ME/CFS and it’s associated symptom Post Exertional Malaise are not easily treatable.
People living with conditions that include Post Exertional Malaise find they need to learn a different way of living, using techniques such as Pacing.
Pacing means breaking down all the tasks of daily life to really simple elements and working out where your upper limit is.
Emerge ACT (formally ME/CFS ACT, a part of the Arthritis Foundation of the ACT) have a Pacing Program that may assist you to learn and hone this valuable skill.
Email us on mecfs@arthritisact.org.au to be a part of our Pacing education session and to join Club Tortoise where you will learn with, and be supported by others who live with this condition.
CANBERRANS WITH A STORY
At Joan’s book club, bring
DAVID TURNBULL continues his series of profiles of Canberrans with a story. This week he meets Joan Ross, who is running a book club with a difference.
Joan Ross is running a book club with a difference.
Instead of all the members reading the same book and meeting to discuss it, Joan’s group focuses on themes and gives members the freedom to read whatever book they want addressing it.
When the members meet, they share the perspectives they’ve gained from different writers.
The group isn’t a book club as such. It is a course Joan runs on crime fiction through the University of the Third Age (U3A)
“This format provides members with a much wider opportunity to learn – the different writers tease out different issues and that sparks active discussion whether that’s on vigilantes, murders in the snow, hostage situations, racial hatred, whatever,” she says.
Joan has been operating the course for 10 years in the inner northern suburbs, so she must be doing something right.
“We have a membership that ranges between 15 and 20,” she says.
“There’s a core of half-a-dozen who have been with us from the start,
INDEX
Arts & Entertainment 23-25
Crossword 27
Dining & Wine 25
Gardening 26
Letters 13
News 3-13
Politics 4, 8, 10
Streaming 24
Sudoku 27
but each year we get new members.”
organisation that operates purely from volunteers.
people over 50 (or in the third age of their lives) with the opportunity to continue to learn.
formal qualifications, but rather a chance to learn, a chance to keep mentally active, a chance to engage with other people.
appeared in France in the 1970s and subsequently spread all around the world.
It was set up in Canberra in 1986 and now offers more than 200 courses to more than 4000 members.
U3A offers courses in the arts and film. Current affairs, politics and history. There are people engaged in a wide variety of music groups, specific instrument instruction and a host of choirs.
Languages, personal well-being, science, the environment. You name
are volunteers, the head office is operated by volunteers,” she says.
“U3A deliberately keeps the costs down to make it easy for retirees to get involved.”
Born in 1949, Joan Ross grew up in Brisbane in a house full of ideas.
Her parents, Cedrick and Margaret, were rational humanists and instilled all six of their children with a clear sense of basic human fairness.
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“The Department of Employment, Education and Training offered me a position in their Women’s Bureau, and we came here to Canberra.”
Then there were stints of various durations in different roles within DEET, 10 years at the Department of Finance, time with the Prime Minister and Cabinet and a brief attachment to the Asian office of the International Labour Organisation.
In 2013 Joan retired, but her lifelong desire to contribute to the community was still burning bright, and that’s how she got involved with U3A.
“I’ve always been very keen on crime fiction. I read all sorts of books, but crime fiction is what excites me
“I’d been in book clubs, but a friend and I thought we could change it around a bit, and that’s how we came up with the course structure based on themes and decided to get members to lead the discussion from month to
“I just like to be part of active discussions on things,” she says.
“I like to see people sharing ideas.”
And the members of the group clearly appreciate it.
Daniela says: “Joan has been a wonderful leader and guide. She is widely read and her genuine enthusiasm for the topic under discussion is infectious.”
And Frances: “Joan’s idea has become an outstanding and rewarding regular activity.”
u3acanberra.org.au/about.html
Journalist David Turnbull is writing a series of profiles about interesting Canberrans. Do you know someone we’ve never heard of? Share the name in an email to David via editor@citynews.com.au
Joan Ross… “I’ve always been very keen on crime fiction. I read all sorts of books, but crime fiction is what excites me most.”
POLITICS / voluntary active dying
Delay no more, get the dying legislation right now
How long does the ACT have to wait for the implementation of the best possible Voluntary Active Dying (VAD) legislation?
There are three choices that politicians make in dealing with any decision – support, oppose or delay.
Delay is the most common and effective tool when there are doubts or concerns. Delay continues being deployed in spades on amendments to the VAD legislation.
A submission to an Assembly Committee more than a year ago nailed the issue. “Like all legislation, the Bill may not be perfect”, argued Katarina Pavkovic. “But it is a perfect next step to enabling our people the right to die with dignity and not suffer intolerably at the end of their lives.”
More than 30 years after original VAD legislation was introduced into the ACT Legislative Assembly, the ACT’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Act 2024 passed under the deft leadership of Tara Cheyne.
The legislation was not perfect and, with new MLAs in the Assembly, it can be reconsidered and improved.
However, it is not necessary to delay amendments to improve the legislation that comes into effect in November.
The need for amendment is outlined by Dr David Swanton, convenor of Exit International’s ACT
“Individuals will often choose to end their life earlier than they would like, because they are concerned about losing capacity and becoming ineligible.”
Chapter: “This will provide relief to many people who are suffering, but there are many others who will not be helped by the VAD Act as it stands”.
Increased eligibility for people to access VAD is at the nub of the concerns.
Sam Delaney, the president of Dying with Dignity, raised the issue of people who lose decision-making capacity.
The legislation, he says, should allow individuals “to include their wishes about voluntary assisted dying in some form of Advance Care Plan”.
Advocates for better VAD legislation are now seeking support for such amendments from across the Assembly.
Dr Marisa Paterson is an MLA who has vigorously pursued this matter since the original bill was considered in the Assembly. At the time of
Delay after delay is not necessary. The issues are understood… table amendments to the VAD Act now and seek to have them passed in time to facilitate better legislation coming into effect in November.
consideration of the original legislation, she put a motion identifying two gaps with adverse outcomes.
Her first concern was “individuals will often choose to end their life earlier than they would like, because they are concerned about losing capacity and becoming ineligible”.
Second, the challenge is “the individual is often suffering intolerably, without capacity”. This is because “when an individual does lose capacity, and is no longer eligible, this often leaves families very distressed as they can no longer support their loved ones who wish to access VAD”.
Delay was employed by the government. An investigation was launched rather than allowing Dr Paterson to put amendments to the legislation as part of the debate.
Ministers Cheyne and Rachel Stephen-Smith have now released the findings of their consultation into “one of the most complex and sensitive issues in voluntary assisted dying (VAD)”. The process examined: “What happens when a person approved for VAD loses decision-making capacity before the process is completed?”
In a combined press release they excused the long delay for amendments to the legislation that would address these two issues. The government process even recognised the distress of “people who endure unnecessary suffering because they fear losing the ability to make a final decision, as well as the emotional burden carried by families”.
As part of the launch, Cheyne said: “The contribution provided today furthers the conversation that the community wants us to have about the intersection of dignity, autonomy and loss of capacity.”
She excuses the delay this way: “The ACT’s VAD scheme is unique. Commencing it and closely monitoring its operation is essential in ensuring and building community confidence in the scheme, and will give us an understanding of how the
scheme may address some of these issues already. This will be a sound place from which to continue this work”.
Even amongst Liberal voters in the ACT, there is 78 per cent support for amendments to facilitate dementia patients making an advanced directive regarding VAD. Where will the Liberal MLAs stand on these amendments?
Delay after delay is not necessary. The issues are understood. They were canvassed by the Assembly committee, and now by the further government report. A positive approach would be to table amendments to the VAD Act now and seek to have them passed in time to facilitate better legislation coming into effect in November.
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.
GOODWIN AGED CARE SERVICES advertising feature
‘Our nursing teams ensure the highest standards of care for our residents and clients in the ACT and southern NSW’
Goodwin’s nurses: true spirit of aged-care heroes
“As we look to the future, the dedication and skill of our nursing teams, across all care settings, remain paramount,” says senior Goodwin manager Tamra MacLeod in this advertising feature provided by GOODWIN AGED CARE SERVICES.
While International Nurses Day tributes have ended, the profound impact and unwavering dedication of Goodwin Aged Care Services’ nursing professionals continue to resonate deeply within the Canberra community.
Goodwin proudly acknowledges its 86 nurses – compassionate individuals forming the heart of care for seniors across residential – and home care.
These nurses offer medical expertise, empathy, and steadfast support, deeply invested in the well-being of Canberra’s seniors, enriched by the diverse backgrounds within the team.
In an ACT aged care sector facing workforce challenges, Goodwin proactively addresses these issues with innovative programs.
Pauline Hugler, executive manager of People and Culture, emphasises their strategy: “The best way to find a workforce is to create our own.”
A key initiative is the Internationally Qualified Nurses (IQN) Program, in partnership with Key2Care Health Solutions. This program recruits committed overseas nurses, providing a pathway to Australian registration (AHPRA/NMBA) within 12-24 months. Its success is evident in its expan -
sion and growing candidate numbers.
Michael Bermejo, director of Key2Care Health Solutions, affirms the positive outcomes, saying: “We have been working closely with Goodwin to source the right candidates and have seen great results. Now in its second recruitment campaign, we are witnessing double the number of candidates.”
While initially focused on the Eurobodalla/Shoalhaven area, Goodwin is now focusing on expanding the IQN Program to its Canberra facilities.
“Recognising ACT-specific pressures, including workforce shortages and the need for specialised care and professional development, we are expanding the IQN Program to our Canberra facilities,” says Hugler.
Tamra MacLeod, executive manager, Clinical and Health Services, says: “This expansion demonstrates our proactive approach to bolstering our nursing teams and ensuring the highest standards of care for our residents here in the ACT and southern NSW”.
Goodwin addresses aged care’s multifaceted challenges with comprehensive strategies. Beyond the IQN Program, the Clinical Excellence Program, launching with its first workshop in August, underscores
their commitment to staff development.
This initiative offers practical, evidencebased training in areas such as clinical decision-making, communication, leadership, and person-centred care.”
“I believe this sets us apart,” says Pauline Hugler, highlighting Goodwin’s investment in its nurses’ skills and confidence. The dedication of Goodwin’s nurses is evident in their personal stories.
• Australian-born Jessica Davis, with 12 years of nursing experience values the life stories of older adults and the importance of emotional support.
• Emma Escovilla , from the Philippines,
also with 12 years’ nursing experience under her belt, is committed to high-care standards, and actively participates in Goodwin’s quality initiatives.
• Nepalese nurse Riya Rayamajhi finds profound reward in alleviating client suffering through empathetic care.
• Filipino nurse Rhen Padona, who has a wealth of experience drawn from 29 years in nursing, shares her passion for geriatric nursing at Goodwin by mentoring new nurses. Rhen recognises the crucial role nurses play in “promoting healthy ageing, managing age-related conditions, and improving the quality in the last stage of life”.
• Shaun Button focuses on providing comfort and companionship in end-of-life care while Ian Pamintuan cherishes the life lessons from residents and the joy of making them smile. “With 18 years of nursing, I have shared many smiles and as many tears in my career”, says Ian, who hails from the Philippines.
• Clara Kim, a nurse with 14 years of registered nursing experience across South Korea and Australia finds reward in residents recognising her understanding and reliability, emphasising the challenges of dementia care.
• North Indian nurse Amanpreet Kaur values the deep connections formed with residents, particularly those with cognitive impairment, and the continuous learning in her role.
• Kellie Croawell, an Australian nurse with
more than a decade of experience, views nursing as a heartfelt calling, finding immense satisfaction in bringing comfort and joy to seniors.
• Goodwin House Director of Nursing Teddy Morados, a Filipino nurse with 13 years of experience, values the supportive environment at Goodwin and the ability to make a real difference in residents’ lives. For Teddy, nursing is about advocating for patients and understanding their needs deeply.
• Person-centred care is a central tenet of Goodwin’s approach, extending also to their home care services. Sharon Brar, Home Care nurse consultant at Goodwin says: “Goodwin Home Care nurses provide patient-centred care, in a holistic manner.
“Our dedicated team of nurses assist clients with care planning and complex care needs. We have a passion for proactive primary health care and want to keep our clients living independently, in their own homes for as long as possible.
Tamra MacLeod says: “As we look to the future, the dedication and skill of our nursing teams, across all care settings, remain paramount. Goodwin’s commitment to proactive workforce solutions and ongoing professional development ensures that our nurses are well-equipped to continue providing exceptional care to the Canberra and Batemans Bay communities, embodying the true spirit of everyday heroes in aged care.”
Thank you Goodwin Nursing Staff
To the heart of Goodwin, our incredible nursing staff:
On International Nurses Day, we celebrate your unwavering compassion, tireless dedication, and the profound difference you make in the lives of our residents and clients every single day. Your skill, empathy, and commitment are the cornerstone of our care.
Thank you for being the heart and hands of Goodwin.
Tamra MacLeod, executive manager, Clinical and Health Services.
There’s no place like (living in a cohousing) home
“Cohousing Canberra, has been drawing up plans for a 30-unit development for the past few years. The member-elected committee has worked with members on a vision to model sustainable and co-operative living,” writes TONI HASSAN.
Cohousing, where families live in private homes clustered around shared facilities, is common in Europe and increasingly popular in the UK, the US and NZ.
The outcome of a tender for a block of land in North Watson has great potential to demonstrate it in Canberra. I do hope it catches on in the capital.
The site on Aspinall Street has been set aside for new cohousing by the ACT government, if agreement can be reached on a proposal.
The organisation I am part of, Cohousing Canberra, has been drawing up plans for a 30-unit development on the site for the past few years.
The member-elected committee has worked with members on a vision to model sustainable and co-operative living.
Our plans, developed with AMC Architecture, promise something of a village.
It includes a generous common room with a large kitchen and dining area; a multipurpose building for
recreation. It will look over a large communal garden and orchard maintained by the community of residents with shared resources.
Our development partner, Canberra KDN Group is led by George Katheklakis, who completed a PhD on cohousing. He leads a team ambitious to see this through.
One of the aims of the development is to combat loneliness by encouraging intergenerational connections. Another is to create a local pathway to a low-carbon future.
Dickson and Civic. A new public park has been built next to the block.
The development will generate and share electricity, host shared e-bikes and e-vehicles and reduce waste by buying products in bulk. Buying groceries in bulk should also lower household costs. It will show what it is possible to achieve locally.
All units will have northern light, 7-star minimum EER rating, with extensive solar PVs on the roof, and silver level accessibility.
The block we aim to purchase is well located for public transport with a rapid bus stop nearby and a shared bike and pedestrian path to Watson,
The Watson site is one of the results of the ACT government’s Demonstration Housing Project. This project aims to demonstrate different forms of housing which could lead to a more sustainable future for Canberra.
Cohousing Canberra applied to join the project and we were selected as one of the projects without a site in 2018.
In 2021, the Territory Plan was altered to allow cohousing on part of Section 76, North Watson, not far from the Federal Highway.
Many volunteers over many years have committed time and resources to see the process get to this stage, the request for tender (RFT) stage, to be able to purchase the block at market price. There are no guarantees but
the committee is hopeful.
This development is arguably a first for Canberra since Urambi Village and Wybalena Grove in Cook, built from the 1970s, which has shared parkland and an open plan but not a common house and the expectation of intentional community in the way Cohousing Canberra envisages.
When we are pitching the idea of cohousing to the wider-community at the Epic Markets and elsewhere, we find genuine interest in the project; an appetite to build new housing that also creates a lively social network and improves wellbeing.
In between regular committee meetings and stakeholders engagements, there have been social events, often over a meal, so Cohousing Canberra members get to know each
other and build a foundation for a strong and collegiate group.
With the support of the ACT government’s Demonstration Housing Project team, a much smaller cohousing development has just been completed in Ainslie. Three couples have teamed up to live intentionally in homes surrounding a common house, with social and environmen -
If things work out in Watson and in a timely way, individuals and families will be able to move into their units in about three years.
The development will comprise a mix of owned units, rented units and social housing. There are studios, twobedroom and three bedroom options.
There’s a lot to do, including fundraising for a successful tender and establishing a governance model that ensures inclusive decision making. Residents commit to making decisions together and to run our affairs in a safe, viable, ethical way, looking for creative solutions.
Interested? Find out more on the Canberra Cohousing website and consider joining to be part of what we are developing: a community housing development for our time.
Toni Hassan serves on the steering committee of Cohousing Canberra. She is an award-winning writer, facilitator and visual artist.
Cohousing… One of the aims of the development is to combat loneliness by encouraging intergenerational connections. Another is to create a local pathway to a low-carbon future.
It goes wrong when parties think they know better
The Coalition campaign will go down in history as one of the worst ever. On any side. There are just a few big things to get right in a federal campaign: leader, policies and messaging. It is simple. No, it is.
Policies
Where it goes wrong is where parties ignore us, and give us what they think we want, not what we actually do. Example: not one piece of market research said people wanted $600 billion (or $400 billion) spent on nuclear reactors, but nearly everyone supported a big spend on hous ing supply. Simple, right? I thought you’d agree.
The Liberals get another three years, likely six, to try and demonstrate to us they can read the room/nation on what matters policy wise. Or maybe they’ll borrow the ACT branch’s book on how to lose the middle and influence just the base. Hello 2030’s for a shot at the prize.
They’ve just got obliterated in an election so it’s time to break paradigms. Or to use one of the most abused and common terms in the Canberra edition of the Buzzwords for Beginner’s book: widen the lens. Through a pivot. That’ll be a promotion and a BYD EV, thanks.
So they need to build a party for 2025, not 1995. The next leader must be progressive. Otherwise, they should stop using the word Liberal. Leader and candidates
The next leader with a chance (likely 2031) must be a woman. I’ve lost count of the number of women around the nation, post Brittany and ScoMo era, who’ve told me they wanted to run for the Liberals but were deterred by attitudes,
Some have drifted teal. Some go back to outstanding careers in organisations that embrace and respect them. No wonder. Ultimately, democracy loses. Experience you ask? No. Jacinda Ardern came from nowhere and won in seven weeks. Labour in NZ went from 24 per cent to 42 per cent primary in 42 days. You either want to govern for the many or represent the few. Your choice.
There are just a few big things to get right in a federal campaign: leader, policies and messaging. It is simple. No, it is.
perhaps as little as 10-15 seconds. You can’t change attitudes, but you can change perception. Labor did this so well. Framing and consistency were key to this in a dual campaign of brand building for Labor and brand destroying the Coalition.
Consistency with the other two elements, with a balanced strategy with mainstream media acting as the reinforcer and reminder of more targeted messaging in the media and on the socials. Positive messaging was done using the leader always, smiling, on point and focused on tangibles and immediate. It was like how a bank markets itself – low risk, low uncertainty, and a smiling face. Nothing crazy like ending WFH.
hope. Ideas. Reflective of us. Making us feel by who they are that they listen. They care. They engage. Inspiring to those inside and outside of the party. Obama was absolutely awesome at this.
But most importantly, giving us confidence that they are ready to govern. The PM in the final two weeks of the campaign had that everywhere.
Gender and background equality in candidates is a must. Those with it had considerably more success than those without it on May 3. And not to focus too much on the Liberals but the Nats are the same. Example, they have had six women in the Upper House in NSW. Six. Yeahhh, real progress.
If I was the Liberals, I would be ensuring not just gender parity but also ensuring 25 per cent of candidates were 35 and under. Gen Y is nearly at their power era, that time for most between 35-60 when you are at the peak of intellectual powers.
Messaging
Finally, messaging. In 2025, an effective political message needs to focus on simplicity, clarity, tangibility and crucially convey information visually in a short time frame of
The negative subtlety intertwined positive messaging on health with a fear campaign based on the Coalition’s tone-deaf policy announcement of cutting back public servants. The PM then used the Medicare prop to underlie this. The He Cuts, You Pays, negative ad was incessant but effective as it framed Dutton perfectly, something he reinforced himself with constant Trumpist-style grabs for attention and momentum towards the end of the campaign.
Dutton in the end helped frame himself the way Labor had wished for. Labor messaging then had added credibility and relevance as it didn’t seem to be at odds with the facts at all but more a natural restatement of the Coalition. Dutton was increasingly linked and used for all messaging, especially negative, as there was literally no one else in the Coalition with profile enough, or willing enough, to get momentum back. It just became a horror show from then on.
The quick summary? Don’t make the simple complex in elections. The Coalition now gets until next decade to think about just how to do that.
Dr Andrew Hughes lectures at the ANU Research School of Management, where he specialises in political marketing.
Cartoon: Paul Dorin
We can stop waiting for the fine person to arrive
Years ago, in a small town and place I revisit too much, was a young boy, Flea, who was constantly in trouble.
He gloried in the description of “a difficult young kid”. I remember him as wonderful. Smart, kind, generous, a good friend. I always thought of him as a person who grew up into a fine man after being that “difficult young kid“
Looking back, I wonder if that label was exactly correct. When I started high school, like a whole bunch of other people, I talked funny. I was lonely and I found the whole thing a bit difficult.
Pretty early on I met this kid, Flea. He wasn’t the sort of boy you’d bring home to mother, if you were at the stage of your life where you were going to bring boys home to mother.
We met in the most incomprehensible year seven science class in the history of the NSW public education system, and soon we would intermittently hang out at each other’s house. His mum would introduce me to exotic Australian dishes such as macaroni and cheese, and chops. And his dad would let me play his amazing keyboard. Looking back, perhaps it wasn’t exactly his dad who gave me that permission, but it was fantastic all the same.
While I introduced Flea to Bach’s
“There is no doubt in the world that having a buddy protected me from the kind of lowlife bullies that preyed, like desultory lions, upon the slowest, lone gazelles.”
toccata and fugue in D Minor, which Sister Machiavelli had been beating into me with a raised eyebrow and mysterious threats, Flea introduced me to such luminaries as Captain America, Daredevil, the Hulk and The Avengers. I had known them since before I could read, but I’d never actually held a Marvel comic original in my hands before. His library was to me no less exciting than the cave of the thieves that Alibaba had discovered some time earlier.
Over the years we’d debate the relative strengths of Hulk and Thor, could Kiss beat Fleetwood Mac, and did burritos outperform tacos.
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We graduated from hiding in his backyard shooting each other with ball-bearing guns, to the tilting of pinball machines and sitting looking at the ocean thinking the kind of deeply philosophical thoughts that teenage boys think after blowing their eardrums with Led Zeppelin IV. There is no doubt in the world that having a buddy protected me from the kind of lowlife bullies that preyed, like desultory lions, upon the slowest, lone gazelles. I remember and treasure his question: “I’m just checking if you’re okay”.
About 40 years later, I found myself at the ACT Legislative Assembly
Flea did not grow and mature from a complex teenager into a fine person. He always was.
speaking about something and suddenly thought of him. I thought that even if everybody disagrees with me on this issue my buddy would probably agree.
By some extraordinary coincidence, which demonstrates that the universe probably holds us in its hands, I got an email from him that night. I hadn’t heard from him for at least 30 years.
He wanted to critique some of the things that I was saying. Presumably the internet had reported them. I was so excited to hear from him. I replied immediately: “Wow amazing to hear from you, surprised to hear your opinion, but delighted by it. Is there anything I can do to prosecute whatever agenda that you have?”, I asked.
His reply hit me wonderfully: “Nah, mate, I’m just checking if you’re okay.”
Flea did not grow and mature from a complex teenager into a fine person. He always was. If other people didn’t
see it in those different times, they had good reason to, and I make not the slightest judgment or criticism of any of them. They were pretty fantastic people, too.
Next time I see a feral 20-year-old, home-from-uni lounging about, gloriously ignoring the pile of dishes he and his dubious mates have put all over the kitchen, I will think.
I won’t chuckle smilingly to myself that he is a complete goose but growing into a wonderful human being eventually. I know that he already is. It’s funny how a perusal of the Saturday papers will so often outline for us exactly how to find particular faults, dangers and wrongs in the people around us.
It seems to me that we are already incredibly good at doing so, and maybe a course on how to find the deep-seated, relentless, unconscious wonderfulness in each other might be more helpful.
Antonio Di Dio is a local GP, medical leader and nerd. There is more of his Kindness on citynews.com.au
‘The model adopted by ACT Health has not been successfully implemented anywhere in the world’
Hospitals need doctors making the calls not clerks
Here it is in black and white, and crystal clear how the ACT government has, through financial deception and spin, nonchalantly taken the state of hospital care in the ACT to a dangerous low.
JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED masterfully reveal the shocking reality of clinical priorities in ACT public hospitals are being set by bureaucrats, not doctors, looking to save $27 million from the hospital budget.
“There comes a time when interference with my capacity to offer care, by [an] external Operations Centre, is now reaching a point where I can’t put my hand on my heart and offer the care that I believe that our community deserves, because of budgetary constraints.”
These are the words of surgeon Dr Sindy Vrancic, working in Canberra’s hospital system in the face of a serious ethical dilemma.
Already six orthopaedic surgeons and two anaesthetists employed in the Canberra Health Service, including Prof Paul Smith, head of orthopaedic surgery and one of the most experienced and highly regarded surgeons in Australia, have resigned.
Before the resignations, 15 surgeons signed an open letter to Health Minister Rachael Stephen-Smith expressing, in effect, a vote of no confidence in the management of ACT Health and the Canberra Hospital.
The response of the ACT government in the media about the loss of these specialist surgeons
was disappointing. Canberrans were variously advised that the government spends a lot of money on orthopaedics and these clinicians were simply focused on protecting their incomes.
We were also told their departure would have minimal impact on hospital capacity, ie wait times, because these specialists allegedly performed very little work in the public system.
If this later assertion is true, it is of itself an indictment of ACT Health, and clear evidence of underfunding, in light of the existing extraordi narily long wait times – up to six years in some cases – to not employ leading surgeons to address the backlog.
The media management that outrageously painted the clinicians as driven by self-interest and not willing to engage with the system has been cynical and unhelpful in resolving the complex challenge of balancing patient-centric care with the pursuit of efficiency.
The ACT government’s nonchalant response to this latest crisis in health care is further evidence of the degradation of Canberra’s hospital system, which began in 2016 with the
Canberra Hospital… “If administrators and coordinators impinge on frontline clinicians’ work, it is inevitable that tensions will rise.”
repeated deferral of the long-planned investment in infrastructure and cuts in real terms in operating funding.
Unaddressed concerns about patient safety, a blowout in wait times, clinicians’ disengagement, increasing tension in the operating environment, and now these resignations are the unfortunate but not unexpected consequence of the government’s warped priorities and mismanagement.
The catalyst for these latest developments is apparently the concern of clinicians about the role and functioning of the newly established Operations Centre.
The main purpose of the Operations Centre is allegedly the management of patient flows, resource allocation, and overseeing overall hospital operations.
Relevantly, the ACT government is, because of the dire state of the territory’s finances, also reportedly pursuing $27 million in savings in the hospital budget.
Hospitals are complex environments and implementing efficient clinical, co-ordinated pathways is beneficial for frontline clinicians and patients. However, if administrators and co-ordinators impinge on frontline clinicians’ work, it is inevitable that tensions will rise.
The minister has acknowledged in at least one instance, that the priority assigned by a treating clinician, involving surgery, was changed by the Operations Centre. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated case, highlighting a fundamental problem with the concept of the centre.
The latest edition of Canberra Doctor, a publication of the Australian Medical Association’s Canberra chapter asserts that the model adopted by ACT Health has not been successfully implemented anywhere in the world, and doctors say it’s been interfering with and over-riding their clinical decisions.
The latest Canberra Doctor contains the following damning comments and feedback from local clinicians: “Speaking off-the record, several surgeons including VMOs and salaried specialists, told Canberra Doctor the Operations Centre has prevented surgeons from attending certain procedures where their expertise was required; from prioritising patients they deemed more urgent; and from performing operations in circumstances they strongly believed were best for patients.
“Several of these surgeons said they were aware of situations where they believed the Operations Centre’s decision-making led to
adverse outcomes for patients. AMA ACT has also been contacted by doctors in other areas of the health system, angry at how the Operations Centre is eroding clinical autonomy.”
Stephen-Smith acknowledged the government needed to “take a pause in this conversation about how the Operations Centre and the planned care work is being implemented”. Really? Consultation on the functions, roles and processes of the Operations Centre needed to be incorporated in its business case – if one was prepared – and implementation plan.
In extraordinary evidence, a Legislative Assembly inquiry was told that the first time the Treasury became aware of the cost pressures in health was on October 18 2024, ie just one day, coincidentally, before the ACT election. Pull the other one.
In early 2024, we highlighted a blowout of $340 million in the 2023-24 Budget Review which was, in the main, due to the need to provide additional operating funding for health, albeit, packaged as new initiatives. The additional funding was initially for one year, and hence did not address the underlying budget shortfalls in the forward years. It was, therefore, no surprise to us that the 2024-25 Budget Review recorded a blowout of $374 million largely driven by, yes you guessed it, a blowout in health costs.
Accepting Treasury’s advice to the committee, it seems strange to us that relevant officials and the Cabinet would not have known well before the election that the underfunding of health would lead to clinicians rationing services.
Pursuing savings through the Operations Centre appears, therefore, to have been an unprepared and kneejerk response to a cost blowout that should have been foreseen. There are several prerequisites to realising potential efficiencies in the hospital system. Firstly, it should be properly funded to deliver timely patient care at clinical and national standards. Demanding savings in a financially stressed system inevitably increases tensions in the operating environment and results in adverse outcomes.
Secondly, clinicians should be engaged, not just superficially but substantially, in a program of continuous improvement in clinical practices and pathways.
Thirdly, however, they should not be placed in the invidious position highlighted above by Dr Vrancic in Canberra.
We acknowledge that patients do not get a choice of doctor in the public system. However, they are entitled to continuity of care from their treating clinician.
It is wrong to think of patient treatment as an industrial assembly line process.
It is difficult to see how autonomy to the treating clinicians and continuity of care can be ensured as the bureaucrats in the Operations Centre – and this includes clinicians undertaking bureaucratic roles – pursue quick savings.
It seems obvious to us that the next steps in addressing the shortcomings regularly exposed in our health system is to start a genuine consultation with clinicians and go back to the drawing board on the functions of the Operations Centre.
It would also be appropriate to undertake a serious rethink of the decision to prioritise a multi-billion dollar tram line that will increase travel times over the provision of hospital beds and employment of clinicians.
Jon Stanhope is a former chief minister of the ACT and Dr Khalid Ahmed a former senior ACT Treasury official.
Shame the government’s killing dingoes
It is sad to hear that the ACT government’s Thermal Assisted Aerial Control (TAAC) program (until May 30) includes dingoes, mistakenly labelled as “wild dogs”. While I support efforts to manage genuine invasive species like feral pigs and deer, the government needs to ensure dingoes are formally excluded from this operation.
Dingoes are not wild dogs. Research, including a major study from UNSW, shows most animals labelled as “wild dogs” are actually pure dingoes or dingo-dominant. Using this vague term risks the needless killing of a native apex predator essential to healthy ecosystems.
Namadgi National Park is home to one of the last genetically pure dingo populations in southeast Australia.
A 2024 study confirmed this. These animals help control invasive species and are deeply significant to First Nations communities. What a shame to kill them instead of letting them thrive and support the ecosystems they have evolved in over thousands of years.
Whitney Anders Richardson, via email
Intrusion opens new unknown to energy supply
Engineers have said that the shutdown of the power grid across Spain, Portugal and parts of France on April 28-29 was caused either by a huge instability attributed to a lack of inertia
in the system or by a lack of control over excess solar power in the system.
Whatever the investigations reveal, it will demonstrate how successful our governments, investors, climate catastrophists and media have been in creating the belief in the community that a renewable energy network is well understood and just needs time to be developed.
We only fully understand traditional highvoltage power grids in which synchronous high inertia supply follows demand.
Systems in which electricity is generated by millions of low-voltage renewable modules and distributed bidirectionally pose many unresolved problems.
These systems have unprecedented quality problems to do with voltage and frequency caused by unreliability of supply as well as the unpredictability of both supply and demand.
While photovoltaics, wind turbines, batteries and inverters are everyday technology items, there is now the largely undeveloped requirement for real time informatics and control of the highly distributed renewable system.
This is not discussed in the media and the community is not aware of the technology issues that may not be resolvable without some synchronous high-inertia generators in the system. This is where the case for nuclear power ultimately lies.
Furthermore, the intrusion of information, communications and control technologies into the energy system at every level will lead to new vulnerabilities.
Our most critical national infrastructure will be subject to cyber-attack, irrespective
of almost every system component being designed and manufactured in China.
John L Smith, Farrer
Can we have a week off from politics?
Could we please have a week of no letters about politics from the perennial contributors? I am concerned that they rarely inspire constructive dialogue and I, for one, would appreciate a break after the comprehensive coverage/commentary leading up to the federal election.
Barry Peffer, Nicholls
The overwhelming number of votes do count
By now the parties and wakes will be over but while voting is still fresh in memory just to correct a couple of misapprehensions about voting mentioned in Letters (CN May 1).
John Godwin deplores preference deals and implies that somehow voters lose control of their preferences. This is not so. While parties/candidates may indicate how they suggest a voter allocates preferences on their how-to-vote cards, it is entirely up to each voter how they actually allocate their preferences. Voters don’t have to follow the suggestions.
John Murray’s suggestion that not voting counts more (than voting) is only partially correct in the Australian system. The US and UK have non-compulsory voting and first-
In the heart of Manuka, ACT, there exists a hidden gem that has been transforming the lives of locals one undergarment at a time. Stephanie’s Underwear Boutique stands as a beacon of comfort, quality, and confidence in the realm of intimate apparel.
With a keen focus on perfect fitting underwear and personalised bra fitting services, Stephanie’s store has earned its reputation as a haven for those seeking comfort without compromising style.
The importance of perfectly fitting underwear cannot be overstated. Ill-fitting undergarments can lead to discomfort, posture issues, and even skin irritation. Stephanie’s meticulous attention to detail, with Fil’s 30 years experience in bra fitting, ensures that every customer leaves with undergarments that not only fit flawlessly but also enhance their natural contours. The result? A level of comfort and ease that allows individuals to carry themselves with confidence, knowing that they are supported in all the right places.
One of Stephanie’s Boutique greatest achievements is their unparalleled expertise in bra fitting. Unlike the one-size-fitsall approach often seen in mass-market stores, the team at Stephanie’s takes the time to understand each customer’s unique body shape and size. The personalised fitting services ensure that every woman leaves with a bra that provides the perfect blend of support, comfort, and style. This attention to detail sets Stephanie’s Boutique apart, as it caters to the individual needs of each customer, promoting not only physical comfort but also a boost in self-assurance.
Beyond the physical benefits, Stephanie’s Boutique also offers an extensive range of high-quality, carefully curated
brands. From luxurious lace to everyday essentials, the store boasts an array of options that cater to various tastes and lifestyles.
Stephanie’s Boutique is more than just a store; it’s a testament to the power of personalised care in the realm of intimate apparel. In a world where comfort and confidence go hand in hand, Stephanie’s expertly curated selection and fitting services have become a cornerstone destination for beautiful women across ACT. For those seeking the perfect fit and a boost in self-assurance, Stephanie’s Boutiques the destination of choice.
past-the-post electoral systems. Australia, on the other hand, has compulsory voting (or at least attendance at a polling place) and preferential voting.
Both ensure that an Australian’s vote counts for much more than in the US and UK.
Voter turnout in Australia is high, usually more than 90 per cent. Fewer than 5 per cent of votes cast in Australian elections cannot be counted. Only half of these are blank or despoiled ballots. This is only likely to make a difference to election outcomes in a very few, very marginal seats. So in Australia the overwhelming number of votes count.
Peter Tait, convenor, Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy
Are we a nation of masochists?
After three years of this Albanese government, the MYEFO is predicting a $1 trillion national debt in 2025/2026 with no ideas about how to rein it in.
Many people are finding it hard to make ends meet with a very high cost of living, housing and renting, yet the government has been decisively returned for a second term, which begs the question: have we become a nation of masochists? Go figure .
Mario Stivala, Belconnen
Write to: editor@citynews.com.au
Blind auction with a vision
Tuggeranong Day VIEW Club, a member of a women’s volunteer organisation that raises money for disadvantaged children through The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program, is holding a blind auction at its next meeting to raise funds for its two Learning for Life students. The lunch meeting is at the Vikings Town Centre Club, Greenway, from 11am on May 20. RSVP to maleyjan@yahoo.com or text 0409 747017 by May 16.
Dancing with Jacqui
Jacqui Simmonds, who teaches a Dance for Wellbeing class (a program initiated by Belconnen Arts Centre for seniors, including people living with Parkinson’s and dementia), is the guest speaker at the next lunch meeting of the Gungahlin Day View Club, at Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club, Nicholls, from 11.30am, May 28. RSVP to 0413 923933 before May 25. Guests and interested ladies welcome.
Rafters ring for choir
The Canberra Alchemy Chorus, an inclusive choir for couples impacted by dementia, will be Making the Rafters Ring at its mid-year concert at the Weston Creek Uniting Church, 2.30pm, May 31. Donations gratefully accepted at the door with proceeds to the Wicking Dementia Research Centre at the University of Tasmania.
The owner of Stephanie’s Boutique Lingerie, Fil Barilaro, in her store at the Manuka Arcade.
at Stephanie’s Boutique Lingerie
Founded in 1975, Mitchell is named after Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, a surveyorgeneral, cartographer and early explorer of inland NSW.
Sir Thomas, born in 1792, famously named the Grampian Mountains in Victoria and the town of Swan Hill. Alongside the Canberra suburb, Mitchell has a town in Queensland as well as a highway in Queensland and NSW named after him.
One of three industrial areas in Canberra, Mitchell’s location puts it close to Gungahlin, Canberra Centre and EPIC racecourse.
With all streets in Mitchell named after Australian industrialists, it’s also the suburb where CityNews calls home.
Here we meet some of the top businesses operating out of the northside’s popular commercial and lightindustrial hub.
Financial strategists have solutions for small businesses
Specialising in a comprehensive suite of financial services, Wholistic Financial Solutions co-owners, Michael Johnson and Chris McGuigan, say it’s their approach that sets them apart.
“We are often told by clients that what differentiates us from other accounting firms is how we do more than just prepare financial statements and tax returns,” says Chris.
“Our clients value and appreciate the need that their accountants should provide ‘real’ business advice to achieve their business goals.”
Although it’s common for businesses to file 2024 financial statements and tax work towards the end of autumn, Michael says it’s a trap they are trying to stop businesses from falling into.
financing options.
“This isn’t ideal for future proofing your business, and people should be considering tax planning before the end of the financial year,” he says.
“Chris and I understand the pressures small businesses face in the current economic climate and want to assist with this through tax planning and building relationships.”
Michael says they can provide advice on strategies for cash flow planning and business
“We can see if you are in the correct structure for tax and succession planning and provide strategies to include whether you should have a self-managed super fund,” he says.
Chris says that she and Michael believe that excellence in financial services is a team effort and say they take great pride in ensuring their clients receive the highest standard of service.
King Arthur’s Feast co-owner Sharon Choong says cooking quality food in-house is incredibly important.
“Everything we make is in-house,” she says.
“We use real chicken breast and real meat because you can taste the difference.”
King Arthur’s Feast has been a part of the Mitchell cafe scene for more than 30 years,
Sharon and husband Moses took on its owner ship in 2024. Previously, the pair had a takeaway shop in Melbourne.
“We’ve always loved food, and we’ve been home cooks all of our lives,” she says.
Known for its roast pork and beef rolls, curried sausages with rice, schnitzel burgers and fresh jam donuts, the shop has a rotation of three to four hot meals on offer each day, alongside a vast selection of burgers and other meals.
“We want it to feel like a home-cooked meal,” says Sharon.
Setting them apart from other takeaways is their fresh sandwich bar, which Sharon says is hugely popular for
dash, Sharon says they see their meals travelling all over Canberra.
“It’s nice to have people enjoy our food,” she says.
“They really like a certain dish and sometimes that’s all they want!”
For time-poor people, Sharon says they can take phone orders to ensure food is hot and ready on arrival.
King Arthur’s Feast. 7/32 Sandford Street, Mitchell. Call 0481 881509.
• Tasty house
Sharon with husband Moses, second right, and their children.
Wholistic Financial Solutions directors, from left, Chris McGuigan and Michael Johnson.
Principal solicitor/director Wayne Warton and solicitor/director Chris Malfone of WMG Legal.
Having represented Australia in several motorbiking world championships, owner of Moto Central Don Murray enjoys sharing his knowledge with new and experienced riders.
His store sells a range of road bikes, off-road bikes and scooters with brands such as CFMoto, Benelli, Crossfire, Sherco and Beta, as well as Kymco and Lambretta scooters.
“Currently, our most popular adult bike is the CFMoto 450 MT, which is proving to be a big hit with the commuters and adventurers,” says Don.
“For the kids, you can’t go past the Sherco Electric kids’ balance bikes in two popular sizes: EB12 and EB16.”
Don says the store also has a fully equipped service centre with the latest, state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment that can service most makes and models of motorcycles and scooters.
“Log-book servicing, tyres and brakes are our specialty,” he says.
Don has been riding motorcycles since he was a kid, and says it was a dream to be able to represent Australia as a rider and a team manager at multiple Australian championships.
“I love the freedom of being out in the elements. Meeting interesting people and exploring new places always seems better on a bike,” he says.
“We are more than happy to get people started on their first bike as well as help them with where to get their licence and help with all the right gear like helmets, jackets, gloves and more.”
Losing a loved one is a very difficult time, says Norwood Park Crematorium general manager, Michael Bridges.
“The best advice I can give to people is to organise your funeral and memorial well before you pass,” he says.
Providing cremation and chapel services for the ACT and the wider community of the southwest and south coast of NSW, Michael says they also offer catering services for the funerals that take place at Norwood Park.
“We offer personalised plaque services so families can put together a meaningful plaque in memory of their loved one,” he says.
“Our family service advisors can also help families with memorialisation with many options available for internment for their loved one.”
Working closely with funeral directors to ensure
services are delivered with compassion and empathy for families, Michael says Norwood Park has been in operation since the early ‘60s, with space for interments for another 130 years.
“Norwood Park is a peaceful and beautiful park that gives families a pleasant atmosphere filled with nature and the sounds of birds to reflect on the life of their loved ones at rest when they visit the park,” he says.
Building for a new state-of-the-art modern crematorium and administration building has begun this month.
“We aim to open the new facility in December,” he says.
Norwood Park Crematorium, 65 Sandford Street, Mitchell. Call 6241 3177, email info@norwoodpark.com.au, or visit norwoodpark.com.au
Since 1966, Norwood Park has provided a beautiful and tranquil setting for memorials and ceremonies in the ACT. The landscaped grounds sit elevated above Canberra and are one of Australia’s most established memorial parks.
• Indoor and outdoor chapel areas
• On-site function room/catering and picnic areas available
• Custom plaques and a large selection of urns
• Over 20 acres of various memorial gardens
• Friendly and supportive staff
• Our grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset www.norwoodpark.com.au info@norwoodpark.com.au
Queanbeyan Showroom
The expert people to see when cars need care
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average number of motor vehicles per household is 1.8.
In the 2021 census, 91 per cent of households reported owning at least one vehicle, with 55.1 per cent of people having two or more.
Nationwide, there were more than 20 million registered motor vehicles.
The ACT has the youngest fleet of cars across Australia with the average age at 9.5 years.
ACT also has the highest proportion of new EV car sales with 11,191 registered vehicles in May.
In 2024, EVs made up 10 per cent of the number of cars registered on Australian roads.
Cars were recorded as the most popular mode of transport to get to work in every state and territory with 52.7 per cent of the national workforce using it as their only mode of transport.
Every car needs a little care from time to time. From fixing stone chips to a mechanical checkup, here are some of Canberra’s car care experts.
For nearly 20 years, Car Mechanical Services (CMS) has delivered topquality automotive care across Canberra, building a trusted reputation as a multi award-winning, family-owned business with a strong focus on reliability, sustainability and community connection, says director Raffy Sgroi.
She says the business has grown by staying true to its values – offering professional, personalised vehicle services while actively contributing to a stronger, more inclusive Canberra.
“We’re proud to have developed long-term relationships with customers from all corners of the city,” says Raffy.
“As a family business, we value trust, transparency and making a meaningful difference, not just under the bonnet but in the broader community.”
With an increasing focus on eco-conscious practices, Raffy says CMS is leading the way in greener automotive repairs, minimising waste and adapting to the rise of electric vehicles.
Plans are also underway to expand training programs for young people, particularly those from under-represented backgrounds or living with disability, creating new pathways into the mechanical trade.
Raffy says CMS is also deepening its partnerships with local schools, offering students hands-on insight into automotive careers, while remaining committed to ongoing innovation and technical excellence.
“Whether it’s preventative maintenance, diagnostics or future-focused vehicle care, Car Mechanical Services continues to set the standard for professional, community-minded automotive service across Canberra,” she says.
Car Mechanical Services, 82 Kalgoorlie Crescent, Fisher. Call 6162 4111 or visit carmechanicalservices.com.au
Operating since 1949, JAX Tyres & Auto has been serving the Australian community for more than 75 years, evolving alongside the industry.
Brad Martin, franchisee at JAX Tyres & Auto Phillip, says there is a growing need for mechanics and automotive technicians to stay ahead of the curve as electric vehicles (EVs) reshape the market.
“EVs have introduced a new realm of manufacturing, with specialised components and engines that demand expert knowledge,” he says.
“JAX remains committed to supporting the community by continuously upskilling its employees to meet industry demands.”
Currently JAX Tyres & Auto has five stores operating in the Canberra area – all specialising in tyres, wheels, suspension, vehicle servicing as well as safety checks for cars and 4x4s.
JAX stocks premium tyre brands such as BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hankook and Michelin, among many others, providing tyres suited to every vehicle and need.
“At JAX Tyres & Auto, we are committed to delivering exceptional customer support in a rapidly evolving market and providing our customers with the best options to suit their individual needs,” says Brad.
Awards, recognising outstanding service across all 93 locations nationwide. Alongside customer service, Brad says safety is a priority for JAX Tyres & Auto, ensuring every vehicle is roadworthy by offering quality products from leading brands and a comprehensive range of automotive services.
JAX Tyres & Auto. Visit jaxtyres.com.au
Raffy and Charlie Sgroi.
Phillip Franchisee Brad Martin.
Trusted, Award-Winning Automotive Experts in Canberra
For nearly two decades, Car Mechanical Services has been a trusted name in Canberra, offering top-quality automotive care with a strong community focus. Family-owned and operated, Car Mechanical Services stands out not just for its mechanical expertise, but for its commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and nurturing the next generation of technicians.
Originally established in 1982, Car Mechanical Services has built its reputation on a foundation of honesty, technical excellence, and deep local engagement. Directors Raffy and Charlie Sgroi have led a well-qualified and dedicated team through the business’s growth, guided by a strong belief in quality service and meaningful customer connections.
“Our decision to establish in Canberra was driven by the familyoriented nature of the community and the region’s steady growth,” says Director Raffy Sgroi. “Being part of a region with such strong local spirit has allowed us to connect with residents and offer services tailored to their needs.”
Car Mechanical Services has grown alongside Canberra’s expanding suburbs, adapting to a vibrant and evolving city. “We’ve seen a lot of change – new homes, more businesses, and a strong focus on sustainability,” says Charlie. “That aligns perfectly with our values and has helped us grow with the community.”
Exceptional Automotive Services
From logbook servicing and diagnostics to mechanical repairs, brakes, suspension, and air conditioning, Car Mechanical Services offers comprehensive automotive care for both private and fleet vehicles. The workshop is known for its “no surprises” approach – all work is clearly explained and approved before anything is done, giving customers confidence and peace of mind.
“We treat every car like it’s our own,” says Charlie. “People come to us because they know they’ll get honest advice and excellent workmanship. Trust is everything in this business.”
Green Practices and Forward Thinking
In a traditionally resource-heavy industry, Car Mechanical Services is setting the bar with its ecoconscious initiatives. The workshop is Cleanaway-certified, adheres to stringent environmental standards, and is proactive in recycling used oil, parts, and materials. They also offer servicing for hybrid and electric vehicles – a growing field the team is passionate about.
“We’ve made sustainability a core part of our operation,” says Raffy.
“We’re constantly improving how we work to minimise waste and support environmentally friendly solutions for our customers.”
Looking ahead, Car Mechanical Services plans to expand its electric vehicle repair services while continuing to implement greener workshop practices.
Investing in People and the Community
Training the next generation is central to the business’s mission.
Car Mechanical Services partners with local schools to offer work experience — particularly for students with disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Through mentoring and apprenticeships, the team helps young people build meaningful careers in automotive repair.
“We want our workshop to be a place where everyone feels welcome and supported,” says Raffy. “Giving students and apprentices a real chance to grow and learn is incredibly rewarding — they’re the future of our industry.”
Car Mechanical Services also supports the broader Canberra community through sponsorship of local sports clubs, involvement in community events, and partnerships with inclusive organisations.
“Supporting local causes isn’t just good business – it strengthens our neighbourhood and reflects who we are,” says Charlie.
Award-Winning Excellence
Car Mechanical Services’ commitment to quality and
The team at Car Mechanical Services
community has earned it high praise, including winning many local and national business awards in automotive services and management. Raffy currently holds the title of National Businesswoman of the Year, along with international awards for management. The business has also been recognised for outstanding customer service and leadership in sustainable practices.
What’s Next?
Looking ahead, Car Mechanical Services is set to launch new career discovery programs in partnership with local schools, with a focus on underrepresented groups. The team also plans to host workshops to raise awareness about electric vehicle servicing and green automotive careers.
For the team at Car Mechanical Services, it all comes down to people – customers, staff, and community.
“We’ve always believed in doing things properly, treating people with respect, and giving back where we can,” says Raffy.
Charlie & Raffy Sgroi
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Thriller play, but who really dunnit may be a test
By Helen MUSA
The celebrated 20th century play, The Maids, was written by Jean Genet, famously a jailbird, male prostitute and vagabond until fame bought him a French presidential pardon.
The play reeks of class envy and rebellion as the two maids – sisters Solange and Claire – alternate nightly to play servant or mistress when their chamomile teadrinking mistress is out on the town.
The sisters’ parts have been performed since 1947 all over the world by tour-deforce artists, including Glenda Jackson, Cate Blanchett and Essie Davis, but they can just as easily be played by men, and often are.
Now The Street Theatre, under the direc tion of Caroline Stacey, is staging the play in Martin Crimp’s 1999 translation, muchpraised for retaining Genet’s peculiar brand of poetry while giving it a modern feel.
When I pop in on rehearsals, Stacey reminds me that Genet said he was putting himself on stage in The Maids. But was he doing so as Mistress, or Solange, or Claire? Who knows?
the older sister, while Sophia Marzano plays Claire.
In this production Christina Falsone is
ARTS
Natasha Vickery returns to Canberra to play Mistress, something of a breath
IN THE CITY
of fresh air in this play, outrageous in her natural authority and crystallising Genet’s idea of the rich.
Vickery says her Mistress is a sexual
Whizkid explores the Beach Boys
German musician, Carolina Eyck, whizkid on the world’s first electronic instrument, the theremin, will join Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra in a daring exploration of songs by the Beach Boys, the Star Trek theme, a new commission from Australian composer Holly Harrison and even the Flight of the Bumblebee. Llewellyn Hall, May 20.
Glass and print artist Rose-Mary Faulkner has an unusual exhibition, Stilleven, in which she fuses layers of decal imagery in glass to form softly-focused compositions, sometimes using light to enhance her work. ANCA Gallery, Rosevear Place, Dickson until June 1.
Blamey Street Big Band, having played The Beatles, James Bond and Disney, are now set to present a two-hour concert of Abba’s greatest hits, re-imagined for jazz orchestra. Maestro Ian McLean and the band, together with songstress Leisa Keen, will re-create Abba’s catalogue of chart-toppers. The B, Queanbeyan, May 24.
Christopher and Sonia Anfiloff at The Street Theatre, May 24-June 15. It’s a new initiative designed to develop local talent and support singers. Audiences are welcome, too. Inquiries at nationalopera.org.au
The speaking group, ArtsNational Canberra, has a lecture by music historian Jamie Hayes on the birth of English comic opera through Gilbert and Sullivan, followed by refreshments. National Library of Australia, May 20.
Violist Alexina Hawkins, raised in Canberra and living in Berlin for the last 10 years, will appear with pianist Edward “Teddy” Neeman to perform contrasting viola music by Carl Stamitz and Béla Bartók. Wesley Music Centre on May 21.
National Opera is running a month of masterclasses with
The Australian National Eisteddfod’s annual bands and orchestras event will see more than 2700 people perform in 85 groups, with specialist adjudicator Warwick Tyrrell giving feedback and awarding prizes. Llewellyn Hall and Melba Copland Secondary School College until May 18.
being who’s had lots of different lovers and is willing to follow her present, incarcerated one, the offstage Sir, to Devil’s Island if
So, it is a case of two against one, maids
“Yes and no,” Vickery responds quickly,
Stacey and the cast see Genet’s play as an Absurdist piece and as such, there’s a cyclical element – hate-love-hate.
Sounds confusing? Well, yes, since they often use each other’s names in a perplexing way, but then again, the elegant art-deco bedroom full of mirrors in a set designed by Kathleen Kershaw, gives us a hint that the characters are mirrors of each other, with the reflections, the actors say, cutting us up into pieces.”
Do the maids love or hate Mistress? And does Mistress love or despise them? It is frequently asserted that she loves them, but only as one might like a pet.
They’d certainly like to kill her, but as Claire says: “Murder is something… Just too
Solange, as the older one, Falsone says, has maternal instincts that have caused her to protect Claire, although when the chips are down she has the killer instinct.
But it is Claire, Marzena adds, who is the gutsier one, determined to go through with her plans, although she’s clearly becoming more desperate for escape and more
dependent on Solange for it.
The Maids may be Absurdist, Falsone says, but the exciting part about it is the complex role-playing, with the hints of darkness and dirt adding a sense of disenfranchisement, where Genet shows his hand – Mistress can’t tell them apart.
The Street is billing the play as a thriller, with a murder-mystery plot that will have the audience on the edges of their seats, but if you want to know whodunnit, you’ll be on shaky ground.
Even so, Marzena says, Genet has given the actors enough facts about the characters to work on – the garret they share, their humble origins, the contempt in which they are held, and even at one point a surname, Lemercier, more than Mistress ever gets.
The play, inspired by a real-life murder, suggests that they might find a measure of escape through killing, seen in Solange’s ecstatic showstopper speech where she imagines the servants of Paris lining up to honour her as she passes by to her own execution.
There’s an almost Christian elevation of redemption through suffering as part of claiming one’s identity.
But, the actors tell me, Genet wrote two endings for The Maids, refining the script to make it more ambiguous – that’s the way this production is heading.
The Maids, The Street Theatre, May 23-June 8.
Sarah Mann, Dianna Nixon, Don
German musician Carolina Eyck… Llewellyn Hall, May 20.
STREAMING
Charming Joe’s so bad, why can’t we look away?
TV’s most charming psycho has returned to screens this month in the final season of You.
His name’s Joe Goldberg and he’s back at his creepy antics for 10 last episodes on Netflix.
It’s kind of like if Baby Reindeer were told from the stalker’s perspective.
Each season a new target becomes the object of Goldberg’s obsession and viewers get to live in his head right alongside his unnerving inner monologue that tries desperately to rationalise his behaviour to those watching.
Penn Badgley has made this character utterly his own over seven years in the role. Viewers love to hate him and hate to love him. It would be very easy for Joe to devolve into a character that made people switch off, but Badgley gives him this bizarrely endearing and often goofy sense of malice that makes him hard to look away from.
On the surface he’s a charming bookshop manager, a gentleman at first glance that people can’t help but be drawn to. Beneath the surface though things are far more sinister.
It mirrors the audience’s own fascination with this character. They know he’s bad so why can’t they look away?
Each season of You has managed to up the ante and do new things with its core concept, but season four did dramatically slow down the pace.
It feels like this is a good time to pull the plug and here’s hoping its ending can live up
to the beginning that intrigued audiences worldwide.
It’s a bitter-sweet goodbye. Joe Goldberg is a character that I’ll personally be happy to see go but like many, some part of me is definitely going to miss You.
THE world’s greatest detective is getting another reboot. No, not Batman (surprisingly). This time it’s Sherlock Holmes.
The iconic sleuth is now the feature of yet another screen production, the tenth in two decades if my counting is correct.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr,
Ian McKellen, Henry Cavill, even Will Ferrell have all offered their own depictions of the detective on screen in recent times and that’s just to name a few.
Now its David Thewlis’ turn to wear the deerstalker hat in Sherlock and Daughter, which is streaming on SBS On Demand.
The weirdly-titled British series sees the famed detective meet Blu Hunt (Amelia Rojas), a tenacious young woman from America searching for her mother’s killer.
The twist? It just so happens Holmes might be the father.
It’s an interesting gimmick to try and
revive popularity in Sherlock Holmes, given only a few years ago audiences were offered the two “Enola Holmes” movies, which cast Millie Bobby Brown as the detective’s younger sister and covered similar familial territory.
Perhaps the biggest appeal with this new series is the casting choice.
David Thewlis is a spot-on choice for an older, even more bitter Sherlock Holmes
and the man who played the reclusive and mysterious Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter series certainly brings his magic to It’s a shame some lacklustre writing holds the casting back from being something truly standout.
Still, this is a serviceable slice of entertainment for those who are keen fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s enduring creation.
To this day, the BBC’s modern adaptation of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman feels like the most authentic and true to the original works.
The shelf life of the man who lives at 221B Baker Street is rather remarkable.
Recently, even his sidekick Doctor Watson got his own television spin-off focusing purely on the life of the doctor without his iconic companion.
Give it a few more years and we’ll probably see every character created by Conan Doyle milked for their own spin-off series. First it’ll be Sherlock’s arch enemy Moriarty, then the landlady Mrs Hudson. Maybe the dog that occasionally appears in the stories to help sniff out the mysteries will be next.
Better stop before I give Disney ideas.
BOOKS / Sydney Writers’ Festival Local libraries host Sydney festival
By Helen Musa
Sydney Writers’ Festival’s Live & Local program is coming to more than 140 libraries, theatres and cultural venues, as they’re saying, “from Alice Springs to Albany, Queanbeyan to Kalgoorlie”.
Not that Canberra audiences miss out on a selected line-up of streamed events, it’s just that Queanbeyan has a more alliterative name.
In fact, Tuggeranong Arts Centre will host this tall-talk venture for two days, and Queanbeyan Library for three days. Each location will make a different selection of content.
Artistic director of the festival, Ann Mossop, says: “We know not everyone can make it to Sydney, but that shouldn’t mean missing out on extraordinary conversations.”
Among the homegrown talkers in the 2025 line-up of literary voices will be Helen Garner in conversation with David Leser, reflecting on football and the cycles of life in The Season, her first full-length book in a decade.
Then there’s Markus Zusak, author of international bestsellers The Book Thief and The Messenger, and Gina Chick, former winner of
Alone Australia and author of her wilderness memoir, We Are the Stars.
A triple whammy will involve the famous Moriarty writer sisters, Liane (author of Here One Moment, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers) Jaclyn (the Kingdom and Empires series) and Nicola (Every Last Suspect and The Fifth Letter).
On the more cosmopolitan front will be Irish author Colm Tóibín discussing his 2024 novel, Long Island, in which he surprised everyone by bringing back some familiar characters from his earlier novel Brooklyn.
Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize and the Hawthornden Prize for her novel Orbital, will tell how she watched a continuous live-stream of Earth from the International Space
American writers Torrey Peters and Rumaan Alam will present Queerstories.
Keeping us up to date, Peter Beinart, Barry Cassidy, Emma Shortis and Nick Bryant will comment on Donald Trump’s second term in a session called TrumpocalypseNow, while former French spy Jack Beaumont and historian Ben Macintyre give the inside info on real-life special-intelligence. If the mix is too heady, there’s a sweet treat in Bakers’ Delight, a light-hearted talk with Australia’s pastry queens, Nadine Ingram, Natalie Paull and Kate Reid.
Sydney Writers’ Festival’s Live & Local. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, May 22-23, Queanbeyan Library, May 22-24. All booking details at swf.org.au
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in You…his bizarrely endearing and often goofy sense of malice makes Joe hard to look away from.
David Thewlis and Amelia Rojas in Sherlock and Daughter.
The Moriarty sisters, from left, Jaclyn, Liane and Nicola.
DINING / Paloma’s Bar and Restaurant
Fantastic service, loads of fun
From 4pm until late, Tuesday to Saturday, Paloma’s pumps in Braddon.
This hip bar and restaurant, with an intense personality and mega vibe, is all about Mexicaninspired share plates, tacos, palomas (of course) and other sexy cocktails.
It was all happening when a group of us arrived. Our trusty, switched-on wait staff quickly gleaned we weren’t going to be entirely happy sitting beside a large, boisterous group who looked like they’d been having a great time for some time.
She whisked us to a new table inside where the atmosphere was energetic but not chaotic. Smart move.
We shared several dishes, loving the combina tion of exciting flavours.
Paloma’s take on Hiramasa Kingfish ceviche ($26) is fabulous. The fish was marinated in “leche de tigre” (milk of the tiger), typically a mixture of tangy, fresh lime juice, salt and other flavourings. This “cooks” the fish without heat.
At Paloma’s, this ceviche arrives with cubes of fresh avo, jalapenos, bits of pineapple and an herb oil that decorates the dish as much as it adds flavour. Massive tick.
Staying with the ceviche theme, we ordered the cauliflower version – delightful. The finely grated cauliflower was marinated in mandarin oil and lime and served with avo, corn kernels and pepitas (love the crunch).
On top was a dollop of guac and slices of radish. The ceviche arrived with corn chips and hot sauce ($18)
Guacamole couldn’t be more famous in Mexico if it tried. Paloma’s guac is traditional ($16) and hit the spot.
Next it was time to road-test tacos (two pieces with each serving, ranging from $17 to $20) and
WINE / Tahblik
Jackfruit Pastor ($17), with the slightly fibrous fruit a great substitute for meat. It was smoky, braised and presented on lettuce with charred shallots and cascabel chilli mayo. The cascabel chillies feature earthy tones.
The chicken tostadas was another flavour bomb of a dish (two pieces for $19). We adored the charred shallot crema and pickled onion.
Paloma’s drinks line-up includes signature cocktails, frozen drinks, shooters, beer and wine,
infused tequila, Yuzushu (Japanese fruit liqueur), lime and agave.
Tequilas at Paloma’s are top shelf. After the cocktails (one for each was enough), we moved on to the reasonably priced wine list.
Service was fantastic and we had loads of fun. Paloma’s interior fitout is as colourful as the bar’s personality.
Centenary wines take the taste test
Some years ago, two friends of mine moved from Duffy to Euroa, a quiet country town north of Melbourne.
It was time for a visit: it had been five years between drinks and we had a lovely catch up over the Easter break.
Old friends matter. With them, I reminisced about when I was young and my father put me and my little sister inside car tyres and rolled us down the hill; they were the goodyears.
The following day on the way to Beechworth for bushwalking with my son and, hopefully, a visit to some wineries, we decided to drop in at Tahbilk, a 40-minute drive from Euroa near the town of Nagambie.
This visit was in large part motivated by some marketing material I’d received telling me that there was a special tasting at the winery, which marked the Purbrick family’s 100-year ownership of the Tahbilk winery.
On offer was a side-by-side comparison of current estate releases and limited Centennial Release wines, some of which had aged for 10 years. We turned up at the rustic winery and settled in to taste three varietals that were the current release compared with wine bottled some time ago.
celebrating its 100-year ownership.
First was the marsanne: wines made from vines planted in 1927, and which are now among the oldest in the world. Marsanne is from the Northern Rhone Valley in France, a dry white wine that ages well and can be cellared for up to 15 years.
It changes markedly as it ages. This was evident from the tasting of the 2024 Tahbilk Marsanne, which was bright, with floral aromatics as well as a hint of lemon peel on the nose, quite light in colour. It was fruity on finish albeit not at all claggy.
In comparison the 2015 Centennial Release Marsanne was more golden in colour and had an aroma of toasted nuts. It had a pronounced
minerality on the palate and finished with a hint
If I’d tasted these wines blind I would not have recognised the Centennial as a Marsanne. The distinct results of ageing were remarkable, just like when I’m having breakfast and hear snap,
The 2024 Tahbilk Riesling was crisp with strong acid lines and with citrus on the nose and the palate. The 2017 Centennial Release Riesling was textural, soft and herbaceous with petrol/ kerosene in the mix that is often a characteristic
In my understanding, this taste arises because wine grapes, like many other plants, contain carotenoids, a class of pigment. They give colour to many plants such as bananas and carrots, and they are what’s believed to cause the relevant aroma compound in wine following their ageing.
Riesling grapes have more carotenoids than other grapes, so have the highest chance of showing those distinctive aromas.
The 2021 shiraz was compared with the 2015 Centennial Release Old Block Shiraz. The latter wine is from 110-year-old vines and was in French oak for 18 months.
While the 2021 had a good mix of savoury flavours and a lovely dark plum finish, it was my least favourite wine of the tasting. But the 2015 was great: dark cherry, herbaceous and mouth filling. On second try, it was earthy and would pair wonderfully well with mushrooms. I bought three bottles.
“Old and new make the warp and woof of every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these two strands.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Star jasmine shines in gardens
By Jackie WARBURTON
Star jasmine has been one of the most popular garden plants in the last 10 years in Canberra, along with crepe myrtle. Either or both are in just about every garden for the same reasons – they’re tough and give us something every season.
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasmininoides) has evergreen foliage and beautiful, fragrant, large white flowers in summer. It is a self-twinning climber and will climb over any frame.
Trachelospermum tricolour is a variegated form of the evergreen star jasmine. Planted in the right spot, it can be a ground cover or climber. It’s low maintenance,
needing a clip only twice a year. Its leaves are unusual, marked with splashes of three-coloured tones and essentially a form of variegation. It grows well in shade and full sun.
Also from this family is the asiatic star jasmine (T. asiaticum), which I consider worse than ivy and honeysuckle together! It twines up trees and smothers anything growing near it, rooting itself in the soil and proving hard to eradicate when it’s amongst other garden plants.
It has smaller leathery leaves. Although good for a single plant growing on its own, it is high maintenance. Be sure to place any removed plant material into the green bin and not the compost, where it will reshoot from the nodes.
Importantly, always look at the botanical name when adding plants to the garden to ensure you know their growth habits and that they are the right-sized plants for
the right spots.
THE cooling weather brings different pests and diseases, among them, tick scale. It is easy to see on branches of wattle shrubs.
It is considered a soft scale or armoured scale, and the insect is protected by the hard coating/shell over its body. It can be difficult to get rid of if using contact sprays.
They are brought in by birds and attractive to ants for their excreta. While a few scales will be food for myna and wattle birds, a major infestation may mean removing branches.
Manual removal of the scale will reduce its numbers. Place a band of horticultural glue around the stem of the tree to keep the ants from moving the scale around the garden to other wattles.
BY now all the berries in the garden will have finished fruiting and can be pruned, tied and dressed in manure, ready for spring.
Summer-fruiting raspberries appear on previous season growth and all canes that have fruited can be cut to the ground. The primocanes (the ones that have not fruited) can be tied up for flowering and fruiting in spring.
Autumn-fruiting plants flower and fruit twice, but in smaller and
smaller yields. Their canes will die after fruiting and can be cut down to the ground.
Now is also a good time to divide them and also pull up any runners to prevent them from growing wild.
Raspberries like an acidic soil, so compost or pine needles will help keep the roots protected. The nutrients in the compost will be released in spring. Keep weed free and mulched with any organic mulches.
Berries are companion plants for chives and garlic, but don’t plant them next to tomatoes or brassicas. They will need some sort of netting and protection in spring when fruiting and while there are no canes to work around, setting up the framework in winter saves a lot of work down the track.
jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au
Jottings…
• Liquid feed vegetables to keep them growing.
• Reduce irrigation on citrus trees.
• Plant cyclamen for winter colour.
• Cut nativesummer-flowering grasses.
Tricolour jasmine… Planted in the right spot, it can be a ground cover or climber.
Photos: Jackie Warburton Tick scale… They are brought in by birds and attractive to ants for their excreta.
HOROSCOPE PUZZLES
By Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
You’re in the mood for self-love, romance and/or friendship, as Venus (transiting through Aries) makes a lovely link to Mars (your ruling planet). So, it’s a wonderful week to get your hair done, buy a fabulous outfit, enjoy an indulgent facial, manicure, pedicure or massage, plus eat delicious food as you socialise with close old friends or exciting new acquaintances. The weekend stars favour short trips, intense conversations and local community connections.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
The Sun’s spending the last days in your sign, which provides a golden opportunity to fine-tune who you are and where you’re going – quick smart! Thursday’s Venus/ Mars trine pushes you to draw up a creative plan, as you start transforming your dreams into reality. Then Mercury and Uranus hook up in your sign, which encourages you to think outside the box. Be inspired by Taurus birthday great, Cher: “If you can’t go straight ahead, go around the corner.”
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
It’s a big week for Twins as the Sun transits into your sign and makes a transformative trine to Pluto. So, it’s time to be powerful, adventurous and generous. Make the most of the next three weeks as Jupiter (planet of travel and prosperity) finishes jumping through Gemini. Explore, experiment and enthuse – here, there and everywhere! Your motto for the moment is from birthday great Bob Dylan (who turns 84 on Saturday): “There is nothing so stable as change.”
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
Have you been burning the midnight oil and now you’re suffering from burnout? Or have you been running around on autopilot, making careless mistakes? The Sun and Jupiter activate your solitude zone, so slip into hermit Crab mode as you slow down, simplify your life, prune projects or organise a digital detox. Meditation, contemplation and relaxation are a must. You could also receive creative ideas or an important message from an intense dream.
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
It’s your time to shine! The powerful Sun/Pluto trine favours big dreams, passionate partnerships and joint ventures, as you combine dazzling creativity with powerful determination. Plus, use your fertile imagination to help manifest your preferred future via goal setting, a practical plan and a patient approach. So, your mantra is from human rights activist Malcolm X (who was born on May 19, 1925): “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Early in the week the Sun powers into your career zone and the focus shifts to professional matters. Then Mercury (your ruling planet) hooks up with Uranus on the weekend, when it’s a good time to question, philosophise, explore and innovate, as you throw out the old rule book and try something new. Be inspired by music great Bob Dylan (who turns 84 on Saturday): “Gonna change my way of thinking, make myself a different set of rules.”
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
It’s a wonderful week for relationships, parties, birthdays, engagements, weddings and anniversaries! Venus (transiting through your partnership zone) makes a lovely link with Mars (in your peer group zone). So, love, romance, friendship, socialising and celebrating are all favoured as you mix and mingle, socialise and fraternise. And, with the Sun shifting into your adventure zone (where it joins Jupiter), you could also book a trip or travel somewhere special.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
Transformation is the name of the game, as the planets push you to rise Phoenixlike from the ashes of a difficult situation. A challenging close relationship has the potential to be reborn into a much more positive partnership. The Sun/Pluto trine (on the weekend) will help you release old grudges, let go of the past, forgive and forget, and move on. But it will take time, and a situation with a child, teenager or friend could be stressful for at least another week.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
The Sun joins Jupiter (your patron planet), midweek, in your partnership zone. So – when it comes to close relationships – it’s time to be creative, attentive, adventurous and generous. Attached Archers – pamper your partner and show them they are still Number One. Unhappily single? You could fall for someone from another country or culture. Thursday’s Venus/Mars trine is terrific for creative projects, pleasure, leisure, romance, friendship and travel.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
Avoid being a gullible Goat. A friend or family member could try to pull the wool over your eyes, so stay alert. Tuesday is terrific for completing a personal project or a business plan. This is the last week that Saturn (your patron planet) is transiting though the sign of Pisces. So, aim to channel your creative Capricorn energy into education, communication, neighbourhood connections and/or community projects. It’s a very good time to think global, act local!
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
Courtesy of the powerful Sun in Gemini/Pluto in Aquarius trine, the buzzword this week is transformation. But don’t worry about trying to change (or control) those around you. Focus on yourself first. Can you be more proactive in relationships, pivot professionally or transform your physical appearance? Your motto is from this week’s birthday great, entertainer Cher: “The only thing in the world you can change is yourself and that makes all the difference.”
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
After two long years, Saturn is spending the last week transiting through Pisces. So, it’s a good time to be focused, disciplined and patient. But don’t listen to your inner critic as it tries to undermine your confidence and shake your self-esteem! Be inspired by singer-actress Cher (who turns 79 on Tuesday): “If you’re waiting for someone to believe in you, you’ll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.” On Thursday, share a dream with a special family member.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2025
Name the first Australian yacht to challenge for the America’s Cup. (6) 8 What is a ceremony used in conferring knighthood? (8)
9 In which enclosure are birds kept? (6)
10 Name a substance used for treating disease. (8)
11 What is respect, or reverence paid? (6)
12 What is the given name of Ms Hazlehurst? (4)
13 Name the inner of the two bones of the lower leg. (5)
16 What is an enclosure for sports contests? (5)
19 Which river in western Germany flows into the Rhine? (4)
21 Name another term for a horse. (6)
22 What are conceited dandies called? (8)
23 Name a style of printing in which the letters usually slope to the right. (6)
24 Which petrol motor is clamped on the stern of a boat? (8)
25 To make protuberant, is to do what? (6)
next edition Down
2 Name small pieces of pasta, cut square, with a filling of meat or cheese. (7)
3 What are the two egg-shaped masses of grey matter at the base of the brain? (7)
4 Which persons are not members of a particular profession? (6)
5 La Paz is a capital of which South American republic? (7)
6 Name the roe of the sturgeon, considered a great delicacy. (7)
7 Which musical instrument is struck by hammers, and has a keyboard. (7)
13 Name a farm vehicle. (7)
14 Name the principal ore of aluminium. (7)
15 What are steep-sided gullies or channels? (7)
17 Name a garden plant with edible leafstalks. (7)
18 What are nurses for children called? (7)
20 To dwell for a considerable time, is to do what? (6)
Integrity Services are calling for any witnesses who knew Brother CRISPIN, also known as Brother Kevin HOPSON, who was connected to the Marist College Canberra (Superior, Bursar, Foundation Principal) from 1968 until 1974. If you or anyone you know has information relating to Brother CRISPIN whilst at Marist College Canberra, please contact Senior Investigator GREENWOOD on 0493 536 513, email at matthew.g@precisionintegrity.com.au
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WINNUNGA NIMMITYJAH ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal community of the ACT.
In Wiradjuri language, Winnunga Nimmityjah means Strong Health. The service logo is the Corroboree Frog which is significant to Aboriginal people in the ACT.
Our aim is to provide a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions. The holistic health care provided by Winnunga AHCS includes not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles.
Our services include:
• GP and Nursing
• Midwifery
• Immunisations
• Health Checks
• Men’s & Women’s Health
• Hearing Health
• Dental
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Dietician (Nutrition)
• Counselling
• Diabetes Clinic
• Quit Smoking Services / No More Boondah
• Needle Syringe Program
• Mental Health Support
• Healthy Weight Program
• Healthy Cooking Group
• Mums and Bubs Group / Child Health
• Optometry Service
• Psychology and Psychiatrist
• Community Events
• Groups
Winnunga AHCS is a national leader in accreditation, was one of the first Aboriginal community controlled health services to achieve dual accreditation under RACGP and QIC standards. Winnunga AHCS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in operational and governance areas of Aboriginal health services.
