170413 citynews

APRIL 13, 2017

Something for mulling

RICHARD CALVER

FEMME

FATALE

Canberra star MIRANDA O’HARE says she’d rather play strong women than wallflowers.

Knifing brings a win for women

NICHOLE OVERALL Time whitefellas started talking

ROBERT MACKLIN Getting 'The Royal' treatment on a stick

CHRIS COLEMAN

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news

‘Dear burglar, we forgive you’

Swimmers warned to stay away from booze

By Danielle Nohra

ONE in four of the 1932 men who drowned in Australia over the last decade was affected by alcohol.

WHEN the Church of Christ Ainslie was burgled recently, its pastor Ken Perrin practised what he preaches and placed a message on the public noticeboard out the front saying: “Dear burglar, we forgive you”.

It’s the third or fourth time someone has broken in during Ken’s 11 years at the church.

“At the time, feelings that run through are ‘why?’” says Ken. Even though only a small amount of money was stolen the repairs to a smashed window and jimmied door will be That forgiving church sign. costly.

But, this doesn’t seem to anger Ken, who says: “I learn over time that it’s better for me to forgive than to hold on to something that will make me anxious.

“When you’re at peace with yourself, it’s better for you.”

The following week, the church put up another sign directed at the burglar saying: “If you’d like to come in, the op-shop is open every Friday morning from 10am-2pm.”

“The op-shop isn’t just an op-shop, it’s virtually a dropin centre,” Ken says.

“Our hope is that people will see the sign and think: ‘Wow, that’s not what we expected’.”

Ken believes that faith is all about looking for the best Pastor Ken and Chris Perrin outside the Church of Christ Ainslie.

Photo by Danielle Nohra in people, including the burglar.

index Arts & Entertainment Cinema Dining Crosswords Gardening Horoscopes Letters News Politics Socials Wine

reports that 57 per cent of men who drowned with alcohol in their system were aged 35 years and over.

Research by the Royal Life Saving Society has revealed that 1932 men aged 15 years and over have fatally According to research by Royal drowned between July 1, 2006, and Life Saving, men are also four times June 30, 2016, with one in four more likely to drown than women, incidents involving alcohol. with males accounting for 80 per Of the men who had been drinkcent of all drowning deaths. ing and subsequently drowned, 66 “The culture of drinking around per cent would have failed a random water means men are at greater risk breath test with a recorded a blood of drowning,” says Royal Life Saving alcohol content above 0.05.

Society – ACT, executive director, Cherry Bailey.

Other revelations of the research “We all know that men are prone to include: taking unnecessary risks and overes• Over half of men who drowned with timating their abilities, but after a few alcohol in their systems were in drinks this can be life threatening.” inland waterways (54 per cent).

One quarter of men were drunk and swimming when they drowned. A • A quarter of men were swimming and recreating prior to drowning further 22 per cent were drunk while with alcohol in their system (25 per on a boat or when using a watercraft. cent), this was followed by the use Royal Life Saving, with the of a watercraft (22 per cent). support of the Federal government, • 74 per cent of men who drowned has launched a national drowning with alcohol in their system were prevention and public awareness locals living within 100km of the campaign called “Don’t Let Your location where they drowned.

Mates Drink and Drown” to prevent Alcohol increases the risk of further drowning tragedies. drowning by impairing judgement, It targets men aged over 34, as reducing co-ordination, delaying research shows they are at higher reaction time and heightening the risk of drinking and drowning than teenagers or young men. The research chance of hypothermia.

Since 1993: Volume 23, Number 13 27-29 28 29 34-35 32-33 35 13 5-14 12 20-21 29

Cover: Canberra star Miranda O’Hare Story Page 27.

Well written, well read

Ph 02 6189 0777 Fax 02 6189 0778 9b/189 Flemington Rd, Mitchell 2911

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, 9b/189 Flemington Road, Mitchell.

CEO: Greg Jones, 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Journalists: Kate Meikle, kate@citynews.com.au; Danielle Nohra, danielle@citynews.com.au; Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Photographer: Maddie McGuigan Advertising manager: Greg Jones, 0419 418196 Senior advertising account executive: David Cusack, 0435 380656 Advertising account executive: Liam Jones, 0400 092095; Damien Klemke, 0439 139001; Emily Lester, 0406 412462 Production manager / graphic design: Janet Ewen Graphic designer: Paulette Leo Proof reader: Glenda Anderson Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au

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seven days

Of trains and tantrums and very angry villagers I’m playing a dangerous game here, one tantrum from blowing up in my face at any minute, but might I humbly suggest all Canberrans get behind ‘Our Nick’ before he hits #1.

VERY Fast Train speculation is now largely dismissed by a cynical public weary of decades of teasing, but interest in an RFT (relatively fast train) is picking up steam after a whistle stop visit to Canberra by Spanish company Talgo.

Spokesman Guillermo Martinez says the train builder can shave two hours from the Canberra-Sydney trip with only minimal modification to existing infrastructure. With a price tag of $100 million and an “up-andrunning-in-12-months” boast, what’s not to be excited about?

STILL on trains and it’s “last call” for those wishing to climb aboard, in a dignified fashion, the Nick Kyrgios bandwagon.

The world #16 has pledged to clean up his act and concentrate on tennis.

Miss

backyard) is under threat of redundancy in the city where it is often worn with pride. If the fears of good folk of the “aspirational” inner-south suburb of Forrest are realised, the B and the Y will be eliminated, emasculating the barb completely. The Forrest residents’ group claims their patch of privileged turf is being “Gungahlin-ised” – code for tiny or no backyards. Major developments, including a seven-storey hotel green-lighted for the old Italo-Australian Club site in Franklin Street, threaten to truncate backyards to the unthinkable dimensions allotted to those poor sods in Gungahlin.

dose of dorin

this rare opportunity and you’ll stand accused of shamelessly bandwagon scrambling later on when the Canberran is the toast of the tennis world.

I’m playing a dangerous game here, one tantrum from blowing up in my face at any minute, but might I humbly suggest all Canberrans get behind “Our Nick” before he hits #1.

US Davis Cup skipper Jim Courier says Kyrgios is “playing some of his best tennis on tour”. And the ATP site raved over Kyrgios’ ”aggression, raw power and captivating shot making” against Roger Federer at the recent Miami Open. All aboard.

RECENTLY refined anti-discrimination laws in the ACT could soon come under closer scrutiny especially in the area of real estate.

It is now illegal to discriminate against a person on the basis of refugee status, physical appearance and an irrelevant criminal record. It is also now illegal for a shop owner to evict a homeless person. But how much protection does the homeless

person applying for rental properties have, given it is now against the law for real estate agents to discriminate against them? Recent reports of up to 30 people applying to rent one property give little hope to a person with a scant housing record.

FOR a city uncluttered with fences and hedges there sure seems to be an obsession with erecting signs banning all manner of activity in the most inappropriate places.

A sign proclaiming a ban on smoking

within 10 metres of a set of swings at a Higgins park (and at others, I suspect) has just appeared. Is an ugly steel post standing in concrete three metres from a set of swings in a very large and, sadly, often deserted public facility, warranted? Should not a more concentrated focus be applied to the second-hand, smoke-filled haze around the 30-metre radius outside office buildings in nearby Belconnen?

THE pejorative slight NIMBY (not in my

MEANWHILE, the government is bracing for a backlash from groups of angry villagers following details of plans to roll out new public housing townhouses across five southern suburbs.

Holder residents are irate over a lack of consultation surrounding a 30, two-bedroom, two-storey public housing development on their last piece of green open space.

AND a protest of a different nature looms at the ANU. Students opposed to a planned visit in June by former US national security chief James Clapper have posted an open letter on social media condemning vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt for “endorsing Clapper’s war-mongering views”.

An opinion piece in the student paper “Woroni” says Clapper has “utter contempt for privacy, free speech, human rights and the law”.

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the gadfly

Time whitefellas got talking I DON’T wish to be alarmist, but unless we sign a treaty with our Aboriginal compatriots soon our continued occupation of the Australian continent will be in jeopardy.

The treaty negotiations have yet to begin.

Our Aboriginal leaders are trying to develop some kind of poetic preamble to the Constitution with their own people. It will then go to the government where the conservatives will water it down so much that it won’t really matter if it’s passed by referendum or not.

Only then will they turn their attention to a treaty that finally formalises our legal right to the occupation of the continent. But unfortunately time is running out… fast.

On March 29, that vandal in the White House signed an order reversing his predecessor’s measures to tackle climate change at home; and his henchmen reaffirmed America’s decision to renege on the Paris agreement, which Trump says is “a Chinese hoax”.

This means that massive global disruption is now inevitable.

Australia can say goodbye to the Great Barrier Reef and prepare for many more massive cyclones, fatal bushfires and terrible heatwaves that take our most vulnerable folk – young and old – before their time.

But our country is so big that large parts of it will get lots more rain and this will actually increase our agricultural output.

Whacko, you might say; we’re still the Lucky Country.

However, that’s just the climate change preamble. As the seas rise and the deserts expand

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Massive global disruption is now inevitable. Australia can say goodbye to the Great Barrier Reef and prepare for many more massive cyclones, fatal bushfires and terrible heatwaves. exponentially in other continents, literally millions of refugees will be on the march. And the very idea of national boundaries will be called into question.

Even then, you might say, we’ll still be okay because we don’t share a land border with anyone.

True. But we’re surrounded by water and the most vulnerable country to sea rise is Bangladesh where no fewer than 30 million souls are in the ocean’s rising highwater line.

Their Indian neighbour has built a huge fence around three sides to prevent their escaping into Indian territory.

The other side is the sea and the Bangladeshis have many thousands of boats that could well provide their only possible escape route.

The Indians won’t let them land there; nor will the neighbouring Burmese.

The Indonesians have problems of their own, as do the other countries en route to that great big continent with only 24 million folk living the life of Riley.

And it won’t be just Bangladeshis on the move but people from all those affected by sea rise and desertification, not least India itself.

So here’s the rub: the whitefellas that own and run Australia occupied it by dispossessing the original inhabitants without even a “by your leave”. In

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briefly

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VISITORS are invited to dress in 19th century costume for the Riversdale Heritage Fair and Family Fun Day. Goulburn’s Riversdale Historic Homestead is a National Trust property featuring a classic double winged Georgian home nestled in a romantic country garden of yesteryear in Twynam Drive.

The annual, major fundraiser is from 10am to 3pm, on Sunday, April 23, and features activities for children, house tours, craft demonstrations, music and garden stalls filled with cakes and bric-abrac. Admission is $10 (concessions, $7 and under 18, free).

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8 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

0138RB

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international legal terms they retain it by force majeure.

This means that in the great global conferences that will inevitably follow – and in the international court of public opinion – we would not have a leg to stand on unless we can demonstrate our right, by treaty, to the Great South Land.

Of course, we could ask our navy and air force to blow the refugees out of the water.

But even if our servicemen and women agreed, what kind of country would we have become?

The consequences don’t bear thinking about.

It is entirely possible that in the decades ahead we will have to come to some kind of accommodation with the displaced people of the climate-change catastrophe.

But we can do so either from a position of strength or weakness. The choice is ours.

Cuban flavours APR 22 • MAY 20 • JUN 24 • AUG 5 • SEP 9 • NOV 4

CANBERRA’S first Caribbean indoor street festival will feature Cuban dancers and singers, Cuban food and drink plus pre-1959 vehicles from Canberra car clubs. The Sunwaves Indoor Street Fest starts

at the Old Bus Depot, Kingston, around 4pm on Saturday, April 22, and runs until midnight. Tickets from moshtix.com.au and more information at sunwaves.com.au

Vicki’s adventures VICKI Munday, from the Department of Veteransw Affairs, will talk about her experiences overseas and in Australia at the next lunch meeting of the Gungahlin Day VIEW Club at Gold Creek’s Versatile Restaurant, on Wednesday, April 26. Guests and interested ladies welcome. Tickets are $35 and bookings to 6166 2874 before noon, April 24.

Collectibles fair A GROUP of local artists and collectors will be selling all sorts of objects and artefacts from across the world at a collectibles fair at the Church of Christ, Limestone Avenue, Ainslie, 10am-4pm, on Saturday, April 22. “It’s a fundraiser for the church and a way of redistributing our collections,” says one of the organisers.

news

briefly

Riley watches his business grow

Alpine track opens

By Danielle Nohra

RILEY Tanton’s passion for business started as a kid, making scented candles at nine, then selling lollies and soft drinks out of his school locker in Grade 6 and now, at the age of 17, making it to the recent finals of the Australian Small Business Champion Awards for his most recent business, Millennial Watches.

“A friend suggested I apply,” says Riley, a year 12 student at Canberra Grammar.

“I thought: ‘Why not?’. I was surprised when I got the news I had been placed as a finalist in two categories.”

While Riley didn’t win, the news of being a finalist came not long after starting Millennial Watches.

“I wanted a decent size but light, minimalist in design and affordable,” Riley says.

The mid-December start was perfect timing and he sold most of the watches before Christmas.

Using money from his job at Hotel Realm combined with extra money raised through crowdfunding, Riley was able to get his

Riley Tanton’s new watch, “The Royal”. first bulk order of watches.

It was hard work, especially with the pressures of exams combined with Riley’s age; he wasn’t always taken seriously.

“There was a little bit of hesitation from people I know, not everyone was encouraging,” Riley says.

“There are a lot of competitors, it deterred me but I did it anyway.”

To get the business running, Riley had to learn to build a website, organise product photo shoots, set pricing and find an overseas manufacturing company.

He conducted extensive re-

search and settled on a Chinese manufacturer in Shenzhen.

“I looked at photos of the plant and we Skyped so I could see if the workplace was clean, organised and safe,” he says.

Wanting to keep the watches at an affordable and honest price, Riley sells them for $59.70 directly to consumers.

His new, more up-market design, “The Royal”, will soon be launched, with a royal-blue leather strap, royal-blue watch face and a rose-gold rim.

But Riley doesn’t pocket all the profit; from his current range $3.50 goes to The Garvan Institute from every watch purchased online.

“It was a matter of, I don’t need all this money, how can I help others rather than just help myself?” Riley says.

“I’m a really bad asthmatic, I’ve been hospitalised a bit since I was two.

“The Garvan Institute focuses on asthma, it also focuses on Parkinson’s.”

Supporting Parkinson’s is also important to Riley whose 79-year-old grandmother has been suffering for some time.

Visit millennialwatches.com.au

THE first six kilometres of an extended Thredbo Valley Track have been opened giving riders and walkers a preview of the back country trail through Kosciuszko National Park. The new section is the first stage towards completing an extended track that will create an uninterrupted 50-kilometre trail between Thredbo Village and Jindabyne. The new section is open for mountain biking and hiking for a few weeks before closing over winter.

Breakfast at the Memorial FOLLOWING the Dawn Service on Tuesday, April 25, there will be a special Anzac Day breakfast in the Australian War Memorial’s Anzac Hall from 6am. Memorial historian Dr Karl James will provide insights into the historic items, works of art and authentic objects from Australia’s military history that adorn the room, including the Lancaster bomber “G for George”, a midget submarine and rare World War I aircraft. Tickets are $65 and available from createconsultants.com.au/ticket-sales

Memorial experience SARAH Clayton, from the Australian War Memorial, is the guest speaker at the next dinner meeting of the Tuggeranong Evening VIEW Club at the Vikings Town Centre Club, Greenway, 6pm, on Wednesday, April 26.

The two-course dinner costs $27 and all guests and interested ladies are welcome. Bookings to 6291 7716 or email tuggeven@gmail.com

Trivia for a better world

Young entrepreneur Riley Tanton… “There are a lot of competitors, it deterred me but I did it anyway.”

Photo by Danielle Nohra.

CANBERRA-based charity Walk to a Better World is hosting a fundraising trivia night at the Eastlake Football Club, 3 Oxley Street, Kingston, from 6pm, on Friday, May 12. The charity supports sustainable development initiatives including permaculture training at primary schools in rural Malawi. Tickets are $30 per person (tables of 8-10) and bookings to wendy@walktoabetterworld.com

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CityNews April 13-26, 2017 9

yesterdays / murder in Gundaroo

news

Knifing brings a win for women ON the otherwise ordinary evening of April 10, 1855, a married mother of two living at Gundaroo would commit an act that would forever impact women’s rights in Australia – though in the most inconceivable of ways.

Only 23 years old, Mary Ann Brownlow became the first pregnant woman in the still new British colony to be condemned to death after stabbing her husband, George, with a butcher’s knife, the result of which was his untimely end.

George Moore Brownlow had earned a reputation as a man of “lax morals” and stories circulated that he was either of unconfirmed paternal parentage or the illegitimate son of Lieut JJ Moore, first landholder on the Limestone Plains.

Moore’s property “Canberry” (1824), was overseen by the 28-year-old George at the time he met his 17-year-old, soon-to-be bride.

In contrast, Mary Ann was descended from an aristocratic French family; her grandfather, Richard (de) Guise was rumoured to have made his way to Australia after absconding from the court of Marie Antoinette before his head could be detached.

The Guise family would take up vast tracts of land stretching from Lake George to Sutton and over to Gundaroo. Following the death of her father, William, in 1850 Mary Ann became a woman of property, inheriting almost 800 hectares around Bywong.

Less than six months later, she would become Mrs Brownlow.

Two daughters within five years, a third child on the way and an accumulation of debt, courtesy of George’s gambling, took its toll. Believing her husband had not only taken up with “some wanton fair one” but had, without her knowledge, been selling his wife’s landholdings (which, of course, had legally become his on their union), the crucible of jealousy and indignation – and most certainly inflamed by alcohol – would crush the life of both of them.

A “pass at him with a knife, which ‘tickled’ him somewhere near the region of the ribs,” as it was described in the press and on the third day after, George would make his way from this world to the next.

Arraigned at Queanbeyan and then brought for trial before Chief Justice Sir Alfred Stephen in Goulburn, to the disbelief of almost everyone, a sentence of death was handed down on the young

Mary Ann Brownlow became the first pregnant woman in the still new British colony to be condemned to death after stabbing her husband, George, with a butcher’s knife.

Chief Justice Sir Alfred Stephen… it was one of the “most foul and brutal murders” ever to come before him. mother, the judge justifying his severity with the claim it appeared one of the “most foul and brutal murders” ever to come before him.

As Caroline Overington wrote in her book on Louisa Collins, the last woman hanged in NSW in 1889 for the poisoning of two husbands, at these times “women were in no sense equal under the law, except when it came to the gallows”.

A fierce campaign was waged to see the sentence commuted to life imprisonment, during which Mary Ann gave birth to a son, George. The child’s fate was equally tragic, dying only a few months later.

Calls for compassion were to no avail and six months and one day after irrevocably altering her own fate, on October

11, 1855, just before 4pm, Mary Ann Brownlow (some reports claimed with baby George at her breast) ascended the 13 steps to the platform purposefully erected at the “Public Gaol, Prison and House of Correction”. Without a murmur, in a “sad, sad sight”, she became the 11th woman ever hanged in Australia, according to the Wikipedia list of people legally executed in Australia (the last would not be for almost another 100 years) and the second last woman ever hanged at Goulburn.

Deemed a murderer, Mary Ann was buried in unconsecrated ground at St Saviour’s there, though legend has it that her descendants later had her coffin secretly exhumed and reinterred in the Guise family vault in St John’s in Canberra – also the burial ground for her husband.

Echoing down almost two centuries, the story continues to haunt – and there are inevitably tales that Mary Ann’s ghost still roams.

There was though, a more tangible outcome of this dramatic local event: it’s said her case influenced the introduction of the Married Women’s Property Rights Act from the late 1870s, giving women control over their own possessions.

The final words belong to Mary Ann, delivered presciently to those who visited her cell on the day of her execution: “Do not fret about me – I shall soon be happy and I hope to meet you again. I think though he [baby George] will soon be with me. I pass through a prison to everlasting life”.

Nichole Overall is a Queanbeyan-based journalist and social historian with a predilection for bringing to light the unsolved mysteries and conundrums of the capital region.

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Arborists Maja Blasch, left, and Christine Rampling… “It’s a team job, it’s not a good job to do solo,” says Maja.

Tree climbers aim for new heights

By Danielle Nohra

ARBORISTS Christine Rampling and Maja Blasch wonder why they weren’t told in school that tree climbing, as a job, is a thing.

Turns out it is. And to add to that excitement, in conjunction with Tree Week in May, eligible climbers will compete on May 6 and 7 at Telopea Park, Kingston, for the ACT’s top tree-climbing title.

Maja won the women’s competition last year and Christine, as a committee member of Australian Capital Tree Community (ACTC), will be helping at the event.

Members Christine and Maja have a love for climbing trees, with their tallest being a 60-metre spotted gum.

The Telopea Park competitions are designed to simulate working conditions of arborists with five different events that test a competitor’s ability to professionally and safely manoeuvre around a tree while performing work-related, tree-care tasks.

“It does get complex if you’re running with a lot of ropes,” Maja says.

“But if you’re not aware of hazards, then you shouldn’t be doing the job.”

Maja says accidents happen even to experienced climbers, which is why it’s important to be qualified.

“Teamwork and co-operation are essential. It’s a team job, it’s not a good job to do solo,” she says.

When Christine was learning to use spikes, which are used for trees that need to be removed, she had an accident.

“I was only a couple of metres off the ground when I face planted into the tree and then slid down,” she says.

Maja has had a few incidents, too, saying: “I was up the tree doing some rigging and when I cut a branch, it swung back and crushed my finger and broke it. But I was climbing with two people on the ground and was able to get myself down.”

Aside from safety, Christine and Maja want the community to know that unqualified arborists can be ripping customers off.

“We want to promote to the general public, the use of professional arborists,” Christine says.

Maja says some arborists throw around empty threats such as saying trees are rotten to make money.

“It’s best to ask for their qualifications and ask if they’re insured,” she says.

ACT Tree Climbing Championships. Telopea Park, Kingston. May 6-7.

one man’s royal show

Getting the right ‘Royal’ treatment on a stick

By Chris Coleman THERE’S a humorous movie titled “The Perfect Catch” in which the lead characters Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon lament the poor number of food choices available on sticks. They go on to wish for the existence of meat in a cone!

I wonder what the reaction from the directors (the famous filmmaking Farrelly brothers, if you’re curious) would be if they turned up at the Royal Easter Show. For that matter, I wonder what the reaction of the organisers of the first Sydney Royal in 1823 would be if they turned up at the 2017 version.

Because food on a stick is almost omnipresent at Homebush. There’s your traditional Dagwood Dog (a “hot dog on a stick”) at some stalls.

There’s corn. On a cob. On a stick.

You’ll easily find meat on a stick, whether that be beef, lamb or pork and, of course, cheese on a stick has been a Sydney Show tradition for many years. However, this year things started getting a little weird in the food-on-a-stick stakes.

Have you ever felt the need to impale waffles on a stick? That may seem strange but you’ll find it. How about chicken wings on a stick? Not deboned chicken wings, but several complete chicken wings spiked on a lengthy skewer. Yes, you’ll find that, too.

Food on a stick is almost omnipresent at Homebush, but this year things started getting a little weird...

No, really, lasagna on a stick.

The award title for most unusual gastronomic oddity went to, envelope please...

“La La Land”! No, wait, I meant to say lasagna on a stick.

Seriously. Layers of pasta, meat, and béchamel sauce covered in crumbs and deep fried. I made it a surprisingly tasty addition to my lunch.

Now, if you happen to be one of the many Canberrans who will be ducking up to Sydney for this year’s extravaganza before it ends on April

19, be prepared for an all-in assault on every sense.

“The Man From Snowy River” show is back in the main arena along with what must be more than a hundred animals. For those who like a little more horsepower, the “Battle of the Golden Helmet” is a motorsport challenge where city and country representatives take each other on in a skill-come-stunt test on motocross bikes and hot utes.

For the traditionalists, and anyone who happens to find themselves transported forward from 1823, there are animals galore. Within the space of an hour, I saw chickens being washed and cattle being preened and blow-dried ready for exhibition.

The craft pavilion contains so many fabulous food, clothing and art items you could stay there for hours (I did!).

The rides are the expected array of things to subject your body to G-Forces it wouldn’t normally experience or, in some cases, put water in parts of your body you’d rather stay dry. Some of them we had a preview of at the Canberra Show a few weeks back, but some are too big for the Epic complex and mind-boggling in their complexity.

In all, a good way to spend a day,

The Clyde Pavilion at the Sydney Royal Easter Show circa 1900. right through to the fireworks every evening, even if there are parts of the place the showies of the 1800s could scarcely have begun to imagine.

A few final words of advice; if you’re going, check the website, or download the app, which will save a lot of looking and waiting around for the events you want to see. I mean, you really wouldn’t want to miss the sight of a space cowboy on a three-metre unicycle juggling a

chainsaw, would you?

And keep your eyes peeled. There are at least two places offering meat in a cone!

Chris Coleman, who hosts 2CC’s “Canberra Live” program, was an opening day guest of the Royal Agricultural Society.

CityNews April 13-26, 2017 11

politics

Worried pollies chase cures for health neglect The realisation is of health being more than hospitals and GPs, and this will be reflected at the ballot box.

EVEN years out from an election, politicians are seriously attempting to grasp health policies. Years of neglect and slashing of expenditure on prevention in health has taken its toll.

The realisation is of health being more than hospitals and GPs, and this will be reflected at the ballot box.

Around 3000 delegates at the 15th World Congress on Public Health in Melbourne in early April heard Federal Minister Greg Hunt emphasise the importance of preventable chronic disease and the causes including obesity and tobacco use.

At the same congress shadow minister Catherine King, who only weeks earlier had run an outstanding national health consultation, reflected her understanding of the importance of prevention, protection and health promotion.

The following week, ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris invited World Congress keynote speaker Dr Ruediger Krech, from the World Health Organization (WHO), to address a symposium of key health groups in Canberra.

Fitzharris sees an opportunity to consolidate Canberra’s place as one of the world’s healthiest cities.

The OECD, in ranking Canberra as

the “best place to live in the world”, included a 99 per cent score for health.

Health is defined by the WHO as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

So why are the politicians worried?

The prime reason for Canberra’s good health is socio-economics with the per capita income highest in Australia. Sir Michael Marmot in the ABC “Boyer Lectures” illustrated the direct relationship between health and wealth.

The Fitzharris symposium in Canberra will address some of the health challenges for the ACT including playing its part nationally and internationally.

The average spending by Australian governments on prevention has dropped to around 1.5 per cent of health expenditure. This short sightedness is at a time when obesity rates continue to grow, the impact of harmful use of alcohol and other drugs persists, preventable injuries continue and poor nutrition is widespread.

The good news is Canberra and Australia have one of the lowest smoking rates in the world. Over the last 20 years, immunisation rates in Canberra climbed from 85 per cent to 93 per cent. Unfortunately, 63 per cent

Dr Ruediger Krech, from the World Health Organization, left, ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris and columnist Michael Moore, president of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. of adults are overweight compared to 40 per cent in 1997.

There are good economic reasons for spending on prevention. Reduction in smoking reduces cancer, cardiovascular and other disease and the extraordinary costs for treatment. Healthier people have fewer days off work and are more productive. However, good health ought to be considered a human right – an end in itself.

For the majority of Canberrans, the forecast of a healthy and comparatively long life (average 83 years) is attainable.

It is a different story for others.

However, as the Fitzharris symposi-

um identified, there remain significant gaps in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as for migrants and refugees.

The chief health officer identified “more than 90 per cent of people surveyed in 2014 supported the ACT government taking active steps to reduce levels of overweight and obesity in the community” including “regulations, restrictions and incentives”.

He pointed out: “The strongest support was for measures targeting schools and children including physical activity and diet, junk food advertising and reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened drinks.”

Inequity, poor education and the physical environment are major drivers of poor health. Measures on health protection, prevention and promotion often lie outside the health portfolio.

Climate change looms large as another extreme driver of poor health.

Although the ACT is aiming for 100 per cent renewable energy, the Federal government is dragging its feet.

Health nearly cost the Coalition government at the last election. At least this created an atmosphere for creating policies for healthier communities and healthier people.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health. He is CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

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news / record store day

Record sale for RSPCA

By Kathryn Vukovljak

SONGLAND Records, in Weston Creek, will celebrate the 10th anniversary of International Record Store Day on April 22 with its annual charity sale for the RSPCA. Owner Brian “Frog” Harris says he’s currently accepting donations of any unwanted vinyl, DVDs, cassettes or VHS tapes and invites people to bring them to the music store ahead of the sale. Everything raised will go to the RSPCA in Canberra.

“Songland has been part of the community here in Canberra for a long time, and this day combines all the work I love,” Frog says.

“We love consistency, helping the animals and we’re thrilled to be able to combine music, fundraising and the importance of the old-fashioned record store.”

This year’s lead ambassador for Record Store Day is former Deputy Prime Minister An-

Lead ambassador for Record Store Day, Anthony Albanese, left, and Frog Harris at Songland Records. thony Albanese, who Frog says is a genuine music fan.

The Labor MP says he was honoured to be asked to be the lead ambassador of the event.

“Record stores are important – we should never forget the independent music stores that are often the only places you can buy recordings of local bands beginning their careers,” Anthony says.

“At a time when the internet tends to chain us to our screens, we celebrate the way in which music calls out to us as a catalyst for authentic human contact.”

The charity sale will be at Songland Records, Cooleman Court, 9am-5pm, on Saturday, April 22. All funds raised go to the RSPCA Canberra.

letters

Why is racism so selective?

LIKE Michael Moore (“Hate, racism and the art of distraction”, CN, March 30) I do not agree with racism at all.

However, I do think there needs to be some common sense brought into the 18C debate. The changes proposed were to eliminate the very silly cries of racism where a reasonable person wouldn’t see it as such.

Recently, at Pembroke College, in Cambridge, UK, it was considered racist by some students to be offered Jamaican stew and Tunisian rice. There has been Irish stew, Welsh rarebit, Scotch broth, Swedish meatballs, Mexican enchiladas, German beer etcetera for years in the UK and suddenly it is racist to name a dish after another country. How stupid can you get?

In an article in the “Daily Telegraph”, the mother of a white Australian child was told they could not attend the Coverdale playgroup in inner-city Sydney. The reason being it was a multicultural playgroup. She was told: “You’ll have to go up to Erskineville or Newtown,” which is 30 minutes’ walk away. I thought that was what multiculturalism was all about – all races mixing together. This is real racism, yet nothing is done. Why is racism so selective?

What does bother me is the racism only seems to go one way and the most sensitive appear to be the new Middle Eastern migrants. One word said about them, even when no slight was meant, is blown out of all proportion, yet they can threaten death to the infidels and this is okay. Friends of mine went to work with the Aborigines in NT and they copped a lot of abuse and racial slurs, white trash being the very mildest of them, yet if anything was said about the Aborigines it was a racist attack. How is it fair and reasonable if the rules are so biased?

Giving in to the overly sensitive is only going to cause more problems. Racism should not happen, but it does. When I arrived in Australia I copped a lot of racial slurs. I took it on the chin and got on with life. I just put it down to their ignorance. I have now been here for 45 years and I do not get many comments any more. It did not stop me settling in Australia and I have never

left since coming here. The Greeks, Italians, Chinese and Middle Eastern people have always made a good life here, even though they copped a lot of slurs, and I never heard all these cries of racism until recent years.

Migrants have come here for a better life, so they should accept us as we are, just like they expect us to accept them and their culture.

Vi Evans, via email

Harry had right idea I’M hopeful this will remind readers of many of our past prime ministers. US President Harry S. Truman probably made more important decisions regarding America’s history than any of his 32 predecessors.

However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House. The only asset he had when he died was his mother-in-law’s house in Independence, Missouri, where, apart from the White House years, he and his wife always lived.

After retiring in 1952 his income was a US Army pension of $113 a month. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an “allowance” and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 annually.

After President Eisenhower’s inauguration, Truman was offered corporate positions with salaries up to $100,000. He declined, stating: “You don’t want me. You want the office of the president and that doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it’s not for sale.”

On May 6, 1971, Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honour on his 87th birthday. He refused to accept it, writing: “I don’t consider I’ve done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.”

He once said: “I never gave anyone hell, I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.”

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Colliss Parrett, Barton CityNews April 13-26, 2017 13

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14 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

All this suffering raises big questions of faith THE lead up to Easter has been one of suffering for many people. The winds have roared, the waters rose and the floods have come.

Cyclone Debbie has done its damage to north Queensland and the flow-on effects on Lismore and Rockhampton particularly have been described as “looking like war zones”.

The most tragic personal story was that of Stephanie King and her children, on their way to help with the flood relief, getting swept into the darkness of the Tweed River. Closer to home we have also seen the violent attacks in Queanbeyan, resulting in the tragic death of student Zeeshan Akbar.

It begs the question – “Where is God in this suffering? Why didn’t He stop it”.

There appears to be only two possible answers. Either God doesn’t care about human suffering, or He simply isn’t there. If it is the former, then why should we care about God. If He wants to sit as a passive watchmaker over the universe with grand indifference to evil and suffering then He is certainly not worthy of worship. If it is the latter, then there is no real reason or purpose behind anything and we must simply make the best of a cold and ultimately meaningless universe.

But what if there was another possibility?

What if we have missed something?

Imagine a bear with her foot stuck in a rabbit trap left by poachers. She is in immense pain and is wailing. A ranger comes along and sees the bear’s pain, and realises the only way to restore the situation is to shoot her with a tranquiliser and release her once she is asleep.

It is a compassionate and merciful act. The bear has a different perspective though. Not only has she realised that the rabbit trap is some kind of human contraption set to hurt her, but then she gets shot. If she was in any way still conscious when the ranger started to remove the painful trap, she would be in absolutely no doubt that the human’s intent was to hurt and ultimately kill her.

The difference in this story is one of knowledge. The bear’s mind cannot grasp the real motivation and plan of the ranger. She can only make false assumptions based on her limited experience.

There is a large gap between the rational capacity of the

Could it be that God actually cares tremendously about suffering even in circumstances like the recent floods where it just doesn’t seem to make sense? bear and the ranger.

Is it therefore possible that it is not that God doesn’t care or is absent, but rather that we just can’t comprehend the big picture? The difference between our mind and God’s is infinitely wider than that of the bear and ranger. Could it be that God actually cares tremendously about suffering even in circumstances like the recent floods where it just doesn’t seem to make sense?

The Easter story illustrates part of this answer. Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of God and that His response to suffering was to suffer and die Himself.

Suffering is not abstract but deeply personal, and therefore perhaps it required a personal response.

Jesus shows us that God is not absent, nor does He not care. When we are broken, we see that He was also broken. When we are pierced as Zeeshan was, we see the pained face of one who was also pierced. When we are scared and gasping for air like Stephanie, we can look to a Saviour, also gasping, but with the promise on his lips of a place with no more tears.

We may have to go through the darkness of Good Friday in our lives and in our country in countless ways, but we must make sure we don’t forget that Sunday is coming. Death is overcome, hope is restored, and the story of suffering is reframed as a story of the greatest love imaginable.

Happy Easter.

Nick Jensen is the director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute, which helps develop leaders in public policy (lmi.org.au)

NICK JENSEN

All about Anzac Day / April 25

advertising feature

Remembering all who fought and died for us ANZAC Day is the day on which we remember all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service. The spirit of Anzac, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

An Australian soldier lies wounded in the foreground, as hundreds of other soldiers move among the dead and wounded on the beach at Anzac Cove on the day of the landing. The soldiers wearing Red Cross armbands are tending to the wounded.

Boxes of equipment are stacked among the men and the beach is also littered with discarded personal equipment. This scene is looking along the beach to the north.

Photograph by Charles Atkins, courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.

ANZAC Day is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and NZ Army Corps on Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915.

Yet for Australia’s people, it has come to represent so much more says the head of communications and marketing at the Australian War Memorial, Chris Wagner.

Only a decade after federation and from a population of less than five million, more than 400,000 men and women enlisted to serve in World War I. With more than 60,000 dead, and more than 150,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner, Anzac Day has come to represent the best and worst of Australia’s experience of war.

“Anzac Day is a day where we, as Australians, come together to reflect on the lives, actions and sacrifices of those who have served our nation,” Chris says.

“It is also a day to reflect on what it now means to be an Australian, and how we can share their experiences, and the Anzac spirit, with future generations.”

To reflect, the AWM welcomes everyone to three major events on Anzac Day: To start the day, excerpts from the letters and diaries of Australians who experienced war first hand will be read aloud at 4.30am by a representative from each of the armed forces.

After, at 5.30am, the Dawn Service begins on the Parade ground and surrounds at the Australian War Memorial.

Then, at 10.30am the National Ceremony commences with the traditional order of service including the Commemorative Address, wreath laying, hymns, the sounds of the “Last Post”, observance of one minute’s silence, and the national anthems of Australia and NZ. At the end of the day at 4.55pm, the memorial farewells visitors with its Last Post Ceremony. The ceremony begins with the singing of the Australian National Anthem, followed by the poignant strains of a Lament, played by a piper.

Australian War Memorial, call 6243 4211 or email ceremony@awm.gov.au

Register to ride for free on Anzac Day TRANSPORT Canberra wants to give people peace of mind on Anzac Day by providing free transport for pre-registered passengers to and from the Dawn Service and the National Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial.

As Anzac Day is a public holiday, Transport Canberra buses will be operating on a Sunday timetable for other non-shuttle services throughout the day.

Free services will be provided to anyone wearing or displaying war service medals on any Transport Canberra service throughout the whole day. Medal holders are still required to “Register to Ride” to the Anzac Day ceremony to assist Transport Canberra gauge expected attendance.

Transport Canberra advises that registration tickets for these services are limited.

Free buses to the Dawn Service will depart from major bus stations at Gungahlin, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong. Alternatively, park and catch a loop shuttle bus that will operate from Majura Park Shopping Centre, Russell Offices, Canberra Centre (Ainslie Avenue) and the City Bus Station.

Anzac Day commemorations at the Australian War Memorial.

Photo courtesy AWM.

Register at 131710 and information at actionmarketing@act.gov.au

2017 – ANZAC Day Celebrations (Site of Canberra Services Club)

Se

rvin

ose w g th

ho serve and ha ve s erv ed

Canberra Services Club T/a Canberra Club

• Dawn Service & Gunfire Breakfast from 4:30am • Bar Facilities – Coffee – Food available all day

Canberra’s most renowned Two-Up commences at 1:00pm

• Cnr Manuka Circle and Canberra Ave CityNews April 13-26, 2017 15

Anzac Day / April 25

Anzac Day two-up in full swing at The Dickson Tradies.

The Tradies turns it on for Anzac Day THE Dickson Tradies annual Anzac Day events will be even bigger and better this year, says marketing and business analyst Kirstin Redding.

The Tradies will have its own free bus on the day, which will depart the Dickson Tradies at 4.30am and return to the club after the Dawn Service.

Kirstin says the club will serve complimentary breakfast for active and returned servicemen from 6.30am. It costs $22 for non-servicemen.

“Our legendary traditional two-up competition will be underway in the marquee from 12pm until 6pm and

Commemorate the ANZAC spirit at one of Canberra’s biggest ANZAC Day events!

will be open to everyone,” she says.

“Anzac Day is not only important for the club, but for everyone, especially for young generations,” says Kirstin.

“It’s important for clubs such as ours to keep bringing everyone together and keep talking about it.”

Regular Anzac Day performers at The Tradies, Icon, will perform sets in the outdoor lounge from 1pm until 6pm.

The Dickson Tradies, corner of Badham Street and Cape Street, Dickson. Call 6162 5656 or visit thetradies.com.au

FREE MEMBERS’ BUS TO & FROM THE DAWN SERVICE Departing The Dickson Tradies at 4:30am and returning after the service. Bookings are essential!

25 APRIL 2017

DIGGERS’ BREAKFAST FREE breakfast for active and returned servicemen from 6:30am. $22 for members.

Bookings are essential!

TRADITIONAL 2-UP From 12pm until 6pm in The Marquee

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ICON from 1pm until 6pm in The Outdoor Lounge

thetradies.com.au | 02 6162 5656 We encourage responsible gambling; please call 1800 858 858 for support Terms apply For the information of members

16 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

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ANZAC DAY 2017 TUESDAY 25 APRIL 2017 MARKS THE 102ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE LANDING OF ANZAC TROOPS AT GALLIPOLI.

Australian War Memorial J03022

Join us at the Australian War Memorial to commemorate this Anzac Day. Dawn Service 5.30 am Parade Ground

National Ceremony 10.30 am Parade Ground

Anzac Day Breakfast 6 am for a 6.30 am start Anzac Hall, tickets essential.

Last Post Ceremony 4.55 pm Commemorative Area

The Australian War Memorial and Transport ACT will be providing free bus services to and from the Dawn Service and National Ceremony. See transport.act.gov.au for details.

For information on ticketing, road closures, parking and more, visit awm.gov.au

Anzac Day / April 25

advertising feature Club musters at its traditional site ANZAC Day at the traditional site of the Canberra Services Club in Manuka is one of the biggest, says secretary manager Chris Van Reesch.

“The club was built straight after the war in the ‘40s, it’s one of Canberra’s oldest clubs,” says Chris.

Even though the club burnt down in 2012, Anzac Day continues to be acknowledged on the old site.

The day starts at 4.30am with a breakfast cooked by the Rotary Club and traditional Gun Fire drinks all day.

“At 12pm we start again with our two-up beginning at 1pm, which goes until 6pm,” he says.

“Last year there would have been around 600 people at the two-up, and all the money from that goes to charity.”

Canberra Labor Club Belconnen… members are encouraged to enjoy a casual lunch.

Modern surrounds to commemorate the past COMMEMORATE Anzac Day this year at Canberra’s most modern club, the Canberra Labor Club, Belconnen.

“Members are encouraged to come to the club on this very special day, to enjoy a casual lunch and spend time reminiscing with friends both old and new,” says promotions and functions manager Matt Michel.

Relax in the new lounge areas and watch the parade on large-screen TVs or take part in the

traditional game of two-up from noon.

Live NRL and AFL Anzac Day tests will also be shown on large-screen TVs throughout the club.

“There’s no better place to commemorate Anzac Day than the Canberra Labor Club, Belconnen,” Matt says.

Traditional Canberra Services Club Site, Canberra Avenue, Manuka, near Manuka Oval, call 6162 0503 or email info@canberraclub.com.au

Canberra Labor Club. Chandler Street, Belconnen.

Call 6251 5522 or visit laborclub.com.au

The deck at Siren Bar… “We’re a friendly option for Anzac Day”.

Family-friendly Anzac Day venue SIREN Bar is a great family-friendly option for locals and outsiders says the owner of Siren Bar, Daniel Gaul.

“We’re not a big club, we’re a friendly option for Anzac Day,” Daniel says.

Siren Bar will open at 6am for a $15 “Gunfire” breakfast followed by two-up at midday.

“We’ve supported Legacy for the last six years, raising money with the two-up and taking donations at the bar.”

This year, Soldier On has come on board, with two-up proceeds going to

the organisation.

The kitchen will stay open all day and Daniel says that any Diggers wearing their medals will receive a free nip of rum.

At the end of the day Siren Bar will have an ode playing on the completion of two-up at 6pm.

“It sets a really nice atmosphere and it’s a great way to finish,” says Daniel.

Siren Bar, corner of Anthony Rolfe Avenue and Gozzard Street, Gungahlin. Visit sirenbar.com.au or call 6162 0377.

COMMEMORATE ON TUESDAY 25TH APRIL AT THE CANBERRA LABOR CLUB

PLAY 2-UP FROM 12:00PM All donations collected on behalf of Legacy.

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www.laborclub.com.au 18 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

Free travel to the

ANZAC Day Dawn Service and National Ceremony on Tuesday 25 April To register over the phone please call our Customer Service Team on 13 17 10

13 17 10 transport.act.gov.au

scene / around canberra

Photos by MADDIE McGUIGAN

At the Navigating Digital Government Summit dinner, at the Australian War Memorial

At the 100th anniversary reception of Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian High Commission

Brett Vincent and Adi Kavaler

Col. Ron Ubbens and Canadian high commissioner Paul Maddison

Suzanne and Elanor Huntington

Lisa Thorburn, Greg Davies and Sara Evans

Sassoon Grigorian and Ole Nielson

Leonie Costello and Daniel Steemson

Aiden Tudehope, Graham Schofield and Troy McDonald

Roze Frost and Rachel Schumann

Bobby Graham and Rob Miller

Emma Lefroy, Zola Baldwin, Douglas Ross and Laura McKinley

Andrew Greene, Paul and Fay Maddison, Jamie Speiser-Blanchett and Andrew Harrison

jumbo crossword

Wednesday 26 April Try a Day at St Clare’s Become a St Clare’s girl for the day! All prospective Year 7, 2018 students are invited to experience the exciting and enriching opportunities that St Clare’s has to offer. Please register online at www.stcc.act.edu.au

Thursday 27 April Open Evening (4.30 pm to 7.30 pm)

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all prospective students and their families to visit the College during our Open Evening. The Principal’s address will commence at 6 pm in the College Hall and school tours will be conducted throughout the evening.

Monday 15 May Year 11, 2018 Information Evening (6 pm to 7 pm)

Discover the many courses and leadership opportunities available for senior students at St Clare’s. New and continuing students are invited to attend.

Welcome to our Spirited Learning Community P: 02 6260 9400 E: enrolments@stcc.act.edu.au A: 1 McMillan Crescent, Griffith ACT 2603 www.stcc.act.edu.au 20 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

Oscar Van Lent and Ed Ordmond

Patrick Bekken, Jamie Speiser-Blanchet and Sybren van Klaarbergen

Michael Lazaruk and Charles Reeves

From Page 34

scene / around canberra

invite us / scene@citynews.com.au

At the opening of the ‘Borrow Tomorrow’ exhibition, Nishi Gallery, New Acton

Anne He and Miriam Covell

Zoe Evans, Lisa Gaukroger and Emma Hlubecek

Lorena Hernandez and Ellye Yates

Casey Smith and Eve Ryan

Michael Brassington and Tim Westwood

Daniel Keonigs and Sebastian Davies

Miranda Garnett and Rose Patrick

Leanna Barrett, Kristie Sydrych and Erin Maier

Steph Donse and Laura Brown

David Williams, Neil Doody and Amanda Biggs

Sue and Georgie Whigham

Michael Liehne and Dylan Early

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Oral health therapist and hygienist Koco Clarke says: “We offer bleaching and whitening for $450, where the customer can come in, we clean and freshen their teeth and they go home with a kit, which is very easy to use. They can have perfect teeth in a non-harmful way and not spend a fortune”.

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Deziner Beauty now has an active booking system online with sales and last-minute discounts.

Deziner Beauty also offers make-up, waxing, tinting and teeth-whitening services, and is the only local salon to have the Elizabeth Arden Pro Skin Care range.

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Faux Tanning Studio’s owner and operator Jasmin Moore.

Make a spray tan an everyday accessory A LOT of people think that spray tans are an add on, but according to the owner and operator of Faux Tanning Studio, Jasmin Moore, spray tanning is an important accessory for day-to-day life and events.

Jasmin has done extensive research to give her clients the best knowledge and best tan possible.

“We focus on our clients knowing all about pre-tan and post-tan care so they can get longevity out of it,” she says.

“We don’t want it to last for one to two days, we want it to last for seven to ten days.

“The staff are very non-judgemental to their clients no matter what their shape or size is.

“Everybody deserves to feel and look the best they can.”

Faux Tanning Studio has a team of tanning technicians, as well as people working in social media and business consulting, who Jasmin says help the studio become a supportive and efficient space.

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Shop 7, Andrews Arcade, 42 Giles Street, Kingston 22 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

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Float towards recovery and a quiet mind THE owner of Pure Zen Flotation in Phillip, Stacey Mitchell, came across flotation therapy when she was looking for anxiety treatment.

It helped her so much that she decided to open a float therapy centre herself.

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Sibu aims to boost a client’s confidence EVERY treatment at Sibu Beauty can boost a client’s confidence making them feel beautiful says its owner Amanda Rutledge.

“We believe that everyone should feel amazing and deserves a little pamper in their life regardless of the form it comes in,” says Amanda.

The team at Sibu Beauty helps people feel great, whether it’s by removing unwanted hair, or helping clear problematic skin, or even keeping nails looking neat.

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beautiful you Chemist helps all levels of beauty CHEMIST Outlet Dickson is eager to keep its customers “beautiful” all over with vitamins for immunity as well as hair and face products.

Pharmacist Rhonda Warne says they have a large range of vitamins such as fish oils, vitamin C, olive leaf and horseradish.

With the winter months ahead Chemist Outlet Dickson is an ideal place to get vitamins to strengthen immunity and keep up to date with the flu injection ($14.99).

“Scientists are suggesting that there’s the potential for a bad flu season this year,” Rhonda says.

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And, for those wanting to beautify their insides further, Rhonda says they have a quit smoking program.

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24 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

advertising feature Hair salon with an eye for ‘masterpieces’

Dr Van Trinh.

Dr Van’s quality and affordable dental care THE founder of Shine Dentists Group Dr Van Trinh worked in many states around Australia before settling in Canberra in 2000.

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MIRANDA Sutton, the owner of Kurtz Hair by Design has filled some big shoes over the last 10 years.

Kurtz Hair by Design was established in 1975 by Kurt Foxhill who grew his business into one of Canberra’s most respected salons.

In 2007, Kurt’s protégé Miranda acquired the salon and now continues to lead her team through some of the best training and experiences available. The Kurtz team takes pride in being both professional and creative.

“We are an enthusiastic salon and look forward to making your hair our next masterpiece,” Miranda says.

“Whether you’re heading in for first-time colour, or ready to try out a bold new fashion look, visiting Kurtz is always an opportunity for you to benefit from your stylist’s expertise.

“A consultation with your Kurtz stylist to discuss your ideas and inspirations, your hair’s needs, and your desired colour result is a valuable conversation that can make the difference between hair colour that’s everyday and hair colour that’s extraordinary.”

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Kurtz Hair by Design, Suite 7, Playoust Building, Hawker Shops. Call 6255 1435 or visit kurtzhair.com.au

The team at Kurtz Hair by Design.

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CityNews April 13-26, 2017 25

REVOLUTION A MUSIC ADVENTURE FROM THE BARRICADES OF TIME 27 APRIL – 7 MAY 2017 This autumn, Canberra will host an explosion of music that celebrates the spirit of revolution. Thought-provoking conversation, culinary adventures and over 20 exhilarating performances in more than a dozen locations across our cool little capital.

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arts & entertainment

Something that’s worth mulling

Richard Calver

Miranda plays it strong COVER STORY

By Helen Musa

MIRANDA O’Hare has been living in Los Angeles for the last couple of years, but it’s in Australia that she’s had her first big break, scoring the lead part in an Aussie feature called “Indigo Lake”.

Director of “The Play that Goes Wrong” and actor Luke Joslin in the checked waistcoat… “That’s the beauty of it, no one knows much about it, it’s not a TV program, it comes fresh.” Photo by Jeff Busby

When everything that can go wrong does

By Helen Musa

When UK director Mark Bell was here for auditions, he described the AT age 37 and with a swag actors, Joslin among them, as “an of directorial credits behind ‘interesting’ and possibly incompetent bunch of would-be thespians,” him, Luke Joslin reckons adding: “If their auditions are he can safely call himself a anything to go by, this cast is going director – but it’s far more to be hopelessly hilarious”.

Joslin agrees it’s a joke, the main lucrative to be an actor. joke in the play, but you could be He’ll be here soon acting in the excused for feeling sensitive if an very silly West End hit “The Play that overseas director has such fun Goes Wrong”, described as “Fawlty saying how hopeless the actors are.

Towers” meets “Noises Off”.

And then in Melbourne, one Written by Mischief Theatre mem- writer attacked the show, calling it bers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer a slap in the face for all the amateur and Henry Shields (who also wrote a companies in Australia. follow-up, “Peter Pan Goes Wrong”), But as Joslin says: “Every it’s also been filmed for BBC 1 with theatrically-minded person knows David Suchet in a lead role. that things can go wrong very Joslin knows both sides of badly, it’s not a comment on theatre. He’s directed “Giggle and amateur societies.”

Hoot and Friends”, “Educating So how to get the balance right?

Rita” and “Annie” to name a few.

“It has to be done very well,” he His performance in “Avenue Q” says. “Every cast member in the won him both a Helpmann and a murder mystery has different levels Green Room Award, he’s been in of experience and in our characters the musicals “Dirty Dancing”,“Guys we’re forever trying to do the play and Dolls” and “Georgy Girl”, as best we can… but for me, as an but also played Pinocchio for actor, that’s really tricky, like trying Windmill Theatre and the Sydney to sing out of tune.”

Theatre Company and Andy in “The Sometimes, proving the premise 13-Storey Treehouse”. of the whole play is correct, they “The Play that Goes Wrong,” get it wrong. During technical comes out of the West End, so rehearsal week, for instance, they there’s a production team attached made the fatal error of overdoing it to it. “Being in a commercial play is so the director told them upfront: different and it comes with a set of “If you actors start commenting challenges,” he says. on what you’re doing by ‘flagging’ One of those challenges is jokes and giving knowing looks, the the sheer Britishness of the play, show dies a miserable death.” although unlike “Yes, Prime His character Robert plays Minister” or “Fawlty Towers” it’s not Thomas in the whodunit “Murder at a replication of a TV show.

Haversham Manor”.

“That’s the beauty of it, no one “I know this guy, he sees himself knows much about it, it’s not a TV as THE actor,” he says, but it’s a fine program, it comes fresh,” he says. line making it credible.

Joslin gets to play Robert, the “We try to keep the balls in seasoned actor who thinks he’s the air with as much dignity as Laurence Olivier, as the Cornley possible,” Joslin says.

Polytechnic Drama Society attempts to put on a 1920s murder mystery, “The Play that Goes Wrong”, but everything that can go wrong… Canberra Theatre, April 25-30. does, and that’s the difficulty of act- Bookings to canberratheatrecentre. ing in it when you’re a professional. com.au or 6275 2700.

“CityNews” caught up with the former St Clare’s College, Canberra Youth Theatre and National Acting School student by phone to LA recently as she was preparing to fly back to Australia for red-carpet nights and to visit her family before flying on to China to shoot episodes for the series “Killing the Cure”, in which she plays an American assassin.

O’Hare counts herself fortunate in coming from a modestly-sized city such as Canberra.

“My family are just normal people, mum works for Qantas, my sister is a teacher – it keeps your head on your shoulders. I’m not trying to cure cancer, I’m just pursuing an acting career,” she says.

“I’m kind of in limbo. I’m going to Sydney and then to Canberra and probably then to China.”

The self-confessed acting obsessive is one of the most in-demand young Australian actresses now living in Los Angeles, but regards the role of Ruby in “Indigo Lake”, directed by Martin Simpson and produced by former “born-and-bred” Canberran Brian Cobb, as one to die for.

The film centres on an old story. Artist Jack is pressured into painting the portrait of a Sydney crime kingpin’s beautiful wife – that’s O’Hare’s part – but when he falls in love with his subject, a murderous plan is hatched. But, as the promoters unashamedly pun: “Murder is not so easy as it’s painted”.

“Ruby is something of a femme fatale, a Hitchcock blonde, vulnerable but strong,” O’Hare tells me.

“There’s a skeleton in the closet and we learn that Bill has saved her from an interesting past.

“It’s a fun role to play, there are some really dark moments in the film.” It’s a quintessentially Australian and particularly Sydney film in its setting, she says.

It’s been a long haul to success for O’Hare, but she’s never deviated from her ambition to act.

“My God, I was obsessed,” she says.

“I did a double major in drama and English, I went to Canberra Youth Theatre when I was 12

Miranda O’Hare… “I’m not trying to cure cancer, I’m just pursuing an acting career.” and stayed there until I was 15 and then I went to the National Acting School run by Bobby Farquhar… that was when I realised I really wanted to become an actor… I still talk to Bobby.”

After Farquhar taught her the fundamentals of acting, she moved to Sydney, studying screen acting, appeared in “Packed to the Rafters”, “Home and Away”, “Cops L.A.C”, a recurring role on the ABC’s “The Cut” and became the face of Clearasil in “Cleo” magazine.

“I don’t really think of myself as a model and I try not to say too much about it,” she says.

She did a writing degree at UTS, wrote short stories and poetry and became a correspondent with Casting Network International.

“My God, I love writing,” she says.

O’Hare went on to play roles in two feature films, write a comedy mockumentary called “PG pals”, formed an online comedy production company Scusi Productions and co-produced, co-wrote and starred in cult YouTube series “The Casuals”.

But in 2014 her then agent suggested that she’d probably do well in LA. “I was very happy in Sydney, but then I got a

really scary feeling that I was going to settle and I thought, I have to make this move,” so she moved to the US, took classes in screen acting, got small roles on TV and continued her writing.

“It’s been a hell of a ride and it’s still tough, but I’ve had some success,” she says.

That’s an understatement. She’s played the vampire Galatea in a series called “Age of the Living Dead” and one of the lead witches in the horror feature “Coven”.

It’s ages since she’s had anything to do with the stage, but in the course of interviewing Jackie Diamond, who runs the Australian Theatre Company in Los Angeles, it was suggested to her that she should get back on the stage.

“I thought that sounded terrifying,” she tells “CityNews”, “but maybe I’d better.”

She is quick to defend her wicked-women roles, saying of her lady assassin character: “She wasn’t a bad person, she was just an assassin.

“I don’t play bad women, I play strong women…

I’d rather be a strong woman than a wallflower.”

“Indigo Lake” will be released in cinemas throughout Australia from late April.

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cinema

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The country doctor gets a second opinion “The Country Doctor” (M) AT the recent French Film Festival, every screening of writer/director Thomas Lilti’s film about middleaged GP Jean-Pierre (Francois Cluzet), diagnosed in the opening sequence with a cerebral tumour that may respond to chemo, who for decades has cared for the health and well-being of a small rural community, was a sellout.

I live in a small rural community fortunate to have a privately-owned medical centre for which house calls are the exception rather than the rule. Jean-Pierre makes numerous house calls as well as surgery consultations. The regional CMO sends a new graduate to help him.

Oh, dear. Into this community where Jean-Pierre is a household name comes Nathalie (Marianne Denicourt), city raised and rurally naive, a winsome woman fresh from med school that she entered after 10 years as a nurse.

In delineating the film’s gentle

“The Country Doctor’s” JeanPierre (Francois Cluzet) with Dr Nathalie (Marianne Denicourt). tensions and conflicts, Jean-Pierre’s local knowledge versus Nathalie’s by-the-book approach is often the driving force.

For example, Monsieur Sorlin (Guy Faucher) at 92 is immobilised at home in the care of family and a paid nurse. Jean-Pierre has promised that he will stay in familiar surroundings until the end. Nathalie says he should be hospitalised.

Ninon (Margaux Fabre) is a plump

“Dance Academy” (PG)

Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, with special guest Cathal Ó Curráin

BETWEEN 2010 and 2013, the Australian-made, 65-episode series “Dance Academy” ran on TV. Its writer Samantha Strauss has written a feature film that purports to pick up where the series stopped.

Apparently, at that point ballerina Tara (Xenia Goodwin) had suffered injuries suggesting that her performing career was over. The film begins with a medical all clear. Believing she has what it takes, Tara wants to resume climbing fame’s ladder.

On that ambition, Strauss and director Jeffrey Walker have concocted a 120-minute foray through the world of professional dance built around Tara’s almost obsessive determination to make it big in ballet.

Success eludes her in Australia. She goes to New York to stay with her blonde, bumptious and insecure chum

arts in the city Accrowbatics Quartet (FIN)

FourPlay String Quartet

13-17 APRIL, 2017

EXHIBITION PARK, CANBERRA FOLKFESTIVAL.ORG.AU TICKETS ONLINE & AT GATE 28 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

farm girl whose fiancé rejects modern fertility controls in favour of termination – she’s already had two. That’s a poignant lost cause unless she tells him the relationship must end. The possible autism of Alexis (Yohann Goetzmann) has gone undiagnosed into early adulthood. But his memory is exceptional and his knowledge of World War I is scholarly.

Numerous brief house calls might seem to make the film a bit bitty, which it is but not in an annoying way.

Filmmaker Lilti’s second film about his other profession – he’s a GP – is charming, compassionate, credible and commendable in its verity and depiction of French rural life.

And when the villagers want to let off steam, they put on American Western clothes and go linedancing to American music – except for Nina Simone’s French version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. When did you last hear Frankie Laine’s hit song telling us about those Ghost Riders in the Sky? At Palace Electric

Kat (Alicia Banit) playing a fairy in a kids’ TV series. It ain’t the glamour and fame of ballet, but it pays the bills.

After several employment disappointments she buses to a mid-West farm to seek advice from a retired dancer (Tara Morice who found fame in “Strictly Ballroom” – remember it from 1992?).

Dance sequences abound, particularly a modern ballet number in which the ballerinas wear skin-tight costumes embellished with giant CDs around their middles.

Our last sight of Tara is back in Sydney giving every indication that in the wings directing a dance performance is a satisfying outcome. Which in its own way is what the film delivers to its audience.

At Palace Electric, Capitol 6 and Hoyts

Helen Musa

Dracula gets a shake and stir BRISBANE’S shake & stir theatre company is back with its take on Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula”. The Canberra run features performances for adults and secondary students. To the latter they offer the suggestion to “undertake an intertextuality study between ‘Dracula’, Poe’s ‘The Raven’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’”. At The Playhouse, April 26-29. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

HAMLET’S father, the founding boss of a business empire, has vanished. Claudius, the boss’ brother, has bumped off his brother, hijacked the business empire and seduced his brother’s wife, “First Lady” Gertrude.

It all happens in Daramalan Theatre Company’s new production of Shakespeare’s play, adapted by Tony Allan and directed by Joe Woodward. At McCowage Hall, Daramalan College, Cowper Street, Dickson, April 22-29. Bookings to trybooking.com WRITER, director and former Centenary of Canberra staffer Julian Hobba has been named executive director for Perth’s Blue Room Theatre, taking over from outgoing director, Kerry O’Sullivan.

THE Oriana Chorale, founded by Roger Wellman in

1977, returns to the musical genre, the madrigal, which inspired its name. At age 40, the venerable chorale is performing “The Triumphs of Oriana” with a party to follow. At University House, 5pm, Saturday, April 22.

Bookings to trybooking.com IN “Dad. Joke.” comedian Mark Swivel promises there will be only one dad joke per performance. In the show, he’s preparing a speech for his son’s 21st and goes diving for pearls of wisdom. At The Street Theatre, April 21-23. Bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

BILLY Bragg and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Joe Henry will be performing songs from their new album, “Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad”, along with other favourites at The Playhouse, April 20. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre. com.au 6275 2700.

MUSIC educator, electric guitarist and vocalist Jess Green will be launching the single “Pheno” from her CAPO-funded EP, “Pheno: Dragon Year”, at Smith’s Alternative, 7pm, on April 21, later heading for the Candelo Festival, April 22-23. Bookings for the launch to smithsalternative.com

dining

Masters of the Italian art of slow cooking NAMES of restaurants fascinate me. The story behind Agostinis, the hip Italian restaurant now open in East Hotel, makes your heart pitter patter.

Siblings Dan and Dion Bisa decided on the name and then discovered, through mother Marisa, that the family had many years ago operated a restaurant in Italy called Agostinis. Some things are just meant to be.

We started our journey with antipasti dishes, perking up our palette with salt and vinegar potato chips, made fresh daily ($5).

They’re ultra-thin, uber crispy and totally delightful. You’re in the driver’s seat with the vinegar. It comes in a small spray bottle and you squirt as much as you like. Be warned.

These little numbers are addictive.

Slow cooking is

The grand, gold-domed pizza oven – the first in Canberra – took two days to install. It looks like a giant igloo and can whip out 16 pizzas at lightning speed. an Italian art and Agostinis’ 15-member kitchen team, operating under the charming Romano chef Francesco (Frankie) Balestrieri, has mastered the process. The slow-cooked, melt-in-the-mouth octopus ($16) was one of the best octopus dishes I’ve had in yonks.

It’s beautifully presented and packed with flavour.

Equally delicious was the calamari ($15), dished up with a creamy aioli, even more special because it’s created with grilled lemon and fresh mint.

Frankie also makes his own olives, for sale at the “store”. You can also buy luxurious olive oil, special pizza spice mix, a stunning wood chopping board and a funky burlap

tote featuring a graphic of luscious pink Italian lips.

So much at Agostinis is handmade, including all pastas, such as the classic spaghetti al pomodoro e basilico ($18). It’s such a simple and trustworthy dish. Who can go wrong with quality tomatoes, aromatic basil and garlic – made with love, of course?

The soul satisfying, tube-shaped pasta is another winner. Italian pork marries well with fennel and the chilli sausage provides lovely heat. It’s all combined with a rich sugo.

You won’t leave a morsel on your plate.

The grand, gold-domed pizza oven – the first in Canberra – took two days to install. It looks like a giant igloo and can whip out 16 pizzas at lightning speed (four minutes to be exact). That includes a one-metre pizza, for those who dare.

The wine list is its own story.

wine

This folklore seems perfectly sensible. I recall that in 1999, when I first arrived in Canberra, the Anzac service saw those who attended frozen to the bone: it was -7C. April is a time to dust off the heater or ensure that you have an adequate stock of firewood.

And with the coming of the cold, there needs to be a change in what we imbibe.

There is a great deal of pleasure in sitting in front of an open fire with a good glass of red: that’s the stuff of romance, even without the bearskin rug and the other fantasies that they fed us in the ‘70s.

But I think that the neighbours would complain that I’d set their units alight if I tried to start an open fire in my current habitation. Instead, I offer an alternative way to turn your back on the cold, potentially embrace some romance and enjoy a jolly good, old-fashioned drink.

The recipe that I’m about to proffer fills the air with wonderful redolent spice, wine and citrus: mulled wine. It is the ideal beverage to offer to your loved one on their return from the Anzac Day parade, especially as my version features rum, the traditional tot (just ask Sydneysiders).

Mull as a verb has a number of meanings, including to pontificate as you are able to do while staring intently into your mug of steaming uplift. Mull also means to heat, sweeten and flavour with spices for drinking.

The book that I have used as my guide to making drinks since my youth, “All You Need to Know About Drinks”, says this: “They (mulls) are usually diluted with water, served really hot, but laced with fortified wines, spirits or liqueur, added after the heating.”

The way that I make mulled wine differs slightly from the recipe that the book offers.

The book professes to put forward the traditional recipe called the Negus, apparently named after an

“Beppo’s Blend”, named after Dan and Dion’s grandfather, is created solely for Agostinis

by Ravensworth Wines using three Italian varietals – Barbera, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese ($65 a bottle).

Also its own story is the playful, colourful and inviting fitout. You’ll see what I mean when you check out Agostinis.

Photo by Maddie McGuigan At East Hotel, Joe’s Bar is now truly a “bar” once more, opening at 4pm. The gorgeous outdoor area at Agostinis is not designed as a bar, but rather a comfy spot to enjoy drink and food. It closes at 3pm.

Agostinis, East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston, open seven days. Call 6178 0048.

Margaret Dimoff Art Gallery

Something for mulling APRIL signals the beginning of cold spells and the invocation of the Canberra tradition of turning on the heater postAnzac Day.

Agostinis’ Pancetta pizza.

I offer an alternative way to turn your back on the cold, potentially embrace some romance and enjoy a jolly good, old-fashioned drink.

7

large rooms of

unique affordable

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36-38 Grey Street, Deakin | 0407 416 480 Open Fri–Sun, 10–4 | E wmdimoff@bigpond.com www.margaretdimoffartworks.com.au

18th century British military officer, Col. Francis Negus, who reputedly first came up with the famed drink.

I say famed because the Bronte sisters mentioned it in “Jane Eyre” (Charlotte) and “Wuthering Heights” (Emily).

The recipe in my hippy book also differs markedly from the Negus web recipe that I found but, strangely, the web recipe adds oranges that I had decided to do independently once I’d tasted the original recipe.

Here ‘tis:

Negus red wine mull • Boil a pint of water (metric schmetric) with 2 tablespoons of sugar, cloves to taste (the recipe says 10!), slices of lemon and grated nutmeg. I add the juice of 2 oranges and the zest of one.

• Warm a bottle of red wine (I generally use merlot because it is not a varietal I enjoy) and stir in the water, spice and fruit mixture.

The original says that you add brandy or other spirit to the mixture, up to 6 fluid ounces. Then you serve.

But I find that if you warm the mugs and put a slug of rum in the bottom of the receptacle the effect is better than mixing in the rum with the general slurry.

Remember that the alcohol will be absorbed more swiftly as it is warm so just one mug each means that you won’t lose your memory.

Lest you forget… with two.

RICHARD CALVER

CityNews April 13-26, 2017 29

all about home improvement

Inspiration to make home even sweeter A HOUSE is likely to be our biggest single investment, so it makes sense to make the most of living in it and, at the same time, adding value through professionally guided improvements or DIY repurposing.

Here “CityNews” showcases the goods and services of local experts who can help you achieve those objectives…

Karen’s mission to double glaze Canberra THE team at Solace Creations is passionate about energy-efficient and sustainable homes and is on a mission to double glaze Canberra.

Business owner Karen Porter says Solace Creations has the largest double-glazing showroom in Canberra.

“I can’t understand why we have a code in place that says we must insulate our walls and ceiling, yet there is no rule to insulate windows or doors,” Karen says.

“Windows and doors make up about 30 per cent of our wall space and putting in a single piece of glass does not provide any insulation value.”

Solace Creations has won several awards over the last couple of years and is a locally run family business.

Karen says your investment into replacing windows is not immediate, but you will notice that the house has more consistent temperature, less draughts and you will see a saving on your heating and cooling.

Solace Creations works with a range of preferred suppliers from Melbourne along with a Canberra manufacturer and all its products are Australian-made and tested to the Australian Standard.

Karen says: “We can help you create solace in your home. And solace means comfort.”

Solace Creations, 17 Townsville Street, Fyshwick. Call 6260 1621 or visit solacecreations.com.au

Business owner Karen Porter.

James’ friendly furniture problem solvers

Feel comfort with…

EX-GOVERNMENT Furniture co-owner manager, James Fullerton, has been impressed by the repurpose work customers are doing on a range of office items.

Ex-Government Furniture sells desks, chairs, bookcases and filing cabinets but recently people have been buying them and creating something new.

“Heaps of people come through to repurpose items and they do some really cool stuff,” James says.

“We’re always interested in what people are doing, we like to pass on ideas to future

customers.”

Now, Ex-Government Furniture has Ross Grant from “Tank-Tank Design” collaborating in house three days a week.

“If people want to do something different with home improvements, he’s a great mind to tap as he does numerous unique home improvement projects for himself and his clients,” James says.

Ex-Government Furniture. 6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490 or visit exgovfurniture.com or follow them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/exgovfurniture/

Hot news about floor heating Keep your cool in summer and watch winter, rather than feel it!

Solace Creations’ double-glazed windows and doors, made and tested in Australia.

Local supplier, local service 17 Townsville Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Phone: 02 6260 1621 www.solacecreations.com.au

SPECIALISING in floor-heating products and services, P.A.P. Heating Solutions has the experience and expertise to provide the floor-heating system for any application Australia wide.

From commercial to domestic buildings, the company offers a full design, quotation and installation service for in-slab heating and under-tile heating.

The company says: “No other heating system provides the all-round benefits of floor heating.

“It is efficient to install and run and is generally maintenance free as it doesn’t require cleaning or replacement of filters. Floor heating is absolutely silent and is also versatile, it can be incorporated into almost any building product.

“There are floor-heating systems perfect for carpeted, tiled and polished concrete floors and

EX-GOVERNMENT FURNITURE 6 YALLOURN ST, FYSHWICK

02 6280 6490

OPEN 7 DAYS www.exgovfurniture.com 30 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

many timber floors.”

P.A.P. Heating Solutions is the Australian importer, distributor and designer for the premium-quality ELEKTRA Heating Cables. According to the company, the ELEKTRA DM20 Twin In-Screed Heating Cable is an “in-floor heating cable” that is installed on top of an existing floor in a cement screed or self-levelling compound of about 6-8mm thick and can be installed under many different floor surfaces that radiate heat easily, such as tiles, slate, stone, low-pile carpet and some wooden floor panels.

P.A.P. Heating Solutions, 23 Winchcombe Court, Mitchell. Call 6242 9310 or visit papheatingsolutions.com.au

Time to get fluff into quilts, says Jennifer THERMA Quilts is a family-run business that specialises in making and servicing feather and down products from quilts to pillows, cushions and anything made from feather and down.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Therma Quilts, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell.

Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au

The feather and down experts for over 30 years SERVICE FOR YOUR QUILTS, PILLOWS & CUSHIONS

New range of winter quilts!

Eco-friendly cleaning and rejuvenation of: • All feather & down products.

• Woollen, silk, polyester and cotton blankets and underlays.

Custom made products to your specifications: • repairing, resizing and re-casing services • add extra feather and down to your quilts, pillows or sleeping bags.

Unit 9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell • www.thermaquilts.com.au Phone: 6241 6859 • Email: shop@thermaquilts.com.au

advertising feature Craig’s furniture fits all houses LOCALLY owned and managed Just Looking Furniture has been supplying quality Australianmade furniture in Canberra since 1975.

“We specialise in Australian-made furniture, which we customise to suit the customer,” says director Craig Kerkin.

Just Looking Furniture focuses on affordable dining, lounge and bedroom suites complemented by a wide selection of mirrors, prints, lamps and decorative items that complete the picture.

“Our interior design service can ensure your choice of furniture will suit your surrounds and provide many years of satisfaction,” Craig says.

Just Looking Furniture not only modifies furniture to fit a larger home, it also customises items for customers who downsize.

“Customer service is critical in this industry and our small team of dedicated people strive to meet the needs of all those who walk through our door,” he says.

Just Looking Furniture, 6 Collie Street, Fyshwick.

Call 6280 6443 or visit justlookingfurniture.com.au

Beautiful furniture and homewares to shape your space

• 40 years furnishing Canberra • Excellence in Craftsmanship • Large range of Australian made

6 Collie Street, Fyshwick Phone: 02 6280 6443 Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm

Kitchens • Bathrooms • Interiors • Exteriors … by Bordeaux BORDEAUX KITCHENS

Steve puts design and workmanship first STEVE Milutinovic started his cabinet-making business in 1983 and 34 years on the company’s speciality is in home renovations, extensions and new homes.

Bordeaux specialises in commercial fitouts and joinery and is also a fully licensed builder in NSW and ACT. “We pride ourselves in achieving the highest standard for our customers in design and workmanship,” Steve says.

“Our prices are competitive and we work with you to achieve your desired outcome.

“We offer full trade co-ordination and have our own experienced and reliable tradesmen and expert staff to assist you in your project. Our custom-built, cabinetmaking workshop can also build joinery items to suit your needs whether for home or office.”

Bordeaux Construction and Bordeaux Kitchens offer obligation-free quotes.

Bordeaux Construction, 8 Aurora Place, Queanbeyan, call 6299 4642. Visit bordeauxbcm.com.au or facebook.com/ BordeauxBCM

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Showroom Hours: Mon-Fri: 9.00am to 4.00pm, Sat: 9.00am to 12pm, or by appointment

8 Aurora Place, Queanbeyan • Phone 6299 4642 • www.bordeauxbcm.com.au CityNews April 13-26, 2017 31

open garden / Holt

Emma’s garden where the children play LARGE deciduous trees frame and shade Emma Kain’s garden, where the focus is on fun and creativity for her three children, aged 10, eight and six.

“The kids love being out in the garden, and they love climbing trees, building cubbies and growing veggies – they have access to materials such as tools, timber, bricks and mesh so they can use their imagination to create whatever they like,” she says.

Emma says the liquid amber and gum trees dwarf everything in the front, but she has a combination of natives and exotic plants and vast amounts of edibles in the back, including grapes, persimmon, pomegranate, lime, mandarin, quince, apple, elderflower and plums, as well as the kids’ personal veggie patches.

This playful, productive and drought-hardy Holt garden will be open to the public for the first time through Open Gardens Canberra on the weekend of April 29-30.

With a huge “anti-aviary” protecting the veggie patch from bowerbirds, a slide from the deck, rope swings under the giant golden elm and a huge sandpit, as well as access to a public green space next door, Emma says it’s a garden for imaginative, organic play, as well as work.

“I’ve always kept busy around the kids when they’re playing outside, so they see me doing physical work and it teaches them to be busy too,” she says.

Emma says the kids love to build and

Words: Kathryn Vukovljak Photos: Maddie McGuigan create hiding places, and have built their own treehouse of sorts in the quince tree. As they’re getting older, she allows them the freedom to play in the green space next door, which she has cleared, worked on and planted over the years.

“At first, the compromise was that I’d garden while they played, so I started to clean up the weeds around the logs and rocks, and then we gradually planted bits and pieces out there, including crabapple trees and some cuttings from plants that had proved to be pretty tough.

“I grew up on a farm so we wanted the kids to have something close to that experience.”

Emma says she loves the relaxed garden, with its foliage contrast, perennials and extreme shade, even though it means they can’t grow many sun-loving plants.

“Regardless of the weather, we spend most of our time out here as a family, playing, relaxing, working or pottering, all year round,” she says.

Emma Kain... “I’ve always kept busy around the kids when they’re playing outside.”

50 Lindrum Crescent, Holt, open 10am-4pm, on Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30. Admission $8; free to under-18s and Open Gardens Canberra members. Proceeds in aid of the Orana Steiner School.

Emma will also host a compost-building workshop. More information at opengardenscanberra.org.au/join

Also open...

“Woowoolahra”, 6 London Bridge Road, Burra, NSW, 10am-4pm, on April 29-30.

A CLASSIC garden of beautifully constructed rock walls dividing “rooms” in a mature garden where lovely old trees embrace lawns and frame valley views. A 40-metre rose arbour and berry garden enclosed with espaliered fruit trees are wonderful features of this garden. Huge deciduous trees create an autumn display. Morning and afternoon tea and lunch is available in aid of the Cancer Support Group.

32 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

gardening

Beware, here’s Jack Frost!

DESPITE the warm days and nights, one thing is certain; the chances of getting caught out by a sharp, unexpected frost are very high.

With this in mind, here are a few suggestions to be ready before the frosts arrive: • When not using garden hoses, disconnect them and place them out of the weather.

• Likewise, tap timers. The body of the timer is usually full of water that, with frost, will shatter the plastic.

• The same for sprinklers used on the end of hoses.

• It’s a good idea to use foam pipe protector (available from DIY stores) for any exposed pipes up to the tap.

• Obviously, any plants in containers that may be frost sensitive to move under cover. This may simply mean moving them under the eaves or into the carport. However, remember these plants won’t be watered when it rains.

• For plants in larger containers, such as lemon trees, that are impractical to move, insert four tomato stakes in the ground around the container and make a cover of 90 per cent shadecloth or hessian. Ideally, the shadecloth can be fixed to the stakes around the sides but removable on the top. Take the top cover off during the day and cover over in the afternoon. But don’t forget, because Jack Frost won’t!

IN the general garden if you have a good-quality lawn don’t walk on it when frost is on the ground.

If there has been a heavy frost, hose it off shrubs in the morning before the sun hits the plants.

As leaves continue to fall rake them off lawns and the tops of lowgrowing hedges such as Buxus.

If left, they can encourage unwelcome diseases such as mildew and mould. The weight of leaves can kill sections of hedge.

Under no circumstances rake leaves into road gutters. In heavy

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IT’S always exciting to see new plants appearing in garden centres.

Often it’s not strictly a new plant, but a combination of crosses of existing plants that have been around for many years until a botanist or plant breeder sees the potential in developing something new.

An enormous amount of time and effort (and failures) go into the attempt to produce new plants.

To give a few examples, when Bob Cherry released his “Paradise” range of sasanqua camellias from his nursery near Gosford, he spent many weeks in China looking for rare specimens. Then began his lifetime work of crossing 25,000 plants to find the perfect specimens.

Likewise, David Austin with his English roses. He saw the potential in crossing modern roses (which flower for an extended period, but often with no fragrance) with centuries-old roses (which flower only for a short time, but with stunning fragrances).

After many years of breeding, his first rose released to the public was Rosa “Constance Spry” in 1963. With

more than 800 varieties on offer and sold around the world, his passion never stops with his son, also David, continuing the tradition.

The breeding glasshouses are completely sealed so no bees can get in to upset the pollination process and house more than 50,000 roses being assessed.

Camellia hiemalis Priscilla Rose.

SPEAKING of camellias, I found a chance seedling in our nursery in Yass in 1988. After moving to Canberra, we planted it in our garden in Watson.

Over a period of more than two years in different seasons, the Camellia Society concluded this was a new sasanqua-type camellia.

It has a long, free flowering from mid-May to late July with rose-pink, informal, semi-double flowers, which tend to stay on the bush after they are spent.

It has a low-growing, spreading weeping habit with dark-green foliage to about a metre high, growing in part shade to more sun.

I have named the new species Camellia hiemalis “Priscilla Rose” in memory of my sister who died from cancer in 2008. Proceeds from the sale of the new camellia will be donated to the Kids with Cancer Foundation with limited numbers offered for sale at the Heritage Nursery over Easter.

IT is not only large shrubs that have huge breeding programs.

Flower trials at the UK’s Royal Horticultural Society Gardens, Wisley… each plant submitted for appraisal is assessed before it can be named.

02 60416305 • www.countrydating.com.au

Herbs, perennials and annuals are all assessed for their potential by Edge breeders who can register the name ing Wall/Raised Garden u Dry Stack Retain and marketing rights.

400x400, 500x500 0, x30 300 ers Pav u One of the largest centres for assessment of plants takes place in the Royal Horticultural Society ilable A Range of Colours Ava Gardens at Wisley in England. rd and pathways u rtya Cou u me lco ts are we Each plant submitted for u Architects reques appraisal is assessed, often over several years, by a committee for me each variety of plant before they can cts requests are welco of the Year u Archite r plie Sup A MB u be named. to the Public u Wholesale Prices For example, this year’s trials include sweet peas, catmint, lavenders, poppies and potentilla 50 years along with several hundred other u Established over t Concrete Products Cas Pre u ing plants at any one time. This gives us Brick Pav u Masonry Blocks, the benefit that we can plant these with the full confidence that they ial ial & Resident e I Commerc will perform well.

Quality Servic inkpavers.com.au Naturally, it is up to us to do the ll• 62427033 • www.b 40 Dacre Street Mitche ri 7.30am-4.00pm • Sat 8am-12pm right thing in ground preparation, Opening Hours: Mon-F feeding and watering. You may say: “What have trials in Britain got to do with us here?” The answer is “everything” because many of our UK2444-V9.indd 1 24/08/2015 3:46 pm plants start off being developed and assessed in Britain.

CANBERRA’S NO. 1

Jottings...

• Plant Polyanthus and Primulas, neither are affected by frost. However, the snails love them, so use the safer-for-pets certified organic Multicrop Snail and Slug Killer.

• Compost leaves.

• Consider buying an indoor mushroom-growing kit for harvesting through winter.

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YOUR BEST NURSERY IN TOWN CityNews April 13-26, 2017 33

jumbo crossword

Solution on Page 20

ACROSS 17 Corner 18 Drenched 20 Implant 21 Enjoys 23 Fragments 24 Working boat 25 Tube 27 Hallow 29 Cinema 33 Made amends 34 Aggrieves 38 Lanterns 40 Perfect 42 Rice dish 45 Gloom 47 Found 49 Heathen 50 At no time 51 Foil-like blades 52 Where Madrid lies 53 Distributed the cards 54 Sarcastic 56 A deadly poison 58 Sacred songs 60 Edgiest 62 Long periods of time 64 Clamour 65 Aviator 66 Light wood 67 Slide 69 Cure 72 Thespian 74 Pseudonym 75 Stratagem 77 Saloon car 80 Fragrance 83 Russia (init) 85 Thrusting weapons 88 Goodbye 90 Common vipers 93 Dismay 94 Eggs 95 Previously 96 Rubbish 97 Appalling 98 Distress signal (init) 99 Rare 100 British title (init) 101 Last stop 102 Road surfaces 104 Japanese seaport 106 Pitcher 108 Malice 111 Settles 113 Brusque 117 Tidy up 120 Showering 121 Spirited horse 123 Reels 125 Immoral 126 Turn up 128 Exclamation of triumph 129 Convey 130 Dirigibles 133 Robes of office 136 Conceited person 137 Arrangement 138 Rue 139 Things 143 Renowned flu 145 Clenched fingers 147 Liquid measure (imp) 148 Speech 152 Secretly 154 Excavate 155 ... the Magician 156 Vex 34 CityNews April 13-26, 2017

158 Breeding horse 159 Fire residue 160 Extrasensory perception (init) 161 The Lion 162 Fool 163 Defraud 166 Medical institution 167 Rowing 170 Spheres 172 Chasm 175 Cricket trophy 178 Rip 180 Ascend 181 Different 182 Steeple 184 Stiff paste 185 Ecstatic 186 An outburst 187 Analgesic 188 Abide 191 Chess pieces 195 Wheat protein

198 Weightlifting item 202 Get better 205 Idiot (Scot coll) 206 Overhaul 207 Refrigerate 208 Sea duck 209 Peculiar 210 Awful things (coll) 211 Brook 212 Jostled 213 Scrap of paper 214 Thoughts 217 Long snakes 222 Prearranged events (coll) 225 All power in the state 229 Maxim 231 Romany 232 Dread 233 Life force 234 Make available 235 Keepsake 236 Sports coat

237 Encounters

DOWN 1 African river 2 Questions 3 Erstwhile 4 Leer at 5 Fasting period 6 Otherwise 7 Thick stew 8 Nose openings 9 Telegraphic message 10 Enormous 11 Blunders 12 Ran off 13 Inactive 14 Revolutions (abb) 15 Barter 16 Pour 18 Mineral spring 19 Counterfeit article (coll) 22 Atoll

26 Leave 28 Weighed down 30 Hirsute 31 Beautify 32 Graded 35 Solitary 36 Sketches 37 Wants 39 Clear 41 To the left 42 Depression 43 Unlocked 44 Abdicate 46 Intervals 47 Tiny 48 Hinders 49 Poster 55 Inuit house 57 March 15th 58 By means of 59 Secret agent 61 Shipshape

63 Oval drupe 68 Lawful 70 Otalgia 71 Visionary 73 Should 76 Worthwhile 78 Large trees 79 One who rejects one’s religion 81 Selecting 82 Memo 84 Cavalry swords 86 Manufactured goods 87 Get to 88 Animal life 89 Touches down 91 Boring tool 92 Awaken 103 Arousing pathos 104 Absent 105 Phantoms 107 Knit

109 Adolescent 110 Hearing organ 112 Holiday 113 Go-betweens 114 Animal cruelty

prevention societies (init) 115 Sugar solutions 116 Thoroughfare 118 Bloodsucking fly 119 Gold chunk 122 Run 124 Capricorn 127 Currency units 131 ... Buttrose 132 Very small amounts 134 Public speeches 135 Suitable 140 Of the kidneys 141 Senseless 142 Climbing device 144 Spirit of nature 145 Subtlety 146 Farm vehicle 147 Overcome 149 Sanity 150 More adroit 151 Coronet 153 Single-celled fungus 154 Lacklustre 157 Flying toy 158 Australian explorer 164 Banish 165 Bootmaker 168 Sticks to 169 Prompt 171 Spool for winding thread 172 Afternoon (coll) 173 Affirmations 174 Preserved with sodium chloride 175 Disembark 176 Modest 177 Box lightly 179 Eyeball covering 182 Marsh 183 Yonder (abb) 189 Injure 190 Latitude 192 Where Naples lies 193 Incubate 194 Groom feathers 196 Of late 197 Prototypes 199 Apportion 200 Increase 201 Onion-like vegetables 203 Covered walk 204 Perjuring 215 Mild oath 216 Stain 217 Cremation material 218 Cash register 219 On one occasion 220 Lean-to 221 Network 222 Weep 223 Knight’s title 224 Elevator 225 Bubbly water 226 Military 227 Wild goat 228 Lichen 229 At a distance 230 Upper limbs

puzzles page Joanne Madeline Moore

GAIL FREEMAN & CO PTY LTD

General knowledge crossword No. 589

Your week in the stars – April 17-23, 2017

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Mercury retrogrades back into your sign, from Thursday until May 3. Therefore it’s not an appropriate week to expedite tasks, initiate ideas or plough ahead with personal projects. Instead, use the time wisely to revise, research and review. Don’t rush Rams. Be patient. Pace yourself and move ahead slowly in stages. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great, financier J. P. Morgan: “Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you’ll be able to see further.”

Public servants make plans for their super

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Thank goodness Venus (your ruling planet) is now moving forwards again. So a delayed dream, a financial problem or a challenging group situation should gradually start to improve. But a close relationship will still be frustrating, as Saturn squares Venus on Friday. Trying to fix things by charging in like a wounded Bull will only make matters worse. This week you need to do your best to be decisive and diplomatic at the same time – which is an interesting juggle!

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Twins can expect a week that’s even more schizophrenic than usual! Venus is moving forwards (yeah), but your ruler Mercury is still in retrograde mode (boo).

On Thursday Mercury retrogrades from your privacy zone into your networking zone and then Mars charges into your sign on Friday. So it will be a very stop/start kind of week. Definitely one step forwards and then two steps back. So you’ll have to be super patient – not one of your natural attributes.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Cautious Crabs – you need to be firm and down-to-earth when dealing with a fractious friend or a frustrating work colleague this week. Don’t waste time sidestepping around issues. If things start to resemble a soap opera, re-state your case clearly and calmly, and then move on. A professional (or educational) project may have to be reviewed, revised – or even completely re-done. Don’t get into a stew worrying and complaining. Just put your head down and get on with it.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

A child or teenager requires extra attention and guidance, as Saturn challenges you to be more of an authority figure and less of a ‘friend.’ And Saturn also throws a wet blanket over relationships on Friday when warm displays of affection are out, to be replaced by cool criticism. Don’t let it curb your confidence or stop you from doing what you want to do. Be inspired by fellow Leo, the original celebrity chef Julia Child: “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.”

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Venus is now moving forwards so a troubled relationship should start to improve.

Although real progress won’t be made until you both learn a valuable lesson (courtesy of Saturn) on Friday. Make sure you learn quickly, and then you can move on. And Mercury (your power planet) is still retrograde (until May 3) so you’ll still have to work hard to communicate clearly and avoid confusion. When it comes to a financial partnership, double-check all the fine details.

Solution next edition

Across

Down

1 What is a place in which the dead bodies of people are exposed for identification? (6) 7 Which term describes the death of a circumscribed piece of tissue? (8) 8 Name a widely distributed plant, armed with stinging hairs. (6) 9 To be self-restrained in action or speech, is to be what? (8) 10 When failing to win, one is doing what? (6) 11 To become greater, is to do what? (8) 14 What is another term for a pillow, perhaps? (8) 18 Name a kind of Italian sausage, often flavoured with garlic. (6) 19 Which person suffers from loss of memory? (8) 21 Which blocks are used by blacksmiths? (6) 22 Name a term that relates to the Church of England. (8) 23 Name an escorting vessel to the First Fleet in 1788. (6)

1 Which term adequately describes Uluru? (8) 2 Name an architectural style, spread over West Europe from the 12th to the 16th century. (6) 3 To rouse into activity, is to do what? (8) 4 Name the fifth book in the New Testament. (4) 5 Which NW NSW town on the Darling River was formerly called Eighteen Mile Point? (6) 6 What are frogmen also called? (6) 12 Name the examinations of body parts that use a machine which produces a series of X-rays. (8) 13 Which term describes the interception of light of heavenly bodies by others? (8) 15 What is a weasel also known as? (6) 16 When one abides as a permanent resident, one does what? (6) 17 To which plant family does the shamrock belong? (6) 20 Name a small unit of length in the imperial system. (4)

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

This week your self-esteem will be a bit shaky, as Saturn squares Venus. So steer clear of criticism (in person and online); avoid letting negative self-talk drag you down; and stop worrying about all the qualities you perceive you don’t have. Be your number one fan! Confidence is the rocket fuel that will take you anywhere you want to go. As birthday entrepreneur, Victoria Beckham says “If you haven’t got it, fake it.” So your motto for the moment is “Fake it until you make it!”

Sudoku hard No. 194

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Expect a major reality check this week Scorpio, when you realise you’ve been viewing a person (or situation) through decidedly rose-coloured glasses. By the end of the week you’ll have changed your mind about a friend, lover, colleague or important issue. A close relationship or business partnership will be tested on Friday. But then love, lust or loot should gradually improve when (courtesy of mighty Mars) your sexual or financial mojo comes bounding back in spades!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians can be self-indulgent, as you enjoy the good times and go out of your way to avoid hard work. But with serious Saturn moving slowly through your sign (and squaring Venus on Friday) it’s time to accept extra responsibilities with a smile as you show others what you are really capable of. When it comes to a frustrating family problem, things will gradually improve if you choose diplomacy over drama, encouragement over criticism, and acceptance over judgement.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Many Capricorns will feel mighty crabby this week! Expect some serious discussions with work colleagues or loved ones. You’re not in the mood to be diplomatic, and others will be surprised by the intensity of your feelings (and your reluctance to compromise). But you may have to give a little in order to get a lot. Try not to be a carping critic! Avoid becoming bogged down in negatives. On the weekend, do your best to kick up your Goat heels and have some fun.

If you require any information on tax, superannuation or the new superannuation rules contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2017

6295 2844

Unit 9, 71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston

Solutions from last edition Sudoku medium No.194

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Having a positive attitude is certainly to be encouraged. But make sure you’re not adopting a ‘Pisces Pollyanna approach’ by putting your head in the sand and just avoiding real problems in your life. It’s time for Fish to face facts! And this week there is no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. So your motto for the moment is from designer Victoria Beckham (born on April 17): “I believe that if you work hard enough, then you can achieve a lot.”

Solution next edition

Crossword No. 588

Money matters finally get back on track again, as Venus powers forwards through your finance zone. But a friend or work colleague may continue to criticise your efforts, as hidden tensions bubble to the surface on Friday. Try to be diplomatic and take it in your stride. Social media could also be a minefield over the next two weeks, as Mercury reverses through your communication zone. Be very careful that you don’t send the wrong message to the wrong person!

Colleen and Murray came to my office keen to ensure they have enough for their retirement in the light of impending changes to the superannuation rules.

I asked them to characterise their current financial situation.

"We have both received an inheritance so we have additional cash. We plan to spend most of this on a new house, but we aren't sure what to do with the rest," said Colleen.

"Reviewing our superannuation seems appropriate. We are both mid-range public servants each earning $120,000 and we both have around $850,000 in PSS. "Our house is our only property and we do not want to buy an investment property. We don't have any shares. As we have both been in the Public Service for more than 10 years, we each contribute 10 per cent of our salary to superannuation. We both plan to retire in about five years, when we reach preservation age."

I thanked Colleen and reminded her and Murray that any money they contributed to superannuation was tied up until they either retired from a job after age 60 or on reaching 65.

"The new rules in relation to superannuation are a little complex, but all my comments are based on those rules," I advised them.

"Hopefully, this will not change again before you retire. Each of you can have a maximum of $1,600,000 in super from which you can draw pensions which are tax free or tax reduced.

"After you retire you can receive a pension or pensions from within this cap. While you are still contributing to super, this amount is not measured. As soon as you start to draw a pension, that pension is counted towards your cap under the new rules.

"The cap is indexed and will increase in $100,000 increments.

"The non-concessional cap is defined as the amount that you contribute to superannuation without receiving a tax deduction and is $540,000 each up until June 30 using the 3 year rule. It is $100,000 each thereafter. Special provisions exist to allow you to claim three years at a time, then nothing until the next three-year period starts.

"You also have a concessional cap which will be $25,000 annually and will also increase in line with inflation. The concessional cap consists of amounts that your employer has contributed to your fund together with any salary sacrifice contribution that you have made."

I told them the benefit of all of this was that they could use their own money to maximise up to a $1,600,000 fund and then draw a tax-free pension plus your PSS pension which will be taxed.

"If the value of your fund is higher than the maximum allowed figure when you retire you can transfer the excess into an accumulation fund," I said.

"The earnings on this fund will be taxed at 15 per cent but you can make withdrawals tax free. So it is fine to fund for an excess balance in your fund. In your situation this seems to be a good outcome."

Murray was pleased, admitting much of my advice was new to them and they would make another appointment to progress things once they'd discussed their options.

ABN 57 008 653 683

Listen to our tax tips on 2CA and 2CC (Chartered accountant, SMSF specialist advisor and Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

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