140508 citynews

MAY 8, 2014

Hockey takes a stick to Canberra MICHAEL MOORE Slugged, slapped, sacked and screwed

ROBERT MACKLIN A pox on those slacktivist freetards!

JOHN GRIFFITHS Kiri gives young singers a voice

HELEN MUSA

TOUGH KIDS KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK reports on snapper Belle Garfath’s tender depictions of brave, sick kids as superheroes

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2 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

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briefly

On the rich trail of life’s ups and downs

IKEA to open IKEA, the Swedish flatpack furniture empire, has confirmed it will open a Canberra store near the airport by September, 2015, following government approval of its development application.

Mint for lunch A GUEST speaker from the Australian Mint will talk about coin and medal design at the next lunch meeting of the Woden View Club, Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11.30am, Tuesday, May 27. Lunch is $24 and visitors and interested ladies are warmly welcomed. RSVP to 62812022.

AT the end of the 1990s, a Stephen Easton massive research project began reports tracking the health and wellbeing of nearly 7500 people randomly all these other factors as well, so the plucked from Canberra and advantage of following people over Queanbeyan, through 20 years of an extended period of time is we can look at the characteristics and life exlife’s ups and downs. periences that people typically have,

Three groups, aged in their early 20s, 40s and 60s at the start, answer long questionnaires and undergo physical and cognitive tests every four years, to build an immensely valuable data set that has already led to nationally and internationally significant research findings, and will continue to long after it’s finished.

Called “Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life”, it involves five official sub-studies and has given rise to more than 170 published scientific papers, at least 12 major reports and about 30 PhD projects.

Associate Professor Peter Butterworth, one of the study’s principal investigators from the ANU Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, explains that PATH looks at the “total health” of people and how that changes over the adult lifespan by focusing on three main health domains: depression and anxiety, alcohol, tobacco and drug use, and the course of age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

“The key is to understand, in all of these conditions and disorders, what the factors are that make people more likely to experience them in the end,” says Butterworth.

“You can’t get that just by focusing on a clinical population who are already experiencing dementia, depression or anxiety.

“You need to follow people from beforehand and identify lifestyle factors like whether or not people are exercising, their diet... smoking and

and how those lead to, or protect them against those adverse outcomes in the long run.”

A benefit to Canberra is that the ACT Government gets more detailed health data for our local community than most municipalities could ever hope for.

In 2011, the latest PATH report on the ACT’s mental health and wellbeing showed, among many other things, that dangerous drinking was most common among middleaged women, and that while suicidal thoughts are common, affecting over six per cent of locals, suicide attempts are extremely rare.

The PATH surveys contain a lot of questions about people’s employment status and financial position, and this is where Butterworth has conducted much of his own analysis.

Contrary to accepted wisdom, one of his graphs shows that money can buy happiness, although the effect begins to plateau as annual salaries approach $100,000.

“One in three people in the poorest households experience depression at any point in time, whereas amongst the wealthier households the corresponding figure is about five per cent, or one in 20,” Butterworth says.

As well as how much we’re paid, it’s not surprising that our experiences at work – where most of us spend most of our time – also plays a huge part in our mental health.

“Exposure to bullying at work is associated with at least doubling,

Making trivia THE Canberra Volunteer Branch of Make-A-Wish is holding a trivia night at the Belconnen Labor Club in Chandler Street, 6.30pm for 7pm, on Friday, May 9. Tables seat 8-10 and tickets, at $20, are available from 0420 979174 or by emailing annamongan@yahoo.com.au

Help for Vietnam THE Canberra-based charity Australia’s Helping Hand is holding a fundraising concert and auction at the Revival Fellowship Hall, 12 Chandler Street Belconnen, 7.30pm, Saturday, May 5. The Vietnamese-focused charity is raising funds to build a school and a training room plus a disability centre in the Tien Lang District of Hai Phong City. Concert tickets at $25 ($5 pensioners) from 0416 119809 or email iancollard@netspeed.com.au

Potluck lunch

Researcher Peter Butterworth… “Mental health at a community level, I think, provides some sort of a marker of how well a society’s doing, overall.”

Photo by Gary Schafer and in some cases trebling the risk of depression and anxiety, and also doubles the risk of having suicidal thoughts,” says the professor.

He’s also investigated the link between mental health and the number of “adverse conditions” at work, like job insecurity, excessive demands and having little or no autonomy.

Interestingly, those in the least enjoyable jobs had poorer general and mental health than those who were unemployed.

Butterworth leads a research unit

looking at social issues in mental health across the populace, and says depression and anxiety are in fact the biggest cause of disability worldwide.

“We’ve demonstrated in PATH [how] social circumstances, social experiences and the environmental impact of the world around people, is causally related to their mental health,” he says.

“Mental health at a community level, I think, provides some sort of a marker of how well a society’s doing, overall.”

THE ACT Bilingual Education Alliance is holding a potluck lunch at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, North Building, London Circuit, Civic, 11am-1pm, on Sunday, May 18. Families raising children in more than one language and people interested in languages and bilingual education are invited to bring food to share and enjoy the array of dishes from around the world. More information at actbilingual.weebly. com or via canberrabilingual@gmail.com or 0408 089235.

Book wins prize THE independently produced local history book, “Queanbeyan – City of Champions”, has been awarded a Queanbeyan Council Heritage Award.

Published last year as part of the city’s 175th anniversary celebrations, the award was presented to author Nichole Overall, photographer Trudy Taylor and designer Dana Stewart-Thompson for the book’s contribution to the promotion of local heritage. Produced and funded by the three women, “City of Champions” was five years in the making.

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index

seven days

Since 1993: Volume 20, Number 16

Arts & Entertainment Canberra Confidential Cartoon Cinema Dining Garden Horoscope News Politics Puzzles Socials

19-21 14 10 20 21 22 23 3-10 10 23 15-18

Slugged, slapped, sacked and screwed Cover: Zach Armstrong, 6, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 16 months, but over years of physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and botox therapy, he can walk unaided. Photo by Belle Garfath. Story Page 6.

contacts CEO: Greg Jones, 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Journalists: Stephen Easton, stephen@citynews.com.au Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Senior advertising executive: Ernie Nichols, 0421 077999 Advertising sales executives: Graham Spencer, 6262 9100 Rebecca Dann, 0431 042087; Charlotte Hoy, 6262 9100 Advertising sales co-ordinator: ad@citynews.com.au Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9420 1777 Graphic designers: Janet Ewen and Paulette Leo Photographers: Gary Schafer and Andrew Finch Proof reader: Glenda Anderson Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au Distribution: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au

Well written, well read

Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111 GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.

When Canberra’s the target, everyone cheers – it’s an ‘efficiency bonus’.

THAT left hook from PM Tony Abbott to loose-lipped Treasurer Joe Hockey we predicted in last week’s “Seven Days”, sure hit the mark with Tony’s Deficit Levy announcement. It progressively slugged everyone earning more than $80,000 a year.

money for the private schools will educate them in the one true Church.

Even the expensive new fighter wing for the RAAF sounds like a response to that DLP favourite of yesteryear: “The downward thrust of Chinese Communism”.

No wonder Joe Hockey and the True So, did the lefties of Labor and the Libs are getting restless.

Greens leap to applaud it?

No way; Opposition Leader Bill IF you’re planning to sell the house, Shorten went for the cheap “broken better look smart. If only some of this promise” mantra that worked for Abweek’s Audit Commission’s recombott against Julia Gillard. Politicians mendations are adopted, prices will are like generals… always fighting the plummet. At least 15,000 public service last war instead of the one at hand. jobs are in the firing line.

When car companies close down, JOE hit back: old-age pension the nation is shocked and governments eligibility, he declared, would rise to 70 are spurred into action. It doesn’t matin 2035! That would be in the second ter, apparently, that the public servants (Jessica) Rudd Government! Really, support the capital’s private enterprise Joe... with their pay packets.

When Canberra’s the target, ACTUALLY, most of Tony’s everyone cheers – it’s an “efficiency preoccupations seem to be coming bonus”. How about a big PR exercise from his old Catholic Labor roots – the to show the country that Canberra is a DLP – rather than the Liberal heartland. vital part of the national polity; say The farcical “direct action” on global warming, for example, is from George Pell’s “Hands off God’s plan” doctrine; paid parental leave is designed to encourage lots more kiddies; and more

a Centennial Celebration… oh, sorry, been there, done that. Worked a treat, obviously.

CLOSER to home, ACT Deputy Opposition leader Alistair Coe was reading straight from the Liberal Party playbook with his condemnation of Labor’s plan for a light rail system.

“People in the Northbourne Avenue corridor,” he said, “are already serviced well by ACTION buses.” And the problem of public servants’ parking spots will be easily fixed when those 15,000 don’t have to go to work anymore.

miss out on the NBN are the lucky ones.

Gee, thanks Malcolm.

WONDERFUL careers in the PS really are possible if you can keep your job. The proof is to be found in “An Unqualified Success”, Peter Golding’s splendid new biog of Allan Fleming, best known as the second director of the National Library. He died in 2001 after a fascinating career as a soldier, spy, trade negotiator and librarian.

A great Canberra read. robertmacklin.com

PITY the poor 1700 Gunghalin residents who have to switch their landline phones, medical alarms and internet to the very fast NBN on July 17. The Big G’s Community Council president, Ewan Brown warns phone lines “could fall over like a web service”.

“You would need a charged up mobile in case anything goes wrong,” he says.

Seems like the rest of us who’ll

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Hannah Vickers, 7, was born at 36 weeks and, at 11 hours old, had surgery to repair a blockage to her small intestine and remove her appendix, which was on the wrong side. She was then diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Eva Clark-Caldwell, 3, was born six weeks early. In the last year she’s travelled several times to Sydney Children’s Hospital to test for cancer in her lymphs, but now has the all-clear.

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Belle’s salute to little heroes PHOTOGRAPHER Belle Garfath wants to celebrate Canberra’s little fighters.

“You know, the kids that have had to fight for life, that have been through so much,” she says.

“They’re so inspiring to me. We talk about strength in grown-ups but these kids are truly amazing.”

Belle, of Belle Photography, is using her skills to honour 14 Canberra kids who’ve

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6 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

Harrison Wordsworth, 4, has the genetic spinal and bowel condition Currarino Syndrome. At the risk of never walking again, his spinal cord was untethered and a tumour removed from his spine just before his second birthday.

Photographer Belle Garfath... “We talk about strength in grown-ups but these kids are truly amazing.”

Kathryn Vukovljak reports

done it tough. The results will be on display at RAW: Revolution, an indie arts showcase of creative talent on May 28 at the Uni Pub. “I wanted to do something touching, something different from what I usually do,” she says. “My style is vintage-inspired and I love doing pin-up photography, but taking photos of kids and families is another one of my favourite parts of the job.”

Mum-of-three, Belle says her initial plan had been to select eight kids from whoever responded to a call-out for little superheroes on her Facebook page. She’d then photograph them dressed as oldschool superheroes.

“I got 14 responses, and was just bawling my eyes out reading each one,” she says.

“The children were all absolutely beautiful, with humbling stories of severely premmie births, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, disabilities and other disorders.

“There was no way I could choose eight, and I told my sister and a friend that my instinct was to include them all – they told me to go for it. It’s lucky there weren’t any more or I’d really have had my hands full!”

Belle says she loves to take bright, colourful photos, and that she wanted to photograph the kids as backyard superheroes, not wearing your average shop-bought

Superman or Batman costume.

“I wanted it to be like when I was a kid with a tea towel and a peg as the cape,” she says. “So I sewed superhero capes in primary colours with a friend, to create that playful, retro feel.”

On the day, Belle threw a superherostyled picnic with Swish Vintage Canberra, and arranged for another friend to bring his Harleys (ridden by superheroes!).

“It was lovely to make a little day of it, with the picnic and fun things for the kids, like face painting and a play in the park,” she says.

“It was also a great chance for the mums and dads to meet each other and chat while the kids had their photos taken.”

Belle has a younger sister with neurofibromatosis, who she says has struggled her whole life to feel normal.

“I’ve seen her work so hard without ever complaining, and my parents worked tirelessly to keep her moving and helping her through surgery after surgery,” she says.

“I’ve seen how hard it is, and I know what these families go through.

“I wanted to make a fuss of our local superheroes – they’re little fighters and they deserve to be celebrated.”

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It’s sleeves up to fight back It’s up to all Canberrans and all Canberra businesses to start thinking a bit ‘small town’ and to look after each other.

SO, we’ve been convicted of living beyond our means, gross overspending, spiralling into debt, blah, blah, blah, and now we await the actual sentence.

Physicist Prof Christine Charles… “With this kind of device, you can test pretty much any equipment which will be used in space – and you really have to.”

Photo by Gary Schafer

Local role in reach for the stars

Stephen Easton reports

IN a few months, Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane will cut the ribbon on the ANU’s space simulator, a custom-built $3.8 million machine for stress-testing anything that needs to survive being hurled off the planet into the harsh conditions beyond our comfortable atmosphere.

The large, barrel-shaped device will be a valuable addition to Australia’s growing space industry, but to the physicists and astronomers who commissioned it, the shiny beast has already proven its worth.

“With this kind of device, you can test pretty much any equipment which will be used in space – and you really have to,” says physicist Prof Christine Charles, the head of the ANU’s Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion laboratory (SP3), explaining its main features are to replicate a vacuum, unfiltered solar radiation and a temperature range of about 80C to minus 170C. This impressive piece of kit is the centrepiece of the futuristic-looking Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre on Mount Stromlo, which also boasts a certified “clean room” plus an exceedingly quiet anechoic chamber, and is soon to have its own satellite shaker to simulate the powerful tremors of a rocket launch.

“It’s very unique really,” says Charles. “In other places they have similar facilities but not exactly like this. The design is really good; it allows for a lot of different configurations,

so we hope that it will be of interest to a lot of other people. We already have quite a few collaborators worldwide, and it’s not even officially opened yet.

“We have much more control over our tests now and this is a really big advantage, because for the past 15 years we have been doing tests in other people’s chambers and this is really, really difficult… it’s very time consuming, it costs a lot of money and you have to have the right people at the right place at the same time, which is nearly impossible these days.”

Charles is testing the world-leading Australian Plasma Thruster, the best of the next generation of space engines that will need to reliably drive a spacecraft over long distances such as the trip to Mars.

“With a regular rocket, you would have to have so much fuel to get to Mars that you could barely carry it all,” she explains. “You might be able to do it, but how to come back again?”

Electric thrusters are all about slow and steady. In 2006 the tiny SMART-1 spacecraft took about a year to reach the moon, but it did so by firing its thruster for around 5000 hours, using only about 50 litres of Xenon as fuel.

“So if you’re patient, it’s better to use an electric thruster, and it’s always accelerating so the longer the mission is, the faster your spacecraft will travel,” says Charles. “For example, the time to get to Mars would actually be less than for a chemical rocket.”

Plasma is a state of matter like solid, liquid and gas; just as a liquid can be frozen solid by lack of heat, a gas can be ionised with electrical current, turning it into a hot, glowing plasma, which is

what happens inside neon and fluorescent lights.

“You can make these ionised or charged particles do the things you want by using electric fields and magnetic fields, but at the end of the day, with a rocket, you just want to eject matter in the exhaust,” Charles explains.

“That creates the force in the opposite direction – the thrust – which is why they are called thrusters, so you can do that chemically, with a combustion reaction, or by emitting a plasma.”

Another advantage of plasma thrusters is they can use various common gases as fuel, she says, listing argon, xenon, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide, which is abundant on Mars.

The basic idea is decades-old and the Australian project goes back to the pioneering work of her colleague Prof Ron Boswell, who produced a revolutionary benchtop prototype in the early 1990s, naming it Wombat due to its barrel shape and stubby legs. It turned out the much larger space simulator looks basically similar, so it was named Wombat XL. After coming from France to join Boswell’s team, Charles made her own breakthrough that led to her inventing the world’s first Helicon Double Layer Thruster, vastly improving the core technology of the Australian Plasma Thruster and putting it ahead of the rest.

“We’re getting pretty close now,” she says.

“With this type of facility you can go from a laboratory idea, through all the development steps until you get ready for a space launch.”

As for the first return trip to Mars, Charles says it will be a worldwide collaboration, but believes her Helicon Double Layer technology will be a big part of the story.

You may have arrived, but we’re not there yet FOR so long as I can remember, there has been talk about the need for a proper gateway to Canberra.

Coming up over the rise as you cross the border on the Federal Highway most Canberrans see Telstra Tower and the Brindabellas and feel a sense of coming home.

However, for visitors there is no real point of arrival to Canberra – a sign announcing the city centre doesn’t count.

8 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

Catherine Carter property

As the nation’s capital we really need to do it better.

Melbourne has invested in contemporary showpieces to mark its gateway. A series of impressive large-scale freeway artworks reinforcing the city’s reputation for design and style create colourful and exciting markers as the CBD appears on the horizon.

Gateways to other cities have become

icons in their own right. Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty welcome visitors from sea and air. All are immediately recognisable as destination markers.

Canberra has all the right elements for an impressive gateway – the highway seamlessly becomes Northbourne Avenue – a boulevard opportunity that has never been realised.

The first stage of light rail offers a new chance to create a real entry to Canberra.

The proposed first leg of the track could be an impressive corridor through to the

city, encouraging new development, wide footpaths and beautiful landscaping.

A “marker” structure, be it building, commemoration or artwork should be included at a scale right for its surroundings. It doesn’t need to be tall, but does need to be special.

It’s time that Canberra had its own landmark entry. If we have to keep relying on the GPS to announce that “you have arrived” – then we’re not there yet!

Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia.

For weeks we’ve been waiting to see the details of the Tony Shepherd Commission of Audit because the Treasurer indicated that he would draw inspiration from it to help him construct the Federal Budget.

The Commission of Audit was like the jury and Joe Hockey is the judge.

I wouldn’t be expecting leniency from this judge because he’s been talking tough in the media since before he was elected, but he’s not going to adopt all of the recommendations of the C of A. To some extent this pre-Budget document gives Mr Hockey a “good cop/bad cop” scenario whereby he is seen as being the man who saved us from a world of pain by trashing many of the dastardly recommendations.

The Budget will be tough, but not half as tough as the Commission of Audit report.

Public servants will lose their jobs. Spending on all services connected with Government activity will fall.

It already has.

A lot of businesses are doing it tough and they know it’s going get tougher. They have two choices. Lay down and die, or think further outside the square and latch on to new income streams.

Now, I say “further” outside the square because I’m sure they’ve already ventured outside it by now.

Creativity is required. If these businesses can survive, and the good ones will, they’ll emerge from this mini Canberra crisis with a stronger business model.

Diversification is extremely difficult and sometimes, only absolute necessity can make you do it.

By all means get angry with Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey for what we are about to receive, but I wouldn’t dwell on it too much.

It’s up to all Canberrans and all Canberra businesses to start thinking a bit “small town” and to look after each other. When making purchasing decisions, you must consider the Canberra-based option every time.

Yes, it’s going to be hard, but it won’t impossible.

Half of Canberra will spend most of their time whingeing about it all over the next 12 months. The other half will be rolling up their sleeves and making the most of every opportunity.

Mark Parton is the breakfast presenter at 2CC.

MARK PARTON

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opinion

dose of dorin

Hockey takes a harsh stick to Canberra IT seems Joe Hockey just hates Canberra, hasn’t much time for those hippies and their renewable energy and has even less time for the poor. The Commission of Audit is not government policy – that will come with the Budget. However, the government established the Commission to get the result it wanted.

Hockey’s approach is a narrow, short-term view providing savings to the Commonwealth and greatly increasing the burden to the States and Territories.

The government’s rhetoric and the Commission of Audit report focus on two things: Australia’s debt and where cuts can be made. What they both fail to do is attempt to understand or explain the real costs or benefits associated with taking the meat axe to the public service, to social service benefits, to health and to superannuation – to name just a few. It is a financial approach rather than an economic approach.

Additionally, none of the proposals being floated have given any detail on how they might get the really wealthy to shoulder more of the burden.

While the mining industry is subsidised to the tune of $4 billion through things such as the fuel rebate, roads, rail and other infrastructure while the Treasurer tells a Sydney radio station: “I find those wind turbines around Lake George to be utterly offensive and I think they are just a blight on the landscape”.

He went on to bemoan his inability to remove the minor, contracted subsidies on renewable energy systems.

McGannon and Daley, from the Grattan Institute, have pointed out that if the whole of the Department of Health was abolished the savings would be “less than half a billion dollars a year”.

The impact on the ACT economy would be devastating. Health manages key national strategies in relation to communicable diseases, immunisation, mental health, alcohol and other drugs just to name a few examples where a very short-term gain could be an economic and community disaster.

The Commonwealth is responsible for primary health care. If this part of the structure is weakened, people transition to much more expensive forms of care. The co-payment for attending a GP will push some from primary health care weakening the system. Patients will either avoid going to the doctor or turn up with minor ailments at already overburdened hospital

emergency departments.

Hockey’s approach, as indicated by government announcements to date, is a narrow, short-term view providing savings to the Commonwealth and greatly increasing the burden to the States and Territories. But the same people pay tax in both jurisdictions.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it,” said Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels.

Despite our triple AAA credit-rated economy, there is a sense that our country’s finances are out of control. The warning to Hockey should be in the next line from Goebbels: “The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie”.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

MICHAEL MOORE

lowbrow

Pox on slacktivist freetards “Slacktivism”: The self-deluded idea that by liking, sharing, or retweeting something you are helping out I WAS flattered a few weeks ago when approached to be an ambassador for Youth Homelessness Matters Day. It’s an important issue and something we should do better at as a society, but I was surprised to discover that all they expected from an “ambassador” was to retweet their announcements on the day and hit the share button on Facebook.

It felt a bit lazy to be keeping the activity down at the awareness-raising level (as a journalist, that’s all I really do for society anyway).

But I was gobsmacked to see that, on the day, my fellow ambassadors made up half the Legislative Assembly including the Deputy Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Andrew was supporting action on youth homelessness. The cause is worthy and I applaud the support.

But we’re not talking about 14-year-olds who aren’t allowed out at night. We’re not even talking about concerned citizens or even influential members of the community.

We’re talking about the very heart of government hitting the retweet button instead of rolling their sleeves up and doing something about the issue.

Slacktivism is better than apathy, but it would be good to see more from elected leaders. Even for this journalist; it would be nice to be asked to do more.

about Joffrey’s much deserved demise and speculate whodunnit.

That “GoT” is particularly popular with demographics dead set against paying for anything while also being heavily engaged in social media just adds fuel to the fire.

Having paid for the sodding Foxtel it seems more than a little unfair we’re not allowed to emote about it on pain of unfriending.

Pouring salt on the wounds the events being depicted this season are from the book “A Storm of Swords”.

First published 14 long years ago in 2000.

So the spoiler angst is coming from people who can’t be bothered reading the books, or paying to see the show.

“Freetard”: One who firmly believes in not paying for e.g. software, films, music. Generally an avid proponent of p2p filesharing SO, a very large population that don’t want to pay and can’t be bothered to read are getting worked up about people who can be bothered and who choose to pay doing no more than a slacktivist by retweeting spoilers.

If only we could channel all this energy into something like youth homelessness.

All definitions gratuitously cherry picked from Urban Dictionary. John Griffiths is online editor at citynews.com.au

Spoilers: The ruining of a surprise in a book, movie, tv program, etcetera SPOILERS and social media are co-existing particularly precariously right now.

The problem is Rupert Murdoch and his crafty play for exclusive distribution of the wildly popular “Game of Thrones” series via his Foxtel empire.

This sets two contending forces at play.

Most Australians do not have Foxtel, and don’t want to be forced to pay for bundles of programming just to watch the one show they like. But it takes time, a few hours at least, for the illegal download community to populate the internet with copies and then retrieve them.

Meanwhile, people who have bitten the pillow and signed their lives over to Foxtel want to enthuse

10 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

JOHN GRIFFITHS

Law Week / May 12-17

When lawyers reach out to

NEXT week is Law Week and, as usual, the Law Society has arranged a plethora of events to promote a better understanding of the legal system and its many important functions in society.

“We’re giving special attention to wills and power of attorney this year,” says ACT Law Society president Martin Hockridge, explaining that anyone can book a free 30-minute personalised advice session with a lawyer on this very important subject, on Wednesday between 11am and 2pm at the Society’s office on London Circuit.

“You don’t ever want to be in a situation where there’s a dispute about a will or what was intended by somebody who’s deceased,” he adds. “It’s one of the main legal issues, I think, that confronts all of us because you can’t get away from people dying. If people have particular ideas about where they want their estate to go, it’s important they go and set it out so it’s clear.”

There will also be free seminar-

style information sessions on the same topic at 6.15pm on Tuesday night and 11am Thursday at the Tuggeranong Community Centre, as well as 11am Friday at Gungahlin Community Centre.

“We run an advice bureau at lunchtimes most working days anyway, where people can come and get some advice from a lawyer and it’s all pro bono,” adds the Law Society president.

Hockridge says the walking tours during Law Week, including one showing where to go for free legal services in Canberra at 9am on the Friday morning, and public tours of the Supreme Court on all the weekdays at 11am, are always popular.

“The public tours of the Supreme Court are probably worth doing at the moment if you’re interested in the historical side of the court, because of course the AttorneyGeneral launched the plans to renew the building just the other day so the old court won’t be the way it is for much longer, which is probably a good thing.”

For more information an any ACT Law Week events, call the Law Society on 6247 5700 or go to actlawsociety.asn.au

ACT Law Society president Martin Hockridge… “We’re giving special attention to wills and power of attorney this year.”

What not to do with your will

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THE ACT Public Trustee offers a will service for Canberrans wishing to appoint it as executor and has options for people wishing to include philanthropy in their will. It also drafts wills at no cost for people 60 years and over.

Here the Trustee lists the five worst things to do in your will.

1. Procrastinate. “Never put off such a simple but essential document,” the Trustee says.

2. Create an informal will. “Prospective beneficiaries will seize upon the one that favours them most. Ensuing legal arguments can be costly.”

3. Create inequities in your will.

“The surest way to raise disputes as to testamentary capacity or undue influence is to omit family members who expected to benefit.”

4. Form new relationships without revising your will. “Informal relationships and how to balance the responsibility of a new spouse with the expectations of our adult children to their inheritance can be problematic.”

5. Neglect to take appropriate advice. “Ultimately, our will becomes the momentous document of our life and worthy of informed consideration and hardly something to be changed through a will kit.”

Call 6207 9800 or visit publictrustee@ act.gov.au

sponsored feature

the local community ACT Law Week is... ...A contest of ideas (and soccer) THE law provides a level playing field for adversarial situations when people disagree or come into conflict, and one of the key features of ACT Law Week is healthy competition between Canberra’s lawyers.

First up on Monday night is the local heat of the hilarious Golden Gavel speech contest. Watch young lawyers prove that an ounce of wit is indeed worth a pound of argument, as they argue a silly case with a straight face for a spot in the national finals, which this year are being held right here in the capital.

The topics for the funny five-minute speeches are only given to contestants 24 hours beforehand.

More an example of standup comedy than elegant legal argument, the Golden Gavel is an entertaining night out for all.

“We’ve combined it this year with the launch, so we’re very lucky the Attorney-General, Simon Corbell, is going to come along and launch Law Week for us, but that won’t take very long and then we’ll just glide straight into hearing from these young people in humourous mode,” says Martin Hockridge.

Law Week launch and Golden Gavel: Monday May 12,

5.30pm, As You Like It Cafe (The Street Theatre) 15 Childers Street, Civic. Tickets $30, includes drinks and canapes.

THE competition between local lawyers continues on the soccer field, in the semi-finals and grand final of a fun, casual but nevertheless hotly contested six-a-side tournament that takes place at ANU’s Willows Oval on Friday, May 16. The 24 legal teams have been competing since March, and competition is heating up with the quarter finals taking place on Friday, May 9.

Law Week soccer trophy semi-finals and grand final: Friday, May 16, 12-2pm, Willows Oval, ANU.

THE ACT’s newly appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Helen Murrell, will also dispense her own wisdom as the keynote speaker at the Law Week dinner on Wednesday night, hosted each year by the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT to focus on issues revolving around women in the legal profession.

Chief Justice Murrell is the first woman to be appointed the ACT’s top judge, and has pursued a special interest in equal opportunity and justice for the underprivileged throughout a varied legal career, which has included stints in NSW on the Land and Environment Court, Equal Opportunity Tribunal, Medical Tribunal and Drug Court, as well as in Vienna with the UN Expert Working Group on Drug Courts.

Law Week Dinner: Wednesday, May 14, 6.30pm, The

Lobby Restaurant, King George Terrace, Parkes. Tickets $120; $90 for Women Lawyers Association members.

• Eight Accredited Specialists in the areas of Family Law and Wills & Estates • Wills & Estate planning law • Business succession and structuring advice • Tax and Self Managed Super Fund advice

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ALSO exploring women’s issues is the Women and Justice Forum, featuring a panel made up of the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Ged Kearney, alongside ANU law professor Margaret Thornton and Alisa Taylor, a partner at Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers.

This year’s forum, entitled “Women and the Workplace: Lean in or left out?”, will explore gender-based challenges that continue to confront Australian women in their working lives.

Women and Justice Forum, Wednesday, May 14, 12pm2pm, ANU Commons Function Centre, 26 Barry Drive, Acton. Free, bookings required to 6257 4377 or admin@ womenslegalact.org. Includes lunch.

A NEW and interesting addition to the Law Week calendar is “Paper Weights”, a workshop for writers aged under 35 in the Canberra region interested in scribbling about law reform and social justice issues, jointly presented by the Alternative Law Journal and literary blog Scissors Paper Pen. “The project is designed to help young writers become the kind of voice that everyone wants to read; the kind of writer that illuminates the dark and inspires thought, compassion and action,” say the organisers.

Paper Weights: Thursday, May 15, 12.30pm, Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenue, Civic. Free entry, bookings essential, gold coin donations accepted at the door. Light meal provided.

...A chance to get sociable “A SOCIAL highlight of Law Week is often the Quiz Night, because that’s just everyone letting their hair down and having a bit of fun, so whilst we want to raise awareness of the role of the law in the community, Law Week’s an opportunity for people to get together and have a good time as well,” says Martin Hockridge.

Hosted by ABC 666 Breakfast presenter Phillip Clark, the quiz night is billed as a “perspicacious evening of mind-bending trivia” which includes auctions, competitions and raffles as well as the opportunity to buy answers when your team gets stumped and fines for illegally using your smartphone to look up answers,

your life, your lawyers

LAW Week also ends with a contest, in the form of a mock trial between legal students of the ANU and UC, who battle it out each year in the Supreme Court for the DPP Plate. Students take the role of either the defence or the prosecution in a criminal law matter and this year present their case before Justice John Burns.

The DPP Plate: Saturday, May 17, 9.30am, ACT Supreme Court, 6 Knowles Place, Civic. Mock trial 10am-12pm. RSVP required to Katrina.Marson@act.gov.au as space is limited.

...A font of wisdom ANOTHER key feature of Law Week is speeches by eminent members of the profession, such as the annual Blackburn Lecture on Tuesday night, described by Martin Hockridge as “the intellectual highlight of the week”.

The lecture will be given this year by Justice Susan Kiefel, who has sat on the High Court since 2007. Justice Kiefel became Queensland’s first female QC in 1987, and has previously been a judge of the Federal Court and the Norfolk Island Supreme Court. In 2011 she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

The Blackburn Lecture: Tuesday, May 13, 6pm at Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenue, Civic. Free entry, bookings essential, gold coin donations accepted at the door. Light meal provided.

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with proceeds going to charity.

Law Week Quiz Night: Thursday, May 15, 6pm, The Canberra Club, 45 West Row, Civic. Tickets $30 or $300 for a team of 10. Light meal included.

“If you require our expertise… contact us today.”

IF there’s one extra-curricular activity that lawyers know how to do well, it’s a cocktail party and the ACT Bar Association always throws a great one for the end of Law Week, for a chance to unwind, speak informally and network over a few fancy drinks and canapes.

Law Week Cocktail Party, Friday, May 16, 5.30pm, Uni Pub (level three), 17 London Circuit, Civic. Tickets $35.

T: (02) 6286 1977 www.chsol.com.au First Floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip ACT 2606 CityNews May 8-14, 2014 13

Canberra Confidential How Gai slips away “THE things politicians will do to draw attention to themselves,” sniffs our local snout just back from the Weston Creek Community Council’s latest monthly meeting.

The well liked and very effective Tom Anderson was in the midst of chairing the meeting in the Weston Community Hub Hall when the member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann decided, oh, it was time to go.

“So, does she quietly excuse herself and depart? No, she rushes up to the front, gets Tom out of his seat, and kisses him goodbye,” we’re told.

“It looked totally out of place, and Tom seemed rather embarrassed.”

Queer Femme is?

CHIEF Minister Katy Gallagher recently awarded five fine young women Great Ydeas Grants at the YWCA of Canberra’s “Round the World Breakfast”.

Reassuringly, the Chief said: “Women often have unique ideas but sometimes don’t have the means to make these ideas come to life.

This program enables them to do just that.”

Amid the not unexpected worthiness of grants for training to support women in the not-for-profit sector, developing new online resources for aid workers, giving rural girls the chance to visit Canberra to meet powerful female community leaders and

chess master appraises the audience of the prospective pugilists’ moves.

After four minutes of chess, the board is moved out and it’s time for three minutes of gloved biffo. The competitors continue to alternate between chess and boxing until there’s a checkmate or a knockout.

Macho(nochie) man OH Joe Prevedello, on behalf of the Scottish Chief Minister Katy Gallagher presents the Great Ydeas grant to Hannah McCann. nation, we’re obliged to out you. leveraging digital communication to share cooking tips with Timorese women came one that left CC lost in translation.

Winning recipient Hannah McCann is off to the Femme Conference 2014 in the US, which will “explore, discuss, dissect, and support Queer Femme as a transgressive, gender-queer, stand-alone, and empowered identity”. The conference also promises to “provide a space for organising and activism within queer communities”.

A Queer Femme, we’re told, is a gal who likes hanging around with lesbians but prefers the closer company of a boyfriend. But a trawl through the internet couldn’t confirm that and left us totally confused. Good luck, Hannah.

Journalist Joe is the Canberra Liberals’ media flack responsible for this howler when castigating the profligate Labor Government for “mismanagement of the Alexander Machonochie Centre”.

It may not sound Scottish to the fast typing fingers of someone with a proud Italian surname, but the prison is named in honour of penal reformer Alexander Maconochie, pictured, who worked in Van Diemen’s Land and Norfolk Island from 1836 to 1844 manfully without an extra “h” in his name.

Less usefully, it is also the name of a stew of sliced turnips, carrots and potatoes in a thin soup, named for the Aberdeen Maconochie Company that produced it. So now you know, Joe.

Your move – smack!

Know something? / confidential@citynews.com.au

Looking for lurve THE indefatigable Kevin Rudd, in his quest to succeed Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General is leaving no stone unturned. He needs the support of Australia so is trying to make peace with Kevin Rudd. the top public servants and policy makers he crossed during his prime ministerial tenure.

And where better than at their favourite watering-hole, the Commonwealth Club.

Some of those he offended are appalled at the thought and are running a campaign against his membership. But being K Rudd, he’s enlisted some of the most influential men in town to sponsor him – notably Defence Department Secretary Dennis Richardson and retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. They don’t come more influential than that; mark up another small triumph for the lad from Queensland; he is, after all, only trying to help.

Tween here and there HERE’S some depressing reading: Australia’s tweens (8 to 14-year-olds) are spending on average $20 of their own pocket money plus influencing their parents to spend hundreds more a week on the latest trends.

It all adds up to a $4+ billion tween market, with ACT tweens alone estimated to be spending about $24.2 million a year.

“Tweens are a powerful demographic, propelling the likes of Miley Cyrus, One Direction and Justin Bieber to stardom,” enthuses tween expert Andrea Dowling.

Lost, found and sold PICKLES Auctions in Sydney has just run (on time) the “Trains Lost Property Auction” with a bevy of more than 700 items going under the hammer.

The list of stuff people leave on public transport (and don’t seem to bother trying to recover) makes lost umbrellas look very passe: up for grabs were more than 500 mobile

HERE’S a new twist from London on fundraising for tired old winter-ball charities… chessboxing!

It’s a game of speed-chess, split into six four-minute rounds. The players sit at a chessboard in the middle of a boxing ring wearing noise-cancelling headphones as a

phones; 150 iPods and 100 laptops; 100 tablets and e-book readers; a large quantity of jewellery; and close to 400 bicycles (that’s, like, eight a week!).

Autumn in Civic AND with chill autumn winds seducing the summer leaves of trees in Civic’s Garema Place, CC fears for the inevitability of autumn when shedded foliage and Saturday-night milk crates come tumbling to earth.

Mother's Day Luncheon

at the Canberra Labor Club Group u 2014 Belconnen Mother’s Day Men

All mains served with mash or or vegetables.

$23.50 $26.50 $25.50 $24.50 $26.50

roast potatoes and salad

CANBERRA LABOR CLUB Chandler Street Belconnen Ph 6251 5522

GINNINDERRA LABOR CLUB Lhotsky Street Charnwood Ph 6258 8616

SUNDAY 11 MAY Every mum will enjoy a free glass of bubbly at either of our four clubs.

WESTON CREEK LABOR CLUB Teesdale Close Stirling Ph 6288 5047

CITY LABOR CLUB Petrie Plaza Canberra City Ph 6230 0404

Weston Creek • City • Ginninde Mother’s Day Menu 2014 — $35 rra per pers

on

Entree Deep-fried goats cheese w/ cran berry sauce Bruschetta rustica Pollo sesame w/ sweet chilli confi ture Main Trio of kebab — beef, tawook (chicken), kafta (minced beef) on skewers Lamb shanks w/ pancetta,peas and red wine sauce Mediterranean snapper fillet Dessert Pavlova and fresh cream Fruit salad

Children’s meals available from the menu.

All mains served with mash or roast potatoes and salad or vegetables.

Contact your local club for further details and bookings

www.laborclub.com.au For the iNForMAtioN oF MeMberS AND their iNviteD gUeStS.

14 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

ZOO 50925

ch, ricotta Stuffed chicken breast with spinamy sundried and pinenuts topped with a crea tomato sauce topped with Char-grilled ribeye on the bone er and finished a chilli marinated prawn skew with hollandaise sauce spaghetti Succulent seafood marinara with tomato sauce finished in a rich creamy basil and fried asparagus Pork fillet medallions with pan-my Marsala sauce crea a with ed finish and rs spea fillet topped Pan-fried Queensland snapper and drizzled with a prawn and avocado salsa with a pesto oil.

scene / around canberra

invite us / scene@citynews.com.au

Event of the week / Fashfest finale Exposure at this level sets the bar high for content quality; it’s so important. Audience thermals compulsory!

WITH marketing to make many wax lyrical, reality had us follow the fantasy of fashion fabulousness to the coldest depths of Brindabella Park for the second year of Fashfest.

It coruscated through our tiny space in the universe with, for the designers, hopefully sales; the models, a valuable and exciting experience; and the make-up and hairdressing team, the recognition they deserve.

So, too, acknowledgement of a formidable team that, on an international stage,

would cost a motza and probably not work as well.

We were there to look at fashion; an eclectic mix of wearable, conceptual, sustainable and fashionable creations.

Some were sensational, such as Rockstars and Royalty’s stunning collection from its meticulous and multi-talented creator and designer Vicky Kidd-Gallichan.

Those darlings of the fuller figure fashionistas, Darla and Blossom Darling were showing that good design, good fabrics and attention to cut, colour and creativity is mandatory.

And Hannah Parris, of Audrey Blue signature, was showing trans-seasonal designs using ecologically sustainable fabrics with the imprimatur of the Global Organic Textile Standard.

Exposure at this level sets the bar high for content quality; it’s so important. Audience thermals compulsory!

Jacinta Kyam, Anthony Mijoc and Sandi O’Dea

Ashleigh West and Caroline Pipers

Belinda Riding

Alex Solecka and Agata Gluszek

Mitchell Thompson and Holly Squair

David Reid, Adam Ridwan and Aidan O’Sullivan

Tania Evans and Barbara Mickelson

Sue Skermer and Trevor Connell

Bobby Rush and Jerry Francis

James Baxter and Rachel Eager

Four nights of Fashfest social photos by “CityNews” snapper ANDREW FINCH and nightby-night reviews at citynews.com.au

LYN MILLS

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Open on Mother’s Day

scene / around canberra

Invite us / scene@citynews.com.au

At Kait Ludwig’s Miss World Australia fund raiser, Playground Bar, Civic

LUNCH AND DINNER

Josh Atkinson, Sam, Kait and Ali Ludwig with Tristan Kilpatrick

Mr Wei’s 170 London Circuit 6230 0857 www.mr-weis.com

Amy Dobos and Hector Cordova

CJ Berrigan and Sarah Campese

Emily and Sophie Costelloe

Ashleigh McCormick and Rachel Herridge

Tiffany Royds with Mark and Mary Snowden

At the Spanish Film Festival opening, Acton GJ10401.indd 1

29/04/2014 11:26 am

Gareth Knapman and Shobha Varkey

Alexis McNeice and Jennifer Edmunds

Grace Bannister-Tyrrell and Tom Langford

Karla Gilbard and Matt Rose

Kathleen and Geoff Galvin

Bettina Soderbaum and Mary-Anne Waldren

HAVE YOUR SAY Secure Mental Health Unit Preliminary Sketch Plan A community information session will be held at 6.00pm on Wednesday, 21 May in the Aegean Room, Hellenic Club, Woden.

Come along and view aspects of the Preliminary Sketch Plan for the facility and have your questions answered by ACT Health representatives.

The information session will be facilitated by ABC Health Presenter, Dr. Norman Swan.

For further information: T: (02) 6174 8088 E: HIP@act.gov.au 16 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

scene / around canberra

Photos by Andrew Finch

At Karinya House Mother’s Day Ball, Southern Cross Club, Woden

Jeanette D’Souza, Paulina Manenica, Peter Doherty and Ana Manenica

Wendy Shelton and Katie Godfrey

eR Regist now!

ActewAGL Sasha Keppie and Holly Franklin

Ashleigh Simpson, Amy Moore, Jessica Langtry and Erin Foote

EnErGy SAvinG

WorkShopS Joel Dennerley, Lucy and Denise Caldwell, Belinda Clark and Mick Welch

Mary and David Poon

Essential workshops to help you prepare your home for winter

At ‘Beijing/Unfurling the Landscape’ opening, ANU ActewAGL is once again hosting free Energy Saving Workshops to help customers with managing energy use and reduce winter energy bills.

Workshops will be held across Canberra and Queanbeyan at the following locations.

Gungahlin Library, Corner of Hibberson and Gozzard Streets, Tuesday 20 May 5.30pm to 7.00pm Tony and Helen Reid with Hugh Dakin

Susan Carder and Merrilyn Fitzpatrick

Queanbeyan Kangaroos Club, Richard Ave, Queanbeyan, Wednesday 21 May 5.30pm to 7.00pm Bunnings Tuggeranong, Thursday 22 May 5.30pm to 7.00pm ActewAGL House, 40 Bunda Street Civic, Monday 26 May 12.00pm to 1.30pm Woden Southern Cross Club, 92-96 Corinna Street, Phillip Tuesday 27 May 5.30pm to 7.00pm Bunnings Belconnen, Thursday 29 May 5.30pm to 7.00pm

Liz Paterson and Linda Jaivin

Gillian Russell, Zhu Yujie, Benjamin Penny and Zoe Yun

To find out more about our free community workshops and register your attendance visit actewagl.com.au/workshops

ActewAGL Retail ABN 46 221 314 841.

Anne Brennan, Richard Rigby, Merryn Gates and Elizabeth Kelly

Claire Roberts and Ryan Manvell CityNews May 8-14, 2014 17

scene / around canberra

Invite us / scene@citynews.com.au

At ‘Pin-a-4’ exhibition opening, ANCA Gallery, Dickson

Kristina Neumann, Zoe Brand and Harriet Lee Robinson

Deb Kindermann and Lisa Jose

Ian Poole, Dan Lorrimer, Mitchell Brooks and Geoff Farquhar-Still

Tim and Robyn da Roza with Maria and Gavin Klingner

Amelia and Odessa Zaraftis

Nicci Haynes, Jeni McMillan and Emma Beer

THIS M OT H E R ’ S DAY spoil your fashion-forward mum with stylish accessories from Escala Shoes.

VOTED: BEST SALON OF THE YEAR! ATTENTION ALL CANBERRA MOTHERS! Spoil yourself this Mothers Day!

Serena Farrelly, Vidya Singh and Tegan Liston

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Phone: 6251 2442 Fax: 6251 2014 Email: office.svdp@cg.catholic.edu.au 3 Bindel Street, Aranda 2614

svdp.act.edu.au 18 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

Doug Edwards and David Marshall

Manny Notaras and Kate Carnell

Major Julie Alley and Ed Killesteyn

Major Sue Hale and Major Sharon Coulter

• Come on down and meet the Principal and the dedicated and professional staff • Experience the warmth of our vibrant school community • Take a guided tour of the school grounds with our Year Six leaders

At St Vincent’s you will always feel welcome!

arts & entertainment

Dougal Macdonald Three aspects of female sexuality

Dame Kiri gives a voice to promising young singers

Composer Marc Robertson, left, and writer Jim McGrath… their show asks, “how do you make the perfect man?”

New musical with paws to reflect

By Helen Musa

WHEN writer Jim McGrath approached a local rock musician and electronic composer to write the music for his Made in Canberra musical, “Heart of a Dog”, his initial thoughts of a deep and meaningful jazz score were consigned to the garbage bin.

McGrath’s father had been with DFAT in Moscow, then his sister showed him Soviet-era author Mikhail Bulgakov’s satirical novella of the same name. Excited by its central idea of turning a dog into a man, he worked up a script that interested Caroline Stacey at The Street and applied to the Australia Council, which forked out $40,000 to support a professional production.

But Marc Robertson, lead singer with the group Barrel of Monkeys, whose day job is behind-the-scenes at Llewellyn Hall, instantly spotted that for in this grim post-Dr Frankenstein tale of a dog implanted with the brains and testicles of a drunkard, something more like industrial rock was needed.

While declaring that the “auditions were amazing”, Robertson was less than thrilled with the “bunch of lyrics” he was given.

In retrospect, McGrath admits sheepishly, Gilbert and Sullivan had been more on his mind than grunge, but when Robertson listen to the audiobook of the novella he wanted a more ambivalent atmosphere. Matching different keys to different roles, he came up with

series of showstoppers, such as the opening number,” Moscow Snow”, the pivotal “Transformation Song” and even a love song (“but I never compose love songs,” he complains) called “Over the Moon”. And there’s a little bit of Gypsy klezmer, too.

Meantime, McGrath was contending with the clichés of musical theatre. For Bulgakov’s book is dominated by blokes, a sad indictment of the Soviet-era he thinks, whereas musicals must have girls and romance. He fiddled around a bit and created characters suitable for strong actor-singers such as Amy Dunham and Moya Simpson, the latter playing the ridiculous Commissar Smirnov.

He’s thrilled with the veteran designer Imogen Keen’s amazing costumes for the show, which McGrath is producing but not directing – that role goes to comedian and improvisation expert, Nick Byrne, who has steered the show in the direction of over-the-top comic Surrealism.

So what’s it all about? “Heart of a Dog” is not just science fiction.

In the show, the scruffy dog Sharik (Dene Kermond) becomes the tormented man of the same name, manipulated by the doctor (PJ Williams) and the revolutionary society that Bulgakov lampooned.

To McGrath and Robertson the show asks, “how do you make the perfect man?” and “how do you define masculinity?” The Act One curtain number is the song “Make a Man” and that, arguably, is the subject of all great drama.

“Heart of a Dog,” at The Street 2, May 22-24, bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au

THE last time we interviewed Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, she was telling us how much she’d enjoyed playing the speaking part of the eccentric Duchess of Krakenthorp in Donizetti’s “Daughter of the Regiment”.

This year she’s done it again, performing the comic role at the Royal Opera house, Covent Garden, as part of her 70th birthday celebrations.

She’ll be here in Canberra in mid-May as part of a national 70th birthday tour and “CityNews” caught up with her by phone to NZ, where she likes to spend a large segment of time each year, relaxing, walking and fishing.

Dame Kiri is notable for steering clear of major operatic performing roles these days, preferring to spend the time on nurturing young singers and musicians through her Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.

“There are not many 70-year-olds doing roles,” she says, “There are only so many young parts you can play. You look older and the parts aren’t there.

Vocally, I don’t really want to play old ladies.”

She contrasts her situation with that of performers in straight theatre, saying: “If you are an actress or an actor there are new plays and new scripts coming through all the time – an actress like Maggie Smith can act in all these wonderful parts.”

But alas, it is different in opera.

“At the moment we don’t have things written for people like me,” she notes. We agree that there are a few aged and demented gypsy women in opera, but they’re normally written for a lower register.

“The most important composers are all dead,” Dame Kiri says. “We don’t have a chance for Mozart to come back and write characters for older women… I think about it a lot”.

We discuss singers such as Dame Joan Sutherland, who retired at 64 and was known to disapprove of Pavarotti’s persistence on the stage in his later years.

“It all depends on how well you feel and if you want to do it, it’s very personal,” Dame Kiri says.

But she does keep well and enjoys the healthy lifestyle when she spends time in NZ. It’s a perfect day in the Bay of Islands and there’s fresh squid on the menu for lunch.

Her Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation work is going well, the young Russian opera singer Julia Lezhneva, about whom we spoke in 2012, is “doing wonderfully” in Russia and Salzburg and “there

Experience.

Well written, well read.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who likes to choose her own songs, is promising Canberra favourites by Mozart and Puccini, but with some surprises, she tells arts editor HELEN MUSA are quite a few young protégés on the map”. Not least of her newer protégés is NZ baritone Philip Rhodes, who’s just sung Marcello in “La Boheme”, scored a two-year contract with the Bremen Opera house in Germany and been engaged to “cover” principals at Covent Garden.

“In our business, you proceed step-by-step not in jumps,” she says.

Dame Kiri is no Nellie Melba, jealously guarding her preserves.

“I was never one of those people who felt jealous of other performers, because I was doing extremely well and was more than busy with work… If I were to feel jealous it would be a terrible pain… jealousy eats you away… My time

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And talking of Melba, late last year she enjoyed a “very special” two days on the set of “Downton Abbey,” performing the role of Dame Nellie in a rare TV appearance.

When she comes to Canberra, Dame Kiri promises audience favourites by Mozart and Puccini, but she’s known for choosing her own songs, too. That must remain a surprise as to keep things fresh, as she puts it, “I like to shift around my favourite things”.

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arts & entertainment Three aspects of female sexuality

Courageous look at gender transformation “52 Tuesdays” (MA)

The view from the members-only lounge on the top floor of the QT Canberra.

Photos by Gary Schafer

Exclusive room with a view

By Stephen Easton

QT Hotels likes to make its stylish properties reflect the cities in which they are located, so when it gave the Lakeside Hotel a makeover recently, the theme was political power.

That includes the soon-to-open QT Lounge, an exclusive venue for food, drinks, business meetings and backroom deals with views from the fifteenth floor.

“Certainly the idea is that we do want the political movers and shakers to come in and utilise it,” says Emily Byrne from QT’s PR department, during a brief tour of the newly fitted-out ground floor, which like the lounge, features interior design by Nic Graham.

Invitations for the QT Lounge launch next Wednesday have gone out to 300 people hand picked by the hotel. As well as “political movers and shakers”, Byrne says heads of companies, all the ambassadors and “key media identities” are among the lucky group.

“All the members will have their own individual card with their name on it, and they’ll have to insert it here in order to access the 15th floor,” explains the QT Lounge’s manager, Sarah Rouse, as we step in to the elevator. “No-one can come in and press that button without having card access, just to keep it really exclusive and members-only.”

More high-end nightclub than old-money gentleman’s club, the lounge features loud carpet, unusual furniture and super-cool decor that includes 15 different decorative clocks on one wall.

The view is by far its best asset.

There are no joining fees for members; the first 300 will receive their cards at the launch, or in the mail if they don’t turn up. Rouse confirms membership can’t be bought, adding than anyone 20 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

WE must accept the unstated reasons for Jane’s (Del Herbert-Jane, in real life reportedly non-gender conforming) decision to undergo the discomfort and risk of becoming James because “52 Tuesdays” is equally about the effect it’s going to have on Jane’s 16-year-old daughter Billie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).

When Jane moves out of the family’s Adelaide home, she and Billie agree for the next year to reserve six hours every Tuesday for parent-child time. That’s a lot of information to fit into 109 minutes. First-time director Sophie Hyde intercuts brief clips of unrelated events marking the passage of the year and Matthew Cormack’s screenplay creates time for Billie to explore her own burgeoning sexuality by embarking on a video-making project that’s risky because of child-pornography laws.

It’s a courageous film that fairly well rises above occasional production shortcomings that bring moments of discomfort because of their creative values rather than their content. But these don’t diminish its ability to confront the issue of gender transformation, which gets little real-world media attention.

The film’s real thrust is less about Jane/James’s travails with surgery and medication than the way her progress through the change process affects the mother/daughter relationship. The film presents them without embellishment. A mother’s gender change cannot change their fundamental emotional connection. We can leave the film optimistic about the future for two people who have survived powerful personal and shared stresses.

At Dendy

“Fading Gigolo” (M) CONTRARY to misinformed media blah, this is not a Woody Allen film. Sure, he plays a pivotal role in it as retired rare-book merchant Murray who sees a chance to improve his financial position when his dermatologist (Sharon Stone) asks him if he knows a man who might be interested in joining her and a friend (Sofia Vergara) in a sexual threesome.

Murray’s best friend is florist Fioravante (John Turturro). “Fading Gigolo” is a Turturro film in every significant sense – playing the lead role, writing and directing. And while he and Allen have some great conversation sequences that evoke high points of Allen’s writing/directing filmography, who’s in charge here is never in question.

Murray finds pimping financially congenial.

Fioravante overcomes initial self-doubt as a sexworker. The pair adopt working names Dan and

The QT Lounge bar… more high-end nightclub than old-money gentleman’s club, the lounge features loud carpet, unusual furniture and super-cool decor. who didn’t make the initial cut can enquire, “and we can kind of put them on a waiting list to be discussed”.

“Look, we’ll certainly take recommendations from current members as well, if they have contacts or partners that they would like to see included but it is at our discretion and by invitation only,” adds Byrne.

Both express doubt that the QT Lounge will be criticised for encouraging elitism and business done “with a wink and a nod”, as the hotel’s website proudly states it does, “in the great tradition of Australian politics”.

“I’d say while we’re being exclusive,

we are being inclusive as well,” says Rouse. “We don’t have a particular political allegiance – we’re more than happy to have Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten – we probably won’t sit them next to each other but we’re also going to support lobbyist groups, people from NGOs, people working across all sorts of different sectors.”

Byrne reiterates that a few journalists did make it through what she describes, bizarrely, as “quite a democratic invitation process”.

“Look, I think the people that are probably going to take offence to that are the ones that aren’t invited,” she says.

Woody Allen in “Fading Gigolo”.

Dougal Macdonald cinema Virgil respectively. When Dan introduces Virgil to Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), widowed after 18 years of marriage, charming, delicious to the eye, the film’s dramatic intentions become more apparent. For the local Hasidic community’s private law-enforcer Dovi (Liev Schreiber) has adored Avigal from afar since school days.

Brooklyn suburbia looks charming. Its residents are friendly enough except for the kangaroo court of bewhiskered elders sitting in judgement of Murray for contributing to the corruption of Avigal against convention harking back several millennia. She and Virgil might be headed for a predictable outcome. The denouement is the film’s least convincing passage but its precedents forgive that.

At Capitol 6 and Palace Electric

“Jeune et Jolie” (R) MIDDLE-CLASS 17-year-old French student Isabelle (Marine Vacth) on vacation at her family’s beach house connives her defloration as the precursor to a clandestine career as a sex worker with Lea as her work name, servicing older men.

Writer/director Francois Ozon presents numerous questions about Isabelle that he leaves to his audience to answer. She doesn’t need the money. Despite indications that she has become proficient at the full panoply of heterosexual stimuli, Ozon is ambivalent about whether they satisfy her. She builds a structure of deceit and concealment from her family. Georges (Johan Leysen) befriends her and shows some concern for her situation. Lea combines family life, school, social life and work without major difficulties.

Until the afternoon when George carks it during a sexual encounter.

Can Isabelle escape disclosure? No. But even during psychological counselling, Ozon doesn’t expose her motivations, giving the film an edge that remains uneven until she gets an SMS requesting an appointment in the same hotel where Georges died. The client is Georges’ wife, played by delectable Ozon regular Charlotte Rampling. The meeting is somewhat cathartic for Isabelle in an unexpected way.

Ultimately she will begin a relationship with a suitable boy, but even that doesn’t augur a reliable future.

The film is advertised as “Young and Beautiful”.

“Lovely” strikes me as more correctly describing Vacth. Formerly a model, she’s decorative and may have a future in films.

At Palace Electric and Capitol 6

arts & entertainment dining When the Little Remedy for ‘off’ clocks turn back day on the foreshore Helen Musa arts in the city

TEMPO Theatre is back on stage at Theatre@BCS with Nick Enright’s play “Daylight Saving”, which asks: “What sort of things can happen in that magic hour when the clocks go back?” At Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Street, May 16-24, bookings to 6275 2700.

“MADE in Taiwan” is an exhibition from the Taiwan Academy of Fine Arts, on show at the ANU School of Art Gallery, May 10-31.

The idea is “to promote international cultural communication, share ideas on artistic creation, and enhance Taiwan’s ‘soft’ power.”

BELCONNEN Arts Centre is hopping into Dance Week 2014 with a smorgasbord of selections from ACT dance artists who are “spirited, skilled and diverse”. Who could resist? 8pm, May 10 and 2pm on May 11, bookings to belconnenartscentre.com.au/whatson/ danceontheedge.html ON the same night, Canberra Youth Orchestra is presenting “London Symphony” in Llewellyn Hall. The title is taken from a work

by Vaughan Williams. Tickets at the door.

LIKE people, cafes and restaurants have good days and bad days.

A friend and I must have hit Remedy by Lonsdale Street Roasters on a day when things weren’t going as well as staff would have liked.

It was a Sunday down at the Kingston Foreshore, a relatively new precinct for wining and dining. It was a cold, but sunny day and a fair few people were wandering about, with several restaurants quite busy.

Remedy has been part of the Foreshore scene for about four months. It’s close to C Dine, the first restaurant to open on the waterfront.

Remedy is a small operation with a rustic fit-out.

Bags of coffee beans form a main part of the décor, as you would expect for a coffee joint, and a blackboard out front lists items to eat.

It’s not a large menu by any stretch but that’s by design. This is meant to be a place where you can grab a coffee and something to eat fairly quickly and inexpensively.

Light meals include housemade granola with Greek yoghurt ($7), banana bread with creamed honey or jam ($6), smoked ham and Gruyere cheese croissant ($8) and a selection of paninis.

I ordered an item but it was sold out, so I went outside again to see what else would tickle my fancy.

My friend ordered an item but it was sold out, so she went outside again to see what would

ON May 14, violist Alexina Hawkins and pianist Meriel Owen will perform JS Bach, Brahms and Bartók in the Wesley Music Centre Wednesday Lunchtime Live series from 12.40pm to 1.20pm. Tickets only at the door.

STRATHNAIRN Arts is bound to attract interest with “Nude Fugue”, works by 10 artists made at the foundry at Strathnairn, the only public-access metal casting facility in Australia, until May 18.

AS a special event for the Music Festival, “piano whisperer” Ara Vartoukian is giving a free seminar on piano tuning and “the guts” of a piano in Rehearsal Room Two, ANU School of Music,11am-12.30pm, on Saturday, May 17. Pianist Andrew Rumsey will perform. RSVP to tandvpianos.com CSIRO Discovery Centre is joining wildlife and botanical artists, May 15-17, in hosting the free symposium “Discover Wildlife: Art and Science”, a gathering of artists, scientists and conservationists.

Information and registration at csiro.au/wildlife2014 “BLOKES Don’t Talk” is the title of a show coming from Bathurst later in the month. Vince Melton created the work from stories he was told by blokes he got to know while working as a barman in a country town. At Smith’s Alternative, 7pm, on May 16, 17, 23 and 24. Bookings to trybookings.com/83195

This is meant to be a place where you can grab a coffee and something to eat fairly quickly and inexpensively.

Mother’s Day at Tazé Spoil mum this Mother’s Day at award winning Tazé restaurant.

Book now for lunch or dinner and let the friendly Tazé team make your mother’s day a special one.

A la carte menu only available Mother’s Day.

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2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 Entertainment Awards Shop 4 ATO Building, 21 Genge Street, Canberra City p 6262 6601 • taze.com.au Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm Friday 8am-10pm | Saturday 12pm-10pm

tickle her fancy.

Why wouldn’t Remedy have eighty-sixed (strike off) these items with a bit of chalk? Such a simple wayEN1884 Taze.indd 1 to help manage the customer experience. Instead they stayed put on the blackboard.

We went outside to find a table (no dining inside).

There is no sun in the eating area at around noon and lake view the Foreshore was whipping up a wind, as it regularly café does, so we decided to sit on a bench further down from the restaurant with staff happy to serve us in the warm and cosy spot we had settled into.

My friend’s creamy Portobello mushroom Panini with rocket lettuce was really yummy and it really hit the spot. My prosciutto with fresh basil (pesto actually) and bocconcini was high on flavour but the bread was erring on the burnt side and was hard and not at all pleasant to eat. I didn’t get through it.

Ivy Café is now And speaking of burnt. That was how I felt my serving Dinner friend’s coffee was served. She didn’t finish it. My cappuccino was beautiful.

Wednesday to Saturday Remedy wasn’t super busy on our visit. Steady but 7–10pm not super busy, so I am not sure why the experience Early bird 6–7pm wasn’t flawless. As I say perhaps it was just an “off” day because every other visit to the two Lonsdale 2 courses for $45 Street Roasters in Braddon has been really great.

Happy Hour on Remedy, Kingston Foreshore, open seven days, 7am to 3pm.

WENDY JOHNSON

29/04/2014 11:42 am

Thursday & Friday 5–6pm Phone | 02 6257 0605 for bookings. Please visit our site for a sample menu @ www.ivy-cafe.com.au

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1/04/2014 1:10 pm Well written, well read.

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Helen Musa

Cedric Bryant

Michael Moore

arts editor

gardening writer

political columnist

108 Bunda Street, Canberra | p 02 6248 7109 Bookings online: chairmangroup.com.au CityNews May 8-14, 2014 21

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They are easy to grow and can be divided into dozens of extra plants in late winter/spring for filling bare spots in the garden. In flower now, it is impossible to suggest named varieties, there are just so many.

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SALVIAS provide a real floral joy in the late summer and autumn garden.

They seem never to stop flowering, even into winter. So when is it the best time to give them a haircut?

Lambley’s, the specialist perennial nursery advises: “Salvia ‘greggii’ and similar varieties are given a haircut in late autumn/early winter with the hedge shears.

“Reduce the plant by cutting off about a third or a little more, trimming into a rounded ball shape.

Growth soon recommences in late spring and most are in flower by Christmas.”

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allaraoutdoorstructures.com 22 CityNews May 8-14, 2014

The edible fruit of Myrtus communis for liqueur.

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One plant that always attracts interest in our garden is Myrtus communis or myrtle.

Originally from Sardinia and around the Mediterranean, it has a profusion of small white flowers in spring, but the main interest is at this time with its profusion of edible deep purple berries and leaves.

The Italians make a wonderful liqueur from the berries and the leaves can be used as an alternative to bay leaves in casseroles or for covering roasting lamb for added flavour.

It has been suggested the shrub is prone to a rust, although there is no evidence of this in the ACT and I understand our cold winters fix this problem.

A REMINDER to anyone new to Canberra that it is illegal to burn autumn leaves (or any other matter) in gardens. Territory and Municipal Services also ask householders not to rake leaves off the lawns and nature strips on to the road to avoid blocking gutters and stormwater drains.

Rotting leaves provide great additional nutrients for the garden.

If you do not have a compost heap, make a simple enclosure of chicken wire held in place with tomato stakes. Add a handful of blood and bone fertiliser and similarly garden lime to every few barrow loads of leaves. This will activate the rotting process.

In spring and summer the rotted material can be spread on garden beds as a mulch. Oak leaves are the highest in nitrogen content.

I shred the leaves with the mower, half on to the compost heap and the rest directly on to garden beds.

The other alternative is to use a trash pack. Tom Ballard started this idea many years ago and Tom’s Trash Paks are now firmly part of many gardens. Call 6249 7834 for more information or tomstrashpaks. com.au

Jottings...

• Once leaves have fallen, remove low branches of trees that can be a hazard to head and eyes when mowing or working in garden beds. It will also allow more light to plants.

• After leaves fall spray fruit trees with Bordeaux or Kocide, not forgetting the ground under the trees. This is in addition to spring spraying for brown rot and other fungal diseases.

• Move frost-sensitive potted plants under cover.

• Last chance for planting spring bulbs without delay.

• Plant lilium bulbs now • Plant primulas and polyanthus for winter colour now

CEDRIC BRYANT

arum

puzzles page

Celebrate Mother’s day with an amazing bouquet from

Joanne Madeline Moore

General knowledge crossword No. 451

your week in the stars – May 12-18, 2014

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GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) You’re never short of lightning flashes of inspiration but you can fall short in the execution department. This week, as action planet Mars trines Mercury (your ruler) it’s time to finish long-standing projects and tie up loose ends.

Friday’s fabulous aspects also help you replace outdated aspirations with dazzling up-dated dreams. Out with the old, and in with the new!

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) It’s not the ideal week to host a jolly family reunion or bring up sensitive old issues. The Full Moon falls in your home zone, so be on domestic drama alert and choose your words carefully, as loved ones are liable to make mountains out of molehills. But it is a terrific time to broaden your mental horizons through nifty networking and sharing ideas with like-minded friends.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) Villa Virgo is usually a place where efficiency reigns, routine is revered, and surprises are unwelcome. This week (courtesy of the Full Moon and Mercury) you’ll find that life’s complicated, relationships are unpredictable, and the rules are constantly changing. So it’s the perfect time to move out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself in challenging new directions.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) Have you been shopping up a storm when you should be saving or paying off debt? If the answer is ‘yes’, then there could be some dramas this week involving money and marriage (or family finances). With Venus and Uranus linking up in your romance zone on Friday, some lucky Librans will throw caution (and common sense) to the wind and fall in love at first sight.

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CANCER (June 22 – July 22) With Jupiter journeying through your sign (until July 16) and Venus/Uranus shaking up your life direction, don’t play it too safe Crabs. It’s time to experiment, explore, enthuse and engage. Be inspired by birthday great Katharine Hepburn “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” But expect some ongoing tension between work commitments and relationship responsibilities.

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TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) Taureans are fabulous flirters and this week, with the Full Moon stimulating your relationship zone (and Venus hooking up with Uranus) it’s time to give those charisma muscles a workout as you radiate your sensual charms far and wide. Want more love and success in your life? Jump right in Bulls, flutter those eyelashes (or flex those biceps) and you shall receive.

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ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) You’ll feel pulled in many opposing directions, as multiple responsibilities (and people) compete for your attention. Thursday’s Full Moon spells the end of spontaneous spending sprees, as you realise you have to make a little money go a very long way. Venus and Uranus hook up in your sign on Friday, which increases your spontaneous side and independent streak.

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1 Until decimal currency, which coin had a value of twenty-one shillings?

7 Name that part of the human body between the neck and upper arm.

8 What is a small, long-eared, burrowing lagomorph?

9 Tympanic membranes are more readily known as what?

10 Which term implies a relationship to the eye?

11 What is the Western Hemisphere also known as?

14 In radio, TV, etc, what are separate programs constituting a serial?

18 Which colloquial term is descriptive of a psychiatrist?

19 Name the signal of a bugle, sounded to waken soldiers.

21 Which dry substance readily takes fire from a spark?

22 What do we call a person who is skilled in foreign languages?

23 What are repetitions of sound?

Solution next week

1 Name the grotesque-headed spout projecting from the gutter of a building.

2 What, in astronomy, is a patch in the sky, consisting of interstellar gases and dust?

3 To be starlike is to be what?

4 What do we call a South African of Dutch extraction?

5 Which term describes being of ruddy complexion?

6 To which nationality did Richard Wagner belong?

12 What is a tape recorder also called?

13 What are large drinking cups, sometimes with a hinged cover?

15 What is a concise summary of a text?

16 Which vehicle is used for transport across ice and snow?

17 Which meal serves as both breakfast and lunch?

18 What are Hawaiian garlands?

21 – 24 May

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Sudoku hard No. 125

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) Thursday’s Full Moon and Venus/Pluto square magnify your possessive steak and stubborn side, but try not to get into super intense mode. Turn off your motor and cool your heels, otherwise you risk Scorpio burn-out (not a pretty sight!) It’s time to lay down arms and build bridges with loved ones, plus stay tuned for a distinctly deja-vu moment with someone special.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) This week’s complicated stars stir up your Sagittarian sense of humor. Just make sure your gags and one-liners don’t offend others, and that your jokes are ones that everyone can enjoy. Attached Archers, it’s time to patch up partnership problems as you take a deep breath and talk things through.

Singles, look for love with someone who is smart, sexy and spontaneous.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) You function best when others behave in predictable, sensible ways. Which is hardly ever – and certainly not on a Full Moon! But the more you slip into Capricorn control-freak mode, the more problems you’ll have. When it comes to a rickety relationship with a family member, don’t keep interacting in the same old way. Encouraging words will get you a lot further than criticism.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

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Crossword No. 450

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Solutions from last edition

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) With Thursday’s Full Moon activating your adventure and travel zone, it’s time to channel the intrepid explorer within as you plan a weekend escape, a heavenly holiday or an overseas getaway - somewhere you’ve never been before. Your imagination is firing on all cylinders on Friday, but don’t get carried away with ridiculous ideas that have no basis in reality.

Enrolling now for 2015

Solution next week

S A T Y R E A P A I D S H O D O P U S

N D B R O P I N E V M N V E R E N D N A S L A D I N N S I M U T T L E A A S B G L E G R E E P I U R E R G

A R WO N E M U M B E R I G U S U A L S I N P A S S E N R E S T O S W H D E M I C R O

Sudoku medium No.125

Your unpredictable ways will be very predictable this week. Rebellious? Eccentric? Impulsive in love? Pushing everyone’s buttons for your own personal amusement? A big yes to all the above, as you channel your unique talents and express yourself to the max! For inspiration, look to avant-garde Aquarian role-models like Mozart, James Dean, Bob Marley and Yoko Ono.

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