Canberra CityNews December 17, 2009 - January 6, 2010

CityNews December 17-January 6 

  CityNews December 17-January 6

sport

Canberra’s mojo returns FOR some time, there has been a perception that Canberra teams struggle to attract the big names or they have trouble keeping the “stars” in the face of bigger offers from elsewhere.

There was a feeling through the late 1990s and the 2000s that we were off the pace financially when it came to attracting super stars because of the lack of a genuine corporate base in the ACT. Thankfully, the tide appears to be turning. Matt Giteau was the catalyst with a syndicate raising an estimated $440,000 to lure him away from the Western Force, which paid over the odds to get him in the first place.

If nothing else, it showed that Canberra was prepared to fight back against potentially larger corporate markets elsewhere. If Giteau had put himself on the open market, there is a possibility that he could have attracted bigger offers to play for NSW or overseas. Instead, he indicated that he was prepared to return to Canberra if the money was acceptable.

Effectively, Giteau’s recruitment paved the way for the business community to be pro-active in chasing basketballer Lauren Jackson. It provided confidence that it could be done. Raising $220,000 in seven

INDEX

December 17-January 6, 2010 Since 1993: Volume 15, Number 49

Arts&Entertainment Body Crossword Dining Fashion Health Horoscope Letters Movie reviews News Politics Property Social Scene Sudoku

36-39 29-30 40 24 26-28 31 40 6 40 3-13 4 41-47 14-18 40

FRONT COVER: Jenelle Smith models

Jets by Jessika Allen bikini from David Jones, Canberra Centre. Photo by Silas

The past year has been a watershed for Canberra sport away from the playing arena, says sports broadcaster TIM GAVEL.

Lauren Jackson

Matt Giteau

days, if nothing else, shows that Canberra is capable of taking on rivals with a larger corporate base.

I have spoken to several people in the business community and there is general agreement that the recruitment of Giteau and Jackson

is more than a simple investment in a sporting personality. It indicates that the ACT has an active corporate sector with sport an important part of the community.

Further evidence of this is the securing of a team in the Austral-

contact us

Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111 GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601 www.citynews.com.au

General manager: Greg Jones 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au Senior advertising executive: Melissa Delfino, 0415 137660 Advertising sales executives: Jim Hamilton, 0400 696568 Sebastien Kriegel, 0438 198701 Advertising sales co-ordinator: Rebecca Darman 6262 9100, ad@citynews.com.au Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9439 9929 Adelaide advertising sales: HWR Media, 08 8379 9522 Perth advertising sales: HWR Media, 08 9429 3075

Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Lifestyle editor: Kathryn Vukovljak, 6262 9100 lifestyle@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764 helen@citynews.com.au Design and photography: Silas Brown, 0412 718086 Designer: Joran Dilucian Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au Distribution and circulation: Richard Watson, 6262 9100 circulation@citynews.com.au

ian Baseball League. Three months ago, the bid looked dead before the baseball community rallied and provided the ABL with evidence that there was support for the team.

Canberra did all that could have been done to secure a bid in the A League but Football Federation Association were set on having a team in Western Sydney.

Cricket Australia gambled on a team from Canberra in the National Women’s League. The Meteors have been a revelation, to say the least, with the recent victory over NSW in a one-dayer at Manaka a highlight.

History will show that the Raiders probably started the ball rolling with the recruitment of Mal Meninga, just when it was thought that he would be attracted to the bright lights of Manly. The premiership win in 1989 remains the biggest moment in Canberra’s sporting history with thousands mobbing the team on their arrival home. The Raiders, of course, have now shifted their focus from trying to entice stars from elsewhere and are developing their own players to great effect. There will be success if the club can keep the likes of Josh Dugan and Jarod Croker.

I get the impression that Canberra is starting to find its sporting identity once again.

briefly Get shot before flying PEOPLE planning to travel overseas have been urged to have the free swine flu vaccination before they leave. Health Minister Katy Gallagher says that despite the number of cases of swine flu decreasing in Australia, the northern hemisphere winter flu season is only just beginning and it is likely that H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu) will be the dominant strain circulating. Vaccination can be arranged through your GP or with a Community Health Clinic by phoning 6207 9977.

Worthwhile lunch AROUND $45,000 was raised by the Canberra committee of the Children’s Medical Research Institute at its annual fundraising lunch, which attracted 420 guests, in November, says president Marilyn Allen.

Airport progress THE structure of the new Southern Concourse Terminal at Canberra Airport is complete.

The Southern Terminal Concourse will be finished by August. Qantas, Virgin Blue, Tiger and Brindabella Airlines will occupy it while the Qantas terminal is demolished and the Western Terminal Concourse is built.

‘CityNews’ takes break THIS is the final edition of “CityNews” for this year. Our next edition will be all about Canberra on January 7, and our office will be open from January 4. The entire “CityNews” team would like to thank our advertisers and our readers for their loyalty and support over the past 12 months and wish them a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

JGD

42,001 copies a week Six-month audit to September 30, 2009

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, of Suite 1, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.

CityNews December 17-January 6

politics

Hectoring boys make their mark KATY Gallagher pasted the Opposition in the The year in the ACT Assembly just ended is an important harbinger to final Question Time for the year as “misogynist the one ahead, says IAN MEIKLE bullies”, and she might have a telling point.

As the curtain fell on the parliamentary sithe inherited when greatness was unexpectedly tings days for the first year of the seventh Asthrust upon him 10 months short of the October sembly, the Health Minister’s cranky riposte to 2008 election. the hectoring boys’ club on the opposite bench But how far should he let the Liberal lads go? He brought into sharp focus how far the Opposition seems to have given a green light to the male mahad come in a year. Two steps forward and, perjority (veteran Vicki Dunne is the only female on haps, one backwards. the team) and in Question Time he is often drawn The next 12 months could be a real test to the into the blokiness that is the infectious chiackfuture of the two major parties. If the Liberals ing of Brendan Smyth, Hanson and Alistair Coe. can maintain the discipline (and contain the spiWhich gives rise to Gallagher’s complaint and ralling ego of Jeremy Hanson) and turn down the Greens Speaker Shane Rattenbury’s continual Jeremy Hanson Shane Rattenbury testosterone, they will be in a good place. calls for calm. Rattenbury, by the way, has shown The risk is all Labor’s. There is a sense of fac- has rarely looked more confident as he slumps incredible maturity; runs the Assembly with grational friction close to the surface and if there is to deep into his Assembly chair with the growling cious and courteous control and has introduced be a move on our long-serving Chief Minister Jon presence of an old lion. some progressive and useful changes to Question Stanhope before the 2012 election it will likely be Liberal Leader Zed Seselja believes his team’s Time. in the next 12 months. had a successful 12 months. While he’s had to But in the Assembly, Hanson is the big surprise, We got a glimpse of the numbers game being endure the tireless “Zed’s-in-bed” taunts from moving beyond Smyth’s characteristic cheekiness played when Education Minister Andrew Barr the Chief Minister, the strategy of moderating his and adopting an aggressive cockiness that may found himself prematurely touted for a challenge media presence, sharing the load and building the come back to haunt him. But he’s never dull to a few months back. Tactically, the time was about profiles and responsibilities of those around him watch. right and why Barr didn’t have the bottle (or the has delivered something of a team with electable By contrast, his colleague, the almost achingly numbers) is hard to fathom. Since then, Stanhope promise. It is a world away from the divided rabble polite Steve Doszpot, resists the temptation of

interjection and shares the calm, if colourless, presence of the Greens.

The Greens all-female trio read their questions with robotic emotion, although the surprise performer is Caroline Le Couteur, who has a clear, easy style and whose passion for the plight of the Territory’s battery hens must drive the Chief Minister to distraction.

Labor, according to Stanhope, has also had a good year, despite the ball-and-chain of the Greens parliamentary agreement. He is clearly on top of his game and his post-election move to minster for TAMS has been an energising one. It’s arguable that the presence of the Greens has kept Labor more usefully on their toes than the traditional Opposition is usually able to do.

In Question Time, the Labor front bench performs well, batting questions with the confidence of experience, save for the L-plate minister Joy Burch, who got away to a wobbly first fortnight.

By the sitting’s final three days, she seemed to be developing some resilience to the Opposition’s blitzkrieg questioning, except in the larrikin last hour, amid the raucous taunts of the Liberals, she forgot the question she’d just been asked; something the boys across the benches won’t.

The numbers don’t add up

KEVIN Rudd is keen to ensure that Australia maintains population growth and is looking forward to a population of 35 million by mid-century. This is a 60 per cent increase over current levels in just 40 years.

The Prime Minister’s tone and attitude would suggest that he would be happier with even greater population levels. The shame is, for all their claims of being environmentally sound, the Rudd Government has no population policy.

It is difficult to comprehend why our leaders find it so hard to apply the concept of sustainability. Instead, they constantly talk up economic growth, population growth, growth in tourism, agricultural growth, fisheries growth, growth in manufacturing. Perhaps they do not comprehend the long-term ramifications of constant growth.

Maybe not this century or even the next – but with finite resources, it is logically inconsistent to advocate for infinite growth.

Nowhere is the issue of growth more obvious than with population. Population growth does provide a powerhouse for economic growth, but it also provides for increasing consumption of finite resources.

As such, the impact of population on the

CityNews December 17-January 6

By Michael Moore environment cannot be underestimated. It is not a simple equation, but the population element must be a priority. Policies must concurrently take into account that people in the developed world are much more voracious in use of resources than people in under-developed countries and economies.

The UN Population Fund recently released the “2009 State of World Population” report that examined world growth projections at between eight billion and 10.5 billion people by 2050. The report stated: "Slower population growth... would help build social resilience to climate change's impacts and would contribute to a reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions in the future."

The report also identified the importance of empowering women and, more specifically, “the key point is that women and men themselves, not Governments or any other institutions, make decisions on childbearing that contribute to an environmentally sustainable human population”.

At least the Member for Fraser and Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, has been at the forefront of action to allow family planning as an integral part of the work of our foreign aid and assistance through AusAid. His actions have been validated by the UN report, but there is much more that can be done with a need for accelerated investment in improving the broader education of women and assisting them in understanding their choices regarding the size of their families.

Instead of having a Prime Minister shooting from the hip, what is needed is carefully constructed all-of-government policy on population stabilisation. Our environmental and social responsibilities both nationally and internationally should be a cornerstone of any such policy on sustainability.

How and when will it end? The alternative to finding an answer to the conflict between finite resources and exponential growth is just hurtling on towards an environmental, population and economic collapse.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health in the Carnell government.

CityNews December 17-January 6 

opinion

Our world’s the only one we’ve got...

MY children are worrying about the end of the world. They’ve been following all the climate change news that’s in the headlines, and they’ve freaked out a bit.

Dealing with the end of the world isn’t an entirely new problem. I grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s when the bomb still loomed ominously over the future. Back then, many people thought there was a real chance one or other of the super powers would push the button and blow us all to smithereens.

As a kid, I worried a lot, but my parents were old hands at living with impending doom.

They grew up during World War II and my German dad knew all too much about bombing. Of course, it’s hard to explain to young children (and even some adults) that although something is a real threat, you can’t live your life worrying about it all the time. You just get on with things, while doing what you can to ensure the worst doesn’t happen. A bloke down the road built a fallout shelter. I thought peace marches and political demonstrations were a better idea.

After watching a news story about rising sea levels the other day, my seven-year-old son asked me: “What will we do when the planet is under water? We’ll all drown!” He was worried,

Mum in the city

By Sonya Fladun

but also determined to take action.

He’s already very environmentally aware. He practices recycling, tries to save water (it’s a battle to get him to flush) and loves the idea of solar power. He’s even devised a cunning plan to rescue and relocate polar bears in danger of drowning because of melting ice sheets (be warned this may require many Australians to temporarily let out their bathtubs during the summer months). The Prime Minister may get a letter from him about this soon.

I’ve got a lot of confidence in the next generation. What I do worry about are today’s political leaders, many of whom seem very conflicted about climate change and too focused on opinion polls and what lobby groups are saying.

The problem is, what we do now will determine the world our kids and grandkids will inherit. “We’ve got to look after the Earth,’’ my little boy he tells me. “It’s the only one we’ve got.’’ How true.

letters Facilities ‘lost’ [CHIEF Minister] Mr Stanhope has announced that the CIT Horticultural School site will be granted to a small Islamic school. The residents of Weston Creek thus have the Chief Minister to thank for depriving them of a prime site for facilities such as a swimming pool, a library and other potential community facilities that were suggested alternatives for that site.

Of course, all along the Chief Minster intended to grant the land to the Islamic school when he announced what turned out to be a minimalist community consultation skewed to his way of thinking. Community consultation is clearly not his or his government’s forte. Mr Stanhope had an opportunity to initiate an open consultation free of his opinion, and one well publicised to all Canberrans interested in the potential of six hectares of attractive central publicly owned land and six well-maintained and substantial buildings.

Doubtless, Mr Stanhope glowed with inner multicultural warmth and felt gracious to a small school that claimed to be struggling. That poor Islamic school has now said it can raise $20 million from unspecified sources to develop the site. Thoughtful Canberrans and particularly those of Weston Creek might think the Chief Minister has been fooled at their expense.

men’s health in Australia – and reduce the stigma associated with depression.

Not only has growing a mo made it okay for men to talk about health issues, but the campaign has raised money which has helped to fund our information line and other men’s health programs.

To the 128,500 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who joined Movember this year, I say thank you.

We are extremely grateful that so many people were willing to do their bit to raise awareness of men’s health, particularly depression.

For too long depression has been considered a weakness – it’s not – it’s an illness and effective treatments are available.

Leonie Young, CEO, beyondblue, Victoria

Comparison okay LIKENING [Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd to Andrew Fisher is okay (CN, letters, December 10).

Fisher started work as a coal miner aged 10 and became Prime Minister in 1908. He led the world in introducing aged pensions, invalid pensions and maternity leave and created the Commonwealth Bank – all to the horror of the conservatives.

J. McDonald, Hackett

Come together

Greg O’Regan, Farrer CHRISTMAS is the time of year when we all

Movember magic WHEN beyondblue first became involved with Movember three years ago, we never imagined that the simple idea of asking men to grow a moustache would actually change the face of

should forget our prejudices and join together and enjoy the differences in our society and how much culture has been added to our Australian way of life.

Cyrus Brooks, Dundas, NSW

Share those thoughts Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to editor@citynews.com.au, use a form at www.citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less stand a better chance of publication.

CityNews December 17-January 6

CityNews December 17-January 6 

  CityNews December 17-January 6

news

breifly

Steady, Eddy

New Chief Magistrate JOHN Burns has been appointed the new ACT Chief Magistrate.

Magistrate Burns, who succeeds the long-serving Ron Cahill, has served as a magistrate and coroner in the ACT since 1990. Before his service in the Magistrates Court, Mr Burns practised as a solicitor and later barrister in Canberra. “Magistrate Burns is a well-known and highly respected member of the Canberra community and has a long-standing reputation as an effective and diligent magistrate,” said Attorney General, Simon Corbell.

EDDY the brolga at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve took umbrage at the arrival of “CityNews” snapper Silas Brown to his cage. Brown, who has the unexcitable presence of a saint at prayer, became a tad daunted when Eddy (who was helpfully kept at bay by a sweeping brush) started a dance of either love or war. The cowardly snapper didn’t stay to find out and beat the brush to the exit.

Cupcake champs

Study finds childcare gap THE effects of non-parental childcare differ according to the quality of the care and the background of the parents, according to new research from the ANU. The study, conducted by ANU economists Professor Andrew Leigh and Dr Chikako Yamauchi, used data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children (LSAC), which followed a cohort of children born in 2004 (the study parallels ABC television’s “Life at 1” and “Life at 3” programs).

When the children were aged 2-3

years old, their parents were asked a series of questions about the children’s behaviour. These included questions about how the child responded in unfamiliar circumstances, how well the child persisted with tasks, and whether the child had temper tantrums.

“We find some evidence that children in non-parental care have worse behavioural outcomes,” said Dr Yamauchi.

“However, it would be a mistake to conclude from this that day care is harmful for children. The size of the differences are quite small, and could possibly re-

flect differences in the kinds of families who choose to use non-parental care.”

The researchers also find that the relationship between behaviour and childcare differs according to parental socio-economic status and the quality of care.

“The negative association between behavioural outcomes and non-parental care is strongest for children of affluent and high-educated parents,” said Professor Leigh.

“This accords with prior research, and may reflect the fact that children

in these families have more resources at home, or that there are differences in parenting across socio-economic groups.

“We also find some evidence that the negative association between behavioural outcomes and childcare use is ameliorated in childcare centres with smaller group sizes.”

A copy of the paper, “Which Children Benefit From Non-Parental Care?” is available at: http://econrsss.anu.edu. au/~aleigh/

FOR the second year, Centrelink has won the RSPCA Cupcake Day Trophy for the most money raised in Australia for their charity event.

Centrelink raised more than $4000 with 42 employees volunteering to bake up a storm.

Money champs

THE Canberra Hospital Auxiliary has raised more than $2 million. The auxiliary was established in 1973 and took just over 25 years to raise the first million and only 10 years to raise the second million. There are more than 120 members of the auxiliary providing services to the hospital, including the auxiliary shop, trolley services to the wards, a patient and staff library, guides for patients and visitors, and a museum.

CityNews December 17-January 6

the gadfly

To sir, with love…

DO you remember a favourite teacher, that one person who somehow made the classroom come alive? And when you look back, can you see what a difference that teacher has made to the rest of your life?

If so, you are not alone. In fact, over the last few months my wife Wendy – herself a Canberra teacher – and I have been exploring the possibility of compiling a book on the way teachers have changed Australians’ lives. And along the way we’ve discovered that almost everyone has a favourite teacher, someone who came along at just the right time to influence their path to a future that might otherwise have been denied them.

The idea arose at a dinner party and when we went around the table everyone had a story to tell. Some were inspirational, others heart-warming and still others just funny. Not all the teachers were perfect, and many didn’t realise the influence they were having, but invariably the effect on the pupil was both positive and memorable.

We think the book would make a great read. But more importantly, we reckon it’s time that as a society we at last begin to appreciate the vital role that teachers play.

Governments are always talking about raising the status of teachers but they do very little about it. In fact, it has seemed to us that the Education Revolution so beloved of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard has been more concerned with school buildings than the real game-changers, the teachers themselves. And in fact, when we initially approached government ministers – and MPs – for their stories the response was rather spotty.

Some, like the Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and our own Senator Gary Humphries, responded

10 CityNews December 17-January 6

By Robert Macklin immediately with quite fascinating and unexpected stories; but others such as Greens Senator Bob Brown and Parliamentary Secretary Maxine McKew were “too busy”. Still others agreed, but then haven’t actually followed through with their contributions.

Nevertheless, we were able to put enough together to at least begin the process and develop a proposal for a publisher. And last month we signed a contract with UNSW Press for “My Favourite Teacher – How Teachers Changed Australians’ Lives”.

Now we really have to get to work and gather at least 100 more stories from around Australia.

When we appeared on Alex Sloan’s morning program on Canberra’s ABC radio, so many people called in to tell their stories there wasn’t time to fit them all in, so Alex invited us back for another session. And the same thing happened.

Clearly it strikes a chord, so in the next few weeks we will be taking our dog and pony show via radio to the rest of the country. However, before we do we’d really like to hear from “CityNews” readers – the cream of the crop – to really get the project moving. We have developed a website to accept the stories – about 500 words each ­– and give us permission to use them. So if you would like to be part of the project and remember a teacher fondly, please send your story to www. myfavouriteteacher.com.au robert@robertmacklin.com

ACT Library programs manager Sarah Steed and her summer reading.

Photo by Silas

What the readers read

Director of ACT Library and Information Service, Vanessa Little, has put together a list of the books her library staff wants to read this summer.

They are: “The Time Traveller’s Wife”

by Audrey Niffenegger; “Mao’s Last Dancer” by Li Cunxin; “Fractured” by Karin Slaughter; “The Five Greatest Warriors” by Matthew Reilly; “Remarkable Creatures” by Tracey Chevalier; “Notes from a Small Island” by Bill Bryson; “Wish” by Felice Arena; “March of Pa-

triots” by Paul Kelly; “Kitchen Garden Companion” by Stephanie Alexander “This holiday period, items issued until Saturday, January 9 will have a six-week loan period, except DVDs, which will have a two-week loan period,” said Ms Little.

“If you’re going away for the holidays, think about picking up an audio book or downloading an eAudio book from the library to keep everyone entertained while you travel.”

CityNews December 17-January 6  11

win win win

Great things to win…

The ultimate makeover

Cool hair tool

WIN the CityNews “All About You” $1960 ultimate makeover, featuring professional advice, clothes, shoes, make-up, hair styling and hair care and products! Entry details are at www.citynews. com/competitions

“CITYNEWS” has a VS Sassoon Miss VS Multi Styler to give away to one lucky reader. This totally cool tool comes with a convertible ceramic straightener and crimper, a doublewave barrel for sexy, tousled waves and two different-sized curling irons and spiral brush sleeves, It’s the ultimate tool for achieving Hollywood-style hair.

The Miss VS Multi Styler is valued at $52.95.

Entry details are at citynews.com.au/ competitions

Three bowling parties 20 board games “CityNews” has 20 copies to give away of the new “Oz Crawl – Australia’s Funniest Board Game”, invented by Canberran Emily McDonald.

"We've made a really fun game for friends and families to play by including a wide range of different activities in the game – you’ll discover surprising talents you never knew your friends had from singing and dancing to using their powers of persuasion to win the game,” Emily promises.

Valued at $59.95 each, entries details are at www.citynews.com/competitions

12 CityNews December 17-January 6

AMF Bowling say they’ve got the best kids’ birthday party fun in town and three lucky “CityNews” readers will win the choice of a Superstar Bowler Party or the new SpongeBob SquarePants Party valued at $219 for up to 10 children. The details are at www. citynews.com.au/competitions

news

Be honest, reach out for help KATHRYN VUKOVLJAK discovers the problem of postnatal depression can be hard to detect and easy to hide.

NEW mums will go to great lengths to hide their anxiety and feelings of distress, says Belinda Horton, CEO of the Post and Antenatal Depression Association.

“There can be an unspoken competition between new mums,” she says. “They try to make it look easy and as though everything’s great, feeling they should be able to cope.

“The stigma about postnatal depression is alive and well, unfortunately.”

Belinda says that latest figures from PANDA show that in a 12-month period, more than 800 women and 470 males in the ACT have suffered from postnatal depression.

“We’re encouraged to believe the birth of a new baby should be a perfect experience,” says Belinda.

“Of course there will be sleepless nights and anxiety at times. A new baby can turn its parents’ lives upside down.

“If you find it hard, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent.”

Mother of three, Belinda says her own experiences have motivated her in her work with PANDA. “My first son was born when I was experiencing a low-level depression that had predated my pregnancy,” she says. “I didn’t really know it, but if I’d presented to my GP at that time I would most likely have been diagnosed with postnatal depression. It’s hard to know what’s normal when you have a new baby for the first time.

“Not having shared my pregnancy with anyone

Keep eye on neighbours

By Kathryn Vukovljak

Belinda Horton… “The stigma about postnatal depression is alive and well, unfortunately.” where I now live has also been an issue for me,” she adds.

“I see many women who still have a strong connection with the mums they met through groups after their children were born, and it provides an enormous sense of connection and community and helps eliminate that feeling of isolation. You’ll find that everyone is experiencing some difficulties. It’s a tough, trying time and a huge learning curve for anyone.”

Reaching out to someone and being honest is the key to getting help, Belinda says.

“We have to be talking more about postnatal depression,” she says. “It can tear a person’s life apart and damage relationships. We get people calling us who are absolutely full of terror, having a living nightmare, but they’re afraid to tell anyone.

“Even if you’re just feeling a bit down, tell someone – it can nip it in the bud. Don’t just put a brave face on.

“Postnatal depression is a grey area – it’s more than a few bad days where you’re tired and baby is restless,” she says. “If you’ve been feeling low for more than two weeks then we would suggest taking action.”

Options for treatment include counselling and therapy, support groups and medication, says Belinda. “People do recover – it’s treatable, but they will need help to do so,” she says. “Just don’t hide how you really feel.”

If you suspect that you or someone you know has postnatal depression, call PANDA’s helpline on 1300 726306 or visit www.panda.org.au

WITH temperatures soaring, vulnerable people such as the very young and the very old should be carefully monitored, says David Dutton, ACT Ambulance Service acting deputy commissioner.

“If you have elderly neighbours, it’s a good idea to check on them, even if they’re perfectly fine,” he says. “Encourage them to limit going out in the middle of the day or over-exerting themselves by offering to pick up their groceries, things like that. It all helps.”

He also offers a reminder about the dangers of leaving children alone in hot cars.

“The temperature inside a car can rise rapidly and be more than double than that of outside in a matter of minutes,” he says.

“Toddlers and young children are especially vulnerable because their nervous systems are not fully developed and they can’t adapt to rising temperatures. This can result in serious injury or death.”

However, should heat stress occur – nausea, faintness, dizziness, loss of appetite, headache, vomiting, drowsiness or unconsciousness are all signs of major dehydration – David advises that anyone suffering these symptoms should be moved to a cooler environment; have cool, wet towels placed around the neck and underarm. If conscious, given cool water to drink and call triple zero if the symptoms persist.

CityNews December 17-January 6 13

Invite us at silas@citynews.com.au

scene At the CCAS Gorman House exhibiton openings

Lucy Quinn, Jacqui Bradley and Matt Nightingale

At Red Shoe Moet party, Cahoots Bar, Rydges Lakeside

Danyka Van Buuren and Alexander Boynes

Sheree Kahlefeldt, Grant Cussen, Katie Dewar and Carley Simpson

Peta Jones, Yolander Norris and Michael Desmond

14  CityNews December 17-January 6

Barbara Butow, Sarit Cohen and Ronnie Butow

Megan Purcell, Naomi Orchard and Abby Bickel

Kirsty Jones, Larissa Di Savia and Sarah Emmerson

Ilona Van Galen and Alison Dawn

CityNews December 17-January 6  15

More photos at www.facebook.com/canberracitynews

scene At the launch of ‘Stanley Melbourne Bruce’ exhibition, National Archives

At the Christmas party jazz cruise, Australian American Association

Catherine Bandle, Janette Henry, “Barrak Obama”, Lisa Bell and Mark Huck

Rob Arculus, Max Wheeler, Adam Thomas, Karmin Cooper and Michael Honey

Amy Holmes, John Schilling and Lorna Miloloza

Joe and Judith Hlubucek Marian Tsirbas, Brian Cox, David Lee, Sylvia Marchant and Alison French

Jane Campbell, Jane Ellis and Alex Shapley

16 CityNews December 17-January 6

Wanda Faux and Ellnor Grassby

Director-General Ross Gibbs and Mark Kuhn

Alanna Bishop and Pat Kuhn

Mary Potts and Julie Wheeler

Paul and Brooke Oxford

CityNews December 17-January 6  17

scene

More photos at www.facebook.com/canberracitynews

At the Optus ‘Dinner on Stage’, Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic

Peter Snow, Anna Knowles with Kariana and Adrian Bruce

Peter and Cheryle Lomas with Tony Whigham

Ed and Sue Killesteyn with Nicole and John Welington

Natasha and Chris Puleston

Linda Hurley, Glen Grant and Marie Bolton

At the Property Council Christmas lunch, Hotel Realm, Barton

Sally Fleming, Bridgett Glasson and Scott Bland

Fiona Chapman and Eugenie Finn

18 CityNews December 17-January 6

Karen Boyd, Peta Earley and Callum Heinrich

John O'Donnell, Meri Butler, Rebecca Dawes and Matt Purcell

Alan Tongue, Tom Learoid, Gina Chan, Joel Monaghan, Antoinette Perera and Terry Campese

Ben Kruger and Ben Fuller

all about summer

entertainment | movies | kids | fashion | body | health

Stars come out for NYE party Civic’s promising a huge New Year’s Eve with two separate sites playing host to a free program of entertainment, including a family concert in Civic Square from 7pm, a dance party in Garema Place from 9pm, and two firework displays at 9pm and midnight.

The main stage in Civic Square will feature performances by four bands kicking off with the vocal harmonies and acoustics of The Bridge Between followed by the hip-swinging style of Canberra’s own seven-piece Latin rock band, Los Chavos. They bring an infectious blast of Latino exuberance to every performance, with punchy horns and sexy rhythms.

At 9pm the first of two firework shows will announce the imminent arrival of the New Year, with Civic Square being one of the best spots to view the spectacle. This is an opportunity for parents to bring their children to Civic to enjoy the early fireworks.

From 9pm Garema Place will feature top local DJs counting down to midnight, while in Civic Square hot, new party band Who’s Ya Daddy will be performing.

The final performance of the night will see the Idols of the 80s take to the stage in Civic Square to perform ultra funky music from the 1980s.

The trio comes from three of Australia’s most innovative and successful bands – Paul Gray, Wa Wa Nee; David Sterry, Real Life and Tottie Goldsmith, The Chantoozies.

Topping the night off will be the midnight fireworks.

Organised by the ACT Government, the Civic Square and Garema Place events are alcohol-free to encourage a safe and friendly atmosphere for families. ACTION Buses will operate on a weekday timetable, with the Nightrider service also available.

For further information call 132281 or visit www.events.act.gov.au

New Year’s Eve entertainment from David Sterry (far left), and clockwise from top left, Paul Gray, Tottie Goldsmith, Los Chavos and Who’s Ya Daddy.

CityNews December 17-January 6 19

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all about summer

Sounds in the grass

Our town’s got plenty to do THERE’S plenty to do in Canberra over the summer holidays, and with the warm weather and longer nights there’s no excuse to stay home! With stunning exhibitions in our national institutions, a myriad of outdoor events, live music and theatre for the whole family and a big party to see out 2009 on New Year’s Eve in Civic, here’s the “CityNews” guide to making the most of the holidays in Canberra.

Showing throughout summer at the National Botanical Gardens, the Summer Sounds concert series is held on Eucalypt Lawn with entry by gold-coin donation.

Enjoy a summer evening with live music and wine, beer and soft drinks on sale.

Call 6250 9540 or visit www.anbg.gov.au

Emotional journey From January 7, catch Last Letters, a moving performance inspired by “Devotion”, one of the stained glass windows in the Hall of Memory. The performance relives the experience of a nurse during the First World War. Performed by Leith Arundel and directed by Mary Rachel Brown, be part of the emotional journey of a woman’s role in war.

The Australian War Memorial is open from 10am-5pm daily. Visit www.awm. gov.au

They’re racing!

THERE’S a community race meeting at the Queanbeyan racecourse on Boxing Day, with lots of things to keep the kids busy, such as face painting and a jellybean contest. Gates open at 10am and every race book has the chance of winning accommodation and meal prizes.

Call 6299 2398

John Butler Trio.

New Year’s in the city

and promote their fifth studio album, “April Uprising”. Be sure to be a part of this show, at the Canberra Theatre on Saturday, January 9.

Call 6243 5711 or visit www.canberratheatre. org.au.

Two sites in Civic will be the centre of entertainment, with a family concert in Civic Square from 7pm and a dance party in Garema Place from 9pm, playing all the major dance hits of 2009 as the countdown begins. Two fireworks displays will take to the sky at 9pm and midnight. The main stage in Civic will come alive with four live bands including The Bridge Between (below) and Canberra’s own seven-piece Latin rock band, Los Chavos. New Year’s Eve in the City in Civic Square is an alcohol-free event.

Call Canberra Connect on 132281 or visit www. events.act.gov.au

The best of Paris

Boost visitor numbers and head to the National Gallery of Australia to see the “Masterpieces from Paris” exhibition. The Musee D’Orsay Post Impressionist collection is in Canberra until April 5 – don’t miss this amazing opportunity to see works by Van Gogh (below), Cezanne, Gauguin and Pissaro.

Call 6240 6411 or visit www.nga.gov.au.

Love is all you need

Discover stories of love during war – the pain of separation, loss and reunion are explored in the Australian War Memorial’s exhibition “Of Love and War” (above). Featuring mementoes, photos, wedding dresses and posters of wartime pin-up girls, the exhibition runs until May 5.

Call 6243 4211 or visit www.awm.gov.au.

On the road again

After a long wait, John Butler Trio makes a return to the nation’s capital with their “One Way Road” tour, for one night only. They are here to perform

Rev-heads come out Burn outs, street cars, drag racing and Miss Summernats – it’s that time again! Running from January 7-10, Summernats (above) will be an action-packed weekend. Check out the prestigious show cars, visit the different pavilions, and sit back and have a drink while listening to live music. The whole family can get involved with kid zones available for little rev-heads and a huge fireworks display will light the sky on Saturday night.

Call 6241 8111 or visit www.summernats.com.au

CityNews December 17-January 6 21

all about summer movies

New hi-tech cinema promises family value THE ACT’s first totally digital cinema complex, Limelight Cinemas at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, promises a new level of big-screen presentation when four of the eight screens open on Boxing Day. “The cinema complex is being totally transformed, with new seats, screens, sound, digital projection, and entry foyer,” says Limelight Cinemas CEO Ross Entwistle.

“We want to give people in this area a good reason to go to the movies more often, so our focus is on providing them with a state-of-the-art experience, a broad range of movies and events, and affordable prices.”

The major movies scheduled include “Avatar” (in 3D); “Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel”; “Old Dogs”, starring John Travolta and Robin Williams; “Sherlock Holmes”, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, and “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” which stars Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.

“In conjunction with the owners of the shopping centre, we have sought to improve every detail of the experience to ensure that customers keep coming back,” Mr Entwistle said.

“We’ve also got a great local team, who are genuinely committed to providing customers with a really distinct and positive

“It’s Complicated” [TBA] DIRECTED by Nancy Meyers, this movie shows a different approach of being the “other woman”. The story follows Jane (Meryl Streep) and her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin) and their recent, new connection. After meeting up at an event, sparks start to fly once again as Jane and Jake start having an affair.

Throw a love triangle into the works and things start to get complicated. Adam (Steve Martin) is hired to re-model her kitchen, and after spending endless amounts of time with Jane, a connection is formed. A decision has to be made – should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or try for round two?

“Tooth Fairy” [G] Dwayne Johnson transforms as the tooth fairy this summer, in a new comedy set to hit cinemas on January 14. Johnson’s character Derek Thompson, a tough minor league hockey player, finds himself in an unusual situation after discouraging a youngster’s hope.

Nicknamed the tooth fairy for his antics on the ice, his punishment consists of serving hard labour, working as a real-life tooth fairy.

Will Derek find himself a changed man?

Ross Entwistle... “We want to give people in this area a good reason to go to the movies more often”.

Photo by Cole Bennetts movie-going experience. best value entertainment available.

“This initiative is all about bringing back “We want families to enjoy a day at the the magic of big-screen movies to Tugmovies without breaking the bank, couples geranong Hyperdome, providing enterto see a movie and still have money for tainment, employment and a long-term dinner, and we want to make it easy for commitment to the area”. everyone to see more movies, more often”, As a current Screen Australia director and he says. former managing director of Greater Union Limelight will feature greater programand Sony Pictures Releasing (Australia), Mr. ming flexibility, providing not only for Entwistle has 25 years’ experience in the the latest 3D movies, but the capacity to movie industry and believes that Limelight’s play other forms of entertainment such combination of presentation quality, as concerts, sporting events, children’s programming and pricing will represent the programming and opera.

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22 CityNews December 17-January 6

Films galore

“Princess and the Frog” [TBA] If you are a fan of the “Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” then prepare for a new animation which features a modern twist on the classic fairytale, “Princess and the Frog”. Re-live the frog that desperately wants to be human again, the beautiful girl, and of course the kiss, but expect to see modern issues thrown in the pot, from January 1.

“Toy Story” 1 and 2 in 3D [G] The talking toys everyone loves are back, and bigger! This time, experience the popular franchise like you never have before, with the toys taking the screen in Disney Digital 3D. Both Toy Story 1 and 2 will be on the big screen these school holidays from January 24. Don’t miss the celebration of the return and enjoy the fun-filled journeys the toys encounter. For small and big kids alike, this caters for everyone!

CityNews December 17-January 6  23

all about summer kids

Feeding time at the Zoo… trainee zookeeper and ANU student Vanessa Pirotta feeds an endangered Sumatran tiger.

Photo by Silas

Touching experiences

By Katarina Slavich EVER wondered what it would be like to have a giant brown bear lick honey off your fingers?

Or have a 110kg critically endangered Sumatran tiger jump up and snatch meat from your hands?

Fantasy becomes reality this school holidays at the National Zoo and Aquarium, with interactive tours that bring visitors up close and personal with some of the world’s most amazing wildlife.

The award-winning Zooventure tour offers two hours of behind-the-scenes action. With the chance to feed animals and experience close encounters with endangered species, this tour is for the ultimate thrill seeker. It costs $95 each on weekdays

24 CityNews December 17-January 6

and $125 on weekends and public holidays.

This all-day program teaches kids all they need to know about zoo keeping and animals, as well as playing games, making toys for the animals and making new friends along the way. There are two Zoocation tours on offer, one for children aged two to six and another designed for children in kindergarten and year one, with both these programs run by qualified zoo-educated guides. It costs $70 per day or $65 if booked online.

Located on Lady Denman Drive, Yarralumla, the zoo is open every day (excluding Christmas Day) from 10am to 5pm.

Dancing Dorothy EVERYONE’S favourite dinosaur is in town on December 21 – and she’s bringing Santa with her for ”Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Rockin’ Christmas”. This new show is packed with singing, dancing, music and roses, of course. Captain Feathersword, Wags the dog and Henry the Octopus will be there too, planning a party for Dorothy.

Call 6243 5711 or visit www.canberratheatre. org.au.

Learning can be fun

A NEW, high-quality holiday education program for primary-aged students will be run at the CIT Reid Campus in the last two weeks of the school holidays. There is a real hunger in Canberra for engaging education programs during the school holidays. “We are offering mainstream subjects

taught in an interactive, creative and hands-on way,” says education director Winifred Hanson.

“With 32 day-long workshops in literacy, mathematics, science, history and even philosophy, there is bound to be something for everybody.”

Sessions are running January 18 -22 and the 27-29. More information at www.swisheducation. com.au

Sporting chances

NEED help getting your kids off the couch these school holidays? The Australian Institute of Sport offers a range of sport and fitness activities suitable for all children. There are three specialised programs to choose from including a sports vacation program, a holiday intensive swim program and a soccer camp.

Call 6214 1111 or visit www.ausport.gov.au

Thirst for knowledge

LEARN how water shapes our life in the “Water: H O = Life” exhibition at the National Museum of ² Australia.

Kids can play with interactive displays, find out how they can conserve water, meet fish and frogs and discover Australia’s own water story. This exhibition is ideal for families with children aged between five and 12.

Call 6208 5000 or visit www.nma.gov.au

Charming beasts

“Snakes Alive” at the Botanic Gardens.

GET up close and personal with death adders, pythons, lizards, frogs and turtles at the Australian National Botanic Gardens from January 18-24. The “Snakes Alive” exhibition, with talks and feeding demonstration, is open from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday.

Call 6250 9540 or visit www.anbg.gov.au

Dorothy the Dinosaur...dancing to the Cnaberra Theatre Centre.

Trusting your senses

QUESTACON is presenting “Perception Deception”, a hands-on exhibition that lets you explore the world inside your head. Kids will love how you can seemingly change size before your eyes or be unable to speak because of your voice.

Experience lightning, an earthquake and a

cyclone at the Awesome Earth gallery – it’s a fun and interactive way to learn about geology and meteorology. There’s also Measure Island, with exhibits presented as a lost civilisation and the ever-popular Mini-Q for kids aged between one and six.

Call 6270 2800 or visit www.questacon.com.au

CityNews December 17-January 6 25

summer fashion

It’s a black, brown and tortoiseshell season

By Kathryn Vukovljak BIG, glamorous sunglasses might be a hot style statement this summer, but the right pair of sunnies could save you from serious and long-term damage to your eyes and vision, says Dr Harry Weisinger, director and senior optometrist for Specsavers Australia.

“Most Australians understand the link between ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer, although many of us are less aware of the connection between UV radiation and eye damage,” he says.

“UV radiation from the sun can damage not only the skin of your eyelids, but also the clear outer parts of the eye, and in some cases lead to development of certain types of cataracts.

“All these conditions are preventable, if people take the right precautions and wear sunglasses.”

Dr Weisinger says that black, brown and classic tortoiseshell styles are popular styles this summer, and frames with texture, patterns, studs or a touch of bling will give an individual touch. “A plain front with patterned arms may bring out just the right balance of detail,” he says. “However, bigger arms are better, as they will protect the eyes from side glare.”

The Cancer Council ACT recommends both children and adult wear a close-fitting, wraparound-style sunglasses that covers as much of the eye as possible, says David Wild, SunSmart services coordinator at the Cancer Council ACT. “No matter what style, sunglasses should meet Australian Standards and be labelled UV 400 or with

26 CityNews December 17-January 6

Big sunnies (25053050), $99, Specsavers

Subiaco (TCC10419011), $59.95, The Cancer Council

Polaroid (LP69020BL) $69.95, City Market Chemist Canberra Centre Big, glamorous sunglasses... hot style statement this summer. an EPF (Eye Protection Factor) of 9 or 10,” he says.

“I would also urge people to take particular care between 11am and 3pm by minimising outdoor activities and events as much as possible between the daylight saving period of the year when UV levels soar.

“The risk of damaging your eyes increases with the duration of time spent in the sun. Be mindful and wear sunglasses while swimming outdoors, as the reflection of the sun can increase the risk of damage.”

Wayfarer style (25052916), $49, Specsavers

Huskisson (TCC10430011), $49.95, City Market Chemist Canberra Centre

summer fashion

Flipping over flip-flops Billabong White thong, $29.95, Liquid Blue, Riverside Plaza Queanbeyan

Tribal sandal, $99, Marcs Canberra Centre

BEACHY, relaxed and oh-so comfortable! Whether you choose a funky beaded design to wear with a maxi or a plain style with shorts or a mini skirt, thongs are a summer footwear staple – just slip on and chill out.

Billabong Missy Mushroom, $35.95, Liquid Blue, Riverside Plaza Queanbeyan

Billabong Assault in black/charcoal, $25.95, Overboard Petrie Plaza

Haviana Slim Season in Branco/Prata, $29.99, Overboard Petrie Plaza

Haviana Gold Logo in Chocolate, $39.99, Overboard Petrie Plaza

Haviana Slim Jelly in Amarello, $29.99, Overboard Petrie Plaza

CityNews December 17-January 6  27

summer fashion

Swimwear that’s for every body

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By Kathryn Vukovljak THERE’S no need to cover up on the beach – with the right cossie for your shape you’ll be flaunting your assets with beach babe confidence, says stylist Jenny Kozlow.

It’s all about working with what you love and disguising what you hate.

Large busts need structure, she says. Anything goes – bikini, tankini, one-piece – as long as the suit is great quality, fully lined and underwired – at the very least with a thick band under the bust. Look for sturdy halter-neck styles with armhole coverage. There’s nothing worse than feeling unsupported! A neat pattern or plain colour on your top half will balance you out.

If your tummy needs support, choose a style with ruching in that area to hide lumps and bumps, says Jenny. Any design with a horizontal line or a crossover style – great for creating a waist – will work wonders. A patterned tankini or strapless one-piece will distract the eye. Just as sexy as a bikini!

Stay away from boy-cut shorts if you have large hips and thighs. A higher cut will elongate the leg and make you look taller and slimmer, she says. Not too high though – look for appropriate coverage! Draw the attention upwards with a bright colour up top.

Jenny advises that small girls who need to create curves should look for styles with gathering, cute ruffles or added detail. A little belt or side ties on the bottom, tops with subtle padding, stripes or florals will look beautiful. Choose small prints – large patterns will swamp. Racy cut-out Jenelle Smith models Jets by Jessika Allen bikini styles such as the monokini – with a thin strap of fabric connecting top and bottom – will emphafrom David Jones, Canberra Centre.

Photo by Silas sise waist and hips.

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2

5

6

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1 Neon stripe bikini (sold as separates), $26.99 each, Target. 2 Green gathered one-piece, $159, Jets by Jessika Allen, David Jones. 3 Pink tube bikini, $69.95, Seafolly. 4 Floral halter-neck onepiece, $49.99, Target. 5 1950s-style moulded bikini, $169, Jets by Jessika Allen, David Jones. 6 Tribal stripe tankini, $36.99, Target.

28 CityNews December 17-January 6

summer body

Party without putting on weight IT’S too easy to leave good intentions towards your diet at home during the festive season, says Amanda Clark, author of “Portion Perfection”.

“It happens to the best of us – we arrive at a function or party, head straight for the chips or canapes and scoff the lot while we’re busy chatting,” she says.

Remember, you won’t put on too much weight if you overindulge once in a while, but if you eat everything in sight at every function you will, she says.

Alcohol doesn’t help either, she cautions – it lowers your inhibitions so you don’t care about calories, and is high-calorie in itself.

“Alcohol will be in abundance, so limit yourself to two or three drinks,” she says.

Steer clear of creamy cocktails and opt for wine or spirits with a low-calorie mixer, advises Amanda. “One glass of wine, a stubbie of light beer and one nip of spirits are all equivalent to 100 calories,” she says.

“Always finish your glass before you allow it to be refilled. If you’re constantly being topped up it will be hard to keep track of how many drinks, and calories, you’ve had.

“Or stand with soda water in a champagne glass – it feels special, doesn’t go down fast like a soft drink, keeps you sober and saves on calories, so it’s an all-round winner.”

Amanda also suggests that you eat something healthy before you go. “A low-fat snack like a banana will help stop you from over-indulging later,” she says.

And don’t forget to avoid the hangover!

“Don’t drink on an empty stomach and alternate each alcoholic drink with water,” says Amanda.

“Drink loads of water before you go to bed and take a B vitamin to help metabolise the alcohol. If you do wake up with a hangover, it’s best to keep to small serves of low-fat foods like toasted bread, and keep drinking water.”

Don’t let the sun catch you crying

By Suzie Hoitink IT’S rare to come across somebody with little to no sun damage in this country.

It’s the price we pay for living in a sun-drenched land.

No matter how diligent we are, we still find telltale evidence of sun exposure damaging our skin.

For most of us, it’s damage from our youth that’s now surfacing, in the form of broken capillaries, age spots and pigmentation, and toughened skin.

Treating sun damage isn’t actually that difficult, especially when it’s possible to see the damage that lies beneath the surface.

Before touching somebody’s skin, I do a full skin analysis using clever imaging technology – it’s not always good for the self-esteem, but it’s vital to the success of treatment as it shows the vascular and pigmentation damage caused by years of sun exposure.

My top tips for treating sun damage are: Start using Vitamin B3, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. We all know how important it is to fuel our bodies with foods rich in these antioxidants, and the same goes for our skin.

Vitamin B3 comes in a powerful serum called niacinamide, which has been found to prevent damage

Sun damage... for most of us it’s damage from our youth. from UVA and UVB radiation: It’s an effective, gentle longterm maintenance therapy for pigmentation which also boosts the skin’s immune function.

Vitamin A is best delivered to the skin via a serum.

It actively stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, thickening the skin’s middle layer, plumping out wrinkles and slowing vascular damage. It also helps to exfoliate dead, damaged cells, which helps fade

sunspots and freckles.

Studies show that UV damage actually reduces the amount of Vitamin C in our skin! Applying a Vitamin C serum restores the skin’s ability to protect itself from factors which damage collagen – but make sure it’s in a stable formulation, or the product may lose its potency even before you buy it.

Suzie Hoitink is a registered nurse and founder of the Clear Complexions Clinics in Belconnen and Erindale.

CityNews December 17-January 6 29

summer body

Lips in all your favourite flavours

By Kathryn Vukovljak TROPICAL fruits, exotic berries, lollies, cakes, herbs, chocolate, sesame, peppermint – lip balms

The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ in vanilla bean, $34.95

are virtually edible these days, says Leah O’Neill, owner and managing director of new website Addicted 2 Lip Balm.

“Dry, cracked lips are painful and unattractive – but there are so many yummy products out there that there’s no excuse to neglect them,” she says.

We’re all great at applying sunscreen but we often forget our lips, yet because the skin there is thin, delicate and prone to sun damage, they need even more protection, Leah says.

“Choose a lip balm with SPF when you’re out in the sun, but any lip balm will soften lips and help prevent lines and wrinkles developing,” she says. “It’s also an inexpensive way to treat yourself to something new and gorgeous.”

Lanolips 101 Ointment, $17.95

Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie in Pink Me Up, $37

Urban Rituelle Sweet Treats lip balm in mango, $9.95

Cake Kiss in caramel crème, $14.95

30 CityNews December 17-January 6

Rosebud lip balm with Vanilla in mocha rose, $12

Natio Peppermint tinted lip balm in Kiss Me, $9.95

BYS Animal Instincts lip gloss in watermelon, $6.95

summer health

Eat your way to a better summer body WANT to lose weight this summer? Then make a conscious decision to start being healthy, says weight-loss guru Tony Ferguson.

“The thought of eating healthily seems like a nice idea at the time, but many people just aren’t motivated enough to see it through,” he says.

“Look at what you’re currently eating and decide what changes you would like to make.

Work out how this fits into your day-to-day life and family meals.

“Purchase the food you need and plan meals ahead of time, filling the refrigerator with vegetables and protein, plus plenty of healthy

snack options. If everything is to hand, you’ll be less likely to choose something unhealthy.”

If you get into the routine of cooking healthy meals rather than getting take away, then you’re guaranteeing freshness and you know exactly what you’re getting.

If you’re pressed for time, cook on the weekends and freeze meals for the week. Prepare quick meals by using frozen vegetables and ready-made salads. Add tinned fish, boiled or

poached eggs for a meal in minutes, says Tony.

Making vegetables a major part of every meal will really help you to lose weight, he adds.

“They’re packed full of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants as well as being are a source of fibre and low in kilojoules,” he says.

Use vegetables as between-meal snacks. Try salads, grilling, baking, making soups, or roasting and blending veggies into a healthy dip.

If you feel like something sweet, don’t automatically reach for the chocolate. Try making up diet jelly and add your favourite fruit to it for variety, says Tony. Or make up some diet cordial

and freeze it for a low-kilojoule ice block. Don’t forget the classic fruit salad.

And never, ever skip a meal, it can not only slow your metabolic rate, but also lead to overeating at the next meal. Make sure you consume three main meals with healthy snacks such as fruit or vegetable sticks in between meals.

Try including sources of protein such as beef, chicken, fish, egg or tofu at each meal, says Tony.

Increasing fibre intake, choosing low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates and snacking on nonstarchy vegetables throughout the day will also help you feel fuller for longer.

Don’t drink and drive yourself

By Kathryn Vukovljak HEADING to the gym the day after drinking alcohol puts you at serious risk of dehydration, says Paul Campbell, head trainer and group development manager at Elite Physique.

“Alcohol is a diuretic, so it pushes water out of your system,” he says. “Basically, as soon as you

Drink plenty of water... hydration is the key.

start drinking you’re becoming dehydrated. It takes the body time to get back to normal, even if you drink a lot of water, so doing a workout the next day could be counterproductive.”

Paul says he has recently trained people who drank too much on Melbourne Cup day, and who were still suffering from ill effects more than a day later.

“People are keen to sweat out toxins after an alcohol binge,” he says. “When you’re drinking you also eat unhealthy food, you don’t sleep as well and you definitely don’t drink enough water.

“But when people come to the gym after that and try to do the exercise they usually do, they find they just can’t.”

Alcohol is mainly sugar, so your body just won’t have the fuel it needs for a proper workout, according to Paul.

“If you just had a few drinks the night before, you could still work out – just take it down a notch,” Paul says. “With weights, lift less than half your usual amount. Stick to basic compound movements like squats, and take it slowly.

“And drink plenty of water!

Hydration is the key.”

CityNews December 17-January 6 31

buying at the coast

advertising feature

Lure of the sea beckons buyers Tempted by the lure of sun and surf? It’s never been a better time to invest in property on the south coast…

WITH consumer confidence in real estate firmly back on track, the Australian dream of living by the sea is becoming reality for new buyers and investors in the south coast, says David Wunsch, principal of Ray White Merimbula.

“The market is exceedingly strong,” he says.

“We haven’t seen much negative effect from the economic downturn – in fact, there has been a resurgence of investors and first-time buyers in recent months.”

David says that Merimbula has retained its coastal charm and country-style pace and as such has become a magnet for Canberrans.

“Our interstate buyers used to be primarily from Victoria, but there has been an increase in Canberrans buying in Merimbula in recent months – and visiting, too, judging by the amount of Canberra plates here on the weekends!

“It’s been a good year for us, with consumer confidence in the marketplace booming,” he says. “Investors have come back to real estate, and are attracted to Merimbula by the significantly lower property prices than in Canberra.”

Blake Walker, director of Walker Corporation Barlings Beach, agrees, and believes that the south coast beaches are a big draw card for investors and people looking for a sea change.

“The stunning waterways and the diversity of land and sea continues to bring people here,” he

32 CityNews December 17-January 6

says. “The beaches are more protected and less crowded than the north coast, and people love that.

“From Barlings Beach you get easy access to Batemans Bay with all its shops, schools, community and recreation facilities, and you’re also close to Mogo zoo, national parks, quaint villages and pristine beaches.

“Real estate sales in and around Batemans Bay seem to go through cycles, but at the moment it’s a great time to buy, with great-value house and land packages available within a threeminute walk to the beach,” says Blake.

John Haslem, proprietor of three agency franchises in the Batemans Bay area, says that after a slow start to the year, the market is back to what real estate agents on the coast would regard as normal.

“There have been more sales at the breadand-butter end, ranging between $280,000 and $350,000,” he says.

“Encouragingly, high-end sales, which had been completely absent over the past 12 months, have started to reappear.

“For buyers, it’s still a good time as there has been no increase in prices achieved for sale in 2009,” says John. “The market has been steady in and around Batemans Bay for six years – the next boom must be getting closer!”

CityNews December 17-January 6  33

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CityNews December 17-January 6  35

all about the arts

reviews | dining | cinema | crossword | sudoku

arts in the city

By Helen Musa

Gallery off to Griffith, sort of

“Sam sleeping in Venice”, 1997, by Nicholas Harding, ink on paper, 20cm x 38cm.

In praise of idleness By arts editor Helen Musa WHEN National Portrait Gallery director Andrew Sayers told me a few months ago that the gallery would dedicate its summer months to the study of idleness, I thought he was joking.

But he wasn’t. The gallery has just opened its summer exhibition “Idle Hours” and, sure enough, it has dedicated itself to this time of the year when most of us are thinking of heading for the coast, basking in the sun, pretending to read and generally doing nothing. And this normally serious institution recently hosted an official Day of Idleness.

You might wonder how an exhibition of works about idle hours fits into the brief of the Portrait Gallery, but when you see that the selection of works by Australian artists such as Thea Proctor, Brett Whiteley, Grace Cossington Smith, Davida Allen, Rick Amor, Cressida Campbell and John Brack largely consists of studies of the human figure, you’ll get the picture.

“Idle Hours” is drawn from both public and private collections and depicts sitters both famous and anonymous, in paintings, prints and drawings.

36 CityNews December 17-January 6

The gallery promises “a deliciously lazy stroll through a full day and night of quiet moods and situations”.

There are pictures of people having breakfast, taking a snooze, having afternoon tea, drinking a beer, soaking in the bath and watching television. On the hard work front, people are depicted looking after small babies, doing the ironing, settling down to their embroidery and preparing dinner – somebody has to make sure that other people can enjoy their idleness.

But the gallery has a higher purpose in staging the show, asking rhetorically why we work longer hours than our parents and grandparents, why we seldom finish reading the books piled by our beds and why we spend so much time in the shopping mall?

Turning a negative into a positive, historian and curator Sarah Engledow has the last word: “What a surprise and a relief it would be to be assured that this is precisely the time, the place, and the occasion for complacency”. Bring it on.

“Idle Hours”, the National Portrait Gallery, until February 21, entry is free.

CHIEF and Arts Minister Jon Stanhope tells us that the M16 arts and community centre may move its operations into the Blaxland Centre in Griffith.

The Government has now offered M16 a five-year tenancy there. It previously provided $600,000 for facility design, business modelling and fit-out, but Joseph Falsone, general manager of M16, tells me they’re still discussing terms and conditions, so it’s not a fait accompli. And just in case you were thinking that $600,000 is a lot of money, Falsone reminded me that 1800sqm and 27 studios, to say nothing of three galleries, means a lot to refurbish.

THE new Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly series gallery at the NGA looks aesthetically pleasing and gallery staff say the newest developments, which also include showcases for decorative arts and galleries for Melanesian and Polynesian art and photography, have increased the display space from 1000 works of art to around 1400 in the existing building. But the really big changes to the building continue with the construction of the stage one additions to Colin Madigan’s original building, due to open in 2010.

Light-based artwork by Alexander Boynes

Agnes Goodsir, “Girl with Cigarette”, c.1925, oil on canvas, 99.5cm x 81cm.

HERE’S something different: Alexander Boynes' light-based artworks merge street art and traditional printmaking techniques through etching and spray-painting to create an "electric drawing". The results are quite dramatic. His show "After Dark" runs at Canberra Contemporary Art Space Gorman House until February 13.

Continued Page 37

arts&entertainment

Reunited... from “Of Love and War”.

When love comes to war A SLIDESHOW of wartime weddings and lovers embraces greets visitors to this gem of an exhibition.

There are a couple of brilliantly hand-tinted photographs amongst the black and white images which depict Australian service men and women, of all ages, in a tremendous variety of locales and circumstances, exchanging vows or kisses, posing formally or caught in an unguarded moment. Two indigenous couples and one Japanese war bride are notable among the largely white-Anglo lovers.

The exhibition is beautifully curated and installed. Temporary walls and wall text combine to create intimate spaces where the viewer feels fully immersed in each of the categories.

Photographs and narratives depict meetings in theatres of war and at home and document relationships both fleeting and forever, such as that between Patrick White and his lover Manoly Lascaris, who met in Egypt in 1941 at the age of 29. In Cairo they face the camera, strong and handsome, at the start of their 50-year partnership. There are photographs and stories of hospital romances and weddings far from home, some amongst the canvas and mud of temporary barracks, and mementoes, stories and photographs detailing the “making do”

VISUAL ARTS

“Of Love and War” Australian War Memorial, May 5.

Reviewed by Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak of wartime weddings, the wedding dress shared multiple times between sisters, friends, brides far from home.

In “Romance and Recruitment”, a tag line on a World War I recruitment cartoon preaches: “Only the brave deserve the fair”, while the cover of sheet music titled “A Boy in Khaki – a Girl in Lace” promises romance in exchange for duty.

Fascinating also are the walls devoted to

pin-ups. Amongst the restrained posings are posters correlating enemy aircraft designs with the names and cartoons of girls. The Type 962EB NELL MK2 is cartooned as the perkily rendered “Nell”: “…extremely vulnerable to frontal attack. Turrets are hand operated.”

The inevitable stories of loss are poignantly and sensitively rendered such as that of Violet Lloyd and Alan Glover, who shared a 10-day honeymoon and nine months of letters before Alan’s execution in Singapore in June 1942. Violet never remarried; under her beautifully displayed wedding gown the caption reads: “…she kept her wedding dress in its original box until her death in 2003”.

Continued from Page 36 MEANTIME, Canberra's longest-running open-studio community art group, Canberra Art Workshop, is offering new members a reduced, introductory fee from New Year's Day of $50. For the time being, the weekly work groups where you can practise experimental painting, portraiture, life drawing, printmaking, pastel and watercolour, will be held in the abovementioned M16 Workspace. Inquiries to president Rick Cochrane on 0411 759838.

ALEXANDRA Freeman originally launched her own jewellery label, Polka Luka (www. polkaluka.com.au) in this, her hometown. Now her successful business reaches far and wide, but it’s back into town holding a resin jewellery exhibition at the Front Gallery in Lyneham shops until December 21.

CityNews December 17-January 6 37

arts&entertainment

visual art

Dine, watch and enjoy THERE’S a great new spot for people watching and wining and dining in Manuka. Legends, which many associate with hens’ parties or large groups digging into big banquets, has expanded.

It now has additional space on street level with a spunky new fit out featuring the bold, rich colours of Spain and intriguing artwork. The new wine bar, inspiring tapas menu and different dining areas are upmarket and already drawing crowds.

Our party took a trip through the tapas part of the menu, picking and choosing along as we travelled. It’s such a relaxed and rewarding way to dine.

Legend’s extensive menu celebrates the wonder of Spanish food – the flavours, colours, textures and variety. The tapas menu is divided into vegetables, seafood (lots of options here) and meat/chicken with plenty of gluten-free options. And you can choose a degustation if you’d like, including seven dishes and dessert for $55 a person (minimum two). It’s fun that the

38 CityNews December 17-January 6

Highly desirable objects, indeed “Objects of Desire” Strathnairn Homestead Gallery, until December 20.

Reviewed by Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak

DINING

By Wendy Johnson menu includes phonetics so you can practice your Spanish while dining.

The plump mushrooms cooked in quality olive oil and served with just the right amount of garlic and a hint of chilli ($12) was a great start to the night. Equally delicious were the sweet and tender Balmain bugs, baked with tomato, chilli sauce and black rice ($14) – the flavours danced all over our palette. We thought a traditional dish was in order and so opted for the heavier pork and paprika sausage with fried bread sauce and balsamic port reduction ($12).

The sausage, packed with flavour, was not at all greasy or fatty – another delicious dish to share.

The caramelised pork belly served with apple cider and mixed wild mushroom sauce ($14) was our least favourite; the meat was overcooked for our liking.

But Legends redeemed itself with

Legends... a great new spot for people watching. the recommendation to order the scampi in saffron, cream and vermouth sauce with black rice ($14). Do yourself a favour and indulge in this dish when you visit.

It is to die for.

Also highly recommended was the crisp and refreshing Martin Codax Albarino 2008 white wine from Spain. It was a highlight of the evening and, while on the topic of wine, take time to study the Legends selection, featuring Australian top drops and some of the best from around the world.

Beyond tapas you can order platters, or banquets or from

Photo by Silas the list of mains. Paella is also featured for a minimum of two people.

The chairs throughout the restaurant are comfortable, including the leather bar stools with good back support, positioned at the front of the restaurant looking out on to the hustle and bustle of Franklin Street. The idea is to encourage you to stay and enjoy, which is exactly what we did.

Legends, Franklin Street, Manuka (former location of Minque), open seven days, call 6295 3966.

WHENEVER I visit Strathnairn, I am struck by its lovely rural setting and the contrast between its history and its present. Formerly an early 20th century army settlement, Strathnairn is now a visual arts centre, with a gallery, an artists’ retail shop and working artists’ studios.

This exhibition shows the work of 16 artists. Represented are ceramic, glass and paper objects, jewellery, etchings, textiles, painting, collages Jo Hollier, "China and artists’ books.

Plate", etching with Included is a series of celadon gold leaf, 15cm x 15cm, glazed porcelain vessels, in various sizes, from ceramicist Craig Edwards. 2009.

These are desirable objects indeed, beautiful in their regularity of form, the celadon marked with an irregular, chocolate speckle.

Amongst other works, printmaker Jo Hollier has created miniatureetching plates framed with their original miniature prints. I find the combination of process and resulting artwork intriguing and the miniature etching plates are exquisite.

Liz Darvill’s LiveFyre handmade glass-bead jewelry, Carole Osmotherly’s bold and bright paintings of traditional children’s toys (acrylic on canvas) and Dirk Bouma’s emotional and masterful winterscape (watercolour on archer’s paper) are all fine reasons to take a weekend drive to rural Holt. In the retail shop, Michael Sainsbury’s large, salt-glazed, circular vessels have a pleasing weight and would be equally at home on the table piled high with summer fruit or in the garden filled with water for the birds.

arts&entertainment

Clumsy kiss of youth “Les Beaux Gosses” (“The French Kisser”) (MA) RIAD Sattouf’s confronting little film polemic about French high-school kids negotiating adolescence delivers crude humour, issues complex beyond merely hormonal causes and credible characters lacking rationality, sophistication, assertiveness, compassion, discipline or manners.

Not about drugs or violence, it offers a clear, different, often-uncomfortable view of youngsters deprived of informed instruction about civilised behaviour or crossing that uncomfortable threshold separating childhood innocence from sexual maturation. You could do worse than invite your teenagers to accompany you to see it.

No girl gives the Arab boy Camel the time of day. Camel’s best pal Herve is a talented masturbator with a head filled with sexual misinformation and a dominating divorced mother. Aurora, determined to control her future, intuitively a sexual explorer, comes on to Herve. The film comes close to heart-break as he and Aurora approach loss of innocence like most of us probably did, reading from an instinctive lexicon. In adulthood, we may laugh, but we feel concern as we seek explanation for Aurora’s behaviour. The film’s adults are a disappointing bunch.

All this adds up to a film sending us home in thinking mode, as good a way to leave the cinema as any.

At Dendy from December 26

“Religolous” (M) LARRY Charles’s doco merits all those stars. Cheerfully validating Voltaire’s defence of free speech while disapproving what the speaker says, comedian Bill

CINEMA

By Dougal Macdonald

their religious prejudices to influence their law-giving decisions and for clerics who meddle in politics. Devout Muslims, Jews or Christians alike who reject scientifically-tested truths would benefit from its ecumenical shining of rationality’s light through the rents in the fabric of belief in ancient arguments.

The two most rational religious professionals whom Maher interviews are American priests working in the Vatican. I found that encouraging.

At Dendy

“Away We Go’ (MA) FOR this comic analysis of relationships, a world away from director Sam Mendes’ confronting “Revolutionary Road”, writers Maher’s examination of the three, great, Dave Eggar and Vendela Vida have devised book-based religions and their adherents arguments that are intelligent, percepuses sharp humour and sharper analysis tive and tinged with pathos, providing wonderful scope for full-bottle performto reach cutting conclusions.

Maher, son of a (lapsed) Catholic father ances from a skilled cast. and a Jewish mother, has an encyclopedic Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya knowledge of the three texts and the Rudolph), in the second trimester of their circumstances of their writing two milfirst pregnancy, visit parents, siblings and lennia ago by men, not deities, to explain friends from student days, searching for what, at that stage of scientific enquiry, a congenial location and lifestyle in which was inexplicable. He exposes their to raise their coming daughter. Upon this inadequacies as historical accounts and premise, the writers build warnings, affecmodern religious practices that they didn’t tionate advice, joys and disappointments encountered in places from Montreal to authorise. Modern charlatans, who in a deity’s name wax fat on believers’ conFlorida. Burt and Verona may be deadly tributions, reveal their venality under his serious but for us, their journey is full of questioning. And his satirising of modern comic misadventures that fill the film’s 88 commercialised worship, especially among minutes with richness and compassion.

US Christian fundamentalists, is a joy to Regrettably, wickedly clever comic turns behold for their embarrassing god-awful from Allison Janney (sigh!) as Verona’s disingenuousness. raucous older sister and a more acidic one Committed Voltaireans (like me) laugh from Maggie Gyllenhaal as an earthimmoderately as “Religolous” successfully mother-feminist academic, pass too challenges the chasm between belief quickly. Apart from that, there’s little not to like about this warm-hearted film. and knowledge. It should be compulsory viewing for parliamentarians who allow At Dendy and Greater Union Bill Maher in “Religolous”.

Native flora to the fore

By Helen Musa THE summer seems to bring out the best in the curators of our national institutions.

We are quite accustomed to the Australian National Botanic Gardens being a centre of culture during summer, with the incredibly popular January free Summer Sounds Concert Series on the Eucalypt Lawn and children’s programs such as the herpetological show “Snakes Alive!” running from January 18-24 where you can see live Australian snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles.

But now the gardens are pulling all the stops out in a celebration of the relationship between the people and plants of the Daly River region in an exhibition called “Replant – a new generation of botanical art”. It’s a good match for the gardens, which have done so much to draw our attention to our native flora.

This is no exhibition for dummies. The artworks offer an account of precisely how unique species survive and even triumph over the extremes of droughts, flooding rains and fires in northern Australia.

Seven artists, Deborah Wurrkidj, Fiona Hall, Irene Mungatopi, Judy Watson, Marita

Judy Watson’s “Batwing Coral Tree”.

Sambono, Winsome Jobling and photographer Peter Eve, have created 26 limited edition etchings and photographs for the

exhibition, which has been curated by Angus and Rose Cameron from the NT. The idea for “Replant” goes back some years to a conversation between the NT’s director of wildlife, Dr Greg Leach, and Angus Cameron, but the project proper began in March 2006 with the artists taking a journey.

While the word “collaboration” trips off people’s tongues too easily these days, this can genuinely be called a collaborative exhibition. To begin with, the artists, not all of whom are indigenous Australians, worked with traditional knowledge custodians Biddy Lindsay, Patricia Marrfurra and Marita Sambono in Nauiyu near Darwin, with ethno-biologist Glenn Wightman and with Leach. The end result is a collection of artworks incorporating stories, examples of plant use and investigative knowledge.

To Angus, the charm of “Replant” has been “a slow unveiling of the mystery of plants and stories.”

“Replant”, Visitor Centre Gallery, Australian National Botanic Gardens, until January 31, entry is free.

CityNews December 17-January 6 39

your week in the stars With Joanne Madeline Moore December 21 - 27 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) The Moon’s in your sign on Christmas Day, which increases your impatience. Try to keep your Yuletide cool! The secret to a successful festive season for Rams is not rushing. Plus don’t overdo things – whether it’s eating, drinking, partying or spending. Moderation is the key.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) Mars is visiting your home zone, so you can expect a volatile Christmas Day with plenty of family fiascos. It certainly won’t be boring! Share the jobs around and don’t feel you have to organise (and micro-manage) everything yourself. Good deeds done now will lead to good fortune in 2010.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) Gregarious Geminis love Christmas because it combines your two great loves – shopping and socialising. However, if you go overboard with gift buying, you could end up arguing over money – or rather, lack of it! Discuss purchases with your partner (or a family member) first, and make sure you keep within your budget.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22) Being adaptable is the key to a happy festive week. You’ll feel like taking a firm stand with a family member but don’t come on too strong.

Everyone will be tense on Christmas Day so try not to be a cranky Crab.

Maintain your sense of humor and keep things in perspective.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) Difficult Saturn and Pluto aspects will increase your tendency to ride roughshod over others. If you boss others around too much, everyone will end up with a bad case of indigestion on Christmas Day. Your motto for the week? “The highest form of control is knowing when to let go.”

general knowledge crossword ACROSS

DOWN

3 Which orders of angels are often represented as beautiful winged children?

7 What is a number of eggs incubated at the one time?

8 Name the greatest warrior in the Trojan war.

9 What do we call an assumed name?

10 What is one of the supports of a stair rail?

11 A Melbourne cup winner must be a what?

14 Which term implies a resemblance to stars?

17 What is another word for barriers?

18 Name an alternative expression for doctrines.

19 In which place are animals slaughtered for food?

20 What is another word for a courtyard?

21 What does it mean to be aesthetically pleasing?

1

2

3

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) Prepare for an intense Christmas, as the Sun and Pluto join forces and make a stressful time even more so. Try to be more flexible and don’t let your control-freak tendencies get the better of you. Diplomacy (and clear communication) will get you a lot further than domestic dramas.

4

5

6

7 8 9 10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) You love to party and participate in Yuletide revelry. Just make sure you’re pulling your weight when it comes to preparations and cleaning up, or you’ll be very unpopular (and lonely) by the end of the week.

Keep focused, do your share of the work, and don’t rest on your lovely Libran laurels!

1 Which extra item of bed covering do we use in winter?

2 What is something kept in readiness for an emergency?

3 Name the meeting hall of a legislative assembly.

4 What are grapes, dried in the sun, or artificially?

5 What is a long ornamental pillow for a bed, sofa, etc?

6 Name the dry, cold, northerly wind that blows toward southern France.

11 Which person is in the service of another?

12 What describes brutish or beastlike persons?

13 An apostolic letter found in the New Testament is known as a what?

14 Which term is descriptive of "southern"?

15 In which place is a hide converted into leather?

16 What is an athlete who has never competed for money?

Solution January 7

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) With Venus in your domestic zone, chances are you’ll be entertaining the hordes at home this Christmas. Make sure you delegate tasks and keep things simple. You don’t have to go over the top in order to have a wonderful week. By the time the weekend arrives, you’ll be ready for a rest.

No.242

18 19 20 21

Sudoku medium No.22

Solution January 7

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) With indulgent Venus in your sign (until Boxing Day) chances are you’ll overdo the Christmas cheer and Yuletide shenanigans. Pace yourself, especially when it comes to alcohol and parties. And don’t leave everything to the last minute or you’ll just end up feeling tired, emotional – and overwhelmed.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) You want everything to be 100 per cent this Christmas, as your stress levels (and perfectionist streak) go into overdrive. Calm down Capricorn! Your motto for the week is from Quentin Crisp (born on Dec 25, 1908) “Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities, but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) You tend to overdo the Christmas celebrations and can end up a sad and sorry soul by Boxing Day. With four planets in your solitude zone, you’ll need time to recover from an overdose of merry mayhem. Pencil in some quiet solo time for the weekend – your body will be glad you did!

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) Have you been a procrastinating Pisces and left most of your shopping to the last minute? If you pace yourself, you’ll find the food and gifts you need without too many hassles. Your mantra for Christmas (and the New Year) is from birthday great, Henry Miller: “Do anything, but let it produce joy.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2009.

40 CityNews December 17-January 6

Solution Crossword No.241 B O T A N I S T

U S H E L I E A R B I L L E R I I G A S O D U L E M S U N S O E M P L E T S I U T A G I T A T O R H T I I E T H E R E A L H R R S

E F O R D A Y M T L I G H T N O B E A M S H M A R U I S M R R N D I G O E C H R I N K

Solution Sudoku hard No.21

advertising feature

Canberra Lake Estate

Waterfront living comes to Canberra’s north CANBERRA’S newest housing development, Canberra Lake Estate, offers beautiful parkland, ample amenities and a beautiful setting on the banks of Lake Ginninderra.

According to Derek Whitcombe, director residential of Colliers International, sales for the estate have been excellent.

“We have 12 out of 67 properties left for sale at this stage,” he says. “We have primarily sold to live-in buyers who are moving on from the large family home in Belconnen, but still want to stay in the area,” he says.

Canberra Lake Estate is located next to the Westfield Shopping Centre, close to major government buildings, Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, the University of

Canberra, CISAC, the AIS and many lakeside restaurants, as well as the connection to bike paths across the city. The location offers a blend of a clean, green environment and access to all possible conveniences, which Derek believes has contributed to impressive sales.

“It provides the ideal low-maintenance living, with a communal entertainment area, children’s playground, parkland, barbecue facilities, and a pool along with low body corporate fees,” he says.

“The architect-designed estate is just a beautiful place to be.”

Each property features three bedrooms, a lock-up garage (single or double depending on the size of the floor plan)

and private courtyards. With prices ranging from $530,000 to $695,000, Derek says the townhouses offer exceptional value without compromising on quality design, state-of-the-art inclusions and fittings and expert construction techniques.

He says the properties are designed for comfortable living and grand entertaining, with a variety of floor plans and layouts available.

More information from 6257 2121.

43 per cent of our readers earn more than $100,000pa.* advertise. * McNair Ingenuity Research 2006

6262 9100

CityNews December 17-January 6 41

Canberra Lake Estate

If the architect’s happy…

FROM a raw block of land to a stylish estate in a lakeside location, architects Ring and Associates created interest and uniqueness in each property in the Canberra Lake Estate for a truly individual feel, while maximising lake views.

“This was an exciting job for us, because we saw it through from the very beginning,” says architect Terry Ring.

“We started with an empty block of land, and devised more than 30 schemes before we settled on the right design. We’re very happy with the results.”

Terry says his aim was for every house to have a link to the lake through the backyard, something that factored highly in his design.

“Every house also has a link to the road via the front, and are all connected to the whole estate with paths and lush gardens throughout,” he says.

42 CityNews December 17-January 6

Individuality was important to Terry when considering plans for the estate.

“I was born in England, where houses on estates are often identical,” he says. “I was keen to move away from that and ensure that each townhouse looks totally different from its neighbour.”

He achieved this by using a variety of colour schemes and creating interest with each roof.

“The roofs dissect the sky beautifully,” he says.

“Just looking down the street is wonderful. No one house looks the same.”

Terry says that the three-bedroom townhouses are being snapped up by people looking to downsize from farms or larger properties locally.

“We’re getting interest from people who want a good-sized property in a stunning, convenient location,” he says.

advertising feature

CityNews December 17-January 6  43

property

Views of the park WITH views over Telopea Park, this townhouse, located at the Blue Dome, offers light-filled interiors with house-like proportions. Designed over two levels with high ceilings, the townhouse features expansive open-plan living/dining areas flowing outdoors to a glass-fronted entertainer’s terrace and courtyard garden.

There are three large bedrooms (master with ensuite and private balcony overlooking Telopea Park), an additional bathroom, powder room, large kitchen overlooking meals area, and two garages.

Address: 3/1 Jardine Street, Kingston Price: $659,000.

Inspection: By appointment.

Price: By Negotiation.

Agent: Maria Selleck, Maria Selleck Properties, call 0417 258803.

44 CityNews December 17-January 6

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