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news / pole-dancing championships

Pole movers and shakers chase the title Lorna Morris reports

“THE vibe and energy of the poledancing studio is nothing like I have ever seen before” says Jenny Hayes, managing director of Trick Fitness in Mitchell.

“People come here to get fit and to have fun, most of them say: ‘I have always wanted to try it’.

“If you’ve had a bad day, as soon as you walk into the studio you instantly forget about it.

Not only because you are concentrating on the exercise, but the support you feel in the studio benefits you both physically and mentally.”

The 31-year-old mum from Gungahlin opened the gym and pole-dancing studio, Trick Fitness, in 2010 with her husband Andrew and also organises and competes in Miss Pole Dance Australia ACT heats.

The competition, which will be held on Friday, June 12 in The Auditorium at the Vikings Club in Wanniassa, showcases the strength and dedication of aerial performers from across the ACT. “Miss Pole Dance Australia ACT heats are all about the show, the girls go all out and spend thousands on costumes,” says Jenny.

“The routines last for three to five minutes and the judges look at the costumes as well as the technicality and execution of the tricks.

“They give more points to the girls if they do a hard trick, but also if they do a simple

trick that is executed perfectly. The girls need to have the whole package.”

Miss Pole Dance Australia, the most prestigious pole dancing competition in the world, began in Sydney in 2005 and is held across Australia. This year will be Jenny’s fifth time competing and third time organising the ACT heats.

“I am definitely a trick star, not a performer,” she says. “My favourite trick is the ‘bird of paradise’ where you are at an angle on the pole with one leg above your head and you’re holding yourself up with your stomach and shoulder.

“If you win Miss Pole Dance Australia ACT heats you get lots of prizes, as well as a crown, trophy and sash. You then go on to compete in the national competition and then the world competition.

Jenny says the competition sponsor, Active Creatures, makes a lot of things that are good for the pole; for example, the short shorts are comfortable and perfect “as you need your skin to grip the pole”.

Pole-dancing instructor at Trick Fitness, Zoe Featonby, says that the support she receives from Jenny and the other dancers has helped her improve her flexibility despite having a spinal fusion at the age of 16.

The now 24-year-old, who also works as an occupational therapist, says: “After moving to Canberra in 2013 I didn’t know anyone so I decided to do pole dancing. It’s so fun, it gives you great strength, flexibility and it’s very challenging.”

Pole-dancing instructor Zoe Featonby… “It’s so fun, it gives you great strength, flexibility and it’s very challenging.”

Photo by Andrew Finch

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1800 550 550 CityNews June 4-10, 2015 3

Since 1993: Volume 21, Number 19

index

Arts & Entertainment 15-24 Canberra Confidential 11 Cinema 23 Dining 24 Gardening 30 Horoscopes 31 Letters 8 News 3-14 Politics 7 Puzzles 31 Socials 25-29 Sport 8

The deceit that is Budget spinning Cover: Canberra Theatre celebrates 50 years. Special feature starts Page 15.

contacts CEO: Greg Jones, 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Journalists: Lorna Morris, lorna@citynews.com.au; Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Advertising manager: Greg Jones, 0419 418196 Senior advertising account executives: David Cusack, 0435 380656; Ernie Nichols, 0421 077999 Advertising account executives: Lucie Dann, 6262 9100; Utpal Kelovkar 0426 560200 Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9420 1777 Production manager / graphic design: Janet Ewen Graphic designer: Paulette Leo Photographer: Andrew Finch Proof reader: Glenda Anderson Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au Distribution: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au

Well written, well read

seven days

Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111 GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601

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

THE Barr Government’s handling of the ACT Budget was a disgrace to our little democracy. Announcing $23 million for bike and walking paths and the $4.1 million upgrade for the Canberra Theatre among other goodies the week before was politics in the raw.

It might have ensured that Canberrans absorbed all the good news rather than have it buried in the Budget coverage. But it’s exactly the tactic used by the Abbott Government who sent the awful Scott Morrison out to set a happy scene for Joe Hockey’s odd concoction; and it seems to have worked…for now.

They call it news management and use all sorts of sophistry to justify it.

But it is patently unfair to the Opposition party and it’s time to call a halt.

Perhaps there’s no longer any need for an annual budget – the forward estimates are always wrong anyway.

Governments could simply announce their new policies as they make them; and update the national accounts twice a year.

The current practice smells of deliberate deceit; and it corrupts the system.

They call it news management and use all sorts of sophistry to justify it. But it is patently unfair to the Opposition party and it’s time to call a halt.

SPEAKING of corruption, the soccer world was stunned when the Americans actually did something about the moral swamp that is FIFA, its governing body. What’s the bet that the FBI is able to persuade one of the men they indicted to drop a bucket on president Sepp Blatter.

Your columnist, an AFL devotee, is no fan of the round-ball game – too few goals and too much acting for free kicks – but it’s a terrific pastime for little kids of both sexes. And they deserve better than the thugs at the top. We don’t much like the thuggish NRL either, but the State of Origin was riveting television.

NOT suggesting our chemists are engaged in corrupt activity – perish the thought – but their lobbyists, the Pharmacy Guild, did another deal with the government this week to protect

them from competition from the supermarkets (and other pharmacies) for another five years.

Health Minister Sussan Ley also gave them $3.2 billion while saving $3.7 billion on the PBS scheme. And who pays that $3.7 billion for more expensive medicine? We do.

WHAT a joy it was to see the Irish saying a resounding “Yes” to same-sex marriage and giving their predatory priesthood a poke in the eye. We’ve come a long way since “mixed marriages” meant Catholics pairing with someone of a different Christian sect.

Trust Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to play politics with his aborted private member’s Bill; and PM Tony Abbott was no better with his fulsome claim that if ‘twere to happen then “the Parliament should own it”. Do they really think we fall for that stuff?

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news / profile

And before we go, some final words from Don Rod Henshaw reports

WHEN the words “what the f.... was that?” blasted from a Newcastle radio station just before 9.30 on a summer’s morning in 1989, no-one listening either complained or was offended.

In fact, the collective population of Newcastle probably chorused similar words at that very same time.

It was Thursday, December 28 and an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale had just hit the NSW city, wreaking havoc, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160.

The radio announcer who reacted to the disaster with an expletive seldom heard on radio in those days was Don Dawkins, who is about to hang up his headphones and retire from his position as Capital Radio’s program director for 2CA and the company’s regional stations in NSW, WA and Victoria.

Like most of us who’ve survived the rigors and vagaries of broadcasting over several decades, Don’s career started in a modest fashion in late 1974 in a country town where he worked his butt off and got paid a pittance.

Radio station 2BE (now 2EC) Bega, on the far south coast of NSW, was to be Don Dawkins’ initiation into the

world of wireless where he got his initial “on air” experience.

“One of my most memorable times at 2BE was when I completed a 100-hour marathon broadcast, beating the previous record of 72 hours,” he recalls.

“That was Easter, 1976 with a studio built in the window of Roy Howard’s hardware store for the duration of the marathon.”

A few years later, in early 1979, Don gravitated to 2CC, working the late night shift, 10pm to 1am. He stayed a couple of years before venturing into his first program director’s job at 2NM Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley in 1981.

From there it was a merry-go-round of stations on the Central Coast, including his infamous earthquake moment at Newcastle, before heading back to Canberra – and 2CC – for his second incarnation at the station in 1997, this time as program director.

However, the merry-go-round of stations hadn’t stopped on the central NSW coast and now Canberra had a whole host of new stations. And Don didn’t miss too many of them, doing casual announcing at the newly established FM stations.

As the old Danny Kaye song goes: “The music went round and round” before it came out at 2CA where Don worked casual shifts, finally graduating back into program directing at the station in 2008.

Radio man Don Dawkins… completed a 100-hour marathon broadcast, beating the previous record of 72 hours.

Photo by Rod Henshaw As Capital Radio expanded its stable of regional radio stations, Don was elevated to national program director to ensure programming was consistent with the various markets the stations serve.

And while Don still pulls an on-air

shift every now and again, it’s been mostly management that’s occupied his time. It’s a transition he has slipped into effortlessly.

He concedes 2CA has not been without its troubled times.

“There were a lot of format changes

in the late ‘80s into the ‘90s and that was a big issue,” he says.

“What I’ve tried to do with 2CA since I’ve been on board is to keep it pretty much consistent, without making it too predictable.”

To Dawkins, it really comes down to one simple formula – being relative to the market, which he says is a young one.

“If you look at the last two lots of census in Canberra, the median age has been 34,” he says.

“When I first came to Canberra in 1979, the median age was 28. So, in that time, it hasn’t even aged 10 years,” he reasons.

“Forever Classic has been a very successful handle for us,” he says.

So how is Don Dawkins planning this latest transition to retirement?

Apart from some quality catch-up time with his three grown-up children, he’s also looking at a business opportunity.

“My brother and I have some property down on the Gippsland Lakes. I want to turn one of those properties into a B&B on a part-time basis so I’ll be spending a bit of time doing stuff there.”

Knowing Don, he’ll probably last a couple of years in retirement before gravitating back to radio in some capacity. If only for a rest!

Rod Henshaw is a Canberra-based journalist and broadcaster.

CityNews June 4-10, 2015 5

ACT Budget 2015/16

UP

RATES 11% • REGO 6% • UTILITIES TAX 5% • DRIVING LICENCES 5% PARKING 11% • TRAFFIC FINES 16% • PARKING FINES 29%

Tough times, but still spending

reaction Labor on the wrong track, says Hanson

Despite these pressures, the ACT Government is supporting growth in the territory economy, encouraging investment, supporting local businesses, lowering taxes and playing to our economic strengths.

THE ACT is facing one of the most difficult financial landscapes in its short history, Andrew Barr told the Assembly.

Giving his first Budget as Chief Minister, the Treasurer said the territory’s operating balance will slump into a record deficit of $597 million in 201415 with another budgeted shortfall of $407 million in this year’s Budget.

He said the impact of the Mr Fluffy Asbestos Eradication Scheme would now be seen across two financial years, before reducing its effect on the Territory’s operating balance by 2017-18.

“To address the Mr Fluffy legacy in the ACT, the ACT Government borrowed $1 billion from the Commonwealth Government – around one fifth of our entire Budget,” he said “The Commonwealth declined to honour an earlier agreement to assist with the cost of the scheme, leaving the ACT facing a $370 million net loss.

“Combined with the cuts to the Territory’s share of the GST of $137 million in 2015-16 and reductions in Commonwealth funding for health, it has left the ACT facing one of the most difficult financial landscapes in our short history.

“Despite these pressures, the ACT Government is supporting growth in the territory economy, encouraging investment, supporting local businesses, lowering taxes and playing to our economic strengths. “Despite the Commonwealth Government cutbacks, we have kept the economy moving and unemployment low. Importantly, we’re

Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr, centre, with his Cabinet colleagues at the ACT Budget lock-up media conference.

Photo by Andrew Finch doing this while maintaining the high level of service Canberrans deserve.”

Mr Barr also says Labor is promising a “another record investment” in areas in health and education in this year’s Budget.

He told the Assembly that this year his government would spend $1.5 billion in health, with $161 million in new funding over the next four years.

And in education he is spending more than $160 million of new funding for classrooms and schools, and for more support for students.

“To ensure our suburbs and town centres look great – to ensure they reflect the pride we feel in them – this Budget provides more funding for suburban renewal,” he said.

“This Budget delivers more urban

maintenance right across Canberra.

The contentious light-rail project is getting a $375 million capital contribution to fund the project once construction of stage one is complete and operation has commenced.

He has also allocated $2.8 billion over four years to capital works.

“This investment will generate jobs for Canberrans, stimulate the building and construction industry in the ACT, and provide the facilities and infrastructure our residents and businesses need,” he said.

In characterising the unrelenting increases in rates as the government’s “nation-leading tax reforms”, he said: “The Government is continuing to cut duty on insurance premiums and continuing to cut stamp duty – making

insurance cover and buying a home more affordable.

“Social inclusion is a cornerstone of this Government’s values and policies – and the ACT Government is committed to ensuring opportunities can be shared by all Canberrans.

“The ACT Budget funds more that $389 million in recurrent funding for people who need a helping hand.

“The 2015-16 Budget also builds on the long-standing and ongoing support to counter domestic violence in our community. New funding in this Budget to increase capacity at key domestic and sexual violence services to handle the spike in demand is coupled with additional funding to prevent domestic violence and educate the community.”

“WHILE Canberrans are being squeezed to pay their tripling rates bills, increasing car rego and rising parking fees, Andrew Barr is happy to spend their money on a light rail project that will service only a small fraction of the ACT population,” said Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson.

Responding to the ACT Budget, he said Labor was going in the wrong direction.

“Today’s ACT Budget shows the ACT Labor government is going in the wrong direction, focusing on light rail. Andrew Barr’s government is far removed from the priorities of Canberrans as rates, charges and funding for light rail all increase,” said Mr Hanson.

“Canberrans are forced to pay more as ACT Labor neglects them.

“Almost every fee and charge is increasing in this Budget: General rates up 11%; Vehicle registration up 6%; Utilities tax up 5%; Drivers’ licences up 5%; Parking fees up 11%; Traffic infringement fines up 16%; Parking fines up 29%.

“As the Budget is handed down today, Andrew Barr can find money for light rail, but he’s cut 60 hospital beds at the new University of Canberra Hospital.

“Critical police funding has been cut by millions of dollars and a deal cannot be finalised with teachers in our schools. ACT Labor cannot get its priorities in order.

“The ACT’s debt and deficit are at huge levels. The ACT’s expensive debt is peaking at close to $6 billion in the forward estimates and interest repayments will rise as high as $233 million in one year, all while the deficit is over $400 million.

“The ACT Labor government and Andrew Barr are not acting in the interests of Canberrans. They are completely out of step with their needs and wants, all while hitting them harder at the hip pocket. This is a one-track Budget all about light rail.”

Business happy… but nothing for tired, old city centre THE Canberra Business Chamber says, despite the size of the territory’s deficit, it’s pleased to see initiatives in this year’s ACT Budget designed to support the business sector.

“In particular, we welcome the $11.75 million allocated for a new business development strategy,” the chamber says in a post-Budget statement.

“While this strategy will help certain sectors of the business community grow, employ and contribute 6 CityNews June 4-10, 2015

more strongly to the local economy, we would like to see support for the sector more broadly.

“It is important to continue to diversify the economy and support all parts of the businesses sector because local businesses will provide the basis for the territory’s future economic growth and stability.

“Clearly the size of the territory’s deficit is a concern, but in light of the ACT’s current economic circumstances, the chamber thinks the ACT government needs to continue strategically investing in productive infrastructure.”

“DESPITE the Chief Minister’s publicly stated commitment to urban renewal, very little has been earmarked to assist with revitalisation efforts in our city,” bemoans ACT Property Council executive director Catherine Carter.

“The $4.1 million to upgrade to the Canberra Theatre and $1.5 million over two years for lighting and footpath improvements in Braddon are welcome, but the sums are very modest,” she says.

“Projects such as a new hospital, City to the Lake, the renewal of public housing stock and new roads are all important projects, but they

are not new, and are not part of a targeted urban renewal program.

“We are particularly disappointed to note that no major projects or initiatives have been earmarked for the renewal of our tired city centre, which is in desperate need of attention.

“Revitalising our city centre is essential for Canberra to remain competitive and attractive in the 21st century, and it is disappointing that this is not a priority in this year’s Budget.”

Unfair taxes and charges remain a sticking point in the Budget, said Ms Carter.

“Inequitable fees and charges continue to apply a handbrake on efforts to revitalise Canberra, in particular the city centre,” she said.

“The Chief Minister says he wants Canberra to

be the ‘most liveable city in the world’. However, this Budget overlooks a key driver of the ACT economy – the commercial property sector – which has an essential role to play in the Government’s urban renewal agenda and in attracting investment to our city.

“We are disappointed with the 25 per cent increase in the Fire and Emergency Service Levy, which comes on top of the 35 per cent increase in 2015.

“It’s clear to anyone visiting Canberra that the Lease Variation Charge has been a massive obstacle to adaptive reuse in our city for a number of years. If we want a vibrant city centre, we need supportive policies that encourage adaptive reuse, not taxes that stifle redevelopment.”

politics

Good news stays ahead of the Budget These days, carefully orchestrated leaks ensure the good news is drip-fed for weeks. the government was trying to win over pre-Budget before the Opposition could really get traction in explaining why the government is over-spending. However, in Barr’s first Budget as chief minister he cannot be seen to be too harsh on any sector of the community.

Meanwhile Hanson stays on message. The success of the Canberra Liberals’ last election campaign continues as he argues “rates are on their way to tripling, fees and charges continue to increase, but the ACT Budget position is getting worse”.

And he sticks to what he believes is Labor’s Achilles heel: “The problem is that ACT Labor is spending money on its pet projects, like light rail.

“Unfortunately the ACT Labor government is more concerned with light rail as well as wind and solar farms than creating an affordable city for Canberrans.

“Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on light rail is not the way to go”.

Suddenly the environmental aspects of the Labor government have been lumped in with the light rail.

Hanson also likes to have a positive message, thanks to his federal colleagues: “Comparatively, the measures announced in this month’s federal Budget will lend a hand to ACT small businesses, which have been struggling to deal with excessive costs and red tape under Andrew Barr. The instant asset write down and reduced company tax rate will make a difference”.

But Labor’s good news just kept coming; further ambulances to be stationed in Tuggeranong, which will please those from that part of the city who have for so long felt that they were being ignored.

The ACT Government will also open new public hospital beds as part of a funding boost to improve hospital capacity.

Budgets are fundamentally about ideology. Where, when and how community money should be spent, and how much and from whom it should be collected are the basics of setting our standards of living and creating the city that we are.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

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THERE is no mystery to the Budget anymore.

Gone are the days when the Budget revealed all and journalists would emerge from the lock-up primed to file the stories as soon as the Treasurer had delivered the Budget to the parliament.

These days, carefully orchestrated leaks ensure the good news is drip-fed for weeks so the government’s profile of achievements is prepared before the Treasurer rises in the Assembly.

It is more challenging for oppositions. There is no good news to sell.

Building a profile that in any way compares to those who hold the purse strings is nigh-on impossible.

Even before the Budget was released, Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson has been doing his best explaining the problems for the ACT declaring: “The ACT Labor government is on track to deliver the worst ever result for the territory Budget with the mid-year review predicting a $770 million deficit. The Budget position worsened mid-year by $53 million even without accounting for the costs of the Mr Fluffy buyback and demolition scheme”.

In the meantime, Chief Minister Andrew Barr was making a series of positive announcements standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his ministers.

The bicycle network will be improved yet again along with other cycling infrastructure (how much green paint can we get on Canberra’s roads?) and Canberra Theatre is in line for upgrades.

This offers something for cyclists and performing art lovers, and sometimes the spoils overlap, which delivers a double political whammy.

All great politics.

Also great politics is the government promise to “spruce up our suburbs with more mowing, cleaning, weeding and other maintenance”.

It engages everyone.

There were many others

CityNews June 4-10, 2015 7

sport

letter

Local tennis finally serves an ace

Same old answers to PM’s issues

IT’S fair to say that tennis is one sport in Canberra that has often not reached its potential at the international level.

There has been the stop-start nature of major events being played in Canberra coupled with facilities that failed to meet requirements to stage significant tournaments.

When the Canberra Women’s International was played at Lyneham for six years there was always an inkling that it was on life support.

I remember going along to press conferences involving Tennis Australia where I felt the end was always near.

Canberra also had plans in 1996 to be the clay-court capital of Australia; but at the time the desire was to play opponents on grass whenever possible at home, and hopes of staging a Davis Cup tie on clay evaporated.

We have had plenty of one-off tournaments; there was the Rio International featuring Pat Cash and Ivan Lendl at the AIS Arena in the

Tennis is undergoing a transformation with the revamped North Woden facility and increased demand for court space at Melba.

1980s, the AIS also hosted the Fed Cup tie between Australia and Argentina in 1998. But apart from the Canberra Women’s tournament there has been little to satisfy the appetite for top-level tennis in the ACT. We have had the players, but the impression that there could have been more lingers. Wally Masur, the Larkhams, the Ellwoods and Nick Kyrgios have all come through the Canberra system.

But things could be about to change with the $27 million redevelopment of the Lyneham facility, formerly known as the National Sports Club, which has been constructed through a joint project involving the ACT Government, Tennis ACT and Tennis Australia and

briefly Minister gives a hand SOCIAL Services Minister Scott Morrison will join international and national leaders in youth mentoring to discuss the future of Australia’s young people at the Australian Youth Mentoring Conference, Canberra Rex Hotel, Braddon, on June 29-30.

The conference will cover topics including engaging corporate mentors; evaluating program successes and effective advocating. Bookings to youthmentoring.org.au

Dancing for kids CAPITAL Spirit Drill Dance Club is holding a comeand-try day at its hall, 80 Beaurepaire Street, Holt, 4pm-6pm, on Thursday, June 18. Club coach Alison Smith says the club plans to form a new under-8 team as well as building its under-12 and under-17 teams for the new season. “With the success of our getting our new teams to the Australian Championships earlier this year, many more people have started to realise how much fun drill dance is for young people”.

Free museum tours THE ANU Classics Museum’s next free tour will be held at 12.30pm on Friday, June 12. The museum, which is located in the AD Hope Building, Ellery Crescent, ANU, houses more than

SUNDAYS | stjohns@6 | 6PM EXPLORE CONNECT BELONG

Next Generation.

The new development is starting to take shape with 32 tennis courts with all bases covered: hard, clay, indoor and synthetic. In fact, the sport is undergoing a transformation with the revamped North Woden facility and increased demand for court space at Melba.

The hope is that the state-of-the-art facility will energise the sport in Canberra (there is nothing to suggest that it won’t) and attract Davis or Fed Cups to Canberra.

I get the impression there is a strong

desire to succeed within Tennis ACT, led by CEO Ross Triffitt, and through coaches such as Todd Larkham, Alun Jones and Andrew Bulley.

However, the real impact could be in the growth of numbers of people taking up the sport as well as the infrastructure to fully cater for developing players who may have felt they were best served elsewhere.

TIM GAVEL

600 authentic artefacts from the Graeco-Roman world. The tours, run by voluntary guides, are held on the second Friday of each month.

Editor talks “CITYNEWS” editor Ian Meikle is the guest speaker at the next lunchtime meeting of the Tuggeranong Day View Club at Vikings Town Centre Club, Greenway, 11.30am-2pm on Tuesday, June 16. All interested ladies and guests are welcome. Lunch is $26 and RSVP to 6284 8804 by June 12.

Books for sale A SALE of secondhand books, including fiction and non-fiction, cookery, gardening, manuals, children’s and magazines, will be held at St

Ninian’s Uniting Church, corner of Mouat and Brigalow Streets, Lyneham, 9am-1pm, Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20. Morning tea and lunch will be available, with scones baked on the premises.

Say kimchi!

THE Canberra Environment Centre is holding a workshop on making kimchi, a traditional Korean dish made of spicy fermented cabbage full of probiotics, which are essential in maintaining a healthy gut. Koreans are said to eat so much of this spicy condiment (18kg each a year) that they say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when having their picture taken. It’s at the Canberra Environment Centre, noon-2pm, June 20. Entry is $20 and bookings to ecoaction.com.au

“THE last thing we’ll do is close down this trade,” said Tony Abbott.

Those were Prime Minister Abbott’s words in response to revelations that Australian cattle are being slaughtered with sledgehammers in Vietnamese abattoirs.

Animals Australia documented brutal practices in Vietnam late last month and lodged a complaint with the Department of Agriculture.

Lisa Chalk, Communications Director of Animals Australia, said the footage of the cattle being killed with repeated blows to the head with a sledgehammer was “so shocking and distressing” that they have decided not to publicly release it at this time.

Mr Abbott said the government would “carefully investigate” any allegations and “take appropriate action” if the allegations were proved.

He seems to have the same answer for all his problems these days (boat people, aged care, homelessness and live animal trade).

Either he refuses to be part of a solution or wipes his hands of any issue that might cause him or his party to lose votes or support.

It takes a strong, honest and passionate leader to tackle the difficult and unpopular issues. Tony Abbott does not seem to be that leader.

A Crowe, via email

Write to us Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601.

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STUDENTS AND YOUNG WORKERS EXPLORING FAITH 8 CityNews June 4-10, 2015

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opinion

dose of dorin

All you need is, well, love

lowbrow

It’s not Max who’s the mad one here I WAS going to write this week about the ACT’s electoral redistribution.

Then I went to see “Mad Max: Fury Road”, and now I’m going to write about that.

Because a lot of people might be put off by the Mad Max brand and, while it’s going to be seen by a huge number of people, those with more refined tastes might miss it and that would be a shame.

We should firstly acknowledge the sheer, snowballglistening-in-hell improbability of this movie being made.

Seventy-year-old George Miller with nothing but children’s films under his belt in the last 30 years somehow managed to be funded to the tune of $150 million with complete creative control.

There are one or two directors in the world who get that much money and control and they’re consistent box-office gold with current genre experience.

It’s true the leads are an Englishman and a South African-born woman. Also true, the steering wheels are on the American sides of the cars and the Australian desert was too green when they wanted to film, so it was shot in Namibia.

But aside from the leads, all the other actors certainly sound and look convincing to a post-apocalypse Australia.

It’s a movie with limited dialogue, which will serve it well in international markets. But the visual storytelling is rich and detailed and I’m going to have to watch it again.

The depiction of skinny, pasty, tattooed, painthuffing lunatics has a certain resonance to anyone who saw Summernats at its worst in Canberra.

Perhaps most intriguingly, a lot of people are seeing it as a feminist text.

Twenty minutes into the movie my unconvinced date leaned over and whispered: “In what way is this a feminist movie?” But around that time those elements started to unfold.

Men’s rights activists (MRAs), possibly spurred on by the

Men’s rights activists have been up in arms screaming blue murder at the feminist propaganda hiding in the form of an action blockbuster. movie’s publicists, have been up in arms screaming blue murder at the feminist propaganda hiding in the form of an action blockbuster.

Leading MRA Aaron Clarey even hilariously complained the movie is “a piece of American culture ruined and rewritten right in front of their very eyes”.

Which is doubly hilarious considering it’s a piece of Australian culture being continued by the creator and writer of the original movies.

On the other hand, feminists have been excited to see a movie in which women are competent and capable of agency, which doesn’t honestly seem to be asking very much.

To the average reasonable human being (not an abundant group, I will concede) it doesn’t really seem like that big a deal.

Men and women share driving, men and women look after each other, a woman is in charge of an expedition, low on ammunition a man hands a rifle to a woman who is a better shot.

In my world these things do not seem particularly unusual.

But to the MRAs these are exceptional attacks on their sense of identity as the precious snowflake that is the white, middle-class male; they do the driving, they do the shooting and they should be in charge.

To the women who’ve been putting up with those jerks for far too long it is, apparently, a pleasing surprise, worthy of celebration, to get an action movie in which women are treated as human beings.

But if you tire of gender conflict, there remains a movie where a man in a red gimp suit plays a flaming guitar from the top of a racing truck made of speaker stacks, as a whole desert explodes – for the best part of two hours.

JOHN GRIFFITHS

I AM a heterosexual man who grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney and it’s fair to say at some stage in my life I was ignorant of homosexuality. Ignorant, and quite possibly discriminatory.

I would cringe every time the “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” TV show would come on, and I would always feel put off by the campy behaviour of Julian Clary. I used to think gay men existed only in the seedy, inner-eastern suburbs of Sydney – and would hear horrible stories of blokes from my neck of the woods heading to Darlinghurst for a spot of “poofter bashing”. Like I said, ignorant.

But since the passing of the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage, there is now an awkward debate happening across our country; should Australia move ahead with marriage reforms to include same-sex couples, given we apparently now lag behind the UK, Europe, some states in the US and even our closest neighbour NZ? Australian advocates have now declared it’s “our turn”, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten jumping on the bandwagon with a private member’s Bill declaring: “It’s

I have come to meet, respect and even care for many people who have a different sexual orientation to me. time for our laws to reflect the values of modern Australia and to include everyone as equals ... It’s time for marriage equality.”

Perhaps it’s even becoming “trendy” to support gay marriage.

I’ve seen so many people who were once like me, ignorant and somewhat homophobic, afraid of something we knew nothing about.

As an adult, I have come to meet, respect and even care for many people who have a different sexual orientation to me. Some of the most intelligent and successful people I know are gay. Some openly, some not – preferring, rightly, to keep it as their personal business.

Alan Jones, a colleague I have admired personally and professionally, broadcast these thoughtful words on 2CC last week: “In a very difficult world, which is often impersonal, uncaring, ruthless and sometimes brutal in personal relationships, love can prove elusive.

“My view is that when people find love, they should be able to celebrate it. And they shouldn’t be discriminated against according to the nature of that love.

“To deny people the recognition for a relationship which is based on love is to deny, in my opinion, one of humankind’s most basic, elusive qualities.

“We shouldn’t be frightened about celebrating the love of one person for another.”

I find it hard to believe anyone could possibly argue with that.

Marcus Paul is the drive announcer on 2CC.

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Canberra Confidential

Know something? / confidential@citynews.com.au

Country squires please apply

Gabi strips, but for a good cause

HERE’S a piece of history (pictured right) to bring out the country squire in all of us: the historical Bywong mining town (the whole town) is for sale.

Set on 24 hectares of scattered native bushland just north of Canberra and strewn with remnants of a once-busy, gold-mining town, agent Jan Ladmore sounds a little awestruck by it: ”I was amazed to have the opportunity to step back in time and really appreciate such a wonderful, interesting piece of history that is in such authentic and original condition.”

The 37 photos on allhomes.com certainly attest to its condition. Price is by negotiation.

GLAMOUR model Gabi Grecko says she’s known for “stripping down on the fly”, but has gone and done it this time “for a really good cause”.

She’s the latest naked celebrity to drop her drawers and stand up in a new anti-fur campaign for animal welfare group PETA Australia in which she cuddles a kitten next to the ambiguous slogan: “Fur is for Pussies”.

“I want to show the world that only a coward would hurt animals by wearing fur,” she proclaims.

PETA Australia says almost 74 per cent of imported fur comes from China – where, they claim, animals – including dogs and cats – are bludgeoned and even skinned alive for their fur.

Grecko joins Waka Flocka Flame, Dave Navarro, Missy Higgins, Iggy Pop, Ke$ha, The Veronicas, Kid Ink and Natalie Imbruglia in speaking out against the fur trade.

Opportunistically, PETA has a racier version of this ad on request.

For chrissakes!

Bin and gone

ABC Radio’s Alex Sloan had the principals from “Jesus Christ Superstar” on her program for a bit of publicity banter and to sing a tune from the musical (playing at the AIS).

Sloan does the big intro, the piano strikes up and... nothing. The program dropped out, silence, then listeners were switched to another station for a passing moment before the singers returned. The song? “Everything’s Alright”.

THE mayor’s going to miss them; after an astonishing 40 years and the involvement of three generations, waste contractor JW O’Sullivan & Sons has carried out its last rubbish, recycling and green waste run and retired from the Queanbeyan City Council contract.

And in the four decades and 25,000 pick ups a week, O’Sullivans only missed one collection day, and that was due to a strike in Canberra preventing them from disposing of the rubbish.

Queanbeyan Mayor Tim Overall said: “On behalf of the entire community, I wish all the best to John and his family as they retire from Queanbeyan City Council waste collection and continue their private commercial services.”

“The company has always been prepared to go the extra mile to assist the community.”

O’Sullivans began its foray into the waste collection industry in the 1950s, collecting kitchen organics from Canberra businesses as a means of supplying food to the family’s pig farm.

Woolly heroes wanted RED Cross shops are looking for winter woollies superheroes, that is anyone who can help stock the shops with winter clothes.

Community engagement manager, Kate Dear says: “Your daggy jumper, unwanted coat or ridiculous beanie can be turned into a phone call to check on an elderly person living alone, a shower and a hot meal for a young homeless person, or clean drinking water for someone affected by a disaster.

“It is as easy as donating a woolly jumper or a warm coat that you probably won’t wear this year.

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By Lorna Morris

A CANBERRAN model and entertainer who devotes her earnings to visit the underprivileged areas of Myanmar, in Burma, wants to encourage others to help the less fortunate.

Sumon Aye, who was originally born in Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, has been donating money and items to Myanmar since 2009 and has slowly expanded her philanthropic work ever since.

She says: “We lived in Yangon for about eight years and during that period, I witnessed extreme poverty, human suffering and other hardships that many underprivileged people were facing on a daily basis.

“My mum, my grandmothers and my aunts always taught me to treat others with kindness and have compassion for those who are less fortunate than us.

“In 2012, I was blessed with the opportunity to do acting and modelling.

Ever since then, I have been using the net income earned from my acting, modelling and presenting gigs to continue my humanitarian work in Myanmar.

“My work in showbiz has become the main vehicle that keeps my charity projects alive now. I’m extremely grateful to be able to do what I love so passionately to help the people from the country that I feel so connected to.”

Sumon travels to Myanmar every year,

Sumon Aye with children in Myanmar… “I just want to see poor people in Myanmar eat a proper meal and have access to basic necessities when they need them.” usually for two weeks, providing money and lunch donations as well as lollies and toys to primary schools and orphanages On her most recent trip in February, Sumon helped install a water tank and fixed leaking roofs of the schools, as well as donated clothes to a woman’s rescue shelter for victims of human trafficking.

“All I’m after is pretty simple, I just want to see poor people in Myanmar eat a proper meal and have access to basic necessities when they need them,” she says.

“Going out to those areas in person and

SUNDAY ROAST

helping the less fortunate people was the most amazing and rewarding experience ever for me.”

Even though travelling to the rural areas of Myanmar has its challenges, Sumon says the people she helps give her strength to carry on for years to come.

“We have our jobs, our homes, Medicare and other health-related benefits, clean roads, clean air and food on the table and I believe it won’t hurt much to go out and help the poor whenever we get to visit those countries,” Sumon says.

Ian Meikle

Marcus Paul

Michael Moore

Chris Mac

Helen Musa

Robert Macklin

Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.

It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.

Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.

14 CityNews June 4-10, 2015

Kathleen Geldard in the title role of “Elektra”, 1966.

Opening night June 24, 1965.

Terry Vaughan conducts, 1980.

!

T H G I N A T A H W , OHTURE CELEBRATING THE CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

A SPECIAL FEA

Canberra Rep making up.

Australian Ballet performs “Swan Lake”, 1978.

CityNews June 4-10, 2015 15

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR…

AND THE CHIEF MINISTER

I HAVE been working in the industry over the last 40 years. I began working in the contemporary music section and instantly fell in love with the emotive performances and response of the audiences.

WHAT a fantastic accomplishment for Canberra Theatre Centre to be celebrating its 50th anniversary year in 2015.

After half a century, the centre is still the city’s home of large-scale performing arts with a wide range of performance spaces and shows including my personal favourite, Sydney Theatre Company’s “The Wharf Revue”. If you have yet to experience a night with The Wharf Revue, make this the year. You are guaranteed to laugh.

Canberra Theatre Centre is also the ACT’s home of comedy with regular visits from highprofile comedians including Ross Noble, The Umbilical Brothers and Judith Lucy who have all performed this year. It is also the major venue partner of the annual Canberra Comedy Festival.

The centre is Canberra’s premier performing arts centre and I recognise how vital the arts are to our growing economy. The shows that Canberra Theatre Centre hosts bring thousands of people into the city who then go on to patronise nearby restaurants and retail stores.

Canberra Theatre Centre is one of the central contributors to the Territory’s diverse arts and entertainment calendar, bringing spectacular national and international shows each year.

The ACT Government supports their next chapter and I look forward to many more breathtaking, meaningful and hilarious productions in the years to come.

There is also a very well defined beginning, middle and end of performing arts events.

My first paid work at Canberra Theatre Centre was in 1985 as a casual mechanist. I have been in and out of the organisation and held roles of head mechanist, production manager for National Festivals of Australian Theatre, operations manager and, since 2007, as director.

One of my best memories was after having been involved in the design of The Playhouse, sitting in the auditorium for the first performance of the first season which was Bangarra’s Fish. I was still marvelling at the intimacy and the relationship between the audience and the performers.

Since the opening by The Australian Ballet in 1965 we have kept our position as the premiere performing arts centre in Canberra. In the years to come we plan to not only continue bringing more international shows to the nation’s capital, we will continue supporting local talent as well as local businesses. Our new focus is the ecosystem of the performing arts as well as those businesses physically close to us.

Our 50th year is not only a celebration for Canberra Theatre Centre staff – past and present – but for every production company and artist who has stepped on to our stage. We also want to thank the Canberra community for their patronage over the years. Here’s to the next 50!

Bruce Carmichael Director Canberra Theatre Centre

16 CityNews June 4-10, 2015

Andrew Barr Chief Minister Director Bruce Carmichael, centre, and his Canberra Theatre Centre team.

Photo by Andrew Finch

CURTAIN UP ON HISTORY

The need for ‘a first-rate building’ By arts editor

Helen Musa THE Canberra Theatre Centre can proudly lay claim to being Australia’s first multi-purpose theatre complex, well ahead of the Adelaide Festival Centre, the Victorian Arts Centre and the Sydney Opera House.

It wasn’t always destined to be so, but after the National Capital Development Commission was set up in the late 1950s, it announced the need for “a first-rate building” that could house artists, orchestras and dramatic companies and be a badly needed centre for national conventions and local gatherings.

Yes, there was the Albert Hall, host to everyone from Isaac Stern to the Petrov Royal Commission, but with a population of 45,000 growing fast, something more was needed.

There were plenty of stakeholders – Canberra Philharmonic Society, Canberra Repertory, The Film Club, The Artists’ Society and The Arts Council – but the really serious advice was sought from the ABC, the Elizabethan Trust, the Royal Institute of British Architects, theatrical entrepreneurs JC Williamson’s, and even Jørn Utzon.

The NCDC originally wanted a 400-seat

Those white seats! A tradesman applies some finishing touches to the new Canberra Theatre.

theatre and a separate 100-seat concert hall, commissioning two Melbourne architectural firms to work on plans. But the outcome was an auditorium of 1200 seats and rep-style theatre of 300 seats with an adjunct art gallery and restaurant. In 1961 the final drawings were settled and DA Constructions were

engaged for the project. The estimated cost of the theatre was £750,000.

In July, 1964 the Canberra Theatre Trust was formed, years later to be subsumed into the present Cultural Facilities Corporation.

In June, 1965 “Thespis” a £7000 bronze sculpture by Robert Cook, was installed at

the exterior, with one critic describing it as having “the tumid curvature of a ripe banana”.

Thespis was later relegated to an obscure position behind the box office.

The theatre’s first director, NZ pianist, composer and producer Terry Vaughan, had been JC Williamson’s CEO and happily boasted that he had “pinched Bill Carrodus from JCW’s and swiped Len Fisher, head electrician from the Melbourne Theatre Company.”

As excitement mounted, Prime Minister Robert Menzies suggested bringing Joan Sutherland in for the opening. They didn’t get her, but they did get the Australian Ballet and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Peter Batey, then the director of Canberra Repertory and a representative for the Elizabethan Trust, was pulled in to publicise and organise the opening festivities, The opening by Minister for the Interior Doug Anthony on June 24, 1965 was attended by the wife of the administrator Sir Henry Abel Smith and her mother, Princess Alice of Athlone.

The auditorium shone with white ties and tails as well as the notorious white seats, ridiculed by star Googie Withers as “tombstones”, actor Robert Morley as “white macks” and Edna Everage as “dentures”. They were later replaced. Never short of an unkind word, Mrs Everage also poured scorn on the Frances Burke-designed stage curtain featuring sun motifs as a “giant Kaftan”.

“

THE opening of Canberra Theatre was probably the most glittering public occasion that Canberra had seen since royalty and Dame Nellie Melba attended the opening of the original Parliament House.

Peter Batey

…Continued Page 18

Congratulations

The Comedy of Errors

The Importance of Being Earnest

Betrayal

state theatre company of south australia congratulates canberra theatre centre on 50 years Looking forward to many more years of working together.

CityNews June 4-10, 2015 17

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etrich, and companies such as the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Old Tote Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, the The opening-night audience was treated to “Swan Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Lake” (Act 2), Robert Helpmann’s “The Display” and which premiered with “Praying Mantis Dreaming” at “Yugen” and Rex Reid’s ballet, “Melbourne Cup”. the Canberra Theatre in 1992.

After years of cramming into the Albert Hall, now Yet the early years of the Canberra Theatre also saw a patrons were able to sip on alcoholic refreshments and deep involvement with the local community. Vaughan view artworks by Arthur Boyd and John Perceval understood the importance of this. Canberra archivist, hung on the walls. To criticisms that the interior was Richard Stone, believes the accessibility of both bland, designer Roy Simpson explained that it was theatres to companies such as Repertory, Canberra intended to “contrast with the colours of the stage Philharmonic, Skylark Puppet Theatre, Tempo Theatre, scenery and costumes.”

The Meryl Tankard Dance Theatre and the Canberra Then on August 18, The Playhouse opened with Theatre Company was the key to placing the centre Canberra Rep’s production of Peter Ustinov’s firmly in the hearts and minds of Canberrans.

“Romanoff and Juliet”, directed by the ubiquitous Philharmonic’s extraordinary output, well-recorded Batey, who upstaged the actors by performing his own in the ACT Heritage Library, saw G&S alongside ode, praising “Thespis inside and out” in reference to popular musicals such as “The White Horse Inn” and the legendary founder of theatre Thespis and Cook’s “The Desert Song” in what Stone says were large-scale statue outside. productions no longer possible, since costs forced local There was also an art gallery above The Playhouse, groups into small suburban theatres. which meant that there was no flying space for sets, The theatre reached into the community in other ways. leading to its inevitable later replacement. To the side Sound and lighting whizkid Steve Devine, now in was a restaurant offering Canberra, by then with a population estimated at 85,000, a degree of sophistica- charge of Meyer Sound for Australia and NZ says: “The tion not previously seen and later the setting for theatre theatre has been a resource for so many things that lunches, cabaret performances and plays involving food. people don’t know about.”

While a teenager, Len Fisher caught him prowling Director Vaughan set to work filling the theatre with around in the Canberra Theatre garbage bins looking for commercial productions, concerts, some of which he discarded “surprise pink” lighting gels to use in rock conconducted himself, although the first year was dominated by ABC orchestral performances – Llewellyn Hall certs. Fisher suggested he take up lighting properly and become a qualified electrician. He did, joining Fisher on had not yet been designed. He famously said that his staff for a while before forming his own company. approach to programming was to “have three good “Ground-breaking” is how Devine describes Fisher shows then have your wank”. and fellow lighting guru, Alex Sciberras.

This was not usually the approach of his successors in Over the years, Canberra Theatre has been less an the role, Christopher Bedloe, Simon Dawkins, David entrepreneur and more a programmer, but there have Gration, David Lawrance, Malcolm Leech, David Whitney and the present incumbent, Bruce Carmichael. been exceptions. In 1988, the Bicentennial year, the visit of the English Shakespeare Company with “The There was a cavalcade of famous performers – Joan Sutherland, Jessye Norman, Dame Edna, the Beach Wars of the Roses” put the Canberra Theatre on the national map. Then there were the centre’s popular Boys, Roy Orbison, Shirley MacLaine, Marlene DiFrom Page 17…

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“summer musicals”, such as “The Pirates of Penzance” starring Reg Livermore in 1993 and “Anything Goes” the next year, starring local luminary Kate Peters.

Under the directorship of David Gration in the mid-1990s, the Canberra Theatre Trust set up the first National Festival of Australian Theatre, with directors Anthony Steel, Robyn Archer and Rob Brookman. A summit of the newest and strangest in Australian theatre, it proved impossible for the trust to maintain, but a lasting legacy was its hosting of the first Australian Performing Arts Market in 1994.

Although smaller companies such as Free Rain Theatre enjoyed the discounted access to The Courtyard Studio as a gesture to community, the advent of the network Playing Australia in the 1990s, which brought in productions from state theatre companies, together with skyrocketing costs of hiring the theatres, meant that local companies were increasingly sidelined. The last Canberra Philharmonic production in the Canberra Theatre, the musical “Jekyll and Hyde”, was in 2000.

Physical developments to the centre have been ongoing; 1971 saw a covered walkway linking the two venues going up, providing improved box-office facilities. The gradual use of the rehearsal room adjacent by companies like Eureka! Theatre led to the renaming of the 90-seat space as The Courtyard Studio in 1982.

During Whitney’s directorship, it was the setting for “director’s cuts”, intimate one-man shows or small-scale acts as a sideline to the increasingly important subscription seasons.

On May 16, 1998, a rebuilt Playhouse opened with a gala featuring local talent.

Designed by Hassell Architects with local architects, Butterworth Russell and construc-

“

I REMEMBER back then talking to someone about the design of the theatre.

They said: ‘I bet you love the seats (they were then white).

Don’t you love them?’

I said: ‘No, the actors on stage can see the empty seats!’ In those days there were many less successful performers than me and when they were empty it looked like a broken denture.

Barry Humphries

Lighting boss Len Fisher positions spotlights in the Canberra Theatre in 1981.

tor John Hindmarsh, the new 618-seat theatre was designed on Greek and Elizabethan architectural principles, with exterior artistic signage in neon by the late sculptor, Neil Roberts. The Playhouse rapidly became a favourite with Bell Shakespeare Co, which likened it to the Globe Theatre.

In 2006 a new Civic Library was built

Congratulations Queensland Theatre Company applauds Canberra Theatre Centre on its 50th anniversary.

between the Canberra Theatre and the Playhouse, with a new “Link” connecting the two theatres, but a pressing problem was beginning to surface. The theatre once rejoiced in a large auditorium and stage, but now producers consider it too small for some musicals and opera.

Bruce Carmichael, the present director of

the Canberra Theatre Centre, is keen for a 2000+ capacity lyric theatre to be built. The car parking area behind The Playhouse would be a good spot to consider, he says, but the location needs a good, hard think.

“There’s no point in building a theatre in the middle of nowhere,” he says.

“It has to be a good experience.”

French Ballet members admire “Theopis”, 1965.

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CURTAIN UP ON MEMORIES

When Terry swept the stage CANBERRA’S iconic publicist, Coralie Wood, has been intimately involved with the Canberra Theatre over the decades, starting as one of its early publicists, under general manager Terry Vaughan.

“I adored Terry. He was a talented musician, a gentleman and nothing ever seemed to make him angry,” she said.

“When I look back now and realise there were more seats to sell (when they refurbished it they took seats out) and yet there was only a handful of people at the theatre in those days – Terry, the assistant manager John Rohde, Terry’s secretary, lighting person, technical person, box office manager and me, as the publicist.

“Terry’s secretary watered the pot plants, the technician/lighting man changed the light globes, Bruce Carmichael was pulling the ropes backstage (how he has risen!) and Terry swept the stage before each show.

“When I first started, I had my own key to the back door. I would meet the stars on a Sunday at the airport, pop into the theatre and leave their bags in the dressing room and then take them to their hotel.

“All the British TV stars seemed to come out to Australia. Derek Nimmo, Jimmy Edwards, Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan, ‘The Doctors in Love’ series, ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ series and, of course, there was no social media… so when an ad went into the newspaper, there were queues of people waiting for the box office to open.

Coralie is full of colourful stories from her long career.

Like the time she bought Coke for the rock band Dr Hook (she misunderstood the request) and has helped to fulfil some unusual requests in artists’ riders. ‘’Shirley MacLaine wanted six hard-boiled eggs and six raw eggs. I cooked up the eggs on my stove in Curtin and by the time she left there wasn’t even one

20 CityNews June 4-10, 2015

shell left from the boiled eggs… I don’t know what she did with them.’’

“The Luncheon Club was something that really took off as the original Playhouse had a restaurant behind it, The Balcony Room. “Consequently, when a show came in for a week or two-week run, the stars would talk at a luncheon and the media would attend, as well as many ‘ladies who lunch’. The club members loved chatting with the stars – and they were real stars: Barry Humphries, Eartha Kitt, June Bronhill, John Inman, Peter Allen, Simon Gallaher, Jon English.

“Marlene Dietrich was affected by something because she kept clinging on to the side curtain to keep herself steady.

“Poor darling she did fall over in Sydney and broke her hip and was never seen in Australia again.”

Coralie remembers when Irish band The Fureys took to the Canberra Theatre stage.

“They also liked a drink and one fell into the orchestra pit and never made it back to the show,” she said.

“I think he crawled out through the musicians’ door and went back to the hotel.”

During the Cold War years, entrepreneur Michael Edgley and his business partner Andrew Guild brought to Australia the Russian variety extravaganzas.

“At the time my office was upstairs, in dressing room no 9,” Coralie said.

“One minute the Russians would be there trying to give me photos of tanks and war pictures in exchange for sitting at my typewriter.

“The next minute, a little man from our government would pop into the office to ask me what the Russians had been doing or what they said.

I tried to tell them I had no idea as I didn’t speak Russian.”

Then there was the night when...

Arts Editor HELEN MUSA shares some fond and funny memories of the Canberra Theatre MY first visit to the Canberra Theatre wasn’t to see a stage play at all, but something just as dramatic – a brilliant denunciation by Deputy Opposition Leader, Gough Whitlam, of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, (the White Australia Policy) dismantled the following year by the Holt Liberal government.

Those were heady times. I was an idealistic student politician attending a conference on immigration and the spanking new theatre centre symbolised the brave new world of post-Menzies Canberra, a city of 85,000 people looking to a more sophisticated lifestyle.

Without the equivalent of a town hall, the Canberra public had long made do with the charming but inadequate 1920s Renaissance Revival building, the Albert Hall. If it wasn’t quite “time”, it was very nearly so in this city of diplomats, academics, intellectuals and power brokers wanting something less provincial.

The Canberra Theatre Centre fitted the bill and although I was living in Sydney at the time, visits to the theatre were de rigueur, since Sydney’s Old Tote Theatre and the Melbourne Theatre Company had a gentlemen’s agreement not to encroach on each other’s territory, and Canberra was considered neutral territory.

Often I travelled to the national capital

to see Melbourne touring shows, notably Sir Tyrone Guthrie’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” with the MTC and the same company’s “Galileo”, starring Frank Thring. More than once I was in Canberra on election day and, with fellow theatregoers, had to go looking for a polling booth.

In 1974, fresh out of a production-techniques certificate course at NIDA, I got the job of starting drama courses at the Canberra CAE. Almost immediately, Keith Richards at ABC 2CY engaged me to do on-air reviews. My first one was the premiere production by Tempo Theatre at the Playhouse, “Bye Bye Birdie”.

That put me in touch with Canberra Theatre Centre director, Terry Vaughan. A canny operator, Vaughan understood that linking up with local institutions was important, and helped me by arranging work experience for students who were studying backstage techniques.

It wasn’t until 1987 that I settled permanently in the Canberra area and then the Canberra Theatre became my second home.

Vaughan was long gone, but the director of the theatre, Simon Dawkins, set about putting the centre on the map nationally with tourism-savvy initiatives. With the Bicentennial coming up there was a rare opportunity to do this and, as a theatre critic for the local broadsheet, it seemed to me that the foyer was awash with champagne and caviar.

During the winter of 1988, Dawkins brought in Michael Pennington’s English Shakespeare Company with the massive “The Wars of the Roses”.

Suddenly the foyer was packed with The program the theatrical from the 1988 tour. cognoscenti from around the country eager to soak up this Canberra exclusive visit.

The following year, 1989, saw a significant one-off, the Floriade Arts Festival, the centrepiece of which was a 20-minute production of “The Bacchae” by Tadashi Suzuki’s company from Japan.

Patrons accustomed to spending two and a half hours in the theatre were scandalised, but the festival was to sow the seeds for the short-lived National Festival of Australian Theatre in the 1990s.

By this time I was covering everything including children’s theatre (the sub-editor headlined one review, “Mr Squiggle draws a blank”).

Notable highlights included a visited of Peking Opera Theatre of Tianjin in 1992. The

centre threw a swanky after-show party for the cast but forgot to arrange a translator.

Then there was the night in 1990 when I sat next to the new ACT Arts Minister Gary Humphries for a performance by Sir Peter Ustinov. Mr Humphries arrived looking grimly duty-bound, asking me, “am I going to enjoy myself?” and ending up helpless with laughter as Ustinov stayed on stage for more than an hour longer than scheduled.

Vaughan’s non-purist approach to the theatre centre put a stamp on the style of the centre, which has always run the theatrical gamut from refined ballet and symphonic concerts, through the mother-in-law jokes of Phyllis Diller, the antics of Max Gillies as Rene in “Allo”, and a very serious performance of King Lear by Carrillo Gantner, through which my then-three-year-old son sat stoically.

I’ve watched the Canberra Theatre move through different stages, from a community orientation to the slick sophistication of modern-day subscription programming.

I’ve been there on significant occasions such as the premiere of “VX18504” by the Meryl Tankard Company in 1989 and the opening production by Bangarra Dance Theatre, “Praying Mantis Dreaming”, in 1992.

But theatre is the most ephemeral of arts and it can’t all be significant. As the Canberra Theatre Centre changes to meet differing public needs, few doubt that it will continue to play a role as the intellectual and cultural heart of Canberra.

“

MY fondest memory of the Canberra Theatre is of our extended family attending the matinee performance of the Canberra Philharmonic Society’s ‘Les Miserables’ in 1994. The show held us all spellbound. At the end, with tears on our cheeks, we joined the standing ovation for the cast.

That experience has ensured our children’s continuing enjoyment of live theatre.

Margaret Watt,

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review

Gemma’s sex power over her lovers

Jazz festival opens with a buzz

“Gemma Bovery” (MA) THE heroines of classic novels about women who play away from marriage meet their fates in many ways. Gustave Flaubert’s Emma Bovary and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina both suicide.

Novelist Posy Simmonds picks the eyes out of Flaubert’s novel in re-birthing Mme Bovary into the 21st century. Her novel’s narrator becomes Flaubert fan Martin (Fabrice Luchini) who, after a career editing PhD theses for publication, has retired to make a new career as a craft baker in the Normandy village where Flaubert wrote the novel. British newlyweds, antique restorer Charlie (Jason Flemyng) and painter Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton), move into the house across the road. Martin is a modern Greek Chorus who, having endured a sexual drought for several years, becomes enraptured by Gemma.

Gemma takes lovers – student Hervé, wealthy Julien and former lover Patrick.

In observing her bedroom frolics, the film strongly suggests that for her, sex is a power weapon rather than a sensual delight. Poor girl. It won’t be the direct death of her, but neither will the rat poison she buys against Martin’s advice (readers of Flaubert’s novel will recognise the connection).

Director Anne Fontaine has a fine eye for environments and characterisations.

Good subtitles enhance the bilingual dialogue. I couldn’t resist a guffaw at the Anglicisation of “ta gueule”, which caused the film no difficulty but might distress the editor if I asked him to publish it.

Should you see “Gemma Bovery”? Why not? Gemma Arterton makes a hearty meal of a woman whose body has enmeshed her in a situation that her intellect is unable to manage. It’s an agreeably complex and engaging dramatisation of a novel first published in 1856 and still in bookshops.

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“Partisan” (MA) LEADING Australian filmmaker Ariel Kleiman’s sere film about a boy raised by a father carrying serious emotional and political garbage, the only other person in the cinema and I wondered what it meant.

Alex (Jeremy Chabriel) has lived all his 11 years in a sort of commune populated by women who have borne children by absent fathers. Gregori (Vincent Cassel) runs the group in a sort of benevolent demagoguery.

With calm contrasting strongly with his method of achieving it, the film presents

deserving protection and recognition.

Science underpins the film although I have my doubts about some of it. For my money, its most engaging character is Athena, a pretty child who doesn’t age in the normal human way.

“Tomorrowland” is Raffey Cassidy’s third film and provided fame and wealth don’t mar her innocence, she looks likely to have a career for so long as she wants.

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“San Andreas” (M) WHAT merit you might find in this not-toodistant futurist disaster movie rests in its depiction of the cataclysm that would follow the San Andreas Fault releasing its grip on California with, not surprisingly, the major focus on San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Flying a rescue helo for the LA Fire Department is Ray (Dwayne Johnson) whose wife Emma (Carla Gugino) left him when Gemma Arterton in the title role of “Gemma Bovery”... an agreeably complex and he became morose and taciturn after their engaging dramatisation. younger daughter drowned.

Architect Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd) in whose and, after opening there on May 22, took Gregori’s discomfiting hope for mankind. firm their older daughter Blake (Alexandra What he has inculcated into Alex is tough stuff, nearly $US48 million in its first week.

Daddario) wants to work has moved in on Kids still of single-digit age mightn’t grasp asking many questions about humankind that Emma. British graduate engineer Ben (Hugo reverberate uncomfortably in our present-day some elements of its plot, core ideas and conflict. Johnstone-Burt) is having an interview at world where what children are being forced to No matter. They’ll take childish joy from its Daniel’s firm. Ben’s younger brother Ollie (Art Disney ambience although 130 minutes running Parkinson) waits in the reception lobby. undergo is becoming increasingly awful. time may outweigh their attention span.

“Partisan” raises concern for an intelligent And there you have the full complement But more than merely entertainment, boy who adores his new-born brother. Alex of main characters whom writer Carlton Cuse “Tomorrowland” is a message movie. I’d like refuses to eat chicken after another boy in has given to director Brad Peyton to guide to think it might just have enough clout to get through calamity in a family story that apthe commune is sent to Coventry for refusing that message through to the decision makers, proaches the pinnacle of achievement for plot to release a pet bird to meet the fate of all the law givers and the climate change sceptics triteness and dialogue cliché, as they face risks chickens. Until almost his 12th birthday, Alex has never tasted chocolate. And he’s unaware who persevere with it until Frank (George from tsunami to a helo with in-flight gearbox Clooney), 16-year-old Casey (Britt Robertson) of the moral issue underlying the notion that failure and more. it is right and proper to walk to the nearby city, and Athena (Raffey Cassidy) confront Nix In a laboratory at UC Berkeley, seismic (Hugh Laurie) at the end of a long journey that expert Lawrence is tracking the progress of enter a high-rise apartment block, knock on culminates in a rocket launched from beneath the quake and hijacking the media to warn all a door and, on Gregori’s instructions, identify the Eiffel Tower. and shoot the person who opens it. those people to get somewhere, anywhere, We first meet Nix early into the film, a figure else. Actor Paul Giamatti once again reminds “Partisan” is not an easy film to love. Its value is in its bleak observations of mankind’s of mystery, about whom we’re never quite us that while a movie sure whether he’s a goodie or a baddie. Nix function in its own company. and his role in it reveals his true colours as the end approaches. may be duff, his At Palace Electric Here “end” denotes two events – the film and performance mankind’s custodianship of our planet. never is.

“Tomorrowland” (PG) After Nix’s polemic outlining human-kind’s At Palace Electric, responsibilities as guardians of our planet, the WALT Disney got the idea for “Tomorrowland” travellers return to our time where they distrib- Dendy, Capitol 6 in the 1950s. Now it’s in Disney theme parks ute among the coming generation special pins and Hoyts around the world. like those that Athena gave Frank and Casey to Brad Bird’s film embodies classic Disney identify them as scientifically-smart humans fantasies and visual styles that have carved a permanent place in popular culture. It cost a reported $US190 million

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jazz Capital Jazz Project: Slater Bukovsky opening double bill At The Street Theatre, May 30.

Festival continues until June 8.

Reviewed by Simone Penkethman A BUZZING crowd gathered at The Street for a double bill of contemporary Australian jazz composition.

The music was innovative, at times challenging and ultimately an uplifting opening of what promises to be a diverse and enjoyable winter jazz festival.

First up was Gian Slater’s “Māyā”.

This piece is named after a Sanskrit word that questions the illusion that our identities are distinct from the rest of the universe.

It was performed by four singers, piano and percussion. The tightly arranged choral singing used no words but rather syllables that were evocative of many languages without being any one. The sound was accomplished, controlled and at times mesmerising, but the performance style was insular and the players acknowledged neither the audience nor each other. This lent a coldness, a lack of visual interest, and a feeling of exclusion rather than connection to the piece.

Next was trumpeter, Miroslav Bukovsky’s “Black and White”, a new work that responds to Canberra’s unique environment of birdsong.

A seven-piece band and a recorded soundtrack of local magpies rendered aural homage to our seasons, parks and streets.

Some of Canberra’s finest and favourite musicians enveloped the audience in a playful, wordless conversation where the magpies tones and motifs flew from one instrument to another. The piece moved back and forth from birdsong to engaging, jazzy soundscapes of our city, giving a sense of time and seasons passing.

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CityNews June 4-10, 2015 23

arts & entertainment / dining

arts in the city It’s double trouble when things start to swing

Chicken congee… a rice porridge popular in many Asian countries.

Photos by Andrew Finch

Different start to the day I LOVE going out for breakfast on weekends, but sometimes find menus stock standard and, well, boring.

So I was delighted, when kickstarting the day at Ona on the Lawns in Manuka with three friends, to hear everyone comment on how refreshingly different the all-day menu was.

The black-bean burrito was a great combo of flavours. It wasn’t wrapped in tortilla flatbread but served “open” ($17) with a mini mountain of beans and other ingredients. I dived in without manoeuvring the wrapping (too early in the morning for such fussing). I loved it.

The chicken congee – a rice porridge popular in many Asian countries – was piping hot and soul satisfying ($18) and appropriate given my friend was on her way to Malaysia later that day. The side of mushrooms added additional interest, as did the bowl of kimchi. For crunch there was a

decadent fried breadstick.

The North African poached eggs, baked with tomatoes, sumac, shallots, red peppers and mixed herbs, were another winner ($19). Gorgeous looking and high on taste.

The only disappointing dish was the pumpkin tortilla ($18). The chef had one thing in mind and the diner another. It was more a big serve of pumpkin mash, making the dish sweeter than expected. It came with poached eggs, smashed avo, oven-roasted tomatoes and the tortilla. Sometimes that’s life in the café fast lane.

Other intriguing dishes include a ham hock benedict ($19), eggplant and beef salad ($20), pomegranate salad ($19) and a chicken pot pie ($20).

Ona on the Lawns has expanded fairly recently, taking over what was a dress shop. You can sit outside (it was packed even though it was a chilly morning), at the bar overlooking the lawns, at a big communal table, at tables for two, or tables for four, which is where we sat. It was pretty cramped, especially when the food arrived, with some dishes served in wide bowls and some on big wooden boards.

Sasa Sestic, the founder of Ona Coffee, is the world’s best barista (truly; he has the trophy to prove it). He can’t be in all of the

THERE’LL be double-trouble when soprano Louise Page and pianist Sally Greenaway take to Tin Pan Alley in a concert of jazz classics from the Great American Songbook. George Gershwin and Cole Porter will get an airing at the Wesley Music Centre’s Lunchtime Live Series, 12.40pm-1.20pm on Wednesday, June 10. Entry $5 minimum; concession $2. No bookings required and tickets at the door.

WITH “Storm Boy” passing through town, there’s a free exhibition at Civic Library (until June 28) featuring items relating to author Colin Thiele’s books, as well as some items from the Thiele family.

SUPERSTARS of YouTube comedy, Superwog, will be at Canberra Theatre with their new live stage show “Talk Shit Get Hit”, a sellout at Melbourne’s International Comedy Festival earlier this year. It’s on Friday, June 19; bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com. au or 6275 2700.

The North African poached eggs... baked with tomatoes, sumac, shallots, red peppers and mixed herbs.

Ona locations to make every coffee, as we discovered. My cappuccino was great. The two flat whites fell flat. The piccolo was pretty good.

The drinks menu includes black coffee, with different “single origin” beans poured each week. The house blend for milk-based coffee is “Don Organic”. You can indulge, if you dare (I’d get the jitters) in the coffee experience menu ($10) which includes 1 espresso, 1 milk-based coffee and 1 batch of brew filter coffee. For something different, try the carbonated cascara, dried coffee cherry tea ($6).

THE committee for the 30th annual Miles Franklin Music Festival (at Miles Franklin Primary School, Evatt, August 15-16) wants to attract entrants before the entry deadline of June 19. It’s a major community music event that helps to promote music education that has been run almost single handedly by volunteer Ann Freeman. Inquiries to 0406 091059 and applications to milesfranklinmusic.org

Ona on the Lawns, Shop 4, Palmerston Lane, Manuka. Call 6395 0057.

STRATHNAIRN Arts is calling for applications from artists and curators for its 2016 exhibition program of more than 12 shows, with a deadline of Friday, June 12.

Comedy duo Superwog… in Canberra with their new, smash-hit show.

Its two homestead galleries provide intimate exhibition spaces and there’s the Woolshed, too. Information at strathnairn.com.au/ facilities/gallery/ or email info@strathnairn.com.au THE High Court’s free concert program on Sunday, June 7 is a double whammy; at 1:30pm Philippine baritone Jose Leo Logdat, accompanied by pianist Raul Navarro, will sing favourite works by Beethoven and Mozart in his Australasia premiere. Then, at 2.30pm, the Mainly Mozart String Quartet and Robyn Mellor, as soloist and director of the recorder ensemble Walking the Dog, will perform music written specifically to combine the sounds of solo and ensemble recorders with a string quartet.

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Social event of the week / National Day of Argentina, Albert Hall ARGENTINIAN ambassador Pedro Villagra Delgado is also the dean of the diplomatic corps, which means he’s been in Australia in his ambassadorial role the longest of all the current heads of mission and I couldn’t imagine an official occasion without him.

As dean, he’s very senior in the pomp and ceremony department and can count a few special encounters with royals, presidents and prime ministers during his Canberra posting.

He’s a man of good humour, good company and good conversation as evidenced at the National Day of Argentina at the Albert Hall where he worked the room to meet and greet, welcoming his countrymen and acknowledging the wide range of politicians and locals by name.

He doesn’t dance the tango, not even to the subtle sounds of the orchestra from Katoomba whose tango tunes were enticing.

But he does have in his top drawer of information about Argentina (and particularly Buenos Aires) a fabulous list of the where, what and why of all manner of things including tango dancing, good eating, mate tea, the truth about Eva Peron and the kind of history the tour operators aren’t going to tell you. Bucket list it might be, must visit it should be!

Paola Lasso Corredor, Venezuelan ambassador Nelson Davila and his daughter Mariana

Andrew Broad, Father Peter L’Estrange, Argentinan ambassadsor Pedro Villagra Delgado and Michael L’Estrange

Wayne Berry and Tom Calma

Nigerian acting high commissioner Cecilia Yahaya, South African high commissioner Sibusiso Ndebele, Alexandra Sanchez and Amaranta Leon

German ambassador Dr Christoph Muller and his wife Christine

MLA Chris Bourke and David Hohnke

Ewan and Marjorie Letts

Gino Arciniega, Tatiana Galinskaya and Daniel Reategui

Josef Reichhardt, Daniel Gasparri-Rey, Susanne Reichhardt, Luz Toledo Gasparri and Rula Azar

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CityNews June 4-10, 2015 25

scene / around canberra At CC Beauty Centre’s 10th anniversary party, Cooleman Court

At Steve Doszpot’s annual charity night

Teresa, Karen and Joe Teixeira

Paul Murphy and Amy Doszpot

Kay Kendall, Suzanne Hocking and Margaret Slack

Angela Finnegan with Sarah, Maria, Emily and Lynn Schofield

Kate Ford, Elena Morrissey, Aaron Baker and Amanda Gilligan

Shelly Atkins, Steve Doszpot MLA and Sally Saunders

Katrina Lawless, Michelle Wehlau and Rebecca Morgan

D I S P L AY C N R

Michael and Tiffany Pedler with Gail Freeman, Julia Pedler and Jeff Chandler

Patricia Wheelan and Maureen Marvell

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Josh Green, Bronte Martin, Natalie Harmer and Greg Alpen

Annie Rietdyk and Michelle Chaplin

Hayley Smilie with Nabill and Alissar Hassan

P R O J E C T

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At St Clare’s 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner, Convention Centre At Don Aitkin’s new novel launch

Kate Sanderson, Angelia Winter, Hayley Crimmins and Emma Donaghue

Jessica McNamara, Maddie Blackmore and Lauren Ingram

Charlotte Gruber, Melissa de Jongh and Emily Gruber

Jim Peoples, Alison Jeffries, Rita Daniels, Paul Carroll and MLA Steve Doszpot

Katie Fairfax, Amelia Eveston, Anastasia Gilchrist, Laura McMahon and Caitlin Jarosz

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Graham and Joy Eadie with Ros Byrne

Don Aitkin and Satandra Nandan

Georgia Gilmayer, Erin Thomas and Jenna Gavran

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R E S I D E N C E S

C O M P L E T I O N

Vicki Deakin and Sue Marduc

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Garth and Lena Britton

Robert Abell, Judy Inveen and Rob Irwin

AVA I L A B L E 2 0 1 6

L A S T R E S I D E N C E S AVA I L A B L E E N Q U I R E T O D AY

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Gordon and Arthur Watson

scene / around canberra At the opening of the Christos Michalis Medical Centre, Garran

Graeme Blank, Vik Chaudhary and Steve Bates

Senator Zed Seselja, Penny Michalis and Margaret Reid

Sophia Haridemos with Susan and Stan Platis

Klaudija Skazlic with Kathryn and Martin Crncevic

Kosta Michalis, Mike Smith and David Field

Maria Campuzano, Hilary Mackay, Jose Campuzano, Gay Thompson and Gibela Koch

Steven Gavagna and Con Peppas

Host Penny Michalis, Spyros Adamopoulos and Eirini Michalis

Con Moraitis, Marisa Gomes and Kathy Moraitis

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Maria and Eirini Michalis

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At RAW Canberra’s , ‘Sensory’, Belconnen Arts Centre

At African Day celebrations, Deakin

Sando, Mo and Pete Standen

Venezuelan ambassador Nelson Davila and Cuban ambassador José Manuel Galego Montano

Tobias Kusa, Emily Chapman, Daniella Wyatt and Chris Tallman

Belinda Gamlen, Gina Morrison, Ben Davey and Chris Jones

Jess Nagle, Tori Heron and Jayella Skou

Baeckea Driscoll, Euan McArthur and Jasmine Bignell

Shannon Sturgiss and Heather Bull

Jessica and Rebecca Cassells

Gilbert Mbitan, Kristina Vanhove and Kelvin Alley

Martha Siima, Simba Machiridza and Cynthia Shannon

Philippines ambassador Belen F. Anota, Singaporean high commissioner Burhan Gafoor and high commissioner of Brunei HE Zakaria Ahmad

Rochelle and Manuel Alamar

Brady Mumberson and Marcel Krug

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CityNews June 4-10, 2015 29

gardening

Leaves give way to winter plans AT last, all the leaves have dropped and it is time to re-evaluate gardens for winter – as well as summer.

A good rule is to have at least one-third evergreens to hold the garden together. On the other hand, all evergreens can be boring.

Some of the most fragrant plants are deciduous, planted at this time of the year for flowering in spring.

A few examples will illustrate this, starting with the deciduous viburnums.

A medium-sized shrub with rounded clusters of pure white flowers that are pink on bud, the viburnum carlesii is one of the most fragrant and popular deciduous plants. Its flowers appear in spring with a daphne-like fragrance.

This shrub was introduced into western gardens from Korea in 1901. Viburnum burkwoodii is a cross

The underrated oak leaf hydrangea for late autumn colour.

to see how far down the moisture levels are. The best time to do this is in the afternoon.

Some flowering plants, particularly those with white flowers in winter, such as Camellia sasanqua, will turn brown with frost. Ideally, gently hose the shrubs with a light spray before the sun hits the flowers.

THE bulbs in Commonwealth Park are sprouting in what is possibly the last year of Floriade at that location. No news has appeared on a possible new location, which is a worry as it takes at least 12 months of planning to the next event.

Jottings...

Viburnum carlesii is perfect for fragrance. between V. carlesii and Viburnum utile. This deciduous shrub is slightly larger than V. carlesii with the same fragrant white flowers.

HAMAMELIS, or witch hazels, are distinct and beautiful mainly evergreen winter-flowering shrubs.

The spidery-like yellow flowers that appear on leafless branches in midwinter can withstand the severest frosts without damage.

The best varieties were bred at the Kalmthout Arboretum, near Antwerp, in the ‘50s. Hamamelis are also used medicinally, especially in homeopathy. They can grow to more than three metres although, if

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allowed to grow too large, they can get very leggy.

It’s best to keep them to less than three metres by pruning after flowering in late winter or early spring.

The most popular variety is Hamamelis intermedia “Pallida” with a strong, sweet scent. Unfortunately, like many worthwhile shrubs in the garden, they are out of fashion and can be hard to find in garden centres.

The hydrangea quercifolia, or oak leaf hydrangea, has rich-coloured leaves that last longer than most trees and in spring and summer the large white flowers against the dark green leaves hold for a considerable time. This makes them great for floral arrangements.

• Hydrangeas can be pruned now, remove older branches and dead wood. Reduce healthy shoots to three nodes (leaf joints) from the base. It is an ideal time to take cuttings.

• Lift dahlia tubers and store them in a cool, dry place, for instance a polythene box filled with sawdust.

If named varieties, write the name on a dry tuber with a permanent marker pen.

• Material from the compost heap can be dug into the ground in readiness for spring planting.

Remember compost is not mulch.

IT is important to remember that frost dries the ground out and the only true way to test if the ground needs watering is to dig a hole

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puzzles page Joanne Madeline Moore

General knowledge crossword No. 503

your week in the stars – June 8-14, 2015

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GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

The last three weeks have been particularly tricky for Twins as Mercury (your ruling planet) has been reversing through your sign – a real double-whammy. Thank goodness Mercury moves forwards this week so from Friday onwards, things should start to run more smoothly in the areas of your life involving cars, computers, communication and travel. Sunday is a super day to initiate a project, update your appearance or focus on your physical fitness.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Don’t be a lazy Lion… make sure you capitalise on this week’s lucky stars Cats!

With Venus and Jupiter visiting your sign (and Uranus revving up energy levels) confidence is the buzz word at the moment. So it’s time to display your talents, and shine for the whole world to see. The positive stars also promise convivial conversations and exciting connections. You’re keen to communicate so don’t hold back – others are happy to hear and read what you’ve got to say.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Progress at school or work has been slow over the last three weeks but that’s about to change, as Mercury moves forwards. So make sure you are prepared to pounce when circumstances alter from Friday onwards. Activities involving communication, cars and computers should all improve as you gradually get your Virgo mojo back in spades! Use the weekend to get a jump start as you plan the next week well in advance. The early bird catches the worm!

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Uranus fires up your relationship zone so expect the unexpected. If you are attached, your partner could surprise you with an unusual proposal or an incredibly hare-brained scheme. Single Librans – it’s time to look for love with someone who is charming, clever, unconventional and way outside your comfort zone. The weekend is a wonderful time to browse through travel brochures and plan your next holiday, as Mercury charges through your adventure zone.

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25 26 Solution next week

Across 1 Name the largest sand island in the world.

8 Which country was formerly called Abyssinia?

9 To be growing old, is to be doing what?

10 What is an elected local government representative?

11 What do we call a young swan?

13 Which term designates one who separates grain from wheat?

16 To have sought one’s hand in marriage, is to have done what?

19 Name another term for revenue.

22 What are fortunate and profitable occasions?

24 Name the capital of Cuba.

25 What is a colloquial term for a police officer?

26 Which term describes one’s female sibling?

Down 2 Which code of football is either Union or League?

3 Name a less readily known word for a descendant.

4 What are boat races called?

5 Which landlocked country was formerly a territory of French Equatorial Africa?

6 Name those highly venomous snakes that expand their necks to assume a hoodlike form.

7 What is another term for a buccaneer?

12 Which island is off the easternmost tip of Victoria?

14 Which pungent roots are eaten raw as appetisers, and in salads?

15 What is another name for a tramp?

17 Which scholarships are established at Oxford University?

18 Name the rectangular shoulder pieces of cloth, of a cross-barred pattern, worn by Scottish Highlanders.

20 What are hollows in the earth?

21 Name the house occupied by a Presbyterian minister.

23 Which term describes naught or nothing?

Sudoku hard No. 151

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Tuesday is terrific for creative projects and community connections. But, over the last three weeks, joint finances have been stretched, close relationships tested and loyalties questioned. Fortunately that’s all about to change, as Mercury moves forwards again. So from Friday onwards, it’s time to let go of grudges and forgive indiscretions of the financial or romantic kind as you get up-close-and-personal with loved ones in increasingly pleasant ways.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Have partnership problems been testing your limited patience? Calm is about to be restored to your relationship universe, as Mercury (planet of communication) moves forwards, from Friday onwards, in your relating zone. Which means you’ve still got four days when you can all-too-easily put your foot in your mouth and upset loved ones! The solution? Concentrate on connecting with friends and acquaintances from far-flung places who are less easily offended.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

The next four days is the time to review your regular routines, so you find which ones still work – and which ones need to be turfed from your timetable for good.

Plus keep yourself mentally strong, so you can bounce back from inevitable delays and disappointments that come along. Your motto for the moment is from Donald Trump (born on June 14, 1946): “What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Solution next week

Solutions from last edition

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2015 Daily astrology updates at twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore

Crossword No. 502

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

When it comes to a complicated family issue, it’s been one step forwards and two steps back. Get ready to take a giant leap forwards later in the week, as Mercury starts moving things in a positive new direction. So don’t waste precious time procrastinating Pisces! Strive to be 100% honest with family and friends, and keep them up-to-date with your current plans. The more creative and proactive your approach with loved ones, the better the weekend will be.

I S J M E C C A N P R M L E I L A N A P I N C T A R T A R E I N T E G E L Y E I M P I N G A E I D E S T I N

P I R A N H O E E L E E W A R I D R C A S H E W E S C R I T I A H R O O T U M B R E E B B R E U N I O Y S T

A N D E S C O L L I N S

Saving Bernie from wasting his money Bernie wants some extra money to buy a ute to use in his business and a loan for additional stock to take advantage of volume discounts.

When he came to see me I suggested we deal with the ute first.

“The ute is $19,950 specially reduced at present. I spoke to the bank and they said they could do me a quick loan,” he told me.

Bernie wasn’t sure that the quoted interest rate was, but the repayments sounded reasonable at $600 a month.

However, I looked at the figures the bank had provided and said: “Bernie, the interest is very high at 13.93 per cent. You should be able to get a car loan for between 5 per cent and 6 per cent.

“I can arrange a loan for you and you should save more than half the interest over the term of the loan. I am so glad you came to see me before you signed the documents.

“Next time you are purchasing a car just check the interest rate being offered.

“However, there is a good piece of news for you, the federal Budget changes mean that you can claim the full price of the car as a deduction this year instead of depreciating it.”

Bernie was grateful for the advice and prospect of a cheaper loan.

“Thanks for the warning about checking interest rates in future.

I am sure that I have done better with the stock loan as there is no interest.”

I asked him to tell me more because a commercial loan without interest sounds unusual.

“I got this flyer in my mail box and I rang the company,” Bernie said.

“They explained that they don’t charge interest. They advance the loan based on your credit card sales over the last six months.

So I sent them my credit card statements and they said that they could give me a loan of $20,000.

“Then I have to pay them up to $4200 a month based on my credit card sales for the next six months. No interest is ever charged on the loan and at the end of six months the loan is finalised.”

I told Bernie that according to my arithmetic repaying a loan of $20,000 in six months results in payments of $3333 per month.

“You will be paying more than this so the extra payment although not called interest is in the nature of interest,” I advised him.

“If my calculations are correct the extra payment is similar to an annual interest rate of about 50 per cent. So this is a very bad deal for you. I will see what cheaper alternative I can arrange.”

Bernie looked relieved.

“I thought when they said no interest they meant no interest. You have really saved me from wasting a lot of money. Thanks, Gail.”

If you need assistance with your loans or any other business-related matter contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

6295 2844

9/71 Leichhardt St, Kingston ACT 2604 ABN 57 008 653 683

Sudoku medium No.151

Are you ready to jump out of a rut Aquarius? Seek out fresh experiences and innovative information this week. Monday through until Thursday is the time to review your friendships. Some require extra nurturing, while others have passed their use-by date and need to be replaced with new pals who are creative, positive and proactive. As Anthony Robbins wrote: “People’s lives are a direct reflection on the expectations of their peer group.”

Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd Chartered Accountant

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Resist the temptation to retreat into your Crab cave and be moody and mysterious in order to cover up your emotional insecurities. Clear and honest communication with yourself and loved ones will get you a lot further than sulky behaviour. Are you overdue for some creature comforts and a touch of luxe? Venus and Jupiter encourage you to boost your spirits with delicious home-cooked meals and some indulgent body pampering.

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TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Brains and beauty are a winning combination for Bulls this week as you come up with a clever idea; pamper yourself in style; beautify your living space; solve a domestic issue or patch up a disagreement with a family member. It’s also time to boost your self-esteem so tap into your talents and believe in yourself! Motto for the week is from birthday great Judy Garland: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

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ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

It’s a wonderful week to connect with family and friends from far and wide as you talk, text, tweet, publish and post up a storm. Others are looking to you to come up with some smart solutions so put on your thinking cap Rams. And don’t stick with stale old ways of doing things, try to come up with some exciting and innovative new ideas. You’re also feeling restless so travel is on the cards – anything from a leisurely day trip to a sudden interstate sojourn.

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Listen to our tax tips on 2CA and 2CC (Chartered accountant, SMSF specialist advisor and Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

w w w. g a i l f re e m a n . co m . a u Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @gailfreemantax CityNews June 4-10, 2015 31

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