Australian Times weekly newspaper | 10 January 2012

10 January - 16 January 2012– Issue: 394

English cuisine

Is it really that bad?

ENTERTAINMENT P6

Slapping it on thick Jonothan LaPaglia talks Aussie culture ENTERTAINMENT P7

Sunrise in the Sahara Explore the wonders of Morocco TRAVEL P8

DETAINED AUSSIE WHALING ACTIVISTS ON HUNGER STRIKE n

Australian protesters commence hunger strike while held on Japanese whaling vessel, sparking diplomatic incident. Greens leader Brown hails trio as “heroes”.

THE three Australian activists being held on a Japanese whaling security vessel are on a hunger strike, with an environmental group saying this was the plan all along.

Geoffrey Tuxworth from Perth, Simon Peterffy from Bunbury and Glen Pendlebury from Fremantle, all from the group Forest Rescue Australia, boarded the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2 on Sunday off the southwest coast of Western Australia.

They have been detained by the Japanese ship’s crew and could be taken to Tokyo to face piracy and trespass charges.

Consular officials were attempting to make contact with the men, according to Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon who said on Monday the government’s priority was to ensure the safe return to Australia of the trio.

However, she conceded the protesters’ fate was uncertain because the incident has taken place outside of Australian territorial waters.

“Because it was only in our exclusive economic zone, that doesn’t give us automatic rights to assert Australian law,” Roxon told ABC Radio.

“In fact, the clearest advice that we have is that Japanese law would be likely to apply.”

Forest Rescue Australia spokesman Rowan Davidson said on Monday the three men were now on a hunger strike.

“That was the plan all along, that they would go on board and be on a hunger strike,” Mr Davidson said.

“What is making it difficult is that Simon has high cholesterol and does not have his medication with him.

Hopping mad for AUSSIE MANGOES

Why London’s gone a little bit fruity | P4 “Glen also has ADHD and didn’t bring his medication with him either.”

Mr Davidson said the trio had hoped the Japanese vessel would return the men to Australian shores.

Errol Tuxworth said his son Geoffrey, 47, had called his parents on Saturday and told them he and two other men were going out to sea to protest against whaling.

However, Mr Tuxworth said he had no idea his son planned to protest by boarding the vessel.

He is pleading with the federal government to help rescue his son but says he has received very little communication.

“We’ve been trying to talk to the government but we can’t really do anything more for him,” he said.

Mr Tuxworth said he knew his son had his mobile phone with him when he went out to sea.

“We tried to ring him but he didn’t answer,” Mr Tuxworth said.

“But it wasn’t switched off, so I think they must have taken it off him.”

Mr Tuxworth said his son was an ...continued on p3

Bligh recalls Queensland’s darkest hours

Political leadership was tested last year in Queensland’s darkest hours, Premier Anna Bligh says.

Ms Bligh, on the eve of the anniversary of Queensland’s deadliest floods, visited Toowoomba where she unveiled a memorial plaque in the centre of town.

“This time last year were among some of Queensland’s darkest hours,” she told reporters on Monday.

“For many of us there were times when we were overwhelmed and we thought we would never recover ... but we have seen an incredible level of community strength and community spirit.”

Ms Bligh, who entered Queensland politics in 1995 and became premier in 2007, heard first hand on Monday about the lengths to which some Toowoomba business owners went to rebuild after a flood described as an inland tsunami destroyed their livelihoods on January 10 last year.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that the disasters of 2011 were one of the greatest tests for our state,” she told reporters.

“It tested us as individuals; it tested us as families and communities.

“And it tested the leadership: it tested the mayors and councils.

“It tested me as premier and it tested all levels of government.”

Asked whether she had passed the test, Ms Bligh said that was for others to decide.

But in a statement issued earlier in the day, Ms Bligh outlined a few of her government’s reconstruction achievements.

Of the 9170 kilometres of road damaged during the floods, 8482 had been reopened, she said.

Ms Bligh, who is also the minister for reconstruction, said all affected schools and national parks were back in operation.

She declined to answer questions about the upcoming state election, which is expected to be called in March. ...continued on p2

2 | News

10 January - 16 January 2012

Beware the Apple you consume n

The Hard Word has reached breaking point with Apple. And it could soon mean the end of a once famous relationship. the hard word > NATHAN MOTTON

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Tim Martin Production/Design: Tamzyn Brookson Australia Editor: Ashlea Maher Music Editor: Paul Judge Contributors: Shannon Crane, Kate Ausburn, Sara Newman, Justin Ng, Phill Browne, Kristy Kenny, Carmen Allan, Mario Hannah, Amy Fallon, Rose Callaghan, Lesley Slade, Simon Kleinig, Kris Griffiths, Guy Logan,

Nathan Motton, JP Breytenbach, Cameron Jenkins, Will Denton, Leigh Johnston, Lee Crossley, Shane Jones, Adrian Craddock, Liam Flanagan, Emily Banyard, Mel Edwards, Raquel Messi Advertising Manager: Dominic Young 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:

GONE are the days of simplistic, no fuss computing. Somehow over the years my life has become over burdened with software updates, backups and hardware upgrades, and I’ve had enough.

I have, for many years now, played Apple’s little game. I buy from Apple outlets, I seek the help of Apple ‘geniuses’ when things go awry, I purchase from the App store and I run all of Apple’s software. But I’m beginning to feel as though I’m being punished for my allegiance.

Apple’s obsession with constantly trying to make its own products and their operating systems redundant may be economic genius, but it couldn’t be more frustrating as a consumer - the very people it should be trying to keep.

Perhaps it is my fault when Steve Jobs well and truly sucked me in many years ago. But possessing more than one of its products should make my life easier, not far more complicated.

Of course only purchased items in iTunes will work in iCloud - anything else will cost you more than 20 pounds per year.

The closed system of Apple - this club where only the ‘coolest’ can join in - is not what it’s cracked up to be. Far from it. You need to keep purchasing things, keep upgrading software to make everything Apple work, and even then it’s still never as simple as one would hope. But it’s a vicious cycle and one I can no longer afford (literally) to be a part of.

Of course I could just forget about all this and just make do. But now that I’ve forked out the cash to get iCloud, it would be a waste of money not to be able to use it to its full capacity.

It’s not just the cost that irks me.

It’s more the constant inability to get anything done without first reaching for the credit card and then upgrading something.

When will technology ever become simple? Why is everything apparently becoming more complicated?

Perhaps life with a PC may just be easier (and cheaper) after all.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Traumatic anniversary for Qld Continued from p1...

“This week, I think, is a time to remember what we’ve been through,” she said.

“It’s a time to let those families who lost people mourn and to pay due respect.”

Of the 35 people who died when more than 70 per cent of the state was flooded last summer, 22 died in the state’s southeast. Three people are still missing.

“There will be some people among us this week who will be reliving very traumatic events,” Ms Bligh said.

“This is a good week to reach out to friends.

“It’s going to be a tough week for Queenslanders but I hope it’s also a week where they feel, like I do, that we’ve come out of it stronger.”

Ms Bligh thanked Australians for their support and donations, which

Your Say On: Big Bash League – all that is wrong with Australian cricket

the big money will come from TV rights, particularly abroad. You compare cricket to AFL & soccer, sports with league seasons lasting 4-6 months, of course they are going to have bigger total crowds.

Neither of those sports is going to have significant international appeal for broadcast rights – T20 cricket from one of the best cricket nations in the world could. No doubt at all that is what they are aiming for.

Boris Via AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Every day on …

I’ve avoided the need to keep up with the annual roll out of new products because the cost is simply out of reach. I’ve conducted more software upgrades on all of my products than I care to remember, because nothing will work unless I keep up. And iCloud is the latest piece of software that may prove the final straw. Dubbed by Apple as “automatic and effortless”, I have so far found it anything but.

I was first unable to download iCloud because it was only compatible with Lion, Apple’s latest operating system. I’ve had macs for some time but constantly being forced to pay for these upgrades just to make it work with iPads and iPods is now beyond a joke.

After coughing up the 20 quid for Lion, I thought I would be on my way to seamless (and free) syncing of my products, which would enable external storage of my treasured photos and music while I’m traveling. Not quite.

I’ve now been confronted with the fact that my photos won’t sync on my iPad because my version of iPhoto is outdated. Another 15 pounds. And then there’s the problem with iTunes.

?

What’s your view

MEMORIES FLOOD BACK: Qld Premier Anna Bligh and Toowoomba Mayor Peter Taylor unveil the “Stone of Hope” memorial. Tuesday marks one year since flash flooding tore through Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. (AAP Image/Patrick Hamilton) resulted in the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal paying out about $280 million to more than 40,000 people.

“Of that, $2.8 million was used in the Lockyer Valley Land Swap Project to move residents of Grantham onto higher ground after the devastating floods there,” she said.

Ms Bligh will visit the Lockyer Valley communities of Gatton, Grantham and Murphys Creek on Tuesday before travelling to Ipswich and Brisbane, where 10,500 homes have been largely repaired. - AAP

On: New Year's Eve in London

the tests for the Australian Team.

He needs encouragement from people of all walks of life. He will definitely show what he is from the BOXING TEST onwards. He would become the world`s no. two batsman after tendulkar.

Rammo Via AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Haha.. London fireworks?! Fireworks are fireworks, they’re the same in London and Sydney and since the Chinese invented them a thousand years ago.

Unless you like to be squashed, cold & wet, and attacked by drunken hooligans stay indoors and have a house party, that’s what Londoners do and let the tourists “enjoy” the fireworks.

Jason Via AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

On: Ponting says he’ll jump before he’s pushed

Everybody is pointing fingers on THE GREAT RICKY but not I. Once he settles he unsettles any team in the world. There r several instances when he single handedly saved and won

AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

On: Julian Assange – journalist, activist, cyber-bushranger?

if someone could answer why we should try to categorise him as either journalist or not, please let me know, a rational explanation, the benefit to doing so, it would help me out.

David Via AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

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

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Seven injured in Qantas flight storm turbulence

SEVEN people were injured aboard an international Qantas flight to Sydney after the aircraft was hit by severe turbulence.

QF32 had departed London at 11:15am on Friday and was three hours out of Singapore on Saturday morning when it was hit by turbulence caused by bad storms in the Indian airspace, a Qantas spokeswoman said. “(The aircraft) diverted around most of it but it was the initial part of the storm that had the impact,” the spokeswoman said.

“The seat belt sign had come on but

some passengers were still moving back to their seats.”

Seven people suffered minor cuts and bruises during the incident.

Four were treated in hospital while three were treated at a medical centre in Singapore but all have since been discharged.

The aircraft was cleared to fly after being assessed by engineers and departed Singapore.

The flight arrived safely in Sydney at 9pm (AEDT) on Sunday. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

Heroes for the whales, says Brown Continued from p1...

artistic man who enjoyed painting and the arts, even working as a roadie for a few years, and was currently a stage construction technician.

He said Geoffrey first became involved in activism when they lived in Victoria and he opposed tree logging in forests.

“Then he started to support the antiwhaling campaign, which my wife and I also support,” Mr Tuxworth said.

“I never expected him to board a vessel, though.”

Greens leader Senator Bob Brown described the trio as “terrific Australian citizens” and said they

deserve a huge amount of support.

“These three Australians are heroes for the whales,” he said.

“And they’ve come from a forest protest background from trying to protect the biggest living entities on the land to trying to protect the biggest living creatures in the ocean.”

Meanwhile, a group of about 45 people gathered at the Japanese consulate in Perth to support the three detained men.

Mr Davidson said there was a strong police presence there and no one from the consulate addressed the crowd.

With AAP and sources AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

4 | Voices

10 January - 16 January 2012

Going MADD for Aussie mangoes in London n

One of the first shipments of Queensland’s Kensington Pride mangoes will hit the streets of London this week. TIM MARTIN explores what has the English capital hopping MADD for this delicious Australian favourite LONDON. A city of Big Ben chimes, of pasty Poms, of fish and chips (or Brick Lane curries) and of pints of ale.

You wouldn’t then necessarily associate the largest city in England with Australian mangoes. But hidden just round the corner from the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus is a relaxed little place that may just be the capital’s best kept mango secret. And it stocks, for the very first time in this great city, those delicious, succulent, juicy, orangey coloured oval fruits of goodness – Aussie mangoes all the way from QLD! MADD Mango Restaurant (Mango + Addiction = MADD), tucked away in Soho, relaunches this week and one of the men behind the concept, Australian Jon Sivak is hopping mad (or is that MADD?) for Londoners to come and wrap their chops around his mango treats.

When Jon isn’t dressing up as a violently coloured kangaroo (see the

picture) and offering random strangers mangoes on the street, he is half the brains trust of this exciting new restaurant cum chill-out space. With business partner Ralph Monthienvichienchai (as much as a mouthful as one of their mango cocktails) the two 23-yearold entrepreneurs are hoping to paint London a mango mauve and set a brilliant new fruity trend across Europe.

The boys describe their ‘mango baby’ as “the UK’s first dessert and drinks lounge dedicated to the ‘king of fruits’”.

“For us it was awesome to finally get hold of some premium Australian mangoes,” Canberra born Jon told Australian Times. “If nothing else, they’re a great chance for London Aussie’s to get a taste of home and the tropical Christmas they are used to.”

The Rupert Street restaurant feels like a hip sweet shop has been mixed with a swanky London cocktail bar attached to a very funky hostel-style lounge,

n

Finding a job in London is hard! But HANNAH CARRODUS thinks paying a company to find you a job can just be plain stupid. complete with bean bags, board games, jenga and of course – mango crates.

And it’s in this peaceful den you can nestle down and enjoy a tasty traditional Aussie mango (or mango desserts, cocktails or anything else on offer).

“The incredible taste of the Aussie Kensington Pride reminded me of the delicious Thai mangoes - if not even slightly sweeter - that inspired me to create MADD in the first place, as a homage to this versatile fruit,” Ralph told us in between mouthfuls of the juicy fruit.

We’re told the doors are open pretty much from dawn until long after dusk, but whether the tasty Aussie fruits that are in the window are still there after we’ve raided the place – well, that’s a different story!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Can I leave the Heathrow Injection at the departure gate? n

It’s change-over time right now in the English capital. As a new flock of Aussies arrive to the joys of London life, many are also leaving. LIAM FLANAGAN found out that’s it is actually much harder to leave than it was to arrive.

JUST like the brilliantly animated movie about a man who floats away in his house using just balloons, my time in London is UP! (Puntastic!)

And with my departure imminent, I’ve had to clean out my cupboards both at work and home and make those difficult choices of what to keep and what to throw away.

I’ve also had to decide which arm and which leg to give up to pay for shipping my excess baggage back home. I’m astounded at the ability of humans to accumulate crap, it’s as though we’re scared that if we throw away that dog eared copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or the charger for our old mobile phone we might find ourselves in a position where we actually need that stuff.

So I had to steel myself with a ruthless resolve as I sorted through the rubbish I’ve acquired during my two year stint and make the tough decisions.

Things I’ve decided to make room for and bring back to Australia: • Snowboard + equipment: Cause nothing screams “awesome two year overseas adventure” like sporting equipment that you are never likely to use again in Australia.

• Notebooks: My personal thoughts noted down throughout my adventures will surely be of value to future historians. They will marvel at the illegible handwriting and wonder why most of the journal entries begin with “Hungover again…”.

• My Winter Coat: I’m never likely to

actually need this item of clothing in Australia. Its thickness and insulation would have me sweating up a storm in even the coldest of Aussie winters.

But it single-handedly got me through the winter of 2010 and my heart would have to be as cold as said winter to through it away.

Things I’ve decided to leave behind/ throw out/put on Gum Tree: (Please note if you see anything in this list you like the sound of, feel free to swing by the house and pick it up and save me the “extra refuse” charge.)

• My guitar: I bought this with the intention of becoming a virtuoso in a two year period. I no longer have a need for it as I’m pretty sure that being able to play the first half of ‘More Than Words’ by Extreme classifies me as a virtuoso.

• My tent: My portable home during my travels, the tent has seen almost as much of Europe as I have but it never quite recovered from that last trip to Spain and the endless Sangria fights.

• My Oktoberfest jumper: Seemed like a good purchase at the time. In reality, when is an item of clothing bought from a man in a caravan ever a good idea?

• The Heathrow Injection: Is this something I can declare at customs?

I guarantee you it’s not going to fit in the overhead lockers and I’m not going to pay an excess baggage fee for it. Surely they won’t let me back into Australia

Predatory working holiday companies – watch out for them!

with this. The smell of two years worth of Yorkshire puddings and beer will have a sniffer dog ominously sitting next to me before I even hit the tarmac.

Some possessions provide us with a memorable link to our experiences and adventures. Others provide us a reminder of how we could’ve afforded a few extra weekends away if we didn’t buy so much crap. But we can’t take any of it with us when we die (unless you’re one of those ancient rulers who likes to bury your stuff with you) so who really cares?

London, it’s time to say our goodbyes but unlike Rick Astley, I am gonna give you up (Puntastic #2)… for now.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

KNOWING that I was coming back to the UK but with (very) limited funds, this time I decided to be proactive and line up a job before I came.

I Googled ‘London pub jobs’ and very soon I stumbled across a company that promised to set applicants up with a live-in bar tender job at a pub or, if that didn’t suit, they could also find you work at a VIP catering company.

Perfect!

I quickly emailed them my details, and was impressed with their hasty reply, less than 24-hours later. Who would have thought that getting a job would be so easy?

But it wasn’t until browsing their website later that day that I started to get suspicious. The site promised work for everyone, regardless of experience.

And the application form they made you fill out seemed pretty thin.

Finally, after a few more clicks, the penny finally dropped for me.

This wasn’t a nice hospitality company kindly offering to assist young workers; this was a business, which would only help you if forked out $700!

“Don’t waste your money while you search for work,” the site said.

Instead, they seemed to suggest you should waste your money now, before you’d even stepped off the plane, let alone had a look at Big Ben. Now I know that moving to a new country without a job is a pretty daunting thought. You don’t have any of the connections over here to help you out, and after hearing tales of the disastrous UK economy you worry you will end up going home after two months being an utter failure.

At least, that was my fear before I first came over, at the start of 2010.

Last year, in fact, I may very well have paid that $700, just to have the peace of mind that came with knowing I would be established once I arrived.

But not this time.

This time I had experienced living in the UK. I knew what to expect and also knew that while getting yourself established in a new country isn’t exactly easy, it is nowhere near as difficult as these companies make out.

Paying $700 for some organisation to forward on your resume seems

ludicrous to me. Especially considering that I was applying for jobs in hospitality, an industry with frequent staff turnover rates.

Yet these types of companies seem to be flourishing.

Before I first came over I stumbled across many organisations that promised to ‘take the pressure off your trip’, by making sure you had filled out your visa forms correctly and given you access to their jobs board.

But after landing in London I realised pretty quickly that jobs boards can be found in most backpackers’ hostels. Hell, there are recruitment agencies that will find you a job without you having to hand over your hard-earned dosh!

And as for the promise to ‘check your forms’, well writing your name and address correctly isn’t exactly rocket science!

Maybe I’m just cynical, but it seems to me that these organisations are operating on the fact that they know people will be nervous.

Moving to a new place where you don’t know anybody is certainly a frightening idea. But at the end of the day, I don’t think these types of companies will have much impact on your experience. Even if they promise you a job and the comforts that come with that, there’s no saying you’ll like where they send you.

And despite some of the hassles being taken out, the most challenging part of moving to a new country, like making new friends and missing your family/friends back home, will still be there.

Of course, there are reputable organisations available that can help people who don’t have the time to sort out the nitty-gritty of life in London.

But I would say to anybody considering signing up with one of these other, predatory organisations asking for 700 bucks: be careful and don’t bother.

This is my second trip to the UK and both times I’ve found jobs by myself.

Rather than blowing your hardearned cash on these types of schemes, save your $700 for the more important things, like booze and food!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Voices | 5

AustralianTimes.co.uk

life after

london

> SHANNON CRANE

ABOUT 18 months ago I subjected Australian Times readers to a pretty hefty rant about the woes of job hunting in London.

Now that I’ve moved home to Australia, the time has come to let off some steam once again.

If you, like I did, think that finding your dream job will be a breeze when you move home, you’re in for a bit of a shock.

The Australian job market has changed since I left for the UK two years ago and, in my experience, good jobs are not easy to come by.

Half the job is just finding one This might not be particularly surprising to hear, with unemployment rates rising around the globe.

But my impression was that Down Under was faring well compared to other nations.

This fact is certainly true for most industries, but compared to Australia’s buoyant past, which young expats have come to expect, job-hunting is a lot tougher now.

To be honest, moving home just a month before Christmas definitely didn’t make the search any easier.

Being a journalist, my chances of

#5 Borough Market n

getting work in the media industry were even slimmer thanks to hiring bans at both News Limited and Fairfax.

The responses from potential employers and recruitment agencies were like a broken record. A depressing Joni Mitchell record playing loudly. On repeat.

“I’m really sorry but there’s nothing available at this time of year”.

“You won’t be able to find anything before the New Year”.

“We’ll keep you on the books for when the market picks up again in

February”.

February?! I can’t be unemployed for that long!

I’ve spent the past two years travelling and living on a shoestring.

My savings were small, and that’s an overstatement. Having no income for three months was simply not an option.

So in the face of what was shaping up to be a very poor summer, I did what any true blue Aussie would do.

I pulled my Bonds socks up and broke that whining Joni Mitchell record into a million little pieces.

I got serious about my job hunting and fortunately, the hard work paid off.

Within three weeks of touching down on Australian soil I had two job offers.

So while recruitment agencies and many others have since said I was very lucky, this is proof that it’s not impossible.

While a big part of job-hunting is about being in the right place at the right time, good support and being able to stay positive are also essential.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

The magic pot

There are lots of markets that pop up all over London but one that you can’t n Our Aussie chef from Claridge’s in London casts his spell on go past is Borough Market. And seeing the perfect osso buco pot roast to warm your winter cockles. as it is on the London Top 100 list, our Nothing beats taking the earthen taste perfection. Not only did we resident adventurer got stuck in. pot from the oven and having the slow cook my tasty osso buco but we chris’s wear aromas fill the house and getting stuck a number of vegetable dishes to kitchen into a tasty slow cooked meal. There did compliment the meal. > CHRIS ARK

bron in

the don

THIS weekend I had the good pleasure to share a meal with few friends and a couple glasses of wine left over from the New Year parties.

My good mate Phil happened to purchase a number of roasting pots and I was able to give him a few pointers in using them to their full potential.

BRONWYN SPENCER

Borough Market is a foodies heaven with stalls selling a variety of fresh ingredients as well as food vendors selling some amazing snacks and tasty treats. Open on Thursdays to Saturdays the markets are right near Borough tube station. They are also a short walk from Waterloo and London Bridge if you fancy a walk by the Thames.

For my first trip to the Borough Market I was given a few pointers by people who had been there before.

The first was to get there fairly early as it gets packed out with weekend shoppers and the second was to find the cathedral, smell the cheese and turn around to find the most delicious chocolate tart in London.

I know these instructions sound bizarre and I thought that it was unlikely I would find this chocolate treasure but once I arrived it wasn’t long until I realised the markets are located right next to Southwark Cathedral. As we were wandering through the markets we suddenly got a whiff of the overwhelming smell of cheese being melted onto bread (which is an amazing snack as well a good directory tool) so of course we turned around and saw a bakery stall.

They had so many sweet treats it was hard to just stick to the chocolate tart but since the instructions had been great so far I thought I’d give it a go – and yes – it was delicious.

From there, my friends and I wandered through the markets and checked out all the food on offer. Some of the best bits about the markets is that there are many little stalls that offer taste tests of their cheeses, pesto’s, jams and salami’s. As we were wandering we kept grabbing the crackers and checking out all the dips when we reached a chili jam stall. I saw little sign that said extra hot and when I asked the stallholder if it was really that hot she just shrugged and said ‘it grows on you’. As a fan of spicy food I thought I’d give it a go and went for a taste of the extra hot chili jam. I was pretty disappointed it

are a number of brands available on the market and Phil told me he picked up a few ranges for under £12 at discount retail shops. Not only do they look good in the kitchen but many of the reputable brands offering a lifetime guarantee.

Pot roasting has been around for centuries and has allowed us to slow cook the cheaper cuts of meats to

The key to a great pot roast is to have the correct balance of flavors so the ingredients can harmonize together during the cooking process.

Maintaining the level of moisture is also important as we don’t want to end up with a dry stew or vegetables.

So let’s get cracking with the recipes below that we knocked up over weekend.

t roast magic Chris’s spell for some osso buco po Osso buco means in Italian bone with a whole. Ask you butcher for osso buco and they will know exactly what you want. We will also make some gremolata to garnish: wasn’t super hot and so had a second cracker. Well that was a rookie mistake. When the stallholder said it grows on you she meant it. The heat in my mouth started to build and build - it was worse than any vindaloo I had ever eaten. I ended up drinking two bottles of water to try and quell the spice!

After I had burnt off my taste buds we kept wandering through the marvelous markets and found much of the fresh food area selling all different types of meat from beef to ostrich as well as fresh fruit and veggies. If you aren’t already full from your taste testing there are delicious food vendors ranging from Thai green curries to falafel wraps and my favourite - halloumi and veggie burgers. There’s also an amazing smoothie bar and a coffee shop nearby for those who fancy a drink.

Borough Market is the kind of place where you can go for a few hours to wander and buy all the wares or where you can drop in to pick up a quick bite on your way to somewhere else. It is definitely the kind of place that caters for everyone so make sure you check it out. My words of wisdom are – find the chocolate tart (you have the directions now) and avoid the chili jam!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

What you need

• 5 pieces of veal shin – osso buco • ¼ cup of olive oil • ½ cup of plain flour for dusting • Pinch of salt and pepper • 1 onion finely chopped • ½ a stick of celery chopped finely • 200ml of dry white wine • 350 ml of warm beef stockavailable from supermarkets

For the garnish

• Zest of 1 lemon • ½ of a fresh garlic clove • ½ bunch of fresh parsley finely chopped • Dash of olive oil

What to do

• Set you oven to 190 deg.

• Take a large sauté pan to brown off the meat • Take a clean plastic bag and add the flour, salt and pepper and the veal shin and toss the ingredients together. Remove any excess flour from the shin and place on a plate • Heat the oil and brown the Shin on both sides. Remove them from the pan and reserve.

• Add to the pan the chopped vegetables with a pinch of salt to cook them gently without burning for a few minutes. When the vegetables are soft return the meat to the pan and add the wine.

Cook gently until the moisture is almost completely dried out.

• Add the hot stock, turn the heat down. Take your roasting pot and add the osso buco to the pot and pour over the ingredients, adding more stock to make sure the shin is completely covered. Cover with the lid and place into the oven for 1½ hours. Check them every twenty minutes and when the meat is falling from the bone you are ready then to remove the pot from the oven. Allow the osso buco to cool slightly.

• Once cooked, place the osso buco on to the serving dish and keep them warm. Mix all the gremolata ingredients together and sprinkle on to the osso buco before serving.

For more of Chris Ark’s tasty treats, exclusive to Australian Times, go to AustralianTimes.co.uk/chris-kitchen

6 | Entertainment

10 January - 16 January 2012

English Cuisine – Is it really that bad? n

From pork pies to fish and chips, high-teas to Branston Pickle, NINA McGRATH examines British food and realises you can’t really go wrong with a bacon sarnie and crisps.

ON arrival in London the differences in food and drinks were somewhat of a shock to the system, however in time we discovered that English cuisine had a lot to offer.

Our first impressions of English cuisine were not good – I was surprised to discover that a ‘lemon lime and bitters’ was unheard of, and was quite disappointed at how different a supermarket steak tasted. Bacon flooded a fry pan with water when cooked and was soggy, flavourless and unappetising. All was not lost though.

Happily, Waitrose stocked Bundaberg Lemon Lime and Bitters and I learned to look for dry smoked bacon which behaved as expected in the frypan.

A beef butchery course at the Ginger Pig taught my husband what to look for in meat and how to cut it and he came home with a small freezer load of delicious high quality beef. If we didn’t feel like cooking we could get excellent steaks at the Hawksmoor restaurant or tuck into Argentinean steak delicacies at either Gauchos and A La Cruz.

Travel is not about finding a match for all the foods you eat at home; it’s about trying the local cuisine. We attended a few English barbeques, which as they are rarer than their Australian counterparts are all the more eagerly anticipated and cherished. While the meat (cooked over coals rather than on a gas grill or hot plate) tasted different, the drinking and socialising were the same and any barbeque invitations we received were swiftly accepted.

Sandwich chains such as ‘Pret a

Manger’, ‘Eat’ and the sandwich aisle at Marks & Spencer and Waitrose made it cheap and easy to grab a fresh tasty sandwich for lunch. Whilst at first it seemed odd to have a packet of crisps with a lunchtime sandwich, it was not long before a sandwich alone resulted in the vague feeling that something was missing.

Whilst some would consider the term “English cuisine” an oxymoron, I disagree. I think the British have mastered simple comfort food. We feasted on fish and chips sprinkled with malted vinegar, and could be found most Sundays at a pub, digging into a roast and marvelling at the delicate crunchy Yorkshire puddings. A Cornish pasty made for a great meal on the go and simple pub meals of pie or bangers and mash really hit the spot. After wolfing down toast and a coffee for breakfast all week isn’t it wonderful to sit down on the weekend to a full English breakfast of tea, toast, marmalade, bacon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, tomato, hash browns and perhaps a little black pudding? If you are not that hungry, perhaps opt for a little bubble and squeak (shallowfried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner) or a bacon sarnie. And don’t forget the tasty pork pie option around Christmas-time.

Another element the English excel at is condiments. I tried but was not converted by a taste of salad cream but the simply named brown sauce with its mysterious touch of tamarind now accompanies my full English. An

encounter with Branston Pickle on a cheese and pickle sandwich resulted in it becoming a regular on the grocery list. I became so enamoured with Fortnum and Mason Piccalilli (a bright yellow relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices) that any time I was in the area I’d pop in for another jar.

Fortnum and Mason and the nearby Ritz are just two of the many places in London where you can experience high tea/ afternoon tea. Generally this consists of a selection of teas, tiny crust-free sandwiches with fillings like cucumber, watercress, ham and mustard, cheese and chutney or salmon and scones with clotted cream and jam.

So very civilised and so very tasty and an ideal place to take a visiting Mum. When a colleague requested builder’s tea I learnt that it was not a type of tea, but just strong, sweet, milky tea.

Whilst ‘elderflower’ sounded like the drink of choice for lady pensioners, it only took one taste of light refreshing elderflower cordial, for me to become keen to try anything on the cocktail list that mentioned it. It was in London that I first tried two of my now favourite drinks; Pimms and gin and tonic.

Guinness became a winter favourite and many a happy hour was spent sampling the many ciders and beers available in British pubs.

Of course, in cosmopolitan London you are absolutely spoilt for choice and can easily find just about any cuisine, French, Italian, Greek,

Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese – the list goes on. However in the English midWinter when it’s dark and cold and the rain is lashing at the windows, I can think of nothing better than sitting by the fire in an English pub, tucking into the Sunday roast dinner and a half pint of Guinness – cheers!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Gazing into the crystal ball – Motherland’s predictions for 2012 music from the

motherland > PAUL JUDGE

HERE we go again, another new year.

Polite conversation can nearly return to normal, about boring weather and transport issues, as the ‘How was your Christmas?’ timeline is almost up.

Before we know it we’ll be cracking Easter Eggs, enjoying five days of summer and then moaning how fast the year has gone.

Between all this we’re looking forward to lots of special Australian music moments and we thought why not share our wisdom of what you can (maybe) expect for the upcoming 12 months.

Triple J Hottest 100

It’s only a few weeks away and grips the music lovers of Australia like a certain horse race in November. And just like the ‘race that stops the nation’ and due to Australia’s love of gambling on pretty much anything - you can even wager a few dollars on the results of this year’s Triple J Hottest 100 list.

This year odd’s on favourite is Gotye ‘Someone That I Used To Know’.

So much so the betting company Sportingbet is offering better odds to pick the second placed song with Gotye sitting at about $1.10. This means you’d get about a 10 cent

return on every dollar you put down.

Not exactly retirement betting.

We like a good ol’ fashioned trifecta: 1. Gotye – Someone That I Used To Know 2. Boy & Bear – Feeding Line 3. Foster the People – Helena Beats Don’t forget us if your horse comes in.

Who’s going to make a splash?

Every year dozens of Australian artists make their way to the UK much to our delight. Some are regular favourites, others venturing out for the first or second time to test the waters.

We love it when a few bands come over and make a huge impact on the summer UK scene whether it’s at a sweaty pub venue or an even sweatier festival. Who are we thinking will make their impact this year? Getting a spot at

Grinspoon 2 Feb @ Walkabout, SheBu Australian Times presents Paul Kelly 3 Feb @ Union Chapel Cloud Control 17 Feb @ Electric Ballroom The Jezabels 22 Feb @ Koko

Molly on the mend

It was with great sadness before Christmas when Australian music legend Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum fell from a ladder and suffered severe head injuries. Only recently coming out of his coma he faces a long period of treatment and recovery.

We’re not predicting an overnight miracle but we think Molly will show us how tough he is and hopefully will be donning his famous cowboy hat again by the end of the year.

What’s On

Bleeding Knees Club 23 Feb @ Old Blue Last Qantas Australian Woman of the Year in the UK Award 2012 8 Mar @ The Langham London UK FODDER FOR 2012?: Will hot new Aussie property Boy & Bear be gracing the UK with their presence this year?

Glastonbury is always a good indicator but alas it’s having a year off! We still reckon a few Aussie bands are going to seriously rock the UK this year. Our predictions – The Grates, Boy & Bear, Oh Mercy and Bleeding Knees Club (you don’t have to wait long for them, they’re here in February).

Bring on the music

Will we be right? Will we be wrong?

Time will tell but honestly we don’t

mind that much, we just love a good surprise as much as anyone else. If you think there’s a great new piece of Australian music we should be checking out let us know. You can email info@australiantimes.co.uk with your thoughts, tips and Aussie music secrets!

As long as the Australian music keeps rolling in over the airwaves and onto the stage we’re a happy bunch.

Join us on the journey. Enjoy!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

Australian Pink Floyd 24 Mar @ Hammersmith Apollo Parkway Drive 7 April @ Indig02 Bogan Bingo Every Thursday @ The Underdog, Clapham Common

For full details...

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

Entertainment | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Slapping it on thick over the cracks in the Aussie society n

When KARL MATHIESEN was asked to interview Jonathan LaPaglia, one of the stars of the new Australian drama series The Slap, little did he realise that it would result in a profound consideration of contemporary Australian culture.

I GREW UP the only skip kid on an Australian street of wogs. The friends I kicked the footy with were all proudly Mediterranean.

The Robustellis and the Rendos loved to remind me that I was the fly in the olive oil.

I so desperately wanted to be accepted that I used my own sixteenth of Danish ancestry to claim some kind of European heritage. It was important and yet irrelevant all at once. In reality, our thoughts focussed more on the skin of the neighbourhood girls than our own.

Until the day I punched one of the Robustelli boys in the face.

The contact was entirely unintentional - an overenthusiastic shadow box in a play fight - but the repercussions were immense. Immediately I was ostracised. Immediately it mattered that it was a Roman nose I had bloodied. I was a racist.

It is a similarly simple physical act that lends its name to Christos Tsiolkas’ novel The Slap.

His award winning fifth novel has been adapted into an ABC drama series with an outstanding Australian cast that includes Melissa George, Alex Dimitriades and in his first-ever Australian production, Jonathan LaPaglia.

LaPaglia describes ‘the slap’ at the crux of the Australian series, which occurs when a man slaps another

man’s child for threatening his own kid at a suburban barbeque, as “morally ambiguous”. The action, whether justified or not, serves to shatter a family’s harmonious façade.

According to LaPaglia, the fault lines which open between the characters run along divisive issues that plague Australian society: race, religion, generation, alcohol and drugs, infidelity and sexuality.

“The cultural issue really resonated with me,” says Australian born Jonathan LaPaglia, who has an Italian father and Dutch mother. He related, he says, to his character Hector’s struggle to reconcile his immigrant and Australian identities.

“I’m a part of that first generation; first European Australian.

So I totally identify with what’s going on, especially for my character, Hector.”

By showing how easily a family can fall apart, The Slap comments on the fragility of Australia’s social harmony – our multicultural façade and the deep rifts that we imagine closed.

LaPaglia, 42, describes growing up in Australia during the 1970s and 80s as a period during which children of immigrant families were encouraged to conform to a stereotype.

“When I was growing up, there was definitely this pressure to align yourself,” he says.

“For want of a better expression, you were either a skip, or you were a

wog. You had to make a choice, and I always found that to be completely ludicrous. Because I didn’t want to belong to either, I wanted to belong to both. I didn’t see why I had to define myself.”

Often he would be encouraged to distance himself from his cultural background.

“There was very much a desire to supress or deny your heritage so that you could assimilate into the Caucasian world.”

This tension was crucial for the role he played in The Slap.

“I think that’s definitely what’s going on for Hector. He’s somewhat of a chameleon, he wants to belong to both sides.”

His cultural identity is not the only dichotomous internal struggle that LaPaglia lays claim to. Although he trained as a medical doctor, he originally wanted to study fine arts.

However he rejected this creative pathway because: “I had more buddies going into medicine than anything else.”

It was only after moving from Adelaide to Sydney and starting hospital rotations that he decided to entertain his artistic yen. Without a lot of planning, he packed up his stethoscope for good and enrolled in acting school in New York. He got his first job on a cop show (a similar genre to his famous older brother Anthony).

“The rest”, he says, “is history.” He has not been out of work since - one of the reasons why The Slap is his first Australian production. Although, he says, “my dad still introduces me to people as a doctor”.

When the (very much naturalised) Australian-American came home to work on The Slap, he had to rediscover his home culture. He was required to hire a linguist to help him lose his Californian twang. He met a lot of young Greek and Italian men while researching the Australian accent. He found that quite a lot had changed since his Adelaide childhood, when young immigrants were pressured by their parents to ignore their past.

“It seems like it’s gone the other way now with the younger generation, the guys in their twenties that I met, the Greek guys in their twenties. They were very proud of their heritage.

In fact they would often talk about

themselves not having been born in Australia, even though they were, they talked about themselves having been born in Greece.”

In The Slap, as on my home street, issues of culture divide the characters.

A simple, thoughtless action reveals the weeping sores that exist in the family. A slap, a punch, a word - it doesn’t take much to open the wound that we all like to pretend isn’t there.

The Slap is now available on DVD in the UK. For more information visit TheSlapDVD.com or to win the DVD boxset, visit AustralianTimes.co.uk/win AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

8 | Travel

10 January - 16 January 2012

Australia on the Western Front, 1916-1918

Morocco The magic of

n

£80 per person including lunch on the Somme

Guided day coach tours of Australia's Western Front Battlefields: Fromelles, Pozières and Villers-Bretonneux.

Departing Central London, travelling in executive comfort, join Battlefront Exploration for a guided tour of Australia's Battlefields on the Western Front. We visit: Fromelles: ‘the site of Australia's bloodiest twenty-four hours’ Pozières: ‘more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth’ (Australia's Official Historian) Villers-Bretonneux: ‘the final defeat of the 1918 German Spring Offensive’

Further details, tour dates and payment information can be found on our website www.battlefrontexploration.co.uk.

Where else in the world can you watch the sunrise over the Sahara for breakfast, fight off Marrakech snake charmers at lunch then feast on fresh Essaouira seafood for dinner? LIAM FLANAGAN explores the amazing wonders of Morocco.

FOR all the diversity that Europe has to offer Australian visitors, it can become somewhat difficult to recreate that initial culture shock you get when you first arrive. Even if you’re having to resort to hand pointing and the awkward slowly annunciating English to order food, mainland Europe can begin to become all too familiar regardless of what country you’re in.

And then there’s Morocco. From the hustle and bustle of the souks of Marrakech to the magic that is the Sahara desert at sunset on the back of a camel, Morocco has a uniqueness that can blow the cobwebs from the minds of even the most seasoned traveller.

Marrakech is a-maze-ing

The medina of Marrakech is a hive of activity and although it borders on impossible to navigate the labyrinth of markets, part of the city’s charm is in wandering until you lose all orientation and then wandering some more. Djemaa el Fna (The Big Square) is one of the busiest squares in Africa and is filled with snake charmers, monkeys, henna tattooists and vendors selling freshly squeezed orange juice at less than a quarter of the price of a cup of coffee.

An afternoon can easily be lost wondering through the souks within the medina where you can buy anything from goat skin bags, hand carved chess boards as well as an assortment of spices. A tip for those looking to do some shopping, haggling is as important as the transaction itself, so the more time you spend haggling, the less you’ll have to spend in the end. Once you’ve finished your shopping for the day, kick back at any of the rooftop cafes and enjoy a glass of mint tea as the call to prayer echoes out across the city skyline.

Tea of life

The cuisine of Morocco can be summed in two words; couscous and tagine. The building blocks for any Moroccan menu, you can bet that any meal will include at least one of these items. Be aware that mint tea is the equivalent of a handshake in Morocco.

Upon arriving at your hostel, hotel or riad (traditional guesthouse... highly recommended) a glass of mint tea is a traditional welcome and make sure you take note of the extravagant manner in which it is served and then laugh as you attempt to pour it yourself without incurring third degree burns.

Sunrise in the Sahara

A camel trek into the Sahara is an essential experience. While the developed regions such as Fez and Marrakech are popular tourist destinations, some time spent on the back of a camel in the company

Travel | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

of a Berber (the nomadic people of Morocco) guide gives an idea of the origins of the Moroccan civilisation.

And a night camping in a traditional Berber tent in the Sahara has to be one of the most isolated holiday experiences possible short of an Everest ascent. An arduous post dinner climb of a massive sand dune at the top of which you can stare out toward the Algerian border is the perfect way to cap off your evening in the desert (although running head first back down the steep dune safe in knowledge any landing will be cushioned by the Sahara sand will be enjoyed more than the climb by the thrill seeker). The morning ride back out of the desert might signal the end of the trek but on top of a camel in the middle of a desert is a pretty amazing place to watch the sunrise.

See the sea at Essaouira

Once back in Marrakech take a day trip to the coastal town of Essaouira, which is a little under three hours by bus from the ‘kech. If you do journey

by bus, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for goats sitting in trees. As strange as it sounds, Moroccan goats are known to climb the Argan trees in search of fruit.

Essaouira’s walled town centre offers more markets to explore although unlike the inland cities, you have the option of dining out on some fresh seafood... as well as couscous and tagines. Make sure you take a walk along what could be one of the most unique beaches in the world as games of football are interrupted by seemingly out of control galloping horses and camels.

A cheeky Moroccan smile

With all the diversity that Morocco offers it’s the Moroccan people who complete the experience. Sure it feels like every time you turn around there is someone trying to sell you a ride on a camel, a fake pair of Ray Bans or simply asking for a couple of dirham simply because you’re a tourist and therefore should have some spare change. But it’s the cheeky grin that

the city’s charm is in wandering until you lose all orientation accompanies every request or offer and absence of any aggression that puts you at ease. Some basic Arabic or French will go a long way towards getting the most out your interaction with the locals but listen with appreciation as the vendors greet you in Spanish, French or English testing to see which language you respond to.

Whether it’s a coastal relaxation or a multi lingual day to day haggle battle with the souk stall owners, Morocco has an adventure to suit all tastes.

And once the journey is over, you’ll remember what it’s like to have been truly blown away by a new culture.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/travel

10 | Jobs & Money

10 January - 16 January 2012

Dollar Review

Aussie falls for third consecutive week.

THE Aussie has weakened against all of its 16 major currency pairs over the last week, and continues to slide amid concerns that the Euro zone crisis will continue to increase risk aversion of risk sensitive currencies. Furthermore the International Monetary Fund has shown increasing doubts about the long term viability of Greece’s ability to cut its debts, placing more pressure on the Aussie.

Kara Ordway, a foreign-exchange strategist at City Index Asia Pacific was cited as saying that risk appetite within the market is still off, and that in the short term she will still be taking a bearish stance on both the Aussie and Kiwi.

Retail sales data for Australia has unexpectedly stagnated in November, remaining unchanged compared with the 0.4% gain which was estimated by economists at Bloomberg News Survey.

Janu Chan an economist at St.

George Bank Ltd was cited as commenting that the data suggests that consumers remain hesitant to spend, given the weaker prospect for global growth.

This is a good indication that the Reserve bank will continue to cut interest rates as they have done in the past in an attempt to ease monetary policy. Traders are speculating that the Central Bank will lower the interest rate by 0.75% by May. On a positive note data has shown that new home sales in Australia have surged helping to keep the currency from further falls.

GBP/AUD: 1.5076 EUR/AUD: 1.2428 AUD/USD: 1.0233 AUD/JPY: 78.881 Exchange Rates at 09:55, 09 December 2012

Composed by Monique Chapman :: 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, www.1stcontactforex.com, or call us 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.

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Q:

I have dual nationality (Australian and Dutch) and hold a valid EEA permit for the UK for over 3 years now. Do I need to apply for Permanent Residency before applying for British Citizenship?

26/05/2011 09:33

As an EEA national you will automatically be deemed to have been granted P e r m a n e n t Residency once you have resided in the United Kingdom continuously for five years, provided that you have consistently exercised your treaty rights during the whole of the five year period.

In order to apply for British Citizenship you need to demonstrate that you have resided in the United Kingdom for five years, that during those years you exercised your treaty rights consistently, and that you have held Permanent Residency for at least 12 months. Accordingly, if you do not have a Permanent Residency visa in your passport you will need to demonstrate that you have resided in the United Kingdom for six years in total and that for the first of those five years you consistently exercised your treaty rights. Please contact our offices for further advice and assistance.

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Director of Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants www.bic-immigration.com info@bic-immigration.com

Sport | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Clarke to sign $1m bat deal

AUSTRALIAN cricket captain Michael Clarke is reportedly set to sign a new contract with a bat sponsor worth more than $1 million.

Fairfax newspapers reported the 30-year-old, who scored a record at the SCG of 329 not out against India last week, has made a handshake agreement with bat manufacturer Spartan Sports.

“The last I heard, there was a handshake agreement and a contract for a three-year deal with Spartan worth seven figures,” a

source reportedly told Fairfax.

“If you said the deal was worth well over a million dollars, you wouldn’t be wrong.”

Clarke played without any logos on his bat during the Sydney Test after ending his 18-year association with Slazenger because it reportedly could not come to agreement over his commercial demands.

The decision by Slazenger’s parent company, Pacific Brands, proved to be poorly timed as Clarke went on to register the highest Test score made at the ground, becoming one of just six

Australians to score a triple century.

Fairfax reported Clarke’s bat, and potentially other merchandise, would be emblazoned with his initials.

He was expected to join the company’s sports ambassadors, which include New Zealand rugby league player Benji Marshall, injured fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, boxing champion Daniel Geale, netballer Laura Geitz and women’s footballer Kyah Simon.

2012 – The biggest year yet for Tag Rugby in London

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

AUSSIE BOYS: Will the London Australia Men’s team continue their winning ways in 2012?

By Phillip Browne WITH less than a week to go until the Late Winter Tag Rugby competitions commence across the capital, the London Tag Rugby community are in for a treat in 2012!

Tag Rugby will be played at more venues than ever before in London with the addition of venues at Blackheath, Reading, Southfields, West Ham and White City as well as the usual favourites.

London Australia will be looking to defend their Men’s title at the next International Cup tournament with two scheduled this year for June and November.

Tours were a popular part of the Try Tag Rugby calendar in 2011 and there are a record number of tours on offer this year, to the following destinations: Bruff, Limerick, Manchester and Malta.

There will be two exciting inaugural one day tournaments featuring in 2012, being the Try Tag Rugby Corporate Challenge and the University Challenge. With the likes of Google, Yahoo!, First Derivatives, Miller Insurance, Vibe Teaching and eCommera already playing in Try

Tag Rugby leagues, the Corporate Challenge looks like it’s going to be a huge hit!

Many Aussies featured in the London Tag Rugby Origin series between the best Tag Rugby players in North and South London in 2011 and the series is back for 2012 with more divisions.

The year will be capped off with Great Britain sending representative squads to the Tag Rugby World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand in December.

If you would like to get involved in one of the fastest growing sports in London, Late Winter competitions begin next week (16 - 19 Jan) at the following venues: Barnes, Bermondsey, Borough, Kingsbury, Rotherhithe and Wood Green.

New team and individual registrations are welcome as this is a great chance to develop a network of friends if you are new to London.

To register for a Try Tag Rugby competition, go to www.trytagrugby. com or email info@trytagrugby.com for more details.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/tag-rugby

BRING ON 2012

Looking ahead to the biggest Try Rugby year yet

P11

TOMIC CAN WIN n

Ahead of the Australian Open, which commences next Monday, John McEnroe predicts great things for Aussie young gun Bernard Tomic and appeals for Lleyton Hewitt to get the farewell he deserves.

TENNIS great John McEnroe believes Australian Bernard Tomic can break through for a Grand Slam victory.

The seven-time major winner rates the 19-year-old Tomic as the most promising young player on the circuit.

“Bernard has got more upside than any young guy I see out there,” McEnroe told reporters in Adelaide on Monday.

“He has developed a great deal. He’s a very savvy player for a young kid.

“He’s going to get stronger. That will help him ... he is right there with the young guys as one who can make the breakthrough and win some majors.”

McEnroe also appealed for Australian stalwart Lleyton Hewitt to be allowed a farewell on his own terms.

“Lleyton is going to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s one of the gutsiest ever players, he’s in the top five,” McEnroe said.

“And he’s pretty darn talented to be 5’11 and standing up to the guys for as long as he did. It’s amazing.

“But his body took a real beating.

“He should be entitled to play as long as he wants to play. He deserves that.

“I can only imagine what he has gone through to give himself a chance to even play.

“He’s an incredible competitor and I

suspect he wants to go out on his terms.”

McEnroe, who will contest the World Tennis Challenge in Adelaide from Tuesday, said he would be a fascinated watcher of Ivan Lendl’s coaching stint with Scot Andy Murray.

“I hate to give credit to Lendl,” McEnroe said of his old-time rival.

“But he (Murray) needed to do something out of the ordinary instead of going with the predictable re-tread.

“This is definitely something that was, to me, unexpected.

“I didn’t know that Lendl wanted to coach. He could bring something to the table, without a doubt.

“Lendl didn’t win a major until he was 24 and guess what, Murray is 24 right now.

“So that could provide something worth it for Murray.

“I’m going to be paying attention to that, see how it works out.”

McEnroe, while tipping Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open, also believed Roger Federer would win more majors.

“I think he has one or two left in him ... I would be surprised if he didn’t win another one,” he said. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

TOMIC WEAPON: Bernard Tomic dishes out a backhand during his semi-final match against Andy Murray at the Brisbane International on Saturday. Murray defeated Tomic 6-3, 6-2 but John McEnroe believes a Grand Slam title beckons for the young Aussie. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Ryan Williams enjoys the Premiership big stage YOUNG Australian Ryan Williams stepped up his footballing education with a lively cameo in Portsmouth’s 4-0 FA Cup loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old younger brother of Socceroos defender Rhys Williams came on in the 70th minute for the

Championship side’s third-round clash against the English Premier League heavyweights.

In his sixth appearance off the bench this season, the 18-year-old was fouled by Chelsea captain John Terry in the 74th minute with the fiery central defender receiving a yellow

card for unsporting behaviour.

Williams showed he would not bow down to the star-studded Chelsea lineup by fouling Ashley Cole a minute later, the Perth product also copping a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.

“What an unreal experience, the

fans were crazy!,” Williams said on Twitter.

Portsmouth sit in 17th place in the English second division but only eight points off the playoff berths.

Williams, whose twin brother Aryn is at Burnley, has made the most of Portsmouth’s financial and injury

problems in recent times to push himself to the fringe of the senior team.

He made his debut in August and has been named on the bench on a dozen occasions this season. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport