CityNews 201119

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Enchanté TINA ARENA has lost none of her zest for life – and art, reports arts editor HELEN MUSA

Business star hits rock bottom

How a ‘fake’ probe ruined Louise Curtis’ life.

Report by DANIELLE NOHRA

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NEWS / breaking the habit

Taking smokes from pregnant women

By Belinda

STRAHORN THE image of Justine Bamblett’s great grandmother on an oxygen tank but continuing to smoke is etched in her memory.

Bamblett, 26, a Ngunnawal woman, draws on that image as motivation for a new program, Butt Out Boondah for Boori, designed to drive down high rates of smoking amongst indigenous pregnant women.

“Seeing my great grandmother with a cigarette in her mouth and a gas tank used to scare me as a little kid… that’s my memory of her,” says Bamblett.

“I don’t want my grandchildren to see me like that.”

In 2017, indigenous mothers accounted for 20 per cent of mothers who smoked during pregnancy.

Those figures spurred Bamblett, a Tackling Indigenous Smoking Officer with the Butt Out Boondah for Boori program, to look at ways of encouraging young mums to ditch cigarettes.

“In the Queanbeyan and Goulburn area there is still a large number of young mums that smoke, and we really want to help those mothers break the cycle of generational smoking,” says Bamblett.

“We have noticed a pattern that if mum smokes, the kids are going to smoke… it’s a culture we have allowed in the home and we really need to break that cycle.”

With smoking in pregnancy having a major impact on the lifelong health of mother and child, including birth complications and low birth weight, Bamblett says quitting smoking early in pregnancy could help to close the gap on indigenous health.

“We are not just focusing on mum and baby, we are focusing on the whole family,” she says.

“It takes a community to raise a child and that’s the approach we are taking with health… we want the whole family to come along and be educated.

“Let’s educate mum, let’s educate dad and nan and pop so they know the effects of their habits and they can make those positive changes as well.”

The program, run by Grand Pacific Health, will combine cultural art and craft activity sessions with a yarn (traditional communication method) about tobacco smoking.

“The yarning circle is a place where everyone is equal, no one is better than anyone else, we are a team, it’s where we have strong conversations and we bring them back to connecting with culture,” says Bamblett.

“When women become immersed in their culture, they become proud to

INDEX Arts & Entertainment 23-25 Canberra Matters 13 Cinema & Streaming 24 Crossword 26 Dining 25 Garden 27 Horoscopes 26 Letters 14 News 3-14 Politics 12 Seven Days 4

Cover: Tina’s touring with promise to enchant.

Photo: Bernard Gueit.

Story Page 23.

Ph 02 6189 0777 Fax 02 6189 0778 9b/189 Flemington Rd, Mitchell 2911

POLICE have only issued six criminal infringement notices, 15 cautions and have arrested one person out of more than 17,250 covid quarantine and business compliance checks carried out in the ACT since the start of the pandemic.

It’s been more than three months since the ACT had a quarantine or business compliance breach and police say they’re happy with how Canberrans are abiding by covid measures.

Supt Hall O’Meagher especially thanked the 3500 Canberrans who have been in quarantine over the pandemic period, saying he hopes their hard work will inspire others to do the same.

New club

Justine Bamblett… “If mum smokes, the kids are going to smoke… it’s a culture we have allowed in the home and we really need to break that cycle.”

Photo: Belinda Strahorn make changes for their health.”

A chance conversation with an Aboriginal elder five years ago was all the motivation Bamblett needed to break her teenage smoking addiction.

“I was at a leadership program in Dubbo and Uncle Tom roused on me for smoking,” she explained.

“He said to me: ‘How can you be a leader if you are smoking in the com-

munity… people will think you are a hypocrite’.

“He pulled me into line with one conversation and that cigarette got chucked away...that was five years ago and I haven’t smoked since.”

The Butt Out Boondah for Boori program kicks off later this month, book at tis@gph.org.au or call 6298 2900.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, 9b/189 Flemington Road, Mitchell.

Managing Director: James Anderson, 0404 077605, james@citynews.com.au Director: Kate Meikle, kate@citynews.com.au Senior advertising account executives: David Cusack, 0435 380656 Tracey Avery 0477 939999 Advertising account executives: Damien Klemke, 0439 139001 Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Assistant editor: Danielle Nohra, danielle@citynews.com.au Journalists: Belinda Strahorn, belinda@citynews.com.au; Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Nathan Schmidt, nathan@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Production manager: Janet Ewen Proof reader: Glenda Anderson

A NEW VIEW Club is planned for Gungahlin. VIEW Clubs of Australia is a national women’s organisation exclusively supporting the work of The Smith Family. For more information about the new club call 0412 617085 or email june3@iinet.net.au

Radio lecture INTERNATIONAL speaker and healer Lindsey Taylor will give a two-part, live radio lecture on 1RPH. Titled “Stay Close to God, Safe in Love”, Ms Taylor says the lecture is about “discovering our innate closeness to God and relieving the anxiety that many are feeling about their health, their loved ones and their communities”. Sponsored by First Church of Christ Scientist, Canberra, it will be broadcast at 1pm-1.30pm on December 2 and 3.

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williamcolefunerals.com.au | 60 Nettlefold Street, Belconnen, ACT 2617 CityNews November 19-25, 2020 3

SEVEN DAYS

Safety breaches keep coming despite tough talk DESPITE all her threats and sabre rattling, one wonders if the builders of Canberra are having a lend of WorkSafe ACT commissioner Jacqueline Agius.

Relatively new to the job and talking tough from day one, her inspectors pounced for the third time in just over a month this past week issuing fines at an undeveloped residential construction site after discovering “alarming” safety breaches.

The week before they swooped on 18 residential construction sites in Throsby, issuing 12 prohibition notices, 42 improvement notices and four infringement notices worth more than $11,000 in their wake.

In mid-October, 23 improvement notices, four prohibition notices and four infringement notices, worth more than $11,000, were issued at a residential construction site in Taylor, as well as 10 improvement notices and one prohibition notice at sites in Ginninderry in early October.

Has the industry forgotten the two workers who died on separate construction sites on Denman Prospect earlier this year? Is no one listening to her or is getting caught dodging safety just a cost of doing business?

FIFTEEN minutes of hail in January cost the ACT taxpayer more than $507,000 in government rebates to owners of the 44,500 vehicles damaged in the freak storm.

But now the work of the Hail Assistance and Innovation Liaison (HAIL, geddit?) team

is now complete, having processed more than 7606 rebates, which helped to reduce fees associated with inspecting damaged vehicles and registering replacements.

Staggeringly, around 7500 damaged vehicles weren’t insured.

A row of two-storey, semi-detached houses, under construction in Booroondara Street. Photo: Mildenhall Collection, National Library IS Reid the suburb Geocon (almost) forgot?

The inner-inner-north suburb nestles up against Civic unblighted and bookended by the towers that are consuming Campbell and Braddon.

The locals have much to be grateful for and on Sunday, November 22, the Reid Residents’ Association is conducting a “Walk Around Reid” to showcase its history, architecture and residents.

Reid is one of Canberra’s oldest suburbs and its largest heritage housing precinct.

Named after Sir George Houstoun Reid, Australia’s fourth prime minister, it was

gazetted as a suburb on September 20, 1928.

Much of its construction occurred before then in 1926 and 1927.

Reid was designed to house middle-level public servants, Ainslie those who could afford slightly less and Forrest for those who were more senior.

The walk begins from the Reid Tennis Club at 2pm and costs $10. Book via email at info@ reid.northcanberra.org.au OUR media colleague Amanda Whitley has had enormous acclaim and success as the founder of the HerCanberra website and, along the way, earned accolades such as ACT Woman Amanda Whitley. of the Year in 2016.

Her visionary work is much admired, but as she tells the University of Canberra’s “Uncover” magazine, everything was going swimmingly until covid struck earlier this year and the local media landscape started heading south – the most obvious manifestations of that were “The Chronicle” being put to sleep and “The Canberra Times” printing going out of town. We at “CityNews” had our hearts in our mouths for months.

To help weather the downturn, Amanda has bravely stepped back from the dayto-day running to take up the role of deputy information co-ordinator for the ACT government’s COVID-19 response.

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4 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

She says the decision to work outside HerCanberra ensures the survival of the business.

“I feel incredibly fortunate that I have been given an opportunity to step into an important role which allows me to give back to my community in a different way, while relieving financial pressure on the business and also giving the HerCanberra team a chance to put their own stamp on the brand,” she says.

AT just-turned-80, the irrepressible Canberra theatre promoter Coralie Wood has scored her own weekly radio program – “funny things that happen backstage during rehearsals and beyond” – on ArtSound Coralie Wood.

Radio, Thursdays at 12.30pm.

“It will be a segment with titbits about theatre shows coming up, theatre gossip and some interviews that relate to all of these things with the main aim of fun!” Coralie promises.

All titbits to 0418 249658.

GONE, but not, it seems, forgotten. A few doors down from the member for Eden Monaro Kristy McBain’s Queanbeyan office is a lingering facade from retired member Mike Kelly’s wilderness days, extolling passers-by to bring him back to parliament, which they did until he didn’t earlier this year.

I HEAR Canberra Airport is being invited, among others, to pitch for hosting the Jetstar HQ as owner Qantas reviews its national airport partnerships ahead of the “new normal”.

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast”, weekly, 9am-noon.

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NEWS

Mums wade in for micro-forest funding

By Kathryn

VUKOVLJAK A SECOND urban micro-forest is planned for the inner north, with a community group in Watson keen to mirror the first micro-forest project underway in Downer.

Project leads Purdie Bowden and Elizabeth Adcock, both 36, say their vision is to create a densely planted micro-forest and nature-play park at Wade Street, Watson, which is an “unusable dust bowl” in summer.

“There are some beautiful mature gums here, but it gets dry and dusty, and the kids can’t use the playground in summer as it’s blistering hot with no shade,” says Purdie, mum to Scout, two, and Aiyr, seven months.

Landscape architect Edwina Robinson, founder of the Climate Factory, coined the term “urban micro-forest” for a pocket of vegetation that cools the landscape, absorbs carbon, creates habitat and enhances community. Following her work on the Downer/Cole Street space, Edwina created a template for others to do the same in their own communities, and Purdie says they wanted to be one of the first cabs off the rank.

“I knew immediately it was what we

Watson residents Elizabeth Adcock and Purdie Bowden share a vision to create a local micro-forest.

Photo: Kathryn Vukovljak needed in Watson, as it could be up to 10 degrees cooler in a vegetated area,” she says.

The project will generate funding for 15,000 climate-ready trees, shrubs, groundcovers and creepers, earthworks to improve the soil and naturally retain water. Irrigation will be needed for the first three years until the forest is self-sufficient.

Elizabeth says she and her children Oliver, seven, and Genevieve, five, walk through the Wade Street space daily on the way to school.

“This is our local spot, it’s a hightraffic area close to the shops and our kids’ school, so I’d love it to be more

usable,” she says.

“There’s already some community will to improve the space, with locals doing guerilla planting.”

Purdie says the community group aims to raise money through crowdfunding, corporate sponsorship and government grants.

“We’re hoping to raise $50,000 all up, and while we’re engaging the Climate Factory to plant with us as our main partner, it’s about them enabling us to lead the project,” she says.

Plantings will include natives that can cope with heat, like the evergreen kurrajong from near Gilgandra, northern NSW, and drought-tolerant and fire-

resistant species, as well as bush foods and indigenous medicinal plants.

Kids will be huge users of the forest, so Purdie, who founded the group All Play Inner North and has successfully campaigned for a destination playground in the inner north, wants to include a forest playground and says they’ll reach out to kids from preschool to year six from the local primary school to share their ideas.

“The kids might want more places to climb, or more shade, and we’d like things like sticks, water or puddles, to deepen their connection with nature,” she says.

Purdie and Elizabeth say the community would learn about drought-hardy native plants and habitats, water harvesting and climate-smart landscaping through design workshops, planting and taking care of the site.

As this will be an ongoing project, Elizabeth says the group has applied for a Community Connections grant to create an online community portal where people can connect and maintain the site together. She hopes the portal would also help families who may feel isolated or lonely.

“It makes sense to improve the areas we live in and the places we engage with, so we can create more of a connection, not just to the land but to our community.”

More at watsonmicroforest.com

BRIEFLY Last whistle for Henk the ref CAPITAL Football life member and one of Belnorth Football Club’s founding members, Henk Thijssens, has died. He was 83.

Henk, the last active founding Henk Thijssens. member of Belnorth, died on October 13. He first got involved in soccer in 1975 when his children were playing and started as the manager and then coach of Belconnen United, which later became Belnorth in 1977.

After realising there was a shortage of referees around, Henk did a course so he could help out and went on to referee football games in the region for more than 40 years.

Car-boot sale BURRA Community Association is holding a communal car-boot sale at Burra Park, 9am-noon, on Sunday, November 22. There will be a sausage sizzle (covid rules apply).

Terribly good show MORE than 200 of the best of British vehicles and motorbikes from the ACT and region will be on display at Queanbeyan Park, 10am-2pm, Sunday, December 6.

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NEWS / taking on Access Canberra ‘I can’t walk into my local shops, I don’t go anywhere, I don’t do anything, I can’t go out to a restaurant.’

‘Fake’ probe drives business star to rock bottom

By Danielle

NOHRA

T

WO-time former ACT Business Woman of the Year, Louise Curtis, has gone from success to rock bottom in the space of about four years, the victim of what she calls, a “fake” investigation

by Access Canberra.

Now, determined to clear her name, the owner of the franchise Lollypotz is reporting Access Canberra to the ACT Integrity Commission, saying its incompetence has destroyed her life.

Her downfall began at the end of 2015 when she bought a business in need of a lot of “tender, love and care” – Pink Frosting.

“It had a lot of problems,” says Louise about the wedding and party supplies business, but she was up for the challenge to turn it around.

And she says she did.

“When I bought the business, I paid hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of refunds out of my own pocket for the previous owners,” she says.

The business had about 2000 outstanding orders and $180,000 worth of refunds, which she says she paid, despite an undisclosed further 800 outstanding orders, bringing the personal cost to $320,000.

At the time, Louise says Fair Trading NSW was working with the business to resolve ongoing issues but all issues were resolved by February, 2016.

Things turned south for Louise in late November, 2017, when she says, a storm caused roof damage to the company’s Fyshwick-based factory, which led to 10 days of lost business and more than a month of not being able to fulfill orders.

Louise says she was in constant contact with Fair Trading NSW and Access Canberra over this period.

“We couldn’t operate the business.

It was about four to six weeks where we couldn’t get orders out,” she says.

By September, 2018, the business had moved into a new location, there was a court case with her former landlord and, she says, the business was still recovering from the storm saga.

“I engaged with Access Canberra; I actually rang them and said this is what has happened,” she says.

B

ut things got worse during the court case and Louise says Pink Frosting started receiving fake reviews on productreview.com.au and accuses the website of taking down many of the five-star reviews.

“At this stage I’m writing to Access Canberra, saying: ‘Guys, can you please help me with this fake-review issue, it is a really big problem for me and I don’t know what to do about it’.”

While Louise admits the company wasn’t perfect and that mistakes were

8 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

made, she says she did everything to overcome complaints.

In late 2018, Louise contacted productreview.com.au threatening legal action. She says the website stopped replying and instead tipped off a News Limited reporter, who went on to write multiple stories about her.

“It was devastating,” she says.

“I’ve been an open book with Access Canberra [and] they will confirm I am not dodgy,” she says she told the journalist.

“Next thing you know; the most devastating blow to my entire life. They give a statement saying that they’re investigating me. I didn’t even know that until the article came out.”

Following the article, which was published in mid-January last year, Louise wrote five emails, seen by “CityNews”, to Access Canberra asking it to disclose what it was investigating.

was no longer operating and Louise says she ran into Consumer Affairs Minister Shane Rattenbury at a mutual friend’s event and told him she was going to sue Access Canberra.

“After I tell Shane I’m suing, Access Canberra appoints an ACT government senior counsel to deal with this,” she says.

“Then, on March 30, this year, 14 months after they’ve given the first statement, five months after they are on notice of being sued and two months after the business is sold, they start the investigation. “[They] then send me a Section 52 notice that doesn’t list any problems or any complaints, instead it asks me to tell them how many complaints I’ve had for the last three years and to detail them.

“When you look at the investigation document, it is just appalling. They had nothing. They had nothing on me at all so they sent this thing asking me to tell them.”

O

n February 15, 2019, Louise says she received a “show cause” letter from Access Canberra referring to nine orders from across Australia that didn’t reflect any current or new complaints, over a period of time when she says the company issued 25,000 orders.

“All matters, bar one, had been dealt with many months and years prior,” she says.

“The letter was clearly an arse-covering attempt to try and cover the issue that Access Canberra should not have given that statement to News Limited.”

Louise says some of the complaints were three years old, with some going back five years before she owned the business.

“They had nothing,” she says.

“CityNews” contacted Access Canberra asking why the directorate avoided meeting Louise when she was coming to them for help regarding the “fake reviews”, if there was an investigation at the time they released a statement to a News Limited reporter, and on what grounds and with what evidence did they send a show-cause letter to Louise? An ACT government spokesperson refused to directly answer the questions and instead said they could not comment out of respect to Louise’s privacy.

According to the Access Canberra website, it states that after complaints are made, Access Canberra will make initial contact with the business and will strive to resolve non-regulatory complaints within 10 days, with complex complaints resolved within 20.

However, Louise says she never was given the opportunity to discuss the alleged complaints with Access Canberra, and Access Canberra did not respond to questions from “CityNews” asking why they hadn’t followed the directorates own protocol.

Louise Curtis… “I’ve had photographers outside my house three times, I’ve been followed twice; we got to school one morning and my kids were being photographed as they got out of the car.

Photo: Amanda Kelly Instead, when Louise raised her concerns with Access Canberra she received an email back from a spokesman saying they’ll get back to her “in due course”.

Louise didn’t hear back from him, but on multiple occasions in 2019 Access Canberra sent emails to different media outlets, seen by “CityNews” under Freedom of Information, stating that: “Access Canberra can confirm that there is an investigation underway into Pink Frosting.”

But then, on November 7, a Canberra-based reporter, received an email from Access Canberra, which has been obtained by “CityNews”, saying: “Access Canberra never used the phrase ‘formal investigation’ as was reported in the ‘Daily Telegraph’.”

Instead, Access Canberra said it had been in contact with Louise to notify her of an increase in complaints, and “to inform her that the complaints would be [the] subject of further review”.

“During all of this time Access Canberra has continued to give statements saying I’m under investigation, and I have heard diddly squat from them – I haven’t seen an order, or a complaint, nothing,” she says.

“They put me through two years of hell and then have said that I’m not under formal investigation, but said everywhere that I am under investigation, what is the difference?”

“CityNews” asked Access Canberra what the difference is between an investigation and a formal investigation, however, they refused to answer that

My whole reputation is being trashed and not once through this entire two years has anybody produced a problem to me or produced any evidence whatsoever.

question, too.

“There was no formal investigation.

It’s ruined my life and cost the entire business. I have four online articles stating I’m a thief. I have never, ever seen one complaint, one document, one anything from anybody at Access Canberra,” Louise says.

“I’ve had photographers outside my house three times, I’ve been followed twice; we got to school one morning and my kids were being photographed as they got out of the car.

“I had to call the police one day because photographers camped outside of my office.”

I

t’s been a tough few years for Louise and her family, but she says it was the comments from Access Canberra that destroyed her.

“I can’t walk into my local shops, I don’t go anywhere, I don’t do anything, I can’t go out to a restaurant,” she says.

“My whole reputation is being trashed and not once through this entire two years has anybody produced a problem to me or produced any evidence whatsoever.”

At the end of last year, Louise decided to sell the business after a local media outlet printed an article about her, saying she was under investigation by Access Canberra.

“I thought: ‘I’m not going to survive through this’,” she says.

“The trolling was so bad that I had to sell the business so I started marketing it to competitors.

“I wrote to Access Canberra in January saying I’d sold the business, and there was still no investigation.

“Settlement was delayed for a number of reasons, but because it was delayed, they started to accuse me of making up the sale.”

By the end of February the business

W

hen asked by “CityNews” why Access Canberra began an “official investigation” after the business was sold, a spokesperson said: “Access Canberra conducted an investigation into Pink Frosting, in response to concerns raised by consumers about the company’s conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. The investigation ceased following the deregistration of the business name.”

On August 10, Louise received a letter saying that they had found the company guilty.

“Of what, we don’t know,” she says.

Then, on August 20, following a question on notice, Mr Rattenbury told the Legislative Assembly: “I am advised by Access Canberra that it has concluded investigations of Pink Frosting… evidence obtained by Access Canberra indicates that Pink Frosting is likely to have breached Australian consumer law…”

He went on to say that Access Canberra received 53 complaints about Pink Frosting since 2017.

“Where are the 53 complaints?”

Louise says.

“They do not have any complaints, they’ve never had any complaints, I’ve never been under investigation but they’ve been on notice that they were going to be sued so they have made this entire false investigation to cover their arse.”

A

NSW Fair Trading spokesman said they haven’t investigated Pink Frosting, trading under 86 Candles Pty Limited, as it’s an ACTbased company.

“Historically it looks like Access Canberra has investigated, but we can’t see if there’s been an outcome,” he says.

The spokesman also pointed “CityNews” to its complaints register, which lists companies if they have more than 10 complaints every month, but Pink Frosting is not on it and, Louise says, has never been on it because complaints were always resolved.

DON’T MISS

When have we needed our cartoonists so much?

EXHIBITION OPENS NOVEMBER 21

moadoph.gov.au/BTL

THE GADFLY

When the future goes up the polls OH, dear, we cry, the polls got it wrong again! So that, I guess, is the end of our fascination with the system of prognostication invented by the American journalist-cumadvertising man, Paul Gallop in 1935. Ah well, a lifetime of 85 years isn’t so bad.

I jest.

Truth is, as a species we are totally hooked on the idea that somehow we can see into the future and that’s never going to change. We should explore exactly why this is so. But first to the latest “failure” of the American pollsters to predict the results of the presidential election.

I was fortunate to be a Facebook friend of the former Canberra Senator, Labor Minister and ALP National Secretary, Bob McMullan.

Bob had been involved with polls ever since he ran Labor’s Federal elections in the 1980s, so he knew their strengths and weaknesses. Each week, he would brief us on the latest polling with a cautionary reminder of their limitations. But the message was clear: Joe Biden would trounce Donald Trump with a nationwide

In the end, the polls got the presidential win right but not the extent of it. And they will live to fight another day, and another, ad infinitum because we are obsessed with the future. lead of between five and eight per cent.

The so-called “battleground states” were also looking good.

And though in the last couple of weeks as Trump rampaged through them with up to six rallies a day meant there was a “tightening” of the numbers, they were still indicating a comfortable Biden victory. Yet somehow, neither I nor several other “friends” were convinced.

It wasn’t just the memory of Hillary Clinton’s defeat four years ago when they were not so favourable to the Democrat. Now Joe was in his basement; Trump had the momentum; and his supporters wouldn’t necessarily tell the pollsters the truth.

Nevertheless, when the early results arrived, we were appalled.

As Trump himself said later, he

was about to celebrate his victory with a lead of 700,000 in Pennsylvania alone. But there was something the commentators had not mentioned till then: the Biden voters got in early and their votes wouldn’t be counted till after those registered at polling places on the day.

That made all the difference and the psychological shock hit Trump harder than anyone.

That, I suspect, is the real reason he’s found it almost impossible to accept reality. It also explains part of the explosion of relief and joy among younger Democrats.

In the end, the polls got the win right but not the extent of it. And they will live to fight another day, and another, ad infinitum because we are obsessed with the future.

Our stock exchanges cater to the trillions of dollars bet each

day on the future – from the tiniest currency variations in milliseconds to the fate of wheat crops months away in distant lands.

Canberra’s august “CityNews”, even in desperate covid times when space is cut to the bone, still devotes an entire third of a page to a column predicting “Your week in the stars”.

Indeed, the great attraction of most religions is the “promise” that there is a future after death.

And billions believe it without the slightest evidence to back their claims. Yet in America, Democrat lawyers are arguing Trump’s claims of election fraud should be thrown out because they have no basis in fact.

Maybe this is what they mean by “alternative truths”.

robert@robertmacklin.com

BRIEFLY Rotary recognises supermarket stars CODI Hammond, fruit and vegetable manager at Woolworths Woden, has been awarded the Rotary Club of Woden Daybreak’s 2020 Vocational Excellence Award and a prize of $500.

And her colleague and fellow finalist, Monique Vodicka, was also recognised and awarded a prize of $100.

“The vocational excellence award goes to a local person who has demonstrated high Rotary Club of Woden Daybreak’s Vocational level work skills that have made a significant Excellence Award winner Codi Hammond. contribution to their local community,” says club spokesman Gary Davis.

“In the first half of 2020, when COVID-19 concerns were extremely high in Canberra, supermarkets saw unprecedented demand for grocery products. During this time, supermarket staff had a really tough job.

“During this time the community recognised and valued supermarket staff as essential workers and saw how professionally and effectively they dealt with customer concerns”.

Christmas lunch THE ladies of the Weston Creek VIEW Club will hold a Christmas Luncheon at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11.30am on Tuesday, December 1. The cost is $30 for a two-course lunch and visitors and interested ladies are welcome. RSVP to 6286 4626 by 5pm, November 26.

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For information & bookings, 0413 671 123 or visit anoverallview.wixsite.com/blog 10 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

NEWS / from the pages of ‘CityNews’ and on to public recognition and prizes

Cover-boy Ashton’s big prize for baking scones SCONE-baking superstar and “CityNews” cover boy (July 23), nine-year-old Ashton Stanhope has been recognised for his fundraising efforts with an award.

On October 28, he was awarded the National Children’s Week Commissioner’s Award for his hard work raising funds for the Starlight Foundation.

Ashton, who’s been in and out of hospital since he was one because of chronic renal failure and blindness in one eye, wanted kids to have fun while they’re in hospital, so decided to bake scones to raise money for the foundation that helped him get through his time in hospital.

His initial goal was to raise $250, but he ended up raising more than $3000 in just over a week and, after baking more than 1000 scones, has now raised more than $4100 for the foundation.

When presenting the award to the year four Holy Spirit Primary student, children and young people commissioner Jodie Griffiths-Cook said: “What Ashton has achieved in a relatively short space of time is impressive no matter which way you look at it. However, when you consider the fact that he is only nine years old, his achievement becomes even more so.

“His endeavours support the bringing of fun and hope to children and young people who, for whatever reason, find themselves in hospital. “[Ashton is] someone we can all learn from, and someone who is already making a difference in the world.” citynews.com.au/2020/ashton-brings-flour-powerto-his-fun-fundraising/

Colin loves giving guitars away A YEAR after Colin Greef was featured in “CityNews” calling for guitar donations to give to troubled kids, the Chisholm resident has been labelled a “local hero”.

“CityNews” July 23, 2020.

“CityNews” November 7, 2019.

Ex-Navy man Colin, 71, hatched the idea to give guitars to children in need through a Soldier On guitar group, which has been running for about five years.

Music has been therapeutic for the former serviceman, who wanted to share that therapy with children in need, and, after giving about 140 guitars and 20 ukuleles to children around the ACT and NSW, he was titled an “LG Local Legend”.

Following the bushfires, floods and COVID-19, LG Electronics decided it would highlight a local legend, every week in October, with Colin being one of them.

From the donations, Colin and the Soldier On guitar group has given guitars to the Police Citizens Youth Club in Erindale, Kulture Break, which only had bongo drums, and two guitars to an African choir of orphans that was in Canberra playing at a local church.

Late last year, Colin and group member Mike Hogan also met with the Yeddung Mura Aboriginal Corporation, an initiative helping former detainees that are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, rebuild their lives in their

community, and gave them guitars.

More recently, Colin went on a tour around fire-affected towns in NSW, giving guitars to children who lost their homes earlier in the year.

“It’s terrific to see the faces of the people we give guitars to,” Colin says.

Colin’s wife Avril, who reported the news of Colin’s recognition as a local legend to “CityNews”, says he does it to put a smile on children’s faces.

“When they went to [a] school in Nowra there were three kids whose mother had died,” she says.

“Their father was doing it tough bringing up the kids by himself. The oldest boy, in year six, would follow his friend around as he had a guitar and would let this little fella have a turn.

“Colin said it brought tears to his eyes when they presented the three kids with two guitars and a ukulele for the littlest one. The young fella could not believe what was happening to him.

“That’s the reason he does all this, to make these kids happy, it’s never about big-noting himself.”

Guitar donations and parts to the Robert Poate Centre, Building 45, 80 Bellenden Street, Gungahlin. Call 6188 6142. citynews.com.au/2019/let-there-be-music-forthe-kids-missing-out/

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CityNews November 19-25, 2020 11

POLITICS / changes to political donations

Sneaky ways the big boys win on donations “STATE-sanctioned money laundering” is the description that Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie applied to the action of the federal Labor and Liberal parties when they weakened our electoral donation laws.

Shamefully, the move was slipped through parliament on the last sitting day in October while the media focus was on loosening the Victorian lockdown and the elections in the US and Queensland.

No wonder that trust in politicians is at an all-time low. And declining!

This display adds to the dismay over the reluctance of the federal government to establish an anti-corruption and integrity commission. The draft legislation simply lacks teeth. This might change after the consultation process ends in March – but don’t hold your breath!

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020 came under fire from a range of crossbenchers. It allows developers in Queensland, NSW and the ACT, for example, to ignore anti-corruption laws in those jurisdictions and make undisclosed donations of up to $14,300. These donations have to be made “for federal purposes”. Hence the accusation of “state-sanctioned money laundering”.

Andrew Wilkie.

It seems only the crossbenchers understand how political donations undermine our democracy. The members of the two big parties are so wedded to their donations from big corporations that they are prepared to make it easier and easier for donations to go undeclared.

It seems only the crossbenchers understand how political donations undermine our democracy. The members of the two big parties are so wedded to their donations from big corporations that they are prepared to make it easier and easier for donations to go undeclared.

This is not the first attempt of the combined Labor and Liberal parties to allow developers to donate to their parties. A challenge to the ban on developer donations by a federal law was overridden by the High Court.

Luke Beck, of Monash University, explained in “The Conversation”: “The High Court also struck down a 2018 federal law that said property developers could ignore state laws banning them from making general donations to political parties.”

Yes, the federal parliament really did pass a law overriding state anti-

corruption powers!

The new legislation allows donations in separate “federal purposes” accounts in any jurisdiction and simply frees up money in other accounts for alternative use by the political party in question. It also moves a threshold for declaration from $1000 to $14,300.

Greens MP, Adam Bandt, told the parliament (by video link): “Isn’t it amazing: the government doesn’t have time to deal with a federal ICAC… but it does have time to bring legislation to the parliament to… allow for the weakening of our federal donations laws so that state rules, which restrict donations from developers and other kinds of corporations, can now be circumvented by making a donation directly to the federal parties”.

Independent MP Zali Steggall described the legislation as “deplorable”, and pointed out “the only people speaking on this insulting legislation to the Australian people and to our democracy are the crossbench members”.

She identified the legislation would mean less transparency “especially from property developers, mining companies and liquor and gambling groups”.

SA Centre Alliance Party MP Rebekha Sharkie warned that the community should “pay careful attention to legislation when both the majors are pushing it through, and you have one person speaking from each side and you have the entire crossbench against it”.

Earlier in the year when this legislation was before the Upper House, Senator Jacqui Lambie provided a clear warning. Her tirade commenced with an accusation of: “When there’s a chance to fix our rotten donation laws, the Labor Party will flub it”.

And then went on to say: “I make the mistake of getting my hopes up every time, and every time I get burned, and so do the Australian people. Every time I hope they’ll get it right they just

send it further backwards, and I’m always so disappointed.”

Under the cover of COVID-19 and interesting elections, the major parties have moved once again to undermine yet another opportunity to build trust in our political system.

As the Human Rights Law Centre has pointed out: “The free flow of money into Australia’s political system threatens the integrity of our democracy”.

A quick glance at the US should provide a sober warning of what happens when trust in political systems is undermined. And nothing undermines our democratic system and levels of trust than shonky political donations.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

A CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER FOR FAMILIES IN NEED IN • CANBERRA • QUEANBEYAN • YASS • COOMA • GOULBURN About Hundreds for Thousands Hundreds for Thousands is a Christmas fundraiser aimed at helping families in need across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma and Goulburn.

With your help, our goal is to raise $100,000, allowing us to provide 1000 families with a $100 grocery gift voucher. This voucher will give each family the freedom to choose the food that they like to eat and help to make their Christmas day lunch or dinner special.

10 Salvation Army centres (listed on the website) are involved in the fundraiser, each with a goal of $10,000 which will contribute to the overall $100,000 target. You have the freedom to choose which centre to support so donate today and GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE!

DONATE ONLINE NOW AT: hundredsforthousands.salvationarmy.org.au 12 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

CANBERRA MATTERS goes to Adelaide

Faraway adventure of flying to Planet Adelaide WE took the opportunity to travel to what seemed like a faraway place – Adelaide. It was as though we were preparing ourselves to go overseas given the details about travel we had to check out.

To fly or not to fly was an initial question, but soon answered when we realised that to drive in mid-October meant travelling through about 100 kilometres of Victoria and that would prevent us from entering SA. To travel to Adelaide from Canberra, we needed to go online and fill in a form with the SA police. We received promptly official documents to carry with us for when we entered the state and to have with us during our stay of 10 days.

This and other events made the journey feel as though we were off to a foreign country with strict border/ customs checks in place.

The plane was nearly full and most were wearing masks (they were available on boarding).

On the return journey this was reversed with most not wearing

Once labelled the city of spires, Adelaide is now a city of towers (most very ordinary)… and there were once views of the Adelaide Hills from almost anywhere around the city centre. Not now. masks. The announcements said people were to wear masks so I am not sure what happened there (we wore them in both directions). To add to the confusion, the airline served snacks, which meant those who wanted to munch had to take off their masks (I resisted).

The arrival was an experience.

After landing we were lined up, papers quickly checked and then sent on to one of about 40 computer stations where each person was asked a series of questions and information checked online.

It was all very friendly and efficient. It was a huge resource commitment to keep the state free of the virus and it made us feel safe about being there.

Adelaide has been spared recent harsh lockdowns. Social distancing was not generally practised and so we found ourselves automatically ducking out of the way of others – while they paid little attention to this

or looked at us puzzlingly for our strange behaviour.

Masks were rare except in the public art gallery and museums.

However, we did notice that shops such as Apple were still restricting numbers with the queue to enter outside the shop.

It had been almost a decade since I had visited Adelaide and the centre of the city is changing. It used to have a central area with older buildings the dominant feature. Not so much anymore.

Once labelled the city of spires (churches), the centre is now a city of towers (most very ordinary) and they are getting even more numerous and even higher.

There were once views of the Adelaide Hills from almost anywhere around the city centre. Not now.

Maybe Andrew Barr has influenced this once beautiful city to modernise as he has in Canberra – more towers and forget the views!

I was amused to see work on some pavement areas of North Terrace.

This urban stretch has undergone

Same spin, different city. numerous revamps over the decades.

Every city seems to have these places.

In Canberra it is City Walk and Civic Square.

Don’t get me wrong. We enjoyed the visit. A chance to see friends, to wander several times through the Art Gallery of SA, to visit a beautiful Japanese park on South Terrace and a drive to Hahndorf in the hills to visit “Cedars”, the home and studio of Hans Heysen along with a special display in the studio of Nora, his daughter (a great collection of her works).

Up in the hills is the township of Stirling. It would be the equivalent of Bowral. The big difference is the well-designed streetscapes – many

Photo: Paul Costigan trees and a fabulous place to walk around, good coffee and a great town atmosphere.

It was good to travel. I would hesitate about flying again on crowded planes – no social distancing there. Next time I hope we can drive.

So where next, I ask? Maybe another few quiet days somewhere on the NSW south coast – with no crowds and no need for social distancing (so not over Christmas).

Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters.

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OPINION / international wit and humour

Serious side to funny business of being funny “WIT” is said to be the ability to say or write things that are clever, unexpected and funny. Wikipedia tells us that wit is a form of intellectual humour, and “a wit” is someone skilled in making witty remarks.

Oscar Wilde was famous for his clever witticisms, such as: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” and “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

W Somerset Maugham was well known for them too: “At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.” Our own Paul Keating was a master of the witty sarcastic comment, as in: “He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up”.

According to the “Oxford Dictionary”: “Humour” is the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.

Some countries and ethnicities are said to share a similar sense of humour, including Australia, France, Ireland, Russia, the UK, US – and Jewish people in general.

Online dating website eharmony (operating in Australia, Canada, the UK and US) has tried to match up partners taking into account their sense of humour. In the process they came up with nine types of humour.

The first was “physical humour”.

This included slapstick humour of the kind where someone often gets hurt doing something stupid – most of “Australia’s Funniest Home Videos” seem to fall into this category. Judging by Japanese television shows they find this kind of humour very funny as well.

“Self-deprecating humour” is a favourite with comedians. When I was in Defence, I always used to tell a joke to relax an audience before doing a long presentation. With the arrival of ultra-political correctness in the 1980s the safest option was to tell a joke against oneself.

“Surreal humour” is the kind of humour featuring illogical events, absurd situations or nonsensical themes. Examples of this on television were “Monty Python”, “Black Books” and “Blackadder”. One well-known Monty Python skit featured John Cleese from the “Ministry of Silly Walks”. Another was a salesman trying to convince a customer that a dead parrot was in fact asleep.

“Improvisational humour” is where the person makes up jokes spontaneously. Many comedians have to work at being funny but Scottish comedian Billy Connolly was naturally funny and a master of improvised humour. Two off-the-cuff remarks were: “My definition of an intellectual is someone who can

listen to the ‘William Tell Overture’ without thinking of the Lone Ranger” and “The great thing about Glasgow is that if there’s a nuclear attack it’ll look exactly the same afterwards.”

“Wordplay humour” is obviously a play on words, sometimes due to inadvertent mistakes, as in these church notices: “Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community” and “Potluck supper Sunday at 5pm – prayer and medication to follow”.

Government workplaces before 1990 used to revolve around the registry. One autocratic head of registry was widely known as the “Lord of the Files”.

Meanwhile, Spike Milligan helpfully observed: “Contraceptives should be used on every conceivable occasion.”

“Topical humour” is based on current events or trends. American late-night shows with hosts such as Johnny Carson are noted for it. Donald Trump has been a prime target. Topical humour requires a thorough knowledge of what’s going on in the world and the ability to put a humorous spin on it: “Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them something to hold on to … usually a mop or a leaf blower.” (Johnny Carson) and “Of course Donald Trump has a Chinese bank account. He had to – he’s running out of things to be hypocritical about.”

(Jimmy Kimmel).

“Observational humour” is the ability to poke fun at everyday life.

Russians are fond of this kind of schadenfreude humour: “A grandson asks his grandfather: ‘Grandpa, is it true that in 1986 there was an accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant?’ ‘Yes, there was’, answers grandpa and pats the grandson’s head. ‘Grandpa, is it true that it had absolutely no consequences?’ ‘Yes, absolutely’, answers grandpa, patting the grandson’s second head.” As horse trainer Jeffrey Bernard observed: “One way to stop a runaway horse is to bet on him.”

“Bodily humour” is mostly to do with farts or other bodily functions.

This type of crude humour tends to be popular with men and teenagers.

Fart cushions fall into this category.

Enough said!

“Dark humour” usually involves some dark, depressing underlying themes, but with some comical or unusual slant on the situation: Oscar Wilde’s rumoured last words as he lay dying of cerebral meningitis were: “This wallpaper will be the death of me. One of us will have to go.”

Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary publicly called the civil war in Yemen

“the world’s worst humanitarian crisis” while privately joking (in rather poor taste) that “with friends like these, who needs Yemenis.”

I would add “situational humour” to the nine. For example: “On my first day in New York a guy asked me if I knew where Central Park was. When I told him I didn’t, he said: ‘Would you mind if I mugged you here instead?’”

(Paul Merton).

Situational television shows such as “Seinfeld” based on everyday life in New York have produced some of the best Jewish humour, while “Fawlty Towers” featuring a paranoid hotel manager in Torquay is a good example of non-PC English humour.

Closer to home, a fine example of sardonic situational Australian humour is the ABC TV series “Utopia” about bureaucratic ineptitude at the fictitious (but frighteningly real to Canberra public servants) “Nation Building Authority”.

Clive Williams is a Canberra public commentator and columnist.

LETTERS

Hydrogen fuel era has arrived NEWS REPORTER “CityNews” is looking to immediately appoint an energetic, self-motivated general reporter.

It’s a full-time, contract position for a reporter with at least two years’ experience to write for our independent, quality news magazine and website.

Duties include: • Working to deadlines and responding to breaking news.

• Writing accurate, balanced and fair copy for the “CityNews” magazine and website.

• Updating social media.

• Creating online newsletters.

Do you have?

• Minimum of two years’ experience.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Self-motivation, confidence and energy.

• A sound knowledge of the Canberra region.

Weekend work will be required on a rostered basis. The role is a full-time, contract until June next year. Beyond then will be by negotiation.

To apply: Email a cover letter, CV and examples of your work to Kate Meikle, Director, Macquarie Publishing at: kate@citynews.com.au 14 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

IN his column “Women take on climate-change malaise” (CN, November 5), Robert Macklin quotes an email in which independent federal MP Zali Steggall wrote: “Covid... could be a blessing in disguise if we grasp the opportunity to use government investment to build a green recovery”.

In my letter of October 29, I described how surplus electricity produced by eastern Australia’s increasing number of solar farms and burgeoning number of rooftop solar panels, which is frequently dumped, could be used to generate hydrogen by electrolysis of water – a process that emits only life-supporting oxygen.

My suggestion was not site-specific. As it happens, the ACT is ideally suitable for an electrolytic hydrogen generation plant. Canberra is connected to the eastern Australia electricity grid, and (usually) has plenty of fresh water, unlike the $50 billion Asian Renewable Energy Hub proposed for the west Pilbara region.

I have a strong feeling that the era of hydrogen fuel has arrived.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

So not so, Mr Moore MICHAEL Moore’s column of November 5 (“Will Libs finally have a chance at government?”) contains the statement that “our incarceration rates are increasing exponentially”. Michael would do well to learn the meaning of the word “exponential”.

Not only are they not increasing exponentially – a preposterous claim – they are in fact decreasing. As per the ABS, there was a decrease of four per cent from 2018 to 2019 (this year’s figures are released in a few weeks).

If “CityNews” purports to be a serious newspaper it should not allow its columnists to state inflammatory mistruths as fact.

John Noble, Braddon

Conservatism’s iceberg RIC Hingee’s letter (“Egos get in the way”, CN, November 5) succeeded in making me think: leaders’ big egos reflect a desire for, or achievement of, power – most often political.

But this is common to all parties, large or small.

The elephant in the room is that conservative voters in Canberra can be likened to a group that have been, and remain, on an iceberg broken away from the Antarctic.

As the Socialist sun has become hotter in our schools and greenish institutions over the past 20 years, the iceberg has become smaller and many have slipped silently into pacific waters, realising they no longer have a voice.

Some critics will cleverly put it down to climate change, but the best those Canberrans on the iceberg can hope for in the foreseeable future is to survive long enough to be washed up on a beach where the worst they can suffer is sunburn, albeit Socialist.

FAST NEWS FREE

Colliss Parrett, Barton

WRITE TO US

Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au

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ALL ABOUT FYSHWICK

advertising feature

When Fyshwick was an internment camp WITH an enormous range of different businesses that call Fyshwick home, the busy commercial hub has been a suburb in Canberra since the 1920s.

But a couple of years earlier it was destined for something else. And, in early 1918, an internment camp was built between the railway line and Canberra Avenue.

It was known as the Molonglo Internment Camp, although it was also referred to as a concentration camp. The site was intended to accommodate 3500 German and Austrian nationals being expelled from China, but once the camp was established in May 1918 the internees were no longer destined for Molonglo.

Instead, the camp housed 150 detainees transferred from the NSW Bourke Camp. It closed in late 1919 after the internees were deported to Germany.

After its closure most of the camp’s buildings were sold off, with the remaining buildings being converted for use by house construction workers, some of whom were unemployed returned servicemen.

Gradually the camp buildings were moved to other camp sites around Canberra and the roads used to service the camp became the first streets of Fyshwick.

These days it’s a busy commercial hub well known for the enormous range of different businesses that call Fyshwick home. Here are some of the leading ones…

Stonemasonry business has a lot to offer BONO’S Marble and Granite owners Carmelina and Domenic Bono say they’re carving out a name for themselves as Canberra’s young and passionate new force in stonemasonry.

The husband and wife team specialise in engineered stone and have different examples on display in their showroom, including marble, granite and engineered stone benchtops and kitchen spaces, as well as personalised headstones and memorials, Carmelina says.

“Our showroom really demonstrates our passion,” she says.

“We want to be well-known for [offering] quality, flawless, unique and high-end [products and] we strive to go above and beyond our customers’ Bono’s Marble and Granite owners Domenic and expectations [and] strive to be the Carmelina Bono. best and produce the best based on years of experience and knowledge.” and set in their ways [but] we’ve got a lot of As for knowledge, Carmelina says spirit, we’re open to ideas and we’re not set in Domenic’s got about 16 years’ experience in our ways,” she says. the stonemasonry industry after he began “We take pride in our work, we ensure that working alongside his father at 13. every job is finished at the highest quality and And while Carmelina says he’s younger [make sure we get] the best outcome for our than other stonemasons in the industry, she customers.” says their family-orientated business has a lot to offer.

Bono’s Marble and Granite, 17 Geelong Street. Call “The stonemasons in Canberra are a bit old 6228 1238 or email hello@bonoscanberra.com.au

The importance of password management PASSWORD management and security is hugely important, yet many people use the same password across multiple accounts, says OmniIT partner Michael Warnock.

“We’ve seen passwords stuck on a pin board or monitor, and some that haven’t changed since they were assigned – it’s not secure,” he says.

“Many people tell me they use the same password on everything because they can’t remember 50, 100 different ones.

“However if they get hacked, it makes them so much more vulnerable.”

Michael recommends creating a unique, complex password for each application, using a combination of upper and lower case, numbers and symbols, and suggests using a password manager to keep track of them all.

“A password manager means that people only have to remember one, complex password and the password manager will autofill whatever password is required,” he says.

“We use one called LastPass, but there are many others out there.

“There’s also a corporate version, which allows shared logins, while the office administration can control who has access.”

OmniIT has multiple clients in Fyshwick and across Canberra and Queanbeyan, and provides managed IT services and support to businesses, with services including cloud computing, data backup, security, IT infrastructure and planning, and project management.

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CityNews November 19-25, 2020 15

ALL ABOUT FYSHWICK

advertising feature

Experienced art tips for ‘absolute’ beginners SHE’S painted the Canberra region in many difference. It’s something too often overlooked different ways, and now the self-taught, multiamong beginners, but Margaret says: “Because of disciplinary artist, Margaret Hadfield is sharing my years of experience of working with materials I her secrets through her classes at the Margaret am able to direct [students] to the right ones.”

Hadfield Gallery.

“Some people think if I don’t know what I’m doBased in the Artists Shed, where Margaret ing, I shouldn’t spend too much but that’s wrong. works alongside a team of artists, she runs weekly You’ll get discouraged by substandard paint that art courses for students of all levels, including her doesn’t perform because you won’t get the results “Absolute Beginners Course”. you want,” she says.

This course, which she says has enabled many students to develop their own artistic pastimes Margaret Hadfield Gallery, at the Artists Shed, unit and careers, teaches colour mixing, brush and 1-3, 88 Wollongong Street. Call 0418 237766, email palette knife techniques and the development of hadfieldgallery@gmail.com or visit individual styles. artistsshed.com.au “What people often don’t understand is the true primaries, they are often hidden,” she says.

“I direct people to make their colours from the true primaries. It’s a simple thing that’s not really done elsewhere in other art schools.”

When it comes to choosing art tools, Margaret says students don’t have to pay a fortune for quality tools, but says, having the right equipment, including brushes, canvases, and palette Artist Margaret Hadfield runs weekly art courses for students of all levels. knives, makes a huge

16 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

Ex-Government Furniture owners James Fullerton, left, and Taylor Radnell.

Office items that double as home furniture OFFICE furniture that’s both stylish and ergonomic is great for the home, says Ex-Government Furniture owner James Fullerton.

“No one wants to feel their home looks too much like a workplace and we have some great items that can do double duty,” he says.

For example, James says they have “ToDo” armchairs by American design company Haworth in stock, which feature a removable table option on each arm that can swing out when needed and is ideal for a laptop.

The armchair also has storage space under the seat, castors at the front and a handy rail at the back, making it easy to move around, he says.

“Basically it means you can conduct Zoom meetings or

conference calls from home while chilling in an armchair,” James says.

“We have the ToDo chair available in grey, and with its clean design and executive look, fits in well to any environment, whether collaborating in an office or working from home.”

Ex-Government Furniture also has a large range of office chairs in stock, from Okamura and Haworth.

“Both these brands are in a lot of government departments and are among the best mesh-back chairs available, with excellent lumbar support,” James says.

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Offering the largest range of quality flooring ENDEAVOUR Carpets Canberra offers the largest range of top quality floor coverings in Canberra and Queanbeyan, says co-owner Taylor O’Brien.

Established in 1970, Taylor says the business has maintained its original objective of displaying exceptional choices of carpet, bamboo, timber, laminate, cork floating floors, vinyl, vinyl planks and rugs.

Taylor describes their Fyshwick-based showroom as Canberra’s “greatest floor show” with thousands of samples on display, and an experienced team of flooring specialists to make the customer’s experience as easy as possible.

“Our showroom is so great other retailers send their customers to view our huge range of top quality floor coverings,” she says.

As a member of the Independent Carpets group, Taylor says it means Endeavour Carpets can offer

customers greater choice and the best available prices.

“As a family business, Endeavour Carpets appreciates that customers are spoilt for choice in a competitive market place, and so maintain an objective to offer the best service and products available and for the best possible price,” she says.

When customers visit Endeavour Carpets, Taylor says they experience a good old fashioned service from a long-standing, local family business.

“This is what really sets Endeavour Carpets apart from any regular carpet store,” she says.

“At Endeavour Carpets, we don’t just endeavour, we do.”

Endeavour Carpets, 33 Isa Street. Call 6280 6132, email info@endeavourcarpets.com.au or visit endeavourcarpets.com.au

Leading workwear store doubles in size FIRMLY established as Canberra’s leading workwear store, Seears Workwear has seen rapid growth in recent times, says owner Pat Seears.

Pat, who runs the business with his son Shane, says this has given them the opportunity for significant expansion and they have doubled the size of their Barrier Street store – meaning they can offer even more stock to customers.

“We’re very grateful for the support of the local building and associated industries,” says Pat. “This support has allowed us to invest in an even bigger range of stock to cater for all clothing, footwear and safety gear requirements.”

Walking into the expanded Seears Workwear store, Pat says customers can see the huge range from all leading brands in a huge variety of sizes and styles.

Seears Workwear can also assist companies through

its “corporate” uniform services, which provides customised embroidery services for promotional clothing and business uniforms.

“Businesses need to get the right corporate look for staff, and Seears corporate can now help with all corporate branding, whether a sole trader, or the purchasing officer of a company requiring hundreds of uniforms,” he says.

“Our service includes embroidery or screen printing of garments, too.”

Pat is offering a 10 per cent discount offer to all MBA members with any purchase from Seears Workwear.

Seears Workwear also operates stores in NSW and QLD. Seears Workwear, 60 Barrier Street. Call 6280 4111 or visit seearsworkwear.com.au

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SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

‘Fun’ is the word over the summer school holidays THERE’S plenty on these summer school holidays and no matter what it is, participants are bound to have fun.

Whether it’s inside or outside, the whole family will find some great experiences in the region to keep them entertained.

Here are some of them...

Mark’s got the building blocks for fun LEGO bricks are more than just building blocks at Bricks 4 Kidz, where the team at its ACT locations is helping children have fun and engage with science, says director of Bricks 4 Kidz in Canberra, Mark Jeffries.

Regular programs at Bricks 4 Kidz teach children to learn through play, according to Mark, who says the talented instructors use Lego to introduce children to STEM studies such as robotics and coding at their Belconnen centre and out of the Hughes Baptist Church.

As for the full-day school holiday programs, which run throughout January at both locations, Mark says they’re user friendly, they compliment what children learn at school, and are available to children of all ages and backgrounds.

They also offer parents something more for their children than just mindless play, says Mark who watches children develop as they learn through play every holiday period.

“We provide a high value service for parents who want their kids to do something more fulfilling,” Mark says.

“The kids get to play with Lego, which is fun, but the STEM element is engaging. “[If children do one of our programs]

Stephen’s model car raceway’s driven by passion

Bricks 4 Kidz is running school holiday programs throughout January. they’re going to have a great experience with instructors who will engage the kids all day and make sure they feel valued and appreciated.”

At the end of the day it’s also a heck of a lot of fun, Mark says.

“The kids say ‘we wanna stay, we

An

wanna stay’, which is a great affirmation of what we do,” he says.

Bricks 4 Kidz, 125/99 Eastern Valley Way, Belconnen. Call 0438 257236, email act-northside@bricks4kidz.com or visit bricks4kidz.com.au

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CANBERRA’S only slot car raceway is the perfect school holiday activity to get children away from the computer and enjoying the fast thrills at Way2Fast Model Car Raceway, says owner Stephen Bywater.

It’s fun for the whole family, too, says Stephen, who, passionate about racing himself, sees parents and adults come in and become nostalgic of their childhood slot car racing days. “[It’s great to see] the enjoyment on people’s faces if they haven’t seen [slot cars] in a while and remembering back to when they were kids and being able to introduce it to their kids,” he says.

“Parents can relive their childhood. I got my first set when I was about seven years old and have had a passion for it ever since.”

Families will be able to take to the Mitchell-based track for longer this summer, with Stephen saying they’ll increase the opening hours during the holidays from 10am until 5pm, every day of the week.

The custom-built, handmade tracks have excited Canberrans for more than a decade and the raceway features tracks such as six lane NASCAR-style courses, or more complicated courses like overlapping eight lane ones, Stephen says.

“It’s the enjoyment and the challenge of getting around without crashing and getting around faster than anyone else [that everyone loves],” says Stephen.

Way2Fast Model Car Raceway also stocks leading brands of remote controlled cars, as well as accessories, he says.

Way2Fast Model Car Raceway, unit 2, 20 Essington Street, Mitchell.

Call 0424 453544, email way2fast2@yahoo.com.au or visit way2fast.com.au

advertising feature Action-packed workshops get kids acting THREE face-to-face drama workshops will be running at the award-winning drama school, Perform Australia, in the summer school holidays, says its CEO Elizabeth Scott.

“There’s the action-packed, three-day ‘Choose Your Own Adventure Character’ on January 11-13, where kids aged seven to 12 will create their own character and perform as part of a play on stage,” she says.

“Kids will explore drama through games, acting exercises and storytelling.”

Elizabeth says the “Your Favourite Movie In Six Seconds Flat” workshop on January 14-15, also for kids aged seven to 12, combines Tik Tok with acting, helping kids learn about what makes a good story and how to boil it down to its essence through a range of improvisation activities, theory and exercises.

For the older kids, she says the “Shakespeare

Spectacular” is a fun acting workshop where kids aged 10-14 can find out more about “The Bard” and perform extracts from his work.

“Kids can find out about his plays, learn about the language of the time, and try playing some of his most famous characters,” she says.

Outside of these workshops, Elizabeth says Perform Australia offers high-quality training for children, right through to nationally accredited qualifications for aspiring professional performers.

“We also offer weekly acting classes for kids in different age groups, starting in term one, with enrolments opening soon,” says Elizabeth.

Perform Australia, 11 Whyalla Street, Fyshwick.

Call 1300 908905 or visit perform.edu.au

Dive into art through ‘underwater’ workshops LAVENDER Art Studios is set to be transformed into a magical, underwater garden this summer school holidays, says director Elita Mackay.

The art studio is offering school holiday art workshops in the theme of “Octopus’s Sea Garden”, for children aged from five to 13.

Elita says the young artists will enjoy exploring a variety of underwater creatures, sunken ships, treasures and sea life galore.

“It will be a fun, refreshing and blissful experience,” she says.

“We’ll swim through the artistic waves of creation in the colourful octopus’s sea garden.”

Under the expert tuition of Greg Devenny-Mackay and his art assistants, the thematic art workshops give young budding art students an enjoyable and relaxed environment to develop their artistic skills, Elita says.

She says the studio will provide a high standard of demonstrations at the start of each workshop, then offer one-to-one support.

“We’ll work in various artistic genres, like drawing, sculpture and acrylic paints, and various mediums in terms of drawing, such as coloured pencils, aqua wash,” she says.

“We’ll also supply and teach about a variety of fine art supplies.”

The workshops run from January 18-22, and January 27-29, and include morning and afternoon tea, live harp music and all art materials, Elita says.

Lavender Art Studios, first floor, 42 Townshend Street, Phillip. To book, call 6292 6339, email elita.mackay@lavenderartstudios.com.au or visit lavenderartstudios.com.au

Perform Australia students rehearsing for its holiday program play.

summer holiday art workshops Drawing, Painting, Sculpting & Printmaking Octopus’s Sea Garden

18 to 22 January and 27 to 29 January 2021 Suitable for children 5 – 13 years

Book casually or for all sessions Now also taking enrolments for 2021 term classes Visit lavenderartstudios.com.au Email elita.mackay@lavenderartstudios.com.au First Floor, 42 Townshend Street, Phillip ACT lavenderartstudios.com.au /lavenderartstudios CityNews November 19-25, 2020 21

HOLIDAY DRAMA WORKSHOPS

YEARS 1 - 6 BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE 13-15 January GORMAN ARTS CENTRE 18-21 January

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SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

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Discover theatre in a welcoming environment YOUNG people can express their creativity at Canberra Youth Theatre through exploring, extending and developing drama skills with professional artists, says its artistic director and CEO, Luke Rogers.

“We create professionalquality, intelligent theatre, which challenges audiences’ expectations about what youth theatre can be,” he says.

“We want to develop creative thinkers, makers and lovers of art and performance, and strive to create opportunities for young people to share their voice and discover their own artistic practice.”

Luke says Canberra Youth Theatre’s school holiday programs allow young people to experience its offerings through workshops.

From January 18-21, for students in years 1-6 there will be a four-day workshop by Melbourne-based theatre-maker Milly Cooper called “Time + Space = Life”, which encourages students to explore the world around them, looking at the everyday and the extraordinary, Luke says.

“We are also running a three-day

Young artists from Canberra Youth Theatre. workshop at Belco Arts on January 13-15, which will be a discovery into theatre practice,” he says.

And with a refreshed program for next year, and enrolments opening for semester one on January 11, Luke says Canberra Youth Theatre’s programs offer young people aged seven to 25 a collaborative and

challenging way to engage in the arts, in a supportive environment and nurturing community that’s welcoming, inclusive and diverse.

Canberra Youth Theatre, Gorman Arts Centre, H Block, Batman Street, Braddon. Call 6248 5057 or visit canberrayouththeatre.com.au

Four days of footy fun THE Football Star Academy holiday camp is perfect for children to keep active, learn skills and have fun during the school holidays, say head coaches and operations managers Eric Bonnett and Danny Hately.

Running from January 18-21, the camp is a chance for boys and girls, aged five to 15, to keep active and develop their passion for football in a fun and relaxed environment at their FIFA-approved facility at the Melrose Football Precinct, Eric says.

Over the four days, Eric says the children will be broken into age groups, where experienced, qualified coaches will teach them skills in coordination, technique and the basic principles of play while they discover their passion in roles such as striker, goalie and defender.

“The Football Star Academy holiday camp program’s the perfect way to keep active while playing football during the holidays,” Eric says.

“The program involves fun football related games, small sided games and skill development of one on one [skills], striking, first touch and dribbling.

“No background in football is required. Our holiday program is designed for players of all abilities.”

Football Star Academy. Call 0433 997750, email act79admin.football@sportstaracademy.com or visit sportstaracademy.com

Football Star Academy head coaches Danny Hately, left, and Eric Bonnett.

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22 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

NICK OVERALL

Touring Tina promises to enchant Singer Tina Arena has lost none of her zest for life – and art, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA IT’S a thrill to be talking to Australian superstar Tina Arena again after a few years, and she’s lost none of her zest for life – and art.

The last time we talked was in 2014 just before a concert at Llewellyn Hall, where her touring technicians miraculously turned the sober auditorium into a canvas for stupendous lighting effects, while Arena brought the house down with numbers old and new.

In May she’ll be back at Llewellyn, which she describes as “a wonderful place”, with indigenous violinist and dancer Eric Avery, backed by a band and string quartet for a concert called “Enchanté: The Songs Of Tina Arena”.

Arena can hardly suppress the excitement she feels about performing with Avery, one of the most talented classical fiddlers around the traps and a well-known figure at the Canberra International Music Festival.

“How excited am I that Australia can see this exquisite talent?” she says.

“I feel humbled and excited to share this stage with him.”

She first saw Avery performing acoustically and was so blown away that she couldn’t speak.

“At the end I went up to him and said, ‘we’ve never met’ and he replied, ‘I know who you are’, then we had a hug,” she says.

Arena adamantly refuses to give any idea what’s going to be in the coming concert, except to say that it will be as “enchanting” as the title implies.

“What we will do is that it’s not formulaic, and I’m really excited about the beautiful, spontaneous moments that will happen,” she says.

Tina’s in the mood to talk about her family and speaks admiringly of her father, who emigrated from Sicily to Innisfail where he cut cane, married her mother by proxy, moved to Melbourne, met a bloke at the Victoria markets who told him about a house on the market and greeted his wife when she arrived with a home to live in.

“He’s that kind of person,” Arena says.

As for her son Gabriel, back in 2014 he was a shy little boy sitting in the front row at Llewellyn Hall and gazing adoringly at his mum on stage. At that time he was

“Enchanté: The Songs of Tina Arena”, Llewellyn Hall, Saturday, May 29, bookings from November 16 at tegdainty.com

By Helen Musa CANBERRA-raised singer Kirrah Amosa will be understudying the roles of Eliza Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler, Peggy/Maria in the musical “Hamilton”, coming to Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in March. Tickets are now on sale for performances until August at hamiltonmusical.com.au FORMER “CityNews” Artist of the Year, Liz Lea, will be running a third “BOLD” dance festival from March 3-7 to take a look at how the dance and wider arts worlds are coping with the current climate. “BOLD 21” will feature a two-day conference at the National Library and performances at QL2 Dance and the National Portrait Gallery. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, another former “CityNews” Artist of the Year, returns as patron.

PUBLICIST Coralie Wood now has her own segment on ArtSound Radio every Thursday at 12.30pm.

“Coralie’s Capers” will be full of titbits about coming theatre shows, theatre gossip and funny things that happen backstage. Anyone with news should call her on 0418 249658.

CONNEXION Big Band, directed by Justin Buckingham, is swinging back into action with its first event of the year, featuring Neille Williams and Tony Haley singing songs from the big band era, at the Harmonie German Club from 12.30-3.30pm, on Sunday, November 22. Details at facebook.com/ConneXionBigBand “THE Witness” is the ninth release by Canberra singersongwriter Dorothy-Jane and her most important work yet, she believes, dealing with child abuse, family betrayal and marriage breakdown in a raw, bluesy style. “DJ” sings and Mike Dooley plays keyboard at Smith’s Alternative, Alinga St, Civic, 4pm and 5.30pm, November 29.

WESTERN Sydney writer Peter Polites will be the next ACT Writers Centre and UNSW Canberra writer-inresidence. He will spend his time in Canberra from March next year exploring the Greek Civil War and the history of engineering, particularly hydroelectricity, while working on a new novel and delivering a public lecture.

Singer Tina Arena… back at Llewellyn Hall, this time with indigenous violinist and dancer Eric Avery, and backed by a band and string quartet.

Photo: Bernard Gueit

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CANBERRA’S “other” orchestra, the National Capital Orchestra, resumed rehearsals for the first time since early in the year, recently under the baton of conductor Louis Sharpe, to play a program of works by Brahms and Australian composer Percy Grainger. Back in March, their celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday was cancelled because of the pandemic but the committee now has a covid-safe plan for rehearsals.

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getting used to the differences between the Australian education system and that in France, where he was born.

But now he’s a soccer-playing 15-year-old heading for year 10 next year at a Melbourne Catholic school and while still a fan, Arena says, he’s more inclined towards irritation than excitement when he learns she’s off on tour again to eight Australian cities. Mind you, she’s quick to assure me, she won’t be away every day.

Luckily, ever since repatriating to Australia with Gabriel and his father, French-born Vincent Mancini after 20 years in France, Arena has been able to call upon her devoted parents, who have provided love and access to the Italian language, along with the English and French he already spoke.

Arena and Mancini toyed with the idea of putting Gabriel into a bilingual school and even thought about moving to Canberra, where they’d heard the bilingual school opportunities were very good – “Canberra has the crème de la crème of everything”, she tells me in perfectly-articulated French.

No surprises there. Just as she had taken Australia by storm from an early age, she quickly wowed the French, so much so that she received a French knighthood from Nicolas Sarkozy for her contributions to French culture.

The big tour doesn’t begin for a few months, so she’s in the middle of rehearsals right now.

“There is a process we need to follow and where this will lead us I don’t know,” she says.

“I like a blank canvas, I don’t like a systemic approach and I like to think outside the box. This year has been a very different time and we need to come together. To me, art is a salvation.”

One thing’s for sure, this won’t be a parade of “greatest hits”.

“To me, art is feeling free,” Arena says.

“My freedom of speech is my civil right and I’m not going to be told what to think.

“But we will be there to enchant.”

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CINEMA / reviews

The American dream from bottom of the bucket “Hillbilly Elegy” (M) THE population of the US is about 330 million. The national anthem of the US ends with the couplet “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. It’s the largest Englishspeaking nation on the planet.

In the State of Ohio, the median household income in 2018 was $US56,111. Ohio is where Yale Law School graduate JD Vance spent his childhood. Now in his 36th year, with a wife and one son, JD wrote “Hillbilly Elegy”, describing the Appalachian values of his upbringing and their relation to the social problems of his hometown.

The book topped America’s best-seller list in two months after publication in 2016.

Vance has a producer credit on director Ron Howard’s film, based on the book.

Vanessa Taylor adapted the book for filming.

“Hillbilly Elegy” delivers a strong flow of cinematic values. Illustrating one corner of the American dream as seen from the bottom of the bucket, it’s already on lists of next year’s likely Academy Award contenders. There is reason to regard it as credible by virtue of Vance’s producer credit.

There’s no interest like self interest.

But it’s not a fun movie.

deliver them is apposite to a high degree.

Gabriel Basso takes the adult JD to the edge of conservative politics as convincingly as does Owen Asztalos as teenaged JD. I guess that in the US right now, political sympathies might influence the responses of individual audience members to the film more rigorously than they do in Australia.

At Dendy

Zach Braff, left, and Robert de Niro in “The Comback Trail”.

“The Comeback Trail” (M)

Glenn Close, left, and Amy Adams in “Hillbilly Elegy”.

The acting is powerful. The vocabulary comes straight from the gutter. Hearing it from the mouths of actresses such as Amy Adams, as Vance’s single mother, and Glenn Close as her mother may appal delicate senses. I have no way of knowing how others might respond to it – as so often happens, I watched the film alone so can’t assess how many walkouts.

It gives me a contrary satisfaction to

realise that in this modern age women can be comfortable using language that, as a child, I was forbidden to use especially in a woman’s hearing.

Glenn Close’s performance deserves at least an Oscar nomination, bringing her total to eight without a win. Amy Adams follows her with six and zero.

The characters they play in “Hillbilly Elegy” are not soft and fluffy and how they

A CYNIC might reasonably take the view that Hollywood’s sole innovative contribution to performance culture is the Western. Nobody makes Westerns nowadays like they did when I was a kid. The genre has migrated to outer space in the future. Boring.

Set in, around and about Hollywood, “The Comeback Trail” in a way commemorates that contribution. Producer Max (Robert De Niro) is broke. And he has just three days to repay a big debt to mobster Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman). Light-bulb moment: announce a new production, insure its completion, kill the star in a dangerous stunt, use the insurance claim to settle the debt (this is a fantasy view of the insurance industry – companies didn’t get where they are by being sympathetic to dodgy claimants).

Max and his deputy Walter (Zach Braff) set about making a Western starring washed-out aged star Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) once big in Westerns and staging a stunt that will result in a claim when the old bloke dies. As Robbie Burns

put it: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”. And that, friends, is what writer/director George Gallo’s movie is about.

Is it funny? Not on as large a scale as it might have set out to achieve.

Is it any good? Well, it’s not all that bad.

It mocks its own history. It’s rowdy, it’s dramatically transparent and it makes no demand on the watcher’s brain.

Does it send a message? Well, it does but you have to wait for the closing credits for the message to sink in. How many producers does a good movie need?

“The Comeback Trail” is a satire on Hollywood’s view of itself, a lampoon that knows no restraint, a send-up evoking the golden age of movies when audiences were less erudite than they are in this age of oversupply of moving images delivered over a range of accessible technologies. It doesn’t say much worth hearing about anything that needs saying. And why should it?

At all cinemas

WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

Bartlet’s back in the White House

OVER recent weeks all eyes have been glued on the dramatic face-off between Trump and Biden. So, what’s been streaming over that time?

sundayROAST Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 9am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.

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24 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

Well, it seems there’s been a lack of political down time with attention back on “The West Wing”, the hugely popular American political drama series that ran from 1999 to 2006 with Martin Sheen as the fictional Democratic president, Jed Bartlet.

Its influence was impressive, ranked as among the greatest television shows of all time by almost every major American publishing hard-hitter – “Rolling Stone”, “Time”, “Empire”... you name it.

It also snatched the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row (2000-2003).

Here in Australia, three streaming services tout “The West Wing” among their “classic series” to draw in viewers. It’s available on Stan, Amazon Prime or Foxtel Group’s Binge and it’s always a surefire sign of a show’s continued impact and relevance if it has a home on more than one streaming platform.

I’d be saying most are probably gravitating towards Binge as it just added to its catalogue in the last few weeks a reunion of the complete surviving cast in “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”.

How subtle.

The reunion takes one of the most popular episodes from the third season of the show, “Hartsfield’s Landing”, and recreates it in a dramatic stage setting.

The idea of the production was to inspire people to go out and exercise that democratic right of theirs in the US election.

When you consider that, at its height, the

Martin Sheen reprises his role as “The West Wing’s” President Jed Bartlet. show was being watched by around 16 million viewers, if a special like this garnered even a bit of that influence back for a real-life election, the impact of entertainment on the real world becomes an interesting thought to ponder.

Indeed, “The West Wing” was widely praised for its accuracy in depicting the inner workings of US politics. In all likelihood, this came from the contributed talent of real political wordsmiths such as speechwriters and Senate aides.

Furthermore, the show was spearheaded by renowned screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who you might recognise more through his work.

His character conversations are said to be as captivating as a car chase – many of his scripts almost entirely dialogue-driven and still they’re embedded in popular culture.

Most famous is 1992’s “A Few Good Men”, the Tom Cruise military courtroom drama that features one of the most iconic movie lines of all time, delivered by a glowering, uniformed Jack Nicholson about truth and the handling thereof and all that.

Of more modern fame is “The Social Network”, where he penned the deceitful and intense startup of “Facebook”, with Jesse Eisenberg playing Mark Zuckerberg (you can catch this and “A Few Good Men” on Binge).

Perhaps though, Sorkin’s writing is a little too good.

In the last few weeks there was a dash of controversy surrounding Victorian Labor MP Will Fowles, who it seems might have lifted some of the writing from “The West Wing” for his own speech.

In the show, Sheen playing the president makes a speech after two bombs explode at a university saying: “We did not expect, nor did we invite, this confrontation with evil.”

Fowles’ speech, in reference to Victoria’s response to COVID-19 said: “We did not expect, nor did we invite, this confrontation with a ferocious and feckless enemy.”

This was just one of a few lines that seemed a little too similar to the speech as delivered by President Bartlet, but Fowles says even though he is a fan of the show, any similar phrasing was unintentional.

Maybe the good president would give him a pass with a line from the very first episode directed at one of his aides about a transgression with tax fraud or the like: “Don’t ever do it again”.

More of Nick Overall on Twitter @nick_overall

REVUE

No fond farewells as the Wharfies move on

By Helen Musa

NEWS of the demise of the longrunning Wharf Revue has been greatly exaggerated.

Despite publicity that reads, “One last hurrah” and “one final victory lap”, this won’t be the last of the satirical team that has been laying into Australian politicians for the past two decades.

I catch up with one part of the Wharf triumvirate, Drew Forsythe as he’s recovering from a back injury he says he got “leaning on the piano”.

He’s in week two of rehearsing with fellow Wharfies Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott and Amanda Bishop at the Sydney Theatre Company’s Richard Wherrett Studio for the coming show, “The Wharf Revue 2020: Good Night and Good Luck”.

“We did the filming yesterday for some of our on-screen appearances,” he says.

“But we are absolutely not winding up… all it means is that we are leaving the STC [Sydney Theatre Company] and going to produce it ourselves.”

Forsythe’s son has been urging them to do it for years, and now John Bell and Hugo Weaving have joined in the chorus to say, “it was time”.

Stage and film producer Jo Dyer, of Soft Tread Enterprises, will take over the management. She produced Biggins’ touring Keating show, “The Gospel According to Paul” and has worked with the Adelaide Festival Centre.

“We dearly love Canberra,” Forsythe says, and that’s a good thing, because they’re

opening here on December 1 with an extended three-week season in The Playhouse and it’s not a retrospective show looking back at the past 20 years.

“Jonathan and I have been writing for the last eight months… but with the virus to contend with and our elephant in the room, the Trump campaign, to contend with, the sketches needed to be fluid.”

But that’s grist to the mill to a troupe that in 2015 opened here the night after Malcolm Turnbull took the leadership of the Liberal Party from Tony Abbott, with a quickly revised scenario.

Playing right to the tastes of Canberra audiences, the Wharfies were taking no chances, with a flexible Trump sketch at the end of the show that could be interpreted variously.

Biggins appears as Mayor Trump, of Trump City in the Wild West, circa 1865. Melania is the saloon hostess while John Bolton is the narrator.

Doc Fauci is called in to deal with a local viral outbreak and Nancy Pelosi is the headmistress.

Joe Biden turns up at high noon.

“I think we covered it pretty well,” he says.

“We are really doing the work of satirists; if Trump had won, that would demonstrate how hard it is to satirise something so absurd.”

Over the years, Forsythe has developed something of a reputation for writing slightly more sombre sketches, as in the one where Rupert Murdoch appears as King Lear on the heath.

This time around, his self-described “rather dark piece” deals with the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City.

“I was watching ‘Four Corners’ and suddenly

it came into my mind to do something about people walking through the airport one by one and stopping to the sounds of silence, so ‘Hello New York my old friend, I might not visit you again’…”

On a lighter note, Biggins, Forsythe and Phillip Scott are staging a kind of Eurovision, where three world leaders contest for “The Supreme Voice”.

Biggins as Bolsonaro will perform a bossa nova-style ode to Brazil, Scott will play piano man Elton John to Kim Jong Un’s songs “Rocket Man” and “Crocodile Rock” accompanied by old screen footage of Kim Il-sung on a white horse.

Forsythe plays Putin, known to be a fan of “Mamma Mia”, singing “Leader for Life”.

“If it weren’t so serious it would be funny,” he says.

The Wharf team is not one to disappoint its audiences.

Gladys Berejiklian makes a quick screen appearance, Scott will revive his Kevin Rudd role as he fights the good fight with Murdoch, Forsythe makes a return as Pauline Hanson facing up to the great 5G conspiracy and Bishop appears as Julia Gillard to comment on ALP factions in a Lloyd-Webber send-up, “Memories”.

Alas, exhausted by being Keating for a year or so, Jonathan Biggins will not play the former prime minister this time round but, apart from being Trump throughout, in a sketch set in a quarantine home, he does get to play Basil Fawlty.

“The Wharf Revue 2020: Good Night and Good Luck”, the Playhouse, until December 19, bookings at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

The Wharf Revue… “We are absolutely not winding up… all it means is that we are leaving the STC and going to produce it ourselves,” says Drew Forsythe.

DINING / Iori, Civic

Food that satisfies the soul

By Wendy

JOHNSON JAPANESE cuisine, when well executed, is so elegant on the plate and tantalising to the tastebuds.

Quality ingredients are key. Colours, shapes, textures are key. Dishes are never overly complex, but rather striking in their simplicity.

Iori in the city has been creating fine Japanese dining in a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere for a long time, and our recent trip didn’t disappoint. It’s no surprise that Iori has won multiple food awards over many years.

Traditional dishes are on the menu, as are sushi and sashimi, hot pots and modern creations. Fresh produce is guaranteed.

The melt-in-the-mouth sashimi was superb. It was cut and plated with precision and such a pretty presentation. It’s a delicacy and Iori has sashimi down to a fine art. Our dish arrived with a dollop of bright green wasabi, slices of cucumber for freshness and slices of lemon for a lovely citrus feel. The raw tuna and salmon were stunning (regular $21, large $38).

The salty and piping-hot miso soup was a real hit of umami flavour – meaty, earthy and hard to define in some ways. Every sip was soul satisfying.

Tempura is a favourite of ours, but only when the batter is super crispy and super light, which it was at Iori ($36). The tempura pieces were served with a special dipping sauce and a special salt.

Another stunning-looking dish was the Wagyu beef ($36). It was very rare seared, super thinly sliced and arrived with yet another style of secret sauce. The marbling was marvellous and the capers added zing.

The plate was further evidence that Iori combines art

The melt-in-the-mouth sashimi was superb.

Photo: Wendy Johnson and food into one.

Agedashi tofu fans will love Iori’s take on this famous dish ($15). The bean curd wasn’t over-the-top fried and the dried seaweed and shallots rounded out the tofu with perfection.

We topped off our experience by sharing matcha cheesecake (gluten free and $13), loving its slightly sweet, grassy flavour. The crust was perfect and the cheesecake creamy. Fresh blueberries and strawberries added an additional sweet element.

Iori has a great range of sake and plum wines. There are also plenty of white, red, sparkling and rose wines to choose from, reasonably priced. Top shelf spirits abound.

The décor and different eating zones are all designed around making you feel like you’re in Japan.

Smaller individual tables are mixed with a longer communal table or you can sit at the sushi bar and watch the action in the kitchen.

The staff wearing kimonos looked elegant and although the restaurant is quite dark in the evening, taking on a golden tone, there are pops of colour everywhere you look. Staff are confident, calm and collected, listening carefully to customer queries.

CityNews November 19-25, 2020 25

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General knowledge crossword No. 759

Your week in the stars – November 23-29, 2020 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

The current global pandemic is a challenging one: physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and financially. But that’s no excuse to procrastinate! Proactive Mars is charging through your sign (until January 6). So - despite restrictions, delays and even lockdowns – it’s time to embrace options, kickstart projects, roll up your sleeves and power through tasks with renewed enthusiasm. Be inspired by birthday great Bruce Lee: “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

The planets are activating your hopes, dreams and wishes zones so it’s important to pursue ambitious goals and keep your aspirations alive. As birthday great Louisa May Alcott wrote: “We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.” A close relationship (whether romantic or platonic) looks unpredictable on Friday, so expect the unexpected and try to be more flexible.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Don’t accept things at face value. With the planets stimulating your research/mystery zone, look beneath the surface (and do some background briefing) to discover what’s really going on. Group activities look busy but be careful what you say.

Avoid gossiping and spreading secrets (especially during Zoom calls, which people can record). Friday is fabulous for work and business matters, as your energy and confidence levels get a welcome boost from powerful Pluto.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

It’s not all about you this week. With plenty of planetary action in your relationship zones, the more you focus on the needs of loved ones, the happier everyone will be. When it comes to a specific close relationship – are you unhappy about something? Don’t bottle things up inside. Mercury encourages you to talk about your feelings and discuss difficulties in depth. Remember – a problem shared is a problem halved! On Friday a child, teenager or friend could make a surprise move.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Mighty Mars is firing up your philosophy zone, so it’s an appropriate time to ask yourself a few important questions: "Where am I heading? What are my aspirations for the future? Am I all enthusiastic talk and no productive action?” Food for thought for reflective Cats. So your motto for the moment is from actor, director, martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee (who was born on November 27, 1940): “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

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The planets send a social media or creative opportunity your way but don’t sit on the sidelines and limit yourself Virgo! And don’t let negative self-talk stymie your upward trajectory. You are far better at what you do than you think you are. This week powerful Pluto and confident Jupiter push you to shine like the inspiring professional you were born to be. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great, writer C S Lewis: “We are what we believe we are.”

Down

1 Name the extraneous radio noises, crackling etc, caused by atmospheric disturbances. (6) 8 What is a cool faint star? (3,5) 9 The mathematical equation “four thirds pi r cubed” determines the volume of a what? (6) 10 Which bitter crystalline alkaloid is obtained from coffee? (8) 11 Name the garland of flowers left at a grave, etc. (6) 12 The Norseman who discovered Greenland was known as ... the Red. (4) 13 What, in classical mythology, is a woodland deity, part human and part goat? (5) 16 What are pitchers with wide spouts? (5) 19 Name a renowned US lawman and gunman, Wyatt ... (4) 21 What is a microscopic, one-celled animal? (6) 22 Which term describes a continuance in time? (8) 23 What are actors’ undertones called? (6) 24 What is the occlusion of a blood vessel known as? (8) 25 Name a large merchant ship. (6)

2 Name the horse that won the 1955 Melbourne Cup. (7) 3 Which term describes the treatment of disease, etc? (7) 4 What is an area set aside for the minding of babies? (6) 5 What is a large building of imposing appearance? (7) 6 Which delicacy is made from the roe of sturgeon? (7) 7 Which term designates items of personal property? (7) 13 Upon which leather seats do jockeys sit? (7) 14 To be near that place, is to be where? (7) 15 To which animal kingdom does a turtle belong? (7) 17 Cheyenne is the capital of which US State? (7) 18 What is another term for erasers? (7) 20 Name a particular kind of hat. (6)

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Librans love things to run efficiently and smoothly but (courtesy of disruptive Uranus) there’s unpredictable planetary energy about this week. So drop the perfectly planned schedule and just take things as they come. Some possible scenarios? A relationship with a partner, family member, friend or neighbour could veer off in a totally unexpected direction. Or something you post on social media could receive an unforeseen response. Which will certainly keep you on your toes!

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Across

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SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

This week it’s all about accentuating the positives and minimising the negatives.

When it comes to a close relationship, are you being secretive, suspicious or just plain paranoid? A loved one may demand more freedom to do their own thing.

Avoid the tendency to over-react. With Mercury and Venus both vamping through your sign, aim to be the most charming and cooperative Scorpio you can be. Try to be generous rather than jealous, and passionate rather than possessive.

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CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Are you suffering from a crisis of confidence? Is your perfectionist streak running rampant and out of control? The more you try to make everything ‘perfect’, the more you will attract opposition from others. Don’t waste time comparing yourself (and your talents) with other people. You need to run your own race. Be inspired by birthday great Bruce Lee: “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Uranus and Mercury stir up your rebellious and mischievous side (especially on Friday). But Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are also stimulating your seclusion zone. So it’s time to slow down and smell the roses as you relax, rejuvenate and reschedule.

You’ll have to be patient, as tasks will take longer than expected (with plenty of distracting detours along the way). Don’t let nagging self-doubts undermine your confidence and sabotage your self-belief. You have to be your number one fan!

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

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Tuesday is the best day of the week for perceptive Pisceans. Your creativity and compassion are really cranking; your mind and imagination are in perfect harmony.

So it’s a wonderful time to express your inner muse or reach out and help someone who’s in need. Be careful on Friday though, especially when communicating on social media. A relationship with a relative, neighbour or friend could head off in a totally unexpected direction so keep your adaptability muscles well-flexed.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2020

26 CityNews November 19-25, 2020

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

You’re keen to be in charge, as the Sun transits through Sagittarius and Uranus energises your job zone. But are you being the boss – or just plain bossy? Strive to utilise your leadership skills in clever ways, that bring more creativity to your work situation. You’ll be in freedom bunny mode on Friday, when you’re keen to do your own thing, free from onerous responsibilities and restrictions. It’s also a good time to discuss a diverse range of topics, both in person and online.

GARDENING

Olivia Rose Austin, the champion of champions.

Hawthorn flowers “perch on branches like nature’s jewels”.

Olivia is year’s champion rose ALL David Austin’s English roses are recognised as champions in their own right, but the Olivia Rose Austin is outstanding.

Named after David Austin senior’s granddaughter, this is a stunning rose of soft pink opening to beautiful cupped rosettes with dark green leaves, growing to about 1.2m.

Released in Australia last year, it has proved a winner in every sense. It was initially assessed in the rose trial gardens within the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, acknowledged around the world as a leading trial garden. Roses are assessed for three years before receiving an endorsement. In October, the Olivia Rose Austin was awarded a gold medal and selected as Australia’s “Rose of the Year”.

Other awards include the prestigious Marion de Boehme memorial award and the Gerald Meylan perpetual trophy for best rose in the trials. The Olivia Rose Austin was also given the American Rose Society’s Members’ Choice Award for 2020. This is the first time the Society has awarded a rose for both Members’ Choice and Members’ Choice for Fragrance awards.

How could you not find a space in your garden for this award-winning rose? Although you may find it’s sold out, and have to wait until next year.

ticular variety of Crataegus or hawthorn, planted in older suburbs, and an excellent example can be seen in Hamilton Row, Yarralumla. This is a particular Canberra selection, C. “Smithiana”, which originated at the Yarralumla Nursery in the 1920s. It was a favourite of Lindsay Pryor, who contributed so much to Canberra’s environment. There are at least seven other varieties of hawthorn used as street trees in older suburbs.

Hawthorns are renowned for their stunning display of pink flowers in spring, with rich autumn leaf colour. These are followed by large clusters of cherry-red fruit which remain on the tree well into winter; if they haven’t been devoured by birds. The variety C. “Paul’s Scarlet” has become popular, with an even better display of flowers. Although not new, it’s long been a favourite in the UK and is classed as the showiest of all hawthorns. This quote describes it perfectly: “covered in mini rose clusters of flowers which delicately perch on branches like nature’s jewels”.

PATERSON’S curse, salvation Jane, or Riverina bluebell are some of the names of this plant, with its beautiful flowers spreading across the countryside like an invading army. Beautiful it may be, but it is a curse and like cape weed, the seeds can lay dormant for years until the right

conditions. One lady asked me to identify the blue flowers in her Red Hill garden, and when I told her it was Paterson’s curse, she said: “Oh, but Mr. Bryant, we do not have Paterson’s curse in Red Hill”. My reply? “Well, you do now!” It’s also highly poisonous to animals.

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