CityNews 200220

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

JON STANHOPE: Labor’s health cuts put the poor at risk

PAUL COSTIGAN: Demand they fix the hospital mess

NICHOLE OVERALL: The terrible fate of sweet Kate HELEN MUSA: Addictive tale that saved the playwright

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NEWS / Narrabundah pedestrian danger

New crossing can’t come soon enough for Ian

By Danielle

NOHRA UNABLE to get to the pedestrian crossing at the top of the hill, residents of Narrabundah’s Jindalee Aged Care Residence are risking their lives every day to get across the road to the bus stop, says resident Ian Trewhella.

The 74-year-old has been urgently calling for another pedestrian crossing on Goyder Street for years and finally, in December, got approval for one but fears they won’t see it any time soon.

“Roads ACT are holding out on a start date [for the crossing] because they want to do a traffic survey,” he says.

City Services Minister Chris Steel told “CityNews” the vehicle and pedestrian surveys will be undertaken by Roads ACT in the next month to help determine the most suitable location.

Until then, he says they are unable to commit to exact construction dates.

“However, Roads ACT do anticipate construction to be undertaken by mid-2020,” Mr Steel says.

Despite the minister’s response, Ian still believes that the issue isn’t being taken seriously.

“People could be dead by then,” he says.

“Don’t they recognise that they’re not really complying with real needs?

“To ‘maybe’ put something in, in the middle of the year is not serious enough.”

Ian says the most disappointing thing is that

Ian Trewhella beside where he’d like the pedestrian crossing on Goyder Street, Narrabundah, to be relocated and its closer proximity to the bus stop.

Photo: Danielle Nohra he first raised the issue in 2018.

“To now say that we recognise the issue and we might have it done isn’t good enough,” he says.

“I think they’re not telling the truth.”

Ian says his frustration comes after a string of incidents, which have seen residents fall over and hurt themselves crossing the road (Ian included), with some even ending up in hospital.

“One person fell over crossing the road and had to be picked up by a motorist,” he says.

“Another resident fell up the hill [trying to get to the crossing] and put himself in hospital.

INDEX Arts & Entertainment 31-33 Cinema 32 Canberra Matters 12 Crossword 35 Dining 32 Gardening 34 Horoscopes 35 News 3-18 Letters 18 Politics 16 Socials 19-21

“These people are in their 80s or 90s and are still trying to access the community but they’re constrained by a lack of a crossing.”

When Mr Steel was asked if he was worried about anyone else getting hurt in the meantime, he pointed to the existing crossing along Goyder Street, saying it can be utilised by residents, but Ian says it’s just too dangerous.

“He doesn’t understand that these people are not teens or youngsters, these people are struggling,” he says.

“They run the risk of crossing the road [away from the crossing] to access the community be-

cause they can not climb the hill.

“It’s only a matter of time before someone is really going to suffer.”

Even though there is a crossing at the top of the hill, Ian says the steepness of the hill and the terrain isn’t good for people who are aged and unsteady on their feet.

The bus stop can only be accessed by residents if they walk to the left, away from the bus stop, and up the hill to the crossing. Then, once they’ve crossed they have to walk back down the hill to the bus stop.

“I don’t see why we can’t have [a new crossing] sooner rather than later,” Ian says.

“I run the gauntlet when I catch the bus. Most people do here. No one ever drives the speed limit [on Goyder Street]. I’m often amazed at the speed people drive down that hill. Sometimes people, I would suspect, are going 80km/h or above.”

It’s quite dangerous, says Ian, who fell from his mobility scooter on to the road about eight months ago.

“When you’re laying on the middle of the road, unable to get up, you’re just waiting for the ‘bang’,” he says.

“One man fell over on the road and literally stopped traffic in both directions.

“It was lucky that a couple of the men in the vehicles stopped to direct traffic and help him.”

Ian says it’s not satisfactory to say they need to do a traffic survey first.

“It’s a cop out. I’ll bring the residents together to form a working group and we’ll put the thing in ourselves if we have to,” he says.

The residents of Jindalee have invited the minister to come and have tea to talk about the crossing. He has not responded.

Since 1993: Volume 26, Number 7

What happened to Kate Donnelly? “Yesterdays” columnist Nichole Overall delves into the mystery on Page 10.

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.

Managing Director: James Anderson, 0404 077605, james@citynews.com.au Director: Kate Meikle, kate@citynews.com.au Senior advertising account executive: David Cusack, 0435 380656 Advertising account executive: Damien Klemke, 0439 139001 Tim Rutherford, 0412 933150 Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Assistant editor: Danielle Nohra, danielle@citynews.com.au Journalist: Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au; Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Production manager/graphic design: Janet Ewen Graphic designer: Karl Speller Proof reader: Glenda Anderson Accounts: accounts@citynews.com.au

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CityNews February 20-26, 2020 3

SEVEN DAYS

Budget plunges, but Labor keeps on promising NOT the prettiest set of numbers for Labor to be taking to an election with the news that the ACT Budget’s projected deficit will triple by June 30 to more than $255 million.

By the way, you’d know it wasn’t their fault (bushfires, coronavirus, falling GST receipts, poor land sales).

Opposition leader Alistair Coe was gobsmacked (who wasn’t?), calling it a “staggering” situation: “Despite the fact that they’ve been receiving record revenue from every single source over the last decade.

“They’re very good at raising money, very good at spending money, but not so good at getting value for money.”

Unchastened by the numbers, Chief Minister Andrew Barr sees this as the year to invest and Labor’s spending will continue: with more, presumably borrowed, money heading into hospitals ($60 million) and light rail ($34 million).

Facing the election pledge from the Libs to

freeze the rate rises, Mr Barr has parried with a promise to soften the grinding annual rises in household rates come June’s (election) Budget. He says the ACT faces economic challenges and that the government wants to support household spending.

AFTER a weekend of teasing us, the heavens finally let go and next thing you know the embattled emergency services people start the week hopping around (again) trying to keep up with hundreds of calls for help with rain damage.

What an unforgettable summer.

One friend with a south coast beach house dodged the threat of fires to have her place inundated by a king tide from the storms.

Another reports that, after enduring three months of stifling summer heat with a newborn son, the air-conditioning installers finally arrived at his daughter’s place but immediately abandoned the job because of the rain! “She may be owed a debt from the Canberra community for bringing our drought to a rainy end,” says sardonic grandad.

WORKSAFE again rolled up its sleeves and again began blitzing safety at residential construction sites following a terrible second death of a 60-year-old in Denman Prospect

The Aerie at Narrabundah

No hard hats here, now… the amended safety sign in Watson. in as many months.

In mid-to-late January, when responding to the first death of a 47-year-old man, a WorkSafe blitz issued 70 notices for safety breaches at 28 sites. This included 19 Prohibition Notices that closed down sites where there was an imminent safety risk to workers.

WorkSafe commissioner Greg Jones, usually the epitome of politeness, has his dander up: “We will be using all of the powers we have to enforce the work health and safety standards that Canberrans rightly expect in high risk workplaces like construction sites. If that means we need to issue fines, infringements or shut down worksites, then that’s what will be done.”

MEANWHILE, a sharp-eyed Watson resident noticed no one wearing hardhats on a building site with 20-25 workers climbing scaffolding despite a sign on the fence saying helmets must be worn.

Concerned, he dutifully contacts WorkSafe who leg it around to the HTI Constructions’ Negus Crescent development of 300 apartments and townhouses and report back that it’s all sorted.

“The risk had been assessed by the builder and helmets had been determined not to be required, except for specific tasks. The helmet symbols on the signs had been covered up to reflect this, but unfortunately that sign had been missed. It has been covered up now,” came the cheery Worksafe response with a snap of the amended sign. A building site that doesn’t require hardhats; one lives and learns.

IN some puffery recognising Canberra International Music Festival artistic director Roland Peelman’s recent appointment as a (hitherto unknown) “Honorary” Member of the Order of Australia comes this quirky (condescending?) quote from the AM himself: “Obviously I am chuffed and honoured to receive this little Australian gong…” I’ve got one, too, as it happens and it’s not “little”. It’s a very humbling, very big deal.

REGULAR readers will recall our recent news story about Labor MLA Deepak-Raj Gupta thoughtfully organising a refurbishment of Walter Burley Griffin’s unkempt grave during a recent junket to Lucknow, India. He also managed to arrange, from afar, a commemorative ceremony at Walter’s grave in Lucknow, on February 11 – the 83rd anniversary of WBG succumbing to peritonitis in 1937.

JACK Wighton, best player in last year’s grand final, has turned his back on the bigger bucks and re-signed with the Raiders for four years because he loves the club.

“They’ve always been there for me and I want to repay them by staying and playing the best footy I can to be successful,” he mushed.

Raiders CEO Don Furner confirmed “Jack could have earnt more money by signing with another club but sacrificed that Participants at the Griffin commemorative against what we have here in ceremony in Lucknow.

Canberra”.

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NEWS / bushfire smoke still affecting local business

Businesses limp in wake of smoke

By Danielle

NOHRA FOLLOWING months of bushfire smoke, some businesses in the region are facing massive financial losses and Canberra Business Chamber acting CEO Graham Catt says it may be years before things turn to normal for them.

Some businesses might even decide to close, he says.

“We have received reports from some tourism and hospitality operators of losses in excess of $500,000 and downturns in visitor numbers to Canberra hotels and attractions of 30 to 50 per cent,” Graham says.

The flow of events, such as smoke, hail and storms, has been unprecedented, according to Graham, which makes it even more difficult for those businesses trying to recover.

“Businesses can usually think and plan after an event, but what’s been really different about this past summer is it’s not just one event, it’s rolling events,” he says.

“No one’s actually ever experienced a summer like this before [and it] doesn’t stop the day there’s not a fire burning.

“We had the worst air quality in the world over a couple of days. Recovery from that kind of coverage and image isn’t something that goes away.

“There were people who would have been looking at the images of the smoke and the fires and decided they were going to go and holiday somewhere else, particularly from overseas travellers as well.

6 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

Graham Catt… “We’re really only just starting to see the repercussions for a lot of businesses.”

Photo: Danielle Nohra “People plan their holidays and travel a long time in advance.”

Graham says this means it could have affected people looking to book something for down the track, too.

“We’re really only just starting to see the repercussions for a lot of businesses,” he says.

“We’re starting to get a steady flow of people sending us information who are starting to quantify and understand what’s going on.”

The challenge at the moment, according to Graham, is they need more information of how people have been affected before they can know how to help.

“The more information we get, the more we can plan how to help,” he says.

“The challenge is, how do we assess the impacts and how do we do it economically?

“We know from some of our members that cash flow supply is what businesses need.

“There’s federal assistance packages available for people in bushfire-affected areas but we don’t have clarity if a smoke-affected business is eligible.”

The Canberra Business Chamber is looking into this to see if local businesses can get support.

“I hope the ACT government will be able to provide assistance when we understand more, too,” Graham says.

Some small business owners have reported five days without selling anything, which for them, Graham says is unprecedented.

“The implication of this reaches out into employment and we’re starting to hear stories now of people who have had to stand people down,” he says.

To help support these businesses, Graham’s now urging the community to think about doing things in the region that they’ve always wanted to.

He says why not go to a tourist attraction in Canberra that’s always been on the list, or go and stay at a hotel, or grab some food at a cafe or restaurant.

“Think about the region. Plan a two week trip to the region, which could include a trip to the south coast, too,” he says.

“People in the community are generally referring to the break as the summer we didn’t have.

“It’s about getting that holiday back that you never had and supporting the region at the same time. “[But] we need to make sure we don’t fall into a trap of only supporting Canberra, or only supporting Braidwood, Batemans Bay or Yass. We need to support the whole region.”

BRIEFLY Fiesta for snappers THE Canberra Photographic Collectors Society is hosting its autumn “Photographic Fiesta” at the Canberra Irish Club, Weston, on Sunday, February 23, 10.30am-1.30pm.

A photographic market, organisers say it will feature hundreds of antique and collectable cameras, usable film, digital cameras, photographic equipment and accessories and photographic books for sale. Anyone can offer to sell a camera or piece of photographic equipment on the Club Table and, if sold, there’s a small commission charged.

Admission and parking are free.

Pelvic floor workshop WOMEN of any age are invited to a free, pelvic-floor workshop presented by a physiotherapist from ACT Health to provide information, education and self-help strategies for women who are experiencing continence problems or wishing to prevent them. At the Tuggeranong Community Health Centre, 147 Anketell Street, 1pm4pm, Tuesday, March 3. Book at 5124 9977.

Script deadline looms ALEX Broun, the literary manager of Short+Sweet Theatre International has announced that the deadline for scripts for the Canberra festival is 5pm, March 12.

Canberra playwrights are encouraged to submit plays of 10 minutes or less, which will be considered for 15 festivals in nine countries. Information on how to apply at shortandsweet.org

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OPINION / Labor’s health budget crisis

How the health budget cuts put the poor at risk IN March last year, my colleague Dr Khalid Ahmed and I published an article in “The Canberra Times” in which we revealed that the ACT government had not, since 2012-13, made allowance in the health budget for increased demand driven by population growth, the ageing of the population, changes in technology or health inflation generally.

We further revealed that, as a consequence, the health budget was, in real terms, being cut by about one per cent each year. The impact on health funding in the ACT of a cut in funding of that order has a compounding effect and translates, on average, to a cut in each year since 2013 of a minimum of $100 million.

Following the publication of that article the shadow Health Minister in the Legislative Assembly, Vicki Dunne, asked the then Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris, on April 5, the following question, on notice: “Are the calculations correct in the article in ‘The Canberra Times’ by Khalid Ahmed and Jon Stanhope on 30 March 2019 that health funding in the ACT is going backward by one per cent a year after taking into account population growth, the ageing population and improvements in technology; if not (a) why? And (b) to what extent are they incorrect?

“Is health funding in the ACT keeping pace with population growth, the

The minister’s response does not evince any concern about the distressing and disproportionate impact of the government’s effective cut to health services on poorer members of our community. ageing population and improvements in technology, wages costs and other costs: if not, what is the extent of the shortfall?

Minister Fitzharris responded to the question, in writing, on May 10, as follows: “Treasury have advised it is difficult to re-engineer the analysis quoted in the article in order to assess the claims made. Nominal growth rates in health funding of 10 per cent per year are not sustainable. For the ACT to maintain nominal growth in health funding at 10 per cent would require lower levels of investment in other services to the ACT community.”

The answer is, with respect, obtuse, misleading and incorrect.

There was no need at all, in order to answer the question, for Treasury to re-engineer the analysis in the article which Dr Ahmed and I wrote.

The Government Finance Statistics produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provide a detailed annual statement of expenditure in every area and category of service delivery by each government in Australia including, of course, health

services. The reports are compiled from information and data provided to the ABS by each government and in the case of the ACT, traditionally by the Treasury.

All Treasury had to do was to refer to the expenditure data that it had provided to the ABS, as we mentioned in our article, we had done.

For growth in health demand, Treasury only had to refer, as we did, to the data provided by ACT Health to the Productivity Commission. For information on population growth and inflation the Treasury only had to turn to the source it has always accessed for such information, namely the ABS. In response to the question of whether funding health on the basis Dr Ahmed and I have argued for is feasible and sustainable, all that was required was to access and read the Budget papers for the years in which health was in fact funded on that very basis, namely the five years up to 2011-12.

For example, on page 23 of the 200607 Budget Paper No 3 the following information is provided under the

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heading “Health Services”: “Health is being provided with an expenditure envelope and growth path that is realistic, affordable and sustainable. Funding levels have been based upon an assessment of sub-sector projections of demand and health inflation. The growth rates incorporated in the funding envelope are: • Acute Care Services - 8 per cent per annum; • Mental Health - 6 per cent per annum; • Cancer Services - 8 per cent per annum; • Community Health - 2.5 per cent per annum; • Population Health - 3 per cent per annum; • Health and Community Care Program - 9 per cent per annum.”

The relevant ABS reports confirm that from 2006-07 until 2011-12 health was funded to meet demand and at the rates we mentioned in our article. Furthermore those rates were clearly not, as claimed by the minister, at a level that was “unsustainable” evidenced by the fact that 2011-12 was the last year the ACT recorded a surplus.

The minister’s response does, unwittingly, confirm our main concern

which is that in recent years the ACT health budget makes no provision for growth in demand. That was precisely our point and we continue to insist that the crisis enveloping the public health system in Canberra, involving as it does the rigid rationing of public health services, is directly attributable to that failing.

What the minister’s response does not do is evince any concern about the distressing and disproportionate impact of the government’s effective cut to health services on poorer members of our community including pensioners, the working poor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people otherwise from low-income households, who cannot afford private health insurance, and are entirely dependent on the public system.

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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YESTERDAYS / what happened to Kate Donnelly?

Kate’s fate and the mysterious miracle at Majura IT’S a frosty though dry midautumn day, 1896, in the wake of a particularly gruelling Australian summer that killed 435; the beginning of the destructive seven-year blight of the Federation Drought.

Along a depleted river running at the outskirts of Queanbeyan, a set of footprints are revealed. Ending near a “large, deep hole” in the riverbed, none are to be found coming out again. The discovery of a “lady’s veil” above a steep approach down to the watercourse, believed a vital clue.

Five days earlier, 21-year-old Kate Donnelly had vanished without either rhyme or reason.

Wednesday, April 15 is the last day of the first modern Olympic Games, held in Greece. Locals are soon distracted from their excitement that the only Aussie competitor, Edwin Flack, is bringing home two gold medals for track events and a tennis-doubles bronze.

Early that evening, Kate had made her way to Queanbeyan’s impressive, decade-old railway station, perched south of the streets marking the almost 60-year-old township’s centre.

She’s off to Sydney for a throat operation and the next morning fails to appear at Redfern for a predetermined meeting with her employer,

Miss Cunningham, of Lanyon.

Abandoned on the platform at Queanbeyan is a box and two parcels belonging to the young maid.

The perplexing disappearance is reported to police, but it would be Monday before an official search commences.

The 5ft 6in Kate was fashionably attired in “a dark navy blue dress, with full sleeves, and a feather boa round her neck, a sailor hat with black band”; a handbag to match her reddish hair. She’d apparently been seen “getting through a wire fence… and making straight for the river” – the willow-infested Molonglo on the Canberra side of the train tracks.

Some 50 of 1500-odd residents hunt in vain. The local waterways are combed; scrubby bushland for miles around, scoured.

Not a further trace, “alive or dead”.

“Drowned” is the obvious whisper.

Also making the rounds, theories to blemish a reputation: afraid of the procedure she was to endure, she’s in hiding; she’s “cleared out”, or, “committed the sin of self-harm”. The next was seemingly a heartless hoax, the motive equally unanswered. A letter from a “fellow servant” informing her Scottish-born mother, Mary, that Kate “intended to marry a gentleman, Mr T—, residing between Murrumbateman and Ginninderra, and that she was going to the house

This photo of the ill-fated Kate Donnelly has been provided by her great-niece, Helen Jeffery, who still lives locally. of his sister at Harden”.

No so-named sister lived in that small town; the man referenced was in Sydney at the time.

Weeks crept by. At the end of April, the unexplained saga was pushed aside with news such as the death of former NSW premier and ardent supporter of the country combining as a commonwealth, Sir Henry Parkes, at 81.

Then on Friday, May 8 – 23 days after Kate was last seen and 10 miles south – a cry goes up from John McIntosh, of Majura Valley.

Some distance from his house, he’d come upon a trail of feathers he didn’t recognise, leading off into thick scrub.

“Lying under a log exhausted,

FAST 5 DAY TURN-AROUND TIME

starved almost to death, helpless and unable to speak” – still wearing her gloves and clutching the handle of her otherwise absent handbag – is Kate Donnelly.

In a “demented” state, she’s unable to articulate what had befallen her, or explain the miracle of how she was alive. The greater concern is that she won’t survive her ordeal and the mystery will never be solved.

Come Monday, on the mend, Kate’s able to offer some details – as puzzling as they are. She’d been “knocked on the head by a man who robbed her”.

For days “insensible”, unable to walk, managing only to crawl about, sustained with water and “what she could pick up in the bush”.

Kate’s story later alters somewhat.

The trip to Sydney was debt-related – she needed additional work to pay for a frock she could ill-afford.

However, she’d had a change of heart.

Her memory ended at the decision to make her way back to her parents’ Canberra home.

Still, 124 years on, questions around Kate’s situation linger. Had the thieving cad simply chanced upon her walking along the river? Why would she leave her belongings behind?

It seems there was never a charge laid, nor even a suspect.

While described as “a girl of good conduct”, was there an intended assignation after all?

And what of the potentially adventurous young Kate? Sadly, an end grim enough to rival that to befall those classmates in the mists shrouding that ominous Rock.

Four months after Kate’s disappearance, while warming herself by the fire on the morning of another Wednesday, August 12, her nightdress caught alight*. So badly burned was she, once again there “were grave doubts as to whether she would live through”.

This time, she didn’t.

Less a dream within a dream than a living nightmare. *A similar fate befell Flora Blundell, the young woman said the haunt historic cottage on the edge of Canberra’s lake. There is more about both of these sad tales at anoverallview. wixsite.com/blog

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CANBERRA MATTERS / Canberra Hospital shambles

Stand up and demand they fix the hospital mess ON January 29, “CityNews” published a well-researched article about how the Woden Valley Hospital’s future had been mishandled and is now seriously hindered in its capacity to deliver to the people of Canberra.

The article by Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed was a wake-up call.

This matter affects all of us. But rather than just being shocked – we need to consider what should happen next.

In the last couple of years, I have had several occasions to access the services of the Woden Valley Hospital. I was impressed by the services offered, especially given that the Labor/Greens government is doing such a bad job of managing this portfolio. My comments are not to be taken as a criticism of the hospital’s dedicated staff.

The earlier article is backed up by references to documents published by former health minister Katy Gallagher. These are the 2008 planning documents that would have seen the hospital system overhauled, new facilities built and

It’s time to call out all involved with the mess being made of the Woden Valley Hospital, to ignore their spin and to demand things get fixed. The people of Canberra deserve better.

Canberra delivered a hospital that had a chance of coping with the increases in demand as then forecasted.

Instead, after she left for the Senate, her visionary plans were trashed, the monies re-allocated and over the years since the hospital has been run down.

There are many people who are responsible for this mess. This includes all in government and members of the ACT Greens and ACT Labor.

As the Canberra Liberals have not constantly highlighted this travesty, they too share some of the responsibility. The job of an effective opposition is to point out when such wickedness occurs. They have not been doing this. They were too busy going on about the tram as their priority issue, along with stories about death taxes and other distractions.

This government’s lack of care for the health and well-being of Canberra’s citizens has been added to

with the ad hoc political decision to build a new facility (SPIRE) that will impinge on the lives of nearby Garran residents.

The proposed building will not meet the current demands. Real planning for the whole hospital campus could see a larger facility built elsewhere.

The thoughtless and opportunistic plonking of this new building is a result of the absence of comprehensive planning. Such planning was in place when Katy Gallagher held the portfolio. But when Andrew Barr took over the leadership, the campus planning was ignored for his own political priorities.

Barr was not alone. His government was enabled by the ACT Greens, and by the membership of the ACT Greens and ACT Labor. All of these people need to question their role in allowing this mess to happen and that they remain silent as the damage continues.

As things stand today (but there are months to go), there is a likelihood that ACT Labor will be returned at the October elections. Residents will

The hospital spin on SPIRE… the proposed building will not meet the current demands.

Photo: Paul Costigan be very annoyed with major parties if all we see this year is finger pointing and blame shifting while Barr and his cohort slip back in government and continue with business as usual.

This mess must be acknowledged as a serious error in judgement. The original master plan for the hospital campus needs to be revisited and sensible planning solutions put into action.

Government programs need to be re-examined and monies re-allocated to have the hospital funded to the highest level, and to secure its efficient operation for future generations.

My last word is to Canberra’s hard-working community councils.

Please make the Woden Valley Hospital one of your highest advocacy points for this election year. It’s time to call out all involved with the mess being made of the Woden Valley Hospital, to ignore their spin and to demand things get fixed. The people of Canberra deserve better.

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

SUMMER

CLEARANCE 26 Garema Place, Civic, ACT 2601 02 6247 9104 12 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

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MERCURE CANBERRA

advertising feature

‘A staycation in a local hotel gives a change of scene, a chance to rest and helps support local businesses.’

Discover Canberra with a historic holiday at home AFTER the Canberra region suffered a devastating holiday period, Braddon’s Mercure Canberra is calling on locals to have a staycation at one of the ACT’s most historic hotels, says Tenele Conway, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

With a heritage old-world charm that creates a relaxing home away from home (even for locals), Tenele says Canberrans can now take the holiday they missed over the break.

“It’s been difficult to have a proper break, so a staycation in a local hotel not only gives a change of scene and a chance to rest but also helps support local businesses,” she says.

“As Canberrans we need to be thinking about bushfire recovery on a local level.

“With non-existent inbound summer tourism, the economy has taken a big hit and we can help by spending our holiday money at home.”

A staycation can create a new appreciation for Canberra, Tenele says, with the chance to rediscover restaurants, attractions, events and local treasures.

“From the Mercure, it’s a 600m walk to the Australian War Memorial, and for those wanting to explore or get out in the fresh air,

14 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

Mount Ainslie is across the road and visitors can walk up to see kangaroos and expansive views across Canberra,” says Tenele.

“We’re a 10-minute walk to the Canberra Centre and close to Braddon’s coffee shops, boutique stores and restaurants.”

There’s a lot going on, according to Tenele, who says the hotel isn’t far from the National Museum of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia, which has world-class art exhibitions. And, there’s the 19ha National Zoo and Aquarium, too.

“It’s time to get reacquainted with the attractions we have on our doorstep,” she says.

As part of that, why not stay in a unique hotel that provides a taste of what Canberra was like in the 1920s, Tenele says.

“Canberrans can treat themselves to a weekend away on their doorstep, with a touch of luxury and vintage charm,” she says.

“The Mercure has all the elegance of early federation architecture combined with modern facilities and wonderful staff who help visitors feel completely spoiled.”

The heritage-listed Mercure also has a gym, internal courtyard, outdoor terrace, cosy, open fireplace and 24-hour room service.

It opened as the Hotel Ainslie in 1927 and was a major part of the early development of north Canberra, Tenele says.

Designed by English architect CFA Voysey in art-deco style, it opened the same year as Old Parliament House.

Mercure Canberra’s outdoor terrace... “Canberrans can treat themselves to a weekend away on their doorstep,” says Tenele Conway.

Tenele says the hotel was extended in the mid-‘80s, adding extra wings that look like they were always part of the original building. “[The hotel’s] had a few incarnations [and was] known as Olims from 1989 until 2011,”

she says.

“It was extensively refurbished and upgraded in 2018, with the entrance and foyer preserved much as it has always been.”

With two restaurants on-site, one being Olims Bar and Bistro, Tenele says the hotel is

frequented by locals as much as hotel guests and has been a lively place over the years.

“It’s been the centre of social gatherings, chic cocktail parties in the 1950s, live music from well-known artists like Kamahl and Little Pattie, weddings, parties and dancing into the early hours,” says Tenele.

“It formed the hub of the punk rock scene in Canberra in the 1970s and 1980s [and] INXS performed here in October, 1980.”

During World War II, Tenele says the hotel was used as accommodation for public servants, particularly females, who were playing a crucial role in the workforce at the time.

And, the Mercure is still an integral part of the Canberra community, according to Tenele, who says it’s popular with veterans, particularly on ANZAC Day, and also hosts the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival and the “Warm Soup, Cool Jazz” event in winter.

“Many guests have fond memories of spending time here,” she says.

“You can even bring the family pet, in our specially-designed, pet-friendly rooms.

“The hotel offers a rare insight into Canberra’s early days, in a heritage-listed building that makes a great central base for a holiday at home.”

Mercure Canberra, 39 Limestone Avenue, Braddon. Call 6243 0000 for bookings, email stay@mercurecanberra.com.au or visit mercurecanberra.com.au

CANBERRA’S FEEL GOOD DRINK OF SUMMER Drinking tap water is good for you and helps reduce plastic waste.

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POLITICS / Why we need a federal ICAC

Sports rorts show it’s time to clean things up “IF you have nothing to hide – you have nothing to worry about.” How many times has this sort of statement been heard from conservatives as they interfere with civil liberties to push a law-and-order agenda?

I recall similar arguments being used with regard to “move-on powers”, the introduction of widespread use of CCTV cameras and a myriad of other attacks on personal liberty.

Now the shoe is on the other foot.

Once again the Greens introduced to federal parliament their ongoing demand for an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Once again the conservatives resisted the call. And yet, if they had nothing to hide, what would they be worried about?

“The Washington Post” reported President Trump making 15,413 false or misleading claims over 1055 days. Does Australia have to follow the US? Recent revelations demonstrate that Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also guilty of false or misleading statements.

Is the “sports rorts affair” just one example?

How many other politicians will be caught out before there is agreement for a genuine effort to clean up federal politics.

In September, the Senate passed the Green’s bill to establish a federal anti-corruption commission on a vote of 35-32. The bill passed with the support of Labor, the Centre Alliance

and Jacqui Lambie.

Ironically, it was resisted by the full range of conservatives. One Nation senators abstained and Cory Bernardi sided with the government. What are they worried about?

At the time, Greens senator Larissa Waters pointed out that the Greens had “10 years of attempting to clean up politics”. She pointed out “now the pressure is on the government to back this bill in the House”.

And this was before the “sports rorts affair” which forced then National Party Minister Bridget McKenzie to resign from cabinet. It was also before the prime minister’s office was implicated by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the very same rorting of public money to provide political advantage.

Apparently, the conservatives do have some serious issues to worry about.

If they have nothing to hide, they should not worry.

In the House of Representatives in the second week of February, debate on the bill was quashed on a vote of 7270. Senator Waters reacted vigorously stating: “The prime minister has once

again dodged scrutiny and integrity by gagging and delaying a vote on whether to have a strong federal corruption watchdog.

“The prime minister now has a reputation for ignoring corruption and conflicts of interest that the pub test says breach ministerial standards – and he’s now also the guy standing in the way of a corruption watchdog.”

The ANAO’s revelations came just days after the conservatives

Calling Canberrans with holiday homes

resisted the establishment of an ICAC. The sports minister’s and prime minister’s offices had been exchanging spreadsheets in a series of emails between October 2018 and April 2019.

The rorts were carefully orchestrated in an unethical approach to using taxpayers’ money for their own political advantage.

Despite the fact that more than 40 per cent of the projects were not even eligible for financial support, funding was provided as the applications fell in marginal electorates.

The ANAO shone some light on this saga. However, it does not have the power of an ICAC. The Senate inquiry heard attempts to justify the role of the PM’s office, suggesting Minister McKenzie was the final decision maker under the scheme. This sort of conjecture should be tested by an ICAC. Just how much influence does a prime minister and his office have over other ministers? Is it really the case that the PM can simply wash his

hands in the manner of Pontius Pilate?

A key claim by Prime Minister Scott Morrison has now been shown to be untrue. Following a review by the head of his own department, Phil Gaetjens, he claimed there was no evidence that the allocation of grants was “unduly influenced by reference to marginal or targeted electorates”.

It is not clear who said what. What was in the report? What was the extent of involvement of Mr Morrison personally?

This is just one issue that has come to light through astute investigations and questions raised by Labor. How much more embedded is unethical, corrupt and immoral behaviour? We simply do not know. That is why it is time to take steps to restore trust in our political system. The first step is to pass the Greens’ ICAC bill.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

Hi, I’m Alicia Payne, your representative in the Federal Parliament. I’m holding regular events to catch up with members of the Canberra community - come along!

Aranda Coffee Catch-Up

Two Before Ten, Aranda Shops 9.30 - 10.30am, Thursday 20 February

South Coast needs your help Hundreds of South Coast residents need long-term housing while getting their lives back on track. Let’s help evacuees affected by the devastating bushfires move from caravan parks, hotels, sheds and other emergency accommodation.

Harcourts Batemans Bay will professionally manage homes Canberrans are willing to rent to those who need help.* Homes are needed from Batemans Bay to Tuross Heads.

In return, we’re donating 20% of all letting fees from these properties as well as 20% of commissions on new properties or vacant land listed for sale for the rest of 2020 to the NSW Rural Fire Service and Wires Wildlife Rescue. *Conditions may apply.

Dene Lewthwaite 0412 635 019 Sandra Nascimento 0413 407 200 www.batemansbay@harcourts.com.au

20% off property management fees*

Dickson Mobile Office

Outside Dickson Woolies 9.30 - 10.30am, Saturday 29 February

Yarralumla Coffee Catch-Up

Beess & Co Cafe, Yarralumla Shops 9.30 - 10.30am, Thursday 12 March

Jamison Mobile Office

Outside Jamison Shops 9.30 - 10.30am, Saturday 4 April

Or otherwise, feel free to contact me anytime at alicia.payne.mp@aph.gov.au or 6277 4168.

@AliciaPayneMP

@AliciaPayneforCanberra

ALICIA PAYNE MP - MEMBER FOR CANBERRA Authorised by Alicia Payne MP, Member for Canberra. R2 95, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600. Photo by Hillary Wardhaugh.

16 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

Enjoy this open air concert featuring works from Mozart, Vivaldi, Haydn and Elgar aimed at celebrating our beloved Queanbeyan River.

Entertainment starts from 5pm. CSO performance from 6-8pm.

FREE general admission with limited reserve seating available at Eventbrite.com.au Bring your own food and drink or nibble on gourmet street food and local wines/bubbles.

LETTERS

Please, please, Jon, return to the political fray JUST a brief comment on Jon Stanhope’s article on Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers (“We may not be the people we think we are”, CN, February 6).

It is disgusting and inhumane, and history will condemn us!

I am a regular reader of “CityNews” and nearly always agree with Mr Stanhope’s comments regarding our incompetent government – both local and federal.

Please, please could he consider returning to the political fray as we in Canberra and Australia desperately need a person such as him. There are many Canberrans who feel the same.

Helen Wade, via email

Sidestepping in the latest spin THE ACT transport minister has avoided owning up to the fact that last year’s savage cuts to local Sunday bus services will remain untouched for an indeterminate time, according to the government’s latest fiddling with the April 29, 2019, public transport network timetabling (“Bus changes come after months of complaints”, citynews.com.au, February 5).

The impacts of years of poor planning and workforce risk management for the “new improved network” are still real for

too many, given the months of highly unreliable weekend servicing experienced after April 2019 and the subsequent major losses of services last September.

For how long will Sunday local bus frequencies provide inequitable servicing and remain unappealing, inefficient and basically unusable for many, minister?

Sue Dyer, Downer

Rates punishment for apartment owners ANOTHER day, another price record set for a capital-intensive detached house in Canberra!

AllHomes is reporting “Crace home breaks suburb record for a second time” (7 Langtree Crescent, unimproved value $471,000, market value $1,630,000, unimproved value to market value ratio 0.29).

Meanwhile, across Canberra tens of thousands of owners of townhouses and low-density apartments await the March quarter instalment of their rates bill with its unit-title surcharge.

The reason for this collective punishment from the Barr Labor/Greens government, they have UVRs of 0.3 and above, and use capital-intensity just to put a roof over their heads. Not too many theatre rooms, hot spring spas, and wine cellars in those properties.

Peter Bradbury, Holt

Legal drugs kill more than coronavirus

Macklin should be grateful

WE keep hearing from the soothsayers that many countries are examples of success in combating drug overdose deaths.

Portugal, which has virtually legalised most illicit drugs, has been hailed as arguably the most successful. The facts are different. Recent data points to an almost 30 per cent increase in such deaths, having reached their highest figure in the last five years.

It’s now public knowledge that new data from the National Coronial Information System shows that opioid-related deaths skyrocketed between 2010 to 2016 (the last year nationally consistent court records were available) fuelled by some of the strongest narcotics on the market.

In 2016 opioids killed more people than the road toll. Recent reports indicate Australia had almost 8500 opioid-related deaths in six years as reportedly pharmaceutical companies with links to the US drug crisis spent millions of dollars aggressively marketing powerful painkillers to doctors.

Prescription drugs and legal ones are killing more than the coronavirus in Australia – and yet our governments do nothing.

INSTEAD of making snide remarks about people of faith, perhaps columnist Robert Macklin should be grateful that he lives in a country based on Christian principle (“Our chickens come home to… roast”, CN, January 30).

If he lived in a country without such principles he really would think all his chickens had come home to “roast”. Not only would he be jailed for speaking against the government, if he lived in a city like Beijing, he would be able to see the air he breathed on a permanent basis.

Colliss Parrett, Drug Watch International, Barton

Rewa Bate, Coombs

Slowing down those school-zone speedsters HOW can motorists be stopped from speeding in school zones?

School has only been back a matter of days and we have real, personal concerns with grandchildren starting primary and high school.

Firstly, it’s time the ACT came into line with NSW and other jurisdictions of having school zones operating only when students are going in and coming out. There is nothing more frustrating having all-day restrictions.

Secondly, having flashing lights on all

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school zones.

Thirdly, double the fines for speeding through school zones.

We go through around six to 10 school zones almost every day and are staggered at the speeds of vehicles.

What we cannot understand is seeing commercial vehicles speeding with the names of their companies clearly displayed.

We certainly would not do business with those irresponsible firms.

We live only a couple of hundred metres from the Majura Primary School and, unfortunately, it is often what appears to be mothers speeding in the school zone.

Lastly, for those responsible parents who fail in one important aspect – let the children out of the car on the kerb side, not the road side.

We all know all motorists speed in Canberra working on the principle there is little chance of getting caught speeding in school zones. The numbers, according to the police, indicate this.

Cedric & Gerdina Bryant, Watson

Write to us Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au

DON’T MISS THESE FEATURED EVENTS CHIEF MINISTER’S CONCERT

TueSday 24 March, 11am and 1pm Join the Band of the Royal Military College for an unforgettable show.

Albert Hall, Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla.

ENTRY BY GOLD COIN DONATION

Bookings via www.concert20.eventbrite.com.au or 6282 3777

ACT SENIORS WEEK EXPO

ThursDAY 26 March,10am-3pm SPONSORED BY:

One big day – entertainment and info on retirement, aged care, community and government services, legal, finance, travel and more!

Exhibition Park in Canberra.

ENTRY BY GOLD COIN DONATION

Positive Ageing Awards Friday 27 March, 2:30pm

Recognise and celebrate the groups and individuals that contribute to the older Canberra community.

Weston Ck Labor Club, Teesdale Cl, Stirling.

Bookings required - call 6282 3777 RASCALSTREATS.com.au

FULL SENIORS WEEK PROGRAM PUBLISHED IN CITY NEWS ON 19 MARCH For more information contact COTA ACT on 6282 3777 or visit www.cotaact.org.au

18 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

SCENE / around canberra

PHOTOS BY: SETHAN THANI

At the Bushfire Relief Gala, Queanbeyan

Gordon and Karen Ross

Henry Marjason and Kellie O’Connor

Andrew and Donna Topp with Katey Johnstone and Murray Barton

Tayla Ayerd and Justin Galloway

Bonnie Doyle, Jess Greenaway, Steph Power, Sarah Budd and Jessica Sutherland

Kasey and Olivia Dragisic with Terri McDonald

Yasmin and Steve Medforth

At the Mercure Canberra Belconnen opening

Yvette Madigan and Sharon Stumbles

Wayne Berry, Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Brian Hatch

Craig and Ruth Pettit with Shane Holness

Jenny and Reg O’Connell

Julie and Chris Long

Lee Usher-Clarke and Helen Phelps

Spectacles Prescription sunglasses Contact Lenses & Solutions Eye testing Spectacle suppliers to: The department of Veteran’s Affairs & ACT Spectacle Scheme

Corey’s

Elias Hallaj, Greg Miller and Kelly Bowman

Michael Ceacis and Michael Lo Pilato

Brian Weir and Simon James Hoy

Margaret Hay, Rhonda Berry, Gloria Luchetti and Phil Beattie

Beth Vincent-Pietsch, Garrett Purtill and Sandy Thomas

Zaid Naman and Dennis Quade with Mick and Mardi D’Elboux

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CityNews February 20-26, 2020 19

SCENE / around canberra At ‘St Valentine’s Day Soirée of Romance and Roses’, Old Parliament House

Mimma Memmolo and Dr Malcolm Beazley

Dave and Judy Kelly

Gae Sheldon, Joan Boston and Keva North

Franco and Ann Calabria

Elizabeth and Juliet Mooie

Fred Knowler and Joyce Van Leeuwen

20 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

National Capital Authority CE Sally Barnes, Ross and Fiona Di Bartolo

Joan Gare, Joan Crook and Marcia Fife

Fumiyo and Madoka Yamamoto Mary and Dominic Pelle

At the ‘Terraform’ exhibition opening, East Hotel

Harriet, Chris and Jill Bestic

Julia and Lucas Horvath

Sean Ohlendorf and Bianca Ross

Mark Stewart, Juanita Dykgraaf, Kaylyn Andreatta and Evie Dykgraaf

Andrea Bryant and Sari Sutton

Brian Rope and Kirsten Wehner

Carla Young and Nick Parker

Jumanah Ahmad and Kate Matthews

Catherine and Lubi Mpofu

Olia Balabina and John Stevens

Isla Nakano and Mizaan Ahmad

SCENE / around canberra

invite us: scene@citynews.com.au

At ‘The Parade’ launch, Campbell

Nick Babic, Sarah Robinson and Peter Bertolin

Karly and Nick Quigley

Claudia Chappé de Léonval and Jimmy Cheung

Tricia and Brendan Hawke

Margaret McGrath, Phil Mackay, Monique Heddle and Mark Lazenby

Maureen Adams, Sue Evens and Phillip Glyde

Matt Vest and Erin Coldan

Carole Barry, Jo Glyde and Gillian Eckley

Scott and Lauren Dunn

Kaytlin Phoon with Marcella and Jonathan Tonini

Kendall Kirkwood and Barbara Cooper

Anton Sasson and Natalie Lynch

Mario McDonnell, Ann James and Thai Lee

Julian Ortner-Kemp and Ellie Colovatli

Liam Abbey and Naomi Sheridan

CityNews February 20-26, 2020 21

ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS

advertising feature

The experts who make ‘I do’ a dream come true AFTER showing off the ring and popping the champagne, it can be overwhelming to plan for the perfect wedding, but “CityNews” has it covered.

This week “CityNews” has spoken to businesses that can take the stress out of finding the most stunning venue, a jawdropping dress and the make-up and smile to ensure a dazzling day.

And, for even more inspiration, the upcoming CBR Fair, previously Canberra Wedding Fair, will host a number of wedding experts on March 1, ready to help bridesto-be.

Fair relaunches with something fun for everyone THE Canberra Wedding Fair will relaunch with a new look as CBR Fair at Thoroughbred Park on March 1, says event organiser Danielle Cleary, of Danielle Cleary Events.

Danielle says CBR Fair will present a collaboration of new ideas and concepts featuring local leaders in the wedding, events, travel and lifestyle industry.

“It makes sense that these complementary services be showcased together for our guests’ exploration, enjoyment and convenience,” she says.

Drawing on the 10th annual fair’s “experienced premier partners” of designers, stylists, creatives and promoters, Danielle says CBR Fair will be an exclusive showcase of more than 100 trustworthy exhibitors.

“Designed to help guests create their perfect occasion, we’ll showcase culinary delights, pop-up cart treats, photographic galleries, venues, fashion and beauty trends, entertainment, travel and lifestyle,” she says.

“The fair is about creating an immersive, holistic and experiential journey for Canberra and the surrounding region.”

With several special guests, including international celebrity make-up artist Liz Bomben, along with several of her Global hair and make-up team; “milliner to the stars” Viktoria Novak; and fashion and lifestyle blogger at “A Stylish Moment”, Jemma Mrdak, Danielle promises two runway presentations that will thrill brides-to-be.

“Viktoria will adorn the models in both bridal and race designs – perfect for guests to be inspired for any upcoming event or the Canberra Racing Carnival,” says Danielle.

The parades will feature bridal, event, travel and lifestyle wear from national and local designers and boutiques includ-

Iconic venue takes the stress out of weddings

ing Momento Dezigns, Blades Menswear, Simone Perele and Christine Waring Millinery.

Another highlight will be the free Foodie Fair, with live music by the Rich Pitcher Band, balloon twister magic and a big white jumping castle in the park, Danielle says.

Whether someone is newly engaged, preparing for an event, looking for a getaway, has a love of food and live music or a passion for fashion, Danielle invites everyone to come along for all the fun of the CBR Fair.

CBR Fair, Thoroughbred Park, 1 Randwick Road, Lyneham, 10am-3pm, Sunday, March 1. Call Danielle Cleary Events on 0427 666584, email danielle@danielleclearyevents.com or visit canberraweddingfair.com.au

AS one of Australia’s most iconic venues, the National Press Club has an outstanding reputation for its wedding receptions, according to function sales coordinator Angelique Carter.

As well as being nationally recognised she says the National Press Club is flexible and affordable.

“Our wedding specialist and dedicated bridal staff will accompany you along the journey and ensure every minor detail is given the appropriate attention,” she says.

“We remove the stress of planning your wedding at every step along the way and can assist with ceremony locations as well as contacts for florists, music, cake, cars and more.”

The venue, which fits about 230 guests, has a parquetry dance floor, chandeliers throughout the site and a sheer backdrop with choices of coloured lighting.

“We look after your guests in our refurbished lounge area for the pre-dinner beverages and canapés while the bridal party enjoys quiet time in their own private retreat,” she says.

Angelique says all weddings include complimentary canapés and couples can choose a one to five-course dinner.

“Our executive chef will work with the bride and groom to tailor a menu to suit their needs including fitting within their budget,” she says.

Interested couples can enquire over the phone, through the website or in person, which will be followed up by a site visit.

National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton. Email functions@npc.org.au, call 6121 2199 or visit npc.org.au

Renowned as one of Canberra’s most prestigious, elegant venues.

Caters up to 230 wedding guests.

at Australia’s 2018 Wedding Caterer of the Year

Enjoy the magic touches from our award-winning chefs and impeccable service team.

For beautiful wedding celebrations tailored to your desires, please contact our Function Sales Coordinator to discuss your special day and arrange a personalised tour of our function areas.

Tel: 02 6121 2199 functions@npc.org.au

16 National Circuit, Barton ACT www.npc.org.au 22 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS

advertising feature Precinct has everything for the perfect day PACKED with facilities to see brides and grooms through from engagement to anniversary, the Realm Precinct has weddings covered, says Doma Hotels weddings executive Michelle Cooper.

“It’s a versatile, one-stop-shop with a range of restaurants, bars, day spas and gyms, perfect for the lead up to your wedding day and beyond,” she says.

Michelle says couples can celebrate their engagement party at Ostani Bar, create a next-level bridal shower with a decadent high tea on the Burbury Terrace, pamper themselves pre-wedding at Hale Spa or get into shape with Hale Gym’s 12-week method.

When it comes to the big day itself, Michelle says Doma Hotels offers an array of unique wedding venues, from intimate ceremonies to large receptions of up to

460 people.

“Garden ceremonies are perfect in the Brassey Gardens, and we can host small indoor ceremonies in the High Courtyards, intimate ceremonies on the Burbury Terrace and larger weddings in the Hotel Realm National Ballroom,” she says.

A 15 per cent discount is available to all wedding guests when booked directly with the hotel.

“Myself and our team will work with you every step of the way to ensure your wedding day is as perfect as you imagined it,” says Michelle.

Doma Hotels,1/18 National Circuit, Barton. Call 6163 4711, email weddings@domahotels.com.au or visit domahotels.com.au

Naomi reveals the region’s best-kept venue secret THE Royal Hotel Queanbeyan is a contemporary, cool and historic wedding venue, says Naomi Chen, the hotel’s functions and events manager.

“We’re one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to weddings,” says Naomi.

“In addition to the beautiful function area, we also have the Royal Suite, pictured, a chic, gorgeous space that includes double vanities and a luxurious claw-foot bath where brides and bridesmaids can get ready. The wedding party will have access all day, and then the couple can stay there overnight.”

The entire Upper House venue can be booked for the day and night, which includes the outdoor bar, courtyard and atrium area. The space has been recently renovated and combines the original architecture with raw materials, steel, old timber, luxe velvet and leather furnishings.

Naomi, who’s the dedicated events manager for

weddings, says she assists with everything from the planning stages straight through to the wedding.

“We offer a checklist to help organise the day, with details from bridal [food] tastings to whether the couple will be keeping the top layer of the cake on the day,” she says.

“There’s an extensive range of affordable menu packages, or we can work with you to tailor a menu that reflects your personal taste and style.

“Our professional events team is dedicated to deliver an amazing experience and our executive chef can also cater to dietary requirements including gluten free, diabetic, allergies, religious and lifestyle choices.”

Royal Hotel Queanbeyan, 85 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 1444, email info@royalhotelqbn.com. au or visit royalhotelqbn.com.au

Brassey Gardens.

RHQ ‘Upper House’ is layered with chic furnishings, rich history and inspired interiors providing versatile event spaces.

For all enquiries, please contact Functions and Events. functions@royalhotelqbn.com.au

Book your Wedding Reception at RHQ before May 2020, And you will receive a complimentary Beverage upgrade!

24 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

6297 1444 | ROYALHOTELQBN.COM.AU

ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS

advertising feature

Showcase unveils ‘exquisite’ bridal gowns

Passionate Carey loves planning dream weddings

SPANISH designer Rosa Clará is showcasing her latest “exquisite” wedding dress designs in Canberra with a trunk show at luxury bridal boutique Annabel’s Bridal Studio in March, says owner Misty Annabel.

Available from March 14-21, Misty says the Rosa Clará trunk show offers a preview of next season’s elegant gowns, featuring classic styling and quality.

“Rosa Clará is celebrating 25 years in the industry and is an extremely popular designer in Europe, having made a wedding dress for Rafael Nadal’s wife Xisca Perello,” she says.

“Future brides can come in and try the gowns, which will then be made to order.”

But, Misty says, in order for the qualified consultants and the in-house tailor to help brides create their dream look, appointments to the studio are essential.

“I make sure the process from choosing the gown to the collection of the gown is as organised and as enjoyable as possible,” she says.

With a view to creating a calm and relaxed, client-focused environment, Misty says Annabel’s Bridal Studio offers an intimate retail setting with chandeliers and soft furnishings.

“My team and I are passionate about what we do and we go to great lengths to make sure our brides are happy,” Misty says.

She says that for wedding gowns, sleeves are still popular, as are V-neck styles.

“The look is a natural, relaxed glamour, [which gives] an effortless sophistication,” she says.

TUCKED away from the bustle of busy roads, the Royal Canberra Golf Club offers a tranquil and sophisticated venue for weddings, says events and functions co-ordinator Carey Lander.

“There is no traffic noise, just the afternoon calls of native birdlife and the breeze as it rustles through the leaves,” she says. “[But] the Royal Canberra Golf Club is more than just a destination of ambience, professionalism and sumptuous cuisine.

“It’s everything you need for an unforgettable day.”

With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, 20 of those at the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Carey says she is passionate about ensuring brides have their dream weddings, a passion that saw her win the title of No. 1 wedding planner at an ACT venue at the Brides’ Choice Awards in 2018. She was highly commended in the 2019 Brides’ Choice Awards, and the Royal Canberra Golf Club was in the Top 10 venues in 2019.

“I ensure that each and every bride experiences the perfect day while I fulfil above and beyond their initial expectations,” she says.

“And most importantly, I make it fun [because that’s a] simple element that many brides often forget, particularly as stress levels start to rise.”

Then, on the big day, Carey says the wedding lawn will be the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.

“The lawn leads up to the glass doors

Rosa Clará trunk show… March 14-21.

Annabel’s Bridal Studio, at “The Kennedy”, suite 2, 28 Eyre Street, Kingston. Call 6295 3984, email info@annabelsbridal.com.au or visit annabelsbridal.com.au

of the intimate Westbourne Room and into the experienced hands of myself and the entire food and beverage team,” she says.

Royal Canberra Golf Club, 71 Bentham Street, Yarralumla. Call 6240 2206, email carey@royalcanberra.com.au or visit royalcanberra.com.au

KINGSTON (02) 6295 3984

www.annabelsbridal.com.au

26 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

SAY “I DO” AT ROYAL CANBERRA GOLF CLUB

WEDDING PLANNER | CEREMONY | RECEPTION | LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY Arrange an obligation free tour of our venue by contacting our award winning wedding coordinator: Carey Lander

02 6240 2206 | carey@royalcanberra.com.au | www.royalcanberra.com.au

ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS Wedding venue with authentic Italian food

Dale helps get the dance right

AGOSTINIS Italian restaurant and East Hotel is the perfect venue for couples looking for something a little different for their wedding, says the hotel’s director of relationships, Despina Cramer.

She says Agostinis provides an upmarket yet relaxed atmosphere where people can enjoy top-quality food that’s made on site and appeals to all taste buds.

Certified by the Italian Government for the food’s authenticity, Despina says everything is made fresh, including the pizza dough and pasta but there’s other options, too, which the hotel calls “Italian flair”.

“We have a very experienced event team that loves working with our guests and makes sure every detail is looked after,” she says.

“The couples work closely with the operations team and executive chef to ensure that everything runs very well on the day so the bride and groom can focus on enjoying their event.”

Despina says couples are welcome to come in to discuss options with the events team.

“The long-shaped restaurant fits up to 120 people inside and can be set up in a number of ways, from individual tables or a couple of long tables to make it feel more family-friendly to encourage people to mingle and share the day,” she says.

TO get that wedding dance just right, Dale’s Ballroom Dancing offers a one-off lesson, or classes for several weeks in the lead-up to the event for the couple or the entire wedding party, says its principal Dale Harris.

“All you need to do is bring your music, and depending on the amount of lessons we can choreograph a routine for your special day,” she says.

Since 1997, Dale’s Ballroom Dancing has offered a range of beginner and experienced classes from social classes, competition training, wedding groups and private lessons.

For weddings, Dale says couples can learn a unique style of dance, choreographed to any chosen song.

The most exciting dance Dale has choreographed for a wedding was a “wild boppy” one, where the bride and groom came down the aisle kicking and skipping to a Guy Sebastian song.

The studio specialises in a range of dance styles: Australian new vogue ballroom (sequence dancing); standard modern, which includes waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep; and Latin American, which includes samba, cha cha, paso doble, rumba and jive.

“You don’t realise how much exercise you’re doing or how much fun it is,” Dale says.

“It’s a great way to meet people in a friendly, comfortable environment.”

Agostinis, East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston. Call 6295 6925, email meet@easthotel.com.au or visit easthotel.com.au

Visit dalesballroomdancing.com.au or call 6296 4009.

Professional, fun tuition in Ballroom Dancing • Private Dancing Lessons

Your Italian Wedding at

– Individuals or Groups – Perfect for wedding parties By appointment

• Adult Beginner & Intermediate classes every wednesday from 8pm

• Social Dancing

every thursday at 8pm

• JUNIOR CLASSES

from 5.30pm thursdays

ENJOY YOURSELF IN A FUN AND RELA XED SOCIAL ENVIRONMEN T

All Classes are now held at: The Tuggeranong Community Centre 245 Cowlishaw St, Tuggeranong

Dale’s Ballroom Dancing Phone: 02 6296 4009 | Mobile: 0407 066 110 | Email: dale_harris@bigpond.com Web: dalesballroomdancing.com.au | Principal: Dale Harris

A long Italian lunch for up to 80 guests Exclusive use of Agostinis with custom made menu Accommodation packages at East Hotel available meet@easthotel.com.au | (02)6295 6925 28 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

Bringing depth, meaning and joy to your wedding day St John’s Anglican Church, Reid

Celebrating weddings since 1841 Phone 6248 8399 45 Constitution Ave, Reid admin@stjohnscanberra.org www.stjohnscanberra.org

advertising feature Dentist gets brides smiling with confidence

Popular church in the centre of Canberra

A WEDDING is a day full of smiles, with none more radiant than the bride on her big day, says Dr Edward Davies of Canberra City Dentistry.

“A healthy smile affects our self confidence and can help us feel our best, which is why maintaining oral health is so important,” he says.

Canberra-born and raised, Dr Davies joined the practice in late 2019, having previously worked in Orange, Dubbo and Sydney.

His main interest is in the area of oral surgery but he also provides Dr Edward Davies. general dental services.

“Our focus here at the practice is on preventative oral health,” he says.

For more than nine years, Canberra City Dentistry, on University Avenue, has built a reputation for providing caring and gentle dentistry, according to the practice, saying it strives to offer its patients painless, quality and affordable dentistry in a relaxed and caring environment.

Practice owner Dr Vicky Pusnjak says providing good-quality work is hugely important for her and she’s received incredible feedback about this through repeat business and referrals.

Canberra City Dentistry offers quality and affordable dental services including general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, implants, crowns and bridges, dentures, clear correct, teeth whitening and emergency appointments are always available, as well as Dr Kam Sinn for orthodontic work and oral therapist Koco Clarke on site three days a week, says Dr Pusnjak.

A WEDDING is one of life’s great moments, and St John’s Anglican Church in Reid has been celebrating weddings since its foundation in 1841, according to Canon Paul Black.

“I call St John’s the English village church and literally through a course of history they put the national capital around us,” says Canon Black.

“It’s a popular destination for many couples, especially those requiring a more intimate space. The church is open daily and we invite people to come and experience its ambience and grounds.”

Paul says the church’s wedding team will liaise with couples regarding availability, legal and church requirements and assist them in administrative matters, while the celebrant will assist in the planning of the ceremony.

“We’re very flexible when it comes to music,” he says.

“We have a pipe organ built by Ronald Sharp, who built an organ for the Sydney Opera House.”

Paul says as well as the pipe organ, there is space for a soloist, string quartet and the church has a good sound system for recorded music.

“We strongly recommend you book your wedding at St John’s before making any other arrangements, such as reception venues,” says Paul.

“We’re confident you can be married on the day you choose.”

Canberra City Dentistry, Level 4, 28 University Avenue, Civic.

Call 6162 0880 or visit canberracitydentistry.com.au

St John’s Anglican Church, 45 Constitution Avenue, Reid. Email weddings@stjohnscanberra. org, call 6248 8399, or visit stjohnscanberra.org

Wedding help from start to finish WITH a spectacular sandstone courtyard and garden that caters for ceremonies and receptions, Gold Creek Tourist Resort has room for everything in the one venue, says functions manager Roz Sanders.

Roz says the experienced staff focus on everything from start to finish in the lead up to a wedding, and on the day.

The Gold Creek Tourist Resort has a professional functions coordinator and a team of workers who also help with accommodation and can recommend celebrants, DJs, live music, MC hire, hairdressers, cakes, stationery, balloons, photographer, car hire and wedding gowns, Roz says.

“Our focus is on the bride and groom on their day and we do our best to make sure they’re taken care of,” Roz says.

Gold Creek Tourist Resort, O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls.

Call 6241 3000, email info@gctr.net.au

Let the team at Gold Creek Tourist Resort take the worry out of your special day.

The Gold Creek Tourist Resort provides two function rooms;

Lassiters

Exceptional venue for smaller weddings catering up to 45 sit down.

With vintage style finishing’s, and a wall mirror to add to the atmosphere and elegance, Lassiters also provides your own fully licenced bar area.

It also boasts a non – smoking outside seating area for up to 20.

Settlers

Brilliant venue for the larger weddings catering up to 110. The room has various features that allow it to stand out from other venues. Wall mounted backdrops together with fairy lights, LED Lanterns, in built polished wooden dance floor and a fully licenced in room bar help. It also has an outside nonsmoking Sandstone Courtyard perfect for Ceremonies and a quiet beverage.

The Courtyard area can hold up to 50 standing or 30 seated.

The friendly staff can also help with Accommodation, Celebrants, DJ’s, MC Hire, Cakes and Photographers and most of all to make you special day all the more special, decorations of your choice.

Gold Creek Tourist Resort For bookings and enquiries please phone the function manager on 6241 3000 or email directly to info@gctr.net.au

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Level 4, 28 University Avenue, Canberra City www.canberracitydentistry.com.au CityNews February 20-26, 2020 29

ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS

advertising feature Historic church does traditional weddings well

Celebrate your marriage at

All Saints’ Anglican Church, Ainslie Marriages at All Saints are celebrated in the breath-taking beauty of one of Canberra’s most prestigious and historic churches. You and your family and friends will be surrounded by a sense of beauty, awe, tradition, and history, as you exchange your vows.

The Rector of All Saints, the Revd Lynda McMinn will be happy to talk through the ceremony with you.

For more information contact the church at: Phone: 02 6248 7420 Email: admin@allsaintsainslie.org.au

LEON DELANEY CANBERRA LIVE Weekdays 3pm-6pm @CanberraLive2CC 2cc.net.au

CC Beauty founder and manager Teresa Teixeira, centre, with staff at the Canberra Region Local Business Awards.

Wedding make-up brides are sure to love WITH make-up packages available for brides, mother-of-the-bride and bridesmaids, the wedding party can get ready for the big day as a group at CC Beauty Centre, says founder and manager Teresa Teixeira.

To be sure brides love their look and feel amazing on the day, Teresa suggests coming in for a consultation with the make-up artist and having a trial before the wedding.

“We encourage brides to book well in advance and always offer a discount if it’s a package booking,” she says.

As well as make-up, CC Beauty Centre offers spray tanning, manicures and pedicures, waxing, tinting and other treatments

including microdermabrasion.

“If brides would like microdermabrasion or more intensive treatments, we recommend at least three weeks before the wedding to allow the skin time to heal,” she says.

CC Beauty Centre won the Canberra Region Local Business Awards for Outstanding Beauty Services in 2019. The beauty centre also offers gift vouchers and VIP membership.

MARRIAGES at All Saints Anglican Church in Ainslie are celebrated in the breathtaking beauty of one of Canberra’s most prestigious and historic churches, says rector of All Saints, reverend Lynda McMinn.

“You and your family and friends will be surrounded by a sense of beauty, awe, tradition, and history, as you exchange your vows,” Lynda says.

Lynda says the weddings are typically traditional, using an Anglican ceremony.

“Couples come to us a few months before, we show them a framework and have a chat about what they want, including the style of music,” she says.

“The aim is to make the ceremony as beautiful and meaningful as possible.”

With its Victorian, gothic architecture, Lynda says the church is a curious blend of the old and the modern, sensitively restored with a long aisle and beautiful windows.

“Some people say that church weddings aren’t as popular as they used to be, but people still love a traditional church wedding if it is done well,” she says.

All Saints Anglican Church, 9-15 Cowper Street, Ainslie.

Call 6248 7420, email admin@allsaintsainslie.org.au or visit allsaintsainslie.org.au

CC Beauty Centre, Shop 54, upper level, Cooleman Court, Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6288 5522 or visit ccbeautycentre.com.au or facebook.com/ccbeautycentre

ASK US ABOUT OUR TAYLORED

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Shop 54 Upper Level Cooleman Court Shopping Centre Brierly St, WESTON. P: 6288 5522 www.ccbeautycentre.com.au • info@ccbeautycentre.com.au • Open 7 Days 30 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

Saluting farmers and quality produce WENDY JOHNSON

An addictive tale that ‘saved’ the playwright

By Helen Musa

PETER Cook is the brains behind the new play “Breaking the Castle”, which is about to premiere at The Street Theatre. He’s also the actor.

“It’s quite clear that the theme of addiction runs through the show,” playwright Cook says. “But as well as things I’ve been through myself, there are also other people’s stories.”

He plays the character David, described by Cook as “a jobbing actor who’s reached the point in his life when everything has crept up on him… it’s crisis time, his mental health is going down along with his career so he gets through [by] using substances.”

Much as he might deny actually being David, Cook has a lot in common with the character he plays. Like David, he’s a jobbing actor, working on TV and on stage to pay the bills. And like David, he’s looked into the abyss of addiction.

Cook says that compared to film and TV, “theatre is the most challenging form” and points to the professional upheaval in the entertainment industry where irreparable damage can be done to an actor out of work or sidelined.

But writing about it became his salvation.

“The thing that almost killed me saved me,” he says.

His is not an uncommon story, he notes,

but it is one that needs talking about, since addiction attracts enormous stigma within a panicked public.

Without giving any spoilers, David gets to the point where he must make a decision and, taking off for a remote region in southeast Asia, he faces up. “‘Breaking The Castle’ explores how complex we are as human beings,” he says.

“My play celebrates the dark times but also the power of the human spirit… and it shows how we all need help.”

Raised in Brisbane, Cook got experience in film when Warner Bros. studio was operating in Queensland, trained in acting at the Victorian College of the Arts, then returned to Brisbane to become head of acting at the respected Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts in Brisbane. He’s also acted in several plays at The Street, notably in “The Chain Bridge”.

Although not indigenous, he was part of the artistic team that created “Cunnamulla Dreaming”, a documentary that explored the making of a play at a school in the remote Queensland town.

Writing about the darkness of addiction is one thing, but Cook says: “Now I have to act it, now I have to get up on the floor.”

In doing that, he’s realised that there are “a myriad of Davids”, meaning he has to portray an emotional range from the funny to the sad.

Director of the work Caroline Stacey is quick to point out the relevance of David’s story, which links into men’s mental health

Playwright and actor Peter Cook… “My play celebrates the dark times but also the power of the human spirit… and it shows how we all need help.”

Photo: Shelly Higgs issues, especially in rural towns, where the so-called “ice map” finds its natural epicentre. With this in mind, they plan to take the play to the Hothouse Theatre in Wodonga.

“When we showed some of it last year at a ‘First Seen’ session there was absolute

v BY JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH v PRODUCED RED STITCH ACTORS’ THEATRE AND CRITICAL STAGES TOURING

HERALD SUN

v

“Breaking the Castle”, The Street Theatre, February 28-March 14. Book at thestreet.net.au or 6247 1223.

IF ONLY YOU COULD FIND THE MOMENT THAT STARTED EVERYTHING

...

SEE IT LIVE. SEE IT NOW.

SO G

H H H H H

JOE PETRUZZI GIVES A NUANCED BUT MUSCULAR PERFORMANCE."

go anywhere around the world,” she says.

“But I wouldn’t want anyone else to perform it for a while,” Cook suggests.

...

5 - 7 MARCH

"TOM HEALEY’S ASSURED AND WELL-PACED DIRECTION LENDS THE PLAY EMOTIONAL AND DYNAMIC ENERGY…

silence,” she says.

“It felt so real that audience members said: ‘This is the sort of theatre I want to see’.”

And Stacey hints at a “deus ex machina” in which David is saved and Cook uses the word “uplifting”.

“It’s a pretty universal story and it could

AMERICAN

American Song tackles the confronting and heartbreaking issue of gun violence, reaching beyond national or cultural borders in an intimate exploration of love, forgiveness and parental responsibility. With acclaimed playwright Murray-Smith’s characteristically deft wit and compassion, American Song makes a difficult topic thoroughly gripping, wryly humorous and deeply moving.

A CONFRONTING & HEARTBREAKING STORY ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

SEE IT LIVE. SEE IT NOW. BOOKINGS 02 6285 6290 THEQ.NET.AU CityNews February 20-26, 2020 31

CINEMA

Sex for Ryan and Laura has its ups and downs “A Guide to Second Date Sex” (MA) ABOUT learning from past failures, this British comedy is the feature film debut for writer/director Rachel Hirons.

For second-date sex, there has to be first-date sex. Did it happen or not? If not, why did it not please the participants?

The screenplay begins on a Friday night.

Ryan (George MacKay) and Laura (Alexandra Roach) find themselves side by side at the bar. They talk. Something is beginning to smoulder. They decide to test each other’s interest two Saturdays later at his place.

There, and then, consummation takes place. Satisfaction remains aloof; in fact, it tumbles into negative territory. By the time the film reaches close to the middle of its run time, we might be forgiven for wondering how it’s going to develop.

While sex underpins Ms Hirons’ film, its depiction is limited to Ryan and Laura separately trimming their pubic hair above the top line of their knickers and flushing the debris down the toilet. Two stars was beginning to gain traction in my mind, Rescue came with the unheralded arrival of Ryan’s foxy ex girlfriend Tufts (Emma Rigby) bearing gifts, bubbly and a strong line in “let’s make up and why aren’t we getting stuck into each other again”. At this point, the film’s tenor and my interest in it begin to turn from down to up. Laura and Tufts were once great chums. That may look like a storyline cliché; indeed, it is one, but be patient. Explanation and resolution are at hand.

George MacKay and Alexandra Roach in “A Guide to Second Date Sex”.

It can be days, weeks even, between orgasms. How lovers share that intervening time turns out to be the key to a shared future. The third and following dates are important. The film makes those a distinct possibility for Ryan and Laura.

George MacKay playing Ryan is also the mainstay of “1917” now showing and the Ned Kelly one that recently screened here briefly.

Next month, he’ll turn 28. Since a debut playing one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys in 2003, he’s assembled a cinema CV of 41 movie and TV credits. Definitely a man to watch for.

At Dendy

“Richard Jewell” (MA) IN movies, nothing should stand in the way of a good story. However much it blends fact with imagination, Billy Ray’s screenplay for director Clint Eastwood’s film telling

the story of Richard Jewell’s 88 days of FBI interrogation about a monstrous crime that he did not commit is a good story.

Richard (Paul Walter Hauser) never met “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” police roundsperson Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), who drew assumptions from a weak set of facts then available. Both are now dead. But the fallout from Scruggs’ assumption of Richard’s guilt still resonates around the US legal system as lawyers argue the facts of the case.

Richard was an overweight Type 2 diabetic with a passionate belief in law enforcement that was never going to take him to a job with any law-enforcement agency. During a concert in Centennial Park, Atlanta, Georgia at the 1996 Olympic Games, he identified a rucksack under a TV broadcasting booth as a bomb. As he and police began clearing the area, the bomb went off, killing

two and injuring more than 10 people.

Richard needed a lawyer. He knew only one such, one-time government lawyer Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) who was now in a one-man private practice. The right guy, in the right place.

The film runs for 131 minutes. The story’s flow distils into one theme. Government agencies are not sacrosanct. They can get it wrong. The FBI and other US government agencies investigating Richard and his mother (Kathy Bates) were, with some justification, very angry and anxious to arrest Richard, try him and execute him.

Whatever the screenplay’s sources, there is no denying that Eastwood has again delivered a cracker of a film. The cast is good. The tempo and tensions hold up well. Without clamour or hysteria, the story examines how two views of justice from a single set of facts can come to the correct decision. Nothing could be better.

At all cinemas

“Parasite” (MA) SOUTH Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho came away from the 2020 Oscars carrying the four most important Oscars of the lot – original screenplay, international film, director and picture.

His film “Parasite” also got the one

technical category Oscar that made those four possible by gathering up a myriad little bits of film and metaphorically glueing them into the finished movie – it was a mighty editorial effort without which Bong’s quartet of trophies might have been distributed among other films.

Desperately funny, it’s more than merely a comedy. Filled with dishonesty, it does more than merely deliver appropriate comeuppances. Rising from a one-room apartment in a trash-choked Seoul alley, it’s more than merely a tale of a family that, through the father’s cunning, rises from poverty’s mire.

It paints a picture of class distinction such as might in earlier times have led to revolution.

Blood flows as freely from upper-class folk as from lower-class folk.

I won’t even try to summarise the simple yet complex plot. I can do no more than express pleasure that such a US-centric bunch as the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences found the wit and wisdom to recognise that a bunch of Koreans could turn out such a delightful, entertaining and thought-provoking movie as this.

See it, even if you hate subtitled dialogue.

At Palace Electric, Dendy, Hoyts Belconnen and Limelight

DINING / market grill, pialligo estate

Saluting farmers and quality produce FIRST up, I want to say how fabulous it is to see farmers and regions featured on a menu. At Market Grill, Pialligo Estate, the description of most dishes is complete with the name of the farmer and the region they produce from.

GELATO FACTORY OUTLET

OPEN TO PUBLIC – BUY DIRECT & SAVE AUSTRALIA’S MOST AWARDED GELATO

Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, closed Sunday & public holidays

PURE GELATO ACT • Call: 02 6299 7995 Unit 4, 189 Flemington Road, Mitchell (access via Darling Street) 32 CityNews February 20-26, 2020

If you want to connect even more, study their photos hanging on the wall. They’re fascinating.

Market Grill celebrates quality produce in all that it does. It’s lucky to be able to pick from Pialligo Estate’s garden – 800 metres of river frontage and 28 hectares of sandy loam – that thrives on the banks of the Molonglo River.

The two-hectare market garden is loaded with seasonal vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Sharing is a fabulous way to enjoy food. On our visit, we began our culinary adventure with fried zucchini flowers, stuffed with goat cheese and almond pesto (Pete, from Pialligo Garden – $26).

They were super crispy and loaded with flavour.

The tantalising tartare was created with super tender aged Angus beef fillet with cured yolk on top, and colourful and crunchy beetroot chips forming a ring around the meat (Anthony, Cordillo Downs – $22).

Baby squid is so versatile, and this dish packed a punch with the squid stuffed with spicy chorizo and then char grilled and served on top of a delicate couscous salad (Sharon, Eden – $18).

Also grilled was the whole snapper, with a fresh herb salad (don’t forget to eat the sweet cheeks). The half lemon was also grilled, bringing out the flavour (Sharon, Eden – $44).

We accepted the recommendation to share Market Grill’s signature dish, 600 grams of dry aged whole tri-tip with the most exquisite jus we’ve had in a long time. It’s $95 for two but

Market Grill’s signature beef dish, 600 grams of dry-aged, whole tri-tip with an exquisite jus.

Photo: Wendy Johnson the kitchen was happy to slice it up so we could easily share, given we had already indulged in several other dishes. The meat was cooked just as ordered and it wasn’t a problem when we asked for more of that full-bodied jus.

Market Grill’s wine list is attractive, and we enjoyed every drop of the 2018 La Petite Maison “Saint Rose”, France ($12 glass, $55 bottle).

We would have stayed for dessert, but it

was too hot inside and there was no air flow (we, along with several other guests, fanned ourselves with the menus).

Market Grill also offers a seven-course tasting menu for $85 a person.

Open Thursday to Sunday, 18 Kallaroo Road, Pialligo.

OPERA

POETRY

Tongues wagging with poetry

Stepping back into the spotlight

By Helen Musa

“IT’S a rising tide for everybody,” says veteran artist and Canberra baritone Colin Milner.

The enormously popular singer in the Canberra music scene was rejoicing at the local opera renaissance evident in the launch of the National Opera company and Toby Cole’s “Handel in the Theatre”.

“It helps everybody to develop. And, yes, I would audition for the National Opera if the opportunity arose.”

In an unwonted outburst of harmony, Canberra’s vocal performers are singing from the same song sheet – they all want opera to thrive in Canberra.

Pretty well every player in the local operatic game was at the National Portrait Gallery on February 6 for the official launch of the National Opera, under the artistic direction of Peter Coleman-Wright.

There, even as older patrons lamented the loss of the Canberra Opera in the ‘70s and ‘80s and its successor Opera ACT, as well as the slow erosion of the chamber opera company Stopera, the main players were out there talking up the future.

Opera Australia’s “Carmen” is on the subscription list, for instance.

Then there have been the entertaining efforts of Canberra Opera, (only recently transmogrified into National Opera) with a lively double-bill last year of Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana”.

Over at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, some of the players in the operatic game, including veteran repetiteur Colleen Rae-Gerrard, lashed out with “Opera in a Nutshell: La Traviata”.

Milner is no novice, either.

Some years ago he performed a lead role of John Wesley in Penelope Thwaites’ musical theatre work “Ride! Ride!”.

He’s also been seen here in everything from “Mary Poppins” to “The Coronation of Poppea.”

Last year with some relish he played the title role of Gianni Schicchi for Canberra Opera as a sleazy second hand car salesman-type.

A retired diplomat, in his Baritone Colin Milner in the title youth Milner trained for three role of Gianni Schicchi for Canberra years with the celebrated Opera. Photo: Michaella Edelstein baritone Ronald McConachie at the Canberra (now ANU) School of Music and enjoyed a summer intensive course at the Manhattan School of Music.

By the time he was posted to Pretoria, he was good enough to score a permanent professional part-time position in the State Theatre’s Opera Chorus.

Later, as Australia’s special representative to Nauru in 2004 and 2005, he sang in church with local community members and now he’s busy at the ANU writing a PhD thesis on the Australian solicitor-general Robert Garran, while also finding plenty of time for singing.

More on National Opera at nationalopera.org.au

WHEN it comes to multiculturalism, words matter.

Malaysian comedy queen Joanne Kam… at The Q, February 23.

ARTS IN THE CITY

Spicy comedy with a twist QUEANBEYAN Performing Arts Centre goes spicy with the revue “Spice Night”, performed entirely in English, featuring Malaysian comedy queen Joanne Kam, Singaporean YouTube star Hirzi Zulkiflie, Indian stand-up, Navin Noronha and Filipino-Australian Margot Tanjutco. At The Q, 8pm, Sunday, February 23. Book at theq.net. au or 6285 6290.

NATIONAL Portrait Gallery staff are abuzz with the realisation that the inaugural $75,000 Darling Portrait Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize will both open within a week of one another in early March.

With that in mind, they’ve announced that one ticket will get patrons into what they’re calling “an exquisite exhibition-duet”. Book at bookings@npg.gov.au or 6102 7070.

IT was good to learn that Dr Anita Collins, education adviser for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, professor at UC and consulting academic for the ABC documentary “Don’t Stop the Music”, is becoming patron to the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival, but the press release, headed “Richard Gill hands over the baton”, seemed a little unfortunate, given the outcry of grief when the universally respected Gill died in October, 2018.

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CANBERRA Strings – Barbara Jane Gilby, Pip Thompson on violin, Lucy Carrigy-Ryan and Jack Chenoweth on viola and Samuel Payne on cello – will perform Beethoven’s “String Quintet in C Major Op 29” at Wesley Music Centre, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, February 26. Tickets at the door.

KATE Edwards has alerted us to a new children’s choir at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka. The choir will be open to boys and girls aged 8-14. As well, the church will be offering up to 10 $1000 scholarships to children in the choir towards the cost of musical instrument tuition.

Auditions will be held in March.

Information at stpaulsmanuka. org.au

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year, “Girls Wearing the Trousers”, will see soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Natalia Tkachenko performing works set for men

by Schumann, Boulanger and Shostakovich.

As they say: “While much of the song cycle repertoire seems penned for the male voice, women feel sentiment equally.” At Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, Sunday, March 1. Book at trybooking.com or at the door.

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No one knows that as much as Canberra poet Jacqui Malins, who has been chipping away at the coalface for four years now running the Mother Tongue Multilingual Poetry initiative.

Its first airing was a modest affair at the National Multicultural Festival Fringe in 2016 but now, in collaborations with the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance, the Canberra Academy of Languages and the National Multicultural Festival, it’s still going strong, with a line-up of spoken poems this year in Mongolian, Xhosa, Serbian, Hindi, Persian and Bosnian, showing that Anglo poetry is just one of many traditions and that poetry, the oldest of all literary forms, is unlikely to die out any time soon.

MC’d by development scientist-poet Asha Naznin, the language showcase will feature, for the first time, a theatre skit, performed in French by Joël Larrat and his theatre group. As well, there’ll be songs in Mandarin from the Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre, songs in Spanish with Cicilia Kemezys and Jorge Bontes, and of course poetry in many languages, usually with a brief explanation in English.

This year visiting performers are Filipino-Australian, spoken-word artist Andrew Cox and Nicole Smede, a classically trained vocalist, musician and poet whose work explores her mixed Worimi, English, Irish and German ancestry.

Mother Tongue Multilingual Poetry now enjoys Visiting performer Filipinoyear-round airings Australian, spoken-word artist at Smiths, the Front, Andrew Cox. Tuggeranong Arts Centre and elsewhere around the ACT. “It started in the Fringe while it lasted, then went into the main festival and grew into this broader language focus,” she says. “If poetry is food for the soul, then the many languages we speak offer a banquet.”

The 2020 Languages Showcase, Stage 6, Petrie Plaza, between the carousel and London Circuit, 10am-12.30pm, Sunday, February 23. Immediately following the showcase, the 2020 Mother Language Walk will be opened by Multicultural Affairs Minister Chris Steel.

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GARDENING

Autumn’s asters are afoot THE first flowers of asters or Michaelmas daisies are appearing in our garden.

Many would not know the significance of Michaelmas, yet it’s a significant day historically.

Every year, September 29 is celebrated in the Christian church as the feast of St Michael and All Angels. In Northern Europe and the UK, it’s traditionally the beginning of autumn and cooling days – translate that here to March, which can still be pretty hot. Growing wild across North America, asters were introduced into the UK as a garden plant in the 17th century and immediately became popular.

In 1856, William Perkin, a trainee chemist, was experimenting to produce a synthetic form of quinine using asters. This would have made him famous for discovering a cure for malaria, but unfortunately his experiments were a failure.

However, when washing the container of black sludge, a beautiful violet colour ran down the sink. Perkin had inadvertently invented the world’s first artificial dye, mauveine. He patented it and went into commercial production, and in the fashion industry he was the toast of Europe.

He was knighted for his efforts in 1906. This is an extract from a story in “Country Life” magazine.

Follow the full story of Michaelmas at historic-uk. com/cultureuk/michaelmas In 1906, the year of Perkin’s knighthood, Ernest Ballard saw the potential of asters as a garden plant and started a nursery specialising in them in the west country of the UK. He was obviously on to a winner, with the nursery still operating to this day. It was promoted by that inimitable plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll, who guaranteed its success. Follow the full story of asters by borrowing the November 6, 2019 “Country Life” magazine from the library.

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PLANT Growers Australia (PGA) have launched their new salvia “Kisses and Wishes”. A strange name for a plant but behind the name is the support of an important organisation, MakeA-Wish. In 1980 in the USA, seven-year-old Christopher was being treated for leukaemia.

His wish was to be a police officer. A US Customs officer befriended young Christopher and worked with officers at the Arizona Department of Public Safety to plan an experience to lift his spirits.

They organised for him to spend a day as a police officer. He rode in a police helicopter, received a custom-made police uniform and was sworn in as the first honorary Public Safety Officer patrolman in state history.

Unfortunately, only a few weeks later young Christopher died. His legacy lives on with MakeA-Wish. Plant Management Australia (PMA) and PGA have been raising awareness and providing funds with a proportion of sales of their salvia “Wishes” series, to help bring hope, strength and joy to children fighting critical illness. The new salvia will complement the existing “Wendy’s Wish”, “Ember’s Wish” and “Love and Wishes”.

The coming autumn is the ideal time to plant a group of these. PMA and PGA have received over $70,000 in royalties from sales of these plants, plus $10,000 in other donations.

THE ground is rock-hard except where the drippers operate. The water table is way down.

And yet – a mound about the size of a marble appears. Slowly, the mound gets bigger and a tiny shoot about the thickness of my pinkie breaks the surface and grows in ever increasing height.

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Michaelmas daisies… appearing now in gardens.

Salvia “Kisses and Wishes” supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Literally in a few days it has grown to nearly half a metre, with a tiny bubble at the top. The toughest of the tough, it suddenly bursts into its rich pink flowers, an amaryllis.

This family used to include numerous bulbs, but today the only true amaryllis is the Belladonna lily.

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sundayROAST Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.

It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.

Be part of the conversation every Sunday – call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon

PUZZLES PAGE

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Joanne Madeline Moore

General knowledge crossword No. 721

Your week in the stars – February 24-March 1, 2020 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Expect some frustrations and delays, as retrograde Mercury confuses communication and slows things down. Try not to stress and worry. There will always be work to complete and mountains to climb. But perhaps a close friend or colleague needs your attention and affection right here and right now? Remember the wise words of Aries writer Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Are you tired of being a paddock-bound Bull? This week the planets rev up your usually tentative Taurean nature, and you’ll feel more restless and curious than usual. So it’s time to break free from boring boundaries, escape from your pedestrian paddock, go free-range and start exploring the world around you. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great Elizabeth Taylor: “I feel very adventurous.

There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Mercury (your patron planet) is currently reversing through your career zone. So it’s not a good time to initiate a professional project, apply for a promotion or look for a new job. Instead, wait until after Mercury goes direct on March 10. When it comes to a problematic relationship with a significant other, avoid being impatient There are no quick fixes at the moment. It’s a case of one step forwards and two steps back but if you are persistent, you’ll eventually make progress.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Travel plans, educational pursuits or an international venture could be delayed, as Mercury is in retrograde mode. If you are patient, then it will lead to a successful outcome further down the track. When it comes to a joint venture or a group project, the harder you work the more successful you’ll be. Attached Crabs – demonstrate to your partner how much you really care. Singles – give frivolous suitors the flick. Look for lasting love with someone who is mature and ready to commit.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Are you feeling rather restless? Or are you sitting around berating the world for not being the way you want it to be? It’s time for Lions to ricochet into brand new territory, as the Sun and Mars help you initiate changes in creative and proactive ways. But remember that Mercury is retrograde until March 10. So avoid being hasty and hot-headed, and don’t believe everything you hear! Feisty spontaneity must be tempered with a pinch of patience and a healthy dollop of discrimination.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Mercury is in retrograde mode until March 10. So be extra careful how you give and receive information, especially in close relationships. If you have doubts or concerns, then don’t hesitate to double-check. Plus avoid making major purchases, starting joint ventures or signing important contracts until after March 10. Instead be patient and focus your attention on revising, researching or reworking current projects. Saturday’s stars encourage thinking outside the box.

22 What is a journalist also known as? (8) 23 What are items in a sports program? (6)

1 To have a highly coloured or ruddy complexion, is to appear as what? (6) 7 The Roman numeral XVIII is the symbol for which number? (8) 8 What is a decoration made of small pieces of stone, glass, etc, of different colours? (6) 9 Which enlarged mass of lymphoid tissue in the upper pharynx common in children, often prevents nasal breathing? (8) 10 Which measles are known as rubella? (6) 11 Name substances used in hygiene such as soap, deodorant, etc. (8) 14 Which communication was once sent by Morse Code? (8) 18 Which term describes something that is contrary to reason, or common sense? (6) 19 What do we call one who seeks advancement, honours, etc? (8) 21 Which person lends money at an exorbitant rate of interest? (6)

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

A complicated work matter could go haywire this week, as retrograde Mercury leaves you wondering what on earth is going on! You also need to be doubly diplomatic with a cantankerous colleague or a recalcitrant relative. And don’t waste precious time wondering what a loved one is thinking… you’re probably way off the mark. Perhaps 100 per cent honesty isn’t the best policy, and communication will only improve with plenty of patience and some creative sugar-coating?

Solution next edition

Across

Down 1 Which type of chemical is used in disinfecting? (8) 2 What are royal domains or kingdoms called? (6) 3 What is a vessel from which wine, water, etc, is served at the table? (8) 4 Name a monster, commonly represented as a hideous giant. (4) 5 What is a sudden interruption to the supply of blood to the brain? (6) 6 What is an offer of something for acceptance? (6) 12 To be underdeveloped, is to be what? (8) 13 What are the ends of yards of square sails? (8) 15 Name an annual Christian festival. (6) 16 Who was a prolific US inventor, Thomas ...? (6) 17 To be sagacious or shrewd, is to be what? (6) 20 Name an alternative term for a poker stake. (4)

FREE SUDOKU EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

Sudoku medium No. 261

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Expect some dramas this week, as retrograde Mercury stirs up issues with a friend or relative. So use your substantial diplomatic talents to help find practical solutions to potential problems. The stars also encourage ambitious plans and you’re keen to impress others, but pace yourself and don’t promise more than you can realistically deliver. For some lucky Scorpios, a burgeoning romantic relationship at work has the potential to become a robust long-term partnership.

S AT 1 5 F E B R U A RY — S AT 1 8 J U LY In the early 1950s, a group of 150 young German men left the security of their homeland and the comfort of their families to travel halfway around the world to a small city called Canberra.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Speedy Sagittarians are feeling self-indulgent and rather rash! Making a snappy decision seems like a good idea but it could backfire later on. With Mercury retrograde (until March 10) it will be incredibly easy to put your foot firmly in your mouth (especially with family members and domestic matters). So think twice before you blurt out something that you later regret. You need to be clever and uncharacteristically cautious, as you consider situations carefully before you respond.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Family activities are favoured, as you combine individual talents for a productive group result. Dynamic Mars is moving through your sign (until March 30) so you’re motivated and raring to go. But be extra careful when emailing, texting, tweeting or posting, as it will be very easy to send the wrong message to the wrong person.

And impulsive actions could lead to an unpleasant online exchange. So pace yourself, think things through and proceed with plenty of extra caution.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

With Mercury reversing through your money zone (until March 10) the more educated and thorough you are about money matters, the more your financial situation will gradually improve. And avoid being too blasé about a complicated issue (especially involving values, morals, possessions or finances). If you have to make an important decision, then listen to the wisdom of your inner voice. Be inspired by birthday great Steve Jobs: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Sudoku hard No. 260

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2020

Crossword No. 720

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week your usual charm and diplomacy will be in short supply! With Mercury reversing through your sign (until March 10) prepare for a few frustrating problems to head your way. So strive to be a patient Piscean and don’t take delays and misunderstandings too personally. Plus avoid getting lost in a confusing quagmire of what-if scenarios and vague possibilities. Try to surround yourself with sensible, down-to-earth people who focus on practical solutions and positive outcomes.

Solution next edition

Contracted to build 1850 homes in two years for construction company AV Jennings, the men, known affectionately as the ‘Jennings Germans’ began to build not only houses, but also a life for themselves. Brick by brick and friendship by friendship they changed the physical and cultural landscape of the young capital, with many choosing to remain here permanently, raising families and leaving behind a legacy that has lasted for generations.

Mon–Sat: 10am–5pm | w: cmag.com.au p: 6207 3968 | Civic Square, Canberra City CityNews February 20-26, 2020 35

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