CityNews 200305

HEADLINES ALL THE TIME... CITYNEWS.COM.AU MARCH 5, 2020

Barr’s Labor goes belly up

MICHAEL MOORE Trust them to make Canberra green again?

PAUL COSTIGAN

This autumn, expect leaves to fall sooner

CEDRIC BRYANT

HEAR & NOW

SOCIALS

242 FAM

Audiologist DR BILL VASS wants to be heard on the value of ethical hearing care

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NEWS / supermarket development

Aldi plans may knock out Fyshwick market stalls

By Danielle

NOHRA WITH the proposal of a multinational supermarket planned to be placed adjacent to the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets, stallholders are concerned it will be detrimental to their economic viability.

The owners of 11 Nyrang Street have partnered with supermarket chain Aldi to investigate the possibility of establishing the supermarket next to the markets, and one of the markets’ owners, Barbara Irvine, cannot see any advantage to having it there.

“I’m mainly concerned for the tenants. They don’t need any financial impact applied to them. They already work long hours. It would be detrimental to their wellbeing,” she says.

It will require a change to the zoning requirements to build an Aldi store in Fyshwick and until March 25 community feedback is being sought on the proposal before any formal submission to the planning authorities.

Located in the Fyshwick Markets, Wiffens manager Ruth Roxburgh is hoping that if there’s a lot of resistance during the consultation process, that it might stop there.

She’d like to see customers and community members rise up against the proposal.

“I hope that we have enough customers that think about what it might mean to the markets,” Ruth says.

During the consultation process, Ruth says the ACT government is meant to consider a number of things such as product diversity, quality of service, environmental gains, integration with existing retail or commercial centres, footprint and car parking.

“We think it’s all incompatible,” she says.

“There are already five supermarkets within five kilometres of us. Why put one here seeing it really competes with us and takes our customers?

“If Aldi takes even a small proportion of these retailers’ customer base, it will threaten their economic viability in already challenging conditions.”

Barbara says their views against Aldi haven’t been a knee-jerk reaction and she has thought it over again and again, and just can’t see any positives in building it.

They have met with the consultancy firm running the stakeholder engagement on behalf of the development and have heard their views, too.

“What they’re trying to do is get us on side so they don’t have the hurdle of major objections,” she says.

“We really cannot see any advantage to having them there.

INDEX

“The market has always been a thriving shopping hub and the impacts of Aldi will be detrimental to Canberra as a whole.

“If Aldi was to impact on that, it would be a shame to see it falter.

There’s a lot of money invested here by the tenants as well.”

Ruth says having a major international supermarket next to a locallyowned and operated fresh food market

is in direct conflict with the spirit and intent in which the markets were originally established, which was to provide a location for local independent food retailers to do business.

“Farmers would drive here and sell stuff off the back of a truck and the government said: ‘Let’s give them a permanent spot’,” she says.

“All the shops here are locally owned and locally run. All the money

Feedback to surveymonkey.com/r/ NyrangStreet

Since 1993: Volume 26, Number 9

Pretty and productive inner-city organic garden.

Story Page 26.

Well written, well read

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

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When it matters

Angry… Fyshwick Markets stallholders, from left, Roz Costa, Steve Dominko, Wally Khoder, Ruth Roxburgh, Barbara Irvine, Mustapha Istambouli and Bec Spaven.

Photo: Danielle Nohra

stays in Canberra and then they’re going to put in a German multinational with competitive prices.

“They’ve got all that market power.

They’ve got the power to discount the prices.”

Ruth says Aldi will also threaten some of the last independent delis or bakers or greengrocers in Canberra.

“The market power… of Aldi threatens one of the last remaining hubs of local food retailing outside of shopping centres in Canberra,” she says.

“We can’t really see why it’s really necessary to have it here. What purpose is it really serving?”

Ruth believes putting an Aldi in will also have an impact on parking at the markets.

“It is already very difficult to turn off Canberra Avenue as well as park at the markets and surrounding streets particularly in peak periods,” she says.

“The addition of an Aldi would make this situation worse impacting on customer experience and customer retention.”

Ruth says they’re not against supermarkets and don’t want people to think they are, in fact, she is worried that the local supermarkets will be hurt, too.

“We respect there’s people wanting to go to the supermarket but there are enough in the area,” she says.

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CityNews March 5-11, 2020 3

SEVEN DAYS

Hospital staff morale dead on arrival, says survey “THESE damning figures reflect directly on my management and my team, and today the senior leadership group has done the right thing and resigned.”

Now there’s a quote you’ll never hear from Canberra Health Services CEO Bernadette McDonald, who shamelessly batted away a thundering repudiation by staff of her management group in an organisation-wide survey.

Here are some of the headline numbers from more than 4000 hospital staff (a very high response rate and 57 per cent of the total staff): •7 1 per cent felt a low level of trust in the executive management team.

•6 9 per cent don’t think that Canberra Health Services introduces change that is wellplanned and client-focussed.

• 69 per cent feel there isn’t a climate of trust and respect throughout the organisation.

•5 6 per cent don’t believe reporting of poor behaviour would be taken seriously.

• And scandalously, 46 per cent said they have been exposed to occupational violence in the last 12 months.

What’s going on Bernadette, this is ultimately the community’s welfare at play here?

“This is actually a very positive story in terms of the information that we’ve gained,” she’s quoted as saying. Actually, it isn’t.

“We’re not where we want to be.

“It’s definitely demonstrating improvement

he really wanted that in the written transcript, the answer was “absolutely”!

and we’re heading in the right direction.”

Shadow health minister Vicki Dunne says the health system is in crisis and needs urgent intervention: “We know that a poor workplace culture leads to adverse patient outcomes.”

EVERYONE has a story and it would be a crying shame if the palliative care Life Stories program was allowed to die for lack of funding. Unfortunately, that’s the outlook by month’s end says Julie Elliott, general manager of Palliative Care ACT. The program gives people with a life-limiting illness (including children) the opportunity to tell their life stories to trained

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volunteers, who have recorded more than 50 life stories of people facing death, from a 12-year-old to a 96-year-old over the past two years. The end result is shared with loved ones.

Julie, who was talking to me on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast” program (10am-noon), is grateful for the $40,000 from Suncorp to get Life Stories started. But the money runs out in a matter of weeks.

She’s read a few and described the stories as “amazing”. While there haven’t been any confessions of crime, she is surprised what some people choose to include. One grandad blushmakingly recorded explicit details of his honeymoon. When asked by the transcriber if

IS it just me (it’s me), but what’s with the ACT Greens, a demonstrable part of the government for only eight years now, whinging about the failure to plant enough trees in Canberra?

Here’s outgoing MLA Caroline Le Couteur: “The ACT Greens have again called on the government to demonstrate its commitment to urgent action at a time of climate emergency, by planting many thousands more trees.”

The government has promised 17,000 new trees over four years, but she goes on to say the last report on this issue, from seven years ago, showed that 40,000 trees were needed to fill the gaps and replace dying trees.

“The Greens expect that this number would be much higher now.” she says. You’re in the tent, Caroline, so fix it!

THE Canberra Raiders inaugural coach and life member Don Furner Sr has died following a long battle with illness. He was 87. Raiders chairman Dr Allan Hawke paid tribute: “Don Furner Sr was a fundamental piece of the architecture in putting our club together. He distinguished himself as a player, an exemplary coach and then as an administrator.”

Hmmms...

SUMMER’S over and what better time than to get rid of the old air cooler. And what better place to dump it than in the cardboard and paper cage at the Mitchell recycling centre, pictured. Seriously? I hope the CCTV snapped the clown who selfishly made it an unnecessary problem for someone else.

SEVENTY is the new 60 through the speed limits around the road resealing works on Gungahlin Drive this week.

THE spooky, reclusive Australian Signals Directorate wrote this past week to correct something we’d published. The email was from Kelli, just Kelli. Which got me wondering if Kelli Noname even exists.

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POLITICS / the failing territory

Labor goes belly up and has only itself to blame LABOR was on the front foot commencing the ACT election year. And then it went belly up. After nearly two decades in power they only have themselves to blame.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr started the election year promising savings for Canberra citizens. The third-party motor-vehicle insurance savings scheme meant savings along with the government’s program of encouraging competition to reduce the price of fuel.

Labor also did well on renewable energy with the ACT being the first jurisdiction in Australia to go 100 per cent electricity renewable. ACT Labor, with the support of the Greens, managed outstanding leadership in the area of environment and sustainability.

Then came the start of the bad news.

Across the nation, Labor’s areas of strength, compared to the conservatives, are health and education.

ACT Labor has had two decades to have these areas simply humming.

With such a high socio-economic base and such high

The ACT has fallen further and further behind on national education comparisons. There are no excuses.

A combination of lack of leadership, willingness to just let things go and failure to extrapolate from external successes has left the ACT lagging. levels of education, the ACT should be setting the gold standard for all jurisdictions in Australia.

Canberra is not an Australian leader. The ACT has fallen further and further behind on national comparisons. There are no excuses.

A combination of lack of leadership, willingness to just let things go and failure to extrapolate from external successes has left the ACT lagging.

A workplace survey across ACT Health found only 29 per cent of workers had a high level of trust in the executive and management team.

Even worse, only 31 per cent of employees believe they work in a climate of trust and respect. Moreover, when change has been introduced, the vast majority at 69 per cent, feel that it is not well-planned and “client focused”.

Note “clients”, not “patients” focused!

More than 4000 workers participat-

ed in a survey intended to understand how ACT Health can do better. On the surface, this is admirable. However, for an administration in power for close to two decades, these findings are revealing, embarrassing and debilitating.

It is not just the staff. The halfyearly performance report of the Canberra Health Service identifies that 80 per cent of patients needing urgent medical attention at the Canberra Hospital are not seen on time. Labor has reversed the figures from the time they came to power. In 2001, 80 per cent of such patients were seen on time.

These issues are electorally damaging. The Liberals have seized on the figures with shadow health minister Vicki Dunne describing the health system as in crisis and needing urgent intervention. “After years of promising to fix the problem, ACT Labor has proven itself incapable” she stated. Mrs Dunne then pointed out “that a poor

Chief Minister Andrew Barr… started the year with promises. Caricature: Karl Speller workplace culture leads to adverse patient outcomes.”

Lack of educational achievement is even more devastating. Not so long ago the government was boasting “Top marks for ACT in NAPLAN tests” (2013) and “Canberra kids shine in NAPLAN testing again” (2014).

At a time when the ACT has all the advantages to become a showcase in educational excellence, our students are falling behind. Labor has no one else to blame.

The 2016 ACT Auditor-General’s report ought to have been a wake-up

call. It stated: “After taking account of intake and context differences, ACT government schools on average achieve negative results on every measure”.

On every measure!

Yvette Berry inherited this report as she became Minister for Education.

Since then, NAPLAN results for ACT children have worsened.

There were further warnings. In September 2018 the “Canberra Times” reported: “The ACT tumbled again in rankings, with a particular slump between 2015 and 2017”.

On the latest raw results from NAPLAN, Victoria and NSW have now moved ahead of the ACT. There is even worse news for the government. This year the NAPLAN results can be expected in late August or early September, just weeks before the ACT election, which is on the third Saturday of October.

The renewable energy achievement will not be an election issue. It is highly unlikely the Canberra Liberals will attempt to reverse it. However, drastic failures in health and education will undermine trust in the performance of Labor and will undermine their re-election chances.

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.

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NEWS / open gardens

Stressful season saved by the rain

By Kathryn

VUKOVLJAK OPEN Gardens Canberra’s autumn program will start in mid-March, despite gardens suffering over the disastrous summer, says convenor Tom Baker.

Heat, lack of rain, smoke, threat of fire and then hail has taken its toll, with some gardeners withdrawing from the program and others unsure as to whether they will go ahead.

“Open gardens should be enjoyed and looked forward to, but this season the stress of it all has become too much for many gardeners,” Tom says.

Meg Clark and Anne-Marie Delahunt’s sustainable garden in Hackett suffered as many plants “curled up their toes” over summer and they made the decision to cancel their open garden for this year, Meg says.

“I felt I was going backwards in my gardening attempts, and certain areas just didn’t survive despite my best efforts,” says Meg. “Growing food has been struggletown. I’ve lost three pomegranate trees, two lemon trees and a host of berry trees.

“I tried to save the strawberries

Open Gardens Canberra convener Tom Baker with gardeners Meg Clark (crouching) and Anne-Marie Delahunt whose “emergent food forest garden” in Hackett has suffered in the summer’s harsh drought.

Photo: Senthan Thani with manure treatments, putting a shade up for them and watering, but the sun was just too hot, and my blueberries literally died on the vine,” she says.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to conserve water through swales for capturing and keeping the water, and three water tanks, but up until recently there hasn’t been any rain

to save,” she says.

Meg says they have had to adapt to increasingly hot summers and change a few design features in their climate-adapted food forest garden.

“I wish I’d put in a few quick-growing deciduous trees, that would have provided shade by now,” she says.

“This year I’ve had to reduce my ambition and continue to adapt, as

much of what I’ve learned doesn’t apply any more. We want productivity but also sustainability.”

Open Gardens Canberra says the combined effects of drought and smoke throughout the summer have been tough on the region’s gardens and gardeners alike, resulting in some withdrawals from the autumn program.

The COGS garden in Mitchell, due to open in March, will no longer go ahead, and Tom says that the owner of a large rural block on Spring Range Road, whose garden contains many diverse native plants, is still unsure.

“This drought has really tested the garden owner, with plants expiring and water almost running out,” he says.

Tom says that Lambrigg near Tharwa had also been uncertain, but now that the fire threat there is averted and there has been lots of rain, they will open on March 28-29.

“Sadly, the weather has really taken its toll,” says Tom. “Gardeners in Canberra need to manage tough conditions including great heat, dry air, greater evaporation and more erratic rainfall, which in turn can create hydrophobic soil which can’t absorb water.”

Pretty and productive inner-city organic garden – Page 26.

BRIEFLY Lots of plants for sale THE promise is for an “excellent variety” of indoor and outdoor plants for sale at the Calvary Hospital Auxiliary’s autumn plant stall near the main foyer, Calvary Hospital, Bruce, 7.30am-4pm, on Thursday, March 12. Plants will include succulents, natives, exotics, roses, geraniums, lilies, irises and more. Everything raised goes towards buying equipment for hospital patients and staff.

Cats on the big screen THE Canberra Cats, the local support group of the Geelong AFL team, is inviting all fans to cheer on the team on the big screen downstairs at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, in the following rounds: 1 (March 21), 2 (March 29), 5 (April 19), 8 (May 9), 11 (May 30), 15 (June 27), 17 (July 11), 19 (July 25), 22 (August 16) and 23. Most of the games will not be broadcast on free-to-air television.

Weekly newsletter from canberracats@gmail.com

Talking terror STEVE Walmsley will talk to the ladies of the Tuggeranong Day VIEW Club about his experiences in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attack.

The lunch meeting is at the Vikings Town Centre club, Greenway, from 11.30am, Tuesday, March 17.

The cost is $26 and guests are welcome. RSVP to maleyjan@yahoo.com by Friday, March 13.

White clocks off THE UnionsACT secretary, Alex White, has stepped down as leader of the peak union council after five years in the role. He will finish in the role on April 23 before taking up a new role at the Australian Council of Trade Unions in May.

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CANBERRA MATTERS

Trusting them to make Canberra green again?

AT this month’s public forum staged by the Inner South Canberra Community Council (ISCCC), the answers to particular questions indicated how much the ACT’s Greens/Labor government values the city’s tree canopy, its biodiversity and its green infrastructure.

Those answers were not good. But that was not the only problem on the night. Sometimes the important questions were not asked or were asked of the wrong person.

The headline acts were presentations by the Planning Directorate and

by Shane Rattenbury MLA on the proposed new rules for green spaces/ trees in residual zones.

The other was about the light rail going south. On the latter, not much was learnt that was not already available online. But it was good that the head of Major Projects took the time to update people.

Later in this presentation people asked why trackless trams are not being used. The problem with asking this head

When questioned about how Canberra’s urban forest is shrinking, the explanations offered were higher temperatures and changes to climate. No responsibility was taken for the lack of forward planning.

bureaucrat such a question was that he is charged with delivering what the government has already decided – being the light rail system.

It is not up to him to change the mode of transport.

A key politician, Shane Rattenbury, who decides these things was in the room but was not asked to comment on this. Missed opportunity!

The main event was about suburban greenery. The bureaucratic presentation was well received and the discussion friendly. However, the style of presentation made it obvious that the chief planner does not offer training for his senior bureaucrats on delivering effective presentations. This one involved reading loads of details from the planning document that could be easily accessed online. It was not about making key points about what was being achieved and, more importantly, if the government was going to back up

the new rules with enforcement.

The issue of trust was highlighted by a question from the ISCCC chair, Marea Fatseas. She asked: “At a 2011 Legislative Assembly gathering, we were informed by the ACT Greens about how fabulous and sustainable the outcomes were going to be for the suburbs of Molonglo. What happened?”

Marea’s question was deflected with a story that in 2019 Caroline Le Couteur highlighted the Molonglo planning issues and established an Assembly committee to examine this.

The answer was that it was up to Caroline, not Shane, and somehow the Greens were not responsible even though they have been in government for the decade while these inappropriate developments happened. The best that was offered was another committee.

Others asked: “How do we trust what is being said tonight given that there are rules in place now but so many of these are ignored and the Planning Directorate constantly makes variations to suit developers?” The other side of the question

FAST 5 DAY TURN-AROUND TIME

Apartments in Molonglo… “We were informed by the ACT Greens about how fabulous and sustainable the outcomes were going to be for the suburbs of Molonglo. What happened?” asked Marea Fatseas.

Photo: Paul Costigan was about enforcement. Residents highlighted this government has a terrible record of enforcing its own planning rules.

This, together with the constant planning variations, means business as usual and more terrible developments.

Is anything really going to change?

When questioned about how Canberra’s urban forest is shrinking due to lack of care and bad planning, the explanations offered were higher temperatures and changes to climate.

No responsibility was taken for the lack of forward planning to deal with this continuing loss of greenery.

The presentations seemed to be saying – even though we continue to have a terrible record on keeping the city green, trust us – we will make Canberra green again (maybe).

There was also the lost opportunity

to gain insights into how the ACT Liberals would treat the issues of greenery and biodiversity in suburban development. Sitting Liberal MLAs were present, but no-one asked them anything.

Will we ever find out what the ACT Liberals stand for and if they would do things differently to the Labor/ Greens coalition?

Trust in this Labor/Greens government remains low. More residents need to attend these important forums, especially as it is an election year for the ACT. Speak up now or else we are destined for more of the same.

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

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DR VASS HEARING

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‘Hearing aids these days are about clarity not just loudness. They don’t just amplify all sounds’

Independent Dr Vass puts his patients’ needs first AS one of only two doctors in audiology in Canberra, Dr Bill Vass has built his professional career by delivering ethical, patient-centred care for those with hearing loss.

Dr Vass graduated from West Virginia University with a Masters of Science degree in Audiology and his Doctor of Audiology from Central Michigan University, and has been maintaining his education and qualifications ever since.

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“I think that people with no qualifications have no business advising people on their hearing loss.”

He says that this worrying trend can lead to people being advised to purchase expensive hearing aids that are not appropriate for them or, in other cases, they’re told to get hearing aids when there is no medical need.

“Wearing hearing aids when you do not need them could overdrive the system and could create additional damage to hearing loss,” he says.

Dr Vass says that, in contrast, he puts his patients’ needs before his own and may even turn people away who are not yet ready for a hearing aid.

“It’s rewarding to help people not be so isolated, and help improve their communication with others, especially their loved ones,” he says.

Technology in hearing aids has improved in sophistication dramatically over the past six years, with the introduction of bluetooth connectivity, remote microphones and television connections.

With two inbuilt computers and microphones, Dr Vass says there are thousands

of possibilities and adjustments that can be made to a hearing aid to ensure the best results for the patient.

“Hearing aids these days are about clarity not just loudness. They don’t just amplify all sounds,” he says.

Dr Vass says that he helps guide people through a journey – from the initial consultation he understands from his patients what is going on and how they feel about their hearing loss before conducting a comprehensive hearing assessment.

“I will then give advice on the next steps.

Sometimes it means looking at hearing-aid options or other times we do nothing… people have to accept and be ready for hearing aids to really be successful for them,” he says.

“We find that those people who put off getting help with their hearing loss for long periods don’t have as successful outcomes as those who seek help earlier.”

Dr Vass encourages people to ask questions of their audiologist before seeking their services. Questions include what are their qualifications, commissions and experience which will help to better guide patients to get the best outcome.

Dr Vass Hearing, Suite 14, John James Medical Centre, 175 Strickland Crescent, Deakin.

Visit hearingclinic.com.au

Audiologist Dr Bill Vass… “I think that people with no qualifications have no business advising people on their hearing loss.”

Free second opinion on your hearing • Over 20 years of service to the Canberra region • His clinical experience and knowledge make him uniquely qualified to advise you regarding solutions to your hearing problem

Book an appointment today, phone: 6282

2717

Dr William Vass Suite14, John James Medical Centre, 175 Strickland Crescent, Deakin Phone: 02 6282 2717 • Email: williamvass@bigpond.com • Website: drvasshearing.com.au CityNews March 5-11, 2020 11

NEWS / digital childhood

The digital kids who are driving their parents crazy

By Kate

MEIKLE IN a world where a smartphone or a screen is never far from our hands and gaze, and where we are increasingly plugged into technology, the issues of how to manage children’s digital behaviours is becoming a universal dilemma for parents, says Dr Kristy Goodwin.

“It’s the number one issue parents tell me they are facing as I travel through the country,” says the digital parenting educator, researcher and mum of three.

“People from all walks of life are struggling to navigate it and are given conflicting and confusing advice,” says Dr Goodwin, author of “Raising your Child in a Digital World”.

“Coupled with the fact that most adults don’t have a reference to what it’s like for children growing up in the digital world... We stared at the sky not at a screen!

“We just don’t know what the longterm impact of technology, like the Ipad, is on children. We are a living experiment and don’t have longitudinal data,” she says.

“In broad strokes, technology impacts upon children’s vision, hearing and sleep and that in turn impacts on their learning and mental wellbeing.”

Anecdotally, Dr Goodwin says that technology is displacing sleep, physical movement and relationships.

“My core message is that parents need to be the pilots of the digital plane,” she says.

But Dr Goodwin says she is the first to say that a “digital detox” is not the answer.

“There’s no need (or time) for ‘techno-guilt’. We face a digital reality and banning or avoiding technology isn’t a viable solution,” she says.

Becoming the pilot of the digital plane means that parents need to set boundaries from a young age with their children regarding how much and what digital content they consume.

“Do the hard yards when your children are young, as it will be easier to implement. ‘Future You’ will thank you!” says Dr Goodwin.

And while there is a big focus on how much screen time children have in a day, Dr Goodwin says that we should also be setting boundaries regarding what they are doing during their screen time.

“There needs to be a more nuanced conversation about what our kids do… how can they be more active and interactive on a screen? With high-quality, age-appropriate content they are more

Dr Kristy Goodwin… “My core message is that parents need to be the pilots of the digital plane.” engaged,” she says.

Dr Goodwin warns that the education-themed section of app stores doesn’t have rigorous screening or testing of what apps make it into the category.

“There’s a big difference between a child watching a David Attenborough

documentary and watching other children play a video game online,” she says.

“We also need to be aware of our children’s basic needs. Is the time that they are spending on a device compromising the time they need to sleep, play and have human interaction?”

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“It is okay for kids to be bored. It’s so easy to reach for a digital distraction such as passing over a phone but it means that kids are always plugged in,” she says.

“We need to unplug and still have pockets of boredom time.”

Sydney-based Dr Goodwin will be presenting a parenting seminar “Digitalised Childhoods” on March 11 at Trinity Christian School to arm parents with strategies and ideas to help kids develop healthy technology habits.

While Dr Goodwin acknowledges the “spectacular” work happening in schools to teach children about cyber safety, under the leadership of e-safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, she encourages parents not to abdicate their responsibility.

“There can be a reservation for parents to come (to my seminars).

They are worried that I’ll tell them off or they’ll be ‘should-on’. I provide evidence-based information that people can apply to their family situation.

“There’s an awful amount of burying of heads until there becomes a crisis... And there’s not a lot we can do once a child has seen pornography online,” she says.

“Digitalised Childhoods”, Trinity Christian School, 4 McBryde Crescent, Wanniassa. 7pm-9pm. March 11.

Tickets via trybooking.com

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!

12 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

6297 1444 | ROYALHOTELQBN.COM.AU

SERVCORP / coworking spaces

advertising feature

‘Coworking is about creating a better place to work and a better way to work’

Workspaces that give you ‘time to live a little’ TWO Servcorp Coworking spaces at the Realm in Barton and at Nishi, NewActon, have been newly refurbished, creating more common collaborative areas and breakout space, according to manager and team trainer Dannielle Grimmer.

“Coworking is about creating a better place to work and a better way to work,” Dannielle says.

“Both of our prestigious Canberra locations have gone through a full Coworking refurbishment so our clients can further benefit from an elevated coworking experience.”

Servcorp understands that business’ needs have changed over the years, and there has been increasing demand for shared office space in addition to private offices.

In the last decade, the serviced-office industry has evolved rapidly with the offering of shared workspaces underpinned by the changing nature of work, advancement in technology, the rise of a sharing economy, and changing workforce demographics.

According to Statista, there were 1.7 million “coworkers” globally in 2018, and predictions of 5.1 million for 2020. Flexibility has long been sought after by smaller businesses, but a growing pool of large corporate businesses are taking on the trend.​ Sharing space with other like-minded professionals not only creates a more dynamic workplace, it’s also more cost-effective than a regular office space.

Servcorp Coworking spaces provide a variety of work environments to choose from.

“Whether you enjoy working from one of our fine leather sofas, having a small team meeting in one of the booth seats, working from the bar counter so you’re never far from our premium coffee and tea, or having your

Coworking at Servcorp… “Our clients can choose whether they want to work in a quiet space so they can focus, or in a more collaborative space with shared tables where interaction is encouraged,” says Dannielle Grimmer. own personal desk, there’s a space to fit your work style,” she says.

“Servcorp Coworking connects you to a global network of professional peers to bounce ideas off and work smarter.”

Dannielle says the working spaces offer a new product for clients looking for flexibility and different styles of workspace.

“It brings together the communities at each location, as there are multiple businesses working in the same area and also interacting with our Servcorp teams more regularly,” she says.

“It expands our offering to all types of

businesses – big, small, those looking to downsize, those looking to expand, and those looking to grow internationally or interstate.”

The combination of a well-designed work environment and a well-organised work experience are part of the reason why Servcorp Coworking clients love our spaces, Dannielle says.

“Servcorp gives our clients the space and support to be their authentic best selves,” she says.

“Unlike our competitors, we provide our clients with five-star business addresses

to register their business, a receptionist to answer calls in their company name and a landline number totally provisioned by us – all in a sophisticated shared space with great views saturated in natural light.

“We also provide access to a team of bilingual secretaries, ample meeting space easily bookable via an app and colour printing from any desk.”

Dannielle adds that the quality services and digital advantages provided to clients ensure they can focus on growing their revenue.

“If our clients need IT assistance, they simply dial *1 on their handsets and a local Servcorp IT expert will be right there to help,” she says.

Servcorp says that happiness in business is simple IT solutions that work, a professional team to delegate to, and a community of like-minded “imagineers” to work with.

“Our clients are welcomed by our teams across 160 locations around the globe,” she says.

A Servcorp dedicated coworking space is accessible 24/7, 365 days a year. People can decide whether to put in a long day when they have a deadline, or can decide to take a long break in the middle of the day to go to the gym, do some necessary shopping or just enjoy the natural environment outside of the office.

“Our workspaces give you time to live a little,” says Dannielle.

“With our variety of workspace types, our clients can choose whether they want to work in a quiet space so they can focus, or in a more collaborative space with shared tables where interaction is encouraged. They can even decide to work from home, on days they need to.

“Flexibility is key.”

Servcorp, Level 1, The Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton, and Level 9, Nishi Building, 2 Phillip Law Street, NewActon. Call 6243 3660.

What you get: • Ability to register Servcorp’s prestigious addresses as your business address • A local landline phone number • A dedicated receptionist to answer calls in your company name • On-demand secretarial services • Flexibility of month-to-month terms • Regular community events • Beautifully designed, diverse spaces • Access to 160+ Servcorp locations around the world • Ability to connect with other members online and in person • Super-fast and 100 per cent secure internet which is fibre based and Tier-1 managed • In house IT support tailor-made for you – simply dial *1 • Spacious, unique common areas • Servcorp workspaces include desks, chairs and lockable storage cabinets • Business-class, multi-function copier/scanner/printers • Free refreshments – roasted coffee, tea, filtered water and fruit at every location • Private phone booths for those confidential calls • Ability to network with potential clients and investors

World’s Best Coworking from $299/mth Shared office space; great views, natural light and like-minded people.

Level 9, Nishi Building, New Acton | Level 1, The Realm, Barton | 03 6108 9102 | servcorp.com.au CityNews March 5-11, 2020 13

LETTERS

Flawed hospital plans just a ‘Band-Aid’ solution I FIND it incomprehensible that the ACT government is going ahead with the SPIRE Project at the Canberra Hospital and Health Services at Woden.

The numerous objections, discussions and complaints have been just brushed aside as being irrelevant. The Woden Community Council has objected long and hard about the inconvenience to the Garran residents as well as individual complaints especially from the people living on Palmer Street and families that have children at the Garran Primary School.

In November a press release stated “the government was prepared to listen”.

Unfortunately, they are either deaf or the constructive comments appear to be too difficult to comprehend.

This is a “Band-Aid” solution to an already overpopulated hospital site. It is apparent that minimal research has been undertaken by the local planning authority to consider the increase in traffic, the difficulty or paucity of public transport, especially as the main thoroughfare, Hospital Road, is to be blocked off and minimal improvements to parking facilities for additional staff and visitors.

It is apparent to anyone examining this plan in depth that the hospital complex has outgrown the area now and in 10 years or less will be back on the agenda for increased facilities. The answer is more land, and this must come from across Yamba

Drive namely the old Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) area, car park and the adjacent playing field. Garran has an adequate playing field on the other side of the primary school and sports track area off Kitchener Street next to the cemetery.

The old CIT buildings are due for demolition and the area should be considered for specialist treatment rooms or medical research/teaching facilities.

The playing field is underutilised and should be used for the hospital expansion with an air-bridge over Yamba Drive that could have a landing platform for emergency helicopters.

This would solve many of the problems that now impact on the residents of Garran, especially parking and the inconvenience of 24/7 helicopters landing and taking off.

Paul Costigan, in “Canberra Matters” (CN, January 30), comments on our road system. He states: “This ACT government does not do planning – it just knows how to mess around and completely annoy residents and commuters. Is there anyone offering a sensible alternative?”

Our real problem boils down to our chief minister who believes he has the monopoly on planning ideas, holds the purse strings and objects to suggestions with which he does not agree.

Hopefully the elections this year will bring alternative ministers to breathe some fresh ideas into our fractured system.

Glenda Barton, Dunlop

Hear! Hear!

Come back, Jon

Robert Courtney, Garran

Abused by female window washer

We survived today – will we tomorrow?

A FRIEND was recently abused by a female window washer on Northbourne Avenue.

She came over to the passenger’s side and went to place her brush on the windscreen. He waved her away, but she kept coming, so he waved her away even more.

She swore at him and pushed the side mirror in. He could hear her yelling and screaming as she walked off.

I understand that the ACT is the only part of Australia that allows windscreen washers to operate.

John Milne, Chapman

RECENTLY, we narrowly avoided being run off the road (Ginninderra Drive) by an oncoming car that veered on to our side of the road – the driver on her mobile phone.

Clearly, measures to date to stop this illegal activity are having no effect whatsoever.

The current measures will only work if there are enough traffic police on the road to apply them, which it appears there are not.

Perhaps in addition to an increased police presence on the roads, illegal mobile phone use in cars should be treated as seriously as illegal fishing. If caught illegally fishing

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Albert Hall, Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla.

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14 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

you may lose your car/boat/trailer, fishing equipment and be issued a substantial fine, and the assets are not returned.

Also, to my knowledge the chance of being killed from illegal fishing is pretty slim.

If illegal fishing is so serious it attracts this level of penalty perhaps the same reasoning, in part, should be applied to drivers and their illegal activity with mobile phones – loss of car, licence and mobile phone for six months, along with a substantial fine. No ifs and/or buts!

We survived today – will we tomorrow?

dose of dorin

HEAR! hear! to Helen Wade’s suggestion that Jon Stanhope return to politics (Letters, CN, February 20). He is always fair in his analysis of the political scene and his humanitarian advocacy is to be applauded.

Paul Costigan is another worthy columnist. If the current politicians were to take note of his criticisms, Canberra would not be plagued with the depressing, over-supplied high-rise apartments that are regularly appearing, blocking out the skyline and views and trees would be a priority. The Canberra Greens have been complicit in the Labor policies for Canberra “development”.

They are an utter disappointment!

E. Mary Barker, Ainslie

THE EXPERTS OF MITCHELL

advertising feature

Growing commercial hub has lots to explore MITCHELL is home to a growing variety of businesses and services.

The suburb was named after Maj. Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, surveyorgeneral and explorer of NSW, and all its streets are named after Australian industrialists.

This week “CityNews” meets some of the top expert businesses operating out of the northside’s commercial hub.

One-stop-shop for household problems

Family landscape supplier grows from humble beginnings

SAVING people time and money, Oldmate ACT has the experience to provide a range of services such as plumbing, refrigeration, gas fitting, electrical, cooling and heating.

It’s a “one-stop-shop” says director Tim Drage, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the industry.

“When people have various issues within their household, they can just come to the one company,” he says.

“We can help them out with a majority of their appliances and different fixtures within the house.”

And that also goes for businesses, as Oldmate ACT works commercially, too.

As for the quality of work, Tim says it’s the highest because they work hard to get it right so they’re only at a job once.

“Our qualified staff are always on hand to answer any questions and give the best possible advice and will always provide you with quality service at a competitive price,” he says.

“We also have a quick turn around and offer an emergency service as well.

“It’s 24 hours, so if someone has a burst water pipe flooding the house, we can come fix it.”

FAMILY business Corkhill Bros aims to incorporate the family ethics and values in its day-to-day business operations, says co-founder Brian Corkhill.

From humble beginnings with a few trucks in 1954, Corkhill Bros now provides wholesale landscaping materials to the public, as well as green waste recycling services.

Corkhill Bros’ commercial operations include chipping, screening, grinding, processing, bulk production and special blend production as requested.

Then its waste side has services such as the hire of skip bins of various sizes and recycling of drop off and kerbside garden organics.

The family-owned business started with Brian and his brother Patrick, who established Corkhill Bros after the family dairy farm was removed to make way for the construction of Lake Burley Griffin.

“We strive to create a workforce of hardworking, committed, trustworthy and loyal employees that promote this culture,” Brian says.

Through its multi-faceted operations Brian says the company’s intention is to successfully extract, process and deliver

Oldmate ACT. Call 6254 6576, email office@ oldmateact.com.au or visit oldmateact.com.au

Oldmate ACT co-owners Tim and Bec Drage.

Quality Landscape Supplies

its products to meet the needs of varied target markets; both residential and commercial.

Corkhill Bros’ landscaping supply outlets are located at Mugga Lane, Symonston and Darling Street, Mitchell.

Ordering is available online.

Corkhill Bros, 33 Darling Street, Mitchell.

Call 6241 8860 or visit corkhillbros.com.au

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Please visit website for more details. Deliveries available 6 days a week.

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corkhillbros.com.au CityNews March 5-11, 2020 15

THE EXPERTS OF MITCHELL Rivoland ‘tiles’ its way to excellence

Mitchell Showroom 55 Darling Street, Mitchell 6241 1557

rivoland.com.au

Queanbeyan Showroom 100 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan 6297 4510

NESTLED in the industrial area of north Canberra is Rivoland Tiles’ Mitchell showroom and trade centre, one of the best tile showrooms in the region, according to general manager James Hibberson.

“We have received commendations from customers and suppliers as being one of the best showrooms they have seen,” James says. “[We have] displays to inspire in a comfortably-sized [space which] makes selecting tiles an enjoyable experience.”

Staying abreast of design trends, James says Rivoland Tiles is also proud to offer one of the biggest tile ranges in eastern Australia.

“There is always something new and different to look at and explore,” says James, who is proud of his expert, friendly staff.

“The showroom staff boast a myriad of experience and knowledge across all works and aspects of residential and commercial projects and are more than happy to assist you with your needs.

“Having the trade centre on site ensures we meet all your tiling needs.

“Renovators and professionals will find a comprehensive range of products and tools.”

Rivoland Tiles Showroom, 55 Darling Street, Mitchell. Call 6241 1557 or visit rivoland.com.au

30th March 2020

16 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

Sibling team put customers first BROTHER-and-sister team Mat Scifleet and Sam Vrins run JAX Tyres as an efficient business where they do their best to look after every customer, according to Sam. Sam says their father, Pat, started and managed the business in the early days and the business has now run successfully for 26 years.

“We pride ourselves on customer service, and aim to give our customers the best deals possible,” says Sam. “We get repeat customers through being renowned for our one-on-one customer service approach.”

JAX specialises in tyres, wheels and mechanical services such as brakes and suspension, Sam says.

Customers who purchase four new tyres from a range of respected brands, and a wheel alignment, qualify for the “myjax” platinum tyre maintenance plan, which includes more than $500

worth of savings for each qualifying vehicle.

“It also allows customers to access and track their tyre maintenance on our website,” Sam says.

By following the recommended servicing, using the periodical reminders within the programme, Sam says customers receive significant discounts and bonuses while prolonging the life and performance of the tyres.

She says JAX also sells highperformance passenger car, light truck and four-wheel drive brands such as BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hankook, Michelin and Pirelli, as well as value-for-money brand options.

JAX Tyres, 10-12 Winchcombe Court, Mitchell. Call 6150 5568 or visit jaxtyres.com.au

HEATING | COOLING | PLUMBING | GAS FITTING | REFRIGERATION | ELECTRICAL

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Call: 02 6254 6576 Email: office@oldmateact.com.au | www.oldmateact.com.au |

SCENE / around canberra

PHOTOS: SETHAN THANI

At Belconnen Lions Club’s 50th Charter Dinner, Holt At the ACT National Parks Association’s 60th

Andrew Slaven and Nicolle Erasmus with Colleen and Ted Slaven

Carolyn and David Sheppard

David Skinner with Carl and Beverly von Stein, Paul Stevens and Ron and Carolyn Skeen

Thelia Halford and Wendy Veenstra

Lorna Gordon and Pierre Sibilant

Joan James with Dianne and Paul Appelby

Fiona Kuerschner, Joanne Whittle and Neil Fitzpatrick

Lyn and Gordon Matthews

Tony and Chantal Haycraft

IGPA CANBE RRA CONVERSATION PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES

Amy Brooks and Lisa Jokinen

Di and Peter Weddell

Graham Scully, Chris Emery and Adrienne Nicholson

Cynthia Burton, ACT Parks and Conservation Service manager Brett McNamara, National Parks Association president Esther Gallant, Climate Change Minister Shane Rattenbury, MLA Caroline Le Couteur and Rod Griffiths

Gary Thompson with Alison and Richard Swain and Dianne Thompson

Peter Dalton and Ross Kingsland

Lyndall Hatch and Lyndall Young

ACT Conservation Council executive director Helen Oakey, Allan Sharp and Dierk von Behrens

At Business After Business, Braddon

CANBERRA IS GROWING BUT HOW SHOULD WE ACCOMMODATE THIS GROWTH? This FREE public forum will discuss:

What are the founding ideals of Canberra and are the still relevant in the 21st century?

If so, how should they be adapted to suit our changing social, political, economic and natural environment?

Can Canberra continue growing at the current pace without abandoning its founding ideals and identity?

THE SPEAKERS Jack Waterford AM journalist

Prof Barbara Norman

director of Canberra Urban & Regional Futures at UC.

Prof Karl Fischer

visiting professor in the Faculty of the Built Environment at the UNSW

Dr Jason Sharples

associate professor in the School of Science, UNSW Canberra.

Arthur Gray and Kate Holland

Keith Cantlie, Panamanian ambassador, Marcelino Avilés Valdespino, Andrew Sutton and Craig Wagstaff

Dominic Dolan and Costa Rican ambassador Armando Vargas Araya

AT ALBERT HALL, 6PM-8PM, MONDAY, MARCH 23.

REGISTER AT

eventbrite.com.au

Michelle Webster and Macky Markar

Chris Sharma, Gonzalo Olmos and Chilean ambassador Patricio Powell

Kylie Ochsenbein and Norma Dhanoa

The Seminar is jointly convened by professorial fellow Jon Stanhope AO and adjunct professor Dr Khalid Ahmed PSM, and this event is organised in conjunction with Canberra Planning Action Group and supported by “CityNews”.

Fiona Carrick

president of the Woden Valley Community Council.

18 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

Lucas Sena, Aarti Seksaria and Dinko Colak

Simon Aungle and Natalie Walker

Dean Goulder, Sanjay Ghatani and Nalin Ratnaike

SCENE / around canberra

invite us: scene@citynews.com.au

At the Black Opal Stakes cocktail party, Fyshwick

At the Royal Canberra Show president’s reception

Peter Ring, Mark Parton MLA and Tim Shaw

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Royal Canberra Show president Rick Jones with Stephanie and Geoffrey Cannock

Jan Palmer, Valerie Sellers and Pauline Zdjelar

Liesl Gordon and Matthew Watson

Abbey and Brad Tizzard

David and Judy O’Connor

Galina Bree and Liz McLellan

Gary and Sylvia Elix

Ziya Pasa and Tiahn Austin

John and Lesley O’Sullivan with Keith Dryden

At the book launch of ‘Calamity and Conquest’

Leanne Gregory, Janet Pearce and Andy Gregory

Lorraine and Alan Chesworth with Clare and David McPhie

Bronwyn Smith and Rhondda Dawes

Daryl Holder, Tim Reid and Sam Hunter

Sharon Burrell and Elvi McCann

Greg and Melissa Sutherland

Stella Algie and Tina Kennedy

Bob Robertson with Michael and Cherie Harriden

THE BEST SINGING, DANCING, STOMPING SHOW YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO!

★★★★

‘A FEAST FOR THE SENSES...

LEAVE YOUR WORRIES IN YOUR COAT AND GRAB A PINT!’

‘DYNAMIC, JOVIAL AND REALLY BLOOMIN’ FUN’ Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

Broadway Baby

Author Allan Hawke, centre, with Maria and Phillip Hawke

Rose and Ross Shorney with Denyse and John Freedman

Ginny Acworth and Finn Pratt

Ian Gordon and Peter Gamble

Josh Reid and Ed Killesteyn

Libby Stewart and Jerry Ianno

FEATURING THE MUSIC OF

PAUL SIMON, ADELE, QUEEN, GUNS’N’ROSES, SIA...

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

26–28 MARCH 2020 Martin and Deidre Bowles

Bronwyn and Sarah Blundell with Helen Digan

Tim and Nichole Overall CityNews March 5-11, 2020 19

SCENE / around canberra

PHOTOS: SETHAN THANI

At the Men’s Shed launch, Hughes Community Centre At Lord’s Taverners ACT’s women’s cricket breakfast

ACT Seniors Minister Gordon Ramsay, COTA ACT CEO Jenny Mobbs and Garry Gordon

Lindsay Burge and Jenny Kitchin

Peter Nelms, Bec Cody MLA and Steve Dent

Margaret Simmonds and Ewan Brown

Norm Pushack and MLA Caroline Le Couteur

Warwick Elliott, Graham Lacey and Pat Gagel

MLA Nicole Lawder and Ingrid Pepper

Robert Tompsett and Ross Howard

Ron Jelleff and Rick Lord

Asoka Wijeratne with Wal and Anne Hall and Ric and Jan Smith

Robert Altamore and Gaye Lindfield

Trisha and Hamish Arthur

Phil Lynch, Bill Slocum and Peter Crowley

Matthew Mott, James Allsopp, Erin Burns and Delissa Kimmince

Lorraine Nicholls with Robyn and Noel Smith and Lee Aldersey

Geoff Bartlett and Holly Halford-Smith

Bruce Calder and Meredythe Crane with Alison and Raydon Gates

At the Menslink ‘Midweeker’, Griffith

S EC ONDS SAL E SATURDAY 14 MARCH 9am – 4pm 25 Endurance Avenue Queanbeyan Phone 02 6298 1884

www.finkdesign.com www.finklighting.com 20 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

David O’Keeffe, Andrew Caudle, Peter Lawson and ACT Opposition Leader Alistair Coe

Julie Finch-Scally, Gillian Smith, Des Linehan and Kit Scally

Wendy Petty and Melissa Lawrence

Tara Summergreene and Jo Smith

Sia Soliola and Menslink CEO Martin Fisk Julian Bahamon and Paul Buckley

James Walden and Tony Howard

Thomas, Ashley and Matthew Hogan

SCENE / around canberra

invite us: scene@citynews.com.au

At face2face Recruitment’s 15th anniversary, Barton

Jade Hansen, Tabatha Gallaway and Marietta Rudolf

Chantelle Flaherty and William Bailey

Vish and Vinny Katta

Haidee and Jon Collantes

Alina and Cinar Irfan

Eden Roser and Owen Gilmour

Steve Thomas and Adele Bucknall

Gurvinder and Sweezy Singh

Rebecca and Alister Pardew

Ashlee Marques and Rebecca Beecham

Kate Prior and Dylan Macleod

Kurt and Charlene Gardiner

Callum and Lauren Hicks

Shakira and Trent Reinpacher

Kaushal and Radhika Shah

Katie Stubbs and Anbarin Alamyar

15 years of star performance No ordinary recruitment firm

When Kate Prior opened face2face, she was determined to make waves in an industry she believed government and commercial organisations was becoming too big and Australia-wide? impersonal. Fast forward Here we are …

15 years and face2face is still going strong, providing what recruitment should be about—people.

Looking for a modern, forward-moving recruitment company? One with more than 14 years’ experience?

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E: face2face@f2frecruitment.com.au CityNews March 5-11, 2020 21

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Joanne Madeline Moore

General knowledge crossword No. 723

Your week in the stars – March 9-15, 2020 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Darren has just set up business with other computer specialists as a software developer. It is growing fast and earned a lot of income this year. Darren came to see me, worried about the size of the business tax bill.

He also asked for clarification concerning GST. “Darren, you are registered for GST on a cash basis as your turnover is less than $10 million, so GST is reported and paid when you are paid by your customers,” I told him.

“You are, of course, also entitled to claim input tax credits when you pay for goods and services.”

“But much of our income comes from selling support contracts for periods from six to twenty four months in advance,” Darren said.

I asked him to confirm that the income was paid for services that were yet to be provided. Darren said: “Yes, that’s right.”

I explained that “as he reports GST on a cash basis that income is still declared in activity statements when it is received. However, the situation is different for income tax.”

I then told him about the famous Arthur Murray case that went before the High Court many years ago.

“The Arthur Murray School provided ballroom dancing lessons which it sold in advance of providing the lessons.

The High Court held that the income was not derived until the lessons were used as there was a possibility that if the customer did not wish to proceed with the lessons then a refund could be provided even though there was no obligation to provide a refund under the contract,” I explained.

“Darren, how do you account for these contracts?”

He explained that each contract was separately dealt with, a record was kept of the period that the contract referred to and the services that were provided each month. The purchase and development of the software was accounted for separately.

“Well,” I told him, “because of the way that the contracts were sold and, more particularly, the fact that each payment was accounted for separately and amortised over the life of the contract, the principle in the Arthur Murray case could be applied and the only income that needed to be brought to account each year for tax purposes was income for which the customer had received fair value.”

Darren was thrilled as that would reduce the business taxable income – and hence tax payable – considerably.

If you need information about minimising your tax, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd. If you need help with minimising your tax, contact the specialist team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd. Disclaimer This column contains general advice, please do not rely on it. If you require specific advice on this topic please contact Gail Freeman or your professional adviser.

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(Chartered accountant, SMSF specialist advisor and Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

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TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Bulls can sometimes blunder around being (unintentionally) insensitive. But you’ll need to be extra sensitive to the needs of children, teenagers or your peer group, otherwise Monday night’s Full Moon could trigger a misunderstanding or an emotional meltdown. Professional relationships are set to improve (from Tuesday onwards) when Mercury moves forwards in your work zone. The more flexible and understanding you are, the more quickly things will improve.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Mercury moves forwards and the Full Moon (in earthy Virgo) falls in your home zone, so get your house in order and tackle domestic chores with extra gusto. But, if you spread gossip or jump to hasty conclusions, then you’ll end up in hot water.

And avoid the temptation to take short cuts. A slap-dash attitude will only mean you have to do things twice. With a more methodical and practical approach, you can accomplish tasks and still have plenty of time to play.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

This week the Full Moon lights up your conversation zone and Mercury moves forwards in your intimacy zone. So communicating with others will gradually improve, and a close partnership should prosper. Wednesday’s Sun/Jupiter connection also brings good fortune in the form of a close friend, a joint venture, a dream date, a wise mentor, an educational milestone or a travel opportunity. So crawl out of your Crab cave and get moving, mingling and mixing ASAP!

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Lions love to live in the lap of luxury but avoid the temptation to blow the budget with some binge shopping. The Full Moon fires up your finance zones, and encourages your tendency to be hasty with cash and careless with credit. The Sun and Jupiter also inflate your extravagant streak, but big impulse buys now will just lead to major money headaches later on so shop prudently. Partnerships should improve, as Mercury moves forwards in your relationship zone.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

After three weeks in retrograde mode, Mercury (your patron planet) finally moves forwards from Tuesday onwards. So all forms of communication should gradually improve as you express yourself and verbalise your Virgo feelings in more direct and digestible ways. The Full Moon also lights up your sign, so self-belief is the key to success this week. As birthday great Billy Crystal observes: “To be great, you need to believe in what you’re doing.”

2 Name another term for a convent. (7) 3 To be more hirsute, is to be what? (7) 4 Name a renowned Victorian university (6) 5 What are summerhouses also called? (7) 6 Which SA town west of Lake Torrens, was established as a weapons research base in 1948?

(7) 7 On which river does Taree lie? (7) 13 Name a very long Australian river. (7) 14 What is a word that describes a person who makes trials or experiments? (7) 15 To be symmetrical or perfect in form, is said to be what? (7) 17 What is a woven coloured cord worn around the shoulder of uniforms? (7) 18 When one tidies something up one does what? (7) 20 What do we call one who cultivates land for growing food? (6)

FREE SUDOKU EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

Sudoku medium No. 262

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Mercury finally moves forwards (from Tuesday onwards) which will help a family matter or a domestic project that has been somewhat stalled. But you still need to plan carefully and be extra patient. The Full Moon (in earthy Virgo) lights up your hopes and wishes zone. So it’s vital that you focus on turning your goals and dreams into something tangible. And as birthday great Liza Minnelli reminds us: “Don’t listen to anyone who doesn’t know how to dream.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

The professional pressure is on, and family members will also demand plenty of your precious time. So how on earth will you keep all the plates spinning and get everything done? Clear communication is the key. If you can convince others (with your substantial Sagittarian charm!) to come on board and collaborate, then you’ll accomplish tasks in half the time. Wednesday’s Sun-Jupiter link is wonderful for matters involving money, business, real estate and family matters.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Monday night’s Full Moon lights up your aspirations zone. Money matters should start to improve, as Mercury moves forwards in your finance zone on Tuesday.

Then the Sun and Jupiter send a confidence boost your way, especially involving a personal project or social media. So be on the look-out for a lucky opportunity when it appears. However, if you hesitate or procrastinate then you’ll miss the boat. Fortune favours clever Capricorns who are practical and proactive!

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

As the week progresses things will gradually improve, as lucky Venus connects with your ruler Uranus and Mercury moves forwards in your sign. But don’t get so stirred up and side-tracked that you lose sight of where you are actually heading.

The earthy Virgo Full Moon encourages you to make plans and then put them into practice with discipline and dedication. Be inspired by fellow Aquarian, Oprah Winfrey: “Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.”

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

The Sun and Neptune are meandering through Pisces, which encourages intuitive insights, creativity and compassion… but also some confusion and chaos! Thank goodness Mercury moves forwards and the Full Moon’s in earthy Virgo, which will help you be more grounded, disciplined and discriminating. If you spend too much time in fantasy land, then you’ll miss early warning signals about a relationship problem you need to address. So keep your wits about you.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2020

22 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

Down

8 Name a Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hit.

(8) 9 Name an alternative term for a standard-bearer.

(6) 10 What do we call an elected local government representative? (8) 11 What are surviving memorials of things past? (6) 12 What is the radiance surrounding the head of a sacred personage? (4) 13 Which term describes those who apply colour? (5) 16 What is the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc? (5) 19 What is a less familiar term for money? (4) 21 Name another term for yearly. (6) 22 What might we call a person who lingers idly? (8) 23 Which term describes a whinger? (6) 24 What is a highly annoying thing or person? (8) 25 Name a crisp, pungent, edible root of a particular plant. (6)

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

The Full Moon illuminates your solitude zone and Mercury moves forwards in your creativity zone. So spend some quiet quality time on your own, where you can let your imagination percolate. Activities like reading, meditation and contemplation are favoured as you shine a bright spotlight on your inner world and capacity to dream. Inspiration for the week is from birthday great Liza Minnelli: “Dream on it.

Let your mind take you to places you would like to go.”

Solution next edition

Across

Solution next edition

Sudoku hard No. 261

DARREN GETS HIS TAX BILL UNDER CONTROL

Crossword No. 722

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Aries are fiercely independent folk. You pride yourself on being able to do just about everything yourself but that’s not always a good idea. Monday night’s Full Moon encourages you to be super practical, as you learn to take on less and delegate more. Then on Tuesday, Mercury moves forwards in your friendship and networking zone. So the current secret to success is working creatively and collaboratively with others. You’ll find many hands make light work!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

Chris thought the truth would be nice

By Helen Musa

CHRIS Ryan is a 46-year-old mother of teenagers and there aren’t a lot of them in comedy, she thinks.

A proud Canberra resident, Ryan will perform her newest show, “I Thought It Would Be Nice”, as part of the Canberra Comedy Festival, running from March 16-22.

Honesty is her stock-in-trade as she deals with subjects like having kids, postnatal depression and generally “how rubbish life can be”.

Ryan, one of the hottest comedians on the national circuit, won Best Newcomer Award at the 2019 Sydney Comedy Festival and opened for international comedians Ronny Chieng and Demetri Martin at the Canberra Theatre during winter.

Even more exciting, she was recently whisked away in a Hercules to perform comedy for Australian troops stationed in Iraq at a base about 40 kilometres outside Baghdad.

Ryan is busy. She’s been touring NSW, Queensland, the NT and Tasmania as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase and is just back from the Brisbane Comedy Festival. After a stint here, she’ll be heading for the big festival in Melbourne, then in May for both the Perth and Sydney comedy festivals.

You might call her a newcomer, since she

started in the “Raw Comedy” competition in 2012, aged 38, but she’s been making up for lost time, having performed multiple times in the Canberra Comedy Festival and Fearless Comedy galas, doing sets at TEDxCanberra and Floriade Nightfest, and MC-ing around town.

But every comedian needs time to store up life’s experiences and she’s done that through her work as a suburban mum, a journalist for Rural Press and AAP and as a publicist with her own communications

business for 20 years, only going full time in October 2018.

“When you start out in comedy, you’re not likely to do it full time,” Ryan tells us, “with part-time occasional appearances in gigs at Civic Pub, comedy festivals and open mic performances… I had family obligations, so I just did Canberra, and I like to run my own room.”

That worked well. She did the Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s comedy room, opened up comedy at the PolitBar in Manuka and,

LOVE, KINDNESS, DECENCY

Canberra Symphony Orchestra 2020

with Mel Fernandez, ran a monthly comedy room “Beyond Comedy” in Weston Creek.

“I guess I’ve always been a bit of a clown, with a desire to make people laugh,” Ryan says. “I did debating at Canberra High, but essentially I’m a suburban, white, middleaged mum.”

Not all that suburban, though. Having been raised in India where her father was stationed from age three months to nine, and then again when she was aged 17, she knows the wider world.

The title of her show “I Thought It Would Be Nice”, immediately suggests the endless comic possibilities of speculating on “what if”.

“It’s a saying my mum uses to cover bad ideas,” she explains, “and it underlines how out of control people are feeling. You’re not meant to tell the truth.

“I reject all the things I’m supposed to be. You’re supposed to engage in adult behaviour, but we’re often incapable and during this past summer I’ve also been disoriented and terrified.

“People in my circle work so hard, yet there’s a lot of anxiety out there, especially among mums, so in my comedy sketches I say, “you’ll be alright.”

“I Thought It Would Be Nice”, Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, 7pm, March 20-21, bookings and all Canberra Comedy Festival program details at canberracomedyfestival. com.au

Pilot takes off with ‘amazing’ food WENDY JOHNSON

Art reminds that nature can nurture

By Helen Musa

A new art show at the Queanbeyan Hive, the owners Helen and Simon Ferguson say, “reminds us that nature can provide nurture as well as torture”.

The Queanbeyan Hive is a privatelyowned community cultural hub set in a restored, yellow, heritage cottage in downtown Queanbeyan.

It serves as an art gallery, gift shop, meeting and function centre, with live music, workshop and performance spaces and on January 9 a packed-out bushfire appeal concert of poetry and music raised more than $8000 to support WIRES wildlife rescue.

“Angels and Waratahs” will feature paintings by Majors Creek artist Jane Ahlquist and pieces by Queanbeyan ceramicist Galia Shy. Her works tell of “the healing magic of bush witches and angels” and the more familiar enchantments of landscape.

Galia Shy is well known in the Canberra region for her works in stained glass but in this show she exhibits her pottery skills in strong pieces, appropriately using clay and ash.

“Angels and Waratahs” at the Queanbeyan Hive, 274 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan, March 14-29.

New Spaces

Modern classical music, written by Australians

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CityNews March 5-11, 2020 23

DINING

Chocks away, small Pilot takes off with ‘amazing’ food IT’S a small 30-seat restaurant that creates amazing food and has a wine list that aficionados love exploring.

It didn’t take long for Pilot at Ainslie shops to develop a dedicated fan base and begin picking up serious accolades. Having now dined there, it’s easy to see why.

We relaxed over the Sunday set menu at the restaurant-plus-bar and although we arrived towards the tail end of lunch, there was no rushing us out the door.

The first Sunday set item is labelled “snacks”, but we agreed the term doesn’t do justice to the gorgeous dishes that arrived to kickstart our lunch. It does reflect Pilot’s skill in catapulting ingredients to a new level.

The beef tartare, slightly warm, with shaved cured egg yolk is a case in point, followed by high-quality oysters with a cucumber granita and dill. Both were sensational.

After house-made focaccia (made by the sous chef) and a dip, it was time for the pasta du jour. It was a perfect portion given we still had three courses to go – house-made

Fish curry… gorgeous steamed snapper, coconut milk and roast pumpkin.

High-quality oysters… with a cucumber granita and dill.

roasted buckwheat noodles with cabbage and black pepper. How can such “straightforward” ingredients translate into something so amazing?

Next up was the fish curry, which looked so pretty in the bowl. Gorgeous steamed snapper, coconut milk and roast pumpkin.

The ingredients paid full respect to the snapper – not overpowering.

Pilot takes food seriously but not too seriously, and the roast chook dish is a classic example. When it arrived at the table, we were told this is Pilot’s special take on the

“minimal intervention and maximum love”. In addition to its wine offering, Pilot is creative with its Nolo drinks (no alcohol; low alcohol).

Décor is simple. There’s a bar at the entrance, and the place is decked out with bentwood chairs and wooden tables. The large windows that run the full length of the restaurant ensure the space is light and airy.

The Sunday set lunch is $60 (additional

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good old Aussie chicken sandwich. Chicken + steamed white bread + mayo + fresh side salad. You choose how to create your own sandwich – open, closed or any other way for that matter. It was the best roast chook experience we’d had for a long time.

Pilot’s impressive and versatile wine list is worth exploring and diners are guaranteed some labels not readily found (if found at all) in other Canberra restaurants. Staff are super knowledgeable. We experimented with a couple, including a Blood Moon chenin blanc from Victoria, a winery that produces with

Photos: Wendy Johnson

$20 for non-alcoholic pairing and $40 for full pairing). It’s important to book or you could well miss out.

Pilot, Shop 1, Wakefield Gardens, Ainslie. Dinner Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm to late; lunch Sunday, noon-3pm.

CINEMA

Compelling sneaky crime thriller CINEMA

By Dougal Macdonald “Motherless Brooklyn” (M)

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First Floor, 42 Townshend Street, Phillip ACT /lavenderartstudios 24 CityNews March 5-11, 2020

EDWARD Norton directs this 1950s crimethriller with a screenplay that’s his adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel.

As well, Norton plays Lionel, a private investigator leading a team of operatives under a corporate structure led by Frank (Bruce Willis) who meets a violent end toward the end of what in earlier times might have been called the first reel.

But the spectre of Frank’s wisdom and experience re-appear frequently to guide Lionel through the trickier corners of an investigation into corporate and local governmental corruption.

As New York’s post-war population grows and car numbers increase, people from the hinterland will need more crossings of the mighty Hudson River for their daily commute. Developer Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin) has a vision for bridges and freeways.

Entangled in the arguments about the city’s future infrastructure is a story that takes account of its current problems. Renewal programs affect the city’s poor, especially the Afro-Americans who provide a major cohort of the city’s manual workers.

Complicating Lionel’s life is the neurological condition called Tourette’s Syndrome. While his intellect functions normally, Tourettes afflicts his body in ways that unaware observers might think demonstrate a mental illness. Not so, in the film any more than in the real world. On screen, Tourette’s symptoms take a little getting used to.

“Motherless Brooklyn” runs for 144 minutes.

Once its rhythm settles down after an opening that gives little away about where it’s likely to be going, it tells the story with workmanlike attention to detail.

While “Motherless Brooklyn” tells a New York story, its theme could reflect possibilities in any major city where the local government allows sneaky practices to grow. It’s compelling entertainment.

At Dendy, Palace Electric

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Edward Norton in “Motherless Brooklyn”.

“Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears” (M) DON’T get me wrong about that star rating.

The big-screen successor to TV’s 34 episodes featuring Kerry Greenwood’s all-conquering heroine is a fun movie that children of whatever age might enjoy. While movies can say whatever their creators like, there are limits to how far filmgoers are prepared to have their credulity stretched before it snaps and reveals fundamental limits to their willing suspension of disbelief.

I’ve read and enjoyed Ms Greenwood’s novels. As TV episodes I found them tedious and often foolish twaddle. In their wake, “Crypt of Tears” is the creation of writer Deb Cox, who has written a lot of great Australian TV material – think “SeaChange” for starters.

This time, she’s on her own with no Ms Greenwood providing a plot structure. It’s 1929. Miss Fisher is living the life of a minor Pommy aristocrat. In Palestine, still under British post-war rule, a young woman is in prison awaiting trial for opposing that regime.

Enter Miss Fisher.

It’s just a tad less immature than infantile.

The cast, called back from the TV series and supplemented by a handful of temporary Pommie imports, is familiar.

And flashing though it all as Phryne is Essie

Davis, a fine actress whose performance in “The Babadook” blew me away, making amends for the role to which playing Phryne had consigned her.

At all cinemas

“Honey Boy” (MA) ACTOR Shia LaBeouf is the best-qualified person on the planet to write the screenplay for Alma Har’el’s narrative film debut and play its villain.

How can I confidently say that? Simple.

Using invented names for father and son, it tells snippets from LaBeouf’s life between ages 12 and 18 with a domineering, confused, often abusive father.

The story unfolds during the child Otis’s twelfth and eighteenth years. English-born Noah Jupe, who on the day the film opened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival had his 14th birthday, bears the main burden of the story, follows his no-good father around America’s country roads, living in trailer parks, learning life among junkyards and abandoned cars, meeting people in like circumstances thereby acquiring relationship skills that, more than getting book learning, help the disadvantaged to survive.

Lucas Hedges plays Otis at 22, a less innocent but still fragile young man beginning to assert himself.

At Dendy

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ARTS IN THE CITY

By Helen Musa THE seventh annual “Burlesque Idol” returns for one night only on International Women’s Day. Billed as “the ultimate tournament of tease”, judges are all burlesque identities – Sharyne Jewel, Alyssa Kitt, and Canberra’s Jazida with emcee Betty Bang Bang. At the Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah, Sunday, March 8.

Book at eventbrite.com.au IF you wondered whatever happened to Sculpture in the Paddock, last seen in 2018 at Shaw Vineyard Estate, there’s a new outdoor sculpture prize with a prize pool of $25,000, presented

by Shaw Wines in Murrumbateman in partnership with Belconnen Arts Centre in September. Sculpture@ Shaw is now open for artist entries at sculptureatshaw.com.au THE Canberra Symphony will kick off for 2020 with “Llewellyn One: Organ Symphony”, with guest organist Joseph Nolan performing the title work by Saint-Saëns.

As well, the CSO will perform Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture” and Natalie Williams’s work “XPT”, while the orchestra’s percussion section will perform Carl Vine’s “Percussion Symphony”. Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm March 18-19, pre-concert talk 6.45pm. Book at cso.org.au MEANTIME, news is to hand that the CSO’s featured artist for last year, saxophonist Nick Russoniello, was performing on the Diamond Princess when the cruise ship was quarantined for two weeks. His concerts, including Gerringong Music Club’s first one for the year, have been cancelled because while now back in Australia, he’ll still be in quarantine.

FIERY contemporary Irish singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy will be back here presenting songs from her new album, ”Forgotten”, recently recorded in London.

The entire side of the album, 20 minutes of music, was recorded non-stop without any mistakes, noises, string breakages or technical issues. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, support act 7pm, McEvoy from 8pm, Thursday March 19, book at tuggeranongarts.com UK prankster, scammer, author and comedian, James Veitch, will be in town for the Canberra Comedy Festival with his new show, “Tentative”, billed as “nerdy, creative and cheeky”. Street One at The Street, 8.30pm, March 19, book at thestreet.org.au FELLOW Brit, Mark Watson, will also be here for the Comedy Festival, performing a much-needed audit of his time on earth in “This Can’t Be It”. At The Hilarium, Festival Square, 8.30pm, March 19.

Book at canberracomedyfestival. com.au

‘Melting pot’ of art and connection turns 10

By Helen Musa

“TODAY, I, Tomorrow, You” is the 2020 theme for Art, Not Apart, the 10th annual festival, running around NewActon, the Shine Dome, the National Film and Sound Archive and this year, Albert Hall, from March 13-15.

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Using art as a metaphor, the name Art, Not Apart was derived from French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy’s ideas about our need for a connected society in which the you and I merge to become ”we”.

With up to 20,000 visitors expected, more than 200 artists will entertain the public with exhibitions, performance art, music stages, installations, film and moving image, surprise interventions, food and drink, and a great big after-party themed around the sixth deadly sin, gluttony.

For the first time using Albert Hall as a venue, the centre point will be “Melting Pot”, an epic three-hour night of improvised music and live projections from a septet of legendary Canberra professionals who’ve been performing monthly gigs in NewActon.

Led by John Mackey on tenor sax, with Miroslav Bukowski on trumpet, Greg Stott on guitar, Lachlan Coventry on electric bass, Mark Sutton on drums, Mark Webber on laptop with vocals by Darren Percival, the three hour “jazz safari” will be augmented by live improvised projections.

Drawing on improvised melodies with no preconceived outcome, linked in with loops and interacting with laptop audio input, it will, Mackey tells us, be “interactive and experimental, like a series of short stories.”

He’s the leader of the group and after 21 years at the ANU School of Music, he jumped at the invitation last year from festival producer David Caffery to get together an

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CANBERRA STAMP SHOW When: where: Cost: “Melting Pot”. elite house band and invite other musos as needed for regular jam sessions in NewActon.

Mackey explains, “The whole thing is based on improvising… someone will start and then we’ll pick it up and turn it into a big piece, there’s no preconceived melody like in the American Songbook style… we’re improvising a groove, then elements are stacked on and solos and then we build to a finish.”

Visual arts are a major component of Art, Not Apart, with a free group exhibition at Nishi Gallery called “Today I, Tomorrow You”, curated as usual by Chloe Mandryk and celebrating the 10th anniversary of “Art, Not Apart” with new works from nine artists.

Rinaldo Hartanto, byrd, Nikkayla, Millie Black, Michelle Day, Sophie Dumaresq, Rachel Howie, Kevin Adrian Miller, and Bernadette Smith have all responded with distinct ideas and unique mediums.

Day, for instance, will present “Tread Lightly”, an installation symbolic of a hurricane, while byrd is constructing a towering sentinel made from cardboard. Dumaresq’s photos of Lake George and pink

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Photo: Martin Ollman tumbleweed sculptures will consider our present day treatment of the land and consequences in the future.

On Sunday, March 15, Escape Ferocity presents a day party “techyes”, techno music and electronic culture, in Albert Hall from 1pm.

And then there’s that explosive late-night after party, “Sound and Fury”, from 8pm-late, also in Albert Hall. Staged by Chenoeh Miller’s Little Dove Theatre Art, it aims to flaunt the skills of performance artists in a party format. With punchy music, theatre and dance threatened, this year it’s going to be a “Best of Sound and Fury”, with ensemble acts from over the 10 years and a record number of guest artists.

Sound and Fury: Art, Not Apart, across NewActon, Shine Dome and NFSA, 1pm-7pm Saturday, March 14, free, details at artnotapart.com “Melting Pot,” Albert Hall, 8-11pm, Friday, March 13, bookings at eventbrite.com.au “Sound and Fury” after party, Albert Hall, 7.30pm-late, Saturday, March 14, bookings at eventbrite.com.au

13th - 15th March 2020 Hellenic Club, Woden $5 entry fee

Themes of the show include exploration in the Pacific, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Capt Cook’s voyage up the east coast of Australia, Australia’s involvement in the Apollo 11 Moon Landings through Honeysuckle Creek.

Entries from across Australia, NZ, UAE and India, including junior collectors.

Stamp traders and coin traders will be in attendance for those wishing to add to or start collections. Stamp Show souvenirs and memorabilia will be on sale.

For enquiries call Tom: 0400 021 887 www.canberrastamps.org

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The Mallee Building at EPIC Exhibition Park in Canberra 10am to 5pm

Entry $5 includes free workshops and mediumship demonstrations all day

Psychic Readers, Healers, Mediums, Stalls, Workshops Contact Lilitu or Natasha for more information or stallholder enquiries: (02) 6241 0799

CityNews March 5-11, 2020 25

OPEN GARDEN / Braddon

Pretty and productive inner-city organic garden PROVING the “pretty and productive potential of a suburban block”, Michele and Andrew England’s no-waste, organic garden in Braddon provides year-round food and flowers.

Michele England... “Our aim is to feed the soil, repurposing waste into something of higher value.”

The 12-year-old waterwise garden will be open for the first time as part of Open Gardens Canberra on the weekend of March 14-15.

With compost bins, worm farm, a chicken run, beehive, raised veggie beds, nearly 10,000-litre water tanks and more than 40 fruiting trees, the sustainable garden looks after its inhabitants, says Michele.

“It looks very different to when we moved in.

We pulled out the cotoneaster, privet and lawn and designed a garden that would provide seasonally, and cope with extreme heat and lower rainfall,” she says.

All cuttings and green waste go back into the soil, whether through the worm farm or as mulch.

“This does cause little unplanned seedlings to emerge, so we keep some and pot up others,” Michele says.

“Our aim is to feed the soil, repurposing waste into something of higher value.”

Abundant shade protects the front garden thanks to an eight-year-old thriving white cedar, though Michele says they’d like more shade.

“Our water tanks ran dry in November, which has never happened before, so we’ve been saving every scrap of household water to use in the garden,” she says.

“We had a few casualties but overall it did

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The garden has a natural look with formal touches such as clipped evergreens and espaliered fruit trees, and red-brick paths wind around the 1924-built house. Sculptures add interest, some made by the couple’s son.

“I wanted a functional garden, but with form, too,” Michele says.

“I’ve tried to create ‘rooms’, with the formal front space, the nook outside the kitchen which I see when I’m cooking, the ‘closed-in’ alley at the side of the house, and the veggies and chickens’ space.

“There have been experiments, and I’m always moving plants with varying success.”

The garden also has an art studio and a large heritage corner shed shared with neighbours.

“I love stepping outside, coffee in hand, poking around and pulling a few weeds,” says Michele.

“Gardening is physical, too, it can be a workout and you get into a different mindset.

It’s a break. I like nurturing and caring for the garden, watching things grow, listening to the birds and insects.”

There will be plants for sale on the open weekend, propagated by Michele.

67 Elimatta Street, Braddon, open on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, 10am-4.30pm.

Admission $8, free to under-18s and Open Gardens Canberra members. Funds raised will go to the Conservation Council. It costs $25 to join Open Gardens Canberra. Visit opengardenscanberra.org.au/members

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GARDENING

Leaves likely to fall sooner AUTUMN has arrived. With months of continuous dry, deciduous trees have not had sufficient moisture at the root zone and, as a result, almost certainly this year trees will shed their leaves earlier than usual.

Even if we receive copious amounts of rain this autumn it will not make an iota of difference; too late they cried!

All leaves provide valuable mulch to retain moisture in the soil. Shred them using the mower or blower shredder and put them back on to the garden or on to the compost heap, not raked into the road gutters to clog stormwater drains.

WE have received at least some reasonably reliable falls of up to 50-60 millimetres, however I have been contacted by people saying the ground is still almost totally dry.

It will take a great deal more steady soaking rain to penetrate to the root zone of most trees and shrubs.

Not helping things is the thick, black plastic placed on the ground before spreading mulch.

The idea is to stop weeds.

But plastic and weed mats stop rain soaking into the ground, particularly if the garden is on a slope. And it doesn’t help cutting out a circle of plastic or weed mat around the trunk of trees or shrubs. The roots of all trees and shrubs extend to the drip line, in other words to the outer branches. So the plastic/weed mat would have to be cut right to the outer edges of the leaves, which in turn exposes the soil for weed growth.

Not like the terrible example (pictured) of laying concrete to the trunk, stopping all rain to the roots of a tree in Dickson.

I HAVE also had queries about trees planted in lawn areas. The callers say the lawn is watered when the sprinklers come on. Depending on the cycle, this is usually for only a few minutes and just enough to get moisture to the grassroots, but definitely not to the roots of trees and shrubs.

If you are laying out a new garden, it’s a good idea not to plant trees and shrubs in lawns.

Include them in garden beds where they can be effectively mulched. Obvi-

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AUTUMN is also caterpillar time. Don’t use chemical pesticides to eliminate these pests, particularly near edible plants, whether it is leafy veggies or herbs. Use Yates Nature’s Way Dipel, a certified organic powder derived from beneficial bacteria found in soil. Its manufacturers say it kills white cabbage butterfly caterpillars, vine moth caterpillars, which love to decimate grape vines and others. It’s safe for bees, ladybirds, birds, fish and pets. Have some on hand for the first sign of these pesky wrigglers.

IT’S shaping up to be a warm autumn, so it might be best to not rush to start planting and filling in gaps in the garden where plants may have been lost to summer’s extreme heat.

Leave it for at least a couple more weeks until the weather cools. Likewise, I don’t recommend planting citrus unless you are prepared to give them adequate protection from frost, which can happen at any time as we get closer to winter.

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Not sure when to plant winter veggies?

Be wary of advice on TV garden shows or magazines. Canberra garden centres know when to keep in stock veggies according to the season. Take their advice.

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