City Hub 12 July 2018

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city hub 12 JULY 2018

No jewels in this crown

by John Moyle The government of Glad the Impaler has just enacted by stealth the most restrictive laws ever passed in NSW that prohibit the right of assembly on Crown land while dramatically increasing fines for those prosecuted.

On July 1 the NSW Government passed into law the Crown land Management Regulation that was publicly paraded as a clean up of the 2006 Crown land Management By-Laws.

That sounds innocuous enough as the new law has been touted by the Berijiklean government as tightening controls on waste dumpers, polluters and water thieves; that is until a closer look reveals that the new laws can also be used as a stalking horse for some of the most stringent anti assembly measures since the time of Queensland’s Bielke Peterson government.

“Last month we moved to disallow a regulation that gives police the power to prohibit any protest or demonstration on public land,” David Shoebridge said.

“There is no doubt that these powers will be abused and will shut down protest.”

The new laws affect the right to assemble on all Crown land in NSW, and taking into consideration that Crown Land covers 42 per cent of the state and includes parks, reserves, roads and cemeteries.

That is a whole lot of land where citizens will not be able to lawfully protest without a permit from the Department of Lands and Water.

“Any person or persons wishing to hold a large public gathering on Crown land should approach the Department of Industry, Lands and Water for information on the appropriate license,” a spokesperson for the Minister for Lands and Forestry, Hon. Paul Toole said.

“As long as all appropriate authorisations have been acquired gatherings are and will continue to be permissible on Crown land.

“The suggestion that a license from the Department of Lands may be required for large public assemblies is novel and is not mentioned in the policy document,” Michael Brul, lawyer, NSW Council for Civil Liberties said.

The Minister now has the power to appoint staff of the Department as Crown Land managers or employees of other government agencies as Authorised Agents.

These agents can also include local council employees who can call for the help of the NSW Police where needed to ensure compliance.

“One has never needed a permit for a political gathering, the process has always been that you give seven days notice of the gathering to the police and unless they get an order from the Supreme Court to cease, then people who participate in the gathering are exempt from prosecution for causing obstruction,” Stephen Blanks, president, NSW Council for Civil Liberties said.

“Ostensibly a ranger in Hyde Park could force an arrest and that is a concern.”

The new laws would also be effective against protests such as the recent Martin Place sit-in by the homeless.

The Regulations go as far as suggest that events such as roller skating and sitting on a table may be found to be objectionable.

Despite the denials from Lands and Forestry that “neither the Act nor the Regulations contain any reference to ‘roller skating’ or ‘sitting on a table’ Michael Brul found that the activities are mentioned for the purposes in sections 9.4 and 9.5 of the Act. “Considering climbing a table or riding on or using roller skates are specifically prescribed either the spokesperson is being dishonest or there are some extremely fine distinctions here that elude me,” Michael Brul said.

There seems that the drafting of the new Act

Lock the Gate and other community groups could be prohibited from gathering on Crown land. Photo: Lock the Gate

and Regulations may not only contain conflicts within the draft itself but also be inconsistent with other existing laws.

“Crown land management is presumably within the Department of Industry’s area of responsibility, but the Summary Offences Act is under the Attorney General, so there is a conflict in this, and I think that the Attorney General needs to sort this out,” Stephen Blanks said.

Many opponents of the new Regulations have cited that it appears to be aimed at protest movements such as Lock the Gate, who have been successful in halting many coal seam gas explorations by using tractors and chains against miners.

Newcastle based activist Paul Robert Burton does not see the new laws as being effective for farmers and their allies, even with penalties being increased from $200 to a possible $11,000.

“The actions of the people will continue with the only difference being that the penalties will be more severe,” Paul Robert Burton said.

Mr Burton has a novel approach to circumvent assembly laws by holding gatherings under the auspices of a religious or spiritual meeting.

“I bring people together and we do not protest, we pray for the mining to stop,” Paul Robert Burton said.

The new and tougher laws may also have another purpose and that is to ease the way for the Government to clear or sell off almost one third of the state on which 4,300 grazing leases are held across 32 million hectares of publicly owned land in western NSW. David Shoebridge is planning a rally to defend the right to protest outside the NSW Parliament at 8.30am on the 15th of August.

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3

A tale of two cities

by Erika Echternach Of course it’s always great to get free drinks, but it’s less thrilling when those free drinks are from the venue’s owner in an attempt to entice you to invite more of your friends to fill his empty club, as was the case the last time I went out in Sydney.

While in 2017 Melbourne earned the title of “World’s Most Livable City,” for the seventh time in a row” while Sydney came 11th and the annual turnover among businesses on Oxford Street dropped by nearly a third, according to a survey of about 200 venues. With late-night business dropping at an alarming rate, the question has become whether Sydney will decide to wake up or hit the snooze.

The majority of this decline in nightlife is attributable to Sydney’s lockout laws instituted in 2014. Although intended to curb crime, the regulations have simply pushed crime to outer suburbs such as Newtown, Bondi, Coogee and Double Bay, which reported an increase of 16.7 per cent of non-domestic assaults since the lockout laws began.

In addition, the laws have virtually killed Sydney’s nightlife scene along with the businesses that once supplied the late night entertainment.

Meanwhile, Melbourne has been enjoying a surplus of nighttime activity as a 24-hour city with small bars and restaurants open way past Sydney’s bedtime and providing over 10,000 jobs in the night-time economy, according to statistics from the City of Melbourne.

Experiencing Melbourne’s nightlife after living in Sydney for a while can be a bit of a culture shock. If you go out before midnight in Melbourne expecting people to be hitting the clubs as they typically are in Sydney, you might be surprised to find that most do not even arrive until around 1 am.

Melbourne’s 24-hour venues will certainly be a foreign concept to Sydneysiders. Places like the Revolver do not close their doors from Thursday to Monday morning, something that takes a little getting used to after coming from a city that shuts down after 3 am But it is mainly visitors to Sydney, particularly from Europe, who need the most time to adapt to a new

All roads to Kings Cross closed for fun due to lock out laws. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

nighttime routine. This is because many are used to staying out until 6 am or later, and have never heard of clubs closing between 2-3 am before.

Originally from Germany, Mila, has been travelling Australia and found that Melbourne offers more of a variety for those seeking late-night entertainment even on weeknights.

“The variety of rooftop bars, pubs and clubs was amazing in Melbourne,” Mila said. “I think you can definitely go out over the week.”

As a long term visitor to Sydney myself, it did not take long before I encountered the words “lockout laws”in everyday conversation. It was a mysterious phrase at first, but I soon came to realise that the laws are a defining feature of the city -- and a crippling one at that.

Sydney’s suffering night-time economy may be a key contributor to the city’s rapid loss of citizens.

Recent census numbers show that while NSW has lost 35,600 people over the past 3 years, Victoria has gained 45,300.

In the words of technology entrepreneur Matt Barrie’s viral rant: “Sydney, once the best city in the world, has become an international joke. No wonder everyone’s apparently moving to Melbourne.”

Ironically, Melbourne was one of the very first Australian cities to trial lockout laws in 2008, but the city did away with them just 3three months after they were initiated.

Melbourne abandoned the lockout laws after the laws failed to subdue excess violence and were opposed by protest crowds of over 10,000 calling for the government to take action against the laws.

Similar movements have taken place across Sydney, but the government has yet to respond to the people’s cries.

However, striking a desirable balance between nightlife and controlling crime is not impossible.

Other major cities around the world such as Amsterdam and London have found alternative ways to decrease crime, whilst still maintaining a thriving nightlife.

London’s West End’s alcohol-related violence and theft has fallen by 27 per cent in recent years due to a new police project geared specifically toward working with the local pub, club and business owners, according to a statement by Inspector Matt Butterworth of the London Metropolitan Police.

The grassroots movement Keep Sydney Open (KSO) has been gaining more momentum, when last month it became an official political party to contest the upcoming senate election.

In celebration of the party’s registration, KSO threw a launch party at King’s Cross Hotel, demonstrating that although forced to remain subdued these past four years, Sydney is still poised to party.

The vibrant KSO party indicated that Sydneysiders have plenty of party left in them and there is still a chance to salvage Sydney’s struggling nightlife, but it’s getting late in the game and Sydney has to choose whether it’s up or to play on.

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ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Group Editors: Lanie Tindale, John Moyle Contributors: John Moyle, Lanie Tindale, Lillian Sekkai, Erika Echternach, Georgia Clark, Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Cover Photo: Enouch Emmanuel. Wayne Illes Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au Ph: 9212 5677, Fax: 9212 5633 Website: altmedia.net.au

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By Erika Echternach and Lillian Sekkai Originally from Italy, Alberto, the friendly and chatty owner of Alberto’s Pizzeria, came to Australia 62 years ago.

After opening his first shop in Stanmore, he moved to Newtown in 1989 where he’s been cooking ever since.

Alberto said his primary principles are quality, efficiency and generosity. Clearly, this has been a recipe for success, since many of his regular customers have been visiting his shop for 20 years now. The warm, family-friendly and inviting environment of the pizzeria probably doesn’t harm business either.

The pizzeria’s owner said he thinks his shop has been able to stay around for such a substantial amount of time because he simply knows what he’s doing and has a solid vision to follow.

After tasting a couple of his culinary creations, the City Hub team can confirm that Alberto certainly knows how to cook.

Not only can he cook pizza, but the extensive menu shows off his versatility.

Italian cook, he is able to adapt to accommodate changes in his customers’ needs and desires.

In addition to pizza, Alberto’s offers amazing pasta, veal and chicken dishes as well as salads, and a great kid’s menu. But the little shop doesn’t stop there.

Alberto’s offers dessert options that are equally as delectable as the dinner menu selections.

Notable dessert items include a variety of gelato flavours, cake slices and even a dessert pizza.

The heavenly Nutella Pizza is a must have, topped with fresh strawberries to complement the rich chocolate overtones.

Alberto has been serving quality Italian pizza for over twenty years.

Although the Nutella Pizza pairs Photo: Supplied well with the delicious Pizza Alberto shared his Pizza Supreme Of course, pizza is Alberto’s Supreme as the main course, with the team to provide just a hint specialty as well as one of the it really could be the perfect of his culinary prowess. most popular menu items, so ending for any meal.

The Pizza Supreme features over the years the menu has Regardless which type of Italian ham, pepperoni, cabanossi, onion, grown to give customers the food you’re craving, this Italian/ mushrooms, pineapple, capsicum, opportunity to choose between Australian and his team are quick and olives. While this lengthy many exotic and gourmet to serve up whatever your heart list may seem overwhelming to variations, including the option desires. some diners, the rather unlikely of a gluten-free base.

Although Alberto’s offers both conglomeration of ingredients Alberto’s began offering takeaway and delivery options somehow melds together in perfect gluten-free bases for their pizzas to a wide radius, the restaurant harmony, with the sweet pineapple so that even those with special recently obtained its liquor license balancing out the salty meats and dietary needs can enjoy the shop’s so you might want to dine in and supplying the exact amount of pop delightful cuisines. This also shows enjoy a glass of wine alongside needed for the dish. that while Alberto is a traditional your gourmet Italian masterpiece.

Sydney’s toxic Venetian canal

BY Georgia Clark Sydney’s historic Alexandra Canal has been repurposed as a sustainable depot for council staff powered entirely by industrial-sized renewable batteries, but the canal’s legacy of pollution has been swept under the carpet.

The canal, once at the centre of a grand plan to create a European-style canal system in the heart of Sydney, is part of the city’s larger tributary and like most of its counterparts, has, since the 19th century, been riddled with sewerage and industry waste.

The Alexandria canal has a vast inner city catchment area covering the suburbs of Alexandria, Rosebery, Erskineville, Beaconsfield, Zetland, Waterloo, Redfern, Newtown, Surry Hills and Moore Park.

The original proposal for the canal was to create a waterway stretching from Botany Bay to Sydney Harbour large enough to transport barges for coal, road building and building materials more cheaply than could be done by rail.

The heritage canal is now at the centre of plans to repurpose the foreshore as a council depot. City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore launched the new depot last week, which is powered by 1600 solar panels and a battery capable of storing 500-kilowatt hours of energy, but there was little talk of the decades of pollution plaguing the canal nearby.

Dredging commenced in 1887 and continued until around 1900, with the work being done mainly by unemployed workers engaged in relief work as a result of the 1890s depression..

The new depot at 67C Bourke Road, Alexandria replaces three existing depots based in Zetland, Redfern and Alexandria.

The Lord Mayor said that the history of the area is long and varied, initially as a salt marsh and subsequently as a navigable channel and today,

The Alexandria canal could have been Sydney’s Little Venice. Photo: Supplied

with the land being used as an industrial area.

“While the working wharves of the 1940s have long since disappeared, the canal is now central to a $40m naturalisation project by Sydney Water, and the industrial area surrounding the canal, now hosts new forms of business and enterprise, such as high tech industry, creative spaces and retail, distribution facilities and of course our new stateof-the-art depot,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

In the 19th century pollution in the canal became so serious that the NSW Government was forced to introduce legislation to ban pollutants from entering the water, but this was to no avail, with many industries setting up shop and continuing to empty waste into the canal.

The canal was listed for refurbishment by the South Sydney Council in 1997 as a response to large parts of the area being transformed from industrial to residential use.

Sydney Water launched a $4 million cleanup a year later but this plan was soon abandoned, The South Sydney Redevelopment Corporation, a body created to oversee Green Square, then granted students from the University of New South Wales $5,000 to create designs that would transform the canal into a “stunning water and green recreational corridor”.

By 1999 a $300 million plan was announced that would place 25,000 residents, cafes and boating facilities along the canal to create the “Venice of Sydney”.

By 2008, due to costs and difficulties with the remediation of the waterways and land sites the plans were placed in the too hard basket.

One recent grasp to keep the canal dreams alive came in 2011 there were calls for coal seam gas exploration to be carried out on the adjacent industrial land.

Today, the water continues to be riddled with pollution and the EPA has erected signs warning locals of the severity of the contamination prohibiting both fishing and disturbance of sediments in the canal.

A management order is currently in place with Sydney Water that requires sediments to not be disturbed, with any work potentially disturbing such sediments requiring Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) approval, according to the EPA. The depot’s opening has been touted as a win for the City of Sydney’s plans to make half of the city’s energy renewable, with the depot marking the first time solar energy is combined with large-scale batteries.

“Our new depot has the facilities to host 150 City staff and 40 vehicles, previously dispersed in depots on Marian Street in Redfern, Epsom Road in Zetland and Gerard Street in Alexandria,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This depot helps deliver on our sustainability commitments, with 1663 solar panels and a huge Tesla battery powering the whole site.”

“It is a truly sustainable depot - a five green star building, meeting our Sustainable Sydney 2030 aims with its environmental credentials and modern amenities,” The canal is just one of Sydney’s sullied waterways at the heart of Sydney Water’s $40 million naturalisation project which aims to replenish local waterways.

But it’s not clear how much of this money will go into restoring Alexandra Canal to its former health, despite significant regeneration work being undertaken on its shores.

One day the dream of Sydney’s “Venice”may come alive, but in the meantime let the sunshine on the Bourke Road depot.

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5

May Murray childcare in limbo

By Lanie Tindale Marrickville residents are protesting the Inner West council’s recommendation to close down the May Murray Early Learning Centre.

Marrickville resident Annabel Prince’s two year old son Oliver is enrolled at May Murray.

“On Friday night I received an odd email from Council,” said Ms. Prince.

The email contained a link leading to the council agenda for the next Council meeting.

“Buried within that agenda I discovered that as Globe Wilkins Preschool needs a new location, the Council’s recommended solution is to close down May Murray [and] move our children to the new larger Steele Park Centre.”

Council staff had prepared a report to address the costs of Council-run early childhood centres in Marrickville.

There was no public consultation offered

by Council staff on the recommendation they presented to the Council meeting on June 26.

Father of 5-year old May Murray student Henry, Gerard Corboz, said he felt “that our children are not being considered as individuals but just a number on the Council’s financial ledger.”

At the same meeting the report was handed down, a motion was passed to defer the recommendations “for further consideration by Council.”

The NSW Department of Education advised that they would end the Council’s license to the premise of Globe Wilkin’s Preschool in 2019.

Council staff estimated the cost of purchasing a premise to relocate the preschool as “between $3.5M and $5M,” and that overheads for running the centres was “projected to be an additional $1.248M for 2018/2019.”

In order to address the additional cost issues, the Council report considered four options before deciding to “relocate Globe Preschool places to the May Murray premises, move the May Murray places to the new centre at Steel Park and provide

Marrickville childcare centre under threat of closure by Inner West Council. Photo: Flickr

a Before & After School Care outside the Preschool hours.”

Two education and care services, Leichhardt Park and Steele Park, were planned by Marrickville Council before the councils merger.

Both centres are yet to start operating.

Leichhardt Children’s Centre, with 30 children aged between 0-5, would be relocated to Leichhardt Park.

Achange.org petition opposing the closure of May Murray already has 754 signatures.

Ms Prince said that she chose May Murray, which charges $121 a day, for the close relationships between staff and children. “It’s incredibly intimate. It’s got 24 places for two to five year olds, and all the children interact together in the one space.

Steel Park “is expected to be licensed for 60 places,” said a council spokesperson. They said that after the 24 children at May Murray are relocated to Steel Park, there will be 36 additional long-day care child care places in Marrickville.

However, Ms Prince claims that as May Murray only has a capacity of 24 children, the council will lose 26 preschool spots, meaning the overall increase in child care spaces will only be 10.

If the Leichhardt Park service takes on the 30 children at the Leichhardt Children’s Centre, this will reduce the number of additional child care spots in Leichhardt to 30.

With all centres remaining in operation, the additional Steel Park and Leichhardt Park centres would provide an additional 120 child care spots.

Ms Prince expressed concern that “increased

demand” for childcare places in Marrickville means that there will not be enough child care services “to meet the current rate of population growth and development.”

The Steel Park Centre cost $5 million, and Ms Prince said that it’s establishment was “simply to meet the demand [for child care places] on the council’s list, not even to meet the future demand.”

A council spokesperson said that “demand [for council childcare places] has generally reduced across the childcare sector in the Inner West due to the opening of a large number of private child care providers.”

Inner West Labor councillors Anna York and Sam Iskandar presented a motion to defer the report to a later date at the June 26 council meeting.

Councillor Iskandar spoke of his own experience of the centre, which his children attended. “It played a very important role.

“The centre itself wasn’t that big, and the communication between the parents and the teachers … helped a lot in developing a strategy [for] how to deal with non-English speaking background kids.”

Cr York said that “there are a number of issues that we are trying to deal with simultaneously in a single recommendation,” and that further consideration of the issues was needed.

The motion passed stated that the council would ask the Department of Education NSW to allow Globe Wilkins to continue to use the current premises, or ask the Department to offer an alternative location.

The Council will also seek “further advice” on the overhead costs of running the centres, and there will be more public consultation.

Councillor Julie Passas, who voted against the motion to defer the recommendation, said: “It is not a requirement for councillors to deliver child care services,” and that the cost of running child care services “cannot be sustained”.

Pyrmont to get Ritzy

By Lillian Sekkai There will be a lot of development and change in Pyrmont and West Harbour area with plans for the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel that will soar above The Star, dominating the Western Harbour side skyline and challenging Jamie Packer’s Barangaroo project for height.

The proposed six-star luxury hotel, with 220 rooms and approximately 150 private residences spreading across 60 floors, showing a height of 230 metres, will be created by multi-disciplinary design studio FJMt with completion planned for 2020.

“The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, pending all necessary approvals, will be part of The Star Sydney complex,” a spokesperson from The Star said.

The new hotel tower and the associated developments will increase the room inventory at The Star to around 1000 with more than 20 food and beverage venues across a broad range of price points added to existing offerings.

The only question is now whether it will stick to be one skyscraper, or if there are going to be many high-rise buildings as the Ritz Carlton isn’t the only new construction in this area.

Representatives from The Star Entertainment and other businesses are supporting a new Metro station for the west harbour area.

“The Star supports calls for a 6

city hub 12 JULY 2018

Metro West station in the PyrmontDarling Harbour precinct to optimise its potential as Sydney’s leading entertainment and tourism hub,” a spokesperson for the Star said.

The potential of the western side of the city, including Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont/Ultimo and adjacent areas has been recognised in recent years.

The Metro line had been planned by Government around 10 years ago, but was halted due to the local community response over the protection of historical buildings.

The new Metro line is proposed to run from Westmead through Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, The Bays Precinct and the Sydney CBD, with a station also planned to link to the T1 Northern Line at either Concord West or North Strathfield.

Exploring the vicinity around The Star and the proposed landmark tower hotel, Transport for NSW is still to determine a station location.

“Work is well underway, with geotechnical investigations and other technical studies currently determining the best route alignment, complementing feedback received from stakeholders, the community and local councils,” a spokesperson for Sydney Metro said.

According to the spokesperson for Sydney Metro more than 1,000 submissions were received and are being considered, including alternative

station suggestions from the community.

They are currently consulting with industries to help inform the scope and delivery of the project, including engagement with the construction, operation and development sectors.

Pyrmont has been identified as a potential intermediate station location that will be subject to further community and industry consultation.

“We need a train station in Pyrmont and most of the people I talk to agree … while there are limited spaces where you can actually put a train station– they are going to have to build everything really deep,” John Brooks, convener of the Blackwattle Cove Coalition said.

There is currently no real community organisation right now to oppose this enormous project.

Governments see stations as an opportunity to sell the right to develop high rise on the sites, offsetting the costs of station building.

While a new Metro station would improve the public transport infrastructure for the residents of this densely populated area, development of the Darling Harbour district could also create new opportunities offering employment in sectors such as tourism, hospitality, retail, education, media and technology start-ups.

But there are also some local concerns regarding this growth.

For some residents instead of looking at unobstructed views of the city and

The Ritz-Carlton logo coming to a Pyrmont skyscraper soon. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

harbour, many could soon be looking at the back of a hotel.

According to John Brooks, the area is already busy due to The Star, Harbourside Shopping Mall and the Sydney Fish Markets, and there are going to be even more people and more traffic without a plan when the new hotel is

open. Therefore, a smart and fast solution for public transport is definitely needed.

With Sydney Metro drilling the area for potential Metro station locations and The Star, as well as members of the community supporting the train line project, the only certainty for the area is on massive change.

Double trouble in Double Bay

by Erika Echternach As Double Bay continues to develop into a late night hub, Council officials are taking strides to manage noise levels within the Double Bay commercial centre.

Susan Wynne, the deputy mayor of the Woollahra Municipal Council, said the Council has been working with local businesses, Liquor and Gaming and Eastern Beaches Local Area Command to address a recent influx of residents’ complaints regarding excess noise.

Double Bay residents have been adapting to a shift in the area’s nightlife ever since lockout laws were initiated in Sydney’s CBD and Kings Cross, pushing the late night social scene to fringe suburbs, including Double Bay. Shortly after the lockout laws went into effect, Double Bay venue operators reported a noticeable increase of people and taxis in the area after 1:30 am Because the CBD and Kings Cross could no longer be relied on for late night entertainment, people stopped exiting Double Bay in search of a good time and started creating their own party right where they were.

While this sudden surplus of patrons benefitted local businesses and boosted the night time economy, Double Bay’s residents were less welcoming toward the changes occurring in their suburb.

Most of the residents’ grievances stem from very late night and early morning trade waste and recycling collections from the local pubs and clubs. Another source of disturbance has been loud patrons causing a commotion around closing time.

Karl McPhee, a long time resident of the Double Bay area, said he doesn’t like hearing the loud, carousing patrons as they leave the bars at night and considers any measures taken to keep them quiet good.

Double Bay overtaking Kings Cross as an entertainment precinct. Photo: Erika Echternqach

“Can’t see why residents should put up with any loud behaviour at all,” Mr McPhee said.

To address these issues, the Council has requested that trade waste contractors do not permit collections to take place before 7 am on weekdays and 8 am on weekends, Cr Wynne said.

Additionally, Council members have met with some of the licensed premises operators throughout the last two weeks and made them aware of their DA consent conditions.

“They know we are monitoring what’s going on and we are going to give them the chance to make the changes we expect,” Cr Wynne said.

“Enforcement will be the next step if they don’t comply and as a result, we’re confident they understand our expectations.”

This week the Council is conferring with noise monitoring consultants to gain information on the

impact the noise is having on the community, Cr Wynne said.

This newly instated monitoring of the late night noise production is intended to serve as a compromise between Double Bay’s residents’ needs and the suburb’s thriving nightlife.

Cr Wynne is being careful to take the necessary steps to preserve the best of both these worlds.

“Double Bay is an exciting place to visit day and night and as the deputy mayor I want to see it remain as a ‘must visit’ destination for Sydneysiders and international visitors as well as being a wonderful place for locals to enjoy a night out,” Cr Wynne said.

Considering the spark that set off Double Bay’s nightlife, instituting similarly overbearing regulations to dampen both the noise level and the night time economy would seem unwise, especially

if the driving threat of alcohol-fuelled crime spikes is absent, which seems to be the case.

Although Double Bay’s recently revitalised nightlife has come with a small increase in crime rates, the area still has the lowest rate per capita of non-domestic assaults when compared with the surrounding suburbs, as recorded in the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report.

As demonstrated by the original lockout laws, instituting stifling restrictions in Double Bay could lead its newfound vibrant nightlife to an early grave, perpetuating Sydney’s lack of late night options.

Double Bay did openly warn residents of the possible impending changes when the lockout laws first began. When the area’s business started picking up in response to the laws, Lesli Berger, the then deputy chair of Double Bay Chamber of Commerce was reported to have called for “tolerance” from Double Bay’s residents as their homes became more bustling.

But Cr Wynne acknowledged that a truly successful commercial centre depends on its residential community for economic viability and social and cultural vitality and expressed her desire to see Double Bay continue to develop as a place in which both could thrive.

“We love the vibrancy of Double Bay’s pubs and restaurants and we need to balance the benefits they bring with the fact that people also live in the commercial centre and deserve a decent night’s sleep,” Cr Wynne said. “I am confident we can work with the local businesses and residents towards a better outcome for everyone.”

However, that is a difficult balance to strike and Double Bay may eventually be forced to decide whether it wishes to realise its potential to be Sydney’s most popular party and dining district or remain a sleeping giant.

TELSTRA IS PLANNING TO RELOCATE A PAYPHONE It is proposed that a coin and card payphone be removed from: Outside 190 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (Payphone ID: 02969967X2) And a coin and card payphone be installed: In Riley Street near the corner of 234 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 The relocated payphone will be located approximately 115 metres from the payphone that is proposed to be removed.

Currently, the next nearest payphones are located outside 38 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

(Payphones ID’s: 02969802X2 & 02931023X2) Reference Number 40562

Telstra intends making a final decision on this proposal by: 28th August 2018 To assist us in making a final decision, we invite your comments on this proposal. Please send us your comments in writing to: Telstra Payphone Siting Manager Locked Bag 4850 Melbourne Vic 3001 or by calling us on 1800 011 433 selection Option 2 or by email to Payphones@team.telstra.com For more information on payphone services (including, any applicable payphone consultation document) see: www.telstra.com.au/payphoneservices/index.htm

city hub 12 JULY 2018

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FEATURE

Journeys Of Hope

By Matt Khoury This isn’t a story about paedophiles.

It’s not about religious figures and teachers who curate kids as sexual muses. And get shuffled off to another posting before they feel the heat. It’s not about a cardinal who boasted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse would stop a “smear campaign” against the Catholic Church. It’s done now – you’re all named.

You can google the shameful stats. The commission gathered 6,875 survivor tales; almost half the victims were interfered with in schools and religious activities, others elsewhere, and more than half were aged 10 to 14. Around 95 percent have experienced mental illness.

There’s your profile.

This is about artists like Wayne Illes, 60, who’s bright blue-eyed and hobbles around with a walking stick, clutching two black-and-white photographs: one when he was a smiley kid, pants pulled too high and pressed collared shirt; and one of his grandfather, an adult his childhood had faith in.

“My journey has been hard as a child, but I’ve grown strong so I won’t be stuck in my darkness,” Wayne says.

After his submission to the royal commission, Wayne approached his councillor, Mellita Bate of Interrelate, who noticed his prose, short stories and artwork were “an integral part of his healing journey.”

Wayne wanted an exhibition, and just as they had fronted before a chief justice, one by one, survivors came forward with their cathartic poems and artworks. After a regional tour, Journeys of Hope is now on exhibition – curated

by Julian Edwards of JEFA and including a work

by Blak Douglas – in the Fountain Court at NSW Parliament House until August 3.

Patricia Occelli CEO of Interrelate.

Photo: Enouch Emmanuel

“This art exhibition can hopefully give strength and shine a light in the darkness of life,” Wayne says.

Hopefully.

The exhibtion is produced by artists like David Gallagher, 64, who went to an orphanage in Newcastle. His perpetrator’s dead now.

“Everyone looks at the sexual abuse, but it’s also the physical and mental abuse,” he says.

The affable, quiet bloke has been painting dark portraits in thick, Quilty-like brushstrokes “to get it out. I don’t like to paint art like this all the time. I’ve struggled a lot and it’s a good way to express feelings, and then seek special people to connect to.”

Do you have a partner?

“No.” Sorry, shouldn’t have asked.

Glory needn’t be so tragic. And no real leader

would brag about such an exhibition. But politicians are politicians. And credit where it’s due, one supposes, as the NSW Attorney General, Mark Speakman, did invite the artists into the house after being approached by Interrelate. He says that his government has passed tighter child sex abuse legislation that stops good character being used in defences where it has been used manipulatively in the offence, limitations being removed for civil offences, as well as organisations being liable for crimes committed by their employees. This follows up to $150,000 in compensation to survivors, and an institutional apology, through the National Redress Scheme.

Is everybody happy now?

But I digress – back to the artists.

Damian Koch, 52, is half-mad, half-brilliant, and as

103 Enmore Road, Newtown. T 9557 4818 More info: www.catprotection.org.au

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city hub 12 JULY 2018

well as inventing an environment-saving stormwater cage that is being seriously taken on by local councils, he paints to ease the pain.

“I just go into my own world when I paint,” Damian says. “I’ve been through a nightmare. I went to the police seven years ago, but after 12 months they dropped the case.”

A counsellor, standing next to him, mumbles, “Kindergarten cops.”

Tasteless pun or tautology? Awkward pause.

But just as his painting of scared rabbits hopped away from a Christian brother in a Victorian boarding school and towards “hope”, Damian walked into the royal commission – and he wasn’t the only one after all. He gives the full names of the child molesters.

“He got 11 years and he’ll die in jail,” Damian says. “And the other got 11 years and he’ll die in jail and go to hell.”

That writes them out of the script then.

The chief exective of Interrelate, Patricia Occelli, says the artists have brought much awareness to the issue and the public need to “own up to the responsibility of the wrongdoing of the past,” but there is still a “long way to go in education and support. Some institutions still haven’t signed up for the National Redress Scheme.”

Too much paperwork?

Long pause. “It’s not up to me to say why they haven’t signed up,” Occelli says.

Oh. Okay. Where are you Wayne?

“My art is a way of giving myself a voice when I had no voice. My art is the colour of a rainbow after a misty rainfall, refreshing every cell in my body,” he says.

Buckets of tears; a lifetime of pain. Don’t dream it’s over. Keep writing and painting, you bloody legends. *Matt Khoury is a Sydney-based author and journalist

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Funny Girl - The Musical In Concert Funny Girl, originally a musical starring Barbara Streisand, will be performed in concert at the Opera House with a stellar ensemble cast of 11 including, Michala Banas, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Casey Donovan,Virginia Gay,Verity HuntBallard, Dami Im, Maggie McKenna, Zahra Newman, Caroline O’Connor, Queenie van de Zandt and Megan Washington, each in turn playing the role of Fanny Brice, on whose life the musical is based. Colourful costumes of the 1920s, like those worn by Streisand, promise the audience a feast of old showbiz razzle-dazzle.

In securing such a lineup, director Mitchell Butel, has ensured a collection of truly powerful voices for this production, proving that the

music and lyrics have stood the test of time. The fact that all 11 will be on stage for each of the three shows is an added bonus. Each star represents a different facet of Fanny

Brice with unique interpretations of Bob Merrill’s lyrics and Jule Styne’s music.

“We’ve created a design for the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Aryana Sayeed Aryana Sayeed is undeniably Afghanistan’s most popular and extraordinary female artist.

CNN calls her “The Afghan voice that can’t be silenced.”

She is beautiful and has an awesome voice, but even more important she stands up for her home country.

Since releasing her first hit MashAllah in 2008 she’s been performing in Europe and the US, with dates coming up in Australia soon.

Interviewed all over the world, showing the true picture of Afghan women, she’s been achieving some improvement for the women right situation in Afghanistan.

By giving other women power and straight to stand on their own feed and defend themselves, she has already changed the attitude of many even though there is still a lot to do, she mentioned to City Hub. The singer has been under constant criticism from people in

that will feature a giant staircase down the centre of the stage dividing the orchestra into two sections. The staircase, as well as the front stage, will form the performance spaces for the cast of 28 people, who will feature in choreographed musical numbers.” said Mark Sutcliffe,director of Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

We are now in the age of women and the timing of this production couldn’t be more apt.With songs like Don’t Rain On My Parade and People in such capable hands the sky’s the limit.Also starring Trevor Ashley and Nancye Hayes as MrsBrice alongside Don Hany as Nick Arnstein. (RD) Until Jul 14. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $71-$149+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

her home country, mostly for her outfits. But with her determination and strong will she has successfully managed to be respected and actually celebrated on Afghan TV. It’s women like her in these countries, using their celebrity currency to bring real change for women in the Middle East. (LSe) July 15. Big Top - Luna Park, 1 Olympic Dr, Milsons Point. $60-$180+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.bigtopsydney.com

REVIEW: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Photo: Brinkhoff Mögenburg

From the first blast of sound to the final LED filled moments, this extraordinary stage adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel is a delight for the senses.The National Theatre (Great Britain) production with play written by Simon Stephens, has garnered high praise across the globe with gushing reviews and ecstatic audience responses. It is all utterly deserved.

Haddon’s 2003 novel is narrated by 15 year old Christopher Boone, a mathematics savant with social difficulties. (Haddon un-authoritively described it as Aspergers and autism but has since backpedalled.) The opening scene sets off the mystery inferred by the title: a dog is lying dead in a yard with a pitch fork stuck through its belly.This sparks Christopher’s irrepressible need for answers and admiration of Sherlock Holmes and he begins a quest to identify the dog killer. It’s a quest that leads

to even darker secrets and answers he is not completely prepared for.

Joshua Jenkins is astounding in the lead role of Christopher.The role is complex and emotional but also very physical, which Jenkins - who is on stage for virtually the entire show - handles with absolute aplomb. Stuart Laing balances pragmatic, working class bloke with sensitive, overwhelmed dad as Ed. Julie Hale plays dual roles as Siobhan, Christopher’s therapist, and narrator, seamlessly slipping into synch with Christopher’s speech and thoughts.

All performances are very good but the real stand out is the set design.A black cube with white graph lines, inset with lights, video and hidden doors, it is ingenious and completely absorbs us into Christopher’s mathematical world.There are clever comical surprises and precisely choreographed sequences that make for continued smiles and gasps.

a&e

19 STAGE 10 Sounds 11 SCENE 11 SCREEN

This production is nothing short of brilliant. (RB) Until 28. Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Rd,Walsh Bay. $99.90-$149.90+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @CityHubSyd

After the success of their first sold out show, Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan will be returning to the stage for one night only to share their incredibly relatable and hilarious stand-up comedy.

Women Like Us investigates the day to day struggles of being a woman, exploring parenting, relationships and body image through a shared voice which is often unheard.

Comedian, Ellen Briggs said, “A lot of comments after show are from women who say ‘Oh my gosh, it’s like you’ve got a camera in my house!’ We’ve come up with a way to make our comedy really relatable, I think everyone will see something of themselves or certainly someone they know in our comedy.”

The show will showcase both of their performances, with Nolan and Briggs having one hour on stage to share their stories and humour through their differing, yet fun styles.

“Both of us have very different styles, I’m more of a storyteller and pretty much all of my comedy is based from my personal experiences. Something may happen and you don’t always know when it happens that it’s comedy, but on reflection there’s something humorous about almost everything,” Briggs said.

Nolan and Briggs hope audiences won’t only laugh hysterically during their stand up but will also recognise the underlying message of the show and feel more confident in themselves.

“The tagline of our show is ‘It’s what’s underneath that counts.’ We want audiences to take that message away.We are all in this together as women and we all have the same problems and that’s why the show is called Women Like Us.We want audiences to forget about whatever’s happening in their life and have a really great night” Briggs concluded. (JM) Jul 18.The Bayview Hotel, 166 Victoria Rd, Gladesville.Tickets: $35+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.bayviewgladesville.com.au

Contributors: Craig Coventry, Emily Shen, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Rita Bratovich, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Riley Hooper, Georgia Fullerton, Gary Nunn, Renee Dallow, Andriana Vlahos, Erika Echternach & Lili Sekkai.

city hub 12 JULY 2017

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Sleeping Beauty - A Knight Avenger’s Tale The school holidays have arrived and this musical pantomime is sure to be a hit amongst families and big kids alike!

Producer/director Bonnie Lythgoe explained that many people think pantomimes are merely for children when in reality they’re for anybody who wants to enjoy a fun night out. “I don’t know why they think this. This is a show families can come along to and be entertained. We have British writers and British people who know how to put a pantomime together. They know how to make life, laughter, fun and shows that are good for kids and adults alike.”

Lythgoe is thrilled that Rhonda Burchmore has joined the cast as the wicked fairy. “Rhonda is

Rhonda Burchmore

going to be so good as she’s so enthusiastic. She’s about 5ft 11in so she’ll tower over everyone. Also

By Jamie Apps Typically it would be a bad sign if a band hadn’t released any new material in a four year period but for British rockers Marmozets it was simply a case of multiple unexpected hurdles sprouting up in their path.

After their breakthrough record, The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets, in 2014 the band went on a long stint of touring then just as they were planning to head back into the studio front woman Becca MacIntyre suffered an injury to her knees which would require multiple surgeries.

During their enforced sabbatical the group were hard at work behind the scenes crafting their most ambitious and provocative work to date for Knowing What You Know Now. “We hadn’t written any new songs for three years so it was a bit unnerving to begin with,” said guitarist Jack Bottomley. “We wrote the equivalent of three albums in the time off though because we weren’t in any rush and were able to craft the best combination of songs possible.”

With such a long break between records it came as no surprise to both Marmozets themselves and their fans that the music they created for this new record had evolved.

“When we were writing the first record we were all still quite

joining the show as the King is English actor Frazer Hines who was the longest running assistant on Doctor Who.” Audiences will be dumbfounded to learn that 12 months of work went into bringing this Pantomime to the stage. “The writing takes time, the sets and costumes are from England and it’s so well thought out. We bring the UK panto to Australia literally. It would be an eye-opener if people could see what we do behind the scenes – how we put a show together. It’s a long procedure and it takes forever.”

Audience participation is one of the key elements of Pantomimes and Lythgoe promises there will be plenty in this show.“The audience is encouraged to

Marmozets

scream out, there are songs they can join in and there’s a trick which we have never done before.This year we have a lot of illusion, more comedy and I’ll be very surprised if anybody gets bored as there’s so much going on!”

Lythgoe is adamant that she couldn’t imagine her show at any other venue than the State Theatre as it reminds her of the old English theatres.

“The magic of pantomime takes you to the land of make believe, it opens your mind and you will find all the things you want to achieve in pantomime.” (MMo) Jul 13-22. State Theatre, 49 Market St City. $69-$99+b.f..

Tickets & Info: www.ozpanto.com

young, my brother Will for example was only 16,” recalled Bottomley. “Now that we were all a bit older we had discovered new types of music and developed our own individual identities to bring to the writing process. We were also more willing to take everyone else’s ideas on board and not be so precious about our own ideas of what a song should be.”

By taking this new direction with their music Bottomley said it has been “lovely” to watch the demographic of the audiences shift. “On the first record it was people aged 18-25 roughly but now it’s younger people at the front then towards the back we have couples in their 60s who enjoy the music.”

This shift in audience composition has been important for Marmozets because they, “always wanted to be a band which appealed to everyone rather than being stuck in a niche.”

Despite not looking forward to the flight here Bottomley told City Hub they are “really excited” to come back to Australia with these new songs.

“We’ve got a completely new lease on life with the live show and we’re enjoying it more than ever.”

Jul 18. Lansdowne Hotel, 2-6 City Rd, Chippendale. $49.90+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.thelansdownepub.com.au

Body/Head – The Switch

Matty T Wall – Sidewinder

Slow and warped, each of these tracks is longer than your average.

Listeners will need to settle into this atmosphere. Anticipation builds with minutes of discord that is strangely not unpleasant. Matched by a voice the combination continues on without indication of intent.

Listeners will feel varying sensations, not unlike the ongoing nature of a didgeridoo, but not all sensations are sound. Traditional instruments play transient roles in this experience, not all are used in the common manner and fade once more as static prevails.

There is a sort of melody of varying energy, one that would be difficult to sing to. This album is an interesting trip through a world without markers.

Not all will stick with the journey, those who do, will have experienced an unsustainable wordless state, reduced to primitive reactions, where anticipation ends in a lack of resolution. (SP) WW1/2

Sidewinder holds all the intensity and speed of its namesake. Somehow moving sideways and forwards at the same time this undulating body of music is coming at the listener from more than one angle.

Brimming with energy, this album is one that will get the listener acting out their best impression of being onstage. Revelling amongst all the energy, they take in the crowds’ euphoria and convert it into killer moves, even if they are just in their kitchen or their car.

Track after track keeps the momentum going for a full album of musical joy, repeatedly sending out their energy in all directions, listeners will be hard pressed to move in time with every saucy beat.

Clear the furniture out of the way, listeners, and start this one up for an afternoon of excellent vibes. (SP)

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Attention

fIlm makers, photographers I want you to help me make an art hIstory fIlm called “the art of the gIrls In tIn sheds”.

(I am a wrIter) can we talk terms?

I want to make my spare room into a film-making studio.

What equipment do you recommend and why?

You can see the footage and materials available for this film based on an Australian poster art exhibition on cultural revolution circa 1976, when Mao died. I live in Glebe.

Email me on cfodonnell@gmail.com to discuss our meeting.

See more at www.carolodonnell.com.au

THE NAKED CITY

WARM NIGHTS ON A SLOW MOVING TRAIN

With Coffin Ed In a new Australian movie Night Train To Lithgow, two homeless people in their late 60s strike up a conversation, alone in the so called ‘quite carriage’.The man and woman are on the 12.18am train from Central to Lithgow, returning to Sydney at 6.00am. For the $2.50 pensioner concession, it’s a cheap, relatively safe and warm place to sleep, although the seats are not exactly designed for dozing.

Halfway through the journey they discover they were once childhood friends and the dialogue expands to how they have both fallen on hard times and now spend their nights sleeping on the inter city trains.

The movie is just a concept but the reality is happening every night, here in one of the most affluent cities on the planet. As the nights get colder, and the homeless are moved on from sleeping around Central Station, the late night inter city trains are at least one option to impending hypothermia. The round trip to Lithgow takes about six hours and with few passengers on the train there is plenty of room to stretch out.

It’s also relatively safe – as safe as it can be for anybody travelling on a late night train with no security cameras and the guard locked away in their own compartment. There is however an emergency button in each carriage, something you don’t get when you are sleeping under the railway bridge in Woolloomooloo.

There is no law against sleeping on trains, plenty of tired commuters do it everyday, but transport minister Andrew Constance has expressed his disdain at the increasing number of rough sleeping passengers.The State Government has now asked

welfare groups not to provide food for the homeless at Central Station as supposedly a way of keeping them off the trains.

The situation is of course nothing new and the homeless have been sleeping on late night trains for years. It’s interesting to look at the reaction of other passengers with a number of posts on Railpage under the heading “Should The Homeless Be Allowed To Sleep On Trains?”

One commuter writes: “I’ve read on the forums that the interurbans that leave sinny (sic) after midnight (particularly the 12:10 to lithgow) are used as a “hotel on wheels” of sorts for the homeless, particularly on cold nights. Do you think they should be allowed to be on a train for the express purpose of a nights sleep? Personally, as long as they have a valid ticket, and don’t bother other pax (not that there are many others on these services usually) i don’t see the problem... the transits seem to be pretty sympathetic to their cause...”

Whist another complains: “If they have had to have paid for a ticket for the express purpose of turning a seating carriage into one huge sleeping compartment, then they could have saved themselves the cash that they had spent, and gone and slept in a free bed provided by the Salvo’s at a shelter.And the money saved used to buy themselves a meal and a shower.”

It would appear that the public are somewhat split on the matter and all the State Government is doing is shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic. If the homeless are hunted from Central Station, they aren’t just going to disappear. They will soon find a new hub to gravitate to and the welfare providers will follow them. In the meantime the late train to Lithgow sure beats sleeping in Tom Uren Square in Woolloomooloo.

Mary Shelley

creates out of her deepest pain and hardest times, something so impressive and grim it hasn’t been seen before.

Always following her heart, Mary runs off with the love of her life, young charming poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Booth). By the age of 18, her life has been full of pain and loss, but would that life have been full of love, joy and this intense creativity had Mary chosen the conventional way?

Awesome actors and an incredible story based on Mary’s true life tell the story of a woman with intellect and bravery who changed many attitudes towards women’s genius in the early 19th century.

Focusing on the love affair between Percy and Mary this movie is a great choice if you’re seeking a romantic drama. (LSe)

Mary Shelley tells the story of an incredible, strong woman and her extraordinary relationship.

Being punished by many misfortunes Mary Wolllenstonecraft Goodwin (Elle Fanning)

WWWW

REVIEW: Charles Freyberg Dining AT The Edge

Like Kenneth Slessor before him, poet Charles Freyberg thrives on the contrasts and unconformity of Kings Cross, and after some 20 years of observation and participation has produced Dining At The Edge, a book of poems at once fascinating for their unsentimentality and wonderful for its clarity of language.

Sometimes Freyberg is the observer and at other times such as in his powerful Car Job he puts himself into the first person as a ‘lost boy’ working the infamous Darlinghurst Wall, something I am sure he never did.

Anyone familiar with the Cross will recognise landmarks such as the Piccolo Bar and the Goldfish Bowl but it is through

Freybergs’s voice that these come alive, not through our own recollections.

In Michael On Darlinghurst Road Freyeberg gives a nod to Michael Dransfield, a poet seldom mentioned today despite writing a wealth of work and leaving life in the appropriate manner of the 70s.

Unlike Slessor, who loathed the countryside, Freyberg becomes positively pastoral when he leaves the confines of Potts Point and ventures into Terrania Creek and Govetts Leap as real places, not just some relocation of the mind.

Throughout the book’s 29 poems Freyberg gives just enough of himself to engage the reader emphatically before he has you in the back of his

cab and is taking you on a journey that you did not know that you wanted to take. Read and enjoy. (JMo) Book Launch July 15. El Rocco, 22/154 Brougham St, Potts Point.

REVIEW: Vandal Gallery’s Breathing Colours

Breathing Colours encourages visitors to celebrate colours by experiencing them anew.

Although we see colours all day every day, we rarely take the time to truly appreciate their vibrancy, which is what the Breathing Colours exhibition is designed to change.

Art Pharmacy has put on another exhibition at Vandal Gallery, this time to showcase the work of three artists: Micke Lindebergh, Nuha Saad, and Elefteria Vlavianos. Each of the featured artists are experts in exciting colours and aspire to allow colours to breathe through their pieces.

Mr Lindebergh specialises in choosing chromatically lush materials and draws his inspiration largely from retro Scandinavian children’s books, Japanese comics and Sydney’s summertime.

Ms Saad focuses on how colour can influence our thoughts and behaviour. She has spent a considerable amount of time exploring the visceral responses, sometimes immediate, intense and irrational, that colour can produce in people.

Ms Vlavianos mainly uses acrylic paint and raw pigments to discover how the materiality of paint and conventions in the tradition of Armenian medieval gospel painting can regenerate what has been lost, misplaced or denied.

Artist Micke Lindebergh with his installation works. Photo: Art Pharmacy_Vandal

While the gallery itself is rather small, the works are quite interesting and creatively stimulating. The collection includes a variety of paintings as well as multiple three-dimensional pieces. Each piece of art explodes with bright hues of colour.

Although it is not large, the Breathing Colours exhibition at Vandal Gallery is a quick, fun trip to liven up any evening. (EE) Until July 20. Vandal Gallery, 16-30 Vine St, Redfern. Info: www.facebook.com/ events/251142252101497

Show Dogs

Loners become family and strangers from different worlds become friends in a world where animals can talk to each other.

Meet Max, an ambitious macho but cool and lonely Rottweiler police dog on a crazy mission in Las Vegas.

Accompanied by Frank the loner FBI agent, he needs to save the adorable baby panda Ling-Li who’s been stolen from a Zoo in China to be sold for millions. But it isn’t just Ling-Li’s life that’s in danger.

Undercover as a primped show dog with his trainer the unlikely team needs to stop cruel animal-smuggling which uses the prestigious dog show as a front.

Some weird stunts tended to seem pretty unreal and could have been better animated.

Slightly funny dialogues as well as many allusions which partially didn’t work made the movie a little insipid in some parts, but cute animals and an adventurous story affected the film positively and made it definitely watchable. (LSe) WW1/2 city hub 12 JULY 2017

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city hub 12 JULY 2018