City News 29 May 2014

Student protest turns violent

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Vacant city: artists called in to fill space

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BY Declan Gooch Sydney is sitting on over a million square metres of empty commercial space as it faces a development boom in the CBD, prompting a council push for businesses to hand their vacant floorspace to artists.

The City of Sydney’s 2012 Floorspace and Employment Survey covers all commercial floorspace in the local government area (LGA), in addition to a limited assessment of residential dwellings. It found more than 1.6 million square metres of vacant commercial space.

According to a council spokesperson, the vacancy rate is about nine per cent, just below the 10.4 per cent reported by the Property Council of Australia as the average Australian CBD office vacancy rate. “[This] is on par with other capital cities including Melbourne and Perth,” the spokesperson said.

However, major developments across the CBD look set to open up even more office space, including a redevelopment of the Sydney Entertainment Centre site, as well as the Barangaroo development which includes residential zoning.

“Barangaroo is equivalent to three to four years’ supply of top-end office accommodation, so it’s hugely significant,” said Tim Williams, CEO of the Committee for Sydney, an independent city planning think tank.

The volume of vacant space is such that council is calling on businesses and developers to open up unused areas to artists for “creative activities.”

“Evidence from around the world shows there are significant economic, social and community benefits when space that would otherwise remain empty is made available for creative endeavours,” said the spokesperson.

The proposal, outlined in the

council’s Draft Cultural Policy 20142024, erroneously refers to the 1.6m square metre figure as including residential space, but a council spokesperson told City News that it refers to commercial space only.

Councillor Linda Scott says the City should push residential and commercial property owners to offer their spaces for affordable housing.

“The space could be rezoned if it in a suitable position,” she said.

“The City should be leading a conversation about how to stop it being vacant and how to utilise it in the best interests of the community, and for that, I think the priority should be affordable housing.”

However, Cr Scott said her affordable housing proposal has the potential to sit side-by-side with the City’s creative spaces plan.

Council is not concerned about the extra commercial space set to hit the market once the Barangaroo development is complete.

“Commercial tenants at major developments like Barangaroo are likely to seek large, centralised spaces to accommodate a significant proportion of their workforce, whereas the vacant spaces recorded in the survey vary in size and are distributed across the city,” the spokesperson said.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the plan follows on from earlier endeavours to open creative spaces using the City’s own properties.

“To have a thriving culture we need to make space for creative people to live and work … We hope this approach inspires other property owners to examine the possibility of offering affordable spaces for creativity,” she said.

The glut of vacant commercial space can partly be attributed to slow economic growth over the last four out of five years, according to Property Council of Australia data.

Land ahoy for heritage fleet at Pyrmont despite concern

BY Declan Gooch The City of Sydney council has joined a Pyrmont residents’ group in expressing concern over the approval of an educational and museum facility for the Sydney Heritage Fleet (SHF) in Bank Street.

The development, underneath the deck of the Anzac Bridge and fronting onto Blackwattle Bay, will also serve as a berthing point for the Fleet’s vessels, which have struggled to find a permanent home.

The Pyrmont Community Group (PCG) has been critical of both the development and the approval process by the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC), which gave the site conditional go-ahead in February. But, the PCG has since called on council to back their case for planning

power to be returned to local authorities.

“The amount of open space for the population there is woefully inadequate, and there are other sites on the harbour that could be used for this education centre,” said Máire Sheehan, a spokesperson for the group. The state government’s 2006 Bank Street Master Plan earmarked the land for public recreation. “[The PAC] is a bureaucratic committee making a decision on an application. They don’t have a community advocacy role like council would have,” Ms Sheehan said.

“We don’t have any control over such matters and have had to comply with them in the same way as any other DA applicant,” said Ross Muir, the fleet’s general manager.

The SHF, which operates and maintains

Photo taken from a PAC report, depicting the completed Bank Street development

a collection of heritage vessels, has long sought to relocate its overhaul and restoration facilities, currently at Rozelle Bay. The Bank Street site was originally slated for these facilities, but following community outcry about potential noise and pollution in 2012, SHF removed this aspect from its plans, leaving only an educational facility.

“Sydney Heritage Fleet has been in existence for 50 years and has never had a home,” Mr Muir said.

“We were disappointed ... to withdraw that component of the DA from it, but in response to the residents’ attitudes, we did.”

The organisation will be forced to keep looking to move its maintenance base.

The PAC granted conditional approval to the education facility, pending a revision of the DA to include a 2.5 metre setback from Bank Street and other minor alterations.

But, council has joined the PCG in condemning the process.

“A project of this kind does not warrant state significant status and should never have been taken out of the City of Sydney’s planning jurisdiction,” a council spokesperson said.

“The removal of industrial ship-building functions from the development was an important early change championed by the City, as was the introduction of 24/7 public access to the foreshore and the reduction in length of the main wharf.”

State MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich concurred with council.

“Both the master plan ... in 2006 and the local environment plan zone it for open space,” Mr Greenwich said.

“I share the community’s concern that that should be maintained, and that the community continue to have a role in influencing planning decisions in the area.”

Student banned from campus

BY Xiaoran Shi A University of Sydney student has been banned from campus after participating in a protest staged during a visit from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. On May 16, about 50 students held a snap action against Ms Bishop in the wake of the federal government delivering the most severe budget for tertiary education in national history.

Despite the large turnout, vicepresident of the University of Sydney Union (USU) Tom Raue was singled out to receive the month long ban.

Campus Security Unit manager Morgan Andrews wrote in a letter that the decision was motivated by footage showing Mr Raue “attempting to physically force” his way through security and police officers. This was coupled with an allegation that police were investigating him “punch[ing] a Campus Security officer in the face”.

Mr Raue has denied claims he is under criminal investigation. Similarly, a spokesperson for NSW Police has said that no such investigation exists.

Mr Andrews’ correspondence was sent less than 24 hours after a demonstration against university deregulation that coincided with Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s adjudication of a Liberal debating tournament on campus. The protest attracted wide media attention for the degree of police violence it saw.

“Students were brutalised indiscriminatedly. One riot cop held me by the strap of my dress and pushed me aggressively on my left breast,” said University of Sydney

student councillor Sonia Feng.

University of Sydney education officer Eleanor Morley, who suffered a fractured rib as a result of being punched in the chest by a police officer, believes the rally was ultimately a success.

“Every time a Liberal MP has entered a university campus since the budget was announced, there has been a student protest confronting them, and we will continue to [do] so.”

Ms Morley also denounced the University’s selective ban, arguing it was an “indictment upon free speech.’

There is growing concern students will be deterred from engaging in future protest action on campus.

Although Mr Raue is not an enrolled student, the ban has affected his capacity to act as USU vice-president.

“I have not been convicted of anything, and no hearing process has been conducted. I am deferred this semester so it should not affect my studies. I do work on campus though, and I can no longer access my office or attend meetings,” he said.

Mr Raue believes the ban is a “political move” which echoes the USU executive’s attempts to remove him last year for leaking information regarding collaboration between police and University management.

However, USU president Hannah Morris, who previously led the push to expel Mr Raue, has come out in support of her colleague, promising to facilitate his ongoing work as VP. Mr Raue has stated he plans to “do anything” to appeal the ban.

Inner city services for homeless women axed

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BY Paul Gregoire With around 20 women’s homelessness services in the inner city set to close, many are asking just where these women will go after doors shut in July.

As part of the Going Home Staying Home reforms, the state government is diverting at least $5 million in funding from the inner city to regional areas.

Homelessness service providers are now required to tender for services. Only one tender has been designated for a women’s service, with all others either to shut down or to become mixed gender.

Kate Timmins, manager of the B. Miles Women’s Foundation and spokesperson for the Save Our Women’s Services (SOS) group, believes that redirecting funding to regional areas is misguided.

“Homeless people gravitate to the inner city for a range of different reasons,” she said.

“There are meal services, there’s anonymity, people can flee situations and not be found.”

Ms Timmins added that the sector has been left in “shell shock”.

“It’s important to have womenspecific services for these client groups because they’ve survived violence and sexual assault that’s often perpetrated by men,” she said.

“Women have the best chance of recovering when they’re in those specialist programs.”

After meeting with a number of inner city refuge providers, City of

Sydney councillor Jenny Green said that she is “extremely concerned” homeless and at-risk women and children will be forced to sleep rough or to return to abusive homes if the cuts are not reversed.

“Refuge staff say they will have no choice but to refer the homeless on to backpacker hostels and other cheap accommodation which will not provide other support services,” Cr Green said.

Ms Timmins is also concerned about the future of people currently housed in homelessness programs.

“There’s a transition phase from July to September. People will freeze intake and they’ll just be exiting the clients that they already have,” she told City News.

NSW Shadow Minister for Housing and Shadow Minister for the Status of Women Sophie Cotsis said the state government has subjected clients and staff to months of uncertainty.

“The need for safe places for women and girls escaping domestic violence and sexual assault has always been crucial,” she said.

Ms Cotsis is calling on the government to rule out any changes that will force women-only and specialist services to close.

“It is not acceptable to expect women who have suffered serious trauma or sexual abuse to be forced into counselling or residential programs in mixed gender environments,” she said.

“The loss of expertise in

women’s services will cost the health and community services more over time, leading to increased hospital admissions, assaults, suicides and child safety issues.”

Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich supports the SOS campaign and warns that when current services close, no new services will replace them.

“Staff in homelessness services are being retrenched already and there is going to be a gap between current services shutting down and new ones getting funded and established,” he said.

Marrickville mayor Jo Haylen said that NSW Minister for Family and Community Services Gabrielle Upton has not made a

case for the reforms, and council is now demanding that the state government release research to prove their claims.

“To force homeless services to become services for both men and women shows a callous disregard and ignorance of the issues many women and girls face,” she said, estimating that 2000 women and children would be affected annually.

Cr Green criticised the government’s repeated cuts to homelessness and affordable housing programs.

“Firstly ... the Millers Point housing tenants and now some of our most at-risk women and children [are] being turned out on to the streets,” she said.

Photo: SOS

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The closure of women’s only refuges also means reduced support services

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Major Peter Sutcliffe believes the number of people unable to access affordable healthcare will only increase as a result of additional fees.

“We work with people who already struggle to afford the basic necessities from week to week,” Major Sutcliffe said.

“Thirty-four per cent of our clients can’t afford medicine when needed.”

Major Sutcliffe is concerned the hike in prescriptions and mandatory co-payments will be prohibitive.

“If you live on less than $35 per day, as many Australians do, you often have to choose between bills, rent, food and medical treatment,” he said.

“We need to look after the people in our community who are vulnerable and marginalised.

Universal healthcare is not a handout, it is a helping hand up.”

Lisa Kremmer, spokesperson for

Photo: Carmen Cita

BY Carmen Cita Cuts to healthcare announced in the federal budget have sparked widespread concern for the future of affordable and accessible healthcare.

The proposed cuts to public hospital funding and imposed surcharges on GP consultations and prescription medications have triggered protest around the country.

While all Medicare recipients will be affected by the rising costs, lowincome earners will be hit hardest.

The $5 prescription fee and $7 patient contribution for GP visits are amongst the most unpopular of the Abbott government’s sweeping budget reforms.

The Salvation Army’s annual Economic and Social Impact Survey shows that one in four low-income earners are not able to afford basic medical treatment.

Salvation Army spokesperson

Protestors at March in May rallying against changes to Medicare

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the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA), condemns the budget as an “abhorrent” attack on the health system.

“These measures undermine our universal healthcare system and contradict the spirit and the intention of Medicare. Raising the price of GP visits will force many patients to defer diagnosis and delay treatment,” Ms Kremmer said.

“This will put more pressure on our already over-burdened emergency wards and could literally put lives at risk.”

Premier Mike Baird warned that up to 300 public hospital beds may be forced to close as a result of the budget cuts, which the NSWNMA estimates could deprive 27,000 patients from accessing a hospital bed each year.

NSW health minister Jillian Skinner has tried to defuse public alarm, claiming that good financial management will ensure the continued funding of all beds. “[The] cuts to health announced in the federal budget are savage and will force the states to find further efficiencies to maintain existing frontline services and meet growth,” Ms Skinner said.

However, Ms Kremmer has rejected economic justifications for the budget cuts.

“Our healthcare system is affordable and sustainable. There has been no explosion in costs — it has remained stable at 9 per cent of GDP since the 1980s,” she said.

Federal budget to cut funding to vulnerable TAFE sector

BY Paul Gregoire The sweeping changes to the higher education sector outlined in the federal budget earlier this month will see a continuation of the cuts that TAFE institutions have already suffered across the state for years.

Ultimo TAFE tourism student Sam Koh believes that the decision to slash $1.5 billion from the vocational education and training (VET) sector is just the latest in a long line of funding cuts to the sector.

“Back in 2011 and 2012, they [had] already started to implement a lot of funding cuts. It’s not good for anyone,” Mr Koh said.

“They’re literally cutting away all the resources, not only pushing students into things like HECS, but also cutting down on teachers too. [Students] all say they’ve been discouraged to study at TAFE and they’re all trying to look for a different option.”

Mr Koh argues that as TAFE institutions assist people in gaining employment or moving on to university, cutting funding to the VET sector will make it harder for students, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, to pursue higher education or even skilled employment.

Federal TAFE secretary of the Australian Education Union Pat Forward agrees. She believes that the federal budget will have a significantly negative impact on TAFE, especially for students.

“There have been at least $1.5 billion worth of funding cuts in the VET sector, with

indications that there will be further changes to funding over the next 12 months,” Ms Forward told City News.

“States and territories are continuing the cuts to their TAFE budgets ... when combined with the cuts in the federal budget, [they] will continue to damage TAFE.” Apprentices have also been hit hard, explained Ms Forward, as the state government has cut the Tools For Your Trade program, which provided apprentices with up to $5000 to cover initial expenses. “[Tools For Your Trade] will cease on July 1.

It has been replaced with the Trade Support Loans Programme [which] is a HECS-style loans scheme,” she said.

Ms Forward also pointed out that 10 programs, worth $1 billion in total, designed to provide basic literacy and numeracy skills for the workplace, have also been cut.

Photo: Paul Gregoire

Healthcare cuts cause budget backlash

TAFE institutions have suffered funding cuts for years

Photo: Dylan Lloyd

Combatting homelessness amongst LGBTIQ students

The UNSW queer space, where queer officer Dylan Lloyd found homeless students sleeping. This inspired the crisis accommodation initiative.

BY Paul Gregoire A new crisis accommodation initiative at the University of NSW (UNSW) has been implemented in order to combat homelessness amongst the LGBTIQ student community.

UNSW queer officer Dylan Lloyd, who was a key advocate for the initiative, had to leave his home in the western suburbs as a result of facing an abusive situation after coming out.

Mr Lloyd then moved to the inner city and began studying law at university, but like other LGBTIQ students, he has faced prejudice on the basis of his sexuality along the way.

“Finding a job has been difficult and keeping a job has been worse because I have always been afraid of coming out to my co-workers and my employers. I am afraid that they won’t accept me,” Mr Lloyd said.

“Finding accommodation, I didn’t have a problem with personally, but I know a lot of people do, especially trans* people.”

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After being approached by students suffering homelessness and finding others sleeping in the university’s designated queer space, Mr Lloyd decided something had to be done.

Along with the president and the welfare officer of the UNSW student representative council (SRC), Mr Lloyd recently set up new crisis accommodation which includes housing students in rooms at the University’s residential colleges.

“Now the university is going to supply the student union, Arc, with a certain number of rooms every year ... What [this] means is [that students will] get access to three free meals a day.

[They will] have a room with a bathroom on campus, so that if the situation does arise ... [they] can access these rooms for a period of five weeks or more,” Mr Lloyd said.

SRC president Joel Wilson believes that crisis accommodation is an essential student service.

“Students often face considerable financial and

social hardship during their time at university. Arc will be renting two apartments off UNSW to use as crisis accommodation for students,” he said.

“Crisis accommodation helps alleviate these circumstances and provides a safe environment for students to find their feet.”

Naomi Farmer, queer officer for the National Union of Students, believes that homelessness and poverty are common issues faced by many students, but when coupled with discrimination, it can become an “incredible” problem.

“Finding rental accommodation is exceptionally difficult, especially if you cannot find housemates who are accepting of your gender or sexuality,” Ms Farmer said.

“LGBTIQ students struggle with their families not accepting who they want to be. It’s very common for families to say you can be with us if you’re this kind of person, but not if you want to present in that other way.”

news in brief Greens push for green reform NSW Greens MLC John Kaye has launched a bill to shield medical users of cannabis from criminal prosecution.

The Drug Legislation Amendment (Use of Cannabis for Medical Purposes) Bill 2014 seeks to exempt terminally ill patients and their carers, who are certified by a treating doctor, from prosecution for possession of up to 15 grams of crude cannabis.

Mr Kaye believes “the tide is turning” for marijuana regulation. The MLC cited increasing community and parliamentary support for law reform following the public struggle of cancer patient Daniel Haslam.

“Senior police, health experts and MPs from five of the six parties in parliament are calling for humanitarian reform ... Even Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce ... is now much more open to the idea,” Mr Kaye said.

After meeting with Mr Haslam last week, Mr Joyce has modified his previously hardline views on medicinal marijuana.

“I’m absolutely moved by the plight of the Haslams ...

If there’s a capacity to have medical use of cannabis and it’s properly controlled ... then it’s worthy of consideration,” Mr Joyce said.

Slower speeds for inner city Roads in the Sydney CBD running from Circular Quay to Hay Street are set to have their speed limit reduced by 10 km/h after the NSW Liberal government announced its plans to create a new 40 km/h zone by the end of 2014.

So far this year, three pedestrians have died as a result of road-related accidents, and the majority of pedestrian fatalities in the past four years have occurred in the proposed 40 km/h zone.

The announcement came after the eruption of public outcry over five school children being hit by cars in one week, prompting road safety experts to call for stricter speed limits.

City of Sydney council has welcomed the plan, with the Lord Mayor Clover Moore applauding the state government’s commitment to pedestrian safety.

“Pedestrians are very vulnerable road users, so even a slight reduction in vehicle speed can significantly reduce the severity and consequences of a collision,” she said.

BY Daniel Paperny Greens councillor Dominic Wy Kanak has called on Waverley Council to reintroduce questions with notice in a bid to increase transparency and open debate regarding local community issues.

Councillor Wy Kanak’s motion was defeated at the May 20 council meeting, but the process has been instituted at state and federal parliamentary levels.

Cr Wy Kanak argues that it is a crucial feature of a democratic system.

“Questions are put by elected representatives to the ruling majority to increase the transparency and accountability of what the government is doing,” he said.

The current Waverley Council agenda format was adopted in a council meeting in December when a motion was moved to undertake a 12 month trial observing its impacts and benefits commencing from February.

Cr Wy Kanak said the questions allowed for greater accessibility

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the democratic process.

“It’s appalling they do not have questions with notice. It’s not democratic and councillors should be given that [power] ... otherwise, it’s like we are to representations from gagging them,” she said. multiple constituents.

Cr Wy Kanak said “It’s also a way for council was considering the community to speak different ways of to councillors publicly broadcasting council together. All councillors meetings to help enhance hear the same version the ability to publicly of the issues that are put address matters on the [forward],” he said. agenda and make them Danielle Ecuyer of the more transparent.

Bondi Junction Precinct “There is a proposal that Committee said questions needed to be asked because the council meetings be it was a fundamental part of broadcast on the web so if

Cr Wy Kanak wants to make council more transparent

that were to occur it would, depending on the technical recording of those meetings, help to record the whole of a debate on a particular issue,” he said.

But Liberal councillor Leon Goltsman drew a distinction between questions and motions raised at meetings, arguing often the question system was misused to “waste time” and diverted Council’s attention away from community matters.

“It’s not about being transparent ... it’s all about personal politics at the expense of council related issues,” he said.

“Any councillor has the right to ask any question to any director or [councillor] in an email openly because everything is visible to the public ... you can’t more transparent than that.”

Cr Goltsman refuted claims the questions were a fundamental part of the local democratic process, saying “everything is open [under] the GIPA act”.

“There’s two types of councillors, the ones [who]are doing things and ... the ones [who] cause disruption,” he said.

“I’m focussing on ... making sure that we do things productively that benefit the community.”

Upton opposes Wellington St rezone

BY Bernadette Anvia It’s the redevelopment that’s had Bondi locals up in arms.

Four years after Waverley council warded off attempts to rezone their last remaining tennis courts to make way for 30 units and a community centre, residents are gearing up for another fight to protect their local sporting facility.

The Maccabi tennis courts, located on Wellington Street in Bondi, may soon be replaced with 42 new apartments and 49 parking spaces.

Following the council’s recent rejection of the planning proposal, approval has now been sought from NSW Planning Minister Pru Goward.

In mid-April, state member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton arranged for Waverley mayor Sally Betts, along with a number of local residents, to meet with representatives from the Minister for Planning’s office and the Department of Planning and Infrastructure in order to discuss their shared opposition to the planned rezoning of the Maccabi site.

Ms Upton has frequently expressed her opposition to the rezoning plans, arguing that the redevelopment takes away open space that is vital for the community. “[Maccabi tennis courts] provide a space for communal

gathering with a focus on physical activity; the loss of such a space would be an immeasurable loss to the community,” she said.

Waverley Greens councillor Dominic Wy Kanak said the proposal is “fraught with negative impacts,” including increased traffic to the area and strains on local parking and infrastructure.

“Council should be seriously considering options which do not involve a change in the present zoning and [which] maintain the current low-intensity, open space recreational use [of the site],” said Cr Wy Kanak.

Having moved a motion in parliament expressing her opposition to the rezoning, Ms

Upton said she will be writing to Ms Goward to request that the minister ensure the rezoning does not take place.

Residents’ action group Rescue Bondi has also been strongly active in expressing their opposition to the development plans by urging locals to join the ‘Stop the Rezone (again)’ campaign.

Similarly, Ms Upton encouraged concerned residents to contact her via email and vocalise their opposition to the proposal.

“There is strength in numbers, and it reinforces my argument to the Planning Minister that re-zoning this space is against the wishes of the local community and our local council,” Ms Upton said.

Photo: Maccabi Tennis

Waverley’s local democratic process revisited

Maccabi tennis courts, the site of a controversial rezoning proposal

although the personal mission is to make a difference and encourage others to make the most of life each day,” Mr Morrow said.

The Marathon Man explains that he initially became interested in running as a way to get fit after stumbling upon an old family photo.

“I was 30 kilograms over my current weight, so I set myself a goal to start running and get healthy. I never thought I’d be doing marathons back to back or nearly as much as I have been now.”

Mr Morrow encourages aspiring runners to focus on the emotional and mental fulfillment as well as the physical satisfaction of running.

“It is important to do the training basics, although the equally important ingredient is to find a reason and to surround yourself with the right people in your life to provide support and encouragement,” he said.

To Mr Morrow, marathons are about “going the distance”.

“There are few greater feelings than crossing the finish line in a marathon. It is not about the time,” he told the Bondi View.

Completing his first marathon in Texas on new year’s day last year, Mr Morrow has since travelled to 15 countries and 39 states.

“I have seen some amazing places

Photo: Chris Peken

BY Georgia Fullerton Trent Morrow ran his first half marathon back in 2007.

Between the beginning of last year and now, Mr Morrow has added 200 official marathons across all seven continents to his list of achievements.

Over the course of those 200 marathons, he has covered 8439 kilometres, equivalent to travelling a fifth of the way around the earth.

The Bondi local, who goes by the title of ‘Marathon Man’, recently returned home after a world-first achievement, having completed 160 marathons in a 365 day period.

“It is certainly a real honour and privilege receiving any recognition,

Trent Morrow aka the Marathon Man has crossed 200 finish lines in the past 16 months, setting a new world record

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around the world, although it is the people that make the journey so rewarding,” he said.

“It is a great way to combine a passion for travel with a commitment to health and fitness”.

A particular highlight of Mr Morrow’s travels were in extreme conditions, such as when he completed the Antarctica Marathon & Half Marathon in under six hours.

“I was exposed to spectacular scenery in one of the most remote regions in the world,” he said.

As part of his world record in completing 160 marathons in one year, Mr Morrow crossed the line at the Boston Marathon last month, a year after the Boston bombings.

“The fact that Boston was my final marathon was very emotional for me. Crossing the finish line a year after the tragedy was quite a proud thing to have accomplished.

It was special honouring and remembering the people impacted by the bombings,” he said.

“It also shows the strength of runners and our ability to unite in the face of something like that.”

After 16 months of travelling, Mr Morrow is excited to be home, but has already begun plotting “the next big adventure” in his life.

“The immediate plan is to put together a book and document the journeys I’ve had and share them with as many people as possible.

I want to go on the motivational speaking circuit as well,” he said.

The Marathon Man Welcome Home Celebration Marathon will take place on Sunday, June 1 from 7am, commencing in Milsons Point.

Cartoon: Peter Berner

Around the world in 160 marathons

Residents left “in the dark” over West Bondi

By Daniel Paperny Danielle Ecuyer of the Bondi Junction Precinct Committee has questioned the legitimacy of community consultations surrounding the future of West Bondi Junction, amid fears the Waverley Local Environment Plan (LEP) 2012 is expected to change.

In a Future Cities Collaborative presentation at the Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club earlier this month, Waverley Mayor Sally Betts announced plans to reinvent Bondi Junction and realise its potential as a sub-regional centre.

Cr Betts confirmed council will investigate changes to local streetscapes, including traffic and footpath improvements, which will prompt a series of changes to existing LEP regulations.

“To build bike paths and wider pavements, buildings may have to be set back from the [street], which means the LEP will need to change,” Cr Betts told the Bondi View.

Ms Ecuyer said council was “trying to tick the boxes” with their design consultations, arguing community input was being rushed

Save West Bondi Junction group members

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and developer Elia Lias was getting “perceived preferential treatment” over residents.

“The motive of this process is to change the zoning [but] all we see is smoke and mirrors,” she said. Ms Ecuyer said plans to change the LEP were first revealed in a series of emails sent to her by Cr Betts on March 31.

“As far as the LEP is concerned I think it may be good if some things were changed,” the first email reads.

“I for one would like an additional lane along York Road so that cars can turn right into Oxford St. This can only happen if there are changes to the LEP.” Seeking further clarification, Ms Ecuyer wrote to Cr Betts asking why the proposed changes to York Rd could not be made within the existing regulations. Cr Betts sent a nine word reply: “Dear Danielle, The LEP would have to be changed.”

Claims the proposed LEP changes would help secure better traffic management were labelled as “farcical” by councillor Dominic

Wy Kanak, who said the changes will lead to an increase in property values and development profits.

“The Community have rightly dubbed the Design Charrette a ‘Design Charade’,” he said.

“This is not the way public authorities secure public domain improvements as part of site redevelopment. It’s just a very smelly gift to developers.”

At the May 21 Bondi Junction precinct committee meeting, a motion was passed requesting council to provide a new series of shadow diagrams that outline overshadowing impacts under the new LEP. Matthew Gain, a representative of the Save West Bondi Junction group, said changes to the LEP could have serious implications for the neighbourhood in terms of the overshadowing of residential premises and a loss of direct sunlight.

“The shadow diagrams on [the council’s] website are only for existing buildings ... so we’re not even seeing ... what the shadow impacts [would] be if that LEP is changed,” he said.

Mr Gain said the community was “dead set” against increasing height limits in West Bondi and has continually struggled to voice their concerns with council conducting an “incredibly incompetent” consultation process.

“Leswell and Grafton Streets have been consistently left off communications,” he said.

“Mayor Betts continues to trumpet community consultation, but it’s community consultation that’s bungled [at] best. This is only another example of council wanting to keep residents in the dark.”

Waverley Council will hold a public briefing for residents on June 18 in the Eastern Suburbs League Club to discuss the future of West Bondi.

Hemmes at the ready for Coogee

BY Virat Nehru Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes will unveil his latest acquisition, the Coogee Pavilion, next month.

Formerly known as the Beach Palace Hotel, the property covers approximately 1500 square metres and spans three levels.

Mr Hemmes said the venue would be very different from a pub or hotel and would have a strong community focus.

“We want to make it more of a destination for locals ... a venue that caters for all occasions,” he said. “We are going to make it comfortable no matter what your mood or your dress attire is.”

Mr Hemmes promised not to cause controversy by attracting late-night drinking, even though the venue is outside the jurisdiction of the state’s lockout laws.

“I want to make this a venue that residents are proud to call their own ... I’m not going to be upsetting the locals by providing late-night binge drinking,” he said.

Randwick Labor councillor Tony Bowen has congratulated the efforts Mr Hemmes has put into allowing the community to have a say in the development, even though community consultation was not mandatory in this case.

“The owner is making use of existing rights in relation to that property, [but he] has spoken to the local precinct committee,” said Cr Bowen.

However, Cr Bowen was also wary of the danger of alcohol-fuelled violence the new development may attract.

“That’s something council will monitor in conjunction with local police,” he said.

“The people of Coogee have had significant improvements [in the rates of alcohol-fuelled violence] over the last few years and we wouldn’t want to see those lost.”

Randwick Liberal councillor Brendan Roberts agreed, saying that the possibility of alcohol-fuelled violence was a serious concern.

“I understand [Mr Hemmes is] going to make it more of a food destination, so it’s not going to be like another Coogee Bay Hotel,” he said. “[However] if there is nighttime alcohol-fuelled violence ... then I’ll be first on the phone to the premier, asking for the [lockout] regulations to be extended to Coogee.”

The Lost Boys of Sudan

By Chris Peken Can you conceive of seeing your best friend eaten alive, only feet away from where you stand? I can’t. The man sitting beside me is telling me how this happened to him, and that is only a small part of his amazing story.

The original Lost Boys of Sudan were some 25,000 mainly boys (girls attract a dowry in Sudan and were often taken in to be raised by other villagers) who fled their homes in South Sudan when troops from the north systematically attacked their villages in the late 1980s. This was the time of the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) and there were an estimated 2.5 million deaths.

The Lost Boys epic journey covered thousands of kilometres, taking four years and traversing three countries. It is estimated as many as a third of them died due to starvation or dehydration, in the jaws of wild animals, or at the hands of hostile tribes or enemy soldiers. Thier journey ‘ended’ in 1992 when approximately 16,000 of them became the initial inhabitants of the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Kakuma is the Swahili word for “nowhere”.

The aid workers setting up the camp, in reference to Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, dubbed them “the Lost Boys of Sudan”.

I first became aware of the Lost Boys of Sudan a few years ago via David Eggers book What is the What. It tells the story of Lost Boy Valentino Achak Deng, his journey through Sudan, Ethiopia, back into Sudan and finally to Kenya and Kakuma Camp, before he was repatriated to the United States. Then early last year I was commissioned to do a series of portrait photographs of the locals of the St Marys district. In the course of this project I discovered that St Marys has a significant South Sudanese refugee population.

How I came from photographing in St Marys to Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya is a story unto

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itself, one that in all likelihood should not have eventuated. But it did.

And thus I found myself, sitting in Kakuma looking into the faces of a group of original Lost Boys. I say original because the Sudanese conflict has been an ongoing issue, and even as these words are read more Sudanese refugees flood into Kakuma. However, these men were the first Lost Boys of Sudan who arrived at the camp in August of 1992. They have been there for 22 years.

Here is where words become insufficient. Sitting down and talking to these men is both a difficult and astounding experience. Hearing a man tell you how he saw his best friend eaten alive or how he watched as boys simply sat down under a tree to wait for death is heartbreaking. Looking into the face of a 31-year-old man and seeing the eyes of the nine-year-old boy who arrived in Kakuma, the eyes of the four-year-old boy who fled his village in terror – these aren’t memories that one easily leaves behind.

After my initial contact with the Lost Boys I did some more research. There are a number of very good documentaries, films and books that tell the feel-good stories of the successful repatriation of Lost Boys. In 1999 the US took almost 4,000 orphaned Lost Boys in a program that sadly came to a halt on September 11, 2001, for obvious reasons. The South Sudanese independence in 2005 saw many more return to South Sudan. But in all these stories I found not one mention that there remain these more than 200 original Lost Boys still in Kakuma.

By their own accounts these Lost Boys have had their applications for repatriation either lost, or they are being told to “be patient”, some 22 years on. “I was promised resettlement to the U.S. but nothing has happened. Our life in Kakuma was full of waiting but waiting for nothing to come. We are

just left behind and forgotten.” The words of Taban Malwei echoed those of all the Lost Boys.

To give you an idea of life in Kakuma, the camp has a capacity to hold 100,000 refugees. It is currently home to an estimated 150,000 refugees and that number is rising. The temperature sits around 40 degrees Celsius, regular dust storms blow through the camp with limited natural shelter, and when the rains come they flood the camp and bring mosquitoes and malaria. Due to an increased

numbers of refugees, rations have recently been cut.

Standard rations make it a struggle for one small meal a day.

To spend a year or two in Kakuma camp would be difficult. To arrive after surviving the journey that these boys, now men, did; only to spend 22 years in these conditions “waiting for nothing to come” is incomprehensible.

One man, in a voice barely audible, said to me as he looked meekly at the ground, “Maybe God sent you”. I had no words to answer him. I still don’t.

‘The Lost Boys of Sudan – Lost Again’ photos

by Chris Peken, May 29-Jun 8, Gaffa Gallery One, 281 Clarence St, Sydney, free, gaffa.com.au

Taban Malwei by Chris Peken

EAT & DRINK

Hotel Centennial As I peruse the menu, ABC Radio’s Simon Marnie is tucking into three courses of roast pheasant at a neighbouring table. Catching his eye, he ventures over and, with the assurance of a regular, recommends Fig and Caramelised Onion Flatbread ($19) dotted with goat’s curd and lemon thyme.

It’s but one way to try out the glowing wood fire oven, which adds to the homely nature of this $ - mains less than $15

$$ - mains between $15-$22

EASTERN SUBURBS GoodTime Diner While The Eastern’s newest diner still looks very much like the former ill-fated Greek restaurant Anatoli, the food comes through with the goods. As the big sister to GoodTime Burgers, they pride themselves on ‘low and slow’ cooked meats like 6-hour BBQ Pork Ribs ($39). If you don’t want a feast, the snacks - like Tortilla Chips with Guacamole and Salsa ($12) and tasty little Mac’N’Cheese ($8) – are good too.You can also get sizeable burgers – Juicy Lucy ($15.50) had us in awe over her mozzarellastuffed wagyu patty.The pick of the cocktail list is the Texas Old Fashioned ($17) with bacon-infused bourbon, garnished with a bacon ‘swizzle stick’.

By Jackie McMillan refurbished pub. Homely if you live in The Hamptons that is - oozing casual, spacious luxury. The kitchen delivers a similar style of modern comfort food to neighbouring Chiswick, but let me tell you, when Executive Chef Justin North writes: “flavour is the only true hand to guide you”, it’s no glib aphorism.

His dishes – from Shank and Shoulder Shepherd’s Pie ($26) to Wood Roasted Lamb Loin ($36) with rich, juniper pickled blueberries, a tangle of pea sprouts and goat’s curd relief - contain flavour in spades.

Green harissa sees Broccoli, Flat Beans and Smoked Almonds ($15) pop like fireworks; and golden Royal Blues Roasted in Duck Fat ($9) might even make new Aussie restaurateur Heston Blumenthal smile.

Clever steering to a fruity yet dry 2013 Aubuisières Vouvray ‘Cuvee Silex’ Chenin Blanc ($64), and the Chocolate Ale Cake ($14), ensure I’m already plotting when to return for more.

88 Oxford Street, Woollahra (02) 9362 3838 hotelcentennial.com.au Pub Bistro, Modern Australian $$$$ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

Loosen your belt buckle and indulge!

The Eastern, Level 1, 500 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction (02) 9387 7828 goodtimediner.com American, Burgers $-$$ Shuk Bagels may have started the ‘Jewish food’ craze but Shuk continues it with a melting pot of traditional and modern Israeli flavours with some Mediterranean touches. By day it’s a bakery/restaurant/pickled food store. By night, you can be tempted

by Haloumi ($12) with walnut, honey and coriander seed, or share Cured Beef with Kale and Provolone ($16).

House-Made Gnocchi ($24) with mint pesto (from their garden), tomato and baked ricotta is delicious, but it’s hard to beat juicy Roast Chicken ($28) marinated in Mediterranean

$$$$ - mains over $30

spices, with burghul pilaf and labne.

Crème Caramel ($10) spiced with ginger and topped with pistachios ends the evening swimmingly. Go and break bread at Shuk – you won’t be disappointed.

2 Mitchell Street, North Bondi (0423) 199 859 shukbondi.com Middle Eastern, Mediterranean $$ The Hill Eatery Breakfast here is a stimulating experience, with plant life draping the walls, brown leather sofas, and repurposed wood benches.

When it comes to the food, it’s all about honesty, with a farm-to-table philosophy. Although tempted by breakfast cocktails, some joggers guilt me into Green Juice ($6.50) with apple, mint, cucumber and citrus.You feel healthier just looking

Greenheart Espresso Bronte’s loss is the city’s gain, with the owners of much-loved La Locanda, Andrea Vagge and Fiona Bloomer, setting up shop on Kent Street. Fiona cites kids and fitting in with “a Monday to Friday lifestyle” as the reason for their shift, adding (with a laugh) that since opening they’ve learned city “people like salads and not so much sandwiches.” While sangers might have been Andrea’s initial idea, he seems to have made a seamless shift from cooking Italian cuisine to at it. Muffins, like Date, Banana and Chocolate ($4.50), are baked fresh daily. Mexican Baked Eggs ($18.50) start the day off in good stead (if you can finish it)! Love Eggs ($16.50) gets it right with field mushrooms, fanned avocado, ricotta and poached eggs on sourdough. It’s also a bar of an evening, with a strong local following.

39-53 Campbell Parade Bondi (02) 9130 2200 thehilleatery.com.au Café, Breakfast, Bar $-$$ ROCKS & CBD Chefs Gallery The duck pancake is dead – long live shredded Peking Duck Roti Wraps ($16.90/6 pieces)! They’re my highlight of the revised menu, centring upon Chapas – Chinese style tapas. Before you wince, recall the Chinese have

coming up with bespoke salads. His belief in premium ingredients remains evident across the ever-changing selection that includes Roasted La Ionica Chicken, Israeli Cous Cous, Moroccan Carrots ($14) with yoghurt dressing. My pescatarian friend tucked into a half’n’half selection of Tuna, Green Beans, Shaved Fennel and Radicchio ($14) in balsamic, and the vegetarian Soba Noodles, Tofu, Bean Sprouts, Chilli and Crispy Shallots Thai-style ($14). If you’re not carbohydrate phobic – as the largely female clientele appear to be – there’s also an excellent house-made Chicken Sausage Roll ($6.50) or daily pizza sold by the slice. Hipster designer favourite, Matt Woods, responsible for Bloodwood and Newtown Social Club, has transformed the small space into a vibrant aquamarine break from the drabness of the central business district. His fixation with exposed light bulbs and dangling cords continues unabated.

432 Kent Street, Sydney (02) 8084 5954 facebook.com/pages/GreenheartEspresso/648104028564490 Café $

shared small dishes – dim sum – since the Han Dynasty; and reduced portions means more things! Start with vinegarbased Seaweed Salad ($6.90) before moving onto Chinese dude food: tasty Macanese Style Pork Fillet and Floss Mini Burgers ($15.90/3 pieces). Unleash you inner noodle star at a Hands On Noodles and Chapas Feast ($69/head) where the Master Noodle Chef will take you through stretching, piping (and eating) noodles including handstretched Squid Ink Noodles ($20.90) wok-tossed with mussels, calamari and buttery garlic sauce.

Shop 12, Ground Floor Regent Place, 501 George Street, Sydney (02) 9267 8877 chefsgallery.com Chinese $$-$$$ Seawall Bar & Restaurant With the controversial Barangaroo precinct drawing closer, neighbouring Walsh Bay has seen some interesting

developments.The immediate good news for residents and theatregoers is that Seawall have scored Chef Dion Green (ex-Bondi Hardware) in the kitchen. His silky Ricotta Gnocchi with Moreton Bay Bugs, Peas, Zucchini Flowers and Pecorino ($25) is worth the visit. Imaginative dishes, including a beautifully presented Stuffed Calamari with Chorizo, Potato, Onions, Squid Ink Vinaigrette and Tomato Jam ($20), are supplemented by a small but interesting wine list including a citrusy, seafood-friendly 2012 Jamsheed Madame Chardonnay ($10/glass). Or indulge in Oysters ($3.50/each) - best with mignonette vinaigrette - and the cocktail list standout: the Don Fulano Blanco Tequila Jalisco Mule ($19).

Shop 6, 17 Hickson Road,Walsh Bay (02) 9252 7995 seawallrestaurant.com.au Seafood $$$

EAT & DRINK

By Jackie McMillan

The Tilbury “We smash Kingsleys!” Chef Elton Inglis – who has worked with Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver – isn’t backwards about coming forwards regarding the quality of his cooking or his chosen produce.

In this case, it’s New Zealand’s Riverlands beef fillet served en croute in Beef Wellington ($35). It has a neighbouring table of British nationals smiling and keen to share their recommendation. We cement the friendship by sharing our Truffle Oil and Parmesan

Mash ($7) – possibly order overkill – because Elton’s crisp Berkshire Pork Belly ($29) already came adorned with black pudding, savoy cabbage, carrot fondant, onion puree and compressed apple. His modern interpretations of British comfort food are perfect for a drizzly Sunday afternoon. Alongside his silky Pappardelle with Braised Oxtail Ragout ($29), my menu highlight was Chicken Liver Parfait ($16) with an architecturally arranged pile of curved toast, golden raisin, pickled cauliflower, hazelnuts and kiwi berry. Pan-seared Scallops ($24) on a bed of watermelon fried off in scallop juices and deglazed with raspberry vinaigrette provided a great foil for the 2013 Oliver’s Taranga Vineyard Vermentino ($12/glass). It’s but one option from their short but interesting by-the-glass list that we explored thoroughly, as neither of us were in a hurry to leave the light-drenched setting, or the comfortable, long, leather banquette…

12-18 Nicholson Street, Woolloomooloo (02) 9368 1955 tilburyhotel.com.au Modern Australian, Pub Bistro $$$-$$$$

was with Pork and Prawn Dumplings ($16), stretching to accommodate Green Papaya Salad ($19) with chef’s unique salmon update.

Sugarcane Restaurant 40A Reservoir Street, Surry Hills In hip Reservoir Street, it pays to stay (02) 9281 1788 relevant, so Sugarcane Restaurant sugarcanerestaurant.com.au has morphed into a South East Asian Pan Asian $-$$ hawker canteen.The welcoming Bishop Sessa interior features stripped-back walls, With Chef Paul Cooper’s cooking Thai street-style graffiti and colourful already on point – my beloved Scallop hanging silk handbags.While the Ceviche ($18) with cucumber, avocado updated menu reflects Sydney’s and ginger beer sorbet remaining obsession with smaller, sharing on his updated menu - restaurateur portions, favourites like Crispy Chicken, Erez Gordon has focused his tender Blood Plum ($17) remain. Bite-sized care elsewhere. Upstairs he’s added Prawn, Rice Cake, Caramelised a wall-length, quintessentially Sydney Sugarcane ($4/each) suit cocktails like cityscape. Downstairs he’s very Jasmine-Tea Infused Gin, Lime and invested in the floor, explaining the Sugar ($17).They’ve also got a cracking nose-to-tail philosophy, constructing little wine list. Jamsheed ‘Le Blanc original cocktails, like the appetitePlonk’ 2013 ($9/glass) was equally at inducing Gin Yum ($17.50), and providing personalised wine service. home with flaky Malay Roti ($10), as it DARLO, KINGS X & SURRY HILLS

The Workers At a time when the Labor Party seems to stand for little more than getting back into power, this place harks back to the days when it used to stand for something: the workers. It’s guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye to anyone who remembers the glory days of Whitlam, Hawke and Wran. They’re the dudes on the roof – apparently the question Bar Manager Jeremy Baldi gets “asked the most”. So consider INNER WEST JamVybz Restaurant & Café Despite Jerk Chicken ($17.99) creeping onto bar menus, there isn’t much authentic Jamaican in Sydney.This brightly coloured Glebe flagship cooks it over wood-fire, coated with tasty jerk marinade producing bona fide falling-off-thebone goodness. Initiate yourself with the Chef’s Sample Platter ($18.99) bearing codfish fritters, jerk chicken wings and jerk prawn kebabs.With homemade ‘slaw and pineapple to sweeten the deal, it appeals to both seasoned and unseasoned Caribbean eaters.“Reggae dancehall favourite” Curried Goat ($19) is deliciously tender, while Coconut

16

The 2008 Tibooburra Solitude Vineyard Pinot Noir ($77) over-delivered with a surprising floral edge against Aylesbury Duck Breast with ‘Ducketta’ ($33).The best dish I ate – an unctuous jowl of Melanda Park pork with Hawkesbury River calamari and corn – is on the outstanding value six-course Degustation ($69/head).

527 Crown Street, Surry Hills (02) 8065 7223 bishopsessa.com.au Modern Australian $$$$

GREATER SYDNEY Royal Cricketers Arms Thirty minutes and thirty years from Sydney is a pub where strangers chat, and Bar Manager John Mundy uses common sense and conversation to enforce the rule of law. Over an Old Speckled Hen ($11.50/pint) you might enquire after his jar of

it educational to mosey across the Astroturf rooftop, Woodlands Margaret River Chardonnay ($43/bottle) in hand, and gaze at photographic memorabilia. Tuck into Chihuahuas ($5.50/ each) – mini Mexican hot dogs with grilled franks, jalapenos and cheese – as you search for the birth of land rights: Gough pouring sand into the hands of Vincent Lingiari, immortalised in the Paul Kelly song From Little Things Big Things Grow.Yep, the menu is definitely dude food, but it suits the Wednesday night crowd, looking for three-buck tacos, cheap beer and laughs – best provided by singing duo Smart Casual. Craving vegetables I picked Más Verduras ($5.50/each) – fried zucchini tacos with pico de gallo and Quesadillas de Espinica ($13) – grilled spinach and ricotta tortillas with salsa fresca. A Blood and Sand ($16) Whisky cocktail helps the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($13.50) and support act comedians go down…

1/292 Darling Street, Balmain (02) 9318 1547 theworkersbalmain.com.au Bar Food,Wine, Cocktails $

Curried Shrimp ($22) is mild and easy to eat. Sweet Potato Pudding ($8.50) is warm and deliciously sweet, leaving you feeling the good vibes - driven home by the Bob Marley posters and tunes.

72 Glebe Point Road, Glebe (02) 9571 1158 jamvybzrestaurant.com.au Jamaican $-$$ Le Pub Balmain Sydney’s obsession with miniaturisation continues with Le Petit Dog ($6), an excellent, crusty French bread ‘hotdog’ stuffed with lamb shoulder, lime labne, green chilli jam and coriander.The venue and clientele feel much changed from the old Monkey Bar days, with a decidedly French twist.

Dishes like Pork Cheek ($16) with crisp pig’s ear, blackberry and cauliflower ‘velvet’ are well matched by thematic tipples including Manoir De Kinkez Cidre Cornouailles ($16/375ml) or Eric Bordelet Calvados ($14). Lillet Blanc ($7) with lemon and soda sits nicely against beautiful Whole Lemon Sole ($20). It’s further improved by my dining companion’s béarnaise, accompanying his nicely cooked, grass-fed L’Entrecote ($26) scotch fillet and menu-nominated Kronenbourg 1664 ($6.50/330ml) beer.

255 Darling Street, Balmain (02) 9555 5711 lepubbalmain.com.au Pub Bistro, Modern French $$

Spakka-Napoli Positioned right at the end of a weirdly shaped arcade, and saddled with a quirky spelling of Spaccanapoli (the main road that bisects historic Naples), this restaurant certainly makes you work for your reward. Those handy with map apps and Google searches are remunerated with lightly charred, puffycrusted Neapolitan pizzas, emerging from a central wood-fire oven. Danny Sibillo and Luigi Peluso met Pickled Eggs ($1.10/each). Eat “the manager’s hangover cure” doused in Worcestershire and Tabasco right at the bar.Tuck into traditional Toad in the Hole ($21) - three good-quality English pork sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding with mash and onion gravy; or flex your cooking prowess on the high-tech grill.There’s Grass-fed Sirloin ($27/250g), grain-fed beef and Snags ($20/3) – best have a James Squire The Chancer ($9/pint) while you decide.

Cricketers Arms Road, Prospect (02) 9622 6498 mycricketers.com.au Pub Bistro, British $$-$$$ Skyline Drive-In Diner Collect a carload for a retro-style dinner and movie ($10/head) at the recently remodelled Blacktown Skyline Drive-In.You’ll feel like you’ve stepped onto the set of Happy Days

whilst working in a Naples pizzeria, so all is forgiven when Danny – whom I last met at his Watsons Bay Sicilian: Gusto – tells me: “the name reminds us of home”. He’s quick to offer us the Monday/Tuesday special – three “tapas” dishes and a cocktail for thirty bucks. The Amalfi ($14.50) makes me rethink my ambivalence toward limoncello by teaming it with vanilla vodka and orange juice; while their namesake Spakka Napoli ($13.50) is robust sangria. It’s guaranteed to complement their generous terracotta pots of Meatballs ($9.50), Eggplant Parmigiana ($10.90) and my favourite – Pollo Alla Cacciatore ($9.90). Each dish comes with a unique red sauce, and with a side order of bread, they leave us just enough space to share the Eggplant Sausage Pizza ($22.90) special. It’s further improved by chilli sauce, which probably should come with a warning label, or at least an imported red-label Peroni ($7) to ease the pain.

Shop 13, 166-174 Military Road, Neutral Bay (02) 9908 7045 spakkanapoli.com.au Pizza, Italian $$

with smiling staff in red-and-white candy striped uniforms, Creaming Soda Spiders ($6) and the smell of buttered popcorn wafting through the air.Their Peanut Butter Milkshake ($7) is so good you won’t want to share.

The Classic Beef and Cheese Burger’s ($8) plump, char-grilled Angus beef patty leaves surrounding fast-food joints for dead.You can also indulge in Original Buffalo Wings ($9) served with ranch dressing; or follow my recommendation and gently squeeze a fat, smoked Frankfurt between a Chilli Dog’s ($8) soft white buns.

Cricketers Arms Road, Blacktown (02) 9622 0202 aturablacktown.com.au/food-drink/ American $ Woodland Kitchen and Bar You met him at Pony Dining, but now Chef Damian Heads is riding his own

horse in a remarkably unpretentious bistro. Damien’s cooking style elevates home-style cooking using the intense heat of a woodfire grill. It makes Grilled Haloumi with Smoked Tomato Relish ($15.50) so good it outshines Grass Fed Dry Aged Sirloin on the Bone ($38/350g). Crunchy Steamed Greens with Almond Butter ($8) and Mash ($6) that’s ninety percent potato will set off your steak, especially against the jammy Woodstock Octogenarian Grenache ($46/bottle).

Or stay light with a Blood Orange Margarita ($15) and a pretty Seared Scallop Salad ($22) followed by Lamb Backstrap ($34) on smoky eggplant with quinoa, tomato and herb salad.

2/19-25 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay (02) 9904 3400 woodlandkitchen.com.au Modern Australian,Wine $$$-$$$$

FOOD NEWS On Saturday 31st May, Paddington Markets is doing a one-off organic food market. Not only will you find certified organic producers, farmers and growers, they’re also dangling a celebrity chef.

Dublin-born Colin Fassnidge from Four in Hand and 4 Fourteen will be attending the market at 11am signing his new cookbook, Four Kitchens [RRP $45].“Four Kitchens is my food made easy for everyone,” explains Colin.When I asked him his favourite recipe from the book he cited his Famous Chicken Bread, cooked under a whole roast chook.

While you’re at the market you might even be able to gather all the ingredients to make it, as there will be everything from organic fruits and vegetables, meats, honey, chutney, jam, eggs, oil and olives.

Stallholders include Rita Organic Farm and Palarang Meats, who feed and finish their sheep and cattle entirely on grass.The market will run from 10am4pm. www.paddingtonmarkets.com.au

BAR FLY

EASY TIGER

The disco decade has never looked as good.Well not (wink) since Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis did a 70s basement bar. Everything about Easy Tiger from design mood to cocktails, music and food, stays true so you can play that funky music white boy. I was dancing on my bar stool to the number one chartbuster cocktail featuring sake, Laphroaig, kaffir lime leaves, ginger ale - Oh no,Yoko!

We also got our groove on to Havana Club 7 Easy Tiger and a tequila fizz - The 54 - (all $16 each); but the pick of the bunch has to be the return of The Punch Bowl.Yes you get a whole glass retro affair: including glass bowl and cups, for just twenty bucks. Add a 1970s shared plate with devilled eggs and vol-au-vents, and you’ll forget what year it is. Get down!

The Unicorn Hotel, 106 Oxford Street, Paddington (02) 9360 7994 facebook.com/easytigermeow

By Rebecca Varidel

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Emmet Cahill of Celtic Thunder laughs, “We like to have the craic” – and great craic (or fun) – it is. Ahead of their biggest Australian tour yet, fans of the Aria and Billboard-topping supergroup should expect an enjoyable show.

“There are upbeat songs that people can dance to as well as songs that deal with real human emotion, and people can relate

to that,” says Cahill.

Born out of the struggles of a troubled past, Irish music has always had a special connection with people. Great songs are often written out of resilience and strife, giving way to optimism and joy. Cahill says: “We’re doing Irish music but modernising it and putting our own spin on it.We often get three or four generations of families

Celtic Thunder - Mythology

Frente

to our shows.”

While they are excited to be in Australia again, the tour is tinged with sadness following the sudden passing of George Donaldson. ‘Big George’ as he was affectionately known amongst friends and fans alike, was a founding member of the group.“It’s been a pretty difficult couple of months, suddenly losing George,” explains Cahill. “We’ve rallied round each other, stuck together and decided we want to pay tribute to George by dedicating the tour to him - he will be in our minds every second of the day.”

Cahill continues: “The Celtic Thunder vibe is spreading right across the country and we are really looking forward to getting the gigs going.” (GW) May 30, Star Event Centre, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont, $99-299, ticketek.com.au

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 21 years since Frente (famously described by Inpress magazine as rhyming with “heaven-sent-eh!”) burst onto the music scene with their debut, Marvin The Album.

The record has sold over a million copies since it was first released, and now its re-release and subsequent tour promises to introduce a whole new generation to Frente’s unique sound.

Lead singer Angie Hart is excited to revitalise the album, noting that, “The songs are ever-evolving through time, and I always come back to them…

There have been a lot of ups and

downs, and the fact that we can still play music together and that the chemistry is still there, is wonderful.”

The new line-up consists of both Hart and Simon Austin from the original line-up, joined by Bill McDonald on bass and Pete Luscombe on drums.

Fans who might have been able to catch Frente years ago will, Hart promises, be in for the same highenergy performance they’ve come to expect from the band.

“We’re going to collaborate with Gabby Huber of Maples, which will be quite interesting. We like audience participation and perhaps a bit of friendly heckling,” says Hart. (SW) May 30-31,The Basement, 7 Macquarie Pl, Circular Quay, $45, thebasement.com.au

Review

Australian culture. Much of the absurdity and humour in the play comes from the sheer plausibility of the outrageous scandals it imagines.

In the wake of the recent Bondi street brawl between James Packer and TV executive David Gyngell, this is a show that feels more relevant than ever. Be prepared to laugh hard yet leave with the sobering knowledge that these are the characters pulling the strings in our commercial media. (CK) Until Jun 15, Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst Theatre, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst, $30-43, darlinghursttheatre.com

Review

cruise control

The Boat People

Inspired by one of the most hotly debated social issues of our nation, director Benedict Hardie’s latest project has been in the works for several years.

“This issue has been a difficult one in this country. In my mind it should not be an issue at all and I’ve been frustrated about it for a very long time,” Hardie explains. “When I could come up with a story that I felt engaged with this subject matter in a non-didactic way I got really excited. I thought ‘This story stands on it’s own two feet rather than just a play about an issue or an idea’.”

Focusing on Sarah, who sailed to Australia with her husband, it follows

a&e

her journey through their highly controversial business in Bondi all the way to parliament house. Starring talented comedians Susie Youssef and William Erimya, this brazen barrel of laughs will be a talking point.

“I hope that audiences find themselves watching a story that they would never have seen before, listening to voices that they’re not used to hearing onstage and gaining perspectives that they may not have before,” Hardie says “But it is, first and foremost, a comedy,” he laughs. (CD) May 29-June 21, Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Dr, $21-35, rocksurfers.org

18 STAGE 19 SCENE 20 SOUNDS 21 SCREEN

Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley

For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au

Three couples travel on the Queen Mary II seeking luxury escape. Instead, they find themselves confronted by a series of tensions – marital, sexual and cultural – which erupt when they all sit down for dinner. As the cruise progresses, these begin to unravel the foundation of each marriage.

Written and directed by Australia’s most celebrated playwright, David Williamson, the script is sharp and peppered with ironic one-liners and puns. In addition, there is a synergy between story and performance, creating a rhythm that makes the play absorbing and hilarious.This is helped

by convincing performances from a superb cast, such as Peter Phelps as Darren, the brutish Australian, and Kate Fitzpatrick as Silky, the no-nonsense New Yorker.They deliver their lines with impeccable timing and tone.

Perhaps one fault is the staging of the dinner table.When seated some actors are turned away from the audience, but in a nutshell, Cruise Control is one of the best plays onstage in years. (MP) Until Jun 30, Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli. $30-69, (02) 9929 0644, ensemble.com.au

Photo: Clare Hawley

If Nine Network’s Power Games:The Packer-Murdoch War didn’t satiate your desire to see the country’s media moguls stripped, tarred and feathered, then The Young Tycoons is for you.

Darlinghurst Theatre’s current production marks the second revival of CJ Johnson’s unapologetic and funny satire on corruption, excess and the petty family feuds which play out in the public eye.

With a razor sharp wit, Johnson paints a scathing portrait of generation X’s heirs to the media monopoly, while making a wider comment on the toxic masculinity and macho rivalry that pervades

Photo: Noni Carroll

The Young Tycoons

Contributors: Alexandra English, Alexis Talbot-Smith, Anita Senaratna, Anthony Bell, Catherine Knight, Cheryl Northey, Ciaran Tobin, Craig Coventry, Elise Cullen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Hannah Chapman, Jamie Apps, Leann Richards, Lena Zak, Luke Daykin, Lyndsay Kenwright, Marilyn Hetreles, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Melody Teh, Michael Muir, Michelle Porter, Peter Hackney, Rhys Gard, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Ruth Fogarty, Sean May, Sharon Ye, Shauna O’Carroll, Siri Williams

17

Photo:Christian Westerback

Slide Cabaret Festival 2014

Stones In Her Mouth

Carriageworks salutes Lemi Ponifasio in his newest theatre production Stones In Her Mouth.

Superficially thought of as a highly political and resilient work, Ponifasio describes it humbly as, “A very powerful medium for women to say what they want to the world”.

Ponifasio continues: “The performance is never a confrontation to win over the audience.We’re simply there to serve the space, to activate the space.

You’re sitting there holding your own body and you contemplate your own existence.”

This production promises to contribute nothing but positivity to the arts.

“You make art in order to create a vision of life, because you’re dissatisfied

with what you see and what you experience.The world is not good enough so we have to create a new world, a new feeling, a new dimension of knowing, seeing, and experiencing.

If the quality of our lives or the way we look at the world doesn’t improve from creation, then we should stop doing it,” explains Ponifasio.

The message embedded into this production is self-reflection and a connection to one’s own existence during the powerful ten-piece female ensemble.

“Creation is a means of silence.

It’s beauty taking revenge,” says Ponifasio. (RM) Until May 31, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, $35, carriageworks.com.au

The Great Moscow Circus Acrobats, a flying trapeze, clowns, animals and daredevil motorbike riders. The Great Moscow Circus is back in town, and it’s bigger and better than ever.

The production, brought to Australia by Michael Edgley, has spent the last three years travelling through Australia, raising nearly $500,000 for Australian charities.

It will finish its tour in Sydney, with a run of performances that will thrill and amuse audiences of all ages, from toddlers to the golden oldies.

Their infamous Globe of

Kim Smith in ‘Nova Noir’

Slide Cabaret Festival returns for a third year with a line-up of over 20 national and international artists.With the introduction of a second venue and a piano bar, Slide promises a breath of fresh air for Sydney live entertainment.

“This year its bigger, fuller and more fantastic,” says Catherine Alcorn, the creative director of Slide.

Some of the highlights this year include award-winning New York cabaret artist Kim Smith, who brings his new show Nova Noir to the festival. Nova Noir charts a dark and whimsical path through neo-Weimar pop-fantasia, it’s full of genre-bending pop and peculiar period treasures.

THEATRE &

PERFORMANCE MOJO Jez Butterworth’s savagely comic play is a thriller which examines the dark underside of the halcyon days of rock ’n’ roll with grim humour and strong language.

Mojo debuted on the West End in 1995, receiving the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. It also started a new wave of British gangster movies during the late ‘90s, including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

The testosterone-fuelled cast and local blues-rock outfits depict the London club scene of the 1950s.

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Australian singer-songwriter Bianca Moon and musical director Anne-Maree McDonald worked in conjunction with Slide Cabaret Festival to create The Bold And The Musical. The two women write the music behind the TV soap opera The Bold And The Beautiful, and will debut their new production at Slide.

The festival kicks off with a music trivia fundraiser for The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF). (SM) Until May 31, Slide Lounge, 41 Oxford St, Darlinghurst;The Pullman Hotel Hyde Park, 36 College St, Sydney, $30-80, slide.com.au

The battle for power is revealed through zinging dialogue, live music and action-packed scenes. (CT) Until Jul 5,The Wharf, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50-99, sydneytheatre.com.au EIGHT GIGABYTES OF HARDCORE PORNOGRAPHY Greene’s play skews the stark contrast between our public and private selves. It examines two, average, middle-aged individuals who find themselves a long way off from the fantasy figures they see online.

With each of these individuals looking to the online realm for a little something more out of life, Greene aims to examine

Death act has been updated, with five motorbikes now whizzing around a globe that miraculously splits in two – making it scarier than ever before.

With twenty sensational acts from Russia, and guest performers from all over the world, the circus promises to ignite the audience’s imagination with a two-hour show full of stunning visuals, high-tech lighting and elaborate costumes. (SOC) Until Jun 1, Cahill Park, Gertrude St,Tempe, $32-62, moscowcircus.com.au

American Brass Quintet Praised for their incredible tones, technique and captivating repertoire, the American Brass Quintet (ABQ) will return to Aussie shores, after a fourdecade hiatus, with an East Coast tour.

Both their electric chemistry and their commitment to “spreading the chamber music gospel” have been commended.

Once described as the “high priests of brass”, the quintet recently received The Richard J Bogomolny National Service Award for their significant and lasting contributions to the field.

Long serving members Kevin Cobb (trumpet), Michael Powell (trombone), and John D. Rojak (bass trombone) will join their newly appointed members,

the “conflict between a digital pornographic fantasy and reality and how that vagueness bleeds into online dating.”

Acknowledging that there could be a fair amount of bleakness construed by audiences from the subject matter, Greene sees it differently.

“It is a comedy,” he says, “and it is important to me that the play is funny. It’s important that we can laugh at how bleak the world is sometimes.” (SW) Until Jun 14, SBW Stables, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $32-49, (02) 9361 3817, griffintheatre.com.au SOMETHING TO BE DONE is

Louis Hanzlik (trumpet) and Eric Reed (horn), to perform an unforgettable night of chamber music at City Recital Hall Angel Place.

Combining contemporary with classic

“one man searching for inspiration in a world that’s deteriorating of its artistic roots,” explains creator and performer Gabriel McCarthy – and it’s all done with no words. It was a risk to stage a performance with no words but McCarthy believes physical theatre is “untapped” in Australia. He felt compelled to break away from the “everyday stuff you see in theatre,” he says.

McCarthy hopes that audiences will be open to this new type of theatre. For him, a performance without words is the greatest form of communication. (MT) Until Jun 1, Upstairs Theatre,TAP

Renaissance music, Rojak, guarantees a memorable night of beautiful music.

“It promises to be a show of music that may be unfamiliar, but it will still entertain a new listener.The sound of five brass in itself can be majestic and moving.”

With a string of gigs and a new CD potentially in the pipeline, Rojak assures that their focus is their Australian tour.

“The stars have finally aligned and this incarnation of the ABQ is incredibly excited to have a chance to experience your fantastic continent while sharing our music.” (EC) May 31, City Recital Hall, 2-12 Angel Place, Sydney, $47-100, (02) 8256 2222, cityrecitalhall.com

Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst, $15-20, (02) 9361 0440, trybooking.com/ECTS STRICTLY BALLROOM: THE MUSICAL Baz Luhrmann’s latest creation is bursting at the sequined seams of the Lyric Theatre in an explosion of colour and feathers.

Luhrmann’s holistic creative approach and boundless imagination means his hand is involved in every aspect of the production, from the design, to the direction and the music.

The notes feel like they were written for the stunning co-lead Phoebe Panaretos (Fran) who outshines all except the

hilarious Heather Mitchell (Shirley Hastings). The talented Thomas Lacey (Scott Hastings) gives a solid performance as the male lead but is sometimes underwhelming on a very busy stage.

Catherine Martin’s costumes are yet another ‘win’ for the designer, referencing familiar elements from the film and successfully amplifying them for the stage.

Strictly Ballroom:The Musical is an entertaining, lively night at the theatre that will delightfully overload the senses. (LL) Until Jul 6, Lyric Theatre, Pirrama Rd, Sydney, $55-145, strictlyballroomthemusical.com

THE NAKED CITY

Vivid still makes us livid! - The Grumpy Guide, part 2

Art – Nature – Wellbeing On the face of it, the world of art and the milieu of psychotherapy are two different domains. However, the field of art therapy combines them both.

An increasingly popular tool to address mental health conditions, art therapy is used in settings such as schools, detention centres, prisons, hospitals and private practice, with patients communicating their issues through painting, drawing and other artistic endeavours.

Inner West artist Martin Roberts explains: “It’s a useful way for people to express what mightn’t be easy to put into words. Clients can include people with learning disabilities, those for whom English is a second language, and sufferers of extreme trauma or abuse.”

Roberts, who is completing his Masters in Art Therapy at the University of Western Sydney, is co-curator of the Art – Nature – Wellbeing exhibition at Verge Gallery, Darlington.The exhibition will feature artworks by 40 artists (including Roberts and co-curator Dr Joy Paton) encompassing painting, drawing, textiles, sculpture, installation and digital media. (PH) May 30-Jun 8, Verge Gallery, University of Sydney, Jane Foss Russell Plaza, City Rd, Darlington, free, (02) 9563 6218, verge-gallery.net

‘Landscape’ by Hannah Factor, from the “Art - Nature - Wellbeing” exhibition.

One Year Performance 1980-1981 – Tehching Hsieh

By Coffin Ed, Miss Death & Jay Katz In 2013 we reflected on five year’s of Sydney’s Vivid Festival.

We noted even after a number of high-profile curators like the late Lou Reed and the doggie friendly Laurie Anderson, many people perceive it as a Seinfeld festival – a festival about nothing!

Six years on and we see nothing to change our mind, as sales of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs soar with the city once again lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. What is it with this obsession we have with illuminating Sydney Harbour?

Whether it’s the multi-million dollar New Year’s Eve celebration or those endless projections (yawn, yawn) on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Surely we can find something more interesting to illuminate than a bunch of ferries and tourist boats – Hong Kong has been doing this for decades and Shanghai has a nightly laser extravaganza that blows any city away.

Why not shine the spotlight on the people that make up this city, rather than stereotypical inanimate objects?

We would love to see somebody like the Lord Mayor Clover Moore herself festooned with LED lights, cycling continually up and down George Street to the cheers of an adoring crowd. The entire Obeid clan could gather at one of their Circular Quay ‘family’ restaurants, dressed head to toe in shimmering light reflectors and ICAC could move to an outdoor evening setting, with every burst of Geoffrey Watson’s invective choreographed to a burst of pulsating strobes.

Now you’re talking, baby! It’s all a matter of bringing Vivid down from its lofty and often pretentious artistic

heights and giving it street cred.

Sure, we agree Sydney deserves a mid-year festival of sorts – something to brighten up the so called ‘winter blues’. But it needs to strike a real cultural nerve with the average Joe or Josephine. Forget about the hip dance parties, imported curators and geriatric music acts such as The Pixies and the Pet Shop Boys. Vivid needs to become an expression of the people, not a party for hipsters or a showcase for overseas tourists.

Vivid also needs to think seriously about its green credentials and if you are to have nightly projections on the sails of the Opera House (yawn again!), why not do so without leaving any carbon footprint? Three or four hundred dynamo-equipped bicycles could be assembled at west Circular Quay and punters would need to generate a constant supply of peddle power to keep the sails ablaze.

With the states facing enormous budget cuts on the tail of the recent Federal Budget, we wonder whether Vivid might become a causality of this austerity, or at the very least have its funding severely curtailed. This in fact could be a blessing in disguise as the festival embraces a new aesthetic of low-budget minimalism and total street cred. Mercifully, no more psychedelia on the Opera House sails.

Instead midnight to dawn screenings of ‘60s B-grade horror movies complete with captions in Mandarin to keep the tourists happy. The Domain would become the setting for a do-it-yourself mini version of the Burning Man festival and the CBD thrown open to buskers from all over Sydney (no licence required).

Finally – God might have originally said: “Let there be light”, but let’s face it, he wasn’t the one picking up the electricity bill.

One Year Performance 1980-1981, documents 12 months in the life of artist Tehching Hsieh. During that period he committed to punching a clock each hour of every day and photographing the process. The result is a series of snapshots which display a man in various states of distress, sleep deprivation and boredom.

The pictures also demonstrate a disturbing uniformity.

In each image, Hsieh wears an anonymous grey shirt embroidered with his name. There is nothing to prove the passage of time in these stills except the slow growth of the artist’s hair. It is this comment on the bland sameness of working life, complemented with the blankness of his gaze, which conveys the power of the exhibition.

This piece is a confronting look at a society which insists on conformity and slow destruction of individuality. In this performance, Hsieh reflects on the futility of ordinary existence, and ironically its value and opportunity. (LR) Until July 6, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, free, (02) 8571 9089, carriageworks.com.au

Une Australienne – Hilda Rix Nicholas Hilda Rix Nicholas is one of the most important Australian female artists from the early twentieth century.

The Mosman Art Gallery Exhibition, Une Australienne, explores the beauty and richness of the works she created when she moved back to Mosman from Europe after World War I. Gallery curator Julie Petersen, says the exhibition focuses on how Nicholas moving back to Australia shaped her artistic career. “We look at what it meant to her, how it reset her course,” she says.

After losing her family and husband in the war, Petersen says Nicholas used her time in Mosman exploring new artistic techniques to create original pieces.

“The artworks were made during her recovery period, Mosman became her place of recovery,” she says.

“She made these large pictures painted in a fresh and confident manner, and they look as fresh today as they did 100 years ago.”

The exhibition features important paintings and drawings that have not been together in a gallery since the 1920s.

“Her paintings have been all around the world, they are now out of the lounge rooms and on our walls,” she says.

The exhibition also features artist workshops and talks, and a Symposium on June 1st about women artists in the twentieth century. (SOC) Until Jul 13, Mosman Art Gallery, Art Gallery Way & Myahgah Rd, Mosman, free, (02) 9978 4178, mosmanartgallery.org.au

‘The Bathers’, by Hilda Rix Nicholas

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The Love Junkies - Flight Test Test, test, this is The Love Junkies’ Flight Test. Completely recorded during one September weekend in 2013, amidst family cook-ups in the home of The Love Junkies themselves; the band takes several experimental steps into recording their own music, on their own label, Black Box recordings.

The short mix of songs they have offered up provide a wide cross-section of musical exploration, sometimes in the case of Chemical Motivation within the same song. It lulls listeners with a sweet rolling melody and hits them hard with some hardcore strains. Listeners who enjoy the first taste can look forward to more juxtaposition in the future. (SP)

Teen - The Way And Color The Way and Color proves to be a dramatic redirection in Teen’s sound toward a much more R&B influence, while still maintaining the garage-pop roots.

Lead singer Teeny Lieberson provides a strong vocal performance throughout the album exploring her range with ease.

Layering these complex harmonies with the funky synthesiser, bass lines and horns creates a truly unique sound. Tied Up Tied Down and All The Same stand out in particular.

Occasionally it can sound as though they have tried to cram too many ideas into each track, leaving them feeling cluttered and taking away from the message and themes already explored. (JA)

The Phoncurves Dancing against the backdrop of garage doors and random walls around your city is guaranteed to entice mixed reactions from passersby. Just ask Naomi Hodges, one half of Brisbane duo The Phoncurves, about when they filmed their video for latest single Lover.

“We shot really early in the morning and there were a few people around,” Hodges explains. “Then one dude on a bike rode past us and gave us the finger. I don’t know why, we weren’t even being loud. So we just waved. But other people just stared, or made comments like, ‘Oh, good dancing’, we were like, ‘Just keep walking’.”

Oozing affable melodies and soulful simplicity,The Phoncurves and their delicate sounds are charming. Hodges and her partner in crime Abbie

LIVE WIRE

Ngaiire: After releasing her debut album Lamentations last July, things are really starting to pick up the pace for this Papua New Guinea-born songstress. Proving that you don’t have to be a shiny pop singer to have success, she pervades listeners with her simpering vocals and mix of electronic and hip-hop-inspired beats. It is this unique sound that nabbed her a support gig with John Legend and Alicia Keys on their Australian tour and will ensure a night

Roberts first met on the orientation day of university, immediately finding a connection in their love of Brian Eno,The Beatles and Kimbra.

“I sat next to Abbie and we became great friends,” Naomi says with a smile. “In our last year we were both like ‘We really want to play in a band’, so we just made a band.”

A band that has just released their second EP Heartstrings.

Hodges describes the process as, “The perfect combination of two heads together”, with the two in sync on almost every note and harmony.

“We’ve been really lucky, somehow we’re always on the same page, even when our pace changes,” she chuckles. “[Heartstrings] was more about experimentation with vocals because we both liked to sing. One of us would think of a melody and the

other person would add to that. It’s a progression that comes naturally.”

Experimentation can be seen most evidently on the latest single. It’s a far cry from the days of YouTube clips with just Hodges, Roberts and an acoustic guitar.

“We really experimented on Lover with the instrumentation and distorting vocals. It used to be on guitar when we first started playing it, then one day in the studio we just changed everything about it,” she says.

Hitting Sydney at the end of May, The Phoncurves are having a blast performing their latest creations to crowds of admirers.

“Heaps of people ask when they meet us if we are twins or sisters but we’re not related at all!” Hodges laughs. (CD) May 30, Brighton Up Bar, 1/77 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, $10, thephoncurves.com

Sydney Live Music Guide

of melodic grooves.

Thu, May 29th,The Basement, Circular Quay.

The Paper Kites: A North American tour with ex-Alexisonfire man Dallas Green and his City and Colour outfit is an achievement that most can only dream of, yet this Melbourne quintet have made it a reality. Recently releasing their debut album States has seen them enter the ARIA charts in the top 20. It’s their dreamy, simpering ballads that make them an ear-turner. Expect to hear some examples

from their previous EPs Woodland and Young North.

Fri, May 30th, Enmore Theatre.

Hello Satellites: This Melbourne six-piece is the project of Eva Popov, a valiant solo artist who has combined with Amy Tankard, Georgia Harvey, Cathryn Kohn, Peter Emptage and George Weis to release their debut album 84000. Folk music with a stark pop sensibility, this album was created with the help of producers Nick Huggins, J Walker and Joe Hammond. This will be the

chance to appreciate this album in a live setting.

Sat, May 31th,The Newsagency, Marrickville.

Gabrielle Aplin: Sydney is exhibiting a healthy slice of girl power this week!

This English folk rose released her debut album English Rain last year to high-rated reviews in her home land, peaking at number two in the UK album chart and eventually selling over 100,000 copies.

This performance will be an acoustic gem, showing just how far she’s come since the days of YouTube uploads. She will be joined

by special guest, D at Sea. Sun, June 1st, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Ellie Goulding: Speaking of British beauties, this ex-Skrillex lover will also be making a return to our shores. She has played the likes of Future Music Festival as well as her own live shows and Ms Goulding will wow on this one night with her hits Burn, Anything Could Happen, and Lights plus much more. Tonight she will be supported by Auckland duo Broods.

Tue, June 3rd, Hordern Pavilion,The Entertainment Quarter.

Daniel Champagne: A well travelled young man, Champagne will be utilising tonight’s performance to launch his latest album The Gypsy Moon – Volume II. He has visited the shores of the UK, North America, parts of Europe and New Zealand, which gave him endless inspiration and led him to create this next batch of well-crafted acoustic folk intricacies.

His simplistic and velvety voice is enticing enough to get groovers amongst the beauty of his release. (CD) Wed, June 4th, Newtown Social Club, King St.

Sydney Film Festival 2014 The 61st Sydney Film Festival promises to be bigger and better this year, screening 183 films, shorts and documentaries from 47 countries, of which 122 are Australian premieres. With attendances steadily climbing in recent years, this festival’s longevity resonates its popularity.

The SFF Official Competition is now in its 7th year and audiences can honour the winners of the best ground-breaking and cutting-edge films.

This year the SFF will screen in even more venues including the Skyline Drive-In Blacktown, which will present a special 40th anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The vast array of provocative, controversial and entertaining films will ensure there’s something for everyone, with selected screenings also being attended by the stars of the films.

The Rover is a dark thriller set in futuristic Australia and Kumiko,The Treasure Hunter tells the haunting story of a Japanese woman’s determination to find hidden treasure.

Fell is the story of revenge and redemption and horror enthusiasts will enjoy Fish & Cat, a slasher film from Iran. Science fiction fans will be captivated by Snowpiercers, a film about sole survivors who reside on a train after the Earth freezes over.

The opening and closing night extravaganzas, after parties, exhibitions, public talks, live performances and 25 free events highlight that this festival has thrived into Sydney’s biggest cultural event. (MM) June 4-15, various venues incl. State Theatre, 49 Market St; Event Cinemas, 500-525 George St; Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, 380 Military Rd; Sydney Film Festival Hub at Town Hall, 483 George St; $19.50-145 (10 film pass), sff.org.au

The Trip to Italy Comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite for a road trip around sun-drenched Italy in this entertaining follow-up to The Trip – the 2010 meta-comedy in which they played semi-fictional versions of themselves.

Once again, it’s an absolute blast watching the duo compete in a never-ending game of one-upmanship in which the currency is rapid-

Gardening With Soul Gardening With Soul is a documentary from New Zealand which centres on 90-year-old Sister Loyola Galvin as she reflects on her illustrious life.

Residing at the Home Of Compassion in Wellington, NZ, she openly discusses her life-long passion for gardening and the ideology that “Life is like a garden, it’s constantly evolving”. Galvin reminisces of life as a nurse during World War II and the life-changing

fire quips and uncanny, albeit increasingly loopy impersonations – including favourites Michael Caine and Al Pacino.

Yes, it’s inherently self-indulgent, and some of the humour is recycled from the previous instalment, but The Trip to Italy is more than a Coogan/ Brydon vanity project – the pair’s musings on middle-age, family, mortality and legacy will resonate with viewers long after they die of laughter. (JH) WWW½

From Poland comes Ida, an award-winning film which touches on the Jewish holocaust and explores lost identities and dark family secrets.

Set in Poland in the early 1960s, the story centres on Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a nun who visits her estranged aunt (Agata Kulesza) before taking her vows.

She learns of her Jewish heritage and that her real name is Ida. The shocking truth about her family’s fate ultimately severs her commitment to the order.

event which led to her becoming a nun at the age of 26.

Audiences should warm to this delightful lady who is rich in character, as she candidly discusses her love for God and her anger at the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church.

Gardening With Soul is insightful and moving. Splendid cinematography of groomed gardens and blooming flowers should also mesmerise avid gardeners. (MM) WWW½

Ida

Under the Skin

A woman of unclear origins (Scarlett Johansson) scours Scotland roads searching for men to lure into her lair.

Naively, she navigates a foreign world with a mixture of curiosity and fearfulness; and it is with this fresh gaze that audiences should view the film.

Director Jonathan Glazer and writer Walter Campbell, strip back complexities to create a minimalistic piece. The horror GODZILLA America is “under attack” in this epic action adventure which sees the mega-monster’s return. In this mammoth-scale reboot, the imminent mating of menacing radiation-hungry mutations will render humanity defenceless.

The clichéd and cheesy storylines are interwoven with explosive CGI and eye-popping 3D effects, but sadly lack the edge-of-your-seat excitement.

Momentum is slow and extended scenes of the monsters at war aimlessly rampaging become dull and repetitive.

Fans will be delighted, but

others will question whether the world needed another Godzilla disaster film. (MM) WW½ CHILD’S POSE Cornelia (Luminita Gheorghiu) is an overbearing and overprotective mother. When her son, Barbu (Bogdan Dumitrache), is involved in a car accident that kills a child, she uses her wealth and affluence to stop the manslaughter charges.

Child’s Pose is incredibly worthwhile viewing because of its examination of contemporary Romanian society and an

enlightening but tragic story.

However, the film does not allow the audience to feel empathy towards the main characters.

Both harsh and unforgiving, it is not until the last scene that guilt, love and social inequality come to a head. (ATS) WWW THE DOUBLE Based on the novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Double stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as Simon, a timid office drone in the midst of an existential crisis.

Simon is – in the words of a tactless co-worker – “a bit of a non-person”. The unexpected

Trzebuchowska is haunting as Ida and delivers a sublime and memorable performance.

The story unfolds slowly but is intense and captivating throughout.

Ida is a simplistic and breathtakingly beautiful movie, chillingly filmed in black and white. The unevenly centred camera-angles, dark photography and long shots of isolated and barren landscapes are cleverly utilised to enhance the gloom and mystery. (MM) WWWW½

of the film comes in what is below the surface. With little dialogue, the film relies heavily on Johansson’s characterisation, as she remains intriguing yet detached.

An overriding sense of inertia might leave audiences bored, but it is the long, brooding sequences that highlight small pockets of visual spectacle.

(ATS) WWW½ Limited release: Palace Verona, Paddington arrival of Simon’s roguish doppelganger is a catalyst but also a mixed omen: will he seize control of his life or disappear completely?

Marrying melancholy and black wit with an oppressive, dystopian setting, The Double is a haunting satire. (JH) WWWW HEALING is an Australian film that is worth watching, full of beautiful cinematography.

Based on true events it is set in a low-security prison farm 200 kilometres outside of Melbourne.

Don Hany (Underbelly) stars as Viktor Khadem at the end of

his 16-year stint in prison. Hugo Weaving (Lord Of The Rings) is his caseworker, Matt Perry.

Together they set up a bird sanctuary to help heal, not only the majestic creatures, but also the broken inmates.

The mise-en-scène and the elegant movements offer thoughtful symbolism in this evocative story with great characters. (LK) WWWW THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is the anticipated sequel to the 2012 blockbuster. It delivers twice the thrills and mayhem, as

super-villains Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) attack Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield reprises his role as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man, who continues to be torn between his mortal and superhero status, whilst his crime fighting is being publicly scrutinised.

The CGI which is becoming more exhilarating and ambitious as the comic book franchise continues, fuels the pumping adrenalin, delivering what can only be described as wondrous escapism at its best. (MM) WWWW

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F R E E W I L L AS T RO L OGY

by Rob Brezsny

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “When I was young,” wrote French author Albert Camus, “I expected people to give me more than they could -- continuous friendship, permanent emotion.” That didn’t work out so well for him. Over and over, he was awash in disappointment.

“Now I have learned to expect less of them than they can give,” he concluded. “Their emotions, their friendship, and noble gestures keep their full miraculous value in my eyes; wholly the fruit of grace.”

I’d love to see you make an adjustment like this in the coming months, Aries. If you do, the astrological omens suggest you will experience a blessing like Camus’.

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Some earthquakes happen in slow-motion. These rare events occur 22 to 34 miles down, where tectonic plates are hotter and gooier. Unlike the sudden, shocking jolts of typical temblors, this gradual variety can take many days to uncoil and never send dishes flying off shelves up here on the earth’s surface. I suspect your destiny will have a resemblance to this phenomenon in the coming months, Taurus. Your foundations will be rustling and rumbling, but they will do so slowly and gently. The release of energy will ultimately be quite massive. The realignment of

deep structures will be epic. But there will be no big disturbances or damages.

C

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I suspect that some night soon you will have a dream of being naked as you stand on stage in front of a big audience.

Or maybe not completely naked.

There’s a strong possibility you will be wearing pink and green striped socks and a gold crown. And it gets worse. In your dream, I bet you will forget what you were going to say to the expectant crowd. Your mouth will be moving but no words will come out. So that’s the bad news, Gemini. The good news is that since I have forewarned you, you can now do whatever is necessary to prevent anything resembling this dream from actually occurring in your waking life. So when you are called on to show what you’ve got and make a splashy impression, you will be wellprepared.

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When I slip into a meditative state and seek insight about your future, I have a reverie about a hearty sapling growing out of a fallen tree that’s rotting on the forest floor. I see exuberant mushrooms sprouting from a cowpie in a pasture. I imagine compost nourishing a watermelon patch. So what do my visions mean? I’m guessing you’re going through a phase of metaphorical death and decay.

You are shedding and purging and flushing. In the process, you

are preparing some top-notch fertilizer. It won’t be ready for a while, but when it is, a growth spurt will begin.

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Dear Diary: Almost everything that was possible to change has changed these past 12 months.

I am not kidding and I am not exaggerating. Getting just one of my certainties destroyed would have been acceptable; I long ago became accustomed to the gradual chip-chip-chipping away of my secure foundations.

But this most recent phase, when even my pretty illusions of stability got smashed, truly set a record. So then why am I still standing strong and proud?

Why is it I’m not cowering in the corner muttering to the spiders?

Have I somehow found some new source of power that was never available to me until my defenses were totally stripped away? I think I’ll go with that theory.”

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): About 32,000 years ago, squirrels in northeast Siberia buried the fruits of a flowering plant deep in their burrows, below the level of the permafrost. Then a flood swept through the area. The water froze and permanently sealed the fruits in a layer of ice. They remained preserved there until 2007, when they were excavated. A team of scientists got a hold of them and coaxed them to grow into viable plants. Their success has a metaphorical resemblance to

a project you will be capable of pulling off during the next 12 months, Virgo. I’m not sure what exact form it will take. A resuscitation? A resurrection?

A recovery? The revival of a dormant dream? The thawing of a frozen asset or the return of a lost resource?

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): For German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, the good news was that he was nominated for the Nobel Prize 81 times. The bad news is that he never actually won. Actor Richard Burton had a similar fate. He was nominated for an Academy Award seven times, but never took home an Oscar.

If there is anything that even vaguely resembles that pattern in your own life, Libra, the next 12 months will be the most favorable time ever to break the spell. In the next few weeks, you may get a glimpse of how it will unfold.

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I should have kissed you longer.” I hope you won’t be replaying that thought over and over again in your imagination three weeks from now. I hope you won’t be obsessing on similar mantras, either, like “I should have treated you better” or “I wish I would have listened to you deeper” or “I should have tried harder to be my best self with you.” Please don’t let any of that happen, Scorpio. I am begging you to act now to make any necessary changes in yourself so that you will be

fully ready to give the important people in your life the care they deserve. If you do so, you will be free of regrets later.

k

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Longing, what is that?

Desire, what is that?” Those are questions Louise Gluck asks in her poem “Prism.” Does she really not know? Has she somehow become innocent again, free from all her memories of what longing and desire have meant to her in the past? That’s what I wish for you right now, Sagittarius. Can you do it? Can you enter into beginner’s mind and feel your longing and desire as if they were brand new, just born, as fresh and primal as they were at the moment you fell in love for the first time? If you can manage it, you will bestow upon yourself a big blessing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Now would be an excellent time for you to dream up five new ways to have fun. I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with your existing methods. It’s just that in the next few weeks, life will conspire to help you drop some of your inhibitions and play around more than usual and experience greater pleasure. The best way to cooperate with that conspiracy is to be an explorer on the frontiers of amusement and enchantment. What’s the most exciting thing you have always wondered about but never done? What interesting experiment have you denied yourself for no good reason?

What excursion or adventure would light up your spontaneity?

j

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You could really benefit from engaging with a compassionate critic -someone who would gently and lovingly invite you to curb your excesses, heal your ignorance, and correct your mistakes.

Would you consider going out in search of a kick-ass guide like that? ideally, this person would also motivate you to build up your strengths and inspire you to take better care of your body. One way or another, Capricorn, curative feedback will be coming your way. The question is, will you have a hand in choosing it, or will you wait around passively for fate to deliver it? I highly recommend the former.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Now is an excellent time to transform your relationship with your past. Are you up for a concentrated burst of psychospiritual work? To get the party started, meditate your ass off as you ponder this question: “What fossilized fixations, ancient insults, impossible dreams, and parasitic ghosts am I ready to let go of?” Next, move on to this inquiry: “What can I do to ensure that relaxed, amused acceptance will rule my encounters with the old ways forever after?” Here’s a third query: “What will I do with all the energy I free up by releasing the deadweight I had been clinging to?”