Australian Times weekly newspaper | 9 July 2013

9 - 15 July 2013 Issue: 471

CAPTIVATING COPENHAGEN

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

TARA MINTON

Travel p11

Two days, one city

Making your political party stand out

Hotting up the Harp

NEWS P2

Expat factor P4

41519

ACCOUNTING - £200 IF YOU MOVE TO US TAX, FINANCIAL AND MIGRATION EXPERTS: Money Transfers, Tax Refunds, Visas, Limited Companies & Accounting, UK Bank Accounts, CV & Job Assistance, Travel Clinic, Shipping, Legal and Umbrella Services

LABOR REFORM n

0808 141 2314

www.1stcontact.com/mast2

PM proposes that the leader of the party be jointly elected by party members and the caucus.

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd wants grass-roots members to be able to have a say in directly electing the leader of the parliamentary Labor party.

Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra on Monday he had called for a special meeting of the caucus on 22 July to discuss the federal election and party rule changes.

The key rule change would be enabling the leader of the parliamentary party to be directly elected, with 50 per cent of the vote coming from grass-roots members and 50 per cent from the caucus.

“This is the most significant reform to the Australian Labor Party in recent history,” Mr Rudd said.

Mr Rudd said any candidate for the leadership would need the initial backing of 20 per cent of caucus members.

Other leadership positions such as deputy, House leader and Senate leader, and ministry candidates would be decided by the caucus, he said.

Among the rule changes, a leader who takes the party to the election and wins “that person remains as leader of the party and the government for the duration of that term”, he said.

the country THE by storm.

BOMBAY ROYALE Exhilarating rugby is forecast.

The Aussie Bollywood band The 7s series guarantees a feast of Friday night rugby for all the family.London Enjoy thrilling, high-scoring set to shake up | P7 rugby alongside live music and top family entertainment. All 12 Premiership Rugby clubs will compete to reach the Final at the Twickenham Stoop.

...continued on p3

Aussies gather intel for US: Snowden

Sensitive documents leaked by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden have revealed that several Australian facilities are actively contributing to a controversial American intelligence collection program.

Classified maps published in Brazilian newspaper O Globo reveal that four military facilities in Australia are currently being utilised to intercept telecommunications and internet traffic that forms part of American program PRISM. Mr Snowden, a former NSA contractor, revealed the existence of data mining program PRISM last month after fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid prosecution The newly-leaked documents show that three Australian Signals Directorate facilities are engaged in PRISM-intelligence gathering including the Shoal Bay Receiving Station near Darwin, the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Facility at Geraldton and a naval communications station outside Canberra. The US-Australian Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap has also been identified as a facility involved in the US government’s SIGINT collection.

SIGINT, or signals intelligence, is the practice of gathering information through the interception of radio waves and electronic communication.

It has become the primary mode of intelligence gathering for most modern agencies, with a significant decline in the role of traditional human intelligence in the aftermath of ...continued on p3

Last year Saracens scooped the inaugural trophy and went on to Aviva Premiership glory. Will this year's winners do the same?TWICKENHAM STADIUM ARRIVALS SUMMER 2013

THE INAUGURAL

ACT

B R UMB I E S

The Final starts at 7pm on Friday 5th August.

HARLEQU I NS Tickets are just £10 for adults and £5 for U21s.

WE S T ERN PROV I NCE Tickets available via the Harlequins ticket office on AUCKL AND 0871 527 1315, or online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

WORLD CLUB 7s

SAN FRANC I SCO TWICKENHAM STADIUM NOR T H AMP T ON S A I N T S For more information visit www.jpmorgan7s.com

17 - 18 AUGUST 2013

BLUE BUL LS BUENOS A I RES

J.P. Morgan Asset Management | INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF RUGBY

Rugby worth making the trip for this summer!

A L A A L L A A

RR I VED ANDED RR I VED RR I VED ANDED ANDED RR I VED RR I VED

WEEKEND 2-4-1 TICKET OFFER* CALL 0844 847 2492 OR VISIT WWW.TICKETMASTER.CO.UK www.facebook.com/worldclub7s

www.twitter.com/worldclub7s

www.worldclub7srugby.com

*AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME

2 | News

9 - 15 July 2013

What’s in a name? n

Fiona Patten, founder of the Australian Sex Party, tells PAUL BLEAKLEY about the policies behind the party's name.

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Alex Ivett Production/Design: Jackie Lampard News Editor: Paul Bleakley Business Editor: Sepi Roshan Contributors: Tim Martin, Georgia Dawes, Phillip Browne, Michelle McCue, Erin Somerville, George Katralis, Jacqui Moroney, Will Fitzgibbon, Chris Arkadieff, Daniel Shillito, Mat Lyons, Sandra

Tahmasby, Tyson Yates, Jennifer Perkin, Charlie Inglefield, Thomas Jones, Alistair Davis, Will Denton, Jennifer Lawton, Peter Kelly, Chloe Westley, Bonnie Gardiner, Michaela Gray, Marian Borges, Emma O'Neill, Ally Juchnevicius, Courtney Greatrex, Poppy Damon Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird Additional content:

Who are we?

Australian Times is written and compiled by young Australian journalists living in the UK. Contributing on a volunteer basis, they are uniquely placed to reflect the interests, opinions and attitudes of our community.

If you would like to join us, contact info@australiantimes.co.uk Address: Unit 7C, Commodore House Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW Tel: 0845 456 4910 Email: info@australiantimes.co.uk

WEBSITE:

The paper used to print this publication has been sourced from sustainable forests (farmed trees). Please reduce waste by recycling your copy or pass it on others.

DISCLAIMER The printed opinions of advertisers and writers are theirs and not necessarily shared by Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Unless otherwise stated, copyright of all original materials is held by Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Official media sponsors of the following organisations:

We go further specialists First class pet travel

At Flypets we can take away all the added stress transporting the furry members of your family, leaving you to concentrate on the rest of your family's move.

We can offer a range of services for you: • We can collect from your home • Arrange the relevant documentation • Book your pets on the most direct flight Call • Provide your pet to d ay on with their own 01932 875 air kennel 227

for your quote

Fiona Patten knows that the name of her political party can be a doubleedged sword. After all, naming your organisation the Australian Sex Party is sure to raise a few eyebrows – particularly in the largely conservative arena of Australian politics. That raised eyebrow is exactly what Ms Patten has been counting on: she knows that to make it as a viable minor party, you have to stand out.

Ms Patten told Australian Times: “No doubt some people look no further than our name and miss our policies but others would never have heard of us if it hadn’t been for our name. Small parties have a very hard time getting noticed, our name certainly helped us there.

Many comment that we are the most honestly named party. I mean we really should be the Liberal Party.”

It only takes a glance at the policies of the Australian Sex Party to see that Ms Patten is right: the socially progressive organisation was established on a platform of libertarianism that conforms far more to the definition of ‘liberal’ than the conservative party currently bearing the name. With policies on issues ranging from euthanasia and censorship to abortion and gay rights, Ms Patten is quick to assure voters that the Australian Sex Party is far from a single-issue group.

Ms Patten said: “People forget that every time you fill in a government form you are asked about your ‘sex’. Sex is everywhere and extremely important to the way society runs. Most people who have a problem with the name are only interpreting it as the ‘sex act’, which says more about them than us. We’re a civil liberties party that embraces gender and reproductive rights, eroticism, and anti-censorship party.”

Your Say On: Aussies couldn’t handle woman in power as PM, says Oakeshott

I have dual citizenship, and only lived and worked full-time in Australia, both country and town, for 17 years, but that was long enough to find that the Lucky Country is far more riddled with overt sexism than we have to out up with in the UK. I don’t know why this is so; there may be a lot more insecure men in Australia, perhaps because so many feel they have to measure their masculinity against the perceived ‘weakness’ of women. It will be great to see such men grow up, and mature, so that they can accept that they are, in fact, equal to women.

Mick

www.flypets.co.uk

?

What’s your view AustralianTimes

Ms Patten, a former sex worker, founded the Australian Sex Party in 2009 in an effort to prevent the implementation of a government-run ISP-level internet filter, which would have banned Australians from visiting websites that had been “refused classification” by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

She claims that the failure of the Greens to oppose the measure had forced her to create a political party that would truly stand for libertarian values.

“We’re a civil liberties party that embraces gender and reproductive rights, eroticism, and anticensorship party.”

Ms Patten told Australian Times: “The catalyst was the internet filter.

While the Greens were against the filter, the censorship of adult erotica was a bridge too far for them and we were left without a party that was genuinely upholding civil liberties and free speech across the spectrum. I had been working as an advocate for a range of issues that were mainly sexuality or censorship based.

“Despite ample evidence that Australians were becoming more relaxed about sexuality and more opposed to government censorship, our governments were becoming more and more conservative. Conservative church groups were incredibly over represented in the body politic. In fact, in the early days, we did consider becoming a religion rather than a political party.”

The Australian Sex Party have rapidly grown in support since 2009, with a strong showing in the 2010 federal election seeing the party achieve 2.04 per cent of the national Senate vote.

This figure, which is higher than the Australian Greens polled in their first electoral showing, has bolstered Ms Patten’s confidence that her party may see itself represented in parliament after September’s federal election.

Ms Patten said: “A lot of people – I question “couldn’t handle a woman in power” In my opinion, it was not the woman but the person, her socialist background, her outspoken extreme feminist views on the role of married women, her personal “baggage” she brought with her wasn’t something we had seen before in a leader, wasn’t accepted by the silent majority and muddied the waters. I hold high respect for the office, I didn’t hold any respect for her as the officer.

Jay

On: Australia’s first Muslim frontbencher subjected to online abuse

It is Australian tradition to use the Bible at swearing in. Why must we do away with tradition to appease every minority.

Why stand for Office when you are not ready to follow tradition. It's an insult.

millions - buy X rated videos and DVDs and are sick of being caught up in a criminal act by buying them. I think a lot of these people voted for us. Similarly, a lot of recreational drug users are sick of being cast as criminal and perverts when all they want to do is have a quiet joint on the weekend. A lot of these people are voting for us now.

“And then there are young politically disengaged and isolated people in regional areas who are fed up with politicians and want to caste a protest vote and voting for a party called the ‘Sex Party’ is one way of doing that.

Australians are pretty pissed off with all of the major parties. They do not reflect 21st century Australia and we do.

For example gay marriage, they can’t believe that New Zealand and England have beaten us to this.”

Ms Patten told Australian Times that a prolonged period of conservative government in Australia had watered down the country’s sense of fun and freedom. She said that the Australian Sex Party would focus on legalising both euthanasia and marijuana should they control the balance of power in the federal upper house.

Ms Patten said: “Australia is a leading Nanny state in the western world now with similar morality laws to Arabic and third world countries. Australians returning from living overseas are just amazed at how over regulated this country has become. In Victoria the state government has introduced legislation to make it illegal to swear in public!”

Ms Patten recently made news in Australia after protesting that increased candidate fees were an attempt to freeze out minor party representatives in the lead-up to the September poll. The Australian Sex Party will run candidates in both the Senate and the House of Representatives at this year’s federal election.

Let's get a grip of things. He is a moderate Muslim not a terrorist. We can’t discriminate against someone because of religion. To be abused because of religion is discrimination.

We wonder why ‘Rest of the World’ consider us discriminatory against other cultures and their beliefs. This is the 21st century not the dark ages.

Lynda

Swearing in on any holy book is an anachronism that belongs in the 19th century, not the 21st. I know little about the man but one book is as good as another for the purposes of making a symbolic gesture of allegiance. As long as even idiots are allowed to express their bigotry in Australia and they aren't yet a majority, I feel pretty comfortable.

Yehuda

Ian

Share your comments on these and more stories online: AustralianTimes.co.uk @AustralianTimes

+Australiantimes

Australiantimes

company/australian-times

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Aussie injured in Running of the Bulls

By Poppy Damon

A 24-year-old Australian identified only by the initials ‘J.C’ was treated for minor injuries sustained on the weekend at the Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain.

The eight-day San Fermin festival opened on Sunday with the first running of the bulls. Each year the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of thrill-seekers from all across the globe. Organisers of the event were relieved that there were no gores or fatalities despite an exceptionally large crowd of participants due to the festival’s opening coinciding with a weekend this year.

Six large bulls and six steers were once again chased by dare-devils dressed in red and white through narrow, cobbled streets to a bull fighting ring where the animals are later killed in a traditional bullfight.

However, one bull sent alarm through participants after it became disorientated and officials used large sticks to usher it along into the ring.

Despite the intervention of organisers and the attempts of the crowd to flea over wooden fences, this year’s run could not avoid four being injured in the ensuing panic.

Concerns about the event have been

increasingly vocalised following a number of deaths and serious injuries in recent years, including a 25-yearold Australian in 2011 who had his right thigh pierced by the horn of one of the bulls. Bulls can weigh up to 625 kilograms, and fifteen people have been killed in the bull runs since records started in 1911. Last year 38 people were taken to hospital at the festival’s eight bull runs, including four men who were gored by bulls.

Is this festival a load o’ bull?

The event has recently met further criticism from animal rights groups such as PETA, who caused controversy after running a protest coinciding with the affair by lying naked and ‘bloodied’ in Pamplona’s streets in 2011.

The continued injuries to people participating in the run will no doubt re-spark the debate about the safety of the festival which runs until 14 July 2013.

This year also saw significant cuts due to the Spanish recession; Pamplona city hall has slashed the budget for the fiesta by 13.8 per cent to 2.1 million Euros, though this evidently did not dampen the spirits of the thrill-seekers in attendance.

Thomson donors pay legal fees

Snowden reveals Aussie role in US intel ...continued from p1

the Cold War. The Australian section of the collection process, codenamed X-Keyscore, is believed to process all signals before determining which area of the international intelligence community would be best suited to analyse and utilise the information. The documents leaked by Mr Snowden show that American intelligence collection facilities are located worldwide and are often operated in conjunction with traditional partners such as Australia.

Australia and the United States of America are both members of a collective intelligence alliance known as the “Five Eyes”, which involves the sharing of classified information on

an essentially unrestricted basis. Mr Snowden told German magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday that other partners in the Five Eyes alliance often went further than the United States of America in the collection of intelligence.

The documents released by Mr Snowden follow revelations by fellow NSA whistle-blower William Binney, who claimed that Australia was heavily involved in the trial of an internet traffic interception program codenamed ‘ThinThread’. Mr Binney claimed that the trials - which took place over a decade ago - also involved the United Kingdom and Germany, however were ultimately not adopted by the Australian government.

The US government has revoked Mr Snowden’s passport and charged

the former government worker with several counts of espionage. He has been stranded in the Moscow airport for two weeks after attempting to seek asylum in a range of countries including Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua.

Mr Snowden has been assisted in his attempts to claim asylum by Australian whistle-blower and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been restricted to the Ecuadorean embassy in London for over a year in an attempt to avoid prosecution by the US government. Mr Assange has provided material support to Mr Snowden, with members of the WikiLeaks organisation negotiating asylum deals with government leaders on the American’s behalf.

By Paul Bleakley

‘RAZOR SHARP BRILLIANCE’ THE AUSTRALIAN

8

ULAR C A T C E SP IN WEEKS END ST THE WE UMS! POSS

n

Sympathetic voters have come to the aid of former Labor MP Craig Thomson.

EMBATTLED federal independent MP Craig Thomson has paid some of his legal fees thanks to donations from sympathisers.

Two supporters, Mark Worthington and Rodney Allan, set up a trust account in April to help the former Health Services Union secretary fight fraudrelated and other charges in court.

Mr Thomson, a former Labor member who holds the NSW seat of Dobell, stated on his pecuniary interest register that a payment from the trust account had been made to his lawyers.

“It is expected that further payments will be made over coming months,” he noted.

Mr Thomson is contesting civil and criminal charges relating to his alleged misuse of HSU member funds when he was the union’s national secretary.

A fundraising function for Mr Thomson has been scheduled for 25 July.

The $150-a-head dinner will be addressed by writer Bob Ellis, Mr Thomson and his lawyer Chris McArdle. - AAP

We need certainty of leadership, says Rudd ...continued from p1 He says that will prevent anyone walking in to the leader with a challenge and saying: “Ok sunshine, it’s over.”

Mr Rudd believes the reforms will be welcome by all Labor Party members.

He said change was “essential to grow a vibrant modern Australian Labor Party for a modern and diverse Australia for the future”.

“I believe it will encourage people to re-engage in the political process and bring back those supporters who have been disillusioned,” Mr Rudd said.

Mr Rudd said the rule change would improve the quality of government and certainty of leadership.

Presenting Partner

DIRECTED BY SIMON PHILLIPS Official Carrier

Hotel Partner

“You want to be able to say to the Australian people, you vote for this guy, you vote for this woman, they end up staying on for the duration of the term,” Mr Rudd said.

He said the quality of decisionmaking would be eroded if leaders had to “look over their shoulders” all the time if there were bad polls. - AAP

LONDON PALLADIUM

13 NOVEMBER 2013 - 5 JANUARY 2014 0844 874 0743 seetickets.com ALSO ON UK NATIONAL TOUR 2013/14

Produced by

and

2013 23 - 26 OCT, MILTON KEYNES THEATRE•30 OCT - 2 NOV, CARDIFF - WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE•5 - 9 NOV, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 2014 21 - 25 JAN, NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL•28 JAN - 1 FEB, SOUTHAMPTON MAYFLOWER•4 - 8 FEB, NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL•11 - 15 FEB, GLASGOW KING'S THEATRE 18 - 22 FEB, BRISTOL HIPPODROME•25 FEB - 1 MAR, LEEDS GRAND THEATRE•4 - 8 MAR, MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

FOR FULL SHOW INFORMATION AND TO BOOK TICKETS VISIT

DameEdnaFarewell.com

4 | Exclusive Interview

9 - 15 July 2013

Great News! the Expat factor

Extraordinary Aussies in the UK

You can now get your Australian Times newspaper every week as a FREE digital edition for your iPad, iPhone or Android.

It was always a dream of mine to be a musician in London. In early 2011 I met Jakez Francois of Camac Harps in Melbourne for lunch, and he offered me an incredible sponsorship deal - a full size electric harp and the opportunity to play concerts of my own music throughout Europe. The condition was I moved to London. That meeting was the ticket to my dreams, and I arrived in April 2011.

I am a songwriter and entertainer first. My strongest focus is on my original music, however, one has to eat you know? I play a lot of hotels, functions and weddings to pay the bills. 30% of the time I get to be “Tara Minton” and the other 70% of the time I’m just a nameless harpist/pianist/singer in a bar. My goal is to be “Tara Minton” 100% of the time. Generally musicians get paid a lot less to work in London than back home, so I have to gig like a crazy person to make enough money to live and save.

It’s an expensive city, but you learn tricks. I’ve not been out of work since I landed.

Just scan this QR code or go to

AustralianTimes.co.uk/newspapers Thomas Exchange Global Ltd. Retail, Wholesale & Commercial Foreign Money Dealers

Travel Money & Overseas Payments instant availability of over 120 currencies best exchange rates in london with 0% commisson l na Ho tio a l n bank to bank er ey mo iday Int Mon ers n f m o n e y t r a n s f e r s s ey ran T

We offer better rates than Banks, Post Office, M&S, Thomas Cook, Travelex & other major competitors.

EXPERTISM TO PROFIT BY

Five branches in London: Strand (Head Office), Victoria, Liverpool Street, Cannon Street & Hammersmith

www.thomasexchangeglobal.co.uk - 020 7240 1214 - info@tegforex.co.uk

Headlining the Camac Harp Festival in Geneva last September has been a career highlight. I played with my trio in a beautiful concert hall to a full house, and even managed to speak a little French. Jakez Francois was standing in the wings and it was just a truly incredible experience.

Flights, taxis, accommodation and expenses were all taken care of. For a weekend I was living the dream.

The greatest benefit for me in pursuing my career in the UK has been that people listen to me and get excited about what I do. I’ve connected with so many interesting people and soaked up so much life – it’s benefited my song writing and playing beyond words. Recently I had a fan from Essex drive down to London to see me play and requested one of my own songs.

That was a magical moment.

Tara Minton

Harpist, Pianist, Lyricist, Singer Melbourne Cabaret Festival. I hope to then tour in Ireland, and Paris at the end of the year. I also have a side project called “Chevara” with a producer in London and we’ll be releasing an EP of trance/ harp music later in the year. As far as the rest of my life is concerned - heaven only knows. Anything could happen. I woke up on a boat on the canal in Kings Cross Saturday morning with an actor, a poet and a musician. Life is full of adventure!

"London is a tough mistress, but if you love her, she’ll love you back"

There are two big differences I’ve noticed in the industry here. Firstly, a massive part of London’s cultural identity is built upon music. Every venue you go to there’s a story: Madness were discovered at the Dublin Castle, Amy Winehouse used to DJ at Proud Camden, Jimi Hendrix played his first gig at the Scotch Club. The Stones played here, the Beatles played there… you get the picture. The second difference is the amount of work available for musicians.

With summer in the middle of the year, music is everywhere. Then when the weather turns there are Christmas functions, festive parties and NYE celebrations.

Musicians can work solidly almost all year round.

The only advice I would give to an Australian moving to the UK is to register with a medical centre before you get sick. I still need to do that. I should take my own advice. When I first moved from Melbourne to London, I was prepared for loneliness. I knew it would be rough and busy and expensive, but I didn’t know I would love it as I do, or meet so many dear friends. I came with the singular focus of pursuing music, but I’ve discovered a life full of joy and beautiful people.

What’s next for me? Well, musically I’m releasing an EP, and then returning home briefly to Melbourne to perform in the

There’s honestly no such thing as a “typical” weekend for me in London. I always gig of course – all over London - and then I

usually head out afterwards to see my friends. Gertie Browns in Finchley is my local haunt and the Boogaloo in Highgate.

The Boogaloo is a magical pub.

Many wonderful memories have been created in there. I was also delighted to discover the Hampstead Heath swimming pond. It’s rarely warm enough for an Aussie to go swimming, but once or twice a year it’s divine!

What do I like about the UK? I love the tube. I hate that it closes at 12:30. I love all the wonderful accents in the UK. I detest the British obsession with “class”. I love that I can drive to Paris. I hate diving on London roads. I hate the weather but I love the delicious feeling of settling into a cosy pub with some mates and escaping the freezing cold. What I miss about Australia is the sunshine. Plus my family of course.

I honestly had no time limit set in my mind for how long I would stay when I first came here. I always knew music would take me away from Australia.

Right now London is my home and will probably remain so for many years to come. London is a tough mistress, but if you love her, she’ll love you back.

Interview by Alex Ivett and George Katralis.

UK Life | 5

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Fitting out your flat n

When fitting out your flat, the milliondollar question has to be – something old or something new?

Hand-me-downs Surviving london > Bianca Soldani

So you’ve finally found a flat, but to avoid literally living out of your suitcase the next thing to tick off your ever growing list is some snazzy furniture.

Most Aussies coming to London aren’t making a permanent move, so finding affordable options to fit out your flat is a must. The million-dollar question therefore has to be, something secondhand or new?

Second-hand scores

Markets Markets are second-hand goldmines full of unique goodies to give your home that old-world feel. The only downside is most of the ornate nineteenth century mirrors and intricately carved wooden tables tend to be priced outside of a bargain hunter’s budget.

Gumtree Gumtree and other such websites are also worth hitting up if you’ve got your heart set on something second hand, but do bear in mind that going down this path inevitably means you’ll have to pick up the already assembled furniture yourself. This isn’t always easy to manoeuvre on public transport.

Charity shops Another cheap and possibly less traumatic solution would be to try your neighbourhood charity shop as they usually have a selection, however haphazard, of furniture. Do thoroughly clean anything you pick up. Bed bugs can be a problem so think twice before saving on a mattress!

Although polishing up a painstakingly found treasure can be incredibly satisfying, nothing beats some good old fashioned hand-me-down furniture.

It’s definitely worth asking around so if any friends of friends just happen to be leaving town, you can try to beg, plead or bribe your way into inheriting some second hand pieces.

Bargain buys

Of course if something old or something borrowed is not on the cards, London also has great options for a little something new that won’t necessarily break the bank. Let me introduce you to Argos and Ikea, your new best friends! Ikea, as just about everybody already knows, is a haven of low-cost flat-packed goodies, but this is not a one horse town and if you haven’t already discovered it, Argos is Ikea’s less glamorous but more convenient, more local and more affordable twin.

There are no excuses for cardboard furniture with Argos around. But don’t get too hasty, this is not Ikea in miniature. Argos is not like any other shopfloor where you walk around and look at the products before selecting them, it’s a tiny (or not so in some cases) store filled with catalogues and a counter. What you do is flick through the catalogues to find the product you like, then take the product code to the pick-up counter where you get a flat-packed box in exchange.

Genius, huh?

Due to their massive size, the Ikeas in London are located outside the centre of the city, whereas Argos’ space saving service allows one to be placed on just about every High Street. But whether or not your nearest store is in walking distance or a short flight away, if you’re buying many things or anything heavy, go for home delivery. Both chains offer

Share-house surprises

n

Living in a London share-house, you never quite know what you’re going to come home to.

SUBCULTURE SLEUTH > PAUL BLEAKLEY

WHEN living in a London sharehouse, you never quite know what you are going to come home to. A spotless kitchen might have been destroyed by someone’s late-night baking frenzy. Someone might be crying on the couch after a particularly nasty fight with their significant other. On a Saturday morning, you might even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a mysterious peroxide-blonde slinking down the stairs, trying to avoid detection.

The unpredictability of sharing your home with virtual strangers is both the best thing and the worst thing about living away from home.

On one hand, you are given the unprecedented opportunity to coexist with people from all around the world, learning and growing as a result. That is part of what makes the London experience so unique.

It was a pretty typical Friday night. A few home-made burgers, some rubbish television and lengthy a delivery service for a small additional fee which trust me, is well worth your while. It’s a real pain in the a** to lug large, heavy and difficult-to-carry items on public transport, especially at peak hour or when you’ve got a sizeable walk home from the tube. If you can get it delivered, get it delivered!

For more insider tips on renting on a budget, check out Bianca’s new book, “An Aussie’s Survival Guide to London” at Talktraveltome. com; tackling the little problems for newcomers to London.

The end of the honeymoon? n

After the honeymoon period is over, it’s time to decide what’s a mere quirk, or an ultimate deal-breaker.

Honeymooning Nomad > Jacqui Moroney

The “honeymoon period” is that wonderful time at the beginning of a relationship when everything is perfect.

You get those little butterflies in your stomach and you can’t bear to be separated for long periods of time. Each relationship is different, but sometime after the first six months you start to become comfortable with each other and the truth is exposed, warts and all.

It is no secret I am in love with London, and, like any new love, I am beginning to become more comfortable in my relationship. I no longer fear

missing a flight, not having a place to stay or not knowing how to get from A to B in a foreign country. I am also more tolerant of crammed public transport and others trying to communicate with me in a language I do not know. While I am more cautious about my belongings, I no longer fear losing my passport or having my bag stolen. Drawing from my own experience in Paris last May, I know I can handle such a situation.

However, along with feeling comfortable comes the revelation of the quirks, the things which make a relationship stay interesting. It’s for you to decide what is a quirk, and what will turn out to be a deal-breaker.

And, my dear old London, there is one thing I just can’t understand about you. Despite you being a city of famous attractions, amazing bars and restaurants, fast public transport and interesting people, there is something about you that drives me crazy.

You have terrible footpaths. That is all.

I have said it.

How can you expect a lady to look good when she is weaving a warpath through the narrow laneways on uneven pavement and slippery cobblestones?

I have this increasing fear of tripping over and falling flat on my face every

day. My toes curl as I approach the deep gutters when crossing the road and my stomach churns at the thought of walking in high heels through the streets.

Perhaps it is me?

After all, it was only one year ago that I was recovering from foot surgery in France after a wild night featuring a stolen bag, my terrible balance and a Parisian footpath. Has my brief fling with Paris destroyed all hope of having a decent relationship with another faulty footpathed city?

Will I carry this baggage around with me forever or can we work out our differences? Can we learn to compromise? I promise not to wear heels that abate my balance if you provide dry conditions in which to combat your terrible walkways.

London, I am not ready for our love affair to end just yet. I am sticking around, and hopefully we can work out this quirk.

philosophical discussions about whether we can be bothered going to the pub. That is when our Polish housemate got home from work.

Well, I say work, when what I really mean is a lengthy barbeque on his job site that left him in a dizzying state of inebriation.

The first hint was when he sat on the edge of the couch, grabbed a butter knife and stabbed the side of his Tyskie can. Beer sprayed across the room, while Polish tore open the can and sucked down every last millilitre of alcohol. After a loud belch, he started making a guttural buzzing sound like he was a fridge that was ready to overheat. Then he grabbed another can, and did it all over again.

His crowning moment, however, came a few hours later. After dancing around the living room to a song playing inside his head, and falling on top of other housemates, Polish went upstairs and brought down a CD player that looked like it had come straight from the 1990s. He plugged it in and stared at it silently for a moment. As we watched on in horror he grunted, picked it up and hurled it across the room like a discus thrower

before promptly falling into the flatscreen TV and passing out.

The TV survived. The CD player was not so lucky. It took three of us to carry Polish upstairs and (literally) throw him into his room.

He rose the next morning, not remembering a single thing about the night before. When he saw his shattered CD player, he put his hands to his head and let out a loud “NOOO! WHY DO I DO THIS? I AM NEVER DRINKING AGAIN!” He sat down and had a Tyskie around three minutes later. That’s the joy of being in a share house: you don’t need to go out to find a source of entertainment.

Aussies: Save Big on Expat Car Insurance!

• Worldwide Liability Protection • Accident Forgiveness • Fast Claim Processing • Multi-policy Discounts • 65 Years of Experience

Get a FREE quote at clements.com or call +44 (0) 20 7397 4960

6 | Food & Wine

9 - 15 July 2013

Making a meal of it The Whole Meal > Ally Juchnevicius

Recently, I’ve had a culinary breakthrough that has changed what and how I eat. It’s come after years of curiosity about food; where it comes from, how it is made, what effect it has on our bodies. I’ve done my research and discovered lots of ideas that, funnily enough, seem to contradict all the messages I see in the supermarket.

Food and diet issues get loads of press at the moment. And after trawling through countless blogs, watching just about all the documentaries on Netflix and reading piles of books on the subject, I’ve realised there is a bottomless ocean of information out there.

Despite this though, there is no clear, simple answer. One reason is the complexity of the subject and diversity of the world; different climates, cultures and bodies. But also it is because there are so many different voices.

These days, the food and nutrition industries are all too happy to break food down for us into components and categories; low-sugar, low-GI, percentages of daily intake, calories per serving, grams per bite. It’s overwhelming and frankly, confusing.

There are thousands of guides out there, from market research led adverts to individual bloggers. Voices that all have an agenda. Raw, paleo, no-carb, high-carb, organic only, sugar free, fat free, you name it.

Despite all the noise though, one idea stuck out to me and after testing it for a

few months I can say I feel healthier and happier than ever before. Fortunately, this is not another quick fix but a way of approaching food that just about everyone can achieve and ironically, has little to do with food itself.

It’s simple: eat meals.

I’ve been eating healthy stuff for a while but it always had to fit around whatever else I was doing. Breakfast was on the go, lunch was ‘al desko’ in between emails. Dinner was at my desk again on a bad day, at home in front of the TV on a good day. I was eating healthy food, but I wasn’t eating meals.

Is there a difference? I think there is. A meal, a proper, homemade, wholefood, prepare-and-sit-down meal invites you to do a few things.

It invites you to prepare. To wash the leaves, chop the vegetables, roast the meat. If you do that, you can’t help but develop a more intimate knowledge, and concern, for what you’re eating and where it came from.

It invites you to sit at a table. To have better posture, more space and quite likely more time spent enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of your labour.

It invites you to talk. This assumes you are eating with others, which if you can you always should. Research shows eating with company not only slows you down, but you eat less.

While these changes sound largely abstract, they have an enormous effect on digestion, on our mood and on our choices at the shop. Buy some food, cook it, share it and enjoy it. Eat a meal.

Ally enjoys finding ways to live, eat and cook well. She blogs about this journey at chopchopandchange.blogspot.co.uk

CHEF DE PARTIES AND ABOVE ongoing temp & permanent roles

£9 - £15 per hour depending on chef level & experience

5 Star Hotels, Restaurants, Sports Events, VIP Catering and More Create buffet, canape receptions and lavish banquets for a large range of clients - from awards ceremonies to film premieres and Royal receptions.

Ltd Company & Self Employed welcome.

Apply to sarah@heatlondon.com or 0203 142 7117 www.heatlondon.com

Coffee Cult visits Tina, We Salute You in Dalston

By Alex Ivett Who amongst us hasn’t had that irreverent daydream, whilst chewing on an office biro and staring out the window, of quitting their job to open your own café. You’d spend your days chatting with locals, baking brownies and lazing in one of the many mismatching vintage sofas dotting your sun-filled yet cosy space.

Of course, in the dream, there wouldn’t be the years of planning, the huge financial investment and the stress of running a business with nothing more than year 11 business studies behind you. No, you’d just wake up one day and the café would be there, fitted out, run with military precision by a put-upon but passionate manager.

The only decision you’d have to make, besides which organic bakery to source your sourdough from, is choosing a café name. One which says, come on in – we are your welcome haven of relaxed sophistication, where the banana bread is always moist, the coffee never burnt and every newspaper from across the globe is available for your perusal.

A good name can define a café – it’s like a literary clue as to the experience the visitor is about to enjoy. And Tina, We Salute You does just that. It delivers exactly as the name promises.

The Craic Who is Tina? Why are we saluting her? Well, if Tina is the owner of this café, Coffee Cult is willing to stand to attention over the causal, laid-back, irreverent feel of this neighbourly corner café in the backstreets of otherwise offensively hip Dalston.

As a local it’s nice to feel there are still some establishments where drinks aren’t served in jam-jars and you don’t need to adhere to the double denim and flatcap dress code to get through the front door. With small tables dotting the footpath in the morning sun, and a single large room filled with an oversized soft leather couch and one communal table, Tina’s has that lounge room feel to it. A place you could come for hours, or minutes, and no one would judge you either way.

The Crucials What is it about some cafés that manage to put us to culinary shame just by taking a loose assortment of ingredients, and putting it on bread.

Despite the simplicity, they somehow serve up a version of what you can conceivably make yourself – only 10

times tastier.

Tina’s seems to have this downpat – with a menu heavy with things on toast – backed beans, poached eggs, sardines, or cinnamon, but additional touches which turn it from things on toast, into a meal. The avocado on toast is served on thick slices of delicious sourdough, with chilliflakes and a tangy squeeze of lime. Fresh, simple, perfect.

The Connection It’s around the corner from where Coffee Cult lives, and we’re Australian. Ok, not good enough.

Well, the barista is definitely Australian. And an artist recently featured on Tina’s walls was Australian. And Tina sounds like it is a name popular in 1970s Australia.

And… no, that’s sufficient.

The Conclusion The kind of café you would open for yourself, if you want to eat well, drink good coffee, and soak up the footpath sun for hours on end with your neighbourhood friends. Tina, Coffee Cult salutes you.

Tina, We Salute You 47 King Henry’s Walk London N1 4NH

Entertainment | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Bollywood brilliance

n

What’s involved in a Retro-Psyche-SurfBollywood band performance? GEORGIA DAWES gets set to head along to Aussie outfit The Bombay Royale with her dancing shoes to find out.

If Quentin Tarantino directed a Bollywood film set half on a beach and half at a late night disco with outrageous characters, colourful costumes and energetic dance moves then Aussie band The Bombay Royale would definitely be the stars of the movie, and the musicians behind the soundtrack.

Hailing from Melbourne, ten-piece band The Bombay Royale burst onto the music scene when band leader Skipper mourned the sad lack of RetroPsyche-Surf-Bollywood bands. The Bombay Royale tells Australian Times Skipper “transcribed and arranged a pile of old tunes from vintage Indian cinema and then sorted out a band of musical desperadoes who could make this dream come to life.”

“Pretty soon we were writing our own tunes based on the masala style of those old movies.”

Influenced by old Bollywood and Tollywood (Tamil) soundtracks from the 1960s and 1970s, The Bombay Royale takes extra inspiration from pioneering Indian composers from this era including RD Burman and Shankar Jaikishan. These artists took western music styles such as surf, funk and disco and fused them together with Indian folk music. At the time it completely shook up the foundations of Indian music.

Skipper, aka Andy Williamson, is the captain of the retro Bollywood pirate ship that is The Bombay Royale. His crew includes a group of bandits as well as an international lady of mystery.

“The Dacoits (bandits) were all hand selected by the Skipper for their varying criminal talents. The musicianband thing is actually a cover for an international smuggling ring,” says The Bombay Royale.

“The Tiger and the Mysterious Lady are secret agents sent to infiltrate the Skipper’s gang but the experience leads them to having various complicated romantic and dance-related issues.”

In true Bollywood fashion each member of The Bombay Royale dresses up as their cinematic alter-ego characters, wearing costumes from exquisite saris to ninja masks.

“At this stage our smuggling ring is nowhere near as lucrative as we’d imagined so sadly at this point we do not have any bespoke tailors in our employment,” they lament.

“The Skipper’s uniform came from an army surplus store in the Ukraine whilst the Mysterious Lady raided her Mum’s wardrobe while she was out shopping.”

The Bombay Royale’s debut album You Me Bullets Love features eight original tracks and two re-workings of near-forgotten Bollywood tracks. The complete album sounds like it would be the perfect soundtrack to a blockbuster Bollywood, ninja surfing film about two secret agents trying to infiltrate an international smuggling ring.

The tracks on their debut album are

ACADEMY MUSIC GROUP & SJM CONCERTS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE AGENCY GROUP PRESENT

beautifully sung in Hindi and Bengali, however listeners need not fear that they are singing anything obscene as they try and sing along with the band.

Lead singer, the Tiger, is said to have a sensitive soul and sings by drawing upon his own experiences as an idealistic young man growing up in the slums of East Camberwell.

“Our lyrics evoke the timeless themes of unrequited love, longing and premature hair loss,” says The Bombay Royale.

“Generally we steer clear of political statements, although our track “Give Me Back My Bunty Bunty” is a veiled critique of the Westminster system of democracy.”

After hitting the stage at the world renowned Glastonbury Festival, The Bombay Royale are ready to take on the rest of Europe with a string of shows in Germany, Denmark, Belgium and of course the UK. On 17 July crowds at The Village Underground in London will be treated to an explosive all singing, all dancing extravaganza with flamboyant theatrics, outrageous costumes and utterly irresistible dance moves.

With an emphasis on fusing music and dance with theatre and cinema in their live shows The Bombay Royale says: “The cinematic nature of our music creates fantastic theatrics for the stage.

“All the musicians have cinematic alter-egos that we imagine as characters in some crazy psychedelic 70s heist film.

We also use our own video projections to reinforce this cinematic aspect.”

Audiences coming to see The Bombay Royale are urged to bring their dancing shoes along as it is guaranteed that their live show will get every audience member burning holes in the floor with their dance moves.

“Dancing shoes are essential,” advises The Bombay Royale.

“And pants please.”

I bet there is a great story behind that last piece of advice.

When they are not working on their smuggling ring, I mean ‘performing’, in London The Bombay Royale plans to do what all Aussies here in London love doing.

“We will probably hang out in Australian themed pubs and drink our own god-awful beers,” they joke.

“No we’ll just put on our masks and tour the sights. We’ll just blend right in, I imagine.”

So, if you are looking for a bit of a change of scenery from the usual Australian themed pubs in London then you must check out Retro-Psyche-SurfBollywood band The Bombay Royale at The Village Underground on 17 July.

And be sure to wear pants.

The Bombay Royale are performing at The Village Underground on 17 July.

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER

WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER

BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE

OXFORD O2 ACADEMY

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER

MANCHESTER RITZ

BOURNEMOUTH O2 ACADEMY SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER

THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER

GLASGOW O2 ABC SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER

LONDON O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

SHEFFIELD LEADMILL

TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER

NORWICH WATERFRONT

BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY

MONDAY 28 OCTOBER

GIGSANDTOURS.COM / 0844 811 0051

8 | Entertainment

9 - 15 July 2013

See what we are following this week on

What’s On Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite 16 July @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire The Bombay Royale 17 July @The Village Underground Barry Gibb 3 Oct @ O2 Arena

Royal baby fever @brandonorlando_ When the #RoyalBaby is born, I expect a complete reenactment of 'Rafiki offering Simba' from the Palace with the 'Circle of Life' playing. @Daniel_Sloss 'Ugh, I already really hate the Royal Baby' really? You hate an unborn child? Just because of who it's parents are. How very big of you @guyadams Why is someone paying for #royalbaby to be a promoted hashtag? And who is that someone? Weird.

Cat Empire 20 Oct @ Brixton Academy Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 26 - 28 October @Hammersmith Apollo Amity Affliction 14 September @ Underworld

@MeganSaturday Surely Kim and Kanye naming their child North West paves the way for Kate and William to call theirs Legoland Windsor? #RoyalBaby @officialbhoy I guess the royal baby just went one knitted kangaroo down? #whatthe-!?

For full details...

Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes

...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

Sydney Children’s Choir to perform in London

By Courtney Greatrex THE internationally acclaimed Sydney Children’s Choir will be performing in London this July as part of their longest-ever International tour, Summer In Europe.

Consisting of 41 children between the ages of 11 and 15, the Choir will be performing at some of Europe’s most prestigious destinations, including St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. They will also head to the Polyfollia festival in Normandy, France.

The group will be in London on the weekend of the 19 and 20 July before heading back to Australia.

The youngsters will be travelling as professional musicians under the Artistic Direction of the Choir’s founder, Lyn Williams OAM. Ms Williams will be conducting the choir over the three-week tour.

She said: “The repertoire we have been rehearsing is vibrant and challenging and provides a platform to exhibit the voices of these fine young choristers.

I’m excited to share the work of Australian composers with choral and classical music fans in Europe.”

Miranda Ilchef, a 14-year-old

from Greenwich will be touring with Sydney Children’s Choir for the second time this year.

Eager to begin the tour, she said: “the thrill of singing to an appreciative audience in Westminster Abbey is an experience that I can hardly wait to share with my friends. I know that I will remember this tour for many years to come.”

The ‘Summer In Europe’ tour commences on the 25 June with a farewell performance in Sydney.

From 30 June – 20 July, the choir will be performing in Barcelona, Lyon, Normandy, Paris, Linselles and London.

The Choir have just produced their first digital EP titled Legends and Dreams. It is available for purchase on iTunes.

Maometto Secondo n

REVIEW | In choosing challenging and little-known opera Maometto Secondo, and Aussie mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup as Calbo, Garsington Opera’s bet has paid off.

PRESEntS

By Will Fitzgibbon

THE tHE BOMBAY ROYALE

Jaws had dropped to the floor after only a few minutes of the opening night of Maometto Secondo at Garsington Opera.

The rarely-performed Italian opera

by Gioachino Rossini, labelled a ‘masterwork’ following a US performance last year, demands extreme vocal versatility. The lead singers, including Australian mezzosoprano Caitlin Hulcup, were up to the challenge.

You could feel the packed Garsington audience will on the singers as they crafted their coloratura, rising up

and down in quick succession while controlling pitch and distinguishable diction. From oldest opera diehard to the numerous ingénues, the appreciative public made their wonder felt.

Maometto Secondo is a serious work; love-torn princesses swear on their mothers’ graves and stab themselves in the stomach for the good of the nation.

In the background, belligerent Turks and meek Venetian armies battle it out with terrifying sabres. But the tension provides a captivating backdrop to the music.

During the evening of 8 June and in media reviews ever since, few other Garsington singers have been as highly lauded as Hulcup. In a very convincing

London tour dates Friday 19 July, 1.15pm Lunchtime Recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, London Recital included in normal cathedral admission price, no booking required.

Friday 19 July, 5pm Evensong at Westminster Abbey. London free event, no booking required.

Saturday 20 July, 7pm Concert at St John’s Smith Square, London. Price: £18/£14/£9. Concession Price: Friends of SJSS 10% discount on pair of tickets.

Box Office: +44 (0) 20 7222 1061 or Sjss.org.uk. male bob, the former violinst with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, plays the role of Calbo, Princess Anna’s husband-to-be.

Hulcup’s major aria in the second act was greeted by applause so enthusiastic it was difficult to restart. Not content with one knock-out, Hulcup was also central to a wonderful trio featuring Hulcup, Princess Anna (Sian Davies) and Venetian King Paolo Erisoo (Paul Nilon).

If the musical delights were not enough, Garsington also brought good weather. Sun shone brightly through the Japanese pavilion - home to Garsington at Wormsley Estate, High Wycombe, for the past few years. It seemed that the combination of music and sylvan setting was so engrossing that few noticed the increasing chill.

In choosing a challenging and littleknown opera, Garsington’s bet has well and truly paid off.

Maometto Secondo is at Garsington Opera at Wormsley until 20 July. See Garsingtonopera.org for details.

First London show for Melbourne’s new sensation after their Glastonbury appearance

Wed 17 July Village Underground

tickets £10 WeGottickets • Seetickets villageunderground.co.uk 020 7422 7505 FInD US

2fortheroadproductions.com thebombayroyale.com

Caitlin Hulcup (Calbo) and Paul Nilon in Maometto Secondo at Garsington Opera (Image: Mike Hoban)

Travel | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

n

Homeless in Japan.

Two uncoordinated Queensland girls battle the infamous Hokkaido weather in a desperate attempt to get… anywhere.

By Alison Sault Picture this: Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. February 9, 2013. 0430.

Blizzard.

My travel companion and I are dragging our miserable behinds awake, hair askew and false eyelashes stuck in eyebrows. The thrill of the night before fading, we pack away our heels, curlers, our cute hats and makeup. The dizzying feeling of being fabulous in the ice bars is long gone as we knuckle down for a day of flat shoes, jeans and hard-core travel from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, to Tokyo and then up into our dream hostel in the middle of the Japanese Alps – by plane, train and hire car.

We’ve got one hell of a day ahead, but we’re experienced (hungover) travellers. So when we find ourselves at Sapporo airport being asked “Didn’t you get the email”, we looked at each other and blinked.

Email?

0605: I sit on the floor of Sapporo airport, surrounded by suitcases and backpacks while my friend argues with a man in a red uniform. We soon find out that our amazing morning effort was in vain; our flight has been cancelled and this guy is useless.

At this point in time they can’t even refund our money. Keep arguing.

0630: Still sitting on the floor and we’re beginning to start a trend.

Suddenly everyone follows and we all hit our phones, trying to out-book each other for the very last seats off this snow covered island.

0635: Hysterics kick in and we giggle. Insanely. The only option left is a train and we hate trains.

0640: We become those foreign travellers that every native hates.

Suitcases rolling at breakneck speeds, backpacks clearing a path behind us, we hustle to the JR Ticket Office. A man behind the counter dies a little inside at the prospect of having to deal with two foreign girls first thing without his morning coffee.

0700: We depart with a handful of tickets and instructions burnt into our minds. The worst part of everything is over. We have direction; a way off this blizzard riddled island. Life’s good!

0850: Station in the middle of nowhere. We take a moment to sit on the plastic chairs and study our tickets. Here we have a fifty minute wait, yet at the next stop we have exactly two minutes to change trains.

Silently we vow that’s open season; only the strongest survive a two minute changeover.

0855: I come back from the bathroom to find my friend grinning oddly. Worried for her sanity I ask what’s so funny. She kindly points out that we won’t make it into Tokyo until after 8pm and that our accommodation is a further eight

hours travel away.

0900: Sometimes the only thing you can do at 9am is crack open a local beer and smile creepily at the station attendant.

0910: Feeling better with beer, we hit the phones to try and find

somewhere to stay in Tokyo instead of trying to make our final destination of Hida-Takayama. This doesn’t go well and before long we need to abandon the public telephone that has clearly time travelled here from the 70’s and head back to the freezing

platform.

0930: We both stare at the speaker that crackles to life 5 minutes after the train was due. Why yes, clearly the train is late, thank you for telling us. We wait like ice sculptures, neither game to mention that our

10 | Travel

9 - 15 July 2013

subsequent two minute change over at the following station is blown.

1510: It’s crush or be crushed at Hakodate-eki!

It’s here that we take a Korean-American under our disorganized wing. The station attendant happily lumps our ragtag group of foreigners together and puts our seats at the front of a carriage – in the naughty corner – so we can stare at the driver’s door.

1600: Provisions low. Cabin fever setting in. Is there a bar on this elephant? Wait, where are we again? We dub our new companion ‘Tae-Alfred’.

1815: Tae-Alfred helps us at the next changeover, but eventually questions our excessive amount of luggage, which we now refer to as ‘baggage’, said with a French accent. When my friend answers that it’s “for all the handbags”, he looks confused. She clears it up for him, “The handbags go with the shoes, of course.”

2100: Residential status: still homeless. State of mind: slightly intoxicated. Tae-Alfred is napping, most likely to drown out the sound of our chattering.

We’re in love with the Refreshment Cart: booze on wheels.

2245: Tokyo! Kiss the ground. We part ways with Tae-Alfred and scrape together our 100¥ pieces like precious food coupons before seeking a pay phone.

After the shambles of the day we finally find a hotel.

Crisis averted! Too tired to celebrate.

2323: We’re out of the final station and never catching a train again (until morning as we could only book one night). Hotel sign in sight, we could almost jump for joy.

2326: Defeated! The salt in our travel wounds is the magnificent visage of a flight of regal red stairs at our hotel entrance. They stand between us and reception, but there is a trolley of cardboard next door that looks warm, and we do have enough scarves to make a shanty town.

Author’s note: Needless to say, we finally made it up those stairs and the rest of the 21 day trip continued in much the same way. Funny thing is that month’s later and looking back on it there isn’t a single thing I’d change. Sometimes the best laid plans fall apart and sometimes that can be the best thing to ever happen; to you, to your trip and to your view of the world.

21

Be the next great travel writer Alison is the winner of our Topdeck Great Travel Writer competition for June. We’ll be sending Alison a £250 travel voucher from our good friends at Topdeck. Go to Australiantimes.co.uk/travel and submit your entries for July now!

Travel | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

By Alex Ivett

Europe Summer 20% OFF

European Emperor 21 August 2013

WAS £1415 NOW

North America

EuroClub

European Getaway WAS £1465 NOW

17 & 24 August 2013

WAS £720 NOW

9 August 2013

£608

Includes £270 Food Fund

Visit 6 countries including France, Switzerland, Italy & Germany

Visit 10 countries including France, Italy, Austria & the Czech Republic

28 July 2013

31 August 2013

WAS £680

NOW

NOW

£1611

Visits New York, New Orleans, Monument Valley and Vegas

£591

Visits LA, Grand Canyon & Vegas

La Tomatina

Morocco Moroccan Explorer 26 July & 2 August 2013

NOW

WAS £605

£556

FROM

4 DAY TRIP

10 DAY

10% OFF

£544

Visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, Fethiye, Troy & Gallipoli

La Tomatina, Valencia, Spain

£189

PER PERSON Favourite Big Tour Operator Favourite Ski/Winter Operator

26-29 August 2013

3/4* Hotels

Favourite Tour Operator in Western Europe

Includes £110 Local Payment Visits Marrakech, Rabat, and Fes

8 DAY

Sahara Adventure 30 August 2013

WAS £605

£531

15% OFF

Includes £110 Local Payment A truly Moroccan Sahara experience

20% OFF 4 DAY PAMPLONA CENTRAL APARTMENTS Closing Ceremony (Make Your Own Way) Pamplona to Pamplona 12-15th July 2013

www.topdeck.travel L8291 / Y2992

£208

Call 0845 257 5210 Open 8am-9pm

TOPDECK 1973

2013

EBR

A

RS

NOW

WAS £259

CEL

See Generatorhostels.com for information

WAS £695

NOW

• Generator has 8 stylish urban design hostels across Europe which are designed to enable guests to meet new people and explore Europe in comfort and style.

• A one night break at the Generator Copenhagen hostel starts from £12 pp per night staying in a dorm room. Private en-suite twin hostel rooms start from £24.50 pp per night.

• Generator has free Wi-Fi, a funky bar area open from 6-12pm weekdays and until 2am on weekends, a huge 24 hour lounge area, and an outdoor terrace to soak up the sun.

• It is located in the city centre, near Kogens Nytorv and a few minutes walking distance from the major shopping district of Strøget and all the city's main attractions.

Turkey Explored

California Calling – LA to San Fran

WAS £1895

Explorer

12 DAY

NOW

19 July 2013

£1226

Includes £160 Food Fund

15% OFF 7 DAY

EuroClub

20 DAY

European Express

Coast to Coast - NYC to LA

£1132

Visit 6 countries including France, Switzerland, Spain & Italy

11 DAY

20 DAY

EuroHotel

13 DAY

AT I N G 4 0 Y E

*Terms and conditions apply. Prices quoted are for specific departures only. All trips subject to availability. Discounts are off the base trip price only, and do not apply to food funds and local payments. Flights not included. For full terms and conditions please visit www.topdeck.travel

12 | Travel

9 - 15 July 2013

Jazzhus Montmartre Store Regnegade 19A

Amalienborg 1257 København K

The Round Tower Købmagergade 52A

Danish Museum of Art & Design Bredgade 68

Torvenhallerne (food hall) Frederiksborggade 21 Geist Kogens Nytorv 8

Hay House Østergade 61 Paludan Bogcafe Fiolstræde 10

*

*Trips for 18yo and over

Professional Life | 13

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Dollar Review

US job data piles more pressure on Aussie dollar

By Jaco Herselman

Thinking of moving?

For more information:

+44 (0) 844 272 6731 Professional, affordable vehicle shipping services to Australia with First Base Freight. info@firstbasefreight.com Reliable, specialist Taking care of your every need. company on your doorstep!

Australia! MOT your system > SEPI ROSHAN

The Australian Labor party’s shakeup is a prime example of a system needing attention - in English terms, its due for an MOT. The latest leadership ousting of Julia Gillard by off-again, on-again Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, has left Australians wondering what the objectives of our politicians are and how this internal wrangling benefits the country. Like the unfolding of a reality TV show, Australia’s political system, where leaders are judged on personality, race, religion or gender rather than policies, is producing apathy and at worst, a destructive precedent about how democracy operates. Is the current shenanigans in the Australian parliament an unhealthy system gone out of hand?

Over the last three articles in Professional Life, I have been exploring systems, our contribution to them and the importance of understanding the systems we work and live in. Despite the events in Canberra, seeming far away and inconsequential, their effects are not.

Where once we talked of six degrees of separation, today this has halved to three degrees. If nothing else, these recent events raise questions about what leadership means, how our future leaders will choose to act and where Australian society is heading.

For example, will that teenager who aspired to be a female prime minster be dissuaded from entering into Australian politics? How will political instability and public apathy affect the way in which Australia’s political system functions? How are Australians being viewed by the rest of the world and how will people react to us?

Healthy systems evolve to cope with changing environments for the benefit of everyone, taking advantage of opportunities for mutual benefit. Unhealthy systems benefit no-one in the long run.

Without understanding these systems, we react in limited ways and produce suboptimal consequences and cause unnecessary stress and pain. Not being aware of living within a system or that it is taking a turn for the worst, can affect our perceptions of our world and the choices we think we have. Develop your awareness by asking yourself three vital questions:

How does the system operate?

Understanding how the system functions requires brutal honesty.

Take a step back. Objectively assess the system – this means no judgement or blame about any failure. Consider what you might notice if you were looking at someone else’s or another system.

An objective assessment can also help you identify unintended behavioural implications and unconscious biases. For example, providing extra scrutiny on someone because of their gender, race or religion may discourage others from undertaking particular roles – no matter how important their contribution could be.

With understanding comes the ability to rectify what is not working and strengthen what is.

On Friday the US unemployment data showed higher job growth rate with 195,000 jobs created in June compared to the 166,000 predicted. This which caused the AUD to slump to 90.51 US cents on Saturday morning.

According to Westpac New Zealand senior market strategist Imre Speizer, the AUD could fall below 90 US cents for the first time since September 2010 during the coming week.

Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 1.643 EUR/AUD: 1.415 USD/AUD: 1.103 NZD/AUD: 0.853 08:50 GMT, 8 July 2013

Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to or from Australia then please register/login on our website, or call us on 0808 141 2335 for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alert when the Australian exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.

What does a healthy system look like?

In a perfect world, how would the system function? By identifying a “best case scenario” that provides mutual benefit, we have something to aspire to. Without a benchmark, we are walking in a wilderness and positive change will be difficult to achieve

GAIN A PROFESSIONAL EDGE FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS Sable offers an impressive portfolio of professional services. We have over 25 years of experience advising individuals, contractors and small businesses who have international interests and connections.

What needs to change?

It is rare that a system needs to be completely reinvented. In most cases, small adjustments can produce exponentially positive impacts. It is important to be specific. One way to identify changes is to ask: “What would happen if the system continues as is? Then what will happen? Drilling down helps identify where the focus needs to be, to restore the system back to health.

We cannot change what we are not aware of. Developing awareness of the systems we are operating in can help us make positive change.

Maybe recent events in Australian politics are a result of people being unaware of systems theory. To develop healthy systems, the first step is admitting there is a problem or that something is not working – sometimes the hardest part of all.

Then, identify a best case scenario and go for it. Healthy systems mean healthy organisations and societies - not a bad idea.

Sepi Roshan is Business Editor of Australian Times, and Director of Astute Coaching & Development, helping Professionals become earless presenters and leaders.

Find out more at astutecd.com.

Get More Jobs & Money

AustralianTimes.co.uk/jobs-money

sable services Accounting Tax Wealth OFFSHORE Foreign Exchange Law Immigration

Sable Group

Castlewood House 77/91 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1DG t: +44 (0) 845 094 3990 info@sable-group.com www.sable-group.com

Sable is a group of professional service companies.

Sable Accounting Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number 03517738.

Sable Private Wealth Management Limited is registered in England & Wales, number 04305265, Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Visit: AustralianTimes.co.uk/move-to-australia

In association with 44057

an astute aussie in london

THE movement of the Australian dollar during the past week was largely influenced by two pieces of news: the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 2 July cash rate decision and the 5 July US unemployment figures.

Recently, the Aussie dollar has been under pressure due to fears that the US might cut back on its program of quantitate easing, a decision highly dependent on the US unemployment rate.

Last Tuesday the RBA announced that interest rates would remain unchanged for the time being.

However, future rates cuts remain a real possibility. The AUD weakened on the back of this news. According to Tim Waterer, a foreign exchange dealer at CMC Markets, traders were factoring in the increased likelihood of another rate cut this year based on the RBA’s statement.

Midweek, negative news from Greece and political uncertainty in Egypt fuelled risk aversion which caused EM currencies to weaken against the USD.

www.sable-group.com

14 | Sport

9 - 15 July 2013

Ashes hopes rests in fielding, says Waugh

World Club 7s Rugby announce three pools tournament PREMIERSHIP Rugby have confirmed the 12 teams in the inaugural World Club 7s will be split into three pools with a series of mouth-watering clashes set to light up Twickenham on 17 and 18 August.

The stellar cast of teams from across the globe will all compete on day one, Saturday 17 August, before being divided into three Cup competitions on day two, Sunday 18 August, mirroring elite 7s tournaments around the world.

The pool allocation draw has kept the English, Australian, American, Russian and South African sides apart on day one.

“I am delighted that we have been able to assemble a who’s who of world rugby for the World Club 7s,” said Phil Winstanley, the Rugby Director at Premiership Rugby.

“This will be a truly elite event as the rugby world builds towards the return of rugby into the Olympics in 2016.

“You can already see the potential for some unforgettable clashes at Twickenham and that’s before we get into day two when the different cup competitions will unfold.”

Pool A

Winner of J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s Series VVA Moscow New York DHL Western Province

Pool B

Buenos Aires Northampton Saints San Francisco Vodacom Blue Bulls

Pool C

ACT Brumbies Auckland Harlequins Kuban Krasnador

Tickets for the World Club 7s are now on sale at Ticketmaster.co.uk.

A Special 2 for 1 weekend ticket offer is available.

At the conclusion of the Pool matches, the teams in each Pool will be ranked 1 to 4. The top two from each of the three Pools will qualify automatically for the Cup Quarter-Finals and the remaining two Cup Quarter-Final places will be given to the two highest ranked third placed teams from the three pools.

The teams placed 9 to 12 following the Pool matches will play in the Shield.

THE NRL IS BACK & IT’S BIGGER THAN EVER EVERY GAME

EVERY ROUND

FROM INCLUDING THE GRAND FINAL

STATE OF ORIGIN

LIVE & EXCLUSIVE

PLUS 32 GAMES FROM

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS SUBSCRIBE NOW

0871 663 9000 PREMIERSPORTS.TV SKY CHANNEL 428 CALLS COST 10P PER MINUTE ON THE BT NETWORK, CALLS FROM OTHER CARRIERS AND MOBILES MAY VARY. TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY.

AUSTRALIA’S spirits, both of the cricket team and the nation at large, have been buoyed by the appointment of Darren Lehmann as coach just in time for the Ashes, commencing this week.

The players appear to have immediately rallied under ‘Boof’.

Homeworkgate and Walkaboutgate behind them, the measure of the team’s form is once again being taken on the field. Performances with bat and ball in the two warm up games have raised the team’s morale and the country’s expectations However, former Test star Mark Waugh fears Australia’s hopes and any advantage of its bowling attack over England this Ashes series could be negated by poor standards in the field.

One of the finest catchers cricket has seen, Waugh says the current Australian team is largely bereft of outstanding fieldsmen and that sloppiness of skill and attitude could prove costly in the crucial moments.

Brought up on the Bob Simpson philosophy that fielding prowess can lay the platform for a team’s success, Waugh believes the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey has accelerated Australia losing a skill they’ve dominated for decades.

If England batting heavyweights Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen are given lives, then the urn is also likely to slip through Australia’s fingers.

“There’s some steady fieldsmen but I think at the moment, David Warner is a very good outfielder, obviously Michael Clarke is a very good

catcher and Shane Watson’s not too bad,” Waugh said.

“But you take those guys out. Who do you say is really an outstanding fieldsman? There’s not too many around at the moment.

“We’ve got to take our catches.

We’ve lost Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting out of the slips and gully region in the last year so that’s going to be a big hole to fill.

“When you’re playing a good team and the bowlers are creating the chances, especially in the slips, you’ve got to take the regulation catches but you’ve got to take those half chances as well.”

Australia has been criticised for losing its swagger in recent years and Waugh said putting a greater emphasis on fielding was one way of getting that back.

He said the Australian teams he played in were capable of intimidating opposition sides, by holding catches and throwing everything at saving runs.

Sloppy performances can draw attention to the mental weakness of a team.

“Fielding definitely lifts your team and it’s a good sign of the character of a team how well you field,” Waugh said.

“If the fielding gets sloppy it filters through to the rest of the game.

“The body language and the energy it brings to the whole scenario is pretty important.

“When there’s players miss-fielding the whole atmosphere drops in the

CATCHES CAN WIN MATCHES: Michael Clarke and his men will need to hold on to every chance if they want to hold on to the urn once more. (AAP Image/Dale Cumming) team.”

New Australian coach Darren Lehmann says he’s emphasising the importance of perfection in the leadup to the first Test at Trent Bridge starting on Wednesday.

“One of the things we can control is how we field,” Lehmann said.

“We’ve got to field well. We know we’ve got to take every opportunity.

“There’s not too many games you lose if you take every opportunity that comes your way.”

With Ben Horne and AAP

Whitlock loses European darts final AUSTRALIA’S Simon Whitlock has failed to defend his European darts title after losing to Englishman Adrian Lewis in Sunday's championship final.

The 44-year-old couldn't keep up with two-time world champion Lewis, who powered to an 11-6 victory in Mulheim, Germany.

Lewis took control early in the piece, winning five legs in a row to move 6-1 ahead of Whitlock.

With an average of over 100 for every three darts, Lewis clinched the trophy with a double five finish.

Whitlock, who won his maiden European championship in 2012, was less-than-happy with the result but

praised his opponent's efforts.

"Thanks for all the amazing support. It has been a weekend to remember. Would've loved to have held on to the title but well done @ jackpot180," he tweeted on Monday.

Whitlock began the day in fine form, knocking off Belgian Ronny Huybrechts 11-7 in his semi-final. - AAP

Get In2Touch with O2 Touch summer leagues With the sun shining across the great capital of London, who could think of a better way to kick off our hot summer season of Touch. This past week has seen many of the local parks and pitches across London adorned with the skills, speed and stamina of our many social and competitive O2 Touch players.

With many of the spring league teams returning to either defend or win back that sought after title, this season is set to surely be a big one.

With a lot of fresh faces joining though, will the champion regulars be able to hold down last season’s wins, or will new teams be a force to be reckoned with?

Stepping onto the pitch, with an eight week goal for gold in mind, the grading games this week have been second to none. With all newcomers immersing themselves into the touch lingo of “dumping”, “going down” and not “over-stepping”, it has been great to see everyone turn up with a winning attitude and putting in 100% effort.

The atmosphere across all of the venues has really been one of encouragement and understanding as everyone has been willing to lend a little bit of Touch knowledge.

With the chance to finally breathe in that fresh summer air we have all craved for so long, Touch Rugby creates the perfect combination of

being outdoors, working out and socialising.

Working a wide variety of muscle groups through an excellent cardiovascular workout, this great sport is excellent for getting that great summer workout we are all in search of (without even knowing you’re exercising!).

Similar to the skills utilised in Rugby Union or Rugby League, Touch creates the perfect environment for a non-tackling version of these two sports. Played on grass and astro pitches, this all year round sport is easily accessible as all that is required is simply a Touch Rugby ball, a keen attitude and a willingness to learn. So no matter your fitness level, age or gender, Touch is a sport that can be enjoyed

by all.

With 16 venues around England from Clapham Common and Regents Park to St Albans and Manchester, with over 600 teams playing in the London leagues alone and over 1,000 teams playing country wide, this growing sport is taking the nation by storm.

For more information or if you would like to register for an O2 Touch league or competition, go to In2touch.com/uk or e-mail info@ in2touch.com.

Get More Sport

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Sport | 15

AustralianTimes.co.uk

THE

Round 15

By Will Denton

“You okay, mate? I’m gone I reckon,” Steve inquired.

“Yeah, just give us a minute, she’ll be right,” Bruce responded as he rolled over, only to fall asleep quicker than you could say ‘AOD – 9604’.

It’s a Sunday night, and the boys bodies are struggling to come to grips with the events of the past 72 hours. These two represent a majority of the football public as normal AFL programming is resumed. Chuck in a meaningless rugby test, some fleeting tennis and a bit of bike riding up a few hills and the ‘Perfect Storm of Sport’ overwhelmed most of us. Seriously, a recovery beach session for about three months may be required to get over this one. It was a genuine blockbuster of a round; we had pretty much everything covered.

The only thing missing was maybe the usual Kangaroos 2013 choke.

Nup, they manage to get it together, play 4 quarters of football and grind out a great victory. Something their opponents were supposed to do.

Richmond. If ‘disappointment’ was an Olympic sport, the rules would’ve been changed about 15 years ago to prevent them from winning gold. As Jack Reiwoldt was busy practicing his interpretive

RUBDOWN dance in the goal square, the Tiger Army got reminded once again of that nauseas feeling that a yellow and black shocker can only produce.

For some reason, Carlton went into Friday night against the Pies as favourites. This was about as misguided as a tour of Princes Park

by Mick Malthouse. The Blues were okay for a little bit, but as sure as night follows day, the Blues wilted like a Milk Arrowroot dunked in Bushells. Collingwood fans were pretty happy with the win and celebrated by ordering five thousand pizzas from Lygon Street without leaving a contact number.

If the GWS were ever gonna win a game this year, it was this week, however the Dogs were hell-bent on remaining the second worst team in the league and snuck home by a couple. Brisbane thankfully walked the walk as they overcome a Gazza-less Suns outfit, however Jonathon Brown’s three-quarter time ad-lib Manpower audition took the limelight. Great rig. The Eagles slim finals hopes remain in tact as they snatched a thrilling win over Crows.

This depends on two things. They win more games and the Bombers are stripped of premiership points.

Seriously, the latter scenario is all the rage with experts, however Essendon is maintaining the’ fingers in ears –lalala’ approach. Finally, the Curse lives. Just what or who did the cats do to make it eleven in a row over the Hawks? Science can only answer so much.

Bachar Houli confident in Tigers and Islamic footy

...continued from p16 ANZ Stadium but could do little to stop the Maroons as they chalked up a 16-10 win to claim win the series 2-1.

Pearce openly admits he was nowhere near ready for that baptism of fire.

But five years on and being part of a Roosters side that sits in second spot on the NRL ladder, he feels he has the confidence to prove his critics wrong on July 17 and end Queensland’s seven years of dominance.

“It was all a bit of a blur, I was called in because there were a couple of injuries ... it was all a bit surprising but you are not going to say no,” Pearce said.

“It was one of my proudest moments.

But I was so young I was just happy to be there.

“But when you are that age you are cocky and confident and you think ‘it’s awesome I can go good’ but in hindsight I wasn’t ready.”

No player seems to polarise opinion more than Pearce among NSW fans and with South Sydney’s Adam Reynolds breathing down his neck, the pressure’s on the 24-year-old.

However, he says his form for the Roosters is as good as any halfback in the NRL but he needs to transfer that to the Origin arena.

“After these games everyone marks you out as being hopeless but I feel I have been playing very well for the Roosters,” he said.

“I came out of the second Origin and have put on two big performances.

“But I am not naive enough to know that I’ve had the honour and the

Mitchell Pearce determined to make amends in Origin III

TIME OF HIS LIFE: Mitchell Pearce celebrates the Blues’ win over Queensland in Game I of the 2013 State of Origin series before losing Game II. (AAP Image/Paul Miller) privilege of being trusted to get a result for this team and we haven’t won so far.

“If things don’t go to plan they may look somewhere else.”

As for the criticism levelled at him after the defeat in game two in Brisbane, Pearce said he can’t and doesn’t let it affect him.

“It’s the best time of your life Origin, but it’s very draining the whole period.

But you have to embrace it.

“Opinions are like arseholes everybody has got one and that is just

Worst day all season, says Porte ...continued from p16 But he lost contact on the second climb of the ninth stage - won by Garmin’s Irish rider Dan Martin - and never regained the lead group.

“Yesterday was my day but today was probably the worst day I have had on a bike all season,” Porte said after the finish.

“There are still another two weeks of the Tour so I will look forward to moving on.”

Porte praised Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde who moved up to second on

the general classification (GC).

“He attacked so early and it takes a fair set of swingers to do that.

“It was a hard day for everybody.”

Sky workhorse Vasil Kiryienka missed the time cut on Sunday, meaning Porte will be even more vital when the Tour enters the Alps next week.

BMC’s Evans finished sixth on the stage alongside the main GC contenders despite having to chase back on after a mechanical on the second climb.

It was a good recovery given on Saturday he lost over four minutes to Froome in what he claimed was his

the way the world is.

“This is the pinnacle of rugby league - you are going to hear a thousand different opinions.

“There’s no doubt no one likes getting grilled. But I don’t waste my time sitting there on forums worrying about what people write.

“That’s why we get paid good money to play. But I know with a win next Wednesday means all of that changes.”

By Ian McCullough is Sydney “worst day at the Tour while healthy”.

“A much better day,” Evans said after the ninth stage.

“You always have to keep your hopes alive. Quitting is not an option right now.”

The 36-year-old said Sunday was “bizarre” and he was surprised to see Sky struggle so much. Evans now sits 16th at 4:36 back.

Canberra’s Michael Rogers rode solidly in support of Saxo-Tinkoff leader Alberto Contador and finished the day 18th on GC at 6:14.

Fellow Australian Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) went on the attack on the penultimate climb up the Col de Val Louron-Azet in pursuit of polkadot jersey points. - AAP

Aussies to take on Ireland’s best

By Phillip Browne

(AAP Image/Dave Crosling)

...continued from p16 the NFL and USA Swimming - to be presented in Philadelphia from September 9 to 11.

A Muslim and a multicultural ambassador for his sport, Houli goes into this weekend’s AFL multicultural round confident it can be a watershed weekend for the Tigers.

He believes the 62-point defeat by North Melbourne to end the Tigers’ four-match winning streak was a temporary setback.

“We just lacked intensity at times.

These things happen in football,” Houli said.

“What happened on the weekend is past and we’ve got a massive challenge again this week against the Gold Coast.

“When you win four or five in a row, and you drop one, it’s generally does mean it’s a wake-up call.”

Houli, a late withdrawal from

the North match with hamstring soreness, is confident he will be fit to play against the Suns in Cairns on Saturday.

Houli was among those to launch the multicultural round in Melbourne on Monday.

He believes despite some recent controversy around fan-driven racist comments directed at players, the game itself has enthusiastically embraced those from non-Australian backgrounds. “(Some people) think this game’s a racist game. That’s not the case,” Houli said.

“The doors have been opened.”

Houli’s program incorporates the Bachar Houli Cup for Islamic schools played during the multicultural round, and the Bachar Houli Academy - an elite program for 14 to 16 year olds from the Islamic community.

By Guy Hand in Melbourne

WITH summer now well and truly here, the London tag rugby community are looking to heat up the pitches across the Irish Sea in Limerick on Saturday 13 July for the 12th annual Pig ‘n’ Porter Tag Rugby Festival. It is the world’s biggest tag rugby festival, with 120 teams set to take part.

The London tag rugby community will have six teams representing the UK at the Pig ‘n’ Porter Tag Rugby Festival – Try Tag Rugby All Stars (A and C grade teams), Hail Mary’s, The Chargers, The Lollabies and Tumeke.

There are a host of Aussie players amongst these teams.

The Try Tag Rugby All Stars A grade team includes Aussies Mark Lee and Phil Collett, amongst a host of local talent. The pair are Australian Tag Rugby 2012 World Cup representatives and will no doubt add plenty of talent and experience to the team.

The Chargers are last year’s Pig ‘n’ Porter champions and are looking to defend their title. They may face

a challenge from Tumeke, who have been the in-form London team this year. Tumeke won the recent Hog ‘n’ Ale Tag Rugby Festival in May and the Rugby Rock’s Richmond Tag Rugby Festival in June. All London teams know that they will have to get past a host of talented Irish sides before they think about lifting the prestigious trophy.

On Friday 12 July Great Britain will take on Ireland in a three match International series on the eve of the Pig ‘n’ Porter Tag Rugby Festival in Limerick. The series has attracted plenty of local interest and up to 1,000 spectators are expected to turn out in support.

Great Britain will feature the following Aussies who qualify via heritage, citizenship or residency: Jay Beare, Emma Becker, Jodie Bijorac, Mark Lee and Phoebe Robins.

Meanwhile, Try Tag Rugby’s summer leagues commenced from 25 June onwards at 15 venues across London and Reading. It’s still not too late to join some leagues as limited space is still available.

The competitions cater for all

Can the Chargers of London defend their 2012 Pig 'n' Porter Tag Rugby Festival title? standards of players with divisions including beginner, intermediate, A grade and for the ultra competitive, super league.

Leagues are taking place at Acton, Balham, Borough, Canada Water, East London RFC, Finsbury Park, Fulham, Highbury, Hoxton, Reading, Richmond, Shoreditch Park, Southfields (Wimbledon Park) and Wandsworth Town.

If you would like to register for a Try Tag Rugby summer competition, go to www.trytagrugby.com or email info@ trytagrugby.com for more details.

THE

RUBDOWN

A perfect storm of sport

LEHMANN AND MCKENZIE FACE SImilAR CHALLENGE

P15

SPORT Pearce ready to silence State of Origin doubters

HE’S heard the criticism and knows defeat in the State of Origin decider will end his hold on the NSW halfback spot, but Mitchell Pearce is ready to silence the doubters and lead the Blues to victory.

Pearce is one of just three players in the current side who were part of the team that last had the chance to win a series on home soil in 2008.

The playmaker was a fresh-faced 19-year-old thrown into the deep end

by NSW coach Craig Bellamy at

n

Australian rugby can hope to mirror cricket’s much-needed new feelgood factor with Ewen McKenzie set to take over as Wallabies coach, replacing Robbie Deans.

...continued on p15

AFL is not racist, says Bachar Houli

By Neil Harvey THE parallels between the Wallabies and the Australian cricket team are striking.

Cricket Australia punted foreign national team coach Mickey Arthur and replaced him with rising Australian mentor Darren Lehmann after disappointing results were exacerbated by player behaviour issues - David Warner’s punch and the Homeworkgate affair - raising concerns about team culture.

As Australian Times went to press, Australian Rugby Union was set to announce its axing of New Zealander Robbie Deans and replacing him with wellcredentialled local Ewen McKenzie in the wake of the blowout Lions series decider defeat after a tenure marked by off-field discipline problems involving Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor and outspoken Quade Cooper.

The cricket team bounced back with their first win in months and appeared a more unified camp following the well-received appointment of Lehmann just weeks before the Ashes series which commences on Wednesday.

Lehmann moved quickly to reassure a public disillusioned by rotation policy selection and to reassure star allrounder Shane Watson, who’d had his issues with Arthur after giving up the vice-captaincy in the wake of his Homeworkgate Test suspension.

McKenzie could expect widespread public support

Ewan McKenzie (by Dave Hunt)

initially from fans who crave the attacking style he brought to the Queensland Reds and he would doubtless reinstall his mercurial Reds playmaker Cooper, who hasn’t played for the Wallabies since describing the team set up under Deans as toxic.

A Fairfax Media public opinion poll on who should coach the Wallabies was running overwhelmingly in his favour ahead of Deans and the Brumbies’ South African mentor Jake White on Monday.

Of course public opinion can soon change, foreign coach or not, and the proof lies ultimately in results.

Those are no given for either Lehmann, heading into back-toback Ashes series, or McKenzie, who must overcome Deans’ nemesis the All Blacks and win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in a decade.

Get More Sport

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

CAN WE WIN THE URN?

To regain the Ashes we must regain our swagger in the field, says Waugh | P14

BATTLE FOR THE ASHES: The 130 year old contest for the mythical contents of the little brown urn resumes on Wednesday at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

RICHMOND’S Bachar Houli hopes he won’t be attending an international sporting ceremony in September in which he is shortlisted to win a major award.

He remains confident his AFL team will be playing in finals then, despite their meltdown against North Melbourne at the weekend which has shaken some of the optimism around the Tigers.

Houli’s Islamic Australian rules program has been shortlisted for a Beyond Sport Award - against international challengers such as ...continued on p15

Richie Porte Tour hopes dashed in his “worst day”

THERE was a reversal of fortunes for the top Australian riders at the Tour on Sunday with Cadel Evans recovering from his worst-ever day but Richie Porte plummeting from second to 33rd overall.

Porte’s Sky teammate Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey but the Tasmanian paid for his brilliant performance on Saturday, finishing almost 18 minutes down on the road to Bagneres-de-Bigorre in the Pyrenees.

Sky had been hoping Porte, 28, would be able to finish on the podium in Paris alongside the race favourite. ...continued on p15