this neighbourhood.

Instead, the YWCA’s approach has been a not-very-nice campaign of selected disinformation about the aspirations and actions of these peaceful residents.

This tension between the YWCA and residents is happening because of the government’s lack of good social

policy, urban design and master plans.

The ACT Labor/Greens government have morphed the Planning Directorate to be about development and profits and less about the people who live here. The ACT Greens’ new normal is inappropriate developments, a lack of planning, little about affordable housing, underfunded social housing programs and other rubbish practices. Most of their energy goes on misinformation and spin that fails to communicate anything genuine.

Surely someone in this government or its bureaucracy can identify with how Ainslie residents value their cherished Bill Pye Park and why they wish to restore the buildings to being available for wider community use – possibly for childcare and as general-purpose meeting rooms.

Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday mat ters. Read more of his columns on citynews.com.au

Down-to-earth firm keeps up with its clients’ lives

HERE for clients on every step of their life journey, the team at KJB Law pride themselves on their approachable, respectful client service and expert legal advice.

Celebrating the firm’s 45th anniver sary this year, principal and solicitor Des Moore says that the team culture at KJB Law is an aspect that sets it apart as a local law firm.

Led by three expert principal solici tors, Jo Twible, Des Moore and Andrew Freer who in their chosen fields of law have a combined 71 years of legal experience at the practice.

“We are a down-to-earth firm. We always communicate in plain English to demystify the law to our clients and treat them as equals,” says Des Moore.

Fellow principals Andrew Freer and Jo Twible say their longevity provides consistency and certainty to clients as they navigate many different fields of the law at different times in their lives and in their businesses.

“As a general law firm, we are here for our clients over the long term,” says Jo Twible.

“People may come to us for prop erty conveyancing, then perhaps they will return to sort out their wills and estate planning with us, for example. We tend to hold on to our clients so we are there should they ever need legal assistance with their business or personal matters.”

Andrew Freer says it’s very satisfying to have built long-standing relation

Over 40 years of professional service and excellence

The KJB Law team has built a reputation in Canberra for sound legal advice, simplifying the complexity of the law by explaining it to you in plain English, and then working towards the best possible solution. Our legal services include:

JO TWIBLE

Commercial Law

sometimes the solution isn’t always what we initially think it will be,” says Jo.

For Jo, her work is all about helping people navigate the complexity of commercial deals: “Sometimes what clients ask for isn’t necessarily what they need. My job is to work out all the options so they know the whole issue.”

She is also a specialist in the growing area of retirement village entry and exit, helping advise older clients and their families who are looking at the big life change of moving into a retirement village or aged care, which can involve complex contracts.

“We give our clients as much love and legal advice as we

can as they embark on this journey. We want to make the move to a retirement village as low-stress and as least daunting as possible,” she says.

As a member of the advisory group that reviewed the ACT Retirement Village legislation, Jo is well-versed in the legalities of the industry and on May 10, she and a panel of experts will host a seminar at the Hellenic Club in Phillip all about planning a successful move into a retirement living community.

For more information visit kjblaw.com.au

DES MOORE Family Law

an invaluable perspective to draw upon.

Associate Laura Dowling has been practicing law for 10 years and Des says she is a passionate and empathetic advocate for her clients.

“Laura approaches her matters in an empathetic way. Often the most emotional cases are in family law and Laura is perfectly suited to handling these complex matters,” he says.

Jay Riddle worked at KJB in an administrative role during his legal studies and on completion of his Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice through the University of Canberra and the College of Law, he joined the family law team as a junior solicitor.

Des Moore… His family law team handles all aspects of family and relationship law, by agreement or litigation if necessary.

Together, the family law team handle all aspects of family and relationship law, by agreement or litigation if necessary, including: matrimonial property settlements, de-facto relationship property settlements, care and parenting arrangements for children, divorce, “pre-nup” type property agreements that may be entered before, during or after a marriage or de-facto relationship. Wills and powers of attorney can also be managed at KJB Law, with special counsel Kerstin Glomb taking the lead in these matters.

ANDREW FREER Estate Litigation

Andrew says that with 27 years of legal experience, he has developed a good connection and a healthy respect for other practitioners in the field.

For Andrew, his passion is his clients and supporting them during times of vulnerability.

“I personally enjoy the opportunity to work closely with clients and help them through the complex legal steps that need to be taken when, sadly, someone has passed away,” he says.

“We are a well-drilled team who pride ourselves on doing things in a timely fashion.

Historically, estate administration can take a lot of time, but I find that if you have the confidence and experience in this field, it can be dealt with

Andrew Freer… “I help clients through the complex legal steps that need to be taken when, sadly, someone has passed away.”

more effectively.”

Andrew’s department is also staffed by solicitor Olivia Kordaris and estates manager Carrie-Anne Smith, who work as a team to manage all the aspects of estate administration such as the obtaining of probate, selling or transferring of assets, and setting up of trusts or funds for charitable beneficiaries. Andrew says that Elsbeth Leuverink is the team’s personal assistant who is usually the first contact point that clients have when booking an appointment.

/

Pocock wants to roll up his sleeves, get to work

By Belinda STRAHORN

DAVID POCOCK is fighting against the tide of electoral history in his bid to seize a Senate seat from the major parties in the ACT, at the forthcoming federal election.

Historically, the two ACT Senate seats have only ever been held by Lib eral and Labor candidates.

But the former Wallabies captain and political novice, who is running an independent Senate ticket, remains optimistic about his chances.

“It’s never been done before,” Po cock says.

“But I think there is a growing frus tration with the way things are going politically.”

Pocock, who has lived in Canberra for 10 years, is hoping to elevate the ACT’s relevance by offering voters an alternative to the usual two major parties.

If successful, the 33-year-old will become the ACT’s first independent senator.

While the former rugby union international was unable to identify a defining moment that led to his decision to contest the election, he expressed

tied to some party line or obsessed with the next Newspoll or the next election, people who can actually represent their communities.

“That’s why I’m running as an independent. I don’t want to have to tow some party line that I don’t believe in.”

Pocock recognises that if successful he will form part of a larger cross

has done for Tasmania in cancelling a bunch of debt, and almost singlehandedly getting a royal commission into veteran suicide,” Pocock says.

“Then Rex Patrick with his freedomof-information stuff, and actually holding the government to account. That’s exciting for me as an independent.”

One of three candidates taking

QUALITY AUSTRALIAN HEMP PRODUCTS

on Liberal minister Zed Seselja and Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher, Pocock will fight the election on issues he believes voters will respond to namely; restoring integrity and rebuilding public trust, the rising cost-of-living and action on housing affordability.

Other key focuses for Pocock include fighting for territory rights, more mental health resources, and a bigger slice of the infrastructure pie

“There’s obviously a bunch of things that I think Canberra is missing out on, and if you look at federal infrastructure funding we are not getting our fair share,” says Pocock.

“At the end of the day, making Canberra marginal by having an independent in the Senate will be enough to start to get more of the focus here, because the two major parties have taken us for granted since 1975.

“We need both senators going into bat for Canberra every day and I personally don’t feel like that’s happening.”

The star ACT Brumbies flanker retired in 2020 to concentrate on his conservation efforts, following a 15-year-long rugby career.

Well-known for his environmental activism, Pocock was once arrested after chaining himself to a digger at a coal mine protest.

He is keen to focus on his environmental credentials that will un-

doubtedly appeal to voters who have concerns about climate change and its impact on the community.

“When it comes to climate change this is an opportunity that Australia cannot afford to miss,” Pocock says.

“Economically, it’s huge and we are currently missing out. We have to be building a better, more resilient economy to create jobs in regional areas that have relied on fossil fuels for so long.”

Zimbabwe-born Pocock moved to Brisbane as a teenager. His upbringing in another country has helped define his political awakening.

“Everyone talks about politics in Zimbabwe because it’s so consequential, and so you grow up knowing it’s an important thing,” says Pocock.

“When I arrived in Australia and saw how democracy worked I was really grateful to be able to live here, and when you love somewhere you want to contribute to making it better.”

Capped 83 times by his country, Pocock believes the hard work, discipline and team building he honed as a professional sportsman will be put to good use in politics.

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THE GADFLY / Anthony Albanese

Let’s not pop the bubbly corks just

I was wrong. For weeks, if not months, I’ve been bemoaning in print and around the dinner tables the sheer foolishness of Albo and his political advisers.

“He should be out there with plans for attacking climate change and every other failing of the Morrison government with clear, well-costed alternatives,” I’ve written and said.

“No one knows what Albo stands for. Morrison is winning by default. The Labor geniuses behind the scenes are blowing the election.”

I’m not alone. Other commentators have been just as strident in their condemnation of the Labor silence, and worse, the Opposition’s refusal to take issue with the way Morrison and Dutton have been shadow boxing the Chinese in the hope they’ll react badly and give them a real excuse for a khaki election.

Wrong again. The Chinese ambassador offered a white flag to “meet halfway”; and the Chinese courting of the Solomon Islands government melted like a flash in the pan when PM Manasseh Sogavare rejected any idea of a Chinese base there.

Despite all the urging, Albo and his advisers kept their collective nerve. They knew – much better than us commentators and columnists – that by staying silent for as long as possible

they were denying Scott Morrison his political meat and drink.

Like all bullies, he’s a big mouth who shouts and threatens anyone who puts his (or especially her) own idea forward. He pours out the vituperation, makes up statistics, and generally buries the idea in such blather that all people remember is the response. Far, far better, they figured, to hold their fire until the campaign itself. Only then would they get a fair hearing. Meantime, Morrison would be left to his own devices. And maybe the people would realise – as they did – what kind of a bloke he was underneath all the

A month and a bit from polling day, all the signs are pointing to Antony Green calling it for Labor by about 9.30 on election night.

marketing ploys.

But even they couldn’t have predicted what actually happened as one after another, people from all places and stations who had dealt with him came out with such crushing depictions of his character and proclivities. Deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce: “A hypocrite and a liar”; French President Macron: A liar? “I don’t think, I know”; Liberal Senator Connie Fierravanti-Wells: “Unfit for office, an autocrat, a bully with no moral compass”; Jacqui Lambie, Pauline Hanson in full agreement… and so the list goes on.

Yet still the Labor folk kept their nerve until, with exquisite timing, Albo used the Budget Address-inReply before the Parliament rose to make his opening pitch. And it was pretty good: “Child Care, Medicare, Aged Care because Labor cares”. After

a thoroughly pedestrian Budget, it detailed a total regeneration of the aged care community, and Morrison’s only response was the old: “Where’s the money coming from?”

All that did was give the issue another day in the headlines. And there they joined new revelations about his dear friend Brian Houston, head of the Pentecostal Hillsong Church forced to step down for inappropriate behaviour; while nine out of 16 affiliated churches in the US cut ties with Hillsong.

In the last election, Morrison’s “miracle” saw him scrape back with a small majority; but this time even the divine Pentecostal intervention seems to be against him.

So, a month and a bit from polling day, all the signs are pointing to Antony Green calling it for Labor by about 9.30 on election night.

But let’s not pop the champagne corks just yet.

I’ve been wrong before.

robert@ robertmacklin. com

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THE Canberra Organic Growers Society O’Connor Community Garden and the O’Connor Uniting Community Hub are holding their first joint open day featuring demonstrations, displays and community stalls. It’s at the O’Connor Uniting Church, Scrivener Street, 10am-4pm, on Saturday, April 23. Visitors will learn about planting bee-friendly gardens (10am), making compost (10.30am) and worm farming (11.15am). Guided tours of the garden will be available until 2.30pm.

Call for more prison officers

A NEW report, from the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, found inadequate staffing numbers at the Alexander Maconochie Centre prison were contributing to poor wellbeing.

Staff reported high overtime levels, lack of access to training, reduced safety on-site and increased detainee tension due to increased lock-ins. They said a lack of equipment and ill-fitting uniforms compromised their safety, operational effectiveness and dignity.

Corrections Minister Mick Gentleman said he accepted all the recommendations made in the report in principle.

Retired sailor builds a place to sit and remember

By Belinda STRAHORN

WITHIN a year of joining the Royal Australian Navy, Jim Quick found himself on a troop ship transporting Australian infantry to Vietnam.

Quick served aboard HMAS Sydney when it delivered the first troops and supplies to Vung Tau in 1965.

“We got the troops off the ship and we got out of there,” said Quick.

“It was dangerous. The Viet Cong had divers that were prone to sticking mines on ships trying to blow us up and sink us, so you didn’t hang around.”

Now a resident of the retirement village Greenway Views, Quick has used the extended lockdown to help create a veterans’ memorial in remembrance of those who have served, and died, in war.

Designed by Quick and other veterans, the memorial – located at the front of the retirement village – has some special features: a sandstone wall, and a granite

stone that’s embedded with the emblems of the three military services, Navy, Army and Air Force.

Park benches sit either side of the memorial, which is bordered by red roses. An Australian flag flies, and at night the memorial lights up, Quick said. There are also plans for a Lone Pine to be planted.

“One of the veterans who was impressed with the memorial has sourced a Lone Pine for us, which will be growing long after we are gone,” said Quick.

“That’s the point of the memorial, it’s been made to last and will always be here.”

Quick said the idea to build a veterans’ memorial came after the retirement village hosted a small Anzac Day service last year.

“Paul Browne [head of the development company LDK] came down from Queensland for our Anzac Day service and afterwards he said he wanted something built for the veterans to hold their services,” said Quick.

“We’ve got quite a few veterans here, about 25 of us, going back to the Korean War.”

Quick – who was tasked with managing the project – said the memorial was funded by Green-

way Views, and had quickly become a place of reflection.

“We wanted it to be more than just for veterans, we wanted it to be a serene area for anyone from the village to sit, contemplate and remember people who have passed,” said Quick.

“We are finding that particularly ladies who have lost their husbands, and their husbands may not have been servicemen, sit there to reflect. It’s a really lovely place.”

Originally from Colac in Victoria, Quick joined the Navy in 1964 when he was 16. Now a 74-yearold, Quick is looking back on his experience as a 17-year-old naval seaman on board HMAS Sydney.

Dubbed the “Vung Tau Ferry”, HMAS Sydney – a converted aircraft carrier – made 25 voyages to Vietnam between 1965 and 1972.

Quick said troops heading to Vietnam would keep themselves busy aboard the ship practising shooting and staying fit.

“I was part of the cruise that took the first Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) to Vietnam in 1965,” said Quick.

“We were going about our business operating the ship, but the soldiers were there as passengers, so we had to keep them occupied.

“They did a lot of physical exer-

cise to keep themselves in shape. We would fill balloons with water and drop them off the stern of the ship for the troops to fire at as practice.”

Although he served in the Navy, Quick remembers the less than warm welcome home that those serving in Vietnam re ceived at the conclusion of their tour of duty.

“The army guys did cop it,” Quick said. “I remember in 1987 they had a welcome home march for Vietnam veterans in Sydney, and I don’t think I’ve seen so many grown men cry.

“That was the welcome home they should have got years be fore.”

Quick served for two decades in the Navy, reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer, before leaving the naval service and entering the public service.

In 2018, he was awarded an OAM for services to the veteran community, largely for his work as president of the HMAS Sydney Association in the ACT, a position he has held for 26 years.

Constructed during lockdown, Quick said the memorial got its first outing for Remembrance Day last year, and this year will be the memorial’s maiden Anzac Day ceremony.

ANZAC DAY / April 25

Different spot, same service salutes Anzac legacy

THIS year, the 106th anniversary of Anzac Day, the Australian War Memorial’s annual dawn service will be held on the western ground due to work being undertaken on the historic landmark’s development project.

Held on April 25 of each year, the dawn service honours the members of the Australian and NZ Army Corps (ANZAC ) who fought at Gallipoli during World War I.

The “Anzac legend”, inspired by that bloody campaign, has become an important part of the identity of both nations.

From 3.30am at the War Memorial, large screens will project images of items from the memorial and from 4.30am Defence Force personnel will read out diary notes and personal letters of soldiers who once served their country.

The dawn service will follow at 5.30am, but the public is also encouraged to gather at 9.30am to see the ACT RSL hold the veterans’ march.

The Memorial’s assistant director of Public Programs, Anne Bennie, says it will be a day to reflect on the sacrifice and service of those who protect Australia.

“Australia is a small country comparatively around the world, but Australians have served their country for a long time,” says Ms Bennie.

“They’ve served for the Empire, for the Commonwealth and for the Australian Defence Force. Every day personnel are deployed around the world on peacekeeping operations.

“Anzac Day is our day to come together as a nation to reflect on that service and the

Australia we live in today because of it.”

A “Last Post” ceremony will also be held at 4.45pm. Visitors are encouraged to book free tickets online.

The Australian War Memorial, Treloar Crescent, Campbell. Visit awm.gov.au or call 6243 4211.

Community club to host a day of commemoration

THIS Anzac Day the Canberra Services Club will host a dawn service at 6.30am at the corner of Canberra Avenue and Manuka

General manager Marija Djerke says it’ll kick off a day of commemoration, with a gunfire breakfast being held at the club in

“There’ll be food at the club all day and

Located in Barton and featuring a bistro, two bars, a beer garden and function spaces, Marija says there’ll be plenty going

The club is known for looking after people in Defence, police, the ambulance

service and many others who protect the community.

It’s also home to the War Widows ACT, an organisation that looks after those who have lost their partner in defence of Australia.

Marija says the club always has events and deals on throughout the week for those wanting to drop in.

“We’ve got $12 meals, trivia, live music and more,” says Marija.

“We’re Barton’s hidden gem.”

Canberra Services Club, 51 Blackall Street, Barton. Call 6162 0503 or visit canberraclub.com.au

MON 25 APRIL 2022

Join us at the Australian War Memorial to remember all Australians who have served and died in war and on operational service, past and present.

PRE-DAWN READINGS 4.30 AM

Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard and Sculpture Garden

DAWN SERVICE 5.30 AM

Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard and Sculpture Garden

RSL (ACT BRANCH) VETERANS’ MARCH 9.30 AM

Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard and Sculpture Garden

LAST POST CEREMONY 4.45 PM

Watch live at awm.gov.au/anzac

Free bus services will run for the Dawn Service and Veterans’ March. See transport.act.gov.au for details.

For information about the commemorations, road closures, and parking visit awm.gov.au/anzac

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WILLIAM Petterson, who has cut and styled hair around the world for 18 years, has joined Axis Hairdressing, in Braddon.

William, from Glasgow, Scotland, has taught and mentored in the hairdressing industry in London, Russia, Europe and Australia.

“I specialise in all aspects of cutting hair, everything including afros,” says William who began his career in hair at 16 years old.

“In the UK, mostly we focus on either cut or colour, and I was pretty good at the cut side of things, so I basically learnt to cover all aspects, specialising in everything that you are able to cover.” He says he brings his fresh approach to everyone who walks in the door.

“It’s about problem solving and suitability,” William says.

“My thing is creating something that’s going to be manageable for the client, because at the end of the day we can have our clients in the salon chair and can make them look amazing, but the important thing is when they go home and do their own hair, it has to look amazing then.

William says that his passion for hair came from his mum, who is a hairdresser and has her own salon, although William has never worked with her:

everything including afros.”

Hammering nails into Liberals’ integrity coffin

POLITICS

By Michael Moore

William’s top tip for clients to get the best out of their hairstyle? Use products.

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William says that his move to Canberra and joining the highly-awarded team at Axis Hairdressing has been a very positive experience.

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THE Fierravanti-Wells attack on the Prime Minister adds another arrow into the armoury regarding lack of integrity in the current government.

With an election looming, it is difficult to imagine voters not taking integrity into account when determining their vote.

This is why the Fierravanti-Wells Senate speech is so devastating for the Liberals. No matter how much Scott Morrison spins an alternative discourse, the accusations of corrupt behaviour and lack of integrity really hit home.

It gets worse for Morrison. Catherine Cusack MLC from the NSW Upper House has long been a factional foe of Fierravanti-Wells. However, on the integrity issue she sings from the same songbook saying the Prime Minister had “trashed” the values of the Liberal Party.

Had these accusations come from just two people, it might have been possible to dismiss them as sour grapes. However, over the last few years there have been far too many accusations of corruption, scandals and ministers having to stand aside because of issues such as misuse of taxpayers’ money. It is no wonder these revelations have been taken up so widely in the media.

identifies is not limited to Scott Morrison but includes the Special Minister of State, Alex Hawke. She described his “corrupt antics in NSW” and went on to say “despite clear evidence of fraud, Hawke’s role in this process has never been fully disclosed”.

There are even stronger words when describing her own party: “There is a putrid stench of corruption emanating from the NSW Division of the Liberal Party”. This is a leader and party that will be seeking our support in an election that must be held before the end of May. It is hard to imagine how ordinary voters will perceive a Liberal Party when the NSW Members “have lost faith in the party” and goes on to point out that “our members do not want to help in the upcoming election”. The sort of infighting revealed by this broadcast is a dire warning about what can be expected if the Liberals/Nationals are returned to office.

One of the most damning comments by Catherine Cusack is that in the Liberal Party, “we have forfeited the precious integrity and values that Australia admired and needed and that served our country so well for decades”.

With an election looming, it is difficult to imagine voters not taking integrity into account when determining their vote.

There are the broad corruption issues and other separate accusations specifically aimed at Scott Morrison. “The fish stinks from the head” is a pretty powerful accusation. It is even stronger when the context is provided by the Senator who explained the Prime Minister’s hypocrisy as he is “adept at running with the foxes and hunts with the hounds, lacking the moral compass and having no conscience”.

Prime Minister Morrison has sold himself as a man of faith. This speech reveals a picture much more of a man consumed by hypocrisy where “his actions conflict with his portrayal as a man of faith” and as a man who simply uses “faith as a marketing advantage”.

Catherine Cusack, writing in “The Guardian” adds: “I am happy to endorse her (Fierravanti-Wells) character assessment of the Prime Minister. She was spot on”.

The stench that Senator Fierravanti-Wells

The picture painted by both of these stalwarts of the Liberal Party assists in explaining why the Morrison government failed to set up an Anti-Corruption and Integrity Commission. Despite this being promised before the last election, such a commission has clearly been too risky for the government to expose itself to examination on the sorts of issues raised in this extraordinary speech.

Integrity and ethics are integral to a successful democracy. Seeing our Prime Minister described as a “bully” with “no moral compass” is bad enough. However, the rule of law is also fundamental to democracy. So the Senator’s reflection that “Morrison is not interested in rules-based order. It is his way or the highway” hammers yet another nail into the integrity coffin of Liberal Party leadership.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells concludes with: “In my public life I have met ruthless people. Morrison tops the list followed by Hawke. Morrison is not fit to be Prime Minister and Hawke certainly is not fit to be a minister”. With such cross-factional assessments from women within senior elements of the Liberal Party, unless they are just blind followers, Liberal Party voters are put in an awful quandary.

Dr Inga’s talking about trees

RENOWNED nature writer Dr Inga Simpson, pictured, will talk about “Seeing the World Through Trees” at the Manning Clark House garden, 11 Tasmania Circle, Forrest, at 1.30pm on Sunday, May 1. The author will discuss the intersection between inner and outer landscapes, why nature writing is a revolutionary genre rather than escapist fantasy and why trees are necessary for creativity, life and reimagining a more sustainable future. Book at trybooking.com/BYBSR.

‘De-stash’ yarn sale

CANBERRA Knitters and Crocheters are holding a “de-stash” yarn sale in aid of the Red Cross Flood Relief Appeal. Organisers promise “bargains galore” from yarn and craft equipment. It’s at The Hellenic Club, Woden, 11am-2.30pm on Sunday, May 1. Cash sales only.

A view of plastics

HELEN Oakey, director of the Conservation Council of the ACT, will talk about “Plastics and Environmentally Sustainable Alternatives” at the next lunch meeting of the Weston Creek VIEW Club, which will be held at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11.30am on Tuesday, May 3. Lunch costs $35 and guests and interested ladies welcome. RSVP to 6286 4626 by 5pm, Thursday, April 28.

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Time to stop this ideological Greens nonsense

THANKS to Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed (CN March 31) for their evidence that the ACT government is deliberately strangling the supply of land when its own research shows that available land is the pathway to “the preferred housing choice of an overwhelming majority of Canberrans”.

Searching for an explanation for this “harsh government constraint on land supply”, one must go back to May 2019 when the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, ruled out development in Kowen Forest stating that the city needed to be developed in a way that had less physical impact on the environment, thus making higher-density housing the preferred option.

How could Barr have said anything else given that he was captive to the Rattenbury Greens’ environmental ideology in the form of the Gungahlin light rail that had commenced the month before, putting ACT finances into hock for decades and being totally dependent on the development of high-density housing corridors for its success?

Thus, packing people into high-rise apartments became so good for the environment that it didn’t matter what damage was done to the social and economic well-being of young couples and young families and their aspirations for a standalone dwelling.

That is the real price of light rail, now set to be confounded with the raising of London Circuit, committing an entire generation to life in high-rise dwellings.

It is time to stop this ideological Greens nonsense for which there is no sound research justification and which only fills the pockets of developers. The ACT has the land – let’s use it for the next generation!

John L Smith, via email

Renewables are the cheapest

LETTER writer John L Smith (“Renewable energy isn’t cheap”, CN March 31) has got it wrong. He forgets that as our ageing coal-fired power stations close they must be replaced.

The CSIRO’s annual GenCost reports consistently show that renewables in the form of solar and wind, even including integration costs such as storage and transmission, are the cheapest sources of

new energy in Australia.

It is also true globally. In July, the World Economic Forum reported that “Renewables were the world’s cheapest source of energy in 2020.” But the cost is only one factor. Minimising greenhouse gas emissions is an urgent existential necessity.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Legislation biased towards dogs

I READ a few bits in “CityNews” (April 7), one in particular about Housing ACT, with which I largely agree (“Why Housing ACT deserves all that’s hurled at it”, letters).

It spurred me to concur in that and other pieces about how the ACT government (Labor) does not seem to care about people in this once-garden city – odd, I thought, given that I always thought Labor was for the people.

My particular issue is barking dogs (and noise pollution generally), about which I have challenged several ministers and MLAs, not least of whom are Barr and Steel.

Under their watch, Domestic Animal Services commonly dismisses complaints about dog nuisances as frivolous and place an enormous burden of proof on the complainant.

The legislation is worse than ineffective. it is biased towards dogs, and procedures to investigate dog-barking complaints are antiquated. DAS does not even have a

In restaurants, I like to call for the bill

I’M obliged to take issue with the normally impeccable Wendy Johnson.

In a recent restaurant review, she recorded as a negative that she had to ask for the bill – whereas I consider it a sign of a classy establishment when I am able to decide when the dining occasion is over, rather than having the bill arrive with coffee – and the (sometimes not very) subtle suggestion that your vacating the table forthwith would be a most welcome and appropriate thing for you to do.

John Griffin, via email

It’s not Berry good, Minister

sound-recording device.

Friends and I organised a petition to have Barr, Steel and DAS address these issues; unfortunately, we did not get the required 500 signatures to force an independent committee, so got a curt, platitudinous reply from Barr and Steel instead, saying the DAS is investigating itself.

With more people working from home (and now returning to work with new doggies left at home alone) barking dogs have become a cacophony, and any instance of such noise pollution (amongst others such as loud music, hoon cars etcetera) is a mental-health issue.

It wasn’t like this 30 years ago when I came to Canberra! This government and parliament does not care about people and their views at all.

Dr Paul Mathews, via email

Fix the Civic dead heart first

MATT Lowes (“Traders may be shortsighted”, letters, CN April 7) should wander just a bit further down City Walk towards Petrie Plaza to see why not all pedestrian streets work. Until they can fix that dead zone in the heart of Civic, the idea of pedestrianising Lonsdale Street (which is currently working just fine) seems ludicrous. Like a solution in search of a problem.

Danny Corvini, Deakin

Our Minister for Housing and her supporting Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services need to show that the ACT government is far more capable of both filling, maintaining and managing well its existing stock of public housing properties before it talks up promises of more such residential development (“Another trashed hellhole ignored by Housing ACT”, CN March 24).

The derelict state of a relatively new public housing complex in Braddon illustrates the dereliction of duty associated with the administration and monitoring of significant public assets.

Both public-housing tenants and surrounding private-housing residents and ratepayers deserve to live in an environment that is safe, quiet and visually pleasing. Surely this is not too much to expect in a national capital like Canberra.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Chemical nasties impede development

I REFER to Senator Zed Seselja’s reported lobbying to build on the “unused” former CSIRO Agricultural Research Station site, too close to the outer northern Canberra suburbs.

Had the senator read the Independent Environmental Report, he would know why the locality is not only “unused” but is chemically tainted and, as an OH&S precaution, should never be developed for housing. The CSIRO Agricultural Research Station was used from its inception in 1960 to its recent move to the pristine, pretty,

rural NSW village of Boorowa. Over the decades some of the most toxic and nasty chemicals have been tested (many have now been banned worldwide) on crops and soils at the Agricultural Research Station. These include DDT, organochlorides, organophosphates, dioxins (Agent Orange), Glyphosate/ Zero/Roundup and many more nasties, as well as genetically modified experimental plantings. Residues have been found in soil and water samples over the site.

The danger to humans and animals of these “nasties” is well documented in the scientific literature. These chemicals have long-lasting withholding periods in soil and water profiles and are extremely mobile within and across these profiles.

Eliminating and mitigating the site will not only be difficult but may be impossible and, of course, expensive.

Senator Seselja, this is not pristine land ready for building – in light of its (manmade) problems and health and safety dangers it should never, ever be developed for habitation.

PR Temple, Macquarie

A replay of the tired excuses

Like political columnist Michael Moore, I am unimpressed with the 2022-2023 Budget (“Morrison’s cynical Budget sets out to ‘buy’ votes”, CN April 7).

It was certainly a blatant and, yes, cynical exercise in vote buying, which I suspect will be recognised as just that, but as a scientist, I see another gaping hole.

The Budget made scant mention of climate change, only a replay of the tired excuses that date back to the failed Abbott government. Emissions reduced by 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels, when 35 per cent is a bare minimum; and unspecified technology and pie-in-the-sky “technological breakthroughs”.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes it painfully clear that all countries must lift their efforts to reduce emissions if we are to preserve a tolerable climate.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Cracking the code of doctors’ doctored words

AS we get older and more likely to be in need of medical attention it’s handy to be able to translate what medical staff might be saying about us.

Medical jargon includes “contu sion” for bruise, “haemorrhaging” for bleeding, “abrasion” for a cut or graze, and “abscess” for a large blister. “Sclerosis” means hard or hardening, and “stasis” is slowing or stopping the flow of a bodily fluid. An “occlusion” is the blockage or closing of a blood vessel or hollow organ.

“Rupture” is to break or burst. An “acute myocardial infarction” is a heart attack. An “aneurism” is an excessive localised swelling of the wall of an artery.

Other common medical terms include:

• Hypotension: low blood pressure.

• Intravenous: medication or fluid that’s delivered by vein.

• Acute: a condition that begins abruptly and is sometimes severe, but duration is short.

• Benign: unlikely to be cancerous.

• Chronic: a persistent condition, like heart disease.

• Oedema: swelling caused by fluid accumulation.

• Embolism: arterial blockage, often caused by a blood clot.

• Epidermis: outer layer of the skin.

• Hypertension: high blood pressure.

• Malignant: presence of cancerous cells.

• Pathology: behaviour of a disease

• Prognosis: predicated outcome of disease progression and treatment.

• Relapse: recurrence of disease or symptoms after a patient has recovered.

• Sutures: stitches used to join tissues together.

• Vascular: pertaining to vessels carrying blood.

• Zoonotic disease: one transmissible

Medicos also use a range of prefixes and suffixes:

PREFIXES

A-: Lack of, or without as in “asymptomatic” (no symptoms).

Dys-: abnormal, difficult, or painfulas in dysfunctional.

Macro-: large in size.

Melan-: black or dark in colour.

Micro-: small in size.

Poly-: many.

Pseudo-: false or deceptive in appearance.

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Retro-: behind or backward.

SUFFIXES

-ation: indicates a process.

-ectomy: surgical removal of something.

-ismus: indicates a spasm or contraction.

-itis: signifies inflammation.

-lysis: decomposition, destruction, or breaking down.

-ology: study of a particular concentration.

-osis: something that is abnormal.

-otomy: to cut into.

-pathy: disease or disease process.

-plasty: surgical repair.

It’s also handy to know medical root words:

• Cardi-: related to the heart.

• Derm-: pertaining to the skin.

• Encephal-: related to the brain.

• Gastr-: related to the stomach.

• Hemat-: pertaining to blood.

• My-: related to muscle.

• Oste-: related to bone.

• Pulmon-: refers to the lungs.

• Rhin-: related to the nose.

• Therm-: indicates heat.

Doctors commonly use acronyms as shorthand for technical phrases

such as “BPH” for “Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy” (meaning enlargement of the prostate gland). Other acronyms are intended to be obscure to the public such as “DNR” which means “Do Not Resuscitate”. Medical acronyms can also be used as shorthand for commonly met problems – such as “FOOSH” – meaning “Fall Onto OutStretched Hand” (the most common cause of hand and wrist injuries). A common British National Health Service fall-related acronym is “PFO” meaning “Pissed and Fell Over”.

You are no doubt aware of the difference between a general practitioner and a specialist? One thinks he treats what you have, the other thinks you have what he treats.

A GP tells a patient: “I’ve got very bad news – you’ve got cancer and advanced Alzheimer’s”. Patient: “Well, at least I don’t have cancer.”

Clive Williams is a Canberra column ist. There’s more of his “Whimsy” at citynews. com.au

Though I presently live (and have done so for more than 45 years) at the eastern extremity of the electorate of Bean, if elected I will live for at least 90 percent of my time in Canberra, where I will have a very active and accessible electorate office, and proudly do my best for every resident and business in the electorate.

TUGGERANONG

Take a step into Tuggeranong’s best businesses

WHILE Tuggeranong

may be one of the ACT’s 18 original suburbs, its history stretches back far further than that.

Cave paintings and Aboriginal artifacts discovered in the area have confirmed the region has been occupied by Canberra’s original inhabitants, the Ngunnawal people, for more than 21,000 years.

In fact, the name “Tuggeranong” comes from the indigenous name “Togranong”, which roughly translates to “cold place”.

Tania’s gone from flour to flower

TANIA Hancock, owner of Blossoms of Canberra, has always loved “dabbling with flowers”.

She studied floristry at CIT in 2010, and has been working at Blossoms of Canberra for nearly six years.

Previously, she worked for TipTop bakeries.

“It gave me the time to be at home with my children, because I could work early mornings,” she says.

“Flowers came later. I waited until the kids grew up and then did something different.

“The most rewarding part is the emotion that flowers convey, and the feedback you get from customers.”

Tania says while there are a lot of happy times, there are a lot of sad ones, too.

“There’s bereavements and funerals, and weddings and new babies.

“I like the thought of making people happy with the products I sell, and making a difference in someone’s life.”

Tania also says her staff are friendly, and it’s a nice, light-filled shop.

“I get lots of people commenting that it’s a nice shopping experience, and I give people value for money,” she says.

Blossoms of Canberra, Erindale Shopping Centre. Call 6231 0822 or visit blossomsofcanberra.com.au

Club builds a live-music hub for the southside

THE Burns Club has been newly renovated, says marketing manager Maddison Miller, and now has a new deck called “The Glen”.

She says it’s the biggest outdoor entertainment area in Canberra, and has live music every Friday and Saturday from 7pm, and Sunday afternoon from 3pm.

“The Glen provides locals with a first-rate program of live music and other entertainment,” says Maddison.

“The Burns Club is aiming to become a live music hub for the

southside.”

“We’re a team of friendly staff. You’ll feel at home here and we create a safe, family friendly environment,” she says.

Maddison says prices are cheap, and there are plenty of dining options.

“We’ve got the Star Buffet, and there’s also bar meals available, so come on down for dinner.”

The Burns Club, 28 Kett Street, Kambah. Call 6296 2425, or visit burnsclub.com.au

FRI & SAT FROM 7PM SUN FROM 3PM

TUGGERANONG

Where school’s ‘a great place to be’

ST Mary MacKillop College has a “really diverse and inclusive community, with students who have a huge range of different interests, talents and backgrounds,” say college captains Madison Arnold and Rohan McDonough.

“There is a huge range of things to do at MacKillop. We have lots of curricular and co-curricular opportunities, with a wide range of subjects and electives.”

Madison and Rohan say they enjoy living and going to school in the Tuggeranong area.

“It’s a great community and we’re surrounded by nature.

“MacKillop is located in the heart of Tuggeranong but is also easily accessible from Woden, Weston Creek, Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra.”

Enrolments for the 2023 school year are due May 27, and the St Mary MacKillop College open day will be held on May 2.

“There is an energy at our school that makes it an enjoyable place to learn and a great place to be!”

St Mary MacKillop College. Call 6209 0100, email enrolments@mackillop.act.edu.au or visit mackillop.act.edu.au

The place to go for renovation needs

CANBERRA-based TradeWise Renovations was established in 2015.

Managing director Angelo Nardi says TradeWise has a team with a complete set of trades, from plasterers to painters, carpenters and electricians.

And it’s a family business; Angelo works alongside his son and business partner.

“I did my carpentry apprenticeship many, many years ago. I started off doing maintenance and it’s developed into what we’re doing now,” says Angelo, who has more than 30 years of experience.

“We specialise in interior renovations. We can do custom-built kitchens, custom-built bathrooms, anything inside we’ll do.”

Angelo says TradeWise Renovations likes to provide a good service and a good product, and it aims to please.

“We’ve got a lot of experience behind us, and we just want to be known as the place to go for your renovation needs.”

TradeWise Renovations. Call 0430 172451, email info@ tradewiserenovations.com or visit tradewiserenovations.com

trinkets and charms

HAVING just moved into a new and bigger store, there’s even more to discover at Charlie & Chums, says owner Sandy Borgo.

Now located across from Target in Tuggeranong Southpoint, Sandy says the store has added even more to its range of practical and decorative pet-themed gifts.

“There’s toys for cats and dogs, pet hair brushes and brooms, bookmarks, bags, painted mugs, figurines, sculptures, leashes, collars and much more,” she says.

“One of our newest additions are ‘warmies’, which are little soft toys that have wheat packs in them, so you’re able to heat them up and they

also have a bit of lavender,” she says.

“We’ve also got some SnuggUps animal slippers, pot holders, aprons and all sorts of things.”

Sandy says the store is also now better set out, with dedicated sections for garden, wall art, pet supplies, giftware and more.

“People tell me that the store makes them feel happy,” she says.

“I have people who can come in and spend an hour just looking around.”

Charlie & Chums, Tuggeranong Southpoint across from Target. Call 0402 097580 or visit charlieandchums.com.au

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Dale loves making lessons fun

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

“You don’t realise how much exercise you’re doing, you’re constantly on the move,” she says.

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

Dale is backed by more than 20 years’ experience teaching dance. She started dancing at the age of six, when she developed an interest in ballroom dancing. She’s since received many qualifications in ballroom dancing and is also a championship adjudicator who travels interstate to judge ballroom competitions.

adults, children and social classes, too.

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

Giving kids a head start on schooling

KIDSTART Southside Education and Activity Centre understands that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial for development, says owner Kristen O’Connor.

“Kidstart offers classes for children from five months to five years of age to develop them socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually,” she says.

Operating since 1996 and located in Wanniassa, Kristen says Kidstart offers three distinct and ageappropriate programs to ignite in kids a love of learning. This includes a “pre-preschool” program for children to attend by themselves in the year before preschool.

“It focuses on literacy skills, social skills and all round school readiness so

that children can thrive in a school format,” says Kristen.

KidStart is proud to have just welcomed their 21st class of three-year-olds into the program.

“It has been amazing to see 21 years worth of three-year-old Kidstart kids and their families growing, loving, enjoying and benefiting from the program,” says Kristen.

“We are passionate about developing a love of learning in each and every child.

“By allowing them to thrive in an educational setting and experience the joy in exploring and achieving we hope learning will be a lifelong passion for all our Kidstart kids.”

Kidstart Southside Education and Activity Centre, 65 Sternberg Crescent, Wanniassa. For enrolment enquiries visit kidstart.com.au

Priscilla’s in town and, yes, there will be a bus ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Helen MUSA

BUOYED with the success of one jukebox musical in “Mamma Mia”, Free Rain Theatre is at last staging a big, splashy production of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the Musical” at The Q after covid postponements – and, yes, there will be a bus.

It’s based on the 1994 film “The Adven tures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” by Australian director-writer Stephan Elliott, the musical which he created with Allan Scott. The show uses well-known disco numbers to tell the story of two drag queens, Anthony/Tick and Adam/Felicia who join trans woman/earth mother Bernadette on a road trip to Alice Springs, where they are to perform at a resort.

The film and the stage show have wowed audiences from Cannes to the West End and Broadway and it’s likely to be exactly the same here, with tickets already selling faster than “Mamma Mia”. West, who has also cast himself in the plum role of wise woman Bernadette, believes “Priscilla” was way ahead of its time

“There was a touch of genius in putting three drag queens in the middle of nowhere… it’s kind of an ‘Eat Pray Love’ journey to find yourself, or else the archetypal hero journey.”

And the pulsating rhythms of the disco scene, he says, conjure up the night club scene which went hand-in-hand with the gay liberation movement.

Priscilla the bus was loaded into a container in Rockhampton where designer Ross James, who also did the set for Free

Rain’s “Mamma Mia”, made it, West says. “And it’s got all the bells and whistles, including an elevator.”

Meantime here, Fiona Leach and her team had a wonderful time with the outrageous costumes the musical demands. We agree that it would be impossible for her to go over the top.

West takes his acting role seriously, his first, he says, since appearing in Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins” in 2019, and says: “I hope I do her justice. Bernadette is an iconic woman and I’m very privileged to be playing her”.

At the same time, working with a top cast of Joe Dinn as Anthony/Tick, Garrett Kelly as Adam/Felicia, Pat Gallagher as Bob and Jessica Marshall as his wife Cynthia, he’s had a great time in the rehearsal room.

As well, Canberra is known for the excellence of its rock musicians and a nine-piece band headed up by Free Rain regular Alexander Unikowski is getting right into the era.

They’ll be joined by a chorus of around 20, plus “The Three Divas” who narrate the story, all of them star soloists in their own right. But will the three divas be seen flying high above the stage? As they say in showbiz, you’ll have to be there to find out.

“Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, April 26-May 22. Book at theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

Thrills, chills, spills, here comes a circus festival

By Helen Musa

WITH the thrills, chills and spills of circus missing in action for the last two years, there’s good news as Canberra’s 32-yearold Warehouse Circus, founded by Sonia Young in 1990, gears up for a national circus festival.

Artistic director of the Canberra circus company, Tom Davis, is brimming with enthusiasm about the coming event, which opens later in April under a big top at Kambah.

A self-styled expert hat juggler who first went to Warehouse Circus as a kid in 1997, staying until 2008, when he headed for Melbourne to the National Institute of Circus Arts, Davis later worked around Australia, including with Solid State Circus and Circus Oz until 2014, when he hurt his shoulder badly.

He contacted the then director at Warehouse to ask whether they might have some lighter duties for him and instantly found himself managing their major show.

Happy to report, Davis’s frozen shoulder – a borderline injury not worth surgery, he says, has been fully rehabilitated, “I can do handstands and a cartwheel again,” he says.

After an on-again off-again relationship with the company, he became artistic director and acting executive director in 2020. Three weeks later, covid hit.

What fun. They tried to present shows and classes on zoom and with a lot of hard work, he believes, “the ship is still afloat; we are still steering it”.

“When we came out of lockdown, we wanted to connect with young circus performers in the networks around Australia, so we thought that running a circus festival was a really good idea,” he says.

Circus alumni such as Jane Schofield and Chris Singer to come back and do masterclasses and, where possible, to engage other circus performers, too.

“We’ve got a number of great people, like ‘Bon Appetit’, a show set in a restaurant full of kitchen-related circus skills, recently seen in Adelaide. A highlight for Davis will be magician Nicholas J Johnson in his show

“Tricky Nick: Magician and Idiot”. A consultant for everyone from Circus Oz to the prison drama “Wentworth”, he’s the author of a best-selling

works and says: “I entertain, educate, and turn my audiences into walking bullshit-detectors”.

“We worked side-by-side in Melbourne,” Davis says, noting that magic and circus go hand-in-hand – “Circus shows you what you are doing, but magic puts all the hard work into not showing how it’s done.”

The festival, he says, is a new event bringing together young circus artists from across Australia to train with and perform alongside elite circus performers, including many

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home-grown stars such as Elena Kirschbaum, now program director at the Adelaide Fringe Festival’s hub and creative producer at Highwire Entertainment.

Beyond the well-known, out-oftown performances, there will also be a clown show, “The Ridiculous Show”, by local artist Pablo Latona, who was once general manager at Warehouse Circus.

The festival will run in the Lions Youth Haven at Kambah, where they’ll be setting up big tops, including one large enough for gala shows.

A part of the Youth Haven complex is the Communities@work Galilee School, who have loaned their spaces and resources, so there’ll be catering and dorm accommodation for the young circus artists and, separately, their mentors.

On Saturday, April 23, the festival will hold a free market day with art, craft and food stalls, ticketed masterclasses in circus, free performances all day and free workshops, including workshops catering to Canberrans living with disability. Of course, circus is not just

practice, it’s showbiz, and to that end they will hold “The Great Big Circus Gala(h)” opening and closing shows on April 19 and April 23, mixing visiting acts with up-and-coming talents.

On closing night, burlesque artist Jazida will have the last laugh with her notorious show, “Decadence and Debauchery”. But that’s just for the 18+ crowd.

Canberra Circus Festival, Lions Youth Haven, Kambah, April 19-23. Details at canberracircusfestival.com.au

STREAMING Streamer slaps down the Oscar

FOR the first time, a streaming platform has won the Oscar for best picture.

No building permit required. Please call John on 0499 033 433

That’s right, apparently there were some awards or something given out at the Smith/Rock showdown.

Apple TV+ slapped Netflix out of the ring to take the top prize with its family drama “CODA” and the streaming platform has been enjoying an influx of new users in the weeks since.

For those who don’t know, a “CODA” is a “child of deaf adults” and Ruby, who this film is about, is exactly that.

What’s more interesting here is when its lead character is actually

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Responsibility falls on her to help her family in their day-to-day life and with their struggling fishing business, all while trying to pursue her own dreams as a singer.

The premise has got Oscar bait written all over it, but this small in size, yet large in subject matter film offers an intimate look at the life of a family who face challenges many people wouldn’t have before considered.

Amidst the standard cringeworthy fanfare that is the Oscars, it was admittedly touching to see the best supporting actor award given to Troy Kotsur who plays Ruby’s father, a deaf man himself, and the first to ever win the award.

Is “CODA” worth the best picture gong? Personally, I thought there were some more worthy contenders. Is “CODA” worth the watch though? Absolutely, perhaps even just to make use of Apple TV+’s free trial for those who aren’t already subscribers. It’s an eye, and ear-opener.

curtain has fallen on one of its most cult-followed shows.

“Peaky Blinders”, the story of Tommy Shelby and his mobster squad of scallywags, has finished after six action-packed seasons and, boy, did it go out with a bang.

Set in the soot-smeared streets of Birmingham in the aftermath of World War I, this series follows the exploits of an Irish-Romani gang of crooks and a detective’s relentless crusade to bring them down.

The history’s loose here. There was indeed a gang known as the “Peaky Blinders” who ran amok at the turn of the 19th century, however the nitty-gritty of this series is fictional.

Shelby, the gang’s pugnacious and cunning kingpin, is not a real person, but rather a “creative amalgamation” of the mobster type.

In this last instalment, his decisions finally catch up with him and he’s as captivating

CINEMA / reviews

been thanks to Cillian Murphy’s powerhouse performance.

It’s no easy feat sticking a landing to a show that’s as loved as “Peaky Blinders” is, but the series has proven it knew both when and how to throw in the towel.

With only six episodes per season, it’s a lesson in leaving the audience wanting more, not less, and has secured itself a well-earned legacy in the TV canon.

DISNEY has hoiked popular actor Oscar Isaac from “Star Wars” over to Marvel in its new “Moon Knight” series on Disney Plus and, as always, one can’t help but like what he puts on show.

This hero suffers from dissociative identity disorder, his existence is in battle with two conflicting personalities. Some days he’s a hardened mercenary with skills akin to 007, other days he’s an innocuous and clumsy gift shop employee. Isaac, quoted as wanting to do something “real nutty” with these split personalities, gives them different accents, mannerisms, nervous tics and all sorts of idiosyncrasies that truly sell the character. In turn, each personality also has its own effect on the caped crusader he becomes as night falls.

It’s easy to see Isaac having a blast with all this, and that fun is pretty infectious for the audience as a result.

In fact, he’s even quoted as taking inspiration from British comedian Karl Pilkington for the character, who viewers might know as the globe-trotting doofus of “An Idiot Abroad”.

I thought Marvel was truly starting to run out of ideas, but when Karl Pilkington, of all people, is serving as inspiration for an action hero maybe there’s something up their sleeves yet.

The actor brings his effortless on-screen charisma to one of the far lesser-known heroes in the Marvel comic book canon, one who attains his powers from an Egyptian moon god and next thing you know he’s out avenging the innocent and all

Thrill ride you can’t wait to be over

“Ambulance” (MA)

DIRECTOR Michael Bay’s film “Ambulance” is a terrific action thriller and a paradigm of 21st century America. The thought of living in a nation where the events it displays might be commonplace scares me.

From the go, “Ambulance” (a remake of a 2005 Danish film of the same name) looks like a Jake Gyllenhaal vanity – he even got on to ABC Breakfast News to talk about it!

Jake plays Danny. Today’s his 38th bank heist. By coincidence, the child of his adoptive black brother Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) needs money for experimental surgery. Come along on the heist, bro’. You can drive the get-away car. Apparently, ambulances in the US are commercial enterprises; first to arrive gets the gig. The crew of this one has just finished breakfast nearby. The heist is in progress. A cop has been shot.

Meet ambo Cam (Eiza González) who, by the time the resulting chase comes to a screeching halt outside a famous hospital’s emergency entrance about two hours screen time later, has been scared, assaulted and instructed over the phone by a surgeon about performing surgery to remove the bullet from the shot cop’s innards. Quite a gal, this Cam. “Ambulance” breaks just

about every traffic safety rule in the book, willy-nilly destroying moving and stationary property and getting sprayed icky green to hide it from the cop cars, choppers and media drones covering the event.

There’s much more, but the final verdict has to be, as the “Hollywood Reporter” put it, “the sort of cinematic thrill ride so overstuffed that you can’t wait for it to be over”.

At all cinemas

“Nobody Has to Know” (M)

IN “Nobody Has to Know”, Belgian writer, director and actor Bouli Lanners plays farmhand Phil, working on a remote Scottish island. We meet him being brought home from hospital. He’s had a stroke, lost his memory. He doesn’t know where home is or who he is, but next day his boss’ daughter Millie (Michelle Fairley) knocks on his door to remind him. She brings him to work, shows him around

and tells him about their secret love affair. Their chemistry is undeniable, his hands seem accustomed to the work, his mattress conforms to his body, there’s a dog he can’t account for, and his memory remains slow to return.

Millie is shy and reserved. The real secret waiting to be unlocked isn’t that they were lovers, but that they never were. Millie has simply taken advantage of this situation to make something happen that neither had the courage to do beforehand.

This is a gentle, affectionate, well-structured little (99 minutes) movie that sits well with the soul. Its thesis can be a comfort for anybody needing a cinematic diversion from life’s burdens.

Indeed, watching it was just what I needed to sooth the inner turmoil and disappointment that “Ambulance” had just caused in me.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

DINING / Wilma and The Pearl, Genge Street, Civic

There’s two sides to this review

WILMA or The Pearl? Wilma or The Pearl? In the end, we experienced both sides of this massive venue in the heart of Civic, dining on Wilma’s menu but sitting in The Pearl’s outdoor area; perfect for what we were looking for on a bright Saturday afternoon.

Wilma bills itself as a progressive Asian barbeque restaurant and The Pearl an Asianinspired cocktail and “snax” bar. The sisters – one formal and one casual – entered the Canberra dining scene in December.

The chef behind the food is James Viles, who helped make Biota Dining in Bowral a two-hatted restaurant (many remain heartbroken over its permanent closure). Wilma’s menu is divided into raw, snacks, salads, wok, barbecue and desserts. The base banquet is $75 a person and the Baller Banquet $95.

Our first selection was the scallop and prawn tartare with soy sesame sauce ($22). It sounded playful and we are always up for raw food. Staff recommended we mix the tartare to combine the flavours nicely, spoon some into a large leaf, wrap and enjoy. The three of us agreed that the tartare, once mixed, looked bland and uninviting. On taste, we all found the sauce overpowering (unusual for three out of three adventurous eaters to not like the same dish).

We left the tartare to the side and got stuck into the roast duck pancakes, which were delicious, and we loved the crunchy shallots and cucumber. The hoi sin sauce was divine and the duck succulent ($32).

Always in for a bit of mouth-tingling Szechuan, we selected the fried chicken with sesame and garlic chives ($20). The chicken was moist, and the dish celebrated the spicy, sweet and savoury flavour that Szechuan is famous for. It was a colourful dish

From the wok section of the menu, we selected the Balmain bug dish ($32) with egg noodle, chilli, coriander, sesame and perky herbs dancing on top. We squeezed the half lime over the dish and indulged. The flavour profile was intriguing although we found the dish a bit soupy (meant to be the style?).

The crab and snake bean salad caught our eye, and it was a visual statement of a dish ($26). It was loaded with the freshness that ingredients such as mint, basil and papaya consistently bring

quite high in the large, round bowl and we were surprised at the amount of liquid at the bottom of the salad (a style?).

We didn’t venture into desserts, but Wilma offers a custard puff and a peach rice pudding (both $14).

The wine list is impres sive, and we enjoyed the Brindabella Hills 2020 Pinot Grigio.

New faces feature in Lois Lowry’s play ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa

HONEST Puck Theatre has two new young performers, Ruby Pardy as Anastasia, and Hester McDonald as her best friend, in Lois Lowry’s play, “Anastasia Krupnik”, about a 10-year-old who struggles with school, the big questions of life and being misunderstood. James Scott plays Anastasia’s dad and Monica Engel as her mum. Perform Australia Theatre, April 20-23. Book at honestpuck.com.au

NEWLY appointed members of the ACT Arts Minister’s Creative Council are musician AJ America as deputy chair, producers Ketura Budd and Hannah de Feyter, musician and disabil ity advocate Ruth O’Brien, visual artist Ngaio Fitzpatrick and the NGA’s indigenous leadership co-ordinator, Ian Colless.

MORE than a theatre production, “The Trojan Women” by Euripides, adapted by Joe Woodward and a committed cast from Daramalan Theatre Company are linking the original text to currentday situations, especially in Afghanistan. Old Chapel Studio, Daramalan College, April 23-30, book at events.humanitix.com

AN observant reader of our recent story about Canberra Youth Theatre has noticed that the actor holding the silks in the picture from “Psychosis” 2012, is Nathalie Morris, now the lead in “Bump”, a Stan original Australian comedydrama series directed by Claudia Karvan, which has just finished shooting season 3.

REBUS Theatre will present a free, interactive theatrical exploration of climate change, “Inner Climate”, at multiple venues around Canberra. Part workshop, part performance, it is loosely based on a theatrical experiment in Canada. At Questacon, April 22-May 18. More at rebustheatre.com

CANBERRA Mandolin Orchestra and dancers from the Monaro Folk Society are staging “Danc-

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CAPO’s annual auction event at Canberra Contemporary Art Space on the lake – postponed because of Omicron – has now been rescheduled to Saturday, April 23. Book at capo.org.au

CANBERRA author Merlinda Bobis, who won the Christina Stead Prize, NSW Premier’s Awards, in 2016 for “Locust Girl, A Lovesong”, has been shortlisted for the 2022 prize for her collection of short stories, “The Kindness of Birds”, which also won a Canberra Critics’ Circle Award last year.

GARDENING

Time to trim tough conifers

CONIFERS are really tough trees that were planted extensively in the beginnings of Canberra in the early 1920s and their longevity is still seen slightly today in our urban landscape.

Droughts and urbanisation have seen decay and the demise of most of the plantings (as well as many of our trees). Nevertheless, I hope to see repeat planting into the future for another 100 years as windbreaks and protection to the city.

Conifers can get a trim before the cold weather sets in. If there are old brown needles inside the shrubs, use a gloved hand to clean out this dry material to allow ventilation and air flow for new growth in the spring.

There are many conifers to try in

the home garden. I have my conifer garden facing west that gets really hot in summer. I have chosen all dwarf plants, so they are slow growing. The colour and shapes can vary but they are a really good landscape plant and terrific for screening. They need a well-drained site, but don’t mind poor soil; soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of about 5.5-6.

They can also be grown in pots as bonsai for having on a table indoors or a small space on a balcony.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Collection at the National Arboretum is worth looking at and talking to many of the volunteers if you are interested in starting to grow bonsai plants, but be careful – they can become addictive!

EARLY varieties of onions can be planted from now until mid-May. Sow mid-season varieties in May/

June. Onions are shallow-rooted plants and must be kept weed free.

The early maturing white and red onion varieties can be sown now and will be ready for harvesting around spring to early summer.

Onions will look like they’re doing nothing over winter and won’t put on any fast growth or form bulbs until early spring, so be a little patient.

A good yield of 60 or so onions per square metre will give some idea to how big an area is needed. It’s estimated a family of four eats around 500 onions a year so to be completely self-sufficient in onions, eight square metres of ground will be needed, plus somewhere to store a lot of onions.

The best storing onions are white and need to be completely dry. Plant onions where there were summer brassicas, but definitely not where other alliums or root vegetables have been. The soil pH is best at 5.3-6.5, slightly acidic. This gives onions crunch.

To minimise weeds around onions, interplant small flowers such as pansies with carrots. Small herbs, such as parsley, can be also beneficial as companion plants for onions.

HELLEBORES, commonly called “winter rose”, are a popular plant

to have in the Canberra garden. Although not related to roses, they flower in winter when there is very little flowering and tolerate a wide range of conditions. They grow well under deciduous trees where they get summer shade and winter sun. I like to trim them to the ground this time of year to remove all old sunburnt leaves and leave no place for white fly, aphids or snails to grow over winter and multiply in spring.

Pruning this way will benefit the flowers to be seen in winter and not be obstructed by foliage. The diversity of the single and double flowers are amazing with colours ranging from white, pink and black.

There has been some popular breeding of hellebores over the years and terrific varieties to choose from at the nursery and online or mail-order.

RAKING autumn leaves seems like a never-ending chore in the garden, but it’s just as important to remove them from the tops of hedges as they will get heavy when wet and damage the hedge. Compost or chop large leaves and small leaves that can be put on the garden bed in a thin layer.

Jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

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

By Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

As the resident Warrior Man/Woman of the zodiac, your usual approach is to charge into situations quickly with impulsive verve. (The long list of Aries hotheads includes Butch Cassidy, Bette Davis, Alec Baldwin and Russell Crowe.) Rams are also notorious for lacking follow-through. But this week Mars is in introspective Pisces and the Sun transits into patient Taurus. So make sure your fiery enthusiasm is tempered with a thoughtful attitude and a long-term plan.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

The Sun shifts into your sign on Wednesday. So it’s time for steady Bulls to step up and be the calm voice of reason, as you find creative ways to work with others. If you collaborate and are prepared to pivot, then it will help steer you onto more solid ground in these uncertain times. Be inspired by Queen Elizabeth (who turns 96 on Thursday): “Whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Most Geminis are gregarious gadflies, clever communicators and masters at multi-tasking. But things could go haywire this week, as the planets disrupt your preconceived plans. Don’t let it deter you though! Mercury (your patron planet) links up with intrepid Uranus, so strive to be more adventurous, as you grab opportunities with both hands. Be inspired by birthday great, actress Shirley MacLaine: “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. It’s where all the fruit is.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

With the Sun, Mercury and Uranus all moving through your networking zone, the more you mix and mingle and the more connections you make (in person and online) the better the week will be. Looking for employment? It’s time to capitalise on all the contacts you have – from family members, close friends and former colleagues to acquaintances in your local community. Don’t wait for opportunities to magically appear… be proactive about following your dreams.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The Sun, Mercury and Uranus bring the opportunity for recognition and advancement at school, university or work. Through your daily words and actions, you have the power to influence other people in positive and productive ways. So don’t miss the chance to make a difference. But Monday’s Sun-Pluto square could increase pressure and encourage power struggles and ego clashes. Clever Lions will employ smart strategies to reduce conflict and lower stress levels.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

This week the Sun, Mercury and Uranus encourage you to explore new horizons. The wider your circle of friends and acquaintances, the more influence you will have in the big world outside your door. Being confident and decisive are the keys. Plus, with harmony planet Venus visiting your relationship zone (until May 2), do all you can to bypass dramas and fix problems. It’s time to be more conciliatory as you sit down and smoke the pipe of peace!

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Monday and Tuesday look unpredictable (especially involving finances) and the Sun/Pluto square could throw a relationship challenge in your direction (perhaps involving jealous behaviour or a power struggle). Your ruling planet, Venus, is transiting through Pisces, so do your best to play the perceptive peacemaker. Romance and passion are also highlighted as the Sun, Mercury and Uranus stimulate your sensuality zone. Feel the love, Libra!

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

The Sun moves into your relationship zone, so find practical ways to help those around you. But resist the temptation to be a stubborn, intractable and risk-averse Scorpio. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures, innovative ideas and creative thinking. So keep your options wide open and your adaptability muscles well-flexed. Be inspired by birthday great, actress and author Shirley MacLaine: “Someday change will be accepted as life itself.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

When it comes to a social event or a complicated friendship, hold onto your hat and prepare for some dramas! It is a good week to spruce up your domestic abode and entertain at home, as you enjoy fine food and convivial company. However, when dealing with a fractious family member, you’ll find some creative sugar-coating will help to convey your message in a more positive way. On Sunday, replace negative thinking with a focused mental approach.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Many Capricorns will feel capricious and cranky this week! Expect some uncomfortable discussions with family and friends. You’re not in the mood to be diplomatic, and others will be surprised by the intensity of your feelings (and your reluctance to compromise). But you’ll have to give a little in order to get a lot. Avoid becoming bogged down in negatives and being a carping critic. On the weekend, do your best to kick up your Goat heels and have some serious fun.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

There’s a planetary pile-up in your home zone so expect some family shenanigans and domestic dramas this week (especially on Monday and Tuesday). You’re also likely to hear some startling news that makes your ears burn, but try to be super discreet with any secrets that come your way. If you’re tempted to spread red-hot rumours and gratuitous gossip, then heed the wise words of birthday great, novelist and poet Charlotte Bronte: “Look twice before you leap.”

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune are all visiting your sign, so it’s time to tap into the Piscean creativity and courage within. Other people are looking to you for compassionate leadership and perceptive solutions, so roll up your sleeves and get to work! Your motto is from Queen Elizabeth (who turns 96 on Thursday): “When life is hard the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat. Instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2022

1 What is a division of a government department? (6)

8 Who, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was the first to die? (8)

9 Which oil is used as fuel? (6)

10 To be undeveloped, is to be what? (8)

11 What is a field of action, thought, etc? (6)

12 Where are the White Cliffs of Dover situated? (4)

13 Name a light used as a warning in signalling. (5)

16 What is a dividend return on investment, usually expressed as a percentage? (5)

19 Name a hard, round, yellow cheese. (4)

21 When Parliament passes a bill into law, it does what? (6)

22 Who is the master of an inn, lodging house, etc? (8)

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

24 What are bouts of otalgia? (8)

25 Which term describes an unspecified person? (6)

2 What is worn by police officers, or their like? (7)

3 To subjugate, is to do what? (7)

4 What is a transmission path for sending signals from an earth station to a communication satellite? (6)

5 What is an agreed portion of the proceeds from one’s work? (7)

6 Name those outer and thinner of the two bones of the lower leg. (7)

7 To have escorted persons to their theatre seats, is to have done what? (7)

13 Name an early gold-mining village in southern NSW. (7)

14 What are square flags bearing heraldic devices? (7)

15 Which term describes any copy or reproduction? (7)

17 What do we call a stupid remark? (7)

18 Name a disillusionment or disappointment. (7)

20 Which of the legendary three Gorgons was slain by Perseus? (6)

AGENTS & THEIR FEES

Agents sometimes receive emails from future sellers asking “what’s your fee?”.

In the decade before I became an agent helping friends sell their homes, the huge consistent theme was that cheap fees equaled cheap service - and very annoyed sellers. The only happy sellers I saw were those who never quibbled about an extra $5000 difference in the fee and marketing.

For sellers “shopping” for a fee, it is honestly the worst way to determine your agent. I said this before I became an agent, and I will scream it from the rooftops now that I am an agent. The work ethos is different per agent with negotiating and getting a premium price, not just any price. Any agent can get any price churning through listings. That’s easy – but not what you want.

Some agents have been trained in how to get a owner “down” in price, and never once been trained in how to negotiate buyers up. Some agents just deliver the first offer to an owner, not even trying to get the buyer up any higher.

With my business model, I do refurbishment pre-saleability points if owners want to move up in price brackets; I coordinate trades; help tenants find new accom if they’re exiting etc - so it really depends after I see a property that the negotiation happens. I simply never give a fee over an email. It isn’t that I don’t want your business, it’s just I know what I’m worth, and how my skill and determination delivers premium prices. I’ve got over 30 examples where I’ve achieved better prices by tens of thousands of dollars because of what I know and how I operate with buyers. And yes, I might have been $5000 more than another agent, but sellers getting tens of thousands more are estatic. An agent’s fee comes out of the extra we get for your home.

Our region has seen so many “low fee” models disappear –Live In Real Estate, Go-Gecko and Purple Bricks to name a few. They offered $5000-$8000 set cheap fees. It seems that to keep the doors opened, the churn of 10+ sales per month is required. Every sale had to be a short campaign, which rarely equated to the premium price. The concept of “knocking over” a sale at any price is abhorrent and an insult to sellers. The time, effort and energy of working with buyers is missing; free print advertising as editorials is not requested; and negotiating is missing or cut short.

The only criteria you should use in selecting your agent is trust. Do blind interviews by visiting open houses. See how attentive the agent is to buyers; and how informative they are on the basics. I’ve heard agents who have no idea on the size of land, land value, or size of the property. How long are they on the phone or taking selfies while on-site? Are they disinterested, and leaving everything to the juniors?

The best way of choosing your agent is interviewing the agent without them knowing.

In my industry there is never a more true phrase as “you get what you pay for”. If you’re thinking of selling, call or email me!