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JULY 1, 2021

Crimping ‘super humans’ who text and drive!

MICHAEL MOORE

With tongues, there’s no accounting for taste

CLIVE WILLIAMS

FLAPPERS, FORGERS AND THIEVES Criminal faces from the Roaring Twenties ALLIANCE FRANCAISE CANBERRA PRESENTS

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NEWS

A million stamps, philatelist Peter’s still not licked

By Belinda

STRAHORN WHAT keeps someone stuck on a hobby for 60 years?

For Peter Stewart, 71, who has been cheerfully glued on stamp collecting for six decades, the pastime offers first-class joy.

Every small sticky-backed perforated piece of paper tells a story.

“There’s so much history in a stamp,” said Stewart, who now lives in Queanbeyan but taught geography at schools all over NSW, before retiring in 2009.

“I see no value in picking up a book and reading it from cover to cover, instead I collect stamps. I can spend four to five hours a day, sitting quietly, switching off and working on my stamp collection.”

Stewart was introduced to philately – the collection and study of stamps – by his older brother in Sydney, where they grew up.

“In those days there was no television so we collected stamps, we only had a couple of albums but it was something we could sit quietly and do together.”

Stewart is a true stamp collector.

He doesn’t know how many stamps he has or their value.

He does know that he cherishes each one of them.

INDEX

“I couldn’t tell you how many stamps I have, perhaps a million stamps in 100 albums, but I can’t be sure, and I don’t know how much they are worth, I don’t do it for that, I do it for the love of it.”

Stewart collects unused stamps as well as ones on envelopes, his main interest is stamps from countries around the world.

He just finished assembling a collection on PNG and Denmark, and now he’s focused on collecting stamps from the Netherlands.

A two-cent green stamp from 1923, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands’ accession, is one of his favourites.

“This one has 11 and a half perforations, but these particular stamps exist with various numbers of perforations, so they can be difficult to count sometimes,” Stewart said.

By perforations, Stewart means the small rows of holes punched between stamps to make them easier to separate.

His go-to hobby is shared by an estimated 300,000 Australians.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in stamp collecting – similar to spikes in home cooking and sewing – because people had more time up their sleeve.

The uptake in philately, since covid, doesn’t surprise Stewart because even when you can’t travel, stamps bring the world to your fingers.

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Stamp collector Peter Stewart… “I couldn’t tell you how many stamps I have, perhaps a million stamps in 100 albums, but I can’t be sure.” Photo: Belinda Strahorn “I was a geography teacher, so I’ve always liked collecting stamps from other countries,” he said.

“When I was teaching, people would give me stamps from their mail from all over the world, but in recent times people don’t send letters, so up to the year 2000 I haven’t collected many mail stamps.”

Stamps were introduced in the 19th century as a way for people to pay for their mail.

The Penny Black, issued in 1840 in the UK, was the world’s first adhesive postal system stamp and depicted Queen Victoria.

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 Tim Spare, 0423 381691 Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Digital news editor: Danielle Nohra, danielle@citynews.com.au Journalists: Andrew Mathieson, andrew@citynews.com.au Nick Overall, nick@citynews.com.au Belinda Strahorn, belinda@citynews.com.au; Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, helen@citynews.com.au Production manager: Janet Ewen Graphic Designer: Douglas Lima Proof reader: Glenda Anderson

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The first Australian commonwealth postage stamp was issued in 1913, but the first stamps in NSW were issued in 1850 in one-penny, two-pence, and three-pence values.

Some people like collecting colourful stamps, but for Stewart, who is colour blind, it’s all about the history.

“Ethiopia and Laos have really interesting stamps,” he said.

“A lot of people just collect stamps from one country, like Africa. There’s so many changes in politics in the countries in Africa which means there’s so many changes in the stamps.

The wars do the same thing.”

After decades of collecting Stewart still marvels at the details captured in miniature.

He’ll look at images under a magnifying glass or use a UV lamp to look for phosphor bands, or stripes, down the length of a stamp.

One stamp he’s fond of is a blue threecent Colony of Canada issued from 1880-1882, depicting Queen Victoria.

He’s also keen on a chalky-blue, two-pence NSW stamp from 1851, also featuring Queen Victoria.

“This one is imperf, that means it has smooth edges on all four sides, it has been printed and issued with no perforations. This one would be worth about $50, it’s a nice stamp.”

Apart from itty-bitty eye candy, there’s therapy in it, too.

“Stamp collecting is something you can do silently and it helps you switch off.”

The challenge to find that musthave specimen is something that collectors, like Stewart, will continue to strive for.

“It’s a real thrill, especially if you complete a collection that you have been working on for a long time,” Stewart said.

“I’m keeping an eye out for a NZ, two-and-a-half penny, Campbell lighthouse stamp, issued in 1947.

“There’s eight of them in a series and I have seven, so I’d really like to find one to complete the set.”

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SEVEN DAYS

Pre-dawn rorting claims take shine off coupons MY head spins when it comes to the wildly successful faltering triumph that is the haplessly popular, rort-riven, coupondriven ChooseCBR scheme.

Never mind the clambering couponeers, jamming up the web offer, then once fixed, emptying the $2 million of digital discounts in less than 24 hours.

Perspective here: this is the government scattering a desultory $2 million of our money in some belief it will suddenly rejuvenate the ACT retail and hospitality sector via subsidised discounts of up to 50 per cent for use at participating Canberra businesses. Will it help? Certainly, some of the punters were really helping themselves, if the Libs are to be believed.

“Small businesses and their customers have been left frustrated and disappointed after allocated funds for the ChooseCBR scheme were exhausted just 24 hours after it was relaunched,” bemoaned Liberal small business spokesperson (and country music siren) Leanne Castley, the

same pollie howling with indignation when the latest iteration of the ChooseCBR scheme initially faltered.

It’s hard to know how Business Minister Tara “Sorry” Cheyne can win; she’s berated when it fails and castigated when it works (too well).

So, is there something in the Libs’ allusion to dark monitoring of pre-dawn digital raids on the coupon cornucopia? Of “en masse” rorting between midnight and 6am on two days?

Surprisingly, the minister conceded the coupon claims were being made at what would otherwise seem to be “unusual hours” and to the rookie error that it “may be possible” to register more than one email and one mobile phone under the scheme, which could indicate some individuals were filling their boots with offers of up to 50 per cent off items.

Invited in question time to rule out any knowledge of suggestions over a misappropriation of funds, the minister was less convincing saying an “independent” review will look into any wrongdoing in the scheme “by the last sitting day” of the Assembly this year. Nothing to see here?

But Yerrabi’s Rodeo Queen isn’t for bucking: “It’s a real kick in the guts for small businesses who put in upwards of 15 hours’ work to be eligible for each of the iterations of ChooseCBR, only to receive $20 or $50 in

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Busted! Phone detection cameras coming next year. total benefit.”

THE reviled Indian myna birds have been declared a prohibited pest in the ACT under the Pest Plants and Animals Act 2005.

Hooray, says Bill Handke, president of the 2260-strong Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc, who have used backyard traps to catch and “remove” 74,900 mynas since 2006, taking them from the third most common bird in Canberra to the 24th.

“The environmental impact is huge – many small bird numbers declined noticeably in Canberra as myna numbers expanded across our suburbs since they were introduced into this area in the 1960s,” he says.

“We look forward to myna control activities now getting a real boost with work on public lands and around businesses, to complement the backyard trapping by dedicated CIMAG members.”

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Cottor Road… it’s near Curtain.

NO more dashing off a quick text while sitting at a red light. Those Assembly rotters have passed legislation to ensure we get more intrusive cameras next year, these ones capable of peering into the cabin to detect illegal use of a mobile phone.

The phone-detection cameras, set to roll out early next year, are certainly needed given the footage ACT police released in June last year showing motorists dangerously unable to resist the lure of their mobiles.

There’s no fighting it, just make sure you are wearing pants at all times.

BE careful what you wish for, Gungahlin. As locals lobby to be next on the e-scooter roll out, the French are fighting back. After a 23 per cent increase in electric scooter accidents in Paris last year, with 284 people injured and five killed, it’s just been announced that e-scooters will be banned from pavements, even if they will still fill the roads.

EDUCATION Minister Yvette Berry’s media release started: “Gold Creek School’s expansion has kicked off with a smoking ceremony... “ When I was at high school, smoking ceremonies were behind the bike shed, but this one was “to cleanse the site for the school’s new senior student learning area, which will be ready for the start of Term 1, 2022”.

I’VE seen Curtin spelt “Curtain”; in a rush, I recently misspelt “reign” for rein, but “Cottor Road” from the ESA Media was a super new blooper for the collection. Not a slip of the fingers, either. It was wrong four times in the media alert, including in the terribly official looking situation logo they’ve adopted over recent months.

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

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COVER STORY / mugshots from the Roaring Twenties

Candid faces of crime from a hundred years ago

By Belinda

STRAHORN DAISY Buchanan and Elsie Parker coaxed a travelling salesman into their home, beat him up and stole his collection of petticoats, stockings and socks.

They hustled him into a taxi and dumped him at the bus stop.

But the women were acquitted of the crime because the salesman proved an unreliable witness.

Buchanan and Parker’s devious antics in Sydney in 1930, led them to be captured in “raw and unexpected” mugshots by police.

A collection of candid photographs, featuring Buchanan and Parker, are on display at the National Archives of Australia as part of the exhibition “Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties”.

On tour from Sydney Living Museums, the exhibition includes 130 photographs selected from more than 130,000 glassplate negatives and digitally scanned.

“Queenpin” of Sydney’s criminal world Kate Leigh, July 2, 1930… suspected of cocaine possesion.

The mugshots of cocaine sellers, sly-grog purveyors, and small-time crooks, from the NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive, offer a rare insight into Sydney’s criminal hierarchy in the aftermath of World War I. “Most of us associate the 1920s with jazz, cocktails, art deco and good times, but this era also had a dark side,” exhibition curator Nerida Campbell said.

Campbell, who’s had a lifelong interest in deviance and crime, said the photographs shed light on the real stories of the plotters and petty criminals of this time,

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body

Typist Edna May Lindsay, March 22, 1929… stole a cheque from her employer to go dancing.

many of whom included women.

“Male gangsters are often given the spotlight or attention, but in the 1920s there were some incredibly dangerous and inventive female criminals running about,” Campbell said.

“This was the one period in Australia’s criminal history where we have two female kingpins or queen pins of the criminal world, Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine, and there were many other women who were making lots of money, and had very violent sides to them, at the time.”

The mugshots, known as “Specials” are casual and intriguing

election

2021

Voting for the Elected Body

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body ACT 2021 Election

Ballot paper

To be eligible to vote in this election you must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, at least 18 years old and on, eligible to be on, the ACT electoral roll.

Voting commences on 3 July and continues until 10 July 2021. Polling locations and times available at elections.act.gov.au.

If unable to vote in person, a postal vote can be applied for: ■

Online at www.elections.act.gov.au

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Over the phone by calling Elections ACT on 6205 033

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Sending an email to elections@act.gov.au

Voting in this election is not compulsory.

Number seven boxes from 1 to 7 in the order of your choice.

You may then show as many further preferences as you wish by writing numbers from 8 onwards in the other boxes.

Election of 7 representatives Jacob KEED Patrick VANN Helen WRIGHT Neville PERKINS Deanne BOOTH

portraits of suspects in custody and, unlike any elsewhere in the world, Campbell said.

Among the faces are “Cocaine King” Charles Passmore and Phil “The Jew” Jeffs, as well as underworld figure Kate Leigh, who ran sly-grog shops around Sydney.

Suspects smile, snicker, snarl or sneer at the camera, some even pose like movie stars.

“These photos don’t have any of the formal qualities that you’d expect from a mugshot where people look front and right, they are posing naturally, in their street clothes and using natural sunlight to illuminate their faces,” said Campbell.

“There are no bars or handcuffs in the mugshots that might give away that the person was in custody at the time the photo was taken.

“The idea was the police officer could take a crop of the person’s face and show it to a witness without prejudicing them against the suspect.”

The “unique” portrait style was created by police photographer George Howard who snapped his subjects complete with hats, pearls and handbags.

“Some of the men and women in the images have their hat on and hat off so that junior police officers who were walk-

Phillip “Phil the Jew” Jeffs, August 9, 1922… suspected of drinking in unlicensed premises.

ing beat could get to know who they should be keeping an eye on,” said Campbell.

“Often the photographs had a bentwood chair in the image. This was because the people in the images were still suspects and they didn’t want to have a height measurer in the photograph. Any police officer worth his salt would see someone standing next to a bentwood chair and have a fair understanding of what height the person was.”

The stories of the suspects are as fascinating as the mugshots themselves.

Samuel Guy was a flasher, but is seen wearing his very loose trousers very high up his waist.

In other photos are joyriders looking bruised and bandaged, and returned soldiers such as Stanley Hay, are seen struggling to fit back into society.

“Stanley was a soldier who came back from the war as a lower-limb amputee,” said Campbell.

“He was charged with breaking into ‘Diggerville’, a workshop set up by the Commonwealth government to train ex-soldiers in trades.

“In court, police alleged that Hay had made off with five suitcases and four kit bags, but he was found not guilty, perhaps because of his war service they chose to be

lenient on him.”

Typist Edna May Lindsay became known to police in 1929.

The 19-year-old was in love with a man who dreamed of being a dancer.

Hoping to fund their marriage and a new life touring the nation as dancers, Lindsay stole a cheque from her employer.

But she was arrested and received a suspended sentence alongside some advice from the judge that: “Dancing is not everything in life”.

“We see Edna in this poignant mugshot where she’s immaculately dressed as a 1920s flapper. In her hand she holds the summons papers for court.

The devastation is written all over her face and you can see a glimmer of a tear in her eye not knowing what’s going to happen to her next.”

Each mugshot has an attitude, be it good or bad, and shows a hint of each subject’s personality.

“The images are raw and unexpected,” Campbell said.

“You look at them and feel as if you have a connection with the person in them. There are no bland images, each one tells a story.”

“Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties”, National Archives of Australia until October 24.

Ross FOWLER Oliver KICKETT Maurice WALKER Tanya Michelle KEED Paula McGRADY Kartika MEDCRAFT-SMITH

List of candidates

Margaret BLACKMAN

The Names of the candidates are shown here in the order they will appear on the ballot paper.

Leah HOUSE

Lynnice CHURCH Jo CHIVERS

Karen DEMMERY Brooke RIGNEY Jackson TAYLOR-GRANT

For more information on the election, visit www.elections.act.gov.au or call 6205 0033

make your voice count AU T H O R I SE D BY DA M I A N C A N T W E L L A M CS C, ACT E L ECTO R A L COM M I SSI O N E R, ACT E L ECTO R A L COM M I SSI O N

6 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

From left, S Riley, K Whitaker and KB Lewins, July 19, 1921… suspected of breaking, entering and stealing.

Photos: NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive, Sydney Living Museums

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POLITICS / mobile-phone detection cameras

Crimping the ‘super humans’ who text and drive!

THEY drive me crazy! Veering all over the road like drunken drivers of a past era. Lack of concentration is the hallmark, the focus on driving has gone out the window.

Putting themselves in danger, endangering others – all because they cannot wait a moment to send a text or wait to return a call.

At last, the ACT has introduced legislation to make it easier to identify people using hand-held mobile phones while driving. The use of phones while driving is already illegal. However, regular breaches of the law are obvious when driving around Canberra.

It is one thing to have a law in place. It is another to ensure that it is able to be policed or that the appropriate deterrent is in place.

The introduction of mobile-phone detection cameras is an important step forward in increasing the safety of people on the road.

There are not many of us who have not been guilty of this infraction at some time since the advent of mobile phones. However, with the growing evidence of the impact they are having on driving, it is high time that an end was put to this practice.

Deterrents will never deliver a 100 per cent result. There are still drunk drivers on the road despite the use

Road safety is one of the great public-health success stories of the last century. The statistics around motor-vehiclerelated injury and death tell the story. The numbers have barely changed since the 1930s. of random breath tests. However, we have come a long way and the roads are much safer from drink driving than they were a few decades ago.

Road safety is one of the great public-health success stories of the last century. The statistics around motorvehicle-related injury and death tell the story. The numbers have barely changed since the 1930s. This is not per capita. It is not per car. Nor is it per kilometre driven. Just raw figures.

The success is not due to one intervention but rather a series.

Consider the introduction of speed limits, drink-driving laws, better roads, safer cars, seat belts and so on.

The demerit points system on driving licences has also introduced important disincentives to non-compliance. This intervention really bites on holiday periods when double-demerits apply.

As each regulation was introduced, there were always the critics complaining of interference in personal freedom and the right to choose. This was most notable with the introduction of compulsory use of seat belts.

The arguments went along the lines of “I can take my own risk”. They often ignored or challenged the evidence citing the rare examples of seat belts causing injury.

With this in mind, there should be no surprise about poor compliance regarding mobile-phone use while driving. Apparently, there are super humans who can text and drive safely at the same time!

There were also those who, no matter what the measure, chose not to comply. This is where facilitation of appropriate policing is so important.

Laws that cannot be policed, that have poor compliance are not good laws. That is why the introduction of this piece of legislation is so important. On its own it might not be much.

However, when combined with good laws and appropriate policing the community is safer.

These laws are not just a matter of personal freedom. Careless driving has an impact on others and can be really annoying. However, it can also be devastating in the most serious of cases.

There is a second element to this legislation on the introduction of cameras

to identify illegal mobile-phone use while driving. The only way for this to be a successful deterrent is for the government to invest appropriately in the number of cameras and to ensure that they are able to be moved around.

Additionally, education is important. It is hard to believe that people do not know it is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. However, the incidence of use would indicate either ignorance or an “I-don’t-care” attitude. Both can be tackled with education about the laws and the introduction of stronger policing methods.

Not being able to use the phone while driving may be annoying.

However, it was only about 30 years ago when no-one had phones to use in the car – and people survived!

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.

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CANBERRA MATTERS / social housing

Self-styled progressives fail on social housing FOR a self-nominated progressive government, the ACT Labor/ Greens government has not done well with social housing. Their only success in this area is the boldness of their superficial claims.

Do they really believe their own rhetoric?

The ACT government, like most Australian state governments, has policies that encourage financialisation of housing (about making money rather than creating homes), they no longer practise inclusive planning and increasingly leave social housing to private developers – the market.

The provision of adequate social housing no longer happens.

One of the most basic problems is how people in government housing are treated by those who should be caring for them – the government. While there are good stories of people benefitting from having a roof over their heads, the number of serious problems point to something fundamentally wrong with how issues are being handled – or ignored in some cases.

People who wish to raise issues are usually too afraid to be identified – and that says a lot about the people who run the system.

People in social housing want a quiet life. A place to relax and call home. Unfortunately, too many times

Social housing is used as a shield for bad planning and questionable developments. The not-so-subtle message is that residents who raise issues about development proposals are opposed to the government providing social housing. housing complexes end up being dominated by “dodgy” neighbours – about whom the managers say that they can do little.

To quote one person: “Those imbecilic housing managers, there’s nothing managerial about them!”

These stories are not new. Then there are the frustrations expressed by those who dare to approach a politician. They may listen if you are lucky – but then nothing.

When pesky residents raise objections about particular developments (lack of planning, breaking multiple rules or plonked inappropriately on community land), the usual response is that the development is important because it includes provision for social housing (low-cost, supported housing etcetera). Social housing is used as a shield for bad planning and questionable developments.

The not-so-subtle message is that residents who raise issues about development proposals are opposed to the government providing social housing.

When the Gungahlin community tried to pause the sale of land around the centre, quick off the mark was Minister Yvette Berry to claim how the development needed to happen because it included social housing.

She deliberately avoided the serious planning points being raised and instead made the issue that the residents were trying to hinder the provision of social housing.

At the moment, the government is redeveloping some of its housing stock – and this is a good thing. Well overdue in many cases. Hopefully more tenants will have a better roof over their heads.

For some reason the government has built walls of secrecy around when and what it is doing. It is as if it does not trust the neighbourhoods with information.

Ultimately, the development signs arrive and the locals then try to figure out what’s going on. In some cases, they fear the worst because the information is scarce and what they see often looks like an inappro-

ACT Housing signs in Aranda.

Photo: Paul Costigan priate development.

From the cases I have looked into, the development is usually justified.

But it beggars belief that Yvette Berry and her bureaucrats believe that by keeping people in the dark, they will then magically be supportive.

Too much of the government’s social-housing programs are about cramming people together. While research recommends stand alone or small complexes (less than six), this government still builds larger complexes despite the historic evidence that these more often deliver social problems and lower standards

of living.

The ACT government has failed to provide adequate social housing, nor addressed the on-going issues of quality of life for residents who continue to deal with low maintenance and “dodgy” characters being allowed to dominate.

This Labor/Greens government needs to stop playing dangerous games that have increased the misunderstandings around social housing.

All forms of social housing need to be greatly improved. The government needs to improve the way the social housing managers interact with residents, and local communities need to be engaged positively with social-housing developments. And stop plonking housing on green spaces and community land!

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

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THE GADFLY

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Putting the pitch before the history

Sale with a free cuppa

IT is unfortunate – but not The Australian colonies not only targeted the surprising – that Prime Minister Scott Morrison chose to conflate miners from all other nationalities engaged in the great his continuing attack on China gold rush of the 1850s and ‘60s, they then federated and with the signing of the trade legislated a White Australia policy against the Chinese agreement between Australia for the next 90 years. and Britain – that country’s first Every succeeding Chinese targeted the miners from all other such deal since leaving the EU. Dynasty – which invariably gains nationalities engaged in the great

THERE’S free morning tea and coffee on hand at the Coffee/Op Shop sale at Christ Church, Hawker (corner of Beetaloo Street and Belconnen Way), 9am-noon, on Saturday, July 3. Organisers are promising a “huge array” of books, pre-loved clothes, jewellery and a well-stocked cake stall with home-made jams.

The agreement is hardly earthshaking – a few more British backpackers can come to Australia and in a few years there will be some noticeable tariff reductions to a few Australian exports. But the real impact of the deal is its symbolism.

As former Foreign Minister Bill Hayden said: “In diplomacy, words are bullets.”

Alas, Scotty from Marketing’s words are the salesman’s pitch for votes in the next election. His language, when not the meaningless babble of tongues to some Pentecostal god, is the almost equally inchoate English of the excited marketeer.

His sense of history is confined to the day before yesterday.

No so the Chinese. They take their history seriously. That apocryphal Chinese professor wasn’t joking when asked recently about the effect of Christianity’s arrival in Europe.

His answer: “It’s too soon to tell”.

power through violent uprising – rewrites the history of its predecessor to justify its heaven-sent elevation to the Dragon Throne.

But some things they do get right.

The present Communist Dynasty still burns over “the century of humiliation” visited upon them in the 1800s by the European colonial powers led by Britain.

And, as I discovered in researching and writing my 2017 book, “Dragon and Kangaroo – the shared history of Australia and China” – our connection is a continuum from the crime against humanity that was the British opium wars.

Those attacks began in 1842, forcing the Chinese to open their ports to the influx of opium from Britain’s other big colony, India, while at the same time it occupied the Australian continent by force of arms.

To underline the connection, the Australian colonies not only

gold rush of the 1850s and ‘60s. They then federated and legislated a White Australia policy against the Chinese for the next 90 years.

Little wonder, perhaps, that they’re sensitive about the Anglo-Australianism that Morrison exemplifies.

None of the above is designed to excuse the latest stupidities of the Chinese leadership in seeking to “punish” Australia for Morrison’s bullish blundering among the diplomatic niceties.

Nor does it acquit the foolish ambitions of limited men in positions of great power and influence.

Xi Jinping is just such a man. As I wrote in “Dragon”: “[He rules] a massive population who have been

denied the basic human rights of freedom of assembly and expression within a legal system subject to blatant political interference.

“There is no more reason to believe that Xi is immune from Lord Acton’s iron law – that all power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely – than were his predecessors in the Communist Dynasty or their imperial antecedents on the Dragon Throne.”

But it’s a sad quirk of history that at such a time Australia finds itself led by a man whom the Americans so mistrusted that they persuaded Boris Johnson to “crash” the scheduled meeting with President Biden.

They knew that Bill Hayden’s warning also applied to images. robert@robertmacklin.com

Time for TEA JOURNALIST Karen Middleton will speak on “Lessons from a Long Time in Politics” at the July 3 meeting of The English in Australia (TEA), which president Pat Bowden says is “a funKaren Middleton. loving group of expats, their friends and non-Anglophiles” that meets at 10.30am on the first and third Saturday of the month at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, to listen to a guest speaker or play trivia. Then after midday, it’s on to lunch. Call 0427 320542.

Barrie speaks out BARRIE Virtue, former staffer with then-Interior Minister Doug Anthony for 20 years and a latter day voluntary guide at the Australian War Memorial for 16, is guest speaker at the next meeting of the Narrabundah Probus Club, at the Harmonie German Club from 11am, July 20. The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month and anyone with an interest is welcome to attend.

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10 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

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Inner South Canberra Community Council Welcome to our Inner South Canberra Community Council column.

We hope you enjoy this potted compilation of the activities of our local residents’ associations.

ISCCC is working with the ACT Government on the ACT Planning Review project. We are currently providing our views on a possible new system of District Plans. We are looking to make substantial input to any Inner South Canberra District Plan, to ensure local views and needs, and the special character of our suburbs, are well represented.

Our next public meeting will be at the Eastlake Club in Griffith, 7pm, Tuesday 13 July, with special guest speaker ACT Government Minister, Emma Davidson MLA, Member for Murrumbidgee. Hear reports from our local members of parliament and inner south residents’ groups, and updates on key local matters such as Light Rail, and the Canberra Brickworks and Kingston Arts Precinct developments.

You can also join on-line via Zoom – details here: www.isccc.org.au/events/ category/meetings Best wishes,

Gary Kent Chair

Oaks Estate Residents Association

Griffith Narrabundah Community Association

Yarralumla Residents Association

The OERA and Molonglo Catchment Conservation Group held a successful clean up day on Sunday 16 May. 27 volunteers retrieved over 20 bags of rubbish from the western bank of the Queanbeyan/Molonglo river at Oaks Estate. The MCCG is also planning a tree planting project on community land in Oaks Estate.

GNCA is working to persuade the ACT Government to withdraw Draft Variation 375 which, if approved, will allow a 4-unit, 2-storey Manor House with 9 car parks to be built in Griffith in an area of low rise, predominantly single dwelling and low density housing. Canberra residents require certainty and trust, regarding what can be built near them.

Random rezoning of single blocks is bad planning.

A developer has applied for Commonwealth Government and National Capital Authority approval of the Forestry Place development. This involves the development of the heritage-listed CSIRO site on Banks St to build 300 3 to 5 storey apartments, a 130 bed aged care centre, conversion of Forestry House into a hotel and addition of 1000m of commercial space. YRA has surveyed Yarralumla residents on the proposal and the results are being analysed.

The OERA will hold a community morning tea and AGM at: 11.00 on Saturday, 21 August at the Oaks Estate Community Hall.

Kingston And Barton Residents Group This year we were allocated 6,000 bulbs and 6,000 annuals for Floriade in the Suburbs, 50% more than last year!

Planting occurred on the weekend of 5/6 in planter beds in Kennedy St at the Kingston shops. Thanks to our sponsors, local shopkeepers, our Kurrajong MLAs, all of whom took part and our brilliant volunteers, and especially our chief organiser Robbie McGarvey.

We met the Suburban Land Agency, ArtsACT and the ACT Heritage Council on 7 June to discuss the Kingston Arts Precinct development and gained some reassurance that the ACT Heritage Council is not yet satisfied that Geocon’s design concept appropriately deals with the heritage issues.

Forrest Residents Group

Elizabeth Lee MLA has agreed to circulate a petition against this proposal: www.elizabethlee.com.au/manor-house We hope you can add your name to help ensure the Variation is referred to the Assembly’s Planning Committee. More than 520 people made submissions against Draft Variation 375 and 4 supported it.

Old Narrabundah Community Council ONCC has received $20,000 from the Australian Government Stronger Communities Programme to upgrade the community tennis courts and tennis hut on Kootara Crescent, Narrabundah. We welcome the support of the local Federal Member for Canberra, Alicia Payne MP. If you are interested in playing tennis or would like to find out more about the ONCC go to narrabundah.org.au or contact us on info@narrabundah.org.au

The Canberra Southern Cross Yacht Club has sought NCA approval to refurbish the Snapper fish and ship shop and the Club’s ground floor and to construct a new outdoor dining area, including a pop-up bar and gelato café. YRA has prepared a draft supportive submission which can be viewed on our website at: www.yarralumlaresidents.org.au The YRA Tree Group has been busy pruning and clearing undergrowth across Yarralumla nearly every Tuesday for the last 4 months.

YRA Committee members and volunteers have planted over 3,000 tulip bulbs and annuals at the Yarralumla shops and at the pocket park on the corner of Novar and Hooker Streets.

Current areas of interest for the FRG include: • the potential impact of planning and development on the character of our suburb • the continuity of areas of Canberra that make a positive contribution to the National Capital and its historic profile • the care and condition of public spaces/trees/street furniture that could be negatively impacted by neglect, including our heritage spaces.

• improvements in local transport and pedestrian access.

Volunteer bulb planters at Kingston shops, including local member for Kurrajong Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA.

The Inner South Canberra Community Council receives support and funding from the ACT Government Inner South Canberra Community Council (ABN 49 382 179 224) Authorised by Gary Kent, Public Officer, PO Box 3310, Manuka ACT 2603

www.isccc.org.au CityNews July 1-7, 2021 11

LETTERS

Don’t stone those protected crows, Mr Macklin I UNDERSTAND Robert Macklin’s column – “Stone (shoot, gas or trap) the crows”, CN June 17 – is an opinion article, but it comes across as misleading.

Firstly, Torresian Crows are native to both Australia and PNG. They natively occur in Queensland, NT and WA. Although I have heard of them expanding southwards, they are not generally considered invasive (unlike the common myna, which was deliberately introduced by humans in a miscalculated attempt to reduce grapevine pests).

The Torresian Crow is also very uncommon in Canberra. The main corvids we have here are Australian Ravens, and more rarely, Little Ravens. These are both also native species.

Although it was probably Torresian Crows that Mr Macklin had such a bad experience with in west Queensland, the article implies that they are also here in Canberra.

I sympathise with the unsettling experiences he had with the crows while jackarooing, however I think it is damaging to try and assign morals to wild animals.

Conversely, I could claim the Torresian Crows are gallant heroes of northern Australia, as they have figured out how to eat the cane toads without getting poisoned.

But I realise they are just hungry and clever. Even with the common myna, it is not helpful to hate the species. We understand our responsibility to remove a species that is damaging from the environment, but should endeavour to do so in a way that is humane and reduces cruelty to individual birds.

I don’t think the situation with Torresian Crows is comparable to the issue with the common myna, and I don’t see how this article is relevant to Canberra. I am somewhat concerned that your call to arms will result in cruelty against all manner of corvids. The species are difficult to tell apart.

All three species I have mentioned here are native, and subsequently protected. And the crows have always been in Arcadia.

Claudia Schipp, via citynews.com.au

Disappointed at ‘emotive’ column I GENERALLY enjoy Robert Macklin’s columns, but was very disappointed by his highly emotive and factually inaccurate piece “Stone (shoot, gas or trap) the crows...” (CN June 17).

The Torresian Crow (Corvus orru) is not an “invader from Papua down through the Tor-

res Strait” – it is native to northern Australia, the Torres Strait and PNG. It does not occur in either the ACT or Tuross Heads. If Robert has seen crows in these locations they are most likely Australian Ravens or Little Ravens, both native species.

I sympathise with Robert’s grief at seeing weakened sheep and horses attacked by crows, but these highly intelligent birds are not “evil murderers” – they are simply doing what comes naturally.

Robert also fails to mention that crows and ravens perform important ecosystem services: they prey on insect and rodent pests, remove road-killed animals by feeding on carrion, and disperse native vegetation seeds in their droppings.

Crows and ravens are significant to First Nations people in many parts of Australia, including the Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay and Kulin Nations of NSW, Queensland and Victoria, as well as the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples of the Canberra region.

Traditional stories featuring the Ancestral Crow, known variously as Waa, Waan, or Wangi, are recounted on the websites of Museums Victoria and the National Museum of Australia. Finally, being native species, crows and ravens are protected by law in most Australian states and territories.

Hilary Howes, via email

Shame on you, ‘CityNews’ RE Robert Macklin’s article about crows, even introduced animal pests deserve humane treatment, so shame on you “CityNews” for publishing a piece that promoted animal cruelty.

Celeste Pascoe, Braddon

Mistreatment of crows ‘unacceptable’ ROBERT Macklin is entitled to his dislikes, but if advocating policy he should be accurate and present supporting evidence. His call for the culling of crows (“Stone the Crows”, June 17) fails these tests.

Macklin claims that crows kill a range of smaller “beautiful” species, implying this threatens their populations but presents no evidence.

In fact, crows and ravens feed predominantly on carrion. In any case, predation is an essential part of natural processes and does

not of itself justify culling.

Furthermore, the Torresian Crow is not found in Canberra; the ACT’s most common related species is the Australian raven.

Macklin’s argument is primarily based on subjective sentiment, devoid of ecological understanding. His praise for the mistreatment of crows and encouragement of hatred of a native species is unacceptable. Such an approach to the environment does not serve us well, with the rapid degradation of our environment increasingly threatening human welfare. As a former manager of the national invasive species program, I am open to the control of invasive species and I supported culling the invasive Indian myna.

Macklin has, however, not presented a sound argument for the culling of crows or ravens.

Jonathan Miller, Curtin

Major action again mynas IT’S worth correcting a few misconceptions in Robert Macklin’s column on June 17 about crows and mynas.

Contrary to Robert’s impression, mynas are still a major environmental and human health risk, cause economic loss through pecking and fouling, and are still a major public-amenity nuisance.

The Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc, comprising 2660 people with backyard traps, is still on the job: some 74,900 mynas (that we know of) have been removed from the area since we began in 2006. While Robert has a loathing for crows because of perceived impacts on native birds, the research by Chris Tidemann (our first patron) and PhD research by Kate Grarock at ANU, indicated that the introduced Indian (Common) Myna was especially bad.

The environmental impact is huge – many small bird numbers declined noticeably in Canberra as myna numbers expanded across our suburbs since they were introduced into this area in the 1960s.

It is gratifying to note that Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti recognises the threat they pose and has now declared this to be a pest animal.

We look forward to myna control activities now getting a real boost with work on public lands and around businesses, to complement the backyard trapping by dedicated CIMAG members.

Bill Handke OAM, president, Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc

In praise of choir’s conductor I REFER to the article by Helen Musa (“Star conductor sacked days before youth concert”), which was published on citynews.com.au on June 18.

The article noted that Rowan HarveyMartin is one of Canberra’s most respected musicians and listed some of her achievements as a conductor and director of Canberra choirs and orchestras.

For the past 15 years Ms Harvey-Martin has directed The Llewellyn Choir, one of Canberra’s leading auditioned classical choirs.

Rowan’s strong leadership, enthusiasm, musicianship and ability to bring out the best in singers over this time, have allowed the choir to bring new and challenging music to Canberra audiences, in addition to presenting favourites from the choral repertoire.

Most recently, as the “CityNews” article noted, she won the Canberra Critics Circle 2020 award for the performance of a Will Todd jazz cantata.

One of the hallmarks of her conducting is her compassion and concern for all choir and orchestral members. For example, during 2020 she worked with the choir committee to bring back covid-safe rehearsals to lift the morale of all choristers.

Graeme Taylor, president, The Llewellyn Choir Inc

Apparently, the deep excavations are to plant and test if new trees grow and thrive by supplied water rather than surface water.

Obviously they should and will make a nicer landscape, especially for the residents in the new apartments.

However, having conducted a business in the centre from 1991 until fairly recently, I do suggest barbed wire around the saplings may prevent the constant vandal snapping of limbs.

Who’s paying for this (not cheap, I bet ) venture, by the way?

Paul O’Connor, Hawker

Seriously, we take ourselves too seriously READING the alligator joke in wine writer Richard Calver’s column (CN June 17) reminded me of the classic “Catholic” joke from my boyhood days in the ‘60s.

A man goes into the hotel with a crocodile on a lead.

“Do you serve Catholics here, mate?”

“Yes.” “ Well, I’ll have a schooner, and a Catholic for me mate”.

A recent letter to the daily paper made reference to the lost (cultural) need for the willingness and capacity to laugh at oneself.

We all too often take ourselves far too seriously. Seriously.

Christopher Ryan, Watson

Murky approach to planning

They don’t need the money!

PAUL Costigan’s use of the colour-wheel chart to analyse the development and renewal actions of the ACT Labor/Greens government would be quite instructive for many, ie “red” + “green” = “brown”.

In his column, “Failing Greens fall into line for Labor land sales” (CN June 17), it helps to explain the murkiness and muddiness that surrounds much of the government’s approach to planning for this city.

COLIN Lyons (Letters, CN June 24) raises the point that very well paid Canberra workers are “insensitive to the level of ACT government taxation”. And also, it appears, where this money goes.

So please stop whinging about the needs of the territory’s poor and homeless and demand our ACT Labor/Greens coalition diverts more of its financial cornucopia to helping them rather than spend $2 million on people who largely did not need it.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Barbed wire to protect the trees?

LET us hope that the inconvenience of removing 120 parking spaces at the Jamison Centre works out in the end.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

Write to us Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au

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WHIMSY

With tongues, there’s no accounting for taste A CANBERRA wine reviewer recently analysed a wine as follows: “The nose shows forest-floor aromas, the front palate spicy cherry flavour and the middle palate blackberry, briar, peppermint and cedary oak.

The finish has minty tannins.”

Personally, I like my wine to be smooth and tasting of grapes and not much else.

The review reminded me of my one and only visit to a Starbucks in the US with its menu board of flavoured coffees when all I wanted was a flat white tasting like coffee. But as American journalist HL Mencken said: “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”

Humans have five basic senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

We have others, but these are the main ones. Sight, smell and taste work together to make food and drink enjoyable – or warn us that it’s gone bad.

Our sense of taste aided in human evolution. A bitter or sour taste indicated

It’s a myth that the tongue has specific zones for each flavour. The five tastes can be sensed on all parts of the tongue, although the sides are more sensitive than the middle.” that a potential food source might be poisonous or rotten. A salty or sweet taste often meant the food was rich in nutrients.

Most of us can easily detect four different tastes: salty, sweet, sour and bitter. There’s also a less assertive fifth taste, “umami” or savouriness.

Umami boosters include ketchup, miso, truffle oil, ranch dressing and soy sauce, to name a few.

Most human tastebuds are on the tongue, but they also line the back of the throat, the epiglottis, the nasal cavity and the oesophagus. The adult human tongue contains between 2000 and 8000 tastebuds, each of which is made up of 50 to 150 taste receptor cells.

It’s a myth that the tongue has specific zones for each flavour (as indicated by taste maps). The five tastes can be sensed on all parts of the tongue, although the sides are more sensitive than the middle, but the full

experience of a flavour is produced by combined information from different parts of the tongue.

The appearance and smell of food or drink greatly affects how the brain anticipates how it will taste. Smells are sent to the mouth in a process called olfactory referral. That’s why someone with a cold may have trouble tasting food properly. Texture also contributes to taste – as one food expert commented: “If it looks like styrofoam, smells like styrofoam, and has the texture of styrofoam, it’s probably a rice cracker.”

Other satisfaction factors include temperature, detected by thermoreceptors and “coolness” (such as mint or menthol) and “hotness” (spicy curries).

By the way, good quality beer shouldn’t be served colder than seven degrees Celsius – and preferably warmer to maximise the flavour. Icy cold beer might be refreshing, but it’s a way of disguising poor quality.

I respect people with refined palates such as sommeliers and judges on “MasterChef”, but anyone can train themselves to better appreciate

Dogs… amazing smell capabilities, but their sense of taste is less discriminating than humans’ as they only have around 1700 tastebuds compared to our 8000. food and drink by slowly savouring it, noting which of the five tastes – salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami – are present. What is the relative balance of each of the tastes? What is the physical sensation in your mouth?

How long does the flavour linger?

Among humans, taste perception begins to decline from around 50 years of age because of loss of tongue papillae and a general decrease in saliva production. Loss of taste can also be a sign of COVID-19. Researchers are still trying to understand how COVID-19 affects taste and why taste degradation can continue after recovery.

As one covid-recovered Canberran observed: “Three months since I had

covid and I’ve still got very poor taste – my favourite show is ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’.”

Not all mammals share the same taste capabilities. Cats can’t taste sweetness. Dogs have amazing smell capabilities, but their sense of taste is less discriminating than humans’ as they only have around 1700 tastebuds.

Finally, on the subject of poor taste – a man goes to a restaurant and has the most delicious turkey he’s ever tasted. He asks the chef: “How do you prepare the turkeys?” The chef replies: “Oh, nothing complex – we just tell them they’re going to die.”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

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6230 2044 CityNews July 1-7, 2021 13

FUNERALS AND ESTATE PLANNING

Experts can ease the burden in difficult times ORGANISING a funeral, creating a will, or investing in an estate plan can be an uncomfortable reality, but throughout Canberra there are compassionate experts who can help ease the burden.

“CityNews” speaks to professionals who can give you and your loved ones peace of mind when it comes to some of life’s most difficult decisions.

Lawyers take discomfort out of wills

Memorial experts keen to listen

WHILE death can be hard to think about, Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators help take the discomfort out of making a will, says wills and estate planning lawyer Ashilpa Khanna.

When death occurs, a common misconception, according to Ashilpa, is the spouse takes control of the estate and its assets, which is not generally the case.

“If you don’t make a will, the state’s law effectively does it for you,” says Ashilpa, who urges people to create a will to secure a plan for the future.

“For families, a relative dying without a will causes significant strife, since a will names the legal guardians of the person’s children.

“The last thing you want to have if you die is a fight over who’s going to raise your children.”

But to better cushion any sudden tragedies, Ashilpa firmly believes everyone should have an estate plan and it all starts with a will.

At Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, Ashilpa says great care is taken into providing expert and honest advice, ensuring each client is aware of the legal process and disclosing any upfront fees.

“Our staff are experienced in their fields and we take pride in knowing our clients,” she says.

“We will always use common sense, respect, courtesy and good judgement when dealing with clients.”

WHEN it comes to gravestones and memorials, Avalon Memorials listens to the needs of its customers to design the appropriate memorial for their loved ones, says director Tony Larobina.

“We’re able to design something to people’s personal needs, at a fair price,” he says.

Tony says Avalon Memorials is backed by experienced professionals who have numerous years of experience when it comes to crafting memorials such as full memorials, lawn memorials, and ornaments and accessories.

“And we understand that things change so we go out of our way to give people a headstone that’s modern,” he says.

“Normally people ring and make an appointment to see us or they might already have a design in mind.

“We also have a website with some of the work we have done, which people can get ideas from.

“We’re fairly diverse in our range of products and we’re also capable of restoring old monuments.”

What really sets Avalon Memorials apart, according to Tony, is the time they spend getting to know the customer and, through their stories, getting to know the deceased.

“We try to listen rather than dictate,” he says.

“Ninety-nine per cent of our customers walk away very happy with the service and the product they get.”

Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, first floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Email enquiries@chsol.com.au, call 6152 9203 or visit chsol.com.au

Avalon Memorials, 11A Shropshire Street, Queanbeyan.

Call Tony on 0427 180776, email sales@avalonmemorials.com.au or visit avalonmemorials.com.au

Wills and estate planning lawyer Ashilpa Khanna.

Working with you for the best result YES WE ARE OPEN FOR APPOINTMENTS For all client meetings COVID-19 adherance applies

A valid and up-to-date Will can help reduce stress for your family and friends, limit administration costs, and lessen the possibility for dispute over your estate.

Ashilpa Khanna Wills and Estate Planning Lawyer

For the best outcome when it matters how it’s done call Capon & Hubert on 6152 9203 First Floor, 32-38, Townshend Street, Phillip ACT

chsol.com.au | enquiries@chsol.com.au 14 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

Over 30 years serving Canberra

advertising feature Jennifer helps farewell loved ones PASSIONATE about helping people through one of the most profoundly difficult times of their life, Jennifer Nagy of Your Canberra Celebrant says she helps organise funeral services that are personally tailored.

“I meet with the family and help them work out what they need, whether it’s music, poems, readings, rituals, designing an order of service or whatever they feel is right for their service,’’ she says.

“I work hand-in-hand with funeral directors and strive to help people come away from a funeral with a sense of closure and of having done right by their loved one.”

Jennifer felt drawn to being a funeral celebrant after both her parents passed away, an experience she says gave her a lot of compassion and empathy for those farewelling someone.

“It was an experience that really helped me understand the journey of grief,” she says.

“It means a lot to turn that experience into helping comfort people during such a difficult time.”

Jennifer says one of the most rewarding things about her service is helping people with eulogies.

“I have a lot of people say they don’t think they can get up and read a eulogy, and generally by the end of the week I work with them they feel empowered enough to stand up and read something for their loved one,” she says.

“On the day I’m always ready to step in if people need help though.”

Your Canberra Celebrant, call 0435 119981, visit yourcanberracelebrant.com or email jennifer@yourcanberracelebrant.com

William Cole Funerals principals Bill and Christine Cole, centre, with the team.

A comforting, caring approach to funerals

Jennifer Nagy of Your Canberra Celebrant.

Thoughtful and Uplifting Funeral Services

BILL and Christine Cole, the principals of William Cole Funerals, say they approach arranging funerals with compassion and have organised more than 17,000 services in their 30 years in their Belconnen-based funeral home.

An independent and family-operated funeral home, run by former high-school sweethearts Bill and Christine and their team, which includes daughter Judy and her husband Naithan, son David and more recently, two of their granddaughters, Bill says they offer a caring, personal service.

“People tell us that they feel comforted and that arranging a funeral was less difficult than they had thought it would be,” he says.

“We want them to know that the service they

experience exceeds their expectations.”

For Bill, becoming a funeral director was a “calling”, whilst Christine says she found her passion by helping people in their time of grief, using her talents to provide an organised, calm approach to planning a funeral with the families she met.

As one of only two remaining locally-owned funeral homes in Canberra, Bill says they offer personalised, empathetic and understanding service and choice for families, including all different styles of funerals and farewells for civil services and all faiths.

William Cole Funerals, 60 Nettlefold Street, Belconnen.

Call 6253 3655 or email info@williamcolefunerals.com.au or visit williamcolefunerals.com.au

Understanding and warmth come naturally to us “Let our family help yours, every step of the way,” William and Christine Cole.

Helping you through the journey of grief: • Services tailored to your loved ones wishes • Order of Service preparaton • Planning of a beautiful goodbye to your loved one • Funeral officiating

Please request my services through your funeral director “Helping you and your family feel reassured and supported on the day.”

With 31 years experience, William Cole Funerals provide excellence in funeral service.

0435 119 981 jennifer@yourcanberracelebrant.com www.yourcanberracelebrant.com/funerals

02 6253 3655 williamcolefunerals.com.au | 60 Nettlefold Street, Belconnen, ACT 2617 CityNews July 1-7, 2021 15

FUNERALS & ESTATE PLANNING

MEMORIAL SPECIALISTS

Enlightening people on their legal options TAKING the first step in estate planning is often an enlightening experience, with many people surprised to find out what they’re actually worth, says KJB Law’s estate planning special counsel Kerstin Glomb.

“I have clients who believe they don’t own much, but then when we walk through things like superannuation and life insurance they’re surprised to find out how much they’re actually worth and what they have to organise,” she says.

“After that initial meeting I find people feel a lot of relief and peace of mind that they’ve started the process.”

Although it can be an uncomfortable topic to approach, Kerstin says estate planning is something everyone should think about and KJB takes pride in helping ease the burden and making clients feel comfortable.

“We guide people through what options they have and what they should address so that they can take charge in providing protection for themselves and their loved ones,” says Kerstin.

“It’s about working out with a client who are the right people in their family or broader surroundings and then structuring their document to reflect that.

“There’s nothing better than when people say after signing that they’re happy to have it in place, feel comfortable and most importantly that they understand what they’ve signed.”

A fitting tribute for your loved one sales@avalonmemorials.com.au www.avalonmemorials.com.au 0427 180 776

KJB Law, ground floor, 10 Corinna Street, Woden.

Call 6281 0999 or visit kjblaw.com.au

KJB Law’s estate planning special counsel Kerstin Glomb.

Looking for peace of mind for your future?

Having a Will and Estate plan that stipulates all of your wishes and concerns results in peace of mind for the future.

KJB Law has decades of experience to assist clients in all situations with their Estate Planning, including: • • • • • •

Kerstin Glomb Estate Planning Special Counsel

Wills Testamentary Wills Powers of Attorney Self-managed super funds Advice on potential claims against estates Advice for blended families

Kerstin Glomb would be pleased to help you with your Will and Estate Planning needs

6281 0999

For successful results in a cost effective manner call or email kjblaw@kjblaw.com.au Ground Floor, 10 Corinna Street, Woden 16 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

kjblaw.com.au kjblawcanberra

REIA NATIONAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2021

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BELLE PROPERTY CANBERRA – LARGE RESIDENTIAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Committed agency grows its way to a top award WOMEN led the way in this year’s Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) National Awards for Excellence, taking out eight of the 11 individual agent categories, according to REIA president Adrian Kelly.

From the 83 finalists, there was an increase in female candidates in the different categories from previous years, in particular in the category of Residential Salesperson of the Year, Mr Kelly says.

In terms of the amount of awards won, NSW won seven of the 20 awards, followed by Victoria with four wins, and three wins each went to the ACT, WA and Victoria.

Covering all aspects of the real estate sector, including residential and commercial agencies, residential and commercial sales, residential and commercial property management, business brokers, buyers’ agents, community service, innovation and communications, Mr Kelly says unlike other award programs, the REIA National Awards for Excellence focus on transactions, statistics and profit.

“The awards for excellence are awarded purely on merit following deliberation by a comprehensive judging process,” he says.

A BOOMING Canberra real estate market and a commitment to teamwork and service has seen Belle Property Canberra take out a top agency award at the 2021 REIA National Awards for Excellence held in Darwin.

With offices in Kingston and Queanbeyan, Belle Property Canberra took out Large Residential Agency of the Year, which recognises excellence in agency practice in the residential sector, where a single trading entity employs 21 or more people, including administration staff and the principal. The commitment of co-principals Dan McAlpine, Richard Davies and Louise Harget, as well as the whole agency, has been rewarded, says Dan. “Our office opened with just four staff, five years ago, and we have grown to 30 people across two locations,” he says.

“When we started we insisted on an open database and across our entire team we share all information which gives us the capacity to service our clients in the best way. It gives us more intelligence to negotiate with buyers for better outcomes.”

Dan says covid created a great unknown and the agency had prepared for a sharp decline, however, the reverse happened.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in prices and the market has grown at 18-19 per cent in the nine-month window post covid lockdowns,” he says.

Co-principals Dan McAlpine, Louise Harget and Richard Davies… “We keep asking ourselves, where would you rather live in a covid environment and where would you rather do business. The answer is Canberra,” says Dan. “The Canberra market is now the third most expensive capital city in Australia behind Sydney and Melbourne and it is a great place to invest. “We currently have a median house price of $930,000 to $950,000 but there are predictions that we could see the median house price at $1 million by the end of the year.”

Dan says the agency has seen some stellar results

with 72 Monaro Crescent, Red Hill, selling off market recently for $3.5 million.

“The vendor paid $1 million for the block 18 months ago, built a new home and sold it for $3.5 million,” he says. belleproperty.com/canberra

belleproperty.com/canberra

The team at Belle Property Canberra is thrilled and honoured to be recipients of the prestigious REIA Large Residential Agency of the Year Award for 2021.

To receive national recognition by REIA, an organisation dedicated to advocating for and promoting standards of excellence in all facets of real estate, carries the highest significance for us coming from such a respected and longstanding institute. Through dedication and teamwork, Belle Property Canberra has grown from a staff of four to a dynamic group of real estate professionals who represent our company and industry with integrity while providing our clients with exemplary service. As recipients of the REIA award we are honoured and will continually uphold the highest of industry standards as we strive to bring value to the Canberra real estate community we are so proud to serve and be part of.

Kate McCulloch

Operators Manager

Belle Property Canberra, 27/6 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT 2604 | Office 02 6295 9911 info.canberra@belleproperty.com CityNews July 1-7, 2021 17

REIA NATIONAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2021

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CLAIRE CORBY – BUYERS’ AGENT OF THE YEAR

Putting the buyer first leads Claire to success A GENUINE passion for buyer representation has seen buyer’s agent and director of Capital Buyers Agency, Claire Corby, crowned the national Buyer’s Agent of the Year at the REIA National Awards for Excellence.

Claire says she’s helped more than 400 Canberra buyers achieve their real estate dreams, working to guide them through the maze of jargon, pricing uncertainty and strategy.

“It’s a unique role in the industry,” she says.

“My background is in accounting and property investment, not sales, which I feel has a direct impact in the way I work with my clients.

“As a buyer’s agent, my duty of care is purely to the buyer, and too often I believe that buyers forget that the sales agent has their own duty of care to the vendor, leaving buyers exposed and unsupported.

“This imbalance often leads to frustration with the process from buyers, and poor decision making. A skilful and experienced buyer’s agent resolves that problem.”

Buyer representation has long been a passion of Claire’s. She won Buyer’s Agent of the Year at ACT level in 2020, before taking out the national

award this year.

Claire believes that to win on such a level requires transparency and truthful advice from a trusted source.

“Too many people in real estate think success is all about them and how they look,” she says.

“The flash cars, the fancy suits, the selfies and all the sales hype, when in fact that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“There’s no secret to success; buyers are after transparency and truthful advice to help them find and secure the property that they’re looking for to move to their next stage of life.

“Quite often my role is to actually talk buyers out of a problematic property, or to help them set a realistic price limit and we’ll have the difficult conversations about opportunity cost and long-term goals to ensure they’re making an informed decision well before the emotions at auction creep into the picture.

“Putting our clients’ needs first and the ego of ‘the deal’ second has always been our recipe for success.”

Clearly this approach has worked well for Claire, whose clientele at Capital Buyers Agency predominantly seek her out, based on word-ofmouth reviews.

“As a born-and-bred Canberran, I know that we have one degree of separation here!” she says.

“Your name and reputation are everything;

to be a person of your word and follow through by doing what you say you will, is the only way to establish and build a great business over the long term.”

Capital Buyers Agency also runs online courses for home buyers to step them through the system and gain support to understand the process.

Capital Buyers Agency was also awarded finalists in the Innovation category of the REIA awards, something Claire attributes to a culture of continuous improvement, adapting to changing environments in an agile manner, and looking beyond the real estate industry for fresh ideas and means to improve on the buyer experience.

But being recognised at the highest level within the industry is an incredible achievement, she says.

“I’m honoured to be representing the ACT and highlighting the integral role that great buyers’ agents play in the property transaction for our buyers,” she says.

“Thank you to every one of our clients for entrusting me with the task to secure your property.

“It’s such a pleasure to act as your sounding board, to help you with your purchasing decisions and to settle into your new community.” capitalbuyersagency.com.au

Claire Corby… “I’m honoured to be representing the ACT and highlighting the integral role that great buyers’ agents play.”

Helping you buy the right home, at the right price • • • •

Auction bidding Evaluation & negotiation Full Search/Off Market sourcing Investment property acquisitions

W: www.capitalbuyersagency.com.au

18 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

REIA NATIONAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2021

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GUY RANDELL – COMMERCIAL SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR

Results-driven Guy makes it two wins in a row BURGESS Rawson Canberra’s managing director Guy Randell has been named REIA Commercial Salesperson of the Year 2021 for the second year in a row.

He was among Australia’s top real estate professionals who were celebrated at the 2021 Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) Awards for Excellence on June 10 in Darwin at the Mindil Beach Casino Resort.

Guy was also named Commercial Salesperson of the Year for 2020, but unfortunately the award ceremony was cancelled due to COVID-19.

“A high calibre of industry professionals from across Australia entered the REIA National Awards, so winning at the national level for the second year in a row is a great honour and the highlight of my career to date,” he says.

For Guy, the awards recognise the hard work Burgess Rawson has put in over the past five years in Canberra.

“It stands for what we’ve managed to achieve – from setting up the company, making a name for itself, getting respect in the industry and of course, our clients for giving us the work,” he says.

Most agents will claim to have broad

experience, but few can match the diverse property background that Guy Randell brings to the Burgess Rawson Canberra team.

With more than 25 years working across both the public and private sectors, Guy is one of the ACT’s foremost and most awarded property experts and his extensive experience in commercial sales, leasing and project marketing make him the ‘go-to’ for vendors and investors alike.

However, it’s his active involvement in precinct design, retail leasing/sales, development, master planning and ultimately investment sales, to ensure they positively influence Canberra’s shape, that truly set him apart.

Guy is engaged exclusively by developers and property owners to generate the best possible returns on their investments. His results are market-leading.

“My primary strategy and point of difference in achieving exceptional results for my clients has to be the consultancy services I provide in advance of sales,” he says.

“I take every call, attend every meeting and ensure that my clients have the utmost faith in my market knowledge, my passion for property and know that I will achieve the best possible outcome for them.”

He has played a key role in delivering Burgess Rawson’s large commercial projects

in the Canberra region, notably the major inner-north development, DKSN. DKSN is a joint venture development by Doma Group and Englobo, which will see Dickson transform into a buzzing centre for work, food and play.

With a vibrant blend of retail, residential apartments, state-of-the-art office space and north Canberra’s largest transport hub, DKSN will be home to hundreds of residents, thousands of office workers and 15,000 daily commuters.

“DKSN is the big project that Burgess Rawson Canberra has worked on that we feel like we have really made a difference in the industry and it has given us an opportunity to showcase the expertise we’ve got,” Guy says.

Throughout the challenges of 2020, Guy kept clients up-to-date and reassured them that it was business as usual – even though the staff were all working three times harder!

“Some agents gave up; however, we kept in contact with all clients and in 2020, we did more transactions than we’ve done in any other year,” he says.

For now, Guy is getting right back to business.

“We’ve got plenty of exciting projects in the works, so watch this space.” burgessrawson.com.au

Guy Randell… “Winning at the national level for the second year in a row is a great honour and the highlight of my career to date.”

Guy leads the Burgess Rawson Canberra team with extensive experience in commercial sales, leasing and project marketing.

Selling property in a major city is one thing. But actually caring about how those properties are contributing to a vision for that city’s future is the true mark of an agent who’s in the industry for much more than just deals. And that’s our Managing Director Guy Randell. He has been the REIACT’s 2019 & 2020 Commercial Salesperson of the Year and Property Project Marketer of the Year and has gone on to be named the REIA National Commercial Salesperson of the Year for both 2020 & 2021.

With more than 25 years working across both the public and private sectors, Guy is one of the Australian Capital Territory’s foremost property experts and his extensive experience in commercial sales, leasing and project marketing make him the go-to for vendors and investors alike. However, it’s his active involvement in precinct design, retail profiling, development master planning and occupancy fitouts to ensure they positively influence Canberra’s shape that truly set him apart. Guy is engaged exclusively by developers and property owners to generate the best possible returns on their investments and sets the bar equally high for every member of our Canberra team.

Get in contact with Guy Randell today to discuss your property needs.

Guy Randell

Managing Director Recipient of the REIA National Commercial Salesperson of the year Award for 2020 & 2021.

0430 272 999 | 02 6152 9113 G03/19 Challis Street, Dickson ACT 2602

www.canberraburgessrawson.com.au CityNews July 1-7, 2021 19

COME DANCING

Let’s dance for fitness, friendship and sheer fun BESIDES the sheer fun of it, dancing can offer a sweeping range of benefits for those willing to give it a go.

It can improve confidence, coordination and creativity, be a great way to keep fit, and can provide abundant opportunities to meet new people.

Whether it’s ballroom, folk or youth dancing, this week “CityNews” speaks to some of Canberra’s movers and shakers who know how to teach their talent.

Quality classes turn dreams into a reality EMPIRE Performing Arts (EPA Dance), a dance school located in Bungendore and Googong, is focused on providing the highest quality teaching in a fun and engaging environment, the school says.

At EPA Dance, it’s of the utmost importance that any students dreaming of a career in dance are able to turn that dream into a reality, says a school spokeswoman.

“We believe that all students should be trained with exceptional technique,” she says.

“All of the classes at EPA Dance are structured to ensure that students not only have fun but progress through levels at the highest standard.”

Offering classes such as ballet, jazz, lyrical/ contemporary, hip hop, tap and acrobatics as well as specialty programs such as advanced tumbling, performance troupe and private tuition, classes start for children aged 18 months with the school’s “First Steps Program” and progress for students to the age of 18 years.

“Along with dance and fitness classes, EPA also runs birthday parties and has a professional production group that performs at events locally and interstate,” she says.

Developing the next generation of dancers QL2 DANCE’S innovative, challenging and diverse programs help shape the next generation of dance artists, says artistic director Ruth Osborne.

“We’re a contemporary organisation with an extensive training program tailored for ages five to 26,” says Ruth.

“We value creative input and collaboration in a non-competitive environment where each dancer is supported in their individuality.”

Ruth says QL2 dancers are always sharing their talents with the community through a wide variety of performances.

“In May we presented our Quantum Leap project at the Rebel Playhouse, ‘Then.Now.When?’, for dancers aged 14 to 26,” she says.

“Every year our Quantum Leap ensemble presents a new work at the Playhouse choreographed by professional choreographers in collaboration with the Quantum Leap ensemble dancers.

“Our ‘Chaos Project’ for younger dancers aged 8-20, also presented every year with a new work, will be presented at the Canberra College

Empire Performing Arts, Googong Community Centre, Queanbeyan Uniting Church Hall, and 2 Gibraltar Street, Bungendore. Visit epadance.com, call 0434 847783 or email hello@epadance.com

Theatre on October 8-9, and we also present works in festivals every year in Canberra and nationally.”

Ruth says that it’s QL2’s “holistic” approach to dance that makes them unique.

“Our programs allow creativity, confidence, collaboration and true leadership to flourish,” she says.

QL2 Dance, Gorman Arts Centre, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon. Call 6247 3103 or visit ql2.org.au

EPA Dance is a Performing Arts School focused on nurturing passionate and skilled dancers. Our aim is to create a positive and happy experience for all of our students, and to inspire a love and appreciation of all styles of dance. We offer a range of classes including RAD Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Acrobatics and Tumbling, as well as toddler classes and

www.epadance.com

competitive performance teams.

Googong, The Community Centre

Queanbeyan, Uniting Church Hall

Bungendore Studio

Cnr Gorman Drive and McPhail Street

13 Rutledge Street Queanbeyan

2 Gibraltar Street Bungendore

20 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

0434 847 783

hello@epadance.com

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Keeping history alive while having fun THROUGH their weekly lessons teaching several types of traditional dance, the Monaro Folk Society aims to keep historical art forms alive, says president David Ball.

“We provide a wide variety of dance and music activities in various styles including weekly lessons for Australian bush dance, Irish set dancing, English country dance and more,” says David, who also plays the accordion and piano with the Folk Society.

“Dancing is a great way to get endorphins flowing, a real mood lifter, and it’s a great way to meet new people as well.”

Due to covid restrictions, the not-for-profit organisation was unable to celebrate its 50th anniversary last year, but David says they’ll certainly be making up for it in 2021 and 2022 with multiple events.

“We have two to three major events a year where there’s a live band and people can dress up in period costumes to show off what they’ve learnt,” he says.

“This year we’ll be having our Colonial Ball at the end of September.”

He says the Folk Society welcomes anyone regardless of experience to come try.

We want to develop people’s dancing skills and we want people to have fun while they’re doing it, there’s a real energy that comes from dancing,” says David.

“The magic is in the history and culture, keeping those important things alive.”

The Monaro Folk Society, visit monarofolk.org.au or email info@monarofolk.org.au

Monaro Folk Society

Bush Dance

English Country Dance

Contra Dance

Bush Dance Workshop

Irish Set Dance

Australian Bush Dance has its roots in the very early settlement of the colony. Initially it was influenced by the styles and customs of the early settlers but evolved to be an amalgam of the early colonial style and dances from Europe and America, as the miners and other new imigrants came to Australia.

Dances from English Country, Playford (1650), Pride and Prejudice (1800), or Pat Shaw (contemporary).

Workshops are twice a month – on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 7:30 – 9:30pm, at North Canberra Baptist Church Hall, 17 Condamine Street, Turner. contact: Colin 0417 020 615

Contra Dance is an energetic and exciting form of social dance which couples dance in two facing lines or groups of four.

Dates: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from February to December Time: 7.30 – 9.30 pm Location: North Canberra Baptist Church Hall 17 Condamine St Turner contact: Rob 6251 1287

Bush Dance Workshops provide an opportunity for dancers to learn and practice bush dancing.

When: 8-10pm Starts Monday 12 July and then Monday Weekly Where: All Saints Church Hall Cowper Street Ainslie contact: Mark 0421 814 718

ALL are very welcome to Irish Set Dancing on Wednesday evenings.

Suitable for adults of all ages. No experience or partner necessary. All dances are taught and called. North Canberra Baptist Church Hall, Turner 7:30pm to 9:30pm wednesday evenings during act school terms contact: isdcanberra.com.au

Dance Events Contra Dance Workshop Tuesday 6 July, then fortnightly Bush Dance Saturday 10 July second Saturday every second month Bush Dance Workshop Mondays starting 12 July then weekly

Music / Performance Events - New Players Welcome English Country Dance Workshop Tuesday 13 July, fortnightly Irish Set Dancing Wednesday 14 July, then weekly Dancers Dance Saturday 14 August, second Saturday every second month Colonial Ball Saturday 25 September

Dancing In The Park From Monday 6 December most Mondays in December and January

Tuesday Night Music Group Session Tuesdays - weekly Settlers Music Session Monday afternoons (Including by zoom) - weekly Bush Capital Band Part of the Monday Bush Dance Workshop - weekly

Small Band Combos Contact Monaro Folk Society for more information.

Contra Band Part of the Tuesday Contra Dance Workshop - fortnightly Merry Muse Folk Club Sunday afternoons - monthly

info@monarofolk.org.au | www.monarofolk.org.au CityNews July 1-7, 2021 21

COME DANCING

advertising feature Studio opens up to the public SUBSDANCE Dance Studio, a dance studio that has a wide variety of classes no matter someone’s fitness or experience, is hosting an open day on July 10, says director Charlie Wan. Charlie is encouraging anyone to come along and try their classes during the open day, which will be “jam-packed” with free, 30 minute “taster” dance and fitness classes.

“There are lots of classes to choose from, which will suit beginners up to more experienced dancers,” she says.

Classes are aimed at adults and Charlie says some of the most popular classes include Afrobeat, reggaeton, Zumba, dancehall, chair and heels, booty work, Pilates, commercial Latin, showgirl and musical theatre dance.

For those who need a bit more of a confidence boost before joining group classes, Charlie says one-on-one lessons are available.

Subsdance also offers wedding dance lessons and hosts private hens or birthday parties.

“We’re an accessible space that welcomes all men, women and non-binary people,” Charlie says.

“We are a safe, welcoming space for members and allies of the LGBTQI+ community.

“Feel free to get in touch to discuss how we can make things work for you.”

Subsdance Dance Studio, The Cusack Centre, level 1, 27-29 Eyre Street, Kingston. Visit subsdance.com.au or email info@subsdance.com.au

Dale’s classes are a fun way to get fit TEACHING a range of classic dance styles, Dale’s Ballroom Dancing offers a fun way to get fit, socialise and compete in a friendly environment, says owner Dale Harris.

“You don’t realise how much exercise you’re doing, you’re constantly on the move,” she says.

Dale, who loves seeing her students having fun and improving in her classes, teaches styles such as the 10 traditional ballroom dances: waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, Viennese waltz, cha cha, samba, jive, rumba and paso doble.

Backed by more than 20 years’ experience teaching dance, Dale started dancing even earlier, at the age of six, when she developed an interest in ballroom dancing.

She’s since received many qualifications in ballroom

dancing and is also a championship adjudicator who travels interstate to judge ballroom competitions.

And while it’s not compulsory, Dale says her students have a chance to compete and she loves seeing them receive medals for their achievements.

“We had a competition just recently and it’s so rewarding to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they get their medals,” she says.

But, she says she also loves to see them having a great time and enjoying the classes, with classes for adults, children and social classes, too.

Dale’s Ballroom Dancing, 245 Cowlishaw Street, Tuggeranong. Call 6296 4009, email dale_harris@bigpond. com or visit dalesballroomdancing.com

Professional, fun tuition in Ballroom Dancing • Private Dancing Lessons – Individuals or Groups – Perfect for wedding parties By appointment

• Adult Beginner & Intermediate classes Every Wednesday from 8pm

• JUNIOR CLASSES

From 5.30pm Thursdays

• social dancing

All Classes are now held at: The Tuggeranong Community Centre 245 Cowlishaw St, Tuggeranong ENJOY YOURSELF IN A FUN AND RELA XED SOCIAL ENVIRONMEN T

COME AND TRY AT OUR OPEN DAY! From 8am - 5pm, Saturday 10 July, join us and dance the day away with a jam packed schedule of FREE 30 min “taster” dance and fitness classes.

Search “Subsdance Term 3 Open Day” on Facebook events to find out more.

Dance Fitness | ZUMBA! | Pilates Brazilian Samba | Afro Beats | Reggaeton Commercial Caburlesque | Exotic After Dark Heels | Chair | Jamaican Dancehall Hip Hop Fusion

every thursday at 8pm

• medal classes

starting on Thursday 15th July from 5.30pm for under 12years, and from 6.00pm for 12yrs and above.

Dale’s Ballroom Dancing Phone: 02 6296 4009 | Mobile: 0407 066 110 Email: dale_harris@bigpond.com Web: dalesballroomdancing.com | Principal: Dale Harris 22 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

0477 528 026 www.subsdance.com.au Subsdance Dance Studio, Level 1, Cusacks Centre, 27-29 Eyre Street Kingston @subsdancedancestudio

Subsdance Dance Studio

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

WENDY JOHNSON

There’s more to Penelope than meets Homer’s eye

By Helen

MUSA REMEMBER Penelope, the wife of wily Greek hero Odysseus, who waited all those years for him to come home from his postwar travels and amorous adventures?

Her name, which means “weaver” in ancient Greek, is a byword for wifely duty and devotion, because, while raising their son Telemachus she deceived a host of suitors by claiming she would choose a husband as soon as she’d finished weaving a shroud, but by night she secretly unravelled what she had done.

But there’s more to Penelope’s story than met the eye of Homer and now two local theatre companies, Papermoon and Crouching Giraffe, are joining to stage “The Penelopiad”

by Margaret Atwood, author of “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

The play, staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007, retells Homer’s “The Odyssey” from the perspective of Penelope, through a cast of 13 women who play all parts.

It’s never been performed in Canberra and the only other performance in Australia seems to have been at Deakin University in 2014.

I caught up with director Kate Blackhurst, well-known here both as an actor and director with Canberra Rep. To cover myself, I’d quickly raced through the last few chapters of “The Odyssey” and been shocked by the bloodthirsty way Odysseus butchered the suitors on his return, and even more shocked at how he and Telemachus hanged all of Penelope‘s maids because they had dallied with the suitors.

“What was Penelope really up to?”

Blackhurst asks rhetorically. Homer

Elaine Noone plays Penelope, who’s learnt to be pretty cunning as a single mother, in “The Penelopiad”

by Margaret Atwood. exonerates her, since she’s been put to sleep by a drink, or maybe not. And the maids’ liaisons (maybe even rapes) had taken place on their queen’s advice, as she hoped to find out more information from the suitors through them.

The set is abstract because it’s set in Hades and the play begins when Penelope is already dead so everything, Blackhurst says, is seen through the filter of her memory.

Her first line is, “now that I’m dead I know everything”. There are flashbacks to her birth, her childhood, her wedding day and when Odysseus left for the Trojan wars.

“When Atwood was writing this, she asked two main questions – why did they hang the maids and how complicit was Penelope, could she have saved them?” Blackhurst says.

“It’s a very unpleasant ending to a great story and many versions gloss over it, mentioning the killing of the suitors but leaving out the maids.”

Grim as it is, the show’s choreogra-

pher, Brooke Thomas, is a belly dancer who has some fun with seductive moves for the maids.

As Atwood portrays Penelope, she’s learnt to be pretty cunning as a single mother, possibly almost as cunning as her husband, the brains behind the Trojan horse. You just have to read between the lines.

Blackhurst’s production company is called “Crouching Giraffe” because, she says, she likes to look at impossibilities – giraffes can’t crouch.

Tony Turner, of Papermoon Productions, is coming to work on the sections where the women, cast at open auditions and representing women of all ages and body types, act as a kind of Greek chorus and the performance is enhanced by original music composed

by Glenn Gore Phillips. Veteran actor Elaine Noone gets the prize part of Penelope.

The costumes by Annie Kay include weaving motifs, including braiding of the hair, and are made of repurposed materials.

Blackhurst thinks “The Penelopiad” puts a different slant, but not necessarily a contemporary one, on a classic – even though the slaughter of the aid can be seen now as victim-blaming, because Penelope had allowed them to be ravished.

Penelope is seen as the faithful and patient wife at home, being a good hostess while waiting for the husband to come back. Atwood has said, “let’s take that and look at what might’ve happened to her”.

It puts Blackhurst in mind of the movie “Cold Mountain”, where Nicole Kidman plays the woman left at home to manage the family farm while the husband goes off to fight for the Confederates – “many women are left behind but the stories are always about the heroics of the men”.

“The Penelopiad”, The Courtyard Studio, July 7-17. Book at canberratheatrecentre. com.au

Settle in and indulge a little

Angela Hogan as Carmen…

“You have to find the part of your voice where the beauty lies.”

Angela makes the thoroughly modern ‘Carmen’ a hit

By Helen Musa

WHEN Angela Hogan steps on stage at the Canberra Theatre as the fiery gypsy Carmen in Bizet’s opera of the same name, it’ll be nothing new for her.

The Melbourne-trained singer played Carmen in Canberra during 2012 when she worked with Melbourne Opera and has toured in the role in provincial China twice for the Australian International Opera Company.

Now Hogan sings the role in the 25th anniversary national tour for Opera Australia in a new production updated by director and choreographer Matthew Barclay from the 1870s to Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s socially conservative 1950s Spain.

Hogan says Barclay’s updating “feels right”. The important and most modern feature for her is the role of Carmen herself, “a spirited woman who doesn’t want to abide by the convention of the time, who wants her freedom, who doesn’t want to settle down”.

Hogan agrees with me that the lovelorn soldier at the centre of the drama, Don José, is a terrible wimp.

“He’s a bit of a wimp and at the end of the day his ideals are about loyalty as a soldier, loyalty to his mum and loyalty to Micaela [José’s hometown girl]… he can’t cope with Carmen’s extremist views that freedom is the most important thing – he just can’t hack it.”

The doomed relationship is a mismatch, but that’s probably what drew them to each other, she thinks.

Hogan has the perfect voice to play Carmen, one of the rare leads in opera given to a mezzo soprano.

“When I started studying at the Victorian College of the Arts I studied as a soprano, but my voice confused a few teachers because I have the low notes, but I also have the high notes… I had to

decide where I was,” she says.

Hogan wasn’t always going to be an opera singer, and was 21 before seeing her first opera, “The Magic Flute”. From age five she wrote her own music and later performed in musicals, jazz ensembles and even heavy rock before coming to opera, where the singing is different, but with some similarity to rock.

“You have to find the part of your voice where the beauty lies,” she says.

But finding it brings the greatest responsibility for an opera singer, looking after one’s “instrument” – the voice – and taking care of one’s general health.

Now she’s on the road for a daunting four-month tour to every state, and all the regional centres.

She’s from Bendigo, and it tickles her to imagine how it might have been if she’d had the opportunity as a kid to work with OA’s Kate Stuart, who leads local child choristers to join the professional cast. In Canberra, the chosen groups will be Woden Valley Youth Choir and Music for Canberra Children’s Choir, directed by Toby Cole.

Her fellow Carmens on the road – you can’t sing a role like that every night – have been Dimity Shepherd and Agnes Sarkis, and anyone who’s not singing the lead that night is in the chorus.

“It’s demanding and I have to make sure I’ve got enough left in the tank.

“You need to measure your performance, because the audience deserves 100 per cent,” Hogan says.

“Carmen” performed in French with English surtitles, Canberra Theatre, July 8-10. Book at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700. Woden Valley Youth Choir performs on July 8 and July 10 (matinee) and MFC Children’s Choir on July 9 and July 10 (evening).

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CityNews July 1-7, 2021 23

CINEMA / reviews

‘Buckley’s’ by name and no chance by nature “Buckley’s Chance” (PG) THIS “child-lost-in-the-bush” movie, meaning that it’s supposed to be quintessentially Australian, is written by director Tim Brown, who also has a producer’s credit as well as, in conjunction with Willem Wennekers, a credit for writing it.

For weather-connected reasons, I sat down to watch it about 20 minutes in. As it flowed across the screen, what I’d missed seemed to be less and less important.

Brown has to be held responsible for most of the film’s mistakes. But let’s give credit where credit is due before turning to its faults, too numerous to list.

Good Thing number one is the casting of English actor Bill Nighy as the lost boy’s grandfather. Good Thing number two is the screenplay’s attempt to explain its title with two lines of dialogue that don’t mesh with the relevant facts despite being capable of compression to a minute or less of screen time – if you really want to know, they’re readily available on the internet. Good Thing number three is outback landscape shots that speak for themselves – despite many locations that look at the action from closer up, liberally sprinkled with glaring continuity errors shrieking that those working behind the camera didn’t know or, worse, knew but didn’t care about them.

Good Thing number four is the supporting cast who seemed generally to be aware of the film’s inherent shortcomings but soldiered on.

The plot is straightforward enough to

around a man who seeks emotional refuge from a solitary life by engaging low-grade impersonators to create a fake family which he then organises and documents.

You could be forgiven for wondering why on two levels – what the character (Maksym Derbenyov) is setting out to achieve, and what was the underlying reason for making it into a movie anyway.

When the fake sister becomes inspired to follow his method, their relationship struggles between the forged and genuine.

Photographed mainly in pale-coloured interiors, the film’s appearance intuitively evokes a sense of taking place in a Russian apartment peopled by folk who accept their working-class situation and its rudimentary comforts. I confess to having dozed off a bit.

Milan Burch as lost boy Ridley and Bill Nighy as the lost boy’s grandfather with the unnamed pet dingo. the point of over-simplification. Milan Burch plays Ridley the lost boy. The IMDb doesn’t give the name of the dog that plays the dingo that Ridley rescues from a tangled fence and becomes his faithful companion. Available information tells me that domesticating adult dingoes takes longer than the film allows, if at all.

In the credibility stakes, any “lost-inthe-bush” movie has to compete with Nic Roeg’s masterpiece “Walkabout”.

“Buckley’s Chance” has less than Buckley’s chance of doing that.

At all cinemas

“A Family” (M) THIS is the feature debut of producer/director Jayden Stevens who, in collaboration with multi-skilled Tom Swinburn (writer, photographer, producer), also wrote this Australianmade examination of human complexity in a Russian setting.

With a cast of five actors each with a Russian name, each speaking Russian (sub-titled) throughout its 93-minute run time, it’s something of a freak that works, if that makes sense.

The plot revolves

At Dendy

“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (MA) DID you see “The Hitman’s Wife” when it came out in 2017. I didn’t. No matter. The man on the ABC “Breakfast Show” reckons much of it has been recycled into this sequel.

Which is a flagrant comedy characterised by its same-as same-as production and dramatic values – the usual collection of wrecked cars; those wonderful Hollywood

firearms that continue to blaze away long after their magazines would; in life, have been exhausted, that gratuitous (unspeakable-inthis-journal) four-letter word smeared all over its vocabulary; satirical visual observation of the difference between rich people and the rest of us; big bangs destroying expensive property of every kind, improbable situations from which good guys somehow manage to escape unmarked; improbable situations from which stunt-persons arise from the dead to do it all over again.

Sound like your kinda movie? Then go for it.

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson reprise their roles as out-of-work hitmen.

As Jackson’s wife, Salma Hayek displays an abundance of both cleavage and voluble use of that word in most sentences of her dialogue. Afro-American actor Morgan Freeman adds distinction and style as Reynolds’ father.

Having made “The Hitman’s Wife’’ and this sequel, Australian director Patrick Hughes is now finishing “The Man From Toronto”. Advance information suggests that the principal stylistic difference between it and “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” will be its ensemble of other actors. Can’t hardly wait!

At all cinemas

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24 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

WHEN I watched the 2012 TV adaptation of the classic Australian novel “Puberty Blues” I was 15, close to the same age as the characters in the show.

On my muggy bus rides home from high school on a Thursday afternoon students would chatter and laugh about the most recent episode that had aired the night before.

“That’s unreeeaaaalll,” one would endlessly hear, mimicking the ‘70s surfer slang which was also the subject of Facebook memes getting thousands of likes and comments.

But there was a deeper captivation with the show’s unflinching confrontation of teenage sex, rape, drugs, drinking, pregnancy and identity, and its revealing of a darker side to the Sydney surf culture so normally idealised.

You could feel it on the tips of everyone’s tongues, a desire to talk more deeply about the topics explored in the show. Instead, there was only ever reserved dabbling in the shallows of the subject matter before quickly returning to the safe shores of the humour to be found in it all.

Many of the boys in my year group, including me, would pretend to be only half interested in the story of Debbie and Sue and their attempts to be one of the cool kids, but there was a quiet and more heartfelt fascination we knew was there but weren’t willing to say aloud.

The best-selling book by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette had left an impact on my mum when she read it as a teenager in the ‘80s and not long after I started watching the show she had passed on her copy to me, which I also became fascinated by.

Now, nearly a decade after its original airing,

Brenna Harding, left, and Ashleigh Cummings as Sue and Debbie in “Puberty Blues.” the show has been brought to Netflix and received yet another popular reception, and revisiting it left me with a deep sensation of teenage nostalgia.

There is undoubtedly something to be said about “Puberty Blues” being able to make an impact across generations.

Published in 1979, the semi-autobiographical novel was rife with controversy for being so honest in confronting the issues it does, especially with its two lead characters being only 13 years old.

In fact, so intense was the reception to the book’s boundary pushing that it would eventually lead the co-authors to part ways.

It didn’t take long for Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford to capitalise on the novel’s cultural presence and turn it into a film that, in 2021, turns 40 years old and is also available on Netflix.

Due to censorship laws, the film had to restrict some of the more intense themes of the novel, with the two leads themselves being changed from age 13 to 16.

But by 2012, there was much more freedom to tell a story closer to that of the original book, and the show handles its themes with a deft hand.

Refreshingly, like the novel, it doesn’t jarringly preach on the issues it explores like so many other modern TV shows do.

Instead there’s an earnest, real atmosphere to it all – one that says “this is what we experienced” and lets the audience do with that confronting realisation what they will.

Of course, high-school bus rides were never going to be a forum for emotional dissection of the series, but what they did reveal is the story’s ability to capture an audience of today as much as it did Generation X. There’s an important, teenage timelessness to the subject matter, one able to get young people thinking about its messages and perhaps even help them find a little more understanding and guidance through the rough swells of adolescence.

No wonder it’s still making waves.

DANCE

Dancers step up to new level

By Kate

MEIKLE TALENTED, young ACT dancers are poised for the biggest contemporary dance performance of their lives.

In collaboration with professional dance educators and choreographers, Suzy Piani and Bonnie Neate, the dancers will perform in “Unveiled”.

Since January, Suzy and Bonnie have been working with 20 pre-professional level dancers aged between 15 and 23 years old who, they say, had attained a high standard in dance but found, outside the traditional dance eisteddfods and end-of-year shows, limited local options to take their dancing skills to the next level of performance.

“We know the calibre of the dancers we teach and through eisteddfods we have seen the high level of contemporary dancers in local studios,” says Suzy, who works alongside Bonnie at Dance Central studio.

Bonnie says that “end-of-year shows” are not enough for these dancers, who were travelling interstate to attend workshops and other classes to extend their dance experiences.

She says that she and Suzy, who are both trained dance educators and have had successful careers as dancers locally

and internationally, could see potential for creating a show that would attract these talented dancers and create a unique contemporary dance performance that would be rigorous and challenging.

The result is “Unveiled”, a full-length contemporary work that will take the stage at Erindale Theatre on July 16-17.

Inspired by the classic ballet “Giselle”, first performed in Paris in 1841, the ghost-filled performance tells the tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl, Giselle (performed by CGGS year 12 student, Anna Hosking) who falls for and is betrayed by the deceitful nobleman, Albrecht (Joshua Walsh, who recently completed a professional dance course at the NZ School of Dance). “‘Unveiled’ has been an eye opener for the students. They have all worked very hard and had to hone their skills and techniques,” says Suzy.

Suzy and Bonnie warn the audience to “expect the unexpected” with the performance promising to be quirky, dark and comical in parts.

They hope that this self-funded program will become an ongoing funded project that will continue to attract and keep advanced-level dancers in the ACT. “We are two female choreographers in the arts community trying hard to do something different and to give dancers more,” says Bonnie.

“Unveiled” at Erindale Theatre, 7pm on July 16 and 17. Tickets via stickytickets.com.au

ARTS IN THE CITY

Young people tackle life’s tough questions

By Helen Musa “I’VE Been Meaning to Ask You” is a one-hour show created by the Good Room project and brought to Canberra by The Street and Canberra Youth Theatre. Against a striking video design, a panel of 9-13-yearolds from across Canberra tackle questions thrown to them. According to co-creators Amy Ingram and Nathan Sibthorpe, they’re acutely aware of the problems, especially climate change. The Street, July 9-10.

Book at thestreet.org.au THE third film in the 2021 Stronger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival is “Set!” by Scott Gawlik, to be screened on American Independence Day. The Orange County Fair, or “the Olympics of Tablescaping” is the focus, as contestants spend months designing, building and sourcing objects for their tables. The festival will experiment with free child-minding for parents who book in. Dendy, 2pm, Sunday, July 4. Book at dendy.com.au

Featured cast from left, Joshua Walsh as Albrecht, Anna Hosking as Giselle and Alice Collins as Queen of the Ghosts.

Photo: ES Fotografi

TO celebrate Bastille Day, the Alliance Française de Canberra is turning on a “Frenchy” concert with French-born singer and songwriter Pauline Maudy and her band MZAZA, performing favourite

French and jazz songs. Maudy will also hold a singing workshop.

Alliance Française, Turner, Saturday, July 10. Book at afcanberra.com.au THE irreverent kids’ show, “Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark” is coming to The Q. Performed by comedy duo, The Listies, it’s a hilarious adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic with ninjas, pirate aliens, swords, dinosaurs, zombies and ghosts.

Spoiler – everyone dies at the end, including the audience. Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, July 5-7. Book at theq.net.au AUSSIE tenor Mark Vincent is also coming to The Q, with his show, “A Tribute to Mario Lanza”, in which he pays homage to the American/Italian tenor and Hollywood film star who would have turned 100 this year.

Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, July 10. Book at theq.net.au ART in Miniature is holding its 21st exhibition of miniature paintings at the Link Art Space, and features around 20 local artists.

Appropriately, the show will be opened by the director of the Gallery of Small Things, Anne Masters.

Link Art Space, 1 McClymont Way, Strathnairn, 2pm, July 10 (exhibition runs July 7-August 15).

DINING / Cork & Glass, Yarralumla

Settle in and indulge a little

By Wendy

JOHNSON CORK & Glass is passionate about three things. Bottles. Brews. Local goods.

At the Yarralumla shops, this locally-owned liquor store knows its stuff and has a large and intriguing range of wines, focusing on rare and aged varieties.

Just as inspiring is the line-up of whiskies, craft beer and other quality spirits.

We’ve been several times now and Cork & Glass continues to impress.

An extension of Jim Murphy’s, Cork & Glass leverages the strong relationships built over the years, bringing an ever-changing experience for wine connoisseurs and those who love delicious cheese and charcuterie.

You can just rock up, buy and take away or settle in at a table and indulge a little. The décor is warm and inviting and the chandelier created from wine bottles, which changes colour, is fabulous.

Choose your own adventure with any bottle ($10 corkage) or select a glass from the menu. Wines change every month or so to hold interest.

If you’re peckish, create your own board of cheeses, meats or both (two to four people for $38), or ask staff to select and surprise.

On our visit, staff selected a luscious French brie from Normandy and a knock-it-out-of-the-park sharp cheddar rubbed in coffee. The coffee fragrance permeates the cheese to the core.

For meat, we were treated to a yummy pork and fennel salami, a true artisan creation, with the fennel not overpowering but bold enough to make its presence known. You can also order food from Lamshed’s restaurant next door.

Wines are superb and we’ve happily chosen our own

Cheese and charcuterie platter.

Photo: Wendy Johnson bottles but also enjoyed from the menu, including a stunning Christian Salmon sancerre (2019) from Loire Valley in France ($14 glass) and an equally stunning Leeuwin Estate Prelude chardonnay (2019) from Margaret River ($15). We’ve also sipped the Mesh riesling (2020) from Eden Valley ($13).

Sparkling wines start at $12, whites $11 and reds $9.

Spoil yourself with a 2010 Wynns John Riddoch cabernet sauvignon ($70 glass) or a 2005 Penfolds Grange ($200 a glass).

Cork & Glass’ range of whiskies start at $11, with some more than 21 years old ($37 for 30ml). The gin line-up is tasty ($8 to $14). Choose to have it neat, on the rocks or with Fever Tree tonic water.

Cork & Glass also sells delish gourmet food items to take away. The curated selection includes Noble handcrafted maple syrup, Barbell organic beef biltong, Coriole verjuice and Kielty’s sauces (the hand-smoked chipotle is fabulous).

Cork & Glass has a speakeasy-style secret room available for functions (up to 13 people). It features fabulous artwork by a local artist.

CityNews July 1-7, 2021 25

GARDENING

The winter flowering apricot, Prunus mume.

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26 CityNews July 1-7, 2021

Time to prune perennials such as sedum.

Early signs of spring showing WINTER has arrived with a vengeance, although I was a little disappointed not to see snow when drawing back the curtains.

Incidentally, snow won’t actually damage plants or break branches off trees unless it’s very heavy. For most plants, including perennials, it acts like an electric blanket and protects them from frost damage.

Thinking optimistically, as most gardeners do, there are only 62 days until spring. The early signs are showing, with bulb leaves popping up. Plant summer flowering bulbs now, such as liliums, for colour in the garden once the spring flush is over.

If you see trees coming into full blossom, it’s not climate change causing spring to arrive early. The first to come into flower is flowering apricot, or Prunus mume, with clusters of pink flowers appearing in mid-winter. There are a few varieties, including “Rosebud” and “Splendens”, growing to about four metres. These are purely ornamental, not for fruit. As they flower on the new season’s wood, it’s recommended to prune immediately after flowering.

The Horticultural Society of Canberra is offering pruning demonstrations, with expert advice both on fruit trees and rose pruning. Prepare for pruning by sharpening and thoroughly cleaning all tools, from secateurs to loppers. You won’t be using your own tools at these demonstrations but getting them ready to start on your own plants.

The free demonstrations are held at the Horticultural Society’s “Demonstration Garden”

in Bruce on Saturday, July 21. Make a note in your diary now for rose pruning at 10am, followed by fruit-tree pruning at 11am. There will be an additional rose-pruning demonstration on Sunday, August 1 at John and June Woodfield’s garden (1 Spence Place, Hughes) at 1pm. I recommend wearing warm clothes as invariably it’s a miserable day on these demonstrations!

This is also a perfect opportunity to inspect the Bruce gardens and see what’s in flower in winter. All the plants are labelled and members of the Society will be on hand to answer any questions. The garden also showcases different types of hedges suitable for smaller gardens.

A couple of points on pruning at this time of the year. It seems that even garden magazines and TV shows recommend that roses can only be pruned in early spring, from late July to August.

However, that’s not the advice from rose expert Charles Quest-Ritson, author of the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Encyclopedia of Roses”.

The book is considered the bible of roses, and Quest-Ritson himself has travelled the world talking about roses for more than 20 years. He is quite clear that roses can be pruned at any time.

I pruned my roses in March last year and May this year, for example.

Other plants are due for a severe haircut, such as sedum with withered brown flower heads on long stalks. Cut these to ground level, and divide the clumps if you want extra plants. These are

very solid and I literally use a tomahawk to split the clump.

Asters, Michaelmas daisies and salvias can also be cut to ground level, dug up and divided for filling in bare spots in your garden, providing extra plants for free. Alternatively, pot them up for the spring church or school fete. No pots?

Don’t worry, just head to the nearest Green Shed.

Give pots a good scrub out before using. On this occasion, premium potting mix is not required.

REGRETTABLY, I will no longer be giving talks to various groups. I have been freely giving talks to garden clubs and other organisations, such as Rotary and Probus, for the past 50 years.

Age is catching up with me, along with things like replacing hips and knees, which make it extremely difficult to stand. Notwithstanding, this garden page will continue.

I’LL leave you with today’s garden thought: this wonderful description of the Arboretum, from a lady whose daughter said: “with all the different trees, it’s like a tree zoo”.

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PUZZLES PAGE

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Your week in the stars

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General knowledge crossword No. 788

By Joanne Madeline Moore

July 5-11, 2021

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

This week relationships will be challenging and expect loved ones to be more demanding than usual. With the New Moon stimulating your domestic zone, strive to be at your diplomatic best with family members. As birthday great the Dalai Lama observes: “A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation of your life.”

If your inner voice tells you something (or someone) isn’t the real deal, make sure you act on that information in a clever and compassionate way.

DON’T BE SCARED OF BUYING “HERITAGE”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Careful communication is the key to an agreeable week for smart Bulls. The Sun, Uranus and the New Moon encourage you to blast away redundant attitudes, release any old grudges and let bygones be bygones. Plus Venus and Mars push you to work through domestic dramas and family squabbles in a proactive and diplomatic way. So your mantra for the moment is from birthday great the Dalai Lama: “Forgive others… be kind, honest and have positive thoughts.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

The New Moon shines a spotlight on your current bank balance as well as money mistakes you’ve made in the past. If your finances are in a mess, then it’s time to sort them out ASAP. Neptune squares Mercury (on Tuesday) which increases your gullible side, especially at work. And be careful you don’t indulge in a ‘comfort shopping’ spree that you later regret. So slow down and think things through.

Remember… good things will eventually come to Geminis who wait!

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Sensitive Crabs are ruled by the silvery Moon so you can’t help but be affected by this week’s New Moon in Cancer, as it stirs up your emotions. Plus Saturn and Uranus agitate inner insecurities and hidden motivations. But if you become overemotional and unreasonable then it won’t help matters. Instead, tune into the romance and magic of Friday night’s new moonbeams. And learn to love yourself, as you celebrate your strengths and embrace your weaknesses.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Prepare for a contrary kind of week! The current celestial cocktail includes a Sun/ Uranus link and a New Moon in Cancer. So you’re in the mood for change but you’re also feeling sentimental, as you revisit the past or wallow in an ocean of emotion. Proactive Mars encourages you to look to the future with fresh eyes, a curious mind and a full heart. The New Moon activates your spiritual and privacy zone on the weekend, when it’s time to revisit your inner world.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Some Virgos will reminisce about an old love or you could experience a disappointment, as you discover you’ve over-committed time, energy and enthusiasm to a project (or relationship) that’s going nowhere. It’s time to reformulate your goals for the future, as the New Moon activates your hopes and wishes zone. But steer clear of dubious dreamers and unreliable schemers. Try to surround yourself with positive people who promote your talents and support your dreams.

Down

3 Name an Australian National Party politician, and Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke ... (8) 7 What was the reputed exclamation of Archimedes?

(6) 8 To cover with non-conducting material, is to do what? (8) 9 Which food fish has pink flesh? (6) 10 Which term relates to complete abstinence from intoxicating drink? (8) 11 Name the youngest male to win at Wimbledon, Boris ... (6) 14 What are trademarks, or their like? (6) 17 Which sports officials on the sidelines assist the referee or umpire? (8) 18 What is a gallinaceous bird with feathered feet? (6) 19 Name a capital city on the Torrens River. (8) 20 Which horse won the 1946 Melbourne Cup? (6) 21 Which term describes “Teddies”? (3,5)

1 To be not easily worn out or decayed, is to be what? (7) 2 King Harald I was the king of which European country? (7) 3 William Dobell was renowned as a what? (7) 4 Name the great circle of the earth, equidistant from the North and South Pole. (7) 5 To be frugal or austere, is to be what? (7) 6 Which instruments are used for knitting? (7) 11 Which heavy material is carried by a ship to ensure stability? (7) 12 Name the film actor, noted for his portrayal of James Bond, Sean ... (7) 13 To reduce someone to bondage, is to do what?

(7) 14 What, informally, do we call sausages? (7) 15 What is a post-mortem examination? (7) 16 To be severe or forceful, is to be what? (7)

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LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Being a languid and laidback Libran won’t suffice, as the New Moon pushes you to be your personal best, explore fresh horizons and go for professional gold.

Venus and Uranus also liven up your romantic life… maybe too much. If you’re attached… plan something exciting with your partner. Singles… don’t play it too safe. Look for love with someone who is outside your comfort zone. So this week – when it comes to work and relationships – variety is definitely the spice of life!

Solution next edition

Across

Sudoku hard No. 294

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Are you still punishing yourself for a mistake you made many moons ago? Or are you still holding a grudge towards someone who wronged you many years ago?

It’s time to forgive others – and yourself – for transgressions from the past. So your mantra is from author and activist Marianne Williamson (who was born on July 8): “Forgiveness is not always easy… and yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.”

Friday night’s New Moon favours fresh adventures and updated philosophies.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Boredom is a big no-no this week, as you search out unusual people, places and activities. You’ll favour excitement and novel ideas over your usual daily routine.

When it comes to a joint financial matter or a business deal be cautious, as the New Moon shines a spotlight on money matters and things aren’t as straightforward as they seem. Don’t just muddle through. Get someone you trust to help you out. A relationship also seems to be heading in a very confusing direction.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Power struggles and fiery disagreements are likely, unless you can keep your Capricorn need to be in control under control. So swallow your pride and strive to sort out a problem that’s been brewing and stewing between you and a loved one.

Plus let other people make their own decisions and their own mistakes, especially involving financial matters. Friday night’s magical New Moon is the time for a fabulous fresh start. Singles – true love is waiting where you least expect.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2021

Solutions – June 24 edition Sudoku medium No. 294

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week’s stars are somewhat bittersweet. The New Moon activates creative projects and fires up friendships. But the Mercury/Neptune square could disrupt your daily routine and distract you from your priorities. So aim to be creative and compassionate, but also robust and resilient. Then the bumps along the road will only make you stronger! It’s also a good time to become more involved with volunteer projects and philanthropic pursuits, especially in your local community.

Solution next edition

Crossword No. 787

The week starts with a blast, as the Sun/Uranus link wakes up a work project or fires up a family dream. And how are you really feeling? Friday night’s New Moon energises your wellbeing zone. So it’s a good time to review your health and fitness; revise your diet and exercise routine; and then make appropriate adjustments and improvements. But they must be creative tweaks that specifically suit your idiosyncratic Aquarian style. The more quirky your plan is, the better!

Canberra has 9 areas as “Heritage Precincts” in the original Garden City Precinct Plan – Barton, Braddon, Forrest, Griffith, Kingston, Reid plus 3 areas in Ainslie.

We also have the post-war Tocumwal O’Connor Heritage Precinct. It is important to note that most of the residential homes in those precincts are not heritagelisted. It is the actual precincts that are heritage-listed.

The distinction is incredibly important for buyers to note.

Within those precincts, there is a very small number of individual residences identified as being of significant heritage value.

Interstate and overseas buyers could be nervous with incorrect assumptions, as other parts of Australia mandate to re-use timbers, nails and tiles with strict conditions on inside renovations. That simply doesn’t happen in Canberra for most residences in Heritage Precincts.

As someone who has renovated my own home in a Heritage Precinct (and once owned by Sir Arthur Tange AC, CBE) please let me allay any fears or concerns.

The main aspect that the ACT Heritage Council will be concerned about is a change to the façade of the home (unless your residence is one of the Heritage identified residences). Approved renovations done prior to the 2003 Heritage legislation coming into effect are totally fine to stay as they are. You can completely renovate inside, removing walls, and designing the home to suit you (subject to ACPTLA approval). In keeping with the façade requirements, skylights, solar panels and evaporative cooling units are placed on the back of the roof, not visible from the street.

Canberra has the free ACT Heritage Advisory Service for all buyers, prior to purchasing a home in a Heritage Precinct. You can request one hour on-site with either Philip Leeson or one of his Architects to advise what may or may not be possible. This personalised Architect Advisory service is per property, not a one-time only per person service. With my 23 different skirting boards, architraves and cornices throughout the home from renovations since the 1940s, Philip helped identify the original design, original fireplace mantels, what tiles were original, and many other features. Local trades have moulds to repair / replace original architraves, cornices and skirting boards exactly as the Federal Capital Commission (FCC) designed.

For those looking to buy in a Heritage Precinct, please email Philip Leeson Architects on info@philipleeson.com.au and work out timings with the agent.

For further information on the ACT Heritage Precincts, visit www.environment.act. gov.au/heritage/heritage_ register/register-by-place If you are currently living in a Heritage Precinct and wish to sell, feel free to contact me on 0405 135 009 for an appraisal. They are special properties and I’m proud to be a custodian of one of these treasures.

Phone 0405 135 009 cshaw@blackshaw.com.au #christineshawproperties CityNews July 1-7, 2021 27

Meerkat Encounter

Adventureland playground

an unforgettable

wild experience!

Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium features a combined aquarium, metropolitan zoo and easily walked open range section, as well as amazing up-close and personal animal encounters and tours.

Explore Adventureland, a truly unique playground featuring a total of 55 activities including various sized fibreglass animal sculptures for children aged 2-12 to explore and play on.

You can also experience the unforgettable with an overnight stay at the internationally recognised Jamala Wildlife Lodge. There is truly something for everyone at the National Zoo and Aquarium!

For your convenience, gift vouchers and memberships are available online through our website www.nationalzoo.com.au or you can purchase these over the counter.

Stay at jamala wildlife lodge

999 Lady Denman Drive, Canberra ACT Zoo 02 6287 8400 Jamala 02 6287 8444

www.nationalzoo.com.au www.jamala.com.au