CANBERRA CONFIDENTIAL / STARLIGHT SIGN TO SHINE AGAIN? NOVEMBER 21, 2013
Well written, well read
Zed fiddles as Canberra burns!
MICHAEL MOORE Squash! How the Open got closed TIM GAVEL
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4 CityNews November 21-27
politics /opinion
Volume 19, Number 43 / Phone 6262 9100, GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601
Senator Zed fiddles as Canberra burns! Newly elected Senator Zed Seselja should be fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable in Canberra. But where is he, asks MICHAEL MOORE? WHERE the hell are you, Zed? Is it a case of Zed fiddles around while Canberra burns? At least your predecessor, Gary Humphries, admitted that Canberra would suffer a devastating onslaught from an incoming Abbott Government and that he would do what he could to protect Canberra. The promise was natural attrition. The reality is attacking those least able to defend themselves. Newly elected Senator Zed Seselja should be fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable in Canberra. Whatever happened to his sense of a “fair go”? The Abbott Government is not just slashing the public service, it is attacking the most vulnerable – the junior staff, the lowest paid public servants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and new graduates. Instead, opening the Canberra Liberals’ web page under “Latest News”, the statement under Senator Zed Seselja on November 9 said: “Sorry, there are currently no items to display”. The same was true on November 10, 11, 12 and right up to press time on November 19, while his Canberra constituency was under attack. There was a lesson he could have learnt from the outgoing speech of Senator Humphries who talked about his first weeks in the job. After advice from a colleague about how to stop the Film and Sound Archive moving from Canberra he stated: “I put the phone down and thought, ‘Well, that’s how you get things done; you throw a tantrum’.” We do not even hear a murmur from his successor, let alone a tantrum – apart from a fleeting reference in his maiden speech. The Public Service Commission has identified that temporary workers account for 14,237 of the public servants. These are the really vulnerable ones. Their jobs are relatively easy to cut. But this is not by attrition. They target the women, the young and those on lower earnings. The Commission identifies that three quarters of the temporary workforce is earning less than $42,000 per year. The policy of the Abbott Government was to cut 12,000 positions. The driver is simply savings from expenditure in the public service. However, if positions at the ASO 6 level were tackled, similar savings could be made with the loss of around 9000 public servants. Tackling the management structure at even higher pay levels instead would mean even fewer positions lost. Making the slashes across the scale
Lundy, in calling on Zed to use his influence as he had promised before the election. In a press release, they used the following quote from a radio interview during the election campaign in which Seselja said: “[The Coalition has] been good enough to put their policies on the table and that policy is to, across Australia, reduce the size of the public service by 12,000 through natural attrition. Now, my job should I be elected to the Senate will, of course, be to hold the Coalition to that promise that it will occur through natural attrition.” The knock-on effect for Canberra is going to be felt throughout our economy. For example, it will be keenly felt in the housing industry. A reduction in public service workers will mean less demand for new housing. It will also be felt in the service and retail industries that employ some of the lowest wage earners in Canberra. Remember the 1200 jobs that went from Geelong with the announcement that Ford would be shutting down? The impact on Geelong was to be so devastating that the Victorian and Federal Governments jumped into action. Julia Gillard announced $50 million of taxpayers’ money for retraining and to assist Geelong to reinvent itself. After six years of a constant three per cent cut to the public service under Labor, Canberra now faces losing the lion’s share of 14,000 more jobs. And there is no point in Canberrans holding their breath for any type of support package. Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health
CN - 14.11.2013 - Sale.pdf 1 14/11/2013 9:49:00 AM
of public servants would mean fewer people devastated, leaner management and support systems and a much more level playing field. These are the sorts of arguments we should be hearing from our representative. The Labor member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, is publicly drawing attention to the issues that will have such a devastating impact on Canberrans. On November 7 he said he is “alarmed by the skewed priorities of the Abbott Government that slug the poor and favour the rich” and named Assistant Treasurer, Arthur Sinodinos, as “abandoning a tax break for low-income superannuants, cutting the schoolkids’ bonus, reducing income support and slashing jobs in the public service… cuts across the board exempt mining billionaires, C millionaire parents and tax breaks for those with more than $2 million in their superanM nuation accounts”. Y He was joined by the other ACT Labor members, Gai Brodtmann and Senator Kate
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Adventure grips lucky climber Chris Warner has been climbing mountains around the world since he was a teenager. He explains it to LAURA EDWARDS
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6 CityNews November 21-27
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FOR Chris Warner, the grip of climbing has always been hard to shake. Ever since his first expedition to Central Asia at 19, the Ainslie resident has tackled mountains around the world for about four months of every year. Something about the wide, exposed spaces gives the affable 36-year-old a sense of calm and belonging no other outlet could provide. “For me it’s downtime – the isolation, being away from your phone, it clears your head,” Warner says. “What attracts me most is the sense of adventure, being out in the wilderness; I like getting up high and being exposed.” That paradoxical longing for adventure and downtime hasn’t ever changed for Warner – even when the grim face of death was staring him down. Warner was on the widely reported, illfated K2 mountain trek in July, where his two friends and climbing partners, fatherand-son Marty and Denali Schmidt, were killed in an avalanche. Warner was back at base camp at the time, turning around from the expedition after sensing a threatening change in the conditions, while Marty and Denali had insisted they wanted to keep pushing on. When asked about the deaths, Warner is confrontingly matter-of-fact. “It’s not uncommon that people are killed on expeditions – it becomes a risk you have to take,” he says. Does he ever agonise over what could have happened, when his own death was just a mere misguided decision away? “Coming back to this life, you’re busy and you get sidetracked, and you don’t think about it much or it fades away a bit, but you do come across it, when I get an email from a family member or something, it’s definitely around,” he says. As for his girlfriend and family, they’re “well trained” in bracing themselves when it’s time for him to head off to expeditions. “They definitely worry, but they’re used to it by now,” he grins. In December, Warner will travel to Nepal for a month, to ice climb and paraglide, while visiting the small guest house he owns with his sherpa friend in the remote Rolwaling Valley – a seven-day trek from the nearest city.
Mountaineer Chris Warner… “What attracts me most is the sense of adventure, being out in the wilderness; I like getting up high and being exposed.” It’s a trip Warner describes as “casual and relaxing” compared to the gruelling expeditions he’s used to. “It’s by no means the same expedition as something like K2 where we’re camping outside and having huge days, we’ll be on a lot of day trips, rock-climbing, but then coming back to the guest house,” he says. At 194 centimetres tall with an athletic, slim frame, Warner is built for climbing. His office at the rope-access cleaning and maintenance business he owns is set up for him to be away for months at a time, with his staff used to him returning with exciting tales of his expeditions. And yet he’s surprisingly modest when speaking of his extreme feats. He conquered Everest in several weeks, he says, adding there are currently 50 frozen bodies sitting on the 8848-metre high mountain now. “You can’t see them, because they’re all under the snow, but you know they’re there, it’s pretty unsettling,” he says.
As for K2, the July expedition was his second time; he’d already been there, done that in 2008. For now, Warner is busily planning his next great expedition – “There are so many mountains out there, I’d love to do South America,” he says. Despite his wealth of experience, the “pro-climber” tag doesn’t sit comfortably with him. As a member of the Canberra Climbers Association, he will occasionally talk to schools or interested climbers’ groups, but says he “doesn’t want to do it professionally or anything like that”. “I’m not really interested in being known as the ‘Everest guest speaker’,” he says. “I really just do this because I love it.” Anyone interested in the Canberra Climbers Association should visit www.canberraclimbing.org.au/
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news
Silk defends accused
IT may have been over 90 years ago, but Laura Edwards the 1920 trial of Eugenia Falleni remains reports one of the most “fascinating and important In 1920 Falleni was charged with the murder moments in Australia’s legal history,” says of Annie, who surprisingly hadn’t realised her husband was in fact a woman until a third party barrister Mark Tedeschi QC.
revealed it to her. The court alleged Falleni beat Annie to death while they were on a picnic after she had discovered her husband’s true gender, while Falleni insisted Annie had tripped and hit her head on a rock. When Annie’s body was found, it had been burnt beyond recognition and took three years to identify. At the time, Falleni was subject to a trial by media and portrayed as a fiendish human monster, a sexual pervert, liar, hypocrite and murderess. She was sentenced to death for the murder, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Released in 1931, she died in a pedestrian accident in 1938. Tedeschi believes that Falleni was wrongly convicted on the basis of “fallacious scientific evidence, unreliable sighting witnesses, dubious police practice and an avalanche of prejudicial publicity”. “At the time there was prejudice surrounding transgender people, and I believe had Falleni had a more experienced defence counsel, things would have turned out differently,” Tedeschi says. “We will never truly know what happened to Annie. But I do believe Eugenia was not treated to a fair trial, in any sense.” Tedeschi says he became “fascinated” with Author and barrister Mark Tedeschi… “I believe had the case of Falleni when told about it at a dinner Falleni had a more experienced defence counsel, in 2005. things would have turned out differently.”
Tedeschi, who is NSW’s Senior Crown Prosecutor, will visit Canberra’s gay pride festival Springout this month to discuss “Eugenia”, his non-fiction book on Falleni, a transgender man convicted of murder. Tedeschi says he became “fascinated” by the complex and compelling Falleni, who was born in Italy as a woman but lived as the foulmouthed, hard-drinking Harry Crawford in Sydney for 22 years, eventually marrying a woman named Annie Birkett.
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8 CityNews November 21-27
www.hbalearningcentres.com.au
briefly
from another age
Abbott likely to sack Pope! By Robert Macklin
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott is preparing to sack the Pope. According to sources close to both men, he will most likely return to his native land before the end of the year.
A police photo of Eugenia Falleni (aka Harry Crawford)... subject to a trial by media and portrayed as a fiendish human monster, a sexual pervert, liar, hypocrite and murderess. “I decided I wanted to write a book, so I spent about two years researching then took 10 weeks off my job to lock myself away and write furiously,” he says. In the process of his research, he discovered Falleni had a troubled, lonely past – from her longing to live as a man from a very early age, her family “cutting her off” in disgust, and the brutal rape and torment by her colleagues who had found out her true identity while she was working as a seaman. “I became quite connected to Eugenia and very sympathetic to her plight; she lived at a time where it was hard for her to be accepted,” says Tedeschi. Tedeschi says his discussion at
Springout will draw on issues that are still “very much relevant and compelling today”. “Although there is still some prejudice, being a transgender person in today’s society is vastly different to what it was in 1920,” he says. “I think if Eugenia had lived today, her wish to live as a man might have been met with a little more understanding, and she would have lived a very different life. I think there’s a lesson for us all in the treatment of people who are different.” In Conversation with Mark Tedeschi, 1pm on Saturday November 23 at the National Film & Sound Archive. Tickets, $15, are available by calling 6248 2000. Enquiries: info@springout.com.au
Sorry about that; just couldn’t resist the temptation. The Pope in question is about as far as you can get from the Vatican; I speak, of course, of Neil Pope, the administrator of Norfolk Island appointed by Labor’s Simon Crean in 2012. Canberra and the island are abuzz with the rumour that his days are numbered as the Abbott Government takes a much tougher line on Norfolk’s future than previous administrations. And about time, too. Since publication of my horrific history of the island, “Dark Paradise,” two months ago I have been inundated by a stream of emails and texts telling of the increasing desperation of the residents as the island descends into bankruptcy. And the message is supported by Kathy Marks whose 2008 book, “Paradise Lost”, lifted the lid on the incest and sexual oppression on Pitcairn among descendants of the Bounty mutineers. The Pitcairners all moved to Norfolk in 1856, but some later returned to the smaller island. Ms Marks has just visited Norfolk and says: “The economy is in desperate straits. Every other business on the main street is for sale, along with perhaps 200 homes. The roads are ferociously potholed, a bone-jangling symbol of the nation’s decline.” A “roadmap” to incorporate the island into the Australian commonwealth was signed by Crean and Norfolk’s Chief Minister David Buffett in 2011. For the first time, they would pay income tax and municipal rates in exchange for Medicare and other welfare payments. By 2015 the island would be fully incorporated into the Australian commonwealth. Most importantly, it would pave the way for investment in the island’s tourism industry. Buffett was then defeated by a Pitcairn voting bloc who elected the new Chief Minister, Lisle Snell, a local bus driver and Pitcairn descendant who opposed the roadmap. Kathy Marks says: “The public service – overwhelmingly staffed by islanders – remains bloated, inefficient and according to numerous insiders, rife with nepotism, cronyism and worse. “One retired public servant told me that during 38 years on the job, he never bought a piece of steel, nor any timber, cement or petrol, instead helping himself from public stores.” Neil Pope, a former Victorian State parliamentarian whose most notable qualification for the administrator’s role was his friendship with Crean, seems to have been unable to keep Snell and his faction to the roadmap. Canberra’s Senator Gary Humphries was a forceful member of the Parliamentary Committee overseeing the planned incorporation. Now retired, his views are well known and well regarded by the Abbott Government. robertmacklin.com
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Experience.
Well written, well read.
Wendy Johnson
Cedric Bryant
dining reviewer
gardening writer
ANU gives you more choices to create your own future, provides you with access to some of the world’s leading minds and it’s all right here.
learn.anu.edu.au CityNews November 21-27 9
news
Brian and the art of shameless happiness WHEN serious illness forced Brian Stephen Easton Tunks, the founder of international reports homewares brand Bison, out of his Pialligo workshop for good last a “lifestyle brand” with the addition of textiles and wood (sustainyear, he found the silver lining. ably sourced), and Brian’s currently
“It wiped the floor with me and my doctor said: ‘No more production for you’, so now I’m not doing the production. I’m working with other studios around the world, they’re producing for me, but I’m teaching, and I love that,” he says candidly. Brian’s core expertise is designing and making stoneware ceramics – bowls, plates, teapots and more – using an ancient technique for reproducing the same designs called slipcasting, and glazing them in his own range of bright colours. It’s also what made him sick, he thinks. “I don’t design for the broader market,” he says later. “I design for me – which is shamelessly selfish – and I am so happy.” The illness came as a blessing in disguise, making him “take a step back from everything”, and come back in a strategic role, focused on the company’s future. He enjoyed the 17 years he spent in production, maintaining quality, but says that for an aspiring global brand, “it really limits how you can evolve”. Over the years Bison has become
working on his first soaps and candles (using WWF-certified palm oil) for a new brand he will launch soon. “I was tired of going to places and seeing my pieces merchandised and they’d have these really atrocious fabrics with them, or bad glassware, or something else that just wouldn’t work, and you can’t say anything, so my way of taking back a bit of control was doing my own,” he explains. Bison is already available in select shops around the world, such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art, but the new phase of expansion involves working with distributors in larger volumes, starting with the US, Asia and possibly the United Arab Emirates down the track. He can also spend more time creating new designs now that he isn’t peronally producing the existing ones. “Now I’ve got the flexibility to evolve, like doing the ‘Poplar’ range for Canberra’s Centenary; that was a big thing for me. I wanted to do something that was a departure from what I’ve done in the past, but still very clearly identifiable as Bison.” Tunks started Bison after graduat-
Bison’s Brian Tunks… “I’m not Mother Teresa, but I think you have to try to improve the lot of other people you’re working with in a different setting.” Photo by Brent McDonald ing with a Masters of Literature from the ANU, where he also studied ancient history, classics and archaeology. He spent time with a team digging up ancient pottery in Syria, “which they’re blowing up at the moment”, he reminds us. There on the banks of the Euphrates River he saw “the evolution of design from the classical period to
the contemporary” and mulled over doing a PhD in Sydney. “I could either go into academia – which wasn’t looking too crash-hot in the Howard era, let me tell you – or start my own design company.” In some kind of karmic consolation prize, lately he’s been getting invitations to give lectures, including one for an upcoming event at Brisbane’s
combined Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. The new phase of Bison’s evolution also involves moving some of his production offshore, starting with Indonesia and Thailand. It’s scary, but “extremely liberating” for Tunks, who is obsessive about quality control and has a healthy disdain for the cheap, mass-produced goods he calls “cultural landfill”. “I’m still balancing that. ‘Mass’ is huge, giant factories, and I would never put the brand into something like that. I tend to work with midsized production facilities, where the owner knows all of the staff by name, where there’s personal relationships, where there’s the possibility of developing something. “I’m looking at working in certain emerging countries where I could do stuff like interface with an orphanage, and help fund education for women, things like that. I’m not Mother Teresa, but I think you have to try to improve the lot of other people you’re working with in a different setting.” So far, he’s been absolutely appalled at the quality. It’s perfect. “It’s amazing! I’m as anal as ever about QC and the horrendous thing is I spent so long doing the production that I became fixated on a certain standard, and now the people I’m working with are equalling my standard, or even better, and it’s depressing!”
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10 CityNews November 21-27
sport
briefly
Squash! How the Open got closed IT’S the case of the disappearing sporting event.
One moment the national squash championship was planned for Canberra, the next it had gone. But where? TIM GAVEL investigates...
The Australian Squash Open had become a fixture in Canberra since 2010, staged in a specially constructed glass court at the National Convention Centre. It had built up a solid following. A good event, it was accessible, it showcased squash and it was well run. It was scheduled to continue in Canberra this year and next. But a quick glance though at the Squash Australia website and a subsequent phone call to CEO Garry O’Donnell has revealed that the event won’t be happening this year while the 2014 tournament is in extreme doubt. So, it seems the event has just disappeared. There was no public announcement as such; there was no speculation about its future. It just evaporated from the public conscience. Mr. O’Donnell says his organisation
letters A sad sign of the times SO, the historic Starlight Drive In sign is left to languish out in the weather at an ACT Government depot (“Heritage shrugs off listed sign’s neglect”, CN November 7). Apparently a heritage listing has little consequence in the Government’s thinking. This, at a time when we are supposedly celebrating our 100-year anniversary incorporating the (appropriately named ) “Spin” event, allegedly to celebrate Canberra’s motoring heritage. There was $600,000 available for a whale balloon, which has made us the laughing stock of Australia, but no funding for the iconic Starlight sign.
had no option but to pull the plug on the 2013 tournament for financial reasons. He says the net loss from last year’s event was into the six figures and it couldn’t be sustained. As for next year’s Australian Squash Open it would appear as though it hangs in the balance with no commitment either way from the sport’s governing body on whether it will go ahead. In the end it will come down to money. It raises the question, had we known as a community that the event was under threat, would we have rallied to save it as we have done with sporting teams facing the same fate? I doubt whether there would have been a rallying cry as such but there may have been a groundswell among supporters of squash in Canberra.
Needle concerns
Take me to the ball game... A NIGHT out at the Narrabundah Ball Park is becoming a sporting experience reminiscent of the glory days of the Canberra Cannons at the Palace in the 1980s and early 1990s. In those days, the team was riding high on success in the NBL, it had a band playing during the games and there was standing room only. It would appear as though the Canberra Cavalry has taken the same approach, with the game itself just a part of the entertainment package. There is singing and dancing – it is
In Transylvania
MIKE Crowther’s concern (letters, CN November 7) that syringes “will flood” the Alexander Maconochie Centre under a regulated needle and syringe program (NSP) reflects misconceptions. The ACT Government’s proposal specifically requires that detainees surrender a syringe in order to receive a sterile unit. In countries where prison NSPs have already been successfully and safely introduced, staff concern has given way to support when the successful introduction of such programs has reduced the risk of blood borne virus (BBV) transmission for both detainees and staff. Illicit needles are being shared, drugs are available and BBV transmission is a reality in the AMC now. Mr Crowther’s experience in the NSW prison system illustrates the reality to which the ACT Government is responding. The community, prison staff and detainees all deserve a safer and more healthy prison. That’s why health organisations – along with the UN and the World Health Organization – are advocating for prison NSPs.
David Cumbers, via email
Nail 1: In 2006, the prestigious US Institute of Medicine concluded “multiple studies show that needle & syringe programs do not reduce transmission of HCV (Hepatitis C)”. Nail 2: in February, 2012, Geoffrey Farrell, professor of hepatic medicine, is quoted as saying: “Injection of contaminated blood by drug users is now virtually the only means of acquiring the virus [Hep C ]”. Nail 3: The ACT Hepatitis Resource Centre reports there are 226,000 Australians with hepatitis C, of which 3750 are Canberrans. Nail 4: January, 2011: Stuart Loveday, president of Hepatitis Australia, has told the community that the principal cause of hep C is transmission of contaminated blood through intravenous injection. Nail 5: February, 2007, “The Australian and NZ Journal of Public Health” reported that 35 per cent of intravenous drug users still share/re-use despite clean needle availability. That’s why despite the issue of 400 million John Didlick, executive officer, needles (Victoria alone has six million anACT Hepatitis Resource Centre nually) in the past 30 years, hep C sufferers
akin to being transported to baseball heartland in the US where games in country towns attract around 1500 fans packed into small venues. Canberra’s previous baseball team the Bushrangers played games at Canberra Stadium and there was a cavernous feel about it. There was little atmosphere and the team suffered. The success of the Cavalry is no doubt contributing to the enjoyment factor, but there’s a sense that it’s a night out, a chance to escape. If the venue was to be expanded, there is a danger that it would lose the closeness that exists between the players and the fans. So far it has been one of the real success stories in Canberra sport in terms of capturing a niche market and catering to that market. It is obvious the team has listened to what its fans want and baseball is just part of the package when they go to Narrabundah.
now number 226,000. I trust no one will try to withdraw these nails from the coffin of the NSP program – as it now resides in Transylvania.
Colliss Parrett, Barton
Missing Mike I AM sorry to hear that Mike Welsh has finished up at 2CC (CN November 14). Having dealt with Mike on numbers of occasions in respect to my attempts to avoid another bushfire disaster by getting bureaucrats to accept some accountability and responsibility, I found him to be a fierce proponent of this approach and I enjoyed his no-nonsense, practical and informative views on subjects of keen interest to the Canberra community. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Ric Hingee, Duffy Letters are invited to editor@citynews. com.au or GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less stand a better chance of publication.
City bloomers CANBERRA CBD Limited’s annual summer flower display of 1800 baskets of multi-coloured petunias have returned to 464 locations around central Canberra from Hobart Place, along Northbourne Avenue through City Walk, Petrie Plaza and Ainslie Avenue. They’ll be there until after the Canberra Festival in March.
Potluck lunch FAMILIES raising children in more than one language and people interested in bilingual education are welcome at the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance’s multilingual potluck lunch, at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, North Building, London Circuit, Civic, 11am-1pm, on Saturday, November 30. More information at actbilingual. weebly.com/
Campbell for carols TELEVISION star and entertainer, Tim Campbell, will lead the Christmas at Crace carols night, 6pm-9pm, at the suburb’s recreation park, corner of Abena Avenue and Narden Street, on Thursday, December 12. Local primary school choirs will perform and the Lions Club of Belconnen will be holding a barbecue in aid of the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal. Entry is free.
Charity card shop THE Combined Charities Christmas Card Shop, in the foyer of the City Uniting Church, Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenue, Civic, is open weekdays, 10am-3.30pm, until December 12 selling cards and small gifts for not-for-profit organisations. Over 25 years, the shop has raised more than $690,000 for local charities.
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farewell Millers of Manuka / advertising feature ‘We always order the clothes from Europe about 12 months in advance so there’s still many beautiful clothes left.’
Clothing icon says farewell with a huge sale AS she sifts through photographs of days gone by, an emotional Dorothy Roberts reflects on Millers of Manuka’s 56 years. “It’s gone beyond just selling clothes – we’ve had such close relationships with the clients who walk through these doors,” she says of the luxury women’s fashion store. Dorothy, who has owned Millers for the last 42 years, will close the iconic family business on December 21, as she enters “a new chapter” in her life. “The response from customers has been absolutely amazing, they’ve come in with all these wonderful stories, memories of their time at Millers... we’ve had people just so devastated, so sad that we are closing,” she says. The Franklin Street store was opened in 1957 by Mary Miller and continued by her daughter Dorothy, who returned to Canberra in 1971 from Mount Isa with her geologist husband Bert to help run the business. Dorothy’s daughter Sue Bishop, who now lives in Sydney, also helped run the store, assisting with overseas buying. Over the years, Mary Miller grew Millers into the institution it is today, initially
•
stocking mostly Australian labels such as Norma Tullo, Carla Zampatti and Prue Acton and eventually importing exclusive European labels such as Armani and Missoni. Dorothy says the store’s closing-down sale, to be held until its final day, includes 30 to 75 per cent off all merchandise. “It’s been absolutely manic since we announced the closing down sale, we’ve had customers just pouring through,” she says. “We always order the clothes from Europe about 12 months in advance so there’s still many beautiful clothes left.” In the years Dorothy has run the store, she says she has watched “generations upon generations” pass through its doors. “We’ve had women who shopped here marry, have children and then their children come and shop here, and so on I think the most we’ve had is four generations, which is amazing,” she says. “I think people kept coming back because of that personal touch; when they walked through the doors they felt welcome and taken care of, and that’s quite rare these days.” Some of Australia’s most high-profile women have been customers; including Dame Joan Sutherland and prime ministerial wives Dame Pattie Menzies, Tamie
Fraser, Sonia McMahon and Annita Keating. “We had special clients who would come through and just say ‘we’re here for you to outfit us for the season’,” Dorothy says. “I have six staff here with me and really, they’ve just been the backbone of the business. They all have their own clients and it meant they could always give them the time and attention they deserved.” Millers’ expansive history also includes regular in-store fashion shows dating back to the 1970s, with statuesque models parading the latest looks exclusively for customers. Dorothy says she would have loved to have kept the business in the family, but her daughter lives in Sydney and at 16, her granddaughter is too young. “We had put it out for sale for about 12 months but didn’t have the right interest,” she explains. After Millers, Dorothy says she’ll probably stay out of fashion, the industry that has been her life and love for so many years, instead hoping to “give back” to the community. “All in all, it’s been a fabulous 56 years,” she says. “My memories of Millers will be the wonderful relationships we’ve made, the many generations, the lovely friends. I won’t forget it.”
Dorothy Roberts… “It’s been absolutely manic since we announced the closing down sale, we’ve had customers just pouring through.”
Millers of Manuka •
CLOSING DOWN SALE After 56 years, Millers of Manuka will be closing its doors on Saturday, December 21.
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Centrepoint shopping
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Central arcade with a special appeal CENTREPOINT arcade, on the corner of City Walk and Petrie Plaza, is home to a group of unique, successful businesses, and the building’s owner is welcoming other entrepreneurs to join them in the prime position at a busy junction of the city’s walking streets. Upstairs is one of Canberra’s top hairdressers, Hair in the City, which moved in from London Circuit this year, just across from the extremely well-regarded Elegance Beauty Therapy. Opposite, The African Look Salon has been the place to go for dreadlocks and various kinds of braids for the past 16 years.
WATCHMAKER with timeless style
At ground level on the corner is the V Spot, Canberra’s newest vegetarian and vegan coffee shop, with the funky and affordable one-off fashions in Tressle boutique to one side, and a large range of new and antique timepieces at The Clock Doc on the other, with curry cafe Mon Thani next door.
HAIRSTYLE with an ‘afro’ flair IF it’s dreadlocks, corn rows, braids or a perm you’re after, The African Look Salon is Canberra’s number one location and its owner, Juliette Graham, is one of Centrepoint’s longest running tenants. Juliette has been upstairs in the arcade, specialising in “afro” hairstyles for the past 14 years, during which time she has given countless Canberrans a unique hairstyle, many of which feature in hundreds of photographs stuck to the walls. She’s also styled more than a few stars in her time, including two world-class basketballers, Lauren Jackson and Patty Mills, as well as rugby union great George Gregan (and his mother). She even did hair extensions for Delta Goodrem once. “She came here with Brian [McFadden]; she was dating him at the time,” says Juliette. “Her bodyguard was sitting here, nobody could come into the shop, and
The Clock Doc, Vincent Jason, with a French-made 1889 jade clock.
A FOURTH generation Swiss-certified clock and watch maker, Vincent Jason from The Clock Doc is definitely a safe pair of hands when it comes to repairing and servicing high-quality timepieces.
Juliette Graham with a wig in her The African Look Salon. people were everywhere all around here and the phone kept ringing. We had a lot of fun that day, but I had to rush, rush, rush.” The African Look also has a large range of ethnic hair and skin
products, make-up, clothing and accessories, along with an absolutely amazing range of wigs and hair extensions. The African Look Salon. Call 6247 2001.
Working under the exacting standards of the clockmakers in Switzerland was not easy, says Vincent, but it gave him the enviable old-fashioned skills that Canberrans have relied on for many years. “It wasn’t easy,” he says of his training, many years ago. “I was in a lecture one day and the designer said something and I queried it. He said: ‘You’re the tradesman. I’m the designer. You shut up and you listen,’ and that was the end of that. I never questioned them again.” The Clock Doc specialises in priceless antique timepieces – grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, cuckoo clocks, anniversary clocks – as well as other ornamental gauges such as barometers and thermometers. The little store also features a house
call service – especially for elderly customers – and an interior design service as well. “We’ve got clocks from about $10 up to $40,000 – whatever you want – so we do carry a vast range and it’s the same with the watches,” says Vincent. One grandfather clock he shows us is not far off 300 years old (but doesn’t look it after his restoration work) and another, based around a large block of jade, was made in France in 1889. As for the location in Centrepoint, just across from the merry-go-round, he says it’s perfect. “It really is ideal. I’m on the ground and we’ve got people coming in all the time. There’s people walking past and there’s always things going on out the front.” The Clock Doc offers obligation-free quotes and all the work is guaranteed. During December, until Christmas Eve, the shop will be open seven days and, where possible, Vincent is more than happy to wrap presents at no charge. The Clock Doc. Call 6230 4535 or go to theclockdocact. com.au
The African Look Looking for that African Look? Braids, weaves, extensions, dreadlocks. Hair and skin products. We have it all in one location The African Look Phone 6247 6614
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Centrepoint
…corner of City Walk and Petrie Plaza CityNews November 21-27 15
Centrepoint shopping CAFE with vegetarians in mind
BEAUTY with a touch of elegance
CHRISSIE Wittich opened V Spot Cafe in mid-September, in a space that inspired many of the ideas for how she would put her own stamp on the city’s pedestrian area. “I had a vision, but when I found this site I changed my vision to fit it, and then the concept just evolved and developed from there,” she says, explaining that everything on the menu is suitable for vegetarians, and there are heaps of vegan and gluten-free options, too. Chrissie says finding the site was like “divine intervention” and after that, a lot of other things seemed to fall into place, with the answers to difficult questions – such as which brand of coffee to use – appearing to present themselves at just the right time as though “the universe had contrived for this to happen”. “I was looking at a Canberra coffee supplier and I was just a little bit nervous, I wasn’t a hundred per cent sure… then, I was visiting my mum in Wagga and I had the best coffee I’d ever had,” she recalls. “What is it? Where is it from?” she immediately enquired. It was Jasper coffee, a small Melbourne roaster run by “a couple V Spot Cafe owner Chrissie Wittich serves regular customer Miffy of old hippies” (their words, Chrissie assures us) that happens to be next door Galloway. to her sister, who’d been telling her to try ties of nutrient-rich raw foods, like her “zoodles”. their beans for a while. “Zoodles are zucchini cut into what looks like spa“It’s organic and fair trade and it tastes good,” says ghetti with a raw tomato and basil sauce,” she explains, Chrissie. “There’s lots of organic fair trade stuff that just adding that V Spot hosted a “raw-food dinner” recently. isn’t nice, but I think this tastes fantastic and Jasper was The meal got “ticks all round” from health-food blogthe first coffee roaster in Australia to be certified carbon gers The Merrymaker Sisters, who also describe Chrissie neutral. I think that’s fairly impressive, too.” as one of the nicest people they’ve met. “I did that just to dip a toe in the water, but I’m V Spot uses as many local suppliers as possible, such as local girl Anthea Cahill’s Real Chai, fresh and ethical snacks going to do it regularly, and my next one will be a raw from Veganarchy and Raw Capers, and handmade Lindsay high tea.” V Spot is the first cafe to serve merrymaker raw and Edmonds chocolate (melted into steamed milk). Naturally, being as eco-friendly as possible goes hand cakes. in hand with a cafe that’s a meat-free zone, and Chrissie tells “CityNews” she has also been exploring the possibiliV Spot Cafe. Call 0402 089 325 or go to vspotcafe.com.au
GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE Great gift ideas: Teenage Daily Ritual Packs – ONLY $55
HAVING first opened in 1988, generations of Canberra ladies have come to relax and be pampered in the quiet, calm rooms at Elegance Beauty Therapy, where sunshine filtered through the trees outside is all that can be seen through the second-storey windows. “It’s very relaxing to be working in a room like this, looking out,” says Tina Halikiotis, a beauty therapist with 25 years’ experience who took over the salon in February. “We have a lot of clients that have been coming from the word go, that still come today, 30 years later and we don’t have a big turnover of staff, either. I’ve kept the same staff who were already here.” As you’d expect, Elegance has a complete range of facials, treatments for anti-ageing and skin hydration, manicures, pedicures, Elegance Beauty Therapy owner Tina Halikiotis in one of the eyelash extensions, waxing and laser hair removal, all of which can beauty rooms. be combined into packages. Elegance has regular monthly specials, and also gives “Microdermabrasion is one of our big treatments,” discounts and bonuses for paying in advance. says Tina, explaining that the treatment removes the “When a client comes in for waxing, if she pays for three topmost layers of skin to reveal more youthful three of those treatments on the day we’ll give her the cells underneath. fourth one for free – it’s just one of the ways we are “As well as doing anti-ageing, we’re doing a lot of always giving back to our customers.” teen treatments now, that’s our new thing we’ve been Tina says she’s now focusing on Christmas, putting introducing,” she adds. together special packs and hammering out yet “What we’re doing now is we want to teach the another great deal on gift vouchers – spend over teenagers how important it is to look after their skin. $200 on a voucher and she’ll throw in another $40 They say 70 per cent of teenagers shouldn’t have one for free. acne, so if we can get them looking after their skin we should be able to help a lot of them avoid that acne Elegance Beauty Salon. Call 6248 0058 or go to altogether.” elegancebeauty.com.au Tina is big on rewarding customer loyalty so
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Following our rawmazing Raw Food Dinner in September, V Spot Cafe presents
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– Collegan, Hydration, Silicium, Hyaluronique, Créme d’Exception
Tressle Right on City Walk
Check Facebook or www.vspotcafe.com.au for further information and to stay in the loop about upcoming events.
www.elegancebeauty.com.au
Phone 6247 8170
www.vspotcafe.com.au
Centrepoint 16 CityNews November 21-27
Formal Hair and Make up Package $190 have your formal hair styled and your makeup done all at Hair in the City Bookings Essential Must present this voucher Valid to 20.12.2013
6248 9977 – City Salon 6287 7892 – Chapman Studio
…corner of City Walk and Petrie Plaza
advertising feature
HAIRDRESSER with a winning way WINNING the coveted “ACT Salon of the Year” prize at the recent International Hairstylists’ Society ACT Championships confirmed Hair in the City’s place at the top of their game. The hairdressing salon has been in operation for more than 15 years and though it is managed by principal Heather Sainsbury, it runs on a co-operative business model, unlike a lot of other salons. “This means that you will get the best possible service available, with all stylists contributing to the running of the salon,” Heather says. “Everyone who comes to a hair salon always wants the owner, because they’re the ones who have the strongest vested interest in your having the best hairstyle. We’re all the owners, so there’s no difference; we all equally understand the importance of making sure that people are looked after.” Salon of the Year wasn’t the only award that Hair in
CURRIES with a family flavour
the City picked up at the IHS Awards, either. Individual stylists, including some who work at its sister salon, Chapman Studio, took home a total of 19 other awards that night. Heather says Hair in the City has recently expanded its range of services, to offer “Fame Hair Extensions” and “Feathers”, and adds there are now five make-up artists on staff as well. The salon specialises in Keune products, which are all free of ammonia and sulphate, as are the hair colourings used, and every Hair in the City appointment includes a free follow-up one week later to make sure the client is happy with their new hairstyle. “We always do everything we can to make sure people are happy,” says Heather. “We’re happy to bend over backwards to make sure it’s right. “If we can’t make them happy, we won’t do their hair, it’s really that simple.” Hair in the City. Call 6248 9977 or go to hairinthecity. com.au
At Mon Thani , Khon Toi, left, and his wife Pa Kao Sond prepare to serve curries.
WHEN South-East Asian curry specialists Khon Toi and his wife Pa Kao Sond first opened their curry restaurant in Centrepoint’s ground floor on the side of Petrie Plaza, they quickly learned to tone down the spices after almost blowing the heads off the first few hungry workers who tried their delicious food. Hair in the City assistant manager Rebecca Harnas having her hair done by stylist Sarah Moss.
FASHION for the young and young at heart
When met with an enquiry from “CityNews” about how long the couple have been cooking food, Khon Toi looks a little puzzled at first, then cracks a broad smile. “In my country, everyone cooks!” he laughs, “I learned from my mum and dad, when I was young.”
Khon explains that he and Pa Kao Sond are from southern Myanmar (Burma) but are in fact members of the Mon people. Their relative May, whose husband is studying at the ANU, also works in the restaurant. Typical of Asian diners, Mon Thani is all about fantastic food made according to tried and tested family recipes – adjusted for local tastes – at modest prices. Every day, there are nine Burmese and Thai-style curries and a simple deal: a good helping of two of them, separated by steamed rice, for only $8. Choices include beef and potato, egg curry, prawn cakes, a vegetarian dish, green chicken curry, beef and bamboo, pork mince stir fry, fried tofu or massaman curry. Mon Thani Curry Restaurant. Call 0433 943580.
TRESSLE opened about a year ago, seizing the opportunity of a prime location in Centrepoint right on City Walk, and making the most of it.
Its owners say the location is fantastic because it has “that Canberra feel” to it, explaining that they much prefer being a part of the open-air shopping that Civic is best known for, than inside the big mall across the way. The idea behind the little fashion shop was to focus on the younger end of women’s fashions and this is evident in the collection of interesting clothes and accessories they have on offer. Forget endless versions of the same things with slight variations; the Tressle assistant Eunmi Kim, left, helps customer Hanna Ho contents of Tressle’s racks are reminiscent decide on an outfit. of the collision of bright colours, denim shorts and fluoro you see at a summer music festival. little as $10 an item, while all summer dresses are $35 The people behind the store say they focus on filling or less and summer tops no more than $25. those racks with the most diverse collection of the latThe little boutique aims to employ staff who est fashions they can find, at the same time as making combine a passion for style and a dedication to sure they have prices that are reasonable. excellent service. “We have a lot of stuff that’s one-off so if you don’t According to its owners: “Our customers are always get it the first time you see it, a lot of the time it’s gone pampered to enjoy their shopping experience. Tressle is when you come back later. Our idea is that we don’t a place where you can find unique and beautiful items stock a lot of the same, we stock the best of what’s to make you stand out from the crowd.” out there.” Tressle is currently selling leftover winter stock for as Tressle. Call 6247 8170.
Looking for that ideal location in the city?
CityNews November 21-27 17
Canberra Confidential Praise be, the sign is saved! THE neglected, heritage Starlight Drive-in sign is to be resurrected near its original site in Watson. “CityNews”, which has been campaigning for the 57-year-old neon sign for three years, hears that the owners of the Starlight Apartments – which were built on the site of the original ‘50s drive-in – will be voting to donate the sign, now lying rusting and neglected in an ACT Government depot in Fyshwick since falling off its rusted plinth in October last year, to slow-moving ACT Heritage. The strata group’s executive committee is going to seek the owners’ approval at its November 28 annual general meeting to have the sign donated on the basis of it being re-installed on Government land directly outside Starlight Apartments, which then excuses them from any further responsibility for cost. But, if it’s to be moved from its original spot, why stay in Watson? Isn’t it time the National Sound and Film Archive took some interest?
Mozzies to sting MEET the ACT Mozzies, a group of junior fencers aged between seven and 13 who are representing the ACT in an international sporting event called the Koala Cup, to be held in Sydney over three days on the
the credibility in winning that kind of an award? We’ll know soon enough, voting closed on November 19.
Beyond our Ken 1. KEN Irvine, of Ziggy’s Fruit Markets, has been in fruit and veg for 45 years, but won’t say how old he is. He hates poor service and okra, collects BMWs and admits the most significant change to his business in the last year has been “getting rid of dead wood”. His favourite saying is: “That’s why I get the big bucks”. He confesses all this and more in a revealing Q&A to support a trade newsletter’s announcement of Ziggy’s Fyshwick winning the October Greengrocer of the Month Award against more than 250 fresh-food retailers across NSW and the ACT, the first award for a store in the Fyshwick Markets since 2005.
with bedfellows such as the “Newcastle Herald” and the “Illawarra Mercury”. Given the staff turmoil and turnover of the past year, Nichols was seen as a steadying, familiar face of the troubled paper among advertisers and the business community in Canberra. The line is that he’ll be there until “the transition”. To what though is not clear.
Down ‘Times’ MEANWHILE, here’s some more news “The Canberra Times” won’t tell its readers or advertisers – its own latest circulation figures from the September 30 quarterly audit, which saw its flagship Saturday edition down 9.6 per cent to 45,162, weekdays flopped another 7.4 per cent to 28,162 and Sundays are down 8 per cent to 28,808.
Some of the ACT Mozzies… back row, from left: Chris Sadler (coach), Genevieve Gilarslci, Darcy Iansella, Alice Warrington and Petra Showell. Front: Lucy D’Arcy, Daniel Abela, Aidan McLachlan and Cooper Keily. Photo by Michelle McAulay KEN Nichols,
Beyond our Ken 2.
weekend of November 22, 23 and 24. “These children are some of the nation’s best representative junior fencers with national rankings in the top 10 and are a credit to the ACT,” purrs proud team manager Letitia Abela. The ACT has the second largest qualifying team with 26 fencers competing, a reflection, she says, of the huge rise in fencing at the junior level. Over the last seven years, fencing clubs in the ACT for juniors have grown from one club to five.
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18 CityNews November 21-27
Know something? / confidential@citynews.com.au
Vote often
SUMMERNATS, Canberra’s annual street machine show, says it’s made it into the top 10 for the people’s choice section of Australia’s Favourite Event awards, where the “public votes for their favourite Aussie event; the event that earns their devotion and support”. The “devotion and support” comes from fans being encouraged to vote “five times at once and multiple times per day”. Where’s
operations director of “The Canberra Times” and its former general manager from 2006 until July last year, is leaving the paper. Its owner, Fairfax Media, recently repositioned the national capital’s daily from its prestigious metropolitan team with “The Sydney Morning Herald” and “The Age”, to its regional group
Re-cycle time WHILE the frame is going nowhere, the wheels of this poor, vandalised cycle, shackled heavily to a bike rack in Bunda Street, Civic, have clearly gone to heaven. Reporter Stephen Easton took the photo.
the look of summer advertising feature Plunge into graphics, tribal and tropical Splash out this summer and invest in an on-trend swimsuit, writes fashion editor LAURA EDWARDS...
Roxy-Mod Tribal 1 piece RRP $99.99. Jewellery by Jodie Cunningham.
WE may not have a beach, but swimwear is a “big deal” in Canberra each summer, says Haus fashion director and stylist Steven Wright. “So many Canberrans agonise over the decision when purchasing swimwear, it’s such a fraught experience for them,” says Steven, previously the producer for Fashfest. This year, look to graphic, tribal and tropical prints for an on-trend look. “Tropical print has always been huge in Canberra, and the tribal look is making a comeback, but this time with more gelato, pastel tones rather than earthy colours,” says Steven. As for graphics, it’s as if the late 1980s and 1990s have “filtered through”, says Steven. “Think about those ‘Mambo’ graphics from the early 1990s, high-contrast poster art is really having an impact – we’re almost replaying our childhood,” he says. And what about that age-old argument – bikini or one-piece? “I wouldn’t say one-pieces have taken over bikinis, but they are definitely more popular this year,” says Steven. While bikinis highlight the waistline and hips, onepieces elongate physiques, showing off shoulders and backs and streamlining tummies, Steven says. “Many one-piece suits have athletic cuts now, which flatter every shape and they’re much more modest than a bikini,” he says. “If you’re unsure, you can never really go wrong with a well-cut, black one-piece. “Bikini-wise, bandeaus are very in right now rather than triangle shapes, which keeps in line with that athletic look.” When accessorising, colourful flower crowns are a cute option, transcending neatly from racewear to swimwear, while clear visors are a sleek way to stay cool. “It’s not just about thongs or a beach bag now – it’s about creating a total look,” says Steven. Photographer: Andrew Campbell HAUS stylists: Steven Wright, head stylist and Harrison Daw, junior support stylist. Hair: Wayne Friend, Form Haircutters. Make-up: Jessica Byrne, Jessica Dorothy Makeup Artistry Swimwear: Surf Dive and Ski, Canberra Centre Jewellery: Jodie Cunningham Models: Ingrid Vennonen and Melissa Swann
BAKU Casa Low Back Maillot Swimsuit RRP $139.95.
Seafolly Top- Mod Club Bustier Bra RRP $99.95 Seafolly Bottoms-Mod Cut Brazilian Tie Slide RRP $69.95. Jewellery by Jodie Cunningham.
BAKU Casablanca One Piece RRP $179.95. Jewellery by Jodie Cunningham.
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Shop 7 Garema Centre Upstairs, Bunda St, Canberra City CityNews November 21-27 19
the look of summer
Shooting star skirt, $55, Dolls Closet
Lupo tan shoulder bag, $439, Escala Shoes
Holographic clutch, $38, Dolls Closet
Your words crop top, $50, Dolls Closet Rotta jungle sling, $345, Escala Shoes
Gardenia clutch, $499, Escala Shoes Dolls Closet your online store for the latest trends in Summer Fashion “shop for the latest trends at the click of a button” Visit the website for the complete Summer collection
Gardenia emerald sling, $560, Escala Shoes
www.dollscloset.com.au
BeautiFeel yellow flats, $399, Escala Shoes
CLEARANCE SALE UNTIL DECEMBER 8
70%OFF UP TO
SELECTED ITEMS*
2 Jeans for $99* Stockyard Shirts $25* Solid Leather Belts from $25* Dam Shorts $30*
ONLY AT THE CANBERRA OUTLET CENTRE CNR NEWCASTLE ST & CANBERRA AVE, FYSHWICK | T: 6112 6390 OPENING HOURS: MONDAY - SUNDAY 10AM-6PM *Applies to selected items only at the Canberra Outlet Centre store. Only while stocks last. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. Note all items are discontinued lines, seconds or end of season stock. 20 CityNews November 21-27
Extra
10%OFF
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ive an extra 10% off ^Present this ad in store and rece the Canberra Outlet at d vali y onl your purchase. Offer sale. Centre store for the duration of the
advertising feature LVL daisy retro print dress with belt, $85, Rockin’ That Frock
LVL fuchsia tea dress, $95, Rockin’ That Frock
Voodoo Vixen Danielle little blue flower dress, $85, Rockin’ That Frock Voodoo Vixen english rose 50’s style green dress, $70, Rockin’ That Frock
Voodoo Vixen floral flared dress, $70, Rockin’ That Frock
Rockin' That Frock provides that perfect Summer dress for that special occasion. The Spring/Summer collection is now available. Add a touch of vintage into your wardrobe and visit rockinthatfrock.com or contact 02 8324 7509 for more information.
S U M M E R Longer days and warmer evenings. Swimming pools and cocktails. Flowing dresses and bold prints. Your perfect pair of summer shoes from Peter Kaiser.
CityNews November 21-27 21
scene / around canberra At the Disability Support Worker Awards, Hyatt Hotel
Chris Kimball, Shaun Cahill and Stuart Poole
Jenny Wood, Brendan Taber and Kirsty Reaks
Zoe Younie, Megan Ayers and Yvonne Lucas
Eileen Catanzariti, Melinda Gowly, Mark De Jong and Kerry Bronhead
Kate Hamilton and Meg Hartney
Maureen Sheehan and Sue Chapman
Louise Chapman with Charles and Melissa Devine
invite us / scene@citynews.com.au
At the opening of the George Gregan Playground, Canberra Hospital
Ruth and Lete Dewsbury with George Gregan and Emma Gruen
John Gregan, Beck Shrimpton and Gen David Hurley
Zsuzsoka Kecskes, Thomas Symonds and Meagan Bryant
Brett Petherbridge, Carolyn Bartholomew, Liz Sharpe, Amanda Slater, Jeanne McLauchlan and Dr Tony Lafferty
Ben and Gerard Boundy, Dr Spiro Pazios with Lyndell and Henry Kazar
Alexis Mohay, Peggy Brown and Elizabeth Harris
ANU Philanthropy thank you event, University House, ANU
Valli and Dr Ananth Rao with Siobhan Tobin
22  CityNews November 21-27
Prof Richard Baker, Arjuna Mohottala and Jasmine Jury
Anneloes de Graeff, Helen Benneworth and Peter Treggor
Mary Anne King, Prof Brian Kennett and Dr Heather Kennett
Dr Robert Withycombe and Dr Susan-Mary Withycombe with Richard Caesar-Thwaytes
Prof John White with Jim and Teronelle Windeyer
scene
invite us / scene@citynews.com.au
At the Canberra Cycling Club Spring Fling, National Press Club
At Hands Across Canberra lunch, Gandel Hall, NGA
Kate Bouffler, Liz Fitch, Gracie Elvin, Grace Sulzberger and Megan O’Neill
Leana Osenieks, Allan Williams, Brenda Bailey and Olivia Barry
Ben Comfort, Michael Rice and Will Clarke
Samantha and Tracy Chester and Elizabeth Peel
Alastair Loutit, Stuart Jones, Ben Marshall and Tom Palmer
Craig Pearsall, Geyney Smith and Josh Maher
Alder Martz and Elaine Bissaker
Alice Wallett, Ed Hallissey and Allison Rice
John Hindmarsh, Rupert Myer and Peter Gordon
Rachael Eggins, Julie West, Claire Petelczyc and Janet Tweedie
Elizabeth Tobler, Annie Butkus and Pam Faulks
Larissa Wilkes, Alison Pratt, Amanda Lewry and Clint Wright
Nea Woods, Anita Miller and Jessica O’Connor
at more in Kippax Fair Simply spend $10 or . be eligible to win participating stores to Friday at kly and drawn every $2,000 to be won wee mber 2013 mber until 20th Dece ve No th 15 m fro am 11 2013. starts 1st November 8 week competition aw. r is present at the dr ne in w e th if 00 ,0 $2 Bonus or $1,000 until claimed This will JACKPOT by promotion ends.
Y A W A E V I G $12,000 CASH
EVENDOTS: 13245
visit: n o ti a rm fo in re o m r Fo m.au www.kippaxfair.co
ORES
PARTICIPATING ST
Canberra, en Pick, Elite Meats Asian Food Mart, Ov Jewellers, te isi qu Ex , inese Inn Upper Class Cafe, Ch auty, Be , Giorgio’s Hair and Finesse Beauty Salon r, uo Liq cal y’s Chicken, Lo Hand to Hand, Kinsle x Post Office, pa Kip , acy arm Kippax Ph Holli Grove, Kippax Newsagency, se, ou ian Grocer and Teah My Value, Subway, As re. Mo Books ‘R’ Us & The Coffee Club and
Terms & Conditions: A minimum purchase of $10 in a single transaction from a participating store is required to receive an entry form. With your full name, address, daytime phone number and store name, place the entry form in the barrel situated at the lower concourse of Kippax Fair Shopping Centre. Competition starts 1st November with the first draw on 15th November 2013 and closes on 20 December 2013. Total prize value of $12,000 with a bonus of $6,000 for winning entrants presant at the draw. Additional conditions apply which are located near the barrel. Permit number TP13/03526.
CityNews November 21-27 23
puzzles page
Beverly gets good news from the Government! Beverly came to see me, concerned that the Federal Government had been making changes that affect her small business. “Beverly, you are right,” I told her. “The first change that’s relevant to you concerns your salary sacrificed cars. “You may remember that the previous Government announced that the statutory formula for cars would be abolished. So any new cars you purchase would have to be accounted for using the log-book method. Well, the incoming Government has decided not to proceed with this. So you can continue to use the statutory formula in your calculations. This will be much easier for you.” Beverly was happy. “One of the other important items that will not be proceeding is the tax on pension fund earnings in excess of $100,000,” I said. “The problem with this proposal lay in the fact that it would tax capital gains. For example, your normal pension is about $60,000 a year and, if you realised some assets to improve the liquidity of the fund and this pushed your share of the earnings above $100,000 then the fund would have had to pay 15 per cent tax on those earnings. So this is a very pleasing outcome.” Beverly was happier still. “And while not one of the changes announced by the Treasurer, it is worth reminding you that your cap for employer contributions increased to $35,000 from July 1, as you are over 60. For those over 50, the cap will increase to $35,000 effective from next July,” I advised her. “As superannuation is capped, the excess contribution tax regime becomes important, especially if you accidentally pay too much to your superannuation fund. “From July 1, if you exceed your contributions cap you will be allowed to withdraw the excess contributions from your superannuation fund. If you choose to do this then the excess contributions will be taxed at your marginal rate which is 38.5 per cent including medicare levy. By now, Beverly was happy and grateful saying: “Thanks for clarifying the position re the superannuation changes. I find it all so confusing.” “Well, that’s what I’m here for,” I assured Beverly, adding that there was something else that may impact on her family. “A cap of $2000 on self education expenses was proposed, however the Government has announced that it will not proceed with this proposal. “While you may not be doing any courses right now, I know that your daughter is studying for a higher degree and this cap would not go very far towards her self education costs. So, this change is also welcome.” If you have any questions about tax, superannuation or your business, please contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.
6295 2844
9/71 Leichhardt St, Kingston ACT 2604
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) It’s the perfect week for Rams to indulge in some delicious daydreaming, as your intuition and imagination run riot. So leave rational pursuits and important decision-making for a more suitable time … and make sure you can tell the difference between fact and fiction. Sunday is super for travel and adventure, plus linking up with your international connections.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) The more stubborn you are (especially in relationships) the more difficult the week will be. Keep in mind the following saying “What you resist persists.” Perhaps it’s time to lighten the load and let go? Look to your circle of friends and acquaintances for positive advice and creative alternatives. But be extra discreet as you go about your daily Taurean tasks – loose lips sink ships!
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) With Mercury and Saturn joining forces in your wellbeing zone, it’s time to focus on your health and fitness. Find a diet and exercise program that works for you. It must include plenty of variety and a social component (otherwise you’ll just get bored and give up). Thursday is terrific for travel, education, commerce, business endeavours and financial matters.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22) Expect some friction, as Mercury/Saturn aspects make children, teenagers or friends more entrenched in their opinions and less likely to be flexible. (Especially avoid getting drawn into arguments over money!) It’s time for clever Crabs to exercise your adaptability muscles. Thursday favours communication, conversation, cooperation and problem solving.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) The Sun/Neptune square makes for a confusing start to the week, when you feel discouraged by a current challenge. Energy levels are likely to be low so look after yourself (have a relaxing bath, a soothing massage, or make some nourishing and nurturing soup.) It’s a wonderful weekend to do something unexpected, as Uranus unleashes the wild Lion within.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) The Moon and Mars join up in your sign, so have the courage to be the real you. As birthday great Bruce Lee declared “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself.” Attached Virgos – resist the temptation to keep a big secret from your trusting spouse. Singles – it may be difficult to pick the difference between a dream date and a disappointing dud.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) Don’t expect loved ones to behave in predictable ways this week – but you can expect a romantic relationship or creative partnership to sparkle and shine. Maximise your natural charm but beware of false flattery … and resist the urge to be talked into doing something you really don’t want to do. Strive to make your Libran lifestyle a true reflection of your core values and beliefs.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
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24 CityNews November 21-27
1 What are the main divisions of a book called? 2 Name another term for trotters. 3 Which frames are used as supports? 4 What is another expression for a false god? 5 To have deposited something as security for money borrowed, is to have done what? 6 Name the renowned US composer, Cole...? 12 Name a small message, mailed whilst on tour perhaps. 13 From which part of a ship were miscreants once hanged? 15 Name the brutes from Gulliver’s Travels. 16 One who once cared for horses at an inn was called a what? 17 Which circle is the southern boundary of the North Frigid Zone? 20 What is a sheet of ice, for skating?
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2
3
9 10 11
14
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12
16 18
19
20 21
22 23
Sudoku hard No. 116
Solution next week
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2013
13
17
Can-do Capricorns prefer things to proceed at a cracking pace. If you are mentally organised then you’ll have a productive week but you’ll have to be patient, as tasks will take longer than expected (with plenty of distracting detours along the way). And don’t let nagging self-doubts undermine your confidence and conviction. You have to be your Number One fan.
You may feel confused and discouraged early in the week. But escaping into a fantasy world won’t make problems magically disappear. As the week progresses, aim to be a firm and focused Fish, as you find creative solutions to current challenges. The gap between dreams and reality is wide but, with plenty of patience and persistence – you’ll eventually get there.
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
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With the Sun and Uranus activating your sign you’ve got energy to burn, so act on your hunches and follow your dreams! But don’t get too carried away, make exaggerated claims or promise more than you can actually deliver. There’s a fine line between reaching for the stars and overreaching. If you take on too much, you’ll just end up in a disorganised mess.
Professional projects will take a while to get off the ground, and require hard work and disciplined thinking. You’re keen to connect with others on the weekend, as the Sun and Uranus activate your networking zone. It’s time to mix and mingle; converse and communicate; enthuse and experiment. People are waiting to hear what you’ve got to say so start talking!
Solution next week
4
Avoid becoming stuck and obsessed with one idea (or person). Keep moving Scorpio! Pursue your goals with purpose but remain open to spontaneity and change. With Jupiter jumping through your adventure zone, your motto for the moment is from Mark Twain (born on Nov 30) “Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
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Down
1 What is a heavy fabric for covering floors? 7 Name a device that is used for heating a room. 8 Cochise was the leader of which Indian tribe? 9 Which word defines that which is saltlike? 10 What is a small tower forming part of a larger structure? 11 Which term relates to the cutting of precious stones? 14 What is an outline of the plot of a novel, etc? 18 Which zone lies between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn? 19 Name the term which implies the art of oratory. 21 What do we call a person who writes novels, poems, essays and their like? 22 Which administrative position of NSW did Sir Roden Cutler hold from 1966 to 1981? 23 Name the gold coins formerly in wide use in European countries.
Solutions from last edition F P L E D A E P O O R T R O B A C C H
T R M E A S U R E R S T U G H T E R E F E N T I F F E E C A I D E N T I E S C R B E R O L V E T E E S E S
I L L E R E L E N D O N G P A T H E R H E P D E N Z A M S A P I S T I A E R A N S E D
Sudoku medium No.116
Chartered Accountant
your week in the stars / Nov 25-Dec 1, 2013
General knowledge crossword No. 433 Across
Crossword No. 432
Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd
Joanne Madeline Moore
arts & entertainment Hannah’s back and hot to trot THAT musical with the hyperbolic title, “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” is coming to town again and the production will mark the return to the boards of one of Canberra’s leading lights, Hannah Ley.
Helen Musa reports
Canberra, so they’ve had to invent a whole host of “kind aunties” for Rupert. Some, she reports, come from the admin offices of the Canberra Theatre. Then there’s the musical director and mother, Leisa Keen. And still more are from the mothers’ group run by ACT Health, where one mother runs a rhythmic exercise club. The last time we saw Ley performing Together they’ve been getting “fit enough was in February 2012, when she played to do the splits again”. Velma Kelly in Free Rain’s production “Things seem to be rolling along really of “Chicago”, wearing a tight leotard to nicely,” Ley says, but taking no chances, conceal her condition. they’re flying her mother-in-law in from Since then, her 15-month-old son Queensland for production week. Rupert has occupied her to the extent that “Knowing he’s with granny means we she says, “it feels like an awfully long time can focus,” she says. ago and a lot has changed”. It’s been a pretty good year for Readers will sympathise, but Ley’s case husband Duncan, she notes, with a feature is extreme, as she juggles the roles of film underway of his play, “In Cold Light”, a mother, hoofer and actress with the job of directing job with Canberra REP on “Under education officer at the Canberra Theatre Milk Wood” and the commission to write Centre. “Home at the End” for Canberra Theatre. “Everything is at the whim of Rupert,” “Now it’s my turn,” she says. she explains while embarking on the With the arrival of Rupert, they wanted revival of this musical, one of the biggest music and dance and creativity to be part hits of 2009-10 for Everyman Theatre, “he’s of his life – “this is what our family does, keeping me fit, so I’ll be show-ready.” so it would have been appalling to have Husband Duncan Ley is the co-director gone cold turkey.” of the show, so it’s “a logistical exercise” But Ley couldn’t have picked anything made possible by a group of supportive harder for a comeback than “The Musical friends. Neither has any family in of Musicals (The Musical!)”, which she
CELEBRATED oud player, Joseph Tawadros, is in no mood to be stereotyped when I talk to him by Skype in Zagreb, Croatia, nearing the end of a gruelling tour that has so far taken in India, Austria, Belgium and Egypt, his first time there since the heady days of the Arab Spring Revolution. “It’s not just about the oud,” he says of the Arabic lute-style instrument that has made him famous, “it’s about being different… our music can’t be characterised.” Oud player, Joseph Tawadros… The Tawadros brothers – Joseph and “I like to perform different his percussionist brother James – have repertoire… it keeps you on performed with everybody from Zakir your toes.” Photo James Brown Hussain to Richard Tognetti. With seven
When zombies come alive arts in the city
WATCH out zombie-lovers! The first screening of “Theatre of the Dead”, the zombie movie made in Erindale Theatre, will be at Dendy Canberra, 6.30pm, on Thursday, November 28. Bookings to eventbrite.com/event/9239480535
Hannah Ley and Adrian Flor in “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)”. Photo by Nawal Rahim describes as “very athletic, with full-on dancing and singing all the way through”. In 2009, Everyman Theatre staged it in the Courtyard Studio, transferring in 2010 to the Playhouse. Now they’ll be back in the intimate studio again where, she says, “it’s got to be precise, we’re not miked, so the singing has got to be perfect and there is a lot of harmony… it’s a mental race.” Ley plays the all-purpose ingénue, June. For those who don’t know “The Musical”, it satirises and pays tribute to the idiosyncrasies of five different kinds of stage musical. June comes across as “brassey and Bolshie in the Rodgers & Hammerstein; ditsy and confused in the Stephen Sondheim; wet behind the ears in the
Jerry Herman; full-throttle wanna-be diva in the Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a little minx in the Kander and Ebb (“Chicago” and “Cabaret”). Once more, Ley will be sharing the stage with Louiza Blomfield, Adrian Flor and Jarrad West, but this time Duncan Driver replaces Duncan Ley as the narrator. Ley apologises for the cliché but says, “there’s something in it for everyone – for people who love musicals or people who hate musicals or people who just want a great night out.” “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” at the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, December 5-21, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au
consecutive ARIA nominations in the World Music and Jazz categories, they have won the top prize in both 2012 and 2013. Egypt-born, he came here at age three. He and James, who excels in the Egyptian tambourine, the Riq’, will join jazz pianist, Matt McMahon, on stage at The Street Theatre shortly and he promises it will be anything but, what he calls, “ethnic” music. Last seen here in the Capital Jazz Project show in August, Tawadros has become so skilled in the exercise of his instrument that he can use the oud to play almost any repertoire. His music is sometimes styled as Egyptian, Middle Eastern classical, or gypsy, and its improvisational qualities have linked
him closely to jazz. But he says: “My music is not intended to be like anything else”, arguing that his inspiration comes from “a gazillion” different sources. His recent ARIA award-winning album, “Chameleons of the White Shadow”, will provide the highlights of the coming show at The Street. I’ve listened to several numbers and noted that some bore a resemblance to the classical guitar. Tawadros doesn’t disagree, saying, “I like to perform different repertoire… it keeps you on your toes… it buoys up your performance.” The Tawadros brothers and Matt McMahon, The Street Theatre, Saturday, November 30, bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au
upcoming Big issues Big talk events: 25 november - Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) Centenary Seminar Series, University of Canberra. 3 decemBer - Australian Academy of Science, Global Impact Series, Shine Dome.
engage with interactive live webcasts for these upcoming events: 20 – 21 november - Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) National Conference, National Convention Centre. 28 november - University of Canberra ANZSOG Institute for Governance, Parliamentary Triangle Series, National Press Club. 10 december - ACT Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Day, National Library of Australia.
“PAINTING the Hills of Canberra” is an exhibition of ceramic work by artist Cathy Franzi, created in response to the Griffins’ “grand vision” of our hills. The vessels look like flat-topped hills. Until December 14 at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre, Level 1, North Building, Civic, 10am-5pm, Tuesday to Friday, and noon-4pm, Saturday. SINCE beginning in 1983, the Capital Arts Patrons’ Organisation has awarded more than $1.8 million to our artists. This year they’re throwing a party at Canberra Museum and Gallery from 6.45pm on November 23, featuring silent and live auctions, gourmet food, drinks and entertainment by the Connexion Big Band. Bookings to capo.org.au/capo-30-auction-tickets. CANBERRA Grammar School is holding a fundraising art auction, 5.30pm-7.30pm, on Thursday, November 28, to support two Braidwood sculptors and school artists-in-residence, Suzie Bleach and Andrew Townsend, who lost everything when a fire ravaged their studio recently. The event will include silent and live auctions, musical performances and performance art. LANYON High School is holding its inaugural art show, presenting student artworks from all the Lanyon schools – Bonython, Charles Conder, Gordon, St Clare of Assisi and Lanyon High, 3.30pm-7.30pm, on Friday, November 29 at Lanyon High, Heidelberg Street, Conder. Entry by gold-coin donation for those above primary school age. YOUNG virtuoso pianist, Aaron Chew, will perform the world premiere of Larry Sitsky’s “Piano Sonata No.3”, dedicated to Canberra composer Jim Cotter, at Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, November 27. Paper note entry or concession $2. Chew was awarded the Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Prize this year. UNIVERSITY of Canberra Chorale will perform at the Belconnen Arts Centre, 3pm, on Sunday, November 24, together with guests Christina Wilson (mezzo soprano) and Matt Withers (guitar), and the U Can Sing children’s choir. Tickets at the door. BINALONG’S poetry event, “A Brush with Poetry”, will be held at Black Swan Gallery, on Burley Griffin Way, 1.30pm, on Saturday, November 24. This shared-mic event will mix original contemporary and traditional poetry alongside recitations of famous poems by the old bards. Admission free.
we hAve hAd mAny highprofile SpeAkerS And lectureS over the lASt 10 monthS. to view pASt lectureS, or to join An interActive live weBcASt viSit cAnBerrA100.com. Au/progrAmS/Big/ iSSueSBig-tAlk And follow the linkS. ZOO 50249
Some of the fineSt mindS in AuStrAliA And the world diScuSS the moSt importAnt, cutting edge iSSueS of the dAy
At home on the promenade
Helen Musa
Joseph’s in the oud to play By Helen Musa
Wendy Johnson
CityNews November 21-27 25
arts & entertainment
‘Enough’ of a good thing, maybe? “Enough Said” (M)
Dougal Macdonald
WRITER/director Nicole Holofcener’s film shrouded me in an increasing uncertainty about its genre. Is it a chick-flick? Its collection of women in major roles is impressive. Julia Louis-Dreyfus leads the pack as Eva, a divorcee working as a masseuse to support herself and a daughter about to leave home for university. Catherine Keener plays Marianne, a divorcee whose slim volumes of poetry support a comfortable lifestyle, also with a daughter in late adolescence and always ready to tip a bucket over her ex-husband. Toni Collette is
cinema
Sarah, Eva’s acerbic friend. None of these women has borne a son. Is it a romance? James Gandolfini plays Albert, a divorced librarian coping with a solitary lifestyle. He meets Eva at a party where the two discover an amity portending something more intense. Eva gives her business card to Marianne thus portending a burgeoning relationship in which Eva finds herself sympathising with Marianne’s escape
from a marriage that was not working. Is it a comedy? Most of its humour seemed to flow from Eva’s enthusiastic volubility that conveys a limited capacity for thought. Is it predictable? From about midway, the only surprise turned out to be Alfred’s reaction to what was already flagged as the plot’s crucial turning point. This is not to say that “Enough Said” isn’t an agreeable experience. And Gandolfini’s death too soon takes a versatile and charming actor off the stage, much to be regretted. At Dendy, Capitol 6 and Palace Electric
Ceramic treat for artist of the year By Helen Musa
Converting Services - to CD and DVD Would you like to watch those old family ONLY videos once again, or listen to your $ 25 favourite records on CD? We can take your vinyl records or cassette tapes and put them onto CD and we transfer VHS tapes onto DVD.
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CERAMIC artist Hiroe Swen and Belconnen Arts Centre will join principal sponsor “CityNews” in honouring the 2013 Artist of the Year at the annual ACT Arts Awards, to be held at Canberra Museum and Gallery on Tuesday, November 26. Swen, a former Artist of the Year, who recently held a significant exhibition of her work at BAC, will present one of her ceramic art works to the artist and “CityNews” a cheque to the value of $1000. The awards, which are hosted by the Canberra Critics’ Circle, will feature their own awards and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s Green Room Award.
“The Fifth Estate” (M) JOSH Singer’s screenplay draws heavily from accounts by Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl), David Leigh and Luke Harding about the founding of WikiLeaks and the roles that Julian Assange and Daniel played in its begetting, gestation, parturition and growth. Director Bill Condon examines those complex, challenging and polarising events in a political-message film canvassing the duopoly embedded in the morality of WikiLeaks. The film throws up subtle tensions, demanding that filmgoers ponder not only what’s on the screen but also its downstream implications. Demonstrations of seminal waypoints in the story combine archival footage with staged inventions based on media reports. Following how it all happened is not hard, but there’s no free ride through events not covered in the source material. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Assange, fervour bordering on brilliance, compelling praise for a bravura performance of substantial intellectual capacity flawed in the manner of its application. The supporting cast is no less admirable. At Palace Electric and Capitol 6
Queanbeyan Players Presents By arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia. Exclusive agent for Music Theatre International (NY)
Director: Peter Smith Musical Director: Jennifer Groom Choreographer: Belinda Hassall
AUDITIONS
30th November & 1st December Contact: janette@webone.com.au Or phone Janette on 0419 406 702 Between 6.00-9.00pm Cast required 14 years and over Performances June 2014
Experience. Well written, well read.
26 CityNews November 21-27
Helen Musa
Michael Moore
arts editor
political columnist
Margaret Dimoff Gallery / advertising feature
Margaret makes buying art easy as possible ‘They are now artist prices, instead of gallery prices... I’ve taken about 40 or 50 per cent off already, and now for Christmas, 10 per cent more.’ THE purpose-built art gallery near Deakin shops has been through several incarnations, first as Solander Gallery and later as Australia Made. “Then it was empty for quite some time,” says artist Margaret Dimoff, who took over the space in June with the help of her two business-savvy sons, Andrew (from Instyle Indoor Plant Hire) and Darren (from DZ Designs). Apparently they made a good choice. “I love the big rooms and I love the light; I think this is one of the nicest galleries in Canberra,” she says. “Also, nowhere would you see this many paintings from one artist in one spot, and they’re all one-offs.” Visitors can view her extensive and diverse collection of paintings and other artworks between 10am and 4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and purchase them for incredibly reasonable prices. “They are now artist prices, instead of gallery prices,” says Dimoff. “That means I’ve taken about 40 or 50 per cent off already, and now for Christmas, 10 per cent more.” The prolific artist says she mostly just wants her large collection of works to be
enjoyed by others, and since investing in high-quality art is not usually a snap decision, she makes buying as easy as possible. “People can take the paintings home, view them in their space, and there’s no obligation,” Margaret says. “We want people to be happy, we want it to fit in their space, and I’ve got the van here all the time so they can take two or three paintings home and see if they like them.” The gallery’s most recent use – as a display centre for the apartments over the road – was to be its last, and Dimoff got a good deal renting it for its final days. She first thought she’d be out at the end of the year, but very recently the building received a stay of execution. “I’ve got it for at least another six months now!” she says, delighted at the prospect of staying in the space longer, although she plans to open a more permanent gallery after it’s knocked down, which involves selling the rural property on the south coast where she and her husband have lived for 19 years and moving back to Canberra. “Once we sell the farm I’ll get a building in Fyshwick where I’ll have a framing business, a gallery, my studio and a printing workshop, too,” Margaret says, explaining her vision of a hub for several artists to work together. “I have printing presses, all the inks,
Artist Margaret Dimoff… “Nowhere would you see this many paintings from one artist in one spot, and they’re all one-offs.” and lots of paper at home, so I think about half a dozen people will be able to use the facility, so if they don’t have a studio, they can pay a small fee to use mine with all of
my equipment.” In the 1980s Dimoff focused on sculpture and pottery (both are represented in the gallery) but she turned her attention to
Margaret Dimoff
painting about 15 years ago, developing a style that subtly merges recognisable images with more abstract splashes. The collection is mainly works she has created in the past 10 years, mostly mixed media on large canvasses that would fit comfortably in a corporate or institutional art collection (her works are available for lease). Margaret says she started working on the giant pieces of canvas after the director of Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Ross Cameron, invited her to hold a solo exhibition. “...being such a large space, I decided to paint large canvasses and I thought it looked so nice and I enjoyed it so much that I just kept going with it,” she says, indicating some of her earlier works, which are not as large, framed under glass and often feature distinctive human-like figures that have proved popular over the years. “I don’t really know why, but those little ‘figures’ were my biggest sellers; I had them in 12 galleries and I could not keep up with them. They have gone all over the world.” A good time to check out the gallery is on the evening of Thursday, November 28, when Dimoff is hosting a soiree for art lovers to come and have a drink, look around and perhaps pick up a good deal. Margaret Dimoff Artworks. Call 0407 416480 or go to margaretdimoffartworks.com.au
Art Gallery
10% OFF
ALL
ARTWORK Margaret Dimoff Gallery Christmas Drinks Come join us for Christmas drinks at the Margaret Dimoff Gallery
6pm, Thursday 28th November New work will be revealed including paintings and sculptures Contact Margaret on wmdimoff@bigpond.com or 0407 416 480 for more information 38 Grey Street, Deakin, ACT 2600 | Phone 0407 416 480 | Email wmdimoff@bigpond.com | margaretdimoffartworks.com.au CityNews November 21-27 27
arts & entertainment / dining
At home on the promenade WENDY JOHNSON looks at the early offerings for diners on the emerging Kingston Foreshore LIFESTYLE. It’s what Canberra’s only urban waterside community promises. And for visitors and thousands of residents, wining and dining is a massive part of the Kingston Foreshore development. The views? No doubt they’re enticing. The wind? Not always so pleasant but definitely stimulates the senses. I’ve been many times and will be back many more. The first restaurant to make its home on the promenade was C-Dine, which now offers “Buck a Shuck” on Fridays, 4pm-6pm – $1 oysters and $5 cider or tap beer. Next was Morks, with its popular fan base, followed by Chong Co Thai and 38 espresso coffee bar. A delicious combination of other establishments will be open before Christmas, early in the New Year and through 2014. The line-up includes La Rustica, Max Brenner, Lonsdale Street Roasters, Autolyse, Pizza Gusto, Izakaya Restaurant and the Rum Bar. My most recent visit was to Chong Co Thai, also in Gungahlin and Belconnen (restaurant and express operation). It is a massive piece of real estate, with an enormous number of tables indoors and outdoors. The interior features dark timbers, warm colours and a comforting water feature near the entrance. We were there when a large golden Buddha was installed. It was lunch and we noted the specials – six noodle dishes ($14.90 to $16.90) and eight rice dishes (same price range). We
Breakfast and lunch… all with a view
• BOOK A PAR T Y • BOOK THE FAMILY • SPOIL YOUR PAR T N ER Connie and her staff welcome you to great casual and modern dining. Popular dishes such as wraps, burgers, pizzas to grilled fish and steak, all yummy and delicious.
1 Red Hill Drive, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2603 Phone: 02 6273 2915 / 0421 235 210 | email: info@lookoutredhill.com.au
DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A PART OF CANBERRA! Proudly produced by the Canberra Wine Industry to celebrate Canberra’s Centenary.
Three Packs: Numbered bottles of Shiraz and Riesling are available with a Centenary Sparkling. These are collectors items.
A taste of Italy
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6248 8338
BOTTLE PRICES: See in store or visit www.canberrawines.com.au/centenary
Special Three Packs: Numbers 2 to 98 – $200, Numbers 100, 1908, 2008, 1913 & 2013 – $300
A donation from proceeds will be made to the Centenary charity Dollars for Dili.
THE PERFECT GIFT
Buy the Centenary Wines as Christmas gifts or simply to enjoy during the festive Available at: • Pankhurst Wines – off Wallaroo Road, Hall season in this Centenary year. • Canberra Cellars – Belconnen, Gold Creek and Braddon • Plonk – Fyshwick Markets (Numbered three packs not available through stores). Or order by email: centenarywines@canberrawines.com.au or phone: 6230 2592
28 CityNews November 21-27
Photo by Gary Schafer
opted for the regular menu. Entrees range from $8.90 to $13.50. We began with the “golden” prawn rolls – plump prawns wrapped in crispy pastry and served with sweet plum sauce. They were far from golden and were barely warm, which was a disappointing start. Mains range from around $19 to $30. The winner was the duck with chilli basil stir fry. You just cannot beat succulent duck and this dish was sensational with sweet basil, chilli and mixed veggies for good measure. We also ordered the Pad Thai, billed as one of Chong Co Thai’s most popular dishes. My taste buds were not happy, but this dish can be cooked a thousand ways and whether the combo of flavours works for you is often personal preference. The dish looked bland, lacked substance and was not piping hot on arrival (which baffled me, given the place was painfully quiet, except for staff chatting to one another instead of focusing on the three tables with customers). While the Foreshore is the talk of the town, Kingston proper is also buzzing with activity. Green Square is soon to have its green grass back, thanks to traders lobbying the Government. New Brooklyn, where Traditional and Contemporary Italian Cuisine the Holy Grail used to be, is well on licensed and BYO bottled wine its way to opening. On Giles Street, European is now open and on Centre Cinema Building, Kennedy Street, Penny University Garema Place, Canberra City la-scala@iimetro.com.au is enjoying early days.
Centenary Wines Open Wednesday through Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm Friday & Saturday’s – extended trading until sunset!
Kingston Foreshore… the talk of the town.
Espresso Room / advertising feature
Packing a lot of quality into a coffee cup TWO passionate young business owners are leading the charge to satisfy Canberra’s coffee connoisseurs, with an appreciation of every little thing that goes into a great cup. For Ona Coffee founder Sasa Sestic and his good mate Michael Rose, who owns the Espresso Room at Woden Westfield and now in Tuggeranong Hyperdome, that includes elements like happy cafe staff, roasters and growers, along with top barista skills and some of the highest grade beans in the world. “Coffee is graded in points, like wine,” says Sasa, explaining that in Cup of Excellence (CoE), the world’s most prestigious coffee farming competition, beans that get more than 80 points out of 100 are certified specialty coffees while 85 is the minimum to be called a Cup of Excellence. For the rare bean that cracks 90, there’s the Presidential Award. “I just found out I’m the first Q-grader in the ACT that’s been certified, so that means my palate is certified and I can actually go all over the world and judge coffee and score coffee,” he says proudly, as he shows “CityNews” around the Fyshwick shop where Ona roasts, wholesales and serves its incredible coffee. “It’s really exciting; there’s only about a thousand people in the world that have this Q Grading certification from the Coffee Quality Institute, an international non-profit organisation that works to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.” Q Graders must pass a rigorous three-day exam to earn their certification, comprising of 22 sections on coffee-related subjects, such as green grading, roast identification, coffee cupping, sensory skills and sensory triangulation. Sestic lives and breathes coffee, but he didn’t always; he migrated to Australia from Serbia in 1997 to play European handball and represented his new home at the Sydney Olympic Games three years later.
Espresso Room owner Michael Rose, left, with Ona Coffee founder Sasa Sestic… “We want to be involved with the producers as well and teach them how to improve their quality even more,” says Sasa. His passion for the art and science of coffee came through running Hansel and Gretel franchises – a better living than handball – and threw himself into training and education with the dedication of an elite athlete, winning loads of awards since then, including the 2011 Australasian Barista Championship. “We met years ago watching the World Cup at a joint friend’s house; Sasa was roasting in a garage back then,” explains Michael, who chose Ona Coffee when he later bought his first cafe business at Woden Westfield. The pair soon teamed up and won a spot in the Department of Health’s Woden headquarters against about 30 competing tenders, setting up the successful Urban Bean
cafe, which Michael still owns today. Having learnt some hard lessons through other business ventures and less successful partnerships, and seeing his friend’s knowledge of coffee grow and grow, Michael knew he wanted to focus on quality. “I love food and I consider myself a foodie, but by simplifying it and just doing one thing and doing it well, you can eliminate a lot of problems,” he says, adding that the strategy has also worked well financially by giving Espresso Room a point of difference, providing quality coffee within a shopping mall and more accessible to everyone. Michael explains he is taking care to build the skills within the company to always do
justice to Sasa’s fine grinds. “Each head barista has a percentage in my store and is involved in my company and that’s how I’m going to sustain the growth; I don’t want to grow until my baristas are ready to grow. When an assistant barista is ready to become a head barista, they have the opportunity to buy into their own store, and that’s how we’re going to control quality, and not just become another franchisor.” All of the Espresso Room Barista’s are put through a training program with the head and assistant baristas being invited to attend a “Masterclass Program”, a barista master class run by Sasa at the Ona Roastery once a week.
Sasa has put his certified senses to good use in the last couple of years travelling to 22 growing regions overseas for Project Origin, his program to bring green beans straight from the farm to Fyshwick for a fair price. “We actually want to do a lot more than just paying the right wages,” says Sasa. “We want to be involved with the producers as well and teach them how to improve their quality even more.” He looks for growers that unknowingly sell themselves short, sending their beans off to be blended, when they could fetch a far higher price as a single-origin coffee, as he did this year for Honduran grower Jorge Alberto Lanza Ruiz. “I got a little bit emotional just tasting it and I encouraged him to enter the Cup of Excellence competition,” Sasa recalls. Ruiz was selling the coffee straight off the bush as a whole “cherry”, to be blended, but Sasa was sure it could score over 90 and earn him more than 10 times the price. He was right, and Ruiz won the Honduras competition. “I think he got about $40 or $50 per kilo and the average coffee price is maybe $3 a kilo,” Sasa explains. “This changed his life.” The 22 affiliated growers all get their names and faces printed on cups that Ona uses in its own cafes, and Sasa continues working with them, suggesting scientific ways to push their quality even higher. In a similar way Michael, who has opened the Woden and Tuggeranong Espresso Room sites and is looking forward to opening more around Canberra next year, benefits from his unique friendship with Sasa, and both try to give their staff much more than a simple job. It’s all about maximising mutual benefit and sharing the success. “One of our favourite words is sustainability; Sasa and I both want to remain sustainable. We dont want to be replacing staff every two years. They can come to the farms with us, get educated, get excited, and there is a future back here for them.”
ESPRESSOROOM.COM.AU FACEBOOK.COM/ESPRESSOROOMCANBERRA WODEN SHOP 65 LOWER GROUND WESTFIELD WODEN TUGGERANONG SHOP 1-178 TUGGERANONG SHOPPING CENTRE CityNews November 21-27 29
open garden
Marshall and Elizabeth Wilson... “The garden is a creative outlet for us, and we enjoy the challenge,” says Elizabeth.
History among the shadows SURROUNDED by eucalypts, ash and oaks, gnarled old pines, liquidambars, flowering crabapples, Manchurian pears and Canadian maples, historical “Shadowlands” is all about the trees. The country garden in Braidwood is in the process of being carefully restored by Marshall and Elizabeth Wilson. “We wanted a place that would be a bit of a retirement project,” says 72-year-old Elizabeth. “We fell in love with the beautiful old trees and we knew the structure was there to make a garden.” The 2.02-hectare garden will be open to the public for the first time as part of Open Gardens Australia on the weekend of November 23-24. “We believe this area needs to be preserved and sensitively restored, and we wanted to step up and open the garden so everyone could see it,” says Elizabeth. In the part of the garden that surrounds the 1880s-built house, there are lawns and colourful beds full of bulbs, snow-in-summer, roses, irises, salvias, penstemon and rhododendrons, says Elizabeth. “We love the deck with its climbing banksia rose, where we like to entertain or sit and enjoy a cup of tea while overlooking the shady lawn. “This part of the garden feels sheltered and relaxed.” There are two other distinct areas, one which makes use of the natural features of the area, with a
30 CityNews November 21-27
WORDS: Kathryn Vukovljak PHOTOS: Brent McDonald mixed rockery using the local stone boulders, where a sturdy deep blue rosemary does its own thing in the face of the harsh North West winds, and a third outer zone with eucalypts and natives. “We wanted to make use of what was already here,” says Elizabeth. “We’ve created a more open, expansive garden, while maintaining the character of the space.” Elizabeth says she’s always been a gardener, and that Marshall has become more keen in his retirement. “You need time to see the results of all your hard work, and it’s so rewarding,” she says. “It’s a creative outlet for us, and we enjoy the challenge of getting things to grow. There are challenges every day. “We retired from our careers to a combined mutual project, that we’ve created together. “It keeps us physically fit, and we genuinely love it.” The garden at 230 Bombay Road, Braidwood, is open 10am-4.30pm, on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24. Adults $7, children under 18 are free. Proceeds to the Open Garden Scheme and the Mercy Hospital for Women Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Victoria. More information at opengarden.org.au.
garden
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A peony for your thoughts CHRISTMAS TREES Tree peonies in a Manuka garden.
Herbaceous peony “Sarah Bernhardt”.
HAND PICKED BY BRUNO
Cedric Bryant
Huge selection in sizes and variety, Korean Fir, Wollemi Pine, Japanese Fir, Norway and Blue Spruce and many more.
gardening
THE stunning flowers of the peony provide the “wow” factor, but some people say they are difficult to grow and take seven years to flower. Incorrect, on both counts.
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TOMATOES have been the hot topic this spring. I loved this published letter: “To all investors hurting from shrinking mining sector returns, relief is at hand. Quick, lucrative returns can be had by selling repeated (doomed) tomato seedlings in Canberra from August onwards to keen but foolish TV gardeners”. Most TV gardening shows or glossy magazines are mainly Sydney/Melbourne based. All you need to do is read my local advice in this very magazine each week, written especially for Canberra gardeners.
• OVERCOME your reluctance to cut back Chrysanthemums at this time, especially when flower buds are showing. Now is the time to cut back the plant by 50 per cent and again in about six weeks’ time. This will result in compact plants with an explosion of flowers in autumn. • Now is the time to dig up and move spring bulbs that may have been planted in the wrong place. Store them in an open-net orange bag in a cool dry place such as the garage before replanting in full sun next March/April. • With the magnificent rain, the weeds will come out so easily. Start at the front and work your way all the way to the back fence. Remember the hare and the tortoise, don’t rush, a small area each day. • For most spring flowering shrubs, now is the time for that last feed once flowering is over until autumn. Most plants do not put on much growth through the heat of summer. Neutrog Seamungus, an organic combination of seaweed and chook poo is ideal. • Complete mulching without delay before summer. I recommend Canberra Sand and Gravel’s Canberra Organic Mulch.
s is ion ct uct r RS VE du nst in PA ro d co AT ts is KS ORM t P an al LOC E F enilding ci ER B ARG pe ESS L & L ADS RBS em bu e B S U AL • RE EC S SM P T k Cin th • E E T S TS S CT JE ST NCR S • CK PO RO Bin ars CT
ATTENDING a recent Friends function at the Old Parliament House Rose Gardens, I noticed a huge improvement in the health of its roses. Congratulations to Dennis Dempsey, who is overseeing their care and maintenance, and his team for their excellent work. If you have not visited for a while, I suggest that now is the time.
Jottings…
Quality Service I Commercial & Residential
40 Dacre Street MITCHELL 62427033 www.binkpavers.com.au
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7.30am–4.00pm | Sat 8am-12pm
CityNews November 21-27 31
Canberra building news edition 1 - 2011
Available from 7 Beltana Road, Pialligo Any queries phone Ivan on 0413 949 900
Spectacular tree peony.
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READERS have asked me to recommend a good book on herbs. My choice is “The Ultimate Book of Herbs and Herb Gardening” by Jessica Houdret (Lorenz Books). First published in 1999 and currently out of print, I noticed copies available from
Aged Composted Horse Manure
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I have planted peonies that have flowered in their first year and when I replanted them last autumn, after a year in pots when we did an extension, these same ones are now coming into flower. Peonies (Paeonia species) are a wonderful group of plants ideal for our local climate. They grow in Asia to southern Europe and North America. Plus, many hybrids have parents in different groups. While peonies have been the subject on this page previously, some readers say they are confused with the different types. To clarify, the two main groups are: Herbaceous peonies are perennials emerging as a crown from the soil in spring. They flower in mid-to-late spring and are quite happy in full sun or partial shade. They mainly originated from the Chinese Paeonia lactiflora with predominantly white flowers or shades of pink, although hybrid red flowers are now available. At the end of their flowering period and as autumn approaches the leaves die down to ground level. The easiest method of propagation is by dividing the roots. Tree peonies do not grow as trees but rather are sparsely multi-stemmed shrubs. They are extremely showy plants with bright colours (as pictured here in a Manuka garden). They are usually grafted on to herbaceous peony rootstocks as they do not divide or grow from cuttings easily. The best method is to buy already grafted plants. A combination of tree peonies at the rear of a bed and herbaceous in front will give that real “wow” factor.
Weston Park, Yarralumla