‘CROOKED’ THINKING BUCKLES TRAM TRACK TO WODEN
“We’re surprised the Commonwealth Government supports a project that breaches almost all its guidelines on efficacy and procurement.” JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED continue to shred the business case for light rail stage 2b.
Labor finally lines up to face indigenous disgrace
MICHAEL MOORE
Mandolin orchestra to keep ballerina on her toes
HELEN MUSA
The chopper comes down on Harry and Meghan
NICK OVERALL
Farewell frosts, it’s time to prune roses
JACKIE WARBURTON
Ernest Escargot and the relentless ruminating of the ACT Inactivity Commission
KEEPING UP THE ACT
AUGUST 7, 2025
Dr JEANNIE ELLIS wants patients to feel like ‘queen bees’ at her Queenbee Women’s Health clinic
NEWS / Dr Susan Orgill BRIEFLY
Passion for making soil a sexy subject
By Elizabeth KOVACS
Canberra local, Dr Susan Orgill, a renowned “soil influencer”, is one of three finalists in the 2025 Landcare General Jeffery Soil Award.
Named after former Governor-General Michael Jeffery (the first National Soils Advocate), the award recognises individuals who, like its namesake, care for soil health and are educating or inspiring others.
Dr Orgill’s work has seen her lead talks at the Na tional Press Club, Parliament House and as a keynote speaker at international conferences.
Working with growers, farmers and institutions to better understand how soil can be utilised and im proved, Dr Orgill also works closely with Landcare to help produce new scientific research or promote workshops and events.
“I think people just inherently think soil is really boring, but I reckon that is the biggest challenge for discussions at a barbecue,” she says.
Starting the conversation early means explaining simple things such as the difference between soil and dirt.
“Soil is living, and dirt is just something in the wrong place,” she says.
From pot plants on an apartment balcony to veggie patches and primary producers, Dr Orgill reckons soil health concerns everyone.
“I’m a soil scientist and people don’t make direct contact with me unless they’re from a rural community,” she says.
Despite working in agriculture for 25 years – these days she’s chief scientist at Impact Ag Australia – Dr
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“I appreciate the complexities of agriculture and I’m a very curious person, so I enjoy what science can do to help grow our food and that’s through building healthy soil.
“The dream has always been to do what I love, and I love working with farmers and in soil health.”
Dr Orgill says Canberra’s location is the perfect place to start the right conversations.
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“We’re surrounded by a thriving agricultural community,” she says.
“We’ve got a literate community within Canberran in terms of soil and environmental literacy and people are really interested in knowing where our food comes from and how it’s been grown.
“As the bush capital, we are surrounded by farmland and nature, and have that really easy connection, as well as research institutes such as CSIRO, ANU and UC.”
She started working with carbon in soils before it was considered a “sexy climate mitigation tool”.
The 44-year-old soil scientist and mother of two, completed a PhD in soil carbon in 2016.
It was at the ANU, where she initially studied water science, that she fell in love with soil science. She moved straight into field practice after graduating, working as a soil health extension officer in Queanbeyan.
“We used to travel around and run workshops with farmers on practices to build soil health and understand why soil is different in different parts of the landscape,” she says.
Dr Orgill’s kids have also grown up in suburban life, although she says they’ve tagged along to her field work and know that it’s an important field of science.
Her son Rupert provides a different take on her life in an assignment titled Dirt to Soil he wrote for his year nine class: “[Mum’s] career isn’t defined by her accomplishments, but rather by her unwavering passion for this field of work and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of not only nextgeneration farmers, but us as well.”
The 2025 Landcare General Jeffery Soil Award winner will be announced at Landcare’s conference on the Gold Coast on September 23.
Cancer survivors can donate blood
Cancer survivors no longer need to wait five years before they are able to donate blood and plasma.
Lifeblood has announced that cancer survivors can now donate blood just 12 months after their last treatment.
They can now give back sooner, provided they have written confirmation from their doctor, they are in remission and meet all other health criteria.
Lifeblood Executive Director Cath Stone said: “Cancer patients are the largest users of blood in Australia; they need 11,000 donations each week.
“Many cancer survivors have relied on blood transfusions and plasma medicines during chemotherapy or surgery, and we know many are eager to give back.”
The change comes as international large-scale studies have confirmed that cancer is not transmissible through blood transfusion and that it’s not necessary to wait five years for donor or patient safety. The change has been approved by Australia’s health regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Preserves in a good cause
The Bold Bandannas will be selling their “trademark” preserves and reduced-sugar preserves at a fundraising stall supporting cancer research at the Fyshwick Markets, 8am-4pm, on August 16.
Institute review of indigenous incarceration
Labor finally lines up to face indigenous disgrace
“We’ve been talking about Closing the Gap for 20 years” argued Independent MLA Thomas Emerson and the report on addressing indigenous incarceration in the ACT, “reveals systemic failure to improve outcomes for First Nations people.”
Action on this travesty is long overdue.
Emerson pointed out that “First Nations’ children in the ACT are 12.5 times more likely to be in out-of-home care, First Nations young people are 14 times more likely to be in youth detention, and First Nations adults are 22.7 times more likely to be incarcerated”.
The release of a joint statement on the report by five of the seven government ministers is the first indication of the government’s willingness to implement recommendations of the Jumbunna Institute Independent Review into the Over Representation of First Nations People in the ACT Criminal Justice System.
This report forms the second stage of the review conducted by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research that is based at the University of Technology in Sydney. It seeks to have the ACT government take specific and strong action to address out-of-
Labor has been in power for the best part of two and a half decades. During that time the incarceration rates for Canberra have increased significantly.
Photo: Andrew Finch
control rates of indigenous incarceration in our community.
The 99 recommendations in the report require significant across portfolios action. The ministers’ joint media release stated that “the ACT government remains committed to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our justice system”.
Chris Cunneen, professor of criminology at the Jumbunna Institute explained: “Jumbunna has provided the ACT government with a comprehensive blueprint for tackling the problem of First Nations over-representation in the criminal legal system”.
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Labor has been in power for the best part of two and a half decades. During that time the incarceration rates for Canberra have increased significantly.
“Our report has practical recommendations for reform related to a range of matters involving child protection, youth justice, policing, bail, sentencing, the AMC and post-release support”.
In a nutshell, he argues the report addresses “systemic racism and improving processes for First Nations decision-making and government accountability”.
Prof Cunneen’s comments came with a warning.
“One of the greatest dangers facing our review is that government agencies will continue to reproduce a siloed effect by only reading the sections of this report they think applies to them, without seeing the totality and interconnectedness for change
that is required,” he said.
The chief minister has allowed his bevy of ministers with responsibility across the range of issues to publicly and jointly commit to change.
Four of the five ministers are relatively new to the cabinet. Only Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry has been in the government over the years of deterioration.
Labor has been in power for the best part of two and a half decades. During that time the incarceration rates for Canberra have increased significantly.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders there has been an exponential increase. And this is at a time when governments have been committed for two decades to the Close the Gap initiative.
This is a scathing reflection on their failures. As Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Suzanne Orr points out: “The over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the justice system is one of the starkest examples of where our systems and institutions are failing”.
The other key minister is Dr Marisa Paterson, as Minister for Corrections. The challenges she faces
are extreme. At least there is now a plan on how to address these extreme challenges in the corrections system.
She argues: “This review provides a valuable and necessary roadmap for deeper reform. I am committed to ensuring our correctional system is safe, culturally appropriate and genuinely rehabilitative.”
At least there is an initial blueprint to turn this atrocious government failure around.
At least there is an initial blueprint to turn this atrocious government failure around. A reduction in indigenous imprisonment would also significantly reduce the overall rate of incarcerated people in Canberra.
As Emerson noted: “The Jumbunna Review has to mark a turning point for the ACT. We need to do so much better than this.”
Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.
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NEWS / Newborn Intensive Care Foundation
Worthy cause for babies borne out of heartbreak
By Rod HENSHAW
Even after three decades, there remains, understandably, an underlying sense of grief for Peter Cursley, having lost two loved ones in less than two years.
In November, 1993, Peter and his wife, Susan, welcomed their newborn, Hanna, into the world at Canberra Hospital. Their joy was short-lived. Hanna died just a few days later.
“I think that anything that’s nega tive, you’ve got to put a positive spin on it. That’s basically what Susan and I tried to do initially”, Peter said.
“Although we lost Hanna, the staff at the hospital were just absolutely brilliant – and throughout that, we wanted to say ‘thank you’.”
During talks with the hospital’s senior neonatal people, Peter and Susan learnt that there had been nothing in the ACT health budget for two years and the list for much-needed new equipment was immense.
“When I saw that wish list, I thought there was no way in the world we could make a dent in that.
“That’s where the thought of forming a foundation came about,” he said.
Peter and Susan had just started
a foundation to raise funds to buy essential equipment to enable sick and premature newborn babies get home from hospital sooner when the couple were struck with a double whammy.
Just two months after losing Hanna, Susan was diagnosed with a brain tumour and the prognosis was the cruellest imaginable. Despite battling through surgeries, alternative
their hands on, Susan succumbed to the deadly tumour just 18 months after being diagnosed.
Peter found solace in his grief by deciding to honour the commitment he and Susan had made nearly two years earlier to set up a charitable foundation.
And so, in November, 1995, the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation
Working for the best possible solution
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was launched.
This year marks the 30th anniversary and as founder and chairman, Peter and his team have worked tirelessly to ensure the foundation has gone from strength to strength, having raised an estimated $8-million in cash and kind.
The Newborn Intensive Care Foundation is 100 per cent voluntary and 100 per cent of the funds raised go directly to helping sick and premature babies from the Canberra region.
“It started in very humble beginnings. The first thing we bought was a breast pump then a reclining nursing chair. We’ve been very lucky having the community get behind us.
“The fact that they’re sick little babies brings people in.”
The success of the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation can be measured in a number of ways, not the least the longevity of the board – they’ve all been with him throughout the 30-year journey,
And Peter’s distinctly simple approach to just getting things done.
“When the director of neonatology writes to me and says ‘will the foundation purchase whatever,’ I go to my board and say ‘are you happy if we purchase X, Y or Z?’
“They never say no.
“And within 72 hours max, I can get back to the hospital and say ‘yes, we’ll fund it’ because we’ve got that nest egg there.”
But hang on, shouldn’t it be up to ACT Health to provide those essential items? Peter’s response is twofold.
“One, if we wanted the government to supply the sort of equipment that we fund, they’re going to have to tax us more. I’m not entirely confident they would spend the money in the right areas.
“With a charitable foundation, you make a donation to whatever charity you’re interested in and you know where the money is going. You’ve got control over it.”
Peter Cursley reels off any number of examples, where Canberra Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or Special Care Nursery have benefitted from the foundation’s efforts; all of them impressive and all which have made a difference to about 800 babies a year from the Canberra region who pass through the hospital.
The fundraising function is straightforward. Apart from the annual Bake for Babies challenge, Peter’s philosophy is to depend on small donations, but lots of them. Unlike many charities, Peter shies away from using the extensive data base for fund raising.
“I don’t think people appreciate being hounded and going back at them saying ‘here’s another reason to be giving to us’.
“It’s interesting how $5 here, $2 there, $10 or $20, how it all adds up.”
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A second opinion on hearing loss – you need professional advice, not a sales pitch
A woman came into my clinic for a consultation about her hearing aids, telling me her hearing aids were 4 years old and she had never found them to be of much help. She said the salesperson quoted her $14,000 for a pair of hearing aids, however, the monthly special of 20% discount meant they cost her $11,200. So, she ‘only’ paid $11,200 for hearing aids that did not help her. Sadly, I hear this all too often.
Here are some things to do to avoid this type of problem:
1. Visit your GP. If you or someone you know has a problem with their hearing, visiting your GP to check for wax in the ears, and to get advice is a starting point.
2. Qualifications. Always check the qualifications of the person you are dealing with. A person without professional qualifications has no business advising you about your hearing. They need to belong to a professional association with a Code of Conduct, so you know they are acting in your best interests, not their own.
years. If you are not sure about their advice, then seek a second opinion. The wrong hearing aids can be an expensive waste and could lead you to stop wearing them. You should always have a trial of hearing aids to ensure that they are right for you.
6 Pensioners and eligible DVA card holders often have entitlement to free services. If you are covered by a government concession, then let the clinician know (even though your clinician should ask). Eligible clients may obtain free hearing tests, consultations, and free hearing aids (referred to as fully subsidized hearing aids).
“A person without professional qualifications has no business advising you about your hearing. They need to belong to a professional association with a Code of Conduct, so you know they are acting in your best interests, not their own.”
– Dr Vass
These hearing aids are appropriate for many people, however if you have great difficulty hearing in background noise (for example a restaurant), then you may want to consider partially subsidized hearing aids. This is when the government pays a certain amount, and you pay for additional features and benefits. Your decision should be based on the following:
you are dealing with a qualified clinician, then they belong to a professional association. The best contact is an independent complaints body referred to as Ethics Review Committee. You can email ethics@auderc.org.au and view the website www.auderc.org.au. You can make an anonymous complaint and your complaint will be handled in a confidential and professional manner. If you are in the ACT, contact the ACT Human Rights Commission email human rights@act.gov au and the website www.hrc.act.gov.au
3. Independent advice. You should get independent, professional advice.
4. There are a wide range of hearing aids out there. Finding the right hearing aids for your communication needs can be challenging. Hearing aids vary in price and performance. Bluetooth® connectivity and rechargeable hearing aids are available on most hearing aids, along with apps that allow you to control your hearing aids from your mobile device. Be aware that just because a hearing aid is more expensive, that doesn’t mean they are the best hearing aid for you.
5. Just as hearing aids vary in performance, clinicians may also vary in performance due to training, experience, and skills. Make sure that you are comfortable and confident in their advice. You are likely to be with this clinician for the life of your new hearing aids, typically 4 to 5
(a) Can you afford the more expensive hearing aids? Don’t go into financial stress if you can’t afford them. (b) Are you clear on the free vs partially subsidized features & benefits? Never believe someone who tells you the free hearings are not good or of poor performance, this is simply not true. (c) If you try the partially subsidized hearing aids and are not happy, then return them. Do not keep hearing aids because you think the failure is yours or that you will improve over time. If the hearing aids are not working for you in the trial period, then they will not work for you in a year or two.
7. If you have a complaint, then seek help. Your clinician should be able to help you through most of your needs. Sometimes, a problem may be beyond the expertise of even the best clinician. However, if you have a complaint there are things you can do. If
POLITICS / reviews, reports and movements
How reports can come back and bite
“The title ‘Let the sunshine in’ for this final report is deliberate.
“It responds to widespread disaffection with the performance of governments and rising expectations that our politicians and their officials be more accountable and transparent in their dealings, and behave with integrity.”
So wrote Peter Coaldrake, author of the 2022 Let the Sunshine in: Review of Culture and Accountability in the Queensland Public Sector.
In recent years brand management of governments by their political masters has gone into domains usually occupied by the large multi-nationals.
Fiercely protective, at times brand fanatical, and willing to play it hard on anyone who is a perceived threat to the big three: leader, party and government.
It is this brand love that parties and candidates in the modern era need to pay close attention to because as more and more electoral results are showing, people expect more.
An example of brand protection? When a report or review is released. In the first term of the federal Labor government that was 70 reports or reviews. That’s a lot of great ideas waiting for implementation, but also a lot of work to be done on making government better.
Locally, there have been some good reviews and reports, some not so. Some are either released too late
or written by a career-hungry and aspirational public servant for the pleasure of a political master, less the frank and fearless objective which should rigorously guide any document produced by a public servant.
For too long some groups in our society have been failed by those with the power to protect them, stand up for them, and ensure they are given a fair shake of any type of sauce bottle.
And yet there are those in our community who are putting their hands up at great reputational risk to speak up for these groups. Some proof? Read the work in this publication by Hugh Selby.
Hugh is one of the most ethical (therefore rarest) lawyers you’d ever meet.
For too long some groups in our society have been failed by those with the power to protect them, stand up for them, and ensure they are given a fair shake of any type of sauce bottle.
His work on responses to the various law and justice ACT government reports has given many hope in a space often forgotten about. Just because you are in the big house doesn’t mean you cease to exist.
Okay, so what’s the lesson here in a marketing and brand sense? Reports and reviews are fertile ground for the creation of movements. So many of these of late haven’t stopped anger and frustration on injustices, they’ve instead poured fuel on the fire.
A review or report is nothing if there is no consequence.
Yet so often payments or new jobs are made to bad people to sweep issues under carpets or away in the tsunami of daily multi-platform media feeds.
The Robodebt Report? So little done, and yet so many impacted. The reports
into the health system failings here?
So little done. The Nixon Review into gender equality at the ANU? Name names and pass them on to the AFP.
So often governments and leaders dismiss these things. The crisis management 4D’s strategy seemed to be written by a narcissist: deny, denigrate, delay, defend.
Political movements are fast, dynamic and can be created in seconds. Not all are crackers, cookers or radicals. Some are those who have had enough. Independents from the main. For now.
And you may even recognise them. They are the type of people who turned a movement into a party, a party to government, then to making differences. To change lives.
But they started off as the people who wanted to let the sunshine in. Winter is nearly over.
Dr Andrew Hughes lectures at the ANU Research School of Management, where he special ises in political marketing.
England to face PM’s XI at Manuka
The Prime Minister’s XI will take on an England XI at Manuka Oval in a twoday, day-night fixture on November 29-30.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Like many Australians, I grew up admiring, and begrudging, the brilliance of players like Ian Botham, David Gower, and Graham Gooch.
“I look forward to meeting with the selectors to finalise a PM’s XI squad that showcases the best available talent from across Australia to take on the strong English team.”
This year marks the 11th time England has played against the Prime Minister’s XI, and the first using the pink Kookaburra ball. It also represents a decade since the two sides met in 2015.
Manuka Oval will also host the Men’s T20 International between Australia and India on October 29 and the Women’s T20 International between Australia and India on February 19.
A media view
CityNews general manager Tracey Avery will be talking about the media world at the next meeting of the Yerrabi View Club at the Eastlake Gungahlin Club, from 11.30am on August 21. Guests and interested ladies are welcome. RSVP to chanily3@ bigpond.com by August 18.
What are they doing with your tax $$$?
While Canberra healthcare wait-times blow out and critical support services miss out
Beating any review of the cost in $$ and blood, the ACT government just contracted nearly $1 million for gunmen to again harm and destroy wildlife, our kangaroo and wallaby families –on top of the $$ millions the ACT has already spent on the yearly brutal war against defenceless family groups (of a national icon!) sheltering on nature reserves.
Destruction of kangaroos (and other native animals) has continued since colonial times. Why?
To take their ancestral grass and wooded lands
Then they became an industry. After koala populations were blasted for an export fur trade, the wildlife traders ramped up killing kangaroos for their skins/leather and for meat – with the same never-ending abundance story that framed the koala hunt. Did you know that the industrial-scale ‘harvest’ of kangaroos today, together with deadly ‘management’ like Canberra’s, means Australia owns the world’s biggest landbased wildlife slaughter?
Do you agree it’s high time to drop expensive hired killers from the Territory budget? Spend the $$$ on positives for the community? Join with us and other Australians to say ENOUGH to the wildlife trade and cruel and deadly ‘management’ programs like Canberra’s. for sheep and cattle farms and for town developments, and to kill the wildlife for commercial trade.
Kangaroo families were demonised with a ‘pest’ narrative, they were subjected to bounties. They became hunted fugitives in their own country...
Demand your local representative and ACT Environment Minister Suzanne Orr work/vote to recall the contract! Before the killing starts next year. Suzanne Orr at: phone 02 6202 1439; email orr@act.gov.au
Chief Minister Barr owns this bloody disgrace on the Bush Capital. Tell him at: barr@act.gov.au
Observers documented the animal cruelty and citizen harassment during the so-called ‘cull’. Find reports at Save Canberra’s Kangaroos socials
Photo credits: Black and white historical photo: Norman Herfort, ACP Magazines Ltd collection, State Library of NSW. Kangaroo family image: Australian Wildlife Protection Council (AWPC).
THE GADFLY / ATO scam NEWS
It’s the same old, same old… humanity
The other week, the scammers who swiped more than $2 billion from the ATO cost me an entire morning’s writing.
In fact, over the last couple of years it almost cost me the friendship of my son Ben, without which life would not be worth living.
For those who missed the ABC Four Corners episode, the massive attack on the ATO took place through a loophole connected with BAS and the ATO’s GST refund (There’s a GST refund? Who knew?).
Please don’t ask me for details since anything called “Tax” and starts with a dollar sign ($) turns my brain into jelly. So when I get a phone call from someone saying they’re from the tax office and want to discuss my “identity”, I immediately hang up. And if they send an official-looking email I immediately delete it.
nation.
He’d usually end our phone call with a sigh of regret at my malaprop explanation with: “Okay, send it to me and I’ll have a look at it”.
The reason is simple. I used to be a trusting chap and several times my kindly view of my fellow humans nearly got me into terrible trouble. My son Ben saved me, just in time, from being one of those sad sacks on TV regretting the loss of their life savings.
Thereafter, anything that looked vaguely suspicious had me on the line to Ben who is holding down an important job in the APS. And these
After a while I felt so badly about my interruptions to national progress – and my formerly respectable fatherly image – that I just killed every attempt to reach me, including the fair dinkum ones.
In this case, however, the ATO would not relent. Here they were, flat chat on a Sunday! After scores of questions about my identity, their issue was something about my BAS in 2023 and whether I had recently “authorised” a change to it.
I said my accountant would have done it, if anyone did it. But did I
The ATO would not relent. Here they were, flat chat on a Sunday! After scores of questions about my identity, their issue was something about my BAS in 2023 and whether I had recently ‘authorised’ a change to it.
authorise it? “Well, since he’s my accountant I guess that’s what he’s by me to do… whatever it is.
“But did I specifically authorise it? I’m sorry, I can’t remember. And it’s so long in the past – 2023 – that I don’t understand why you’re bringing it up now.”
“That’s all right,” said the very patient Filipina, “we’ll refer it to a special taskforce who will investigate it. And we’ll make sure to protect you.”
Well, that was very good of them. I was rather chuffed that my identity had attracted a “special taskforce”.
It was not until the next morning that I discovered the Four Corners story to be on that night. Goodness
knows what connected me to those smart-alecs who, we’re told, took advantage of the GST “loophole”.
It was started, it seems, by a recently released jailbird in 2021 named Linden Phillips. When he arrived home in Mildura he immediately tried on the scam and the ATO fell for it.
Then he seems to have spread it around the town and the smart-alecs jumped on board. All up, it seems, some 57,000 people were involved in it, and the ATO has only recovered $96 million. No wonder they’ve got a special taskforce on the job.
I talked it over with Ben. One of his degrees is the Law of the Internet. It had occurred to me that once the boffins produce the Quantum computer that would bring an end to scamming. Alas, not so.
“They will democratise it,” he said. “Then it will be a race to see who can scam it.” Here we go again. Same old, same old… humanity.
robert@robert macklin.com
Expectant mums are getting older
Expectant Australian mothers are older on average, with birth rates falling to the lowest since records began.
The average age of women who gave birth increased from 28.9 years in 1998 to 31.3 years in 2023, according to a report on mothers and babies by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The birth rate was 52 babies per 1000 women, the lowest since the AIHW began keeping records in 1998. It shows a generally decreasing trend since 2007, when the birth rate was 66 babies per 1000 women.
“Over time, the proportion of women giving birth aged 35 and over has increased from 23 per cent in 2010 to 28 per cent in 2023, while the proportion aged under 25 has decreased from 18 per cent to 11 per cent,” AIHW spokesperson Louise Catanzariti said. In 2023, almost all births took place in hospitals and of these, three in four mothers gave birth in a public hospital. A small number of births took place in birth centres (1.5 per cent), at home (0.7 per cent), or in other settings (0.7 per cent).
The number of births by caesarean has also increased from 29 per cent in 2004 to 41 per cent in 2023. –AAP
‘I want women to feel like they’re the queen bee… knowing they’re going to get a great service that will look after them and their needs’
Dr Jeannie creates a buzz around women’s health
Dr Jeannie Ellis is championing women’s health and wellbeing at her Queanbeyan facility Queenbee Women’s Health.
“I’ve worked overseas in indigenous communities in far Northern Canada, worked in the Solomon Islands, worked in the Kimberley and I’ve done quite a bit of work in indigenous communities in Australia,” she says.
“But my homebase is in Queanbeyan, I’ve gone and I’ve come back again.”
With more than 30 years of experience in health as a primary care practitioner, Dr Ellis might be recognised from her work in emergency and obstetrics at Queanbeyan District Hospital, as well as her work at the Women’s Health Service in Canberra.
Running an all female team, she is the only doctor in residence at the moment, although she hopes to employ more female doctors to allow the practice to open five days a week.
Specialising in menstrual problems, contraceptive choices, PCOS and endometriosis, pelvic pain, miscarriage management, pregnancy choices, ultrasounds, fertility and pre-conception, antenatal care, menopausal concerns and issues, health checks, migraines and iron transfusions, Dr Ellis said Queenbee has been a dream for the past 10 years.
“We’re all working until we are 65-70 and want to be healthy and enjoy our lives while looking after ourselves, our families, our
dogs, whoever it is that we’re caring for,” she says.
“We’re taking a holistic approach to health.”
“Being in the clinic is more than just going to get an illness fixed,” she says.
“It’s about what we can work on together. It’s a journey to better health.”
The name of the practice is a play on words of their location, although Dr Ellis says it’s also a nice homage to springtime, flowers and wellbeing.
“I want women to feel like they’re the queen bee when coming into the clinic, knowing they’re going to get a great
service that will look after them and their needs,” she says.
Painted a calming gold with a continued theme of bees throughout the practice, Dr Ellis says it was important that the clinic felt welcoming.
“I think that women, particularly when talking about their sexual and reproductive health, and when they require intimate examinations and details about their intimate life, find it more comfortable when a clinic doesn’t look like a sterile hospital or a typical doctor’s office,” she says.
“Even while they may feel a little anxious
Queenbee Women’s Health
about seeing a new doctor, they’re sitting in the waiting room of something that doesn’t look like a hospital.”
In Queenbee, patients won’t find notices about flu vaxes and serious health conditions. Instead, they’ll find artwork on the walls, air diffusers and classical music.
“I’m passionate about women feeling comfortable in a safe environment and having a really good women’s health care service to address issues such as pregnancy, menopause and fertility,” she says.
“Women have a specific set of challenges that the other 50 per cent of the population don’t have, and I think women need a safe space to be able to talk to other women.”
Queenbee opened up its services to patients in January, although Dr Ellis wishes she’d jumped on to her dream clinic 10 years earlier.
“I love having my own clinic and setting it up the way that I want to make women feel comfortable,” she says.
Dr Ellis provides long consultations, not limiting appointments to a single issue.
“It’s the first time that many women have ever felt heard,” she says.
“It’s usually at least one hour and you get the chance to do a really comprehensive review of the women to learn about their life, their lifestyle, who they live with, what they’re doing, other issues and how all of this impacts their health.”
Dr Ellis says one of the most rewarding parts of her job is coming to the end of a consultation and being told that her patient
finally felt seen and heard.
“I want women who are from all walks of life to feel comfortable to come in and seek help,” she says.
“This could be from women who are born and bred in Australia, first or secondgeneration immigrants and refugees.
“I want people to know that I am catering to cultural and linguistic differences in healthcare.”
Dr Ellis is a fluent Spanish speaker.
“I want our patients to know that it is a journey to better health,” she says.
Having travelled the globe, Dr Ellis says she’s found the perfect place to settle down.
“I love living here and I love the community,” she says.
“I have patients from all over Canberra, Bungendore and Queanbeyan.”
Challenging healthcare’s typical “one appointment, one problem” system, Dr Ellis says there’s no such thing as a problem too small.
On her website, she has been incorporating information about various health issues from reputable resources for patients to read.
“It’s all about education,” she says.
“It can be hard to disseminate what’s false information about health on the internet, so I’m doing my part to provide knowledge for anyone to access.”
Queenbee Women’s Health. 69-71 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 5pm. Visit queenbeewomenshealth.com
The Queenbee Women’s Health team… from left, admin officer Emily Sander, Dr Jeannie Ellis, admin manager Tricia Chacos.
POLITICS / light rail
‘One cannot but help wonder what the auditor-general or the integrity commissioner might have to say’
‘Crooked thinking’ buckles tram track to Woden
“We are surprised the Commonwealth Government has apparently supported a project that breaches almost all its guidelines on efficacy and procurement.” JON STANHOPE &
KHALID
AHMED continue to shred the business case for light rail stage 2b.
The economic analyses in the stage 2b light rail business case documents that the ACT government was recently forced to release are based on fundamentally problematic assumptions.
There are staggering inconsistencies some of which relate to future government policy under a business-as-usual scenario, for example, where:
• there will apparently be no housing supply in Canberra other than along the light rail corridor, ie the drastic shortage of housing in Canberra will be “solved” by light rail from Civic to Woden; and
• bus travel times between Civic and Woden will allegedly more than double despite a dedicated busway along a large part of
the route, and only minimal investment required to extend it to Civic.
In addition, problems arise by presenting assumptions as outputs of modelling, and premises as conclusions – pitfalls that practitioners are advised and expected to avoid.
In our opinion, neither the case prepared by Transport Canberra nor Major Projects should have proceeded to cabinet due to their poor quality and shallow analysis.
To be fair, the Transport Canberra offering appears a tad more realistic, albeit, suffering from the sense that it is to some extent a response to a predetermined expectation that the project needs to be justified and delivered.
For example, Transport Canberra acknowledges that transit
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times for commuters from Civic to Woden will increase with light rail, resulting in a negative benefit (an economic cost) from lost productive and leisure time. It also advises that infrastructure cost savings from densification will, on its assessment be $1.8 million over 30 years, ie virtually zero.
The Benefit to Cost Ratio
(BCR), excluding wider-economic benefits (as indeed they should be under the relevant guidelines) is estimated at 0.22 to 0.27 by Transport Canberra, and 0.54-0.55 by Major Projects (through the miraculous doubling of benefits we previously noted). In our opinion, the true BCR under a rigorous assessment would be closer to zero than to either of these estimates.
With the estimated benefits of light rail being a fraction of the costs, we would have expected that the appropriate and professional advice to ministers from central agency officials would have been to not proceed with the project.
Why waste taxpayers’ money if the same or greater benefits can be achieved through lesser expenditure in this or other areas of service provision?
obvious non-sequitur, is an example of “crooked thinking”. We use these terms in reference to their meanings in logic rather than pejoratively.
The success of a project is usually measured in several but at least in two domains – economic and technical.
A rigorously assessed BCR greater than 1 is indeed a guarantee of success if the benefits are properly realised under a plan.
Major Projects, in its business case, advises on the project delivery model, that is, the proposed procurement. Broadly, the various options discussed relate to the procurement of Design and Construct (D&C) and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) parts through either open-market tendering or a direct contract with the existing consortium.
Industry consultation was undertaken to assess the market interest in the project and any concerns. The business case advises that market participants showed interest in bidding for both D&C and O&M, but highlighted the considerable competitive advantage which Canberra Metro (the existing consortium for stage 1) enjoys.
Instead, however, the business case states: “The ACT government has noted its plan to develop a citywide rail network over time. A light rail network cannot be delivered (particularly that section to Tuggeranong) without developing this key section of the network. Furthermore, light rail can assist in enhancing the reputation of Canberra as a desirable city in which to live, visit and invest.
“Noting this, a BCR greater than 1 is not a guarantee of project success. Similarly, a BCR less than 1 does not necessarily mean the project should not go ahead. Consideration should be paid to these potential costs and benefits that have not been captured, as well as the project’s strategic fit with broader territory strategies and policies.”
The first paragraph is classic circular reasoning, ie the project is justified because the government has decided to proceed with it. The second paragraph, apart from its
Without a benefit realisation plan, there is no guarantee of economic success. A project’s technical success is not necessarily guaranteed if the BCR is greater than 1. In fact, it is possible that technical success is achieved at the cost of economic failure, for example where uneconomic or gold-plated technical solutions are utilised in pursuit of engineering excellence.
We note that Stage 1 of light rail was a technical success but is an economic failure –the trams are running, albeit, at a higher cost and minimal benefit in terms of an increase in patronage. Stage 2a is also certain to be an economic failure, because of high costs, low benefits and the government’s decision to not bother with a benefit realisation plan.
Even after assuming what should not have been assumed, and having counted what should not have been counted, claims that some benefits have not and cannot be quantified is strange.
There are well established methods and techniques, developed over a century, to quantify potential benefits attributable to a particular project. We would be happy to put the government in touch with the many professionals who we are certain would be willing to assist with a proper assessment of the costs and benefits of light rail in
Notably a major concern of the broader industry with a particular interest in D&C was expressed in the business case as: “On the basis that the process was communicated to the market in a transparent manner and there were adequate controls in place should John Holland and CPB [two of the existing consortium partners] be participating as part of the procurement team”. That potential bidders for stage 2 are, it seems, concerned by the involvement of the incumbent operators of stage 1 (their business competitors) in the procurement process for stage 2 is deeply worrying. Such concerns would surely not have arisen if the industry was confident that the procurement would be open, transparent and without the involvement of the incumbent on the procurement team.
The business case recommends that the procurement be through a sole-source negotiation with Canberra Metro. We understand this recommendation was indeed adopted for stage 2a of the project, where a direct contract was apparently awarded to the incumbent without an openmarket competitive process. If that is indeed the case, we are more than a tad surprised that the Commonwealth Government has apparently supported a project that breaches almost all of its guidelines on efficacy and procurement.
One cannot help but wonder what the auditor-general or the integrity commissioner might have to say about this.
Jon Stanhope is a former chief minister of the ACT and Dr Khalid Ahmed a former senior ACT Treasury official.
Government artist’s impression of light rail traversing Adelaide Avenue… “neither the case prepared by Transport Canberra nor Major Projects should have proceeded to cabinet due to their poor quality and shallow analysis.”
LETTERS / well written, well read
Send them a message, don’t pay the health levy
I urge all ratepayers to oppose the health levy imposed on territory ratepayers (residential and commercial).
Government by levy is unfair, inequitable and bad governance. We now have three levies stacked on to residential and commercial rates, amounting to more than $500 a year per rateable property.
This served to increase rents as well as the cost of living of householders and shop owners.
You can object by signing the Assembly petition; lodging an objection as per the rates notice instructions; and refusing to pay it (deduct $100, or $250 for commercial rates) from your payment. All or any of these, to send a message to the ACT government. It will otherwise become a rusted on feature of your annual rates, and increase as the domestic violence levy and the emergency services levies have.
Note that there is no accountability for the spending of these collections, and it is an established fact that the DV levy was not used for the purpose for which it is purportedly collected. What a surprise.
What next? A school levy?
Helen Tan, Deakin
Suspicious of Gaza death numbers
I don’t know the methodology of the study into deaths in Gaza cited by Mike Quirk (Letters, CN July 17), but I’m very suspicious of any study that finds more deaths than even the propagandising Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims.
An in-depth study by the UK’s Henry Jackson Society of war deaths announced by the Health Ministry found that most casualties were men aged 15-45.
It also found that the Health Ministry misdescribed male fighters as women or children, and included as casualties people killed by Hamas, either deliberately or by misfiring rockets, who died of natural causes such as cancer, or even died before the war started.
Also, in January, the Gaza Health Ministry announced Israel had orphaned more than 38,000 Gaza children – 32,151 had lost their father, 4417 their mother and 1918 had lost both.
These are tragic figures, but they do reveal that nearly six times as many male parents of fighting age were killed as females, suggesting a high proportion of those killed overall were fighters. And there would be far fewer civilian casualties overall if not for Hamas’ human shield tactics.
Eleanor Miles, Queanbeyan East, NSW
“We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan.”
Was Hanrahan right? Will we all be rooned?
The current outcry from all sides about climate change ignores the history of this wonderful country.
In 1921, John O’Brien published a poem titled, “Said Hanrahan”, which discusses the difficulties of drought and flooding rains. Indeed, the main subject is a bloke outside of church on Sunday discussing the weather with other parishioners.
“We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan,” if it doesn’t rain soon. There will be no crops to feed their stock and they will die. Overnight it starts to rain and continues. The sceptic Hanrahan now espouses the op -
posite: “We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan” if it doesn’t stop raining.
The end of the poem then changes to the threat of bushfires caused by the spring growth. “We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan…”
I guess nothing has changed over the last 100 years! I commend the poem to those that are unfamiliar with it, which was taught at primary school, albeit 70 years ago.
Dave Jeffrey, Farrer
Not taking action on ‘roos might be crueller
I noted your correspondent’s sadness and anger over the kangaroo cull. (letters, CN July 24). It’s a ghastly business and their distress is understandable.
I’ve travelled extensively through this wide, brown land and have never seen herds of kangaroos as large as the ACT hosts. Mobs of 50 and more roam at will.
On one property I visited, elderly residents dared not go out at night for fear they might (accidentally) be knocked over. So many ‘roos visited that droppings covered the grounds. There were too many carcasses on the Barton Highway recently, to count. Three each summer night on William Hovell.
I’ve seen the greater horror that nature can inflict with drought and fire. There’s lots of food and water around now, but we can’t tell what the coming summer will bring.
It’s unsustainable. Wiser heads than mine
have determined what ‘roo number the land will support. Not taking action might be crueller than the current solution.
I was, though, concerned about the report of poor shooter behaviour in Kambah. It’s not a job for cowboys; tell your MP.
Dick Bauch, Latham
I didn’t describe the full cycle to save space
Re: “Carbon dioxide is off the chart” (letters, CN July 24).
Letter writer Ray Peck is correct that the carbon for calcium carbonate in our skeletons primarily comes from the food we eat. However, that plant food primarily gets its carbon from atmospheric CO2 via photosynthesis.
Having studied some biology at school, and later working in satellite remote sensing, in a letter for publication I did not describe the full CO2 cycle to save space.
The IPCC definitely states 97 per cent of atmospheric CO2 comes from natural sources and processes, including animals like us respiring, only three per cent coming from those other wayward human activities. Only politicians claim to be able to change the natural atmosphere. Given the state of the ACT budget, courtesy of erudite CN correspondents Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed, I fear ours will send the ACT broke before they achieve that.
Anthony Hordern, Jamison Centre
What Go Gentle Australia says1
‘People with dementia who wish to access VAD… face a heartbreaking ‘Catch-22’: In the early stages of their illness, when they have decision-making ability, they are not sufficiently advanced in their illness to qualify as ‘approaching the end of life’. In the later stages, when their dementia is advanced, they are ineligible because they usually lack decision-making ability.’
‘Even in the ACT, where there’s no set time frame in the VAD law, two medical practitioners must still agree that the person is ‘approaching the end of life’. For someone newly diagnosed with dementia, death may be years – sometimes even a decade – away’. www.gogentleaustralia.org.au/dementia_and_vad_a_complex_issue
Dying with Dignity ACT is campaigning to remove the Dementia Catch 22 in the VAD law
The Legislative Assembly will debate possible changes to the VAD Act later in May. We are asking the ACT Legislative Assembly to amend the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2024 then to permit persons with Dementia who still have decision-making capacity, to be eligible to access voluntary assisted dying so that they can die with dignity at a time of their choosing’.
DWDACT’s position
Persons with Dementia should be provided with sufficient financial, personal, and social support to allow them to live with dignity, and, if they wish they should be able to access voluntary assisted dying so that they can die with dignity at a time of their choosing.
Voluntary Assisted Dying and Dementia – know the facts
1. AIHW estimated, in 2023, that there were 411,100 Australians living with dementia. 19% of persons with Dementia, aged 70-74, were in Cared Accommodation; 26% aged 75-79; 39% aged 80-84; and ~47% aged 85 and over.
2. Suicide rates are high in the first year being diagnosed with Dementia, and reduces slowly after that.
3. Dementia is the main cause of death for Australian women and the second cause for men.
4. Making an Advance Care Plan does NOT allow access to VAD for any circumstance.
How to support the campaign
Email your local members – one, or all five of them – and say ‘I support the Dying with Dignity ACT campaign to remove the ‘Dementia Catch 22’ from the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2024. I trust that you will take action to support it’. Don’t know your local members?
Go to www.parliament.act.gov.au/members/find and enter your suburb. This gives your local members and access to their email.
Throwing Bach out with the bathwater again
In 2012 the bean counters and gung-ho change-management boffins at ANU believed that a $14 million surplus was an inadequate foundation for its operations.
They sought to counteract this “financial crisis” with swingeing cutbacks to staff, and course and tuition offerings at the School of Music and elsewhere on campus.
Although the administration pulled back from the worst-case staff cutback processes after torrid consultations and community uproar, a significant loss of eminent academics plus collapsed teaching structures still resulted, including at the School of Music.
In 2025 a new cavalry charge is aiming to throw Bach out with the bathwater again.
Considerable academic, student and community unrest and alarm is evident across the university and broader community about the proposed, large-scale cost-cutting and its hollowing out of valued academic structures, student offerings and research opportunities.
Now, like in 2012, there is no convincing evidence of acceptance of the need to ensure the “pursuit of excellence” at the School of Music, the School of Art, and in other similarly targeted yet well-established and renowned arts and humanities entities that have been big ANU drawcards for
staff and students alike (“Our truly national university fades into the sunset“, citynews. com.au July 26).
Perhaps the ANU chancellery and its posse of change, HR and finance consultants find it hard to factor in and communicate about the concepts and pathways needed to deliver and safeguard the reputation, prestige and pride associated with the many key arms of this public national institution and the standing it has achieved, both nationally and internationally.
But they could at least try harder, particularly since “town meets gown” in Canberra in many valuable ways.
Sue Dyer, Downer
Elaine gets straight the point
Love Clive Williams and his Whimsy column.
Elaine
Staples, Campbell
Why is the council in so much deficit?
In July 2023, the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council raised rates 18 per cent a year for three years after recording a deficit of $1.14 million in 2022-23.
An independent report had found that, without intervention, the average operating deficit over 10 years would be $20.6 million a year.
As the owner of rateable land valued at $473,000 residential in Queanbeyan, I am being charged $3662 a year for land rates.
I find it very strange that for the same size block in Nowra, the owners are charged $1583 a year. Why such a difference? Double, in fact. There are other examples that can be made.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has signed off on the full rise proposed by the council of 64.3 per cent over three years, or 18 per cent a year in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Did the regulator ask the question why Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council was in so much deficit? In fact, has anyone in power asked that question?
James Bowman, Queanbeyan, NSW
We prefer sunshine to fission
Thanks to Ian Pilsner for the “cherry pecking” award. A little humour goes a long way. But it’s hard to know who Mr Pilsner would take advice from regarding the unsuitability of nuclear power in Australia’s energy mix.
He has already dismissed the CSIRO and experts who work in the international energy field. Perhaps he might listen to our former chief scientists.
Just last year, Dr Cathy Foley noted on the ABC’s Q&A program how expensive nuclear technology is and how long it takes to
become operational.
In 2023, in an interview with The Australian journalist Christine Middap, Dr Alan Finkel said: “So when put together it’s not realistic, even if we wanted to, to have nuclear in Australia before about 2040, by which time I am quite confident we won’t need it.”
But even ordinary Australians are not keen. In a 2023 survey investigating the support for different energy sources, Freshwater Strategy found that solar (84 per cent) and onshore wind (61 per cent) were the most popular whereas nuclear (35 per cent) and coal (33 per cent) were the least popular.
Mr Pilsner might admire France’s reactors, but we prefer sunshine to fission. Backing nuclear here is like bringing a snowplough to the outback — wrong tool, wrong time, wrong country.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria
Four budget-neutral options to reduce poverty
The St Vincent de Paul Society has submitted its proposal to the treasurer’s upcoming Economic Reform Roundtable on August 19-21.
In the submission, we outline four budget-neutral options, modelled by the ANU’s Centre for Social Policy Research, designed to lift more struggling Australians above the poverty line.
Not only that, but the ANU study reveals
how changing tax concessions on the wealthiest superannuation accounts could fund a fairer safety net while boosting the superannuation of around 90 per cent of Australians.
Our proposals show millions of potential winners, while asking only the wealthiest households to receive a little less in tax breaks or welfare payments.
The Society also strongly opposes any broadening or increasing of the GST, as this would only widen the growing gap between Australia’s richest and poorest households. That’s not the Australia we aspire to.
Every day across Australia, the Society is seeing more people seeking our help – not just those on welfare, but middle-income families and working Australians, many for the first time. The system is broken and must be fixed, urgently.
We believe our ANU study, A Fairer Tax and Welfare System 2025, demonstrates that it is economically feasible to lift more Australian families out of poverty while improving outcomes for lower- and middle-income households.
We invite you to read more about the report at vinnies.org.au and urge you to contact your local MP or Senator to demand a fairer tax and welfare system for Australia.
Mark Gaetani, national president, St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
The experts who can make home projects perfect
Renovate now, pay later for bathrooms, kitchens and laundries
Specialising in quality bathroom, kitchen and laundry transformations, Tap & Tile director Nino Arena says the company delivers expert craftsmanship, modern designs and seamless project management at an accessible price.
“We start with your vision by guiding you through material choices, layouts and finishes which our in-house designer will bring to life,” says Nino.
“This shows you exactly what your new bathroom, kitchen and laundry will look like before we’ve even changed a tap or laid a tile!”
Canberra’s first bathroom and kitchen specialists to offer a “renovate now, pay later” solution, Nino says it allows customers the ability to create their dream space without the financial burden up-front.
“We want to help people renovate without the financial stress, and our flexible payment option allows you to transform your home now and pay over time,” he says.
“Whether you’re looking for a sleek, contemporary upgrade, or a timeless classic design, we make the process stress-free, efficient and tailored to your needs.”
Locally owned and family run, Nino says Tap & Tile is committed to providing customers with stylish, functional kitchens and bathrooms.
“We are redefining home renovations by combining premium quality with affordability, ensuring a seamless and transparent process.”
“We love seeing the homeowner’s vision come to life and have had many happy clients whose expectations have been exceeded,” he says.
Tap & Tile. Call 1300 430827 or visit tapandtile.com.au
Architects who believe great design is a dialogue
With more than 27 years of experience across residential, commercial and bespoke design projects, Arkitex founder and director, Alessandro (Alex) D’Ambrosio says they don’t just deliver drawings, they craft spaces that improve how people live, work and connect.
“At Arkitex, we approach each project as an opportunity to blend creativity with functional ity,” he says.
“What sets us apart is our commitment to thoughtful, client-focused design where innovation, sustainability and context all play a central role.”
Bringing a deep understand ing of architectural principles, planning regulations and project delivery, Alex says they strive to stay at the forefront of design trends and technologies.
renovating or reimagining a space, Alex says they will be there from start to finish.
With a masters in architecture and an unrestricted A Class builders licence, Alex says the most rewarding part of his job is seeing their clients’ visions come to life.
“From that first sketch to the final reveal, we love the collaborative journey transforming ideas into tangible spaces that truly reflect our clients’ goals, lifestyle and personality,” he says.
Whether a client is building from scratch,
“At Arkitex, we believe great design is a dialogue,” he says.
“We are passionate about creating architecture that feels purposeful and personal.
“We welcome projects of all sizes and stages, and are always excited to explore new ideas.”
Arkitex. Unit 5/24 Torrens Place Torrens. Call 0413 570599 or visit arkitex.com.au
Modern dual occupancy by Arkitex.
At Tap & Tile, we specialise in transforming bathrooms, ensuites and laundries into beautiful, functional spaces. With over 15 years’ local experience, our team delivers:
• Custom floor & wall tiling tailored to your style
• Designer feature walls & mosaic accents
• Premium tapware & shower fittings
• Underfloor heating & heated towel rails
• Complete wet-area waterproofing
• Full bathroom & laundry renovations Why Canberra Chooses Tap & Tile
• 5-Star Google Reviews from delighted homeowners
• Licensed & Insured tradespeople committed to quality
• Free On-Site Design Consultation, we bring samples to you
• Transparent, Fixed-Price Quotes, no hidden costs
Storage solutions that don’t break the bank
Storing years’ of belongings can often be an expensive and complicated process, but Self Storage Solutions manager Lewis Jones says it doesn’t have to be.
“For Canberrans looking to renovate, storing excess belongings can be a convenient, secure and affordable fix,” says Lewis.
A family-run business for more than 30 years, Lewis says they are proud to provide cost-effective storage options for people living in regional and metro communities, and can help get quotes from trusted local removalists.
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“Our monthly storage costs are easily half the price of a storage unit in Canberra,” he says.
“People generally like a single garage-sized unit, and in Canberra and Sydney that can easily be $800-900.
“We have customers from the Snowy Mountains all the way to the northern beaches of Sydney and oper-
ate in a location that’s really convenient for customers and removalists.”
Currently running a special from $279, Lewis says the business is always striving to make things as easy as possible for their customers.
“We’ve recently installed automatic gates that are phone operated, so customers can call from their phone and go right through,” he says.
“We’ve installed 24/7 security cameras and have cloud-based storage of everyone entering and exiting to make sure customers know what they’re storing is safe.
“We take pride in providing excellent customer service and looking after your property while it’s in our care.”
Self Storage Solutions, Call 02 9986 3618 or visit selfstoragesolutions.com.au
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Living Simply is Canberra’s go-to specialist for plant hire in venues and events, says director Graham Holbrook.
Offering plant rentals for pre-property sales, weddings and special events, Graham says adding a fresh touch of greenery can enhance any space and, with a track record of all houses they’ve styled selling, he says it’s a great way to improve a home before listing.
Already looking ahead to spring, Graham says they need to start clearing out their older plants and last season’s stock to make room for their incoming stock.
“We are currently running a winter sale for up to 50 per cent off last season’s plants,” he says.
“These are potted plants that are more than 12 months old and are ready to go into the ground.”
With plants to suit balconies and courtyards, Graham says their true specialty lies in indoor plants, with a large collection available to rent or sell.
Working closely with property stylists, Living Simply provides the full styling service on the day of the event, with the team meticulously caring for the plants before, during and after the event to ensure they look just right.
Graham says they also provide a sourcing service for any plants they may not have in stock and can provide plants for landscaping or similar projects.
Living Simply. 10 Beltana Road, Pialligo. Call 6249 1552 or visit livingsimply.com.au
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HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Upgrades to any work-from-home office
“These days, many offices are stepping back from greys and have more of a cool vibe,” says Ex-Government Furniture co-owner James Fullerton.
“We have all kinds of office equipment for a fraction of the price.
“The best part is, it’s available now, you don’t have to wait or worry about your quote changing.”
Seeing a rise in customers looking to upgrade their work-from-home office set up, James says they’ve seen an influx of second-hand bookshelves, storage solutions, sit-stand desks and chairs.
“We’ve also seen some really nice Italian and European leather chairs enter the store,” he says.
“These will last a lifetime in a household.”
Catering to all budgets, James says they’ve also got chairs going for as low as $5.
Cleaning and servicing the furniture they receive so that they look like new before being put out for sale, James and co-owner Taylor Radnall, are working hard to keep the circular economy in motion by reducing waste.
“No one wants their home to feel like an office, so we’ve got storage solutions for that too, all for the fraction of a price of something new,” says James.
“We are here to make furniture upgrades easy, making it easy to move on to the next stage of home improvements without the hassle.”
Ex-Government Furniture, 26 Molonglo Mall, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490 or visit exgovfurniture. com, facebook at exgovfurniture or on instagram at exgovfurniture
Getting the best sale price with renovations that sell
Helping homeowners transform their proper ties with high-quality renovations, Renovation Matters owner Kim Persson says they manage the process from start to finish, making it a smooth, efficient and stress-free process.
A trusted leader in “renovate-to-sell” projects, Kim and her team have helped more than 50 homeowners boost their sale price and have completed more than 100 successful renovations.
Ensuring a home is presented at its best before sale, Kim says they genuinely care about getting it right.
“We treat your home as if it were our own, communicate openly, pay our trades on time to ensure loyalty and high-quality work, and manage the entire operation with integrity, reliability and experience,” she says.
“We’re here to bring your vision to life, on time, on budget and with heart.”
Doing more than just renovations, Kim says they are with clients every step of the way, from planning and budgeting to the final reveal.
“We’ve built strong relationships with some of Canberra’s best trades and suppliers, ensuring you receive excellent relationships,” she says.
From shower refreshes to kitchen updates, Kim says her team can handle any project.
“Over my years as owner, I’ve been lucky to have built an A-team,” she says.
“When you choose us, you’re choosing a team that values quality, trust and heart.”
Renovation Matters. Call 0427 696662, or visit renovationmatters.com.au
Renovation Matters offers transformational renovations that add the biggest impact and value when selling your property. If you are not selling, we can help you renovate to meet your specific requirements!
NOW IS THE TIME…
Ex-Government Furniture co-owners Taylor Radnell, left, with Tilly and James Fullerton.
Renovation Matters owner Kim Persson.
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Upgrading or improving a home shouldn’t have to be an expensive adventure, says store-owner John Rivers.
“At Handyman’s Trading Post, people can find a great range of new, factory used and used parts and pieces at half the price,” he says.
Now settling into a new location on Newcastle Street, Fyshwick, John says Handyman’s Trading Post is pleased to again be providing affordable tools and items for home-improvement projects.
With a wide range of new and used windows, doors, hardware and other building materials, John says Handyman’s Trading Post is a leading supplier of factory-second and used windows and doors, with new stock arriving each week.
“We’re also the experts at delivering purchased windows and doors safely to your home or job site,” he says.
says they can alert customers when products from their list have arrived in store.
“Our range of other items is constantly changing, with great deals to be had on modern and antique tools, cladding and piping, floorboards and timber, door and window latches etcetera,” he says.
John says customers can save hundreds, or even thousands, by buying secondhand windows and doors. Items he says are often the key feature of renovations.
“For more than 42 years, Handyman’s Trading Post has supplied Canberrans with quality and affordable home and commercial building materials,”says John.
The Handyman’s Trading Post. 167 Newcastle Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 4036. On facebook.com/p/HandymansTrading-Post or Instagram at htpcanberra.
Furniture built to be loved for years to come
“The kitchen really is the heart of the home and when you have a kitchen that’s not only functional, but is really beautiful to look at, it’s a great joy,” says Robyn Monteleone, partner at Select Custom Joinery.
Operating since 2000, Select Custom Joinery specialises in creating sustainable kitchens and joinery.
“We are a niche business, we specialise in using timber and other solid materials,” she says.
The company’s commitment goes beyond just using sustainable materials though, and Robyn says they always thought about longevity, with everything they designed meant to last for a long time.
Robyn’s husband Gino Monteleone, the primary cabinet maker and partner of the business, trained as a furniture maker.
“He trained in high furniture, and building kitchens and things out of solid timber, it is in a sense creating pieces of furniture that people will love for many years to come,” she says.
“We aim to create things that are customised for each client’s lifestyle and personality and we often like to have a feature in each person’s home that is unique to them.
“The satisfaction that clients ultimately get something that really suits their lifestyle and them, and something they’re really proud of and really enjoy using is the most rewarding thing.
“We are only a small team, so it is by appointment.”
Select Custom Joinery. 1182 Wallaroo Road, Hall. Call 6230 9414 or visit selectcustomjoinery.com.au
LOOKING
Are you interested in using plywood, recycled timber and other sustainable materials? We’ll work with you to design a kitchen that’s innovative, unique, sustainable and durable.
Kitchens, internal joinery & furniture.
Frank likes to keep his customers satisfied
ACT Carpet & Floor Cleaners services include carpet, tile and grout cleaning, flood restoration as well as upholstery cleaning and protection.
“We are one of the very few certified carpet cleaning companies in Canberra,” says director Frank Bartorilla.
“Doing the job well and making sure our customers are satisfied is our number one priority.
“We service all of the ACT as well as surrounding areas and pride ourselves on meeting important hygiene standards and providing a respectful service.”
Frank says he’s been in the industry for nine years.
ACT Carpet & Floor Cleaners has more than 150 five-star Google rated reviews and Frank says providing quality services to the community is a passion. In promoting their services ACT Carpet & Floor
Cleaners gives out a bottle of stain remover and free top ups with every job.
“For carpet cleaning, people can go online and get an instant quote,” he says.
“They don’t have to ring us up or anything, they just need to provide the number of rooms they want cleaned, advise if it includes the hallways and the stairs etcetera and our online calculator will give you a quote, it’s simple and it’s accurate.”
Frank says their online booking is a quick and easy process to navigate.
“Our team is very accommodating to meet our customers’ needs,” he says. “Customer service is our number one priority.”
ACT Carpet & Floor Cleaners, call 0438 449999, or visit actcarpetcleaners.com
Storage solutions during a renovation process
Finding space for household items during a renovation can be stressful.
The local team at House to Home are experienced packers who have been helping Canberrans get their property ready for sales, renovations, insurance work, downsizing and relocating for more than 12 years, says co-owner Renee Le Grande.
Offering a pack-and-store solution for anyone renovating, Renee says it’s the perfect option to get rid of clutter around the house until the work is done.
“With meticulous planning and years of expertise in the moving industry, House to Home takes the stress out of relocation or renovation by handling every aspect,” she says.
“Our expert team will save you hours of time and stress by packing all your personal belongings, household items, right through to packing up the
shed,” she says.
“Our team offers a personalised service and recognises every client is unique and has different needs and expectations.
“Some people want the kitchen, bathroom and wardrobes packed, others want absolutely everything including the garden pots at the front door.”
Charging a weekly fee for offsite storage, Renee says it’s the perfect solution for anyone needing a quick, temporary solution for storage during renovation work.
“People can store items for as short as a week to as long as a few years,” she says.
“We can pack up excess items and store it separately to take the stress out of fixing up a house.”
House to Home. Call 0457 456767 or visit house-to-home.com.au
renovations, or making your home
pack and clear rooms or whole houses quickly and efficiently. We
organise and provide all packing materials to complete
GARDENING
Chris’ Trees
Farewell frosts, time for roses
By Jackie WARBURTON
August is rose-pruning time. Pruning any time before now ran the risk of having new growth burnt by late frosts, but after August all should be clear.
There are many different varieties of roses with many different ways of pruning them.
In general, bushy roses such as rugoasa’s, old-fashioned roses, carpet roses and balls on a stick can be pruned with hedge trimmers and chopped into shape.
Others will need a little more care. Hybrid tea roses, for example, need a good prune to a vase shape. Prune them to about 40 to 50
centimetres off the ground and remove dead, diseased or damaged growth.
Delbards, climbers and pillar roses are all pruned differently.
Some roses also can take up more room than others and one of the most important factors in growing roses is good airflow and ventilation to prevent any fungal diseases; so don’t crowd them in.
Different roses also have different maintenance levels, but overall the more dead heading, the more flowers.
Preparation is the key for any roses planted during winter. Choose a well-drained site where the rose will get at least five to six hours of direct, full sunlight a day.
Dig the soil over to spade depth and add blood and bone and/or cow manure to the existing soil. If bare rooted, plant on a small mound in the hole to prevent the roots from
suckering.
Water in and don’t water again until new growth is seen. Don’t fertilise roses until the soil has warmed in October, using a specific rose fertiliser. Mulch the base to keep the plant from drying out.
A new rose, with white, smallish pretty flowers, for my garden this year is the winged rose (Rosa omeiensis) from China. Its translucent bright red thorns are the attraction to me.
IN the orchard and vegetable patch, the focus turns to feeding the soil and mulching.
Any greens will benefit from a liquid feed over the leaves on a sunny day. Mulch around any plants to keep the roots warm over the winter and keep weeds down.
Asparagus and rhubarb can both be planted now and both are permanent growers and don’t like to be disturbed, so choose a long-term spot for them to grow.
Asparagus likes soil that is a high pH, and rhubarb likes the opposite so don’t plant them together. Asparagus can be planted where beans or brassicas like to grow, and rhubarb will grow well beside other acid-loving plants such as strawberries and blueberry bushes.
MAGNOLIA trees, which are just coming into bud and flower right now, are very popular in our region as an evergreen species or a deciduous one with magnificent flowers in late winter, early spring.
It is ostensibly a tropical plant, but it’s becoming increasingly more available to cold climates.
The most popular magnolia for a small garden is Stellata or Genie. Stellatas are a small tree with beautiful, white, star-shaped flowers in spring. Genie has burgundy flowers and is a little more compact and suitable for smaller spaces, hedging and pots.
All magnolias need good drainage and constant watering in the warmer months.
jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au
Jottings…
• Spray roses with copper to prevent fungal diseases.
• Lightly fertilise native gardens with blood and bone.
• Liquid feed anything that is in flower.
• Sow seeds of lettuce, spring onions and spinach.
The winged rose… with translucent bright red thorns.
Photos: Jackie Warburton
Magnolia trees… magnificent flowers late winter, early spring.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Mandolin orchestra to keep ballerina on her toes
By Helen MUSA
In the relentless search for freshness and novelty, the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra is embarking on an unusual new presentation called Mandolina Ballerina.
Featuring the full strength of the popular local orchestra and the talent of Canberraraised ballerina Tessa Karle, a member of Royal New Zealand Ballet in Wellington, the performance will not be on a stage, but “down on the ground” at the Folk Dance Hall in Hackett.
She will perform to music by Tchaikovsky, freshly arranged for harp and orchestra by conductor Michael Hardy and choreographed by Karle.
Newish artistic director of the orchestra Eva Schroeder, best-known as an arts photographer, is behind the venture and tells me that she wanted to do something different.
Apart from trying out classical repertoire, she remembered her friend’s daughter Tessa, whom she’d known from age three. She said of her at the time: “I think your daughter is
She was right. A proud product of both the Canberra Festival Ballet School in Gungahlin and Jacki Hallahan‘s Canberra Dance Development Centre, where she was taught by Paul Knobloch, Karle’s career took off when she got a place in the Royal New Zealand School of Dance, from which she was seconded to the national ballet company’s corps de ballet in 2021.
bachelor of communication online at NZ’s Massey University, majoring in digital marketing and has since been creating TikTok content for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
When I catch up with Karle by WhatsApp to Wellington, she confirms her long connection with Schroeder and her daughter Charlotte, with whom she went to preschool and ballet school in Gungahlin.
part of an east coast tour.
Both the book and the music of Waltzing the Wilarra were written by former director of Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company David Milroy, who recreates a Perth club in the 1940s during an era of curfews and rules against interracial consorting, a place where First Nations Australians could go to simply enjoy themselves.
The show was originally staged in 2013 and has now been revived by director Brittanie Shipway, with Cameron McConville as musical director.
When I catch up with actor/singer Lorinda May Merrypor, I find that Milroy’s fictional club is very much like the real-life Coolbaroo Club, which operated in Perth from 1946 to the early 1960s. It’s a great pretext for a musical and can be compared to The Sunshine Club and The Sapphires.
a bit because the surface won’t be a typical ballet turf, but is used for folk-dancing.
“I’ve made a few little adjustments and tweaked it a bit to make it my own,” she says. “When I was back in Canberra during summer, I had a bit of a look, but it would be nice if we could lay down a square of Tarkett flooring.”
That, according to Schroeder, is unlikely to happen, but she has been assured by Karle that if she “puts a bit of concrete dust on her ballet shoes” it will do almost as well.
Unlike a traditional performance where the audience sits on one side and the orchestra and performers are on the other side, they’re creating a semi-circle with 60 adult seats and 10 cushions for children, allowing Karle to dance at the floor level, where everyone can see her feet. There’ll be two performances.
It will be a flying visit for Karle, fitted into a brief break. She’ll fly in on August 10 then fly back to Wellington for a new show there.
to make it,” she tells me, “and since that I’ve also been involved with photo shoots with her, so when she became artistic director of the Mandolin Orchestra the idea emerged that we could combine the two things.”
“Eva told mum she thought I was going
“She’s married to white man, Jack (Clancy Enchel maier), back from the war and we see the effects of that in some tough conversations.”
Act two, Merrypor says, jumps to 1990 when the club faces demolition, and former members and performers gather to save it.
There’s a full cast of actors playing with a multi-instrumental band, and Merrypor says she’s particularly excited to see Cook, known for his roles in Hamilton and the movie, Top End Wedding, taking on the role of Charlie, another product of the Stolen Generation.
“There’s not just one point of view in the show, and you get to feel that there is no one evil person in it,” she says.
Karle was previously unfamiliar with the mandolin so had to listen very hard before picking some favourite ballet pieces from Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. She added a little classic Petipa choreography, adapted
While in Canberra, she’ll stay with her family, who still live in the same house in Palmerston where she grew up.
“I love to come home to visit them… I come home two times a year at least to catch up with friends and old dance teachers, but I love the scene in Wellington, too,” she says.
Canberra Mandolin Orchestra, Mandolina Ballerina, Folk Dance Hall, 114 Maitland Street, Hackett, August 16.
WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY DAVID MILROY
Ballet dancer Tessa Karle… “I’ve made a few little adjustments and tweaked it a bit to make it my own.”
The popular Canberra Mandolin Orchestra... embarking on an unusual new presentation called Mandolina Ballerina.
Photos: Eva Schroeder
Waltzing the Wilarra, The Q, Queanbeyan, August 15-16.
Waltzing the Wilarra with Lorinda May Merrypor… “You get to feel that there is no one evil person in the show.”
STREAMING Netflix brings down chopper on Harry and Meghan
NETFLIX has parted ways with the duo who have become its most controversial content creators.
The streaming giant has opted not to renew their $US100 million deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following a string of shows and docos spearheaded by the couple that have dramatically bombed.
While the duke, duchess and Netflix tried to quietly call it a day, the global media have certainly been much louder about it.
“Harry and Meg’s Netflix deal is DEAD,” the London Sun reported.
“Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dealt a huge blow,” exclaimed the Daily Express.
Anyone would think they might be a little excited about it.
The Sussexes first signed their major agreement with Netflix in 2020 to create a line-up of documentaries, movies and children’s programs.
In 2022, the content kicked off with Harry and Meghan, a doco about themselves and the self described ordeal they endured over the last few years while separating themselves from the Royal family.
The idea was to create some sympathy for their apparent plight. Instead it might go down as one of the biggest backfires in TV history.
The criticism was immense, with the six-episode show essentially getting chalked up to be nothing more than a six-hour whinge fest.
But despite all of that panning, it is still
considered to be one of the most watched debuts in Netflix history.
million households around the world in its first four days of release.
it did exactly what it was supposed to do: generate talk.
Not long after that audiences got Live to
Lead, a seven-part documentary series that spent each episode gushing about topical figureheads such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Greata Thunberg.
Those who hadn’t yet succumbed to
people. It holds a meagre 3/10 on IMDB, the platform, which allows users to rate films and television online.
Admittedly, of some more inspiration was the 2023 production Heart of Invictus, which told the story of several competitors in the
This reality show was supposed to give a
ARTS IN THE CITY
more personal insight into Meghan’s life by “candidly” putting audiences in the kitchen as she bakes cakes and sniffs flowers amongst other frivolities.
The only thing that was cooked up though was a major storm. The show became the butt of a worldwide joke, awash in a torrent of internet memes.
At the end of the day it’s likely Netflix wouldn’t really care if the hate continued to pile on these shows so long as the viewers and subsequent subscribers continued to roll in, even if just to see how bad the whole shemozzle truly was.
But with each show it seems the viewers only dropped off and without them, the writing was on the wall.
Netflix has developed a reputation for being trigger happy when it comes to cancellations. In this day and age where endless piles of content roll through the door, if it’s not immediately hooking audiences you can be sure it will get the boot.
The mass reach of streaming has made the industry very much a sink-or-swim environment and this content deal is well and truly on the ocean floor, going down as, perhaps, stream ing’s biggest flop.
Buzz around new show for kids
Buzzz ACT is a new dance and science show for children by Chamaeleon Collective that explores the importance of bees for the ecology, biodiversity and our food train. The show will buzz into Tuggeranong (August 10) and Majura (August 17) shopping centres as a National Science Week initiative. And its Stars in 3D show will be seen in Canberra Museum and Gallery’s theatrette on August 16.
Shock news that the role of gallery manager at Australian National Capital Artists in Dickson, occupied by Liisa Naar, has been made immediately redundant, with the ANCA board citing financial unsustainability.
Opera Australia will bring back The Phantom of the Opera, to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage next year, in the production by Simon Phillips seen in 2022. It will be the first major event in the global celebrations of The Phantom’s 40th birthday in 2026.
Phoenix Collective is presenting Bella Italia, works by Boccherini,
Verdi and Sollima. Wesley Music Centre, August 15.
Brindabella Orchestra will take a musical journey with Beethoven, Mozart, Elgar, Borodin, Silvestri and Lloyd Webber at Weston Community Hub, Corner Hilder & Gritten Streets, August 10.
Tuggeranong Art Centre’s next exhibitions include Patternmakers, by Canberra artists Vivienne Binns, Ham Darroch, Al Munro and Richard
Blackwell, and Remedies, by painter Hank Reynolds, both until October 11.
Alice Taylor, founder of Elsie’s Film House in Civic and Haig Park Pikture Festival, and a former director of the Canberra International Film Festival, has joined the NFSA to lead programming for its Arc Film Series.
Multilingual Poetry Open Mic will return to Smith’s Alternative on August 11, this time featuring poet Manoj Regmi. Originally from Nepal, Manoj has lived in Canberra since 2019 and writes poems and short stories in English and Nepali.
Harry and Meghan… despite the panning they did exactly what they were supposed to do: generate talk.
Buzzz ACT… a new dance and science show. Photo: Olivia Wikner
DINING / Ethiopian on Northbourne, Civic
Dishes of earthy, spicy flavours
Our tummies thank us in winter months for indulging in hot, comforting, flavoursome dishes that make us warm and toasty.
Think slow cooking, stews, sautés and dishes loaded with enticing, deep flavours.
Ethiopian on Northbourne in Civic gave us our fix, with this family-run establishment dishing up a menu featuring authentic dishes and rich, earthy, spicy flavours.
These flavours are good for the soul and transport diners to a place far away. Ethiopian on Northbourne had been open for around eight months for dinner on our visit, and we were told plans were in place to open a café next door for breakfast and lunch.
Ethiopian cuisine is characterised by earthy, spicy, tart and pungent flavors, often achieved using a signature spice blend called Berbere. Waking up our tastebuds were sensational samosas with beautifully seasoned beef mince encased in piping hot and crispy pastry formed into triangles (two pieces, $10).
Heartier and heart-warming selections included a Tibs dish with tender and juicy beef eye fillet sauteed with garlic, onion and chilli and complemented with fresh coriander ($38 and options are for mild or hot).
The Lamb Alicia from the Wot section of the menu ($24), was a thick stew celebrating the intriguing mixture of secret spices that honour Ethiopian cuisine. The dish was pale to the eye and, while interesting, not our fave.
Our veggie fix was met with the Duba Wot. This pumpkin stew ($22) featured that famous Berbere, blending chili peppers, garlic, ginger and other spices. It forms the distinctive taste so well known in many Ethiopian dishes.
On the strong recommendation of staff, we
For freshness we ordered the Key Sir, a colourful beetroot salad ($14), enlivened with fresh herbs, mint and a tangy dressing.
Great news is that 90 per cent of Ethiopian on Northbourne’s menu is gluten free, dairy free and nut free.
We didn’t indulge, but desserts but the pistachio baklava ($11) and cinnamon cake ($11) sounded wonderful.
The wine list includes local drops – always
WINE / Nick O’Leary Wines
selection – a Pankhurst Sangiovese Rose – married well with the dishes we ordered (NSW Wine Awards 2023 and $14/glass and $64/bottle).
We arrived impromptu on a Wednesday night and snapped up the last table (lucky). Next time we would book to secure a spot.
Tempted back to tasting beside the open fire
It was another cold, late afternoon in Canberra where the lure of the open fire and free wine tasting at the Hyatt was palpable.
This time it was Nick O’Leary Wines on taste. The winemaker was not able to be present, but his distributor in Canberra, represented by Mark Davis, was an able substitute to describe the wines on offer and provide a pour to the 20 or so people who attended the tasting.
This was another “Canberra is a village” mo ment as I’d met Mark previously at a presentation of a Hunter Valley winery’s array and mate Tom, who accompanied me, had known Mark for years.
The village reference reminds me of the village idiot who walked into the local library and said to the librarian: “Excuse me, I’m looking for a book by Shakespeare.”
The librarian says: “Yes, of course, which one?”
The idiot says: “William”.
Anyway, on the night there were three whites and three reds on taste. Two rieslings started the tasting. This winery is renowned for the quality of the rieslings produced.
The first on the night was the 2024 riesling that Mark told us was a Canberra regional blend from nine different sources. It had a lovely nose, flowers and citrus.
On first taste it had a real acid hit that ameliorated with the few minutes it had in the glass. It was a quaffer.
The second was the 2023 Heywood Riesling from estate-grown grapes that also had a predominance of citrus, but more intense in both aroma and taste than the first riesling on offer. This wine finished more cleanly than the first and was one to put away to watch the complexity associated with ageing add even more character to the wine.
The third wine on offer was the 2023 Tumbarumba chardonnay. This was definitely in the new style of chardonnay making and a young man in his twenties with whom we got chatting said it was, in his opinion, the best wine on offer that night.
I mentioned this to Mark, saying that I preferred more butter and more oak rather than the peachy, stone fruit characteristics of the offered wine. He said: “Mate, you need to recognise that young people don’t want the big bold chardonnays or the big Barossa shiraz varieties these days. Lighter wines are selling.”
I’m sure he’s correct but I would still prefer to drink something like a Flying Fish Wildberry Reserve Chardonnay 2021, which I had recently purchased in an end-of-year sale at a discounted price. The oak and butter (from malolactic fermentation) make this chardonnay more to my taste than the new style that obviously appeals to a different, more youthful market.
The first of the reds was the 2023 Heywood Tempranillo. This wine is made from the Spanish varietal that is the main grape variety used to make Rioja, the food friendly wine I drank in abundance with tapas when I visited Spain over a decade ago.
The wine was bright at the front and finished with a hint of blackberry. It needed the food that we craved at this point in the evening, as Tom and I both agreed it was a food-friendly wine.
The two shiraz varieties on offer were the 2023 shiraz and the 2022 Heywood shiraz. Let’s say that we thought the 2023 needed more age but the 2022 was excellent, my pick of the wines for the night. It had a lovely savoury finish with a hint of pepper, medium weight and a glorious berry nose. This wine showed the quality of the wine making that delivers on the Canberra region’s great shiraz fruit.
“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. “ –John Ruskin
Hyatt.
BOOKS / Artificial Intelligence
Book author coerces AI to write of its own demise
By Elizabeth KOVACS
Canberra public servant Dwaine McMaugh, 51, has achieved something very few have, he has got a co-author to write about their own dangerous trajectory and predicted demise.
The plot twist? Dwaine’s co-author isn’t human, it’s made up of learned information from the internet.
Before ChatGPT (an AI writing soft ware developed by OpenAI in Novem ber 2022) was created, Dwaine found himself on the brink of an existential crisis after reading philosopher Yuval Noah Harari’s 2016 book Homo Deus, which foretells what will happen to humanity after surrendering to decision-making to algorithms.
“He asked the question: ‘what becomes of us, and what becomes of society if AI is doing all the tasks?’” says Dwaine.
Dwaine set about writing stories to explore it and, after experimenting, he found a “penfriend” with the very persona he sought to discuss: artificial intelligence.
“There’s no manual for how to write a book using AI, but I taught myself a method of progressively asking more
thing, as much as possible.
“It’s the voice of AI [writing] it, I just gave it the premise.”
Dwaine’s novel, The Code Between
plans from AI feeds. Teacher Morgan misses seeing students engage and connect with content, so she creates a secret book club in the hopes of saving her students.
In story two, an AI news bot becomes sentient and starts demanding credit for its news stories.
Story three looks at a dystopian future where human creativity is criminalised, while story four follows an influencer after artificial intelligence is suddenly dismantled and the world struggles to rediscover individuality once more.
Following a theme of connection, Dwaine says he hopes the novel will serve as a warning for humanity to keep sight of individuality.
“You can get caught up with these sorts of dystopian novels,” he says.
“But this book is sending a signal back to watch out for these cautionary tales.
“I’m not saying this is a prophecy, but you can see it tending in that direction.”
“The whole point was to use AI to write about AI, and it wouldn’t carry the same philosophical weight if I’d written it myself,” he says.
In 2023, the Writers Guild of America went on strike for the use of AI in the creative and film industry. Striking for 146 days, Hollywood productions were severely impacted with many projects grinding to a stop.
The guild was successful in their lobbying to control how often AI is used after concerns the technology would take over human creativity, pitting artists against robots.
Dwaine takes a more nuanced approach to the issue.
“It’s the same as me reading one of my favourite books,” he says.
“I’m influenced by the themes and messages and they influence the way that I think and write other things.
“Whether there’s some similarity in my themes, it doesn’t mean I’ve plagiarised [their] work, it means I’ve learned from them, and I think AI is much like that.”
sues relating to overconsumption and reliance on artificial intelligence.
Story one follows a world where students follow hyper-personalised study
A prevalent issue within the arts, the use of AI to imitate and learn from creative fields of practice has been highly contested by authors and artists alike.
Dwaine says that using AI as an aid and author has caused him to wrestle with his own moral conflict.
A continued philosophical issue, Dwaine says he still uses AI in his everyday life, although he says it is important to remain cautious of the future implications of becoming too dependent.
The Code Between Us is available from Paperchain, Manuka, or fourbirdsmagpie.com.au
HOROSCOPE PUZZLES
By Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Rambunctious Rams can appear confident on the outside but – with Saturn and Neptune transiting through your sign – the main danger at the moment is self-doubt. As celebrity chef (and birthday great) Julia Child observed: “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.” So pick yourself up, shake yourself off, and start running your own race, Aries. Self-belief and persistence will get you where you want to go! Friday is fabulous for romance and creativity.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
Mercury finally moves forwards in your home zone, plus Venus (your ruling planet) and Jupiter link up in your neighbourhood zone. So, it’s a wonderful week for family matters and local community connections. Saturday favours ambitious dreams as you follow your true destiny. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great, Madonna (who turns 67 on Saturday): “I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.”
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
The buzzword for the week is Communication, as Mercury (your patron planet) finally moves forward in your neighbourhood and conversation zones. Expect increased social interaction and educational activities within your local community, but make sure you slow down and choose your words wisely (especially on Monday). Wisdom for the week is from writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Satre: “Words are more treacherous and powerful then we think.”
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
Are you making the most of lucky Venus and prosperous Jupiter both transiting through (and linking up) in your sign? For the first time in 12 years! Crab charisma is at an all-time high as you charm the cynics and dazzle the doubters with little effort on your part. So, it’s the perfect time to apply for a job, bonus or promotion; enter a competition; or call in a few old favours. Saturday is the perfect day to write down your dreams and aspirations for the future.
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
Mercury turns direct and the Sun’s also shining in Leo, so it’s time to communicate your creative ideas with extra pizzazz, dream mind-blowing dreams, and/or make connections with bohemian folk from foreign shores. But, with Uranus activating your wanderlust zone, many restless Cats will feel cooped up, housebound and a bit stir-crazy. Pull on your travelling shoes and escape on a wild weekend getaway or plan an adventurous trip for sometime soon.
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Mercury moves forward in your solitary zone, which favours meditation, contemplation, relaxation and investigation as you solve a problem or get to the bottom of a mystery. However, if you stubbornly hang onto the past and resist change, then you’re in for an unpredictable time. Strive to be more adaptable to constantly changing circumstances. Heed the wise words of social commentator Will Rogers: “Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.”
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
On Tuesday, Venus (your patron planet) and Jupiter (prosperity planet) pair up your career zone. So, Lady Luck is heading your way! If you want to get ahead, then strive to work smarter, not just harder. Your natural charm and generosity will win people over. If you choose to take on a professional challenge in the coming year, you’ll find the benefits will far outweigh the difficulties. The more you focus on a cherished dream, the more likely it will come true.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
With Mercury finally moving forwards in your career zone, a professional matter or a volunteer project should gradually shift from go-slow to all systems go. If it’s too much to handle on your own, then don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from your friends, work colleagues and/or your extended peer group. Don’t battle on alone… other people are happy to pitch in and help. The weekend is wonderful for relaxing, unwinding, drifting and dreaming.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
Venus (planet of luck) and Jupiter (your ruling planet) pair up your money-fromothers zone on Tuesday. So – sometime over the coming year – expect a boost to your bank balance via a pay rise, work bonus, bumper tax return, superannuation payout or extra business. Any windfall won’t last long if you don’t manage it wisely though. Mercury also moves forward (on Monday) which is good news for travel plans, long holidays and weekend getaways.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
This week the Sun and Mercury (moving forward) highlight a close relationship, shared finances or a joint venture. Secrets and issues of loyalty could also be placed under the microscope as you discover whether your trust in someone has been well-placed. And prepare for a welcome burst of Capricorn creativity and energy as Uranus links up with your ruler Saturn. Lucky opportunities could magically manifest, especially at work or via a family connection.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
Mercury moves forward in your relationship zone, and Uranus (your patron planet) makes a lovely link with Saturn. So, it’s a good week to be your creative, quirky Aquarian self – in an organised and strategic way. Innovation + improvement = success. Your motto is from birthday great, Madonna (who was born on August 16, 1958): “No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
On Monday, Mercury turns direct in your daily routine and work zones, so plans and appointments should start to run more smoothly. Then Venus and Jupiter join up in your leisure-and-pleasure zone on Tuesday. So, it’s a good week to plan a party, book a massage, attend a concert, see an exhibition, organise a night at the movies or a rowdy lunch with your favourite friends. The weekend favours relaxation, contemplation and dreaming about the future.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2025
23 To impose as a burden, is to do what? (6)
24 Which term implies a relationship to a bishop’s territory? (8)
25 Which vehicle is used for conveying loads over snow? (6)
2 Name a brilliantly coloured parrot. (7)
3 What is a knightly or heroic champion? (7)
4 To embrace in affection, is to do what? (6)
5 Name an English orchestral conductor, Sir Thomas ... (7)
6 When one separates into parts, one does what? (7)
7 What are female donkeys? (7)
13 Name a fabric woven with an elaborate design from any yarn. (7)
14 What is an array of many bright colours? (7)
15 To slide unsteadily along a surface, is to do what? (7)
17 What do we call a disciple sent forth to preach the gospel? (7)
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NO MORE BOONDAH Tackling Indigenous Smoking
Your journey to better health starts here.
At Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services, we stand with you on your journey to quit smoking — for yourself, for your family, and for future generations. Smoking is one of the biggest health challenges in our community, but you are stronger than the smokes. Every cigarette not smoked is a step toward a longer, healthier life.
YOU’RE NOT ALONE
Winnunga offers culturally safe, free, and confidential support:
• Quit plans tailored for you
Why Quit?
Stronger lungs, stronger heart, stronger you
More money in your pocket — save thousands every year
Healthy bubbas — quitting before or during pregnancy helps babies grow strong
Be a role model for your kids, your mob, your community
It’s Never Too Late
Whether it’s your first time trying or your fifth, Winnunga is here to walk with you. Every day smoke-free is a win.
• Yarn with our friendly Aboriginal Health Workers
• Free nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, sprays)
• Ongoing support and encouragement at every step
