canberra citynews april 26, 2012

2 CityNews April 26-May 2

CityNews April 26-May 2 3

NCA drives cars off the dirt moundsThe Parliamentary Triangle eyesore as workers avoid paid parking

CARS, cars and more cars have been parked along the dirt mounds and verges on State Circle and Brisbane Avenue, and were getting away with it, until now.

The National Capital Authority has put the foot down on illegal parking

in the area and has started upgrade works to formalise the Windsor Walk car park and stop people from park-ing their cars on dirt mounds and verges.

According to the NCA website: “The works will make the parking area more efficient and will provide 86 for-mal spaces, increasing the quantity of formalised parking to the area.”

However, the number of formal parking spaces is unlikely to match the current number of cars jockeying to park there. The new spaces will be untimed and without charge.

The upgrades will be made in a number of stages to “minimise the impact on users” and will include: physical barriers along Brisbane Av-enue to stop dangerous parking on dirt mounds, “No Parking” signs along State Circle, regular parking inspec-tor patrols, and the regrading and re-surfacing on York Park car park, once Windsor Walk is complete.

Warnings for people who are parked illegally will be issued for three con-secutive days before being slapped with an infringement notice.

Each car park will be closed while work is being completed.

“The NCA apologises for any incon-venience arising from this short term

reduction in car park numbers,” NCA website states.

The NCA has listed paid parking op-posite the Edmund Barton Building, adjacent to the Ottoman Restaurant as an alternative car park option for people in the area. To park in that car park costs $8 a day.

The works will be completed by June 30.

War and peace… defiant parkers crowd a mound in the Parliamentary Triangle, ignoring the nearby paid parking spaces. Photos by Silas Brown

Map of the proposed works: 1. Closure of Windsor Car Park. 2. Installation of physical barriers to stop dangerous parking. 3. “No Parking” signs and regular parking inspector patrols. 4. Regrading and resurfacing works on York Park car park.

news Volume 18, Number 14 / Phone 6262 9100 / www.citynews.com.au


newsbriefly

Freyla Fergusonreports

Suburb honours hero

‘The Lady’ callsWOMEN on the Thai-Burma border facing trafficking and violence will be the beneficiaries of a charity screening of “The Lady”, the film depicting Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, at Manuka Cinemas on April 30. Proceeds will go to the Crisis and Resource Centre of the Palaung Women’s Organisation. Tickets are $25 are available online at www.iwda.org.au, or from 03 9650 5574.

Counsellors wantedLIFELINE Canberra is calling for volunteer telephone counsellor recruits to keep its life-saving service available to those who need it, 24 hours a day seven days a week. No previous experience – beyond the attributes of compassion and empathy – is necessary as all training and resources will be provided. Lifeline is holding an information session, 7pm-8pm, May 7. More information from 6247 0655 or via email at [email protected]. There is also more information at www.act.lifeline.org.au

Collectors wantedTHE Salvation Army wants volunteer collectors to help the local Red Shield Appeal doorknock reach its $240,000 target on the weekend of May 19-20. Appeal director Capt Dale Murray said: “Our aim is to mobilise more than 3000 collectors in ACT to knock on as many doors as possible. It only involves about two to three hours and we are encouraging people to form teams of four with a driver.” To volunteer, call 137258 or visit salvos.org.au

Celebrating grandiesTHE ACT’s inaugural Grandparents Day will be held on on Sunday, October 28.

Mega swim challengeTHE fourth MS Australia’s 24 Hour Mega Swim event is being held at the AIS Aquatic Centre from noon Saturday, May 19 to noon the following day. The community is invited to join this event by registering as a team or individual swimmer at www.megaswim.com. Individuals can join the “Mighty Swimmers” open team. Teams are up to 15 people of all ages and fitness levels. Team members swim in relay for 24 hours to raise funds for people living with multiple sclerosis. Last year, the Canberra swim raised more than $105,000. This year the target is $130,000. To participate or to donate, or for more information go to www.megaswim.com or call 1300 705341.

GUNGAHLIN has an unlikely link to World War II’s Battle of the Coral Sea, the biggest naval battle fought off Australia’s shore and the turning point for the war in the Pacific, according to veteran and historian Gordon Johnson.

In 1942, a teenage Mr Johnson, now 89, was in radio communications on board HMAS Hobart, one of the light cruisers part of Australia’s Task Force 44, led by Admiral John Crace.

Crace, later appointed Knight Com-mander of the Order of the British Empire in 1947, was born in what is now known as Gungahlin, on land owned by his family.

Now 70 years on, Admiral Crace and Australia’s involvement in the Battle of the Coral Sea will be remembered in a dedicated memorial at the new residen-tial estate that bears his family name on May 5 in what is believed to be the first war memorial in Canberra built outside of the Parliamentary Triangle.

The battle between the Allied forces and the Japanese ran from May 4 to May 8, 1942 and it was the first time in the war that a major Japanese operation had failed.

“It’s a memorial that commemorates Crace and the area, and Australia’s involvement [in The Battle of the Coral Sea], which really was a major part of the action,” Mr Johnson said.

“A lot of people might question why would you build a memorial here when

in Blamey Square there is a Coral Sea memorial, well there is a big difference.

“The one built in Blamey Square is really a commemoration of the Allied re-lationship between Australia and Amer-ica... it is a very worthwhile enterprise, but it does not highlight Australia’s part.”

The memorial, funded by the joint ven-ture for the development of Crace between CIC Australia and the ACT Government Land Development Agency, with the sup-port of the Royal Australian Navy was led by outgoing development manager of CIC Australia Ron Bell.

“Almost 12 months ago, I saw an article in the paper saying how Crace would be a wonderful place to have a memorial to Admiral Crace,” he said.

“I thought it was a good idea so, with the blessing of our joint venture partners, we proceeded to design and construct this memorial.”

More than 100 people are expected to attend the official unveiling of the me-morial, including direct descendents of Admiral Crace.

A dedication will be performed by Vice Admiral Peter Jones and will also include a catafalque party and performances from the Royal Australian Navy band.

The unveiling of the Battle of the Coral Sea and Admiral Sir John Crace KBE CB Memorial will be held Saturday, May 5 at 10am.

CIC Australia’s Ron Bell, left, with World War II veteran and historian Gordon Johnson at the new memorial for The Battle of the Coral Sea and Admiral Sir John Crace at Crace. Photo by Silas Brown

Admiral Sir John Crace.


opinion

Still waitingfor Ted’s tax opus

MORE than eight months ago the Government promised that the Quinlan review of ACT taxation would be released.

No explanation has been given for the delay so, unsurprisingly, there is increas-ing speculation about what is in the report by former Labor Treasurer Ted Quinlan and why the Government won’t release it.

If it is to be released as one of the papers accompanying the Territory Budget on June 5 and if some of its recommendations are used to justify new taxes announced in the Budget, then that rules out any public consultation on the review before it is im-plemented.

The Government had promised “trans-parency, participation and collaboration” in dealings with the people on important public policy questions such as taxation, but in this case it has not done what it said it would do.

The community has a right to be con-cerned that decisions on taxation are being made behind closed doors and that the Government is using the pretext of the Budget to avoid making the tax review public.

It is now too late to have any meaning-ful consultation – to study the conclusions and recommendations and test the as-sumptions – on the tax review before the Budget.

It was not meant to be this way. Treas-urer Andrew Barr said on April 16 that “some decisions that we will take and an-nounce in the Budget will be informed… by Quinlan”. In other words, the Govern-ment has broken its word.

Unfortunately, beyond the Budget, pub-lic debate on the structure of taxation in the ACT will become enmeshed in the lead up to the election in October, so the case for a more rational, equitable and sustain-able tax system is likely to be muddied by short-term political advantage.

Catherine Carter is ACT executive direc-tor of the Property Council of Australia.

Catherine Carterproperty

Christine at the Green crossroadsWill Christine Milne really be able to lead the Greens effectively, wonders political

columnist MICHAEL MOORE? Or will the party mirror the steady decline of the Democrats following the retirement of Don Chipp? THE success of the Australian Greens depends on perceptions of the party and the calibre of its leader-ship.

The ascendancy of Milne following the resignation of long-term Senator Bob Brown puts her in a very dif-ferent role. She can no longer be the head-kicker that she was as deputy leader and has to assume a much more stateswoman-like role.

The Christine Milne that ap-peared on the ABC TV’s “Lateline” on the day that Brown announced his resignation was very different from the one that has taken such uncompromising, hard-line positions on a range of Greens issues. Perhaps she can make a successful transition from head-kicker to leader.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been unable to make the transi-tion completely. Mostly he allows others within the party, such as Christopher Pyne, to play the role he and Nick Minchin played so success-fully under the leadership of John Howard.

Part of Abbott’s problem is that his deputy, Julie Bishop, does not have the stuff that makes a good political bully – she comes across as petty and bickering and seems unable to com-mand the same level of antagonism as he does.

It is not a gender issue. Milne was able to play the deputy role and an-tagonist successfully.

In the past, Brown had to play a similar role when he was the lone Green in the Senate. But at that time he did not have the responsibility that comes with the balance-of-power posi-tion and the requirement to negotiate seriously with government for better outcomes for the people of Australia.

Milne started her parliamentary career by being driven to the Senate on a tractor. She is of the fifth genera-tion off the land and relates closely to farmers.

When Milne entered the Senate the election had been framed in John Howard’s notion of “family values”.

The new Senator challenged what it meant front on: “Where I grew up, honesty, kindness, respect, justice, fairness, tolerance, love and forgive-ness were family values.

“Discrimination against and vili-fication of minorities, lying, misrep-resentation and meanness of spirit were not family values.”

The speech, her first in the Senate, was steeped in such issues as the environment, climate change, social justice, respect, empowerment and hope for the future.

As leader of the Australian Greens, she can remain pure to Green phi-losophy, feel good and achieve very little. Or, on the other hand, she can grab the nettle that is the balance of power and make a real difference.

Both approaches have a place. However, she will have to apply sig-nificant wisdom to achieve the best short, medium and long-term gains for the people of Australia and for

her own party.The Australian Greens now have

a powerful role to play and need ap-propriate leadership. For Milne, for her party and for all Australians, this will be a greater test than any she has faced.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assem-bly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

dose of dorin

Putting the egg before the poor chickenWhen MARK PARTON buys eggs, he only thinks about breakfast, not about the well being of the chooks

SOMETIMES I think about buying free-range eggs – and then I just buy the cage eggs. Why?

Well, because they’re cheaper. I’m clearly not the only heartless bastard out there buying cage eggs either. The supermarkets are still doing a roaring trade in eggs of the evil variety.

I had a fascinating discussion about this with the Greens spokesperson for feathered creatures

Caroline Le Couteur. She generously indicated that she didn’t think

any less of me for my insensitive views and con-ceded that I’m not alone.

I understand that chickens are living creatures and that they have feeling, but so do blowflies and cockroaches and it doesn’t stop us from coming up with dastardly ways to painfully end their lives.

Caroline and the Greens can’t stop worrying about the chooks. Again, they’ve been talking about phasing out battery cage-egg production in the ACT, which seems to me to have very little point.

Unless you ban the sale of cage eggs in Canberra then people will just buy the googs which have been trucked in from over the border. So the only two results would be our chicken farm closing down and Greens voters getting a warm and fuzzy feeling because they believe that we’ve made the world a better place.

God help us if the Greens do have a win on the egg-farm issue, because then they may move on to legislate against fly spray and cockroach bombs.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC


news


Quality in supper quest

CANBERRA restaurants are getting behind the Camp Quality Supper Club event by donating a complete dining experience for a table of 12 on May 24, to raise money for children living with cancer, and their families.

This will be Soju Girl’s first Supper Club – and for co-owner and head chef Derek Brown, the cause hits close to home.

His wife’s nephew passed away from cancer more than seven years ago, and deeply affected his family.

“I’ve got young children as well,” he said.

“We’re always up for helping local organisations and this has been our first opportunity to get involved.”

Soju Girl co-owner and manager Grant Macara says he hopes guests attending the restaurant’s dinner will enjoy their shared eating philosophy.

Last year, the Supper Club event raised $63,110 in Can-

berra with $1million raised across Australia.

This year there are 21 res-taurants involved including, Dieci e Mezzo, Alto, Public Bar, Urban Pantry and Cream.

And, for the first time, the Brumbies will offer an exclu-sive dinner for 20 at their club rooms.

Guests who have purchased any of the Supper Club tables, will then be chauffeured by

Lexus to a secret location for a masquerade ball.

Camp Quality has been sup-porting children living with cancer and their families since 1983, and runs programs in performance and education, hospital, family assistance and recreation.

Camp Quality Supper Club, Thursday May 24. To book a table visit www.mycampquality.org.au/supperclub

Soju Girl co-owner and head chef Derek Brown... “We’re always up for helping local organisations and this has been our first opportunity to get involved.” Photo by Silas Brown.


news / views

When a new mum takes big, baby stepsMOTHERHOOD is a wonderful but often tiring, stressful and disorientating experience and new mums need support.

Mothers’ and playgroups can be a great help where newbie mums, with their training wheels still on, can hook up with other mums, swap ex-periences, find solutions to problems, and share the journey that is motherhood.

Well, that’s the theory, although admittedly getting yourself off the starting blocks and into the swing of it can be pretty daunting, as I found.

With my husband and six-month-old baby boy, I had moved from Canberra to Hobart, where I had no family or friends. At my first meeting with the local community nurse I was strongly encouraged to join a local mothers’ group.

I agreed it was a good idea, but when faced with the prospect of actually going to meet a group of strangers, I found the whole thing quite unnerving.

Mothers are often judged harshly, with the biggest critics often being other mums. With a baby boy who wouldn’t sleep and seemed to be suffering one ear infection after another, and with me stressed, exhausted and feeling totally brain dead, I just didn’t think I was doing a very brilliant job and the idea of talking to other mums just seemed way too much to contemplate.

Still when the day of the first meeting arrived,

I managed to get myself and baby to the venue on time and, to my surprise, I found myself happily ensconced on a comfy couch in a kid-friendly café amongst a friendly group of mums who were happily chatting about motherhood, families, shopping, etcetera.

Unfortunately, with my little fellow hap-pily gurgling away and a warm, comfortable spot near the fireplace, I promptly fell asleep! Looking back, I probably needed that sleep and I was as-sured by another mum I didn’t snore or drool.

However, over the following weeks I did man-aged to stay awake and even abreast of some of the conversation. Much to my surprise and thanks to the honesty of this wonderful group of women, I learnt I wasn’t the only mum feeling

totally inadequate and overwhelmed; and I found myself with a whole new group of friends.

We unexpectedly moved back to Canberra some months later, by which time I was much more into the swing of things. But I will always be so grateful to these amazing women who threw me a lifeline when I needed it most.

Over the years, so many mums have told me both about their positive and negative experienc-es with mothers and playgroups. But for those who persist, there are life-long friendships to be made and invaluable support on offer. The trick seems to be finding a group that suits you, being prepared to shop around and not being discour-aged or daunted when, as a mum, we take those first few baby steps.

Sonya Fladun mum in the city

Lonely seniors go gamblingMORE seniors are turning to gambling to escape boredom, loneliness or the recent loss of a loved one, says Mission Australia.

According to gambling counsellor Karen Rendall, seniors are a risk group for problem gambling, with many finding retirement lonely.

“They are lonely and suddenly they have time on their hands with few or no other leisure activities,” Karen said.

“Clubs are nice, warm and cosy; and at the beginning that’s fine.”

However, she said seniors are par-ticularly vulnerable because they have no way to recoup the money lost and are the most reluctant to seek help.

“Seniors are often not comfortable with counselling,” she said.

“Some seniors say, ‘I should have known better’ or ‘I can cope with it myself’, then there’s the added layer of ‘I’m older’.”

With many seniors reluctant to admit their addiction, one 62-year-old Canberra man came forward to talk to “CityNews”, however he did not want his name mentioned.

“It removed me from reality,” he said. “I was anonymous. I could lose track of time.

“I did not have a strong social net-work around me. It seemed easy and convenient. No one asks you what you do and it seemed a good place to be.”

He said his gambling, in particu-lar roulette and blackjack, led to fi-nancial stresses that eventually led to stresses in his relationships.

“I accepted responsibility for my problem only recently, but I had been gambling for about 30 years,” he said.

“Counselling has given me a perspective on my life in a non-judgemental environment.

“It has helped me accept truths about my gambling behaviour and how I can employ tactics not to do it or minimise the behaviour.

“It helps you address your prob-lems – because I feel that there are always other problems going on.”

Now “gambling-free”, he said it was a brochure for the Mission Aus-tralia services at the casino that led to that point.

Mission Australia offer free services to people who gamble and those affected by gambling including face-to-face gambling counselling to

both gamblers and people impacted by someone else’s gambling.

They also offer a “SMART Recov-ery” support group, family support group and, talks and presentations to the community.

More information visit Mission Australia ACT Gambling Support Service at Block E at CIT Southside in Phillip or call 6129 6100.


Mission Australia gambling counsellor Karen Rendall. Photo by Silas Brown

lettersCanbra, it is!HOW, exactly, does Prof G.Y.Land (letters, CN, April 19) propose we pronounce the name of our city?

Canberra was named after the Ngambri people, whose name has two syllables and is pronounced very similarly to “Cambra”. This means that “Cambra” is a perfectly acceptable pronunciation of the city’s name, as is the more common “Canbra”.

The only pronunciation I hear regularly that I would consider to be unacceptable is the very foreign-sounding three-syllable version with the emphasis on the second syllable. This has no basis whatsoever in the etymological origin of the name, which has a connection with this place that goes back well before anyone with the title of “professor” turned up.

Nor does it have any basis in the name given to the city by Lady Denman, who specifically advised us when she named the it that “the emphasis is on the Can”.

The Anglicisation of the spelling should not dissuade anyone from using the First Australians’ traditional pronunciation of Ngambri, whether in full or in part.

Trevar Alan Chilver, Wanniassa

Or even CambraAFTER reading G Y Land’s letter ( CN, April 19) about it being wrong to say “Cambra”, I

double-checked on the Internet. Wikipedia says that “Canberra” is pronounced

If Wikipedia is incorrect, could someone please edit the article on Canberra? However, if it is correct, then I don’t see what’s wrong with saying “Cambra”. The first phonetic transcription shows that the schwa in the middle is optional (see the little upside down “e” between “b” and “r”). This means that it is possible to say “Can-ber-ra” or “Can-bra”.

As for the pronunciation of the “n”, it is very common for the alveolar phoneme /n/ to become the bilabial /m/ when followed by bilabial consonants /p b m/. For example, although we must write “in Brisbane”, many people actually say [ım ‘brızb n], especially when speaking quickly. If you cannot read the International Phonetic Alphabet, this would be “im” Brisbane.

In short, some people say “Cambra” because the “n” in “Canberra” takes the bilabial feature of the “b” following it. This is simply an example of one of the most common phonological tendencies observed in the English language.

P. Lizares, via email

Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to [email protected] or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less stand a better chance of publication.


At ActewAGL’s Business Rewards Club launch, ActewAGL House, Civic

scene / around canberra invite us / [email protected]

Tony Muckle, Will McFetridge and Wayne Anderson

Mark Dunphy and Carlo Tosolini Todd Eagles, Kate Prior and Ron Collins Michael Ghobrial and Dr James Hunt Todd Wills, Keith Cantlie and Ben Tansley

Lynton and Barbara Ryan with Edward Le Quesne Colin George and Pam Dean Jason Pugh, Natasha Townsend and Daniel Harper


scene invite us / [email protected]

At the Anuk Peru season launch, Yarralumla

Linda Peck and Jennie CameronJoy Warren, Roger Lilford, Lilla Hendry and Damien Clifford

Ingrid and Elizabeth Cucchi

Irene Dowdy and Matilda Lilford

Ingrid Struzina with Christine and Holly Reid


At the Canberra Convention Bureau networking night, ACT Rugby Union Club, Barton

scene more photos / www.citynews.com.au

Sarah Smith, Bryan Wilson and Sarah Fulton

Kristy Gannon and Emily Stephan

Gretchen Irvine, Liz Bendeich, Pam Faulks and Brendon Prout

Michelle Bramston and Sharina Faizal

John Schonberger and Sonia Downie

Paula Sanchez, Kate Waters, Daniel Adams, Krystel Earp and Krystal Stella Justin Bisa and Natalie Bussenschuff

Kylie Johnson, Felicia Doherty and Emily Etheridge Cecile Signoret, Andrew Lockie and Sally Phipps Rhonda Robinson and Nikki Hogan

Nicolle Keyes, Rochelle Kahlefeldt and Caroline Deeble Kathryn Mason, Katie Dawer, Carley Simpson and Geri Huang


beautiful you advertising feature

Beauty and how to make the most of itIt’s all about being beautiful – from hair removal to luxurious, decadent facials, massage for your inner well-being and scientific solutions for cellulite, the “CityNews” guide to the ultimate beauty treatments in Canberra will make you look and feel fabulous...

Educated advice about your skinTHE nurses at Clear Complexions are committed to giving you educated and honest advice about your skin, and empowering you to do something about it once and for all, says Clear Complexions founder Suzie Hoitink.

So what happens when you have a consultation with a Clear Complexions nurse? An initial skin consultation usually takes at least an hour.

“After establishing your main concerns, the nurses use imaging software allowing them to see the real condition of your skin. This enables them to determine how they are going to get it healthy again. From here, they also look at how to prevent future problems from occurring,” Suzie says.

“After listening to your habits and goals, a treatment plan will be formu-lated that is designed to work with your lifestyle. Safety is paramount. A great deal of time is spent discussing

your lifestyle, health concerns and relevant medical conditions, all of which could affect the treatment results.”

The nurses will also address skincare and if all the lotions and potions out there confuse you, this is the place to ask.

At the conclusion of the appoint-ment you will receive a folder of information about your skin, photos and your potential treatment options.

“There is absolutely no obligation to commence treatment, and with three clinics now in Canberra, having healthy, fresh skin has never been easier,” Suzie says.

Clear Complexions. Corner of Thynne and Watkin Streets, Bruce; Call 6251 8889. Unit 1, 43 Comrie Street, Erindale; Call 6231 0003. 30 Hibberson Street, Gungahlin; Call 6241 7660. www.clearcomplexions.com.au

Melt away cares of the worldNON-invasive cosmetic treatments have no pain, no downtime, they’re affordable, safe, and you get immediate results that will have you looking and feeling amazing, says Lina Scardoni, owner of Avida Aesthetic & Wellness Clinic.

“The most popular massage is Hot Bamboo Fusion,” Lina says.

“I experienced this amazing massage when I travelled to Fiji, and loved it so much I wanted my clients to experience it; so I introduced it to the clinic.

“The bamboo tools combined with the coconut oil, glide over the contours of the body to give a deep-tissue massage.

“The warmth of the sticks relaxes the body, melting away all the cares of the world as the heat penetrates the deeper layers of the skin surface, increasing circulation, relief of sore muscles, and a deep state of relaxation.”

Lina says one of the most popular procedures at Avida is the Med Contour.

“The Med Contour removes unwanted fat and cellulite without surgery,” she says. “The dual cavitation technology combined with vacuum is able to penetrate deep into the fat tissue and burst the fat cells.

“Fat is processed by the body the same way fat from foods is processed. It’s totally natural and

safe with amazing results. Average centimetre loss is 3-7cm from one area with just one treatment.”

Avida offers advanced cosmetic procedures, and individual programs for anti-aging, fat reduction, cellulite, laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation, skin tightening, skin imperfections, plus much more, says Lina.

“Our aim is to have you looking your best, and feeling great and relaxed, and we have recently added massage therapies and Shellac nails to our list of services,” she says.

Avida Aesthetic & Wellness Clinic, 187/15 Coranderrk Street, Civic. Call 6249 1848 or go to avidaclinic.com.auSuzie Hoitink.


beautiful you / advertising feature

Psoriasis treatment without steroidsPSORIASIS can be a debilitating skin disease, but a unique treatment now available through Kingston’s Psoriasis and Skin Clinic has a 90 per cent success rate, without steroids or cortisone-based medicines.

Owner Guy Clews, a naturopath for more than 30 years, says the treatment he uses has been tested in clinical trials in Vienna, at one of the world’s leading skin hospitals. Guy says it’s the best available. It works quickly and is long lasting.

“We treat the causes of psoriasis as well as the symptoms, with nutrients, herbal remedies, essential fatty acids and essential oils,” says Guy. “These are all anti-inflammatory and natural healing elements.”

The Psoriasis and Skin Clinic also treats other skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, acne and rosacea.

Psoriasis and Skin Clinic, 49 Jardine Street, Kingston. Call 6295 6040.

Laser experience tailored to the individualMOVING from Civic to Manuka to start her new business A Little Laser, has paid off for Jennifer Dromgold.

“I love Manuka – there is a real sense of community here, with the people and the shops all creating a lovely atmosphere,” Jennifer says.

A boutique clinic, A Little Laser provides specialist treatments tailored to the individual.

“I am excited and proud to be able to offer my clients individual treatment plans and give them the time they deserve,” she says.

“I enjoy building an honest relationship with my clients and love having the opportunity to help people achieve results with their individual concerns.”

According to Jennifer, people of all ages seek laser treatments.“I have a lot of clients from all walks of life and across all

demographics,” she says.While the most popular treatments are laser hair removal,

Jennifer also offers laser skin rejuvenation treatments, which can address problems such as pigmentation or broken capillaries.

Jennifer has more than 10 years’ experience providing clinical and laser treatments.

A Little Laser, Manuka Arcade, Manuka. Call 6232 6629.


beautiful you / advertising feature

Take an autumn spa journeyAUTUMN is a time to rebuild and regroup after the stresses of summer, says Jindii EcoSpa owner Bianca Prichard.

“Jindii EcoSpa in Duffy has all your needs for the cooler months ahead,” Bianca says.

“We have created two beautiful spa journeys especially for autumn, using pure Australian organics from Li’Tya, designed to nurture from head to toe.

“It’s important to prioritise your own health and wellbeing by creating space in which to unwind and restore your energy. Putting yourself first means allowing yourself the opportunity to be your best and feel your best, to offer more to yourself and to those around you”.

Jindii EcoSpa has two new therapists – Jessica Norton comes from the UK, where she worked at renowned spa retreat, Ragdale Hall. Jessica is joined by Renee Stinson, who specialises as a make-up artist.

“Both Jess and Renee share the Jindii philosophy and have already won a few fans among their regular clients,” says Bianca.

Jindii EcoSpa, 20 Jindabyne Street, Duffy. Call 6257 8777 or go to jindii.com.au

Mystique brings a lot of beautySISTERS Karla Polombi and Serina Musolino are beauty therapists who want to provide the best services to their clients.

The two work together in Karla’s salon Mystique Beauty in Gungahlin.“The most important thing is that clients walk out of the salon feeling

good about themselves,” says Karla.Mystique Beauty has been open for a year and offers all beauty

treatments from waxing and facials to pedicures and spray tans.Eyelash enhancements and gel nails are also available.“At Mystique Beauty we know how to create a look that is not only

perfect for any day, but can be captured flawlessly behind the camera,” Karla says.

“Beauty is feeling good about yourself.”Mystique Beauty, 109 Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Gungahlin. Call 62424542 or

go to mystique-beauty.com.au

Treatment with a peelERICA’S Aesthetics in Kingston offers the latest beauty treatments includ-ing cosmetic tattooing and Green Peel.

“We offer the latest beauty treatments, combined with the highest European quality and attention to detail,” says owner Erica Mayr.

“Green Peel is a biological peel delivering dramatic results through rejuvenation, by revealing the younger epidermis under sagging skin, lines, wrinkles, acne, scaring, stretch marks and sun spots without using cosmetic surgery, harmful chemicals or laser treatments.

“The effect the peel has on the skin will be seen in multiple stages. Immediately after the procedure, the skin is plumped and slightly red due to an increase of blood circulation. The epidermis on the affected area will begin to peel on the second or third day, this will continue for three to six days, revealing the younger smoother skin underneath.

“Cosmetic tattoo, or micropigmentation, is a long-lasting make-up applied to enhance, correct and create beautiful lips, eyes and eyebrows, with natural looking results that can last up to seven years.”

Erica’s Aesthetics, 45 Jardine Street, Kingston. Call 6162 4199 or go to ericasaesthetics.com


Canberra Confidential Know something? / [email protected]

Ralph knows what he likes“CC” doesn’t think a restaurant could get a better wrap than the one it’s received from World War II veteran and retired ANU professor, Ralph Elliott.

Prof Elliott, 91, and his family are regulars at Maestral restaurant in Weston Creek, and have been there nearly 300 times and counting.

Their visits are celebrated on their very own tribute wall at the restaurant that marks each milestone.

Prof Elliott says it’s not only the excellent food that brings him back, but it’s friendly and familiar atmosphere.

“I can’t hear very well now, but I can eat

very well,” he says with a chuckle.“We’ve eaten in almost every country and

nowhere have we been so much at home.”German-born Prof Elliott was an English

professor and worked in universities all over the world before coming to Canberra to the ANU. He’s also had books published and served in World War II for the British Army as a lieutenant and was badly wounded in Germany.

Leg assembly?IN performing something of an unnatural act, “CC” found itself wandering the strangely titled website of the ACT As-sembly (legassembly.com.gov.au) the other day. Wearying of its content, the temptation to press the “quick links to other useful websites” button proved too much and revealed atop the thrills of “Commonwealth of Australia Law”, the “ACT Legislation Register” and the moribund, toe-curling “Australasian Study of Parliament Group”, the inexplicably lonely link to thousands of kilobytes of the pre-election 2008-2009 Budget Papers. No others, just that one from the days before Andrew Barr and Katy Gal-lagher when Jon Stanhope was Treasurer (and king of the castle) and promising a surplus of $84.9 million. Oh, happy days.

Welcome, Mrs G...THE invitation trumpeting the Chamber of Commerce’s grand 75th anniversary dinner at the Royal Theatre on May 2 lists starkly among its speakers Mrs Katy Gallagher

MLA with no acknowledgement of her day job, Chief Minister.

Clearly the invite was finalised before her kiss-’n-tell confessions to “CityNews” earlier this month that clearly demonstrate our mother-of-three Chief Minister hasn’t yet made it to the altar.

Please explain, LesGIVEN the A League’s snub to Canberra recently, you’ve got to admire the pluck of Woden Valley FC patron, MLA Steve Doszpot, who is manfully calling the faithful to a $70 nosh-up with Australia’s Mr Football (nee Mr Soccer), SBS broadcaster Les Murray at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, on Friday, May 4. Equally interesting is a rare public outing, as MC, by 2CC’s drive announcer Mike Welsh who, unlike the reviled soccer poobahs, is enjoying a surge in his program’s ratings. Bookings to John on 0409 627359, Alan on 0420 524631 or Mike on 0416 060098.

Never ending storyTHE Sunday brunch broadcaster on ABC local radio 666, Ginger Gorman, used her two hours recently to pay tribute to her father.

“Yep, two hours, from 10am to midday,” bemoans a “CC” reader.

The program began with an interview with Ginger’s dad about his childhood in Melbourne; then interviewed a former Collingwood player about the club’s history (because her father follows the Pies); chat-ted at length with a colleague who joined

the Foreign Affairs Department on the same day as her father did in 1973 and finished with an interview with her mother about the beach house the family had built “down the coast”.

When some listeners emailed or SMS’d to ask what was going on, Ginger replied on air she would “reveal all” just before the midday news.

Just before noon, after two hours, Ginger – herself a cancer survivor – told listeners that her father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he was fighting, and the program had been a tribute to him.

“Most people would probably think that using ABC resources and air time for, say, a couple of minutes to say gidday to her unwell father would have been about right. Perhaps. But two hours?” our correspondent grumbles.

“Taxpayers across Australia probably should be able to expect a tighter quality control on programming at the publicly funded broadcaster. Two full hours... guess that makes it Ginger’s ABC, not yours.”

Here’s PJ Peter PYJAMA king Peter Alexander will make an appearance at the Canberra Centre on Wednesday, May 9, as part of his “Mother’s Day Tour”.

There will be special offers in store on the day as well as the chance to meet Peter between 1pm and 3pm.

The PJ designer recently celebrated 25 years in business by treating 20 of his nearest and dearest to an African safari!

The Elliott family’s honour board at Maestral restaurant in Weston Creek. Photo by Silas Brown

Back to school, you twoFRIENDS since school days at St Benedict’s Convent in Queanbeyan, Rosa Pauletto and Marilena Felizzi are returning to class (the now trendy Benedict House eatery) on May 6 as guest cooks, to create “food defined by traditions and passion”.

As first-generation Italo-Australians, they grew up in families that “didn’t eat to live, but lived to eat”.

They will be cooking a five-course “informal and friendly” lunch feast followed by gnocchi and pasta-making demonstrations and an opportunity to discuss cooking styles and experiences.

The price is $68 and bookings to 6284 2868.

Rosa Pauletto and Marilena Felizzi... creating “food defined by traditions and passion”.


Helen Musa reports

Dougal MacdonaldSerious drama on a minor scalearts & entertainment

IT’S a disaster for a ballet dancer to be too tall (“sorry, it’s the showbiz chorus line for you”), but what if your problem is the opposite?

“I am a very small, a very petite person,” Victor Trevino tells “CityNews”.

Trevino is the founder, director and lead dancer of Ballet Elouelle, coming to Canberra soon with “Men in Pink Tights” and he couldn’t be happier about being here.

Australia, you see, is responsible for the very existence of his troupe.

“Men in Pink Tights” is a curious mixture of classical ballet and comedy. It features big men, small men, men with moustaches, clean-shaven men in costumes costing about $3 million, but, more importantly, who are top dancers.

Boasting “a combination of pyrotechnics and comedy,” they’ll give us bits of “Spartacus”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “The Dying Swan” and their big showstopper, “Minkus Fair”.

It’s funny, but it’s real dance. Trevino was raised as a proper classical dancer in Florida, later joining Ballet Florida. But his height caught up with him.

“After two years, my director says to me, ‘you’re really small, you might like to explore other options’,” he says.

After that hint, he sent off his height and weight details to Les Ballets Trokadero de Monte Carlo (the “Trocks”, also coming here) in New York and was immediately hired to dance featured roles. He stayed for 10 years, until in

1996, he was persuaded by a Japanese producer to form his own company, Les Ballets Grandiva, travelling shows such as “Men in Tutus” around the world and exhausting himself in the process.

“By 2009 I thought I’d reached the end of my career,” he explains, “but then an Australian producer said to me ‘we’d love to have you come back,’ so here I am… I am indebted to Australia.”

Back home in Florida, he phoned up dancers he knew, found some new faces and new bodies, “and voilà, Les Ballets Eloelle had arrived”.

With his eyes on international tour-ing, Trevino prefers to take talented, qualified dancers and bring out their comedic talents.

“I want it to be a really finished show, not just guys acting silly on stage,” he says.

Like Meryl Tankard and Graeme Murphy, he likes non-traditional bodies.

“Just by using very masculine men you achieve a ludicrous effect… it gives a lot of personality to the work,” he says.

Then again, if you choose fragile men, people say: “Is that really a guy?” That’s where the comedic element comes in.

“I’m not very interested in clones on stage…16 swans looking and moving exactly the same has its place, but it’s not for me,” he says.

“Men in Pink Tights”, Canberra Theatre, May 4-5, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

All tights on the night

Director and dancer Victor Trevino... “Just by using very masculine men you achieve a ludicrous effect… it gives a lot of personality to the work.”

cover story

By Helen Musa

THIS year’s ANU medical revue is billed “X-Med”, “a story of mutation and evolution… in the Canberra Hospital”. Think Wolverine, X-Men comics and films.

The revue has been going strong since 2007, and is always a mighty group effort by medical students of the more satirical persuasion.

Profits go to the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation at the Canberra Hospital, but the underlying purpose is to allow medical students to express themselves.

Medical student Aleksandar Misev rehearses “X-Med”. Photo by Konrad Reardon

Called to the theatrePerhaps, they speculate, it might

even make them “more well-rounded”, a quality we all hope for in our future doctors.

This year they’ve even released a trailer to lure audiences in, at

anumedrevue.com/x-med-2012/ “X-Med”, Tim Murray Theatre,

Canberra Grammar School, 40 Monaro Crescent, Red Hill, May 9-12. Bookings to [email protected]

There ain’tnothing likethis Dame!

Adoring CLINTON WHITE joins the faithful for Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s sold-out concert at Llewellyn Hall

I CONFESS: I’m a not-so-secret admirer of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. I’m not alone either, for 1500 of us crammed into Llewellyn Hall for a much-awaited recital by the diva with the “silk-and-gold” voice.

A piano was all that accompanied her, so we could hear every nuance of her amazing singing; the rich-ness, sensitivity, range and extraordinary control. And that’s certainly not to diminish the talent of pianist, fellow New Zealander Terence Dennis. The skill of accompaniment is highly specialised and Dennis performed his role brilliantly.

As well as having the voice of an angel, Dame Kiri is gracious, elegant, beautiful, friendly and funny. We saw all these qualities throughout the recital, including the lavish printed program. Her candid humour even had a local flavour when she took a gentle dig at Canberra’s art, wondering if a car, half-submerged in the lake, was a piece of art, given it seemed perfectly placed.

Dressed in a full-length shimmering teal gown, Dame Kiri quickly seduced her audience. Her program included some of her much-lauded “Songs of the Auvergne”, a tragic operatic aria by Samuel Barber, traditional folk songs such as “Scarborough Fair” and “Waly, Waly”, and some delightful songs from Argentina.

She was generous in her encores, too, with the audi-ence demanding she return to the stage three times.

This was Dame Kiri’s last performance for this tour, which took her to many regional centres in NSW. She is much deserving of a rest and a reunion with her new puppy.


arts & entertainment

Tenor takes a loverBy Helen Musa

REMEMBER Jason Wasley? He’s the tenor who’s been here with Oz Opera playing Marcello in “La Bohème”, Pinkerton in “Madam Butterfly” and, for Melbourne Opera, Cavaradossi in “Tosca”.

While studying in London, he was Count Almaviva in “The Marriage of Figaro” and Onegin in “Eugene Onegin”.

Discerning readers will already have noticed something odd. Yes, Marcello, the Count and Onegin are all baritones, but the others are tenors. Wasley, you see, has moved up a register, from high baritone to dramatic tenor.

“It’s not all that unusual,” he tells me, adding that these days he knows enough about it to help train several friends change from baritone to tenor, expand-ing the number of roles they can play.

We’ll get to see Wasley again soon in a steamy version of Bizet’s “Carmen”, with full orchestra and more than 90 performers, including a Canberra chorus. According to the company, it “shows how a casual, flirtatious dalliance… can become a seriously deadly game of chance”.

In a sort of “Fatal Attraction” with the gender roles reversed, he gets to play Carmen’s disappointed lover, Don Jose.

Most people think of the character as a light tenor, but Wasley observes that he undergoes a change in “Carmen”. In the early scenes he is more lyrical, but then he becomes darker and more dramatic vocally.

Wasley has been chosen for one of the most thankless roles in opera because, compared to the sexy, fatalistic Carmen (played by Angela Hogan), Don Jose is a wimp.

But it depends on how you play him. “It’s a big mistake to play Jose as too romantic…

remember that he’s a soldier, capable of killing,” says Wasley.

“I try and play him darker and more morose.” Wasley’s analysis is that this operatic mummy’s-boy-

gone-wrong is deeply neurotic.So what is his favourite scene? It’s the big duet with Carmen right at the end, just

before he kills her. “He is in such a crazed state that he will commit

murder,” says Wasley. “In short it’s scary, but it’s exciting.”

“Carmen”, Canberra Theatre, May 12, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Singer Jason Wasley ... “It’s a big mistake to play Jose as too romantic.”

Williamson shines again

A work by Turkish-born Perth artist Zuhal Kuvan-Mills...

MAYBE you missed David Williamson’s “Let the Sunshine” when it came to the Canberra Theatre a few years back. Not to worry, it’s on at the Q, Queanbeyan until April 29. Set in Noosa, it shows documentary maker Toby and wife Ros having problems with the changes in the now-chic town. Bookings to 6285 6290.

CAN there be “dialogue to die for”, as Canberra Rep says of Andrew Bovell’s play “Speaking in Tongues”, on which “Lantana” was based? It’s an all-star cast directed by Ross McGregor and, as they’re saying, “Bovell has written a major piece of brilliantly crafted theatre, sexy without the sex, exciting without the blood”. At Theatre 3, May 4-19, bookings to 6257 1950.

GREENWAY artist, Nicola Crichton-Breen, is an

entrant in this year’s Xstrata Percival Portrait Award at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, with “One Girl Dreaming”, a portrait of 14-year-old Lyric Hearn, a “determined and talented indigenous girl from Far North Queensland”, now studying at Canberra Girls’ Grammar School.

Helen Musa arts in the city


arts & entertainment

Old codger dares totake on the biddiesBy Helen Musa

WHEN it comes to creating a play about a bunch of old biddies, who better to do it than an old codger?

Don’t worry. Those politically incorrect terms are Don Reid’s, not mine.

Reid is the enormously successful playwright who brought us “Codg-ers”, the touring favourite in 2010 that was set in a men’s gym.

He has just opened his compan-ion piece, “Biddies”, at the Glen Street Theatre in Sydney and we’ll see it both at The Street Theatre and The Q this year, a sign that audiences love seeing themselves on stage. The all-star cast includes, Maggie Blinco, Annie Byron, Vivienne Garrett, Julie Hudspeth and Linden Wilkinson.

Reid tells “CityNews” that the seed was planted by friends during the run of “Codgers”, though at first he thought “it’s really a bit daring for a man to write a play that explores the feminine psyche – something cheeky”. He found the strength to do it, though, because of “my unbridled admiration for females”.

Luckily, just as the seed was germinating, he remembered “a great story” told by his old friend, the actress Judy Ferris, about how she and her classmates from her old school, Frensham in the Southern Highlands, had got together to embroider new “kneelers” for school prayers.

“My old girls could be from any school, but I wanted it to have an English flavour, so I invented the name ‘Inglehurst’. My biddies meet back at school to complete the cushions, so yes, I pinched the idea

from Judy Ferris”, he says.In writing Codgers, Reid decided

the central idea in “Biddies” would be the relationship of the biddies with the men in their lives. All offstage men.

Reid has enormous confidence in the director, Wayne Harrison, former long-time director of the Sydney Theatre Company and an old friend, who also directed “Codgers”.

A teacher, an actor and a director at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre, he says, “I’ve always been a scribbler and the computer’s

made a great difference.”With a play about poet John

Shaw Neilson, navigator Matthew Flinders, a few codgers and a dormitory full of biddies, he can justly say, “I’ve been very lucky to have written a few things people have liked.”

So, what’s next? Mum’s the word, but it’s about “a woman in Australian history who had a big influence and continues to do so, on our kitchens”.

“Biddies”, at The Street Theatre, May 8-12, bookings to 62471 1223 or www.thestreet.org.au

in Queanbeyan revival THAT live-wire Kate Shelton, of Benedict

House, Queanbeyan, has “Form & Fashion”, an exhibition of her own jewellery, polymer clay by Natalie Mara and glass by Jan Hine, 3pm-5pm, Sunday May 6.

AUSTRALIAN Dance Week is with us until May 6. There’ll be displays by Canberra’s hoofers at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, 11am-2pm, on Saturdays April 28 and May 5. More information at ausdance.org.au

“IMAGINE” is a Youth Week Exhibition running in gallery@bcs at Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court, 9am-4.30pm, until May 4. Young people aged 12-25 from ACT schools and the Bungee Youth Resilience Program are exhibiting classic cartoons, magical manga, animated flip books, obsolete objects, frantic figures and “crazy contraptions”.

UNTIL May 6 at M16 Artspace in Griffith are exhibi-tions of certified organic textiles and photography by Turkish-born Perth artist, Zuhal Kuvan-Mills; “Remains of Fire”, by Perth artist Adriana Fernandes-Goncalves and small observed landscapes by M16 artists Ian Robertson and Marje Seymour.

at the M16 Artspace.

“Biddies”... “It’s really a bit daring for a man to write a play that explores the feminine psyche,” says playwright Don Reid.


arts & entertainment / cinema

Dougal Macdonaldreviews

“Footnote” (PG) IN this 2012 Oscar-nominee for best Foreign Language Film, Israeli writer/director Joseph Cedar sets a father and a son at odds over professional achievement.

At Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Eliezer has spent 20 years writing a rigorously-authenticated original text of the Talmud, for which he expects to get a prestigious Israel Prize. A member of the nominating committee has published on the same topic. But a stuff-up in that committee leads to the prize going to Eliezer’s son Uriel, also a Talmudic scholar, whose writing examines Talmudic contemporary relevance.

The film deals with dramatic issues, principally a seemingly insoluble dichotomy that has become a serious conflict between father and son. As well as illuminating the behaviour of academics competing for recognition, it scarifies every branch of the family.

Serious stuff on a minor scale, this. But I enjoyed it equally for the subtle way that Cedar has leavened it with humour. Not the in-your-face made-in-the-USA Jewish comedy of TV sitcoms and Hollywood comedy, but humour offering unique perspectives needing careful scrutiny to uncover its real impact.

Some may not find the sequence, in which a security guard refuses to let Eliezer re-enter the Israel Prize ceremony after popping out for a breath of air leaving his ID in the auditorium, to be clever or humorous. I thought it a wonderful exposition of the way Jewish people bring humour to bear on adversity. I could hear the fiddler playing on the roof during that and many other moments during the film.

At Greater Union

“The Lady” (M) YOU could be forgiven for wondering how long it will take before Burma’s military hierarchy decides to reject the result of the country’s recent election and revert to the bad old days.

Rebecca Frayn’s screenplay for Luc Besson’s compel-ling and often frustrating (in the most necessary way),

film biography of Aung San Suu Kyi, tells about the love between her and her late husband Michael against the background of Suu Kyi’s stubborn refusal to acquiesce in the demands of the dictatorship and her continuing struggle to bring real democracy to Burma.

With Thailand providing locations for the Burmese exteriors and extras for crowd scenes, the film looks handsome. The depiction of conflicts is real enough to tingle your spine and occasionally turn your stomach.

Michelle Yeoh superbly reflects Suu Kyi’s beauty, inner strength, courage and commitment. Beside her is a commanding performance from David Thewlis as Michael. On the other side of the coin, Besson has found a team of unattractive men to play unpleasant characters, mostly military with an added sprinkling of lurking watchers reporting to the bullies at the top.

Don’t be embarrassed to take adequate tissues to watch “The Lady”. Emotionally uplifting, it makes no concession to the power of its plot and the intensity of its humanity.

At Greater Union and Dendy

“Romantics Anonymous” (PG) THE screenplay, which director Jean-Pierre Ameris co-wrote with Phillipe Blasband, belabours a single joke for longer than it can stand, thereby diminishing what could have been a charming comedy.

Angelique has trained under a master chocolatier. But chronic shyness is limiting her life, despite attend-ing meetings of Emotional Anonymous. Jean-Rene, owner of a boutique chocolate shop in financial difficulty, is also chronically shy. Their combined talents may restore the business but that doesn’t change their social misfortunes.

The result of Ameris’ persevering with this shared theme verges on tedious. We know quite soon what will happen to these two unhappy victims of a social inadequacy. But the film lacks diversion from that single issue and its predictable resolution takes too long. That’s sad, because Isabel Carre is delectable as Angelique and Benoit Poolevoorde is totally likeable as Jean-Pierre.

Films about chocolate always leave one unsatisfied, however strong the screenplay, which this one isn’t. I know a shop that sells 400-gram bags of individually-wrapped dark chocolate bon-bons for $11.50. Decadent. Self indulgent. Delicious. If only there was one on every corner!

At Greater Union

Serious family drama, but on a minor scale

“The Lady”… Starring Michelle Yeoh as Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lior Ashkenazi and Shlomo Bar-Aba in “Footnote”.


Wendy Johnsonreviews

arts & entertainment / dining

IT’S been open for 15 years and is going strong. The Blue Olive Café, in Civic’s beautiful, heritage Melbourne Building, West Row, knows its niche in the market.

Breakfast starts with a simple order of toast ($4) through to dishes featuring – more or less – “the lot” ($17). The lunch focuses on chunky New York-style sand-wiches, big burgers, fresh salads and a small selection of mains. The small-batch, roasted coffee is good and The Blue Olive pays homage to tea lovers with its beautiful and fragrant T2 Teas. Fresh juices and smoothies are also available.

We popped by for a bit of brekkie through the week on a glorious sunny morning, picking a spot outside.

The cranberry and bran muesli with shredded apple and yoghurt ($10.50) sounded lovely, and the green eggs and ham (with pesto and a side of bacon, $13.50) lively.

However, I settled on the Panini with spicy chorizo, pesto, tomato and loads of rocket ($8.50). The moreish

combo of flavours and generous amount of ingredients hit the spot. A slight whinge about the tomatoes – the poor things were taken off the vine before they had a chance to get bright red, plump and juicy.

My friend’s dish came with a heap of herb mushrooms on toast and a small side of spinach ($13.50). The mushrooms made the bread a bit soggy, but the tastes were great.

But what about those New York-style sandwiches? The Blue Olive has 28 varieties, including six vegetarian options. They’re large, made with quality bread, fully loaded with interesting ingredients, super tasty – and filling. As they say in New York, these sandwiches “work overtime”.

The Blue Olive’s range is extensive and each is named after an artist, so you have the Monet, the Dali, the

Botticelli and more. They’re only $9.50 and are made on artisan breads from Canberra’s famous Flute Bakery. You can select from hand-cut sourdough, seed and grain, white or multi-grain or choose a baguette, wholemeal Panini, tortilla, Turkish or gluten free bread (indeed, The Blue Olive does well at catering for those who are gluten free, including with sweets).

It’s table service at The Blue Olive although this caused some confusion. After waiting a while, we went

inside to place our order, but were assured someone would come out to us. Eventually, they did. It wasn’t busy so we were baffled by the delay – just as well we enjoy basking in the sun.

I paid inside feeling the place could use an autumn clean and tidy, to perk it up a bit.

56 Alinga Street, 6230 4600. Breakfast and lunch. Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm; Saturday 9am to noon. Catering available.

The Blue Olive... where the New York-style sandwiches “work overtime”. Photos by Silas Brown Donatello sandwich with a Blue Olive punch.

Smoked salmon salad.

The Blue Olive really knows its niche


home

De-light-ful inspiration!FROM table lamps, to free standing and

pendant lights, Great Dane’s modern Scan-dinavian design is a favourite. Founder and director Anton Assaad has edited a range of lights to suit every space and purpose, adding cluster, mood, soft or direct light

into any contemporary room. Aesthetically striking yet functionally sound, here Anton

sheds some light on Great Dane’s top illuminating pieces.

www.greatdanefurniture.com

FAVOURITE THINGS LIGHTThe inclusion of your own favourite miniature items makes the Favourite Things Light a true and very unique statement piece, $495.

JENNY BÄCK LEAN FLOOR LIGHT IN BLACKThe Lean Floor Light is brand new to the Great Dane collection and epitomizes simple Scandinavian design at its best, $1750.

ARNE JACOBSON BELLEVUE AJ3 DESK LIGHT IN BLACKConstructed from lacquered aluminum and steel, the Bellevue is simple and clean in design and directs light without glare, $995.

CLAESSON KOLVISTO RUNE BAKLAVA FLOOR LIGHTBrand new to Great Dane in 2012, the Baklava’s triple layer shade is inspired by the Turkish pastry and changes colour when the light is on, $1395.

BENJAMIN HUBERT FLOAT LIGHTThese hand turned agglomerate cork lamps are made from waste cork, making them eco-friendly as well as visually interesting. Small pendant, $495, medium pendant, $1100, large pendant, $1650.

NORM ARCHITECTS MILK NA1 LIGHTPerfect for a kid’s bedroom, the Milk light is soft in design and made with translucent glass to produce a warm glow, $395.


gardening Open gardenA testament to hard work

Grip of glorious autumnAUTUMN, glorious autumn. After a miserable summer this is shaping to be a perfect autumn.I always prefer autumn to spring; certainly, the weather is more predictable. Each year I make the following recommendation – head to the top of Mount Ainslie early in the morning, just as the mist is rising from the lake. The view over the city with a kaleidoscope of the autumn colour is nothing short of magical.

The mixture of exotic trees com-bined with the evergreens of our native trees and the varying shades of green and yellow of conifers complete this picture. Artists are in their glory with such a scene.

NOW is the time to visit your local garden centre and select trees for autumn colour.

I advise this as not all trees of the same variety have the same autumn leaf colour, which can vary depending if they are seed or cutting grown.

Any plant grown from seed can vary enormously, whereas if propagated from cuttings, in effect, one is cloning from the parent plant. This results in the tree, leaf shape and colour being exactly the same as the parent plant. For instance, acorns abound and from oak trees will readily grow, but with quite distinct variations. Many maples, especially the common Acer palmatum or Japanese maple are often seed grown.

KEEP in mind with all tree planting to provide sufficient space for them to grow.

In the newer suburbs, one does not have to contend with overhead power lines. In the older suburbs, in most cases, only shrubs can be grown under power lines rather than trees, of which the branches must be kept a minimum of 1.5m away from the lines.

Often I see where folk have cut back exactly the 1.5m, not allowing for growth over the following few years. It can be very expensive to bring in tree surgeons to do this regulatory pruning.

Do not attempt this yourself as any pruning near power lines can be hazardous or outright danger-ous. Tree surgeons performing this work must be accredited by ActewAGL and, most importantly have full insurance cover. I would recommend that at least 2-2.5m clearance is advisable from power lines. Naturally one needs to be aware of underground gas, water, phone and sewer lines when plant-ing trees.

I HAVE provided here a few wonderful images of leaf colour. Some people complain that the colour is for such a short time. However, keep in mind the same applies for flowers, especially blos-som trees, of which the flowers can all be gone with a big wind or rain storm. The trees of which the leaves hang on the longest are Manchurian pears, with their numerous varieties. These range from the wide spreading Pyrus calleryana “Bradford”, examples can be seen alongside the lake at

the back of the National Library and High Court. These have a spread of at least 9m and 12m high. Alternatively Pyrus calleryana “Capital” has only a spread of 3m with a height of 11m. I have seen some appalling errors in tree planting and the space allowed in new suburbs such as Crace. On the other hand it will keep the tree surgeons happy for many years to come.

THE Friends of The Old Parliament House Gardens AGM on Thursday May 3 in the Robertson Room of the hall at St John’s Church at 6pm. All rose lovers welcome and this AGM all positions have been filled, so no need to worry you may be asked to be on the committee. Hear about all the events for the coming year.

Autumn time is planting time:• Buy potted Nerine Bowdenii

in flower for planting after flowering

• Harvest remaining pumpkins and squash before frosts arrive

• Turf lawns can be laid at this time, not needing as much water for the roots to get established as in spring and summer

• Pick the last of the apples before frosts

• Plant strawberry plants making sure they are virus free certified

• Lift and divide rhubarb crowns• If you have a pond, cover with

nylon or other mesh to stop falling autumn leaves souring the water

Acer palmatum leaves.

Pyrus “Bradford” leaves.

Liquid amber leaves.

Cedric Bryantgardening


open garden

THE fruitful abundance of the beautiful mountain garden at 1386 Urila Road, Burra, is testament to the hard work of the garden creators and the successful use of biodynamic practices.

Situated in the Tinderry Mountains and enjoying spectacular views, the Felix garden is a feast of colour, form and shape.

Garden owners Anne Jarrah and Christopher Smith started their garden with a “blank slate” on the site of a former cattle farm. They had to strug-gle with the twin challenges of cool temperatures and poor soil. “Several tonnes of mulch, many old newspapers and watering – and the use of biodynamic principles, the soil has become very rich and fertile. And we have focused on plants that can survive the local conditions,” says Anne.

Rosemary, lavender, oregano, mint and thyme join with old-fashioned roses, wormwood, Wisteria, bog sage and penstemon to create a generous and colourful garden full of edible delights.

Other features include a large orchard with fruit trees, grapes and berries, a poly tunnel and bath garden used to grow medicinal herbs and vegetables, a lovely pool garden, and a terrace slope planted with roses, herbs, irises and a variety of trees.

Forty geese provide interesting sound effects and conduct rigorous grass mowing and fertilising duties!

1386 Urila Road, Burra, April 28-29, 10am-4.30pm, entry $6 (under 18 free). Teas will be available and there are picnic spots in the garden and nearby.

MESS and disorganisation at home are the core reasons Australian couples argue, according to new research.

The study reveals 90 per cent of Australian couples argue more about clutter and untidiness than they do infidelity, alcohol consump-tion, parenting approaches and money and finances.

The “De-clutter, De-stress

Study”, for furniture store Ikea, also uncovered a financial benefit to de-cluttering, with the average household saving 7.6sqm – around the same size of an average bed-room – of floor space by properly organising the contents of their homes.

According to the Global Property Guide, the average value of each residential square metre in Australia is $8774, therefore 7.6sqm metres equates to $66,682 worth of space

people could be freeing up instead of moving out to gain.

So, who is responsible for this mess that causes so many argu-ments? It appears we are a nation of martyrs with nearly three quarters of us (71 per cent) believing we clean up more after other people.

Meanwhile, the age-old gender divide rages on with women claim-ing they clean up more often than their male partners (81 per cent v 62 per cent).

Garden owner Anne Jarrah... started the garden with Christopher Smith with a “blank slate” on the site of a former cattle farm. Photos by Silas Brown

Beautiful testament

Untidiness outstrips infidelity in


to hard work

domestic blues, says surveyIn order to be better organised at

home there are a number of things Aussies believe would be a big help. While better organised storage space (55 per cent) and a bigger house (32 per cent) top the list, 20 per cent of respondents feel they would need to live alone, 11 per cent need a different wife, husband or partner and 3 per cent would need help from a psychologist. Moreover, 16 per cent believe nothing would make them better organised.

The study of more than 1000 Australians also found:

• 63 per cent of respondents ad-mitted to being self-confessed “hoarders”, who keep items in case they become useful in the future.

• Less than half (45 per cent) of us claim to be “chuckers”, who like to throw unused items out to reduce clutter in their home.

• Men (67 per cent) are more likely than women (60 per

cent) to be hoarders.• Those aged 50 or over are the

most likely to agree that they tend to hoard items in case they are useful in the future.

• There are more hoarders in regional areas (67 per cent) than capital cities (61 per cent).

• Respondents aged 25-49 would save the most floor space if things scattered about the house were properly stored.


Sudoku hard No.78

General knowledge crossword No. 357

Solution next week

Solution next week

Crossword No.356 Sudoku med No.78Solutions

puzzles pageJoanne Madeline Moore your week in the stars / April 30 - May 6 Across

1 What is another term for swagmen?8 Name the renowned Australian ballet dancer, Sir Robert ...9 What day was once commemorated annually on 24th May?10 What do we call heavy half-decked boats?11 To which natural kingdom does a human being belong?12 What is another term for a strongbox?13 What are the young of the deer called?16 Name the science which investigates the principles governing correct inference.19 Who was the Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso?21 When one modifies fittingly, one does what?22 What is a particular system in which the quest for the ideal life has been embodied?23 What is another term for layabouts?24 Which implements with broad flexible blades are used for blending foods, etc?25 Name the Australian landscape painter (1877-1968), Sir Hans ...

Down 2 Bucharest is the capital of which European republic?3 What is the proper term for a “postie”?4 What are the hard outer coverings of molluscs?5 Which breed of dog usually has a long, silky coat and drooping ears?6 Name the household chore which is done in the laundry?7 Which term is applicable to possessing esoteric knowledge of spiritual things?13 Name the Australian explorer (1849-1901), responsible for the European discovery of much valuable land in WA and the NT.14 What was the name of the Duke of Normandy?15 Name a particular cereal grass.17 Who was the unconventional politician instrumental in the founding of Canberra, King ...?18 What do we call a resident member of the medical staff of a hospital?20 To which nationality did Hans Christian Andersen belong?

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)Attached Aries – communication may be strained, as your partner fails to appreciate your enthusiasm for a current project. Resist the urge to criticise. Single Rams – if you come on too strong, you’ll scare potential partners away. At the moment, slow and steady wins the romantic race. Sunday’s Full Moon stimulates your shared resources zone so focus on joint finances.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)Are people trying to hurry you up? With the Sun in your sign, you’re in go-slow mode. As birthday great Glenn Ford said, “if they try to rush me I tell them I’ve only got one other speed, and that’s slower”. Sunday’s Full Moon fires up your flirting zone. Want more love and success in your life? Flutter those eyelashes (or flex those Bullish biceps) and you shall receive!

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)Gemini gadflies have a short concentration span and this week will work best if you multi-task and mix things up. Friday favours professional partnerships, relaxed connections and romantic rendezvous. You won’t feel like being a gregarious Gemini on Sunday though, as serious Saturn pours cold water on spontaneous socialising and frivolous fun.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)Pace yourself Crabs. Avoid making important decisions, because you’re liable to make choices based purely on your emotions – which are fluctuating wildly under this week’s full moonbeams. Your intuition is switched on big time, as you tune into those around you and uncover important information that others miss. But don’t let a smooth-talker lead you astray.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)Be on domestic drama alert! Sunday’s Full Moon falls in your home zone – so it’s not the best weekend to host a jolly family reunion or bring up sensitive childhood issues. Make sure you confiscate all sharp implements and choose your words carefully, as loved ones are liable to make mountains out of molehills. Creative communication is the catch-cry at work.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)If you want to get ahead professionally, dress to impress. Plus, if you network your socks off with influential colleagues, some of their success will rub off on you. With mighty Mars powering through your sign (until July 3), it’s time to be bold and beautiful. Confidence is in (and complacency is out) as you go after what you want with passion and pizazz.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)Friday’s fabulous Mercury/Venus aspects encourage you to care for those around you. Be inspired by the gracious Audrey Hepburn (born on May 4): “You have two hands – one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” And have you been shopping up a storm? If the answer is “yes”, then expect some financial fiascos, as Sunday’s Full Moon stirs up your money zone.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)Things will be complicated at Casa Scorpio, as the Full Moon (in your sign) increases your magnetism – and your tendency to brooding behaviour. So find appropriate ways to let off steam, and challenging projects to channel all your intense energy into. Resist the urge to be sarcastic on Sunday. Plus pay close attention to your dreams … are they trying to tell you something?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)A Full Moon doesn’t throw you! You love the rush of energy it brings so use it to shine a spotlight on your hidden strengths and secret dreams. You’ll hear some startling news that will make your ears burn but think twice before you pass it on. With Venus in your relationship zone, concentrate on the needs of others. The buzz words for the week are cooperation and companionship.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)Does your peer group encourage you to pursue your professional ambitions? True mates will support your goals and dreams, whereas fair-weather friends will gradually fade away. Sunday will be stressful, as the Mercury/Saturn opposition stirs up communication problems at home. It’s time for clever Goats to treat fractious family members with kid gloves!

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)With the Sun and Jupiter in your domestic zone, you have a great need for personal space and freedom at the moment. Family members will make you feel hemmed in at their peril! Sunday’s Full Moon activates your career zone, so make sure you put plenty of intense focus and concentration into professional projects. You’re keen to communicate creatively – and often.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)Are you sick of being single? With mighty Mars marching through your relationship zone, you need to be proactive. If you see someone you like, you’ll have to make the first move. It’s also the perfect time to channel the intrepid explorer within and plan a weekend escape or overseas getaway (where you can be close to water and commune with nature).

Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMooreCopyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

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M D C H A R L T O NL A B O U R O H E

G W I C E C H E S TA N O N Y M K A T

E I E X T E R N A LT N A T T E

M O R G A N U S H E R SA A V M U OH A N D I C A P M SA K A T A B L E TT E L L T A L E U TM E O E I G H T YA L D E R M A N S A

Blokes in tutus and tights? Arts editor HELEN MUSA previews a show that’s a mix of classical ballet and comedy

canberra citynews april 26, 2012

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