City Hub 12 April 2018

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Sparkling Comedy SHORT TERM LETTING PRESSURE NEEDED

SOME LIGHT SHED ON STADIUM SPLURGE

Apartment communities must be able to democratically set rules for short term letting in their buildings, including to impose bans.

I am appalled the government will spend almost $1 billion to rebuild a 30-year old elite sporting stadium, with crowd spill areas to encroach on Moore Park. This follows years of refusing to fund open space and community sport and recreation.

I’ve made submissions, statements in Parliament and asked questions but I am the only MP raising concerns and the government’s reforms may exclude owners’ corporation rights.

We must increase the pressure. If we get 10,000 signatures on my petition, it will send a strong message to government and opposition, and force them to state their policies in a parliamentary debate.

While the government blocked my 2016 bill to remove the SCG’s exemptions from planning laws, it agreed to my request for an independent public planning assessment for the rebuild of Allianz Stadium. Residents will now be able to comment on the project’s planning merits and impacts like traffic, open space and heritage.

If not properly regulated, short term letting can have impacts beyond strata including on affordable housing and local community. I also have a petition for impacted terrace residents.

I continue to oppose the wasteful stadium rebuild and you can add your voice by signing my petition to Parliament.

Petitions are available from my website www.alexgreenwich.com or by contacting my electorate office: 9267 5999, sydney@parliament.nsw.gov.au Ground Floor, 21 Oxford Street Darlinghurst.

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Power play for Parramatta

BY ADDIE MORTON Community outrage continues to grow over the NSW Government’s decision to move the iconic Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo to a floodprone site on the Parramatta River.

The new museum, which is projected to open in 2022, will be on the site of the old David Jones carpark and is looking to cost upwards of $1 billion. Museum experts claim the transfer also risks damaging historical artefacts and heritage buildings in the process.

Jamie Parker, Member for Balmain in the NSW Parliament, isn’t sold on the relocation.

“This proposal was always a real estate deal rather than any type of cultural decision,” Parker said. “The government identified this land as incredibly valuable real estate for the developers.”

Since Parramatta is a marginal seat for the government, Parker also sees the relocation as a political move.

“It’s a seat they have to win, and they thought they could buy votes in Parramatta by moving the Powerhouse Museum into their community,” Parker said. “The people of Parramatta and Western Sydney deserve a museum or a cultural space that actually speaks to the spirit of that community rather than just relocating and dumping the Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta for a short-term political fix.”

Despite promises to release a preliminary business plan for the move in March, secrecy still surrounds the case as the release has been pushed back three months.

Lindsay Sharp, Founding Powerhouse Museum Director, believes the excessive secrecy could be the government’s fear of someone finding a better solution.

“Why would they delay their business plan for 90 days? Because people questioning the move would inevitably arise,” Sharp said.

Although little to no concrete information is known about the move, the marketing analysis team has projected that the new museum will see up to one million visitors in the first year.

“I don’t know what they’re smoking, but it’s pretty good stuff,” Sharp said. “In my professional opinion, it is the biggest load of rubbish I have ever seen. It’s entirely without foundation as far as I can tell.”

Sharp predicts that the market analysis team has partly based these figures on previous visitation to Ultimo which cannot be applied to the new market.

He believes the government will move objects almost immediately after the business case is released to make the move irreversible.

Since exact costs and details of the relocation are still unknown, it seems the decision was made without any genuine consultation to either community. The heritages of both areas are being pushed aside and not being recognised.

Instead of moving the Powerhouse Museum, which belongs to the

The Powerhouse Museum.

Photo: Addie Morton

industrial history of Ultimo, many are pushing for a new museum in Parramatta that connects to the indigenous history of the area.

Parker believes the government should go back to the drawing board and recognise that an entirely new museum should be built in Parramatta instead of an enormous relocation of the Powerhouse.

“That’s what the government should be looking at rather than trying to make a quick buck, which they have now realised it is very difficult to do with this site,” Parker said.

Kylie Winkworth, a museum and heritage consultant and former Powerhouse Museum trustee, worries about the state of the museum during the relocation process.

“They’re going to pack up all of the treasures and we won’t see those treasures for another 10 years,” Winkworth said. “The Powerhouse Museum took 10 years in developing and planning, so

if people think there is going to be a new museum in Parramatta in any less time they need to think again.”

Winkworth says the museum has already seen a dramatic collapse in acquisition of donations to the museum.

“Who is going to give their family treasures to a museum that is being demolished?” Winkworth questioned.

She added that great museums are not planned through secrecy, and the proposal of the move has breached trust with donors and supporters and puts the future of the museum at risk.

On Powerhouse’s website it states that the new location in Parramatta will go by a different name and feature different exhibits.

Efforts of those opposed to the relocation are now geared towards not wasting tax money, preserving irreplaceable artefacts that are connected to the community and keeping the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.

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BY GABRIELA SZYMANOWSKA Rozelle’s only permanent air quality monitoring station has been closed down for almost two months due to trees growing too close to the station.

The Rozelle air quality monitoring station was closed on February 14 for four to six weeks for upgrades, yet in April the station is still closed.

“This is necessary to complete the upgrade works required to bring the Rozelle site up to current specifications,” a spokesperson for the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) said.

The monitoring station, one of the oldest commissioned, needed an upgrade after trees were discovered growing less than 20 metres away. As a result the station failed to meet the National Standard of a clear “sky angle” of 120 degrees, which is required to ensure accurate readings of air quality.

Air quality monitoring stations are meant to record accurate and up-to-date information about air quality, continuously measuring particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and visibility.

This information is then published on the OEH website.

Built in 1978, the Rozelle monitoring station is located on the grounds of Rozelle Hospital and is responsible for monitoring Sydney’s east region.

The Rozelle station has not met national standards set by the National Environment Protection Council since 2016, according to the internal report.

University of Sydney’s College of Arts located at Callan Park where the air quality monitoring station is located. Photo: Gabriela Szymanowska

Upon further analysis of where the stations are placed, the air quality monitoring stations may not be accurately displaying the right data.

A map presented on the OEH website showing the air quality monitoring systems locations places many of the sites in either parks or semi-rural areas instead of close to heavy traffic areas.

Locating the stations near trees, the readings potentially affects the amount of pollution that is cleaned up before reaching the sites. Trees absorb an estimated 24 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, causing a reduction of street particulates of up to 60 per cent.

“Generally, they are not directly under trees or things like that, so they’re not impacted by structures or those sort of things, but often it’s a case of locations can

be put where it’s the most accessible or only place they can put a location,” Gary Hall, manager, Air Noise Monitoring said.

Air Noise Environment is a specialist scientific and engineering consultancy with key expertise in the fields of air quality and acoustics which offers a range of expertise in monitoring, assessment and development of control solutions.

Hall added that “there are different Australian standards for different aspects of monitoring.”

There is an Australian standard for the location and siting of the air monitoring station and one for the types of equipment used to measure particulates and gases.

The OEH spokesperson also explained how each of the 17 stations are placed following the rules set by the National Environmental Measure for Ambient Air Quality.

“OEH adheres to the requirements of the National Environmental Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEP) and decisions on the location of monitoring sites is based on a number of factors including securing long tenure, good access, secure electricity supplies and safety considerations,” the spokesperson for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage said.

Rozelle air monitoring station is not alone in failing the Australian Standard for a clear view of the sky. The Chullora and Earlwood air quality monitoring sites also fail to comply with the 120-degree sky angle that is needed to get a good reading for air quality.

The Rozelle air quality monitoring station is set to be reopened at the end of April, 2018. city hub 12 APRIL 2018

3

No Metro for the Cross

BY John Moyle Recent hopes by the residents of Potts Point and Kings Cross of getting their own community centre were shot down when the City of Sydney voted against the purchase of the Metro Theatre for use as a community centre and theatre This comes after a spokesperson for the Lord Mayor said, “After corresponding with the local community late last year, Lord Mayor Clover Moore forwarded the suggestion that the City of Sydney should purchase the Metro Theatre in Potts Point to City staff for consideration.”

No-one that City Hub has spoken with has any knowledge of the claimed community consultation.

Councillor Christine Forster said it was her that put the motion to the March 19 City of Sydney Council meeting.

“It was in response to members of the community that I put my motion up and that was for the Council to investigate options to acquire it for use as an arts and cultural centre and as a theatre,” Councillor Christine Forster said.

The whole issue became academic when Team Clover, comprising of councillors Jess, Scully, Philip Thalis, Robert Kok and Jess Miller voted against an outright purchase of the Metro.

The opportunity for Kings Cross and Potts Point to finally get the civic and theatrical centre it so sorely lacks came in early October 2017 when news broke that film director George Miller was placing the theatre that has been his production offices for over 35 years on the market.

“It was shrouded in secrecy as there was never a ‘for sale’ sign on the building,” Warren Fahey AM, historian and performer said.

The Metro Theatre is one of the most significant buildings in the area and is one of the most tourist visited buildings only behind Elizabeth Bay House.

Designed in the Streamline Moderne style of the late Art Deco movement, by renown Sydney architect Bruce Dellit, the 1,000 seat theatre opened in 1939 as a live venue before being converted into a cinema in 1950.

Thirty Five years ago George Miller and the late Byron Kennedy bought the site where Miller went on to produce more than 25 films and mini-series that collected over 25 Academy nominations for eight Oscars.

Miller has now left the heritage listed building and is relocating his production facilities to Fox Studios at Moore Park.

It is believed that theMetro’s interior still retains its original

Councillor Christine Forster in front the Metro Theatre. Photo: John Moyle

proscenium arch stage, raked floor and art deco embellishments.

Listed for sale through agents JLL, the theatre is expected to fetch around $20 million to a buyer who will have to take into account the limited uses for any repurposing of the space.

“We don’t care what the buyer wants as we know what we want, and we want the council to buy it on behalf of the community,” Andrew Woodhouse, president Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Society said.

Good sentiments but it may be too late, as a call to agents JJL suggested that Council and the community had acted too late.

“There is a prospective buyer and the property is under going due diligence,” James Aroney, national director, sales and investment, JLL said.

“The story is that it is a lost opportunity if it is not made into something that has public access,” Warren Fahey said.

The thinking of the residents that Council would purchase the property in the first place was not pie in the sky thoughts, but an action plan based on financial security and precedence.

Firstly, the City of Sydney is well heeled, “and it is not a big ask for Council,” Cr Forster said.

Secondly, the City of Sydney had previously purchased The

Woolworth;s Building in Darlinghurst Road for a library and council offices, along with the Angel Place Recital Hall and the Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst.

“There are lots of different ways that this can be done properly but unfortunately the Lord Mayor and her councillors would not entertain it and I think that the community is very disappointed,” Cr Forster said.

The Lord Mayor cites the need for smaller theatre spaces as being a contributing factor for refusing to buy the Metro outright.

“Our research shows there is a great demand for smaller spaces, particularly under 100 people, and with a capacity of 1,000 seats, the Metro does not satisfy the city’s most pressing needs,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Kings Cross already has three theatres that fit that description and the Lord Mayor has not addressed the larger issue of Kings Cross and Potts Point not having a focal space where they can come together.

Currently the only space in the area that could be classified for community use is the little used and much unloved Rex Centre.

“The Rex doesn’t serve any purpose because it is too institutionalised and is not conducive to anything,” Warren Fahey said.

The residents of Kings Cross and Potts Point feel that the City of Sydney has failed them again.

“It shows that she has hardened her attitude towards the Cross and I see the purchase of the Metro site will become a major issue in the 2020 Council elections,” Andrew Woodhouse said.

“It will mean that the Kings Cross amenities will deteriorate and the people will point to this as an example that we had a marvellous opportunity to do something and did nothing.”

On 21 March Councillor Jess Scully, speaking for Team Clover, sent an email to a local resident passing the buck for any purchase to the State Government.

She said “the Metro Theatre should also be considered within the broader context of the NSW Government cultural infrastructure strategy”.

While residents of the area see the opportunity thwarted by closed thinking and meandering action there is a glimmer of hope.

With the 1,100 seat Theatre Royal likely being closed for good maybe one of our successful entrepreneurs will purchase the Metro and restore it to its original use and glory.

Team Clover were contacted individually for comment but none were forthcoming.

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Video art at the Serpent Festival. Photo: Michael Crane

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contemporary cultures in Ashfield and light projections along Iron Cove Bay and Canal Road.

“It gives the creative community a showcase for their work and a chance to engage with the broader community,”Cr York said.

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and new media artists are not really represented by them,” Michael Crane, video producer said.

Some of the concepts that Council is discussing with artists include lighting up the Sydenham/Marrickville precinct, projections of local histories and

All Areas Free Quotes

spokesperspon for Destination NSW said.

Feelings about the proposed charges ran high until Inner West Councillor Anna York proposed a solution that did not include Vivid Sydney but instead would give the Inner West its own festival, called EDGE. “I’m not interested in getting into a fight with Destination NSW but there seems to be an unreasonable cost for us to bear,” Cr Anna York, Inner West Council said.

It makes a lot of sense for the Inner West to go it alone, as its precincts contain some of Sydney’s major arts and creative industries and it has a large population of artists and musicians.

The Inner West is also home Legs on the Wall, the NSW Writers Centre and the Sydney College of the Arts.

Local musician and prospective EDGE participant Sam Marks said “It’s good to have a localised light festival because it brings interest into the local area and from the perspective of someone working in the local artistic community it helps foster communities of musicians and artists.”

While there are no dates set yet for EDGE, Cr York says “It will roll out over the course of the year and we are still looking at scheduling.”

Council has given the local arts scene a huge boost with a $600,000 budget for local street activations, light installations and live performance events.

“Vivid tends to bring in artists from overseas, and a lot of visual artists

061ICT1203

BY JOHN MOYLE A war of light sabres between Destination NSW’s Vivid Sydney festival and the Inner West Council has seen the popular festival outdrawn by the westies as they proclaim their own EDGE festival.

The spat started a couple of months ago when the Inner West Council inquired to Destination NSW to investigate the licensing of Vivid Sydney for their precincts in 2019.

They were shocked when they realised that to bring Vivid Sydney to the inner west was going to come with a very large cost.

“Destination NSW is not seeking a licence fee from the Inner West Council to be part of Vivid Sydney, but there are associated costs for any LGA or third party wanting to be involved in the festival,” spokesperson Destination NSW said.

In a press release Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne said “The NSW Government wanted to charge Council more than $1.1 million to be part of Vivid Sydney.”

City Hub has unconfirmed information suggesting that the charges to Inner West Council would have included a fee of $100,000 for ideas and $200,000 for music.

“Destination NSW outlined the estimated costs to Council from a creative, event management and financial perspective, including costs such as traffic management fees, security cost, risk assessment feeds, artists and creative fees, marketing costs and of course, insurance,” a

The failed negotiations with Destinations NSW has brought with it the opportunity for the Inner West to support their own creative community and forge a festival with its own local identity.

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Bondi heritage stamped out South Bondi Post Office, Hall Street Bondi Beach. Photo: Alec Smart

COMMENT BY PAUL PAECH Bondi Beach is again the focus of a battle against encroachment on another valuable local and public asset.

When word leaked out last year that a businessman had, by hardly lifting a finger, made a cool $15million profit by flipping an option to purchase Bondi’s cute little Hall Street Post Office, it looked like someone had pulled a swiftie.

Australia Post was very quick to reassure everyone that the deal was dependent on a future purchaser finding space nearby where the “essential services” could be carried on: Nothing to see here, move right along.

The “rare” and totally delicious building was protected by heritage controls and shouldn’t be developed, but the plans submitted to Council showed this heritage status evaporating to an optional extra.

On closer inspection, there turns out to be some serious issues around this neat little pick-and-flip deal.

Australia Post is still 100 per cent owned by the Australian Government. That means that it’s still owned by taxpayers like you and your neighbours.

Privatisation plays right into the hands of Big Money at the expense of local communities, as the unholy mess following the sell-off of Australia’s electricity systems shows, just as Sydney massive airport’s fees and the perpetually snarled roads there are a direct consequence of Macquarie Bank’s ownership.

Similarly, a closer look at Australia Post’s dealings at Bondi Beach shows it squeezing money out of a public asset to the detriment of the public.

Barely publicised in this reorganisation was Australia Post’s property division, the jewel in the crown, with thousands of centrally located buildings in towns and cities throughout the land.

More than a decade earlier when things like heritage still mattered, Canberra required Australia Post to devise a strategy for conservation of some fifty of its properties, including Bondi’s Post Office.

Amid cries of “scandal” from shocked architects and heritage aficionados, the freehold to Martin Place’s GPO was secretly flogged to a couple of Singaporean billionaires for a cool $150 million.

Sydney’s GPO sale looked for all the world like a two-fingered salute from departing CEO Ahmed Fahour: a “fuck-you” retaliation for the public outcry over his $5.6 million remuneration package that had led to his resignation. Australia Post quietly revealed later that Fahour’s departure payment was closer $11 million.

What is deeply disturbing in Australia Post’s property sell-off is the blurring of lines between public and private.

For example, Cushman & Wakefield, the international property behemoth managing AustraliaPost’s NSW property portfolio, has recently employed Mr Adam Treffry.

6

city hub 12 APRIL 2018

For 13 years previously, Mr Treffry was employed

by Australia Post in the same role.

We know whose side is Mr Treffry on now, but what inside information has he brought with him?

The change will be hugely beneficial for Cushman & Wakefield, at the expense of Australia Post and probably of the public purse.

Although Cushman & Wakefield’s Bondi salesperson, Anthony Bray, favours public auctions, the City Hub has found no evidence that Bondi’s Post Office was offered for sale on the open market.

If deals are done out of the public glare, no-one knows whether any figure is the best that Australia Post might have got, and that has to be the measure.

An interesting comparison is with the freehold title for the Bates Milk Bar site which carries denser zoning and direct ocean-views. This was sold at auction by Cushman & Wakefield for only $5 million more than seems already to have been extracted from the Post Office site.

Australia Post has refused to release any of the agreements around the quick $15 million profit from Bondi’s Post Office, but if Waverley Council agrees to the aggressive proposal for this key community site, a very big question mark would then hover over the amount that Australia Post (or someone else) might actually be paid for the site’s freehold.

Australia Post proudly boasts that it has contributed $7.6 million to various community projects around Australia, but compared with the $15million profit lost by the private flick in the Bondi deal, those community dollars smell like rancid PR peanuts.

All of this would be a bad look for a corporation, but it’s especially damaging for this very public Australian brand with its proud claim to be “committed to the local community,” identified continually as one of Australia Post’s four stakeholder groups.

Despite being badgered by the City Hub to comment, neither Australia Post nor Communications Minister Mitch Fifield responded to questions.

Australia Post’s CEO says that his organisation is “founded on outstanding customer and community service.” On the local evidence, Bondi’s feisty local community suggests that he’s talking through his well-heeled butt.

We say that there’s enough of a stench around the Bondi Beach Post Office deals that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield should tell Australia Post’s Group CFO Janelle Hopkins to find out whether its property deals in Bondi and elsewhere meet the Government’s – and her own corporation’s – standards of propriety.

Cheating is not something that Australians take kindly, especially if it’s done by a publicly owned organisation.

To the bestos of our knowledge

BY STATON WHALEY The detection, removal, and disposal of asbestos and lead paint is no simple matter, as seen by the numerous amounts of instructions and warnings on council and N SW government websites. So why is it that the Innerwest Council did not take proper precaution against such a prevalent Sydney issue when demolishing two cottages built in 1909?

The decision to crush the two cottages, located on Marion Street in Leichhardt, was made mid- March WITH demolition being carried out shortly afterwards., But concerned residents quickly noticed a “Danger: Asbestos Removal in Process,” sign.

According to council spokeswoman Elizabeth Heath, “No asbestos containing material was located during the inspection or by analysis.”

Council also was said to have “commissioned a hazardous materials report through E BG Environmental Geoscience,” but A to Z Construction representatives told City Hub they “do no testing. It’s a visual test…We’re experts.”

Research through council’s site and standard search engines gathers no evidence of any said expert and independent report.

Air Safe, a company specialising in asbestos testing, monitoring and consultancy, said “any house built pre 2003 should be tested.

Samples should be taken from the site and examined in the laboratory.”

A high ranking employee, who prefers

“From what I understand they just went in with a front-end loader and knocked the whole thing down, which is unfortunately fairly common practice. Unfortunately I see improper pre-demolition checks happen a lot. Safe Works doesn’t have a construction team and they’re hard pressed, especially with all the construction going on in the city basin area.”

He said “this is expert work. It should have been removed by an expert professional. The lead paint should have been too. When bringing down a building water suppression should be used. Typically a thousand litre tank is filled and a pressure pump is used.”

Eye witness Josephine Wadlow-Evans contacted City Hub, describing the demolition procedure as “scant use of a small hose…at the time that one observed the demolition the water was not being used.”

This example of poor execution, from unreleased documents regarding levels of asbestos and lead paint, to careless demolition with no water suppression and front end loader knockdowns, is just a microcosm of a larger problem in N SW, but specifically the inner west. According to the council website, around a third of N SW homes contain some asbestos.

Air Safe’s website states that “if your home was built before 1990 there is a good chance it will contain some form of asbestos.” But removal is not the only issue.

Marion Street Cottages.

Photo: Josephine Wadlow-Evans

to be left unnamed, from N SW Safe Works, who protects workers rights and compensation, has been in the occupational health consultancy business for over forty years, and was shocked in regards to the procedure pre-demolition at the Marion Street cottages. This employee says all suspicious materials, like old downpipes should have been removed.

Another subject of worry is lead paint.

“The house is 90 years old, there’s almost a guarantee there’s some lead paint in it… and it has sort of been ignored.”

The transportation and dumping regulations for asbestos and other similar materials are very strict, but not always followed, as it can be found to be inconvenient and expensive. There are only nine Sydney area asbestos dumping sites, all with working hours and fees.

The N SW Safe Works employee says “unfortunately time and time again it goes through a concrete processing plant where it goes through a grinder and releases the asbestos…You often see someone get paid to just drop it off in some lot.”

Vegans beef with Council

BY JADE MORELLINI The Sydney Vegan Markets have been punished

by Inner West Council for being a success, breaching their DA with over 5,000 people attending the markets.

The Sydney Vegan Markets run on the third Sunday of every month and began to meet the growing demand for access to local, ethical and sustainable products. They support small local vegan businesses to get in front of their target market and generate real income.

After their move to Addison Road Community Centre (ARCCO), unexpected issues arose with the Inner West Council who have advised a new DA is required that is more appropriate for their size.

Market organiser, Kate Jones said, “The DA that ARCCO currently hold is for their night market and we believed we could slot in for that, or that the Council would work with us to amend it, but they fined Addison Road Community Centre $6000 and are making us start the process again.”

At the Inner West Council meeting, they stated the breaches of Addison Road Community Centre.

Inner West claimed that the organisers exceeded the maximum of 25 stalls, having over 100 food stalls and they did not have pre-ticket sales restricting the event to a maximum of 500 people.

The event attracted more than 5,000 people.

The Council also said the the organisers didn’t restrict the markets to the approved hours of operation and this resulted in significant traffic and parking implications for the surrounding area.

The Sydney Vegan Markets now need to apply for a new DA and this will take a minimum of 100 days to be approved which will be a massive setback for the stall holders.

“The Council said they aren’t willing to fast track it for us,” Jones said. “It needs to follow due process which we understand, but it just feels like it’s been a

6–17 JUNE

Sydney Vegan Market. Photo: Supplied

punishing approach to something that is so amazing for the community.”

Having only held four markets so far, the growth they have seen in crowds is massive. The markets support between 120 – 130 stall holders every month and the delay will put more pressure on these small businesses, many of whom live and work in the Inner West.

“We get up to 10,000 people attending and we estimate that about $250,000 spent on the day. These

FIRST FILMS ANNOUNCED FULL PROGRAM 9 MAY

businesses are micro businesses, often in start-up, and a lot of which launch and only trade at our market, so it means that our stalls don’t have exposure and aren’t getting in front of their customers,” Jones said.

Stall holder of Maker Cafe, Annabelle McMillan is concerned about the impact this will have on her business. “A lot of the businesses that operate at the markets hire our space out as preparation, so that affects that cash flow for us.”

The Vegan Sydney Market started a petition

to the Inner West Council, calling to “reduce red tape on community run events to show that their support of culture and community within the Inner West is real.”

Currently, 3,654 others have supported this petition.

“It’s wonderful, we’re certainly humbled by it.

The crowds that we see and the engagement on our social media and the support we have from the community, from the beginning there were obviously heaps of people who were excited about it, but there are even heaps of non-vegans who come,” Jones said.

They are trying to work with the Inner West Council to fix this issue as quickly as they can, but the process seems very arduous.

“I think the problem is the fine, its $6000!” Jones said. “It’s so much for a community centre and it wasn’t a collaborative approach. They told us about the DA the afternoon before our market and it was too late, the stalls we had would have lost so much, they were ready to go.”

With an increasing demand for veganism, the markets are growing in popularity and they want to provide for the crowds.

“People find out about our stalls through the market itself, so our café has been busier because people are trying our stuff so we see lots of new faces as a result of it and I can see that declining as a result of having to wait,” McMillan said.

Despite this road bump, Jones is eager to find another way to keep the markets running in the meantime.

“We’re really doing our best, we’re looking at other opportunities and other venues to house us in the meantime. We’ve got a pop-up at Our Hood, an event run by Commune on the 25th April,” Jones said.

The Inner West Council were asked to comment, but they declined.

AMERICAN ANIMALS

CHEF FLYNN

ANCHOR AND HOPE

Bart Layton’s (The Imposter, SFF 2012) first feature is a wildly entertaining docu-fiction hybrid about four young men who attempt one of the most audacious art-heists in history. Quite unlike any other heist film, American Animals is an energetic, boundary-pushing thriller.

What makes a great chef? Follow teenage culinary sensation Flynn McGarry’s rapid ascent from the home kitchen to the cover of New York Times Magazine.

A unique insight into the world of a culinary wunderkind, and the challenges he faces as he reaches adulthood.

A lesbian couple contemplate parenthood in this free-wheeling comic drama by rising Spanish filmmaker Carlos MarquesMarcet. A fresh and funny tale about love, friendship and the different ways in which modern families can take shape.

MAYA THE BEE: THE HONEY GAMES

THE BREADWINNER

ESSENTIAL KAURISMÄKI: SELECTED BY DAVID STRATTON

Oscar-nominated animation about an 11-year-old Afghan girl, Parvana, who must pose as a boy to support her family when her father is unjustly jailed. An unflinching indictment of a culture that oppresses women and girls, as well as an appeal for human rights.

David Stratton presents a retrospective program of 10 classics by the great Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki, showcasing key work by one of the most distinctive and offbeat directors in cinema. Crucial viewing for film fans, featuring nine specially imported 35mm prints.

Maya the plucky Australian bee returns in this charming animated adventure.

A tale of buzzy derring-do for kids aged three and up, directed by top Sydney animators Noel Cleary, Sergio Delfino and Alexs Stadermann.

SFF.ORG.AU city hub 12 APRIL 2018

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FEATURE

Underground Sydney Comedy Festival

By Jade Morellini Everyone loves a good laugh on a night out and with Sydney’s biggest annual comedy festival coming up, the laughs will be endless.

Every April and May, the Sydney Comedy Festival brings comedians from around the world to entertain audiences of over 122,500 people.

But with all the big names and venues taken over, audiences often miss the hidden local gems which hold spectacular comedic shows.

Della Hyde has partnered with LaughMod to host their first ever stand-up comedy night, Down for Good Laughs, which will have a line up of all-star comedians.A spokesperson for Della Hyde said, “We love supporting the arts & entertainment at Della Hyde, and who doesn’t love comedy?! We had a look around the area and saw there was an opportunity to host comedy nights on Wednesdays because not many others are doing it.We currently offer $1 wings on Wednesdays, which is very popular, and we thought a side of laughter would be a great way to bring more people together on a weeknight.”

They have a hilarious line-up of local talent including headliner John Cruckshank, supported

by Lizzy Ho, Oliver Twist, Gavin Scott, Joe Antar (NSW RAW Finalist) and hosted by Mitch Garling (named one of Sydney Comedy Festival’s Best Emerging Comedians for 2017).

“John Cruckshank is a gifted stand-up comedian who is well-known and well-loved all over Australia in regular comedy circles. Cruckshank will have you in splits before you know it, and you will be lost in his witticisms that seem to flow freely, with every hilarious delivery,” a spokesperson for Della Hyde said. “Supporting artists are equally as entertaining, with Lizzy Ho’s comedy serving up meaty truth sandwiches with a healthy dose of LOLs and a sprinkling of cynicism and controversy.”

“The audience does most of the hero work so we don’t really know what’s going to happen from one show to the next. It can be the most fun when the show derails because the audience has taken it in an unexpected direction. Giving the kidults the reins and playing along with them means the room is filled with spontaneous energy and a sense of euphoric ‘what the?!” Gonzalez and Zukerman said.

Laugh-Masters Academy (LMA) who houses Chicago style long-form improvisation and sketch comedy in Australia have also introduced their brand-new show Night Shift at the Factory Theatre where they will be showcasing monthly improv and sketch comedy.

Founder of LMA, Eran Thomson said, “Night Shift is one of four different types of shows that LMA puts on Comedy doesn’t have to be for adults only, each month. With our Almondo show, with some performances welcoming children what makes it unique is there’s a to get involved. special guest and they take a one-word You’ll Never Guess Where I Hid The Cheese suggestion from the audience and is a fun show for families to engage in based on that word they tell a story during the festival season. and then based on that story, the Comedians Alicia Gonzalez and improviser team put on a show.”

Debbie Zukerman said,“It’s a fun After the show, they have a jam family show about superheroes session where they encourage and cheese, which of course audience members to get on stage is a classic combination. It’s and perform for the audience. full of high stakes “We invite current students excitement and games! Mr. and members of the Cheesehead will turn everyone into a community to come up on stage and cheesehead unless the audience can perform for the audience in a more stop him. Choo Choo Troupe is informal way and sometimes we invite what we’ve called our loose audience members who feel like they want Lizzy Ho collective of comedians.” to give it a try up,” Thomson said.“We let Comedy This show is full of them experience what it feels like to get up Night improvisation and depends on on stage and be supported by a team of at Della audience interaction in order experienced improvisers who are there Hyde.

Photo: to ensure the show is at its to make sure they look good and don’t Supplied best. feel like they’re failing there alone.”

You’ll Never Guess Where I Hid The Cheese.

Photo: Supplied

World Bar loves putting on comedy performances, with Laugh Mob delivering the best local and international comedy every week.

Each of these events are offering up some of the best local talent in the industry and hope audiences will pop in to see their shows.

“We want people to laugh! We’re down for good times at Della Hyde, and we want to create a fun, inviting and social atmosphere where people want to enjoy themselves & keep coming back,” a spokesperson for Della Hyde said.“We have so much incredible talent in Australia and it’s important that local establishments provide an accessible environment to showcase this talent for people to enjoy. Creating a supportive culture is key, it takes a lot of guts & skill to stand up in front of the room and make people laugh!”

“Come to the comedy festival to do something you can’t do in your living room. It’s just a fun thing to do and not because it’s something people ‘should’ feel obliged to do, like eating their vegetables (but totally eat your veggies),” Gonzalez and Zukerman said.

LMA - House Party. Apr 19. Factory Theatre, 05 Victoria Road, Marrickville. $15+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.factorytheatre.com.au Down for Good Laughs. Every Wednesday.

Della Hyde, 34 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. $10-$15.

Tickets & Info: www.dellahyde.com.au You’ll Never Guess Where I Hid The Cheese.

Apr 28. Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville. $25+bf.

Tickets & Info: www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au The World Bar. Every Sunday. The World Bar, 24 Bayswater Road, Potts Point. $10-$20.

Tickets & Info: www.theworldbar.com

THE APPRENTICE SOIRÉE DE CUISINE FRANÇAISE TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 6 PM – 9 PM THE APPRENTICE RESTAURANT SYDNEY $45/PERSON (4 COURSES FRENCH MENU, A GLASS OF SPARKLING ON ARRIVAL)

RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL

BOOK NOW! Phone: 02 9217 5527 Email: SI.TheApprentice@tafensw.edu.au CRICOS Provider Name: TAFE NSW – Technical and Further Education Commission © TAFE NSW 2018 | CRICOS 00591E | RTO 90003 | Published February 2018

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city hub 12 APRIL 2018

Shakespeare By The Bay

William Shakespeare is perhaps the most iconic name in theatre ever. So when you combine that

pedigree with one of the most iconic bodies of water on the planet, Sydney Harbour, you

create a spectacular cultural event.

Thanks to a collaboration between Bard On The Beach, Watson Bay Boutique Hotel and the Woollahra Council this perfect storm of entertainment is about to become a reality.

Beginning tomorrow performances of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy Of King Richard III and The Two Gentlemen Of Verona will take place in Robertson Park overlooking the harbour.

Bard On The Beach is an Australian national touring company with thriving talent and extensive experience in outdoor performances of this nature. Bard On The Beach and Watsons Bay

Boutique Hotel strongly believe in the importance of arts in strengthening a sense of community.

If you want to add that little extra treat to the evening Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel is offering take-away picnic baskets filled with an array of delicious eats and treats to enjoy throughout the performance. (JA) Apr 13-22. Robertson Park, 22 Military Rd, Watsons Bay. $15-$30+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.watsonsbayhotel.com.au *Wet Weather: If the event is cancelled due to rain and poor weather conditions, you will have the opportunity to exchange your tickets to a different date.

French playwright Cyril Gély has written a fascinating play that explores the power of diplomacy and the influence of well-chosen words and an engaging manner.

The work examines the conversation that could have taken place between the Swedish Consul General Raoul Nordling (played by the inimitable John Gaden) and General Dietrich von Choltitz, Military Governor of Paris, a role that demands the stage presence of an actor with the gravitas of John Bell.

Their meeting takes place just before dawn at the Hotel Meurice on August 25, 1944, when the Allied forces are about to enter the city.

The pressure is on Choltitz to execute Hitler’s orders to blow up Paris and leave it in ruins, but Nordling employs all his knowing charm to persuade the General to disobey the Fuhrer’s decree and save the city. It is this that the historical figure of Choltitz is now remembered, and indeed, this is one of the arguments that the character of Nordling uses in Gely’s play.

The Ensemble is to be congratulated for commissioning this intelligent and thoughtprovoking play that offers such an interesting insight into this critical historical moment. Award-winning literary translator Julie Rose adapted this work for Australian audiences, John Bell directed with

Photo: Kayzar

John Bell as General Deitrich von Choltitz. Photo: Prudence Upton

REVIEW: Diplomacy

Assistant Director Anna Volska, and Genevieve Lemon makes an appearance as Choltitz’s orderly Frau Mayer, which gives Gély an opportunity to reveal Choltitz’s humanity in caring for her safety.

Not surprisingly, this cerebral

thriller performed by two great actors of the Australian stage has sold out. (ID) Until Apr 28. Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli. $35-$73+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.ensemble.com.au

Alice In Wonderland M2 Production and Rapidfire International Inc’s smash hit production of Alice In Wonderland makes its way down under this month at the State Theatre.

“Audiences can expect to see an Alice In Wonderland that is both innovative and new but also true to the classic language of Lewis Carroll,” says Georgina Walker, who plays the titular role.

“It’s a bit of a twist on the original. We also have animatronic puppets, which the kids will love and Sydney is the first audience to see these incredible new puppets!”

With a cast of talented actors and a

a&e

19 STAGE 10 Sounds 11 SCENE 11 SCREEN

production team from around the world, Alice In Wonderland breathes new life into Carroll’s seminal work. Notably, the Mad Hatter is played by a woman and the Queen of Hearts by a man though Alice remains her iconic self.

“Alice is a character that everyone has had some exposure to so to be able to play her is very special for me,” says Georgina.

“I want to keep her inquisitive and youthful while still having the imagination and Victorian feel that she has.” (ES) Apr 19. State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. $39.90-$59.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.statetheatre.com.au

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @CityHubSyd

BIG RIVER - THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

This Broadway sensation which is based on Mark Twain’s classic 1884 novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, returns to the stage nearly 30 years after it debuted at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Sydney. The show boasts a wonderful cast of 12 actors and Cameron Daddo who played the titular role in the original Australian production, portrays Pap, Huck’s father. Keegan Joyce who has a big following on YouTube with his own music plays the role of Huck.

“Big River has a beautiful score and a lot of younger people who love musical theater have fallen in love with the soundtrack. This is the first opportunity for them to see it on stage,” explained producer Michelle Guthrie.

“It’s quite relevant that Mark Twain decided to call it The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn because it is quite an adventure. It’s a big turning point in Huck’s life when he realises how the people around him are being treated and starts to think differently how people should be treated.”

Songs from the show including Muddy Water,Waitin’ For The Light, River In The Rain, and World’s Apart should ensure that audiences have an enchanting night at the theater.

“This is a Neglected Musical - The actors do a one day rehearsal and then they’ll do six presentations script in hand. It’s not a full production - they do the entire script and score but there is no set or costumes.

Neglected Musicals has a pretty strong core following and this is the 17th production.

Many people come and see every single one of them and of course it’s at the Hayes Theatre and that’s just a general musical audience. A lot of high profile actors are attracted to the Neglected Musical presentations and Cameron is not the first person with his experience to be part of one of these presentations.” (MMo) Apr 18-21. Hayes Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point. $48+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.hayestheatre.com.au

Contributors: Barbara Karpinski, Craig Coventry, Emily Shen, Greg Webster, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, Joseph Rana, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Rita Bratovich, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Jade Morellini, Alex Eugene, Manuel Gonzalez, Tommy Boutros, Riley Hooper, Mohsen Dezaki, Daniel Jaramillo, Georgia Fullerton, Gary Nunn, Addie Morton, Staton Whaley. city hub 12 APRIL 2017

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The 7 Sopranos ‘Songs from Stage & Screen’ A brand-new fun, frothy, jukebox Australian musical, The 7 Sopranos ‘Songs from Stage & Screen’ features a cheeky collection of popular favourites from the 40s, 50s and 60s, while celebrating sisterhood and the power of transformation.

Set in Melbourne between 1956 and 1959 in both a radio and tv station, when tv was first being launched, no one would believe tv would become more important than the wireless.

The seven girls are radio stars; every Saturday night they sing the top tunes of Australia and the whole family gathers around the wireless, a bit like Countdown.The Musical Director, Glenn Amer, plays piano and takes on the role of Maestro Harry Harris, the compare of the radio show.The showgirls of opera sing greats like I Got Rhythm, Big Spender and Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend and mention some of the stars of Hollywood, with tributes to Marylyn Monroe and Doris Day. The 7 Sopranos ‘Songs from Stage & Screen’ parallels what’s going on right now in our lives with new technology.

“It’s an interesting and cyclical look at how the nature of change in life keeps going round and round.We see the transition from radio stars to tv stars, the impact fame has on their lives, and how

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city hub 12 APRIL 2018

Outhouse Theatre Company and the Seymour Centre present playwright Annie Baker’s, The Flick at the Reginald Theatre.

The creatives behind the show include Craig Baldwin as director, set and costume design by Hugh O’Connor, lighting design

by Martin Kinnane, sound composition and design by Nate Edmondson and more.

Playwright Annie Baker has an array of productions under her belt, The Antipodes, John and Body Awareness to name a few.

Over 200 theatres across over a dozen countries have produced her plays, with The Flick receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The cast of four consists of Justin Amankwah, who plays Avery with The Flick being his stage debut his screen credits include Pacific Rim: Uprising, Deadly Women and more. Mia Lethbridge plays Rose, she has worked across a variety of Australian television, theatre and film. Jeremy Waters plays Sam and he is also the Artistic Director of Outhouse Theatre Company producing and appearing in several theatre productions, dedicating his work on The Flick to Ains and Jasper. The play also stars Matthew Cheetham as the Dreaming Man. Set in the isles and seats of a movie

Photo: Sherbet Birdie

they change,” said Tarita Botsman,Writer/Director of The 7 Sopranos ‘Songs from Stage & Screen.’

Back in 2009, the 7 Sopranos formed, and since then have toured the world, done regional tours of Australia and NZ, released two albums; their latest, Popcorn, came out last year.

“I knew the girls were versatile, I wanted to pick up on the beautiful, vintage, feminine era and squeeze out a lot of juice from it,” said Botsman. (MS) Apr 18-20.The Concourse, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood. $73.15-$78.25+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.the7sopranos.com

Sydney Live Music Guide LIVE WIRE

By Jamie Apps Oh Mercy: Alexander Gow, the Melbournian man behind Oh Mercy, has established the name as an iconic Australian act.

Regarded as one of Australia’s most acclaimed singer/ songwriters, Gow combines his love for the existential and absurd with a breadth of literary influences along with a perpetual air of romance.

Fri, Apr 13, Lansdowne Hotel Patrick Wolf: The extraordinary multiinstrumentalist is returning to Australia for the first time in six years. The flamboyantly eccentric troubadour returns to interpret his songs on a grand piano. In this intimate performance, with his accent-thick vocals and dark, biographical lyrics, Patrick Wolf’s otherworldly stories will be hauntingly grounded.

Fri, Apr 13, The Concourse Concert Hall As A Rival: The self proclaimed tech punk bandits, return with their mixture of rock riffs and punk sensibilities, delivering their catchy hooks and melodic anthems. Playing live is where the band feels most at home as they stamp their claim as one of Australia’s most explosive live bands on the punk rock scene.

Fri, Apr 13, Chipp Hotel Husky: To coincide with the release of Walking In Your Sleep, the final single off their critically acclaimed third LP Punchbuzz, psychedelic-folk-dreamers Husky will perform a special intimate live performance this weekend.

Sat, Apr 14, Lansdowne Hotel MET Concert #2 - Passion: This weekend The Metropolitan Orchestra will feature one of Australia’s shining stars of the trumpet in their second Met Concert for this year. Jenna

REVIEW: The Flick

Smith will perform Arutunian’s flamboyant Trumpet Concerto in a powerful concert which includes Rossini’s much loved William Tell Overture, Ligeti’s alluring Concert Românesc and Carmen Suites One and Two by Bizet.

Sat, Apr 14, Eugene Goossens Hall Acacia Quartet: The Acacia Quartet’s Italian Serenade concert will take the audience on a romantic, musical trip to Southern Europe! The three time ARIA Award-nominated ensemble present a mouthwatering concert featuring Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade, Giacomo Puccini’s Crysantemi, John Peterson’s String Quartet No. 3, Giuseppe Verdi’s String Quartet and Joaquín Turina’s La Oración del Torero.

Sun, Apr 15, Independent Theatre Philéas Fogg Trio: Melbourne’s ground breaking Philéas Fogg Trio make their first Sydney appearance at Foundry celebrating the music of the great Thelonious Monk. As a trio they find Monk’s music a constant source of marvel and inspiration - highly rhythmical and mysterious, littered with hooks yet convoluted, charming always, dissonant sometimes and eternally beautiful.

Wed, Apr 18, Foundry 616 Counterparts & Stray From The Path: It’s not every day that a tour package is able to pair up two of North America’s most crushing and sonically charged heavy outfits of the modern era.

Yet this week wee have just that as Canada’s Counterparts and New York’s Stray From The Path combine forces.

Wed, Apr 18, Factory Theatre

theatre in Massachusetts, the audience grasps glimpses into the lives of three coworkers through conversations as they tend to the tasks of their job. Although the play moved seemly slow, there were nice moments of real, significant conversations dealing with issues and clarity with quite funny subtle humour. A simple, yet effective set and costume design and an entertaining play but, the three-hour length seemed a burden. (RH) Until Apr 21. Reginald Theatre, Corner of City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale. $30-$42+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com

Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont

By Jamie Apps Adam Eckersley and Brooke McClymont are two of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters and acclaimed performers in their own rights, however despite being married they had never actually worked together in a musical capacity until very recently.

City Hub spoke with the duo backstage at the third show of their extensive national Highway Sky tour.

Working together was something both Adam and Brooke told us they have wanted to do for a very long time but with Adam being busy with his band, the Adam Eckersley Band, and Brooke busy with The McClymonts the opportunity simply never arose until now.

“We’ve spoken about doing this ever since we’ve been together really, but we always thought it wouldn’t happen until maybe 10 or 15 years down the track,” explained Adam.

“Brooke’s sisters have been having babies recently though so The McClymonts were having a bit of a quiet period and we realised this was our opportunity.”

Knowing they had a very limited window to put Highway Sky together the duo knuckled down and managed to complete the entire writing and recording process in just five and a half weeks.

Obviously before beginning the process there was a worry that working so closely together could cause tension in the relationship.

“We talked to each other a lot

before we even got into the studio so we kind of knew what we wanted to achieve out of it,” said Adam with Brooke then adding, “By having that in the forefront of our minds we were very conscious about not making it uncomfortable for anyone if we did argue but thankfully that was never a problem though.”

Now as the duo hit the road touring there is a mixture of

emotions running through them.

“Our whole relationship we’ve gone away from each other nearly every weekend so it’s nice to be together for this one,” said Adam.

“It’s funny I now have to scroll to find Adam’s name in my phone because I haven’t called him in so long,” said Brooke before Adam jokingly replied, “I’m sure that by the end of it we’ll be wanting to go to the opposite sides of a mountain for a while.”

Whilst there are nerves about the reception of bringing country music to the city the duo are also confident in what they have created with this record.

“Country music is so broad in terms of what it is these days, our songs in particular are just songs from songwriters who just so happen to be country people,” explained Adam, “They’re country in the sense that they’re true stories about family and relationships. So I think if you’ve got a heartbeat you’re going to find something to associate with in what we’re doing.”

Apr 27. Leadbelly, 42 King St, Newtown. $28.60-$58.15+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.theleadbelly.com.au

John Flanagan Trio – Honest Man

City Calm Down Echoes In Blue

Honest Man is an honest album. Warm tones and easy-going rhythms greet the ears of the listener like a smile and invite them into the surrounding vibe like a hug.Tendrils of conversation tickle the eardrums and encourage the listener to pay attention to the story as it unfolds, creating images of a summer evening, lights twinkling over music and merriment.The comfortable groove twists through the imagination building and embellishing the listeners vision.

Some of the subject matter tends towards the historical and the political but it doesn’t retain a strong force, sung in the form of a tale passed down, it becomes comfortably far off in the retelling.

It is organic, it is folksy and it can’t help but relax the listener bringing about feelings of welcome and contentment as it rolls through them. (SP) WWW

Melbourne band City Calm Down’s latest record, Echoes In Blue, is a deeply emotional record which explores the myth of the ‘work/ life balance’ in our current society.

Immediately the listener is greeted with a deep lyrical offering which continues throughout.

Jack Bourke’s dreamy vocal performance delivers these lyrics in such a way that you cannot help but be drawn in.

Layered below the vocal performance are a bunch of subtly 80s pop beats and soft synths that complement and heighten the overall feel of the album.

As the listener progresses through the record though the tracks can begin to become a touch receptive and one note as similar beats and elements are employed. (JA) WWW

THE NAKED CITY

Karolina Partyka Foreign Lands

With Coffin Ed It was an unusually balmy autumn night in Kings Cross last Wednesday week. A group of musicians had gathered on the chairs outside the Piccolo Bar in Roslyn Street for an impromptu jam.The music was by no means loud and hardly noticeable amongst the usual cacophony of passing traffic and pedestrian banter.

Nevertheless, almost on the stroke of ten o’clock, two ‘Mighty Morphin’ City Rangers appeared to shut down the very sociable get together and enquire as to whether any of the participants had a busking licence.

The Council of course have made a real hullabaloo in previous weeks with their cultural largesse towards encouraging live music in the CBD and surrounds – a program providing funding to numerous clubs and venues. It seems that whilst the one hand giveth, the other in the form of an overzealous Council bureaucracy, taketh away.

That’s Sydney in 2018 folks and it’s not getting any better.

Here’s a bit of wishful thinking. The year is 2100 and the State Library has an exhibition of early documents from the start of the century and amongst the most curious items is a ‘busking licence” ($47 for 12 months), issued by the City Of Sydney Council. In what we hope is a far more enlightened time those viewing the display can hardly maintain their mirth, wondering how such a degree of regulation could exist. Perhaps we today would have a similar chuckle if we sighted a permit to water a horse in George Street from the early 1800s.

Those with a Mephistophelian view of local council politics might well envisage a secret chamber, hidden deep within the bowels of the Sydney Town Hall. Here a group of the most cold hearted, almost sociopathic bureaucrats gather regularly to conjure new rules and regulations, designed not only to impinge our basic freedoms but flood the city’s coffers with the revenue from a truly Orwellian list of newly demanded licences and on the spot fines.

In Singapore you can supposedly be fined $500 just for feeding pigeons and selling chewing gum, let alone actually chewing it can land you in gaol. Even failing to flush a toilet at Changi airport is purported to be a punishable offence. What then can we expect from those dastardly rule makers who seek to orchestrate our everyday lives in Sydney?

Mars Barren 2016

A LICENCE TO KILL

With all the talk about climate change a ‘flatulence’ fine is certainly on the cards and look out if you ‘let go’ in any of the CBD’s newly designated non-methane zones. Power Rangers equipped with start of the art olfactometers will be everywhere and if a hot Indian curry is your lunchtime choice, just make sure you contain yourself until you are safely at home. The law will also apply to dogs and if you are walking your mutt, make sure you are equipped with not only a pooper scooper but a can of air freshener to dispel any unpleasant smell.

It’s against the law to involve any animal in a busking performance and a new permit will be required for anybody walking in the Council precincts with a bird on their shoulder.

Your pet parrot or cockatiel will need to be photo ID’d and the so called ‘pirate’ regulation will allow rangers to remove it immediately from your person if you do not comply.

Confiscated birds will be detained for 21 days and returned on the payment of a $100 fine.

Don’t laugh because things could even get worse than Singapore when the Council decides to put meters on park benches throughout the city.You’ll need a ticket just like you do to park. If the ticket runs out and you overstay your lunchtime relaxation you’ll cop a nasty fine. Doze off in the afternoon sun and you’ll will be loaded into a Council vehicle and ‘towed’ away. Fail to pay the fine and you may never be seen again!

Alien Intrusion: Unmasking A Deception

UFO documentaries are a dime a dozen yet this new documentary takes an intriguing new slant on explaining the phenomena.

Produced by Creation Ministries International this film uses biblical scriptures to attempt to explain the

EARLY MAN

existence of aliens, UFO sightings and the many tales of alien abduction.Throughout the film interviews with scientists, physicists and mathematicians put forward arguments against the feasibility of interstellar beings even having the ability to reach earth.

The latter third of the film then focuses on the experiences of UFO witnesses and abductees, particularly by attempting to explain what these experiences could have been if aliens couldn’t exist given the arguments put forward earlier in the film.

This film will certainly foster a great debate between friends and family following a viewing. (JA)

WW

Young tribe member Dug and his furry sidekick, Hognob unite the tribe, challenging the Bronze Age City to a sacred game of soccer to win the hearts of the big city and their valley back.

Early Man is a stop-motion British animation children’s film written by Mark Burton and James Higginson. The comedy, directed by Nick Park stars the voices of, Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams and Timothy Spall.

A delightful story about believing in yourself and working as a team. The comedy was simple and innocent, suitable for young children between Set in the prehistoric era, Early Man tells the story 4-10. A bit too slow for the average movie goer of the last tribe of cavemen as they are run out of but entertaining enough to put the kid’s in front their beautiful valley home and into the Badlands of. (RH) WWW for the greedy Lord Nooth to mine for bronze.

Literally meaning ‘no place’, the idea of Utopia has enthralled humans throughout history.

By interrogating our relationship with place and land Karolina Partyka’s work Foreign Lands looks at utopias, frontiers, and what it means to be ‘native’.

Belonging and foreignness are explored through technological and science fiction tropes, transposing the lived experience of migrants, refugees and ‘others’ into the currently developing narrative of humanity’s next frontier and imagined utopia Mars.

Mars, myth, and science fiction act as allegorical mirrors of Earth-bound migrations, colonialism, and the generational impacts thereof, as well as examining the implications of placing a human presence on Mars, and how it may evolve our understanding of our humanity.

As an Australian-born child of Polish refugees, Partyka’s work

draws upon the experience of navigating between cultures whilst carrying inherited traumas, many of which directly resulted from the failures and distortions of attempted Utopian ideologies (Nazism and Socialism).

Faced with the traditional construct of white gallery walls, Partyka decided instead to treat the gallery space itself as a frontier for exploration, strategically placing and lighting works to form a cohesive sense of place. Interactive and immersive installations set the foundation for the alternative reality constructed by Partyka, with photographic and video work providing narrative framework, and lighting inspired by vintage science fiction completing the transformation of the space. (JA) Apr 24-May 12.

Kudos Gallery, 6 Napier St, Paddington. Info: www.arc.unsw.edu.au

21st SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL The popularity of the Spanish Film Festival is on the increase in Australia and with over 45,000 admissions last year it’s definitely one of the most successful.

“This festival celebrates 21 years and it’s getting bigger and bigger. People who are learning Spanish or travelling to Spain or who just want a taste of the culture are coming along to this film festival,” festival manager Paulette Arvizu explained.

The film industry in Spain is steady and from the couple of hundred of movies produced in the past 12 months a program of 25 films (of which three are retrospective titles) has been carefully curated.

“This year we’re being more selective with which films we’re bringing to the festival. We’re concentrating on the biggest and better quality titles and a few of the independent titles which stand out.”

Arvizu said that two of the highlights are Abracadabra - a comedy about a housewife’s husband who gets possessed

The Tribe

by a ghost and No Filter - another comedy which centers on a woman who takes a potion and is then unable to stop speaking her mind. The opening night film The Tribe which stars Carmen Machi as a mother who is reunited with her son (Paco Leon) is packed with music and laughter and should also prove to be a hit.

“We’re trying to bring a bit of culture and Spanish language to Australia. You wouldn’t normally be able

to watch these films on the big screen as few if any will be released in Australia. It’s important for us to reach the audience because we know the demand is there. It’s a cultural experience, the films are fun and it’s great to have a night out and watch a film which is different to what is screening in normal cinemas,” Arvizu concluded. (MMo) Apr 17-May 6. Palace Norton St, Palace Verona & Palace Central. $22-$150 (10 film pass).Tickets & Info: www.spanishfilmfestival.com city hub 12 APRIL 2017

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city hub 12 APRIL 2018