CityNews 181129

NOVEMBER 29, 2018

COLUMNISTS WITH SOMETHING TO SAY

MICHAEL MOORE

PAUL COSTIGAN

JON STANHOPE

What is it Labor’s trying to hide?

When bureaucrats fumble heritage

Time Shane shared facts we’d love to see

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NEWS / palliative care

Charity bricks help build innovative respite hub

By Danielle

NOHRA A MAJORITY of Australians with life-limiting illnesses prefer to die at home but very few (about 14 per cent) experience this final wish, according to The Grattan Institute.

In 2020 Palliative Care ACT is hoping to change this with a first-ofits-kind, non-clinical establishment called The Hub. “The Hub is part of Palliative Care ACT’s commitment to increase the number of people who wish to die at home being supported to do so,” says Palliative Care ACT president Louise Mayo.

“In Canberra we want to increase the number of people with a lifelimiting illness able to die at home surrounded by family and friends in a calm and familiar environment.”

The Hub will be a place where those with a life-limiting illness can go for a few hours or a few days.

“Our vision is for a warm, peaceful home-away-from-home,” says Louise, 49, of O’Connor.

“Knowing their loved one is being looked after by caring, experienced staff and volunteers, will mean carers can take a break to catch up on sleep,

go to their own appointments, have a coffee with friends or go away for a weekend.”

While The Hub is still in its planning stages, Louise says the concept of it will have three streams.

“One would be respite for the person with a life-limiting illness but it’s very special because the carer can come too,” she says.

The suites will be built with the carer in mind and Louise says there will be another room for the carer in case they don’t want to leave their loved one.

“People with life-limiting illnesses can stay up to seven days giving the carer a chance to attend a family event, go away for work or attend to their own personal health,” she says.

“The Hub will also have a day respite program. And the third part is we will be able to provide opportunities for carers to meet other carers and get support.”

Louise says The Hub will be a source of information about all the support services available for managing endof-life care at home and provide carers with a place to talk to others sharing the same experience.

The Grattan Institute’s report titled “Dying Well” reveals Australians die at home at half the rate that people do in NZ, Ireland, France and the US. “The way we’re designing the model of care is we want to be able to share it

INDEX Arts & Entertainment 19-21 Cinema 20 Crossword 23 Dining / Wine 21 Gardening 22 Horoscopes 23 Letters 11 News 3-12 Politics 6 Social photos 18

Palliative Care ACT president Louise Mayo with one of the charity’s fundraising bricks.

Photo by Danielle Nohra across the Australian community and more broadly internationally.

“For the carer, it’s going to address that issue of potential isolation and support fatigue.

“For the person wishing to die at home, it’ll increase their chances of being able to do so.

“Our hospital system is under pressure and this will also be able to help alleviate some of that pressure in the system.”

While the location of The Hub is still not finalised, Palliative Care ACT is hoping for it to be in a community setting so people can have access to bus

services and shops.

Louise says Palliative Care ACT has undertaken significant research in developing The Hub concept, and is engaging with the ACT and Commonwealth health departments, the ACT community and business sector, and the local and interstate palliative care community in developing its vision.

“One of the major challenges for us is to secure ongoing funding,” she says.

“We’re looking at financial models to be able to source and secure ongoing funding, which will also include patients’ contribution.”

Palliative Care ACT has already raised more than $100,000 at its annual dinner but is still looking for people to buy “bricks” or “brick coin” to see, at the very least, the first sod turned at a site during 2020.

“The John James Foundation has also given us a grant which will take us through to the final planning stages and just prior to the construction phase,” Louise says.

“It takes a tremendous commitment to look after someone who is dying.

“Without a break, families can hit a crisis point where they can’t cope any more and their loved one ends up in hospital – a place they’ve expressly chosen not to be and in a system under increasing pressure.”

To buy a brick visit pallcareact.org.au/ the-hub

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SEVEN DAYS

Winchester murder mystery lingers on AN impending dust storm of biblical proportions couldn’t compete with the “Eastman not guilty” headline.

While the stunning ACT Supreme Court jury verdict moved the long-running saga into new territory, it frustratingly failed to provide either clarity or closure.

The gripping tale began with the 1989 murder of AFP Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester at his suburban Canberra home. Public servant David Harold Eastman was charged with the assassination and eventually found guilty, serving 19 years in prison before his conviction was quashed in 2014. So who did kill Colin Winchester?

ANOTHER often shocking Canberra news staple is headed towards a happy and positive ending. Troubled NRL star Todd Carney may have found peace and a clear path ahead. The 2010 Dally M winner who debuted for the Raiders in 2004 says he has “no regrets” and is looking forward to “putting something back into the game”, mentoring youngsters as 2019 captain-coach of the Byron Bay Red Devils. Launching a new chapter in his life the 32-year-old made a plausible but naive attempt at setting the record straight: “Yeah, I’ve done some stupid things but I’ve never hurt anyone”.

STILL on headlines, the much maligned “Canberra Bubble” may have missed out on winning a prestigious Walkley award. The “Daily Telegraph’s” gong for Scoop of the Year for its front page “Bundle of Joyce” expose of Barnaby Joyce’s extra-curricular activities has been widely mocked on social media. One tweet by @Vic_Rollison summed it up: “What a joke. Daily Tele get award for ‘Scoop’ they reported months after Canberra Bubble knew, after PM held crisis meetings to stop it getting out before by-election, after social/indie media reported and after daughter used megaphone down main

BRIEFLY

such a concept will no doubt be quickly rubber stamped.

STILL in the hipster hood, one of brewer Bentspoke’s best beers is gaining a serious reputation. The Barley Griffin Pale Ale impressed the judges of the prestigious Peter Lalor Top 20 beers, who bizarrely invoked parliamentary jargon to describe it as: “Not a power-crazed party leader yelling from the dispatch box or a backbencher nursing a grudge and a knife”.

The panel diplomatically proclaimed the BG had a texture more suited to a “civil servant devoted to good public policy”.

SPECULATION following the rating that Bentspoke’s boffins are busily brewing up a range of parliamentary themed beers has been downplayed. We hear of a “Barnaby Brewsky” – a full-bodied beer with the nostalgic nose and silty viscosity of The “Rainbow City”... Mike Welsh looked beyond the a ‘70s home (wrecker) brew. The BB is promoted as a perfect aspirations of Braddon traders to capture this lovely shot companion for the uncomplicated palate of an awkward from our days of weird weather.

Akubra-wearing Aussie bloke. And the “Malcolm Bitter” street. A SCOOP! Hilarious” (MB), a sophisticated and dark beer brewed over years of disappointment is said to be perfect for drinking alone.

BUT for the artistic eye of a former “Canberra Times” editor carrying out his daily ablutions, “Pickering’s Playmates” STUDENTS from a Canberra school are among the nation’s calendars featuring naked pollies may never have adorned the best at a sport we are not traditionally known for. Good Shepherd dunnie doors of a disrespectful nation. The story goes that Larry Primary School at Amaroo has come Pickering, a proofreader at the paper, was “discovered” after his away from the National Cheer work, posted on the inside of a toilet door, impressed the editor Competition as the best team in their John Allen. Pickering died of cancer last week at the age of 76. category in the country. The school’s 13-member 5/6 squad travelled to OXFORD Street, Sydney, has been put on notice: Lonsdale the Gold Coast competition, which Street, Canberra, is the new kid on the block. hosted 12,000 competitors and Sydney’s reign of hosting the nation’s gayest parade may 1800 teams. soon be over. Braddon traders have lobbied the Barr government for next year’s YesFest to become a Mardi Gras. In the Rainbow City

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POLITICS / arrogance or fear?

What is it that Labor’s trying to hide?

IS it simply an arrogant government?

Or fear of being held to account? Or stupidity? What could ACT Labor want to hide?

The government has made all the right noises on the release of the draft “Integrity Commission Bill”. However, Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s government seems intent on castrating the intent of the legislation and the power of the commissioner.

Emasculating an integrity commission says more about the approach of the Barr government than any mismanagement or bullying of the past. It is unconscionable. The rhetoric on the government website is as positive as the election messages describing the commission as “an independent body that will have the power to investigate corruption in public administration and strengthen public confidence in government integrity”.

However, the Assembly committee’s unanimous view is: “The legislation be examined to ensure that it incorporates the full extent of the NSW definition of corrupt conduct, as reflected in the Bill, but maintain the focus on ‘serious corrupt conduct’ and ‘systemic corrupt conduct’.”

The government argues the difference is because NSW is not a “human rights jurisdiction”. Apparently, the power to investigate public servants and politicians raises more human rights issues than investigation of misconduct by others.

Emasculating an integrity commission says more about the approach of the Barr government than any mismanagement or bullying of the past. It is unconscionable.

The decision to reject this key recommendation flies in the face of community concerns. Demands for an integrity commission leading to the last election were largely about: planning issues, the Labor Party and poker machines, and the influence of donations on political parties.

Politicians and public servants! In rejecting the definition used by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, Daniel Burdon of “The Canberra Times” argues the action “exempts ‘misconduct’ by public servants and politicians”. The irony is the proposal to create this exemption, in itself, simply lacks integrity.

Andrew Barr argues that public servants can already be investigated by the Public Sector Standards Commissioner.

He has also announced a move to ban donations from developers, a strategic political move, likely to have a stronger impact on the Canberra Liberals than on Labor. It is important that the draft bill has included mandatory reporting of corrupt behaviour or misconduct by senior public servants, the leader of the opposition, ministers and their key staff.

Before the 2016 election, planning provided strong motivation behind community calls for the commission. These were reinforced when Greens’ leader Shane Rattenbury identified the specific land-swap deal between the government and the Tradies Club in Dickson as a “prime candidate” for inquiry.

Additionally, the proliferation of high-density buildings that, on face value, are well outside normal planning envelopes is also a prime candidate.

An integrity commission should be able to clear the air when there is no misconduct or, where corruption is identified, suggest systemic solutions and recommend prosecutions.

The issue of the relationship between political donations and inappropriate influence has effectively been admitted first in NSW and now the promise of the Barr government to ban donations from property developers. No doubt they will argue that this is more about perception than reality.

However, the evidence is clear from

democratic systems around the world that political donations are (as I wrote in this column last week) a cancer on democracy.

The damage to a percentage of gamblers associated with poker machines is well recorded. An integrity commission ought to be able to identify the level of conflict of interest and any integrity issue involved in making decisions about poker-machine policy while taking money to ensure re-election. Another prime candidate for investigation by an unfettered integrity commission.

Although proposed by the government, the legislation is in the hands of the Assembly. The Greens and Liberals have been heavily engaged on the Assembly committee examining the issue that recommended the definition of corruption align with NSW. The responsibility of responding to community demands now falls on the non-government members of the Assembly (as well as any government members with the courage to cross the floor).

They can, and should, move appropriate amendments to reject the government’s unconscionable position.

BRIEFLY Drone enquiry wants input from community JEREMY Hanson, chair of the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Economic Development and Tourism is calling for submissions to Jeremy Hanson. its inquiry into drone delivery systems in the ACT. “The trial of drone deliveries in Bonython will end shortly and Project Wing, the company running the trial, has announced that it intends to begin deliveries to the suburbs around Mitchell,” he said.

“The Assembly has asked the committee to look at a number of aspects of the trial, including the economic impact on the Territory, the environmental impact on residents and animals, regulatory oversight of the drones and information privacy.”

He said the committee wanted to hear from all parties involved in, or affected by the trial, including residents, companies and regulators.”

Written submissions should be lodged by close of business on February 22. This will be followed by public hearings. Information or to lodge a submission call 6205 0129 or email LACommitteeEDT@parliament. act.gov.au

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CANBERRA MATTERS

When the bureaucracy fumbles with heritage SOMETIMES Canberra residents or developers fight a heritage decision for the wrong reasons, such as to destroy landscapes or buildings that are important to the city’s history.

Then there are stories where the resident is attempting to get it right. Here’s one such story. It is a case study of bureaucrats doing an important task but not keeping an eye on the unfortunate results.

This property is in Griffith opposite the Manuka shops and is one of those heritage-listed, double-storey buildings that line the edges of the shopping centre. Most, but not all, of these are now used for businesses.

The owner was concerned for the footpath areas. These are included in the heritage listing with his building.

He has no problem with this heritage classification. The problems are with the listing’s administration.

The concreted pathway is in good order.

The problems are that it is narrow and too close to the hedges. It is difficult for people to walk together

As with other cases like this, the bureaucracy fails to see the logic and ignores the consequences of their stupidity. A site visit would inform anyone of the issues... and impossible for pedestrians to pass in opposite directions without stepping on to what should be lawn. It isn’t lawn. It is mainly dirt – or mud when it rains.

The owner tried to replace the mess with gravel. Nope! That would not be heritage. So we have dirt and some weeds. Heritage dirt?

To make matters worse for the owner, the shade from a footpath tree provides an escape from the sun for smokers. Given the area’s shabbiness, smokers feel free to leave piles of butts for someone else to deal with.

The owner needs to get it cleaned up almost weekly.

Some new footpath trees were suffering because they had been planted in dry-earth areas and then left to survive. The owner installed catchment areas with borders using his own bricks and mulch to catch any water. These young trees are now in better condition.

Workers replaced a concrete top to a service main (possible gas) and added

their own touch to the area by leaving a pile of rubble despite promises that it would be removed. And then there is a series of metal covers over a deep hole containing all manner of infrastructure. Recent work has left one plate missing with a flimsy piece of wood and orange cone that only partially cover the hole. Late-night wanderers may be in for a dangerous surprise.

The footpath area, while deemed heritage, is a mess. The owner would like it to be otherwise. Efforts to have things improved have been thwarted by well-meaning heritage bureaucrats. It would take a site visit to see how their efforts and those of other public functionaries have got this so wrong.

This property owner shares a fence line with his neighbouring owner that includes a dominant and aged large pine tree. The base has deteriorated to the extent that it is in danger of coming down. That will mean extensive damage to property and cars in the driveway. The occasional branch falls and the root system is suspected of doing its thing with nearby walls – cracks here and there.

The “heritage” footpath in Manuka… It is mainly dirt – or mud when it rains.

Photo by Paul Costigan The joint owners would like to have the tree removed and replaced with more friendly trees or shrubs.

But alas, this huge deteriorating tree is deemed to be significant. To the owners the significance is about the potential significant damage to people or buildings. The insurance companies see the problem and will not provide insurance that involves harm from that monster.

As with other cases like this, the bureaucracy fails to see the logic and ignores the consequences of their stupidity. A site visit would inform

anyone of the issues and see the logic of working with the owner to have replacement greenery before someone gets hurt.

Heritage remains very important but decisions should be based on obvious evidence as well as intelligence and common sense. Sadly this case study is not so unusual in Canberra.

Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters.

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OPINION

It’s time Shane shared facts we’d all love to see IN the “City News” of August 8, I wrote about the failure to establish a needle-exchange program in the Alexander Maconochie Centre and of attempts by the Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury to deflect responsibility for those failings on to others, including me.

I noted that in “The Canberra Times” of April 20 Rattenbury’s office was quoted as saying: “When the AMC opened, the minister responsible, Jon Stanhope, provided a veto power to the CPSU (and) subsequent ministers have been hamstrung since that time.”

I did no such thing. I agreed to consult the CPSU, the union that represents prison staff, on whether to introduce a needle program and then on how, but not whether, it would be implemented.

Following the minister’s allegations, I lodged an FOI request in which I sought all documents in the possession of the ACT government in relation to the matter. The documents released proved conclusively that I had never granted a “veto power” to the CPSU. The most telling of the documents was a minute dated May 17, 2018, ie it was written after “The Canberra Times” report mentioned above, from Mr Robert Gotts, a highly regarded senior officer within the ACT government in which he said: “I was responsible for the negotiation of that

Minister Rattenbury should explain why his government apparently breached the FOI Act, on two separate occasions, by failing to release the decision of Fair Work Australia to me. enterprise agreement… my memory of this accords with Mr Stanhope’s.

The clause was only to consult on the issue of a needle exchange, there was no right of veto.”

In light of the clear inconsistency between the FOI documents released to me and Minister Rattenbury’s statement “The Canberra Times” asked him to clarify his claim that I had granted a power of veto to the CPSU. He responded to the paper by saying: “Given the union took the issue to Fair Work Australia, and it had decided the relevant clause in the agreement did give such a power to the union, Mr Stanhope’s efforts to re-write history did not cut it. Mr Stanhope did not have a leg to stand on on the issue, given the FWA ruling, and the wording of the clause had hampered subsequent corrections ministers’.”

These comments surprised me.

Firstly, that Rattenbury chose to completely ignore the fact that earlier this year Robert Gotts, the senior ACT public servant who had negotiated the agreement, confirmed that it did not contain a right of veto. Secondly,

that none of the documents released by his department to me under the FOI ACT included any reference to the existence of a Fair Work Australia (FWA) decision on the matter let alone a copy of any decision, transcript or correspondence relating to any such decision.

I consequently lodged a further request under the FOI Act in which I explicitly sought from the ACT government a copy of the documents relied on by the minister in his statements to “The Canberra Times”. I also contacted FWA. On September 24, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate responded to the FOI request. None of the documents released to me by the directorate pursuant to the request refer to the existence of a hearing before FWA or of a transcript of any such hearing, let alone a decision or ruling.

On September 27, I received a letter from FWA in which it advised that it was unable to locate any decision or ruling by it, or transcript of any hearing relating to an enterprise agreement relevant to the operation of

a needle program in the AMC. A document was released by Justice and Community Safety which noted that a conference before FWA was listed for August 24, 2012, over a year after I retired as chief minister, but that the issues proposed to be raised were resolved before the conference.

However, in the next day’s edition of “The Canberra Times” Chief Minister Katy Gallagher outlined the ACT government position on the enterprise agreement vis a vis that of the CPSU in the following terms: “They read it one way, I read it that we need to talk to them and reach agreement about implementation of a model. Not whether you actually have a model but how it’s implemented”.

On September 17, 2014, over three years after I retired, Ms Gallagher reiterated the opinion she had previously expressed on this issue in an interview on the ABC. She also said that the government had received legal advice that the clause under consideration could simply be removed from the agreement.

The government has not released correspondence to the CPSU generated after the proposed conference or identified the legal advice referred

to by the Chief Minister, and I have lodged a request with the ombudsman for a review of those decisions.

I respectfully suggest to the Minister that, in light of the advice from Fair Work Australia and the outcome of the two FOI requests referenced above, in order to put this matter to rest he publicly release the decision of FWA which he claims granted the CPSU a veto over the establishment of a needle program in the AMC. We would all love to see it.

The Minister may, if indeed he is in possession of a decision by FWA on the matter, wish to provide a copy of it to FWA for its records and to also explain why his government apparently breached the FOI Act, on two separate occasions, by failing to provide it to me.

Jon Stanhope was chief minister from 2001 to 2011 and represented Ginninderra for the Labor Party from 1998. He is the only chief minister to have governed with a majority in the Assembly.

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CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 9

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Do low-GI foods help with weight loss?

LOW GI diets are not effective as an intervention for overweight and obese people with diabetes, according to researcher Dr Kerry Mills.

In her recent study Dr Mills, an adjunct professional associate at the University of Canberra, questioned whether low glycaemic index (GI) diets reduce body weight or markers of blood glucose in children, adolescents or adults.

The research published in “Obesity Reviews” challenges the theory behind a low-GI diet, which is that if a person eats low-GI foods, for example lentils, they feel fuller for longer, do not get hungry as quickly, and therefore do not eat as much.

“To test the hypothesis, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing low-GI diets with other diet types,” Dr Mills says.

The analysis included 101 studies involving more than 8500 participants and looked at groups within the overall cohort such as the type of control diet, blood glucose control, baseline body mass index (BMI) and dietary GI. The study found that a low-GI diet had limited effect, except in people with normal blood-glucose levels, in whom moderate weight loss was recorded.

“Low-GI diets, especially those achieving a substantial decrease in GI, were moderately effective in lowering body weight,” Dr Mills says.

“This suggests, however, that in these studies the participants strictly followed the diet.”

The study showed that low-GI diets had no

The research challenges the theory behind a lowGI diet that if, for example, a person eats lentils they feel fuller for longer and don’t eat as much. effect on weight loss in those participants who had a compromised insulin system or impaired glucose tolerance, or type 2 diabetes.

Dr Mills says this surprising result may be a consequence of the fact that people with impaired insulin sensitivity continue to feel hungry even when their blood insulin levels are high – a situation that would normally lead to a feeling of being satisfied.

“It is clear from the study that a low-GI diet is not effective in the case of obesity or overweight where type 2 diabetes is present, drawing the conclusion that it is not an effective solution for weight loss in these patients,” Dr Mills says.

Dr Mills says doctors should consider the presence of diabetes when recommending weight-loss programs, and that dietary change should not take place without professional advice.

GRUMPY / speed-hump hell BRIEFLY Manuka’s becoming New chamber CEO a no-go zone Grumpy reader NASIS ELLIS wonders if the Barr government has gone too far with its deals with the developers I’M always interested to read Paul Costigan’s “Canberra Matters” column, where he makes astute observations on how this once top-rated city has gone awry.

There has been much commentary on the ACT government’s obsession with multi-storey developments to raise revenue, where little-to-no consideration is given to the increased traffic burden and need for more parking for residents and visitors.

So I was grumpy when I recently read that a seven-storey hotel has approval to go ahead in Manuka.

My immediate thought was how the heck will the already congested surrounding roads support such a monstrosity in the middle of a small suburban centre. Has the ACT government considered how detrimental this development would be to the local area? With the increased traffic chaos this would inevitably bring to the area you can say goodbye to terms such as “boutique” and “upmarket” for Manuka, which has defined it from as far back as the ‘50s when my

father first came here and during the late ‘70s when my parents owned and ran a trendy little café in the middle of Style Arcade.

Traffic was certainly a lot less congested in those days. Not only because there were fewer people, but usually there would only be one car per household and kids, including me, walked to school. Consider also the government’s ridiculous trend to restrict suburban traffic by installing speed humps, traffic islands and lane separations designed to funnel traffic into single file, which has a net effect of paralysing flow to a snail’s pace and creating street-long queues.

This has already affected traffic flow in and around Manuka, where on most mornings parents trying to drop their children off to the Telopea Park School are faced with frustrating queues and extended delays.

Has the Barr government gone too far with its deals with the developers? A project of this magnitude coupled with the already ridiculous traffic-island “obstacle course” would effectively make Manuka a no-go zone.

DR Michael Schaper is the new CEO of the Canberra Business Chamber.

He replaces Robyn Hendry, who left in September after four years at the helm. Dr Schaper is a former deputy chair at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and has also served as the ACT’s inaugural small business commissioner.

Concert for seniors THE theme of this year’s Rotary Club of Canberra’s annual seniors concert is “The Gift of Song”.

The free concert will be held at Albert Hall, 2pm-4pm, on Sunday, December 9. Individuals who would like to attend should register with the Council on the Ageing on 6282 3777 by Tuesday, December 4, for transport and for catering purposes. Afternoon tea is prepared and served by Rotarians and their families at the end of the performance.

Art of the north NORTHSIDE Community Service is hosting “Gungahlin Impressions”, a community-based event by local artists on show at Common Ground, 130 The Valley Avenue, Gungahlin, from its all-welcome opening at 5.30pm on Thursday, December 13 and every weekday from noon-3pm until December 20.

LETTERS

Write to us at letters@citynews.com.au

Dismayed community snubbed over Dickson block PAUL Costigan’s astute observations about the devaluing of community inputs to ACT government consultation processes would strike a loud chord with many who attended the recent “design” workshop on the revitalisation of Section 72 in Dickson (“What a mess, time for a new planning minister”, CN, November 15).

Contributors were highly dismayed to discover that months of well-documented community needs, ideas, suggestions and rationales for these were not reflected in a draft preliminary plan for that area’s regeneration.

Surrounded by a sea of concrete and bitumen, the current components of the Section 72 community precinct are highly valued and sit next to spaces that offer much potential for further community and cultural development.

Community inputs have looked towards the creation of an appealing, transformative and well-landscaped activity-based “oasis”, offering much needed integrated green and well-vegetated spaces and complementary community and cultural assets for use by a broad range of inner-north residents, other Canberrans and visitors from outside the ACT. Yet the draft plans focus on stuffing in as many blocks of 3-6 storey residential buildings as the spare spaces will allow.

At this rate, by the time the next ACT election rolls around, the compounding failure of government ministers, planners and associated directorates to acknowledge and act on the need to deliver high-quality integrated assets for broader community use will be even more evident in Dickson and its surrounding suburbs as more and more land is simply handed over for residential intensification and little else. It will

dose of dorin

unconnected ACTPS and faceless, nameless party hack politicians mean that the ordinary Canberrans have Buckley’s of being heard!

Julie McCarron-Benson, via email

Less parking at Jolimont

be too late for the incumbent government to back pedal then.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Name names, Mr Costigan I READ Peter Costigan’s column (“What a mess, time for a new planning minister”, CN, November 15) with interest, and could I suggest that it would have more impact if he actually named these “lame” government ministers as most of the general public don’t even know who they are to put more focus on their inept representation?

Keep up the good work with your scrutiny of these numb nuts.

Ian Handberg, via citynews.com.au

Buckley’s chance of being heard THE poor old ACT has not been best served by its bureaucrats since the first lot we inherited from the Federal government (“The Minister, the bureaucrats and the donkeys”, Paul Costigan column, CN, November 22).

The portfolio for responsibility for the ACT was at the bottom of the prestige pile of Federal government departments. Their disdain for Canberrans, the citizens who were paying their salaries, was legendary. Not much has changed except where we once knew who our politicians were has changed. An

AS a regular who assists by dropping off and picking up friends travelling by coach, I am well acquainted with the chronic, limited short-term parking near to the Jolimont bus terminal.

Now the planners have gone one step further in their absurdity by converting sensible and highly popular five-minute parking in Alinga Street outside the post office to a bus stop. The congestion on Northbourne Avenue created by taxis and those trying to drop off and pick up passengers is a disgrace in a modern city and is causing frustration and risk.

Why can’t the city planners and managers see the stupidity of not providing reasonable and safe short-term parking for this essential need at Jolimont? And why another bus stop at this critical location when we have them everywhere?

Colin Dennett, via email

Can’t agree with Macklin I CANNOT agree with Robert Macklin’s assessment (“’Four Corners’ falls short of high ideals” CN, November 22).

The program was a very timely and informative account of a matter of public importance. I agree that the statement

about Sally Neighbour was left hanging.

I suspect that spending more time on explaining Jetstream may have taken the program in a different direction.

Geoff Robertson, Ngunnawal

Farmers should be warned MATTHEW Cossey, CEO of CropLife Australia, would of course trump glyphosate as “safe” (CN, letters, November 15).

What he failed to emit is that in March 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic in humans”. This was recently outlined in the “Four Corners” report, “The Monsanto Papers”.

The general population will have little effects, however farmers and gardeners who use it day in and out should be warned of its ill effects.

It is well-publicised that Dewayne Johnson, former school groundskeeper from the US won a $289m award after alleging that his exposure to the weedkiller gave him cancer. During the trial, the first of its kind, the 46-year-old also alleged that Monsanto had failed to warn him of the risks of using its product.

The general public need only look back in history where we were told the likes of tobacco and asbestos were “safe”.

Lisa Cheeseman, via email

CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 11

NEWS FEATURE / yoga

No sweat, it’s all about the power of pure yoga Each year Canberra celebrates International Day of Yoga with a mass yoga session in Albert Hall.

So, how big a deal is it in India? DANIELLE NOHRA went to the birthplace of yoga to find out...

“IT’s in our blood,” said a man at the airport in Delhi as I waited to check my bag in for a flight to Pune (pronounced poona).

I had just taken part in the International Day of Yoga in the birthplace of yoga and wondered: “Does everyone else?”

“Is the day a big ‘thing’ here?”

But yoga, as the man suggested, isn’t big in the sense that it’s not popular in India (it definitely is), it’s just a normal, in fact, an “integral part of life”.

Which became obvious as I watched the calm of yoga, ashrams and higher consciousness, weave through the chaos of bright colours, car horns, traffic and people naturally, almost destabilising the contrast associated with calm and chaos.

And I found myself also weaving in and out of these states.

Once in Pune, the second largest city in the Indian state of Maharashtra (after Mumbai), the bus, alongside cars and bikes, impatiently edged forward before turning on to a more “quiet” road.

We were an hour late (“Indian

stretched time”) but we were finally in Lonavla, about 60 kilometres west of the city.

There, in amongst the green of draping trees and yellow and red of the buildings, is Kaivalyadham, one of the oldest yoga institutes in the world, which also offers healing programs.

One of its main healing tools used at Kaivalyadham is yoga but unlike much of western yoga incorporating asanas (poses) such as down dog this yoga is not the westernised sweaty transfusion of poses.

Regarded as “pure yoga”, this institute teaches its students how to enter the “highest state of consciousness” or self realisation.

“It’s yoga in its most traditional form mixed with science,” says yoga teacher Anukool Deval.

“We see yoga in various forms in the world but Kaivalyadham teaches a classical form of yoga.”

Looking at the classical texts of yoga, a penniless yogi, Swami Kuvalayananda, started scientific research into yoga in 1924.

He had personally experienced profound transformative effects

International Day of Yoga at Qutub Minar Complex. of yoga, and wished to validate his experiences through the scientific lens of the early twentieth century.

He wanted to prove to the world that the ancient practice of yoga was not just mystical, or simply a belief, but that it really worked.

And he did.

His tireless work over decades generated a lot of interest in the universities of the west.

His work was published in many journals and gradually, over many years, the practices of yoga gained some credibility.

Kaivalyadham... one of the oldest yoga institutes in the world.

Photos by Danielle Nohra

“There’s more of yoga and yoga and yoga, everywhere, but unfortunately not each and every yoga is scientifically identified,” says Anukool.

Through its ongoing research the Kaivalyadham institute continues to look at yoga through a scientific lens and is currently studying areas such as the impact of yoga on children with disabilities.

“Yoga is good for the mind. It’s all about mind through bodies,” he says.

“When we can calm the mind through body, then we can reach a higher self.

“It’s all about being in that state of posture and being aware of body.

“It’s all about the nervous system and brain activity [and] we’re trying our best to keep yoga in its traditional form.”

But no matter what type of yoga is done, “it is a gift to the world”, said a woman who spoke on the International Day of Yoga, and although it was mainly in a foreign language, she said movement is universal.

The author travelled as a guest of the Indian government.

finditinmitchell.com.au Pure Gelato Raven Waves

12 CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

AHC Studios

P&K Joinery Jindebah Coffee Hadrill Accounting

Bentspoke Brewery

CHRISTMAS GIVING

advertising feature

Don’t panic, there is still time to get organised Mike offers the gift of a Christmas emporium THE Christmas countdown has begun, making it time to get the Christmas tree out and decorate the house, says the Christmas Emporium owner Mike.

And, the best place to get decorations or a Christmas tree is at the Christmas Emporium, which Mike says is unlike any other Christmas shop.

“It doesn’t have all the flashing lights and cheesiness that we have come to expect from pop-up Christmas shops,” he says.

“It’s a pleasant and lovely place to browse, shop and feel the spirit of Christmas.”

The Christmas Emporium also has a range of “boutique” items from London.

“If you look up the meaning for emporium, we are exactly that. We’re a department store for Christmas,” Mike says.

“We have had lights, trees and decorations arrive by the pallet over the last week.”

WITH the days slipping away and about three weeks until Christmas, there’s no avoiding it, it’s time to get some serious shopping done.

In this special, seasonal feature, “CityNews” has sourced a variety of inspiring and different gift ideas to take away some of the stress from hunting for that perfect present…

Hang Ups Framing and Christmas Emporium, corner Kembla and Gladstone Streets, Fyshwick. Call 6280 0312 or email info@hangups.com.au

David offers the gift of getting outdoors

Dinah offers the gift of a great garden DINAH Meagher, of Canberra Gardens, is offering the gift of opportunities this Christmas with her discounted landscape consultation gift cards.

Dinah, who has specialised in garden design for more than 25 years, says she can open people up to the options of what their spaces could be.

“The spaces we have are really a reflection of who we are,” she says.

“It gives us a sense of belonging and increases the scope of how we live in our own property.

“It’s an expression of how a client can connect with nature and their gardens.”

Dinah can customise options to suit budgets and styles whether it’s the transformation of a garden or a courtyard.

“It’s a feel-good experience,” she says.

“I work with the clients so everybody has a garden that suits them.

“The consultation is really an overview of what the possibilities are and then if they decide they want to transform their space, I can provide them with a garden that they love.”

Call 0422 628190 or visit canberragardens.com.au

SPECIAL OFFER

Gift a garden consultation with Dinah Meagher for $150.00 SAVE $30 Offer ends 31/12/18

Dinah Meagher of Canberra Gardens.

WHY not give the gift of getting outdoors, says Cookies Cycles owner David Cook, who has a huge range of bikes, scooters, skateboards and accessories.

David, who started the family-run business about three years ago, says he has Canberra’s largest range of street and park scooters.

“The beauty of a bike or a scooter is you get your kids outdoors in the fresh air,” he says.

“We have more than 80 different scooters on the floor.

“Scooters are popular among kids at the moment and they’re an affordable Christmas present – starting from $120.”

But customers don’t have to buy an item outright and David says he offers the option to lay-by so people can secure their Christmas presents. Or, there’s also the option of a gift voucher so whoever receives the present can choose something for themselves.

Not just big on scooters, Cookies Cycles also has a second division of the shop titled Canberra Electric Bikes,

Fall in love with where you live For bookings and enquiries email info@canberragardens.com.au or call Dinah 0422 628 190.

which, David says is Canberra’s largest range of electric bikes to choose from.

Located inside Cookies Cycles in Franklin, David says he has about 15 types of models on the floor, which include folding bikes, mountain bikes and commuting bikes, ranging in price from $1500 to $5000.

Cookies Cycles, 227 Flemington Road, Franklin. Call 6242 0338, email shop@cookiescycles.com.au or visit cookiescycles.com.au

BIKES & SCOOTERS SALES & REPAIRS

CANBERRA’S LARGEST RANGE OF SCOOTERS FOR STREET & PARK 227 Flemington Road, Franklin 6242 0338 “Come in and test ride from our impressive range!”

canberragardens.com.au

landscape architect

canberraelectricbikes.com.au CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 13

CHRISTMAS GIVING

advertising feature Lilitu offers the gift of spiritual products THE Crystal Chalice, which has been in Ginninderra Village, Gold Creek, for nearly 14 years, is Canberra’s premier pagan, wiccan and new-age shop, says owner Lilitu Babalon.

“We have a brilliant selection of books – of course, our pagan, occult and metaphysical books are our favourites, and we have the best selection in Canberra, both new and used,” she says.

“We also have a wide range of Pagan CDs including Wendy Rule, Fiona Horne, Caiseal Mór and many from overseas, as well as a large selection of new-age music, meditation and teaching CDs.” The Crystal Chalice also keeps a large stock of statues, fairies, dragons, altar pieces, gods and goddesses, Dia de los Muertos figures, and incenses.

“We have the largest and best range of crystals in Canberra with well over 500 different types of stones and stock around 200 tarot and oracle decks at any one time,”

she says.

“Whatever you’re looking for in spiritual products, if we don’t have it in stock, we’ll get it for you.”

In the lead up to Christmas the Crystal Chalice will be holding a pop-up shop outside of Woolworths at Gungahlin Marketplace from December 3-9.

The Crystal Chalice, Shop 1, Ginninderra Village, 11 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 6241 0799 or visit lilitu.com.au

Therma Quilts offers the gift of comfort Cathie’s markets offer the gift of gifts!

RUNNING over two days, Canberra’s most established and biggest Christmas markets, Canberra Christmas Markets, will get anyone into the holiday spirit, says co-founder Cathie Wall.

Located in the Fitzroy Pavilion at EPIC, Canberra Christmas Markets will feature more than 1750 square metres of shopping on December 8 and 9 from 9am to 3pm.

Run by The Canberra Markets, which also run the Canberra Fashion Market, Canberra Kids Market and Three Sixty Fashion Market, Cathie promises a range of artisan and handmade products.

“Stallholders sell handmade, artisan and other new products [such as] decorations, stocking fillers,

n u f e v e i n o t y s r Fe r eve fo Decorations Gifts

Fashion Jewellery

gifts, fashion, jewellery, pressies for pets; Christmas puddings, speciality preserves, festive food,” she says.

“Set in a true festive setting [there’s] something for everyone and all ages.”

And it’s indoors, so there’s no need to worry about the weather.

Only minutes from the city, with free entry and free parking, Cathie can assure visitors will get into the Christmas spirit with these great Christmas markets.

Canberra Christmas Markets, Fitzroy Pavilion, Exhibition Park, corner of Flemington Road and Northbourne Avenue, 9am-5pm, December 8 and 9. Visit canberramarkets.net.au

THERE’s no better gift than the gift of comfort, says Therma Quilts, which keeps its customers’ quilts and pillows fresh, fluffy and cool in the summer with regular servicing.

“It’s the gift of comfort,” the owner says.

“It’s something you use regularly so unlike other gifts this will get a lot of good usage.

“And, whether it’s a pillow or a quilt, it can be adjusted as needed.”

Therma Quilts 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 customer’s needs and provide a top-up service when quilts and pillows show signs of wear or loss of warmth and fluffiness.

“Over time, this build-up dampens the down, which causes it to lose its thermal resistance,” she says.

“In addition, if your quilt is not warm enough or too warm, we are able to adjust it to your requirements.”

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.

Therma Quilts, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell.

Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au

8-9 December

9am to 3pm Free entry Free parking Fitzroy Pavilion, EPIC

Pressies for pets Stocking fillers

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

THE CRYSTAL CHALICE

Gingerbread

www.lilitu.com.au • Call today 6241 0799 •

Christmas puddings Specialty preserves Festive food

More than 1,750 sqm of shopping www.canberramarkets.net.au

14 CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

Shop 1, GinniNderra Village • 11 O’haNlon Place, Nicholls, Gold Creek Village

lilitus

For Trees, Ornaments and all things C hristmas

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at

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SUMMER GETAWAYS

advertising feature

Holiday time looms, here are some temptations IT’S almost time to relax, celebrate and enjoy a well-deserved summer getaway.

And while the coast remains a holiday favourite for many Canberrans, the addition of international flights leaving Canberra Airport in 2016 adds more destination choice and more holiday opportunities.

So whether it’s a short weekend away at the coast, or a week of exploring in a foreign country, “CityNews” meets people who can help plan the perfect summer getaway.

Active ideas to take you anywhere

Matt’s dining treat in Mollymook

Denise focuses on the solo traveller

THE Active Travel team in Braddon love planning people’s holidays whether it’s a trip in Australia or anywhere else in the world, says owner Nick Carter.

“You worked hard all year so you deserve to have it all planned out,” Nick says.

“Just bring us your ideas, your dates and your budget and we’ll do the rest.”

In Australia Nick suggests some great trips to places in SA and WA such as the Kimberley and the popular Margaret River.

Because Active Travel has specifically been chosen to have a Club Med in store – which offers premium, all-inclusive sun and snow packages – Nick says people looking to travel further than Australia can look into this “great product”.

“Our clients can pre-register with us and they’ll have a week to access the sale prices before they get released [in January],” he says.

“It’s all-inclusive [so] children over three years of age can be left in the kids’ club for the day, free of charge, [and] there’s a small charge for children under three.

“It means parents can go off and take advantage of the adult’s zen pool or the spa facilities.”

Club Med offers summer travel destinations such as Bali, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

“Bintan Island is the most convenient because you get a ferry transfer from Singapore to Bintan Island,” he says.

MATT Upson started Tallwood Eatery after he was blown away by the beauty of Mollymook and his love for the ocean, and now, he’s inviting Canberrans to share his love for fresh food and the coast.

“We offer a great little coastal dining experience,” Matt says.

“Our philosophy is to use as much local produce as possible, keep it simple and let the produce speak for itself.”

No matter what it is – fruit, vegetables, seafood or meat – Matt says he sources it locally (whenever possible) and seasonally from the best farms around.

“I can’t think of a better way to eat and it makes sense to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible,” he says.

“We offer a shared dining experience. The flavours are quite bold and fresh and we use the nose-to-tail philosophy.”

When people come to Tallwood Eatery Matt, who is also the main chef with Damian Martin, says it’s like coming into his home as they offer a friendly and welcoming experience.

Matt’s mantra has always been to deliver good, honest and unpretentious food and this is reflected in the constantly changing menu at Tallwood.

“We also offer a lot of different events,” he says.

“On a Monday we offer a ‘chef’s choice’ so you don’t get to choose but we choose three courses for you.

“Once a month we have a bit of fun with ‘Street Food Sunday’ where we offer live music.”

Active Travel, Palko, G16/27 Lonsdale Street, Braddon.

Visit activetravel.com.au or call 6249 6122.

Tallwood Eatery, Shop 2/85 Tallwood Avenue, Mollymook Beach, NSW, Call 02 4455 5192 or visit tallwoodeat.com.au

FOCUSING on individual travellers over the age of 50, the tour company, Solo Connections, offers solo getaways like no other, says owner Denise Falsay.

“With a number of baby boomers and beyond finding themselves widowed, divorced, single or with a partner who does not want to travel, times are changing,” Denise says.

“Recognising the need for travel options for single travellers, my team and I have worked extremely hard to create tours specifically designed for the solo traveller.

“The main difference with us is that our tours are fully escorted from Australia or in Australia.”

Denise says the costs are also structured around the solo traveller and customers will get their own private room.

“We have a maximum of 20 people on the tour so there’s no waiting in long queues and the small groups allow for more holiday time and flexibility,” she says.

For people looking for a getaway over the summer, Solo Connections has a 16-day tour heading to Vietnam and Cambodia in February.

“You go for the culture, you go for the people and you go for the food,” Denise says.

But, for people who are new to travelling and wanting to go somewhere closer, Denise says their Norfolk Island tour is one of their most popular.

“Our escort for this tour is from Norfolk Island so guests get to do things that other travellers wouldn’t,” she says.

Call 1300 044444 or visit soloconnections.com.au

Are you a

Solo Traveller over 50?

SOLO CONNECTIONS IS THE ANSWER!

FULLY ESCORTED TOURS WORLDWIDE DESTINATIONS PRIVATE ROOMS NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS

CALL SOLO CONNECTIONS

1300 044 444

www.SOLOCONNECTIONS.com.au 16 CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

3rd February 2019

SCENE / around canberra

Photos by LUKE FOSTER

At the ClubsACT festive networking soiree, Barton

At the Regus first anniversary ball, Civic

Andrew Jeffrey and Bryce Wishart

Rejij Thomson, opposition leader Alistair Coe and MLA Andrew Wall

Gwyn Rees and Patrick Keogh

Simon Hawkins, Kim Marshall, Peter Agius and James Doughton

Dr Gunther Brandstetter and Maria Hawthorne

Lynton MacPherson and Rob Combe

Josh Corbett and James Pearce

Darren Pressley and Annie Brouh

18  CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

Rob Bolan and Manny Tolley

Michael Keating and Lauren Delaney

Putri Maharani, Vivian Lu, Swaroop Kaushik, Emily Bugden, Manisha Giri and Stuti Kapoor

Madan Nagpal, Hena Park and Adam Gould

Nick Lucey, MLA Elizabeth Lee and Dean Goulder

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Glass of nostalgia revives bad taste RICHARD CALVER

Saw point of the sisters Kransky

‘Shirley’ in rhyme, on stage is fine

By Helen Musa

COMING up at the Courtyard Studio is the final verse play in Canberra poet Geoff Page’s satirical triple-treat, “Lawrie and Shirley”, “Cara Carissima” and now “Coda for Shirley”.

to all Canberrans by Sia, Enya, Steppenwolf, Michael Jackson and Nana Mouskouri. There’s even a song

by Santa himself, which she describes as “a bit scary, though”.

That brings us to the promoters’ ominous description of the evening as a “macabrely festive show” in which they reveal matters hitherto “shrouded in secrecy”.

Her response is enigmatic. “There is a lovely, dark punk song from the Carpenters and some Simon and Garfunkel, lots of different songs from different people – it’s lovely,” she says.

“We’ve learnt some modern songs, so the one by Sia is mixed up with one by Gotye – with a bit of a melody.”

Without doubt, Mourne says, the highest point is when the sisters share their most treasured items with their fans.

“It’s nice to share things; that means a lot to us and we like to sing along with the audience,” she says.

“They were written in a different order”, Page explains over coffee in Manuka.

The first one was “Lawrie and Shirley”, in which a pair of Canberra senior citizens form a passionate relationship, much to the disgust and horror of Shirley’s conniving daughters.

In the second play, “Cara Carissima”, set in a Manuka coffee shop, Lawrie has already died and Shirley’s greedy daughters are working out how to ensure their inheritance. That was written as Micki Beckett in the a play, (the others started out as verse title role. novels) to fill out the story.

In the final play, Shirley reminisces, then dies, leaving her money not to the two girls, Jane and Sarah, but to the grandsons, who use it to buy a house in East Brunswick.

Here’s the tricky bit. Page, a relentless versifier, has written the entire hilarious trilogy in iambic tetrameter (four beat) quatrains with an “ABCB” rhyming scheme.

For those not in the know, here’s a short example from the play: Each day comes and each day goes the next exactly like the last with all the shipwrecked sprawled in chairs, thinking only of the past.

“This provides humour,” Page says. “But it’s a paradox to try and make colloquial dialogue in such an artificial form and have it sound convincing.”

Produced by local theatre identities Peter Wilkins, of The Acting Company, and Joe Woodward, of Shadow House Pits, “Coda” is directed by Kate Blackhurst who, with Page’s agreement, has rejigged it from three extended scenes to eight episodes. She has form, having played one of the daughters in “Cara Carissima” at the Courtyard a couple of years ago.

Here’s roughly what happens. Shirley makes a will, then dies.

The upwardly mobile sisters Sarah (Nikki-Lyn Hunter) and Jane (Elaine Noon) have a drunken dinner. The two grandsons, both uni dropouts but now doing good things, (one is a musician, the other works for Anglicare) have a housewarming in West Brunswick, where the girlfriend of one (Alex McPherson) recounts events for the audience. But throughout, there are segments of a long monologue by the now-dead Shirley (Micki Beckett).

“What Kate has done is filmic in a way,” Page says approvingly.

Generally he keeps out of rehearsals and trusts Blackhurst who “has assured me they all understand it”.

“A Very Kransky Christmas”, The Playhouse, December 9.

Book at 6275 2700.

“Coda for Shirley” by Geoff Page, Courtyard Studio December 4-8.

Book at 6275 2700.

By Helen Musa

THINGS get off to a bumpy start when “CityNews” speaks by phone to comedian Mourne Kransky, even as she’s cranking up the old 1950 Morris Major ready for an Australian tour with comedy sisters Eve and Dawn.

Armed with a media release that claims the Kransky Sisters are “faux siblings” and that her real name might be that of the actress Annie Lee, we tackle her directly and shocked denial is the response.

“We are not faux sisters, we are real sisters,” she asserts to the audible sound of rottweilers snapping at her heels. From then on in our conversation, it’s “Mourne” and nothing else.

Family, she tells “CityNews, is everything to the Kransky sisters, born to a musical father who loved playing on the saw at the local RSL club in their home town Esk, a real town in south-east Queensland.

Alas, playing “The Flight of the Bumblebee” on the saw defeated him, but he passed on his special style of music to the three girls, who are now experts on the art of making music with household implements.

The beautiful name Mourne, we suggest, conjures up the romantic Mountains of Mourne, but no.

“Our mother couldn’t spell,” she says. “I was born in the morning, I have another sister who was born at dawn and Eve was born in the late arvo – it’s just the different times of the day.”

With an English mother and a Polish father, the family landed in Melbourne, where their uncle lived.

Tragedy struck, Mourne reports and he died at the hands of his own invention, a wind-up envelope opener, but every cloud has a silver lining and they inherited his crumbling house in Esk, where they have lived ever since.

“Inventiveness runs in the family,” she says. “I’m very good at using pantyhose on the fan belt and there’s a lot of inventiveness in our stage show, too.”

The three sisters developed their “family gettogether” theatre show over a number of years as a reaction to living far away from metropolitan Australia.

The Kransky Sisters… experts on the art of making music with household implements.

That extended to inventing their own brand of music.

“We did listen to the radio sometimes, but mostly we had to make it up,” she says.

Inspired by their father, Mourne, Eve and Dawn developed a talent for playing popular songs on the musical saw, the cheese grater, a 1960s keyboard and a tambourine, “duelling” musically with the kitchen mincer. “You could say it’s all invention,” she observes.

“A Very Kransky Christmas” is their first yuletide show.

Asked whether Christmas in Esk differs from Christmas elsewhere, she says she doesn’t know because they “haven’t ever had Christmas anywhere else”.

But, she remembers, there is the unique “Pageant of the Two Llamas”, an Eskian replacement for a reindeer run.

“We put them outside the butcher’s shop and he feeds them mince,” she says. Fruit mince, that is.

Although when “CityNews” suggests there is another kind, she promises to check.

As they return to the wider world with their show, they know they have to communicate to southern audiences, so they’ll be playing loved songs familiar

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Phone 6282 1333 www.duratone.com.au Cnr of Botany Street & Altree Court, Phillip CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 19

CINEMA

OBITUARY /Gillian Alcock, 8/5/50-2/11/18

“Widows” (MA)

Acclaimed dulcimer maker dies at 68

Widows with a plan for revenge YOU could find satisfaction in American filmmaker Steve McQueen’s thriller crime caper because of its tensions and conflicts.

Derived from three British TV mini-series by Lynda La Plante beginning in 1982, the last in 2002, its fiendishly and, therefore, enjoyably complex structure delivers significant energy.

But the wise eye will look deeper and discover that McQueen has done more with it than merely telling a story that could work in any metropolis.

Setting it in Chicago, McQueen has overlaid and underpinned the drama with a collection of parables for 21st century America. Racial conflict, political corruption in an upcoming local government election, consumption both conspicuous and wasteful, family feuding, female empowerment and abuse of public office – their messages are muted but not hard to recognise.

The technical faults don’t need listing – the wise eye will possibly detect them, the less-wise eye can enjoy the drama without worrying about them. A large ensemble cast does a solid job of developing the plot across deliberate fault lines.

Viola Davis plays Ronnie, wealthy, black, widowed when a four-man caper managed by her husband Harry (Liam Neeson) all die in a shootout with the cops after a big heist. With a lifestyle to feed, Ronnie is what you might call miffed when Harry doesn’t come home with a backpack full of big bills. And that’s where the film gets its real impetus. The plot gets convoluted, the tensions begin to inflate, the pressures increase from all directions.

Ronnie has a plan, built from her knowledge that Harry never staged a heist without meticulous planning. Find Harry’s last unexecuted plan. Recruit three acolytes (played by Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Erivo) each with a reason to get even for the deaths of their husbands and foiled expectations of seven-digit wealth.

It’s 129 minutes of entertaining cinema, demanding careful attention to its entanglement of dramatic threads.

At all cinemas

By Hannah Lord

WHILE Canberra celebrates all things design as part of its Design Canberra Festival, it’s fitting to pay tribute to an internationally renowned musical instrument maker who called this city home.

Viola Davis and Liam Neeson in “Widows”.

“The Children Act” (M) A COURT of law and a theatrical performance are similar in numerous ways. Law courts have provided themes for many memorable plays and movies. Today, we are taking in Richard Eyre’s filming of Ian McEwan’s screenplay adaptation of his own novel.

I’m currently enjoying repeat broadcasts of Martin Shaw playing Judge John Deed, slayer of metaphorical jurisprudential dragons for 29 episodes harking back to the turn of the century.

“The Children Act” is a close cousin to that theme. And for High Court judge Fiona Maye confronting the sort of decision-making crisis that John Deed must negotiate, it stars Emma Thompson. For me, that’s bliss.

The issue about which McEwan wrote arises under the UK’s Children Act, enacted in 1989, amended 2004. It begins with a clear statement of intent, that children’s welfare should be the paramount concern of the courts.

At age 17 years and nine months, Adam (Fionn Whitehead) has leukaemia. Two medications are available for treating it. But they first require the patient to receive a blood transfusion. Adam’s parents must agree to that going ahead.

But the family are Jehovah’s Witnesses, for whom blood transfusions are forbidden for reasons that the film’s opening passages explain.

For the next three months Adam will remain a child as the Act defines. And in any case, he’s an intelligent young man who agrees that it’s contrary to his belief.

In coming to her decision, Judge Maye takes the unconventional step of visiting Adam in hospital to ask how he wishes to proceed and why it should be so. The film’s second half deals with the sequel to her judgement. The film’s dramatic environment is made more difficult (for Fiona, not the filmgoer) by the fact that her husband (Stanley Tucci) has dropped a bombshell into domesticity. He plans to have an affair. And Adam, after recovery, begins to follow her, rather short of stalking but certainly unwelcome and discombobulating.

The phrase best summarising Fiona is dominant to a plot full of new challenges for which her professional and private lives have not prepared her. Emma Thompson’s portrayal of her is all you might expect. One word covers it.

Superb. Or any other synonym.

At Capitol 6 and Palace Electric

Gillian Alcock passed away on November 2. She was 68.

Gillian dedicated her life to the rare hammered dulcimer. Her unique dulcimers are treasured instruments for players in Australia and around the world.

Originally from rural WA, she moved to Canberra in 1971 to take up a position in the public service, on the fast track to a high-flying career.

But it was a happenstance meeting with a local musician Terry McGee that opened her eyes to the world of folk music. Before long, Gillian had set up a small studio in the second bedroom of her Farrer home to build musical instruments.

A piano player by training, but with no woodworking experience, Gillian started building keyboardbased instruments. A clavichord and two harpsichords she made in these early years are now part of the collection at the ANU School of Music.

There was a limited market for keyboard-based instruments, so Gillian struck on the hammered dulcimer, a rare instrument with a unique, sweet sound.

Her first attempt underestimated the forces placed on the instrument by the taut strings, and it bent in two like a banana. After some recalibration, she built her second dulcimer to withstand the 17 tonnes of force, and there was no turning back.

As Gillian fell in love with musical instrument making, she made the bold move to quit the public service.

In the following years, she became a mainstay in the instrument-makers’

Gillian Alcock. tent at the National Folk Festival and presented solo exhibitions at the Beaver and Berrima Galleries.

She was a much-loved figure in Canberra’s burgeoning and vibrant folk community in the ‘70s and ‘80s, performing in a myriad of bands. In 1997, she released “The Pleasures of Hope” together with harp player and instrument maker Andy Rigby. The elegant and beautiful album showcases her fine skills as a musician.

Gillian’s contribution to the Canberra music scene extended beyond instrument making and included helping establish Canberra Stereo Public Radio, which became the much-loved ArtSound FM. Gillian was President of ArtSound in its formative years and an honorary life member.

But it was on the international stage that Gillian’s skills as an instrument maker were truly apparent. She had few peers in Europe or America on quality and craftsmanship. She was a scholar of dulcimers from other cultures, including Eastern European cimbaloms and Middle Eastern santurs. Several players even came to her to make their Italian salterios.

Gillian maintained her skill and enthusiasm despite developing progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in the mid-’90s, with her most productive period in the decade following her diagnosis.

Her funeral was held on November 12 at Wesley Music Centre, followed by a wake filled with music, good food and wine. Her ashes will be spread at her family’s farm in rural WA.

The pipes, the pipes are calling ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa YOUNG Canberrans will have the chance to learn highland drumming and bagpipe playing from Burns Club Pipe Band drummer Steve Shedden and piper Kerrie Flynn at the Young Music Society’s 50th Summer Music School.

At Canberra Girls Grammar, 8.30am-3.30pm, weekdays, January 7-18. An after-school program runs until 5.30pm each day to cater for working parents. Inquiries to youngmusicsociety.org.au

contemporary slant. At 7.30pm, Wednesday, December 5.

Book at gpage40@bigpond.net.au

GEOFF Page’s Jazz at the Village will feature saxophonist Jason Bruer and his sextet Hammerhead evoking the sound and spirit of the late ‘50s and ‘60s “hard bop” movement but with a 20 CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

FINE-art photographer Scott Leggo is getting in early with a Christmas shopping evening, promising a glass

Photographer Scott Leggo’s “Snow Solitude”... to be won.

CANBERRA Youth Theatre was established in 1972 and is, organisers say, “a place where young people’s voices are heard in a safe and accepting environment”. The company is launching a new look 2019 program in the courtyard of Gorman Arts Centre, from 5.30pm, Friday, December 7.

of Tasmanian sparkling, lucky door prizes and other giveaways and a chance to win one of his photographs, “Snow Solitude”. At 45 Jardine Street, Kingston, 6pm-8pm, Tuesday, December 4, all welcome.

CANBERRA Community Chorale’s end-of-year concert, “Songs of Exile”, directed by AJ America, will feature thoughtprovoking music, including contrasting interpretations of Psalm 137 (“By the Rivers of Babylon”) by Heinrich Schutz and Arvo Part, and Paul Stanhope’s surprising piece “Ya rab al salaam/ Shalom Aleichem”. At North Belconnen Uniting

Church, Conley Drive, Melba, 2pm, Sunday, December 2.

Book at trybooking.com or tickets at the door (cash only).

AINSLIE and Gorman Arts Centres are holding an “I-Day” (International Day of People with Disability) arts conference, “Disability and the Arts – Contemporary approaches to access, representation and inclusion”. Performers include Hanna Cormick, Liz Lea, Katie Senior and Black Mountain School. Noon to 7.30pm, Monday, December 3.

Free but registration to each event essential to eventbrite.com.au

WINE

A glass of nostalgia brings back bad taste!

THE past, present and future walked into a bar. It was tense.

But the past is where comfort dwells; retro is cool, happening. Or, in my case, at least the extraordinary apparel that enabled me to pretend to be cool is memorable. It seems strange to get nostalgic about terrible sartorial taste: in the ‘70s I wore an ensemble comprising a purple tank top, purple bell bottoms and red, white and blue high-heeled clogs. I had a pair of round Lennon sunglasses and the world was rosy.

All of these memories came flooding back recently when I was served a glass of Kellermeister Sable at the end of dinner at a friend’s house. It was the naughty treat at the end of a healthy dinner of steak and salad and fresh fruit.

It was a moment with friends to savour.

“Get a load of this,” my friend said offering me an examination of the bottle. “And it only costs around $20.”

The first thing that gets you is the label: a couple resonating full ‘70s elegance are displayed in a wonderful brownish hue. He has the full ‘70s “porno” moustache, but it just doesn’t match the size of his large bow tie. He appears to be looking at the woman’s décolletage while holding on to one end of her coat collar, apparently about to wrest it from her.

She is looking away into

Hey, I remember watching Michael Jackson when he was black and I remember dancing disco style in a hectic but unco-ordinated way. I’m sure if I drank enough Sable I could do the same right now. the brown-hazed distance, perhaps towards her drug dealer? She has a twin-coloured hairstyle that was popular in the early ‘70s, a style I used unkindly to call the reverse skunk because it was a white or blonde stripe that ran the opposite direction of a skunk’s stripe. Kellermeister should be applauded for retaining this unique image.

Evocative is an understatement.

So, I rang the co-owner of Kellermeister, Susanna Pearce (her husband Mark is the winemaker) and asked about the label’s derivations.

“The label was designed by the founders of the place, Ralph and Val Jones, in the ‘70s,” she said.

“Their first wines were the Sable and two Moscatos. The label is a photo of their marketing person at the time and his wife. We’ve kept the label because it’s now retro and the Sable label will never change. It’s quite iconic,” she said.

I asked how sales were going.

“Really well. It keeps building even though it’s not a serious wine,” she said. “But you can drink it in winter to keep warm and pour it over ice cream in the summer.”

Sable is a blend of chocolate, ruby tawny, clove, cinnamon and brandy. It carries a heft: 18 per cent alcohol by volume. It is sweet and playful like the best companions. It went well with coffee. But when I sipped it on its own after my coffee was downed (caffeine addiction!) my tastebuds were not happy with the finish, too claggy, too ready to be poured over ice cream, as Mrs Pearce recommended.

The small glass I had may well have pushed me to the limit because the next thing you know, I’ve knocked what remained of the glass on to the tablecloth where the brown stain spread like a muddy rivulet that ran straight from the ‘70s to the present day.

There were many apologies as the stain was attended to and I thought about the fact that the overwhelming thoughts about the ‘70s were punishing me: hey, I remember watching Michael Jackson when he was black and I remember dancing disco style in a hectic but unco-ordinated way, partly attributable to the unfit footwear. I’m sure if I drank enough Sable I could do the same right now.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.

– Bill Keane

The Kellermeister Sable label… designed in the ‘70s.

DINING / bad betti’s, kingston foreshore

Betti’s doing it for herself

By Wendy

JOHNSON RUMOUR has it that Betti, a Caribbean beauty, has divorced outlaw Mr Bravos. He took the Benz and she took the business, reopening as Bad Betti’s, a “bad gal burger joint”.

Before you think I’ve lost it, let me explain. Betti Bravo’s, at Kingston Foreshore, was around for a fair while.

Then – and just like that – it shut its doors. Then – after months of lock down – it re-opened on November 14 with a social-media campaign rambling on about the nasty divorce.

We were there for the food, not the marketing hype.

Bad Betti’s new mantra is “Break Hearts. Eat Burgers” (three burgers are on offer). We love Caribbean-inspired food and, overall, the flavours were pretty darn tasty.

The black pepper and lime calamari came in first on the leaderboard ($15). Super tender, we had great fun dipping it into the chimichurri mayo ($15). The lacklustre tequila and lime-cured kingfish came in last ($16). It looked intriguing, but was uninspiring and the fish had a strange texture.

The burgers fared pretty well. “Betti’s Got Beef” was packed with flavour. The shredded beef brisket was tender ($16, no chips) and the bun packed with bacon and pineapple (got soggy half way through eating) and came with a fab lime salsa and smoked beetroot chutney.

The “Regretless Salad” ($16 or $21 with jerk chicken) sounded amazing but I regretted ordering it. The dish didn’t even finish the race. While the chicken was moist and beautifully seasoned (I wanted more), the dish had enough lettuce to feed an army of rabbits. The black beans and charred corn tasted fabulous, but all dropped to the bottom of the dish making matters

“Betti’s Got Beef”... The shredded beef brisket was tender ($16, no chips) and the bun packed with bacon and pineapple. Photo by Wendy Johnson difficult to manage. To cope, I unloaded half the lettuce on to a side plate. The smoked paprika and sour-cream dressing was a great addition, but I couldn’t get my head wrapped around how the tomatoes fit.

Perhaps everyone was hung over from the divorce party, but some things about Bad Betti’s are, indeed, bad. Staff need to locate the toilet key, instead of sending customers to other restaurants for access. And it would be good if all the items on the limited menu were available (like “Betti’s Freakin’ Fried Jerk Chicken Basket”).

We washed our meals down with rose ($65 a bottle, which we felt was a tad expensive).

We realise there’s been a divorce, but would welcome Mr Bravo back and dishes we miss such as guacamole with plantain chips and the great paella. The atmosphere when the couple were together seemed cool and chilled with fun deck chairs. Now it’s more “Latina Cantina” with tall tables jam packed together.

Bad Betti’s, Trevillian Quay, Kingston Foreshore.

Open midday-10pm.

CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 21

GARDENING

Bells sound the promise of months of flowers CAMPANULAS or Canterbury Bells, a favourite perennial in gardens for generations, flower from now until autumn and once the flowers finish the leaves remain evergreen through winter.

They originate in the Mediterranean, thrive in our hot summers and are untroubled by our cold winters. There are more than 250 species of upright and groundcover campanulas.

Illustrated here is Campanula persicifolia “Telham Beauty”, possibly the most popular of the species. This has been growing and multiplying in our garden for more than 10 years. Also available is “Alba”, a pure white, tall campanula.

But let’s look at some of the groundcover varieties that generally grow from 15-30 centimetres tall with a spread of 40 centimetres, although this depends on how well the soil is prepared.

Here are a few campanula varieties available from most garden centres:

• “Barbara Valentine” with large light violet trumpet flowers.

• “Catharina” with a mass of tiny purple flowers.

•A wider spreading groundcover is “EH Frost”, which as the name suggests is covered in small, white flowers; ideal for growing over a stone retaining wall.

• “ Mulberry Rose” provides a contrast in colour.

LAWN grubs can attack and decimate lawns at any time now. They live underground feeding on the grass roots and usually the first indication is when you see magpies digging in the lawn looking for them.

But when you see dead patches of grass it’s usually too late to do much about them. However, a firm from Yass, Coochie Hydrogreen, that I have used for more than 15 years comes and sprays our lawn for these grubs and at the same time giving it a feed plus a weed kill.

Now Australia’s largest technical lawn-care company, Coochie Hydrogreen saved me buying three different products, then having to wash out the sprayer every time. The company has a year-round lawn care program, calling six times a year to keep lawns lush and green. Call Coochie on 1800 245955.

WHEN buying an older home there are

possibly plants in the garden that were part of the ACT government free-plant scheme from the Yarralumla Nursery.

Unfortunately, some of these plants are now classified as environmental weeds. There’s a leaflet available from government shopfronts called “Are your garden plants going bush?” that will help identify them.

It’s online at via environment.act.gov.au YES, it’s dry and to reinforce this the average annual rainfall here is 619mm. For the first 10 months of this year we have received only 232mm, against an average of about 515mm for those 10 months.

It was reported recently by Icon Water that although the dam levels are down to 60 per cent there are no plans for water restrictions this summer. However, Icon Water advises that under the Permanent Water Conservation Measures watering lawns and gardens with sprinklers is not permissible after 9am and before 6pm.

Obviously, this makes sense, watering during the heat of the day with high evaporation rates is not realistic. Be warned, fines apply.

Jottings…

• More chopping back of perennials, this time salvias need to be reduced by 50 per cent in height now and again in January to promote good autumn flowering.

• Dahlias can still be planted, but without delay for autumn colour.

• Remove dead leaves and flower stalks from bearded iris, a harbour for snails.

• Plant autumn-flowering bulbs now, including nerines, colchicum and lycoris.

Fall in love with where you live For bookings and enquiries email info@canberragardens.com.au or call Dinah 0422 628 190.

canberragardens.com.au

landscape architect 22 CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018

PUZZLES PAGE Joanne Madeline Moore

General knowledge crossword No. 667

Your week in the stars – December 3-9, 2018 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

It’s a wonderful week to pursue creative projects, as your intuition and imagination run riot. But leave rational pursuits and important decision-making for a more suitable time, and make sure you can differentiate between fact and fiction. If you get lost in a fantasy world then you’ll just waste time and lose momentum. Friday onwards is fabulous for travel and foreign connections, as the New Moon activates your international/adventure zone and Mercury finally turns direct.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Venus (your power planet) is in your relationship zone until January 7. Attached Bulls – get creative and plan something special with your sweetheart. Singles – a friendship could take a surprisingly romantic detour! From Friday onwards, Jupiter and the New Moon signal a fresh start for finances. So – sometime over the next 12 months – some Taureans will benefit from an inheritance, divorce settlement, superannuation pay-out, bumper tax return, pay rise or lucky win.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Venus is visiting your wellbeing zone. So, the fitter and healthier you are, the more you’ll be able to capitalise on good luck when it comes your way. But are you having problems with a partner, friend or family member? Focus your energy on that person and make them your number one priority. Energy goes where intention flows. If you combine a positive approach with good listening skills then – from Friday onwards – the relationship will start to improve.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Avoid being a clingy and complacent Crab. The New Moon encourages you to be more independent and adventurous – especially at work. If you stick to old ideas and outdated routines, then stagnation will set in. But if you are open to progressive changes and communicate in positive ways, then lucky opportunities will follow. Be inspired by fellow Cancerian, Sir Richard Branson: “Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision and change.”

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

With this week’s Sun/Mars/Neptune connections, you’re in the mood to act on your hunches and follow your dreams! But don’t get too carried away, make dubious claims or promise more than you can actually deliver. Remember there’s a fine line between reaching for the stars and overreaching. If you take on too much, then you’ll just end up in a disorganised mess. Friday’s New Moon heralds a new romance, a rebooted friendship or a fabulous creative idea.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Close relationships will be confusing, as Mars and Neptune dampen your confidence and retrograde Mercury muddles your mind. Which could result in the tendency to send and/or receive mixed messages. Thank goodness Mercury (your ruling planet) goes direct on Friday. So communication – especially with family members – should gradually improve. The weekend is a wonderful time to get busy at home as you clean and de-clutter or tackle an overdue DIY project.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

This week’s planetary patterns maximize your natural charm but beware false flattery and resist the urge to be talked into doing something you really don’t want to do. Stand firm and do your best to make your Libran lifestyle a true reflection of your core values and personal beliefs. Plus avoid the tendency to procrastinate about exercise and/or worry about work. Friday’s New Moon cranks up your communication zone as you make plans to socialise, study, teach or travel.

Across

1 Name the Australian surgeon, noted for his heroic service to his fellow POWs in WWll, "Weary" ... (6) 7 Which term implies a relationship to the land? (8) 8 Name the capital of Texas. (6) 9 What are corpses also known as? (8) 10 Name the Australian landscape painter, seven times winner of the Wynne prize, Elioth ... (6) 11 In which container is a letter enclosed? (8) 14 Which Englishman left a bequest to found a particular institution, James ...? (8) 18 To pour from one container into another, is to do what? (6) 19 In which game do players use counters marked with letters to form words? (8) 21 Name a US city in NW Ohio. (6) 22 Which term describes a drunken reveller? (8) 23 To be present, is to do what? (6)

Down

Solution next edition

1 Name a board game which is a little similar to chess.

(8) 2 What is a prolonged recitation? (6) 3 Which gland, situated near the stomach, secretes an important digestive fluid? (8) 4 What do we call the black and white squares of a crossword puzzle? (4) 5 Name another term for silly talk, or twaddle. (6) 6 What is a subordinate ruler, often a despotic one?

(6) 12 Which term describes a blood feud? (8) 13 Name a well-known actor and director, Clint ... (8) 15 Coastal city in north-eastern Queensland (6) 16 What is a particular hypnotic state? (6) 17 Name a spotted, leopard-like cat, found in the US and South America. (6) 20 What is the harsh, breathy cry, as of the donkey? (4)

Until Sun 24 February 2019 A captivating exhibition that offers an insight into the broad range of approaches to art making being taken by a new generation of practitioners working in Europe today. Works are drawn from a single collection, assembled with daring and passion by Sydney-based collectors Lisa and Danny Goldberg OAM. Presented at CMAG with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Australia in the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.

Admission: Members + children 12 years old and under FREE $10 (eligible concession card holders $5)

Sudoku hard No. 233

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

With vivacious Venus visiting your sign (until January 7) you’ll feel unusually flirtatious as you charm the cynics and dazzle the doubters. You’ll find it’s easier to get what you want if you stop being a Scorpio control-freak and try a double dose of diplomacy instead. Under the influence of Mars and Neptune, it’s time to be bold about pursuing your dreams. As birthday great Walt Disney declared: “All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.”

Mon-Fri 1 0AM–5PM, Sat-Sun 12–5PM Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com.au Image: Ugo RONDINONE, zwölfteraugustzweitausendundvierzehn, 2014 acrylic on canvas, 80 x 80 cm, Collection of Lisa and Danny Goldberg OAM Image courtesy of Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich / New York (detail)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Mars revs up your reckless side; Neptune scrambles your common sense; and retro Mercury confuses communication. So, expect a few tricky days when you could feel discouraged. Energy levels will also be low so look after yourself… have a relaxing bath, a soothing massage or prepare some nourishing and nurturing comfort food. From Friday onwards (courtesy of the New Moon and Mercury moving forwards) you’ll be back to your sunny and funny Sagittarian self.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Are wonderful things happening to everyone else? Do you feel overlooked and under-appreciated? Avoid being cranky and critical. With the Sun, Jupiter and retrograde Mercury in your seclusion zone, success has been slowed down but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. So be patient and take a long-term view.

Your time will come! Under the glow of Friday’s New Moon, contemplate smart ways you can consolidate your strengths and work on your weaknesses.

Solution next edition

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2018

Sudoku mediumNo. 233

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week you’ll feel confused or discouraged but escaping into a fantasy world won’t make problems magically disappear. As the week progresses, do your best to be a firm and focused Fish, as you find creative solutions to current challenges.

The gap between dreams and reality is wide but – with plenty of patience and persistence – you’ll eventually get there. A work issue improves from Friday onwards, when Mercury finally moves forwards in your career zone.

Solutions from last edition Crossword No. 666

Steer clear of making important business or financial decisions, as Mars and Neptune distort your perspective and confuse your mind. From Friday onwards, a fresh chapter opens up involving your peer group so make sure you choose any new friends wisely. In the words of singer-songwriter Jim Morrison (who was born on December 8, 1943): “A true friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” It’s also a good time to activate an adventurous new dream.

CityNews November 29-December 5, 2018 23