Marque Magazine Winter 2016

SILVER SCREEN How BMW and MINI made it big in Hollywood

ICY BEAUTY Take a cruise to Antarctica

THE AUTO CLASSIC MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016

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CONTENTS MARQUE | THE AUTO CLASSIC MAGAZINE | WINTER 2016 EDITION

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WELCOME TO MARQUE MAGAZINE

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his year - more than any other - is an extremely important year for the BMW Group globally.

One hundred years ago the company began and to mark the occasion, I have great pleasure in welcoming you to this special centenary celebration issue of Marque magazine.

There’s plenty here to show you just why the BMW Group has stayed ahead of the curve for so long, from a definitive history of the company from its earliest days, to a future-forward feature about what the designs of the future may look like.

Cars from across the decades have often caught the eye of savvy film-makers, ending up as the vehicle of choice from James Bond to Julia Roberts’ Pretty Woman, and to really celebrate in style, read how just 100 people in the world will be the fortunate owners of a very special BMW 7 Series Centennial edition.

We’ve included stories too that celebrate other milestones, from Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary to STYLEAID’s forthcoming 19th fashion fundraiser for AIDS, sponsored by MINI. There’s plenty of travel ideas too - we’ve compiled a list of some of the most luxurious new openings around the world for armchair travellers everywhere, and our writers have spent time in Stockholm, Antarctica, the Kimberley and Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands.

In this special edition, I hope you’ll agree there’s much to celebrate - and much to look forward to as well.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Gabi Gabi Mills Editor, Marque Magazine

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MQ FASHION

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MQ TIPS

he hottest shows, events, travel T and ideas around

14 MQ COLLECTABLES

Beautiful pens make a statement 18 WATCHWATCH

Invest in a timepiece from Smales 20

Strange sports as an antidote to the Olympics

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BMW - 100 YEARS SPECIAL

From 1916 to now

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BMW - 100 YEARS SPECIAL

What's next for the BMW Group?

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MQ LET'S GO TO . . .

Stockholm, Sweden’s capital

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MQ PEOPLE

Antarctic explorer Douglas

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MQ CULTURE All the world's a stage - catch a very special performance of Othello this winter.

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Mawson's hut revisited

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MQ TRAVEL

Explore the icy wastes of Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions

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MQ TRAVEL

Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands

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Luxury travel round-up

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BMW FEATURES

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52 50

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BMW PREVIEW BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo

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MQ PROPERTY Oswald Homes’ attention

to detail

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MQ PERFORMANCE Cameron Daddo

50 BMW PREVIEW BMW 7 Series Centennial

Model

MQ THIRST What makes sake so special?

BMW APPETITE

Bib & Tucker’s head chef is heading to Abu Dhabi

61 MQ ART Artist Sioux Tempestt’s new

exhibition

THE AUTO CLASSIC MAGAZINE

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MQ FASHION

STYLEAID’s magical theme

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MQ BOOKS

War maps and how they

changed the world

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MQ R&R

Kung fu fighting

76

MQ CULTURE

Shakespeare’s 400th

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58

64

80

anniversary

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MQ EXPERIENCE

The Ord Valley Muster

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BMW - 100 YEARS SPECIAL

Silver screen car stars

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LAST WORD

Maud Edmiston

Published by

Editor

Gabi Mills | gabi@premiumpublishers.com.au

Premium Publishers,

Art Director

Cally Browning | cally@barecreative.com.au

Freemasons House,

Sales

Natalie Du Preez | natalie@premiumpublishers.com.au

181 Roberts Road, Subiaco

Contributors Norman Burns, Adam Collins, Ashleah Cummings, Dianne Bortoletto, Carmen Jenner, David Killick, Beverly Ligman, Matthew Mills, Michael Travers, Martin Woods

WA 6008.

Ph (08) 9273 8933 premiumpublishers.com.au

Images

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PREMIUM PUBLISHERS

TIPS

The hottest events, the best innovations, travel inspiration and exhibitions

POETRY IN MOTION

IMAGE Courtesy Carsten Windhorst

THEROUX THE LOOKING GLASS

ACROBATS, JUGGLERS, STRONGMEN, contortionists and high-flying aerialists from around the world will perform incredible acts in front of and above the West Australian Symphony Orchestra when Cirque de la Symphonie makes their Perth debut with WASO on July 22.

There will be a matinee on July 23 at Perth Concert Hall.

WASO will perform a collection of classical music favourites fusing the power and majesty of live orchestral music with breathtaking circus artistry in this action-packed performance.

 Cirque de la Symphonie, Perth Concert Hall. Tickets from

“The weirdest thing about weird people is how normal they are...” ~ British filmmaker Louis Theroux.

$49 on sale now at WASO, call 08 9326 0000 or visit waso.com.au

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nd he should know. The 46-year-old BBC journalist, who is coming to Perth in September as part of a national tour, has shared the screen with some of the most confronting, challenging, and out-right bizarre humans on this (and possibly any other) planet.

Getting neo-Nazis, alien “communicators”, porn stars, televangelists, murderers and religious extremists to open up before the camera is a knack the unassuming, tall Londoner has honed since his first TV series Weird Weekends screened in the mid 1990s.

Theroux though got started in print journalism. He worked for New York’s legendary Spy magazine, which famously savaged the glitterati of the Big Apple - and also ran a memorable restaurant review column based on New York City health department reports; restaurants were rated with not by stars but by graphics of vermin, cockroaches and other health hazards uncovered by the city’s health inspectors. He got his break into TV when US doco maker Michael Moore hired him as a writer and correspondent for his ground-

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breaking satirical show, TV Nation.

While Theroux made his name by initially concentrating on the decidedly off-beat, his latter documentaries have focused on the confronting - such as the terminally ill, mental health for children in the US, the dementia epidemic and more. All have been sensitively handled, resulting in powerful, emotive stories presented in a balanced way. He’s since won a slew of awards, including two BAFTAs. On the eve of his Perth visit, Theroux told ABC Lateline presenter Tony Jones: “I’m always careful to say that I’m really a documentary presenter more than a documentary maker. I don’t actually direct the films that I’m involved with so my role is to be a questioner, a sort of provoker, when appropriate, someone who can get to the truth.”

Theroux will lift the lid on his work - interspersed with clips and behind the scenes footage of some of his most memorable TV interviews - in a two-hour stage show, hosted by Julia Zemiro, at Perth’s Riverside Theatre on September 22 and 23.  For more information, visit louistherouxlive.com

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KINGKEATING

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rish superstar Ronan Keating is bringing his Time of My Life World Tour to Perth, with headline dates throughout Australia, this spring.

Touring in support of this his 10th studio album, aptly entitled Time Of My Life, the former Boyzone star says: “This is the music I’ve always wanted to make. This is who I am and it feels absolutely right. To go out with all this new material, and playing guitar, will be so exciting. These songs were written for live performance.”

For Ronan, twenty-two years of making music has yielded an impressive tally of achievements, including 40 million album sales with Boyzone, 22 million copies sold of nine solo albums, 14 solo #1 singles and an Ivor Novello Award for Picture Of You (1997).

But they are not something Ronan is dwelling on; right now he is all about pushing on with a bold new chapter.

Time of My Life (out now through Universal Music Australia) finds Ronan back at his very best - worldly wise, with a bevy of self-penned, heartfelt and revealing songs. 12 tracks that move between touching acoustic moments as felt on lead single Let Me Love You, to the anthemic Don’t Think I Remember and the second single to be lifted from the album, Breathe.

These are instantly affecting songs of celebration and emotion, of love and loss, and honesty.

Ronan is currently appearing alongside Jessie J, Delta Goodrem and The Madden Brothers as a coach on Channel 9’s The Voice.

Ronan Keating, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, November 12.

For complete tour and ticketing details including Meet & Greet and other VIP Packages, visit: livenation.com.au.

Margaret River Open 10am-6pm 7 Days (winter hours)

Limeburners in pursuit of excellence

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MQ TIPS

HEARTH & HOME

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s the name conjures up, EcoSmart’s Lighthouse Series provides a clear and mesmerising light – perfect for illuminating outdoor areas and providing a stunning focal point for any alfresco location.

The cylindrical design ensures the flame can be easily seen and enjoyed.

Made with weatherproof materials including toughened glass and classic concrete composite, the lighthouse fires are created for myriad purposes, lighting up a space, creating a design statement or spectacular entrance feature, and enhancing the warmth and ambience of all types of outdoor – or indoor – rooms.

The Lighthouse Series is just one of EcoSmart Fire’s new standalone outdoor fires, all of which put the emphasis on redefining outdoor living.

“Our outdoor fires provide the ultimate drawcard with myriad benefits – warmth, captivating illumination, not to mention the ability to define spaces,”

says Stephane Thomas, creator of EcoSmart Fire.

“They add a simple but stylish design element to the outdoor room or garden – or indoor environment – creating a focal point and enhancing the ambience.

“Akin to the kitchen being the heart of the home, these outdoor fires are the centrepiece of gathering spaces – drawing people in, whether for a domestic or commercial environment.”

EcoSmart Fire has also played a pivotal role in spearheading the

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creation of global standards and testing platforms for this ground-breaking wave of ethanol-fuelled fireplaces. Safety is infused into every aspect of EcoSmart Fire’s process, from the quality of research and development, to the operational system and builtin safety features.

No other manufacturer has a collection so comprehensively tested and listed by third-party laboratories to safety standards.

Behind the stylish façade of EcoSmart Fires is a sophisticated heating system that uses the cleanest, most efficient fuel source on the market: bioethanol.

To find out more about the new range, visit ecosmartfire.com.au

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Styles by Oswald

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Discover your individual style with Oswald Homes.

To view our range of styles visit oswaldhomes.com.au or call (08) 9231 4800.

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Experience an Oswald display home at 41 Kintail Rd, Applecross or 19 Riley Rd, Claremont.

Open Saturday and Sunday 2pm - 4pm, or by private appointment.

CM_OHHAMP103 | Builders Reg No 11420

MQ TIPS

TIME FOR A WIN

SILVER SCREEN CHAIR

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inefestOZ, Australia’s premier destination film festival, is delighted to announce that award-winning Australian feature film and documentary director Gillian Armstrong has accepted the role of Jury Chair for the 2016 festival.

Armstrong is one of Australia’s most successful and respected filmmakers. Her feature film Directorial debut, My Brilliant Career, adapted from the breakthrough Miles Franklin novel, was a huge success both here and abroad, launching the careers of iconic Australian actors Judy Davis and Sam Neill.

Armstrong said she is delighted and honoured to be invited back to the south west of Western Australia, this time as the Jury Chair.

“I attended three years ago and was very impressed by the quality

of the films and the warmth of the audience towards Australian films and filmmakers. It was both an enlightening and entertaining event with great seminars, films, wine and networking. Since then the Festival and the Film Prize have grown even more in status.

CinefestOZ should be commended for its continued support of the Australian and Western Australian film industry,” Armstrong said.

The CinefestOZ Film Prize encourages excellence in Australian filmmaking by providing a $100,000 financial award to an Australian feature film or feature-length documentary.

In 2015, the second CinefestOZ Film Prize was won by the documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers, which has since gone on to screen at film festivals in Tahiti and Toronto, has made its television debut and recently been nominated by the Film Critics Circle of Australia for Best Documentary.

The full CinefestOZ film and event program and ticket sales go live on 31 July. Early bird tickets will be available from July 11 via cinefestoz.com

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THE OFFICIAL WATCH supplier of the Qantas Wallabies for the last three years, Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko, has announced it is extending its partnership with Australian Rugby for another two years.

In the deal, Seiko will continue supplying prizes to the Qantas Wallabies Man of the Match, and will have an increased matchday presence through LED signage, program advertisements and big screen TVCs, as well as being integrated into rugby.com.au channels.

ARU general manager John Nicholl said: “We’re delighted that Seiko has decided to extend their partnership with us, as the official timepiece of the Qantas Wallabies. As a brand that represents precision, accuracy and reliability, they share many of our values and will continue to remain a valued partner of Australian Rugby.”

On Seiko’s side, managing Director Toru Koizumi said: “Seiko is excited to extend its association with the Australian Rugby Union and the Qantas Wallabies. The Qantas Wallabies are a brand recognised around the world as a successful and professional team. Seiko has a strong history of sports involvement and the Qantas Wallabies add further strength to our commitment of sport.”

No excuse for being late to training then, boys.

AUTOCLASSIC.COM.AU

Arts leader moves to West Australian Ballet

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he chairman of West Australian Ballet, Dr Robert Edwardes recently announced the appointment of Jessica Machin to the position of executive director.

“Jessica was chosen for this important role at WAB following a very competitive selection process. She has held senior arts management positions across Australia and most recently as the CEO at Country Arts WA. We are very pleased that she has accepted our offer to join the team at West Australian Ballet”, said Dr Edwardes.

“West Australian Ballet has had two of its most successful seasons already this year and we look forward to Jessica’s contribution to building on the strengths of the company,” he said.

Jessica said she was delighted to join West Australian Ballet as their executive director.

“I am very excited to be working in partnership with the Artistic Director, Aurélien Scannella, in achieving the artistic vision for the company and am looking forward to working with the whole West Australian Ballet company in enriching people’s lives through dance.”

“I am thrilled by this new opportunity, which will enable me to engage with the arts sector in a different capacity. " I have had a love of dance since a

young child when I saw The Nutcracker at five, presented by the Royal Ballet in London. My passion for regional communities and the people in them remains, as is my desire for meaningful and sustainable engagement with the rest of the arts sector.”

The appointment capped an exciting new period for the local ballet company, which also recently announced that after more than 20 years, West Australian Ballet will be touring Jakarta, Indonesia in August.

WA Ballet is the first western ballet company to be invited to perform in Jakarta and the gala-style programme will include David Dawson’s 5 and On the Nature of Daylight, a solo from The Nutcracker, a pas de dux from David Nixon’s Beauty & the Beast, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s La Pluie, and a ball scene from Jayne Smeulders’ Cinderella along with a performance by a youth ensemble comprising local Indonesian dancers.

Initiated by the Ballet Indonesia Foundation (Ballet.id) and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, the tour has been made possible by an investment of $114,440 from the federal government’s Catalyst arts fund and $20,000 from WA’s Department of Culture and the Arts. Visit waballet.com.au

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new book celebrating the rich artistic talent in the Margaret River region is being launched later this year.

The Artists of the Margaret River Region (published by M&P Publishing, $40) includes profiles of over 60 artists from the area, photographed in their studios by Elements of Margaret River. Capturing the artists at work reveals the inspiring environment within which many of Western Australia’s most popular artists create their work.

Written by local writers Carmen Jenner and Gabi Mills, the history of art in the region is also explored, as well as the important relationship between local galleries, wineries and artists.

Produced in association with MRROS (Margaret River Region Open Studios), an organisation which has successfully driven thousands of art-loving visitors through the doors of the artists’ studios for the past three years, the new book will be a wonderful legacy publication for all those who appreciate Western Australian art and love the region.

Visit premiumpublishers.com.au to order a copy.

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COLLECTABLES

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD Who said the written word was a dying art? Not the makers of luxury fountain pens, miniature works of art and engineering excellence that are snapped up by collectors, and lovers of fine penmanship, the world over.

By NORMAN BURNS. Images courtesy AURORA, MONTBLANC, CARAN D'ACHE, SAILOR, VISCONTI

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t’s easy to forget in this all-singing, all-dancing, digital age that many things still depend on an oldfashioned craft - handwriting.

The signing of wills, marriage certificates, international peace treaties, official documents and government papers, passport applications, often even the humble

household shopping list are still, either for legal reasons or out of sheer convenience, done the “analog” way by putting pen to paper.

Now in most cases the pen will be a ballpoint - a Bic or somesuch - and the user won’t give two seconds’ thought to the how, whys and wherefores of this nifty little French invention.

ELABORATE engraving, such as on this Caran d’Ache Plume Wildlife pen (above), elevates many fountain pens to miniature works of art. Others, such as these Millionaire models from Italy’s Visctoni (right), include amazing use of material such as marble.

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But for some the writing instrument of their choosing will be something far, far more elaborate; a fountain pen, drawing from an ink reservoir, possibly encrusted in gems, or with precious metal adornments or miniature sculptures, and a price tag that could reach past $1million.

Up until the early 1800s, those that

could write would use a quill dipped in ink; when the first fountain pens, which had an ink reservoir filled with an eye stopper, appeared they could be more trouble than they were worth.

Ink leaked frequently and the ink flow onto a surface was erratic.

And it was a messy fountain pen which was the catalyst for a clever idea that transformed the nascent fountain pen industry.

When a leaking pen ruined a deal with a client, insurance salesman Lewis Waterman got mad - and then got thinking. In 1884 he designed a patented nib (the pen’s metal tip) with tiny grooves in it.

He called it the “three fissure feed” system and this simple, but neat, innovation meant air circulated to the pen’s ink reservoir. Presto - this stopped any overflow of ink when the pen was being used (and presumably any more lost sales). By 1888 Waterman was selling 5,000 pens a year, rising to 1,000 day by the time he died in 1901.

The company thrived and continued to innovate – it was the first to put a clip on its pen so you could carry it upright in the pocket and in 1907 it introduced the “safety” fountain pen, which wouldn’t spill ink no matter how you carried it. In the 1950s its C/F model was the first modern cartridge fountain pen.

Brands such as Parker and Sheaffer also took off in the early 20th century.

Shaeffer’s pens had gold nibs and were three times more expensive than rivals but by the mid 1920s the company had 25% of the US market.

Parker, founded in 1889, was also an innovator; its Jack Knife Safety Pen of 1911 had a special screw-down cap to make the pen ink-tight.

Parker, Sheaffer (now part of the Bic empire) and Waterman are still going strong but they weren’t the only game in town. Italy’s Montegrappa (founded 1912), Aurora (1919), Germany’s Montblanc (1908), Switzerland’s Caran d’Ache (1915), Japan’s Sailor (1911), S.T. Dupont (France, 1872) and others soon

became major players. And all are still in business today, a testament not only to the quality of their products but to the continuing fascination with finely crafted writing instruments.

In Australia, too, there’s a growing interest in luxury writing instruments and, according to calligraphy and pen expert Barbara Nichol, it’s a hobby that transcends all age groups - and budgets.

“Young people are really interested too,” says Barbara, who operates the Pensdeluxe Group which has stores in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

“They often do not have the budget of older customers however they are equally passionate about making a collection. Many with limited funds collect all the brands of ink - some of these bottles are up to $50. The younger collectors are also interested in improving their penmanship,” she says.

And that’s an area Barbara is passionate about, too. Her love of good writing (and the instruments with which to do so) stems from her childhood.

“Apart from taking copybooks very seriously as a child and striving for perfection by spending a lot of after-school time at the local stationery store in my hometown Boonah in country Queensland buying copper-plate nibs and inks, my mother and father both had superb penmanship,” she says.

Barbara became a schoolteacher and, finding her students could not write very well, began to teach them calligraphy. Her husband Bruce, an architectural draughtsman, also loved pen and ink and got the chance to work in a pen shop in London when Barbara took up a Churchill Fellowship in 1980 to study handwriting at Oxford.

When the pair returned to Australia they set up their first specialty pen shop, in Brisbane - and Barbara continued to teach people the art of handwriting.

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RAZZLE-DAZZLE These diamondencrusted Diamente pens from Italy’s Aurora have a price tag of $1.4 million - each; 30 were made, in platinum and gold versions, and just one is released for sale each year.

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well if you know how - and the fountain pen is the perfect tool with which to do so.

“Most teaching has focused on what ‘style’ to write and this has caused many to give up to despair. I have a technique of teaching without any reference to style only based on raising awareness of the best way to manipulate the writing instrument.

"I treat it more like a coach in sport (the correct way) of using a bat or racquet. Pen-hold is very important - and it is a myth that it is difficult to change.”

The collectable pen market is a broad church. Some collectors

MQ COLLECTABLES

Montblanc -

110 years of excellence

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016 marks the 110th anniversary of one of the world’s pioneers in fine writing instruments - Montblanc.

Founded in Hamburg in 1906, it produced its first fountain pen - the Rouge et Noir - in 1909 after three years’ research and development. The brand, and its famous six-pointed white star, began to make a real impact by the 1920s, launching its own ink and the now-iconic Meisterstuck fountain pen.

Today, Montblanc’s portfolio of luxury goods covers everything from jewellery, leather goods, perfumes and high-end watches - and, of course, a stellar line-up of pens. Montblanc has launched a new series of “re-imagined” models of its pioneering Rouge et Noir line-up to mark its anniversary.

The pens feature a vintage look and a clever combination of modern touches, such as piston technology for the ink flow and a new alloy metal for the clip, and classic materials such as ebonite (a natural rubber compound that was once a common material in pens; it was impervious to ink, which made it ideal to store the ink inside the pen).

concentrate on original, or scarce, examples of early models (generally grouped from the late 19th century to the 1960s); other pens become collectable because of their provenance (i.e. used to sign a peace treaty, or owned by a movie star etc).

Says Barbara: “We have a pen used by Ernest Hemingway and also one owned by Mussolini’s mistress.

I have early prototypes of pens that were never put into production. A famous one is The Golden Swan, which was ready to be produced when the company folded in the 1950s.”

Then there are modern, made-forcollectors limited editions that often

EXQUISITE fountain pens from Aurora (top left) and Montblanc (above and right) are on a par with high-end watches for collectors.

are grouped according to a specific theme (such as the Mightier than the Sword series from Montegrappa, the first of which is dedicated to Hemingway). These can come with price tags ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and well beyond.

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While pens can be an investment, most collectors are in it for the thrill of the hunt and, says Barbara, an appreciation of the amazing detail and workmanship that goes into them.

“We have been in business for over 35 years and we have a name for having pens that are not available

generally. The latest Faber-Castell Pen of the Year series on European palaces has been very much sought-after, with the pens in the $10,000 range.

“The latest one was of the Schonbrunn Palace of Vienna incredible craftsmanship. Only 500 were made in the platinum-plated version and 120 in the gold-plated limited edition.

“On the barrel one finds polished maple flame wood, a rare and naturally occurring grist anomaly producing a wavy pattern perpendicular to the wood’s grain.

The barrel of the 500-piece edition is also adorned with black onyx plates cut and polished by Herbert Stephan, a specialty gem crafter in Rheinland,’’ she says.

The gold-plated model features the Japanese art of Maki-e (literally sprinkled picture) which involves painstakingly hand-sprinkled gold dust incorporated into the design.

“You can see why collectors go weak at the knees over all this exquisite beauty all wrapped up in a fountain pen which they can play with for hours…especially if they work at a desk and draft and sign documents,” says Barbara.

While $10,000 for a pen is not to be sneezed at, it is nothing compared to the price tags for the Swiss-made Caran d’Ache 10 to 10.

“This is a tribute to Swiss watchmaking and has 850 diamonds set on the barrel; it was sold to a Hong Kong banker for $1.7 million,’’ says Barbara.

Melbourne pen dealer Andrew Gray, a silversmith by trade who got into the pen business repairing English and French gold and silver writing instruments, says the utility and tactile nature of fountain pens, rather than buying them as investments, is one of the main attractions for collectors.

“The attraction is definitely not investment, it is nostalgia…I can write five times faster with a fountain pen than a ball point and five times clearer. Vintage pens are

GOING TO SCRIPT As well as being a fountain pen enthusiast, Brisbane’s Barbara Nichol teaches the finer points of handwriting. She loves beautifully made pens, such as those from Hiroshima’s Sailor company (below).

Barbara’s top five

becoming scarcer for dealers such as myself to source and consequently more expensive,” he says.

However pinning down the ultimate collectable fountain pen is difficult.

“The Holy Grail pen is in the eye of the beholder,” says Andrew, who chairs the organising committee for the annual Melbourne Pen Show (this year in November).

“There is no universal item which every pen collector or user would love to have. Many collectors and users concentrate on particular makes or models or a series of a particular manufacturer’s range. Good vintage pens range in price in Australia from $60 to $45,000.

“For me, if there was a Holy Grail, it would be Conway Stewart’s 2005 18-carat gold Centenary Pen, currently worth about $35,000. Sadly, Conway Stewart went out of business in 2014…”

1 Sailor, a range of pens from Hiroshima in Japan, are my top pick. Incredible nibs from extrafine to triple broad.

2 Caran d’Ache from Geneva are really splendid in a high jewellery style. I love the limited edition Dr Zhivago from Caran d’Ache.

3 Aurora have all the passion of Italian craftsmanship and lots of historical themes.

4 Montblanc limited editions are always incredibly well designed to reflect a theme of a writer or patron of the arts. The Charlie Chaplin pen (only 100 made) is one. Very rare - wish I had one.

5 S.T. Dupont made a wonderful pen to celebrate the Orient Express Railway.

“I fall in love with different pens every year - it is nice to be in love all the time,’’ she says. MQ

Want to know more?

T. Sharp & Co (612 Hay St Perth, 9325 5786) stocks a great range of collectable fountain pens.

Montblanc pens are available at the Montblanc Boutique, 125 St Georges Tce, Ph 9320 0888.

The Melbourne Pen Show, at Malvern Town Hall on November 27, will feature vintage and modern pens, calligraphy displays and more. Visit melbpenshow.com.au for more information.

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WATCHWATCH Presented by SMALES

BASELWORLD BEAUTIES

By NORMAN BURNS Images COURTESY ROLEX, TUDOR AND BREITLING

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very year at Switzerland’s Baselworld Watch and Jewellery fair watchmakers get to strut their latest, and greatest, models. The fair, which is open to the public, this year drew 145,000 visitors through the doors, plus 4,400 media representatives to check out 1,500 brands.

Rolex, its sister brand Tudor and aviation watch specialist Breitling all launched some fantastic new models that prove even in the digital age the wristwatch industry still has that wow factor.

BREITLING NAVITIMER 1884 $12,730 || Breitling’s slogan is “Instruments for Professionals” and this limited edition beauty (just 1,884 worldwide) certainly fits the bill. At 46mm, the Navitimer sports a spectacular, functionrich dial that includes a rotating bezel with aviation slide rule (first introduced by the brand in 1952) and calendar functions (pointer date display and twin date/ month apertures). Add chronograph functions (1/4th second, 30 minutes and 12 hours) and this is a serious piece of kit. An automatic Breitling Caliber 21 movement runs the show and each piece of this striking steelwith-black-dial watch has an engraved, numbered case back.

All models are available from Smales Subiaco showroom.

BREITLING AVENGER HURRICANE || $11,570 Big, black, bold and beautiful - Breitling's new Avenger Hurricane is not for the fainthearted watch fan. For a start, its a 50mm beast but without the burden - Breitling has introduced a new, patented, case material it calls Breitlight that is 3.3 times lighter than titanium and 5.8 times lighter than steel but harder than both. That makes it scratch and corrosion resistant, anti-magnetic, plus it has a warmer touch than steel on the wrist.

And that's only the case - powered by Breitling's Caliber B12 movement (automatic and chronometer-certified) the Avenger Hurricane, water-resistant to 100m, is packed with functionality, all framed by a mean-looking military-style face with its aviation-themed stencil hour markers. A bright yellow strap that combines a yellow rubber core with high-resistance black military textile fibre exterior completes what is a very striking package indeed.

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TUDOR BLACK BAY BRONZE $4,750 || The Tudor brand has long been in the shadow of its big sister Rolex but, like all little siblings, it is growing up fast.

Last year it released its own in-house movement, the pinnacle of watchmaking, and at Baselworld knocked the socks of watch fans with this new Black Bay diver’s watch - the case made from a beautiful aluminium/bronze alloy that has echoes of those pioneering dive helmets and ship’s fittings.

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA || $15,700 Rolex needs no introduction as one of Watchdog’s most respected luxury brands but this new version of one of its most collectable watches, the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, got a rock star reception at Basel this year.

An automatic chronometer Calibre 4130 Rolex movement is the engine room of what will surely become an instant classic, just as with the original (released in 1963).

For 2016 Rolex has introduced a hi-tech ceramic bezel and added a platinum PVD (Physical Vapour Deposit) layer to the watch’s outer tachymetric scale (to measure speed such as lap times at the Daytona racetrack). In other words, the Daytona has had a 21st-century overhaul without compromising its classic sports watch roots. Steel, waterproof to 100m, the 40mm diameter watch has a 72-hour power reserve and three chronograph functions (30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock and the centre hand which is accurate to 1/8 of a second). If you want a Rolex for the ages, this is one to snap up…

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER || $8,450 Rolex launched its Oyster Perpetual Explorer in 1953 soon after New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mt Everest. The watch, too, has scaled the heights to become an instant classic. This is a Rolex with a classic, but robust, clean design and for 2016 the company has made some subtle design changes. It has added a luminescent material to the hour markers and hands, and also made the hands wider. The result is an exceptionally legible face that, under low light conditions, emits a soothing blue glow. The famous Rolex Oyster case, with its patented Twinlock double waterproofing system, guarantees the watch to be watertight to 100m. And, of course, a superlative Rolex automatic chronometer movement (Calibre 3132) runs things, well, like clockwork.

At 39mm, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer, which has a 48-hour power reserve, will suit those who want a more subtle look on the wrist.

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Those who like their watches to be really unique will also get a kick out of the Black Bay Bronze for, depending on how it is worn, each watch will develop over time its own individual patina. The Tudor automatic movement (officially chronometer certified, which means it meets exacting standards for accuracy) ticks things along nicely in this 43mm piece, which is waterproof to 200m. Matched with a rugged brown leather dial, this is sure to be a showstopper in or out of the water.

All timepieces available at Smales Subiaco showroom. smales.com.au

SPORT

WILD

WILD WORLD of SPORT

The Rio Olympic Games may be the biggest, most expensive sporting event on the planet but they’re not the only game in town. In fact, dig around a little and you can uncover an entire parallel sports universe.

By NORMAN BURNS Images courtesy WORLD ALTERNATIVE GAMES, MALDON MUD RACE, HENLEY ON TODD INC.,WORLD CONKER CHAMPIONSHIPS

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ome August, months - if not years - of preparation will come to a head for hundreds of highly tuned athletes.

They’ll put their bodies, and possibly minds, on the line in two weeks of intense competition against the best of the best from the world over.

And, at the end of the day (and possibly at the start and even during working hours) they’ll slake their thirst, toasting the camaraderie

that only sport can produce - even if they’ve been battling it head-tohead out in the husband dragging contest…

Wait a minute? Husband dragging? Err, yes.

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WORLD'S BEST The Rio Olympics may attract well known sports stars, but the World Alternative Games in Wales also recognises special talents.

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Championship, husband dragging is one of the star attractions of the World Alternative Games being held in Wales from August 12-29.

Ironically, the spark for WAG (which last year attracted 2,000 competitors; an Australian is current world toe wrestling champion) was lit when Wales was ignored on the London 2012 Olympics schedule.

Locals at the tiny Welsh village of Llanwrtyd Wells (officially the

smallest town in Britain), which thanks to some smart tourist marketing has been hosting celebrations of the weird and wonderful since the late 1970s (the World Bog Snorkelling Champions for example), came up with the idea for an “Olympic-like Games” but with the accent on the truly off-beat.

Thus was born WAG, an instant hit from the beginning (2,000 competitors took part across 35 events in 2012 and the games have been growing ever since).

“Yes, WAG started (in 2012) after London hosted the Olympics and

the WAG ethos is one of a more altruistic nature (although gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for first, second and thirdplaced competitors). “Everybody who takes part gets a Corinthian medal as our motto is that taking part is more important than winning,” says Karen.

For more information, visit worldalternativegames.co.uk

hardly anything was placed in Wales.

A small group came up with the idea of putting on alternative games… we already had history of putting on events such as bog snorkelling and man v horse, so we expanded on this,” says 2016 WAG organiser Karen Perkins.

Naturally WAG is aimed at promoting tourism, and with thousands of spectators flocking to Llanwrtyd Wells and surrounding centres (who wouldn’t want to watch world-class worm charming?) WAG is estimated to generate millions of pounds for the region.

And while the mega-athletes are battling it out for individual or national glory in steamy Rio,

the heart of Australia, the famous Henley-on-Todd Regatta in Alice Springs also draws in the crowds, and competitors, for a unique sailing event that is now in its 55th year.

Organised by Rotary, the regatta involves crews running in a spectacular array of bottomless boats down the dry Todd River bed (in 1993 the regatta was cancelled because the river was actually in flow due to heavy rain). Around 450 sailors participated in 2015, with thousands more watching and this year Rotary is aiming to raised $100,000 for The Fred Hollows Foundation. MQ The 2016 Henley-on-Todd regatta is on August 20; for more information, visit henleyontodd.com.au

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT The Northern Hemisphere doesn’t have exclusive dibs on the wild and wacky sporting arena; right in

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the man’s turn to do the heavy lifting.

The Finnish town of Sonkajarvi has been host to the World Wife Carrying Championships for the past 20 years. The rules are simple: a man must negotiate a 253.5m course while carrying a ‘wife’ on his back (according to officials, the man does not actually have to be married to the female he is carrying). The ‘wife’ must weigh at least 49kg, and be aged over 17.

Oh, and dropping or bouncing the ‘wife’ incurs a 15-second penalty. With a mobile phone going to the winner - plus their ‘wife’s’ weight in beer - the championships attract competitors from all over the world.

For more information, visit eukonkanto.fi/en

THE MUDDER OF ALL RACES Funny how many pub dares lead on to some pretty amazing things.

Take the Maldon Mud Race, for instance. When a local in Maldon, Essex, challenged the landlord of the Queens Head pub in 1973 to serve a meal on the saltings (land that appears only at low tide) of the Rivers Blackwater dressed in a dinner jacket the challenge was on…

To get to the saltings the landlord had to wade through thick mud; not only did he complete the dare, the next year he set up a bar in the mud to which patrons had to dash across to,

drink a pint, and then dash back.

The Maldon Mud Race was thus born, and it has run (almost continuously) ever since, with a field of hundreds now taking part and thousands of spectators (20,000 watched this year’s race), with all proceeds going to charity.

The next race is scheduled for May 7 2017 and entries fill up fast; for details on entering, visit maldonmudrace.com.

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ON YOUR MARKS Take your pick of alternative sports from mud races to man vs horse compeitions.

GAME OF THROWS The battle lines will form in Northamptonshire in October when hundreds will flock to the ancient market town of Oundle to watch a fierce gladiatorial contest involving horse chestnut seeds and foot-long pieces of string. Yes, it’s the World Conker Championships, the aim being to knock your opponent’s nut off the string.

Organised by the Ashton Conker Club, the event has been running since 1965 and this year teams from around the world are expected to challenge for the “Conker Crown”. Proceeds from the event go to charities for the blind and visually impaired. For more details, visit worldconkerchampionships.com MQ

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I N T U I T I V E LY DE S IG N E D A R O U N D YO U

New Business Class

Experience the perfect space for work, play and relaxation with the New Business Class on Singapore Airlines. An all-in-one business panel with in-seat power supply keeps you plugged in, while convenient stowage areas keep your belongings within easy reach. The 28-inch wide seat features new reclining positions for maximum comfort and transforms into a fully flat bed for a good night’s rest. Every feature is thoughtfully designed with you in mind.

Available onboard the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on selected flights.

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100 YEARS OF BMW

THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY

BMW celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and shows no signs of slowing down in its quest to shape individual mobility for another 100 years.

I

nnovation. Versatility. Engineering excellence. Strategic thinking.

Savvy customer awareness.

All are hallmarks of BMW, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary and evolution from a small, Munich-based aero-engine maker to a global automotive giant, as well as a provider of premium finance and mobility services.

The company’s initial origins, though, were in making engines

for trucks, boats and motorcycles (production of aero engines was initially banned in Germany after the First World War ended). When one of its clients, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, bought the rights to the brand, logo, production facilities and workforce in June 1922, a new era dawned.

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TIME AND TIDE From early days manufacturing trucks, boats and motorcycles to the present day's dream machines, the BMW Group has always put excellence first.

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Flugzeugwerke AG began on March 7 1916 this is regarded as the founding date).

Germany’s move towards rearmament brought massive benefits to BMW as once again aero engines became the focus for government procurement agencies - and their militaristic objectives.

Today BMW acknowledges that during this dark era for Germany much of its labour was sourced

from convicts, forced workers and concentration camp inmates. In 1983, with the publication of the book BMW - a German Story, the company was the first German industrial to open up its past to public scrutiny and discussion. BMW AG was also among the inaugural members of the Remembrance, Responsibility, Future Foundation established in 1999 to compensate victims of forced labour.

From the beginning, innovation has been a cornerstone of the BMW ethos.

Its first motorcycle, the BMW R 32, came onto the market in 1923 but while rival manufacturers were still working with the geometry of bicycles, BMW designed its motorbike around the engine. The R 32 thus was the first motorcycle powered by a horizontally opposed twin-cylinder Boxer engine, with a manual gearbox bolted directly to the engine and power transmission along a shaft instead of a chain or belt.

These key attributes remain defining characteristics for BMW motorcycles with Boxer, or flat-twin, engines to this day.

Similarly, BMW broke new ground in 1933 with its revolutionary lightweight BMW303; the kidneyshaped grille remains a distinctive BMW feature. The car used a tubular frame with twin down tubes of different cross-sections, proving that a car did not need to literally weigh a ton to have stable driving characteristics.

Adapting to challenging business conditions is another BMW hallmark over the years.

Post-war, BMW had to adopt a new business approach; sales of cars, which resumed production only in 1952, were slow and by 1959 BMW AG was close to being bought by rival Daimler-Benz AG. But a last-minute restructuring plan saw BMW not only survive the takeover bid but go from strength to strength thanks to release of the BMW 1500, the first of its New Class models.

The oil crisis of the early 1970s

FAVOURITE WHEELS Everybody has their favourite BMW model whether it's the 5 series or the new eco-friendly i models.

was another challenge, but by 1975 demand for BMW’s range, spurred by the launch of the BMW 5 Series, began to gather pace.

Another string to the BMW bow was - and is - an uncanny ability to identify customers’ aspirations not covered by other players in the market.

Examples include the quirky two-seat BMW Isetta, which sold more than 160,000 units in post-war Germany; even in the USA, where the big car was king, demand for the Isetta was strong.

The BMW 1500, launched in 1961, was an immediate hit - a four-door, slickly designed mid-range saloon with advanced chassis technology that was sporty but functional - a new class that was a symbol of individuality.

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a powerful motorsport model launched in 1965 along with a new slogan that resonates just as strongly today - The Ultimate Driving Machine.

BMW also pioneered a whole new segment in motorcycles - the Enduro BMW R 80 G/S was the trailblazer for the sporty touring machines now a massive part of the market.

And what would today’s motoring industry look like had BMW not launched the BMW X5 in 1999 at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show?

This seminal SUV, which combined dynamic performance on the road typical of the brand with a high seat position, all-wheel drive and superior handling, was an immediate sensation.

From this stemmed BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicle development, with the company transferring the concept to other vehicle classes - today the range includes five BMW X models, including two Sports Activity Coupes.

BMW will be celebrating its first 100 years, but the company’s focus is still firmly on the future and consolidating its presence as a world-leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.

The BMW i models are perfect examples of this on-going transportation evolution, vehicles designed specifically for pure electrically powered or plug-in hybrid models, the design combining an aluminium chassis with a passenger cell made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.

Just as it did a century ago, BMW aims to be a pioneer in the new frontier of mobility - this time, one independent of fossil fuels and free of local emissions. MQ

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100 YEARS OF BMW

THE FUTURE IS

NOW

The BMW Group may be celebrating its centenary but that’s just another reason for the world-leading automobile company to lead from the front with innovations front and centre.

mobility in the coming decades, based on key megatrends and future projections.

Mobility is becoming versatile.

New forms of mobility will open up countless possibilities for people to get where they want to go. The BMW Group aims to play a part in shaping these future forms of mobility.

Connectivity is becoming second nature.

In the future, everything will be connected. The BMW Group firmly believes that digitalisation and digital intelligence are meant to serve people. That is the only way they will permanently enhance our quality of life.

Mobility is becoming tailor-made.

Mobility will be increasingly flexible and tailored to individual needs. In the future, customised mobility will automatically ensure that people are able to use the best means of transport and take their preferred route to their destination. The BMW Group will offer carefully coordinated products and services to achieve this.

Technology is becoming human.

T

hroughout its history the BMW Group has placed its sights firmly on the future and this has become embedded in the Group’s DNA. So for the centenary in 2016 it’s only natural that the Group is focusing primarily on looking to the future and sharing its vision of personal mobility two or three decades from now.

It’s both exciting and challenging

to imagine how we will live and move around in the future: how will society, the economy, living conditions – and therefore mobility - change? What possibilities will new technologies open up? How will digitalisation and connectivity affect our automotive needs?

To answer these questions, the BMW Group has formulated six central hypotheses for individual

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Technologies are getting smarter.

The BMW Group believes that innovations are only beneficial to humans if they are simple and user friendly. In its vision, technologies must be able to learn from and adapt to people, so that technology seems less technical and more human and familiar.

Energy is becoming emission-free.

In the future, energy will increasingly come from renewable sources. The BMW Group has a clear vision of environmentally-compatible vehicles built using renewable energies and recycled without generating emissions. It is working towards

FAST FACTS The BMW Group With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and nearly 137,000 motorcycles worldwide.

The profit before tax for the financial year 2015 was approximately to $137.15 billion. As of 31 December 2015, the BMW Group had a workforce of 122,244 employees globally

VISIONARY The next 100 years are sure to maintain the BMW Group at the forefront of engineering excellence and design.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

Mobility will be increasingly flexible and tailored to individual needs.

becoming a wholly sustainable company.

Responsibility is becoming diverse.

In the future, it will become even more important for global companies like the BMW Group to take responsibility for the environment, but also for the people

directly or indirectly in its sphere of activity. One aspect – concerning both the company’s international workforce of more than 100 different nationalities and people connected with its various locations – is to promote intercultural exchange and improve lives. The BMW Group already supports more than 200 environmental and social projects in MARQUE WINTER

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over 42 countries engaging in various projects involving its associates and local communities to maximise its impact in the future. (To find out more about Corporate and Intercultural Responsibility at the BMW Group, visit the PressClub at: bmwgroup.com/responsibility).

These six focus areas comprise the BMW Group’s view of the future. They also form the basis and inspiration for the design of the Vision Vehicles the company is unveiling to the public to mark its centenary. Each BMW Group brand interprets the mobility of the future in a way that reflects its own particular values: The BMW VISION NEXT 100 provides a glimpse of what “Sheer Driving Pleasure” could look like in the future.

The MINI VISION NEXT 100 offers a completely individualised, permanently available form of urban mobility.

The Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100 epitomises bespoke automotive luxury.

For future riding pleasure, the BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100 promises limitless freedom. MQ

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LET'S GO

STOCKHOLM Sweden’s capital is a beguiling mix of tradition and modernity, as Adam Collins discovers.

B

y day, the ripe café culture is welcoming and nourishing.

At sunset, serene slithers of water are an Instagrammer’s dream, connecting the islands and masses of land that make this such an appealing city to wander.

Come night, you can dance until the sun comes back up again, at the right time of year not long after it’s set. Welcome to Stockholm.

Within the interconnected jumble of land and sea I decided to target my cultural nourishment on the centrally located island of Sodermalm. It’s where they drink, I’m told; be it coffee in the morning or beer at night. It’s where they eat pizza on the street, cycle by default, visit record shops and vintage stores. It’s where they do life right.

EAT NYTORGET URBAN DELI Nytorget 4, 116 40 The risk of a widely recommended anything is that it can suffer to meet expectations. Not this eatery, doubling as a bar and even an ecofriendly grocery market. Running along a huge corner block, you can people-watch over the road as kids run beneath the fountain when the sun is out. Inside, the staff are both experienced and friendly, gently persuading me into a massive fish casserole and a refreshing local lager.

I had to part with $40, but had no complaints, evidenced by the fact that I came back for another beer after dinner. A venue for all seasons, and with a menu also stocked out for breakfast, all meals, too.

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OMNIPOLLOS HATT Hökens gata 3, 116 46 Beer topped off with ice cream from a soft serve machine?

Why not. Coupled with a massive wood-fired pizza that you can watch being made in front of you at the heaving bar area just off the main drag, it was just the ticket to refuel after a long day on foot. On the expensive side for what it was – I’d rather not pay $14 for a beer too often, even with ice cream on top (seriously) – but the food made it all worthwhile.

FALAFELBAREN SKANSTULL Ringvägen 127, 116 61 Popups are en vogue in Stockholm as much as anywhere where people pay significant attention to both their clothing choices and their current iteration of facial hair (I won’t use the ‘hipster’ word). So I wasn’t surprised to hear where I was tucking into a falafel with some sweet potato fries had been there just two days. Then they truly won my heart with cans of Fanta in the fridge. I hope they make it.

DRINK Here’s where it gets competitive. On an earlier visit to

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Stockholm I was struck by the Wayne’s Coffee chain that bobs up on every other corner, with that distinctive Australian suggestive of a place more likely to be found at home than here.

But what you quickly learn walking the many independent cafés is that each one is determined to win the title of the “best coffee in Stockholm.”

Here are some contenders.

TRO, HOPP & KAFFE Ringvägen 123, 116 61 Open for just six weeks, this unorthodox tattoo parlour/café combination is already making a mark with a queue out the door on my arrival. Inside, the walls are plastered with bags of their own product, grinded locally. The owner reports to me that the same beans are used for both espresso and filter coffee (known here, when served with a little cake, as a ‘fika’), as well as the fact that money from each kilogram of coffee sold is donated to charity. With the sun beating through the window, it’s a delightful place to open the laptop, with good humans to boot.

GETTING AROUND Rent a bike or you’ll be making a mistake. The modest hills are worth it to ride down the other side. A forward-thinking city, there are dedicated lanes aplenty. The metro train system is outstanding, if expensive, coming to about $50 for the week, albeit for unlimited access to the underground network that accesses each corner of town.

It’s worth it to avoid cabs though, a variable pricing system punishes one for travelling late at night; a ten-minute trip cost me $50 after the Eurovision Grand Final.

As far as Sodermalm is concerned: walk to circumnavigate the island, a couple of hours very well spent. The way the lake glistens makes each step worth it.

PET SOUNDS RECORDS Skånegatan 53, 116 37 After picking up an outfit to wear out on the tiles, get further into the swing by spending an hour at Pet Sounds Records immersing in their carefully curated vinyl section warms the heart. Admittedly, it is mostly older fellas in the shop, which may be a sign of times when it comes to physically purchasing music in 2016, but it’s a welcome throwback.

“This is a shop of passion not just a place to sell a lot of records,” I’m told by a member of staff, who compares the store to the London institution Rough Trade. “People listen online but they come here for the real thing.” More power to them.

SHOP In keeping with the spirit of the island, vintage clothing remains firmly in fashion. Modern Retro (Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 9, 118 50) has simply the biggest collection of jackets I’ve seen in a shop like

HOT TIP (in more ways than one) HELLASGÅRDEN Ältavägen 101, 131 33 Get down to the Swedish sauna and get your clobber off. Men and women gather to the direction of the chanting saunameister – an older gent – who spreads the aroma with his giant towel while being clapped on in encouragement by the packed hot box. And when you’ve sweated all you can sweat: run outside and jump in the lake. Lose your inhibitions and indulge in this restorative, unique experience. Something I’ll never forget.

that, hundreds where you might usually find a dozen. Similarly, Pop (Skånegatan 73, 116 37) – my favourite clothes shop – have added to their dedicated group of British stores by opening in Stockholm. As ever, it’s full of treats and music to dance along to while cruising the racks.

GETTING THERE Stockholm has two airports serviced by all the usual suspects. If you want to do it on the cheap from London, you can get back and forth for not much more than $300. The budget airline flies into the secondary airport, Vasteras, 90 minutes from the city centre.

But the shuttle bus ($40 return) includes free wifi and charging points, so it could be worse. MQ

DROP COFFEE Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 10, 118 50 Part of the landscape for seven years, the location couldn’t be better over the road from a vintage shop that must make the Melbourne barista duo feel quite at home.

Minimalist walls inside with ample room to grab one of their freshly made sandwiches. And the espresso?

Superb. Simply put: they know what they’re doing.

JOHAN AND NYSTRÖM Hamringevägen 1, 146 41 I left the supposed very best to last, demand on a Saturday afternoon reinforcing earlier reviews. The owners take their craft very seriously, as they do their social responsibility, priding themselves on paying a premium to deal directly with farmers. Beans from Kenya, Brazil, Panama and Colombia fil

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PEOPLE

WHEN

HELL FREEZES

Commonwealth Bay

OVER

David Killick has been a regular on special expeditions to preserve explorer Douglas Mawson’s Hut from the ravages of bitter cold and blizzards in one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth. Images courtesy DAVID KILLICK.

N

ot long had we clambered down a rope ladder from the bow of the French icebreaker L’Astrolabe than the emperor penguins came over to check us out. There was half a dozen of the majestic birds, each over a metre tall, scooting on their bellies across the sea ice, unfazed and unafraid and making their distinctive trilling cry.

They stood and watched the visitors as we watched them back and waited for the helicopters to take us onward on our journey. The day was sunny and crisp, just under minus 10. Our

next sunset, proper bed and shower were two months away. What a welcome to Antarctica - and a fitting start to perhaps the most remote conservation project on earth.

Mawson’s Hut stands on the Antarctic coastline due south of Hobart called Commonwealth Bay. It takes six days by boat to travel the 1,500km across the wild Southern Ocean to reach the barren rocky outcrop dotted with penguin colonies, a land of snow and ice and seemingly ceaseless blizzards. This humble wooden hut was home to the MARQUE WINTER

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men of the 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition led

by Douglas Mawson - the last expedition of the long and storied ‘heroic era’ of Antarctic exploration. These were the days of Scott and Amundsen and Shackleton and the race for the pole. But Mawson, already an accomplished polar explorer turned down the promise of a place on Scott’s doomed polar party to pursue his own expedition in the name of science.

The Adelaide geologist picked this spot in a rush as his ship ran low on coal. It was only later he realised with regret that he had chosen the windiest place on earth at sea level: “The climate proved to be little more than one continuous blizzard the year round,” he wrote. “Anyone who had been out in it would gladly exchange for hell and chance his luck.”

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Living and working in Antarctica - away from the big stations at least - hasn’t changed much since Mawson’s time. Starting the working day by struggling backwards out the drawstring opening from the relative warmth of a Polar Pyramid tent into an Antarctic blizzard is to be delivered into a maelstrom of wind and blowing snow. Enclosed within two thick sleeping bags one dozes only fitfully, with a beanie pulled down hard over the eyes to block out the 24-hour daylight of the austral summer. The short journey to a nearby field hut the expedition uses as a base takes several minutes to navigate carefully over the snowcovered rocks without being tumbled over by the snow-laden hurricane screaming in horizontally from the South Pole at 40 knots (around

like the delightful snow petrel and Wilsons storm petrels which have never seen a human and will swoop by in curious pairs. Even on its worst days the place has a rawness and a beauty that many find addictive yet hard to do justice.

Amid this scene of nature’s glory, Mawson’s Hut stands in much the same condition it was left in a hurry 102 years ago. Of the first dozen buildings erected on the Antarctic continent, it is the least disturbed and its preservation required by international treaties. The boxes of supplies Mawson’s men didn’t use sit untouched in the snow. The leader’s hard-worn hobnailed boots still sit on the shelf where he left them, steaming gently as they defrost under a sunbeam from the open skylight above. His striped pillow still lies on his bunk.

LABOUR OF LOVE For David Killick (below) and others restoring Mawson's Hut is an incredible opportunity to experience one of the world's last great frontiers.

70km/h). This is a place those who know it well describe with only gentle irony as the Frozen White Hell.

There are compensations of course. Antarctica is the greatest untouched wilderness on earth. The scenery is breathtaking, a palate of white and pastel blues and greys.

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Old jumpers and balaclavas and other detritus lie undisturbed on the floor and lie on from the two decks of bunks which line the walls. Someone has left a pair of trousers hanging on a nail.

Barely the size of a suburban garage, this was the home of 19 men.

This past summer’s conservation party was made up of four men and two woman, a staggering 37 Antarctic expeditions between them – the field leader – a doctor, three conservators and a journalist/ general hand. Our job was to remove the snow and ice that has infiltrated the hut in the decades since it was abandoned. Perhaps 30 cubic metres of the frozen mass must be carefully chipped away to reveal the artefacts within - along the way we find everything from glass bottles to hats, dead birds and live ammunition. It’s

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exacting work in sub-zero conditions and quickly exhausting.

But this is satisfying work too, each of the team is an Antarctic history buff. This most recent summer, one of Mawson’s sled dogs known as ‘Grandmother’ was moved to a temporary home under Mawson’s bunk. The dog was recovered from the polar plateau inland from the hut in 1997, still curled up on the snow where it had died during a prolonged blizzard. The dogs were important workers for the expedition - and in extremis, a source of food.

Among our finds was a complete set of clothing belonging to Belgrave

Ninnis, who lost his life in Antarctica aged just 25. The trousers and jumpers and shirts were left washed and neatly folded on a small wooden structure several hundred metres from Main Hut. Nicknamed ‘Cherub’, Ninnis was one of the most popular members of the expedition. He died in December 1912 when his sled broke through a crevasse while on a sledging expedition 500km away from of the hut with Mawson and Swiss ski champion Xavier Mertz.

Perhaps due to their diet of weakened sled dogs, Mertz weakened and died during the return voyage – it was a starving and debilitated

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The climate proved to be little more than one continuous blizzard the year round ~ Explorer DOUGLAS MAWSON

BITTER Photographer Frank Hurley documented the pioneering years of Antarctic exploration with iconic images of Douglas Mawson (top left) and the brutal, windswept conditions (left) that stil batter Commonwealth Bay today. From the State Library of NSW collection.

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Mawson who barely made it back to Cape Denison after an epic journey of lone survival against the odds, only to see his ship sailing over the horizon and leaving him trapped in Antarctica until the following summer.

Weeks later, the expedition’s primitive wireless set allowed a short a message to his fiancee Paquita Delprat: “Deeply regret delay. Only just managed to reach hut. Effects now gone but lost most of my hair. You are free to consider your contract but trust you will not abandon your second-hand Douglas." Paquita replied: "Deeply thankful you are safe. Warmest welcome awaiting your hairless return."

Multiple expeditions focusing to

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Mawson’s Hut since 1997 have seen the stabilisation of the structural fabric of the building; the overcladding of the perilously thin hut roof and the removal of the of snow and ice from inside the hut, which was perhaps 90 per cent complete by the end of this summer’s expedition.

Conservation team leader Dr Ian Godfrey has been to the site half a dozen times and said for the first time since Mawson’s men left it was possible to appreciate the interior of the hut as it would have looked back in 1914.

“We removed a hell of a lot of snow and ice. It was an amazing effort by the team, chipping, drilling and chainsawing,” he said. “After being involved in this project for 15 years it’s incredibly satisfying to be able to walk into the place and get a sense of what the hut was like for the men of the AAE.” MQ For more information on the conservation of Mawson’s Huts, visit mawsons-huts.org.au MARQUE WINTER

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TRAVEL

GUIDING LIGHT

By NORMAN BURNS Images courtesy AURORA EXPEDITIONS

A tour to the Antarctic wilderness is far more than just an exotic trip; under the expert guidance of Australia’s Aurora Expeditions it’s a life-affirming fillip for the soul.

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n a pristine environment such as Antarctica, the tourism footprint has to be light indeed.

For 25 years, Sydney-based Aurora Expeditions has been taking visitors to the ice for an incredible, never-to-be-forgotten experience in one of the world’s last great, untouched, wilderness areas.

For many of Aurora’s clients it’s not just a once-in-a-lifetime thrill either - many, awed by their initial visit, return time and time again.

Aurora’s mantra could well be “fewer is more” because it operates its own specially fitted-out ship, the Polar Pioneer, which takes just 54 passengers.

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The Polar Pioneer is more nimble than bigger competitors, which means it can get in nice and close to landing areas. If sea ice, weather or other factors affect the schedule, the Polar Pioneer has the flexibility to go to a Plan B, C or D. And because there are fewer passengers on board, it takes less time to get groups ashore, which means more landings. A better crew-to-passenger ratio too means more personalised service, although Aurora points out the Polar Pioneer, while very comfortable, is not the same as a luxury cruise ship.

The ship has a range of accommodation options; two mini-suites with a private en-suite; twin cabins with shared bathrooms (each cabin sleeps two); twin cabins with private bathrooms; two triple cabins with shared bathrooms and the Polar Pioneer’s most deluxe room, the Captain’s Suite (large sleeping area, lounge and private en-suite).

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GUARDIANS OF THE ICE F

And, of course, as an original signatory to the code that governs responsible tourism in Antarctica (see breakout on IAATO), Aurora is committed to reducing their impact and protecting the region for generations to come.

Solo travellers are welcomed and make up a good proportion of travellers (there is no single supplement for those prepared to share a cabin; sole use cabins are available though for an additional cost).

Says Aurora chief executive officer Lisa Bolton: “Aurora Expeditions has been different from the start.

Since day one, our philosophy has not only been about taking

or decades, only scientists and adventurers had access to the Antarctic - but that changed in the late 1950s when Chile and Argentina took more than 500 fare-paying passengers to the South Shetland Islands aboard a naval ship, thus ushering in the concept of “expedition cruising”.

But, as tourism grew, concerns also increased over how to protect the Antarctic’s pristine environment; setting rules and regulations for tour operators was made all the more tricky because the continent was not, and still isn't, “owned” by any one nation.

The entire 14 million sqkm continent - twice the size of Australia - is managed under the auspices of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. Twelve nations initially signed the treaty, including Australia, which designates the continent as a “natural reserve devoted to peace and science”. Fortyeight countries are now treaty members.

Tour operators themselves came up with a code of conduct to ensure environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism to the ice.

In 1991, seven private tour operators (including Australia’s Aurora Expeditions) formed the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO); the association, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, now has more than 100 member businesses, all dedicated to ensuring Antarctica tourists stick to the mantra of “leaving only footprints, and taking only memories”.

Around 46,000 tourists visited Antarctica in 2007-08 but in 2011 the International Maritime Organisation banned the use of ships that use heavy oil (i.e. big cruise liners) in Antarctica which resulted in tourist numbers dropping. For the 2015-16 season, IAATO figures show 38,478 visitors to the region.

Says IAATO: “We have set forth the guidelines and protocols to advocate and promote travel to the region that is safe and that all necessary precautions are taken to minimise the impact on the environment and wildlife. And, because our members all share this commitment to the region, we have been able to achieve this goal to a great degree.

“As a result of this commitment, in conjunction with the authority of the Antarctic Treaty Parties to regulate tourism in their official capacity, there has been virtually no discernible impact on the environment in the more than 40 years that organised commercial Antarctic tourism has taken place.”

One rule helping preserve Antarctica, and enforced under the treaty, prohibits tour operators from making any landings in Antarctica from vessels carrying more than 500 passengers. They must also ensure just one vessel is at a landing site at any one time and no more than 100 passengers can go ashore at any one time.

“Tourism is, and should continue to be, a driving force in Antarctic conservation,” says IAATO. “First-hand travel experiences foster education and a better understanding of the destination and need for responsible tourism. Visitors to Antarctica - representing more than 100 different nationalities during the 2010-11 season alone - return home as ambassadors of goodwill, guardianship and peace.”

For more information, visit iaato.org

STUNNING SIGHTS Witnessing some of the world’s most awe-inspiring scenery, travellers on one of Aurora Expeditions’ Antarctic trips can participate in many different activities on the ice.

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MQ TRAVEL

people to remote and wild corners of the world, but providing them with a deep understanding of the destination and getting them out amongst it as much as possible. Our entire team of guides, naturalists, historians and photographers are committed to providing the best Antarctic experience as possible and their passion belies a great sense of excitement for our guests."

Lisa says nailing down which one of Aurora’s Antarctic trips is the most popular is “nearly impossible”.

“Every traveller has a different set of bucket list items; some are happy to see a penguin and land ashore, which every one of our trips will deliver, whereas others have a goal of heading as far south to cross the Antarctic Circle.

“Others want to up the ante and wildlife, and choose a longer itinerary that encompasses South Georgia island.

“Others know that they’ll get great photography in the early season (Nov-Dec) when landscapes are pristine and the sun offers magnificent light, while others want to see a penguin chick or whales so opt for later in the season,” says Lisa.

Aurora’s program, too, is far more than just taking people down for a

look at the ice and Antarctic wildlife.

The 18-day Photographer’s First Light tour, for example, is run in partnership with BirdLife Australia and features photography workshops, a visit to explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave and photography sessions at the world’s largest king penguin rookeries.

Or you can enjoy the ultimate “white Christmas” with an 11-day voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula which takes in Christmas Day on the ice.

Those with an interest in the amazing history of Antarctic exploration can take soon the In Shackleton’s Footsteps trip, an 18day expedition that takes in historic sites and charts a course through the Weddell Sea, where Shackleton’s ship Endurance was trapped and crushed.

2017 marks the end of the centenary celebrations of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s infamous Endurance expedition, which saw the famed Antarctic explorer and his 23 crew stranded in Antarctica for nearly two years.

While many passengers are happy to land and meander ashore and soak up the scenery others like to be more active - and Aurora offers some amazing on-the-ice and on-and-under the water options.

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Passengers can go kayaking among the dazzling ice floes; go polar snorkelling (Aurora’s team of fully-qualified professional dive guides provide specialised polar diving “dry suits”) or scuba diving; you can even (weather and schedule permitting) camp on the ice.

Says Lisa, who has travelled to the ice on the Polar Pioneer: “Antarctica is wondrous. Its pristine landscapes, intensely blue bergs and amazing wildlife assault the senses like no other place I have been.

Kayaking is what really stands out for me. You paddle into another dimension, where curious wildlife approaches you - rather than the other way around - and the silence is profound.” MQ

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"ANTARCTICA IS WONDROUS. ITS PRISTINE LANDSCAPES, INTENSELY BLUE BERGS AND AMAZING WILDLIFE ASSAULT THE SENSES."

AURORA’S PROGRAM Aurora Expeditions’ 2016/17 season runs from November 19 2016 until March 25 2017.

Its trips include: Antarctic Photography Expedition............... Nov 19 - Dec 6 2016 New Year in Antarctica..................................................... Dec 25 2016 - Jan 4 2017 Weddell Sea & Antarctic Explorer................. Feb 7-18 2017 In Shackleton’s Footsteps.......................................... March 8-25 2017 The 2017/18 season runs from November 27 2017 until April 7 2018 and includes the new expeditions Antarctic Explorer (Feb 17-27 2018) and Sub-Antarctic Safari (March 24- April 7 2018, Falkland Islands and South Georgia island only).

For more information call +61 2 9252 1033 or visit auroraexpeditions.com.au

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CLOSE UP Sailing close to Antarctica’s amazing environment is a breeze for the Aurora Expeditions’ ship Polar Pioneer, which is smaller and more nimble than its competitors and takes just 54 passengers.

TRAVEL

HEAD FOR

THE HILLS

The Cameron Highlands are Peninsula Malaysia’s crowning glory and a wonderful retreat from the sultry coastal resorts for those in search of cool relief.

By MICHAEL TRAVERS.

C

olonial settlers loved their hill stations as a summer escape from the heat, and the Cameron Highlands are probably the most recognisable of these mountain respites in all of Malaysia. With easy access from Ipoh, the capital city of Perak State, just four to five hours north of Kuala Lumpur, they offer a wide variety of attractions for visitors looking for a taste of history, nature, adventure, and a good old fashioned cup of tea.

Starting early in the morning, we were picked up from at the Hotel M Station Hotel in Ipoh by our friendly guide, Vasu and his ageing Mercedes Benz. Despite the amount of duct tape holding it together we thought we were in good hands when he told us it was the third tour he had done this week (this being a Wednesday) and we

knew he would be a wealth of knowledge.

First stop was the nearby Sampthon Cave and its associated Chinese temple. Ipoh’s geology comprises a lot of limestone and consequently has a wealth of karsts and cave systems, which the Chinese population has appropriated many of over the past few centuries and set up temples around their openings. Sampthon is a beautifully ancient house of worship with fishponds, pagodas and statues to the deities and ancestors that

devotees pray and make offerings to.

What’s especially exciting is after working your way through the caves you come out into a gigantic, opentopped grotto with a second larger temple hidden in the cliff face, with an enclosure and pond filled with abandoned turtles and tortoises believed to contain the souls of the ancestors, which are fed by visiting pilgrims.

After this we wound our way up a nicely built road through virgin jungle and up into the highlands proper where the temperature began to drop. After about half an hour we came across a huge host of greenhouses, and Vasu explained to us that this was the ‘grocery garden for the nation’, growing all manner of temperate vegetables from onions to cauliflower, strawberries to lavender, masses of flowers, and of course the mainstay of the highlands – tea.

We stopped at the Kok Lim Strawberry Farm and overloaded on baskets of the fresh fruits, along with milkshakes and smoothies and cakes before continuing on to the Cameron Valley Tea House, a boutique estate of only 50 hectares of high-priced tea, but with an added attraction for the visitor – quad bikes. After paying about $5 we set off at speed for an exhilarating 30-minute ride out through the steep tracks that line the ridges and valleys of the plantation taking in the estate on adrenaline added.

By this stage, tea was the predominant crop all around us and Vasu took us to one of Malaysia’s largest tea producers, the Sungai Pelas Estate, 800 hectares of rolling hills, and home to ‘Boh’ tea, the most widely drunk tea in Malaysia. Here we got to take a walk through the sorting sheds, explore the museum, and get to enjoy a pot of freshlyinfused orange pekoe on the outdoor verandah of their architecturally designed café which looks out over the beautifully laid out estate.

It was now early afternoon and we were getting a bit peckish so we headed for that bastion of traditional British culture, Ye Olde Smokehouse,

an English Tudor-style hotel built in 1939. Set on a verdant hill like a stately manor house, owned by some eccentric colonial in the then-Britishowned-and-operated Malaya, it provides an authentic ambience of those distant times.

Filled with rustic furniture and lighting of the 1930s era, it serves from a long and heavy menu everything from pastas to roast dinners and full English breakfasts, as well as more delicate Devonshire teas with lashings of homemade scones, fresh cream and locally made strawberry jam. This is served in the garden, which we ate with both gusto and a big second helping. Staying over in the hotel must be a real treat, with a roaring fire in the living room and a snifter of something strong to warm the heart. Next time!

Feeling energised by our massive lunch, and needing to get some exercise, we paid a visit to Lata Iskandar, a beautiful set of waterfalls offering absolutely stunning panoramic views of the surrounding jungle and river valley. The multitiered waterfall cascades down a bare rock face with swimming pools at the base of each tier. We just had to take a dip in the cool mountain water, which has its origins high up in the mountains that form the backbone of the peninsula.

If you have more time, there are a lot more options to go hiking around the local forest, where lots of rich flora and fauna abound, and there is a handicraft bazaar at the base where you can pick up the locally made products of the Orang Asli, the so-called “original people” of the Malaysia.

After that invigorating swim we suddenly hit the wall for the day, so we decided that it was high time for Vasu to chauffeur us down to our cool rooms back in Ipoh. Loaded up with photos, packets of tea and a strange souvenir tea towel, we dozed in the back seat as we wound our way back down to the hot, muggy evening time of Ipoh and the great bar and MARQUE WINTER

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WHERE TO STAY M Boutique Station 18 Hotel | Filled with funky modern design and artwork, massive rooms and suites loaded with classic furnishings, groovy public areas, boutique shopping and fine food, M Boutique Station 18 Hotel would have to be one of the hippest and most stylish hotels in the whole of Malaysia. It’s a great place to stay in Ipoh and the ideal stepping off point for your trip to Cameron Highlands. Visit s18.mboutiquehotels.com

COLOURFUL The Cameron Highlands are home to heritage accommodation options, waterfalls and picturesque tea plantations.

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restaurant at our hotel.

Although we were a bit worn out, we thoroughly enjoyed our time up in the hills. Cooler and more refreshing than the lowlands, the Cameron Highlands should be a highlight on anyone’s visit to Malaysia. In fact you could say it will be everyone’s cup of tea. MQ

MQ TRAVEL

There are some amazing new hotels opening around the world - here’s our pick of the best from Langawi to the Orient Express.

By ASHLEAH CUMMINGS.

HIDDEN GEM

Langkawi, also known as The Jewel of Kedah, is an archipelago of 99 islands located just off peninsula Malaysia’s northwest coast. It doesn’t take you very long to figure out how Langkawi acquired the name either, with the island boasting pristine white beaches, clear turquoise waters and luscious green jungle covered mountains. The island embodies the word paradise, and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, St Regis announced it would be opening its doors to their first ever resort in Malaysia – right on the southern tip of the secluded island. The resort is bound to cause quite a stir, being the first luxury resort to be built in Langkawi in a

CHECK INTO LUXURY decade and with a goal to redefine luxury hospitality on the island and set itself apart from the rest.

St Regis Langkawi, offering 85 luxurious suites and four private overwater villas, is set against exotic rainforest and is fringed by a private white sand beach overlooking a breathtakingly beautiful swimmable natural salt-water lagoon connected to the Andaman Sea. The interior of the resort exudes dreamlike island living and flaunts European and Middle Eastern influences with magnificent Islamic arches and mashrabiya inspired screens. The colour palette remains subdued, with neutral colours covering the walls and floors, while splashes of bold hues MARQUE WINTER

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such as blues, greens and yellows emphasise the natural beauty surrounding the resort. The indoors and outdoors blend seamlessly, leading to large private courtyards and a garden oasis filled with palm trees, bougainvillea and allamanda flowers. Every single suite offered is filled with artwork from local artists and has expansive, unobstructed views of the sea from spacious terraces.

Dine over-water or overlooking the rainforest in one of the six distinct restaurant and bar venues serving Asian inspired haute cuisine, modern French cuisine infused with Asian and Middle Eastern flavours and homemade bread and pastries along with a selection of ice teas infused with local herbs and spices. The St Regis Bar is the premiere destination for classic cocktails, world-class wines and canapés, and showcases evening entertainment from the in-house classic jazz band.

The hotel's Iridium Spa is the perfect place to unwind and indulge in a range of speciality massages and wellbeing treatments in a tranquil and inviting environment. Other

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facilities available include a salon, infinity swimming pool and wellequipped gym.

You can trust that when you book your stay at St Regis that the service provided will go above and beyond your expectations, especially when it comes to the iconic St Regis Butler Service. Whether you need help unpacking/packing your luggage, to waking up to a hot cuppa and the newspaper, to sourcing the perfect last-minute gift for a loved one, the multilingual staff at St Regis have got you covered.

With Langkawi rapidly emerging as a world-class location and the island not only being duty free but relatively untouched, this little slice

south east Asia.

Uncover the hidden beauty of Myanmar and expand your mind onboard the Belmond Orcaella and Belmond Road to Mandalay as they cruise along its two main rivers – the Ayeyarwady which flows from north to south and its largest tributary, the Chindwin. Belmond has been operating on the rivers of Myanmar for 20 years since the launch of their first cruise ship the Belmond Road to Mandalay, which was joined by its sister ship in 2013, Belmond Orcaella. The two offer a full range of itineraries, from short tours showcasing the highlights of Myanmar through to longer cruises that will take you off the beaten track.

opportunities for you to leave the ship throughout the cruise to experience the country up close and personal, visiting hilltop villages, dining on freshly prepared street food and picking up souvenirs to take home from bustling markets.

On board the Belmond Road to Mandalay, yoga guru to the stars Nadia Narain will take you on a yoga and meditation journey as you float along the Ayeyarwady River, taking care of your mind, body and soul.

Never had practiced yoga or meditation? No need to worry, Nadia teaches everyone from complete beginners to professional athletes and will adapt the class to your ability and needs. Offering his insights into some of the most important British Military events in recent history will be retired British Army Officer, General Sir Mike Jackson, whose career spanned 45 years and led him to become Head of the British Army in 2003.

Also on board in October will be Sue Flood, an award-winning photographer who will teach you how to capture the perfect image of your trip whether you’re using your smartphone or high-tech camera.

For more information, visit belmond.com

WILD SIDE

of heaven is definitely a destination to add to your bucket list.

For more information, visit starwoodhotels.com

RIVER SONG

For a long time Myanmar - formerly known as Burma - was considered a complete no-go zone for travellers due to its oppressive military presence, but this fascinating country has now opened its doors to tourism and is stepping out of its troublesome past and into a new era of prosperity and optimism.

Culturally rich and dotted with ancient ruins, unexplored jungles and remote villages, Myanmar is fast becoming a must-see destination in

This year Belmond will be hosting multiple guest speakers on board both cruise ships, covering a wide variety of topics such as photography, yoga, Burmese culture and the history of British Military through lectures, classes and tours, enabling you to soak up knowledge as well as the sun while holidaying.

Justin Watkins, Professor of Burmese at SOAS University of London, will host the first cruise aboard the Belmond Orcaella in August, providing you with a complete immersion into the Burmese language and culture as you travel to the lesser known parts of Myanmar.

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LUXE LIVING Opposite, Pullman Bangkok, opposite below, St Regis Langkawi, above left Belmond Road to Manderlay, and above, a room at the gorgeous Shangri-La Hambantota Resort and Spa.

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Hambantota is a southern coastal region of Sri Lanka famed for its wildlife, historical sites and beautiful beaches.

Located along an ancient spice route, overlooking the Indian Ocean and surrounded by lush Sri Lankan wildlife is Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort and Spa. Opening in June, the monumental beachfront resort, spanning 53 hectares is the first upscale resort on the south west coast of the island, and the largest in Sri Lanka. The resort boasts 300 spacious contemporary rooms and 21 suites, all surrounded by stunning tropical gardens and restaurants serving delectable authentic Sri Lankan cuisine.

Exploring Sri Lanka’s wild side has never been easier with the resort being in close proximity to several national wildlife parks, which are home to wild elephants and the mystifying Sri Lankan leopard, offering you front row seats to view the beautiful wildlife the island has to offer.

The new hotel offers a wide variety of facilities, including a beautifully landscaped, premier

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Bangkok appeals to a diverse group of tourists.

Located in the heart of Bangkok’s bustling concrete jungle, along Silom Road (referred to as “The Wall Street of Thailand”) sits the newly renovated Pullman Bangkok Hotel G. The 469-room hotel is surrounded by world-class shopping malls and entertainment venues, and is in close proximity to the Chong Nonsi BTS SkyTrain Station.

Silom Road is arguably one of Bangkok’s best locations for tourists to visit. There's a plethora of local and international restaurants, local boutiques and bars, and thanks to the iconic Phraya River, there's easy access to multiple top attractions including The Grand Palace, Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) and

18-hole golf course, water sports, spa and kid’s club – ensuring every member of the family is kept busy and entertained.

Located in a secluded area of the resort, CHI, The Spa offers a place of personal peace with 12 treatment rooms available offering both Chinese and Ayurvedic treatments allowing you to relax and unwind both your body and mind.

Immerse yourself in the fascinating Sri Lankan culture with The Village – a space dedicated to supporting and preserving Sri Lanka’s unique artisan communities, where you can interact with local craftsmen to learn about traditional arts and crafts through a daily schedule of activities. While you’re soaking up knowledge from the locals, The Cool Zone Kid’s Club, which is open everyday, will take the little ones off your hands and keep them entertained with a wide variety of activities such as a 7m-high trapeze and drone flying area as well as keeping an eye on them with its childcare facilities.

Throughout 2016, Shangri La’s

Hambantota Resort and Spa will be offering multiple different stay packages to suit everyone’s idea of the perfect holiday, ranging from those including safari tours of the local national parks, newlywed packages including treatments at the CHI Spa and complimentary daily green fees for two at Shangri La’s Golf and Country Club, and the ‘All-Inclusive Sri Lanka’ package with allows you to relax and enjoy your stay while all meals, beverages and activities are taken care of for you.

For more information, visit shangri-la.com

CITY OF ANGELS

Bangkok – known as ‘the city of angels’ by its inhabitants - is not only the capital city of Thailand, but also the country’s political, economic, culinary and spiritual hub. With a population of over 8 million, the city, which is known for its vibrant street life, cultural landmarks and notorious red light districts, is a chaotic clash of modern technological life meets traditional Thailand. With multi faceted sights and attractions, MARQUE WINTER

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ME TIME Above left Shangri-La Hambantota in Sri Lanka is a brand new addition to the island. Above, Pullman Bangkok Hotel G’s super elegant decor has recently been renovated.

Opposite left, Orient Express, and right, Four Seasons Jakarta.

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Chinatown.

Pullman Bangkok Hotel G offers four different room types, oozing minimalistic chic, ranging from the polished 34sqm deluxe room to the spacious 165sqm suites, all fitted with floor to ceiling windows offering uninterrupted, breathtaking views of the Bangkok skyline. Cutting edge dining is available at the hotel's two award-winning restaurants – 25 Burgers, a retro chic burger bar named after the precise temperature difference between a raw and well

done burger – and Scarlett Wine Bar and Restaurant, which offers French cuisine and panoramic views of the city from an open air terrace. With three uniquely themed meeting rooms, a luxurious function room located on the 38th floor, fittingly named Ballroom 38 – clad in drapery, chandeliers and shimmering gold finishes, the Pullman is the perfect destination for the travelling businessperson to host meetings and events.

“Guest satisfaction and personalised service is a top priority at Pullman Bangkok Hotel G," says general manager Philippe Le Bourhis. "We aim to offer guests an unforgettable experience where ideas, histories and cultures blend.”

For more information, visit pullmanbangkokhotelg.com

itineraries on offer ranging from day trips to six nights.

For foodies, the dining experiences on offer are first class.

Head barman Walter Nisi has created a new cocktail menu – to be served in the newly released Bar Car, 3674 – which has quickly become the social hub on board the train.

Not only have new drinks been introduced, there's also a new caviar menu which has been developed in collaboration with world-famous caviar producer, Armen Petrossian.

The gourmet caviar menu includes shots of Alverta Royal caviar, caviar cubes and sandwiches using ‘Papierusse’ – a fine sheet of pressed caviar.

Every carriage on board has been lovingly restored to its former glory,

THE ROARING TWENTIES

with opulent interiors, sparkling crystal, plush fabrics and polished woods - the perfect chance to channel your inner Agatha Christie.

Relax in a grandiose cabin while a dedicated steward attends to your every need, allowing you to spend time connecting with like-minded adventurers who share your passion for travel while encountering the most luxurious travel experience the world has ever known.

For more information, visit belmond.com

The legendary Belmond Venice Simplon Orient Express is not only one of the world’s most famous luxury trains, but also possibly the most romantic mode of transportation around. The Art Deco-style train, which makes its journey across Europe, passing picturesque scenery and some of the continent's most alluring cities, operates between late March to early November with a variety of

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TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT

The highly anticipated opening of the luxurious all-suite Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta marks the return of Four Seasons to the Indonesian capital at a new location - the award winning Capital Place. It's been designed to be a city within a city, integrating business and leisure with the development of two towers – a 52-story office building and a 20-story hotel, connected to a retail podium. The retail podium is a prime-dining destination with an abundance of upmarket cafes, bars and restaurants, while the office tower acts as a screen for the hotel, offering guests a tranquil oasis in the middle of the lively city.

Located a 40-minute drive from Soekarna-Hatta International Airport, and with easy access to all major business destinations in south Jakarta such the Sudirman Central Business District and Mega kuningan, the hotel is bound to be a favourite with the modern traveller.

New York-based interior designer, Alexandra Champalimaud – a member of the Interior Designer Hall of Fame – designed the hotel, drawing inspiration from the clean lines of the French Deco period. The 125 spacious,

neo classical suites, offering panoramic skyline views, exude relaxed glamour, featuring chinoiserie wall panels, original Indonesian artwork and Italian marble bathrooms lavish with amenities.

“This is the first development in Jakarta where the legendary Four Seasons services are extended from the hotel to the office tower,” said Shirley Tan, CEO Rajawali Property Group.

“Capital Place is the culmination of our vision and our commitment to elevate the ordinary work environment where business is conducted into a prestigious, luxury business lifestyle destination.” MQ For more information, visit fourseasons.com

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BMW PREVIEW

THE

RAISING BAR The new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo takes the outgoing model’s elegance, sportiness and luxury-class spaciousness to another new level.

I

t’s hard to imagine how you improve on the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo. The previous incarnation had already earned it an impressive reputation with customers in the world’s major car markets; Europe, China and the USA all gave it an equally warm welcome.

In the three years since its market launch, and with worldwide sales now exceeding 130,000, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo has established itself as a real alternative to the sedans, station wagons and coupes in the mid-size class.

But that was then. And this is now.

The new version of the Gran Turismo cuts a visibly sportier figure, and the one petrol and one diesel engine in the range offer noticeably higher output. All the engines are turbocharged and burn up to 14 per cent less fuel.

The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is around 200 millimetres longer than the other members of the BMW 3 Series family. And that takes it close to luxury-class territory. The design of the new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, which has been sculpted to visibly greater dynamic effect at both the front and rear, heightens the impression of class.

The new, standard-fitted LED headlights for dipped and high beam and the LED front foglamps lend the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo a more sporting appearance. The car

has a visually broader stance on the road. And the combination of updated LED rear lights and more zestful lines brings extra brawn to the rear styling.

The large tailgate, meanwhile, opens to reveal a boot offering 520 to 1,600 litres of load space and allowing extremely varied use.

The car’s design is now even more striking. The new, standard-fitted LED headlights for dipped and high beam and the LED front foglamps lend the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo a more sporting appearance. And the rear end likewise cuts an even more powerful figure, with LED rear lights inspiring clear lines. They are complemented by a newly designed rear apron and larger-diameter exhaust tailpipes.

Models from the 320d upwards have twin tailpipes.The interior of the new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo gets even classier with high-gloss black surfaces and electroplated and chrome accents. There are also two new exterior colours, three new wheel designs and a wider array of upholstery variants and interior trim strips.

The latest version of the BMW Navigation system Professional is now also available for the BMW 3 Series

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Gran Turismo. The most important menu items are presented extremely clearly as “tiles”, enabling even more intuitive use. The integration of mobile phones into the car via Bluetooth is a standard feature of the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo.

Improvements in efficiency, an increase in ratio spread and a reduction in converter slip during the gear-change process bring about a three per cent drop in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

At the same time, customers can expect both driving comfort and shift comfort to be heading in the opposite direction. MQ Visit autoclassic.com.au to book a test drive today.

MINI REVIEW

MINI ADVENTURES The latest MINI Convertible ticks all the boxes – comfort, style and above all heaps of fun.

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INI Australia has launched the new third generation MINI Convertible offering more interior space, the latest generation TwinPower Turbo petrol engines delivering greater performance and efficiency, significantly improved value and trademark MINI go-kart driving dynamics.

Both models of the new MINI Convertible are highly specified reflecting their premium status in the compact market.

Standard features include sixspeed automatic transmissions, 16-inch and 17-inch alloy wheels respectively, dual zone climate control, dynamic cruise control, three-spoke sports leather multifunction steering wheel, MINI Visual Boost multimedia system with 6.5-inch screen and full Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

A full complement of safety equipment adds Rear View Camera with guidance lines, rear Park Distance Control, DSC, fully

integrated rollover protection system, four airbags and automatic Rain Sensor windscreen wipers and lights.

On top of this, the MINI Cooper S Convertible gains sports front seats, a John Cooper Works leather steering wheel, cloth/ leather upholstery, MINI Navigation System, MINI Driving Modes and LED headlights.

The sharp pricing and increased equipment levels represent a significant improvement in value with prices reduced by 11 per cent compared with the previous generation MINI Cabrio models.

“Building on the underpinnings of the latest generation MINI hatch, the new MINI Convertible combines trademark MINI levels of performance and driving dynamics and distinctive contemporary style with a larger and more comfortable cabin and the thrill of open top driving,” said Tony Sesto, general manager of MINI Australia.

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levels of premium equipment for comfort, safety and convenience and lower prices, the new MINI Convertible offers outstanding value as well.”

The characteristic design of the new MINI Convertible maintains its unique combination of elegance and sporty flair with a proportional increase in all dimensions giving the car a more substantial and stylish presence.

Overall length has been increased by 98mm, width by 44mm, with a marginal increase of 1mm in height compared to the previous generation MINI Cabrio, which together with the new high quality fully electric automatic soft top provides the MINI Convertible with a dynamic aesthetic whether the roof is open or closed.

The new soft top, with its integrated sunroof function, offers a quieter, more refined operation and can be opened and closed using the button on the remote control when stationary or at speeds of up to 30km/h via the toggle switch on the roof frame.

Inside, the MINI Convertible maintains its stylish, premium feel with the car’s increased size offering substantially more passenger space for the four occupants as well as greater luggage capacity.

Rear passengers, in particular, benefit from 36mm more kneeroom while the luggage capacity has been increased by 45 litres to 215 litres with the roof closed, which can be further extended courtesy of the standard 50/50 split fold rear seat backs.

Under the bonnet driving the front wheels, the new MINI Convertible is powered by the latest generation TwinPower Turbo petrol engines that generate more power and torque than their predecessors along with reduced fuel consumption and emissions.

Powering the MINI Cooper Convertible is a 100kW/220Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that drives through a six-speed automatic transmission enabling the car to cover 0-100km/h in 8.7 seconds. At the same time, fuel consumption on the combined cycle test is just 5.3l/100km with CO2 emissions of 124g/km.

As the sportier model, the Cooper S uses a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine that generates a maximum power of 141kW and peak torque of 280Nm driving through a six-speed sports automatic with gearshift paddles giving the car a 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds. Combined cycle fuel consumption is 5.8l/100km with CO2 emissions of 135g/km.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to put the roof down and be free. MQ Contact auto classic for prices.

AUTOCLASSIC.COM.AU

PROPERTY

EYE FOR DETAILS Oswald Homes are knowns for their distinct, timeless designs and attention to detail, values that have created an enviable reputation for the custom home builders over the past 40 years.

By ALI SIMS Images by COURTNEY HOLLOWAY

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ith the recent passing of the mining boom and technology continuing to emerge at an unprecedented scale, the building industry has become a highly competitive market.

Today, new homebuilders have access to a playground of product offerings and promotions, each undermining the last to secure the final contract. Perhaps though to their own detriment, with the competitive pricing and low margins forming a rabbit hole some builders can’t seem to climb out of, destroying consumer confidence.

While the current building industry has taken a hit, some longstanding builders have recognised

the transitioning economy and have focused their efforts to account for the new consumer demand in brand confidence.

Dating back to 1972, the Oswald Homes story is one of the oldest in the Perth building industry. Bought on a handshake by Julian Walter in 1983, the company has focused on style, design flair, attention to detail and construction excellence.

Over the years the company has earned an enviable reputation as one of the city’s most respected custom homebuilders, and collected numerous awards and accolades along the way.

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NEXT MOVE The home featured above and opposite is the MCM in Claremont. This display is available for viewing on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 4pm or by private appointment.

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and after a recent strategy review the company continues to take strides in becoming one of the leaders in custom home building.

Oswald Homes understands design style and its ability to bring character and individuality to a luxury custom home. They also appreciate that while some styles share common themes, it takes an unerring eye for detail to capture their true essence.

After the success of Hampton York Homes in 2015, Oswald designers have infused their creative minds with those of the historic architects of the past; to deliver eight carefully researched design styles.

Each style offers several elevations

and floor plans to select from, defined by their own key elements and subtleties, cultivated over years of architecture, enabling the client to begin their new home-building journey founded by their own personal design flair.

Among the Oswald style offerings are the Coastal Plantation, a combination of old colonial homes and laidback luxurious hideaway or Georgian, handsome symmetry and understated grandeur.

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was responsible for solidifying the foundation of harmonious architecture with its natural surroundings. Labeled ‘The Prairie School Movement’, it heavily inspired the Urban Prairie Style by Oswald Homes.

Richard Neutra, an Austrian American architect praised for his modernist designs predominantly in Southern California-successfully separated himself from other architects of his era, only eager to impose their visions, by defining the real needs of his clients.

His designs inspired practical comfort emphasising volume, light and open living spaces that draw the outside in, defining what we refer to as the Mid-Century Modern design style.

The most recent Oswald showcase, affectionately named ‘The MCM’ located in Claremont, is a modern take on the mid-century style that has been enjoying a welcome revival, resonating with buyers young and young-at-heart.

Oswald’s aspirations were to exhibit a large, single-storey home, breaking the traditional two-storey custom homebuilder mould and redefining perceptions of building wealth.

The MCM is a U-shaped home on a rear-loaded block, with four large bedrooms three-bathrooms and a central courtyard feature. The skillion roof and soaring raking ceilings emphasise the voluminous central open-plan living and dining area.

The guest suite offers an element

of multi-generational living, plus an extra garage that doubles as a rumpus room.

In keeping with Mid-Century Modern design principles, spaces are expansive and open-plan, drawing the outside in via huge windows and glazed doors.

A secondary showcase home catering to the most admired Hamptons style is available for viewing in Applecross.

The substantial five-bedroom luxury display home includes a

display homes can be found on Oswald’s reinvigorated website, along with a gallery of past display homes, highlighting designs that really do stand the test of time.

As an established custom home builder evolving with the digital age, the website also offers an inspiration section comprising a plethora of building knowledge from blog articles with styling advice to whitepapers, covering the more technical aspects of building.

Oswald are solidifying themselves as leaders in the luxury homebuilding industry and expanding their product offering to the wider demographic with pricing for the homes beginning at 650k upwards. MQ For more information on Oswald Homes please visit the website oswaldhomes.com.au or call 1300 217 663.

butler’s kitchen, formal dining room, a ‘great room’ and a second bedroom suite that makes it perfect for multigenerational families or those with regular guests.

Luxurious and sophisticated, yet welcoming and unpretentious, the home is inspired by the luxury weekenders, holiday homes and beachfront estates found on the south shore of Long Island, New York’s ritzy summer playground.

Both display homes are open for weekend viewings Saturday and Sunday 2pm-4pm, showcasing Oswald’s 40-plus years of refined experience within the luxury building industry.

Further information on the MARQUE WINTER

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PERFORMANCE

M Y H C O A , N P I T A A T P IN A C

Cameron Daddo is all charm and panache in the new production of The Sound of Music, set to arrive in Perth later this year. By CARMEN JENNER.

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s Cameron Daddo glides through the hotel lobby, inconspicuous double-takes abound.

“Hey, I recognise that guy,” many patrons whisper. Despite having lived in LA for the past 25 years he still looks as though he’s just walked off

the set of the 80s Australian dating show he hosted, Perfect Match, or Models Inc. where he played an LA photographer in the mid ‘90’s.

He's sharply dressed and that dazzling smile's still very much intact.

Moving to LA in 1992 certainly paid off, and of course he’s come a long way since then with an extensive list of TV credits including NCIS, Packed to the Rafters, The Mentalist, Hope Island, Nikita, Boston Legal, CSI, Monk and Stitchers.

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comedy Almost Broadway about a group of struggling actors living in Manhattan.

Cameron’s in Perth promoting The Sound of Music in which he plays Captain von Trapp.

“I think what makes it one of the most loved musicals of all time are the themes of love, family and staying with one’s truth. And the song Edelweiss, you just couldn’t write another one like it. It’s complex in its simplicity,” he says.

The Sound of Music originally premiered on Broadway in 1959 and became the longest-running American musical of its generation. Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the Hollywood film premiered in 1965 and to this day remains the most successful movie musical of all time.

No stranger to the stage he attributes one of his first roles in the musical Big River as a career highlight; his performance as Huck Finn won him an MO Award, the

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Australian equivalent to the Tony Awards. He also played the scarecrow in the Australian Opera production of The Wizard of Oz. It makes perfect sense to combine his talent as an actor with his other passion: music. His solo debut album A Long Goodbye featured Keith Urban on backing vocals and, after reaching number two on the Australian Country Music charts, he was name Vocalist of the Year at the Australian Country Music Awards.

His latest album TEN Songs…and change is available on iTunes.

“The transition from country music to singing the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein score in a military

baritone all came down to breathing, conviction and belief. However, standing in a military pose for the duration of the two and a half hour show does play havoc with my muscles and back.”

Despite the intensity of von Trapp, Daddo says his favourite part of the show is when his character is at boiling point with Maria.

“But then he melts with the embrace of his children; it’s in that moment he realises he loves Maria.”

I ask him if it’s true about never working with children or animals and he says not at all.

I ask if he has any advice for budding actors.

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FAMILY MAN Cameron Daddo is relishing his role in the iconic musical The Sound of Music, which is heading to Perth in September.

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“Don’t wait for permission," he says. "Write, shoot, iPhone it, just do it. There are plenty of ways to be seen.”

It looks likely too he'll be calling Oz home once again.

“LA has been great for me but there’s a huge playing field in the US. I think it’s a great time to be in Australia. I’ve been away for 25 years, which is half my life, so I’m giving Australia a shot.”

Something tells me Australia will give him another shot too. MQ The Sound of Music plays at Crown Theatre Perth from September 14. Ticket sales through soundofmusictour.com.au

100 YEARS OF BMW

ONCE IN A LIFETIME Would you like to own one of only 100 BMW 7 Series Centennial Models? Read on . . .

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xclusive is a word that gets tossed around a lot these days.

Exclusive offers, exclusive experiences.

Often, however, in the cold light of day, these pretty baubles aren’t quite as unique as one might like – a quick reccy proving that many an exclusive deal is limited only to the amount of people who want to take it up.

BMW, though, knows how to do exclusive properly, especially when it’s part of its historic 100th

anniversary celebrations.

Let us, then, introduce you to the long-rumoured BMW 7 Series Centennial Models, a handful of wonderful motor vehicles designed and produced to showcase everything that is possible after 100 years of motoring genius.

And when we say a handful, we’re not exaggerating. Worldwide, just 100 of these remarkable cars are going to be available. If you see one, then, you can consider yourself MARQUE WINTER

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ONE IN 100 The chance to own one of only 100 BMW 7 Series Centennial Models will be offered to the very few - and very lucky.

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very, very lucky. But if you finish up owning one of these wonderful machines, well – you’ve hit motoring nirvana.

All five combine the innovation, efficiency and dynamics of the iconic luxury sedan with exclusive and harmoniously matching design and equipment features from BMW Individual.

Regardless of the choice of engine, the appearance, driving experience and interior ambience

of the luxury sedan are bestowed with a uniquely distinctive character thanks to the exclusive centenary model paint finish, 20-inch BMW Individual light-alloy wheels, BMW Individual fine grain Merino full leather trim and further interior details from BMW Individual.

The equipment range also includes a fountain pen of the Montblanc brand, the colour and design of which are precisely aligned to the anniversary edition of the BMW 7 Series. It is also produced in a limited quantity and is only exclusively available in conjunction with BMW 7 Series centennial models.

As a result, the BMW Individual

THE NEXT 100 YEARS combines the latest version of BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with a construction principle that has a particularly long-standing tradition among power units designed for luxury sedans of the BMW brand – as early as 1954, the BMW 502 was presented with a V8 power unit featuring a then revolutionary aluminium construction and a power output of 100hp.

This new 4.4-litre engine delivers a maximum power output of 330 kW/450 hp and maximum torque of 650 Nm. That will take you from a standing start to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds with an average fuel consumption is 8.3 litres per 100km.

Last, but certainly not least, comes the third drive option, which is undoubtedly the epitome of supremacy, high performance and prestige. The 12-cylinder power unit of the BMW Individual M760Li xDrive Model V12 Excellence THE NEXT 100 YEARS is a 6.6-litre masterpiece delivering a maximum power output of 448 kW/610 hp, which means it can sprint from stationary to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. The car’s outstanding performance characteristics are combined with supreme, unsurpassed power delivery and fascinating running smoothness as well as an average fuel consumption of 12.6 litres per 100km and CO2 emissions of 294g/km.

All the centennial 7 Series variants come with BMW’s much-lauded iDrive system and a host of optional extras to ensure your exclusive vehicle is exclusive to you. If you want to celebrate BMW’s centenary in style, there is surely no better way. MQ Visit autoclassic.com.au

7 Series THE NEXT 100 YEARS embodies both a new understanding of luxury at the top of the BMW model range as well as a deeply embedded awareness for customer orientation, timeless design and unsurpassed quality.

Absolute luxury assured, then, but also the lucky 100 owners can be sure that they are, of course, behind the wheel of the ultimate driving machine.

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THIRST

THE DRINK OF THE GODS

Norman Burns gets the lowdown on Japan’s signature drink – sake, an alcoholic beverage that has a history stretching back 2,000 years. Images: CRIB CREATIVE/NIPPON FOOD SUPPLIES/NORMAN BURNS

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e’ve probably all done it... gone to a Japanese restaurant and, after a few beers, bravely ordered a “cleansing sake” without knowing the slightest thing about a drink that has as much, if not more, complexity as the finest wines and most intricately crafted beers.

And rather than sip it slowly, savouring all its delightful nuances, it’s probably been “sculled” like there’s no tomorrow (and with an average alcohol content of 16.5%, that could well be the case if you have one too many).

So just what is sake (pronounced sah-kay)? How should you drink it?

In simple terms, sake is an alcoholic brew - yes a brew, not a spirit - made out of “polished” rice, water, a special type of mold (koji) and yeast. Actually producing a drinkable liquid though is a complex, time-consuming process that takes patience, precision and, like all top-shelf beverages, a fair amount of love as well.

Sake rice, too, is quite distinctive from that which you can eat; it has a larger grain and a starch component, shinpaku, in the centre of the grain.

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Because sake containing only the starch has a more refined taste, the rice is polished to remove the bran. The finer the polishing generally the more refined the sake.

Sake is produced outside Japan but experts agree these products are a pale imitation of the real deal. No surprise, really, as sake has been an integral part of Japanese culture for the past 2,000 years and has a long lead start on any competitors.

Luckily though some traditions in sake production have not carried on; centuries ago the “polishing” of the rice would have been done by a whole village - each villager chewing rice and nuts and then spitting the mix into a communal tub. Chewing introduced the enzymes (from saliva) needed to ferment the mix but once it was figured out around 1000AD that koji could do the same as

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village spittle, the big chew-in went (thankfully) out the window.

Sake was initially made for private consumption by families or villages but once large-scale sake rice farming started, sake production boomed.

The drink was used as an offering to the Gods in many Shinto religious ceremonies and, by the 1300s, sake had established itself as the national drink of Japan.

A great way to get to learn about the nuances of the drink is a session with a sake master, the equivalent of a wine sommelier, and appreciation courses are available in Perth through Nippon Food Supplies’ sake masters Akira Kinoshita and Ryan Yanagawa.

As well as importing and distributing Japanese and Asian food and condiments for restaurants and the like, Nippon Food Supplies exclusively distributes sake from the award-winning Sawahime brewery, about 120km north of Tokyo.

“Sawahime sakes range from soft and smooth (Tokubestu Junmai), rich and sharp (Yamahai Junmai) to sharp and smokey (Kimoto Junmai),” says Ryan.

The best way, if you are not familiar with the drink, to sample sake is to order a tokkuri (150ml bottle) and drink from the traditional ochoko cups - but, says Ryan, avoid the

TASTE MASTER Akira Kinoshita (above), with samples of Sawahime (left).

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temptation just to scull it as if it is a shot of spirits.

“You need to take your time and savour the flavours.

No ‘bottoms up’ otherwise you will not get all the nuances of the drink, the deep flavour and the aroma.

Just sip a little at a time,” he says.

Both Ryan and Akira say an important part of the sake experience is matching it with food - and not necessarily Japanese cuisine.

“Sake is a drink for all occasions and not just with Japanese food,” says Ryan.

In the Sawahime tasting notes, for instance, the head brewer notes that his Junmai Ginjyo (“Elegant Princess”) is the perfect accompaniment for camembert cheese, carpaccio and Caesar salad, as well as Japanese fare.

Sake is available at Nippon Food Supplies’ retail outlet in Rokeby Road, Subiaco, and most liquor stores, but buyers need to bear in mind it is not a drink that ages in the bottle nor keeps fresh for long.

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MQ THIRST

SAKE SECRETS 1. Premium sake, unlike wine, contains no sulfites, additives or preservatives, and is gluten and tannin-free as well.

2. Sake has about 400 flavour components (aromatic esters); wine about 200 3. One out of every five glasses of beverage served in the world with the same alcohol content is sake.

4. You can’t really cellar or age most sakes; drinking ‘fresh’ is better.

5. Never pour your own sake (especially in a formal Japanese setting as this implies the host is incapable of taking care of you).

“Generally you need to drink it within a month of opening the bottle,” says Ryan.

Today Japan has around 1,000 sake breweries, or kura, operating, producing close to half a million kilolitres annually. Outside its traditional homeland though sake is still very much off the radar on an international scale in terms of alcoholic beverages.

Just three percent is exported, a tiny amount compared to wine exports from France (around 20 percent) or whisky from Scotland (around 90 percent).

According to American John Gauntner, the world’s leading non-Japanese authority on sake and known in Japan as the “sake dendoshi” (sake evangelist), unfamiliarity in Western countries with Japanese culture is one of the reasons sake has not really taken a foothold.

The lack of virtually any nonJapanese labelling on bottles (sake producers have to adhere to strict labelling regulations in Japan) is

SAKE CATEGORIES There are six main categories of sake, but there can also be variations within these. For example, brewers can create koshu (aged sake) by allowing the mix to ferment longer than normal. Leaving in rice polishings can make a cloudy sake referred to as nigori. Sake that has not been pasteurised twice (the typical method) is known as nama, or unpasteurised sake. Add in seasonal variations and “special brews” for ceremonial occasions and you get a drink that offers some amazing variations.

JUNMAI Water, koji mold, yeast and rice that has been milled 30%, with 70% of each grain remaining.

HONJOZO Rice, water, koji mold, yeast and a portion of added

MIND OUR MANNERS Etiquette, such as always pouring sake for a guest, is a big part of the Japanese eating and drinking experience.

also a barrier for the “curious” just picking up a bottle to sample the wares inside.

Producing it outside Japan could happen, but there would be many issues to overcome, says John who got intrigued by the world of sake after moving to Japan in 1988.

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here several months an acquaintance introduced me to a half a dozen good types that afternoon, opening and subsequently blowing my mind about how diverse and interesting the sake world is,” he says.

After becoming a columnist for the Japan Times and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers, John has since written five bestselling books on sake - three in English and two in Japanese.

He’s also the president of the Sake Education Council, the first primarily English language-based organisation to

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distilled alcohol. Rice is milled 30%, with 70% of each grain remaining.

JUNMAI GINJO Water, koji mold, yeast. Rice milled 40%, with 60% of each grain remaining.

GINJO Rice, water, koji mold, yeast and added distilled alcohol.

Rice milled 40%, with 60% of each grain remaining.

JUNMAI DAIGINJO Rice, water, koji mold, yeast. Rice milled 50%, with 50% of each grain of rice remaining.

DAIGINJO Rice, water, koji mold, yeast and a portion of distilled alcohol. Rice milled 50%, with 50% of each grain remaining.

promote sake education outside Japan.

“Can sake be taken up on a big scale internationally?

In time, sure, but I think the expertise would take about 20 years to get. It (the production process) is not all conveyable in textbooks, much of it is a matter of experience and every brewing situation and environment is unique,’’ says John.

“But beyond that is rice. It will take a while to grow proper sake rice outside of Japan (there are more than 80 varieties of sake rice); it is a matter of both experience, willingness to deal with the hassle of it, and cost.

Properly grown sake rice could cost ten times as much as what current growing costs are (for internationally grown rice),” he says.

Even within Japan, sake has lost ground to other, nontraditional and international alcoholic beverages.

“Sake has dropped to less than eight percent of all alcohol consumed in Japan, so it has not been a thriving industry for a while. But still it is enjoying a massive popularity boom in Japan right now, so craft brewers are thriving for sure,” says Gauntner.

Thanks to Takayuki Takahasi at Mon Restaurant, Leederville, Nippon Food Supplies and John Gauntner for assistance with this story. For more information, visit montasteofjapan.com. au; for details on sake tasting course, visit nipponfoodsupplies. com.au. John Gauntner’s bestselling books on sake, including The Sake Handbook, The Sake Companion and Sake Confidential, are available through amazon.com. Check with the Japan National Tourism Organisation (us.jnto.go.jp) for information on visiting sake breweries while in Japan.

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NOBU - A SPECIAL SAKE EXPERIENCE

Images courtesy CROWN PERTH

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here are 33 Nobu restaurants, including Crown Perth, around the world but visit any one of them and there’s one constant the only sake you will find on that magnificent menu at each restaurant is that made by the Hokusetsu kura on the island of Sado.

The exclusive use of Hokusetsu sake goes back to when Nobuyuki Matsuhisa opened his eponymous restaurant Matsuhisa in 1987 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

When his friend, Japanese rock musician Eikichi Yazawa, dropped in he brought with him some samples from the Hokusetsu brewery, a family-owned business that has been producing sake since 1886.

The incredibly smooth, chilled glasses of Hokusetsu blew Nobu away - so much so that he immediately decided to replace all the sake on the menu with that from Hokusetsu.

And Hokusetsu, which means

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“Northern Snow” in Japanese, has remained a staple of the house of Nobu, which took off internationally when actor (and sake connoisseur) Robert DeNiro dropped by for a meal and became, with several other Hollywood luminaries, a partner in the business.

Every time a new Nobu is opened, the partners celebrate with a kagami biraki ceremony, the traditional

MQ THIRST

NOBU’S HOKUSETSU RANGE Nigori Unfiltered sake, therefore very cloudy in appearance and creamy in texture. Very dry with hints of pear and lemon with a quick dry finish.

Onigoroshi ‘Devil Killer’ With the nickname of the ‘Devil Killer’, this sake is clean and dry. Savoury notes arise, with a sharper green chestnut essence. Recommended served cold.

Junmai Very light bodied sake, thin and light on the palate. The aromas that come from this sake may seem sharp on the senses. Recommended served cold or warm.

Yukino Hibiki This sake’s name is translated as ‘Symphony of Snow’. It is extremely delicate and clean, with aromas of white pepper and a hint of lemon on the palette.

Recommended served cold.

Daiginjo The ‘original’ Nobu sake, full-bodied and very fragrant.

Hints of biscuit on the nose lead to a quick dry finish.

Recommended served cold or warm.

Junmai Daiginjo The cherry blossom sake, hints of floral elements on the nose with a little greenness. A combination which leads to a refreshing finish. Recommended served cold.

Junmai Daiginjo ‘Yura Yura’ A dry sake, fresh and light to both the palate and the nose, with hints of honeydew textures arising. The flavours are diverse and are believed to be due to the motion of the rolling ships as the sake was transported over the waves, it’s name translates as ‘wavy wavy’.

Recommended served cold.

cracking open of a sake barrel with a wooden mallet to symbolise fortune and prosperity.

Although Hokusetsu proudly sticks by traditional methods of sake production, which have changed little since the 1500s, it is also not afraid to innovate; in 1987 it invented titanium containers which prevent ultraviolet light spoiling the product during shipping.

Hokusetsu’s sakes are traditionally very dry, due in part to the climatic conditions on Sado; winters there are bitterly cold and Hokusetsu sake is only brewed on

the coldest days of the year.

One of their most famous sakes is ongaku-shu, literally “musical sake”; devotees claim this sake, which was traditionally shipped by boat, is exceptionally smooth because of the undulations and vibrations of waves.

Hokusetsu has turned to music to recreate the vibration effect of waves; - it plays New Age music of Japanese composer Kitaro to the bottles of ongaku-shu, which are stored for three years in a special cellar.

Visit noburestaurants.com/perth/ experience/ for more information.

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10 Year Old Aged to the sound of classical music, a more complex and stronger sake. A nice balance between mineral and floral aromas, however the dry finish is eminent.

Recommended served cold.

TK40 This sake being part of Nobu’s private stock is very smooth and well rounded, aromas are sweet, however the lift of acidity combined with hints of cedar and dark honey on the palate, complement each other.

Recommended served cold.

YK 35 An extremely rare and luxurious sake, the YK 35 presents aromas of aniseed with a hint of sweetness.

With such aromatic influence it is very silky and bold on the palate, balanced evenly with mellow acidity.

Recommended served cold. MQ

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APPETITE

WORLD CLASS GM How was Taste of Perth this year for

Scott Bridger, head chef at Bib and Tucker, is heading to the Middle East after being voted the best in show at the recent Taste of Perth. What’s next for this ever-creative culinary innovator, asks Gabi Mills.

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you guys? How did the Flinders Island wallaby go down?

SB Taste of Perth was fantastic again this year, the crowd was really receptive to new flavours and ideas by the chefs and a swag of new restaurants came on board so it was fun cooking with them as well.

GM What do you particularly enjoy when you’re planning for such a large-scale catering event? What do you draw on from your previous experience to make it go as smoothly as possible?

SB There are many stages of organising a big event like Taste of Perth. I really enjoy creating the menu - it has to be smart and refined to keep everyone interested but able to be executed from a very small makeshift kitchen.

GM Tell me what it means to you to have won the Taste of Perth top chef prize – what’s going to happen in Abu Dhabi when you head over there?

SB It’s amazing to be picked to represent Perth in Abu Dhabi. From what I understand they will be picking the top dish from every Taste festival from around the world and that chef will be cooking in a Taste of the World experience. It’s going to be really exciting cooking among some

of the world's finest chefs.

GM With May Street Larder, you’re offering classes for some interesting cooking skills, from artisan bread to fermenting – do you find that participants are more knowledgeable these days about the various culinary skills thanks to TV programmes etc?

Which one are you particularly looking forward to?

SB Yes, I think the general public have a good understanding of

gourmet products and are interested in different cooking techniques.

It’s exciting being able to pass on knowledge at the larder series with people that are interested in food.

GM Bib & Tucker and May Street Larder are leading the charge at the forefront of Perth’s foodie revolution – is it a challenge to keep being ahead of the curve or are you happy with where you find yourself, career-wise, now after a life on the high seas in the past?

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SO DELICIOUS Scott Bridger, left, has led the charge in recent months as Perth's eateries gain worldwide attention. Above, Bib & Tucker offers delicious fare right on the beach.

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SB My cooking career has seen me travel to some really interesting parts of the world but I am very happy where I am now. I love having amazing local produce on tap and creating and working with a great team at both restaurants.

GM What can fans of your cooking style look forward too over the next few months – will wallaby become a mainstay on the menu?

SB We are looking into some

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interesting local ingredients at both restaurants, for instance I have started featuring edible weeds on menus, as they’re plentiful and really high in vitamins.

GM What would you still like to achieve in your career?

SB I would love to have a kitchen garden one day with the majority of vegetables for our restaurants coming from that.

Discover and learn the secrets behind Scott’s favourite larder items with Scott Bridger, executive chef of May Street Larder and Bib & Tucker.

T

ake part in an exclusive small group workshop series and learn tricks of the trade to create your own delicious home larder. Each class will feature a different focus with Scott leading the group through the techniques behind some of his favourite recipes.

LEARN Probiotic drinks - Kombucha, Jun, Keffir and Kvass. Take home your own scoby and all the recipes to kick start your own gut healthy drinks.

Pickling and preserving - learn the art of pickling your seasonal vegetables and fruits, including sterilising, bottling techniques, chutneys and relish Artisan Bread - learn the art of making your own sour dough, seeded breads, and brioche. With Scott's own recipes and sourdough starter to take home.

Curing and smoking - learn the craft of curing your own fish and meats and techniques on cold and hot smoking at home.

Fermenting - this healthy and handson workshop will give you all the skill to make your own kimchi, krouts and fermented vegetables at home.

Healthy Salads and Vegetables - with summer round the corner get the skills and confidence to make all your salads and vegetable dishes the talking point, with modern techniques and simple fresh ideas.

DATES Classes are from 7 to 9pm on the following dates: July 27 – Artisan Bread August 24 - Curing and Smoking September 28 – Fermenting October 26 - Healthy Salads and Vegetables BOOKINGS Tickets $120 per class (or book all six classes for $660 and save $10 per class!)

Book your place by emailing hello@maystreetlarder.com.au or calling (08) 6161 0371. Spots are strictly limited.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT Ex- Olympic swimmer Eammon Sullivan works side-by-side with head chef Scott Bridger at Bib & Tucker.

For a taste of Scott’s larder gems, here’s one of his own recipes, showcasing the gentle art of fermentation in an unexpected way. fridge. Keep the whey that has dropped and keep the hung yoghurt/labne for further uses.

WHEY AND GINGER FERMENTED CARROTS This recipe is a great staple to keep in the fridge and will liven any salad, or great with some meats and cheeses.

2 bunches baby carrots.

200g whey.

Mix the salt and half of the water in a small saucepan, warming up until the salt is dissolved. Mix in the other half of the water and let cool then add the whey and the ginger powder. Cut the tops off and scrub the carrots until clean and all dirt removed. If large or not the same size cut lengthways and place half the carrots standing up in a sterilised jar. Place in the ginger and bay leaf then top up with the remaining carrots. Pour over the whey/ brine mixture until 3 to 5cm from the top. Close with a tightfitting lid and store in a cool place.

1 knob ginger.

You must check the fermentation every couple of days.

It is important to burp the jars every one to two days. Be careful as jars can explode under pressure if not burped regularly.

1 teaspoon of ginger powder.

1 bay leaf.

To obtain the whey, hang some natural yoghurt in muslin overnight in the

After seven to 10 days the fermentation will have slowed down. Take a carrot and check for nice rounded sourness.

If not there, ferment for longer and when happy place in the fridge. MQ

2 tablespoons salt.

500ml water.

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ART

BRICKS AND MORTAR A new exhibition exploring our relationship with the urban landscape is opening this winter prepare to see the city through new eyes.

By GABI MILLS. Portrait by TARRYN TEMPESTT

Chronicle solo art exhibition by Sioux Tempestt

Until August 5, the Museum of Perth A stunning collection of photographic images by Perth Artist Sioux Tempestt has taken up residence in the Museum of Perth, celebrating the stunning heritage architecture of Perth.

It’s a timely collection of images for those of us who love looking up and around corners and into the crevices which make the city so special. As the city enjoys something of an explosion in new building works, a reminder of what went before indicates that Perth’s built

environment has always been in a state of flux.

The works investigate the history of the city by examining the built environment and the changes in structure design over the years.

Some dusty and neglected, others beautifully renovated, these jewels link us to past generations.

Originally from England, Sioux has called Perth home for many years. She works predominantly with acrylic paint but includes aerosol, watercolour and ink in her pieces.

With a background in graphic design, Sioux also produces art digitally. Among other artistic achievements she has held four solo MARQUE WINTER

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NEW PERSPECTIVE Colour Me Perth, above, by Sioux Tempestt, is just one of the artist's unique works exploring the city in a new light.

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art exhibitions and was a finalist in the Black Swan Heritage Prize 2014 and 2013. She has been involved in several group art shows and a finalist in many art awards.

Sioux is also the creative director at UnchARTed Collective, a gallery in Mt Lawley showcasing the works of over 40 Perth creatives. Her work is held in private and public collections.

So what's Chronicle about?

Through these enduring walls and doors, we visualise yesteryear.

The laughter of young children heard echoing through the wooden clad hallways. Emigrants working tirelessly seven days a week in the factories, the yards, the

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infrastructure and stores.

The maids in the sculleries, red cheeked and sweaty, toiling away on a hot summer’s day.

Combining photography, digital manipulation and various printing techniques, Perth is de-constructed and reconfigured through Sioux’s eyes. The work is a re-imagining of Perth’s architectural heritage, giving pause to consider the transformation of the city.

This exhibition represents an important documentation of Perth enabling us to preserve, respect, honour and remember our heritage. Through these works Sioux hopes Perthites will build on these foundations and embrace our historical architecture. Both large scale original artworks and limited edition prints will be available.

Additionally a short documentary

style, behind-the-scenes film will screen on rotation in the micro cinema. The film will delve into the thought process and inspiration behind Chronicle. Artefacts which have inspired the artist will be on display.

Sioux shared her thoughts on the exhibition: MQ Tell me a little about your work to date, and what inspires you.

ST I started out enjoying drawing as a kid, then studied art at school and have worked for many years now as a graphic designer. Creating art for my own pleasure is a progression of my profession. It enables me to escape the daily grind and express my emotions through paint and other mediums. I only really started painting late 2012 and entered the piece into my first competition, winning best local artist. That offered me encouragement to MARQUE WINTER

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A VISION OF PERTH Using a combination of photography, digital manipulation and printing techniques, Sioux (top) has produced works like Perth Blues (above).

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continue. Since then I have been involved in several art competitions, group shows and held four solo exhibitions. The works in each solo show have all been quite different ranging from street-style urban art to digitally produced works and abstract painting.

As for inspiration, there’s so much going on in the world and in my immediate environment which affects my work. Travel and music play a big part in what I create as does mood and emotional state.

Each body of work explores different aspects of life. My last exhibition, Interrelation examined the complex and delicate nature of human frailty and relationships.

MQ How did you come up with the idea for Chronicle – have you always been interested in historical architecture?

ST My family migrated to Perth in the early 70s, so I’ve had the opportunity to see Perth change over a period of time. I’ve always held an appreciation for and interest in the beauty of architecture, the elements of design and impact on environment. I love that you can ‘smell the history’ in

old objects and buildings and wonder at the stories they hold. Watching our history being destroyed over the years with the demolition of beautifully crafted buildings has been difficult. The face of Perth and older suburbs has changed at an alarming rate and continues to do so. We are a growing state and I realise the need for development and infill, but believe it can be achieved with a far better outcome. I first examined this theme in 2013 with a piece titled All That Glitters which was a finalist in the Black Swan Heritage Prize. I was a finalist again in 2014 with my artwork Dunny Lane which documents the old dunnies that are becoming more and more scarce.

MQ How do you think the older buildings fit with Perth’s current explosion of new developments – is Chronicle a way of providing a legacy of those buildings’ importance as they’re surrounded by new builds?

ST Perth’s older buildings are a reminder of the outstanding level of craftsmanship of bygone days. They serve as reminders of our history and heritage. Many new developments

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SOUTH OF THE RIVER Freo Royale shows the port city in a brand new way.

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are architecturally bland using cheap building materials which may not last the test of time.

Sometimes the old and the new are sympathetically integrated, creating an interesting juxtaposition.

I believe Chronicle represents an important documentation of Perth enabling us to preserve, respect, honour and remember our heritage.

My digitally manipulated works build on these foundations and embrace our historical architecture.

The works are a re-imagining of Perth’s architectural heritage, giving pause to consider the transformation of the city.

MQ What other projects are you working on – where do you see your artistic inspiration taking you next?

ST I am currently completing a public art project, a self initiated painting project for a local council, there’s another mural planned and participation in a group show in London later this year is on the cards.

After this bout of digital work, I imagine the paint and brushes will start calling so expect to see some new abstract artworks emerge. MQ

FASHION

IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC… There was a certain sense of fate around STYLEAID 2016’s ‘Tarot’ theme…which is just as it should be when destiny calls. By BEVERLY LIGMAN.

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A

sk anyone about STYLEAID and they’ll tell you it’s a magical night.

For 19 years now the combined creative forces of Ally May and event manager Mark Reid have been conjuring up themes to make every event bigger and better than the year before.

This year is no exception with the ‘Tarot’ theme sure to be a hit among Perth’s fashion forward.

And Mark says finding this year’s theme largely came down to fate.

“After we had done and dusted with STYLEAID 2105, our Creative Director Ally literally had a flash of theme inspiration for this year,” he says.

“Then she took it a step further and actually went and had a Tarot reading done; the cards that came up are the ones we’ve used to influence both the event and the exhibition.

“It’s mystical and fun and the tagline “What Does Your Future Hold?” is really apt for the way people are feeling right now. They’re looking out to the horizon, to see what’s next.”

As part of the event a recent photography exhibition was held at Karrinyup Shopping Centre showing 30 Tarot card-inspired images, created /... continued over

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MQ FASHION

by local photographers and creatives.

“All of the images are amazing,” Mark says.

“I think they’re some of the strongest images we’ve ever had. I’m really drawn to the shots by the Shift Collective and Aaron McPolin – they’re incredibly beautiful.”

Other than the fabulosity of the night itself STYLEAID’s other reason for being so popular is its Spring Summer collection runway shows.

“This year we’re showcasing the looks and designers of several brands including Ae’lkemi, Chalice, HoodedWept, One Fell Swoop, Wild Horses and Salasai,” Mark added.

“There’s so much talent in Perth.

I always look forward to seeing Ae’kemi’s collection, no-one understands the sensuality of a woman’s body like Alvin Fernandez.”

Of course apart from the fashion the other important element of the night is raising money for the WA AIDS Council.

Since it’s inception StyleAid has raised more than $1.5 million and continues to up the ante every year.

“We started the event in response to the HIV epidemic and its effect on the worlds of fashion, hair ,make-up and modelling,” Mark says.

“It was based on an event that was happening in LA, San Francisco and New York, but I can honestly say that WA has made it its own. We’re the only one that’s still going.

“We have new and exciting people joining the committee every year and they really bring their own excitement to it.

“We always want to do better than the year before and showcase the very best of WA fashion.

“I love to see what people wear too, they can really have some fun with this theme, think outside the box.

“I’m so excited that we’ve made it to 19 years and I’m looking forward to it being held in Crown’s newly renovated ball room. It should be spectacular.” MQ To buy tickets for STYLEAID 2016 visit styleaid.com.au

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BOOKS

MAPPING THE GREAT WAR A new book - Where Are Our Boys?

- reveals the unheralded importance of newsprint maps to keep the families back home informed during the First World War about what their boys were enduring overseas.

By MARTIN WOODS.

O

ne of the forgotten aspects of the history of the First World War, as today’s readers consume its many battles and campaigns and digest its social and other consequences through digital media, is the almost complete reliance that most people a hundred years ago had on newsprint for up-to-date information.

Though this was true of previous conflicts, the outbreak of war in 1914 coincided with new communications technologies and consumption of news on a mass scale.

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Fast-paced news dissemination and its companion, the illustrated press, together with a genuine passion among British and Australian readers for war in the early 1900s, saw the emergence of a phenomenon around which much of the war’s news was formulated and interpreted: the ‘newsmap’.

This was a device the news age had been waiting for, as the Allies and their enemies prepared to remake the map of Europe (again).

For centuries the war map – the printed map of the ‘seat of war’ –

had found a place alongside other graphical forms illustrating conflict.

A key part of packaging the news, in 1914 the template for reading the war, which emerged almost from the opening salvo, placed the map in the news, often at the core of commentary. The newspaper map, or newsmap, was the window through which most news was viewed and understood. Once a device exclusive to learned chronicle or soldier’s memoir, the war map in its new guise achieved star billing.

Day by day, for every campaign and battle, maps available to readers across the nation allowed them to follow the exploits, successes and, sometimes, disasters that befell the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the Allies.

‘Our boys’ were in Egypt, Palestine, Belgium, Germany and France, in places most people had never heard of. Soon, the many towns and villages of the Western Front were being discussed, with growing expertise, over maps in homes, pubs, churches and clubs. Around or alongside war’s cartography, a mix of officially approved and homespun commentary created the fighting scripts, selecting the events and places to be visited.

With geography the first casualty, campaigns such as Gallipoli conformed to the rule that maps portraying actual war conditions would not be made public until after the cessation of hostilities.

Yet this was not merely a case of propaganda replacing ‘real’ information, but an investment in a winning narrative by those at home, and for many reasons. Though we cannot know the conversations had by those following the progress of the war, it is clear that maps played a key role in tracking its many campaigns and the exploits of our boys, as well as commemorating its events, people and places.

It is perhaps an obvious point that cartography depicting actual military operations was unavailable to people

at home wondering where their fathers or sons, husbands, relatives or friends were fighting. After all, censorship applied a time-anddistance rule to reportage, including maps.

But it is important to appreciate the complete absence, for readers in 1914–1918, of any detailed trench maps and other, then classified, imagery, which we today take for

FASCINATING INSIGHT Where Are Our Boys by Martin Woods reveals the untold story war maps played in keeping the home fires burning during the First World War.

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granted. Yet while readers were consumed by a great passion to track the locations of their boys, most maps were almost mockingly distant from the battlefield. Many were derived from prewar travel and tourist maps overlaid with military features, and worked in tandem with the imagination of commentators inspired, or required, to write a semifictional war from brief cables.

The credibility gap was perhaps less apparent for European theatres, as the war followed the townships, rivers, roads and rail systems present on existing maps. Readers could at least guess the likely position of the Anzacs, as cables selectively reported engagements, and as they followed other sources such as wounded and missing reports and casualty lists.

Gallipoli posed greater difficulties, with little close topographic mapping available to interpret its rustic landscape.

As war became the primary

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subject of news during 1914–1918, maps had an impact akin to headlines announcing and defining the outbreak of hostilities, with the added value of providing a handy reference tool for grasping unfamiliar territory.

Newsmaps set boundaries, framed the advances or retreats of armies or navies and traced the fortunes of soldiers and generals. They possessed authority – reflecting a belief, merited or not, in the scientific truth of cartography.

Maps were ‘real’ and, at the outbreak of the war in 1914, the

news-reading public experienced maps as never before. In 1914 there was an exponential increase in the number of newsmaps printed, as the seat of war became the main preoccupation. While many maps published in newspapers, and separately, were perhaps not fine examples of cartography, they were of the highest importance in conveying the motives, objectives and preoccupations of war, and provided readers with a picture of the fighting and of the war’s geography not available by other means. MQ MARQUE WINTER

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DEFINING MOMENT The map of Gallipoli, above, showed families back home in Australia where their boys were fighting for their lives

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Edited extract from Where Are Our Boys? How Newsmaps Won the Great War (NLA Publishing $49.99)

by Martin Woods. Now available at all good bookstores and online at publishing.nla.gov.au/book/ where-are-our-boys-how-newsmapswon-the-great-war.do

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R&R

The ancient Chinese art of wushu - better known in the Western world as kung fu - is far more than just an exercise regime; it’s the ultimate combination for shaping the body, mind - and soul.

FORCE FOR GOOD Words NORMAN BURNS Images CRIB CREATIVE

A

car horn beeps, and I turn to see a sharply dressed guy, around 30, behind the wheel of a sleek black Merc.

His eyes lock - not on me - but my walking companion.

The driver yells out “Si Fu!”, waves and then, reverentially, offers a salute - a closed fist embraced by the opposite palm.

The salute is returned, but the respect shown by Merc Man is palpable and not surprising considering the driver is actually a student of Si Fu - or Gawain Siu by birth - one of the world’s leading kung fu exponents, founder of the Ging Mo Kune martial arts academy and president of Kung Fu Wushu Western Australia.

Si Fu means “master” and a title not bestowed lightly; Gawain’s own journey in wushu (the traditional term for Chinese martial arts more popularly known in the West as kung fu) began when he was aged just three in his birthplace of Brisbane, following in his father Malcolm Sue’s footsteps.

No surprise then that under his father’s expert eye, and that of Hong Kong-based Grandmaster Dr Nat Yuen, Gawain prospered.

By age eight he was performing kung fu routines in front of thousands at the Brisbane Festival Hall; he reached Red Belt (the highest kung fu belt level) and became an instructor at just 14, shortly afterwards becoming the MARQUE WINTER

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FIERCE FOCUS Kung fu has evolved as a martial art over thousands of years, as a way of focusing the mind and body. Right, Si Fu Gawain Su leads the Ging Mo Kune Kung Fu Academy in Perth.

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youngest instructor to host his own club.

Malcolm Sue was the eighth generation of the family to master martial arts and in 1986 led a group of students to the world’s oldest kung fu school, the Shaolin Temple in China, where students including Gawain demonstrated their techniques to the monks.

“Myself and three of the other students performed; my father was present in the capacity of tour group leader. The name ‘Ging Mo Kune’ was coined by myself after my father retired from teaching and went to live in China. I felt it was imperative that we paid respect to our ancestry.

Tong Long (Southern Preying Mantis), our original style that was

returns to the Shaolin Temple regularly to instruct the monks in Ging Mo Kune techniques.

At 51, Gawain continues to teach students of all ages at his academy in West Leederville the art of kung fu and Tai Chi (last year he won gold in the Chen-style Tai Chi event at one of the world’s premier martial arts competitions, the 5th International Daqingshan Tajiquan Competition in Wulian, China).

“Wushu broadly has two different approaches; the traditional and sporting. And within these are ‘internal’ (such as Tai Chi) and ‘external’ forms of martial arts; but all conform to the Chinese principle of Yin and Yang, that is each has an element of the other,” says Gawain.

And as well as the physical fitness/self-defence aspect of kung fu, there is a far broader element of mental, physical and emotional well-being involved through learning the techniques that have evolved through the centuries (the exact origin of wushu is almost impossible to pin down but as early as 1600BC in China unarmed combat was being taught to troops; martial arts spread to the general population after China was unified in 220BC and the famous Shaolin Temple was established in 495AD).

“In old times the wushu master would have been teaching the villagers how to care for themselves - mind, body and emotions - plus, if they got attacked by pirates or bandits they’d know how to defend themselves,” says Gawain.

Checking out the Ging Mo Kune class in Leederville, it’s clear that all pupils - young and old, male and female - have absolute respect for Si Fu and his assistant teachers.

Around 15 kids, ranging from around seven to their early teens are put through drills while Si Fu concentrates on the adult class.

Student Charlie Whitlock, an officer with the Department of Water, has been learning kung fu for around a decade and says it is more than just a sport.

“It gives you confidence in all aspects; you gain self-belief,” says Charlie, who has reached brown belt level.

Fellow student Lee Morris took up kung fu after injuring his back; 12 years on he loves every aspect of kung fu.

“I wanted to get some core strength back so that’s why I took up martial arts. But kung fu clears my head, gives you more

taught and of which my father was a custodian, had evolved away from the lineage. Therefore I felt it was disrespectful and almost fraudulent to continue to use their name. So Ging Mo Kune, or the essence of martial arts was coined,” says Gawain.

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HIGH OCTANE Superstar Bruce Lee (left) was responsible more than anyone for introducing kung fu to the western world.

THE BRUCE LEE EFFECT

T

he term “kung fu” immediately brings to mind images of martial arts legend-turned-Hollywood star Bruce Lee, ploughing his way through a legion of bad guys, an impossible mix of athleticism and derring-do.

Lee of course was instrumental in helping unleash the “kung fu craze” in the mid-70s; movies (a la Enter The Dragon), TV (the David Carradine series Kung Fu), songs (“Everybody was kung fu fighting/ Those kicks were fast as lighting” sang Carl Douglas in a No.1 hit which sold 11 million copies) comics, books - you name it, kung fu became the “in thing” for entertainment of the day.

Lee tragically died at aged just 32 in 1973 just when he was on the cusp of super-stardom; nevertheless, his influence on popular culture (Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century) and Chinese martial arts itself is undeniable and continues to this day.

It was Lee who really cemented the term “kung fu” in the Western world to mean Chinese martial arts, and that’s been somewhat of two-edged problem for decades for wushu authorities. Just not enough people, outside of its practitioners, are really aware of what wushu is (and that’s even with movie stars and wushu exponents Jet Li and Jackie Chan continuing where Lee left off on the big screen).

This identity issue has proved a hurdle for an international sport (peak body the International Wushu Federation, IWUF, has 145-member countries) pressing hard to be included on the main stages of sport, such as the Olympics.

But the dilemma may be resolved soon, with the IWUF announcing that next year’s World Traditional Wushu Championships will be renamed the World Kung Fu Championships.

focus at work, at home, in life in general,” he says.

Another pupil is Jhung Siu, Gawain’s 21-year-old son, who is the 10th generation of the family to become deeply involved in the martial arts.

One of Gawain’s most notable achievements is bringing the Ging Mo philosophy and training techniques to disadvantaged and at-risk youth through a Skills for Life Program started in 2009.

The program provides young people a pathway, through kung fu, to a nationally recognised vocational certificate.

Gawain says kung fu provides something for anyone who is willing to be open to learning - and to look within themselves.

“The relationship between pupil and teacher is vital; a healthy relationship will facilitate the freedom of learning and the transfer of knowledge,” he says. MQ For details on kung fu or Tai Chi classes, visit gingmo.com.au or contact Gawain Siu at sifu@gingmo.com.au or on 0412 920 002.

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The International Wushu Federation FORMED IN 1990, the IWUF is the peak international body for wushu. Under the IWUF, sporting wushu is divided into taolu (a set of choreographed routines which incorporate techniques and stylistic principles of attack and defence) and sanda (a combat sport involving punching, kicking, throwing and wrestling all derived from traditional wushu techniques; competition bouts consist of three two-minute rounds).

The taolu routines include Nan Quan (Southern Fist), Chan Quan (Long Fist - a display featuring dynamic, acrobatic aerial moves), Daoshu (broadsword), Jianshu (straight sword) Qiangshu (spear) and the discipline most recognised outside of wushu circles; the slow, graceful, flowing art of Tai Chi that has almost universal appeal.

Wushu is a medal sport at the Asian Games and was a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympic Games and Nanjing Youth Olympics in 2014 but is yet to become an official Olympic discipline.

For more information, visit iwuf.org

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YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION MAGAZINE | WINTER 2016

winter issue out now

03 | WINTER 2016

2015/2016

Comfort eating WINTER FEASTS AND FOOD FOR THE SOUL

Grab a ticket at www.bushtuckertours.com.au/pay

To book your advertisement in the spring issue call Natalie on 0426 752 352 or email natalie@premiumpublishers.com.au MARQUE WINTER

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CULTURE The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival has been running for 27 years, performing over eight weeks each summer in July and August to audiences totalling 25,000.

Performances take place in the beautiful gardens of the historic Cambridge University Colleges, which makes for a unique theatre experience. Prior to the performance, you can picnic in this idyllic setting, before sitting back to enjoy an evening of spectacular theatre performed in full period costume with live Elizabethan music.

Visit cambridgeshakespeare.com

WITH A MEDIEVAL CASTLE AS A BACKDROP...

THE WORLD’S A STAGE . . .

Just as Shakespeare’s plays feature a range of wonderful locations, from mythical islands to enchanted forests, in Britain you can watch some of the Bard’s best-loved plays in an array of unusual and outdoor places - from a medieval castle to a botanical garden.

WITHIN A GLOBE OF WILLOW TREES...

Llanwrthwl, mid-Wales Despite being born in England to a predominantly English family, Wales and the Welsh figured prominently in Shakespeare’s life and works. The Willow Globe in Llanwrthwl, Wales - a scaled-down, organic version of London’s Shakespeare’s Globe made out of carefully woven willow that creates a lush, green theatre space in the summer months - is an ideal place to catch a Shakespeare play.

Performances take place until September and are produced by artistic directors Susanna Best and Philip Bowen, whose extensive professional experience includes years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the Old Vic. Visit shakespearelink. co.uk/willow-globe

AMONG TROPICAL PLANTS IN A BOTANICAL GARDEN... Glasgow, Scotland Scotland’s biggest and best-loved festival of Shakespeare, Bard in the Botanics, takes place in the unique setting of Glasgow’s Botanic Garden.

Depending on the play, actors act out lively performances either outside in the grounds or amid tropical plants and flower displays inside the Kibble Palace glasshouse. Since the first festival, Bard in the Botanics has staged more than 50 productions of Shakespeare’s work and it is a highlight of Glasgow’s summer event calendar. The 2015 season included productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Visit bardinthebotanics.co.uk

CASTLES AND GARDENS If you're in the UK this year, try to catch a performance of Shakespeare in some of the most beautiful natural and historic settings.

IN A UNIVERSITY COLLEGE GARDEN...

Cambridge, east England MARQUE WINTER

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Arundel Castle, West Sussex, south England What better background for a dramatic Shakespeare performance than a gothic-looking medieval castle? The Collector Earl’s Garden at Arundel Castle in West Sussex, two hours’ drive south of London, is a natural surrounding as Shakespeare intended for his plays. Performed in beautiful Elizabethan costumes by a cast of Britain’s finest professional Shakespearean actors, the shows included live music, hilarious comedy and riveting tragedy.

In August 2015, in their sixth year as a touring theatre company, and by popular acclaim, GB Theatre returned to Arundel to perform William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing.

Visit arundelcastle.org/whats-on/ shakespeare.html

IN A BOOKSHOP...

The Norrington Room, Blackwell’s Bookshop, Oxford, south central England See Shakespeare come alive in the basement of an iconic Oxford book shop when Creation Theatre company returns in 2016 to transform The Norrington Room’s three miles of bookshelves into a theatre for its performance of King Lear. It will be the first production

of a new six-year partnership with Blackwell’s Bookshop, located right in the heart of Oxford opposite the Sheldonian Theatre.

Visit creationtheatre.co.uk/show-three

gardens. The Lace Market Theatre put on a week-long production of Midsummer Night’s Dream in April to great acclaim - worth a visit even without a play on the cards. www.lacemarkettheatre.co.uk

OVERLOOKING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...

IN THE GROUNDS OF A HISTORIC COUNTRY MANSION...

Penzance, Cornwall, south-west England Carved into a clifftop above Porthcurno Bay in Cornwall, the Minack Theatre’s dramatic location has drawn visitors for generations.

With the Atlantic Sea lapping at the shore below you and the horizon stretching out in front, this is a truly unique location to enjoy a Shakespeare play. The theatre’s summer season runs from May until September and 2016’s Shakespeare highlights include performances of As You Like It, A Winter’s Tale and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Visit minack.com

Holkham Hall, Norfolk, east England Head north of Cambridge to reach Holkham Hall, a majestic historic country house and one of England’s finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture. This family-friendly venue invites guests to lay down a rug and enjoy a picnic while they enjoy an outdoor Shakespeare performance. For 2016 it will be one of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, that graces the stage on August 31, performed in the open air by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an all-male cast with Elizabethan costume, music and dance.

Visit holkham.co.uk/events/theatre/much-ado-aboutnothing

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

Act 3 Scene 3

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n a devastating exploration of the battle between love and jealousy, Peter Evans of the acclaimed Bell Shakespeare company will direct the tragedy of Othello, touring nationally at the moment.

The triumphant general Othello returns from battle with the gratitude of the state – and the love of Desdemona - who defies social convention and her father’s will to marry him.

Jealousies around their match and Othello’s rise to prominence simmer to the surface, causing destructive rifts in a story that piles secret upon secret, and betrayal upon betrayal.

Othello’s ensign, Iago, harbours a deeply held resentment and the marriage is fatally undermined by the insinuations of a master manipulator.

Othello is a saga that probes the human capacity for petty jealousies and revenge while revelling in the sheer wickedness of malicious manipulations.

IN A SECRET GARDEN...

Nottingham, central England The Lace Market Theatre is hosting a special Shakespeare season in 2016.

Highlights include Shakespeare performances in two of Nottingham’s

secret gardens; on 21 April guests enjoyed Twelfth Night in the secret garden at Bromley House Library and a performance of Julius Caesar in the secret garden of historic Newdigate House. Both buildings are in the heart of the city, but their gardens are hidden gems. One ticket gained entry to both performances, with refreshments served al fresco in the

Don’t miss . . . OTHELLO

Starring Ray Chong Nee as Othello (Bell Shakespeare’s The Dream, MTC’s I Call My Brothers) and Yalin Ozucelik as Iago (Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, STC’s Cyrano de Bergerac) in one of Shakespeare’s most captivating and implosive pairings.

IN A PUB GARDEN...

Across London and southern England For two very British experiences in one, head to a pub garden for Shakespeare performed by theatre company Permanently Bard. Last summer the company brought its energetic performance of Romeo and Juliet to a series of pub gardens in the south of England and London area. Audiences can order an Elizabethan picnic basket and enjoy being outdoors with a pint of ale or a glass of wine. Visit permanentlybard.co.uk MARQUE WINTER

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Othello opened in July at Arts Centre Melbourne and will tour to 27 centres nationally. On August 11 at Albany Entertainment Centre, on August 13, at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, and on August 17 to 20, at State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth.

EXPERIENCE

MAGICAL, MYSTERIOUS, TOUR DE FORCE The Ord Valley Muster is a once-ina-lifetime experience, says Dianne Bortoletto. Make next year the year you head to this extraordinary Kimberley event like no other.

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f I had a dollar every time someone said, “you’re going to love the Kimberley” I’d able to pay several helicopter flights to remote freshwater springs and a month-long stay at El Questro.

My trip to Australia’s North West was not only to experience the Kimberley for the first time, but

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more specifically, to go to the ‘Best Regional Event in Australia’, the Ord Valley Muster.

Winning the prestigious title at the Australian Event Awards last year, the Ord Valley Muster is a cluster of 30 varied events packed into a ten-day festival that includes international comedy, a rodeo, cooking classes, special dinners, art, talent quests, markets and a huge rock concert that this year boasted Bernard Fanning and Troy CassarDaley in the line-up, alongside a 500-strong black tie dinner. The event hub is Kununurra in far north Western Australia, the gateway to the Kimberley touted the world’s last true wilderness frontier.

Kununurra itself is a small rural town set on Lake Kununurra, a section of the Ord River. The town seemed functional – a pub, service station, several cafes, travel agents, banks, souvenir shops and a Target Country. It’s not exactly the sort of town you’d travel 3,000km from Perth for. My love for the Kimberley was thus far unkindled.

Plenty of people love the hallmark event, the Durack Homestead Dinner where a celebrity chef – George Calombaris (MasterChef) – cooked for guests who dined under the sparkling night sky in the company of boab trees and a windmill. The Durack Homestead Dinner is so popular that a ballot system had to be introduced to make it fair to the 500 people applying for just 80 seats.

Transport to the Durack Homestead in the East Kimberley was included with the ticket. After a pre-transfer refreshment in the shady car park of the Kununurra Country Club Resort, the hourlong journey took us through true outback country; wide-open spaces, big bright blue skies, contrasting red earth dotted with fat boab trees and desert scrub. We passed through gorges as tall as skyscrapers, burnt red in colour, catching glimpses of Lake Argyle. Lake Argyle is so big that it’s classed as an inland ocean,

21 times the size of Sydney Harbour.

Colossal.

On arrival, sounds of the didgeridoo welcomed us along with a glass of sparkling wine. Long wooden tables were set on the lawn complete with linen napkins. Toward the back of the Homestead, the open-flame wood barbeque released enticing wafts of the deliciousness to follow.

The Durack family were a prominent pastoral family, the early pioneers in the Kimberley and they built the stone Homestead in the 1880s. Now a museum, guests were

platters and licking our lips, George Calombaris came out to chat and answer questions, moderated by WA’s favourite food critic, Rob Broadfield.

The evening was spectacular. Here we were in the middle of nowhere.

It was buzzing enough to feel like a party but small enough to feel special, intimate, despite the vast country around us. Along with the mango compote served for desert, I’m sure I ingested some Kimberley magic that night.

More magic was evident at both

GORGEOUS GEORGE MasterChef's George Colombaris created a special menu for diners at this year's Ord Valley Muster at the Durack Homestead.

FACT FILE Ord Valley Muster is held each May. The ballot for the Durack Homestead Dinner usually opens in January and closes four weeks later.

Visit ordvalleymuster.com.au.

invited to wander through, gleaning Kimberley life in the years gone by.

The dinner was a modern Greek feast starting with canapés and followed by crab spanakopita, short rib souvlaki with bone marrow gremolata, barramundi, dirty aubergine and crowd favourite, the smoky grain salad. While passing

Fervor events – a breakfast and a degustation dinner, both held at the same secret location only accessible by boat. Fervor head chef Paul “Yoda” Iskov has an interesting food ethos; he connects with local Aboriginal elders, goes foraging with them to learn about native ingredients and then uses those MARQUE WINTER

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ingredients in his dishes.

The sell-out Fervor events were held on the lush lawns of a private property along the banks of the Ord River, enjoyed by an intimate group of 50 people. Before each course, Paul introduced the dish and the native ingredients contained. At the breakfast, stand-outs included the juice of desert lime and ant, yes, insect-ants, and the smoked egg, bush tomato, emu and charred damper.

The Fervor degustation dinner included a bonus - a near-full super moon that had guests gasping, pointing cameras and iPhones as it rose up from behind Elephant Rock across the Ord. Kimberley elder Neville Poelina captivated us with interesting stories about his people and country. The eightcourse dinner included crocodile chorizo, scallop with ants, marron with native lemongrass, kangaroo with wild rosella and ended with guests out of their seats, roasting eucalyptus marshmallows over the fire pit. Incredible.

It was hard to know if it was the life-giving Ord River, the energy from the ancient landscape, experiencing unique and intimate events, eating unexpected ingredients or the genuine friendliness of every interaction that infliltrated my heart. Once I let go and just enjoyed each moment, the Kimberley magic took effect.

They were right; I do love the Kimberley. It’s a place that every Australian should visit once in their lifetime. MQ

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100 YEARS OF BMW

STARRING ROLE To make it in the movies, you need special something. Good looks, plenty of talent but, above all, that distinctive individuality that makes you stand out from the crowd. It’s no surprise then that a brand as iconic as BMW can boast a long and illustrious history on the silver screen. By MATTHEW MILLS.

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he appeal of the BMW brand for any self-respecting movie director is obvious – great performance coupled with stunning looks and a unique style.

One film icon who knows the value of an excellent car is ageless British superspy James Bond – 007 isn’t, after all, going to get behind the wheel of any old thing. It made perfect sense, then, that back in 1995, Q picked him out a beautiful Z3 in Goldeneye.

Initially a growl of outrage went up from the agent’s more jingoistic fans – Bond hadn’t driven anything non-British up to that point in his

illustrious career – but the doubters were quickly swayed once they got a look at the sleek lines of the Z3 which were hiding optional extras such as stinger missiles behind the headlights and a parachute in the trunk.

It was a turning point for 007 who went on to be handed the keys of a 750iL a couple of years late in Tomorrow Never Dies. He then proceeded to carry out one of the most innovative car chases ever, controlling the big luxury sedan remotely from its back seat using a device which, with hindsight, bore a striking resemblance to the MARQUE WINTER

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smartphones we all carry around today.

After that, BMWs became a mainstay for Bond, with Q kitting out a Z8 with surface-to-air missiles in The World is Not Enough. The stunning roadster did him proud too – until it tragically got sliced in half by a massive razor hanging from a helicopter, that is.

A few years later, BMW helped another British icon get a movie makeover when F. Gary Gray wanted to remake the classic 60s heist move The Italian Job. Back when Michael Caine was the criminal genius in 1969, he used a fleet of Mini Coopers to move the loot, so of course Mark Wahlberg wanted something similarly iconic for his shot at the prize 34 years later.

Enter stage left, then, a trio of BMW MINI Coopers, one red, one white and one blue, and some quite remarkable driving through busy Venice, precious little of it on actual roads. It was a triumph for the revamped MINI, but it wasn’t the only BMW to crop up in the successful remake – look out for the beautiful 840Ci driven by Jason Statham’s character Handsome Bob next

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time you enjoy the classic film.

Another secret agent who’s looked to BMW for his driving inspiration is Jason Bourne who picks out a nice 5 Series in his 2004 outing The Bourne Supremacy. When we say picked out, we actually mean stole – ambling around a car park pressing the remote key until the car chirrups its location at him – but he still put the plush sedan to good use.

A few years later, however, Ethan Hunt, the uberagent brought to life

by Tom Cruise in the immensely successful Mission Impossible series, proved that not all secret agents have such questionable morals.

The Vision EfficientDynamics Concept he gets to drive in 2011’s Ghost Protocol is both acquired legitimately and wonderfully good for the planet – eagle-eyed car spotters will tell you that that futuristic creation is now available in Auto Classic in its street-legal form the i8, BMW’s remarkable hybrid supercar.

Bond et al have put their Beemers through their paces in stunning action scenes, but afficianados of the genre will agree that the gong for best BMW car chase must go to

the 535i that Bob DeNiro navigates through Paris in eight minutes of adrenaline-pumped action in Ronin.

Petrol-heads will tell you that the chase in the 1998 movie should be lauded because it’s both breathtaking and realistic – here was a car doing

things that a car could actually do.

Still, we mustn’t forget that it’s not all about high speed thrills – although if you’re ever being chased by shadowy underworld thugs then being behind the wheel of just about any BMW is probably the best place to be.

But no, there’s no getting away from the fact that as well as boasting superb performances, BMWs are very

classic Reality Bites. Even feisty Lelaina, with her big talk about balking at consumerism and staying independent, can’t resist the appeal of this beautiful classic when her dad offers her the keys.

We also have a soft spot for the souped-up 633 CSi that villain Griff Tannen drives in Back to the Future Part II.

pretty to look at. It’s not surprising then that the brand has provided many a cameo for some of the movie industry’s greatest hits.

Our favourite has to be the 733i that Winona Ryder gets around in as Lelaina Pierce in 1994’s bratpack

It’s 2015 in the time-travelling adventure sequel Michael J Fox starred in back in 1989 and, while it may seem a bit over-the-top now, we can’t help but wish that this red and black beauty had actually been available last year.

Special mentions for gorgeous silver screen BMWs must also go to two wonderful 3 Series convertibles – the 325i Julia Roberts drives in Pretty Woman in 1990 and the the 328i Cameron Diaz races to airport in in My Friend's Wedding seven years later – but if you keep your eyes open you’re sure to spot classic BMWs in a host of great films.

The allure and the glamour of the silver screen is just made for this iconic brand. MQ

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CARS OF CHOICE From James Bond to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, to The Italian Job’s iconic MINIs, movie-makers love using the BMW Group’s cars in their films.

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LAST WORD

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

Sloth Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?

That’s easy to answer - Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Doing nothing doesn’t come easy to me, except at Rottnest. I love it - the sun, beautiful beaches, fishing and catching crays, barbeques on the boat… instant relaxation and joy. Time stands still on Rottnest, it really is a world away.

Wrath Which news story makes you white with rage?

Well, I don’t really get white with rage but I am disturbed and saddened by the diminishing recognition of the role that personal responsibility plays in each of our lives and concerned that today there seems to be less recognition that we have the power to shape our own lives in positive ways.

Envy Whose shoes would you like to walk in?

I don’t really envy anyone. Each of us has our own path and special gifts. But I really do have admiration for people who have the talent to sing beautifully and bring others such happiness. It’s something I’ve always wished to be able to do. My vocal talent is limited to the shower, and barely that! I would be starving if I had to live from my singing.

Pride What is the one thing you’re secretly proud of?

MAUD EDMISTON AKA Miss Maud

M

anaging director of the Miss Maud Hospitality Group, Maud Edmiston is enjoying a golden year in 2016. Celebrating 45 years of hospitality leadership in Perth, and recently voted into the Australian Business Woman’s Hall of Fame, Miss Maud continues to spread its delicious Swedish-style bakery and food offerings via 18 cafes and restaurants across the City of Perth, a 52-room boutique hotel and a thriving online catering business.

Gluttony What is the food you could eat over and over again?

Like many Swedes, I LOVE Salmon and can eat it every which way!

In the North of Sweden, there is an abundance of salmon that leap out of the rivers. It’s an endearing childhood memory that makes the eating all that more special!

Greed You’re given $1m that you have to spend selfishly - what would you spend it on?

I’d travel non-stop – heading for uncharted waters and less explored places – it stimulates new and creative thoughts. But, of course, I’d have to take my family along to share in the amazing experiences.

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It’s no secret I’m very proud of what my team has achieved at Miss Maud over the past 45 years and the enjoyment generations of customers continue to have at our coffee shops, Smörgåsbord Restaurant and Swedish Hotel. I’m also proud of our contribution to the West Australian community, not only our involvement in so many of WA’s celebrations and contribution to community groups but in helping shape a warmer and more inclusive family style of hospitality that’s world’s apart from WA’s 70s pub culture I met when I came to Western Australia. Added to this is my joy and pride in seeing the success and enjoyment that my two children and their families get from their lives.

Lust What makes your heart beat faster?

I am an eternal optimist and see potential, possibilities and solutions in everything – that’s what makes my heart beat faster. This, and the joy of serendipity, when things just miraculously fall into place. When you come from another country you really want to nurture a place and add value to it. It was serendipity that I came to Western Australia and fell in love with its beautiful landscape and lifestyle at a time when people were so open and ready to experience something new, but serendipity is present in our lives so often, if we just keep an eye out for it. MQ

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